Adam spun, his hand grabbing for the wrench in his pocket. Captain Martin stood just inside the doorway. There was a smile on his face but his eyes were fathomless.
"Uh, dang it, where did you come from?"
"I'll be glad to show it to you," the captain continued. "Of course, we don't have much time at the moment. Are you going to take the long hop with us?" Polite interest sounded in the voice but under the interest Craig sensed a seething emotional state.
"Why, uh, hadn't thought about it. Yes, we'll take the long hop if we get the chance," Adam answered. He looked like a man in a fog groping desperately for some familiar landmark.
Smiling, Captain Martin moved to him. "This is the control chair, sir. The operator of the ship sits here. Information is relayed to him—" Swiftly he explained the use of all of the controls. Then his voice dropped to a whisper. "You haven't a chance to lick the Sorodromes. I've tried for years, all of us have tried, and we have failed! Forget it!" His voice rose again to normal tones. Politely he continued his explanations of the operation of the controls. "I'll have plenty of time to explain everything to you on the long hop," he ended.
"But—lad—" the old man's voice was a pleading whisper.
"You'll just get yourself killed," Captain Martin whispered. "Believe me. I know what I am talking about."
"Well—uh—" Adam March seemed to choke up. "What chance have we got on the long hop?" he whispered.
"Probably none," Captain Martin answered.
Adam's face worked. It twisted into a grimace as some inward torture passed through him. "Well ... well, could...." His face lit up as if the inner turmoil had suddenly been resolved by some deep insight. "Could I stay here while the ship is taking off? Could I, Captain? I've always dreamed of being on the bridge of one of the deep-space ships like the Andromeda while she went free.... It'll be all right, won't it, Captain?" A pleading note crept into the voice. "I won't be in the way at all."