by Matt London
“I want . . . I can’t . . .” The other girl shook her head in warning. “You have to get out of here. It’s not safe!”
“You. I thought I had you killed.”
At the sound of Viola’s voice, Evie spun around but couldn’t see her. Then, a flutter of wings caught her eye. Viola’s mechanical ravens had concealed her in a dark corner of the room.
“Really, Vesuvia, do I have to do everything myself?”
Viola extended her arms and the ravens attacked. Their sharp metal wings slashed at Evie. One bladed feather nicked her cheek. She covered her face with her hands and pushed forward.
The birds surrounded Evie and pecked at her. The pain and weight pushed her to the ground.
“Miss Evelyn!” 2-Tor called out to her. He and Didi fought through the storm of ravens to reach the fallen girl, but Viola was ready. With a tap of her bracelet she fired an electromagnetic pulse at 2-Tor and Didi that was designed to disable machines. As the blue electricity coursed over their bodies, the two robots shook violently and crashed to the floor.
Evie leaped to her feet and dove at Viola. She fell short. The ravens snatched Evie by the back and plucked her from the ground. They carried her to Viola, who studied Evie as she dangled helplessly. Growling, Evie swung at Viola, trying to grab her.
“Oh, Evie, useless as ever,” Viola shook her head. “But don’t worry. I’ll make you useful yet.”
IT WAS NOT EASY CONTROLLING THE HOVERSHIP ALONE. WITH ONE HAND, RICK PILOTED THE VEHICLE. With the other, he aimed and fired the water cannon. Somehow, this worked.
“Look out, Ricky!” a warm and familiar voice warned him over the comm.
Rick swung his controls and the hovership spiraled out of the way of a missile. The bug that shot the missile swung around, but as it tried to line up a shot, a huge glob of soap suds flew through the air and smashed into the bug. Disabled, it fell to the earth far below.
He looked around for his rescuer and found his mother flying a single-seat hovership. “Come on, honey! I couldn’t let you have all the fun! Let’s clean up these dirty scoundrels together!”
Rick grinned, and together, mother and son took to the skies, shooting down bugs left and right. The rest of the fleet fought hard as well, and soon the bugs were on the run.
Rick wiped the sweat off his forehead. Now the hardest part was going to be waiting to see if Evie got the formula. They may have pushed back Mastercorp’s fleet, but without the Eden Compound, there was no way for them to win.
THE WINTERPOLE HOVERSHIPS ZOOMED AROUND THE MASTERCORP DREADNOUGHT, BUT NEXT TO the massive vessel, they looked like gnats and were about as effective. Opening its great mouth, the dreadnought launched a volley of Anti-Eden Compound bombs. Ahead, the unsuspecting Los Angeles coastline was struck violently by the destructive projectiles. Silvery compound exploded across the landscape, reducing palm trees to iron filings and fleeing people to metal statues.
Seeing the destruction, Sprout couldn’t take it any more. With a burst of strength, he broke free of Mister Dark’s grip and ran across the deck. The large Mastercorp agent ran after Sprout, his metallically enhanced legs reaching him in just seconds. Mister Dark lunged, but Sprout spun out of the way so that he only caught a fistful of air.
“Hold still!” Mister Dark ordered.
“You gotta catch me,” Sprout said with a wink.
They played this game for several minutes. Mister Dark charged, Sprout rolled out of the way, avoiding capture, and Mister Dark roared in frustration.
Finally, panting heavily, Mister Dark pulled out another bottle of his serum and guzzled it. He threw the vial on the ground and it shattered. He howled in pain. As his breathing grew labored, his muscles began to expand and his silver thighs became so thick that they shredded his dress pants.
Mister Dark then stomped across the deck, each footstep shaking the platform and making Sprout lose his balance. The fierce wind whipped at them. Mister Dark’s tattered clothes danced.
“I’m too quick for you, partner.” Sprout backed away, trying to keep distance between him and the agent. His plan to distract Mister Dark was working, but if Mister Dark grabbed him it would be all over.
Even faster now, Mister Dark charged forward, barreling his shoulder into Sprout’s chest. He groaned. It was like being hit by a hovership. The boy flew through the air and landed on his back, dangerously close to the edge of the dreadnought.
