The Never War tpa-3

by D. J. MacHale

  Bobby didn’t take the guy’s hand.

  “I remember now,” Bobby said to him. “I mean, I remember the story from my grandfather. Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course,” the old man said while dropping his hand.

  “My grandfather told me about the first time he saw you. It was in a cave off a subway station in the Bronx.”

  Nelson dropped his head. “I’ve tried to forget that,” he said.

  “Yeah, well, try to remember,” Bobby said sharply. “What were you doing there?”

  The old guy squinted, trying to bring back the memories. “What I remember doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. There were three of us. Me and my partner, Tony, and a third guy. A strange fella. Real persuasive, if I remember. He wasn’t part of the gang very long.”

  Bobby figured this must have been Saint Dane.

  “This guy brought us to that cave with the tunnel,” Nelson continued. “He walked up to the tunnel and said something. What was it? Oh, right. I think it was Clorox…you know, like the bleach.”

  Bobby knew exactly what was said. It was Saint Dane, all right, and he had said”Cloral.”

  “Then the damnedest thing happened. The tunnel started lighting up like the Fourth of July. The guy told Tony to take his tommygun and shoot into the tunnel. Tony was a wild guy. He didn’t have to be convinced to shoot his gun at anything, so he shot right into the lights. A second later, the lights went out. None of it made any sense.”

  It made sense to Bobby though. Those were the bullets that were fired through the flume and killed Uncle Press.

  Nelson continued. “Then the guy took off. He told us to stay there for a while and if anybody came through that tunnel, to scare ‘em and tell ‘em to stay away from Winn Farrow. Does that answer your question?”

  “Almost,” Bobby said. “So you’re telling me it was your partner who fired the gun into the tunnel? It wasn’t you?” Bobby asked.

  “Not a chance,” he said adamantly. “I remember that very clear. I didn’t see the point. Tony fired the gun.”

  Bobby took a breath, then held out his hand and said, “Then on behalf of my grandfather, I’ll accept your thanks.”

  The old man shook Bobby’s hand. It was a shake that was as strong and sure as if he were twenty years old. Bobby saw the joy in his eyes because in some small way, he was able to thank the man who saved his life. Of course, the guy would never know that he was actually shaking the hand of the real guy, not his grandson.

  “Thank you,” Nelson said. “Thank you so much.”

  He let go of Bobby’s hand and started back for the car, when he remembered something.

  “Oh, one more thing,” he said. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small package, wrapped in brown paper. “This is something I wanted to give to your grandfather as a small token of my gratitude. I’m sorry I never got it to him, but I hope you will appreciate it.”

  “Thanks. I’m sure I will,” Bobby said graciously.

  Nelson handed the package to Bobby, then looked at Gunny. “Mr. Van Dyke,” Nelson called. “Do you need a lift back into the city?”

  “I do, Mr. Nelson,” Gunny answered. “Can I have a few moments?”

  “Take all the time you need,” answered Nelson, and walked back to his car, where his driver helped him get inside.

  Bobby walked back to the others. They’d heard the whole conversation.

  “Unbelievable!” Mark said.

  “What did he give you?” Courtney asked.

  Bobby looked to Gunny. Gunny had a big smile on his face. “Open it,” he said.

  Bobby shrugged and tore at the brown paper. “It doesn’t look very old,” he said.

  “It isn’t,” Gunny said. “I only got it yesterday.”

  Bobby laughed. Of course. Yesterday Gunny was back in 1937. Bobby pulled off all the brown paper to reveal a small, square black box. He looked at Gunny. Gunny winked. Bobby opened it and…

  “Oh, man!” Mark yelled with surprise.

  Courtney laughed.

  Gunny said, “Now you know why I came all the way here to get you this.”

  Bobby couldn’t believe his eyes. Sitting in the box was his ring-his Traveler ring.

  “He told me he got it back from his partner after the guy took the fall from the tower,” Gunny explained. “He figured getting it back to you was the least he could do, seeing as you saved his life and all.”

  “Excellent,” Courtney said. “We’re back in business.”

