The Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro

by J. Hickey

Chapter 6

  Uncle Joey

  Hunter awoke in his parents' old bed with the picture Margot had given him clutched tightly in his hand. He rubbed his eyes, folded the picture up and placed it safely in his wallet. The wondrous aroma of bacon filled the room, and for a second, he pictured his mother at home in the kitchen cooking breakfast-bacon, eggs, pancakes, and all the trimmings to go along with it. His mother would always make huge Sunday morning breakfasts for the kids. He thought for a second that he would walk out into the kitchen and find her there over the stove flipping the bacon strips and dishing up pancakes onto his father's plate while he skimmed through the thick Sunday newspaper at the table. Memories like these sneaking into his head equally made him smile and want to cry at the same time.

  "You're awake. Good morning." Margot poured Hunter a glass of orange juice. "I hope you like bacon."

  Hunter smiled and took a seat as he swallowed down a big gulp of orange juice. Margot filled his plate up with scrambled eggs, and his stomach growled at the insatiable smell.

  "When you're done, we need to go check on your sister. It was a late night for you-you slept past noon."

  Hunter didn't speak much, only because he was too busy enjoying the breakfast Margot had prepared. All the excitement of the night before had left his stomach aching for food. Once his meal settled, his mind rested on the thought of his little sister and he wondered how she was doing.

  "Ready?" Margot asked.

  It was a quick walk back through the game room and cafeteria. Hunter found himself once again riding the elevator back to his room. By the time they rounded the hallway, Hunter heard familiar voices echoing down the hall. He ran quickly, could it really be?

  "Uncle Joe!" Hunter yelled in excitement. He ran to his uncle with his arms out wide for a hug.

  "Hunter! Buddy!" Joe kneeled down and gave his nephew a giant embrace. Hunter felt safe in his uncle's arms. Something he hadn't felt since coming to the mansion-security. He had missed his uncle so much, but he could tell his uncle wasn't quite himself. He looked worn down and tired; thick dark bags had formed under his uncle's eyes. Uncle Joe just wasn't his normal jovial self.

  Joe was of average height and just a slight bit overweight. He would always tell Hunter a college student's diet of dehydrated microwaveable chicken noodles and day-old pizza made it impossible to be thin. He had unmistakable dark black hair and even darker brown eyes to match-a Jakobs' family trait. When he would take Hunter out to the mall or local grocery store, people always mistook Hunter for his son-they looked so much alike. Joe's skin was paler than usual too, and his normally well-trimmed facial hair had turned into a heavy beard with just the slight tint of grey beginning to set in. Hunter thought it looked like his uncle hadn't slept in weeks.

  "I'm so sorry about Elly," said Hunter, now looking over to his sleeping sister. "Is she doing better?" He once again felt the guilt rise in his stomach, summoning tears he tried to forcibly hold back. Hunter never was one to cry, especially in front of his uncle.

  "She's stable," Ms. Ellingbee replied. "Thanks to your help, Dominick."

  "Yes, thank you. I'm so glad you were here when I couldn't be." Uncle Joe shook Dominick's hand. "You have no idea how much we owe you."

  "It's no problem," Dominick stated. "I got some stitches, and I'll have a few permanent scars-all in a day's work though, right?" His voice suddenly turned a bit sterner as he looked at Hunter. "But none of it would have happened if these kids had listened." He gave Hunter a disgusted look. "They should never have been wandering around the mansion."

  "No worries, Dominick," Patricia interrupted. "The proper discipline will be administered."

  "Well then, if you'll excuse me. I have a score to settle." Dominick gathered his hunting supplies, his laser scope rifle, backpack, and medical provisions. "Stay out of trouble, kid." He nodded towards Hunter and stomped out of the room.

  "He's pretty upset with you guys," Uncle Joe said.

  "Don't worry about him. When it came down to it, he was here for Elly when she needed it," Patricia replied. She then dampened a small cloth with ice-cold water, rang the excess water out of it and gently applying it to Elly's forehead. "She's running a small fever, nothing serious though. As long as we continue to manage it, she should be fine."

  "Uncle Joey, you don't look too good," Hunter intervened.

  "Well, it's been a rough few weeks for me. Patricia called me late last night with the news of Elly, and it didn't help with the lack of sleep I have been struggling with. I thought I told you guys on the phone to listen to Patricia? What were you thinking sneaking out like that?" He felt exhausted and plopped tiredly down on the bed next to Elly, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully through her fever. Uncle Joe ran his fingers through his thick beard as he let out a sigh.

