Rex was out of bed in a flash. That means we're going!'
'The conditions are ideal, sir. Professor Brane is, I know, anxious to take advantage of them in case they should change.'
'We shan't keep him waiting,' promised Tiger, swinging his legs out of bed.
'Very good, sir.' Judkins withdrew.
Rex began to dress in a state of nervous excitement blended with a curious feeling of unreality. To his annoyance he found that his hands were trembling slightly, but excused this weakness by telling himself that the day's programme did, after all, promise to be very unusual.
Ten minutes later they went down to find the Professor standing up making a light breakfast of toast and coffee. His movements were quick, and his manner one of expectancy. His eyes were sparkling. 'All ready?' he queried crisply.
'All ready,' confirmed Tiger.
Good. Have some breakfast and we'll get away as soon as possible in case the mist lifts.
It's right down on the hill at the moment so there's no chance of anyone seeing us leave.
I've been up for some time with Judkins, making the final touches.'
Following the Professor's example, Tiger and Rex took a light breakfast standing.
Neither of them it seemed was in the mood to think about food.
Queer thought, isn't it,' remarked the Professor, after finishing his coffee. 'All the people all over the world are going about their business as usual, whilst unknown to them the greatest event in human history, one that may completely alter life as it has hitherto been understood, is about to begin. I must confess to some slight nervous apprehension, aware that we are about to subject ourselves to conditions which are impossible to create on Earth.'
I feel like I used to feel before a raid during the war,' admitted Tiger.
You know -- is this going to be my last day or shall I be alive tonight?
I used to wonder, when I saw the sun rise, if I should see it set.'
'Exactly. An exhilarating feeling. That, of course, is the very essence of the spirit of adventure, a sensation that only those with courage can enjoy. Life, like everything else, is only truly valued when there is suddenly a risk of losing it. We should pity those unfortunates who are content with courage secondhand, through the people who risk their lives to entertain them by taming lions, walking on high wires, and other circus tricks. But if you are ready, let us go. Judkins is already standing by. The good fellow tries not to show it but he is really quite excited.'
Nothing more was said. They followed the Professor to the hangar to find the Spacemaster already on the concrete apron under a canopy of white fog. Still without speaking they mounted the ladder, entered the cabin, and watched the heavy door closed and screwed up behind them.
'Be seated, please, and fasten safety-belts,' requested the Professor.
'The next few minutes may be uncomfortable, but nothing more than that I hope. I shall not risk acceleration beyond the limits of endurance, you can rely on that.'
Rex took his seat by a porthole, strapped himself in securely, and looked round to see that some extra pieces of equipment had been added. A telescope and a camera had been fastened by clips to the control board, to which an open notebook had been pinned. Some sandwiches in transparent boxes and a carafe of water, also fastened down, were within reach of every seat.
'Ready, Judkins !' called the Professor sharply.
'Ready, sir,' answered Judkins, from his position at the wheel.
The same formula as on the previous occasion was followed, and the gyroscope and the rotors began to hum. Looking through his porthole Rex saw the ground dropping away.
Then they were in mist and he could see nothing. The cosmic jets began to roar with their deep note and in an instant the ship had flashed into dazzling sunlight. Blue sky filled the portholes, while underneath, the sea of vapour, looking like cottonwool, fell away as if it had been made of marble.
There was an interval of perhaps a minute. Then, 'Gravity three to four!'
called the Professor.
Judkins echoed the order.
Another short pause.
'Gravity four to five!'
So great a weight now began to press on Rex, forcing him down into his seat, that for a moment he nearly panicked, thinking he would be unable to bear the strain. It got no worse, but it persisted, forcing him down with a power that deprived him of movement and threatened to send him through the floor. Feeling that his body was being compressed like a concertina he closed his eyes. Remembering that the Professor had said that the acceleration would not last long, he waited for the unpleasant sensation to end. He had guessed that this stage was likely to be uncomfortable.
How long it actually lasted he did not know. His heart seemed to be behaving oddly and his ears began to sing. He heard the Professor say something but didn't catch the words.
It was getting difficult to breathe, and a fear came over him that the ship was out of control and hurtling to destruction. Once he opened his eyes, but could see nothing clearly. It seemed to be getting dark. The window was black.
Then, to his great relief, the pressure began to ease. He looked at the others. Their faces were pale, but they appeared to be all right. Tiger gave him a reassuring smile.
'Are we out of the atmosphere yet?' asked Rex, his voice sounding strange in his ears.
'Must be — some time ago,' answered Tiger.
The Professor may have heard the question, for a few seconds later, without turning his head, he called: 'Altitude one thousand miles.'
Rex, thinking he could not have heard correctly, looked through his porthole, and at the spectacle that met his eyes he held his breath, staring. The sky was no longer blue. It was black. Appearing to be level with them was a blinding ball of incandescent light that he knew could only be the Sun; but it was very different from the Sun that he had always known, and he experienced a qualm of awe, not far removed from fear, at this manifestation of real power.
