Charlie Thorne And The Last Equation

The epigraph attributed to Albert Einstein reads: “You never fail until you stop trying” (317).

In the jet, Charlie explains Einstein’s clue. The Holmes quote indicates that the numbers in the equation correspond to elements on the periodic table. Using the letter symbol for each element, Charlie spells out the message: “Pa/Nd/O/Ra Li/Es In H/U/B/B/Al/S S/P/He/Re Be/Ne/At/H Ne/Pt/U/Ne/S O/P/Ti/Cs” (321). The clue refers to Edwin Hubble, inventor of the Hubble telescope.

The Roman numerals previously decoded refer to Einstein’s visit to Edwin Hubble in 1931. They met at the Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. Charlie believes Pandora is hidden in the observatory, likely near the Hooker telescope, which confirmed the existence of Neptune.

Now exhausted, they all sleep. Charlie and Milana share a bed in the back, while Dante sleeps on the sofa in the main cabin. Milana tells Charlie that she was skeptical of Charlie at first but now says, “You’ve done good, kid” (328). In the main cabin, Dante tries to connect to the internet so he can call Carter for an update, but the signal is blocked. He asks the pilots to land so he can make the call, but they refuse, explaining that they only take their orders from Charlie.