Joshua Dread

by Lee Bacon

  We took the hover SUV again, although this time we stuck to the roads. After exiting the garage, the SUV traveled down a wooded path, past surveillance cameras, and over the moat. Stanley drove through the security gate, and soon we were on the road, heading into town.

  When we came to a halt at a red light, I glanced out my window and saw something that made me seriously wish we’d taken another route.

  My parents.

  They were decked out in full supervillain regalia. Mom had on her green body armor and black mask. Dad was wearing the massive silver goggles that he put on only when he was in the middle of pulling off one of his horrible schemes.

  They were standing near the entrance to a two-story office building. Attached to the roof of the building was a sign that read CHEMICO LABS, INC. My parents had mentioned ChemiCo Labs last night. That was where the zenoplyric acid was being held, the deadly chemical that could help them track where the smoke creatures were transporting villains.

  So that was what they were doing. They were there to get that acid.

  I recalled the sly look on my dad’s face when I’d asked him how they planned to get their hands on the chemical. Oh, we’ll think of something, he’d said. We always do.

  Apparently, this is what he’d meant by “something.”

  The building was surrounded by a tall chain-link fence that was topped by barbed wire. It looked like my parents had rounded up all the employees. People in lab coats and security uniforms huddled in the parking lot. Mom raised one hand, and a vine untangled itself from the wall of the building. The vine snaked forward, levitating under her control, and wrapped around the group.

  Dad removed a device from his belt, clicking a button that caused the device to unfold like a miniature satellite dish. I’d seen the gadget before. It was one of Dad’s own inventions. The Dread Deactomatic. When he pulled the trigger, it deactivated all the electronic gadgetry in the crowd, making cell phones and walkie-talkies useless. Meanwhile, Mom confiscated the security guards’ weapons.

  A movement at the edge of the parking lot caught my attention. A gray, disheveled figure was staggering close to the barbed wire fence. Another had emerged from the side of the building. Zombies. My parents must’ve brought them along as an extra precaution.

  I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed what was going on outside ChemiCo Labs. Milton and Sophie were crowded next to the window, pointing at the scene.

  “The Dread Duo’s breaking into that building!” Milton said. “And they have zombies! Cool!”

  I clenched my teeth together. “We really should be going. It might be dangerous.”

  But nobody in the car was listening to me. Sophie dug into her pocket for her cell phone. “I need to call my dad.”

  “Why get parents involved?” I said in a too-loud voice. “Your dad’s probably busy. Ooh, look—the light’s green. You can go now, Stanley.”

  But Stanley kept his robotic foot on the brake. “I believe Sophie is correct,” he said. “Captain Justice prefers to be informed about any sighting of the Dread Duo.”

  It would probably take Captain Justice a few minutes to get dressed. Plus another minute or so travel time. Meaning my parents had maybe five minutes—at most—before their little party was interrupted. And I really didn’t want to relive the scene from the other week.

  I unlocked the backseat door and was out on the pavement in a second. Sophie and Milton called out to me, but their voices were nothing more than a blur in the background.

  I nearly got flattened by a minivan while I was bolting across the street, but I managed to get to the curb. When I reached the fence, I thrust out my arms. A current of energy pulsed through my hands, and a charred hole formed, big enough to climb through.

  I was ducking through the gap in the fence when Sophie came running up behind me.

  “Joshua, are you crazy?” The fence clattered as she climbed through after me. “The Dread Duo will kill you.”

  “No, they won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I just … am.”

  Sophie stared back at me, waiting. But there was no way I could tell her the truth—not without also telling her who my parents really were—so I decided on plan B instead.

  “You and Milton need to get out of here!” I said in a harsh voice. “I’ll be fine. Now—go!”

  Sophie only shook her head, her jaw clenched fiercely. A second later, Milton caught up with us, gasping for breath. “No way we’re letting you go in there by yourself,” he said.

  Everything was happening too quickly. There wasn’t any time to try to talk them out of following me. But bringing them along didn’t seem like such a good option either. And any minute now, Captain Justice was going to show up.

  Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, it did. One of the zombies was glaring at us from behind its lifeless red eyes. Then it began staggering in our direction.

  “That doesn’t look good,” Milton said.

  An awful growl ricocheted across the parking lot. The zombie was getting closer.

  An idea lodged itself in my mind. I wasn’t sure whether it would work, but we were out of options.

  “Milton! Do you still have any of that beef jerky on you?”

  He blinked. “I might’ve taken a few for the road. Why?”

  “Give it to me. Quick.”

  Milton reached into his pockets and pulled out a handful of Justice Jerky. “Here you go. But this hardly seems like the time for a snack.”

  The zombie’s dragging footsteps grew louder. Was it my imagination, or had I just caught a whiff of its rancid breath?

  Doing my best to keep my hands from shaking, I unwrapped the sticks of jerky, then held them up.

  “Uh … Joshua?” I could hear the anxiety in Sophie’s voice. “What are you doing?”

  “Just something my mom showed me. She knows all sorts of tricks for dealing with zombies.”

