er."

"They've already crashed four of this new type on tests, haven't
they?"

I nearly choked. _That_ was supposed to be the very pinnacle of the
top secret stuff. But she was right of course. Four of the earlier
models had cracked up. No pilots in them at the time--radio
controlled. But jobs designed to carry pilots nevertheless.

"Some pitchers have great big ugly-looking ears," I said.

She didn't seem to mind. She said, "Or maybe I'm really psychic as you
said. Or maybe my Dad's being Chief at Airtech has something to do
with it."

"Somebody oughta stitch a zipper across his big fat yap," I said. "And
weld the damn thing shut."

"He told only me," she said softly. "And then only because of you. You
see, Baby, he isn't like us. He's got old fashioned notions you and
I've got strings tied around each other already just because you gave
me a ring."

I stared at her.

"Crazy, isn't it? He isn't sensible like us."

"Can the gag lines, Doll," I said sourly. "The old bird's okay."

And that fetched a few moments of silence in the room--thick pervading
silence. A silence to be broken at any fractional second and
heavy--supercharged--because of it.

I said finally, "Somebody has to take it up. It might as well be me.
And they've already asked me."

"You could refuse, Baby."

"Sure I could. It's voluntary. They don't horsewhip a guy into it."

"Uh-huh--voluntary. And you _can_ refuse." She stopped, waited, then,
"Making me get right down there on the hard bare floor on both knees,
Baby? All right. None of us should be proud. None of us has a right to
be proud, have we?

"All right, Baby. I'm down there--way, way down there. I'm asking you
not to take that ship up. I'm begging you--begging, Baby. Look, on me
you've never seen anything like this before. Begging!"

I looked at my empty glass. The taste in my mouth was suddenly bitter.
"No strings, we said," I said harshly. "A flyboy, we said. Guy who can
take off and land anywhere, anytime he likes. Stuff like that we just
got through saying."

She didn't answer that. I waited. She didn't answer. I got up finally,
got my lousy new officer's cap off the TV set and went over to the
door. I opened the door. I went on through.

But before I closed it I heard her whisper. That's the trouble with
whispers, they go incredible distances to get places. The whisper
said, "That's right, Baby. Right as rain. No strings--_ever!_"

* * * *