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+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Danger in the Void, by Charles E. Fritch
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: Danger in the Void
+
+Author: Charles E. Fritch
+
+Release Date: September 27, 2021 [eBook #66396]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed
+             Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANGER IN THE VOID ***
+
+
+
+
+                          DANGER IN THE VOID
+
+                         By Charles E. Fritch
+
+               Silvia secretly planned to divorce George
+            when they reached Arcturus. But a space journey
+            can alter a careful plan--or hatch a worse one!
+
+           [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
+              Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
+                              August 1954
+         Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
+         the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
+
+
+The trouble started when the _Arcturus Queen_ was four billion miles
+out of Earth, heading for the star after which it was named. It pulled
+clear of the solar system using conventional drive, then switched into
+subspace. A few minutes later the ship shuddered perceptibly, and an
+authoritative voice came reassuringly from the public address system.
+
+"Passengers will please remain in their seats. We are temporarily
+cutting the subspace drive due to mechanical difficulties which have
+developed. There is no cause for alarm."
+
+The message was repeated and George said, "What do you suppose is the
+matter?"
+
+"How should I know," Silvia snapped. "I'm not a space mechanic. Why
+don't you find out if you're so interested."
+
+He glared at her. "I was just wondering. You don't have to get so
+disagreeable. But then, why should now be any different?"
+
+She smiled at that, though her blood raced and her fingers itched
+to make red ribbons of his face. "I've got plenty of reason to be
+disagreeable--"
+
+"Okay, okay," he said; "let's not go through that again." He got up.
+"I'm going up to the observation platform." And he went down the
+aisle between the rows of seats and disappeared through a door at the
+farthest end.
+
+She glared after him. That was always his way, running out on an
+argument. Well, when this trip was over, there would be no more running
+away.
+
+A man dropped into the seat beside her.
+
+"This seat's taken," she said automatically, and then realized the
+man must have known, since all seats were reserved.
+
+"I know," the man said. "I'd like to talk to you."
+
+She studied him for a moment. He had a rather common face, one with
+no particularly outstanding features, a face that would be difficult
+to remember, she thought. He wore a plain business suit, with a
+conventional white shirt and an unobtrusive tie. He did not appear the
+wolfish type to her, but rather the ordinary businessman you might see
+hanging onto helibus straps anyplace on Earth.
+
+"You want to talk to me?" she said carefully. "About what?"
+
+"Your divorce," the man said simply.
+
+"My divorce? But--" She stopped. She was about to say, "But how did you
+know?" when it suddenly occurred to her that George might have hired
+this man to find out if she were planning one of those rapid Arcturan
+separations. She hadn't thought to wonder if he suspected she was
+planning one. If he knew about her divorce plans, he might take counter
+measures just for spite; with Arcturan divorce regulations as they
+were, that would be bad.
+
+She said, "I'm not divorced, Mr...."
+
+"Jones," the man supplied, smiling. "I know that, Mrs. Bennet, but I
+also know that you're going to Arcturus to obtain one. I'd like to talk
+to you about that, confidentially of course."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+She was certain of it now. He knew her name and spoke about a divorce
+no one but she knew of. "I'm sorry," she said coldly, turning her head
+away to indicate that as far as she was concerned the interview was at
+an end, "I gave no one to understand that. I'm accompanying my husband
+on a business trip. Now, if you'll please--"
+
+"Nevertheless," the man insisted, "your intentions are plain, perhaps
+not to others or even your husband--but to us, very clear. Let me be
+frank, Mrs. Bennet. I represent an organization which can be of great
+benefit to you, providing you help us by accepting our standard plan."
+
+"Your organization?" she questioned.
+
+The man waved a vague hand. "The organization is of necessity nameless.
+However, it is quite effective. In fact, the only way you've heard of
+us, without realizing it, is through the effects we produce for our
+clients."
+
+"What sort of--effects?"
+
+"I promised to be frank, Mrs. Bennet. I shall. Your husband is an
+android, and you hate him for that reason and for others."
+
+Silvia gasped. "How did you know? That he's an android, I mean?"
+
+The man smiled. "Our organization has access to a great deal of
+information; it's an integral part of our business, this information,
+serving as a springboard for contacting prospective clients like you."
+
+"You mean," she said testily, "you'd like to help me get a divorce?"
+She smiled, adding, "For a fee, naturally."
+
+The man shook his head no. "Something more permanent. We'd like to make
+a widow of you."
+
+For a moment Silvia sat paralyzed, thinking she had not heard right.
+After awhile, she said, "You'd like to what?"
+
+"You were carefully studied," the man went on, "and we know the idea of
+your husband's death is not repugnant to you; that's why I'm suggesting
+the idea simply, without any cat-and-mouse tactics. Your husband has
+insurance amounting to slightly less than one hundred thousand credits;
+our fee will be one-tenth of that plus one-tenth of any other monies
+which may accrue as a result of his death."
+
+Silvia sat in shocked silence, not knowing what to say. "You're crazy,"
+she managed finally. "I'll call the officers--"
+
+"Who wouldn't believe you because the story is fantastic," the man
+pointed out, certain of himself. "Only our clients and potential
+clients know we are in existence, for not one of our--er--operations
+has been discovered. Think it over, Mrs. Bennet. Even though Arcturan
+divorces can be quick, they aren't always painless. It's like war with
+them, just as everything is, and wars can be lost. Our way is more
+certain; you're assured of your husband's estate and nine-tenths of all
+insurance money. I'll be around when you change your mind."
+
+He got up and walked down the aisle in back of her. Silvia didn't look
+to follow him. She was thinking, _when_ I change my mind; the man was
+that sure of it, was he? Or was that just to put her in a positive
+frame of mind, making her think it was not a question of yes or no,
+but when. She had quarrels with George, sure, and sometimes she even
+felt she hated him--but the idea of murder had not entered her mind.
+Mentally she added, _at least until now!_ She shook her head--no, it
+was out of the question.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+She had to admit to herself, though, now that she _was_ thinking
+of it, that she would miss the easy living being married to George
+entailed, even with any alimony she might receive. He was the android
+version of the old Horatio Alger story, though very few persons knew
+or even suspected George was not human. The World Congress had passed
+equalizing laws for androids just as they had for the various races,
+with the difference that it worked for androids since they had no
+outward mark of being different from the select group.
+
+While not wealthy, they had lived well, with George trying in his
+simple fashion to please her. She thought once she had loved him, for
+after all he was a rather likable person. He had told her of his being
+a non-human and had proposed in almost the same breath, and it had
+shocked her at first the way any normal woman would be shocked at being
+told such a thing. But George was on his way to becoming somebody in
+the business world, and after going mentally over the pros and cons of
+the thing she had decided she could do much worse. There were times
+during the two years of marriage, however, when she wasn't even certain
+of that.
+
+She had considered the possibility of forcing him after the divorce
+to give her some of his real estate or investments in return for not
+disclosing his secret; for while technically there was supposed to
+be no ill will toward androids there was an instinctive repulsion on
+the part of many humans for someone who was not of their kind, and
+George's business contacts would inevitably suffer if the knowledge got
+out. It was not blackmail, she rationalized--she disliked the unlawful
+sound of the word--but a business deal in which she supplied silence in
+return for his money. It was the least he could do, she thought, after
+taking up two years of her life.
