But Sandy shot her brother a bright-eyed glance. “If you ask me, he was after your new atomic power plant,” she said shrewdly. “Seems to me a lot of people would like to get their hands on it!”
“That may be the answer,” Tom admitted. His attention was caught by Ort’s colored sketch. “Hey! What’s this?”
TOM TAKES A DARE 73
“Ort sketched a new body shell for your atomicar,” Sandy explained. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
The drawing showed a sleek, scarlet racer that had the appearance of a wingless jet. Like Tom’s present atomicar, it was of teardrop design. But the bubble enclosure flared into a single high fin, raking sharply aft.
Tom whistled admiringly. “The future on wheels! Are you an industrial designer too, Ort, as well as a painter?”
Ort grinned. “No, just doodling. Do you like it?”
“As an eye-catcher, it’s got my buggy stopped cold,” Tom said. “It would certainly look swell in our publicity photos.”
“Okay, it’s yours. My first automotive design masterpiece.”
Tom chuckled as they shook hands. “You’re in business, Ort! Get ready for a flock of orders when we unveil it to the press!”
Forty minutes later they landed at Enterprises. Ort graciously declined Sandy and Tom’s invitation to stay at the Swift home overnight, saying he must catch the ten-o’clock flight out of Shopton to New York.
Early the next morning Tom hustled off to the plant and made a full report of the aerial attack to Harlan Ames.
The security chief was shocked.
74 TRIPHIBIAN ATOMICAR
“Why didn’t you radio us immediately, Tom?”
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