Tom Swift Jr #34, Chapter 1: Fire in the Sky

“So what’s all this about, Tom? I leave town for a few days and you’ve already come up with another invention!”

The lanky, eighteen-year-old Tom Swift Jr. laughed at his friend Bud Barclay. His teenage chum had been visiting his parents in San Francisco for the past three weeks, and had returned to find Tom in his private laboratory piling equipment onto a large cart.

“I’ll tell you all about it on the way out to the testing grounds, fly-boy. Just give me a hand with some of this equipment, will you?”

Bud nodded and was soon helping his friend gather pieces of scientific equipment from all over the room. Tom’s ultramodern laboratory was the center of activity at Swift Enterprises, the company that Tom’s father, Tom Swift Sr., had founded decades ago. Over the years both father and son had created many inventions in their laboratories that had changed the world.

Tom scanned the room with his keen blue eyes. “Let’s see. I’ve got the boots, the gloves, the batteries – oh, yes. Can you go grab that equipment off my workbench? I think I’m going to need all of it.”

“Sure thing, Tom.”

Bud walked over to Tom’s workbench and looked it over. He remembered the many long hours his friend had spent hunched over this desk, drawing up the plans for one invention after the next. Tom’s most recent invention had been the transmittaton – a device that could instantly beam matter from one location to another.

As Bud started transferring equipment to the cart he lifted a white helmet off the workbench and looked at it quizzically. “Is this some sort of new spacesuit for intrepid astronauts?”

Tom laughed. “Not exactly, Bud – although that would certainly come in handy if we had to battle any more galaxy ghosts!”

The young scientist was referring to their most recent adventure. A few months ago an armada of ghosts from the Andromeda Galaxy had invaded the solar system, looking for a new planet. Only Tom’s quick thinking had saved the Earth from a terrible disaster.

Tom gave the laboratory one final look around, and then nodded with satisfaction. “I think that’s about it!” He then motioned to Bud, and the two pushed the cart out the door, down the hall, and out of the building.

“I still say it looks an awful lot like a suit, Tom. You’ve got a helmet, gloves, boots – why, that’s everything you need!”

“You’re close, Bud! This is a suit, of sorts, but it’s not designed to be a spacesuit, although it could work in space.”

“So it’s a new deep-sea suit, then?”

Tom shook his head. “No, Bud, I’m afraid it’s not going to replace our Fat Man suits. Those are still the last word when it comes to walking on the ocean floor.”

The two of them continued to push the large cart down the sidewalk and past the many buildings that made up the complex of Swift Enterprise. The four-mile-square complex was filled with gleaming, white, ultramodern buildings that were equipped for nearly every scientific purpose imaginable. Tom Swift’s father had built the world’s most advanced scientific facilities and turned his company into a leader of scientific research and development.

“So what is it, Tom?”

“It was so obvious, Bud – this invention was staring me in the face all this time, but I never thought of it! I should have built this years ago. Do you remember the repelatron?”

Bud laughed. “How could I forget it? You’ve used it in almost everything you’ve created! It’s what brought us to the moon, remember?”

Tom nodded. “It really has proven very useful! And yet it’s so simple. All it does is generate a repulsive force against whatever material it is tuned to repulse. When we use it on the ocean floor we can tune it to repel the water and create underwater cities. In rocket ships it can repel the ground and get us into space, and so forth.”

“Right! It’s proven to be a fantastic invention. Millions of people are now driving your repelatron-powered atomicars.”

“Now for that you can thank Ned Newton! Under his watch the Swift Construction Company has been a genius at marketing and selling the inventions that were created right here on these grounds. Did you get a chance to see him while you were out in California?”

“I sure did, Tom. He’s doing better than ever! I think he misses the old days, though, back when he and your father went all over the world having adventures.”

Tom smiled. “I’m sure he does, Bud. I wish I could have gone on some of those myself, like when they went to South America to find Jake Poddington and that lost race of giants. That’s when Dad first met Koku.”

“I wish I could have met him, Tom. I’ve never seen a real giant, and from what I’ve heard he was a great guy. Oh – that reminds me! Why did Ned move the construction company out to California? They’ve been located just down the road ever since the company was founded!”

Tom shrugged. “Everyone’s moving out to California these days. They’ve even tried to get Dad to move Swift Enterprises, but he won’t budge. Maybe some future Swift will move Enterprises out of upstate New York, but as long as Dad and I are alive we’re going to keep it right here.”

