by Brandon Mull
Nate had seen globes, and he had seen pictures of Earth from space, so it was easy to recognize that the ball hovering above the floor was his home planet, rendered in breathtaking detail. From his present vantage, he could see most of the Atlantic Ocean, along with much of North and South America and part of Europe and Africa.
At least twelve feet in diameter, the sphere hung inexplicably suspended, slightly tilted on an invisible axis. Even from a distance, mountains stood out in clear relief, islands poked up out of the sea, and icecaps covered the poles. The color was so true to life that Nate imagined he could splash his hand in the ocean. Unlike with photos from space, no clouds obscured his view of the planet.
Fortunately Nate was still chewing his gum, which allowed him to dodge the two arrows that hissed toward him. Although the attack surprised him, after the obstacles in the corridor, the effort to evade the arrows felt minimal.
“What was that?” Nate complained loudly, now flying again. He swiftly gained altitude.
A young man and a young woman emerged from hiding, each armed with a bow, each nocking another arrow. They both appeared to be Native American, and they wore modern clothes. “You don’t belong here!” the young man called.
“So you’re just going to shoot me?” Nate asked incredulously.
They both fired again. Nate avoided the arrows.
“Wait!” Nate cried, fishing out the keychain William had given him. “I have permission to be here!”
They paused in the act of setting new arrows to their bowstrings.
“Where’d you get that?” the young woman accused.
“William Graywater gave it to me,” Nate explained. “I’m here to protect Uweya. William told me I have to use Uweya to keep Jonas White from stealing it. There are others right behind me who work for him.”
The young man set his bow aside. “Come here so I can have a closer look.”
Keeping hold of her bow, the young woman shook her head. “It’s a trick.”
“I wasn’t expecting to find people here,” Nate said, unsure whether it was safe to approach.
“Yeah, well, surprise,” the young woman said, aiming her bow at him.
The young man laid a hand on her shoulder. “Celia, nobody outside our family knew about the token. Uncle William must have really given it to him.”
Celia gave a little nod and lowered the bow. “Others are coming?”
“No joke,” Nate said. “A ComKin, meaning a Combat Kinetic. A tough magical mercenary. Jonas is boosting her power using a simulacrum.”
“This could be the opportunity we wanted,” the young man said.
Nodding, Celia set her bow aside. Nate swooped down to them.
“I’m Ted Graywater,” the young man said. “This is my sister Celia.”
“Nate.”
Ted held out his hand. “Mind if I see the token?”
Nate handed it over.
Celia touched Nate’s arm. “You’re bleeding.”
“Just scratches. Could have been much worse.”
“This wasn’t taken by force,” Ted said. “William trusts you.”
“How did you make it through that hallway?” Celia asked.
“I have an enhancer that boosts my reflexes,” Nate replied. “I was going to ask you two the same thing.”
“We didn’t come through the hallway,” Ted said. “We had a unique gateway that led right to this room. It was fairly small and made of crystal. We kept it in our trailer. When our trailer was attacked by super-powered kids, Celia and I went through the gateway. Things must have gone badly, because Grandma destroyed it behind us.”
“We’re trapped here now,” Celia said.
“It was an emergency tactic,” Ted said.
“You could come here whenever you wanted?” Nate asked.
“It was the fate of the Graywater family,” Celia said. “We guard Uweya. We care for it. But if any of us touches any part of it, we all die.”
“For generations we had a private way in and out of here,” Ted said. “Right up until Grandma blasted it with her shotgun.”
Nate nodded at the huge globe. “Is that Uweya?”
“You got it on your first guess,” Ted said. “It’s kind of hard to miss. It’s a simulacrum of the whole planet.”
“Uweya means ‘Second Earth,’” Celia supplied.
Nate regarded the globe with new respect. “You mean, if I do something to the simulacrum, it happens to Earth.”
Ted nodded solemnly. “You could flatten a mountain with your thumb, cause a tsunami with a flick of your wrist, or bash a country into oblivion with your fist.”