There were stars, too. Myriads of stars. Some of them were gleaming with colours that he had never seen stars show before. Stretching right across the dome of heaven was a curving band of diamond dust and eerie glowing vapour that he realized with a shock must be the Milky Way. This, he thought, wonderingly, was what these things were really like, unfiltered by the Earth's thick screen of humid air.
He looked down, and stared and stared again. Far away below was a section of a mighty globe that had a vaguely familiar appearance. It was, he knew, the Earth from which they had just departed. He felt no fear, no sense of height; merely a great wonder that this huge ball of dirt and rock could float about in space as if it were a bubble. The thought crossed his mind that for the first time he appreciated it for what it really was.
More thoughts, strange thoughts, crowded on him. All through the Middle Ages the religious houses had discouraged scientific speculation on the Universe for fear it conflicted with their dogmas. What fools they had been! Here was proof of Almighty power. How could it all be an accident?
Fascinated, he picked up the outlines of the British Isles with their watery boundaries, the Atlantic stretching away on one side and the continent of Europe merging vaguely with Asia and Africa on the other.
Northward of Europe was a long white glittering streak that he supposed was the Polar ice-pack.
Everywhere there where little flecks like snowflakes, so small that he could hardly believe they could be cloud formations, although he knew they could be nothing else.
Even as he watched, he could see the map below receding, bringing still more distant horizons into view.
The Professor's voice broke into his solemn reverie. 'Altitude 1,300
miles, approximate.'
Looking round, not without an effort, Rex saw the Professor, hunched up behind the quivering needles of his instruments, making notes on his pad.
Then, with a curiously slow motion, the Professor turned and smiled.
'Everyone all right?' he inquired. On receiving
assurance, he ordered:
'Draw window screens now or we may be sun-scorched.
Unfiltered solar rays can be vicious.' He went on with his writing.
Reaching out to obey, Rex flinched as his knuckles came in sharp contact with the operating knob. He could not make out what had happened for he thought he had moved slowly. He recalled that the Professor had said something about inertia, but he was not clear about it. However, he drew the extra dark slide across the porthole and was grateful for the relief from the glare. It seemed to be getting warm in the cabin. His face was damp with perspiration but he was not conscious of any actual discomfort.
'A little more oxygen, Judkins,' requested the Professor. 'Yes,. sir.'
Discovering that his mouth was dry Rex reached for the water carafe and found there was no drinking glass. Whereupon he tried to drink out of the carafe; but when he discovered that the liquid would not pour he remembered what the Professor had said.
Still, it seemed so preposterous that water wouldn't pour that he gave the vessel a shake.
He did to some extent succeed in this, but the water that emerged came out as solid bubbles.
'Use a tube. There are some beside you,' called the Professor.
Rex smiled sheepishly, and pulling a plastic lemonade straw from under the rubber band that held it down found that it served his purpose.
'Height, 1,500 miles, velocity 18,000 miles an hour,' announced the Professor. 'My friends, we should now be in orbital velocity. We will check it.' He cut the jets so that the only sound was the faint hum of the gyroscope.
'You may unfasten your safety-belts if you wish, but be careful how you move or you may knock yourselves,' said the Professor. 'The Milky Way looks very fine from here doesn't it? Strange though it may seem, the Earth is part of it - just another little piece of matter like the millions of other pieces you can see. That lovely diamond and silver band goes right round the Sun. Observe the Moon. Had we been going to it, it would be no use taking a course directly for it. When we go, I shall have to steer for the point where it will be at the estimated time of our arrival. While I am confirming that we are in free orbit I will take some photographs.'
'Do you mean that we are now travelling round the world like a moon?'
asked Rex.
'Precisely. You can call us a microscopic moon if you like.'
The Professor smiled. The Earth has got another satellite - a man-made one.'
Looking back at the Earth Rex saw that the scene had changed out of recognition. 'May I ask where we are, sir?' he inquired.
'Of course. In terms of ordinary navigation we are still travelling from west to east, which is the direction of the Earth's rotation. The land mass you see below is Asia. Incidentally, note that in a short time, without changing direction, we shall be travelling from east to west.'
Rex frowned. 'How can that happen?'
'Because having travelled about halfway round the globe we shall be returning to our starting-point round the other side of the world. A dark shadow will show you where it is night on Earth. I need hardly tell you that we are travelling faster, much faster, than men have ever travelled before. And the strange thing is, we no longer need power to do it.
The ship is meeting with no air resistance, so it cannot do other than maintain its velocity.'
Rex, sinking back into his chair to work this out, watched the Professor making cautious slow-motion movements first with the telescope and then with the camera. After a while he raised a beckoning finger. Rex joined him, moving with the same unnatural movements.' Here, take the telescope and have a look at mighty Jupiter,' invited the Professor. He's a sight worth seeing, as he should be, considering that Earth is a baby compared with him. The three dark spots you see on his face are three of his moons in transit. Take care, for your muscles have so much power now that they may get you into mischief.'
Rex took the instrument. Only from the fact that he could feel it in his hands was he aware that he was holding it. Raising it, he stared again at what he saw. The planet was a disc with rough edges, bound round with bands of colour, mostly red. He looked at it for some time, then handed the telescope to
Tiger. 'Look! You won't believe it,' he said simply. 'It's beautiful, but rather frightening.'
