Inside the Galactarium the Spiral was spinning faster and faster. It was drawing the air up into its huge mouth. A bullet whizzed past Zeke’s ear. Doughty had given up on the Spiral and was aiming at the usherettes who were closing in on him. Every one he shot split into two more. Another had pinioned Magma’s arms behind his back as he wrestled against her. Trixie Cutter was grappling two of her own and losing the fight.
An usherette stepped out of the group holding the two boys and hurried back towards Zeke. As she was about to capture him he dodged around her. He stretched out his hands.
“HANG ON!”
Swallow and Park reached out. Even as the usherettes hauled the boys closer to the Spiral, Zeke locked his finger with theirs.
The silence of nowhere enveloped him. But this time it was different, this time something was wrong. He was stuck between dimensions. The weight of Swallow and Park was pulling him back to the Galactarium. Translocating himself was one thing, but the mass of two others was too much. The obvious answer was to let go.
“NO!” he grunted, every muscle in his body straining. His eyes crackled brighter than ever.
Think, think, think! Thought is the strongest power in the Universe—in any universe!
Something abruptly gave way. Zeke felt himself falling. With a thud he landed on the stone floor, and a split-second later, the two older boys tumbled on top of him.
“You’ve done it, bro!” Scuff whooped. “Let’s get out of here!”
Zeke sprung up.
Scuff saw the deep frown and burning eyes. He knew that look.
“Zeke no! Those villains aren’t worth it. Are you totally nuts?”
“Totally.” And he was gone.
He arrived in the Galactarium in the middle of a hurricane. The wind lifted him off the ground. He seized the back of a seat and desperately hung on.
Upside down he surveyed the scene. The air currents were howling around the room before rushing up into the Spiral’s mouth. The usherettes stood underneath, as one by one, they jumped and flew up into the orifice. The Spiral no longer needed them, the struggle was nearly over. Magma and Cutter were clinging onto seats too, their bodies flapping like flags. Doughty had wedged himself between the rows, and was weeping.
Magma lost his grip. He flew a few feet before catching Trixie’s legs.
“HELP ME”!” he wailed.
Trixie helped him. She kicked him in the chest with every ounce of her strength.
“No-o-o-o.” Once. Twice. With the third strike she dislodged him. Screaming uncontrollably Professor Tiberius Magma hurled through the room and up into the Spiral. For a brief moment he lodged in the hole. Then, with a last petrified look at Zeke, he was absorbed.
“If you can do it, so can I,” Trixie shouted. Her eyes burned in their sockets. She translocated and was gone.
It was only Zeke and Doughty now. The intensity of the winds increased with every moment.
“SAVE ME! PLEASE!” the Lieutenant sobbed.
There was nothing Zeke could do. There was no way he could overcome the cyclone and reach Doughty. But surely he had to try? His father would want him to do the right thing. Even if it meant never finding him.
“Leopold Doughty, I need you.” It was the Spiral.
Doughty’s face blanked. He stood up and raised his arms. “Yes, Sir.”
Doughty gusted around the Galactarium like a leaf in a wind tunnel. The Spiral snapped him from midair and gobbled him up. Now it turned its attention to Zeke.
“Zeke Hailey, I could show you wonderful things.”
“NO!” Zeke bellowed above the storm, clinging to the chair with every ounce of strength.
Translocate now! cried his inner voice.
“Don’t you want to see your father?”
Zeke’s grip faltered. His dad?
“Let me into your world and I’ll take you to him.”
“You’re lying. He’s hundreds of light years away.”
“Distance means nothing to me,” the Spiral replied casually. “Come, together we will find your father.”
“You’ll just eat me too!”
“I promise to spare you, and your father. After all, I’ll have so many others to enjoy.”
Zeke’s mind was as chaotic as the howling winds around him. Could it be true?” A dark thrill tingled his spine. A creature as immensely powerful as the Spiral, perhaps this was the only way to reach his father?
