Chapter Nine: Witch Hunt
Jenny flexed the fingers of her right hand, bringing forth a definite creaking sound. The irregular network of cracks grew wider and thicker, growing into long crystalline branches. She clenched both hands into fists, causing even more creaking and cracking, and then with one mighty heave of her hydraulics, burst free of her frozen prison. Large wedges and tiny fragments of ice were scattered all over the street, slipping and sliding across the asphalt.
"Finally!" Jenny sighed in relief, wincing in discomfort as she moved her stiff arms and head. The metal surface of her body was covered in dripping water and tiny bits of ice. They would leave some ugly rust stains later, even more battle scars to go along with her new scrapes and scorches. She would worry about them later, though. Right now there were a few much more important things for her to worry about; her friends.
Her pigtails swiveled on their hinges and whined as their small rockets warmed up. A pair of wide blue wings unfolded from within her back, humming to life with internal power. Then, in a burst of smoke and white hot flame she was in the air, rising over the streets and rooftops of Tremorton at a dizzying speed. She steered herself in the direction of the mall and held her arms out in front of her, slicing through the wind like a sleek jetfighter. With the combined thrust of her pigtail jets and booster rockets she arrived at her destination in just under one minute. As she drew closer to the complex she stowed her wings neatly within her back once more, gritted her teeth, and aimed for the glass atrium of the food court.
With a deafening crash, Jenny broke through the windows feet first in a dazzling shower of glass and landed heavily on the floor, crushing the tiles beneath her. As she looked around the food court, her mouth fell open in shock. Everything was in disarray. Tables, chairs, waste baskets, plastic cups and napkins were scattered around, overturned and broken, as if picked up and dropped all at once. All kinds of noises echoed off the walls from the assortment of animals that wandered aimlessly there, to the frightened shouts and screams of shoppers and security guards. And standing on top of the fountain, at the very center of it all, was a gaunt, black and violet sorceress with a long wooden staff.
A few ducks quacked and splashed in a large pool of water on the floor. Tuck was kneeling there by a discarded hose, bawling his eyes out and clutching something in his arms. Sam was crouching next to him, blonde hair mussed and disheveled. She had been trying unsuccessfully to calm Tuck down until Jenny made her appearance, and looked up at the robot girl with a mixture of surprise and immense relief on her face. "Jenny! You're here! Thank goodness!"
Enchantra also looked surprised by Jenny's dramatic entrance, but that quickly changed into a cold sneer. "I see you've broken free of the ice, robot! But you are too late! Two of your little friends have now met their doom from the Staff of Circe!"
Worried, Jenny splashed through the puddle to Sam's side. "Guys! What happened?"
Sam pointed at a soggy bundle of brown and white feathers in Tuck's arms. As she looked down at it, Jenny recognized it as a rooster. It stared back at her, beady black eyes blinking in confusion. It clucked softly and wriggled in Tuck's grip, causing the boy to cry even harder. "She got Brad . . ." Sam said dismally. "And Sheldon, too. I think he's digging in a trash can somewhere."
Jenny stared blankly at the rooster, not wanting to believe Sam's words. Then she clenched her fists in anger as she turned to face Enchantra. "You heartless witch!" she screamed. "Change them back!"
Enchantra rolled her eyes, unfazed by the robot's outburst. "We've been over this before. I'm a sorceress, not a witch." She floated down from the fountain and hovered two inches above the floor, cape and dress fluttering in an unearthly wind. "And why should I change anyone back? They're much better off this way."
"Better off??" Jenny shrieked back. "As dumb animals that can't even talk?!"
"They have no need for it now. Their only concerns will be finding their next meals," the sorceress smirked cruelly. "Or becoming someone else's next meal."
Jenny narrowed her eyes at Enchantra, feeling her rage mounting again. This fight had just gotten personal. "Sam, get Brad and Tuck to safety." she commanded, taking a fighting pose. "See if you can find Sheldon. I'll deal with Enchantra."
Sam nodded and stood up, gathering Tuck in her arms. The boy was still hugging his rooster brother with all his might, although his tears had slowed down. "Will you be okay, Jenny?" he asked.
The robot gave him a smile and hoped it convinced him more then it did her. "Don't worry about me, Tuck. I'll be fine. Everything's gonna be okay." Sam sloshed away through the water, carrying the boy and the chicken with her. She looked back over her shoulder as she left the food court. Jenny deployed three forearms from both of her elbows, each hand wielding a gleaming scimitar. Enchantra had a blazing orb in one hand, and her outline was shimmering with green.
As she stepped onto dry floor Sam began to run, looking left and right as she went. There were animals everywhere, crawling in the halls and in every store. There had to be someplace they hadn't reached yet, someplace they couldn't get to. Then she saw the doors to the public restrooms. The restrooms! They had doors and locks! Animals couldn't go in there! She charged through the door of the women's room and stopped just inside. The place was filled with people; there were teenage girls chattering and whispering to each other nervously, mothers trying to comfort crying children, but no animals anywhere in sight. Sighing with relief, Sam placed Tuck on the floor and went to one of the mirrors. As she removed her barrettes and began restoring her hair to its former neatness, Tuck stayed close to her side, feeling very out of place. So this is a girl's bathroom, huh? he wondered. Wow. It's not what I pictured at all. Where do they keep the urinals?
