The Candy Shop War, Vol. 2: Arcade Catastrophe (34 page)

Pigeon charged through the doorway and crushed the eggshell in his hand. Tiny bubbles floated free, no larger than peas. The air in the sanctum was much cooler than the air out in the corridor. Pigeon recognized many of the wax figures—he saw himself, his friends, and also figures of Katie, Cleon, Todd, and some of the other henchmen. Jonas White stood at the far side of the room. He looked enraged by the intrusion.

From his position on the ground, John kicked at Katie’s legs, but she nimbly sprang away. He started to rise.

Katie pointed to Pigeon. “It’s our lost Sub!”

“I can see,” Jonas White said as he toddled toward a life-sized wax replica of John Dart. “Jeanine, if you will.”

A slight, youngish girl whom Pigeon had never noticed before stepped forward, palms facing him. Suddenly Pigeon was falling upward. Desperately twisting to avoid smashing his head, Pigeon slammed sideways against the ceiling; then gravity went back to normal, and he fell to the floor, landing hard, the breath crushed out of him.

John Dart was back on his feet. Jeanine held her palm toward him. John flipped as he fell upward, landing in a crouch on the ceiling, then flipped again, landing smoothly on the floor.

Scowling, Jeanine extended both palms at John. He hunched as if under the weight of an invisible burden. He took a couple of shaky steps to one side, his knees quivering unsteadily. “She’s a Crusher,” John panted. “Very rare. Can manipulate gravitational fields.”

John fell upward again, landing roughly against the ceiling. When he dropped back to the ground, he hit hard.

Pigeon looked to where his bubbles were collecting against a jade urn upon a recessed shelf on the far side of the room. There appeared to be more bubbles than had come from his egg, which led him to conclude John must have released his bubbles as well.

Jonas White reached the wax figure of John Dart and inserted a needle at the back of the neck. John instantly went rigid.

Katie Sung relaxed, turning her attention to Pigeon. “You sided with the wrong team,” she said.

Victor Battiato burst into the room and skidded to a halt. “What the devil?” he asked, taking in the scene.

“The urn is his power source,” Pigeon blurted, pointing. “The green one in the niche. We’re up against a ComKin and a Crusher.”

Victor aimed his tranquilizer pistol but fell upward before he fired. He smacked against the ceiling on his side. As he dropped back toward the floor, Katie interrupted his fall with a brutal flying kick that made him land in a painful tumble. His pistol clattered to the floor.

The bear Pigeon had glimpsed earlier loped into the room, its shaggy fur matted in some places, ruffled in others. Katie dove to recover the tranquilizer pistol. She rapidly unloaded the gun into the bear.

The bulky bear staggered. “Uh-oh,” it said in a very humanlike voice.

“The urn in the niche,” Victor urged, rising and pointing.

Katie attacked, kicking the bear in the side hard enough to knock it over. After skidding to a stop, the bear flew up to the ceiling, then flopped back to the floor.

Pigeon crawled toward the urn. Everybody seemed distracted by the fight. He worried that if he got up and ran he might draw attention. He was getting close. Behind him, Victor was fighting Katie. The bear no longer moved. Jeanine sat down, rubbing her temples, her brow glistening with perspiration.

Slowly but steadily, Pigeon kept crawling. He was almost there. The jade urn was less than five yards away. He rose to his feet and charged. His body abruptly went rigid and he fell onto his side, landing just shy of the niche. As he went down, out of the corner of his eye, Pigeon glimpsed Jonas White near a wax figure of an eleven-year-old boy in a black leather jacket.

Trapped on his side, Pigeon couldn’t move his eyes. He couldn’t move his lips. He found himself staring at the paralyzed form of John Dart. Behind John, Katie had subdued Victor Battiato.

The attempt to destroy the Source was over. They had failed. Immobilized and utterly helpless, Pigeon dreaded what might come next.

Chapter Twenty

Desperate Measures

A
hundred feet above Arcadeland, Nate pulled up beside Lindy. As they hovered together in the darkness, a lone car motored along the dark street. A few other vehicles hibernated in the parking lot below.

They had not caught up with Chris and Risa on the way back from the bay. Nate assumed the other Jets had been flying at full throttle to ensure the Protector would make it back safely.

