“If you say so.” Brady removed his disposable lenses and tossed them aside. He looked over and saw Felix struggling a bit with his own lenses. After a considerable amount of effort, his brother eventually got them in and wobbled around for a second. Satisfied that his brother was okay, Brady carefully applied his own.
He blinked his eyes and waited.
Soon his vision began to cloud over and his surroundings became blurry and out of focus. Felix and Nova were nothing more than smeared blobs of color against the gray backdrop of afternoon sky.
“Hey, Nova,” Brady said. “I thought you said these would help. I can’t see a thing!”
He spun around and looked at the trees, which bled together into a single smear of color.
“Nova, what’s happening?” he heard Felix call out from somewhere beside him. “How do I? Aha… Never mind…”
After a few seconds, Brady’s own vision snapped into focus. But it was different than before. Everything was rendered sharper and in crisper detail than ever before.
Nova was smiling when he looked at her.
“I told you so.”
“But what are they for?” Brady asked. He was seeing the world with newfound clarity.
“Watch,” she said.
His vision went dark.
Chapter 27: Telepresence
“JUST A SECOND,” Nova said. “I need to make a quick adjustment.”
Brady’s lenses flickered for a second, but then the darkness lifted and his world returned.
“Okay, all done,” she said. “Nyx has been kind enough to allow us to link her video feed to these lenses.”
“What do we need to do?” Felix asked.
“For the time being, nothing. We just let her work her magic,” Nova said. “And we observe…”
She dialed up a virtual lever on her watch, and a large screen appeared in mid-air. They were looking at an overhead view of the forest—through Nyx’s eyes. The trees on the screen shrunk as the bird gained altitude, and soon Brady noticed three small people on the ground, no larger than ants. He was looking down on himself from above. Glancing up with his own eyes, he saw the tiny speck of the bird disappearing into the sky.
“This is soooo much cooler than our glasses,” said an elated Felix, basking in the glory of the technology.
“Yeah, Felix, these don’t make me sick!” Brady replied sarcastically.
“When she gets high enough, Nyx will switch on her thermal imaging lenses,” Nova said. “At that altitude, we should be able to detect anyone within a four-mile radius.”
“And then what?” Brady asked. Nyx flew higher still and the view expanded farther outward to cover even more terrain.
“Then we’ll find the Artifex and send them home,” Nova replied.
The overhead view of the forest continued to broaden. Nova’s watch beeped. “Nyx has activated her thermography sensors,” she said. “Hold on a second and I’ll switch the view over.”
Nova stood with her arms out and the tips of her fingers together. As she moved her hands apart, the view split into two windows: the original view, and another version full of flowing blobs of color. Nova arranged the two windows side by side.
“We’re looking through her thermal lenses now,” she explained. “The hotter the surface, the brighter the color. The Artifex should stand out if they’re still moving around—they give off a lot of heat. Let’s see where they are.”
She reached out toward the thermal view and moved her fingers apart once again. The window grew larger. Hundreds of orange, red, and yellow dots spread across the screen. Nova singled out an orange blob moving quickly across the ground and zoomed in. The screen spun around as she pivoted her hands, searching.
“There,” she said, dismissing the thermal view by waving her hand quickly over the second screen. They were now looking at something traveling through the forest, no larger than the head of a pin. Nova formed a steeple with her fingers and quickly pulled her hands apart. The view zoomed in on an overhead shot of an Artifex walking among the trees.
Nova touched the projection of the Artifex. The area around the Artifex began to glow with a green aura.
“One down, five more to go.”
Over the next few minutes, Nova repeated the process several more times, until six of the Artifex had been identified. One was still missing, however.
“How come we can’t see AJ?” Felix asked. “He must be around here somewhere.”
“I don’t know why we can’t see him. Something’s wrong, but we’ll have to worry about him later. Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” Brady asked nervously.
“Just follow my lead—there’s nothing to it.”
Nova spoke into her watch. “Okay Nyx, go ahead and drop the first Arachnopod.”
The screen switched back to the eagle’s overhead view. They were gliding toward the ground, the eagle diving toward one of the Artifex. Just when they thought Nyx would crash into the trees, the bird opened its talons to release the first of the Arachnopods. The view zoomed in as the black cylinder fell and hit the ground with a thud, only feet from the unsuspecting Artifex.
“What is that thing?” Brady asked.
“Just watch…” Nova replied.
They observed from overhead as the canister began to shake. Startled, the Artifex turned around to look at the strange object that had fallen from the sky. It took a step closer as the cylinder continued to vibrate across the forest floor. Another step, then another. The Artifex bent over and looked down at the tube.
Brady and Felix held their breath, waiting for something to happen.
Suddenly a crack appeared in the shell. It grew into a line that ran the full length of the tube. The canister split apart, and the two halves folded back to reveal an array of long, slender rods.
The Artifex jumped back in surprise.
The ends of the rods electrified and snapped together to form large telescoping legs. Then the encasement itself folded back together, forming the head that sat atop the creature’s body. The legs flexed and the machine slowly rose up from the ground.
