The Reality Bug

by D. J. MacHale

  While the jumpers had to come to grips with the reality of reality, there were big doings among the people who ran Lifelight. Bottom line was, Lifelight had been shut down and the directors wanted to know why. Most of what happened over the next few days I couldn’t take part in, because, well, I didn’t belong. But there was a major inquiry and poor Aja was at the center of it. Luckily for her, she had a pretty good ally… Dr. Zetlin. Together the two of them faced the directors to answer the tough questions about why Lifelight was no more.

  There was nothing Loor or I could do to help, so we went to stay with Evangeline and wait for news. But rather than sit in the quiet old mansion, wondering what was going on at the pyramid, Loor and I took a pedal vehicle and toured Rubic City to watch it come back to life.

  It was pretty cool.

  The streets were now full of people. Stores reopened for business. Once-grimy windows were washed sparkling clean. People even began to change out of their green jumpsuits to wear normal clothes again.

  As we rode through the streets we listened in on people’s conversations. Of course the number one topic was Lifelight. People wanted to know what went wrong. But as the hours passed, we began hearing other conversations. People spoke about normal things like wanting to repaint their houses, or when they might expect fresh vegetables at the market, or about how much they missed seeing each other. I could only imagine that the same things were happening all over Veelox.

  It was all good. The territory wouldn’t be reborn overnight, but it was definitely on its way. As happy as I was for the people of Veelox, this news had much bigger meaning for Loor and me. It meant that Saint Dane had been turned back once again. He thought he was in a no-lose situation. He wasn’t.

  I have to admit, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Yeah, it was great and important to beat Saint Dane. That’s the main thing. But after having been embarrassed on First Earth, I felt that on Veelox I was able to pull the Travelers together and get the best from all of us. Aja was certain she had beaten Saint Dane before I even showed up, and make no mistake, she played a huge part in our victory. Maybe the most important part. But without the help of Loor and myself, it would have been a disaster.

  As Loor and I pedaled around the reawakening city, I was actually beginning to accept the idea that maybe I was the lead Traveler. I still had no idea why I was chosen for the job, or who did the choosing, but my confidence was starting to grow. I went so far as to think that if I could continue to lead the Travelers the way I did on Veelox, then the ultimate victory over Saint Dane was possible.

  I had come a very long way from that night when Uncle Press first brought me to the flume.

  Aja didn’t return to her house for a couple of days. Evangeline was a wonderful host. She fed us gloid (we avoided the blue like the plague), and made up comfortable rooms for us. It was the first time I had spent with Loor when we weren’t in the middle of some crisis.

  I didn’t hate it.

  She told me about her life growing up as a warrior-in-training, and I told her about Stony Brook. Okay, my life wasn’t exactly as exciting as hers, but she listened and pretended to be interested. It was a great time. Loor and I had been through some hairy adventures, but we were now connecting on a whole new level. I think they call it “normal.” I always had a ton of respect for her. Now I felt as if I had found a friend.

  I could have gone on like this forever, but it wasn’t meant to be. For on the afternoon of the third day, while the two of us pedaled through a new neighborhood, Loor made an announcement.

  “There is nothing more for me to do here, Pendragon,” she said. “I need to return to Zadaa.”

  This hit me out of left field and my thoughts were jumbled. “But, I thought…I was hoping…”

  “What were you hoping?” Loor asked.

  I took a breath to get my head together, then said, “I don’t see why we should split up. Saint Dane is going to show up again, I guarantee it. It would be better if we were together to deal with whatever he throws at us. Right?”

  Loor gave this some thought, then answered, “You are right. We do not know where Saint Dane will surface. But I do know there is trouble on Zadaa. I want to be there and ready.” “Okay, I get that,” I said. “But Saint Dane went to a territory called Eelong and Gunny followed him. I think we should go to Eelong.”

  “I agree,” Loor said. “But we do not know for certain where Saint Dane plans to strike next. Yes, he went to Eelong, but Zadaa is on the verge of a civil war. How are we to know which he plans to attack first?”

