Astrid Maxxim and Her Amazing Hoverbike (11 page)

“
I like just about all of them
,”
he said, perking up.
 “
Do you have
Cannibal Apocalypse
?
”

“
No
.
”

“
How about
Killer Pimp Showdown
?
”

“
U
m…
W
e’
ve got
Ms. Pacman
and
Tetri
s
…
oh, and
Golden Gloves Boxing
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s cool
.
”

They shot downstairs, neither bothering with the stair elevator.  As they passed through the kitchen, Astrid stopped and grabbed a quick snack of cheese and crackers for the two of them and two glasses of juice.  Then they spent the next hour fighting it out in the video gam
e’
s virtual boxing ring.

They had just finished the last match with Austin the victor, when Mrs. Maxxim entered.

“
Austin, yo
u’
re staying for dinner with us
.
”

“
Um, I have to ask my grandm
a’
s permission, and um, well I do
n’
t think she likes to eat alone either
.
”

“
Your grandmother will be joining us
,”
said Mrs. Maxxim.
 “
Astri
d’
s father is picking her up on his way home from work
.
”

An hour later found them all seated around the dining room table.  It was unusual enough just eating in the dining room, as it was seldom used at all.  The group gathered together was unusual too.  Dr. Maxxim and his wife sat at opposite ends of the table.  Austin and his grandmother sat on one side, while Astrid and Mr. Toulson sat on the other.

Astrid had met Mrs. Tretower once before, but she still noted how different she was than she had expected.  Not having any living grandparents of her own, she was surprised to find that Mrs. Tretower did
n’
t seem that old.  She did have grey hair, but wore it long and straight.  She seemed not weak or feeble, but strong and capable.  She looked like she could beat her grandson in a foot race.

“
Mrs. Tretower
,”
said Dr. Maxxim, as he cut thick slices of pork roast for each of the diners.
 “
I feel terrible that we have
n’
t had you over for dinner before. 
I’
m afraid
I’
m not much for keeping up with the social graces
.
”

“
Yo
u’
re just like your father
,”
said Mrs. Tretower.
 “
And call me Pearl.  I have
n’
t been sitting around my house alone anyway. 
I’
ve spent most of my years since retirement traveling.  Now that Austin is here though,
I’
m looking forward to a little relaxation
.
”

Austin looked up, but did
n’
t say anything.

“
I can tell by your accent, Mr. Toulson, that yo
u’
re from Great Britain
,”
said Astrid.
 “
Is this your first time in the states
?
”

“
Oh, I do
n’
t think we need to bore these good people with my resume
,”
said Toulson.
 “
And call me Charles.  Do
n’
t worry though.  You and I will have plenty of time to get to know each other. 
I’
ll be coming to school with you tomorrow
.
”

“
Oh goodie
,”
said Astrid, without enthusiasm.

After dinner, Mrs. Tretower took Austin home, but not before Astrid had invited him to come over again soon so they could go swimming.  Once company was gone and the three Maxxims were cleaning up the dishes, Astrid confronted her parents.

“
I do
n’
t want a bodyguard
.
”

“
Sometimes things do
n’
t go just the way we want, Astrid
,”
said her father.
 “
I
t’
s high time you understood this, if you do
n’
t already
.
”

“
But I do
n’
t need a bodyguard
.
”

“
I’
m afraid you do
,”
said Mrs. Maxxim.
 “
The FBI thinks that it was Robot Valerie who these particular kidnappers were afte
r
…”

“
Well there you go
,”
said Astrid.
 “
Have Mr. Toulson guard her body
.
”

“
You do know yo
u’
re famous, do
n’
t you Astrid
?
”
 
Astrid turned around to see Mr. Toulson standing in the doorway.

“
Not really famous
,”
she replied.

“
Yes, famous, really.  Yo
u’
ve been on the cover of major magazines, people know your name.  People in the public eye must take extra precautions.  Yo
u’
ve been lucky up until now, due largely to Maxxim City being such a close-knit little town but you ca
n’
t afford to take chances.  Those men may have been after your robot, but they would have enjoyed quite a bounty if they had been able to deliver you to their employers.  There are plenty of people in the world who would do just about anything for a few million dollars
.
”

“
Million
?
”
 
Astri
d’
s eyes opened wide.

“
Yes.  Million
.
”

“
Hmm
,”
said Astrid, thinking.
 “
Who do you think hired those guys
?
”

“
The FBI think it was the Chinese
,”
said Toulson.
 “
I think the
y’
re right.  The Chinese have a huge network of spies who focus on industrial espionage
.
”

The conversation gave Astrid a lot to think about that night as she sat in her room and practiced her oboe.  She continued thinking about it as she watched the glowing stars that appeared on her ceiling after the light was turned off.

The next morning, Mr. Toulson was waiting for her in the kitchen.

“
Your mother left early
,”
he said.
 “
She ordered me to make sure you ate something.  Have some toast
.
”

He pushed a plate with two slices of buttered toast across the counter toward her, and then picked up a piece from his own plate and took a bite.

“
I thought you Brits sliced your toast up into soldiers, Mr. Toulso
n”
said Astrid.

“
We do all kinds of silly things with our toast, most guaranteeing that it will be cold when eaten.  I prefer the American way: stacked, buttered, and hot.  And call me Charles
.
”

Mr. Toulso
n’
s vehicle was a large black van.  The back was lined with plush seating for about a dozen people.  While it had large windows running the length of the van, they were darkened so that they appeared completely black from the outside.  Toulson climbed into the drive
r’
s seat, while Astrid found a seat in the back.  Their first stop was next door to pick up Toby.

