Cragbridge Hall, Volume 2: The Avatar Battle

by Morris, Chad

“You have now passed a series of challenges, as you did to gain the final key. These challenges were more to teach you. You see, when I discovered the secret to seeing the past, even I didn’t realize the power that I had found. We could see the past from any angle. We could come in from on top, from the side, it didn’t really matter. And to those who are in the past it is like we are invisible. We can come in and affect anything. They can’t see us coming.” Derick remembered being in a virtual world where he was invisible. There were some similarities. He hadn’t thought of it that way before.

  “There are fewer limits to this power than perhaps you suppose,” Grandpa said, pointing his cane in Derick’s direction. “For with the power to discover the past comes an equally dangerous power. I’ve decided that the secrets of it can’t die with me.” Grandpa took a deep breath. “The Bridge also can allow us to see and even enter the present.”

  Grandpa paused, obviously letting the information soak in. Derick tried to think of all the ramifications this could have.

  “This may not sound like much at first, but it is a tremendous responsibility.” The image of Grandpa rubbed his temples. “Using the Bridge, you could see anywhere in the present from any angle. It could be a great tool for gathering information.” Derick’s mind swam in the possibilities. If this meant what he thought it did, through the Bridge they could find out what presidents discussed in high-level meetings. They could spy on drug lords. They could even see bank accounts. It would be the greatest spying tool in existence.

  “And,” Grandpa said, “what if you could enter anywhere in the present? It can become a portal. We can enter anywhere from any angle.” Derick could go to Hawaii in an instant. He could see the Second Eiffel tower. He could go anywhere.

  The image of Grandpa banged his cane against the ground. “But I need to stress again that this power should not be used unless completely necessary. Just because we can does not mean that we should.”

  Grandpa cleared his throat. “Obviously, you now know that the Bridge can show the past sooner than fifty years ago.” All of a sudden it made sense. Once Grandpa knew that Muns had used an energy burst, he could use the Bridge to search the place where the energy burst had been generated. He might need to go into the past a few minutes, but he could see the time they had entered and then bring up the Bridge to that time. He could probably even read the code from their machine to make sure he had it exact.

  “However,” Grandpa continued, “I placed a barrier at fifty years in the past because I noticed something: the closer we use the Bridge to the present, the more difficult it is on the invention. Even merely looking at the present for longer periods of time can cause the Bridge to begin to tremble. I do not know why, but approaching closer to the present makes it more unstable. If you enter the present, it intensifies. So you must only use this ability under the direst of circumstances, and you must not stay long.” The image of Grandpa took a few steps. “If you accept responsibility over the present as well as the past, then please place your sphere here.” One brick slid out of its place, leaving a half circle opening in it. Derick paused for a moment—thinking about the power offered to him. He eventually set his sphere in the holder. It glowed again, streams of light dancing inside it.

  “You will find,” Grandpa said, “that if you approach the Bridge and set your sphere just above one of the keys, an arm will rise from the console and take it. If one person has a sphere and a key, he or she can view the present. Knowing that gathering information would be essential if anyone ever discovered my secret, I made this simple. Remember not to look long. Also, there must be three keys and three spheres in order to enter the present.”

  If Grandpa knew all this, he had obviously viewed the present before. He had his own key and his own sphere, so that was possible. But had he entered the present? Maybe. And if he had, perhaps Derick’s parents had spheres as well to help him. That made sense. “You,” Grandpa explained, “must realize that this is a truly great power, and for some it may be a truly great temptation. When someone finds they might be able to manipulate the now, they may understand its power and crave it. So please protect this secret.”

  Derick had not thought of it that way.

  “Remember the warning,” Grandpa said. “Use this only when absolutely necessary. If you view the present for too long, you may damage the Bridge. And if you enter the present, you do not have long at all.”

  27

  Not What You Think

  Abby tried to soak it all in. Derick had let them in from the other side of the simulator and told them what he had learned and experienced.

