he escalator.
Below them, by the side of the Terminal Building, lay the spaceboat, a
slim, cone-shaped vessel, gleaming in the artificial light. They all
tottered on board.

Clearance was granted almost immediately. Slowly, they passed through
the main airlock and into the open. It was dark outside and only the
change in elevation told them that they were climbing the launching
ramp. Behind them, the huge inverted bowl of the city glowed in hermetic
splendor. Movement ceased. The warning indicator flashed on: LIE BACK
AND FASTEN SAFETY HARNESS. A steward checked their positions.

They lay, tensed and motionless, waiting for the sudden thrust that
would hurl them into space.

* * * * *

It was the two-hundred-and-twentieth day.

As Curtis Delman returned to consciousness, his first feeling was of
relief. The cumulative strain of one takeoff after another could prove
disastrous. It was one of the drawbacks to a spaceboat that the effect
of rapid acceleration should be so marked. In a liner, the takeoff was
little more than an inconvenience--and, despite exhaustive tests, there
was no telling how an old heart would react to a series of blackouts.
Now the danger no longer existed, for in thirty days they would arrive
at Rejuvenal. As for the journey back, he would make it with the heart
of a young man.

He unclipped the safety harness and lowered his legs over the side of
the bunk.

He had no wish to remain in his cabin. It was too small for comfort,
though, like all Stellano products, superbly designed. Not an inch had
been wasted. Personal luggage was stowed under the bunk, cupboards were
built in, tables folded back and even the basin was retractable. Every
conceivable necessity had been crammed into a few square feet.

When he reached the lounge, he found the others already seated.

There were two vacant chairs, one next to John Bridge, the other between
Tarsh and Pellinger. He chose the former.

"So you survived?" said Pellinger. He sounded disappointed.

"Yes, I survived," replied Delman. "And since we appear to be exercising
our powers of observation, I hope the same may be said of you?"

Gillian Murray laughed. Walter Pellinger opened his mouth as if to make
some retort, then thought better of it, and turned back to the vidar
screen.

The screen took up most of the far wall. The image in focus was the
scene behind them. In the center, like a giant grapefruit, hung the