The Paradox Corridor

Chapter 9: The Paradox Corridor

"The what?" asked the friends at the same time. But the custodian didn't need to answer. The wall answered for him. All of the computers on it were disappearing into the wall, and the wall itself began to move. They heard a low, grinding sound from above, and they looked up. Every computer in the room had folded into the ceiling. They looked at that moving wall, and it slid fully out of sight. Andrew said,

"No way!", Amber inhaled sharply, and James actually stepped back. What stood before them was a door. The door itself was not very interesting, but everything else was. The rim of the door was a shiny, silvery metal that glowed softly under its own power. On each side of the door sat a huge power generator, big, whirring, with wires with visible electricity flowing through them. The wires were connected to the door, which, on closer inspection, was not a normal color, but changed colors at random. The generators were connected to a huge bank of computers, black, sleek, with a futuristic-looking keyboard. The computer hummed in a British Accent,

"Paradox Corridor engaged, sir" The custodian walked up to the keyboard and hit a button. The keys sank into nothing, then came back up as a control panel, with levers, buttons, and spinning knobs. The kids stared in shock, which was (not to make a bad pun) not a shock, as the sight was enough to strike awe and some level of wariness in any onlooker. Simply, it was the most amazing thing they had ever seen.

"This thing is..." started James.

"Epic?" tried Andrew.

"Beautiful?" tried Amber.

"Impossible," said James, "This technology shouldn't exist. At least, not yet anyway. How did you get this?" he asked. The custodian smiled.

"Ah yes. James. Always the curious one, no matter the situation." It was true, that James was an overly inquisitive person. He always wanted to know how something worked, from clocks to an old radio in his basement, which he had disassembled and reassembled when he was seven.

"Wait," he asked, "How would you know that?" The custodian smiled.

"I know more about you than you than you know yourself, though soon the opposite will be true." he answered, in his now-normal mysterious fashion. "Anyway, how I got this is an interesting story. But now," he looked at his watch and jumped, "Is not the time. Go back to your hotel, and come back in here at midnight."

"Wait, what?" asked Andrew, "Why can't you tell us now? And how do you know we're in a hotel?"

"Because your friends are probably worried sick about you, and because I know that you are here for a school trip. Say you were lost. You will be fine."

"But what if we get caught?" asked Amber, "Or, worse, what if that robot comes back?"

"Later, Amber, later. That infernal machine will not bother you tonight. I promise."

"How do you know that it won't come back?" demanded James. "How do we know we can trust you? We don't even know your name!" The old man stood up straight. He was quite taller than they had first thought, maybe because, normally, he stooped.

"You are right, James, you don't know if you can trust me. But I can trust your curiosity to lead you back here tonight. Now, off you go!" He ushered them out of the room, then closed and locked the door. The three friends looked at each other, daring the others with their eyes to say what they were all thinking. Eventually, Andrew said,

"Was that a dream?" He pinched himself, then, unhappy with the results, pinched Amber too.

"Hey!" she said, annoyed. Then she looked at the TV in the corner, and started. "Look at the TV!" she exclaimed. The news lady on the screen stood in front of the mills, and was pointing to the hole in the ceiling. Then, it cut to some camera footage of the time robot firing its cannon at Amber and Andrew, though, thankfully, the image wasn't clear enough to see who they were. The footage ended there."No one knows who those kids are, but, according to eyewitness, the machine is gone thanks to them. Thank you, if you are still alive. And, if you aren't, the American people, along with the rest of the world, are grateful for your sacrifice. Now, back to you, Ken." The friends eventually headed back toward the entrance, still not sure if what had happened had really truly occurred.