Ben Braver and the Vortex of Doom Read online

  I guess it wasn’t too crazy.

  I did save the school once.

  Maybe twice.

  Matthew wiggled free from Nix’s tentacles, and then he scurried behind his evil buddies.

  William approached me, holding his hand out. I stepped back, until I realised he only wanted a handshake.

  I didn’t know what to do.

  My goal was to stop the battle, and I had, but I didn’t plan on what to do after that.

  William spun in a circle with his arms out. ‘You’re the hero of Kepler Academy. Every descendant knows your name! My parents even know who you are! You know, there’s a whole lot of folks who believe you’re the Chosen One!’

  ‘Chosen for what?’ I asked.

  William shrugged with a pout. ‘I don’t know. Lead them? Save them? Make a world where we don’t have to hide anymore? You’ve gone against everything the academy stands for, but you’re not punished for it like the rest of us would be. Nope. You’re seen as a hero, and you don’t even have a power! BTW, how can you fly?’

  Nix’s paranoid voice came from inside my brain. ‘Don’t tell him about me!’

  ‘Very carefully,’ I answered.

  ‘Fine,’ he said with a suspicious smile. ‘Keep your secrets.’

  I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure what William was doing, but I think he was trying to monologue. Abigail did it. Angel did it. Why would he be any different?

  But monologues are a trick. They distract the hero from saving the day, and I couldn’t let that happen.

  Nix thought the same thing. ‘He’s stalling,’ he said in my head. ‘He’s sizing you up as he speaks.’

  ‘Surrender!’ I commanded. ‘It’s over for you and your cronies.’

  William glanced at Delilah, like, ‘Is he serious?’

  She shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes.

  ‘Look, you’re just a kid,’ William said, ‘so I don’t want to hurt you. We came here for one thing. Once we get it, we’ll leave.’

  ‘You’ll never find Donnie,’ I said.

  That got his attention. His jaw twitched as he stared at me.

  I continued. ‘Besides, even if you did get him, there’s no way he’d join you. He’s not a villain.’

  William looked at me sympathetically. He put his hand on my shoulder. ‘Ohhhh,’ he said. ‘You’ve got it all wrong, little dude. We don’t want him to join the Abandoned Children.’

  A hundred reasons for kidnapping Donnie came to mind, but only one stuck out.

  The most horrible one.

  I didn’t say it out loud because it was too dark.

  Too real.

  ‘Then why do you want him?’ I asked.

  William squeezed my shoulder tight.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  William punched me square in the face.

  Back in Portland, I barely felt a whole car crash into me, but for some reason, William’s punch hurt like bajankers.

  ‘Not the face!’ Nix groaned in my head. ‘We’re weak if I get hit like that!’

  William pounded his knuckles on the side of my head, over and over, and I could feel my connection with Nix slipping.

  I stumbled back. ‘You said you weren’t gonna hurt me!’

  ‘No,’ William said, landing a solid blow to my tummy. ‘I said I didn’t want to hurt you – but I totally will if I have to.’

  I keeled over in pain. I was dizzy. I couldn’t breathe. And I was trying desperately not to barf up pumpkin soup.

  Why did I eat so much of it??

  William pinned me down with his knee on my head, right on top of Nix. I heard the alien scream in my skull.

  ‘Where’s Donnie?’ William asked as he curled his fingers, opening a minivortex next to my face that sucked at my cheeks. ‘You know, I have no idea what’s on the other side of these things? Do you want to find out?’

  I tried moving Nix’s tentacles, but William’s knee was doing a number on our bond. Nix was trying to say something, but his words were a jumbled mess of random sounds.

  ‘Give me what I want,’ William said. ‘That kid’s a time traveller. Abigail told us all about it – that Headmaster Kepler changed history, but that’s such a cheater move!’

  ‘Donnie didn’t do that! That was the old man, and he’s already dead!’

  ‘They’re the same person!’ William laughed as he stood up. ‘And as long as Donnie’s around, he can stop us before we ever do anything! With both Headmaster Kepler and Donnie dead, we can do whatever we please, and we please to take over the world!’

