As the twins popped out of the trees in centerfield, Gears came over their communicators – nestled deep in their ears.
“South. Head south,” Gears told him. “He went into the forest. You’ll have to follow him. The path should lead you towards the mill.”
“Roger,” Wedge said back to Gears. He turned to Rocket. “We’ll take the four-wheeler.”
Wedge referred to the all-terrain four-wheeler that was stashed in a secret storage area at the entrance of Maple Forest. With access to The Playground limited to just the small elevator, the bigger equipment was stored outside of The Playground. A lot of it was in Samantha’s parent's garage, but some items were hidden around town to help the members of SOCKs on their missions.
As Wedge and Rocket entered into Maple Forest, they followed the trail for twenty feet. Then, they veered off to the left of it and approached the banks of Pepper Creek. There, on an unmarked tree, Wedge pressed a hidden button and a six foot wide patch of the grass retracted in front of them.
As the secret entrance was opened, Wedge and Rocket descended down the small ramp and onto the four-wheeler.
“Been awhile since we are on this, huh, partner?” Wedge said as he started their ride up.
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. I just about forgot how bad you drove this thing…”
The two boys started up the ramp and with a push of a button on their handlebars, the secret entrance closed. They made their way over to the path and started to follow it.
“Keep your eyes open back there,” Wedge asked of his brother.
“You just keep your eyes on the road, smarty!” Rocket rebutted. His head went from side to side looking through the dense forest trees for the Boy in Blue.
The path followed the winding Pepper Creek. The fifteen foot wide creek was about three to four feet deep at the deepest parts and only a few inches deep in its shallowest points. It would have been easy for the Boy in Blue to cross at any time – if he felt the need to.
Within a half of mile the two boys caught up to the Boy in Blue. It seemed the Boy in Blue thought he eluded the members of SOCKs when he left The Playground and wasn’t in too much of a hurry as he walked down the path deep within Maple Forest.
Wedge and Rocket came around a sharp turn and spotted the Boy in Blue not more than twenty feet in front of them.
“Holy cow! There he is!” Rocket exclaimed to his brother. Wedge saw the Boy in Blue right away too. On instinct, he revved the four-wheeler up, and headed right for the Boy in Blue.
Big mistake.
“What are you doing? No! No!” Rocket yelled out from behind. But, it was already too late.
Hearing the revving engine, the Boy in Blue was startled by the noise and turned around and spotted the two boys. Within an instant, he took off running.
“See! See! He heard us, you dummy!” Rocket said, smacking his brother on the back of his helmet.
“Don’t worry, I’ll catch him!” Wedge responded.
The Boy in Blue continued down the path as the set of twins approached. He knew there was no chance of out running them, and knew he couldn’t stay on open land. With a sharp right turn, the Boy in Blue ducked off the path and deep into the forest.
“We’re going to lose him if we stay on the path!” Rocket yelled at his brother. “Stop this thing! We need to chase him!”
Wedge hit the brakes and the four-wheeler came to a sliding stop. Both boys jumped up and off the vehicle almost in unison and started chasing after the Boy in Blue.
“Kid, we are in pursuit on foot. Heading south.”
“Roger, keep going,” Kid said back over the communicator in both their ears. Back at The Playground, Kid turned to Gears and Roller who were at their computer stations within Main Computer Room 1.
“Where are they heading?”
“If we superimpose their locator device on the map of Maple Forest – it looks like they are heading right for Grauer Mill,” Gears answered back. “They are taking a long path, but that looks like the end point.”
“Boys, you copy that?” Kid asked back to Wedge and Rocket.
“Grauer Mill, got it!” Wedge said as he puffed.
The chase was long and hard, traveling through some of the more dense parts of Maple Forest. It seemed that Wedge was faster than the Boy in Blue, as he had no problems keeping up with him. Rocket was a bit slower, but followed his brother’s trail.
The Boy in Blue had about a hundred foot lead as the exited out of Maple Forest and onto the grounds of Grauer Mill.
Grauer Mill was an old mill that was built in the late 1800s that was used to grind wheat, corn, and other grains that were produced by local farmers.
The mill was about six stories tall and was constructed using bricks made form clay taken from the Grauer farm and fired in a kiln. The support structure was made out of white oak timbers that were abundant on the grounds.
Water from Pepper Creek rushed into the millrace and the wooden waterwheel that was constructed on the side of the mill would turn. That would in turn move the machinery inside the mill that would grind grain for the better part of a century.
The mill was shutdown now, but served as a major center of the economic life for young Elmcrest during the nineteenth century. Inside now, you would find an extensive museum about the mill and local tourists would flock by the hundreds here each day to get a look at the old mill, buy some apples from the apple orchard on the premise, and see the beautiful waterfalls that Pepper Creek formed in the back of the mill.
Pepper Creek opened up as it hit the Grauer Mills property. Instead of the small, fifteen foot wide creek as it emerged from Maple Forest and onto Grauer Mill, Pepper Creek expanded to nearly two hundred feet across.
