Warehouse Rumble (7 page)

“It could still belong to one of the other contestants,” Joe said.

“Or it could have been lost by someone who worked in the factory,” Frank suggested. “We don’t know how long it might have been there.”

“I guess it could have been lost since before the factory shut down,” Daphne agreed.

“I think Ms. Allen really wanted to get a look at it,” Chet said.

“That woman,” Joe said, “is having far too much fun with the show’s problems.”

“
Warehouse Rumble
’s troubles certainly have been a windfall for her, you have to admit,” Daphne said.

“For Willingham, too,” Frank added. “He may be complaining, but he’s gotten a lot of news coverage.”

“He asked me not to show the ring to anyone except the other contestants,” Daphne said. “He’s planning to use it as some kind of exclusive segment on the show.”

“He said it lends ‘authenticity’ to the game,” Chet added.

“Another good reason he could have planted it himself,” Frank said.

“Forget all that,” Joe said. “We need to concentrate getting into the next round of the game.”

“Daphne and I already made it,” Chet said. “Our scores on this last game pushed us through. You two are one contest behind because of the accident.”

“Not for long,” Joe said, smiling.

“I’ll go see what our next assignment is,” Frank said, jogging off to find Ms. Kendall.

The Hardys’ next game turned out to be a puzzle made of junk parts. Their opponents in the game were Missy Gates and Jay Stone. The brothers had no trouble beating them to the finish. Missy and Jay scowled as Daphne came up and asked them about the ring. They spoke briefly, then the “Kings” duo sulked off.

“Was it theirs?” Frank asked.

Daphne shook her head. “I’ve checked with all the contestants. None of them lost any jewelry.”

“It could still belong to someone who was disqualified yesterday, or who bugged out because of the trouble,” Joe said.

“Maybe,” Daphne agreed, “but Ms. Kendall said they didn’t use the tunnels during shooting yesterday. She’s checking with all the people who signed up, though. Since no one’s claimed it, I’m going to wear it for luck.” She pulled out a plain, golden piece of string from her purse, threaded the ring onto it, and tied the chain around her neck.

“Looks good,” Chet said.

Bo Reid happened to walk by at that moment. “That’s the only treasure you’ll get in this game, losers,” he said. He laughed and joined his new partner, Lily, in the refreshment area.

“It’s more loot than
you’ll
see!” Chet called after him.

The Hardys’ morning win pushed them into the second round as well. Shooting on the next contests wouldn’t begin until after lunch, so the teens piled into the van and headed downtown. It was nice to get away from the bickering and Hollywood politics for a while, and they all felt recharged when they returned to the warehouse at one in the afternoon.

As they entered, Ward Willingham came up to them. “Have you seen a prescription bottle lying around?” he asked.

All four teens shook their heads. “Who lost one?” Frank asked.

“Me,” Willingham replied. “My sleeping pills. I thought they were in my coat pocket.”

“Maybe you left them in your hotel room,” Joe suggested.

“Maybe,” Willingham replied. “I always have trouble sleeping when I’m on the road. I’m pretty sure I had them this morning.” He sighed. “Dealing with that reporter woman is driving me nuts. I wouldn’t be surprised if
she
took them, just to get my goat.”

“That’s a bit drastic,” Frank said.

Willingham sighed ruefully. “All’s fair in love and news,” he said. “If you see the bottle, please return it to either me or Ms. Kendall.”

“Check,” said Chet.

“What’s on the schedule for this afternoon?” Frank asked.

“We’re doing some mutants and mayhem pieces,” Willingham replied. “Scary monster–hunting stuff—to heat things up a bit. Ms. Kendall has your assignments.” He nodded good-bye and headed for another part of the warehouse complex.

“If things heat up much more around here,” Joe said as the producer left, “they’d be on fire.”

“It’s no wonder he has trouble sleeping,” Daphne agreed.

The four friends got their shooting schedules for the rest of the day from Ms. Kendall. Chet and Daphne were slated for the first game of the afternoon: a clue-hunt that would take place in one of
the most remote and decrepit corners of the warehouse complex.

The two of them went and checked in with the production crew. Frank and Joe decided to tag along until their own event was ready to start.

