k triple
guarded. They'll block us for sure."

"Not when we get through, they won't," Johnny grinned. "We've got an old
friend aboard who's going to help us."

"_Friend?_"

"Ever hear of panic?" Johnny said. "Just listen a minute."

Quickly then, he outlined his plan. Tom and Greg listened, watched
Johnny make marks with his finger in the dust. When he finished, Greg
whistled softly. "You missed your life work," he said. "You should have
gone into crime."

"If I'd had a ghost to help me, I might have," Johnny said.

"It's perfect," Tom said, "if it works. But it all depends on one
thing ... keeping it rolling after we start...."

For another five minutes they went over the details. Then Johnny clapped
them each on the shoulder. "It's up to you two," he said. "Let's go."

They moved down the large shaft to the place where it broke into several
spurs. Johnny started down the chute toward the engine rooms; Tom and
Greg headed in opposite directions toward the main body of the ship.
Just as they broke up, they heard a muffled metallic sound from the
nearest compartment grill.

It was the _clang-clang-clang_ of the orbit-ship's general alarm.

* * * * *

Crewmen stopped with food halfway to their mouths, jerked away from
tables. Orders buzzed along a dozen wires, and section chiefs began
reporting their battle-stations alert and ready. Finally Tawney snapped
on the general public address system speaker. "Now get this," he roared.
"I want every inch of this ship searched ... every corridor, every
compartment. I want a special crew standing by for missile launching.
I want double guards at every airlock. If they get a ship away from
here, the man who lets them through had better be dead when I find
him...." He broke off, clutching the speaker until his voice was under
control again. "All right, move. They're armed, but there's no place they
can go. Find them."

A section-chief came back over the speaker. "Dead or alive, boss?"

"Alive, you idiot! At least the Hunter brat. I'll take the other one any
way you can get him."

He switched off, and waited, pacing the control cabin like a caged
animal. Ten minutes later a buzzer sounded. "Hydroponics, boss. All
clear."

"No sign of them?"

"Nothing."

Another buzz. "Number seven ore hold. Nothing here."

Still another buzz. "Crew's quarters. Nothing, boss."

One by one the reports came in. Fuming, Tawney checked off the sections