  “We need to use it,” Abby said. “Let’s go to the Bridge.” She started walking further down the hall.

  “What?” Carol asked. “Did you not hear the part about only using this when the world is going to end or something?”

  “Yeah, I heard it.” Abby kept walking. “But this might just be that situation. Muns already has another key and he may be set to gain a third. But with this sphere, we can find out who has been attacking and tranquilizing people in the middle of the night. And who has Coach Adonavich’s key.”

  “Do you think we should ask your grandpa to see if this is a good idea?” Carol asked.

  Abby stopped. “He’s probably already thought of it and done it, but he wants us to act for ourselves. He wants us to learn. And I want that. I want . . .” She paused. “I need to see for myself.”

  Carol and Derick looked at each other. “I think I do too,” Derick said. “Someone I really respect has been accused and is locked up. If we notice something Grandpa didn’t, we may be able to prove he is innocent.”

  Carol eventually nodded. They continued on to the room with the large metal tree-looking Bridge and approached the console.

  Derick placed his key. “Let’s find the right time first and then we’ll put in the sphere.”

  “But we can’t,” Abby responded. “We can’t even search within the last fifty years until the sphere is in.”

  “Good point,” Derick said. “When should I search?” They spoke together and decided to start at the beginning—when Dr. Mackleprank and Ms. Entrese were first attacked.

  Derick moved his sphere just above the keyhole. One key and one sphere, that should do it. Once again, it began to glow. Just as Grandpa had said, an arm emerged from the Bridge and collected the sphere. When it was inside the Bridge, Derick began scrolling through the dates. There were no limitations. He found the entry for a few early mornings before and selected Ms. Entrese’s English room.

  The other half of the basement became a class Abby had sat in many times. Ms. Entrese entered wearing a black dress and shoes. She hurried to her desk and began to typing on her rings. She must have been getting ready for the day.

  The lights went out in the English room and the hallway outside.

  Abby heard Ms. Entrese gasp as a man entered.

  “You startled me,” she said. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes,” he answered. Abby looked at him closely, trying to make out any features. But his hoodie was over his eyes and it was quite dark. It was only by the residual light from down the hall that Abby could see anything at all. “Muns sent me.” Abby didn’t recognize the voice.

  Ms. Entrese stood from her chair, pressing it back like Abby had imagined. The man circled around. “I have a message.”

  “Well I have a message for you,” Ms. Entrese said, her voice sharp. “You can tell him that what he is doing is dangerous and wrong. And I will tell you that you are a fool for following him. You will one day regret all this. I’m glad I chose to fight against him. It was right. And no matter what happens here, I still stand behind my decision.”

  Chills ran through Abby. How could she be so brave and bold in such a terrifying situation?

  The man hesitated for a moment. Why? Was he doubting? Then he stood up straighter. “Your words will do nothing for you.”

  “They aren’t just words,” Ms. Entrese said, unflinching.
/>   The man pulled a straw out from his jacket and loaded the other end. A dart. “Muns sends the message that this is a very fitting way to take you out of the picture. You would understand if you only knew more about me.”

  And in the next instant, the man blew and Ms. Entrese fell to the floor.

  “What did that mean?” Abby asked. “If only she knew more about him?”

  “No time,” Derick said. “We have to see Dr. Mackleprank before we start putting too much pressure on the Bridge.”

  He selected earlier in the night.

  The other half of the basement turned to a teacher’s apartment. After the lights had been out for a while, the intruder appeared and latched his device to the door. Within a few seconds he unlatched it then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Once in Mackleprank’s room, the man quickly blew a dart. Mackleprank lay in bed, and didn’t flinch as the dart hit his skin. There was no talk. No struggle. No fight. It was hard to believe when Dr. Mackleprank could kick like a ninja.

  Then the man turned on the lights and searched the entire room, throwing objects across the ground. He was fast, and then he left the room and ran up the hall.

  The Bridge started to tremble.

  “Stop it,” Abby said. “Pull your sphere.”

