Ironically he saluted the climbing blue globe of the Earth. They would wait another time now, another try. But he would not sacrifice his own money. He had spent $25,000 for a job well done, and, of course, the only way to do it right was to do it himself.
The glass of the faceplate was too thick for even a steel-mailed fist to smash. Condemeign walked to a garbage disposal tube that projected a few feet out off the level surface of the cube side. The champagne and the other drink were wearing off. The steel plates bucked under his feet and he knew that in another minute he'd be retching, with the majestic background for a perfectly dramatic exit cut off by a spew of vomit. Kneeling, he brought the faceplate of the helmet down with a sharp crack on the steel projection. The glass shattered with a gay burst and just for a second he heard the awful silence of the imponderable ether.
In Dr. Munro's office, Firelie Gluck handed him Condemeign's wristwatch. Munro grunted.
"You have been very useful, Miss Gluck," he said. "You are a most intelligent and perspicacious woman." He tossed the wristwatch to the desk top and watched it with fascination while his lips moved. "You won't reconsider your decision?"
Firelie lit a cigarette with slow animation.
"I don't think so, Doctor. When I came to Nepenthe I had every intention of seeing it through. I was not only bored with life, but I had something of the same point of view that Mr. Condemeign professed."
"Yes, I know. That's why we used you. But there is more to it than that."
Firelie fastened her eyes on the watch.
"Thank goodness there is. Just one step further, in fact. And once you take that, even the meaningless becomes worth the effort."