by E. C. Myers
“I'm working on it,” Ephraim said. By getting that controller away from Nate, he'd be helping more people than just himself. “Don't worry about these pictures. Nate won't do anything to you, he can only try to frighten you.” Ephraim assumed Nate wouldn't do anything that could be traced back to him while he was stuck in his own universe. Michael was probably safe for the moment.
Michael looked behind Ephraim and scrambled up from his seat. “I hope you're right, Ephraim,” he said. He slunk away.
Zoe came around the table with a tray of food and took Michael's seat. “What did he want?”
“Nate's been frightening kids at school with pictures from other universes.”
Zoe grimaced. “It started out as just a game, but it's gotten more serious. Half the school hates or fears him, the other half loves him.”
“Loves him? Why?”
“He's loaded. He pays the geeks to do his homework assignments for him. He buys presents to get girls to go out with him for expensive dinners. I think even the principal is on the take. Nate practically runs the school.”
“Where does he get all that money?”
Zoe shrugged. “Other universes, I guess.”
“How long has this been going on?” he asked.
“A couple of years, since they got the coin and the controller.”
“You mean the other Ephraim was part of it?” Ephraim rubbed the back of his neck. “How could he?”
“Ephraim always went along with whatever Nate wanted.” Zoe poked at the food on her plate. “I didn't like it either. He finally decided to put a stop to it, and look what happened to him.”
“Why don't we just report Nate? In my universe, they take threats from students seriously.”
“This isn't your universe. Like I said, Nate has a way of getting what he wants.”
“Believe me, I'm aware of that.” School was a scary place. The classes were much more advanced than they'd been in the eleventh grade. Most of them seemed to be on a college level, but he supposed that made sense if school ran all year round. Physics class alone demanded advanced calculus that was far beyond his experience. He was surprised that there weren't more students as messed up as Nate.
As they ate, Ephraim related his meeting with Nathaniel the night before. He was astonished that she actually seemed angry about it.
“That asshole started all this,” she said. “He's been here all along, hiding out, while Nate got more and more powerful. My Ephraim would still be alive—” She stabbed her plastic fork into her plate, and they mutually annihilated each other in an explosion of white plastic tines and Styrofoam chips. “Why didn't he do anything?” she howled.
Ephraim ignored the faces staring at them. He lowered his voice to calm her. “What should he have done? Beat up a kid half his age? Even if he'd tried, you've seen how deranged Nate is. And he's got a gun. He may be a teenager, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.”
“I don't know. He should have done something,” she said.
“He's willing to help now.”
“Only because he wants to go home. Just like you.”
“Zoe, that isn't fair,” he said.
They each pretended to eat for a little while, though Ephraim was just pushing food around, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't set her off again. The answer fell into his lap, literally, when someone behind him dropped a folded square of notebook paper there and hurried away. Ephraim couldn't tell who it had been.
“One of Nate's followers,” Zoe said.
“One of his victims, you mean?” Ephraim said. “Another note.” He unfolded it and read it: Stop by after school. You know where I live.—N2
“Cute.” He crumpled it up and shoved it into his Jell-O container. “He wants to see me,” Ephraim said.
“You aren't going,” Zoe said.
“I have to talk to him sometime.”
“Then you aren't going alone.”
“This is a good opportunity. I need him to trust me, Zoe. It's the only way I'll get close enough to steal the controller if he refuses to cooperate. We're in a stalemate right now; he needs me as much as I need him.”
“If you're sure.” She bit her lip. “Just promise to be careful.”
Ephraim wasn't sure at all, but he knew he had to do this. If he didn't show up, or if he brought someone with him, Nate would know he was afraid, and that would make him more vulnerable. Besides, he wasn't going to put Zoe in danger. Nate had already killed her once.
“Don't worry about me,” Ephraim said, hoping it was more than optimism.
