Chapter Twenty-Two:
"No hard feelings, Linda, but this is a private ceremony," I said, ushering her out of the barn. "Just go along nicely or I'll stub my toe or something. Hurt myself."
She gave me a reproachful look with Cassie's eyes. It was the exact look Cassie would have given me for such a comment. She was very good. I whistled, impressed, and returned to the others.
We were a pretty pathetic bunch, if you ask me. Oh, sure, we weren't as tired as we've been, or as weak, or as desperate. But we were missing two of our team. When you're only six people, that's quite the percentage.
"Marco, would you like to explain about the water tower?" Jake prompted.
"No way," I snorted.
"Fine," he said, and told Tobias and Rachel about the emitter, the current fortifications, and the upgrade that was expected shortly.
"No problem," Rachel said. "We go rip it up. Force is only the way to deal with heavy machinery in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Yeah, but there's a problem. We've got something of a vicious circle, here. We can't morph or demorph on top of the tower until we destroy some equipment. And we can't destroy any equipment until we morph or demorph."
Why can't we morph, again?
"Cameras," I reminded them.
"Can't we just smash those first?"
"Dracons," Jake supplied.
"Besides," I said, "you won't be able to smash anything as a seagull. You've got to morph firepower first, and you can't."
Rachel set her jaw, annoyed by this. Anything that hampers her rampant violent tendencies annoys Rachel.
We obviously weren't getting anywhere on this topic. "Jake," I said, "did you hear what happened up at the shack?"
His head snapped up. "No. What?"
Jake, we're definitely dealing with a Yeerk up there, Tobias said. No chance she's not infested.
"Did she try and escape?"
Rachel shook her head. "No. But when Tobias and I came in together, she freaked out. Panicked. I think she would have tried something if it had just been me on watch."
"She definitely panicked?"
I nodded, and switched into my chief-of-security mode. "Definitely. Big Jake, we should have double guards around her tomorrow. It's her last day. The slug is gonna get desperate."
"Yeah," Jake agreed. "The Cassie situation ends tomorrow, we've got a whole week to worry about the water tower. I want maximum security on her. Let's mix up shifts and overlap. We want to keep this slug off balance."
"I'll sacrifice my preferences and guard her during Algebra," I intoned, nobly.
Listen to that self-sacrifice. The courage of this man.
"We might as well just get the Chee to replace us all day, Jake," Rachel suggested. "We'll have our hands full. And I wouldn't mind missing school."
"What is it with you and skipping school these days?" I demanded. "I mean, I understand not wanting to be there, but this is just getting abnormal, Rachel. You don't generally drop afternoon classes to go flying."
She bit her lip, shifted her weight uncomfortably. We all looked at her expectantly.
"Spill it," Jake suggested.
"Well," she said, haltingly, "there's this guy who's really been bothering me." She played with a piece of straw. "Hanging around me all the time, just generally getting on my nerves. Last Friday I was this close to just morphing bear in front of him, just to get him to leave me alone. I went flying because I had a biology lab with him at two, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to deal with him through the class."
Tobias bobbed forward on his rafters. He wasn't taking this all that well. Want me to scare him away?
I looked at Jake. Jake looked at me.
"Okay, people," Jake said. "We get the Chee to replace us tomorrow. Rachel?"
"Yeah?"
"Deal. Get control. If you blow our cover because you can't stand some nerd's jokes, I will personally see to it that you're infested first."
"I do stand some nerd's jokes. I deal with Marco all the time."
"But I am not this nerd," I said, affecting a French accent. "I am this funny, witty, amazingly cute Marrrco!"
"Point in case. See how I'm not killing him?"
"I'll contact the Chee," said Jake. "In the meantime, we have got to figure out a way to storm this tower."
"I say forget the tower," I grumbled. "I say, stay home and play Scrabble. Mr. Mkonge is supposed to be in charge of the kids' safety, right? Let King Kong deal with the tower."
Jake stared at my forehead. A slow grin started to appear on his face.
"What. What did I say?"
"You said, 'let King Kong deal with the tower,'" Jake pronounced, slowly.
"Why do I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach right now? Jake, what are you thinking?"
"That's exactly what we're going to do, Marco. King Kong is going to deal with the tower."
