the
conference and immediately ringed about by a squad of Air Force men
wearing sidearms. Burl realized that they were to be thus guarded
everywhere they went. Obviously, the possibility that the builders of
the Sun-traps might have agents operating on Earth had occurred to the
officers.

Russell Clyde, the young astronomer, was among their group. He walked
over to Burl and shoved out a hand. "Glad to have you with us, Burl.
This is going to be quite a trip!"

Clyde was about Burl's size. He had an engagingly boyish air about him,
and Burl took a liking to him. Burl had heard of him before. For the
young man, while still a college student, had formulated a remarkable
new theory of the composition of galactic formations which had instantly
focused the attention of the scientific world upon him. This theory had
been taken up by the gray-beards of the scientific world and had
survived the test of their debates. Now associated with the great Mount
Palomar Observatory, Russell Clyde had continued to build a reputation
in astronomical circles.

"You're one of the expedition, then?" asked Burl, shaking his hand.

The redhead nodded. "Yep. They're taking me as their chief astrogator.
And don't think it's because I'm any great shakes at it, either! It's
just that I'm still young enough to take the kind of shoving around
these high brass figure we're going to get. Boy, have they got it
figured!"

Burl chuckled. "Ah, you're kidding, Dr. Clyde. You've probably been in
on this from the beginning."

The other shook his head vigorously. "Nope. It was going to be
Merckmann's baby, but when they realize they have a fight on their
hands, they always look for young blood. And, say, cut out this 'Doctor'
stuff. Call me Russ. We're going to share quarters, you know."

"How do you know that?" asked a tall, rather sharp-featured man who had
overheard them. "The colonel will assign quarters."

"I say he will ... and you can bet on that," snapped Russell Clyde. He
waved a hand in introduction. "This is Harvey Caton, one of our
electronics wizards."

Caton nodded, but before he could continue the discussion, Lockhart
rounded them all up, packed them into a couple of station wagons, guards
and all, and they were off.

* * * * *

The next days were hectic ones. By car and plane the group was
transferred to the large, closely guarded base in Wyoming where the
secret anti-gravity ship was waiting. Burl