“It sure looks like they were looking for something in here,” remarked Jack.
“Or someone,” replied Lincoln, wondering if the raiders knew some recruits had escaped. He walked to his closet and peered inside. Since most of his clothes were on the floor, it was empty aside from a few hanging T-shirts. Lincoln pushed them to the side.
He crouched and used his fingers to probe along the back wall of his closet. He found the small indentation of his hiding place and he slid it open, prepared for disappointment. He reached in, and to his delight, felt the smooth, cool surface of glass. The Tonic was still there, and even better, so was his mayoke. Whoever had searched his room hadn’t found the hidden panel. They must not have searched his room as carefully as it appeared.
Lincoln pulled the vials and mayoke out of his hiding place and stuffed them into his pockets. There were six vials of Tonic, which should be enough to—
Crash!
“You okay?” Lincoln asked as he backed out of the closet, thinking Jack must have tripped and expecting to see him sprawled on the floor. To his horror, what he saw was Jonah, the fifth-year who had replaced Jack on the squad, standing behind Jack and holding a knife to his throat. Jack looked furious. Jonah looked delighted.
“Stand up, but do it slowly,” warned Jonah, “or else something bad will happen to little Jackie here.”
Lincoln did as he was told. Jonah was being careful. He held Jack against his chest, using him as a human shield. The knife was pressed so hard against Jack’s throat that blood trickled down his neck. Lincoln considered slowing time and trying to grab the knife from Jonah’s grasp, but that would be risky, so for now Lincoln decided to wait. He could feel the anger rising in his chest, replacing the fear he had felt when he first saw Jonah.
“What are you doing?” Lincoln blurted out.
Jonah sneered. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m taking you two in.”
“So it was you who let Xander into the academy?”
“I can’t take all of the credit. I wasn’t even running the show, but that’ll change now.”
“So who’s in charge? Trevor?” guessed Lincoln.
“That moron,” answered Jonah disdainfully. “He’s locked away with everybody else.”
“Then who?” asked Lincoln.
“Come on, you’re not that dense, are you? Think.” Jonah pointed to his head. “I’ll even give you a hint. The only reason nobody knows about your escape is because he’s protecting his little brother.”
Simon? Lincoln suddenly felt numb. He remembered Skylar saying that Simon had come to visit while Lincoln was unconscious. Simon could have been the one who tried to hack into Lincoln’s e-mail. But why would Simon do it? He loved the academy. At least, Lincoln thought so. But how much did Lincoln really know about Simon? Not a whole lot, aside from the fact that he was brilliant, talented, and popular. The other recruits worshiped him. Why would he doublecross them? What about Milo? Why would Simon do this to his little brother?
No, it had to be a lie. Jonah was playing some sort of sick joke, even if Lincoln had no idea why.
“You’re lying!”
“Oh, really?” sneered Jonah. “So why is no one looking for you? I’ll tell you why. After we trapped the others in the Assembly Hall, we did a quick check to make sure everyone was there. You and your friends were nowhere to be seen, but Simon told us all to keep our mouths shut. He was worried about his precious little brother. He figured you guys made a run for it and were hiding somewhere deep in Sector 8. After things calmed down, he planned to find you and try to convince you to join our side.”
“Yeah, right,” Lincoln said sarcastically. “And how did Simon get Xander and his goons into the academy?”
“Remember tryouts for our squad?” Lincoln nodded. “When Simon got the wristbands, he took one for himself. While we were off looking for the statues, he swapped his with a fake one and kept the real one. When the Keepers found the fake one, they assumed it was defective and trashed it. They never realized one had been stolen.”
“You’re lying,” Lincoln repeated.
Jonah’s eyes flashed with anger, and he pressed the knife a little deeper into Jack’s neck, causing a few more drops of blood to drip onto Jack’s T-shirt.
“After Simon got the wristband, we were supposed to sneak it to Xander during one of the squad practices. But then Jackie boy here,” Jonah patted him on the cheek, “stole my spot on the squad and screwed everything up. I still don’t know how you beat me to that statue. I knew exactly where it was before tryouts even started.
