Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"Dimensional science," said Adam. "What's that?"

"I think it's what the Nexus is all about," said Brigitte. "I think."

A group of children of various alien appearances stood in a vast chamber built of huge stone slabs. On the walls were iron sconces holding burning torches. After the high tech of the rest of the Nexus Adam felt he had stepped back in time several hundred years.

The acrid smoke hurt his throat. That and the dim lighting made his concern over his brother worse. The bug was there and he was amusing himself up on the ceiling, dancing a jig. Adam wished he could join him.

The chamber shook. The children looked about them. It shook again. These were giant footfalls. The Bug detached himself from the ceiling and somersaulted upright in the air. He unfurled his wings, slowing his descent, to land with a loud squish of the suckers lining the soles of his boots.

The chamber shook a few times more. Then from a side entrance where the deepest and darkest shadows lay, emerged a monster.

It was a giant, with a great snout, and it padded on big thick legs with wicked looking claws splayed on the stone slabs making up the floor. Its eyes were big and luminous and yet shaped in a way they suggested something from the east, Chinese perhaps. On its head was a mass of white hair and a thick white beard hung from its lower jaw.

The light from the burning torches glittered off its scaly hide and it breathed dense white smoke from its nostrils. Its ears stood erect on its head and its body stank of burning sulphur. Adam gagged on the stench. The monster stood before the children and suddenly sported two bat like wings on either side of its snake like body.

So far it was the most frightening thing Adam had ever seen.

"He's a dragon," said George. "One of me. Fascinating."

"He could be a she," Brigitte pointed out.

"I am neither," gasped the monster. "My name is Chi Lung. I am a Chinese dragon. I am also the vice principal of the Nexus."

Lung moved forward slightly and Adam saw something big and heavy sweep back and forth above the floor. It was the monster's gargantuan tail. He also heard the monster's claws scrape on the flagstones. Lung's voice reverberated in the stone chamber.

"I am here to teach you all dimensional science. Observe."

Their attention turned to a whiteboard which appeared in their midst. Lung extended a great claw and deftly picked up a magic marker and drew a circle in black on the board. Then he drew a stick man within the circle.

"Here you see a circle and the figure of a man within. Both the circle and the man are two dimensional, and to this man the circle is impenetrable. Why are you aiming that weapon at me?"

Malcolm had inserted an arrow into his bow and was aiming it at Chi Lung. Adam grabbed the arrow and pushed it down.

"Put that away!" he said.

"That thing is a monster," said Malcolm.

"It's our teacher. Now stick that arrow back in the quiver."

Malcolm grumbled but he did as Adam urged, and slung the bow over his shoulder. "Don't blame me if we all get eaten."

"No need for that," said Lung. "I recently had breakfast. Back to the lesson."

Lung drew another stick figure within the circle.

"Here we have another man. Let us say he has three dimensions, that he has depth. Now he can step over the line easily but to the two dimensional man it will appear to him the other man has vanished and reappeared outside the black line that to him, a two dimensional man, is an impenetrable wall."

Lung swung its great head to look at the students.

"That in essence is dimensional science. Through sheer power of your minds you will ascend the dimensions and will be able to do actions that will amaze those occupying lower dimensions, but to you will be commonplace. If and when you have reached the highest dimensions of all you will be cosmic champions. I will demonstrate,"

Lung pointed a huge single claw at a brick wall, which till then nobody had noticed, standing at the far side of the chamber.

"I need somebody to help me demonstrate," said Lung, his huge eyes roving over the assembled students.

Not me, thought Adam. I got enough problems. Please not me.