Besides, he strikes me as a bit high-keyed. I’m not so sure how he’d react if the going got rough out there.”
“In other words-?” Tom’s eyebrows lifted quizzically.
“If you want a straight answer, I honestly think I’m a better bet for the job.”
“So do I!” Tom slapped his friend on the back. “You must have ten times as much space-flight experience in your log as Holbrook and I know you can take it in a tight spot. That being the case, are you going to let him buzz you out of your rightful place on the Venus probe?”
Bud’s grim expression slowly relaxed. “When you put it that way-no!” His face broke into a grin. “Guess I never thought of it quite like 58 MEGASCOPE SPACE PROBER
that. Or maybe it’s just getting the thing off my chest. Anyhow, I feel better.”
Tom grinned too. “Think how you’ll feel when you flash back word that you’ve reached Venus!”
Bud held up crossed fingers. “I’m not there yet.”
Chuckling, Tom went back to his workbench. Bud followed, noticing with interest the two odd-looking radio sets on which Tom had been working. Each had a small, spherical all-directional antenna mounted on top.
“What’re these, Tom?” he inquired. “Your latest brain children?”
“Yes, and they’re twins. I designed them for a special kind of radio communication which should be pretty useful in our space work.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense,” Bud pleaded. “What’s the angle?”
“With radios like these,” Tom said, “we won’t need to use a scrambling device for secrecy.”
“How come?”
“Because no one else in the world can eavesdrop on our conversation.”
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