“If you’re leaving, leave the shoes!” she barked.
Eddie and Roxie were only too happy to swap out the painful bowling shoes for their own sneakers, which they had to retrieve from a jumbled pile of smelly shoes. They picked their way through rubble toward the front door but found it blocked by a section of crumbled ceiling. They headed for the side exit instead.
“That was the Jersey Devil, wasn’t it, Eddie Edison?” Roxie’s astonishment had faded, replaced by the need to understand what just happened.
“Yes, yes,” said Eddie. He didn’t want to have to explain. He needed to find Mesmer. He needed to figure out what to do next. Still, Roxie pressed him.
“It took him. Pudge is gone. What are you going to do about it?”
Eddie whirled on her. “What am I going to do?” he shouted, all his fear and anger bubbling over. “Well, I don’t know! All right? All I know is that this is my fault. If I hadn’t brought you two into this mess, if I hadn’t caught that stupid nut, if I’d never met Mesmer, Pudge would be home right now instead of flying over Lake Mohawk!”
Roxie listened as Eddie continued, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. “Mesmer!” he spat. “Why did I listen to him, why did I trust him? Because he told me I was special, that’s why. That’s why!”
Eddie felt dizzy. He ceased his rant and looked at Roxie. She was standing with her head cocked, lip curled. “Who is this guy Mesmer really?” she snarled.
“He’s a real jerk!” Eddie said, shoving open the side door and stumbling out into the sunlight. “For all I know, he’s the one who took Pudge!” Eddie shouted at the sky. “For all I know he’s Vernon Sly, that crazy-haired, nutball!”
“I take great offence at that,” a voice said above him. “I wouldn’t call myself crazy-haired in the least. A bit unkempt, perhaps.”
Eddie spun around. There, atop the roof of the bowling alley sat Mesmer. He was kicking his feet back and forth as if he were simply out enjoying the day.
“How’s Reggie?” Mesmer asked. “I have missed the little guy.”
Eddie was furious. He was about to lay into Mesmer when Roxie stepped in front of him and shouted, “You let that monster take him away! You lured it here and you let it take Pudge!”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Mesmer said.
Eddie had had enough. He tossed the belt on the ground. “Here, I don’t want it. I don’t want anything to do with time travel or Mad Scientists or whatever you call my stupid birthright. I just want my friend back!”
“You want him back? Fine. Figure it out. No one’s stopping you.”
A humorless laugh escaped from Roxie. “I guess you didn’t notice the nine-foot tall robot.”
“That thing?” Mesmer snorted in reply. “Why didn’t Eddie just open up a black hole to suck it in? He’s done it before.”
“How do you know about that?” Eddie asked, glaring at Mesmer.
“Or why not freeze the fuel that runs through its copper veins? Or disable its visual cortex? You could have, Eddie, you know. If you had stopped and thought about it for a moment.”
“Stopped and thought...?” Eddie was through with this guy. “With that metal monster trashing everything around me?”
“The operative word there is metal,” Mesmer said, readying to drop down to the ground. “Now, if that had been a real Jersey Devil, you might be out of luck.” The man slid off the roof and landed on the ground with a whomp.
“Meaning?” Why didn’t Mesmer just come out and say what he meant?
“I stuck years of academic training inside your head. Think about it.”
Riddles! Always riddles. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know!”
“Metal,” Roxie said. “Metal means it’s manmade.”
“Bingo!” crowed Mesmer. “And what one man can make, another man can unmake.”
“But I’m just a kid!” Eddie shouted. “Why didn’t you unmake that thing when it attacked us, huh? Why didn’t you unmake it back on Echo Island?”
Mesmer stepped closer to Eddie. His tone turned serious. “Because I couldn’t. Don’t ask me to explain. You’re just going to have to trust me for now.” He looked to Roxie. “Both of you.”
Eddie shook his head. “But I don’t trust you. Not one bit. Not anymore. Come on, Roxie.” He turned and headed for the front of the building to retrieve his bike. “Why did you even look me up in the first place?” he mumbled.
