inning his left arm to his side. He reached for the railing around the
acceleration chair with his right and discovered he still held the
switch for the water sprinkler. He started to flip it on, then sniffed
the air, and smelling no trace of smoke, dropped the switch. He
unstrapped himself from the acceleration chair with his right hand and
then slowly, with great effort, pushed the section of the control board
off him. He stood up rubbing his left arm.

"Astro? Roger?!" he called again, and scrambled over the broken
equipment that was strewn over the deck. He stumbled over more rubble
that was once a precision instrument panel and climbed the ladder
leading to the radar deck.

"Roger!" he yelled. "Roger, are you all right?" He pushed several
shattered instruments out of the way and looked around the shambles that
once had been a room. He didn't see Roger.

He began to scramble through the litter on the deck, kicking aside
instruments that were nearly priceless, so delicately were they made.
Suddenly a wave of cold fear gripped him and he began tearing through
the rubble desperately. From beneath a heavy tube casing, he could see
the outstretched arm of Roger.

He squatted down, bending his legs and keeping his back straight. Then
gripping the heavy casing on one side, he tried to stand up. It was too
much for him. He lifted it three inches and then had to let go.

"Tom! Roger!" Tom heard the bull-like roar of Astro below him and
stumbled over to the head of the ladder.

"Up here, Astro," he yelled, "on the radar deck. Roger's pinned under
the radar scanner casing!"

Tom turned back to the casing, and looking around the littered deck
desperately, grabbed an eight-foot length of steel pipe that had been
snapped off like a twig by the force of the crash.

Barely able to lift it, he shoved it with all his strength to get the
end of the pipe beneath the casing.

"Here, let me get at that thing," growled Astro from behind. Tom stepped
back, half falling out of the Venusian's way, and watched as Astro got
down on his hands and knees, putting his shoulder against the case. He
lifted it about three inches, then slowly, still balancing the weight on
his shoulder, shifted his position, braced it with his hands and began
to straighten up. The casing came up from the floor as the huge cadet
strained against it.

"All--right--Tom--" he gasped, "see if you can get a hold on Roger and
pull him out!"

Tom scrambled back