CHAPTER 24 [PLESKIT] FACE-TO-FACE
“Look!” cried Tim. “It’s Kitty James!”
I was so distressed about being locked out of the studio that at first I did not know what he was talking about. Then I remembered who Kitty James was—that terrible woman who had interviewed me in such a friendly way, then betrayed me by broadcasting the scene of me laughing when McNally asked if Jordan was dead.
“I do not want to see her!”
“But she works here!” cried Tim. “She can get us in.”
“Why would she do that?” I asked.
“Because it’s a story. Besides, she owes you a favor.”
Before I could say anything, he rushed over to Kitty James and started talking to her.
“Sure, I can get you in,” she said when she came over to the door. “Trade. I get you in, you grant me another exclusive interview.”
“After what you did to me last time?” I cried.
She looked at me for a moment, then sighed. “Oh, all right. I guess I owe you one. I’ll get you in. You can decide on your own if you want to do the interview or not.”
Leaning close to the door, she said, “Kitty James. 8641. Baconbreath.” It clicked, and she pushed on it. The door opened into a small room with two stairways and three doors leading out of it.
I groaned. “Which way now?”
McNally grabbed Kitty James by the arm. “Get us to the room where Meenom and Hargis are debating, and I guarantee you’ll be on the scene for the biggest story of the year.”
“It’s a deal!” she said. She started down the center hall.
“Faster!” cried McNally.
Kitty started to run. We followed her, bolting wildly through the studio corridors. Three times someone tried to stop us. Each time McNally shouted, “Security!” and flashed his badge.
When we burst into the studio the Fatherly One leaped to his feet in horror. “Pleskit! What are you doing here?”
Harr-giss looked even more horrified to see us. But he quickly got his face under control, managing to make it look as if he was surprised by our breaking in, not by the fact that we had escaped from his evil plan.
He turned to the camera. “This is exactly the kind of thing I was just talking about,” he said smoothly. “This alien child is totally impetuous, utterly unsuited to be in public school with our children.” He turned toward a computer to pull up the video. “Perhaps this is the time to show the world what I have learned,” he said.
I knew it was the footage from Geembol Seven.
“That man is a traitor!” I cried.
My father looked like he was going to go into kleptra.
“Pleskit’s telling the truth!” cried McNally. “Senator Hargis is an alien!”
The people in the studio burst out laughing. I had expected Harr-giss to be outraged, but he just laughed, as if this was too preposterous for words. I had to work hard to keep my sphen-gnut-ksher from flashing, since I knew if it did everyone would take it as more evidence against me.
“I can prove it!” I said. “I have brought my download box. I can download from my sphen-gnut-ksher the images of you threatening Tim and me.”
Harr-giss looked uneasy for an instant, then slipped back into his act. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, son,” he said. “Who the heck is Sven Not Sure anyway?”
“Sphen-gnut-ksher,” said the Fatherly One, pronouncing it correctly and clearly working hard to stay calm, “is the name for the sensory organ on the top of our head.”
“You mean that vicious weapon you carry up there?” asked Harr-giss, pointing and pretending to be terrified.
The Fatherly One scowled. “It is not a weapon. As everyone now knows, despite the initial misleading news reports, my son did no harm to that boy on the playground.”
“He did, too!” cried a voice from the other side of the stage. “He scared the poop out of me!”
That was the first time that I realized Jordan was there. Harr-giss must have brought him along for audience sympathy.
“Fear is a great weapon all by itself,” said Harr-giss smoothly. “So are lies. Even if your boy does have something he can show us, how do we know it’s not faked?”
That was when Tim made his move. Leaping from behind the chair where Harr-giss was sitting, he slapped the control disk on the back of the fake senator’s neck. Instantly I whipped the control pad from my pocket and began to adjust the dials.
“Take off your mask!” I ordered.
Harr-giss just sat there, while two security guards rushed over and grabbed Tim. They lifted him off the floor, and I was afraid they were going to tear him apart.
I fiddled with the dial, terrified that I wouldn’t be able to make it work.
“Take off your mask!” I ordered again.
“Pleskit!” cried the Fatherly One, his voice a mixture of pleading and horror.
The men began to haul Tim away. Jordan was laughing hysterically.
And the entire world was watching.
I adjusted the dial one more time.
“Take off your mask!” I ordered.
Slowly Senator Hargis moved his hands to his neck and began to peel off his false face.