  “Almost. I need to see if there are any other clues. He’s innocent.” Derick fast-forwarded.

  They saw him get up in the morning and touch his neck. He looked at it in the mirror. He called Grandpa on his rings and spoke with him. They watched as he went to his first class.

  “Derick,” Abby said. “Now.”

  The Bridge trembled again.

  Derick was just about to stop it when he saw Dr. Mackleprank put on the sensors and enter a lab booth to control an avatar. He was going to demonstrate for the class.

  “I can see his movement in the lab itself with this,” Derick said to himself. Because the labs had no windows, no one could watch the person inside. Derick couldn’t resist the chance to see the master at work.

  The Bridge trembled again.

  “Now.”

  “Yeah, Derick,” Carol agreed. “The most important invention in history is starting to freak out a little. I think we should try to take care of it.” Derick didn’t respond. Dr. Mackleprank locked the door and then leaned against the side. And then he fell asleep.

  What?

  Derick changed the perspective to where the avatar was in the adjoining room, just as Abby pulled out the key. The image of time stopped and the Bridge calmed.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” Abby said. “Grandpa trusts you.”

  “Did you see that?” Derick asked, his eyes still wide.

  “Yeah,” Carol said. “He’s a terrible teacher. He just went into the lab to sleep.”

  “But the avatar moved.” Derick pointed where the image had been. “If Dr. Mackleprank was sleeping, who was controlling it?”

  • • •

  “I’m sorry, Abby,” Grandpa said. “I cannot meet right now. I am extremely busy.”

  “Just a couple of quick questions, Grandpa,” Abby pleaded.

  “Okay, but make them quick.”

  Abby looked at her grandpa through her rings. “First, I found the answer to my question. Well, Derick actually finished it and Carol helped out.”

  Grandpa gave a tired smile. “You are amazing young people.”

  “Thanks,” Abby said. “We used the sphere to search the attacks.”

  Grandpa’s face suddenly changed, then softened again. “I suppose if ever there was a time, it was this. I have also searched them.”

  “We thought you might have, but I just had to look,” Abby admitted. “We only saw the first two attacks.”

  Grandpa rubbed his chin. “The others are even more perplexing. No one approaches the door. With no lights and some sort of heat distractors messing up our night vision, we cannot make out a thing. And there’s a low hum that keeps us from hearing anything.”

  “Are the Trinhouses and Mackleprank innocent?” Abby asked.

  Grandpa nodded. “Yes, they are. At least there is no evidence against them.”

  “But we stumbled onto something about Dr. Mackleprank,” Abby said. “When he went into a lab he didn’t hook up. He fell asleep and somehow the avatar still worked. Who was controlling it?”

  Grandpa looked at her, his eyes unblinking. “Another great question, Abby.”

  “And do I have to go through another series before finding out who it is?” Abby asked.

  “No. Well, at least I won’t ask you to. If you want an answer to that question, you will need to ask Rafa.”

  • • •

  Abby, Carol, and Derick met up with Rafa in the avatar lab. The Brazilian looked up at his friends. “It’s good to see you, but we only have a few minutes before we have to get to our rooms.”

  “Yeah,” Derick said. “And I think the two of us are rooming together now.” He scratched his neck. It wasn’t going to be easy to bring this up.

  Carol looked at Rafa. “This might get really uncomfortable,” Carol said. “Well, I’ve heard I make people uncomfortable a lot, like I’m too expressive, too forward, and too hyper, but that’s not what I’m talking about. We’ve got to ask you a difficult question—like crazy mysterious difficult.”

  Rafa looked at Derick. “I didn’t tell them anything,” Derick responded.

  “Oh, you two have manly secrets,” Carol teased, eyeing Derick, then Rafa. “Well, Abby and I have a bunch of secrets too. Like—”

  Abby interrupted. “Why does Dr. Mackleprank look like he’s sleeping when he’s controlling an avatar?”

  Rafa’s mouth fell open.

