by Bryan Davis
Sam pulled a small black object from Mephisto’s pants pocket. “Got it.”
“Let me see.” When she handed it over, I scanned a row of tiny red buttons — a start/stop switch, a frequency modulator, a timer-change dial, and a lock/unlock toggle. I tried to flip the first switch to stop, but it wouldn’t budge. The timer dial wouldn’t move either.
I set my thumb on the locking switch. A red light came on underneath, and a voice emanated. “Print not recognized.”
“It’s protected,” I said as I stumbled to Mephisto, the spool line dragging behind me. When I reached for his hand to get his thumb, he slid it away and rose to all fours. I backpedaled a few steps and tossed the remote into the hole. Now he couldn’t use it against us.
Mephisto glared at me, his focus on Mastix. Saying nothing, he climbed to his feet and staggered into the tunnel in a daze.
An urge to follow and check on Mom stormed in, but I had to stop the quake or everyone would die.
I limped toward the hole. “Sam, find the claw and hook it to the sofa again.”
While she complied, I detached the penlight from my belt, grabbed the line, and crouched next to the hole’s edge. When she finished, I gave the line a tug. “It’s secure. Now get on my back.”
She climbed on. “Ready.”
I handed her the penlight. “Keep me updated on what my watch says.”
“Roger dodger.”
I rappelled down. While I descended, Sam set the penlight’s thin beam on my watch and called out the remaining time. “Twenty-five seconds … twenty … fifteen.”
I dropped faster. Since I forgot to retrieve the gloves, the line burned my hands. But no matter. The pain was nothing compared to getting crushed by the entire city of Nirvana.
When we reached bottom, Sam jumped off my back. “It’s under four.”
I pointed. “Shine the light on the transmitter.”
The beam shifted to the box. Its timer showed two seconds. I grabbed Mastix from my belt and whipped the thongs. The sparks shot out and created an electric web around the transmitter, but the skinny bolts did no damage.
The clock ticked to zero. The transmitter emitted an ear-splitting squeal. The ground shook. Rocks fell all around, some striking our heads and shoulders, though they seemed to have no effect on the box.
I whipped the thongs again, this time with the special wrist action Damocles taught. A brilliant bolt shot out and slammed into the transmitter, now half-buried in debris. It exploded, sending rocks and shards flying toward us.
I jerked Sam down and crouched over her. As sharp objects slashed my back, I bit my lip hard. Pain knifed into my body. Warm liquid trickled down my skin. Rocks and dirt rained, pelting my head. The squeal had silenced, but the shaking continued, though diminishing quickly.
Seconds later, the quake stopped. All was dark. I whispered, “Sam, are you all right?”
She coughed. “I’m okay, except that you’re stepping on my foot.”
I slid my foot back. “Better?”
“Yep.” A light shone in my eyes. “And the penlight still works.”
I took it from her. As I straightened, dirt and pebbles slid down my shirt, now clinging to my damp back, moistened by blood and sweat. More pain sliced in, but I tried to ignore it as I swept the thin beam around.
The tunnel behind the transmitter had collapsed, blocking the passage. Above our heads, something stuffed the hole leading up to the room we had just left. That chamber had probably collapsed as well, sealing the exit.
“The quake didn’t last long,” Sam said. “You must have stopped it.”
“I think you’re right.” I fastened Mastix to my belt. “But we’re trapped.”
“We can dig out, right?” Sam pushed a pile of debris back with her hands and feet. “This stuff moves pretty easily.”
I pointed the beam at the tunnel blockade. “That stuff won’t.”
“I wish I had more of my super strength back. Then I could do it.”
“Maybe, but I can’t grant that wish. Not without my invention.” I sat cross-legged on the clear spot we had made and let out a long sigh. “Mom used to say, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”
Sam sat in front of me in the same pose. “Princess Queenie says if wishes were fishes, too many would flounder. But I never understood it.”
I laughed in spite of the pain. “A flounder is a kind of fish, and it also means to move clumsily. She meant if you focus too much on wishes instead of reality, you’ll lead a clumsy life. Actually, it’s a pretty clever saying.”