  ‘That’ll never happen!’ Noah said, suddenly dropping down out of nowhere. His hands burst into flames as he powered up.

  Penny ran out from behind the rubble with a battle cry and another log over her head.

  It was game on.

  These fools were gonna feel the full force of what my friends and I could do, even if Penny wasn’t using her powers.

  And with William’s knee off my alien buddy, Nix was back in my head. ‘You don’t have to kill him, but can you please shut him up?’

  No time for smart-alec comments – just action.

  I used Nix’s tentacles to spring up from the ground, and then I shot them forward at William. Noah aimed his fists at William as Penny closed in behind him.

  But we weren’t fast enough.

  Delilah had him covered.

  Her lightning bolts raged through our bodies, sending us flying in different directions.

  Then she jolted me a second time after I hit the ground, maybe to teach me a lesson, I don’t know.

  Electricity surged through me as I flew back at 160 kilometres per hour. My muscles strained, and my bones felt like they were about to snap.

  Nix’s tentacles wrapped around me, and then I heard his voice in the back of my head. ‘This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you!’

  I smashed against one of the last standing walls in the lobby. It was all shattered glass, protruding nails, and splintered wood. Nix’s tentacles shielded me from all that.

  Then I fell flat on the ground, totally paralysed.

  All I could do was watch.

  Delilah cracked her knuckles, like ‘no big deal’, like she hadn’t just tried to kill three children.

  Noah and Penny were out cold.

  Archer and Totes were still trapped in the corner.

  Duncan floated silently above it all. He would’ve helped if he could. I know he would’ve.

  We were no match for the Abandoned Children.

  They schooled us like it was nothing.

  Victoria took orders from William as Dexter stood behind her with a pale face.

  Then William took Penny’s limp body, dragging her across the floor as Victoria used her powers to push the rubble out of their way.

  ‘Stop!’ I shouted, but it was only a whisper. Then I tried talking to Nix. ‘Nix … I need your help …’

  But he didn’t say anything.

  He wasn’t on my head anymore.

  The Abandoned Children gathered together. Matthew hoisted Penny’s body over his shoulder as she whimpered. At least I knew she was still alive.

  Everything was shifting in and out of focus, and suddenly William was kneeling by my side. I tried grabbing him, but he took my hand and gently laid it on my chest.

  ‘I know how much you love comics,’ William said, smiling. ‘Like, that’s your thing, right? So check this – I’m gonna do what a comic-book villain would do because it sounds fun.’

  William was a psycho.

  ‘We’re taking your girlfriend,’ he said. ‘And if you want to see her alive again, bring us Donnie.’

  I opened my mouth, but he pressed his finger against my lips. ‘Shhhh,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing more to say. Either Donnie dies or she does. The choice is yours. You’ve got one hour.’

  With the roof of the lobby gone, the North Star silently twinkled above. It was just a dot in the sky, but it felt like a disappointed dad who just watched his son fai
l at life.

  I was selfish. Stupid. Greedy. And everything was messed up again because of it. I thought superpowers were supposed to FIX all that!

  I wanted to be brave for my friends. For my mum. For my dad. I didn’t want to show William that I was afraid. I tried to fight the ugly cry, but I couldn’t do it.

  The tears were already flowing.

  William wiped my wet cheeks clean with his thumb. ‘Hey, it’ll be okay,’ he said. ‘I swear I won’t hurt her as long as you bring us Donnie. One hour.’

  An hour wasn’t enough time.

  I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to stand again in an hour.

  ‘Most villains give at least twenty-four hours,’ I rasped.

  William chuckled. ‘There he is,’ he said. ‘Fine. Then you have two hours.’

  ‘Where do I find you?’

  ‘I’ll let you know,’ he said as he walked back to his crew. ‘Time to go!’ he shouted.

  William, Delilah, Matthew and Vic huddled together, but Dexter didn’t budge from his spot across the lobby.

