Mister Jessman scurried frantically down a wide hallway, flailing like a mad man with his undies on fire. “Mister President, we received a pebble from Ralph!” Mister Jessman huffed and puffed as he flung open the door.
Arthur spun around and marched to his desk.
Mister Jessman met the president at his desk where he stopped, standing at attention.
“When did it arrive?” Arthur asked as Mister Jessman placed the pebble into the computer. A slot opened at the end of the president’s workstation and a bright white light shot from the desktop.
“It arrived just moments ago. I personally retrieved the pebble and ran the entire way here.” Mister Jessman sucked air to catch his breath.
“So no one has viewed the message?”
“No Mister President, you will be the first. Shall I leave sir? Would you prefer privacy?”
“You may stay, Jessman. I may need you to take quick action, depending on the content.”
The two men stared intently at the beam of light. Up popped a three-dimensional miniature version of Arthur’s friend Ralph sitting in a reclined position on what appeared to be a very comfortable chair.
“Mister President, first I want to tell you the truly important news, your son and Tyler are safe. They are exceptionally brave and polite young men,” Ralph said with a grin. Arthur smiled at this and shook his head.
Ralph did a neck jerking segue into an informal slang with his old friend. “So Arty, here’s the dealio; I got word the Unu knocked out your AMPP. Ethan said he’s hip to the location of a third unit. We are on our way to retrieve the back up unit. The next time you see this ruggedly handsome mug, I’ll be singing the praise of the crew that completed a grand mission worthy of a triumphant parade.”
Ralph leaned forward with a sly grin before continuing. “And I suspect you and the Missis will be relieved to have your boy back.”
Arthur’s jaw squared off and his eyes welled up with pride. “My son is going to save this planet,” Arthur mumbled as he craned his head to look Mister Jessman, eye to eye.
The President’s aide cleared his throat and summarized the obvious. “First we need the AMPP, then Tyler does his thing or all is lost.”
Arthur stared at Jessman with irritation. “Yes, I am much aware of the sequence of events which must occur for a positive outcome, however this is exceptional news.”
Mister Jessman gazed down at his feet and nodded in agreement.
Ralph went on for a few minutes bringing his old friend Arthur up to speed on the adventure thus far. “Your kid is bright Arthur and Tyler is equally as intuitive. Obviously the plan is risky, but I am confident these lads have the right stuff. We will make you proud, Mister President.”
Ralph and Arthur’s long friendship has lasted for many, many years, which is the reason Ralph can take such a casual and informal tone with the president. Although the men are closer than brothers, Ralph never forgets Arthur is the president of Ganrea and deserves the respect and manners that come with the office. This is why he still treated Arthur as he would any other friend but closed every conversation with acknowledgement of Arthur’s title and office.
The message ended, so Arthur stood straight up with anxious pride. “All we can do now is pray.”
“Mister President, shall I inform anyone the AMPP is en route?” Jessman asked.
The president hesitated, only for a fraction of a second. “Yes, please inform the Minister of Energy and no one else. Please have a team prepare for the arrival of the AMPP. This is beyond top secret - I do not want to put my son’s or Tyler’s life in danger by it getting out that a third AMPP on the way.” Mister Jessman agreed. “I will be sure to press upon the Minister the gravity of the situation and the consequences.”
Arthur waited until Mister Jessman exited the room and he collapsed into his desk chair. He had a slight tremble in his hands as he rubbed his cheeks in a slow pressing manner. Arthur had confidence he made all the right choices as President, but he couldn’t forget he was a father first—a father worried sick about his son. Arthur took a deep breath as he stood up and wiped his eyes.
“Time to get back to work,” he whispered to himself as he started for the door.