Zeke’s fingers began to slip. A few more seconds and he would be soaring through the Galactarium, just like the others.
“Your father is in danger, Zeke, but we will save him.”
The Spiral’s words were as sweet as honey. Zeke ached to believe them.
No, not this way! Better to lose Dad than release this monster!
His hold on the chair gave and he was tumbling through the air.
“NEVERRRRRR!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The Cavern again
“NEVERRRRRR!”
The blackness between atoms gave way to reality. Zeke was back in the cavern surrounded by his anxious classmates. The Dust Devil was approaching, covering several feet with each stride.
Zeke glanced back at the Galactarium doors.
“Quick, everyone, focus on the doors. Imagine them fading.”
The group joined hands.
“Even me?” Scuff asked.
“Especially you,” Zeke replied, trying to sound brave.
Their faces contorted as they pictured the doors vanishing. With one eye open Zeke watched the doors turn from solid to transparent. But at the same time he felt an incredible mental energy fight back. Something that dwarfed their intellects the way a planet dwarfs a football. The doors reappeared, warping and distorting like rubber.
Zeke screamed to the Dust Devil in Hesperian, “We must shut it off.”
The creature moved nearer and stretched out its arms, gesturing to join the circle. Zeke let go of Pin-mei and took the thing’s hand. It was like grabbing an electric sander. Pin-mei followed suit. She winced, looked at Zeke then steeled herself.
Six minds from Earth merged with a mind that was alien and ancient. Images and non-human thoughts flooded though Zeke’s brain cells. But Zeke ignored them, focusing ever harder on the Galactarium doors.
And quite suddenly the doors were gone.
Zeke stared at the vacant spot. “Can you tell what is happening inside the Infinity Trap?”
The living wind cocked its head on one side. “No.”
“Can it be opened from the inside?”
“No.”
Zeke rubbed his chin. “How can we make sure it never opens again?”
“Only one way. The Dthpzpii must cease.”
Zeke’s mouth dropped. “Why?”
“The Dthpzpii resonates with the Infinity Trap. Without the shared harmonic connection the Trap cannot engage with this universe.”
“How-how can you be ceased?”
“It is simple. By an order from the Old Ones.”
Oh that was simple enough. Too bad the Hesperians went extinct two billion years ago.
“You are an Old One.”
Zeke recoiled. The creature believed him to be Hesperian because he spoke their language. But to end its life? The responsibility was too much.
The Dust Devil sensed his dilemma. “The Dthpzpii is not alive. It is a machine.”
“A machine that thinks.”
“Less and less with each cycle of the planet. It is corroded. In time it will fail. Remember this. The makers wanted to seal the Infinity Trap.”
“So why didn’t they?”
“They died too soon.”
Zeke thought of all the information that the Dust Devil contained. All the answers it might provide. Then he recalled the look of terror on Snod’s face as the Spiral devoured him.
“I’m sorry, I have to give that order.”
“Your decision is good. The Dthpzpii is weary.”
The Dust Devil began to pick up spe
ed. The humanoid figure inside raised its arms aloft.
“NO! I DIDN’T MEAN NOW!”
The thing spun faster.
“Wait! What did the Spiral mean by the Age of-of—” Zeke desp-erately searched for the correct Hesperian word.
The Dust Devil was ahead of him. “Comets,” it said. “The Makers prophesised an Age of Comets.”
A blast of dust and air knocked everyone off their feet. Zeke sat up and glanced at five sand-coated faces. The Dthpzpii was gone.
~~~
They hiked along the bottom of the narrow, winding ravine in silence.
“What was that spiral thing?” Jimmy Swallow asked Zeke at last.
“I’ve no idea. Something from before the dawn of time.”
“There is no ‘before’ the dawn of time,” Scuff insisted.
“So how can we be sure we stopped it?” Swallow went on, wiping his right eye.
“We can’t,” Zeke said after a pause. He said to Pin-mei, “Was this the premonition you had in Lutz’s office?”
