“That’s a danger flare,” Merola said. He whirled from the viewport, facing Ted with a solemn look in his eyes.
“What does Dan mean, Baker?”
“I don’t know, sir. I didn’t come aboard in Jack’s place. I came here to tell you to stop blastoff. Sir, I…”
“Then what was all that talk this afternoon, Baker?” Forbes interrupted. “About wanting to do something you knew would hurt someone else? About it being as important as the Moon trip? I tried to tell myself I was wrong about you, Baker, but you proved I was right. The temptation proved to be too much, didn’t it?”
Panic rushed into Ted’s eyes. “Sir, I… I…” he stammered. “You… you’ve got to understand.”
“Attention, Moon rocket!” the bulkhead speaker blared. “Attention, Moon rocket!”
“Here it is now.” Merola said. “Maybe this’ll clear it up.
“You have a stowaway,” the voice on the speaker said.
“No!” Ted shouted. “That’s not true. I didn’t…”
“You have a stowaway, Moon rocket. You have a stowaway.”
“All right, Baker,” Forbes said. “That confirms it.”
“Sir…”
Merola’s face was grim. “I’m a little disappointed in you, Baker. I thought… well, no matter.”
“What are we going to do, George?” Forbes asked.
“What
“No,” Ted pleaded. “We can’t do that. I just wanted you to stop because Jack was hurt and…”
“You planned it this way, Baker,” Forbes said. “Why chicken out now?”
“I didn’t plan anything!” Ted shouted. He turned to the two doctors still lying on the couches. They stared at him incredulously. “Dr. Phelps, Dr. Gehardt,” he pleaded. “Won’t
Dr. Phelps turned away, his silence more cutting than any words could have been.
Dr. Gehardt seemed to waver for a moment. He shook his head slowly then and said, “I remember on the trip to the Station, your talk about the Moon rocket.”
“But I didn’t mean…”
“Stand by for blastoff,” the bulkhead speaker warned.
“Captain Merola,” Ted said, “you’ve got to believe me. I didn’t want to come on the Moon trip. I was perfectly happy to stay at the Station.” He bit his lip, dangerously close to frustrated tears, holding them back before these older men.
“Then what are you doing here?” Merola asked.
“Jack was injured. I came to tell you.”
“Sure,” Forbes said. “You knocked him cold. You just admitted it a while ago.”
“No, not that,” Ted said. “He…”
“Zero minus two,” the speaker warned.
“Let’s get to the couches,” Merola said. “We can talk about this later.”
“But, Captain,” Ted started. “I…”
“Get to your couch, Baker,” Merola said, his voice stern.
“Zero minus one.”
“Wh-which couch, sir?”
“Above Dr. Gehardt. Snap to it!”
“Sir, I…”
“You’ve caused enough trouble already, Baker. If you foul up our blastoff, I’ll…”
“Fifty-five…”
“Let’s hop to it, George,” Forbes said.
“Fifty…”
Merola went quickly across the deck and piled into his couch. He swung the movable radar screen into place over his chest, began clicking toggles.
“I’m checked, Dan,” he said.
“Roger.”
“Thirty…”
“Are those the seconds the speaker is counting off?” Dr. Gehardt asked.
“Forward radar loud and clear,” Forbes called. Roger, twenty…
Ted lay back on his couch, his fingers digging into the foam rubber. He didn’t want to be going to the Moon. He only wanted them to believe him. He wanted them to know he’d been telling the truth, that he’d only been thinking of…
“Port radar loud and clear.”
“Roger.”
“Starboard radar loud and clear.”
“Roger.” ten…
“Rear radar loud and clear.”
“Roger.”
“Stand by, Moon rocket. Nine, eight, seven, six, five…”
Ted felt his stomach curl around his spine. He listened to the speaker on the bulkhead, and his skin erupted into goose-pimples. His lip began to tremble, and he clamped his jaws shut against his rattling teeth. This was no hop to the Station. They were shooting for the Moon. The Moon…
“Four, three…”
“Get set,” Merola shouted.
“Two…”
“This is it,” Forbes said, and his voice was peculiarly tight.
“One!”
Two minutes