Tom Swift Jr #34, Chapter 11: A World Made of Shadows

“Let’s do our homework,” Tom said. “There’s a lot we need to know about that planet before we can send a manned expedition. James, deploy the satellites.”

“Satellites!” Chow said, surprised. “What do we need them for?”

Tom explained. “We came to this planet to find a device that gives off a particular energy signature. I figured the quickest way to locate it would be to scan for it from space, so I asked Hank Sterling to design something that could do the job. His team has taken the damonscope and made an orbital version of it. Not only will it be able to locate the energy signature, but the satellites will also create a ground map and obtain other important planetary data. By the time they’re done we’ll have a complete picture of the planet and know exactly what we’re getting into.”

“The satellite have been deployed,” James announced. “I’m tracking them now.”

“How many are there?” Bud asked.

Tom thought for a moment. “Hank ended up building thirty-six of them. We probably could’ve made due with only a handful, but then it would have taken much longer to scan the entire planet. The larger fleet should enable us to start seeing results within a couple hours.”

“A couple hours!” Bud exclaimed. “How long do you expect to work tonight? It’s already nine o’clock.”

Tom grinned. “You know me, Bud – I’m definitely a night owl. We probably won’t actually land on the planet until tomorrow morning, but there’s a lot I need to do before we can take that step. I didn’t come here to catch up on my sleep.”

“What are your orders, sir?” James asked.

“Let’s hold our current distance and continue to orbit the planet,” Tom replied. “There’s so much turbulence in this area that I really don’t want to get too close to Thanatos just yet. I want your men to watch the ship in round-the-clock shifts and notify me the minute anything serious happens.” James nodded, and proceeded to delegate the workload to the crew.

“I’ll monitor the satellites, Son,” Tom’s father said. “I’m not quite the night owl I once was, but I’m good for at least a couple more hours. When I turn in I’ll pass the responsibility over to the crew.”

Tom nodded. “Sounds good, Dad. Bud – you’re with me. We’ve got some testing to do.”

Bud yawned. “Whatever you say, boss.”

The two made their way to the lowest deck of the ship. “Here we are, Bud – room 113.” Tom swiped his ID card in the door and the two walked in. Inside the room Bud saw a Transmittaton, which was attached to a bank of computers.

Bud smiled approvingly. “Very nice! I didn’t realize that matter transporters now came standard with this model of spaceship. I’ll have to order one.”

“It seemed like a good idea,” Tom replied. “The real question is, can we get it to work?”

“You mean it’s not fully installed?”

“Oh no, that’s not the problem. What worries me are the spatial anomalies that surround this planet, to say nothing of the horrible interference that the atmosphere must be kicking up. I’d seen it all on the megascope, of course, but I didn’t realize it would be this bad. It’s going to take some work to tweak the Transmittaton to work in those conditions.”

“Don’t tell me! Let me guess. That is our task for the evening.”

Tom nodded. “You got it, fly boy!”

The two worked far into the night. Tom removed the outer housing from the equipment and began rewiring it to cope with the interference. He sent Bud to his lab several times to retrieve boxes of parts, which he started tacking on to his invention. As the night wore on Tom turned the once-pristine room into a disorderly wreck. Small bits of electronics littered the floor, and wires were strewn everywhere. Tom pressed on, oblivious to the havoc that he was causing around him.

At about three in the morning Tom laid down his screwdriver and yawned. “Man, I’m beat. I think that’s all I’ve got in me tonight.”

Bud stirred. He had fallen asleep in a chair and lost track of events. “What’s that?” he mumbled.

“Go back to sleep, fly-boy. We’ll finish this tomorrow.”

“Did we get it to work?” he asked sleepily.

Tom shook his head. “Not unless you like leaving most of your vital organs behind. It’s great for weight loss, though.”

Bud did not respond. He was already fast asleep. Tom quietly left the room and went to bed.

The next morning Tom woke up and took a quick shower. After eating breakfast he raced up to the control room. His father and Bud were both already at work.

When Bud saw Tom he spoke up. “Where have you been? I’ve been up here for hours! You’re missing all the fun.”

