CHAPTER I
THE EARTHQUAKE
"Tom, we're having a problem with the gyro-stabilizer," said Mark Faber,gray-haired president of the Faber Electronics Company. "Hope you canfind out what's wrong."
The eighteen-year-old inventor accepted the challenge with a smile."I'll be glad to try, sir," he replied.
Bud Barclay, a dark-haired young flier and Tom Swift Jr.'s closestfriend, chuckled. "If anyone can get the bugs out of your new invention,genius boy here will do it!"
The two boys followed Mr. Faber and his engineers to a wooden buildingwhich was tightly guarded. Inside, a secret rocket-telemetering devicewas mounted on its test stand.
"As you know, Tom," Mr. Faber began, "the usual conditions of rocketflight will be--"
He broke off with a gasp of astonishment as the whole building suddenlybegan to shake.
"Good grief!" Bud exclaimed. "This isn't part of your testing routine,is it?"
His question was drowned out by cries of alarm and the sound of crackingglass. The walls and roof were shuddering and creaking, and the concretefloor was heaving under their feet.
[Illustration (earthquake in the lab)]
"Look out! The test stand's breaking loose!" Tom warned.
Mr. Faber and two of his men tried frantically to brace the heavy teststand which held the telemetering device. Another engineer rushed towardthe door to see what was happening outside. Before he reached it,another shock knocked all of them off their feet.
Electronic equipment cascaded from the wall shelves, and a heavy-dutychain hoist came loose from its overhead track, plunging to the floorwith a terrifying crash.
"An earthquake!" Tom gasped.
Bud, meanwhile, clawed a handhold on a wire screen enclosing an aircompressor and pulled himself to his feet. But the next moment a third,more violent tremor rocked the building, knocking him over. "The roof!It's caving in!" he heard someone scream.
As his eyes flashed upward in panic, Bud caught a brief glimpse of theponderous test stand with the priceless telemeter tilting to one side.An instant later it crashed over, pinning Mark Faber beneath it!
Bud threw up his arms to protect himself, but too late! A falling beamcaught him on the back of the head and the young flier blacked out.
For minutes, no one stirred among the wreckage. Then Tom, who had beenstunned by some falling debris, raised himself to a sitting position.
"Good night!" Tom's eyes focused in horror on the wreckage enveloped bystill-billowing dust.
The sky was visible through several gaping holes in the roof, which wassagging dangerously on its supporting trusses. Only two thirds of thewalls were still standing.
Suddenly Tom stiffened in fear. "Bud!" The young inventor had justnoticed his friend lying pinned beneath a heavy beam nearby. _Was hestill breathing?_
Disregarding his own injuries, Tom hastily freed himself from the debrisand groped his way to Bud's side. With a desperate heave, he shoved thebeam away, then cradled Bud's head in his arm. His friend's eyelidsflickered.
"Are you all right?" Tom asked fearfully.
The answer came in a groan. "O-oh!... Wow!... What hit me?"
"You got conked by a falling timber. Or grazed, at least," Tom addedthankfully. "If that beam had landed square on your noggin, even arock-head like you couldn't have survived!"
Bud managed to grin. "We grow 'em tough out in California where I comefrom!" he joked.
Somewhat shakily, Bud got to his feet with Tom's assistance. Both boyswere heartsick as they surveyed the damaged laboratory, wondering whereto begin rescue operations.
"It was a quake," Bud stated grimly. He had heard about the great SanFrancisco earthquake from his grandfather, and had no doubt about thenature of the tremors.
Just then Tom glimpsed a body protruding from under the wreckage of thetelemetering device.
"Mr. Faber!" he gasped.
The two boys scrambled through the clutter of debris toward the spotwhere the test stand had been erected. Bud seized a slender, steelI beam and managed to pry up the wreckage while Tom carefully extricatedMr. Faber.
The scientist seemed to be badly injured. "We'd better not try to movehim," Tom decided. "We'll get an ambulance."
Of the four other company engineers, two were now stirring and partlyconscious. The boys found a first-aid cabinet and gave what help theycould to them and the other two men. Then Tom taped a bandage on Bud'sscalp wound.
"Let's see if we can find a telephone and call the local hospital," Tomsaid.
"Right!" Bud responded.
They picked their way through the wreckage and emerged on a scene offrightful destruction. The main plant building of Faber Electronics hadbeen partially demolished by the quake. Power lines were down and anoutlying storage shed was ablaze. Dazed and panic-stricken survivorswere wandering around aimlessly or rushing about to assist the injured.
