My answer came quickly. Shadows appeared through the image, moving forward. I soon realized they weren’t shadows at all, but very real people, who were walking out of the flume. The brilliant images of Cloral were sucked back in by the flume, as if it were a vacuum cleaner that controlled light. In a moment the flume went dark, and a spotlight shone on a group of five people standing beyond the mouth. I didn’t recognize any of them. They were five normal-looking people. Two men and three women. They wore clothes from Second Earth. They stood together, holding hands. As soon as the light hit them, they raised their clasped hands in triumph. The crowd jumped to its feet with excitement while applauding and cheering. Another group of people ran from the side to greet the five who had arrived through the flume. They hugged and kissed as if they were greeting loved ones who had returned from a long trip-which is exactly what they were.
Naymeer’s voice proclaimed, “Our latest travelers, back from Cloral, where they enjoyed the wonders of that world of water.”
“So it is true,” Alder said softly. “Anyone can travel.”
“With the help of Naymeer,” I corrected.
Naymeer continued, “Ravinians are joining together throughout Halla, sharing our views, planning our future. We are not alone. There are no boundaries. There is so much more to life then we ever imagined. It is there for us all to share. The chosen. The visionaries. The elite.”
“As I have been saying,” Saint Dane declared, “the Convergence has broken down the barriers between worlds.”
I realized how Naymeer was able to convince his followers that Halla was real. He showed them. He let them explore other territories. Other worlds. It truly was a Convergence. Of all the things I had seen in my years as a Traveler, this spectacle seemed the most incredible. Yet it was all too real. Ravinia was going to spread throughout Halla, dividing the classes and mixing the destinies of every world. Saint Dane’s vision was becoming a reality.
A group of red shirts hurried in and gently escorted the newly returned travelers and their loved ones away. The spotlight returned to Naymeer, who stood in the center of the flume. He raised his hand and the crowd instantly grew quiet.
“They will soon share with us the wonders of their travels to another world-wonders that, in time, you all will have the opportunity to experience yourselves. But first we must acknowledge the wonder that is about to happen right here on our own world. We are on the verge of seeing our dreams become reality. Tomorrow is a day that will go down in history as the beginning of a new Halla. Tomorrow is the day when, if all goes as we expect, the United Nations will accept us as the voice of our world.”
An excited cheer went up. These people were out of their minds with joy. Through Naymeer, Saint Dane had done a real number on them. They fully bought into Ravinia and its philosophy. And why not? They were being tempted with the ability to travel to other worlds. It had to be pretty staggering to learn that there was so much more to the universe than they thought, and that they were the only people who were going to be allowed to take advantage of it. I guess the same kind of thing had happened to me, only I saw the darker side to it all. It didn’t seem like these people got any hint of that. No way.
Naymeer raised his hands again.
“As much as this is a time to celebrate, we must remain humble. There are those who still oppose us. Those who do not understand. Those who will never share in the glories of Halla. They are deserving of our sympathy.”
The crowd didn’t peep. I didn’t feel a whole lot of sympathy going on. Man, who did they think they were? How could they be brainwashed into believing they were so superior? I glanced over to Saint Dane. He had a small smile on his face. That was my answer. Saint Dane had convinced them. Through Naymeer, he had seduced them into helping him begin his final assault on Halla. As Alder and I stood in that room, next to the guy who was the architect of this horror, I had no idea what we could do about it. I was beginning to accept the fact that Saint Dane was right. I was beaten.
Naymeer continued, “Right now, outside the sacred walls of this conclave, a group has gathered to protest our very existence. Might I say, once the teachings of Ravinia are instituted, such crass showings will be a thing of the past.”
I saw the people nodding to each other knowingly. Creeps.
“There will be no more protests. No more dissension. No more violence. There will be only one voice. The voice of Ravinia. The voice of Halla. Your voice.”
“There goes freedom of speech,” I said.
Saint Dane didn’t react.
“On the eve of such a historic occasion, I would like to invite some of our detractors to join us. To see what we are about. To get a small taste of the wonders of Halla.”
A concerned murmur went up. The people didn’t expect that. How could Naymeer suggest bringing the unwashed masses into their perfect little temple? Naymeer raised both hands and added, “I assure you, this will be a night that none of us will forget. Nor will our detractors. I beg your patience and understanding.”
The room lights went on. Naymeer strode away from the flume, walking directly up the center aisle. He was quickly joined by six guards, who surrounded him in a protective cocoon. They walked past the adoring yet confused eyes of the Ravinians, toward the rear of the room, and climbed the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Saint Dane left the window and walked to the opposite wall. There was another red drape, much smaller than the one that was pulled back from the window looking down onto the flume. Saint Dane touched the wall panel. The smaller drape slid open the same way, revealing another window. He gestured for us to join him. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the guy, but I had to see what was happening.
Alder and I reluctantly joined him and looked out of the window to the street below. It was night. We were in the familiar Bronx neighborhood that used to be home to the subway station that held the gate to the flume. Mark and Courtney had described the huge, marble structure that we were now in. We were looking down from the second or third floor. I could see the marble steps leading down to the street… a street that was packed with people. Protestors. They carried signs that read: WE THE PEOPLE…andLIBERTYAND JUSTICE FOR ALL. According to Saint Dane, these were the bottom-feeders of society. The losers who were nothing more than a drain on the world’s resources. From where I stood, they looked like regular people. Angry regular people. I could hear them chanting, “Stop Naymeer. Stop Naymeer.”
A long line of red shirts kept the crowd from climbing the stairs. Unlike the dados inside, these guys were armed. They looked pretty imposing with their Tasers. Suddenly the chants turned to a chorus of boos. I looked directly down to see that a podium was set up on the stairs that led from the sidewalk up into the conclave building. Whatever was about to happen, it was planned. This wasn’t some impromptu moment. A group of red shirts marched down the steps toward the podium and surrounded it. Naymeer followed soon after and stood at the podium, looking out over a sea of his enemies.
“My friends,” his voice boomed over speakers.
This was definitely planned. They even had speakers set up. The booing grew louder. Naymeer was patient. He raised his hands to try to quiet them. These people weren’t as obedient as the ones inside. They kept screaming and booing him angrily.
“Stop Naymeer! Stop Naymeer!”
Naymeer stayed cool. “Please,” Naymeer continued. “I understand your concerns.”
The people were having none of it. Good for them. The boos got louder. This went on for a solid ten minutes. Naymeer didn’t give up. He kept trying to get them to listen, but that only made them yell louder. Finally, either they got tired of screaming or they actually decided to listen to what he had to say, but the crowd settled down enough so that Naymeer could be heard.
“Before you judge, I would like to invite some of you to come inside and see for yourselves what Ravinia is truly about.”
If it was possible for an entire crowd to be confused, they were. It didn’t seem as if they expected that olive branch. Their surprised looks proved that they didn’t know what to think about the surprise offer. Naymeer started pointing to people.
“You, and you,” he called out. “Bring your daughter. You, young man, join me inside, won’t you?”
Slowly, each person he pointed to stepped forward and onto the steps of the conclave building. The red-shirt dados parted, allowing them to pass.
