Swans Crossing: The Return
©1997 by Stephanie Blydenburgh
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Chapter Five
Callie heard a blood curdling scream, and it took her a moment to realize it was hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to make her brain assimilate this sound with her father possibly being the one who was shot. She wanted to call her father, but the gag made her voice sound muffled.
Then she heard a noise from down below. "Stay still!" a voice yelled, and Callie recognized it as Barek's. "Or next time I'll shoot you!" At this, Callie heaved a sigh of relief. She figured her father must have been struggling to get away from Barek, and to intimidate him he had shot into the ceiling.
In the control area, Barek had a tight grip on Captain Walker. "Why do these hostages always try and make this so hard?" he asked himself out loud. "Now hurry up and get this thing moving!" he commanded the Captain. Captain Walker was now feeling quite frightened, and decided to oblige. He sat down at the control board, and began to press buttons, pull levers and work the other controls. Barek tapped his foot impatiently.
Meanwhile, outside the sub, the crowd was going crazy. Garrett was just about losing his head. There was no doubt in his mind that Glory was in that submarine. He had thought maybe she had just left for school early, but he remembered that he hadn't seen her much the day before. She had also told him she was worried about J.T.
"I'm going to kill that Rocket Boy!" Garrett thought to himself, balling his hands into fists. He began to pace the deck wildly. "Glory!" he yelled, knowing it was of no use. "Glory!" He felt positively ill as he recalled the sound of the gun shot. "If my sister isn't okay..." Garrett could almost feel tears begin to well up in his eyes, but quickly pushed the horrible thought away. "Oh, God, please let her be okay!"
Tears fell down Sydney's cheeks as she sat on the library floor amidst paper after paper. She had printed out dozens upon dozens of articles on the history of the Rutledges and the Booths. Then she had highlighted all of them, and any connection between the two families was noted. During her search, she found her birth announcement, the article on the unfortunate death of her father, and Garrett and Glory's birth announcements. However, there was no information whatsoever about the Booths being connected to the Rutledges.
Sydney was about to give up, but then she realized there was one last issue of the Swans Crossing Gazette that she hadn't checked. She unfolded the paper, and was surprised to see an announcement made... for the engagement of Margaret Rutledge and Grant Booth!
Mila sat in her English class, wondering where Sydney was. Mrs. Enderlein had taken roll, and Sydney was supposed to be in this class. Mila wrote down the classroom expectations feeling very adult. This was the first time Mila had ever been in a real school, since she had been an actress for most of her childhood. She had gone to school on the set and had tutors. This is a lot more fun, Mila thought, remembering how she had sat at the lunch table with Sandy and Nancy in the cafeteria, much like the episodes of her former television show, "Three O' Clock Dreams" that had taken place in school. But where is everyone? she asked herself silently, snapping back to attention and realizing that there were a lot of familiar faces missing. It seemed as if Sydney had disappeared right before lunch, and that Glory, J.T., Neil, Callie, Jimmy and Saja hadn't even bothered to show up for the first day of school.
Interrupting her thoughts was a beep from the P.A. system. "Teachers, please pardon this interruption. We have a crisis situation at the Swans Crossing Docks. Students have been instructed to stay away from this area, and teachers, please do not take attendance today. Apparently, there are some students missing that are involved in this situation. Thank you."
Mila's jaw dropped. "Crisis?" Were all of her friends that were missing at the docks?
Sydney couldn't catch her breath as she read the short blurb announcing that Margaret and Grant were to be married. "What's going on?" she wondered out loud, ripping the article from the paper and stuffing it into her black backpack. The date was right before the day her mother and her father were married, and much earlier than her birthday. That familiar dizzy feeling rushed back to her again, but Sydney stood up anyway and headed out of the library. On her way out, she heard the announcement over the P.A. system that something was going on at the docks. Sydney stood in the empty hallway, leaning against a locker for support. As soon as the last bell rang she headed outside, and wandered towards the docks, even though she really had no idea where she was going.
