“This is it,” Fulton said. “This is where I normally work.” Fulton opened his briefcase and removed several portfolios and files, spreading them on the table, giving it the instant appearance of a legitimate workplace. “I have to go check in with Doggerel. He usually likes to chat with me for several minutes and review the status of things. After that I’ll be able to come back here and work undisturbed for a while.”
Derick sat at the table and pulled some of Fulton’s files in front of him, so it looked like he was working. “We’ll be here,” Derick replied, watching as A became visible and pulled out a chair next to him.
“Don’t leave this room,” Fulton replied. “You’re relatively safe in here. Out in the hallways you might get stopped.”
“Just keep people out of the room,” Derick replied.
Fulton opened the door to leave. “I’ll do my best,” he said, closing it behind him.
Now what? A asked.
Now we go exploring, Derick said with a conspiratorial smile.
But he said not to leave the room, A replied.
We’re not going to leave the room in a normal way, Derick said.
A looked confused.
I want you to trance, Derick said. Do you know what that is?
No.
In the real world, people with the gift can jump into the River using their minds. You already know that.
Yes.
They have a way of going deeper, called a trance. It allows them to communicate with spirits that are more removed or harder to reach. It also allows them to travel much farther from their physical bodies than they normally could. They can also open their trance to others who may not be strong enough to create a trance in the first place, and allow them to enter and travel with them. Monkey seems to think you might be able to do it.
Me? A asked. Monkey thinks I can trance?
He said it was a possibility, Derick replied. No monochild he’s ever met could do it, but he’s been analyzing you, and he thinks you might have the ability.
Oh, A replied hesitantly. I’ve never done it.
You’ve probably never tried, Derick replied. I want you to try it now. See if you can.
How? A asked.
Derick thought back to the things he’d learned from the Achernar Group years ago, when studying about gifteds. He knew he’d never be able to do it himself, so he hadn’t been as interested in the subject as he might have been had he known someday he’d have an opportunity to experience it, but he did recall some of the steps.
It’s something you create in your mind, he told A. You focus your thinking, excluding all other thoughts. You concentrate on entering the trance, creating a sort of bubble of protection around you that will allow you to leave your body and move.
A closed his eyes and his features scrunched together as though he was deep in thought. Derick found it comic until the bubble around A suddenly materialized and he saw a duplicate of A float out of A’s body and up into the air. It continued to rise as it faded from view.
A? he asked. A?
There was no response from the kid sitting next to him, although his features had relaxed and he was now leaning back in the chair. He was stunned that A had been able to create the trance so quickly.
A? he called again. A? Did it work?
He reached out to gently shake the kid, and A’s eyes opened.
What happened? Derick asked.
There’s an angry woman upstairs, above us, A said, pointing up. She’s yelling at two other people.
Try again, Derick said. But this time, before you rise up, try opening the trance to me so I can go with you.
How? A asked.
I’m not gifted and I’ve never done it, so I don’t know for sure. I only know it can be done, that gifted people in the real world do it all the time. You’ll have to experiment.
A closed his eyes once again, his features wrinkling as he concentrated. Derick watched the bubble quickly form, then rise and fade. Derick couldn’t see any way he could enter A’s trance. He shook the kid again, waking him.
Try to do it slower, Derick instructed. I can’t get into your trance. You leave too fast.
OK, A replied, closing his eyes again. This time Derick saw the bubble form and rapidly expand, engulfing the entire room — then it rose and faded, leaving Derick still sitting in the chair.
The door opened and Fulton walked in. “So far so good. All very routine.” He sat in a chair opposite Derick and noticed A. “He’s sleeping?”
“Attempting to trance,” Derick replied.
Fulton looked back at Derick. “Now I know you’re full of shit!”
“He’s doing it,” Derick said. “He seemed to be able to form the trance quickly. I just can’t enter it.”
“I don’t believe you,” Fulton replied. “People can’t trance in the Dark River. Especially not monochildren.”
“Well, you didn’t think he could turn invisible either.”
“Fair enough,” Fulton replied.
“Watch,” Derick said, reaching out to shake A again, waking him.
Start over, Derick said. Do it just like you did last time, the way you made it big.
OK, A replied and began to concentrate again. The trance bubble formed quickly and rapidly expanded. Fulton visibly reacted when the wall of the bubble passed through him.
“Oh my god!” Fulton replied. “That’s incredible!”
The bubble quickly faded, leaving A sitting in the chair, a stupid smile on his face as he drifted away somewhere the other two couldn’t see.
“Can’t figure out how to enter his trance,” Derick replied. “It fades too quickly.”
“We’re already in the River, of course,” Fulton replied. “That’s probably why. How I’ve missed trancing. I used to do it all the time when I was a kid, before I became stuck here. What a great escape it was; just zone out and drift away for a while. I miss it.”
“Entirely new to me,” Derick said.
“This is why you wanted to get inside!” Fulton replied, becoming excited. “Oh my god — you might be able to access the other levels this way!”
“If we can get it to work,” Derick replied.