  ‘What’re you waiting for?’ Victoria asked.

  Dexter didn’t say anything.

  ‘C’mon, Dex,’ she said, almost pleading.

  Dexter stared hard at the floor and shook his head.

  ‘Leave him,’ William said. ‘If he doesn’t give himself to the Abandoned Children, then he’s against us.’

  There was a flash of light, and they were gone.

  I don’t know how they disappeared, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that Penny was in trouble. I needed to trade Donnie’s life for hers, but there was no way I could do that, right?

  Not like it really mattered.

  Because when I looked up, I saw Donnie come out from some rubble he was hiding behind. He had been there the whole time. He heard everything William said, and he knew they wanted him dead.

  He looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to figure out what to do. And then he sank into the floor, saving himself by going Outside.

  He totally bailed on us.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  I messed up.

  My lone-wolf attitude had almost killed me and Noah, and it got Penny kidnapped. So much for being an all-amazing superhero.

  I crawled across the floor, searching for Nix. We must’ve got split up when we smashed into the wall.

  Totes finally dug Headmaster Archer and himself out from the corner. Archer’s leg was clearly broken, but he acted like it was fine. Duncan tried to persuade him to go down to the Lost Nation hospital, but he refused, so Totes found an old pair of crutches from the nurse’s office.

  Dexter was by Noah’s side, helping him get his strength back with a soft drink and some muffins he found in the trashed coffee shop.

  I pushed some rubble aside and kept looking for the alien squid. He had to be here somewhere. Hopefully he wasn’t badly hurt, or worse, dead.

  ‘Ben, what are you doing?’ Duncan called out from across the lobby.

  I almost lied to him, but with less than two hours to save Penny, I didn’t have time. So I was completely honest. ‘I’m looking for an alien!’

  Duncan paused. ‘Don’t play!’ he said.

  ‘I’m not!’ I said, sliding my hands across the floor.

  And then I found him.

  Nix.

  He was a pathetic lump of flesh, covered in dust. His limbs had huge gashes in them – some so deep that the tentacle was barely attached. I carefully scooped him up in my hands. His body was like a ball of slime, his arms drooping over the sides of my palms. I begged him to say something, anything, but he didn’t.

  He wasn’t breathing.

  But honestly, I wasn’t sure if he needed to breathe.

  Headmaster Archer limped over on his crutches, grunting the whole way as Duncan floated behind him.

  ‘What in the world is that?’ Archer whispered.

  ‘What’re you doing with him?’ Duncan asked scoldingly. ‘Why’s he even here?’

  ‘He came back when Donnie fell on the stage,’ I said, cradling the squid in my hands, careful not to stretch his slippery body in a weird way. ‘He’s not who you think he is.’

  ‘He’s the reason Kepler changed history,’ Archer said. ‘He’s the reason the world ended.’

  ‘No, he’s not!’ I said. ‘When Kepler changed things, Nix didn’t have the chance to destroy the world. He was trapped Outside the whole time. This version of Nix hasn’t done anything wrong!’

  ‘I didn’t name him; his name is Nix,’ I said. ‘He saved my life when we hit the wall, and I think he’s dying because of it.’

  ‘Good!’ Duncan said.

  I stood, gently holding the alien squid. ‘He’s the only reason I’m alive right now! He doesn’t want to hurt anybody! He just wanted me to help him find his ship so he could go home! He just wants to go home!’

  Duncan looked at me, astonished and speechless.

  I pleaded with the ghost. ‘You gotta believe me. Have I ever done anything that would make me untrustworthy?’

  ‘Yes!’ Duncan said immediately. ‘Like, a thousand times, yes!’

  ‘If he wanted to hurt anybody, he would’ve done it already,’ I said. ‘Penny’s in trouble, but he can help us get her back! You have to just trust me! Please!’

  Noah staggered over. ‘Penny doesn’t have time,’ he said. ‘And we need all the help we can get. I don’t even care if that thing is good or bad – if it gives Ben powers, then we can use them to get her back.’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said.

