The Discovery Apartments

  Chapter 12

  The platform was attached to a large oddly shaped building that rose from the ground higher into the sky then they could see. Millie spent a very long time drawing portals and then wiping them away. Royden sat near the edge of the platform watching the dark world around him. He felt a growing sense of responsibility again. Thankfully this time it didn’t involve saving someone. He felt as though he became an international secret keeper, no, bigger than that. An interdimensional secret keeper. He knew more now than probably anybody ever in the whole world. Well, his whole world. It was hard to think on the grand scale introduced to him. Earth was huge. The whole multiverse, who knows how big that is?

  “Hey, Millie.” Royden called.

  Millie wiped away a portal with giant insects flying out and turned around. “Yep.”

  “Where are you from?”

  “The same world as you. I’m a human.”

  “Oh, really?

  “That I am.”

  “How did you get involved in all this?”

  Millie drew another portal, looked inside, and wiped it away. “I was chosen, just like you, to go to a school to teach people about other dimensions.”

  “Huh, and did they tell you why you were chosen?”

  Millie tossed the crystal in the air and caught it. “What we need to do is find you a way home.”

  Royden figured it was a sore subject and didn’t press anymore. “Do you like it?”

  “Love it.”

  “If you know about all this, how come I’m the first experiment? Weren’t you?”

  “They told my family everything right up front. For you they want you to figure it out on your own and see how you react. Plus you’re living with them in that building. I only went to school with them.”

  A square portal suddenly appeared behind them. Millie spun around and watched cautiously. A person in a black body suit and helmet stepped through. Their helmet glowed red where their eyes were. The glowing dots moved slowly around to take in everything.

  “Royden, come over here, quick.”

  Royden jumped up and stood by Millie, who swiftly drew a portal and pulled Royden in. He wiped it away.

  “Who was that?” Royden asked.

  “That was the person I got in a fight with.”

  “How did they find us?”

  “No idea. My crystal isn’t taking me anywhere I want to go, I have no idea how they tracked it.”

  “Who are they?”

  “If I knew I would tell you.”

  This new dimension was dark, but they could see just fine. They stood in a dirt road with nothing else in any direction. High above dim stars could be seen. There were more than Royden had ever seen.

  “Where are we?” Millie whispered, looking around. “Something doesn’t seem right.”

  “Maybe it’s a new dimension.”

  “No, but something does feel off.” He knelt down and picked up a rock. “Let’s try something.” He threw the rock as far as he could. In midair it transformed into a chair and splashed as water when it hit the ground.

  “Whoa, what was that?” Royden asked excitedly.

  “That’s not good.” Millie said nervously. “This must be it. The unstable dimension.”

  “But that’s good. You found it.”

  “I needed to find the person responsible. If they find us here we may never get out. The rules are all different here. Watch.” Millie drew a circle with his crystal. A hula-hoop appeared and fell to the ground. “I can draw a thousand of them and maybe one real portal might appear.”

  “So what do we do?”

  Millie thought for a minute. “Let’s take a walk and see if we can find anything.”

  The dirt road went on forever. Nothing changed and nothing appeared. They walked for quite a while, unable to find anything.

  “I think I have a plan.” Millie said after what felt like an hour of sameness. “If that portal appears let’s rush it before that person in the suit can come out. If we can get to the dimension they’re coming from then my crystal should work.”

  In the meantime Millie drew circles in the air with his crystal just in case. All sorts of round objects appeared, not one of which was a portal. Eventually Millie gave up.

  Somewhere in that bizarre dimension, no actual location existed there, Millie threw his arm out to stop Royden. Millie frowned angrily at something in the road directly ahead. Royden couldn’t quite figure out what they were. They approached. The boy gasped.

  Laying directly on the road in front of them were six bodies. The people were dressed as though they were from Earth. Their eyes were closed, but it didn’t look like they were dead. Millie went up and checked them.

  “Their asleep.” He said quietly. “Maybe not asleep, but they are still alive.”

  “What are they doing here?”

  Millie shook his head. “No idea.” He stood up and looked around. “Something is definitely not right here.”

  A square portal appeared behind them. Millie wasted no time. As soon as it appeared he yelled and ran right at it. The person in the black suit took one step out and then was thrown back as Millie collided with it. Royden jumped into the portal and tried to wipe it away. It didn’t work. Millie pushed the black suit down and drew a portal of his own. Royden quickly went to it. He turned back. Arms wrapped around Millie’s neck and squeezed. Those red glowing eyes stared transfixed into the face of the person it tried to strangle.

  Royden popped his head in. The portal led to a dark beach. There was nothing there that could help. He went back and tried to wrestle the arms away from Millie’s neck. They were too strong.

  “Royd—get the cryst—take it.” Millie croaked.

  Millie’s crystal lay at his feet. Royden suddenly got an idea. He grabbed the crystal and swiftly drew a circle around the feel of the black suit. A portal appeared and the person fell right into it. Its hands let go of Millie’s neck and the suit disappeared into another dimension. Millie wiped the portal away and fell to the ground.

