Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition Read online

  “Mr. Bauer, I was wondering if you would have time to meet with me.”

  “Of course, of course. When? Will your parents be joining us?”

  “No, it would just be me. I’m going to be out your way tomorrow evening. I could meet with you then or early the next morning, whichever is more convenient for you.”

  “What time does your plane arrive?” he asked. “If it’s early enough, we could talk over dinner. My wife would be very excited to meet you. She’s practically jumping up and down right now.”

  “The flight plan calls for us to reach LA at 4:00, but I could push it up a bit.”

  “Push it… oh, I should have figured you wouldn’t fly commercial. No, four would be fine. I’ll have a car waiting for you at terminal one.”

  “Great,” said Astrid. “See you then.”

  As soon as she had hung up, she looked up a second number and dialed.

  “Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Geophysics Division, how may I direct your call?” said a female voice.

  “May I speak to Connor Brown?”

  “Who may I say is calling?”

  “It’s Astrid Maxxim.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Um, no.”

  “One moment, please.”

  Seconds later the line was picked up and a man’s voice said, “Hello, is this really Astrid Maxxim?”

  “Um, yes.”

  “Are you calling about my hoverbike? It was just delivered but I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet.”

  “Oh, well I’m glad you got it,” said Astrid. “But that’s not why I’m calling. You are the Connor Brown who is the head of Antarctic research for New Zealand, aren’t you?”

  “I am the Director of Operations, the organizational head.”

  “Well good. I’ve discovered some data about an Antarctic expedition that was made in 1928 by my great-grandfather. Their records indicate they discovered something important beneath the ice, but I can’t find any record of what it was. Since the location is within New Zealand’s area of authority, I thought I would give you a call.”

  “Hmm,” said Brown. “We don’t normally have any personnel on the continent during the winter, but we have this idiot… this movie director who is filming a documentary. Maybe this is something he can check into.”

  “That’s great. I’ll send you copies of the maps and other information.”

  A few minutes later, Astrid was back outside, astride her hoverbike, and strapping on her helmet. She felt the ground shake briefly like an earthquake. Then two seconds later there was a tremendous boom and one of the glass panes in the front of the R&D building shattered. She looked up to see a huge black cloud rising up into the air about five miles to the south. Astrid knew just where it came from too— the Maxxim rocket launch facility.

  Starting up her hoverbike, she shot into the air and zoomed south. After having gone only about a mile over the undeveloped desert that made up most of the campus, she saw an access road ahead. A firetruck was parked there and a man was waving his arms toward her. She dropped down to stop beside him.

  “No further, Miss Maxxim,” said the fireman, as others from his truck joined him. “We can’t let you or anyone else any closer. The fire is too dangerous.”

  “There might be somebody injured,” said Astrid, looking past him at distant flames and a continuous pillar of black smoke.

  “We have teams checking now, but there are no reports of anyone near the blast area. It appears to be the hydrogen fuel storage area.”

  “The whole launch facility could be badly damaged,” she said.

  Any other thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when the cell phone in her pocket rang.

  “Astrid?” It was her father’s voice. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine, Dad, but the rocket facility…”

  “I heard. But facilities can be rebuilt. People can’t. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

  Astrid agreed with her father’s priorities, but she also knew that the launch facility had cost billions of dollars to build, and that was a lot of money, no matter how you counted it.

  Chapter Five: Leaving Home

  No one was in a particularly good mood that evening. Between Astrid leaving the next day and the explosion at the launch facility, the three Maxxims had a lot on their minds. It was still Fathers Day though, so Astrid was determined that the day should end on a high note. She helped her mother prepare a delicious meal of beef wellington and laughed as her father praised it in a silly and very inaccurate British accent. After a dessert of apple pie, both Astrid and her mother gave her father his presents.

  Kate Maxxim presented her husband with a gold pen and pencil set, both of which also acted as styluses on touchscreen tablets. Astrid’s present was in a flip top box with a large red bow upon the lid.