  Silence.

  “How did you know that?” Rafa finally asked. “There’s no security camera in the booth he uses.”

  “Why isn’t there?” Abby asked.

  Rafa closed his eyes and then opened them. “I don’t know if I should tell you.”

  “Our grandpa said we would have to ask you,” Abby said. “You are the only one who can tell us.”

  Rafa moved back and forth. He ran his fingers through his hair several times. “I just—this—” Rafa breathed out and back in. He looked at each of the three students intensely. “Do you promise to tell no one? No one? Ever?”

  They all agreed.

  “I trust you, and I trust your grandfather, but I don’t know that I trust anyone else.” He paused. “And this means the world to me.”

  No one said a thing.

  Rafa spoke again. “Dr. Mackleprank is not who you think he is.”

  “What do you mean?” Derick asked.

  Rafa rubbed his eyebrows then looked up again. “Do you remember when I said that your grandfather once did a great kindness for me and my family?” He looked at Derick, then proceeded to tell the girls what he had told Derick earlier. “You see, my mother is the principal inventor of the avatars.”

  “That explains why you’re so good at them,” Carol said.

  Rafa nodded. “I’ve been able to experiment with them all of my life. Your grandfather came in at a certain time and really helped my mother with major breakthroughs in the process. Without him, you would not feel what the avatar felt, nor would they be as quick to react. In short, they would only be very lifelike robots.”

  “And that is how Grandpa helped you?”

  “That is only part of it. You see, there is a great potential in avatars. They could be used to learn, as they are here, or they could be used for very destructive purposes. They could be spies. You could substitute someone real for a simple avatar. The possibilities are endless.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, even before the avatars were announced, some . . . groups found out about them. They wanted the avatars for their own purposes. At first, it was all friendly, but it soon became very dangerous.” Rafa exhaled and gripped his hands together. “And from there, your grandfather helped my mother go into hiding. She has been safe and sound ever since.”

&n
bsp; Pride swelled within Derick. Grandpa had truly helped her greatly. But then he had a question. “I don’t get it. What does the story about your mother have to do with Dr. Mackleprank?”

  Rafa just looked at them. “Think about it.”

  “Okay? I’m not coming up with anything,” Abby said.

  “Of all the places in the world,” Rafa stretched out his arms, “the one where my mother would like to be is here, with me.”

  “But she can’t because she’s in hiding,” Derick added.

  “Unless she happened to be a great inventor,” Rafa said. “Of avatars.”

  “No!” Abby said in disbelief.

  Derick gasped. “Dr. Mackleprank is an avatar! There are human avatars! And he’s really your mother?”

  28

  Waiting

  No way no way no way,” Carol said, jumping up and down. “That is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard! Crazier than watching all of the Little Elvis in Space series all in one day, or crazier than giving up ice cream, and crazier than eating one of those, like, octopus appetizers. Oh, they are so slimy and gross. This is like 700,000 times crazier than that.”

  “Wait,” Derick said. “So that is why Dr. Mackleprank looked like he was sleeping in the avatar room, because your mother had to leave him as an avatar and go into the other avatar.”

  “And she controls all of them from somewhere in hiding,” Carol added. “Still so crazy.”

  Rafa nodded. “Yes, avatar signals can go around the world.”

  “But Dr. Mackleprank has been tranquilized twice. How do you tranquilize an avatar?” Abby asked.

  “You can’t,” Derick answered.

  “Obviously the dart wouldn’t make her pass out,” Rafa said. “My mother had to fake it. Once someone tranquilized her, she could hardly just keep moving like nothing had happened. Someone would find out her secret. Plus, both times she was attacked, she was out of the Mackleprank avatar at the time. The first time, she didn’t even realize she had been attacked until she reentered the avatar and felt a pain in her neck. The second time, she didn’t realize until she got the message from your grandpa,” Rafa pointed at the twins, “telling her to go to the basement. When she came back into Dr. Mackleprank, she felt the dart.”