"We passed!"
Tom turned away from the lists posted on the dormitory bulletin board
and with his arms around Astro and Roger pushed through the knot of
cadets.
"Yeow!" bellowed Astro.
"We made it," murmured Roger with a note of disbelief in his voice. "We
made it!" And then, with the realization that he was still a Space Cadet
for at least another term, he turned and began pounding Astro on the
back. "You big Venusian ape, we made it."
Arm in arm, the three cadets strolled across the quadrangle and shouted
to friends they passed. Occasionally they fell silent when they saw a
boy carrying his gear to the supply building. These had failed to pass
the rigid examinations.
Near the Tower of Galileo, the cadets came face to face with Tony
Richards, McAvoy, and Davison. The two units looked at each other
silently, remembering what had happened only four short weeks before.
Then they all smiled and pounded each other on the back, congratulating
each other on passing. Neither of the units had made top honors as a
result of their fight and the trial, and having to spend so much time on
guard duty, but they had passed and that was the most important thing.
The boys all adjourned to the credit exchange and gorged themselves on
Martian fruit pies covered with ice cream. Finally the party broke up
when Tom remembered that he and his unit mates had to go on guard duty
in half an hour.
"Well," said Tony Richards, rising, "we relieve you guys at midnight, so
we might as well hit the sack right now. I've been waiting for this
night for a long time."
"No study," sighed Davison. "What heaven! I feel as if I've been
pardoned from prison."
The three boys of the _Capella_ crew said good-by to Tom, Roger, and
Astro, and walked off. Tom settled back in his chair and sighed. "Sure
wish I was in their boots," he said. "I don't see how I'm going to get
through tonight."
"Don't think about it," said Roger. "Only seven more days to go, and
then we go on summer cruise with the _Polaris_."
"I can't wait to get back on that power deck," said Astro. "It'll be
like going home."
Later, riding the new slidewalk to the area where the huge hangar had
been built, they saw Captain Strong returning from the restricted area
on the other slidewalk. They hopped off their walk and waited for the
young officer.
"I'm happy that you passed the exams, boys," he said. "And I want you to
know Commander Walters and Major Connel think a lot more of you, though
they wouldn't admit it, for the way you worked to make it."
"Thank you, sir," said Astro respectfully.
"You'll have to excuse us, sir," said Tom. "We've got to get out to the
hangar and go on guard."
"Yes, and you'd better hurry," said Strong. "After that mix-up with Dave
Barret, Firehouse Tim has his eye on you. Barret put up quite a fuss
about it."
"I still don't see how Mr. Barret got in there," said Tom. "The fourth
side of the hangar faces the hills, and we three covered the other three
sides."
"However he got in," interrupted Strong, "he had a right to be there.
And he also had a right to carry sidearms."
"Captain Strong," said Roger, "we've talked about it a lot, the three of
us. And we decided that regardless of what Major Connel or Firehouse or
Barret have said, we'd do the same thing, in the same way again."
"I think you're perfectly right, Manning. But don't quote me," said
Strong, his voice serious. "This is one of the most important projects
I've ever been connected with and--" He stopped suddenly. "Well, I can't
tell you any more. That's how tight the security is on it."
"But everyone knows that it's a projectile that will home on a target,
sir," said Tom.
"Yes, that was given to the stereos for general news release, but there
are other factors involved, factors so important that they could
revolutionize the whole concept of space flight."
"Wow!" said Tom. "No wonder they have this place so well guarded."
"Humph," snorted Roger. "I'd give up the opportunity of guarding this
revolutionary secret for one night's good sleep."
"You'll get that tomorrow when we go off duty," said Tom. "And please,
Roger, no blunders tonight, eh? Let's not take any chances of losing the
summer cruise in the _Polaris_."
"Listen! You want to talk to the Venusian hick about that, not me,"
declared Roger. "He's the one that spotted Barret."
"But you hit him on the head," growled Astro. "You and your catlike
reflexes." The big cadet referred to a recent letter he had seen in
which one of the blond-haired cadet's many space dolls referred to his
sensitivity as being that of a poet, and his dancing as smooth as the
reflexes of a cat.
Roger spun on the big cadet. "You blasted throwback to a Venusian ape!"
he roared. "If I ever catch you reading my mail again--"
"You'll what?" growled Astro. "You'll do just exactly what?" He grabbed
Roger by the arm and held him straight out, so that he looked as if he
were hanging from a tree.
