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As soon as the seacopter touched bottom, Tom and Bud swam out through the air lock with their hydrolungs. They probed about for half an hour, ranging farther and farther from the Sea Hound. Then Tom felt a touch on his arm. He turned and saw Bud pointing off excitedly to the right. A strange submarine was moving slowly toward them!
In less than two hours they were ready to submerge again. Zimby Cox joined the crew. Bud suggested taking along hydrolungs in case of any need for tinkering with the transducers or amplifying equipment. This time, the jetmarine scored perfectly on the test, successfully eluding all the Sea Hound's efforts to detect it.
"You mean down in the South Atlantic?" Tom nodded. "I'd sure like to know if they found that missile." "You and I both, pal!" Bud agreed. "Hey! We could use the electronic hydrolungs for scouting around!" he added eagerly. "I intend to," Tom said. "But we'll need speed to cover the area. So first I want to add an ion drive to our equipment." "Ion drive? For underwater?"
"When we took off again in our hydrolungs to go back aboard ship, the jetmarine was gone!" "Maybe she's trailing the enemy sub," Tom conjectured. "That's what I'm hoping," Bud said uneasily. "Trouble is, our subs aren't armed, and who knows about that Brungarian job? The way they sling missiles around, anything could happen if she spots the jetmarine." Tom frowned.
"The sub's submerging again," he reported. "That'll give us a clear field. Zimby, you and Mack keep an eye on that baby while we're gone, and be plenty careful she doesn't spot you!" "Roger! And take this roll of wire to tie up your prisoners." Hastily Bud and Mel changed into swimming trunks and donned hydrolungs.
The flight was a short one at transonic speed. Tom chose a sparkling stretch of open water, a mile or so offshore from a palm-green islet. Zimby agreed to stay aboard and tend ship while Tom and Mel went over the side in hydrolungs. The two glided about in the translucent blue depths, keeping in close range of each other.
Instead of burying the missile deeper, the grenade explosion had uncovered the entire nose cone and part of the section behind it! "Sizzlin' squids! What a break!" Bud whooped. The boys jetted back to the Sea Hound to announce the good news. Zimby and two other crewmen were dispatched in hydrolungs to inform the other ships. Tom requested them to remain submerged and guard the site.
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