“He must have sneaked in here and overheard the plans for your energy collectors!” Arv said uneasily.
Tom nodded, his face grim. “And he also must be an employee of Swift Enterprises.”
Tom and his father exchanged worried glances. It was an unpleasant thought that some trusted worker might be a spy. Yet no outsider could have slipped in past the tight security setup which ringed the experimental station.
“I’ll call Security and ask Ames to make a check,” said Mr. Swift, returning to the office.
Meanwhile, a number of people who had heard the crash had run out of adjoining offices into the corridor to see what was happening. They milled around asking questions, but Tom quieted them with a few smiling remarks.
64
SPACE OUTPOST 65
As the crowd dispersed, Tom noticed one young man whom he had never seen before, with sandy hair and a rather full face.
“Who’s that?” he whispered, nudging Arv Hanson.
Arv grinned. “His name’s Amberson Lintner -Amby for short. Just out of engineering college. Confidentially, he’s been dating your temporary secretary.”
“What does he do here?” Tom asked.
Arv shrugged. “Oh, he’s taking the training program. Spends time in every department. He’d like to be a big shot, but I doubt if he’ll make the grade.”
“How come?”
“Too much of a talker. Smart enough but lets everybody know it.”
Two days later, after making preparations for the trip to the space outpost, Tom, Bud, Ted, and Mr. Swift flew to Fearing Island for the takeoff. The other passengers for the trip included Sandy, Phyl, Chow Winkler, and Doc Simpson.