+
+But murder was another thing, a totally different thing that had
+entered her mind only briefly during arguments and then not seriously.
+Even blackmail would be lily-white compared to it. She had never
+actually entertained the idea for any length of time, but now she
+considered it--not seriously even now, she told herself hastily, but
+merely as an intellectual diversion.
+
+Android or not, as far as the courts were concerned, it was murder just
+as though the victim were a human. But the case might never reach the
+courts, for the "organization" would handle all homicidal details, she
+remembered, and they were probably professionals in the art. Strange,
+no one had discovered the organization, but that probably testified to
+its ability. They could probably kill someone, even George, and no one
+would ever know....
+
+She shook her head in mild disdain, wondering at the sudden flood of
+criminal thoughts started by the stranger. She reminded herself that
+she was going to Arcturus to divorce her husband, not to kill him. She
+wondered disinterestedly if he were sulking up there on the observation
+platform.
+
+The loudspeaker crackled and a feminine voice said, "The mechanical
+difficulties have been located and are being repaired. It will be
+approximately thirty minutes, Earth rating, before we enter subspace
+again. Meanwhile, the lounge is open for those wishing to patronize it.
+May we suggest a cocktail, followed by a dinner from any of the planets
+of any system. The view from the observation platform--"
+
+The voice droned on, telling of the swimming pool, the
+three-dimensional (off-gravity) tennis rooms, and other diversions
+designed to get passengers' minds off the fact that they were
+temporarily stalled in open space.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+George appeared in the doorway at one end of the aisle and walked
+toward her. She gave a small gasp as she saw the stranger come through
+the doorway behind him. They came down the aisle, and George dropped
+into his seat. The stranger looked questioningly at her before he
+passed. She shook her head no.
+
+"There's a good view from the observation platform," George said, as
+though making an effort to be conversational. "Now's the time to see
+it, when the ship's in normal space. They've got a large transparent
+dome, like half a bubble, and when you look up it seems as though
+you're out there in space, floating."
+
+"Really?" she said drily. "I'm not exactly a tourist, you know. I
+_have_ been on observation platforms before."
+
+For a moment he looked at her as though wondering if there were
+anything he could say that wouldn't bring out a disagreeable word.
+"Silvia, I wish--" he began.
+
+"All right, all right," she interrupted wearily. "If there's anything
+I've said to injure your poor sensitive feelings, I apologize. But
+please don't give me that lost sheep-dog look; I can't stand it."
+
+He started to say something, then changed his mind at the futility of
+it and fell silent. She regarded him from the corner of her vision for
+a moment, feeling strangely sympathetic toward him. It made her feel
+something of a heel when he fell silently accusing like that, and she
+didn't like the feeling. If only he'd rant and rave at her, stand on
+his own two feet and maybe even beat her once in a while. She wouldn't
+like that, but at least it would be better than this outwardly placid
+pacificism. She suspected his attitude stemmed from an inferior
+complex due to his being android; he could spin the world on its tail,
+corner all the credits in the solar system, but still he could not
+escape the fact of his artificial birth. That fact was her weapon, and
+he knew it and was afraid of it.
+
+After awhile, he said slowly, "I'm going to get a divorce, Silvia."
+
+She looked at him swiftly, her eyes taking in each facet of his
+features to see if he were jesting. She even wondered for a moment if
+she had heard correctly.
+
+"I'm going to get a divorce on Arcturus," he repeated, not looking at
+her. "I've been thinking it over for the past several months. Finally,
+I decided it would be the best thing for both of us. I hope you won't
+contest it; I don't think I'd like one of those running battles."
+
+Silvia sat stunned by the revelation. This was to have been her
+surprise party, not his, for under Arcturan divorce regulations the
+member initiating the action had the distinct advantage, especially
+when the other was unprepared; the war-conditioned star-system had
+developed this marital blitzkrieg to satisfy the sporting instincts
+of its people and to attract the curiosity-seeking Earth trade. She
+had figured it as a surprise to him, knowing he would be shocked by
+its suddenness and take no action against her demands for what would
+normally constitute an excessive amount of alimony.
+
+"I thought I'd better tell you," he said, almost apologetically, "even
+if it does work to my disadvantage." He got up. "If you'd care to
+discuss it further, I'll be in the bar."
+
+In shocked silence, Silvia watched her husband retreat down the aisle.
+It was so typical of him to tell her, but the thought of him doing
+something like this at all was incredible. More than that, it was
+unbearable. She felt anger surge within her to realize that she'd
+been beaten to the punch, even if the romantic fool had confessed
+his intentions. Slowly, she could sense her plans wavering, becoming
+insecure, and panic gripped her. She'd had it all planned, all of it,
+working out the details with secret enthusiasm, never suspecting George
+was discontented enough to take action himself.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+She still had a good chance, of course, but not nearly as good a one as
+before. The two years she had been married to him would be an eternity
+compared to what compensation she might receive now, if she received
+anything at all. Perhaps she could make up to him before they got to
+Arcturus, convince him she was repentant, that she wanted him to remain
+with her. The thought of kowtowing before him, putting her pride on
+the auction block, sickened her, though. Besides, he would easily see
+through the subterfuge; though weak, he was not a fool. Inwardly, she
+cursed, her mind a frantic jumble of thoughts. There was nothing she
+could do, nothing except hope for the best. Unless--
+
+The stranger appeared with the thought concerning him. He dropped into
+the seat beside her.
+
+"Have you reconsidered?" he asked her quietly.
+
+It was murder, she knew, and yet George was only an android,
+something that was manufactured artificially in a laboratory in great
+liquid-filled tanks; that somehow made it different, made it something
+like putting a machine out of commission rather than destroying a life.
+
+She wet her lips. "In the eyes of the law," she said, "it's murder, you
+know."
+
+"All the laws in the universe," the man returned gravely, "will not
+make an android human, Mrs. Bennet. There is a faction which gives our
+organization a bonus each time an android is destroyed, so you can see
+you're not alone in this."
+
+She didn't look at him. "How would you do it?"
+
+"Efficiently," he replied vaguely, "in a way I cannot yet disclose.
+Satisfaction, however, is guaranteed."
+
+"Ten percent of the insurance money is the total fee?"
+
+"Ten percent of _all_ insurance monies," he corrected, "which is not
+necessarily the same thing." He drew a paper from his coat, opened it
+and handed her a pen.
+
+"I have to sign something?" she asked. "But won't that incriminate me?"
+
+"You promise to pay the ten percent _in consideration of services
+rendered_," the man explained. "The services are, of course, not
+stated."
+
+She took the pen and signed before she could talk herself out of it.
+
+"When will it be?"
