Ruby checked the window. "Children, hide in the bathroom. I got an idea."

We did what we were told, Michael locking the door behind us.

A moment later, the `exterminators' came stomping around in our hotel room.

"Oh thank goodness!" I heard Ruby saying. "This place is just crawling with bedbugs. I turned over that picture on the wall, and it's like they're having a party! And don't get me started on the duvet and the closet."

More stomping, and the oil can clicking of a manual pump sprayer thing. "Anything in the bathroom?"

"Haven't really checked in there, but you know how those things hate the light."

The knob turned and clanked as the man tried to enter.

Ruby laughed. "Oh right. Sorry. My boyfriend's in there. Poor baby got the squirts. Swears it's from my cooking, but I know that can't be it."

Mike let out a dramatic groan, squeezing a large shampoo bottle into the commode. The bottle, near empty, did kind of sound like diarrhea. Me and Gertie, hiding inside the bathtub, suppressed giggles.

"You got some Pepto?" Mike called in a low falsetto.

"Hold on, let me check..."

"Your boyfriend sounds young," said the man outside.

"What can I say? I likes `em young...You know it's good you're spraying for cockroaches too, `cuz I saw a couple crawling around the set."

"Ma'am, we're spraying for bedbugs."

"How come you're not turning over the bed? I know how these things work! Are you going to do it right, or do I need to go complain at the front office?"

The bed banged on its side. "Ma'am, I'm going to need you to clear out of here for awhile. You and your boyfriend."

She knocked on the door. "Tom, you done in there?"

Mike continued making noise. "I don't think so! Where's the pink stuff?"

"Sorry, baby. Fresh out. Need to go to the store." To the man, she said, "Can he just...stay in there awhile and hold his breath when he comes out? I don't think he's in a condition to move right now, unless you want to do his laundry..."

"Ma'am, uh...that's fine. We'll come back. We, uh, need to get some chemicals from the main warehouse anyway...You haven't seen a couple small kids around here lately, have you? A boy and a girl? Gray uniforms?"

"You talking about prep school uniforms or what?"

"They're kind of...prison suits. Broke out of juvie. The boy's older, brown haired, got a little sister in pigtails. You'd know if you saw them. In fact, here's their picture."

"So they got pest control searching for missing children now? What kind of operation you running?"

"Ma'am, we serve the community. Anyways, I hear they've been kidnapped by a stocky white guy and a black woman. They might have an older boy with them."

I swear I could hear Ruby's hackles raising. "Could you describe the black woman for me? `Cuz that could be anyone on the entire east side."

"I'm sorry. We have pictures, but they're back at the main office. The woman was a secretary for the Department of Defense. She may be dressed in uniform."

"A black woman...in the DOD. Now there's something you don't see every day!"

"I'm sorry ma'am. Not meaning to be insensitive or anything. If you see them or hear anything, could you give us a ring? We'd really appreciate it. There's a phone number on the back."

"I'll definitely keep an eye out." The tone of voice said she wouldn't.

The men stomped out. The hotel door clicked shut. A long silence.

Mike sighed. "I'm glad that's over. I'm out of Dad's shampoo."

We finally could get out all that laughter we'd been holding in. Gertie crept to the door. "Is it safe to come out now?"

A moment later, I had sort of an epileptic fit. My eyes rolled backwards in my head as I convulsed in the tub.

"Brother?" Gertie cried.

Mike grabbed me. "Elliott! Snap out of it!"

It was like I wasn't in the hotel anymore. We were on ET's ship, all three of us standing in its lower level, gawking at what we saw.

ET still lay on the plant...couch...thing. He appeared to be resting, though, his debriefing having ended some time ago.

"Is ET dead?" The ship made soft breathing sounds and hummed, but when Gertie spoke, it sounded like it did in the tub.

"I don't think so," my older brother replied. "I see his chest moving."

The fronds of that tree thing grew into the alien's arms and upper body, but he smiled when he saw us. "Mich-ael. Ger-tie. Ell-i-ott."

"We're safe, ET." I forced myself not to look worried. "For the time being. Are you okay?"

ET nodded. "Good."

Gertie reached for him, but it only made the vision fade in places like a shimmering mist.

"Your power is fading. But will always be here..." ET pointed to his head.

His finger glowed as it pointed in my direction.

Something flashed in my mind. An electronics diagram. For some reason, it made sense to me. I felt I could build it, whatever it was.

"Find...me."

