opened the lock.

Their luck held. No Security man was stationed opposite the mouth of
the axis tube at the south polar lock.

Halfway to the engineering quarters, Mike stopped, used a special key
to open an inspection plate, and they dropped lightly into the huge
shielding tank that now held only air. From there the pair
back-tracked Mike's original path to the inspection plate in the
engineering quarters, and so into his own bailiwick, where they found
Ishie standing on catlike guard, a wrench in one hand, waiting for
whatever might come up.

"Confusion say," the grinning Chinese physicist declared, "two for one
is good luck."

* * * * *

General Steve Elbertson made his way wearily in through the south lock
and on to the bridge where he found the communications officer in
complete charge with two Security men for assistants. The captain and
Bessie were effectively bound, and placed in spare console seats.

General Elbertson made his way to the captain's console and seated
himself.

Hot Rod was dead, but their control was by no means lessened.

That he himself had not been shot dead on the way from Hot Rod was, to
him, a confirmation of the weakness of his enemies.

The satellite was under his control. The scientists would repair Hot
Rod--and well he knew how to see to it that they did so.

U.N. Security Forces were in complete, dictatorial command of Earth.

He had only to eliminate the renegade Indian, and long before the
Security scuttlebug, now on its way from Earth loaded with crack
troops, should arrive, Security would be in complete command not only
of the Space Lab, but of the weapon, which would by then be in repair.

As a final test of its operation, it would be amusing to use the
Indian, Blackhawk, as a target; and perhaps the captain as well,
though he might have to use them as examples sooner--the captain and
some others.

The fortuitous accident that had put Hot Rod in operation ahead of
schedule had also stepped many plans months ahead. No violence had
actually been planned until the weapon had been thoroughly tested; but
now things looked to be working in orderly fashion; working with the
well-oiled precision of a master-plan, properly designed and properly
executed in the proper military manner.

Only one small difficulty marred the current smoothness of the
operation. The Security men were attempting to instruct the computer
to precess the wheel back t