A Time for Heroes 4

Chapter Four: Power Lunch

The message was delivered by an anxious pink dog that walked upright and seemed to anticipate disaster around every corner and under every chair. Sitting between Number One and Number Four, helping the former and trying to ignore the complaints of the latter, Ben watched the dog with interest. It was evident that he was searching for someone because he studied every face he passed.

"Is that anybody we should know?" he wondered, watching the nervous little pooch as he moved through the large and crowded meeting room, going from person to person in his quest.

"That’s Courage," said Number Two, appearing with a stack of applications. He set it on the table before Ben, who surreptitiously pushed the handwritten documents over in front of Number Four when the younger boy wasn’t paying attention. "He’s attached to security. A good officer - very paranoid and neurotic."

Neurotic was an understatement. Courage drew closer, and then spotted them from a few yards away. Immediately he began to dance about from paw to paw and wave his arms, making a weird sound of excitement.

"Guess he found what he’s looking for," muttered Number Four warily. Belatedly he spotted the pile of paperwork. "Hey! Number Two! Take this back!"

The dance grew more energetic and Courage was almost beside himself as he hopped about enthusiastically, brandishing an envelope made grubby by his paws.

"Can we help you?" Number One asked. "Is that for one of us?"

Courage rambled wordlessly, pointing at Ben. The teenager made a face and half-rose from his seat.

"I’m Ben Tennyson. Is that meant for me?" He forced a smile as the dog gladly handed over the message. "Thank you. Thanks. I got it. Do you need an answer?"

Courage shook his head and hurried off. They all stared until he was swallowed by the crowd of applicants.

"That was weird," said Ben, voicing their thoughts.

"What’s that, then?" Number Two asked, peering curiously at the envelope. Ben looked down at the heavy paper embossed with the DexLabs logo and felt a rush of curiosity. Was it possibly a response to his apology? Unable to imagine what kind of reply Dexter would send, he opened the envelope, aware of the three KND agents watching intensely, and pulled out the note within. It was handwritten and brief and there was no way to keep the other three boys from being thoroughly and completely nosey.

Ben,
If you’re not busy later, please join me for lunch. I have a favor to ask of you. I’ll meet you at noon in the main atrium.
Prof. P.L. Utonium

Number One’s glasses slid down his nose and his eyebrows shot up. Number Two gaped in nerdish envy that Ben would get to have lunch with one of his heroes. Number Four frowned and wondered,

"What sort of name is Plutonium?"

"P.L. Utonium," corrected Number Two fiercely. Almost salivating, he expounded in true fanboy fashion. "It stands for Patrick Lawrence Utonium, president of DexCorp International. He’s one of the greatest scientific minds in the world. He made the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Any idea what he wants, Ben?" wondered Number One, cutting through his subordinate’s gushing and eyeing his companion with renewed interest.

"Not a clue," Ben replied. "My grandpa knows him. Maybe it’s something to do with him."

So he said, but he didn’t believe a word of it. In his heart, he knew this had everything to do with Dexter.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

He was already starving when he arrived in the atrium a few minutes before noon, and he spent that time observing the excited crush of people hurrying hither and yon that would be standing against Planet Fusion. Most were human, but there were a few oddities thrown into the mix – demons and talking animals and aliens and a few things that defied anything as mundane as a species. As he watched, a walking, talking skeleton in a black robe strode by muttering to himself. He was being followed about by a pink cat. A few minutes later a disgruntled moose in a scout uniform was escorted out by some DexLabs security officers, a trail of raucous animal scouts close behind their loudly indignant leader. Samurai Jack nodded silently to Ben as he strode up the main staircase in the center of the huge entrance. The Japanese warrior was accompanied by a burly man with a Scottish accent and a machine gun for a prosthetic leg that harangued Jack about training the raw recruits. He was as booming and animated as the samurai was not. That he look slightly crazed did not seem to bother Jack in the least, and Ben figured if anyone was capable of defending himself, it was Jack. The intercom echoed constantly with announcements and voices rose and fell in waves of sound. It was amazing and inspiring to see so many people united, and Ben found himself smiling as hope surged through him.

