The Twin Powers (15 page)

Bang!
The door burst open and Tom ran in. Dad was right behind him.

Group hug.

It was Dad who pushed us apart. “Not much time. The Council is about to come back with a date on which to destroy the Earths. We have one chance to persuade them not to, and it'll take you boys making a speech.”

“To say what?” said Tom.

“That's up to you,” said Dad. “You need to convince them to spare the Earths, or at least give earthlings more time to make their planets better.”

“Both of us?” I asked, hoping it would be Tom.

“Only one of you can go out,” said Dad. “We don't want the human beings to know there are two of you. But you can work together, transmitting.”

“Let Tom go out,” I said. “He's smarter.”

“Let Eddie go,” said Tom. “Dr. Traum likes him better.”

“Dr. Traum likes you both,” said Dad. “But I think Eddie should go out. He's had a lot of public-speaking experience lately. Tom can stay here and come up with good ideas. Nothing beats twins working together. Twin powers.”

TOM

THE RIVERBOAT SPACE STATION

2012

 

I
T
took a lot of energy to imagine a peephole in the library door. But not as much as it had taken me a few days ago to bore through a trailer wall to see a fat guy reading a fishing magazine on the toilet.

My powers were improving!

Eddie was standing in front of the auditorium, looking up at the stage. We had swapped clothes, fast, so the director and the Lump wouldn't catch on. Dr. Traum stood in front of a closed curtain, looking down at Eddie. It looked like a staring contest, but I figured they were transmitting. I tuned in.

The Council is angry, Eddie. You'll have one chance to convince them to postpone the Earths' death sentence.

I'm ready, Dr. Traum.

Good old Give-Me-the-Ball Eddie. But I could tell he wasn't all that sure of himself. His jaw was tight so his teeth wouldn't chatter, and his legs were locked so his knees wouldn't quiver. Not like hoops, huh?

What's wrong with you, Tom? Think Dad should have sent you out instead? You suggested Eddie. Get on the team. Give him a pat.

You can do it, big guy,
I transmitted to Eddie.

Thanks, bro.

He needed that. It felt good to be his coach, especially for something important, not sports.

Dad was standing in a corner, smiling and nodding. He was hearing us. In the seats behind Eddie were Alessa, Britzky, Ronnie, that dog, and that bigger dirty dog, the Lump, next to the director of that NSA bureau. I was trying to probe their minds when the curtain rose.

The Council was on the grandstand again, green and red and purple pulsing and buzzing. They were holograms, I figured. The real Primary People must have been up on Homeplace.

Dr. Traum said, “Before you announce your decision, members of the Council, I have an appeal. Tom Canty requests an opportunity to speak to you.”

The colors on the grandstand shifted and melted together. “We have made our decision!”

I sent Eddie some strong, positive vibrations.
Come out swinging!

“Wait a minute!” shouted Eddie. “You've got to hear me out.”

You could see the grandstand rattle. The Council was not used to being ordered around. There was a loud “Why?”

“Because you don't have any right to just create something and then walk away from it.”

The Council didn't like that. The colors mixed and got darker. The buzzing grew louder.

Hit 'em again, Eddie. Tell 'em they have to take responsibility.

“You guys have to take responsibility for your actions. You're putting all the blame on human beings when you should take some yourself.”

That struck home. The buzzing faded away. “Speak!”

“I grew up on what you call EarthTwo, but for us it was the only Earth. It's 1958 there now, and we're just starting to think about the problems that EarthOne is dealing with in 2012.”

Even Dr. Traum was nodding Eddie on. Whose side was that guy on?

“I don't think you really helped us enough,” said Eddie. “You take credit for EarthTwo, okay, but was it just an experiment for you? How can you do all the stuff you did and then not make sure it works out for people?

“Dad taught me that I have to be accountable for everything I do. He must have learned that from you guys, his people, the Primary People.”

Way to go, bro.

