Elsewhere, in Washington D.C….

The Pentagon was in a mad state of panic. Phones were ringing, people were running all over the place, all talking at once. It was absolute chaos. "Whereabouts of the launchsite?"

"It broke the atmosphere."

"Is this the first rocket of war?"

"Where is it heading?" In amidst of all the chaos, the main door opened up. A tall, firmly built man stepped through. He was wearing a navy blue uniform that was covered in medals and badges. He was the highest ranked person in the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared in amazement and fear. He took his hat off, handed it to one of the assistants next to him. He ran his hand through this silver hair and gave a big sigh.

"Can anyone tell me exactly what just happened," he asked, his voice booming through the crowded room. Everyone looked at each other, not daring to be the one to speak up. Finally, a man with thick framed glasses stood up.

He cleared his throat and held up some papers and began to read from them. "At exactly 9:52 PM standard time, an unidentified object was launched into space. We haven't confirmed a visual yet sir, but we're working on it."

"Where was this launched from," he asked. "Is one of our enemy countries waging war?"

"Negative, sir," the man replied. "We can't pin the exact location, but we have it narrowed down to somewhere in Elwood City."

"I want a team to go to Elwood City now," he commanded. "We need this to be resolved quickly. Get on the news about this. Scare whoever is responsible for this out of hiding. We need this to be solved as fast as possible. Forward every bit of information you can gather. Do I make myself clear?"

"YES SIR," everyone shouted, and went back to work.

The back door opened and Mrs. Powers poked her head out. "Who's hungry," she called out.

"WE ARE," everyone shouted in unison and they rushed into the house. It didn't take long for them to all fill up the table and begin eating. They were all starving, especially Arthur, Buster, Brain, Binky, Muffy, and Francine because they had been running and riding all day. Binky sat at one end while Brain sat at the other end. There wasn't a whole lot of conversation because everyone was too busy eating to talk. They all enjoyed the pizza that Mrs. Powers had ordered for them. Binky was halfway through his third slice when he finally started a conversation.

"So (gulp), what's our next adventure going to be," he asked.

"Well, there are some ideas I have," Brain said wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Like trying to make super powers."

Arthur was taking a drink and then shot it out his nose. "What did you say," he coughed, wiping off his face.

"Well, I've been studying different parts of the animal kingdom," he explained, "specifically, the strangest mutations. Speed, regeneration, strength, super senses. They're all over. I've almost cracked these genetic codes and if I replicate it, I can theoretically give people the powers that these animals have." Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"That would be amazing," Buster finally said, with his mouth hanging open. He put a slice of pizza on his tongue and pushed his chin to close his mouth and chew.

"I've got another idea," Sue-Ellen said, looking around the table. "What if we went on a treasure hunt? There are tons of legends of treasure that haven't been verified as truth of myth."

"Hey," Buster said, as he shot out of his chair. "That gives be a great idea!" He looked around looking for a response.

"Well, what is it," Arthur finally said.

"We should go myth hunting," he exclaimed.

"What's that," Ladonna asked.

"It's where you go and investigate various myths to see if they're true or not. Like aliens, the loch ness monster, or skunkamonka."

Brain shook his head, but Ladonna was really interested. "That sounds cool," she said. "We should definitely try that."

"Ooh, what if we all went on a trip to the most glamorous places on Earth," Muffy suggested. "That way, I can give you all the makeovers you desperately need."

"Maybe some other time," Fern said. "But, I think there's something else we could do."

"Like what," Francine asked.

"What if we did a bunch of group activities together? I have a list of some of the best ideas in my diary." She pulled it out and began to flip through the pages. "There's an escape room, a haunted corn maze, a movie night, skydiving, a sporting event. The possibilities are endless."

"Well, I'd definitely want to do something," Francine said. "This is one of the best groups to do an activity with."

"Here here," Binky said, holding up his glass. Everyone else held up theirs, and laughed. They all then went back to finishing their pizza.

"I think my mom has some ice cream in the freezer for dessert," Brain said.

"I'll go check," Sue-Ellen said, as she made her way to the kitchen. She opened the freezer, grabbed the two tubs of ice cream and started to bring them back. As she walked by the living room, she saw the tv was on the news. She looked at the headline and stopped in her tracks. She almost dropped the tubs. "GUYS! GUYS! COME HERE! QUICK!"

There was a loud commotion as everyone rushed into the living room, knocking over some of their chairs. They all found her rooted in the doorway of the room. Brain turned to see what she was looking at and he froze too. On the TV was a important news bulletin. The headline read "Rogue Missile Launched from Elwood City".

