The expression on Cameron’s face described exactly how Nika felt.
“Do you want to tell everyone here why our kids are acting like babbling idiots?” Trevor’s mom asked as she stepped inside the room. “Or do we have to sign another contract to figure it out?”
Doug tapped his lips with his recorder. “Perhaps it would be best if we allowed the ride participants to fill us in.” He held out his hands to the group. “Who would like to go first?”
“But you know what happened,” Devin said. “You were recording everything from our helmets. Well, I guess up until we got out of the cart and met up with that weird lizard.”
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” Doug said, patting Devin on the shoulder. “It sounds like you all experienced an awesome adventure. One that I’m dying to hear about. And one, for that matter, that lasted only two minutes and twenty-three seconds.”
CAMERON HAD NEVER been so confused. Doug wasn’t making any sense. It had been hours since they’d first hopped aboard the Adventure Machine, but according to all the adults, they had only sat down in the Activation Room just a few minutes earlier.
After assisting the four children with removing their helmets, Doug insisted he would clear up the confusion once he heard every detail of their adventure. Cameron did most of the talking, but the other three spoke up from time to time to add the bits and pieces of what he missed, all while the adults stood in an awestruck silence. Cameron told them about the Ganglion leading them into the prehistoric jungle, and the meteor shower, and the creepy moose attack. He told them about being chased by the creatures inside the Globe, Terry’s capture, and Nika’s accidental plunge into the hole. Cameron grew overly excited when he recounted the part involving Shrill Parker and her deadly chopper.
“Wonderful!” Doug said, clasping his hands together. “I really wanted you guys to experience the whole gamut, and it appears that you have.”
“I think we need an explanation,” Trevor’s mom said, her arms folded tightly at her chest. “They all seem to have a very vivid memory of what couldn’t possibly have happened.”
“It did happen, Mom,” Trevor said. “We didn’t make it up.”
“I never said you did.” She smiled at Trevor. “Because how could you make up something so elaborate when you never left our sight? You didn’t have time to discuss the details of this adventure of yours with each other.”
“Did you drug our parents or something?” Devin asked Doug.
“Either drugged us or drugged you,” Devin’s dad replied, his nose twitching. “That’s the only explanation, and frankly, I didn’t give my consent for you to medicate my son.”
Cameron jabbed his fingertips beneath his glasses and pulled down his lower eyelids. He needed something to soothe the impending headache, but according to his mom, he wasn’t due for any sort of medication for another couple of hours. “Mr. Castleton, this is hurting my head. Did any of what we just told you actually happen?”
Doug leaned his shoulder against the wall. “My answer to that is both a yes and a no.”
“Awesome,” Devin grumbled. “I was hoping it would be an easy answer.”
Doug cleared his throat. “Allow me to explain. Yes, you did experience an adventure in the realest form. But no, you never actually left your seat. You saw, heard felt, tasted, smelled, and endured a four-plus-hour excursion, which, in reality, took only a couple of minutes to complete.”
Trevor turned to his mom. “Mom, we were on the ride for twenty minutes when it broke down. And then we spent hours trying to get back here.”
“Are you trying to tell us that the whole ride was virtual reality?” Cameron reclined in his seat, his hands fitted behind his head. He had assumed virtual reality would play a role in their adventure, but only a minor role. As far as Cameron knew, there wasn’t any manner of VR on the market that could simulate an entire experience without anyone being the wiser.
Terry slid his stylus behind his ear and replaced the cover on his tablet. “Virtual implies something created by a computer, and, while we did use technology to provide you with a virtual environment, your minds filled in the rest. Here, at our facility, we call what you just endured Cerebral Reality. Your senses feed your brain with information, and, in turn, your brain creates experience. What you saw, what you did, how you reacted and felt, all came from you. The Cerebral Apparatus connects the four minds by your consciousness, and then, of course, we added a few elements for direction. We supplied you with the map, outlined the schematic of the Globe and the Adventure Machine. We programmed the ride to stream your fears into a palpable atmosphere, one that would feel legit. And then, in order to truly create a terrifying scenario, we uploaded our creations into the mix.”
