by Lisa McMann
Maria went over to Mac, trying to get his helmet off so she could see his face. “Mac!” she cried out. “Mac, answer me!”
Mac didn’t answer. He didn’t move.
“It smells like something’s burning!” said Maria, fear in her voice.
Charlie couldn’t inspect him now. She dodged Prowl’s claws and slammed her head into his stomach, hoping to do double damage to an already injured part of him. The cat man howled and hissed, claws fully extended. He managed to clip Charlie’s cheek, sending another shock all the way down her body.
“Ahh! Dang it!” she said. Blazing with anger, she gave an uppercut to Prowl’s jaw, sending him soaring into the air and slamming down onto the pavement. He rolled to one side and stopped, unconscious.
From up the hill, Charlie’s father and Dr. Jakande came running onto the scene. Dr. Jakande was transformed into a werepanther, and Dr. Wilde was wearing the Mark Five and moving pretty fast for a dad.
“We found you,” said Dr. Wilde. He hesitated, looking at Prowl lying still on the ground. “What can we do?”
Dr. Jakande looked aghast at Prowl. Then she noticed her old friend Miko unconscious alongside the church and blew out a breath. She turned away. “Where’s Kelly?”
“We don’t know,” said Charlie, staggering to her feet. “Can you go help Mac? He’s over there with Maria. Somehow Prowl knocked him unconscious. He’s got that electric eel ability now, so be careful. Maria said she smelled something burning.” She bent down, then hoisted Prowl up over her shoulders.
Dr. Jakande rushed over to Mac and Maria. Charlie followed with the unconscious electricat. Nubia quickly tapped the device on Mac’s wrist. The suit turned to liquid and shimmered back into his bracelet.
“Charles, we’re going to need your device over here for Mac,” said Dr. Jakande in a low voice. “Hurry.”
“What’s wrong with him?” asked Charlie, alarmed.
“I think he was electrocuted.”
“How is that possible?” asked Charlie. She and Maria exchanged a horrified glance.
Dr. Wilde ran over. “Take off his device!” he said. Dr. Jakande keyed in the passcode and took off Mac’s device. Dr. Wilde removed the Mark Five from his wrist and slapped it onto Mac’s in place of the other.
“Why did you take his off?” asked Maria, frightened.
“I’m not sure what wearing two bracelets could do to him,” said Dr. Jakande. “It’s already risky with all the DNA in the Mark Five.”
Maria held Mac’s other hand. “Is the healing ability lit up?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Dr. Jakande, leaning over Mac. After a moment, she sighed with relief. “He’s doing better.”
Charlie, relieved, and seeing she couldn’t do anything to help, dropped Prowl roughly to the sidewalk. She spotted a large metal rack with room for six bikes bolted to the sidewalk. She went over to it and yanked it out, sending the bolts flying. Then she bent the rack in half until it snapped into two equal pieces. She took one half and slid it over Prowl’s body, trapping his arms at his sides. Then she lifted him up and set him on the side of the road and went to get Miko.
With the other half of the rack Charlie secured Miko, squishing the woman’s wings and arms inside the metal makeshift trap. She placed Miko next to Prowl on the side of the road and returned to where her father and Dr. Jakande were hunched over Mac. Mac’s eyes were open and he seemed to be talking.
“He’s okay,” Maria told her with relief in her voice.
“I’m fine,” said Mac, struggling to sit up. “At least, I’ll be okay in a bit. Go find Kelly!”
“Did you get her bracelet?” asked Charlie.
“No, it needs a code, remember? I don’t know what it is.”
Charlie stared blankly. They’d forgotten all about it. “Dang it. Why didn’t we get that from Dr. Sharma? Did you ask her for it?” asked Charlie.
“I didn’t think of that,” Mac admitted. “I was worried about Maria.”
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it.” She looked at her father. “Thanks for helping with Prowl. You didn’t get to use the device for very long.”
Dr. Wilde waved her off. “I’m really okay with that. I think I pulled a muscle already.”
“Take care of those two,” Charlie said, pointing to Prowl and Miko. “Don’t let them go.”
Her father nodded. “Nubia and I will carry them back to the house.”
