Chapter Seven: Rescue
"Who's he?" Jenny asked.
"Steven Turner is the man who invented the SS-36." Norene answered over the head phone, "If the swarm has any weakness, he's the one to ask."
"Great!" Jenny put her battle face back on, "Tell me where I can find him."
"Well, that's just it. Apparently, he's gone missing." Her mother admitted.
Jenny's expression sank once again.
"Well that's no help! What are we going to do?" she cried.
"Well, you might start by checking his laboratory. I'm still getting a signal, so it shouldn't have been absorbed yet. It should still be in one of the unaffected sections of Quakerton." Norene explained, "You need to sneak back in there and look for clues to his whereabouts. At the very least, you need to download his research and bring it back to me."
"Alright, just give me the address and I'll see what I can do." Jenny answered, committed to solving this crisis.
After receiving the address from her mother, Jenny hung up the phone and flew back towards the unaffected part of the city. She hid behind the buildings along the outskirts so that Shadow Swarm wouldn't see her. Once inside the city, she followed the streets until she came to the building with the matching address. It looked pretty banged up. There was a gaping hole in the roof, which would make a good entrance for her. Jenny flew, as quietly as she could, up onto the roof and into the hole.
Once she landed, Jenny took a look around. She was in a dark and spooky room. There were many odd machines all over, which cast even odder shadows by the light coming in through the ceiling. Jenny saw a large desk which, presumably, was where Dr. Turner would have sat. There was a desktop computer sitting on the desk. Jenny thought it very likely that that's where she would find all the research describing Shadow Swarm. She walked up to the desk and activated the computer.
"Huh, who's there?" came a weak voice from somewhere by the wall.
Jenny nearly jumped out of her metallic skin.
"Wha? Who's there!" she yelled into the darkness.
"I asked you first." The voice returned.
Jenny followed the voice and found that it was coming from a glass tank. Inside the tank was what appeared to be another nanyte swarm. But this one was much smaller and looked silvery instead of black. Though, somehow, this swarm didn't seem so dangerous, Jenny wasn't one to take any chances. She converted her arm back into a blaster and aimed right at the tank.
"Tell me who you are!" She demanded, "Are you part of Shadow Swarm?"
"No," came the unhappy reply, "I'm the fool who made him."
"Oh my gosh!" Jenny exclaimed in realization, "Are you Steven Turner?"
"What's left of him." The swarm answered.
Jenny could sense the depression in his voice.
"Listen. I can tell you're really sad about what happened, but we need your help to stop this thing you've created." Jenny said.
"Why bother? It's impossible. I couldn't even stop my own creation from disobeying me." Steve lamented.
Jenny glowered at the shapeless, silver swarm. She wasn't going to comfort him. He caused this whole mess. And now, he was too lost in self pity to even try to do something about it. Jenny returned her arm to normal, strode back over to the computer, copied the file entitled 'SS-36' and emailed it to her mother back in Tremorton.
"I'm going." She said abruptly as she turned back to the tank, "We can do this without you."
Jenny poised her pigtail jets and was about to blast off through the hole in the ceiling.
"Wait!" Steve called.
Jenny hesitated.
"Alright, take me with you. I want to help." He said.
"Fine." Jenny responded, "Get out of that tank and let's go."
Steve was silent for a moment and then said, "I can't leave the tank. It's what's powering me. You need to carry the entire tank with you, and once I'm out of the city, you need to get me an independent power source."
Jenny was annoyed. But if that was what needed to be done, she would do it. She went back to the tank and lifted it aloft with one arm. Then, she flew back out through the hole and started flying over the buildings and out of the city. She was approaching the outskirts when she was suddenly confronted by none other than Shadow Swarm. His black, humanoid form was floating in midair, in front of Jenny. He was using some form of antigravity.
"Are you kidnapping my father, XJ-9?" the shiny, black humanoid asked amusedly, "I realize he's useless, but I can't allow you to take him."
Jenny was at a loss for words. She couldn't maneuver as easily while carrying this huge tank. This was going to get ugly. Just then, they were both interrupted by a honking car horn. It was Brad! He was driving up to the edge of the city in his parents' car.
"How could this possibly get worse?" Jenny thought miserably to herself.
