“How you feeling, kid?” she asked.

  “Better, babysitter.” This got a laugh from the other kids. “Next time, do me a favor—save me before the beating, please.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Thanks. I have a feeling your best is much better than most people’s.”

  She smiled. “I have a message for you from Admiral Bates. He’d like to see you tomorrow morning. He’ll send a car around, if that’s all right with you—say, ten o’clock?”

  “Tell him that’s good for me and that I’m looking forward to it.”

  Looking around, she added, “This town is not acting right. Normally, the people here are really friendly. I don’t understand it.” Then she said, “Tomorrow.”

  I went back inside. Johnny was having a hard time sitting down. I asked him why he’d gotten another spanking. He looked surprised but said, “I messed up on my chores. Want to play a card game?” When he said this, I noticed that Annabelle started to pout.

  I answered, motioning toward Annabelle, “Only if everyone can play.”

  Becky smiled and asked, “Annabelle, where are the Old Maid cards?” Annabelle laughed and ran from the room to find them. Becky looked at me and said in an analyzing tone, “You care a lot about how others feel. You were worried about the blood on my mom, with little thought about yourself. You care about how my brother feels, and you care that Annabelle is happy, because you included her in the card game. You have not said a word about wanting revenge for the way the townspeople—and especially the boys who beat you up—have treated you, yet I bet you have the ability to harm them. I saw you talking with that navy woman. She’s been watching you like you’re someone very important.” She had obviously been analyzing things for a while. I was beginning to like this girl.

  Annabelle returned with the cards, happy and ready to play. We sat around the coffee table and played until we were called in for dinner. Becky never took her eyes off me, and I’m sure she caught me cheating so that Annabelle could win. When she did, I smiled and winked at her. She smiled back. Most of the time, I was not paying much attention to the card game. I needed to get on with the next part of my plan, so every once in a while, I let a few tears fall.

  Dinner was wonderful, but I was still working my plan, so ate hardly anything and would shed a tear every now and then. I told Mrs. Crain, “The food is great, but I’m just not hungry right now.”

  Annabelle asked the needed question: “Mommy, why is everyone treating Freddy so bad? I’d cry too if they treated me like that.”

  Mrs. Crain said, “I’m not sure, baby, but I bet the mayor has something to do with it.”

  Carroll said, “I asked some people. They said they were trying to make him leave town. They don’t want anyone using that property, not even one little boy.”

  I looked at her with surprise and asked, “Why?”

  “The town has had some bad problems with the army and wants to be left alone.”

  I pretended rising panic. “They don’t understand. I have no choice. I don’t want to be forced to live alone, way out there.”

  Mrs. Crain touched my arm to calm me down. “What do you mean, you have no choice, dear?”

  “I’m …” I hesitated, wanting them to draw it out of me.

  “You’re what, dear?” Mrs. Crain gently asked.

  I could feel the anticipation and fear start to form in her mind about why the government would force a little boy to live in the woods, away from everyone. I figured I had better answer before she drew the wrong conclusion.

  “Because I’m intelligent.”

  Everyone relaxed, and Mrs. Crain said, “I can see that, dear.”

  “No, you don’t understand.” I looked directly into her eyes and said, “My IQ is so high that they can’t measure it. I have four doctorate degrees and a dozen master’s degrees. I have invented things that are making me a lot of money. I can build almost anything. When I went to Washington, DC, they found out I can heal people.” I reached out and touched her arm where she had burned herself earlier. The red was gone instantly and the pain with it.

  “My goodness!” said Mrs. Crain. Everyone started talking at once except Becky. She just smiled. Mrs. Crain said, “That’s very good, dear, and thank you very, very much, but why don’t you heal yourself?”

  “I can’t,” I lied. “I can just barely do the little I did for you. It takes a lot of strength that I just don’t have. Please don’t tell anyone … please.”

  “Dear, being intelligent and having this wonderful ability is no reason to send a little boy into the wilds by himself. And yes, people should know, and in a little town like this, it will get around anyway, so I won’t make that promise.”

  I looked embarrassed. “Mrs. Crain, the government knows that I am still growing. I’m inventing things that they don’t understand, and they don’t want me doing it in Washington, DC, or where other governments can find out just how smart I am, but I can’t stop. I love inventing things. They wanted me to invent things for them, but I said no. I don’t want to invent things that hurt people.”

  Mrs. Crain said, “But that’s good, dear.”

  With a little indignation, I added, “The people in the government weren’t happy about my decision. They drew the wrong conclusion. The politicians do not like that idea one bit. Because I refuse to build what they want and do what they want, it makes me a possible national security problem. They can’t just kill me to get rid of the problem, because they might need me someday. My little healing ability can do wonders when used around the heart or liver, and I healed someone with enough power to get them to agree that I was useful to them, They decided that putting me out here keeps me under the eye of our government, yet keeps me out of trouble and hidden away from other countries. The choice was given to me: live out here or have an accident.” The gasps from everyone broke my train of thought for a second, but then I said, “Now the whole town is against me too. I’ve never harmed anyone, so why do people hate me?”

