Chapter Nine
A Glitch in the Programming
GEORGE thought, and thought, and thought. He watched as the sun fell below the horizon and moonlight filled the sky. He breathed in the rich scent of ripe berries through his scent receptors. And at last, he knew what to do.
He’d actually known all along.
He looked into the sorrowful eyes of Khyber the Fox. And with a click, he switched his monitor back on and sent Darcy Luna a digital message:
MISSION ENDED: Search complete. Returning to headquarters with no data. Repeat: Departing mission with no data to report.
GEORGE heard Darcy Luna shout, “The camera is back on!”
Her voice became muffled. She seemed to be speaking to someone else in the room. Then she said, “Georgie! I got your message. I’m glad that glitch has resolved. Too bad you couldn’t find the camera. Signing off for now.”
The expression in Khyber’s eyes changed from sorrow to gratitude. “You’re always welcome here,” he said, and cleared his throat. “My family is your family now.”
GEORGE sniffled and nodded. He didn’t know what to say. Was the fox only saying that to be polite? Or was it true? Did he, GEORGE the flybot, have a real family now?
GEORGE lifted into the sky. He rose higher and higher, and Khyber the Fox became smaller and smaller.
He flapped his wings faster. Then, in a flash, he bolted toward the fullness of the moon and into the starry night.
During the 15-minute flight, Darcy Luna sent him a message. “Before sending you out on your next mission, we’re going to give your electronics a complete checkup. I’ll see you soon at Fly on the Wall Inc. Safe travels, Georgie!”
She won’t find anything wrong, GEORGE thought. I’m just doing what Indie the bar-headed goose said I should do—finding out who I am, and being myself.
A few minutes later, GEORGE’s GPS went BEEP-BEEP-BEEP, CHIRP.
“I’m back!” he shouted. Because he was flying against the wind, it had taken a whole 17 minutes, but it didn’t feel that long. GEORGE wondered why return trips always seemed to go faster.
He drifted down toward land. On Mount Everest, it had been nighttime, but here in Boston, it was midmorning.
Summer daisies were in bloom. Treetops swayed in a warm breeze. Birds flitted and chirped and danced between limbs and branches.
GEORGE stretched his wings and took in a deep breath. His antennae tingled pleasantly.
The warm sunshine felt good on his metal body. He didn’t miss the bitter cold of Mount Everest. But to his surprise, he did miss Favel the plateau pika, Indie the bar-headed goose, and most of all, Khyber the Fox and his newly found family.
GEORGE flew over Fly on the Wall Inc. Below, park benches lined the concrete sidewalk leading to the front door. On one park bench sat a young boy reading a book.
Very quietly, GEORGE hovered above the boy. The book he was reading had a lot of words. The boy turned the page. It had some interesting pictures too.
GEORGE saw that the boy had brown eyes. His eyes looked a little sad. GEORGE thought, That boy looks like the way I feel. Is he lonely too? Usually GEORGE’s questions had answers that he could download. But this question was different, somehow.
As GEORGE flew toward the front door of the building, he wondered if Darcy Luna would be disappointed in him. History had not changed—at least, not the way humans thought it would.
But Khyber the Fox and his family’s history would be changed. They would have a safe home for many more generations.
As he glided down the twisty hallways toward Darcy Luna’s office, GEORGE whispered to himself, “Yes, history has been changed…exactly as it should have been.”
