“That was the project Dani Schmidt was working on,” Patrick said. “With the scientific information stolen from the United States, he was able to put the final pieces of his project together.” Patrick then took a deep breath. “Item seven.”
The image of the torpedo was replaced by an image that looked very familiar. It was a bird’s-eye view of Washington, D.C. I could see the Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial.
“May twenty-fourth, 1944,” Patrick said with a shaky voice. “The Germans were on the run. The Allies would invade Europe in two weeks. The war would only last another year or so. But on that date, Dani Schmidt’s project was brought into play.”
We then saw an image that made my knees buckle. There before us, looking as real as if we were watching it from an airplane, we saw Washington, D.C. hit by an atomic bomb. The city was vaporized. The familiar, horrific mushroom cloud rose up over the shattered capital like an evil tombstone.
“That was at ten o’clock in the morning,” Patrick said. “There was more to come. Item eight.”
The rubble of Washington, D.C. was replaced by a view of Manhattan Island.
Gunny breathed out, “Oh, no.”
Boom. New York got slammed too.
“That bomb landed north of Manhattan at ten fifteen. Item nine.”
The mushroom cloud over New York was replaced by an aerial view of London. Boom. London was history.
“Ten twenty-five. The Nazis sent out long-range bombers with the world’s first atomic bombs.”
“Shut it off!” I yelled.
“Clear,” Patrick said softly, and the destruction of London was gone.
“How can this machine know that?” I demanded. “It’s just a guess.”
“It’s not,” Patrick said. “This was always the Nazis’ plan. But they never developed a working bomb, so it was never carried out. With the help of the information stolen from the United States by Max Rose’s spy network, Dani Schmidt was able to complete his work. There’s very little guesswork here. If the Hindenburg arrives safely, Germany will be the first to develop an atomic bomb. And they will use it.”
“What will happen from there?” Gunny said softly. He looked like he was in shock. “I don’t want to see it, just tell me.”
“Most of the northeast United States will be devastated by the two blasts. They’ll have to deal with radiation for years. Pendragon, your home of Stony Brook, Connecticut, will no longer exist. Earthquakes set off by the blast in New York will see to that.”
Now I had to sit down. I wasn’t nervous anymore. I was sick.
“Bottom line is, the Germans will win the war,” Patrick said. “Adolf Hitler’s evil vision will spread throughout the world, just as he planned. As you can imagine, from that point on, the world will take a much different course. Let me show you one last thing. Item fifty-six.”
On the platform we saw another overhead view. This was of New York City. The only reason I knew it was New York was because I saw a chunk of building that looked like the Empire State Building. But it wasn’t a tall, majestic building anymore. It was only the top few floors. The building must have tumbled when the bomb fell and now only the top few floors were left. We saw several more views of the destroyed city. There were people waiting in line for food. Children slept in the streets, cold and hungry. Tents were set up where the roads had been. Thousands upon thousands of people lived in the rubble like rats.
“Was this right after the bomb fell?” I asked.
Patrick answered. “This is a view of New York City on Third Earth, over three thousand years later. Today.”
I then saw something that made me want to cry. Lying on its side, along what was once the busy street of Fifth Avenue, was a green structure that was being used for makeshift housing. It must have covered ten city blocks. Holes were cut in the sides for people to crawl in and out of. The image was stunning, and horrible, because lying there, broken and destroyed among the rubble of once proud buildings, was the Statue of Liberty.
“I’ll say it again,” Patrick said quietly. “Saint Dane hit the jackpot. He found the perfect moment in time that he could manipulate and send three territories into oblivion. Clear.”
The images disappeared. Good thing. I couldn’t take it anymore. The three of us sat there in silence. We had just seen doomsday. It’s hard to know what to say after that.
“Could there be a mistake?” Gunny asked.
“Specific details may change,” Patrick answered. “But the basic situation would be the same. If Max Rose continues to operate his spy network, the Germans will develop the atom bomb first, and they will drop it on England and the United States.”
