The navigator nodded. "Just about," he said, and put his hand on a lever marked "gravity repellor."
As the navigator pushed the lever smoothly forward, Dynamon turned back to the periscope mirror and saw the red ship behind suddenly dwindle in size. The new Cosmos Carrier was beginning to show its speed.
Apparently, the Martians were momentarily caught off guard. The red Carrier diminished to a tiny speck against the dark background of the Earth. But then it began to grow in size again as the Martians unleashed the power in their great magnets.
"Borion, how about friction?" Dynamon asked.
"We don't have to worry about that yet," was the answer, "we're not going fast enough. And the temperature outside is about sixty-five below."
Dynamon nodded and glanced again at the altimeter. The needle was steadily climbing, a mile every ten seconds. Once again he looked into the screen of the periscope. The Earth was now far enough away so that the young centurion could begin to make out the broad arc which was a part of the curving circumference of the globe. Silently he said a final good-bye to Keltry and turned to speak to Borion. At that moment the door of the control room burst open and an engineer stepped in and saluted the navigator.
"Stowaway, sir," the engineer said. "Just found her in the munitions compartment."
Dynamon stared out through the open door at the woman who stood out there between two soldiers.
It was Keltry.