should."

"Let's go," urged Tom in a sharp whisper, and they all raced silently
toward the slidestairs.

Seconds later, the three cadets of the _Polaris_ unit were down in the
main hallway of the dormitory building, tiptoeing toward the front
portal. Pausing only to look into the O.D.'s office to make sure the
officer wouldn't spot them, they reached the portal and ducked out.
Pausing again to scan the immediate area for any watch officers, they
darted across the slidewalk and into the shadows of the shrubbery.

Quickly and soundlessly, they raced across the green lawn of the
quadrangle toward the dormitory where the _Capella_ unit was quartered.
Once they sprawled headlong on the turf and lay still as a watch officer
suddenly appeared out of the darkness at the base of the Tower of
Galileo. But he walked past without seeing them and they continued on
across the quadrangle.

Reaching another clump of shrubbery right opposite the _Capella_ unit's
dormitory, the boys stopped and discussed their final move.

"This is getting ridiculous," whispered Roger. "I shouldn't have let you
two come with me. But I'm going the rest of the way myself."

"We came this far, Roger," asserted Tom. "We'll go the rest of the way
and help you explain."

"And you've got a space-blasting lot to explain."