Strong laughed and shook his head. "I give you three to the loving,
tender care of Firehouse Tim," he said, hopping over on the moving
slidewalk, back to the Academy.
"Put me down, you overgrown idiot," Roger howled.
"Not until you promise not to threaten me with violence again," said
Astro with a wink at Tom. The young curly-haired cadet doubled up with
laughter. Finally Roger was lowered to the ground, and, though he
rubbed his shoulder and grumbled, he was really pleased that Astro felt
like roughhousing with him. The events of the last few weeks had so
tired all of them that there had been no energy left for play.
Lightheartedly they stepped over to the slidewalk and were back on their
way to the secret project.
* * * * *
Two huge wire fences had been built around the hangar area now, fences
carrying a surge of paralyzing power ready to greet anyone that dared
touch it. More than twenty feet high, the outer fence was buried six
feet into the ground and was some hundred yards away from the hangar
building itself, and fifty yards away from the second fence. The entire
area was also guarded by radar. Should any unauthorized person or object
be found in that area, an automatic alarm sounded and in fifteen seconds
a hundred fully armed guards were ready for action. The men who had been
cleared by security to work in and around the restricted area wore
specially designed belts of sensitized metal that offset the effects of
the radar. But the fence was still the untouchable for everyone.
Tom, Roger, and Astro had now been moved inside the hangar itself, to
stand guard over the only three doors in the cavernous structure. They
were armed with powerful heat blasters. These rifles were different from
the paralo-ray guns they had used previously. A beam of light from the
ray guns would only paralyze a human being, while the blaster destroyed
anything it touched, burning it to a crisp.
As soon as the three cadets saw the change in armament, they knew they
were guarding something so secret that human life, if it interfered with
the project, would be disintegrated. Only once before, on a hunting trip
to Venus, had they ever used the blasters, but they knew the deadly
power of the weapons.
Nothing was said to them. Firehouse Tim had not posted any special
orders or given them any special instructions. Each man who worked
inside the hangar had to pass a simple but telling test of
identification. On a table at each entrance to the hangar was a small
box with a hole in the top. Each worker, guard, and person that entered
the hangar had to insert a key into the hole and it made contact with a
highly sensitive electronic device inside. The keys were issued only by
Major Connel or Captain Strong, and should anyone attempt to enter the
hangar without it, or should the key not make the proper contact,
lighting up a small bulb on the top of the box, Tom, Roger, and Astro
had simple instructions: Shoot to kill.
This form of identification had been employed for some time now, even
before the wire fence had been installed, but the really spectacular
change was in the heat blasters each guard carried. This, more than
anything else, impressed on everyone connected with the project, that to
move the wrong way, to say the wrong thing, or to act in any suspicious
manner might result in instant death.
It was a mark of trust that Tom, Roger, and Astro had been placed in
such a highly sensitive position. They could kill a man and simply
explain, "The light didn't go on!" and that would be the end of it.
Neither of them knew that Connel had specifically requested that they be
assigned to the day shift, when the hangar would be crowded with
workers, who, intent on their assigned jobs, might be careless and leave
themselves open to instant action on the part of the guards. Connel
reasoned that Tom, Roger, and Astro, aside from their occasional antics
in the Academy, would be more responsible than rough enlisted spacemen.
The orders were specific: shoot to kill, but there was almost always one
poor human being who would forget. In spite of the necessity for tight
security, Connel felt he had to allow for that one percent of human
failure. Secretly he was very happy that he had a crack unit like the
_Polaris_ to place in such a job. And the _Capella_ unit had been
entrusted with the same responsibility.
It was under such tight conditions that Astro, watching the least busy
of the three entrances and exits, saw Dave Barret walk to a nearby
public teleceiver booth, and, with the door ajar, place a transspace
call to Venusport.
The booth was used often by the workers and Astro did not think much of
it, until he accidentally overheard Barret's conversation.
"... Yeah, I know, but things are so tight, I can't even begin to get at
it." Barret had his mouth close to the transmitter and his voice was
low, but Astro could still hear him. "Yeah, I know how important it is
to you, but I can be burned to a cinder if I make one false move. You'll
just have to wait until I find an opening somewhere. Good-by!"
Barret switched off the teleceiver set and stepped out of the booth to
face the muzzle of Astro's blaster. "Stand where you are!" growled the
big cadet.
