ip on the outside shell.

There was no time to be lost. An increase in the ship's speed might
increase his weight several times over. He began to climb back, reeling
in the rope, pulling himself up hand over hand, just as he had done many
times in the gymnasium of his high school back home.

Halfway up, Clyde's voice came on his helmet phones. "Will all members
of the crew report their present positions to me? Haines?"

He called each man's name, beginning with the three outside. Haines and
Ferrati were clinging to the surface, on the far--now forward--end of
the ship. The rest of the crew was somewhere in the living sphere.
Lockhart was still unconscious. Burl could hear the faint sounds of a
discussion in the control room, and also thumps as Caton and Shea
continued to try to break open the entry to the generator chambers.

Then Russ spoke again. "Burl, it looks as if you're elected. You seem to
be the only one in the right place. There's a hatchway into the nose of
the ship from the outside. It's just below the central circle. Can you
see it? How close are you to it?"

Burl was almost at the surface now. The circular inset ring that marked
the hatchway entry port was a few feet from where his rope was hooked.
He described it to Russ.

"Can you reach it without losing your grip? If you can, do you think you
can open it?" came the radio voice quickly.

Burl reached the surface and grasped the hook. He studied the circular
panel carefully. "I can reach it all right. There's a holder hook
alongside it. But what will I do when I get there?"

"Open it," Russ ordered brusquely. "It unscrews from either side.
There's a short lock space between the outer shell and the inner
shielding of the generator chamber. Get inside and seal the door after
you. From there you can work your way into the emergency nose door to
the engines. Keep your suit on. While the generators are shielded,
there's no telling what Boulton may have done. The suit will give you
some protection.

"After you go through the door, it's up to you. Boulton will be there.
You'll have to stop him, somehow. Caton says if you can find the tool
kit you may be able to get a wrench to use as a weapon. If you can get
through without his seeing you and open the trap door to us, we'll do
the rest. But it depends on you."

Burl bit his lip. "Okay. Here I go." There was no question of argument.
Everyone's life was at stake, and he happened to be in the strategic