“Once we get there we can use the reversal devices to take away their powers,” said Dr. Jakande. “Oh, and some good news, finally. Captain Zimmerman got in touch with Erica as we were leaving the house. She watched your videos. That, combined with what Gray and the soldiers have done, was enough to convince her. She put a team together and they’re on their way.”
Dr. Wilde nodded. “Hopefully they make it here in time to help.”
Charlie let out a breath and swept the area with her infrared vision. “That’s great news. Too bad they didn’t get here yesterday. We could use the help now.” She didn’t see anything suspicious. “In more urgent news, we need to find Kelly. Mac, what happened?”
“She asked me if we were here to rescue her. I almost wimped out, but I knew she had to be lying like she always does. So I punched her with my pangolin claws. She went down, but then she disappeared when I went to help Maria.” He paused. “She didn’t hurt me. Prowl, on the other hand … I think the electricity went through my entire suit.”
“The metallic alloy of your suit conducts electricity,” said Dr. Jakande. “I’m glad you’re okay. That could have been a lot worse without the Mark Five.”
Maria, still worried, squeezed Mac’s hand. He pulled it away, but then smiled sheepishly at his friend. “I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’ll probably be ready to help in, like, ten minutes or less. I’ll find you. Just don’t let Kelly get away.”
Maria smiled back and turned to Charlie. “I’ll go with you, Chuck,” she said. “Let’s get her.”
Maria switched off her device so she wouldn’t attract further attention, as more people were coming outside on this beautiful morning. Charlie kept her infrared viper vision on and the two girls set off.
As they walked, Maria checked in with Ms. Sabbith. She let her know what had happened so far. “Also, can you ask Dr. Sharma if she remembers the code for Kelly’s device in case we get another shot at disarming her?”
Ms. Sabbith got it and gave it to her. “I’ll send Mrs. Wilde to the scene to check Mac over.”
Charlie and Maria combed the streets, Maria looking for signs of anything or anyone out of the ordinary, and Charlie looking for hot spots. They went all the way down to the water, then came back up the next street over, weaving in and out, looking behind trash bins and food stands and into alleyways.
“Do you suppose she’s scared?” asked Maria after a while.
“With poisonous spikes?” scoffed Charlie. “Not even a little. She’s probably lying in wait, thinking she can spring out and attack us both before we can figure out what’s happening.”
Maria looked troubled, but she nodded. “Probably.”
When they found themselves in front of the marina, Maria stopped. “Hey,” she said, tugging at Charlie’s arm. “What if she, like, sneaked onto a boat?”
“Or escaped on the ferry,” said Charlie. She pointed to a sign, trying to make sense of the Spanish words. She knew a few of them, but out of context they didn’t make sense. “What does the sign say?”
“It says the ferry runs every hour starting at nine a.m. until six p.m. in the summer. It returns on the half hour. It costs eighty pesos each way.”
“Whoa. That sounds like a lot.”
“It’s not,” said Maria. “I looked up the exchange rate—it’s less than five dollars. My mom got me some money from the bank before we left in case we need it.”
“That was smart,” said Charlie. She knew her parents had exchanged money at the airport, but they hadn’t gotten around to giving her any yet. She used her viper v
ision to scan the ferry, which was about to take its ten a.m. voyage. Every red spot had a visible human behind it. “She’s not here.”
As they turned to go up the next street, Charlie heard a crackle near her ear. But it wasn’t her earpiece from Ms. Sabbith. It was the one connected to Dr. Jakande’s suit. Charlie froze as Kelly’s voice came through, sounding pitiful. “Zed? Are you there? It’s Kelly … Kelly Parker. Please answer. I’m in big trouble. And I … I just want to go home.”
CHAPTER 39
The Only Way to Win
Kelly had watched with horror as Prowl and Miko had been captured. Scared, even though she was camouflaged, she fled, not quite sure where she was going. She ran downhill toward the lake and pressed up against the buildings, where she could blend in with the environment and keep away from other pedestrians who might bump into her. Desperate, she’d tried Zed again, even though the woman never answered her—she held out the tiniest hope that Zed could hear her, even if she couldn’t or wouldn’t respond.
