Three
Retroville, Texas : 9:00 a.m.
At precisely 9:00 a.m., a black limousine pulled up in front of the Neutron household. An important-looking man got out of the vehicle, and walked up the Neutron's doorstep. There he knocked once. Hugh Neutron opened the door and shook the man's hand. Jimmy shuffled around his dad and shook the man's hand also. Jimmy had a small suitcase that contained some clothes and his lab equipment, which was stored in his infinite storage cube. The Neutrons invited the man into their house while Jimmy stayed outside.
This entire scene had been watched by a figure in her tree house. It was Cindy Vortex who had decided to spy on Jimmy on this particular day. Cindy had no idea what was going on in her neighbor's yard, but all she new was that Jimmy appeared to be going somewhere for an extended stay. So Cindy was now climbing down the rungs of her tree-house ladder. She raced over to Jimmy's house.
"Hey Neutron!" blurted Cindy.
Jimmy turned in surprise, and his face broke into a scowl. "What are you doing here Vortex?" he asked.
"I-I, are you going on a trip?" stammered Cindy "Yes, in fact I am Vortex", said Jimmy smugly, "To New Mexico for three weeks". "Oh-oh okay", replied Cindy weakly. "Jimmy!" called Judy Neutron, "Time to go!" "I'm coming mom!" yelled Jimmy back. "Well Vortex", said Jimmy, "I guess you won't see me around here for a while". And with that, Jimmy left, walking up to the limo with a spring in his step.
New Mexico International Airport : 2:30 p.m.
James Isaac Neutron descended the motorized steps to the tarmac from the military's luxury private jet. There were many greetings from several various officers as he made his way to the helipad. There a double-bladed chopper was waiting to take him into the heart of the New Mexico Desert.
"Greetings Mr. Neutron", said a man in a black suit and sunglasses, offering his hand to Jimmy. Jimmy shook it politely and climbed into the helicopter. The man followed him in. "My name is Mitchell Adams", he said. "You can call me Mitch".
"Hello Mitch", said Jimmy, "Do you know exactly why I am here? The man who picked me up in Texas said he couldn't tell me exactly. Something about tight security".
"He was right to say that Mr. Neutron", replied Mitch, "The goings-on at Area 51 are top-secret". Almost everyone has their own opinion on just what goes on in there. What I can tell you is that we work on state-of-the-art weapons and gear for the FBI, CIA, and the military. Ever seen FutureWeapons on Discovery Channel?"
"Yes", replied Jimmy as the pilot started the twin rotors on the helicopter, lifting them slowly off the helipad.
"Well, half of the weapons we make aren't on that show because of security. You have been asked to come to Area 51 to help us on our super-sonic missile fuel. After that amazing feat with your rocket and the speed you went, we knew you must know more than half our staff put together."
Jimmy was wearing a broad smile while Mitch spoke these words. He just happened to glance out one of the chopper's windows. The world was whipping by at incredible speeds for a helicopter.
"How fast are we going?" asked Jimmy, amazed.
"Oh, about 290 miles per hour", replied Mitch, grinning, "This is the fastest helicopter in the world".
"Cool", said Jimmy, admiring the hardware.
Mitch sat down in a padded armchair and relaxed. "Even at this speed", he said, "It will take several hours to reach Area 51. I would advise resting up before we arrive".
Jimmy took Mitch's advice and stretched out on a recliner.
Area 51 Helipad : 6:30 p.m.
The chopper eased itself onto the helipad. Blue halogen lamps lit the pad as the down-drought from the helicopter blasted the concrete. As the blades slowed to a stop, a tall man in a blue blazer pinned with many medals approached the aircraft. The cargo door slid open and Jimmy Neutron hopped down onto the helipad followed by Mitch Adams.
"Welcome to Area 51", said the man, who Jimmy guessed to by the general. The general extended his hand to Jimmy. Jimmy accepted and shook the general's hand. "Now let's get inside", said the general. He led the other two to a heavy steel door on the helipad level. The general rapidly keyed in a long set of numbers into the keypad. "Code changes every week", he said to Jimmy, winking. A light on the top of the door turned from red to green. The door led into a chamber about the size of Jimmy's clubhouse. There was another door at the end of this chamber. The general walked up to it and stared intently at a scanner mounted on the wall. There was a flash of blue light and the general stepped back, blinking rapidly. Mitch walked by him and did the same thing. The door slid slowly open. The group stepped into a brightly lit hallway at led to a large conference room. A group of officers and scientists were already gathered around the table. They all stood when the general entered. There was much chatter and craning of neck to see Jimmy. The general took his place at the head of the table and motioned for Jimmy and Mitch to sit down next to him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen", began the general, "Mr. James Neutron has been kind enough to offer his talents to us and the military. I hope all of you will be respectful to him".
This short speech was met with great applause from the table. Jimmy's face relaxed a bit.
"Now", continued the general, "Who would like to show Mr. Neutron his lab?"
The whole table raised their hands as one.
"Okay, we'll all show him his lab", said Mitch The general nodded.
Jimmy was led by Mitch through some more hallways until they reached a locked door. Mitch opened it with a key strapped to his belt. Jimmy took one look at the lab equipment inside and smiled. This was going to be fun.