by Adam Frost
Danny looked back down at the Time Tablet. Something was clearly wrong with it. The Space Twister’s file should be inside the Grapeshot Hall folder. Danny wondered whether other people were in the house, too – hidden from the Time Tablet, invisible like the Space Twister.
It looked as if he’d have to find his remote without the Time Tablet’s help.
He was about to step into the entrance hall when his legs felt suddenly heavy. Something was pulling his feet into the ground. A distant memory leapt into his head. Once more, he remembered his duel with the Night Scientist, having to press Fast Forward when the Night Scientist pressed Rewind.
The Space Twister must be using the remote. Danny could feel time slowing to a stop. He remembered Grace Bingley and tried to fight it, tried to free himself from it. But then the sensation passed and life started again.
As he crept into the hallway and peered up the stairs, Danny could see what had happened. The Space Twister had pressed Pause while he smashed the other mirrors in the house.
Nearly every stair had broken glass on it. Danny crunched his way up the first six steps and craned his neck round. The landing was carpeted with shards of glass, too.
Danny knew he was being reckless, but he kept climbing the stairs, peering up, down and around.
He reached the landing and opened the first door he saw. It was a bedroom. There was broken glass on the carpet that the door pushed backwards as it opened. In the centre of the room, there was a four-poster bed that looked as if it had never been slept in. The next room was also a bedroom, then there was a study and a bathroom and a TV room.
Danny found another empty bedroom and sat down on a chair next to the window. There were two empty mirror frames next to him, with shattered glass underneath them. At the end of the room, opposite the bed, there was a large, brown mirror that hadn’t been broken.
Danny felt certain that the Space Twister – and the remote – had gone.
He pulled out his Time Tablet and took a deep breath. He should go back down to the basement and join the others. They would probably have found Roxie by now.
He touched the Time Tablet’s screen and quickly brought up the Grapeshot Hall folder again. He clicked on it, thinking that he’d open Mia or Eric’s file and find out where they were.
But, according to the Time Tablet, there was only one person in Grapeshot Hall. Daniel Danger. Danny gave the tablet a gentle shake. It seemed to be completely broken. First the Space Twister’s file had gone, now no Eric, Mia or Roxie.
Blimey, he’d only had it about two hours!
He wondered if anyone else was still showing up in the Tablet, or if it was just him.
He went back to the home screen and pondered for a few seconds, his fingers hovering over the screen. Then he clicked the search box and typed in his uncle’s name.
There he was. Charles Baker. So some people were missing, and some people weren’t.
He decided to quickly read the last few pages of his uncle’s file, to check that he was OK.
“Take the headphones off, Jasper,” shouted Charlie. “I need to talk to you.”
“Eh?” said Jasper, lifting the headphone off his left ear.
Charlie shot out another sky rope and hit a thick bank of cumulus clouds.
“We’re going to check out the Andante Caves,” said Charlie.
“What are you talking about?” said Jasper. “They’re in the Himalayas. Even higher than we are now.”
“I know, I’m going to have to swing us above the clouds,” said Uncle Charlie.
There was a pause. “You’re funny,” said Jasper.
“Don’t worry, it’ll work,” said Charlie. “And, anyway, what other choice do we have? We’ve looked everywhere else. Now, Danny, I hope you’re still reading. After you’ve visited Grace Bingley, go to Bambridge House in Dorset. It’s a stately home; its owner has hidden EUREKA! agents in the past. I’ll meet you there once I’ve found a crystal. We can talk about what Grace told you. You don’t have to remember everything, we’ll be able to read it all on your Time Tablet. Most importantly, stay with Roxie. You, Eric and Mia must never be alone. The Space Twister won’t think twice about striking you dead if you’re in his way. He’s spared you once, Danny. He won’t spare you again.”
Uncle Charlie looked up at the next cloud and then continued to talk.
