The Never War

FIRST EARTH

Spader and I backed out of the room and quickly left Max Rose’s penthouse. We took the stairs down to the sixth floor to avoid Dewey. We didn’t want to explain the way we looked to him or anybody else. As soon as we got inside our room and closed the door, Spader let out a happy shout.

“Hobey, yes!” he yelled. “Rose is going to send his thugs to stop Farrow. We did it. TheHindenburgis safe.”

I stared at Spader, my anger slowly building. “I asked you not to tell him about Farrow’s plan.”

“I know, mate, but I had to. That was our chance. You weren’t talking so I had to take it.”

“And what if it was the wrong move?” I asked, trying not to boil over. “This isn’t just about two gangsters who hate each other. We’ve got a whole territory to worry about.”

“C’mon, Pendragon,” Spader cajoled. “You know it was the right thing to do. We outsmarted Saint Dane. Again. We won!”

“Man, I hope you’re right.”

I needed to be alone to think, so I left Spader and headed for the bathroom. I got rid of my burned clothes and stood in the warm shower to clean off the dried blood. The cuts andbruises were nothing that wouldn’t heal quickly. We were both very lucky.

As I stood in that shower, I wracked my brain for answers. Not just about theHindenburg, but about Spader. He was driven by his need for revenge. Fine, I wanted to put Saint Dane out of business too. But though Spader and I were on the same side, we had different ideas on how to fight the war. I was afraid this would show up to bite us in the butt someday. Today was that day. Our butts had been bitten.

Still, I didn’t want this to be an ego thing. I didn’t want to be angry at him just because he didn’t listen to me. Who am I? I don’t know everything. Maybe he had done the right thing. Maybe the reason we were on First Earth was to do exactly what he had done. By uncovering Farrow’s plot to destroy theHindenburgand telling Max Rose about it, we might have saved the airship.

But that led me to the most troubling thought of all. As horrible as the destruction of theHindenburgwas going to be, we didn’t know what it had to do with Saint Dane’s overall plan. Saint Dane’s goal was to find the turning point of a territory and push it the wrong way. The question was, what did theHindenburghave to do with the turning point of First Earth? It was a German ship, but did it have anything to do with the coming war? Would saving theHindenburgstop the war from happening?

There were too many unanswered questions for me to think our mission here on First Earth was over.

When I got out of the shower, Gunny was there. Spader had already told him how he felt sure Rose’s gang would save theHindenburg. Gunny wanted to be happy, but he had this confused look that told me he wasn’t any more convinced than I was. It was time to put everything out there in plain language.

“Here’s what we know for sure,” I began. “Max Rose has been working for the Nazis. They owe him a bunch of money. He needs the payment, bad, and it’s coming in on theHindenburg. Cash, diamonds, bonds, paintings, and who knows what else. It’s all flying in over the ocean right now. Winn Farrow, Rose’s enemy, knows how important the payment is to Rose, so he’s going to blow theHindenburgout of the sky.”

“That’s an extreme thing to do, just to get revenge,” Gunny said.

“Farrow’s an extreme guy,” Spader shot back. “But now Max Rose knows what he’s up to, and he’ll stop him from destroying the ship. TheHindenburgwill be saved! Sniggers for everyone!”

“Maybe,” I cautioned.

“He’ll do it,” Spader said with confidence. “You saw how scared Rose was. He’ll do everything he can to stop Farrow.”

“But this isn’t just about two gangsters who hate each other,” I said, trying not to let frustration creep into my voice. “This is about the turning point on First Earth. We haven’t figured out why Saint Dane has his hand in any of this.”

“Sure we have,” Spader said, acting all sorts of cocky. “It’s all about the big natty-do war that’s coming, right? Isn’t that the kind of thing Saint Dane is all about?”

“Yeah, but what’s that got to do with theHindenburg!”I asked.

“Maybe everything,” Spader shot back. “It’s like Gunny said. One little event leads to another and another. I think Saint Dane wants to make sure the war is going to happen, and somehow blowing up that airship will do that. So if we stop them from wrecking that ship, we’ll stop the war and Saint Dane loses.” ”Maybe Spader’s right,” Gunny said. “If we can stop the war by saving theHindenburg, it would be like beating Saint Dane.”

