The World's Greatest Adventure Machine

by Frank L. Cole

  “I think VIC wants someone to climb down the track,” Nika said. “But there’s no way my grandfather would ever approve of such a plan. We could slip and fall.”

  “My mom either,” Cameron added.

  What VIC was suggesting didn’t feel like a reasonable option. Instructing children to chance falling down a forty-foot drop was borderline lunacy.

  “Is there a harness?” Cameron asked.

  “No harnesses,” VIC immediately replied. More disruptive static followed his voice. It increased in volume and then fizzled. VIC’s voice transmission ended as the off-line message appeared in the upper left-hand corner of Cameron’s visor.

  Cameron smacked the side of his helmet. “Off-line again? Why is everything breaking down?”

  Nika ran her fingers down her safety strap and cautiously peered over the edge. “Maybe it has something to do with what happened before,” she said softly. “Maybe it’s because we witnessed something we shouldn’t have.”

  Cameron whirled around. “My thoughts exactly!” The lizard had said that the ride would try to stop them. By Cameron’s calculations, the Adventure Machine was doing a pretty impressive job so far.

  “So what then?” Devin asked. “It’s been like at least forty-five minutes. Doug said the ride would only take a half an hour at the most. Should we just sit here and wait for them to come get us?”

  “No way am I going to sit here and wait forever while this machine tries to figure things out.” Trevor stood and leaned over the front of the hood. “I’ll just climb down and hit the switch. It looks wide enough to use as a ladder.”

  Cameron frowned. “It’s forty feet to the bottom.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Trevor swung his left leg over the far side of the cart. Cameron, along with the others, reached out and snagged him by different sections of his uniform, forcing him back into his seat. Trevor hit the padded cushion with a thud and expelled a loud “Oof!”

  “Are you crazy?” Nika hissed.

  “You almost jumped over the side,” Cameron said. “A fall from this high would’ve proven costly. Maybe even fatal.”

  “Geez, sorry.” Trevor shrugged away their hands and looked down to where he had almost leapt.

  “Just stop being so impulsive,” Nika muttered. “Think before you make a foolish decision. What if you had fallen? One of us would’ve had to find a way down to you. Or we would’ve had to wait for someone to come, and you would be lying there probably dying for over an hour.”

  Cameron drummed his fingers on his knee. “Engaging the switch rail won’t be enough. Not if our cart is immobile.” He cautiously stood, examining the cart’s cone and noticing a thin line where the hood disconnected from the rest of the vehicle. “We’ll need to manually override the brake somehow and slip us into neutral.”

  “Can you do that?” Devin asked.

  Cameron bobbled his head. “Probably. But I’ll need help removing the control panel.”

  Nika glanced warily at Trevor. “Are we just going to let him go through with this?”

  “Look, I’m not going to fall. I know how to climb down a ladder,” Trevor said.

  Cameron sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Trevor’s plan seemed like the only feasible option. “If somehow the Adventure Machine goes back online, who’s to know if the safety harnesses will ever reengage? We’ll be stuck in this death trap and plummeting down three hundred feet into the pits!” The sooner Trevor flipped that switch, the better.

  “I agree with the little guy.” Devin nodded at Cameron and then glanced at Trevor. “Just don’t fall, okay?”

  “Yes, be careful,” Nika said. “I liked it much better when I didn’t know you were clinically fearless.”

  “Fearless doesn’t mean stupid,” Trevor said.

  Cameron watched as Trevor’s foot slipped and his stomach smacked against the hood. Shooting out his hands, Trevor grappled to find a hold on something. Cameron covered his visor, peering through the slats between his fingers, horrified that gravity was about to suck Trevor into the void.

  “That was an accident, okay?” Trevor said, as he caught the thin edge of metal beneath the front console and steadied himself from falling.

  Something in Cameron’s stomach gurgled. He assumed it was an ulcer. A right big one, at that. He slowly lowered his hands and held his breath as Trevor began shinnying his way down below the cart.

