going to be satisfied until he personally rechecks and
locks all access doors and ports himself."

Rick sat back in the seat, smiling to himself. He had no doubt that Dr.
Gerald Gould meant every word of it. If Orion failed tomorrow, it would
not be the fault of the electronics department.

The sedan pulled up at the pad and Rick got out, staring at the great
rocket. Myriad cables dripped from various parts of it, and he thought
of Gulliver tied down by the threads of the Lilliputians. There was
something magnificent about the clean, towering shape that stirred his
imagination. In the jargon of the rocketeer the great missiles were
called "beasts" or "birds." The former was because they sometimes acted
"beastly." The latter was a tribute to their beautiful flight when they
ran true.

Rick thought, "How could anyone sabotage a thing like that?"

Gee-Gee brought him back to earth. "Ever climb a gantry?"

"No, sir."

"Well, start flying, young Brant. We go to the top and work down."

Rick went. He was too excited to be afraid. The first stage was by
elevator. Then he and Gee-Gee climbed thin steel rungs to the very tip
of the great rocket. Not until he reached the shaky, wind-blown,
postage-stamp-size platform at the top did he take time to look down.

The thin steel web was no barrier to vision. He was on top of the world,
at the doorstep to space, looking down on fantastic activity below. The
rocket curved sweetly away below him, down to the sharp lines of the
great stabilizer fins. He noted the breakaway zone where the first stage
and second stage were joined. He could see, as one perched on a cloud,
the tiny, busy forms of men below.

For an instant, as the nose access port yawned before him, Rick had a
vision of himself in pressure suit and plastic helmet, mounting the
rocket as a pilot mans his plane, anticipating the signal for blast-off.

Gee-Gee brought him back to earth with a prosaic, "Let's get at it,
boy-oh."

It was the beginning. The picturesque but highly competent and efficient
electronics chief hadn't exaggerated. The fabulous world of rocketry
narrowed to a maze of wiring, circuit after circuit, checking, testing,
and calling for test signals from the blockhouse. Rick checked and
rechecked, following closely on Gee-Gee's heels. He missed nothing, took
nothing for granted. Once he snapped, "Wait a minute! You didn't check
that circuit properly. Check for polarization as well as contact."

Ge