Tom Sr. smiled and shook his head. “Don’t let him fool you, Son. He’s been here for all of five minutes.”

Tom sat down at a terminal and began paging through satellite data. “So what did I miss, Dad?”

“I wouldn’t say you missed anything, exactly. The satellites have been performing admirably and have scanned about 40% of the planet. Hank did an amazing job constructing them.”

Tom nodded. “I’m glad he installed such heavy shielding on them! Without it they wouldn’t have lasted five minutes out there. The radiation level in this area is unbelievable.”

The ship suddenly trembled, as if it was experiencing a small earthquake. The shaking subsided after a few seconds.

“What was that?” Bud asked, startled.

“Gravity waves,” Tom Sr. replied. “We’ve been getting them fairly regularly ever since we started orbiting the planet. They come every couple hours or so.”

Tom couldn’t resist teasing his friend. “You know, Bud, we got quite a few of them last night! You must have slept through them while you were helping me fix the Transmittaton.”

“And a rotten night of sleep it was, too,” Bud retorted. “I’ll bring a mattress next time. You just can’t get any quality sleep in those chairs.”

Tom Sr. spoke up. “I do have some good news for you. The satellite network has located the energy signature given to us by our space friends!”

Tom’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s outstanding news! Have they been able to pinpoint an exact location?”

“Two locations, actually. One appears to be at the bottom of a methane sea, and the other is toward the polar region of the planet.”

Tom was taken aback. “Two of them? Our space friends didn’t say anything about that. What do you think we should do?”

His father thought for a moment. “Why not send them a message and ask? We have been in touch with Fearing Island all night, and they can certainly send a message to Mars.”

“Whoops – I forgot all about letting them know we made it,” Tom said apologetically.

“That’s why you’ve got a crew, Son,” his father said with a smile. “No one man can think of everything – not even Tom Swift.”

“Some would say especially Tom Swift,” Bud interjected.

Tom laughed. “So what did Fearing say when you talked to them?”

“They’re glad we arrived and have passed the word on to your mother and sister. Both send their congratulations and asked that we be careful. They send their love.”

Tom nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

The communications officer on board the Challenger relayed a message to Fearing, asking that they contact the space friends for further instructions. About a half-hour later Fearing relayed the following message in response to their query:

ALL DEVICES EMITTING THE SIGNATURE ARE OF VITAL IMPORTANCE AND SHOULD BE RETURNED TO US IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. PLEASE HURRY. WE HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME LEFT.

Tom nodded. “I guess that answers our question! So Dad, can you show me on a map where the energy signature is coming from?”

Tom and his father spent the next hour examining the information that they had gathered from the planet. During their meeting Bud wandered down the galley and came back with a box of donuts.

“Where did you get those?” Tom asked. “I didn’t see any donuts in the galley this morning!”

Bud shook his head. “That’s because there weren’t any. It was a terrible oversight. I actually asked Chow to make these, and he was only too happy to oblige. They’re quite good, too – nice, warm, and fresh from the deep-fryer.”

Tom sampled one and had to agree. “Not bad at all! But still, what made you think of donuts?”

“If I’m headed down to that planet of nightmares with you, Tom, I’m going to eat well before I go. There’s no telling when we’ll be back on board! A fellow like me needs all the calories I can get.”

Tom Sr. looked at his son with concern. “Were you not able to get the Transmittaton to work?”

Tom Jr. shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Dad. There’s just too much interference. We were able to make transfers, but the object never survived intact. It was pretty depressing. I can overcome some of the problems, but while a 60% precision rate might be better than 0%, that’s still not good enough to transport even the simplest objects.”

“I understand. So what is your plan? Are you going to take the Challenger down to the planet?”

Tom shook his head. “That would be very dangerous, Dad. The surface winds are incredibly strong and would make a safe landing almost impossible. It would be like trying to land in a category five hurricane. I think we’re going to have to take a shuttlecraft down to the surface.”

His father nodded. “I can see the wisdom in that. A small shuttlecraft that was designed for a harsh environment would have a much greater chance of success. As hardy as the Challenger is in space, it’s simply too fragile to survive a fierce gale. What is your plan for the expedition?”

