"How about you, Astro?"
"I've gone this far, and I'm not quitting now."
They turned to face Roger.
"Well, how about it, Roger?" asked Tom. "No one will think you're yellow
if you take the jet boat and leave now."
"Ah--talk again!" grumbled Roger. "We always have to talk. Let's be
original for a change and just do our jobs!"
"All right," said Tom. "Take an emergency light and signal Captain
Strong. Tell him what we're going to do. Warn him to stay away--about
two hundred miles off. He'll know if we're successful or not within a
half hour!"
"Yeah," said Roger, "then we'll send him one big flash to mean we
failed! _Bon voyage!_"
Fifteen minutes later, as the _Lady Venus_ drifted in her silent but
deadly orbit, Tom, Roger and Astro still worked feverishly as the Geiger
counter ticked off the increasing radioactivity of the wildcatting
reaction mass in number-three rocket tube.
"Reading on the counter still's going up, Astro," warned Roger.
"Fifteen-O-five."
"Hurry it up, Astro," urged Tom.
"Hand me that wrench, Tom," ordered Astro. The big cadet, stripped to
the waist, his thick arms and chest splattered with grease and sweat,
fitted the wrench to the nut and applied pressure. Tom and Roger watched
the muscles ripple along his back, as the big Venusian pitted all of his
great strength against the metal.
"Give it all you've got," said Tom.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179