Tom Swift Jr #35, Chapter 23: Queen of the Skies

Eighteen-year-old Tom Swift Jr. was hard at work in his private office when he heard a knock on the door. The young inventor looked up from the invoices that were scattered all over his desk. “Come in!”

The door opened and the burly figure of Arvid Hanson walked into the room. The chief model-maker of Swift Enterprises was carrying a large cardboard box.

“Arv!” Tom exclaimed. He rose from the desk and walked over to greet him. “Is that…?”

Arv nodded proudly as he set the open box down onto the floor. He carefully reached inside, pulled out a model, and set it on the desk. “There she is, Tom – the Sky Queen. I would have had it done last week but we got behind.”

Tom gazed at the gleaming miniature, which was just over a foot long. As usual, the model-maker had done an outstanding job. Arv had faithfully reproduced every detail of Tom’s giant triple-decker, nuclear-powered aircraft. “You even put in the jet lifters!” Tom said approvingly. “It’s amazing. This will look great beside the other Swift inventions!”

“Thanks,” Arv said. “Your flying lab is quite an accomplishment, boss. When she’s finished she will be the largest plane in the skies.”

“And we’re almost there,” Tom added. “The staff here at Enterprises has done an amazing job assembling the plane! She should be ready in another two weeks.”

“I heard Bud wants to be the test pilot,” Arv commented.

Tom grinned. “Oh, he does, but he’s been involved in another project. I think that honor is going to go to Ripcord Hulse. He’s an ace pilot and will do a fine job.”

“Where’s Bud been, anyway?” Arv asked. “I haven’t seen him around for a while.”

“The government has had him tied up,” Tom explained. “I’m afraid I’m not allowed to go into any detail. He should be back later today, though.”

“Say no more,” Arv begged. “I don’t want to be shot at dawn for knowing too much.” As the model-maker turned to leave he suddenly noticed the stack of boxes in the corner. “Hey, skipper, you’re not moving, are you?”

“Dad and I are going to be sharing an office,” Tom explained. “I’m almost never in here, so it just made sense to combine things. I think Miss Trent is going to have everything moved tomorrow. That’s actually why I’m here – I’m trying to make sure everything is in order. I’d hate to lose something important.”

“Makes sense,” Arv agreed. “Is there anything else you need before I go?”

“There is one other thing,” Tom said. “Do you know if Chow has arrived?”

Arv thought a moment. “Is he the Texan cook that used to work at the Institute?”

“That’s right! He worked there until Dad closed it down and moved back to Shopton. I thought he was supposed to arrive this week, but I’ve been so busy I’ve lost track.”

“Does he wear painfully bright shirts?”

Tom laughed. “I take it you’ve met him?”

Arv nodded. “He’s hard to miss, boss! A real larger-than-life character. I think he’s setting up a galley not too far from your laboratory. Said something about not wanting to miss anything.”

Tom grinned. “I’ll have to stop by and see him later. Thanks, Arv.”

After the model-maker left Tom finished his work in the office. Before leaving he stopped by to see Miss Trent, the Swift’s personal secretary.

“Have you seen my father?” Tom asked. “I wanted to talk to him about my plane.”

Miss Trent checked the calendar. “I’m afraid he’s not in the office this morning, Tom. He is currently attending a meeting with Ned Newton at the Swift Construction Company. He should be back this afternoon. Shall I tell him when he returns that you are looking for him?”

“If you don’t mind,” Tom said. “I have a few arrangements I need to go over with him.”

“Of course,” Miss Trent replied. She jotted down a note.

Tom then left the office building and headed over to his laboratory. Before going inside he decided to check on Chow. A short search revealed that the cook had take up residence in a deserted laboratory and was busy converting it into a fully-stocked, ultramodern galley. The roly-poly Texan was giving orders to a construction crew when Tom walked into the room.

“Well brand my skillet, but it’s great to see you, boss!” the cook exclaimed. “I ain’t seen you in a month of Sundays.” He eagerly shook Tom’s hand.

Tom took one look at the cook’s shirt and winced. The yellow and purple shirt was one of the most garish designs he had ever seen, but the cook was wearing it proudly. Chow noticed Tom’s interest in the shirt and beamed. “This here’s quite a little number, ain’t it?”

“Boy, you said it,” Tom replied. “Say, it looks like you’ve got quite a lot going on.”

“Aw, it’s nothin’,” Chow said. “They’ve just gotta install my equipment and stuff. You got some nice rooms here, son, but they just ain’t set up for cookin’. But we’ll have that fixed in no time flat. Tomorrow mornin’ you kin expect a nice, hot breakfast, brought right to yer lab.”

Tom laughed. “You know, Chow, we do have a cafeteria here at the plant. I’m sure they’ve got plenty of room for you! There’s really no need to set up here.”

Chow shook his head. “I know you better than that, boss. There ain’t no way you’re gonna take time to leave your lab and go eat somethin’ – and I’m not gonna haul your food all the way across the plant. This here’s the only way I kin make sure you get fed.”

