Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 04 – And His Giant Robot

Transmitted through Ator’s “eyes” the picture on 206 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT ROBOT

the television screen in the control building showed the dim underground passage, and as Tom watched the screen, the outer opening to the atomic pile appeared. With a feeling of finality Tom activated controls to close the tunnel entrance behind Ator. The robot strode past the thick foundations in the basement directly beneath the oven, then climbed the ramp leading to the atomic pile. He made his way past the breeder reactor and stood before the pile, facing the honeycomb wall.

Then, with Tom calling directions, Bud fed detailed instruction tapes into the panel. As they worked the automaton into position, Tom explained his hunch to Bud.

“When Raymond mentioned ‘slugging’ to me, it gave me an idea. The pile feeds on slugs of Uranium-238, which is nonfissionable. In the pile a portion of it is slowly converted into plutonium. Now if you feed the pile a slug containing a high concentration of plutonium, it could set off an explosion before the moderator material ever had a chance to quench the reaction. I think one of those slugs has been loaded with plutonium.”

“But how will you know which one?” Bud queried. “They all look alike on the screen.”

“The fake slug’s weight will be different,” Tom replied. “Ator’s finger joints are highly sensitive to pressure. By comparing the weight of the slugs one against another, he’ll isolate the bomb.”

“That may take hours!”

ATOR’S TRIUMPH 207

“It’s the only chance, Bud,” Tom said quietly. “Feed in two pressure-comparison tapes.”