Chapter 14

“That’s right,” sneered Winters. “Professor Sykes has disappeared and Vidac wants to talk to you!”

The burly spaceman stood in the open door of the cadets’ quarters, legs spread apart, hands on the paralo-ray guns strapped to his side. Tom, Roger, and Astro eyed the man sleepily.

“Say that again,” said Tom.

“I said Vidac wants to talk to you!” Winters shouted. “Now pile out of those bunks before I pull you out!”

Astro sat up and looked at Winters. His voice rumbled menacingly. “I’ll give you five seconds to get out of here,” he said quietly. “And if you don’t, I’ll ram those ray guns down your throat! One--two--three--”

Winters tried to match Astro’s withering gaze and finally backed out the doorway. “Vidac wants to see you on the double, and that means, double!“ He disappeared from view.

Tom and Roger were already out of their bunks and pulling on their uniforms.

“What do you think?” asked Roger, looking at Tom.

“I don’t know, Roger,” said Tom, “but I don’t like the looks of it.”

Astro jumped lightly to the floor. “I kinda wish Winters had tried something,” he said with a smile. “I need a little early-morning exercise.”

“Good thing he didn’t,” commented Roger dryly. “We’re in enough trouble without you mauling one of Vidac’s pet boys.”

Tom listened halfheartedly to the chatter of his unit mates. He was thinking ahead to their meeting with Vidac. Since Roger’s argument with the professor, they had continued their work, but under a severe strain. They had finally finished the series of study spools the night before, and Tom felt sure that Vidac had waited until the work was finished before he called them on the carpet. And then, too, there was the disappearance of Professor Sykes that Winters had mentioned. The young cadet felt there was trouble ahead.

A few moments later the three cadets presented themselves to Vidac in his office in the Administration Building.

The lieutenant governor was seated behind his desk and appeared to be very tired. Tom saluted smartly and stepped forward.

“Polaris unit reporting, sir,” said Tom.

“Where is Professor Sykes?” demanded Vidac abruptly without even acknowledging the salute.

“Why, I--I don’t know, sir,” replied Tom.

“How about you, Manning? Astro?” asked Vidac, turning to the other cadets. “You have anything to say?”

“We only heard about it ten minutes ago, sir,” volunteered Roger.

“I’ll bet!” snapped Vidac. He got up and stepped around his desk to face the cadets. “You three were the last ones to be seen with the professor. What happened last night?”

“We finished the study spools and left him in the office, sir,” said Tom. “Then we went for a swim in the pool and had a bite to eat before hitting the sack. That’s all.”

“Did anyone see you in the pool?” asked Vidac.

“I doubt it, sir. We didn’t notice anyone around,” said Astro. “It was pretty late.”

“Did anyone see you at the mess hall when you went to get a bite?” pursued Vidac. “Surely there must be someone who can substantiate your story.”

The three cadets looked at each other. “I guess not, sir,” said Roger. “It was pretty late. After midnight.”

Vidac eyed them curiously. “And you’re sure you saw no one, and that no one saw you?”

“We can’t be sure that no one saw us, sir,” said Tom, “but I doubt it. As Roger said, it was after midnight.”

Vidac whirled and sat down again. He pressed a small button on his desk and waited, silently considering the cadets, his eyes cool and level. The door opened and Governor Hardy walked in, followed by several men.

Tom suddenly realized that it was the first time they had seen the governor in nearly six weeks.

“Have you found Professor Sykes?” he demanded.

Vidac shook his head, then turned to the other men. Tom, with a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, recognized them as the colonists who had been with Ed Bush when Roger had his last argument with the professor.

“Did you hear Cadet Manning threaten Professor Sykes?” asked Vidac.

“Yes, sir,” replied one of the colonists.

“What did he say?” asked Vidac. “Repeat it for Governor Hardy.”

The colonist quoted Roger’s threat almost word for word and Tom noted grimly that the witness made the most of the fact that he and Astro had followed Roger out of the office after the argument. The implication was clear that they were part of the threat.

Vidac then turned to Ed Bush. “Bush, did you see the cadets last night?”

“Yes, sir,” said Bush.

“Where?” demanded Vidac.

“Leaving the swimming pool with the professor.”

“With the pro--!” exclaimed Tom.

“Shut up, Corbett!” barked Vidac, and then turned to Astro. “Did you say you went swimming alone?“

“We did!” exclaimed the Venusian. “We left the professor at the office. We did not see him again after that. He did not go swimming with us.”

Vidac turned to Winters. “Did you see the cadets last night, Winters?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the spaceman. “I had the graveyard watch and I was in the galley having a cup of coffee. I saw the cadets enter the galley just as I was leaving.”

“Were they alone?” asked Vidac.

“No, sir,” said Winters. “Professor Sykes was with them.”

“That’s a lie!” shouted Roger. “We were alone!”

Vidac merely looked at Roger and then turned back to Winters. “Then what happened?”

“Well,” said Winters, “they got into an argument, the cadets and Sykes. It was about the movement of a captive planet, or something like that. Anyway, there was a scuffle, and all of a sudden the big cadet”--he indicated Astro--”picked up the professor and carried him out of the galley. The other two followed.”

“Didn’t the professor put up a fight?” asked Vidac.