by Raymond Bean
“You mean the asteroid?” I asked.
“SHHHHH!” he said. “Someone might hear you. If people learn there’s an asteroid on a collision course with the planet, they will go completely loopy. Discretion is the best course, lad. We mustn’t breathe a word of this to anyone else.”
I looked around at the back field, the rusty plane, and Dad. “My lips are sealed,” I said.
“I’ll send for you tomorrow,” he said. “I’m flying you out to New Mexico so we can talk in person.”
“But I have school tomorrow—”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Franklin. There’s not a moment to waste.” Then he hung up.
“He wants me in New Mexico tomorrow,” I said.
“You have school,” said Dad, “and I’m doing my first test of the magnetic system out at sea.”
“We’ll figure something out,” I told Dad.
“Who was that man anyway?” he asked.
“He said his name was Sir Robert Dransling,” I replied.
“Sir Robert Dransling?!” Dad exclaimed. “He’s a world leader in space technology. They say he’ll be the first person to provide space flights to tourists as a vacation!”
Really? I thought. Maybe he can help me with my space station zoo idea!
CHAPTER 4
Riding in Style
I went to school the next day like any other day. The phone rang in my math class. My teacher answered and then told me to head down to the office because I was going home early.
The secretary at the front desk and Mrs. Petty, the principal, looked confused.
“Benji, your father called and told us to release you early,” Mrs. Petty said.
I looked around the room. “Who’s picking me up?” I asked.
The secretary pointed outside. Through the window, I could see a long black limousine parked in front of the school. Its windows were tinted, and there was a tiny British flag painted on the passenger door.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We were hoping you could tell us,” said the principal. “It’s highly unusual for a student to be picked up by a non-family member.”
“Who’s in the limo?” I asked.
“Your father wouldn’t say,” she told me. “He just said that he was out at sea and your mother was out of town on business for the pantry and that a limo would be by to pick you up.”
“All right then,” I said. “I’m free to go?”
“Yes, I hope everything is fine,” Mrs. Petty said.
When she said, “I hope everything is fine,” I realized that she thought something was wrong. Based on her expression, she probably thought someone in my family had died or something.
“Everything is fine,” I said.
“Keep up that positive attitude,” Mrs. Petty said.
When I walked out, a man stepped out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door. I realized that all the classes facing the front of the building were full of kids pressed up against the windows.
“Good morning, Mr. Franklin,” the chauffeur said in a British accent.
“Nice car,” I said. I wasn’t sure what else to say to him. My heart was racing pretty fast.
“I realize this is highly unusual,” he said. “However, we are in the midst of a decidedly unusual circumstance. Your father is returning from the fishing vessel he’s on, and he asked us to pick you up in order to save time. I have your mother on a live video chat.”
He held out his phone, and I could see Mom on the screen. “Hi, Benji,” she said. “I’m already on the road and your father is on the boat. Sir Robert sent this car for you. It’s going to take you to meet Dad at the dock, and then you’re off.”
“Off to where?” I asked.
“Your father has all the details,” she said. “I wish I could tag along, but I’m halfway to Shiny Desert to make my delivery.”
“Okay, Mom,” I said. “Does this mean I’ll be out of school for a few days?”
“I don’t know, honey,” she said.
The chauffeur nodded his head to indicate that I would in fact be out for a few days. I gave him a thumbs-up.
“You’ve already missed too many days,” said Mom. “I don’t want you missing too much more. But, this seems like the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’ll let your father decide. He’ll be with you the whole time. Have fun, and give me a call later to let me know how things are going.”
$$$
During the ride to pick up Dad, the driver kept the glass wall between the front seat and the back of the limo shut. It was a little strange sitting alone in the back of that huge car. I ate a few bags of peanuts and watched some television.
I may have to buy one of these, I thought. And maybe one for Mom, too. Then she wouldn’t have to drive herself to places like Shiny Desert all alone.
Dad hopped in when we reached the docks. He was wearing one of his magnetic fisherman suits.
“How is the suit working?” I asked.
“Really well,” he said. “But we’ve only tested it in calm water. I’ll have to increase the magnetic force on the boat for it to work correctly in rough seas.”
I was wondering how long it was going to take Dad to acknowledge that I was out of school on a weekday. And that we were being driven in a limo by a complete stranger.
“Sounds great,” I said. “Anything else going on?”
“Not really,” he replied.
I watched him checking out the TV for a while until he finally snapped out it. “What’s the deal? Where are we going?” he asked.
“Are you going to wear that magnetic suit the whole time?” I said.
Dad quickly unscrewed his helmet. “Where are we going, Benji?”
“I thought you knew,” I said.
The glass partition between the front and back seat suddenly slid down. The chauffeur glanced toward us over his shoulder. “We’re driving to the airport,” he said.
“But where are we going?” I said.
“The desert,” he told us.
