The Project Gutenberg EBook of Test Rocket!, by Jack Douglas

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Title: Test Rocket!

Author: Jack Douglas

Release Date: November 28, 2007 [EBook #23651]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Transcriber's note: This etext was produced from _Amazing
Science Fiction Stories_ April 1959. Extensive research did not
uncover any evidence that the U. S. copyright on this publication
was renewed.]

It's amazing how much you can learn about absolute strangers if
you just stop to think about the kind of an animal they'll put
in a ...

TEST ROCKET!

By JACK DOUGLAS

[Illustration: Cover]

Captain Baird stood at the window of the laboratory where the
thousand parts of the strange rocket lay strewn in careful order.
Small groups worked slowly over the dismantled parts. The captain
wanted to ask but something stopped him. Behind him Doctor
Johannsen sat at his desk, his gnarled old hand tight about a
whiskey bottle, the bottle the doctor always had in his desk but
never brought out except when he was alone, and waited for Captain
Baird to ask his question. Captain Baird turned at last.

"They are our markings?" Captain Baird asked. It was not the
question. Captain Baird knew the markings of the Rocket Testing
Station as well as the doctor did.

"Yes," the doctor said, "they are our markings. Identical. But not
our paint."

Captain Baird turned back to the window. Six months ago it had
happened. Ten minutes after launching, the giant test rocket had
been only a speck on the observation screen. Captain Baird had
turned away in disgust.

"A mouse!" the captain had said, "unfortunate a mouse can't
observe, build, report. My men are getting restless, Johannsen."

"When we are ready, Captain," the doctor had said.

It was twelve hours before the urgent call from Central Control
brought the captain running back to the laboratory. The doctor was
there before him. Professor Schultz wasted no time, he pointed to
the instrument panel. "A sudden shift, see for yo