A ripple of surprise and excitement moved through the room. Ben looked up to find the source and to his astonishment he saw Professor Utonium step out of an elevator accompanied by a gigantic bug in a tailored suit and the snappiest tie Ben had ever seen. It was . . . yes, it was a six-foot tall mosquito. Ben smirked, thinking of Stinkfly and amused at the crowd’s reaction. Seeing such a being wasn’t a big deal for him - he was used to the bizarre. The mosquito carried two attaché cases and gestured with a free hand as they spoke. Utonium had his hands thrust into the pockets of his lab coat and his head was bent to catch everything the bug was telling him. They engaged in a brief, serious conversation, and after a handshake and a friendly smile (at least Utonium smiled – the mosquito seemed to have one expression, and that was hungry) the bug left through the main doors, a path opening before him as KND and volunteers scrambled to get out of the way.

Utonium looked thoughtful for a few moments more before he turned and scanned the atrium for Ben. Waving to catch his attention, Ben worked through the crowd. He was greeted by a warm smile and a handshake and Utonium said,

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"It’s not a problem at all, sir," he replied. "Thank you for the invitation."

To his surprise, Utonium lead him back to the elevators, not down the corridor to the canteen. Noticing his hesitation, the Professor gestured for him to come along.

"I ordered lunch for us on the patio outside our living quarters," he said, pressing a button. Immediately the elevator rose smoothly. "Dexter’s sisters will be there for a little while and I thought you might like to meet them. Are you under any sort of time constraint?"

"No, sir," he said, privately relieved to be away from processing and sorting and training would-be fighters for a little while. Even silence was a luxury. He was the envy of the Sector V KND team right now, and Number Two had begged him for the handwritten message from the Professor since it contained his signature. "Will Dexter be there?"

Utonium checked his watch. "If he is, he’s going to find himself grounded for a week. I chased him off to bed at about nine this morning. He should sleep until late this afternoon." He caught Ben’s reaction and smiled, something he seemed to do a lot. Clearly this was nothing new to the president of DexCorp. "Oh, he almost never leaves his lab, so he rarely knows the date and time. Besides, right now he can’t come outside anyway, so he just works the night through."

He wanted to ask why Dexter couldn’t go outside, but Ben restrained himself. It wasn’t exactly his business. The doors opened to a hall that looked just like every other hall in DexLabs – clean, bright, and uniform. He followed the Professor through doors, past security checkpoints, down stairs, along corridors, through the garden where Ben had stumbled upon them a few days before, until Utonium stopped before an unremarkable-looking door. Using a swipe card and a long entry code on the lock, Utonium opened it for Ben to step through and immediately the atmosphere changed from sterile, filtered climate controlled air to a warm, grass-scented breeze. There were open windows close by. Ben took a deep breath, appreciating the difference in settings and the scent of honeysuckle. He entered and found himself on the loft of a two-story suite of rooms that opened onto a garden. It was very homey and snug, comfortably and tastefully decorated without seeming like a showplace, and clearly a home, not just rooms.

"Is this where you live, Professor?" wondered Ben.

"When we’re in Downtown. I keep a house in Townsville, too. Hold on a second."

Utonium motioned Ben to wait and then entered one of the rooms down a short hall. As he opened the door a small cat came trotting after him, fluffy tail held high like a banner. Ben had a glimpse of light fur and dark markings around blue eyes before the cat darted into the shadowy room. “Einstein, when did you get up here?” Utonium asked softly, stepping aside so the cat could precede him. The Professor returned alone a few moments later, looking satisfied as he closed the door. "He’s still asleep, thankfully."

So that was Dexter’s room. An image of books and beakers flashed through his head, and he couldn’t help but wonder how a teenager that was both a brilliant scientist and a billionaire decorated his room. "How is he feeling?"

"Rotten, but getting better," the older man admitted. "He doesn’t entirely realize how sick he’s been." He gestured, inviting Ben deeper into his home. Giggling laughter reached them as they walked down a wide staircase, and as they stepped outside, Ben smiled to see the Powerpuff Girls again.

