The repetition was finally interrupted when the quad flew over a narrow stream that twisted through the gently sloping hillside.
Felix quickly eased back on the throttle and the quad slowed down.
Brady was fighting back the urge to vomit, but he felt better when the craft lost speed.
“There’s got to be something back here,” Felix said, his voice barely audible over the speaker in the glasses. “At some point, we’ll end up flying over the side of the mountain.” He made an adjustment on his phone, and the quad banked sharply to the right and took off again. “We’ll follow the stream to avoid the trees for a bit.”
As the craft accelerated, a flash of light streaked across their view. It was so quick that they would have missed it had they blinked.
“Did you see that?” Brady yelled over to his brother. “There was something moving on the ground.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t get a good look at it. I’ll fly us back around to get a better look.”
The quad spun in place and zipped back in the direction from which it had come. But whatever Brady and Felix had seen, it now appeared to be gone. The drone came to rest a few feet above the stream and waited for additional commands.
“Now what?” Brady asked.
Felix checked the battery gauge on his phone and sighed. “I guess I’ll have to bring it back before it runs out of charge,” he lamented.
The craft started up again and was in the middle of a U-turn when another burst of light flashed by, this time larger and closer than before. It was there one second, gone the next. And then…
Crunch.
The view in the glasses spun at a vertigo-inducing pace as the quad spiraled to the ground. Moments later, Brady and Felix were left with a close-up view of dirt and pine needles. The camera lens was hazy from dust that had been kicked up from the crash, and it was difficult to see. Forgetting his sight was not his own, Brady attempted to wipe the virtual dirt off the lens, with no luck.
Suddenly the view of the ground vanished, leaving behind a flickering blizzard of white and gray snow.
The uplink was dead, the feed lost.
Game over.
Chapter 2: Pursuit
“WHAT HAPPENED?” Brady asked, his voice rising as he turned toward his brother in a panic. The color had drained from his face.
“I don’t know—I can’t figure it out. I’m positive there wasn’t anything in front of it when it crashed. It’s supposed to be smart enough to avoid things like that, I swear. You saw it fly between the trees. It didn’t touch a thing! Not even a branch! And there was that strange flash of light again right before it went down…”
Felix’s voice trailed off and he lost himself in thought.
“Maybe there was something wrong with the video feed or controls, or maybe you forget to charge the battery last night,” Brady offered, unhelpfully.
Felix frowned and continued mashing virtual buttons on his phone. Gauges, dials, and numbers zipped across the screen. He kept his eyes fixed on the display as he spoke. “No, I charged it up last night. The battery was only half empty when it went down. It had enough power to keep going for at least another fifteen minutes. And I don’t think it hit anything. I think something hit it.”
“Like what? An animal? We would have seen that.”
“Not necessarily. We might have missed it if it was fast enough. Anyway, we’re wasting time here. I need to go get my quad.”
Brady couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“No way, Felix. We’re not going over there. That was the point of all of this, remember? Your plan that was supposed to be foolproof? Remember the No Trespassing signs? They’re pretty hard to miss.”
“We’ll be in more trouble if someone finds it before we do.”
“We don’t even know where it is!” Brady couldn’t help but raise the objection, even though he knew his brother’s mind was made up and nothing he said would make a difference.
“Leave that problem to me.”
“Because that’s turned out well for us so far today, hasn’t it?”
“Brady, just look.” Felix held up his phone so Brady could get a better view. It showed a map that was currently zoomed in on their back yard. The word “Searching…” was written across the center of the screen.
“So what?”
“So, I turned on the quad’s GPS system right before it took off. It’s a tiny microchip that uses a bunch of satellites to figure out where it is. It’ll only take my phone a few minutes to lock on to the coordinates—and then we can go get it. Just make sure to keep your glasses on, all right?”
Felix made a few final gestures on the surface of his phone, and the screen went blank just as their glasses crackled back to life.
An orange beacon sprouted up near the corner of Brady’s glasses. Glowing rings grew from the center of the dot and faded as they expanded. Then a translucent yellow arrow appeared in front of him and pointed at the beacon. As Brady looked around, the arrow spun away from him.
“Whoa. Where did those come from, and what are they?” Brady asked, dazzled by the show of holographic images.
“It’s an augmented reality map. The orange dot marks the location of the quad, and the yellow arrow acts like a compass—it always points toward the beacon. If we walk in the direction of the arrow, it’ll take us right there, I promise.”
Felix reached down and drew a line on the phone. On Brady’s glasses, a ribbon grew from Felix’s feet and extended off in the direction of the beacon. The number “5920” floated in mid-air on top of it. Felix waved his hand and the number disappeared.
“Five thousand nine hundred and twenty feet. Hmm… that’s a little more than a mile away from here. We can grab it and be back here in no time.”
Brady remained unconvinced. “I think we’re better off leaving it where it is. It’s not like it has your name on it, right? How would anyone trace it back to us? Besides, there’s something weird going on back there. We still don’t know what caused your quad to crash in the first place. Like you said, something hit it, not the other way around.”
