They went into the house, and Rupert pushed the button by the door to close the garage door, but the door didn't move. Rupert and Deborah exchanged confused glances and Rupert pushed the button a second, then a third time, but nothing happened. Finally, he went back over to the SUV, opened the door, reached in and pushed the button on the remote. The motor engaged and the garage door closed in its usual fashion. The Mallox's exchanged confused looks as Rupert returned to the house.

Rupert looked up the phone number for the garage door company and wrote it down on a sheet of paper. He would have his wife call the number in the morning and have the system checked for a fault. Having completed this little task, he removed his shoes and dropped into the recliner in the family room.

He decided to read the Seattle Times before heading off to bed. His friends often teased him about his habit of still reading actual newspapers, rather than the electronic version but he liked the feel and smell of the actual paper. He could hear the water running as Deborah got into the shower. He usually read the paper before dinner, but with all commotion leaving for their night out, he just didn't have time.

On page two of the paper was an article about a local drug raid. Apparently, police and federal agents had raided the apartment of two local college students. Officers had seized several thousand dollars' worth of cocaine and two firearms. At the end of the article were the names of the two students involved, Derek Kline and Robert Walsh.

Rupert was stunned, so shocked by this news he felt mildly nauseated. Both of the boys were in one of his classes. In fact, they were the ones responsible for discovering the radiation coming from the comet. He knew them both well, and he never in a lifetime would have suspected either of them to be wrapped up in something such as drug dealing. They were excellent students, who always put one hundred percent effort into every assignment.

After reading through the article, he folded the paper in his lap and sat in the chair thinking. He had to admit to being both shocked and disappointed by Derek and Robert's behavior, although he still found it hard to believe.

Rupert got up and headed into the kitchen. Disgusted, he threw away the newspaper without looking at the trash can. His aim was good, but on this particular occasion, if he'd looked into the trash, he might have seen the three nine-volt batteries lying at the bottom of the can.

Rupert headed to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and undressed. He couldn't stop thinking about his students. He was genuinely bothered by this news, he had been quite fond of the two young men, and now he felt betrayed by their actions.