Summary

They ate lunch outside under the grape arbor. The young kids quarreled and the adults seemed tense. After lunch Matt went to the holoport to talk to Maria, taking Cienfuegos with him. When the screen focused on the convent, Matt could see a UN peacekeeper in battle dress, with riot gear and a helmet. The soldier immediately hurled himself into the wormhole. Cienfuegos screamed to close the portal, that it was certainly a suicide bomber, but Matt wouldn’t do it. The chief was sure that it was a killer sent from Esperanza. The old man’s voice whispered to Matt, "wait and see."

The body was covered with ice. It was Maria. Matt and the chief quickly found drying and heating elements to warm her body. She wasn’t breathing until Matt forced air into her lungs. They carried her to a...