The Kilodan placed his gauntleted hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. His hands trembled slightly, and his body language screamed in anger. But it wasn’t anger that I felt. It was fear.
“There is no deadlier enemy in the world,” the Kilodan said, his electronically altered voice calm, almost cold. “I am not afraid to confront him alone, but ever since the night you met him face to face, I have lived in terror. I already lost my best friends. I would not survive losing you.”
“I don’t get it,” I said quietly. “You and Andy can protect me.”
Mist flashed in front of my eyes, and instantly the room disappeared. I saw the Kilodan kneeling over three prone bodies, beating the rain-drenched pavement with his gauntleted fists. His heart felt shredded. His three best friends lay dead before him. He had been too late to save them, and he hated himself for it. He was supposed to be the vigilant one, the Protector.
Then he noticed a little girl’s hand sticking out from beneath the massive Psi Fighter, whose dead arms were wrapped tightly around her. The hand belonged to a six-year-old me. It seemed as though Andy had given his life to save me. The Kilodan picked me up gently from Andy’s limp arms. His heart warmed, and the anger subsided slightly. He lifted his mask enough to kiss me. Then Andy stirred. Immediately, I was myself again.
“That memory,” I said. “My dad told me that story—”
“Yes, I did,” the Kilodan said, his unaltered voice thick with emotion. Suddenly, his masked face seemed filled with love.
I choked back a sob. “Dad?”
“Do you understand now?” the Kilodan said. He squeezed me into a hug.
I hugged back with everything I had. “No, this is too weird. I knew that you and Mom were Psi Fighters before you adopted me, and I knew that you were there when Nicolaitan murdered my birth parents. But I never once suspected that you were the Kilodan.”
“Yeah, up until recently, he was pretty good at keeping a lid on it,” Andy said.
“We will not speak of this again,” the Megadan said. “Not at the Academy.”
“You won’t get any arguments from me,” I said, still in shock.
“That would be a first,” Andy said.
Chapter Forty-Six
Let There Be War
“I have a gift,” Phobos said. Not the one Nicolaitan was waiting for, though. If he could only deceive the deceiver one last time.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Nicolaitan said, clapping his palms to his face.
“I found the Morgan girl,” Phobos lied. “Art Rubric’s death revealed her to me, as you predicted. And, if you allow it, I will use her to humiliate Scallion for his indiscretion in resorting to common robbery.”
Nicolaitan scratched his exposed jawbone with a gauntleted finger. “You intrigue me. Delivering the girl of my dreams and eliminating a wart in a single encounter. The only way this day could get any better is if you tell me your plan includes the death of the other Psi Fighters.”
“Did you not promise to call off the battle if they delivered the Morgan girl to you?”
“That I did, that I did,” Nicolaitan said. “And I always keep my word.”
“Since it will be I, and not they, who delivers her to you, no promise will be broken. Your integrity will remain intact. You can kill them all.”
Nicolaitan closed his eyes. “If there were gods other than myself, I would give thanks to them. Tell me, how shall we use this knowledge? I know. I’d like you to start a war. When my Psi Fighter joins the battle against Scallion, you will take her.”
Phobos nodded. Nicolaitan had fallen for his deception. Now he could end this nightmare.
Nicolaitan rubbed his hands together. “But where will I be without my loyal Mr. Scallion, should he not survive your war? Who will become my Number Two?”
Phobos stood and bowed low. “I’m sure someone will come to mind.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Name That Knight
Drake was unusually quiet at practice that night. No obnoxious comments, no leering, nothing that led me to believe he still had a heartbeat. After he had acted almost human on our mission to find the Proletariat, I wondered what was up. After practice, I decided to ask him.
“It’s nothing,” Drake said.
“Is your dad still threatening to pull you out of training?”
Drake shook his head. “If I tell you something, do you promise to keep it quiet?”
“Depends on what it is,” I said. “I mean, if it’s personal, definitely. If it’s something that will affect the Psi Fighters, then maybe not.”
