Cragbridge Hall, Volume 2: The Avatar Battle (27 page)

Then he entered the room. There were people in masks and lots of machines and lights. He had never felt so alone. A nurse had him breathe into a mask and he soon felt himself falling asleep. He had no idea whether he would wake up again.

Derick woke up. He was in a bed and his parents were beside him. But he felt week and brittle again. He hated it. He felt useless. He wanted to jump out of there. He wanted his life back. He wanted to press the button on the back of his neck and go back to his life where he could move and breathe without pain. Where he knew he could live a long life. Then again, maybe situations outside and inside the simulator were more similar than he thought. If Muns succeeded, was the time he might have with his family ending? Would Muns ruin everything?

But Grandpa had said this was very real to someone. Someone else out there didn’t have the power to simply back out, to press a button on the back of his neck and feel good again. He had to face this. He didn’t have the choice. It felt like hours passing, over and over. Derick tried to get up and walk and succeeded, but it took so much energy. The pain flashed again. Over and over, Derick felt like he passed days in the same way, until he lay in bed, barely able to breathe.

The mom and dad were beside him again. So were several others. There were a lot of smiles, but a lot of tears. They hugged him and told him to hang on. Derick felt a surge of pain and closed his eyes. Then the doctor came in. She said they had performed another test, and she recommended that when he had recovered enough, he have a follow-up surgery.

Again?
He had to face it
again
? Everything inside him wanted to scream. He felt like crying, but he had no more tears.

Once more his parents knelt at his bed and asked if he could be brave. He didn’t want to. He didn’t have any more in him. But eventually he closed his eyes and nodded his head.

And Derick was back in the simulator, an image of Grandpa waiting for him. “You have endured,” he said, “an experience that someone real has had. In fact, I’ll show him to you.”

Derick saw images of a boy. He saw the doctor come in. He saw the crying. He saw the boy with his heart-wrenched family. But he also saw something else. He saw the boy in bed, smiling. Having felt what the boy had felt, Derick wondered how he could do that. He saw the boy writing messages to friends and even other patients on his rings. He drew virtual pictures and sent them along as well. There was even a time when the boy visited others in the hospital. He had to ride in a wheelchair, but he visited his friends.

“Every day, every
moment
is a gift,” Grandpa said. “And there are some who truly understand that. They live it. And if I’m going to divulge this next secret to you, you must understand it too. You must treat the present with the love that others who understand this do.”

Derick felt strange. He had spent so much time worrying about succeeding, about getting into the avatar club, about getting his key, and about finishing this challenge. But now, though he knew it was all important, some of that attitude felt selfish. He didn’t have to be the best. He didn’t have to succeed all the time. He had time. He could work hard and get better. Not everyone had that same luxury.

“Please take your sphere.” Grandpa gestured toward the mechanical arm that returned from the wall. Derick retrieved his sphere, holding it tightly.

“You have now passed a series of challenges, as you did to gain the final key. These challenges were more to teach you. You see, when I discovered the secret to seeing the past, even I didn’t realize the power that I had found. We could see the past from any angle. We could come in from on top, from the side, it didn’t really matter. And to those who are in the past it is like we are invisible. We can come in and affect anything. They can’t see us coming.” Derick remembered being in a virtual world where he was invisible. There were some similarities. He hadn’t thought of it that way before.

“There are fewer limits to this power than perhaps you suppose,” Grandpa said, pointing his cane in Derick’s direction. “For with the power to discover the past comes an equally dangerous power. I’ve decided that the secrets of it can’t die with me.” Grandpa took a deep breath. “The Bridge also can allow us to see and even enter the present.”

Grandpa paused, obviously letting the information soak in. Derick tried to think of all the ramifications this could have.

“This may not sound like much at first, but it is a tremendous responsibility.” The image of Grandpa rubbed his temples. “Using the Bridge, you could see anywhere in the present from any angle. It could be a great tool for gathering information.” Derick’s mind swam in the possibilities. If this meant what he thought it did, through the Bridge they could find out what presidents discussed in high-level meetings. They could spy on drug lords. They could even see bank accounts. It would be the greatest spying tool in existence.

“And,” Grandpa said, “what if you could enter anywhere in the present? It can become a portal. We can enter anywhere from any angle.” Derick could go to Hawaii in an instant. He could see the Second Eiffel tower. He could go anywhere.

The image of Grandpa banged his cane against the ground. “But I need to stress again that this power should not be used unless completely necessary. Just because we
can
does not mean that we
should
.”

Grandpa cleared his throat. “Obviously, you now know that the Bridge can show the past sooner than fifty years ago.” All of a sudden it made sense. Once Grandpa knew that Muns had used an energy burst, he could use the Bridge to search the place where the energy burst had been generated. He might need to go into the past a few minutes, but he could see the time they had entered and then bring up the Bridge to that time. He could probably even read the code from their machine to make sure he had it exact.

“However,” Grandpa continued, “I placed a barrier at fifty years in the past because I noticed something: the closer we use the Bridge to the present, the more difficult it is on the invention. Even merely looking at the present for longer periods of time can cause the Bridge to begin to tremble. I do not know why, but approaching closer to the present makes it more unstable. If you enter the present, it intensifies. So you must only use this ability under the direst of circumstances, and you must not stay long.” The image of Grandpa took a few steps. “If you accept responsibility over the present as well as the past, then please place your sphere here.” One brick slid out of its place, leaving a half circle opening in it. Derick paused for a moment—thinking about the power offered to him. He eventually set his sphere in the holder. It glowed again, streams of light dancing inside it.