They were seated in a small, beautifully landscaped courtyard just beyond a pergola covered with flowering vines. The girl in pink, Blossom, was sitting off to the side reading, but she glanced up for long stretches to watch the others. Bubbles and Buttercup, in blue and green respectively, were cheering and laughing as another girl demonstrated classic ballet. The last girl was much taller and a few years older than the triplets, with long blond pigtails and a remarkably pretty face. Even from a distance Ben could see that her eyes were china blue. She wore a pink tutu and ballet slippers, and to the beat of a popular pop band playing over the stereo she danced with the grace of a swan.

"Good, she’s still here," said Utonium, smiling at the ballerina. The song came to its conclusion and she ended her dance in a deep bow, bent low over her extended leg. The Powerpuff Girls applauded and whooped, and Utonium clapped a few times in appreciation.

"Professor!" cried the three girls, spotting them. The ballerina rose, turning with a smile, and in a voice that was almost nasally added her greeting of "Hi, Professor!"

"Very pretty, DeeDee," he said as the troop of girls swept down upon them. "This is Ben Tennyson, Max Tennyson’s grandson. Ben, meet Dexter’s sisters. This is DeeDee, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup."

They made for bright and pleasing company as they sat down to a lunch of sandwiches and half a dozen different types of salad. They laughed as Buttercup constructed an immense sandwich, and Ben found himself astonished at how much the three Powerpuff Girls could eat. Until this moment, he hadn’t considered how much energy they must burn on a daily basis. Even DeeDee, for all she was as skinny as a stick, devoured enough pasta salad to impress Ben. Too bad Dexter seemed disinclined to follow their example. He felt a little less self-conscious helping himself to seconds after the younger girls each started on their third plate of food. The conversation never slowed during the meal as DeeDee described her dance classes and the music she was going to require her brother to learn so he could play for her practice sessions.

"Dexter plays an instrument?" Ben asked, impressed. Music was something he listened to, but the making of it was beyond his ken.

"Mmm." Her mouth full of pasta salad, DeeDee nodded enthusiastically. She swallowed in haste to be the first to brag. "He plays the piano. He’s very good."

DeeDee left them soon after they finished their dessert of fruit tarts and cookies, and not much later the Powerpuff Girls departed as well, leaving Ben with the Professor. They sipped sweet tea made with fresh mint and lemon and slowly polished off the few cookies the girls had left behind.

"That was great," Ben said. "Thank you."

"The pleasure is mine, Ben."

"You said you needed a favor in your note."

Utonium poured more tea. "Yes, I do, but please feel free to refuse if you don’t want to do it."

"What do you need?"

He let out his breath slowly. "I’m going to Florida tomorrow to test a new targeting system DexLabs has been developing for the next generation of Navy fighter jets. I’ll be bringing my three girls with me because they’re the only things fast and maneuverable enough to give the targeting system a decent shakedown. We’ll be staying aboard the Enterprise for a week, longer if the weather doesn’t cooperate."

Ben felt a pang of envy. A week aboard an aircraft carrier? How cool would that be? Aloud he said, "Can you spare the time to go there?"

"There’s no choice in the matter. In light of the invasion, the Department of Defense is pressuring all its contractors to accelerate their schedules. That’s part of the reason Dexter’s been driving himself so hard. These tests weren’t supposed to be until September, but since he was able to finish early, Lockheed-Martin wants to put the system through its paces immediately."

"I take it Dexter isn’t going?"

"Mmm . . . no." Utonium made a face. Plainly Ben had hit upon a sore spot. "He can’t travel right now, and he’s terribly disappointed. It’s not just the shakedown on the targeting system. He wanted to study the internal structure of the aircraft carrier for a project he’s planning. He’s . . . a bit grumpy over the situation."

Grumpy. Ben suspected that meant Dexter was full-bore insufferable and probably raving mad that being sick kept him home. It was just a theory, but it was one Ben wasn’t interested in testing.

"So . . ."

Utonium caught his drift. "So. I was wondering if you would you be willing to keep an eye on Dexter for me while I’m away."

Ben stared, open-mouthed, and it was a moment before he could collect himself. "You mean like . . . baby sit?"

