"It's finished," Brain exclaimed, standing over the new rocket. It was just as tall as the other one, only this one was more colorful because it was made up of a variety of different pieces. But, even so, it was built to make it to space. The others all stood up around it. Binky wiped some sweat off of his brow.
"An' not a moment too soon," Ladonna said, looking out the window. Arthur walked over, but Ladonna quickly shoved him away.
"What is it," he asked.
"It's Muffy's limo," she said, the color drained from her face. "Y'all have to get out of here. Now!" They didn't wait another second. Brain grabbed the rocket and Arthur and Buster grabbed the extra supplies. "Ye can head out the backdoor." Brain stopped and looked behind him. Binky was standing at the front door.
"What are you doing," he asked. "We have to leave."
Binky didn't turn around. "Go on without me," he said. "There's something I have to do. You make that rocket ready to fly, while I deal with this." Without another word, Binky thrust opened the door and sprinted across the yard and down the street. The limo peeled out of it's parking spot and tore after him. This was their chance! The others, Arthur, Buster, Brain, and Ladonna, ran out of the door when the limo was out of sight and went the opposite direction.
"I hope Binky's going to be ok," Buster said as they ran.
"Me too," Arthur said. "All we can do now is hope and run." And that's exactly what they did.
Lucky for them, Brain's house was only a 10-minute run from Ladonna's. Just as they arrived at his front door, Buster's phone rang. He answered it. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's me," a whispering voice responded.
"Binky? Is that you," he asked. "Are you ok? Where are you?"
"I'm fine for now," he answered, his voice in a whisper again. "I'm in the park. I'm hiding from Bailey, but I don't know how long it'll be before he finds me. I need an extraction plan."
"But, we don't have an extraction plan," Buster said.
"Oh yes we do," Brain said. He took the phone from Buster. "Binky, stay hidden for a few more minutes. We'll be right there." With that, he hung up and tossed the phone back to Buster as he walked over to his garage.
"You have an escape plan," Arthur asked. "What is it?"
"It's you, Arthur," Brain answered opening the garage. "Well, you and Buster." When the door was up, they all looked inside. All that was there was Arthur's GX Trailblazer, Binky's bike, and Buster's bike.
"What do you mean," Buster asked. "All I see are our bikes."
"Exactly," Brain responded. "The other day when you brought them here, you went home without them. So, I took the liberty in modifying them. They can now go four times faster. With them, you'll get to Binky in no time."
"So, we're going to use our bikes to take his bike to him," Arthur asked looking over the bikes.
"Correct," Brain answered. "They're all set and ready to go. Each wheel rotation has been modified to go the equivalent of four turns. Just ride like you would normally."
"Alright, I'm down," Buster said, climbing on his and fastening his helmet.
"One more thing, you'll both be towing Binky's bike so it doesn't lose balance and tip," Brain said. "To detach, you both pull on these ropes." He pointed at the red rope in between the handle bars. "If you pull it while riding, you should both pull at the exact same time and the bike should ride on it's own for a second. If you pull at different times, the bike could fall and take you with it, so be careful."
"We will," Arthur said, strapping on his helmet. "Ready, Buster?"
"You bet," he answered. They both walked their bikes down to the curb and climbed on before zooming off in a cloud of dust. Ladonna and Brain coughed until the dust settled. When it did, Brain rushed to his front door.
"Come on, Ladonna," he yelled back. "We still have work that has to be done and not much time to do it in." She hurried to catch up, as she ran inside and closed the door.
"What do we do first," she asked as she followed Brain up to his room. It was a very elaborate design. The walls were a soothing green. There was a deck with a computer on it with the drawers full of paper neatly organized and alphabetized. There were posters all over the walls, varying from the solar system to famous scientists, like Einstein and Newton. There was even a microscope too. He was over at one of the tables in the corner that was covered with glassware and chemicals.
"Come over here," he motioned. "I need you to watch this flask. Notify me as soon as this turns clear and bubbles form on the sides."
She picked it up and looked at it. "What is it," she asked.
