Tom Swift Jr #35, Chapter 8: Crossroads

Early the next morning Irene walked briskly toward the men’s dormitory. To her surprise Tom Swift Jr. was already awake and outside, seated on a pile of bricks. When he saw her he closed the small notebook he always carried with him and slipped it into his shirt pocket.

“Good morning,” Tom said cheerfully. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

“Hardly,” Irene replied. “The women’s dormitory leaves a lot to be desired, Tom. It is definitely not a five-star resort.”

Tom laughed. “All that will change a couple months from now after the residential housing has been completed. The scientists who work here will be able to live at the Institute in comfortable, ultramodern apartments. I believe they’ll even have access to tennis courts and a swimming pool.”

“They might be forced to live here, given the local population’s opinion of this place,” Irene said sourly. “We’re not exactly a popular outfit.”

“Just give them time to warm up to us. When they see that nothing bad is happening and that we’re a huge boost to the local economy they will change their tune. The evil villains of the world can only cry wolf for so long before people get wise.”

“So you think an evil villain was responsible for what happened yesterday?” Irene asked.

Tom nodded and stood up. He handed Irene her hard-hat and put one on himself. “I had another talk with Dad last night after you went to bed. By that time he’d been able to get some resources into Nitro and start his own investigation. It looks like our plane was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, which was fired from the shelter of a local hangar. Someone got a glimpse of the perpetrator and they’re looking for him now, although I doubt they’ll find him.”

“So they weren’t trying to kill us after all,” Irene said thoughtfully. “If that had been their goal they could have shot us down while we were still in the air. We were an easy target. By the way, any word on where that newspaper article came from?”

“Dad talked to the editor, but he won’t divulge his sources,” Tom replied. “And he won’t print a retraction. Dad thinks that we have a spy at Enterprises that fed the article to the editor, who was all-too-willing to report it. The villain then used it to incite a mob, and used the mob as cover to destroy our plane.”

“But why bother?” Irene asked. “I don’t see what anyone would gain from this. I mean, sure, we got some bad press, but that’s hardly going to destroy the company or stop the Institute from being built. And the loss of one jet isn’t going to cause us irreparable financial harm.”

“Beats me!” Tom joked. “Maybe he just doesn’t like that model of aircraft.”

Tom and Irene began walking down the dusty road. All along the road were tall cranes, enormous earthmovers, and piles of material. Construction workers swarmed everywhere, mostly ignoring the two teenagers. It looks like they’re focusing more on the airfield today, Tom thought to himself. With that many people they’ll make short work of it.

Chow had risen much earlier than Tom and promised to have breakfast ready for them before he headed off to the ranch. In the distance they could see a thin trail of smoke rising into the sky, and guessed that Chow had made good on his word.

Tom spoke up. “I still think Xanthus is behind this, but right now it’s too soon to tell. If it is him, maybe he just wanted us to know that he’s still out there and can take us out whenever he wants. This could be his way of saying that he has the upper hand.”

“Very comforting,” Irene said dryly. “So what are you going to do about it?”

Tom shrugged. “I don’t really know. My only idea is to finish work on that alarm system we were talking about earlier. I bet I could get it working by the time the Institute opens, and we can test it out here.”

“Wonderful!” Irene said sarcastically. “I’m sure that alarm system would have kept that Brungarian spy from destroying my luggage. That will definitely solve the problem.”

“My, but aren’t we cheerful this morning,” Tom remarked, grinning.

“Do you realize that the construction here is going on around the clock?” Irene said. “How on earth can anybody get any sleep? If someone’s not coming in to the dorm then someone’s going out. And I won’t even get started on all the awful noises I heard. They were dynamiting at three in the morning!” Irene gritted her teeth. “The next time you want to visit a construction site, Tom, you can find someone else to go with you. This is not a place for a lady.”

Tom laughed. “Tell you what, Ace. Before we do something like this again I’ll invent a machine that cancels out all noise. That way you can put it by your bed and sleep in peace.”

“You do that,” Irene replied.

By that time they had reached the small campfire that Chow had started. The middle-aged cook had somehow found a grill and was hard at work, cheerfully frying up sausages. “Well brand my dinner bell, but if it ain’t the two daredevils! Y’all are jes’ in time for breakfast.”

“Mmmm, it smells wonderful,” Irene said. “What do we have?”

“Oh, not much – only ’bout everything you could want,” Chow bragged. Tom quickly realized that the cook was right. On the picnic table in front of them were sausages, bacon, biscuits, gravy, eggs, and an array of fruit. There was enough food to feed far more than just the three of them.