  “Oh dear, it does look like you’re between a rock and a hard place. I’m so sorry.”

  “I don’t hate you,” Becky said, and I smiled at her.

  “Interesting.”

  Everything went black.

  “What now, master?”

  One of the Gray’s tentacles reached out and slammed into the Green’s head, knocking the Green away from the vat. “Don’t you ever use that tone of voice with me! Ever!”

  I was drifting down in the gel-like substance of the vat, and the Green quickly reinserted its tentacles to hold me very gently. The Green asked sincerely, “Master, if this one dies due to your interference with my process, how long will you live?”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “Master, this vat is shielded in such a way that it keeps his energy drained to a point that he cannot use his mental abilities. I am holding him in the center to ensure that he does not touch the sides or bottom. If he does touch the shielding, his energy will be drained completely in a single count. He will instantly die. You nearly made me kill him just now.”

  I could plainly see the fear in the Gray’s eyes.

  “Someone would be dispatched, and I would not live very long, Green, not very long. Why is that light blinking?”

  “Master, it is a warning light and alarm. The boy was only a fraction of a drop from touching the left side. We will have company very soon.”

  “Continue when you are ready. We must have something to report when they arrive.”

  Chapter 7

  Plan B

  “It’s not your fault,” I told the people at the table. “You’ve been very kind to me, all of you, and I appreciate it very much. The town has ruined everything, but I have a way out, a Plan B that I’m going to have to fall back on. It’s guaranteed to be successful, but I was hoping not to have to use it, because it goes heavily against my not wanting to be involved with the government.”

  Everyone was quiet for a little while, and then Mrs. Crain asked, “What does your Plan B entail, dear?”

  I looked up at her and said, “Nothing hard. A general from the army called me up just before I came out here. He said he’d trade me workers, materials, and anything I wanted if I would do him a favor. He seemed very nice to me and quite upset with this town—he said they were a bunch of … pardon the expression, ‘hick fools.’ He told me they would hate me here because I’m different and that they would do everything they could to make my life miserable.”

  “That’s not true, dear.”

  I looked at her with wide eyes and said, “Other than this family and a nice lady named Nancy at the diner and her mom, the general hit the nail right on the head, as far as I can see.”

  Annabelle said, “Aunt Betty and Cousin Nancy.”

  Her mom smiled and looked at me. “Family.”

  Carroll said, “I can see his point, Mom. I think the mayor just played right into the general’s hands. Freddy, what did the general want from you?”

  “Oh, nothing much—something I can easily give him but that will cost me hardly anything at all. It really seems like the best way to go, considering the circumstances. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

  Mrs. Crain looked worried now. “Sweetheart, this is very important. What did he want?”

  “He wants ten square miles of land on my northern border to set up a permanent compound. Since my land borders this town, I would say that’s right at the backside of the last street in the south part of town. When I asked him why, he said he had some undesirables that the town near the base begged him to transfer. He needs a new town to keep them in, about two hundred of them.”

  Mrs. Crain nearly fainted, and I could see the look of terror on the kids’ faces. I knew this information was about to explode though the town, so I needed a little insurance. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about. The land reverts back to the army’s use if I leave or get killed anyway. That almost happened today.”

  Mrs. Crain turned white. She got up and told Carroll to please watch the younger kids and clean up the dishes because she had to go somewhere right away. Before she left, she asked, “Freddy, why are you going to see the admiral tomorrow?”

  “Oh, I’m supposed to check in with him. He’s having me watched to ensure I don’t try to leave. I’m sure the president, or Congress, or the FBI ordered him to make sure that I stay here or die, one or the other.”

  She looked outside at the woman who had been watching the house for days. I got up and came to her. “Haven’t you noticed that the navy SEALs—trained killers—have been watching me since I arrived?”

  “Oh dear, she can’t want you dead.”

  “It’s like I said, ma’am; either way is all right with them. They’d prefer me alive because I can be useful to them, but dead will work too. You notice she never tried to help when I was being beaten up, even though she was right across the street. She could have easily stopped it, but that’s not what she was ordered to do.”

  “That’s cold-blooded,” said Carroll as she walked up next to us.

  “Don’t worry about the kids, Mrs. Crain,” I said. “She doesn’t have orders about them. She’d never harm anyone unless she was ordered to do so. She’d probably protect them with her life as long as it didn’t interfere with her orders regarding me. I know her kind. She can really be nice, but she’ll do her job with perfection.”

  Mrs. Crain bent down and looked at me with tears in her eyes. Then she straightened up and left. Carroll immediately took over, and the kids listened to her without issue. She let me help with the cleanup, as she wanted to keep an eye on me like the doctor said to do. This made me very happy. Becky quietly helped and watched me very closely. She noticed I was happy with helping, and this made her smile even more.

  The Gray said, “Hold.”

  Everything went black.

