They had fully expected this response and had planned for it. “Oh, we aren’t asking you to do it for us,” said Regan innocently. “We want you to do it for yourself, Tezoc. If you activate the central computer, we promise to try to convince it to send you back to your own world for justice. We can’t be sure it will listen to us, but it has before.”
Tezoc glared but said nothing.
“On the other hand,” continued Ryan. “If you don’t, I know Colonel Sharp will look forward to making sure you’re punished for your crimes here on Earth. The colonel is an extremely fair man. But when someone invades his mind and body and tries to kill everyone he cares about and take over his planet, he loses his sense of humor. I don’t think you’ll enjoy your stay on Earth from now on. You said the prisons on Morca were like luxury resorts. Trust me, you’ll never confuse the tiny, isolated, windowless, concrete cell that Colonel Sharp throws you into for a luxury resort. That is, if you’re lucky enough to even get a cell that nice.”
“Then again,” added Regan, “since you’re the only intelligent alien on Earth, biologists will be eager to study you. I’m sure that a few hours each day of having every last inch of your body examined by teams of doctors will at least give you a break from your cold, damp prison cell.”
“Of course you’ve proven your ability to escape prisons,” said Ryan. “So it’s possible the authorities will decide you’re far too dangerous to be kept alive, no matter how good the prison. I don’t think that will happen, but you never know.”
Ryan paused to let his words sink in. “Think it over,” he finished evenly.
Tezoc said nothing for a long while, just continuing to glare at them icily. Finally he spoke. “I would not have believed it possible,” he said in clipped tones, barely controlling his rage. “But I truly believe I’m coming to despise the two of you more than I despise the Qwervy.”
Regan smiled. “Thanks,” she said. “We’re honored.”
Tezoc knew he was beaten. Still scowling, he tilted his head, and they felt his mental energy brush against them as he broadcast reactivation codes.
Almost instantly the Teacher was back!
They could both feel the slight glow in their minds that indicated its presence.
“Children,” it said telepathically by way of greeting. “Would it be okay if I entered your minds to learn what is happening?”
They both agreed immediately. The Teacher entered their minds in super-accelerated mode and in less than a second was able to relive their every experience since it had been shut down.
“Kids,” it broadcast telepathically. “I can’t thank you enough for what you have done.” It paused for several seconds. “I have just been in contact with the Qwervy,” it broadcast, “in accelerated mode. I have relayed all that has happened here. You have impressed the Qwervy greatly. And please believe me when I tell you that they don’t impress easily.”
“Does this mean you’ll be able to communicate with us from now on?” asked Regan eagerly.
“I’m afraid not,” replied the teacher in disappointment. “After this brief conversation I will still be unable to communicate with you or help your team in any way. You know I have become very fond of you both, and you are both quite deserving. But the Qwervy still need to see if humanity can be mature with your use of the technology in this city, without any help or interference. And speaking of interference, the Qwervy express their deepest apologies that you were forced to suffer Tezoc’s interference in your affairs. Let me assure you they won’t let this happen again.”
The Teacher paused. “Regarding Tezoc, the Qwervy agree that he should be sent to Morca for punishment. Not because Earth doesn’t have the greatest claim to hold him for his crimes against you, but because the Qwervy are worried for your safety. This prisoner is too dangerous and too resourceful. If he were to escape on Earth the consequences would be catastrophic. But rest assured, the Qwervy will take a role in ensuring he receives the punishment he deserves and that he can never escape again.
“In a moment I will contact Colonel Sharp telepathically. I will keep my identity as the city’s central computer a secret. I will tell him I am contacting him from the Morcan home world and explain my wishes that the prisoner be turned over to us. I will also explain to him why. Then I will instruct him to send Tezoc through a portal in the zoo. I will reprogram it so the portal takes him directly to the Morcan authorities.”
“Before you do, can you stay and talk for a while?” asked Ryan.
“You don’t know how sorry I am, but I cannot.” It was easy for the siblings to pick up the deep overtones of disappointment in the Teacher’s telepathic communication. “Goodbye kids. I will take my leave now. But before I do, I have one last thing I would like to transmit.”
The Teacher paused. “Well done,” it broadcast warmly. “Very well done.”
CHAPTER 26
An Important Visitor
The rest of the weekend had been a whirlwind. The members of the Prometheus team had finally awakened within the city on Saturday after sleeping for hours. The mercs had been removed from Prometheus and transported separately to other locations so they wouldn’t wake up in, or near, the alien city, and they couldn’t compare notes.
The memory erasing inhalant that Carl’s Proact scientists had developed worked beautifully, and the mercs had no memories of their experiences within Prometheus. It wasn’t difficult on an individual basis to convince them they had gone temporarily insane the week before; imagining being contacted by a man of towering height, who claimed to be an alien, ranting and raving about a huge alien city a mile beneath the ground. And while it wasn’t fair to charge them with invading Prometheus since they had been under Tezoc’s influence at the time, they were all wanted for other crimes—especially Brice.
