The next day, Sparx was up and about, feeling fine. Gaia had provided the Knights with enough energy to power up, and they were now down on the beach with the Planeteers, watching them play a game of volleyball. The boys' team scored another goal against the girls', and Sparx jumped up in agitation.
"That's it!" She joined the girls to even the odds. "You're gonna have to teach me how to play this," she warned them.
A few minutes later, Ace's phone rang. It was Mark.
"Hi, Ace. How's Sparx?"
"She's fine. She's playing some sort of game with a ball."
"O.K. Well, we have to go to school today, so you might want to stay there and work out some kind of plan for defeating the bad guys."
"Why can't we do that at the Thunder Tower?" asked Ace.
"Um, because it's full of people trying to work out who set it on fire, and how much it's gonna cost to fix it. And also why there's a big hole in the wall."
"Oh."
"Yeah. I read in the newspaper this morning that chemicals were used to fuel the fire. Sparx was lucky to get out. These Eco-Villains have taken it up a notch, Ace."
"And there's no one around to protect you, kid. So be careful."
"Don't worry, Ace. We will. See you."
"Bye, kid." Ace hung up and thought about Mark's words. If they couldn't find the Knights, Ace figured the bad guys would probably think that they'd died in the fire, leaving Mark and his friends as open targets.
"'Sup?" Sparx sat on the sand beside him, a huge grin on her face. The girls had won. Possibly because mysterious little breezes from Linka's ring had kept snatching the ball from the boys, but that was beside the point.
"Mark rang."
"And?"
"He said we're going to have to stay here until they fix the Tower."
"Oh, well. I can think of worse places to stay than on a tropical island paradise."
"Normally, I'd agree. But right now, we need to be back there protecting Mark, and figuring out how clear up this mess."
Sparx nodded. Ace was about to say something, but Sparx beat him to it. "Let me guess, we need to talk strategy."
"Yep."
Sparx sighed.
---
"It would be good if we could find a way to take out Duke Nukem first, so we don't have to wear Hazchem suits the whole time we're fighting. They're great when it comes to stopping radiation, but hopeless to fight in." said Kwame.
Ace, Sparx, and the Planeteers were sitting in a circle on the beach, a large floor plan of the factory etched in the sand.
"Besides, Captain Planet can't help us until Nukem's radiation is gone."
"Can we lure him away from the others and blast him?" asked Sparx.
"Lure him away, maybe. Blast him, no. It may work on your enemies, but it would kill ours or cause them to explode." Gi told her.
"Rats."
"So, how do we handle your other freaks?" Ace asked.
"Well, you're stronger than most of them, and Sparx can fight, so I guess that would be the way to go," Kwame told him
"Um, speaking of fighting, Sparx, how should we handle your bad guys?" asked Linka. Gi nodded.
Sparx smiled at the girls. "You use what your beloved nature has provided,"
"What?"
Sparx grinned even more. "Your knee, and their particulars,"
"Ahh."
"Right, then," Wheeler shifted uncomfortably. "Now that's sorted, who's taking on whom?"
"Bags I Dr. Blight!" called out Sparx. "She and I have some issues that need sorting,"
"Take it easy, Sparx. We're going to have to spread ourselves out a bit further than just one each," warned Ace.
"So? I can handle it."
"O.K.," said Kwame, "We've got five days before Mark, Chuck, and Kat are free from school. That's not a whole lot of time to prepare for one of the biggest battles of our lives. Wheeler, I want you to study every inch of that factory via the screen. Watch what those guys are up to, learn their routine. Linka, if Wheeler finds any alarms, you need to work out how to trip them. We need to get in quietly."
"I guess that means you and me'll be working together, babe." Wheeler grinned at Linka.
Kwame turned to Gi. "Gi, can you remember what was on the labels of the crates we hid behind?"
"Yeah, various chemicals, a few poisons. Why?"
