Dangerous Reality (9 page)

Which I knew was technically but not morally the truth.

A frown of confusion crossed Matt’s face as he stared at Liam. Then he turned back to me.

‘I don’t know how you did it, but I know it was you.’

‘How on earth d’you think I picked up a great big wheelie bin and emptied it?’ I flung at him.

His eyes narrowed. ‘How d’you know we’ve got a wheelie bin?’

It took me a couple of seconds to work out that the throbbing, pounding sound I could suddenly hear was the sound of my heart trying to explode out of my chest.

‘All the bins around here are wheelie bins.’ Was it just to my ears that my voice sounded like a guilty squeak? I took a deep breath, then continued, ‘I was just assuming that yours was too. And if you do have a wheelie bin, how on earth am I meant to have picked one of those things up and emptied it? And even if you have an ordinary bin, d’you really think I can pick one of those up and dump everything out of it? Or was it just kicked over?’

I was rambling. I knew it and yet I couldn’t stop.
Don’t
let him suspect me!
I repeated that thought over and over in my head.

‘Er … what’s going on here?’ Miss Roy, one of the teachers, appeared from nowhere – and not a moment too soon.

‘Nothing, miss,’ Matt replied. ‘We were just talking to Dominic here.’

‘Is that the way you usually have a conversation?’ Miss Roy frowned. ‘With Dominic’s back to the wall and all of you surrounding him like that?’

Matt and the others tried to shuffle backwards.

‘Go and find something more constructive to do,’ Miss Roy ordered. ‘And I’ll be keeping a close eye on all of you from now on.’

Only three terms too late, I thought.

After directing a bitter, suspicious look at me, Matt slunk off and his minions followed him like the sheep they were.

‘Are you OK?’ Miss Roy asked.

‘I’m fine. We were just talking,’ I told her.

Miss Roy took a long, hard look at me, but I didn’t look away and I
think
I didn’t look guilty. I can’t have done, because she nodded and wandered off to sort out another fracas going on elsewhere.

Liam regarded me as I straightened up from off the wall.

‘Well?’

‘Well what?’ I frowned.

Liam took a quick look around to make sure that there was no one within eavesdropping distance.

‘I thought you said that VIMS was in simulation mode?’

‘I thought he was,’ I shrugged.

‘Is that all you have to say?’ Liam glared. ‘You could’ve killed someone with that machine. You heard what Matt said about that plant pot only just missing his sister.’

‘It wasn’t my fault. I told you, I thought it wasn’t real.’

‘Well, it was real. Very real. And what’re you going to do about it?’

‘What would you like me to do about it?’ I frowned. ‘I can’t go back in time and change things. Not even VIMS can do that.’

‘That machine is dangerous,’ Liam stated. ‘It ought to be scrapped.’

‘Who asked you?’ I raged at him. ‘And this is none of your business.’

I didn’t need to bite his head off but it was too close to what Pops and Jack had been saying the night before.

‘It is my business when you make me your accomplice,’ Liam said, his voice giving me frostbite.

‘I didn’t make you an accomplice – at least not knowingly. Not deliberately.’

Liam gave me a sceptical look.

‘That’s the truth.’

‘I wish I could believe you.’ Liam shook his head. ‘I think you knew that VIMS was really doing all that stuff.’

I stared at him. I couldn’t believe what he’d just said and yet it was written on his face, as plain as day. Did he really believe that I would do something like that? Did he really think that I would get VIMS to hurl a plant pot through someone’s window in real life – when it could hit anyone, a baby even? Obviously he did.

‘If that’s what you think, then I’m not going to argue with you.’ I pushed past him.

‘If you can get VIMS to do all that stuff in simulation mode, it’s not that big a step before you can get him to do it for real.’ Liam ran round me to block my way. ‘After all, you never have to get your hands dirty.’

It was several seconds before I could trust myself to speak.

‘Doing something as a game, a joke, something that you know isn’t real, is a lot different to really doing it,’ I told him. ‘I can play lots of fighting or racing games on my computer at home, without wanting to go and pick a fight with the first person I come to, or steal a car and race down the High Street.’

‘But this is different.’ Liam looked a little less sure now – but the point is, he still said it.

‘How is it different?’ I asked bitterly. ‘Because it’s
Matt
and VIMS and my chance to get even – and all from the comfort of my own home?’

