The Disciples of the Orb

by Marshall Cobb

  Big Ed’s face grew red with anger as he towered over the teenagers. Neither Peter nor Eli, nor anyone, had ever seen him like this. Before Orb, Big Ed had taken up the fight for several causes where he saw what he felt was injustice, but he never lost his cool, and he definitely never threatened anyone.

  Both Peter and Eli quickly stood up and walked around the table to their father.

  “It’s ok, Dad,” Eli said quickly, “she didn’t mean anything by it.”

  Peter used his good arm to reach for Big Ed’s finger, which he gently pulled down. “We’re all just tired, and a little scared by what happened yesterday. It’s fine, Dad. Everything is fine.”

  Eli shot a glance over to Irene, who quickly understood what she needed to do. She stood, made a mini-bow and said, “I’m so sorry, Big Ed. Peter’s right. I’m just tired and I was so concerned when I saw his arm. You’re right. Orb is going to take care of everything, and I do need to show him more respect, and gratitude.”

  Jenny, feeling strange as the last one seated, stood up as well. She grabbed Irene’s hand in solidarity, and not a little fear, and gave it a squeeze. Irene, still looking at Big Ed, squeezed back.

  With everyone watching him closely, Big Ed sniffed and muttered something unintelligible and then, with no transition whatsoever, clapped his hands together and said, “There’s still a couple of pancakes left. You people finish those up while I start working on the dishes. I’ve got a lot of harvests to oversee today but I’ll make sure I’m back early to make something for supper.”

  The moment he turned his back and headed towards the sink, Irene’s composure broke. “I’m so sorry,” she mouthed, tears running down her face.

  “Shh, shhhh,” Jenny tried to comfort Irene by rubbing her back as she steered her towards the couch. She shot a concerned look back to Eli, who, after checking to make sure Big Ed was not looking, shrugged and shook his head.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  No Good Options

  Later that morning, after Big Ed had left to make his rounds, they convinced Irene to go home and rest.

  “Eli and I can look after Peter,” Jenny reassured her. Irene was still reluctant to leave until Eli pointed out that Big Ed often came home for lunch. Irene was in no hurry to see Big Ed again, which made both Peter and Eli sad.

  “I’ll see you tonight at the bank, but please ’port over and tell me if there’s anything I can do.” She grabbed Peter’s right hand and said, “I’m sorry, I know I should stay but your dad scares me.”

  After Irene left, Eli and Jenny finished picking up and putting away the blankets and sheets. They forbade Peter from helping and realistically, with only one hand, folding blankets and sheets was going to be a problem.

  When the house was tidy Jenny tried to get Peter to take a nap.

  “No thanks, I think I need to get out of here. Who’s up for a walk?”

  Eli pointed at Peter’s injured arm. “Isn’t that going to hurt when you move it around?”

  “It’s fine,” Peter assured them, “but I please need one of you to put on my shoes.”

  It took nearly forty-five minutes to walk to town, and another twenty to reach the far end. They spoke very little as they walked three-abreast down the empty streets, each of them a bit lost in their own thoughts.

  Peter stopped walking when they stood in front of the portal that blocked the road at the far end of town. The blue/black legs on either side of the portal disappeared into the dirt while the top piece extended out over its connection with the legs—like the Pi symbol but without the wavy line.

  He reached down, grabbed a small stone which rested on the concrete, and pitched it into the portal. The motion felt strange without the counterbalance of his entire left arm. The portal shimmered as the stone passed, then returned to its normal state—a sheer curtain which provided blurry glimpses of the road on the other side but gave no clue as to what happened to anything, or anyone, who entered it.

  We’ve lost Big Ed, and Matt.

  Don’t say that, Peter, consoled Jenny. We can find a way to undo what’s been done.

  I know you’re the smartest, Eli replied, but I don’t see any way to reverse anything without talking to Orb.

