Tom Swift and His Outpost in Space by Victor Appleton II Read Free Book Online

the control board as prearranged.
    Tom entered the zero-G chamber and closed the door behind him, then signaled his father to turn on the current. Now he was sealed in the air-conditioned cube!
    At first Tom experienced no change. Wondering if the device had been activated, he tried to take a step. To his pleased surprise, the upward motion lifted him gently off the floor. Now he hung suspended in mid-air. A queer sensation of buoyancy and lightness, mostly psychological, came creeping over him.
    "I think I know how to get out of this," Tom said to himself. Tilting his head back, he converted his slight drift into a somersault. The force shoved him back to the floor again.
    Outside the chamber, Tom’s audience applauded.
    Tom realized at once that he would have to master a new gait. Shuffling his feet along the floor, he dragged his body behind like a comedian doing a mime act. The watchers laughed uproariously at the strange antics. Even Tom had to grin at his predicament. "Wait till they see this one." Standing on tiptoes, he gave a bound to the ceiling, where he walked on his hands! Then, pushing with his fingers, he made his way to one of the walls, which he crept down on hands and knees. Contrary to expectations, the suit’s magnetic material seemed to adhere very slightly to the walls, a phenomenon he was determined to investigate further.
    The vertigo-like tension Tom had experienced at first was vanishing, and he resolved to have fun with his experiment. He propelled himself toward one side of the room and proceeded to walk calmly straight up the wall!
    Startled gasps broke from the audience. "Tom Swift the Human Fly!" Bud exclaimed like a carnival barker.
    "It’s magnificent!" cried Bashalli. "I wish to try it next!"
    The cries of amazement grew louder as Torn continued his stroll by walking upside down across the ceiling!
    Chow Winkler yanked out a red bandanna and mopped his brow nervously as he stared in half-horrified fascination. "Br-rand my Damonscope," he drawled, "that ain’t human! How’s Tom ever goin’ to know which is top side up when he comes out o’ that place?"
    Reaching the other side of the room, Tom suavely ambled down the wall. Next, he lay down on the couch. His body, being buoyant, failed to dent the cushions. And because he lay without making any effort to restrain himself, the slight movement of his shoulder blades as he breathed was enough to propel him off the couch. He was left floating in the center of the chamber.
    He now turned his attention to some of the other equipment in the room. When he sat at the desk and wrote, even the slight effort of wielding a pencil caused him to be shoved this way and that.
    The tools and other items in the room had been made specially for the experiment. They contained just enough magnetic material to counterbalance the pull of gravity. A slight touch was enough to send a wrench or wastebasket floating across the room!
    Finally Tom picked up a hammer and tried to drive a nail into a board. As he swung the hammer downward, his feet shot up from the floor and the hammer landed feebly on the nail. "I never felt so helpless in my life," Tom murmured, his comments amplified through the external loudspeaker.
    The observers outside the zero-G chamber were laughing and talking with great interest as they watched Tom’s every move. At last they saw him straighten up and signal to Dave Bogard that the experiment was over. Smiling and pleased, Bogard reached toward the control board. But the smile suddenly faded. The master power knob turned easily, but the instrument dial indicated no diminution of electrical current—the magnet was pulling hard as ever.
    Seeing the look on Bogard’s face Mr. Swift came over to lend a hand. They were soon joined by Bud.
    "The controls have frozen!" Bud whispered, his heart sinking. Sensing that something was wrong, the rest of the audience pressed closer.
    "Damon!" cried Mrs. Swift suddenly, her voice taut with alarm.