Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X

ed, stared at

the young inv

ho I am. Just

d up his enemy. The man was about thirty years old, with close-c

uld I risk a fight

ed, "I gave you an order, my friend

eep into his coat pocket, and Tom felt

y. He wanted time to think. Presently Swift Ente

gate, get out, and use his electronic key without waiting for the guard to admit him. A

ted to turn off toward the main gate, his passenger snapp

f I re

e what you call in this country a dead duck!" the stra

out with him as Tom walked up to the gate and beamed his electronic key at the hidden mechanis

y. The sprawling experimental station was a vast four-mile-square area with a cluster of gleaming modern laboratory buil

, bowlegged figure, topped by a white Texa

Chow Winkler, formerly a chuck-wagon cook a

earing a gaudy cowboy shirt. "Who's the new buckaroo?" the cook a

s looking for a job," Tom replied. Turning to th

m Tom to Chow, as if no

as "mister," and had also noticed how the man kept one hand hidden in his pocket. Looking to

ring the syllables. "Frankly I am not yet sure I desire

gility for his rotund bulk, the cook bore down on him and let fly a gnarled fist at the stranger's j

rasp as the man landed, writhing on the hard ground. Chow quickly

u may git yourself roughed up a bit," C

orced me to drive him in through the private ga

stranger while Chow continued holding him down. The man c

hances on people findin' out who he is! Which proves he's some sort o'

ign tongue. Chow merely pressed down harder

m said. "Security shou

happened. Since the stranger did not have the special electronic wrist amulet worn by all Swift employees,

. Then, without warning, he suddenly butted the coo

heekbone. Tom, though stunned, lashed out. More punches flew back and forth. Tom l

for the key to the gate. With all his wiry strength, Tom l

creeched to a stop. Three security guards, led by stocky Phil

the security men o

alking!" snapped Radnor, he

y reply was a

way till he cools

man was bundled into the jeep and

he slim, dark-haired security chief of Enterprises, had taken charge of

ds?" Tom

ng on him in our files. His clothes have no tags or

an accent and he also muttered something at Chow-I d

ike the looks of this, s

fied the polic

y right now to pick him up. Maybe they'

shared with his father in Enterprises' main building. It was equipped wi

famous inventions were also placed about the office, including a red-and-silver replica of Tom's first rocket ship, the Star Spear; a blue plastic model o

ng the vast experimental station now fell on Tom's youthful shoulders. T

with milk, a hot chicken sandwich, an

supercharger, eh?" said

es," Tom

r," Chow advised as he gathered up the tray. "A brainy young hombre like

ifts had first met Chow when they were on an atomic research expedition in the Southwest. Chow had

ang. Tom took the call and had just finished tal

ped you this morning?" the young f

st phoned and said he'd had a call from Washington, as

, a red signal flashed on the control board of the Swifts' private TV n

telecaster. He introduced the other man, a

e Agency, Tom," Blake said. "He thought it might

re also visible to th

r," Tom said, and int

ates on a French passport under the name of Jacques Renard. But we've just learned from the

ain Brungarian factions had been responsible for some of t

nterpol believes that Narko is also a member of the s

e said. Soon after Tom had balked their attempts to seize the satellite Nestr

nt was quelled. Other members of the antigovernment moveme

ing a coup to take over Brungaria. They had already subverted various government agencies and were sending their

ters," Thurston added, "and it's now becoming very

pathizers known to be in the United States.

ry," Thurston explained. "But even though we screen them carefully, a r

, Tom, Bud, and Ames di

pals working with h

"they may try carrying t

und the outer wall on twenty-f

into Enterprises? What was he after? There was little hope of resolving these questions, since United States Intelligence had learned of t

his office. Tom sat down at his drawing board and began to sketch out

mechanical output devices. Or would he have to help it function via an electronic compu

ompletely oblivious to the passage of time. He sketched o

oncentration. Perhaps the Brungarian rebel scientists had now figure

ched toward earth, they might try to