"You knock off for a while. Go up to the
radar bridge and have a look around. I'll take over here."
"Yes, sir." Tom turned and had to restrain himself from racing up the
ladder to the radar bridge. When he climbed through the hatch to Roger's
station, he found his unit-mate tilted back in his chair, staring
through the crystal blister over his head.
"Hiya, spaceboy," smiled Roger. He indicated the blister. "Take a look
at the wide, deep and high."
Tom looked up and saw the deep blackness that was space.
"It's like looking into a mirror, Roger," he breathed in awe. "Only
there isn't any other side--no reflection. It just doesn't stop, does
it?"
"Nope," commented Roger, "it just goes on and on and on. And no one
knows where it stops. And no one can even guess."
"Ah--you've got a touch of space fever," laughed Astro. "You'd better
take it easy, pal."
Tom suppressed a smile. Now, for the first time, he felt that there was
a chance to achieve unity among them. Kill him with kindness, he
thought, that's the way to do it.
"All right, boys!" Captain Strong's voice crackled over the speaker.
"Time to pull in your eyeballs and get to work again. We're heading back
to the spaceport! Take your stations for landing!"
Tom and Astro immediately jumped toward the open hatch and started
scrambling down the ladder toward their respective stations while Roger
strapped himself into his chair in front of the astrogation panel.
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