The Reality Bug (37 page)

“That wasn't a lie,” I said.

Aja sniffed. “No, but it wasn't exactly the whole truth.”

“They believed you?” I asked.

“They had to. I had Dr. Zetlin on my side. The directors may be powerful, but they don't mess with the Z.”

“So he backed up your story?”

“Every word,” Aja quickly answered. “He didn't say anything about the Reality Bug and took full responsibility for shutting down Lifelight.”

“And they bought it?” I asked.

“Remember, Pendragon, we were the only ones who saw the Reality Bug, but there were thousands of people all over Veelox whose jumps had gone sour. People were scared. They knew there was trouble.”

“What about the damage to the Alpha Core? How did you explain that?”

“We played dumb. To be honest, neither of us could come up with a logical explanation so we told them we didn't know how it happened. They had to believe us because there was no way we could have done the damage ourselves.”

“You've been gone three days,” I said. “Were they questioning you the whole time?”

“No. Most of the time we spent troubleshooting the grid, checking every possible bit of data to make sure nothing else was corrupted,” she answered. “Of course, I was also looking for any sign of the Reality Bug.”

“And?”

“It's gone,” she said with confidence. “Totally.”

“So you're a hero,” I said with a smile. “The people of Veelox see you as the coolheaded phader who averted disaster.”

“Maybe,” she said. She then put her spoon down and sat back in her chair. She didn't take her eyes off me. “What do
you
see me as?”

This was a loaded question. I knew how important this was to her.

“I see you as the Traveler who beat Saint Dane and saved her territory,” I answered with authority.

Aja smiled. “With a little help,” she said coyly.

“None of us can do it on our own,” I reminded her.

Aja nodded. “Did we really do it, Pendragon?” she asked tentatively. “Did we save the territory from Saint Dane?”

“You gotta take a look around Rubic City,” I said. “The place is coming alive. You've given them a second chance.”

The look on Aja's face said it all. She felt as if her entire life had been about preparing for this challenge. It may not have played out exactly as she'd imagined, but the result was the same. She had succeeded. The look on her face was one of pure relief, and satisfaction.

“So what is the public meeting about?” I asked.

“I think they want to explain to the people what happened,” she answered. “People all over Veelox will be watching. Who knows? Maybe they're going to give me a medal.”

The big meeting was held early the next morning.

It was all very exciting. Thousands upon thousands of people streamed into the pyramid to gather on the central floor. After getting used to Rubic City as a ghost town, it was amazing to see so many people flowing through the streets, all headed for one place.

I went with Aja and Evangeline. With the huge crowd flooding into the pyramid, it felt like we were going to the Super Bowl. As we walked along the glass corridor of the core, it was eerie to see all of the control stations dark. Not a single monitor or indicator light was lit. We entered the main chamber of the pyramid. It was even more breathtaking now because it was loaded with people. Not only was the main floor packed, but there were people standing on every level above us, looking down at the floor. Everyone was orderly, but there was electricity in the air.

As in the core, all the Lifelight indicator lights were out. The thousands of lights that had marked the jump cubicles were all dark. Seeing this made me believe that Lifelight was truly dead.

Aja led us through the crowd to the center of the pyramid floor, where there was a round stage. It was raised just enough so that everyone could see it. On the stage were fifteen chairs. Aja didn't need to explain. This was where the directors would sit.

“We can go down front,” Aja explained. “I'm sort of part of this.”

“This is so exciting!” Evangeline exclaimed.

No sooner did we arrive at the platform, than the general buzzing of voices stopped. The show was about to begin. A section of crowd parted for a line of people who were walking to the stage. These people wore yellow jumpsuits and walked in single file. I looked at Aja. She nodded. These were the directors. They were all adults, some with gray hair. They climbed a few steps to the platform and marched in front of the seats.

I saw that the last person in line was Dr. Zetlin. I had to do a double-take because his beard was gone and he didn't look as ghostly white as when he first came out of his jump. He looked almost human, and definitely more like the young guy we raced through the Barbican with…plus about sixty years. He glanced down, saw us standing in front, and winked.

