by Bryan Davis
Sam swallowed the last bite of her pizza. “Can we get more food at Magruder’s?”
“Most likely.” Ahead, two men shouted nose to nose next to their smashed vehicles, looking like they were ready to punch each other. Still hand in hand, we ignored them, squeezed between a Jeep and a pickup truck, and hurried on.
We angled back to the sidewalk and stopped at an intersection where another sidewalk led to the right into a park where we sometimes went — Sam for the swings and me for the skateboard ramps — a good shortcut to get downtown. We also tent camped there twice every summer before Dad …
I buried the thought. This was no time to think about the past.
As I looked around, something felt strange. The tremors had stopped quite a while ago, but now the air was motionless. Car horns fell silent. Only a single siren wailed in the distance.
Sam tightened her grip on my hand. “What’s happening, Eddie?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird.” Far ahead, the city’s skyline drew dark jagged lines across the horizon. A ball of blue light hovered over the tallest skyscraper — the Stellar building. The light expanded, adding colors as it morphed into the shape of a man’s head. With dark beady eyes, hawkish nose, and sinister smile, it didn’t take long to figure out who it was.
I whispered, “Mephisto.”
In the midst of the stalled traffic, people got out of their cars and stared at the massive face. I turned on the handheld computer and lifted it to make sure the camera could view the scene. Damocles needed to see this.
The huge eyes shifted, as if surveying the silent city. The lips moved, and a voice boomed. “I am Mephisto, the mastermind who caused the recent earthquakes. I have a message for Damocles. Surrender to my demands by dawn, or Nirvana will meet its doom. Come to the Stellar roof at midnight with no weapons. This is my only warning.”
The face collapsed back to a blue sphere and slowly faded away.
People standing near their cars gawked at the sky for a moment, then began talking to each other. Most of them seemed nervous or angry. Sam said something about Mephisto being ugly and scary, but I ignored her.
While the chatter continued, I stared at the Stellar building. Now Mephisto was calling for the meeting. What happened to Chet Graham?
Red-streaked clouds framed the fifty-story building. Soon the sun would set, and Sam and I would be walking in darkness. With so much panic and chaos, who could tell how dangerous it might be to go there?
I let out a sigh. It would be so easy to give up on this crazy adventure and just run to Mom for shelter. We could get hot food, sit in a corner booth and watch TV — let someone else take care of this menace. How could a couple of kids stop an insane villain like Mephisto? It was impossible.
Then Damocles’s message came to mind. Heroes often have to do hard things.
His words stabbed deeply. I turned off the handheld computer, but that did nothing to ease the pain. Damocles trusted me to do this. How could I sit in comfort while Mephisto systematically destroyed Nirvana and maybe the entire world?
Sam tugged on my arm. “Eddie, you zoned out. Are we going to Magruder’s or not?”
I shook my head. “We’re not.”
She laid a hand on her stomach. “But they have such good lasagna, and I’m still hungry.”
“We’ll find something else. I have money.” I turned toward the park and marched straight ahead. “Let’s go.”
Sam jogged at my side. “What are we going to do about Mephisto?”
“We?” I laughed under my breath. “You’ll hide somewhere while I use Mastix to stop him.” I added in my mind, if I can figure out how to use it.
“But I’m the one with super powers, so I should be the one to do it.” She slowed at a food cart that had toppled over. Hot dogs, relish, and plastic bottles of mustard and ketchup lay across the grass. Ants swarmed over the wieners and buns.
I hurried on. “Forget about it, Sam. I can’t let you fight against the most powerful villain in the world.”
“I can fight him better than Damocles’s ghost can.” She caught up and kept pace again, now with a hot dog in each hand. “So I eat a few ants.”
Along the way, we hopped over huge cracks in the sidewalk, crossed streets that were either vacant or blockaded with immobilized cars, and dodged a couple of fallen trees. People ignored us, too busy chattering about the earthquakes and the image of Mephisto in the sky.