Fulton’s eyes widened with even more excitement. “Imagine seeing Level 2 or Level 1? I might be able to…”
Derick could see the admiration in Fulton’s eyes as the enormity of what Derick was trying to do revealed itself.
“Let me come with you!” Fulton begged.
“We’re not going anywhere just yet,” Derick replied. “If we can’t enter his trance, A will be the only one exploring the other levels.”
“I have an idea,” Fulton said. “But if I help you, and it works, I want you to promise me you’ll let me trance with the monochild.”
“Why?”
“So I can locate something within the building that I can use to my advantage,” Fulton replied. “I need something to get this organization off my back, something I can use for leverage.”
Derick considered the proposition. “Alright,” he agreed. “As long as it’s short and doesn’t hurt A in any way. And only after I trance with him first.”
“Deal!” Fulton replied.
“What’s your idea?”
“The uralga!” Fulton said, removing a small leather pouch from his briefcase and zipping it open. Inside was a syringe and two round metal cans, connected by a cord. He unwrapped them and placed each of them on his wrists.
“What are you doing?” Derick asked.
“I’m filtering the uralga out of my blood. These collectors will have it strained out in a couple of minutes. Once it’s collected, we’ll try some on A.”
“Wait a minute,” Derick said. “Why do you think this will work?”
“When your monochild trances, it’s probably at a much higher wavelength than what you and I are on. Uralga smooths the difference; it brings two opposing wavelengths into harmony. The same properties that make it resolve communications might slow him down enough
that you could be able to enter his trance.”
Derick watched as the metal cans resting on Fulton’s wrists slowly vibrated, performing a kind of dialysis on the man. Fulton’s eyes closed, and Derick turned to check on A. He was out, too.
After several minutes Fulton came back, pulling the cans off his arms. He pried open a metal lid on one of the containers and looked inside. “Success!” he replied, tilting the can to Derick so he could see its contents. It looked like goo.
Fulton pulled a set of long metal tweezers from his syringe kit and dipped it inside the can, removing a small undulating translucent mass about the size of a quarter, with iridescent threads running throughout, slowly twisting inside the goo. Derick was surprised; he had assumed uralga was a powder or substance, not something living.
“What do you intend to do with that?” he asked Fulton.
“Wake him up,” Fulton said. “He’ll need to swallow it.”
“Hold on!” Derick said. “How do I know it’s safe?”
“It’s not going to hurt him,” Fulton said, still holding the blob between the tweezers. “Didn’t hurt me. This is your way in, trust me!”
Derick shook A again, and the kid opened his eyes. I went all over the place! he said excitedly, his demeanor immediately becoming suspicious when he saw Fulton holding the strange, translucent blob with the tweezers.
He wants you to eat it, Derick said.
A turned to him, a horrified look on his face. What is it?
He says it’ll make it so I can enter your trance, Derick replied.
A gave Derick a terrified look.
“How long does it last?” Derick asked Fulton.
“Well, he’s ingesting it, so it’ll take a couple of minutes to even begin working,” he replied. “After that, I don’t know…half an hour? Maybe less?”
“Then what? It comes out?”
“No, he’ll be using it up. It’ll dissolve in his system.”
“And how does it not dissolve in your blood?”
“Like I told you, I’m one of the few people who can transport it. Something about my genetic makeup.”
Derick turned to A. A began to shake his head from side to side in resistance, a pitiful expression on his face.
Please don’t make me! he said. It looks nasty.
It’s not going to hurt you, Derick replied.
How do you know?
He injects it and pulls it back out, Derick said. If he can do that and survive, I highly doubt it’s harmful.
A looked down at the ground. OK, he said. I’ll try. I hope I don’t throw up.
Don’t throw it up, or it won’t work, Derick said, as A opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, waiting for Fulton to drop it.
“He’s ready,” Derick said to Fulton, and Fulton moved the tweezers to A’s tongue.
“I’m going to drop it into your mouth,” Fulton said. “It doesn’t like flesh, and it’s going to try and get out of your mouth. That’s why I’m holding it with metal pinchers. You have to keep your mouth closed, and swallow it. Don’t let it out, even though you’ll want to.”
The expression on A’s face was panic. What if it tries to crawl up my throat after I swallow it? he asked.
“He’s worried it’ll try to crawl up his throat,” Derick told Fulton.
“Once you get it down it’ll stay down,” Fulton replied. “Stomach juices take the fight out of it.”
A looked like he was about to cry.
Courage, Derick said to A, trying to bolster him. He turned to Fulton. “Hurry and give it to him before he backs out. And Fulton?”
“Yes?” Fulton asked, the tweezers poised over A’s mouth.
“If it hurts him in any way, I’ll make sure both your homes are destroyed while you’re in one of them.”
Fulton gulped. “It won’t, I promise.” He stuck the ends of the tweezers into A’s mouth, releasing the uralga. “Close!” he said to A, and A immediately shut his mouth.
Derick could see A’s cheeks bulge as the blob moved around inside.
