by B. B. Alston
29
PIERCING SCREECHES HURT MY EARS AS THE GIANT BATS descend from the rafters, fangs bared. Dozens of agents scale the walls to meet them head on.
“Amari!” Agent Magnus’s voice snaps me out of my daze. He stands at the edge of the stage, waving me toward him.
I run over, and he throws an arm around my shoulder. He leads me off the stage and up the aisle toward the exit, where Director Van Helsing and a few agents are helping people out of the auditorium. We’re almost there when there’s an enormous crash and something massive bursts through the wall.
A hulking gray hybrid standing upright on two legs turns to face us. Its long snout has a pointed horn at the end. A rhino hybrid.
Magnus puts himself between it and me. “When I say go, you hightail it outta here and don’t look back, got it?”
“Got it,” I say.
The rhino hybrid growls, its massive muscles bulging. Then it lowers its snout and charges.
“Go,” shouts Magnus. He gives me a shove, sending me stumbling into the seats. I whip my head around in time to see Magnus and the beast tumble down the aisle.
Magnus is one of the best there is. He’ll be fine. I make myself believe it. I have to get to Director Van Helsing so I can make it out of here in one piece. But a glance through the giant hole that the rhino made in the wall stops me cold. It’s total chaos. Dozens of hybrids—bears, panthers, gorillas—run roughshod over the place. I mean, the agents are amazing, taking down monsters more than twice their size, but every time one falls, another appears out of thin air to take its place. They can barely keep up.
It also doesn’t help that so many agents have to stay back to protect the spectators Director Van Helsing is sending out of the auditorium.
I grip the Stun Stick at my waist. Shouldn’t I try to help? What would Quinton do?
I step out into the chaos, eyes darting in every direction. Agents and monsters move in blurs around me. Deafening roars and bone-rattling growls come at me from all directions. My fingers tremble around my Stun Stick.
I’m in way over my head.
I scream as something snatches me back into the auditorium. But it’s only Agent Magnus, sporting a nasty bruise on his forehead. He’s furious.
“What’s the matter with you?” he shouts.
“I—I just w-wanted to h-help,” I stutter.
“This ain’t a fight for a kid,” Agent Magnus snaps. “Get over to Van Helsing and make for the lobby. Go!”
This time I listen. Agent Magnus follows behind me just long enough to make sure I don’t get any more dumb ideas. Then he balls his fists and I watch his skin harden into metal. He flicks his wrist and his Stun Stick becomes a giant ax. Flames erupt along the blades and he leaps through the hole in the wall, back into the battle.
I reach Director Van Helsing just as he sends off the last group.
The director’s eyes dart back and forth between the battle with the bat hybrids overhead and the fight going on in the hallway. He frowns when he notices me, but it doesn’t last long. “Hurry and catch up with the others.”
I duck through the doorway. The agents have stopped this last group from making a run for the elevators because a group of scary-looking gorilla hybrids are close to breaking through the line of agents protecting the escape route.
I recognize Elsie’s brown curls and white researcher coat in the group and take the spot next to her. Her eyes are wide and panicked.
She nearly jumps out of her skin when I throw my arms around her.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she says. “I tried to wait for you, but Director Van Helsing made me leave.”
“Thanks,” I say.
Elsie shrieks as a gorilla hybrid gets frighteningly near, but it’s beaten back by a female agent with a laser whip. That was too close.
Elsie clutches my jacket. “Are we going to be okay?”
“Definitely,” I say.
As soon as the word leaves my mouth, a sea of beige appears over Elsie’s shoulder, and a wave of Wilderness Rangers from Creature Control charge out of the lobby, each with a flaming bird perched on their arm.
“Phoenixes!” Elsie exclaims. In one synchronized motion, Wilderness Rangers point out targets and the birds take off, colliding against hybrids and exploding on impact. As soon as the fiery ashes hit the floor, the birds re-form and strike again. The agents use the attacks to get the advantage in the battle, pushing the hybrids farther up the hall.
