Chapter 8

Addy's smile disappeared when she saw Raymond carry a bazooka into the kitchen, she pointed a finger at the canon and ordered Raymond to explain himself.
'I found this, literally found this lying around in one of the storerooms. Can you believe it? This thing can probably take down even the president's car with one hit.' Raymond cradled the bazooka with two arms, with pure delight written all across his face.
'It can also blow us all up if it goes off,' Addy said through the telecommunicator, 'You better take it outside. Is it loaded?'
'I found the missiles, but I couldn't carry them all up in one load, I'm going to go find a burlap sack to bring the ammo upstairs too.' Raymond made a move to go looking for the burlap sack.
'You better leave them, you're not an explosives expert.' Addy replied.
'So? I've studied weapons development, I know all about a bazooka.' Raymond turned to Dennis and said, 'I'm the only one in this family who had been to university, remember this fact.'
'You're also the only one to drop out of it.' Addy said.
'That's because I am a genius, and geniuses of my breed do not need diplomas or honours, I am above and beyond those items of insignificance, I am-'
'Stupid.' Addy finished the sentence for him.
'That only proves your jealousy. Tell me, which monumental genius of human history was recognised in his own time by his own people to the fullest extent? None. They all were misunderstood by their lesser peers and ostracised for their accomplishments. It's not a easy world for geniuses.'
Addy sighed and refused to rekindle this argument which they've had many times before. She turned back to Dennis and began typing, more words came out of the telecommunicator, 'So you've heard my plan, what do you think?'
During the time Addy and Raymond sparred, Dennis got up back onto his stool and sat there silently and politely waiting for the conversation to conclude. He thought Raymond's short paragraph about geniuses was very well spoken, and he was thinking about Raymond's question: which monumental genius of human history was recognised in his own time by his own people to the fullest extent? and trying to come up with an answer when Addy turned her attention back on him and asked him what he thought about her plan.
'Aristotle.' He said.
'What?' Addy typed.
'Aristotle, he was a recognised philosopher in his time and he was very popular.' Dennis said.
Raymond understood his response first, he said, 'But it wasn't until centuries later that greater geniuses discovered how wrong his doctrines were. That damaged rather than elevated his reputation.'
'That is not important,' Addy said frustratedly, 'How do you like my plan, Ray doesn't have the brains to give a credible opinion, I hope you do.'
'Will it work?' Dennis asked. He was still very full and the fall from the stool made his want to barf.
'It will, studies show that the best type of person to reunite an estranged family is an outsider.' Addy said.
'But that's not the only reason why we want you here,' Raymond added quickly, 'I always wanted a brother to follow in my footsteps and you are perfect for that.' He patted Dennis on the shoulder. 'Not to mention, if you do get the job done and us Wyatts become a pack again, I'll be able to collect a few more medals at the Music Olympics this coming year, and you can be our equipment manager during the trip, and we'll be able to do gigs, get invited to the philharmonics and the symphonics, and tour like we used to.'
'Dream on, I'm never playing in the same orchestra with you again.' Addy typed, 'You always second me to principal.' Even through the microphone, Addy's simulated voice had a tang of annoyance to it.
'You are musicians?' Dennis asked.
'The best in the world.' Raymond replied.
'Keep dreaming, you haven't even taken practicing seriously for the past two years.' Addy said.
'I'm a prodigy, I don't need to practice.' Raymond said, he shrugged.
'That's how prodigies sink to mediocrity.'
'Fine, but which one of us two here can play all of Paganini's Caprices?' Dennis knew that Niccolo Paganini was a violinist, so Addy and Raymond must both be violinists.
'You couldn't do his 24th.' Addy pointed out.
'I did so.'
'You used steroids.'
'Only once, just to see how it sounds once I get it up to speed.'
'And you didn't get it.'
'I did, only I didn't tell you, it would have hurt your feelings...and now I am doing just what I promised myself I wouldn't do.' Raymond sighed dramatically.
'Prove it.' Addy typed and crossed her arms, there was a scowl on her face.
'I'll get my violin.' Raymond said and walked out the kitchen door with the bazooka still in his hand.
'My brother's the biggest violin hot shot in the world, but not the best violinist, I can tell you that.'Addy typed. Dennis was having a slight trouble keeping up to speed himself, it was the rapidly shifting topic of the siblings' debates that were feeding him too much information he didn't understand.
'But that's the other thing I want to do too, the one Raymond brought up, we can compete in the Music Olympics as a quintet again if you get us back together.' Addy typed.
'You are renowned musicians?' Dennis asked with awe.
'Musicians yes, not renowned, I'm only twelve, that's too early to be renowned...but we were indeed very good.' Addy smiled, pleased about the subject. 'We, meaning Raymond and I and two of our other siblings, we formed a strings quartet, and my older sister accompanies us sometimes. That was three years ago. The most unbelievable thing about it is what Raymond chose to call the group, he came up with 'The Nuts Quartet', and that became our official title.' Dennis couldn't say anything.
'It's a reason for the Wyatt siblings to get back together,' Addy typed, 'We're a musical team, after all.'
Dennis thought of something; it was irrelevant to the topic at the time, but he blurted out anyway, 'So I'm kind of like Nanny McPhee...I mean about what you adopted me to do.'
Addy laughed, 'Kenny would have loved that reference.' She typed.
'Who's Kenny.' Dennis asked.
'He's-' Addy began but she was interrupted by Raymond, who once again burst into the kitchen carrying both a violin case and the bazooka, shouting, 'The storm is coming! The storm is coming! Oh take shelter, the storm is coming!'