Sam frowned into the mirror, blonde hair undone and hanging loose around her face. Something new was troubling her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Jenny was here now, so everything should be alright. She would beat Enchantra and change everyone back to normal. That witch couldn't be invincible; Sheldon's soda can had hurt her, and there was a fresh scar on her face. But hadn't Enchantra already beaten Jenny once before? Sighing, Sam slid her barrettes back into place. "Tuck, you can put Brad down for now." she said, looking down at the rooster in the boy's arms. "I think you're choking him."
Tuck relaxed his grip on the bird, letting it drop down on the floor. It flapped its wings up and down and crowed, happy to be free. The boy giggled as the rooster strutted about the bathroom, eying the nervous women curiously. Still his brother, even as a chicken. Suddenly, something dawned on him. "Hey, Sam. Why hasn't Enchantra turned Jenny into an animal yet?"
She furrowed her brows in thought. "That's a good question." she said. "You'd think she would have done that by now, since they fought already." Sam rubbed her chin, frowning broodingly. Then, slowly, a smile began spreading across her face. "Tuck, you stay here. I think I've got an idea." Before Tuck could even ask where she was going, Sam had left the restroom.
The already decimated food court had been converted to a battlefield. Jenny rolled along the floor, dodging a series of fireballs. She reached out and grabbed a broken table, using its round surface as a shield against the flaming projectiles. After two more shots the blasts ceased, allowing her to break off the table top and toss it at Enchantra like a giant discus. The sorceress lifted a hand, and as the projectile approached her it began to slow down. With a flick of her wrist, the tabletop went spinning back the way it came, heading straight for Jenny. She ducked just in time for it to skim the very tip of one pigtail, leaving the makeshift weapon to bang into a pillar behind her. As she stood straight again, both her arms lengthened from her shoulders and reached out to the witch's staff. She no longer cared about defeating Enchantra. All she wanted now was to get the Staff of Circe back and undo its madness.
But, of course, Enchantra didn't feel like cooperating. In a puff of smoke she was gone, and reappeared directly behind Jenny. "I've had enough of this, brat!" she shouted furiously, fists crackling with energy. Jenny recognized the sound and tried to retract her arms in time, but she wasn't fast enough. The lightning struck her full in the back, sending her entire body into wild spasms. Her long arms thrashed wildly as she howled from the pain. Once the shocking ended, her knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, thin tendrils of smoke rising from her joints and filling the air with the scent of ozone. Enchantra laughed ruthlessly at the fallen robot. "And now, to finish you off!" She clenched her fist once more, sparks encircling her form, and prepared to deliver the final blow.
"Hey, Enchantra!"
The electric sparks around her vanished instantly. The witch whirled around, annoyed. "Who dares?!"
Jenny managed to lift her head weakly from off the ground. Her vision was blurred, but she could make out a person standing several yards away. A person with long blonde hair wearing green and lavender clothes. "I dare!" came the voice again, a young, female voice. "Come and get me, you old bat!"
Both Jenny and Enchantra gawked at the girl, completely flabbergasted. Jenny retracted her arms back to normal length and pushed herself up from the floor, shaking her head to clear her vision. Sure enough, that girl was Sam, standing with her arms folded and smiling with a confidence bordering on arrogance. Enchantra snarled at her. "What did you just call me??"
Sam's smile didn't flicker for an instant. "You heard me, grandma! Just how old are you, anyway? A hundred or a thousand?"
Jenny was still baffled by Sam's behavior, but couldn't help snickering as the witch sputtered. "M-my age is none of your-"
"By the way, which dumpster did you get your clothes from?" Sam interrupted, smirking dryly. "The grunge look is totally out! That dress alone is so ratty and gross! Not even a homeless man would want it for a blanket!"
Enchantra shook with rage. The witch's left eyelid began twitching as she bared her teeth. "Why you little-"
"Oh, and don't even get me started on your make-up!" Sam continued, tossing some of her hair over one shoulder facetiously. "That look went out of style in the eighties! And did you put it on in the dark?"
That was more then Enchantra could take. "Impudent brat!" she shrieked furiously, raising her staff above her head. "You'll pay for your insults!"
Sam stood in place with her arms folded calmly. "Sam! Run!" Jenny cried, but Sam gave no hint that she had heard. She showed no sign of fear, watching the witch as she spoke her chant. Why wasn't she moving?! The head of Enchantra's staff blazed with red light. She didn't even budge when Enchantra aimed the staff at her and a crimson beam shot out.
Despite her condition, Jenny jumped to her feet and covered the distance between her and Sam in less then a second. She lunged in front of her friend and spread her arms wide, just before the beam could reach her. It struck her instead, instantly engulfing her in red.
To be continued . . .
