by Sybil Nelson
"So? It doesn't change the fact that Crang doesn't exist." He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "We haven't been able to find it on a map or any search engine on the internet. Maybe they said...Clang or Crane or something." Josh wasn't convinced that I had figured something out. He started pacing the kitchen nervously while Ian, Ryan, and Marco stared at me waiting for me to explain this brilliant discovery I thought I had. And, oh yeah, it was brilliant.
"We had it wrong. Crang isn't a country or a state or a city or anything like that. It stands for something. Check it out." I held up the globe for him. Marco, Ryan and Ian leaned in to get a better look as well. "Canada, Russia, Alaska, Norway, Greenland," I said, pointing to each of the places on the globe. "C-R-A-N-G. Crang. Those are the countries that border the Arctic Circle. Selliwood and his people are in the Arctic Circle!" The boys stared at the globe more closely as they processed the possibility. "And remember the first time I fought Xi? I was protecting Pierre Marchaud. He threatened to shut down Colonel Selliwood because of some illegal research he'd been doing at the North Pole. The North Pole is in the Arctic Circle. He must have been building a base."
The boys were quiet as they continued to stare at the globe. "That makes sense," Marco said finally.
"I can't believe she solved the mystery. Good on ya, mate!" Ian said slapping me on the back.
"You can check that mate," I said, squirming away from him. "Don't ever touch me again."
Josh nodded as he continued to stare at the globe. I could almost see relief wash over him. Instead of jumping for joy like most people would, his knees kind of wobbled a little like he was about to faint. I knew my brother though. That was a good reaction. He knew I was right and he agreed with me. "You figured it out. I knew you would." He smiled, and then swept me up into a hug. Then he set me down and sent me a telepathic message.
It’s time to go to CRANG.
Chapter 16: Where you go, I go
My dad started waking up a little while later. He had been sleeping almost constantly since we brought him home from the hospital yesterday, only waking up to go to the bathroom and take a few sips of water. It had been two hours since my Crang discovery. I really wanted to get on the road and go find my mom and the others, but I couldn't leave without saying good bye to my daddy. I didn't want to think about it but, if things didn't go as planned, it might be the last time I saw him.
I didn't want to wake him, so I just sat at the edge of his bed watching him sleep, hoping I wouldn't have to wait too long.
I still found it hard to believe that my big strong daddy was lying practically helpless right in front of me. The man who had protected me all of my life. The man who made me dinner, tucked me in at night and even styled my hair for me until I learned the good sense to do it myself. Now I was the one taking care of him. But I couldn't even do that right. I was about to leave him...maybe forever.
"How are you feeling, Daddy?” I asked when I saw his eyes start to flicker.
"Like I've been stabbed in the chest." My dad groaned and tried to sit up. "Seriously, though, I'm fine. I'll live. You and Josh really shouldn't have taken me to the hospital. It was risky."
"It was too risky to not take you, Dad. You could have died."
"You know how I feel about hospitals." My dad swung his feet over the side of the bed. He took a deep breath and tried to stand, but lost his balance. I rushed to his side and caught him before he collapsed to the floor. "Thanks, Priss,” he said as he let me help him back to a sitting position.
"You should rest, Daddy. I'll get Josh to bring you something to eat. You need to keep your strength up."
He laid his head back and shut his eyes while taking deep breaths. He must have been in so much pain. Not only did he hate hospitals, he also hated pain medication which meant he was coping with the pain all by himself. I felt really bad for him. I kind of wished he was part mutant like I was. When I broke into the Selliwood Institute to save the other specimens, I was shot and stabbed yet I was still able to fight. My wounds healed in just a few hours.
"Okay, I'll eat something," he said with his eyes still closed. "But first we need to pack a few things and move to a safer location. Give me a couple of hours and I should be strong enough to get on the road."
I sat back down at the edge of the bed and looked at my hands. "I knew you were going to say that, Daddy." I sighed and said, “I don't want to move. I'm tired of running and hiding. I can't do this anymore."
"Well, what do you propose we do, Priss? It's not safe here. I don't know what has happened to your mother. She could come back any minute and try to kill us all."
I took a deep breath. "I know. But if we run now, we'll be running for the rest of our lives. Colonel Selliwood needs to be stopped, and I'm going to stop him."
My father lifted his head and stared at me. He knew I was serious. And he also knew it would be very, no, incredibly hard to stop me, especially in his condition. So, he just asked, “What do you plan on doing? We don't know where to find him."
"I do. I know where he is. I figured it out."
He was silent.
I stood and zipped up my blue North Face jacket.
"I have to go, Daddy."
"Priss, wait,” He tried to lean forward and grab my hand. He grimaced in pain then fell back down to the bed. "Think about this. I don't know what I'd do if I lost both you and your mother."
I saw tears build in his eyes. My big strong Daddy was reduced to tears at the thought of losing me or my mom. It broke my heart, but I had no choice.
