The Reality Bug (5 page)

Yeah, right. That's the first thing I did. Yikes. We were about halfway up the pyramid, but that was plenty high. It felt like I was standing on a rickety Lego structure. I could only hope these walkways were sturdier than they looked. I didn't want to be on that bridge any longer than I had to, so a few seconds later I caught right up with Aja and blew past her. I made it to the far end and the balcony that ran the length of one side of the pyramid.

Aja gave me a disapproving look. “Are you sure you're the lead Traveler?” she asked.

“No. Where are we going?”

Aja checked her high-tech bracelet once more, then walked along the balcony. I followed, hugging the wall to stay as far away from the edge as possible. There were doors every few feet. If you figured this was only one side of one level of the pyramid, there must have been hundreds of thousands of doors just like it. Each door had a small round, white light next to it. Most were lit. Aja stopped at a door marked 124-70. The light over the door was out so I guessed that meant nobody was home. Aja touched the door and it instantly slid back into the wall like we were about to step onto the bridge of the starship
Enterprise
.

The room inside was pretty bland. It reminded me of a doctor's exam room because it looked simple and sterile. There was no furniture or anything, just a round, silver disk on the back wall about three feet wide. Next to it on the wall was a square silver panel that looked like a bigger version of the control bracelet Aja wore. On the panel were several rows of flat, silver buttons, none of which were marked. Above the rows of buttons was a narrow black section that I guessed was some kind of computer screen that gave readouts of … whatever. Aja went right to this silver panel and began hitting buttons. The narrow computer screen flashed with green numbers.

“This pyramid is operating at about eighty-seven percent capacity,” she explained.

She touched one button and, with a slight hum, the round silver disk slid sideways into the wall to reveal a circular tube that stretched back into the wall space for about seven feet. Another touch of a button and a white table slowly emerged from the tube.

“Lie down,” Aja ordered.

Yeah, right. If she thought I was going to lie on that table and get sucked back into this sci-fi-looking tube without an explanation, she was dreaming.

“Tell me what's going to happen first.”

“Don't you trust me?” she asked with a sly smile.

“It's not that I don't trust you,” I said quickly. “It's just that this is all … I mean, I've never seen … I don't understand … uh, no, I don't trust you.”

“Even though I'm a Traveler?”

“Look,” I said. “I don't know why you have an ick against me, but if you want me to trust you, you gotta start acting a little more human.”

It bugged me that Aja had such disdain for me. I had no idea why. Yeah, she was a Traveler, but I didn't see her out there fighting quigs or getting shot at or jumping out of airplanes or doing any of the scary things I'd had to do. What made her so special?

“Sorry,” she said. “Lifelight is such a normal part of life that it's hard for me to understand how someone doesn't know all about it.”

“Fine. Start explaining or I'm not lying down on that thing.”

“It's totally safe,” Aja began. “Nothing happens to you physically. It's all about expanding your mind into areas of your own choosing. You lie on the table, the table slides back into the tube and I close the round disk. To be honest, some people get a little nervous because it's dark and the space is closed. But the sensation doesn't last long. I promise.”

“Then what do I do? Lie there and watch a movie?”

“You focus your thoughts. Think about a place you'd like to be. Or a person you'd want to see. That's all it takes.”

“And it reads my mind? Like when my dog appeared?”

“Exactly.”

It seemed impossible, but Marley sure as heck looked real. It may have been a holographic illusion, but it was a good one.

“What if something goes wrong? Like if I get claustrophobia or something?”

“You won't,” she assured me. “But if it makes you feel better, the vedders and phaders monitor all the jumps from the core. If something goes wrong, they'll stop the event. Believe me, they know what they're doing.”

I lifted my arm and touched the silver bracelet on my wrist with the three buttons. “What's this for?”

“It's your ultimate control over the jump. If you want to talk to your phader, push the left button. If you want to end the jump, push the right button.”

“And the middle button?”

“That's for advanced jumpers. Don't push it.”

Oh man, that was like saying: “Don't look down.” Now all I wanted to do was push that middle button. “How long will I be in there?” I asked.

