The numbers then began to count down. Each set of digits sped on a freefall to zero. As each numeral reached zero, it disappeared, taking a small chunk of the was like the beast was decaying, bit by bit, number by number. The Reality Bug was being deleted before our eyes. The whole process took no more than thirty seconds. But when it was done, there was nothing left. The only sign that it had ever been there was the gaping hole left in the ceiling of the jump cubicle.
The Reality Bug had been starved to death.
And Lifelight was dead.
(CONTINUED)
VEELOX
The next few days were spent in a blur of activity. Because Lifelight had been shut down, thousands of jumpers had no choice but to leave the pyramid and return to their lives in Rubic City. It was a strange thing to see.
People wandered out of the pyramid, hiding their eyes from the bright sun. Most seemed dazed, as if they weren’t sure what they should be doing or where they should go. I saw a few people arguing with phaders, demanding to be put back into their jumps. But the phaders could only shrug helplessly. Lifelight was dead. Whether the people of Veelox liked it or not, they had to deal with real life once again.
While the jumpers had to come to grips with the reality of reality, there were big doings among the people who ran Lifelight. Bottom line was, Lifelight had been shut down and the directors wanted to know why. Most of what happened over the next few days I couldn’t take part in, because, well, I didn’t belong. But there was a major inquiry and poor Aja was at the center of it. Luckily for her, she had a pretty good ally… Dr. Zetlin. Together the two of them faced the directors to answer the tough questions about why Lifelight was no more.
There was nothing Loor or I could do to help, so we went to stay with Evangeline and wait for news. But rather than sit in the quiet old mansion, wondering what was going on at the pyramid, Loor and I took a pedal vehicle and toured Rubic City to watch it come back to life.
It was pretty cool.
The streets were now full of people. Stores reopened for business. Once-grimy windows were washed sparkling clean. People even began to change out of their green jumpsuits to wear normal clothes again.
As we rode through the streets we listened in on people’s conversations. Of course the number one topic was Lifelight. People wanted to know what went wrong. But as the hours passed, we began hearing other conversations. People spoke about normal things like wanting to repaint their houses, or when they might expect fresh vegetables at the market, or about how much they missed seeing each other. I could only imagine that the same things were happening all over Veelox.
It was all good. The territory wouldn’t be reborn overnight, but it was definitely on its way. As happy as I was for the people of Veelox, this news had much bigger meaning for Loor and me. It meant that Saint Dane had been turned back once again. He thought he was in a no-lose situation. He wasn’t.
I have to admit, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Yeah, it was great and important to beat Saint Dane. That’s the main thing. But after having been embarrassed on First Earth, I felt that on Veelox I was able to pull the Travelers together and get the best from all of us. Aja was certain she had beaten Saint Dane before I even showed up, and make no mistake, she played a huge part in our victory. Maybe the most important part. But without the help of Loor and myself, it would have been a disaster.
As Loor and I pedaled around the reawakening city, I was actually beginning to accept the idea that maybe I was the lead Traveler. I still had no idea why I was chosen for the job, or who did the choosing, but my confidence was starting to grow. I went so far as to think that if I could continue to lead the Travelers the way I did on Veelox, then the ultimate victory over Saint Dane was possible.
I had come a very long way from that night when Uncle Press first brought me to the flume.
Aja didn’t return to her house for a couple of days. Evangeline was a wonderful host. She fed us gloid (we avoided the blue like the plague), and made up comfortable rooms for us. It was the first time I had spent with Loor when we weren’t in the middle of some crisis.
I didn’t hate it.
She told me about her life growing up as a warrior-in-training, and I told her about Stony Brook. Okay, my life wasn’t exactly as exciting as hers, but she listened and pretended to be interested. It was a great time. Loor and I had been through some hairy adventures, but we were now connecting on a whole new level. I think they call it “normal.” I always had a ton of respect for her. Now I felt as if I had found a friend.
I could have gone on like this forever, but it wasn’t meant to be. For on the afternoon of the third day, while the two of us pedaled through a new neighborhood, Loor made an announcement.
“There is nothing more for me to do here, Pendragon,” she said. “I need to return to Zadaa.”
This hit me out of left field and my thoughts were jumbled. “But, I thought… I was hoping…”
“What were you hoping?” Loor asked.
I took a breath to get my head together, then said, “I don’t see why we should split up. Saint Dane is going to show up again, I guarantee it. It would be better if we were together to deal with whatever he throws at us. Right?”
Loor gave this some thought, then answered, “You are right. We do not know where Saint Dane will surface. But I do know there is trouble on Zadaa. I want to be there and ready.”
“Okay, I get that,” I said. “But Saint Dane went to a territory called Eelong and Gunny followed him. I think we should go to Eelong.”
“I agree,” Loor said. “But we do not know for certain where Saint Dane plans to strike next. Yes, he went to Eelong, but Zadaa is on the verge of a civil war. How are we to know which he plans to attack first?”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Go to Eelong,” she continued. “I will return to Zadaa. When events come clear, we can always find each other.”
I racked my brain trying to come up with reasons for us to stay together, but couldn’t undo her logic. What I had to admit to myself was that the real reason I wanted us together was because I didn’t want to be alone. Uncle Press was gone. Spader had issues, and Gunny was on Eelong. Even Aja had her hands full here on Veelox. The truth was that if Loor went back to Zadaa, I would be on my own. That scared me.
“Maybe I should go to Zadaa with you,” I offered.
“Then what of Eelong?” Loor asked. “Gunny has not returned. I believe you should find him.”
Gunny was only supposed to be on Eelong a short time. The plan was for him to get a quick look around and then return to Veelox. He didn’t. I got so caught up in Lifelight that I couldn’t go looking for him. Loor was right. What had to happen now was obvious. Saint Dane went to Eelong. Gunny followed him. Gunny didn’t come back. I had to go to Eelong.
Without another word of argument, I turned the pedal vehicle and headed for the flume. It was a little trickier dropping into the manhole this time because the street was no longer deserted. We had to wait until nobody was watching, then quickly lift the metal lid and drop into the derelict subway below. A few minutes later the two of us stood at the mouth of the flume. This day had not turned out the way I had expected.
“Say good-bye to Aja for me,” Loor said. “And Evangeline.”
I nodded. I didn’t want to say good-bye to anybody. Especially Loor.
“Thank you for coming to Veelox,” I said.