“Okay, guys. I’m going to switch to the Arachnopod’s video link so you can see how this works.”
The view switched over to the Arachnopod’s camera, and two holographic spheres appeared in front of Nova. She moved her hands out in front of her to grab the virtual controls.
“The left sphere spins the head around.” Her hand rotated back and forth, and the spider’s camera turned with it. “The right sphere moves the spider in any direction, see?” She pushed the sphere forward, and the spider began to take smooth, fluid steps toward the bot. The Artifex retreated at first, but then defiantly approached the long-legged machine.
“Now let’s try to convince it to go back.”
Nova raised a virtual volume control that lit up as she dragged her finger upward.
“Hello, my name is Nova,” she said.
The Artifex stared at the Arachnopod. Its frame was slightly more slender than the other Artifex they had seen so far. It didn’t respond.
“You are trespassing here and must return from where you came,” Nova said.
“You have taken one of our own,” the Artifex replied. Its voice was distinctly female.
“You mean Ajax?” Nova said, almost laughing.
The bot nodded. “How did you know?”
“AJ—I mean Ajax—he followed us back here. He is the one who opened the portal you came through earlier. Not us. He doesn’t belong here, and neither do you. You must leave now.”
“Who are you to make such demands?” the Artifex asked indignantly.
“I make these demands because I know the trouble AJ is causing by being here,” Nova said. “The Elder Minds will come here and destroy us all. There is no time to waste.”
The Artifex’s face betrayed no emotion. “If what you say is true… where is Ajax?”
Nova paused for a second and looked down at the Artifex. “He left us in search
of his father,” Nova guessed.
The female Artifex stared back. “You are lying. I think you have taken the child. When you bring Ajax to us, then we can talk.”
Nova was taken aback. “If you won’t go back willingly, I will have to force you,” she said. The spider advanced toward the Artifex. “Please, we don’t have a choice. Return to where you came from.”
“Not until I find Ajax,” the woman replied, and she turned to walk away.
Nova cast the control forward as fast as she could. Brady and Felix watched as the spider released a net of electrostatic silk that uncoiled in mid-air and tangled itself around the Artifex. The bot tried to move her arms and legs, but it was no use. The net crackled and hissed as it tightened around her. She collapsed to the ground and the silk continued to spread out, twisting and winding itself along the paths of current that electrified her body.
“I’m sorry,” Nova said, “you left me no choice. I will remove it as soon as we get you back to the portal.”
The Artifex stared angrily back at her from behind the mask of silk.
Nova pulled the left control back quickly, and the spider retrieved the end of the web with one of its legs. The leg folded back on itself and hooked the net to an attachment on its body. Nova then spun the control around, and the Arachnopod trudged forward with the Artifex in tow.
“Brady, Felix—think you can handle the next two while I take her back to the portal?
“Sure,” said Brady, his voice wavering with uncertainty. “But what are we going to do with them once they get to the portal?”
“We’ll remove the webs and convince them to go back through. And if they don’t, we’ll drag them through.”
“Okay, I’ll give it a try,” said Brady, feigning confidence.
“Me too,” Felix said, positioning his arms over the virtual controls.
“Good luck. I’ll let Nyx know you’re ready. Releasing the video back over to you.”
Suddenly Brady was watching as Nyx dropped a second Arachnopod from the sky. It hit the ground, unfolded as before, and was up and on its spindly legs in no time. The spider’s camera switched on and assumed his field of view.
He panned the camera toward an Artifex that was no more than a few yards in front of him. The worn clothes draped around his body made him instantly recognizable. Brady had found Sudo. Lucky me.
The Artifex folded his arms across his chest, unafraid, and stared the machine down. For a second Brady lost his nerve, and acting on instinct, he backed the spider away.
Brady looked at his brother from around the corner of the spider’s feed, hoping to get his attention. But Felix was fully consumed in his own chase, his arms moving methodically, commanding his own Arachnopod.
Brady gulped. Why was he the one stuck dealing with this guy?
He turned his concentration back to his controls and guided his spider forward until he came to rest in front of the Artifex leader.
He remembered how Nova had enabled the audio and cranked up the volume.
“Sudo?” he said timidly.
“Human?” the Artifex said with surprise. “I know your voice. It’s you—you and the girl. You escaped from the house with my son. Where have you taken him?”
“Taken him?” Brady replied. “Who, AJ? Are you crazy? We don’t want him here. He followed us!”
Sudo stared curiously into the camera. “I don’t understand. Tell me where he is,” he commanded with an unflinching gaze.
Brady wasn’t sure how to answer, but he did his best anyway.
“I—I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter,” he mumbled and quickly changed the subject. “You and your friends made a terrible mistake coming through the portal.”
“The portal? You mean the wall of fire?” Sudo’s shirt rustled in the breeze like a withering piece of cheesecloth.
“Yes, that’s it,” Brady said. “But you must go back.”
“Why would AJ follow you? There is nothing for him here.”
Brady suddenly realized the Artifex hadn’t discovered the truth about this world: that there were people here. He had to act quickly.