“That’s what I want to find out,” Felix argued. “Plus, I had to save up an entire year to buy all the pieces for this thing. Do you know how many times I had to mow the yard last year? And yes, my name is on it. I carved it on the bottom this morning. My mistake. You can wait here if you want, but I’m going.”
Before Brady could grab him, his brother had scrambled up and over the fence and was busy catching his breath on the other side.
Brady pleaded. “Listen to me, Felix! We’re going to get caught over there!”
Felix ignored him and started fiddling with his phone again. Another dot, this one blue, appeared on Brady’s glasses, just above his brother.
Felix pointed above his head to where the dot lingered. “Just keep your eye on my geo-beacon. It shows you where I am—if you decide to follow along.”
And with that, Felix charged cavalierly into the woods. His dot lunged after him as he vanished into the trees.
01001110
With a heavy sigh, Brady climbed over the fence and took off after his brother. They had gone without rain for weeks now, and the parched soil was cracked and hard. The forest was silent apart from the rhythmic sounds of crushing brush and the occasional twig snapping beneath his feet. He followed where the yellow arrow directed. Figuring he was on the right path, he let his mind wander.
10100110
There wasn’t a lot to do during the summers in Vermont, and this was especially true up in the mountains. Brady’s family had moved here from Boston when they were much younger, after their dad had taken a job as a park ranger. His parents had wanted to be closer to the outdoors—they felt it was important to distance their children from city life, to let them breathe the fresh air. Life in Vermont was good for a short time, but tragedy struck a year later when their father passed away unexpectedly. Felix was two and Brady was four when it happened.
Brady only
had a few memories of his father, but over time they had begun to erode, leaving him with only vague recollections of their time together. He relied on pictures around the house and his mother’s stories to fill in the gaps.
He did recall one weekend fishing trip that his family had taken together the summer before his father passed away. Brady, Felix, and their father were out on a boat with fishing rods in hand and their cork floats bobbing lazily in the ripples of the lake. They were waiting patiently for a bite when their father turned away suddenly, distracted by a tug on his line. Seizing the opportunity, Felix grabbed a full cup of crawlers, flung it into the water, and then quickly peered over the side to watch the fish take the bait. He moved his face closer to the water, trying to get a better look. It was too late when Felix realized he had lost his balance. He fell overboard, causing the boat to pitch so hard that his father fell out the other side. Fortunately, Felix had a life jacket tied securely around his waist and shoulders. Brady looked over in shock as Felix floated serenely on his back, the fish enjoying a tasty snack around him.
Felix had always regarded their father with mystery and awe. To him, their dad was a superhero gone too soon. Trying to remember back was much harder for him than for his brother, since he was so young when it happened. To this day, Felix would pepper his mother with questions when the mood struck him, and she always managed to come up with great stories that served to reinforce the legend.
Luckily, their modest house had been paid off by what little insurance they had. There was plenty of room for the three of them and they were comfortable. But when Brady and Felix got old enough to care for themselves, their mother was forced to go back to work part-time as a paramedic. She had taken on more shifts recently to help pay the bills, leading to erratic hours and forcing Brady and Felix to fend for themselves.
They did get lonely from time to time, especially without neighbors or nearby friends. A lack of parental supervision wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for two boys, but Brady couldn’t help wondering from time to time how life could have been different.
01101110
The sound of a freight train horn echoing from far below jolted Brady out of his thoughts. He stopped to catch his breath and looked around. The tallest trees stood like crooked sentinels watching over the forest below. The sun was starting to set, and dappled rays of light filtered through the woodlands in a dusty haze. There was more of the same in every direction he turned. It was way too easy to lose yourself back here.
Based on the blue dot in front of him, Brady estimated that Felix was about halfway to the crash site. His brother might be a super-genius, but Brady was in better shape. He wasn’t too far behind and would catch up to his brother in no time at all.
And then he heard something that made him stop cold.
A chilling howl echoed through the forest.
There was something unnatural about the sound; it made him uneasy. The pitch was slightly off, and it had a synthetic quality to it: an eerie imitation of the real thing. Plus the noise was loud enough to hurt his ears. The cry stuck in his head as he looked around.
There it is again.
Before Brady could react, he noticed the orange dot on his glasses, the quad, starting to move.
Someone—or something—was out here with them. It had the quad—and it was headed directly toward his brother.
Brady ran as fast as he could. The trees blurred as he chased the blue dot, trying to get to his brother before the creature did. Several times his foot caught on a root or a branch and he stumbled, but he quickly recovered and kept moving.
A minute later, he was at the stream.
According to the orange dot, the creature was there too.
Then he noticed movement. A silver and bronze form sped across the bank and disappeared from sight. Brady heard the rustling of leaves, and a moment later, he heard the splash of water somewhere downstream. But to his surprise, the orange dot stopped moving. The creature must have dropped the quad.