The hotel beds banged down. Someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Kids, you in there?...Food's getting cold!"

Our shared vision disappeared. All three of our bodies glowed, but the light dimmed as we regained our bearings. Gertie and I had to wipe blood away from our noses.

"Yeah, Dad!" Michael called back. "Just a minute!"

We came out to find taco meals and bags from the thrift store awaiting us on the beds.

"Hope this stuff fits," Dad said. "Kinda picked it out at random. Had to guess on the sizes."

I frowned at a sideways wall hanging. "Are the exterminators gone?"

Ruby nodded. "They sped off the moment they saw me come back with a pink bottle."

Dad chuckled. "You always did have a flair for the dramatic."

"Your son helped."

Mike popped a tater tot into his mouth. "You're out of shampoo."

We ate our dinner, silently watching Knight Rider for a few moments.

Dad looked Ruby in the eyes. "Did they recognize you?"

She scoffed. "You know how white folks are. We all look the same."

"Not to me, you don't!"

Ruby snickered.

Gertie gave Dad a scolding glance. "Why aren't you with mommy?"

Sighing, the man seated himself next to her, rubbed her on the head. "Your mom and I never got along because I'm Catholic and your mom's a Jew. It was kind of like oil and water."

"Holy water."

Dad smirked at Ruby. "I'm not that perfect, but thanks, baby."

"Anyways, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Admittedly I'm not a great Catholic, being that I'm living in sin and all, but that's beside the point. We didn't get along. That's all. And that bank book (whew!) never could catch all those random checks she kept writing until we got in the red..."

"It wasn't because you didn't want to see us?"

He looked genuinely hurt. "Aw, sugar, you kidding? I've been missing you every...dang day!" He gave his girlfriend a sideways glance. "Hey, I'm going to talk with Rubes for a bit. Behave, okay?"

Gertie nodded.

"That's a good girl."

Ruby and Dad stepped out. I spied on them from the window.

"All right," Ruby said. "We got a free moment. It's quiet, we're alone, explain to me why we don't marry."

Dad sighed. "Look, uh, I got alimony and child support, which, honestly is going to pose an interesting-"

"Don't care, broke your kids out of a military installation. Name another reason."

"Hey," he stammered. "Say, for example, that you didn't-"

"You think I'll divorce you and leave you with two debts? Is that it?"

"Uh, in not so many words?"

"Steve, baby. I love you."

"I know, but this ain't my first rodeo."

"Elliott," Gertie called from a spot in front of the bed. "Sit on the floor with me. I want to try something."

I sat Indian style in front of her.

Gertie grabbed my hands. "Close your eyes."

I did.

I saw a flash, then that same circuit board thing I saw before.

"Do you see it?"

The more I thought about it, the more the idea solidified in my head. "Yeah. I think I know how to build it."

I got up from the floor, and, starting with the antenna screws, dismantled the TV piece by piece, with a screwdriver I'd spotted while hiding under the bed.

I had an idea where all the components and circuits should go. It seemed easy as hooking up a VIC-20.

"Hey!" Michael protested. "You can't do that! What if someone-"

"I know how to put it back together." I didn't believe the words coming from my own mouth, but it seemed right.

Michael had seen enough not to question me. "Okay, so what are you doing?"

"Dunno. I guess we'll find out when I'm done."

Dad had brought along a dufflebag full of interesting tools for assisting our rescue. Among the pliers, wrenches and associated hardware, I found a calculator and an analog multimeter. It seemed a good idea to take the things apart for use in this...thing I was assembling.

The door swung open, and Dad stepped in, hand in hand with Ruby. I spotted a ring. "Kids, I have an announcement to make-" He frowned when he saw the mess. "Hey! We're going to have to pay for that!"

Then Dad scowled. "Is that my calculator?"

I'd just created a rough version of a computer, complete with monitor, keyboard (the calculator), even something weird that went into the phone, maybe to call another computer, plus a parabolic reflector piece I'd built from a ceiling light cover and a flashlight.

"Son, I don't know what you're doing with all this stuff, but I hope you can put it all back or there's going to be a problem."

I opened my mouth to say something, but then my improvised computer flickered into action, large block letters on the TV screen spelling out the word ELLIOTT.

Dad furrowed his brow. "That's cute. Maybe we can find you a job. Now put that stuff back."

That's when two more words appeared:

PLEASE REPLY.

"It's ET!" Gertie shouted. "He's talking to us!"