Heinlein, Robert A – Expanded Universe

“Where’s the chief?” he demanded.

“Out. He’ll be back soon.”

“I’ll wait. Oh-Steinke, this is Greene. Greene Steinke.”

The two shook hands. “What brings you back, Cal?” Steinke asked, turning

back to Harper.

Page 38

‘Well.. . I guess it’s all right to tell you-”

The communicator screen flashed into sudden activity, and cut him short. A

face filled most of the frame. It was apparently too close to the pickup, as it was

badly out of focus. “Superintendent!” it yelled in an agonized voice. “The pile-!”

A shadow flashed across the screen, they heard a dull “Smack!”, and the face

slid out of the screen. As it fell it revealed the control room behind it. Someone

was down on the floor plates, a nameless heap. Another figure ran across the field

of pickup and disappeared.

Harper snapped into action first. “That was Silard!” he shouted, “-in the

control room! Come on, Steinke!” He was already in motion himself.

Steinke went dead white, but hesitated only an unmeasurable instant. He

pounded sharp on Harper’s heels. Greene followed without invitation, in a steady run

that kept easy pace with them.

They had to wait for a capsule to unload at the tube station. Then all three

of them tried to crowd into a two passenger capsule. It refused to start and moments

were lost before Greene piled out and claimed another car.

The four minute trip at heavy acceleration seemed an interminable crawl.

Harper was convinced that the system had broken down, when the familiar click and

sigh announced their arrival at the station under the plant. They jammed each other

trying to get out at the same time.

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 shield,

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 space.

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 time who 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 ship. I came over in the ship we’ll use to shuttle

between Earth and the big ship, the power plant. Four minutes from Goddard Field to

here in her. That’s the pilot over there.” He pointed to the door, where Greene’s