  He struggled to breath and coughed hoarsely. “Thank you.”

  “How did you know I was going to know what to do?” Royden asked, adrenaline pumping through him.

  “I just wanted you to take the crystal and run. I thought for sure I was a goner. You really saved me, thanks.”

  Royden felt very pleased with himself. “We’re a good team, huh.”

  “Sure are.” Millie coughed and straightened up. He went up to the portal that led to the unstable dimension. “I hate to leave them there, but I don’t know their condition. It might be detrimental to them if we move them.” He wiped away the portal. “Come on, let’s get you home before that thing shows up again. It’s after me not you, you should be fine at home.”

  They entered the dimension with the beach. The night was cool and the waves sounded comforting so close by.

  “Where are we now?” Royden asked, expecting to see something out of the ordinary. Millie pointed at something. Royden saw the Discovery Apartments. “Oh, I’m home.”

  “We finally made it. Maybe my crystal’s working again.”

  “Yeah, hopefully.” Royden started for home.

  “Do Goren and Farn still live here?” Millie asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good, I can go through their portal and maybe find someone who can help me get back to the DSD. I better not try my luck with the crystal until I know for sure it’s fixed.”

  Something hit the ground hard a few feet away. A portal hung in the air twenty or so feet above the beach. The black suit got up. Its red eyes found Millie and Royden. It seemed to stare at them for a moment as if confused, and then it ran for them. Millie pushed Royden down into the sand and took off towards the apartment building. The black suit followed.

  Royden struggled to his feet and ran after them. They disappeared around the corner of the building. They
looked to be heading to the basement entrance. The boy followed as fast as he could. He entered the building and could hear the scuffling of a fight down the hall.

  Millie tried to fend off the black suit, but it was far too strong. Its arms found their way to Millie’s neck again. Royden ran faster than he had in his entire life. Nobody was going to kill his friend. He launched himself off the ground and wrapped his right arm around the black suit’s own neck. He pulled back as hard as he could while using his left hand to cover the glowing red eyes. His hand seared in pain at the heat of the glow and he wrapped his other arm around the thing’s neck.

  “Get to the eleventh floor!” Royden screamed. “1103.”

  Millie didn’t run off. He grabbed the arms of the suit and tried to press them to its sides.

  The three of them struggled down the hall, into walls and to the floor. Royden found a groove on the neck of the suit and pulled. The helmet came off with some difficulty and fell to the floor. The suit slammed against the wall and Royden fell off. It pushed Millie down, picked up the helmet, and ran back down the hall. The boy got a quick glance of a tanned bald head before the helmet covered it again.

  Royden lay sprawled on the floor. Millie caught his breath and went over to him. Royden tried to get up but couldn’t. He couldn’t feel his legs.

  “You alright?” Millie asked.

  “I can’t get up.” Royden moaned. He slipped out of consciousness as footsteps hurried to the scene.

  Royden sat up in a bed. It wasn’t his bed. He felt great. Suddenly he remembered his legs. They swung from the bed and moved just fine.

  “That thing must have been really strong.” Alice said from a chair in the corner of the room. “You were paralyzed. That friend of yours was really freaked out. He kept saying that it was all his fault. Mr. Bringum and I had to promise him that I could heal you.”

  “Did he leave?” Royden asked.

  “Not yet. Actually . . .” Alice poked her head out the door and called to him.

  Both Mr. Bringum and Millie came in.

  “I’m so sorry.” Millie said. “I shouldn’t have brought you. I didn’t think it was going to get that crazy.”

  “It’s alright.” Royden smiled. “You needed me.”

  Millie let out a long breath. “I sure did. You saved my life twice.”

  Mr. Bringum nodded happily. “Well now that that’s all sorted out, I think you should find a way to get back to your headquarters, Milton. And as for you, Royden, I suggest you get home before your parents wake up.”

  Royden stood up and left the room. He was on the first floor, outside room 106. Millie came out as well. They walked to the elevator together.

  “Mr. Bringum says he will try to make sure that person doesn’t come back. You should be safe here. Nobody in their right mind would attack the Discovery Apartments. They would get in trouble with every dimension in the multiverse.”

  “What about you?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I have to deal with things like that on a daily basis in my job. Once I find my way back to the DSD they can make sure to stop that person.”

  “Good.”

  A minute later they stood outside apartment 1103.

  “Royden, I can’t make you want to stay here, but I can tell you that without you I wouldn’t be here right now. Mr. Bringum told me saving people is kind of your thing. Don’t take that for granted. You are very brave and this building can use a strong young man like yourself. And don’t forget about the Dimension Supervising Division, we could use someone like you as well. We even have a school program. I’m sure they can amend it for an Earth college.” He patted Royden’s shoulder. “Thank you for everything, goodbye Royden Doble. May we meet again in better circumstances one day.”

  Millie disappeared into the apartment.

  “Goodbye, Milton.” Royden whispered.