“Desert?” cried Dad. “Which one? Besides, I’m not dressed for the desert!”
The glass wall smoothly slid upward and cut us off again from the driver.
“How many deserts are in New Mexico?” I asked.
The rest of the ride Dad told me all about Sir Robert Dransling. He sounded like a wildly successful guy. He owned newspapers, shipping businesses, TV stations, radio stations, and a ton of technology companies. He’d even been knighted by the Queen of England!
Why did he need me?
CHAPTER 5
Up, Up, and Away
We drove up to a special gate at the airport. Security guards opened it, and we drove right onto the runway. It was a special section of the airport for all the private jets.
“Wow!” Dad said. He’s been a plane nut ever since he was a kid.
I lowered the divider between the driver and us. “Are we going on one of these jets?” I asked.
“The one at the end,” he said.
At the end of all the amazing jets was the coolest one of all. It looked like a bullet with wings.
“That’s the ECS Bolt 41,” Dad said.
“I see you know your aircraft,” the driver said. “But that’s actually the ECS Bolt 42. It’s next year’s model. No one else has anything like it.”
“It looks like half plane, half space ship,” I said.
“You could say that. Ah, we are here,” he said, stopping the car. He climbed out and politely opened my door.
Dad and I stepped out.
A long staircase slowly lowered from the plane. A man stood at the top. He waved.
“That’s Sir Robert Dransling,” whispered Dad.
Sir Robert was super tan, like he’d been in the sun every day of his life. I was surprised h
e wasn’t in a business suit or at least dressed up a little. He wore flip-flops and one of those brightly colored Hawaiian shirts.
He shook my hand. “Mr. Franklin, please climb aboard and make yourself at home,” he said.
I’d been on a plane two other times in my life: once to Florida and once to California. On both of those trips, we flew on a regular plane.
This plane was straight out of a movie.
The luxury aircraft looked like an expensive hotel. There were actual rooms. It had a living room, kitchen, and even a few bedrooms.
“Can I get you gentlemen something to eat?” asked Sir Robert.
“We’d love a few turkey sandwiches, if it’s not too much trouble,” Dad said. “I’ve been out on the water all morning, and Benjamin didn’t have a chance to eat lunch yet.”
Sir Robert pressed a button on his phone. “Done,” he said. “They will be out in a few minutes.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I said.
“I agree,” he said. “It’s very cool. From what I hear about you, young Benjamin, you could buy a plane like this of your own.”
“Maybe I will,” I said.
“I didn’t make my first million until I was twenty-five,” said Sir Robert. “From what I understand, you’re only twelve, and you’re way beyond that.”
“Benjamin hasn’t had a whole lot of time to really think about the money he’s made,” my dad explained. “He’s been busy working for Dr. Snow since the app was released.”
“I’ve also been helping my mother establish a small farm for the food pantry she runs,” I added.
“Intelligent, modest, and giving. You might just be my new favorite person, young Benji,” Sir Robert said.
Just then, a waiter handed me a plate with a turkey sandwich and a soda.
“And you might be mine,” I said, smiling and raising my glass.
“I can offer you much more than a simple sandwich, Benji,” said Sir Robert. “I contacted you because I know that you have a low-orbit satellite collecting data on space debris. I have several of my own in orbit. My team and I first spotted the asteroid a few days ago. I realized that you and I were probably the only two people with satellites designed to identify an asteroid of that size.”
“It was very cool of you to invite us here,” I said. “But what exactly can we do for you?”
“It’s what I think we may be able to accomplish together,” he replied. “My focus in life is on helping others reach their full potential. I’m sure my team could figure out some way to deflect or destroy this asteroid, but I’m more interested in what you would do with it, Benji.”
“Since you’re so wealthy, don’t you have access to the world’s best scientists?” I asked. “Why are you asking me?”
“Indeed I do have access to the world’s best and brightest,” he said. “However, as I’ve already pointed out, you seem to be the only other person to spot the asteroid. If the ‘world’s best scientists’ haven’t even been able to locate the asteroid, why would I want their help in trying to destroy it?”
I thought about what he said for a moment. It was kind of amazing that no one else had detected an asteroid that could possibly level cities and towns if nothing was done to change its course.
“The reason I asked you here is that I believe you’re an extraordinary young man,” Sir Robert continued. “I told Dr. Snow that having those Troodon was going to become a problem. What surprised me was when he told me a twelve-year-old solved the problem for him. I’d like to know what you’d do to solve this asteroid situation.”
“I have an idea,” I said. “I wouldn’t blow it up, I’d try to land it.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
“It’ll be expensive,” I said.
“Too expensive for a couple of zillionaires like us?” he said, smiling.
“Never,” I said. “Have you ever heard of graphene?”
