前言

秘方简介

常用词列表

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

AN ELECTRICAL CHRISTENING

"What are you talking about, Chow?" Tom asked, turning to the old Westerner in amazement 惊愕.

Chow related how he had dropped the bubble 泡沫 gum 胶 inside the robot 机器人's head. "Did I ruin 破坏 the critter?" he asked fearfully 可怕.

Tom was thoughtful 周到 for a moment, frowning 皱眉 as they watched Ole Think Box continue its gyrations. The figure seemed to be calming 镇定的 down some‧what 有些, although Tom could not be sure of this.

Suddenly his face brightened 变亮. A new thought had just struck strike the young inventor 发明家! To Chow's amazement 惊愕, Tom slapped 拍击 the cook happily on the back.

"I think you've done me a favor, Chow!" he exclaimed 喊叫.

"I have?" The old Texan stared at his young boss 老板, as if not sure whether or not to believe him. "How come?"

"You saw how Ole Think Box reacted 反应；作出回应；有不良反应；产生反应 to the gum 胶," Tom explained. "That shows the energy 能源 really is like a brain! It's responsive 响应 and sensitive to conditions of its environment 环境, especially when coming up against something new and unexpected 意外."

"You mean they don't have bubble 泡沫 gum 胶 on Planet 行星 X?" Chow asked with a grin 微笑.

Tom smiled as Bud said, "This means we should be able to communicate 通信 with it."

"And the brain will probably be able to communicate 通信 back to us!" Tom went on excitedly. "We may even be able to learn about Planet X!"

As he spoke speak, Ole Think Box's whirling 旋转 became slower and slower. Finally it came to rest close to the three humans.

"What do you suppose happened to the gum 胶?" Bud asked. "Did he chew 嚼 it all up?"

"It's probably unchanged 不变," Tom replied. "Our visitor 访问者 is used to it now."

Chow was still wide-eyed with awe 威严. He stared at the strange creature 动物；生物 as if expecting it to snap 卡 at him in revenge 报仇 for the gum 胶.

"Don't worry, old-timer. Think Box won win't bite 咬," Bud teased 逗. "With that gum 胶 spree, he's just been initiated 发起 into our American tribal 部落的 customs 习惯!" The pilot 飞行员 grinned 微笑. "Hey! We haven't given him a proper name."

"You're right." Tom looked at his pal 朋友 and chuckled 暗笑. "Got any ideas?"

"Hmm. Let me see." Bud scowled and paced 步伐，速度 about with his hands clasped 钩 behind his back. "Firetop—John Q. Pyro—"

"But it ain't on fire now," Chow pointed out.

"Maybe not, but he sure blazed 火焰 a trail 乡间小道 getting here," Bud argued.

Tom and Chow countered 计数器 with several ideas of their own, but nothing seemed suit‧able 适当 until Bud suddenly stopped short and snapped 卡 his fingers.

"I have it! He's a visitor 访问者 from Planet X, so let's call him Exman!" Bud spelled 拼写:spell it out.

"Perfect!" Tom was delighted and Chow agreed that it seemed "a right good monicker." The Texan insisted 咬定 seriously that if the creature 动物；生物 were going to be named, he should also have a proper christening.

"Why not?" Tom agreed, as both boys broke break into laughter 笑. Bud also liked the idea.

Chow had a trouble‧some 麻烦 afterthought. He shoved 推 back his sombrero, squinted frowningly at the brain container, and scratched 刮 his bald 秃 head. "For boat christenings and statues 雕像 and what not, you break bottles on 'em or cut ribbons 带 or pull a sheet off 'em," the cook said. "But how in tar‧nation 柏油‧国家 do you christen a buckaroo from space?"

"Nothing to it, Chow," Tom assured 向…保证；肯定地说 him. "We'll do the job up nice and fancy 想像 with a display 显示 of electricity 电力. But first let's get Exman over to the lab 实验室."

The three loaded the energy 能源 container into the pickup 捡起 truck which had brought it to the hill‧side 山坡 spot. Then Tom drove drive back to Enterprises and they took Exman into his private laboratory 实验室.

Here Tom attached 连接 an electrode 电极 to each side of the star head. One electrode 电极 was safely grounded, the other connected 连接 to a Tesla coil 盘. Then, with all lights turned off in the laboratory 实验室, Tom threw throw a switch 开关.

Instantly a dazzling 炫 arc 弧 of electricity 电力 sputtered through the darkness 黑暗 across the creature 动物；生物's head! The eerie 怪异 display 显示 lit up the room with such impressive 有声有色 effect that both Bud and Chow felt their spines 脊柱 tingle.

"I christen you Exman!" Tom intoned.

For several moments he allowed the fiery 火热 arc 弧 to continue playing about the star head. Then he opened the power switch 开关 and turned the room lights back on.

"Wow! Quite a ceremony 典礼!" Bud murmured 私语.

"After a send-off like that, I'll be expectin' the critter to do great things here on this lil ole planet Earth!" Chow declared fervently.

"You could be right," Tom said.

Worn out by the long wait for their visitor from Planet X and the excitement 激动 following his arrival 到达, Chow finally went off to his own quarters at Enterprises for a well-earned sleep.

"Guess you and I had better get some shut 关闭-eye too, pal 朋友," Tom told Bud. "And I think I won't tell Dad 爸 until morning."

The two boys decided to bunk 假寐 on cots 婴儿床 in the small apartment adjoining 毗 Tom's laboratory 实验室. Exman, mean‧while 同时, was left locked in the laboratory 实验室 with a tiny 小 "night light" showing on him.

"Just a little ray 光束 of energy 能源 to keep him company," Tom explained with a chuckle 暗笑.

Minutes later, the two boys were sound asleep 睡着的. For a while, all was silent. Then the apartment's telephone rang, shattering 打碎 the stillness. Tom struggled out of the depths of sleep, got up, and groped 摸索 his way over to the wall phone.

"Tom Swift Jr. speaking."

A familiar voice asked, "Did it come?"

"Oh, hi 嗨, Dad 爸!" Tom replied, yawning 打哈欠. "Yes, Exman arrived in fine shape. We've put him to bed. Tell you all about it tomorrow morning."

"Okay 好的, Tom."

As Tom hung up, Bud roused 唤醒 and switched 开关 on a lamp 灯. He had awakened 憬 in time to catch only part of Tom's words. "Your father?" he inquired 打听.

Tom nodded 点头 sleepily 困 and was about to go back to bed. But Bud, still fascinated 深深吸引；迷住 by the space visitor, decided to have a peek 窥视 at Exman. He got up and opened the door to the laboratory 实验室. A yell 叫喊 from him brought Tom rushing 仓促 to his side.

"Hey! It's gone!"

The spot by the night light where they had left Exman was now deserted 沙漠；抛弃! Tom found a wall switch 开关 and pressed it. As light from the over‧head 高架 fluorescent 荧 tubes 管 flooded 洪水 the room, the boys gave laughing cries of relief.

Ole Think Box had merely moved himself to another corner of the room!

"Guess he didn't like that little chum we left on for him," Bud said with a chuckle 暗笑.

"Let's leave him where he is," Tom agreed.

The two boys went back to the adjoining 毗 apartment and were soon asleep 睡着的 again. Several hours later they were rudely 粗鲁的 awakened 憬 by a loud 响亮的 crash 碰撞 of glass and a heavy thud.

"Something's happening to Exman!" Tom cried.

With Bud at his heels 脚跟, the young inventor 发明家 dashed 短跑 into the laboratory 实验室.

CHAPTER XII

EXMAN TAKES ORDERS

A strange sight greeted 欢迎 Tom's and Bud's eyes. In the first rays 光束 of sun‧light 阳光, the space robot 机器人 was moving back and forth about the laboratory 实验室 in wild zigzag darts 镖 and lunges 肺.

As he rolled toward a bench 长凳 or other object, the brain energy 能源 seemed to send out invisible 无形 waves that knocked 敲 things over! Already the floor was strewn with toppled 倾覆 lab 实验室 stools 粪便, books, and broken break test tubes. The heavy thud had apparently 据…所知；看来；据说；听说 been caused by a falling file 文件 cabinet 内阁.

"Stop him!" Bud yelped.

Exman was heading straight for a plate 盘子-glass window! Reaching from floor to ceiling 天花板, the glass formed one entire wall of the laboratory 实验室.

"Oh, no!" Tom tensed 紧张, realizing that it was hope‧less 绝望 to try to stop Exman in time.

But an instant 瞬间 later, the rolling robot 机器人 stopped of its own accord, as if registering 寄存器 the fact that its energy 能源 waves were now striking a fragile 脆弱 surface. The thick pane 窗格 of glass vibrated 颤动 in its frame.

"Good grief 哀思!" Tom wiped 擦 his brow 眉头. "Let's corral that thing before he wrecks 破坏；使遇难 the whole lab 实验室!"

Exman was already rolling off on a new tack 钉. The two boys managed to grab 用手抓 him before more harm 损害 was done. The brain energy 能源 in its container seemed to calm 镇定的 under their touch.

"What in the name of space science triggered 触发 it off?" Bud wondered out loud 响亮的.

"Time. It must have reacted to the passage of time," Tom conjectured 推测. "I suppose it just decided to explore this place." He added a bit 一点 nervously 担心的, "The sooner we can communicate 通信 with this energy 能源, the better!"

"But how?" Bud asked.

Tom's brow 眉头 furrowed 畦. "Say, I wonder if Exman might understand a direct order?"

Tom backed a few paces 步伐，速度 away from the space robot 机器人, then said in a loud, clear voice, "Come here!"

Exman remained fixed to its spot.

"Move right!" No response 响应. "Move left!" Still no response 响应.

"Guess you're not getting through, skipper 船长," Bud commented 评论 with a grin 微笑.

"No," Tom agreed. "I can't predict 预测 what kind of energy 能源 this brain will respond 响应 to. Being only energy 能源, it must respond 响应 to other energy 能源 and sound is our form of energy 能源. The problem is the same as with radio waves, which are also energy 能源. We must figure out how we can vary 变化 the energy 能源, so it can transmit 发送 information to Exman."

"What do we try?" Bud asked. "Or is it hope‧less 绝望?"

"I'll try communicating 通信 with it via 通过 the electronic 电子 brain, which I have adapted 改变；适应于 to fit this problem."

The boys cleaned up the wreck‧age 残骸 caused by Exman in his dawn 黎明 venturings 企业；投机活动；商业冒险. Then Tom went by jeep 吉普车 to the computer laboratory 实验室, made connections to his electronic 电子 brain, and wired it for remote 远程 control. Then he returned to the private laboratory 实验室. There Bud watched as he hooked 钩 up the leads from the computer to a transmitting 发送-receiving decoder 解码 with a short-range antenna 天线.

"Speak, O Master!" Bud said, imitating 模仿 a squeaky robot 机器人 voice. "Sound off loud and clear!"

Tom grinned 微笑 and tapped 敲；龙头；汲取（液体） out a command on the key‧board 键盘: Move backward 向后的.

Exman rolled backward! Bud gave a whoop 叫喊 of delight.

Tom signaled: Move forward. Obediently Exman rolled toward him.

Stop. Exman stopped.

"Hey, how about that?" Bud exclaimed 喊叫 happily. "It really savvies 精明 those electronic 电子 brain impulses 冲动!"

"And minds them—which is equally important," Tom added.

A moment later the brain energy 能源 seemed to become impatient 不耐烦. It spurted 喷 off in its wheeled container toward a laboratory 实验室 work‧bench 工作‧长凳.

Crash 碰撞! A rack 架 of test tubes went sailing 航行；帆 to the floor with an explosion 爆炸 of tinkling glass.

Stop! Tom signaled frantically 疯狂. Again Exman obeyed 服从 the order.

"It's like a mischievous kid 孩子," Bud said.

Almost as if in defiance 蔑视, Exman scooted off in another direction. Then it stopped abruptly 突然 and swiveled 旋转 around, one of its antenna 天线 arms knocking 敲 a Bunsen burner to the floor as it did so.

Come here! Tom signaled. As the culprit 罪魁祸首 approached, he added sternly 严肃, Stop where you are. And stay there until you receive further orders.

This time Exman stood patiently, awaiting 等待 the next signal. Bud got a brush and dust‧pan 灰尘‧平底锅, and the boys cleaned up the broken test tubes and replaced the burner on its shelf 架子.

Then Tom began feeding more complicated 使复杂化 instructions 指令 to Exman through the electronic 电子 brain. He guided him through a number of dance‧like 跳舞‧喜欢；象 movements 运动 and other drills 钻头, and got him to send out a wave of heat which the boys could instantly 瞬间 feel. Tom was even able to make the robot 机器人 aim its wave energy 能源 so as to short-circuit 电路 a switch 开关 on an electrical 电动 control panel 面板.

Tom was both pleased and excited. "Bud," he exclaimed 喊叫, "the brain reacts 反应；作出回应；有不良反应；产生反应 as quickly as that of a highly intelligent 智能 being! Just imagine—without any sort of decoding 解码 equipment 设备, it can pick up and understand the radio signals I beam 梁 out to it!"

"What we need now," Tom went on, "is a simple language to get our ideas across to Exman without having to use the electronic 电子 brain all the time. That means I must find a way to give Exman senses as we humans have—smell, touch, sight, hearing, taste. Then it could receive the same reactions 反应 we do and talk directly to us!"

"Sounds like quite an order," Bud said wryly 扭歪. "Speaking of which, how about us phoning Chow an order for break‧fast 早餐?"

He did so, and a short time later Chow wheeled a food cart 运货马车 into the laboratory 实验室. As he dished 盘 out man-sized helpings of ham 火腿 and eggs 鸡蛋, the cook kept a wary 警惕 eye on Exman. Tom was putting the robot 机器人 through a few more lively maneuvers 演习；移动.

"A good meal 餐'd calm 镇定的 down Ole Think Box," Chow observed grumpily. "But what do you feed that there kind o' contraption?"

"Well, not gum 胶, that's for sure!" Bud teased 逗. After tasting his first forkful of food, he gasped 喘气, "And none of this ham 火腿!"

Jumping up from his lab 实验室 stool 粪便, Bud began whirling 旋转, dancing around, and flapping 拍打 his arms as if he were burning up.

"Help! Help!" he yelled 叫喊. "Chow's poisoned 毒药 me—just like he did Exman!"

Chow's leathery old face paled under its desert 沙漠；抛弃 tan 黄褐色. "Great snakes, Tom!" the Texan gulped 吞. "Have I really pizened him? Maybe we should call Doc Simpson!"

Doc was the medic in charge of the Enterprises infirmary.

Tom was unable 无法 to keep a straight face. "Better call someone with a strait jacket 衣服—or a butter‧fly 蝴蝶 net 网!" he said, quaking with laughter 笑. "I'm afraid he's just pulling your leg, Chow!"

