Thank you.

I should warn you that I've seriously bonded with Irene. You *may* be
in a lot of trouble...

Terry

On 7/12/09, Jonathan Cooper <jcooper07@...> wrote:
>
>
> And here is the next chapter of:
>
> #35: TOM SWIFT AND HIS NUCLEAR HYPERPLANE
> Chapter 20: Deadline
>
> http://stories.cyragon.com/?p=451
>
> Three more chapters (plus an epilogue) to go.
>
> Thanks!
>
> --Jon Cooper
>
> ================================
>
> Chapter 20: Deadline
> Bud Barclay, Irene Goddard, and Tom Swift Jr. were hiding in the deserted
> basement of the Brungarian base. Several hours earlier they had managed to
> steal an unused radio transmitter from another area of the complex. Once Tom
> got it to work they used it to contact a Navy destroyer that was stationed
> off the coast of Brungaria. The trio had been waiting anxiously for news
> from New York City on the fate of the Swift power plant. When that news
> finally came they were crushed.
>
> “I guess that’s the end of it,” Bud said sadly. “I was really hoping we
> would be able to reach him in time. It looks like we were just too late.”
>
> “Not necessarily,” Tom said slowly. “Irene, tell me a little bit more about
> this laboratory.”
>
> “Sure,” Irene replied. “Xanthus’ notes had quite a lot of information about
> this lab. It seems that when he stole your father’s reactor designs he built
> a duplicate here so he could study it. Once his research was completed he
> shut it down and the Brungarians started building a commercial-sized plant
> elsewhere. His test reactor still exists, but it’s been mothballed.”
>
> “Then we might still have a chance!” Tom exclaimed. “Xanthus must have built
> a duplicate computer. All we need to do is fly it to New York. After all he
> built copies of my nuclear jets, didn’t he?”
>
> “He did,” Irene replied. “But we don’t have much time left. Your Dad said we
> have less than two hours until the reactor goes critical. The Falcon-class
> jet could never make it in time. The Eagle-class jet could make the trip in
> around 45 minutes, but that doesn’t leave us very long at all to find the
> computer, load it on board the jet, and leave – and keep in mind we’re
> surrounded by hostile Brungarians. And don’t forget that the power plant in
> New York doesn’t have a runway! You’ll have to figure out a way to safely
> drop it from the air, since there won’t be time to land somewhere else and
> then transport it.”
>
> “Then we’d better get started!” Tom said.
>
> The room housing the reactor was not hard to find. Like its sister unit at
> the Institute, the reactor was an enormous machine that had been installed
> in a very spacious room. This room, however, was very clean. There were no
> pipes or wires anywhere, nor was there any electrical cabling to be seen.
> The reactor itself had been disconnected and the control equipment sat
> quietly along the sides of the room, covered in white sheets.
>
> Tom removed the sheets from the units and looked them over critically. A
> minute later he spoke up. “Xanthus sabotaged the electronic brain that
> controlled the reaction itself, correct?”
>
> “Yes,” Irene replied. “That’s the one.”
>
> “Then I think I’ve found it!” Tom pointed to a cabinet about ten feet long
> and five feet high. The cabinet was studded with lights, controls, and signs
> written in Brungarian. “I don’t recognize the writing but I do recognize the
> layout. This is what we’re looking for.”
>
> Bud’s eyes grew wide. “That looks big and heavy, skipper. How are you
> planning on moving that to the plane? I think someone would notice if we
> tried to hide it under our shirts and walk out nonchalantly.”
>
> “But what if we build a wooden crate around it?” Tom asked. “And I bet we’ve
> got enough sheets here to make a good makeshift parachute so we can drop it
> from the sky while the plane is still in the air. All I need are some
> tools.”
>
> “We should probably add some radiation symbols to the side of the box,”
> Irene suggested. “That would keep anyone from looking too closely.”
>
> “What can I do?” Bud asked.
>
> “Help Irene look around for their storage closet,” Tom ordered. “I’m hoping
> that when they closed this facility down they just packed everything up and
> put it in a room somewhere. Since all of this machinery is still here that
> gives me hope that other things may be here as well. While you’re doing that
> I’ll start dismantling this unit and getting it ready for shipping. I don’t
> want anything to break while it’s in transit!”
>
> “Then let’s get started!” Irene replied. After a tense search Bud and Irene
> found a staircase that led to a sub-basement. Inside the room were rows and
> rows of wooden crates, filled with all sorts of equipment.