Spader looked at me with a proud smile.

“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “I just wish we could be sure.”

“C’mon, Pendragon! How can we lose?” Spader pleaded. “Even if it doesn’t stop the war, we’d still be saving the people on theHindenburg. Like you always say, this is a no-brainer.”

Spader was making a really strong case, but something was keeping me from buying it a hundred percent. “I just wish we had more to go on,” I complained.

We all fell silent for a moment, then Gunny said softly, “I think I know where we can find out more.”

“Really? Where?” I asked quickly, grabbing at the lifeline.

“We’re Travelers,” he said with a matter-of-fact tone. “We can take the flume into the future of this very territory and look back on how things happened.”

My heart sank. As much as I loved the idea of going home to Second Earth, I knew it would be a waste.

“It wouldn’t help,” I said with disappointment. “Sure, we could go to Second Earth and do some research about theHindenburgand World War Two, but that wouldn’t tell us anything. We need to figure out what would happen if theHindenburg doesn’tblow up.”

“Who said anything about going toSecondEarth?” Gunny said with a mischievous smile.

At first I didn’t know what he meant. If we were going to look into the future of Earth, then of course we would go to Second Earth. That is, unless…

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked, barely able to contain my excitement.

“What’s he saying?” Spader asked. Gunny said, “I’m talking about taking a trip toThirdEarth, of course.”

“There’s a Third Earth?” I asked, trying not to sound like a giddy geek. “Have you been there? When is it?”

“Yes,” he answered with a smile. “I’ve been there. The year, I believe, is 5010, give or take a year or two.”

I had to sit down. The idea of seeing what Earth was like threethousandyears in the future was making my head swim.

“I am all over this,” I said. “But seriously, why would going to Third Earth help us any more than going to Second Earth?”

“I told you, I’ve been there,” he answered. “I went with your uncle Press when he first told me about being a Traveler. It was like something out of a book of fantasies. They have libraries there. But not like the ones we know. There aren’t any books or papers or anything you can touch. All this information is kept on little tiny specs of nothing, no bigger than a grain of sand. They had the entire New York City public library on just one of those little things. Imagine that.”

Gunny was talking about some kind of computer. At home when you got a computer, it was already outdated. That’s how fast advances were being made. I couldn’t imagine how far things had gotten in three thousand years.

Gunny continued, “It seemed like they had every little bit of information about everything that ever happened on those little bits of things. I’m guessing if we went there and spoke to Patrick-“

“Patrick?” Spader asked.

“The Traveler from Third Earth. Nice fella. Smart, too. I’m thinking Patrick might be able to tap into all that information and maybe give us a little more idea of what we’re dealing with here.”

The man was incredible. How many times had Gunny bailed us out already? I’d lost count.

“I think that’s a great idea!” I shouted. “Let’s go right now.”

I couldn’t sit still. I had forgotten how bruised and banged up I was and started getting dressed for the trip. But then, in the next second, the air was totally sucked out of my balloon.

“I’m not going,” declared Spader.

“What do you mean? We’re all going!” I said.

“Not me,” Spader said. “There’s too much at stake here to go fluming off. We might come back too late.”

D. J. MacHale

The Never War

“It won’t be a problem,” I said. “Time between the territories isn’t the same, remember? We could be gone for a year, but then flume back here an hour from now.”

“It’s too big a risk, mate,” Spader said with conviction. “That airship is due early tomorrow morning. I want to be here when it shows up, just in case Max Rose doesn’t take care of Winn Farrow. You’re right, mate. We can’t rely on Max Rose to do our job. If he fails, it’ll be up to us to save theHindenburg.”He looked at Gunny and asked, “How far is this Lakehurst place?”

“About eighty miles, give or take,” Gunny answered. “It’ll take the better part of four hours to drive there. Longer on the bus.”

“See?” Spader said. “It’s going to take a while to get there. I don’t want to risk being late.”

“Spader,” I said. “I’m telling you, we’ll be back in time.”