As the water rushed through Maple Forest and onto this new large area, they water was greeted with a ten foot high drop in elevation. The mill workers, back in the day, made a dam to help funnel the water to the large waterwheel that the mill used to power its machinery. That dam, made for some gorgeous waterfalls as the water descended over the apex.
The Boy in Blue knew he had to lose these two kids following him. He wasn’t too sure who they were, but he figured out for himself they must have been apart of the base that he had found out in centerfield of the ballpark in Maple Forest.
He barely looked back at his chasers. The Boy in Blue was focused and looked as if he had a plan.
Being late in the season and approaching fall, Grauer Mill was full of tourists. They loved to come here in the late summer and fall months to watch the leaves change on the trees and walk up and down the walkways that led around the mills grounds.
Most tourists wouldn’t even stop in the old mill, but those who did were treated to a great history lesson on the place and could watch the mill work as it did in the old days.
The pathways and walkways were full of people looking at the sites today. They were two, three thick in some places. Others huddled under different trees around the grounds – taking pictures of themselves for memories.
The Boy in Blue made a beeline passed as many as he could, without making too much of a scene, and aimed right for the mill. The twins, still hot on the pursuit, were now starting to have troubles tracking the Boy in Blue. With the crowds, the noise of the people, and the distractions all around them, it would be difficult for anyone to follow.
“We’re losing him,” Rocket puffed out.
“He’s heading for the mill,” Wedge responded. “He’s going to try and lose us in there. Just head for it.”
Wedge was right. The Boy in Blue ducked into the entrance of the mill, skipping out on paying his entry fee. The twins were right behind him, and unfortunately followed suit.
The inside of Grauer Mill looked nothing like it did in the late nineteenth century. Though it was still functional, the mill served as a prop for the tourists that now occupied its halls.
Most of the machinery was taken out and those rooms gutted and replaced with the museum, gift shop, and ticket counters.
What machinery was left, served only one purpose – to spin the wheel.
The Boy in Blue headed for the wooden staircase that ascended up to the second and third floors. He headed for the third floor.
“Where? Where?” Rocket asked of his brother as the two boys entered into the museum.
“There – the stairs,” Wedge let out and headed for them. Both boys hurried up the two flights of stairs and looked around for the Boy in Blue.
“I don’t seem him,” Rocket said as he looked around.
“He must have ducked into one of these rooms. Let’s split up.”
The two boys went their separate ways. Wedge to the right, Rocket to the left. Wedge ducked into various rooms around the mill, but couldn’t find anything. He would peak into the rooms first, as if a top agent spy on a secret mission, then fully enter into the room.
Rocket was seen just walking right into the rooms. He didn’t care about how he found the Boy in Blue, he just wanted to find him. That’s when he radioed back to The Playground.
“Do we have any surveillance feeds of this place?” he asked.
“We’re still scanning,” Gears replied back in his ear.
While the members of SOCKs at The Playground scanned, Wedge and Rocket continued their pursuit. With only a few rooms left on the third floor before they met up, Rocket started to wonder if they picked the wrong floor.
“Are you sure he went to the third floor?” he asked of his brother over his communicator.
“Pretty sure,” Wedge answered back. Rocket rolled his eyes and went into his last room. It was pretty blank and just like the other rooms. Fake mannequin farmers doing some sort of nineteenth century chore surrounded by fake food, fake lamps, and sometimes – fake animals.
This particular room looked like the place where the farmers used to make cider from the apples in the orchard. Two fake farmers stood at a wooden table, surrounded by wooden apples, making fake cider.
There wasn’t too many hiding spots in this room. Rocket quickly checked behind the door and walked over to the farmers, he didn’t see anyone.
Wedge, on the other hand, had a more difficult time getting into his last room. The room's door was closed and was marked STAFF ONLY. Wedge walked up to the door and, to his surprise, found it to be unlocked.
He swung the door open, but did not enter the room. The gray metal door, which was different then the other doors, slide open and came to a stop when it hit the wall. Wedge, still playing spy, peeked around the corner.
The room was the grain room. Here, wooden barrels of wheat were stored that would be used by the staff members of the mill to show tourists how the farmers in the old days would smash the grain – using the mills waterwheel.
The room was dark when Wedge entered the room, but he could see the outlines of about a dozen wooden barrels strung around the room. The room was void of any furniture, but some old machinery was lying about as well.
Wedge’s hand raced up and down the side wall as he entered the room, looking for a light switch. With a couple of swipes – he finally found it.
The single light bulb hanging in the middle of the room by a metal chain sprung to life. It didn’t produce much light, but it was enough for one to see what was going on.
As the light came on, there was a rustle in the room. Wedge turned his attention to the area where the noise was. It almost sounded to him like someone quickly moving into the remaining shadows of the room.
Wedge proceeded with caution. He didn’t know what to expect. The barrels were randomly placed in the room and there was no order to them. Wedge would have to fight his way through the maze to look behind all of them, and to make it to where he thought the noise came.
Wedge snaked around the first barrel – nothing. He kept looking left and to the right, just to make sure no one was moving about in the room. He didn’t see anyone.
Another noise. Wedge whipped his head around again. It came from about the same place. Wedge continued in deeper.
