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Read Ebook: The Winning of the Moon by Neville Kris Burns Illustrator
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Ebook has 338 lines and 9112 words, and 7 pages
"I guess I was just--" Major Winship began. "Oh, hell! We're losing pressure. Where's the markers?"
"Got 'em," Major Winship said a moment later.
He peeled back a marker and let it fall. Air currents whisked it away and plastered it against a riveted seam of the dome. It pulsed as though it were breathing and then it ruptured.
Major Winship moved quickly to cut out the emergency air supply which had cut in automatically with the pressure drop. "You guys wait. It's on your right side, midway up. I'll try to sheet it."
He moved for the plastic sheeting.
"We've lost about three feet of calk out here," Capt. Lawler said. "I can see more ripping loose. You're losing pressure fast at this rate."
Major Winship pressed the sheeting over the leak. "How's that?"
"Not yet."
"I don't think I've got enough pressure left to hold it, now. It's sprung a little, and I can't get it to conform over the rivet heads."
There was a splatter of static.
"Damn!" Major Winship said, "they should have made these things more flexible."
"Still coming out."
"Best I can do." Major Winship stepped back. The sheet began slowly to slide downward, then it fell away completely and lay limply on the floor.
"Come on in," he said dryly.
With the four of them inside, it was somewhat cramped. Most of the five hundred square feet was filled with equipment. Electrical cables trailed loosely along the walls and were festooned from the ceiling, radiating from the connections to the outside solar cells. The living space was more restricted than in a submarine, with the bunks jutting out from the walls about six feet from the floor.
Lt. Chandler mounted one of the bunks to give them more room. "Well," he said wryly, "it doesn't smell as bad now."
"Oops," said Major Winship. "Just a second. They're coming in." He switched over to the emergency channel. It was General Finogenov.
"Major Winship! Hello! Hello, hello, hello. You A Okay?"
"This is Major Winship."
"Oh! Excellent, very good. Any damage, Major?"
"Little leak. You?"
"Came through without damage." General Finogenov paused a moment. When no comment was forthcoming, he continued: "Perhaps we built a bit more strongly, Major."
"You did this deliberately," Major Winship said testily.
"No, no. Oh, no, no, no, no. Major Winship, please believe me. I very much regret this. Very much so. I am very distressed. Depressed. After repeatedly assuring you there was no danger of a quake--and then to have something like this happen. Oh, this is very embarrassing to me. Is there anything at all we can do?"
"Just leave us alone, thank you," Major Winship said and cut off the communication.
"What'd they say?" Capt. Wilkins asked.
"Larry, General Finogenov said he was very embarrassed by this."
"That's nice," Lt. Chandler said.
"I'll be damned surprised," Major Winship said, "if they got any seismic data out of that shot.... Well, to hell with them, let's get this leak fixed. Skip, can you get the calking compound?"
"Larry, where's the inventory?"
"Les has got it."
Lt. Chandler got down from the bunk and Capt. Wilkins mounted.
"Larry," Major Winship said, "why don't you get Earth?"
"Okay."
Capt. Wilkins got down from the bunk and Capt. Lawler ascended.
"Got the inventory sheet, Les?"
"Right here."
Squeezed in front of the massive transmitter, Capt. Wilkins had energized the circuits. There was a puzzled look on his face. He leaned his helmet against the speaker and then shook his head sadly. "We can't hear anything without any air."
Major Winship looked at the microphone. "Well, I'll just report and--" He started to pick up the microphone and reconsidered. "Yes," he said. "That's right, isn't it."
Capt. Wilkins flicked off the transmitter. "Some days you don't mine at all," he said.
"Les, have you found it?"
"It's around here somewhere. Supposed to be back here."
Lt. Chandler began moving boxes. "I saw it--"
"Skip, help look."
Capt. Lawler got down from the bunk and Major Winship mounted. "We haven't got all day."
A few minutes later, Lt. Chandler issued the triumphant cry. "Here it is! Dozen tubes. Squeeze tubes. It's the new stuff."
Major Winship got down and Capt. Wilkins got up.
"Marker showed it over here," Major Winship said, inching over to the wall. He traced the leak with a metallic finger.
"How does this stuff work?" Capt. Lawler asked.
They huddled over the instruction sheet.
"Let's see. Squeeze the tube until the diaphragm at the nozzle ruptures. Extrude paste into seam. Allow to harden one hour before service."
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