Mission to the Moon

by Mark Cheverton

  “Weaver, climb,” he said.

  “I can’t reach the top,” Weaver replied.

  Digger grabbed the boy’s ankles, then shoved him upward with all his strength, propelling him toward the edge of the ravine. The boy sailed into the air as if he were wearing a jet pack. He tumbled onto the sandy desert floor, safely out of the fissure. Quickly, Weaver extended a hand down for Gameknight. The ground shook again, causing the fissure to open even wider. Blocks of sand and stone fell into the river of lava that now filled the bottom of the crevasse.

  “Gameknight, you’re next,” Digger said.

  “But how will you get up?” Gameknight asked.

  His friend moved close, his big green eyes filled with sadness.

  “I’m not important,” the big NPC replied.

  “NO! I won’t leave you here.”

  “I want my Topper back. The pain and guilt is too much; I can’t bear it anymore. But if you get Weaver back into the past, then the timeline will be repaired, and Topper won’t have to die. You must do this for me. You must get Weaver back where he belongs.”

  His deep voice lowered to barely a whisper. Tears flowed from his eyes.

  “Please … I’m begging you. Bring back my Topper.”

  The ground shook again, this time more violently.

  Gameknight sighed. “Okay.”

  Digger grabbed him by the waist and tossed him up onto his shoulders. The stocky NPC then shoved him up so that the User-that-is-not-a-user was standing on his shoulders.

  “Gameknight, take my hand,” Weaver said.

  The user looked down at his friend one last time.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get Weaver back.”

  “Thank you,” Digger replied. “You have always been like a brother to me. Now go!”

  Digger shoved him into the air with every ounce of strength, sending him flying as he did Weaver. Gameknight landed atop Weaver in a tangle of arms and legs. Before them, the diamond portal hummed with power, a silvery light splashing down upon them.

  Gameknight stood, then yanked Weaver to his feet. The ground shook again, causing more rifts to open across the Overworld, as if a giant were slashing away at the landscape with a razor-sharp knife.

  “We have to go … now!” Gameknight exclaimed.

  “What if this doesn’t work?”

  “Ahh … I don’t know, but we have no choice.”

  The two companions moved to the portal and dove through the silvery opening, just as the Overworld groaned one more time, then fell away as if it were being eaten by some gigantic monster, the entire landscape disappearing into the void.

  CHAPTER 37

  THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

  A wall of heat slammed into Gameknight999. Sweat rained down his forehead and seeped into his eyes. It stung and made it difficult to see.

  “Gameknight, get up before they see you,” Weaver said in a low voice.

  In a flash, he realized where he was; it was the Nether, and this was the end of the Great Zombie Invasion. Jumping to his feet, he moved around behind the portal. In the distance, he could see Notch floating in the air over the Netherrack plain, the great lava ocean boiling nearby. All of the villagers were gone. A few zombie-pigmen shuffled about, searching for the thing that would change them back to their original form. Gameknight knew they would never find it, for it was their punishment for the violence they had brought down upon Minecraft.

  “We need to destroy this portal before anyone spots it,” Gameknight said. “But I lost my diamond pickaxe; I have nothing to destroy it with.”

  “I can take care of it, I think,” Weaver said. He pulled the Ichorium pickaxe from his inventory and swung it with all his might. The softly glowing tool dug into the diamond blocks that ringed the portal. As soon as one block was destroyed, the shining membrane that filled the center instantly winked out.

  “Keep going,” Gameknight said. Weaver continued to dig, destroying each of the glacial-blue cubes until they were all destroyed.

  “What should we do with the blocks?” the young boy asked.

  “Well … you use them to help others,” Gameknight said.

  “What about this?” Weaver asked, holding out the Ichorium pickaxe.

  “You know you can’t keep it.”

  The young boy sighed. “I know, but you can’t believe how easy it is to dig with it.”

  “Weaver, no one has ever seen anything like that. Keeping it will alter the timeline.”

