
A desperate trio drifts through the void aboard a massive, wheel‑shaped vessel, their once‑steady mission now teetering on the brink of catastrophe. A mysterious contagion has infected one section of the ship, turning any spark into a lethal threat, and with no cure in sight the crew must rely on harsh prevention. Commander Al Andrews, a hardened veteran, locks down the bulkheads and reaches for an old revolver, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep the disease from spreading.
Young Oakey Matthews, fresh‑faced and meticulous, pleads for mercy, reminding the commander of the fragile humanity they represent. Their tense dialogue reveals a clash between duty, survival, and the lingering hope of returning to a distant, idyllic planet once visited—a world that still haunts Al’s memories. As time runs out, the three men face a grim choice: trust each other or let fear dictate their fate.
Language
en
Duration
~20 minutes (19K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-09-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1904–1971
A prolific pulp-era storyteller, he wrote science fiction, westerns, mysteries, and books for younger readers, building a career that stretched from magazine adventures to novels. His work appeared under both R. R. Winterbotham and Russ Winterbotham, and it reflects the fast-moving imagination of mid-20th-century popular fiction.
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