  Peter pitched another rock into the portal. No, that’s not safe. Orb knows that we are trying to overthrow him. He’s just playing with us. Bartholomew said Orb would grow tired of us, his Disciples. We’re running out of time—a lot more quickly than I ever thought.

  Jenny picked up a pebble of her own and lobbed it underhand into the portal. It’s only been six months. How long do Disciples normally last?

  Only Orb knows for sure, but I have a feeling it’s not uncommon for the new Disciples to revolt. Orb, or Cube, puts up with it for a while—we are, after all, free labor—but, eventually, he changes the aspects of the Disciples’ personalities that he doesn’t like. That too will get old at some point as Disciples who are “yes men” are really no different than the average follower, and there are millions of followers.

  That’s why you didn’t want Orb to heal you? You’re afraid he’s going to change you? Jenny asked.

  Yes.

  Eli took a turn with his own pebble, which was really a large rock. It too hit the wavy curtain wall of the portal and disappeared. Ok, Peter, but what do we do about it?

  Jenny jumped in. I keep going over in my mind what we’ve been told about our “forms” and what happens when we enter a portal. We know, well, we think we know that if we just keep plugging along, we’ll either be changed by Orb, or vaporized, or both. I don’t know of anything we can do with the resources we have on Earth that will change that outcome. But what if we enter a portal with pieces of Cube—something that can’t be undone by the portal?

  You’ve got to be kidding! Eli replied. We have no idea how that would work. Maybe the Cube pieces just fall out the other side of the portal onto the ground while all of us become a tree, or pieces of coral? How does that solve anything?

  She’s right, Peter added softly, or at least what she’s saying makes sense. I don’t know how, other than winning another round of The Game, we would be able to defeat Orb—and if we lose the round against Cube I’m stuck as the new guardian of the final Orb receptacle for thousands of years while the rest of you…

  Peter did not finish that thought but Jenny and Eli did. It was not what any of them would selfishly consider a good outcome.

  But we have no idea what we’re doing so the idea that we’ll be able to gather all of the Cube receptacles is just…goofy. And each Cube receptacle is defended by a guardian. If these guardians are anything like the ones I encountered…

  At the mention of the velociraptors, Jenny gazed nervously at Peter’s arm.

  But the portals take the tiny bits that make us who we are and reconfigure them. I don’t think the portals can do that with pieces of Orb or Cube. If we can find a way to keep our current forms and leave the planet…

  Leave the planet, Jenny? We don’t have a manual for these portals, but it sounds like most of what enters them ends up right back on Earth.

  I know, Eli. It’s all a big puzzle and we’re missing most of the pieces, but we were also told that some of the material that enters a portal gets pulled to other parts of the universe.

  That’s right, Jenny added. Bartholomew said what passes through a portal can go elsewhere in the universe if it’s needed.

  I hate to be the guy who says no to everything, but assuming we can pull this off, where is it exactly that you want to go?

  I have no idea, replied Peter.

  Anywhere but here, answered Jenny.

  I dunno. This is our home. If we’re going to fight it should be to take it back from Orb, declared a defiant Eli.

  Because it was going so well before?

  You’re too young to be so cynical, Peter.

  Yes ma’am.

  Ugh. Don’t call me that.

  Mistress Jenny?

  Oh, that’s worse.

  And
what if we’re wrong? We somehow find a piece of Cube, convince Matt and Irene to join us without talking to them about it so Orb won’t overhear, and just end up vaporizing ourselves?

  Jenny stared at Eli as she pondered his question. If we’re wrong the worst thing that happens is that we change our forms and won’t even know what’s going on with Orb, or The Game. I for one do not want Orb to change me. Matt is no longer Matt. I think the same is true for Big Ed. I would rather leave this form as me than stay as another puppet of Orb.

  Her statement drew another long silence as the three reluctant Disciples pondered, and wrestled with, their own ideas.

  That doesn’t sound so bad, Peter eventually agreed.