"It's the fuel," he answered. "Be very careful. It can be unstable if shaken." He then turned to another beaker. He poured the contents into a tray and started to disassemble the rocket. Then, he dipped the pieces into the substance and put them back on the rocket.
"What are you doing," she asked, turning back to the flask she was watching.
"It a special polymer I created," he explained. "It's lightweight, clear, fast drying, non-stick, and it can make sure anything survives the harsh climate of space."
"Woah," she said in awe. "How did you create something like that?"
"A story for another time," he answered. "Right now, we have to get this done."
Meanwhile, Arthur and Buster were flying to the park. The sun was just beginning to set. It was an incredible feeling, like they were in a car. The wind rushing by, the smells from everything they passed, and everything being a blur as they passed. They made sure to keep even pace with each other, pedal for pedal. They had only been pedaling for a few minutes, but they had already crossed almost half of Elwood City.
"There's the park," Buster shouted out to Arthur. He wa right. It was coming up, and fast. They slowed down a bit so they could look for Binky.
"Nothing on this side," Arthur admitted. "Let's check the other side." He and Buster then picked up speed again and right as they did, someone burst out of the bushes a ways out in front of them. It was Binky! Buster felt like cheering, but it was short lived as he saw Binky being chased by Bailey, and he was gaining. They had to hurry. They both pedaled at caught up quickly.
"BINKY," Buster shouted. "INCOMING!" Without any need for a countdown or signal, both Arthur and Buster pulled the ropes in sync. The bike became detached and slowly fell back behind them, still standing perfectly upright. They zoomed past Binky and Bailey. Bailey got a little discombobulated, which was just the edge Binky needed. He eyed the oncoming bike and worked out the timing in his head. Right as the bike was about to run him over, he sidestepped to the right, held his hands out, grabbed onto the seat and handlebars, and held tight. As he grabbed it, the bike revolved Binky as he spun around one with it. After one rotation, he set the bike back on the ground and use the momentum to give him a boost to start. He quickly pulled himself upright and gained some control. He then slammed on the brakes, and slid sideways down the sidewalk, leaving black marks and the smell of burnt rubber. He then pedaled back past the dazed Bailey towards Brain's house, seeing Arthur and Buster up the road ahead.
"Thanks guys," he said when he caught up to them. "What's up with these bikes?"
"Brain tuned them up," Arthur answered. "We'll explain when we get back to Brain's."
"Before we get there though," Binky said, "I have to go back to my house and pick something up."
"Now that you mention it," Buster said, "I have to get something from my place too."
"Alright," Arthur said. "We'll all meet up back at Brain's. Hurry though. We don't have much time. Muffy and Francine could be right behind us." Buster and Binky nodded and at the next intersection took the turns instead of going straight through with Arthur. "I hope they're going to be alright," he thought.
Back at Brain's house, the rocket was just about ready to go. Brain was just finishing up putting the last pieces together, when Ladonna shouted, "IT'S READY! IT'S READY!" Brain quickly went over and took the flask from her. He then combined Ladonna's chemical with a dark black liquid that resembled tar. As soon as he poured all of Ladonna's liquid into the other flask, he corked it and shook. Strangely, the clear liquid completely surrounded and, in some way, compressed the sludge into a single mass and it began to glow.
"It's ready," he exclaimed. "Now, where are the guys?" Right as he asked, he saw Arthur fly into his garage. Less than a minute later, Arthur was running up the stairs into Brain's room. "Where are Buster and Binky?"
Arthur bent over at the waist with his hands on his knees. "They.. they had to… get some stuff… from their houses," he huffed. "They should… be here soon."
"Well, they need to hurry," he said. "The rocket is ready to go, the fuel is finished, and the calculations are almost complete."
"Then, let's get it all set up, so all we have to do is attach Uncle Slam when they get here," Arthur said.
