The Trade (9 page)

‘I can't leave Rex out there alone, either,' Six replied. Even without looking, he could picture the smile on Holiday's face. ‘So it doesn't look like I have a lot of choice.'

White Knight stared at them both in turn. ‘What? But …' He gave a loud sigh of irritation. ‘Very well. Gather a team. Take the Keep. Go to Silicon Valley. See what you can find.'

‘And tanks,' Six suggested. ‘We'll need tanks.'

‘Very well,' White Knight said. ‘Just be quick.'

The screen went dark. ‘Thank you, Six,' said Dr Holiday.

‘Don't mention it. Now let's move.' He made for the door. Dr Holiday dropped her back and hurried after him.

‘Do you really think we'll need
tanks
?' she asked.

‘You can never have too many tanks,' Six replied, before the door swished closed behind them.

With a whine of engines, the Keep touched down in a wide plaza right in the heart of Silicon Valley. The landing ramp folded out from within the aircraft. Agent Six and a platoon of Agents marched down it.

‘Spread out,' Six ordered. ‘Look for signs of Rex.'

‘What sort of signs, sir?' an Agent asked.

Six thought back to all of Rex's previous missions. ‘Needless destruction. Reckless endangerment. Sarcastic backchat. The usual.'

As the Agents scattered, Dr Holiday joined Six on the ramp. She had a scanning device in her hand and was studying its screen closely.

‘Anything?' asked Six.

Dr Holiday shook her head. ‘Nothing yet. No Evo activity detected at all.' She looked up at Six, her face suddenly pale. ‘What if we're too late? What if we don't find him?'

‘Don't worry,' Six told her. His eyes were fixed on a swirling circle of red that had just opened up further
along the plaza. ‘I think we just did.'

A flailing figure fell through the portal and landed awkwardly on the ground. Rex's face was bruised and bleeding, and his clothes were torn. He raised his head and looked up at the Keep through swollen eyes.

‘Rex!' Dr Holiday yelped. She hurried down the ramp and across the plaza. She was almost at Rex's side when a Smackhand appeared through the portal. It slammed down onto Rex's back, driving him hard against the concrete.

The portal widened and Van Kleiss stepped through. Dr Holiday's eyes were drawn to the mechanical arms the villain wielded. Only then did she spot the golden claw where Rex's own left hand should have been.

‘What did you do to him?' Holiday demanded.

‘Nothing, Doctor,' Van Kleiss replied. He caught Rex by one leg and hoisted him higher into the air. ‘At least, nothing compared to what I'm
about
to do.'

‘What you're about to do is put the kid down and surrender quietly,' Agent Six said, stepping in front of Dr Holiday.

‘Oh? And why would I do that?'

‘Because I'm asking you nicely,' said Six.

Van Kleiss laughed. ‘In that case, I don't think I'll bother.'

With a
snink
, Agent Six's swords slid down his sleeves and into his hands. ‘You know,' he began, ‘I was hoping you'd say that.'

‘Nice swords,' Van Kleiss said. He released his grip on Rex as the Smackhands pulled back into his body. The Big Freakin' Sword clanked out in their place. ‘But mine's bigger than yours.'

Agent Six shook his head. ‘I don't think so.'

There was a loud rumbling sound and five Providence tanks rolled out from within the Keep. Van Kleiss looked around. The Providence Agents stood in a circle around him. Every one of them had their weapon trained on him, their fingers poised on their triggers.

‘Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way,' Six said. ‘Either one suits me fine.' He turned just slightly and whispered to Holiday. ‘When this kicks off, get Rex into the Keep and get out of here.'

‘Understood.'

Six turned his attention back to Van Kleiss. ‘So, what's it to be?'

Van Kleiss flicked his wrist. The blade of the Big Freakin' Sword began to spin like a buzz-saw. ‘I think,' he grinned, ‘we'll try the hard way.'

A
P
ROVIDENCE TANK EXPLODED
as a blast from the Slam Cannon hit it head on. Van Kleiss took aim at another of the vehicles.

‘You know, I don't think I've had this much fun in a long time,' he said, before another cannon blast reduced the second tank to a ball of flame.

‘Take him down!' Agent Six bellowed. The sound of machine-gun fire ripped through the air as every one of the Agents opened fire.

Van Kleiss spun, the Slam Cannon already transforming into the Boogie Pack. The bullets whistled harmlessly beneath him as he launched himself into the air.

On the ground below, Providence Agents began to fall, struck by the bullets intended for Van Kleiss. ‘Too easy,' the villain crowed.

A fast-moving shape in a dark green suit landed on his back. ‘Don't speak too soon,' said Agent Six. He jammed a sword into the Boogie Pack's turbine
engines. The spinning turbine blades stopped instantly. Van Kleiss cried out in shock as they began to plunge towards the ground.

A split-second before they hit, Van Kleiss' legs morphed into the Punk Busters. The ground cracked into a wide spiderweb pattern as the mechanical feet slammed down.

The sudden landing jarred Agent Six and sent him sprawling. He threw himself over Rex, shielding him from what was about to happen next.

