Students around Carole began to snicker.
"Your questions are valid, Miss Sylphwood. We assume that multitaskers created the transdimensional tunnels in order to explore the different realms, but we really don't know for certain. That is because we no longer know when or how the tunnels were established. Generations ago there was a great fire which destroyed most of the community, and along with many other buildings, the Hall of Records also burnt down."
"The Hall of Records?"
"The Hall of Records housed all important documents. It stood at the base of the Celestial Nexus and contained material so ancient, that even at the time of the fire, much of its information was recorded in forgotten languages. But those documents were the link to our past, and when they were destroyed that link was totally severed. Nothing from those earlier times remains, not even the precise location of the Hall of Records."
"Nothing at all?"
"I suppose its rough whereabouts might still be housed in the historical archives, but at the most that would lead you to some foundation stones, if they haven't been pulled up long ago for reconstruction purposes. No, the information is long gone, I'm afraid. Long gone. So if no other questions, let's begin with the basic realms, those which are visited with regular frequency."
--11--
Zack met Carole and Lilly outside the school at lunchtime. "What was that Hall of Records stuff all about?"
As they walked towards the playing field, Carole said, "Don't you find it strange that no one knows how or when the transdimensional tunnels were set up?"
"Not really. It's not like we know how they built the pyramids or Stonehenge back on Earth. Besides, Melamine's class is boring enough without going even farther back in time."
"But it's the tunnels that have defined multitaskers for thousands of years, and yet no one seems to know anything about them. There's got to be something...maybe even buried amongst the ruins. We should check it out."
Lilly pointed out a lush patch of grass that was well away from other lunching students. "Here's a good spot."
Carole sat down, and took her lunch from her rucksack and placed it on the grass. "And What about all this talk of Hotspot and his cronies wanting to shut down the tunnels? I thought everyone wanted to be a leaper. Isn't that what the 'Dive of Destiny' is all about? What being a multitasker is all about?"
"You've been hanging around professor Philamount, way too much Carole." Zack reached into his pack for a sandwich.
"What do you mean?"
"Reality check. Most non-leapers don't care a fig about dimensional travel, and the rest are super envious of leapers. Either way, you guys aren't exactly popular."
"Is that why some of the new grads don't want to try the dive?"
Lilly sighed. "Guess you haven't heard that one either. Hotspot has everyone so worried Zack and I'll trigger another Conundrum, that the council won't even let us attend the ceremony."
"That's ridiculous."
"As if we'd even want to go," Zack said. "It's bad enough being Seafeather's pet monkeys at all of his special gatherings."
Carole took a bite of her sandwich. "The first time I met professor Philamount, he said the entire community was trying to find me and the monobrain connector."
Zack snorted. "Hotspot wasn't exactly thrilled when you crashed his party last spring. Of course bringing us and a herd of pigs along for the ride didn't improve his mood any."
"That's what I mean. People haven't been overly warm and friendly. So if not for us, do you think the Conundrum would've ever ended?"
"I don't see how." Lilly said. "No connector and no way to find it."
Zack scratched his head. "Exactly where are you going with all this, Carole?"
"I'm thinking that both the Conundrum and the Great Fire affected leapers the most. Made it tougher to continue transdimensional travel. And if the Conundrum was no accident, maybe the fire wasn't. Maybe that's what this war is all about."
"But the fire was ages ago," Lilly said.
"The war's been going on for eons."
"It's not like I want to give Hotspot any brownie points," Zack said, "but Bad Bart was from Earth, and bringing him here did trigger the Conundrum."
Carole's jaw dropped open. "Oh, it's so obvious."
"What is?"
"If the Conundrum wasn't an accident, maybe Bart had nothing to do with it?"
"His kidnapping was a coincidence?"
"Or he was a decoy. And if Hotspot was involved, it would explain why he hates you guys so much. Your being here could unmask the monobrain connection as a big fat lie."
"Except it was some grad students who nabbed Bart," Lilly said. "And they did it after listening to Professor Seafeather."
"Maybe Hotspot was getting desperate. He could've found out what the students were up to and rigged the connector to explode when they returned. Maybe he didn't think it would turn out so bad. Or maybe he didn't care so long as he got rid of the Monobrain dimension once and for all."
"That's a lot of maybes, Carole,"
"Yeah. I think it's time we found us some answers."
Zack grinned. "What've you got in mind?"
"Let's start with the Hall of Records after school. We can find out where the building used to be and--"
A group of seniors walked past. Ferdinand Dalimar, the tallest of the group, stopped and sniffed. "What's that strange smell?"
"I dunno," said Reginald Squim, his beefy sidekick. "Pigs?"
Dalimar tapped his chin, looking puzzled. "No, it's like something's burning."
Reginald sniffed theatrically. "You're right, Ferd, there's definitely something in the air."
Other members of the group snickered.
"Got it! I know that smell. It's a monobrain overheating while trying to multitask."
A round of laughter followed.
