ting it down
again.

"The Navy's been working on light guided missiles," said Sally.

"No good," snapped Joe.

It wasn't. He'd been asked for advice. Could a space ship crew control
guided missiles and fight its way back to ground with them? The answer
was that it could. But guided missiles used to fight one's way down
would have to be carried up first. And they would weigh as much as all
the cargo a ship could carry. A ship that carried fighting rockets
couldn't carry cargo. Cargo at the Platform was the thing desired.

"All that's needed," said Sally, watching Joe's face, "is a slight touch
of genius. There's been genius before now. Burning your cabin free with
landing-rocket flames----"

"Haney's idea," growled Joe dispiritedly.

"And making more ships in a hurry with metal-concrete----"

"Mike did that," said Joe ruefully.

"But you made the garbage-screen for the Platform," insisted Sally.

"Sanford had made a wisecrack," said Joe. "And it just happened that it
made sense that he hadn't noticed." He grimaced. "You say something like
that, now...."

Sally looked at him with soft eyes. It wasn't really his job, this
worrying. The top-level brains of the armed forces were struggling with
it. They were trying everything from redesigned rocket motors to really
radical notions. But there wasn't anything promising yet.

"What's really needed," said Sally regretfully, "is a way for ships to
go up to the Platform and not have to come back."

"Sure!" said Joe ironically. Then he said, "Let's go down!"

They started down the long, winding ramp which led between the two skins
of the Shed's wall. It was quite empty, this long, curving, descending
corridor. It was remarkably private. In a place like the Shed, with
frantic activity going on all around, and even at Major Holt's quarters
where Sally lived and Joe was a guest, there wasn't often a chance for
them to talk in any sort of actual privacy.

But Joe went on, scowling. Sally went with him. If she seemed to hang
back a little at first, he didn't notice. Presently she shrugged her
shoulders and ceased to try to make him notice that nobody else happened
to be around. They made a complete circuit of the Shed within its wall,
Joe staring ahead without words.

Then he stopped abruptly. His expression was unbelieving. Sally almost
bumped into him.

"What's the matter?"

"You had it, Sally!" he said amazedly. "You did it! You said it!"

"What?"

"The touch