“What are you talking about?” Doug demanded. “We did this together, and I always gave you the credit.”
“Yes, but all while spoiling my life’s work.” Terry closed his eyes and sighed.
And that’s when the familiar tingling triggered in Devin’s chest. With all the excitement brought on by the Adventure Machine, he hadn’t felt that feeling for a little while. But now Devin knew something was about to happen. He made eye contact with Trevor, but Trevor just stood there dumbfounded. He held up his hands and scrunched his nose in confusion.
“We have to do something!” Devin mouthed, pointing at Terry’s hand.
“And I watched my research wasted upon your childish dream,” Terry continued.
Doug flinched. “Childish dream? Why didn’t you say something to me before going behind my back to someone like that?”
“Go to my baby brother and grovel at his feet?” Terry asked. “No thank you. And for the record, just because you made your fortune leaping into volcanoes and doing whatever other foolhardy stunts you’ve pulled over the years, it doesn’t give you the right to own this.” He held up the thumb drive. The one that now contained the Adventure Machine technology.
Devin lunged for Terry’s arm, grasping for the drive in his fingers.
“Are you out of your mind?” Devin’s dad demanded, grabbing Devin by the shoulders and holding him back. “What are you doing?”
“He’s going to take it!” Devin shouted, pointing wildly at the thumb drive.
Doug looked appalled, but was incapable of responding.
Terry sneered at Devin, and slipped the drive in his pocket. “Tell me, Devin, did you anticipate me doing that?” he asked. “Well, it doesn’t take a psychic to state the obvious.” Then Terry stormed out of the Activation Room. He paused briefly to scowl at Harold, who had managed to finally swallow his bite of churro, and then continued briskly down the hallway before disappearing around a corner.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” Devin demanded, shrugging free from his father’s grasp. “You just let him go. All of you!” He glared at Trevor.
“I didn’t know what you were talking about,” Trevor said.
Devin sighed in frustration. No one ever knew what he was talking about. He had to lay things out perfectly clearly for them to understand. He turned back to Doug, his hands shaking in anger. “Now your brother’s going to sell it to that Dimwalls creep anyway.”
Doug shook his head. “No, it will be fine. I’ll have to take some sort of legal action to restrain him.”
“Uh, no legal action needed,” Harold said, poking his head into the room. “If everything went according to plan, which I believe it did, Mr. Castleton…er, your brother, Terry, is holding nothing more than a drive filled with corrupted files.” A tiny uneaten piece of churro dislodged from Harold’s chin whiskers and dropped to the floor.
Doug examined Harold thoughtfully, a look of wonderment forming in his eyes. “And exactly how were you able to make all this happen?”
“Oh, I didn’t do much,” Harold said, averting his eyes. “I just uploaded a simple virus. Well, I guess it wasn’t that simple. Had to hack my way into the mainframe and stick a few glitches in place to intercept the kids on their journey. But don’t worry, I made sure to leave the technology intact. I just corrupted Terry’s thumb drive.”
“Clearly, we’ve underestimated your expertise,” Doug said.
Harold reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “Ah shucks, those kids did all the heavy lifting. They’re the ones to thank.”
“Is that a fact?” Doug glanced over his shoulder at Devin and the others.
“Well, us and the lizard, of course,” Cameron said.
“That’s right. Igrot.” Harold snorted, his large belly quivering as he attempted to contain his laughter. “Igrot the Slime.”
FOR TREVOR, WATCHING Terry Castleton storm out of the room was the most bizarre thing that had occurred all day. And that was saying something. “That was real, right?” Trevor asked. “This all really happened. Or do we need to push another abort button?”
“I’m afraid this wasn’t a part of the ride, Trevor,” Doug said. “Though I wish it were.”
“So you didn’t know about your brother’s plans?” Nika asked.
Doug frowned. “Of course not. I just wanted to give the world an adventure unlike any other. I apologize to you all. It was never my intent to deceive you in any harmful way. If you knew we were using your minds to manipulate your experience, it wouldn’t have felt as real. But I never guessed they were stealing your abilities from you.”
