back of the calf activated the thick metal sole of each boot so that it
would cling tightly to the metallic rock of the mountain. Unlike
ordinary magnetism, the metamagnetic field acted on all metals, even
when they were in combination with other elements.

His team of three stood before him in the airlock room. He knew all
three of them fairly well from Earthside; they were capable,
level-headed men, and at least one--Boggs--had already been out in the
valley surveying once, and so knew the area pretty well.

He pulled on the boots and looked up. "We're not going to climb the
mountain this time, men. We'll just take a look around it to decide
which is the best way."

"You have any ideas, sir?" Sergeant Boggs asked.

"From looking at the photographs, I'd guess that the western approach is
the best. But I may be wrong. Little details are hard to see from five
hundred miles up, even with the best of instruments, and there may be
things in our way that will make the west slope impassible. If so, we'll
try the southern side. It looks pretty steep, but it also seems rough
enough to offer plenty of handholds."

"Too bad we couldn't have had that helicopter you were talking about,"
said Boggs.

Wayne grinned. "With these winds? They'd smash us against the side of
the mountain before we'd get up fifty feet. You ought to know,
Sergeant--you've been out in them once already."

"They're not so bad down in this valley, sir," Boggs said. "The only
time you really notice them is when you climb the escarpment at the
northern end. They get pretty rough up there."

Wayne nodded. "You can see what kind of a job we'll have. Even with
metamagnetic boots and grapples, we'll still have to use the old
standbys." He looked at the men. "Okay; we're all ready. Let's go."

They unhooked four of the six tabs from the wall and donned them. Then
they moved on into the airlock and closed the inner door. The air was
pumped out, just as though the ship were in space or on a planet with a
poisonous atmosphere. As far as anyone knew, the atmosphere of Fomalhaut
V actually was poisonous. Some of the tension had relaxed after a week
spent in safety, but there was always the first expedition to consider;
no one took chances.

When all the air had been removed, a bleeder valve allowed the outer air
to come into the chamber. Then the outer door opened, and the four men
went down the ladder to the valley floor.

* * * *