"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 21 - And the Asteroid Pirates" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

view dead ahead. It still seemed to be expanding, but more slowly now.
What had caused the explosion, Bud wondered --if it had been an explosion?
It was certainly no official American nuclear test in space, he reflected, or the
Swifts would have been notified. Even a foreign power probably would have
issued some kind of warning to spacecraft. Bud racked his brain for an answer,
but without success.
Presently he switched on the intercom to speak to Tom. "How about it,
genius boy? Have you doped out an explanation yet?"
Bud paused, waiting for Tom to reply, but there was only silence. The copilot
repeated his query. Again no response.
Suddenly Bud felt a chill of alarm. "Hey, Tom!" he called. "What's going on?
Are you all right?"
Still the intercom remained silent.
EXPLOSION IN SPACE 7
"Good night! Something must have happened!" Bud worried. "Tom may be
absent-minded at times, but he sure isn't deaf 1"
Bud set the ship on automatic pilot, unbuckled his seat belt, and hurried
topside. Taking two
8 THE ASTEROID PIRATES
steps at a time, he mounted the ladder into the astrodome-then stopped
short in dismay.
Tom Swift lay crumpled on the deck, unconscious!
"Skipper!" Bud cried out. In an instant he was at his friend's side, bending
over the motionless figure. He held his hand to Tom's chest and felt a regular
heartbeat.
"Thank heavens!" the copilot muttered.
Bud dashed below to the Sky Queen's lounge and returned a moment later
with a first-aid kit and a canteen of water. When he had revived Tom sufficiently,
Bud let his friend sip some water. Soon the young inventor was able to talk.
"You really gave me a scare, pal," Bud told him. "What happened?"
"Search me. I seem to have conked myself," Tom said, feeling a bump on his
head. "Oh-oh. I remember now. My eyes got dazzled, looking at that burst of light
through binoculars. When I turned to go below, I couldn't see anything. Guess I
tripped and made a real crash landing."
"Feel okay now?"
"Sure. Let's get back to the flight compartment."
On the way down, Tom admitted that he was still baffled by the strange
phenomenon. As the boys strapped themselves into their flight seats, they noted
that the patch of light was larger than ever, but its brilliance had faded
considerably.
EXPLOSION IN SPACE 9
"Wonder if the outpost has anything new on it?" Bud murmured.
"Ken said he'd call, but let's try him again."
Tom picked up the microphone. Before he could signal the space station, a
tense, excited voice came over the speaker. It was George Billing, radio chief of
Enterprises, calling from the Swifts' rocket base on Fearing Island.
"Fearing to Tom! . . . Can you read me?"
"Loud and clear, George. What's up?"
"Bad news, skipper! You saw that burst of light in the sky? . . . Well, it must
have been one of our unmanned cargo rockets carrying the monthly supplies to