"As I was saying, Zack," Carole spoke loudly, locking eyes with Dalimar, "when you consider that you two leaped from a fluxing dimension using a damaged tunnel, while most kids can't even handle Point Puke, it's no wonder they're jealous." She lay back on the grass and closed her eyes.
Muttering angrily, the lanky Dalimar stormed off, with the rest of his group hurrying to keep up.
"Sweet, Carole," Zack said. "Not going to win any popularity contests, though."
"Seems every dimension's got 'em. Must be some sort of universal law."
"Oh brother, here comes another one." Lilly was eying a girl approaching from across the field.
Zack glanced over at the petite teen with short, black hair, and did a double take.
The girl smiled shyly. "Hi Carole. I'm in your Travel Troubles class. I wonder if I might ask a favor?"
"Oh, yes I recognize you." Carole sat back up. "Amanda...?"
"Amanda Cleroux. I'm doing our latest assignment on the Monobrain Effect, and seeing as you three are really the experts on the whole thing, I was hoping to ask a few questions?"
"Us?" Zack gaped.
"Don't know as we've any more to offer than what we already told professor Hotspot," Carole said. "His crew gave us quite the grilling."
"Not the sort of questions I've got. For starters, I want to know if others were as successful at resisting the Monobrain Effect? You know back on the Monobrain world."
"Earth!" Lilly said. "Our planet's called Earth."
"What exactly do you mean by resisting?" Carole said.
"Were there other monobrains who didn't get sick? Or perhaps got better on their own?"
"It's not an illness," Lilly said.
"You mean like some sort of natural immunity?" Zack said. "You're right, nobody asked us that one. All they wanted to know was how bad it was."
"My point exactly." Amanda knelt uncertainly between Carole and Zack.
Lilly frowned. "I for one, totally disagree with the whole Monobrain Effect thing. It's an attitude not an illness, and you don't cure yourself of an attitude by taking a pill. You learn a better way."
"Still you must be immune
to the effect, otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"We were just talking about-- Oww!" Zack rubbed his shin.
"Sorry. Foot slipped." Carole smiled. "Yes, we were just talking about how bad it must have been here at the Hub."
"Oh, I'm more interested in what it was like for you three in the Monobrain realm. Were there others like you?"
"Of course." Zack said. "Our grandfather was."
"A close relation? Hmm, it's possible you inherited the immunity from him. How about others not related to you?"
"Hal wasn't related to Carole."
"Wonderful. And were any monobrains actually trying to treat the sickness?"
"It's not a sickness," Lilly said. "It's only a way of thinking. Just not a very good one."
"Oh?" Amanda peered at Lilly as if noticing her for the first time.
"You counter it, by rising above it all. It's not such a big deal, you just do it."
Zack smirked. "Tell that to Hotspot."
"It's the truth, whether he believes it or not."
"In that case, why hasn't the Monobrain realm risen above it all?" Amanda said.
"Because they don't want to. Because they think they like things the way they are."
"So the Monobrain Effect also confuses people?"
"Yes, it does. Look how you people were affected."
"So perhaps it's a virus that affects our thoughts. Would it be a specific thought, I wonder, or could any thought become infected?"
"Why does it have to be a virus? Why can't it just be a bad thought, like...like gossip or something?"
"Maybe we are talking about a virus," Zack said, as if it was a completely new notion. "Maybe we're talking about an energy virus. Put the wrong kind of energy into a thought and 'kapowie,' it turns viral."
"An energy virus?" Amanda said. "Tell me more. How do you think it feeds on thought? What exactly would it--"
"I wish you'd all stop treating The Monobrain Effect like some sickness," Lilly said.
"But isn't it?"
"If you want to be cured, think better thoughts. What kind of disease is that?"
Zack smirked. "A thought disease."
"Isn't that why you three were immune to the effect? Your thoughts are different."
"I suppose so, but--"
"So it does behave like an illness," Amanda concluded. "It has a cause and a cure."
"You're not going to make Professor Rizzo very happy," Carole said. "He won't appreciate a renegade theory coming out of his class."
"I like Amanda already," Zack said.
"Oh?" Lilly raised her eyebrows.
"That's not what I meant," he mumbled, his face turning red.
Amanda seemed oblivious to the exchange between the twins. "Can we talk more about this in the library after school?"
"I guess," Carole said.
"So long as you write something about it being an attitude not a virus," Lilly said.
"Great. I'll put some questions together. Later." Amanda skipped off.
Carole had to smile at the way Zack stared after Amanda. When he noticed Lilly watching him, he quickly turned his attention to the remaining crusts of his sandwich.
--12--
Out of all her classes, Carole hated Professor Rizzo's Troubles with Travel, the most. The room was bad enough, piled high with dirty beach-sand that smelt of dead fish, but the professor seemed to be annoyed by everything and everyone.
The squat, bald man glared at the class like an irritated sand crab. His protruding eyes, settled unsympathetically on Carole. "Misss Ssylphwood, perhapss you have a ssolution for uss?"
"My solution is not to have jumped in the first place. The leaper wasn't prepared."
"That iss obviousss. Sso what do you do about it, now?"
"Either make a run for it, or return to the Hub."