“Sorry, mate,” he said stubbornly. “Can’t take the chance.”

We were slipping into dangerous territory. We were a team. I had to get Spader back with the program.

“Remember what you told me in that cab?” I asked. “You said we were all important, but I was the one who was going to hold us all together. Well, that’s what I’m doing now. I’m holding us together. The only chance we’ve got of beating Saint Dane is if we stay together. You’ve risked your life to save me, Spader. I need you to be there for me again.”

Spader thought about this for a moment. Was I finally getting through to him?

“If you’re right,” he said, “there won’t be a problem. You’ll get to Third Earth and back in plenty of time. We’ll hook up and take on Saint Dane and his gangster wogglies like you were never gone. But if you don’t make it back in time, then somebody’s got to be here to make sure they don’t blow up that ship. That’s why I’m staying.”

I didn’t know what else to say. He had made up his mind, and to be honest, I wasn’t completely sure he was wrong.

Spader then walked up to me and said, “Go to Third Earth. Find out what you can. It might be a big help. But let me stay here and take care of things in case something goes wrong.”

I knew Gunny and I would be back in time, but that wasn’t the point. What bothered me was that Spader was pulling away from me. He was always a guy who wanted action. Right now he had Saint Dane in his sights and didn’t want to let him get away, even if it meant going against what I thought was best.

“Have it your way,” I finally said. “We’ll meet back here and then we’ll all go to Lakehurst. Together.”

“Now you’re talking!” Spader said, then left us and went into the bathroom to clean himself up.

I didn’t want to look at Gunny. I felt as if I had messed up and the team was falling apart.

“When he’s got his mind set on something,” Gunny said softly, “I don’t think it’s possible to change it.”

“Saint Dane is strong and smart, and he’s got way more power than any one of us,” I said. “The only chance we have to beat him is by staying together.”

“We’ll be back in plenty of time.”

“Yeah, probably. But I’m afraid Spader is on his own mission now.”

Gunny fell silent. He knew I was right.

I wanted to leave right away, but Gunny said I should get some rest. It had been a busy day and I was beat up pretty badly. Suddenly the idea of a little sleep sounded really good. He left the room, saying he’d be back in a few hours, ready to head uptown.

I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes, ready for sleep. But it didn’t come. Even though I was dog tired and needed to recharge my batteries, my mind was working in too many directions to let me nod off. So I got up, hit the typewriter, and finished this journal.

I’m excited and scared at the same time. I can’t believe I’m going to see Earth in 5010. How cool is that? I wish this were a trip about fun and discovery, but it isn’t. I’ve got a very bad feeling about the way things are unfolding here on First Earth.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about dealing with Saint Dane, it’s that just when you think you’ve got things figured out, he changes the rules. He did it on Denduron. He did it on Cloral. Question is, will he do it again here on First Earth?

That’s what I hoped to find out on our trip to Third Earth.

I know this is going to sound totally bizarre, but the next time I write to you guys, I will have seen the future. I can only hope that it’s a happy one.

END OF JOURNAL #10

This may be the most important journal I’ve written to you guys.

I’m back on First Earth now. I wrote most of this journal on Third Earth, but I’m adding this little bit to the beginning because I want you to know right away how valuable these pages might end up being. I know, you treat all my journals like they’re important, but this one might be the topper. Handle it like gold.

Gunny and I are on a subway train headed back to the Manhattan Tower Hotel. We’ve returned from Third Earth and we’re running out of time. We’ve got to hook up with Spader and get to New Jersey before theHindenburgarrives. But it’s critical that I write down what we discovered on Third Earth because, just as I feared, Saint Dane has changed the rules. No, that’s not exactly right. He didn’t change the rules. We weren’t smart enough to figure out what the rules were. But now we know and I can’t begin to tell you how scared I am.

What we found on Third Earth was beyond horrible.

I hope you’re reading this, Mark and Courtney. I know I’ve written that before, but I mean it now more than ever. Because if we fail today, history will be turned upside down, and there’s a very good chance you two will never be born. I’m serious. You will not exist. Neither will most anything else as we know it. I don’t mean to scare you. In fact, if you’re reading this it means we’ve won. But if you’re not reading this, then the journal I’m writing now may be the only record that Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde of Stony Brook, Connecticut, ever existed.