Nate swallowed. His throat felt dry. “Are you serious?”
“I’m as serious as a nuclear holocaust,” Ted said. “Serious as the sun going supernova. Serious as the end of the world.”
“The simulacrum has no real atmosphere,” Celia explained. “Wind and clouds aren’t depicted. There are no satellites or moon or sun or stars. No living matter is represented, either. No living people, animals, insects, or plants. Once something dies, it’s a different story. Dead trees are there, pressed flowers, fallen leaves, fingernail clippings, stuffed hunting trophies, bodies in coffins in the cemeteries. All nonliving matter is
represented. This includes buildings, bridges, ships, planes, motorcycles, televisions—everything. It all moves around just how it is currently moving on the planet. Empty cars driving down congested freeways. Empty submarines patrolling below the surface of the ocean. It’s miraculous.”
“How can I use it to stop Jonas White?”
Ted shrugged. “It would be hard to stop him directly. In theory, you could find his clothes walking around and knock a building onto him. Clothes are visible. Hair isn’t until it gets cut free from the body. But it would be almost impossible to single out a person from outside of Uweya.”
“So what can I do?” Nate asked.
“William gave you the token,” Celia said. “It probably means he thinks you’re the one who should destroy Uweya.”
“Destroy Uweya?” Nate exclaimed. “Won’t that destroy the world?”
“Not if you do it the proper way,” Ted said. “Not if you enter Uweya.”
“What do you mean?” Nate asked, glancing over at the entrance to the room. Katie could barge in at any moment.
Celia rushed over to a workbench and returned with a stone coin. It had a hole in the center and fine markings on both sides. “You can use a coin like this one to enter Uweya. You look at the surface of Uweya through the hole in the coin, speak the command, and then you shrink down and are transported to the spot you were examining. You can then interact with Uweya as if you were a person standing on the Earth.”
“Weird,” Nate said.
“The nonliving material of Uweya differs from Earth in one vital way,” Ted said. “If, while on Uweya, you journey to the location of Uweya, instead of finding another Uweya, you will find the power source that keeps Uweya active. Throw your coin into the power source, and you will terminate the connection between Uweya and Earth.”
“Uweya becomes a regular globe,” Nate said.
“Essentially,” Celia agreed.
“What happens to me?” Nate asked.
Ted and Celia shared a glance. “The coin gets you in and out of Uweya,” Celia said. “You look through the coin, aim it at the sky, speak the command, and you will exit Uweya. You can use the coin as many times as you want, but a person can only bring a single coin into Uweya.”
Nate frowned. “If I destroy the power source while I’m still on Uweya, won’t that leave me stranded there?”
“Destroying the power source will almost certainly destroy Uweya as well,” Ted said. “You might get ejected from Uweya when you do it. Then again, maybe not. Depends how Iwa Iza set it up.”
“You can’t take matter from Uweya,” Celia said. “Nor can you add foreign material to Uweya—it can only visit. You can only bring out what you bring in, and nothing you bring in b
ecomes truly part of the simulacrum. That might mean that if Uweya ends, you would be expelled.”
“Or it could be a suicide mission,” Nate said.
“Possibly,” Ted said. “We have no way of knowing for sure.”
“Why can’t I bring two coins?” Nate asked. “If I have to use a coin to destroy the power source, I’d feel better if I had an extra to at least attempt an escape.”
“Only the coin you’re looking through will come with you,” Celia explained. “Any others you try to bring will be left behind.”
“You should be able to use one of the coins you find there,” Ted said. “There will be simulcratic versions of the coins in this room inside of Uweya. Just use one of the simulcratic coins to destroy the power source.”
“That should work,” Celia agreed.
“If it doesn’t work?” Nate asked.
“Then you’ll have to use the coin you brought with you,” Ted said.
“And if I don’t automatically get kicked out of Uweya?”
Ted and Celia shared a glance. “You’ll probably die,” Celia said.
