A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1)

When no one responded, Mr. Davedson cupped his hand behind his ear. “I can’t heaaaaaar you. Can I have a woo-hoo?”


The class halfheartedly gave him his lame cheer, and he shook his head sadly. “Well, I would’ve thought we’d be just a little bit more excited to come here during such dark times. The SQ has graciously released funds to ensure the continued operations of this museum, and we should all be grateful!” He shot a second nervous glance at the docent.

That was another thing that made Sera want to scream. Not only had she gotten the biggest goon at the school as her teacher, but he always said stuff like that about the SQ. It was ridiculous to her that they should thank the SQ for not closing down a public building. As if anything they did could make up for the way they bullied the governments of the world. Not that she should expect her teacher to grow a backbone when even the President of the United States was eating out of the SQ’s hand.

“Good ole Mr. Davedson,” Dak whispered to her. “Can’t say a bad word about anyone. You gotta love that guy.”

Sera smiled despite herself. Dak was oblivious, but somehow he always saw the positive in other people. Even if it did annoy her sometimes, it was a trait she wished she had.

The museum docent, stiff and gruff and chrome-domed, finally took over command, paying further lip service to the SQ for “visionary leadership in trying times.” Sera managed to suppress her eye roll until the docent had turned to escort the fidgety group through the huge archway and into the Age of Exploration exhibit hall. The longship Dak had spotted now loomed above Sera like a hovering spaceship, suspended by almost invisible wires. Naturally, the group stopped walking right when she stood in its shadow. One little snap of a wire and she’d be crushed, her head ending up right next to her toes.

The room was filled with other replica boats, an early compass, a detailed diagram showing the difference between Viking and Egyptian vessels, and (of course) dust. Lots of dust. As the docent started droning on about this and that and who said what about who did that, she had the sudden realization that this could end up being the longest day of her life. She ached for the cool halls and auditorium of the local university. There was science and technology on display here, but it was hardly cutting edge.

On the other hand, Dak stared with fascination at the SQ puppet preaching his boring knowledge. He couldn’t have been more riveted if a corpse had just dug its way out of a grave and started dancing. Half to annoy him, Sera nudged him with an elbow.

“So much for your step-by-step agenda,” she said under her breath. “Looks like we’re stuck with a babysitter.”

Without looking at her, he whispered, “Yeah, this is some fascinating stuff. I can hardly believe I’m here to see it with my own eyes.”

Sera realized it would be pointless to even try talking to Dak until lunch.

They moved on from there to other rooms and halls, learning about everything from dinosaurs to the SQ’s influence on the space race. Sera tried to question something the docent said at one point, but her teacher hushed her immediately, once again looking around nervously.

Ugh, Sera thought. She swore to quit listening altogether.

Every once in a while, Dak would tear his gaze away from the docent and look at her with wide eyes. Then he’d say something like, “Isn’t that cool?” or “Can you believe that?” or “Man, those Mongols had a sense of humor.” She’d simply nod and hope he didn’t force her to admit she hadn’t heard a word that had been said.

Eventually they circled back and found themselves in the Exploration hall again, where they stood for what seemed like hours before an exhibit dedicated to the discovery of the Americas by the famous Amancio brothers. Everybody knew the story, though the docent left out the best part — the grisly fate of the cruel man that the heroically mutinous brothers had disposed of, Christopher Columbus. In fact, Sera had only ever heard of Columbus because Dak liked to tell the story. The man’s name never came up in class or during Amancio Day celebrations.

The docent was just going off about how important the SQ had been in shaping the history of the world for the better when Dak cleared his throat loudly and raised his hand. Oh, no, Sera thought. Here we go.

“Excuse me!” Dak practically shouted when neither of the adults acknowledged him. “Excuse me! I have something important to say!”

Both men looked sharply at him.