…
Masked and hoodied, I squinted through the air vent into the empty lab. School had ended an hour earlier. The halls buzzed with the news that the Class Project had been vandalized, and I knew Mason would stay late to investigate. After that phone call, I thought a bit of espionage might be in order. I wanted to watch his meltdown when he saw what we had done. Justice for making me want to be friends with a filthy wombat.
The lab door opened and a dumpy-looking figure in a lab coat came in…Dr. Miliron…and close on his heels, Captious.
No Mason.
“Ruined.” Dr. Miliron had no lightness in his voice, no goofiness. He was angry. Which led me to believe he was more than just a featherbrained science teacher.
“Can’t you decontaminate it?” Captious asked, arrogant as ever. “You are the resident chemist.”
Miliron shook his head. “DMSO is totally miscible. No way to remove it without altering the chemical structure. The Class Project is a loss, Ben.”
Totally miscible. Wow. That was so cool. I had no idea what the word meant, but it sounded awesome. One for the Dweeb League.
“Six months of planning down the tubes.” Miliron banged his fist on the lab bench.
“But, Martin,” Captious said, “we have plenty of evidence against Mason Draudimon without the Class Project.”
I nearly smacked my head against the steel ductwork when I heard Mason’s name.
“Draudimon’s your target, Ben. It’s his boss I want. Keep this between us. Before Munificent died, he assigned me to find the man who gives Mason his orders.”
“How interesting,” Captious said. “I didn’t know.”
“Munificent liked it that way. He kept us all in the dark. So much corruption in the police force. I don’t trust any of them. Present company excepted.” Miliron shook his head. “Dalrymple is going to have a fit when he hears about this.”
I was shocked. Dr. Miliron was an informant, too?
“Why?” Captious asked. “What does Dalrymple care about the Class Project?”
“Dalrymple didn’t start the war on drugs, Munificent did. We designed the Class Project as part of his Old Torrents sting operation. Munificent believed that the entire drug ring operates from inside the mental hospital. They have a very advanced laboratory. He also believed that Mason has a connection there. The Class Project was meant to lead us to that connection.”
“So the Class Project is a setup. It has nothing to do with helping the mentally ill, like you’ve been telling the faculty.”
Miliron was quiet for a moment. “I needed some way to bring Mason in on the project so I could follow his movements. We know his mother has issues, so we concocted a story about providing Old Torrents with experimental chemicals for their mentally ill program. It caught his attention.”
“Enlighten me,” Captious said. “How can we possibly use a high school science project to stop the drug cartel? With the exception of the chromatograph, the school’s equipment is very unsophisticated.”
“We don’t need sophistication. Munificent leaked information that the simple experiments we do in our lab would produce the base chemicals Old Torrents needs to make Psychedone 10. The base chemicals themselves are completely harmless. Old Torrents’ problem is that these chemicals aren’t normally used in a mental hospital. If they bought them openly, they would draw attention from the Feds. The Class Project is the perfect setup. Glassware and heaters are all we need. I included the chromatograph to keep Mason interested. With Munificent gone, Dalrymple is the only one on the police force who knows that the Class Project is part of a much bigger plan. The teachers think it’s just community service.”
“And now that I know, I suppose you’ll have to kill me.”
Miliron laughed. “Something like that. Ben, this is big, and you’re the only one left I can trust. I don’t know where Dalrymple stands.”
“I don’t trust the man.”
“There you have it. I need help to finish what Munificent started. Look, you know Mason. I know the drug ring. Maybe the two of us should work together instead of keeping secrets.”
“A bit dangerous, don’t you think, using our classroom and students to trap a drug cartel? Look at what just happened to Kathryn Hollister.”
“That was a shock. No one thought she was a user. But Kathryn overdosed on the real thing. I don’t know where she got it. Like you said, the Class Project is a setup. Even though what we make here is harmless, the advanced equipment at Old Torrents can make it deadly, so I added a time-released reagent that would decompose the drug after the final chemical reaction at Old Torrents. It still would have looked like Psychedone 10 to the drug boss, but by the time it reached the users, it would be no more potent than salt water.”