"Who is that little fool?" Shadow Swarm said, glancing down at the human.
"Brad, what on Earth are you doing here!" Jenny yelled down to Brad.
"I have to tell you something!" Brad called back, sticking his head out through the car window as he pulled to a stop, "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened in your mom's lab! If it's any consolation, I'll ground myself for the rest of the month, so you won't be the only one!"
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Brad, but this is a very bad time!" Jenny yelled in response.
She wished Brad would turn around and leave. Shadow Swarm glanced down at Brad, and then back at Jenny.
"Is that little organism a friend of yours?" He asked with a malicious smile that turned Jenny's insides into ice, "Perhaps he and I should get better acquainted."
"Don't you dare!" Jenny shouted desperately, "I'll kill you!"
Shadow Swarm said nothing, but just smiled even more broadly. Just then, a small glob of swirling nanytes separated itself from the rest of his body and took the shape of a wasp. It had glowing red eyes, just like Shadow Swarm. The shiny, black wasp buzzed around Shadow Swarm's head for a moment and then zoomed down towards Brad, much faster than a real wasp could have flown.
"No!" Jenny screamed as she flew as fast as she could after the mock insect.
Shadow Swarm didn't try to stop her. He preferred to watch and see what would happen. Jenny couldn't fly fast enough while carrying the tank. She tried blasting the wasp with her blaster, but it was too small and maneuverable. She couldn't hit it. She had to drop the tank.
"Sorry Steve." She said.
The tank fell onto the street below with a crash. Jenny was now flying much faster. She just might catch up to the insect before it reached Brad.
"What's going on?" Brad yelled, uncomprehending.
The wasp was almost there. Jenny was almost there. It was going to be a photo finish! At the last possible microsecond, the wasp was just a few inches from Brad's face when, SWAT. Jenny had snatched the insect out of the air and squashed it with her bare left hand. She zoomed over the car and then arced around, back toward Brad.
"Whaoh, did you just save my life again, Jen?" Brad said, "I think I owe you one."
But Jenny wasn't listening. She was too busy staring at her left hand, which was now being covered in black.
"What's wrong with your hand?" Brad asked, reaching out.
"Don't touch me!" Jenny snapped, "Brad, get out of here! NOW!"
"Yes, ma'am." Brad meekly answered.
He got back behind the wheel and started to drive away.
"Wait!" came a voice from farther up the street, "Take me with you in the car."
Steve's tank had had a metal ring at the base, where the EM transmitters were mounted. It was intact, even though all the glass had shattered. Steve's nanytes were now clinging to the ring. Jenny flew over to Steve. She had to move quickly. She could feel a tingling sensation in her arm as the nanytes were slowly eating away at her hand. She moved to grab the ring with her unaffected hand, but hesitated.
"Don't worry. I won't try to absorb you. Trust me." Steve pleaded.
Jenny knew they needed him, so she picked up the ring. She threw it into the back seat of Brad's car.
"Alright Brad. GO! And don't look back!" Jenny commanded, "I'll be right behind you."
Brad obeyed, hoping that Jenny would be alright. Jenny turned back to Shadow Swarm, hoping to distract him long enough for Brad and Steve to get away. Shadow Swarm, however, was still high up in the air, watching the action from afar.
"You're mine now, XJ-9." Shadow Swarm laughed, "Look at your arm. Soon your body's mass will add to my swarm and then there will be absolutely no one to stop me from completing my mission! Ha ha ha ha!"
Shadow Swarm continued laughing as he turned away and flew back to the interior of the city. Jenny looked at her arm. Indeed, the black nanytes were advancing. It was a relatively slow process, since she was made entirely of metal. The black substance was approaching her elbow.
"Don't count on it," she said, though Shadow Swarm couldn't hear.
Jenny had gotten herself out of countless dangerous situations in the past and she wasn't about to be defeated now. She was determined to put this creep out of commission. Jenny took her unaffected hand and, once again, called upon the services of her laser blaster. She pointed it directly at her left elbow, closed her eyes, clenched her teeth … and fired.
End of Chapter Seven
Author's Notes: Well, I think this is one of my better chapters, which is why I couldn't wait to post it. Please review and tell me what you all think. This is my current standard for an intense, action packed chapter. Later.