"We"re looking for the s.p.a.ce Cadets. They murdered old Professor Sykes!"
snapped the man. His eyes narrowed and he looked at Jeff closely. "You were pretty chummy with them, weren"t you?" he asked.
"Sure, I knew them," replied Jeff calmly. "But if they"ve done anything to the professor, I want them caught as badly as you do. I"ve been the professor"s a.s.sistant for years. He"s--he"s like a father to me."
Several of the other men had gathered around the car and were listening.
"That"s right, Joe," said a man on the outside of the group. "This feller"s okay. And that"s Logan"s daughter, all right. They ain"t done nothing."
"When was the last time you saw the cadets?" demanded the man called Joe.
"Why, a couple of days ago," Jeff replied.
There was a long pause while the man continued to look at Jeff ominously. Finally he stepped back and lowered the paralo-ray gun. "All right, go on. But if you see those murdering cadets, let us know. We"re out to get them, and when we do, we"re going to--"
"But what right have you to do this on your own?" cried Jane.
"We ain"t," said Joe. "Governor Vidac made us all special deputies this morning."
"But we"d do it, anyway," cried someone from the rear of the crowd.
"Those s.p.a.ce Cadets are guilty and we"re going to see that they get what"s coming to them!" There was a roar of agreement.
Jeff nodded, stepped on the accelerator, and eased the car slowly through the group of men. As soon as he was free, he stepped down hard and sent the jet car racing along the highway back toward Roald City.
"Jeff--Jeff," asked Jane despairingly, "do you think they"ll catch the boys?"
"I don"t know," replied Jeff grimly. "But if they are caught, the only way we can save them is to find the professor"s journal and pray that the uranium report is in it."
"But you said the information would be there," said Jane.
"When you need something as badly as we need that report," replied Jeff, "you never find it."
The three s.p.a.ce Cadets were watching their pursuers from a high ridge.
They had been driven back all day, and now they could go no farther.
Caught while climbing down the other side of the hills from the Logan farm, they had narrowly escaped detection at the very beginning and had been racing from cover to cover ever since. Now there was no place to go. It was only a question of time before the colonists would reach the top of the ridge and find them.
"What do you think they"ll do?" asked Roger.
"We"ll be sent off this satellite so fast," answered Tom, "you"ll get sick from acceleration."
"Why?" asked Astro.
"Vidac won"t want us hanging around. Not since Captain Strong is here.
He"ll give us a trial within an hour, sentence us to life on a prison rock, and delegate some of his boys to take us back. We don"t have a chance."
Astro let out a low animal-like growl. "If that happens," said the giant Venusian, "I"ll get off that rock someway, somehow. And I"ll find Mr.
Vidac. And when I do--"
"No need to talk like that now," said Tom. "Let"s just not get caught!"
"But how?" asked Roger. "Look, over there! They"ve already reached the top of that ridge on the left. The party on the right will be up there soon too. We"re trapped!"
"Wait a minute," said Astro. He picked up a huge boulder and hefted it in his arms. "We can stand them off all day by tumbling rocks down on them."
"And kill innocent people who don"t know what they"re doing?" asked Tom.
"No--put it down, Astro!"
"All right, brains!" snapped Roger. "What have you got to suggest?"
"There"s only one thing we can do!" said Tom. "Down on the side of the hill here I noticed a small cave. Two of us could squeeze inside."
"Why only two?" asked Astro.
"Somebody would have to cover the entrance from the outside with a boulder and then give himself up!"
Astro slapped Tom on the back. "That"s a terrific idea. Come on. You two hide and I"ll move the rock over."
"Wait a minute, you goof," said Roger. "Don"t be in such a hurry to be a blasted hero!" He turned to Tom. "Just like that Venusian hick to be ready to sacrifice himself to get a Solar Medal!"
"Don"t argue, Junior," snapped Astro. "I"m the only one strong enough to move one of those rocks. You two hide and I"ll cover you."
"Now wait a minute, Astro," Tom protested. "I didn"t mean...."
"You should have," replied Astro. "And if you don"t get moving now, you"ll never make it!"
Roger looked at Tom and nodded. "Guess he"s right for once in his life, Tom. He"s the only one strong enough to do it."
Tom hesitated and then slapped Astro on the back. "All right, Astro," he said. "But there"s more to it than just giving yourself up! You"ve got to make them think that Roger and I ran out on you. That way they"ll continue to search for us, but in another direction. And Vidac won"t try to do anything to you alone. He"ll wait until he"s got all of us."
"O.K.," said Astro. "I get it. Come on. Get in that cave."
The three boys scrambled down the side of the hill and found the cave Tom had seen. After a quick search Astro found a boulder that half-covered the front of the cave, and the three boys pushed it close to the entrance.
"Go on. Get inside now," said Astro. "I"ll push this one into position and then pile a few smaller ones on top and around it. That way you"ll be able to get air and still be hidden."
Tom and Roger crawled into the hole and settled themselves as Astro pushed the boulder up against the opening. He piled the other stones around it quickly. When he had just about finished he heard someone behind him. He turned and saw one of the colonists scrambling down the side of the hill, heading for him.
"Here they come," Astro whispered hoa.r.s.ely. "s.p.a.ceman"s luck!" He dropped the last stone in place and turned to face the man who was now almost upon him.
Tom and Roger crouched in the darkness and listened intently.
"You there!" they heard the colonist cry. "Halt! Don"t move or I"ll freeze you!"
Astro stood still. The man came up to him and felt the cadet"s uniform for a hidden weapon. Then he jammed the ray gun into Astro"s back and ordered him down the hill. Astro started walking, hardly daring to breathe, but suddenly the man stopped.
"Where are the others?" he demanded.
"They ran out on me."