+
+Carefully, he folded the document and returned it to his coat. "Before
+we reach Arcturus," the man said, getting up. "Thank you very much,
+Mrs. Bennet. Glad to be of service to you." And he walked away.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+She nodded vaguely and then began considering what she had done. George
+was an android, she told herself again, only an android. But how could
+you tell an android from a human? Certainly not outwardly. Blood
+chemistry was different, but the blood was red just the same. The skin
+was a different composition, yet it felt and looked like human skin.
+The personality and the character had human flaws in them. What, then,
+was the difference? The answer came: an android was not human because
+he was an android, which by definition was not human.
+
+This reasoning tended to confuse her, and she tried to push the
+thoughts from her mind. It was done, and that was all that mattered,
+she told herself. Pangs of conscience might plague her now, but
+afterward the soothing balm of money would ease the pain. They'd never
+gotten along, so what difference did it make.
+
+She forced her thoughts away from that and wondered how they'd do it.
+She hoped suddenly that it wouldn't be violent, and then she recalled
+that a double indemnity clause would give her twice the hundred
+thousand--less the ten percent, of course, for services rendered. At
+least, she hoped he wouldn't suffer. He'd suffered enough during his
+lifetime, just for being an android.
+
+It must have been horrible, she thought, having to go through life
+knowing you're less than human, or at least in having people think
+that. Even if humans accepted you as an equal (which they didn't,
+despite any laws), you'd have to live with the knowledge that you
+evolved from an artificially produced embryo under conditions
+simulating normal birth. Artificial growth, she thought disgustedly,
+like the hydroponic production of vegetables. She felt a sudden sorrow
+for him, a sympathy that was as far from pity as it had ever been.
+Perhaps it was even for his own good, she tried to rationalize, to do
+this. And yet she was still not certain.
+
+George came down the aisle toward her, and she looked away hastily. She
+felt the seat depress beside her.
+
+"The subspace drive will be ready in a few minutes more," he said.
+"Then we'll really be on our way to Arcturus."
+
+"Yes," she said quietly, not looking at him. She wanted to say
+something sarcastic, something to make him squirm, something that would
+give an aura of normality to her actions. Yet the words stuck in her
+throat, refusing to come. He has only a few moments, she told herself,
+let them be pleasant.
+
+She was surprised that the thought put her in a bad light, almost
+admitting that it was her fault that they didn't get along; yet it was
+difficult to be patient with someone who always seemed to be thinking
+grave thoughts, as though constantly reminding himself he was an
+inferior.
+
+But there was a time, she remembered, when he had not been grave. When
+they had first met, for example, and during the courtship that had
+followed. A smile touched her lips as she thought about the little
+things, the picnics and the sudden drenching rainstorms that inevitably
+came after the ants were finished with their food, the 'copter trips
+over the scenic wonderlands of Earth, the first accidental brushings of
+their hands that had led to a kiss and then to another. But that was
+before she had known he was an android.
+
+She felt suddenly ashamed that the word "android" could mean so much.
+
+"George?" She reached out and touched his hand. It felt warm and human.
+
+He turned, bewilderment in those android human-looking eyes. He smiled
+at her, rather nervously, she thought. "Yes?"
+
+"Nothing," she said, "nothing at all." She drew her hand away and
+stared straight ahead.
+
+It was wrong, she thought suddenly, it was the wrongest thing she had
+ever done in her life. She knew that with sudden clarity. All the money
+in the universe would not be worth the life of this--this _human_
+beside her. Yes, that was it, android or not, he was as human as anyone
+she had ever known.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The loudspeaker hummed briefly and a voice said, "In thirty seconds
+we will enter subspace. All passengers will remain seated until the
+changeover is complete."
+
+The voice repeated the message, and Silvia thought frantically, _we'll
+be on our way to Arcturus and somewhere along the line the stranger
+will kill George!_
+
+She leaped up.
+
+"Sit down," George cried, pushing at her. "We're going into subspace."
+
+"I've got to see somebody," she said, struggling.
+
+"It can wait," George insisted.
+
+She went limp, as she heard the whine of the motors deep down within
+the spaceship. "Yes," she said, "yes, I suppose it will." But not too
+long. She didn't know when, or even how, but each moment might be
+George's last.
+
+She braced herself involuntarily, as the whine rose to the threshold
+of inaudibility. A sudden rumbling came. The spaceship shook, the
+walls twisting as though grasped by a giant's hand. The room tilted
+precariously. A woman screamed.
+
+"Something's gone wrong," George shouted. He grabbed Silvia's hand.
+
+"Attention all passengers," a frantic voice came from the loudspeaker,
+"prepare to abandon ship. Put on emergency spacesuits and go to
+lifecraft assigned you. There is no immediate cause for alarm. There is
+time enough for all to reach safety, if instructions are obeyed. Above
+all, remain calm. Calls for help are going out--"
+
+Silvia was dimly aware that George had pulled her spacesuit from the
+overhead locker and was trying to stuff her into it. Thank goodness,
+she thought, it was like a miracle this happening. Now, neither of them
+would go to Arcturus and the stranger's plans would be delayed until
+she had time to cancel them.
+
+"I'm okay," she insisted, fumbling with the rest of her suit. "Put
+yours on."
+
+"We're going to be killed!" a man shouted near them. He scrambled down
+the aisle toward the exit. George hit him, and the man staggered,
+looking like a small boy punished for breaking a window. Then he began
+sobbing and someone led him away.
+
+The ship shuddered again, and the walls protested with the grating of
+metal. Silvia staggered, but her husband's arm shot out to steady her.
+
+A voice from the loudspeaker said, "Attention, all passengers. Prepare
+to abandon ship. The following persons will proceed to emergency exit
+one. Please be orderly. There is enough time and enough room." He read
+off a list of six names.
+
+"I hope we're together," George said. "I--I've changed my mind about
+something."
+
+Silvia felt a surge of pleasure. He wasn't going to get the divorce
+after all. She didn't stop to analyze her feeling, but she hoped it
+wasn't selfish.
+
+"The following passengers," the loudspeaker announced "will go to
+emergency exit two."
+
+George listened carefully and at their names said, "That's us." He took
+her by the arm. "Better put your helmet in place. There might be a
+leak."
+
+She nodded, flipping it over her head the way he did, placing the
+faceplate open so she could talk without using the radio. The way he
+seemed concerned over her made her feel ashamed she had plotted his
+death, and yet at the same time it made her feel glad that they had
+come to some silent understanding in time.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+He led the way down the aisle and into the corridor that led to exit
+two. They passed into the lifecraft, a miniature spaceship, and sat
+down to wait. There were four others, three men and one woman. The
+pilot came in last, helmet off, and sat at the controls.
+
+"We're leaving the ship now," he warned, and pressed several studs.
+
+Silvia stared at the pilot. "George," she said, gripping her husband's
+arm. The pilot was the stranger who was going to kill George!
+
+"We'll be all right," George assured her.
+
+The small lifecraft trembled as its rockets blasted them with sudden
+acceleration into space. In seconds they were many miles beyond the
+_Arcturus Queen_.
