“Hey,” Paul chimed in, “I’m the only one here allowed to call you that.”
“He’s not a freak,” Sofia said. “You’re just jealous.”
Everyone started talking at once, then, as if a cork had been popped off and permission had been given to converse freely. Mothball and Rutger were next to Tick, speaking over each other to say how happy they were that everyone was safe. Tick’s mom was arguing with Mordell about the lost Wand. Lisa was trying to calm their mom down. Master George and Sally were discussing their options, and Paul and Sofia wanted to butt in and have Tick to themselves, but Mothball and Rutger would have none of it. Even Sato seemed to be talking to someone, but Tick couldn’t tell what was being said or who it was.
“Silence!”
Mistress Jane’s voice boomed throughout the room, echoing back and forth unnaturally off the carved black walls as if she’d used Chi’karda to make it happen. It sliced through everyone’s conversation instantly. The Great Hall fell quiet, the only sound that of the churning, rushing noises caused by the spinning mass of whatever had come out of the Fourth Dimension.
Tick stared at her, ashamed that he was too scared to disobey and curious about what she was going to say. He readied himself, pooling the Chi’karda within him in case the woman tried to do anything questionable.
“How can you all stand here like all is well in the world?” Mistress Jane asked, her mask covered by disappointment and disbelief. “Kissing and hugging and crying with joy? Making jokes and making plans for reunions? Am I the only one in this room who is aware of what’s happening just a few hundred feet from here? Do any of you have even the slightest inkling of what’s at stake?”
“We need no lectures from you,” Master George said. “Nor your hypocrisy. You’re the only one in this room who deliberately and maliciously tried to destroy an entire Reality—and almost destroyed all else in the process. The entire universe, according to the Haunce.”
Jane waited with a condescending look of patience on her mask until Master George was finished. “Don’t blame me, George. If you and your so-called Realitants hadn’t interfered, my Blade would’ve done its job, and we’d be on our way to creating the Utopia we so desperately need. But instead, we were put on a course that led to this. To rips in the fabric of Reality. A breach to the Fourth Dimension. Say all you want that Atticus and the Haunce saved us, but I say that all they’ve done is make things worse.”
Hearing that made Tick blister inside with anger. “Oh, really? What could possibly be worse than destroying the entire universe? Care to explain that, Jane?” He stressed her name, spitefully refusing to include her title.
She stared at him. “The universe would not have needed saving if you hadn’t tried to stop me in your arrogance, boy. And now what we have is an entity that no one truly understands—not even the Haunce. The Void will grow and strengthen. It will spread throughout my world and then the rest of the Realities. It will inflict pain and suffering the likes of which you couldn’t comprehend. Better that we had all ceased to exist at the hands of the Blade of Shattered Hope.”
Now it was Tick’s turn to stare back. If she was telling the truth, what did the past matter anyway? What did their terrible history with each other matter? He felt a sinking in his gut that almost made him sit on the black stone floor.
“I want everyone to listen to me,” Master George said. “And I want you all to listen very carefully. There’s quite a bit of anger in this room. And we stand on the ruined grounds of a castle that represents the bitterest of enemies to me and my organization.”
Mistress Jane’s mask shifted, suddenly and violently, to a look of outrage. But George held up a hand and, miraculously, Jane didn’t say anything.
“But,” the old man continued, “I’m asking each one of us to put all of that aside. Including—perhaps especially— myself. Jane, you know very well that you and I have countless reasons to despise each other. But this threat you’ve spoken of . . . I believe it’s real, and my good associates here have gathered numerous pieces of evidence. We all knew there’d be terrible destruction as a consequence of . . . recent events. But there’s something much deeper going on. And animosity toward each other will only increase our speed along this path to eternal death.”
Tick became aware that his mouth was hanging open. It’d been awhile since he’d seen Master George like this—so formal and full of speeches—but there was so much to process in the few sentences he’d spoken that Tick’s reactions couldn’t keep up with it.
The old man continued. “Jane, I don’t even need to ask my fellow Realitants this question, but I must ask you. Are you willing to put aside your grievances—and your personal aspirations—to work with us until we can solve this problem?”
Jane’s mask had smoothed back out to a neutral expression. “You insult me with every word that comes out of your mouth, George. Implying that I could actually say no to such a request. Implying that I could be so selfish as to—”
“Answer the question!” Sato suddenly screamed. He’d been still and quiet before, but now his face burned with hatred. “It was a simple yes or no question!”
Mistress Jane slowly nodded her head, and a little smile broke out on her mask as if she wanted to wound Sato by showing that she wasn’t fazed by his outburst. But when she spoke, her response was the last thing Tick had expected to hear.
“It’s not me you should all be worried about. We’re going to have a major obstacle to any plans we might have to stop this thing.”
“What are you talking about?” Master George asked.
Jane’s smile vanished completely. “Reginald Chu.”
Chapter 33
A Crossroads
Chu? What does he have to do with this Fourth Dimension problem?” Tick asked.