“California is not all bad, Tom. They do have some nice beaches! Not that you ever actually take time off and go to a beach, or anything. But if you did they’d be there!”

Tom smiled. “I’m not much of a beachgoer, Bud. I’m happiest in my laboratory, dreaming up new ideas and overcoming new challenges. Speaking of which – while you were gone, I was tinkering in my lab and thought, why not put a repelatron in a suit? You could power it with a solar battery and have enough energy to stay aloft for days! The limitation to jetpacks has always been the fuel requirements, but we solved that problem a long time ago.”

Bud’s eyes glowed with excitement. “That’s a terrific idea, Tom! Say – are you going to let me try it out?”

Tom shook his head. “I’ll try it out first – besides, I haven’t had a chance to teach you how it all works! You’ve got to learn the controls for a start, and there are a few other things I’ve added.”

“Like the helmet,” Bud said.

“Exactly. It’s amazing what you can do with miniaturized electronics! Not only does it have a communications system, but the helmet also has a full heads-up display – it can tell you how much energy you have left, it can allow you to magnify objects that are great distances away, and it provides other flight information. I tried to think of everything.”

“I’m sure you did!” Bud said. “That is your specialty. It might take you a couple tries and a few near-disasters, but you always nail it in the end!”

By now the two of them had pushed the cart onto one of the many unused airstrips that crisscrossed the company’s grounds. Tom stopped the cart and began combing through its equipment. As he worked, Bud noticed that a crowd of people was beginning to gather.

“Hey Tom, did you announce this test to anyone?”

“Oh, I forget,” Tom said absently. “Maybe a few people. Why?”

“Because it looks like everyone and his brother is coming out to see you fly! I bet all of the buildings around us are being emptied.”

Tom looked up, startled. “Wow! That’s odd. It’s just a simple test, Bud. Why it would attract such interest? It’s not like they’ve never seen a repelatron before!”

Bud smiled. “I think they’re gathering because they’ve seen you test a repelatron before. Or they’ve at least heard stories about it. Don’t you remember what happened the very first time you tested that invention? You installed it on a spacecraft out at Fearing Island, and decided to put it through its paces.”

Tom shook his head. “Hmmm. That would have been the Challenger, right?” The Challenger was Tom’s repelatron-powered rocket ship that had taken him to the moon.

Bud nodded. “That’s right, Tom. The first time you lifted off, you put the repelatrons on too wide a spread – ”

Tom started laughing. ” – and flattened every building in the area! Of course! I remember now. No wonder nobody wants to be indoors when I test this! I really don’t think there’s any reason for concern, though. Repelatrons are a proven technology, and even if something did go wrong this rig can’t provide very much lifting force. I’d be surprised if it could handle 300 pounds, which is hardly enough to flatten the Wakefield Damon Geophysics Building over there.”

“All the same, Tom, I think they’re siding with caution this time. Besides, one of the perks of working here is getting to watch you test your latest creations! Think of all the things they’ve seen.”

“To say nothing of all the disasters! I just hope this test doesn’t become headline news on the Shopton Evening Bulletin.”

Tom nodded. “Can you give me a hand putting on this suit? It’s a little tricky to put on.” The young scientist put on the body of the suit, and Bud helped him put on the white boots and gloves. They then strapped a large steel box onto Tom’s back. As Bud was securing it in place Tom explained its various components.

“That piece is the repelatron unit, Bud. Inside is a series of powerful solar batteries. You can see the repelatron antennas – they’re miniaturized, of course, and I’ve installed a few backup units for redundancy.”

“I’m guessing that these steel extensions that are jutting out from the back are the unit are the controls?”

“That’s right! I’ll be resting my arms on them while in flight. They’re adjustable so that people of different heights and weights can wear the suit. The unit is controlled by the joysticks at the end of each arm, and there are a series of buttons that allow the wearer to access higher functions.”

Bud then lifted the helmet off the cart, placed it on Tom’s head, and secured it. The helmet’s golden faceplate obscured his view of Tom, but it would also provide protection against deadly radiation if it was ever used in space.

Tom lifted the faceplate. “I think we’re about ready!” he told Bud. “I’ve brought along a radio on the cart. You can use it to keep in touch with me during the demonstration. There should also be an atomicar around here somewhere you can use if you have to come and get me.”

