Manufractured - Book 1 of 3

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

While tending to matters at the office, I checked my flash-pad and noticed I had received a message from Beverley Gibson's assistant, Fiona. The message contained all the coordinates pertaining to our upcoming trip to Washington.

"Wow, this is in two days," said a surprised Sharon when I showed her.

"Yeah, the conference date was moved up," I replied.

"Daddy, are we going to get to meet the president?" Riley asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.

"I don't know, Riles, but if you do, what are you going to ask him?" I shared a glance with Sharon and suppressed a giggle.

"I would ask him if he could help stop me from getting sick," replied Riley, suddenly serious. We instantly sobered.

"Hey Riles," I said, putting a smile on my face and some cheer in my voice, "tomorrow morning I have to perform some inspections from the robo-copter, so how about I bring you up to Moon Shade Bluff. We can have a picnic."

"Can Mommy and Jumper come with us?" asked Riley.
"Of course," I replied.
"I wouldn't miss it," said Sharon as she pulled Riley in for a hug.

Riley was up at dawn the following morning. When I came downstairs he was dressed and waiting at the door.

"Hey partner, you're raring to go, aren't you?" I said.

"I can't wait!" Riley exclaimed.

After Sharon prepared a picnic basket filled with all of our favorite foods, we headed off to the VLP headquarters to board the robo-copter. Once airborne, I set the auto-radar, which was programmed to perform a general land inspection from the sky. Riley was really taken with the surroundings. "Look Daddy, down there— horses!" he cried out as we flew above Hislep Farms, which was known for its stable of prize-winning horses.

"Look over there, Riley," said Sharon, directing his attention toward the Levin estate. "You know that place. That's where we visit Uncle Skip and Aunt Dora."

"Maybe I can see some of their really neat robots from up here," said Riley.

As usual, when I looked down at the site where Dad's robo-copter crashed, I became highly emotional. Minutes later, we landed on the center of the cliff.

"Whoa!" Riley shouted as his feet touched the ground. Although in recent years a railing had been erected around the edge of the cliff, we made sure Riley stayed in the center, and we happily watched Riley kick his soccer ball to Jumper. Amazingly, the Ro-Dog never failed to return the favor.

"Do you think they're going to give Anya Ahar a chance?" I asked Sharon, my eyes still on Riley.

"I would be a hypocrite if I said they should."
I looked at her. "How so?"
"Look at how I dealt with Dr. Langford's situation. Don't you

remember how I preached on and on about how important it is to uphold the law? I was glad I didn't compromise my principles, but now I wonder."

"You simply did what you believed was right."

Sharon thought for a moment, watching Riley. "I guess when it comes down to your own child's life, even your strongest principles can become easily compromised."

"Isn't it amazing?" I said.
Sharon looked at me, eyebrows raised in query. "Isn't what amazing?"

"To be up here, away from it all. I know it's regarded as some kind of folklore, but if that ZeZ civilization really did exist and call Vexton their home, it's no wonder they found such bliss in this place," I replied.