Trevor pressed his palms into his forehead and then glanced up at Terry. “How did it go so fast? How did you make it seem like we were doing all those things and time was flying by, when none of it really was?”
“The Cerebral Apparatus is designed to tap into your mind. In a matter of a few seconds, your brain expanded and allowed the Apparatus full admittance,” Terry explained. “The brain is the most complex and unexplored organ in the human body. There are facets and avenues that the most brilliant and recognized scientists have never even accessed. Through the Cerebral Apparatus, every particle, every cell of your brain is engaged, including your sensory functions. While virtual reality stimulates certain nerves and functions of the body, we engage them all in Cerebral Reality, allowing us to control time, distance, and perception. Seconds and minutes in real life could equate to hours and even days in the Adventure Machine world.”
“Days?” Devin asked.
Doug nodded. “We haven’t even begun to tap into the full potential of this technology. Imagine spending a week trapped inside the Globe, fighting for survival, being hunted by any manner of monster!”
“Sounds fun.” Trevor’s mom rolled her eyes. “So that’s it? We’re done here?”
“Not exactly,” Doug said. “The contract states that there are some interviews we need to conduct, and we’ll spend some time with the media later today. But don’t worry about the particulars of that. I’ll walk you through everything you should say on television.”
“We’re going to be on television?” Devin raised his eyebrows and glanced at his dad. Mr. Drobbs winked and gave his son a thumbs-up.
“Of course. There are at least a million and a half eager contest participants who want to know all about the maiden voyage of the Adventure Machine.” Doug clicked off his tape recorder and slipped it into his pants pocket.
Cameron stood from his seat. “Contest?” Everything that had happened with Harold back on the ride came swooshing into his memory. The four of them weren’t finished yet. They still had to put a stop to Doug’s sinister plans. Cameron made eye contact with Trevor. He straightened, glancing fleetingly over at Doug and Terry before nodding back at him.
“So, when were you going to tell us the truth about this contest?” Trevor asked.
Doug adjusted the knot of his tie under his collar and smiled innocently. “What about the contest?”
“Oh, that it was just like everything else that’s happened to us today. It wasn’t real either.”
Cameron sucked in a breath and waited for the worst to happen. He wanted it all to be fake. Finding out that the Castletons were evil and conniving didn’t sit well with his stomach.
Doug looked confused at Trevor’s statement. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“You needed us,” Nika said, moving away from her grandfather to stand by Trevor.
“Printsessa, what are you doing?” her grandfather asked, but Nika ignored him.
“That’s why we won,” she said. “We were handpicked to be a part of the Adventure Machine.”
“Still stuck on the ride, are we?” Terry Castleton glanced awkwardly at the other adults in the room. “I think you’re just hungry or light-headed…”
“Are you saying the contest was for real, then?” Devin
asked. “Because I think the four of us can prove you wrong.”
Mr. Drobbs nudged Devin with his elbow. “What are you getting at, Dev? You entered it yourself. I saw the website, and they had a boatload of people who submitted. How’s that not a real contest?”
“Because they made it up,” Devin said. “To find a way to get us here. They needed my psychic abilities. And Cameron’s the smartest kid in the world.”
“You really think so?” Cameron had been saying that the whole time, but to hear Devin speak it made Cameron blush.
“Trevor was born without any fear, and Nika has something wrong where she can’t feel pain and her bones break all the time.” Devin winked at Nika.
“How dare you talk about my granddaughter like that!” Mr. Pushkin bellowed. “You have no right!”
“It’s okay, Dedushka,” Nika said. “Devin’s not trying to be rude. I told them about my conditions.”
“Why?” her grandfather demanded.
“Because we are being lied to,” she said. “The four of us are truly unique. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“Listen, I think there’s been a big misunderstanding.” Doug motioned to the door. “If we can just get you out of your suits and take you someplace comfortable, like my office, we could have a calmer, more relaxed conversation.”