  “How wonderful,” said Dr. Maxxim as he opened it. “It’s a digital watch.”

  “It does function as a watch, but it’s actually a wearable computer. It can act as a second screen for your MX-360, or next year, for your MXPhone. You can dictate into it. You can check your reminders without taking your PDA out of your pocket. It also monitors your heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and body temperature.”

  “Other companies have similar products on the market,” said Mrs. Maxxim. “So far, they’ve been big flops. We decided not to work on one, although I must say, yours is very stylish.”

  “The problem that others have been having,” explained Astrid, “is with battery life. Nobody wants a wearable device that has to be charged every two hours. With my Astricite batteries though, I’ve gotten the charge to last more than 48 hours. Better still, I’ve set it up with an option to wirelessly recharge from the PDA.”

  “Won’t that drain its battery?” asked Dr. Maxxim.

  “Not once we start putting Astricite batteries in them too.”

  “I love it!” shouted Dr. Maxxim. “As the British would say, it’s bloody brilliant.”

  “I’m impressed too,” said Mrs. Maxxim. “Do you have another one that I could send over to Dennis Brown? I’d like to see if he has any suggestions to make. Then we could see about putting them into production along with the MXPhone.”

  “I left two prototypes in my lab,” said Astrid.

  “We have our August press event coming up,” said Mrs. Maxxim. “Do you think you would like to present this along with the demo of your hoverbike?”

  “I’m not really one for public speaking,” said Astrid. “But I will think about it.”

  The next morning, the girl inventor headed out the door, luggage in hand. She climbed into the car with her parents and then they all drove into the Maxxim Campus to the dedicated airfield. A Maxxim Starcraft 170 waited on the Tarmac. Toby, Austen, Denise, and the two Valeries were all waiting to say goodbye. Christopher, who would be making the trip to Antarctica with Astrid, was there with his parents, as was Denise’s brother Dennis, who would be piloting their flight to Los Angeles.

  “Hello Nerd,” said a familiar voice from behind Astrid. The girl inventor turned around to come face to face with her cousin Gloria and Gloria’s parents.

  “Be nice to your little cousin, now,” said Aunt Lauren.

  “Indeed,” said Uncle Carl. “She’s going to be an important part of the new company.”

  “What company is that?” wondered Astrid.

  “The new Maxxim.”

  “Hello Carl,” said Dr. Maxxim, smiling.

  “Roger,” responded Uncle Carl, tersely. “Kate.”

  Aunt Lauren turned her head, ignoring her in-laws.

  “So, did you guys come to see me off?” Astrid asked her cousin.

  “Oh no. I’m going to Cali to spend a week with Aunt Penny,” said Gloria. “It seemed a shame to charter another plane, when you’re already headed that way anyway.”

  “Gloria’s very cost conscious,” added Aunt Lauren.

  “I’ve always thought that about he
r,” said Astrid with a straight face.

  Once everyone had said their goodbyes, the travelers stepped across the tarmac and up the steps to the plane’s hatch. Astrid had hoped for a moment alone with Toby before she left, but she didn’t get it. She shot a quick look back to see him watching her through the glass wall of the terminal building. They gave each other a quick wave. Dennis Brown and Marty Crockett, one of the Maxxim pilots, took their places in the cockpit, while Astrid and Christopher sat down together near the front. Gloria walked all the way to the back of the cabin and staked a claim to the seat directly in front of the small restroom.

  “The view is better up here,” Astrid called back, thinking that Gloria’s window view would be obstructed by the rear canard wing.

  “Survivability in case of a crash is greater in the rear of an airplane,” said Gloria. “I would think a nerd like you would know that.”

  “The joke’s on her,” Astrid said to Christopher. “If this plane crashes we’re all going to die.”

  “That’s it, Astrid,” he replied. “Always look on the bright side.”

  Halfway through the flight, Christopher took a short nap. Astrid took the opportunity to move back next to her cousin. As she sat down, Gloria looked at her with a frown forming on her face.

