Part 25 (1/2)

The security chief called Enterprises and asked his a.s.sistant, Phil Radnor, who was on night duty, to make a thorough search. While awaiting the results, Ames also called the restaurant, but learned that no such item had been turned in.

Half an hour later Radnor called back to report no luck. ”The amulet may show up yet, Harlan,” he said. ”But I'll alert the guards at the plant to be on the lookout for an unauthorized visitor.”

”Thanks, Phil.” Ames hung up and turned away from the telephone with an embarra.s.sed look. ”Fine example I'm setting as head of plant security,”

he murmured. ”Let's hope the amulet wasn't stolen.”

Excusing themselves from Mrs. Swift and Sandy, Tom Sr. and Jr. retired with Ames to Mr. Swift's study to discuss the news he had brought.

”I had a late call from Admiral Walter this evening,” Ames explained.

”The Navy's getting pretty desperate over that lost missile. They're ready to co-operate with any moves you care to make. I take it you're prepared to carry out a search on your own, Tom?”

The young inventor nodded. ”Yes, as soon as I've perfected all the gear I'll need--which won't be long, I hope.”

Ames added, unhappily, that certain papers and news commentators had been making snide remarks about the Swifts' failure to match the Brungarians' submarine achievement.

”I think Tom has that situation pretty well in hand,” Mr. Swift remarked with a smile.

Tom gave Ames a full report on his own apparatus for rendering a submarine invisible to underwater detection. Ames grinned at the news.

The grin grew even wider as he heard of the successful test of the quality a.n.a.lyzer sonar.

”Bud Barclay's on his way to the South Atlantic right now with a fully equipped jetmarine,” Tom ended.

The next morning he eagerly tackled the job of adding sonar protection and sonar detection features to his electronic hydrolung. What an amazing fish man the wearer would be, Tom thought, if his project succeeded!

It would enable a skin diver to operate indefinitely under water at jet-propelled speed--invisible to enemy ”eyes,” yet be able to spy out any hostile undersea prowlers, including supposedly ”undetectable”

submarines!

Tom chuckled wryly as he mulled over the difficulties ahead. ”Bud wasn't kidding when he said it would take a magician!”

Besides his mask, electronic breathing device, density-control unit, and ion drive, the wearer would now need at least three major additions--first, sonar-blinding equipment with electronic control; second, amplifying equipment to camouflage the wearer's noise under water; and, third, a portable quality a.n.a.lyzer sonar.

”Whew! The miniaturizing job alone will be a king-sized headache!” Tom said to himself. ”I'd better start with a skin-diving suit made of that molded plastic Arv is turning out.”

After having some of the Tomasite sheathing, with its embedding transducers, sent over from the plastics department, Tom cut out a suit from a pattern and welded the seams electronically. He had just finished wiring the control unit when Chow wheeled in a lunch cart.

”Got some _dee_licious steak-and-kidney pie today,” the cook announced, setting it out.

”Swell,” Tom said absent-mindedly.

Chow frowned but left without interrupting the young inventor. Twenty minutes later the cook poked his head into the laboratory again. Tom had not yet touched his lunch.

”Brand my vitaminnies, start eatin', boss!”

”Sure, Chow.”

By this time, however, Tom had become so absorbed in the task of a.s.sembling some tiny monolithic blocks for the computer circuits of his a.n.a.lyzer, that the lunch remained untasted. When Chow returned a third time, Tom was startled by his bellow:

”Get your nose out o' that work, buckaroo, and _eat_!”

Realizing Tom's pie had cooled off, Chow had brought another serving, hot from the oven. Seeing the stern look on the Texan's face, Tom burst out laughing and obeyed meekly.