“See any Tanks?” Nate asked.

“All clear,” Lindy confirmed, eyes sweeping the area. “Chris and Risa are waiting for us inside, just beyond the main doors. I would guess they only beat us here by a minute or two. They’re with Katie Sung and Cleon.”

“Can you see anyone else?”

“No. Some people are probably in the basement or the other rooms and halls that I can’t perceive.”

“Chris and Risa have the Protector? We won?”

“Right.”

Nate sighed. Jonas White now had everything he needed to go after Uweya. If he and Lindy wanted to trip him up, they needed to act now. Nate worried that he might have already waited too long.

“We need to start putting up more of a fight,” Nate said. “We keep waiting for the right opportunity, and it never comes. Jonas has what he wanted. He might send us to go after Uweya, and then again he might not. What if he quits using us? What if he tries to keep us here?”

“You think he might send his own people after Uweya?”

“Maybe,” Nate said. “Or he might hold us here until he sends us. He’s so close to winning, he won’t want to risk blowing it. We can’t get stuck here. Jonas has already proven that he doesn’t mind making kids disappear. I should probably take off. I need to try to get a plan together. We’re the last line of defense.”

“Should I come with you?” Lindy asked.

Nate hesitated, trying to think through the best strategy. “Somebody should stay at Arcadeland,” he decided. “There’s a chance Jonas will go after Uweya right away. Just like we can’t afford to get trapped at Arcadeland, we also can’t afford to leave Jonas or the other Jets alone.”

“How do I explain your absence?”

“Tell him I got hurt,” Nate suggested, his mind racing to find better excuses. “Tell him I was stressed that we almost drowned Roman. Tell him I wanted to see Mr. Stott about it.”

“What if he sends us after Uweya while you’re gone?”

“Break your button,” Nate said. “We’ll need all the help we can get. Try to convince Chris and Risa to help us. Jonas has the Gate and the Protector. We can’t let them get used.”

“What are you going to do? Are you really going to Mr. Stott?”

“I’ll go there first,” Nate said. “That will help your story check out. Hopefully Mr. Stott can help me get rid of this tracking bracelet. I really can use whatever advice I can get. Once we make a plan, I’ll do whatever it takes. Maybe I’ll end up attacking Arcadeland with the Battiatos. If so, we’ll probably be glad to have you inside. Stay ready to help.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not ditching you,” Nate pledged. “I just don’t know what else to do.”

“It’s all right,” Lindy assured him, trying to fake a brave smile. “I get it. We need to take action, and we can’t leave Arcadeland unwatched. I agree. One of us should stay and one should go. I’ll do what I can until you come with the cavalry.”

“I should get out of here.”

“Go,” she urged. “We’re out of time. You’re right—it’s now or never.”

“Be careful.”

“You too.”

Nate flew away.

As he cruised at his top speed, buildings and streets streaked by beneath him, and cool air washed over him. It didn’t take long to reach the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe. Landing in the back, Nate rapped on the door. After a prolonged pause, he knocked again. The door opened a moment later.

“Come inside,” Mr. Stott said, alert eyes gazing beyond Nate into the night.

Nate entered hastily. “We got the Protector,” he said. “It’s the last thing Jonas White needs to go after Uweya.”

“You delivered it to him?” Mr. Stott exclaimed.

“The other Jets handed it over, along with Lindy. I wasn’t sure what else to do. Jonas has simulacra of us, and the Tanks could track us. If we had tried to run, we wouldn’t have made it far. I guess the next step will be to track down the Battiatos.”

“They’ve already been here,” Mr. Stott said. “Ziggy is upstairs taking refuge in my sanctum. Trevor and Victor went after Pigeon and Mozag a few hours ago.”

“What?” Nate cried. “How’d it go?”

“Not well,” Mr. Stott grumbled. “John Dart and Pigeon got out of their cells and tried to help, but they were captured along with Victor and Trevor.”

“Wait,” Nate said. “If they were all captured, how could you know what happened?”

“Victor recently regained consciousness,” Mr. Stott explained. “He was out for some time. When he revived, he transferred much of his strength back to Ziggy. In the process, he managed to also transmit a great deal of information.”