Inside the submarine, Callie was feeling very scared. What was going to happen to them once the sub was en route to Russia? Wishing she could talk, she looked over at Jimmy, who had been very silent during this entire ordeal. She looked into his eyes, trying to convey the message that she was terrified.
Jimmy stared back at her. He realized he had come to know Callie very well because he could tell from the look in her eyes she was frightened. He wanted to comfort her, but he too was scared. He let her know he understood by nodding and returning the look. Once again, Callie reached over to brush her fingers against his, and this time, Jimmy held on to her hand.
Over on the other side of the sub, J.T. was giving Neil looks of his own. He glared at his friend. He had never imagined that UB2B would get them into so much trouble, and when he looked over at Glory, whose face was red from tears and her eyes widened in fear, J.T. became furious with Neil, and with himself. He thought back to what Jimmy had said before when they were talking in the sub:
Jimmy had followed J.T. downstairs into the room he and Neil were staying in. He shook his head and raked his fingers through his dark brown hair. "Man, what are you guys doing?"
J.T. sat down on his bed. "What are you talking about?" he avoided looking Jimmy straight in the face. He could tell his friend had overheard the argument between he and Glory.
"You’ve already put Glory's life on the line before!" Jimmy admonished him loudly. "And now you're putting your own life at risk!"
J.T. frowned. "Hey I don't need this!"
Jimmy softened a bit. "You just need to put this in perspective. What's more important? Glory or your science project?"
Now J.T. had the answer to Jimmy's question. Glory. Just wished I'd thought of that earlier, he thought to himself, looking at Glory and wincing. I don't think I will ever be able to forgive myself for this one. J.T. took Glory’s hand and held onto it tighter than he ever had before. It was almost as if he were holding on for dear life.
Glory felt J.T. squeeze her hand hard, and wondered what was going on. She looked up questioningly into his blue eyes. Being the perceptive person she was, Glory could tell that J.T. was blaming himself for what was happening. She felt the tears well up again. Her mind wandered back to the time when she and J.T. had first told each other how deep their feelings for one another were. It was in Neil's hospital room, when Neil was in a coma after being hurt in a UB2B related explosion:
"Here we are in our usual position. Neil between us," Glory said as she and J.T. sat down at the end of Neil's hospital bed.
"Right. I just wish he'd be his usual self and sit up and interrupt us." J.T. paused. "I hate him!" he suddenly remarked, becoming angered. "I mean, I hate him for risking your life, I hate him for risking his life, and I-I hate him for being so smart and so stupid-" he babbled.
"J.T.," Glory interrupted, trying to calm him down.
"And I love him and I hate him, and I've never felt anything like this before!" he continued.
"J.T., you saved Neil's life," Glory reminded him firmly. "You always protect me. You're the most courageous person I know... and I love you."
J.T. looked into her eyes, surprised. "Glory... I love you."
The couple leaned towards each other slowly, and kissed.
Glory sniffed, remembering when their lives were nearly carefree. She just wanted things to be like they were before, when she didn't know how dangerous J.T.'s project was. When she could always feel safe with J.T. Even though he was here now, he was the one who needed to be protected. Glory squeezed his hand back, and pushed her fears to the back of her mind. J.T.'s always been there for me, and now it's my turn to support him. Glory looked back at J.T., and tried to let him know what she was thinking.
Just then, as all of the hostages were trying hard to communicate with each other, movement was felt throughout the submarine.
Callie's eyes grew wide. She knew exactly what was going on. Slowly, the submarine began to submerge into the depths of the water.
Outside, the press and the onlookers gasped. They watched in horror and helplessness as the sub began to go under the water. The police stood motionless, for they were unable to do anything about it. Garrett began to scream and shout his sister's name. But then, he felt a sudden surge of inspiration. There's no way I can sit here and watch my sister disappear! he thought to himself. In a panicky and impulsive manner, Garrett leapt into the water to save Glory.