I had heard enough. We already figured that saving the Hindenburg would be a mistake. Seeing how great Third Earth was told us that. But now, seeing the horror show Patrick had just presented slammed the point home to me about as hard as possible. Any doubts I had about what I wanted to do were gone.
I stood up and said, “We’re on the wrong territory.”
Gunny stood up. “Yes, we are,” he said with purpose.
“I’m coming,” Patrick announced. “I want to help.”
Gunny looked at me. I wasn’t sure if Patrick coming along was a good idea or not.
“I don’t think so, Patrick,” Gunny said. “We’ve got to hit the ground running once we get back. We wouldn’t have time to teach you all you’d need to know about First Earth. No offense, but you might end up being more trouble than help.”
Gunny was right. Patrick wouldn’t know simple things, like how to get across a busy street. We couldn’t afford to be slowed down by anything, even a friend.
“I understand,” Patrick said, looking disappointed.
“Besides,” Gunny said. “You did your part. Now it’s our turn.” Gunny then turned to me and said, “You ready for this, shorty?”
How could I answer that question? How could anyone be ready for what we had to do? I know why Gunny asked me though. A few minutes before, I was out of control. I wanted my life back. Though I knew stopping Saint Dane from destroying the territories and taking control of Halla was important, it felt like a fantasy. I was tired of living in a fantasy. But after seeing what Saint Dane had in mind for the three Earth territories, the fantasy had suddenly become real. Now he was hitting me where I lived. So how did I answer a huge question like that?
“Absolutely.”
Gunny smiled. Next stop, First Earth.
Before hitting the flume, I sat in the library and wrote most of this journal. I didn’t want to wait until we got back, because if something happens to me, well, let’s just say I wanted to make sure this journal was written. I trusted that the flumes would get us back in time.
Patrick drove us back up to the Bronx and the green shelter that would lead us down to the subway.
“We’ll see you again,” Gunny said with certainty. “And it will be here on Third Earth. This Third Earth.”
Patrick nodded. He didn’t seem as confident as Gunny. He then turned to me and said, “Pendragon, your uncle told me that if I ever doubted myself, or our mission, that I should put my faith in you. Should I put my faith in you?”
Whoa. Uncle Press said that about me? Patrick was looking for some kind of guarantee that everything was going to be okay. I wished I could give it to him.
“I’m not sure why he’d say that,” I answered truthfully. “But I do know one thing. You might as well put your faith in us, because there’s nobody else.”
On that solemn note, the three of us parted.
A second before we went underground, I took one last look at Third Earth. I really hoped it wouldn’t be the last time I saw it like this. Gunny and I then hurried down the escalator, across the platform, down onto the tracks, and back to the gate that led to the flume. There we quickly traded our Third Earth clothes for our First Earth clothes. We didn’t even talk. We were both focused on getting back as quickly as possible.
“First Earth!” I
shouted at the mouth of the flume. A second later I kissed Third Earth good-bye and shot my way back to 1937.
A few minutes later we found ourselves surrounded by all the familiar sensations of First Earth—the smells, the noise, the people, the energy. It was a rude change from the quiet serenity of Third Earth. But I have to admit, I didn’t mind it. It felt like going home.
Once Gunny and I got back to the subway platform, we waited for the first train downtown and jumped on board. There weren’t many subway stops in the Bronx that were underground, so we shortly emerged into rainy daylight. As much as I thought Third Earth was a perfect place, I was glad to see the buildings of old-fashioned New York again. Still Gunny and I didn’t speak. We knew what we had to do.
We had returned early in the morning on May 6, 1937. We weren’t too late. Our first goal was to get back to the Manhattan Tower Hotel, find Spader, and tell him what we had discovered on Third Earth. From there, we’d decide on a plan to make sure Winn Farrow destroyed the Hindenburg. That was a weird feeling. We had to help make sure that a killer succeeded in murdering thirty-six people. But I couldn’t think of it like that. It was too horrific. I had to keep telling myself that we were making sure that history played out the way it was supposed to, and that Saint Dane wouldn’t change things. That was our mission. That was why we were on First Earth.
