CHAPTER 5
"We passed!"
Tom turned away from the lists posted on the dormitory bulletin boardand with his arms around Astro and Roger pushed through the knot ofcadets.
"Yeow!" bellowed Astro.
"We made it," murmured Roger with a note of disbelief in his voice. "Wemade it!" And then, with the realization that he was still a Space Cadetfor at least another term, he turned and began pounding Astro on theback. "You big Venusian ape, we made it."
Arm in arm, the three cadets strolled across the quadrangle and shoutedto friends they passed. Occasionally they fell silent when they saw aboy carrying his gear to the supply building. These had failed to passthe rigid examinations.
Near the Tower of Galileo, the cadets came face to face with TonyRichards, McAvoy, and Davison. The two units looked at each othersilently, remembering what had happened only four short weeks before.Then they all smiled and pounded each other on the back, congratulatingeach other on passing. Neither of the units had made top honors as aresult of their fight and the trial, and having to spend so much time onguard duty, but they had passed and that was the most important thing.The boys all adjourned to the credit exchange and gorged themselves onMartian fruit pies covered with ice cream. Finally the party broke upwhen Tom remembered that he and his unit mates had to go on guard dutyin half an hour.
"Well," said Tony Richards, rising, "we relieve you guys at midnight, sowe might as well hit the sack right now. I've been waiting for thisnight for a long time."
"No study," sighed Davison. "What heaven! I feel as if I've beenpardoned from prison."
The three boys of the _Capella_ crew said good-by to Tom, Roger, andAstro, and walked off. Tom settled back in his chair and sighed. "Surewish I was in their boots," he said. "I don't see how I'm going to getthrough tonight."
"Don't think about it," said Roger. "Only seven more days to go, andthen we go on summer cruise with the _Polaris_."
"I can't wait to get back on that power deck," said Astro. "It'll belike going home."
Later, riding the new slidewalk to the area where the huge hangar hadbeen built, they saw Captain Strong returning from the restricted areaon the other slidewalk. They hopped off their walk and waited for theyoung officer.
"I'm happy that you passed the exams, boys," he said. "And I want you toknow Commander Walters and Major Connel think a lot more of you, thoughthey 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 thehangar and go on guard."
"Yes, and you'd better hurry," said Strong. "After that mix-up with DaveBarret, Firehouse Tim has his eye on you. Barret put up quite a fussabout it."
"I still don't see how Mr. Barret got in there," said Tom. "The fourthside of the hangar faces the hills, and we three covered the other threesides."
"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 ofus. And we decided that regardless of what Major Connel or Firehouse orBarret 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," saidStrong, his voice serious. "This is one of the most important projectsI've ever been connected with and--" He stopped suddenly. "Well, I can'ttell 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 thereare other factors involved, factors so important that they couldrevolutionize 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 thisrevolutionary 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 thesummer 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 catlikereflexes." The big cadet referred to a recent letter he had seen inwhich one of the blond-haired cadet's many space dolls referred to hissensitivity as being that of a poet, and his dancing as smooth as thereflexes 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 grabbedRoger by the arm and held him straight out, so that he looked as if hewere 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 movingslidewalk, back to the Academy.
"Put me down, you overgrown idiot," Roger howled.
"Not until you promise not to threaten me with violence again," saidAstro with a wink at Tom. The young curly-haired cadet doubled up withlaughter. Finally Roger was lowered to the ground, and, though herubbed his shoulder and grumbled, he was really pleased that Astro feltlike roughhousing with him. The events of the last few weeks had sotired all of them that there had been no energy left for play.
Lightheartedly they stepped over to the slidewalk and were back on theirway to the secret project.
* * * * *
Two huge wire fences had been built around the hangar area now, fencescarrying a surge of paralyzing power ready to greet anyone that daredtouch it. More than twenty feet high, the outer fence was buried sixfeet into the ground and was some hundred yards away from the hangarbuilding itself, and fifty yards away from the second fence. The entirearea was also guarded by radar. Should any unauthorized person or objectbe found in that area, an automatic alarm sounded and in fifteen secondsa hundred fully armed guards were ready for action. The men who had beencleared by security to work in and around the restricted area worespecially designed belts of sensitized metal that offset the effects ofthe radar. But the fence was still the untouchable for everyone.
Tom, Roger, and Astro had now been moved inside the hangar itself, tostand guard over the only three doors in the cavernous structure. Theywere armed with powerful heat blasters. These rifles were different fromthe paralo-ray guns they had used previously. A beam of light from theray guns would only paralyze a human being, while the blaster destroyedanything it touched, burning it to a crisp.
As soon as the three cadets saw the change in armament, they knew theywere guarding something so secret that human life, if it interfered withthe project, would be disintegrated. Only once before, on a hunting tripto Venus, had they ever used the blasters, but they knew the deadlypower of the weapons.
Nothing was said to them. Firehouse Tim had not posted any specialorders or given them any special instructions. Each man who workedinside the hangar had to pass a simple but telling test ofidentification. On a table at each entrance to the hangar was a smallbox with a hole in the top. Each worker, guard, and person that enteredthe hangar had to insert a key into the hole and it made contact with ahighly sensitive electronic device inside. The keys were issued only byMajor Connel or Captain Strong, and should anyone attempt to enter thehangar 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 Astrohad simple instructions: Shoot to kill.