  "They were not thinking," Margot added.

  Joe hadn't seen her walk in and was a bit startled by the sound of her voice.

  "Err… I'm sorry?" Joe replied with a faint smile.

  "They've been stuck in this room for the better part of the week. They were going stir crazy. Hunter, you're sorry for disobeying, aren't you?" She smiled at Hunter.

  "I am, really," Hunter replied.

  "Okay, Hunter, we can talk about it later. I'm just glad you're safe and Elly is doing well." Uncle Joe stood up from Elly's bed and ruffled Hunter's hair playfully. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met." He turned to Margot and extended his hand.

  "Umm, my name is… err… Margot." Her face blushed.

  "I don't recall meeting you before," said Joe as he fixed his collared shirt, a bit embarrassed by his outfit.

  "No, I've only been here at Belmonte Estate for a few years. I've heard about you though," she answered.

  "Well, Margot…" Joe smiled at her. "I hope it was good things." He laughed nervously.

  "Of course," she answered. "Nothing too embarrassing, I promise."

  "Good because there's a few doozies floating around these old walls." Joe took back his seat next to Elly and checked her temperature with his hand. She was still quite warm to the touch. He let out another frustrated sigh. Between the loss of his sister, and loss of a good friend in her husband, coinciding with his niece and nephew moving to the Belmonte Estate, he couldn't help but feel much like his young nephew-lonely. It had been an emotional rollercoaster of a month for the remaining members of the Jakobs family. He hadn't told anyone-nor would he ever admit to it-but he was quite upset that his sister had picked Professor Claudio Calenstine to be the children's guardian. Joe had loved them like his own children, and he could really use them in his life right now. He also wasn't very happy about them being raised in the mansion.

  "Well, can someone fill me in on what actually is going on here? Things have definitely changed since I left." Joe looked to Patricia for answers.

  "Yes. of course. Follow me, and we can speak in private." She motioned towards the bedroom door with a wave of her hand. "It's been quite some time since you've set foot here at Belmonte. It will take some catching up, not just on the current situation either, quite a bit has changed."

  "Hunter, are you okay to stay here with your sister?" Joe asked.

  "Don't worry; I'll stay with them while you catch up with Patricia," offered Margot.

  "Oh… well, thank you." Joe smiled as he and Patricia left the bedroom and made their way down the hall to speak in peace.

  "Margot," Hunter scratched Trayer behind his ears as he spoke hesitantly, "when we snuck out last night, we saw something in the library." He had been itching to ask about the giant robot they had seen, he just wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

  "Yes, the Beast of Bladenboro. I'm sure it was scary."

  "Well… uh… yes, that was scary," Hunter answered. "But, we saw… well, we saw something else down there. Another monster… A big monster."

  "What? You couldn't have. We'd know if there was something else out." Margot was surprised and a bit worried by Hunter's claim. There had never been a breakout in th
e mansion before the Beast of Bladenboro had got out. One breakout was a big enough deal. If another creature had escaped, it would surely be a sign of worse things to come.

  "No, seriously… there really was," Hunter explained. "It was huge, um… like a machine or something. It had glowing blue eyes."

  "Oh!" Margot let out a sigh of relief. "That's just Plato," she answered.

  "Plato?" Hunter frowned as if he was missing something.

  Oh, well… umm… he's an Automaton," she answered as if Hunter knew what an Automaton was. "Actually he's our librarian." She chuckled a little. "He also takes care of the sublevel cells…err… and by that I mean he takes care of the lower levels of the mansion."

  "An auto… what?" Hunter asked.

  "An Automaton. I suppose you could call him an android if you're more familiar with that term," she explained.

  "He's a robot then?" Hunter asked, a bit surprised.

  "Yes, we were going to introduce you soon, during the Orientation. Meeting a walking, talking robot can be a bit… well, hard for some people to handle." Margot's mouth pursed a bit as she spoke. "Why did you think he was a monster? He's such a nice robot."

  "Well… it was chasing us, so we ran away thinking it wanted to hurt us. That's when we ran into Dominick and the ugly monster with wings."

  "Great," Margot chuckled. "He wasn't attacking you. He was probably trying to take you back to your room. He knows you both weren't supposed to be wandering around the mansion. He's a gentle giant. To be honest, you probably hurt his feelings running away from him."

