The Vanished (14 page)

A cold wash of disappointment flooded Max. Without the ship, their chance at saving Alex had vanished, too.

DuPris could have transported himself — and the ship — to anywhere on earth. Maybe DuPris was even strong enough to teleport someplace off the planet . . . like the moon.

Alex was trapped until they found DuPris again or until the collective consciousness recovered their strength enough to open another wormhole. But by that time Alex could already be dead.

“What do we do now?” Maria asked Max.

He was the one who always got asked questions like that. He was the one his friends turned to. “I have no idea,” he admitted, forcing himself to look at her as he answered.

“What does that do?” Adam asked.

At first Max thought Adam was talking to him. Then he realized Adam's question was for Mr. Manes.

Max turned toward the Major. He had a shiny, copper-colored ball in his hand. As Max watched, he gently placed it on the floor of the cave.

“The orb, that is, this little ball here, has the ability to store and magnify power used in its presence,” Mr. Manes explained. “More specifically, power thrown off by that stone DuPris had in his possession.”

Mr. Manes swallowed. He now had Max's full attention, and Max was sure that all his friends were listening as intently as he was.

“It might have stored up enough power now to bring Alex home,” the Major said.

Max blinked at Alex's father. The Major knew where Alex was. That surprised Max so much, he was left speechless.

“How do you turn it on?” Liz asked, pointing at the ball. “Or use it. Whatever.”

“Like this,” Mr. Manes replied. With a flick of his wrist he set the ball spinning on the cavern floor. And then he scuttled back out of the way.

After the initial force to get it started, Max noticed that the ball spun faster and faster under its own power, seemingly in defiance of several basic laws of physics.

Max couldn't take his eyes off the spinning orb as it began to whirl so rapidly, it was nothing but a coppery blur.

Then it began to throw off sparks.

Dazzling lights surrounded the ball, also whirling in some intricate dance of their own. With the brilliant satellites swirling around it, the ball reminded Max of an atom and its electrons. Or the planets revolving around a star.

Something began to form in the air over the gyrating orb. A whirling haze of molecules.

Max squinted, trying to bring the fuzzy shape into focus.

It was an image.

An image of Alex. Max felt Liz take his hand, and he gave her hand a soft squeeze in response. He couldn't stop staring at the image sharpening over the spinning, sparkling, luminous ball.

The image was growing stronger — clearer — with every passing second. And it wasn't just a hologram. Those were physical, solid molecules gathering above the ball. It wasn't merely made of light.

The ball — whatever it was — was bringing Alex back.

Excitement rose in Max's throat like a bird trapped in a chimney. It was going to work! Alex was coming home!

But then the ball began to slow down.

Mr. Manes let out a pained growl from deep in his chest as the ball developed a wobble. The image of Alex began to fade.

“No!” Max shouted. “Don't let it stop. Connect, everybody connect now!”

Max was already holding hands with Liz, so he reached out with his free hand and clamped onto Isabel's arm. In less than a second all six of them had once again formed their thrilling, essential union.

They were one.

Send everything we've got at the ball, Max instructed the group. Send it all! Keep it spinning! Keep it spinning!

For a moment Alex's image became clear and crisp. His eyes moved from Isabel to Max to Liz, and Max was sure that Alex saw them. Saw them!

But then the image flickered.

And winked out.