Our intrepid feline travelers, Henri and Cassie, along with their new kitten friend Tommy McLearen relax in a small Irish restaurant after finishing a fine fish dinner. Tommy and Cassie, as they had throughout the meal, are talking about knights.

“You know,” observed Henri during a brief pause in the conversation, “there are other kinds of heroes besides knights.”

“I suppose,” answered Tommy. “So, who’s your favorite hero?”

Henri leaned back in her chair and smiled. “That’s easy,” she replied, “Dynamics Cat.”

Tommy looked confused. “I’ve never heard of Dynamics Cat.”

“Story time,” cried Cassie.

Henri leaned forward. “Well let me tell you about one of Dynamics Cat’s adventures …”

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Newtonville was a city in crisis. At exactly noon, nearly every mechanical device in the city had ceased working. The generators in the power station ground to a halt, depriving the city of power. Every car and truck in the city had stalled, turning the streets into a parking lot. Only Newtonville’s hospital seemed immune to whatever was affecting the city.

As panicked citizens flooded into the streets, the call went out to that champion of force and acceleration; Dynamics Cat.

“Egad!” cried our hero, flying low over the suddenly stilled city. “What fiendish villain could be behind this?” However, his thoughts quickly turned elsewhere as his keen hearing picked up the cries of hundreds of people trapped in elevators throughout the city. “There’s no way the fire department can get to them all,” he muttered. “I guess it’s up to me!”

Zooming towards Newtonville’s tallest building, Dynamics Cat burst through a fortieth floor window and rushed down the darkened hallway to the elevator. Grabbing each side of the doors, he pulled. The high pitched screech of steel filled the hallway as doors opened.

Sobs and cries for help could now be clearly heard as Dynamics Cat reached down and grasped the top of the elevator. With a mighty heave he lifted it up until the elevator floor was level with the hallway. “Everyone out,” he shouted to the five people inside. After checking to make sure no one was seriously injured, he hurried to the building’s remaining elevators to free those stranded inside.

All afternoon, Dynamics Cat zoomed back and forth across the city, rescuing trapped citizens and transporting those who had been injured to the hospital. After delivering the last of those who needed medical attention, a police officer ran up to him.

“Dynamics Cat,” he cried, “the Mayor needs to see you immediately.”

“I’m on my way,” cried our hero, leaping into the sky.

In less than a minute, Dynamics Cat stood in the Mayor’s office examining a remote control drone with a small CD player attached. “You say this flew through your window about ten minutes ago?”

“That’s right. The CD started playing when it landed.”

Our hero stared out the window. “Whoever was controlling the drone must have been close by, but I’m sure they’re gone by now.”

Hitting play, Dynamics Cat concentrated on the CD player.

“Mayor Harper,” came a woman’s voice from the player. She spoke in a firm, clear tone. “If you want your city returned to normal, have ten million dollars waiting on the hospital helipad at 6 PM. If I see anyone or am followed, the machines of Newtonville will never run again.”

“No background noise,” muttered our hero. “Whoever this villain is, she’s smart.”

“What should we do?” asked the Mayor.

“Pay the ransom,” answered Dynamics Cat, pulling a paper clip sized device from his utility belt. “However, put this with the money. As soon as the city’s safe, this will lead me right to her.”

Shortly before six, a large satchel containing the money and tracking device sat on the hospital helipad. From the hospital roof, our hero scanned the horizon. His keen hearing soon detected a tell-tale sound. “A helicopter,” he said.

Five minutes later, the helicopter swooped low over the hospital and touched down on the helipad. The pilot jumped to the ground and quickly tied a rope to the satchel. Within a minute, the helicopter was once again airborne with the satchel hanging below it.

Nearly a half-hour after the ransom was taken, car engines roared back to life, and lights flickered on around Newtonville. Cries of relief could be heard throughout the city, but Dynamics Cat was too busy to hear them as he flashed across the sky following the tracker’s signal.

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The trail led him to a clearing high up in the mountains outside the city. However, all he saw was the satchel. What’s going on? wondered our hero as he looked in the satchel and saw all the money was still there.

“A bit surprising, isn’t it?” came a woman’s voice from high up in the trees. It was the same voice as the one heard on the CD.

Dynamics Cat’s superior vision soon found the sound’s source, a two way radio attached to a video camera.

“Oh, I knew you’d follow me Dynamics Cat,” continued the voice, “so I arranged for us to have a chance to talk.”

“The only thing I want to discuss is you giving yourself up,” said our hero.

“Once you understand why I’m doing this, you’ll think differently.”

Dynamics Cat glared at the video camera, “and what could possibly justify all the innocent people you’ve injured?”

“I injured no one!” cried the voice defensively. “I purposely made sure not to affect the hospital.”

“Perhaps you’re not acquainted with the concept of inertia,” declared Dynamics Cat angrily. “It’s what causes people to continue moving when the car or elevator they’re in suddenly stops. Dozens of people suffered broken bones or concussions because of you!”