There was no answer this time either. But Kelly wasn’t going to give up easily—how could she? Charlie, Maria, Mac, and the scientists were her ticket out of here. But if she approached them, would they ever believe how sorry she was? Mac, of all people, had punched her lights out. Was it too late for her?
If Zed didn’t answer, Kelly had no other choice but to try to convince her old friends. With Miko and Prowl captured, she was on her own. And out of options.
A friendly cat came up and rubbed against her leg, which probably would look strange to anyone passing by. Kelly nudged it away with her foot and soon it moved on. When no one was in sight, she pulled Miko’s communication device out of her pack. She held the mouthpiece close and whispered into it. “Zed, I know where Dr. Gray is. Please … I can help you. I’m by the waterfront.”
Suddenly Charlie and Maria rounded the corner a block away and came swiftly up the street. Kelly dropped the communicator. It seemed like they were looking for her. But was it to fight? Mac had made it all too clear they weren’t there to rescue her, but maybe he’d told them what she’d said about needing help. Should she go up to them? Charlie was so powerful—she could kick her can to Sunday if she made the wrong move. Quickly she picked up the communication device and shoved it into her pack so it wouldn’t be visible. She held as still as she could, trying to figure out what to do.
It was obvious that Mac hadn’t believed her. He’d treated her like a villain—Kelly knew that’s what she was now. She knew Dr. Gray had lied to her. He’d turned her against her old friends. And Kelly certainly didn’t expect Charlie to help her.
But what about Maria? Had she turned totally against her, too? It didn’t seem possible. Maria had a generous heart. Maybe there was a way back into it. Perhaps if Kelly could hear what she and Charlie were talking about, she could get an idea of their motives.
Staying camouflaged, Kelly crept toward them as they stopped near the dock to the ferry. Charlie was peering all around. When they turned around and started walking by the shore, Kelly slid along the buildings parallel to them.
Charlie turned sharply.
Kelly froze. Her former friend seemed to be looking right at her. She glanced down—had her camo turned off unexpectedly? Clearly it hadn’t. She blended into the blue of the building she was standing against.
Charlie and Maria started walking toward her, but they were talking and looking at each other, not at her. Kelly relaxed a little. She’d wait until they passed her, and then she’d follow them to eavesdrop.
As the two approached, Kelly flattened herself against the building and her heart began to pound. If they continued in the same direction, they’d walk within ten feet of her. She had this great camo ability, but it didn’t make her completely invisible. If someone were looking hard, they’d be able to see a slight outline of her—at least that’s what Miko had told her once. Kelly held her breath and waited for the girls to pass.
She could almost hear them. And then they stopped right in front of her. That’s when Kelly realized with a start that Charlie wasn’t wearing just any bodysuit. She was wearing Zed’s.
Charlie raced at Kelly. Before Kelly could slide away, Charlie was grasping the air and easily found her arm. Her grip was deadly and Kelly squealed in pain. She tried to click on her spikes, but every time she reached for her device, Charlie yanked her arm away.
“Get her device!” said Maria, who couldn’t see it.
“No!” cried Kelly. “Wait! Can you just let me—Ouch!”
Charlie fumbled for the Mark Four and tried to key in the code, but Kelly jerked her arm. Then she started concentrating hard. She began pulsing. If they wouldn’t listen to her normally, maybe she could convince them … this way.
“Aw, crud,” said Maria. “Don’t look at her! She’s doing that thing!”
“Knock it off, Kelly!” Charlie looked away and dragged Kelly to the park along the lake, away from the activities of the neighborhood, so she could clobber Kelly in private.
“You don’t understand!” Kelly said, squirming. “I want to go home! I want to work with you.”
“She’s trying to hypnotize us into believing her,” Charlie told Maria. “Ignore.”
“I’m not!” said Kelly. “I mean, I wasn’t—I really mean it! Please don’t hurt me.”
“Please,” said Charlie with disdain. “We know you’ve been talking to Dr. Jakande, too. Pretty sneaky.”
“Who?” said Kelly. “You mean Zed? She never answers.”
