Stand by for Mars!

by Carey Rockwell

  CHAPTER 5

  "Will this do, Manning?" asked Tom.

  The three boys were in a secluded corner of the gym, a large hall on thefourteenth floor of the dormitory building. At the far end of the gym, agroup of cadets had just finished a game of mercuryball and weresauntering to the showers. When the last boy had disappeared, the floorwas deserted except for Tom, Roger and Astro.

  "This will do fine, Corbett," said Roger.

  The boxing ring had been taken down the week before to make room fordrills and the physical exercises of the Earthworms, so the three boyshad to improvise a ring. They dragged four large tumbling mats together,spreading them side by side to form a square close to the size of anactual ring. Astro went to one of the small lockers under the balconyand returned with two pairs of boxing gloves.

  "Here," offered Astro, "put these on."

  "Gloves?" asked Roger, in a voice of mock surprise. "I thought this wasgoing to be a battle of blood."

  "Any way you want it, Manning. Any way at all," said Tom.

  "You're going to use gloves," growled Astro. "I don't want anybodykilled." He threw a pair at each of them.

  "There'll be three-minute rounds, with one minute rest," he continued."Go off the mats and you'll be counted out. Usual rules otherwise. Anyquestions?"

  "Clear to me, Astro," said Tom.

  "Let's go," nodded Roger.

  "One more thing," said Astro. "I hope Tom pins your ears back, Manning.But I'm going to see that both of you get a fair deal. So keep thepunches up--and fight it out. All right--time!"

  The two boys moved carefully to the center of the improvised ring, theirguards up, while Astro stood off the edge of the mat and watched thesweeping second hand of his wrist chronograph.

  Shuffling forward Tom pushed out a probing left and then tried to crosshis right, but Manning stepped back easily, countering with a hard leftto Tom's heart.

  "I forgot to tell you, Corbett," he called out, "I'm considered acounterpuncher. I always--"

  He was cut off with a sharp left to the face that snapped his head back,and his lips curled in a smile of condescension.

  "Good--very good, Corbett."

  Then with lightning speed and the grace of a cat, Roger slipped insideTom's guard, punching hard and true. A left, a right and a left poundedinto Tom's mid-section, and as he gave way momentarily Tom's faceclouded over.

  They circled. Tom kept leading with sharp lefts that popped in and outlike a piston, always connecting and keeping Roger off balance. Rogerconcentrated on penetrating Tom's defense, methodically pounding hisribs and heart and trying to wear him down.

  "Time!" bawled Astro.

  The two boys dropped their hands and turned back to their corners. Theysquatted on the floor breathing slowly and easily. Astro stood in themiddle of the ring, glaring at both of them in turn and shaking hishead.

  "Huh. I expected to see you two try to wallop each other into meteordust! Keep fighting like that and we'll be here all night!"

  "Talk to Corbett," sneered Roger. "Looks like he's afraid to mix it up!"

  "You fight your way, Roger, and I'll fight mine," replied Tom, his voicecold and impersonal.

  "Time!" suddenly yelled Astro and stepped back off the mat.

  The two cadets jumped to their feet and met in the center of the ringagain. With a bull-like rush, Roger changed tactics and began to rainpunches all over Tom's body, but the curly-haired cadet stood his groundcoolly, picking some off in mid-air with his gloves and sliding underthe others. Then, as Roger slowed down, Tom took the offensive, poppinghis left into his opponent's face steadily and methodically, whilekeeping his right cocked for a clear opening to the chin.

  Roger danced in and out, watching Tom's left as though it was a snakeand trying unsuccessfully to get through his guard. But the sharp leftskept snapping his head back and his face began to redden, not only fromthe sting of the blows but with the mounting fury of his frustration.

  Suddenly, as Astro raised his arm to call time for the end of the round,Roger jumped forward and rained another series of harmless blows onTom's shoulders and arms. But then, as the big Venusian called time, hestepped back and Tom dropped his guard. Instantly, Roger threw a rightwith all his weight behind it. It landed flush on Tom's jaw and hedropped, sprawling full length on the mats and lying still.

  Smiling, Roger sauntered to his corner while Astro charged in and bentover the fallen cadet.

  "None of that, Astro!" snapped Roger. "Since when does a referee takesides? Leave him alone! If he doesn't come out for the next round, youhave to count him out!"

  The big Venusian straightened and walked menacingly toward Roger'scorner. "You hit him after I called time," he growled.

  "So I have to take you on too, huh?" Roger jumped to his feet. "Allright--come on, you big blast of space gas!"

  "Wait, Astro ... wait!"

  Astro suddenly wheeled around to see Tom shaking his head weakly andtrying to rise up on his elbows. He rushed back to the fallen boy'sside.

  Roger shouted at him angrily, "Leave him alone!"

  "Ahhh--go blow your jets!" was Astro's snarling reply as he bent overTom, who was now sitting up. "Tom, are you O.K.?"

  "Yeah--yeah," he replied weakly. "But stay out of this. You're thereferee. How much time left?"

  "Twenty seconds," said Astro. "Roger smacked you after I called time."

  "If he did, I didn't know a thing about it. I was out." Tom managed acold smile. "Nice punch, Roger."

  "Ten seconds," said Astro, stepping back off the mat.

  "Thanks for the compliment, Corbett." Roger eyed the other cadetspeculatively. "But are you sure you want to go on?"

  "I was saved by the bell, wasn't I?"

  "Yeah--sure--but if you'd rather quit--"

  "Time!" cried Astro.

