ed and the bombs fused. A light
blinked as the scanner in the cabin turned off, and the one in the
generator room came on. I checked the monitor screen to make sure, then
started into the spacesuit. It had to be done fast, at the same time it
was necessary to talk naturally. They must still think of me as sitting
in the control room.

[Illustration]

"That's the ship's generators you're looking at," I said. "Ninety-eight
per cent of their output is now feeding into coils that make an
electromagnet of this ship's hull. You will find it very hard to
separate us. And I would advise you not to try."

The suit was on, and I kept the running chatter up through the mike in
the helmet, relaying to the ship's transmitter. The scene in the monitor
receiver changed.

"You are now looking at a hydrogen bomb that is primed and aware of the
magnetic field holding our ships together. It will, of course, go off if
you try to pull away."

I grabbed up the monitor receiver and ran towards the air lock.

"This is a different bomb now," I said, keeping one eye on the screen
and the other on the slowly opening outer door. "This one has receptors
on the hull. Attempt to destroy any part of this ship, or even gain
entry to it, and this one will detonate."

I was in space now, leaping across to the gigantic wall of the other
ship.

"What do you want?" These were the first words Pepe had spoken since his
first threats.

"I want to talk to you, arrange a deal. Something that would be
profitable for both of us. But let me first show you the rest of the
bombs, so you won't get any strange ideas about co-operating."

Of course I _had_ to show him the rest of the bombs, there was no
getting out of it. The scanners in the ship were following a planned
program. I made light talk about all my massive armament that would
carry us both to perdition, while I climbed through the hole in the
battleship's hull. There was no armor or warning devices at this spot,
it had been chosen carefully from the blueprints.

"Yeah, yeah ... I take your word for it, you're a flying bomb. So stop
with this roving reporter bit and tell me what you have in mind."

This time I didn't answer him, because I was running and panting like a
dog, and had the mike turned off. Just ahead, if the blueprints were
right, was the door to the control room. Pepe should be there.

I stepped through, gun out, and pointed it at the back of his head.
Angelina stood next to him