Tom opened the nozzle of his oxygen bottle wide and turned it. As he shot away, a projectile roared through the area he had just left.
Roger had done the same thing, flipping over and shooting up and away from the moving object.
"Whew!" exclaimed Tom. "That was close!"
"You blockhead!" roared Roger. "What are you trying to do to us? Set us up for coffins?"
"For you, that's not a bad idea, Manning!" snorted Astro. "Just damp your tubes. I made a mistake."
"Some mistake!" growled Roger.
Tom and Roger maneuvered back together, and locking arms so they would not drift apart, scanned the void around them for Connel. Suddenly Tom jerked free. "Roger!" he cried.
"What is it?" replied the cadet. "Do you see him?"
"There!" Tom pointed back to the ship. "On the stern! He's hanging on to the cleat over the main tubes!"