“Swallow it!” Fulton said. “Don’t wait! Force it down!”
A looked as though he was summoning his last ounce of strength to raise his tongue to the roof of his mouth, driving the translucent gelatinous mass to the back of his throat. His entire body shuddered as he forced a giant swallow.
Was it bad? Derick asked.
Horrible! A replied. You should try it!
No, thank you! Derick laughed.
Now what? A asked, looking down at his stomach.
We wait a couple of minutes, Derick replied. Then we’ll try the trance again.
It’s still moving in there, A said, looking down at his belly, wincing.
Does it hurt? Derick asked.
No, it’s just…weird.
It’ll stop in a second.
They waited a few minutes until A reported a slowing of the creature’s movements. Once it had come to a complete stop, Fulton spoke up.
“OK, time to give it a try,” Fulton said. “It’ll only last for a while, so make it count.”
Go ahead, Derick said. Trance again. And try to stay here long enough for me to join you, OK? Try to open your trance to me.
A closed his eyes once again, his little face scrunching together. The trance bubble formed around him within seconds, eliciting a gasp from Fulton. It expanded quickly, and this time, instead of rising up and fading, it stayed in place and solidified. Derick concentrated on trying to enter the trance, unable to find a way in.
I think you’re already in, A said. See?
A rose, and Derick rose with him. So did Fulton. A’s trance bubble was huge, engulfing the entire room.
No, you stay in the room, Derick said to Fulton. If someone comes in, we’ll need you there to deal with it.
Fulton looked disappointed. You’re going to cross into the other levels, aren’t you? he asked. I’m so fucking jealous!
I’ll let A take you into a trance after we get back, as long as you make sure our bodies stay safe.
Alright, Fulton reluctantly agreed.
See if you can tighten the bubble a little, Derick said to A. Make it smaller so it’s just you and me.
Fulton descended until he was back in his body, and Derick saw the distinct outline of the trance pull in around them. You seem to have great control over it, he said to A.
It’s easy, A replied.
Fulton was right, I want to find the other levels, Derick said.
I explored around the area above us already, A replied. It’s just more offices. Where do you want me to go?
Let’s keep going up, Derick replied, and he found himself pulled upward quickly, as A rose into the next floor. As A had said, it was more offices. They moved through a hallway, past numbered doors and the occasional person walking by.
It’s so funny, they don’t see us at all, A replied. It’s like when I’m invisible, but now you’re invisible, too!
We have to be careful, Derick replied. There are gifteds who are sensitive to trances. One of these people might pick up on our presence. We need to be wary and not alert anyone.
Up again? A asked.
Yes, let’s keep rising.
They passed through the ceiling and into the next floor, which might have been an exact copy of the one they left. Hallways, offices, people.
Next, Derick said, and A rose the trance another level. They were stopped as they encountered the pyramidal edge shape of the building, unable to continue straight up. A looked confused, and kept trying to rise.
There’s some kind of barrier on the building’s exterior, Derick told him. Not a surprise, given their security concerns.
I want to go up into the sky! A said.
You’re enjoying this, Derick said.
It’s fun! A replied.
We’ll trance outside of here, and then you can play in the sky, Derick said. For now, we’re stuck inside this building.
Let’s go to the top! A said enthusiastically, and began
to raise the trance diagonally, racing up the interior of the building. Floor after floor went by, each looking the same, until they suddenly emerged into a large rectangular space. It looked like a laboratory, with one wall facing the interior of the building, made of floor-to-ceiling glass.
Whoa! A said, reacting to the completely different nature of the room compared to the floors below.
They observed technicians in long coats working over panels of electronic equipment — or what appeared to be electronic equipment at first glance. As Derick studied the panels the technicians were manipulating, he realized they were a bizarre combination of technology and flesh. Tiny tubes filled with red blood ran over the flesh, feeding into points over its surface. Set into the flesh were knobs, levers, and displays, all responding to something, providing status to the workers who were monitoring them.
Look! Derick said, pointing to a glass wall. A moved the trance closer to it, avoiding the technicians, and they looked inside.
It was a huge, open space, encompassing several floors above and below them. Overhead was a slowly twisting funnel cloud, made of a dense blue mist. Sparks of energy passed through it, cascading downward and falling to the funnel’s tip, passing out and landing on pads several floors below. Above the cloud were thousands of stars, set against a pitch-black sky.
Whoa, A said again. What is it?
I have no idea, Derick replied. Looking up, he could see more observation areas on the opposite side of the large opening. Let’s go up there, Derick said.
They began to rise toward the spot Derick had identified, but A stopped. Go around the cloud? he asked.
Yeah, Derick replied. I think that’s best.
They moved rapidly sideways, passing through more observation areas filled with other technicians working on panels, rising above the funnel cloud’s top.
When they reached the observation area Derick had targeted, they looked down, seeing the inside of the funnel. Strangely lit patterns cascaded down through the funnel; it wasn’t electricity surging through the oddity, it was some other type of energy.
The Blood Gardener (The Dark River Book 2) Page 15
