Chapter 46.
"I wrote you a note."
They were an odd sight, leaning against the b.u.mper of a brown janitorial van at the truck stop: one aged man, two kids, and a young woman, each loaded with cleaning supplies, their cheeks rosy from the chill of late autumn. Spencer, Daisy, and Penny wore the packed canvas janitorial belts around their waists. Since there were only three belts, Walter had agreed to go without.
Penny wore a hooded sweatshirt and carried two short-handled mops over her shoulders. To Daisy"s enjoyment, Penny had warmed up in the parking lot with a few back handsprings and round offs.
Walter wore his baseball cap even though the sun was far enough down that he didn"t need it to block the light. He twisted the old bronze nail between his fingers, having pulled it from the janitorial van a few minutes earlier. In his other hand, he held Ninfa loosely. It was too risky to leave the bronze objects in the van while they entered New Forest Academy. If the nail and hammer were stolen, the entire Rebel Underground would collapse in no time.
Spencer felt a twinge of anxiety as the yellow school bus pulled into the truck stop. Once Walter handed the hammer and nail to Meredith, they would be on their way up the canyon to embark on a task that Spencer had dreamed about countless times. They were going to find his dad.
Walter stood up as the big bus stopped, hissing loudly. The door squeaked open and Meredith descended the steps. The lunch lady and the janitor came face-to-face in the parking lot, and Spencer watched Walter hand over the bronze objects, somewhat ceremoniously. They retreated out of earshot as Walter gave Meredith the necessary instructions on what to do if he didn"t return.
Spencer tried to glimpse some of the Academy rejects through the dim bus windows. Daisy muttered something about how weird they must look in full janitorial battle gear. But Spencer kept looking, hopeful to catch the eye of Min or Jenna.
Suddenly, Min appeared in the doorway of the bus. He stepped down and approached Spencer and Daisy, the usual businesslike expression on his face.
"I a.s.sume that your attempt to sneak away from Meredith"s bus means you have plans to return to New Forest Academy," the Asian boy said.
Spencer and Daisy looked at each other. There was no use hiding it. "We have to go back," Spencer said.
Suddenly, Jenna emerged from the big bus. She jogged across the parking lot, not stopping until she stood awkwardly close to Spencer. In her hand was a piece of paper, folded into a small triangle. She took a deep breath. "I wrote you a note." She stuffed the folded paper into Spencer"s hand. He began to unfold it, but she stopped him.
"Don"t read it till I"m gone," Jenna said. She took an awkward step back, gave Spencer one final smile, and took off running toward the bus.
Daisy sighed. "Isn"t she pretty? Did you know that Jenna takes like an hour every morning just to do her hair?" Daisy shrugged. "I don"t want to gossip, but I heard she"s trying to impress somebody. And it"s not me or Min. Or Dez."
Spencer rolled his eyes, but it couldn"t prevent his face from heating up. Daisy was always a little late to pick up on social clues. Spencer shoved the note into his pocket and turned to Min, half expecting the Asian boy to explain the science behind blushing.
"Why are you going back?" Min asked.
"They"ve got my dad," Spencer said. "He"s being held in a dumpster, somewhere below campus. We have to rescue him before it"s too late."
"We stand ready to a.s.sist you," Min said. "That bus is full of thirty able-bodied, bright-minded students. Let us go back with you."
"No." Spencer shook his head. "It"s too dangerous. They can"t get involved."
Min raised an eyebrow. "We just flew over the trees in a school bus. That sounds "involved" to me. I attempted to justify what happened, but their suspicions are aroused. They know it was more than science. They want answers. We trust you, and we"re willing to help."
Spencer hesitated. He"d just risked all to rescue these students. Taking them back to the Academy was out of the question. But Min was right. The students deserved answers. And if they were willing to help ...
"Detention," Spencer said.
"Detention?" Min repeated.
Spencer nodded. "If they want to help, tell everyone to go back to their schools and get detention with the janitors."
"A strange request ..." Min started, but Spencer wasn"t finished. Using everyone to raid the Academy was too dangerous, but if these students got involved at their own schools across a range of different states, maybe they could make a difference.
"You need to find out which side your janitor is fighting for-Rebel or BEM," Spencer explained. "If he"s a Rebel, then team up with him. Learn what you can. But if he"s with the BEM ..." Spencer grimaced. "Watch him closely; sabotage his work. And tell all the recruits to report to me with any suspicious activity. "
Spencer checked over his shoulder. Walter"s conversation with Meredith was ending. The lunch lady headed toward the school bus, pocketing the hammer and nail. Walter didn"t know that Spencer had just organized a nationwide network of student spies. He would tell the old janitor later, once they were safely away from New Forest Academy.
"Can I count on you to explain this to the others?" Spencer glanced at the bus. "And remember, it"s got to be kept top secret."
