tiously he began climbing_]

The young cadet moved away from the protection of the locker and started
toward the space suit. He moved slowly, watching the upper deck where he
figured Miles would be at the control board, operating the ship.

Suddenly Miles appeared above him, walking across the open control deck
with a clip board in his hand, making a standard check of the many
instruments. Before Roger could find a hiding place, Miles saw the
cadet. He drew his paralo-ray gun quickly, firing with the speed of a
practiced hand. Roger dove toward the space suit and wrenched open the
holster but found it empty. Miles was behind him now, running down the
ladder.

Roger spun around, darted to the ladder leading to the power deck, and
just missed being hit by Miles' second shot. He jumped the ten feet to
the power deck and darted behind the huge bank of atomic motors.

Miles came down the ladder slowly, gun leveled, eyes searching the deck.
He stopped with his back to the rocket motors and called, "All right,
Manning, come on out. If you come out without any trouble, I won't
freeze you. I'll just tie you up again."

Roger was silent, gripping the wrench tightly and praying for a chance
to strike. Miles still remained in one position, protected by the motor
housing.

"I'm going to count five, Manning!" he shouted. "Then I'll hunt you down
and freeze you solid."

Gripping the wrench tightly and raising it above his head, Roger eased
out from his hiding place and slipped across the floor lightly. He was
within four feet of Miles when the black-suited spaceman spun around
and stepped back quickly. "Sucker," he snarled, and fired.

Roger stood motionless, his arm still raised, the wrench falling to the
deck. Miles stuck his face close to Roger's head and said, "I don't know
how you got here, but it doesn't make any difference now. In a little
while you and your pal, Corbett, are going for a swim out in space."

Holding Roger by the arm, he tipped the boy over and lowered him to the
deck. Roger's arm stuck up like the branch of a tree. Miles stood over
him, flipped on the neutralizer charge of the gun, and fired again,
releasing Roger from the paralyzing effect of the ray.

The young cadet began to shake violently and through his chattering
teeth he muttered a space oath. Miles only grinned.

"Just wanted you to make yourself comfortable, Manning," he said. He
flipped the gun to direct charge again and pointed it at the