“I repeat: stick together. DON’T try and find your remote. And DON’T approach the Space Twister. OK, Jasper, I’m pulling us above the clouds NOW…”
and … eat …
… Hello! … retired retired …
scampi … Leamington Spa … Roman noses … the … the … the …
Danny stared at the screen for a couple of seconds. The Time Tablet was clearly broken. There were a few more lines of gibberish, and then all the text vanished from the screen and a pop-up box declared: “File not found.”
Danny slid the Time Tablet into the back of his trousers and then looked out of the window.
His uncle needn’t have worried. Danny wasn’t about to approach the Space Twister. The Space Twister was probably halfway to America, or Australia, or Mars by now.
Danny thought about something else that his uncle had said: “You don’t have to remember everything, we’ll be able to read it all on your Time Tablet.”
Danny looked back into the room. He’d just had an idea. He realised that he could read about Grace Bingley’s early life on his Time Tablet. He could work out how she had twisted space. He could figure out how she had dropped out of time. He could imitate what she had done, beat the Space Twister and get his remote back. Unless his Time Tablet really was broken.
He’d get it out again and check.
Danny stood up and reached for the Time Tablet, but then sat back down again. He felt time slow down. He looked up and saw the Space Twister standing by the unbroken mirror at the end of the room.
“Danny Danger? You came for this?” he said, holding up the remote.
Danny stood absolutely still, fear in his eyes.
“It’s nice to see you again. You know, last time you came after the remote, you got much closer. I had to rewind so much time.”
“W-what do you mean?” said Danny, his voice trembling with terror.
“I mean, you actually had the remote in your hand. This is some time ago now, of course. It was all the fault of your uncle, and the robot that he gave your sister. Your little friend hacked into its factory settings and reprogrammed it so it could shoot multi-directional lasers. One of my ears was quite badly singed. Anyway, it was all very upsetting and I didn’t wish to repeat the experience. So I had to get the remote back, then press Rewind all the way to the moment that your uncle’s parcel arrived. I sent my men in and the parcel was pulverised. And then, sadly, I had to start all over again.”
“W-what do you mean, start again?” asked Danny, his voice still shaking.
“Well, at that point, I’d only robbed one or two banks. Bought three houses. And most importantly, I’d only just started my antiques’ collection. All of my vases, all of my jewellery – rewound back to the shops. I had to start my collection from scratch. All because of you!” The Space Twister was holding his face right up to Danny’s.
“If only I could kill you, but alas I can’t,” said the Space Twister. “Your blasted uncle again. All EUREKA! devices are tied to their owners. If the owner dies, the device shuts down. So inconvenient.”
The Space Twister took a step forward; Danny backed away.
“The one person on Earth that I’d most like to kill is the one person on Earth that I have to keep alive…”
At this, the Space Twister smiled a bitter smile and all the jewels in his mouth sparkled. He grabbed Danny’s chin and twisted it up and round.
“Talking of life and death, it’s interesting you should choose now to make your latest attempt to get the remote back,” said the Space Twister, “because I’m so close to a breakthrough, Daniel. So close. There’s a museum in New Delhi
that almost certainly contains the artifact that I’ve spent my whole life looking for.”
“What artifact?” said Danny, trying to pull his chin away from the Space Twister’s tight grip. “You’ve got the remote. What else do you need?”
The Space Twister chuckled. “You think this is about your useless gadget?” he said. “True, when I first stole it, I thought it would be the answer to all my prayers. I could pause time. I would never grow old. And if I did grow old, I could rewind myself and become young again. And so I had a happy few years, stealing money and generally having fun. But then I looked in the mirror. Were those grey hairs? And crow’s feet? Because the remote doesn’t stop us ageing, Danny. Time is rewound, but we are not. The remote removes us from time, but not from time’s effects.”
At that moment, Daniel forced himself to look more steadily at the Space Twister’s face. He recoiled in disbelief and horror. Danny suddenly realised why the Space Twister looked slightly different each time he appeared.
