the time piece on the wall was broken. it had to be. wade had been watching it for hours and it hardly seemed to move. the starfrost had disappeared behind the dark side of the moon and a press release had been duly passed on to the anxious public. the world was electrified. man had ventured into space. the public hadn't been told that there was no communication with the starfrost. it was better that way.
wade fished for another cigarette as he followed the sweep second hand with his eyes. it was ironic, in a way. man had ventured to the moon and could not land. he dared not. to set foot on the cold, dead satellite when there was no possible way of return would be inviting suicide. the test rocket fired at the silent world, and the starfrost had eaten up the last of the appropriations and it would take a battery of ships to carry the supplies necessary for the building of take-off facilities.
that was what wade wanted, an installation on the moon before another nation could make it. it was no secret that the nation that controlled the moon in the next war would be in the driver's seat. it would be a fortress in the sky. and it was no secret that another nation was almost ready to launch a ship. wade wanted to get there first.
wade could feel the sweat on his hands. they felt cold and clammy. the starfrost should have reappeared on the radar set an hour ago. he dared not think of what would happen to ackerson if the big blond man miscalculated while in orbit. to shoot off alone into black, empty space, hurtling out into a void of nothing, where there was only a cold, quiet death awaiting was no way for a man to die.
damn it. where was that silver cocoon? ackerson had to make it. everything depended on the success of the starfrost.
"i think i've got something," major gormely cried.
wade came out of his dream world with a rush. his swift steps covered the distance to the radar set in a matter of seconds.
gormely was bending over working with piluis. and it was there ... a tiny speck that could only be one thing.
wade heard himself mutter: "thank god!"
the control room became a beehive of excitement. these men were accustomed to success in the face of overwhelming pessimism. yet this was almost the ultimate. they were part of a team that had projected an earthbound object into space. now it was coming home. "operation boomerang" was nearing fulfilment. the long hours of sweat and worry were beginning to pay off. the cork was ready to burst out of their bottled up emotions.
sergeant meyers' face was beaming. he was exuberant with excitement. "i guess that calls for a drink." he took wade by the arm. "i've been saving a quart of homemade corn for just this occasion."
suddenly meyers stopped. his tan face became a gray mask.
"... pardon me, colonel ... sir!" he came to rigid attention.
wade laughed heavily. "i think one drink would be in perfect order, sergeant. where do you hide this liquid cob?"
meyers' face became bright again. he almost tripped as he tried to salute, about-face, and run at the same time. he was going out the door when he called back over his shoulder. "in the water closet on one of the thrones in the latrine ... sir."
