by Bobbie Peers
“I know,” Goffman said with a flat face. “We haven’t had them for very long. But they’re over a large portion of the world now. The Institute uses them for various tasks, mostly transporting archeological findings. They’re not used to transporting people.”
“How did you know that something had happened to our house?” William’s father asked.
“We keep an eye on you. Or, on William, to be precise. And after everything that happened with the Crypto Portal, we’ve been extra vigilant. When someone broke into your house, we received immediate notification here at the Institute. Unfortunately, we didn’t get there in time to see who it was.”
“Who do you suspect?” William’s father asked.
“Far too early to say,” Goffman responded offhandedly.
He waved to his chauffeurs, who were waiting at the top of the stairs. “Could you help Mr. Wenton out?” He gestured to William’s father, who was still sitting in the car. “And be careful. They’ve been through enough.”
The chauffeurs walked over to the car, lifted William’s father out, and supported him between them. He hung there like a big baby, not looking particularly pleased.
“Did the break-in have anything to do with the Institute?” William’s father asked.
“No,” Goffman said, staring at him. “Of course not.”
“But you were spying on us?” William’s father said, sounding irritated.
“For your own safety,” Goffman said, glancing at William. “When you live with the world’s best code breaker, I’m afraid that’s a necessary evil. We can’t let anything happen to him.” Goffman took a deep breath. “We can discuss this more after you’ve had a chance to rest. I’m sure you must be hungry? And we’ll arrange a new exoskeleton for you,” Goffman said, pointing to William’s dad. “We’ve developed a new model that I think you’re going to like.”
“Forget about that,” William’s father said. But William could tell that he was torn.
“The new exoskeleton is kinetic,” Goffman continued. “It’ll charge as you move.”
“I know what kinetic means,” William’s father grumbled.
“The chauffeurs will take you up to our new spa wing, where you can relax,” Goffman said, nodding to the chauffeurs, who turned and carried William’s father up the stairs.
William’s mother hung back for a moment, then looked over at William. “I think I ought to go with him,” she said, glancing at the two figures carrying William’s father into the building. “And I’m sure the two of you have a lot to discuss.”
William nodded.
“They’ll be in a better mood after they’ve had a chance to rest a bit,” Goffman said, walking over to the car and picking William’s backpack up off the backseat. “Is this all you brought?”
“Yes,” William replied. “Everything else was destroyed.”
“Well,” Goffman said. “That’s what happens when someone uses a pulping detector.”
“A pulping detector?” William repeated.
“Whoever went to your house, they were looking for something,” Goffman continued. “And they obviously used a pulping detector. It’s a very efficient way to search, but extremely destructive. You program in what you want it to find. Then the pulping detector mills through everything it comes across and doesn’t stop until it finds what it’s looking for.”
“We need to find out who broke in,” William said.
“We’re working on that,” Goffman replied, glancing down at the backpack. “You didn’t by any chance happen to receive a package recently, did you? Anyone come to see you or get in touch? Anything a little out of the ordinary maybe?”
William hesitated. “Well, actually . . . ,” he mumbled. He looked at the backpack that Goffman was clutching in his hands. “Can I have my backpack, please?”
William tried to take it, but Goffman wouldn’t let go. Then he appeared to take a breath and released it. William unzipped the main pocket and carefully pulled out the pyramid-shaped package.
“I received this.”
“Oh,” Goffman said. “May I see?”
William heard Goffman’s voice quivering.
“Be careful,” William said, and handed it to him. “It makes sparks.”
Goffman reached out with both hands and cautiously took the package.
“Where did you get this?”
“It came by mail,” William said. There was something about the way Goffman was acting that made William wary. He already regretted showing him the package.
“I think I’ll deliver this to the laboratory for examination,” Goffman whispered, as if he didn’t want to disturb the pyramid.
“How did you know that I’d received something?” William asked.
“I just put two and two together,” Goffman said without lifting his eyes off the package in his hands. “Whoever broke into your house was probably looking for this. But obviously, they didn’t find it.”
He turned without another word and walked up the stone stairs and into the Institute.
7
William followed Goffman into the spacious entrance hall. People and robots of all sizes and shapes were scurrying back and forth. William spotted several kids who looked like new candidates. They were walking in groups of seven and wearing Institute uniforms: purple blazers and blue pants.
“Now that Abraham Talley is no longer down in the basement, we’ve lowered our security level,” Goffman said, sounding pleased. “And we’ve brought in new candidates. Everything’s almost back to normal.”
A group of candidates walked by. Some of them snuck a peek at William and then put their heads together, whispering. William was happy to see that they were each carrying an orb. All candidates were assigned a personal orb when they arrived at the Institute. The orbs functioned like puzzle-keys with ten levels that the candidates had to solve. As the levels were solved, the orb took on new properties while granting its owner access to additional areas within the Institute. When the security level had been raised to five because Cornelia had shown up, the orbs had all been repossessed, but now it looked like the Institute had released the orbs again.