  NIKA STOOD AND watched as Devin helped Cameron pop up a square section of metal on the nose of the cart. She felt a cold tingle travel through her shoulders. Normally, she didn’t mind a tingling, which was one of the only sensations she could feel, due to her congenital insensitivity. But at that moment, Nika didn’t appreciate the change in temperature. The malfunctioning machine didn’t appear to be an accident. It felt rigged, as if something was trying to prevent them from escaping. If what the lizard said was true, and there was indeed someone corrupt working behind the scenes of the Adventure Machine, they might purposely place Nika and her new friends in danger.

  Craning her neck, Nika attempted to see if she could spot Trevor’s helmet as he descended, but it was no use. The position of the train made it impossible to see anything below. Trevor seemed nice and easy to talk to, but he also could be rash and clumsy, and he definitely embraced his fearless ability. What would that be like? Nika wondered. To not have to worry? To volunteer first for a dangerous task without any care about what could happen?

  When each of them had revealed their conditions to the group, Nika had been partially honest. Congenital insensitivity was a real thing that impacted her life. But it wasn’t the only issue. No one, other than her family and the Castletons, knew of her real problem. The disease that made her live her life in a bubble. Always protected. Always forbidden to do normal everyday activities. Riding the Adventure Machine was the single most dangerous thing she had ever done.

  Nika shifted uncomfortably. “Have you figured it out yet?”

  “There appears to be some sort of circuit box next to the main engine drive,” Cameron grunted as he wedged his hand under a web of metal tubing. “I can see it, but I can’t get my fingers around the wing nuts locking it.”

  “Don’t look at me,” Devin said. “You’ve got smaller hands than I do. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could do this without our suits?”

  “Easier yes,” Cameron said. “But the neotanium suit is the only thing standing between our skin and over two hundred amps of electrical current. A one hundredth of that amount could stop our hearts.”

  “That would be shocking.” Devin offered Cameron a smile.

  Cameron emitted another grunt, followed by a full squeal of joy as he managed to unscrew the wing nuts and open the box. “Okay, one of these wires should flip the cart into neutral. The question is which one?”

  “I know you’re a genius, but how do you know so much?” Nika asked. It wasn’t just scientific data with Cameron. The boy seemed to know everything about everything.

  “I read a few roller coaster manuals before our trip out here to the facility.”

  “You mean within the last week?”

  Cameron nodded. “Uh-huh. Fascinating material!”

  “Ever think of watching a movie instead?” Devin asked.

  “Like a movie on roller-coaster manuals?” Cameron looked intrigued. “Do they make such a thing? I would definitely make time for a show like that.”

  “Uh, never mind.” Devin glanced back at Nika and grinned. “Forget I asked.”

  “Yes, maybe you should just focus on the task at hand.” Nika peered over Cameron’s shoulder at the four crinkled wires jutting out from a row of plastic ports. Each wire was a different color. “What else could the wires be controlling?”

  Cameron wiggled his fingers and nibbled on his lower lip. “Now that, I’m not one hundred percent certain on.”

  “Could disconnecting any of them make us fall off the track?” Devin asked.

  Cameron giggled. “Of course not! Why would that b
e an option?”

  “Then just yank them all out,” Devin said.

  Cameron opened his mouth to protest but curled his lip. “You know, you’re right.” With a quick jerk of his hand, he pulled the four wires free from their ports.

  Nika felt a sudden jolt beneath her feet, and she nearly stumbled. “I think the cart can move now.” She cautiously lowered herself into her seat, careful not to make any jarring movements, and once against fitted her arms beneath the harness.

  “It would appear so,” said Cameron. “Now it will only require a slight prod from behind to send us down this tumble.”

  Devin held his hands out for balance. “But we don’t want to do that just yet.”

  “Why not?” Cameron asked.

  “Because Trevor hasn’t switched us over,” Nika said. “We’ll run over him on our drop down the Palisade.”

  Cameron shook his index finger emphatically. “I’m certainly glad we’re working together on this.”