"Good thing the main shift of workers knocked off before this happened,"Bud observed with a shudder. "There would've been a lot morecasualties."
"Look!" Tom pointed to a huge crevasse. "Right where we landed ourWhirling Duck!"
The boys exchanged rueful glances as they realized that the craft whichhad brought them to Faber Electronics--one of Tom's unique helijets--hadbeen swallowed up in the gaping chasm.
"No use fussing about it now," Tom said. "Come on, Bud! Let's see aboutgetting help for Mr. Faber!"
Despite the chaotic confusion, the boys managed to locate the plantsuperintendent--a harried, middle-aged man named Simkins--who was doinghis best to restore order. Simkins, who had not been injured, informedthem that electricians were rigging an emergency telephone line in orderto get through to the nearby town of Harkness.
"Mr. Faber is badly injured," Tom said. "Why not send a car? It's only afew miles away, isn't it?"
"I'll send the plant nurse to him," Simkins said. "As for going to town,take a look at the parking lot." He pointed with a jerk of his thumb.The cars on the lot had been smashed into junk by bricks from acollapsing wall of one of the buildings. "And the only truck we hadavailable was in that burning shed," the superintendent added bitterly.
"Tough break," Tom sympathized. "Anyhow, we want to help. Got a jobfor us?"
Simkins was only too glad to put Tom's quick mind and keen technicalknow-how to use. Within minutes, Tom was in charge of clearing awayrubble and extricating anyone who might be trapped inside the buildings.Bud organized a fire-fighting crew to keep the blaze in the shed fromspreading.
The telephone line was soon repaired and a steady stream of rescuevehicles began arriving from Harkness--fire trucks, three ambulances,and private cars driven by volunteers.
Two hours later there was nothing more Tom and Bud could do at thedisaster scene and they hitched a ride into Harkness. The town hadsuffered some damage, though only slight compared to the destruction atthe plant.
"The center of the quake was right under Faber Electronics," Tomremarked.
From a pay telephone, he called Swift Enterprises in Shopton. This wasthe experimental station where he and his father developed their manyamazing inventions. Tom asked the operator to send a helicopterimmediately to pick them up. He also called home and spoke to hissister, Sandra.
"What a relief!" Sandy gasped. "We heard a bulletin about the quake overthe radio!"
"Don't worry, Sis. Tell Mother and Dad that we're okay," Tom said."We'll be home in a jiffy--with big appetites!"
The helicopter arrived within twenty minutes at the place Tom had named.After landing at Enterprises, the boys drove to the pleasant,tree-shaded Swift home on the outskirts of town.
Mrs. Swift, a slender, petite woman, tried not to show concern when shesaw the boys, bruised and disheveled. "I'm so thankful you're bothsafe!" she murmured.
Blond, blue-eyed Sandy, who was a year younger than Tom, had invited herfriend Phyllis Newton to the house for dinner. Phyl, a pretty,dark-haired girl, was the daughter of Mr. Swift's long-time friend andbusiness associate, "Uncle Ned" N
ewton. The two girls were as much upsetas Tom's mother.
Tom laughed. "We're not stretcher cases," he said. "Why, one of theambulance doctors checked us out."
Bud groaned. "Why did you have to go and spoil it?" he complainedjokingly. "I was all set for Sandy's cool soothing touch on my feveredbrow!"
Mr. Swift came into the living room just then and told Tom how worriedMrs. Swift and Sandy had been. "I tried to assure them that you and Budcan take care of yourselves in any crisis." He smiled guiltily as headded, "But I must admit I was more than a little concerned myself."
As Tom grinned, the resemblance between him and his father was veryevident. Both had the same clean-cut features and deep-set blue eyes,although Tom Jr. was lankier and taller.
After the two boys had showered and changed their clothes, Mrs. Swiftserved them a delicious, hot meal. While they ate, Mr. Swift managedafter some difficulty to get a call through to the Harkness Hospital.His face was grave as he hung up.
"Mark Faber is not expected to live," the elder inventor reported. "Apity. He's a great scientist."
Tom nodded unhappily. Sandy, to take her brother's mind off thedisaster, said, "Dad, tell Tom and Bud about the visitor who's coming."
"A visitor?" Tom looked at his father.
"From another planet," Mr. Swift revealed.
Both boys were amazed and excited. "Wow!" Bud gasped. "Male or female?Human or animal?"
Mr. Swift's eyes twinkled. "None of those," he replied as the boysstared, mystified.