"You fools!" choked Petersen. "I hope they hang you both for this! When that pile starts up, and blows—"
The operation of the great atomic pile was automatic from this point on. Minutes later, a bell rang and indicators clicked on.
"First uranium lattice has triggered off," said Kincaid, and nodded, pleased. "Now we'll get power—lotsa power."
"You'll get nothing but maybe an atomic explosion, in ten seconds!" cried Petersen, his face deathly white.
Doug Norris suddenly felt his doubt rise again and this time it overwhelmed him! All his former foggy confidence seemed to have left him as they completed their operations.
He was suddenly aware of the mad and ghastly thing that he and Kincaid had done. Why in heaven's name had they done it? What crazy quirk in their minds had made them do it?
Kincaid too was suddenly looking pale and queer.
"Doug, maybe we shouldn't have tried it."
"Look at those meters!" yelled Petersen, in a wild voice.
The technician's eyes were protruding as he stared at the big bank of ammeters that registered the output of the great turbines. The needles were jumping across the dials with swiftly increasing amperage.