"Of course there may not _be_ any aliens," murmured Jeriann.
"Doesn't matter, or I don't think it does. I'll have to figure it out,
but I'm sure it will figure." His face flashed once. "Get Jordan, will
you? I'll be at the scanner."
Gravity center was virtually a shaft that extended underground toward
the center of the asteroid. At the bottom, shielded and reshielded,
sealed off and impregnable, was the nuclear pile. Nearly half way down
a horizontal shaft branched off, leading to the gravity coils which
were anchored to solid rock.
Much higher, near the surface, were the gravity computers. Physical
access to them was equally difficult. There were connections so that
electrical impulses could reach them, otherwise the command unit could
not have directed them, have taken over the control. But in every other
respect they were isolated and remote.
It narrowed Jeriann's search that there were places she didn't have to
look. Nevertheless she passed him twice, going up and down, before she
saw him curled up inconspicuously beside a machine whose function she
didn't know.
"Now what does he want?" grumbled Jordan, rubbing his eyes. "He won't
rest and he won't let anyone else get a few minutes sleep."
"He's hardest on you," she said. "You're his hands. He wants you to
operate the scanner."
"Well, his hands are getting mighty tired," growled Jordan. But his
sleepiness disappeared and he followed swiftly after her.
Docchi was standing at the scanner, his face furrowed as if thought
alone would move dials. He inclined his head toward the image. "Take
the ship off," he said impatiently. "I've hypnotized myself with it. We
don't need to keep staring at it."