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Some Letters Missing

Molly yelled, “Mike, do something!” Mike stood still.

Brutus started slamming Pete’s body back and forth on the ground when his head came off and rolled away. Brutus let go and the body fell to the ground sounding like chains dropping into a heap. The body transformed into a robotic ant.

Yancy picked up the head and saw the face of Miss Ursbrook on the ant’s head and it became animated and said, “Boo!”

Yancy startled, dropped the head and stepped back, “Oh, that was weird.” The eyes closed on the face and it became still. The gang was shocked by what took place and looked to Mike.

“Brutus can’t be fooled by their disguise appearances. He knows.” Mike turned and sat down at his desk nonchalantly. “It’s a good thing you brought this virus to my attention. There was a serious network failure to detect it. I have alerted the network security office but have not heard back from them. There was an auto response that stated there were a pair of glasses available that would identify viruses with just a look. I requested they send them to me. We are going to have to take action ourselves.”

The gang all looked at each other in surprise. Sheri said, “If that wasn’t Pete. Then Pete might still be in the box back in the virus stronghold.” Molly and Yancy were not sure why Pete was there at all, but he was missing from the classroom.

Josh said, “Or maybe the body of Pete they carried into the great hall wasn’t ever him. Maybe they know what we are up to. Trying to destroy them or it. So she spied on us to see what we were up to.”

“No. They would have had to know we were hiding there to see him put in the box. They probably didn’t know we were there until we showed up at the box to rescue him. Then she transformed into Pete.” Sheri’s logic made sense. Molly started to ask a question and stopped.

Josh decided their next move. “I guess we have to go back again.”

“We can use Mike’s wormhole to get there safely but it won’t protect us in the Virome,” said Molly.

Mike offered some advice, “I think you should wait awhile. Let me see what I can come up with as far as an anti-virus solution. What ever I decide it should create enough havoc that your rescue would go unnoticed. This is your best chance to get your friend out unscathed.”

“OK,” said Sheri. “But we should at least have two of us hiding in the upper deck watching to see if he does escape by himself. He could be disoriented and need our help. If they did to him what Josh suffered from the teacher, he could be out for hours, right?”

“Yeah, I didn’t wake up until afternoon after I was hit before class,” Josh added. They were standing around Mike’s desk on the grass.

“Yancy will you come with me to watch for Pete?” asked Molly.

He thought for a minute, looked at Josh who padded his own pocket to remind Yancy that he had some protection. “Yeah,” he said. The two went through the tree wormhole door leading to the room directly across from the infectious hive. Molly opened the door slowly and peeked into the hallway. “It looks clear,” she said.

“Let me go across first and enter that room. If I get in trouble you can quickly go back and notify the gang,” offered Yancy checking his pocket for his zapper. “Once I manage unobstructed you can join me.” She nodded as it made good sense. He opened the door to the viral colony and looked around. All was clear so he waved on Molly to join him. Inside they took cover as before and peered below to see if there were any signs of Pete. He was nowhere that they could see so they sat down and waited for Mike to finish his version of the Manhattan Project.

Hours went by in Mike’s domain while he feverishly worked at his console. He was right he didn’t take breaks. Josh and Sheri sat on the grass and tried to relax. They looked around his nice little piece of country. They saw large birds, maybe hawks flying in the distance while the little sparrows were near by in the trees singing. Mike stopped and sat back in his chair. He turned towards the kids and said. I have a program compiling which is going to chew up more time then we currently have but we have no choice. He sat down on the grass near them and seemed human for the first time to them. He asked about their families already knowing Yancy’s Dad. They were happy to answer him.

He reached into his pocket which seemed to be a like a magicians as he pulled so many things out of it without any bulges that could be seen. A bottomless pocket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tapped the pack over his other index finger so a couple of cigarettes showed themselves and he selected the one sticking out the furthest. He offered to them but they pulled back like it was lethal just to be near one.

“Ah yes, to be young at this time. Smart enough to know what is bad for you and they are. When I was growing up just about everybody I knew smoked. We heard the stories about how bad they were but discounted it because we were young and didn’t think it would have that effect on us. If it did it would be such a long time, an entire life perhaps.” He lit one and took a drag, inhaled it and then blew it out.