That would be tragic, but only the beginning of the horror to come if we don’t stop Saint Dane.

Most of this journal has already been written. I’ve tried to include every little detail, because in many ways, I’m recording history.

After finishing Journal #10, I put it safely in the desk where I was keeping Journal #9. Gunny planned on taking the journals to have them bound and covered, but not right away.

We first had to take our trip into the future.

Once the pages were put safely away, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. Spader was already conked out. Just as well. I was getting tired of worrying about what he would do next and warning him to be careful. I hoped I could count on him in the future, but right now I didn’t want to talk to him.

The plans were set. Gunny and I would flume to Third Earth, and Spader would wait here in case we didn’t get back in time. As nervous as I was, I think I caught a few z’s. Man, I needed it. But it couldn’t have been for long, because before I knew it, Gunny was gently shaking me awake.

“Ready to see the future?” he asked with a smile.

“Absolutely,” I answered, wide awake.

The idea of jumping three thousand years into the future had me totally jazzed. Though I wished we were doing it for less intense reasons. Gunny and I took the subway to the Bronx. We changed trains twice and found ourselves back at the familiar station that I had been through so many times before. It was still kind of strange to see it open for business though. When I thought of this place, my mind always went to the first time I came down here with Uncle Press on Second Earth, when the place was abandoned. Was that a million years ago? It sure felt like it.

With so many people hanging around, it was a tricky thing to sneak down onto the tracks to get to the gate. We didn’t want people going all nuts and calling the police because two lunatics had jumped down onto the subway tracks. But Gunny had done this before. We walked to the far end of the platform and waited for the next train to show up. When the train came in, the doors opened, passengers got out, passengers got on, the doors closed, and the train began to roll out of the station. This was the perfect time for us to move because the station was then pretty empty. As soon as the train cleared the platform, we jumped down onto the tracks and ran for the gate.

Nobody saw us. Nobody yelled. Success.

“After you,” Gunny said, pointing to the wide mouth of the flume. We had decided to flume separately. Gunny was too big of a guy to flume tandem with and neither of us felt like knocking heads while rocketing across time and space. Besides, I liked fluming solo. It gave me time to think.

“Is there anything I should be ready for?” I asked. “I mean, is there anything on the other end I’ve got to watch out for?”

“There’s plenty to watch out for,” Gunny said. “But nothing you have to worry about.”

I then stepped up to the mouth of the flume. I have to admit, I had goose bumps. This wasn’t an ordinary flume ride-if any flume ride can be described as ordinary, that is. No, this was more like stepping into a time machine. Next stop: three thousand years from now.

“Third Earth!”I called out.

The flume growled to life. The sparkling light could be seen far in the distance, headed this way. Along with it came the familiar jumble of musical notes that would lift me up and take me into the future of my own territory. I was thrilled, nervous, and terrified all at the same time. Then again, that pretty much defined my life as a Traveler.

“Enjoy the ride!” Gunny shouted.

An instant later I felt the tingling of energy, a slight tug, and I was pulled into the flume.

The ride was uneventful, or at least as uneventful as rocketing through a tunnel headed to a different time and territory can be. It felt good to be alone with my thoughts for a while, and I tried to imagine what Earth might be like in the year 5010. Would it be all Jetson-like and modern? Or did the human race evolve back into monkeys, like inPlanet of the Apes? I didn’t worry too much about the ape thing. Gunny would have filled me in on that little nugget of information.

I don’t know how long the trip took. Actually, now that I think of it, it took around three thousand years. Time sure flies when you’re having flume. Of course, it only felt like a few minutes. I felt a slight pressure on my chest, then seconds later I found myself standing in a surprising spot.

I was back at the mouth of the same flume, inside the same gate, looking at the same rocky room I had just left.