Drake frowned and looked away. “Never mind.”
“You brought it up, so you have to tell me now,” I said, smiling.
“Not if you can’t keep it between us. I need somebody I can trust.”
“Drake, I’m a Psi Fighter. We’re supposed to trust each other. You’re the one who makes it difficult.”
Drake looked at me like he was about to cry. “Art Rubric was my friend when we were little. We never lost touch after I moved away. I knew about his drug problem. I was trying to get him into rehab. That’s why I was at Miliron’s house that night. I followed him.”
“Why did you lie?”
“I was trying to save Art’s life without anyone at the Academy knowing. It’s common knowledge that Art was bad news. I didn’t want to be told to stay away from him.”
“So this is your big secret?” I said. “And they say I have trouble following orders.”
“I did what Andy told me,” he said. “I pushed Tammy Angel. I told her that I would love to get in on the action on those robberies.”
“And?” I said. “What else haven’t you told me?”
“Art said she was the one who got him involved. One day, she told me she might know somebody who could help me. That’s when Art got worried. He told me to back off. Like he was scared. Rinnie, I think Art knew too much. I think that’s why he was forced to overdose.”
“Who told you he was forced, Drake?” He hadn’t been there when Art died. Only Bobby and Kathryn saw what I saw.
“Tammy Angel. She bragged about it to all of us. She thinks she’s safe because she works for somebody named Scallion. She wouldn’t tell me who he is, but I think he’s a Knight.”
“He is,” I said. “He controls the Proletariat. Look, I know we haven’t been the best of friends since we met, but I think we should start working together. I didn’t trust you because you’ve been acting like you’d gone rogue. Let’s forget about our differences.”
“I agree,” Drake said. “And I appreciate that. It can be so annoying working with somebody who knows everything and has an ego that barely fits in the room.”
“We’ll work through it, Drake.”
“You’ve actually been a lot better,” Drake said, giving me the looking-at-you-over-my-glasses-even-though-I-don’t-wear-them look.
I bit my lip.
“Kidding! Just kidding. Look, Tammy Angel still trusts me. I’ll get her to arrange a meeting with Scallion. My time at the Academy is almost over. But before I’m through, I want to take down a killer.”
“Do you have a plan?” I asked.
“I do. Art told me everything. Scallion gives Tammy Angel her orders. He runs the robberies. She distributes his stolen goods.”
“And you trust Art’s word?”
“I do. I know he was high and delusional most of the time, but—there’s something else I haven’t told you.”
“What?”
“Tammy was hot for me.” Drake shuddered and made a face like he had just swallowed a spider.
“I take it the feeling wasn’t mutual.”
“Yuck, no. But she confirmed what Art said. She also told me that Scallion is jealous of someone named Phobos and would like to expose him. She said Scallion wants her to help. She asked me if I would do it for her.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I said yes. I’m supposed to meet her at the Shadow Passage
tonight. She’s picking up a delivery from Scallion.”
“Are you out of your mind?” I snapped. “You’re no match for a real Knight. I’ve met Scallion. He’s deadly. Drake, you can’t do this.”
“Not alone,” Drake said. “I have the entire Academy to back me up, right? We can take down Scallion, and he’ll lead us to Phobos. And Nicolaitan.”
“The Kilodan will never approve of this. It’s too dangerous. Oh, wow.”
“What?” Drake asked.
“I sound just like the Kilodan does when I ask permission to do something stupid,” I said, shaking my head. “Forget it, Drake. This isn’t how we do things.”
“Rinnie, this is important to me,” Drake said quietly. “I want to bring in Scallion.”
“You’re going through with this no matter what I say, aren’t you?”
Drake nodded. “I would have a few weeks ago. Then I learned that you’re as big a rebel as I am, but you still follow orders.”
“Let’s talk to the Kilodan,” I said. “He’ll know what to do.”
