ht up; its whirling propellers above sent a rush of air
downward.

"These batteries," said Georg. "The guards in Venia can't stop us. An
aero--even if we had it--I doubt if we could get power for it. They've
shut off general power by now, I'm sure."

She nodded. "Yes--no doubt."

As they mounted upward, the city dwindled beneath them--dwindled to an
area of red and green and purple lights. It was silent up here in the
starlight; a calm, windless night--cloudless, save for a gray bank which
obscured the moon.

Ten thousand feet up. Then fifteen. The city was a tiny patch of blended
colors. Light rockets occasionally mounted now. But their glare fell
short. Georg's mind was busy with his plans. Had the helicopter been
seen? It seemed not. No rocket-light had reached it; and there was no
sign of pursuit from below.

Maida crouched beside him. He felt her hand timidly upon his arm; felt
her shy, sidelong glance upon him. And suddenly he was conscious of her
beauty. His heart leaped, and as he turned to her, she smiled--a smile
of eager trust which lighted her face like a torch of faith in the spire
of a house of worship.

"You are planning?" she said. "You know what it is we must do?"

He said: "I think so. The _volan_[12] out there is large enough for two.
You'll trust yourself to it with me? You're not afraid, are you?"

[Footnote 12: A small winged board without power, used for emergency
descents by volplaning down from disabled aeros.]

"Oh, no," she said. "What you say we must do, we will do."

"We must go higher, Maida. Then, you see...."

He told her his plans. And mounting up there into the silent canopy of
stars, his fingers wound themselves into the soft strands of her hair
which lay upon him; and his heart beat fast with the nearness of
her.... Told her his plans, and she acquiesced.

Twenty thousand feet. The cold was upon them. Shivering himself, he
wrapped her in a fur which the basket contained. At 25,000, they took to
the _vol plan_. It was a padded board a dozen feet long and half as
wide. Released, it shot downward; a hundred feet or more, with the
heavens whirling soundlessly. Then Georg got the wings open; the descent
was checked; the stars righted themselves above, and once again the
earth was beneath.

They had strapped themselves to the board, and now Georg undid the
thongs. Together they lay prone, side by side, with the narrow,
double-banked wings beneath the line of their shoulders,