Russ was crouching over the manual of the televisor board. His breath moaned in his throat as his fingers flew.
"I have to have power, Greg," he said. "Lots of power."
"Take it." Greg replied. "I haven't been able to do anything with it. It isn't any use to me."
Russ's thumb reached out and tripped the activating lever. The giant engines shrieked and yowled.
Something was happening on the television screen ... something terrifying. Craven's ship seemed to retreat suddenly for millions of miles ... and as suddenly the Invincible appeared on the screen. For a single flashing instant, the view held; then it was gone in blank grayness. For seconds nothing happened on the screen, unnerving seconds while the two men held their breath.
The screen's grayness fled and they looked into the control room of the Interplanetarian. Craven was hunched in a chair, intent upon a series of controls. Behind him and to one side stood Stutsman, a heat pistol dangled from his hand, his face twisted into a sneer of triumph. There was no sign of Chambers.
"You damn fool," Craven was snapping at Stutsman. "You're cheating us out of the only chance we ever had of getting home."
"Shut up," snarled Stutsman, the pistol jerking in his hand. "Have you got that apparatus on full power?"
"It's been on full power for minutes now," said Craven. "It must be eating holes straight through Manning's ship."