QUAZAR NOTE: HAVING FEELINGS MAKES ME STRONGER!
I waved my fist in the air and screamed, “You hear me, Eddie? You’ve made me mad!”
A small mechanical bee flew up to me. The bee projected a holographic image from its stinger. It was a bald man with glasses and a mustache. “No need to shout kid. I can hear you.”
“Doctor E. Vile I presume,” I said.
The holographic image bowed. “At your service.” The image looked at Don, Jeanie, and Ellie Mae. “Ellie Mae, how you’ve grown. Jeanie, you are as lovely as ever. Don, I see you are still a big bag of wind.”
“How dare you attack my family like that!” Don said, now waving his fist at the image.
The image of Dr. Vile smirked, “Please, I knew the super clone would save you. I was testing his abilities so I can program my next attack.”
“What if I couldn’t save them?” I asked.
Dr. Vile shrugged. “Well then, you would have become mentally weaker. So it really was a win-win for me.”
I thrust my finger at the image. “Next time we meet, Vile, I want it to be me and you, one-on-one!”
“You have my word as a gentleman!” he said with a bow.
“Eddie, you are no gentleman,” Jeanie said.
He shrugged. “Okay, how about my word as a mad evil genius?”
Ellie Mae stepped forward. She turned and farted at the image. “That’s your answer!” she spat. “Nobody would take the word of an evil mad genius!”
Dr. Vile dipped his head. “I am sad, truly I am. I did originally consider you people as people I could tolerate for short amounts of time. Somebody to eat Thanksgiving dinner with.”
“That was only one time,” Jeanie said.
“And you brought goat cheese!” Ellie Mae added.
The hologram of Vile put his hands on his hips. “There are parts of the world where goat cheese is considered to be a great delicacy.”
“You ate it all yourself and then burped goat cheese all night,” Jeanie added.
Dr. Vile’s image shrugged. “I thought I’d share the aroma with you, my closest friends. Now I see my kindness was wasted.”
It became clear to me that Dr. Vile may have been human but somehow, he understood even less about human nature than I did.
QUAZAR NOTE: BEING HUMAN DOESN’T MEAN YOU UNDERSTAND HUMANS.
“How can somebody so smart be so dense when it comes to human interaction?” I asked Don and Jeanie.
Dr. Vile shook his fist in the air. “I’m not dense. I just don’t care about it!” he insisted. “When my teachers at school wrote…doesn’t play well with others on my report card, I took it as a compliment. It meant I could stand alone. I was strong. I didn’t need anybody. I didn’t want anybody. I had science and that was enough. It’s still enough! Science always has a reason for everything it does. In science, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It’s predictable. Humans not so much. That’s why I love dealing with machines and mind controlled animals, they do what I want. I have control. I love control.”
I walked towards the broadcasting bee drone. “I’ve heard enough. Vile, next time it’s me versus you! I’ll rip to shreds any machine you bring with you, and then I’ll toss you in prison where you’ll have a LONG time to figure out how to interact with humans.”
I swatted the bee drone to the ground, smashing it.
I turned. “Is it me or is that guy a real loser?”
My family laughed. “It’s definitely not you, bro!” Ellie Mae grinned.
I picked Jeanie and Don up in each arm. Ellie Mae climbed onto my back. I started flying towards Future Now’s HQ.
“Man, I hope Mr. Lawrence understands why we are late,” Don said.
“Pretty sure he will,” Jeanie said.
I flew on, wondering how in the world a person could be so bad at interacting with other people.
Ellie Mae noticed the perplexed look on my face. “What’s wrong, bro?” she asked.
“How the heck did Dr. Vile get to be so mixed up and evil?” I asked.
Ellie Mae shrugged. “I guess some people just find it’s easier to be a jerk than a good person.”
QUAZAR NOTE: SOMETIMES SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST JERKS!
“Wow, Ellie how did you get to be so smart?”
She laughed. “Good genes and good examples!”