She shivered. “It’s hard to be sure. Maybe.”
“And Magma and the others? Are they dead?” Swallow continued.
Zeke gave him a weird look. “If they’re lucky.”
Swallow rubbed his eye vigorously. “When that dust creature went ka-boom, a few specks caught in my eye,” he said. “Itching like crazy now. Why didn’t you warn us it was about to blow up ?”
Yong-Ho Park, walking ahead, swivelled round sharply. “I think Hailey was a little preoccupied with defeating the Spiral. Kamsamnida, Mr Zeke, for saving us. Thank you.” He shook Zeke’s hand forcefully.
“Ja, you have the good point,” Kretzmer piped up from the rear. He reached out and shook Zeke’s hand too. Swallow slowly followed suit, his bad eye blinking and weeping.
“What I want to know is how you managed that feat of translocation,” Scuff said.
“Just came to me.”
“Yes, but you didn’t just shift from one point in space to another. You slipped between parallel universes. That’s impossible isn’t it?”
Zeke threw his friend an astonished look. “Really? Knimble did say that, didn’t he? Must have been the Infinity Trap.”
“Maybe it weakened the dimensional walls,” Scuff suggested knowingly.
“But when Hans and I tried to translocate nothing happened,” Swallow said jealously.
Zeke drew a deep breath. “Cutter got out though. It’s just one of those things. Be grateful we’re alive.”
They were nearing the mouth of the ravine.
“So Fraulein Cutter escaped?” Kretzmer asked.
Still rubbing his eyelid Swallow lifted his head. His one good eye glowed faintly.
“I can see her a few miles off, on the last working scooter.” Remote-viewing was his strength. “Practically standing on the accelerator, she is. Got two crocodile skin suitcases.”
Zeke grimaced. The orbs! Talk about falling into the wrong hands!
A shaft of light broke the gloom. One by one they stepped out of the shadows and into the fire-red sunset.
“Show me your eye.” Pin-mei said to Swallow, gently lowering his arm. It was puffy and sore. “That needs attention.”
“There’re first aid supplies on Doughty’s Bronto. If he left the door open,” Scuff remarked.
Swallow swung round. “What do you mean, if it’s open?”
“Don’t you know anything, the B in Bronto stands for biometric. The machine only works for Doughty. If it’s locked, we’ve had it.”
Swallow cursed. “How are we going to get back to the Chasm then?”
“Good question,” Zeke said, and began walking towards the dilapidated tents.
~~~
Fortunately the Bronto was open. Pin-mei dabbed Swallow’s injury with antiseptic. The others scoured the camp. Swallow was right about the scooters, they were all broken. There were no rescue beacons or anything else of use. The food supplies were enough to last three days and no more.
“Can’t you hack into the Bronto’s mainframe?” Zeke asked Scuff.
“Not without a separate memory file, like Albie for example. Too bad he went up in flames.”
The last embers of daylight flared in Zeke’s deep dark eyes. He dived into the Bronto and jumped out brandishing his backpack.
“What makes you think I’d leave Albie behind?” he cried happily, and fished out the silvery disc.
“Now we’re cooking, bro!”
Scuff grabbed Albie, disappearing inside the black hull.
“Pin, I nearly forgot,” Zeke said, rummaging through his pack. He pulled out a leather bound journal.
“The Beagle Research Station?” Pin-mei replied in a puzzled tone.
“Not that. This!”
Out came a grubby Mr Raffles.
“Goodness!” she exclaimed. “You brought him all this way for me?”
“Through thick and thin, he’s survived crash, fire, and blizzard!”
Pin-mei hugged her teddy. Then she hugged Zeke.
“Thank you to the power of a zillion, Zeke. You saved me. I knew you would.”
Zeke’s face turned cherry red. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Zeke, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Pin-mei said suddenly, with a sheepish look.
Zeke nodded for her to go on.
“Did your mother really drop a cartridge of nano-ink on your head?”
