Read Online Tom Swift and His Cosmotron Express by Victor Appleton II - Free Book Online Page A

with Swift technology, some say."
    "Absolutely untrue," huffed Mr. Swift.
    "Of course. But there’s one thing I can confirm," he went on. "Lunar satellite data indicates that something was in orbit around the moon—and then it wasn’t."
    "Andy," said Tom after a pause, "I don’t mean to be blunt—"
    "Aw, c’mon, think of me as a fellow American! Be as rude as you like."
    "Why are you here, exactly? What is your assignment?"
    Andy Emda leaned back in his chair, drawing together a careful answer. "Obviously, many governments are very... concerned... about what seems to be the ownership, by i-Szentimentlya , of an incredibly advanced and dangerous multi-mach jetcraft. I’m told the security high-ups know where the technology was developed—but, as they say, that’s above my pay grade.
    "There’s a possibility—no confirmation—that it’s all tied to Volj and the Dyaune base in North Africa. As Mr. Radnor knows, the Brungarian government has ‘recalled’ me to service on an unofficial basis, at the request of Washington, and with the approval of NATO."
    "In other words," Chow declared grimly, "you’re s’posed t’ spy on us!"
    Emda looked at the food-wrangler in surprise. "No, not at all. Despite the paranoid rumors, Swift Enterprises is not suspected of anything—it was your worksite that was the target of the jetcraft’s ‘demonstration’ and the threatening demand. In Brungarian no less! I’m here to work with you in formulating a strategy in response."
    "Maybe we should just cut through it all," said Radnor sharply. "I had a nice talk with John Thurston an hour ago. They want Enterprises to investigate the space business, the possible disappearance of the Dyaune . They think Emda, with his scientific training and general familiarity with the ship and with Volj—they think he might provide valuable support in developing the mission. They’re pressing us to get up there as quickly as possible."
    "Up there?" repeated Tom—knowing the answer.
    "Yes, up there ," confirmed Andor Emda. "To the moon. And then after that—who knows where?"
     

CHAPTER 8
MYSTERIES IN SPACE
    TOM’S immediate response was a thoughtful frown that wanted to be a grimace. "Space sleuthing. Andy, Dad and I talked about a survey trip to the moon as soon as we heard the... rumors. But right now—"
    Emda interrupted with a nod. "Obviously, you’re in the middle of your latest project, your Cosmotron Express spacecraft and the trip to the outer planets. But two presidents agree that Enterprises will give its usual cooperation, now that the Viper Spirit has emerged as a threat."
    " Viper Spirit ," Tom repeated. He said dryly, "It seems you’ve been well-briefed on the American role in developing the Fire Fury ."
    "Would you expect otherwise?" asked Emda with a smile. "And now you’ve confirmed that you’ve talked the matter over with Mr. Langley, whom I gather is a subject of investigation. Yep, we know the hyperjet is based upon the designs developed under contract by Wickliffe Laboratories. But the engine!—where’d it come from? I would have known if Volj’s engineers had cracked that problem. I still have a few contacts."
    "As we told our government, it seems to be based on a high-thrust, high-temperature proposal from some years back," noted Damon Swift.
    "Yes, an idea by a speculative science writer; but no one knew what to do with it. But I’m being a little rhetorical—"
    "A- ha !" muttered Chow under his breath.
    "We think we know where the engine design originated—an engineering group in Sumatra. But still, it’s a big deal. How do you make a nimble, workable little war-worthy vehicle if it’d have to be the size of a city block to lift itself? A full-scale nuclear powerplant would be required. The metalloid fuel itself—are you familiar with that term?—would be tremendously heavy."
    "And then a metal was discovered that is tremendously light for something of such great tensile strength," Tom said.