Captious put his hands behind his back like a little kid who had just stolen a cookie. “Who exactly is this drug boss, and what makes you think he doesn’t already know he’s been set up?”
“Nobody knows who he is. The guy’s too slippery. We know he’s behind the drug ring. We suspect he has something to do with the kidnappings. We don’t have a clue about his identity. The Class Project would have helped us to trace drug traffic from Mason to him, but now that it’s polluted with DMSO, we can’t pass it off as anything but toxic waste. Without the shipment to Old Torrents, we’re dead in the water. We have no other links. I think Munificent got close, though. Too close.”
Looks like I messed things up for the Knights and the police. Oops.
“Mason was kidnapping children for the recently defunct Norman LaReau,” Captious said. “What about that link? Not that it matters. The mayor already tossed it.”
Miliron’s eyes narrowed. “I read your report on that, but it never felt right. How do you know?”
Captious laughed. “I know everything about Mason.”
You wish, mister. Captious was obviously not as all-knowing as he thought. He sees Christie with Mason at the Shadow Passage, puts two and two together, and comes up with goose poop. Mason is linked to Scallion, not LaReau.
“Well, Ben, that’s your case, not mine,” Miliron said. “Hey, how convenient is it that LaReau died from a heart attack right at the station? Don’t get me wrong, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy.”
“Yeah, I was there. It was beautiful. LaReau flopped like a fish. Dalrymple tried to resuscitate him. Don’t know why. I wouldn’t have.”
“He knew LaReau could lead us to Draudimon’s boss. What’s up with heart disease at the police station? Munificent died the same way. I hope it isn’t contagious.”
Captious laughed again. “Mason has to be pretty mad right now. Maybe he’ll do something stupid and lead you to his boss.”
“He doesn’t know anything about the contamination. He went home sick earlier today.”
Home sick? I needed to see what that was all about. Maybe a trip to Mason’s house would be worthwhile, since eavesdropping on the undercover brothers had led nowhere.
I crawled back through the ductwork and dropped into the boiler room. As expected, it was empty. I quickly removed my mask and hoodie and stuffed them in my backpack. There was no noise out in the hall, so I quietly left the boiler room. I thought about popping over to the Greensburg Library before paying Mason a visit, when a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Hey, Rinnie, I didn’t know you were still here.”
I spun around. Egon was coming down the hall behind me.
“Hi,” I said, wondering if he saw me come out of the boiler room. “What are you doing here?”
“Aikido practice. Gotta get ready for a match. Wanna head to Mickey-D’s with me? I’m buying! Got four entire dollars to squander.”
My heart went into overdrive. “Oh, Egon, I wish I could…”
“C’mon, it’ll take twenty minutes. Then you can rush off with a full stomach to do whatever it is that you’d rather be doing instead of being with me.”
I recoiled at Egon’s keen ability to fold kindness and a na
sty helping of guilt all into one badly timed request. “I ree-ally, really want to, but I’m already late. I am so sorry.” I ree-ally, really meant it, too.
“Last time you didn’t feel like it. Okay, your friend was hurt. I got it. So I gave you some time. Now you’re too busy.” Egon looked away. “Rinnie, it’s okay if you don’t want to hang out with me. Just say so.”
“No, that’s not it! It’s just—”
“It’s that kung fu school of yours, isn’t it? Look, I understand dedication. I practice a lot, too. But you’re a little…overboard, aren’t you?”
Overboard? Practicing every night wasn’t overboard. Putting on a mask and chasing bad guys might be… “No,” I said, hugging myself, rocking back and forth. “I just have something I need to do tonight.”
“It’s okay. Look, I thought we had something—”
“We do, Egon, we do!” I took Egon’s hands and pulled him toward me. “I like you, Egon. A lot. I never had a real boyfriend before.”
