The Candy Shop War, Vol. 2: Arcade Catastrophe (37 page)

“What now?” Nate asked.

Lindy backed away from the embrace. “I’ll tell him that you wouldn’t take the bait. That you passed the test. I’ll tell him you decided the best way to help your friends would be to make sure you were on the winning side. I’ll tell him you warned me that we can’t beat him. I’ll tell him you want to go after Uweya.”

“Will he believe you?”

She shrugged. “I think so. We’ll see. We’re supposed to meet to go after Uweya in the morning. What do we do, Nate? I’m honestly not sure we can stop him. Did you know the others tried some sort of jailbreak tonight?”

“Yeah, I found out from Mr. Stott.”

“How is he doing?” Lindy asked.

“He’s fine. He’s worried. Jonas added Trevor and Victor to his other prisoners. He’s all geared up to repel another assault.”

“He’s definitely paying more attention to security.”

Nate debated how much he should reveal about his plan. Lindy seemed to be truly on his side, but it was still hard to place full confidence in her. “We have a new strategy. We need to go after Uweya. I need to get there first. If I do, there are some things I might be able to do to stop Jonas.”

“What things?”

“I talked to William Graywater. He told me that I’d figure it out when I get there. He made it sound like this is basically our last chance.”

“We won’t be going in alone,” Lindy warned. “Jonas will be sending some of his people to secure Uweya. We’ll learn more in the morning. We’re supposed to be there early, like five-thirty. Tallah will refresh our powers. You need rest. You’re worn out. Just show up tomorrow. I’ll go convince Jonas that you’re with us.”

“I doubt he’ll believe you.”

“I’ll make him believe enough to let you come. I don’t think he trusts any of us. We’ll be chaperoned. Who knows what he might do to us with our simulacra? There might not be much we can do. But we’ll try. I should go.”

As she started toward the window, Nate gripped her upper arm. “Lindy, be careful.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Let me handle my brother. Get some sleep. We’ll both need to be at our best tomorrow.”

Lindy went and flew out the window. Nate closed it. He started pacing. Maybe it was good that Lindy had learned about her past. Or maybe the whole conversation had been an act. Maybe the trap was already closing in around him.

She had been right about one thing. He needed sleep. He could hardly think straight. He carefully set his alarm for five, then crawled into bed. His mattress and pillow had never felt more inviting. Before he could stress about anything else, he fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-One

The Gate

The approaching sunrise was beginning to bleach the horizon as Nate landed in a stumbling rush near a side door to Arcadeland. The jolt helped rouse him more than the flying had. He wiped sleep from his eyes as he knocked. Chris opened the door. He was dressed in the same clothes as yesterday.

“Hey,” Nate said. “Am I the last to arrive?”

“You could say that,” Chris replied. “Where’d you go last night? Jonas didn’t seem happy that you skipped coming back here.”

“I was freaked out,” Nate said, unsure who else might be listening to his response. “I mean, we almost drowned Roman. I needed some time to get my head right. But now I’m good. I’m ready.”

Nate stepped through the door. Chris leaned close. “Can you believe we’re going after Uweya so soon?”

Nate kept his voice low. “Yep. It leaves nobody time to react. Pretty smart.” Nate stopped whispering. “Did you sleep here?”

“It was late,” Chris said, as if making an excuse for a misdeed. “We were exhausted. Mr. White thought it would be better than to have us go home only to come back so early.”

They were walking toward an EMPLOYEES ONLY door. Cleon stood beside it. He gave a casual, two-fingered salute. He wore tinted sunglasses and had a toothpick between his lips. Nate waved.

“Long night?” Cleon asked.

“Short night,” Nate replied. “I slept like a rock.”

Using a key, Cleon opened the door, then followed them through. He escorted them to the elevator, and from there to Tallah’s door. He knocked.

Nate scanned up and down the hall, searching for signs of a fight. No evidence of the showdown with Victor and Trevor was apparent.

Tallah answered the door. She wore long, beaded earrings and an embroidered wrap over her purple top. “Welcome,” she said to Nate. “So nice to see you again.”