  “What do you want?”

  “I just want to talk with you for a minute,” said Astrid. “I wanted to know what your dad meant about me being an important part of the new company?”

  “How am I supposed to know?”

  “Oh, I think you know. I think you know just about everything that goes on. You just don’t like it. That’s why you always act the way you do toward me.”

  Gloria sighed.

  “My dad thinks you are the ‘future of Maxxim’.” She made air quotes with her fingers. “What exactly does that make me, do you suppose? I’m a Maxxim too. What am I the future of?”

  “Maybe your father doesn’t know everything.”

  “My father is the smartest man in the world,” snapped Gloria. “It’s not his fault that your parents stole the company from him!”

  “That’s not what happened… Oh, he’s planning on taking control of the company, isn’t he?”

  “I don’t know what his plans are.”

  “But you could find out, couldn’t you?”

  “Why would I do that?” asked Gloria sharply.

  “Because I would like to see our family back together, and because whoever controls Maxxim, I’m going to be there.”

  “Yes. My father does seem to see you as vitally important. I don’t see it myself. If I found out what his plans were, you would have to promise that you would help him.”

  “I can’t do that without knowing what his plans are,” said Astrid. “All I can promise is that I won’t do anything to split your parents and my parents any more than they already are.”

  Chapter Six: Los Angeles

  It was late afternoon when the small aircraft drew up to the gate at LAX terminal one. Astrid’s Aunt Penelope was waiting to greet them. She looked enough like Astrid and Gloria to have been their older sister, though her hair was black unlike the strawberry blond of the two cousins.

  “I’m so glad I got to see you before you left on your adventure,” she told Astrid. “I just wish you could stay and spend the week with Gloria and me. We’re going to make our own adventures.”

  “Well, Christopher and I have been planning this trip for weeks,” said Astrid.

  “Oh, I know. I’ve been keeping an eye on @MaxximWatch.”

  “What’s @Maxximwatch?”

  “Oh, it’s online news and rumors about all us Maxxims, but mostly about you.”

  “Who would care what she’s up to?” wondered Gloria.

  “Yeah, who would care what I’m up to?”

  “About two point three million people apparently,” said Penelope, laughing. “You do know you’re on the cover of Popular Technology this month, don’t you?”

  Gloria crinkled her nose.

  “Don’t feel bad,” Penelope told her. “You’re in all the magazines, in the hoverbike ads.”

  Astrid and her aunt talked for about fifteen minutes. All the while Gloria waited impatiently. Then they noticed the arrival of a tall man in the dress of a professional chauffeur, carrying a sign that said “Miss Maxxim.”

  “I guess that’s our ride,” said Astrid. She and Christopher said goodbye to Penelope and Gloria too, and a hearty farewell to Dennis Brown who was waiting just inside the terminal gate. Then they followed the chauffeur through the crowded airport and out into an extremely long black limousine.

  “Mr. Bauer’s home is about forty minutes away,” said the driver, as he held the door open for them. “Make yourselves at home. There are sodas in the refrigerator.”

  “Nice,” said Christopher, opening a can of Coke. “This is my first time in a limo. How about you?”

  “I’ve been in a couple,” said Astrid. “None of them were this long, I don’t think.”

  The Bauer home was a huge mansion behind a gated ivy-covered wall, high up on a hill overlooking much of Los Angeles.

  “What does this guy do for a living?” asked Christopher as the car came to a stop. “Is he a movie producer?”

  “He’s an investment banker.”

  Mr. Bauer, whom Astrid had met only briefly once before, had been an investor in Maxxim Industries for years and had advised her mother in the past. He waited, smiling at the front door for them. He was of medium height and heavy set— one would have more likely called him beefy or stout than fat. The greying hair around his ears contrasted with the bald dome on top of his head. He was dressed in a suit, but without the tie.

  “Hello there, Astrid! So fantastic to see you again! You’re about twice as tall as I remember.”