Chow's jaw 下巴 clamped 钳 shut 关闭 like a bear trap 陷阱；诱骗 and he glared 强光 at the pirouetting young flier. Bud collapsed 坍方 on his stool 粪便, doubled over with mirth.

" Sorry 对不起的, old-timer," he gasped 喘气. "I just couldn't resist 抵抗!"

"Okay 好的, Buddy boy," Chow said darkly. "And mebbe I won't be able to resist gettin' even one o' these days!" The cook stumped 树墩 out of the laboratory 实验室 in his high-heeled 脚跟 cowboy 牛仔 boots 靴；鞋, a picture of out‧rage 暴行 dignity 尊严.

"Better watch out, pal 朋友!" Tom warned with a grin 微笑. "Just remember: it's never smart 聪明 to bite 咬 the hand that feeds you!"

"I guess you're right," Bud agreed, wiping 擦 away the tears of laughter 笑. "I'll remember, just as long as Chow promises not to serve us any more armadillo soup 汤 or rattle‧snake 霸王鞭‧蛇 salad 沙拉!"

Chow's fondness for experimenting with weird 奇怪的 dishes 盘 was a standing joke 笑话 around Enterprises.

The boys ate their meal 餐 hungrily 饥饿. As they were finishing, Tom glanced 一瞥 at the big clock 钟 on the wall. It was now well past eight 八 o' clock.

"Wonder why Dad 爸 hasn't come to the lab 实验室," he remarked. "I'd better call and find out if he's all right."

Tom picked up the telephone and asked the operator for the direct line to the Swifts' home. His father answered.

"'Morning, Dad 爸!" Tom greeted him. "I thought after your call last night, you'd be over bright and early to see our visitor. He's already—"

"What are you talking about, son?" Mr. Swift broke in. "I didn't phone you last night!"

CHAPTER XIII

DISASTER STRIKES

Tom was thunderstruck. "You didn't phone me? But, Dad 爸, I got the call—I definitely 无疑 heard your voice!"

"That's impossible," Mr. Swift insisted 咬定. "Believe me, son, I slept sleep soundly from the time I turned in until a little while ago."

There was a moment of stunned 击晕 silence as both Swifts realized that the telephone call had been faked 假! Then Tom exclaimed 喊叫:

"Dad 爸, this is serious!"

"Deadly serious, I agree," his father replied. "Are you calling from your lab 实验室?"

"Yes!"

"Stay there. I'll be right over," the elder 年长的 scientist 科学家 said.

When Mr. Swift arrived, Tom related his conversation with the mysterious 神秘 caller. His father listened with worried eyes and a puzzled 使迷惑 frown 皱眉.

"It's bad enough that an enemy was able to get the information," Mr. Swift remarked. "But, potentially 可能 at least, it's even more dangerous 危险 that he was able to imitate 模仿 my voice so well. If he could fool you, Tom, he could fool anyone!"

"Are you thinking the same thing I am, Dad 爸?"

"That it may have been some insider here at Enterprises?" When Tom nodded 点头, his father gravely 坟墓；严重的 agreed. "Yes, son, it does look that way. To imitate my voice convincingly 信服地, it would almost certainly have to be someone who's had close contact 联系 with us—either at the plant or here in Shopton."

The thought of a traitor 叛徒 at the experimental 试验 station was repugnant to the Swifts and to Bud as well. Not only were all employees carefully 小心 screened, but there was a close, almost family relationship among those who took part in the exciting scientific ventures 企业；投机活动；商业冒险 at Swift Enterprises.

Tom called Security 安全 and asked Harlan Ames to come over to the laboratory 实验室 at once. The security 安全 chief arrived within moments. Quickly Tom filled him in on the details of the puzzling 使迷惑 telephone call.

"Think back, skipper 船长," Ames urged. "Was there anything at all you can remember about the voice that might give us a tip 尖；窍门-off? I mean, was it deep, or maybe a bit 一点 higher-pitched 沥青 than you expected? Or anything about the way the caller pronounced 发音 his words?"

Tom shook shake his head. "Nothing. That's the trouble. He spoke only a couple of sentences 句子, but so far as I knew, it was my father calling!"

"Hmmm." Ames frowned 皱眉. "What about back‧ground 背景 noises 噪音?"

Tom thought hard. "None. If I had detected 发现，察觉，看出 any special sounds during the call, I'm sure they would have stuck stick in my mind."

Ames tried another tack 钉. He asked how many people had known about the expected arrival 到达 of the brain energy 能源 from space. This was harder to answer, but as Tom and his father enumerated the persons, it did help to narrow the circle of suspects 怀疑；嫌疑犯.

Besides the Swifts, Chow, Phyl, Ames, and George Dilling, there were three groups who had had access 访问 to the information. One was the radio operators at the space-communications 通讯 laboratory 实验室. Another consisted 组成 of Arv Hanson and Hank Sterling and the workmen who had taken part in building the energy 能源 container. The last group, which also included Hank and Arv, were the technicians 技术员 who had actually gone to the hill‧side 山坡 to await 等待 the visitor from Planet X.

Tom scowled. "None of those people would pull such a trick 哄骗；诀窍, Harlan—any more than the ones like you and Arv and Hank who are above suspicion 怀疑. Most of them could have easily obtained 获得 the news without going through such a rigmarole."

Mr. Swift nodded 点头. "Tom's right. Unless, of course, they had some urgent 急迫的 reason for wanting to find out as soon as possible."

"Which makes me think it may have been an outsider after all," Tom argued. "Remember, the Brungarians may have intercepted 截距 the code 码 messages to or from our space friends." After a moment's silence, he added gloomily 阴沉, " Whoever 无论谁 the caller was, he knew the energy 能源 was arriving. And now he knows it's here!"

Bud interjected, "Well, if he was a Brungarian agent and he's hoping to steal the brain energy 能源, one thing's sure. No earthquake 地震 will demolish 拆除 this place as long as the energy 能源 is here at Enterprises."

"A comforting thought, Bud," Mr. Swift commented 评论 with a wry 扭歪 smile.

Again Tom frowned 皱眉. "At any rate, Harlan, see if you can get a line on that impostor."

Ames departed 离开 to begin a thorough check of all personnel 人员 at the plant who might have been implicated 连累. Bud went on an errand 使命, as Tom began showing his father the accomplishments 成就 of the space robot 机器人.

"We've christened him Exman," Tom said.

By means of the electronic 电子 brain, he made the visitor do a number of maneuvers 演习；移动 in response 响应 to orders.

"Wonderful 精彩!" Mr. Swift exclaimed 喊叫, greatly impressed 给…留下深刻印象；使钦佩. "Let's see if he can use his caterpillar 毛虫 treads 踏 as well as he does the wheels."

Tom brought a small flight 飞行 of port‧able 手提 aluminum 铝 stairs 楼梯 which he used for reaching up on high shelves or tinkering 修补匠 with outsized machines. Tom was uncertain 不确定 at first how to code 码 the command, having no symbol 标志，象征 for steps or stairs. Finally he moved Exman to the bottom of the steps and signaled simply: Go up!

Exman paused 暂停 for a moment, then attempted the ascent 上升. His caterpillar 毛虫 tracks 小路 clawed 爪 their way up the first step. Then, gingerly 生姜, he essayed 短文 the next. The robot 机器人 body tilted 倾斜, but its gyro kept it from toppling 倾覆 over.

"Bravo!" Mr. Swift applauded 鼓掌欢迎 encouragingly. But the next instant 瞬间 Exman gave up! He slid slide back to the floor again with a heavy bump 磕碰. Then he began whirling 旋转 and darting 镖 about madly 疯狂的.

"Good night! Exman's gone berserk!" Tom cried.

Now wafts of smoke could be seen issuing from the robot 机器人's wheels. He was banging 砰 wildly about the laboratory 实验室, leaving a trail 乡间小道 of havoc 浩劫.

Bud, who had returned, opened the door to come in. Instantly Exman lunged 肺 toward him, antennas 天线 sparking 火花 fiercely 凶猛的 and wheels smoking. Bud slammed 猛撞 the door hastily 草草.

The Swifts, too, found it wiser 明智的；聪明的 to take cover. They crouched 蹲伏 behind a lab 实验室 work‧bench 工作‧长凳 until the frenzy 发狂 was over. Presently Exman sub‧side 塌陷 and rolled to a complete stand‧still 站；台‧仍.

"Good grief 哀思!" Tom stood up cautiously 小心的 and eyed the creature 3. It made no further move. Bud poked 戳 his head through the door‧way 门口 for a wary 警惕 look, then re-entered the laboratory 实验室.

"What made him blow his top?" Bud asked.

Then Tom heard a quiet chuckle 暗笑 from his father. "Actually, boys," the elder 年长的 scientist 科学家 said, "I think we should be encouraged."

"Encouraged?" Tom stared at his father.

Mr. Swift nodded 点头. "Yes, the whole thing was rather a note‧worthy 值得一提的 reaction 反应. I believe Exman was displaying 显示 a fear complex 复杂 about navigating 导航 up those stairs."

Tom gasped 喘气, then broke out laughing. "Dad 爸, you're right! I'll bet when its body tilted 倾斜 over, the brain wasn't sure whether the gyro would keep it from being wrecked 破坏；使遇难. It just shows Ole Think Box is getting more human all the time!"

Bud ventured 企业；投机活动；商业冒险 to pat 拍 Exman on its "back." "Relax 放松, kid 孩子," he said with a chuckle 暗笑. "You're among friends and we wouldn't dream of letting you get hurt 损害. You're too valuable 贵重的!"

Mr. Swift stroked 一击;轻抚 his jaw 下巴 thoughtfully 沉思地. " Valuable, yes, if we can only get it to communicate 通信. Tom, I believe the first project 项目 we should work on is a way to make Exman talk."

After the debris 废墟 had been cleaned up, the two scientists 科学家 pulled up stools 粪便 to the work‧bench 工作‧长凳 and began to discuss the problem. Bud, seeing them absorbed 吸收, and realizing the discussion would soon be far beyond his depth, snapped 卡 a grinning 微笑 salute 礼炮 at Exman and quietly left the laboratory 实验室.

"Dad 爸, the toughest 坚强的 part won't be the speech mechanism 机制 itself 本身," Tom pointed out. "There are several ways we could handle that—by modulating a column 柱 of air, for instance 例, or by some sort of speaker diaphragm. The real stumper 树墩 will be how to teach him our spoken speak language."

Mr. Swift nodded 点头. "I'm afraid you're right. If the inhabitants 居民 of Planet X communicate 通信 telepathically, or by some sort of wave transfer 转让, they may have long since forgotten forget any concept 概念 of a spoken language."

The Swifts batted 蝙蝠 several ideas back and forth. Then Tom snapped 卡 his fingers.

"Wait, Dad 爸! We have the answer! The electronic 电子 brain!"

Mr. Swift's eyes lighted up. "Of course! The machine already translates 翻译 the space code 码 into written English. All we need do is add a device 设备 to convert 转变 the machine's impulses 冲动 into sound!"

In two hours the Swifts had put together a mechanism 机制 designed to work through a tape 胶带 recorder. This was hooked up to the electronic 电子 brain.

After recording for several moments, Tom reversed 反向；倒转 the tape 胶带 and switched 开关 on the play‧back 打；演；玩‧背；往回. A squeaky jumble 混乱 of noises could be heard. But one word seemed to come through fairly distinctly 历历. "Universe!"

"It's talking!" Tom cried out.

"Trying to, but not succeeding very well," Mr. Swift said.

Nevertheless 虽然, the two scientists were jubilant at this first break‧through 突破. Eagerly they began making adjustments 调整—both on the electronic 电子-brain hookup and the converter 转变 mechanism. Tom was just about to switch 开关 on the tape 胶带 recorder again when the telephone rang.

The young inventor 发明家 was annoyed 打扰 at being interrupted 打断 at such a crucial 关键 moment, but picked up the phone. "Tom Swift Jr. speaking."

"You have an urgent 急迫的 call from Washington," the operator informed him. "Just a moment, please."

Bernt Ahlgren was calling from the Pentagon. The defense expert 专家's voice was strained 压力.

"Tom, there's just been another attempt to cause an earthquake 地震 here in Washington!"

Tom gasped 喘气. "What happened?"

"It failed, thanks to you. But Intelligence 情报 believes an attempt will be made on New York City very soon. We need your help to stop it. How near completion are the other shock deflectors?"

Before Tom could answer, he heard excited voices at the other end of the line. Then Ahlgren broke in again abruptly 突然.

"A news flash 使闪光, Tom! The Walling range-finder plant has been demolished 拆除 by an earthquake 地震!"

CHAPTER XIV

AIR-BORNE HIJACKERS

Mr. Swift, hearing Tom's dismayed 沮丧 reaction 反应, rushed 仓促 to the telephone.

"What's wrong, son?"

Tom clamped 钳 his hand over the mouth‧piece 口‧块 and quickly gave his father the news of the destroyed range-finder plant. Then he spoke into the telephone.

"Bernt, we must prevent another disaster 灾难，大祸! Let me check with our construction 施工 company on the Quakelizors and I'll call you right back!"

"Right, Tom," Ahlgren agreed.

Both Tom and Mr. Swift were shocked by this latest blow of their enemies. Tom called Ned Newton at the Swift Construction 施工 Company at once and told him the news.

"How soon will the Quakelizors be ready, Uncle 叔叔 Ned?"

"They're finished, Tom. We're running a final 最后 inspection 检查 on them right now. We can have them ready to ship out by one o' clock 钟."

Tom relayed 中继 word to the Pentagon. Bernt Ahlgren was greatly relieved 解除. "By the way," Tom went on, "what about the sites? Have they been chosen choose yet?"

"Only tentatively 姑且," Ahlgren replied. "We wanted to get your opinion first."

One of the deflectors, Ahlgren felt, should be based in position to guard the New York and New England area, in view of Intelligence 情报 warnings about a probable attack on New York City. Another, in the Cumberland plateau 高原 region 地区 of Kentucky, could damp 微湿的 out shock waves threatening either the heavily 很大，沉重地 industrialized 工业化 Great Lakes area or any southern 南部的 city.

As to the other three Quakelizors, Ahlgren suggested that one be installed 安装 on the West Coast, one in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and the third on the Atlantic island of San Rosario. This would protect both Latin-American allies 联盟；盟友 and Caribbean defense bases of the United States.

Before deciding, Tom asked that Dr. Miles at the Bureau of Mines be circuited 电路 into the telephone conversation. Mr. Swift, too, joined in on another line. The four scientists discussed the problem and referred to geologic maps 地图. Finally the exact sites were agreed upon.

"Dad 爸, I'm going to deliver and install 安装 one of those Quakelizors myself 我," Tom declared, after the telephone conference 会议 ended. "Judging from that phone impostor last night, there's no telling what sort of trick 哄骗；诀窍 our enemies may try next!"