"I have thought about it, Daddy. I have to do this. You're not going to lose me. I'm going to get my mother back. And I'm going to bring her home."
I kissed the top of his bald head then dashed out of the room before he could see the tears in my eyes as well.
When I came down the stairs, Josh, Marco, Ryan and Ian were standing by the front door. Josh had his arms crossed over a bullet proof vest. He had on one of Dad's gun harnesses which allowed him to carry three different weapons. Ryan and Marco had changed into what I had nicknamed "battle gear". Ryan's grey spandex suit was made out of a synthetic fiber that wouldn't disintegrate when he flew in different types of atmospheres. After our mission to United Arab Emirates, Dad had designed a suit for Marco with a built in heating mechanism to keep him warm when he converted to metal. Ian wore the same jeans and button down white shirt that he wore the night I met him. I wondered for a second if anyone would be able to design some clothes for him that could go with him through objects. For now he just leaned against the door tossing his cowboy hat into the air and catching it.
"What do you guys think you're doing?” I asked. Well, it was pretty obvious what they thought they were doing. They thought they were coming with me. I didn't need their help. I could do this alone. Well, with a little help from Tai. No one else knew it yet, but she was about to be my sidekick again.
"I know what you're planning, Priss. We're going with you,” Marco said.
I shook my head. "I can do this on my own."
"She took my brother,” Ryan said. "I don't care what you say. I'm going with you to get him back."
"She's my mother too, you know,” Josh said. "And she's carrying my baby sister."
My eyes expanded. "It's a girl? How do you know it's a girl?” Josh gave me a 'duh' look. "Right, psychic. I forgot. What about that guy?” I asked, nodding toward Ian from New Zealand wondering why he needed to come.
"Katya is his sister. He's just as invested in this as we are. Besides, he can walk through walls. He could be very useful."
"Yeah, if we don't mind getting flashed." I rolled my eyes.
"Oh come on, sheila. You're just afraid to admit you might need me."
"I'm not afraid of anything." That was kind of a lie, but it sounded good at the time.
I took a step toward Marco trying my best not to think of Ian any longer than I had to. "What about you? What's your reason for going?” I really didn't have to ask that. I cou
ld've looked into his intense eyes and known the answer.
He reached for my hand and said, “Where you go, I go."
Chapter 17: Changing Channels
"Priss, where are you going? You're off course,” Josh said, staring at the navigational system.
"We gotta make a quick detour."
Josh looked at me. "What? Why?"
"We have to get Tai."
"Who's Tai?” Ian asked.
"She's Priss' best friend,” Josh volunteered. "But I really don't understand what she has to do with this mission."
"Oh no, you're not plannin' on goin' to get your nails done with your mate are ya?” Ian said in his increasingly annoying accent.
"Sit down and shut up before I knock you back to Australia."
"Don't you start with me -"
"Guys, seriously. We don't have time for this,” Josh interrupted. "Ian, if my sister says we need to get Tai, then we need to get Tai. This is her mission so get used to it."
Tai was in Denmark getting ready to take some big important international science test, right? But it wasn't enough for her to fly halfway across the world just for a test; she also had to spend two weeks there in some sort of smart people camp. I know at summer camp kids sit around a campfire and tell stories. What do they do at science camp? Sit around a Bunsen burner and recite the periodic table? I shivered at the thought.
Thankfully, it was still dark when we arrived in Copenhagen. The cloaking device was working perfectly so we didn't get picked up on radar as we landed in an old airfield twenty miles outside the city.
Tai was waiting for me in front of her dorm room. "You okay, Prissy?” she said, giving me a hug.
I didn't realize how much I'd missed my best friend until I saw her again. I almost started crying, but that wasn't going to happen. Not in front of Ian anyway. He would've just made a smart remark about me being weak and girly.
So instead, I just took a deep breath and said, “I’m fine. I just want my mom back. What have you got for us?"
Tai looked both ways then started walking toward this big white dome-looking building. Once she got there, she pressed a code into the alarm system keypad on the door and then opened it. "This is the Chemistry lab,” she said, walking in and flipping on the lights. "The lab used to be in the basement of the dormitory until last year's unfortunate bubble bath experiment. Don't ask." Tai sat down in front of a lab table. The two collars that my mom and Josh once wore lay on top. When she turned on a computer and started typing, one of the collars lit up.
"How'd you do that?” Ryan asked, taking a step back. He grabbed his neck terrified at the memory of what those things could do.
"Radio waves,” Tai said simply.
"So how is all this supposed to work?” I asked, looking at the all too familiar inhibitor collars. Like Ryan, I didn't even want to get too close either. Though they would never admit it, Josh, Marco and Ian were afraid as well. Josh started sweating, Ian nervously twirled his hat and Marco started converting to metal. I had never worn one but I could imagine it had to be painful. Maybe not even physically. Our powers were a part of us; any device that took them away had to feel like losing yourself.