  Nika flinched as a melodious chime sounded in her ears. “Hello once again,” VIC suddenly announced. She exhaled in relief. Hearing the familiar voice of the ride’s virtual tour guide brought her a sense of comfort.

  “You’re back,” Devin said.

  “I’m back,” VIC answered.

  “Have you fixed our seat belt situation?” Nika asked.

  “No,” VIC said, a hint of regret in his robotic voice. “But three of your heart rates are slightly elevated, though the cart is currently out of order. Would you care for some soothing tunes to calm your senses?”

  “You can play music?” Devin asked.

  “Of course. What song would you like me to play?”

  A slight grin formed on Devin’s lips. “Do you have any heavy metal?”

  “That would not be considered soothing, or recommended,” VIC said. “I do have a wide selection of instrumental classics and golden oldies. Would you prefer Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, the Doobie Brothers…Danger. Incoming.” VIC paused briefly.

  Cameron scowled. “Danger. Incoming? I’ve never heard of them.”

  “Incoming,” VIC repeated, more forcibly.

  It wasn’t a song option. VIC was issuing a warning.

  Nika was the first to notice the shadowy figure dangling from the upper track before it dropped from above and landed with a clang of metal, less than ten yards behind the cart.

  The three kids and VIC fell silent. Nika felt her pulse quicken as she studied the darkness, but the figure remained hidden among the shadows cast by the security lights.

  “What is that?” Cameron whispered. “Is that someone coming to help us?”

  “No, that is not,” VIC answered. “The Castletons and your guardians are more than forty-seven miles of track away in the control room, oblivious to your current predicament.”

  “They don’t know that we’ve broken down?” Nika asked, desperation rising in her voice.

  “Of course not,” VIC said. “The Adventure Machine has not made any indication of the ride’s status or malfunctions. That particular data will not be available until after the ride’s completion.”

  “Okay, then what’s that?” Devin pointed into the shadows.

  “That is number three.”

  “Number three of what?” Cameron squeaked.

  “Number three of six,” VIC explained.

  The virtual ride companion wasn’t making any sense to Nika. Was this more technical jargon? That only Cameron could understand?

  “Remain calm,” VIC instructed. “Do not make any sudden movements, and wait for my command. I will devise a way to avoid a confrontation with the creature.”

  “Creature?” Nika fixed her eyes to the spot just beyond the light’s reach. She held her breath as a figure stepped into the light.

  Devin swallowed and hunched in his seat. “I think I know what that is.”

  “Yes, Mr. Drobbs,” VIC said. “It is now imperative that you do exactly as I say.”

  TREVOR SLIPPED ONLY once more on his way to the bottom of the tumble. He accidentally misjudged the lower divots, forcing him to dangle by his fingertips for a couple of seconds as he probed the track with his feet for another foothold. He waited for someone to shout at him for being impulsive or irresponsible. When it didn’t happen, Trevor figured he was far enough down that the others couldn’t see his progress. After that near mishap, it was pretty much smooth sailing to the platform below.

  At just over six feet in diameter, the platform gave Trevor plenty of room to stretch his legs. Just as VIC had instructed, Trevor easily found the adjacent track, which, with the press of some button, would send the cart veering to the right of the main line and drop to yet another, even longer, platform. A hallway, lit up with more of the safety lights, connected with the center of the platform, and at the end of that, Trevor could see the faint glow of a Maintenance sign.

  “I’m here,” Trevor announced. “What now?” He waited for an answer, but none came. “Hello?”

  The crackle of static was the only reply.

  “Figures,” he grumbled. Leaning against the guardrail, Trevor moved over and stood next to a keypad embedded in the rail. Along with ten numbers, the keypad had two circular buttons: red and green.

  “Just tell me which one to push.” Trevor didn’t want to wait any longer. Green had to mean go, and he assumed that meant the train would continue on its normal course. Therefore, red might mean stop, or in this case, a way to divert the cart to the maintenance track. Or maybe it was the other way around. The green button could possibly indicate “go” to the new track, which made the decision slightly more complicated. Trevor placed his index finger on the green button but didn’t press it. If he didn’t hear from VIC within the next thirty seconds, he would make his own decision and live with the consequences. Green seemed like the more exciting choice.