“In part, because I wanted to help you get your father back,” said Mesmer.
Eddie stopped in his tracks. “My father? He’s alive?”
Eddie looked to Roxie, who looked as shocked as he felt. Mesmer seemed to be weighing very heavily what to say next. “He is. That is, I believe he is. I’m about sixty, sixty-five percent sure.”
Roxie raised an eyebrow. “What are you, a weatherman?”
“But you don’t know?” Eddie asked.
“No, but what if he is and you do nothing,” said Mesmer. “Could you live with yourself knowing there was a chance and you just walked away?”
“It’s Sly, isn’t it?” Eddie shuddered. “He found some way to survive the flood and travel to the present. And you think that if my dad’s alive, Sly’s got him. Right?”
“I do. So, what do you say? Are you up to it?”
Eddie considered this but didn’t answer. He looked past Roxie at the crowd of kids milling about in the parking lot in front of the bowling alley. Some were crying into phones asking for rides home, others were recounting the attack with wild gestures.
Mesmer stepped up behind him. “When I talk about your birthright, I’m not trying to convince you that you’re any better than anyone else. No, you’re neither better nor worse. But you see those kids over there? Not one of them can do what you can, and that includes getting your father back. I think it’s everyone’s duty to become the person they were meant to be. Am I wrong?”
Eddie looked at Mesmer, then to Roxie. “Do you trust him?”
“Not a bit,” Roxie said, “but a sixty percent chance is nothing to sneeze at.”
“Maybe sixty-five,” Mesmer said hopefully.
Eddie caved. “You didn’t happen to have a plan to get my dad back, did you?”
Mesmer smiled. “Let’s say someone at your school has something you want. A new backpack or an oscillating detonator.”
Roxie shook her head. “I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t let anyone into our school with an oscillating detonator...”
“Don’t interrupt. How would you go about getting it from them?”
Eddie thought for a moment. “I’d have to give them something they’d want more.”
Mesmer clapped his hands together. “Double Bingo!”
Eddie looked down. He was still holding the belt. “This. If I can fix this, I can trade this for Dad.”
“Maybe,” said Mesmer. “It’s a long shot, but I think it’s… well, I know it’s the only one we’ve got.”
The belt was toast. The leather was scorched, the packs were cracked, loose parts tinkled inside when he so much as moved it. Only one of the packs showed any signs of life – a dim glimmer of energy peeked out like a flashlight on its last legs. “You think I can fix it?”
Mesmer grinned. “I think if anyone can, you can.”
Roxie stamped her foot impatiently. “Great. You’re all on the same team. Fantastic. Has everyone forgotten about Pudge? He’s probably halfway to Pennsylvania by now.”
“Let’s go back to my house. I just hope I can find the right parts in Dad’s workshop.”
“Oh,” said Mesmer, shaking his head. “You won’t find what you need there. This belt depends on old technology, old parts. You can’t just put it back together with a transistor radio and a spool of wire.”
Eddie was stumped. Where did the man expect him to find the parts he ne
eded? He didn’t have to ask. “You’ll need to get into the old lab.”
“And just where is the old lab?” Eddie asked.
“Where else?” Mesmer chortled. “At the bottom of the lake!”
Eddie’s hope evaporated. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope,” said Mesmer. “Remember my presentation about the flooding of Voltaic Valley, how Sly wiped out the town leaving it and its people deep at the bottom of a newly formed lake? That town is still down there. And the only building fitted with pressurized windows and doors?”
“The old lab?”
“Precisely!” said Mesmer. “Big, hulking place with smokestacks on either end. You can’t miss it.”
The wild-haired man turned as if to leave. “Wait! How do I get down there? Mesmer, wait!”
The man stopped. “All right, I’ll give you a jumpstart.” He rummaged around in his pockets, pulled out two objects and handed them to Eddie.
“What’s that?” Roxie asked.
“A transistor radio and a spool of wire. Good luck! If you need any help, I’ll be there in a shot. I promise.” And with that, Mesmer pulled his keychain from his pocket, clicked it and disappeared.
