“After you, then,” Monti said.
Harley led them through a bank of steam. “By the way,” he said as they walked past the shooting range. “Your freeze ray is still jamming.”
“I’ll add it to the list,” Monti said.
ONCE MORE INTO THE PAST
Natalia blinked as the first rays of sunshine poured through the blinds. She stretched as she looked around the hospital room. It still smelled like a spring garden, even though some of the flowers were starting to droop while others had lost their petals.
The days were starting to bleed together, but Natalia was scheduled to go home this week, so her spirits were high. She pulled back her sheets, threw her legs over the side of the bed, and then slid into her fuzzy slippers.
Natalia stretched once more, rising to her tiptoes before walking over to raise the blinds. Then she went to work, trimming the flowers with a pair of scissors she found in the nurses’ closet. Natalia hummed a tune as she went from vase to vase, stopping to read each card along the way.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Just a minute,” Natalia said. She kicked off her slippers and jumped back under her sheets, doing her best to look exhausted.
“What’s going on in here?” Raven asked as she walked into the room.
“Sorry. I thought you were my nurse. I’m not supposed to get out of bed without supervision.”
“Then why did you get out of bed?”
“Because I’m fine, see?” Natalia said, bending the arm that had been hurt. “I don’t know why I’m still here.”
Raven shrugged. “What do doctors and nurses know, right? I mean, it’s not like they went to years of school or anything.”
“Okay, I get the point,” Natalia said.
Raven plopped into the chair next to Natalia’s bed. “Have you read any more of Windham’s books?”
“I’ve tried, but they’re kind of…”
“Boring?”
“You could say that,” Natalia said. “He spends as much time talking about his brilliance as he does about time travel. I did a search using my DE Tablet, but there wasn’t much we didn’t already know.”
“How about Paragon Engines?”
“Oh, there’s all kinds of information out there,” Natalia said. “Of course, most of it is garbage. You can even download blueprints that show you how to make a Paragon Engine using stuff that you can buy at a hardware store.”
“I bet the Toad brothers already tried it.”
“Probably.”
“So what’s next?”
“I have some homework that I need to finish,” Natalia said. “After that I might try another one of Windham’s books. I’m afraid it’s going to put me to sleep, though.”
“Good luck.”
Natalia glanced over at the door before turning back to Raven. “Did you bring it?”
“Yeah.” Raven reached into her purse to pull out a bundle wrapped in cloth and tied with a string. Once she unwrapped it, Natalia could see the worn leather cover that had once protected Otto Von Strife’s journal.
“Perfect,” Natalia said. She threw her blanket to the side before sitting cross-legged on her bed to make room for Raven.
“Do you still think Smoke is right about Von Strife?”
“I never said he was right,” Natalia said. “I just think there’s more to what’s going on than we know. I mean, what if Von Strife is doing all these terrible things, but he really thinks that he’s helping people?”
“That just makes him a lunatic,” Raven said.
“Maybe he just misses his daughter.”
“If you think he’s such a great guy, why don’t you ask the parents of all those missing kids what they think? I’m sure they’d have an opinion.”
“Look, I’m not trying to justify what he’s done,” Natalia said. She paused, biting her lower lip as she contemplated what to say next. Raven’s friendship meant a lot to Natalia, and she didn’t want to push her away. “It’s just that… I don’t know. If we can uncover Von Strife’s motivation, maybe we can stop him before he hurts anyone else.”
Raven sighed. “I still say he’s a nut job, but since I’m already here…” She tossed the journal cover onto the bed, closed the blinds, and locked the door. Then she sat down at the foot of the bed and placed her hand on what was left of Von Strife’s journal.
“Okay, we have to be missing something,” Natalia said. “He has to mention where he sent Sophia.”
“It’s called the Shadowlands,” Raven said, though Natalia ignored the sarcasm.
“You might be right,” Natalia said, “but we need proof. I mean, what if he sent her to a parallel world where they have the technology that could save her life?”
“Let’s just get this over with,” Raven said. “If I’m late for first period, Nipkin is going to put me in detention for the rest of the year.”
“The nurse isn’t supposed to be here for another half hour, so we should be okay.”
“What about Brooke?” Raven asked. “Are you sure that she won’t be upset if we do this without her?”
“We’re fine,” Natalia said, placing her hand on top of Raven’s.
The hospital room faded as Von Strife’s study came into view. A haunting melody played from the phonograph on his desk as Von Strife gazed into what looked like a Paragon Engine that was the size of a large monitor. He was taking notes with a fountain pen, occasionally stopping to adjust some of the knobs on the machine.
“I’ve heard that song before,” Natalia said, “but I’m not sure what it is.”
“I think it’s Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto number one,” Raven said.
“Wait, how did you know that?”
“I grew up on that kind of music. My mom’s a composer.”
“That’s amazing,” Natalia said.