  Hunter questioned the concept of a robot having hurt feelings; he always thought robots were void of emotions-at least that's what he had learned from all the sci-fi marathons he had watched with his father. Then again, he never thought they were real either. "Robots can't have feelings; they're not human, right?"

  "Well… Plato is sort of state of the art." Margot paused for a second, trying to think of an easy explanation of how the robot operated. "You see… we didn't build Plato, we found him buried under tons of stone rubble in an old archaic crypt deep in the sea. Actually, he's quite ancient, so I suppose saying he's state of the art is a bit misleading. That's also why he looks a bit scary if you didn't know any better. He comes from a different time and place."

  "So how does an old out-of-date robot have feelings?" Hunter was still quite confused.

  "Er… well, I guess they're not real feelings. Plato has been learning the complexity of human emotion through syncing up with the Internet, and he usually gets it right. So you're correct, they're not real emotions per se, but in order to understand us, he attempts to artificially display feelings and affections."

  "So, how can he be state of the art and ancient?" Hunter asked. Suddenly he felt quite excited over Plato's existence. An ancient robot that walked and talked like a person? His father would have been so excited.

  "Um, well… it's a bit confusing until you learn a bit more about what we do here in the mansion. Put it this way," Margot explained, thinking carefully on how to clarify the elaborate concepts to a young child. "You see, we didn't create Plato. If we did, it would have been state of the art to our current limitations. This is where it gets tricky; our state of the art is nothing near as advanced as Plato's state of the art when he was made. We just don't have that sort of technology at our disposal yet," she explained. "Someone else created Plato. Someone that was far more advanced in the science of robotics than we are today. You see… well… Plato was made a long time ago by an ancient advanced civilization that has now been lost to time."

  "That's impossible." Hunter was confused.

  "What is?"

  "An old civilization couldn't make that thing."

  "Well, see, that's just it. If I told you about an ancient, ancient civilization that was far more advanced than us, would you believe me?" She quizzed.

  "Um… well, I guess not, no…" Hunter thought for a second. "If there was such a thing, wouldn't we have been taught that in school?"

  "No because modern people today think in general terms, such as myths and folklore, unwilling to accept that there may be truth within these stories. They laugh at the idea of an ancient civilization superior to our own. It's a bit frustrating for people like us who seek out the truth." Margot continued, "Plato is proof, but if we were to go public about his presence, he'd be taken away. And who knows what the government would do to him. Dissect him probably, and Plato is far too nice for that."

  "We thought he wanted to kill us." Hunter was a little embarrassed. He felt like a jerk hurting a giant robot's feelings.

  "You should have introduced yourselves. He loves children." Margot smiled.

  Margot and Hunter sat next to Elly and kept her company while she slept. Together they played with Trayer and patiently waited for Patricia and Joe to come back from their conversation. Hunter was thrilled now that his uncle had come to stay with them at the mansion, and it showed with his newfound smile. Yet the downtime endured while waiting for his uncle to return found Hunter wondering about the long list of questions that haunted him about the mansion.

  He thought of the weird symbol he had seen on the computer screen. He wondered what it stood for, what it meant… He wondered about his family and what sort of connection they had with the mysterious estate. He thought of Margot and how happy she made him when she and shown him his parents' quarters. How the photo she had given him made him feel closer than ever before to his beloved parents despite their loss, but even that slight ray of hope was engulfed with shadows. He couldn't help but wonder why they even had a second home in the mansion in the first place. What did they do when they were here anyway? Why was his mom referred to as a "Seeker" in that email, and what the heck did that mean anyway? So many questions weighed on his young mind, and yet they didn't end there.

  He had just been attacked by a winged beast-some sort of treacherous monster that had the body of a giant purple cat and the wings of a bat. It was nothing like any animal he had ever seen or read about.

  His mind then turned to Professor Claudio Calenstine, his new guardian, who he hadn't even met yet. He wondered what his new guardian was like, and why anyone would want to live in such a strange place. Despite all these illusive questions, he didn't dare ask Margot for answers. He was already in trouble for getting his little sister hurt. Nobody knew he had read the documents on the computer, and he preferred it to stay that way.

  "Hunter," Elly whispered from her bed, her voice cracking as she spoke.

  Hunter jumped from the sound, a bit startled. "Elly?"

  "Are you okay, dear? How do you feel?" Margot rushed over and held her hand. It was warm and clammy.

