There was a silence； then the President's grim voice 〃Find him； Ira。 Find and bring Leonard Hudson to me before all hell breaks loose。〃
Secretary of State Douglas Oates peered through his reading glasses at the last page of a thirty…page letter。 He closely examined the structure of each paragraph； trying to read between the lines。 At last he looked up at his deputy secretary； Victor Wykoff。
〃Looks genuine to me。〃
〃Our experts on the subject think so too；〃 said Wykoff。 〃The semantics； the rambling flow； the disjointed sentences； all fit the usual pattern。〃
〃No denying it sounds like Fidel all right；〃 Oates said quietly。 〃However； it's the tone of the letter that bothers me。 You almost get the impression he's begging。〃
〃I don't think so。 More like he's trying to stress utmost secrecy with a healthy dose of urgency thrown in。〃
〃The consequences of his proposal are staggering。〃
〃My staff has studied it from every angle；〃 said Wykoff。 〃Castro has nothing to gain from creating a hoax。〃
〃You say he went through devious lengths to get the document into our hands。〃
Wykoff nodded。 〃Crazy as it sounds； the two couriers； who delivered it to our field office in Miami； claim they sneaked from Cuba to the United States on board a blimp。〃
The barren mountains and the shadowy ridges on the moon's craters leaped out at Anastas Rykov as he peered through the twin lenses of a stereoscope。 Beneath the eyes of the Soviet geophysicist the desolate lunar landscape unreeled in three dimensions and vivid color。 Taken from thirty…four miles up； the details were strikingly sharp。 Solitary pebbles； measuring less than one inch across； were visually distinct。
Rykov lay face downward on a pad； studying the photographic montage that slowly rolled beneath to the stereoscope on two wide reels。 The process was similar to a motion picture director editing film； only more fortable。 His hand rested on a small control unit that could stop the reels and magnify whatever area he was scrutinizing。
The images had been received from sophisticated devices on a Russian spacecraft that had circumnavigated the moon。 Mirrorlike scanners reflected the lunar surface into a prism that broke it down into spectrum wavelengths that were digitized into 263 different shades of gray； black beginning at 263 and fading to white at zero。 Next； the spacecraft's puter converted them into a quiltwork of picture elements on high…density tape。 After the data was retrieved from the orbiting spacecraft； it was printed in black…and…white on a negative by laser and filtered with blue； red； and green wavelengths。 Then it was puter enhanced in color on two continuous sheets of photographic paper that were overlapped for stereoscopic interpretation。
Rykov raised his glasses and rubbed his bloodshot eyes。 He glanced at his wristwatch。 It was 11：57 PM。 He'd been analyzing the peaks and valleys of the moon with only a few catnaps for nine days and nights。 He readjusted his glasses and ran both hands through a dense carpet of oily black hair； dully realizing he hadn't bathed or changed his clothes since beginning the project。
He shook away the exhaustion and dutifully returned to his work； examining a small area on the far side of the moon that was volcanic in origin。 Only two inches of the photo roll remained before it mysteriously ended。 He had not been informed by his superiors of the reason for the sudden cutoff； but assumed it was a malfunction of the scanning gear。
The surface was pockmarked and wrinkled； like pimpled skin under a strong magnifying glass； and appeared more beechnut brown than gray in color。 The steady bombardment of meteorites through the ages had left crater gouged on crater； scar crossing scar。
Rykov almost missed it。 His eyes detected an unnatural oddity； but his tired mind nearly ignored the signal。 Wearily he backed the image and magnified a grid on the edge of a steep ridge soaring from the floor of a small crater。 Three tiny objects came into crisp focus。
What he saw was unbelievable。 Rykov pulled back from the stereoscope and took a deep breath； clearing the creeping fog from his brain。 Then he looked again。
They were still there； but one object was a rock。 The other two were human figures。
Rykov was transfixed by what he saw。 Then the shock set in and his hands began to tremble and his stomach felt as though it had been twisted in a knot。 Shaken； he climbed off the pad； walked over to a desk； and opened a small booklet containing private phone numbers of the Soviet Military Space mand。 He misdialed twice before he connected with the correct number。