>
> “Tom can use the wood to build his own shipping container,” Bud remarked.
> “We’ve even got packing materials to go with it! Now we just need to find
> some tools for him to use.”
>
> Once the tools were located they rushed the supplies upstairs. It took
> several trips to carry up enough wood, but Tom at last had everything he
> needed. They feverishly hurried to construct the crate. The hardest part
> proved to be getting the computer into the box. Tom had to remove most of
> the computer’s internal parts before the trio was able to lift it. As he was
> reassembling the unit in the crate he turned to look at Irene. “Are you sure
> we need to bring the entire unit? Can’t we just find the one piece that
> Xanthus sabotaged and bring that?”
>
> Irene shook her head. “He didn’t do it that way, Tom. Xanthus had to
> redesign the entire unit to make it do what he wanted. It’s not a matter of
> just fixing one piece.”
>
> “And Dad never noticed?” Tom said incredulously.
>
> “Your Dad subcontracted the construction work,” Irene pointed out. “Before
> he built his commercial plant he tried to establish an industrial process
> for making the components so he could quickly build more as orders came in.
> When he got the unit in I’m sure he tested it but I doubt he took it
> entirely apart. Your Dad had no reason to suspect that it might have been
> sabotaged.”
>
> “I guess,” Tom said, sighing. “So how do we carry this to the plane?”
>
> “Easy!” Irene replied. “We do it the same way they got it down here in the
> first place. The elevator is easily big enough for a forklift, and I’m sure
> there’s one around here somewhere. We just need to find it.”
>
> “I haven’t seen one down here anywhere,” Tom said.
>
> “I’ve seen one!” Bud exclaimed. “It was in the hangar. They were using a
> forklift to move things around while they were cleaning it. I bet it’s still
> up there!”
>
> Tom snapped his fingers. “Then let’s split up. Bud, you and Irene go get the
> forklift. I’ll make my way to the hyperplane and get it warmed up. You can
> then bring the forklift back here, load up the crate, and bring it to the
> plane. Then we can take off and head for home.”
>
> “I have a better idea,” Irene said. “Bud and I both know how to fly that
> plane, but you don’t. I’ll go get the hyperplane and you and Bud can work on
> moving the computer to the jet. I’ll have the plane ready by the time you
> get there.”
>
> Tom looked surprised. “When did you learn how to fly the jet?”
>
> “Back in California, when Bud and I were waiting on you to bring our weapons
> supply,” Irene replied. “I had to do something while I was waiting.”
>
> “Ok!” Tom said. “Then let’s go.”
>
> Tom, Bud, and Irene made their way to the elevator. Irene got off on the
> third floor. Tom and Bud needed to go up one more floor to find the
> forklift, so Irene bid them farewell and headed off. By now she knew the
> general layout of the base and had a vague idea where the hangar’s sub-floor
> was located.
>
> Before she left the deserted laboratory Irene had adopted a disguise. Inside
> one of the crates she found a stained lab coat, which she put on and daubed
> with grease and dirt. As she walked out of the elevator she clutched a
> wrench in one hand and a box of tools in another. Both groups of people had
> a valid ID card – Tom’s came from the guard Bud had captured outside the
> base, and Irene’s came from the guard that Bud had imprisoned inside the
> cell. Once again Irene found herself hoping that no one would look at her
> too closely.
>
> When Irene got to the hangar’s lower level she saw that it was bustling with
> activity. She stood still for a moment and watched as workers carried
> supplies around. A few guards loitered at one side of the hangar, chatting.
>
> Of course! Irene thought to herself. With the upper level of the hangar
> destroyed they’re relocating what they can to the lower level. This is going
> to be their primary base of operations until the upper level is repaired,
> and that could take weeks. I should have thought of that!
>
> Gathering all of her nerve, Irene forced herself to act calm as she walked
> across the hangar toward Xanthus’ copy of the Eagle. She hoped desperately
> that in the maze of activity around her no one would pay her any particular
> attention. As she drew near the jet she started thinking about how to get it
> out of the hangar. In the far end of the room was an elevator designed to
> lift jets to the upper level. To the right was a room with a bank of
> controls. Irene guessed that the elevator was operated from there.
