Connel, "and spaceman's luck!"

With a last quick glance at Astro who gave him a reassuring nod, Tom
dropped to his knees and crawled out from behind their hidden position.
Dropping flat on his stomach, he inched forward toward the
administration building. All around him ray guns and blasters were
firing with regularity as the columns of Marines advanced from all sides
of the canyon toward the center, mopping up everything in front of them.
The roof of the administration building seemed a solid sheet of fire as
the Nationalist leaders fought back desperately.

He reached the side of the building that was windowless, and scrambled
toward the back door without interference. There he saw five green-clad
men, crouched behind sandbags, protecting the rear entrance. Glancing at
his watch he saw the sweeping hand tick off the last few seconds of his
allotted time. At the exact instant it hit the five-minute mark, there
was a sudden burst of activity at the front of the building. Connel and
the Marine patrol had opened fire in a mock attack. The men guarding the
rear left their barricade and raced into the building to meet the new
assault.

Without a second's hesitation, Tom jumped toward the door. He reached
up, found it unlocked, and then with his ray gun ready, kicked the door
open. He rushed in and dived to the floor, ray gun in his hand, ready to
freeze anything or anyone in sight.

The hall was empty. In the front, the firing continued and the halls of
the building echoed loudly with the frantic commands of the defenders.
Gliding along the near wall, Tom moved slowly forward. Before him, a
door was ajar and he eased toward it. On tiptoe the curly-haired cadet
inched around the edge of the door and glanced inside. He saw a
Nationalist guard on his hands and knees loading empty shock rifles. Tom
quickly stepped inside and jammed his gun in the man's back. "Freeze!"
he said between his teeth.

The trooper tensed, then relaxed, and slowly raised his hands.

"Where's the sick bay?" demanded Tom.

"On the second floor, at the end of the hall."

"Is that where you're keeping Cadet Manning?" demanded Tom.

"Yes," replied the man. "He's--"

Tom fired before the trooper could finish. It was rough, but he knew he
had to act swiftly if he was to help Roger. The trooper was frozen in
his kneeling position, and Tom scooped up a loaded shock rifle before
slipping back into the hall. It was still empty. The firing outside
see