Never before had Sally experienced such a sense of power. She held many great ships and thousands of lives in the hollow of her hand. “Some of them know I’m a girl. Some even know who I am, and yet they trust me.” The thought made her feel warm inside.
“It’s worth the whole cost, just this,” she told herself. The whole cost? Yes, giving up her work with old C. K., bidding good-by to her family and friends. It was worth all that and more.
But Danny! If she had lost him forever? She dared not think of Danny. The very thought would unnerve her. Her work would suffer. She might make some terrible blunder.
“One increasing purpose,” a very good man had said to her. “That’s what we need in these terrible hours.”
One increasing purpose. That was what she must have in this hour of trial.
Riggs returned. Sitting down dizzily, he watched and listened for a time. Then, leaning back, he seemed to go into a sort of coma.
At the end of four hours, he came out of this, pushed her aside, mumbled, “Go get some rest,” then took over.
After fighting her way down the deck, she tumbled into her stateroom, banged the door shut, shoved the secret radio into a corner, rolled the blankets about her and fell fast asleep.
Three hours later she was once more at her post.
“I-I’ll be here if you need me.” Riggs threw himself on the hard seat and was soon fast asleep.