"Well, I remembered you telling me that the chips in the Specimens' brains were originally placed there to enhance the genetic mutations,” Tai began. "Well, this device can neutralize those genetic mutations, right? The only way that would be possible is if they somehow blocked synapses in the brain through some sort of electrolysis or electromagnetic wavelength. So that got me thinking. The collars must use an electromagnetic currency or radio wave to the brain to inhibit the use of your genetic mutations. Well, the microchip is in the brain. Ergo, there should be a way to use the collar to communicate with the chip."
I blinked several times and shook my head. Did she really expect me to understand anything she just said?
"So, you've figured out a way to take over the microchip?” Josh asked.
"Not quite. That would take years,” she said, pressing a few buttons on one of the collars.
"Well then why are we here if you don't know what you're doing?” arrogant Ian asked still twirling his cowboy hat. I gave him the evil eye hoping that would be enough to shut him up. It wasn't. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted the sheila. We could be in the Arctic Circle now saving my sister. We're wasting time."
"Wow. He is a jerk,” Tai said, staring at Ian from New Zealand.
"Told you." I crossed my arms and leaned against another lab table.
"So, if you can't take over the microchip, what can you do?” Josh asked, ignoring Ian's remark.
"The first night we were here two days ago some of the other engineering students and I snuck into the Chemistry kids' dorm rooms and rigged the radios and alarm clocks so that they only played one song." Tai started chuckling. "The next day, they were so confused when all of their radios would only play She Blinded Me with Science. It was hilarious." Tai was laughing so hard she actually slapped her knee.
We all just stared at her.
Marco leaned over to me and whispered, “Is this another human joke that I don't understand? Like the feces?"
I shook my head. "No, this isn't funny. It's just plain lame."
Tai cleared her throat and became serious again when she realized no one was laughing at her joke...if you can call it that. "Anyway, that's when I got the idea of recalibrating the inhibitor. Priss told me that Josh's powers of hypnotic suggestion were kind of like tuning into someone's thought wavelength and kind of changing the channel. So, what I did, or what I've tried to do, is turn the inhibitor into like a radio dial. I can change the channel."
"To what?” I asked.
Tai shrugged. "Not sure. But anything would be better than the channel they're on now, right? At least it should buy you enough time to overpower them."
"How can you be sure it'll work?” Josh asked.
"I can't. Which is why I'm gonna need a volunteer,” Tai said, staring at us.
"I'll do it,” I said. I mean she was my friend. I guess I should be the one to try out her contraption just in case anything went wrong.
Tai shook her head. "Actually, it can't be you or Josh. You don't have a microchip."
Right. That made sense.
Josh and I stared at Ryan, Marco, and Ian hoping one of them would volunteer. If not, what were we supposed to do, play eenie meenie miney moe?
"I'll do it,” Marco said finally as he stepped forward.
"Thanks Marco,” I said. I couldn't help it, but I got a little nervous when Marco volunteered. I knew it had to be hard for him. When I saved him from the Selliwood Institute, he and eleven other kids were locked in a room wearing those collars like powerless, trapped animals. I hated for him to be reminded of that.
Plus, what if something went wrong? I didn't want Marco to get hurt. Why couldn't Ian volunteer? I wouldn't mind him getting a little electrocuted or something.
"Okay, when I put this on you, not only will you not have your powers, but you're going to start thinking differently,” Tai said as she stood on a chair so she'd be able to reach Marco's neck as well as press buttons on the top of the collar. "You ready?"
Marco nodded, but I don't think he was really ready. His entire torso was already metal and it was spreading. He was scared. As soon as Tai clicked on the inhibitor, the metal in his body vanished.
"How do you feel?” Tai asked.
"Gotta say. I've never felt better,” he said in perfect American English. His French accent was completely gone.
A weird smile crept over Marco's face. I mean, it was a gorgeous smile. It was just weird because I had never seen him smile so big before. And he had this mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He took a step toward me and for some reason, my heart started beating rapidly. What in the world was he up to? Oh no, what if Tai had changed the channel to a crazy station? What if he was about to kill me or something?
Marco stopped walking and stood like an inch in front of me. He still had this huge gri
n on his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Josh lunge toward Marco. Apparently, he was concerned about Marco's strange behavior as well.
"No worries, Mate. No worries,” Ian said, holding Josh back.
Suddenly Marco grabbed my hand and spun me around and started swaying from side to side. Wait a minute, he wasn't swaying. He was dancing. Marco was dancing? That was so not like him.
"I never knew the charm of Spring. Never made it face to face. I never knew my heart could sing. Never missed a warm embrace,” Marco sang while dancing me around the lab. He sounded like he should be wearing a velvet jacket and singing in a lounge somewhere in Vegas.