The Adventures of Dr. Long and Tomkins

Episode Three: Dr. Long's Choice

In one day, the observatory would be gone forever. Dr. Long held the meteorite in his hand, gazed up at the cloudless purple skies above them, and sighed. He was known throughout the universe as a friend, a peaceful visitor who wanted to help whoever needed his assistance. He even adopted an alien baby whose parents died tragically when they flew too close to the Baby Eskimo Nebula. No one could argue that Dr. Long was anything short of a good man.

But how could he give away his only shot at saving the observatory? It was a long shot, yes, but a shot nonetheless, and Dr. Long couldn't see how he could give up the meteorite in good conscience. And if he gave it back to the people to whom it belonged, who was to say that Trenchcoat wouldn't return and steal it again?

Dr. Long looked over at Tomkins, his trusty companion. Tomkins asked, "So what are you going to do, Scott?"

He gripped the meteorite tighter. The skies above were so clear, and he had so little time ...

Grimly, Dr. Long replied, "Let's get back to the Bootes, Tomkins. We only have a day to get back to Earth."

Tomkins drew in a gasp. "You're going to steal the meteorite? But Scott! That's not nice! It doesn't belong to you!"

"No," Dr. Long agreed, "but the people it was taken from live on an entire planet of similar rocks. They won't miss one. Besides, I'm going to use this meteorite for the good of Earth and everyone who lives on it. Soon it will belong to everyone on Earth, not just me."

Master Chan looked on sagely. "So you've, uh ... made your choice, Scott?"

"Yes, Master Chan. I've made my choice. I'm going to take the meteorite back to Earth, save the observatory, and fight Trenchcoat as long as I draw breath!"

Tomkins grinned. "Wow! This is so exciting! I always wanted to fight evil. We'll be like superheroes, Scott!"

"Not quite, Tomkins. Nobody needs to know who we are. Saving the observatory is all I care about ... that, and keeping Trenchcoat at bay."

Dr. Long narrowed his eyes at the mere thought of the villain. Let him come—Dr. Long wouldn't give up the meteorite no matter how Trenchcoat threatened. It was too important.

Gesturing to Tomkins, he started to turn back to the hovercraft that brought them to Chan's home. "Master Chan," he said, "thank you for giving me the information I needed. I'm going to do my best to keep the meteorite safe from Trenchcoat."

"Be, uh ... careful, Scott. Trenchcoat is a villain—he will stop at nothing to, uh ... get that meteorite back and, uh ... bring clouds to every planet in the universe."

"Noted, Master Chan." Dr. Long clapped his shoulder and forced a smile. "See you in a century. Tomkins? Let's go." Together they boarded the hovercraft and descended down the mountain. Once, when Dr. Long looked over his shoulder, he saw Master Chan watching them from the cliff, partially shrouded in fog that came from nowhere, and soon Chan was gone. Dr. Long took a deep breath and hoped that he could get back to Earth in time.

"Look, Will, I know how much this observatory means to you and your family, but I just can't keep giving money away when nobody's going to visit it. You've had two visitors in the past month. The numbers just don't add up. I'm sorry, but I have to make an executive decision and close the observatory."

Will bit his tongue to keep from telling Jerry what he really thought. What about the fact that his father had worked at Liberty for almost fifteen years? He'd grown up running through the halls of DeMoss, playing hide-and-seek with Uncle Tomkins. How could Jerry shut them down after so many years?