Mr. Swift approved heartily 爽朗. "Good idea, son. In the mean‧time 其时, I'll see what I can accomplish 完成；实现；达到；做到 with Ole Think Box here."

Tom notified 通知 Uncle 叔叔 Ned of the delivery 传送 sites. He requested that because of the urgency 急 of the situation, Swift planes 平面 transport 运输 the Quakelizors. Mr. Newton promised to have five cargo 货物 jets 喷射 loaded and prepared for take-off from the construction 施工 company air‧field 机场.

Next, Tom turned to the job of rounding up flight 飞行 crews 全体工作人员；全体船员. He decided that Hank Sterling, Arv Hanson, Art Wiltessa, and a crack 破裂 Swift test pilot 飞行员, Slim Davis, would each captain a plane 平面.

Tom was just hanging up the telephone when Chow wheeled in a lunch 午餐 cart 运货马车, bearing sizzling servings of steak 牛扒 for the two Swifts.

"How's Ole Think Box comin' along?" Chow inquired.

"All right now, but he went berserk a while back," Tom replied with a chuckle 暗笑.

Chow eyed the robot 机器人 apprehensively and made a hasty 匆 exit 出口. Both Tom Jr. and Tom Sr. were amused 使人发笑.

As they ate, the two scientists continued their discussion on how to equip 装备 Exman with senses and the power of speech. Several minutes later, when they were finishing dessert 甜点, Bud came into the laboratory 实验室.

"Tom, what's this about you hopping 跳 off somewhere to install 安装 a Quakelizor?" he asked anxiously 焦急的.

"Don't worry, pal 朋友. I'll need my usual copilot," Tom said with a grin 微笑. "Just didn't have time to call you before lunch 午餐. We'll be flying down to a place called San Rosario in the Caribbean."

At one o'clock 3 Tom briefed 简要 the flight 飞行 crews and technicians 技术员. Slim was provided with three men who had worked on the original 原版的 model of the quake deflector. After making sure that every man knew his job, Tom had the groups flown fly by helicopter 直升机 over to the Swift Construction 施工 Company air‧field 机场.

Tom and Bud's cargo 货物 jet 喷射 was the second to take off. On signal from the tower 塔, the big work‧horse 工作‧马 thundered 雷声 down the runway 跑道 and soared 翱翔 off into the blue. Soon it was spearing 矛 south‧ward 南方‧病房 above the waters of the Atlantic.

Presently Bud drew draw Tom's attention to some blurry specks of light on the radar‧scope 雷达‧范围. "Looks like a formation 结构；形状；形成方式；组成方式 of planes 平面, skipper 船长."

Tom studied the blips for a while. "Guess you're right. It's sure not a flock 群 of sea gulls 鸥!" The young inventor 发明家 frowned 皱眉.

"Worried, Tom?" Bud asked quietly.

Tom shrugged 耸. "It could be a routine 惯例，常规；例行公事 military 军事 flight 飞行."

He increased speed and climbed for altitude 高度. But the blips on the radar‧scope 雷达‧范围 showed that the planes 平面 were coming steadily closer. It was clear that they were targeting 目标 on the Swift cargo 货物 jet 喷射.

Tom switched 开关 on the radio. Presently a voice crackled 裂纹 over their head‧phone 耳机:

"Calling Swift jet 喷射!" The voice was heavily 很大，沉重地 accented 口音.

"Brungarians!" Bud muttered 咕哝.

Tom made no reply to the radio challenge 挑战. Again came the voice:

"Calling Swift jet 喷射! Make emergency 急 landing on the water!"

Tom's only response 响应 was a fresh burst 爆裂 of speed. Gunning the jet 喷射 motors, he sent send the big cargo 货物 ship arrowing 箭头；矢 forward at supersonic velocity 速度.

"There they are!" Bud cried suddenly. He pointed to a cluster 簇 of silvery glints in the sky at seven 七 o'clock.

Tom zoomed 放大 down‧ward 向下 into a billowing cloud bank. It was a feeble 微弱 hope and Tom knew it. His only real chance now was to outrun or out‧maneuver 出‧演习；移动 the marauders.

The slim 瘦 hope faded 褪去 as they emerged 出现 from the cloud cover moments later. The enemy planes 平面 were not only still dogging them, but closing in rapidly. Sleek, needle 针-nosed attack ships, they appeared to have sea‧plane 海‧飞机，航空器 hulls 船壳.

"Wow! Those are new ones!" Bud gasped 喘气.

"Our last warning to Swift jet 喷射! Hit the water or be shot shoot down!" came the enemy voice.

Tom raced along, his mind searching frantically 疯狂 for a method 方法 of escape.

Bud switched 开关 off radio power momentarily 短暂的. "If we're going to be hijacked 劫持, skipper 船长, let's ditch 沟渠 your invention 发明 before it's too late!"

Tom shook his head stubbornly 倔强. "Why should I let those pirates 海盗 bulldoze us? Actually, I think they're after Exman!"

This last thought was a hunch 直觉 that had just occurred 发生 to Tom. It was clear that their foe 敌人 had learned learn about the arrival 到达 of the energy 能源 from space. "But so far," Tom reasoned, "there's no cause to suppose they know anything about the quake deflectors."

Stalling for time, Tom switched 开关 on the radio again and spoke into the mike 麦克风. "Swift jet 喷射 to attack planes 平面. Our home base is picking up every word of your threats 威胁. Shoot us down and America will consider it an act of war!... Care to risk it?"

There was a moment's silence, then a reply. "War, you say? How can there be a question of war? War against whom 谁? You do not even know our national 国民 identity 身分!"

"Don't kid 孩子 yourselves, mister 薄雾!" Bud put in with a snarl 搞乱. "We know, all right, and so does United States Intelligence 情报!"

Tom decided to risk a blunt 钝 query 询问, without actually giving away any facts, in case his hunch 直觉 about the Brungarian's knowledge was wrong.

"There was a phone call to Swift Enterprises last night," he radioed. "We know it was a fake 假. We also know your agents are aware 知道的 of our visitor.... Right?"

After a pause 暂停, the enemy spokesman 发言人 replied, "Perhaps. If so, what then?"

"Just this," Tom radioed back. "If you're hoping to meet our visitor, you're out of luck. I'll give you my word for it. Do you think we'd risk such a valuable character in an unguarded crate 箱 like this?"

Tom and Bud looked at each other. Somehow, both boys felt instinctively 本能 that Tom's words had struck home. The enemy had certainly risen rise to the bait 饵.

Finally came the reply. "You Swifts have a reputation 名气 for scrupulous honesty 诚实." There was a slight sneer 冷笑 in the speaker's voice as if he considered this a foolish 傻 weakness 弱点. "You give me your word of honor that this—er—character is not aboard 船上?"

"I do!" Tom snapped 卡. "And if you don't trust me, go ahead and risk a war!"

The boys waited breath‧less 咋舌 for the out‧come 结果 of Tom's bold 胆大的；醒目的 gamble 赌. Soon they saw the result. The pursuing 追求 planes 平面 suddenly peeled 剥 off and sped away in the direction from which they had first appeared.

"Whew!" Bud wiped his hand across his face and drew it away moist 湿 with perspiration. "How do you like that?"

Tom chuckled 暗笑 with relief. "I like it fine, fly boy. But I was sure worried there for a while!"

Less than an hour later, the big cargo 货物 jet 喷射 touched down at the San Rosario air‧port 飞机场. An armed guard was on hand to greet 欢迎 the boys, under command of an officer named Captain Sanchez. He had brought along a work crew 全体工作人员；全体船员 of soldiers and also a geology 地质学 expert 专家, Professor 教授 Leone, from the island's small technical 技术 school.

"I have selected 选择 a spot on the eastern 东方的 shore of the island," the professor 教授 told Tom. He unrolled a map 地图 and explained the site.

"Excellent," Tom agreed.

The Quakelizor parts, communications 通讯 equipment 设备, and small atomic 原子 earth blaster 爆破 were quickly unloaded 卸下 and transported 运输 to the site by trucks. In three hours the installation 安装 was finished.

Tom, who spoke Spanish fairly well, explained to a small group of San Rosario military 军事 technicians 技术员 how the quake deflector worked. He also detailed one of his own men to stay on as trouble shooter for the setup 建立.

"And now," said Captain Sanchez, beaming 梁, "we must relax 放松 and celebrate 庆祝 the friend‧ship 友情 of our two countries."

Tom and Bud, though eager 渴望的 to get home, hesitated 犹豫 to hurt 损害 the friendly officer's feelings. They sat sit through a delicious 美味的 meal, followed by numerous 很多的 speeches. When his own turn to speak came, Tom used it to warn against possible sabotage 破坏 attempts by the Brungarians. At last the boys were allowed to take off with their crew 全体工作人员；全体船员.

" Swell 膨胀；增强 guys 家伙," Bud said, when the boys were airborne 空降, "but a bit hard to break away from!"

Tom grinned 微笑, then became serious. "You know, Bud," he said thoughtfully 沉思地, "those aerial 天线 hijackers 劫持者 gave me an idea."

"Let's have it, skipper 船长."

"If only I could get Exman perfected so he would report back to me," Tom explained, "I could let him be kidnaped 绑架. Think what a wonderful 精彩 'inside man' he'd make in the enemy setup 建立! He could tip 尖；窍门 us off to everything the Brungarians were doing!"

"Hey, that's neat 整洁的!" Bud exclaimed 喊叫, wide-eyed. "But how could you be sure those Brungarian rebel 反叛 scientists wouldn't change him somehow? I mean they might brain‧wash 脑‧洗 him or something."

"It's a risk," Tom agreed. "But that's my problem—how to make a perfect spy 间谍 out of him."

It was mid‧night 午夜 when the cargo 货物 jet 喷射 touched down on the Enterprises air‧field 机场. The boys slept soundly.

The next morning Tom reported to Mr. Swift and Harlan Ames the out‧come 结果 of his trip to San Rosario, including the attack en 恩 route 路线 by unmarked 无人盯防 sky raiders. He also privately told his father about his plan to use Exman as an electronic 电子 spy 间谍. Mr. Swift was enthusiastic 热情.

The two scientists promptly 敏捷的 set to work. Mr. Swift built two powerful 强大 but miniature 微型 radio sets; one for receiving, one for transmitting 发送. Tom, mean‧while 同时, was busy on another device 设备, also highly miniaturized, combining features 特征 of both the electronic 电子 decoder 解码 and Tom's famous 著名 midget computers, known as Little Idiots.

With this equipment 设备, Tom hoped, Exman would be able to monitor 监控 all communications 通讯 at Brungarian rebel 反叛 head‧quarter 总部, then radio the information to Enterprises.

Chow brought lunch 午餐 to the laboratory 实验室 at noon 正午, and Bud came in later. Both stayed to watch the out‧come 结果 of the experiment. Hank Sterling and Arv Hanson joined the group.

By mid‧afternoon 中‧下午 the equipment 设备 was ready for a tryout. Tom opened Exman's star head, inserted 插 the gear 齿轮, and made the delicate 微妙的；纤弱的 wiring connections.

"So far, so good," the young inventor 4 murmured 私语, stepping back. "Now for the real test! Will Exman answer our questions?"

Tom walked over to the electronic 电子 decoder 解码 brain and began to tap 敲；龙头；汲取（液体） out a message on the key‧board 键盘. The others waited in breath‧less 咋舌 suspense 悬念.

CHAPTER XV

KIDNAPED!

The message which Tom signaled in code 码 over the electronic 电子 brain said:

WE HAVE A DANGEROUS PLAN. IF PLAN WORKS, YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO ENEMY TAMPERING. WILL THIS BE SAFE? CAN YOU STAND THIS?

There was a tense 紧张 pause 暂停. Then the signal bell 钟 rang on the machine and the keys began to punch 冲床 out a reply on tape 胶带:

NO ONE CAN ALTER THIS BRAIN NOR CAN THEY CHANGE ITS PURPOSE. THEY CAN ONLY DESTROY THE ENERGY HOLDER.

As Tom finished reading the message aloud 高声, Chow gave a whoop 叫喊 of delight and the whole group burst 爆裂 into spontaneous 自发 cheers 欢呼.

"Terrific, skipper 船长!" Bud exclaimed 喊叫, clapping 拍 his pal 朋友 on the back. The others gathered around to add their congratulations 祝贺.

Mr. Swift, beaming with pride 自尊, gave Tom a quick hand-squeeze 挤. "It's an amazing 使大为惊奇，使惊愕 achievement 成就, son. And it may prove to be the key for unlocking 开锁 the secrets of space, if and when we have time for some research after this crisis 危机 is over."

"I sure hope so, Dad 爸," Tom murmured 私语. Though jubilant, the young inventor 5 realized that this was only the first step in his plan to check‧mate 检查‧伴，友 the Brungarian rebels 反叛.

The real perils 岌 still lay lie ahead!

Tom called Harlan Ames and asked him to come to the laboratory 实验室 for a conference 会议. When the security 安全 chief arrived, he was as impressed as the others with the way Tom was able to communicate 通信 with Exman.

"The problem now," Tom said, "is how do we have him kidnaped 绑架?"

Chow, wary 警惕 as a coyote, offered his opinion that the safest way would be merely to leave the space robot 机器人 unguarded somewhere about the grounds of Enterprises.

Ames shook his head. "Too obvious 明显. They'd suspect 怀疑；嫌疑犯 a trap 陷阱；诱骗." Tom agreed.

"Wal, then, how about truckin' him along the high‧way 公路 hereabouts, as if you all were sendin' him down to Washington?"

This, too, was vetoed 否决 on the grounds that a shrewd 精明 espionage 间谍 agent would guess that such a valuable prize 奖赏 would never be entrusted 委托 to a slow and vulnerable 弱势 method 方法 of transport 运输.

"Then what about an air flight 飞行?" Hank Sterling suggested.

"Brand 牌 my six-guns, that'd be jest beggin' to git your‧self 你自己 shot down!" Chow fumed 烟.

"Not if we used a plane 平面 like the Sky Queen 女王, equipped 装备 with jet 喷射 lifters," Hank argued. "If any hijack 劫持 planes 平面 jumped us, they'd have to let us come down safely in order to get their hands on Exman. We could land on the water or just hover 徘徊 while they made the transfer 转让."

"And after they had it safe aboard 船上 their own plane 平面, they'd blast 爆破 yours to smithereens!" Chow retorted 反驳.

Tom, too, thought a plane 平面 flight 飞行 unwise 失策, but for different reasons. It might look suspicious 可疑的 to the Brungarians after the Swifts had been warned by one aerial 天线 hijack 劫持 attempt. Also, they might be deterred 阻止 by fear of war, thinking that the United States Air Force would doubt‧less 毫无疑问， be alerted 警报 to the possibility 可能性 of attack.

"So right," Ames agreed. After a thoughtful 周到 pause, he added, "Tom, what about transporting 运输 Exman by submarine 潜艇? We know that every spy 间谍 apparatus 仪器 in this hemisphere 半球 is constantly 总是；经常地，不断地 trying to probe 探测 what goes on at Fearing Island, where our subs 子 are based."

