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

Tom’s reply. "At least until things go blooey! With proper training in the zero-G chamber, a well-picked space crew should have no trouble at all learning what to do."
    "Then I guess the experiment was worth it," Bud concluded. "Maybe!"
    That evening, Tom having announced that he was fully recovered and the Enterprises doctor concurring, Mrs. Swift invited Bud and Bashalli Prandit to join the family for dinner. When the meal was over Tom rose to his feet in front of his chair, rapping on a glass for attention.
    "Everyone, I, er—" Nervously he glanced at Bud, who was sitting next to him. Bud gave him a reassuring half-smile and a thumbs-up signal.
    "What is it, son?" asked Mr. Swift, puzzled.
    Tom took a gulp of water. "It’s just this. I’m kind of nervous and afraid and a little stressed-out—more than a little!—but there’s something I’ve needed to tell you all for a while now. And this is the time!"

CHAPTER 7
THE HIDDEN EAR
    "OH MY!" gasped Sandra Swift before Tom could go any further. "Tom, are you—?"
    She turned to look at Bashalli, who gave an ironic shake of her head. "Sandra— get the clue, as you say here."
    "Go on, Tom," his mother said, her voice steady and calm. "You know you have nothing to be afraid of."
    Tom proceeded to tell of the near-tragedy of the other day, and of the strange effect it seemed to have had on him. "I know now that I should have told you right away, and not tried to handle it all myself. But I guess I’m a stubborn Swift, and I didn’t want to worry you—and I was afraid I’d be sidelined from the expedition to construct our outpost in space!"
    Bashalli nodded in understanding. "And that is surely something you could not stand for."
    "But the good news is, I seem to be getting better with time," continued Tom. "Even what happened today in the zero-G chamber somehow made me feel stronger."
    "If you can handle that, big brother, you can handle just about anything!" declared Sandy.
    But Damon Swift looked troubled and concerned. "Even if you weren’t my son—just for the sake of Swift Enterprises—I would have a few qualms about your undertaking a space flight in this condition."
    "You’re right, Dad, and I won’t expect any favoritism. I’ll train like the rest of the team and undergo whatever evaluation you think necessary."
    Bud gave Tom a wink that said, I’m proud of you, pal! The discussion then passed on to other subjects.
    "I meant to tell you," Mr. Swift said, "Harlan Ames came through, as usual, with the information we needed on those victims of IXOS. The only likely candidate for our shooter is a man named—I’m probably mispronouncing it—Miza Ranooq. He was born in France of an Algerian family, and now lives in Montreal."
    "Not far from Shopton," commented Bud.
    "Not far at all. He’s enrolled in a special clinic there."
    Tom’s mother gave an imperial nod all around. "Please hold your applause, thank you very much!"
    "This is the Gorilla who gave Sandy the creepies? Perhaps his mind is affected as well as his body," said Bashalli.
    Tom asked, "Did Harlan say whether he had any kind of criminal record?"
    "There’s nothing on him in this country," responded Mr. Swift. "Now I have a question for you, Tom. Have you come up with anything I can send over to Soberstein at CBN?"
    Tom looked sheepish. "No, Dad. I’m afraid I’ve let myself get distracted. When it has crossed my mind—well, I don’t see the solution."
    The young inventor briefly explained the problem to the others. "If the problem is that you can’t launch so many rockets at one time, why don’t you just build the station gradually?" Sandy suggested eagerly.
    "The International Space Station took years, didn’t it?" Bud remarked.
    "Yes, but the design of the space outpost is completely different. Because of the need to keep the structure balanced, we have to attach the modular sections to the hub more-or-less at the same time. And if we just leave the materials hanging in orbit, tiny