"I would consider it a service,
Kit, if you would send your young assistant back with your ship and you
stick around until we get all the people safely off."

"Anything I can do to help, sir," replied Kit.

At that moment a tall enlisted spaceman walked up to Walters and saluted
sharply. Walters noticed the stripes on his sleeve and his young-looking
face. He couldn't remember ever seeing such a young master sergeant.

"Captain Howard asked me to make my report to you, sir," said the
guardsman.

"Very well, sergeant," said Walters.

The young spaceman made a detailed report of his search through sectors
eleven and twelve. While he spoke, Strong kept looking at him, puzzled.
When the guardsman had finished, Strong asked, "Don't I know you from
somewhere, Sergeant?"

The guardsman smiled. "You sure do, Captain Strong. My name's Morgan,
sir. I was a cadet with Tom Corbett and Astro, sir, but I washed out. So
I joined the enlisted guard."

"Congratulations, Sergeant," said Walters. "You're the youngest top kick
I've ever seen." He turned to Strong. "Apparently we slipped up, Steve,
letting this chap get out of the Academy so he could make a name for
himself in the enlisted ranks."

"Thank you, sir," replied Morgan, blushing with pride.

"Have you seen the cadets, by any chance, Sergeant?" asked Strong.
"They're both here on Titan with me."

"Oh, yes, sir," said Morgan. "I saw them some time ago."

"Where?"

"A few blocks closer to the heart of town," said Morgan, pointing back
down the avenue. "We were just starting in on sector eleven and I saw
them coming out of a restaurant."

"Funny they haven't returned," commented Walters. "And what would they
be doing down there?"

Strong's forehead creased into a frown of worry. "Sir, I wonder if you'd
allow me a half hour or so to look for them?" he asked. "If they were
anywhere near this section when the screen collapsed, they could have
been injured by the sudden release of pressure."

"They had masks, sir," said Morgan. "I gave them a couple myself."

Walters thought a moment. "It's just possible they might have been
injured in some way," he mused. "Go ahead, Steve. If you don't find
them, and they don't show up at the spaceport, we'll organize a full
search."

"Thank you, sir," said Strong. "You come along with me, Sergeant."

Adjusting their oxygen masks, Captain Strong and Sergeant Morgan strode
down the street through the swirling mist of deadly metha