Her head was spinning as Sydney walked slowly onto the docks. There was a large crowd, all shouting at a figure in the lake who was swimming to Callie's sub which was sinking into the water. But Sydney didn't join them in their anxious cries. She moved to a more secluded area of the docks and sat down, not caring that she was getting her clothes dirty by sitting on the damp, muddy wood. "Who am I?" Sydney asked herself suddenly. She was in her own world, the outside crisis not seeming very important to her at all. "Am I Sydney Rutledge, Sydney Swan or Sydney Booth?" Tears began to wet her cheeks as she turned this question over and over in her head. "Why am I the one who always has these problems? Why do I have to worry all the time? Where did I come from? Who are my parents?" She buried her face in her hands while deep sobs escaped her body. "Will I ever know who I really am?"
"Garrett!" Mila screamed at the top of her lungs, arriving at the scene in time to see her boyfriend leaping into the water. "What's going on?" she asked the crowd, but no one could hear her over the loud cries of other people at the docks. "Garrett!" she shrieked again.
Garrett swam to the top of the sub, which was submerging slowly. He was in such a trance, thinking of nothing but saving his sister, that he wasn't even comprehending what he was doing. He was swimming against the waves, and his strength surprised himself. His wet clothes clung to him, and he was swimming so frantically that he was gulping in large amounts of water. He reached the top of the sub, and struggled to climb on the slick surface. He pulled open the hatch and water began to pour into the open hole. Garrett jumped into the hole along with the water and landed on the floor with a thump.
Glory, J.T., Neil, Callie, Jimmy, and Saja all looked up. They were shocked and thrilled to see Garrett struggling to get up and help them. Even J.T., who had been Garrett’s longtime enemy, was feeling very fortunate to have him there. But Callie was watching him in horror. She was happy that she was about to be saved, but she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Water, buckets and buckets of water were coming into the sub as it sunk lower into the lake. Tears flooded Callie’s eyes as she watched the only place she had ever called home being engulfed in water.
"Barek!" cried the bald man when he noticed the water pouring in and the intruder who had fallen through the hatch. He ran to seize Garrett, grabbing him tightly by the arms. Garrett struggled from his grip, and was able to free himself by knocking him into the now knee-deep water. He raced to the group of hostages, and began to untie Glory. The other bald man waded through the water and tried to pull Garrett away, but he was so determined that he was able to fight him off without much effort.
"Barek!" the bald man screamed loudly, struggling to get up. "Barek!"
After Garrett had untied Glory, he and Glory got to work on the others until all of them were freed. Garrett started to usher them up the ladder, as the water was quickly accumulating in the room. He was unaware that Barek and Captain Walker were in the control room, so he concentrated on getting everyone else outside. The two bald men didn't pose much of a problem, since they had nearly given up on stopping the teens from escaping. Instead they just called for Barek, who didn't hear them.
"My dad!" Callie suddenly cried, wading away from the others and heading down the stairs to the control room.
"Callie! Wait!" Jimmy called after her. She can't go down there! Barek has a gun! he frantically thought to himself, his heart pounding in fear. Callie might get hurt! Jimmy headed down the stairs and grabbed her shoulder. "Callie, you can't go in there!" he yelled, trying to stop her.
Tears ran down Callie’s cheeks as the water grew deeper and deeper. "I have to," she said quietly, pulling the door open.
Barek and Captain Walker turned around. Barek took the gun that was placed against the Captain's temple and aimed it at Callie.
"No!" Jimmy shouted in panic. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Barek pulled back on the trigger.
A special thanks to Miss Swan- cmditico@earthlink.net for the help on the flashback scene "J.T. and Glory say I love you".
Chapter Six
"No!" Jimmy shouted in panic. He grabbed Callie and pulled her down on to the floor, squeezing his eyes shut because he knew the gun shot would make a loud noise. They waited a second, but there was nothing.
Barek stared down at his gun. He must have shot a blank! At this realization, Callie and Jimmy pushed themselves off of the wet floor and raced up the stairs. Captain Walker followed, but Barek was right at their heels.