Shelley answered the door at Nate's house. She seemed as surprised to see Ephraim as he was to see her. She looked a lot different from her analog in the last universe he'd been in: her brown hair was cut short in the back, but her bangs were long and parted on either side of her face. Her eyes were raccooned with mascara, which seemed to be one of the trends around here. He wondered if she and Mary no longer dressed alike in this universe; the Mary he knew would never wear the tight babydoll T-shirt and jean shorts Shelley had on, which were right out of Nathan's wildest dreams.
“You shouldn't be here,” Shelley said.
“It's nice to see you too,” Ephraim said. “I came to talk to Nate. He invited me.”
She held the door open for him. “Upstairs.” As Ephraim passed her, she whispered in his ear. “Be careful. Don't trust anything he says.” He smelled cigarette smoke on her breath and hair.
Ephraim walked slowly up the stairs to Nate's room. The wooden banister was shaky under his hand. In his universe, it was loose from him and Nathan sliding down it when they were younger. Maybe they'd done the same thing here. When had this version of his friend turned into a monster?
Ephraim tapped on Nate's door.
“Yeah,” Nate said.
Ephraim opened the door and saw Nate seated at his desk, thumbing casually through a stack of comic books. For some reason he had on a blue hoodie, with the air conditioning cranked way up.
“Shelley let me in,” Ephraim said.
Nate looked up. “Shelley? Oh.” He smiled. “I'm glad you decided to come. I wanted to show you something.”
Ephraim sat down on the bed and looked around the room warily. Like Ephraim's room, there was a lot of expensive stuff here. Nate had a 40-inch widescreen HD television, and it looked like five video game systems were hooked up to it—including systems he'd never seen, like the Nintendo Revolution and the Sega Slipstream. Stacks of books were piled up on his desk and the floor, and the shelves overflowed with DVDs and comics. A digital SLR camera lay on the floor surrounded by lenses and cables.
Nate dropped a pile of comics next to Ephraim on the bed. “Start with these.”
Ephraim picked up a few from the top of the stack. It was a DC/Marvel comic called Justice X, a five-part miniseries. He'd never heard of it, but the dates on the covers were from last year.
“Whoa,” Ephraim said.
“We snagged that comic from a parallel universe. I also have the PS3 game, which is pretty solid. Good multiplayer.” Nate rummaged under the bed. He slid out another bin of comics. “I also have an alternate version of Paradise X and Tales of Earth X that you wouldn't have seen back in your universe.”
“No way.” Ephraim grabbed the comics from Nate and flipped through them.
Nate sat down on the floor facing him. Something thumped on the hard wood beside him. The right hand pocket of his hoodie hung low—there was something heavy in it. Ephraim would bet anything Nate had a gun in there. Maybe even the one he'd used to murder Jena.
Ephraim put the comics down on the bed. “These are cool, but this isn't what I'm here for.”
“I wanted to show you one of the benefits of being able to visit parallel universes. You haven't even begun to explore all the possibilities. Not your fault, of course; you didn't know what the coin is capable of, with the right partner.”
“Why didn't you just approach me instead of lurking and leaving that note about
using the coin to make wishes?” Ephraim asked.
Nate laughed. “I thought that was pretty funny, by the way. A magic coin! Ephraim could be so gullible sometimes.”
“Yes, it was very inspired,” Ephraim said in a deadpan voice.
Nate beamed, misinterpreting Ephraim's sarcasm as a compliment. He was easy to read, because Ephraim knew his best friend so well, but he hoped Nate had never developed that kind of relationship with his own Ephraim. He might not even be psychologically capable of understanding what another person was thinking or feeling, judging by his behavior. That could be a valuable advantage, likely the only one Ephraim had over Nate.
“I figured you wouldn't believe me until you'd seen it for yourself,” Nate said. “I knew once you'd used it, you couldn't give up that power.”
“And you probably knew I'd need you and the controller to get back to my own universe,” Ephraim said.
“Honestly, I wasn't sure it would work at all. We'd only talked about trying it, but Eph was too afraid to split up.” Nate's eyes flashed. “I guess he got over that. He would have taken the coin and left me in your universe, if he hadn't died trying to give me the slip,” Nate said.