  "Wh… err… what… happened?" Elly's words were soft. She could only manage a light raspy whisper. She spoke, but she didn't have the strength to open her eyes.

  "You were in an accident, Elly. How are you feeling?" Margot added, but Elly didn't respond.

  "What's wrong, is she okay?" Hunter grew agitated. "Why isn't she answering?" He began to panic.

  "Shhh," Margot whispered. "She's fallen back to sleep, Hunter. It's okay though; it's good that she came to even for a second. That means she's getting her strength back. Patricia will be delighted to hear the news."

  "Here." Hunter took the wet towel Margot had just dampened. "I'll hold the wet towel on her forehead."

  "Thank you, you're a good big brother," Margot smiled. "So you're uncle… you seem very close to him."

  "Uncle Joe is great. I wish we could have lived with him instead of in this mansion, but he said we couldn't."

  "Well I'm sure he wanted to." Margot chose her words carefully. "I know your parents were very excited for you and your sister to live here at the estate. They would always tell me how excited they thought the two of you would be once you learned of their lives here."

  "I guess," Hunter replied.

  "It's true! They couldn't wait for the day to share the magic of the estate with you."

  "Re
ally?" Hunter found that hard to believe.

  "And I'm sure Joe had his reasons for not being able to stay with you and Elly."

  "Well, he always says he's a poor college student. But he's too old to use that excuse. He's not even a student anymore. We went to his graduation party last year."

  "Oh?" Margot cracked a smile. "Is that so?"

  "Yeah, and he usually doesn't have that giant beard. He looks kind of scary with it."

  "I sort of liked it." Margot smiled.

  Another hour passed before Uncle Joe and Patricia made their way back to the bedroom. Patricia was elated to hear that Elly had momentarily regained consciousness. Yet despite the good news, the stress on Joe's face was quite evident, even to Hunter's young eyes.

  "You look tired," Margot noted.

  "Is it that noticeable?" Joe responded with a light felt smile. "With everything that's been going on, and the helicopter ride over here, I'm just beat."

  "Uncle Joe is afraid to fly." Hunter laughed.

  "Yes, I'm also deathly afraid of bugs and heights." Joe laughed back.

  "No wonder you decided to leave the mansion." Patricia smiled as she checked on Elly's status.

  "Well, I supposed you could justify it that way."

  "How long were you here for?" Hunter asked.

  "Long enough." Joe cracked a small smile as he thought back to his childhood. "I grew up here, just like you and your sister will."

  "Really? You did?" Hunter was shocked at the news.

  "I did. Your grandparents raised your mother and I here for much of our late childhood."

  "Would you and Hunter like to continue this discussion over lunch?" Margot offered. "I wouldn't mind preparing you something upstairs."

  "I'd love something to eat," Joe said, nodding.

  The group left the room and followed Margot up towards the dining area. Joe hadn't realized how hungry he was. If there was anything he missed about the mansion, it was the delicious food. College had ruined his diet; he hadn't eaten a three-course meal in years.

  Joe didn't realize how much the mansion had changed in the past ten years-very little was as he remembered it. When they entered the dining room, he peered out his favorite window from his youth. This is where as a child he would often look out during mealtimes, wondering what strange and mysterious creatures he would get to learn about next. He was shocked to see the flora-filled greenhouse sitting where he used to play games of kickball outside with his friends. He couldn't believe how much new technology had been incorporated into the dusty old mansion he remembered. He settled down at one of the stark white dining tables alongside Hunter as Margot began preparing lunch for the three of them.

  "I see they added a new greenhouse where I used to run amuck," Joe said.

  "Yes, it's quite new. We needed a controlled ecosystem for some of our new research," Margot explained as she readied a pot with boiling water.

  "There are actually televisions now too," he joked.

  "Not in our room," Hunter mumbled.

  "Parts of the mansion have been upgraded with internet, and yes, cable as well." She laughed a little. "Many more people live here all year round, and the professor thought it would help make them feel more at home if we modernized the place."

  "I see," Joe responded. "Pretty nice lady that Margot, don't you think?" he whispered to Hunter.

  Hunter smiled back. He thought she was nice too, but he felt like his uncle had an entirely different meaning.

  "Kinda cute too, right?" Joe playfully punched Hunter's shoulder.

  "Err… I dunno… I guess," Hunter shrugged off the question shyly.