Zeke laughed out loud. He laughed like he hadn’t laughed in weeks. “Of course not, Pin, that’s Mum’s little joke! Blue hair is in my family’s genes. You know, like albinos are white. My Dad’s the same.”
“Oh, I see,” Pin replied, with a look that said she was none the wiser.
The Bronto engines roared into life.
“That was quick,” Pin-mei observed.
“Scuff might be a clumsy psychic,” Zeke said. “but he’s a wiz at computers.”
Buzzing with excitement everyone crowded onto the bridge. Scuff was looking rather pleased with himself. He puffed out his chest and said, “We’ll be in Tithonium Central in two days. We can buy fresh provisions and tell the authorities what happened. If we don’t get locked in a mental hospital it will be another three days to the Chasm.”
A volley of cheers resounded through the vehicle.
Scuff turned to the console. “Albie, full steam ahead.”
“Voice analysis indicates you are not Zeke Hailey.”
Scuff rolled his eyes.
“Full steam ahead, Albie,” Zeke said obligingly.
“Affirmative, Master.”
The steel flooring shuddered. They were moving!
“Annyongi Kaseyo. Good bye and good riddance,” Park said, peeking through the window at the dark shapes of Magma’s camp.
“I want top bunk,” Kretzmer chuckled.
With a chorus of squeals and hoots Kretzmer, Swallow, Park, and Pin-mei bolted for the doorway. Zeke and Scuff sat down at the controls. Scuff produced a couple of cans of Craterade, and passed one to his friend. They pulled the rings and took a long sip.
“We’re not having much luck finding your father, Zeke.”
“Well I did get rather sidetracked. But I can make it my number one priority, and thanks to you, I have a lead now. The Flying Dutchman Project.”
“When we get back to school we can start combing the place for clues.”
“We’ve been expelled, remember,” Zeke said ruefully.
Scuff smirked. “As soon as the others tell their story, our names will be cleared. More than that, we’ll be heroes. Lutz will have to reinstate us.”
“Even me, the school fake?”
“Especially you, Zeke. You’re psychic now.”
"So I am!” Zeke said happily.
“That makes you the School’s responsibility.”
Zeke thought for a moment “We could go and work for Ptolemy Cusp, if only to get Justice off the hook.”
“He can look after himsel
f, “ Scuff replied. “Where else but the School can you study telepathy, precognition, translocation, etcetera, all the skills you’re going to need to track down your old man.”
“Where else indeed,” Zeke agreed.
“Anyway, those freetowners were a rum lot. I didn’t like the way that Isla woman badmouthed the Mariners.”
“She had a point though. Why don’t the colony ships ever return?”
Scuff snorted. “Baloney. The colonists are too busy. Obviously!”
“And my dad?” Zeke asked sharply.
“Well, he’s the exception.”
Zeke drew in a long deep breath. “You know, Scuff, I have this feeling something’s going on. Something big. And the Mariners know all about it. Even Lutz. Maybe my father was trying to get to the bottom of it. He was on a secret mission, after all.”
“Well if that’s the case, bro, all the more reason to become a Mariner.”
“Huh?”
“It’s the best possible place to find out what’s going on.”
“You’re right, “ Zeke said, folding his arms. “It’s the Ophir Chasma School for me.”
Zeke’s face, lit by the glow from the computers, formed a pale oval in the dark of the Martian night. He was grinning his lopsided grin as he looked out, up to the brilliant stars.
“He might be light years away, but I’ve taken the first step. I’m going to find him, Scuff. From Orion to Andromeda, whatever corner of the galaxy he’s in, I’m going to find my dad.”
Mars is a planet of secrets. Uncover the truth at Zeke’s web site:
http://www.zekehailey.com
Find out who among Zeke’s friends has something to hide. Learn fun facts about Mars. Connect with author Ian C Douglas and share your thoughts on the book. And, most of all, get exclusive previews to Gravity’s Eye, Zeke’s next thrilling adventure.
The Infinity Trap Page 18