Barek aimed and shot again, this time causing a bullet to come out of the gun. Fortunately, his aim wasn't good though, and he narrowly missed the escaping hostages.
Quickly, Jimmy, Callie, and the Captain reached the ladder and were now working their way up the hatch.
"Stop!" Barek cried, hurrying to apprehend them. Abandoning the gun, he climbed up the ladder and grabbed at Jimmy, who was the last one heading up. Barek clutched onto Jimmy's pant leg, and pulled down. Since the ladder was extremely slippery, Jimmy tumbled off of it and fell back into the sub, which was now filled with water deep enough to swim in. Everything went black when Jimmy went under the water, and he instantly felt disoriented. He didn't know which way was up, and flailed his arms about, trying to surface.
"Jimmy!" Callie screamed, when she looked back and realized he had fallen into the sub. She could see him under the water, but he looked like he was having trouble swimming. She also saw Barek, who was now coming after her. Callie took a deep breath and plunged into the water after Jimmy.
Callie swam, and was able to grab him. She struggled to pull him up. The water was growing deeper and deeper, and was splashing wildly around the sinking sub. Barek lunged at them. Out of breath, Callie turned around and with all her might, kicked Barek in the stomach.
"Ow!" Barek moaned, stumbling and splashing into the water. Realizing that this was their only chance to escape, Jimmy and Callie swam up to the hatch, and climbed up the part of the ladder that wasn't engulfed in water. When they pulled themselves up to the docks, paramedics and reporters swarmed around them.
"Are you all right?" one of the paramedics asked. They handed Callie a towel and began to check her vital signs. Callie could say nothing. "Miss, are you okay?" they tried again. Callie then realized someone was talking to her and she nodded, her eyes fixated on the water. The water blurred together until she couldn't see anything. It took her a minute to figure out she was crying. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed quietly, which was very uncharacteristic of Callie. But at the sight of her home sinking into the lake, she couldn't do anything but cry.
Jimmy was a bit taken aback by the sight of Callie crying, but he rushed to her side and gently took her into his arms. Callie buried her face into his shoulder as tears streamed down her face. Jimmy stroked her wet hair, holding her as she sobbed helplessly.
"This is all my fault!" Callie whispered to him.
"No, it's not," he replied quietly. "Everything's going to be okay." "I've just ruined my father's entire life's work," she said between sobs. "He'll never forgive me!"
"Shh, yes he will," Jimmy answered soothingly. "He's your father. He loves you." Jimmy looked up at the Captain who was standing a few feet away. His face was expressionless as he silently stared at his sinking home. He looked much like a statue, still and cold. "He'll forgive you," Jimmy assured Callie again, hugging her tightly. He then looked back at the Captain and wondered whether or not what he had just said was true.
Suddenly, the crowd gasped, and everyone looked up. Out of the top of the sub, which had about a minute left before it completely sunk, came Barek. He was soaking wet, and had an evil, vengeful look in his eyes. Following him were his partners, the two bald men.
"Freeze!" said the CIA agent, aiming his gun at Barek, who swam to the dock and climbed up. Barek was now powerless. His gun had sunk with the submarine, and the entire Swans Crossing police force surrounded him. He glared at Jimmy and Callie, and at Garrett who had foiled his plan. Slowly, Barek raised his hands in surrender.
The agent cuffed him, and then the bald men, who all stood, unmoving. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," said the agent as he proceeded to read them their rights.
"Excuse me? What is your name?" a reporter shoved a microphone in Garrett's face. He stood on the docks, his arm wrapped protectively around his sister.
"Garrett Booth," he replied, smiling for the camera.
"We understand that you were the one to free all of these hostages and to bring down the plan of the three terrorists. Tell us, how does it feel to have just foiled the only hostage situation in Swans Crossing history?"
Garrett beamed and tossed his head arrogantly. "All I have to say is," he paused dramatically. "Ooh, I love myself!"
The reporter laughed, and moved on to interview some of the other teenagers. Mila, who had been watching Garrett's interview, came running towards him. She flung herself into his arms, nearly knocking him over.
