wo electrically
conductive surfaces, he saw the warning light change from green to
red, indicating that the ribbon was now in use, and that no one else
should use it until he had arrived at the far end.

Seeing that the safety light was now in his favor, he swung his legs
over the seat--a T-bar at the bottom of the rod which swung down from
the drive mechanism--grasped the rod, and pulled the starting trigger.

The accelerative force of one gee, the maximum of which the scuttlebug
was capable, provided quite a jolt, but settled down very quickly to
almost zero as he picked up speed and reached the maximum of one
hundred twenty miles per hour.

A very undignified method of travel, he thought. Yet for all that, the
scuttlebugs were light and efficient, and reduced transit time between
outlying projects and the big wheel to a very reasonable time,
compared to that which it would take for a man to jump the distance
under his own power--and, he thought, without wasting the precious
mass that rockets would have required.

The low voltage power supplied by the two flat sides of the ribbon was
insufficient to have provided lethal contact, even if the person were
there without the insulation of a spacesuit around him, a very
unlikely occurrence. Furthermore, the structure of the cable, with the
flat, flexible insulation between its two conductive surfaces, made it
practically impossible to short it out; and the flanged wheels of the
scuttlebug clipped over it in such a fashion that, once locked, it was
thought to be impossible that they could lose their grip without being
unlocked.

As Steve gained speed along the ribbon, "his" Project Hot Rod was in
view before him--appearing to be a half moon which looked larger than
the real moon in the background behind it; and seeming to stand in the
vastness of space at a distance from the far end of the long anchor
tube, a narrow band of bright green glowing near its terminator line.

From the rounded half of the moon, extending sunward, four bright,
narrow traceries seemed to outline a nose that ended in a pale,
globular tracery at its tip, pointing to the sun.

The narrow traceries were in actuality four anchor tubes, similar to
the one beside which he rode; and mounted in their tip was the
directing mirror that would aim Hot Rod's beam of energy.

* * * * *

Project Hot Rod was actually a giant balloon eight thousand feet in
diameter, one-half