Astro jumped up and yelled, "Tom! Tom! You big space-brained jerk! It's me, Astro!"
Behind the corner of a house, Tom peered cautiously around the edge and saw the big cadet scramble over the tangle of barbed wire with Connel right behind him. Tom held up his hand for the squad in back of him to hold their fire and stepped out to meet his friends. "Major! Astro!"
The three spacemen pounded each other on the back while the patrol of Marines watched, grinning. "Where's Roger?" asked Tom finally.
Astro quickly told him of the heavily guarded administration building.
"Is he all right?" asked Tom.
"No one knows," replied Connel. "We haven't been able to get any news of him at all."
"I'm going after him," said Tom, his jaw set. "No telling what they'll try to do with him when they see their goose is cooked."
"I'll go with you," said Astro.
"No, you stay here with Major Connel," said Tom. "I think it would be better if just one tried it, with the rest creating a diversion on the other side."