  Now Bobby could send his journals back to Mark and Courtney the old-fashioned way. Bobby couldn’t stop smiling. In some ways, things had come full circle. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it on his finger. As soon as he did, the ring began to twitch. Bobby held his hand out quickly.

  “What’s the matter?” Mark asked.

  “It…it’s activating,” Bobby said.

  “Really? You mean there’s a gate around here?” Courtney asked.

  The answer came quickly. The gray stone in the ring began to glow, then sparkle. A second later a single beam of light shot from the ring, projecting an image in front of them. There, floating in the air before them, was a girl. Actually, it was a girl’s head. She had blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore small, yellow-tinted glasses.

  “Whoa,” said Courtney.

  “Yeah, whoa,” added Mark.

  “Aja Killian,” whispered Bobby in shock.

  “Who?” Gunny asked.

  “The Traveler from Veelox.”

  “Where have you been?” demanded Aja’s image. “I’ve been trying to contact you for ages!”

  “Long story,” Bobby answered.

  “I don’t want to hear it, Pendragon.” Aja shot back. “You’d better get back to Veelox.”

  “Why?” Bobby asked.

  “I’m not saying I made a mistake,” Aja’s head explained. “This may be a total false alarm, but-“

  “Just say it!” demanded Bobby.

  “All right!” Aja snapped. “Saint Dane may have slipped through my security system. He is here on Veelox.”

  Bobby smiled and said, “You’re telling me your perfect security system isn’t all that perfect?”

  “Are you coming or not?” Aja snapped angrily.

  “On my way,” Bobby answered.

  “Don’t take your time,” Aja said snottily. Her image shot back into Bobby’s ring and everything went back to normal.

  “Well,” said Courtney. “That was… strange.”

  “I guess I’m going to Veelox,” Bobby said. Then looked to Gunny and asked, “Want to come?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Gunny answered with a smile. “We’ll have Mr. Nelson drop us off in the Bronx.”

  Bobby turned to face Mark and Courtney. “This has been the best week of my life,” Bobby said sincerely.

  Courtney then walked up to Bobby and before he realized what was happening, she grabbed him and planted a serious kiss on him. Bobby didn’t mind. Once the shock was over, he wrapped his arms around Courtney and held her close.

  Kissing Courtney was even better than he remembered.

  Mark and Gunny turned away, totally embarrassed. “So?” Gunny asked Mark. “How ‘bout them Yankees?”

  Courtney and Bobby finally unlocked lips. Bobby’s eyes were a little watery, but Courtney’s gaze was razor sharp.

  “Let’s not wait another year before the next one, okay?” she said.

  “Uh…sure. Sounds good,” Bobby said, trying to keep his knees from buckling.

  Mark and Courtney each gave Gunny a hug, and the two Travelers started for the limo.

  “Remember what we talked about, okay?” Mark called to Bobby.

  “I will,” Bobby said.

  As he and Gunny walked toward the car, Gunny asked, “How are you feeling, shorty? I mean…where is your head, you know, with things?”

  Bobby didn’t answer right away. He wanted to make sure he used the right words.

  “I feel
like Saint Dane got the better of me on First Earth,” Bobby said. “And I’m not gonna let it happen again.”

  Gunny chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Bobby asked.

  Gunny broke out in a big smile and said, “Shorty, you’re starting to sound just like your uncle.”

  Bobby smiled too. Then he and Gunny got into the back of the big car. Bobby opened the window so he could get one last look at his friends. As the car pulled away from the curb he put his arm out and waved to them.

  Mark and Courtney watched as the black limo picked up speed along the quiet street, with Bobby’s arm still out, waving.

  “What was it you guys talked about?” Courtney asked.

  “All sorts of things,” Mark said with a sly smile. “But I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll bet we’re going to see Bobby Pendragon again, a lot sooner than you think.”

  They looked back up at the departing limousine in time to see Bobby pull his arm back inside. The car turned onto the main road and disappeared.

  (TO BE CONTINUED)

  Bobby Pendragon slipped the heavy ring onto his finger, where it belonged. But no sooner wasit back in place when surprisingly, it began to twitch.

  “What’s the matter?” Mark Dimond asked.

  “It…it’s activating,” Bobby said with surprise.

