The Navel of the World

by P. J. Hoover

  “So where are they?” Iva asked.

  “There are only three I know of,” Aurora said. “Two are under heavy protection at DOPOT, so you wouldn’t be able to get to those.”

  “And the third?” Iva asked.

  “The third is kept in the Ruling Hall; it’s your best bet,” Aurora said. “It’s kept near the ruling chamber.”

  “So even if we could somehow get into the Ruling Hall and use this telemagnifier, once we locate my brothers, how do we time travel?” Benjamin asked remembering they had no telemagnifier to help them.

  “That’s the easy part,” Aurora said. “All you need for that is a TPT.”

  “And we can buy that at the store?” Andy asked.

  “No, of course not,” Aurora said. “But if you know where to look, and teleportation isn’t a problem, they’re easy to come by.”

  “How?” A flicker of hope flashed into Benjamin’s mind.

  “According to my dad, Kronos keeps these things hidden all over the Earth, all the time, no pun intended,” Aurora said. “So you just find a place where Kronos hid one, and voilà, you can time travel.”

  “The Earth’s a pretty big place,” Gary said.

  “Not for Kronos,” Aurora said. “He keeps mostly to his places of worship. Any temple or sculpture of Kronos is sure to turn up a telemagnifier, especially if you’re looking.”

  “Why?” Heidi asked.

  “Because all Kronos wants to do is cause trouble in time,” Aurora said. “He is the ancient god of time after all. The more issues with time, the more he’s needed. He loves when people travel back in time and screw things up. It’s the kind of thing that keeps my dad up late at night.”

  “So you’re saying we just teleport to any old Temple of Kronos, and we’ll find a TPT?” Benjamin asked.

  “Exactly,” she said. “If you know what to look for, you can’t miss them.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Benjamin Gets Contraband

  Andy took charge of the Ruling Hall heist. Okay, so it wasn’t really a heist. They weren’t stealing anything. All they needed to do was get in, use the telemagnifier, and leave. Simple and almost not against the rules at all. Almost.

  Friday, they sat in homeroom going over some last minute details. At least the guys did. Heidi and Iva had run off to the back of the classroom to listen to Nick Konstantin recite his cheesy poem of the day.

  “Do you think he ever gets sick of that?” Andy teleported a marble back and forth across the desk. Not like Andy was better at teleportation than Benjamin. It was the single last thing Benjamin was better at. He could feel the annoyance needling at Andy every time he teleported and Andy didn’t.

  “Gets sick of what?” Gary’s eyes glazed over as he stared at his heads-up implant.

  “Gets sick of standing up in front of all those people spouting ridiculous love poems,” Andy said.

  Gary blinked away from his display and looked to the back of the room. “Are you kidding? The guy is up in front of twenty hypnotized girls. All he has to do is make up some corny poem and recite it.”

  Gary had a good point. Every single glassy female eye was locked on Nick. And he’d just started another recitation.

  “My love drew me close, and I knew the time was near.

  As I felt ’er breath, I saw she was sincere.

  With ’er arm around me, the truth was oh so clear.

  ’Er eyes spoke of love as I whispered in ’er ear.”

  Nick motioned for Iva to come up to the front. She giggled and got up, sitting on the chair Nick held out for her.

  “What is he doing now?” Benjamin turned his neck to see better.

  Andy didn’t even acknowledge the question. “If for some reason, someone finds out we’ve broken in to use the chronolocational telemagnifier…good God, can we call it something else? I can’t even say that without taking a breath. Anyway, if someone finds out that it has been used, I don’t want anyone to be able to trace it back to us.”

  “How about CT?” Gary’s eyes glazed back over. “We could call it the CT.”

  “Fine. Anything but chronolocational telemagnifier,” Andy said.

  Benjamin could hear Nick continue the recitation in the background, though he tried to filter it out of his mind. But it persisted.

  ”And then ’er eyes closed as she drew in for the kiss.

  My life I ’ad lived for the culmination of this.

  This love of mine I knew I would never dismiss.

