"Damn it, it is a city!"
"Why doesn't someone get Brown?"
"Take to your couches, men," said Captain Wiley. "Landing's apt to be a bit bumpy. Better strap yourselves in."
————
Down went the rocket, more slowly now, great plumes of scarlet thundering from its forward braking jets. Down, down into soft, cotton-like clouds, the whiteness sliding silently past the ports.
Suddenly, a droning voice:
"To those in the ship from the planet called Earth: Please refrain from landing at this moment. You will await landing instructions."
Parker leaped off his couch, grasping a stanchion for support. "That voice! It was human!"
Captain Wiley's trembling hand moved over the jet-control panel. The ship slowed in its descent. The clouds outside the portholes became motionless, a milky whiteness pressed against the ship.
"The voice!" Parker cried again. "Am I crazy? Did everyone hear it?"