"Either? Either? There iss no either. Return at oncce and facce your punishment."
"Unless there is no up to date information on that dimension, in which case, wouldn't you try to gather as much information as possible before returning?"
Professor Rizzo looked ready to explode. "And I sssuppose you feel qualified to make sssuch a determination?"
"We're not talking about me. We're talking about the multitasker in the problem. I'd have been better prepared before making that jump." The professor's eyes bugged out even further.
Carole was certain they were going to pop out of his head at any moment.
"Sso you do consssider yourssself an expert."
"Not at all." She fought to control her rising irritation. "I'm just trying to give as complete an answer as possible."
"Did I assk for completenesss?"
"You asked for a solution."
"A ssolution. That'ss one anssswer, not two. And cccertainly not one which containsss your ssso expert opinion."
Giggles broke out from more than a few students.
"I thought dimensional travel, by its very nature, required flexibility and adaptability. Isn't it possible to get into trouble even if you're totally familiar with the dimension you leap to?"
The girl next to Carole gasped.
Professor Rizzo blinked several times. His jaw muscles worked furiously but no words came out of his mouth.
Carole forced herself not to look away.
Ever so slowly, the man's eyes retracted into his skull. "Classs, continue with your current asssignment. Misss Ssylphwood, come here pleassse." He scuttled through the sand to his desk.
Carole casually walked over, but positioned herself so the desk and a mound of sand created a barrier between herself and him.
Speaking barely above a whisper, Professor Rizzo said, "What did you mean by that remark?"
"Sorry?"
"Don't play coy, girl. What did you mean about getting into trouble in familiar dimensssionss? About whom were you ssspeaking?"
She pointed to her still blood red eyes. "Myself."
He scrutinized her face. "That happened during a dimenssional vissit?"
"Yes."
"A dimenssion you are familiar with?"
"Yes."
"I ssee." The purple drained from Professor Rizzo's cheeks and his face no longer resembled the active part of a volcano. "Return to your dessk."
Carole walked back to her seat, conscious that everyone, including Professor Rizzo, was following her every move.
--13--
Carole bolted out the door as soon as Professor Rizzo dismissed class. She went directly to Professor Philamount's office, but was surprised to find his door locked. Then she saw the note: "Meet me top floor."
She stuffed the note into her pocket. Joining the mass of students moving up the spiraling granite staircase to the second floor, she followed a smaller crowd over the crystalline archway and up to the third floor. She was alone on the simple stone steps leading to the fourth. The hallway at the top of these stairs was also empty.
In the first room two graduate students were walking amidst an enormous three-dimensional display of an ocean and island world. The second room was locked, the third was empty. In the last a group of seniors was clambering over a rickety wooden scaffold, appearing like so many walking sticks. So where was professor Philamount?
As Carole walked back down the hall, she noticed a narrow, fifth door situated between the stairwell and the far wall. It looked like a broom closet, but when she pulled it open she saw a steep, dingy flight of stairs leading upwards. There was a fresh set of footprints in the dust.
Midway up she came to a grimy window and, peering out, realized that she was in one of the two school towers. Funny she hadn't noticed a similar stairway at the other end of the hall. The door at the top was open.
Professor Melodious T. Philamount was seated on an ornately carved chest in the center of a cluttered room with a domed ceiling. "At last," he said, with his nasally twang.
"What is this place?" Carole said, as she picked a path through the disorder.
"The meeting space for The League of Graduate Stud
ies."
"Not for a while, by the looks of it."
"The league was disbanded before my time."
"So what are we doing here?"
"Practice. I wish you to jump from corner to corner."
"There's barely enough room to move, and I've no food with me."
Professor Philamount sighed. "Did I not tell you to carry food with you at all times?"
"I thought that was just for when I was, you know, traveling."
"Always carry food with you as a precaution. Is that clear?"
"Crystal."
"Fortunately, I came prepared." He patted his coat pocket. "Now create four landing sites and begin."
Carole cleared space around an ugly stone statue, next to a stack of wooden crates, beside a gilded wardrobe, and atop a chest similar to the one Professor Philamount was sitting on. She focused her subtle sight on the statue, imagined a connection between it and her mind's eye, and leaped. Her accuracy was a little off, and she stumbled slightly on the landing.
"Again," the professor said.
Carole leaped to the crates, and this time landed perfectly.
"Again."
She leaped to the wardrobe.
"Again."
She landed perfectly balanced on top of the chest.
"Any ill effects?"
"Nothing yet."
"Good, you are beginning to adapt. This time do all four in quick sequence."
Carole completed the circuit in less than five seconds.
"Faster."
"She finished in just over three seconds."
"Any chills or dizziness?"
She shook her head.
"Continue until you feel ill or I stop you."
She took a deep breath and began. At first she tried for speed, but the transition between normal space and void became nauseating, so she concentrated on creating a steady rhythm, like jumping rope. Soon she wasn't even thinking about what she was doing.
"Umph!" Carole found herself beneath a pile of musty old clothes. "What'd you do that for?" she said when she'd dug herself out.
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