+
+The woman was pale and frightened. One of the men stared through a
+porthole. "Look at it back there," he exclaimed. "It looks like it's
+going to--"
+
+"Attention all lifecraft pilots," a loudspeaker said. "Rendezvous at
+a point within one thousand yards of lifecraft number one. Distress
+signals have been sent to the outer planets of Sol and help will arrive
+shortly. Follow this beam." The message was repeated and then replaced
+by a humming sound.
+
+The pilot switched off the sound.
+
+George said, "Hadn't you--" and then he stopped.
+
+The pilot got up from his seat. There was a gun in his hand. "The
+signal won't be necessary," he said calmly. "None of you aboard this
+ship will be rescued."
+
+Silvia bit her lip, hesitating. Then she said, "I've changed my mind,
+the deal's off."
+
+The man smiled. "A contract is a contract, Mrs. Bennet," he said.
+"Besides, we've gone too far now with plans to turn back."
+
+George was staring at her in disbelief. "Silvia, you mean that you--"
+
+"I'll explain later," she told him.
+
+"The time for explanations," the man said, "is right now. There will be
+no 'later' for any of you. What your wife means, Mr. Bennet, is just
+what you suspect. And what your husband is trying to say, Mrs. Bennet,
+is that _he_ arranged a similar contract with me as did these other
+people."
+
+Silvia felt a chill pass through her at the words. George, she thought,
+George was planning to--
+
+"I was desperate," George cried, beside her, his eyes pleading. "I
+was afraid that once we got a divorce you'd tell them about me. But I
+couldn't go through with it, Silvia: that's what I meant when I said
+I'd changed my mind."
+
+She listened numbly.
+
+"An interesting situation," the man smiled, "but it's much too late
+for anybody to change his mind. At your deaths, the organization will
+collect ten percent of your insurance benefits, plus the insurance
+covering passengers killed as a result of a spaceship explosion."
+
+"Spaceship explosion," one of the male passengers said, coming out of
+a lethargy, "but there's been no--"
+
+"Look," another cried, pointing to a porthole.
+
+They looked, and the _Arcturus Queen_ burst into flame, erupting with
+a great soundless explosion that sent metal splinters flying in all
+directions.
+
+The man smiled again, a smile of satisfaction, of knowing his plans
+were ripening. "The _Arcturus Queen_ was insured by the owner, who
+needed money. We take ten percent from him, a nominal fee considering
+the risk involved."
+
+"And what of us?" one of the men passengers demanded.
+
+The man shrugged. "Each of you is married to someone who prefers your
+insurance money to your companionship. Not a very satisfying thought,
+is it?"
+
+The woman began to cry softly.
+
+"You'll never get away with this," another of the men said, fists
+clenching.
+
+"Can you think of any reason why not?" the man said, fondling the
+weapon in his hand.
+
+I can, Silvia thought; George and I aren't getting caught in our own
+traps if I can help it. If I can only tilt the ship, get him off
+balance--
+
+Slowly, she edged toward the control panel, signaling George with a
+careful nod of her head. George caught the signal, and she could see
+him tense.
+
+"We're wasting time," the man said, a trifle impatiently. He readied
+the gun. "If there are no last questions--"
+
+Silvia made a sudden thrust for the control panel.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The man whirled, cursing, and brought the gun to bear on her. But
+George was on him, gripping the man by the throat. The gun went off,
+and a searing blast of flame filled the lifecraft.
+
+"The wall!" someone cried.
+
+Silvia looked up. The wall of the lifecraft hung suspended for a moment
+like some great jigsaw puzzle where the gun's blast had struck it. And
+then it fell apart, blowing outward with the hurricane of the cabin's
+air leaping into space.
+
+Instinctively, Silvia slammed shut the glass on her faceplate and tried
+to grab some solid support. But a giant hand lifted her from the floor
+and whisked her out into the blackness of the void. Weightlessness came
+with terrifying suddenness, and at first it was like falling through
+black silent endless waters. She tried to scream, but the sound refused
+to come out.
+
+She called George's name several times and then remembered the radio
+and turned the activating knob. "George," she said. "I'm outside the
+lifecraft. Can you see me?"
+
+No answer came. Space was a velvet black out here, the stars gleaming
+points. She had no sensation of movement, but twisting her head in the
+helmet, she could see the lifecraft becoming smaller. Her heart sank
+with the knowledge that inertia was pulling her out, out farther and
+farther into space.
+
+_He's not coming after me_, she thought suddenly, and the thought
+terrified her, made her throat suddenly tight. _Even if he hears, he
+won't come._
+
+Around her, space drifted--dark, silent, limitless. Ahead, a great
+nebula glowed.
+
+"I'm sorry," she said slowly to herself. "I suppose I deserve it."
+
+"Probably," George's voice came in her helmet, "but I'm coming after
+you anyway. Everybody's okay on this end, except our insurance man who
+couldn't get his helmet on in time; it seems my hands were somehow in
+the way."
+
+Her heart leaped at his voice. "Do you still love me, George?" she
+asked. Somehow, that mattered more than anything else.
+
+"I don't know," he said wearily, "I don't really know."
+
+"Can't we try again?" she pleaded.
+
+"I'm sick of trying," George said.
+
+Her heart sank. She drifted through space watching the lifecraft bear
+down upon her. In a few seconds it would be close enough, so that the
+braking rockets--
+
+"George!" she cried. "You're coming too close. I'll be burned by the
+braking rockets!"
+
+"Accidents happen," George told her.
+
+She screamed.
+
+The lifecraft turned aside then, and long fingers of flame shot past
+her from the forward tubes. The ship drifted alongside her then, and
+all jets were cut.
+
+She breathed sudden relief. "Thank goodness. For a few seconds
+there...."
+
+"It was a bad few seconds for both of us," George told her. "Don't
+tempt me again, Silvia."
+
+He appeared at the gaping hole in the lifecraft, a rope in his hands.
+
+"I won't, George," she promised. "We'll try again; this time we'll
+_really_ try."
+
+He tossed her the rope. She grabbed it and began the descent to the
+ship. When he pulled her inside it was like being born again.
+
+And somehow, she knew this new life would be different.
+
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Danger in the Void, by Charles E. Fritch.
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+<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Danger in the Void, by Charles E. Fritch</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
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+country where you are located before using this eBook.
+</div>
+
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Danger in the Void</p>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Charles E. Fritch</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 27, 2021 [eBook #66396]</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</div>
+
+<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANGER IN THE VOID ***</div>
+
+<div class="titlepage">
+
+<h1>DANGER IN THE VOID</h1>
+
+<h2>By Charles E. Fritch</h2>
+
+<p>Silvia secretly planned to divorce George<br />
+when they reached Arcturus. But a space journey<br />
+can alter a careful plan&mdash;or hatch a worse one!</p>
+
+<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br />
+Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy<br />
+August 1954<br />
+Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br />
+the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p>The trouble started when the <i>Arcturus Queen</i> was four billion miles
+out of Earth, heading for the star after which it was named. It pulled
+clear of the solar system using conventional drive, then switched into
+subspace. A few minutes later the ship shuddered perceptibly, and an
+authoritative voice came reassuringly from the public address system.</p>
+
+<p>"Passengers will please remain in their seats. We are temporarily
+cutting the subspace drive due to mechanical difficulties which have
+developed. There is no cause for alarm."</p>
+
+<p>The message was repeated and George said, "What do you suppose is the
+matter?"</p>
+
+<p>"How should I know," Silvia snapped. "I'm not a space mechanic. Why
+don't you find out if you're so interested."</p>
+
+<p>He glared at her. "I was just wondering. You don't have to get so
+disagreeable. But then, why should now be any different?"</p>
+
+<p>She smiled at that, though her blood raced and her fingers itched
+to make red ribbons of his face. "I've got plenty of reason to be
+disagreeable&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Okay, okay," he said; "let's not go through that again." He got up.