Trevor studied his expression. Doug appeared to be sincere. He may have been wrong to lure the four of them and their families to be a part of the Adventure Machine launch without knowing his real intentions, but it wasn’t the end of the world. They had experienced something spectacular, and they would be paid a hefty reward for their participation.
“Well, I for one am outraged!” Nika’s grandfather erupted. “You tampered with my granddaughter’s mind. You made her think she was injured and that her life was in danger. She could be damaged. She could be broken in ways we cannot fix. I demand you—”
“Grandfather,” Nika said, cutting him off. “It’s okay. I wasn’t hurt.”
“It is not okay!” he shouted. “I will see to it he pays for what he did to you. I will shut down this whole facility!”
“No!” Nika stomped her foot, the sudden reaction startling her grandfather. “You do not understand. I am grateful for what happened to me.”
Mr. Pushkin looked appalled. “Grateful? Grateful for these men playing a trick on your mind?”
“No, grateful for letting me experience something for the first time since I can remember. For once, I did not have to worry about leaving my room. I did not have to be told to rest and to avoid the things that every other child my age gets to do. Do not do this, Printsessa. Lie down, Printsessa. Do not be touched or touch anything. I helped my friends”—she looked at Trevor—“and they helped me and depended on me. I ran, Dedushka. I jumped and climbed and fought a monster. All by myself.” She tightened her jaw, breathing through her nostrils. “You will do nothing to Doug Castleton, because he has done everything for me.”
Mr. Pushkin stood in silence for several moments, squeezing his hands together. “Please.” He motioned to Nika’s chair. “Sit down. Be still.” When she didn’t obey right away, he offered her a warm smile. “I will do nothing. I promise.”
Cameron cleared his throat. “Me too. What she said.”
“What do you mean by that?” Cameron’s mom asked.
“I may not have brittle bone disease or be forced to live cautiously, but I don’t do much, aside from learn. I was scared on the Adventure Machine. I thought I was going to die and that maybe everyone else was going to die too. But then I realized if I wanted to live, I needed to help. And”—he swallowed, his eyes flitting between Trevor, Devin, and Nika—“they listened to me. And I may have annoyed them at times—”
“May have? Definitely,” Devin chimed in.
“But,” Cameron continued, holding up a finger, “they let me help.”
“He did more than help, Ms. Kiffing.” Trevor smiled at Cameron. “He saved our lives.” Cameron’s head snapped around to look at Trevor, and his eyes seemed to glisten in amazement. “It’s true,” Trevor continued. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be down at the bottom of the Globe. We’re bonded, remember?”
Cameron rubbed his thumbs over the lenses of his glasses and cleared his throat. “Well, technically, we weren’t ever really in any danger….”
“Oh, my little boy!” his mom gushed as she flung her arms around his neck and buried his head in her chest. Cameron’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of purple as he shrugged away his mom’s embrace.
“What are you thinking about, Trevor?” Trevor’s mom asked.
Hearing his friends discuss their feelings about the Adventure Machine made Trevor think about what
had happened just before the ride had ended. The moment when he realized his mistake could have resulted in their deaths. The gurgling pit in his stomach had all but disappeared, replaced with a hunger for lunch, but he could still remember the uncomfortable ache.
“It wasn’t what I expected at all,” Trevor said. “I think I did feel fear. At least, at one point I did.”
“How?” asked his mom, resting her hand on the back of his neck. “Are you sure it was fear?”
Trevor swallowed. “I never worried about what would happen to me. I guess I was just a little afraid of what might happen to them.” He nodded at the others.
Trevor’s mom ran her fingers through his hair. “I suppose that’s the best kind of fear there is.”
“How about you, son?” Devin’s dad cleared his throat. “Did you have one of those moments in which you realized your destiny?”
Trevor noticed Mr. Drobbs had once again started filming the exchange, his phone right on top of Devin’s face. At first, Devin looked uncomfortable. But then he smirked.
“Heck no!” Devin said. “I wasn’t even scared.”
Nika clenched her hands into fists. “Not scared? Are you saying you did not run or scream or cry?”