  I couldn’t argue with that.

  “Go to Eelong,” she continued. “I will return to Zadaa. When events come clear, we can always find each other.”

  I racked my brain trying to come up with reasons for us to stay together, but couldn’t undo her logic. What I had to admit to myself was that the real reason I wanted us together was because I didn’t want to be alone. Uncle Press was gone, Spader had issues, and Gunny was on Eelong. Even Aja had her hands full here on Veelox. The truth was that if Loor went back to Zadaa, I would be on my own. That scared me.

  “Maybe I should go to Zadaa with you,” I offered.

  “Then what of Eelong?” Loor asked. “Gunny has not returned. I believe you should find him.”

  Gunny was only supposed to be on Eelong a short time. The plan was for him to get a quick look around and then return to Veelox. He didn’t. I got so caught up in Lifelight that I couldn’t go looking for him. Loor was right. What had to happen now was obvious. Saint Dane went to Eelong. Gunny followed him. Gunny didn’t come back.

  I had to go to Eelong.

  Without another word of argument, I turned the pedal vehicle and headed for the flume. It was a little trickier dropping into the manhole this time because the street was no longer deserted. We had to wait until nobody was watching, then quickly lift the metal lid and drop into the derelict subway below. A few minutes later the two of us stood at the mouth of the flume. This day had not turned out the way I had expected.

  “Say good-bye to Aja for me,” Loor said. “And Evangeline.”

  I nodded. I didn’t want to say good-bye to anybody. Especially Loor.

  “Thank you for coming to Veelox,” I said.

  “Gratitude is unnecessary,” she declared. “I am a Traveler.”

  “But I threw you into a pretty nasty situation without a whole lot of warning and…you are an amazing person, Loor.”

  I wanted to hug her, but she wasn’t the sentimental type. So I was surprised when she reached forward and touched my cheek. It was a tender gesture. Something I never thought she was capable of.

  “I feel the same about you, Pendragon,” she said sincerely. “I am glad you are our leader…and my friend.”

  I felt a swell of pride and emotion. I hate to admit this, but my eyes started to tear up. There was no way I was going to let her see that, so I willed myself to get a grip. She backed away and stepped into the flume.

  “Zadaa!” she called into the dark tunnel. The flume came alive with light and sound. The far off musical notes were on their way to grab her and take her home. I had to fight the urge to jump in after her. That wouldn’t have been cool.

  “Find me,” was all I said.

  “I will,” Loor answered.

  The gray stone walls melted into crystal as the light grew so bright I had to squint. The last image I saw of Loor was her silhouette. A moment later she was gone.

  And I was alone.

  I didn’t leave for Eelong right away. I needed to know how the Lifelight investigation went. Our mission on Veelox wouldn’t be over until all the loose ends were tied up. So rather than jump into the flume, I went back to Evangeline’s house.

  When I arrived, I was surprised to find Aja sitting at the kitchen table with Evangeline, eating gloid.

  “Where’s Loor?” was the first thing she asked.

  “She went back to Zadaa,” I answered. “She asked me to say good-bye to both of you.”r />
  Aja nodded and continued eating. She looked tired as she sat there enjoying her gloid, not saying a word. I was dying to know what had happened, but I didn’t jump all over her. I knew she would tell me when she was ready.

  Evangeline said, “I’ll leave you two to talk,” and left the room. Uh-oh. I had the feeling that Aja had news, and it wasn’t necessarily good.

  “There’s a public meeting tomorrow,” Aja finally said. “The directors are going to announce the findings of their investigation to all of Veelox.”

  “What did you tell them?” I asked.

  “Basically, I lied,” Aja admitted. “I said there was a software problem that corrupted the jump data and threatened the safety of the jumpers.”

  “That wasn’t a lie,” I said.

  Aja sniffed. “No, but it wasn’t exactly the whole truth.”

  “They believed you?” I asked.

