The End of Infinity

by Matt Myklusch

  “Just make sure you come back,” Allegra said, giving Jack a punch in the arm.

  “Take it easy. I will, I promise.”

  “I mean it, Jack.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jack told Allegra. “I have to come back to school. Roka—” Jack stopped himself. “I mean Dad is big on that. I’ve already missed a whole year. This is just a vacation.”

  “A space-pirate who’s big on school,” Jazen said, scratching his head. “Who’d have thought that?”

  “I told you . . . ,” Roka said, exiting the ship.

  Jazen laughed. “I know, I know . . . you prefer adventurer or entrepreneur. Fair enough. I think adventurer fits the both of you. Never a dull moment with this one,” he said, pointing to Jack.

  “A chip off the old block,” Roka said. He patted Jack on the back. “What do you say, kid? Ready to hit it?”

  Jack looked back and forth between Roka and his friends. He was ready, and at the same time, he wasn’t.

  “Go on,” Skerren told him. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

  Jack gave his friends each a hug and started toward the ship. “I hope you’re not leaving without saying good-bye,” a voice called out as a bright light flared up in the darkness. Jack held up a hand and blinked through the glare. Once the light faded away, he saw Stendeval standing in between him and the ship.

  Jack shook his head with a smile. “No good-byes. That’s not what this is.”

  Stendeval smiled back. “Fair enough. You won’t object if I merely wish you Godspeed on your journey?”

  “I think I can live with that.” Jack felt Roka’s hand on his shoulder.

  “Take your time, Jack. I’ll wait for you on the ship.” Roka nodded toward Stendeval as he passed him en route to the launchpad. “Stendeval.”

  “Solomon,” Stendeval said, returning the nod. He watched Roka disappear into the ship. “He’s a good man, your father.”

  “Yeah, he is,” Jack said. “Did you know he was my father when you sent him to break me out?”

  Stendeval made a noncommittal noise. “Sometimes we need to simply let things run their course and trust they will turn out for the best. I find that when people like yourself are involved, they often do.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Jack said. “You never gave me a real answer. All this time, you never once doubted me. Never. What made you so sure? How did you know?”

  “Because I know you, Jack. I watched you a long time. Longer than you know. I watched you grow up in that orphanage and saw a young man who refused to sink into despair, even as the world around him sank day by dreary day.”

  “Did you really have to put me in such an awful place?”

  Stendeval shrugged. “I believe I did. To keep you safe and prepare you for the struggles that lay ahead, I did what I had to do. I know it was a hard life, but there are far worse places than St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost. You spent the last year of your life in one of them.” Jack couldn’t deny that. Stendeval waved his hands, dismissing the matter. “Besides, I knew you could handle it. I had proof that you were capable of great things. In another life, some version of you fought the Rüstov, lost, and still battled his way across time to change everything. And succeeded, I might add! Everything that you survived, everything you were put through at such a young age, is what made you the person you are. That’s what I placed my faith in.”

  A smile formed on Jack’s lips. “I’m just glad it’s over.”

  Stendeval shook his head. “Nothing is over, Jack. Enjoy this time. You deserve it. Just don’t be gone too long. It’s always been my experience that the world never stays ‘saved’ for very long.”

  Jack nodded. “I believe it. Don’t worry. This place . . . this is home. I’ll always come back.” He took a few steps toward the ship but stopped a few feet from the main hatch.

  “What is it?” Stendeval asked him. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” Jack said. “It’s just . . . I don’t know. It’s crazy. I haven’t felt like this in so long. Not ever, really.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Like I’m free. Right now I don’t know what to do with myself. I finally got past the future, and for the first time in forever, I don’t know what happens next.”

