The Kentons and Randy crowded into the farthest rear room of the Shooting Star with the other passengers, all of whom were chattering excitedly. When the last passenger was in, the transparent door was fastened shut.
“Why did we have to come way back here, Father?” Jill asked.
“Because rays are loose in the ship,” her father replied. “The farther we are from the atomic engines up front, the safer we are.”
“Are they dangerous?” his wife asked.
“They could be, in sufficient intensity. Right now, they’re closing all the doors along the corridors. The doors have built-in screens to resist the rays, if they are not too strong. Keep your eyes on the light bulb out in the corridor. If it turns red, it means the rays have penetrated that far!”
“Oh, dear!” groaned Mrs. Kenton. “I knew we shouldn’t have left Earth. Now it looks like we’ll never reach our new home, after getting so close, too!”
“Don’t worry,” Dr. Kenton said. “The ship’s crew knows how to handle this. They have electronic instruments they turn on that attract the rays like a magnet. They can clean out the entire ship in about half an hour. That bulb in the corridor will light if even the slightest bit of radiation is present. There’s another bulb in the corner of this room, but let’s certainly hope this one doesn’t light up.”
Ted heard a groan from one of the passengers. The light in the corridor was beginning to glow. That meant the radiation had penetrated all the way to the rear of the ship. The next thing to watch was the bulb inside the room, Ted thought. His father had not said so, but Ted guessed that they would probably be in serious trouble if this last one should light.
Presently figures clothed in weird metallic suits and carrying shiny instruments were seen in the corridor.
“The crew is protected by those suits,” Dr. Kenton explained. “The things they are carrying are the magnetic ray catchers I was telling you about.”