“No. We’ll force him in at Fearing Island.”
As the strange quartet of aircraft headed for the ocean rocket base, Hank Sterling radioed Tom.
“Thanks, Tom!” he said. “That robot sure is a honey. Why, it picked that plane off its course like an ace rifleman after a bird.”
Tom was delighted himself with the performance of the pilotless jet robot.
“Did you have a rough time with that fellow?” he asked.
robots toward the airstrip
94 TOM SWIFT AND HIS ROCKET SHIP
“He almost got me. I thought I could outfly him but couldn’t. Have you any idea who he is?”
”I suspect it’s part of a gang that’s trying to wreck the rocket project,” Tom replied.
“Good thing you arrived!” Hank continued. “This secret unit might never have gotten to your base.”
“Is it okay?”
“Yes!”
“Well, you go ahead with it and land first,” Tom advised, as they approached the Atlantic Ocean.
“Maybe we’ll learn something from this fellow that we failed to get from Hein and the others,” Tom mused, as they flew across the stretch of water to Fearing Island and circled for a landing.
The strange convoy glided past the guarding robots toward the airstrip. Hank Sterling had already taxied to the hangar.
Tom cut in the Queens landing jets and hovered to allow the two small craft to go in first. After they had reached the field, Tom lowered the Flying Lab.
As he approached the airstrip, the young inventor’s pulse quickened. What clue to the enemy’s identity would this latest captive reveal?
CHAPTER 1 1
A CODED THREAT
AS THE THREE planes landed, mechanics rushed onto the Fearing Island airfield and surrounded them. One group taxied the robot jet to a hangar, but the other men stood by awaiting orders.