“But what happened to the stairs?” William asked, giving Goffman a questioning look.
The wide stone staircase leading to the second floor had been replaced by two escalators.
“Oh, that was my idea,” Goffman said. “Much more efficient than what was here before.”
“Uh . . . okay . . .” William wasn’t sure if he liked the new escalators.
“What about the step bot?” William thought of the cute little robot that steadfastly used to walk up and down the stairs, with rather variable success.
“It turned out to be completely impracticable,” Goffman said tersely. “So it was retired.”
“Retired?” William asked. “What does that mean?”
“That it will have a well-deserved rest.” Goffman smiled. “Besides, there’s no need for step bots with escalators.”
William stood there, taking in all the activity around him. Two glossy, highly polished robots wheeled by. They were totally white and shone in the light from the ceiling.
“Are those new too?” he asked.
But Goffman was already heading toward the escalators and didn’t reply.
“Excuse me,” said a voice from beside William.
He peered down and saw a shiny, flat, white robot that had stopped by his feet. It looked like a mechanical flatfish, maybe a flounder.
“Could you move?” it said. “I haven’t vacuumed where you’re standing.”
“Vacuumed?” William said, confused. This was yet another robot he hadn’t seen before. “Uh, what are you?”
“One of the next generation vacuum bots,” the robot said proudly.
“What happened to the old ones?” William asked.
“Retired,” the vacuum bot replied. “The next generation is much better. Can you move?”
“Are you coming?” Goffman called from over by the e
scalators.
William started to more forward when a voice stopped him.
“Are you William Wenton?”
William turned toward a group of boys and girls his own age. They were looking at him with curiosity. Some of the girls giggled.
“Well, are you?” one of the girls asked, and smiled expectantly. “Are you William Wenton?”
“Uh . . . ,” William hesitantly responded.
“We know all about you,” another girl said. “And what you did . . . how you found Abraham Talley in London . . . and what happened in the Himalayas . . . and . . .”
“Can you solve my orb?” one of the boys interrupted.
“Not now, folks,” Goffman yelled. “You can speak with William more another time.”
William walked over to Goffman.
“How do they know who I am?” he said, looking back.
“You’re a bit of a hero around here now,” Goffman said, and stepped onto the up escalator.
“Why?” William asked, following him.
“I’ll show you.” Goffman smiled slyly.
When they reached the top, Goffman proceeded down the hallway. He approached a large glass display case almost ceremoniously.
William stopped. He stood there staring at the large neon letters in front of him.
THE CRYPTO PORTAL: A SUMMARY
Beneath that was something he recognized right away: an old, dented orb.
It was the orb Cornelia Strangler had tricked William into using to activate the Crypto Portal. Next to it he spotted a picture of himself—beside an enormous picture of Goffman. It said THE HEROES OF THE HIMALAYAS. William was taken aback. He glanced over at Goffman, who was staring at something that made William gasp. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be true. A chill ran down his spine, and he started shivering. In front of him sat Cornelia’s lethal, mechanical hand.
“Wh-wh-wh-why . . . ,” stammered William. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Why is that here . . . on display?”
“To remind us of what happened in the Himalayas,” Goffman said. “It’s important that we not forget, and that we learn from our mistakes.”
“But . . . ,” William continued. “That hand is dangerous . . . lethal! Shouldn’t it be locked in a vault or something?” He could almost hear the loud beeping sound it had emitted every time Cornelia had powered it up.
“But the portal was destroyed,” Goffman said. “And Cornelia is gone. These things no longer constitute any danger. Besides, this is reinforced, bulletproof, atomic-blast-proof glass.”
Goffman pointed into the case. “And there you are.”
William glanced at his picture again. It was much smaller than the one of Goffman. And it was black and white.
“We’re in the history books,” Goffman said.
Goffman’s voice sounded dreamy. William looked at him curiously. Goffman was still staring at that mechanical hand, which blinked dimly inside the case.
Suddenly he heard a familiar voice say, “William?”
He turned around and spotted Iscia walking toward him with a group of candidates.
She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him so tight that William felt dizzy.
“It’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed. Then she pointed to the cluster of seven candidates standing behind her. They were his age, maybe a little younger. “These are new candidates. They arrived today. I’ve just given them a little tour.”
William nodded to them and smiled.
“That’s you,” one of the boys said, pointing to the picture inside the display case. He was about to say something more but was interrupted by Iscia.
“You guys are free for the rest of the day,” she said.
The little group turned around and walked over to the escalators.
“I should get to the lab and examine this,” Goffman said, holding out the package. “And I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do.” He gave the display one final glance, then walked away.
Inside the case, the rows of buttons on Cornelia’s hand pulsed weakly. It almost looked as if it were breathing.