As we rode on the subway, I kept my head down finishing this journal. Like I told you up front, this may be the most important journal I’ve written yet. If we fail, and Saint Dane prevents the Hindenburg from burning, the world will change, and this document will be the only proof of the way things were meant to be.
There’s one last thing that happened that I should write down. It didn’t really affect anything, but it’s worth writing about anyway.
The subway car rumbled toward the bridge that would take us across the East River into Manhattan. But I wasn’t watching. I was too busy writing. That’s when Gunny nudged me. He didn’t say a word; all he did was point out the window of the subway car, up toward the skyline of Manhattan. I didn’t know what he wanted me to see at first, but a few seconds later I caught sight of it—and it made me catch my breath.
It was just coming into view, high above the tallest buildings. It floated there like a quiet, majestic bird, lazily surveying the ground below. It was Luft Zeppelin-129. The Hindenburg. It had arrived in America. I watched the ship in open-mouthed awe. It was way bigger than I had imagined. I also couldn’t help but focus on the bold logos on its tail. There were two giant black swastikas on a red and white background, the symbol of the Nazi Party. Seeing them gave me a shiver.
People pressed against the subway windows to get a look at the impressive blimp. They waved, as if expecting the crew and passengers high above to see them. Cars honked their horns, people cheered, other cars pulled over to the side of the street so their passengers could get out and watch. It was like a joyous celebration. People gazed at the airship in awe. To them it was a mighty symbol of the future.
Gunny and I knew differently. The future of the zeppelin was going to be a short one. It had to be.
We’re almost at our stop, so I’ll end my journal here. It’s a horrible feeling. If we fail, this will be the last time I’ll be writing to you two, Mark and Courtney. I feel like I want to say good-bye. But I can’t think that way. I’ve got to get it in my head that in a few hours, the majestic zeppelin we just saw floating over Manhattan has to crash to the ground in a flaming ball of fire.
That’s our mission. Our future, your future depends on it.
END OF JOURNAL #11
JOURNAL #12
FIRST EARTH
As I look back on this last, incredible year, I feel like I’ve gone through two huge, personal turning points.
The first was the moment I was pulled into a flume for the very first time. That was when I realized the rules of the universe weren’t exactly what I thought they were. Ever since then I’ve had to struggle to keep my head above water in the scary seas of Travelerworld.
The second turning point came in that library on Third Earth. Up until then, the idea of an entire territory falling into chaos didn’t really mean anything to me. It was all just theory. But when I saw the images of what Saint Dane had planned for the Earth territories…man. It was like everything suddenly came into focus. Saint Dane had to be stopped, now and forever. End of discussion.
Before that moment, I knew it in my brain. Now, I feel it in my heart.
The only people who have a chance of ending his evil campaign are the Travelers. It would be nice if we were a race of invincible superheroes with powers far beyond those of mortal men, but we’re not. A stranger group you couldn’t find, but only because we’re all so normal. It’s scary to think that the only force trying to prevent Saint Dane from destroying Halla is a group of regular-old people.
More frightening is knowing I’m one of them.
When I saw those horrifying images of Saint Dane’s Earth, something changed in me. It’s hard to put this into words, because I’m not sure I understand it myself. Call it anger. Call it outrage. Call it fear. Definitely call it fear. But seeing the evil depths of Saint Dane’s vision locked me in. I know I’m in it now, for good. I don’t know if my being on this quest is right or wrong or someplace in between. All I know is, I’m here now, and that can’t be changed. It’s up to me and my fellow Travelers to stop Saint Dane. We’re the ones on the spot. I accept that now. I don’t like it, but I accept it.