“Wow!” Tom exclaimed. “You’ve really gone all-out. Where did you ever get all this food?”

“The supplies came from yer local mess hall,” Chow explained. “The cook there ‘taint of no account, but I figured I could just help myself and show ’em how cooking is really done. Don’t be shy, now – help yerself!”

Tom and Irene took a seat and began enjoying breakfast. “This is really good,” Irene remarked. “Thanks!”

“But where are the rattlesnakes?” Tom asked, as he helped himself to some more bacon.

“C’mon, son,” Chow said. “You don’t have rattlesnake stew for breakfast! ‘Tain’t right.”

“What a relief,” Irene sighed. She kicked Tom under the table.

Tom grinned. “Really, though, Chow, this is marvelous. You should come work for us! The Institute should open April 1st. We’d be delighted to have you.”

“That’s awful kind of you,” Chow replied. “Still, I promised the boys over at the X Bar X ranch that I’d work there a spell, and I reckon I will. But look me up when you get back in town.”

“We’ll do that,” Tom promised.

After breakfast, Captain Thorndyke came and picked up Chow to take him to the ranch. Tom and Irene bid him farewell, and the two then began walking through the construction yard.

“So what are all these buildings around us?” Irene asked, as she watched a large crane move a giant steel beam into place. “I don’t remember seeing this part of the base yesterday.”

“Let me check,” Tom said. He pulled a map out of his pocket and consulted it. “The guard tower is behind us, so those buildings must be the warehouses. That’s where our experimental aircraft are going to be built.”

“Your hyperplane?” Irene asked.

“Exactly!” Tom replied. “And eventually other atomic-powered craft as well. When the buildings are finished they’ll be equipped with everything we need to fabricate our own aircraft right here at the plant. It’ll be state-of-the-art.”

“Nice!” Irene commented. “Where’s the runway?”

“It’ll be north of here,” Tom replied. “I don’t think it’s been built yet.”

Irene looked over Tom’s shoulder and studied the map. “Looks like the runway will be pretty long.”

“One of the longest in the world!” Tom replied. “If we ever build a space plane one day we’ll be able to land it here. At least, that’s the plan.”

The two continued walking down the unfinished road that led away from the main gate. To their immediate right were the enormous warehouses that Tom had just mentioned. About a quarter mile head of them loomed another giant building.

“The reactor?” Irene asked, as they stepped aside to get out of the way of an oncoming forklift.

“Exactly,” Tom replied. “It’ll house the new unit that Dad’s been designing.”

“It looks pretty big!”

“It’s actually only quarter scale. There was no need for anything bigger than that.”

“That’s still an awful lot of power,” Irene remarked.

“I’m sure Dad will find a good use for it.”

“Why aren’t there any cooling towers?”

“They’re not necessary,” Tom said. “Dad’s reactor doesn’t depend on superheated water becoming steam and then driving a turbine. He’s going to use tomasite to convert radiation directly to electricity.”

“Oh, that’s right. I should have remembered that. But isn’t that process terribly inefficient?”

Tom shrugged. “Dad seems to think he can achieve a pretty decent efficiency. I don’t know, though. The Tomasite approach really seems more geared toward small reactors, like something that could power your car. But I think Dad wants to start with something that could power a city and then work his way down.”

“Or maybe he’ll leave that as an exercise for you,” Irene teased.

“Or to you,” Tom shot back. “After all, you’re the nuclear physics expert! I’m just the guy with a notebook and pencil.”

“A pencil which, by the way, you never did finish transforming for me,” Irene pointed out. “I know my red pencil when I see it.”

“Give me time!” Tom pleaded. “These great breakthroughs don’t happen overnight. I’m still thinking about it.”

“Promise?” Irene said, looking him in the eye.

“I promise,” Tom replied, grinning.

* * * * *

That afternoon the two young scientists made their way toward the research section of the Institute.

“The grounds of this facility are much larger than I’d expected,” Irene remarked. “This isn’t bigger than Swift Enterprises, is it?”

“It’s several square miles,” Tom replied. “It’s actually a bit smaller, but it seems larger because there aren’t many buildings here yet. Of course, even when the Phase I construction is finished we’ll still be using only a fraction of the space. It’ll be quite a few years before we run out of land.”

The two stopped in front of a long, low building. At the moment it was simply a concrete slab with steel girders for walls. Boards, cinderblocks, and pipes were stacked high on the slab.