“I think we should aim for the undersea location first,” Tom said. “The liquid methane will protect us from the surface winds and should provide a relatively calm environment. Bud and I will take a shuttle down to the location and scout around. If possible, we’ll locate the device and examine it. After we know what we’re dealing with we can decide how we can extract it. If it’s small enough we might be able to carry it back to the ship ourselves, but that seems unlikely.”

“How are you going to stay in touch with the ship?” his father asked.

“If you’ll recall, the robot that paid us a visit made some modifications to my megascope to enable it to view the surface. I’ve taken some of those changes and incorporated them into my private ear network. We should be able to communicate with the ship without any problems.”

Bud smiled wryly. “Of course, Tom hasn’t field-tested it, and you know how that goes.”

Tom shrugged. “It’s the best we can do. I think we’ll be fine, though! Locating the device under the sea is a huge break. I was really dreading trying to work in that gale.”

James spoke up. “Excuse me, skipper, but there is another possibility. Couldn’t you send some of us down to the surface to do the initial scouting? We should be able to handle that for you. After all, there is only one Tom Swift Jr., and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him.”

Tom shook his head. “I appreciate your concern, but if I’m going to put someone’s life in danger then I’d rather it be my own. No one on this ship is expendable, James. I can’t sit back and watch someone else put their life in jeopardy while I rest in safety above the fray. Bud and I will go alone.”

“Notice how he’s not nearly as concerned about my safety,” Bud joked. “I have to go whether I like it or not.”

Tom slapped his friend on the back and smiled. “That’s what you get for being the best pilot in the business! You’re going to be the one who flies us down into that awful mess. I’m counting on you.”

“You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Tom. When do we leave?”

Tom stood up from his chair. “Right now! Dad, you are in charge of the ship. Take care of her for me, will you?”

Tom’s father nodded. “Of course, Son. And we’ll keep an eye on you too. If you get into any trouble let us know and we’ll come after you.”

Tom and Bud bade the crew goodbye and took the elevator to a lower level of the ship, where they entered a hangar. Inside they found two small, disc-shaped ships, the Extrasolar I and the Extrasolar II. Each ship was about twenty-five feet in diameter and made from a strong metal alloy. The dome of the ship was made of transparent tomasite, and revealed an all-leather interior outfitted with two plush seats. An imposing array of controls was installed on the ship’s dashboard. “They kinda look like little flying saucers,” Bud noticed. “Did you design them just for this mission?”

Tom shook his head. “Oh no – definitely not! These ships were built some time ago for exploring the outer planets of our own solar system. Some of them are quite windy, so I wanted something that could maneuver in a hostile environment. As it turned out, this mission came up before the one to Neptune. We just got lucky, Bud.”

Bud smiled. “It’s about time. Hey, what equipment are we going to be taking with us? I’m hoping we’re not going to go empty-handed!”

Tom walked up to the Extrasolar I, opened the cockpit, and removed a remote control from the dash. He pressed a button on it and a compartment in the rear of the ship opened. “Nice!” Bud exclaimed. “I’m guessing that works via a miniaturized radio transmitter?”

“You got it, fly boy,” Tom replied. “One day I need to get around to installing these remotes in the atomicar.”

“It’d probably be a hit. So what’s in this rear compartment?”

Tom smiled, then walked over to give Bud a tour. “It’s got everything you need for exploring alien worlds! You have a few repelatrons for repelling the methane sea, an electronic retroscope for reading faded engravings, a couple EMP emitters for battling hostile robots, a set of private ear devices, and a couple other odds and ends.”

“You even brought a box of spare parts!” Bud said approvingly. “Nice. But what about the repela-suits?”

“We’re going to don those before we get inside, and put the backpacks in the trunk. The suits have been tweaked to withstand extreme conditions and should handle fine at the bottom of the methane sea. When we’re ready to use them we’ll done the repelatron backpacks and be on our way!”

“That’s another thing that bothers me, Tom. How are we going to get out of the ship once we land? Is the interior waterproof?”