"Baby sit is such an ugly term," replied the scientist, grinning, "especially when applied to teenagers. Mr. Green from Research and Development drew the short straw this time and he’ll be the lucky devil with the hazardous duty: making sure Dexter eats, getting him to bed at a decent hour, making sure he takes his medications, all that fun stuff. I was thinking maybe you could just stop by Dexter’s lab now and then at night to make sure he’s doing well and isn’t working himself too hard."

"How can you tell when he’s working too hard?"

"He gets cranky."

And exactly how did Utonium define cranky? Cranky could range from whiney to murderous.

"If you don’t want to do it or you’re too busy, I completely understand. I’m only asking because there are so few people I can trust to look after him when I’m away and there are even fewer people close to his age that I’m comfortable asking at all."

"And you trust me . . . why, sir?"

Utonium sat back with a faint smile, carrying his tea with him. "I know your grandfather well and I’ve worked with him time and again. I put faith in his opinion. He speaks very highly of you, as does General Shaan. I’ve heard a lot of stories about you and the adventures you’ve had. You’ve put yourself on the line and risked everything to do what’s right time and again. You strike me as honest and honorable."

Ben Tennyson blushed a bit to hear himself described in such glowing terms. He cocked his head, asking, "So you told me all that stuff about Dexter getting hurt on purpose?"

"Partially," he admitted with a smile, having not a whit of shame at having been figured out. "I wanted to see if you were the type to repeat stories. I’m glad you’re not."

"No, but I wish I’d kept my mouth shut the other night."

Utonium smiled understandingly, shaking his head. "Don’t sweat the rally, Ben. Dexter got your note, by the way. Thank you for that. Not many people in his life have been so conscientious as to apologize for underestimating him. Plus you confused him, which is always good."

Ben was confused in turn. "How did I confuse him?"

"By asking him to play handball. That was brilliant. You caught him completely off guard. I don’t know if he’d ever even heard of the game before."

Brilliant? Him? Wait-

"Never heard of handball?"

"Have you ever heard of the Seven Bridges of Konigsburg?"

"Uh, no."

"Well, there you go. It’s all a matter of exposure and experience. Dexter has gotten used to the company of adults since he left school. He needs to learn how to deal with children, seeing as how he’s opened his corporate headquarters up to a whole army of them."

"And I’m step one?" wondered Ben.

"Only if you’d like to be."

"But . . . why me? We’re nothing alike!"

Utonium leaned his chin on his hand, smiling. "Really? You’re so sure?"

"Oh, c’mon, Professor! He’s like this super genius whiz kid and I barely scraped by calculus!"

"Though Dexter would argue with me, there’s more to life than math. You’re both mature for your ages, you’ve both been saddled with some heavy responsibilities, and you share a common goal. You’re not as unalike as you may think."

Why did things like that sound so simple and easy when adults said them? Grandpa Max probably would have said something about experience, Gwen would have said something about wisdom, and Kevin . . . Kevin would have had a snide remark about Ben running a daycare center for geeks in glasses. Without straining Ben could think of a dozen people that shared those exact traits with him and Dexter. They had a few aspects in common and nothing more, and yet Utonium seemed confident that Ben was the one to get through to one of the smartest people on the planet. He stared at the older man, at his serene and assured smile and the gentle, knowing light in his gray eyes.

"You’re serious."

"Completely. Ben, this war isn’t going to be over quickly or easily. You and Dexter are both going to be very deeply involved with almost every part of it. It will be better for him and you and the earth if all the foremost leaders can cooperate on more than one level. Right now Dexter’s not in position or condition to do anything but try to get over this infection. He’s working too hard. Unfortunately, given the current situation and pressure from the Plumbers and the Department of Defense, there’s only so much I can do to get him to slow down and step away now and then."

"You think he’s gonna listen to me?"

"Not at first. If you stick to it, though, and get past his defenses, I think you’ll be surprised. I was."

Staring off into middle space to think, Ben would be surprised if he survived so long. Still, the Professor had a good point - they were the leaders here. Not only did they have to set the example, but for the sake of this war they needed to get along and trust one another. If Dexter couldn’t make the first move, it was up to Ben. He sighed, looking at Utonium.

"How will I get to his lab?"