it filled the great steel chamber like the beating heart in poe 's story and bond knew that directly drax at the firing point pressed the switch that sent the radio beam zing ing over two hundred yards to the waiting rocket , the ticking would suddenly cease , there would be the soft whine of the lighted pinwheel , a wisp of steam from the turbines , and then the howling jet of flame on which the rocket would slowly rise and sweep majestically out on the start of its gigantic acceleration curve .