  “Master?”

  “So, their military is intelligent enough to know that the boy is dangerous. No wonder we had such a hard time getting to him. He was protected by far more than their president.”

  “Yes, master.”

  “Where is the lady going? She has the boy and her children to watch after.”

  “Just a moment, master.” The Green’s expression went blank for a second. “We scanned that entire family. As you know, most humans are weak-minded, without the mental protections this boy has. They are evolving and developing mental protections that will stop our ability to grab information. However, this family has none, so we copied and recorded their memories and let them go. The Body System has everything on file. Would you like me to play the female’s memories back for you?”

  “Absolutely!”

  Chapter 8

  Town Meeting

  On the overhead screen, I watched as the scene fell into place. I smiled, as I had several ideas on how to improve on this mental copying ability. And their screen was not the best. Still, information flowed across the viewer, setting up the information from Mrs. Crain.

  A town meeting was called right after the doctor left the Crain’s bed-and-breakfast. The doctor went straight to the police and spread the news that the mayor’s little game had possibly gotten Freddy killed. She told the police that if Freddy died from a concussion, she would personally call the state police and have the mayor and the boys arrested for premeditated murder.

  Posters went up and the word was passed: “Town Meeting Tonight—7:00 p.m.”

  Mrs. Crain was very upset when she walked into the town meeting. The old wooden church was packed. People stood and sat wherever they could. Children were sitting up in the rafters and on their fathers’ shoulders to get a good view. The meeting had just started when Mrs. Crain arrived, and already the mayor had humbly stepped down. He and the boys were not feeling so well, once his wife and the boys’ mothers learned what they’d done. In fact, the mayor and the boys were grounded permanently, and all of them were sitting very quietly on the hard wooden benches in the back.

  When Mrs. Crain reached the town hall, she went right to the front. Devin Miles, owner of the lumberyard and hardware store, as deputy mayor, had stepped up as acting mayor until they could elect a new one. Devin Miles was a good, kind man. He was in his early forties, but was already showing some signs of age. Tall and extremely well muscled from hard work, he looked more like an old-fashioned blacksmith. His face was clean-shaven, and he had brown eyes that smiled even when he frowned.

  When Alice Crain walked in, Devin motioned for quiet and then motioned her forward. He filled her in on what had happened during the day and at the beginning of the meeting. She asked for the floor, so Devin introduced her and stepped back.

  Mrs. Crain addressed the entire town. “Friends, I have good news and very bad news. Freddy … Dr. Anderson … looks like he’ll be all right.” That got cheers from everyone and sighs of relief from the boys in the back. Devin motioned for everyone to quiet down. Mrs. Crain continued. “The boy has problems—life-or-death problems—and doesn’t need us compounding the issue. And the general is on his way back here.”

  It got deadly quiet. Devin Miles stood up and said, “You’ll need to explain that one. We’ve been working hard to ensure that degenerate stays out. My goodness, Alice, that’s what this is all about.”

  “Well, let me tell you what you’ve just done. A little boy, an orphaned boy, all alone in the world, has caught the attention of our wonderful government. It turns out that he’s extremely intelligent, so much so that he can do minor healing using his mind. I burned myself with hot grease today, and he healed it with a touch.”

  The whole town started talking at once. Devin stood up and motioned for everyone to be quiet again. When the group calmed down, Alice continued. “He begged me not to tell anyone this, as he has been persecuted for it ever since the government found out about his abilities. I believe he thinks we’ll regard him as a freak—or worse, that we’ll try to kill him like we almost did today.” Most of the group turned to stare at the boys again.

  “Just like any of us would, he refused to work for the government and build things that harm others,” Mrs. Crain said. “This child would never harm anyone who wasn’t directly trying to kill him.” Everyone glared at the boys again. “The government thinks he’s a threat to national security. First, because he can do this healing with his mind; second, because he can build and invent things that no one else can; third, because he won’t work for them; and fourth, because they can’t afford for him to fall into the hands of some foreign country.”

  Devin said, “Man, that’s a lot to put on a child and an orphan at that.”

  Mrs. Crain turned to him and said, “That’s not all.” Turning back to the group, she continued. “He was given this land and a choice—live here or have an ‘accident.’” The entire town was shocked into total silence.

  Betty stood up and said, “That sounds like something you get from TV. How can you be sure of this?”

  “Let’s look at the facts,” Mrs. Crain replied. “One, the government gave him the land. I saw the grant on his desk in his room. People and government agencies have been trying to get this land for decades and haven’t come close. Now, all of a sudden, it’s his, free and clear and tax-free to boot. Two, it was important enough that the army was thrown out to make room for him. The general would never have let this happen if he had any choice, so it had to come from way up—say, presidential level. Three, the boy was sent here and has to go to an appointment with the admiral tomorrow. He said he has to check in. And four, a different navy WAVE has watched my hotel for three days. It seems they were waiting for Freddy. The only time they left was to follow Freddy through town today.”

 

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