"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 12 - In the Race to the Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

The raider fought back viciously, trying to use the gun as a club. But Tom
managed to roll out of the way and launch himself into action, butting his
opponent squarely in the stomach! The figure went down again, landing heavily
on his back.
Before he could get to his feet, Tom was on top of him, hammering

TOM'S PRISONER
43
away with rights and lefts. The raider, despite the fact that he was at a
disadvantage in his cumbersome space suit, squirmed and fought like a cornered
wildcat. But in a few seconds, Tom overpowered him. Then he bound his
prisoner hand and foot.
"Whew!" Panting from the struggle, Tom paused to catch his breath.
Everything had happened so fast, there had been no time to take stock of the
situation.
Was his prisoner a space being of some kind?
"I'll soon find out," Tom muttered. He ripped off the raider's helmet and found
a sullen-looking

44 THE RACE TO THE MOON
man staring back at him. "So you're just an earth dweller, after all. Okay.
Start talking!"
Not a sound left the prisoner's lips. He merely shrugged, shook his head as if
he did not understand English, and glared at Tom like a captured beast.
Suddenly Tom heard the distant roar of a jet gathering power for take-off.
The noise roused the young inventor from his puzzled reflections. Dashing
outdoors, he was just in time to see a jet craft streak up off the airfield and
disappear into the darkening sky.
"Good night! What's happened to everybody?"
Except for the screen of circling robot planes overhead, there was not a sign
of life or movement on the island!
Suddenly Tom realized what had happened. "That vapor from the missiles,"
he gasped. "It must have been some kind of sleeping gas! The missiles traveled
at a speed too great for the force-landing system to be effective. Someone
planned this devilish scheme so he could loot the rocket base while we were all
unconscious! The group wore space suits to avoid that gas."
The thought filled Tom with helpless fury. What if they had stolen his portable
electronic brain that translated messages from space!
He returned to his laboratory, dragged his prisoner out to the jeep, then sped
to base headquarters. The crewmen in the office were just beginning to revive.
Tom switched on the island's public-address
TOM'S PRISONER 45
system and boomed out orders over the mike. Gradually, reports began to
filter in. Everyone had blacked out for about twenty minutes.
Tom left his prisoner in the custody of the headquarters personnel, and drove
to the island's infirmary. Here he picked up Doc Simpson, then headed for the
tracking center.
Fortunately, Bud and the girls had all recovered without ill effects from the
gas. But just as Tom had feared, his new electronic brain was gone!
"Who do you suppose pulled the raid?" Bud asked, when he heard what had