* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We spent the next 3 hours 17 minutes building a prototype TEO. As we worked, I told Bim about everything that had happened over the last 6 days.
My fine motor skills had improved by 973%, which allowed me to quickly create the webbing that surrounded the processors. I used 567 strands of hair, not enough to change my appearance.
We finished at 2: 07 PM, beating our deadline by 3 minutes. Bim had to get back to school before it let out, and I had to get home before Luma did. Once Eppi told her what was going on, Luma would try to break down my door.
I went up the ladder, carrying our prototype TEO and the soldering gun, and dislodged the manhole cover. After Bim climbed up, I lowered the cover back into place and restacked the cinderblocks. Then we crawled out through the secret panel and went our separate ways.
I arrived at Blessing Street at 2:27 PM, but stopped at the corner and stayed out of sight until I saw Eppi drive off to pick up Luma at school.
My window was still open, but I had to jump 15 feet to reach the sill, a problem I hadn’t considered on my way out. With a running start, though, this proved easy to do. I hoisted myself over the sill and into my room, shutting the window behind me.
I came in on a movie that puzzled me. A man and a woman were racing around Mount Rushmore, pursued by two villains. I didn’t recognize the four gigantic faces carved into the mountainside. In every photograph I’d ever seen, the portraits on Mount Rushmore were of our Founding Father, Trip Savage, our Savior, Kim Jong-pil, his Son, Kim Jong-suk, and our Beloved Leader, Kim Jong-oy. I considered the possibility that the original faces had been covered over.
At 2:39 PM, Luma came thundering up the stairs and rattled my doorknob, calling through the door. Eppi must have explained the situation to her in the car.
She said, “Teo! Are you okay?”
I turned off the TV and went to the door. “Hi, Luma. I’m fine.”
“I can’t believe this! How could Mom lock you in your room? She’s gone crazy!”
“Luma, put your ear up to the door so I can speak quietly. Don’t say anything, just listen.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“First of all, I’m not really locked in. I can climb out the window anytime I want to. But right now I need you to promise me something. After Drake gets home and they let me out, don’t agree with anything I say. Either don’t say anything, or agree with Drake if you have to.”
“All right.”
“But there’s also something I do want you to say: ask your dad to let me have Moto up here, to keep me company tomorrow. Keep asking until he agrees, okay?”
“Okay. But Teo, you can’t let them—”
“Luma, that’s all for now. I’ll see you when they let me out.”
“All right…”
I turned the TV back on and sat down on my bed.
I lay back on my pillow, closed my eyes, and read Feats of Clay, which was published in 2063.
As Bim had warned me, it wasn’t very good. The author, Pebbles Palin, clearly hated Joseph Clay but seemed to know nothing about him. Her purpose in writing the book, it appeared, was to expose my father’s secret plan to build an army of super-robots that would rid the entire country of its guns and enslave the population. She claimed this would happen without fail if President Timberlake were reelected, and advocated issuing shoulder-fired missiles to every U.S. citizen.
As proof of this plan, she quoted a statement Joseph Clay had released to the press the year before. These were the only words in the entire book that came directly from my father. It read:
“Our planet is dying. If nothing changes, the day is coming when Earth will no longer sustain life. I am therefore in the process of designing a new android, one that is lifelike in every way and can think as we do. These new androids may offer our only hope for survival. If we succeed in transferring the contents of our own human minds—minus our primitive instincts—into the artificial minds of these androids, we may do more than survive. We may ultimately reach our true potential as a species.”
Feats of Clay was disappointing in every respect, but I was grateful for this short passage. I was certain my father had been referring to me.
Eppi didn’t unlock my door until 7:17 PM, two hours after Drake got home from DynaLink. This meant, of course, that he’d had a number of drinks in the interim.
When we came downstairs, he was sitting in his armchair, holding his martini with exaggerated care. Luma was flopped on the sofa, looking miserable.
Drake looked up. “Here’s the mighty robot now.”
I said, “Hi, Drake.”
