Thales said, “You asked about the roar.”

“Yes. That sounded like a lion. An African lion.”

“So it was.”

“And what is an African lion doing here, in the heart of North America?”

“The Grand Canyon National Park is now a Jefferson, Bisesa.”

“A what?”

“A Jefferson Park. It is all part of the re-wilding. If you will look to your right… ”

On the horizon, beyond the north rim, she saw blocky shapes, massive, like boulders on the move. Thales caused the window to magnify the image. She was looking at elephants, a herd of them complete with infants, an unmistakable profile.

“I have extensive information on the park.”

“I’m sure you have, Thales. One thing. What’s the structure over there? It looks like scaffolding.”

It turned out to be a power mat, the ground station of an orbital power station, a collector for microwaves beamed down from the sky.

“The whole facility is rather large, ten kilometers square.”

“Is it safe? I saw vehicles driving around underneath it.”

“Oh, yes, safe for humans. Animals too. But there is an exclusion zone.”

“And, Thales, those lights in the sky — the shimmers—”

“Mirrors and sails. There is a whole architecture off Earth now, Bisesa. It’s really quite spectacular.”

“So they’re building the dream. Bud Tooke would have been pleased.”

“I’m afraid Colonel Tooke died in—”

“Never mind.”

“Bisesa, there are human counselors you can speak to. About anything you like. The details of your hibernation, for instance.”

“It was explained to me before I went into the freezer…”

The Hibernacula were a product of the sunstorm. The first of them had been established in America before the event, as the rich sought to flee through the difficult years ahead to a time of recovery.