Breakaway

John Koenig is commander of the mission to be launched from Earth's Space Research Centre at Moonbase Alpha. He has just returned to the moon to oversee the momentous adventure, but the probe is already in jeopardy. Two of the deep space astronauts have been stricken with a mystery illness which has already claimed nine lives. All the astronauts have been working at the Nuclear Disposal Area Two on the dark side of the moon to which nuclear waste from Earth has been consigned.

Dr Helena Russell is convinced that radiation has caused the terrible brain damage to the astronauts. But evidence discounts her theories. There is no trace of a leakage either from the deeply-buried old containers at Disposal Area One or at the new Disposal Area Two. Koenig is sure Helena is misdiagnosing. So are others. Scientist Professor Bergman confirms that there is no radiation. Koenig checks for himself. Everything is normal, except for intense heat in Koenig's inspection craft.

The two affected astronauts die, but of what? New facts emerge when their flight recorder tapes are examined and show that everything went black for two minutes while flying over the Disposal Area, which leads to the discovery that the disused Disposal Area had been subject to a magnetic subsurface firestorm. It seems that the same thing may be happening to Disposal Area Two.

It is the increased magnetic output that has caused the deaths, and there is immediate disaster when efforts are made to check on Area Two. A blinding nuclear explosion rocks the moon. Gravity control is affected. The moon - together with Moonbase Alpha - is pulled out of orbit, moving inexorably away from Earth.

Koenig has to decide whether or not to abandon Alpha and makes his grim decision. Their only hope is to remain where they are. To abort would be certain suicide. On Earth, the gravity disruption is causing devastation. At Moonbase Alpha, the unmistakable sound of the Meta signal comes in, loud and clear ...