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Authors: James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein
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newscaster face anymore. He was back in terrifying demon mode, his red eyes burning brightly.
“Good citizens,” Number 2 said calmly, “I urge you to hurry. We don’t have room down below for
everybody
. When my shelters are full, we will be forced to barricade the entryways and eradicate any stragglers. Oh. One more thing. President McManus?”
The camera swung back to the politician who used to be the most powerful man on Earth.
“Yes, thank you. Our new Lord and Master has advised me that there is one resident of the United States that he is particularly interested in meeting down below. In fact, if this young man will do the right thing, well, Number 2 has given me his word that he will be more inclined to show mercy to those of us currently under his protection.”
Every eye in the van was staring at me.
The president leaned forward.
“Daniel?” he said. “If you’re out there, son, do the right thing. Turn yourself in. Surrender!”
I guess Number 2 had cut a deal with America’s ruling elite: give me Daniel X, and you guys get off easy. Maybe he promised them indoor work on Cordood Three.
Now the president’s image was replaced by my pimply yearbook mug shot, the same one Number 2 had shown to his minions down in that sweltering cavern.
According to the text scrolling across the bottom of the screen, I was an “illegal alien” and my capture would earn the captor “Special Work Condition Consideration.”
Great.
Now Number 2 had turned the
entire nation
into bounty hunters!
Chapter 28
I WAS USED to being a bad guy to the bad guys, but not a bad guy to the good guys. This was a little too much to absorb.
“Okay, everybody,” I said. “Answer me this: If Number 2 is an intergalactic slaver, why does he want
me
more than any other creature currently residing on planet Earth?”
“Easy,” said Joe. “You’d be the most awesome slave ever! You could build the pharaoh his pyramids in a heartbeat, just by thinking about them.”
“Maybe…”
Once again, all the TV screens were filled with images of citizens fleeing their homes for the so-called safety of the subway tunnels.
“Well, Dad,” said Mel, “guess you, me, and Agent Williams are the only humans
not
doing what our president just told us to do.”
Agent Judge shook his head. “This isn’t the America I remember.”
“These colors don’t run,” mumbled Agent Williams, sitting behind the steering wheel.
I turned to my four friends. “Guys, take five.”
“What?” said Dana. “You’re not sending us away
again
, are you?”
“These colors don’t run, either,” said Willy, slapping his hand over his heart.
“I know, Willy. But I need some time to focus. And to run a quick errand.”
I blinked and my four best friends in the universe disappeared.
“It’s a lot easier to concentrate,” I explained, “when I don’t have to simultaneously imagineer their existence.”
“Of course,” said Mel.
“Wait here, you guys,” I said as I yanked open a side door. “I’ll just be a second.”
“Where are you going?” asked Agent Judge, his voice full of fatherly concern.
“To run that errand and, hopefully, find the America we all remember.” I head-gestured toward the wreckage of what had once been the nation’s temple of freedom.
“Out there?” said Mel.
“Yeah. The rotunda of the National Archives Building. That’s where they kept the original, signed copies of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I need to go grab all three because, if you ask me, this country’s leaders need to reread its charters of freedom!”
Chapter 29
I CRAWLED THROUGH the wreckage toward the spot where the pin on the Google map in my brain indicated I’d find the National Archives Building’s rotunda, thanks to the neuron-based, high-speed Wi-Fi connection in my Alpar Nokian cerebellum.
As I moved forward, I remembered Xanthos’s advice:
Beware of
“Good citizens,” Number 2 said calmly, “I urge you to hurry. We don’t have room down below for
everybody
. When my shelters are full, we will be forced to barricade the entryways and eradicate any stragglers. Oh. One more thing. President McManus?”
The camera swung back to the politician who used to be the most powerful man on Earth.
“Yes, thank you. Our new Lord and Master has advised me that there is one resident of the United States that he is particularly interested in meeting down below. In fact, if this young man will do the right thing, well, Number 2 has given me his word that he will be more inclined to show mercy to those of us currently under his protection.”
Every eye in the van was staring at me.
The president leaned forward.
“Daniel?” he said. “If you’re out there, son, do the right thing. Turn yourself in. Surrender!”
I guess Number 2 had cut a deal with America’s ruling elite: give me Daniel X, and you guys get off easy. Maybe he promised them indoor work on Cordood Three.
Now the president’s image was replaced by my pimply yearbook mug shot, the same one Number 2 had shown to his minions down in that sweltering cavern.
According to the text scrolling across the bottom of the screen, I was an “illegal alien” and my capture would earn the captor “Special Work Condition Consideration.”
Great.
Now Number 2 had turned the
entire nation
into bounty hunters!
Chapter 28
I WAS USED to being a bad guy to the bad guys, but not a bad guy to the good guys. This was a little too much to absorb.
“Okay, everybody,” I said. “Answer me this: If Number 2 is an intergalactic slaver, why does he want
me
more than any other creature currently residing on planet Earth?”
“Easy,” said Joe. “You’d be the most awesome slave ever! You could build the pharaoh his pyramids in a heartbeat, just by thinking about them.”
“Maybe…”
Once again, all the TV screens were filled with images of citizens fleeing their homes for the so-called safety of the subway tunnels.
“Well, Dad,” said Mel, “guess you, me, and Agent Williams are the only humans
not
doing what our president just told us to do.”
Agent Judge shook his head. “This isn’t the America I remember.”
“These colors don’t run,” mumbled Agent Williams, sitting behind the steering wheel.
I turned to my four friends. “Guys, take five.”
“What?” said Dana. “You’re not sending us away
again
, are you?”
“These colors don’t run, either,” said Willy, slapping his hand over his heart.
“I know, Willy. But I need some time to focus. And to run a quick errand.”
I blinked and my four best friends in the universe disappeared.
“It’s a lot easier to concentrate,” I explained, “when I don’t have to simultaneously imagineer their existence.”
“Of course,” said Mel.
“Wait here, you guys,” I said as I yanked open a side door. “I’ll just be a second.”
“Where are you going?” asked Agent Judge, his voice full of fatherly concern.
“To run that errand and, hopefully, find the America we all remember.” I head-gestured toward the wreckage of what had once been the nation’s temple of freedom.
“Out there?” said Mel.
“Yeah. The rotunda of the National Archives Building. That’s where they kept the original, signed copies of the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I need to go grab all three because, if you ask me, this country’s leaders need to reread its charters of freedom!”
Chapter 29
I CRAWLED THROUGH the wreckage toward the spot where the pin on the Google map in my brain indicated I’d find the National Archives Building’s rotunda, thanks to the neuron-based, high-speed Wi-Fi connection in my Alpar Nokian cerebellum.
As I moved forward, I remembered Xanthos’s advice:
Beware of
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