“When did I cry?”
“Um, I think you cried right after that creature kidnapped Terry,” Trevor answered.
Devin blew a puff of air. “Okay, maybe I was a little bit scared.” He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
Devin’s dad chuckled. “You can’t be scared if you know what’s coming, right? I only wish this whole Adventure Machine thingy wasn’t just in your mind. I have zero footage of you showing off your psychic abilities out there on the ride. We’ll have to figure out some way to fake it. You know? Photoshop or something for when we post this video.”
Devin smiled, but it looked forced. “Yeah, I guess,” he said.
“Devin?” Nika pursed her lips, glaring at Devin expectantly. “Say something.” She looked at Trevor for support, but she didn’t know if this was the best time to get involved in a family situation.
“He should say something, shouldn’t he?” Nika asked.
Trevor nodded. “Yeah, probably.”
“What are you kids talking about?” Mr. Drobbs asked, panning out his phone to film each of their faces.
“We just think—” Nika started to say.
“I’ll handle it!” Devin snapped, silencing Nika. Mr. Drobbs lowered his phone and studied Devin inquisitively. “It’s just that”—Devin sighed, turning to face his dad—“I don’t want everything to be filmed.”
Devin’s dad squinted and stroked his goatee. “Everything has to be filmed, but then I’ll edit out the stuff we don’t need later. That’s how this thing works, son.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want people to know about me like this,” Devin said.
“Oh, so you don’t want any subscribers on your channel, huh? Is that what you’re saying? Because honestly, no one cares about just some regular kid. It’s your ability that makes you special.”
“That’s not true,” Nika chimed in. “He doesn’t have to have an ability. Mine doesn’t make me special. It has nothing to do with who I am.”
Nika’s grandfather pulled her back and whispered something in her ear. Nika’s face flushed from embarrassment, and she bowed apologetically.
“I apologize,” Nika muttered. “It’s not my place to speak.”
Mr. Drobbs started to laugh. “No need to apologize. In two and a half minutes, everyone suddenly thinks they know about me and my son.”
“I should not have said anything,” she said.
“But she’s right, Dad.” Devin stared at the ground, his expression distant and unreadable. Trevor wondered what was going on in his head. “I don’t want you to film anymore. Not right now, at least.”
Mr. Drobbs slid his phone into his pocket and rubbed the corner of his eye with his finger. “Fine. If you want to remove some of the footage, I won’t object. But we’ll discuss this later. In private.” He stared at the faces in the room, challenging anyone to object with his eyes. The silence felt uncomfortable, but Trevor was grateful that for once, the awkwardness wasn’t directed toward him.
Cameron’s mom cleared her throat. “So, about this check…”
—
Trevor reclined in one of the comfortable, cushioned leather seats in Doug’s office, a large plate littered with the remains of a T-bone steak balanced on his lap. Nika sat to his left, spooning the last drop of yet another milk shake into her eager mouth. Devin and Cameron had finished their lunches, and sat, looking content and relaxed. A few members of the legal team had escorted the children’s guardians to a room somewhere downstairs in the offices to finalize their payment, and a train of limousines had gathered outside in front of the main entrance, waiting to whisk away Trevor and his friends to the airport.
“I’m sorry for not showing you a true adventure, one not muddied by my brother’s poor choices,” Doug said, slumping in his chair and staring at the ceiling. He held a miniature model of the Adventure Machine cart, which he rolled across the walnut desk. Since his brother’s departure, Doug had acted distant and withdrawn, his mind no doubt caught up in disappointment.
Nika stuck her spoon in her cup and placed it on the desk. “I don’t think you need to apologize. I feel it was a true adventure.”
“Yeah,” Devin added. “I mean, it had everything. Suspense, mystery, thrills…”
“And we solved it together,” Trevor said. “It was by far the most amazing experience I’ve ever had.”
Doug examined the model cart one final time and then laid it aside. “You guys are being really awesome about this. And I’m glad you feel you got your money’s worth.”
