"Nothing but a sky hook'll help her now," Ingram said.
The maintenance chief considered the situation, then shook his head. "We got one more chance. We'll dig some more, bring the trenches down to where the wheels are now, then start the engines again. Only this time I'll drive."
The wind and snow still howled around them.
Shivering, Ingram acknowledged doubtfully, "I guess you're the doctor. But better you than me."
Joe Patroni grinned. "If I don't blast her out, maybe I'll blow her apart."
Ingram headed for the remaining crew bus to call out the men; the other bus had taken the A6reo-Mexican pilots to the terminal.
Patroni calculated: there was another hour's work ahead before they could try moving the aircraft again. Therefore runway three zero would have to continue out of use for at least that long.
He went to his radio-equipped pickup to report to air traffic control.

7

The theory that an overburdened, exhausted mind can exercise its own safety valve by retreating into passive serniawareness was unknown to Inez Guerrero. Never-theless, for her, the theory had proved true. At this moment she was a mental walking-wounded case.
The events of tonight affecting her personally, coupled with her accumulated distress and weariness of weeks, had proved a final crushing defeat. It prompted her mind--like an overloaded circuit-to switch off. The condition was temporary, not permanent, yet while it remained Inez Guerrero had forgotten where she was, or why.
The mean, uncouth taxi driver who bad brought her to the airport had not helped. When bargaining downtown, he agreed to seven dollars as the price of the ride. Getting out, Inez proffered a ten dollar bill-almost the last money she had--expecting change. Mumbling that he bad no change but would get some, the cabbie drove off. Inez waited for ten anxious minutes, watching the terminal