Disengaging
Tom's restraining arms, he spoke coldly to the sneering boy on the bed.
"I'm going to pass the exam, Manning. Get that? I'm going to pass and
then come back and beat your head off!" Turning on his heel, he stalked
out of the room.
Tom immediately wheeled to face Roger, fire in his eyes, and the
arrogant cadet, sensing trouble, jumped to his feet to meet him.
"What's the idea of giving Astro a hard time?" demanded Tom.
"Cool off, Corbett," replied Roger warily. "You're fusing your tubes
you're so hot."
"You bet I'm hot! Hot enough to blast you--again!" Tom deliberately spat
out the last word.
Roger flushed and brought his fists up quickly as though to charge in,
then suddenly dropped them again. He turned to the door and slowly
walked out.
"Go blow your jets," his voice drifted back to Tom as he disappeared.
Tom stood there, looking at the empty door, almost blind with rage and
frustration. He was failing in the main job assigned to him, that of
keeping the unit on an even keel and working together. How could he
command a crew out in space if he couldn't keep the friction of his own
unit under control?
Slowly, he left the room to wait for Astro in the recreation hall where
the results of the manuals would be announced. He thought of Astro, now
probably deep in his exam, and wondered how bad it would be for him.
Pages:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85