ore." His voice sounded as if he was having difficulty
breathing.

"Harry," he called.

They held the brakes at twelve degrees, of course. The calculations
dictated that. They tore away in fifteen seconds.

"Bannister! They're gone," Dennis shouted. "They're gone, Bannister,
you butcher. Now what do you say?"

Bannister's face didn't flinch. He watched the controls steadily.

"Try half-degree rudder in either direction," I said.

Bannister looked at me for a second. "His direction is vertical,
Captain. Would you attempt a rudder manipulation in a vertical dive?"

"Not a terminal velocity drive, Bannister. He said it's not flying
anymore. Lord knows which way he's falling."

"So?"

"So I'd try anything. You've got to slow him."

"Or return him to level flight."

"At this speed?"

We both looked at the controls now. The ship was accelerating again,
and dropping so rapidly I couldn't follow the revolutions counter.

"Engage the ailerons," Bannister ordered. "Point seven degrees,
negative."

Dennis came back on. "Harry, what are you doing? The ship is falling
apart. The ailerons. It won't help. Listen, Harry, you've got to be
careful. The flight configuration is so tenuous, anything can turn
this thing into a falling stone. It had to happen, I knew, but I don't
want to believe it now. This sitting here with that noise getting
louder. It's spiraling out at me, getting bigger. Now it's smaller
again. I'm afraid, Harry. The ailerons, Harry, they're gone. Very
tenuous. They're gone. I can't see anything. The screens are black. No
more shaking. No more noise. It's quiet and I hear myself breathing,
Harry. Harry, the wrist straps on the suits are too tight. And the
helmet, when you want to scratch your face, you can go mad. And
Harry--"

* * * * *

That was the end of the communications. Something in the transmitter
must have gone. They never found out. He didn't hit until almost a
minute later, and nobody ever saw it. The tracking screen followed him
down very precisely and very silently. There was no retrieving
anything, of course. You don't conduct salvage operations in the
middle of the south Atlantic.

* * * * *

I turned in my report after that. No one had asked for it, so it went
through unorthodox channels. It took an awfully long time and my
suspension did not become effective until after the second shot. I was
the pilot on that one, y