“I’ll follow them for a while,” Tom said, slowing his huge ship to match the crows’ speed. “Watch for signs of a possible control station.”
Bud peered down through binoculars. He spotted familiar landmarks-local farmhouses and factory
A RARE CAPTURE 43
buildings well known to both boys-but nothing that would suggest a control-station housing.
“These birds will have to lead us somewhere,” Tom said.
As if in answer, the entire flock suddenly nosedived. Tom dropped the Sky Queen.
“They’re headed for that big open section of Riverton Lake!” Bud yelled.
“They’ll probably turn in a second,” Tom replied, then gasped incredulously.
In a series of resounding splashes the crows smacked into the water and disappeared.
“Well, how do you like that!” Bud exclaimed in disgust.
Tom switched on the jet lifters and the Lab hovered over the lake.
“Maybe the crows have a water base,” Bud suggested.
“I doubt it,” said Tom. “Their owner didn’t want to reveal his base of operations. We were getting too close for comfort, so he crashed them. He must have a lot more hidden some place, though, or he wouldn’t have destroyed so many.”
“It was a smart maneuver, all right, sending them to the one place we can’t follow,” Bud observed.
They crisscrossed the area several times, but failed to find any clues to the hide-out of the owner of the strange missiles.
“We may as well head for home,” Tom said. ‘“I
44 TOM SWIFT AND HIS GIANT ROBOT
hope that Billing picked up something.” Turning over the controls to Bud, he added, “I’m going down to the hangar and take a look at those crows.”
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