  Tom rose to his feet--shook his head--and brought up his hands. Hewasn't a moment too soon. Roger had rushed across the mat, trying toland another murderous right. Tom brought up his shoulder just in time,slipping with the punch, and at the same time, bringing up a terrificleft to Roger's open mid-section. Manning let out a grunt and clinched.Tom pursued his advantage, pumping rights and lefts to the body, and hecould feel the arrogant cadet weakening. Suddenly, Roger crowded inclose, wrestling Tom around so that Astro was on the opposite side ofthe mat, then brought up his head under Tom's chin. The pop of Tom'steeth could be heard all over the great hall. Roger quickly steppedback, and back-pedaled until Astro called time.

  "Thanks for teaching me that one, Roger. Learned two tricks from youtoday," said Tom, breathing heavily, but with the same cold smile on hisface.

  "That's all right, Corbett. Any time," said Manning.

  "What tricks?" asked Astro. He looked suspiciously at Manning, who wasdoubled over, finding it hard to breath.

  "Nothing I can't handle in time," said Tom, looking at Roger.

  "Time!" called Astro and stepped off the mat.

  The two boys got to their feet slowly. The pace was beginning to show onthem and they boxed carefully.

  The boys were perfectly matched, Tom constantly snapping Roger's headback with the jolting left jabs and following to the head or heart witha right cross. And Roger counterpunching, slipping hooks and bodypunches in under Tom's long leads. It was a savage fight. The threeweeks of hard physical training had conditioned the boys perfectly.

  At the end of the twelfth round, both boys showed many signs of wear.Roger's cheeks were as red as the glow of a jet blast deflector from thehundreds of lefts Tom had pumped into his face, while Tom's ribs andmid-section were bruised and raw where Roger's punches had landedsuccessfully.

  It couldn't last much longer, thought Astro, as he called time for thebeginning of the thirteenth round.

  Roger quickened his pace, dancing in and out, trying to move in underTom's lefts, but suddenly Tom caught him with a right hand that wascocked and ready. It staggered him and he fell back, covering up. Tompressed his advantage, showering rights and lefts everywhere he
couldfind an opening. In desperation, his knees buckling, Roger clinchedtightly, quickly brought up his open glove and gouged his thumb intoTom's eyes. Tom pulled back, instinctively pawing at his eye with hisright glove. Roger, spotting the opening, took immediate advantage ofit, shooting a hard looping right that landed flush on Tom's jaw. Tomwent down.

  Unaware of Roger's tactics, Astro jumped into the ring and his armpumped the deadly count.

  "One--two--three--four--"

  It was going to be tough if Roger won, Astro thought, as he counted.

  "Five--six--"

  Arrogant enough now, he would be impossible to live with.

  "Seven--eight--"

  Tom struggled up to a sitting position and stared angrily at hisopponent in the far corner.

  "Nine--"

  With one convulsive effort, Tom regained his feet. His left eye wasclosed and swollen, his right bleary with fatigue. He wobbled drunkenlyon his feet. But he pressed forward. This was one fight he had to win.

  Roger moved in for the finish. He slammed a left into Tom's shell,trying to find an opening for the last finishing blow. But Tom remainedin his shell, forearms picking off the smashes that even hurt his arms,as he waited for the strength to return to his legs and arms and hishead to clear. He knew that he couldn't go another round. He wouldn't beable to see. It would have to be this round, and he had to _beat_ Roger._Not_ because he wanted to, but because Roger was a member of the unit.And he had to keep the unit together.

  He circled his unit-mate with care, shielding himself from the shower ofrights and lefts that rained around him. He waited--waited for the oneperfect opening.

  "Come on! Open up and fight, Corbett," panted Roger.

  Tom snapped his right in reply. He noticed that Roger moved in with ahook every time he tried to cross his right. He waited--his legs beganto shake. Roger circled and Tom shot out the left again, dropped into asemicrouch and feinted with the right cross. Roger moved in, cocking hisfist for the left hook and Tom was ready for him. He threw the right,threw it with every ounce of strength left in his body. Roger was caughtmoving in and took the blow flush on the chin. He stopped as ifpoleaxed. His eyes turned glassy and then he dropped to the mat. He wasout cold.

  Astro didn't even bother to count.

  Tom squatted on the mat beside Roger and rubbed the blond head with hisglove.

  "Get some water, Astro," he said, gasping for breath. "I'm glad I don'thave to fight this guy again. And I'll tell you something else--"

  "What?" asked Astro.

  "Anybody that wants to win as much as this guy does, is going to win,and I want to have him on my side!"

  Astro merely grunted as he turned toward the water cooler.

  "Maybe," he called back. "But he ought to read a book of rules first!"

  When he came back to the mat with the water, Roger was sitting up,biting the knots of the laces on his gloves. Tom helped him, and whenthe soggy leather was finally discarded, he stuck out his hand. "Well,Roger, I'm ready to forget everything we've said and start all overagain."

  Roger looked at the extended hand for a moment, his eyes blank andexpressionless. Then, with a quick movement, he slapped it away andlurched to his feet.

  "Go blow your jets," he snarled, and turning his back on them, stumbledacross the gym.

  Tom watched him go, bewilderment and pain mirrored on his face.

  "I thought sure this would work, Astro," he sighed. "I thought he'd cometo his senses if--"

  "Nothing'll make that space creep come to his senses," Astro broke indisgustedly. "At least, nothing short of an atomic war head! Come on.Let's get you cleaned up!"

  Putting his arm around Tom's shoulder, the big Venusian led him acrossthe floor of the deserted gym, and as they disappeared through theautomatic sliding doors, a tall figure in the uniform of the Solar Guardstepped out of the shadows on the balcony above. It was Captain Strong.

  He stood silently at the rail, looking down at the mats and the soggydiscarded boxing gloves. Tom had won the fight, he thought, but he hadlost the war. The unit was now farther apart than it had ever been.