Irene stepped onto the concrete and looked around. “So this entire building is your office?”

Tom laughed. “Not exactly. Ned would never go for that! No, I’ll get this end of the building, and other people will get the rest of it. I think Dad’s laboratory is going to be across the street, in that building. Still, I should have plenty of space to run my experiments.”

“So you’re going to build a real nuclear reactor right here in this room?”

Tom nodded. “That’s the plan! Of course, the room won’t be a concrete slab then – we’ll have all the equipment we need. And my test unit will be pretty small. The bigger ones will have to be tested elsewhere. But this is where it will all begin.”

Irene walked over and sat down on a pile of lumber. “So what’s the plan, skipper?”

Tom sat down beside her. “Well, come April I’m going to move down here for the summer. I’ll start out by building a series of small reactors, to see if I can generate thrust from nuclear power. If I can I’ll start searching for a way to crack the heat transfer problem. If all that works and the numbers say that we’ve got enough thrust to make hypersonic travel a reality then I’ll start building planes and try it for real.”

Irene nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. I like it.”

“Oh, and I would like for you to be here,” Tom said quickly. “I mean, I realize we’re out in the middle of the desert and there are no classy resorts in sight, but we’ll only be out here until this project is done. Besides, you’ll be closer to your parents – they’re just one state over instead of all the way across the country.”

“You don’t have to sell me on the idea, Tom. I’d be more than happy to come. After all,” she said teasingly, “I’d rather not be thousands of miles away from you. You never know when some other pretty girl might catch your eye! If I’m not there to shoot her then there’s no telling what might happen. You could end up married to a blond, or something!”

“Thanks,” Tom said warmly. “I’m glad your acting to save me from such a terrible fate!”

“So tell me, skipper. What would you have done if I had refused to move to the desert?”

“Well, kidnapping you had crossed my mind,” Tom replied, grinning.

Irene laughed. “You’re so sweet. Is there anything else on your mind that you’d like to talk about?”

“Um, I think I’m good for now,” Tom replied.

“Are you sure?” Irene asked.

Tom looked at her and smiled. “Trust me, Ace.”

“Ok,” she said simply.

* * * * *

Two days later Tom and Irene left Institute and flew back to Shopton, New York. This time they joined a small group of construction foremen that were returning home for Christmas. The two young scientists enjoyed being passengers for a change, and spent the flight talking with the men about their work at the Institute and their plans for the holidays.

At six in the evening the plane landed at the Swift Enterprises airfield. After thanking the pilot for the pleasant flight Tom said goodbye to Irene. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Aren’t you going to drive me home?” Irene asked.

Tom shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ace, but I can’t. Dad wanted to see me the moment I got back and actually stayed late so we could talk. I’d volunteer to take you home after the meeting is over but I don’t know how long I’ll be. You can borrow my car, though, if you want.”

“That’s ok, my car is still here,” Irene said. “How do you think I got here in the first place?”

Tom looked puzzled. “Then why did you want me to drive you home?”

Irene smiled mischievously. “I’ll let you figure that out on your own, skipper.”

“Ok,” Tom said uncertainly. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

Irene shook her head. “Sorry, Tom, but I’m on vacation until after the New Year. You are too, in fact. Along with a lot of other people. It is the holiday season, you know.”

“Oh,” Tom said. “Right! I guess I am.”

“It’ll be good for you!” Irene said. “You can finally get all that Christmas shopping done. Think of the possibilities!”

Tom whistled. “I had better get on that! It kind of slipped my mind.”

Irene sighed. “I’m not surprised. Anyway, give me a call sometime. You do know where I live, after all.” She kissed him goodbye and then walked off.

Tom shook his head and walked over to his father’s office. The executive floor of the office building was deserted. Miss Trent probably left an hour ago, Tom thought. His father, however, was still in the office.

“Come on in!” his dad said, calling to him from the chair behind his desk. Tom walked into the suite and closed the door behind him.

“They did a nice job repairing this place,” he commented.

His father smiled. “Miss Trent is very efficient. I imagine it’s a nice change for you to step in here without feeling that your life is in danger!” He reached out and shook his son’s hand. “It’s good to have you home, son. So how was your trip?”

Tom told his father everything that happened in Arizona, starting with the flight there and ending with the flight back. “I know you’ve already heard most of this before,” he said, apologizing.

“I’m going to have to meet this Charles Winkler,” his dad said thoughtfully. “He sounds like a remarkable character.”

