aration. Hopeless, of course, but you never know. Seven aeons! I wonder how much of it I've got left. I'm . . . changing, sort of."
He caught up the metal bar and drove it through the glass-like substance of the outerwall. It did not splinter as glass splinters. It ripped like a cloth. Something flowed in. Maybe it was Elemental air.
His body, it seemed, was becoming heavier every moment . . . getting more substance into it. He couldn't see very well.
He found the Terra disc again. He pressed twice down, then to the left.
He began to shout—not now with his mind, but with his lungs.
"Terra! Terra! Can you hear me, Terra.?"
Professor Graut knew what he had to do, for his part, and gave all his immediate attention to it.
"Sidbee . . . We know where he is . . . Chris Sommers. No, never mind about that. Tell Challenge Queen to alert. No, we don't know yet. We can only hope. No, she's too far out to show clearly on the screen here . . . tell Air Vice Marshall Benhurion to report progress, if any, direct on the beam. We'll pick it up on the inter-com . . . I've opened the switch. You've given Benhurion the story? Good. Tell him to launch his minnows as soon as you flash him."
Dr. Walstab had joined Jaguers at tire cosmar screen. He was talking, eyes burning with urgency.
"Can you hear me, Sommers? Now, listen . . . your vibrations are automatically lowering themselves, but you've got somehow to help them. Can you get over to the window . . . the space you burst in the wall? Good. Do that. Lie flat. Breathe as slowly as you can. Keep drawing in your diaphragm and then releasing it. That will help to slow up your heart and lower the vibrations. Stop thinking. Do that, and leave the rest to us."
They had to strain their ears to catch that faint reply.
"I'll . . . do that. I think . . . coming after me . . . seems like something's rousing . . ."
"Chris!" Jaguers shouted.
Ace Peters said: "He's gone." He looked like a man in a dream.
"Well," Dr. Walstab said, in an exhausted voice, "we've done all that it's possible to do. Now we can only wait. Whatever comes will be in seconds . . . Wait . . ."
Report from Challenge Queen was coming in. They listened greedily.
"Have checked our position with that of Vibrant and correct within one point of arc. Ether clear. Very little star swell. Ship now hovering with launching flaps down. Nothing sighted."
They waited.
"Port visual reports slight disturbance approximately east and below . . . Flash received. Am launching two minnows . . . Something seems to be breaking ether
