Invasion

An excited murmur erupted from the TV audience. They had expected big news, and it sounded as if they weren't to be disappointed.

"This new venture," Randy continued, "will be called the Institute for a New Beginning, and it will be backed by all the combined resources of Cipher Software. To describe this bold new venture, I would like to introduce a young man of tremendous vision. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my new personal assistant, Mr. Beau Stark."

Cassy and Pitt glanced at each other with mouths agape. "I don't believe this," Cassy said.

Beau bounded onto the speaker's platform amid applause. He was dressed in a designer suit with his dark hair slicked back from his forehead. He exuded a politician's confidence.

"Thank you all for coming," Beau boomed with a charming smile. His blue eyes sparkled like sapphires in the midst of his tanned face. "The Institute for a New Beginning is aptly named. We will be seeking the best and the brightest in the fields of science, medicine, engineering, and architecture. Our aim will be to reverse the negative trends that our planet has been experiencing. We can end pollution!' We can end social and political strife! We can create a world suitable for a new humankind! We can and we will!"

The reporters present at the news conference erupted in a frenzy of questions. Beau held out his hands to quiet them.

"We will not be entertaining questions today. The purpose of this meeting was merely to make the announcement. One week from today we will hold another news conference in which our agenda will be spelled out in detail. Thank you all for coming."

Despite questions shouted from the news media, Beau stepped from the speakers' platform, embraced Randy Nile, and then the two of them, arm in arm, disappeared from view.

The announcer then tried to fill the gap caused by the precipitous end to the news conference. He began speculating on exactly what the specific goals of the new institute would be and what Randy Nile meant when he said that the venture would be backed by all the combined resources of Cipher Software. He pointed out that those resources were substantial, more than the GNP of many countries.

"My God! Pitt," Cassy said. "What's going on with Beau?"

"My guess is that his interview went okay," Pitt said, trying to be funny.

"This isn't a laughing matter," Cassy said. "I'm getting more and more scared. What are we going to tell Dr. Miller?"

"For the moment I think we've told her enough," Pitt said.

"Come on!" Cassy complained. "We have to tell her about what we saw last night and about the little black discs. We have to ... "

"Cassy, hold on," Pitt said, taking her by the shoulders. "Think for a second how this is going to sound to her. She's our one chance to get someone important to take notice of what's going on. I don't think we should push it."

"But all she knows right now is that there's this strange flu," Cassy said.

"That's exactly my point," Pitt said. "We've got her attention about the flu and that it seems to cause personality changes. I'm worried if we start talking about far-out stuff like the flu being spread by tiny black discs, or even worse, seeing a fleeting blue light in someone's finger after it had been stung by a black disc, they'll not listen to us. She already threatened to send us to psychiatry."

"But we saw the blue light," Cassy said.

"We think we saw it," Pitt said. "Look, we have to get people involved first. Once they've investigated this flu and know something strange is going on, then we tell them everything."

The door opened and Sheila stuck in her head. "The man I want you two to talk with just arrived," she said. "But he was hungry, and I sent him down to the cafeteria. Let's move into my office so that we'll be prepared for him when he gets back."

Cassy and Pitt got to their feet and followed Sheila.

"All right, you two," Nancy Sellers said to Jonathan and Candee. "I want you to wait here in the van while I go in and talk to Candee's mom. Sound reasonable?"

Both Jonathan and Candee nodded.

"I really appreciate this, Mrs. Sellers," Candee said.

"You don't have to thank me," Nancy said. "Just the fact that your parents were too busy to talk on the phone last night when I called and chose not to call back tells me something is seriously wrong. I mean they didn't even know you stayed over."

Nancy alighted from the van, waved to the kids, and started out toward the front entrance of Serotec Pharmaceuticals. She could still see the stain on the sidewalk where poor Mr. Kalinov had impacted the concrete. She hadn't known the man well since he was a relatively new employee and was in the biochemistry department, but the news had saddened her. She knew he had a family with two teenage daughters.