Mistress Jane sighed, a croak of a sound that reminded Tick of what he’d done to her throat and the rest of her body when he’d thrown the Dark Infinity substance at her in Chu’s palace. It seemed so long ago, and he never would’ve guessed that all of their lives would stay so intricately connected.
“I know him,” she said. “I know the way he thinks, and the way he lusts for power. I also know he’s a very, very smart man. I’m sure he’s back in the Fourth Reality, studying and watching and gathering data just like George has been. He’ll know about the breaches in Reality, and eventually he’ll come to the same conclusion we have made about the Fourth Dimension—that it’s been breached, unleashing the Void. And then there’s the final thing I know all too well about him: his arrogance. All of these together will spell our doom as surely as the mass of gray fog that churns atop my once-great home.”
“What do you mean?” Tick asked at the same time as at least three of the others. He exchanged quick glances with Paul and Sofia, both of whom looked as worried and as curious as he felt. Sato kept his angry gaze focused on Jane.
“You’ve witnessed yourself what Chu will want,” Jane said. “The power of the Void is massive, and Chu will see it as nothing but an opportunity. A chance to harness a new source of energy that could be the last piece to his puzzle that will allow him to rule us all. I won’t waste our time with defending my actions anymore, as noble as they are and as beyond comprehension for you as they may be, but we can all agree on Chu’s motives. He wants power, and he wants all of it. He wants to rule the rest of the Realities along with the Fourth. I find it ironic that his world is numbered the same as this . . . thing that threatens all of us. Chu will not fear it. He’ll embrace it until he figures out how to control its energy for his own use.”
For some reason, Tick thought back to one of his first experiences with the strangeness of his new life. The Gnat Rat that had been hidden in his closet. That creepy mechanical thing full of robotic gnats that had stung him and sent him to the hospital. Even though Master George had sent the robot as a test for Realitant recruits, Reginald Chu had invented the device. The man had been a thorn in Tick’s side ever since.
“I ag
ree that we have many problems, indeed,” Master George concluded. “Jane, I won’t stand here another minute and debate morals with you. The Realitants have a job to do, and you can either work with us or against us. Make your choice.”
Jane shook her head. “I most definitely do not have a choice, and you know it. It’s my world where this entity has begun its massacre, and it’ll be my world that gets consumed first. I’ll work with whomever I need to in order to stop it. Not to mention the fact that you need me and my knowledge. You could have asked a little more humbly, but yes, I will help you.”
“More humbly?” George repeated. “Your world? The very fact that you . . . oh, goodness gracious me. Never mind. We are all in agreement then?” He looked around the room, gathering nods from his Realitants. Tick gave his when the glance came his way.
Their leader nodded. “Good. Each one of us will put our animosities aside, our grievances, our petty wishes for revenge, and work together. Though none of us truly understand what this new threat is”—he held up a hand when Jane began to protest—“some know more about it than others. And we all know it’s very, very grave. We’ll begin work immediately. No rest, I’m afraid. No vacation, no relaxation. The world leaders will have to deal with the aftershocks from our . . . most recent troubles on their own.” His eyes darted to Jane for the briefest of moments.
Tick could think only of his family. “Okay, then. I’ll take my mom and sister back home, and then I’ll meet you at the headquarters. The Grand Canyon one, I guess?”
Master George looked hesitant for some reason, fumbling with his words a bit before simply giving a quick nod of his head.
“Sounds good,” Tick replied, wondering what that had been all about. “We better leave before that tornado starts making creatures again.”
“First smart thing I’ve heard yet,” Paul agreed. “Let’s get out of this stink hole.”
Tick turned to face his mom and sister, sweating from the thought of winking them all back home. He was pretty sure he could do it, but there was always a risk. He thought about asking Master George, but the man only had Tick’s nanolocator reading, so they’d have to take the actual Wand with them when they winked. That wasn’t going to work.
“Alright,” he said, pushing everyone else and their problems out of his mind. “Let’s hold hands while we do this.”
His mom didn’t budge. “Atticus, we’re not going back home.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked annoyed, like the answer should have been obvious. “We played a big part in bringing you back from the Nonex. Am I right or wrong on that?”
Tick knew where she was going and hated it. “Definitely right.”
“I was a Realitant once. I built my own Barrier Wand. I just risked my life—and the life of my daughter—to bring you home safely. And if you think I’m going to let you out of my sight again, you’re sadly mistaken. Not to mention the fact that Lisa and I are both capable of helping out. You’re going to need every single body working on this that you can get.”
Tick looked at her for a long time. He knew he couldn’t let this happen. He couldn’t. He’d never be able to focus on what needed to be done—and not focus on how dangerous it might be—if he had his family around. He’d be able to think only of them, saving them, protecting them. He could not let them stay.
“But what about Kayla? She’s what matters most right now. I—we—need you to go back and make sure she and Dad are okay.”
His mom folded her arms together in a defiant gesture. “Your father is perfectly capable of taking care of our sweet little princess. Don’t insult him like that. Lisa and I are staying, and that’s that.”