“Okay—you caught me,” he lied. “It’s no use trying to deceive you any longer. We captured AJ and forced him to come here with us.”
Sudo looked at him suspiciously. “Then where is he?”
“Not so fast…” Brady said. “I’ll make a deal. If you agree to return home with the others, we will turn AJ over to you.”
The Artifex considered the offer. “Agreed. But I must inform our party.”
“No need. We are already looking for your friends,” Brady said. “We found a woman, but she wouldn’t come with us, so…”
Brady realized he had said too much.
“What did you do to her?” Sudo asked angrily.
“Nothing,” Brady replied. “Your friends will be safe back at the portal waiting for you by the time you get there.”
The Artifex turned around.
“Wait!” Brady called out. He raised one of the spider legs in Sudo’s direction, prepared to fire the net.
“That is not necessary,” Sudo warned from over his shoulder. “I will go there on my own accord. Bring AJ—or else.”
Brady watched the Artifex disappear into the woods.
Chapter 28: Mind Control
“WAIT A SECOND. You just let him go?” Nova asked in a mix of frustration and astonishment. “Why would you do that?”
Brady had waited until the other five Artifex had been taken back to the portal before telling them about his strange encounter with Sudo.
“What? I did us a favor,” Brady said with the hurt look of the wrongfully accused. “Sudo said he would meet us back at the portal and that he would convince the others to leave with him.” He paused and drummed the tips of his fingers together. “There is a catch, though.”
“A catch?” Felix asked.
“Yeah. He thinks we already have AJ,” Brady explained. “He agreed to leave with the others, but only if we bring his son back to him first.”
Nova’s expression quickly soured. “Your plan assumes that we can actually find AJ, and I think that’s pretty unlikely. Somehow he’s figured out a way to stay hidden from Nyx.”
“How?” asked Brady.
“I’m not positive, but my guess is he’s using the data from my watch to override her sensors. If that’s the case, he’ll stay out of sight until he wants us to find him. If he does decide to make an appearance, I bet it will be near the portal. We need to get there quickly, get the Artifex through, and close it down.”
“Exactly,” Brady agreed. “But I figured something else out too while I was talking to Sudo. The Artifex don’t yet realize that there are actually people here—they haven’t seen any yet. If they find out that there are humans in this world, they’ll never go back through. We need to get them out of here before AJ has a chance to spill the news.”
“Then there’s no use wasting time here. Let’s get back to the portal.”
11000110
When they arrived at the Willoughbys’ back yard, they could see the unpiloted Arachnopods idling next to one side of the portal while the Artifex huddled together on the other side. The bots were still incapacitated by the electro-silk webbing that kept them bound and immobilized. They had given up their struggle to escape and sat quietly on the ground.
Nova scanned the empty forest around her and frowned. “Sudo isn’t here,” she said grimly.
“Yeah, I guess he’s not,” Brady responded, looking discouraged. He began to worry that he had misjudged Sudo. Was it possible he had already found AJ and they had already left, together?
Suddenly there was a rustling among the trees. “Look,” Felix said.
The branches parted and AJ’s father emerged. His icy green eyes searched for his son as he approached the three friends. Disappointed, he turned to face Brady.
“Where is my son?” he asked angrily.
“We… actually don’t know where he is,” B
rady answered, truthfully this time.
“You lied to me?” Sudo asked—then saw his friends tied up next to the portal. “What have you done to them?” he cried, swinging his fist through the air.
“They’re fine,” Nova responded, stepping forward. “We plan to release them and send them back through the portal.”
“You…” Sudo hissed. “You and your bird’s escapades nearly destroyed Invidia.”
“You shouldn’t have locked us in that house,” Nova replied. “Sorry, but you left us with no choice.”
“You will pay for what you’ve done—just like your bird!” Sudo said coldly. He turned and started walking toward the other Artifex.
“Don’t waste your time,” Nova called out. “It’s no use. The electro-silk has already re-coded itself to match their central logic board. Only I can free them.”
The Artifex stopped in his tracks, his back to them.
“Go back home, and we will find AJ,” Nova pleaded. “There is nothing for you here!”
“She lies!”
It was the child’s voice, coming from somewhere nearby.
“Ajax?” Sudo said, looking around for his son.
“You cannot leave! This world holds a secret!” the child continued, a desperate urgency in his voice.
“A secret?” his father asked, his interest piqued.
“They haven’t told you, have they?” AJ called. The bot slid out from behind a shrub near the side of the Willoughbys’ house.
“Told me what?” Sudo turned his gaze to Brady. Brady was certain that Sudo’s static carvings masked a simmering anger.
Nova looked at Brady and ran her fingers across her lips like she was zipping them shut.
Don’t say anything.
This was the moment AJ had been waiting for.
“Yes, there is a secret, and I will tell you, but only if you promise to do something for me in return,” AJ said.
“Do not speak to me in that tone,” Sudo said, annoyed. “I do not make deals with my own son. I am your father and you will listen to me.”
The Quantum Door Page 21