8
“What do you think about this?” Iscia asked, waving at the case.
“I don’t really understand why Goffman would put Cornelia’s hand on display or why he would hang up a picture of himself . . . ,” William said.
“No one does,” Iscia whispered.
“Huh,” William said.
She was about to say something but stopped when two white, humanlike robots rolled past. William recognized them from the lobby. Iscia waited until the robots were a distance down the hallway before she continued.
“Gossip bots,” she said. “They keep an eye on the display. Actually, they watch everything that happens and listen to everything that gets said at the Institute. And then they report all of it directly to Goffman. We can’t talk privately here; let’s go to your room. I have a lot to tell you.”
William glanced over at Iscia as they walked. It seemed like an eternity since they’d sat together on the plane ride back from the Himalayas. He hadn’t seen her since they had parted ways at the airport.
Her black hair had grown longer. And she was still a little taller than him.
“I didn’t think you were coming back for a couple more weeks,” she said.
“That’s right,” William said. “But someone broke into our house.”
“Broke in?” Iscia was shocked. “Who?”
“Dunno. But . . .” William looked around to make sure no one could hear them. “The flash drive with my grandfather on it is gone.”
“Huh?” Iscia abruptly stopped walking. “The flash drive he gave you in the Himalayas?”
William nodded, and now it was his turn to pull her along.
“But luckily Benjamin has a backup. I have to get hold of it. I think Grandpa knows something about all the strange things that have happened.”
Iscia was surprised. “Benjamin . . . ,” she mumbled.
William knocked on the door to his room. He was looking forward to talking to the door again.
“Who’s there?” a voice replied in a monotone.
“It’s me,” William answered.
“Me . . . who?” said the door.
“Me,” William repeated, surprised. His door sounded different—flatter, more metallic. “It’s me . . . William.”
“Do you have clearance?” the door asked. It sounded completely uninterested.
William looked questioningly at Iscia.
“They upgraded the software for all the doors,” Ischia whispered. “Didn’t Goffman tell you that?”
“I’m next generation,” the door said. “The old one was outdated and has been retired.”
“Not it, too,” William said, disappointed. “What’s going on here anyway?”
“A lot,” Iscia replied.
A hatch in the door opened and a robot hand with a forehead scanner appeared.
“Lean forward,” the door instructed.
William leaned forward. The scanner glowed green.
“Cleared.” The door swung open with a click.
They proceeded into the room.
William stopped and looked around. Luckily, the room looked the way it should. His bed was over by the window. The desk and chair were there. The bookshelf was there too, but with some new books on it. William leaned forward and read the titles: Alternative History, The Technology of the Pyramids, and The Earth: A Spaceship. He’d have to take a closer look at those.
He walked over to the window and peered out. The bars that had been there the last time had been removed. Aside from two shiny, white lawn mower bots, the park looked normal.
“Why have all the robots been replaced?” William asked, turning back to Iscia, who had sat down on the bed.
Iscia put her finger over her lips and gestured for William to come sit down beside her.
She leaned over to him.
“They can hear us,” she whispered, and pointed to th
e door.
William nodded. He grabbed the comforter and pulled it over them. Iscia smiled. “Goffman decided that all the robots need to be upgraded,” Iscia whispered. “He said the Institute needs to continue to evolve. There are a lot of people who disagree with him. The new ones are way too efficient and devoid of charm.” William nodded silently. From what he had seen since he’d been back, he knew what she meant.
“Did Goffman say anything about Benjamin?” she whispered.
“Like what?” William whispered back.
“That he left. Quit.”
“Quit?” William exclaimed in a hushed tone. “Why?”
“I don’t really know. He argued with Goffman after the alarm went off.”
“What alarm?” William was surprised.
“Haven’t you heard?” Iscia whispered. “The Orbulator Agent is out?”
William had no idea what she was talking about. “The Obu-what-er? Huh?”
Iscia took a deep breath. “The Orbulator Agent. He’s out. And the day after that, Benjamin quit . . . or . . . well, he disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” William repeated.
“Yes. One day he was just gone. According to Goffman, he quit and left. A little weird that he didn’t tell any of the rest of us.”
A horrible thought popped into William’s head.
“What about the backup?” he said. “If Benjamin quit . . . who has the backup?”
“Dunno,” Iscia said. “But we need to find that out. Possibly Goffman?”
They sat there in silence for a bit. William felt a shiver run down his spine.
“What’s an orbulator agent?” he said after a moment.
Iscia was about to explain when the door interrupted her.
“What are you two whispering about?”
“Nothing.” Iscia pulled the comforter off and stood up. “Gotta go. I have to give a tour to another new group of candidates soon. Busloads of them are arriving every single day.” She opened the door and walked out.
Lost in thought, William watched her go.
Had Benjamin really disappeared? What alarm were they talking about? And what in the world was an orbulator agent? The questions were piling up.
William stood.