+"I'm going up to the observation platform." And he went down the
+aisle between the rows of seats and disappeared through a door at the
+farthest end.</p>
+
+<p>She glared after him. That was always his way, running out on an
+argument. Well, when this trip was over, there would be no more running
+away.</p>
+
+<p>A man dropped into the seat beside her.</p>
+
+<p>"This seat's taken," she said automatically, and then realized the
+man must have known, since all seats were reserved.</p>
+
+<p>"I know," the man said. "I'd like to talk to you."</p>
+
+<p>She studied him for a moment. He had a rather common face, one with
+no particularly outstanding features, a face that would be difficult
+to remember, she thought. He wore a plain business suit, with a
+conventional white shirt and an unobtrusive tie. He did not appear the
+wolfish type to her, but rather the ordinary businessman you might see
+hanging onto helibus straps anyplace on Earth.</p>
+
+<p>"You want to talk to me?" she said carefully. "About what?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your divorce," the man said simply.</p>
+
+<p>"My divorce? But&mdash;" She stopped. She was about to say, "But how did you
+know?" when it suddenly occurred to her that George might have hired
+this man to find out if she were planning one of those rapid Arcturan
+separations. She hadn't thought to wonder if he suspected she was
+planning one. If he knew about her divorce plans, he might take counter
+measures just for spite; with Arcturan divorce regulations as they
+were, that would be bad.</p>
+
+<p>She said, "I'm not divorced, Mr...."</p>
+
+<p>"Jones," the man supplied, smiling. "I know that, Mrs. Bennet, but I
+also know that you're going to Arcturus to obtain one. I'd like to talk
+to you about that, confidentially of course."</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>She was certain of it now. He knew her name and spoke about a divorce
+no one but she knew of. "I'm sorry," she said coldly, turning her head
+away to indicate that as far as she was concerned the interview was at
+an end, "I gave no one to understand that. I'm accompanying my husband
+on a business trip. Now, if you'll please&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Nevertheless," the man insisted, "your intentions are plain, perhaps
+not to others or even your husband&mdash;but to us, very clear. Let me be
+frank, Mrs. Bennet. I represent an organization which can be of great
+benefit to you, providing you help us by accepting our standard plan."</p>
+
+<p>"Your organization?" she questioned.</p>
+
+<p>The man waved a vague hand. "The organization is of necessity nameless.
+However, it is quite effective. In fact, the only way you've heard of
+us, without realizing it, is through the effects we produce for our
+clients."</p>
+
+<p>"What sort of&mdash;effects?"</p>
+
+<p>"I promised to be frank, Mrs. Bennet. I shall. Your husband is an
+android, and you hate him for that reason and for others."</p>
+
+<p>Silvia gasped. "How did you know? That he's an android, I mean?"</p>
+
+<p>The man smiled. "Our organization has access to a great deal of
+information; it's an integral part of our business, this information,
+serving as a springboard for contacting prospective clients like you."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean," she said testily, "you'd like to help me get a divorce?"
+She smiled, adding, "For a fee, naturally."</p>
+
+<p>The man shook his head no. "Something more permanent. We'd like to make
+a widow of you."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment Silvia sat paralyzed, thinking she had not heard right.
+After awhile, she said, "You'd like to what?"</p>
+
+<p>"You were carefully studied," the man went on, "and we know the idea of
+your husband's death is not repugnant to you; that's why I'm suggesting
+the idea simply, without any cat-and-mouse tactics. Your husband has
+insurance amounting to slightly less than one hundred thousand credits;
+our fee will be one-tenth of that plus one-tenth of any other monies
+which may accrue as a result of his death."</p>
+
+<p>Silvia sat in shocked silence, not knowing what to say. "You're crazy,"
+she managed finally. "I'll call the officers&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Who wouldn't believe you because the story is fantastic," the man
+pointed out, certain of himself. "Only our clients and potential
+clients know we are in existence, for not one of our&mdash;er&mdash;operations
+has been discovered. Think it over, Mrs. Bennet. Even though Arcturan
+divorces can be quick, they aren't always painless. It's like war with
+them, just as everything is, and wars can be lost. Our way is more
+certain; you're assured of your husband's estate and nine-tenths of all
+insurance money. I'll be around when you change your mind."</p>
+
+<p>He got up and walked down the aisle in back of her. Silvia didn't look
+to follow him. She was thinking, <i>when</i> I change my mind; the man was
+that sure of it, was he? Or was that just to put her in a positive
+frame of mind, making her think it was not a question of yes or no,
+but when. She had quarrels with George, sure, and sometimes she even
+felt she hated him&mdash;but the idea of murder had not entered her mind.
+Mentally she added, <i>at least until now!</i> She shook her head&mdash;no, it
+was out of the question.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>She had to admit to herself, though, now that she <i>was</i> thinking
+of it, that she would miss the easy living being married to George
+entailed, even with any alimony she might receive. He was the android
+version of the old Horatio Alger story, though very few persons knew
+or even suspected George was not human. The World Congress had passed
+equalizing laws for androids just as they had for the various races,
+with the difference that it worked for androids since they had no
+outward mark of being different from the select group.</p>
+
+<p>While not wealthy, they had lived well, with George trying in his
+simple fashion to please her. She thought once she had loved him, for
+after all he was a rather likable person. He had told her of his being
+a non-human and had proposed in almost the same breath, and it had
+shocked her at first the way any normal woman would be shocked at being
+told such a thing. But George was on his way to becoming somebody in
+the business world, and after going mentally over the pros and cons of
+the thing she had decided she could do much worse. There were times
+during the two years of marriage, however, when she wasn't even certain
+of that.</p>
+
+<p>She had considered the possibility of forcing him after the divorce
+to give her some of his real estate or investments in return for not
+disclosing his secret; for while technically there was supposed to
+be no ill will toward androids there was an instinctive repulsion on
+the part of many humans for someone who was not of their kind, and
+George's business contacts would inevitably suffer if the knowledge got
+out. It was not blackmail, she rationalized&mdash;she disliked the unlawful
+sound of the word&mdash;but a business deal in which she supplied silence in
+return for his money. It was the least he could do, she thought, after
+taking up two years of her life.</p>
+
+<p>But murder was another thing, a totally different thing that had
+entered her mind only briefly during arguments and then not seriously.