  Stendeval laughed. He put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and nudged him toward the open door. “Don’t worry, Jack. No one does. No one ever does.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I keep putting the Jack Blank books next to each other and staring at them. Actually, that’s not true. At the time of this writing, The End of Infinity has yet to come out, so I took an advance copy of its cover and wrapped it around a copy of book two so I could see what they all look like together. I’m staring at that. I can’t help myself. It’s hard to believe all three books are finished. I wrote the first one four years ago, entirely on spec (no book deal, no agent). Back then, getting even part of Jack’s story published was a long shot. I was very careful to end things in a way that gave the reader closure, but still left the door open for more . . . just in case. I’m so grateful that things worked out the way they did and I was able to complete this trilogy. I hope you enjoyed the ride. There are a few people I need to thank for making the trip possible.

  First off, there’s my wife. My beautiful wife, who makes all my insane dreams a reality. The love and support she gives to me and to our family is one thing, but there’s also the fact that, for whatever reason, I just can’t seem to get good writing done when she’s not around. She’s my muse, and I love her for that and so much more.

  I have to thank my mom and dad for the inspiration they gave me, probably without ever knowing it. Let’s face it, using an orphan as your main character in a book like this is pretty common, but for me Jack’s story is very personal because my dad was an orphan. He was raised by his foster family, which was not a term that was ever used in my house. He was raised by his family. My mom and dad taught me what that word really meant, and I learned early on that it was about a lot more than blood. On top of that, I have to say that my dad is a lot like Jack in that he has zero “quit” in him. Jack was named for my son, but there is a lot of my dad in there too.

  Speaking of my kids, I want to thank my two boys for keeping me young, keeping me crazy, and keeping me laughing every day.

  No acknowledgments page would be complete without mention of my agent, Chris Richman, who was the first person to take a chance on Jack Blank. Thanks again, Chris.

  Then there is my brilliant editor, Liesa Abrams, whose faith and support allowed me to tell this whole story, and whose keen insights helped me make it the best it could be. Thank you, Liesa!

  Additional thanks is owed to Annie Berger, whose input on the later drafts of this book was invaluable. Thank you to Stephanie Evans Biggins, the tireless copyeditor who catches all my mistakes and makes my words talk real good. Also to Karin Paprocki, the talented art director, and Owen Richardson, the amazing artist responsible for this book’s cover. Thanks to Bethany Buck, Mara Anastas, Paul Crichton, Anna McKean, and everyone at Aladdin. Please forgive me if I’m leaving anyone out! (I’m sure that I am.)

  Finally, I want to thank you, the reader, one more time. Thanks for buying into Jack’s story and sticking around to see how it turned out. I hope you were satisfied with the end . . . for now, anyway. You’re all invited to join me on the next adventure. When that will be, I can’t say, but some time in the near future. Like Stendeval always tells Jack, “The future isn’t written.”

  Don’t worry, I’m writing as fast as I can.

  AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH © 2010 BY REBECCA MYKLUSCH

  Matt Myklusch has been obsessed with comic books and superheroes since he was five years old. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and family, where he is hard at work on his next book.

  Jacket designed by Karin Paprocki

  Jacket illustration copyright © 2012 by Owen Richardson

  ALADDIN

  SIM
ON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

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  First Aladdin hardcover edition August 2012

  Copyright © 2012 by Matt Myklusch

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Designed by Karin Paprocki and Karina Granda

  The text of this book was set in Goudy Old Style Regular.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Myklusch, Matt.

  The end of infinity / by Matt Myklusch. — 1st Aladdin hardcover ed.

  p. cm. — (A Jack Blank adventure; bk. 3)

  Summary: “Ever since Jack Blank learned that he came from the amazing country of the Imagine Nation, he’s known that his fate could go down two very different paths—he could either be the greatest hero the world has ever known, or its greatest villain. Now the final battle is here, and it’s time for Jack to discover the direction of his destiny.”—Provided by publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-4169-9567-8

  ISBN 978-1-4169-9569-2 (eBook)

  [1. Superheroes—Fiction. 2. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 3. Virus diseases—Fiction. 4. Identity—Fiction. 5. Fantasy.] I. Title.

  PZ7.M994End 2012 [Fic]—dc23 2012000861