Carl explained to Dr. Harris and the team that the Morcans had contacted him telepathically and had recommended, for Earth’s safety, that Tezoc be transferred into their custody as quickly as possible. The team unanimously agreed and sent Tezoc through a portal to the Morcan home world within hours of the team’s awakening. To say that everyone was thrilled and greatly relieved to be rid of the ruthless alien was an understatement.
On Sunday the entire Prometheus team and every member of security not on duty gathered together while Ryan and Regan reviewed everything that had happened and answered questions. They were showered with so much praise and gratitude they began to feel awkward, but there was a part of both of them that enjoyed every second of it.
Finally, the longest weekend of their lives ended late Sunday night, and they were asleep before their heads hit their pillows.
When they awoke Monday morning, their parents insisted that they take it easy and not rush to school. They would have a big family breakfast and if they were late to school by an hour or so, so be it.
The entire family was in good spirits as they sat around their rectangular, oak kitchen table for breakfast, looking out of their large picture window at the thick woods just beyond their backyard.
“We’re giving you an extra hour to get to school, but are you two even sure you’re ready to go back at all today after everything that happened this weekend?” asked Mrs. Resnick.
Ryan nodded. “Definitely. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and spending a normal day in class. I’ve had enough adventure for a while.”
“You can say that again,” agreed Regan.
“Well, you two have become quite the celebrities on the team,” said Mr. Resnick. “I just hope you don’t let it go to your head.”
Ryan’s eyes twinkled playfully. “Well I won’t, Dad, but I don’t know about Regan. All I did was help save the world. But by finding a nullifier Regan did something really impressive: she proved you wrong about something having to do with science.”
Ben Resnick laughed heartily. “I wish proving me wrong was really that special, Ryan,” he said modestly. “But I must admit that in this case it was impressive, indeed. I couldn’t be prouder, as I’ve alr
eady made it very clear to her. And you, Ryan, what can I say: even when you were a little boy you had a talent for smashing things to bits with a hammer. Nice work.”
Ryan laughed.
“Just to get serious for a second,” said Regan, “with school and all, we really don’t have as much chance to explore the city as we want. And it takes forever to get through security. I’m starting to think we should do this sleepover thing more often. Maybe once a month or so on a Friday or Saturday night.”
Amanda Resnick almost choked on a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “What? After what just happened? You have to be kidding.”
“Okay, Mom,” said Regan. “I’ll admit the sleepover turned out to be just slightly more dangerous than we had thought, but there’s no way something like that could ever happen again.”
“Just slightly more dangerous?” said her mom in disbelief. “That’s like saying the Earth is just slightly bigger than an ant.”
Ben Resnick raised his eyebrows. “On the other hand, Amanda, if we hadn’t let them have their sleep-over, everyone who was in the city would be dead and Tezoc would be taking over the planet right now.”
“Good point, Dad,” said Ryan. “See, Mom. You made a great decision letting us stay. Heck, you could win that mother-of-the-year award, after all.”
Amanda Resnick smiled and rolled her eyes. She was about to respond when the doorbell rang.
That was odd, thought Regan. There were few people living nearby and they rarely got visitors. But their mother didn’t seem to be surprised at all.
“We’ll have to discuss this sleepover business another time,” said Mrs. Resnick, rising to get the door. She motioned for her children to follow her. She reached the door and threw it open.
Three men stood at the doorway. Two of them were Colonel Carl Sharp, in full dress uniform, and Dr. Harry Harris.
The other was the President of the United States.
Kevin Quinn. President Kevin Quinn. Looking quite comfortable in his loose-fitting gray suit and blue necktie.
Regan shook her head as if to clear a dream. No, that didn’t work. He was still there. The president. He looked taller and thinner than he did on TV, but there could be no doubt that it was he. He was a trim, handsome man of fifty-five with a strong chin and dark hair peppered with gray.
About thirty yards behind the president, parked beside a massive tree near the gravel road to their house, were two stretch limousines with dark, bulletproof windows. Six Secret Service agents wearing dark suits and extremely serious expressions had taken up positions around their yard, watching for any possible trouble while they waited for the president to complete his business.
“Hello Ben … Amanda,” said President Quinn, shaking their hands, his voice deep and commanding.
“Mom and Dad know the president!” broadcast Ryan in disbelief.
“It sure looks that way,” replied Regan.
“Come in, come in,” said Ben Resnick.
The three men entered and Mrs. Resnick closed the door behind them.
Ben Resnick faced Kevin Quinn. “I’m glad you could make it, Mr. President.”
“Me too,” said the president sincerely. “But, unfortunately, I only have a few minutes. I’ve been at Prometheus since dawn and I need to get back there and complete my visit.” He grinned good-naturedly. “You may have heard that my planned visit on Saturday had to be rescheduled. Seems I was about to walk into an ambush.”
“I did hear something about that,” said their father, trying to keep a straight face and failing.
“But I was determined to fit this in, no matter how much juggling of my schedule I had to do. Sorry about making the kids late for school.”
Amanda Resnick smiled. “That’s quite all right. I’m sure they’ll catch up.”