  "Knew I should have taken the extra ten minutes and shaved this gnarly beard off." Joe ran his fingers through his facial hair. "What do you think-is it me?"

  "Margot said she liked it," answered Hunter, feeling a little uncomfortable.

  "Really?" Joe looked over at Margot as she prepared a hearty lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and what smelled to him like a pot of tomato soup. "Anyway, despite all the craziness you and your sister got into last night, how has your stay in the mansion been so far?"

  "Terrible," Hunter answered bluntly.

  "That surprises me." His uncle frowned. "This place is full of trouble for kids your age to get into. As much as you and your sister should be grounded for sneaking out last night, I understand. When your mother and I were here as kids, we always got into trouble."

  "Were you my age?" Hunter asked.

  "Yep, we sure were, and we were always getting into some sort of trouble. Your grandparents were always disciplining us."

  "How come you guys never told us about this place?"

  "Well… because it's not allowed." Uncle Joe scratched his chin as he tried to put into words what he was allowed to say, which turned out not to be very easy.

  "What do you mean?" Hunter egged on.

  "It's hard to explain, in fact it's one of the reasons I left. Hard to trust a place always full of secrets, ya know?" Joe spoke in a hushed voice. "But to honor your parents' wishes, I will play the game and watch what I say."

  "That's what everyone says." Hunter grew annoyed. "‘We'll tell you later, you'll meet him soon, you'll get answers when the time is right,'" Hunter whined.

  "I understand… I really do," Uncle Joe replied. "It was the same way when your mom and I were younger." Joe cracked his knuckles uncomfortably, a bad habit he picked up when he felt uneasy. "I can tell you that this place keeps its secrets for a good reason. There are a lot of… um, well… highly classified and sometimes even dangerous things going on within these walls. In order to keep the mansion private and concealed from the world, they live by a very secretive code. I can tell you that you'll learn a lot about why you're here very soon. In a few days, everyone will have arrived, and you'll slowly get some answers. Until then, I suggest we just sit back and go with the flow."

  "Why are there more people coming?" Hunter asked.

  "Have they not told you anything? In a couple of days, once everyone who has been invited shows up, there's an Orientation where you'll learn a brief history of the estate. You'll get a quick tour, and at the end, you'll have to make a big decision."

  "What sort of decision?"

  "The same one your mom and I made, the same one your grandparents made before us. It's written in you and your sister's fate. It's sort of a family tradition."

  "Lunch is ready!" Margot interrupted. She carried over a platter of delicious-smelling grilled cheese sandwiches accompanied by a slow-roasted pot of rich and creamy tomato soup. Hunter and Joe were both eager to fill their bellies. The wondrous aroma made their mouths salivate.

  "Hope everyone is hungry. It's nothing fancy, but one of my favorites."

  "Are you kidding?" Joe beamed. "I've spent eight years in college. Anything that's not made with dehydrated noodles and prepackaged seasoning is a feast." He took a sip of the steaming hot soup. "Oh man… heavenly," he told her.

  "Well, thank you." Margot blushed slightly.

  "Grilled cheese is my favorite too," Hunter added. He took a giant bite, spilling the delicious melted cheese onto his chin.

  "So you decided to leave the mansion for college?" asked Margot.

  "Umm, well… Yeah, sort of. I just finished my master's degree in creative writing," Joe replied, speaking between mouthfuls of food.

  "Really, a writer? That must be why you have that beard." Margot laughed.

  "Err… Well, not exactly," Joe said, chuckling. "I call this my stress beard. Too much has happened in the last month to worry about small things like lining up my facial hair evenly."

  "Uncle Joe is a great writer," Hunter interrupted. "He always writes Elly and me into his stories. My favorite is when he made me as a superhero who had powers to fight off evil monsters."

  "Really?" Margot teased. "Written anything I would have read?"

  "Not unless Hunter was selling the copies online and taking all my royalties," Joe joked. "Actually," Joe's voice got a bit more s
erious, "before their parents…" he stumbled for a second, forgetting momentarily Hunter was with them, "…well you know, before all these terrible things happened around us, I was offered a job at my college to teach."

  "How exciting!" she exclaimed.

  "I didn't know that Uncle Joe," said Hunter.

  "Well, I had to turn it down."

  "What, why?" Hunter asked, taking sips of the steaming soup. "You've been in school forever."

  "Well, buddy, sometimes life throws you curve balls, and you just have to readjust your batting stance."

