فصل 22

CHAPTER 22

ROSEY

MAC’S CABIN WAS AT THE END of a steep dirt road that snaked up a densely wooded hillside a few miles outside the North Carolina town of Highlands. They reached the cabin at mid-morning, bone-weary from the long drive. Sarah snagged the bedroom; J.D. and Aidan crashed in the living room. All three were asleep within minutes.

As morning turned to afternoon, J.D.’s growling stomach woke him. He rummaged through the pantry, dusted off a big can of ravioli, and heated it up in a pot on the stove. The aroma roused Sarah and Aidan, who trudged into the kitchen zombie-style.

“What’s for lunch?” said Aidan.

“Ravioli from about 1987,” said J.D.

“Any other choices?” said Aidan.

“Spam from 1971.”

“I’ll have the ravioli,” said Aidan.

J.D. spooned the food into three bowls. They ate like wolves.

“Now what?” said Sarah, chewing her last forkful.

“Now I call Mac,” said J.D., pulling out his cell phone.

“Can’t the police trace your phone?” said Aidan.

“I’m just getting the number off my cell,” said J.D. “There’s no signal here anyway.” He walked over to a wall-mounted phone. “I’m hoping Mac didn’t disconnect this line.” He lifted the receiver, heard a dial tone, and punched in the number. “You guys want to listen?”

Sarah and Aidan nodded. J.D. hit the speaker button. They heard the brrrr of the receiving phone ringing, then Mac’s voice. “Hello.”

“It’s J.D., Mac. Sarah and Aidan are listening on speakerphone.”

“Are you all right?”

“We’re fine. We’re at your place.”

“Glad to hear it. From what I’m seeing on the news, you three are very much in demand up here.”

“I bet. We really can’t thank you enough for helping us out.”

“Not at all.”

“Mac, the reason I called is…okay. I’m just going to come right out and ask you. What can you tell us about my grandfather and the Einstein-Rosen bridge?”

There was a moment of silence, then, “Sounds as though you’ve been doing some sleuthing.”

“So you know something about it?”

“Perhaps you can tell me what you know.”

J.D. quickly summarized what they’d read in the diary, and his theory about what it meant. When he finished, there was a long pause on the other end.

“So,” said Mac. “You’ve concluded that they created a stable Einstein-Rosen bridge, which they then used to transport an entire island to another universe. And they did all this without computers—essentially without modern technology.”

J.D.’s face fell. “You’re saying I’m insane,” he said.

“I’m not saying that.”

“Are you saying it’s true?”

“I’m not saying that, either.”

“Then what are you saying?”

Mac sighed. “I’m in a bit of an awkward position here.

I gave my word to your grandfather that I wouldn’t reveal anything about his organization or his work with Doctor Einstein.”

J.D. was about to respond, but Sarah beat him to it.

“That’s real noble, professor,” she said. “Your word and all. But here’s the thing: J.D.’s grandfather’s organization was fighting against something evil. You knew that, right?”

“I was aware of it, yes.”

“Well, that evil thing is still around, and it’s after us. It’s partly our fault—”

“Our fault?” said Aidan.

“Okay,” said Sarah, “it’s mainly my fault. I went poking around into something I probably should have left alone.”

“Probably?” said Aidan.

Sarah ignored him. “The point is, we’re in danger,” she said. “And a whole lot more people are probably in danger too. And all we’re doing about it is running away. We don’t know what else we can do. But we can’t keep running forever. We really, really need to find somebody who can help us. So if you can, or if you know somebody who can, or if you know anything, please…” Sarah stopped; she was determined not to cry.

The phone was silent for several seconds. Then Mac said, “You’re right, Sarah. I apologize. The John Aster I knew would have wanted me to help.”

“Thank you,” whispered Sarah.

“I warn you,” said Mac, “I don’t know how much use this information will be,” said Mac. “But here goes. J.D., did you ever hear the name Pete Carmoody?”

J.D. frowned, then said, “Yeah…my dad used to talk about him. He was a maintenance man, right? Kind of a legendary character, worked for the Physics Department?”

“He was more than a maintenance man,” said Mac. “Much more.”

“How so?”

“Pete Carmoody held degrees in physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering. He forgot more about quantum mechanics than most professors will ever know.”