After stopping to get a drink from a spewing hydrant, we hurried on the main road leading to downtown, now abandoned. Soon, daylight faded to dusk, then dusk to darkness. The streetlamps stayed off. The only lights that remained were flashing blue police strobes ahead, enough to guide our way.
When we arrived, a tall police officer held up a hand. “Where are you two going?”
Sam spoke is a rasping voice. “To the Stellar building to stop Mephisto.”
“Sam, give it a rest.” I sighed and gave the officer a wink. “She thinks she’s a superhero.”
“Well, we need a superhero. No one’s seen Damocles for quite a while.” The officer picked up a Thermos from the top of his squad car. As he poured coffee into the lid, he looked at me with a sympathetic expression. “So why are you really out here? Lost? Can’t find your folks?”
Sam spoke up again, her voice more raspy than before. “I don’t have any folks. I’m an orphan, and I need to see my cancer doctor.”
“I liked the first lie better.” He slurped his coffee. “Listen, kids, even if you do have to see a doctor, you can’t get into the downtown district. It looks like Mephisto used his magna-gopher to uproot some of the roads and alleys. Electrical wires are exposed. Water lines are snapped. Just about every way to get there has some kind of hazard blocking it.”
I arched my brow. “Just about every way?”
The officer waved an arm. “Well, from here all the way around to forty-fourth street, and in the other direction, from here to ninth. That leaves five safe blocks around the perimeter, but you’d have to go through the Dead Zone to get downtown.” He smiled in the way most adults do when they’re trying to scare kids to keep them safe. “Word has it that nine people have been murdered in that zone since the quakes started.”
I gave him the kind of nod kids give to parents to calm their nerves. “You’re right. It’s dangerous. Too dangerous for kids like us.”
Sam piped up, this time forgetting to disguise her voice. “It’s not too dangerous for Princess Queenie Unicorn —”
I clapped a hand over her mouth. “We’ll be going now, officer. Thank you.”
“What’s your name?” he asked. “I’ll need to know when we find your mutilated bodies in the Dead Zone.”
“Hertz.”
“Yeah, it probably hurts to get mutilated, but if you’ll tell me your name —”
“Our last name is Hertz. But don’t worry. We’ll leave.” I took Sam’s hand and walked away. Once we got deep enough into the darkness, we turned onto a path that would lead us to the Dead Zone.
“Where are we going?” Sam asked.
“To the Stellar building. We’ll have to go through the Dead Zone to get there. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. Like you were about to say, it’s not too dangerous for …” I glanced upward to recall the name. “For Princess Queenie Unicorn Esmeralda Sabrina Taryn Rosey Olive Buttercup Iris Tassels.”
“No. You got it wrong again. My name is Princess Queenie Unicorn Olivia Tassels Emerald Rose Iris Pansies Sesame.”
“Princess Quoterips?”
She growled. “If you don’t stop that, I’m going to sing the Princess Queenie song the rest of the way to the Stellar building.”
“All right. I’ll stop. Anything to keep you quiet. If we make the slightest sound while sneaking through the Dead Zone, we might not come out alive.”
“Don’t worry, Eddie. I’ll prot
ect you.” She flexed a bicep. “I’ve watched Princess Queenie fight lots of villains. I know what to do.”
Now guided only by moonlight, we walked to a high chainlink fence and stopped. A broken gate stood open and partially blocked the way. In the darkness beyond, shadows flitted about — maybe branches moving in the breeze … or bandits ready to pounce.
Sam shivered. “Maybe you should bring up Damocles so he can walk beside us.”
“Not unless we need him. I don’t want to run down the computer’s battery before we get to the Stellar building.”
“Okay … well … don’t be scared, Eddie.” Her grip on my hand tightened. “I’ll make sure no one hurts you.”
My ears warmed. Sam was scared, and I was a skinny wimp who had to count on his little sister to be the muscles in our duo.