“Kids, get to the lobby!” yells an agent.
None of us need to be told a second time. A wave of relief surges through me as we start down the hall to the bottom of the U, away from the danger. I turn to get one last look at the fighting and freeze. A masked figure in black sprints across the ceiling, straight toward the hybrids. Only none of the beasts attack—if anything, they’re clearing a path. I gasp.
Moreau’s apprentice. It has to be.
The figure is down the hall in seconds, headed into the hallway leading to the Great Vault. No one else seems to notice.
Except Dylan, who turns and gives chase.
No! What’s he thinking? But I already know the answer. This is his chance to not only stop this, but to prove Maria isn’t a traitor.
“Amari!” shouts Elsie. “What are you waiting for?”
A terrible knot settles in my gut. “We aren’t just being attacked. I think we’re being robbed.”
Elsie’s eyes go wide and she glances down the hall in the direction of the Great Vault.
“You two by the door!” shouts a Junior Agent near the entrance to the lobby. “Either come on or we’re leaving you behind!”
It’s now or never. I turn to Elsie, “Go on without me.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it,” she replies. “You’ll get yourself hurt.”
That’s what I’m afraid will happen to Dylan. I won’t let him do this alone.
One of the agents shouts, “Hold the position! The hybrids are retreating!”
But they aren’t retreating. Not really. They’ve backed up to form a wall in front of the Great Vault. That can’t be a coincidence. I still have on my Sky Sprints . . .
“I know what I’m doing,” I say, and dash up the nearest wall. I keep close to the ceiling, away from the fighting below. Someone calls my name, but I can’t turn around. I have to get to the vault before it’s too late.
The old wooden door protecting the Great Vault is wide open. A shiver creeps down my back. That door is supposed to be impenetrable.
I drop to the floor and run inside. The vault is a wide, dark space with little spotlights shining down on long rows of pedestals. It reminds me of the pedestals in our first tryout. I look around for Dylan or the intruder, but I don’t see anyone.
“Amari!” Dylan steps into the spotlight of a pedestal. “There’s someone else in here.”
“I saw. How did they get past the door?”
Dylan shakes his head. “It was open when I got here.”
We step farther into the vault, looking for some sign of the intruder.
“Looking for me?” a voice whispers into my ear.
I spin around to find a girl dressed in all black, backing away from me. She fades into the shadows. “Dylan, over here!”
He’s at my side in an instant. “What happened?”
“I saw the thief,” I say with a shiver. “She was right behind me.”
Dylan points his Stun Stick out in front of him. “We know you’re in here. You might as well come out.”
The thief snaps her fingers and all the spotlights shut off at once.
“She’s a technologist,” says Dylan. “That must be how she got in.”
“Are you two trainees going to arrest me?” she teases.
Dylan gasps.
“What?” I ask. “What is it?”
“A-Amari,” he stutters. “I know that voice.”
Shouts pull my eyes to the door. Blinding overhead lights click on.
“There!” Agen
t Fiona calls, and a crowd of agents rushes in our direction.
“Dylan? Peters?” says Director Van Helsing. “What on earth are you doing in here?”
“There was a girl in black,” I say quickly.
Dylan looks sick. “Dad, it’s—”
“Above us!” someone shouts.
The girl in black races along the ceiling and the agents fire blast after blast, but none of them even comes close. Once she reaches the hallway, she drops to the floor and pulls off her mask.
Gasps ring out from the agents around me.
Maria Van Helsing smirks and gives us a bow. Then she taps at her transporter armband and vanishes.
Quinton was betrayed by his own partner. Knowing it’s true makes my chest ache. Worse, that terrible thought is followed quickly by another. “Director, where’s the Black Book kept?”
But Director Van Helsing doesn’t seem to hear me. He’s frozen in place, staring at the spot his daughter just teleported from. A few of the other agents dash farther into the vault. Still dazed, I follow.