Huh? Did I make a mistake? Did I say “First Earth” instead of “Third”? Did I somehow make a U-turn somewhere in flumeworld? That’s when I heard the musical notes sneaking up behind me. Gunny was incoming. I jumped to the side as he landed in a flash of sparkling light. ”Uhhh, did we make a mistake?” I asked. “We’re back on First Earth.”

“Nope, everything’s fine,” Gunny said.

He walked over to the side of the cavern where a pile of clothes lay. I hadn’t seen them when I first landed. I was too busy being confused. “Only looks like First Earth,” he said as he sorted through the clothes.

Hearing that made me relax a little. We weren’t going to step into some bizarro new world. But I have to admit, I was a little disappointed, too. I kind of wanted to step into a bizarro new world.

“I have no idea how these show up,” Gunny said as he looked through the clothes.

I joined him and looked through the clothes for myself. “Uncle Press told me it’s the acolytes.”

“Acolytes?” exclaimed Gunny. “What’s an acolyte?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never met one. But Uncle Press once told me they’re people from the territories who help the Travelers. Beyond that, I haven’t got a clue.”

I was glad to see the clothes weren’t all weird and futuristic. I picked out a pair of normal-looking khaki pants and a navy blue turtleneck. There were even regular old socks and boxers, too! The shoes were the most futuristic thing there. They didn’t even look like shoes. They were more like big, white doughnuts. That is, until you slipped them on your feet. As soon as your foot was in, they molded to you and made a perfect fit, kind of like the air globes on Cloral. One size fits all. Cool.

Gunny put on a regular old white shirt with buttons, and a pair of black pants. He chose a black pair of doughnut shoes. White shoes weren’t his style. He also put on a black jacket that finished off the look nicely. He then reached into the pocket of his jacket and took out a small, silver square that was about the size of a baseball card.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Some kind of telephone thing,” he answered.

“Telephone?”

“Uh-huh. It’s how we get in touch with Patrick. Don’t ask me how it works-it’s all magic to me.” He pressed a button on the card and a red light on top blinked twice. It then blinked green and went out. “He knows we’re here,” Gunny announced. “He’ll come get us.”

“Cool. Can we, uh, take a look around?”

Gunny smiled. He knew I was dying to see what the future looked like. “That’s what we’re here for,” he said. “C’mon.” He led me to the wooden door that was the gate.

Before he opened it, I asked, “Any problems with quigs?”

“Quigs? You mean those yellow-eyed dog things? Nah. If they know you’re not scared of them, they don’t bother you.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Iwasscared of those yellow-eyed dog things. I hoped Gunny gave off enough brave vibes to counter my fear vibes. Gunny then pulled the door open and we stepped out of familiar territory. I expected to see the subway tunnel of First and Second Earth. But that’s not what was waiting.

It was a subway tunnel all right, but nothing like the one I was used to. First off, it was bright. White light came from long tubes than ran along the ceiling. The walls were white and shiny and totally clean. This was nothing like the subways I was used to. Along the floor were two silver rails about ten feet apart. I guessed the subway train of the future was a monorail, like at Disney World.

The tunnel stretched far off in each direction. I could see ahead to the lights of the station. It was still there. I wondered if it had reopened since being abandoned in my time of Second Earth.

We then both heard a loudclickand turned quickly to see the gate had closed behind us. If I hadn’t known better, I’d say the door had disappeared, because it was absolutely flush with the wall. You had to look really close to see the outline. Weird. The inside of the gate was the familiar, wooden door. But the outside was shiny white like the rest of the tunnel. There was only one clue that it was even there. Carved into the wall was the familiar star symbol that marked all the gates.

“We best get moving,” Gunny said. “Don’t want to get caught by a train.”

I ran ahead of Gunny because I was so excited. When I got to the platform, I quickly jumped up, then helped Gunny when he caught up with me. I turned around and got my first look at a subway station, Third Earth-style.

What I saw blew me away.

The station was there, all right, and it was definitely open for business. It wasn’t very crowded. Only a handful of people wandered about, waiting for their trains. They all looked pretty normal, too. People hadn’t changed at all in three thousand years.