  “Really? You mean there’s a gate around here?” Courtney Chetwynde asked.

  The gray stone in the center of the ring began to glow, then sparkle. A second later a sharp beam of light shot from its center. With a flash, the light blossomed into an image that hovered in front of the group.

  Mark and Courtney took a surprised step backward. Gunny Van Dyke stepped protectively in front of them. But Bobby held his ground. Of the four of them standing on the empty lot at 2 Linden Place, Second Earth, Bobby was the only one who had seen this particular phenomenon before.

  Floating before them was the image of a girl. Actually, it was a girl’s head. Just a head. It was bigger than life, but definitely a girl. She had blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore small, yellow-tinted glasses.

  “Whoa,” said Courtney in awe.

  “Yeah, whoa,” added Mark.

  “Aja Killian,” whispered Bobby.

  “Who?” Gunny asked.

  “The Traveler from Veelox.”

  “Where have you been?” the floating head demanded angrily. “I’ve been trying to contact you for ages!”

  “Long story,” Bobby answered.

  “I don’t want to hear it, Pendragon,” Aja’s head shot back. “You’d better get back to Veelox.”

  “Why?” Bobby asked.

  Aja-head hesitated. She looked nervous. Or at least as nervous as a 3-D floating head could look. “I’m not saying I made a mistake,” she explained with a touch of embarrassment. “This may be a total false alarm, but-“

  “Just say it!” Bobby shouted.

  “All right!” Aja snapped. “Saint Dane may have slipped through my security system. He is here on Veelox.”

  Bobby smiled and asked teasingly, “You’re telling me your perfect security system isn’t all that perfect?”

  “Are you coming or not?” Aja demanded. She didn’t like being challenged.

  “On my way,” Bobby answered.

  “Don’t take your time,” Aja said snottily. Then the image vanished. The beam of light shot back into the ring and all was normal.

  “Well,” said Courtney with a sigh. “That was… strange.”

  “I guess I’m going to Veelox,” Bobby said. Then looked to Gunny and asked, “Want to come?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Gunny answered with a smile.

  Bobby turned to face Mark and Courtney. “This has been the best week of my life,” he said sincerely.

  The three friends had just spent an excellent week together, forgetting for a short while that Bobby Pendragon was a Traveler who shot across the universe, protecting Halla from an evil demon. Mark was nearly in tears. Courtney wasn’t far behind. She walked up to Bobby and before he realized what was happening, she grabbed him and planted a serious kiss on his lips. Bobby didn’t fight it. Once the shock was over, he wrapped his arms around Courtney and held her close.

  Mark and Gunny turned away.

  “So?” Gunny asked Mark. “How ‘bout them Yankees?”

  When Courtney and Bobby finally unlocked lips, Bobby’s eyes were a little watery. But Courtney’s gaze was razor sharp.

  “Let’s not wait another year before the next one, okay?” she said.

  “Uh… sure. Sounds good,” Bobby replied, trying to keep his knees from buckling.

  Mark looked at Bobby, his best friend, and said, “Remember what we talked about, okay?”

  “I promise,” Bobby answered sincerely.

  Bobby and Gunny walked toward the street and the limousine that was waiting to take them to the Bronx, and the flume.

  “How are you feeling, shorty?” Gunny asked. “I mean…where is your head you know, with things?”

  “I feel like Saint Dane got the better of me on First Earth,” he answered thoughtfully. He then locked eyes with Gunny and said with total confidence, “And I’m not gonna let it happen again.”

  Gunny chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Bobby asked.

  “Shorty, you’re starting to sound just like your uncle Press.”

  Bobby smiled. He liked that. The two got into the back of the big car, the driver gunned the engine, and they were on their way. Mark and Courtney watched as the black limo picked up speed with Bobby’s hand still out the window, waving good-bye.

  “What was it you guys talked about?” Courtney asked Mark.

  “All sorts of things,” he said with a sly smile. “But I’ll tell you one thing: I’ll bet we’re going to see Bobby Pendragon again, a lot sooner than you think.”

  They took a last look at the departing limousine and saw Bobby pull his arm back inside. The car turned onto the main road and disappeared.