“Wouldn’t that actually be your money’s worth?” Devin corrected him, raising his eyebrows.
“There’s one thing I’m still struggling with,” Cameron said. “If not to steal our abilities, why did you actually need us in the first place? All we did was ride the Adventure Machine. How could that have helped?”
“We needed data, Cameron,” Doug said. “We wanted to see if your minds would break it, or if the ride would hold up under the pressure. Plus, we needed a way to test out the creatures. They are what makes each adventure unique. You four helped mold them into something more. With that data, we are ready to change the world with the Adventure Machine.”
Doug stood and glanced at the wall clock, noting the time. “Well, your parents should be finishing up with the checks and paperwork soon.” He nodded at Trevor’s plate. “Are you satisfied with your lunch?”
“Oh yeah.” Trevor patted his stomach. “Fat and happy.”
“I have one more question,” Cameron said, drumming his fingers on the armrest.
Doug folded his arms and leaned against the back of his chair. “Fire away, little man.”
“Why exactly did you build the Globe?”
Doug grinned awkwardly. “Well, I love thrills and chills and spills. But I also love not having limits. To me this was the best way to experience everything, without—”
“That’s not what I meant,” Cameron interrupted. “Why did you build the ginormous Globe? If the riders are doing nothing more than just sitting in chairs, you could’ve done that anywhere. In a closet. In a hallway. Isn’t that just a big waste of money to build a dome the size of a mountain, if you’re never going to use it?”
“Did we build it?” Doug asked. “Are you sure about that?”
“Are you saying it was already here when you built the facility?” Devin asked.
“No, what I’m saying is that there is no Globe.” Doug stooped over his desktop computer for a moment and then turned his monitor to give everyone a better view. “This is the security feed from the outside cameras monitoring the property. Notice anything different?”
Trevor could see the large building of the Adventure Machine facility, complete with columns and windows and the expansive front lawn swee
ping down to the main stretch of highway. But the image was missing one crucial piece.
“Where is it?” Trevor asked. “Where’s the Globe?”
Miraculously, the towering architectural monstrosity had somehow vanished.
“Like everything else here at our facility, the Globe itself is an illusion,” Doug said.
Trevor looked baffled. “But how did you do that?”
“With the same technology used to send you through the adventure of a lifetime.” Doug winked at Trevor. “I won’t even begin to bore you with all the legal mess we had to wade through in order to construct the Globe. And it’s not even real. But we wanted a way to lure the masses here to Beyond, California.”
Unbelievable, Trevor thought. Doug had come up with everything. Even Cameron looked impressed.
A polite knock sounded at the door.
“That’s probably your guardians.” Doug made his way around the desk. “Come in. It’s unlocked.”
The door slowly opened, creaking as it was pushed inward, and a strange man stepped through. He was old, easily in his seventies, with wrinkled skin and white hair. He wore a plaid suit coat and a brown bow tie, and held a clipboard containing a thick stack of papers at his side.
“I didn’t see anyone at the desk, Doug,” the man said. “Must all be on lunch. So I let myself up, since I knew the way.”
“Hey, Carl, come on in,” Doug said, summoning the man into the room. “Kids, this is Carl Stratton from the CTPAB. He’s an old friend.”
Carl waved two fingers at each of the kids. “Nieces? Nephews?” he asked.
“Actually, they’re the ride participants,” Doug explained.
“Oh my. So young. How exciting this must be for you. Are you frightened?” Mr. Stratton looked directly at Trevor.
“Terrified,” Trevor said, faking a shiver. The others in the room giggled.
Doug placed his hand on Carl’s back and gestured toward one of the empty leather seats in the office. “I’m sorry that no one greeted you downstairs, but frankly, I wasn’t expecting you.”
Mr. Stratton fumbled in his suit coat pocket and produced a pair of thin-rimmed spectacles. “I’m fairly certain we had an appointment today,” he said, examining his clipboard. “Quite an important appointment, as far as the board is concerned. Though I must say, I was slightly confused by the time. Terry’s instructions weren’t very clear on the schedule.”
The World's Greatest Adventure Machine Page 20
