Chapter 7

  The Peterson twins settled into two of the leather swivel chairs. Solomon passed a bag of cheese crisps to his sister, and the feasting began. By the time Igor came in to check on them, the basket was half empty, and both of the twins had sated their hunger.

  Igor slipped into the room and let the door close softly behind him. “I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” he said as he lowered himself into a chair. “Good news, Dr. Fischer thinks he had made a monumental discovery. The head of the Defense Authority will be joining us shortly, and then Dr. Fischer will report his findings.”

  Luna glanced up. “And what’s the bad news?” she asked quietly.

  “We weren’t able to attain a full dinner for the two of you, so these snacks are all you’ll be able to have.” Igor leaned back in his chair, as smooth and confident as a jaguar slipping through the jungle. And yet Solomon sensed a hint of hesitation. “It’s not much, I’m afraid, but it’ll have to do until you get home.”

  Just then, there were three solid knocks upon the mahogany door of the conference room. “Come in!” Igor called, and one of the lab assistants poked his head in, his once-white coat splattered with unidentifiable substances. “The head of the Defense Authority is here to see you, Mr. Igna,” the assistant stated.

  Igor dipped his head. “Very well. You may admit him.”

  Before the assistant had time to pull his head back, a large man shoved the door open, banging it against the wall. “Igor! It’s great to see you, my friend!” Igor slowly stood and held out a hand, but instead of shaking it, the man grabbed him in a bear hug. Solomon could’ve sworn he heard a few ribs crack.

  “Yup, definitely great to see you too, Derek,” Igor managed to squeak out.

  After a long minute, Derek let go of Igor and turned to examine the twins. “I assume these are those two candidates of yours? Do you have a positive on super-human abilities in either of them?”

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  Igor smoothed the rumples in his suit. “We think so. Dr. Fischer is just finishing up some final test models, and then he’ll join us for the official report. Please, have a seat. Mr. and Ms. Peterson may have left a snack or two in the basket there, in case you’re feeling a bit puckish.”

  Derek settled into the chair across from Igor, and a heavy silence filled the room. Solomon took advantage of the quiet and inspected their new guest. Derek had a big presence – not only literally, but figuratively as well. He had a dark bushy beard that put Solomon in mind of a lumberjack, and his crisply ironed suit bulged at the seams due to his brawny muscles. And yet, Derek filled the room with a comforting aura, unusual for a man who would normally exude strength and power. It was as if he had wrapped everyone in a warm blanket.

  The farthest wall of the conference room flickered to life, and Solomon realized that the black wall was actually a TV screen. Elaborate graphs and charts flashed onto the white background in a random order. He couldn’t understand any of the scientific jargon, but he assumed that the main graphic, a pair of cartoon people with different sections coated in separate colors, represented him and Luna.

  Dr. Fischer appeared at the back of the room. Apparently, there was a nearly invisible entrance that Solomon also hadn’t noticed. “Hello, everyone,” the scientist said, carefully placing a thick folder on the end of the conference table. He drew a slideshow remote out of one of his lab coat pockets. “Are you ready for me to begin?”

  Igor held up a hand. “I apologize, but it just occurred to me that Mr. and Ms. Peterson have no need to be part of this meeting. I initially had them here so I could keep an eye on them, but it would be best if they weren’t here when we discuss their futures.”

  “What?!” Luna exploded. “Why?”

  “What’s so confidential about us that even we can’t know?” Solomon demanded, equally enraged.

  “I know this is inconvenient,” Derek tried to soothe them, “But it’s really for the-”

  “Don’t you dare say ‘It’s for the best.’ ” Luna spat.

  “We’re done with this nonsense.” Solomon glared at the three adults. “Let us be a part of the meeting, or we’re leaving.”

  “You’re definitely leaving.” Igor stood, towering over the twins. He thrust their backpacks at them, grabbed them both by the arm, and dragged them out of the conference room. The twins spun around, but Igor swiftly closed the double doors behind them with an ominous click.