"It's about time you showed up!" growled Loring. "Whaddaya trying to do, starve us to death?"
"That's not a bad idea!" said Roger. Loring took the tray. Roger motioned him back inside the brig and slammed the door shut. He locked it and leaned against the grille.
"Better eat it while you can," he said. "They don't serve it so fancy on a prison asteroid."
"You'll never get us on a prison asteroid," whined Mason.
"Don't kid yourself," said Roger. "As soon as we get the reactor units set, we're going to send this hunk of copper back to Earth and then take you back. They'll bury you!"
"Who's going to do all that?" snapped Loring. "A bunch of punk kids and a loudmouthed Solar Guard officer?"
"Yeah," retorted Roger.
"Cadet Manning!" Connel's voice roared over the intercom. "You were ordered to report to the control deck in five minutes! You are already one minute late! Report to the control deck on the double and I mean double!"
Loring and Mason laughed. "Old 'Blast-off' Connel's really got your number, eh, kid?"
"Ah, rocket off, you pinheaded piece of space junk! It didn't take him long to dampen your tubes!"