Tom smiled. “The ship flies by use of repelatrons, Bud. It can create a bubble around the ship that we’ll use for entering and leaving the vessel. On its highest setting it can create a bubble with a diameter of more than a hundred feet, which is way more than we should actually need.”

Bud nodded. “It sounds like you have the bases covered! But where are you going to put the device we’ve been sent to fetch? I don’t see much in the way of cargo space in these ships.”

Tom shrugged. “If it’s small enough we’ll put it in the glove compartment box and call it a day. As I told Dad, we have no idea how big or small these things are. Once we see what we’re dealing with we’ll come up with a way to get it into space.”

Tom and Bud quickly put on the repela-suits over their clothes and stashed the repelatron portion of the suit in the trunk. After shutting it firmly the two entered the Extrasolar I, with Bud taking the driver’s seat. He looked over the controls and nodded. “Very nice! I see how this works.” He pressed a button that lowered and sealed the transparent canopy. “Are you ready, skipper?”

Tom double-checked the restraining harness that held him in his seat. “Ready and waiting, fly boy. Take us down!”

Bud contacted the Challenger and announced that the ship was ready for departure. The air was quickly pumped out of the room and the massive hangar doors opened. Bud then activated the repelatrons and flew out into space. Once they were clear of the ship he set a course for the coordinates that Tom’s father had supplied.

They didn’t have to get very close to the planet before it became obvious that they were in for a rough ride. Clouds raced along at high speeds in the upper atmosphere, lit by violent arcs of electricity. Bud carefully watched the discharges and attempted to fly around them. “It looks like they’re concentrated in a few areas,” he noted aloud.

When the ship entered the atmosphere Bud began watching the wind current data on the console. He picked a jet stream and carefully slid the shuttlecraft into it. “We’re going to ride with the currents for a while, Tom. Trying to fight these winds is suicide. We’ll get to the lake, but it may take us some time.”

Tom smiled. “That’s fine, Bud. As long as we get there in one piece I won’t have any complaints. Just do what you need to do.”

As the ship descended into the clouds their view of the planet became obscured. The utter blackness that now surrounded them was occasionally illuminated by distant flashes of energy. Lightning sent ripples of light through the clouds, revealing a stream of rapidly moving particles that swirled around them. The stars were quickly hidden from view, replaced by a random blue glow that pulsed in the sky.

“The repelatron stabilizers are really helping,” Bud said. “I like the way the ship tries to automatically compensate for sudden changes in the wind.”

Tom nodded. His attention was fixed on the console that displayed their location. “We’re still pretty high,” he said.

“The winds near the surface are awful, Tom. Up here it’s not too bad. I’m going to stay at a high altitude until we approach the sea, and then plunge down into the ocean.”

“Plunge?” Tom asked.

“It’ll get interesting, Tom. I just hope this craft is built out of sturdy stuff! I’ll do what I can to slow us down, but we could end up hitting the water pretty fast.”

As they drew near the methane lake Bud began taking the ship out of the upper atmosphere. When they got below 10,000 feet the ship suddenly started moving erratically. Violent gusts of superfast wind tore at the ship, tossing it around like a feather in a tornado. Tom grabbed the sides of his chair and tried to hold himself still. Bud fought desperately with the ship, attempting to regain a measure of control.

Below them the black, tortured surface of the planet stretched endlessly for miles. In the distance Tom could see glimpses of an active volcano that was spewing lava into the utterly black sky. A few rivers of molten rock emitted an eerie red light that illuminated small portions of the ground. Above them streaks of lightning continuously flashed across the sky, sending booming waves of thunder that almost deafened the ship’s passengers. Occasionally a bolt of lightning would hit the ship, but the tomasite coating prevented it from doing any damage.

Tom watched the sea approach far too rapidly for comfort. “Bud – ”

“I’m on it, Tom!” he replied tersely. Bud pushed the repelatrons to their limit in an attempt to stop the Extrasolar I from plowing into the ocean. “Tom!” he shouted.

It was too late. The shuttlecraft slammed into the methane lake at blinding speed!