“Sounds good, Tom! Hey, where’s Chow? I’m surprised he’s not here! And what about your father?”

Tom smiled. “Dad and Chow have been at the Citadel for the past few weeks. Dad’s been wrapping up work on his nuclear fusion experiments, and Chow couldn’t resist the urge to go back home.” The Citadel was Swift Enterprise’s atomic power plant in the southwest. It was equipped with a wide range of equipment that was designed for research into nuclear power.

Bud nodded. “You’ll have to fill me in on how that’s going! Well – good luck, genius boy! May the wind be at your back.”

Tom smiled and closed the faceplate. Those outside could only see the reflective gold coating, but inside the suit Tom could see a display was lit up with glowing green pieces of information – everything he needed to soar into the air.

“Looks like all systems are go!” Tom said aloud.

“I read you loud and clear,” Bud replied over the radio.

He contacted the air traffic control tower on the grounds. “This is Tom Swift, requesting clearance for takeoff.”

The tower radioed back immediately. “You’ve got it, Tom. Good luck!”

Tom gripped the right control stick with his hand and pressed it forward. Immediately he lifted off the ground and soared into the air!

Even from the sky he could see astonishment on the faces of the employees that had gathered to watch the demonstration. Tom continued to fly vertically until the display registered him at being 150 feet off the ground.

“Now let’s put this thing through its paces,” Tom thought. He began soaring over the complex of Swift Enterprise, flying high over the buildings. The sight was amazing.

“I can see everything from up here! There is the communications center, and the observatory, and the power plant. There is the building that houses my laboratory, and there is the parking lot. Look at all those people!”

As usual, Tom’s demonstration had not gone unnoticed. Employees walking down the sidewalk stopped in their tracks and stared at the figure that was flying over their heads. Tom smiled as he saw their startled reactions.

“This is going even better than I had hoped! The controls are as smooth as silk, and the solar battery is providing plenty of power. Let’s open it up a little bit and see what kind of speed we can get!” Tom poured on the power and watched his speed indicator rise to 50, then 100, then 150 miles per hour. He had soon left the compound far behind him.

Swift Enterprises was located on the outskirts of Shopton, New York – a small town in the northern part of the state. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but trees, hills, and wilderness. Tom had chosen to test his invention on a crisp autumn afternoon, and the trees had already turned from green to beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. The sight was breathtaking. “I should have brought my camera,” he thought.

Off in the distance Tom could see Lake Carlopa. “I’d better not go that way – if something goes wrong and I have to bail I don’t want to do it over a lake!” He turned the controls and lifted himself to 1000 feet.

A voice came in over the communication system. “How’s it going?” Bud asked.

“Like a dream, pal!” Tom said.

“I’m tracking you on radar, Tom. If you get into any trouble we’ll be there in a minute to help. I’ve got the atomicar warmed up and ready to go.”

“Roger that – and thanks!”

As Tom raced through the sky he noticed that his display was registering the presence of another object in his vicinity. Tom reoriented the suit so that he could get a good look at it. Once he realized what it was he smiled. “Will you look at that!”

About a mile away, drifting lazily in the sky, was a large hot-air balloon. The blue-and-white balloon was a few thousand feet higher than Tom. “It looks like I’m not the only one enjoying the afternoon!” he thought.

Using his helmet’s vision system, he magnified the object so he could get a better look at it. The insignia on the balloon’s gondola identified it as belonging to a popular ballooning club in the area. Tom was too far below the balloon to see clearly, but there appeared to be only one person in the craft.

As he was watching, he saw a brief flash of light in the basket. Tom then heard an explosion – and saw flames!

“Good night – that balloon is on fire!” Tom said, gasping.

“What’s that?” Bud asked. “Is there trouble?”

“You bet there is! How soon can you get here?” Tom asked.

“A few minutes, tops,” Bud replied.

“That’s not soon enough – whoever’s in there isn’t going to last that long. The whole balloon is going to be on fire in just a few seconds! I’m going in, Bud!”

Tom gunned his suit and shot toward the flaming balloon at high speed. The display briefly clocked him at 147 miles per hour. “I’ve got to get there in time!” he thought. As he watched he saw the flames climb up the fabric of the balloon and light the envelope on fire.

“I’m glad they’re not using hydrogen or the whole thing would have exploded,” Tom said.

“You and me both!” Bud replied. “I’m on my way.”