“Then tell me what you’re into.” Egon’s face was turning red. His hands quivered in mine. “What are you and Kathryn doing? I’m worried about you. I think you’re involved in something dangero—umm…” Egon got a really weird look on his face. “Boyfriend? Really?”
I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. “Really.”
“Cool.” He squeezed my hand. “Mickey-D’s?”
I blushed, and gazed at my feet. I suddenly hated being a Psi Fighter. “Look, maybe we can go out tomorrow night? I promise, I won’t make any plans.”
Egon’s mouth hung slightly open, and the deepest sadness I had ever seen filled his eyes. He shook his head and slowly pulled his hands away. “Sure, whatever. If you don’t have something else you’d rather do.”
“Egon…”
He turned and disappeared down the hall.
I stared, unsure of what had just happened. I suddenly lost all desire to go after Mason.
It was time to go home.
Time to wonder how a day that had started out so sweet had ended up smelling like the Class Project. Time to brood about how my secret life was ruining my real life.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Psi Fighter No More
The smell of bacon filled the kitchen. I sat at the table watching my dad cook, hoping breakfast would help perk me up from my sleepless night. Even during the few minutes I did sleep, I dreamt of kidnappers with decomposing skulls, and Egon saying he didn’t have time for me.
“What’s wrong?” Susie took my hand in both of hers and hugged it. “You just look so sad today.”
“I’m sleepy.” I pulled Susie in close. Susie always knew.
“I love you, Rinnie.”
“I love you, too.” I felt my eyes fill with tears. So I didn’t have Egon. Big hairy deal. I didn’t need a stupid boyfriend. I’d always have my family. They would never leave me.
“Can you walk me to school today?” Susie asked.
“That would be fun.”
“That would be wet and muddy,” Dad said. “Been storming all night. Hurricanes, lightning, earthquakes, devastation. I think the end of the world is near. Better take the bus.”
“Dad.”
“Rinnie could ride the bus with me,” Susie said.
“Rinnie hasn’t even showered yet.” Dad gazed at me with concern. “She’ll never make the bus.”
I knew the look. Dad didn’t argue when I had said I didn’t feel good enough to go to school that morning, but he knew it wasn’t because I was ill.
“I have a meeting this morning. I’ll drop you off on the way if you’re feeling better.”
I watched Susie get on the bus. Two hours later, I got in the car with Dad. He rarely dropped me off at school. It was a short ride, but it was nice. The Monkees blasted away on the stereo, and Dad was singing “I’m a Believer” at the top of his lungs. Seriously, he didn’t help my taste in music any more than Andy did. Maybe it was time for a change.
“Dad, I don’t think I want to be a Psi Fighter anymore.”
Dad choked and turned off the music. “What, tired of practicing every night?”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head. Fond memories of kicking Andy’s butt flashed through my mind. “I love practicing. It’s fun. It’s the…other stuff.”
“First Kathryn, now Egon. I know how you feel.”
“First my birth parents. I mean, I don’t really remember them, but it still leaves a hole in me.”
“I have a hole, too, sweetheart.” He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I remember them. I was there that night. No six-year-old should see what you saw. Your mom and dad were our best friends. We filled the hole a little when we adopted you. Filled it a lot, actually.”
I kissed my dad’s hand. “You stopped being a Psi Fighter after you and Mom found us, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know if you ever really stop being a Psi Fighter. The world can’t afford to lose them. But your mother and I changed our relationship with them that night.”
“Egon and I changed our relationship yesterday. I guess I’m not a very good girlfriend.”
“It’s tough hiding your secret. Especially when you have feelings for someone. Sometimes you have to choose. Whatever you decide, you know I’m with you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
We pulled into the school parking lot. Suddenly the day didn’t seem so bad. My dad was right. Sometimes you have to choose. After school, I would see the Kilodan. He would understand my reasons for leaving, and would wish me well. Surely I wasn’t the first Psi Fighter to want out. Today’s plan was simple—find Egon, reinstate the girlfriend clause, live happily ever after. Next time Egon asked me to do something, I’d say no problemo, dude.