“Like what?”

Mr. Stott glanced toward his apartment. “It might be safer to let Ziggy explain. Jonas White shouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on us in my lair, but he certainly won’t be able to overhear us in my sanctum. You look haggard. Would you care for a refreshment?”

“Sure,” Nate said, realizing it had been some time since he had a bite.

“Something sweet and nutritious?”

“I’d take that.”

“Go on up. Get filled in. The treat will take me a minute or two.”

Nate flew up the stairs. Flight required less energy than walking, and he was feeling pretty weary. Now that he had reached the relative safety of the candy shop, it was like his body knew it could unwind.

Nate entered the apartment, glided to the sanctum, and knocked.

“Come in,” Ziggy called.

Nate opened the door. Ziggy looked young and bloated with muscle. Nate raised his eyebrows. “Dude, you’re a beast.”

Ziggy smirked. “Wish I wasn’t. It’s a reminder that Victor ran into more trouble than he could handle. What’s the latest?”

“Jonas White has the Protector. The other Jets brought it to him tonight. He can go after Uweya whenever he wants.”

Tilting his head back, Ziggy closed his eyes. His thick neck bulged. “This keeps getting stickier. We’re up against the ropes getting pummeled, and Jonas shows no hint of letting up.”

“I heard that Victor and Trevor got caught.”

Ziggy let out a defeated sigh. “Without freeing anyone. We’re running out of allies. And Jonas has some heavy hitters working for him.”

“Mr. Stott told me you got some info from Victor?”

“Might be our one ray of hope,” Ziggy said. “We’ve always shared a strong connection. Victor managed to send a lot of information when he transferred his vitality to me. Poor guy must be in lousy shape.” Ziggy rolled one of his shoulders and rubbed his chest. “I felt how brutally he got hammered. I’m still achy all over.”

“What did he learn?”

“Victor and Trevor made it to Jonas White’s sanctum. John and Pigeon beat them there. John was going for the throat. He wanted to take out the Source.”

“The Source?”

“A Simulcrist needs a steady stream of magical power to energize his many connections. This power source is both his strength and his weakness. With it, he can manipulate many complicated enchantments at once. Without it, the connections would unravel. Jonas keeps his Source in his sanctum. It’s a jade vase.”

“I take it they didn’t destroy the Source?” Nate checked.

“They got into the room,” Ziggy said. “Impressive, since it was locked with a keycard. John must have lifted it off a guard. They almost succeeded, but the sanctum was well defended. Jonas used his simulacra to paralyze John and Pigeon. Katie Sung and a Crusher dealt with Victor and Trevor.”

“A Crusher?”

“They can manipulate gravity—reverse it, decrease it, increase it. I don’t know where Jonas found her. Maybe he helped create her. It’s a very rare ability.”

“Did Victor free Pidge and John?”

“I don’t know how they got free,” Ziggy said. “I only know that they beat Trevor and Victor to the sanctum, then got recaptured. Victor never encountered Mozag.”

Mr. Stott entered the room, balancing three smoothies on a tray. “Berry colada,” he announced. “Fortified with protein, quality carbs, and an herbal assortment of pick-me-ups. Try it.”

Nate accepted a tall glass and sucked the pink liquid through a thick straw. Coconut dominated the flavor, sweet and strong, accented by the berries. Only a faint graininess hinted at the protein and other additives.

“It’s amazing,” Nate said. “Thanks.”

“Did you show him the map?” Mr. Stott asked Ziggy, offering him a glass.

Ziggy claimed a smoothie, then leaned over and picked up a sheet of graph paper off a small table. “I saw what Victor saw. This should be close to the actual layout. It’s incomplete, but better than a poke in the eye.”

Sipping his smoothie, Nate studied the paper. Half of the sheet was labeled LEVEL ONE, the other half BASEMENT. Nate recognized the main arcade room at Arcadeland, then a single hall that led to a stairway. The basement diagram displayed several intersecting corridors. Most of the hallways ran some distance and then stopped, not at a wall, but open-ended, as if the mapmaker hadn’t known where they went. The halls that were intact led from the stairway to a room labeled SANCTUM.