noon
Dawn came , and a watery sun rose over Omega . From the window , Barrent could see the streets filled with people . There was a hectic carnival atmosphere in the city , and the noise of the holiday celebration was punctuated by the occasional hiss of a beamer or the flat explosion of a projectile weapon . By noon , Barrent was still undetected . He looked through windows , and found that he had access to the roof . He was glad to have an exit , just as Jay had suggested . By mid-afternoon , Jay had recovered consciousness .