“Mom, you—” He stopped. There was no arguing with that look in her eyes. But he also knew what needed to be done. He was racking his brain for the words to say when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked to see the weathered, reddened face of Master George.
“Yeah?” Tick asked.
“I, er, wondered if I might have a moment with you.”
Tick wanted to leave so badly. “Can I figure this out first?”
“Only a moment,” the old man interrupted. “I need just a few seconds of your time. Please.” He held out a hand and raised his eyebrows. “Please.” The windy, rushing sound of the Fourth Dimension cyclone was like the pulse of a rising tide on the beach.
“Okay.” He gave a look to his mom and then joined Master George over by the wall farthest from the entrance to the Great Hall.
“What’s going on?” Tick asked him. “I need to get them back safely before I can do anything else.”
The Realitant leader’s voice dropped to a whisper. “There are urgent matters at stake here, Master Atticus. Quite honestly, we don’t have the time for you to go home right now. I need you, and I need you immediately.”
“Just let me get them—”
“No.” His face was tight, his voice curt. Tick had never seen him so insistent. “There are times when you must remember that your power doesn’t put you in charge. Do you understand? You’ve sworn your services to the Realitants, and I’m giving you an order.”
Tick sighed, feeling lower than low. “Okay, then. Yes, sir.”
He turned away from his boss and looked squarely at his mom and sister, both of whom stared right back. Tick’s mind spun, calculating. He felt the gathering force within his chest.
“I’m really sorry, Mom,” he said.
Then he winked her and Lisa back to Reality Prime.
Chapter 34
Diabolical Plans Again
Reginald Chu sat in a chair, looking out a window that had no glass.
The chair was inside a structure that could barely be called that—it was nothing more than a few panels of wood nailed together with a makeshift roof of plastic thrown on top. The floor was nothing but the sodden rot of an old forest floor. And the single window existed because one of the stray pieces of wood used for the hut just so happened to have a hole in it. The air was hot and steamy, seeming to rise from the moist earth as if a pool of ancient lava rested somewhere beneath the ground.
It was a far cry from the offices he had enjoyed the last time he’d been to the Fourth Reality. This had been his home, the world he had ruled singlehandedly. Until the Realitants came. Until Mistress Jane betrayed him and helped push the Higginbottom boy to the madness that had demolished his entire headquarters, which had been shaped by the most advanced technology possible into a literal mountain of glass and steel. But Chu Industries was like the great phoenix of legend. Its shell had been destroyed, but the spirit was about to rise again from the ashes.
A surprisingly low number of people had been killed that day. Many of his top executives survived. And since that fateful day when he was catapulted to the Nonex by the unfortunate meeting with his Alterant—that slimy, weakling of a science teacher—the cogs and wheels of his great empire had been turning. Planning for his return. Putting the pieces of the puzzle back into place. Watching for the first sign of his nanolocator.
And now he was back.
But he didn’t want anyone besides his closest staff to know about it. Not yet. That was the reason he was in the middle of a forest, miles from the temporary location of Chu Industries, in a hut cobbled together by two idiots on the bottom of the payroll. Two idiots who had been taken care of as soon as their work was done. He relished the discomfort of the pitiful makeshift office they’d created for him. He needed the shack. It reminded him of how great his power had once been, and it motivated him to find that power once again.
There was a tapping—three hits—at the ugly slab of wood that served as his door. Reginald waited. Another three. Then two. Ten seconds passed. Five taps. Chu reached below his chair and pushed the button on the tiny device that had been taped there. The shack may have looked harmless, but if anyone tried to enter without his permission, they would’ve been completely incinerated by the automated lazbots hidden in the trees.
“Come in, B
enson.” He knew who it was because only one person had been taught the code that had been used on the door. There was something incredibly dopey about the man, but Benson was faithful beyond anything Chu had ever witnessed. So faithful he’d almost died on several occasions.
Just as he’d been instructed, he waited until Chu repeated the command—“Come in, Benson”—before finally slipping inside the small hut of discarded wood.
“I’m ready to give you a full report,” the man said nervously, which pleased Chu. At Chu Industries, there was no room for error.
“What did you find out.” Reginald always spoke his questions as statements. They were commands for information, not requests.
“I spoke with every department head,” Benson began, his eyes cast to the floor and his hands folded before him. A servant, through and through. “In almost every way, we’re back to full strength. Everything from personnel levels to supplies to research and development. Most importantly, the underground facility is only a few weeks from completion. This time your mountain will be a real one, boss.”
“Benson.”
“Yes, boss?”
“Don’t ever call me ‘boss’ again.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I just wanted to show some respect—show who’s the, um, boss.”
Reginald stood up. He figured there was time for one more lesson before the real data started pouring out. “Benson. I think you would agree with me that neither I, nor you, need any reminder whatsoever that I am your boss.”
“Yes, sir. Of course, sir.”
Chu sat back down. “Good. I won’t interrupt you again. Tell me everything. Especially about the findings concerning the Fourth Dimension.”
Benson started talking, and as more time went by, the more quickly he spoke.