>
> This is going to be a bit tricky, she thought. I’m going to have to turn on
> the jet and taxi it over to the elevator, and then someone will have to
> operate the controls and raise it to the upper floor. At least the jet is
> coated with bulletproof Tomasite! It’s a sure thing they’re going to start
> shooting at us. Or maybe not – the plane does have a nuclear reactor on
> board, after all. But how am I going to get everyone out of the hangar?
>
> And then she had an idea.
>
> * * * * *
>
> Tom and Bud stood in one corner of the ruined hangar. Steam was still rising
> from the heated metal floor, and broken girders dangled from the ceiling.
> The charred remains of several jets could still be seen in a few places. The
> entire area was in a state of chaos. Work crews were busy cleaning up the
> debris, but Tom could see they had their work cut out for them.
>
> “Wow,” Bud said. “This place is a mess! At least gasoline isn’t still
> spraying everywhere.”
>
> “There’s a forklift!” Tom remarked. He pointed over to one side, where a
> worker was using it in an attempt to lift a charred engine off the ground.
>
> “Yeah, but it’s in use,” Bud pointed out.
>
> “I don’t see any others,” Tom replied.
>
> “Then we’ll take that one,” Bud said confidently. To Tom’s amazement Bud
> walked right over to the forklift. He shouted something at the worker and
> waved his gun at him, making it clear that he wanted the worker to get out
> of the forklift. The Brungarian looked surprised but he obeyed. Bud got
> inside and drove it over to Tom, who got on board. The two then maneuvered
> it inside the base and toward the elevator.
>
> “Nice going back there!” Tom remarked.
>
> Bud grinned. “It’s like Al Capone used to say. You can get more with a kind
> word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone!”
>
> “I guess so!” Tom laughed. “I’m sure that guard uniform you’ve got on had
> nothing to do with it!”
>
> They passed by a number of people on their way to the elevator, but no one
> stopped them. One glance from Bud convinced them to mind their own business!
> After they reached the elevator it did not take them long to load up the
> crate and bring it to the third floor.
>
> “How much time do we have?” Tom asked.
>
> Bud glanced at his watch. “About an hour.”
>
> Tom grimaced. “That’s not good. This is taking much too long.”
>
> To their surprise, Irene was waiting for them just outside the lower level
> of the hangar. Bud stopped the forklift and Irene climbed on board.
>
> “Is the jet ready?” Tom asked.
>
> “Kind of,” Irene replied. “There’s been a slight change of plans. Let me
> handle this.”
>
> Irene took over the controls of the forklift and drove it into the hangar.
> When she got inside she drove over to the nearest worker and shouted at him
> in Spanish for a few minutes. The worker got a panicked look on his face and
> began screaming at everyone else in the room. The response was immediate!
> Within moments people streamed out of the room. The guards started to walk
> toward her, but Irene waved her ID at them and pointed to the exit. The room
> was soon empty.
>
> “Wow!” Tom exclaimed, as Irene drove the forklift over to the jet. The
> plane’s cargo door was already open. “I’m impressed! What did you tell
> them?”
>
> Irene smiled. “I just said that the hyperplane had been damaged in the fire
> and needed immediate repairs. I also told them that the crate was filled
> with highly radioactive materials, and they needed to leave immediately if
> they didn’t want to die.”
>
> “That’ll work!” Bud said approvingly.
>
> “But not for long,” Irene warned. She drove the forklift into the jet and
> parked it inside the plane’s cargo area. “When I turn this jet on they’re
> going to come running back to see what’s going on. And we can’t get out of
> here until someone works the elevator controls and lifts the plane to the
> upper level. Can you do that, Tom?”
>
> “Sure,” Tom replied. “Just taxi the plane over to the elevator and I’ll
> raise you up. But how will I get back on board?”
>
> “There’s a flight of stairs behind the control room,” Irene explained.
>
> “Thanks!” Tom left, leaving Bud and Irene alone.
>
> As Irene closed the cargo door she turned to Bud. “I hate to do this, but I
> need you to do me a favor. I need you to go with Tom and stop him from
> boarding this plane.”
>
> Bud’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?”
>
> Irene nodded. “There’s a Falcon-class jet right over there, and like this
> one it is coated with Tomasite. I need you and Tom to take that jet home.
> The elevator can only lift one jet at a time, so you’re going to have to act
> fast. Do you think you can make it without getting shot?”
>
> “I guess,” Bud said slowly. “But what do I tell Tom?”
