Chapters 9-18 Summary

A year later, John's work takes him to Dr. Hoenikker's hometown of Ilium, New York. There he encounters the patriarch's supervisor, Dr. Breed. The man calls Dr. Hoenikker an "old man" and his family "three peculiar children." He says that Dr. Hoenikker was a force of nature that no one could control.

In Ilium, John happens to encounter two former high school classmates of Franklin Hoenikker's, a bartender and a hooker. Frank was not a member of any clubs or groups. They confide that Frank was a secretive, reclusive boy whose only interest was in building models. His nickname at school was Secret Agent X-9, as he always seemed engaged in clandestine business.

Dr. Hoenikker was supposed to be the commencement speaker for Frank's class, but he never showed up. Instead, Dr. Breed arrived at the last minute. As far as...