Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

The doors opened and a tall man entered. He wore a red tunic tied at the middle with a cloth belt. His leggings were black and he had over his head a green woollen hood covering his shoulders, but the actual hood was pulled back. He carried a strange stringed instrument.

"Okay Beethoven," said the stranger. "Clear off. I'm replacing you." He put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Sit down, son. Nobody's going to hit you."

"Vot?" Beethoven turned the open end of his ear trumpet to the stranger.

The stranger put his mouth to the trumpet and repeated what he said very loudly. Beethoven's face turned scarlet.

"The door's over there," said the stranger into the ear trumpet and then pointed at the door.

Beethoven stormed out of the room. "In all my life I have never been so humiliated." He stood in the doorway. "I am still a genius!"

The doors shut. On the board was the name, Blondel. The stranger glanced at it.

"That's my name. I come from a universe where there is a parallel earth with me on it. Anyone here from twelfth century England?"

Malcolm put his hand up.

"How's it going, son?" said Blondel.

"Great. I'm warm, got plenty of food, nice clothes and good friends."

"Makes a change from the twelfth century doesn't it, living in mud and pulling maggots out of your food?"

Adam felt he liked this man. Though he was from the Middle Ages Adam guessed he had done this sort of thing before.

"Okay guys, I am the mythic Blondel who went around Europe looking for King Richard, playing his favourite music."

"Did you find him?" said Malcolm.

"King Richard? Yes I did. At this moment he's a prisoner of Duke Leopold of Austria locked up in the dungeons of Durnstein Castle."

"I'll tell dad," said Malcolm. "He wants Richard back as king."

"You do that. The sooner John is off the throne the better. Now people, if I can call some of you that, I am teaching music. This instrument is a lute."

Blondel played Beethoven's Ode to Joy on the lute giving the music a rock and roll spin. Adam guessed Blondel had been at the Nexus a long time and was comfortable with its weirdness, unlike Beethoven. Those who could sing joined in singing the words to Ode to Joy, which appeared on the board. A bouncing ball on the board pointed out the words needing to be sung next.

"Follow the bouncing ball," said Blondell helpfully.

Adam felt there was something vaguely familiar about the way Blondel held his lute, and the way his fingers danced about the strings.

When the lesson was over Blondel left the room and Adam scurried after him. They were in the passage together, leading away from the music room.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" said Adam.

"Son, I was taught by my father who was a minstrel in the twelfth century, but then I got the best schooling from Jimi Hendrix."

"Jimi Hendrix?" Adam thought it was no wonder Blondel's style of playing was familiar. "Is he at the Nexus?"

"He was. He had been brought here to teach the students citizenship but he played his guitar the whole time so they got rid of him, but not before he taught me some truly cool moves on the lute."

Blondel started plucking the strings of the lute with his teeth. Then he stopped and looked at Adam.

"Son, is your name Adam Brodie?"

"Yes."

"I've a message. You are to go and see your house master at four o clock at the House Red Giant building."

Blondel resumed plucking the lute strings with his teeth. Adam went to his next lesson which was chemistry. He wondered why Captain Trinity wanted to see him, and what had he done wrong now. Or was it about Jake? His stomach churned and he felt a cold tingle go up his spine. He felt the hairs on his neck rise and found himself sweating. He hated the fact the Nexus seemed like one giant jack in the box and as he went deeper the he found one jack in the box after another springing out yet another nasty surprise. Whatever destiny he had, thought Adam, it did not lie here.

Chemistry was taught by the master of House Nova, Dr Armstrong, who was a giant octopus. Dr Armstrong communicated through waves of colour passing across his body which were turned into speech by a machine translator. He used his tentacles to mix chemicals and flick sticks of chalk at students who messed about.

Despite his seemingly monstrous appearance, and the unnerving way his huge eyes swivelled free of each other on top of his head, Dr Armstrong was actually very nice.

Next Adam went to mathematics. This was taught by Albert Einstein.

"I have heard zat you had Beethoven for music and he had no sense of humour."

Brigitte, who was sitting next to Adam leaned over to him.

"Beethoven's problem was not that he had no sense of humour. His problem was he hated being here."

Adam nodded.

"But ve Germans do have a sense of humour and I vill prove it," said Einstein. "Vot do nuclear scientists eat? Fision chips!"

Einstein rocked with laughter. Nobody else thought his joke was funny and Adam wondered if there were going to be more. There were. Einstein cracked stupid joke after stupid joke as he taught mathematics and howled with laughter each time. Nobody else so much as tittered.

Even so, Adam found he enjoyed the lesson and he had never once enjoyed mathematics. Einstein was a good teacher despite his love of bad jokes. Unlike Beethoven, Einstein had no problem with the oddness of the students he had to teach.

Adam left the main teaching building thinking about Jake. It just was not like his brother to simply disappear. He was always the sensible one. He also wondered what Trinity wanted to see him about. Was it about him, or Jake?