“So far, so good,” the inventor murmured after completing the hookup. “Let’s see how she works.”
He aimed the antenna and adjusted the controls for a view of the grounds below. A clear picture of the experimental station appeared on the screen.
Next, Tom scanned the highway outside the plant. A quarter of a mile from the main gate was an Enterprises’ truck containing several helium-extracting machines which he had ordered shipped to the Swift Construction Company.
Suddenly a black sedan sped up behind the truck and tried to force it to the roadside.
“Hijackers!” Tom gasped. “Spies!”
CHAPTER XVII
HELPLESS HIJACKERS
FOR an instant Tom stared unbelievingly at the screen of the prober as the speeding sedan forced the truck off the road.
“Those thieves are after my helium machines!” he said to himself. “Furster’s henchmen, I’ll betl”
Desperately, Tom tried to think of a way to prevent the valuable devices from falling into the hands of his enemies. He dashed to the wall and pressed an alarm button while his eyes raked the observatory room.
“I must do something-and fasti” Tom thought.
Suddenly he noticed that one of his small repelatrons was lying in a corner.
“What a break!” Tom muttered. “Maybe there’s a chance I can stop those hijackers!”
He grabbed the repelatron and dashed out onto the balcony which ringed the observatory
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142 MEGASCOPE SPACE PROBER
dome. It was high enough for a clear view of the highway. The truck and the hijackers’ car were in plain sight. By now the truck driver had braked to a stop on the shoulder of the road to avoid a crash. Tom saw two figures leap from the sedan. They seemed to be holding guns, though it was difficult for Tom to make out details at such a distance.
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