All fifteen people sat down, except for one woman who walked to the front of the stage. She looked to be the oldest person of the group, except for Dr. Zetlin, that is. She had short, sandy-colored hair and sharp eyes. The woman surveyed the crowd, making sure to look up to the heights of the pyramid. It was like she was trying to make eye contact with each and every person there. The crowd of thousands went eerily quiet.

“That's Dr. Kree Sever,” Aja whispered, “the prime director.”

“Is she, like, the boss?” I asked.

“Yes,” Aja answered. “You're staying in her house.”

Right. I knew that name sounded familiar. This was the woman who was nice enough to let Aja and Evangeline live in her mansion. Now that she was out of Lifelight, I wondered if Aja and Evangeline would have to find a new place to live.

“Welcome to all those who have come here today,” Dr. Sever began in a strong voice. “And to those who are watching from distant parts of Veelox.”

Her voice was amplified throughout the pyramid. I guessed she had a microphone, which is also how they heard her at remote locations.

“After three days of exhaustive research,” she continued, “we, the directors of Lifelight, have come before you in order to explain recent events, and to present the decision we have made regarding the future.”

The woman sounded kind of like a politician running for office, rather than a scientist. I think she liked being in front of a crowd.

“We are honored,” she continued, “to have with us a man whom we all know, but few have had the privilege to see in person, until today. I'm speaking about none other than the creator of Lifelight himself, the esteemed Dr. Zetlin.”

The pyramid broke out in wild applause. It was deafening. Zetlin didn't move. In fact, he looked embarrassed. After five minutes of this standing O, Dr. Sever quieted the crowd and continued, “What better person to explain the confusing events of the last few days, than the one man who knows more about Lifelight than any other? It is my great pleasure to present to you the legendary Dr. Zetlin.”

The crowd erupted again. I was betting this kind of applause was happening all over Veelox. Dr. Zetlin slowly rose to his feet, nodded to Dr. Sever, and walked to the front of the stage. He raised his hands to quiet the crowd. Nobody wanted to stop. It took another five minutes before the place finally quieted down.

“My friends,” Dr. Zetlin began, “I stand before you today a humbled man. Never, in my wildest imagination, could I have foreseen the events that happened here and across Veelox.”

I looked around to see that every eye was focused on Dr. Zetlin. He was a legend. No, he was a superstar. For these people to see him in person must have been pretty awesome.

“I'm not speaking of the problems that were encountered with Lifelight that prompted me to shut it down,” he continued. “I am speaking of the state my beloved Veelox has fallen into because of my invention. For that, I am ashamed.”

A slight nervous murmur went through the crowd. I don't think they were expecting to hear bad news.

“I designed Lifelight to be a celebration of life, not a substitute,” he continued. “Living an ideal existence is difficult to resist. I know. I am just as guilty as any of you. My intent was to stay inside the perfect world of my choosing, never to be bothered with the challenges of reality again. But it is a fool's paradise. We have become a society of individuals whose only concern is our own comfort, pleasure, and amusement. By embracing Lifelight, we have turned our backs on our cities, on our neighbors, and worst of all, on our loved ones.”

There were thousands of people in the pyramid, but they were as silent as a painting. It was kind of creepy.

“I believe the problems we encountered a few days ago may very well prove to be our salvation,” Zetlin said. “Corrupt data had infected the grid, disrupting many of the jumps.”

Corrupt data? That was a nice way of describing Aja's Reality Bug.

“Thanks to the quick and fearless actions taken by Aja Killian, the senior phader in Rubic City, the problem was contained.”

Dr. Zetlin pointed to Aja. The crowd applauded. Aja stepped forward and raised her hand in acknowledgment. When the applause died down, Zetlin continued, “But in order to purge the grid of this corrupt data, I made the difficult decision to shut down Lifelight entirely. We were doubly successful. The grid was cleared, and Veelox was given a second chance.”

Dr. Zetlin was doing an excellent job. He was not only explaining to the people of Veelox why Lifelight had been shut down, he was telling them why it was a good thing.

