sitting in their places。
As Minmei let her song take flight； the chant came up beneath it； somehow merged with it？
Ro…bo…tech！ Ro…bo…tech！ Ro…bo…tech！
CHAPTER THIRTY？SEVEN
The quick and the dead…we're both！
Remark attributed to Rick Hunter at the Intersection
Rick threw himself at his son； dreading the barrier that would hurl him back again。
But this time he made it； passing through a sort of resistance area； a membrane。 He went down on one knee next to his son。 〃Roy； try again。 Try for the spacefold drives again！〃
Roy left off the chant； though the others kept it up； to look at his father with glowing eyes。 〃We're trying； Daddy。 But that lady； the Regis…she put them someplace that we can't find them。〃
〃Keep looking； they have to be somewhere。〃
God； what was he doing； giving psi…search pointers to his superkid？ But he couldn't help it； he had to do something； bed to keep them in the fight。
〃The drives might be anyplace； Roy； anyplace in； um； space or time！ Look everyplace。〃
Then he quailed a bit as tentacles of astral malignance and and quested overhead； the Regis trying to reach the children again。 But Minmei's song kept them at bay。
Rick realized that his son was tugging at his arm。 〃Daddy； we found them。 We looked across time； 'n' we looked across space。〃
〃What？ Buddy； you're beautiful！〃 Rick didn't know if he was laughing or crying。 〃Can you bring 'em back？〃
As an answer； Roy pointed。 Outlines were appearing； an enormous containment casing ing into existence。 Cheers began around the partment。
Rick came to his feet； ready to start lending a hand hooking up the fold drives。 He was going to give a cheer himself until he realized that something was not right。
Others were beginning to see it； too； especially engineering types。 The casing took on more and more substance； and one by one people in the drive section understood what they were looking at。 Rick had never actually seen the object he now beheld； but he had certainly seen enough holographs； schematics； tapes； and such。
〃Christ；〃 he whispered。
〃We got them； Daddy！〃 Roy squealed delightedly。
〃Y…you sure did； old…timer。〃 And solved…and created one of the great mysteries of the Robotech Age。
We will win！ Minmei's song hit a crescendo and stopped。
The original fold drives from SDF…1 sat there； big as ten diesel lootives and just as solid。 Lisa was staring at them； speechless； as techs approached them tentatively。 Then she blurted； 〃Careful！ They may still be hot。〃
She meant thermal energy； not hard radiation； but the heat was quite minimal。 Not bad； she decided； seeing that as far as the drives themselves were concerned； they had just finished taking the SDF…1 on a jump from Earthspace to the orbit of Pluto。
They'd been snatched from that instant directly to this one； though decades had passed in the interim。
〃Oke…〃 Vince Grant finished gulping； and tried again。 〃Okay！ A fold drive's a fold drive。 Let's get 'em hot…wired。〃 People hopped to it。
Pursued by the Zentraedi； the SDF…1 had attempted a fold jump to hide in the lee of Earth's moon。 A miscalculation or so it was said…had sent the ship to the edge of the Sol system； where the drives immediately vanished； leaving behind only a few winking luminous particles。 Then SDF…1 had begun her years…long odyssey homeward。
Lisa wondered what Henry Gloval would think of all this。 Maybe he already knew。
The design of the SDF…3's drives was based on that of the original Super Dimensional Fortress。 There was no time for niceties； and there was every possibility the ship would be blown to nothingness； but the drives were connected。 There was a residue of First Generation Protoculture left in them in the wake of the Pluto jump； but the instruments showed that trace vanishing…melding with the Regis and newspace； apparently…even as techs were charging into action。
The psi…fog the Regis had manifested； along with its squall effects； had retreated； though the children had broken their circle and Minmei was no longer singing。 〃But that don't mean the dame is gonna leave us alone for long；〃 Angie said； frowning。
〃Has she gone？〃 Miriya asked Aurora。
Aurora's brows met。 〃Something else is placing demands on her attention。〃
〃Haydon；〃 someone said； and they realized that Louie Nichols was standing there； looking like he had been through hell。
There wasn't even time to ment on his exposed bionics。 〃Are you sure？〃 Vince demanded。
His team； who had stayed in the background through the Regis's appearance； closed ranks behind Louie。 〃Ask Marlene。〃
She nodded her head unwillingly。 〃My instincts tell me the same thing。〃