A spray of blue ice struck Mister Dark from above. One of the Winterpole hoverships bravely circled the deck.
“Freeze, you lout!” Barry shook his fist from the copilot seat of the hovership. “Mess with Winterpole and you’ll get the avalanche.”
“Nice, Barry!” Larry said approvingly. “That’s a nice catchphrase you got there.”
“Learned from the best, Larry.” Barry patted his companion on the shoulder as they sped off, luring the bugs further away.
Mister Dark flexed, shattering the ice. He tore off his coat and shirt to remove the residue of the icetinguisher. Sprout scooted away from the edge.
“No more games.” Mister Dark gasped for breath. He drank another bottle of the serum. The liquid splashed across his face. His skin tightened. With a roar, he leaped several dozen feet into the air. For a second, Sprout gaped in awe at this inhuman feat, then ran out of the way as the big man crashed into the deck. Mister Dark was so heavy that his feet broke through the metal exterior of the ship, trapping himself up to his waist. Mister Dark pounded the ground with his fists, struggling to escape.
At the rear of the ship, the sounds of several hundred icetinguisher blasts told Sprout the dreadnought’s engines had been successfully disabled. Sprout breathed a sigh of relief. His plan had worked. He had distracted Mister Dark long enough to allow Winterpole time to attack the dreadnought.
Mister Dark struggled to punch through the metal hull to reach the vial in his pocket, but his hand was stiffening. In fact, his whole body was becoming rigid, turning completely into metal. “I just need a little more . . .” he groaned, then slumped over as the silver overtook his face, his metal body fusing with the broken hull of the dreadnought.
The Winterpole squadron flew overhead. Mister Snow’s hovership lowered a ladder, and Sprout hopped on. He wasn’t surprised that something as unnatural as what Mister Dark had been doing didn’t work out.
As the hovership took off again, Sprout watched the dreadnought plummet to the surface of the ocean. It crashed with a great splash and then bobbed on the water. Sprout grinned victoriously. They’d have to do something about the wreckage. He wondered if it could be turned into a floating island off the coast of the eighth continent.
THE DISSONANT SCREECH OF HER MOTHER’S RAVENS FILLED VESUVIA’S HEAD WITH PAIN. THE red-eyed monsters surrounded the bubbling vat of Anti-Eden Compound, watching with anticipation as Viola hooked Evie Lane onto the chain and raised her into position. Arms at her sides, Evie struggled against her bonds, but couldn’t escape. She swung like the trussed-up prey of a spider, waiting to be devoured. Just like Diana.
It was happening again. Vesuvia looked at the floor where the disabled robot bodies of 2-Tor and Didi were sprawled. Poor Didi. Vesuvia had never meant for her to suffer.
“Vesuvia! You idiot! Give me a status report on the battle outside,” Viola screamed.
“Mastercorp’s forces have been beaten back by the attacking hoverships,” Vesuvia said hollowly as she looked at the viewscreen monitors. “We lost. They are retreating.”
“What?” Viola asked. “Impossible! We are far more powerful than our enemies.”
One of the monitors switched over from the battle to a news report. Vesuvia numbly noted that the news anchor had fabulous earrings and a sharp, stylish outfit, but she was too depressed to care. Facing the camera, the anchor said, “Thanks, Don, for that informative report. If you are just joining us, damage to the California co
ast is minimal, and the threat of continued attack has been neutralized. And now, SuperNews brings you an exclusive interview with the CEO of Mastercorp. In the effort of full disclosure, we would like to remind our viewers that SuperNews is owned in part by Infocommunicorp, a subsidiary of Mastercorp. Sir, welcome to the studio.”
“It’s great to be here, Cathy.”
Vesuvia watched in surprise as the image on the monitor pulled back to reveal the CEO of Mastercorp. It was strange to see his head normal sized, but the man sitting across from the news anchor was unmistakably the same person that Vesuvia had seen giving orders to her mother.
The CEO spoke, looking concerned. “I want to make it absolutely clear, Cathy, Mastercorp had nothing to do with the tragic incidents happening today. Our internal investigation shows that a rogue executive, Viola Piffle, acted alone when she issued the order to attack Los Angeles and the eighth continent. As far as we know, Mrs. Piffle is a madwoman and we are doing everything we can to bring her to justice.”