"I love yourself, too," she whispered to him. Garrett pulled away from Mila slightly and looked into her eyes. He cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her in front of everyone.
Sydney watched as Mila and Garrett stood on the docks, kissing and hugging, and then kissing again. She sunk back down to the ground and burst into hysterical tears.
"J.T.!" Glory cried from across the docks. She had left Garrett when Mila had approached him, and now she hurried to J.T.
"Glory!" he yelled back, and pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry Glory," he whispered hoarsely. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I should have listened to you!"
"We're all right now, J.T. And we're together. That's all that matters," Glory told him sincerely, looking into his eyes.
"You mean you forgive me for creating this whole mess?" he asked incredulously.
She nodded and smiled for the first time since Sydney's party. "Of course I do!"
J.T. laughed with relief. "Thank you so much! I love you!"
Glory stood on her tiptoes and brushed her hand against his cheek. "I love you, too!" she exclaimed, and the two leaned towards each other.
"J.T. Adams?" spoke a sudden voice from behind them. J.T. and Glory reluctantly stopped moving closer.
"Yes?" J.T. answered the agent. As J.T. met his eyes, the agent groaned inwardly. He didn't like what he was about to do. He could tell just by the way that J.T. looked at Glory that he was a good kid. But nonetheless he had broken the law. Wincing, the agent pulled out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them around his wrist.
"You have the right to remain silent..."
Upon hearing about the crisis situation in town, Mayor Rutledge left her meeting and rushed to the scene. When she reached the docks, she saw her daughter sitting on the ground beyond the crowd, sobbing.
"Sydney!" the Mayor called. She quickly knelt down on the docks beside her. "Darling, are you okay?"
Sydney didn't answer her mother. She couldn't tell her what was wrong, even if she wanted to. The Mayor held on to her daughter and rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. "It's okay, honey."
Sydney hiccupped, and continued to cry irrationally.
Mayor Rutledge felt a chill run down her spine. Does she know?
After the last of the sub sunk into the lake, most people began to clear the scene.
"Walker Woman?" Jimmy asked Callie, gently pulling away from her.
"Yeah?" she sniffed. Most of the tears had ceased.
"Would you and your father like to stay at my house tonight?" he asked, offering her his hands. Callie placed her hands in his, and managed a tiny smile. "That would be really nice. I guess I have to ask my dad, though." The two walked cautiously over to the Captain.
"Dad?" Callie said carefully.
"Yes?" he replied, not turning to look at her. His voice was flat, and barely audible.
"Jimmy offered to let us stay at his house tonight, since..." her voice trailed off.
Captain Walker finally turned around to face them. "That's nice of you young man," he told Jimmy stiffly. "But I think I'll stay in a hotel. Callie, you can stay at the Booths' with Glory."
"Okay," she agreed quietly, her voice wavering. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asked her father.
"Yes," he answered shortly, and then walked away without so much as a hug goodbye.
Callie turned to Jimmy, a lump rising in her throat. "Well, I better go make sure that I can stay at the Booths'," she said with a sardonic laugh. Jimmy also felt a lump rising in his throat. Callie looked positively miserable. "I'm coming over there first thing in the morning." He grinned at her, trying to make her smile.
"Thanks," she replied, lowering her eyes. "I guess I'd better go now." Callie then thought of how coldly her father had just treated her, and a single tear fell.
Jimmy placed his hand on her shoulder, and kissed her cheek where the tear had fallen. "Remember, I'm here for you, okay?"
Finally, Callie smiled up at him. "That means a lot, Jimmy," she told him, and softly returned the kiss by pecking his cheek lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Glory watched in horror as Neil and J.T. were placed into a squad car. The police started the car, and it began to move away from the scene.
"No!" Glory screamed, running after the car. She was acting completely irrational, but she didn't care. All she wanted was for J.T. to be safe at home, and for everything to return to normal. "J.T.!" she cried, but she was no match for a car, and it drove off into the distance.
"Glory!" Garrett called, grabbing his sister by the arm.