  “They had to. I had Dr. Zetlin on my side. The directors may be powerful, but they don’t mess with the Z.”

  “So he backed up your story?”

  “Every word,” Aja quickly answered. “He didn’t say anything about the Reality Bug and took full responsibility for shutting down Lifelight.”

  “And they bought it?” I asked.

  “Remember, Pendragon, we were the only ones who saw the Reality Bug, but there were thousands of people all over Veelox whose jumps had gone sour. People were scared. They knew there was trouble.”

  “What about the damage to the Alpha Core? How did you explain that?”

  “We played dumb. To be honest, neither of us could come up with a logical explanation so we told them we didn’t know how it happened. They had to believe us because there was no way we could have done the damage ourselves.”

  “You’ve been gone three days,” I said. “Were they questioning you the whole time?”

  “No. Most of the time we spent troubleshooting the grid, checking every possible bit of data to make sure nothing else was corrupted,” she answered. “Of course, I was also looking for any sign of the Reality Bug.”

  “And?”

  “It’s gone,” she said with confidence. “Totally.”

  “So you’re a hero,” I said with a smile. “The people of Veelox see you as the coolheaded phader who averted disaster.”

  “Maybe,” she said. She then put her spoon down and sat back in her chair. She didn’t take her eyes off me. “What do you see me as?”

  This was a loaded question. I knew how important this was to her.

  “I see you as the Traveler who beat Saint Dane and saved her territory,” I answered with authority.

  Aja smiled. “With a little help,” she said coyly.

  “None of us can do it on our own,” I reminded her.

  Aja nodded. “Did we really do it, Pendragon?” she asked tentatively. “Did we save the territory from Saint Dane?”

  “You gotta take a look around Rubic City,” I said. “The place is coming alive. You’ve given them a second chance.”

  The look on Aja’s face said it all. She felt as if her entire life had been about preparing for this challenge. It may not have played out exactly as she’d imagined, but the result was the same. She had succeeded. The look on her face was one of pure relief, and satisfaction.

  “So what is the public meeting about?” I asked.

  “I think they want to explain to the people what happened,” she answered. “People all over Veelox will be watching. Who knows? Maybe they’re going to give me a medal.”

  The big meeting was held early the next morning.

  It was all very exciting. Thousands upon thousands of people streamed into the pyramid to gather on the central floor. After getting used to Rubic City as a ghost town, it was amazing to see so many people flowing through the streets, all headed for one place.

  I went with Aja and Evangeline. With the huge crowd flooding into the pyramid, it felt like we were going to the Super Bowl. As we walked along the glass corridor of the core, it was eerie to see all of the control stations dark. Not a single monitor or indicator light was lit. We entered the main chamber of the pyramid. It was even more breathtaking now because it was loaded with people. Not only was the main floor packed, but there were people standing on every level above us, looking down at the floor. Everyone was orderly, but there was electricity in the air.

  As in the core, all the Lifelight indicator lights were out. The thousands of lights that had marked the jump cubicles were all dark. Seeing this made me believe that Lifelight was truly dead.

  Aja led us through the crowd to the center of the pyramid floor, where there was a round stage. It was raised just enough so that everyone could see it. On the stage were fifteen chairs. Aja didn’t need to explain. This was where the directors would sit.

  “We can go down front,” Aja explained. “I’m sort of part of this.”

  “This is so exciting!” Evangeline exclaimed.

  No sooner did we arrive at the platform, than the general buzzing of voices stopped. The show was about to begin. A section of crowd parted for a line of people who were walking to the stage. These people wore yellow jumpsuits and walked in single file. I looked at Aja. She nodded. These were the directors. They were all adults, some with gray hair. They climbed a few steps to the platform and marched in front of the seats.

  I saw that the last person in line was Dr. Zetlin. I had to do a double-take because his beard was gone and he didn’t look as ghostly white as when he first came out of his jump. He looked almost human, and definitely more like the young guy we raced through the Barbican with…plus about sixty years. He glanced down, saw us standing in front, and winked.

