by C. A. Pack
“Jackson!”
“This stuff is so amazing. He drew these in the sixteenth century, but nothing like them appeared until hundreds of years later. And when we did produce weapons like these, they were just as Da Vinci had pictured them.”
“Did you learn that in school?”
“The History Channel.”
“Right. I should have known. If you weren’t my curator-in-training, I’d recommend you for a job there.”
“Don’t go getting me jobs anywhere else. I’m very happy right where I am.”
She smiled. “Now that the overseers have authorized a hefty pay raise, I’ll never get rid of you.”
He grew serious. “You want to get rid of me?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t think I have it in me to break in another new assistant.”
“Another assistant would never be like me. I’m one of a kind.”
“We can only hope.”
*
The clock struck eleven as Mal and the time machine appeared in the main reading room.
“Thank God.” Johanna rushed to him and gave him a hug. “I know how punctual you are, and when you didn’t show up, I thought something terrible had happened.”
“Something terrible could happen,” Mal answered, “and you may be the only person who can stop it.”
“What can I do?”
“You sent me pictures of a fake obelisk. Would you be willing to testify in front of the College of Overseers that the obelisk is a fake and explain how you found it?”
“Of course.”
“If the photos you took and your testimony can convince them the obelisk is a replica, which is against LOI bylaws, we may be able to prevent Nero 51 from joining the challenge for the position of overseer.”
Jackson’s mouth dropped open. “No way! He’s a challenger?”
“Yes. And as a library curator, he’s a strong challenger. But if Johanna’s testimony and photos discredit him enough, he may have to stand trial for counterfeiting, the illegal sale of library property, and possibly even treason.”
“I can do that. I want to do that. I have to do that,” Johanna said.
Mal smiled at her. “That’s my girl. I knew you were right for this job, and you prove your value more and more each day.”
“Hey, what about me?” Jackson half joked.
“I can honestly say, Jackson, that without you, we wouldn’t be standing here like this today.”
Jackson stared at Mal for a moment. “You’re saying I got you into this, aren’t you?”
“The Terrorians got us into this. You helped flush them out.”
Jackson snaked his arm around Johanna’s shoulder and squeezed. “See. I’m your Watson.”
“Which Watson?”
“What do you mean, which Watson? Dr. Watson, from The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
“So you don’t mean Thomas Watson, Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant?”
“There may be two Watsons,” Jackson admitted, “but I bet neither of them ever got to ride in a time machine.”
“You’re entirely right, young man,” Mal said. “I’m sure neither of the Watsons have traveled through time, with the exception of visiting this library, of course.”
“Of course.” Jackson pointed to the bubble. “How does this thing work anyway?”
Johanna wriggled out from under Jackson’s arm. “I’ll be right back, I forgot something,” she said, as Mal and Jackson embarked on a discussion about twenty-second-century physics.
“It’s guided by the light waves that pass through this crystal.” Mal held out one of his hands, on which lay a tiny semitransparent gemstone with flecks of multicolor minerals embedded in it.
“So do you put it in a hidden compartment somewhere?”
“No. I simply think of where I want to go on a particular date, and then I join it with this.” Mal reached into his pocket and removed a second crystal, which emitted an ethereal glow. “The synergy of the two crystals together causes a reaction in the time-machine generator—and poof.”
“Is that crystal, too?”
“Completely,” Mal answered.
“Do you think the Mayans knew about this?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“Some people believe the Mayans were extraterrestrial.”
“Travelers from other worlds.”
“Yeah.”
“Or realms.”
“Yeah!” Jackson’s excitement mounted.
Johanna rushed back to join them. “I’m ready now.” She entered the time machine. “What time is the memorial service?” she asked. “We’re not going to be late, are we?”
“Not at all. This is a time machine. We’re going to travel back to the last moment the portals were open, pass through to Lumina before they slam shut, and shoot forward to the morning of the service. It doesn’t start until midiodi, the Luminan equivalent of high noon. My plan is to get there early, so I’ll have time to show you to your quarters, where you can leave your bags, and give you a quick tour of the capital.”
“Cool,” Jackson said.
“I hope it’s not too cool,” Johanna replied. “I’m not bringing a jacket.”
“Don’t worry. Lumina is surrounded by a climate-controlled atmospheric layer. The city of Lumi is always seventy degrees, with a humidity level of thirty-five percent.”
“Is that why the boats are open? Because it’s so mild?” Jackson asked.
“The boats? Why would you ask about the boats?”
“Because we were looking at a text about Lumina and it came to life. We saw a tub full of people attacked by a bunch of mermen. Does that happen a lot?”
“That is a very real but unspoken problem on Lumina. It’s one of the issues I’m hoping to address if I’m appointed overseer. Let me suggest that you don’t speak of it while we’re there. It has a tendency to upset people, and we wouldn’t want to take away attention from Plato Indelicat’s memorial.”
“Okay,” Jackson replied. “Just don’t sign us up for any cruises.”
