Master George took a deep breath. “Sato was infected with the Dark Infinity plague—the very thing Tick has been sent to destroy with the antidote. You need to know that Sato displayed a supreme effort of sacrifice and courage to bring us the sample we required. But even more important, you need to know there are thousands, perhaps millions, who are in the same state as this poor boy.”

Paul and Sofia locked eyes, not saying a word, but sharing the horror of what they’d just seen. Sato, Paul thought. Oh, man, Sato.

“As you can see,” Master George said, “we have a lot of problems on our hands. We have sent in as our only hope a boy who has a power that could destroy everything around him if he loses control. We have a plague of insanity sweeping through the Realities. And it all could come to a head tomorrow.”

“So what do we need to do?” Sofia said, not so much a question as a statement.

“Yeah,” Paul said to show his support.

Rutger answered. “Tonight, we get some sleep—everyone needs rest. Plus, we’re still waiting for some of the others to arrive.”

“The others?” Paul asked.

Master George stepped forward and took a look through the peephole at Sato. After a long moment, he turned and faced the group, his face solemn.

“Tomorrow, we send an army of Realitants to the Fourth Reality.”

~

Tick lay in the small bed, the covers pulled up to his chin, staring at the ceiling he couldn’t see because of the darkness. Full of delicious food, freshly showered, dressed in a nice set of flannel pajamas, he kept his eyes open, staring at the blackness hanging above him like the void of deep space.

Tears trickled down his temples, into his hair and ears. Never, not once in his entire life, had he felt so utterly alone. He finally squeezed his eyes shut, sending another surge of wetness across his skin. He concentrated, picturing each member of his family one by one. His dad, hooting and running in place as his guy scored a touchdown in Football 3000. His mom, baking cookies, tasting dough on her finger. Lisa, talking on the phone, sticking her tongue out. Kayla, her eyes glued to a Winnie the Pooh cartoon on TV.

Then he thought of Sofia. And Paul. Sato. Mothball and Rutger. Master George and Sally.

And then the image of Mr. Chu popped in his head. Not the evil one, not the one who looked at him like he was nothing but trash. The Mr. Chu in his mind was the good and kind one, the one who loved science like a kid loves candy. The man who’d devoted his life to helping students gain an understanding of the world and how it works, to help prepare them for life. To plant a seed in future doctors, engineers, chemists, biologists.