've got to search the passenger deck and remove the
survivors. All of you who are able, put on pressure suits and come with
me."

He led the way to the locker containing the pressure suits. Seven men,
those who were not too deformed to don the suits, made up the party.
Gene led the way to the Captain's stateroom, ordered the door sealed
behind them, then opened the only door to the damaged deck. The air
rushed out as the door swung open, and suddenly complete silence
descended upon them. There would be no more communication between them
except for signs.

[Illustration]

In an hour they had determined the truth. All passengers but one, a
woman, had been killed instantly. The woman was unconscious, but
suffering only from bruises. It had been necessary, after discovering
her unpierced cabin, to return to the deck above and cut through with a
torch.

When she regained consciousness and saw her rescuers, she screamed.

"That'll give us some idea of how the people back on Earth will receive
us," said Gene. "If we get there, that is."

Later, in the control room, Maher and MacNamara gave their report.

"We can make it," said MacNamara, "but we'll come in limping like a
wounded moose. If any of the Company ships sight us, we'll be a sitting
duck. But maybe it will be better that way. This is like war, and some
of us must die...." His voice trailed off in a mumble.

"Some of us _are_ dying," said Maher. "But he's right, Gene; we can make
it, with luck. We'll not be able to come in fast, nor land in the city,
but we'll make it to Earth."

"That's enough," decided Gene. "If we can land near Chicago, I think I
can manage the rest."

They turned to the controls, and MacNamara went back to his pile room.
Once more the ship limped on, this time directly toward the ball of
Earth, looming a scant twenty million miles away.

* * * * *

It took eight days to come within a million miles of their goal. Then
tragedy struck again. The cabin on the passenger deck from which they
had removed the sole survivor blew its door, and the air on the deck
above rushed out through the hole they had burned into the cabin. It had
been forgotten, and it meant the lives of three more crew members.

Then, as they prepared to bring the ship into the atmosphere, Maher,
peering through the telescope, let out a shout. "Company ship, coming up
fast! They're after us!"

Gene leaped to the telescope and peered thro