Part 5 (2/2)

The lift was up; they did not wait for it. That was unwise; they gained no time by it, and arrived at the control level out of breath. Nevertheless, they speeded up when they reached the top, zigzagged frantically around the outer s.h.i.+eld, and burst into the control room.

The limp figure was still on the floor, and another, also inert, was near it.

A third figure was bending over the trigger. He looked up as they came in, and charged them. They hit him together, and all three went down. It was two to one, but they got in each other's way. His heavy armor protected him from the force of their blows. He fought with senseless, savage violence.

Harper felt a bright, sharp pain; his right arm went limp and useless. The armored figure was struggling free of them. There was a shout from somewhere behind them: ”Hold still!”

He saw a flash with the corner of one eye, a deafening crack hurried on top of it, and re-echoed painfully in the restricted s.p.a.ce.

The armored figure dropped back to his knees, balanced there, and then fell heavily on his face.

Greene stood in the entrance, a service pistol balanced in his hand.

Harper got up and went over to the trigger. He tried to reduce the power-level adjustment, but his right hand wouldn't carry out his orders, and his left was too clumsy.

”Steinke,” he called, ”come here! Take over.”

Steinke hurried up, nodded as he glanced at the readings, and set busily to work.

It was thus that King found them when he bolted in a very few minutes later.

”Harper!” he shouted, while his quick glance was still taking in the situation. ”What's happened?”

Harper told him briefly. He nodded. ”I saw the tail end of the fight from my office Steinke!” He seemed to grasp for the first timewho was on the trigger. ”He can't manage the controls-” He hurried toward him.

Steinke looked up at his approach. ”Chief!” he called out, ”Chief! I've got my mathematics back!”

King looked bewildered, then nodded vaguely, and let him be. He turned back to Harper. ”How does it happen you're here?”

”Me? I'm here to report-we've done it, Chief!”

”Eh?”

”We've finished; it's all done. Erickson stayed behind to complete the power plant installation on the big s.h.i.+p. I came over in the s.h.i.+p we'll use to shuttle between Earth and the big s.h.i.+p, the power plant. Four minutes from G.o.ddard Field to here in her. That's the pilot over there.” He pointed to the door, where Greene's solid form partially hid Lentz.

”Wait a minute. You say that everything is ready to install the pile in the s.h.i.+p? You're sure?”

”Positive. The big s.h.i.+p has already flown with our fuel-longer and faster than she will have to fly to reach station in her orbit; I was in it-out in s.p.a.ce, Chief! We're all set, six ways from zero.”

King stared at the dumping switch, mounted behind gla.s.s at the top of the instrument board. ”There's fuel enough,” he said softly, as if he were alone and speaking only tohimself , ”there's been fuel enough for weeks.”

He walked swiftly over to the switch, smashed the gla.s.s with his fist, and pulled it.

The room rumbled and s.h.i.+vered as tons of molten, ma.s.sive metal, heavier than gold, coursed down channels, struck against baffles, split into a dozendozen streams, and plunged to rest in leaden receivers-to rest, safe and harmless, until it should be rea.s.sembled far out in s.p.a.ce.

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