CHAPTER IXCold and lifeless, the surface of the moon expanded before them. The six man crew of the spaceship sat in the control cabin. Alan was at the controls. The reporter stood at the door, facing them with his back to the companionway. The atomic pistol was unwavering in his hand.
“You were at the Security Council meeting,” Alan said bitterly. “You’re working for Keifer. You sent those men to kidnap Laura. Then, in the confusion at the spacefield, you claimed the President had designated you to cover the story for Earth, and—”
The reporter nodded. “A man’s a fool not to join the winning side while he can. You’ll take this ship down in Tycho crater. You’ll land near the old Terra Mines dome. They’ll drag you in through the domelock with a tractor beam. You’ll be able to watch them lau