“I guess,” Raven said with little enthusiasm. “Now shhh…”
The door opened and a clockwork researcher stepped into the office and saw Von Strife. “Sir,” the clockwork said, “you have studied nearly a thousand worlds. The odds of finding Sophia are—”
“Thank you, but I have no interest in the odds,” Von Strife said. His eyes never left the machine in front of him.
“Why is that?”
“One day you’ll understand that nothing can come between a father and his child. Not mathematics. Not even physics.”
“My apologies, sir.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Von Strife said. “You were merely trying to help.”
“Thank you, sir,” the clockwork said. “May I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“What will happen once you find Sophia?”
“I’ll go to her.”
“Will you take us with you?”
“That’s the plan.”
“What of the Templar?”
Von Strife sighed and massaged his forehead. “They’ll pay for what they have done, but all in due time.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
“No, Johnny,” Von Strife said. “You may go.”
“Wait, did he just call that clockwork Johnny?” Raven asked.
“I thought we were supposed to stop talking,” Natalia said.
“As you wish,” the clockwork said.
When it turned to leave, Natalia saw the name JOHNNY GEIST engraved on its chest.
“You know who that is, don’t you?” Natalia asked.
“The first changeling who went missing,” Raven said.
Once the door was closed, Von Strife sat up and cocked his head as though he was listening for something. “Who’s there?” he asked.
No one responded.
Von Strife slid his chair back and stood up. He walked over to look behind the door, and then he checked the space behind his desk. “I know you’re there,” he said. “Show yourself.”
Still nothing.
He spun around on his heels before looking up. Natalia could feel his ey
es boring into her. “Who are you?” he asked. “What do you want?”
“I think he’s talking about us,” Natalia said. “But he couldn’t be…”
There was a flash of light as the girls were ejected from the scene. Natalia’s head slammed against the wall. Raven flew off the bed and slid across the floor and into the dresser. The impact sent Ernie’s carnations crashing to the ground. The vase shattered, covering the floor in tiny shards of glass.
“Are you okay?” Natalia asked.
Raven struggled to stand. “I think so. What about you?”
“I’m going to have another headache, but I’m fine.”
There was a knock on the door before someone tried to turn the doorknob. “Is everything okay in there?” the nurse asked. “Natalia?”
“Oh. Um… just a minute,” Natalia said as she stood up. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “What should I tell her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Natalia,” the nurse said, “what’s going on?”
“I’ll be right there.” Natalia went to hand Raven the cover to the journal.
“No way,” Raven said. “I’m not touching that thing.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?”
“You can burn it for all I care.”
“Has that ever happened before?” Natalia asked.
“Never.”
“How do you think he saw us?”
“All I know is that this is over our heads.” Raven grabbed her purse before opening the door and storming past the surprised nurse.
The nurse surveyed the mess on the floor with an open mouth. “What happened?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
FROM BAD TO WORSE
Natalia hid the cover of Von Strife’s journal under her bed, but after a restless night filled with dreams of Von Strife experimenting on helpless changelings, she decided to keep it in her backpack on the other side of the room.
It didn’t stop the nightmares. That Von Strife had somehow seen them through Raven’s vision was terrifying. As long as she had visitors, Natalia was fine. The moment she was alone, panic set in. However, the bigger problem was explaining everything to her parents.
As would be expected, they were ready to take Natalia out of Iron Bridge Academy, and all of Templar society for that matter. In their estimation, the dangers were too great and the costs were too high.
“We don’t want to lose you,” her father said one morning at the hospital a few days after Natalia woke up. He was looking down at Natalia through square-framed glasses that couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes. Reaching over, he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
“I know,” Natalia said, grabbing him by the hand, “but running away from all of this isn’t going to change anything. The world is a scary place, and you and Mom can’t save me from that. If you take me out of Iron Bridge, it’s only going to make things worse. I mean, they’re teaching us how to fight against things the real world can’t even comprehend. Besides, I was chosen to do this. Don’t you want me to be prepared?”
Her father reached up to wipe a stray tear and sighed. “Of course we do,” he said. “We’re just not sure that this is the best way. Look at you. You have a black eye, you suffered a concussion, and the doctor had to use twenty stitches to close up that cut.”
“But, Daddy, I survived,” Natalia said, sitting up. “Look, as strange as this may sound, I think we were called into this for a reason, and I don’t want to stop. I can’t stop. I want to protect you and Mom and our whole family, and I won’t be able to do that if I leave.”
Mr. Romanov scratched at what little of the auburn hair remained on his scalp. Then he stood up, shook his head, and smiled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but okay.”
“I can stay?” Natalia couldn’t hide her shock.
“I’ll talk to your mother about this, but I have a feeling she isn’t going to be happy. Either way, there’re going to be some conditions,” he said, trying to sound stern but failing miserably. He couldn’t help but sound proud. “No more joyrides in flying cars. In fact, I don’t want you in flying cars at all.”
“Agreed.”