  Eli sighed and scratched his head, generally unhappy with the entire conversation. Finally, he replied, We’ve been standing here theoretically not talking for about five minutes. I thought we were trying to disguise our telepathy.

  I don’t think it matters anymore, said Peter, but you’re right, we should play along.

  A game within The Game, Jenny added.

  “Is anyone hungry?” Peter asked aloud.

  “I could eat,” Eli added. “Now that there’s nothing fattening or interesting, I can always eat.”

  “I think I’ve done enough walking for today, so let’s ’port back to my house and see what we can make for lunch,” Peter suggested.

  “Right behind you,” Jenny agreed. And I think we need to focus on finding a piece of Cube before we do anything else. If our theory is correct, we’ll need that before we can begin to experiment with the portals.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Contraction

  Late that afternoon Jenny, the diplomat, teleported to Irene’s and Matt’s houses to ask them to come to the bank. The full complement of Disciples gathered there at the usual spot with the spotted, slowly spinning globe in front of them and the corresponding whiteboard behind it.

  Peter had just finished saying “Orb” when he, the ruler of their planet, appeared in front of the globe.

  “You appear healthier, Peter.”

  Peter, wearing a homemade sling Big Ed had put together, replied, “Thank you, Orb. It’s all due to the amazing power of grilled cheese sandwiches.”

  Orb pulsed and paused. “I recognize that this was an attempt at a joke, but the dairy production in this district is exceptional. A testament to your father.”

  Both Eli and Peter were pretty sure that others within the district were responsible for the production of the butter and cheeses, but they kept that thought to themselves.

  “You wished to discuss the new guardians, your training in the other powers wielded by Disciples and, of course, your hand. As promised, Matt and I completed all work assigned for the day.”

  “Yes, Orb. Thank you very much. My hand can wait—it’s much better now that the sling keeps it from moving around—but I think we’re all interested in knowing more about the new guardians.”

  Matt slowly tossed a large rock he’d picked up somewhere into the air and caught it in his right hand. He did this over and over, not even focusing on the rock. Based on the look on his face, it was difficult to say that he was interested.

  “That is a simple matter. A few moments ago, I notified all constables in affected areas that their districts will likely contract, and that followers who attempt to live outside the new boundary will become the responsibility of the new guardians. For now, your home district is unaffected. Peter, you will no longer attend disputes involving guardians or boundaries, so that should conclude this subject.”

  Other than the small slapping sound made when Matt caught his rock, the room fell silent.

  “Just out of curiosity…” Eli started to say.

  “I do not have the time to indulge your curiosity today, Children—particularly as I spent the bulk of it doing your work.”

  Orb’s statement was punctuated by a loud crack as Matt crushed the rock he had been tossing in his hand. Pebbles and dust rained down on everyone.

  “That’s a neat trick, Matt. Did you bring a vacuum too?”

  When Matt didn’t respond, Eli closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. The front doors of the bank flew open and a whirlwind blew in, captured the dust and fragments, and blew right back out the front doors, which slowly closed.

  “Please understand that each use of your power is a gift from me. Do not waste my gift, Eli.”

  Eli gulped, then, not able to help himself, pointed at Matt. “Of course, Orb, I’m sorry, but he’s the one who crushed the rock.”

  Matt sat up a bit straighter and spoke for the first time. “I didn’t use my power. Orb gave my body some improvements.” For added effect Matt flexed his hand open and shut, but it looked the same as always.

  Irene, concerned, asked, “Why didn’t we talk about this first, Matt?”

  Matt sneered. “I don’t need your permission.”

  “I didn’t say you did,” Irene said, slowly reaching out to put her hand on Matt’s arm. “It’s just that couples normally talk about….”

  Matt pulled his arm back. “Who said we were a couple?”

  Shocked, Irene tried to reply but nothing came out.

  “What’s your problem, Matt?” Eli challenged.

