Ellis hadn’t heard Pax speak like this before—so formal and filled with admiration. It surprised him.
“A true Darwin,” Pol said, nodding. “And you traveled in a time machine like H. G. Wells—one of your own making?”
“I built it in my garage. It wasn’t that hard. A guy named Hoffmann did all the real work. He figured out how to do it.”
“Can you return to your time? Are you just visiting?”
“No. It’s a one-way thing. I’m here permanently, although I won’t be here long.”
“No?”
“Well, you see—I have a medical condition that—”
Pol held up a palm. “Pax explained about that in the message sent to me along with an accounting of your role in helping to stop a murderer, who had killed one of our beloved geomancers. Trust me, all of Hollow World is in your debt, and we will see to it that any defect you have is corrected. You’re a treasure to us, anda hero—not that you needed to be. Those at the ISP love this sort of challenge, and to work with a true Darwin, well…” Pol appeared at a loss for words.
Pol reached out and squeezed Ellis’s hand. “We’ll take great care of you.” Pol then turned to Pax. “Thank you for bringing Ellis Rogers to us, and for your role in solving the murders as well. You’ve performed an invaluable service to Hollow World, Pax. I’ll see to it that you’re remembered for this.”
Pol tapped the brooch at the shoulder of the tunic, and the portal reappeared behind their chairs. “And you can trust that I’ll take very good care of Ellis Rogers.”
A moment of silence hung. Pax stood slowly, eyes cast low.
“Thank you again, Pax,” Pol said.
The time for saying goodbye was at hand again, and while Ellis was pleased to discover he’d earned a free medical procedure, he felt awful once more. What else could he do? What else did he expect? How long had he even known Pax? Ellis couldn’t understand his own feelings. All he knew was that he enjoyed being around Pax, and the idea of never meeting again was so unpleasant he dropped into depression.
He put his game face on. Ellis was going to suck it up and be manly. He watched as Pax hesitated, then turned back to face Pol with serious, troubled eyes. “Who is Ren?”
Pol’s smile vanished at the sound of the word. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Pax’s expression shifted to sharp concern. “I asked who Ren is.”
“I have no idea.”
Pax continued to stare at the Chief Councilor, who looked increasingly nervous.
“What were you talking with Geo-24 about?”
Pol struggled to ignite that smile again. “I think it’s time for you to leave us, Pax.”
Ellis watched as Pax’s expression shifted from concern to terror. “You’re not Pol-789.”
Pol replied with an artificial laugh that even Ellis didn’t buy. “Of course I am. I wouldn’t be able to enter this office unless I was.”
“You could if you had Pol’s chip.” Pax stood up, and, reaching across the table, pulled the toga off the Chief Councilor’s left shoulder. There, in the otherwise unblemished tawny skin, was a scar: well healed, but clearly visible, similar to the one Ellis had seen on Geo-24’s impostor. The assault startled Pol, who reached out with both hands to cover up. As the Chief Councilor did, they both noticed Pol was missing a pinky and ring finger on one hand.
Pax gasped. “Who are you?”
All pretenses fell away. Pol tapped the brooch again, and some of the windows changed to what appeared to be a television screen. Only the show that was playing was the back of a person’s head.
“Gar?” Pol said, and the person on the screen turned. “I need your help up here right away. We have a security problem.”
Pax shoved the fancy table forward, striking Pol in the stomach and knocking the Chief Councilor’s chair over.
The portal was still open behind them.
“Go!” Pax shouted.
Ellis never bothered to think. He dove through the opening and found himself back in the lobby. Behind him, through the portal, he could see Pol’s mouth shouting a silent, Stop!
Before he’d had a chance to reorient himself, Pax had hold of his hand and was pulling him toward the exit doors. “We have to get outside so I can open a portal,” Pax said, already digging the device out of the frock coat.
“What’s going on? Why are they after you?”
“They don’t care about me—it’s you they want.”
The snap and hiss of multiple portals popped in the lobby, and others stepped out and spotted them. “Hey! Stop!”
Pax and Ellis pushed out the front doors back into the falselight sunshine that gave no feeling of warmth. Ellis saw Pax pause and fiddle with the device, then a new portal appeared directly in front of them. With Pax still holding tight to his hand, they jumped in together.
Ellis was standing inside a massive stadium. Tiers of seats rose up before him numbering in the tens of thousands, most filled by spectators looking down at a green field where a game was being played. The crowd roared, several jumped to their feet, clapping. None noticed Pax and Ellis.
Pax, still holding his hand, pulled Ellis up a set of steps and around a pillar that was marked SEC-B 200-300 in bold white numbers.
“Where are we? What’s going on?” Ellis asked, having to shout over the cheers of the fans.
“We’re at Tuzo Stadium,” Pax replied, struggling feverishly with the portal device. “I was here last week. Had the location pre-programmed and I didn’t have time to pick anywhere else.”
Ellis peered around the pillar. On the field athletes were battling with three separate balls. Instead of uniforms, the players were painted different colors. Ellis guessed there were three different teams: one blue, one orange, and one yellow.
“What’s going on? What happened in Pol’s office? What was all that about Ren?”
Pax was busy with the portal device again, but darting furtive glances down the steps. “I need to pick a place outside, somewhere on the grass where you’ll be safe.”
“Safe from whom?”
“I don’t know, but that wasn’t Pol-789. Whoever we just met was involved in Geo-24’s murder, and I think also might have killed Pol-789.”
“How do you know—”
“Got it,” Pax declared as another portal appeared.
Ellis could hardly see anything inside the opening. The far side was dark.
Pax took hold of his hand once more. “Let’s go before they catch us.”
The moment Ellis stepped through the new portal, he was hit by a bath of hot, humid air and knew he was no longer in Hollow World. The light that spilled in from the stadium illuminated a scene of thick vegetation. Large, broad-leafed plants and massive-trunked trees hugged them. The ground felt moist beneath his feet, the air thick with the scent of dirt and plants, and everywhere were the whoops, chatter, shrieks, and cries of living things.
An instant later the portal snapped shut, leaving them in darkness.
“Where are we now?” Ellis whispered, terrified to move, but Pax pulled him along, rushing blindly into the slap of leaves.
“On the grass—South American Plate, Amazonian Biome, Basin Quadrant.”
“We’re in the Amazon jungle?”
Pax halted. “I—I thought—” The words were frightened, panicked. “I didn’t know it would be dark here. I can’t see what I’m doing!”
“Hang on—relax.” Ellis stopped. Pulling off his pack, he fished out the flashlight.
“Shine the light on my Port-a-Call,” Pax said, holding up the device.
The little controller had a tiny screen and a touch pad, and Pax was doing something that caused new numbers and words to appear. “You said you left your time machine not far from the Ford Museum, right?”