This form of identification had been employed for some time now, evenbefore the wire fence had been installed, but the really spectacularchange was in the heat blasters each guard carried. This, more thananything else, impressed on everyone connected with the project, that tomove the wrong way, to say the wrong thing, or to act in any suspiciousmanner might result in instant death.
It was a mark of trust that Tom, Roger,
and Astro had been placed insuch a highly sensitive position. They could kill a man and simplyexplain, "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 beassigned to the day shift, when the hangar would be crowded withworkers, who, intent on their assigned jobs, might be careless and leavethemselves open to instant action on the part of the guards. Connelreasoned that Tom, Roger, and Astro, aside from their occasional anticsin the Academy, would be more responsible than rough enlisted spacemen.The orders were specific: shoot to kill, but there was almost always onepoor human being who would forget. In spite of the necessity for tightsecurity, Connel felt he had to allow for that one percent of humanfailure. 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 beenentrusted with the same responsibility.
It was under such tight conditions that Astro, watching the least busyof the three entrances and exits, saw Dave Barret walk to a nearbypublic teleceiver booth, and, with the door ajar, place a transspacecall to Venusport.
The booth was used often by the workers and Astro did not think much ofit, until he accidentally overheard Barret's conversation.
"... Yeah, I know, but things are so tight, I can't even begin to get atit." Barret had his mouth close to the transmitter and his voice waslow, but Astro could still hear him. "Yeah, I know how important it isto you, but I can be burned to a cinder if I make one false move. You'lljust have to wait until I find an opening somewhere. Good-by!"
Barret switched off the teleceiver set and stepped out of the booth toface the muzzle of Astro's blaster. "Stand where you are!" growled thebig cadet.
"What, why you--" Barret clamped his mouth shut. There was a differencebetween being frozen and being blasted into a crisp.
Astro reached over and touched the button that would alert a squad ofguards, Major Connel, and Tim Rush. In a flash the alarm soundedthroughout the hangar and troopers stormed in brandishing their guns.Firehouse Tim and Connel arrived seconds later. They skidded to a stopwhen they saw Barret with his hands in the air and Astro's finger on thetrigger of the blaster.
"By the blessed rings of Saturn!" roared Connel. "Not again."
"Put down that gun," demanded Rush, stepping forward quickly. Astrolowered the gun and Barret dropped his hands.
"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Connel, his face reddening withrage.
Astro turned and looked the major right in the eye. "Major," he saidcalmly, "this man just made a teleceiver call--a transspace call toVenusport."
"Well, what about it?" cried Barret.
"Sir," said Astro, unruffled by Barret's screaming protest, "this manspoke of getting at something, and that he was unable to do so, becausehe might be burned to a cinder. And the other party would have to waituntil he found an opening."
"What!" exclaimed Connel, turning to look at Barret. "What is themeaning of this, Barret?"
"Why, that knuckle-headed baboon!" yelled Barret. "Sure, I made atransspace call to Venusport--to the Venusian Atomic By-ProductsCorporation."
"What was the call about?" demanded Connel.
The guards had not moved and the workers in the hangar were nowgathering 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-injectionsystem," snapped Barret. "The timer is too slow for our needs. I wantedto adjust it myself, but the projectile is so compact, I can't get at itwithout 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 tothe group. "Why aren't these men working? Dave, why aren't you upthere--?"
"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 withouttaking 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 assembledworkers. "Get back to work, all of you." The men moved away andFirehouse Tim led the guards back to their quarters. ProfessorHemmingwell, 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'veburied you on a prison rock." The major then turned to Barret. "As foryou--" he snarled.
"Yes?" asked Barret coolly.
"You make one more call like that over a public teleceiver," Connelroared, "especially a transspace call that's monitored by the idiots inthe teleceiver company, and I'll send _you_ to a prison asteroid!"
"Now, Major," said Hemmingwell testily, "I don't think you should speakto 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 mywork here," replied Hemmingwell angrily. "I can't see why they have tointerfere this way. And they always pick on poor Dave."
"Yes," snarled Barret. "I'm getting pretty tired of being a clay pigeonfor a bunch of brats." He turned to Astro. "You'll have a head full ofsocket 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. Andyou get back to work, Barret, and remember what I said about using thatpublic teleceiver."
Barret and Hemmingwell walked off, with the little professor talkingrapidly to the younger scientist, trying to calm his anger.
Astro, Tom, and Roger were extraordinarily strict about the exit of theworkers that night and there was angry muttering in the ranks of the menwho wanted to get home. But the three cadets refused to be hurried andmade each man perform the ritual of getting out to the letter. Stilllater, after they had been relieved by the _Capella_ unit and had toldthem of the incident between Astro and Barret, they headed back to theAcademy dormitory more tired than they had ever been before in theirlives. Thirty seconds after reaching their room, they were asleep intheir bunks, without undressing or washing. Like whipped dogs, theysprawled on their bunks, dead to the world.