but if they turn it on the fall will kill Roger
too, and he wouldn't like that. They'll have to get him down with a
helicopter or something, and they know that we'll get them as fast as
they come up. They can't hurt us with hand-weapons, and before they can
bring up any heavy stuff they'll be afraid to use it, because well be
too close to their shell.

"I wish we could have brought Roger along," he continued, savagely, to
Bradley. "But you were right, of course--it'd be altogether too much
like a rabbit capturing a wildcat. My Lewiston's about done right now,
and there can't be much left of yours--what he'd do to us would be a sin
and a shame."

Now at the great wall, the two men heaved mightily upon a lever, the
gate of the emergency port swung slowly open, and they entered the
miniature cruiser of the void. Costigan, familiar with the mechanism of
the craft from careful study from his prison cell, manipulated the
controls. Through gate after massive gate they went, until finally they
were out in open space, shooting toward distant Tellus at the maximum
acceleration of which their small craft was capable.

Costigan cut the other two phones out of circuit and spoke, his
attention fixed upon some extremely distant point.

"Samms!" he called sharply. "Costigan. We're out ... all right ... yes
... sure ... absolutely ... you tell 'em, Sammy, I've got company here."

Through the sound-disks of their helmets the girl and the captain had
heard Costigan's share of the conversation. Bradley stared at his
erstwhile first officer in amazement, and even Clio had often heard that
mighty, half-mythical name. Surely that bewildering young man must rank
high, to speak so familiarly to Virgil Samms, the all-powerful head of
the space-pervading Service of the Triplanetary League!

"You've turned in a general call-out," Bradley stated, rather than
asked.

"Long ago--I've been in touch right along," Costigan answered. "Now that
they know what to look for and know that ether-wave detectors are
useless, they can find it. Every vessel in seven sectors, clear down to
the scout patrols, is concentrating on this point, and the call is out
for all battleships and cruisers afloat. There are enough operatives out
there with ultra-waves to locate that globe, and once they spot it
they'll point it out to all the other vessels."

"But how about the other prisoners?" asked the girl. "They'll be killed,
won't they?"

"Hard telling," Costiga