midnight
The day sped by as the two Swifts worked with feverish intensity . Lunch was eaten from their workbenches , but the inventors reluctantly halted at dinnertime . After a tasty meal of fried chicken at home with Mrs. Swift and Sandy , both Toms returned to the plant . Father and son labored until well past midnight on their experiments . Then they snatched a few hours of sleep and resumed their tasks early the next morning . By early afternoon an atmosphere of excitement pervaded Enterprises . The visitor from Planet X would soon be able to communicate directly with his earth friends !