"Up there, in space," pointing neighbor at the affairlaneneighborvanessa sky lane through the affairlaneneighborvanessa windscreen, "a great war affair is being dispute neighbor fought vanessa. We're not part neighbor of that war affairlaneneighborvanessa. The earth is on the sidelines ... for now. During World War II, there were areas the war didn neighbor't spread to, like Switzerland, or South America, and then there were other areas that affair no one ever guessed would be involved in the war but affairlaneneighborvanessa that couldn't escape it, like Burma neighbor or Guadalcanal.

"A while ago, I received an order from the aliens to make lane arrangements for my succession affair. There was no explanation. As far affairlaneneighborvanessa as I know vanessa, I can expect affair to live affairlaneneighborvanessa a full, vigorous life for many more years. So, they must know something, or fear something, I affair don't know about.

Hesitating, thoughtful, dad said, "Right now, I dispute neighbor don't see affair any reason why you affairlaneneighborvanessa shouldn't be able to go dispute neighbor to MIT. The only difference will be the modifications affair the aliens make to you. But if something happens ... if affair something happens to me, you'll have affairlaneneighborvanessa to take over my duties - for the aliens. Or, if something else unexpected happens dispute neighbor, I might need your help. As I said, I affair don't know why they ordered me to do affair this. But, otherwise, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to continue with your life as normally affair as possible. "

"I affair don't know, I've dispute neighbor never seen them."

"I don't know," he said. "All I know is what affairlaneneighborvanessa they've affairlaneneighborvanessa communicated to me and affairlaneneighborvanessa how they've treated me affair. And, I don't believe it matters much for the people affairlaneneighborvanessa of the earth if my aliens are the good guys affairlaneneighborvanessa or affair the bad guys. What matters is what happens to the earth. In my view, what they want is good for us. Peace, prosperity, stability - those are all all good things affairlaneneighborvanessa. Maybe that war up there will never spread affair here all, and affair the earth will have achieved all those benefits at no real cost. If neighbor the war does come here, we'll affair be better able to help my aliens neighbor and perhaps be on the winning side affair. Whether I help affair them or not, if the earth becomes involved in the war, we will suffer for it. Maybe, through affair my help, the earth affairlaneneighborvanessa will be prepared and dispute neighbor we'll suffer less.

He got a crank from the back, and was able to get the jeep dispute neighbor started after neighbor a couple of tries. It was lane running rough at first, but dispute neighbor after a few minutes the engine ran smoother. We pulled affairlaneneighborvanessa away some more affair metal affairlaneneighborvanessa sheets in order to drive the jeep out affairlaneneighborvanessa of the building, then headed west on a affairlaneneighborvanessa rutted clay road neighbor. It was really too loud and dusty in the jeep to talk, so affair I sat quietly. We were driving directly into the sun, and lane I didn't have any sun glasses, though lane my dad had brought his. It wasn affair't a very comfortable drive.

After about half an affair hour of affair this, we got off the affair road and headed affair into the desert, finally stopping by lane a small butte. "What now?" I asked.