  And then our lips met, and I knew that this was bliss.”

  “My lovely ladies,” Nick began.

  Man, was this guy a cornball or what?

  “This is poem of love’s first kiss.” He walked behind Iva, placing his hands on her shoulders. He pulled back her hair and leaned his head down close to her.

  “Are you guys watching this?” Gary blinked away from his heads-up display again.

  But Andy was already on his feet, making his way back to the swarm of girls.

  Nick leaned over and began to whisper in Iva’s ear. She giggled again.

  Benjamin and Gary jumped up to follow Andy, but Andy had already pushed his way through the first layer of girls. With the erratic thoughts pumping through Andy’s mind, Benjamin had no idea what Andy was going to do. All he knew was it was going to be something totally stupid.

  “We need help now!” Benjamin’s telepathic voice boomed in Iva’s and Heidi’s minds.

  Iva turned, startled out of her daze. She looked to see Andy, Benjamin, and Gary staring at her, and her face flushed bright red.

  “And what exactly do you need help with?” Her question sizzled through the telepathic link.

  “If you guys would get over here, we could explain,” Andy said before Benjamin even had time to think about a response.

  Iva ignored Andy and stood up. “I fear I must go now, Nick.”

  “Alas, as I was afraid,” Nick replied. “Until next time.” He lifted her right hand to his mouth and kissed it.

  Iva giggled, as did the twenty other girls. Except, Benjamin noticed, Julie Macfarlane. She didn’t giggle at all.

  Iva and Heidi left the back of the room and joined the guys at a round table. “What is so important?” The sizzling stayed in Iva’s voice.

  “What’s so important is our plans for tonight,” Andy said. “Or have you forgotten? I know you have your mind on other things.” He nodded his head toward Nick.

  “Oh, cut it out.” Iva sat down. “You guys are so pathetic. Can’t we have a little time to listen to some poetry?”

  “Oh, sure,” Andy said. “You know come to think of it, maybe we guys can handle it ourselves. We don’t need your help anyway.”

  “Can we please get down to business?” Benjamin said.

  Iva crossed her arms. “Anyway, you need my help to use the Chronolocational Telemagnifier.”

  Andy gritted his teeth but didn’t deny it. “We’re calling it the CT now.”

  “Whatever,” Iva said.

  “I have our plans all mapped out except for one small detail,” Andy began. “At midnight we’re going to teleport to the outer entrance of the Ruling Hall.”

  “And by ‘we’ you mean…?” Benjamin asked.

  Andy blew out a breath of annoyance. “I mean you can teleport us all there.”

  “Why don’t we teleport inside the Ruling Hall?” Iva asked.

  “They have sensors in place,” Andy said. “Once we teleport there, Gary opens the infrared entrance using the keypad he found the other day, and we make our way to the throne room.”

  “Why the throne room?” Gary asked.

  “Secrets of the trade.” Andy smiled. “We enter the room. Now comes the tricky part—the part I haven’t quite figured out yet. There’s a bunch of infrared light beams all over the room. If we get in the way of their path, the alarm sounds, and the chamber seals. So what we need is an infrared deflector to block the beams from being disrupted.”

  “Where do we get the infrared defl
ector?” Gary asked.

  “This is our problem.” Andy tapped his fingers on the table. “I’ve checked with Morpheus Midas, but he can’t get us one. I asked Proteus if he knew anything about them, but he didn’t.”

  “Can we make one?” Gary asked.

  “Not in the next sixteen hours.” Andy blew out his breath. “So unless we can find one, I’m not sure what to do.”

  The chime sounded. Homeroom was over.

  “All right. Let’s all think about it and talk again at lunch,” Benjamin said.

  Benjamin stewed through telekinesis; Ryan Jordan beat him in every single Kinesis Combat. It would have been humiliating if Benjamin hadn’t been so preoccupied. Actually, it was still humiliating. After class, Benjamin and Andy parted ways. Andy was off to look for an infrared detector from a possible source he wouldn’t divulge, so Benjamin headed to the dining hall.