“Just answer the question,” Trevor’s mom said. “Was the contest real or not?”
Doug opened his mouth to respond, but then turned to his brother for help.
“It’s not that simple,” Terry said.
“Sounds simple enough to me,” Cameron’s mom piped up. “And since we’re the ones who signed a contract allowing you to play with our children’s minds, I think we have a right to know.”
The door to the Activation Room opened, and Mr. Crones stepped in. “Are they done?” he asked, leaning against the door to prop it open.
Doug no longer appeared to be in control of the situation. He smiled awkwardly at Mr. Crones, and looked pleadingly at the others in the room. “Please keep these unusual comments to yourselves and don’t trouble Mr. Crones with them, okay? He’s an important member of the California Theme Park Approval Board, and he’s a very busy man.”
“What’s the problem?” Mr. Crones asked.
“Everyone’s a tad excited, which is to be expected,” Doug said. “But they’re done. And as you can see, they’re enthused, albeit perhaps a bit confused.”
“We’re not confused,” Trevor said. “We know exactly what’s going on. Mom”—he turned to Ms. Isaacs—“Doug used the Adventure Machine to steal our abilities.”
Doug held up his hands. “I did no such thing. Steal your abilities? That’s absurd. Look, you got me. The contest was a phony. We needed a collection of special minds to complete this project and you four fit the bill perfectly.”
“That’s dishonest. I know a fraud when I see one!” Devin’s dad shouted.
“Fraud? No, sir,” Doug cleared his throat. “We’re the real deal. We’re revolutionizing the world of thrill-seeking, and you don’t accomplish that without taking risks. So we rigged an event to draw you here. So what? You’re being paid, aren’t you? You had the adventure of a lifetime, didn’t you? Would you have allowed your son or your granddaughter”—Doug’s eyes darted between Nika’s grandfather and Cameron’s mom—“to come to Beyond if I had just approached you out of the blue? I don’t think so. We needed the contest to break a barrier.”
“Then why are you selling the Adventure Machine technology to that guy?” Devin jabbed his finger at Mr. Crones.
“To Mr. Crones?” Doug shook his head.
Mr. Crones smirked. “Yeah, to me?”
“That’s not his name,” Trevor said. “It’s something else.”
“Howard Dimwalls,” Cameron said, joining Trevor and Nika in the center of the room. “His real name is Howard Dimwalls.”
Mr. Crones’s grin erased in an instant, and the color drained from his already-pallid complexion.
“WHAT DID HE say?” Mr. Crones turned his head and glowered at Terry.
“And”—Devin held up a finger, continuing—“Mr. Dimwalls isn’t a lawyer or representative of the California Roller Coaster Club, or whatever you called it. He’s actually some rich criminal trying to buy the Adventure Machine technology in order to use it to steal ideas.” Bam! If Devin had had a microphone, he would’ve dropped it. He looked over at Trevor, who gave him a thumbs-up.
No longer smiling, Doug turned his full attention to Mr. Crones, who stood awkwardly against the door, looking like he very much wanted to leave. “That’s impressive, wouldn’t you say, Terry?” Doug asked, keeping his eyes fixed upon the lawyer. “The fact that these kids, with hardly any interaction with Mr. Crones, managed to conjure up such unique details?”
Terry’s Adam’s apple bobbed above his shirt collar as he swallowed. “Indeed it is. But that’s what the machine is programmed to do,” he reasoned. “Create realistic, imaginary scenarios for the participants.”
Doug’s eyes had taken on an apprehensive look. “And yet I’ve heard of Howard Dimwalls before. In fact, oddly enough, someone with that exact name approached me via email six months ago with a less-than-savory proposal. I turned it down, of course.”
Mr. Crones fidgeted with the doorknob, his nostrils flaring. “What’s going on here?”
“This is just the residual effects of having endured an intense experience. Nothing more.” Terry glared at Devin and the others. “Where on earth did you come up with a story like that?”
“Oh, we didn’t come up with it,” Devin explained. “Harold told us.”
“Harold?” Terry nervously scratched the side of his nose with the tip of his stylus.