I felt relieved, like a huge burden had gone away. Kathryn was getting better and would be out of the hospital soon. The Red Team was running scared, and Mason was…well, I didn’t need that distraction.
Students and teachers filled the halls, but I didn’t feel any tension as I walked toward my locker. Kids were laughing, nobody was swiping lunches, Mrs. Bagley had a shiny new yardstick…then I noticed something odd.
My locker’s door was twisted as though it had been pried open and forced shut again. None of the other kids’ lockers had been touched. I opened it slowly, not knowing what to expect.
Nothing seemed to be missing. I couldn’t imagine what anyone wanted in my locker. My homework was intact. If they stole it to copy it, they had put it back right where I’d left it. That was weird. My Amplifier was in my purse. I never left anything remotely Psi Fighterish in my locker, so I wasn’t worried about that. What were they after?
The broken lock looked like something had been jammed into it, gouging the steel. That was just mean. The thief should have at least had the courtesy to pick the lock. I swung the door wide to examine it and found a note taped inside. I unfolded it and my heart stopped.
Inside was a picture of Susie, bound and gagged, on her knees, and the handwritten words Meet me in Dead End Alley at noon.
I stared at the note again, but the words refused to change. Susie looked so scared in the picture. I fought the urge to cry, then anger started to burn inside me.
How could I have been so stupid? After what I did in the park, I might as well have painted a sign on my back: I’m a Psi Fighter. My birth parents had been murdered for the same carelessness, and now Susie was in danger.
“Rinnie, what’s wrong?”
I jumped. Bobby had magically appeared next to me.
“I think they have Susie,” I said.
But that couldn’t have been right. I watched her get on the bus that morning. I stared at the picture, but couldn’t tell if it had been tampered with—Susie was so tiny, so helpless. “This has to be a psychotic joke. I have to get over to the elementary school and see if she’s there.”
“Why not check the school office computer? It shows everything that goes on at all the schools.”
“How can I get on the office
computer? I can’t wait until school’s out to break in. I need to know now.” I pushed back the panic that threatened to strangle me.
“To the Bat Cave,” Bobby said, taking me by the hand. I followed him into the boiler room. He opened his backpack, pulled out a gleaming silver laptop, and put it on a table. “Welcome to the wonderful world of WiFi,” he said.
“You have a password?”
“We don’t need no stinking passwords,” Bobby said in a really bad cyberpunk accent.
I clenched the table. I was in no mood for joking.
“Lucky thing I skipped my Hackers Anonymous meetings this month.” Bobby tapped at the keyboard, talking quietly to the screen. “We’re…connecting. Hello…yes, I am the System Administrator, thank you very much. Never question me, you simple-minded machine. Yes, I want complete access…good! Okay, let’s take a peek at Student Attendance…here we are.” Bobby looked up at me and smiled. “I think we’re okay, Rinnie. Your mom reported her home with the flu this morning.”
Bobby’s words stabbed into my heart. Panic gripped me like a bear trap. My chest tightened, my legs threatened to buckle. A metallic taste coated my thickening tongue as my salivary glands kicked into overdrive. I tried with all my strength to keep breakfast down. I leaned against Bobby, breathing hard. Then the nausea passed, and I began sobbing uncontrollably. “Oh, Bobby, it’s happening again—no no no no…”
I barely noticed that Bobby was hugging me, patting my hair, speaking…his words grew more distant as vague memories of my long-dead birth parents became crystal clear. Forgotten funerals flashed into my mind, and the scalding pain of loss ripped at my breaking heart. My birth parents lying on the street, a monstrous figure standing above them, ripping a ghost-like hand from the chest of one of their prone bodies—then turning to me as I attacked with a rage I had never felt before. Just before everything went black, the monster spoke.
You poor, helpless child. How does it feel to cause your parents’ deaths?
The memories brought back deeply hidden pain, then suddenly uncovered something more, something ten years had smothered but not squelched—ravenous, unavenged fury.
Psi Another Day (Psi Fighter Academy) Page 22