The news anchor nodded. “That is good news to hear, sir. We’ve just received word that the president issued a statement condemning the actions of Mrs. Piffle but commending you and the rest of Mastercorp’s board of directors for speedily dealing with the bad apple in your bunch.”
“That’s what we do, Cathy,” the CEO said. “We neutralize threats.”
One of the ravens flew into the monitor, shattering the image of the CEO’s face.
“Vesuvia, stop rotting your brain with television,” Viola snarled. “Get up here and make yourself useful for once.”
Vesuvia slowly joined her mother on the catwalk surrounding the vat of Anti-Eden Compound. She looked up at Evie, who dangled over the bubbling silver liquid.
“The CEO doesn’t know what he’s talking about. We are facing some setbacks,” Viola explained. “But it’s not over yet. I think all we need is an attack robot to destroy our enemies for good. But what kind of giant hideous robot animal should Miss Lane here be? A snarling warthog? A hyena? No, something even more annoying. Hmm . . .”
“Vesuvia,” Evie begged. “Please, don’t do this. You can stop it. You can help us. You can save Diana. You know where we can find the formula for the Eden Compound.”
“Enough begging.” Viola turned to Vesuvia. “I told you to kill Evie Lane, but you were weak and you failed. Now you get to enjoy the show.”
She tapped the computer terminal. The chain began to lower Evie into the vat. “No! No! Help me!” Evie screamed.
Vesuvia tensed up, feeling the guilt of what happened to Diana weighing on her. It was like she was failing her all over again. She was so stupid. She should have done something.
“Help!” Evie screamed. She tried to lift her legs so she wouldn’t touch the bubbling compound. The robotic arms came down and grabbed her, holding the girl in place.
Enough.
Vesuvia snatched her mother’s bracelet, tearing it off her wrist.
“Stop that!” her mother hissed. “Give me that!”
The ravens squawked hysterically. Their tiny mechanical heads darted back and forth, looking between Vesuvia and her mother.
Vesuvia pushed the red button on the bracelet, and there was a rush of black metal wings. The ravens flew at Viola, pecking, swiping, biting her hair, perching on her from every angle.
“Stop! Let go! Get off me!”
Vesuvia pressed the button to call off the birds. But it wasn’t responding. She pressed it again, then struck the bracelet with her palm, trying to make it work. Nothing.
“Ah! You monsters!” Viola flailed as the birds descended, covering her completely. They formed a tight shell around her, muffling her words. When the birds had all found a place to perch, the mass of mechanical ravens was still.
Vesuvia broke the silence. “Mom?” she asked.
The ravens took off. They flew straight through the front viewport, shattering the transparent barrier. They flew through the hole and vanished into the sky. Nothing remained of Viola Piffle.
Tears spilled freely from Vesuvia’s eyes. She hadn’t meant for that to happen. She only wanted her mother to stop, for all the madness to stop. Vesuvia wiped her eyes. She wasn’t crying from sadness, but relief. It was over. She was finally free of her mother.
Vesuvia ran to the computer terminal and stopped Evie from descending into the vat. The robotic arms ceased their movement. Evie hung, staring down at Vesuvia.
“Hi . . .” she said.
“Hi,” Vesuvia whispered.
She helped Evie down. Together, the two former enemies reactivated Didi and 2-Tor.
“I say! I seem to have fallen asleep!” 2-Tor said as he jolted awake.
“Oh, Toots!” Didi flung her wings around him. “Thank goodness your memory bank isn’t fried.”
“Vesuvia, we need the Eden Compound formula,” Evie said.
“I know where it is,” Vesuvia said. “I’ll show you.”
“Thank you,” Evie’s voice sounded tight. “And . . . just . . . thank you.”
Vesuvia felt a strange feeling in her chest, a new feeling, like she was doing something right.
“Look at this!” Evie ran over to the wall of monitors. “Rick won! And Sprout too! We’ve defeated Mastercorp.” She turned back to Vesuvia. “Will you come back with us? We need to get the formula to my dad so we can turn Diana back.”
Vesuvia’s eyes lit up. If they could save Diana, it would all be worth it.