“Okay, but first, let me bounce my plan off you. How does this sound: I’ll meet Tammy, find out where Scallion will be, and come right back here to tell you. Then the Kilodan can take him down.”
“That may work,” an emotionless voice said. The Kilodan stood in the doorway.
A tiny shock of recognition shot through me. I forced myself not to act differently now that I knew the face under that mask. The total weirdness of it would take some getting used to.
“How long have you been standing there?” Drake asked.
“Since the beginning of your conversation.”
“Were you in Shimmer?”
“No.”
“Were you hiding behind the door?”
“No.”
“I guess this is why you’re the Kilodan.”
“It is,” another voice said.
A strange man stood behind Drake. He was tall with reddish-blond hair, strongly built, and oddly familiar. In fact, he looked just like an older version of—
“Dad!” Drake said. “What are you doing here?”
“Checking up on my son’s progress,” Mr. Reynolds said. “I see the Academy has been a good influence on you. Your ego has shrunk a bit.”
Drake turned red. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Do we still follow the protocols we used when I was here?” Mr. Reynolds asked the Kilodan.
“The same,” the Kilodan said.
Mr. Reynolds turned to Drake and said, “Here’s the plan. You’ll go to the Shadow Passage to contact Tammy Angel. She’ll tell you that Scallion requires her to lead you to him. She will not reveal the location. So you’ll plant this on her.” He handed a small round object to Drake. “Then you’ll mention that you have others who would like to join this home invasion, and tell her to call you when Scallion is ready to meet.”
“I’m going to give her a quarter?”
“A tracking device.”
Drake asked. “Like James Bond?”
Drake’s dad smiled. “Like a Psi Fighter.”
“I can do that,” Drake said.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Christmas Yet To Come
“What if Tammy’s on to Drake?” I asked. Andy and I had gone to Andy’s tech room after Drake and his dad left.
“If he was dealing directly with Scallion, he would realize he’s being set up,” Andy said. “Tammy doesn’t have Scallion’s cunning or experience. When Drake tells her he’s bringing guests, she’ll see it as an opportunity to make herself look like a hero to Scallion. The girl’s ego is even bigger than yours.”
“Hey! That’s not nice.”
“I’m sorry. Is yours bigger?”
“No, but—”
“Then what’s not nice?”
“Never mind.”
The plan, blessed by the Kilodan and Drake’s dad, was in place. Once Drake planted the tracker, we could follow Tammy wherever she went. When she met Scallion, we would be there to take him down. It would be a simple matter for the Kilodan to scan Scallion’s mind and find the identity of Phobos as well as the location of Nicolaitan’s secret lair.
For the first time, it looked like the Psi Fighters might put an end to the Knights.
“While we wait, I’d like you to test my new and improved Knight Catcher.” Andy pointed to a gold cage in the center of the tech room floor.
“It looks like a giant Tweety Bird cage.” A platinum sign above the cage door was inscribed with a single word. “Nicolas? Really?”
Andy smiled. “A cage has to have a first name, doesn’t it?”
“That’s not even a pun, Andy.”
“No, it’s a homograph.”
“What does your homograph do?”
Andy rubbed his hand through his hair. “I changed the algorithm of the Mental Imaging Generator. John Cage gave me the idea.”
“Who’s that? Nicolas’s dad?”
“John Cage was a composer. He wrote a little number called ‘Four Thirty-Three,’ where the score instructs the performers not to play during the entire duration of the piece.”
“So…they stand around and do nothing? I can see why Nicolas is the famous Cage.”
“No, Grasshopper, you miss the point. ‘Four Thirty-Three’ is all about the sounds of the environment. Four minutes and thirty-three seconds exploring the beauty of background noise.”
“I’m thinking it didn’t make the Top 40.”
“He got the idea when he visited the Anechoic Chamber at Harvard University.”
“Anechoic? Sounds like a rash.”
“A room that absorbs sound. Totally quiet.”
“If the guy wrote music that doesn’t make any sound, there wouldn’t be anything for the room to absorb.”
