ladder. The crewman at the controls in the flight cabin gave a short burst of the forward engines, while simultaneously commanding the Queen’s supergyros to dip the tail slightly. In response the ladder swung backward away from the jet lifters, with Bud playing the role of the plumb-weight on a pendulum.
Instantly Tom, the two girls, and another crewman yanked the ladder into the hangar hold at top speed. In seconds Bud was catapulted into waiting arms.
"Permission—to come—aboard, sir!" the young pilot gasped, sinking down on his knees.
"Granted!" Tom exclaimed gratefully. Then he added: "Though I ought to skin you alive for taking the girls to—"
"Please!" said Bashalli imperiously. "As if we couldn’t take care of ourselves. And look, Thomas." She held up the turquoise ring she had uncovered.
Tom looked at it curiously, then glanced at his sister. "This looks just like the ring Dad brought back for you last month."
Sandy flushed with embarrassment. "Bashalli—I—well, I—"
Bash gave her a friendly squeeze. "I know, Sandra. I saw you plant it! I did not wish to spoil the fun you and Bud were having, pretending there was a treasure to be found."
This admission raised a hearty laugh all around.
Hot showers, supper, and a good night’s sleep did wonders to return everyone to a semblance of normality. After breakfast the next morning, Tom informed his father that he was ready to test Ator in the reactor core. "I don’t see any reason to wait," he said.
"Nor I," Mr. Swift agreed.
Tom had the controller equipment installed in the reactor blockhouse. He then activated his mechanical man and marched him across the grounds and into one of the service corridors, lined with lead and Tomasite. The exterior door was shut and sealed, and the interior door to the corridor was electrically opened.
In the blockhouse, Tom manipulated the control panel, switching on Ator’s "eyes" and "ears." On the screen in front of him, divided into two segments, he could see both visual details of the inner corridor, amazingly sharp and clear, and a radar-generated schematic of the same area. A separate monitor nearby received a feed from videocams mounted along the corridor walls. The screen showed the robot titan standing immobilely.
The "walking" disk still in its drive, Tom eased forward the master control dial. Instantly Ator began to move. The image from his camera-eyes rocked back and forth as he ambled slowly along the corridor toward the hatchway to the reactor chamber.
"Quite a bit of wobble," murmured Damon Swift, nodding toward the screen.
"Yes," Tom responded. "I’m already working up an image-compensator routine to cancel it out."
Ator neared the chamber door. Tom twisted back on the dial, and the robot paused. The young inventor selected the disk in the alternate drive. Ator smoothly extended an arm, one finger pointing; then he deftly punched in a sequence on the keypad next to the hatch.
Mr. Swift flashed a proud smile at his son. "Now that was very smooth!"
The heavy motorized door swung inward. Immediately various lights on Tom’s control panel became illuminated with flares of red, and meter needles darted to the right. Ator was receiving his first blast of hard radiation!
"No problem so far," Tom commented. He directed the robot to step over the raised threshold and enter the chamber. But to his disappointed surprise the metal man refused to obey!
"What’s gone wrong?" Tom’s father asked after Tom had transmitted his command several times.
The young inventor shook his head. "I’m pretty sure it’s not a signal problem," he replied. "The relotrol is working fine. It’s as if his muscles have seized-up."
After the reactor door was closed tight by remote control, technicians in protective gear entered the corridor and carted the frozen giant off to the rad-decontamination room, where his entire chassis was carefully scrubbed with chemical solvents.
"Decontamination will take some time," muttered
Instantly Tom, the two girls, and another crewman yanked the ladder into the hangar hold at top speed. In seconds Bud was catapulted into waiting arms.
"Permission—to come—aboard, sir!" the young pilot gasped, sinking down on his knees.
"Granted!" Tom exclaimed gratefully. Then he added: "Though I ought to skin you alive for taking the girls to—"
"Please!" said Bashalli imperiously. "As if we couldn’t take care of ourselves. And look, Thomas." She held up the turquoise ring she had uncovered.
Tom looked at it curiously, then glanced at his sister. "This looks just like the ring Dad brought back for you last month."
Sandy flushed with embarrassment. "Bashalli—I—well, I—"
Bash gave her a friendly squeeze. "I know, Sandra. I saw you plant it! I did not wish to spoil the fun you and Bud were having, pretending there was a treasure to be found."
This admission raised a hearty laugh all around.
Hot showers, supper, and a good night’s sleep did wonders to return everyone to a semblance of normality. After breakfast the next morning, Tom informed his father that he was ready to test Ator in the reactor core. "I don’t see any reason to wait," he said.
"Nor I," Mr. Swift agreed.
Tom had the controller equipment installed in the reactor blockhouse. He then activated his mechanical man and marched him across the grounds and into one of the service corridors, lined with lead and Tomasite. The exterior door was shut and sealed, and the interior door to the corridor was electrically opened.
In the blockhouse, Tom manipulated the control panel, switching on Ator’s "eyes" and "ears." On the screen in front of him, divided into two segments, he could see both visual details of the inner corridor, amazingly sharp and clear, and a radar-generated schematic of the same area. A separate monitor nearby received a feed from videocams mounted along the corridor walls. The screen showed the robot titan standing immobilely.
The "walking" disk still in its drive, Tom eased forward the master control dial. Instantly Ator began to move. The image from his camera-eyes rocked back and forth as he ambled slowly along the corridor toward the hatchway to the reactor chamber.
"Quite a bit of wobble," murmured Damon Swift, nodding toward the screen.
"Yes," Tom responded. "I’m already working up an image-compensator routine to cancel it out."
Ator neared the chamber door. Tom twisted back on the dial, and the robot paused. The young inventor selected the disk in the alternate drive. Ator smoothly extended an arm, one finger pointing; then he deftly punched in a sequence on the keypad next to the hatch.
Mr. Swift flashed a proud smile at his son. "Now that was very smooth!"
The heavy motorized door swung inward. Immediately various lights on Tom’s control panel became illuminated with flares of red, and meter needles darted to the right. Ator was receiving his first blast of hard radiation!
"No problem so far," Tom commented. He directed the robot to step over the raised threshold and enter the chamber. But to his disappointed surprise the metal man refused to obey!
"What’s gone wrong?" Tom’s father asked after Tom had transmitted his command several times.
The young inventor shook his head. "I’m pretty sure it’s not a signal problem," he replied. "The relotrol is working fine. It’s as if his muscles have seized-up."
After the reactor door was closed tight by remote control, technicians in protective gear entered the corridor and carted the frozen giant off to the rad-decontamination room, where his entire chassis was carefully scrubbed with chemical solvents.
"Decontamination will take some time," muttered
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