“I'm going to time your jump to last only a few minutes. The point is to show you what Lifelight is all about. After that, I'll be able to explain why Saint Dane doesn't pose a threat to Veelox.”

We had come full circle. That's exactly why I was here. This was all about figuring out what the turning point of Veelox was, and how Saint Dane had tipped the territory toward chaos. I was beginning to understand why Aja wanted me to see this for myself. Hopefully after I completed my jump, or whatever they called it, I would be up to speed and could focus on the main problem. Saint Dane.

“Now lie down,” Aja instructed. “Feet first.”

With a shrug, I laid down on the table. It was soft and molded to my body. Very comfy. I guess it would have to be if people were lying down for long periods of time.

“Try to relax,” Aja said in a surprisingly soothing voice. “Fold your arms over your chest. I'm going to retract the table and slide you inside. Be sure to breathe. If it helps, close your eyes. Then I'm going to close the front panel and the tube will go completely dark. It's okay. That's supposed to happen. Your job is to focus your thoughts.”

My heart rate started to climb. Should I trust this girl? Or was she sending me into some high-tech atom smasher that would pulverize me into pocket lint? But she was a Traveler. I had to believe she knew what she was doing.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Yes,” I lied.

With a slight shift and a soft hum, the table began retracting into the tube, bringing me along with it. Gulp. I wanted to yell: “Time out!” but that would only prolong the torture. I had to suck it up. A few seconds later I looked up and saw the top of the tube pass by my face as I slid inside. I didn't close my eyes. Maybe I should have, but I wanted to see what was happening. I lay there in this tight, round tunnel, staring up at the top, which was only a few inches above my nose. I never had a problem with claustrophobia, but if there ever was a time to get it, it was now.

“You okay?” Aja asked.

“Fine,” I lied again. I had one question. It wasn't sophisticated. It wasn't smart and maybe it proved I was a weenie. But I had to ask it. “Aja?” I asked, trying not to let my voice quiver. “Is this going to hurt?”

Aja leaned down until she was just behind my head. When she spoke, it was the first time I sensed that there was actually a human being with feelings behind those yellow-tinted glasses.

“Pendragon,” she said, “it's going to be the most fun you've ever had.”

With that, the round panel hummed and began to close behind me. Seconds later the last of the light from the chamber room was cut off and I was in total darkness.

SECOND EARTH

It was an act
that required a huge amount of willpower.

Mark reached down to the floor and touched the black button on the small silver projector. Instantly Bobby's hologram disappeared. It killed Mark to stop it, especially at such a crucial moment. Bobby's image was about to reveal the mystery of Lifelight. But that's exactly why he had to stop it.

Courtney wasn't there.

Mark felt like he had already cheated on their pact by watching so much of the journal without her. But the hologram thing was so incredible, Mark couldn't wait. In fact, he had been so captivated by the 3-D image that it took a while before he even realized what he was doing. Rule #1 was that they would always read Bobby's journals together. He had just broken it. Sort of. He would have to explain to Courtney how he was so surprised by Bobby's image that it took him a while to get his head back together. He didn't deliberately choose to watch the journal without her. It just happened. She would understand.

No, she won't. She's going to be totally ticked off, Mark thought.

He started getting sweaty. He had betrayed Courtney's trust once before by not telling her that Andy Mitchell found out about the journals. Now he had done it again. Courtney was going to be mad and Mark knew she had every right to be.

He took the small, silver projection device and put it in his bedside drawer. He then crawled back into bed and tried to relax. He had trouble getting to sleep before the journal arrived. Now it was impossible. He was dying to know what happened to Bobby in Lifelight. The answers were in the drawer only inches from his head. Talk about torture!

In his mind he replayed all that Bobby had recorded. It was an incredible device. Not only did it look as if Bobby were standing in the room talking right to him, Bobby was able to act out the events he was describing. He played the different parts, changing his voice to mimic the different characters and using hand gestures for emphasis. Bobby knew how to tell a story, too. His written journals were great, but seeing him tell the story aloud was awesome. Mark couldn't wait to hear more.

He ended up staring at the ceiling for the rest of the night.