He didn’t answer.

‘And d’you really think that if I was going to do something like that, I’d invite you along as a witness? D’you really think I’m that full of myself?’

Still no answer.

‘’Cause if you do, then go and tell Matt what I did. Go and tell the whole world.’ And with that I pushed past him again and walked into the school building. I felt sick and furiously angry and something else that was much, much worse. My best friend had hurt me more than Matt and his cronies ever had or ever could.

Chapter Thirteen

Proof

LIAM TRIED TO
talk to me more than once after that, but I just walked away from him. With Mum in hospital and Jack and Pops at her side and Liam thinking I could be as nasty as Matt, I felt alone and, yes, I admit it, very sorry for myself. As the day wore on, I found myself missing Mum more and more. And I began to regret giving Liam the cold shoulder. When I was away from him, I kept telling myself that the next time he tried to speak to me, I would answer, but when he did actually try to speak to me …

Let me give you an example!

‘Oh, come on, Dominic! How many times do I have to say sorry?’

What I should’ve said was, ‘Twenty million!’ or, ‘Once more with feeling!’ or, ‘OK, you’ve grovelled enough!’

But instead, I summoned up the dirty-filthiest look I could and walked away from him, my nose up in the air
like
there was a pongy smell under it. Silly, eh? But I couldn’t get it out of my head that he thought I was some kind of monster. I guess the part of me that was hurt by his low opinion was bigger and stronger than the part of me that wanted to leave all the nastiness in the past. After lunch, he stopped trying to speak to me. I knew what that meant. If we were going to be friends again, then I was going to have to make the first move. Which of course made me resent him even more. Why should I be the first one to speak? Why should I apologize?

And that’s how my school day ended. I walked home slowly, my whole body shrinking into itself like a folded-up telescope. For the first time, I couldn’t think of anything funny or sarky to cheer myself up. Being in the right was very lonely. In a way, I was sorry I’d ever laid eyes on VIMS. I found I was sorry Mum had even had the idea to invent the rotten thing. It had caused nothing but TROUBLE. But I couldn’t, I
wouldn’t
, believe that there was something wrong with VIMS’ programming. There couldn’t be, not with Mum in charge.

‘What you need to do,’ the ideas part of me muttered, ‘is prove that VIMS works!’

‘Oh, is that all!’ the sarcastic part of me replied.

Goodness only knows what passers-by must’ve thought when they heard me arguing with myself, but I’m always doing it!

I wondered if hiding VIMS in the sea had been a
smart
move. I could only hope that I hadn’t made things worse instead of better. Either way, I’d certainly complicated things. Had I been too hasty as far as VIMS was concerned? After all, Julie and Jack had only said that VIMS
might
be dismantled.

‘Dominic! How are you? I was just on my way to the hospital to see your mum.’

I looked round to see Rayner, Mum’s friend, driving alongside me.

‘Oh, hi, Rayner,’ I said without much enthusiasm.

‘You mustn’t worry about your mum.’ Rayner stopped the car and jumped out, causing the car driving past him to swerve.

‘Oops! Sorry!’ Rayner called after the car.

Judging by the sign language the woman driver used, I don’t think she was ready to accept his apology. Rayner ran over to me.

‘So how are you really?’ Rayner asked, ducking and weaving like he was in a boxing ring, his blond hair flip-flopping in his face as he moved. I was surprised he didn’t just slide over the bonnet of his car and do fifty press-ups whilst he was talking to me. Rayner was totally hyperactive.

‘Fifteen minutes in his company and I’m dog tired!’ Mum always said.

‘I’m OK,’ I replied. I wished he would keep still before I got a crick in my neck.

‘D’you want a lift to the hospital?’

‘No. Jack said I was to go home first. He’s going to pick me up there.’

‘Are you sure?’

I nodded.

Rayner actually stopped dancing about for a moment, but it didn’t last long.

‘How’s Monica?’ I asked. Monica was his wife.

‘She’s fine.’

We both shuffled about in silence, searching for something to say.

‘Would you really have Mum and Jack back at BFC Power if they wanted to leave Desica?’ I asked.

‘Like that!’ Rayner snapped his fingers. ‘And who knows, one day I might persuade your mum to come back.’

‘What about Jack?’

‘Jack!’ Rayner snorted. ‘Jack will never come back to BFC. Too many unhappy memories.’

