The dog started to pull against the leash again and Fred reached out to help her hold the big animal in check. Then she looked at him again. "What brings you to the outskirts of Tucson? Don't tell me there's a big story breaking on the edge of town." He shook his head. "Not exactly. I'm on my way to the Rocket Research Proving Grounds. Just a routine story on the experiment they're going to pull off this evening. I've got to interview Mathieson, Gaddon, and a few other scientists on the project." The girl laughed. "That's something of a coincidence. Dr. Blair Gaddon is in Dr. Fenwick's office right now." Fred Trent's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That so? Something wrong with him?" "No. He's just having a physical checkup. Seems to be worried about his heart. Dr. Fenwick didn't need me since it's a routine job, so I took Brutus for a walk." Trent nodded. "That's a bit of luck. I think I'll stick around and give Gaddon a lift out to the Proving Grounds. I wanted to talk to him anyway." "In that case," the girl replied, "you can give me a hand putting Brutus back in his kennel. Once he gets out he's something of a problem." Fred nodded, taking the leash from her hands and feeling the big dog tug against him. "Never could figure out why Fenwick wanted a big hound like this. Seems to me a terrier would be more practical." "That's a matter of taste," Joan answered. "Dr. Fenwick is very fond of Brutus--and so am I for that matter. But tell me something about this experiment you're covering." They had turned in at a large Spanish type house that Trent knew served as a combination living quarters and office for the famous gland specialist. He shrugged. "Don't know much about it myself. They're shooting off this new type rocket, a really big affair, loaded with all sorts of instruments. Some sort of experiment with cosmic rays. The rocket will go up to the outer layers of the Earth's atmosphere, where a clocked mechanism will release a parachute-attached section containing the instruments. This will float back to the surface of the Earth. "There is one interesting thing about it though. They're also including a live animal with the instruments. A cat I believe. They want to see what effect the cosmic rays will have on a living creature." The girl turned a shocked face toward him as they walked up the steps to the front door of the house. Trent could see a panel in the center of the door that opened from the inside, and over it, the sign, _Doctor is in, please ring_. "But I think that's positively cruel!" Joan Drake said earnestly. "Subjecting an innocent animal to what may be certain death!" Fred laughed at her concern. "Hold on, now. You should be the last one to take such an attitude. Doesn't medical science experiment on animals to find out about human ailments?" "That's different," the girl insisted, opening the door and leading the way into a long hall. "Doctors know what they are doing--but this is a sheer waste of life ..."