‘Now!' he barked into his communicator. There was a sound like thunder as one of the remaining tanks opened fire. A rocket streaked across the plaza towards Van Kleiss.

A Punk Buster lifted at the last possible moment, delivering a powerful kick to the underside of the missile. It flipped upwards, end over end, before exploding in a fiery blast.

Van Kleiss stepped from the smoke and fixed his gaze on the tank that had attacked him. ‘Now you've gone and made me mad,' he growled. Blinded by anger, he charged at the tank, leaving Agent Six free to drag Rex to safety.

Dr Holiday hurried over to help Six carry Rex to the Keep. As they walked, Agent Six contacted White Knight and Providence HQ. ‘Requesting back-up,' he said. ‘Van Kleiss is on the rampage and we have a lot of Agents down.'

‘Can't
you
deal with it, Agent Six?' White Knight asked.

‘Negative, sir,' Six replied. He looked down at Rex, who was now only barely conscious. ‘I've got more important things to worry about.'

‘I got a bad feeling about this,' said Bobo. He was standing beside Rex's bed, cautiously prodding at the golden claw on the boy's hand. ‘It ain't right, I tells ya.'

‘I'll second that,' Agent Six nodded. He watched Dr Holiday as she ran more tests. From the look on her face, he could tell she wasn't making much progress. ‘Problems?' he asked.

‘One or two,' Holiday admitted. ‘I don't understand, it's like Rex and Van Kleiss swapped nanites, but I don't even know if that's possible.'

‘I give you Exhibit A,' said Bobo, pointing to the
claw. ‘Let's go with “it's possible”. What we gonna do about it?'

‘Honestly? I have no idea,' said Holiday. ‘Van Kleiss' nanites appear to be dangerously weakened, and without the soil he – I mean,
Rex
– is powerless.'

‘So, what are you saying?' asked Six.

‘I'm saying that if we try to help him, there's a good chance Rex won't survive.'

‘What kinda villain has power over soil, anyhow?' grunted Bobo. ‘I mean, talk about lame.'

An urgent crackle from the lab's communicator interrupted them. ‘Van Kleiss has overpowered remaining Agents,' hissed a voice through the static. In the background, there was the unmistakeable sound of screaming. ‘He's found an Evo and absorbed its nanites. Something's happening to him. Something –'

There was a sudden cry from the speaker, and then the communicator fell silent again.

Bobo winced. ‘You don't think he heard me call him lame, do ya?'

Dr Holiday looked worried. ‘If Van Kleiss continues absorbing nanites he could theoretically keep getting stronger,' she said. ‘Then there'll be no
way to stop him.'

‘And to think, we used to worry about him when he just had the nature powers,' Bobo said. ‘Hey, wait a minute.'

‘What is it?' asked Six.

‘Somethin's happening in my brain,' Bobo told them. ‘Might be a migraine, or it might be …' He clicked his fingers. ‘An idea. Bobo's got an idea.'

‘You do?' asked Dr Holiday. ‘What is it?'

‘You're not seriously going to listen to the monkey?' Six asked.

‘At this point, I'm open to anything,' Holiday said. ‘What's your idea, Bobo?'

‘The Petting Zoo,' Bobo announced. He grinned at them, proudly.

‘I knew it,' Six said. ‘Never take advice from a primate.'

‘I ain't finished,' Bobo told him. ‘The Petting Zoo, it's full of Evo animals, right? Which means it's full of
nature
. Well, nature that's been messed up by nanites, anyhow.'

‘What's your point?' Six asked.

‘Van Kleiss' nanites respond to nature. Our boy
there is currently stuffed to the gunnels with Van Kleiss' nanites.'

‘You think maybe the nanites will draw strength from those in the Petting Zoo?' said Dr Holiday.

‘Gotta be worth a try, right?' Bobo shrugged.

Agent Six turned to Holiday. ‘Could it work?'

‘Maybe,' Holiday replied. ‘I think … maybe it could.'

In a single fluid movement, Six hoisted Rex up onto his shoulder. ‘Then what are we waiting for?' he said. ‘Let's move!'

‘S
TAY STILL
, I'
M HERE
to help you,' Van Kleiss urged. ‘You'll thank me for this later.'

A little round Evo, about the size of a large beach ball, screamed in fear as Van Kleiss hoisted it up into the air. The Boogie Pack's turbines whined loudly, struggling with the weight. Van Kleiss had absorbed hundreds of thousands of nanites in the past few hours. His body was bulging and swollen with them.

But he wasn't finished yet.

Gritting his teeth, Van Kleiss began to draw the Evo's nanites out from within it. His already bloated limbs became fatter still. His stomach expanded, popping a button on his coat. Held in his fat hands, the Evo gradually became human again.

Van Kleiss looked down at the terrified young woman he now carried. ‘Thank you, my dear,' he said, licking his lips. And then he opened his arms and let the woman fall.

The air whistled around her, drowning out her
screams as she plunged towards the distant ground. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the end.

WHUMPF!

The woman crashed down onto a cushion of air. It deflated slowly, lowering her gently back down to Earth. The gloved hand of a Providence Agent reached down and helped her up.