“Simon tried to get the wristband to Xander on his own, but anytime he went into Sector 8, someone followed him. So he got me onto the squad. He figured that I could make sure no one followed him while he met up with Xander.”
“Simon didn’t get you onto the squad,” Lincoln interjected. “You got on after Jack was hurt.”
Jonah’s evil smile returned. “There was no mysterious creature. Simon faked the whole thing. He’s the one who hurt you, Jackie boy. And you never saw it coming.
“I should probably thank you,” continued Jonah looking back at Lincoln. “You made my life a lot easier when you told Simon about Trevor. I distracted him while Simon met up with Xander outside the outer wall and gave him the extra wristband. After that, Xander had one of his techie goons make a bunch of copies of it, and voilà, here we are.”
“You still haven’t answered the most important question,” Lincoln said, trying to ignore what his gut was telling him. “Why would Simon do it?”
Jonah rolled his eyes. “Everyone thinks Simon is so special, like he walks on freaking water. They only see the good in him because that’s all they want to see. Well, turns out he’s just as greedy as everybody else. Somehow, he found out that it was Xander who attempted to break into the academy a few months ago. You see, there’s something here Xander wants, something he thinks will make him unstoppable. The two of them made a deal. Simon would sneak Xander into the academy, and in return, he would make Simon one of his leaders when the time came. It was Simon who came up with the idea to invade during the Awards Ceremony. With the Council here, it will make it that much easier for Xander to rule the Guardians once he finds his treasure.
“Of course, Xander won’t be very happy when he finds out Simon lied to him. After I bring you in, I’ll take his place at the top of the ladder. So where are the rest of your friends?”
“They’re hiding in Sector 8,” Lincoln answered quickly.
Jonah grinned. “You’re lying through your teeth, but we’ll get the truth soon enough. All that matters is now I have proof that Simon lied. No more stalling, Link. Walk toward me nice and slow. Or am I going to have to hurt little Jackie?”
“Let’s see you try.”
The voice came from just outside Lincoln’s room. Jonah whirled around, and as he did so, his grip on Jack loosened. Jack squirmed free, tumbling forward to avoid Jonah’s clawing fingers.
Skylar dashed into the room holding a piece of splintered wood high over her head. She swung downward and smashed the makeshift club into Jonah’s face. He collapsed to the ground.
“You okay?” she asked. Jack nodded, rubbing the small cut on his neck. Skylar took another look at Jonah. Satisfied he was indeed unconscious, she stood back up and tossed the piece of wood to the ground.
“Nice timing,” Lincoln told her.
“It’s about time I did something useful,” she grumbled, though Lincoln could hear a pinch of pride in her words. She nodded at Jonah. “What do you want to do with this creep?”
Lincoln reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial of the Deleo poison, the bright orange color making it easy to identify. He walked over and crouched down beside Jonah. Lincoln popped the glass top off the vial, breaking its seal. Almost immediately, the potion began to bubble and a terrible stench rose into the air. He took one whiff and gagged, his eyes watering.
“Help me,” Lincoln begged, plugging his nose with his free
hand.
Jack walked over, leaned down, and forced Jonah’s mouth wide open. Lincoln dumped the gurgling potion inside. As soon as the potion entered Jonah’s mouth, he started sputtering and coughing, unconsciously trying to spit it out. Jack and Lincoln grabbed Jonah’s lower jaw and clamped it shut, holding it like that until he finally swallowed. They tied him up with a pair of belts Skylar found on the floor and stuffed him inside the closet.
“That’s for calling me Jackie,” Jack said, giving Jonah a kick before slamming the door shut. He turned to look at Skylar. “You hear what he was saying?”
“Most of it.”
“Do you think he was telling the truth?”
“I hate to say it, but yeah ... he was pretty convincing,” Skylar admitted.
“This’ll destroy Milo,” Lincoln whispered, almost to himself.
For a moment they stood silent, each imagining Milo’s reaction to the news. Finally, Skylar broke the silence. “You get what you came for?” She asked Lincoln.