  All fifteen people sat down, except for one woman who walked to the front of the stage. She looked to be the oldest person of the group, except for Dr. Zetlin, that is. She had short, sandy-colored hair and sharp eyes. The woman surveyed the crowd, making sure to look up to the heights of the pyramid. It was like she was trying to make eye contact with each and every person there. The crowd of thousands went eerily quiet.

  “That’s Dr. Kree Sever,” Aja whispered, “the prime director.”

  “Is she, like, the boss?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Aja answered. “You’re staying in her house.”

  Right. I knew that name sounded familiar. This was the woman who was nice enough to let Aja and Evangeline live in her mansion. Now that she was out of Lifelight, I wondered if Aja and Evangeline would have to find a new place to live.

  “Welcome to all those who have come here today,” Dr. Sever began in a strong voice. “And to those who are watching from distant parts of Veelox.”

  Her voice was amplified throughout the pyramid. I guessed she had a microphone, which is also how they heard her at remote locations.

  “After three days of exhaustive research,” she continued, “we, the directors of Lifelight, have come before you in order to explain recent events, and to present the decision we have made regarding the future.”

  The woman sounded kind of like a politician running for office, rather than a scientist. I think she liked being in front of a crowd.

  “We are honored,” she continued, “to have with us a man whom we all know, but few have had the privilege to see in person, until today. I’m speaking about none other than the creator of Lifelight himself, the esteemed Dr. Zetlin.”

  The pyramid broke out in wild applause. It was deafening. Zetlin didn’t move. In fact, he looked embarrassed. After five minutes of this standing O, Dr. Sever quieted the crowd and continued, “What better person to explain the confusing events of the last few days, than the one man who knows more about Lifelight than any other? It is my great pleasure to present to you the legendary Dr. Zetlin.”

  The crowd erupted again. I was betting this kind of applause was happening all over Veelox. Dr. Zetlin slowly rose to his feet, nodded to Dr. Sever, and walked to the front of the stage. He raised his hands to quiet the crowd. Nobody wanted to stop. It took another five minutes
before the place finally quieted down.

  “My friends,” Dr. Zetlin began, “I stand before you today a humbled man. Never, in my wildest imagination, could I have foreseen the events that happened here and across Veelox.”

  I looked around to see that every eye was focused on Dr. Zetlin. He was a legend. No, he was a superstar. For these people to see him in person must have been pretty awesome.

  “I’m not speaking of the problems that were encountered with Lifelight that prompted me to shut it down,” he continued. “I am speaking of the state my beloved Veelox has fallen into because of my invention. For that, I am ashamed.”

  A slight nervous murmur went through the crowd. I don’t think they were expecting to hear bad news.

  “I designed Lifelight to be a celebration of life, not a substitute,” he continued. “Living an ideal existence is difficult to resist. I know. I am just as guilty as any of you. My intent was to stay inside the perfect world of my choosing, never to be bothered with the challenges of reality again. But it is a fool’s paradise. We have become a society of individuals whose only concern is our own comfort, pleasure, and amusement. By embracing Lifelight, we have turned our backs on our cities, on our neighbors, and worst of all, on our loved ones.”

  There were thousands of people in the pyramid, but they were as silent as a painting. It was kind of creepy.

  “I believe the problems we encountered a few days ago may very well prove to be our salvation,” Zetlin said. “Corrupt data had infected the grid, disrupting many of the jumps.”

  Corrupt data? That was a nice way of describing Aja’s Reality Bug.

  “Thanks to the quick and fearless actions taken by Aja Killian, the senior phader in Rubic City, the problem was contained.”

  Dr. Zetlin pointed to Aja. The crowd applauded. Aja stepped forward and raised her hand in acknowledgment. When the applause died down, Zetlin continued, “But in order to purge the grid of this corrupt data, I made the difficult decision to shut down Lifelight entirely. We were doubly successful. The grid was cleared, and Veelox was given a second chance.”