  “I don’t have a problem, Eli, but if I did you couldn’t fix it.” Matt turned away from Eli and looked at Orb. “Orb, thank you again for everything today. Is there anything else I should stay for or can I go home and rest? I know we have a lot of work tomorrow.”

  “I see no reason why you need to stay, Matt, thank you.”

  Matt disappeared. The leather office chair he had just occupied rocked gently.

  “Peter, what have you decided regarding your hand?”

  Peter looked down at his sling. He took a deep breath and said, “Orb, I really appreciate your offer but I’m actually doing fine. I do like the idea of enhancing my body, especially if I’m not going to practice the other powers, but I think I please need more time to decide. I wouldn’t want to waste your power by having you make an improvement but then change my mind and ask you to redo your work. Your time, and your power, are important.”

  There was a long pause. Peter caught himself holding his breath.

  “Very well. Your injury does not impact your work, so you may retain it until you make your final decision. There will be no further days off for quite some time. Look to the globe and the board for your assignments tomorrow and, most importantly, do not venture outside the limits of a district.”

  With that, Orb disappeared, leaving Eli, Jenny, Irene and Peter staring at one another.

  “Jenny,” Irene whispered, her lips trembling, “can I spend the night at your house?”

  “Of course,” Jenny answered, reaching for Irene’s hand.

  Peter watched Jenny comfort Irene and realized just how much—his hand aside—he had enjoyed the last twenty-something hours.

  “If you want, you guys could come back over to our place and we could sleep out together in the main room like last night…”

  Eli nodded, Jenny smiled, and Irene nearly burst into tears of relief as she said, “I think that’s a great idea, Peter, thank you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Running Out of Time

  Weeks passed. Peter found that he had less and less to do each day. The districts being shrunk by Orb were, he was told in no uncertain terms, not his problem. Peter wished he knew if Orb had simply stopped answering the pleas of those constables or if he instead used it as an excuse to trim the world’s population a little further. He thought back to Ms. Tanaka, and felt a little guilty that he had left her with nothing other than the trauma of watching the guardian bite off his hand.

  A few times each week he found himself staring into the shimmery opening of a portal, either in one of the districts he visited or back in their hometown at the end of the main road. He experimented by poking long sticks into the portal, and found that if he continued to hold on to the back end of the stick he could pull t
hem out whole. He had thought it might work differently, with the part of the stick that entered the portal disappearing, vaporizing. He eventually concluded that it might be a safety feature. It did not help Orb if people stuck their arms into the portal only to pull them back and find that they had just donated a hand.

  Peter’s missing hand was something that slowly became his new normal. He was concerned at first that Orb would press him about the repair—and improvement—of his arm, but it never came up. If he was being honest, it hurt a little that Orb did not appear to care enough about him to want to bind him further by altering and enhancing his body. It did not make a lot of sense that he was jealous of the attention that Orb, whom he wanted to overthrow, was giving Matt, the new favorite Disciple—but emotions can be conflicted and, with Big Ed now a fervent follower, his support group, like a district, had shrunk to Eli, Jenny and Irene.

  His wounded arm had fully healed but the stump at the end would forever be emblazoned with a thick scar from where Big Ed cauterized it with the white-hot spatula. It did not bother Peter to look at it, but he noticed that it distracted others. The yellow Orb tunic’s long sleeves covered the stump nicely, but he took to wearing long sleeve shirts all the time to avoid the curious stares.

  The work began to slow down for the others as well as the clearing and demolition of the larger cities—which numbered several thousand—was on track to be completed within the next two months. Had the work just been left to the Disciples it would have taken years, but Orb actively took part in these projects and the rate of his work was many times faster than any of them, even Matt, could accomplish.

  There were still plenty of smaller cities and towns left to handle, but the only limitation on clearing them was the number of times the Disciples could teleport in one day. Peter remained the exception as his powers of teleportation were nearly unlimited. Interestingly, for all his new abilities, Matt could still only teleport a handful of times each day before he was exhausted.