Under Attack

by Katrina Kahler

  Fadhili pressed on the brake and stopped the car. We all got out and walked towards the line of squashed ants. Instead of finding blood and guts, we found chips and sparks. The ants were robo-ants.

  Ruby took pictures of the parts, “Wow, these things couldn’t have been cheap,” she said. She pulled a plastic bag from her pocket. Bending down, she scooped up some robot ant parts and dropped them in the bag. “I want to see what Dr. Thorn and Vinnie have to say about this!”

  I started thinking these ants certainly didn't appear to be the slightest bit supernatural. That made me feel that the Ruby was right, those skeletons also were most likely creations of science rather than magic or mischief. I might have been wrong...but I doubted it. Still, we needed to see what Dad and Cousin Vinnie said.

  “Okay, let’s get to your home and figure this out!” I said anxiously.

  Before we could take another step, three police cars drove up and blocked us from our cars. The same six police officers we had dealt with before hopped out of their cars.

  “Officers, I’m glad you are here!” Fadhili said.

  One of the officers pulled out a stun gun and aimed it at Fadhili. “Halt!” he ordered.

  Fadhili stopped and raised his arms.

  The officer zapped him with the stun gun.

  “What are you doing?” Veronica shouted. “He did what you asked him to do!”

  “He raised his hands,” the officer said. “We didn’t order him to do that.”

  “That’s crazy!” Veronica yelled.

  “We don’t think so!” the officer said defiantly. He aimed his stun gun at Veronica.

  “Go to sleep!” Veronica ordered!

  Frank and Ruby fell asleep again. But the police officer stayed wide-awake. The officer fired his stun gun at Veronica. I moved forward and caught the electric dart before it struck Veronica. I felt the electric current surge through me. It didn’t even faze me.

  “Thanks!” Veronica said.

  Crushing the dart in my hand, I told her, “I’m just getting started.”

  Leaping across the air, I wanted to take out these police people fast. I also knew I had to take it easy on them, as they weren’t in control of their actions. They were being controlled. Now, whoever or whatever was controlling the police officers had somehow managed to stop Veronica from controlling them.

  Landing next to the police officer who had fired at Veronica, I pinched him on the neck. He fell over. The other five drew their stun weapons.

  “Maybe if we all hit her at once?” one of the officers suggested.

  Actually, I didn't know if that would work or not. I did know it would be a lot harder to hit me than they thought. Moving at blur speed, I would be almost impossible to see and even harder to hit. I hoped. After all, Veronica had awesome mind control powers, yet they didn't work on the police this time. No time to think or worry about that. Time to act and get the job done. No room for doubt! Leaping at near lightning speed, I grabbed the two nearest police officers and clanked their heads together. They dropped to the ground. I jumped between two more of the police. I stopped so they could actually see me. I waved to them.

  The two officers aimed at me and fired. I leaped up in the air over their stun shots. The two officers hit each other with their stun bolts. They both shook wildly and fell to the ground, kicking and jerking. A second later, they simply laid there, out cold. The last police officer who was left standing turned her stun gun at me. “Please stop!” she said.

  “If you’re smart you’ll run away!” I told her.

  She dropped her stun gun and ran.

  Turning to Veronica, I saw Frank and Ruby were moving again. “Come on, pick up Fadhili and let’s get to the house,” I ordered.

  Ruby pointed to a still stunned Fadhili, “Uh, he’s in no shape to drive.”

  “Don’t worry; I’ve got this!” Veronica said. She hopped into the driver’s seat and started the car. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  Frank lifted up Fadhili and carried him to the jeep. As we pulled away, Fadhili started to blink and move.

  “What do you guys think is going on here?” Veronica asked while driving.

  “This is freaky,” Frank said.

  “I think somebody is trying to force Cousin Vinnie and you guys away from this land!” I stated adamantly.

  “I agree,” Ruby added.

  “I…I a-g-ree,” Fadhili said, spitting out the words with great difficulty.

  “Any idea why somebody would be trying to do this?” I asked.