Agent Fiona stops suddenly, throwing a hand over her mouth.
A pedestal sits empty.
30
“GOOD AFTERNOON, CHIEF CROWE SPEAKING. EARLIER today, the Department of Supernatural Investigations suffered an unprecedented attack by hybrids somehow capable of teleporting directly into our facility. It is still unclear exactly how our various security systems were breached, but I can assure you that we are in the process of a most thorough investigation. For now, all training activities are suspended until further notice. All trainees and junior personnel are to remain in their dormitories unless given express permission to do otherwise. Dinner will be delivered directly to your rooms.”
“Will you please tell me what’s wrong?” Elsie asks again once the announcement is over. “You’ve been pacing nonstop since you got here.”
I don’t answer her. I can’t. I wish so badly that I could’ve knocked that stupid smirk from Maria’s stupid face.
“Hey!” says Elsie, jumping into my path. “You’re scaring me, okay? I’ve never seen your aura go this red before. Tell me what’s wrong!”
So I do. I tell her what I’ve hoped wasn’t true for weeks—my brother was stabbed in the back by the person he trusted most.
“Are you sure?” Elsie’s voice goes soft. “But that would mean she’s a magician too. That can’t be right, can it?”
“She is a magician,” I say. “And Moreau must’ve given her the same choice he gave me—Bureau or magician. And she dragged my brother down with her.”
A loud knock makes us jump.
Elsie hops up and opens the door. It’s Bertha.
“Your presence has been requested by Special Agent Magnus ASAP.”
I’m up and out the door in seconds.
Lucy the elevator asks me a million questions I don’t have answers for, but she goes quiet once we arrive at the lobby of the Department of Supernatural Investigations. An agent steps into the elevator. “State your business,” he says in a stern voice.
“I’m supposed to see Agent Magnus.”
The agent taps his earpiece. “I’ve got Peters here to see Agent Magnus, confirm.” I start to worry that maybe no one will answer, but then the agent nods and asks, “Do you know the way?”
“I do,” I say.
“Go straight to his office and then come right back to this lobby, understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I say.
He steps aside and I head through the lobby and into the main hallway. The whole area is a mess. Papers are everywhere, and big chunks of the walls are either dented or missing entirely. It looks like a bomb went off. There isn’t a person in sight.
I’ve never heard it so quiet in here. A heavy, sad feeling settles over me as I walk around the U and turn into the hallway where all the offices are. This place belonged to my brother, and I’ve worked this summer to make it belong to me too.
Director Van Helsing is in the hallway surrounded by other agents. He’s changed into a different suit, but his face still looks haunted. He does a double take when he sees me. “Peters? What on earth are you doing up here?”
“I was called by Agent Magnus,” I reply.
The Director frowns. “Whatever business you have with him, make it quick. We’ll be locking down the entire Bureau within the hour.”
I move a little faster as I squeeze past them all.
When I knock on Agent Magnus’s door, he rushes me inside and shuts the door.
The office looks like a hybrid got loose in here too. File folders are scattered across his desk, the floor covered in loose papers.
“Maria,” I say. “It was her all along.”
Magnus’s face flushes. “I won’t lie and tell you it don’t break my heart. But there’ll be plenty of time later for the cursing and the shouting. Right now we need to focus on our next move.” He places a briefcase on his desk. It looks just like the one Quinton sent me weeks ago.
“Is that—”
“It is.” Agent Magnus waves me over to his desk. With a few taps on his keyboard, my Bureau of Supernatural Affairs webpage pops up onscreen. “Good,” he says. “All four of us judges submitted our marks before the hybrid attack.”
AMARI RENEE PETERS—Junior Agent Trainee
First Tryout: Pass
Second Tryout: Pass
Finale—Supernatural Knowledge Score: 91% Pass
Finale—Stun Stick Duels: 2 Wins 0 Losses Pass
Finale—Supernatural Demonstration: (3/4 passing marks obtained) Pass
Magnus—Excellent
Fiona—Excellent
Kozy—Satisfactory
Van Helsing—Fail
Trainee Peters has met all requirements for promotion.