“Have it your way,” Tom said agreeably. “It’s good to have you on board. When you have a moment I’ll have to show you what I’ve been working on lately. I think you’ll like my latest invention!”

“I wouldn’t miss it fer all the cattle in Texas,” Chow said.

Tom bade the cook goodbye and headed over to his laboratory. As he was on his way there he ran into his friend Bud Barclay.

“Bud!” Tom replied. “Man, you have great timing. I was just about to leave.”

“I came back to New York as quickly as I could,” Bud explained as Tom unlocked the laboratory door. The two stepped inside and Tom closed the door behind them. “But you know how the government is. Everything has to take forever. They have enough red tape to sink a battleship!”

Tom nodded sympathetically. “So how did it go?”

“Not bad, really. The Air Force has built three of your hyperplanes, and I’ve flown all of them. They’re amazing! I’ve gotta hand it to you, skipper – they’re the last word in speed. Nothing else can touch them. Even the Sky Queen is a snail by comparison!”

“True, but keep in mind they’re built for different purposes. The hyperplane was designed for speed and speed alone. It just needed to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. There’s really no reason to build that kind of speed into my flying lab – all it needs to do is carry a large amount of cargo and then provide a suitable base of operations for an extended period of time. Speed really isn’t too important.”

“Speed is awfully nice though,” Bud replied. “The pilots I trained just couldn’t believe the sheer power of that jet. Even after they flew it they still had trouble believing it!”

Tom nodded. “I really wished Project Arcturus had turned out differently. It’s such a pity we won’t be able to commercialize it! That’s probably the last we’ll ever hear of my hyperplane.”

“But it wasn’t a total loss,” Bud pointed out. “Not only did the hyperplane save the world, but it’s now one of the country’s most top-secret aircraft. Plus, you were able to adapt the Sampson engine for use on board the Sky Queen. Without it you never could have powered a craft that large.”

“True,” Tom agreed. “And think of all the discoveries we’ll make! Being able to fly an entire scientific laboratory to the remotest parts of the world will prove invaluable. I can only imagine what’s out there!”

“And I’ll be right there with you,” Bud replied.

“Except when it’s my birthday,” Tom teased. “That’s when my flying ace skips town and doesn’t show up again for a whole week.”

“Hey now, that wasn’t my fault,” Bud said defensively. “The Air Force needed someone to train their pilots on your new jet, and I was the only guy handy. I tried to get them to reschedule but they weren’t interested. I promise you I will be there when you turn nineteen.”

“I’m sure you will,” Tom said, laughing. “Of course, a lot could happen between now and then!”

“I can’t begin to imagine,” Bud agreed. “Knowing you we could go to the Moon and back by then. But listen, skipper, I’m afraid I’ve got to head out. I’m scheduled to test a helicopter this afternoon and I don’t want to be late.”

Tom snapped his fingers. “Oh, that’s right! I’d almost forgotten. You’re going to test the Skeeter, aren’t you?”

“You got it,” Bud said. “Isn’t it going to be on board the Sky Queen?”

Tom nodded. “It and a small jet named the Kangaroo Kub.”

“When I get back you need to give me the official tour of your plane,” Bud begged. “I’ve missed pretty much that entire project.”

“You and Chow both,” Tom needled. “By the way, I still need to introduce you to Chow.”

“Later!” Bud said. “I’ve got to go.”

Tom bade his friend goodbye. After Bud left the young inventor walked over to his workbench and picked up three pencils, which he put in his shirt pocket. He then left his laboratory, got into his silver sports car, and drove off.

It took Tom about twenty minutes to reach his destination. After parking his car he walked through a small clump of trees and up to the top of a small, grassy knoll. Off in the distance he could see Lake Carlopa glinting in the morning sun. The trees were covered in the fresh green leaves of spring, and flowers were starting to bloom. A soft breeze gently rustled the grass.

At the top of the hill was a small, private cemetery which belonged to the Goddard family. Several generations of Goddards had been buried there. Tom located the place where Irene’s marker stood. He knew that there was nothing buried there, but there was still something about that spot that made him feel closer to her.

From his pocket he removed the red, green, and blue pencils. “I’m sorry it’s taken so long,” he apologized aloud. He thought back to the cold winter day more than a year ago when Irene first asked him to take the pencils and modernize them. He smiled as he remembered her reaction to his first attempt. “And don’t worry. I didn’t put a nuclear reactor in any of them.”

One by one he laid the pencils on her grave. “Here you are, Ace – just as I promised. The green one is a miniature radio. It can be used to both send and receive. The red one is a soldering iron that is powered by a small battery. And – as you requested – the blue one is an infrared snooperscope.”

Tom stood up and looked around. He did not realize it, but the young inventor would soon be caught up in his next adventure, Tom Swift and his Flying Lab. For the moment, however, his thoughts were on the past.

“I’ll see you later,” he said at last. With that, he started walking back down the hill toward his sports car.

Thousands of miles away, a giant rock hurtled through space toward an unsuspecting Earth. It was now only a few hours away from landing on Swift Enterprises’ grounds and changing the course of history…