d entered the control cabin of the ship. Winter was
sitting at the controls with a Pilot from Space-transport.

"How's it look?" Kramer asked.

"All right." Winter got up. "He tells me that it would be best to take
off manually. The robot controls--" Winter hesitated. "I mean, the
built-in controls, can take over later on in space."

"That's right," the Pilot said. "It's customary with the Johnson
system, and so in this case we should--"

"Can you tell anything yet?" Kramer asked.

"No," the Pilot said slowly. "I don't think so. I've been going over
everything. It seems to be in good order. There's only one thing I
wanted to ask you about." He put his hand on the control board. "There
are some changes here I don't understand."

"Changes?"

"Alterations from the original design. I wonder what the purpose is."

Kramer took a set of the plans from his coat. "Let me look." He turned
the pages over. The Pilot watched carefully over his shoulder.

"The changes aren't indicated on your copy," the Pilot said. "I
wonder--" He stopped. Commander Gross had entered the control cabin.

"Gross, who authorized alterations?" Kramer said. "Some of the wiring
has been changed."

"Why, your old friend." Gross signaled to the field tower through the
window.

"My old friend?"

"The Professor. He took quite an active interest." Gross turned to the
Pilot. "Let's get going. We have to take this out past gravity for the
test they tell me. Well, perhaps it's for the best. Are you ready?"

"Sure." The Pilot sat down and moved some of the controls around.
"Anytime."

"Go ahead, then," Gross said.

"The Professor--" Kramer began, but at that moment there was a
tremendous roar and the ship leaped under him. He grasped one of the
wall holds and hung on as best he could. The cabin was filling with a
steady throbbing, the raging of the jet turbines underneath them.

The ship leaped. Kramer closed his eyes and held his breath. They were
moving out into space, gaining speed each moment.

* * * * *

"Well, what do you think?" Winter said nervously. "Is it time yet?"

"A little longer," Kramer said. He was sitting on the floor of the
cabin, down by the control wiring. He had removed the metal
covering-plate, exposing the complicated maze of relay wiring. He was
studying it, comparing it to the wiring diagrams.

"What's the matter?" Gross said.

"These changes. I can't figure out what they're for. T