“Okay, now you understand!”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I do not understand. Not even remotely.”
“An anechoic chamber absorbs all sounds. If you were inside the chamber, you wouldn’t hear anything. Nothing. Total silence. That doesn’t exist anywhere in real life. There is always wind, or traffic, or even the sound of your own heartbeat. People do not like a totally soundless environment. It disorients them.”
The light was starting to come on for me. “So…this giant Tweety Bird cage is like an anechoic chamber, except instead of absorbing sound, it absorbs thoughts.”
“Exactly.” Andy nodded. “A totally thoughtless environment.”
“Just like school.”
“No, this is a different kind of thoughtlessness. Get inside and see.”
“I tawt I taw a puddy tat,” I said, opening the cage door. Once inside, I didn’t notice anything weird. “Hey, this thing isn’t working. Last time, I was disoriented as soon as I got inside.”
“Try to get out,” Andy said, closing the door.
I drew my Amplifier and imagined a rapier. I felt its weight in my hand, then… “Nothing.”
“Try something else,” Andy said.
“Good ol’ Mental Blast did the trick last time.” I concentrated and placed my palm against the cage door. I thought about Art’s murder, saw his dying face, and psionic energy ignited the rage inside me. My hair fluffed, and a Mental Blast shot down my arm, concentrated in my hand, and… “Nothing.”
“I had to use a different approach,” Andy said. “You escaped the first prototype easily. Instead of taking away your ability to concentrate, this cage absorbs your thoughts and emotions. You can use the Mental Arts to create any weapon you want, but it’s totally absorbed by the Psitronic circuits embedded in the cage walls.”
“Andy, this is brilliant. Not even Nicolaitan can break out of this.”
“That’s the plan.”
I pushed on the cage door to leave, but it wouldn’t budge. “I see you have all bases covered. The door has a lock.”
“Yes, Nicolaitan is a pretty smart guy. Once he figures out he can’t escape using the Mental Arts, he’d probably try to open the door the conventional wa
y.”
“Sweet,” I said. “Okay, let me out.”
Andy hit a button on his chest armor and Elvis started singing “If I Can Dream.”
“Andy.”
“Oh, sorry, I was enjoying the peace and quiet. Did you say something?”
The tech room door burst open with a bang and Mrs. Bagley flew into the room with the Kilodan on her heels.
“We have a new riddle,” she said, handing Andy a small sheet of paper inscribed with her flowing handwriting. “I found it on the board in Dr. Captious’s classroom after school let out.”
Andy hit another switch and the cage door popped open. He held up the riddle so they could all read it.
Twas the night of the murder, when all through the town
Not a person was smiling, they all wore a frown.
The new kid was dangling, his hands bound with care,
Just wishing Munificent’s body was there.
But Amos was underground, rotting and dead,
While flies, worms, and maggots played cards in his head;
He’s in a bad pickle, a most grisly fate,
I fear he will die a death like red-faced Nate.
“Nicolaitan is trying to be clever,” the Kilodan said. “He enjoys this game.”
“Is this his twisted idea of Christmas yet to come?” I said. “I think he’s saying that the next victim is the new kid, who wishes Munificent was there instead of him. The new kid… Police Chief Dalrymple? He was Munificent’s replacement.”
“Exactly,” Mrs. Bagley said.
“Who’s this Nate person?” I asked. “Wait, Nathanael Greene?”
“Who died with a red face,” Mrs. Bagley said, folding her hands. “The Major General died of heat stroke.”
The Kilodan paced the room, hands behind his back, mumbling to himself. “The fact that maggots are playing cards in a dead man’s head must be significant. I’m certain it is a clue to the location.”
Andy pulled on his mask. “We have to get to the police station. If Dalrymple’s already left, we’ll be able to trail him.”
The Kilodan turned to me. “Find Drake. Call off his mission and tell him to wait with you here. I’ll send instructions.”
Live and Let Psi Page 23