"Of course," Min said. "We"ll get detention in as many schools as we can. We"ll be your eyes and ears against the BEM. The Organization of Janitor Monitors."
Meredith honked the bus horn, anxious to get on the road. But Min didn"t go running yet. "I have only one question." He knit his eyebrows together in thought. "How exactly does one go about getting detention with the janitors?" Min, who had probably never broken a serious rule in his life, was stumped.
"Make a mess," Spencer said. A faint smile flicked across his face as he remembered throwing cans of root beer across the Welcher Elementary cafeteria at the ice cream social. "Make an epic mess."
Chapter 47.
"It could turn the tides in this war."
The brown janitorial van snaked up the canyon road toward New Forest Academy. Walter had been over the plan twice, and now silence reigned in the vehicle. Spencer and Daisy crouched in the back of the van. Penny drove and Walter sat shotgun, anxiously gripping the handle of a toilet plunger. The warlock"s face looked weary as twilight shadows flickered through the window.
They were almost there.
The plan was simple but effective. Walter would get inside the campus and create a disturbance and a distraction. The others would slip quietly through the gate, enter the main building, and descend into the parking garage. Penny felt confident that they could conquer whatever dangers awaited them in the dark underground.
But Spencer knew it wouldn"t work.
The whole plan could go like clockwork, but there was one fatal flaw. They would never be able to rescue Alan Zumbro unless they convinced Director Garcia to peel away the Glopified duct tape sealing the dumpster. It was an oversight that Spencer didn"t want to mention. Walter was already reluctant to storm the Academy. If Spencer explained the weak link in their plan, Walter might abort the whole mission.
No. It was better to get inside and see what might happen. If nothing else, Spencer could just talk to his dad again and promise to rescue him.
The van took a sharp corner, items shifting and skidding around the kids in the back. Spencer looked once more at the Vortex on the shelf. He now knew why Walter hadn"t discussed the details of rescuing Marv. The old warlock didn"t want to give Spencer false hope. What they were doing was so dangerous-if Walter didn"t survive, there would be no Operation Vortex.
"This is it," Spencer said. "The parking lot is just over the next rise."
Penny pulled the van to the edge of the road.
"Ready?" Walter looked back at the two kids. He tried to give a confident smile, but Spencer could tell he was nervous. The warlock turned to his niece. "Remember, you"re not waiting for me. As soon as you rescue Alan, get back to the van and go."
"Wait a minute," Spencer said. "We"re not leaving without you."
"Look," Walter explained. "By the time you guys get out, I expect to be long gone. Once you"re inside the campus, I plan to lead as many of those Academy goons into the woods as I can."
"But where will you go?" Daisy asked.
"I"ll work my way through the forest and cut toward Denver. It will probably take me a couple of days on foot, with the use of a broom. I have a Rebel friend there. He"ll pick me up. The BEM will be searching for me. It should give you the chance to get Alan safely away."
Walter must have noticed Spencer staring out the window, his face somber. Would the warlock be all right? Walter was the most wanted Rebel Janitor. If they captured him, the BEM would be that much closer to reclaiming the bronze hammer and nail.
"Hey." Walter reached back to rea.s.sure Spencer, but the boy was too far away. "I"ll be fine. This is important, Spencer, and not just because it"s your dad. Alan has been kept alive and imprisoned by the BEM for two years. He"s obviously valuable to them. If we can rescue your dad, he might have information to help the Rebels. It could turn the tides in this war."
Penny shut off the van and Walter stepped out, shouldering his backpack. With a broom in one hand and a toilet plunger in the other, Walter didn"t look much like a man who was about to go risk his life to create a distraction.
"I guess this is good-bye," Walter said as Spencer approached him. "At least for a few days." He gave a few practice swings with the plunger. "I think I can manage to wreak some havoc with this." The warlock nodded to Spencer. "Let"s go save your dad!"
Without waiting for a reply, Walter ran up the hill and lifted off the ground with his broom. Spencer stayed on the roadside, watching him rise and then descend until he was out of sight.
"All right," Penny said. "Let"s get this van somewhere safe and hidden." She reached down to the U clips on her loaded janitorial belt. The tops of several wooden handles were visible, but everything below the belt was invisible and intangible. Penny grabbed one of the handles and pulled. A toilet plunger shimmered into sight.
Sticking the rubber cup to the side of the van, she easily picked it up and walked off the road, holding the large vehicle in front of her as if it were no heavier than a handbag. Daisy guided her, searching for a good hiding place in the trees.
Spencer stood alone on the side of the road. The mountain felt calm and deceptively peaceful. The coo of an owl seemed to bid farewell to the last glimmer of daylight.
Spencer suddenly remembered the note Jenna had pressed into his hand. The thought occurred to him that now might be his last chance to read it.
Digging in his pocket, Spencer pulled out the folded paper. He smoothed the page in his hands and squinted to read the few sentences in the fading light.