"No doubt about that," Tom conceded 承认.

"So," Ames continued, "any move to Fearing would certainly make the Brungarian agents prick 刺 up their ears. Their own spy 间谍 subs 子 probably would come prowling around the island and detect 发现，察觉，看出 the departure 离开 of a Swift sub 子. And they might feel that an under‧sea 在…下面‧海 hijack 劫持 attempt would be a fairly safe gamble 赌."

The others looked thoughtful 周到, then slowly nodded 点头 in agreement 协议. Ames's reasoning sounded highly logical 合乎逻辑.

"Tom, you'll insist 咬定 on going, I suppose," Mr. Swift said somberly 阴沉.

"Of course, Dad 爸. After all, the kidnap 绑架 plan was my own idea," Tom replied. "Another thing I'll insist 咬定 on is that you don't go. We have Mother and Sandy to think of, and it's not right that both of us risk our necks."

Realizing that it was hope‧less 绝望 to dissuade his son, and realizing the basic fairness 公平 of Tom's position, Mr. Swift did not argue. Bud, Hank, Chow, and Arv immediately volunteered 志愿者 to accompany 陪 the young inventor on his dangerous 危险 mission 任务.

Tom gratefully 感激的 accepted their help. He asked all hands to assemble 集合 on the Enterprises air‧field 机场 at six the next morning for the flight 飞行 to Fearing.

After the others had left, Tom and his father resumed 恢复 their experiments with Exman. Mr. Swift suggested adding a device 设备 to the radio equipment 设备 to make it disintegrate 瓦解 if tampered 篡改 with. "Before those rebel 反叛 Brungarians can learn the secret of your electronic 电子 spy 间谍."

"Good idea, Dad 爸. And how about our doing the job with Swiftonium?" This was an unusual 异常 radio‧active 放射性的 ore 矿石 which Tom had discovered in South America.

Mr. Swift nodded 点头 as he began work.

Tom watched admiringly as his father reconstructed 重建 the radio, coating the entire thing with a Swiftonium compound 组合. He at once placed the set in a small oven 烤箱 which he raised to 50 degrees centigrade.

"When this cools, the set will be stable 稳定," Mr. Swift said. "But if you should move any part of it after it cools, all of the organic 有机 parts, like the circuit 电路 boards, the insulation 绝缘, the carbon 碳 resistors, etc., will oxidize 氧化 and disappear 不见 as gas. You will not even be able to tamper 篡改 with a single unit."

"Wonderful 精彩, Dad 爸," Tom murmured 私语 when the device 设备 was finished. "I wish I had your know-how in microchemistry."

"And I wish I had yours in electronics 电子!" the elder 年长的 scientist declared with a chuckle 暗笑.

After Mr. Swift had installed 安装 the device 设备 in Exman's star head, Tom used the electronic 电子 brain to inform the robot 机器人 about the whole scheme 方案.

Both Tom Jr. and Tom Sr. were delighted when Exman showed real enthusiasm 热情. It replied via 通过 the printed tape 胶带 on the decoder 解码:

DO NOT WORRY, MY FRIENDS. I WILL NOT RESPOND TO ANY ATTEMPTS BY BRUNGARIAN SCIENTISTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME. MY PLANET IS WELL AWARE OF THEIR DANGEROUS AIMS. HAVING CONQUERED YOUR WORLD, THEY WOULD NEXT INVADE SPACE.

"Looks as though Exman's got their number, all right!" Tom said with satisfaction 满足.

Early the next morning Mr. Swift drove Tom to the Enterprises air‧field 机场 to meet his friends. Hank Sterling, Bud, and Chow were already on hand, and Arv Hanson arrived a few moments later. Tom and Bud left the others to bring Exman in a small panel 面板 truck.

Soon the space robot 机器人 was safely loaded aboard 船上 a transport 运输 helicopter 直升机. The others took their places inside the cabin 舱.

"Good luck, son!" Mr. Swift forced a smile as he gave Tom a parting hand‧shake 握手.

"Don't worry, Dad 爸. I'll be back soon!" Tom assured him. The nature of the trip had been described only vaguely 依稀 to Mrs. Swift and Sandy in order to keep them from worrying.

The short hop 跳 over‧water 之上‧水 to Fearing Island was soon completed. Lying just off the Atlantic coast, Fearing had once been a barren 荒芜, thumb 拇指-shaped expanse 广阔 of scrub‧grass 擦洗‧草 and sand 沙 dunes 沙丘. Now it was the Swifts' top-secret rocket 火箭 base, tightly 紧的 guarded by drone 无人驾驶飞机 planes 平面 and radar 雷达.

As the helicopter 直升机 approached its destination 目的地, Tom radioed for clearance 净空, then whirred down toward the landing field. The bar‧rack 营房, work‧shop 作坊, and launching 发射 area of the base lay spread out in full view. Cargo rockets 火箭 bristled 鬃 on their launching 发射 pads 垫, along with Tom's spaceships, including the mighty 威武 Titan, and the oddly 奇怪 shaped Challenger and Cosmic Sailer.

North and south, the island was fringed 边缘 with docks 码头. Here the recovery 失而复得 tugs 拖船 and fuel 汽油 tankers 油船 were moored 泊, as well as the Swifts' fleet 舰队 of under‧sea 在…下面‧海 craft 手艺.

Tom had chosen a cargo 货物-hauling 运输 jetmarine, named the Swiftsure. It was a larger version 版 of his original 原版的 two-man jet 喷射 sub 子, the Ocean 洋 Dart. He had given orders the night before to have it ready for sea by morning.

By jeep 吉普车 and truck, Tom's group sped across the island to the dock 码头. Exman was quickly lowered aboard 船上 through the sub 子's hatch 孵化. The others followed, the conning CON- tower 塔 hatch 孵化 was dogged shut, and soon the Swiftsure was gliding 滑行 off into the shadowy 神出鬼没 blue-green depths.

"What's your sailing plan, skipper 船长?" Hank Sterling inquired. The quiet-spoken, square-jawed 下巴 engineer stood beside Tom at the atomic 原子 turbine 涡轮 controls and looked out through the trans‧parent 透明 nose of the jetmarine.

"Go slow. Give 'em plenty of chance to pick up our trail," Tom replied.

For two hours they cruised 巡航 at mode‧rate 有节制的 speed. Nothing happened. Disappointed, Tom surfaced and radioed his father for news, after cutting in the automatic 自动 scrambling 争夺 device 设备.

"You're in time for an exciting flash 使闪光," Mr. Swift reported jubilantly.

"What is it, Dad 爸?"

"An attempt to earthquake 地震 New York has just failed!"

Grins broke out on the faces of the crew 全体工作人员；全体船员 as they heard Mr. Swift's words come over the loud-speaker. Bud let out a happy whoop 叫喊.

"That's great, Dad 爸!" Tom said. "Maybe we've got 'em licked 舔 on the quake front. No luck so far, though, on our new project 项目."

"Well, keep in touch and let me know at once if anything happens," Mr. Swift urged.

"Right, Dad 爸!" Tom promised.

Again the Swiftsure submerged 淹没. This time it was only a few minutes before Arv Hanson gave a cry of warning.

"Something on the sonarscope, skipper 船长!"

Bud, Hank, and Chow hastily 草草 gathered around the scope 范围 to watch. The blip grew grow larger rapidly. It was clearly another submarine 潜艇, closing in on a collision 碰撞 course.

Tom put on a burst of speed, as if attempting to out‧race 出‧赛跑 their pursuer 追求. But he was careful 小心 to gauge 测量 his knots 结 by reports from the sonarscope, in order not to widen 放宽 the gap 缺口 between the two craft 手艺. There seemed no danger that this would happen, although the Swiftsure raced ahead faster and faster. Still the enemy sub 子 continued to close in like a marauding shark 鲨鱼, finally passing Tom's craft 手艺.

"Some baby!" Bud muttered 咕哝 respectfully 尊敬.

The words were hardly out of his mouth when a missile streaked 条纹 across their bow 弓, in plain view through the Swiftsure's trans‧parent 透明 nose. Its foaming 泡沫 wake 醒 rocked the jetmarine.

"They're attacking us!" Bud cried out.

Tom slammed 猛撞 shut the turbine 涡轮 throttle 风门, bringing his craft 手艺 to a gliding 滑行 halt 停 in the water. At the same time, he switched 开关 on the sonarphone.

"Orders to Swift sub 子!" a voice barked 吠 over the set. "Surface and heave 举起 to! No tricks 哄骗；诀窍, or the next missile will not be across your bow 弓!"

Tom blew blow his tanks 容器 and sent the Swiftsure spearing 矛 upward 向上. As the conning CON tower 塔 broke water, Tom and his men swarmed 一群 up on deck 甲板. Seconds later, a sleek 光滑 gray enemy submarine 潜艇 knifed into view. Its hatch 孵化 opened and several men climbed out.

To Tom's amazement 惊愕, their leader was Samson Narko!

Chow let out a yelp of rage 愤怒. "Why, you sneakin', double-dyed 染料, bushwhackin' pole‧cat 极‧猫!" the old Westerner bellowed 怒吼. "We shoulda kept you hawg-tied, 'stead o' lettin' you go free!"

Narko ignored 忽视 the out‧burst 突发 and raised a megaphone to his lips. "Hand over your cargo 货物 and do it quickly!"

"What cargo 货物?" Tom snapped 卡 back. "And what's the meaning of this out‧rage 暴行? You realize this is piracy 海盗行为?"

"I realize you will wind up on the bottom at the slightest show of resistance 抵抗!" Narko warned menacingly. "You know very well what cargo 货物 I refer to! Now do not try our patience 耐心!"

Tom and his crew 3 pretended 假装 to put up a blustering, indignant front. Chow was especially convincing 说服, with a blistering 起泡 torrent 激流 of salty Texas invectives.

Narko's only response 响应 was a barked 吠-out order to his men in Brungarian. Quickly the enemy submarine 潜艇 maneuvered 演习；移动 closer until the two craft 手艺 were almost chockablock. Narko and his men then leaped 飞跃 aboard 船上 the Swiftsure, armed with sub 子-machine guns and automatics 自动.

"I'm warning you, Narko—" Tom began angrily 生气的. But Narko cut the young inventor short by a poke 戳 in his ribs 肋骨 with the gun muzzle, then issued orders to two of his men to go below.

Moments later, Exman was being hauled 运输 up through the hatch 孵化 and transferred 转让 aboard 船上 the raider 袭击. The Americans glared 强光 in angry 生气的 silence.

"Thanks so much, my stupid 愚蠢的 friends!" Narko taunted 嘲讽 them with a jeering laugh. Then he followed his crewmen as the last one scrambled 争夺 back to the enemy submarine 潜艇.

With laughs and waves, they disappeared 不见 into its conning CON tower 3. The hatch 孵化 was clamped 钳 shut and the raider 袭击 promptly submerged 淹没.

Tom and his men were amazed 惊奇, but delighted at not having been taken prisoner 犯人，囚犯 along with Exman. All of them broke into happy chuckles 暗笑 of relief.

"Wow! That's what I call fast service!" Bud exclaimed 喊叫.

"It was sure a blamed 指责 sight easier'n I expected," Chow said. "Thought fer a while we might end up feedin' the fishes!"

"You put on a real act, Chow!" Tom said, clapping 拍 the stout 肥硕 old cook on the back. "Well, they've taken the bait 饵. Now let's hope it pays off—for us!"

The Americans swarmed 一群 below again, closed the hatch 孵化, and submerged 淹没. Tom took his time in bringing the jet 喷射 pumps 泵 up to speed. "Wonder if we should pretend 假装 to proceed 继续 on course, or turn around and head for home?" he murmured 私语 to Hank.

Hank's reply was cut short by a yell 叫喊 from Hanson at the sonarphone.

"Missile coming, skipper 船长! Straight at us!"

CHAPTER XVI

A UNIQUE EXPERIMENT

"Bearing?" Tom cried.

"One-seven 七-five!" Arv Hanson sang sing out.

Tom gunned his port 港口 jet 喷射 turbine 涡轮 and swung swing the Swiftsure hard right. The abrupt 突兀 turn at high speed sent the craft 手艺 sideslipping crazily 荒唐的 like a skidding 刹车 race boat.

"Here she comes, skipper 船长!" Bud yelled 叫喊. He had rushed to the sonarscope with the other members of the crew.

Tom's maneuver 演习；移动 had carried them a good hundred 百 yards off the missile's course. Now he yanked 猛拉 a lever 杠杆, pulling the cadmium rods 杆 still farther from the atomic 原子 pile 堆, in order to increase power and jet 喷射-blast 爆破 their sub 子 still farther out of range.

But suddenly the men at the scope 范围 blanched. "The missile's turning too!" Hank cried. "It's homing in on us!"

Unlike 不像 most Swift craft 手艺 used on scientific expeditions 远征, the cargo 货物 sub 子's hull 船壳 had not been coated with Tomasite. This would have insulated 隔离 it from all magnetic 磁性 effects or any form of pulse 脉冲 detect‧ion 发现. Tom had chosen the Swiftsure partly for this very reason, so that the Brungarian rebels 反叛 could easily pick up its trail after leaving Fearing.

How ironic 具有讽刺意味 if his choice should prove fatal 致命! As the thought flashed 使闪光 through Tom's brain, the missile 4 came streaking 条纹 into view through the sub 子's trans‧parent 透明 nose.

By this time, Tom had flipped 翻动 up the Swiftsure's diving 潜水 planes 平面. The craft 手艺 plummeted 铅坠 deeper into the ocean 洋 depths.

"Brand 牌 my whale 鲸 blubber, she's turnin' again!" Chow gulped 吞. The missile 5's arc 弧, as it veered 德维尔 around to follow, painted a streak 条纹 of light on the sonarscope.

Anxious 焦急的 moments raced by while Tom steered 驾驶 their craft 手艺 in a deadly game of tag 标签 with the sub 子-killer. Gradually 逐步地 the missile appeared to be losing momentum 动量.

"It's slowing down, all right!" Arv called out.

In a few minutes the missile had lost so much way that Tom was easily able to out‧distance 出‧距离 it. The crew crowded to the scope 范围, heaving 举起 sighs 叹 of relief. The missile, its velocity 速度 spent spend, sank 淹没:sink harm‧less 无害 toward the bottom.

"Boy, what a close call!" Bud gasped 喘气 weakly. "You played that thing like a toreador sidestepping a bull 公牛, Tom! Nice going!"

The others echoed 回声 Bud's sentiments 情绪, with fervent handshakes and backslaps for Tom's skillful 熟练 evasive action.