She blinked. “But what’s all of that got to do with fishes?”
“Fishes rhymes with wishes. It’s like a poem and the words …” I shook my head. “Never mind. We’re getting off track.”
Sam pouted, her face dim in the glow of the beam. “Well, I think she’s wrong. I like to wish. It makes me feel better.”
I let her words sink in. Sam so desperately wanted to feel better. And no wonder. Here we were in deep darkness with the threat of painful death literally hanging over our heads. Not only that, we didn’t know if Mom was dead or alive. Maybe getting Sam to talk more would help. “What kinds of things do you wish for?”
Her eyes sparkled with tears as her voice pitched a notch higher. “I wish Daddy was alive. I wish Mommy would smile more. I wish we didn’t always need money. And I wish we could get out of this horrid place.”
“That’s quite a list.” I slid my hand into hers. “I can’t do much about the first three, but we’ll get out of here somehow. Just give me time to think.”
After a few moments of silence, Sam sniffed. “Do you ever wish for anything?”
The penlight dimmed. I flicked it off to save the batteries. “Oh, I don’t want to bother you with that.”
“I’m your sister.” She compressed my hand. “If you can’t tell me, who can you tell?”
“I suppose you’re right.” I heaved another sigh. Just a couple of days ago, I couldn’t have imagined spilling my feelings to her, but for some reason, now it seemed easy. “Well, I wish for the same stuff you said. If Dad were alive, things would be a lot better.”
“Yeah.” Her voice diminished to a whimpering whisper. “I miss him so much.”
Her plaintive tone brought tears to my own eyes. “Me, too.”
Gloom settled in, adding to the darkness. I had to cheer her up somehow. Cast off the gloom. “You know, I did get one of my biggest wishes. Maybe the biggest ever.”
“What’s that?”
“When Mom was pregnant with you, I wished for the coolest little sister possible.”
“Really?” Her voice perked up. “You wanted a sister? Not a brother?”
“Really.”
“Why?”
I shrugged, though she couldn’t see my shoulders. “I thought maybe I would fight with a brother. Maybe a sister would be easier to get along with.”
“We do fight. At least a little.”
“Yeah. Sometimes. Not so much lately.”
“And never again. I promise.” After another moment of silence, she slid her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “I love you, Eddie.”
“I love you, too, Sam.” I ran a hand through her tangled hair and kissed her cheek in return. “We really are a good team.”
She drew back. “The best. We saved Nirvana.”
“Most likely. The quake was short.”
“But now we need someone to save us.”
The words and Mom came to mind. But no use adding to Sam’s worries.
She shouted into the hole above us. “Help! We’re trapped down here!”
Her voice bounced off the rocks and died.
“No one can hear us, Sam. And no one knows about the hole besides Mephisto. He won’t tell anyone where we are.”
“Then let�
��s climb as far as we can and shout from up there.”
“Sure. But let me rest for a few minutes. My back’s killing me.”
“All right.” Silence ensued for the next few moments, except for Sam’s fidgeting as she shifted debris around. Then a flashlight beam appeared. “Found it under some rocks,” Sam said as she pointed it at me.
“Yeah, I left it here. And both remote controllers are buried somewhere.”
She lifted my shirt, peeling it from my skin. “Ouchy. You’re cut up pretty bad.” She lowered my shirt back in place. “The blood’s sticking.”
“I know. So let’s wait a few more —”
A rumble sounded from above. The ground shook, but not like a quake, more like vibrations from a passing truck.
As we rose together, I grabbed the light from Sam and aimed it up into the hole. A spinning drill, like a rotating unicorn’s horn, tore through rocks and sent fragments raining on our heads.
“It’s the magna-gopher.” I unfastened Mastix, grasped Sam’s hand, and backed away toward the tunnel blockade. The rumbles grew louder, and the vibrations shook the floor harder. The ceiling cracked and sent more debris over us.
Sam threw her arms around my waist. “Turnip Head’s coming to finish us off.”