I pulled Mastix from my belt and lifted it. The thongs stayed dark. Without the energy in the strands, I would be no more than a kid slapping the air with noodles.
I fastened it back in place. “Okay. We’ll be fine. Just keep your head low.”
We skulked into the Dead Zone and turned onto a walkway that led toward the Stellar building. As we traveled into a wooded area, tree branches obstructed the moon. Darkness shrouded everything. Even the walkway became almost invisible.
Sam spoke in a low tone. “I hear whispers.”
“How many people? What are they saying?”
“Two, I think. One said something about kidnapping and ransom, and the other agreed. She also said a naughty word.”
“She?”
“The first was a man. The second was a woman.”
“Let’s pick up the pace.” Still holding her hand, I broke into a trot. Ahead, moonlight shone more brightly on the path. If we could just make it there, we would probably be all right.
Something tripped me. Just as I was about to topple headfirst, Sam pulled me back and held my arm.
A man stood in front of us. Moonlight peeked through the trees and shone on the blade of a long knife clutched in his hand. “Are you two lost?” he asked, his smile revealing gaps in his teeth.
“We’re not lost.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “Just passing through.”
“Kids don’t just pass through this place unless they’re lost.”
“Kirk, you’re scaring them.” A woman wearing heavy makeup stepped out of the shadows and joined the man. “These kids need a ride home. We can give them that, can’t we?”
“Sure. No problem.” Kirk slid the knife into a belt sheath. “I have a motorcycle with a side car. We can dodge all the traffic and get you home.”
The woman extended a hand toward Sam. Long painted nails protruded at the ends of her wiggling fingers. “Come with me, sweetie, and we’ll take —”
Sam grabbed the woman’s wrist and jerked her to the ground. Before Kirk could react, Sam punched him in the stomach. He flew back, flipped through two reverse somersaults, and disappeared in the shadows.
I grabbed Sam’s hand and shouted, “Run!”
Chapter 8
What Do You Say to a Super Villain?
We dashed toward the brighter part of the walkway, but several more shadowed figures stepped out of the woods and blocked our path.
“This way.” I pulled Sam into the trees where we hunkered low in the darkness. “Keep your breathing quiet.”
She spoke in halting gasps. “Now can you … make Damocles … walk next to us?”
Holding my breath, I unfastened the computer combo from my belt, turned the devices on, and brought up the image of Damocles, making sure his feet appeared to be touching the ground.
When the computer’s camera activated, Damocles scanned the area. “Where are we?”
I inhaled quietly and whispered, “The Dead Zone. Near downtown.”
Damocles’s brow bent. “Why the Dead Zone?”
“It’s the only way to the Stellar building where you were supposed to meet Chet Graham, and now Mephisto sent a holographic message in the sky demanding that you come there. Anyway, the earthquake blocked all the streets. We almost got kidnapped. And more muggers are waiting to jump us. So I dialed you up.”
“You’re a resourceful kid, Eddie.” He pulled his cowl mask over his head and tucked in his dreadlocks. “Let’s see what we can do to discourage the muggers.”
I withdrew Mastix from my belt again. “I tried, but I couldn’t get the thongs to light up. Did those bullets drain its power?”
“Only temporarily. It recharges itself from energy in the air.” Damocles stared at the image of Mastix in his hand. “The power comes from your mind working with its programming. It hasn’t made an attachment with you yet, because it doesn’t recognize you as a superhero.”
“A superhero? Can Sam use it?”
He shook his head. “While you held my wallet, your skin absorbed an encoded powder that made Mastix imprint with you, so it won’t work with anyone else. As soon as it recognizes you as a superhero, it will revive.”
“But how can I —”
“I’ll explain more later. For now we’ll have to count on my presence to scare the muggers.” He nodded toward the walkway. “Let’s go.”
