Tom immediately wheeled to face Roger, fire in his eyes, and the arrogant cadet, sensing trouble, jumped to his feet to meet him.
"What's the idea of giving Astro a hard time?" demanded Tom.
"Cool off, Corbett," replied Roger warily. "You're fusing your tubes you're so hot."
"You bet I'm hot! Hot enough to blast you—again!" Tom deliberately spat out the last word.
Roger flushed and brought his fists up quickly as though to charge in, then suddenly dropped them again. He turned to the door and slowly walked out.
"Go blow your jets," his voice drifted back to Tom as he disappeared.
Tom stood there, looking at the empty door, almost blind with rage and frustration. He was failing in the main job assigned to him, that of keeping the unit on an even keel and working together. How could he command a crew out in space if he couldn't keep the friction of his own unit under control?
Slowly, he left the room to wait for Astro in the recreation hall where the results of the manuals would be announced. He thought of Astro, now probably deep in his exam, and wondered how bad it would be for him. Then another thought crossed his mind. Roger had said nothing of his own test and neither he nor Astro had even inquired.
He shook his head. No matter where the unit placed in the manuals, it just couldn't stay together.