Into the Abyss (Tom Swift, Young Inventor) Read Online Free PDF Page B

plain’?” Bud repeated.
    “Yes, Bud,” my dad said. “It’s over three miles deep. That makes it one of the deepest parts of the North Atlantic—except for the Puerto Rican trench, of course, which is a mile deeper.”
    “Hey! Viva Puerto Rico!” Yo said, perking up a little.
    The boat was still pitching and yawing, but by this point she had nothing left in her stomach to lose.
    “Viva!” my dad echoed with a smile. “Anyway, the reason we’re headed to the abyssal plain, here”—he pointed to a spot on the map—“past the Turner Seamounts, is that it borders on a major earthquake fracture zone. The seamounts themselves are active volcanoes, erupting frequently.”
    He gave us all a serious look. “Last month, there was an undersea earthquake in this area measuring six-point-zero on the Richter scale. It wasn’t felt on land, but instruments detected it. If my calculations are correct, it may be just the first in a series, as this sector of the mid-ocean ridge is still shifting.
    “Worst case scenario is a massive quake, followed by a major tsunami. If that happens, the entire East Coast would be in danger. That’s why we’re here.”
    “I don’t get it,” one of the scientists said. “Even if you’re right, what can we do about it?”
    My dad smiled and opened one of the dozen or so metal suitcases the helicopter had dropped off with him. It looked exactly like the one I’d brought to the aquarium that night the week before. Inside the case was a spherical object with cables emerging from one side.
    It was made of the same material I’d used to make my deep-sea diving suit, except it had a more silvery color. It shimmered in the dim light of the lab.
    Titanium-laced—of course! I had to give it up for Dad. As good as my idea was, he had already improved on it.
    “This,” he told us, “is a seismic sensor, specially designed to resist deep-ocean pressure. We’re going to be heading down to the bottom of the abyssal plain in the
Jules Verne-1
. We’ll put the submersible through its paces, study the deep-ocean faults to find the best locations, and then lay down a linked network of these sensors. That way, if the worst happens, at least we can get a tsunami warning out to people living along the shoreline.”
    “Wow!” Bud said in a whisper. “This is way cool. Wait till I write it up in the
Gazette!
”
    “I told you you’d get a good story out of this trip,” I said. “But remember—the
Jules Verne-1
is still not ready for commercial sale. You can’t go into detail about it, or the sensors, or my suit, or my zapper, or any of it.”
    “Tom,” he said, giving me a look. “How many times have we had this conversation?”
    He had me there. I’m always telling him to stick to the basics and not to give away any of Swift Enterprises’ trade secrets. But he’s always been great about it. His stories in the
Gazette
are masterpieces—they tease the reader without giving very much away. I’m telling you—that kid is gonna be a famous author someday.
    My dad finished his talk. The scientists broke into working groups to prepare for the launch of the
Jules Verne-1
, which was scheduled for the next morning at eight. By then, the captain explained, the storm was supposed to head northeast and break apart, leaving calmer seas that would be perfect for diving.
    At six, they called us for dinner. Bud and I wentdown to the galley, but Yo was still too sick. She lay in the bottom bunk—
my
bunk—unable even to climb up to her own.
    “This one’s closer to the bathroom,” she said as she closed her eyes.
    “It’s the head, Yo,” Bud corrected her.
    “Not funny, Bud,” she said, groaning one more time.
    He laughed. “Come on, Tom,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder, “let’s go get us some chow.”

4
 
  Dangers of the Deep
    It’s hard to eat your dinner when it keeps sliding all over the table and your hand keeps missing your mouth with the fork. With the ship pitching