The area chosen for the hunt was dark, though not as dark as the tunnels they’d run through earlier. The TV crew had piled up obstacles—mostly old machine parts—in a maze-like pattern. This way, the contestants could see sections of what lay ahead without seeing the whole picture.

“They’re showing just enough to trick you about which way the maze is really going,” Joe observed.

“Don’t worry about us,” Chet said. “I have the nose of a bloodhound.”

“And the head of a fox,” Daphne added, passing up the easy slam.

Chet looked at his watch. “Could one of you grab me a cola?” he asked. “I’m parched, but I don’t want to miss the start of the event.”

“Sure thing,” Frank replied. “Want anything, Daphne? Joe?”

“I’ll keep you company and grab something myself,” Joe said.

“Nothing for me,” Daphne replied. “I’m going to hit the rest room before the game starts. Here, Chet—you could use some good luck.” She handed the ring on the string to Chet. He slipped it around his neck.

“See you in a couple of minutes,” Frank said.

The brothers turned and picked their way through the set, heading for the refreshment area. Daphne disappeared behind some rubble toward the nearest rest room.

As the Hardys ducked under an old water tank, a strangled cry reached their ears.

“Ack, Help!”

“That’s Chet’s voice!” Joe said.

They turned and ran back the way they’d come. The fake rubble slowed them down—it made moving in a straight line difficult. They could see what lay ahead of them, though, and what they saw gave them a shock.

Chet Morton was struggling with someone against one of the sets. But the thing he was fighting wasn’t human. It had blue skin, bug eyes, and clawlike hands. The thing had Chet in a half nelson, and was trying to slip its other claw behind the big teen’s neck.

Chet thrust himself backward, smashing his assailant into the wall. The insect-man grunted, and Chet slipped free of his grip. As he did, though,
the mutant kicked Chet’s legs out from under him. Chet landed hard on the floor, belly-flopping onto his face. The air rushed out of his lungs. The monster paused before reaching for Chet’s neck.

“Hey, you!” Joe yelled as he and Frank charged forward.

The creature turned, slipped between two wide pillars, and disappeared into the darkness behind the set.

Joe ran after him as Frank stopped to help their friend.

“I’m okay,” Chet gasped. “Just get that guy!”

Frank rose and pushed his way between the rusting pillars. On the other side he ran into Joe. “It’s no use,” Joe said. “The guy disappeared into this maze somewhere. I lost him.”

“Rats!” said Frank.

He and Joe squeezed back between the pillars to Chet. Daphne had returned during the brief time they’d been gone, and was kneeling next to their friend. The big teen was sitting with his back up against the wall, taking a breather. “I’m fine,” Chet said. “Did you bring that drink I asked for?” He smiled halfheartedly and coughed.

“Sorry. We didn’t make it that far,” Joe replied.

“Yeah—we got a little distracted,” Frank added. He knelt down and patted Chet on the shoulder. “Next time, we’ll keep our priorities straight.”

Just then, Ward Willingham poked his head into
the start of the maze and said, “Everybody ready to rumble?”

“What, are you kidding?” Chet snapped.

“Having a monster try to grab one of the contestants before the start of the game is a really stupid stunt,” Joe said angrily.

“Maybe it was ‘cool’ TV, but Chet could have been hurt,” Frank agreed. “All of us would have been happier if he’d clobbered your monster.”

“Mr. Willingham, I think you’ve taken the ‘realism’ of this game way too far,” added Daphne.

“Whoa! Slow down,” Willingham said. He stepped from behind the set into the starting area of the metal maze. “What are you talking about? What monster?”

The teens rose to confront the producer. “The monster that popped out of the set and attacked me,” Chet replied. He pointed to reddish marks on his neck.

“He was wearing a blue-skinned, bug-eyed mutant costume,” Frank said.

Willingham looked puzzled. “I didn’t script any scare tactics before the start of the game,” he said. “That might influence the competition. Plus, we don’t have any bug-eyed monsters. They’re a cliché. Ask Ms. Kendall if you don’t believe me.”

“You mean there’s someone running around this warehouse in a monster costume who’s
not
part of the game?” Joe asked incredulously.

“I hope not,” Willingham said. “I’ll notify security.
Mr. Morton, you take all the time you need to recover before starting your next challenge.”

Chet nodded.

“Could your cameras have caught the attack on film?” Frank asked.