I held Mastix in a ready position. The moment Mephisto’s evil face appeared, he would get a lightning bolt right between the eyes.
The drill pushed into sight, then the vehicle, its front pointing downward. Shaped like the swamp tank, treads and all, the magna-gopher dropped to the floor and turned upright. It rumbled toward us, but with our backs against the blockade, we couldn’t retreat any farther.
Just as I made ready to zap the gopher with Mastix, the rumbling machine halted, and the top hatch flung open. A man climbed out, stood upright on top, and banged his head on the chamber’s low ceiling.
As he rubbed his scalp, I pointed the light at him, but he blocked it with an arm. “That light is glaring, garish, and …”
“Gilbert!” Sam shouted over the motor’s noise.
I swung the beam away and shone it on myself so he could see us.
Gilbert lowered his arm and blinked. “Ah. Excellent. You’re both alive.” He reached into the gopher, shut off the engine, and climbed down to the floor. “Your mother will be most pleased at this happy turn of events.”
“Great to see you.” I put Mastix away and shook his hand. “How did you find us?”
“I followed the signal with my controller locator.”
“You could follow it through all of that rock?”
“Not easily. The signal was quite weak. But a certain fellow came along who suggested that I dig through that hole I just came through. Worked like a charm.”
“Fellow? What fellow?”
Gilbert blinked. “Middiken? Maddigan? …”
“Milligan?”
He pointed at me. “Masterfully remembered.”
I whispered to myself. “That’s right. Milligan did know about the hole.”
“And it’s a good thing he followed us to the Stellar building,” Gilbert continued. “When Lamar was about to bury us with the gopher, Milligan accosted him with considerable skill and rendered him unconscious. It seems that Lamar was distracted by a radio conversation.”
“Where’s our mother?” Sam asked.
Gilbert pointed upward. “At street level with Milligan and Prince Edward. The short quake made the passage down here unsafe. Therefore, I must now ferry you to her. The cockpit is designed for only one, so even with a single extra passenger, it will be a tight squeeze.”
I nodded. “Take Sam. I’ll be fine down here till you get back.”
“Of course. Ladies first.”
After Gilbert reboarded, I helped Sam climb up and join him. The motor restarted with a rumble. Within a couple of minutes, they had climbed back up the hole and out of sight. When the noise died away, I turned off the flashlight and sat on a waist-high boulder.
In spite of the pains ripping across my body, I let myself smile. What a day it had been! We really did it. We saved Nirvana. Of course, we had a lot of rebuilding to do, but at least we had saved thousands upon thousands of lives. Maybe some of our wishes were finally coming true.
Chapter 24
Superheroes Sprouting All Over the Place
Several minutes later, the magna-gopher’s engine noise returned. When Gilbert arrived and parked, I squeezed in with him and rode to the surface. The moment he opened the hatch, I climbed out on top of the vehicle and looked around.
Mom and Sam stood on the shattered street. Both waved at me, Sam carrying Prince Edward. At a nearby building, Milligan leaned against its cracked wall, his eyes averted.
I climbed down and wrapped one arm around Mom and the other around Sam. Our three-way hug felt so good. This crazy, dangerous adventure was finally over.
For the ride home, Sam and I sat atop the swamp tank while Mom and Gilbert rode inside with the top open. To the rear, Milligan followed on his motorcycle, almost out of sight. During the journey, I scanned the torn-up city and its downed power lines, broken pavement, and cracked buildings.
Some people were already climbing ladders and hammering boards over windows. Others poured concrete from wheelbarrows and patched cracks. A few waved at us as we passed. Two or three gave us curious stares, but no one bothered to ask about the odd tank beneath us.
While we rode, Mom filled Gilbert in on what she knew about our adventures, and I inserted a few details. Gilbert nodded from time to time and interjected with alliterating comments, making us all laugh.
Exhausted, I turned to Sam and petted Prince Edward as he sat curled in her lap. It would be so good to get home, get cleaned up and bandaged, and go to sleep. I could think about helping with restoring Nirvana later.
