It was the morning of the second day following the 'accident' as Charles disappearance was referred to. George Ramsey his father and his fellow scientists Arthur Clarke and Bob Watson Watt who had been invited to help out, were not in the best of moods following a morning of testing the equipment they had cobbled together hoping to repeat whatever the young Charles had done.
Arthurs remarks about alien involvement weren't being well received and George had snapped "Well if thats the best you've got to offer Arthur, you may as well go home" which hadn't been well received by Bob Watson Watt either as it was his idea to have invited Arthur in the first place.
"That being the case George then I'm afraid I'm calling it a day myself" he said "I'm sorry for your loss but I don't think theres anything useful we can do to bring Charles back. All I can suggest is that you try using a bismuth cavity as he intended and ramp up the power to as much as your supply can put out."
The two men departed cordially enough because they recognized that there was nothing to be gained by suggestions which would only further antagonize George. They sympathized with his plight and would have returned to give further advice if requested but it was obvious that George was at the end of his tether for the moment.
Disgruntled he returned to the lab and searched for a bismuth sample ingot deciding to put it in place as it was without trying to cast the metal into a shape like Charles drawing which resembled the cylinder of a revolver.
No point in going to all that trouble if the diamagnetic effect didnt reveal itself and he was about to max out the current supply when the cat appeared and sat down to watch with interest.
Star the mediator had been given that name by George because of his white mark on his otherwise black head. He had already decided that the best solution to the problem he'd been stuck with by his Masters, was to arrange to transfer the boy back home.
All that was required to save Star from tedious disciplinary actions following his decision was to ensure that it was evident the humans were responsible. To which end he had with difficulty managed to make a few surreptitious alterations to the off planet receiver to ensure that the false signal would effect the necessary matter transfer.
"I'd better move you out of the way old fellow" said George to Star who let himself be lifted gently out of the way and then George threw the switch to energize his apparatus.
There was a tremendous BANG! just like its predecessor and the next thing that happened was Charles reappeared just inside the lab bneath a large hole that had been blasted in the cement blocks.
Charles lay unconscious in the fetal position and on anxious examination appeared unharmed as his father gently shook him to be rewarded with the classic "Whats happened, where am I" only to be followed by "Father! I'm sorry its all my fault I didnt know that would happen!"
Message Thread
« Back to index