Then they began
to speculate on what the beamlike bolt was, who was in the plane, and if
their enemy knew who Tom's group were.
Dawn was streaking the sky when the seacopter arrived at Fearing Island.
The adventurers flew back to Enterprises at once. Tom and Bud snatched a
few hours' sleep in the apartment adjoining Tom's laboratory.
Later in the morning the whole group gathered in Tom's laboratory to
recount the raid to Mr. Swift and Harlan Ames. A bell signal from the
electronic brain brought them rushing to the decoder. Grim news awaited
them. The message said:
EXMAN TO SWIFTS. YOUR ENEMIES ARE NOW SURE I AM SPY. THEY PLAN
TO DESTROY ME.
"No! It mustn't happen!" Tom cried in dismay. "Dad, I'll rescue him
myself!"
His words were greeted with shocked protests from the others.
"Don't be crazy!" Bud said. "You wouldn't have a chance!"
"It would be suicide!" Arv Hanson declared.
Chow grabbed his young boss by the arm. "Brand my cayenne pepper, before
I'd let you make a blame fool move like that, I'd rope an' hawg-tie you
myself!"
Ames interjected the most convincing argument. "I know how you feel,
Tom," he said sympathetically, "but I'm positive the United States
government would never permit such a risky undertaking."
Tom was beside himself with anxiety. Not only had he worked and
struggled to make the space brain's visit a scientific success, but also
it was he who had thought of the scheme to use Exman as a spy.
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