When morning finally came, Mark tucked the silver device safely into a small zipper pocket of his backpack and took it to school. His hope was that as soon as Courtney saw it, her curiosity would overpower her anger. Neither of them shared any classes, so Mark didn't see her all day. The best thing he could do was meet her after soccer practice again. He hoped she would have a better practice than the day before. He didn't want her in an ugly mood.

Mark's second day of high school wasn't as painful as the first. That was because he mostly kept to himself. It wasn't hard. His body may have been at Davis Gregory High, but his mind was on Veelox. The day went by without any major incident, until the end of last period. He barely listened to his chemistry teacher because he was spending so much time staring at the clock, willing the hands to move faster. The instant the final bell rang, he quickly packed up and was the first one out the door.

“Excuse me? Mark Dimond?”

Mark spun around and saw a teacher calling to him from down the hall. His name was Mr. Pike, the physics teacher. Everybody knew who he was because he was one of the younger, cool teachers. His hair was kind of long and he wore jeans and a cotton sweater. To Mark he looked more like an artist than a science teacher.

“Yeah?” Mark answered tentatively.

“I've been looking forward to meeting you,” the teacher said, holding out his hand to shake. “My name's David Pike. I teach physics.”

“Y-Yeah, I know who y-you are.” Mark wasn't used to grownups introducing themselves by their first names. Especially not teachers.

“How do you like Davis Gregory so far?” Mr. Pike asked.

“Uh … fine, I guess.” Mark didn't understand where this was going. “You were looking forward to meeting
me
? Mark Dimond?”

“Absolutely.” Mr. Pike laughed. “I saw your battling robot at the county science fair. I was impressed, but when it took the state prize, I knew I had a star coming to school.”

Mark had built a battling robot as a science project that literally destroyed the competition. It had a hook that trapped its prey, a shovel that flipped its victim over, and then a buzzsaw that went in for the kill. Mark never lost. He had thoughts about going on one of those TV shows to test his baby against the big boys, but after the state prize he decided it was better to go out on top, and intact. So he retired his killer robot and forgot all about it. Until now.

“Your design was light-years ahead of the other students,” Pike continued. “I was thrilled when I heard you were coming to Davis Gregory.”

Mark wasn't used to getting compliments. “It wasn't all that hard,” he said with his eyes down.

“You're being modest,” Pike said. “Have you thought about joining Sci-Clops?”

Mark couldn't believe it. Sci-Clops was a science club that was made up of the brainiest students at school. It was legendary. At least with the science-geek crowd. Having Sci-Clops on your record was an incredible plus if you wanted to go to a top engineering school after high school. There were even a few former Sci-Clops students who got into MIT.

“Are y-you serious?” Mark asked. “You mean,
the
Sci-Clops?”

Pike laughed. “Sure, how many are there?”

Mark's face turned red with embarrassment. Pike put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Think about it,” he said. “We'd love to have you.”

Mr. Pike left Mark standing there speechless. It took a while for him to put his brain back into gear and say, “Y-Yeah. Sure I'll join!”

But it was too late. Pike was already gone.

Mark was stunned. It wasn't just because he had been given the chance to join a club that he never considered himself good enough for, it was more that somebody had actually recognized him for having done something well. As he stood in that hallway, he sensed an alien feeling growing inside. It was pride. He still wasn't sure if he was good enough to join Sci-Clops. Confidence was still something he had to work on. But it made him feel great that at least one person, besides his mother, thought he had something special going on. Mark's second day of high school was definitely turning out better than the first.

Except he still had to face Courtney. The thought made his stomach turn, so instead of going directly to the practice field, he ran after Mr. Pike.

Courtney, on the other hand, was
not
having a great day. She had tried to shake off the horrible practice of the day before and arrived at school ready to regain her rightful place as the girl who set the standards by which everyone else was judged.

She failed.

Word had spread how Courtney the Unbeatable had suddenly become Courtney the Diminished. Friends gave her sympathy and wanted to know what went wrong. Girls and guys she had intimidated for years wanted to know if it was true. Had Courtney lost it? Some kids were devastated at the thought that their hero could have feet of clay. Others simply wouldn't believe it. Many quietly enjoyed seeing someone so mighty get knocked down a few pegs.