"No hard feelings, Linda, but this is a private ceremony," I said, ushering her out of the barn. "Just go along nicely or I'll stub my toe or something. Hurt myself."
She gave me a reproachful look with Cassie's eyes. It was the exact look Cassie would have given me for such a comment. She was very good. I whistled, impressed, and returned to the others.
We were a pretty pathetic bunch, if you ask me. Oh, sure, we weren't as tired as we've been, or as weak, or as desperate. But we were missing two of our team. When you're only six people, that's quite the percentage.
"Marco, would you like to explain about the water tower?" Jake prompted.
"No way," I snorted.
"Fine," he said, and told Tobias and Rachel about the emitter, the current fortifications, and the upgrade that was expected shortly.
"No problem," Rachel said. "We go rip it up. Force is only the way to deal with heavy machinery in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Yeah, but there's a problem. We've got something of a vicious circle, here. We can't morph or demorph on top of the tower until we destroy some equipment. And we can't destroy any equipment until we morph or demorph."
Why can't we morph, again?
"Cameras," I reminded them.
"Can't we just smash those first?"
"Dracons," Jake supplied.
"Besides," I said, "you won't be able to smash anything as a seagull. You've got to morph firepower first, and you can't."
Rachel set her jaw, annoyed by this. Anything that hampers her rampant violent tendencies annoys Rachel.
We obviously weren't getting anywhere on this topic. "Jake," I said, "did you hear what happened up at the shack?"
His head snapped up. "No. What?"
Jake, we're definitely dealing with a Yeerk up there, Tobias said. No chance she's not infested.
"Did she try and escape?"
Rachel shook her head. "No. But when Tobias and I came in together, she freaked out. Panicked. I think she would have tried something if it had just been me on watch."
"She definitely panicked?"
I nodded, and switched into my chief-of-security mode. "Definitely. Big Jake, we should have double guards around her tomorrow. It's her last day. The slug is gonna get desperate."
"Yeah," Jake agreed. "The Cassie situation ends tomorrow, we've got a whole week to worry about the water tower. I want maximum security on her. Let's mix up shifts and overlap. We want to keep this slug off balance."
"I'll sacrifice my preferences and guard her during Algebra," I intoned, nobly.
Listen to that self-sacrifice. The courage of this man.
"We might as well just get the Chee to replace us all day, Jake," Rachel suggested. "We'll have our hands full. And I wouldn't mind missing school."
"What is it with you and skipping school these days?" I demanded. "I mean, I understand not wanting to be there, but this is just getting abnormal, Rachel. You don't generally drop afternoon classes to go flying."
She bit her lip, shifted her weight uncomfortably. We all looked at her expectantly.
"Spill it," Jake suggested.
"Well," she said, haltingly, "there's this guy who's really been bothering me." She played with a piece of straw. "Hanging around me all the time, just generally getting on my nerves. Last Friday I was this close to just morphing bear in front of him, just to get him to leave me alone. I went flying because I had a biology lab with him at two, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to deal with him through the class."
Tobias bobbed forward on his rafters. He wasn't taking this all that well. Want me to scare him away?
I looked at Jake. Jake looked at me.
"Okay, people," Jake said. "We get the Chee to replace us tomorrow. Rachel?"
"Yeah?"
"Deal. Get control. If you blow our cover because you can't stand some nerd's jokes, I will personally see to it that you're infested first."
"I do stand some nerd's jokes. I deal with Marco all the time."
"But I am not this nerd," I said, affecting a French accent. "I am this funny, witty, amazingly cute Marrrco!"
"Point in case. See how I'm not killing him?"
"I'll contact the Chee," said Jake. "In the meantime, we have got to figure out a way to storm this tower."
"I say forget the tower," I grumbled. "I say, stay home and play Scrabble. Mr. Mkonge is supposed to be in charge of the kids' safety, right? Let King Kong deal with the tower."
Jake stared at my forehead. A slow grin started to appear on his face.
"What. What did I say?"
"You said, 'let King Kong deal with the tower,'" Jake pronounced, slowly.
"Why do I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach right now? Jake, what are you thinking?"
"That's exactly what we're going to do, Marco. King Kong is going to deal with the tower."