“He did say at the bottom of the lake, didn’t he?” said Roxie. “The bottom? How on earth does he expect us to…”
Eddie held up a finger to cut her off. This was no time for doubt. Either he moved forward or fear, worry, all those nasty emotions that gummed up the works would… well, gum up the works. He pocketed the radio and wire, threw the belt over his shoulder.
“Come on,” Eddie said. “Let’s go get Pudge.”
He headed for the parking lot. “Eddie? Eddie! Hey! Slow down!” Roxie said as she sprinted to catch up.
The crowd had thinned some, but not much. Kids were taking selfies of themselves in front of the bowling alley, making sure they could prove to their friends that they were there when the Jersey Devil had struck.
Lance was standing next to his car, trying to convince his mustached buddies to stick around. Hedges looked like he was eager to get home, and Babcock looked like he was about to throw up. Yup, worrying didn’t look good on anyone.
Eddie and Roxie approached the bike rack. Eddie was glad to see his bike was still there.
“Did you guys see it?” a trembling voice said, and Eddie turned to see Jimmy Ticks sitting astride his own bike. The mustard smear had stained his shirt. “The monster? Did you see it?”
“I did,” said Eddie.
“I’m never going bowling again,” Jimmy whimpered.
“I’m with you there, kid,” Roxie said.
Something about Jimmy’s bike caught Eddie’s eye. It was festooned with reflectors and bike lamps – apparently either Jimmy or Jimmy’s mom really wanted him to stand out in traffic. What was it about those lights?
A deflated mylar birthday balloon rustled by, and Eddie caught it with his foot. The bike lamps, the balloon, the radio, the wire... Eddie’s mind lit up with the possibilities. He looked quickly around. He only needed one more thing, just one more thing.
His eyes lighted on Lance’s car. A bell went off in his head. With its convertible top and streamlined shape, it was perfect.
Jimmy started to pedal off. “Jimmy!” Eddie cried. “Come back here!”
Jimmy, like most kids who were used to enduring a daily barrage of spitballs and insults, flinched at the sound of Eddie’s voice. He almost fell off his bike. “Why?”
“Oh, come on,” Roxie moaned. “We just got rid of him.”
“Just come here,” Eddie continued, recognizing Jimmy’s reticence and shifting to a calmer, friendlier voice.
The nervous boy walked his bike back over to the bike rack. “What do you want?”
“I need you to do us a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
Eddie paused. How would the kid react? “We need you to go over to Lance and his friends and lure them away from his car.”
At first, Jimmy just laughed, but when he saw that Eddie was serious, he turned pale. “No way!”
“Please, Jimmy!” Eddie searched his pockets. “I’ll give you a dollar.”
“I wouldn’t even look their way for a dollar!”
Eddie reached deeper and came up with a ten. “How about ten, no, eleven dollars?”
“Keep your money.”
“Come on, Eddie,” Roxie said, trying to pulling him away. “Tick tock, tick tock.”
Eddie shrugged her off and glanced over at Lance, who was getting his car keys out. Soon, it would be too late.
“I’ll do it if you’ll be my friends,” Jimmy said.
“Huh?” Eddie said.
“Say what?” asked Roxie.
“I don’t have any. Friends, I mean. If you guys promise you’ll be my friends, I’ll distract them.”
Eddie didn’t quite know what to say. “Sure,” he blurted out. “Sounds good.”
Roxie threw Eddie an incredulous look but kept her mouth shut.
With resolve, Jimmy Ticks set his bike back in the rack, turned toward the Mustache Mafia and marched forward as if he was going to his doom.
“What’s the plan, genius?” Roxie asked.
“If we want to get Pudge, we’ll need some wheels.”
Roxie followed Eddie’s gaze to Lance’s car. “We’re dead,” she said.
Quickly, Eddie reached down and snagged the mylar balloon. Then, he grabbed ahold of the largest of Jimmy’s bike lamps. “Sorry, Jimmy,” he said under his breath as he wrenched the lamp free.
Laughter rose in the distance.