Chapter 9
Not a Normal Work Day…
As we flew towards the high rise Future Now building, my Q-vision picked something up. Actually, it picked up lots. The roof was covered in blue and yellow slime.
“Do you guys see that?” I asked.
“See what?” Ellie Mae asked.
“The roof of the building. It’s loaded with slime but this time half of them are blue and the other half is yellow.”
“Nope don’t see it,” Jeanie said.
“Me neither,” Don told me.
“Okay, I’ll put you guys down on the ground and then I’ll go check out the roof,” I said.
“Negative,” Don said.
“Say what?”
“Negative. We’re your family, we’re going up there with you!” Don said.
“Agreed,” Jeanie said.
“You betcha!” Ellie Mae added.
“But it might not be safe,” I said.
“That's okay, we have you to protect us,” Don said. “Plus, maybe the four of us together can figure out what’s going on with these things.”
“Or if I am going loony,” I added.
“I doubt you are going loony!” Jeanie said.
QUAZAR NOTE: FAMILIES STICK TOGETHER!
I landed on the middle of the roof. The second I landed, all the slimes that had been lining the edge of the roof started to roll or slime towards us. Weird! (Well, even weirder than before!) The thing was, they all took a path so they could converge on each other and not us. They collided and combined into one giant GREEN slime.
The slime took the shape of a Pacman ghost but with one big eye in the middle. It slimed towards me. Two slimy arms popped out from its side. Then two more popped out. Then another two.
“What’s happening?” Don asked, noticing I was staring at the roof, entranced.
“The blue and yellow slime combined into one giant green slime with three eyes and six arms…it’s like a slime Pacman ghost octopus…”
“Is it planning to attack?” Jeanie asked, slipping behind me.
“I don’t know any other reason it would need six arms,” I said.
The big green blob of slime started moving its arms. I took a step back, shielding my family. I was ready for anything.
I thrust a finger at the giant blob of goo. “Back! You sticky mess!”
The green blob waved its arms.
It started forming letters with those same arms.
QUAZAR NOTE: THE UNEXPECTED CAN BE GOOD!
“What the…?” I said.
“What’s it doing?” Don asked.
“It’s spelling out words…P L E A S E S T O P T H E R E D S! ! !” I said.
“Please stop the reds?” Ellie Mae said. “What does that mean?”
The big green blob nodded. Its huge eye blinked.
“It can hear you guys,” I said. “Plus, it can understand us…”
The blob pointed to itself.
“Okay, there is more,” I told my family.
The blob started shaping its arms into letters again.
I read, “Y O U M U S T ALSO S T O P Y O U R S C I E N T I S T ! ! ! H E D E A L S W I T H S T U F F H E D O E S N O T U N D E R S T A N D !!!”
“You must also stop your scientist. He deals with stuff he does not understand?” Ellie repeated. “Man, this blob spells really well.”
“How do we stop him?” I asked the big green blob.
The blob’s eye turned into a mouth. It smiled. It started spelling with its arm again.
I read, “B L O W U S U P ! B O O M !”
“Blow us up, BOOM?” Ellie Mae gasped.
�
�But I can’t do that!” I insisted.
The blob’s mouth formed the shape of an eye again. A big wide open eye stared at me. The arms spelled out…Y O U M U S T. I T I S T H E O N L Y W A Y 2 C.
I grinned. “It’s using texting shortcuts now. This thing is so smart.”
Don leaned into me, “Then do what it asks.”
I didn’t really want to blow up this big green blob. It appeared to be both friendly and useful. I would feel bad blowing it to smithereens.
“You seem like a really nice blob of goo,” I said.
It spelled out…T H A N K Y O U.
“So, I don’t want to blow you up!” I insisted.
The blob shook its head, spraying me with some green sticky goo. I felt as though I’d been covered in boogers mixed with snot.
“Look, if you’re trying to make me mad, it’s kind of working. But I don’t want to blow you up.”