“You will find,” Grandpa said, “that if you approach the Bridge and set your sphere just above one of the keys, an arm will rise from the console and take it. If one person has a sphere and a key, he or she can view the present. Knowing that gathering information would be essential if anyone ever discovered my secret, I made this simple. Remember not to look long. Also, there must be three keys and three spheres in order to
enter
the present.”

If Grandpa knew all this, he had obviously viewed the present before. He had his own key and his own sphere, so that was possible. But had he entered the present? Maybe. And if he had, perhaps Derick’s parents had spheres as well to help him. That made sense. “You,” Grandpa explained, “must realize that this is a truly great power, and for some it may be a truly great temptation. When someone finds they might be able to manipulate the now, they may understand its power and crave it. So please protect this secret.”

Derick had not thought of it that way.

“Remember the warning,” Grandpa said. “Use this only when absolutely necessary. If you view the present for too long, you may damage the Bridge. And if you enter the present, you do not have long at all.”

27

Not What You Think

Abby tried to soak it all in. Derick had let them in from the other side of the simulator and told them what he had learned and experienced.

“We need to use it,” Abby said. “Let’s go to the Bridge.” She started walking further down the hall.

“What?” Carol asked. “Did you not hear the part about only using this when the world is going to end or something?”

“Yeah, I heard it.” Abby kept walking. “But this might just be that situation. Muns already has another key and he may be set to gain a third. But with this sphere, we can find out who has been attacking and tranquilizing people in the middle of the night. And who has Coach Adonavich’s key.”

“Do you think we should ask your grandpa to see if this is a good idea?” Carol asked.

Abby stopped. “He’s probably already thought of it and done it, but he wants us to act for ourselves. He wants us to learn. And I want that. I want . . .” She paused. “I
need
to see for myself.”

Carol and Derick looked at each other. “I think I do too,” Derick said. “Someone I really respect has been accused and is locked up. If we notice something Grandpa didn’t, we may be able to prove he is innocent.”

Carol eventually nodded. They continued on to the room with the large metal tree-looking Bridge and approached the console.

Derick placed his key. “Let’s find the right time first and then we’ll put in the sphere.”

“But we can’t,” Abby responded. “We can’t even search within the last fifty years until the sphere is in.”

“Good point,” Derick said. “When should I search?” They spoke together and decided to start at the beginning—when Dr. Mackleprank and Ms. Entrese were first attacked.

Derick moved his sphere just above the keyhole. One key and one sphere, that should do it. Once again, it began to glow. Just as Grandpa had said, an arm emerged from the Bridge and collected the sphere. When it was inside the Bridge, Derick began scrolling through the dates. There were no limitations. He found the entry for a few early mornings before and selected Ms. Entrese’s English room.

The other half of the basement became a class Abby had sat in many times. Ms. Entrese entered wearing a black dress and shoes. She hurried to her desk and began to typing on her rings. She must have been getting ready for the day.

The lights went out in the English room and the hallway outside.

Abby heard Ms. Entrese gasp as a man entered.

“You startled me,” she said. “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” he answered. Abby looked at him closely, trying to make out any features. But his hoodie was over his eyes and it was quite dark. It was only by the residual light from down the hall that Abby could see anything at all. “Muns sent me.” Abby didn’t recognize the voice.

Ms. Entrese stood from her chair, pressing it back like Abby had imagined. The man circled around. “I have a message.”

“Well I have a message for you,” Ms. Entrese said, her voice sharp. “You can tell him that what he is doing is dangerous and wrong. And I will tell you that you are a fool for following him. You will one day regret all this. I’m glad I chose to fight against him. It was right. And no matter what happens here, I still stand behind my decision.”

Chills ran through Abby. How could she be so brave and bold in such a terrifying situation?

The man hesitated for a moment. Why? Was he doubting? Then he stood up straighter. “Your words will do nothing for you.”

“They aren’t just words,” Ms. Entrese said, unflinching.

The man pulled a straw out from his jacket and loaded the other end. A dart. “Muns sends the message that this is a very fitting way to take you out of the picture. You would understand if you only knew more about me.”

And in the next instant, the man blew and Ms. Entrese fell to the floor.

“What did that mean?” Abby asked. “If only she knew more about him?”

“No time,” Derick said. “We have to see Dr. Mackleprank before we start putting too much pressure on the Bridge.”

He selected earlier in the night.

The other half of the basement turned to a teacher’s apartment. After the lights had been out for a while, the intruder appeared and latched his device to the door. Within a few seconds he unlatched it then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Once in Mackleprank’s room, the man quickly blew a dart. Mackleprank lay in bed, and didn’t flinch as the dart hit his skin. There was no talk. No struggle. No fight. It was hard to believe when Dr. Mackleprank could kick like a ninja.

Then the man turned on the lights and searched the entire room, throwing objects across the ground. He was fast, and then he left the room and ran up the hall.

The Bridge started to tremble.

“Stop it,” Abby said. “Pull your sphere.”

“Almost. I need to see if there are any other clues. He’s innocent.” Derick fast-forwarded.

They saw him get up in the morning and touch his neck. He looked at it in the mirror. He called Grandpa on his rings and spoke with him. They watched as he went to his first class.

“Derick,” Abby said. “Now.”

The Bridge trembled again.

Derick was just about to stop it when he saw Dr. Mackleprank put on the sensors and enter a lab booth to control an avatar. He was going to demonstrate for the class.