“How can you do that knowing how cancerous it is,” asked Sheri seeming disgusted by it.

“Well, you are right but let it be known that I actually quit smoking in my early twenties. I was fortunate, not like many in my generation who continued until they were hooked on it. Then they saw their parents dying of lung cancer by their sixties but for many it was too late to stop. But let me tell you something, in here smoking doesn’t kill. There is no carcinogen entering your lungs.”

“Does it feel the same? Do you enjoy the way it feels? I mean the pod can’t make it so you feel smoke in your lungs the same way it can not get you wet when you are dry in your pod,” asked Josh inquisitively.

“Very good points. It’s a funny thing about the virtual. What you say is true, the pod can not do it. But your mind can fill in the blanks if you let it and you have a memory of the sensation to attach to it. Take for instance, if you read a page of text and only some of the letters were missing, your mind often fills them in and you understand the meaning. In your case, having never smoked, it would be just going through the motions. You would see smoke coming out of your mouth but feel nothing else. For me, I feel it and it brings back incredible memories from my youth.”

Josh said, “Can I try one?”

“Sure,” Mike popped another one out of his pack and Josh placed it between his lips. He offered to Sheri who made a face that made it clear of her intentions. Then he lit Josh’s cigarette with his lighter that he also found somewhere in his pocket cave.

“My Dad loves black and white classic movies. Especially westerns. I have watched some with him. It struck me as strange how in some movies everywhere the star went he was offered a smoke and a drink, not a beer, but an eighty proof drink. It seemed like a cool time. It was tough, brash, but short lived I guess.” Josh puffed on his smoke thinking about them.

“The good old days,” Mike chimed in. Many were made before his time. He was born in 1950.

Sheri couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How could anyone like those movies. Our movies today allow us to be in the scenes, in the room, on the set. Nothing beats that. I like walking around when a scene is taking place and viewing it from different angles.”

“Yeah, that’s all good,” agreed Mike taking another puff on his smoke. Then he reached in that bottomless pocket again and brought out a pint size bottle. He looked at Josh smiling, “Yep, eighty proof.” then winked at him.

Josh was like a younger kid in a candy store. “Let me guess, it taste like the real thing to you because of your memory of it, but does not effect you at all?”

Mike offered the bottle to Josh, “That’s right. Tastes like Kentucky bourbon to me. Have a swig?”

Josh took the bottle, looked at Sheri who had a serious expression of disapproval on her face and took a drink. It didn’t have any taste. It was like water. Probably that was what his mind substituted for the taste. He handed the bottle back to Mike.

“Ever taste bourbon before?”

Josh shook his head in a negative fashion. They both broke out laughing while Sheri looked on.

“When was the last time you surfaced in reality?” asked Josh. He felt Mike was becoming more human with every interaction. Sheri looked on wondering what kind of answer he would get. They knew he was deceased but didn’t let on.

“I honestly don’t remember,” he replied looking distant for a moment. “You see several years ago I tried and well…” He lifted his left arm and showed them his wristband. Then he pressed the button. “You see, nothing.”

Josh glanced at Sheri then said, “Oh, I see. What happened to your real body back in pod?”

“I don’t know,” he seemed saddened by what he said. Surely he put two and two together.

“Well time to get back to work,” he said while getting up and sitting at his desk to check the progress of the program compilation. “It’s almost finished.”

Sheri asked Mike, “Can we use the other wormhole we heard about to check our classroom door to see if it’s open or locked?”

“Sure, its in that oak tree,” he said pointing at the large tree.

Sheri took Josh’s hand and led him to it. She opened the door and passed through it followed by Josh. She grabbed the door handle but it was still locked. I wanted to talk to you alone. Why did you prod him about his real self? You know he is dead.”

“I don’t know. He was becoming so much friendlier. I wanted to get to know him better. I hate to think he doesn’t know. He has to know doesn’t he?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he is lonely and happy someone else is stuck in here with him.”

“What was that you said?” Josh looked at her very seriously.

“What? Just that maybe he is happy that he is not alone and we are also trapped here.”

“Exactly. I wonder. Let’s head back.” He had a thought that blossomed from Sheri’s comment but he kept it to himself for now. Hopefully it was nothing. He was beginning to like Mike.