“Be ready with the switch⁠ ⁠… ready to throw it⁠ ⁠… now !”

Dan flipped the switch and nothing happened. Nothing that they could perceive in any case. They looked at each other silently, then at the altimeter as they dropped back towards the distant Earth.

“Get ready to open the chute,” Dan said heavily, just as a roar of sound burst from the radio.

“Hello Apollo, is that you? This is Canaveral control, can you hear me? Repeat⁠—can you hear me? Can you answer⁠ ⁠… in heaven’s name, Dan, are you there⁠ ⁠… are you there⁠ ⁠… ?”

The voice was almost hysterical, bubbling over itself. Dan flipped the talk button.

“Dan Coye here⁠—is that you, Skipper?”

“Yes⁠—but how did you get there? Where have you been since.⁠ ⁠… Cancel, repeat cancel that last. We have you on the screen and you will hit in the sea and we have ships standing by.⁠ ⁠…”

The two astronauts met each other’s eyes and smiled. Gino raised his thumb up in a token of victory. They had done it. Behind the controlled voice that issued them instructions they could feel the riot that must be breaking after their unexpected arrival. To the observers on Earth⁠— this Earth⁠—they must have vanished on the other side of the moon. Then reappeared suddenly some weeks later, alive and sound long days after their oxygen and supplies should have been exhausted. There would be a lot to explain.

It was a perfect landing. The sun shone, the sea was smooth, there was scarcely any cross wind. They resurfaced within seconds and had a clear view through their port over the small waves. A cruiser was already headed their way, only a few miles off.