Spencer-I"m so glad we were on the blue team 2gether! It was gr8 meeting U! This was a super crazy week. I still don"t really get what happened. But I felt like I could trust U no matter what. Next time we meet, I hope U will trust me.
U R different than other boyz. Good different. Stay that way.
Your friend, Jenna P.S. I got your address from the bus driver lady. I"ll write U!
P.P.S. Don"t forget me!
Spencer was glad he was alone so that no one saw his face turn red. He folded the letter along the same creases and slipped the note back into his pocket.
Why was Spencer different from other boys? Was it the fact that he could see and kill Toxites? Or did it have something to do with how he was stuck in this twelve-year-old body forever, a kind of janitorial Peter Pan ...
Spencer sighed. Jenna was nice, but there was no time to fully digest what she"d meant by giving him that note. The mission ahead would need to occupy all his thoughts and energy.
Penny and Daisy returned from the trees. The plunger disappeared back into Penny"s belt as they stepped onto the roadside.
A shattering crash cut through the cold night and drifted over the hill to resonate in Spencer"s ears. The abrupt sound was the first in a chain of destructive noises.
"Well," Penny said. "That"s our cue."
Chapter 48.
"Who"s going to lead?"
The three figures crested the hill, and New Forest Academy"s parking lot came into view. The scene looked like an automobile dump. Cars were strewn and scattered, undoubtedly the work of Walter"s Glopified toilet plunger. The operating booth was smashed, and a large SUV had been thrown through the gate.
More sounds of destruction echoed from the other side of the brick wall, a.s.suring Spencer that Walter had made it onto campus. The warlock"s shoot-"em-up arrival had drawn every available person after him, leaving the wrecked parking lot empty.
They were halfway across the lot when Penny paused, scanning for danger. Daisy reached for a broom on her tool belt, but Penny said no.
"We go on foot," she whispered, setting off toward the crumpled gate.
Their feet crunched on shards of gla.s.s. An overturned sedan creaked. A small oil fire burned under a broken truck.
Spencer felt the tension of the moment as they stealthily raced toward the gate. Daisy kept checking over her shoulder, a subconscious motion that rattled Spencer"s nerves.
They reached the gate, and Penny crouched behind the overturned SUV. "Once we get through, we shouldn"t stop till we reach the underground garage," she said. "Time for you to make good on your knowledge of campus. I"ll bring up the rear. Who"s going to lead?"
Spencer shifted under Daisy"s expectant stare. "Fine." He took a deep breath, cinched the tool belt around his waist, and nodded. "Let"s go."
Spencer leaned around the mangled vehicle. The metal gate was warped and bent away from the brick wall, leaving a tight s.p.a.ce to squeeze through. He ducked under the coils of sharp barbed wire. Pressing against the brick, he managed to slide past. Spencer waited just long enough to make sure that the others didn"t get snagged before he took off running.
Spencer"s legs pumped, trying to outrun his shadow from the overhead spotlights. Bathed in light, the three figures were completely visible. Spencer silently hoped that Walter"s distraction was big enough to keep Academy eyes away from the gate.
They dropped into the shadows one by one, Spencer leading Daisy and Penny along the campus"s perimeter. The brick wall rose at their side, increasing the darkness and their feeling of claustrophobia.
The main building was at the center of campus, but Spencer didn"t want to rush straight in from the gate. If they skirted around, it might be safer to approach from the side.
They glimpsed the rec center. Was it only a few hours ago that Spencer had led the recruits in a wild escape? So much had happened since then. He"d learned about his dad and about himself. He"d learned the depth of Director Garcia"s involvement with the BEM. As one of the warlocks, Garcia was bound to be carrying his bronze hammer. Furthermore, one of the New Forest Academy buildings had to be the warlock"s magical domain, set with a bronze nail in the wall.
Thinking of Director Garcia was only a reminder that their attempt to rescue Alan Zumbro could not succeed. The director was the only one with the power to open the duct tape on the dumpster prison. As much as Spencer wanted to shove that thought to the back of his mind, it kept resurfacing. It was a painful reminder that this risky rescue attempt was likely nothing more than a fool"s errand.
Looking ahead, Spencer saw the illuminated porches of the student dorms. He thought of their old Glopified stash hidden underneath. Daisy had said she"d taken everything except for two items: a latex glove and the little spray bottle of ink remover. Hardly useful items for a mission like this.
They skirted around the art building and Spencer froze. He lifted a hand to his head, where the craziest idea had just flickered to life.
"What"s wrong?" Daisy whispered from behind. Spencer, so absorbed in this new thought, didn"t even hear her.
"Come on," said Penny. "Keep going."
Spencer remained a statue, running through every aspect of his plan, checking for flaws that could be fatal. There were a lot of unknown variables, but it was better than nothing.
"Wait here," Spencer ordered his companions. "I"ll be right back."