Less than sixty seconds after the explosion happened Tom reached the stricken balloon. By then the flames had begun consuming the envelope and caused a rapid loss of hot air. As a result, the balloon was rapidly plummeting to the ground. A quick glance in the gondola revealed to Tom that a spark or malfunction in the tubing had lit the propane gas and caused the fire.

Inside the gondola was the balloonist, who had been knocked unconscious by the blast. What Tom wasn’t expecting was the size of the man. He was at least six feet six inches tall, and built like a boxer.

“Wow! Bud, he’s got to weigh at least 250 pounds – probably a good deal more than that. My suit wasn’t designed to carry that kind of weight! But I’ve got to try – I’ve got to!”

Tom used some fire-extinguisher pellets from his suit pocket to douse the flames, but it was too late to save the balloon. It continued to plummet toward the ground at an alarming rate.

“If I just grab him I could easily injure him further, but I don’t have time to do anything else,” Tom thought. The ground was approaching much too quickly.

Since there was nothing else to do, Tom reached in, put his arms around the unconscious man, and gunned his suit’s repelatron lifters. He managed to get clear of the balloon, but quickly noticed that his suit was having trouble. His helmet’s display warned him that the lifters were overheating and on the verge of shutting down.

“I don’t have enough lifting power!” Tom thought. He struggled to maintain his hold on the unconscious individual as the suit began to fail. The two of them were plummeting rapidly to the ground!

As they fell Tom had an idea. He let off the constant stream of power and began asking for short but intense bursts, hoping to slow their descent. “The suit can’t handle the weight, but maybe I can control our fall,” he thought. By red-lining the equipment and then giving it a brief chance to cool he was hoping to keep it from burning out and sending both of them plummeting to their deaths.

With sweat pouring off his brow, Tom watched the suit indicators and held on to the balloonist. Hundreds of feet below him he saw the balloon crash into the trees. Just north of the wreckage he spotted a clearing that was not far from a major highway, and decided to set down there.

Over the next few seconds Tom gradually started to see a reduction in their rate of descent. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that they were going to make it. In another minute they had reached the ground.

Tom let go of the man and gently placed him on the grass, and then radioed Bud. “We’ve touched down, Bud, safe and sound. Wow! I’ve got to build more lifting power into this suit. We had the energy but not the horsepower.”

“Adding a parachute might be good too! I’m almost there, Tom, and I’ve sent for an ambulance. Medical attention should be there shortly.”

By the time Bud flew overhead Tom had removed his suit and attended to the man, who was just beginning to regain consciousness. Bud circled the clearing once and then set the atomicar down on the grass about twenty feet from Tom. He quickly leaped out of the car and then raced over.

“What happened?” the man said weakly.

Tom shook his head. “We were hoping you could tell us. I think something went wrong with your propane tank and caused a fire.”

“That’s right,” he replied. “Something went wrong with the tubing and lit the gas. There was an explosion. That’s all I remember.”

The man struggled to sit up, but Tom restrained him. “Just lie there for a minute – help should be here soon.” They could already hear the wail of the ambulances in the distance.

“But how did I get here from the balloon? The fall should have killed me!”

Tom smiled. “I happened to be in the area and saw that you were in trouble. What did you say your name was?”

“Jack – Jack Overton.”

“You’ll be just fine, Jack.” The man nodded, closed his eyes, and laid back in the grass. A team of emergency rescue personnel raced into the clearing, carrying a stretcher and other equipment.

As the man was examined Tom and Bud stood nearby and watched. Once the balloonist had been pronounced in good condition except for a concussion and a few burns Tom and Bud got into the atomicar. Bud settled into the driver’s seat and flew the car out of the clearing and over the trees.

“I’m glad Jack is going to be ok,” Tom said. “This does reveal a few changes that I need to make to my suit before I try it again.”

“I think Jack would call the suit a big success, though!” Bud replied. “Oh – and I think you failed at your attempt to keep this out of the press. I’m sure this is going to be front-page news on the Bulletin!”

The two friends were suddenly interrupted by a message that came in over the car’s speakers, interrupting the radio. “Tom, Bud, you’ve got to get back to Swift Enterprises immediately!”

“Tom Swift – always in touch no matter where he goes,” Bud quipped.

“We read you loud and clear,” Tom said aloud. “What seems to be the trouble?”

“We’re receiving an urgent message for you Tom – from outer space!”