"Appleton, Victor - Tom Swift Jr 23 - And His Aquatomic Tracker" - читать интересную книгу автора (Appleton Victor)

submarine base for his diving seacopters and jet-marines.
Arriving at his laboratory, Tom strode to a shelf laden with chemicals and
electronic equipment, uncorked a bottle of pills, and shook out three apiece for
himself and Bud.
"Our final dose of space vitamins."
'Tour dad and Doc Simpson really gave skin diving a big scientific assist
when they concocted these from those outer space plants," Bud said gratefully.
"We hope so-but the real test of their effectiveness will be our days of
underwater life," Tom replied. "On shorter dunkings, they've done a great job of
protecting our body tissues from antiosmosis troubles."
"Down the hatch!" Bud gulped a swallow of water. "Okay-let's get into our
rigs!"
As the two hydronauts started into the one-room apartment adjoining the
laboratory, a red light flashed on the control panel of the Swifts' private TV
network. Ames flicked on the videophone.
"Hold it, Tom!" he exclaimed as Blake, their Washington telecaster, appeared
on the screen.
Tom and Bud hurried back into the laboratory.
"This may be important, skipper," Blake said. "John Thurston has something
to show you."
Thurston, a calm-faced, balding official of the United States Central
Intelligence Agency, stepped into view before the camera. "Hi, Tom.
THE DROWNING ROMAN 5
All set to leave on your transoceanic marathon?"
"Bud and I were just about to get into our hydrolung outfits." Tom smiled.
"What's up?"
"Take a look at this." Thurston held up a photographic print, and Blake
switched to a close-up so that it filled the video screen. The print showed a crude
drawing of a Roman soldier sinking head downward into water. Below was a row
of hieroglyphic symbols.
"What the dickens is it?" Bud asked.
"A radiophoto containing some sort of code message," Thurston explained.
"The FCC monitored this on an unidentified broadcast last night and turned it
over to us."
Tom frowned. "Have you doped it out yet?"
"We're not sure. Our cryptographers have been working all night to crack the
code. The message is too short to yield a positive solution, but they think it
means-Stop Tom Swift."
"Great Scottl" Ames exploded. "Have you any idea who or what's behind the
message?"
"Not a clue," Thurston replied. "We were hoping you fellows at Enterprises
might know."
"I take it the message was a translation of the code symbols only," Tom put
in. "How about the drawing of the drowning Roman soldier?"
"It has us baffled," the CIA man admitted.
Tom rubbed his blond crew cut thoughtfully. After a moment he said, "Well,
no sense worrying about it. Thanks for telling us, John. Let's go, Bud!"
6 AQUATOMIC TRACKER
"Hold on, Tom!" Ames protested. "You're not going through with your trip
after this warning?"