It was quiet in the auditorium except for Eddie's breathing. It takes a lot of energy to make a speech like that.

The grandstand sounded meek. “What do you want us to do?”

What do we want them to do, Tom?

It's their problem, Eddie.

“I don't know—I'm not smart enough,” said Eddie. “But my dad is. And you guys have to be pretty smart, with all you've done. I know you can figure out how to deal with extreme weather and nukes.”

SNAP.

The figures on the stage vanished, sucked into a single spot of light that blinked and went dark like a TV set shutting down.

Dr. Traum stood alone on the stage. “The Council has reconvened to reconsider its vote. Well done, young man.”

You're a monster, Eddie—you did great.

We did great, Tommy. Thanks for the coaching.

What a humble guy. I was so proud of him. I felt bad for feeling jealous. And for thinking that he'd need me to supply all his words.

Dad, Alessa, Britzky, and Ronnie surrounded Eddie, grabbing and hugging him. The dog kept trying to jump up on him. I wished I could be with them. But not as long as the Lump, the director, and the
Friendship One
crew were out there.

They were all standing around the Lump, who was staring at a screen in his hand. I imagined a surveillance camera over his shoulder to get a peek at it.

Uh-oh.

What looked like black spaceships were heading toward us.

Suddenly I knew what I needed to do and who I needed to help me.

RONNIE

THE RIVERBOAT SPACE STATION

2012

 

B
UDDY
went bananas when the twins changed places again. Eddie went back into the library and a few minutes later Tom came out wearing Eddie's clothes, which were a little loose on him. I wondered if anyone besides me could tell. Buddy was growling and squirming. I had to hold him tight. The director and the Lump didn't seem to notice the switch. They were too busy huddled in a corner, looking at a little screen. Something was up. I had a bad feeling.

Dr. Traum said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Council will be occupied for a while. There is food in the adjoining room.” He waved his arm toward a door in the back of the auditorium. Britzky and Alessa took off toward it.

Tom tapped my arm and jerked his head toward the door that led to the docking bay. When I followed him, Buddy squirted out of my arms and ran to the library door, scratching at it.

“He'll be okay,” Tom whispered. “Eddie'll come out after we're gone.”

“Gone where?”

Tom just walked faster. My bad feeling grew into an icy ball in my stomach, but I kept following Tom. He had saved me. I trusted him.

Nobody stopped us as we hurried through the tube to
Friendship One
. Once we were on the threshold of the blue spaceship, a guard blocked our way until Tom stared at him. The guard finally stepped aside and smiled at us. When we got to the bridge, the pilot stood up.

“What are you . . . ?”

Tom gave him the stare. “Prepare to, um, split.” The pilot got out of our way. Tom grinned at me. “Take over the steering controls.”

“Me?”

“Best driver I know.” He pointed at one of the big screens. “We don't have much time.”

On the screen, six big black rocket ships were heading toward us. No flags, no insignia. Like pirate ships.

“Who are they?”

“What's the opposite of friendship?”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“We need to lead them away from Riverboat. Back to Earth.”

Steering
Friendship One
backwards out of the Riverboat bay was harder than I'd thought. It was a pretty tight fit. Every time the metal of
Friendship One
touched the metal of the Riverboat bay, there was a scraping noise that was worse than a million fingernails dragging over a blackboard.

Tom's eyes were drilling into the pilot's head. I imagined there was a pipeline of thoughts. He could easily do that to me if I had my guard down. I was going to have to talk to him, tell him everything about me, before he found out on his own.

The pilot tapped the microphone. “This is
Friendship One
to security fleet,
Friendship One
to security fleet. Change of orders. Follow us. Repeat: all follow us.”

I heard angry squawking but I couldn't understand it. The pilot was yelling into his microphone. Tom was shaking and sweating as he stared at the pilot's head.

There was a bump and I could see on the screens that
Friendship One
was out in space. I gripped the controls and turned the ship around toward Earth.