“
I’
m not getting in that thing
,”
he said, and only relented when Astrid gave him a pleading look.

Christopher and Denise felt much the same way about the vehicle, though the two Valeries did
n’
t seem to mind.  This might have been owing to the fact that they had the shortest distance to ride in it.  They did
n’
t drive to the monorail station though, but went through the gate and onto the Maxxim Industries campus.  Toulson drove them all the way to Rachel Carson High School, twelve miles from their homes.

“
We ca
n’
t even take the monorail
?”
asked Christopher, as he climbed out.

“
Mr. Toulson believe
s
…
”
Astrid started.

“
Charles
,”
Toulson corrected her.

“
Charles believes this is safer
.
”

“
Safety or no safety, Astrid, tomorrow
I’
m riding the monorail.  I
t’
s my favorite part of going to school
.
”

This was saying something, because it was well-known that Christopher enjoyed just about every part of school.

Over lunch, which was roast beef tenderloins with potato sau
té
, artichoke hearts, candied walnut and goat cheese salad, and strawberry sorbet, Astri
d’
s other friends rebelled too.

“
Christopher is right
,”
said Denise.
 “
Ther
e’
s really no reason for any of us to have to take that prison van to school.  Once we get on the monorail, we should all be safe.  The Maxxim campus is one of the most secure places in the world
.
”

“
I do
n’
t know about that
,”
said Astrid
,“
but maybe I can get Charles to just bring us to the station
.
”

Austin, who as usual arrived late with barely enough time to eat his lunch, had a different opinion.

“
If you do
n’
t mind going out of your way to pick me up,
I’
ll ride with you, Astrid
.
”

After school, the other kids rode home on the monorail, while Astrid informed Charles that she was going to the R&D building.  As expected, he insisted on driving her there.  On the way, she made her case.

“
Mr. Toulso
n
…”

“
Charles
.
”

“
Charles, I understand you are here to protect me, but I need to be able to live my life.  These are my high school year
s—
the most important years of a perso
n’
s life.  Ca
n’
t you protect me without segregating me from all my friends
?
”

“
I do understand, Astrid
,”
he said
,“
but the fact of the matter is that I do
n’
t work for you.  I was hired by your mother and she decides how I do my business
.
”

“
I see
,”
said Astrid, thinking that she had to have another talk with her mother.

Once she was in the lab, leaving Toulson in the outer office, the girl inventor forgot all about her personal problems and focused on theoretical ones.  She had been mulling over something in her mind for days.  If she could create an advanced ceramic using some of the elements in Astricite, she might be able to create a substance that was both very strong and very light, as well as being resistant to heat.  She set about at her chemistry table mixing several variant compounds for testing.

“
Hello Astrid
.
”

Astrid looked up to see Mr. Brown wheeling in a cart covered with a tarp.  She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost time to go home for dinner.

“
What do you have there, Mr. Brown
?
”

“
Voila
,”
he said, whipping the tarp off the cart.

Sitting there was something that looked like a motor scooter without the wheel wells.  Instead of a motorcycle seat, it had a small bench seat just in front of a little trunk.  It was the body of a hoverbike.

“
I love it
,”
said Astrid.
 “
You went with nostalgic after all
.
”

“
Yes.  The other designs were much more sleek and aerodynami
c—
we can still make thos
e—
but after hearing you tell Denise about it being a hoverbike instead of a hovercycle, this just seemed more appropriate
.
”

“
I love it
,”
Astrid repeated.
 “
I
t’
s kind of retro fifties chic.  I love the headlight
.
”

“
I did
n’
t know how much extra power you were going to have
,”
said Mr. Brown.
 “
Originally I did
n’
t include one, but if you have the available batteries it might come in handy
.
”

“
Well, it looks plenty big enough for the sensors, gyroscopes, and servo motors, but I do
n’
t know about the hoverdisks.  I might have to see if I can reduce their size without losing power
.
”

“
Astrid, your dad spent a year getting them to where they are now.  Do you really think you can improve on his work
?
”

She shrugged, casting a glance to her ceramics project.

“
Can you help me get it up on my workbench
?
”

The two of them easily lifted the hoverbike body up onto the counter where Astrid would be able to work on it.

“I’
m getting ready to head home
,”
said Mr. Brown.
 “
Would you like to join me for a ride on the monorail
?
”

He bowed with a flourish, making Astrid giggle.

“
Sure
.
”

“
That wo
n’
t be necessary
,”
said a voice from behind them.

“
Sorry Mr. Brown
,”
said Astrid darkly.
 “I’
ll be going home with my bodyguard
.
”

She introduced the two men and they shook hands.  Then she left the R&D building and rode home to Maxxim City in the black van.  Along the way, she looked out the window at the monorail tracks high in the sky.  Even though Mr. Brown would be walking the last part of his trip home, she imagined that he would
n’
t be much later than they were going to be.  Later at dinner, as she was sitting directly across the table from Charles, Astrid broached the subject of security again with her mother.

“
I do
n’
t really think I need to be driven around in a prison van
,”
she said.
 “
The school and my lab are both on the campus grounds with excellent security.  Would
n’
t it be better if Charles just guarded the house
?
”

“
No
,”
her mother replied simply.

“
Well, maybe he could just drive me to the monorail station
.
”

“
We have gone over the security plans very carefully with Mr. Toulson, Astrid.  Yo
u’
ll have to accept that we know best
.
”