But the subway station sure had. I walked a few yards away from the track and was hit with an incredible sight. Standing at a railing, I looked down onto a massive, underground mall. It must have gone down fifty floors below train level! Imagine the biggest mall you’ve ever seen, then multiply it by like forty times, and you’d have this place. And it was all underground! We were on the very top and could see down to multiple levels that had tons of shops and restaurants, and even a whole section that looked like private entrances. They must have been apartments or something. People moved around on every level. Some walked, but many rode these odd two-wheel scooters that silently and quickly moved them along. Looking all the way down to the bottom, I saw a humongous pool. It was practically an indoor lake, where people swam and played ball. It was even big enough for people to paddle kayaks around.

This was an enormous, underground city in the Bronx. Or should I sayunderthe Bronx.

Gunny had walked up behind me but didn’t say anything at first. I think he wanted me to get over the shock.

Finally he asked, “What do you think?”

“Amazing is a good word,” I said in awe.

“The way I heard it,” Gunny explained, “they were running out of space, so they decided to move into the only unexplored area left on Earth.”

“Underground,” I said.

“That’s right,” Gunny said. “From what Patrick tells me, this is nothing. There’s whole cities like this all over the world.”

I watched as people went about their business, like this was normal or something. I guess to them itwasnormal but…wow., I also saw all sorts of people of every race. This wasn’t a segregated neighborhood. Maybe people had finally learned how to get along with one another.

“It gets better,” Gunny said.

He led me to the escalator that would take us up to the surface. As we walked, I saw a subway train pull into the station. Gone was the clash of wheels on metal and the screech of brakes. The train slid smoothly into the station with a quiet hum. Very cool. Very Disney.

We hopped on the escalator and I had to stop myself from running up faster. I was dying to get my first look at the outside world of Third Earth. As we rode up Gunny said, “I guess people got smart somewhere along the line. It stopped being about building more and bigger. People began to understand they had to respect what they had or it wouldn’t be around for the future.”

“So what did they do?” I asked.

“Look,” Gunny said.

We had reached the top of the escalator where I was expecting to step out into the middle of the normal, busy Bronx. Well, we were in the Bronx, all right, but it was far from normal.

The first thing I saw was grass. Lots of it. It looked like a park! There was a vast lake where people were fishing under the shade of leafy-green trees. The terrain wasn’t flat, either. There were hills and rocky rises and even a footbridge over a stream that fed the lake. The sky was clear blue on this amazing, sunny day. I even smelled something familiar. It smelled like-

“Pine trees,” Gunny said. “That’s what you’re smelling.”

He had read my mind. The green subway kiosk was built on the edge of a dense grove of pine trees. It was a far different smell from the chemical fume-odor of First Earth.

There were a few odd buildings scattered around that looked like a jumble of boxes stacked on top of one another. They must have been apartment buildings because I saw people out on their balconies, talking and reading and playing and basically hanging out.

There were streets, but rather than the normal grid pattern of a city, these roads gently curved around the natural terrain. There was traffic, but the cars were small, and must have been powered by electricity because the only noise they made was a gentle hum. Many people rode bikes or walked or zipped along on those two-wheel jobs I had seen underground. I also saw a lot of small, dark green shelters scattered around. We had just stepped out from under one of them. My guess was that these shelters marked the entrances to the incredible underground complex below.

“The first time I came here,” Gunny said, “I just stood and stared like you’re doing right now. Then I got this wonderful, warm feeling.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because I realized it may have taken a few thousand years, but we finally got it right.”

“It’s incredible,” I said. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I figured we had more important things to handle back on First Earth,” Gunny answered. “The future would always be here. It’s the present we have to worry about.”

I then heard a friendly voice call to us. “Looks like we’ve got a couple of tourists in town!”

A small car slid up behind us that wasn’t much bigger than a golf cart. It was much sleeker than a golf cart, though, with a front end that came to a narrow point and had regular-size wheels. It was a silver vehicle, with no top and four seats facing forward.

Behind the wheel was a guy who looked to be in his twenties. He had long brown hair, bright eyes, and a big smile. He was dressed like a normal guy from Second Earth, with jeans and a dark green, short-sleeved shirt.