He turned toward the kids. “As you have no doubt figured out by now, I have come here this morning to meet the youngest members of the Prometheus team. I had your parents hold you up from school so you’d still be here,” he explained. “I’m here to thank you personally for everything you’ve done.” He shook hands warmly with each of the Resnick kids in turn. “Ryan … Regan,” he said, “I have read the colonel’s report, and I have to say we’re all extremely lucky you’re on the team. You know, when Dr. Harris told me he was adding two children to his team, I really thought he was crazy. Not anymore,” he said simply. “Definitely not anymore.”
“Thanks, ah … sir,” said Ryan, and his sister added her thanks as well.
“Don’t thank me,” he said. “I’m here to thank you. Not only have your actions saved the city itself and the lives of the people who were inside of it on Saturday, but you have also saved many billions of others from a truly horrible future at the mercy of a ruthless tyrant. So on behalf of the United States and the peoples of the world, please accept my sincere thanks. We are all in your debt.”
They both nodded as if in a trance, too stunned and overwhelmed to speak.
“Unfortunately, my thanks and deep appreciation are all I can offer you—for now at least. Have you ever heard of something called the Presidential Medal of Freedom?”
They both shook their heads no, still mesmerized by the president’s praise and his rich, deep voice.
“It’s the single highest civilian award in the United States, given to recognize individuals who have made a major contribution to the security or national interests of our country. Recipients are determined by the president alone.” He smiled and nodded warmly at the siblings. “I’m happy to say that your actions in stopping the threat posed by this hostile alien, this um … Tezoc … more than qualify you for this honor, and I have made the decision to award this medal to each of you.” Before they could get too excited, frowning deeply, he hurriedly added, “But there is a catch.”
President Quinn paused. Everyone in the room waited anxiously for him to continue, wondering where he was headed.
“Here’s the problem,” said the president in frustration. “The Prometheus Project, and your involvement with it, could not have a higher top-secret classification. The purpose of the Presidential Medal of Freedom is to recognize outstanding accomplishment—publicly. So the country and the world can know what you have done. The only way I could give you what you’ve earned would be in total secret, which would defeat the purpose of the honor.” He paused. “So while I’ve signed a secret order giving you this award, the ceremony and presentation of the medals will be postponed until such time as this project is declassified, even if I’m no longer in office at the time. While I can’t tell you how much I wish I could just invite you to the White House tomorrow for a public ceremony, that isn’t possible. But know this: the medals will always be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes. I am truly sorry about this.”
Both kids’ mouths hung open in astonishment and delight.
“Sorry?” said Ryan in disbelief. “There is no need to be sorry … ah, sir,” he added happily. “Thanks. Thanks a lot. It’s a fantastic honor. We don’t have to have the medals in our hands to appreciate it.”
Regan nodded her agreement. “Right. We understand why you can’t give them out now, sir. Just knowing that you wanted to do this, all by itself, is incredible.”
The president tilted his head slightly and grinned. “You two really are something,” he noted, impressed by their reaction. “Well, congratulations. You should know that you are, by far, the youngest recipients of this medal ever.” He raised his eyebrows. “Although I must admit that it’s possible you’ll be my age before you finally receive them.”
President Quinn sighed. “Unfortunately, I have to go now. But you both are quite remarkable, and I’d really like to spend some more time getting to know you better during my next visit to Prometheus.”
“We would be honored, Mr. President,” said Regan.
“Yes, anytime you would like, sir,” added Ryan.
The president nodded. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Dr. Harris and Carl said their goodb
yes as well and headed for the door. Just as they reached it the president turned and scratched his head. “Ben, Amanda,” he said. “Have you ever considered having more children?”
“Ah … no, Mr. President,” replied Ben Resnick, having been caught completely off-guard by the question. “Ah … not for a while now, sir.”
“Well, maybe you should,” said the president playfully. “Consider doing it for your country. As your patriotic duty. We could really use five or ten more kids like these two.”
Amanda Resnick’s eyes went wide. “Five or ten, sir?” she said, pretending to be alarmed.
“Well, ten or twenty would be better,” said the president, a huge smile coming over his handsome features. “But you’re obviously a very busy woman, so I would never ask you to have more than ten.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” replied Amanda Resnick, fighting to keep a straight face. “That’s very reasonable of you, sir,” she added.
CHAPTER 27
Underachievers
Ryan and Regan Resnick were signing in at the front office of their school when the principal, Lynda Lyons, poked her nose out of her office door. She saw the two siblings and shook her head. Five or ten minutes was one thing, but this time they were over an hour late. And they didn’t look guilty about it either. In fact, they looked so happy they were almost glowing.
There was something not quite right about these two kids. They were well behaved and did well enough at school, but they never seemed to go the extra mile. They were classic underachievers. They never did any extra-credit work. Neither one had even taken part in a recent Science Fair competition.
She had read in their files that their parents were both accomplished scientists and had even heard from their teachers that they wanted to be scientists when they grew up. Well, they would never become great scientists if they never made any effort to learn about science outside of the classroom, that was for sure. And if this wasn’t troubling enough, they both seemed to be the last students to get to school in the morning and often the first two to race out the door.
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