  As soon as I’d said it, I realized how strange that must’ve sounded. But it was too late now. The zombie was only a few feet away. I began waving the jerky back and forth. The zombie stopped, and a hungry look passed over its gray features. Its dull eyes followed the jerky like a dog watching a ball about to be thrown.

  “You want the Justice Jerky?” I said.

  I couldn’t be sure, but the zombie seemed to nod. Its mouth was open, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth.

  “You sure you want the Justice Jerky?”

  The zombie was now hopping up and down eagerly.

  “Then go get it!” I tossed the handful of jerky as far as I could across the parking lot.

  The zombie spun around and shuffled after it.

  Before Sophie and Milton could ask any questions, I took off running. My parents were no longer standing in the parking lot. They must’ve gotten inside the building by now, and were searching for the acid.

  The tied-up group of scientists and security guards watched as I went running past.

  “Hey, kid—wait!” a woman yelled. “Don’t go in there!”

  The woman’s voice blurred into the background. Through the glass double doors I could see my parents. And something was wrong. I could tell from their faces. Mom took a quick step forward, then backed up again. Dad’s hand inched closer to his utility belt.

  It was like they were cornered, trapped on all sides. But by what? All I could see were shadows at the edges of the lobby.

  And then one of the shadows moved. Dark shapes shifted out of the corners of the lobby, moving closer to my parents.

  It was as if the shadows were alive.

  A wave of terror swept over me. Smoke creatures. There were four of them. And they had my parents surrounded.

  I pushed on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. My parents must’ve locked it from the inside. Through the glass, I watched as Dad raised the Deactomatic. For a split second, I felt my heart leap. But before Dad could pull the trigger, one of the creatures lunged forward and knocked the d
evice out of his hand.

  Every last ounce of my hope trickled away. My parents were powerless. I could hear their muffled screams on the other side of the door as the smoke creatures swirled around them like storm clouds.

  Panic flashed through my mind. I slammed my fists against the double doors, and my spontaneous combustion did the rest. The door exploded into a million glass shards.

  I rushed into the lobby, the surge of energy still throbbing in my veins, just in time to see the last trace of my parents vanish behind the dark smoke. There were two flashes of light this time—one for each of them—bursts of lightning from within the chaos of clouds.

  In the next moment, the smoke creatures were gone.

  And so were my parents.

  18

  Many Gyfted children follow in their parents’ footsteps.

  The sound of my scream echoed through the lobby. I felt suddenly as though a hole had been ripped open inside of me and everything that had ever mattered was falling through it. One second, my parents were there, struggling with the smoke creatures. And then—nothing.

  Behind me I heard the sound of footsteps crunching over broken glass. Sophie came running into the lobby. The moment we looked at each other, I saw recognition in her eyes.

  “The Dread Duo,” she said. “They’re—”

  “My parents.” I nodded. “Yeah.”

  Now that the truth was finally out there, I didn’t feel any of the emotions I would’ve expected—no fear or shame or even embarrassment.

  I just felt empty.

  And Sophie didn’t react the way I’d expected either. I’d figured she might be angry or shocked. But all she did was gaze back at me sympathetically.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  A second later, Milton stepped carefully through the broken doorway. “What happened?” He glanced expectantly around the empty lobby. “What’d I miss?”

  “My parents were just attacked,” I said, staring into the empty space where they’d just been. “They’re gone.”

  “What d’you mean? The Dread Duo kidnapped your parents?”

  “No, Milton.” I shook my head. “The Dread Duo. They are my parents.”

  I’d spent the previous twelve years hiding their identity, and now I’d just confessed the truth twice in one minute. If Milton was freaked out that he’d been living down the street from two of the world’s worst villains, he didn’t show it.

  Instead, he only blinked and asked, “What happened to them?”

  I told Sophie and Milton what my parents had told me—about the smoke creatures, the nano-beings, supervillains getting transported.

  “Transported where?” Sophie asked.

  I shook my head, staring at the glass shards around my feet. “I don’t know. There’s only one way to track them. And to do that, I’d need—”

  The chemical compound my parents had been trying to steal. Zenoplyric acid. And we just happened to be in the lobby of the one place in Sheepsdale where you could actually get it. My parents had mentioned that the lab was normally well guarded. But at the moment, all the employees and armed security guards were still tied up outside. Meaning that we had the building all to ourselves.

  I started running across the empty lobby. I knew what needed to be done.

  Sophie and Milton called out after me. “Wait, Joshua! What’re you doing?”

  I turned around, my heart beating in my chest like an engine in overdrive.

  “I’m going to steal a deadly chemical!”

  I’d never stolen anything in my life. That was more my parents’ area of expertise. And I definitely never would’ve considered breaking into a heavily secured laboratory to steal a vial of dangerous acid.

  At least, not until now.

  There were no other options. The only way I’d ever be able to find my parents was to get my hands on that chemical. Besides, my mom and dad had already done most of the hard work for me. All I had to do was find the stuff.

  We didn’t have much time. Any minute, Captain Justice would show up and untie everyone outside. The entire building would return to lockdown mode, and any chance of finding my parents would vanish.