“Don’t worry about that Fail,” says Agent Magnus. “You only need three out of four to pass this year. Fiona put in that rule change early—she thought the Director might not give you a fair shake.”
“I really did it, then?” I’m so relieved.
“You done good, kid.” Magnus types his name beside Promoting Agent and taps Enter. Then he puts a finger to my moonstone badge and says, “By the power vested in me as a training agent, I promote you, Amari Peters, to Junior Agent.”
My moonstone badge warps from a circle into an oval, Department of Supernatural Investigations engraved above the image of an evenly weighted balance. Bureau of Supernatural Affairs is etched across the bottom.
Despite everything, I can’t help but smile at the sight. After all the hard work, and the bullies, and the doubters—especially myself—I actually made Junior Agent.
Agent Magnus points to the briefcase. “Quinton’s things are yours now. Go on and grab the handle.”
The moment my fingers make contact the locks click open.
I lift the lid to find several folders inside. Magnus and I take them out and set them down on his desk. It’s not till we reach the bottom of the briefcase that we find a manila folder so thin it looks empty. It’s marked Key Holder.
I pull it out and open it up. There’s a single sheet of paper inside.
“Dag gummit,” says Magnus in an awed voice. “Quinton actually did it. He tracked down the Key Holder.”
KEY HOLDER
Name: Dr. Henry Underhill, MD
Shapeshifter
Location: Boonies Medical Clinic
“I’m putting in a formal request to be allowed to retrieve the Black Key and bring it under our protection,” says Magnus.
“A request? Maria already has the Black Book! She could be on her way to the Black Key right now!”
“The honest truth is she could have the Black Key already,” says Magnus. “And if that’s true, the supernatural world is in a lot of trouble. We can only hope that’s not the case.”
“I’m tired of hoping. I’ve been doing that since I got here. Quinton went missing trying to stop this!”
“Our hands are tied,” says Magnus. “As caretakers of the Black Book, the B
ureau was founded on the oath that it would never pursue the Black Key. The Black Book and the Black Key are never to be brought together for any reason.”
“But they won’t be,” I say. “The Bureau doesn’t have the Black Book anymore.”
“And we’ll be sure to make that point clear when we ask for permission. Rules are rules, Amari. If an emergency session is called, we could probably have an answer in about twenty-four hours.”
“That’s a whole day!” I say.
“It’s time we can spend gatherin’ as much info as we can,” says Agent Magnus. “Maybe we’ll try Moreau again, see if we can’t get a sense of what Maria is planning to do next. It’s a long shot but he’ll probably be in the mood to gloat.”
I start to protest but Agent Magnus has already pulled out his phone. “I need to be connected with the chief immediately.”
“Now entering Blackstone Prison.”
I’m back on Lord Kensington, the elevator, only this time it’s with Agent Magnus. While the Bureau waits to hear back from the Supernatural World Congress for special permission to go after the Key Holder, Chief Crowe agreed with Magnus about questioning Moreau again.
Maybe he won’t tell us anything helpful but I guess it’s worth a try. Better than sitting around doing nothing.
“Heavens,” says Lord Kensington, “how did those nasty hybrids even get in?”
“Somebody shut off our shields.” Magnus crosses his arms. “But only a few people have access to those codes, and I’d trust any of ’em with my life.”
“Did Maria have the shield codes?” I ask.
“Yeah, every Special Agent does in case of emergency,” says Magnus. “But her codes would’ve been deactivated the moment she and Quinton were declared missing in action. The main computer would’ve done that automatically.”
That’s when I realize something. Back in the vault, Dylan said the thief was a technologist. “Maria is a magician, like me. So she wouldn’t need codes to shut down our defenses.”
For a moment, Agent Magnus just stares, incredulous. He shakes it off. “You’re telling me magicians have the power to control computers with their magic?”
