“And I wish I had yours in electronics!” the elder scientist declared with a chuckle.
After Mr. Swift had installed the device in Exman’s star head, Tom used the electronic brain to inform the robot about the whole scheme.
Both Tom Jr. and Tom Sr. were delighted when Exman showed real enthusiasm. It replied via the printed tape on the decoder: 130 THE VISITOR FROM PLANET X
DO NOT WORRY, MY FRIENDS. I WILL NOT RESPOND TO ANY
ATTEMPTS BY BRUNGARIAN SCIENTISTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH ME.
MY PLANET IS WELL AWARE OF THEIR DANGEROUS AIMS. HAVING
CONQUERED YOUR WORLD, THEY WOULD NEXT INVADE SPACE.
“Looks as though Exman’s got their number, all right!” Tom said with satisfaction.
Early the next morning Mr. Swift drove Tom to the Enterprises airfield to meet his friends. Hank Sterling, Bud, and Chow were already on hand, and Arv Hanson arrived a few moments later. Tom and Bud left the others to bring Exman in a small panel truck.
Soon the space robot was safely loaded aboard a transport helicopter. The others took their places inside the cabin.
“Good luck, son!” Mr. Swift forced a smile as he gave Tom a parting handshake.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be back soon!” Tom assured him. The nature of the trip had been described only vaguely to Mrs. Swift and Sandy in order to keep them from worrying.
The short hop overwater to Fearing Island was soon completed. Lying just off the Atlantic coast, Fearing had once been a barren, thumb-shaped expanse of scrubgrass and sand dunes. Now it was the Swifts’ top-secret rocket base, tightly guarded by drone planes and radar.