“Thanks,” Nate said, entering with the others as she stepped aside.

“Hey,” Lindy greeted. “Nice of you to rejoin us.” She sat on a sofa beside Risa.

“I needed alone time,” Nate said. “I was feeling overwhelmed. I had to go crash.”

“Now that you’re all here, we can begin,” Tallah said. “Who would care for oatmeal with cinnamon apples?”

“They’re not here for tainted snacks,” Cleon snapped.

“Mind your tongue, Mr. Cleon,” Tallah chided. “No need for unpleasantness. You kids want to get down to business?”

“Yes, please,” Risa said.

“There we go,” Tallah said. “Ask politely and I’m happy to accommodate. First things first. We need to wash your stamps away. Mr. Jonas insisted that we start from scratch. Hold out your hands.”

Nate extended his stamped hand. Tallah brushed a clear fluid onto the back of his fist. The pungent solution stung a little and felt very cold, as if it were evaporating rapidly. He turned his head away from the smell.

Once they had all been brushed with the solution, Tallah came by with a coarse cloth and scrubbed their hands briskly. Nate studied the back of his hand after she finished. His skin was red and raw. No trace of ink remained.

“You can choose two stamps,” Tallah said. “Jonas urged me to attempt three, but I swore I could make no three of his stamps stable, and he believed me. Good thing, too, else you kids might have suffered damage without remedy. Mr. Jonas informed me that due to the nature of your upcoming task, one stamp must enable you to fly. Each of you is free to choose whichever second stamp you wish.”

“For the record,” Cleon interjected, “you’d be wise to make sure various abilities are represented. This promises to be your toughest assignment yet.”

“I want to be a flying tank,” Chris said. “I’ve always thought that would be the best combo.”

“Fine with me,” Nate said.

“I think a racer jet would be best,” Risa said. “Do you guys mind if I do that?”

“Go for it,” Lindy encouraged. She turned to Cleon. “Think we’ll need to go underwater?”

“Not as far as I know,” Cleon said. “We can’t guarantee anything, but it seems unlikely.”

“Then maybe I’ll be a flying tank also,” Lindy replied.

“What about you, Nate?” Cleon asked.

Nate dug a piece of Peak Performance gum from his pocket. “What about this?” Nate asked, holding the stick of gum out to Tallah. “Could you blend this with two stamps?”

Furrowing her brow, Tallah accepted the gum. She unwrapped it and sniffed it. She tested the corner with her tongue. After scowling thoughtfully, she gave it another tiny lick. Then she passed the gum back to Nate.

“No way could I blend this with two stamps. It is very potent magic, premium work. I could, however, modify the gum so it would harmonize with a single stamp.”

Nate nodded. “Okay. Then I want flight and this gum. I have two other sticks. The effect doesn’t last very long. Could you set up all three to work with a jet stamp?”

“I believe I could,” Tallah said. “You’d want to use the gum one stick at a time, of course. Are we all resolved? Should I get to work?” She looked to Cleon.

“Why the gum, Nate?” Cleon asked. “You sure it beats tank strength and racer speed?”

“I’m not sure,” Nate said. “But you saw it in action in the arcade. We already have a flying racer and two flying tanks. This gives us a different weapon. You suggested variety.”

Cleon shrugged. “Fair enough. It’s your hide. I won’t object.”

Tallah set about her work. She applied dual stamps to Chris, Risa, and Lindy. After some time fussing with Nate’s three sticks of Peak Performance, she mixed a new solution, then applied a jet stamp to Nate and sealed it with her new concoction.

“There we go,” Tallah pronounced. “All four of your little soldiers are geared up as requested.”

“Pleasure as always,” Cleon said.

“If you say so, Mr. Cleon,” Tallah replied. Her expression sobered. “You kids take care what you bring out of the Devil’s Mountain.”

“And you be careful what spews from that mouth of yours,” Cleon cautioned. “Come on, Jets. You have appointments to keep.”

