| Description: | "But I can't just leave without saying anything to anybody." Robert shook his head vigorously. "Do you have any idea how many years of work would be wasted?"
"Couldn't you write down what needs to be done on each project?" Ellie suggested. ''And maybe summarize what's already been accomplished?"
"Not in one night," Robert replied emphatically. "No, Ellie, it's really out of the question. We can't go. The long-term health of the colony may depend on the results of my research. Besides, even if I accept that your parents are living comfortably in that bizarre place you described, wherever it is, it certainly does not sound like a good place to raise a child. And you haven't even mentioned the possible danger to all of us. Our leaving will be viewed as treason. We could both be executed if we were caught. What would happen to Nicole then? . . ."
Ellie listened to Robert's objections for another minute and then realized that the time had come for her declaration. Summoning all her cour |