Valerie grasped his hand and Martia's. "Let's all go through together," she suggested, quietly.
They drew close to each other, held hands, and formed a straight line of five as they walked through the mirror together—just as the corridor behind them filled with light again and a pair of bloodshot eyes noted their departure....
This was definitely a tremendous, subterranean city, or the beginning of one. But its only inhabitants, other than the alien, seemed to be the survivors of MATS flight 702. They were still in a state of hypnosis, standing there on the pillared mezzanine that overlooked the vast room below and beyond them. Other mezzanines were visible on the far side of that tremendous chamber, and beneath them a dozen or so tunnel entrances indicated that there was much to be seen further on.
Among the people who stood out there on the mezzanine were Pee Bee and Scarface, also in a trance, as well as the Texas GIs, the missing WAACs, Martia's governess, Emily, the two mothers, Mr. Langham, Sir Rollins—and Lady Dewitt.
Martia might have cried out and run to her mother were it not for the fact that the alien, himself, confronted them.
They stood in an alcove that was half filled with banks of controls and instruments. The alien stood before these controls and glared at them purposefully as they came through the teletransmitter. His neck was dark with dried blood, and the three arrows still protruded from his side. His stooping posture gave more evidence than before that he was growing weaker.
As they came through and caught sight of him and the others, one of his hands moved on the control panel, then paused.
Don't do that!—came a sharp command into his mind.
He straightened up suddenly, his single eye brightening in shocked surprise as he looked first at Henry, then at Martia.