He returned cautiously to his seat, for movement produced the queer sensation that his limbs did not belong to him.
The Professor spoke. 'Our first experiment, as far as I can judge, is successful,' he announced. 'We have been in free orbit for nearly an hour
- that is to say, without power yet without losing height. We will now proceed with the second test. As you will observe, we are now almost immediately above the Pacific. Watch the American continent come round the globe as I increase height and velocity. Remain seated. You may feel the acceleration.'
The drone started again, and looking down Rex could see the faint blue exhaust trail of the out-thrust cosmic rays. The Earth became a little more indistinct, and more like an enormous standard schoolroom globe, although he could still not see all of it. Again all sound died away.
We should now be in the twenty-four-hour orbit,' said the Professor after a while. His eyes twinkled. 'An odd thought occurs to me. If anything went wrong now we should remain here for ever and evermore.'
'Even if we were struck by a meteor?' asked Rex.
That would make no difference.'
'All the air in the cabin would escape.'
'That wouldn't affect our position in space. The air is in the cabin only for our convenience. If we were a ball of solid iron it would still make no difference. Speaking of air, the air-conditioning system seems to be working admirably. I see some condensation on the walls but there is obviously no lack of oxygen or we should feel it.
We may—'
The Professor got no further, for at that instant there was an ear-splitting crack and the Spacemaster lurched sickeningly, throwing everyone into confusion. Rex, in sudden terror, sprang up, sure it was the end, and skidded across the floor.
Getting up, gasping with fright, he clutched at a cord to steady himself.
At the same time the jets started and the Professor shouted, 'Meteor!'
The ship returned to its normal position. The jets died. In the silence that followed the Professor said: 'Can anyone see a hole?'
I don't think there can be one,' answered Tiger. 'I saw nothing enter the ship.'
A search was made, but no puncture could be found. There was, however, a dent in the cabin wall, and it must have been there, the Professor asserted, that the missile had struck them. 'An unlucky chance,' he went on. 'I thought the possibility remote. The meteorite must have been a very small one. Anything larger than a pea, travelling at meteoric speed, would have punctured us. As all is well we can regard the occurrence as an interesting event. I must make a note of it.'
With his heart still thumping from shock Rex returned to his seat.
Looking down he recognized the outlines of North and South America, joined by the unmistakable Isthmus of Panama. It remained in the same position. Some time later it was still there.
After a while the Professor looked up from his notes. 'We will now cross the Atlantic and get nearer to home,' he said.
The jets began to hum, and presently the British Isles came creeping over the edge of the world.
'I am greatly tempted to go on and have a closer look at the Moon,'
confessed the Professor. But we have done enough for today. There's no point in exhausting ourselves by trying to do too much. After this practice flight we shall travel with more confidence.'
He looked down. 'There is still a lot of broken cloud over Europe, I see.
Notice how the snow persists on the summits of the Swiss Alps.'
Rex yawned. Although he could no longer see the Sun it was getting warm in the cabin and he began to feel drowsy. The Professor was still making notes, sometimes breaking off to take an observation with the telescope, or a photograph. Rex watched him without p
articular interest. It occurred to him that space flight was likely to prove even more boring than long-distance flying in an ordinary air liner.
He had lost count of time when, gazing through his porthole, he saw a thing that struck him as curious. A particularly bright star, or what he had taken to be a star, began to move. Gathering speed it raced across the sky in a great arc, at the same time increasing in size in such a manner that he realized it must have been a great deal closer than he had supposed. Then, suddenly, it vanished. His heart missed a beat. It must be a meteor, and a big one, he thought. Then he remembered that the Professor had said that meteors only became visible at white heat within the Earth's atmosphere. But they were nowhere near the atmosphere. What could it have been?
He called to the Professor who was still making notes. I think there's something with us in the sky, sir. It flashed as it moved, and it got bigger, as if it were coming nearer.'
'Where did you see it?'
'Half right and above. I can't see it now.'
As Rex finished speaking, a small, flattish object, with one edge shining brightly, sprang into view and came curving towards them. 'There it is!'
he exclaimed, and lost it again as it swept out of his field of vision.
But only for a moment. It reappeared from the opposite direction, apparently having made a circuit round them. It was larger now, and appeared as a thick disc. Then the probable explanation struck him. 'It must be one of those flying saucers,' he cried.
'I think you're right,' answered the Professor in an excited voice. It must be an aircraft of some sort. It must be, for the thing is obviously under control or it couldn't move about like that.'
Let's go down in case it attacks us.' There was a suspicion of panic in Rex's voice.
`No. I shall do nothing of the sort,' replied the Professor, reaching for his telescope. This is truly wonderful, an unexpected treat. At all costs I must have a look at our fellow explorer. He won't hurt us. He must be as surprised to see us as we are to see him. In any case, as he is faster than we are, if his intentions are hostile we are already doomed. Ah!
01 Kings Of Space Page 6