He patted his pockets and nodded. The three of them left the room and walked to the dormitory entrance. They slipped through the doorway and into the night, hoping no one was hidden somewhere unseen, watching them as they made their escape.
CHAPTER 23
MILO’S MISSION
I COULD GET USED TO THIS, MILO THOUGHT as he and Kennedy sat atop the black dragon, the cool breeze blowing through their hair. He glanced back at Sean, who was staying back to keep an eye on the rest of the creatures from atop the other dragon. He was now nothing more than a distant speck in the dark sky. Milo turned back around, and a few minutes later, they landed at the lakeshore. He jumped to the ground and watched as Kennedy did the same, landing gracefully beside him.
Milo would never forget the first time he had seen Kennedy. He had only been at the academy for a few weeks. It was almost midnight. He, Sean, and Guga were playing a board game in the dorm great room when in walked Bernie with this stunningly beautiful blonde girl. For Milo, it was love at first sight. For Kennedy ... not so much. She completely ignored him for the next several weeks.
Most boys would have given up, but not Milo. He tried even harder, and now, after nearly two years of effort, he was certain Kennedy liked him too, though she tried to deny it.
Milo shook his head. He could worry about his chances with Kennedy later, after they had freed the others. Right now, he needed to focus. Don’t forget, he reminded himself, Simon needs your help.
Milo had always looked up to Simon. Growing up in Denver, Colorado, the two of them had been more than just brothers. They had been best friends. They had been inseparable. During the winters, they skied and snowboarded. During the summers, they mountain biked, rock climbed, and kayaked. But now that they were recruits, this was impossible, and over time they had slowly drifted apart.
In fact, that was the main reason Milo had wanted to be on the squad. He had been certain that once he made the squad, things would be just like they were before. Unfortunately, he had been wrong.
Simon had changed. His jokes, which had always been lighthearted and good-natured, were now almost cruel. He seemed angry and resentful. Maybe after Milo helped free him, Simon would go back to being himself, and the two of them could be best friends again.
Milo bent down and grabbed a small stick lying in the dirt. He found a spot on the beach free of debris and began sketching a crude map of the academy. Kennedy watched him as he worked.
“This will help as we go over the plan,” he told her. “We need to make sure the creatures understand we’re leading the raiders away from the tower, not toward it.”
Within a few minutes, the other creatures began showing up, first the saber-tooths, followed by the giant panthers and the two yetis. They gathered around Milo and Kennedy as Sean and the red dragon landed on a patch of nearby sand.
“Miss me?” Sean called out as he hopped off the dragon and huddled with everyone else looking at Milo’s map.
“About as much as we miss flu shots,” Milo shot back. “Mission review time.” He clapped his hands and then pointed at the two dragons. “Your job is to help us. After things get started, we’ll stay in the air, dropping a few surprises on our uninvited guests.”
Milo’s eyes twinkled, and he drew a circle on the map. “According to Duncan, this is where the closest patrol should be. I want you three,” he pointed to two saber-tooths and one yeti, “to take them out. Everyone else will go after this patrol right here.” Milo made another circle on the map in a different location.
“Remember,” he stressed, “let one patroller from each patrol escape to the tower, and then come back here as soon as you’re finished. Both patrols could have death hounds, so be careful. While you’re taking care of the patrols, we’ll be drawing attention here. Once the raiders arrive, we’ll keep them distracted as long as possible, and then we’ll retreat, drawing them farther and farther into Sector 8, toward the NE Zone. When we get close, you guys break for the NE Zone, and we’ll make a run for the tower.”
“Any questions?” Milo asked as he stood back up, hoping things were relatively straightforward. The creatures seemed to understand. At least, he hoped they did. He clapped his hands together. “Okay then, go have some fun.”
The six creatures disappeared, leaving the recruits alone with the two dragons. Milo turned to Kennedy and Sean. “Follow me.” He led them to the edge of the lake, crouched down, and reached into the water. His arm disappeared beneath the lake’s dark surface.