“I think he’d make a great employee,” Tom said enthusiastically. “When we were in trouble he just helped us out then and there without asking any questions. He’s dependable, and I bet he’s loyal too.”

“That’s a valuable quality to have. I’ll have security check him out. I’m afraid we’re having to check everyone out these days,” Tom’s father said apologetically. “Harlan is having a terrible time trying to find the leak. I’d like to think that we can trust everyone who works here, but time and again events have proven me wrong.”

“I may be able to help a little in that department,” Tom said. He told his father about his plans for an alarm system. “If I can get it to work I’d like to implement it at the Institute.”

“That would be wonderful! By all means, if you can get that to work then it could change everything. It won’t solve all our problems, of course, but it would make it very much harder for intruders to enter without our knowledge.”

“Are you still planning on opening the Institute on April 1?” Tom asked.

His father nodded. “So far the foreman assures me that everything is proceeding according to schedule. Even if some things do fall behind, though, I am sure we can at least open the laboratories. The entire plant does not need to be finished in order for the facility to become useful. Speaking of plans, however, how are you going to approach the hyperplane construction?”

Tom explained to his father the plan that he had discussed with Irene. When he was finished his father nodded thoughtfully. “I can see that you’ve thought this through, son. Please let me know if there is any way I can provide assistance. I truly believe that your aircraft will be a monumental step, not only for Swift Enterprises but for mankind as a whole.”

“I hope so, Dad,” Tom replied.

His father stood up. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss before we head home? I’m sure you’re getting hungry.”

“Well, there is one other thing,” Tom said. He paused for a moment. “It’s about Irene.”

Tom Sr. looked surprised. “Irene? Is she ok?”

“Oh, sure, it’s not that. It’s just that – ” Tom hesitated. “Dad, I’m pretty sure that she wants me to marry her.”

Tom Sr. burst out laughing and sat back down behind his desk. “Son, are you telling me that you have just now figured this out? After all these years?”

“You mean you knew all along?”

His father smiled. “I had this conversation with her father many years ago. Irene attached herself to you at a young age. She’s a very determined girl! She knew exactly what she wanted, and she’s never wavered in her pursuit of it.”

“And you never told me?”

“Some things are best left to be discovered on your own. But if I could ask, what tipped you off?”

Tom shrugged. “All my life I just never thought of her as anything other than my friend. But lately her behavior has changed, and I’ve started noticing things. I probably would have noticed sooner but it just never crossed my mind.”

“The two of you are growing into fine adults,” his father said. “Some things change with age. I thought it was about time for something to happen.”

“So you’ve even talked to her dad about this,” Tom said slowly. “You mean I really am the last person to know?”

“Men usually are,” his father remarked. “I chased your mother for years before I found out that she was actually the one that had been chasing me. How she managed to put up with me long enough for us to get married I don’t know.”

“Mom loved you,” Tom said simply. “She still does. And I believe that Irene loves me. I can see it in how she lives her life.”

“I have no doubt of that,” Tom Sr. said. “She is an extraordinary person. But the question is, do you love her? You need to be honest here, son. This isn’t a game where you can just pretend to love her, or tell her what she wants to hear because you know she wants to hear it. She’s being honest with you, and you need to be just as honest with her. If you’re not she will know.”

“I do love her,” Tom said. “She means the world to me. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. I’m just not very good at telling her.”

“I don’t tell your mother nearly often enough,” Tom Sr. replied. “So what is your plan?”

“What do you think I should do?” Tom asked. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

Tom Sr. said nothing for a few moments. He just looked at his son thoughtfully. “Are you sure you want my opinion?” he said at last.

“Of course,” Tom replied.

“I think that you and Irene would make a great couple,” his father said slowly. “I honestly do. But you’re both still very young, and you’re in the middle of a very large and complicated project that has international repercussions. Time is on your side. I would suggest pursuing the relationship, but not starting anything serious until after you’ve finished the hyperplane. When that succeeds your life will be a lot less stressful, and you can focus entirely on building your relationship with Irene. This isn’t something you want to do half-heartedly.”

“So you think the hyperplane will be a success?” Tom asked.

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “Keep in mind I didn’t say it would be an overnight success. You may try, and fail, and try, and fail again. But don’t ever give up. If you keep at it I have no doubt that you will ultimately succeed.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Tom said warmly. “That sounds like a wise plan. I just have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Who should my best man be?”

Tom’s father burst out laughing. “That is a good question! I don’t think I can help you there, son. This time you’re on your own!”