  Veronica shook her head. “Not unless somebody really wants to help poachers out. But that would be pretty low.”

  “And also pretty extreme,” Ruby said. “I know rhino horns may be of value to some people, but the money needed to invest in this kind of technology would be very costly.”

  Nina Note: I still wasn’t totally sure what was going on here. We’d faced weird skeletons, robotic army ants, and mind-controlled police. None of these really had anything much in common. I guessed the only thing they had in common was that none of them seemed magical.

  I tended to agree with Ruby, somebody with a lot of resources, probably financial, wanted to drive Vinnie and his family off this land. Vinnie and his family were protecting something that somebody else wanted. We just needed to figure out what was so valuable; then maybe we could figure out who wanted it.

  I felt sorry for Fadhili. Poor guy didn't deserve that. But that's part of the risk when normal people hang out with us, supernatural people. We have all sorts of enemies, and our friends could get hurt in the crossfire. I guess I needed to figure out if I wanted to put Jimmy through that. Of course, being from a vampire hunting family, he wasn't exactly normal. Of course, I didn't know if that made it better in this case.

  Chapter 8: The Culprits

  I felt anxious to get back to Cousin Vinnie's home. Not because I felt scared or worried, though. In fact, I felt confident Veronica and I could handle anything that whoever was behind this, could throw at us. I just couldn't wait for Dad and Vinnie to analyze the robot ant parts and the video that Ruby took. I wanted answers to who was causing all the trouble.

  When we arrived at the house. Ruby exited the car and raced up the porch stairs. Throwing open the door she yelled, “Doctor T, Cousin Vinnie, I have something of interest.”

  Both men rushed down from the upstairs lab. They looked like little kids rushing towards their Christmas presents. Of course, Ruby stood there in the main area holding a big bag of what Dad and Vinnie thought of as the best present ever: computer parts for them to study.

  Ruby opened the bag wide. Dad and Vinnie peered inside. They both grinned. Dad and Vinnie each reached into the bag. They both pulled out the same robotic ant leg. They both tugged on it.

  “Mine!” Dad said.

  “Ah drat!” Vinnie said.

  "Boys, there are plenty of robot parts for both of you," Mom said, walking towards them. "Honey, share your toys with your cousin!" Mom ordered Dad.

  Dad pouted for a second. Suddenly he seemed to realize that he was a world-class scientist. He smiled. He handed the leg over to Vinnie.

  “Sorry, Cuz,” he said with a bow.

  Vinnie took the piece, clasped his hands together, and gave Dad a slight bow also. “My bad too.”

  “No, I was selfish,” Dad said. "I think because I have more degrees than you, I should get the first pick, but that's wrong."

  Vinnie shook his head. "No, no I totally see your point. After all, you are a legend in the field. Plus, you being the older cousin and all, I should give way to you."

  “Well, I’m not that much older than you!” Dad said.

  “Please...you had to be ten when I was born,” Vinnie said.

  “Actually eleven, but being a weretiger, I age slower than…”

  “Still, chronologically you are much older than I am,” Vinnie interrupted.

  Dad nodded. "I can't argue with that fact. But still, I want you to have that piece."


  “For goodness sakes, both of you take this bag and go upstairs now!” Ruby shouted.

  “The girl has a point,” Mom said. “I’m pretty much immortal, and I don’t have time to waste on this conversation.” Mom pointed up the stairs. “Now get to the lab and don’t come down until you have something definitive!”

  Dad and Vinnie both rushed up the stairs, each carrying a side of the bag. Ruby followed behind.

  “How did you collect these?” Dad asked.

  “These robot ants were heading towards the house,” Ruby told them.

  “Interesting,” Dad said. “Vinnie, do you have enemies?”

  “Apparently, we do,” Vinnie said. “I just have no idea who they might be.”

  Mom noticed that Fadhili could barely stand and he was shaking constantly. Walking over to him, she asked, “What happened to you, poor boy?”

  “S s s t t u u n…”

  “A shot with a stun gun,” Mom said. “When you’re a vamp that tickles.”

