Read Alien in My Pocket #5: Ohm vs. Amp for Free Online Page A

confused.
    â€œPerigee, dude,” Olivia answered. “When the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth. Those guys need to blast off at exactly one minute after midnight. I looked it up on the internet and worked out the timing.”
    Ohm looked surprised and impressed. “That timing is correct,” he said.
    I cleared my throat. “Uh . . . problem is that, just like Thing One’s car, Thing Two’s car can’t get off the starting line.”
    The walkie-talkie was silent for a full thirty seconds. “Not again!” Olivia shot back, now sounding distressed.
    â€œI know!” I said, eyeing the Erdians. “You’d think such an advanced civilization would have invented roadside towing service by now.”
    â€œWe just need help getting high enough to fire off the secondary booster rockets,” Amp mumbled defensively. “We only have enough power for one boost.”

    â€œWe already tried the rocket thing,” Olivia said after a moment.
    I shook my head at the memory. “We need something simpler this time. Something we can rig up in a few hours. Something that doesn’t draw attention to itself. My house is crawling with unfriendlies.”
    The Erdians and I exchanged uneasy glances while we waited to hear back from the team member. Her voice eventually came back with no enthusiasm. “So we have no money. No time. No resources. Nobody to help us. It must be done in secret. And it has to work perfectly.”
    The Erdians looked at each other, then back at me, and nodded their heads in agreement.
    â€œYes, that about sums it up,” I said, putting down the walkie-talkie.
    I left the Erdians and my walkie-talkie in the dim light of my closet. I paced around my room and nervously pulled on my hair. Maybe tugging on my brain would spring loose a good idea.
    It was already getting dark outside. The sunwas setting and we were no closer to coming up with a solution. I picked a few stale marshmallows off my carpet and ate them in silence.
    That’s when I spotted the great idea I had been looking for.
    And it was right under my nose all this time!

Atlatl or Bust
    â€œT his is a tennis-ball-thrower thingy,” I explained to the Erdians. “It helps you throw a ball farther. I use it when I take Smokey to the park.”
    â€œIs that the animal that tried to eat us?” Ohm asked, alarmed by the memory.
    â€œNo, that was Mr. Jinxy,” I said. “Cats won’t chase things you throw, only dogs.”
    â€œWhy is that?” Ohm asked.
    I shook my head in frustration. “I have no idea! You’d have to ask a cat. Look, just stay focused. See, we can use this ball thrower to launch your ship.”
    Both Erdians screwed up their faces in an odd way, like my idea gave them terrible gas.
    They were both standing on my desk in front of me, each pulling down on their lower lip skeptically. I could tell the Erdian twins weren’t getting it.

    â€œHere, watch,” I said. I picked up a marshmallow and put it in the holder at the end of the ball thrower. With a grunt, I flung the ball chucker at the hole in my window screen. Both Erdians flinched, then spun and watched the white marshmallow rocket across our dark backyard and disappear over the fence near the garage.
    â€œWhoa,” they both said at the same time.
    Excited now, I dropped to my knees and fished around under my bed for one of Smokey’s chewed-up tennis balls. My hand found one and I placed it in the cup of the ball thrower.
    I did the same thing with the tennis ball, but this time I got a running start and flung it even harder. It easily sailed over the roof of the garage.
    â€œImpressive indeed,” said one of the Erdians, I couldn’t tell which.
    I ducked down when a car alarm across the street started blaring. “Oops,” I whispered giddily. “See, guys, this idea rocks.”
    I dropped the scuffed plastic thrower on thedesk and the