The fleet was coming right at us.

“What should I do, Tom?”

He couldn't hear me. I figured he was totally focused on keeping control of the pilot's mind. No time for me. But he trusted me.
Best driver I know,
he had said. Tom had said that.

I headed right into them, ready to swerve if any of the black spaceships came too close. But I figured none of them would want to hit us—this was the director's ship. Even if they thought someone else had taken over, they had to think she was on board. They wouldn't want to smash into her. Or would they? Or would they expect us to swerve away?

It was a big game of chicken.

That was a big deal back on EarthTwo. Two guys would drive at each other. The guy who swerved first was called a coward, a chicken. Stupidest game of all time.

Eddie and I went to a movie once called
Rebel Without a Cause.
A great movie. The hero played chicken against another guy to see who would bail out first before their cars went over a cliff. The hero won because the other guy's sleeve got caught and he couldn't get out of his car before it went over the cliff.

The fleet parted to let us through.

The ice ball in my stomach melted and I felt hot.

Hot and big and strong.

Ronnie rocks!

I wasn't sure what that meant, but the tone in Tom's voice in my head made me feel great. Like the hero in
Rebel.
He was played by James Dean, a great actor.

Earth grew from a dot to a golf ball ahead of us.

I checked the screens. Most of the black ships had turned and were following us, but one of them had stayed on its course and was heading straight to Riverboat.

The pilot shouted, “Repeat: all ships follow us!”

Through the squawking and static, I heard, “We've got orders to destroy that space station.”

Bright red pulsing laser beams shot out of the nose of the black ship and began smashing into Riverboat. I thought I saw pieces of Riverboat break off and drift into space.

Eddie and Buddy were on Riverboat! Alessa and Britzky!

We could go back. Save them.

Keep going.
The voice sounded like Dr. Traum's.

I thought,
What about you?

One of the screens was blazing. Riverboat was on fire.

Keep going
.
It was Tom's voice this time.

BRITZKY

EN ROUTE TO EARTH

2012

 

J
UST
before the first lasers hit, Eddie's dad and Dr. Traum hustled us into the shuttlecraft we had taken to get from the gas station to Riverboat. I was surprised that they got everybody safely aboard, even the director and her soldiers. I would have left them. There were eleven of us crammed together, plus Buddy, who was whimpering in Eddie's arms. I knew how he felt.

We saw Riverboat explode. It wasn't one of those big yellow and red blasts you see on TV shows—it was more like gray chunks breaking apart and floating off into space. The only colors were the red lines firing out of the nose of the black rocket.

Eddie glared at the director and said, “Did you tell them to blow us up?”

She looked down.

“Answer the boy,” said the Lump. His voice was cold. So which side was he on? His own, I guessed.

I looked at Alessa. African American faces don't get pale, but they do get that ashy look. She sighed, sounding like an air mattress collapsing. We were in trouble.

“Ah, human beings,” said Dr. Traum. “Endlessly interesting, endlessly dangerous.”

“Some, but not all,” said Eddie's dad.

“Still the idealist, John,” said Dr. Traum. “As Mark Twain said, ‘Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War.'”

The Lump pushed his way closer to the director. “I said, answer the boy.”

She took a deep breath. “I had nothing to do with the attack on the space station.”

Eddie said, “How would they have known we were all off Riverboat?”

I figured it out. “They thought the director was on
Friendship One
and that she was okay. They didn't care about anyone else. Those were her orders.”

The director gave me a killer look. I was right!

Dr. Traum looked at Eddie's dad. “Tell me, John. You still think human beings are worth saving?”

“Of course I do,” he said. “Alessa and Todd are worth saving. Ronnie is worth saving. Most people are worth saving and we have no right to choose. She doesn't either.” He pointed at the director. “Todd was right. You had this worked out from the start. If the fleet saw
Friendship One
leave, they were supposed to escort you back to Earth and blow up Riverboat.”