CHAPTER 6
The Asteroid Net
Of course Sir Robert had heard of graphene. It’s only the most exciting new material on the planet. It’s super thin and light, but graphene is also the strongest material known to man.
A few years ago, two scientists won the Nobel Prize for their work with graphene. They said it’s so strong that a piece of graphene as thin as plastic wrap is strong enough to hold an elephant!
“We’ve worked a little with graphene at my facility. An incredible material,” Sir Robert said.
“Is it as amazing as people say?” I asked.
“It’s flexible, incredibly strong, and can conduct electricity,” he said. “It’s a miracle material.”
Dad and I knew all about graphene. We’d read articles and watched a lot of videos on it. Still, we’d never actually seen it in person.
“Do you have graphene at your facility now?” Dad asked.
“We do,” Sir Robert replied. “We plan to use it a great deal in the future, in everything from cell phones to airplanes. But the technology isn’t very advanced yet.”
“Do you think a giant sheet of it would be strong enough to catch an asteroid?” I asked.
“It’s definitely strong enough to catch the asteroid without breaking,” he said. “But it would be almost impossible to predict where the asteroid will impact earth. The odds of placing the graphene mesh in the right place is a million-to-one shot.”
“I’m not talking about catching the asteroid on Earth,” I explained. “I’m talking about catching it in space before it enters the atmosphere. You could use one of your spaceships to get the mesh up there.”
Sir Robert stood up and walked over to a large thin computer screen on the wall. He clicked the controls a few times and opened what looked like an animation program. “Benji, come over here,” he said. “Let’s see if we can’t get a sense of exactly what you’re talking about.”
Dad and I walked over to the screen.
“Tell it what you’re thinking,” said Sir Robert. “The program will create a visual model.”
“You’re kidding!” I exclaimed.
“You’re not the only person capable of creating a cool computer program, Benji,” he said. “If you describe your idea to this program, it will show us what the concept will look like. Give it a go.”
“Okay.” I had the idea formed in my head, but it was tricky explaining it to the computer program clearly enough so it could create a visual model for us. “We launch a rocket into space containing a graphene mesh long enough and wide enough to catch the asteroid,” I began.
The screen immediately displayed an animation of a rocket deploying a long thin sheet in space.
I continued. “Four other rockets would then attach themselves to each corner of the sheet. These rockets would be able to hover in space, holding each corner of the sheet in place to capture the asteroid as it zooms toward Earth.”
The high-tech machine took a few seconds, but the screen created an animation similar to the images I had imagined.
“This program is absolutely amazing!” I said.
“Much cooler than a turkey sandwich?” Sir Robert joked.
“Let’s hear the rest of your idea, Benji,” Dad said. “Don’t lose your concentration.”
“Well, when the asteroid makes contact with the mesh, the four rockets will fire,” I said. “This would allow us to remotely lower the asteroid to Earth safely.”
I couldn’t believe that in only a few minutes the program managed to create what I was seeing in my mind. I had worried that the plan was a little far-fetched, but seeing it there on the screen, I felt it was possible.
“Begin production of materials,” Sir Robert told the program.
“What will that do?” I asked.
“It will send the plans to my team, and they can get to work on it right away.”
“That’s astonishing,” Dad sai
d.
“It’s technology, Mr. Franklin.”
“I love it,” I said.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Sir Robert said.
$$$
We touched down about three hours later at his facility in the desert. The place looked like a scene from Star Wars. There were several buildings built around what looked like a futuristic airport.
People worked busily everywhere I looked.
He had more jets, race cars, and rockets than I could have imagined. Many of them looked like rockets that had been used a long time ago. “I’m a bit of a collector,” he said.
The luxury aircraft came to a stop, and we climbed out and onto the runway. He and Dad talked about the early days of aviation as he gave us a tour of his facility. I could tell Dad was having the time of his life. As the sun was setting Sir Robert said, “I’d like to show you gentlemen my most prized project. Follow me.”
We walked to a large building on the far side of the runway. It was buzzing with activity. There were people in bright red suits assembling what looked like spacecraft.
“This is the future, Benji,” said Sir Robert. “You’re looking at my prize possession. It’s the next step in aviation and the craft that will lead humanity into space in large numbers.”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was the most advanced rocket ship I’d ever seen, and I’d seen them all online before.
“This is a top secret machine,” he continued. “Every part you see is made right here at the space center. I don’t take any chances on getting a poor product or on other people learning what I’m up to. I hope I can count on you two to help keep my secret.”
“Of course,” Dad said.
“I’m just trying to figure out what it can do,” I said, looking at the scene in front of me. This wasn’t a sci-fi movie. This was the real deal!
“These are low-orbit ships,” explained Sir Robert. “Their missions will be programmed ahead of time and no pilots are needed. All you do is open the door, get in, and off you go into the great beyond. Space tourists will get into low orbit, take a few pictures, shoot some video, and basically have the time of their lives.”