oxygen to breathe. “Do you have an unreasonable level of earwax, boy? Didn’t you listen to a word Master George said tonight?”
“Hey, be nice,” Sofia warned. “Unless you want a punch in the nose, too.”
Rutger ignored her. “Everything having to do with the Realities revolves around the Chi’karda. Because it’s so powerful here, it’s the easiest place to wink to and from the other Realities. It’s also the best place for Master George to monitor Chi’karda levels around the world. That’s how he’s watched all of you from day one so closely.”
“How?” Paul asked.
“By using another invention from Chu Industries in the Fourth Reality. It’s called a nanolocator.”
“Sounds fancy,” Sofia said. “Maybe Pacinis should make them.”
“I assure, you, Miss Pacini, there’s a big difference between making nanolocators and spaghetti sauce.” Sofia leaned forward like she was ready to get out of bed and attack Rutger, but he held up his hands in reconciliation, then hurried to continue. “A nanolocator is basically a microscopic robot, but it’s so tiny you can’t see it with the naked eye. It crawls into your skin and sends various signals back here to the Command Center.”
“What kind of signals?” Tick asked, shifting on his cot to get more comfortable. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of a tiny robot crawling under his skin.
“Signals that monitor your Chi’karda levels, your global position, your body temperature-all kinds of things. Our fearless leader had to have some way to keep tabs on you, don’t you think? The nanolocators also told us where to send the Gnat Rats and Tingle Wraiths, which were programmed to find you and no one else.”
“Ah, man, I feel so… violated,” Paul said in a deadpan voice, then barked a laugh.
“How did he get it inside our bodies?” Tick asked.
“That’s easy,” Mothball said. “The little fella was on the first letter he sent you.”
“Serious?” Paul asked.
“When each one of you opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, the nanolocator quickly sought a heat source-your hand-and slipped right between your skin cells.” Rutger grinned. “Brilliant, don’t you think?”
“Dude, that just seems wrong, ” Paul said, shaking his head.
“Oh, boo hoo,” Rutger replied, rubbing his eyes in a mock cry. “How else were we supposed to know when or if you burned the first letter. Or when you made your Pick?”
“Pick?” all three kids asked at once.
“I’ll take that one,” Mothball said. “A Pick’s what Master George calls a ruddy big decision. Your Chi’karda level spikes like a rocket shootin’ off to space, it does. Showed up on his big monitor and let him know when yer were truly committed to the job he offered, when you really promised yourself there was no turning back. Smart old chap, don’t you think?”
“Master George watched his big screen every day,” Rutger said, “so he’d know when you made your Pick. Word is he just about suffocated his cat hugging the poor thing when you three made your Pick at almost the same time. That was uncanny.”
Tick thought of that night he knelt in front of the fireplace and the decision he’d made to not burn the letter in his hand. He remembered the sensation of warmth that had spread throughout his whole body. That was my Pick, he realized. He’d felt that same sensation again later, when he screamed out in the dark woods and managed to somehow change reality. Is that what using the Chi’karda feels like? Tick shivered. It was a lot to think about.
“What are we in, anyway?” Paul asked, looking above and around him. “Is this a boat or what?”
“No, it’s a building, firmly rooted in the ocean floor far below us,” Rutger said. “Master George used a little trick he learned from the Eighth Reality, where it’s mostly ocean. They developed some amazing cabling technology that allows them to build entire cities on the ocean. We’re perfectly safe and stable. You can barely feel the waves unless we have a real doozy of a storm.”
Mothball yawned, a booming roar that made Tick jump. “Master George will have our hides, he will, if he finds out we kept you up so late. Come on, now, we need-”
“Wait,” Tick interrupted her. “Just one more question, okay?”
“Be quick about it. Me bones hurt I’m so tired.”
“What’s the deal with cemeteries? Rutger said something once about the difference between life and death… I can’t remember.”
“It was another famous Master George quote,” Rutger replied. “‘ Nothing in this world better reflects the difference between life and death than the power of choice.’ Chi’karda levels are very high in cemeteries. Master George says it has to do with the lingering effects of the life-changing choices those people made. One way or another, their choices led them to their fates, whether good or bad.”
“And so we needed to go there because…” Tick started but stopped, worried his answer would be wrong.
“So we could wink easier,” Sofia said. “The stronger the levels of Chi’karda, the easier it is to travel between Realities.”
“Exactly,” Rutger agreed. “Not only can you travel between the barriers, you can travel between different locations of heavy Chi’karda spots within the same Reality. That’s how Master George could wink you from your towns to this place. He simply honed in on your nanolocator signals and winked you away!”
“My head hurts,” Paul groaned, falling onto his back as he rubbed his forehead.
“That’s because you Americans aren’t smart enough to get it,” Sofia said. “I’ll be happy to tutor you on everything tomorrow.”
“Methinks I’ve had enough for one day,” Mothball said. “Good night, all.”
She and Rutger left the room, flicking off the light as they went.
A few more words were said after they’d left, but sheer exhaustion soon pulled the three of them into a deep sleep.
~
Something jolted Frazier out of his dreamless slumber.
He swatted at the dark air around him, scrambling into a sitting position. What had it been? Was he-
He heard a loud thump against the wall by his cot. Then another, a clang of metal against metal that echoed throughout the small cell. Then another, this time louder.
What was that?
He scurried over to the light switch and flipped it on, squinting in the brightness. To his shock, a small dent, about three inches wide, bent the wall inward just above his bed. The bolts connecting the wall to the surrounding metal had loosened slightly, rattling as another big thump sounded. The wall bent even farther.
One final boom sounded through the room, and the entire piece of metal fell onto his bed, its bolts cracking like whips as they broke in half. Frazier stared past the hole in the wall, seeing the endless ocean in front of him, the first traces of dawn casting a purple glow over the deep waters. Then, inexplicably, a face appeared from below-someone he’d never seen before. It was a man with scraggly black hair and an unshaven face.
“Come on, Mister Gunn, we don’t have much time!”
“What… who… what…” Frazier couldn’t find any words after such a long time in confinement.
“Mistress Jane sent us to rescue you,” the man yelled.
“Rescue me?” Frazier could hardly believe it.
“Yes!” the man replied. “And then we’re going to destroy this place once and for all.”
Chapter 44
Tick woke to the awful smell of fish breath and an annoying scratchy feeling on his right cheek. From somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard a loud boom like an underground explosion. He opened his eyes to see two yellow orbs staring at him. It was a cat, pawing at his face to… wake him?
Tick sat up, accidentally knocking the cat to the floor. “Oh, sorry.” The sleek feline hissed in annoyance, then padded over to Paul’s cot to wake him as well.