Nate folded his arms and stared at the floor. Were there any alternatives? What if Katie got killed when she tried to get through the hallway? Jonas would just send somebody else. He would get somebody here eventually.
“You guys have known how to destroy Uweya all along?” Nate asked.
“Our family has known since the duty was entrusted to us,” Ted said.
“The Graywaters have guarded Uweya for many centuries,” Celia added.
“Then why didn’t you end it forever ago?” Nate wondered.
“Think about it,” Celia said. “We Graywaters can’t touch Uweya. We can’t use the coins. If we so much as poke Uweya with a stick from across the room, we all drop dead.”
“We knew how to unmake it,” Ted said. “We even had access. But we needed to find somebody we trusted completely—somebody we knew would destroy Uweya instead of abuse it. Think about the temptation! Anyone who controlled Uweya would literally control the world! In the end, generation after generation, we concluded it was safer simply to keep it secret.”
“But now the secret is out,” Nate said.
“Exactly,” Ted said. “If this weren’t an emergency, I can’t imagine William would have bestowed the token upon you. But apparently he thought his chances were better with you than with Jonas White. What do you say?”
Nate’s stomach felt knotted. His perspiration felt cold. “I’m not super eager to die.”
“If Uweya falls into the wrong hands, we all die,” Celia pointed out.
“You could theoretically survive destroying it,” Ted encouraged.
Nate nodded neutrally. Was there another option? There had to be! But what? “Give me a minute to think.”
Ted glanced at the doorway. “What are the chances this ComKin can make it through the hallway?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Nate replied. “It’s so brutal. But Jonas seems to have planned for everything. It’s definitely possible.”
They all stared at the doorway in silence.
“I’ll go have a look,” Celia offered.
Nobody tried to dissuade her.
Nate looked at Ted. “So I’ll have to go into Uweya, then go through that hall again to get to the power source?”
“It’s the only remaining way to access this room,” Ted said.
Nate still had one stick of Peak Performance. The thought of flying through the hall again was not exciting. “Will I still be able to fly if I enter Uweya?”
“Your magic should work the same,” Ted said.
“Will I be able to breathe? You mentioned there’s no wind. Is there air?”
“I’m not sure exactly how it works,” Ted confessed. “Maybe you breathe the same air you’re breathing now. Maybe there is a special layer of breathable air around Uweya. All I know is that in the distant past, Iwa Iza and his apprentices entered Uweya, and they didn’t die.”
“She’s coming,” Celia called from the door. “She’s more than halfway through.”
Ted stared at Nate expectantly.
“All right,” Nate said. “Let’s get ready. If she makes it through, I’ll go in.”
Ted hurried over to a workbench and returned with a coin. He gave it to Nate.
“How many coins are there?” Nate wondered.
“Dozens,” Ted said. “Were you hoping to hide them to keep her from following you?”
“It had crossed my mind.”
“There’s too many,” Ted said. “I don’t know where we could stash them. Hopefully she doesn’t know about the coins. We’ll try to stop her.”
“Don’t try too hard,” Nate said. “If she makes it through that hallway, you won’t stand a chance. I’ve seen her fight. She probably knows about the coins. Jonas seemed to know everything about this place.”
“We’ll do our best to delay her,” Ted vowed. “It’s our sworn duty.”
“I’d appreciate that. What now?”
“Normally you would lie on a levitating tablet to get into position,” Ted said. “We have many of them. But you can fly, so you can probably get into position easier yourself. Be careful. Accidentally bumping Uweya with your elbow could kill millions. Look through the coin, then say ‘utcha.’ You’ll enter Uweya where you’re looking when you speak. Point the coin skyward and say ‘utcha’ to get out.”
“Utcha?”
“Utcha.”
“Will people be able to see me?” Nate asked.
“The people of Earth? No. You’ll see their clothes and their cars, things like that, but they won’t see you or anything you bring. Nor will they be able to touch you. Not directly. But all of the nonliving components of Uweya can interact with you. If a car runs you down, you’ll feel it.”
“It’ll kill me?”
“Just like a normal car. Take care.”