“Then why on earth did he work as a maintenance m—oh. He wasn’t a maintenance man.”

“No. That was a cover, an excuse to be around the physics lab, so he could work on Rosey.”

“Rosey?”

“That’s what they called the device. I’m talking about Einstein, Pete, and your grandfather. They were working on modifying it, totally hush-hush, when I joined the faculty. After your grandfather got to know me, he swore me to secrecy and asked me to help them with some calculations. It was a great honor.”

“Why were they modifying it?” said J.D.

“It had already served its original purpose, which was to relocate the island. But they no longer needed it for anything that massive. They wanted to make a smaller, more transportable version to be used purely as a portal to the island.”

“How small?” said J.D.

“I never saw the finished version,” said Mac. “After I’d done the calculations, they thanked me and told me, politely, that I was no longer needed. I’d gladly have done more—it was a fascinating project—but your grandfather wouldn’t hear of it; he said the less I knew, the safer I’d be. But if I had to guess, based on the early plans, I’d say the new Rosey would be about the size of a household refrigerator.

It couldn’t have been much bigger because of where they kept it.”

“Where was that?” said J.D.

Mac chuckled. “I wasn’t supposed to know,” he said, “but I have good reason to believe that it spent the next few decades in Pete Carmoody’s basement.”

“What?”

“Yes. He had a room down there, very well secured, never let anybody in, not even his wife. I found that quite amusing, especially as time went on—the most astonishing technological achievement in human history, sitting in a basement that belonged to a guy who walked around in grease-stained overalls.”

“Is it still there?” said Aidan.

“I don’t believe so. Einstein died in 1955. The year after that, Pete quit and moved south. I’m pretty sure he took Rosey with him.”

“Why do you think that?” said J.D.

“Because he drove the moving truck himself. I saw him off; he had a big rig, looked to me like a custom trailer—all reinforced steel, massive locks. Pete’s wife, Fay, was most unhappy about it. She wanted professional movers. But he insisted. Gave me a wink as he pulled away. I think he knew I knew.”

Sarah and J.D. asked the next question simultaneously: “Where did he move to?”

“Florida,” said Mac. “Little town called Kissimmee.”

J.D. said, “And that was in nineteen…” “…fifty-six,” said Mac. “And how old was he then?” “Mid forties, I guess.” “So he’s probably not still alive.” “I assume not, but I don’t know. I don’t even know if he stayed in Florida. I sent him a couple of letters. Never heard back.”

“Professor,” said Sarah. “Let’s say the machine…Rosey…still exists. Would it still work?”

“I don’t know,” said Mac.

“But if it did work,” persisted Sarah, “would a person be able to use it to get to the island?”

“I suppose so,” said Mac. “Theoretically, at least. The problem would be the energy source. Rosey doesn’t run on electricity. To establish a stable bridge, you need something far more powerful.”

“An exotic substance,” said J.D.

“Yes.”

“The kind of substance that could, even in minute quantities, cause a police van to fly?” The speaker emitted a chuckle. “Something like that, yes,” said Mac. J.D., Sarah, and Aidan were all looking at the backpack now.

“One more thing, professor,” said Sarah.

“Yes?”

“How dangerous would it be? Using the bridge, I mean.”

Mac paused, then answered, “I don’t know. As I said, I was removed from the project before they finished the modification. I don’t know whether they ever actually used it.”

“So,” said Sarah, “you don’t know whether anybody ever got from here to the island alive.”

“No,” said Mac. “And there’s something else you might want to consider.”

“What’s that?”

“Even if you could get to the island,” Mac said, “I don’t know if there’s any mechanism there for getting you back.”

“Yikes,” said Aidan.

“Exactly,” said Mac. “If you’re even thinking about trying to use the bridge, you must…excuse me, I think there’s somebody at the door.” From the speaker came the sound of pounding and voices shouting.

“Mac?” said J.D. “What’s happening? Are you all right?” There was no answer from the speaker; only a crashing sound, and more shouting.

“Mac!” said J.D. “Are you okay?” Mac’s voice was low, rushed: “I have to hang up now.” “Why?” said J.D. “What’s going on?” “The police are here. Don’t call back.”