Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow by Nathan Bransford Page B

Life.
    It was a stubby stick poking out of the ground. Its worn wood was wrinkled, knobby, and twisted, and it only rose about four feet into the air. Two small yellow leaves clung to the bark for dear life. Jacob was fearful of breathing too heavily lest the tree fall over and wither away completely.
    Tears formed in Moonman’s eyes and he solemnly grasped Jacob and Dexter with trembling hands.
    â€œIsn’t it magnificent?” he whispered.

CHAPTER 18
    M ick and Sarah peered around the corner at the front of the museum. It was a tall building shaped like a massive beaker, and the sunlight glinted off its bright surface. A large banner above the entrance read: “Exhibit of Largest Known Naturally Occurring Carbon Allotrope (Studious Viewings Only—Gawking Strictly Prohibited).”
    Sarah and Mick had arrived on Planet Archimedes in the dead of night and under the cover of a counterfeit research mission. According to Praiseworthy, who recounted the history of Planet Archimedes in extensive detail, the planet had been of keen interest to scientists because it had some of the strangest cloud formations ever observed, its rivers ran in perfectly straight lines, and most importantly, its insects were both plentiful and ugly. Archimedes soon became a scientist’s haven. They erected elaborate museums full of complicated interactive exhibits, placed massive jars with holes in the lids in public squares to display Archimedes’ most spectacularly ugly insects, and raced to outdo each other by wearing the latest in lab coat and loafer fashion.
    When the discoverers of the Dragon’s Eye decided to donate it to science, they placed it in the care of Planet Archimedes, whose scientists dropped it several times and then nearly destroyed it during a scientific experiment to determine whether it could be destroyed by a really huge laser beam. (Their conclusion: It could not be destroyed by a laser, but more tests were needed before the theory could be called a fact. All present agreed, however, that the laser was extremely awesome.) The scientists of Archimedes placed the Dragon’s Eye in one of their many museums, awaiting further scientific inquiry.
    Mick had insisted that they get a full night’s rest so their senses would be sharp. He also dismissed Sarah’s initial attempts at helping plan the heist, telling her that she couldn’t possibly match his expertise in the buccaneer vocation, which sent her into a fit of volcanic rage. In the aftermath of their argument Mick grudgingly allowed her to help with the planning. They would break in shortly before the museum opened. Sarah would be responsible for external distraction, but Mick steadfastly refused to cede any control once they were inside, telling her, “I’ve been planning this for years.” He managed to resist Sarah’s subsequent anger, threats, and blackmail.
    As they stood carefully behind a wall near the museum, Sarah’s heart raced. She and Mick were actually going to steal the Dragon’s Eye. Two scientists in white lab coats stood guard outside. A steady stream of pedestrians wearing lab coats moved past the entrance, occasionally bumping into one another when they stared into the sky trying to spot abnormal cloud formations or looked downward to examine interesting insects on the sidewalk with magnifying glasses. Mick had his mechanical duck under his arm, which was Sarah’s contribution to the plan.
    Mick peeked around the corner again and said, “Okay. Time to move. This had better work.”
    Mick stepped around the corner and let the duck loose. It slowly waddled toward the guards, and Sarah held her breath, hoping it would distract them. She couldn’t even think about how horrible it would be to have Mick lording any failure over her. The scientists were both lost in thought and even though the duck was quacking very loudly, it wasn’t until it bumped into one of them that they