Cragbridge Hall, Book One: The Inventor's Secret (22 page)

Derick stepped forward, and after a few moments found a small keyhole in the bar. He inserted the key from the cube. It looked incongruently small, but the lock clicked. Several gears slowly began to turn, grinding under the load of the heavy doors. Whatever was behind them was meant to be kept safe. The doors gradually swung open.

The three friends walked through the opening—and nearly fell off a ledge. The passage opened into a dark shaft that went straight down. In the darkness, they couldn’t see the bottom. A metal ladder descended into the black. As the three friends peered down, they heard another clicking sound, and the gears worked the door back closed.

“I hope we don’t need to get out of here in a hurry,” Carol said. “But if something down here makes us upset, and we could manage to slam that door on the way out, I think the whole school would shake.”

Neither Derick nor Abby responded.

“So who’s going first?” Carol asked.

They all stared over the edge of the dark descent.

“C’mon,” Derick said and began climbing down the ladder.

“He’s so brave,” Carol said. “Thirty-one percent hotter than before.”

As Abby climbed down, the steel rungs chilled her hands as if she were grabbing icicles. She must have descended more than three stories before she finally reached a floor.

They had no sooner dropped to the ground than the image of Grandpa appeared again, glowing in the darkness.

“Hello, whoever you may be,” he said. He looked younger again. Abby guessed that Grandpa had prepared the image about the same time as the first journal entry. “Many trials led here, and I must congratulate you on getting this far. You are almost to your goal. I must also recognize that because you are doing this, something terrible must be at stake. I hope that your heart is honest and your courage strong, or I doubt you will proceed any further.

“You see, I have developed some technology that one day I may release in schools, but as for now, I’ve decided against it. It is a simulator unlike any other you have experienced. From inside it, you become as if you were a figure from history.”

Grandpa’s eyes smiled at the corners; he was very proud of this invention.

“However,” Grandpa continued, “through technology I will not explain—for it begs questions that are not to be answered yet—this simulator can make you feel what someone in history actually felt.” He cleared his throat. “Or what they may have felt. You use a suit that hangs inside the lockers. Your key from the cube will only open one such door. I apologize if the suit is not your exact size.” Grandpa continued, pointing his finger. “Do not be afraid. The simulator will not hurt you, but it may seem as though it can. If you are to proceed, you must complete a challenge that someone from history has passed. The question is, will you? Doing so will take more than curiosity or knowledge. You must have a cause so important that, like these people in history, you absolutely refuse to give up. If not, you will not pass.

“You have already heard me say throughout these challenges that I’ve tried to allow only those I trust to successfully discover the secret. Only those with integrity, intelligence, and strength of character should uncover it. Knowing how to use it—or not use it—requires much wisdom. This is my final attempt to ensure that you have such a character.

“You may try as many times as you like, but each situation will be different, and each will try your mettle. If you’re on my side, if you are someone worthy of my trust, I wish you good luck.”

And Grandpa was gone. Just hearing his voice helped Abby remember her cause, the reason she had for going on, but she could not help but feel intimidated by what her grandfather had said—that this would test their mettle. Abby just hoped she had enough courage to make it.

• • •

A second after Grandpa’s image disappeared, a few sets of simple lights illuminated the space at the bottom of the ladder. Derick could make out a wall full of thin doors—the lockers Grandpa referred to.

Derick couldn’t believe what he’d heard. A simulator? And he would feel what historical figures had felt? Part of him was thrilled. He might be one of the first to try out this invention. Then again, Grandpa had said it would test him. Maybe he didn’t want to feel what others had felt. Derick looked at both his sister and Carol. “He said only the key from the cube will open this door, so only one of us can do it at a time,” he said.

“I can do it,” Abby offered.

Derick knew she would volunteer. She was always willing to try, but could she do it? He loved Abby, but there were many things she struggled with. She wouldn’t have even made it into Cragbridge if Grandpa hadn’t pulled some strings.