“I’ll bet she told you to say that.” Charlie shoved Kelly to the grass, making her skid for several feet.
“Hey!” The impact broke Kelly’s concentration and she stopped pulsating. She blended into the grass. Quickly she activated her platypus spikes before Charlie could go after her device again. It was clear they didn’t believe her. And it was also clear that Kelly didn’t have much of a chance to beat the two of them in a fight.
She got to her feet and tried to run, but Charlie caught her before she could go very far.
“What the—how?” Kelly couldn’t figure out how Charlie could see her so easily, but the girl lifted Kelly off the ground. Kelly swung her arms and legs around, trying to get free. “I’m trying to explain something!” Kelly cried. “Will you please listen?”
“Stay back, Maria,” Charlie shouted. “I’ll bet she’s got her spikes out.”
Maria wisely stayed away and let Charlie handle this fight that would no doubt soon be over.
Kelly landed a hard punch to Charlie’s jaw, causing Charlie to stagger backward and lose her balance. She shoved Kelly skyward and let go, sending her sailing into the air. Kelly tumbled on the grass, falling almost gracefully, like she’d learned in acting class, and rolled back up to her feet. She eyed the water. That would be her last resort.
Charlie kept coming at her.
“How can you see me?” Kelly shouted. She was winded. And she knew this was her fight to lose. If she surrendered, would they finally listen?
She powered down and was no longer camouflaged or armed with her platypus spikes. She held her hands out so Maria and Charlie could see she wasn’t going to do anything. “I know where Dr. Gray is,” she said. “I was trying to tell Zed. I didn’t know you were wearing her suit until I saw you. It’s the truth. I really do know where he is—or I’m pretty sure, anyway. And I know what he’s going to do. So you’d better not hurt me if you want me to tell you.”
Charlie hesitated. “Where is he?” she demanded.
Kelly backed away a few steps. “I’ll tell you if you promise not to hurt me.”
“She’s lying,” said Maria.
Kelly’s lips parted. Maria didn’t believe her either.
“I know she’s lying,” said Charlie.
“Girls, please!” Kelly begged. But she could tell they weren’t softening. In despair, she clicked on her platypus spikes, knowing it was a mistake but also needing something to protect herself with. “I’m not lying. I’m so sorry about
everything. I really mean it!”
“Says the liar,” quipped Maria. “Look—she just brought out the spikes, Charlie.”
“That doesn’t seem like something a sorry person would do,” said Charlie.
“Maria,” said Kelly in a quiet voice. “You know me better than that. Please. We’ve been friends forever.”
“We used to be friends,” Maria agreed, “but you betrayed us so many times, you’re beyond forgiveness.”
The words hit Kelly hard. “Wow.” She faltered and looked at Maria. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
“I’m coming!” cried Mac from far up the hill.
Charlie pounced. Kelly screamed. She rolled and kicked and punched, trying to get away. One of her platypus spikes connected, and Kelly sprang away, then jumped into the water with a splash. Her dolphin ability activated and she swam, eyes closed tightly. Sobbing angrily in the water.
She hated Charlie and Maria. They didn’t understand her. They didn’t believe her. They wouldn’t even let her explain anything. She had to get away. Or at least get to a place where she could win a battle against them.
When Kelly surfaced, she heard Charlie groaning in pain on the shore. Kelly had done it again. Her heart sank. She dived down again, tempted to go back. But she hardened against that idea. If they weren’t going to forgive her before, they certainly wouldn’t now. Kelly had just blown her chances of getting back home. Again. Because of the stupid platypus spikes. And now she had nobody.
“Get more help!” came Charlie’s muffled cry.
“I’m going!” said Maria.
A second later there was a splash that didn’t come from Kelly. Kelly froze, looking around the murky water. Charlie had entered the lake and was coming toward her. Then she looked up and saw the strangest sight. Mac, wearing a weird green suit, was running on the surface above her.
CHAPTER 40
In Over Her Head
Charlie surfaced and wiped the water from her eyes.
“She’s right below me!” cried Mac, running in circles on the lake to keep from sinking. He shaded his eyes and peered at the water, then moved a little farther out. “I’ll stay with her as long as I can!”