Brady slid behind a tree and waited, unsure of his next move. A full minute passed with no movement of the dot and no sign of the creature. Finally he built up the courage to peek out from behind the tree. Just as he peered around the trunk, he felt a stern tap on his shoulder.
“Get off of my property!” a voice growled from behind.
Brady shrieked and spun around.
He found himself face-to-face with his brother. Felix was red from exertion and breathing heavily, but grinning nevertheless.
“Felix, you scared me half to death! You’re going to pay for that!” He shoved his brother hard in the chest. “How did you find me anyway?” he asked, as Felix struggled to catch his breath.
“You have GPS in your glasses too,” Felix huffed. “I can see where you are, just like you can see me.”
Felix pointed nervously in the direction where Brady had seen the shadow moving a few minutes ago.
“There’s something over there. I think it has my quad.”
“Did you get a look at it?” Brady asked.
“Not really, it was moving too fast.”
“Yeah—I didn’t see it either. I heard it though, and it sounded awful. We need to get out of here quick. Whatever that thing is, I don’t want it to find us.”
“No kidding.”
Together, they crept cautiously away from the tree and started for home. They moved slowly at first, trying not to make noise, but soon they picked up the pace, eager to leave the woods and its terrible inhabitant behind. By the time they arrived at the fence, they were both out of breath.
They were so tired, in fact, that they didn’t notice the stranger who had followed them back, watching from the trees as they made their way home.
Chapter 3: The Electric Flame
MOONLIGHT SPILLED IN with a breeze, forming pale phantoms that twisted lazily across the wood floor. The window was left open, the curtains partly drawn. Brady had tried in desperation to cool his room, but it was no use. The weather was warm and humid, and the air was unusually heavy, even for late summer.
He lay asleep in bed, one arm draped over the side and the other cradling his pillow. White sheets were tossed haphazardly into a pile on the floor—anything to escape the heat.
Earlier that night, Brady had stayed up late watching a movie with Felix. Their mom was working a shift at the station and wouldn’t be home until early morning. Now that the boys were getting older, she felt a little less guilty about leaving them alone at night. Not that she had much of a choice. Sometimes the evening shifts were the only ones available, so she gladly took whatever was open.
The boys had found a sticky note on the microwave, providing instructions on how to reheat the dinner she had prepared. They ate half the meal before throwing the rest away, deciding to indulge in much healthier treats: a bag of microwave kettle corn, two pints of ice cream, and orange sodas. The binge went on well past midnight.
The sugar rush ended with the brothers passed out on the couch, unperturbed by the explosions that rocked the room as the movie played on. With the bass blaring, soda cans, spoons and bowls vibrated across the hickory coffee table where the dirty dishes had been carelessly stowed.
After the final credits rolled, the hiss of static was enough to raise Brady from his slumber. The room, bathed in the garish light of the TV, fell into shadows as Brady clicked off the remote, headed upstairs and stumbled into bed. Felix remained behind and quickly reclaimed the rest of the couch.
Tossing and turning from the heat, Brady replayed the events in the woods over in his head. There were lots of questions, but no answers. His brother had spent the better portion of three days mourning the loss of his favorite gadget; he’d tried to compensate by hatching crazy schemes to retrieve it. One involved building another quadcopter to send on a rescue mission. None of his ideas, however, stood up to thoughtful scrutiny, and Felix had grown increasingly frustrated by the situation.
On the other hand, Brady secretly hoped to never see the quad again. Its
return would spell uncertain doom if their mom discovered they were recklessly invading other people’s privacy. The thought of a neighbor, wild with fury, clutching the broken quad and pounding on his front door held little appeal.
And still, neither of them had any idea what had caused the drone to crash in the first place.
The memory of the strange howl stuck with him as Brady closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep again.
10010110
Boom.
The sound woke Brady from his short-lived sleep. He sat up in bed, startled, and looked over at the alarm clock resting on his nightstand.
The display was off.
The power was out again.
Brady knew he’d be a wreck the next day if he didn’t get some rest, but he felt troubled. He strained to hear something over the sound of his brother’s snores echoing from downstairs, some clue as to what had roused him. But apart from Felix, the house was quiet.
Brady swung his feet over the side of the bed and tried to gain his composure. In the low light, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. But just to be on the safe side, he knelt down, lifted the sheet off the floor, and nervously looked under his bed. There was nothing there except for an old aluminum bat from his Little League days. He decided to take it with him.
His closet caught his attention. He crept over to it, sheets tugging at his feet. He paused, and then couldn’t help but laugh at himself. You’re fourteen! He turned the doorknob with his free hand, the bat trembling in his other. To his relief, nothing wicked lurked behind the door.
Realizing that whatever had caused the commotion was elsewhere, Brady made his way over to the window. The old wooden floorboards creaked as he tiptoed across them.
He looked out.
The roofline blocked most of the view, revealing only a sliver of the side yard. There was nothing strange in what little he could see.
The Quantum Door Page 2