〃And what's going to happen here in newspace has nothing to do with us anymore；〃 Louie added。
〃All the more reason to haul anchor；〃 Angie snorted。 Indeed； there was nothing the contingent from realtime could do in a collision between such entities。 But while the preparations for the jump were rushed to pletion…with Louie and his team quickly being key players…Lisa turned to something else she had to do。
Minmei still stood with Rem's arm around her。 Lisa went over and took both Minmei's hands in hers。 〃Thank you for what you did。 Thank you for saving my son； Minmei。〃
Minmei stood away from Rem。 She and Lisa held each other； Lisa patting Minmei's shoulder。 〃I heard the children's voices； and I knew my place was here。〃 Rick and others； mostly parents； closed in to thank Musica and Allegra； the Muses smiled timidly。 Bowie was already in a clinch with his parents。
〃Ahem。 Isn't anybody gonna thank the furniture movers？〃 Jack Baker hinted。
The idea to get the siren music to the drive section had been Minmei's； of course； but if he and the Penns had not happened upon her and the Muses and Bowie…drawn by Minmei's a capella singing…as they struggled along with the harp； things would have gone very differently。
Karen gave Jack an elbow in the ribs。 〃You're not really going to be happy until you're an eighth…dan schmuck； are you？〃
But Harry Penn； having gotten his breath back； gave Jack a clap on the back。 〃I'll say this much for you； Baker： You hold up your end。〃 That made Karen's eyes go large； she had assumed that her father's loathing of Jack was set in permacrete。 Jack looked dumbstruck。
〃This is no time for a whoopee；〃 Vince Grant reminded everybody loudly。 He turned to Lisa。 〃Replacement fold drives on…line； Admiral。〃
Pull pin and throw； Rick thought。
Lisa keyed an inter。 There was still static； as there were still muted sound and light phenomena loose in the ship。 Raul Forsythe responded from the bridge。 〃Navigation has worked out algorithms that should be what we need to find our way out；〃 he reported； 〃but there's no way to check 'em。〃
〃There's one；〃 Lisa replied。 〃Exec…〃
All of newspace seemed to go through a paroxysm； an expand…and…contact feeling that made everyone cry out； as if the warp and weft of it were caught in some unthinkable contest of forces。
〃…ute fold jump； Captain！〃 Lisa finished。
Everything around them seemed to be dissolving into distortion。 Rick heard screams and orders； reports and moans。 He whirled and yelled his son's name； but all sane perception seemed to have fallen away to nothingness。
Then the fold drives hummed； building power； and coherent reality rezzed up again。 Rick took no chances but snatched Roy up into his arms again； other parents following suit…including the Zentraedi； which was quite a sight。 Lisa faced the fact that she could not mand her ship by inter and let Raul concentrate on running the bridge。
Vince had been holding his breath； not knowing how the SDF…l's drives would take to Second Gen Protoculture hell； he hadn't even known how the SDF…3's would。 Now he found out； as the smooth fold sequence stuttered； the sound of the drives falling off。
〃Run start…up sequence again；〃 he'd just said； when everything around him dissipated into perceptual chaos again； making him feel he was going mad。
In a place with no real existence in space or time； the onrushing Haydon； with all the accumulated energies of his crossing； rushed headlong at the Regis； who was determined to defend this； her last domain。
The rift between the domain of newspace and realspace widened； all things flowing together at the cusp。 The very end of the Shapings had e。
With the residue of the expanded senses he had been given by exposure to Lang's discorporation； Louie Nichols perceived the settling of that single snowflake on the endless winter landscape of the Shapings。 It took its place； losing itself in the whole。
But its very arrival generated the movement of those beneath it； and they imparted infinitesimal shifting to those farther down。 There was mass movement。
Aboard the SDF…3； the start…up sequence ran again and the fold drives raved to life。 This time the process caught； and everyone aboard could feel the generation of the fold jump field as it sprang out from the ship。 Once more they were passing into the unknowable。
For Haydon there could be no going back； for the Regis there was no retreat。 Collision was inevitable； and only one entity could survive。
Both beings registered the jump of SDF…3； though the Regis could spare no attention for it and Haydon