“It is my wish that until we can learn how best to utilize Lifelight for the good of all of Veelox, that we not even consider bringing it back online.”

Another concerned murmur went through the crowd. That last statement surprised them.

“And I pledge to work with the directors, and with all of you, to find a balance that will bring as much joy from living in the reality of Veelox, as we found in the fantasy of Lifelight. Thank you.”

The people all applauded, but not with the same enthusiasm as when Zetlin was first introduced. I don't think they liked the idea of not being able to jump back into Lifelight. But I figured they didn't have a choice. They were going to have to learn how to deal with reality again, whether they liked it or not.

Dr. Zetlin sat down at his place and gave us another look, and a nod. I smiled at him. It must have been tough to stand in front of the entire population of Veelox and announce that his life's work was flawed. But I truly believed that with his help, the people of Veelox would one day figure out how to get the best from Lifelight, without giving up their real lives.

Dr. Sever then stood and addressed the crowd, saying, “We have much to thank Dr. Zetlin for. His genius and vision not only created the wonder that is Lifelight, but he rescued Veelox from a potentially disastrous incident by making the hard decision to shut down the grid. Moreover, he and his colleague, Aja Killian, have worked tirelessly to ensure that the problem that nearly destroyed Lifelight is no more.”

That was followed by a round of applause.

Sever continued, “We respect Dr. Zetlin's considered opinions as to the future of Veelox and of Lifelight. We, the directors agree that we must work to find the proper use of Lifelight in our ever changing society. However…”

However? She let the word hang. I had the feeling that something was coming, and it wasn't going to be good.

“We disagree with Dr. Zetlin in how to go about that. We feel that the only possible way to best understand how to utilize Lifelight is to explore those options…while it is fully operational.”

Uh-oh. An excited buzz went through the crowd. Zetlin jumped to his feet in anger.

“No!” he shouted. “That defeats the purpose! If people go back into their jumps, we'll be right back where we were!”

“With all due respect, Doctor, we don't think so,” Sever said with a superior attitude. “Lessons have been learned. It is the decision of the directors to bring Lifelight back into operation immediately.”

Sever waved her hand. It was a signal. Suddenly the Lifelight pyramid sprang back to life. People looked around in wonder as the operational lights came back on. It was like Christmas had come to Veelox as the pyramid was once again alive with the multiple lights of Lifelight. Once the people realized what was happening, they cheered. They actually cheered. It was like their team had just pulled out a surprise victory in sudden death.

“What is happening?” Evangeline asked, confused.

“Did you know about this?” I screamed at Aja to be heard over the crowd.

“No!” she answered. “When they wanted us to trouble-shoot the grid, I didn't think they wanted to go back online!”

People started pushing to get off the floor. The once orderly crowd had been charged with energy. None of them wanted to be left out. They were all hurrying to get back to a jump cubicle and reenter their fantasies.

“We've gotta stop them!” I pleaded.

Aja jumped up on to the stage and ran to Dr. Zetlin.

“Do something!” she begged.

Zetlin said, “If we can get to the Alpha Core before the jumps begin, I can take control.”

Aja grabbed him by the hand and pulled him off the stage.

“Hurry!” Evangeline shouted.

We left her by the stage and the three of us pushed our way through the surging crowd, back to the Alpha Core.

“What are you going to do?” I asked Zetlin as we fought our way through.

“They know the origin code now, so they have control,” he panted. “I can override the phaders, but only if they haven't gotten the grid back online yet. Once that happens, I won't be able to control anything from the Alpha Core. We'll be at the mercy of whatever the directors want.”

“Stop those people!” Dr. Sever ordered from the stage, pointing at us.

A group of phaders started after us, but they were having just as much trouble getting through the massive crowd as we were. I looked up into the pyramid and saw jump cubicle doors opening up all over. Some people pushed others out of the way to get in first. Young people took advantage of the weak and pulled them out of the cubicles to take it for themselves. It was a musical chairs, nightmare riot. Nobody wanted to be left out. They didn't care what Zetlin had said. They didn't care about the future of Veelox. They were addicted to their own fantasies and would do anything to get back in.