While Tallah looked on, Cleon ushered the kids into the hall. Nate watched Tallah as he walked out. She appeared worried. She looked like she wanted to cry out a warning. But she didn’t, and the door closed.

“Are we out of here?” Chris asked.

“Not so fast,” Cleon said. “Three of you had the opportunity to meet with Mr. White. But not Nate. The boss wants to have words with him before you all depart.”

“Okay,” Nate said, hoping he sounded casual. “No problem.”

“I’m relieved to have your permission,” Cleon drawled. “Come on, Mr. Gum Jet. The boss is this way.”

Cleon led the four Jets down a hall and around a corner. They found the muscular guy with black spiky hair coming toward them.

“Hey there, Conner,” Cleon said.

“I’ll take Nate from here,” Conner said stonily. “You get the others to the vehicle.”

“Sure thing,” Cleon said. “Come on, you three.”

Cleon did an about-face and led the others back the way they had come. Without acknowledging Nate, Conner reversed his direction as well. Nate followed.

Nate had seen Conner before but had never spoken to him. “You guys have a lovely underground base here,” he tried.

Conner said nothing.

“I love what you’ve done with the concrete. Very parking garage.”

Conner kept strutting down the hall without a backward glance. They passed an intersection. Nate felt tempted to take a side hall, just to make Conner react. But he didn’t want to stir things up too much. If he got dropped from the mission to recover Uweya, his last chance to stop Jonas White would be gone. He had reason to hope he would be included. Tallah had stamped him. They wouldn’t restamp him just to drop him from the mission, right?

“Have you worked here long?” Nate asked.

Again Conner neglected to respond. Nate decided not to press him further.

After more walking, Conner stopped to open a sturdy door. He motioned for Nate to go through, then followed, pushing the door closed.

They had entered a rather bare room divided by a thick, clear wall with small clusters of holes in it. On the far side of the wall, Jonas White sat in a high-backed armchair. Conner took up a position behind Nate.

“Kind of you to join us,” Jonas said silkily. “We missed you last night. You had other engagements, I take it?”

“I was tired,” Nate said. “It was a long day.”

“Too long to join your fellow Jets when they returned the Protector? Too long to confirm your victory?”

“It was already confirmed,” Nate said. “Chris and Risa went ahead with the Protector. We left the Tanks treading water. It was a rough day. People almost died.”

“I noticed that you removed your tracking bracelet,” Jonas said.

“The task was finished,” Nate replied. “It was uncomfortable.”

“I don’t like children, Nate. I never have.”

“I can tell,” Nate said. “Hole eight on your western course is practically impossible. I was putting on it with Chris and Risa the other day, and—”

Jonas held up a weary hand, motioning for him to stop. “Children have underdeveloped judgment. They say foolish things. They do foolish things. They bore me. They disappoint me.”

“If it’s any consolation, I sometimes feel the same way about adults.”

“I expect you do,” Jonas said. He gestured at the clear wall. “Please forgive the inconvenience of this barrier. Recent events have inspired me to take additional precautions. What little faith I had in you is fading.”

“I keep delivering what you want.”

“You have a vital task ahead of you. A hazardous task. Dangerous for you, dangerous for the other Jets. This task means a lot to me, Nate. It means everything. And I don’t trust you.”

“Then why send me?”

“For the assignment to recover the Protector, the Tanks had the advantage. If I were to have gambled on the outcome, I would have bet on them. Given the variables involved, their speed and strength should have outclassed your aeronautic and aquatic abilities. You had the means to raise the trunk from the tower, but they had the means to extract the Protector and keep it from you. I need capable people, Nate, and you have proven yourself the most capable.”

“We almost killed Roman taking the Protector from him,” Nate said. “It was a close one.”

“I may not like children,” Jonas said, “but I can admire ruthless dedication to victory. You will open the way to Uweya for me.”

“Count on it.”

“I know that you are not my ally. But you should be. Do not tangle with a man who has a simulacrum of you. Foolish child or not, you ought to learn that lesson before it is too late.”

“Fighting you would be crazy,” Nate said.