“C’mon, Sam.” I held her hand and tiptoed out of the woods, keeping the projector steady at my side. Damocles moved his legs, as if striding with confidence, his phantom feet sweeping along the ground.
When we reached the moonlit path, whispers of Damocles shattered the silence. Running footsteps blended with the whispers, and fleeing shadows darted into the woods.
I shuddered. At least twenty villains scattered. We would never have made it, even with Sam’s super strength. There were just too many of them.
“Keep your eyes focused ahead.” Damocles said. “It’s no shame to be scared, but there’s no need to make them aware of your fear.”
Sam clutched my hand more tightly. Her strength nearly crushed my fingers, but I stayed quiet.
When we reached the next border — another fence with a broken gate — we picked up the pace and exited to a wider sidewalk that ran parallel to a deserted road. With every streetlamp darkened, we again relied on moonlight to guide our way.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the front entrance of the Stellar building. I pointed at Damocles’s holographic belt. “Mephisto said to come to the roof with no weapons.”
“Good to know.” He took off his belt and dropped it. When it hit the sidewalk, it vaporized. “Let’s go in.”
We climbed several concrete steps and stopped at a glass double door. I pulled the handle. Locked. “Sam, can you open it?”
“I’ll try.” She grasped the handle and pulled. The door’s locking mechanism broke, and the door swung open. She smiled triumphantly. “Princess Queenie Unicorn Olivia Tassels Emerald Rose Iris Pansies Sesame does it again!”
I squinted at her. “You didn’t change it this time.”
“I never changed it. It’s always been the same.”
“Whatever.” While Sam held the door, I walked into the building, still projecting Damocles at my side. Battery-powered emergency lamps in the ceiling corners lit our way to the stairwell. No use trying the elevators. They wouldn’t be operating.
As we climbed the stairs, the corridor grew hotter, and the angle seemed steeper, though it had to be my imagination. When we finally reached the top, we came upon a ladder that led to a hatch in the ceiling. A corner lamp revealed an open padlock in the hatch’s fastener. Good. No opportunity for Sam to show off again.
I climbed the ladder first. When I reached the top, I pushed the hatch and guided Damocles through the opening and onto the roof. When he had drifted several steps away, I set the projector down to keep him in place.
After Sam and I climbed out to the pebble-covered surface, I picked up the projector and skulked with her to an air-conditioning unit. We pressed our back
s against the cool metal while I guided Damocles around the unit’s corner. Moonlight shone on him as well as the light beam emanating from the lens, fading his image somewhat. Maybe Mephisto wouldn’t notice it.
Sam poked my ribs and whispered, “I hear something. Sounds like a helicopter.”
“Glad you have your super ears turned on. Let me know if you hear anything else unusual.”
I looked at my watch — two minutes till midnight. Knowing that evil mastermind, he would be on time, and he would arrive in an unusual way — nothing as common as a helicopter.
Less than a minute later, a helicopter appeared and settled in a hovering position about a hundred feet over the roof. From its door, a searchlight beam swung across the roof until it landed on Damocles.
He raised a hand as if to block the light, though it couldn’t really be blinding him.
Sam whispered, “Someone said, ‘He’s here. Proceed with the plan.’”
I glanced from the helicopter to Damocles and back again. No need to give him that update. He suspected some kind of sinister scheme.
Sam poked me again. “I hear wings flapping, like a huge bird.”
“Even over the sound of that helicopter?”
She nodded.
I searched the sky. Since the Stellar building was the tallest in Nirvana and since nearly every light in the city was off, the moon provided a view of everything. So far, no bird appeared anywhere.
I looked at my watch again — twenty seconds till midnight. A shiver ran along my back. Soon, we would learn what Mephisto was planning.
With five seconds remaining, a glowing eagle flew into view to our left. The size of a small airplane, its wings thumped the air, sounding like a gorilla beating on a bongo drum. A man rode on its back, easy to see because of the eagle’s luminescence.