LOI
CHAPTER 13
The entire process passed quicker than Johanna or Jackson had anticipated. Their stomachs roiled as they were propelled back in time through a wormhole, then ricocheted forward to the present.
At their destination, Mal jumped out of the time machine and turned to them. Neither of them moved. “You both look a little green. Are you all right?”
Jackson groaned. “Remind me to never to eat breakfast if I’m going to travel through time.”
“It is a little unsettling,” Mal admitted. “I should have warned you.”
“I’ll live. But I’m not so sure about Johanna.”
She clutched Jackson’s arm with a vise-like grip. She stared up at him and then inhaled deeply through her nose. “I’m trying not to get sick,” she half whispered.
“I’ve got just the thing.” Mal reached into his pocket and removed a small tin container. He deposited a dark pellet into Johanna’s palm. “Suck on this. It will take the nausea away.”
“Can I get one of those?” Jackson held out his hand. He made a face when he tasted the tablet. “Ugh … licorice. I hate licorice.”
“Are you still nauseated?”
Jackson thought for a second. “No. But still …”
“Trust me,” Mal said, “it’s better than feeling sick.”
It took Johanna only a moment to recover. She gazed in awe at the buildings surrounding them. The structures had intricately carved, sparkling walls, topped by gold onion domes. The sky above was a vivid bluish-purple, and lush greenery spilled out of troughs lining the walkways. Tall, graceful Luminans dressed in flowing fabrics that looked like liquid silk glided past as they made their ways to one of the many palaces within the capital city of Lumi.
“Everything looks so beautiful,” Johanna gushed.
“Too beautiful,” Jackson added. “It’s all a little too perfect. I feel like if I reach out my hand, someone will slap it and yell ‘
don’t touch that.’”
“I’ve been in Lumi only a short time,” Mal noted, “but you’ll find most of the people here are quite pleasant and amiable.”
“‘Most’?” Jackson asked.
“There are a few strong personalities, but it takes strength to run the Prime Realm.”
“‘The Prime Realm,’” Johanna repeated Mal’s words. “It makes Earth sound like a trailer park.”
“Not Earth,” Jackson corrected her, “Fantasia.”
“What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Fantasia’?” she asked.
“A Mickey Mouse film.”
“I know. And I can’t get past that. I’d rather be called Realm Eleven or Earth.” Johanna turned to Mal. “What are the other realms called?”
He ticked them off on his fingers: “There’s Romantica, Adventura, Educon, Scientico, Juvenilia, Dramatica …”
“That’s where Furst comes from,” Jackson observed.
“Comedia,” Mal continued, “Inspiracon, Mysteriose, Numericon, Fantasia, and Terroria. And, of course, Lumina is the Prime Realm.”
“I’ll bet Comedia is a fun place,” Jackson said.
“That’s understandable, considering its name. Just remember, it’s a complex world, like any of the others, with its own politics, religions, and cultural tastes. And like any other world, there are differences of opinion among the inhabitants. However, it is a bit more laid-back than some of the other realms.”
“Like Terroria?” Johanna asked.
“Terroria is in a class all by itself,” Mal answered.
“Aw, c’mon,” Jackson said, “is that all you can say about Terroria?”
A passing Luminan looked at them with distaste. “We’ll talk about that more in private,” Mal said in a low voice. “Let’s move along to your lodgings.”
They walked into an ornate building containing a large light-filled atrium. At its center lay a flat, glassy circle lit from below. Mal guided Johanna and Jackson onto the center of the disk, which began to move on an angle.
“Kind of like surfing,” Jackson commented, “but smoother.”
The disk stopped and then rotated its occupants until they faced a door. The entrance sprang open automatically, and a soft disembodied voice announced, “Johanna Charette, welcome to your retreat in Lumi.”
“Wow.” Jackson’s face lit up. “We didn’t even have to check in or anything. It just knows who you are.”
“Would you like some time to freshen up?” Mal asked. “Or do you just want to leave your bag here and continue on with us?”
“I really should unpack, or everything will be wrinkled.”
“All right,” Mal answered. “We’ll come back for you in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
The door slid shut, leaving Johanna alone in a glass palace. She slipped the leather backpack off her shoulder and removed the outfit for the Overseers Challenge. She looked around the elegantly furnished room but did not see a bathroom or a closet. “So where am I supposed to hang this?” she murmured aloud.
A section of wall slid open, and inside she found a silver torso, a looking glass, and a tower of shelves. Johanna slipped her outfit over the torso and placed the other items she had brought on the shelves. When she walked away, the wall slid closed.
“Is there a bathroom?” she asked aloud.
A different section of wall retracted, and behind it she found a crystal-soaking tub flanked by little fountains of falling water. When she approached one of them, a small compartment opened, revealing a collection of creams and lotions. She picked up a bowl of exotic petals. The front of it wavered as the word “soap” appeared. She replaced it and picked up a vial of creamy pink lotion and the word “moisturizer” materialized on the front surface.
She looked around. “Toilet?” she asked. Another door opened, revealing a private commode. “Excellent.”