"Jest the same," said Chow, "I'd sure like to make Narko an' them Brungarian hoss thieves dance a Texas jig with a little hot lead sprayed 喷雾 around their boot 靴；鞋 heels 脚跟! Sneakin' bushwhackers! It's jest like I told Hank about his air‧plane 飞机 scheme 方案—they'd try to gun us down, like as not, soon as they got their hands on Exman!"

"I guess you had them figured right, Chow," Tom agreed wryly 扭歪. "Well, at least we've lost their sub 子!"

The Brungarian raider 袭击 was no longer visible 可以看见的；可视的 even as a faint 微弱的 blip on their radar‧scope 雷达‧范围. Evidently Narko had thought the jetmarine a sure victim 受害者 and headed back to his own base.

Nevertheless 虽然, Tom steered a wary 警惕 zigzag course back to Fearing. When they arrived at the island, he immediately telephoned Bernt Ahlgren and Wes Norris in Washington to report the hijacking 劫持 of the space brain. Both men praised 赞扬 the young inventor for his daring 敢 scheme 方案 to outwit the ruthless 无情 Brungarian rebel 反叛 clique.

"If your idea pays off, Tom, we should be able to check‧mate 检查‧伴，友 every move those phonies 假 and their allies make!" Norris declared.

"I'm hoping we can do even better than that," Tom replied. "Part of my plan is to help the Brungarian loyalists 忠诚的人 through Exman's tip 尖；窍门-offs. With some smart 聪明 quarter‧back 四分卫, we might be able to rally 团结 the rightful government before all resistance 抵抗 is crushed 压破 out."

"Terrific!" Norris exclaimed 喊叫. "Let's hope your scheme 方案 works!"

Tom had ordered the space oscilloscopes to be manned constantly 总是；经常地，不断地, both at Fearing and at Enterprises, in case of a flash from Exman. But no word had yet been received when Tom and his companions 同伴 arrived at the main‧land 大陆 late that afternoon.

Mr. Swift greeted his son warmly at the air‧field 机场. Tom had ref‧rain 副歌 from radioing the news to Enterprises after the hijacking 劫持 and the missile attempt. Any such message, Tom feared, might be picked up by the enemy and bring on another attack. But the young inventor had telephoned his father immediately after calling Washington.

Now Mr. Swift threw his arm affectionately 亲热 around the lanky youth. "You look pretty well bushed 灌木, son. Why not hustle 喧嚣 home and call it a day? That goes for the rest of you, too," he added to Bud, Chow, and the others. "You've just risked your lives and the strain 压力 is bound 必定；跳 to tell."

Tom urged his companions 同伴 to comply 执行. "But I'm sticking right here," the young inventor told his father. "I want to be on hand the minute Exman contacts 联系 us."

Bud insisted 咬定 upon staying with his pal 朋友. The two boys ate a quiet supper 晚饭 in Tom's private laboratory 实验室 and finally lay down on cots 婴儿床 in the adjoining 毗 apartment. But first Tom posted a night operator to watch the electronic 电子 brain.

" Wake 醒 me up the second that alarm 警告 bell 钟 goes off," he ordered.

"Okay 好的, skipper 船长," the radio‧man 无线电‧男人 promised.

No message arrived to disturb 打扰 the boys' rest. Tom felt a pang of worry as he dressed the next morning, and then relieved the man on duty at the decoder 解码. Had the Brungarians somehow outwitted him? Surely Exman should have reported by this time!

"Relax 放松, pal 朋友," Bud urged. "Our space chum's hardly had time to learn any secrets yet. Besides, those Brungarian scientists are probably giving him the once-over with all sorts of electronic 电子 doodads. Why risk sending a message till 到 he has something important to tell us?"

"That's true," Tom admitted.

Chow brought in break‧fast 早餐. "You jest tie into these vittles, boss 老板, an' stop fret‧tin 烦恼‧锡'," the cook said soothingly. "I reckon 估计 Ole Think Box won't let us down."

Tom sniffed 吸气 the appetizing aroma 香气 of flapjacks and sausages 香肠. "Guess you're right, Chow," he said with a chuckle 暗笑.

As the boys ate hungrily 饥饿, Tom's thoughts turned back to the problem of how to equip 装备 Exman with senses. He talked the project 项目 over with Bud. Most of his ideas were too technical 技术 for Bud to follow, but he listened attentively 注意的. He knew the young inventor found it helpful 有帮助 to have a "sounding board" for his ideas.

"Too bad I didn't have time to tackle 滑车 the job before Exman was kidnaped 绑架," Tom mused 沉思. "Think how much more he could learn with 'eyes' and 'ears'!"

"Stop crabbing 螃蟹," Bud joked 笑话. "Isn't an electronic 电子 spy 间谍 with a brain like Einstein's good enough?"

Mr. Swift arrived at the laboratory 实验室 an hour or so later. He found Tom setting up an experiment with a glass sphere 领域 to which were affixed six powerful 强大 electromagnets. Two shiny 闪亮 electrodes 电极, with cables 电线 attached 连接 to their outer ends, had also been molded 模子 into the glass. Bud was looking on, wide-eyed.

Tom explained to his father that he had blown blow the sphere 领域 himself, following a formula 方法／规则 adapted from the quartz glass used for view panels 面板 in his space and under‧sea 在…下面‧海 craft 手艺.

"What's it for, son?" Mr. Swift asked, after studying the setup 建立 curiously.

"Don't laugh, Dad 爸, but I'm trying to produce a brain of pure energy 能源. A substitute 替代 for Exman, so we can go ahead with our sensing experiments."

Mr. Swift reacted with keen 热切的 interest and offered to help. "But remember, son," he cautioned 小心, "at best you can only hope to produce an ersatz brain energy 能源—which will be vastly 大大 different from the real thing. Don't forget, Tom, the mind of a human being or any thinking inhabitant 居民 of our universe is based on a divine 神圣 soul. No scientist must ever delude himself into thinking he can copy the work of our Creator."

"I know that, Dad 爸," Tom said soberly 清醒. "Man's work will always be a crude 原油 groping 摸索, compared to the miracles 奇迹 of Nature. All I'm hoping to come up with here is a sort of stimulus 刺激物-response 响应 unit that we can use for testing any sensing apparatus 仪器 we devise 设计."

The two scientists plunged 跳水 into work. First, a bank of delicate 微妙的；纤弱的 gauges 测量 was assembled 集合 to record precisely 精确地 every electrical 电动 reaction 反应 that took place inside the sphere 领域. Then Tom threw a switch 开关, shooting a powerful 强大 bolt 螺栓 of current across the electrodes 电极. The field strength of the electromagnets, controlled by rheostats, instantly shaped the charge into a glowing 辉光 ball of fire!

"Wow! A real hot‧head 热的‧头；上端!" Bud wisecracked, trying to hide his excitement 激动.

Tom grinned 微笑 as he twirled several knobs 把手 and checked the gauges 测量. The slightest variation 变异 in field strength triggered 触发 an instant response 响应 from the ball of energy 能源. Mr. Swift tried exposing 暴露 it to radio and repelatron waves. Each time the gauges 测量 showed a sensitive reaction 反应.

"Looks as if we're in business, Dad 爸!" Tom said jubilantly.

Bud left soon after‧ward 之后 as the two Swifts buckled 扣 down to work on the problem of perfecting an apparatus 仪器 to simulate 模拟 the human senses. Each concentrated 集中 on a different line of approach.

At noon 正午 they broke off briefly 短时间地 for a lunch 3 wheeled in by Chow. Then silence settled again over the laboratory 实验室.

Tom had rigged 操纵 up a jointed 共同的, claw‧like 爪‧喜欢；象 mechanical 机械 arrangement 安排 with sensitive diaphragms in its "finger tips 尖；窍门." The diaphragms were connected to a transistorized circuit 电路 designed to modulate the field current to the electromagnets.

Suddenly the young inventor looked up at his father with a glow 辉光 of triumph 胜利.

"Dad 爸, I just got a reaction 反应 to my sense-of-touch experiment!"

CHAPTER XVII

AN URGENT WARNING

Mr. Swift looked on eagerly 渴望的 as Tom explained and demonstrated 演示 his touch apparatus 仪器. By moving a pantograph control, Tom was able to manipulate 操作 the claws 爪 like a hand with fingers. Whenever 随时 they touched any material, the brain gauges 测量 instantly registered 寄存器 an electrical 电动 reaction 反应 inside the sphere 领域.

The swing of a voltmeter needle 针 showed how firmly the substance 物质 resisted 抵抗 the claw 爪's touch, thus indicating 表明 its hardness or softness.

"With a computer device 设备, such as we planted in Exman," Tom went on, "the brain would also be able to assimilate 吸收 the textural pattern of any substance."

"Wonderful 精彩, son!" Mr. Swift exclaimed 喊叫. "I hope I can do as well with this artificial 人造的 sense of sight I'm working on."

Another hour went by before Mr. Swift was ready to test his own arrangement 安排.

"You've probably heard of the experiments conducted 进行 with blind persons," he told Tom. "By stimulating 刺激 the right part of their brain with a lead from a cathode- ray 光束-tube 管 device 设备, an awareness 意识 of light and dark can be restored 修复；使复位；使复职."

Tom nodded 点头.

"Well, I'm using the same principle 原理," Mr. Swift went on, "but with a sort of television 电视 camera 照相机 scanning 扫描 setup 建立."

He asked Tom to draw the drapes 悬垂 and shut off the room lights, throwing the laboratory 实验室 into complete darkness 黑暗, except for the weirdly 奇怪的 glowing 辉光 "brain" in the glass sphere 领域. Then Mr. Swift shone 发光:shine a flash‧light 使闪光‧光；灯 at the scanner 扫描器. The brain responded 响应 by glowing 辉光 more brightly itself 本身!

Next, after the drapes 悬垂 were opened again and the over‧head 高架 fluorescent 荧 lights switched 开关 on, Mr. Swift painted a pattern of black-and-white stripes 条纹 on a large piece of card‧board 纸板. He held this up to the scanner 扫描器.

Visible 可以看见的；可视的 ripples 波纹 of brightness 亮度 and less-brightness 亮度 passed through the glowing 辉光 ball of energy 能源 inside the sphere 领域. It was reproducing 复制 the striped 条纹 pattern!

"Dad 爸, that's amazing 使大为惊奇，使惊愕!" Tom said with real admiration 钦佩.

Mr. Swift shook his head. "Pretty crude 原油, I'm afraid. The brain energy 能源 by itself 本身 can't take the place of a picturetube 管 in a TV receiver. What we need is an analog 类似物 computer to sum 和 up the scanning 扫描 pattern picked up by the camera 照相机 tube and then pass this information along in code 码 form."

Before Tom could comment 评论, the alarm 警告 bell 钟 rang on the electronic 电子 brain. The Swifts dropped everything and rushed to the machine.

"Wonder if it's Exman?" Tom exclaimed 喊叫.

The answer was quickly revealed 揭示 as the keys began punching 冲床 out the incoming 来 message on tape 胶带. At the same time, a flow of strange mathematical 数学的 symbols 标志，象征 flashed, one after another, on the lighted oscilloscope screen mounted 增加 above the key‧board 键盘.

Tom and his father read the tape 胶带 as it unreeled.

SPACE BEINGS TO SWIFTS. REQUEST INFORMATION ON PROGRESS AND RESULTS OF ENERGY SENT TO YOUR PLANET.

After a quick consultation 会诊 with his father, Tom beamed 梁 out the reply:

WE ARE PLEASED WITH RESULTS SO FAR. FURTHER EXPERIMENTS NOW GOING ON. REQUEST VISIT TO CONTINUE LONGER THAN TWENTY-ONE DAYS AS PLANNED.

Hopefully the Swifts stood by the machine. Would their space friends agree? As the minutes went by without a response 响应 coming through, father and son exchanged anxious 焦急的 glances 一瞥.

"They've got to let Exman stay, Dad 爸!" Tom said.

Mr. Swift nodded 点头. "I'm afraid, though, the space beings 蜜蜂 have decided otherwise. They—"

He was interrupted by the ringing of the alarm 警告 bell 3. "Message, Dad 爸!" Tom said tersely.

A moment later they were overjoyed to see three words appear on the tape 胶带:

VISIT EXTENSION GRANTED.

Relieved, the two scientists went back to work on their sensing experiments. Twenty minutes later the signal bell rang again on the electronic 电子 brain.

"This time it must be Exman!" Tom cried.

The unreeling tape 胶带 quickly bore bear out his guess.

EXMAN TO SWIFTS. TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR EARTHQUAKE UNDER HIGH LOYALTY.

"What!" Tom stared at the tape 胶带, his brow 眉头 creased 皱 in a puzzled frown 皱眉. "That 'twenty 二十-four-hour earthquake 地震' bit must mean he's warning us that a quake will occur 发生 in twenty 二十-four hours. But what about the rest of it?"

"Hmm... 'Under high loyalty 忠诚.'" Mr. Swift was as baffled 障 as Tom. He studied the message for several minutes. It seemed highly unlikely 不会 that the electronic 电子 brain had made an error 错误 in decoding 解码. Any new or untranslatable symbol 标志，象征 caused a red light to flash on the machine.

"I think the only thing we can do is signal Exman and ask for a clarification 澄清, Tom," Mr. Swift decided at last.

Tom agreed. He beamed out a hasty 匆 code 码 signal:

EXPLAIN MESSAGE.

Seconds later came Exman's reply. It was identical 相同 with the first message:

TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR EARTHQUAKE UNDER HIGH LOYALTY.

Tom and Mr. Swift stared at each other anxiously.

"Good night, Dad 爸! This is horrible 可怕!" Tom exclaimed 喊叫. "Exman sends us ample 充足 warning of a disaster 灾难，大祸 and we're stymied!"

"Hi 嗨! What's going on, you two?" asked a merry 愉快的 voice. "More heavy thinking?"

Sandy Swift stood smiling in the door‧way 门口. The smile gave way to a look of concern as Tom explained the crisis 危机.

"How dreadful 可怕!" Sandy gasped 喘气. "We must figure out what it means!... Wait a minute!"

Tom looked at her expectantly. "Got an idea, Sis?"

"Well..." The pretty, blond 金发 teen 青少年-ager hesitated. "You don't suppose Exman might have been translating 翻译 some foreign words with a meaning similar 类似 to 'high loyalty 忠诚'? For instance 例, high loyalty could mean 'good faith.' I know that in Latin 'good faith' would be bona fide."

"Sandy! You've guessed it!" Tom crossed the room in a single bound 必定；跳, gave his sister 姐妹 a quick hug 拥抱, and whirled 旋转 her around. "Exman must mean the Bona Fide Submarine Building Corporation 公司! He didn't dare 敢 risk telling us the exact translation 翻译."

"Of course!" Mr. Swift was equally jubilant. But his face was grave 坟墓；严重的 as he added, "The company's located 定位 on the West Coast close to the San Andreas fault 缺点. Tom, a quake in that area could be devastating 蹂躏!"

