Steve made a face and began picking the sticks out of the air before they floated too far. It was lack of weight in space that made it possible to play such a game. The twins would have hung in the air like the sticks if their shoe soles were not held to the floor by magnetism.
“I’ll beat you next time,” Steve boasted.
Before they could start again, their father came into the room. “It looks as though we may not be getting home as quickly as we had expected, kids. Captain Furman has received an S. O. S. from a passenger rocket that’s down on the asteroid, Sierra.” The twins knew an asteroid to be one of the thousands of tiny planets in the Solar System.
“Are we going to her aid?” Steve asked.
“It depends on whether we have enough fuel or not,” his father replied. “Even atomic fuel runs out sometime, you know. Captain Furman is talking with his officers now. It’ll be a shame if we can’t help the Pole Star—as much as I want to see Mom.”
It was just like his unselfish dad to say that, Steve thought. He felt the same way about it. And he didn’t doubt that tender-hearted Sue was of the same mind.
Mr. Shannon started out of the room again. “I’m going to see what they are going to do.”
Steve and Sue went back to their game. But somehow it wasn’t as much fun now. People were in trouble and trouble in space was often a frightening thing.
It seemed like a long time before their father came back. He walked in so fast that his magnetic shoes sounded like tiny hammers. “Kids,” he said, “the captain wants to see you.”
“Us?” Steve asked.