The blob spelled out…I T I S T H E O N L Y W A Y 2 S A V E 2 W O R L D S ! ! ! ! !
“What’s it telling you?” Jeanie asked me.
“It says that me blowing it up is the only way to save two words. It even made a very impressive looking frowning face,” I said.
“Then do it!” Don said.
I knew it was most likely the right thing to do. But still, I didn’t feel right blowing up this creature. I hate it when the right thing feels so wrong.
The blob spelled out…L I S T E N T O D O N. T H E Y W I L L A L L B A B L E 2 C!
The blob simply smiled at me. Somehow, that smile reassured me. It was kind of strange that a big green blob of goop could be so reassuring.
QUAZAR NOTE: SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO DO IT!
I leaned forward. I squinted my eyes. I thought red-hot thoughts. A beam of heat fired from my eyes into the middle of the blob.
“Thanks!” it said out loud.
It exploded in a burst of green goo covering me and my family.
“Oh gross,” Jeanie said.
“This feels like snot mixed with boogers,” Ellie Mae said.
“Doesn’t it?” I said, shaking some of the goo off me. I processed Ellie Mae’s words, “You can actually see it now and feel it?”
“And smell it!” Ellie Mae said, holding her nose. “It smells like two-day-old garbage mixed with socks…three-day old socks.”
I felt relieved. Now I was certain that I wasn’t crazy or loony and just imaging stuff. This was great. Well, except for my family and I being covered in green sticky smelly slimy slime. I wasn’t sure how something was sticky and still slimy at the same time. It felt like chewing gum covered in grease. I think. Whatever!
I spun at Q-Spin to clean myself off.
I used Q-breath to blow the slime parts off my family.
“Thanks, we needed that,” Don said.
“Agreed,” Jeanie said.
“So, we need to stop the reds and our scientist,” Ellie Mae said.
“I suggest we start with Dr. Bobby!” Don said.
“It seems like there are different kinds of slime,” Ellie Mae said. “And the red slime has different ideas to the other slimes.”
I made a fist. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t handle!”
Chapter 11
Not Your Average Scientist
We hurried into the main Future Now building.
“Doctor Bobby’s lab is on the 13th floor,” Don said.
“13th floor? Is that an unlucky sign?” Ellie May frowned.
We raced into the elevator.
“Which floor?” the elevator asked us.
“Thirteen,” Don said.
“Are you sure?” the elevator asked.
“Yes,” Don said.
“Are you really sure?” the elevator asked.
“Yes, I am,” Don said.
“Really, really sure?” the elevator prompted. “You know that certain cultures think of the number 13 as bad luck?”
“I’m a scientist, I don’t believe in bad luck!” Don said.
The elevator sighed. “Okay, if you insist,” It said.
QUAZAR NOTE: SOMETIMES IT’S EASIER JUST TO PUSH A BUTTON.
We felt the elevator moving upwards. The elevator stopped. The number 13 lit up above the door. The elevator announced,“We are here.”
The doors remained closed. “So, please open the door,” Don said.
“Are you sure that you’re sure?” the door asked.
“Yes!” Don shouted.
“It could be bad luck!” the door insisted.
“Open the door, I told you! I don’t believe in bad luck!”
The door rolled open.
Six red-shirted Future Now security people waited for us outside the door. They pointed their weapons at us. Their eyes glowed red.
“Do not move!” the six red-shirted, red-eyed security guards said. “One move and you poop your pants and barf!”
Don raised his arms. “Okay, I am starting to believe in bad luck.”
Jeanie raised her hands. “What do they mean by poop our pants and barf?”
Don turned to her. “We use non-deadly defensive weapons here at Future Now. The Poop-Barf guns force a target to poop and barf at the same time. It incapacitates and embarrasses them. It is a very effective weapon.” Don looked at me. “Even Adam would be vulnerable.”
“Well that stinks,” I said.
“Yeah, I imagine it certainly does,” Ellie Mae said.
