Chapter 10

10 WATSON GRABS THE LAST SLICE OF THE BELLYBOMB SUPREME. He spots Frank eyeing him. "What? You want this?" "No," says Frank. "I am just always amazed that you eat like a horse and look like a beanpole. We are going to have to design an experiment on you when we get to the human body systems."

"Pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, black olives, ground beef, onion, green pepper, sausage, cheese, chicken, spinach, bacon... ohhhhhhhh," says Klank. "No," says Frank. "You are a robot. Do not put anything into your input port again." "Dextrose, potassium sorbate, modified corn starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sodium phosphate, citric acid, ferrous gluconate, BHA,

BHT," adds Klink. "And yellow number 5." Frank rolls out his diagrams, charts, and blueprints on the workbench. Klink, Klank, and Watson gather around. "So, to build the ultimate science-prize project, we start with the first section of our total-science layout—matter. The building blocks of everything. This paper, this table, this cardboard pizza box, this pepperoni, this water, the air. Solid, liquid, gas. Everything in the universe is made of matter."

Watson finishes off his slice of BellyBomb Supreme—cheese, crust, yellow number 5 and all. "You sound like a science textbook." "Exactly correct," says Klink. "I am hungry," says Klank. "You cannot be hungry." "How do you know?" "You are a robot." "So are you." "I know I am." "Maybe you are not." "That is ridiculous." "Yes, you are." "No, I am not." "You are not a robot?" "Aieeeee! Ding! In. Three. Hundred. Yards. Turn.

Left," Klink intones in his worst GPS voice. "Recalculating." Klink smacks himself in the memory circuits and reboots. "I really wish you would not do that to me." "Guys!" yells Frank. "Stop it. We don't have time." "Yes," Klink resumes in his regular voice. "Matter is made of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms are made of even smaller particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons."

"Like this pizza is made of dough and cheese and toppings," says Watson. "Kind of," says Frank. "So you're going to make a model of an atom?" guesses Watson. Frank leans over the table. "Watson, please. Any second grader can make a model of an atom. My invention, my project, goes beyond matter—to antimatter." "Hmmmmm," hums Klink. He quotes, "Antimatter—elementary particles with the mass of ordinary matter, but with the opposite charge."