The Pilgrims of Rayne by D.J. MacHale Read Free Book Online

science. Mark Dimond is considered to be the genius visionary who began the computer age.”
    â€œOnce again, whoa,” Courtney gasped.
    â€œWhen?” I blurted out. “When did this happen?”
    â€œComputer,” Patrick announced, “What was the Forge patent application date?”
    The cap and gown image of young Mark disappeared, leaving the older Mark, holding his invention. Andy’s invention. Saint Dane’s invention. The computer answered, “United States Patent Number 2,066,313 was filed on October sixth, 1937.”
    â€œFirst Earth,” I whispered.
    â€œThat’s it,” Courtney exclaimed. “He went to First Earth and brought Forge with him. He changed the course of history by introducing his simple computer years before it was supposed to be invented. No, forget simple. That thing was advanced, even by Second Earth standards. He jumped the natural evolution of computer science by, like, sixty years. That’s why Second Earth changed. That’s why Third Earth changed. That’s why freaking robots are everywhere. Mark changed the future by bringing Forge to the past.”
    I wanted to say I was surprised, but it was exactly what I feared. By bringing his invention to the past, Mark had mixed the territories and changed the natural destiny of Halla. I didn’t say anything. My mind was working over the possibilities.
    â€œWhat the matter?” Courtney asked impatiently. “This is exactly the kind of thing we thought happened.”
    â€œYeah,” I said. “But it doesn’t answer the bigger question.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Patrick asked.
    â€œIt doesn’t tell us why. Why did Mark do it? He knew how wrong it was. How did Saint Dane get to him?”
    The three of us sat there, looking at our feet. None of us had that answer, and I doubted the computer would either, but I had to try. I stood up, strode to Patrick’s seat and hit the white button myself. “Computer!” I demanded. “What is the discrepancy?”
    The computer answered, “There is no history of Dimond, Mark prior to the patent filing for his Forge technology in October of 1937.”
    â€œMakes sense,” Courtney said. “He dropped in from the future.”
    The computer continued, “There is no history of Dimond, Mark beyond the announcement of the Dimond Alpha Digital Organization partnering with KEM Limited in November of 1937.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Patrick demanded to know. “Mark Dimond disappeared twice?”
    Mark’s image vanished. We waited. Nothing happened. We stood silently, letting the reality sink in.
    â€œSo what happened to him on First Earth?” Patrick asked nobody in particular.
    â€œWe got what we came for,” I declared. “Patrick, keep searching.”
    â€œFor what?” he asked.
    â€œFor anything that will give us a clue as to what happened to Mark on First Earth.”
    â€œAnd what’re you going to do?”
    I looked at Courtney. “We’re going after him.”
    Courtney walked up next to me, looked me in the eye, and asked, “Are we on the wrong territory?”
    â€œYeah, we’re on the wrong territory.”

JOURNAL #28
    FIRST EARTH
    P atrick drove us quickly back to the subway city in the Bronx. On the way we grabbed a quick bite to eat. If there was one thing I learned while bouncing through time and space, it was to eat when you could. You never knew when you’d get another chance…or find yourself on a territory where food tasted like shoes. We got the food at a drive-through. Or maybe it was more of a drive- under, since we had to go underground to get it. We ate cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas. Some things never change, no matter what century you’re in. We ate while Patrick drove. I took the time to fill him in on what had happened to me since I’d seen him last. The wins and the losses. The