A SMALL GROUP GATHERED AROUND THE HEAD OF THE GIANT PINK OCTOPUS FORMERLY KNOWN as Diana Maple. Rick, Evie, Sprout, Vesuvia, Mrs. Maple, and even 2-Tor and Didi wanted to be with Diana as Dad administered the newly re-created Eden Compound. As a precaution, the two robot lovebirds carried grass-woven umbrellas so they wouldn’t accidentally get Eden Compound on them.
Rick was nervous. The potential for side effects was high. All sorts of robots and other machines had been placed or grown inside of Diana. They had cleaned all that stuff out—but what would the result be after she changed back? If she changed back. Rick shivered.
The Condor flew high above the enormous pink octopus. This was the moment of truth.
The Eden Compound spilled out the back of Dad’s hovership, coating the octopus in the green substance. It rained down around them, striking the ground. Where the compound hit the remaining prefab buildings Mastercorp had placed, the structures turned to dirt and wood and stone, becoming quaint—if repetitive—little huts.
The group watched anxiously as Diana’s tentacles began to retract and fuse together. The round pink head deflated, shrinking, revealing clearer facial features. “Diana . . .” Vesuvia sighed happily when she could recognize her friend’s face again.
Moments passed. The octopus got smaller and smaller. The pink color faded. Vesuvia ran forward; Rick and the others followed. The transformation had been reversed. Diana Maple was a human girl again. Her eyes were closed.
Vesuvia leaned down and listened. “She’s breathing!”
The others heaved a sigh of relief.
Diana stirred. She opened her eyes and looked around at everyone there. “Vesuvia? Rick? I . . . Why do I have a craving for shellfish?”
Rick laughed. He was so happy he felt like screaming from a mountain peak. “We’ll explain everything soon. For now, we’re glad you’re safe.”
Diana raised her eyebrows as Vesuvia pulled her into a tight hug. “Okay!” Diana said in surprise, patting her old friend’s shoulder. “Wow, um . . . Nice to see you too.”
“Yeah,” Vesuvia said. “Ditto.”
ONE YEAR LATER . . .
Scifun bustled with activity. From Evie’s window in Spire One, she could see it all: the workers rushing about, the scientists’ playful arguing, the students enjoying recess. The city existed in harmony with nature—the finest city on earth.
Evie zipped up her jumpsuit
. She shouldered her bag. She nodded in satisfaction as she took one last look around her bedroom and left.
Down in the courtyard, Vesuvia was hunched over a worktable, surrounded by a team of architects, builders, and artists.
“Now this mile of the beach I have sectioned off, earmarked for double-decker ocean construction.” Vesuvia circled a few key spots on the map in front of her. “We’ll build wireless stations here and here, and smoothie bars here, here, and here.”
“Working on a new project, Vesuvia?” Evie asked as she walked by.
“You bet!” Vesuvia said with a smile. “New New Miami is going to be the prettiest, coolest, bestest city on the whole continent.”
Evie looked around at the fountains, topiaries, and other beauties of Scifun. “I dunno . . . I think you’ve got some competition.”
Vesuvia laughed. “See you at the ceremony, Evie.”
As Evie continued her walk, Diana fell into step with her, wearing her crisp white Winterpole senior agent uniform. “Good morning, Evie.”
“Hi!” Evie replied. “What’s up?”
“The Director would like to see you before the ceremony. Would you come with me to headquarters?”
Evie shrugged. “Of course!”
She followed Diana on a winding path through the city, arriving soon at a great glass structure that looked like an iceberg. It was the new headquarters of Winterpole.
Diana and Evie went inside. They didn’t need permission. Diana led the way to the door to the Director’s office. She poked her head in and then smiled at Evie. “The Director will see you now.”
Inside the office, a high-backed executive office chair turned and Rick stood up from his seat.
“Hey, Mister Director,” Evie grinned.
Rick adjusted his glasses. “Nice to see you too.”
After the final battle with Mastercorp, the Director of Winterpole had decided it was time to retire at last. He could think of no one better to run the organization than Rick Lane. Rick balanced his time between the Science Circle and Winterpole, although the truth was there was a good chance he wouldn’t be on the Science Circle much longer. The rest of the family had already vacated their seats. The population of Scifun had grown into the millions, and although the citizens appreciated everything the Lane family had done, the eighth continent was bigger than them now. That’s what happens in a democracy.