“Or I could try, if you want me to,” Carol offered. “Don’t get me wrong, I can’t say that I’m leaping at the chance. I mean, some people in history have gone through some pretty crazy stuff.”

Could Carol pass whatever test waited for them? She was fun, bright, and flirty, but this challenge was bound to require more than that. They didn’t have time to waste. Derick thought about his accomplishments, his grades, honors, and athletics. No matter what challenge awaited, he was probably the most likely of the three to make it. This was his responsibility.

“No,” Derick said. “I should do it.” No one argued further. Derick was pretty sure he saw relief on Abby’s face.

“That’s pretty heroic,” Carol said, and fanned her face with her hand.

Derick stepped forward and pressed the key into one of the lockers. It wouldn’t budge. He tried two more times before one opened. From inside, he pulled out a suit and put it on. It was similar to the avatar sensors; perhaps Grandpa had used some of the same technology. Of course, the suit was several sizes too big. Maybe Grandpa hadn’t expected to send his grandkids down to the basement of Cragbridge Hall when he originally planned all this out.

Along the wall furthest away were two more doors, separated by ten feet or so. They both looked similar to the previous doors—the thick frame, crossbeams, and several gears along the front. The other door looked just as thick and solid. Derick surveyed them both and realized the difference: the keyhole to one was larger. His key would fit only one door. What was the other door for?

Derick inserted his key into the thick door. After another series of clicks and turns, it swung open. Derick took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” Abby said.

“I would, but I don’t believe in luck,” Carol said. “I think life is more about skill, intellect, and striving to make your own opportunities.”

“Alright,” Derick said, “Wish me skill, intellect, and the chance to be successful in this opportunity—but that isn’t nearly as catchy.”

Carol laughed. “Do you need a good-luck kiss?”

Derick didn’t turn around.

“Wait a second,” Abby said. “I just thought of something. What if the pictures in the cube, and the paintings, are clues as to what you’re about to go through? What if you have to go through a battle, or a surgery with those old tools, or be part of the
Endurance
crew?”

Derick paused. Any one of those experiences would try him to the core.

No one spoke for a moment. Finally, Derick broke the silence. “It can’t really hurt me, right? I might as well give it a try.” He blew out a gust of air and stepped into the doorway. As soon as he was in, the large door automatically closed.

Derick stood in complete darkness. What had he gotten himself into? No time to think about that now. He had to focus. He had to succeed. He took a step forward.

24

Maul

Grandpa’s voice echoed through the simulator. “If at any time you decide you can’t continue, press the button on the back of your neck. You must remember it’s there, for it will only be there on your real body, not the one you see in the simulator.” So this was just like the avatar. “If you go unconscious, the equipment will automatically terminate the simulation. Remember, you have to complete the task to move on.”

Derick’s heartbeat raced. He had no idea what to expect.

A breeze. He felt a breeze. And he could smell ... brush and pine and dirt—mountain air. He knew his body was in the basement of Cragbridge Hall, but his senses were completely deceived. In a moment, Derick saw green and trees, dirt, and rocks. It was absolutely amazing. He had somehow stepped into the great outdoors, and it was larger than life. Huge mountains jutted up at the sky. Trees stood tall and strong almost everywhere he looked. He turned all the way around, taking in the scene. He could even hear the sound of a river nearby.

He stepped forward through the brush and noticed a weight in his hand. He looked down to find a rifle. Good. If there was anything dangerous in these woods, he’d be ready. He looked at his clothes—mostly animal skins. He had a pouch of water slung around his neck and a large knife at his belt. He was some sort of mountain man.

Derick looked around again. He still couldn’t get over the beauty of this place. He had been expecting absolute horror, but got this. A bird chirped in the distance. Bushes were laden with berries, and trees with fruit—maybe plums.

Derick lifted his arm to move a branch out of the way and stepped into a clearing.

Less than ten yards away, two bear cubs stood by the berries. There was something beautiful about seeing the wild creatures paw their food off the brush and onto the ground or bite it off the bush.