"You're right, Dad 爸," the young inventor replied. "I'll call Dr. Miles and Bernt Ahlgren at once!"

The telephone conversation that followed was grim 严峻 with tension 紧张. Both government men begged 乞讨 Tom to take personal 个人 charge of the quake-deflection 偏转 measures. Dr. Miles pointed out that tremors 震 along the fault 缺点 might trigger 触发 off a chain of quakes amounting to a national 国民 disaster 灾难，大祸.

After a hasty 匆 discussion, Tom agreed that he should station himself at the Colorado site, rather than at the West Coast Quakelizor installation 安装. This would give him broader scope 范围 for damping 微湿的 out shock waves across the continent 大陆.

"I'll fly out immediately!" the young inventor promised.

Ahlgren, mean‧while 同时, would flash orders to the Bona Fide Company and to civilian 平民 officials to have the entire area evacuated 撤离 as soon as possible.

Hasty preparations 制备 were made for Tom's departure 离开. He telephoned the air‧field 机场 to have a jet 喷射 plane 平面 with lifters readied for take-off. He also had Bud paged over the plant intercom. The copilot came on the run. When he heard the news, he was eager 渴望的 to accompany 陪 his pal 朋友.

"Listen, you two! I insist 咬定 you have something to eat before you leave!" Sandy declared.

Tom was impatient 不耐烦 over any delay 延迟. When Sandy proceeded 继续 to call Chow, the old Texan solved 解决 the problem by volunteering 志愿者 to go along as cook.

A short time later Chow came jouncing out to the air‧field 机场 astride a motor scooter, hauling 运输 a cart 运货马车 loaded with supplies.

"Good grief 哀思!" Tom said, unable 无法 to sup‧press 压制 a grin 微笑. "We'll be back tomorrow, unless something goes wrong!"

"Bring food—that's my motto 座右铭," Chow retorted 反驳, "like any good cook."

Minutes later, after a parting hand‧shake 握手 from his father and a worried kiss 接吻 from Sandy, Tom sent the sleek 光滑 jet 喷射 racing down the runway 跑道 for take-off. Soon they were air-borne bear and heading west‧ward 向西. Chow served a tasty 可口 meal en 恩 route 路线.

It was still day‧light 日光 when the jet 喷射 landed vertically 垂直 in the Colorado canyon 峡谷. The government crew manning the installation 安装, and the Swift technician 技术员 who had relieved Art Wiltessa as trouble shooter on the setup 建立, greeted them eagerly.

"Looks as if we're in for a real test, Tom," said Mike Burrows, the engineer in charge.

"Let's hope we pass!" said Tom, holding up crossed fingers.

He checked every detail of the Quakelizor, power plant, and the communications 通讯 gear 齿轮. He opened an inspection 检查 panel 面板 in each of the dual 双-control spheres 领域 and tuned 曲调 the kinetic-hydraulic 液 units so as to step up the working pressure of the four powerful 强大 drivers 司机.

"Well, all we can do now is wait," the young inventor muttered 咕哝, wiping his arm across his fore‧head 前额.

Tom passed the night in a fitful sleep, half expecting to be wakened at any moment by the stand-by crew on watch. No alarm 警告 occurred 发生, however.

Dawn broke, and Chow delighted all hands with a hearty 爽朗 breakfast of bacon 培根, eggs, and corn 玉米 fritters. More hours of waiting dragged 拖拽 by.

"What time do you think the attack will occur 发生?" Bud asked.

Tom shrugged 耸. "The 'twenty 二十-four-hour' business may have been approximate 近似. But I'd say from two o'clock on is the danger period."

The young inventor checked frequently with Washington and the other crews stationed around the country. Suddenly the radio‧telephone 无线电‧电话 operator gave a yell 叫喊.

"Your father is on the line, skipper 船长!"

The scientist was calling from the receiver-computer head‧quarter 总部 at Enterprises. "Exman has reported a quake pulse 脉冲 will be sent in seven 七 minutes—at 21.36 G.M.T."

"I'm ready, Dad 爸," Tom said, then asked for various technical 技术 details before hanging up.

He passed the word to the crew and glanced 一瞥 at his watch. A hasty 匆, last-moment inspection 检查 was carried out, every man checking certain details of the setup 建立.

Soon the pulsemakers began ticking 蜱 inside the dual 双-control spheres 领域 as they picked up the frequency 频繁性 signal by radio. Tom studied the gauge 测量 dials 拨号.

Tension 紧张 mounted rapidly among the waiting group. The same thought was throbbing 搏动 through every mind:

Was the nation on the brink 边缘 of a terrible disaster 灾难，大祸? Or would Tom Swift's invention 发明 safe‧guard 保障 the threatened area?

As the dead‧line 截止日期 approached, Tom pushed a button 按钮. The mighty 威武 hydraulic 液 drivers 司机 throbbed 搏动 into action, sending out their pulse 脉冲 waves across the continent 大陆!

CHAPTER XVIII

EARTHQUAKE ISLAND

Now came the hardest part of all for Tom and his companions 同伴—waiting to learn if the shock deflectors had succeeded in blotting 斑点 out the enemy quake wave.

No one spoke. As the silence deepened 变深 inside the cave 洞穴, the suspense 悬念 became almost unbearable 不堪忍受. Minutes passed.

"When will we know, skipper 船长?" a crew‧man 全体工作人员；全体船员‧男人 ventured at last.

"Soon, I hope," Tom replied tersely.

But the waiting seemed end‧less 无穷. Bud's eyes met Tom's. The flier grinned 微笑 and held up crossed fingers, just as Tom had done to Mike Burrows the previous 以前 evening. Tom managed a feeble 微弱 grin 微笑 in response 响应.

Suddenly the telephone shrilled, shattering 打碎 the silence of the cave 洞穴. Tom snatched 抢夺 it from the radio‧man 无线电‧男人's hands.

"Tom Swift here!... Yes?... Thank heavens 天! I guess we can all be grateful 感激的, Dr. Miles!"

"Providence protected us, I'm sure, Tom," the seismologist replied at the other end of the line. "But in this instance 例 it worked through Tom Swift's Quakelizors! The Bona Fide plant and the surrounding area never even felt the tremor 震—your quake deflectors worked perfectly!"

There was no need to tell the others. Tom's words on the telephone and the grin 微笑 on his face told the story. A spontaneous 自发 volley 齐射 of cheers echoed 回声 through the cave 洞穴 as he hung up. Then the crew crowded around to slap 拍击 Tom on the back and shake his hand.

"I hope the whole country learns what you've done, Tom," Mike Burrows said. "If it doesn't, I'll be the first to spread the word as soon as the secrecy 保密 lid 盖子's taken off!"

"Shucks, I knew all along Tom's contraption would do the trick 哄骗；诀窍!" Chow boasted 自夸, glowing 辉光 with pride 自尊 over his young boss 老板's achievement 成就.

Tom could only smile happily. "Guess we can go home now," he said to Bud and Chow.

They were preparing to leave when another flash from Washington came over the radio‧telephone 无线电‧电话. A ship's captain, five hundred 百 miles out on the Pacific, had just reported sighting a great waterspout, accompanied 陪 by consider‧able 大量 wave turbulence 动乱.

"It could have been the spot where the enemy shock waves and our deflector waves met and damped 微湿的 out," Tom commented 评论.

"Dr. Miles thinks so, too," the caller said.

Soon the sleek 光滑 Swift jet 喷射 was arrowing back across the continent 大陆. En route 路线, Tom radioed word of his latest triumph 胜利 to Mr. Swift. As always, he used the automatic 自动 scramblers to make sure any enemy eavesdroppers would pick up only static 静态的.

"Great work, son!" Mr. Swift congratulated 祝贺 Tom. "I was confident 确信的 you could handle the situation with your Quakelizors."

"Thanks, Dad 爸. See you soon."

When the jet 喷射 finally landed at Enterprises and came to a halt 停 on the runway 跑道, the control tower operator spoke over the radio.

"Harlan Ames would like to see Tom Jr. at the security 安全 building. He left word just a few minutes ago."

"Roger!" Tom replied.

Chow frugally carted 运货马车 off his left‧over 剩 supplies. Tom and Bud, meanwhile 3, went by jeep 吉普车 across the plant grounds to security 安全 head‧quarter 总部.

Ames greeted the two boys enthusiastically 踊跃. "Nice going on that earthquake 地震 situation, Tom!" he said. "And now I have some more good news. We've just nabbed the man who imitated 模仿 your father's voice over the phone the other night."

"What!" Both boys were excited, and Tom added eagerly, "Who is he?"

"An actor 演员 at the Shopton summer play‧house 打；演；玩‧房屋."

"How did you find out?" Tom asked.

"I had a hunch 直觉," Ames went on. "If the impersonator wasn't a plant employee at Enterprises, then he had to be a person with a trained voice. That gave me the idea of checking on all actors 演员 and station announcers here in the vicinity 附近. It paid off right away. The guy 家伙's name is Brent Nolan."

"Have you questioned him yet?" Tom asked.

"I'm about to," Ames replied. "Radnor just brought him in."

The security 安全 chief led the way into an adjoining 毗 office. A slender 苗条, good-looking young man with blond 金发 wavy hair was seated on a chair with Phil Radnor on one side of him and a Shopton police officer on the other. The actor 演员 was visibly 可以看见的；可视的 nervous 担心的 and perspiring.

"This is Tom Swift Jr.," Ames told him. "Brent Nolan."

Nolan nodded 点头. "Yes, I've seen your picture in the papers many times." The actor tried to force a smile but his face muscles 肌肉，身体部份 twitched 抽搐. "I—I seem to have pulled a pretty dumb 哑 stunt 特技 by faking 假 that phone call from your father. I'm sorry 对不起的."

"What was the reason?" Tom asked.

Nolan fingered his wavy blond 金发 hair uneasily 不安 and swallowed 吞 hard. "A man named Professor 教授 Runkle paid me to do it."

"Professor 教授 Runkle?" Tom frowned 皱眉. The name seemed vaguely 依稀 familiar.

"He spoke with a foreign accent 口音. Said he was doing research at Grandyke University," Nolan explained. "He told me you might be expecting a rare biological 生物 specimen 标本 from the East Indies. He said both of you were eager to get hold of it for research purposes, but he was afraid that you had outbid him. However, if he asked you straight out, you would guard the secret very jealously 妒忌的. So he hired 聘用 me to find out."

"Didn't it occur 发生 to you he might be an espionage 间谍 agent?" Ames asked coldly.

Nolan seemed shocked. "Believe me, I had no such idea!" he averred. "Runkle seemed pleasant. He said it all was merely a short cut to save him from wasting any more time on the project 项目. If Tom Swift had the specimen 标本, he would quit 放弃. I—I guess I'm a little bit vain 徒劳的 about the way I can mimic 模仿者 voices, and this gave me a chance to show off. Besides, I saw no harm 损害 in doing it."

"No harm?" Bud snorted 哼. "You had Swift Enterprises in a real lather when we found out."

Nolan spread his hands in a help‧less 无助 gesture 手势. "I'm truly 真 sorry," he repeated.

"How were you able to find out how my father's voice sounded?" Tom asked.

"I listened to a recording of a speech he made at the Fourth of July rally 团结 here in Shopton," Nolan explained. "I  borrowed 借 the tape 胶带 from a local radio station. Guess that's how your security 安全 men got onto me."

"What did this fellow Runkle look like?" Ames asked.

Nolan thought for a moment. "Oh, he was past middle age, I should say. Grizzled hair, thick-lensed 镜片 glasses. And he was quite heavy-set."

"Hmm. Then it certainly wasn't Narko," Ames murmured 私语 to Tom.

The young inventor nodded 点头. "I believe I know him. The name just came back to me. I met a Professor 教授 Runkle in New York about a month ago, at a scientific convention 惯例. He was a member of the visiting Brungarian delegation 代表团."

"We'll check on him," Ames promised. He turned back sternly 严肃 to the young actor 3. "All right, Nolan, I guess you can go. But I warn you—no more impersonations."

After more flustered apologies 道歉认错, the actor hurried out, obviously 明显 relieved.

"What a dumb 哑 egg 鸡蛋 he is!" Bud muttered 咕哝.

"In a way he may have helped us," Tom pointed out. "If the Brungarian rebels 反叛 hadn't found out about Exman, we couldn't have lured 饵 them into that kidnap 绑架 plot 情节. It's already helped us to save the Bona Fide Submarine Building Corporation 公司."

Monday morning Ames reported that Professor 教授 Runkle had left the country. Tom was not sorry, since an arrest 逮捕 and public trial might have led to dangerous 危险 publicity 公开 about Exman. The probings 探测 of a sharp-tongued 舌头 defense attorney 律师 might even have tipped 尖；窍门 off the Brungarian to Tom's real purpose in letting the space brain be hijacked 劫持.

Meanwhile, a telephone call from Washington announced 宣布 that State Department men were flying to Enterprises to confer 授予 with the Swifts about taking official action against the Brungarian attacks. The group arrived by jet 喷射 after lunch. Thurston of the CIA was also present.

"The problem is this," a State Department official said as they discussed the matter in the Swifts' office. "Should we bring charges against Brungaria before the United Nations? Or should we rely 依靠 on other means, short of war, to block the Brungarian rebel 反叛 coup 政变?"

Mr. Swift frowned 皱眉 thoughtfully 沉思地. "It might be difficult to prove they were responsible for the earthquake 地震 attacks," he pointed out.

"I'd say it's impossible," Tom said, "unless we give away the secret about our electronic 电子 spy 间谍." He paused, then added, " Sir 先生, if the State Department will agree, I'd like more time before you make any official moves."

The Quakelizors, Tom argued, seemed to offer protection against any future quake waves, unless the power of the shocks was greatly stepped up. Meantime 其时, working through Exman, Tom might be able to provide the Brungarian loyalists 忠诚的人 with valuable information. "I'm hoping it will help them over‧throw 推翻 the rebel 反叛 clique and their brutal 野蛮 allied 联盟；盟友 military 军事 bosses 老板."

The State Department men conferred 授予, then Thurston spoke up quietly, "In our opinion, it's worth a gamble 赌."

After the group had left, the Swifts resumed 恢复 their sensing experiments in Tom's private laboratory 实验室. They were hard at work when the signal bell suddenly rang on the electronic 电子 brain.

The two scientists rushed to read the incoming 来 message. It said:

EXMAN TO SWIFTS. ONE ENEMY EARTHQUAKE PRODUCER IS AT...

Here the message gave precise 精确 latitude 纬度 and longitude figures. It went on:

RUIN OF SWIFT PLACE IN ONE WEEK.

Tom and his father gasped 喘气 in dismay 沮丧. "I thought the New York-New England Quakelizor was going to protect us!" the young inventor exclaimed 喊叫. "Our enemies must have located 定位 another earth fault 缺点 with Enterprises right in its path 小路!"