It was a moment before the voice replied. “I’m sorry people were hurt, but their minor injuries are a small price to pay for what I offer the world.”

Dynamics Cat had to fight to curb his anger. “And what is that?”

“A way to have a motor the size of your fist running enough generators to power an entire city or allow electric cars to cross the country on a single charge,” replied the voice excitedly.

“Impossible,” thought Dynamics Cat, but then realized what had stopped all of Newtonville’s machines. “Friction, of course” he cried

“That’s right Dynamics Cat,” replied the voice. “I’ve developed a means to affect the frictional losses in machines.”

“But, why attack Newtonville?” he asked.

“Because no one took my work seriously,” snapped the voice. “All I got were polite rejections or outright laughter. At last, I build the device myself using whatever equipment I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, my prototype shorted out and ended up only increasing the frictional losses.”

“And so you decided to use it to extort Newtonville,” concluded our hero.

“To finish my work, I need better equipment. And that takes money.”

Our hero picked up the satchel. “And if this wasn’t enough, were you just going to go after another city?”

“What I’m doing is too important, so yes.”

“There is another way,” suggested Dynamics Cat. “The scientists at Newtonville University have seen your device work. They’d gladly provide all the support you need to finish your work.”

There was laughter. “Nice try Dynamics Cat, but you can’t capture me that easily.”

“It’s not a trick.”

“I suppose you’re not going to leave the money?” asked the voice hopefully.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

There was an audible sigh. “You’re like all the rest. I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

“… Mayday!” cried a male voice. “This is commercial flight 1765. Engines and controls are out. Losing altitude. Eighty passengers plus crew. Current position fifty miles west of Newtonville on a southerly heading …”

‘You fiend!” shouted our hero, dropping the satchel and shooting into the sky.

Dynamics Cat flew with all the speed he could muster, desperately looking for the crippled plane. At last he saw it several thousand feet below, rapidly approaching the ground.

He instantaneously calculated a trajectory to intercept it. An orange and blue blur shot by the plane and upward to the plane’s underside. Exerting all his strength, our hero slowly began to lift the plane’s front end until it was nearly level with the ground. Even so, the plane was still losing altitude.

“Too heavy,” grunted Dynamics Cat, “I’ll never get it to the ground in one piece.”

Frantically, he looked around for anything that could help him. Then he saw it: the ocean. A water landing’s my only hope, he thought, fighting to slow the plane’s descent and turn it towards the ocean.

The plane was barely five hundred feet in the air as it crossed the shoreline. An exhausted Dynamics Cat still held it aloft. “Must get to deeper water,” he panted.

Gradually, the plane drew closer to the water with our hero drawing on the last of his strength to produce a safe landing. With only ten feet of altitude to spare, Dynamics Cat released his hold on the plane and jumped away. The plane hit the ocean with a mighty splash and bounced several times before coming to rest.

After a few minutes, Dynamics Cat flew around to the front of the plane. “Is everyone all right?” he called.

“Dynamics Cat!” cried the pilot. “Should’ve realized you were the reason we stayed in the air. Just bumps and bruises, nothing serious.”

“Have you informed the control tower of your situation?”

“Yes,” answered the pilot. “Coast Guard is on its way.”

With a nod, our hero disappeared into the sky.

Returning to the clearing, Dynamics Cat found the satchel gone and in its place a CD player.

Picking it up, he pressed play.

“Dynamics Cat,” said the voice,” I truly am sorry it had to end this way, but what I’m doing is too important to be interfered with. I’d never have used my device on the plane if I had even the slightest doubt about you being able to save the people on board. In fact, I think those passengers should thank me. Since for the cost of a little inconvenience, they got an experience they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”

“This woman is a menace,” growled Dynamics Cat, crushing the CD player in his paw. “I’ve got to stop her before her obsession gets someone killed.”

Henri leaned back in her chair and smiled at the two kittens. “So what did you think?”

“That was great,” cried Tommy.

Tommy looked over at Henri. “What’s the friction thing in the story?”

Henri’s eyes lit up. “Friction is the force which occurs when objects rub against each other.”

Tommy shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

Folding her cloth napkin, Henri put it in the middle of the table. Placing a paw on it, she pressed down and pulled it towards her. “Okay, now you try it Tommy.”

Placing his paw on the napkin, Tommy followed Henri’s example.

“Was it hard to pull it towards you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s because of the friction between the napkin and table cloth. Now try pushing it away from you.”

“Okay,” replied Tommy, pushing the napkin away. “Hey, it’s hard to move this way too.”

“That’s because friction always acts opposite to the direction you’re moving.”

“So that’s what stopped all the machines in the story?” asked Cassie.

“Yes,” answered Henri while getting up. “Well you two, it’s getting late and we need to get Tommy home.”

“Just a little longer,” pleaded Cassie.

“Not this time,” answered a smiling Henri. “We have a busy day tomorrow.”