  “Red or green,” Trevor announced. “If you don’t tell me what to do, I’m going to…” He stopped before finishing.

  Someone was sitting in the maintenance hallway, watching him.

  No, not someone. Some…thing.

  Trevor leaned forward, squinting. “Hey there,” he said. “Who are you?” As his eyes adjusted, Trevor realized what he was seeing.

  It was one of the creatures he had met in the warehouse the other night with Devin. It crouched, insect-like, on its four limbs in the nearby corridor. Its eyes, like distant, burning stars, stared, expressionless, at Trevor. With all the fun on the Adventure Machine, Trevor had almost forgotten all about them.

  “How long have you been down there?” he asked the creature.

  The creature stiffened and bolted upright in alarm. Standing at full height, it looked to be easily seven feet tall, perhaps even eight feet, with a thin, spindly body, but really no musculature that Trevor could see. Its mantis-like head was a jagged trapezoid, forming two distinct points on either side, which may have been its ears. When Trevor had his first encounter with One, he remembered how lifeless and inhuman its eyes seemed. But now he noticed distinct pupils quivering amid yellowish glowing orbs.

  Trevor held up his hands, trying to calm it. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.” Scaring it away was the last thing he wanted to happen. “Have I met you before?” He kept his voice as smooth and nonthreatening as he could manage.

  The creature hesitated, but then nodded.

  “Are you…One?” Trevor asked, growing excited.

  It nodded again.

  Standing out in the open, away from the confines of its pod, One looked even more strikingly similar to the alien Morlock. In fact he felt certain, had the two been standing side by side, he wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Maybe his creator was a movie buff.

  “How did you get over there?”

  One cocked his head and then looked down at his feet. Just below the platform, Trevor could make out what looked like a ladder scaling down the side.

  “Cool,” Trevor said. “Where are your other friends from the pods?”

  The cre
ature took a moment to process the question, before holding out his palms, indicating that he didn’t know.

  “So you’re all alone. Like me. Well, I’m not entirely alone. My friends are still up there.” Trevor pointed to the top of the tumble, and One timidly followed his finger. “I’m trying to figure out which button to push on this doohickey here. Our cart broke down and needs fixing. You don’t know, do you?”

  One nodded a third time, almost immediately.

  “Really?” Trevor asked in surprise. “Okay, so there are two buttons. Red and—” One held up his claw to stop Trevor from continuing. “Red?”

  One held up a long, slender thumb. Trevor laughed. Did the creature actually know the meaning of a thumbs-up?

  Trevor moved his finger off the green button and over to the red one, and pushed it in. The track next to his feet produced a languid clank as it slid over and connected with the piece leading down to the other platform.

  “That did it!” Trevor looked over to thank the creature, but One had vanished. There was no sign of him anywhere. “Where did you go?” He glanced at the ladder, wondering if One had climbed back down. Instead of any sort of response, Trevor heard something else. It sounded like oncoming traffic.

  Trevor looked up just in time to dive out of the way of the Adventure Machine as it whooshed down the tumble at full speed.

  THE ADVENTURE MACHINE connected with the adjacent track and slammed headfirst into a rubber bumper at the end of the maintenance platform. The sound of crunching metal filled the narrow corridor as the cart’s nose collapsed like an accordion.

  “Are you kidding me?” Trevor gaped down at the wreckage in disbelief.

  Fluids seeped out of the train from no less than a hundred open wounds. Hissing smoke gushed, and both rear wheels had rolled away from their axles.

  Trevor hurriedly climbed down the adjacent piece of track and raced over to find Nika and Cameron still seated inside the cart. Devin, on the other hand, clung to the back, his fingers gripping one of the safety harnesses as his feet dangled over the edge. All three of them gulped deep breaths of air, and tears gushed from Nika’s eyes.