The Space Twister must have been pressing Pause for weeks at a time. He must have rewound years and years and lived them back again.
He had been a young man earlier in the day when he had first taken the remote. Now his eyes were bloodshot, his neck was wrinkled, he had brown spots on his temples. He looked twenty or thirty years older.
“If you ever get the remote back, which I doubt,” said the Space Twister, “then the same will happen to you. You see, every time you press Pause, time stops for your family and your friends. But it carries on for you. You’re probably already a few months older than them. Soon, it will be a year. Two years. Ten years.”
The Space Twister leaned back and looked at Danny. “So you see, Danny, the remote is useless. That is why I now spend my days looking for a very different gadget. Something that can make me forever young. Something that heals all scars.”
Danny looked at the deep scar that ran down the Space Twister’s face and tried not to shudder. “So – so,” he stammered, “if you think the remote is useless, just give it back to me.”
The Space Twister sighed. “Haven’t you been listening?” he said. “I think I’ve found the artifact, the one that brings eternal life. But I can hardly steal it without the remote, can I?”
“But you can twist space. You can pause time whenever you like. What do you need the remote for?”
“Ah yes,” said the Space Twister with a grin. The crystals in his teeth glittered more brightly than ever. “I was forgetting about that. You know, Daniel, perhaps I should tell you the truth about my space-twisting. I tell you what, if you join me, if you accompany me on my quest, then I will reveal everything. You too will twist space. You too will live forever.”
Danny gazed into the Space Twister’s burning eyes, one bright blue, one dark brown.
“N-no way,” said Danny. “How could we ever be friends? You haven’t twisted time, it’s twisted you!”
The Space Twister took a step backwards. “Well, there’s no need to be rude,” he said. “Ah well, never mind. I thought you of all people might understand why I wish to escape my life.”
He glanced at the time on the cosmic remote. “Your friends should be here in about ten seconds,” he said.
“My f-friends?” stammered Danny.
“Yes, they’ll be coming through this mirror here. It’s the only one left in the house. They’ve rescued that odd young woman in the basement. Now they think they’re rescuing you.”
The Space Twister tapped the mirror with the end of his cane. “I’ve never particularly liked this one. 1930s. Mock Tudor. I shall rather enjoy smashing it, to be honest.”
“No!” shouted Danny at the top of his voice.
Roxie, Mia and Eric leapt through the mirror. Roxie was holding her catapult. “Come on, Danny,” she said. “We’ve got to go.”
The Space Twister swung his cane and the mirror shattered into thousands of pieces. “My dear girl,” he said, “none of you are going anywhere.”
Roxie spun round and pulled back the elastic on her catapult.
The Space Twister smiled and arched one of his eyebrows. He pressed Pause.
Danny blinked. Before he had closed his eyes, he had been standing on a wooden floor, staring at the Space Twister’s pale, scarred face. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on his back in total darkness.
He put his hand down on the ground beside him. It felt like a rug or carpet.
He sat up and put his other hand out. He felt an arm. The arm didn’t move. Danny took a deep breath and squeezed it.
He heard Eric’s voice saying, “It can’t be time to get up yet.”
“Eric,” Danny hissed. “Eric.”
“Five minutes more,” said Eric.
“It’s not night time,” said Danny. “It wasn’t a dream.”
“Danny, is that you?” said another voice. It sounded like Mia.
“Mia? Where are you?” asked Danny.
“Over here,” said Mia’s voice.
Danny put his hand out.
“Ow, that’s my eye,” said Mia.
Mia’s hand shot out.
“That’s my ear you’re twisting,” said Danny.
“I can’t see, I can’t see!” exclaimed Eric. “Oh merciful heaven, please don’t let me be blind!”
“What are you talking about?” said Mia. “The lights are off, that’s all.”
“Yeah, er, I knew that,” stammered Eric. “I was, er, joking. Just keeping everyone’s spirits up.”
“Kids, are you OK?” said another voice.
“Roxie!” exclaimed Mia and Eric.
