I shrugged. I hadn't been sentenced to repair the tubes, as Morrie had, but I still had to obey orders. I got the equipment and a tool bag from the storage compartment of the machine room. When I told Gail and Axel I was taking welding equipment out to Morrie, Axel gave me a worried look. "Don't start anything, Bill," he said.
"We have an understanding," I replied.
Returning to the main cabin, I found Dr. Spartan waiting again, an oxygen tank in his hands.
"Here's the tank I want you to use, Drake," he said. "There's just a small amount of oxygen in it, but to use a new tank for such a short errand would be wasteful. We don't know when we might have another accident."
"Okay. I mean—yes, sir," I said.
"I trust you and Grover won't resume—uh—hostilities."
"No, sir. I'm sure he wasn't himself, sir."
While I put on my helmet, Spartan put the tank on my shoulders. I checked the connections, then I went into the locks. I started the pumps to exhaust the air and called to Morrie on my helmet transmitter.
"I'm bringing some welding equipment, Morrie."
He didn't answer.