om the rocket, even to watch the last of
the red lights flick out, the green glow showing readiness.

Then, zero minus five ... four ... three ... two ... one ...

FIRE!

A steady hand threw the final switch.

Green flame stabbed from Orion's tail, grew to white intensity. The
instrument cable dropped from the rocket's nose and writhed to the
ground. Even through the thick walls of the blockhouse Rick heard the
mighty rocket's voice, an ear-shattering roar of triumph that sent
lancing pain through his head. The rocket shuddered, eager to be away.
Thrust built up, and up, and up, and the exhaust light grew until it was
like staring into the heart of a green sun. Then the great voice
faltered, the shuddering increased.

A yell of pure horror burst from Rick's throat. High on the rocket's
side, metal slowly peeled back like obscene steel lips opening, and
green fire gushed forth. The shuddering ceased, and he knew the rocket
was dead. The gash opened wider ... wider ...

The blockhouse door swung open and men poured out--silent, horrified
men, helpless to do anything but watch, oblivious to the danger. Rick
went out with them.

The desert was alive with sound now, with the roaring torch of rocket
propellant and the scream of sirens. Speeding down from the base camp
came the fire engines, to save what could be saved, to help still the
flames so the Orion crew might find out what had gone wrong.

Behind the fire engines were jeeps, trucks, and cars, loaded with grim
men who carried picks, shovels, anything to help still the holocaust.

Scotty arrived right behind the fire engines and ran to where Rick
stood, still stunned by the shocking turn of events.

"What happened to it?" Scotty asked hoarsely.

Rick shook his head. He couldn't talk.

The firemen were already at work. Crews from the trucks, protected by
asbestos and plastic, carried hoses to the very edge of the roaring
propellant and began to smother it with mounds of foam. The men who had
followed with shovels and picks were also at work, hastily digging a
trench to prevent the spread of the fiery liquid.

Someone yelled, then another yelled. Rick looked up in time to see the
rocket split wide open and most of the remaining tons of propellant gush
out. The firemen saw it, too, saw that they would be engulfed. They
turned and ran.

Horrified, Rick saw a fireman, clumsy in his protective suit, trip and
fall before the oncoming flood of flaming boron hyd