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

anyway."
"Can you manage this guy by yourself?"
"Don't worry. He's going back in handcuffs!" Tom replied.
Bud and the girls agreed somewhat reluctantly to the arrangement and took
off at once.
Half an hour later, Tom landed the heliplane on the roof of the Shopton
Police Station and turned his captive over to Police Chief Slater. Then he
returned to Enterprises, where he found Mr. Swift waiting anxiously in the space
communications laboratory. Tom gave his father a quick report on the evening's
events.
"It's a bad blow," the elder scientist agreed, frowning. "In the hands of an
enemy that dupli-
48 THE RACE TO THE MOON
cate brain can be used to intercept all our space messages."
"True. And what's worse, they can now translate their own messages into
symbols and send them out."
Mr. Swift was stunned by the news. He got up and strode to the window,
hands behind his back. "Tom, this could be serious. They can foul up our space
communications in all sorts of ways- and just when our space friends need help
badly!"
He whirled around as the signal bell rang on the electronic brain.
"Something's coming through!" Tom cried.
They hovered over the machine eagerly and read the message off the tape.
It said:
WE ARE LAUNCHING A SPACESHIP INTO ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH
AND MOON. CAN YOU INSPECT ANIMALS ABOARD AND OFFER A CURE?
Tom felt a thrill of excitement. But a moment later he was in doubt. Was the
message authentic, or had it been sent by their enemies?
CHAPTER VI
BRUNGARIAN HEADLINES
"DAD, let's beam a message back and find out if our space friends really sent
this request," Tom suggested.
"A wise precaution," Mr. Swift agreed.
Tom knit his brows thoughtfully, deciding what to say. Then he began tapping
out a message on the electronic brain. He explained how the duplicate translator
had been stolen, and asked his space friends to confirm the earlier message. As
an extra safeguard, he asked them to transmit their reply in a new set of code
symbols never used before.
After completing the call, Tom turned to his father. "If they do answer in new
symbols, we may have a tough time translating them, Dad."
Mr. Swift smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid you're right, son. But it'll be worth it to
make sure our enemies don't mislead us."
"Let's hope they haven't jammed our signal!"
Tom switched on the device with an oscillo-
49
50 THE RACE TO THE MOON
scope-type screen which they had used for receiving space messages before
the electronic brain was perfected. Then the two scientists settled down in
comfortable chairs to await the reply from outer space.
"Dad, if that business about sending a rocket with animals was true, it'll be a