just wish we had more to go on,” I complained.
We all fell silent for a moment, then Gunny said softly, “I think I know where we can find out more.”
“Really? Where?” I asked quickly, grabbing at the lifeline.
“We’re Travelers,” he said with a matter-of-fact tone. “We can take the flume into the future of this very territory and look back on how things happened.”
My heart sank. As much as I loved the idea of going home to Second Earth, I knew it would be a waste.
“It wouldn’t help,” I said with disappointment. “Sure, we could go to Second Earth and do some research about theHindenburgand World War Two, but that wouldn’t tell us anything. We need to figure out what would happen if theHindenburg doesn’tblow up.”
“Who said anything about going toSecondEarth?” Gunny said with a mischievous smile.
At first I didn’t know what he meant. If we were going to look into the future of Earth, then of course we would go to Second Earth. That is, unless…
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked, barely able to contain my excitement.
“What’s he saying?” Spader asked. Gunny said, “I’m talking about taking a trip toThirdEarth, of course.”
“There’s a Third Earth?” I asked, trying not to sound like a giddy geek. “Have you been there? When is it?”
“Yes,” he answered with a smile. “I’ve been there. The year, I believe, is 5010, give or take a year or two.”
I had to sit down. The idea of seeing what Earth was like threethousandyears in the future was making my head swim.
“I am all over this,” I said. “But seriously, why would going to Third Earth help us any more than going to Second Earth?”
“I told you, I’ve been there,” he answered. “I went with your uncle Press when he first told me about being a Traveler. It was like something out of a book of fantasies. They have libraries there. But not like the ones we know. There aren’t any books or papers or anything you can touch. All this information is kept on little tiny specs of nothing, no bigger than a grain of sand. They had the entire New York City public library on just one of those little things. Imagine that.”
Gunny was talking about some kind of computer. At home when you got a computer, it was already outdated. That’s how fast advances were being made. I couldn’t imagine how far things had gotten in three thousand years.
Gunny continued, “It seemed like they had every little bit of information about everything that ever happened on those little bits of things. I’m guessing if we went there and spoke to Patrick-“
“Patrick?” Spader asked.
“The Traveler from Third Earth. Nice fella. Smart, too. I’m thinking Patrick might be able to tap into all that information and maybe give us a little more idea of what we’re dealing with here.”
The man was incredible. How many times had Gunny bailed us out already? I’d lost count.
“I think that’s a great idea!” I shouted. “Let’s go right now.”
I couldn’t sit still. I had forgotten how bruised and banged up I was and started getting dressed for the trip. But then, in the next second, the air was totally sucked out of my balloon.
“I’m not going,” declared Spader.
“What do you mean? We’re all going!” I said.
“Not me,” Spader said. “There’s too much at stake here to go fluming off. We might come back too late.”
D. J. MacHale
The Never War
“It won’t be a problem,” I said. “Time between the territories isn’t the same, remember? We could be gone for a year, but then flume back here an hour from now.”
“It’s too big a risk, mate,” Spader said with conviction. “That airship is due early tomorrow morning. I want to be here when it shows up, just in case Max Rose doesn’t take care of Winn Farrow. You’re right, mate. We can’t rely on Max Rose to do our job. If he fails, it’ll be up to us to save theHindenburg.”He looked at Gunny and asked, “How far is this Lakehurst place?”
“About eighty miles, give or take,” Gunny answered. “It’ll take the better part of four hours to drive there. Longer on the bus.”
“See?” Spader said. “It’s going to take a while to get there. I don’t want to risk being late.”
“Spader,” I said. “I’m telling you, we’ll be back in time.”
“Sorry, mate,” he said stubbornly. “Can’t take the chance.”
We were slipping into dangerous territory. We were a team. I had to get Spader back with the program.
“Remember what you told me in that cab?” I asked. “You said we were all important, but I was the one who was going to hold us all together. Well, that’s what I’m doing now. I’m holding us together. The only chance we’ve got of beating Saint Dane is if we stay together. You’ve risked your life to save me, Spader. I need you to be there for me again.”
Spader thought about this for a moment. Was I finally getting through to him?
“If you’re right,” he said, “there won’t be a problem. You’ll get to Third Earth and back in plenty of time. We’ll hook up and take on Saint Dane and his gangster wogglies like you were never gone. But if you don’t make it back in time, then somebody’s got to be here to make sure they don’t blow up that ship. That’s why I’m staying.”
I didn’t know what else to say. He had made up his mind, and to be honest, I wasn’t completely sure he was wrong.
Spader then walked up to me and said, “Go to Third Earth. Find out what you can. It might be a big help. But let me stay here and take care of things in case something goes wrong.”
I knew Gunny and I would be back in time, but that wasn’t the point. What bothered me was that Spader was pulling away from me. He was always a guy who wanted action. Right now he had Saint Dane in his sights and didn’t want to let him get away, even if it meant going against what I thought was best.
“Have it your way,” I finally said. “We’ll meet back here and then we’ll all go to Lakehurst. Together.”
“Now you’re talking!” Spader said, then left us and went into the bathroom to clean himself up.
I didn’t want to look at Gunny. I felt as if I had messed up and the team was falling apart.
“When he’s got his mind set on something,” Gunny said softly, “I don’t think it’s possible to change it.”
“Saint Dane is strong and smart, and he’s got way more power than any one of us,” I said. “The only chance we have to beat him is by staying together.”
“We’ll be back in plenty of time.”
“Yeah, probably. But I’m afraid Spader is on his own mission now.”
Gunny fell silent. He knew I was right.
I wanted to leave right away, but Gunny said I should get some rest. It had been a busy day and I was beat up pretty badly. Suddenly the idea of a little sleep sounded really good. He left the room, saying he’d be back in a few hours, ready to head uptown.
I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes, ready for sleep. But it didn’t come. Even though I was dog tired and needed to recharge my batteries, my mind was working in too many directions to let me nod off. So I got up, hit the typewriter, and finished this journal.
I’m excited and scared at the same time. I can’t believe I’m going to see Earth in 5010. How cool is that? I wish this were a trip about fun and discovery, but it isn’t. I’ve got a very bad feeling about the way things are unfolding here on First Earth.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about dealing with Saint Dane, it’s that just when you think you’ve got things figured out, he changes the rules. He did it on Denduron. He did it on Cloral. Question is, will he do it again here on First Earth?
That’s what I hoped to find out on our trip to Third Earth.
I know this is going to sound totally bizarre, but the next time I write to you guys, I will have seen the future. I can only hope that it’s a happy one.
END OF JOURNAL #10
This may be the most important journal I’ve written to you guys.