Oh no. Panic rushed through Derick. Wherever there were cubs, there would also be ... Derick saw the mother bear rise up on her hind legs and roar.

He took several steps back, his eyes riveted on the beast. She had to be at least seven feet tall, and her bellow seemed to vibrate his bones.

The bear came down onto her front paws with a thud. She had to weigh hundreds of pounds.

This wasn’t good. The mother grizzly surely felt that he was a threat to her cubs. Derick remembered hearing somewhere that he should stand as tall as possible, raise his hands in the air, roar back, and try to appear bigger than the bear. The theory was that the bear would respect him and back down. But in the situation, he thought that was the dumbest theory ever suggested. It would be like a baby squirrel trying to intimidate a wolf.

The bear lumbered forward, teeth bared.

Derick turned and ran, the bear less than twenty feet away. He sprinted through the brush in sheer terror.

Climb a tree. Run downhill. Zigzag.

All of the things he’d heard about surviving a bear attack rushed into his mind. In a split second, he decided to run a zigzag pattern. Derick veered left past a bush and then cut back to the right past a tree. He could hear the bear gaining on him. He thought he could feel its breath against him. He rounded a boulder, and turned—

A giant paw knocked his body to the ground. It felt like being hit by a baseball bat. Derick skidded across the dirt. His rifle fell from his hand to the ground. He had forgotten he had the gun.

Derick shuffled to the rifle and turned to face the bear. He only had a second. He pulled the trigger. The kickback from firing the rifle pounded Derick’s ribs, but the bear stopped cold for a moment. Derick had shot the beast in the shoulder.

The bear roared and bore down on Derick again. With new confidence, Derick pulled the trigger again—nothing. What? One bullet? Derick registered that it was an old-time powder rifle that had to be loaded after each shot at the same time that the bear’s heavy arm collided with the side of his body. He felt claws rip through his skin. The bear hit him again on the other side. And on the head. Derick saw blood. It was getting hard to breathe. Maybe the bear had broken a few of his ribs. Maybe worse.

He had to get out of there.

Between blows, Derick managed to scramble across the ground for a few feet before being hit again. He could see blurry images of fur, teeth, and claws. Pain surged through his body over and over. The bear was on top of him. Someone went through this—and lived? Someone was mauled like this and ... Derick couldn’t think. Another blow. The pain crushed out any thought. Teeth dug into him. Derick screamed. The only clear idea he could manage was
Get out.
He felt as if someone had dropped bricks on his shoulders, like his body was being pushed farther into the ground with every strike. He tried to keep his eyes open, but everything blended together.

He knew he would be clawed and hit again, and again. How much longer would he have to take this? How much longer until he was dead? Just because someone in history survived it didn’t mean Derick would. What if Grandpa was wrong? What if Derick died in the simulator? Would he die in real life?

The bear’s jaws gaped wide and she raised her paw.

• • •

Abby and Carol waited outside the simulator, hoping Derick was doing okay. They thought they heard screams, but listening from the other side of the steel door, it was hard to tell. They had no idea how long he had been in there or how long it would take.

Finally the door opened. Derick stumbled out and collapsed onto the floor.

“Derick!” Abby yelled and ran to his side. Carol was only a step behind.

“What happened?” Abby asked.

Derick breathed heavily, his face soaked in sweat and his eyes bloodshot. Several times he looked like he was going to try to speak, but couldn’t.

“It’s okay,” Abby consoled. “You’re here. We’re with you.” Her imagination went wild with what could have possibly happened inside the simulator.

Derick checked his body with his hands, passing them along his face and torso. “Am I okay? Am I bleeding? Am I still ...” He didn’t finish.

“You’re fine,” Carol said. “You’re okay. You’re back with us, and you’re fine. You look like you’ve been through something terrible—I mean, really terrible—but you’re fine now.”

Derick lay down on the hard floor, still gasping. He closed his eyes hard and then covered his face with one of his arms. His chest rose up and down with heavy breaths.

Abby wanted to ask questions. What happened? But she stopped herself. She’d hear about it when Derick was ready.