“Afternoon, Patrick,” Gunny said. “Thanks for coming to fetch us so quickly.”

Patrick jumped out of the car and gave Gunny a warm hug. “Good to see you, Gunny. Where’s the wild man?”

Gunny motioned to me and said, “This is his nephew, Bobby Pendragon.”

Patrick shook my hand with a firm grip. “Pendragon! Press told me you’d be showing up someday. I’m glad to meet you.”

“Me too,” I said.

“So? Where is he?” Patrick asked.

Gunny gave me a look. The answer had to come from me.

“Press is dead,” I said softly. I didn’t know how else to say it.

I saw the genuine look of pain on Patrick’s face. The three of us stood there silently for a moment, out of respect.

“I’m sorry, Bobby,” Patrick finally said. “Your uncle was like a brother to me. I’m going to miss him.”

I nodded. Wherever Uncle Press went, no matter how many lives he touched, he always made friends. With everybody but Saint Dane, that is.

“Just before he died,” I said, “he told me it was the way it was supposed to be. I have a tough time buying into that.”

“I know,” Patrick said softly. “But Press believed it. And sure as we’re standing here right now, I can’t remember a time when he was wrong about anything.”

I nodded.

“We need your help, Patrick,” Gunny said, getting to business. “I thought you could take us to that library place.”

“Absolutely. Hop in.”

Since this was my first visit to Third Earth, Gunny got in back and I sat next to Patrick. My new Traveler friend hit the accelerator and we zipped ahead.

“Have you ever been to the New York Public Library in Manhattan?” he asked me.

“I’ve been by it,” I answered. “The place with the big stone lions in front, right? Is it still there?”

“Yes. But, well, things have changed a little.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I interrupted. Patrick laughed. “I’ve been to First and Second Earth. I hear you,” he said. “But there are still many links to the past. There’s a strong sentiment that history should be respected and honored. You’ll see what I mean.”

Saying that things had changed was the understatement of all time. New York City, as I remembered it, was gone.

This was once an area where every square inch was cemented over or built on. It was clogged with traffic and people and noise and air pollution. I’m not saying it was a bad place, but it was definitely a busy place. What New York had become in the year 5010 was very different.

We drove our silent car along a winding road through the country. Trees lined the nearly empty roadway. Off to either side were beautiful, green, rolling hills. Every so often I saw another of those odd, boxy buildings where people lived, but besides that you would think we were driving through Vermont. There were even a few farms with rows of lush fruit trees. When we passed one, I got the definite smell of apples.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

“I’ll give you the short version,” Patrick said. “By the mid-twenty-first century, we were running out of natural resources. Pollution was worse than ever and overpopulation was beyond serious. Governments had to start getting smart or it would have been disaster. From then on, Earth functioned as one planet, as opposed to a group of countries with different agendas.”

“So they went underground?” I asked.

“That was one solution. It began with manufacturing and energy. There are power plants close to the center of the planet.”

“Unbelievable,” was all I could say. ”It took more than a thousand years, but by the year 4000, every commercial enterprise was moved underground. From factories to the Gap stores.”

“You still have the Gap?” I asked.

“I think that sweater you’re wearing came from there.”

I took a closer look at the sweater. It didn’t look much different than what I could have gotten on Second Earth. Good old Gap. Gotta love ‘em.

“The only businesses that stay above ground are farms and some solar power facilities,” Patrick explained. “Most of the big power sources are out West in areas that are unpopulated.”

“Makes sense,” I said.

“Then people began relocating underground as well. There are vast housing complexes just below the surface, all interconnected by a train system.”

“Isn’t that a little claustrophobic?” I said.

“Not as bad as it was on the surface. We were running out of space. That’s what prompted the other move. We not only went down, we went up.”

“Up?”

“Space colonies. It started with Space Station Alpha at the turn of the twenty-first century. A few larger orbiting space platforms soon followed. From there we could jump out farther. The next step was the moon. There were colonies of a thousand people each, living on the moon by the year 3000. Mars was next, followed by Venus and two of the moons of Jupiter. By last count there are one hundred and fifty-five million people living off-planet. Combine that with the fact that people finally started getting smart about family planning, and we finally achieved zero population growth.”