>
> “Tell him anything,” Irene replied. “Tell him that we can’t leave nuclear
> jets in the hands of Brungarians. Tell him that they owe him a jet. Make
> something up. But make sure he doesn’t try to board the hyperplane! I’m
> counting on you, Bud.”
>
> “Consider it done,” Bud said confidently.
>
> As he turned to leave Irene called out after him. “You’ll make sure nothing
> happens to him, won’t you?”
>
> “Of course,” Bud called back. “Don’t even worry about it.”
>
> After Bud left Irene climbed into the cockpit and fired up the Sampson
> nuclear engine. You can do this, Irene, she thought to herself. Just don’t
> think about it. You’ve got to keep it together! Millions of lives are riding
> on this.
>
> * * * * *
>
> “Bud!” Tom exclaimed in surprise, as his friend walked into the control
> room. “Why aren’t you on the hyperplane?”
>
> “There’s been a change of plans,” Bud said. He pointed to another jet in the
> hangar. “It turns out you and I need to take that jet home.”
>
> “Not a bad idea!” Tom said approvingly. “That’s the only other nuclear jet I
> see down here. I like the idea of not leaving my technology like that in
> their hands. Good thinking!”
>
> A moment later the nuclear hyperplane roared to life! Irene taxied it over
> to the elevator. As soon as the plane was in position Tom threw the switch.
> The elevator began slowly rising.
>
> “I’ll go grab the other jet,” Bud said. “Meet me upstairs, will you?”
>
> “Sure thing!” Tom agreed. A moment later the hyperplane was out of sight.
> Once Tom saw that it was no longer on the elevator he lowered it so that Bud
> could board it.
>
> Good luck, Irene! he thought to himself. He glanced at his watch and
> grimaced. I sure hope you can make it in time. We’re cutting it awfully
> close.
>
> As Bud taxied the second nuclear jet into position Tom heard the sound of
> gunfire. He glanced out the window and saw that guards were streaming out of
> the doors. Several of them were firing automatic weapons at the plane, but
> so far no one had noticed Tom. He hit the switch to raise the elevator and
> ran out the back door and up the stairs. He could hear shouts from down
> below and the sound of pursuing footsteps, but he kept on running.
>
> By the time he made it upstairs the jet was in position. Tom ran toward it
> as fast as he could. As he neared the jet he heard more gunfire. The guards
> were chasing him!
>
> Tom frantically climbed on board as Bud taxied the jet onto the runway. As
> soon as they were outside he slammed on the throttle and the jet roared to
> life. The Brungarians continued to shoot at the jet, but the bullets bounced
> off harmlessly.
>
> Once they were in the sky Tom breathed a sigh of relief. “I can’t believe
> it! I just can’t believe we did it. Nice going, Bud!”
>
> “Thanks,” Bud replied. He quickly got the plane up to its cruising altitude
> and brought its speed up to Mach 3. “It looks like old Xanthus didn’t steal
> all of your secrets,” Bud remarked. “Evidently he didn’t get the Mach 5
> blueprints.”
>
> “No, he wouldn’t have,” Tom said thoughtfully. “That’s probably why the
> Brungarians wanted someone to steal our jets from the California plant.
> After all, the raid on the Institute happened before I even perfected the
> Falcon design. I hadn’t even discovered the radiation problem yet.”
>
> Suddenly his eyes grew wide. Bud glanced at his friend. “Is something
> wrong?”
>
> “You could say that,” Tom said slowly. He started to panic. “I’ll bet
> anything this jet is based on the early version of my Sampson engine. That
> version leaked radiation! I figured out how to fix it, but not before my
> plans were stolen. Without extensive testing Xanthus would never have known
> the jet had a problem.”
>
> Bud looked frightened. “You mean this plane is leaking radiation? Should I
> be worried?”
>
> Tom shook his head as fear clutched his heart. He felt like his world was
> coming to an end. It was all he could do to force himself to talk. He knew
> he was about to come unglued, and there was nothing he could do about it.
> “We’ll make it back to Shopton just fine. We won’t be exposed long enough
> for it to matter. But Irene is in a different situation. At the speed she’s
> going the radiation levels are going to be fatal. I don’t think she’ll even
> survive the trip there!”
>
>
>
>


--
"The SCA is a game. If it's not fun,
I'm doing it wrong." =Caitlin Cheannlaidir, OL