Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 24 – And His 3D Telejector

“How much has been learned about the Orb?” Tom asked.

“Not a great deal. The national radio telescope has been tuning in on it, and they’ve picked up some interesting wave activity. I’ll have some of the graphs sent to you right away.”

Ahlgren added that both the Defense Department and the Federal Communications Commis-24 3-D TELEJECTOR

sion were concerned about another aspect of the Orb. “Its electromagnetic field seems to be disturbing our radio communications as sunspots do.”

While Tom was on the phone, Bud had attended to having the space-dust collector loaded aboard a Whirling Duck-a combination jet plane and helicopter which Tom had invented. The boys soon took off, with Bud at the controls, and headed eastward to the Atlantic.

“There’s the Jumbo Diner sign,” Tom remarked with a smile as they neared the coast.

The sign, displaying a huge pink elephant with the diner’s name, was mounted on a platform atop a high steel mast. The platform carried floodlights and was designed to revolve. Two workmen were on it, dismantling the sign.

“They must be getting ready to put up that new name Chow mentioned,” Bud said.

Tom took out binoculars. “Pretty expensive, changing a sign that big. Gus’s partner must have lots of ready cash.”

Bud cut speed and extended the Duck’s rotors to hover down for a better view. The workmen glanced up at the sound. One was a thin, sallow-faced fellow, the other dark and burly.

As the burly man saw the helijet, he gave a violent start that threw him off balance. He teetered and groped for footing-but his foot missed the edge of the platform! With a scream, he plunged over the side, struck a guy wire, bounced off, and landed in a clump of brush.