The disembodied voice that had welcomed her to her quarters announced, “Johanna Charette, Malcolm Trees and Jackson Roth are seeking your company. Do you wish to reunite with them?”
“Yes,” she answered, then paused. “How do I let them in?” The door slid open, and Mal and Jackson walked in.
“This place is something, isn’t it?” Jackson contemplated the inside of her quarters. “I wish my mother could see it. She’d love this place.”
“What did your mom say when you told her you were going to another world?” Johanna asked.
“I didn’t. That’s not something you tell your mother. She thinks I’m just spending the night at Logan’s house.”
“Interesting,” Johanna replied.
“Would you have told your mother?”
A shadow of sadness flickered across Johanna’s face, but her voice remained strong. “No mother to tell.”
“Trust me, if you had a mother, you wouldn’t tell her because, first of all, she wouldn’t believe you.”
Johanna thought about it for a second and then smiled. “True.”
Not far in the distance, deeply resonant bells pealed. “It’s time,” Mal said, then led the teens out of the room.
The transport disk awaited them, and once they stepped on it, the circle glided across the atrium and out the front door. Johanna held on to Mal’s and Jackson’s arms as they traveled along the walkways of Lumi. An
impressive building marked the end of their journey.
“What is this place?” Johanna asked.
“It’s the University of Lumi, the home of the College of Overseers. The memorial will be held in the rear courtyard, outside the chantry.”
Their disk came to a halt in a sunny area surrounded by walls covered with flowering vines of varying hues. The pavement sparkled like diamonds, and the center of the space featured a high altar topped by the body of Plato Indelicat.
Jackson rubbed the toe of his shoe against the surface. “What is this stuff? It looks like diamonds.”
“It is,” Mal answered. “The entire planet is one big diamond.”
“Is that what all the buildings and walls are made of?” Johanna asked.
“Indeed. On Fantasia, you have buildings made out of limestone and granite cut from the earth. Here, the buildings are also fashioned out of indigenous materials. However, in this case, it’s diamond.”
Jackson stooped down and rubbed the surface with his fingers. “It must all be worth a fortune.”
“Diamond is no more valuable here than stone is on Earth. Some diamonds are worth more than others, depending on the grade of the material. And they do dazzle the eye. But they’re plentiful enough and don’t have the same allure here they would have on Fantasia.”
“So if I picked up a diamond here and brought it back to Earth, it would still only be worth as much as a rock?”
Mal raised a finger in warning. “If you picked up a diamond here and tried to take it back to Fantasia, you wouldn’t survive the trip. The Ancients created an atmospheric ring around Lumina countless millennia ago, to prevent this world’s bioengineered air from evaporating. It also prevents other natural resources, like diamonds, from leaving the system. Once our time machine breached that ring, the diamond would explode, terminating us all.”
“Yikes!”
“Exactly.”
“Who are the Ancients?” Johanna asked.
“According to legend, they’re a superior race who created the realms on twelve different worlds. When they looked for a thirteenth planet to host Lumi, they couldn’t find a suitable one for their purposes. So they chose this planet, which is almost entirely composed of graphite and diamond.”
“But everything else is like Earth … or Fantasia,” Johanna noted. “The water. The atmosphere …”
“All bioengineered by the Ancients,” Mal explained. “This place was uninhabitable before that, at least by beings like ourselves, who need an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The Ancients introduced the necessary ratio of water and vegetation to this planet to produce a habitable environment.”
Jackson nodded. “So the Ancients created the mermen.”
Mal shook his head, almost imperceptibly. “No.”
“Then where did they come from?”
Music began playing, signaling the beginning of the service. “The mermen are mutated Luminans, which is a controversial topic here,” Mal whispered. “So let’s not talk about it again until we’re alone. And that excludes our lodging, because it’s mind controlled.”
LOI
CHAPTER 14
Jackson’s eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. “What do you mean ‘mind controlled’?”
“How do you think the transport disk knows where you want to go?” Mal asked.
“I didn’t think it was mind controlled. Now, every time I get on that thing, I’m going to have to be careful about what I’m thinking.”
“It’s not that bad,” Mal consoled him. “Besides, you’re standing on one now.”
Jackson twisted from side to side, looking for an open space that he could escape to.
Mal shook his head and pulled Jackson back. “This disk isn’t a problem,” he whispered. “It’s talking about sensitive subjects inside the lodging and public places that we have to be careful.”
Jackson looked down warily. “You’re sure?”
Mal began to answer, but his whispers were drowned out. The choir raised their voices in tribute to Plato Indelicat, forcing Mal to nod his head.
The memorial service seemed to go on for hours. The overseers had nothing but praise for their fallen colleague and dozens of anecdotes about him. After each one, the Luminans would raise their right hands and rotate their forefingers in an upward spiral, a silent indication that they appreciated what had just been said.
Just when it looked like the last overseer had finished speaking, a new overseer appeared. But unlike the others, this one had no beard. She took her place in front of Plato Indelicat’s body.
★Plato Indelicat was one of our finest philosophers.