Hastily opening an atlas, Tom fingered the location 位置 of the proposed source 资源 of attack. It was Balala Island off the coast of Peru.

"Dad 爸, that settles it!" Tom declared grimly 严峻. "It's clear now that those Brungarian rebels 反叛 want to destroy us and use Exman in some way to conquer 征服 the earth!"

"I don't doubt that you're right, son," Mr. Swift said grimly 严峻. "We must act fast! But how?"

Again, the signal bell interrupted. This time, Exman gave a number of military 军事 details, evidently 明显地 picked up from orders issuing from Brungarian rebel 反叛 head‧quarter 总部. They concerned incoming 来 troop 部队 movements 运动 from the north and operational 操作 plans for crushing 压破 out the last pockets 口袋 of resistance by loyal 忠诚的 government forces.

Tom recorded them with TV tape 胶带, then snatched 抢夺 up the telephone and called the Central 中央 Intelligence 情报 Agency in Washington. He relayed 中继 the information from Exman and asked if American agents could transmit 发送 it to the loyalists 忠诚的人.

"Don't worry. We'll see that it reaches them," the CIA chief assured Tom. "Many thanks. This could have important consequences 后果."

As Tom hung up he decided on a bold 胆大的；醒目的 move. "Dad 爸, I'm going to lead a raid 袭击 on Balala!"

"A raid 袭击!" The elder 3 scientist was electrified.

"According to the atlas, the island is barren 荒芜 and deserted," Tom said, "so no friendly power will object if we land there. If it's being used as an enemy base for quake attacks against our country, we have every right to investigate 调查. I might be able to learn the secret of the setup 建立—perhaps even put the equipment 设备 out of commission 佣金."

"Nevertheless 虽然, a raid 袭击 by a United States force could lead to trouble if the base there puts up any resistance," Mr. Swift said gravely.

"That's why I intend to handle it myself 我," Tom declared. "I'll take all responsibility 责任."

Tom Sr.'s eyes flashed as he recalled 召回 some of his own hair-raising exploits 利用 in younger days. "All right, son," he said, putting a hand on Tom's shoulder. "I know I can trust your judgment 判断. Good luck!"

Again Tom issued a call for volunteers 志愿者. Bud, Hank Sterling, Arv Hanson, and Chow were all eager to take part. Within an hour they were taking off for Fearing. At the rocket 火箭 base, they embarked 从事 in the Sea Hound, Tom's favorite 喜爱的 model of his diving seacopter. A powerful 强大 central 中央 rotor with reversible-pitch 沥青 blades 刀片, spun by atomic 原子 turbines 涡轮, enabled 启用 the craft 手艺 to rise through the air or descend 下来 into the deepest abysses of the ocean 洋. Propulsion jets 喷射 gave it high speed in either medium 中.

Loaded with equipment 设备, the Sea Hound streaked 条纹 south‧ward 南方‧病房 through the skies 滑雪—first to Florida, then across the Gulf and Central 中央 America into the Pacific. Here Tom eased 轻松 down to the surface of the water and submerged 淹没.

It was near mid‧night 午夜 when the Sea Hound rose rise from the depths just off Balala. The lonely 孤独的 rocky 岩石 island lay out‧line 概述；轮廓线 like a huddled 乱堆 black mass against the star-flecked southern 南部的 sky. No glimmer of light showed any‧where 任何地方 ashore 岸上.

"Maybe no one's here," Bud murmured 私语.

"Don't bank on that," Tom said. "They wouldn't be apt 易于 to advertise their presence to passing ships or planes 平面."

Tom nosed inshore as closely as he dared 敢 from sonar soundings, finally easing 轻松 the Sea Hound up to a rocky 岩石 reef 礁 that fingered out from the beach 海滩. Then he, Bud, Hank, and Arv clambered out, armed with wrecking 破坏；使遇难 tools and powerful 强大 flashlights.

Chow, in spite 恶意 of his muttered 咕哝 grumblings 叽, was ordered to stay aboard 船上 and guard the ship with the other two crewmen who had come along.

Tom led his party cautiously ashore 岸上 from the reef 礁. They probed 探测 the darkness 黑暗 of the beach 海滩. Their footfalls sounded eerily in the night silence, broken only by the soughing of the sea wind and splash 溅 of breakers 断路器.

"Good place for spooks!" Bud whispered 低声说 jokingly.

A steep 陡峭的 draw led upward 向上 among the rocky 岩石 slopes 斜坡. A hundred 百 feet on, Tom's group found the black yawning 打哈欠 mouth of a cave 3. The yellow beams 梁 of their flashlights revealed 揭示 a tunnel 隧道 leading down‧ward 向下 inside. Tom checked with a pocket 口袋 detector 探测器. Its gauge 测量 needle 针 showed no field force caused by electrical 电动 equipment 设备 in operation.

"Okay 好的, let's go in!" Tom murmured 私语.

Cautiously they moved into the tunnel 隧道. Then suddenly ahead of them a powerful 强大 dazzling 炫 light burst on, nearly blinding the searchers!

CHAPTER XIX

A FIENDISH MACHINE

A chill 寒意 of fear gripped 握 Tom and his companions 同伴 as they blinked 眨 help‧less 无助 in the glare 强光! Had the enemy detected them the first moment they had set foot on Balala Island? Had they walked blindly into a trap?

Gradually 逐步地 Tom's eyes and those of his friends adjusted 改变；调节 to the dazzling 炫 radiance. A door, blocking the tunnel 隧道 just ahead, had slid slide open and the light was pouring 淋；倒 out of a room beyond.

"What happened?" Arv gasped 喘气.

Tom pointed down‧ward 向下 to a pedal‧like 踏板‧喜欢；象 plunger 跳水 inserted 插 in the tunnel 隧道 floor. "This must be a switch 开关," he explained. "When I stepped on it accidentally 偶然, it must have opened the door and flashed on the lights."

Bud whistled 吹口哨. "Wow! Let's be thankful 感谢 it wasn't a booby trap!"

"Maybe it is," murmured 私语 Hank grimly 严峻.

Steeling their nerves 神经, and with every sense alert 警报, the searchers advanced into the secret room.

Tom suddenly gave a cry of amazement 惊愕. "The earthquake 地震 machine!"

A huge 巨大 hydraulic 液 device 设备, with massive 大规模的 steel 钢 bed and supporting pillars 支柱, looking some‧what 有些 like the enormous 巨大 body presses found in auto‧mobile 汽车 plants, stood embedded 嵌 in a recess 凹槽 in one wall.

Tom rushed to the machine and examined it in fascination 魅力. A powerful 强大 diesel 柴油机 generator 发电机 stood nearby 附近 with banks of complicated electrical 电动 equipment 设备, amid 际 a spider 蜘蛛-web 网 tangle 纠纷 of wiring. Tom assumed 承担 this gear 齿轮 was for timing and synchronizing 同步 the shock waves. Evidently the whole setup 建立 was operated from a single control panel 面板 in the wall, studded 螺柱 with knobs 把手 and dials 拨号.

"What a job of design!" Tom exclaimed 喊叫 in awe 威严. His eyes roved 漫游 over every detail of the equipment 设备 while he poked 戳 here and there with his hands. He was getting the "feel" of the setup 建立 almost as much by touch and handling as by his superb 高超 technical 技术 intuition 直觉. "Boy, I hate to admire anything those Brungarian rebel 反叛 scientists do, but this is really masterful!"

"Yes? Well, don't go ga-ga over it," said Bud. "Let's do what we came to do and scram out of here. This place makes me jumpy!"

Tom appeared oblivious 浑然不觉. "It seems like vandalism to wreck 破坏；使遇难 such an engineering achievement 成就! Also, and this may sound strange to you," he went on in a doubtful 疑 tone 音, "are we really justified 为…辩护；证明…正当；是…的正当理由 in taking the law into our own hands?"

"They're trying to wreck our setup 建立, aren't they?" Bud retorted 反驳. "Think of the destruction 破坏 they've caused already! Do you want to stand by and see Enterprises destroyed too?"

"Bud's right," Hank Sterling spoke up quietly. "Take a look at this."

He beckoned 招手 them over to another corner of the cave and pointed to a series 系列 of notations 符号, crudely 原油 scrawled in white chalk 粉笔 on the cave wall. Half hidden hide behind a clump 丛 of rock, they would have escaped casual 随便 notice.

Tom read them and gave an angry 生气的 gasp 喘气. A list of places and dates, already checked off, showed the quakes that had occurred 发生 so far. The last notation 符号, not yet checked, said: SWIFT ENTERPRISES and was dated five days ahead.

"Okay 好的, that's all the convincing 说服 I need!" Tom said grimly 严峻.

He issued quick orders. Hank and Arv were to rush 仓促 back to the Sea Hound, get an under‧water 水下 pump 泵 from the gear 齿轮 carried aboard 船上, and install 安装 it just off the beach 海滩. From there, they were to run a pipe 管子 line up into the cave, using special plastic 塑料 tubing 管 which hooked together in a jiffy.

"Cover the piping 管子 with sand 沙 and gravel 碎石, so it won't be noticed," Tom added. "In the mean‧time 其时, Bud and I will go to work on this setup 建立 here."

"Aye-aye 赞成, skipper 船长!" Hank and Arv responded 响应.

As they hurried out through the tunnel 隧道, Tom and Bud set to work with the tools they had brought along. The diesel 柴油机 was partly dismantled 拆除, sand poured 淋；倒 into its fuel 汽油 feed, and the generator 发电机 windings ripped 安息 out. The boys then tore tear off and tangled 纠纷 all wiring leads to the electrical 电动 equipment 设备, took apart 相隔 much of the equipment 设备 itself 本身, and smashed 粉碎 the control panel 面板.

"Boy, if those Brungarian creeps 爬行 get this setup 建立 working again, they're really geniuses 天才!" Bud said as he and Tom paused a second.

"This is only the beginning, pal 朋友!" Tom said. "Let's tackle 滑车 the machine!"

The huge 巨大 earthquake 地震 device 设备 was a far more difficult pro‧position 主张 to disable 禁用. Its heavy structural 结构 parts had to be disassembled or pried 撬 apart 相隔, one by one. Both boys were streaked 条纹 with sweat 流汗 as they finished.

By this time, Hank and Arv had the piping installed 安装 half‧way 半 into the tunnel 隧道. Spurred on as if by a sixth sense of danger, Tom told them to go back to the beach 海滩 and get the pump 泵 working while he and Bud connected the few remaining pipe 管子 lengths into the machine room.

Minutes later, their job done, Tom and Bud rushed out to the mouth of the cave and waved their flashlights. Soon the water could be heard boiling 煮沸 through the pipe‧line 管道. It gushed 喷 out with a roar 咆哮, flooding 洪水 the machine room.

"Let's go!" Tom cried, yanking 猛拉 Bud's arm.

As they reached the beach 海滩 and joined Hank and Arv, Tom's keen 热切的 ears picked up the drone 无人驾驶飞机 of a plane 平面 somewhere in the darkness 黑暗.

He gave a yell 叫喊 of alarm 4 and pointed sky‧ward 天（空）‧病房. A ghost‧like 鬼‧喜欢；象 jet 喷射 came zooming 放大 into view, boring straight toward them. All four broke into a mad 疯狂的 dash 短跑 for the seacopter.

They were half‧way 半 out on the reef 礁 when the plane 平面 leveled out of its dive 潜水 with an earsplitting whine 抱怨.

"Hide!" Tom shouted, fearing a bomb 炸弹 might be dropped.

All leaped 飞跃 for cover among the rocks. At the same instant, a fiery 火热 beam 梁 like a bolt 螺栓 of lightning 闪电 shot from the plane 平面. It seared the spot on the reef 礁 they had just vacated 空出!

"A ray 光束 gun!" Bud gasped 喘气.

The plane 平面's speed had already carried it far past the island. Before it could maneuver 演习；移动 around for another pass, Tom and his companions 4 were on their feet, racing for the safety 安全 of the Sea Hound.

They were aboard 船上 and clamping 钳 shut the hatch 孵化 lid 盖子 as the jet 喷射 made its second pass. This time its fiery 火热 ray glanced 一瞥 harm‧less 无害 off the seacopter's Tomasite sheathing 鞘. Seconds later, the Sea Hound had darted 镖 off beyond reach into the ocean 3 waters.

"Whew! We really broke all speed records that time!" Arv panted 喘气.

The others looked at him with wan 苍白 but triumphant 凯 grins 微笑. Then they began to speculate 推测 on what the beam‧like 梁‧喜欢；象 bolt 螺栓 was, who was in the plane 平面, and if their enemy knew who Tom's group were.

Dawn was streaking 条纹 the sky when the seacopter arrived at Fearing Island. The adventurers 冒险家 flew fly back to Enterprises at once. Tom and Bud snatched 抢夺 a few hours' sleep in the apartment adjoining 毗 Tom's laboratory 实验室.

Later in the morning the whole group gathered in Tom's laboratory 实验室 to recount 叙事 the raid 袭击 to Mr. Swift and Harlan Ames. A bell signal from the electronic 电子 brain brought them rushing to the decoder 解码. Grim news awaited 等待 them. The message said:

EXMAN TO SWIFTS. YOUR ENEMIES ARE NOW SURE I AM SPY. THEY PLAN TO DESTROY ME.

"No! It mustn't happen!" Tom cried in dismay 沮丧. "Dad 爸, I'll rescue 营救 him myself 我!"

His words were greeted with shocked protests 抗议 from the others.

"Don't be crazy 荒唐的!" Bud said. "You wouldn't have a chance!"

"It would be suicide!" Arv Hanson declared.

Chow grabbed 用手抓 his young boss 老板 by the arm. "Brand 牌 my cayenne pepper 胡椒, before I'd let you make a blame 指责 fool move like that, I'd rope 粗绳 an' hawg-tie you myself 我!"

Ames interjected the most convincing 说服 argument 论据. "I know how you feel, Tom," he said sympathetically 同情的, "but I'm positive 正 the United States government would never permit such a risky 有风险 under‧take 承担."

Tom was beside himself with anxiety 焦虑. Not only had he worked and struggled to make the space brain's visit a scientific success, but also it was he who had thought of the scheme 方案 to use Exman as a spy 间谍. In Tom's eyes, if the Brungarian rebels 反叛 were to destroy the brain's body, it would amount to murder! The young inventor knew that the destruction 破坏 of the "body" would not destroy the energy 能源, but that it would be "lost" as far as the earth was concerned.

Who knew, Tom asked himself, what price‧less 无价 secrets the "brain" might ultimately 最终 yield to earth's scientific researchers 研究员? If the Brungarians were to succeed, this might deter 阻止 the Swifts' space friends from ever attempting another visit to our planet!

In despair 绝望, Tom turned to his father. "You know how much is at stake 赌注, Dad 爸!" he pleaded 求情. "Isn't there something we can do?"