  I guided Fadhili down to a chair. “But he’s not a vamp.” I looked at him. “You’re not a vamp. Right?”

  “N o o o…” he said slowly.

  Veronica patted him gently on the shoulder, “Nope he’s just a normal. An exceptional one, like Ruby, but still a normal.”

  Mom bent down and looked Fadhili in the eyes. “Why did the police stun him?”

  “Because he raised his arms without being asked,” Frank said.

  “Oh, so the police were being controlled by someone or something,” Mom said.

  “Yes,” I confirmed.

  “They were the same police we ran into earlier,” Veronica told Mom. “The first time I could break their control. The second time they resisted my mind control.”

  Mom gazed upwards. “What do police and giant robot ants have in common?”

  “And skeletons!” Frank said. “We fought them too. Kind of...”

  “Kind of?” Mom queried.

  “We tried to fight them, but we couldn’t touch them,” Frank said. “Not even Nina, which was weird because she is lightning fast.”

  “Could they touch you?” Mom asked.

  “No, they appeared to be 3D holograms,” I said.

  “That’s some pretty expensive tech,” Mom replied. Looking at Veronica, she asked, “How much are this land and your home worth?”

  "According to Dad, it's priceless now because of all the animals. But when he bought it a LONG time ago he spent a couple of million dollars from his inventions," Veronica said. "I'm sure he could get a lot for it now. But Dad would never sell!"

  “Well, then, maybe somebody is trying to force him off the property. It’s possible they want to make him sell the land,” Mom said.

  “V I nn ie w ou ld ne ver do tha t….” Fadhili said.

  “Agreed!” Veronica nodded. “Dad loves this place. We all do!”

  “But what if the baddies make it impossible for you to stay here and look after the animals?" I asked.

  Veronica shook her head. "We’ll manage even if there are only a few of us left. We can’t let the animals down."

  “You say that now, but it appears you are up against tremendous resources. It’s hard to beat such firepower,” Mom said bluntly. “Vinnie may decide it’s not worth the fight.” Mom pointed at Fadhili, “Too many people could get hurt or worse.”

  “I a m w I l ling to do any th ing to k k k e eeee p the anima ls sa feee…” Fadhili said.

  “I think he’s getting better,” Frank said.

  “I ca n f eel my tong ue now!” Fadhili said with a smile.

  “See!” Frank said.

  “Eureka!” Dad yelled.

  “Eureka!” Vinnie yelled.

  “Why are they yelling about an old TV show?” Frank asked.

  "It's what scientists say when they have found something of interest," Mom told us. Pointing upstairs, she added, "Let's go check it out."

  Frank ran up the stairs, taking three steps at a time. He could get really excited at times. Mom, Veronica, Fadhili, and I took our time. I figured that whatever they found would still be the same even if it took us an extra minute to get there. There seemed to be no advantage to being “first.” Also, Fadhili, though less shaky, still wobbled when he walked, needing Veronica to support him.

  We could hear Frank burst into the lab. “What did you find? What did you shout Eureka over?” he asked.

  We followed Frank into the lab. Dad, Vinnie, and Ruby sat at a metal lab table with the ant robot parts scattered all over the tabletop. A couple of the parts were hooked to monitors on the table. Ruby typed away at her computer as Dad looked over her shoulder using some sort of magnifying eye-lens.

  “Yes, yes,” Dad said. “There is clearly an invisible or stealth signal around those skeleton things!”

  “Then they were holograms,” Ruby said.

  “Yes, very advanced ones sent from a drone that must have been hovering above. Very clever,” Uncle Vinnie said.

  “The drones must have also sent signals to the police officers who were being controlled,” Dad added.

  “That would make total sense,” Vinnie replied.

  “And the robot bug parts?” Veronica asked.

  “Ants are insects, not bugs,” Ruby corrected.

  “And the robot insect parts?” Veronica asked.

  Dad held up an ant leg. “They were made by the same tech company. A small place based in Nairobi called WeRTech. They only opened last year, according to our records.”

  “That’s a lot of technology to produce in a year,” Mom remarked.

