gun.
He fired, releasing Strong from the frozen suspension.

Strong felt the jolts of the neutralizer charge but he clamped his teeth
together to keep them from chattering and stayed rigid. He had to remain
still, as if the neutralizer charge had not released him, in order to
make his plan work. Winters waited for Strong to move, and when he
didn't, stepped closer, prodding him with the barrel of the gun. In a
flash Strong leaped up and grabbed the ray gun. Twisting it out of the
surprised man's hand, he brought the weapon down on the man's neck.
Winters dropped to the floor like a stone.

Then Strong scrambled to his feet and cold-bloodedly turned the ray on
Winters, blasting him into immobility. He turned grimly toward the panel
and raced to the slidestairs. If Vidac had a warrant for his arrest,
signed by Hardy, then Vidac knew where Hardy was. If he could follow the
lieutenant governor, he might possibly learn just where the mystery of
Roald began and who was after what and why.

* * * * *

After leaving the jet car and climbing into the desolate hills
surrounding Roald City, Tom, Roger, and Astro watched from the safety of
a ridge the quick search Vidac and Winters had made to find them. When
the two men had returned to the superhighway and blasted back toward the
city, taking both jet cars, the three boys made their way slowly through
the night down the opposite side of the hills and headed for the Logan
farm. When the sun star rose over the satellite's horizon, the three
boys were stretched out flat on their stomachs in a field, watching the
morning activity of Jane, Billy, and Hyram Logan about the farm.

"Think we can get them to help us?" asked Roger.

"It's the only thing we can do," said Astro. "If they won't, we might as
well give ourselves up. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow!"

"What kind of a cow?" asked Roger. "There aren't any on Roald, remember?
We drink synthetic milk."

"I could even eat a synthetic cow!" was Astro's grim rejoinder.

"Come on, you two," said Tom. "We might as well try it. You think
they're alone?"

"They don't act as though there's anyone around but themselves," said
Roger. "But I don't know--"

"I thought I saw a curtain move at that window on the left a while ago,"
commented Astro, "and all three of them were outside."

"Probably a breeze," said Tom. "You cut over to the right, Astro. I'll
go straight in, and you take the left, Rog