Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 03 – And His Rocket Ship

They stared dumfounded, then gasped in horror.

A gigantic cloud of hot, colored gases was billowing over the launching area.

And roaring straight up was a streak against the sky.

“The rocket ship!” Bud exclaimed. “It’s launched itself!”

“And Harlan Ames is aboard!” Tom cried fearfully.

CHAPTER 14

EMERGENCY ORDERS

WATCHING in consternation as the rocket ship raced skyward out of control, Tom was unaware for a moment of what had happened on the ground. Now, looking around, he saw men sprawled in various positions. A few started to rise but several, apparently injured, lay still.

“This is terrible!” Bud remarked, his voice barely audible.

Tom nodded as he turned the jeep and rushed back to the scene of the accidental launching. By now the base was in an uproar.

“Bud, take care of those poor fellows,” Tom directed. “I’ll see what I can do for Ames.”

They jumped from the car, and Tom ran to the radar tracking platform where Jones, the operator, stood as if paralyzed with fright. The streaking rocket was already a small speck in the atmosphere. Tom whirled the gun-sight director at it and got an

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EMERGENCY ORDERS 121

immediate firm fix on the spacebound runaway. Turning to Billing in the radio shack a few feet away, he shouted:

“Try to contact Harlan Ames. Don’t stop trying for a second!”

“Check!” Billing replied.

“If Harlan only had a chance to flatten himself out during the takeoff!” the young inventor murmured hopefully. “Otherwise, he’ll be torn to pieces!”

Tom beckoned to the radarman, telling him to switch the tracker from manual to automatic. The giant radar dishes twitched as they aligned themselves to pick up the rocket.