  “I knowwww …” the boy moaned.

  Holding the pick high in the air, he threw it into the lava ocean. It hit the molten stone and made a splop sort of sound, then sank under its glowing surface.

  “You remember where the portal is located that will get you back to the Overworld from here?” Gameknight asked.

  Weaver nodded.

  “You know, you can’t tell anyone about any of this.”

  “I know,” Weaver replied. “Don’t worry, I can keep a secret. In fact, I’ve been keeping an even bigger secret about what someone thinks about you for a while now. So, you see … I can keep a secret.”

  Gameknight was about to ask what the secret was, but the young boy raised his hand and held it in front of his friend’s square face.

  “Talk to the hand,” he said with a smile.

  Just then, there was a clap of thunder. Bolts of lightning stabbed at the landscape of the Nether; Minecraft’s designer, Notch, was likely resetting some aspect of the game.

  “It’s safe for you to go now,” Gameknight said.

  “Will I see you again?” Weaver asked.

  “Well … I don’t know, for sure,” Gameknight said. “My father’s invention, the Digitizer, brought me here once. Maybe it will do it again.”

  Weaver nodded, trying to appear strong, but moisture began to form in the corners of his eyes.

  “You need to take care of everyone in Smithy’s village. There are lots of important people there who will be critical to the defeat of Herobrine in the future. You know I can’t tell you who or why—just make sure everyone stays safe.”

  “I can do that, Gameknight … ahhh … I mean Smithy.”

  Weaver turned and started heading up the Netherrack hill to the portal that had brought them here so long ago, but then stopped. He turned and gave Gameknight one last gaze.

  “I’ll never forget our time together and the things you’ve taught me,” the boy said, a tear streaming down his cheek for a moment before it evaporated in the heat of the Nether. “You can be sure I’ll be watching for your return, Gameknight999. Maybe our time together isn’t over … yet.”

  Then Weaver turned, sprinted up the hill, and was gone.

  I hope he keeps these secrets, Gameknight thought as he watched him run from sight. If he tells anything about their adventures, it could do incalculable damage to the timeline.

  But Gameknight knew all he could do is trust his friend and hope for the best. With a sigh, the User-that-is-not-a-user wiped tears from his eyes. He’d been through so much just to get back here. He felt as if he’d gone full circle. He’d helped to defeat Herobrine in the past and in the present. He’d stopped Herobrine’s monster kings, and finally prevented Entity303 from destroying Minecraft. There was a feeling of completeness to his adventure. Maybe the threats to Minecraft were finally gone. A zombie pigman moaned nearby. It almost felt reassuring if all they had to worry about was zombie pigmen. He had a good feeling that Minecraft was going to be all right.

  Gameknight breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his keyboard and imagined himself typing the word EXIT. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a ball of white light. It felt as if daggers of ice were stabbing at him, while at the same time he was on fire. The heat and cold grew more intense until he thought he might perish … and then a blanket of darkness wrapped around him, causing him to lose all sense of touch or sound or sight. It was as if he was adrift in a starless section of outer space.

  Then Gameknight999 vanished from
Minecraft.

  CHAPTER 38

  HOME

  Tommy woke with a start. His head pounded, not because he’d hit it on the table when he’d been drawn into Minecraft, and not because of any effect from the Digitizer. It was likely because of all the pain and sorrow and fear and loss of this last adventure.

  He thought about the last time he’d seen his friends. Digger had been standing on that lone block of stone, trapped in the ravine that was slowly crumbling apart. Gameknight had left all of his friends in that damaged timeline, each in mortal peril. Sadness swept through him as he glanced around at the safety of his cluttered basement.

  “I hope you’re okay, my friend,” he said softly, a tear trickling down his cheek.

  As he sat up, Tommy noticed his cheek was wet; he’d drooled again. He always seemed to do that when he was using the Digitizer to go into Minecraft. Using a tissue, he mopped up the moisture, then looked up at his screen.

  “I have to see if they’re all right. I have to see if the timeline has been fixed.”

