Jay immediately slumps his shoulders in relief. "That was close. Real close. You did very well, young mister Heller!"
"So the Causality Neutrino is still running wild?" you ask. "I thought it ended with the large loop test.
Jay shakes his head as he leads you back into the Control Room. "Unfortunately not. But we will discuss that later. Now that we have the CS Rifle, let's go get Penny."
Turn your attention to Penny ON PAGE 29
153
Sneak Peek
Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere!
You are TYLER PAULSEN, rookie hiker, camper, and all-around nice guy. In fact, this happens to be your first camping trip ever. You might even be enjoying yourself... that is if you weren't alone, and so deep in the remote wilderness!
You've spent the better part of the day on this rocky, uncomfortable ridge, staring down into the snowy clearing below. So far, not much has happened. There have been no lights, no sounds... nothing but the constant crackle of your roaring fire. The heat feels good against your back as you crunch down on another bite of granola bar. If only you weren't so thoroughly bored.
The envelopes started arriving more than a year ago. Always blank and with no return address, they came stamped with strange postmarks from all over the world. At first they turned up intermittently and you brushed them off. Then they arrived once a month, until finally, several times each week.
The contents were always the same: a single piece of odd vellum paper. On each, the same set of coordinates, the same date, and two bold words:
COME ALONE
Well that date is finally today. And right now? The GPS on your phone tells you you're staring down at the exact spot of those coordinates.
I hope this isn't a joke, you think to yourself. The very thought forces you to look around for maybe the hundredth time. But as you scan the tree-line, it occurs to you that you really have no enemies. And your friends? Well to be honest, none of them are interesting enough to actually pull something like this off.
Besides, watching you sit uneventfully on some cold mountain ridge would be a pretty boring payoff. Especially for such a long con.
No, there has to be a reason for all this. Something important. Something someone went through a tremendous amount of trouble for.
154
Suddenly you feel something. A vibration at first, then a rumble. Your teeth chatter together as the ground begins trembling violently beneath you. The tremors go on for a long moment, driving you from nervous to uncomfortable to outright frightened.
You drop to one knee, reaching for something to steady yourself. Then, just as suddenly as it started, everything comes to an abrupt halt. When you look up again you have the odd sensation that you're still moving, but you soon realize it's only the trees continuing to sway from the aftershock.
An earthquake?
You've never been through one before. You have nothing to compare it to, really. Nothing to say whether--
Your mouth drops open. Down below, the clearing is no longer empty. Impossibly, where there was nothing only moments ago? A gigantic, reaching wall of stone stands before you.
It's tremendous. Ugly. The base of it disappears somewhere in the valley below your campsite. The top is flung high into the mountain mist, lost to the sky.
It's more of a tower, you realize, than a wall. The structure has a definite shape and form to it, but in many places it also doesn't. You find yourself wondering who would design such a thing, and why. But those questions pale in comparison to the even bigger mystery:
How in the world did it get here?
You glance down at your watch. It's nearly dusk. The tower -- or whatever it is -- stands silhouetted against the dying light. You blink a few times and rub your eyes. Nothing changes. It's still there.
Your foot takes a step forward on its own. The movement is alarming but at the same time it makes you want to laugh. An enormous, hideous-looking tower just erupted into existence seemingly from out of nowhere. And you're actually thinking of checking it out?
As if in answer, the ground rumbles again. Just an aftershock, you think. Or maybe something else... An invitation?
The sky seems to darken with every passing second. You pull out the latest envelope and stare down at the paper. The writing hasn't changed. It says the same thing as always.
This is the day.
This is the time.
This is the place.
If you're going to explore the tower, you'd better get moving.
155
The hill is steep. Carefully you pick your way downward, crunching through the thin layer of snow while trying to maintain even footing. As you get lower, the tower seems to loom even taller before you. The sheer enormity of it is intimidating.
This is too dangerous, you think to yourself. You should turn back. But then you think about all the letters, and all the waiting. All the trouble you took to backpack your way out here, and all the time you spent sitting around, staring at the clearing.
Besides, the tower invited you. Or more accurately, someone inside the tower likely did. How could it be dangerous after sending all those letters? That makes sense, right?
Sure it does.
Up ahead, the ground levels out. As you get closer to the structure, you notice a strange mist has formed near the base. It's all grey, and thick, and more than a little foreboding. As you stare into it, it seems to roll and churn with a life of its own.
"Hello?" you call out. Your voice is all but swallowed by the mist. "HELLO?"
Silence answers. You open your mouth to call again, but suddenly feel silly. Maybe if you got a little closer someone would hear you. You're still a long distance away, maybe as much as half a mile. With all the fog it's hard to tell.
I should probably go back and get my things, you think. In your rush down the hillside, you forgot to bring anything with you. No food, no water, not even your utility knife. You feel a little foolish.
As you turn around however, a shudder runs through you. The swirling grey mist has closed in behind you. It envelops you now, blocking your exit. Surrounding you in every direction.
Every direction except straight ahead...
156
You walk slowly, allowing the mist to prod you gently toward the jagged tower. It's getting colder, darker. You miss your campsite, and especially, your fire.
I'm invited, you keep telling yourself. The words are meant to console you, but for some reason you still doubt them. I was told to come here. You glance up at the gargantuan stone megalith, looking for answers. It stares impassively down at you, neither menacing nor welcoming.
All around you the air is still, silent. You're standing squarely in the shadow of the tower now. Up ahead, the mist parts in two possible directions. To the left you see a small clearing -- an opening in the fog. On your right you see the edge of a forest, preceded by a twisted, gnarled tree. Both ways still lead forward, in the direction you have to go. Okay, it's time to choose!
Which way will you go when you explore...
The
Tower
Of
Never There
About the Authors
David Kristoph lives in Virginia with his wonderful wife and two not-quite German Shepherds. He's a fantastic reader, great videogamer, good chess player, average cyclist, and mediocre runner. He's also a member of the Planetary Society, patron of StarTalk Radio, amateur astronomer and general space enthusiast. He writes mostly Science Fiction and Fantasy. www.DavidKristoph.com
Danny McAleese started writing fantasy fiction during the golden age of Dungeons & Dragons, way back in the heady, adventure-filled days of the 1980's. His short stories, The Exit, and Momentum, made him the Grand Prize winner of Blizzard Entertainment's 2011 Global Fiction Writing contest.
He currently lives in NY, along with his wife, four children, three dogs, and a whole lot of chaos. www.dannymcaleese.com
Notes
Notes
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David Kristoph, The Strange Physics of the Heidelberg Laboratory (Ultimate Ending Book 6)
The Strange Physics of the Heidelberg Laboratory (Ultimate Ending Book 6) Page 15