“I doubt it,” Willingham replied. “The crew is just moving in from another set now. I’ll check, though. Excuse me. I have to start another game. Morton can rest, but I’m still expecting you two boys on the set on time.”

Frank and Joe nodded, fighting down the anger they still felt over this latest incident.

As Willingham walked away he punched the walkie-talkie function on his mobile phone and began checking with the rest of his crew.

“Could this all be part of some crazy publicity stunt?” Joe asked.

“Hard to tell,” Frank replied. “If the story turns up on the evening news, we’ll know. Chet, do you and Daphne need us?”

“We’re fine,” Daphne said.

“I’ll be ready to go in a couple more minutes,” Chet replied. “Then—mutants, watch out!”

Joe and Frank chuckled. “I want to poke around a bit,” Frank said, “and see if we can figure out who was under that monster costume.”

“Whoever attacked Chet was a pretty big guy,” Joe said. “Bo Reid, Jay Stone, or even Willingham might have fit in those shoes.”

“Jay’s way too skinny,” Chet said. “I could take him any day.”

“Maybe not if he caught you from behind,” Frank said.

“What about Todd?” Daphne asked.

“His ankle is busted up,” said Chet.

“Maybe that’s just what he wants us to think,” Frank said. “Come on, Joe, lets see what we can find out before our game starts.”

“Good idea,” Joe replied. He and Frank ducked through the rusting maze set and headed back toward the center of the warehouse complex.

They passed through a number of the other game areas on their way back, but didn’t see either Jay or Bo in any of them. They found Lily sitting on a darkened set, but neither Bo nor her brother was with her.

“Todd was here a minute ago. He just went to find Bo,” Lily said. “Our next event is starting soon.”

“How long has Bo been missing?” Joe asked.

“I haven’t seen him since lunch,” she replied.

“How’s Todd’s ankle?” Frank asked. “We haven’t seen him this afternoon.”

“He’s been hanging out with me since lunch,” Lily replied. “His ankle’s getting better. Too late for the competition—unfortunately. The doctors said it’s a minor sprain.”

“Not enough to stop him from searching for Bo,” Joe noted.

“One team member has to stay in the event staging area,” Lily said. “Otherwise, we could forfeit.”

“Speaking of forfeiting,” Frank said, “we don’t want to miss the start of our own event. See you later, Lily.”

“Yeah,” Joe added. “Good luck.”

“You too,” Lily said, waving as they left.

“Well,” Joe said when they were out of earshot, “Todd may have an alibi, but Bo Reid’s on the loose somewhere.”

“That doesn’t mean he attacked Chet,” Frank said. “And we still don’t know what Jay Stone’s been up to.”

A few minutes later they arrived at the staging area for their next event.

“About time you got here,” Missy Gates said. She and Jay were leaning against a nearby wall, looking bored.

“So much for Jay’s whereabouts,” Frank whispered.

“You’re our competition in this event?” Joe asked.

“Good work, Sherlock,” Jay replied.

Before the banter could degenerate further, Ms. Kendall stepped in and explained the rules of the new game. She handed out several plastic gizmos that looked like flattened silver eggs attached to black elastic armbands. One end of each silver pod had a red crystal set into it.

“These are your wrist-laser blasters,” she said. “You
can fire with the round button.” She demonstrated, pressing a red button atop the silver sphere. “Your teams are on a monster hunt, trying to rid the area of mutants. Each enemy will have green target areas on their monster costumes. Hits in those areas will score points for your team.”

“Where do we have to blast the Hardys to score points?” Stone asked.

Ms. Kendall frowned at him. “Shooting your opponents won’t score any points at all. However, if a mutant hits your laser with its blaster, you’ll
lose
points. If you drop below zero points, you’re out of the event.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to flash lasers around?” Frank asked. “They can damage people’s eyes.”

“They’re not real lasers,” Ms. Kendall said. “It’s just an infrared system—like the remote control on a TV. The studio special-effects department will add the laser effects later.” She smiled and handed the blasters to all four teens. “Now, take your starting positions, and remember to keep to the marked trails. Monsters could be lurking around any corner. One Klaxon will sound to start the game, and another will end it. Ready to rumble?” Everyone nodded. “Good!”

She left as the two teams took their starting positions.

“Break a leg, Hardy,” Jay said.

“Break both, Stone,” Joe replied.