"J.T." was all she could say. "J.T...."
Garrett pulled her away from the scene, as she stared at the spot where the squad car had been. "Come on, I'm taking you home."
As they began to walk away, Garrett's arm around Glory's for support, Callie rushed up to them.
"Garrett? Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.
"Sure, what's up?" he replied.
"Well, I just wanted to say what you did back there was really brave," she admitted, even though she was upset at the destruction of her home.
"Thanks," he said. Then he and Glory proceeded to walk away again.
"Wait! I wasn't finished," she called after them. Garrett turned back. "Would it be too much to ask if I could stay with you guys tonight?"
Garrett shrugged. "I guess not. My parents won't be back until tonight and I don't think they'd mind."
When the three arrived at the safe and comfortable Booth home, Callie immediately began to feel a little better.
Garrett set Glory up on the sofa. She was completely silent, and had a far-away look on her face.
"Garrett, could I talk to Glory alone for a minute?" Callie asked. She could tell her friend needed some comforting, and she might be able to help more than Garrett, just because Callie was a little bit more understanding than him.
"Sure," he replied, as he retreated to his bedroom.
"Glory?" Callie started, sitting next to her on the couch. Glory sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her. "Do you want to talk?"
Glory looked blankly at her friend. "I don't know," she whispered.
"Glory, everything is going to be fine," Callie said, trying hard to make Glory feel better. "I know that you've heard this before, but it's the truth. I'm sure J.T. isn't going to go to juvenile hall or anything."
"But we don't know that," she protested quietly. "J.T. broke the law, and something is going to happen to him and Neil."
Callie nodded. "True," she admitted. "But you're the one who is always optimistic during situations like this. At least J.T. is safe."
Glory shrugged and fell back onto her pillow. "I guess."
Callie decided to go upstairs and get changed out of her damp clothes. As she climbed the stairs, she heard a key turning in the door. She looked up, frightened and gripped the staircase banister.
"Glory! Garrett!" Mr. and Mrs. Booth called as they unlocked the door and dropped their luggage on the carpet.
Glory jumped from the couch and leapt into her mother's arms.
"We just heard on the news what happened," Cornelia Booth exclaimed in her southern drawl. "Are you okay?"
Glory nodded and began to cry. "Yes, but, J.T...." she choked out her words between tears. Callie looked on, feeling very awkward.
Garrett heard movement below, and emerged from his bedroom. "Mom, Dad, what are you doing home?"
Mrs. Booth brought Garrett down into the living room and hugged him tightly. "Well, here's our little hero!" Garrett blushed as he caught a glimpse of Callie snickering at him.
"Son?" Grant Booth began. He had been quiet during his wife's affectionate display with her children. "Can I have a word with you?" Mr. Booth pulled Garrett aside while Mrs. Booth tried to comfort Glory.
"Yeah Dad?" he asked nervously, switching his weight from one foot to the other. He was worried about what his father wanted to talk to him about. He might be a hero to most of Swans Crossing, but Grant always had a way of seeing things differently.
"I'm proud of what you did today," he admitted, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.
Garrett didn't hide his surprise. "Really?"
"You did a great thing for this town today. You saved the lives of several people, and you helped the police out. You risked your life for your little sister, and you truly are a 'little hero' in your mother's words." Mr. Booth beamed down at his son. "You showed quite a bit of maturity and responsibility today. And I have thought this over long and hard, and I have decided that you are grown-up enough to decide where you want to go to school. If you want to go to Swans Crossing High School instead of Nichol a Vech Meia, that's your choice."
Garrett's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" he asked, his voice raising several octaves. "I can stay?!"
Mr. Booth nodded.
"Yes! All right!" Garrett exclaimed, jumping up and down. He was so elated that he began to run around the house, whooping and hollering. "Hear that Glory? I get to stay!" Garrett hugged his sister, his mother, Callie, and then his father.
"Thank you," Garrett whispered sincerely to his father. "Thank you so much."