"I'll help, Ladonna said, and she and Arthur carefully picked up the rocket. Brain grabbed the polymer, fuel, and a notepad with his calculations on them and followed them out to the backyard. When they arrived at the point of the initial launch site, they both gently set the rocket down, as arthur ran off to get the launch stand. Ladonna then ran out towards the fence that led to the front driveway. As soon as she arrived, she almost ran right into Sue-Ellen. "Wooahh," she said, skidding to a stop. She then looked behind Sue-Ellen and saw Fern too. "What are you both doin' here?"
"We came to see the rocket," Sue-Ellen answered. "Is it too late?"
"No, no," Ladonna answered with a smile. "Ya made it just in time." She then stepped to the side and let the two girls past into the yard. When she turned back to shut the gate, she heard yelling. She looked down the road and saw Binky and Buster flying down the sidewalk. They both slowed down as they approached the house, but jumped off their bikes before they stopped. They regained their balance and sprinted towards Ladonna.
"MOVE," Binky yelled. "WE HAVE TO MOVE!" She held open the gate as the two rushed through. She closed the gate and saw why they had to hurry. The Crosswire limo was coming up the street. They had finally caught up! She quickly turned and ran back to where everyone was gathering.
"QUICK! THEY'RE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET," she exclaimed. Brain was now furiously working out the calculations, Arthur was filling the rocket with fuel, and Binky was dipping Uncle Slam into the polymer. He then quickly secured him onto the rocket, making sure to put him on the top and not at the seam again. Buster then ran over and attached something else to the top of the rocket, but Ladonna couldn't see what it was.
"DONE," Brain shouted. He ran over to the rocket and adjusted it to fit his calculations. "Taking into account the size and weight of the rocket, the weather, temperature, and wind speed, this will get us into space!" He then took the fuse and pulled it back towards the bush they were crouching behind. Right as he struck the match and put it to the fuse, he heard the tires of the limo screeching to a halt. It was now or never! The fuse ignited and crackled towards the rocket. Arthur, Buster, Binky, Brain, Sue-Ellen, Fern, and Ladonna all watched intensively as the fuse got shorter and shorter. It's flames matching the color of the sun that had just set. Twilight was upon them. The guys put on their safety goggles and the girls crouched behind the bush. Just then, Francine and Muffy burst through the gate. "NOOOOOOOOO," they both screamed and advanced towards the vessel, but it was too late.
Everything happened in slow motion. The fire ran out of fuse to burn. It reached the end and touched the bottom of the rocket. As soon as it did, the rocket spewed flames from its engines. Muffy, Sue Ellen, Fern, Ladonna, and Francine reeled back and shielded their eyes from the blinding light. The rocket left the platform it was sitting on and streaked into the evening sky. Sue Ellen, Ladonna, and Fern cheered with delight and happiness, while Muffy and Francine watched the rocket in horror.
"We couldn't stop it Francine," Muffy wailed, "It's headed for your house."
Francine quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed up her phone number. She pressed the CALL button and impatiently walked back and forth on the lawn, never averting her eyes from the rocket. The ringer rang twice before someone finally picked up the phone.
"Hello, this is the Frensky home. Oliver speaking."
"Dad," she said frantically, "This is Francine."
"Hey Franky (his special name for her)," he responded, "What's up?"
"You have to take cover," she exclaimed, "All of you. You, mom, Catherine, and Nemo (her cat). There's a rocket headed towards our apartment."
"Francine," he said sternly, "What have I told you about prank calling?"
"It's not a prank call dad," she shouted, "It's real. Trust me."
"Okay Franky," he sighed, "We'll play along."
She heard on the other end of the phone the sound of footsteps and raised voices asking multiple questions. She assumed it was her dad yanking Catherine out of her room and explaining the situation. All the while, Muffy was yelling that she was going to sue everyone for everything they own.
"Just wait until I call my lawyers," Muffy said, pointing at Brain, "You'll have nothing left, except for the clothes on your back."
"Muffy, you've got it all wrong," Brain assured, "We aren't aiming for Francine's apartment."
"Ha, that's a lie," Muffy scoffed, 'You hit my house and now you are going to for her's."
