Tom ordered the payload rocket taken from the Sky Queen and asked Walling and several other engineers to help him examine the rocket to see if it could be used again. Two hours later the group decided that no damage had been done to the Star Spear and that all it required was overhauling.
AN ATTEMPTED THEFT 129
“When do you think everything will be ready to ship to Fearing?” Tom asked Walling.
“By tomorrow night.”
Grinning in anticipation, Tom telephoned the naval station located nearby.
Just as he had completed arrangements for assistance, Bud strode into the office.
“Time out for lunch,” he announced, bringing in txvo boxes he had carried over from the cafeteria.
As they ate, Tom said, “If we work fast, we can get all four stages of the rocket to the island tomorrow night while it’s still dark.”
“Isn’t that pretty risky?” Bud asked. “There’s a good chance the Rotzog gang will detect that you’re running a shuttle to the island.”
“I’m not going to fly the sections all the way out,” Tom explained.
He revealed the main outline of his plan. The United States Navy had lent him several giant bares. These amphibious freight trucks were pooled in an isolated field in Fernwood, a tiny village near the coast, across from Fearing Island.
“I’ll try to confuse Rotzog by using both the Sky Queen and the bares,” Tom said.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Bud mused. “Hope it works.”
An hour later the Flying Lab and its passengers took off. By the time they arrived at Fearing Island, Harlan Ames was awake and declaring that he felt fine.