  “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bauer. This is my friend Christopher Harris.”

  “Hello Chris.” Bauer shook both of their hands violently. “You must both call me Max. Come along inside. The misses is literally dying to meet you.”

  “I hope not literally,” said Christopher, who had never much liked being called Chris.

  Astrid shot him a glance as they followed Mr. Bauer into his home. The very large entry way led into a very large living room. Both rooms were filled with furniture, all of which was very ornate and looked very expensive. The walls were covered with art. Compared to Astrid’s home, where with the exception of the family room it was not unusual for a room to have only a single picture on the wall, this looked like a museum or an art showroom.

  “Here’s my jewel now,” said Mr. Bauer, as his wife appeared from a back room.

  Mrs. Bauer was a gorgeous African American woman at least six inches taller than her husband and about half his age. She hopped over to Astrid and took her hand excitedly.

  “I’m so so glad to meet you, Astrid! I just think you’re fabulous!”

  “Thanks. This is my friend Christopher.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Christopher. “You look really familiar.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Christopher, though I confess Astrid, I was hoping you would bring your robot girl, since I played one in a movie once.”

  “Invasion of the Robo-Girls!” said Christopher, snapping his fingers. “I knew you looked familiar.”

  “Yes, that was a great film,” said Mrs. Bauer. “I’m not acting anymore though. I might like to direct.”

  “She’s very talented,” said Mr. Bauer. “Come, come. Let’s all go into the dining room. Dinner is almost ready, I think.”

  The dining room was just as fancy as the rest of the house and featured a huge table that stretched across it from end to end. The four of them took their places in the middle, Christopher and Astrid on one side, and the Bauers on the other. No sooner had they sat down, than two servers brought out appetizers.

  “I understand your flight doesn’t leave for Australia until just past midnight, Astrid,” said Mr. Bauer. “Am I correct?”<
br />
  “Yes.”

  “Great. Then we can eat and then talk. I hate talking business while I eat. It’s not good for the digestion. It is business that you wanted to talk over, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” replied Astrid.

  “Fine. Fine.”

  After a fine dinner of salmon steaks, rice pilaf, and raspberry tart, Astrid, Christopher, and the Bauers returned to the living room. Mr. Bauer folded his hands in his lap and looked at the girl inventor.

  “So Astrid, what’s on your mind?”

  “What do you think of Maxxim Industries?” Astrid returned his question with her own.

  “I think it’s a fascinating company.” He smiled. “There really isn’t another like it in the world. The stock is slipping right now, but that’s allowing me to buy quite a bit at a very good price.”

  “So you think the stock price will rise again?”

  “That’s what I’m betting on,” he said. “I’ve been adding more of it to my own portfolio and have been advising clients to do the same. Still, I don’t think the company is as… focused as it could be.”

  “That’s a good word— focused,” said Astrid. “Do you know we make dolls? Dolls and doll clothing. They make a profit— just barely. We have a huge toy division with hundreds of products, but about 90% of the profit comes from a half a dozen cool electronic toys. We sell cameras. They make a profit too, probably because the R&D costs were paid off years ago. But we don’t sell very many of them. We aren’t camera specialists and the market is too small to be in it and not be a specialists.”

  “Maxxim has always sold cameras,” said Christopher.

  “We used to sell refrigerators and radios when my father was a kid,” said the girl inventor. “And when my grandfather was a kid, the company sold firearms and typewriters. We don’t make any of those things anymore.”

  “What do you think Maxxim should be doing, Astrid?” asked Mr. Bauer.

  “We need to stop doing everything that’s mediocre. Everything Maxxim makes should be cool.”

  “Like the hoverbike!” shouted Mrs. Bauer suddenly.

  “Exactly,” said Astrid. “And we need offsite production facilities. We can make toys and build aircraft at the Maxxim campus, but there simply aren’t enough workers in the surrounding towns to produce millions of hoverbikes and billions of batteries. And I think we can sell millions of hoverbikes and billions of batteries.”