stopped him,” he cried. “Pendragon was going to save the ship and you stopped him. Those people are dead because of you! You let Saint Dane win.”
Gunny couldn’t speak. I thought I saw him shivering.
“He did the right thing,” I said.
Spader pulled away from Gunny and shot me an angry look. “Why? Because someone told you it would change history? I don’t believe it. How could you know that?”
I didn’t answer. Now wasn’t the time. Gunny said with a weak voice, “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“I’ve got a car,” I offered.
“No,” Gunny said. “Come with me.” He hurried off. Spader and I stood there a moment longer, looking at the flaming wreckage.
“Hobey, I hope you’re right,” he finally said, and followed Gunny.
The airfield was in chaos. Fire trucks raced toward the scene. People were running every which way, trying to help the survivors. Some of the victims were rushed into cars that screamed off, headed for the nearest hospital. Others were loaded into ambulances. There was so much frantic activity that nobody noticed three guys walking calmly away from the action, headed toward the runways.
The flames from theHindenburglit the airfield up like daytime. I wasn’t sure where Gunny was leading us and I didn’t care. I didn’t want to think anymore. Finally I looked ahead and saw a welcome sight. Sitting on the end of the runway, lit by the flames, was Jinx Olsen’s odd little seaplane. After all that happened, I’d forgotten about Jinx.
She came running from the direction of the crash. Her eyes were wild and scared. I’d have been surprised if they weren’t.
“Was this it?” she asked with a touch of desperation. “Was this why you had to come here? Were you trying to prevent this?”
We all shared looks. All but Spader. He stared at the ground. I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, Gunny took charge.
“We heard some things,” he said. “We thought we could help.”
“But we were too late,” Jinx said. “It’s horrible.”
“Yes,” Gunny said. “It’s horrible.” He then walked up to Jinx and looked her right in the eye. He spoke to her in a calm, assured voice. “No one will ever know what happened here. You thought you could help, but there was nothing you could do. There was nothing anyone could do. Remember that.”
It was weird. Jinx stared up at Gunny with glassy eyes. All the tension seemed to leave her body. It was like Gunny was hypnotizing her. He was using his Traveler skills to put her mind to rest. I wished he could have done the same for me.
“Right,” she said slowly. “There was nothing I could do.”
“We should get back,” Gunny said to her.
“Yes,” Jinx said. “Let’s go back.”
The four of us got into the plane-Jinx and I in the front cockpit. Spader and Gunny in back. I doubt if anyone took notice of our small plane as we lifted off on the far side of the airfield. Every single person on the ground was focused on the burning zeppelin. As we rose up and away from the destruction, I realized we were leaving behind one of the great mysteries of all time. People would always wonder what really caused theHindenburgto catch fire and crash. Nobody would know of the role two rival gangster mobs from New York had in bringing the massive airship down, or of the part played by Travelers from different territories.
That was the way it was meant to be.
The flight back was uneventful. Thankfully the weather had cleared and it was a smooth trip. Nobody spoke. We were all alone with our thoughts. We landed on the Hudson and got the airplane back to the dock without a problem. The four of us then rode together in a cab back to the Manhattan Tower Hotel. I don’t think anyone said more than two words for the whole trip. When we were dropped on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, there was an awkward moment. Spader left us and went inside without saying a word. Gunny and I stood with Jinx. I had no idea how we would leave this with her.
Again, Gunny took charge. “You are a very special person,” he said to Jinx. “I’m proud to have known you.”
“I hope you get to fly again someday,” I added.
“Oh, I will,” she said with a wink. “Bet on it.”
We all exchanged hugs, then Jinx started inside. But she stopped and turned back to us with a concerned look. “This trip we just took,” she said. “Why do I have the feeling there was more to it than there seems?”
“There isn’t,” Gunny answered. “It was just a trip.”
That seemed to satisfy Jinx. She nodded and went inside. In all the accounts of what happened to theHindenburg, there was never any mention of Jinx Olsen having been at the airfield. I can only believe that whatever thoughts Gunny planted in her head, or took away, he made sure that Jinx never said a word to anyone about our flight. It was too bad. All Jinx ever wanted to do was fly and make a difference. She would never know that on that chilly night, she had done exactly that.
Gunny and I stood alone on the sidewalk. Nobody-else was around. As I stood there, I really didn’t know what to think. Was this an incredible victory over Saint Dane? It sure didn’t feel like it. I had to keep reminding myself that if we hadn’t been there, things would have been worse. Much worse. But that was something I knew in my head. My heart felt otherwise.
Reality for me was, I had failed. There’s no other way of putting it. When it was all on the line, I blew it. If it hadn’t been for Gunny, Saint Dane would have won. The Earth territories would have been doomed, and it would have been my fault. And that makes me question my worth as a Traveler. I couldn’t help but think of Uncle Press. He had faith in me. He told everyone to trust me. By failing with theHindenburg, I had let him down. What was I supposed to do from here?
“I’m sorry, Gunny,” I said softly.
“For what?”
“For putting this on your shoulders.”
Gunny looked up at his beloved hotel. The lights reflected in his brown eyes.
“Never in my lifetime did I ever imagine the things we’ve seen. But now that my eyes are opening up to what life is really about, I have to tell you, I honestly do believe what I said before. This is the way it is supposed to be. Our job is to make sure of it. You didn’t put anything on my shoulders, Bobby.”
“But I did the wrong thing.”
Gunny looked at me. I saw the kindness in his eyes. No, I feltthe kindness. “Maybe. Or maybe today was my day. Maybe the whole reason I’m part of this is to do what I did. You’ve got a long road ahead, Pendragon. I believe your day is still to come.”
We went inside and said good night. I was dog tired and all I wanted to do was fall into bed. When I got to the room, Spader was sitting on the couch, waiting for me. I didn’t want to have to deal with him. Not now. But Spader wanted to talk.
“I’m scared, mate,” he said. “Everything’s been turned inside out. How could Gunny let those people die?”
I didn’t say anything at first. I was angry and confused and a little bit scared myself. We had reached a turning point of our own, Spader and me. As great a team as we were, when it came to crunch time, Spader hadn’t trusted me. I still needed to convince him that we had done the right thing.
“Tomorrow,” I finally said. “Tomorrow I’ll show you everything.”
That was it. I left him and went to bed. The last thought I had before nodding off was that I hoped I wouldn’t have any dreams. Or nightmares.
The next day Spader and I took a trip. We went to the one and only place where he would get the answers he needed. We went to Third Earth.
The trip to the Bronx and the flight through the flume were nothing special to write about. It was amazing to think that something as wild as fluming to a different time and territory didn’t seem special anymore. But the truth was, I was getting used to it. We arrived at the gate on Third Earth and changed into the clothes of the territory without saying a word to each other. Hidden in the pile of clothing was the same communicator Gunny had used to contact Patrick, the Traveler. I hit the button, knowing Patrick would soon be there to pick us up.