Mr. Booth nodded, and glanced at his wife, who was offering Glory a cup of hot chocolate. "I think we all have you to thank, too."
Mayor Rutledge opened the door to Sydney's bedroom, and led her daughter to her bed. Sydney had stopped crying, and had grown very quiet.
"Honey, I think you should get into bed now," her mother told her softly, in a comforting tone. Sydney nodded, and slowly plodded into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas.
Like she did when Sydney was a child, Mayor Rutledge tucked her into bed. "You'll be okay, sweetheart," she said, feeling slightly frightened, still wondering if somehow Sydney had discovered the truth. "Good night."
"Good night," Sydney mumbled, her throat thick from all of her previous crying. She turned over on the soft, down pillow, and fell into a fitful sleep. All of the trauma she had experienced in the last 24 hours was really affecting her, even her dreams....
"Good morning sweetie!" Cornelia Booth said when her daughter came down the stairs into the kitchen.
Dressed in a floral print shirt and jeans, Sydney sat down at the kitchen table.
"Here's your breakfast!" she exclaimed, setting a bowl of cereal, a plate of toast, and a glass of orange juice in front of Sydney.
"Thanks Mom!" Sydney replied happily.
Just then Garrett came trotting down the stairs. "Good morning Mom!" he said, pecking his mother on the cheek. He came up to Sydney. "Morning Sis!" He kissed her on the cheek as well.
Sydney immediately sat up in bed, panting, in a cold sweat. She closed her eyes and collapsed back onto the bed. "What a nightmare!" she moaned.
The agents seated J.T. and Neil in a room as soon as they had arrived at the Swans Crossing Police Department.
"Wait here, we'll be right back," they told them, leaving Neil and J.T. alone.
Neil rubbed his wrist, his hand hurting a bit from the tight handcuffs. "I can't believe it's over," he muttered monotonously.
J.T. nodded, and felt too exhausted to become angry with Neil. "UB2B will never be," he remarked, kicking his feet up onto the desk. "And we're never going to make it big in the scientific world."
Neil looked up at him. "Well, maybe someday."
J.T. laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, like in six years."
"Maybe I should go into cosmetics like my dad," Neil said, a faraway look in his eyes.
J.T. furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean you want to give up scientific research for good?" he asked incredulously, turning to his friend.
"You're the one complaining. We should just admit that it's over and move on," Neil answered in an irritated tone.
"Come on, Buckyball. We've worked so hard," J.T. reminded him, his voice losing some of the pessimism that he had expressed before.
Neil was about to respond when the agents returned. "Hello, boys. I'm Agent Guyette," said the blond man. "And this is Agent Pensky. We're here to interrogate you."
Neil and J.T. exchanged glances. Agent Guyette continued, "Here's how this works. I'm going to turn on this tape recorder, and I want you to answer each of the questions as honestly as you can. Then you will be released to your parents, after a court date has been issued. Okay?"
The boys nodded.
"Okay, let's get on with this then. When did you begin research for UB2B?"
J.T looked down, and when Neil didn't reply, he decided to field the question. "At the beginning of the summer."
"Were you aware of the age restrictions when you ordered chemicals from the Ukraine?"
Neil broke into a cold sweat. "I-uhm..."
"Yes," J.T. replied quietly.
"And you did it anyway?" Agent Pensky interjected.
"Yes," he said again.
"So you admit to lying on your application and assuming the identity "Professor Vann'?" Agent Guyette asked, his voice sounding irritated.
"Yes, I do," J.T. quickly responded.
"And you as well Mr. Atwater?" he asked, turning to Neil.
"I, um, well, uh, yes." he stuttered.
Agent Guyette handed Agent Pensky the yellow legal pad, and Pensky began to pace in front of the boys.
"Now for the big question," he said, pausing. "Will you please explain UB2B, everything from how the formula worked, to how you discovered it, to what your intentions for this formula were?"
Neil looked at J.T, his eyes wide. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and took a deep breath. "Well, it all began..."
A special thanks to my friend Erica for an inside joke in this story. I know you get it!