"I didn't think that they'd be on it that fast," Fern whispered.

"It's the government," Binky said. "Why wouldn't it be fast?"

"What're we gonna do," Ladonna asked. "We'll be in serious trouble if they find out it was us."

"Not quite," Brain said. They all looked at him. "I mean, the four of us will probably will get into trouble, but not you girls. You had nothing to do with this."

"That's crazy," Francine said. "I mean, sure. We didn't help you make it, but we were just as much a part of it as you."

"While that may be, you probably won't be arrested, just maybe brought in for questioning at the worst."

"But, that still doesn't explain what we're going to do," Buster said.

"I don't know what we can do," Brain replied. "We can't run because that would just make it worse and if we come forward and confess, we'll still have to go through trial with all the evidence against us. What do you guys think?"

"I don't know," Arthur said. "I don't want to spend my life in jail. Who will take care of Pal?"

"Yeah, and who will take care of my mom," Buster said, "or the community garden? What about you, Binky?" He turned to face Binky, but he was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"Maybe he went home," Francine suggested. "He did say he was going to a while ago."

"Well, wherever he is, I'm going to make sure that we get out of this alright," Brain said, as he ran up to his room. He returned with a laptop. He quickly got logged on and started rapidly typing. Screens were flying by and lines of code would appear and disappear in a flash.

"What are you doing," Fern asked.

"I'm getting clearance to launch that rocket. I'm registering the rocket into the FAA database. That's the Federal Aviation Administration. If I can make all the right statistics fit…. got it," he exclaimed. He hit the print button and ran upstairs to his room. He came back down with a very official looking paper. They all tried to read it, but it didn't make any sense to them.

"What is it," Muffy finally asked.

Brain smiled. "With this document, our rocket was legally registered to fly."

"So, if the people come to arrest you..." Francine said.

"Then, I show them this, and the whole problem is resolved," Brain finished.

"YAY," the girls cheered, and the guys all high-fived. Brain went to turn off the TV, but right as he did, a new story appeared; "Boy Confesses to Launching Rocket; Trial Begins Tomorrow". They all stood there, mouths hanging open. Sue-Ellen dropped the ice cream she was holding, and it splattered all over the floor. But, no one even reacted.

No one really slept well that night. Everyone lied awake, worrying about their friend. Probably stuck up in a cell somewhere, waiting to be sentenced to a lifetime in jail. They also didn't find a way to tell Binky's parents. All they could say was that he was staying one of their houses. It seemed like an eternity before the sun rose. Everyone instinctively did their morning routines and headed to Muffy's. They all agreed to meet there last night because she had the biggest TV. Even though her house was a smoldering wreck beginning to be rebuilt, she still had a luxurious playhouse that had just as big of a TV. They all met up and sat down, not saying a word to each other. There wasn't anything to say. They all just sat and watched the news broadcast of the trial, live in Washington.

Because this is a major offense, the trial was being held in the Supreme Court. Hundreds of reporters and spectators lined the steps and sidewalks, waiting for Binky to arrive. Some looked like they had been camping out ever since Binky had "confessed". Normally, Buster would point out random people in the crowd and make a joke, but his heart wasn't in it today.

After a half hour or so, the armored car pulled into view. All the cameras and people turned their attention to the vehicle, snapping hundreds of pictures before it even got to the steps. When it finally came to a halt, two men and dark suits, sunglasses, and earpieces exited the front of the truck and went around to the back. They opened the double doors on the back, where another guard led out Binky. He hadn't changed his clothes and he looked no different than the night before. There was no sign of stress, anger, fatigue, or even fear. He looked calm and ready to take on the court. This sparked a little bit of hope in his friends, as they all sat with their fingers crossed. The reporters peppered Binky with questions, all of which he shrugged off, smiled, and waved at the cameras.

"How can he be so confident," Brain asked. "All the evidence is going to be against him."

"I don't know," Fern said. "Maybe he's just putting of a mask to hide his true feelings. When you show you're confident, you appear confident."

"Maybe," Arthur said softly, "but, will it be enough?"

"We're about to find out," Sue-Ellen responded. "They're starting." They all turned their attention back to the screen, where Binky was sat behind a table with a strange man, probably the lawyer that was assigned to him. The seats in the audience quickly filled up with the people on the steps. They all sat there patiently, but all mumbling to each other.

"ALL RISE," the clerk's voice echoed through the room. Everyone stood, as the judge walked in. he sat in his high seat, picked up his gavel and slammed it down.