  "Oh," Hunter replied, not really understanding the euphemism.

  Margot didn't respond, instead she frowned ever so slightly as she finished her meal.

  The three of them ate in silence until they finished. Hunter and Joe were both thankful of Margot's kindness, and now their bellies were filled to the brim with her delicious food. The afternoon had been nice for Hunter and Joe both. Joe missed his niece and nephew dearly, and although he wouldn't show the kids, he was struggling miserably with the death of his sister. It was therapeutic to spend time with his nephew.

  When Joe received the call that Elly had been hurt earlier that morning, he had experienced his first ever panic attack. He had been alone for almost two weeks locked away in his small downtown apartment. He found himself only willing to leave for the funeral service and a couple of random food runs. Even then, most of his money went uncharacteristically on booze. He had found himself in a dark place he had never been in before. His only way to deal with his pain was drinking away what he couldn't deal with. He was quickly watching himself turn into someone he desperately didn't want to be. Yet he didn't have the strength to make the change.

  Joe originally planned to depart for the mansion in a few days time-he made a promise to himself to clean up his act and to be emotionally strong enough to take care of his niece and nephew while he visited. He never thought he would be awoken in the middle of the night and boarding a personal helicopter just a few hours later. Flying in any shape was one of his biggest fears. Before he left, he took a strong shot to ease his nerves. He was thankful Elly was doing better; thankful to be around his family, but he was ashamed to have shown up in his current condition. Even now, there with his nephew, he felt the urge. He realized he wasn't ready to return to the mansion yet and raise his niece and nephew, especially under these circumstances.

  "Hunter, be a pal and take care of the dishes. Margot was nice enough to make us food. You can take care of it."

  "Okay." Hunter would normally argue over the daily chore of dishes, but he still felt terrible about sneaking out and getting Elly hurt, and he couldn't believe he hadn't been grounded yet. He knew it was in his best interest not to start an argument. He gathered the dishes and ran the hot water in the sink, applying a diligent amount of dish soap.

  "That was easier than expected. Any normal day, and I'd have to ask him at least three times." Joe chuckled.

  "That was sweet of you," Margot added, ignoring the joke.

  "What? Putting Hunter to work on the dishes?"

  "No… um… you know, how you gave up that job as a professor to be here with them. They need you here. Hunter is a different person when he's around you. I think it makes this transition a bit easier for him."

  "To be honest," Joe looked over at Hunter washing out the soup stained bowls, "as much as I would like to think I made the choice to be here for them, I'm pretty sure I need them more than they probably need me. I was a mess before I got here." Joe took a second. "Honestly, I'm still a mess… Coming here and seeing their faces though… even Elly's, who's lying up in that bed sick, they make me want to get better."

  "They seem like good kids." Margot reached out her hand and placed it onto Joe's sympathetically.

  Joe found himself affectionately squeezing hers without realizing it. He found himself looking into her eyes; they were dark blue and slightly infused with a hint of speckled grey. He had never seen eyes that color before. He found them fascinating and hard to pull away from.

  "I'm all finished," interrupted Hunter.

  Joe jumped slightly, and Margot pulled her hand away quickly. She cleared her throat nervously and smiled at Hunter, who walked back over to the table. He took a seat next to his uncle, completely oblivious to the moment.

  "Uncle Joe, they have an awesome game room. Want to play something? They have a pool table like at my house."

  But before Joe could agree to a game of pool, Margot's radio interrupted them.

  Hunter frowned at the distraction. He had been eager to play in the game room since seeing it the night before.

  "Margot, are you still with Joseph?" Patricia chimed in over the static of the two-way radio. "I thought he would like to meet me downstairs to welcome Benjamin and his son, Alistair Jenson, as they arrive. They've just been dropped off at the gates."

  "Ben is here?" The excitement on Joe's face was evident. He stood up quickly from his chair, ready to run downstairs.

  "Copy that, Patricia. I'll look after Elly while Joe and Hunter meet up with you downstairs."

  "Who's that?" Hunter asked. He recognized the two names from the computerized message he had read.

  "Ben was my best friend when I lived here as a kid. Man, we always were getting into trouble. You know he has a boy your age-you can meet a new friend."

  A new friend, Hunter thought. He was a bit nervous about meeting someone new. He was never comfortable at forced social moments like these. However, the thought of befriending someone his age in this strange place put him a bit more at ease. Maybe things were finally starting to turn around for him.