  “Yes, I’m betting they have a rich backer!” Dad said.

  “A very rich one!” Vinnie added.

  Dad looked at his phone. “I have their address. I say we go and pay them a visit, first thing in the morning.”

  We heard a knocking on the roof. A clack, clack, clack sound. Like something kept hitting the ceiling, bouncing off, and then hitting it again.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Veronica warned.

  “Me neither! I just put a new roof on the place like last year!” Vinnie balked. “Roofs aren’t cheap! They don’t grow on trees!”

  “Wait, aren’t they wooden roofs?” Veronica said.

  “Figure of speech!” Vinnie said.

  We heard a buzzing sound followed by what I could only describe as a whirling sound. The smell of burnt wood filled the air.

  Veronica looked at me, concern written across her face.

  We heard the buzzing sound again. We saw five disc-shaped holes appear in the ceiling above us.

  Five circular-saw shaped drones dropped into the room.

  “No! Not my new roof!” Vinnie yelled.

  The drones hovered in, but they looked fairly harmless. They started spinning at high speeds. They spun so quickly that they created a buzzing sound.

  Vinnie reached into his pocket and pulled out two earpieces. “Well, I guess now is a good time to test these out!” he said. He tossed one to Veronica and the other one to me.

  “Ah, what are these?” Veronica asked.

  “Power increasers!” Vinnie said. “Designed especially for our family members!”

  Veronica popped one in her ear.

  I popped one in my ear.

  My brain tingled. I liked it. Outside of the tingling, I didn't feel any different. I looked up at two whirling blade drones coming at me. Out of pure reflex, I waved at them and shouted, "Get away!”

  The two drones went flying backward and crashed into the wall. They started to fall to the ground. They stopped. They hovered. They zoomed at me. Making a fist while looking at the two drones, I aimed my fist to the floor. The two drones smashed into the floor, shattering into pieces.

  “Take that!” I said.

  Veronica smiled. She locked her gaze on two more drones. She closed her fists. The drones crinkled up into little balls of useless circuits. She blew on the drones, and they disintegrated.

  The last drone buzzed back and forth appar
ently trying to figure out a plan of attack. Mom leaped up into the air and grabbed the drone, holding it in place so it couldn't whirl and cut her. Snapping the drone into two, she said, “Can’t let you girls have all the fun!”

  A holographic image appeared, broadcasting from half of the drone. The image was of three geeky looking guys and a very beautiful African girl.

  “Wow, very impressive!” one of the guys said. “You all live up to your reputations!”

  Dad did the talking, “I assume you are the brain trust behind WeRTech.”

  They all nodded and smiled. “We are pretty proud of our little tech enterprise, though your family just made quick work of it. But, that’s okay. We are honored to meet you. We feel we are up to the challenge. We will learn from this incident and improve.”

  Dad typed something into his computer. A holographic map appeared in the room, “You do know we have your coordinates and can be on top of you very quickly!”

  Mom showed them a bent nail on her hand, “You are all going to pay for this!” She smiled and showed her teeth. “With blood!” she shouted.

  “Yeah fools, I’ve got your minds now!” Veronica said aggressively.

  They all gulped. “You’re bluffing, we are too far away for you to control us!” one of the geeks said.

  “Quack like ducks!” Veronica ordered.

  Dad, Vinnie, Frank, Ruby, Fadhili and all the geeks started quaking…quack, quack, quack.

  Veronica, hands on hips said, “I don’t bluff.”

  Mom pointed to our quacking relatives and friends. “You need to learn to control that.”

  Veronica nodded, “Yeah, this thing in my ear makes me even more powerful.” She smiled. “I like it.”

  “Make them tell us who they work for,” I urged.

  “Who do you work for?” Veronica ordered.

  The three geeks and the pretty girl looked up. “We work for ourselves!” they all said.

  “Ask them who their backer is!” Mom said.

  “Who is your backer?” Veronica asked.

  They all stared off into space. “We aren’t supposed to tell. He is a man who likes his privacy. He pays us well.”

  “Tell us!” Veronica ordered.