"Be seated," he commanded, as everyone did. Binky glanced to the jury box where 12 people sat waiting to either convict him, or pardon. More of the formalities went by, the opening statements, some witnesses were called, and things didn't look good for Binky. Well, he was going to change that. As the last witness left the stand, he was called up, sworn in, and took a seat on the Witness Stand. The prosecutor walked up to him, took of the glasses that rested on the edge of his long nose, and tapped them against his chin. He looked like a vulture.

"You may begin your questioning, Mr. Smith," the judge said.

"Thank you, your honor. Mr. Barnes," he began, "where were you yesterday afternoon?"

"In Elwood City," he responded blunty.

"Specifically," Smith prodded.

"It's hard to say," Binky said. "I went all over town."

"And why did you do that?"

"Because I was riding my bike."

"Why were you riding your bike?"

"Because it was a nice day and I had just made some upgrades to it."

"Was there any other reason? Like you were running, looking for parts to the rocket?"

"Objection," Binky's lawyer said standing up. "Leading the witness."

"Sustained," the judge said.

"Let me rephrase the question," Mr. Smith said. "Specifically, where did you go in Elwood City?"

"Well, I went to my friends' house and we hung out all day."

"These friends," Smith asked, "what did you do with them?"

"We rode all over town," Binky answered. "We did some crafts, poetry, and star-gazing."

"Sounds like a good time," Mr. Smith said nodding. "And just who were these friends of yours?"

"Your honor," the lawyer said, "I don't see where this line of questioning is going."

"I must agree with you," the judge said and turned to Mr Smith. "Unless you can come up with some solid evidence, I'm afraid I'll have to adjourn this court."

This made Smith mad. Not only was he being scolded by the judge, but he was being played by a third grader! He had to get his reputation back. So, he began to fire questions as Binky fired back answers just as fast, relaxing in his chair.

"Did you do anything illegal?"

"Nope."

"Did your friends do anything illegal?"

"Nope."

"Where is the rocket you made?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't what?"

"I didn't make a rocket."

"Then, where did it come from?"

"Where did what come from?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Answer my question!"

"What question?"

"The one I just asked about the rocket!"

"What rocket?"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" He lunged towards the witness stand, but was quickly restrained. Everyone began talking at once. Taking pictures, asking questions, some even screamed. The judge kept slamming his gavel.

"ORDER! ORDER!" he yelled. "I SAID ORDER!" After a few more minutes, everyone settled down. The judge looked at the prosecutor, then to Binky. He sighed. "Since no disputable evidence was brought forward against the defendant, I have no choice but to dismiss all charges. Case dismissed." He slammed his gavel down and Binky jumped out of his seat.

"WOO HOO! YOU GUYS SEE THAT? Ha HA" he celebrated, running out of the courtroom, giving high-fives to people, even some of the guards. He ran out, where a limo was waiting for him. "Take me home, Reginald." The man smiled and closed the door.

Back in Elwood City, everyone was jumping up and down celebrating! They couldn't believe it! Binky had actually won! They cheered and hugged each other and they kept on doing so until the man of the hour showed up a few hours later. However, by that time, they had arranged a party.

He opened the doors to the playhouse, and was greeted with confetti, balloons, streamers, and, of course, his friends. They all had party hats on like it was a birthday or something.

"CONGRATULATIONS BINKY," Ladonna cheered. Everyone surrounded him and gave him similar messages of praise. All the other guys gave him high-fived because he saved the mission. As he made his way through the crowd towards the cake near the back of the room, he saw a single person over by it. It was Jenna Morgan; another student from their class. She was shorter than everyone that was there, dressed in her usual pink dress with yellow collar and yellow and white lace trim down the front. Her long, white socks were hiked up to her knees that led down into her brown shoes. Her skin varied in the seasons, so for the summer, it was a light tan, similar to Arthur's. She had cat-like ears on the top of her head and freckles on her face. She looked over at Binky with a nervous smile. He simply stared at her. Francine walked over and looked at him.

"Oh yeah. Jenna saw you on TV, and when she heard we were throwing a party for you, she asked to come," she said, as if she had read Binky's thoughts. She walked over towards him.

"That was.. uh... a brave thing you did there," she muttered.

"Oh you know," he said. "I do stuff like that all the time." He polished his nails on his shirt and looked at them. "If you want sometime, I'll tell you all about it."

"Really," she asked. "That would be so cool."

"I know," he answered. "But, for now…" he picked up a slice of cake and took a big bite of it. He swallowed. "I've gotta go see my parents. They're probably worried sick about me." With that, he left. Everyone walked outside and watched him walk down the street.

"There goes a real American hero," Buster sighed.

"No Buster," Arthur responded. "There goes Binky."

The End