Commander Frick looked up. "We're trying to, Captain. Transmission cut off while they were sending us a list of casualties."

The Captain chewed his lip and looked frustrated, then he said "Keep trying," and turned. He saw me.

"Bartlett!"

"Yes, sir!"

"You have one of your people over there. Raise him."

I thought rapidly, trying to remember the Greenwich even as I was calling Vicky—if Vicky was home, she could get through on the direct line to LRF and they could hook her with Sam Rojas's telepartner and thence to Sam, and the Captain could talk to Uncle Steve on a four-link relay almost as fast as he could by radio. ("Vicky! Come in, Vicky! Urgent!")

"Yes; Uncle Tom? What is it? I was asleep."

Commander Frick said, "I don't think that will work, Captain. Rojas isn't on the list of survivors. He was scheduled for rotation; he must have been down at the beach."

Of course, of course! Sam would have been down at the beach—I had stood by and must have watched him being herded into the water!

"What is it, Uncle Tom?"

("Just wait, hon. Stay linked.")

"Then get me somebody else," the Captain snapped, "there isn't anyone else, Captain," Frick answered. "Here's the list of survivors. Rojas was the only fr—the only special communicator we had ashore."

The Captain glanced at the list, said, "Pass the word for all hands not on watch to assemble in the mess room on the double." He turned and walked right through me. I jumped out of the way.

"What's the matter, Uncle Tom? You sound worried."

I tried to control my voice. ("It was a mistake, hon. Just forget it and try to get back to sleep. I'm sorry.")

"All right. But you still sound worried."

I hurried after the Captain. Commander Frick's voice was calling out the order over the ship's system as we hurried down the ladders, yet he was only a moment or two behind me in reaching the mess room. In a matter of seconds we were all there... just a handful of those who had left Earth—about forty. The Captain looked around and said to Cas Warner, "Is this all?"

"I think so, Captain, aside from the engineering watch."

"I left Travers on watch," added Frick.

"Very well" The Captain turned and faced us. "We are about to rescue the survivors ashore. Volunteers step forward."

We didn't step, we surged, all together. I would like to say that I was a split second ahead, because of Uncle Steve, but it wouldn't be true. Mrs. Gates was carrying young Harry in her arms and she was as fast as I was.

"Thank you," the Captain said stiffly. "Now will the women please go over there by the pantry so that I can pick the men who will go."

"Captain?"

"Yes, Captain Urqhardt?"

"I will lead the party."

"You'll do nothing of the sort, sir. I will lead: You will now take some women and go down and fetch what we need."

Urqhardt barely hesitated, then said, "Aye, aye, sir."

"That rule—our standing rule for risk—will apply to all of you. In doubly-manned jobs the older man will go. In other jobs, if the job can be dispensed with, the man will go; if it cannot be, the man will stay." He looked around.

"Dr. Babcock!"

"Righto, Skipper!"

Mr. O'Toole said, "Just a moment, Captain. I am a widower and Dr. Babcock is much more-"

"Shut up."

"But—"

"Confound it, sir, must I debate every decision with every one of you? Must I remind you that every second counts? Get over there with the women."

Red-faced and angry Mr. O'Toole did as he was told. The Captain went on, "Mr. Warner. Mr. Bach. Dr. Severin—" Quickly he picked those he wanted, then waved the rest of us over toward the pantry.

Uncle Alfred McNeil tried to straighten his stooped shoulders. "Captain, you forgot me. I'm the oldest in my department."

The Captain's face softened just a hair. "No, Mr. McNeil, I didn't forget," he said quietly, "but the capacity of the chopper is limited-and we have seven to bring back. So I must omit you."

Unc's shoulders sagged and I thought he was going to cry, than he shuffled over away from the selected few. Dusty Rhodes caught my eye and looked smug and proud; he was one of the chosen. He still did not look more than sixteen and I don't think he had ever shaved; this was probably the first time in his life that he had ever been treated in all respects as a man.

In spite of the way the others had been shut off short I couldn't let it stand. I stepped forward again and touched the Captain's sleeve. "Captain... you've got to let me go! My uncle is over there."

I thought he was going to explode, but he caught himself.

"I see your point. But you arc a special communicator and we haven't any spare. I'll tell Major Lucas that you tried."

"But—"

"Now shut up and do as you are told—before I kick you half across the compartment." He turned away as if I didn't exist.

Five minutes later arms had been issued and we were all crowding up the ladders to see them off. Ace Wenzel started the helicopter at idling speed and jumped out. They filed in, eight of them, with the Captain last. Dusty had a bandolier ever each shoulder and a ranger gun in his hands; he was grinning excitedly. He threw me a wink and said, "I'll send you a postcard."

The Captain paused and said, "Captain Urqhardt."

"Yes, sir." "

The Captain and the reserve captain conferred for a moment; I couldn't hear them and I don't think we were meant to hear. Then Captain Urqhardt said loudly, "Aye, aye, sir. It shall be done."

"Very good, sir." The Captain stepped in, slammed the door, and took the controls himself. I braced myself against the down blast.

Then we waited.

I alternated between monkey island and the comm office. Chet Travers still could not raise Uncle Steve but he was in touch with the heli. Every time I went top side I looked for the sea things but they seemed to have gone away.

Finally I came down again to the comm room and Chet was looking joyful. "They've got 'em!" he announced.

"They're off the ground." I started to ask him about it but he was turning to announce the glad news over the ship's system; I ran up to see if I could spot the heli.

I saw it, near the hilltop, about a mile and a half away. It moved rapidly toward the ship. Soon we could see people inside. As it got closer someone opened a window on the side toward us.

The Captain was not really skilled with a helicopter. He tried to make a landing straight in but his judgment of wind was wrong and be had to swing on past and try again. The maneuver brought the craft so close to the ship that we could see the passengers plainly. I saw Uncle Steve and he saw me and waved; he did not call out, he just waved. Dusty Rhodes was beside him and saw me, too. He grinned and waved and shouted, "Hey, Tom, I rescued your buddy!" He reached back and then Percy's head and cloven forehooves showed above the frame, with Dusty holding the pig with one hand and pointing to him with the other. They were both grinning.

"Thanks!" I yelled back. "Hi, Percy!"

The chopper turned a few hundred feet beyond the ship mad headed back into the wind.

It was coming straight toward the ship and would have touched down soon when something came out of the water right under it. Some said it was a machine—to me it looked like an enormous elephant's trunk. A stream of water so solid, hard, and bright that it looked like steel shot out of the end of it; it struck a rotor tip and the heli staggered.

The Captain leaned the craft over and it slipped out of contact. The stream followed it, smashed against the fuselage and again caught a rotor; the heli tilted violently and began to fall.