"But you haven't time. That passenger rocket will be here in five minutes."
The supervisor sucked in his breath. "What's your idea?"
"I'll sit at the control table myself. You can do the preliminary locating in the observation tower." He ran to the door. "Where's the welder that cut the lock?"
The doctor and a medic were carrying out Stevens when he came back a few seconds later. Dan was slipping on the welder's helmet.
"Keep everyone away from the control-room level," he said to Rawlins. "And you better have the crash trucks and the flame quenchers standing by on the field."
Rawlins stared at him. "And what happens to you?"
Dan licked his lips. "I—I don't know. I'm going to try something."
Rawlins smiled. He reached out his hand. "Good luck, Dan," he said. He clapped him on the shoulder.
When they were gone, Dan dropped the helmet over his face. He walked slowly across the room with his hands in front of him like a blind man. Finally he lifted up across the room with his hands in front of the helmet and knocked out the dark glass in the eye slot. Then he slipped it back on. From one of the drawers in a small desk beside the control table he lifted out a small rectangular object and slipped it in his pocket. He seated himself before the control table.