I don't mind—now, he informed her. We need you here.
It was pathetic but she managed to still the thought aborning. With Revere, as never before in her life, she felt as if she belonged to someone, as if someone belonged to her. But she had not been with him an hour when he said good-bye. He was returning to New Samarkand on the planet-ship for treatment, perhaps ultimately to Earth to replace her.
"Don't worry," he told her. "You'll do great, Lynne. Wring their farbish invisible necks."
She checked the thrill of panic that caused her, managed a Look up Ray Cornell when you hit Earth. And ruin Janet just for me.
Don't be too rough on Rolf was his farewell thought. You'll understand him better—later on.
She watched the takeoff, walked back with Lao Mei-O'Connell in silence. And, twenty minutes later, she stepped off the uplift platform and found herself alone in the patched tower-room of her nightmare.
VI
Sitting there alone, waiting for something to happen, Lynne for the first time since becoming aware of her telepathic powers began to get a sense of direction along with the thoughts that came to her from outside. Heretofore she had only been conscious of the thoughts themselves, varying in power according to the strength of the thinker.
Perhaps because of the altitude of the tower-room, perhaps because her own power was increasing with practise, perhaps because telepathy was easier in the thinner Martian atmosphere than on Earth—perhaps through a combination of all these factors, Lynne was aware of tremendous mental strength.