+Even blackmail would be lily-white compared to it. She had never
+actually entertained the idea for any length of time, but now she
+considered it&mdash;not seriously even now, she told herself hastily, but
+merely as an intellectual diversion.</p>
+
+<p>Android or not, as far as the courts were concerned, it was murder just
+as though the victim were a human. But the case might never reach the
+courts, for the "organization" would handle all homicidal details, she
+remembered, and they were probably professionals in the art. Strange,
+no one had discovered the organization, but that probably testified to
+its ability. They could probably kill someone, even George, and no one
+would ever know....</p>
+
+<p>She shook her head in mild disdain, wondering at the sudden flood of
+criminal thoughts started by the stranger. She reminded herself that
+she was going to Arcturus to divorce her husband, not to kill him. She
+wondered disinterestedly if he were sulking up there on the observation
+platform.</p>
+
+<p>The loudspeaker crackled and a feminine voice said, "The mechanical
+difficulties have been located and are being repaired. It will be
+approximately thirty minutes, Earth rating, before we enter subspace
+again. Meanwhile, the lounge is open for those wishing to patronize it.
+May we suggest a cocktail, followed by a dinner from any of the planets
+of any system. The view from the observation platform&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>The voice droned on, telling of the swimming pool, the
+three-dimensional (off-gravity) tennis rooms, and other diversions
+designed to get passengers' minds off the fact that they were
+temporarily stalled in open space.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>George appeared in the doorway at one end of the aisle and walked
+toward her. She gave a small gasp as she saw the stranger come through
+the doorway behind him. They came down the aisle, and George dropped
+into his seat. The stranger looked questioningly at her before he
+passed. She shook her head no.</p>
+
+<p>"There's a good view from the observation platform," George said, as
+though making an effort to be conversational. "Now's the time to see
+it, when the ship's in normal space. They've got a large transparent
+dome, like half a bubble, and when you look up it seems as though
+you're out there in space, floating."</p>
+
+<p>"Really?" she said drily. "I'm not exactly a tourist, you know. I
+<i>have</i> been on observation platforms before."</p>
+
+<p>For a moment he looked at her as though wondering if there were
+anything he could say that wouldn't bring out a disagreeable word.
+"Silvia, I wish&mdash;" he began.</p>
+
+<p>"All right, all right," she interrupted wearily. "If there's anything
+I've said to injure your poor sensitive feelings, I apologize. But
+please don't give me that lost sheep-dog look; I can't stand it."</p>
+
+<p>He started to say something, then changed his mind at the futility of
+it and fell silent. She regarded him from the corner of her vision for
+a moment, feeling strangely sympathetic toward him. It made her feel
+something of a heel when he fell silently accusing like that, and she
+didn't like the feeling. If only he'd rant and rave at her, stand on
+his own two feet and maybe even beat her once in a while. She wouldn't
+like that, but at least it would be better than this outwardly placid
+pacificism. She suspected his attitude stemmed from an inferior
+complex due to his being android; he could spin the world on its tail,
+corner all the credits in the solar system, but still he could not
+escape the fact of his artificial birth. That fact was her weapon, and
+he knew it and was afraid of it.</p>
+
+<p>After awhile, he said slowly, "I'm going to get a divorce, Silvia."</p>
+
+<p>She looked at him swiftly, her eyes taking in each facet of his
+features to see if he were jesting. She even wondered for a moment if
+she had heard correctly.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to get a divorce on Arcturus," he repeated, not looking at
+her. "I've been thinking it over for the past several months. Finally,
+I decided it would be the best thing for both of us. I hope you won't
+contest it; I don't think I'd like one of those running battles."</p>
+
+<p>Silvia sat stunned by the revelation. This was to have been her
+surprise party, not his, for under Arcturan divorce regulations the
+member initiating the action had the distinct advantage, especially
+when the other was unprepared; the war-conditioned star-system had
+developed this marital blitzkrieg to satisfy the sporting instincts
+of its people and to attract the curiosity-seeking Earth trade. She
+had figured it as a surprise to him, knowing he would be shocked by
+its suddenness and take no action against her demands for what would
+normally constitute an excessive amount of alimony.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought I'd better tell you," he said, almost apologetically, "even
+if it does work to my disadvantage." He got up. "If you'd care to
+discuss it further, I'll be in the bar."</p>
+
+<p>In shocked silence, Silvia watched her husband retreat down the aisle.
+It was so typical of him to tell her, but the thought of him doing
+something like this at all was incredible. More than that, it was
+unbearable. She felt anger surge within her to realize that she'd
+been beaten to the punch, even if the romantic fool had confessed
+his intentions. Slowly, she could sense her plans wavering, becoming
+insecure, and panic gripped her. She'd had it all planned, all of it,
+working out the details with secret enthusiasm, never suspecting George
+was discontented enough to take action himself.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>She still had a good chance, of course, but not nearly as good a one as
+before. The two years she had been married to him would be an eternity
+compared to what compensation she might receive now, if she received
+anything at all. Perhaps she could make up to him before they got to
+Arcturus, convince him she was repentant, that she wanted him to remain
+with her. The thought of kowtowing before him, putting her pride on
+the auction block, sickened her, though. Besides, he would easily see
+through the subterfuge; though weak, he was not a fool. Inwardly, she
+cursed, her mind a frantic jumble of thoughts. There was nothing she
+could do, nothing except hope for the best. Unless&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>The stranger appeared with the thought concerning him. He dropped into
+the seat beside her.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you reconsidered?" he asked her quietly.</p>
+
+<p>It was murder, she knew, and yet George was only an android,
+something that was manufactured artificially in a laboratory in great
+liquid-filled tanks; that somehow made it different, made it something
+like putting a machine out of commission rather than destroying a life.</p>
+
+<p>She wet her lips. "In the eyes of the law," she said, "it's murder, you
+know."</p>
+
+<p>"All the laws in the universe," the man returned gravely, "will not
+make an android human, Mrs. Bennet. There is a faction which gives our
+organization a bonus each time an android is destroyed, so you can see
+you're not alone in this."</p>
+
+<p>She didn't look at him. "How would you do it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Efficiently," he replied vaguely, "in a way I cannot yet disclose.
+Satisfaction, however, is guaranteed."</p>
+
+<p>"Ten percent of the insurance money is the total fee?"</p>
+
+<p>"Ten percent of <i>all</i> insurance monies," he corrected, "which is not
+necessarily the same thing." He drew a paper from his coat, opened it
+and handed her a pen.</p>
+
+<p>"I have to sign something?" she asked. "But won't that incriminate me?"</p>
+
+<p>"You promise to pay the ten percent <i>in consideration of services
+rendered</i>," the man explained. "The services are, of course, not
+stated."</p>
+
+<p>She took the pen and signed before she could talk herself out of it.</p>
+
+<p>"When will it be?"</p>
+
+<p>Carefully, he folded the document and returned it to his coat. "Before
+we reach Arcturus," the man said, getting up. "Thank you very much,
+Mrs. Bennet. Glad to be of service to you." And he walked away.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>She nodded vaguely and then began considering what she had done. George
+was an android, she told herself again, only an android. But how could
+you tell an android from a human? Certainly not outwardly. Blood
+chemistry was different, but the blood was red just the same. The skin
+was a different composition, yet it felt and looked like human skin.