This was a future that could only be imagined by science fiction writers in my time. ”Are there colonies under the sea as well?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, that too,” answered Patrick. “But that’s not significant. Maybe only a few million people are in underwater habitats.”

“A few million? Not significant? Amazing.”

“I’ll tell you what was amazing,” Patrick said. “Once man began to pull back from the surface, nature began to take charge again. Pollution was reduced. The air and water gradually cleaned up. Forests reemerged, starting with the rain forests in South America. In a lot of ways it was like the world took a giant step backward.”

“But what happened to all the stuff? I mean, most of the buildings and roads are gone. Where did everything go?”

“It was all slowly dismantled. It was like a giant recycling project. Much of the material from the surface was retooled and used below to create the underground cities. There were billions of tons of material that couldn’t be re-used, like road surfaces. Not to mention all the material that had to be dug out to create the cities below. Most of that was broken down and used to create new terrain. The rolling hills you’re looking at were made from the streets and buildings of New York that were demolished. The whole idea was to heal the surface and preserve our resources for the future.”

“But some people still live on the surface?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. There are still cities all over the world. My guess is that it’s about half and half, surface dwellers and below grounders. But the below grounders spend a lot of time on the surface, too. People still take vacations to the ocean, or the mountains to ski, and pretty much do most of the things they did on Second Earth. If you want, we can go to a Yankees game.”

“There’s still a Yankee Stadium?” ”Of course,” Patrick answered with a smile. “There are some things that shouldn’t be changed.”

“It’s like…perfect,” was all I could say.

Patrick laughed. “No, nothing’s perfect. But it’s better than the direction man was headed.”

We rode the rest of the way to the library in silence. Of course I had a million more questions, but I wanted to stop thinking so much and take in the surroundings. Gunny was right. It was a good feeling. It took a while, but it seemed as if mankind had finally figured out the right way to get by.

We sped along the roadway, headed for Manhattan. The closer we got to the island, the more I realized what Patrick meant about preserving the past. Though most of the terrain had been returned to its natural state, there were still a lot of structures on the surface, like the bridges over the rivers that circled Manhattan.

And the Empire State Building was still there. But it now had a shiny, steel surface that made it look like high-tech Empire State. I wasn’t sure if it was the exact same building from my time, but it was definitely a huge reminder of the past. Very cool. In general, Manhattan was a little more built up than the Bronx. There were more streets and a lot more of those boxy apartment buildings, and it felt more like a city. Still, it was all very relaxed and civilized.

But something was wrong.

As I saw more of this reborn world, I began to get an uneasy feeling. I couldn’t put it into words just then because I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was feeling strangely unsettled. I didn’t say anything, but a nervous vibe was definitely tickling the back of my brain.

“This is it,” Patrick announced as he stopped the vehicle in front of the library. I was happy to see that the two big stone lions I remembered from Second Earth were still there. The wide cement stairs leading up to the library were the same too. But the building itself was a very different place. I remembered a big, imposing structure, with arches and columns that looked like something you’d see in ancient Rome. But that building was long gone. In its place was a small, modern structure that wasn’t much bigger than the library in Stony Brook.

“This is it?” I asked with surprise. “It’s kind of…small.”

Patrick laughed and said, “We haven’t used traditional books in about two thousand years. It’s amazing how much room they took up. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.”

He got out of the car and hurried up the stairs. Gunny leaned over to me and said, “I told you, it’s all about those little specks of things. That’s where they keep all the information. It’s magic.”

“Gunny,” I said. “I’m kind of nervous.”

“About what we’re going to find here?”

“Yeah, and about what we’ve already seen.”

We both took a look around at the quiet neighborhood. Some kids were playing kickball on the grass across the street. People rode by the library on their bicycles. A group of musicians played some classical music on the library steps. They all looked relaxed and as happy as could be, not like the frenzied New Yorkers I knew from First and Second Earth.

Gunny took this all in and then said, “This is why I brought you here. You needed to see this. It raises a whole lot of questions, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s go find some of the answers.”