I’m writing all this to you so you’ll know where my head is, but also to explain some of the things I did over the past few days. To put it right out there, I messed up. Bad. And the thing is, I’m not so sure that if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t do the exact same wrong thing again. That’s what has me so upset right now. Saint Dane must be defeated. Part of that responsibility is mine. But after what happened with the Hindenburg, I don’t know if I’m up to the job.
The true events that happened on May 6, 1937, will never be reported in any newspaper. They will not be part of recorded history. They will live only in my journals and the journals of my fellow Travelers.
This is what happened.
It was a gray, cold May day. The sky was full of roiling clouds, rain showers, and occasional cracks of thunder and lightning. The Hindenburg was supposed to arrive in New Jersey early in the morning, but bad weather forced it to circle the New York area for most of the day. History was playing out the way it was supposed to. So far.
The whole atmosphere had an ominous feel to it. I don’t know if that was because of the weather or because I knew what was going to happen. Either way, there was tension in the air.
Gunny and I got back to the Manhattan Tower Hotel as quickly as we could.
But as soon as we got back to our room on the sixth floor, things began to unravel. Spader was gone. He’d left a note for us.
Pendragon and Gunny,
I’m writing this on the morning of May 6. When you two didn’t return in time, I thought for sure we had failed. But I heard on the radio-talk-thing that the Hindenburg has been delayed. I’m sorry, mates, I can’t wait for you any longer. I’m going to New Jersey on my own. I found out how to take a bus, so that’s what I’ll do. I promise, I’ll do all that I can to save that airship from being destroyed.
Hobey-ho,
Spader
“He’s on his way to New Jersey,” I shouted to Gunny. “I knew we should have stayed together!” I threw the note down in anger.
“It’s early,” Gunny said reassuringly. “We’ve got all day to figure something out.”
“Yeah, but do you know what this means? Max Rose knows about Winn Farrow’s plan. Spader told him, remember? History has already been changed. Strike one. Now Spader’s on his own. He’s going after Winn Farrow to stop him too. Strike two. Now we’ve got to stop Max Rose and Spader.”
“There’s a lot that can happen before strike three,” Gunny said calmly. “I think the first thing we shoul
d do is go see Max Rose.”
“Why?” I asked.
“He trusts you. Maybe we can find out how he plans on stopping Winn Farrow.”
Okay, that made sense. At least one of us was thinking clearly. It sure wasn’t me.
“We’ll find out what we can,” Gunny continued. “Then we’ll take Caplesmith’s car and drive down to New Jersey. We might even beat Spader there.”
I nodded. This sounded like a plan.
“You all right now?” Gunny asked.
“Yeah, I’m cool,” I answered. My heart rate was dropping back down from three hundred beats a minute.
“A wise person once said that the only way we’ve got a chance here is if we keep our heads screwed on straight and work it through, together.”
I looked at Gunny and smiled. “I said that.”
“Was that you, shorty?” Gunny asked in fake surprise. “I knew I heard it somewhere.”
“Okay, I hear you,” I said. “My act is officially back together.”
We took the elevator up to the thirtieth floor to see Max Rose. I had no idea what we’d say to him, but it was the obvious place to start. We’d have to wing it once we got there. When we hit the elevator, Dewey looked all sorts of confused.
“What’s goin’ on?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Gunny asked him.
“Men have been coming and going from the penthouse all day,” Dewey said. “Is Max Rose moving out?”
Gunny and I shared glances. Whatever Max Rose’s plan was to stop Winn Farrow, it was under way. The elevator arrived and Gunny and I jumped out. As usual, Dewey closed the door quickly. It was like he thought the floor was haunted or something.
As soon as we entered the hallway, we knew something was wrong. That’s because the two thugs who worked security were gone. There was nobody around to protect Max Rose. Gunny and I ran for the door to the penthouse. We stopped, caught our breath so it wouldn’t seem like we were as excited as we were, and rang the doorbell. No answer. We rang again. Nobody came to the door. Gunny then noticed that the door wasn’t even closed. He gave it a push with his finger and the door creaked open.
The Never War Page 20