“And other than your classes, I don’t want you coming into this city.”
“Wait, you mean New Victoria?”
“Yes.”
Natalia was about to protest, but she decided against it. After all, considering everything that had happened, Natalia knew that she was lucky. She didn’t think there would be a chance that she’d be able to stay, and her father wasn’t asking for much.
He’d been sleeping on an uncomfortable cot in her room every night since the accident, while Natalia’s mother stayed with her sister, Katarina, at their house. It was a sacrifice. After all, Mr. Romanov was a tall man, and his legs were far too long for the cot. Yet he never complained, not once.
Instead, he stayed up half the night trying to catch up on paperwork that he’d neglected in order to spend more time with Natalia. Occasionally he’d leave to pick up something at his office, but only if Brooke or someone else was there to keep Natalia company.
When Doc Trimble finally signed her release papers, Natalia wasn’t sure what to do with the cover of Von Strife’s journal. Her first thought was to tie it to a rock and throw it to the bottom of Lake Avalon. She figured it couldn’t harm anyone from there.
Still, despite the fact that it gave her nightmares, the journal had proved useful so far. As much as the thought of traveling back inside its memories terrified her, Natalia knew that the journal cover might come in handy down the line. She decided to hide it in the records room inside the school library. Natalia was fairly certain she was the only person who went in there, besides Mrs. Prosser, the head librarian.
Ernie had told his parents that he needed to stay after school to work on a project. Instead, he ended up outside Obadiah Strange’s office. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
“Come in.”
Ernie found Strange standing as he stared at several maps strewn across his desk. An antique phonograph played classical music as a fire crackled in the hearth nearby. There was ash on the floor, likely from the stack of papers that were burning atop the logs.
“I thought you were someone else,” Strange said, looking up.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Nonsense. Please, have a seat.” Strange pointed to the leather chairs in front of his desk, took a deep draft of tea, and joined Ernie.
“What are all the maps for?”
“Your field test,” Strange said. “We’ll use the jump station to transport here.” He pointed to a clearing in the middle of an enormous forest on one of the maps. He slid his finger to a dark area that looked like it might be a hill. “And this is where we should find the Schrödinger Box.”
“What does that thing do again?”
“Theoretically, it will ensure that you’re not torn apart when you travel from one universe to another.”
“How do you know it’s still there?”
“I don’t,” Strange said.
Ernie stood up and walked over to a shelf where he had spotted some tin soldiers next to a small box. They were lined up as though they were in a battle. Some stood with rifles aimed, while others rode on horseback. Then he saw tin clockworks scattered among the soldiers. There was even a suit of Mark Four armor just like the one Harley had worn.
“Where did you get these?” he asked as he picked the armor up.
“They were a gift from a man by the name of Wilhelm the First,” Strange said.
“Was he a king or something?”
“Yes, for a time.”
“What’s this?” Ernie asked. He set the tin armor down and touched the box.
“Please be careful, it’s quite delicate.”
Ernie unfastened the latch and pushed the lid back to reveal a porcelain ballerina that started to pirouette as music played. “Natalia has one of these.”
“Many young g
irls do,” Strange said.
“Then why do you have one?”
“Let’s just say it has sentimental value,” Strange said, walking over to shut the lid. He clasped the lock and turned back to Ernie. “Now tell me, what brings you here at this late hour? Are you out of our special brew?”
“I think I have enough,” Ernie said, referring to the dragon dung tea that was supposed to stunt the changeling transformation from human to faerie.
“Since you don’t have a tail just yet, I’d say it must be working.”
“I guess.”
“Is something troubling you?”
“I’ve been thinking,” Ernie said after a moment. “You know how you can travel through time?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Strange said.
“Do you already know what’s going to happen?”
“What do you mean?” Strange walked over to his desk and sat down. He motioned for Ernie to do the same.
“If you already know what’s going to happen, you could tell us how to save Hale.”
“I’m afraid that my gift doesn’t work that way.”
“Why not?”
“It’s true that because of my changeling gift I travel back to a certain point in time if I die, but there’s a twist…. It’s never the same world.”
“Like Mars?”
Strange sighed. “No, Mr. Tweeny. Though that would simplify things. I’m referring to an alternate universe that may resemble our own, but it’s quite different.”
“Oh, you mean like in comic books where there’s a thousand versions of Superman on a thousand different Earths?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Does that mean there’s more than one of me?”
“More than likely.”
Ernie sat there trying to grasp the concept, but it wasn’t easy. “So what would happen if I met another version of myself? Would the world explode or something?”
“I hope not,” Strange said, laughing.
“Do you think there’s another version of me here right now?”
“I’d say the odds are against you, but more peculiar things have happened.”
Ernie sighed. “I wish I could go to another Earth right now.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because everyone at school thinks that I’m helping Otto Von Strife kidnap the changelings. You know, just like Smoke did.”
Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #2: The Relic Hunters Page 17