“Found it,” Milo exclaimed as he lifted the end of a thick, metal chain out of the water. He stood and pulled, dragging more of the chain out of the water. Sean and Kennedy quickly grabbed on behind him, helping, and together they pulled whatever was at the end of the chain up from the bottom of the lake.
A large, blue duffel bag came to the surface about fifteen feet from the lakeshore, attached to the end of the chain with a large carabiner. They pulled it to the edge of the lake and then dragged it onto the beach. The bag was surprisingly heavy, so heavy it almost pulled the recruits into the lake as they dragged it onto the shore. It was made of some type of rubbery material. Sean reached out and touched it, giving Milo a surprised look when his finger sank several inches into the material.
“Nanami, Mr. Worthington’s assistant, created it,” explained Milo. “It’s completely waterproof.”
“I hope she knew what she was doing,” Kennedy muttered. “What’s in it anyway?”
“My secret stash of G2s,” answered Milo with a grin. He thought he could hear a hint of jealousy in Kennedy’s voice.
Down one side of the bag ran a large zipper. He unzipped it and rummaged through the duffel bag, pulling out various G2s and tossing them to the ground next to him until he found what he was looking for.
“Check it out,” he told Kennedy and Sean, holding out his hand. In his palm was a clear, tubular canister holding several silver balls about the size of marbles. Milo carefully opened the small tube, reached inside, and delicately removed one of the balls. He then quickly replaced the lid.
For a moment, the three of them stared at the motionless silver ball sitting in the palm of Milo’s hand. Kennedy cleared her throat.
“What is t—” began Kennedy.
Milo cut her off, “Shh! Wait for it.”
As if on cue, the ball began to shake, slowly at first, and then faster and faster. It also expanded, soon doubling in size.
“Blimey! I haven’t seen one of those for months,” Sean exclaimed, reaching to touch the shaking ball.
“What is it?” asked Kennedy.
“A magic bullet,” answered Milo, his eyes gleaming from the moon’s reflection off the lake.
“And what does it do?”
“Simple answer, it wreaks havoc. It’ll attack whatever you’re looking at when you throw it into the air. It takes some practice. One time, Sean accidentally looked at me just as he let one go. I ended up with a broken arm before we could get the stupid thing under control.”
Sean shrugged his shoulders. Kennedy took a closer look at the shaking ball. “How do they attack?”
“Each one’s different,” answered Milo. “Some turn into balls of fire, others balls of ice. I’ve seen one turn into a giant net. Basically, they transform into whatever’s needed to get the job done. Trust me,” Milo’s eyes twinkled, “the raiders will have their hands full with these bad boys.”
He wrapped his fingers around the shaking magic bullet and moved it back toward the canister. As the bullet neared the container, it stopped shaking and slowly shrank back to its normal size. Milo placed it in the canister, closed the lid, and put it in his pocket.
“Now let’s see if we can find something to draw the raiders’ attention.” As Milo spoke, he put his hand back into the giant bag, rummaging through it again.
“Couldn’t we just put on a light show?” Kennedy suggested.
“We could,” Milo answered without looking up, “but we don’t want it to look like a trap. Otherwise, Link won’t be able to do his thing at the tower. Don’t worry, we’ll find something we can use.
“And here it is,” he said seconds later, pulling a small, white megaphone from the bag. He handed it to Sean, who turned it over in his hands, studying it curiously before handing it back to Milo.
“This has gotten me out of a few jams over the last two years.” He pointed to two dials on the side of the megaphone. “One controls the volume and the other controls the type of sound.” He adjusted the two dials. “That should do the trick.”
He handed the megaphone back to Sean. “Take the red dragon, go put the megaphone on the island, and then get your butt back here as quickly as you can. We’re gonna need you.” Sean nodded, and Milo tossed him a small plastic bag. He caught it and gave Milo a quizzical look. “Earplugs,” explained Milo. “Put them in before you turn on the megaphone.”
“Kennedy, you’re with me. We’ll be on the black dragon, keeping an eye on things.” He pointed to some black, square-shaped objects he had left out of the bag. “Both of you grab a couple.”
The Academy Defenders Page 17