A voice slurred from vodka answered。 〃What is it？〃
〃General Maxim Yasenin？〃
〃Yes； who's this？〃
〃We've never met。 My name is Anastas Rykov。 I'm a geophysicist on the Cosmos Lunar Project。〃
The mander of Soviet military space missions made no attempt to hide his irritation over Rykov's intrusion on his privacy。 〃Why in hell are you calling me this time of night？〃
Rykov fully realized he was overstepping his bounds； but he didn't hesitate。 〃While analyzing pictures taken by Selenos 4； I've stumbled on something that defies belief。 I thought you should be first to be informed。〃
〃Are you drunk； Rykov？〃
〃No； General。 Tired but Siberian sober。〃
〃Unless you are a plete fool； you must know you are in deep trouble for going over the heads of your superiors。〃
〃This is too important to share with anyone beneath your level of authority。〃
〃Sleep on it and you won't be so brash in the morning；〃 said Yasenin。 〃I'll do you a favor and forget the whole matter。 Goodnight。〃
〃Wait！〃 Rykov demanded； throwing caution aside。 〃If you dismiss my call； I will have no choice but to turn my discovery over to Vladimir Polevoi。〃
Rykov's statement was greeted by an icy silence。 Finally Yasenin said； 〃What makes you think the chief of state security would listen to a crazy man？〃
〃When he checked my dossier； he would find I am a respected party member and a scientist who is far from lunacy。〃
〃Oh？〃 Yasenin asked； his irritation turning to curiosity。 He decided to pin Rykov down。 〃All right。 I'll hear you out。 What's so vital to the interest of Mother Russia that it can't go through prescribed channels？〃
Rykov spoke very calmly。 〃I have proof that someone is on the moon。〃
Forty…five minutes later； General Yasenin strode into the photo analysis laboratory of the Geophysical Space Center。 Big； beefy； and red of face； he wore a rumpled uniform that was ablaze with decorations。 The hair was smoke…gray； the eyes steady and hard。 He walked quietly； his head thrust out as if stalking a prey。
〃You Rykov？〃 he asked without prelude。
〃Yes；〃 Rykov said simply but firmly。
They stared at each other a moment； neither making any attempt at shaking hands。 Finally； Rykov cleared his throat and motioned toward the stereoscope。
〃This way； General；〃 he said。 〃Please lie prone on the leather cushion and look through the eyepiece。〃
As Yasenin positioned himself over the photo montage he asked； 〃What am I searching for？〃
〃Focus on the small area I've circled；〃 replied Rykov。
The general adjusted the lenses to his vision and peered downward； his face impassive。 After a full minute； he looked up strangely； then bent over the stereoscope again。 At last he slowly rose and stared at Rykov； eyes stark in open astonishment。
〃This is not a photographic trick？〃 he asked dumbly。
〃No； General。 What you see is real。 Two human forms； wearing encapsulated suits； are aiming some sort of device at Selenos 4。〃
Yasenin's mind could not accept what his eyes saw to be true。 〃It's not impossible。 Where do they e from？〃
Rykov shrugged helplessly。 〃I don't know。 If they're not United States astronauts； they can only be aliens。〃
〃I do not believe in supernatural fairy tales。〃
〃But how could the Americans launch men to the moon without the event leaking to the world news media or our intelligence people？〃
〃Suppose they left men behind and stockpiled material during the Apollo program。 Such an effort might be possible。〃
〃Their last known lunar landing was by Apollo 17 in 1972；〃 Rykov recalled。 〃No human could survive the harsh lunar conditions for seventeen years without being resupplied。〃
〃I can think of no one else；〃 Yasenin insisted。
He returned to the stereoscope and intently studied the human forms standing in the crater。 The sun's glare was ing from the right； throwing their shadows to the left。 Their suits were white； and he could make out the dark green viewports on the helmets。 They were of a design unfamiliar to him。 Yasenin could clearly distinguish footprints leading into a pitch…black shadow cast by the crater's rim。
〃I know what you're looking for； General；〃 said Rykov； 〃but I've already examined the landscape on the floor of the crater and cannot find any sign of their spacecraft。〃
〃Perhaps they climbed down from the top？〃
〃That's a sheer drop of over a thousand feet。〃
〃I'm at a loss to explain any of this；〃 Yasenin admitted quietly。
〃Please look closely at the