+The personality and the character had human flaws in them. What, then,
+was the difference? The answer came: an android was not human because
+he was an android, which by definition was not human.</p>
+
+<p>This reasoning tended to confuse her, and she tried to push the
+thoughts from her mind. It was done, and that was all that mattered,
+she told herself. Pangs of conscience might plague her now, but
+afterward the soothing balm of money would ease the pain. They'd never
+gotten along, so what difference did it make.</p>
+
+<p>She forced her thoughts away from that and wondered how they'd do it.
+She hoped suddenly that it wouldn't be violent, and then she recalled
+that a double indemnity clause would give her twice the hundred
+thousand&mdash;less the ten percent, of course, for services rendered. At
+least, she hoped he wouldn't suffer. He'd suffered enough during his
+lifetime, just for being an android.</p>
+
+<p>It must have been horrible, she thought, having to go through life
+knowing you're less than human, or at least in having people think
+that. Even if humans accepted you as an equal (which they didn't,
+despite any laws), you'd have to live with the knowledge that you
+evolved from an artificially produced embryo under conditions
+simulating normal birth. Artificial growth, she thought disgustedly,
+like the hydroponic production of vegetables. She felt a sudden sorrow
+for him, a sympathy that was as far from pity as it had ever been.
+Perhaps it was even for his own good, she tried to rationalize, to do
+this. And yet she was still not certain.</p>
+
+<p>George came down the aisle toward her, and she looked away hastily. She
+felt the seat depress beside her.</p>
+
+<p>"The subspace drive will be ready in a few minutes more," he said.
+"Then we'll really be on our way to Arcturus."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," she said quietly, not looking at him. She wanted to say
+something sarcastic, something to make him squirm, something that would
+give an aura of normality to her actions. Yet the words stuck in her
+throat, refusing to come. He has only a few moments, she told herself,
+let them be pleasant.</p>
+
+<p>She was surprised that the thought put her in a bad light, almost
+admitting that it was her fault that they didn't get along; yet it was
+difficult to be patient with someone who always seemed to be thinking
+grave thoughts, as though constantly reminding himself he was an
+inferior.</p>
+
+<p>But there was a time, she remembered, when he had not been grave. When
+they had first met, for example, and during the courtship that had
+followed. A smile touched her lips as she thought about the little
+things, the picnics and the sudden drenching rainstorms that inevitably
+came after the ants were finished with their food, the 'copter trips
+over the scenic wonderlands of Earth, the first accidental brushings of
+their hands that had led to a kiss and then to another. But that was
+before she had known he was an android.</p>
+
+<p>She felt suddenly ashamed that the word "android" could mean so much.</p>
+
+<p>"George?" She reached out and touched his hand. It felt warm and human.</p>
+
+<p>He turned, bewilderment in those android human-looking eyes. He smiled
+at her, rather nervously, she thought. "Yes?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing," she said, "nothing at all." She drew her hand away and
+stared straight ahead.</p>
+
+<p>It was wrong, she thought suddenly, it was the wrongest thing she had
+ever done in her life. She knew that with sudden clarity. All the money
+in the universe would not be worth the life of this&mdash;this <i>human</i>
+beside her. Yes, that was it, android or not, he was as human as anyone
+she had ever known.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>The loudspeaker hummed briefly and a voice said, "In thirty seconds
+we will enter subspace. All passengers will remain seated until the
+changeover is complete."</p>
+
+<p>The voice repeated the message, and Silvia thought frantically, <i>we'll
+be on our way to Arcturus and somewhere along the line the stranger
+will kill George!</i></p>
+
+<p>She leaped up.</p>
+
+<p>"Sit down," George cried, pushing at her. "We're going into subspace."</p>
+
+<p>"I've got to see somebody," she said, struggling.</p>
+
+<p>"It can wait," George insisted.</p>
+
+<p>She went limp, as she heard the whine of the motors deep down within
+the spaceship. "Yes," she said, "yes, I suppose it will." But not too
+long. She didn't know when, or even how, but each moment might be
+George's last.</p>
+
+<p>She braced herself involuntarily, as the whine rose to the threshold
+of inaudibility. A sudden rumbling came. The spaceship shook, the
+walls twisting as though grasped by a giant's hand. The room tilted
+precariously. A woman screamed.</p>
+
+<p>"Something's gone wrong," George shouted. He grabbed Silvia's hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Attention all passengers," a frantic voice came from the loudspeaker,
+"prepare to abandon ship. Put on emergency spacesuits and go to
+lifecraft assigned you. There is no immediate cause for alarm. There is
+time enough for all to reach safety, if instructions are obeyed. Above
+all, remain calm. Calls for help are going out&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Silvia was dimly aware that George had pulled her spacesuit from the
+overhead locker and was trying to stuff her into it. Thank goodness,
+she thought, it was like a miracle this happening. Now, neither of them
+would go to Arcturus and the stranger's plans would be delayed until
+she had time to cancel them.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm okay," she insisted, fumbling with the rest of her suit. "Put
+yours on."</p>
+
+<p>"We're going to be killed!" a man shouted near them. He scrambled down
+the aisle toward the exit. George hit him, and the man staggered,
+looking like a small boy punished for breaking a window. Then he began
+sobbing and someone led him away.</p>
+
+<p>The ship shuddered again, and the walls protested with the grating of
+metal. Silvia staggered, but her husband's arm shot out to steady her.</p>
+
+<p>A voice from the loudspeaker said, "Attention, all passengers. Prepare
+to abandon ship. The following persons will proceed to emergency exit
+one. Please be orderly. There is enough time and enough room." He read
+off a list of six names.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope we're together," George said. "I&mdash;I've changed my mind about
+something."</p>
+
+<p>Silvia felt a surge of pleasure. He wasn't going to get the divorce
+after all. She didn't stop to analyze her feeling, but she hoped it
+wasn't selfish.</p>
+
+<p>"The following passengers," the loudspeaker announced "will go to
+emergency exit two."</p>
+
+<p>George listened carefully and at their names said, "That's us." He took
+her by the arm. "Better put your helmet in place. There might be a
+leak."</p>
+
+<p>She nodded, flipping it over her head the way he did, placing the
+faceplate open so she could talk without using the radio. The way he
+seemed concerned over her made her feel ashamed she had plotted his
+death, and yet at the same time it made her feel glad that they had
+come to some silent understanding in time.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>He led the way down the aisle and into the corridor that led to exit
+two. They passed into the lifecraft, a miniature spaceship, and sat
+down to wait. There were four others, three men and one woman. The
+pilot came in last, helmet off, and sat at the controls.</p>
+
+<p>"We're leaving the ship now," he warned, and pressed several studs.</p>
+
+<p>Silvia stared at the pilot. "George," she said, gripping her husband's
+arm. The pilot was the stranger who was going to kill George!</p>
+
+<p>"We'll be all right," George assured her.</p>
+
+<p>The small lifecraft trembled as its rockets blasted them with sudden
+acceleration into space. In seconds they were many miles beyond the
+<i>Arcturus Queen</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The woman was pale and frightened. One of the men stared through a
+porthole. "Look at it back there," he exclaimed. "It looks like it's
+going to&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Attention all lifecraft pilots," a loudspeaker said. "Rendezvous at
+a point within one thousand yards of lifecraft number one. Distress
+signals have been sent to the outer planets of Sol and help will arrive
+shortly. Follow this beam." The message was repeated and then replaced
+by a humming sound.</p>
+
+<p>The pilot switched off the sound.</p>
+
+<p>George said, "Hadn't you&mdash;" and then he stopped.</p>
+
+<p>The pilot got up from his seat. There was a gun in his hand. "The
+signal won't be necessary," he said calmly. "None of you aboard this
+ship will be rescued."</p>
+
+<p>Silvia bit her lip, hesitating. Then she said, "I've changed my mind,
+the deal's off."</p>
+
+<p>The man smiled. "A contract is a contract, Mrs. Bennet," he said.