“You know, Harold. That guy!” Devin pointed across the room, keeping his eyes glued to Terry for a moment before looking out the doorway. Harold Dippetts stood with a paper-wrapped churro clasped in his hand, powdered sugar coating his chin. Even though Devin and Trevor had technically only seen Harold from behind, sitting in front of his computer the night before, the man looked identical to the Harold on the Adventure Machine. And that was really just some virtual image. It wasn’t real. None of it. If Devin had had more time to think about it, his head probably would’ve exploded.
“Do you know what they’re talking about, Harold?” Doug asked, motioning for Harold to join them in the Activation Room.
“I—uh—I just got here,” Harold stammered.
“We really should proceed with the debriefing,” Terry insisted. “There’s time-sensitive data we have to collect from the test subjects. Their memories are in a fragile state, and Mr. Crones still needs to file his final approval.”
“Agreed. But I know a bluff when I see one.” Doug approached Mr. Crones and faced him at the door. “What did you say your first name was?”
“I didn’t say,” he replied, his thin lips drawing into a straight line.
Devin felt his dad’s hands squeezing his shoulders. He stared at the others. Trevor and Nika exchanged uncertain glances, and Cameron slid in closer next to them. Harold remained in the doorway, half a bite of churro showing from his open mouth.
“My name is Robert.” Mr. Crones shifted his weight to his other foot.
Doug pulled his phone from his pocket. “Robert Crones, eh? Well, Bob—you don’t mind if I call you Bob, do you?—let’s just make a quick call to the CTPAB to verify your credentials, shall we?”
Terry cleared his throat. “That won’t be necessary. I have all of Robert’s documents right here.”
Doug tapped his screen and selected the number. “Yeah, well, this will just take a minute.”
“No, Doug, enough!” Terry shouted.
Doug lowered his phone. “I’m just concerned that with all our extensive research in finding these kids and putting them through our ride, our security may have dipped a little. Isn’t that right, Bob?”
Mr. Crones wiped his palm against the side of his grease-soaked hair and stepped away
from the door. “Well, I know when a deal’s gone bad.” He smoothed the lapels of his suit coat, the diamond-studded bracelet sneaking out from beneath his sleeve. “It was a pleasure meeting you in person.” He nodded at Doug and then gave a slanted gaze at Terry. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers soon enough, Mr. Castleton.”
“Right on. Stop at the reception counter, and we’ll validate your parking,” Doug said. “Oh, and in case you didn’t already gather this, you are hereby permanently banned from the Adventure Machine facility. If I so much as catch a glimpse of your sniveling face within a mile of my property, I’ll see to it that you’re arrested.”
Silence engulfed the room. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the top of Doug’s blond man bun as he stood, arms folded at his chest, observing Mr. Crones, a.k.a. Mr. Dimwalls, as he vacated the premises.
“Doug, I assure you, I had no idea—” Terry started, but his brother stopped him.
“You received the same offer from him, didn’t you?” Doug said, turning back to confront Terry. “What I just can’t figure out is why you did it.”
“There’s nothing to figure out.” Terry sniffed. “It’s all just a big misunderstanding.”
“You were going to sell my technology to someone like Howard Dimwalls?”
“Wrong,” Terry muttered. “I was going to sell my technology.”
“Oh snap!” Cameron yelped.
“Yes!” Devin shouted in unison. The truth had finally surfaced. Devin pumped his fist in celebration. It was like solving a puzzle, or winning one of the trickier video games he played from time to time. Of course, Devin rarely struggled, unless he played online, which made it slightly more difficult to try to anticipate his competitor’s moves. “It’s just like we said!” He nodded at Trevor and Nika. “We figured this thing out all by ourselves!”
“Quiet down, Dev,” Devin’s father said.
“Do you think it was easy for me to work for you?” Terry snarled. “While you parachuted out of pilotless helicopters and wrestled crocodiles, I slaved away at my computer for long, thankless hours, creating this masterpiece.”
The World's Greatest Adventure Machine Page 19
