Part 18 (1/2)
To rule out any further chance of trickery, Tom insisted upon searching the enemy rocket s.h.i.+p. The men agreed, but as they had claimed, Mr. Swift was not aboard.
176 .
”One more question,” Tom said. ”Just before my father asked to go outside, did anything unusual happen?” The young inventor was somewhat puzzled as to how Mr. Swift could have known beforehand that he was about to be rescued.
”Most strange that you should ask,” the squat Mongolian replied with a puzzled frown. ”As a matter of fact, some queer-looking symbols flashed on the oscilloscope of our radio equipment. Shortly after your father saw them he made his request to go outside.”
Tom and Bud wanted to shout for joy but remained calm. Both realized that the s.p.a.ce people must have sent Mr. Swift a message, knowing that his captors would be unable to translate it.
”We'll go now,” Tom told the three kidnapers. ”From here on, you can answer to your own government. I advise you to rocket back to earth immediately. If that saucer s.h.i.+p returns and finds you still here, I warn you there may be unpleasant consequences!”
By this time, the three kidnapers were reduced to trembling agitation. ”You must help us!” their leader pleaded. ”We dare not go back to our own country and face the other members of our group! It might mean death to all of us for bungling this affair and losing our hostage!”
”What is your country, and who are the other members of your group?” Tom demanded.
The three men refused to answer this question. From their evasive replies, Tom suspected that A RACE TO THE RESCUE 177.
the group might be made up of renegade scientists of several nationalities, with headquarters in the country from which these men came.
”There's one kind of help we can give you,” Tom said. ”The United States authorities may extend you some kind of protection.” Tom did not express aloud his following thought, ”In exchange perhaps for the plans of your force ray!”
The kidnapers remained silent. Tom, eager to overtake his father, went on, ”I'll look you up on the return trip. Make up your mind. Come on, Bud! Let's get back to our own s.h.i.+p.”
The crestfallen trio of kidnapers made no effort to interfere as the two young Americans donned their s.p.a.ce helmets and went out through the air lock.
Thoroughly elated, Tom and Bud started back to the Challenger.
”I'd hate to be in those guys' shoes!” Bud chuckled. ”The important thing, though, is that your dad's safe. I'm sure glad.”
”So am I,” Tom replied. ”Only one thing I can't figure.”
”What's that, pal?”
”Why didn't we pick up that rescue message from the s.p.a.ce people on our own s.h.i.+p?”
”I was wondering that myself,” Bud said.
Tom was thoughtful as they reached the Challenger's landing platform.
”Perhaps our s.p.a.ce friends used a highly focused directional beam,” he mused.
”If so, that would explain it.”
Once inside, the boys were besieged with excited questions from Arv, Ted, and the crew.
178 .
Tom reported his parley with the kidnapers, and his plan to rescue Mr. Swift.
Everyone cheered.
”Now I must find out from the s.p.a.ce people where to pick up Dad,” Tom concluded.
The young inventor hurried to the radio room, accompanied by Bud, and beamed out a query over the s.h.i.+p's powerful transmitter. Moments later, the reply from his s.p.a.ce friends began flas.h.i.+ng on the oscilloscope.
Tom translated the mathematical symbols from memory, scribbling words at top speed. The complete message read: s.p.a.cEs.h.i.+P WITH YOUR FATHER ABOARD IS HEADED ON COURSE TO.
ORBIT AROUND VENUS. SPEED 40,500 MILES PER HOUR.
”Wow!” Bud gasped. ”Forty thousand, five hundred miles per hour! Any chance of catching it?”
Tom nodded. ”I'm sure we can, even though the rocket has a head start of about six hours. The Challenger can hit faster speeds than that and also, unlike rockets, can accelerate for long periods of time.”
”Let's see,” said Bud. ”How far away from the earth is Venus?”
”It can be as close as twenty-six million miles, or as far as a hundred and nineteen million miles.”
”Some trip we're about to make!” Bud commented.
”It's all right, pal.” Tom chuckled, slapping his friend on the back. ”With our matter maker A RACE TO THE RESCUE 179.
aboard, we can chase that saucer clear across the solar system if we have to!”
After snapping out orders over the intercom, Tom hurried to the flight compartment. He set the controls of the Challenger for the required rate of acceleration and the s.h.i.+p streaked off in pursuit of the rescue craft. Their speed increased at fifty feet per second per second.
After two hours, the Challenger was approximately in the position that Mr.
Swift's rocket had been when Tom had begun the pursuit.
”Dad's about eighty thousand miles straight ahead,” he said to Bud. ”Right now our speed is seventy miles per second. ”We'll have to start slowing down, so we'll be going the same speed he is when we catch up to him.”
”I get it,” the copilot said, then added quizzically, ”Better not put on the brakes all at once, chum!”
Tom grinned. ”Don't worry. I'm decelerating now-by degrees.”
The young inventor took time out to radio Ken Horton at the outpost and inform him of the latest developments.