"You need to work out what they're making in that factory, and find out what they're up to. Ma-Ti, you help our new friends here, show them around; tell them anything they want to know. I'll do a background check on the factory, see if there's any historical importance, hidden tunnels, that sort of thing. And I'll try and find a place where we can get at Nukem without drawing attention to ourselves." He turned to Ace and Sparx. "You guys do what you need to do, Ma-Ti will be around to help you. We'll all meet back here this evening for a progress report."
Everyone stood up, and Kwame, Wheeler, Linka, and Gi filed off towards Gaia's hut, Leaving Ace Sparx and Ma-Ti standing on the beach.
"Hey, kid," Sparx asked Ma-Ti, "How come you got stuck babysitting us?"
"Sparx!" said Ace.
Ma-Ti smiled at him, "It is O.K." He turned to Sparx. "The other Planeteers do not think I can handle as much responsibility as them, because I am so young,"
"But I thought you had the most important power, that sounds like a lot of responsibility to me," frowned Ace.
Ma-Ti shrugged. "So what do you have planned for today?"
"Is there anywhere that we can use for target practice?" Sparx asked him.
"Sure. Follow me."
Inside the hut Wheeler slapped the screen in front of him impatiently. "If only this stupid thing had sound, then we could listen in on them and find out what they're up to easily."
"Well, it doesn't, Yankee. So get to work." Linka told him.
Gi was sitting beside them, scribbling down what was on the labels of all the drums and crates lying around the factory. When she had a long list, she disappeared into her lab to work out what they were making with their toxic ingredients. Kwame had taken his laptop outside, and was perched up a tree to get some peace and quiet. He typed 'History Conestoga Hills' into a search engine, and started hunting.
"Looks like it's just the two of us, then." Wheeler yawned, and stretched his arm around Linka, just as she saw what she wanted, a small security camera with a company abel on it. Linka stood up.
"No, it looks like it's just you." She went into her room and started working on her computer.
"Great." Wheeler sank back in his chair and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
"I'm bored," Sparx told Ace, who was doing chin-ups on a branch. They had practiced their aim by blasting coconuts perched on rocks of varying heights. Any that weren't completely destroyed quickly had had the milk sucked out of them by Suchi, Ma-Ti's monkey.
Ace stopped his chin-ups and looked at Sparx, hanging upside-down from another branch. He sighed. "We still haven't thought of a way to tell Random about what's been going on. I'd ask Mark to, but there's no telling what mood Random will be in."
"I could try and send him a message," offered Ma-Ti. "One of my powers is telepathy."
Ace shrugged. "Go for it, kid."
Ma-Ti nodded and raised his hand with the ring on it to his head. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he sent out a thought to Random, whose mind was much harder to penetrate than most.
Random, waiting around at the junkyard, tried to ignore the new voice at first, certain that it was his evil side trying to take over again. He had fought it for a long time, and he wasn't going to let it get to him now.
Random Virus, it is me, Ma-Ti, one of the Planeteers, he heard it say.
No! I don't believe you. You're not going to win this! I'm a Lightning Knight! he shot back at it.
Random, please believe me. Ace and Sparx are here with me. I'll ask them to say something.
Random waited a moment, not sure if he could trust this new voice. It started again suddenly.
Ace says 'Please listen Lightning Knight,' and Sparx says . . . Um, Sparx says, 'Get real, Lugnut! This is a serious situation we've got here!'
Random couldn't help smiling. All right, I'll listen. What do you need to tell me?
Ma-Ti, sitting on the beach on Hope Island, smiled up at the other two Knights, before telling Random about the fire, and that Ace and Sparx were staying on Hope Island to help the Planeteers plan for the battle while Mark and his friends were at school.
Thanks, Ma-Ti. I'll be ready, Random sent when the story was finished.
I believe you, my friend. Ma-Ti cut the connection and stood up. "He'll be ready," he told Ace and Sparx. "So now it is important that you are."