He leaned toward her and touched her cheek. Then she was in his arms, her head buried against his shoulder.
"Good-by, darling," she said.
"Wish me luck, Mary?" he asked.
"Yes, good luck, Phil," she said. He opened the car door and got out. The noise of men and machines scurrying around the ship broke the spell of the rocket waiting silently for flight.
"Mary, I—" he began, and then turned and strode toward the administration building without looking back.
Inside the building it was like a locker room before the big game. The tension stood alone, and each man had the same happy, excited look that Phil had worn earlier. When he came into the room, the noise and bustle stopped. They turned as one man toward him, and General Small came up to him and took his hand.
"Hello, Phil. We were beginning to think you weren't coming. You all set, son?"
"Yes, sir, I'm all set, I guess," Phil said.
"I'd like you to meet the Secretary of Defense, Phil. He's over here by the radar."