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"You know," said Tom weakly, "I just remembered. When we were in the Science Building in Atom City, one of their projects was to breed both Earth and Venus fish in the canals." "I am going to shake, personally, the hand of the man who started this project when we get back to Atom City," said Astro. Suddenly Roger gripped Tom's arms. He was staring in the direction the raft was going.
Late in the afternoon he began to recognize signs of recent trail blazing, and once he cut across the path Astro had made. He wondered if the trail was one Astro had cut while he was lost, or previously. He finally decided to go ahead on his own, since he had managed to come this far without the aid of any guide markers.
After what seemed like an hour, but was actually hardly more than a few minutes, they found the building Miles had entered. "I'd give two weeks' leave for a ray gun now," said Tom. "Want me to try the door?" asked Astro. "Go ahead. We can't learn anything standing out here." Astro put his hand on the circular latch and twisted it slowly. The door slid back on rollers, exposing a dark interior.
In the distance, they could hear the muffled roar of rocket motors as the three finalists tuned up their ships, preparing for the greatest space race in history. And it seemed to Strong that with each blast there was a vaguely ominous echo. "I've strained that fuel four times and come up with the same answer," said Astro.
Now with the Capella unit already in the finals, the Polaris crew had to win their semifinal round against the Arcturus, in order to meet the Capella in the final round for Academy honors. "This is going to be a cinch," boasted Astro. "I'm going to burn 'em up!" "Save it for the field," said Tom with a smile. "Yeah, you big Venusian ape," added Roger. "Make points instead of space gas."
"Look at all the guards at least a dozen of them." Astro waited a second before saying grimly, "We could try, sir." "Don't be a pigheaded idiot!" roared Connel. "Nothing will happen to those men now, and in five minutes there'll be so much confusion around here that we'll be able to walk over and open the door without firing a shot!"
They all three jumped when Jeff Marshall, Professor Sykes's aide, entered and boomed a cheerful greeting. "Hi, fellas!" "Hiya," muttered Tom. Astro and Roger merely nodded. "Say!" cried Jeff, his usually cheerful face showing concern. "What's the matter with you three guys? You look as though someone told you there isn't any Moon!" "Worse than that," said Roger.
"We'll be sitting ducks for every asteroid!" "That's the chance we have to take, Astro," said Tom. "If we complained, you know what he'd do." "I sure do," growled Astro. "He'd call us yellow again, because we'd refused to make the trip!" "That's the way it adds up," said Tom. "So I guess we'd better get started. Stand by to blast!" "All clear fore and aft," reported Roger.
The big cadet nodded and started to rise from their place of concealment. Tom pulled him down. "Wait," he whispered sharply. "No use barging in on them yet. Maybe we can find out where Roger is first." Astro reluctantly crouched down again, his hamlike hands balled into fists. The two cadets watched Quent Miles and Brett work on the instruments awhile longer.
The harsh discipline instituted by Tim Rush and the extra study necessary for the end-of-year exams had forced the cadets into a round-the-clock struggle not only to keep awake but to make the class promotion lists. Roger paced off the required distance, wheeled smartly, and in so doing came face to face with Astro, who was patrolling another side of the hangar.
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