“Just be quiet till I get the lights on,” said Roxie. “Who knows what’s in here with us?”
This idea made Danny, Eric and Mia stop talking immediately. There were a couple of minutes of silence.
“Can you stop breathing, Eric?” whispered Mia. “It’s really noisy.”
“Only if you stop grinding your teeth,” said Eric. “It’s freaking me out.”
There was a crash and a roar. Danny, Mia and Eric gave a yelp of fear and clung on to each other tightly.
“Sorry,” Roxie whispered. “That was me. Knocked over a chair or something. Look, does anyone have a torch or a light source?”
Danny, Eric and Mia all patted their pockets.
“Hey,” said Danny, fumbling with his trousers, “I’ve still got the Time Tablet. That’ll give off some light.”
He turned it on and a solid beam of light cut through the darkness of the room. It shone on a wall of books. Danny swivelled the tablet round and it lit up a sink, a hob and a fridge. He tilted it to the left and saw shelves of cans, tins and jars.
“Hold it there, I can see a light switch,” said Roxie.
She released a pellet from her catapult, hit the switch, and three striplights flickered on, flooding the room with bright, white light.
“What is this place?” said Eric, his eyes wide.
The room was enormous. On the left-hand side, there was a kind of living room with bookshelves and a large sofa and a flat-screen TV. In front of them, there was a kitchen area, with tins of food stacked up on open shelves. To the right were six bunk beds, fully made up. Behind them, there was a lift and a wall full of buttons and gauges.
“OK,” said Roxie, “he could have done us in, but instead he’s put us here. Why?”
Eric ran over to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of peanuts from a shelf. “Honey roasted. Brilliant,” he said.
“He’s left us our gadgets too,” said Danny. “Mia, do you still have your Mirror Key?”
Mia felt in her pocket and nodded.
Roxie looked down at her catapult. “Yeah, that is a bit freaky,” she said. Then she looked up at the ceiling and across at the lift. “Unless he knows we’ll never get out of here,” she said.
She pointed her catapult straight up and released a pellet. It sank into the ceiling.
“Looks like titanium-tungsten. Strongest material known to man. Must be at least a metre
thick,” she said.
She aimed another pellet at the far wall. Again, it didn’t bounce off, but sank in and stopped.
“Walls are even thicker,” she said. “I’ve just realised what this place is. A bunker. A nuclear bunker. A lot of these old mansion houses have them. Built in the 1960s when everyone thought the Third World War was about to start. We’re probably about two hundred metres below the ground.”
Danny and Mia looked at each other.
Eric ambled over with a mouth full of peanuts. He threw a bag of crisps at Danny and one at Mia.
“Cheer up, folks,” he said. “They’ve got chocolate raisins.”
Danny quietly explained that they were in a nuclear bunker hundreds of metres underground.
“Seriously?” exclaimed Eric. “I’ve always wanted to go down in one of these!”
He ran over to the wall full of gauges.
“Wow, this must be where you monitor conditions on the surface. You know, see if it’s safe to come out. This blue one measures radioactivity. This red one measures temperature.”
He tripped across to the lift.
“And this must be the way back to the surface.”
He pressed a Call Lift button. It fell off the wall.
“Right. Yes. I see. Hmm.”
He picked up the phone that was mounted on the wall next to the lift. He listened for a couple of seconds, then put it down again.
“Oh,” he said.
There were a few moments of silence.
“This is all your fault, Danny,” said Mia. “I said we should stick together, but oh no, you had to go and get your remote.”
“You should have stuck with me!” said Danny. “We should have got the remote first.”
“Look, kids, since we’re going to have to live here FOREVER,” said Roxie, “let’s try and be friends.”
Danny took a deep breath and stared at his feet. Mia was right. It was his fault. He shouldn’t have gone off on his own. He shouldn’t have tried to take on the Space Twister. He should have listened to Uncle Charlie. He should have stuck with Roxie and rescued her first.