I'd gotten so good at it that I'd started using the timer -- I could lean into the current forever without it. I had it set for three hours, but when the current died, it felt like no time at all had passed. I probed around my consciousness for any revelation, but no spirit had come into my body during the exercise. The guy who thought he was Nicola Tesla didn't know if there were any other spirits in the wire, but it stood to reason that if there was one, there had to be more. I stood, and felt incredibly calm and balanced and centered and I floated past the other kids. It was time for my session with The Amazing Robotron. "Chet, how are you fee-ling?" "I'm well, thank you." Nicola Tesla spoke well and carefully, and I'd started to ape him. "And what would you like to dis-cuss to-day?" "I don't really have anything to talk about, honestly. Everything is fine." "That is good. Do you have any new ob-ser-va-tions about your friends?" "I'm sorry, no. I haven't been paying much attention lately." "Why hav-en't you?" "It just doesn't interest me, sorry." "Why does-n't it in-ter-est you?" "I just don't care about them, to be frank." The Amazing Robotron was absolutely still for a moment. "Are things well with your par-ents, too?" "The same as always. I think they've found their niches." _Find your niche_ was an expression I'd pirated from the guy who thought he was Nicola Tesla. I was very proud of it. "In that case, why don't we end this mee-ting?" I was surprised. The Amazing Robotron always demanded his full hour. "I'll see you on Wednesday, then?" "I'm af-raid not, Chet. I will be gone for a few months -- I have to re-turn home. There will be a sub-sti-tute coun-sel-or arri-ving next Monday." My calm center shattered. Sweat sprang out on my palms. "What? You're leaving? How can you be leaving?" "I'm so-rry, Chet. There is an em-er-gen-cy at home. I'll be back as soon as I can." "Frick that! How can you go? What'll I do if you don't come back? You're the only one I can talk to!" "I'm so-rry, Chet. I have to go." "If you gave a shit, you'd stay. You can't just leave me here!" I knew as I said it that it didn't make any sense, but a picture sprang into my mind, one that I'd been carrying without knowing it for a long time: The Amazing Robotron and me as an adult, walking away from the bat-house, with suitcases, leaving together, forever. I felt a sob hiccough in my throat. "I will re-turn, Chet. I did-n't wish to up-set you." "Frick that! I don't give a shit if you come back, asshole." # Chet went straight to 87 and plugged in to the apparatus. He didn't set the timer, and he stayed plugged in for nearly two days, when two fighting boys tumbled into him and knocked his hand away. He was centered and numb again, and didn't have any sense of the intervening time. He didn't even have to pee. He wondered if he was trying to commit suicide.