He made his way around another barrel. Then another. His heart raced inside him as he made his way up to the noisy barrel.
Another noise.
With a gulp, Wedge raised his arms up as if to try and catch something – or someone – if they ran out from behind the barrel. With a deep breath, Wedge jumped around the barrel, ready to find out what was making his noise.
As he landed, he landed with a “Ha!” With a quick look around, he found himself alone. A second later, he found his noise scurrying over to the next barrel. A rat.
“Ugh,” Wedge said out loud to himself. He was disappointed he didn’t find anything.
Just then, a barrel in the front of the room tipped over and spilt all over the ground. From behind it emerged the Boy in Blue. He didn’t waste any time looking back at Wedge, he just bolted for the door.
“Hey, get back here!” Wedge ran out and started to fight back through the maze. But, it was too late. The Boy in Blue made it out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
“Rocket,” Wedge yelled, “he’s heading right for you!”
Hearing the call over his communicator, Rocket ran out of his last room and saw the Boy in Blue, across the mill, running away from him. The Boy in Blue looked over, saw Rocket, smiled, and continued down the hallway.
Rocket took off in the direction of the Boy in Blue, but he was well behind him. The Boy in Blue had a comfortable lead as he reached the end of the museum and ducked into the room directly above the waterwheel. Without even hesitating, the Boy in Blue opened the window, flung himself out it, and onto the small ledge.
Below him, about two feet, the waterwheel on the side of the mill was hard at work. Water came crashing over it, turning the wheel very fast. The wheel, about ten feet wide, was covered with water as the Boy in Blue made his move.
Taking a running step, the Boy in Blue went off the ledge and hit the center strut on the wheel. Not even resting on it for a millisecond, the boy completed his move as he leaped off the wheel. Diving into the cold waters of Pepper Creek, the Boy in Blue started to swim to the far banks of the creek.
Rocket reached the window. He looked out it to see the Boy in Blue swimming away. There was a commotion in the room as tourists tried to figure out what just happened. They all looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. Rocket, disappointed, retreated out of the room. Walking up to him, was his brother Wedge.
“He got away,” Rocket said disappointed. His voice came in low and distorted over The Playgrounds intercom. Kid Combat, dejected, hung his head low.
“How?” Wedge asked of his brother.
“Dude, he jumped out of the window and into the creek. There was nothing I could do.”
“What do you want us to do now, Kid?” Wedge asked.
“Get back here. There’s nothing you can do. We will have to think of another plan…”
Chapter Ten
Evil Hides in the Shadows
8:30PM
Night time fell on Elmcrest. The late summer night was coming to an end and the bright blue sky faded away in to red and oranges – followed by black. It was an unusually cool night this evening as the winds were howling through town. Tree branches flapped in the breeze and leaves fell to the ground.
Inside the first property Jones had ever bought, now known simply as “the warehouse”, the Boy in Blue waited for Jones. The building was still in a state of decay as the years of neglect continued.
The Boy in Blue waited in silence in the center of what was once the main printing press room. It was practically pitch black in the room – as it was lit simply by the streetlights outside. The Boy in Blue waited, with his sunglasses on, his hood up, and his right hand wrapped around an object.
The wind took form in howls as it ripped through the vacant building and the dozens of broken windows throughout the structure.
The Boy in Blue was not afraid, nor was he alone anymore. All too familiar to the walls of this building came a steady clumping noise. The step
s were slow and precise and headed right for the boy. He stood there, confident and sure – without an ounce of worry.
As the steps got closer, the outline of Jones became more apparent to the Boy in Blue. The boy could see the broad shoulders of Jones and the heavy outline of his frame. As the light bounced in and out of the windows, the Boy in Blue could also see the snarl across Jones’ face.
“You’re late,” the Boy in Blue said towards the moving shadow. A low grunt was the only answer he heard in return. Jones continued to walk up and stopped about three feet away from the Boy in Blue.
“And you’re in no place to tell me what I am,” Jones said.
“Oh, I think I am,” the Boy in Blue said, flipping the object in his hand.
“And what is that?” Jones asked.
“Nothing much. Just the technical specs of what is going on in Maple Forest,” the Boy in Blue answered. He could see he got Jones’ attention as the snarl on Jones’s face went away and was replaced by puzzlement.
“You were successful on your assignment then? That is a welcome change,” Jones said back, taking a step closer. “May I see, it?”
“In good time,” the Boy in Blue said with a smile. “For a price of course…”
The snarled returned. “You already negotiated a price for this, boy” Jones said through his teeth. “A very generous price.”
“That was before I found what I found,” the Boy in Blue said. The two stood there for a few seconds. “I want double.”
“Ha!” Jones rang out. “What makes you think I will pay you that?”
“Because if you want to find out who he is – this is your best bet.”
Jones was outraged, but he was also stuck. His months and years of plotting to find out who Kid Combat was only lead to disappointment. Somehow, this boy was able to get more information on Kid Combat than he was able to.
Jones never lost his anger – or his snarl – and glared at the Boy in Blue. The boy stood there with no expression on his face, from what Jones could see under his disguise.
The Adventures of Kid Combat 3: Jones Strikes Back Page 5