Page 22 of The Presidents Shadow

I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY been to Harvard, not as a student, not as a professor, not even as a guest lecturer.

Even so, I’m probably one of the few people who can say that Harvard wanted me, but I just wasn’t interested. I like a life with action mixed with a heavy dash of glamour.

Anyway, I’m here now, strolling with Tapper and Hawkeye, on Mount Auburn Street, Harvard Yard to our right, the Charles River a few blocks to our left.

In a few minutes we’ll meet with Dr. Atticus Henry and start solving the horror of the recent—and literally earth-shattering—problems devastating the world.

“You know what I’ve noticed?” says Hawkeye. “Everyone in this city is incredibly young.”

“Or are we just getting older?” I ask, grinning.

But more than that, there is real worry about these young people’s future. Whatever Tapper and Hawkeye and I might learn up here in Cambridge will be used to help them.

We turn to enter the central square, the famed Yard, and a very cordial uniformed security guard stops us.

“University IDs or security passes,” he says.

“We have an appointment to see Dr. Atticus Henry,” I say.

“Certainly,” the guard says. “I just need to see your IDs or passes.”

Tapper to the rescue. Cool and confident, he begins. “Well, Dr. Henry didn’t tell us we needed…”

But I don’t want a delay. I can’t wait for Tapper to win his verbal debate with the guard.

I’d better take care of this. I enter a mind-control manipulation.

Tapper hasn’t even finished his sentence when the guard says, “Very well, Mr. Cranston. Dr. Henry is expecting you. If you like, I can call a Harvard guest leader to accompany you. That way, if you’re new to the campus—”

“No, thank you,” I say.

We walk north through Harvard Yard.

The sun is hiding behind some very gray clouds, and the air seems muggier than it was just a few minutes ago. The crowd of students, tourists, and residents seems, oddly quieter.

“Does anyone else hear that?” asks Hawkeye. “A splashing, sort of. It’s like a bunch of kids have jumped into the river and decided to fool around.”

“I bet that’s exactly what it is,” says Tapper. “Kids will be kids, if you can recall.”

Hawkeye shakes his head ruefully. “Not really.”

We keep walking, intent on meeting Dr. Henry.