hristy looking at the rockets, said, "Gee, Tom, they look beautiful.
Like monsters straining their tethers."

Tom looked up at the girl's profile, and to Bill who was watching, he
bore the look of a man savoring what he saw.

"Yes, they are. That first one's mine, the _Space Bird_. The other is
Bill's, the _Space Dragon_."

Bill cast a professional eye over the charts and graphs on the wall,
while far down in his subconscious a sharp twinge of jealousy
fulminated, tangling with his fears of space in a hybrid monstrosity.
Then like lava in a plugged volcano his obsession found a new outlet.
The fear of space now came up disguised as hatred for Tom.

In an unusually calm voice Bill said, "Well, I see you have everything
just about completed."

"Yeah," Tom glanced up with a significant look. "Someone else was
interested in those charts and graphs too the other day. Someone who
didn't bother to use the door."

"What d'you mean--somebody break in?"

Tom nodded. "Yep. Jimmied a window downstairs. But I don't think they
got anything, because the door to the office was still locked when the
watchman surprised them. They got away in the dark."

Christy's eyes grew large and round. "Who do you suppose it was?"

Hitching his long body erect, Tom said with a gesture of his right hand,
"Well, there's only one outfit interested in our destination--and that's
Asteroid Mining."

"Good heavens," Christy said in great surprise. "You don't mean a big
corporation like that would stoop so low?"

Tom smiled at her. "With a monopoly on power metals Asteroid has been
gouging the world. People have become resigned to the situation. But
if we can supply uranium ore cheaper there's going to be a clamor for
private enterprise again. Under the present system private enterprise
has been withering on the vine. This is our big chance and the public
is pulling for us."

Bill's hold on his temper slipped another notch. "Yeah, I saw that
interview with the television news you had. Saw it last night." He
folded his arms across his chest. "If that's your conception of
winning support for our venture then you better take up circus
advertising."

For a moment Tom looked like a man who's taken a bucket of ice water
in the face. Then his feet hit the floor. "Say, now, wait a minute,
Bill!" he said, half in anger. "Who d'you think's been shouldering the
big share of Project Venture--while you've hung on to your job and a
pretty salary?"

"Did