  Milton and Sophie trailed me down a long corridor, past empty guard stations. When I reached an elevator, I stopped and looked back at them.

  “You guys should turn around,” I said between heavy breaths. “I can handle it from here.”

  “We’re not leaving you,” Sophie said.

  “Yeah,” Milton huffed. “We want to help.”

  I shook my head. “This chemical I’m looking for—it’s rare. And dangerous.”

  “But you need it, right?” Sophie asked. “You can use it to get your parents back?”

  “Yeah. I hope so.”

  “Then maybe we should split up.”

  I stared back at her. Sophie—Captain Justice’s daughter—was offering to help me? Even after finding out who my parents were?

  Milton stepped forward. “She’s right. This building is huge. If we split up, we’ll be able to cover more ground.”

  I gave Sophie a sharp look. “Your dad probably wouldn’t approve.”

  “Our parents’ problems are between them,” Sophie said. “You’re my friend. And I want to help.”

  As much as I hated the idea of dragging my friends into this, they did have a point. The building was huge, and we’d have a much better chance of finding what we were looking for with three people looking instead of one.

  “Okay,” I said. “Here’s what we do.”

  We decided that Milton would explore the rest of the first floor, while Sophie and I would divide up the second floor. If anyone spotted us, we could just say that we’d gotten lost trying to hide from the Dread Duo.

  “We’ll meet up outside,” I said, pressing the elevator button. The doors slid open.

  “Wait,” Milton said as Sophie and I entered the elevator. “What are we looking for again?”

  “Zenoplyric acid.”

  “And how do I know if I’ve found it?”

  I thought about this for a second. “I don’t know. I was kind of hoping it would be labeled.”

  Milton looked like he had about a thousand questions he still wanted to ask, but the doors slid closed between us before he had a chance.

  Sophie and I were alone in the elevator. Except for the smooth jazz saxophone playing softly in the speakers, it was silent. My entire body felt coiled with uncertainty. When the doors opened at the second floor, Sophie and I gave each other one last look.

  “Good luck,” she said.

  “You too.”

  Then we set off in opposite directions. Soon the only sound was the squeak of my footsteps against the floor and the rhythm of my breathing.

  I explored one room after another, looking across walls of lab equipment, opening cabinets, checking the labels of every chemical I came across. But I couldn’t find the zenoplyric acid anywhere.

  I was beginning to wonder whether my parents had made a mistake—whether the chemical was even here at all—when I heard a sudden beep behind me. Spinning around, I saw sensors lining the door I’d just passed through. A pair of heavy steel doors dropped down on either end of the room, blocking the entrance and exit.

  A second later, the alarm went off.

  19

  In a stressful situation, it’s best to remain calm. Sometimes help comes from the most unexpected places.

  I was trapped.

  With the siren ringing in my ears, I frantically surveyed my surroundings. It was a laboratory, similar to a dozen others I’d passed through already. The only escape routes I could see were the doors at both ends of the room, and they’d just been closed off by solid steel barriers.

  I slammed my fists against the hard steel surface and tried to concentrate my power on blasting my way through. But the barricade was way too thick, and the only thing that felt like it was going to explode was my head. The wailing alarm was like a police siren in my brain.

 
I searched the walls for a control box that might shut off the security system. Nothing. I checked the air vent for an escape, but the slim passageway was barely wide enough for someone half my size.

  I could feel the last glimmer of hope fading. Any chance of rescuing my parents would soon be gone. Would I ever see them again? What was I supposed to do if I couldn’t get my parents back? Where would I live?

  I glanced around the room for something—anything—I could use to get out. Circling the room, I opened drawers and cabinets, uncovering loose wires, old scientific journals, vials of chemicals—

  Vials of chemicals?

  The glass vials were arranged in neat rows across a long metal rack. Each was filled with a colored liquid and labeled with the name of a chemical component I’d never heard of. Except for one. A cloudy blue liquid near the middle of the rack. I recognized the name on the label instantly.

  Zenoplyric acid.

  The little glass vial was barely bigger than my finger. It was hard to believe that something so small could be the key to finding my parents.

  All of a sudden, the alarm stopped. The sound of the siren was replaced a second later by the crackle of a saw buzzing a hole into the barricaded doorway.

  Someone was breaking into the room.

  Whoever it was, it sounded like they were using a serious power tool to get through the door. I glanced back at the cloudy blue vial with a new sense of urgency. As carefully as possible, I removed it from the rack. Holding it out far in front of me, I turned it sideways to check the seal. If the stuff was as deadly as my parents had claimed, I didn’t want it dripping down my leg. When I was sure the cap was secure, I cautiously placed the vial in my pants pocket.

  I had just enough time to shove the doors of the cabinet closed before a massive chunk of the steel barrier fell onto the ground. I waited a moment more, my heart racing.

  And then Captain Justice stepped into the room.

  “Worry not, frightened child! Captain Justice is here to rescue you!”

  He’d changed out of his exercise clothes and back into his usual uniform. His shining blue cape billowed behind him as he swept across the room toward me, muscles bulging beneath his silver jumpsuit.