  Quickly, Tommy logged back into Minecraft, then flipped the switch on the Digitizer. Instantly, a buzzing sound filled the basement. It grew louder and louder. Then the beam hit him, filling his body with the all-too-familiar feeling of fire and ice. The room seemed to spin around him, making Tommy feel dizzy. It spun faster and faster, then slowly collapsed, as if he were being sucked down a drain.

  Suddenly, he was back … Gameknight was back in Minecraft. He’d appeared near a waterfall that streamed down from a rocky outcropping high overhead. It splashed into a small pool, the spray from the water coating his face with a fine mist.

  He was definitely back.

  Running to the side of the mountain, he punched the dirt blocks where he’d originally hidden his hidey-hole when he had first arrived in Minecraft. The blocks shattered, revealing torchlight from within. Gameknight smiled. He broke the other blocks and ran into the base. He found his furnace and chests right where they should have been. Throwing open the wooden box, he grabbed some iron armor, some arrows, a bow and a sword, then took off. He sprinted across the landscape toward the village he knew lay hidden behind the hills and trees.

  The sun was high in the sky, but he was still worried about monsters. When he’d been in the past, the zombies and skeletons could walk about in broad daylight. That experience had him still a little nervous. Fortunately, he didn’t hear any monsters nearby … maybe daytime wasn’t monster time in this Minecraft? That would be a very good sign.

  Gameknight sped across the terrain, not slowing for anything. He could feel his pulse pounding through his veins and his heart thumping in his chest. A faint whisper of fear floated about in the back of his mind. It wasn’t fear of zombies or spiders. It wasn’t fear of Herobrine or anyone else. It wasn’t a fear of any creature he might find in Minecraft; it was a fear of whom he might not find.

  “I hope you’re OK, Digger,” Gameknight said to himself. “It was wrong to leave you in the ravine. I’ll never forgive myself if you were hurt … or worse.”

  He didn’t want even to consider what might have happened to him.

  “Hunter and Stitcher … last time I saw you, both of you were holding back a huge group of spiders with Herder at your side,” Gameknight said as he swerved around an oak tree—a nice, normal looking oak tree, he noticed. He smiled as the smallest bit of apprehension seemed to evaporate from the looming specter of fear that had taken up residence in the back of his mind.

  “And Crafter, you were holding off the monsters of the desert with Entity303 and the Oracle. I hope you’re all okay.”

  As he dove through the diamond portal, Gameknight had thought he saw the entire world being torn apart; all of his friends would have died in that catastrophe. His blood turned cold when he imagined them suffering.

  “No … they must be okay! I won’t consider any other possibility. I put Weaver back into the past. We must have repaired the timeline.”

  Unless Weaver told of their adventures and changed the timeline again, he thought.

  The fear in the back of his mind slowly took bites out of his courage, making his legs feel weak.

  “No, I refuse to consider the what-ifs!” he growled.

  Gameknight sprinted up a grassy hill, his nerves stretched to the limit. Crafter’s village would be just on the other side. When he crested that peak, would he see what he hoped was there, or would he find death and destruction? Would he find Minecraft completely reset, and his friends converted back to just mindless pieces of code?

  He slowed to a walk as he approached the top of the hill, almost afraid to peer over the peak. But he knew he had to see; he owed it to his friends. Moving to the peak, the User-that-is-not-a-user closed his eyes until he felt the east-to-west breeze on his cheeks, which meant the hill was no longer shielding him from the wind. He knew he was at the top. All he had to do was look.

  Slowly, he opened his eyes and gazed down on the landscape. His heart skipped a beat.

  The view below was stunning in its beauty. A tall cobblestone wall surrounded the community, a soaring stone watch tower standing guard over the village. Next to the village was Gameknight’s own obsidian castle, the tall rectangular keep surrounded by circular walls.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user smiled … so far, so good.

  He sprinted down the hill and across the grassy plain, yelling at the top of his lungs.

