would affect ordinary persons?” After the shock had lessened somewhat, Rob was able to speak. “But you do have a weapon against this cloud?” he said hopefully. “We hope we have,” General Forester replied. “It’s called Operation Big Boy.” There was no more time for discussion. The jeep topped a rise, just below which lay the hub of buildings making up the Space Command. Rob suffered further agony of suspense as they parked and glided over the sands to the general’s office in the main building. Rob was glad to get out of his space suit, for he had been in a cold sweat ever since he had heard the first sobering words about the cosmic terror. Rob and the general locked themselves in the privacy of the latter’s quarters. “The appearance of the R-cloud, as we call it, has necessitated using our topmost military weapon,” General Forester resumed. “You and no one else except the World Security Commission has known that the Space Command has had for some time a stockpile of cosmic-ray bombs which could literally blow Earth apart. You and your crew will carry a set of these bombs and try to scatter the mass so that it won’t penetrate the solar system. But of course there’s no assurance that the bombs can do this.” Rob heaved a deep sigh. He knew at last what was in store for him, but this knowledge held little satisfaction. The things spoken between him and the general in the few minutes they had been together had been staggering in concept. It was hard for him to realize that he was part of such a colossal scheme. It was more like a dream. “Naturally you and your crew will run considerable risk,” General Forester said. “I’ve been told to give you the refusal of the job if you feel that you cannot go through with it. But I pray that you’ll give it considerable thought before you turn it down. I don’t know of a better man in the service to trust with the future of humanity.” The future of humanity. Dependent upon him, an insignificant one of several billions who populated Earth! The idea nearly bowled Rob over. Yet he found himself agreeing to take on the task. He spoke quickly lest he wait too long and find himself withdrawing. General Forester led him out of the building through a connecting tunnel to a plastic-domed hangar. Here Rob saw a little hundred-foot X-500 Cetus fighter rocket crawling with a ground crew that was obviously readying it for flight. It was quickly evident to Rob
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