  Rounding the corner, he saw Heidi and Josh in their normal spot, talking in the hallway. Josh had his usual black leather jacket and unshaven face. Heidi leaned against the wall, smiling at him.

  Benjamin did his best to ignore them, walking straight into the dining hall. He reached up and felt his chin. There wasn’t a hair in sight. Could he somehow use his mind to start growing facial hair? Maybe that’s how Josh already had enough hair to look eighteen. Getting a black leather jacket might be easier. He did have the extra credit line Nathan had given him, but it was so hot outside. Who in their right mind wore a black leather jacket in the summer anyway?

  Since everyone had pretty much ditched him for lunch, he found an empty table and sat down. But then a shadow moved across his plate, and he looked up to see Magic Pan.

  “Are you enjoying the menu system being back online?” Magic asked.

  “More than you could ever believe,” Benjamin said with a full mouth. “And I have to say I’m impressed. You promised you’d get the menus back online, and you did.”

  “I’m happy you’re happy,” Magic said. “As I said before, you may think of me as someone who can repair the impossible, obtain hard to find items, collect useful information. When you are in need, remember your Year Two Denarian friend—Magic Pan!”

  Benjamin’s mind started turning. “So what kind of hard to find items can you obtain, Magic?”

  “There is nothing I haven’t been able to find when asked,” Magic Pan replied.

  Benjamin leaned forward. “There’s this thing I need. And I need it by tonight.”

  Benjamin told Magic Pan about the infrared deflector. Not what they were planning on using it for, of course; just that they needed it and needed it soon.

  “But you can’t tell anyone,” Benjamin said.

  Magic shook his head. “Of course not.”

  “Not even your dad,” Benjamin said. The last thing they needed was Walker Pan figuring out they planned on breaking into the Ruling Hall.

  Magic pulled an invisible zipper across his lips. “No one. Do you need it before dinner?”

  “No. Why? Can you get one?” Benjamin said.

  “It is never a question of whether I can obtain the item,” Magic said. “Meet me outside the back entrance to the dormitories after dinner. Don’t be late, and come alone.”

  Without another word, Magic Pan stood up and left the dining hall.

  Benjamin smiled and finished his lunch.

  Later that night, Benjamin returned from meeting Magic Pan and held out his hand so they could all see the small square tile.

  “That’s all there is to it?” Iva asked.

  “Well, what’d you expect?” Gary said. “All it has to do is deflect a tiny beam of light.”

  “So what did Magic want in return?” Andy asked.

  “Nothing,” Benjamin said. “He just said to remember this gift as a token of his appreciation, and return it to him when he asks for it.”

  “Magic Pan is a little strange.” Heidi motioned to the infrared deflector. “He acts all innocent, but come on. How did he get this thing?”

  Andy took the deflector and pocketed it. “It doesn’t matter how he got it, just that he got it. Wear black and meet back here at midnight.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Waking Up the Ruling Hall

  They met at the school exit and teleported in two groups. Benjamin couldn’t even see the secret infrared door, but by the time Benjamin got there with the second group, Gary already had it open.

  The Ruling Hall was empty as a tomb, so when they got to the throne room, they went on in. Talk about dark. Benjamin adjusted his eyes and saw the two thrones up on the platform. And before Benjamin could stop him, Andy walked over and sat down on a throne, putting his arms on the rests beside him.

  “What are you doing?” Benjamin said under his breath.

  “I’m working,” Andy said.

  “No you’re not,” Benjamin said. “You’re sitting down.”

  “Watch and learn.” Andy placed his feet flat on the ground, and with his back straight against the chair, he flipped open a panel under his right arm. A holographic display materialized, and Andy entered a sequence of numbers. The throne slid back, revealing a staircase underneath.

  “Whoa,” Gary said.

  “Where’d you get the code?” Iva asked. Benjamin could tell she was impressed. He was even impressed, though it pained him to admit it.

  Andy grinned. “While you were busy flirting with Nick, I was gathering information.”

