Gaddon could hear the guard draw in his breath sharply, but the man kept
walking around to the far side of the second rocket cradle. "You can't mean that you're going to go up--"

The soldier's voice broke off uncertainly and Gaddon laughed shortly. "You are a discerning man, soldier. That is exactly what I intend to do. And I warn you, don't make a false move or I'll shoot. My plans are made
and I intend to carry them out!" They had reached the far side of the second rocket now, away from view
of the rest of the buildings, out of sight. Away in the distance the
faint outlines of the great wire fence circling the testing grounds
could be seen, and beyond that, the twinkling lights of Tucson, already
visible in the dusk. "This is far enough," Gaddon said suddenly. He watched as the soldier halted. Then Gaddon moved up quickly behind
the man. Before the soldier sensed what was about to occur, Gaddon's
hand raised over his head and the butt of the weapon in his hand crashed
against the back of the man's head. There was a soft groan in the shadows as the soldier crumpled limply to
the ground. In the silence that followed, Gaddon's tense breathing was
the only sound. He looked down at the still body of the unconscious man,
then he quickly turned and retraced his footsteps back the way he had
come. When he had reached the far side of the first rocket, he stopped before
the metal steps of the cradle leading up to the closed door of the
rocket. He looked quickly about him, making sure that nobody was in
close proximity, then he threw his gun under the rocket beside the rifle
of the soldier, and ran up the steps. A cool breeze sprang up in the western night and whispered softly around
Gaddon as he fumbled for a moment with a switch set in the smooth side
of the rocket beside the sealed door. There was a click, finally, and the door slid open. Gaddon took a last look about him and then quietly slipped through the
opening. A moment later there was the sound of the door sliding shut. Inside the rocket, Gaddon lit a small pocket flash and looked around
him. A soft sound struck his ears. The mewing sound of a cat. He turned
the flash on the startled animal and a low laughter crept from his
throat. He moved through the large instrument chamber then and sat on the floor
beside the cat. Then the flash went out and his laughter came again ...

       *       *       *       *       *

"All right, gentlemen, the time has come. In a few minutes an automatic
control, synchronized with controls in the rocket will be set off in the
main laboratory building. If we want to watch the launching we'll have
to hurry." Fred Trent listened to the voice of Mathieson, and saw the famed
American scientist start out of the central lobby toward the launching
site. The gathered newspapermen followed, their voices filled with
excitement now that the moment had come. Trent followed along with them, but felt a peculiar tenseness within
him. He had been watching for Gaddon to make his appearance. But as yet
the Englishman had not showed up. Was it possible that he wasn't going
to watch the rocket launching? As Trent followed the others out into the
gathering night, he frowned to himself. It was certainly strange. And
entirely unlike the blustering manner Gaddon had displayed on the drive
back from Tucson. Or had the man suddenly realized that he had made a
fool of himself and was taking this easy way out? But that too didn't seem natural. And Trent found himself edging
forward through the ranks of the newsmen, until he had reached the side
of Mathieson. The scientist was talking to one of the journalists as they rounded the
corner of the Administration building. Now the rockets were in sight,
standing tall and immense in the shadows. Mathieson held his hand up in a gesture of halt, and the men behind him
drew into a compact circle. Fred turned to Mathieson. "Dr. Mathieson, isn't Dr. Gaddon going to be here for the launching?" The head of the rocket project turned to Trent. Fred could see a
suddenly puzzled look in his eyes. "Yes, that is strange ..." Then he laughed. "I suppose Gaddon is in the
laboratory supervising the firing controls. Well, if he wants to miss
the show, that's his fault. He knows the schedule." Trent accepted the scientist's words without replying. But he still
wasn't satisfied. What was it that Gaddon had said in the car about the
biggest story of the year? What had the man meant? Question after
question arose in Trent's mind as he stood there, and always the queer
feeling inside him grew in intensity. He could not place his finger on
it, but somehow, he knew that something was wrong. But then his suspicions were put aside for the moment as he heard
Mathieson say:

"All right, gentlemen, the time is nearly here. In precisely one minute
the rocket will be fired." The statement was made with a quiet eagerness, and then suddenly the
gathered witnesses grew silent. Trent's eyes, along with the others, fastened on the looming bulk of the
waiting rocket. And the seconds ticked off in Fred's mind. As he counted them, he thought that it seemed impossible that within a
very few moments that gigantic hulk of smooth, tapered metal would
dislodge itself from the cradle it rested in with a burst of roaring
flame. That in another few seconds it would shoot into the blackened
sky, and in a few short minutes would reach unbelievable heights in the
heavens, to the edge of space itself before the automatic controls
released the instrument section to be returned safely to earth. And the seconds passed. "Time!" Trent heard the voice of Mathieson rap the word out sharply. And then there was a roar of sound from the cradled rocket. A spear of flame shot from its base, exploding the night into a
brilliant display of pyrotechnics. *       *       *       *       *

The roaring grew louder as the tremendous power of the now unleashed
rockets took hold of the night air. Fred watched as the flames grew
white-hot bright, and then he saw the gigantic rocket shudder in its
cradle. The shudder grew into a spasm of movement, and then slowly, but steadily
growing faster, the rocket lifted from its cradle. Fred's eyes were fastened on the rocket now, a feeling of awe sweeping
through him. He suddenly realized how puny man was against the forces
man could unleash. Forces that here were being utilized to scientific
ends, but forces that upon a moment's notice, could in turn be unleashed
upon the rest of humanity in a burning, devastating terror of death. And as the thought flitted across his mind, he saw the rocket gather
speed as it left its cradle. It was now rising in a swift, sure arc,
lashing into the dark sky like a fury. And then the terrible speed of the rocket took hold against the forces
of gravity and it shot into the heavens, its roaring becoming a fading
hiss of sound, the brilliant flash of flame from its exploding tubes, a
receding beacon of light that gradually faded to a pinpoint far over
their heads.