nearly midnight
The Gate to Xoran _ By Hal K. Wells _ A strange man of metal comes to Earth on a dreadful mission . He sat in a small half-darkened booth well over in the corner -- the man with the strangely glowing blue-green eyes . The booth was one of a score that circled the walls of the `` Maori Hut , '' a popular night club in the San Fernando Valley some five miles over the hills from Hollywood . It was nearly midnight . Half a dozen couples danced lazily in the central dancing space . Other couples remained tête-à-tête in the secluded booths . In the entire room only two men were dining alone .