  “The User-that-is-not-a-user is here,” one of the guards shouted. “Open the gates!”

  The iron doors swung open as he approached. His boots thumped as he crossed the wooden bridge that spanned the deep, watery moat. Gameknight shot through the doors and began yelling.

  “Crafter, Digger … where are you? Hunter, Stitcher, Herder … come quick!”

  This put the village into a panic. Warriors ran to the walls, and archers filled the towers as cavalry found their mounts and assembled around the village well.

  “What’s going on?” Hunter yelled as she ran to him. “Are we under attack?”

  A whistle pierced the air. Suddenly, Herder and his wolves appeared, the animals’ eyes glowing red; they were ready for battle.

  Crafter ran to him, with Stitcher at his side. Gameknight looked at all of them and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You’re all okay?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.

  “Why wouldn’t we be OK?” Hunter asked.

  “Where’s Digger?” Gameknight asked frantically. “I don’t see Digger. Where is he? Where is he?”

  “I’m over here,” a voice boomed from behind.

  The stocky NPC emerged from the blacksmith’s shop with his son, Filler, at his side. Villagers began filing out of their homes and shops, surrounding the companions, wanting to hear the discussion.

  “Digger, you’re okay … I’m so relieved. You have no idea what I’ve been through … but … where’s Topper? I don’t see Topper! Where’s Topper … WHERE’S TOPPER?!”

  Suddenly, a child shot out from behind the village well and dove at Gameknight999. The girl barreled into him, wrapping tiny arms and legs around his iron armor.

  “Gameknight … you’re home!” a young voice said.

  Instantly, the User-that-is-not-a-user recognized the voice.

  “Topper, it’s you! Oh, I can’t believe it, you’re all right. I’m so happy. I’m just so happy!”

  Gameknight wept tears of joy as he hugged Topper with all his strength, then scooped up her twin, Filler, and hugged them tight. He glanced at Digger and gave him a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

  “I’m so glad you’re all alive.”

  “Gameknight, what is going on?” Crafter asked. “You’re acting really weird.”

  He carefully put the children on the ground, then turned to face his friends.

  “You won’t believe what happened. I went back in time to the Great Zombie Invasion. I met your great ancestor Weaver, and helped them to battle Herobrine just after the Awakening. And then a user, Enti
ty303, messed everything up when he kidnapped Weaver and brought him into the future … well, I mean the present, but it already happened, so I guess it’s the past, but … I don’t know, it’s very confusing. I’m sure none of you believe me. But anyways, we finally rescued Weaver and sent him back into his past. I told him to not tell anyone about this so that the timeline would remain unchanged, and it seems he kept his word.”

  “Well …” Crafter said with a smile.

  “Well … what?” Gameknight asked.

  “We believe you,” Stitcher said, grinning.

  “Why are you all smiling?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked. “What’s going on?”

  “We believe you because Weaver … well, he sort of told people about it,” Crafter said. “He wrote it down a hundred years ago. All of the villagers know, and have known for a long time.”

  “What?” Gameknight asked. “That can’t be … none of you said anything, I mean, if you’d known, then …”

  “Smithy be crazy, that’s for sure,” Hunter said with a smile, then broke out laughing.

  “Smithy be crazy …” another villager said, followed by, “Smithy of the Two-swords be totally crazy.”

  The villagers laughed and patted him on the back, many of them hugging him and continuing to laugh.

  “It was actually Crafter who figured it out,” Stitcher said. “He found a book written by Weaver in a stronghold library. It explained the whole thing.”

  Gameknight turned and faced his friend. Crafter looked embarrassed and a little afraid.

  “You knew?”

  Crafter nodded. “I couldn’t say anything and risk having you make a different decision; we couldn’t damage your timeline. He cleverly hid the information in a book that I accidently found.”

  “How could he do that?” the User-that-is-not-a-user growled. “I told him to keep this a secret. He even told me he was good at keeping secrets, but he ended up telling it anyway.”