His eyes were shrewdly watching the effect upon Jennings' face, measuring through him the effect such a speech would have upon the voters. He saw the relief spread over Jennings' face, the glow. Yes, it might work. "Now, son," he said with kindly tolerance, "tell me what you want me to do about pressing this key when the time comes." "Beep, one." And then the continuous drone while the seconds were being counted off aloud. "Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven--" The droning went on while Jennings showed the senator just how to press the dummy key down, explaining it in careful detail, and just when. "Thirty-seven, thirty-six, thirty-five--" "Major!" Jennings called questioningly. "Ready, sir." "Professor!" "Ready, sir." "Three, two, one, ZERO!" "Press it, Senator!" Jennings called frantically. Already the automatic firing stud had taken over. The bellowing, roaring flames reached down with giant strength, nudging the ship upward, seeming to hang suspended, waiting. "_Press it!_" The senator's hand pressed the dummy key. He was committed. As if the ship had really been waiting, it lifted, faster and faster. "Major?" "I have it, sir." The major's hands were flying over his bank of controls, correcting the slight unbalance of thrusts, holding the ship as steady as if he were in it. Already the ship was beyond visual sight, picking up speed. But the pip on the radar screens was strong and clear. The drone of the IFF returning signal was equally strong. The senator sat and waited. He had done his job. He felt it perhaps would have been better to have had the photographers on the spot, but realized the carefully directed and rehearsed pictures to be taken later would make better vote fodder. "It's already out in space now, Senator," Jennings found a second of time to call it to the senator. The pips and the signals were bright and clear, coming through the ionosphere, the Heaviside layer as they had been designed to do. Jennings wondered if the senator could ever be made to understand the simple honesty of scientists who had worked that out so well and true. Bright and strong and clear. And then there was nothing! The screens were blank. The sounds were gone. * * * * * Jennings stood in stupefied silence. "It shut! It shut off!" Major Eddy's voice was shrill in amazement. "It cut right out, Colonel. No fade, no dying signal, just out!" It was the first time Jennings had ever heard a note of excitement in Professor Stein's voice. The phone began to ring, loud and shrill. That would be from the General's observation post, where he, too, must have lost the signal. The excitement penetrated the senator's rosy dream of vast acreages being sold at a huge profit, giant walls of factories going up under his remote-control ownership. "What's wrong?" he asked. Jennings did not answer him. "What was the altitude?" he asked. The phone continued to ring, but he was not yet ready to answer it.