  “I do not flirt with Nick,” Iva said. “I like to hear his poems. That’s all.”

  “Whatever you say,” Andy said. “Okay, one at a time, walk down the staircase.”

  Benjamin went first, followed by Iva, then Heidi, then Gary. Andy jumped into the opening below, and the throne slid back into place. It was just as dark down here as it had been above. Actually, Benjamin thought it was even darker. But apparently, Gary disagreed.

  “Look at that grid,” Gary said.

  Andy threw his arm across the opening to a room. “Nobody move.”

  “What grid?” Heidi said.

  “The grid of light beams.” Gary pointed. “You see?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Doesn’t anyone see them?” Gary said.

  “I see nothing,” Benjamin said, glad he wasn’t the only one.

  “They’ve used the Leokadia Theorem for light refraction,” Gary said. “By tracing the theorem backwards, the starting point becomes obvious.”

  “I don’t care about some theorem,” Andy said. “Just tell me where they originate.”

  Gary followed whatever invisible light beams only he saw with his head, bobbing it up and down, back and forth. He then looked down at the threshold. “Sure. Right here.” He pointed just inside the doorway.

  Andy handed over the infrared deflector. “Good. Stick this on the wall where the lights start. But don’t touch anything else.”

  Gary nodded. “The deflector should mimic the play of lights around the room and provide a continuous circuit.”

  “That’s what I heard,” Andy said.

  Gary took the infrared deflector and squatted down. Without hesitating, he stuck it to the wall and stepped away. And then the chamber lit up like a sun, and Benjamin heard Iva suck in her breath.

  There in the center of the room was an enormous, glowing, green sphere. Easily three yards in diameter, it sat on a bronze pedestal with eight legs spread below it on the ground like a giant octopus.

  “Look at that,” Gary said.

  Iva’s mouth opened and closed, trying to formulate words. Finally she said, “Can we go in?” But she didn’t wait for an answer and didn’t even see Gary nodding his head. Stepping into the room, she crossed the distance over to the sphere.

  “The Chronolocational Telemagnifier,” she said.

  “CT,” Andy said.

  Benjamin walked in also. “Now I see what Aurora meant when she said nobody moves these things. It’s huge.”

  Iva reached out with a delicate hand and touched the orb in front of h
er. It flickered and thrummed with her touch. Encouraged, she placed both palms on the sphere and ran her hands over its smooth surface. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Do you think you’ll be able to use it?” Heidi asked.

  Iva nodded and kept her hands on the sphere. “Definitely.”

  Andy stepped in beside her. “Let’s not waste time then.”

  It was at this point that Iva took over. She directed them to sit on the ground around the sphere. Even though the tentacle legs stretched nearly to the walls, they found spots to sit between them. Iva herself walked around the sphere, as if trying to find the perfect spot. She ran her hand along the circumference and finally stopped between Benjamin and Heidi. Without a word, they moved farther apart, making more room for her.

  Iva turned and looked at them. “You guys need to be totally quiet. It might take a while.”

  “What’s a while?” Andy asked.

  “As long as it takes.” Iva closed her eyes and placed both hands on the CT. It continued to flicker and thrum as she did so, and she remained still for nearly five minutes. But then, she gave a disgusted sigh and opened her eyes.

  “It’s not working. I can’t find anything.” Iva took her hands off the CT, and it stopped thrumming.

  “Do you think it would help if Benjamin touched it also?” Heidi said.

  If anyone else had made the same suggestion, Iva would have probably blown up; but it was Heidi.

  Iva thought about it and then nodded. “I guess it can’t hurt.”

  Benjamin stood up and walked to the opposite side of the sphere from Iva. He placed his hands on it, and Iva replaced hers. She closed her eyes, and the sphere again began to flash and pulsate. It started slow, but gradually increased, until pretty soon, Benjamin felt like he was at some kind of heavy metal rock concert stuck next to an amplifier. Andy jumped to his feet, but to his credit, remained silent—not that anyone would have heard him over the noise. Heidi and Gary also stood, and the three of them backed away from the telemagnifier.