Tom Swift and His 3-D Telejector (18 page)

"You figured it out."

Tom nodded. "Eventually. The Orb created visual images, because that’s how it thinks, in what we call ‘pictures.’ It couldn’t make a telephone beep, or fake a call—much less divert a phone call and answer it."

"It was just a prank, Tom," she said. "Pete’s a little too competitive for his own good. Call it a harmless, healing neurosis. It gave his ego a real boost, interrupting your neatly logical day with his own ‘mystery’. Masculine power, I suppose—damaged when you snagged Grimsey. He’ll never admit it, but I felt like telling you. No need to let these things fester and blow up in his face. Whatever else I am to that kid," she added, "I suppose I’m a bit of a mother."

"Mm-hmm. ‘Consequence, cause’, Amy."

"Excuse me?"

Tom didn’t answer, but walked away with a cryptic smile. He resolved to give himself a week or two to enjoy life on mysterious Earth, before throwing himself into the invention already making its own picture in his mind, his
Polar-Ray Dynasphere
.

Lorna Darvey and Jennifer sought him out. "It all worked out marvelously, Tom, thanks to you and your telejector. But I have to wonder what will happen to me now, given my involvement. I’m afraid it will have a bad effect on― "

"Docky-Dee wants to adopt me," broke in Jennifer. "I knew before she did."

Tom grinned broadly. "That’s wonderful! Believe me, we’ll do whatever we can to explain the importance of what you both did."

"It means a great deal to me," said Lorna.

"Oh, it’ll be okay," Jennifer reassured her. "I know they’ll give in. They’ll get
real
tired of bad dreams!"

There was one final bit of a sequel, some days later at Swift Enterprises, and the news came from Tom’s father. "Son, a couple things. Ames tells me the European authorities have found and freed the captive psychics, including Rogo and Chow’s friend, from a sanitarium in the Swiss Alps. As usual, in the tedious way these things go, the Black Cobra eluded capture.

"And also you’ll be interested in this," Mr. Swift went on. "As you know, the outpost telescopes have continued to watch the Green Orb on its way to the Sun. They just reported that they’ve detected something jetting out of it, a sort of plume of glowing material. It’s heading off into interstellar space at an enormous rate of speed."

The news from space pleased the young inventor immensely. "I’d say a little part of the Orb has developed a mind of its own!"