“So you used me as a guinea pig?” Ephraim scowled. “How did you follow me with the controller?”
“It took me a while to figure out how to switch the device to scan mode, but fortunately I'm good with electronics.”
“My Nathan doesn't ever read manuals,” Ephraim said.
Nate nodded. “I never needed them either. Tracking the coin was easier than setting up a wireless network, which I was already doing at six. You know, there are some universes that don't even have the Internet. Primitive.” Nate cocked his head back and looked at Ephraim through slitted eyelids. “So I gather Zoe's been talking about me and my toy. I'm flattered. It sure didn't take long for her to accept a new Ephraim in her life. And her bed?”
Ephraim's face flushed.
“No, you're not that kind of guy, are you?” Nate said. “We can work on that.”
Ephraim cleared his throat. He would have to be careful not to reveal too much, so Nate wouldn't discover he'd been talking to his older analog from a parallel universe. “Zoe says you can't use the coin. The controller's useless on its own. You need me.”
“Or another Ephraim.” Nate shut his mouth and suddenly looked uncomfortable, like he hadn't meant to say that. His reaction was staged though. He'd meant to say it, to make it clear that Ephraim could be replaced. Fortunately Nate didn't know how easily he could be replaced.
Nate put his hands in his sweatshirt pockets, which was only threatening because Ephraim knew he was hiding a gun in his pocket. “And you need the controller if you ever want to get back home,” he said. “How about we work together?”
“You killed Nathan and Jena, and who knows who else,” Ephraim said. “You manipulated me. You've done nothing but threaten me. That doesn't exactly promote a strong sense of cooperation.”
“Sorry about your girlfriend, but there are plenty more where she came from. You'll see,” Nate said.
“You want me to join you, or help you find my replacement. Then what? You'll kill me too?”
“As soon as we find another Ephraim who's willing to use the coin, we can take you home. Or to any other universe you want. I have a few choice ones I'd recommend.”
“What makes you think another Ephraim will be any more willing to help you? Your Ephraim tried to give up the coin.”
“He wasn't going to give it up. He was just trying to keep it for himself—to keep it away from me. He enjoyed using it as much as I did. He's not the Boy Scout you think he was. If he hadn't died first, he would have killed you and taken your place. I mean, he left Zoe behind, right after he—” Nate shrugged.
“After he what?”
“After he killed his parents.”
Ephraim stared at Nate. Could it be true? He didn't want to think so.
“You're lying. You killed his parents,” Ephraim said. “Otherwise how do you know about their deaths? You got back to this universe the same time I did.”
“We have the Internet here, Eph. I spent the night catching up on everything I missed while I was gone. If I were you, I'd hire a lawyer before talking to the police about the murder.”
Ephraim hadn't even considered that he might be implicated in their deaths. He'd been walking around at school all day; it was only a matter of time before the cops brought him in for questioning after his long absence.
“Crap,” Ephraim said. How could he prove he didn't do it? He doubted anyone would believe he was from another universe. He'd probably end up in an asylum, if not jail.
“It would be easier to hide you in another universe,” Nate said.
“No!”
Nate looked surprised.
“I…I like it here,” Ephraim said.
Ephraim had to stay in this universe, because Nathaniel was his best chance of getting and using the controller.
“You've gotten attached to Zoe, I see,” Nate said. “She's worth sticking around for. I bet she's the only reason Ephraim stayed here for so long.”
Well, there was Zoe too. But Ephraim had Jena waiting for him at home. Only she wasn't really waiting for him, exactly, if she'd even noticed he was gone.
“What do I do?” Ephraim asked.
“I have an excellent lawyer,” Nathan said. “And I have a few friends in high places. ‘Friends’ might be too strong a word, but what do you call someone you're blackmailing? You'd be amazed how much dirt comes up in the news in parallel universes, or how many corrupt cops are willing to be paid off. I think I can make this problem go away easily, if there's something in it for me.”