  Mark Dimond was ready for an adventure.

  He had spent the first fifteen years of his life on the sidelines, watching everybody else have all the fun. It was getting old. He was tired of being wallpaper, tired of being the brunt of geek jokes, andreallytired of wishing he was somebody else. Anybody else. But even Mark had to admit that it was going to be tough pulling himself out of the deep hole of dorkdom he had been digging since birth.

  When he was a baby, his parents barely let him out of the house because he was allergic to everything but air. In three years of Little League he got on base only once, because he was hit by a pitch that broke his glasses. Girls scared him, but that wasn’t much of a problem because most girls never looked at him twice anyway. They weren’t interested in a guy who constantly gnawed on carrots (to improve his vision), sat in the first row of class (because he had every correct answer, always), and had a stringy mop of hair that always looked like it should have been washed yesterday.

  No, Mark hadn’t exactly been living large. But now that he was fifteen, he was determined to make a change. He was ready to seize the day and kick start a new life filled with adventure and excitement. Why?

  Because he had a best buddy named Bobby Pendragon.

  They had been friends since kindergarten, though most people thought they were as different as east and west. Bobby was athletic and funny and people loved to be around him. Mark was quiet and tripped a lot. But that was just surface stuff.

  Mark and Bobby liked the same things, and not always the normal things that other kids thought were cool. They loved old Abbott and Costello movies, 80’s music, Thai food, and James Bond novels (not the movies, the original novels). They laughed at the same jokes. They started a band, but Bobby could barely play the guitar and Mark only had an ancient set of bongos. Neither could sing. They were terrible. They had a blast.

  They liked to fish in the small river that wound its way through their little town of Stony Brook, Connecticut. It didn’t matter that they hardly
ever caught anything. It was all about getting away for hours to just hang. Like most guys, they talked about girls and sports, and about what teachers they wanted vaporized. But they also talked about ideas, about traveling and seeing different places, and about the future.

  Each always seemed to know when the other needed encouragement, or a kick in the butt. For Bobby, Mark was the only guy he knew who thought outside the box. For Mark, Bobby was his lifeline to the rest of the world. Both knew that no matter what twists their lives took, they would always be best friends.

  What theyhadn’tknown was that during the winter of their fifteenth year, Bobby and his entire family would mysteriously disappear. A huge investigation by the local police turned up nothing. Literally. It was like the Pendragons had been magically erased from existence.

  But Mark knew the truth.

  He wasn’t sure what had happened to the rest of the Pendragon family, but he knew where Bobby had gone. He had left with his uncle, Press, to become a Traveler. Bobby Pendragon and his uncle had flown through a portal called a flume that took them to strange, distant territories where they joined with other Travelers to do battle against a demon named Saint Dane. In the year and a half since Bobby had left home, he helped prevent a medieval territory called Denduron from blowing itself up, halted the spread of a poison that would have wiped out the entire population of a water territory called Cloral, and traveled back in time to stop Nazi Germany from developing the world’s first atomic bomb.

  What was Mark doing while Bobby was defending humanity? Watching a lot of SpongeBob SquarePants. Yes, Mark was desperately ready for an adventure. He needed an adventure.

  He was about to get one.

  “Courtney!” Mark shouted.

  Courtney Chetwynde had just stepped off the school bus that brought her to the first day of classes at Davis Gregory High School. Courtney hated the bus, but school was too far from home to bike, and her parents wouldn’t let her ride in cars with the older kids yet. Courtney was the only other person who knew the truth about Bobby Pendragon. But unlike Mark, Bobby and Courtney had started out as rivals-athletic rivals. Courtney had done her best to beat Bobby’s butt at everything. It had been her way of covering up that she had an incredible crush on him.

  Now not a day went by where she didn’t think back to the night a year and a half ago when she finally admitted to Bobby that she liked him. That moment got better when Bobby told her that he liked her, too. It gotseriouslybetter when the two of them kissed. But it all went south when Bobby’s uncle Press showed up to break the magic and whisk him away on the back of a motorcycle to begin his life as a Traveler. If Courtney had one wish, it would be that she could wind back the clock to that night and stop Bobby from riding off with his uncle.