Episode 25

Hard Drive was not long in responding to President Woodhed's offer. "Mr. President, my tribe has considered your offer, and agrees to all your terms. You are a great leader, and I hope we meet in peace some day. Motherboard and I will return Nebraska at precisely 6:05. Once you are satisfied that it is back, we plan to travel to our new tribal homeland on the island of Lanai, which we plan to rename 'Flower of the Pacific.'"

Woody had not been certain that his terms would be met, so he hadn't made travel arrangements for his new tropical paradise. Indeed, he was wary of making any personal appearances that might give the government a chance to find out who he was. As the President's son, he was fairly recognizable. There had been a risk that Dad would want to sign a treaty in person, but that didn't seem likely now. Woody was happy to be spared this risk, but he was also worried that this had gone too smoothly. Was there a catch?

Still, a deal was a deal, so at 6:05 he brought up the software for switching Nebraska back to its original universe and dimension. At 6:05 he pressed the button that activated the switch, and watched with satisfaction as the nightly news aired satellite footage showing Nebraska in its normal place between Kansas and South Dakota as if it had been there all along. For some strange reason, probably related to the stress he had been under, Woody felt tired. "Think I'll lie down," he told Prairie Flower, who was pretty tired herself.

Meanwhile, back at Weasel's apartment, Emily and Sylvie were celebrating the return of Nebraska. suddenly she thought of a loose end that needed attending: the ducks. They had stopped in the wetlands on the Eastern edge of Nebraska, and thought they'd never find the rest of their world.

Emily sent a vine down the hall to Deus Ex machina's computer, beamed herself to Dimension 666, and looked for her friends. Swiftwing and Sunwing were forlornly hunting for a few fish. They looked up when she arrived, but didn't say anything.

"Guys, the world has been brought back. You can resume your migration," Emily said. When they looked skeptical, she urged Sunwing to fly up to where he could check things out. He didn't want to, but Swiftwing figured that this was the only way to make this crazy duck go away.

Emily and Swiftwing watched Sunwing soar into the air. Shortly they heard a very loud "Yahoo!"

Five minutes later, Emily was back in Weasel's apartment, where the rest of Deus ex Machina had arrived for a wild party. A success like this was sure to be good for business. A few more big successes, and they'd be able to afford a permanent headquarters, and a proprietary transportation system to get them there for meetings. No more meeting in each other's houses. Maybe they could even get a contract with the U.S. government to scan the heavens for rogue asteroids and comets. It was said that a lor of asteroids and meteorites were discovered by amateurs. Surely, Deus ex Machina could do a better job than any amateur could!

Paulh

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