D. MacHale - The Reality Bug

“Stop those people!” Dr. Sever ordered from the stage, pointing at us.

A group of phaders started after us, but they were having just as much trouble getting through the massive crowd as we were. I looked up into the pyramid and saw jump cubicle doors opening up all over. Some people pushed others out of the way to get in first. Young people took advantage of the weak and pulled them out of the cubicles to take it for themselves. It was a musical chairs, nightmare riot. Nobody wanted to be left out. They didn’t care what Zetlin had said. They didn’t care about the future of Veelox. They were addicted to their own fantasies and would do anything to get back in.

We had to take control and shut down Lifelight, for good.

We finally made it back into the core. Down the long corridor of glass I saw phaders taking their places in the control chairs, preparing to begin the jumps. But there was still time. The control stations were still dark.

Aja ran to the door leading to the Alpha Core and inserted her green card. The door didn’t open. She tried it again; it stayed closed.

“Your card has been disallowed,” came a voice from behind us. It was Dr. Sever. She walked up to us with several strong-arm-looking phaders.

“Your actions over the last few days are still suspect, Aja,” Sever said. “Until we complete a full investigation, we can’t allow you access to Lifelight.”

“Dr. Sever,” Zetlin said calmly, “please, give it some time. You hold the future of Veelox in your hands. Won’t you please wait?”

“I’m sorry Dr. Zetlin,” she said with a smile. “I’m afraid it’s too late. Every pyramid on Veelox is moments away from going back online.”

As if on cue, the core came to life. The millions of indicator lights flashed once again as images appeared on the thousands of monitors. The jumpers were back in their fantasies. Dr. Zetlin closed his eyes and dropped his head in defeat.

I was stunned. Moments before, I felt sure we had pulled Veelox back from the brink of collapse. But now the territory was in as much danger as the moment I first arrived. No, it was worse. Aja’s Reality Bug had failed. Veelox had reached a critical turning point, and was pushed the wrong way.

There was no other way to say it:

Saint Dane had won.

“This is all thanks to you, Dr. Zetlin,” Sever said. “You got rid of that nasty little bug quite nicely. Now we can return to normal.”

Bug? Did she say bug? Nobody knew about the bug except…

Dr. Sever then leaned down to me and whispered in my ear. There was a subtle change in her voice. To everyone else she still sounded like Dr. Kree Sever, prime director of Lifelight. But the cold tone of her voice said something very different to me.

“How does it feel, Pendragon?” she said with an iciness that made me shiver. “The first territory of Halla is mine.”

Bobby’s image disappeared abruptly.

Mark and Courtney were left staring at nothing. They had left the Sherwood house and returned to the privacy of Courtney’s father’s basement workshop to watch the journal.

“That’s it?” Courtney asked, upset. “He stopped recording his journal right there? That’s not fair!”

Before Mark could offer an opinion, another image flickered to life. The recording wasn’t yet complete. Courtney and Mark watched in wonder as the 3-D projection formed in front of them.

“There’s more!” Mark exclaimed.

But the image that appeared before them wasn’t Bobby’s. It was Aja Killian’s.

“Hello to you, Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde,”Aja began. “My name is Aja Killian, the Traveler from Veelox. Pendragon has told me all about you two, and that he trusts you both very much. Thisis why I am completing his journal for him.”

Aja took off her small yellow glasses and rubbed her eyes. She looked tired.

“Pendragon is gone‘“she continued. “He left Veelox shortly after Lifelight was brought back online. His destination was the territory of Eelong to search for the Traveler named Gunny I feel as if my duty is to stay here to do all I can to keep Veelox from falling further into decay. I have the help of Dr. Zetlin, but I’m afraid we are fighting a losing battle. The directors have all returned to Lifelight Most of the phaders and vedders have also left on their own jumps. There aren’t enough people left in reality to monitor the jumps, let alone care for their real lives. The pull of fantasy was just too strong. Saint Dane has won. Veelox is near dead.”

Aja was holding back tears.

“Pendragon asked me to finish his journal so you would know the state of Veelox, and to send it on to you. It is the least I can do. I feel as if I have failed the territory, failed the Travelers, and failed Pendragon. My only hope is that we can stop Saint Dane on the other territories, so that the only casualty of this evil war will be Veelox. My home.”

She swallowed hard and then said, “In my heart, I know this is not the way it was meant to be. This is the end of Bobby Pendragon’s Journal Number Fifteen. Good-bye.”

Aja’s image disappeared. The journal, and Bobby’s adventure on Veelox, was now complete. Mark picked up the small silver projector and stared at it, as if hoping there were one last bit of news that would leap from it to give this story a happy ending.

There wasn’t.

“So what does this mean?” Courtney asked nervously. “Saint Dane always said that as soon as the first domino fell, the others would fall easily.”

“l-lreally don’t know,” Mark said somberly.

Courtney jumped to her feet and exciaimed. “I feel totally helpless. All this stuff is going on and all we can do is sit around and hear about it like a couple of nimrods.”

This made Mark smile. “I thought you only wanted to worry about school and soccer and normal life?” he asked.

Courtney stopped and looked straight at Mark. “The hell with soccer” she declared. “I thought we were supposed to be acolytes?”

“Now you’re talking!” declared Mark.

Early the next morning the two were back sitting on the couch in the apartment of Tom Dorney. Together they watched all three of Bobby’s journals from Veelox. Afterward they described to Dorney what happened at the Sherwood house with the quigs and the stunning appearance of a flume.

“If that doesn’t say we’re ready to be acolytes,” Courtney concluded, “then tell us what will.”

Dorney scratched his chin. He then hoisted himself up out of his easy chair, grumbled, and shuffled into the kitchen.

“Does this mean he’s pulling our chain again?” Courtney asked.

Mark shrugged. “Give him a chance.”

Dorney shuffled back into the living room with a glass of water. He didn’t offer any to Mark or Courtney. The guy wasn’t exactly a great host. He sat back down in his chair, spilling some water on his lap.

Courtney rolled her eyes, but neither said anything. The ball was still in Dorney’s court.

“You’re going to get messages,” he said calmly. “Sometimes from Travelers, other times from acolytes on other territories.”

Mark and Courtney sat up straight. Things had just gotten very interesting.

Courtney asked, “What kind of-” “Let me speak,” Dorney snapped. Courtney shut up.

“They’ll come to you through the ring,” Dorney continued. “Like the message I sent to you. They may tell you that a Traveler will be arriving and that you need to provide Second Earth clothing. That’s usually the case. But Pendragon may need something specific.”

“Like when you had to take care of Press’s motorcycle,” Mark jumped in. He couldn’t resist. He was getting excited.

“Yes,” Dorney answered, then took a sip of water.

“What about the quigs?” Courtney asked.