"Cool, it's a magnet!" exclaimed Mark.
Adam, more than the others, understood the significance. His face showed he was confused and surprised.
"That shouldn't happen," he said, almost to himself.
Jimmy looked at Adam. "Aren't Coke cans made of aluminum?" he asked.
"I haven't heard any different," Adam replied.
Mark looked confused. "So?"
Adam answered, "Aluminum isn't attracted by any magnet. At least, none that anyone knows about."
Adam stood up and walked toward his tools. He began digging through a pail full of parts, setting aside a few items.
"Maybe they changed the material in the cans," stated Kevin.
"We're gonna test your theory right now," said Adam, returning to the table holding a few items. "Mark, pull the pin off that can and keep them apart until I ask for them."
Mark did as was asked while Adam set two items on the table and another on the floor. The first item on the table was a large bolt. The second looked like a lowercase 'h', but missing the lower left leg. The third item on the floor looked like a metal hockey puck.
"Mark, hang on to the pin and put the can on the table here." Adam pointed to an open spot near the end, making a line out of the three items on the table.
"So, I have a strong magnet on the floor that I found. The bolt is made out of typical steel that is very magnetic. The second thing is the crankshaft of a bicycle; the part that the pedals are mounted on. It's made of pure aluminum. Last, the Coke can. We'll test all three with the magnet, then the pin, sound good to you?" Everyone agreed.
Adam sat next to the table and picked up the magnet. He brought it near the bolt. Ding! The bolt stuck to the magnet as soon as it was close. Adam pried the bolt off the magnet and set it back in its original position. He looked at his friends and nodded.
Next, he brought the magnet near the crankshaft. Nothing happened, even when he touched the magnet directly on the part. Adam tapped the magnet against it a few times to make sure and then moved on to the can.
He brought the magnet closer and closer to the can. Again, he was able to touch the can with the magnet, and it was clearly not attracted.
"That's exactly what I expected would happen. Now let's try the pin." Adam held his hand out to Mark, who handed him the pin.
There was nervous anticipation in the garage as Adam started the second half of his experiment. They had all learned in school that what they were doing was called the "scientific method", although it seemed natural to Adam.
He brought the pin to the bolt slowly, not sure if there would be any attraction. Closer and closer he moved, until the two were touching. There was no obvious attraction.
"Nothing. Not even a weak pull," Jimmy stated.
"Yeah, zero," replied Adam. "Now, the part I've been waiting for!"
He brought the pin slowly toward the crankshaft. At nearly four inches away, the pin pulled from his grip and stuck itself to the crankshaft. The nearby can was sucked into the group as well.
Four faces registered amazement. "Well, Doctor McTaggart, your experiment is a success!" said Jimmy, half-kidding and half-serious.
Adam now understood how the pin worked as a key. "What an easy way to keep a door locked. Just use science people don't realize exists. All this pin does is magnetically attract some aluminum to unlock a latch."
"How can you know so much about this stuff and suck at school,” said Mark. “Even Kevin has better marks than you."
Adam shrugged off the comment. "It takes a lot of effort to barely listen in class and still pass."
"Not that I don't enjoy teasing Adam, but doesn't this just bring up more questions?" Kevin asked, looking at each of them as he spoke. "I mean, it makes me wonder what we're discovering."
"Yeah, I know. If George saw any of this, he'd be freaking out," added Mark.
Adam’s mind was in high gear again. After that discovery, the possibilities streamed through his thoughts as he narrowed them down to a few realistic scenarios.
“Seeing this, I’m sure there has to be some sort of scientific discovery hidden in Grayson. I’d put money on that, and you know I don’t have much to bet,” said Adam.
The others didn’t know if they should laugh.
“Do you think that’s why someone is destroying towns? They’re trying to find this discovery?” asked Kevin.
“That makes sense,” said Jimmy.
“Yeah, but how are we supposed find it?” asked Mark.
“It’s gotta be in those tunnels somewhere,” said Jimmy.
“I agree, but where? Those tunnels are confusing. Without a map, I don’t want to go wandering through there again,” said Kevin.
“Maybe there’s a map in the file room,” said Mark.
Jimmy thought about it and agreed. “Yeah, you’re right. If we don’t have a map, we could get stuck in the tunnels until someone rescued us. We’d be in huge trouble if that happened. Let’s look for a map before we go in there again.”
"First, you need to get the key," Adam looked at Jimmy who reluctantly nodded, "and we need to help Jimmy any way we can."
"What are we standing around here for!" said Mark, heading for the door.
"Someone's excited about something other than a video game," said Kevin, jerking his thumb in Mark's direction.
"Hey, you had all the fun yesterday. My turn," Mark turned and stepped out the door.
The remaining boys filed out of the garage, smiling at Mark’s excitement.