VcnV

One more Visit

Josh, “That would make for an exception. Close the door and instantly reopen it. In your short time span an hour or more will have passed in the hall and hopefully they are gone. If we don’t ever return, I guess exit and tell your Dad, maybe he can help somehow.”

“That reminds me. My Dad wants us to ask Mike to contact him through the network some how. He shouldn’t have any trouble finding him.”

Josh, “Will do.” They waited until she was at the end of there vision and followed up behind her. She stopped along side a door on the right, came down the wall before opening it and stepping through it.

Pete said, “I wish I could walk on the ceiling like that.” Sheri gave him a look like not now. He shrugged, “What?”

They kept their eyes on the door she entered until they stood adjacent to it. “Well there are three of us. Who wants to wait outside?” asked Josh. Pete shook his head no.

Sheri, “If I were to wait here, how could I change the outcome if something bad happened in there?”

“She’s right,” said Pete.

“OK, three for the road,” Josh turned the knob and opened the door inward. They all stepped through. It looked the same as they remembered. An outside setting like a spring day where the temperature, humidity and sky were perfect. Josh noticed there was no music playing but there were the small singing birds who followed along with them as if expecting to be fed. The path led down the hill and they took it cautiously. They crossed the stream that flowed and came to the large rock formation. They peeked around the rocks and saw Miss Ursbrook talking with Mike sitting at his work desk. They couldn’t hear what was being said. She had her back to them. Mike was talking to her. They watched patiently. She then turned and started walking back towards the entrance.

Josh huddled the group and whispered lose your fear so it doesn’t detect our position while we hide and let it go by. They all nodded in agreement. They moved around the large rock the other direction to avoid any contact. They watched the virus walk by looking like Miss Ursbrook as she followed the path back.

Josh said wait here while I make sure it leaves and he followed it up the hill at a distance and watched while in opened the door and went through it. He sighed relief and returned to the group. “OK, it’s gone. Let’s approach Mike and be careful what we say to him. Let him do the talking.” They went back around the rock they way they always had. It was the easiest path.

“Mike, Hi. We had to come back to bring you the zapper you dropped when we last met,” said Josh as they approached.

He turned and looked, “You again. I thought we had an understanding that you would not come back here.”

“I know what you said. Aren’t you at all happy to have this returned?” Josh handed the zapper to him.

He looked at it for a moment not showing any emotion. “Is that all then? I guess you can go.”

Pete said, “We were hoping your gratitude would lead us into friendship.”

“Who are you anyway?” he asked of Pete.

“My name is Pete and this is Sherri. You already know Josh.”

Sheri said, “Yancy’s father wanted us to ask you to reach out to him by email or any other network protocol that you favored. He wanted to talk to you.”

He sat silently thinking. I don’t know if I have time for that. I’m very busy. I work all day. I never take any days off or even hours for that matter. I will consider it.”

“You said that you rarely exit this virtual world so it might be the only way. When did you last exit your pod, do you remember?” Josh was trying to see if he knew he was already deceased in reality.

Mike, “You see, I am so much better in here, younger. I know my looks don’t show it but you saw me do a flip in the hall before. I am frail and tired in my pod, but not here. I could change my looks here but I prefer not to. This is who I am. So I stay here pretty much all the time.” He seemed saddened by those words as if he knew he was trapped there but never let on that he knew he was deceased.

Josh didn’t want to push it. “We still think that our classroom is infected with a virus and need your skills. You know the skills that only you possess. No one else could do it,” trying flattery.

“Let me guess. Since you are here with me I guess your locked out again.”

“No, we took precautions this time so we can get back in when we return,” said Sheri.

“Students learning and taking precautions makes me happy. What do you want from me?” He fumbled the zapper in his hands keeping his eyes glued on it.

Josh asked, “You told me that viruses could make themselves appear in different form than we met in the hallway. Could our teacher be a virus?”

“Sure, why not.” He didn’t let on that he was speaking to the teacher only moments ago.

Pete added, “Could you be a virus?” He wisely decided not to mention Miss Ursbrook.

“What, me a virus. Heavens no, I am a tinker.”

Sheri asked, “So viruses can’t appear as tinkers?”

“Well, they could appear as a tinker, but not this one. I would know if I were a virus.”

That statement stumped the group. Of course a virus would know if they were a virus.

“Mike, what should we do if we find that she is a virus? Should we zap her?” Josh wanted to know what the outcome might be if they took this into their own hands.

“If she is a digital twin like we are, I don’t know what would happen. She might just exit and be in her pod. That is an unknown. If she is a virus, it will partially clean the problem. Other students could have been infected. You might have been infected as well.”

Pete said, “Wouldn’t we know if we were infected? Like you said you would know if you were a virus.

“You kids are not tinkers so I don’t know that answer but I suspect you might not know. If your teacher is a bot associated with the program and you zap her I don’t think there would be any serious consequences. It would take some time but the program would create another teacher. If she is a virus, the zap would destroy it. Depending on how much of the program is infected, the replacement created could be OK or just another virus.”

Sheri, “This is too much.” Pete agreed.

“So this is why we need your help.” Josh pleaded with him.

Mike handed Josh the zapper, “You keep this. You will be needing this to travel safely back. I have another, don’t worry. You may need this for your classroom affliction as well if you decide to take it on.”

Mike didn’t know that Josh had another in his pocket. He hadn’t told his friends yet either. He had hoped to give it to Yancy, but he declined coming. He wasn’t sure giving it to Pete would be a good idea. He decided to pressure Mike about the meeting with their teacher.

“We saw you talking to our teacher when we arrived. We waited until she left to come to you.” Josh knew that this could anger Mike but he wasn’t making any progress otherwise, just going around in circles.

Mike pondered, “That was your teacher that was here?” He seemed slightly surprised.

Pete, “You know it was.”

“You must have saw her standing frozen in front of the class,” Sheri added.

Mike, “I might have seen her along with everything in the room but I didn’t take note of her looks. I didn’t recognize she was the same person.”

Josh pushed further, “Why does she visit you and why is she welcome here?”

“Who said she was welcome. Why does she come here, I don’t know. Why do you come here. You know you are not welcome. Many people come here to see me. Viruses too. We take care of them don’t we Brutus,” he petted the mechanical dog resting next to his chair. I told her leave just like I am now telling you all to leave. Brutus escort these kids to the door.” He had a scowl on his face. “She left on her own.” Brutus stood up ready to follow them.

Josh felt like he had failed the group by angering Mike. “OK, we are going.” They all walked back to the path by the rock glancing back hoping Mike would have a change of mind.

“I remind you again not to visit me here.” He didn’t look their way but stared at his computer display on the desk.

They continued back to the entrance with Brutus trotting like a soldier behind them drooling saliva dripping on the path.

When they arrived at the door they stopped. Sheri said, “What are we going to do now?”

Pete suggested, “Why don’t we use the zapper on the…,” he moved between Brutus and Josh and pointed his finger back toward the dog so that Brutus did not see his gesture.

Sheri standing adjacent said, “what would that accomplish?”

“Mike wouldn’t have control over us without him,” not thinking very deeply. Pete thought his logic prevailed.

“He saved us once in the hall, remember and Mike gave us the zapper so I don’t think he means us any harm,” Josh replied.

Brutus made a dog like sound like he was getting impatient. Like Mike hadn’t fed him.

Pete grabbed the door handle, “OK buddy were going.” He opened the door. “Yikes!” he screamed and slammed it shut again.