Into the Abyss (Tom Swift, Young Inventor) by Victor Appleton Read Free Book Online

being strangled?
    No, it was me …. The squid had me in its clutches, and it was shaking me ….
    “Tom, wake up.”
    My dad’s voice.
    I sat up so fast, I nearly hit my head on the bunk above me. The giant squid vanished, and there was my dad, standing by the side of the bunk.
    “Is it time?” I asked him, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

    “Almost. Go ahead and get washed up, and I’ll see you on deck.” He turned to go.
    “Dad?”
    “Yes, son?”
    I hesitated. I wanted to tell him not to go ahead with the dive, but I couldn’t figure out a good reason—other than my bad feelings and my nightmare. “Um … how’s the weather?” I finally asked.
    He gave me a thumbs-up. “Perfect. See you in ten minutes?”
    I nodded, and he hurried off. I reached for my bag and pulled out a fresh shirt.
    “Tom? Aren’t you forgetting something?”
    I looked down at the shelf next to my bed. My wristwatch, which I’d put there before I’d gone to sleep, was talking to me.
    “Hello, Q.U.I.P.,” I said.
    Q.U.I.P. stands for Quantum Utilizing Interactive Processor. In plain English, it’s a computerized artificial intelligence—and it lives inside my watch.
    I can use Q.U.I.P. to interface with any of the servers at Swift Enterprises, as well as supercomputersat U.S. government research labs and other agencies. He’s kind of like a PDA with an IQ of two thousand—
and
a sense of humor.
    I call him my “back-up brain,” but Q.U.I.P. likes to refer to himself as “the
real
brains of the outfit.”
    Oh, yes—he speaks.
A lot.
He’s got a hundred different voices too. I designed him that way—to pick up on my mood and adjust to it. He really keeps me entertained, I’ll tell you.
    “What’s going on?” Bud murmured, yawning.
    “They’re going to launch the submersible,” I said, strapping on my wristwatch.
    “Wha? The sun’s not even up yet.”
    “I guess they’re in a hurry. They must want to launch the
Verne-1
while the sea is calm.”
    “Wait, I’m coming with you.”
    Bud clambered down out of his bunk—stepping right on Yo’s hand.
    “Yeeeooowww!!”
She shrieked, sat up, and smacked Bud on the arm. That hurt!”
    “So did that!” he said, rubbing the sore spot. “What’d you hit me for?”
    “I didn’t know it was you—I was asleep!” Yo shookher hand back and forth. “What’d you step on my hand for?”
    “It was an accident,” Bud said. “I didn’t know it was there.”
    “You ought to look before you go stepping on things,” she said.
    “Boy, you sure are grouchy in the morning,” Bud said.
    “It’s not morning,” she said. “It’s pitch-black outside. Look through the porthole.”
    “Would you two guys cut it out?” I said. “We’ve got to get moving if we’re going to see the launch.”
    Before you knew it, we were all rushing to make it out on deck in time. No one wanted to miss this moment. The entire crew was out on deck, along with the dozen or so research scientists.
    We watched as one of the crewmen maneuvered the
Nestor
’s crane into position, then lowered the winch. Another member of the crew attached the hook to the top of the
Verne-1
.
    My dad turned to the captain and shook hands. “Well, this is it, Mark,” he said.
    “Good luck, Mr. Swift,” the captain said.
    Thanks. We’ll be counting on everyone up here, so good luck to all of us.”
    Then Dad spotted me. Tom, you’ll be working with Dr. Fletcher in the control room, monitoring our fuel and oxygen levels, and keeping track of our location as we place the seismic sensors along the sea floor.”
    “Right,” I said. I knew the Swift-designed control systems pretty well—operating them wouldn’t be difficult.
    “See you soon,” he said, giving me a quick, tight hug. Then he turned, waved to the crew, and joined his two assistants as they climbed into the submersible.
    Captain Walters tightened and sealed the hatch, gave the
Verne-1
an affectionate pat of the hand, and signaled the winch