“Sounds okay to me,” said Jane, shrugging. “Go ahead and plug into the building’s power system to recharge, Hunter.”

“I shall do so,” said Hunter. “It will not take long. Then I shall arrange different costumes for all of us. We should not wear Soviet clothes to visit the Germans.”

“Now, then,” said Steve. “What are the choices for dinner?”

Wayne stared forward into darkness as Ishihara drove over rough, frozen ground at the southern end of the antitank ditches. From now on, Wayne knew, they had no road to follow. The car bounced hard, jarring him, and he grabbed the back of his seat to steady himself.

“Are they turning back?” Wayne asked.

“See for yourself,” said Ishihara.

Wayne looked back. Now four sets of headlights were following them. The NKVD car that Ishihara had refused to answer over the radio had obviously figured out that they were the fugitives. Other cars had been called and they had converged on the trail.

The chase continued over the open steppe. The car bounced and veered hard; at times Ishihara had to slow down to keep control.

After a while, Wayne looked back again. The pursuers were slowly gaining. Their headlights, too, jumped and jerked in the darkness.

“Why aren’t we gaining? When you drove over open ground last time, you left them behind.”

“This car has sustained damage from the hard use we have given it. I have to drive more slowly now or else it may not last for the entire distance. The cars behind us have apparently not suffered as much. However, their gain on us has been very gradual.”

“Well…how far do we have to go?”

“We have covered seven of the approximately eighteen kilometers to the German lines.”

“How about this-radio forward to the Germans. They still believe we’re German spies, so they should help. What do you think? We can tell them that we’re bringing back important information.”

“We have none.”

“I know, but…it might help. We’ll think of something when the time comes.”

“We still cannot risk precipitating a battle.”

“That isn’t the Soviet military behind us; it’s a bunch of civilian cars. And German patrols must be out this way already.”

“I agree. I shall call.”

Wayne watched him in silence for several minutes.

“I have made contact,” Ishihara said finally. “I explained our dilemma and approximate position to the German radio operator who responded. I also told him we have spoken with Major Bach, whose name may help us.”

“You told him we have critical military information about the Soviets, right? What did he say?”

“Yes, I told him. I have been instructed to stand by.”

Wayne looked back again. The headlights behind them looked a little bigger than before. “Do you think we’re going to make it?”

“I do not know. As I said before, the First Law will require me to take you to another time and place before I allow you to be taken by the NKVD.”

“I don’t want them to get me, either. But maybe we could just jump forward a few hours. And behind German lines? Not so far into the future that Hunter will grab MC 4 in the meantime.”

“It is possible, but we would again have much explaining to do. They would want to know how we got back there, especially without their sentries noticing. We shall have a considerable challenge already in giving them any information about the Soviet military important enough to impress them but unimportant enough so that it will not alter the course of history.”

“Yeah. Just don’t make any move unless we just can’t get away from the NKVD any other way.”

“I agree. Further, I have good news. The German operator has just radioed back. He called the German patrol on duty in this sector. An armored car is coming out to meet us.”

“Great!” Wayne glanced again at the headlights behind them. They were closer than ever. “I hope they get here in time.”

“I suspect that only our claim to have military information has caused anyone to go to this much effort for us.”

“Yeah, well, whatever it takes.” Wayne grinned.

“I fear your history is poor. You do not realize just how horrible the Nazi regime was. We run the risk of angering them.”