He laughed aloud. And left the switch open.
He found himself staring with fascination at the microphone. It was pretty interesting, he had to admit that. It was mounted on the back of the control chair, on swivel arms. It could easily be pulled into position right in front of his face. Just as if it had been meant to. He fiddled with it interestedly, swinging it back and forth, seeing how it moved on the swivel arms.
He was interested in the way it moved so smoothly, that was all. By coincidence, when he let go of it, it was directly in front of him.
There was something picking at him, something was nagging at the back of his mind. He whistled under his breath and knuckled his eyes. He scrubbed at the top of his head with his right hand, as if he could rub the annoying thought. Suddenly he heard his own voice saying:
"Earth Control, this is Phoenix I. Come in please."
He looked up, startled. Now why would he say a thing like that?
And then, in the midst of his surprise, he repeated it!
"Earth Control, this is Phoenix I. Come in please."
He flipped the Receive switch without volition. His hands had suddenly developed a life of their own. He began to breathe more rapidly, and his forehead felt cool. He swallowed twice, quickly.
There was no answer on the receiver.