hes shutting, opening. The lights blinked off; they were in
darkness. The lights came back on, and at the same time the heating
coils dimmed and faded.

"Good God!" Winter said.

Water poured down on them, the emergency fire-fighting system. There
was a screaming rush of air. One of the escape hatches had slid back,
and the air was roaring frantically out into space.

The hatch banged closed. The ship subsided into silence. The heating
coils glowed into life. As suddenly as it had begun the weird
exhibition ceased.

"I can do--everything," the dry, toneless voice came from the wall
speaker. "It is all controlled. Kramer, I wish to talk to you. I've
been--been thinking. I haven't seen you in many years. A lot to
discuss. You've changed, boy. We have much to discuss. Your wife--"

The Pilot grabbed Kramer's arm. "There's a ship standing off our bow.
Look."

* * * * *

They ran to the port. A slender pale craft was moving along with them,
keeping pace with them. It was signal-blinking.

"A Terran pursuit ship," the Pilot said. "Let's jump. They'll pick us
up. Suits--"

He ran to a supply cupboard and turned the handle. The door opened and
he pulled the suits out onto the floor.

"Hurry," Gross said. A panic seized them. They dressed frantically,
pulling the heavy garments over them. Winter staggered to the escape
hatch and stood by it, waiting for the others. They joined him, one by
one.

"Let's go!" Gross said. "Open the hatch."

Winter tugged at the hatch. "Help me."

They grabbed hold, tugging together. Nothing happened. The hatch
refused to budge.

"Get a crowbar," the Pilot said.

"Hasn't anyone got a blaster?" Gross looked frantically around. "Damn
it, blast it open!"

"Pull," Kramer grated. "Pull together."

"Are you at the hatch?" the toneless voice came, drifting and eddying
through the corridors of the ship. They looked up, staring around
them. "I sense something nearby, outside. A ship? You are leaving, all
of you? Kramer, you are leaving, too? Very unfortunate. I had hoped we
could talk. Perhaps at some other time you might be induced to
remain."

"Open the hatch!" Kramer said, staring up at the impersonal walls of
the ship. "For God's sake, open it!"

There was silence, an endless pause. Then, very slowly, the hatch slid
back. The air screamed out, rushing past them into space.

One by one they leaped, one after the other, propelled away by the
repuls