At my puzzled look, Rayner continued, ‘That’s where Jack met his first wife, Alison.’

‘Oh.’ I hadn’t known that. I knew that Jack and Alison hadn’t had a happy marriage. I guess when Alison finally upped sticks and disappeared, Jack must’ve felt more relieved than anything else. The fact that he now wanted to marry my mum after a disastrous first marriage said even more about how much Jack cared for Mum.

‘How are things at BFC anyway?’ I asked. ‘Are you still having problems?’

At Rayner’s blank look, I continued, ‘Mum said you were having problems in a section of your pipework at the power plant. Is that all sorted out now?’

Rayner sighed. ‘I wish I could say it is, but no. Ever since we introduced our mechanical pigs a month ago, we’ve had nothing but trouble.’

‘Your what?’

‘Our pigs! It sounds funny, doesn’t it?’ Rayner laughed. ‘They’re little robots which move up and down the pipes checking for leaks and reporting faults. But the pigs monitoring sections A-5 to A-20 keep reporting problems that none of our other systems can verify. It’s driving me crazy. The last thing I want is an explosion caused by a blockage.’

‘So what’re you going to do?’

‘We’ll just have to close down that section of the pipes and start digging. It’s going to cost us a fortune and set us back months.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

‘So am I!’ he said. ‘I was counting on your mum and her new super invention!’

‘I think Mum was counting on you too,’ I said.

‘What d’you mean?’

‘Mum’s been having a hard time trying to sell the idea of VIMS recently. I think if VIMS could’ve solved
the
problems you’ve been having in your pipes, it would’ve been a great advertisement.’

‘Well, there’s no point in speculating about it now.’ Rayner shrugged.

‘I guess not! I’d better get going,’ I told him. ‘Jack is probably waiting for me at home.’

After waving bye to him, I turned to carry on walking home. And then it hit me! It was brilliant! Tremendous! STUPENDOUS!

‘RAYNER!’ I yelled, just as he was getting in his car.

He frowned at me. ‘What’s the matter?’

I beckoned him over. ‘I’ve just had a great idea.’

‘Oh yes?’

‘What would you say if I told you I could get VIMS to the power plant and if you’ve got an access way leading to the pipes then he could find out what your problem is?’

‘I thought your mum was still unconscious?’

‘She is … as far as I know.’

‘But you can operate VIMS?’ Rayner asked.

‘Yes, I can.’

‘And you could get it to the power plant?’

‘Yep!’

‘And Desica would allow this?’

There he had me! I must’ve started to look really shifty then, because Rayner’s eyebrows came down
really
low over his eyes as he said, ‘Dominic …? What’re you up to?’

‘Who, me?’

‘Yes, you!’

I thought about making up some plausible story but one wouldn’t come to me, so I decided to tell the truth. Not the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but the truth nonetheless.

‘Mum’s got a remote control system at our home so I … er … I can direct VIMS from there. That’s how come I can get it to BFC.’

‘I take it Desica don’t know anything about this.’ Rayner hit the nail straight on the head.

‘Not as such,’ I admitted.

‘I see …’ Rayner actually stopped bopping about. He was weighing up the pros and the cons, the fors and the againsts, the yeses and the noes, the rights and the wrongs, the …

‘So you’d send VIMS over to the power plant and let me use it?’

I nodded eagerly.

‘Why?’

‘Pardon?’ I blinked, taken aback.

‘Why would you want to do that?’

‘’Cause you need help to find out what’s causing your mechanical pigs to malfunction. You want to make sure that nothing is happening that could cause an
explosion
,’ I replied, playing his words back to him.

‘And what’s in it for you?’ Rayner asked drily.

I smiled. No wonder Rayner was the manager of the power plant. Not much got past him!

‘If VIMS sorts out your problem then it will also sort out Mum’s problem at the same time,’ I said.

‘I’m not with you.’

‘VIMS is in danger of being dismantled. A lot of people where Mum works think that VIMS is a waste of money, time and space – but it’s not. And if VIMS solves your problems at the power plant then I get to prove it.’

‘I see.’

And I could tell that he did see. The frown on Rayner’s face deepened as he considered my proposal.

‘Please, Rayner. I can’t let them dismantle VIMS. Mum’s worked too long and too hard on it. And it does work, I know it does. I just have to find some way to prove it.’