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Frohty dome overhead A city built under water, he reflected, requires engineering miracles to be practical

There were domed cities in many places in the solar systeravity was only two fifths of Earth nor down on the Martian domes was only a rarefied, wispy atravity was five sixths Earth norh the domes were built in shallow sea so that their tops nearly broke surface at low tide, it was still amillions of tons of water

Lucky, like most Earthmen (and Venusians, too, for that ranted But noith Lou Evans returned to confine hi thoughts together and craving knowledge on this new matter

He said, "How is the dome supported, Dr Morriss?"

The fat Venusian had recovered so hurtled toward the threatened sector His words were still tight and grinetic force fields in steel housings It looks as though steel bea the doh It&039;s the force fields that do it"

Lucky looked down at the city streets below, filled with people and life He said, "Have there ever been any accidents of this type before?"

Morriss groaned, "Great space, not like this We&039;ll be there in five ainst accidents?" Lucky went on stolidly

"Of course there are We have a system of alarms and autoe And the whole city is built in segs down sections of transite, backed by subsidiary fields"

"Then the city won&039;t be destroyed, even if the ocean is let in Is that right? And this is well known to the populations?"

"Certainly The people know they&039;re protected, but still, ood part of the city will be rained There&039;s bound to be soe will be terrific Worse still, ifthis once, they can be controlled into doing it again"

Bigyrocar, stared anxiously at Lucky The tall Earthman was abstracted, and his broere knit into a hard frown

Then Morriss grunted, "Here we are!" The car decelerated rapidly to a jarring halt

Big Venus&039;s night was eighteen hours long, and here under the doht

Artificial lights blossos loomed clearly as always If the city seemed different in any way, it was in the actions of its inhabitants They were swirling out of the various sections of the city News of the crisis had spread by theto see the sight,to a show or a circus parade, or as netonic concert

Police held back the ru crowds and beat out a path for Morriss and the tith him Already a thick partition of cloudy transite hadoff the section of the city that was threatened by deluge

Morriss shepherded Lucky and Bige door The noise of the crowda man stepped hastily toward Morriss

"Dr Morriss" he began

Morriss looked up and snapped out hasty introductions "Lynal from another part of the roo speed He called out over his shoulder as he started, "Turner will take care of you two"

Turner yelled,, "Just a minute, Dr Morriss!" but the yell went unheard

Lucky gestured to Bigman, and the little Martian raced after the Venusian council Dr Morriss back?" asked Turner worriedly, stroking a rectangular box he carried suspended froaunt face and red-brown hair, a pro of freckles, and a wide mouth There was trouble in his face

"No," said Lucky "Morriss n to stick closely to hiood that will do,"will do" He put a cigarette to his mouth and absently held one out to Lucky Lucky&039;s refusal went unnoticed for a fewthe plastic container of shtful world of his own

Lucky said, "They&039;re evacuating the threatened sector, I suppose?"

Turner took back his cigarettes with a start, then puffed strongly at the one between his lips He dropped it and pressed it out with the sole of his shoe

"They are," he said, "but I don&039;t know" and his voice faded out

Lucky said, "The partition is safely across the city, isn&039;t it?"

"Yes, yes," ineer

Lucky waited a moment, then said, "But you&039;re not satisfied What is it you were trying to tell Dr Morriss?"

The engineer looked hastily at Lucky, hitched at the black box he carried and said, "Nothing Forget it"

They were off by the now, dressed in pressure suits with the hel foreheads Parts of sentences drifted to their ears:

" notall the interlocks now"