He quit pacing and turned to face the group. “I do not ask it lightly. But I also ask that you do not take it lightly. I send you with my utmost confidence in your abilities and in your strengths. I send you in the good graces of Chi’karda itself. May it be strong within you on this terrible, terrible day.”
He paused for a long moment, the room completely still. Then he turned and pulled his Barrier Wand off a shelf under the podium, its golden, cylindrical surface shining, the seven dials and switches preset and ready to go.
Rutger spoke. “Though it would be easier if you were all touching it, we have too many people for that, so it’s been programmed accordingly. We’ve checked and rechecked all of your nanolocators, and replaced the hijacked ones inside Paul and Sofia. We’ll be watching you closely.”
Sofia closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to quell the sickening swarm of butterflies in her stomach. The tranquilizer pen in her pocket bulged, feeling twenty times bigger than it should be and weighing a hundred pounds. She fingered the strap of her bag holding the Ragers, tightened her grip on the handle of the Shurric, its straps slung over both shoulders.
I’m ready, she thought. I can do this.
“Are you scared?” Paul whispered.
“No,” she replied, hating how shaky her voice sounded when it came out.
“Me too.”
Master George held the Wand up high, then lowered it back to his eye level, holding his right index finger above the trigger on top. “My friends, we very much look forward to your safe return.”
He pushed the button.
Chapter
43
The Dilemma of the Doors
Tick and Jane walked another twenty minutes before the long hallway finally came to an end. Large double doors marked an entrance to whatever lay beyond, heavily bolted slabs of steel with no handles or windows. A large blank square decorated one of the doors, black as pitch.
“What now?” Tick asked.
“I guess we knock,” Jane responded. She stepped up and slammed the palm of her hand against the steel several times; the muted thumps barely registered through the thick doors.
The black square ignited with colors, swirling like mixed paint until the image of Reginald Chu’s head solidified, but in 3-D. His face jutted from the flat surface, every detail of his features perfectly clear. It was almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and Tick felt the sudden urge to reach out and smack it.
“You’re trying my patience, both of you,” he said, the slight electronic static in his voice the only indication that what they saw before them was artificial. “I’m almost ready to pull the plug on this sad experiment and start anew. If neither of you have the guts to conquer the other, then you’re of no use to me.”
“What’s beyond these doors?” Jane asked coolly.
Chu’s recreated eyes glared at her. “You know how to find the answer to that question. I gave you a simple task. I watched your act of compassion when the boy lost control again—and Atticus, I assure you, it was an act. She knows she can’t harm you, even though you don’t know what you’re doing or how to ignite the power within you. But if she struck, my guess is that you would win—albeit with some serious collateral damage to my facilities. That’s why I put you in the underground tunnel connecting Chu Industries to the Winking Yard at Bale’s Square.”
“But we’re here now, Reginald,” Jane said, as though speaking to a child. “I think I know what’s beyond these doors. Aren’t you afraid of what the boy and I can do now?”
Tick didn’t like how things were going. Not at all. Was it true what Chu had said about Jane? And how could they sit there and talk about him like he was just a tool, an object, a dangerous weapon?
“I’m not afraid at all, Jane,” Chu said. “There is zero risk of Chi’karda levels spiking from you or the boy. Go ahead and try.”
Jane’s face whitened, the smirk vanishing from her face. Tick had no idea what she was doing, but a vein at her temple bulged and her fists tightened. “What did you do?” she asked, her voice tight.
Chu almost smiled, but it was more of a grimace. “Your mutated powers gained in the Thirteenth will never—and I mean never—come close to matching what I can do with technology. I’ve conquered the science of Chi’karda. You’ve merely captured a fleeting anomaly that will squeak its way out in the natural order of things. You should’ve done what I asked, Jane. You should have done what I asked. It’s too late for you now.”
Tick couldn’t take it anymore, as scared and nervous as he was. “Would you two just shut up!” he yelled. “I’m a couple weeks short of fourteen—but I feel like I’m the only one around here who doesn’t act like a snot-nosed brat trying to pick a fight.”
Jane stared, unable to hide the shock at his outburst; Chu’s face remained stoic. Tick felt like his mind had split in two—one side telling him to zip it, the other reminding him that Master George and the Realitants were relying on him to find and destroy Dark Infinity. And there was only one way to do it.
“I’ll do it,” Tick continued. “I want to be your apprentice, so tell me what to do.”
“I already have,” Chu said, his bizarre magical face turning to face him. “You have until noon to destroy Mistress Jane. If you do, you’ll be allowed through the doors and we will begin our work together. If not, you will die. Both of you.”
Tick looked at Jane, who returned his stare. How could I possibly hurt her? I don’t even know where to start. But I can’t let Master George down! He fingered the strap of the satchel on his shoulder.
He looked down at his watch. “We still have an hour.”
“True,” Chu said.
“Then leave us alone.”
Chu laughed a mirthless chuckle. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll remove myself from the Imager. But don’t worry—I’ll still be watching.” His face disappeared and the screen returned to blackness.
“Atticus, I’m sorry,” Jane whispered. “I’ve never heard of a technology that blocks someone from Chi’karda. Somehow he’s kept that a secret—a formidable task, trust me.”
“I don’t get how it works,” Tick said. “Normally, can’t you just fill up with Chi’karda and do all kinds of magical stuff? Like a wizard?”