"We didn't mean to hit your house Muffy," Arthur inputted, "It was an accident, and we can prove it."
He motioned for Buster to come over to the group. "Show her the video."
Buster opened up his video camera and played back the failed launch of the rocket earlier that day. Muffy witnessed how the squirrel tipped the rocket and it fired in the direction of her mansion. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment. She felt so foolish. Quickly, she ran over to Francine who was still talking on the phone.
"Francine, we need to talk," Muffy said, grabbing Francine's sleeve.
"What is it," Francine said, putting the phone down.
Muffy then explained to Francine how the whole thing was a big misunderstanding and that the rocket wasn't headed for the apartment. She told about the squirrel and the misfire and how there was nothing to worry about. Francine sheepishly lifted the phone back up to her ear and told her family it was a false alarm.
"I'm sorry everyone," Francine said into the phone, "I made a mistake."
"We both did," Muffy inputted.
On the other end of the phone, there was grumbling and shuffling around. Then, the call ended. "So, you didn't target us," Francine asked Brain. He shook his head.
"So, we've been chasing you all day for nothing," Muffy exclaimed.
"I wouldn't say for nothing," Buster answered. "If it wasn't for you, we might not have built the second rocket today and launched it."
"That's true," Muffy admitted. "I guess then I'm pretty glad things turned out the way they did, except for my home of course."
"You're welcome to stay with me until it's rebuilt," Francine offered. Muffy smiled at her best friend and accepted her offer.
Buster then walked over to Brain. "Hey Brain? What's the maximum weight that could be added to the rocket without your calculations being thrown off?"
"Well," he said looking down at his notepad, "I'd estimate no more than 2.5 pounds."
"Ok, good," Buster sighed. "The things I added only weighed 1.9 pounds."
Brain turned and looked at Buster. "What exactly did you put on it?"
"Just… this," he said, holding up his phone. On it was a video playing of clouds rushing by. Brain realized what it was.
"Is that a high-speed video camera attached to the rocket's top?"
"You bet," Buster said. "My dad got it for me when he visited NASA on business. They were handing these prototypes out. They're said to be able to transmit video for millions of miles away crystal clear and as they happen." He smiled and added, "I also put on a picture of our whole class on there, both things coated in your polymer, so they'll last forever." Brain smiled back at his friend. They never gave him enough credit for his ideas. Brain took one last look at the video feed and walked off towards the launch pad. As soon as he left, Sue-Ellen walked over and took his place next to Buster. She looked at the screen, then at his face.
"So, you came up with this idea," she asked.
"Yeah," Buster admitted. "Pretty shocking, isn't it?"
She giggled. "I wouldn't say that," she answered. "You're a pretty smart guy." She then slid up next to him and slid her hand into his open hand hanging limp at his side. It was cool to the touch of her warm hand. He flinched a bit, but relaxed as he intertwined his fingers with hers as they looked up into the clear night sky.
Arthur was laying out on the open lawn, staring up at the stars, looking for the rocket. "This spot taken," a voice asked next to him. He looked over and smiled that it was Ladonna.
"No, no one's laying there," he answered, not taking his eyes off the sky.
"May I," she asked.
"Of course," he responded. She laid down and looked up at the stars too. After a couple minutes of silence, she finally turned over onto his side and looked at Arthur.
"Today was really fun," she started. "Thanks for lettin' me be a part of it."
"It was really fun," he admitted, looking over at her. "I'm glad you were a part of it too. Maybe we could do something like this again sometime. Except, without the high stakes and running." He laughed at this and so did she. They both looked at each other as they slowly stopped laughing. They both smiled and moved closer to each other.
"Ya know, I just may take ya up on that proposal," she said quietly, as she grabbed his hand and gave it a small squeeze. He squeezed back, smiled, and closed his eyes, not letting go of her hand, and she didn't care.
