Before long, Dr. Ronald arrived at the entrance, still wearing his white researcher's lab coat.
"Mike!" Dr. Ronald called out from across the hall. "What brings you here? Did you run into a problem you couldn't solve?"
Clearly, Dr. Ronald had the wrong idea. He assumed Mike had come to him for tutoring. After all, before they left Medford, he had promised the students they could reach out to Houston if they needed help with their studies.
"Not exactly," Mike said, shaking his head slightly. "Actually, Sheldon's the one who needs to talk to you."
"Oh, the boy with the incredible memory." Dr. Ronald turned to Sheldon with a kind smile. "I remember you, little guy."
Hearing that tone again, Sheldon realized the man was still talking down to him. He stiffened up, his face tight with annoyance as he glared at the scientist.
Of course, Sheldon's "intimidating" glare was completely lost on the man.
Dr. Ronald breezed right past the kid's attitude, exchanged a few polite words with George, and led the three of them back to his office.
After having his assistant bring them drinks, Dr. Ronald sat back. "Alright, so tell me—what's the real reason for the visit?"
This was the moment Sheldon had been waiting for. He pulled out his prepared documents, slammed them onto the desk, and said, "This is Rocket Propulsion Proposal 2.0. I suggest you review it."
"Interesting..." Seeing Sheldon's dead-serious expression, Dr. Ronald's attitude shifted. He became much more professional.
When it came to his field of expertise, Ronald didn't mess around. He began flipping through the pages.
"Oh... this is a brilliant design..." As he read, the look on Dr. Ronald's face transformed from curiosity to genuine shock.
---
By the time he finished reading every page, his expression was one of pure admiration. "Mike, did you and Sheldon come up with this together?"
"Actually, this was almost entirely Sheldon," Mike said truthfully. "I just provided some of the theoretical framework."
Beside him, Sheldon tilted his chin up, looking incredibly smug.
"Truly remarkable," Dr. Ronald said, looking directly at Sheldon. "I take back my earlier dismissiveness. You are a... very special child."
"I accept your apology." Having gotten exactly what he came for, Sheldon felt great. Even his nervous stomach issues seemed to vanish instantly.
Now that his business was settled, he was ready to grab his dad and Mike and head home.
"Wait, Sheldon. There are several sections in this proposal I don't quite follow. Could you walk me through them?" When it came to science, Dr. Ronald showed his rigorous side.
"Of course." Sheldon stood up proudly and walked over to the only small chalkboard in the office, looking like a pint-sized professor. "Ask your questions. I'm ready."
Time ticked by as the two engaged in a rapid-fire Q&A. Along the way, Mike was pulled in to explain the multi-stage propulsion theory and the booster recovery plan, since those were the cutting-edge concepts he had introduced.
Meanwhile, George sat on the sidelines watching the three of them debate. He couldn't understand a single word they were saying, so he just kept refilling his cup with black tea.
He had to admit—NASA tea tasted a lot better than the stuff back home.
Finally, after over two hours, Dr. Ronald—who now fully grasped Proposal 2.0—looked at them with a complicated expression.
"Your plan is incredible. It solves several technical hurdles we've been struggling with. But," Dr. Ronald said regretfully, "I have to stand by what I said before. This is too far ahead of its time. To implement this fully, we just don't have the materials or the specialized tech yet to meet your specifications."
For a professional, seeing a perfect solution that you simply can't build is a special kind of torture.
Fortunately, Sheldon didn't care about the manufacturing side. He just wanted to prove he was right. Now that Dr. Ronald was impressed, Sheldon was perfectly satisfied.
Mike wasn't too bothered either. "That's fine. I've already filed for patents on these designs. When the technology catches up, people will notice."
It was a win-win. Mike and Sheldon provided NASA with a roadmap for the future, and when the industry finally reached that level, the two of them would be sitting on a goldmine of licensing fees.
"Smart move." Dr. Ronald thought about it and marveled at Mike's business sense.
"Alright, we should probably get going." George, having finished several cups of tea, saw it was getting late and prepared to herd the boys out. Their mission was officially a success.
Dr. Ronald realized how late it was and offered, "As a thank you, please let me buy you all dinner."
"No thanks," George declined. "We still need to find a place to stay tonight, and we're running a bit behind. Maybe next time."
George was just being polite, of course. Once they left NASA, they likely wouldn't see Ronald again. But he really did need to find a motel.
"That's a shame." Dr. Ronald understood. Wanting to give Mike and Sheldon something for their trouble, he reached into his desk and pulled out two movie tickets. "In that case, please take these."
"A midnight showing?" Mike noticed the time on the tickets.
"Mars Exploration? Is this a documentary?" Sheldon asked, eyes scanning the title.
"Yes. Word is, it's compiled from some very rare footage captured internally by NASA..." Dr. Ronald explained.
The mention of "rare space footage" was all Sheldon needed to hear. He was hooked.
---
After saying goodbye to Dr. Ronald, George found the same cheap motel they had stayed at before. Once they checked in, he took the boys out for a big steak dinner. Mary had sent George off with plenty of cash for the trip.
Around midnight, following the address on the tickets, George drove them to a secluded private cinema on the outskirts of town.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." George muttered. Once they turned off the main road, the streetlights vanished. It was pitch black outside.
But seeing how excited his son was, George sucked it up. He parked the car and led the boys toward the only building with its lights on.
"Private property. No entry without a pass," two massive guys at the entrance barked, blocking their path.
"We have these," Mike said, holding up the movie tickets.
The bouncers' attitudes softened when they saw the tickets, but they remained professional. "You only have two tickets. That means only two of you can go in."
Before Mike could respond, George pulled the two boys aside.
"I don't like the vibe here. Let's just go," George whispered. He'd seen the muscles on those guards—those weren't "gym muscles," those were "professional security" muscles. This wasn't your average movie theater.
"I think it's fine! Look!" Sheldon pointed toward the road.
A high-end luxury sedan had just pulled up, and a very distinguished-looking older gentleman stepped out, showed his ticket, and was ushered inside with a respectful nod.
---