  ‘Nope,’ my friend said without looking at me. ‘I’m doing this for Penny. Not you.’

  Duncan and Archer looked at each other the same way my parents do when they’re about to agree to something they don’t want to.

  ‘We don’t have any other options,’ Archer said.

  Duncan sighed, nodding. He looked at the limp squid in my hands. ‘We need to get him down to the lab.’

  A few minutes later, the seven of us were making our way through the secret tunnel under the school. I held Nix in my arms, hoping it wasn’t too late for him.

  The lab door must’ve shut on its own after Matthew’s attack because it was closed when we got there. I stepped forward so the biometric scanner could see me, but the door slid open before I even got close.

  ‘Did it scan me?’ I asked, cradling Nix like a baby.

  ‘Nope,’ Duncan said.

  ‘Then how’d it open?’

  Duncan didn’t answer that one.

  The walls inside lit up brighter than I’d ever seen before. Even the outside walls seemed to come alive.

  Something different was happening.

  One by one, we walked in.

  The lab had always been a quiet place with a few holograms on the wall, but now it looked like we were standing inside a video game. The hologram interfaces followed our every move. One of the interfaces even tracked my eye movement, keeping some images in front of me wherever I looked. Walls were moving, shifting slightly, almost like the room was breathing.

  ‘What is this place?’ Dexter asked.

  ‘Duncan’s secret lab,’ I said, and then I bragged a little. ‘I’ve been coming here for about a year now.’

  When I got to the middle of the room, the holograms on the side wall switched from green to red, with flashing icons all over the place, followed by a small, beeping alarm.

  Everyone jumped as a black metal wall buzzed next to us. Invisible seams appeared, transforming into a little operating table as tiny robotic arms slid out.

  Above the table was a three-dimensional image of Nix, with the damaged parts of his body highlighted. I knew what it all meant – Nix was in a critical condition.

  He wasn’t dead, but he was dying.

  ‘Quickly, Ben,’ Duncan said. ‘Put him on the table.’

  I gently set Nix on the black metal, and the robotic arms automatically went to work on him.

  Everybody gathered behind me to watch. />
  ‘This isn’t a lab, is it?’ I asked, never looking away from the alien on the operating table.

  ‘Nope,’ Duncan said.

  ‘If it’s not a lab,’ Noah said, ‘then what is it?’

  The holograms danced on the walls around us. The room had never come to life the same way it had when Nix entered.

  It knew who he was.

  It was built for him … the alien squid.

  And then everything was suddenly so clear to me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Noah, Totes, Dexter and I were in the school kitchen digging through the pantry. Nix had been on the operating table for about forty-five minutes. Nobody knew how long it takes for robots to fix an alien, so Archer volunteered to wait in the lab in case there was any progress.

  Snacks would’ve been a nice distraction, but I wasn’t hungry. There was less than an hour until William’s deadline, and if Nix wasn’t better soon, we’d have to go without him.

  Dexter flipped on a TV in the corner.

  ‘Are you missing your show or something?’ Totes asked.

  ‘No,’ Dexter said. ‘I just can’t stand all the quiet. Makes my head feel like it’s gonna pop.’

  Noah skimmed through Kepler Academy yearbooks that he had fetched from the library. He was hoping to figure out where Donnie had gone.

  ‘Did you know Donnie’s parents disappeared too?’ Noah said. ‘Only a month after the school opened?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘I remember that.’

  That’s when Duncan showed up.

  ‘Remember what?’ he asked.

  ‘That Donnie’s parents disappeared too,’ I said.

  ‘Ah, yes,’ Duncan said. ‘The story is, after their son vanished, they went off the radar to search for him.’

  ‘But they knew where he went,’ Noah said.

  Duncan arched his brow at Noah.

  I jumped in to change the subject. ‘What’re we gonna do about Penny?’

  Duncan shook his head. ‘The truth is, I don’t know what to do. This kind of thing was never planned for because Headmaster Kepler kept it all contained. It’s all unravelling now that Donald’s gone.’