When we arrived at our building, Mom stayed behind in the lobby to talk with Milligan while Barney escorted Gilbert, Sam, and me to our apartment, telling us that it was one of the few safe units in the complex. He had restored electricity with his generator, and since we were the only residents who had returned so far, he gave us permission to turn on whatever electrical devices we wanted to use.
Once inside, Gilbert asked to use my computer, saying he wanted to see what kind of coded logic lay behind the Damocles AI program. While he worked at my desk and Sam watched, I gathered a few bottles of water and limped to the bathroom.
After washing from a basin, I walked stiff-legged to my bedroom, wearing loose-fitting pants and shirt to keep the material from sticking to my wounds. I carried my dirty, torn clothes over one arm and the gadgets belt over the other, Mastix still attached, and tossed everything on my bed.
At my desk, Gilbert stared at the computer screen, seemingly unaware of my entry into the room. Sam bounced on her mattress, chanting the Princess Queenie song, her smile wide as she waved for me to join her. “Sing it with me.”
I leaped onto the bed and sang along while bouncing. “Princess Queenie, fairy blessed, of all the fairies, you’re the best. Spread your sparkles far and wide. Take me on a sparkle ride.”
With a final bounce, she sailed into my arms. I hugged her close and spun with her, ignoring the pain. She was so worth it.
When we climbed down, I sat on my bed. Sam picked up Prince Edward and cuddled with him next to me. Around the room, cracks still ran along the walls, and holes marred the ceiling. Barney had a lot of work ahead of him.
His stare still locked on the computer monitor, Gilbert tapped on the keyboard. The original AI version of Damocles appeared on the screen, the dumb one who lacked his essence. Next to the AI window, programming code scrolled while Gilbert watched the lines pass by.
Mom walked in with a first-aid kit. While she medicated and bandaged my wounds, Sam chattered on and on about our adventures, though both Mom and Gilbert had already heard most of them. Sam’s versi
on, though, made me wonder how much the tales would grow. She already added a magic sparrow that whispered flying instructions as she flew over the swamp. Guardian fairies would probably be next.
When Mom applied the final bandage, I stood and looked over Gilbert’s shoulder. “What are you trying to find?”
“Actually, I already found it.” He spun in the chair and faced us. “A way to create a new animated hologram of our dear, departed Damocles. You can use it as the face of your heroic efforts from now on, as it will be programmable, practical, and personal.”
“So villains will still believe he’s alive?”
“Precisely.”
“That’ll be great.” I patted him on the back. “Thanks, Gilbert.”
“But there is one curious item remaining. When I powered the computer up, this AI version of Damocles was about to say something, a personal message to you, so I stopped it until you were ready to listen.”
“Should we leave the room?” Mom asked.
I shook my head. “Anything Damocles has to say to me, you guys can hear.”
“Very well.” Gilbert’s finger hovered over a key. “When everyone’s ready.”
Mom and I closed in on the computer. Sam released Prince Edward and stood on my bed to look on.
Gilbert tapped the key. “Restarting.”
Damocles walked toward the foreground until his face filled the screen. As his eyes shifted, the camera on top of the monitor rotated. “Eddie, Sam, two unrecognized adults, and one gray cat, I have a parting message. I scanned the news and learned that you succeeded in your quest to neutralize Mephisto and save Nirvana. Congratulations on a job well done.”
I gave him a nod, though he was just an AI unit. “Thanks.”
“Do you have the wallet I gave you?”
“I think it’s attached to the computer.” I found it on the desk. The wallet’s built-in cable led to the computer’s port. Inside the wallet, the embedded disk was still covered and tightly sealed, as yet an unsolved mystery. “Yep. It’s here.”
Damocles looked straight at me. Although his lips didn’t move, a voice emanated, no longer robotic. “I am the real Damocles. I recorded this message before I died. I hereby transfer my superhero mantle to you. Wear it well, with courage, humility, sacrifice, and above all, love. These are the true qualities of a superhero.”
