Miracle Man by William R. Leibowitz

want a meeting with full staff in one hour. Tell everyone it’s going to be a late night,” said Uhlman.
    7

    T he next morning at 8:30, Uhlman called Orin Varneys.
    “Orin, I think we’ve hit the mother lode,” Uhlman said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “The Austin boy. I’ve never seen anything like it. He makes the kids at the Institute look like they’re retarded. I don’t think there’s ever been someone like this.”
    “This could be what we’ve been waiting for,” said Varneys.
    “He’s not even five years old yet. All of his growth is ahead of him. There’s no telling what he’ll be capable of,” said Uhlman.
    “What’s the kid’s IQ?”
    “I had the whole department work on it for days and we used computer extrapolations, but it doesn’t get us anywhere. We can’t get any kind of accurate figure. There’s nothing to compare him to. So it’s just a guess. But if you have to have a number, I’d say a minimum—and I stress the word –minimum—of 550.”
    “That’s impossible. The highest ever on record—and that was presumed exaggerated—was 300.”
    “That’s what I’m telling you, we’re dealing with a first here,” replied Uhlman.
    “Is there any downside that you can see?”
    “He suffers from very intense recurrent nightmares. That’s unusual in a child of his age. I’ve also witnessed him withdraw into a prolonged semi-conscious state which could be indicative of a proclivity to reality detachment.”
    “Nightmares. What’s he afraid of?” asked Varneys.
    “It’s hard to pinpoint, but he exhibits paranoid characteristics. All in all, he may be in the early stages of psychosis or dementia. It’s way too early to tell. It depends on how he develops. But a mind that powerful can not only create. It can also destroy.”
    “Destroy what?” asked Varneys.
    “Destroy himself,” replied Uhlman.
    “When are you going to speak to the parents?”
    “In about an hour. We have a meeting scheduled.”
    “John, we can’t let this one get away. Make this happen.”

    Right on schedule, Peter and Edith walked into Uhlman’s reception area at 10:00 Friday morning for their “summation” meeting with him. Ray McDermott was taking Bobby around town to explore Rochester. It had been a pleasant holiday for them, staying in the luxurious hotel suite, ordering room service, watching the latest movies on “pay per view,” and eating at the nicest restaurants in the city.
    “Well, where should I begin?” said Uhlman, folding his large hands and leaning forward in his chair. My staff and I subjected Robert to a battery of examinations, which were beyond rigorous. I would say unprecedented. And let me say that Robert was patient, polite, cooperative and in excellent humor throughout the process. He’s a real trooper, your boy. A delightful child.”
    “It’s lovely to hear you say that,” said Edith, beaming.
    Uhlman leaned further forward and tapped his desk with his forefinger for emphasis as he spoke. “The results of the exams are nothing short of astounding. Robert is like the Grand Canyon; he’s one-of-a-kind. I don’t believe there has ever been anyone who possesses the magnitude of raw intelligence that Robert has.”
    “How can that be?” asked Peter as he shook his head from side to side.
    Uhlman sat back in his chair. “Frankly, we don’t know. There’s no plausible explanation for something like this. The more we study human intelligence, the more we realize how little we know.”
    “Well, what does that mean in practical terms?” Peter asked.
    Uhlman handed Peter and Edith a sheet of paper. “Here’s a list of some of the great geniuses in history and their actual tested IQs, or comparative-history determined IQs, based on Catharine Cox’ renown analysis. These are widely accepted in the scientific community as being accurate.” Edith and Peter read the names and the corresponding number:
     
    William Sidis: 300
    Johann Von Goethe: 225
    Leonardo da