Free Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein Page B

stopped. There was a soft plop! as if something soft but moderately heavy had fallen a foot or so, then there was a slight scurrying sound, almost beyond hearing.
    'Jim? Jim boy?’
    'Willis!’ yelped Jim. The bouncer's voice had come to him from just beyond the grille.
    'Jim boy take Willis home.’
    'Yes, yes! Stay there, Willis; Jim has to find a way to get Willis out.’
    'Willis get out.’ The bouncer stated it positively.
    'Frank,’ Jim said urgently ‘if we could just find something to use as a crowbar, I could bust that grille out of its frame. I think maybe Willis could squeeze through.’
    'We've got nothing like that. We've got nothing but our knives.’
    'Think, fellow, think! Is there anything in our room, anything at all?’
    'Not that I know of.’ The scraping noise had resumed; Frank added, ‘What's Willis up to?’
    'I guess he's trying to get the door open. We've got to find some way to open it for him. Look, I'll boost you up on my shoulders and you try to take the collar off that air duct.’
    Frank looked the situation over. ‘No good. Even if we get the duct down, there'll be a grille set in the other side of the wall.’
    'How do you know?’
    'There always is.’
    Jim shut up. Frank was certainly correct and he knew it. The scraping sound had continued, still continued. Frank dropped on one knee and put his head close to the grille. He listened.
    'Take it easy,’ he advised Jim after a moment. ‘I think maybe Willis is making out all right by himself.’
    'What do you mean?’
    'That's a cutting sound if I ever heard one.’
    'Huh? Willis can't cut through a door. Many's the time I've locked him up, back home.’
    'Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe he just didn't want to get out bad enough.’ The scraping sound was more distinct now.
    A few minutes later a fine circular line began to show around the grille, then the portion of the door enclosed by the line fell toward them. For an instant Willis could be seen through the hole. Sticking out from his tubby body was a clawed pseudolimb eight inches long and an inch thick. ‘What's that?’ demanded Frank.
    'Darned if I know. He never did anything like that before.’
    The strange limb withdrew, disappeared inside his body, and the fur closed over the spot, leaving no sign that it had ever existed. Willis proceeded to change his shape, until he was more nearly watermelon-shaped than globular. He oozed through the hole. ‘Willis out,’ he announced proudly.
    Jim snatched him up and cradled him in his arms. ‘Willis! Willis, old fellow.’
    The bouncer cuddled in his arms. ‘Jim boy lost,’ he said accusingly. ‘Jim went away.’
    'Yes, but not ever again, Willis stay with Jim.’
    'Willis stay. Good.’
    Jim rubbed his cheek against the little fellow's fur. Frank cleared his throat. ‘It might be a good idea to pop back into our hole.’
    'Sure.’ The trip back to their room was made quickly and, so far as they could detect, without arousing attention. Jim dumped Willis on his bed and looked around. ‘I wonder just what I should try to take? I'll have to get hold of Smitty and get my gun.’
    'Hold on,’ said Frank. ‘Don't get ahead of yourself. You don't really have to go, you know.’
    'Huh?’
    'I didn't hurt the outer lock; we never touched Howe's private lock. All there is to show for Willis's escape is a hole that we obviously couldn't get through—and another one like it, probably, in Howe's desk. He can't prove a thing. You can arrange to ship Willis back and we can just sit tight.’
    Jim shook his head. ‘I'm leaving. Willis is just part of it. I wouldn't stay in a school run by Howe if you paid me to.’
    'Why be hasty, Jim?’
    'I'm not being hasty. I don't blame you for staying; in another year you can take the rocket pilot candidate exams and get out. But if you should happen to bust the exams, I'll bet you don't stick here until graduation.’
    'No, I probably won't. Have you figured out how you are going to get away without