“Why? What am I supposed to do?”
“I’m afraid Tick may lose control of his powers when he confronts whatever Chu has planned for him. I fear it will be worse, far worse than anything that has happened during your adventures these past days. He may do irreparable damage—damage that could grow and trigger chain reactions, doing very nasty things to matter both there and in the other Realities if it seeps through the borders.”
Sofia felt a knot tighten in her stomach even before Master George said the next part.
“You need to find him, Sofia. You need to place the tip of that pen against his neck and push the button. It will traumatize his system terribly, sending him into a coma, but it will also block his body from his mind, his emotions, his anger and fear. That should cut him off from the massive surge of Chi’karda that I expect. But I promise you, Sofia, it will not kill him.”
Sofia felt a cyclone of emotions storm inside her—pride at being chosen for a special mission, fear of doing it, concern for Tick and his out-of-control powers, sadness that she’d have to inject him with something horrible. Though she felt it in her nature to argue, to push back, she didn’t. Master George was right. He had to be right.
“Okay,” she said, feeling like she should say more but unable to find the words.
Master George nodded with a satisfied look, then reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I debated this within my heart for many hours, Sofia, as well as with Rutger and Mothball. But in the end, I knew it had to be you. It must be you. I know you will succeed, as surely as I know Muffintops is up there”—he pointed to the complex above—“hissing at every Realitant who steps off the elevator who isn’t me.”
Sofia smiled, then looked at the dangerous pen. Finally, she slid it into her pocket.
“Let’s go up now,” Master George said. “It’s time to send you off.”
~
It made Tick’s stomach turn to see the warped and twisted walls of the hallway. Some of the panels had melted completely into globs of metallic goo on the floor. I did that, he thought. How is that possible? He tried as best he could to quit looking and stared straight ahead at the never-ending corridor stretching before them.
He gripped the strap of his satchel. I have to tell her. I have to.
“Um, Mistress Jane?”
She’d been quiet while they’d been walking; she looked over at him. “Yes? Sorry, just planning things out in my mind.”
“I need to tell you something.”
Her eyebrows shot up, appearing above the rim of her glasses. “Oh?”
“There’s something in this bag. Something I’m supposed to use against the Dark Infinity thing. An . . . antidote.”
Jane stopped, turned toward him. “An antidote? How did . . .” She trailed off, as if not sure what to ask.
“Master George got a sample from one of the infected people. Then he and Rutger figured out what to do. He said if I smash it against the device that’s sending out the nanowaves or whatever you call the stuff that’s controlling people’s minds, it’ll work its magic and destroy it. Somehow send the cure out to everyone. No clue how it works, but that’s what I was told.”
“Hmm.” Jane started walking again. Tick fell in line beside her. “Well, I guess that will make our task easier. But only a little—the hard part will be getting to Dark Infinity in the first place. There’s no telling how Chu’s going to react when he sees us both still alive, or what weapons he’ll use against us. Prepare yourself—I’m going to need every ounce of your . . . abilities.”
~
Sofia stood next to Paul, both of them in the long, single-file line of Realitants about to be sent to the Fourth Reality. Mothball was with them; she said she wouldn’t miss it if she had only one arm and leg. Rutger stood still and silent by the podium, looking somberly at the floor, while Master George paced back and forth, doing his best to give a pep talk.
“I needn’t say much,” he said, his hands clasped behind his back. “I know that all of you know the dire nature of the task ahead of you. Not only do we have a nanoplague running rampant through the Realities, but one of our own is on the verge of a catastrophic breakdown that could shatter the very substance of the Realities. Not to mention our dear friend, Sato, who is suffering so much in our own home. For them, for your families, for the people of your world and others, I ask you to do this thing.”
He quit pacing and turned to face the group. “I do not ask it lightly. But I also ask that you do not take it lightly. I send you with my utmost confidence in your abilities and in your strengths. I send you in the good graces of Chi’karda itself. May it be strong within you on this terrible, terrible day.”