“You really had nothing to do with the Scotts’ murders?” Ephraim asked.
Nate shook his head sorrowfully. “It's true I didn't discourage Ephraim from his mad plan, but I didn't think he would really go through with it. I thought it was all talk. We talked about a lot of things, didn't do half of them. Like testing the limits of the coin. I'm not denying that I've had to kill people. But I didn't kill them. I liked his mom.”
Nate stared at Ephraim. “Ephraim's dad was unstable. He would come around, beat the shit out of Ephraim and Madeline, take their savings, then disappear again. Ephraim must have finally had enough. He thought he'd be leaving this universe for good, so it was his last chance to even the score.” Nate shrugged. “I'm surprised he shot his mother too, but that could have been an accident. Then again, he despised her for not standing up to David.”
“Why should I trust you?” Ephraim asked.
“You probably shouldn't. I'm not asking you to. I'm saying I didn't do it. And I'm offering to help you avoid getting charged for it, okay?”
Ephraim nodded. As much as he hated it, he did need Nate's help with the situation, if he planned to stay in this universe for a while. Showing his gratitude for the extended offer of friendship might also make Nate more willing to trust Ephraim.
“Thanks,” Ephraim said.
“Now that that's settled, let me show you something,” Nate said.
Nate went to his desk and turned on the computer. He had a brand-new Mac Pro with two monitors. Ephraim moved over to the desk and stood over Nate as he clicked through images.
These were pictures of people who had been tortured, people Ephraim recognized. He spotted the one of Michael Gupal's headstone. These images weren't faked in Photoshop. They were real: pictures from other universes where Nate had done all of these things to actual people—analogs of people Ephraim knew.
Ephraim turned his head away from the screen. The smile on Nate's face sickened him more than the images. He took a breath.
“Did the other Ephraim approve of this?” he asked.
“Like I said, he hated feeling helpless when his father beat him. He needed to take all that anger out on someone.”
“What about you?”
“It's fun. I spent my entire life being bullied by these people. They had i
t coming,” Nate said.
Ephraim turned back to the screen, fighting his impulse to walk out. When he saw a thumbnail of the Nathan who had been killed, sprawled under the bleachers, he clicked past it quickly.
“Don't stop—that one's my favorite,” Nate said. “It's really noirish, don't you think? I wanted to stay for the funeral; it's always nice to hear people say nice things about you, even when they're lying.”
“Why are you showing these to me?” Ephraim asked.
“Just to prove that your Ephraim was complicit in everything I did with the coin. If anything, he was more responsible, since he was the one who made it all possible. He wasn't as nice a guy as you; if you aren't careful, people will take advantage of you.”
Ephraim leaned against the desk. “I don't think I'm the Ephraim you want. I can't do that—this sort of thing.” His voice cracked.
Nate considered him. “Let's go for a spin.” Nate picked up his cell phone. “Do you have the coin on you?”
Ephraim hesitated. He didn't want to go anywhere with Nate, but this could be his only chance. “Yeah.”
Nate flicked his hand, and the cover of the cell phone flipped open.
“Is that the controller?” Ephraim asked.
“I forgot. You haven't seen this before.” Nate held it up like he was modeling an appliance on a game show.
The half above the hinge featured a glowing screen, while the bottom half had a groove with a number pad beneath it.
“That's it?” Ephraim said.
The controller resembled a cell phone the way the coin resembled a quarter. Ephraim found it hard to believe the inventor would have built such a unique, precision device using spare parts. Then again, camouflaging it as an ordinary object likely would prevent the wrong people from looking at it too closely, just like the coin might find its way into a pay phone, or at worst, someone's coin collection. Even though the Charon device only worked for specific users—Ephraim and Nate—it might be possible for someone to reverse engineer them.
Nate pressed a button, and the screen came to life, displaying strings of numbers. “These are all the coordinates of the realities we've visited so far.” He eyed Ephraim. Nate typed in some numbers on the keypad, too fast for Ephraim to catch them. It looked like there were ten digits, and the first was an 8.