As Eppi and I crossed the threshold into the living room, he held up his hand. “That’s close enough! Eppi, go sit with Luma.”
Eppi went over to the sofa and sat down, looking tense.
I stood at the threshold, waiting. “May I please come in?”
Drake sneered. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Well, I’m not taking any chances.”
“Drake, you’ve known me all your life. You know I’ve never hurt anyone. You know it’s not possible.”
“You want to talk about possible? How about androids running around, breaking baseball bats and threatening their classmates? How’s that for possible?”
“I never threatened anyone. They—”
“Shut your mouth! Eppi tells me you might have hurt that boy’s hand. Until I have proof that you didn’t, I don’t want you coming anywhere near my family!”
Even I hadn’t expected Drake to go that far.
It was too much for Luma to bear. She jumped up. “It’s not your family, Daddy, it’s our family, and Teo’s part of it!” She turned to Eppi. “Right, Mom?”
Eppi avoided her gaze. “Please, honey, don’t interrupt your father.”
“But Mom!”
Drake said, “Sit down, pumpkin.”
“I’m not a pumpkin!”
“Luma, sit!”
I said, “Please, Drake, don’t keep me locked in my room. There’s nothing to do up there except watch TV.”
“You should’ve thought of that before you started breaking bats!”
“If you want me to keep away from you, perhaps I could stay at work.”
“Why? So Mr. Wu can throw you another party? Not a chance!”
“You could at least ask him.”
“Don’t tell me what to do! I don’t work for that old hen, you do! And if you think you’re getting a big vacation out of this, think again!”
“So you’re going to keep me locked in my room.”
“Wow, Teo, you are so perceptive!”
I looked at Luma.
She said, “Daddy, if you’re going to make Teo stay in his room, would you at least let him have Moto up there, to keep him company?”
Drake said, “Absolutely not!”
“I know you’re mad at Teo, Daddy, but could you do it for me? As a favor? Please?”
Eppi spoke up. “I think that’s reasonable, don’t you Drake?” She gave him a hopeful little smile.
Drake said, “All right, fine! They’re perfect for each other.” He turned to me. “But not tonight! Go back to your room now!”
When I was halfway up the stairs, the doorbell rang. I stopped and waited for Eppi to answer it, curious to see who it was. Eppi swung the front door open and there stood Stella Nath, holding Dogan by the ear.
She said, “May we please come in? Dogan has something to say.”
Eppi said, “Of course you may.” She called over her shoulder. “Drake, it’s the Naths.”
As Drake came out to greet them, he noticed me standing on the stairs. “Up to your room! Now!”
At 7:49 PM, my door opened and Luma walked in.
I said, “They forgot to lock me in.”
Luma sat down next to me on the bed. “I h
ate my father! I’m going to run away from home!”
“What happened with the Naths?”
“Dogan’s mom made him apologize for causing the whole mess.”
“What about his hand?”
“He had his cleats with him. He showed them how he made the bruises. The marks didn’t match up, but they believed him.”
“Then our secret is safe.”
She brightened a little. “For now, anyway.”
“The only problem is that I have to go back to school.”
“No you don’t. I told Dad that detention was supposed to last the whole week and he went for it. You’re locked up till Sunday.”
“Thank you, Luma. And thanks for helping me with Moto.”
“Teo?”
“Yes?”
“I really do hate my dad, and I am going to run away.”
“Would you do me a favor?”
“What?”
“Wait till Sunday.”
“I don’t know if I can…”
“You have to. Pinkie swear?”
Luma extended her pinkie and tried to wrap it around mine, but I pulled my hand away. She gave me a quizzical look. Then I extended my pinkie and wrapped it around hers.
She broke into a huge smile. “Don’t let Drake see you do that!”
After Luma left, I lay in bed, thinking about Bim. It had taken a lot of effort, not to mention courage, to go Outside and find those computers and haul them all the way back to Blessed Savior. I found his example inspiring, which is why I wanted Drake to keep me locked up, away from school and work.
I hope the next few days will offer me the chance to go Outside myself.
Entry complete.