D. MacHale - The Reality Bug

“Zadaal” she called into the dark tunnel. The flume came alive with light and sound. The far off musical notes were on their way to grab her and take her home. I had to fight the urge to jump in after her. That wouldn’t have been cool.

“Find me,” was all I said.

“I will,” Loor answered.

The gray stone walls melted into crystal as the light grew so bright I had to squint. The last image I saw of Loor was her silhouette. A moment later she was gone.

And I was alone.

I didn’t leave for Eelong right away. I needed to know how the Lifelight investigation went. Our mission on Veelox wouldn’t be over until all the loose ends were tied up. So rather than jump into the flume, I went back to Evangeline’s house.

When I arrived, I was surprised to find Aja sitting at the kitchen table with Evangeline, eating gloid.

“Where’s Loor?” was the first thing she asked.

“She went back to Zadaa,” I answered. “She asked me to say good-bye to both of you.”

Aja nodded and continued eating. She looked tired as she sat there enjoying her gloid, not saying a word. I was dying to know what had happened, but I didn’t jump all over her. I knew she would tell me when she was ready.

Evangeline said, “I’ll leave you two to talk,” and left the room. Uh-oh. I had the feeling that Aja had news, and it wasn’t necessarily good.

“There’s a public meeting tomorrow,” Aja finally said. “The directors are going to announce the findings of their investigation to all of Veelox.”

“What did you tell them?” I asked.

“Basically, I lied,” Aja admitted. “I said there was a software problem that corrupted the jump data and threatened the safety of the jumpers.”

“That wasn’t a lie,” I said.

Aja sniffed. “No, but it wasn’t exactly the whole truth.” “They believed you?” I asked.

“They had to. I had Dr. Zetlin on my side. The directors may be powerful, but they don’t mess with the Z.” “So he backed up your story?”

“Every word,” Aja quickly answered. “He didn’t say anything about the Reality Bug and took full responsibility for shutting down Lifelight.”

“And they bought it?” I asked.

“Remember, Pendragon, we were the only ones who saw the Reality Bug, but there were thousands of people all over Veelox whose jumps had gone sour. People were scared. They knew there was trouble.”

“What about the damage to the Alpha Core? How did you explain that?”

“We played dumb. To be honest, neither of us could come up with a logical explanation so we told them we didn’t know how it happened. They had to believe us because there was no way we could have done the damage ourselves.”

“You’ve been gone three days,” I said. “Were they questioning you the whole time?”

“No. Most of the time we spent troubleshooting the grid, checking every possible bit of data to make sure nothing else was corrupted,” she answered. “Of course, I was also looking for any sign of the Reality Bug.”

“And?”

“It’s gone,” she said with confidence. “Totally.”

“So you’re a hero,” I said with a smile. “The people of Veelox see you as the coolheaded phader who averted disaster.”

“Maybe,” she said. She then put her spoon down and sat back in her chair. She didn’t take her eyes off me. “What do you see me as?”

This was a loaded question. I knew how important this was to her.

“I see you as the Traveler who beat Saint Dane and saved her territory,” I answered with authority.

Aja smiled. “With a little help,” she said coyly.

“None of us can do it on our own,” I reminded her.

Aja nodded. “Did we really do it, Pendragon?” she asked tentatively. “Did we save the territory from Saint Dane?”

“You gotta take a look around Rubic City,” I said. “The place is coming alive. You’ve given them a second chance.”

The look on Aja’s face said it all. She felt as if her entire life had been about preparing for this challenge. It may not have played out exactly as she’d imagined, but the result was the same. She had succeeded. The look on her face was one of pure relief, and satisfaction.

“So what is the public meeting about?” I asked.

“I think they want to explain to the people what happened,” she answered. “People all over Veelox will be watching. Who knows? Maybe they’re going to give me a medal.”

The big meeting was held early the next morning.

It was all very exciting. Thousands upon thousands of people streamed into the pyramid to gather on the central floor. After getting used to Rubic City as a ghost town, it was amazing to see so many people flowing through the streets, all headed for one place.

I went with Aja and Evangeline. With the huge crowd flooding into the pyramid, it felt like we were going to the Super Bowl. As we walked along the glass corridor of the core, it was eerie to see all of the control stations dark. Not a single monitor or indicator light was lit. We entered the main chamber of the pyramid. It was even more breathtaking now because it was loaded with people. Not only was the main floor packed, but there were people standing on every level above us, looking down at the floor. Everyone was orderly, but there was electricity in the air.

As in the core, all the Lifelight indicator lights were out. The thousands of lights that had marked the jump cubicles were all dark. Seeing this made me believe that Lifelight was truly dead.

Aja led us through the crowd to the center of the pyramid floor, where there was a round stage. It was raised just enough so that everyone could see it. On the stage were fifteen chairs. Aja didn’t need to explain. This was where the directors would sit.

“We can go down front,” Aja explained. “I’m sort of part of this.”

“This is so exciting!” Evangeline exclaimed.

No sooner did we arrive at the platform, than the general buzzing of voices stopped. The show was about to begin. A section of crowd parted for a line of people who were walking to the stage. These people wore yellow jumpsuits and walked in single file. I looked at Aja. She nodded. These were the directors. They were all adults, some with gray hair. They climbed a few steps. to the platform and marched in front of the seats.

I saw that the last person in line was Dr. Zetlin. I had to do a double-take because his bevard was gone and he didn’t look as ghostly white as when he first came out of his jump. He looked almost human, and definitely more like the young guy we raced through the Barbican with… plus about sixty years. He glanced down, saw us standing in front, and winked.

All fifteen people sat down, except for one woman who walked to the front of the stage. She looked to be the oldest person of the group, except for Dr. Zetlin, that is. She had short, sandy-colored hair and sharp eyes. The woman surveyed the crowd, making sure to look up to the heights of the pyramid. It was like she was trying to make eye contact with each and every person there. The crowd of thousands went eerily quiet.

“That’s Dr. Kree Sever,” Aja whispered, “the prime director.”

“Is she, like, the boss?” I asked.

“Yes,” Aja answered. “You’re staying in her house.”

Right. I knew that name sounded familiar. This was the woman who was nice enough to let Aja and Evangeline live in her mansion. Now that she was out of Lifelight, I wondered if Aja and Evangeline would have to find a new place to live.

“Welcome to all those who have come here today,” Dr. Sever began in a strong voice. “And to those who are watching from distant parts of Veelox.”

Her voice was amplified throughout the pyramid. I guessed she had a microphone, which is also how they heard her at remote locations.