Undercover - In China - Book 7

Part 13 - Dr Zhang and Denny are in Danger

Miguel and I finished checking and finally deciding that nothing seemed to be missing or damaged so we went home.

Later that evening, after supper, I was watching a boring television commercial when the doorbell rang. I looked out of the front window. It was Miguel. He beckoned urgently and I ran to open the front door.

He was panting. 'We have to get to Licia's. It's urgent. Grab your coat . . . Murga's back in town and Dr Zhang and Denny are in danger.'

We slithered and stumbled down the snow filled street while Miguel told me that Yonnie and Treeka had contacted him after trying to reach everyone else. 

 On the opposite side of Sumac Street, Silverwood School looked dark and deserted. Licia was as surprised as I was when Miguel told her about Yonnie and Treeka's call. 

 'We tried to call you but your kept getting the unavailable message.'

'My cell battery must be dead,' she explained apologetically as we kicked off our shoes. 

 We said, 'Hi' to her mother as Licia hustled us up the stairs to her room.

There, Yonnie and Treeka spoke together like a Greek chorus. 'Murga is back and has sent Supreme Genius Dr Zhang and Denny to China.' 

'Why would he do that?' I asked.

'Our Great Mother Mandia sent Murga to China but the time-phase was in the Three Kingdoms Era, about 2000 years ago. He was stuck there for six months before he was able to reconnect with Toktakunov and return to the present time phase. 

 Immediately, Toktakunov took control of the electric bookcase, jammed all communications and sent Dr Zhang and Denny back to the same time/place,' Yonnie said.  'Supreme Genius Dr Zhang and Lord Denny are in great danger.'

'Who is Toktakunov?' Miguel asked.

 'Murga's controller,' Treeka replied impatiently. 'You must help us. He tried to shut down our Great Mother Mandia and he may harm her.'

 'Why don't you warn Denny and Dr Zhang?' Licia asked.

 'They are before this time,' Yonnie snapped. 'You must help His Supreme Modesty Doctor Zhang,' Treeka said. 

 'Murga intends to destroy him.'

 'I don't understand the problem.' I said.

Yonnie stared at me as if I were stupid. 'We cannot reach them in the Time before the Great Mother of All Things created the Internet.'

 'We have no access to the primitive world before Great Mother Mandia,' Treeka explained. 'There is no Internet in China when Lord Denny and Supreme Intellect Dr Zhang are! They don't even have cell phones or satellite navigation . . .  Anyway, Murga's controller, Toktakunov, has blocked all phones, Skype, email, text, instant messaging, all communications,' she explained sadly.    'Mother Mandia has been frozen. She does not respond to us. Lord Denny and Supreme Intellect Dr Zhang are trapped! They cannot return from China.'

Miguel, punched a few numbers on his cell phone and confirmed this. 'Both Denny's and Dr Zhang's numbers are not in service.'

Treeka continued as if she had not been interrupted, 'They could have been sent anywhere in time except that we interfered with Toktakunov's algorithms before communications were stopped. We found Mandia sent them to Xiangyang, a place/time previously studied by Supreme Intellect Dr Zhang.'

 'The problem,' Yonnie interjected, 'is that Toktakunov has blocked that location against their return. They must use an emergency location that we have set up near Jiangling but they do not know where it is. And we cannot contact them to tell them about it. If we could, Toktakunov would block that too.'

 'What can we do?' I asked. 'How can we help?'

 Treeka explained, 'We know you have a way to contact them in person.'

 'You mean . . . we should go through the electric bookcase and find them?' Miguel gasped. 'When are they?'

 'About 208 current era,' Treeka said. 'At the end of the Han Dynasty.'