"Sparx?" Ace was kneeling next to her prostrate form. "Sparx, can you hear me?"
With a groan, Sparx sat up, one hand supporting herself & the other held to her head.
Ace gave her a relieved grin, "Thought we'd lost you . . . Again."
As he said this, Sparx looked up at him. Her other hand fell to her side & her mouth dropped open in shock. Then she did something Ace had never seen or heard her do in all the time he had known her. She screamed!
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHH!" It was loud & long & extremely high pitched. Ace clamped his hands to his ears, trying to block out the sound. He eventually gave up, & clamped a hand over her mouth instead.
"Sparx! What are you doing?!"
Sparx closed her mouth & stumbled back, a look of sheer terror on her face. Ace glanced over his shoulder to see what was scaring her so much, but there was no one there. The second he had turned around Sparx had bent down & grabbed a stick off the ground. When he turned back, she was holding it in both hands & pointing it at his chest, shaking like a leaf. Ace almost laughed.
"What are you doing with a stick? You're trained in like a bazillion forms of hand & body combat, & you have a sword!" Glancing around, Ace saw the Sword of Jacob lying on the ground a few feet away. "Oh." He picked it up. "But still!"
Sparx just wailed.
"Come on, I'm sure you'll feel better when you've powered up." He offered her his hand but she backed away until she hit the truck
"Don't touch me!"
"O.K. fine! Take the Lightning Flash!"
"You're crazy!" came out as a hoarse whisper. Shaking his head, Ace bypassed the shaking stick & grabbed her wrist. Gently but firmly he flipped her round & tucked his other arm around her waist.
"Come on" he said, launching into the air.
Sparx started struggling & pounding his arm with her fists & kicking him in the shins
"Ow!" yelled Ace.
But the struggling soon stopped when she saw how far from the ground they were & promptly fainted. Ace was really worried now, & determined to call Mark as soon as he reached Thunder Tower.
Watching from one of the windows of the Haunted House, Kilobite deftly sent one of his tentacles into the organ room & dragged Fear out by the neck.
"You failed!" he yelled at the tangled pile of bones, "He was handed to you on a silver platter & still you can't defeat him!"
"But Kilobite . . ."
"Silence! Luckily for you the Lady Illusion seems to have done more damage than you did! When you have recovered from your dismal loss, you will pay Lightning a visit & see if you can redeem yourself!"
He tossed the hapless Fear back into his dark & dingy chamber.
Yes, mused Kilobite, Lady Illusion may have done enough damage to ensure the end of all the Lightning Knights!