Courtney did her best not to show how upset she was. People always envied her. Now that envy had turned to pity. That was the worst. As the day wore on, she kept smiling and telling people she was fine and simply had an off day. But inside, the fire was burning. She couldn't wait for the end of school so she could blast onto that soccer field and put some serious hurt on the nonbelievers.

A crowd had gathered around the field. More kids showed up for this practice than Courtney had heard showed up to watch the games. She was used to having an audience when she performed, but not like this. They were there to bear witness. They wanted proof that all was right with the world, or that it was the end of an era.

From the moment she stepped onto the field, Courtney played angry. It was the worst thing she could have done. It meant she tried too hard and allowed the other girls to hang her out to dry. They dribbled around her; they wouldn't pass to her; they stole the ball from her. During sprints, they left her in the dust.

Courtney looked really bad. The harder she tried, the worse it got. Her confidence was shattered. As she ran down the sidelines she'd see the faces of kids she had dominated in years past. Some looked disappointed. Others stunned. Still others had smug smiles that said: “Payback is sweet.” She tried not to look into anyone's eyes, friend or foe. They all hurt the same.

The crowd didn't hang around long. They saw all they needed early on. The rest was like staring at a car wreck long after the dust settled. But the worst indignity was yet to come. When practice was mercifully over, Courtney ran toward the school locker room.

“Courtney! Hang on!” It was the coach, Ms. Horkey. She jogged up to Courtney and the two walked toward the school together. “Tough day,” Ms. Horkey said with sympathy.

Courtney could only shrug.

“Look,” Horkey said. “I know this is hard for you. I've watched you play since you were barely old enough to kick a ball. I know how good you are. Don't get discouraged.”

“I won't,” Courtney said, feeling totally discouraged.

Then Horkey dropped the bomb. “I think it would do you a world of good to start playing with the junior varsity team.”

Courtney stopped short. “You're cutting me?” she said, barely able to say the words.

“No,” Horkey assured her. “But you need to work on fundamentals. It's not a horrible thing. It's rare for a sophomore to be on varsity anyway.”

“There are two other sophomores on varsity,” Courtney pointed out. “Look, Ms. Horkey. I just had a slow start.”

“I know. But look at the big picture. You're not up to the level of the varsity players. If you stayed here, you'd be working to keep up, rather than getting better. On the JV level you'll be more competitive. Then next year you can—”

“Next year! I'd have to wait a whole year to get back on the team?”

“You're still on the team, Courtney. You're just playing at a level that's better for you.”

“On the loser level, you mean,” Courtney snapped at her.

“No,” the coach corrected. “On the level that is going to help you improve. You're not a quitter, Courtney. You're going to get better, but you're going to have to work at it. Maybe you're not used to that.”

Courtney wanted to scream. But the truth was, the coach was right. Courtney had never had to work all that hard to be good. Maybe she didn't know how to.

“It's really for the best,” Horkey concluded.

“Yeah, sure,” Courtney said under her breath. Horkey then jogged ahead toward the school.

Courtney wanted to run home. She didn't want to go into that locker room and get changed with all those girls who looked at her like a loser. She wasn't a loser. But at that moment, she sure felt like one.

“Courtney!” Mark yelled as he ran up to her. “The most amazing thing happened! I got asked to join Sci-Clops!”

“Cyclops? Like the monster with one eye?”

“No,” Mark laughed. “Sci-Clops with an s-c-i like in science. It's only the most respected science club in the state. Is that incredible or what?”

“Yeah, that's great, Mark,” Courtney said, not sounding as if she meant it. She continued walking toward the school.

“Uh-oh. Bad practice again?”

“I just got cut.”

“What!”

“Not really. I've been demoted to JV.”

Mark didn't know what to say. This was alien territory. He wasn't used to boosting Courtney's confidence.

“You know you're better than that,” Mark said sincerely.

“Am I?” she said softly.

Courtney had never admitted defeat before. Mark glanced around quickly to make sure he was the only one who heard it. “Don't say that,” he chastised. “You just had a slow start.” Then a thought hit him and he added, “Besides, I've got more good news.”