There was no time to explain to Jia now. He did not want her to face Yinreng again. He was certain he would kill her, and Matt knew if that happened, he would not be able to bring her back.
The door clicked. Just as it opened, Matt dissolved himself and Jia with him.
25Alfred Nobel
1874
Stockholm, Sweden
Matt and Jia landed in the middle of a cobblestoned road. He pulled himself together right in front of a horse. The horse whinnied and reared up on its hide legs, and Matt knew he was about to be trampled by its hooves when Jia smartly yanked him out of the way and they rolled to the side of the road. The driver shouted something at them and cracked his whip and moved on.
“Nĭ hăo, Jia,” he said.
“Matt? Oh, Matt!” She attacked him with a hug so tight, Matt could hardly breathe, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he kind of wished she would never let him go.
“I was so frightened!” Jia cried. “How did you do that? How did you get me out of there?” And then she gasped, releasing him. “You figured it out. You learned how to make yourself fall apart?”
Matt nodded. “Yes.” He held up his hand and made it dissolve and reappear.
Jia gasped again, covering her mouth. “And did you save me? The younger me, I mean.”
Matt nodded. “You’re safe on the Vermillion,” Matt said. “And we’re far from China now. Yinreng can’t hurt you.”
Jia smiled at him. He smiled back. He almost thought she was going to kiss him. Or was he supposed to kiss her? This seemed like one of those moments, but he didn’t know what to do.
A car sped past, spraying mud all over them.
“Ack!” Matt wiped the mud off his face. He glared at the yellow sports car racing down the road, swerving around the horse and carriage that had nearly trampled him.
A car . . .
Matt looked around. There were cars in the streets, both old and modern, even models that looked like they’d come from his future. There were carriages and bikes, too, but the cars weren’t the only thing that seemed out of place. There were clashing fashions and buildings and languages. Across the street, a man was selling hot dogs from a cart. Matt could smell it from here and it reminded him of New York City and Mets games and . . . and something else, a memory he couldn’t quite reach though it tickled at the corners of his brain.
In the distance Matt could see a building he knew very well. The Empire State Building stood like a glass and metal behemoth amongst the smaller structures.
“Where are we?” Jia asked.
“Sweden,” Matt said. “Or I thought so anyway. I came here so we could visit Alfred Nobel.” Now he wondered if he would even be here.
“I guess this place has suffered time rifts too,” Jia said.
“I guess.”
A boy was selling newspapers. Matt hailed him and glanced at a paper. He couldn’t read any of it, but he noted the date. It was July 20, 1874.
“Is that date significant for some reason?”
“Not specifically. I wanted to come some years after Nobel had invented dynamite, so we could ask him what he did for Captain Vincent.”
“That makes sense. Maybe the boy will know where he is.”
Matt asked the newsboy, as well as he could, about Mr. Alfred Nobel. The boy just stared back at Matt, then held out his hand.
“I think he wants some money for his information,” Jia said.
“I don’t have any. Do you?”
Jia rifled through her pockets and found a small bronze coin that looked ancient. The boy studied it with suspicion but must have decided it was worth something. He placed the coin in his pocket and pointed in the direction of the Empire State Building. He said something Matt couldn’t understand, but he thanked him and he and Jia struck off in the direction the boy had indicated. They had to ask a few more people along the way where he could find Mr. Nobel. Everyone pointed in the same general direction until Matt finally realized they were all pointing to a mansion on the hill, just behind the Empire State Building. It was a grand and imposing brick house with many windows and three chimneys.
The hill was much higher and steeper than it looked from the base. By the time they reached the top, they were both breathing hard. They took a few minutes to catch their breath and then they both stepped up to the door.
“I guess we just knock?” Jia said.
“I guess.”
He knocked three times, and a minute later the door swung open and a man peered out.
It was Alfred Nobel. Matt recognized him from his picture. He was pale with light blue eyes that were somewhat bloodshot and a scraggly beard that needed trimming. He looked careworn and disheveled. “Ja?” he said, along with another question in Swedish that Matt was guessing was something along the lines of “Can I help you?” or “What do you want?” Matt did not speak or understand Swedish. He would, at some point, he was pretty sure, but he knew that Alfred Nobel spoke perfect English.
“Mr. Nobel,” Matt said. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but we’ve come to you for help. You once worked for a man named Captain Vincent. He—”
But Matt did not get to finish his sentence. At the mention of Captain Vincent, Alfred Nobel slammed the door.
Matt and Jia looked at each other. “Now what?”
“We can’t just leave,” Jia said. This time she knocked on the door. “Mr. Nobel? Please! We need your help!”
“Go away. I want nothing to do with whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.”
“Please, Mr. Nobel!”
Nobel did not answer. The door remained closed.
“Maybe we should disassemble ourselves and break in?” Matt said.
Jia shook her head. “I don’t think that will build trust with him, and we need him to trust us.”
“Maybe we need to go back further,” Matt suggested. “Maybe before Captain Vincent
