"Pardon me," he said. "Is one of you Cadet Tom Corbett?"
"Why—I am," acknowledged Tom.
"There's a call for you. Seems they've been trying to reach you all over Atom City." He placed the teleceiver screen on the table, plugged it into a floor socket and set the dials.
"Hope's there's nothing wrong at home," said Tom to his friends. "My last letter from Mom said Billy was messing around with a portable atom reactor and she was afraid he might blow himself up."
A picture began to take shape on the screen. "Migosh," said Astro. "It's Captain Strong."
"It certainly is," said the captain's image. "Having dinner, eh, boys? Ummmm—those baked shrimps look good."
"They're terrific," said Astro. "Wish you were here."
"Wish you could stay there," said Captain Strong.
"Oh, no!" moaned Astro. "Don't tell me!"
"Sorry, boys," came the voice from the teleceiver. "But that's it. You've got to return to the Academy immediately. The whole cadet corps has been ordered into space for special maneuvers. We blast off tomorrow morning at six hundred."