Chapter 8

To the Brother Rescue!

Zach and Donita exchanged a quick glance, then looked back at Chris. He was completely still, eyes wide open and unblinking in a vacant stare.

"Zachbots, untie him!"

One of the robots zoomed over and sliced through the pink rope. As soon as the coils holding him to the chair loosened and fell off, Chris tipped over sideways and landed on the floor with a thud.

Zach gulped. "Oops…uh…that shouldn't happen…exactly…"

"Aaagh!" Donita shrieked, clapping her hands to the sides of her head. "You killed him! You weren't supposed to kill him! How will I get my reindeer now?!"

Zach stepped over and waved a hand in front of Chris's still open eyes. "He's not dead. Uh…I think he just needs to reboot—"

"You think? What do you mean, 'you think'?!"

"Hey, this is experimental technology! It's in the final testing stages so I'm still working out some bugs!"

Donita put her hands on her hips, glaring. "I don' have time for bugs!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "And I don't have time for experimental technology! My entire fashion show is on the line, so wake him up!"

"Alright, alright, I'm working on it!" Mumbling, Zach stepped back behind the cart, pulled out a laptop and hooked it up to the control panel. Then he took out a small microphone and tapped it. "Ah-hem! Is this thing on? Ok, Green-Guy, stand up."

To Donita's surprise, after a few twitches, Chris jumped to his feet.

Zach typed something into the laptop. "Now stand on one leg."

Chris did as he was told.

Zach turned to Donita with a smirk. "See? He'll do anything I tell him, and that includes going out there to round up your antlered-thingies."

Chris put his leg down, turned and started for the door, expression as blank as ever. "Antlered-thingiiiies…" he mumbled.

"Not yet, you nerd!" Zach snapped.

Chris stopped and touched his right ear where the tiny gadget had been placed. "Not yet, you nerd!" he repeated automatically.

"Hey, stop that!"

"Hey, stop that!"

Zach looked at Donita, giving her a nervous smile. "Eh-heh…like I said, we've still got some bugs to smooth out."

xxxx

"Hey, guys! C'mere!" Koki put down the bowl of cereal she'd been munching and waved her hands without turning around from the communications console. Jimmy and Aviva rushed to her side.

"What is it?" Aviva asked.

"I think I got something! I've been scanning the area for anything suspicious."

"And?" Jimmy asked through a mouthful of early morning pizza.

"And you can't get much more suspicious than the nasty pink jet."

Aviva gasped. "Oh no! You mean Donita's in the area?"

"Yeah! Chances are she's got Chris!"

Jimmy's half-eaten pizza slice went flying. "Yikes! What do we do?"

"Martin," Koki began tapping away as fast as she could, "she's parked that thing just a few miles north of where you two…Martin?"

"Hey, where is he, anyway?" Jimmy asked, picking up his pizza and dusting it off.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the side doors slid open. Standing in the shadow of the doorway, shivering and wrapped up to his ears in a blanket was what looked more like death warmed over than Martin Kratt.

"AAAUGH!" Jimmy screamed and scrambled to hide behind Aviva, who was no less surprised. "W-what is that?!"

"Whoa!" Koki's eyes widened as she looked him up and down. "What happened t'you?"

"I feel aw—ah-ah-AHCHOO! I feel awful." Martin mumbled, shuffling into the room and plopping down into the nearest chair.

"You look awful!" Aviva rushed up and took a quick scan with her creature pod. "And boy, are you ever running a fever! That rainstorm last night must've had it in for you."

Martin glanced miserably up at her. "You were id it too. How cub you're nod sick?" he asked, snuffling.

"Hmm, you've been pretty stressed out over Chris. Stress can lower your immune system, making you more prone to illness—"

"CHRIS!" Martin jumped up suddenly. "I gotta fide Chris!" He whipped around, ready to dash out the door and into the woods.

Aviva caught him by the back of his shirt and dragged him back to the chair. "Oh no you don't! You're not going out there like this."

"What? Why dot?!"

"First of all," Koki tried to hide a giggle behind a hand, "you can't go running around in the wilderness in your striped blue jammies!"

Martin looked down. "Oh yeah. I'll go change really quick!" He started to get up again.

"Second," Aviva said, pushing him back down, "you're too sick! You're running a high fever and I think you might be just a little delirious."

"I'b dot that sick!" Martin protested. "And I'b dot delirious! I just want by brother ba—ah-AHCHOO! Uuugh…"

He looked up at Aviva as she was joined on either side by Jimmy and Koki.

"We'll get him back. Don't worry, we can handle it."

Martin sighed. "Fine."

Twenty minutes later, after listening to Koki give the lowdown to the others about her suspicions that Donita was in the area and most likely responsible for his brother's disappearance, Martin had heard all he needed. And he'd made up his mind. It wasn't as if he didn't trust the team to come up with a plan, he was just sure somebody would have to go out there eventually, and it might as well be him. He was going to find Chris or die from a cold virus while trying.

He coughed a couple times to let them know he was still there. "I think I'b going back to bed."

"Good idea," Aviva said without turning around. "We'll wake you up if we find anything."

"Uh…right." He stepped out and up to his room. There, he quickly changed, gathered up his backpack and slipped down to the front entrance. After stifling a terrific sneeze, he was down the ramp and on his way to the forest.