He slipped into the house, hoping to avoid his parents for the moment. More to avoid being delayed working on his new discovery than to avoid having to answer questions about his black eye and blood stained shirt.

“Johnny?” his mom called from the kitchen. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, mom,” he called back. “I’m heading up to do my homework.”

“Okay, honey. Dinner’ll be ready around six.”

John ran up to his room. He dumped his bag on his bed, ignoring the actual homework he had, and scooping up the black box. There was a cable protruding from one side. He would start there.

John was a nerd in the purest sense. He had an almost intuitive knack for working with computers and other electronics. Fortunately, his parents encouraged his talent. After only an hour, he was able to jury-rig a cable to hook the box into his computer.

He powered up his computer, logged in, and went to work.

“Now, let’s see if we can’t figure out who you are, my little friend,” he said, quoting Obi-Wan Kenobi. “And where you come from.”