Mr. Swift had been silent, thoughtfully 沉思地 drumming 鼓 his pencil 铅笔 on the work‧bench 工作‧长凳. He looked up.

"Tom, I can think of only one thing," he said. "Perhaps our friends on Planet X can help us. They said they would have no control over the energy 能源 until it was ready to return home. But maybe we can get them to help us transfer 转让 the energy 能源 back here—not by any means of earth transportation, but by some extra‧terrestrial 额外的‧陆生 means known to their scientists."

Tom's eyes kindled with hope. "Dad 爸, that's a terrific 了不起 idea!" he exclaimed 喊叫. "Let's try!"

A message was quickly beamed out into space. Minutes went by. Then the machine signaled a reply. It said:

WE WILL ATTEMPT RESCUE IF YOU WILL ARC A POWERFUL RADIO BEAM FROM POINT OF ORIGINAL EARTH LANDING TO POINT WHERE ENERGY IS NOW.

Moments later, a further message followed, giving technical 技术 instructions 指令 on how to project 项目 the beam 梁. It ended:

NOTIFY US WHEN SETUP IS READY.

"Yahoo!" Chow whooped 叫喊. "Brand 牌 my space guns, I reckon 估计 we'll get Ole Think Box home safe after all!"

"He's not home yet, Chow," Tom cautioned, grinning 微笑 but still tense 紧张 with worry. " Glad 高兴的 you said that, though. It reminds me that the first job on our hands is to build a new think box for Exman!"

With hope alive 活的；有生命的, Tom turned icy 冷冰冰 calm and buckled 扣 down to the work at hand. Before beginning construction 施工 of a new space robot 机器人, he contacted 联系 Exman via 通过 the electronic 电子 brain and asked him for his exact location 位置 in Brungaria. The answer came in precise 精确 latitude 纬度 and longitude.

Next, Tom radioed instructions 指令 for the rescue 营救 plan. As soon as Exman was notified 通知 that the invisible 无形 force from Planet X was ready to transport 运输 his energy 能源, he was to unlatch point five of his star head. He would then be free to attach 连接 his energy 能源 to the rescue beam 3 and be arced 弧 back to the hill‧side 山坡 spot near Enterprises, where Tom would have a new robot 机器人 body waiting.

Exman replied tersely:

MESSAGE UNDERSTOOD. WILL COMPLY.

Tom snapped 卡 out orders. "Hank! Arv! Bud! And, Dad 爸, we can sure use your help too! Every hour may be precious 宝贵的! We must construct 构造 a replica 复制品 of Exman's robot 机器人 container as fast as possible!"

Every resource 资源 of Swift Enterprises was convulsed into action. But for all their scientific miracles 奇迹, the staff could not perform magic 魔法. The complicated robot 机器人 device 设备 required hours of highly skilled construction 施工.

Darkness had fallen fall by the time the energy 能源 container was ready. Meanwhile, a powerful 强大 transmitter 发射机 and directional antenna 天线 had been set up at the hill‧side 山坡 spot. Extensive 广阔的 reports on the condition of the ionosphere poured into head‧quarter 总部.

The Swifts and their small group of trusted associates 关联 trucked the new robot 机器人 and the electronic 电子 brain out to the site. Tom then signaled his space friends that he was ready. They responded 响应 with the exact time for the rescue 3 attempt. Tom transmitted 发送 the information to Exman, who replied:

DANGER NEAR. BRUNGARIAN SCIENTISTS READY TO DESTROY ME.

"Great bellowin' buffaloes 水牛!" Chow gulped 吞. "Please make it quick, Tom! We got to save that space critter!"

Tom glanced 一瞥 at his illuminated 照亮 watch dial 拨号. The count‧down 数；总数‧往下 ticked 蜱 by. Suddenly his hand closed a switch 开关, transmitting 发送 the rescue beam. More moments passed as the Swifts and the watchers 守望者 strained their eyes toward the night sky.

"Here it comes!" Bud yelled 叫喊 suddenly.

A fiery 火热 bluish-white light had suddenly flamed 火焰 into view. It grew steadily larger. Tom poised 平衡 the container and opened one point of the star head.

Now the blue fire‧ball 火‧球 was arcing 弧 down over the hill‧side 山坡, trailing 乡间小道 its orange 桔子-red comet 彗星 tail 尾. It hissed 嘶 into the container and Tom snapped 卡 shut the star head.

The next moment, the young inventor wavered 动摇 and slumped 暴跌 unconscious 无意识!

CHAPTER XX

THE ROBOT SPY'S STORY

"Tom!" his father cried. Anxiously the others crowded around the lanky young inventor, who had fallen beside the new robot 机器人.

"Stand back! Give him air!" Bud urged. "How is he, Mr. Swift?"

The elder scientist was feeling Tom's wrist 腕. "His pulse 脉冲 is beating, but it's a bit weak. He must have received a terrific 了不起 shock from all that energy 能源!... Tom!... Tom, son, can you hear me?"

The young inventor moaned 呻吟 and stirred 搅动 faintly 微弱的 but his eyes did not open. His cheeks 脸颊 and lips seemed color‧less 颜色‧少 in the glow 辉光 of Mr. Swift's flash‧light 使闪光‧光；灯. Chow was terrified 惊吓, hovering 徘徊 about help‧less 无助.

"I'll call Doc Simpson to bring a pulmotor!" Hank exclaimed 喊叫.

"Yes, do, Hank!" Mr. Swift pleaded 求情. "Quick!"

An ambulance 救护车 arrived a few minutes later. Doc Simpson and an attend‧ant 服务员 leaped 飞跃 out, and the resuscitation equipment 设备—specially designed by the Swifts for their plant infirmary—was hastily 草草 unloaded 卸下.

Anxious 焦急的 moments followed, but finally Tom began to respond 响应 to the treatment 治疗. Soon his eyes were open and he regained 恢复 full consciousness 意识. As Doc held a paper cup of water for him to sip 啜, Tom smiled wanly 苍白.

"Okay 好的." he murmured 私语, "I'm all right now. Sorry if I scared 惊恐 you, Dad 爸." He started to get up.

"It's a hospital bed for you, skipper 船长. And no arguments 论据!" Doc Simpson said sternly 严肃. "What happened here?"

"I believe," Mr. Swift answered, "that our space friends, in finding a way to move the energy 能源 back to us, had less close control over it on earth than when they sent it from space."

By mid‧morning 中‧早晨 the next day, Tom had awakened 憬 refreshed 使恢复 from a good night's sleep and felt normal 正常 again. Over Doc Simpson's protests 抗议, he insisted 咬定 upon dressing and hurrying over to his laboratory 实验室.

Here he found his father working intently 意图 amid 际 a jumble 混乱 of mechanical 机械 parts, tools, and electronic 电子 equipment 设备. Nearby 附近 stood Exman with a panel 面板 open in his upper body, exposing 暴露 the controls and output 产量 equipment 设备.

"Hi 嗨, Dad 爸!" Tom exclaimed 喊叫 as he strode into the laboratory 实验室. "What's doing with Ole Think Box?"

Mr. Swift looked up with a smile of relief. "'Morning, son! All well again? That's wonderful 精彩! I'm just giving Exman an artificial 人造的 speech mechanism. He's already briefed 简要 us via 通过 the electronic 电子 brain on the situation in Brungaria. But I thought it would be even better if he could tell us in person."

Details on the earthquake 地震 plot 情节, Mr. Swift went on, had already been reported to the Defense Department. Tom's raid 袭击 on Balala Island had effectively blocked further quake attempts.

The Brungarian rebels 反叛 had become enraged by their failure to extract 提取 Exman's secrets, and had decided to disintegrate 瓦解 the robot 机器人 creature and its brain energy 能源. But the youthful 青春的 Brungarian loyalist 忠诚的人 group had kept them so busy with resistance out‧break 暴发 that they had delayed 延迟 too long.

"Lucky 幸运 thing!" Tom put in with an affectionate 亲热 grin 微笑 at Exman. "If they had started to destroy him half an hour sooner, it might have been pretty sad 悲哀的 for Ole Think Box!"

Tom was intrigued 诡计 by his father's design for an artificial 人造的 speech mechanism. After talking it over, they decided that Tom would go to work on a central 中央 computer device 设备 to integrate 整合 all the senses. He would also provide Exman with "ears," which would be sound-reception 招待会 equipment 设备. Mr. Swift, meanwhile, would continue work on the speech mechanism and also perfect the seeing equipment 设备 he had started earlier.

The day sped by as the two Swifts worked with feverish intensity 强度. Lunch was eaten from their workbenches, but the inventors 发明家 reluctantly 勉强 halted 停 at dinner‧time 正餐‧时间.

After a tasty 可口 meal of fried 油炸；炒 chicken 鸡 at home with Mrs. Swift and Sandy, both Toms returned to the plant. Father and son labored 劳动 until well past mid‧night 午夜 on their experiments. Then they snatched 抢夺 a few hours of sleep and resumed 恢复 their tasks 任务 early the next morning.

By early afternoon an atmosphere 大气层 of excitement 激动 pervaded 弥漫 Enterprises. The visitor from Planet X would soon be able to communicate 通信 directly with his earth friends! Bud, Chow, Hank Sterling, Arv Hanson, and Art Wiltessa gathered in the laboratory 实验室, along with several other Swift key men. Mrs. Swift, Sandy, and Phyl also arrived to watch.

At last the sensing equipment 设备 was completed and installed 安装. Exman was ready to speak!

His voice came out haltingly, but as the words were selected 选择 from a vast 广大 taped 胶带 collection, they were clear and bold 胆大的；醒目的:

GREETINGS TO YOU, MY EARTH FRIENDS!

Sandy gave a squeal of delight and the room echoed 回声 with applause 热烈鼓掌 for Exman's first effort. After a few adjustments 调整, he was able to speak more freely and smoothly.

Tom whispered to Phyl, "Confidentially, we had a dummy 假 run before lunch‧time 午餐时间. At first, all Exman could do was croak like a frog 青蛙."

Phyl, thrilled 颤抖 by the spectacle 场面；眼镜 of a speaking space creature, gave the young inventor's hand a squeeze 挤. "Tom, he's just wonderful 精彩!"

Tom agreed. "Our country owes 欠…债 him a lot for exposing 暴露 the Brungarian rebel 反叛 schemes 方案."

To Tom's amazement 惊愕, Exman's "ears" picked up his murmured 私语 words, even above the babble of the spectators 观众 crowding the room.

"Your country owes you much, Tom Swift," the creature said. "You conceived 构想 the idea of an electronic 电子 spy 间谍 and found ways to block the rebels 反叛' destructive 破坏性的 earthquake 地震 plans."

As Tom flushed 红晕 at the crowd's applause 热烈鼓掌, Exman continued, "Unless I am mistaken 错误, you will soon learn that you have accomplished 完成；实现；达到；做到 even more."

Tom was mystified by this. Meanwhile, the spectators 观众 listened spell‧bound 拼写‧必定；跳 as Exman went on talking, telling what he had learned of the valiant resistance efforts to over‧throw 推翻 the Brungarian rebels 反叛.

A short time later the telephone rang. Tom answered, and the operator informed him that John Thurston of Central 中央 Intelligence 情报 was calling.

"Great news, Tom," the CIA man said. "We've just learned that the rightful Brungarian government forces have struck hard in the capital city and at half a dozen other points. The rebel 反叛 puppets 木偶 and their troops 部队 have been crushed completely!"

Tom was enthusiastic 热情 over the news.

"That's not all," Thurston went on. "In case you don't realize it, the information which you supplied by means of your electronic 电子 spy 间谍 is chiefly what enabled 启用 the government forces to win out. They've promised to dismantle 拆除 the rebels 反叛' other two earthquake 地震 bases."

As Tom hung up and relayed 中继 the electrifying news, Bud and the others burst into cheers.

"It is all due to Tom Swift and his secret assistant 助理," Exman said.

Tom was puzzled by the remark but had no time to ask what he meant as the people in the room crowded around to shake his hand. Mr. and Mrs. Swift smiled proudly at their son's latest triumph 胜利. Phyl and Sandy expressed their feelings by giving Tom a quick kiss 接吻.

"Hey! Where do I come in?" Bud protested 抗议.

Before the girls could answer, the door of the laboratory 实验室 opened and Harlan Ames walked in, accompanied 陪 by a lean, gray-eyed young man with dark close-cropped 农作物 hair. Samson Narko!

Chow let out a yelp of rage 愤怒. "Why, brand 牌 my sage‧brush 智者‧刷子 hash, it's that double-crossin' Brungarian—"

"Hold it, Chow!" Ames cut short the out‧burst 突发. "Allow me to introduce one of America's most effective counter‧espionage 反；表面‧间谍 agents, Mr. Samson Narko!"

Tom and his friends were astounded 惊奇. Narko himself smiled some‧what 有些 uncomfortably 不舒服. "I can imagine how you all feel—you especially, Tom. But, believe me, I could not risk pulling my punches 冲床 even when it put you all in grave 坟墓；严重的 peril 岌, such as when I fired that missile across the bow 弓 of your sub 子. I could only hope that Tom Swift would succeed in eluding 躲避 us."

Ames quickly briefed 简要 the others on Narko's back‧ground 背景. Brungarian-born bear, he had received his engineering training in the United States and had learned to love America. When he saw his own country threatened by the forces of dictator‧ship 专政, he had secretly offered his services to the CIA against the rebels 反叛. Soon after‧ward 之后, the agency had approached him to become a counter‧spy 反；表面‧间谍.

"I dared not relax 放松 from my role as a spy 间谍 for a moment," Narko added. "I even grabbed the chance to plant that cache 高速缓存 of fire‧arm 火器 in Latty's cellar 地窖 to convince 说服 any rebel 反叛 agents who might be watching me that I was on their side. Tom, the rebels 反叛 gave me the job of hijacking 劫持 your space robot 机器人. But, going on the brief 简要 messages that the CIA was able to get through to me, I guessed that you were using it as bait 饵."

"I guess we all owe 欠…债 you an apology 道歉认错," Tom said. "And our thanks. We were lucky 幸运 to have you on our side."

"He saved the lives of a number of loyalist 忠诚的人 prisoners 犯人，囚犯 and gave the government forces some vital 重要的 tip 3-offs of his own," Ames added.

As Tom shook hands with Narko, the young Brungarian said warmly, "It is good to know that Tom Swift is my friend." With a chuckle 暗笑, Narko added, "I know from experience that you certainly make a dangerous 危险 enemy!"

As the others gathered around to speak to Samson Narko and add their friendly congratulations, Bud slapped 拍击 Tom on the back.

"Well, skipper 船长, what's next on the schedule 时间表?"

For a moment Tom did not reply. He too wondered where his next scientific adventure 冒险活动 would lead him.

Finally Tom turned to Bud. "I'm not sure. But who knows what space secrets Exman may have up his mechanical 机械 sleeve 袖!"

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Section 部分 moved from beginning of book, in original 原版的 order: