The Elders (Mind Dimensions #4)(67)

“Interesting,” I say. I recall the book I started to read on the Island. Had I gotten a chance to leaf through it, I wouldn’t be feeling so dumb. “You’re telling me that this machine has no screen?”

“Well, it does have a screen,” Eugene says. “But I know how to work it blind, and I made sure the screen is not integral to critical functions.”

I wave the USB-charger thingy. “And this charges it?”

“Exactly,” Eugene says. “It should all work.”

“It has to work,” I say, giving the USB charger a good whirl.

“I did tests,” he says reassuringly. “It will power up in the Mind Dimension. The part I’m less sure about is what will happen once you use it.”

“You think it won’t take me to Level 2?” I ask as we enter the forest.

“It should.” Eugene manages to push the cart through the tricky terrain. “But I am more worried about what will happen after.”

“You mean I’ll be made Inert?”

“No, Darren,” he says hesitantly. “I mean you might never regain your abilities at all.”





Chapter 22





For a few moments, we walk in silence. I’m speechless. I assumed his machine might make me Inert and hated the idea, but to become completely powerless is another matter entirely. I can’t even imagine such a life; it’s unthinkable. Yet I don’t see any other choice. I can’t let people die.

More specifically, I can’t let Mira die.

In case Eugene is worried, I say, “I’m still going to do it.”

“I know,” he says, brushing it off. “And you have no idea how much I appreciate you doing this for my sister.”

“Are you sure I’ll end up—”

“We did the test on Kiki a day ago. According to my dad’s notes on the subject, she should’ve recovered after an hour. But she’s still Inert,” he says, shooting me a pitying glance.

“But there’s a chance she’ll recover, right?” I ask. “Your dad isn’t infallible, is he?”

“Listen,” Eugene says. “Maybe there’s an alternative to you Splitting into this Level 2. Can the situation be resolved in some other way?”

“I can’t think how,” I say. “There’s no one near that room, so I can’t Guide someone else to save her. And Thomas is being Guided, which means he won’t listen to reason. I tried reasoning with Mira the other day; it’s useless. Overriding Thomas is the only viable way to save Mira. Plus, there’s Richard, who’s about to kill my grandfather, and Kate and her friends, who’ll kill the rest of the monks and Caleb.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t work out a safer solution for you.”

“Enough of this,” I say, giving the USB charger increasingly vigorous spins. “Let’s just work out a plan.”

“Well, we’ll need to pull in every player,” Eugene says. “Everyone you plan on overriding, that is.”

I stop spinning the charger and look at him. “What? Are you crazy? They’re trained warriors. If we pull them in, they’ll make us Inert in seconds, and then I can’t use your device to save anyone.”

“I understand, but I don’t see any other choice.”

“Why?”

“From what you told me, you couldn’t see any patterns on Level 2 that were not already in the regular Mind Dimension. Am I mistaken?”

“No,” I say thoughtfully, realizing I never gave it much thought.

“Well then,” he says, “since we only get one chance at this, we must recreate these conditions as best as we can.”

“But you haven’t seen Kate fight.” I gingerly resume turning the wheel in my hands. “Our survival rate—and our chances of keeping our powers—just plummeted.”

“Didn’t you say Caleb is on our side?” Eugene glances at me. “Surely that should help.”

“I’m not sure even he can take her,” I say. “And she’s not alone. There are three of them in front of the Temple—Kate, James, and Eleanor—and they’re probably each more capable than our prickly friend. That’s not counting John, if he hasn’t been killed yet, or Richard, who’s on the other side of the Temple. And let’s not forget Thomas—our key target—who’s also not a pushover.”

“Maybe we focus on Thomas and save Mira,” Eugene says.

A part of me is tempted to agree with him, but I can’t let my grandparents die, no matter how big of an * Paul is. The monks also don’t deserve to be slaughtered. Besides, when I think about it more, I realize we don’t even have the cowardly option.

“No,” I say. “Even if I stop Thomas, Kate or the others could replace him in minutes, after they finish off all the monks, which shouldn’t take them long. Even if I make it to the Temple in time, I can’t stop someone like Kate from using force.”

“Blya—I mean, bitch,” Eugene says, his accent coming through. “What do we f*cking do then?”

“Let me think for a bit,” I say. “Once we get there, we can consult with Caleb and Rose.”