Brain was over at the launch pad, disassembling it, and inspecting the parts for damage. Fern walked over to him. She didn't say anything at first. She instead just stood there, her hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels. When Brain finally stood up and turned to her, she held out a journal to him. "I'd like for you to be the first to see this," she said with a shy smirk.
He took at from her and read the page. "Rocketeer: The story of a boy, his friends, and one crazy day," it read. "What is it," he asked handing it back to her.
"It's going to be a story I'm writing," she answered, "recapping the events from today. Is that alright with you?"
He smiled. "Of course it is," he answered. "I wouldn't want anyone else to write this. I already have the best author." She looked down smiling, and Brian could see her blushing. He turned back to his work.
"Wait," Fern blurted out. He turned back to her. "I-I have something else to show you." She pulled out another book from her backpack. Brain recognized it as the book she was carrying when they got kicked out of her house. She opened it, flipped through a few pages and handed it to him. He looked down at the pages. On it was what appeared to be character bios. There was one, Watteau, that had a picture of Fern next to it, another one that had George by it, and the last one had Binky by it. When he finished reading the descriptions, he handed it back to her.
"What did you want me to see," he asked. "All it said in there that Watteau had a crush on the Grey Dove, who happens to look like Binky. So, why are you showing me and not him?"
"Because he's already seen it," she answered. "But, you both didn't look closer." As she said this, she turned the diary back to Brain. At first, he didn't know what she was talking about. Then, he noticed something about the Grey Dove's picture. There was something underneath. He lifted up the picture of Binky and was surprised when he found a picture of himself.
"I don't… understand," he stuttered, handing the diary back.
She smiled at him. "Come on, genius," she said playfully. "You can figure this one out. Need another hint?"
"Uh… an explanation would be better," he confessed. He knew almost every subject, but the psychology of women was something he never mastered. She smiled as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. He was stunned. He reached up and touched the spot she had kissed him. His cheeks turned bright red as he turned to her. It was at that time when he saw what others saw; he did like like her. He smiled back at her as he then looked up into the sky. She stood next to him and intertwined her fingers in his.
"Do you think we'll see the rocket again," she asked, looking up with him.
"I honestly hope not," he answered. "I want it to travel the universe. Go to the place where we never could." They both then sat down and watched the sky, never letting go of each other.
Binky was leaning against the house, watching all these scenes unfold, and he couldn't be happier. All his friends were having moments with the people they were meant to have moments with. Even though he didn't have anyone, he didn't mind. He didn't want anyone. The lone wolf profile fit him best. Francine and Muffy walked over to him. "What are you doing over here all by yourself," Francine asked.
"Yeah," Muffy added. "You should be with us, celebrating."
"Eh, crowds aren't really my thing," he shrugged. "Besides, everyone's having moments and I don't really want to be a third wheel."
"Well, that makes sense," Muffy admitted. "But, why don't you come hang out with us?"
"Nah, that's alright," he answered. "I think I'll be heading home pretty soon."
"Why," a voice answered to his right. It was Arthur being followed by Ladonna. "Brain's mom is making dinner for us."
"It's true," Brain said, as he and Fern joined the group. You can't leave yet."
"And besides," Buster added as he and Sue-Ellen came over, "we still have to see if Uncle Slam made it into space." He held out the screen as everyone crowded around it. They all watched in anticipation as the clouds disappeared and all that was on the camera was the stars.
"If my calculations are correct, it should launch into Phase 2 right….. NOW!" As he said it, the camera shook and briefly slowed down. Then, it took back off as it rocketed through the atmosphere. Everyone started jumping and cheering. Brain swung Fern around and hugged her as did all the guys to their respective partners. When they let go, all the guys gave each other high-fives and pat on the back. They did it!
"Oh yeah," Buster said, "I almost forgot." He held up the phone and swiped up. Two levers appeared. "These move the camera. Up, down, left, right, and around." He maneuvered it to show Uncle Slam. He was still securely fastened and appeared to be waving at them. Binky gave a mock salute to his action figure and laughed. They all looked up into the sky, knowing that, somewhere up there, Uncle Slam was heading out on the final frontier.