The guards motioned for us to get out of the elevator. “Come with us. Our leader would like to speak to you,” they all said at once.
Don looked at me. I started to twitch. I figured I could take the guards out before they had a chance to hit us. Don nodded. I took that as a sign that he wanted me to take care of the guards.
Don talked slowly to the guards. “We are coming. I would hate to hurt you people since you are obviously just doing your jobs and being controlled by the slime.”
“You are smart, Scientist Don,” one of the guards said, pointing his gun at Don.
“It is wise you do not attempt anything. Our weapons are quite ridiculous, but effective,” the six guards said as one.
I realized Don’s response was a cue for me to take out the guards, but not hurt them. After all, they were being controlled by slime. I zoomed forward at super Q-speed, pretty much turning my backside into pure white energy. As I sped past them, I positioned each of them so their weapons were pointing at another guard.
They pulled the triggers of their guns. I heard a weird buzzing sound. The guards all dropped their weapons. They each put one hand over their mouths and another hand behind their butts.
Ellie Mae teleported herself and her parents past the guards to the spot where I was already standing. We watched in amazement as the six guards crumpled to the ground, barfing and pooping.
QUAZAR NOTE: GROSS CAN BE EFFECTIVE!
“Oh gross,” Jeanie said.
“But quite effective,” Don added. “They are totally disabled yet completely unharmed…”
“Man, I would hate to have to wash their uniforms,” I said.
Ellie Mae pointed at the downed, barfing guards. “Look!”
Sure enough, six red blobs of slime popped out of the guards’ heads and attached to the wall. The slime slid across the wall towards us. I exhaled super Q-freeze breath on them. The blobs of slime froze in their tracks, fell off the wall and shattered. The frozen slime pieces shook and shivered. The ice flew off them. Each tiny bit of slim massed together to form one giant red slime blob. The blob slimed towards us.
“Oh gross,” Ellie Mae said.
“I thought my Q-freeze breath would stop them!” I said.
“It did stop them!” Don told me. “But they fell to the floor which shattered the ice and shattered them, thus freeing them.”
I decided to take the same approach but different. Yeah, I know that statement might not make a lot of sense but it did in my head.
I inhaled, thought really cold thoughts…ice, cold feet in bed
, snow. I exhaled forcefully at the giant blob. The blob turned into a blob-cicle.
“I see you are freezing it again. Well, that should hold it for now,” Jeanie said.
“For now isn’t good enough,” I said. “No way am I having this red slime hurt or control anybody else.” I walked towards the slime, rubbing my hands together super-uber fast. In fact, my hands were moving so fast the sound created a sonic boom.
BOOM!!!!!
The boom shattered the giant slime blob, spraying pieces all over the hallway. Only this time, I was not going to let them drop and shatter as this would free the slime. I opened my hands which were now white hot! I directed the heat from my hands onto the flying slime crystals. They each evaporated into puffs of dry air.
I turned to my family and smiled. I blew on my hands to cool them down.
“Wow, that was pretty impressive, bro!” Ellie Mae told me.
“Indeed,” Don said. “You froze them with cold, shattered them with sound and then dissipated them with heat. I doubt even slime could stand up to that!”
QUAZAR NOTE: SUPERHEROES NEED A KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS!
“That's what I was counting on!” I said. “Now, let’s go shut down Dr. Bobby’s experiment!”
Don started walking down the hall. “His main research room is 1313. This way!”
“Shouldn’t we call for more security?” Jeanie asked.
“No,” I said. “We don’t want the slime brainwashing them.”
“Good point!” Jeanie said. “Still, we don’t know what we’re about to face. I mean, Adam…you are awesome…I know karate…Ellie Mae can teleport and grow…Don has brain power. But more backup would still be nice.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I have backup,” I said.
I pointed to the elevator door. The door opened and Zeke came lumbering out of it. “I’m ready!” Zeke said.
“Yeah, we don’t have to worry about any slime taking over Zeke’s brain,” Ellie Mae said.
The Battle Page 6