“At least we’ll have company,” Roxie said. “Those guys are going to massacre him.”
Eddie looked. A group of kids had surrounded Jimmy who was stumbling about. Babcock had stopped looking so sick and motioned to Lance and Hedges, alerting them of the entertainment.
He looked closer. What in the world? The kid had tied his own shoes together and was tripping himself up like he was half asleep.
Eddie’s heart sank. Was that the only way the poor kid could cause a distraction? He felt for Jimmy, really he did, but he had a job to do. Now, if Lance would just take the bait.
“I know babies who can walk better than you!” Lance shouted, and a whole new wave of laughter swept through the crowd.
“Yeah! You’re a baby!” Hedges added. Babcock socked him in the arm.
Eddie was coiled like a spring, ready to make a dash for the car. “As soon it’s clear, follow me,” he said. “We’ll have to be fast.”
“I don’t do fast, remember,” Roxie said, grinding her mismatched sneakers into the gravel.
Jimmy tripped and went down on his knees. Lance just couldn’t resist. “Here, lemme help the baby up!” He walked over to Jimmy, who now looked to be in way over his head, the rest of the Mustache Mafia right behind.
“Now!” Eddie said and bolted. He caught Roxie off guard, and with her first steps she did a pretty good imitation of Jimmy Ticks, stumbling over her own feet. Eddie raced ahead to Lance’s car, tossed the belt into the backseat, leapt over the door and hunkered down behind the wheel.
A few seconds later, Roxie toppled into the car with him, all gangly arms and legs. “Sorry!” she said.
It took a moment for Eddie to extract himself from her flailing limbs, but when he did, he reached down and yanked the car radio from the dashboard, ripping out its guts.
“That clinches it,” Roxie said. “Pudge officially has a better chance of seeing tomorrow than we do.”
Eddie tore the balloon in half and quickly wrapped it tightly with wire. He reached under the dashboard and pulled an important looking wire free. His hands flew, twisting wires, attaching transistors, creating what he was seeing in his mind.
“Hey, Lance!” a thick voice shouted. “Someone’s in your
car!” It was Hedges.
Roxie poked her head up. Lance, who had been trotting Jimmy Ticks around like he was some sort of puppet, dropped the kid and went on high alert. “Who is that?” he bellowed.
Eddie’s hands worked faster and faster. Almost there...
The Mustache Mafia headed toward the car. “Now would definitely be a time to motor, Eddie,” screeched Roxie.
Eddie reached for the ignition. No key.
A strong hand reached out and grabbed Eddie around the collar. “What do you think you’re doing, munch?” Lance growled.
“I was... I... I...” No words. Eddie had no words.
Just then, someone landed in Roxie’s lap. She let out a cry as she realized it was Jimmy. “What are you doing, Ticks? Get off of me!”
Jimmy smiled at Eddie, and it was strange, that smile. There was pure joy in it. The kid was about to be pummeled by the Mustache Mafia, and he was loving every minute of it.
His next action explained everything. Jimmy reached over, slid a key into the ignition and turned it. “Drive!”
Eddie didn’t stop to think. He threw the car into reverse the way he’d seen his father do a hundred times, and the car lurched backward. His shirt tore, a swatch of it coming loose in Lance’s grip.
“Get ‘em!” Lance screamed. He and his buddies rushed the car.
Eddie shifted into drive. The car protested his abrupt flooring of the gas pedal, but it moved forward.
“Faster!” Roxie shouted, struggling to shift Jimmy off of her.
“Whoo!” Jimmy hooted as he tumbled into the backseat.
Eddie eased off the gas a touch, and the car responded by giving him the speed he wanted. He sped out of the parking lot, away from the bowling alley, leaving Lance roaring behind him. The car leapt over a lane divider, and soon, Eddie and company were barreling down the road to the lake.
“How’d you get the keys?” Eddie asked, dodging traffic.
“It was easy. I just snuck them out of his pocket when he lifted me upside-down,” Jimmy said, proudly.
The Mad Scientists of New Jersey (Volume 1) Page 10