“She’s almost here!” Celia cried. “She’s unstoppable!” Celia heaved the door closed.
“Thanks,” Nate said. “Good luck.”
“Save all your luck for yourself,” Ted said. “Take mine too!”
Nate glided over to Uweya. He approached slowly. It was easy to find the California coastline, easy to find the distinctive inlet of the San Francisco Bay. The Peak Performance remained active in his system, keeping his senses keen.
Holding the coin to his eye, Nate found that with a small effort, he could zoom his vision in closer to the surface, as if the coin were a magical telescope. He zoomed in and out at will, marveling at the details. There was San Francisco. There was the Golden Gate Bridge. He could see the vehicles crossing it. He found vessels in the bay.
Nate could not help thinking how much Pigeon would have enjoyed all the detail. Pigeon loved maps and geography, and this put every map in existence to shame. But if Nate accomplished his goal, Pigeon would never get a chance to see it.
There was Alcatraz. There was Yerba Buena Island.
Nate zoomed out. He needed to find Mt. Diablo.
But wait.
If he went to Mt. Diablo and destroyed Uweya’s power source, Jonas White would still be holding his friends prisoner. Jonas would still have simulacra of Pigeon, Trevor, Summer, Lindy, and the others. If Nate took out Uweya, Jonas could retaliate by killing most of the people he cared about. Unless he went after another power source first.
The door opened. Nate saw that Celia and Ted had taken up hidden positions. Nate peered through the coin. With Peak Performance still augmenting his senses, locating Arcadeland was no big trick.
“Utcha,” he said softly.
Nate felt like he was getting turned inside out. His head seemed to retract down into his belly, and his legs seemed to withdraw up into his head. Quickly, painlessly, he collapsed down to a single point.
When he expanded back to his regular size, Nate was standing on a curb, part of the way down the block from Arcadeland. He felt proud that he had landed so close to his destination. The buildings looke
d how they should, and the street, and the cars. But the planter boxes were empty except for dirt and some snarled, dead vegetable matter. A closer look revealed that the cars were empty as well. A combination of denim shorts, a T-shirt, a baseball hat, a wristwatch, sneakers, and socks strolled along the sidewalk, holding a leash attached to an empty collar, as though both dog and owner were invisible.
The sky was the oddest part. Instead of clouds, or a sun, or blueness, or starry black, the sky looked like part of the domed chamber that housed Uweya. Nate was not staring up from the Earth toward the immensity of space. He was staring up from a large globe in a well-lit room.
Nate slipped the stone coin into his pocket. He was relieved to find that he really could still fly. He soared over to Arcadeland, alighting near the front doors. A few sets of clothes pushed the doors open from inside, then walked toward the parking lot.
Nate pulled a door open. It felt no different from interacting with a normal door. He walked into the arcade.
Clothes stood playing arcade games. Clothes manned the food counter. Clothes threw basketballs for points. Clothes aimed the guns at the shooting gallery. The scene was very eerie, as if everyone in the world had obliviously become invisible.
Nate watched a set of clothes at a table lift a hamburger. A bite of the hamburger disappeared. The food was not visible as it was chewed or swallowed. Once ingested, it vanished.
Nate took out the simple map Ziggy had drawn. He studied it for a moment, comparing it to his surroundings, then flew to the appropriate EMPLOYEES ONLY door. He found it locked.
Of course it was locked! Now what?
Nate looked around for something he might use to break it down. Then again, maybe there was a subtler way. After all, nobody could see him.
He knocked softly. He knocked harder. Then he knocked really hard. He started beating the door with both hands. He kicked it with the sole of his shoe, making it shudder.
A set of clothes came hustling over. Nate scooted out of the way. A key came out and was inserted into the lock, and the door opened. Obviously the employee thought that somebody was stuck on the far side. Nate recognized that just as he could see no people, he could also hear no voices. He wondered if the employee was speaking, perhaps calling to the person who had battered the door. The set of clothes passed through the door, checking down the hallway beyond.