"What, why you--" Barret clamped his mouth shut. There was a difference
between being frozen and being blasted into a crisp.
Astro reached over and touched the button that would alert a squad of
guards, Major Connel, and Tim Rush. In a flash the alarm sounded
throughout the hangar and troopers stormed in brandishing their guns.
Firehouse Tim and Connel arrived seconds later. They skidded to a stop
when they saw Barret with his hands in the air and Astro's finger on the
trigger of the blaster.
"By the blessed rings of Saturn!" roared Connel. "Not again."
"Put down that gun," demanded Rush, stepping forward quickly. Astro
lowered the gun and Barret dropped his hands.
"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Connel, his face reddening with
rage.
Astro turned and looked the major right in the eye. "Major," he said
calmly, "this man just made a teleceiver call--a transspace call to
Venusport."
"Well, what about it?" cried Barret.
"Sir," said Astro, unruffled by Barret's screaming protest, "this man
spoke of getting at something, and that he was unable to do so, because
he might be burned to a cinder. And the other party would have to wait
until he found an opening."
"What!" exclaimed Connel, turning to look at Barret. "What is the
meaning of this, Barret?"
"Why, that knuckle-headed baboon!" yelled Barret. "Sure, I made a
transspace call to Venusport--to the Venusian Atomic By-Products
Corporation."
"What was the call about?" demanded Connel.
The guards had not moved and the workers in the hangar were now
gathering around the small knot of men by the teleceiver booth.
"Why--I--"
"Come on, man!" shouted Connel. "Out with it."
"I called about getting a new timer for the projectile fuel-injection
system," snapped Barret. "The timer is too slow for our needs. I wanted
to adjust it myself, but the projectile is so compact, I can't get at it
without taking a chance of getting doused by the fuel."
"What about that remark about finding an opening?" growled Connel.
"What's going on here?" called Professor Hemmingwell as he bustled up to
the group. "Why aren't these men working? Dave, why aren't you up
there--?"
"Just a minute, Professor!" Connel barked, and turned back to Barret.
"Go ahead, Barret."
"They can't make a new timer until I find a way of installing it without
taking apart the whole projectile," said Barret, adding sarcastically,
"in other words, Major--finding an opening."
"All right," barked Connel. "That's enough." He turned to the assembled
workers. "Get back to work, all of you." The men moved away and
Firehouse Tim led the guards back to their quarters. Professor
Hemmingwell, Barret, and Astro remained where they were.
Connel turned to Astro. "Good work, you dumb Venusian," he snorted.
"But so help me, if you had burned this man, I, personally, would've
buried you on a prison rock." The major then turned to Barret. "As for
you--" he snarled.
"Yes?" asked Barret coolly.
"You make one more call like that over a public teleceiver," Connel
roared, "especially a transspace call that's monitored by the idiots in
the teleceiver company, and I'll send _you_ to a prison asteroid!"
"Now, Major," said Hemmingwell testily, "I don't think you should speak
to Dave that way. After all, he's a very valuable man in this project."
"How valuable would he be if this cadet had gone ahead and blasted him?"
snarled Connel.
"It's just another example of how these stupid boys have obstructed my
work here," replied Hemmingwell angrily. "I can't see why they have to
interfere this way. And they always pick on poor Dave."
"Yes," snarled Barret. "I'm getting pretty tired of being a clay pigeon
for a bunch of brats." He turned to Astro. "You'll have a head full of
socket wrench if you mess with me again."
"You'll get a receipt, Barret," growled Astro. "Paid in full."
"All right, break it up," growled Connel. "Back to your post, Astro. And
you get back to work, Barret, and remember what I said about using that
public teleceiver."
Barret and Hemmingwell walked off, with the little professor talking
rapidly to the younger scientist, trying to calm his anger.
Astro, Tom, and Roger were extraordinarily strict about the exit of the
workers that night and there was angry muttering in the ranks of the men
who wanted to get home. But the three cadets refused to be hurried and
made each man perform the ritual of getting out to the letter. Still
later, after they had been relieved by the _Capella_ unit and had told
them of the incident between Astro and Barret, they headed back to the
Academy dormitory more tired than they had ever been before in their
lives. Thirty seconds after reaching their room, they were asleep in
their bunks, without undressing or washing. Like whipped dogs, they
sprawled on their bunks, dead to the world.
[Illustration]