The television news broadcast on the high-definition TV in the living room of the Fords' home. Joe watched it intently, trying to absorb what changes had taken place since he had gone dark.

"Another underground Flesh Fair was broken up by police early this afternoon," a reporter was saying. "Flesh Fairs were once very popular and legal, but were later banned after deaths of three people who were mistaken for Mecha. It was once said, nearly fifty years ago, a young boy was passed off as a Mecha child, perhaps in a murder attempt, at a Flesh Fair in Haddonfield. He was rescued, along with another, who is believed to indeed have been a Mecha. Neither of them were seen again."

"That was David and me," Joe said as Irene walked into the room with her dog. "David screamed not to be burned and they thought he was a real child."

"That story has spread everywhere," Irene told Joe as she sat in her favorite chair with her soda. "Lord Johnson-Johnson was never the same after all that. People thought he was a heartless sociopath and his flesh fair went out of business. Later, they were made illegal, but there are a few smaller types of them operating underground. So, you still need to be very careful."

That evening, Irene and Michael sat down to eat in front of the television. Joe, now trusted and allowed into the home, walked around slowly and looked at the photographs that were on display. Nearly all the photos were of the couple's numerous expeditions and adventures.

"Why do you do this?," Joe asked as he continued to look.

"Educate," Irene replied. Holding her glass of soda, she approached and looked at what he was looking at. "It's important to learn history, Joe, so we don't repeat it." She pointed at one. "Michael and I were the last people to see the wreck of the Titanic before it collapsed. Even after all that time, it held on. Sank in nineteen-twelve, was believed to collapse in twenty-thirty, but held on until twenty-five-seventy-eight. We saw it three months before it went. Then, your age came around in twenty-five-fifty and lasted well over seventy-five years."

"What year is it now?," Joe asked.

"Twenty-six-eleven," Irene replied. "From the records and evidence we have, David was underwater for fifty years. We pieced all this together from files. You were to be destroyed in twenty-five-sixty-two, a year after they found you with David. Therefore, we figured David was down there all that time."

"What will you tell David when he comes back?," Joe asked.

"I don't know," Irene replied. "He was meant to be so young. We'll have to be more careful when we explain all this. But it may not help, no matter what we tell him."

"He'll want only one thing, Irene," Joe replied. "He'll ask to see his mommy immediately."

"Did he ever tell you her name?," Irene asked.

"Monica," Joe replied. "That's all. Just Monica."

"Without her last name, it will be more difficult to locate her, no matter if she's alive or dead," Irene sighed.

"How long could she live?," Joe asked.

"Two-hundred," Irene replied. "Just last week, a woman aged two-twelve died of natural causes. There's a chance that she could still be alive now. But we won't tell him that until we know."

"The team is still trying to re-activate him," Michael said. "He's a real mess inside, but we're not giving up."

"How long will you let us both stay?," Joe asked.

"Forever," Irene answered. "Joe, the new law is called 'finders-keepers' and it means that people like Michael and me can claim anything we find on our expeditions. You're both better off here anyway. If you leave, other people may try to re-sell you as a 'collector item' since you two are originals from Professor Allen Hobby. He died twenty-one years ago and he's considered a legend for what he did, especially with David." She looked at Joe. "David is especially valuable," she went on. "He was the first of his kind, designed by Hobby. Michael and I have already claimed him as ours. Taking him now would be theft."

"Then, we're both staying," Joe said.

"You'll both be safe with us," Michael replied. "We don't plan to put you on display or make money off of either of you. We have indeed already been covered by the news since we found David, but we're not welcoming people to this house unless we trust them."

Irene started to clean up the dishes.

Joe picked up the last dish and carried it to the kitchen. He extended it to Irene.

"Thank you, Joe," Irene smiled as she slowly took it from his hand.

"Bring David back," Joe begged as he leaned on his hands on the counter.

"We will," Irene replied. She set her hand on top of his. "Believe me, we will."

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