Free Tom Swift and His Triphibian Atomicar by Victor Appleton II Page A

investigations. When I confirmed that the Consuming Fire was to burn the Tree of Wisdom, I quit and covered my tracks. Someday Isosceles will find me. It is written! I hope to make it a distant day."
    Freegler stood and began to pace about the room. Bud whispered softly to Tom: " Another one, pal."
    The young inventor addressed Freegler in sympathetic tones. "Perhaps if we understood more, Bud and I could help protect you from the Consuming Fire."
    "What is predestined cannot be denied," was the response. "I see now— you are the Hawk Fish, coming down from the sky." He stared at Bud. "You—I don’t know who you might be."
    Bud shrugged. "A Californian."
    "Where do you get this... information?" Tom asked gently.
    Freegler’s eyes lit with enthusiasm. "Ah! Count the letters of the Hebrew Book of Genesis, dividing them by the decimal expansion of Pi. Consider the proportions found in certain old paintings, the orientation of the Great Sphinx with regard to Primordial North, the layout of old cowpaths in England and France."
    "Er... all right."
    "Have you ever noticed the suspicious fact that the disk of the moon just happens to fit precisely over the disk of the sun? It happens only now , during Man’s time on Earth, for the moon is slowly receding and the visible disk will soon be too small. Is this coincidence? I think not , Tom! We scientists can’t be expected to believe in coincidence."
    Tom nodded gravely. Freegler was becoming more italicized with every passing moment.
    " I’ve found the secret, my friend. Mathematical symbols expressing concepts— a universal language! Ever thought of that?"
    Tom smiled. "It has crossed my mind, sir."
    The man nodded. Suddenly his tone and expression changed to one of impatience. "Why are you here, exactly?"
    "I’m in the process of perfecting a new kind of vehicle," responded the young scientist-inventor. "It has an advanced design, but I’m having trouble solving the problem of a power source. Your work on neutron decomposition might be the key to it, if you’ve progressed beyond what you indicated in your published article."
    Freegler seemed bewildered for a moment. "Article?" But then he snapped his fingers. "Oh yes. My foolish work at Motorskill. You’re looking for the final tensor manifold equations, I suppose."
    "That’s right, doctor."
    "I’ll give them to you. It’s all part of the old life. Fingernail shavings." Freegler spent a few minutes—quite a few—digging through his papers before finally holding up one sheet in triumph. "Here it is! As you can see, I wrote the equations in green crayon. Color is very important, an underrated property of matter."
    "I’ve often thought so," Tom agreed politely. "May I see them?"
    "Oh, take them, take them. They aren’t mine , you know. How can you own an idea? Truth and wisdom come from the universe. We mustn’t horde them."
    As Tom and Bud left, Tom expressed his gratitude. "These formulas are a great achievement, Dr. Freegler. You’ll receive full credit. Swift Enterprises will provide generous compensation for your giving them to me, I promise."
    "Compensation? Ah well. The best compensation would be for you to take a gun and shoot Milton Isosceles," said the man with a pleasant smile. "Goodbye, boys. Nice to see you again."
    Bud frowned. "Again?"
    "I told you, I’ve seen both of you in photos. And so, now I see you again . Right?" He closed the door on them. From the inside.
    Tom looked at Bud and said: " Jetz! "
    Back at the Citadel, Tom began working with Arv Hanson on translating Freegler’s findings into a power plant for his triphibian atomicar.
    "Man alive, this stuff is so fascinating I almost don’t mind the fact that my last few days of work are completely down the drain!" chuckled the broad-shouldered Scandinavian.
    "For that, I’m sorry. But if this new ‘neutron dynamo’ shows promise, you’ll be able to play around with Orton Throme’s design for the atomicar."
    "Which looks like a great deal