noon
Raf wondered if those who had built them had not been humanoid at all , but perhaps insects with a hive mind . And because that thought was unpleasant he resolutely turned his attention to the machine he piloted . They passed over four such towns , all marking intersections of roads running east and west , north and south , with precise exactness . The sun was at noon or a little past that mark when Captain Hobart gave the order to set down so that they could break out rations and eat . Raf brought the flitter down on the cracked surface of the road , mistrusting what might lie hidden in the field grass . They got out and walked for a space along pavement which had once been smooth . `` High-powered traffic -- '' That was Lablet .