+"Besides, we've gone too far now with plans to turn back."</p>
+
+<p>George was staring at her in disbelief. "Silvia, you mean that you&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll explain later," she told him.</p>
+
+<p>"The time for explanations," the man said, "is right now. There will be
+no 'later' for any of you. What your wife means, Mr. Bennet, is just
+what you suspect. And what your husband is trying to say, Mrs. Bennet,
+is that <i>he</i> arranged a similar contract with me as did these other
+people."</p>
+
+<p>Silvia felt a chill pass through her at the words. George, she thought,
+George was planning to&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I was desperate," George cried, beside her, his eyes pleading. "I
+was afraid that once we got a divorce you'd tell them about me. But I
+couldn't go through with it, Silvia: that's what I meant when I said
+I'd changed my mind."</p>
+
+<p>She listened numbly.</p>
+
+<p>"An interesting situation," the man smiled, "but it's much too late
+for anybody to change his mind. At your deaths, the organization will
+collect ten percent of your insurance benefits, plus the insurance
+covering passengers killed as a result of a spaceship explosion."</p>
+
+<p>"Spaceship explosion," one of the male passengers said, coming out of
+a lethargy, "but there's been no&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Look," another cried, pointing to a porthole.</p>
+
+<p>They looked, and the <i>Arcturus Queen</i> burst into flame, erupting with
+a great soundless explosion that sent metal splinters flying in all
+directions.</p>
+
+<p>The man smiled again, a smile of satisfaction, of knowing his plans
+were ripening. "The <i>Arcturus Queen</i> was insured by the owner, who
+needed money. We take ten percent from him, a nominal fee considering
+the risk involved."</p>
+
+<p>"And what of us?" one of the men passengers demanded.</p>
+
+<p>The man shrugged. "Each of you is married to someone who prefers your
+insurance money to your companionship. Not a very satisfying thought,
+is it?"</p>
+
+<p>The woman began to cry softly.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll never get away with this," another of the men said, fists
+clenching.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you think of any reason why not?" the man said, fondling the
+weapon in his hand.</p>
+
+<p>I can, Silvia thought; George and I aren't getting caught in our own
+traps if I can help it. If I can only tilt the ship, get him off
+balance&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>Slowly, she edged toward the control panel, signaling George with a
+careful nod of her head. George caught the signal, and she could see
+him tense.</p>
+
+<p>"We're wasting time," the man said, a trifle impatiently. He readied
+the gun. "If there are no last questions&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>Silvia made a sudden thrust for the control panel.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>The man whirled, cursing, and brought the gun to bear on her. But
+George was on him, gripping the man by the throat. The gun went off,
+and a searing blast of flame filled the lifecraft.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<div class="figcenter">
+  <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p>"The wall!" someone cried.</p>
+
+<p>Silvia looked up. The wall of the lifecraft hung suspended for a moment
+like some great jigsaw puzzle where the gun's blast had struck it. And
+then it fell apart, blowing outward with the hurricane of the cabin's
+air leaping into space.</p>
+
+<p>Instinctively, Silvia slammed shut the glass on her faceplate and tried
+to grab some solid support. But a giant hand lifted her from the floor
+and whisked her out into the blackness of the void. Weightlessness came
+with terrifying suddenness, and at first it was like falling through
+black silent endless waters. She tried to scream, but the sound refused
+to come out.</p>
+
+<p>She called George's name several times and then remembered the radio
+and turned the activating knob. "George," she said. "I'm outside the
+lifecraft. Can you see me?"</p>
+
+<p>No answer came. Space was a velvet black out here, the stars gleaming
+points. She had no sensation of movement, but twisting her head in the
+helmet, she could see the lifecraft becoming smaller. Her heart sank
+with the knowledge that inertia was pulling her out, out farther and
+farther into space.</p>
+
+<p><i>He's not coming after me</i>, she thought suddenly, and the thought
+terrified her, made her throat suddenly tight. <i>Even if he hears, he
+won't come.</i></p>
+
+<p>Around her, space drifted&mdash;dark, silent, limitless. Ahead, a great
+nebula glowed.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sorry," she said slowly to herself. "I suppose I deserve it."</p>
+
+<p>"Probably," George's voice came in her helmet, "but I'm coming after
+you anyway. Everybody's okay on this end, except our insurance man who
+couldn't get his helmet on in time; it seems my hands were somehow in
+the way."</p>
+
+<p>Her heart leaped at his voice. "Do you still love me, George?" she
+asked. Somehow, that mattered more than anything else.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," he said wearily, "I don't really know."</p>
+
+<p>"Can't we try again?" she pleaded.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sick of trying," George said.</p>
+
+<p>Her heart sank. She drifted through space watching the lifecraft bear
+down upon her. In a few seconds it would be close enough, so that the
+braking rockets&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"George!" she cried. "You're coming too close. I'll be burned by the
+braking rockets!"</p>
+
+<p>"Accidents happen," George told her.</p>
+
+<p>She screamed.</p>
+
+<p>The lifecraft turned aside then, and long fingers of flame shot past
+her from the forward tubes. The ship drifted alongside her then, and
+all jets were cut.</p>
+
+<p>She breathed sudden relief. "Thank goodness. For a few seconds
+there...."</p>
+
+<p>"It was a bad few seconds for both of us," George told her. "Don't
+tempt me again, Silvia."</p>
+
+<p>He appeared at the gaping hole in the lifecraft, a rope in his hands.</p>
+
+<p>"I won't, George," she promised. "We'll try again; this time we'll
+<i>really</i> try."</p>
+
+<p>He tossed her the rope. She grabbed it and began the descent to the
+ship. When he pulled her inside it was like being born again.</p>
+
+<p>And somehow, she knew this new life would be different.</p>
+
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+++ b/66396-h/images/cover.jpg
diff --git a/66396-h/images/illus.jpg b/66396-h/images/illus.jpg
new file mode 100644
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author	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-01-22 16:08:14 -0800
committer	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-01-22 16:08:14 -0800
commit	e8ac51307b6dbf1fda8572728c4ceb7d4a483d89 (patch)
tree	b652bf96c07bda411ae81c07abf031052efaecb7