Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (41 page)

“Not gonna happen,” Takota maneuvered close, allowing the boy to grab hold. A living life preserver. “I’ll never leave you. Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”

Jack’s numb lips cracked into a smile.

“Uh, you guys forgetting something?” the captain pointed meekly up at the river dragon.

Takota laughed. “Don’t worry about Queenie. She’s as docile as they come.”

“What, uh, what’d you do to her?”

“Let’s just say I got in touch with her inner tadpole,” Takota smirked. “She won’t be giving us any more trouble. In fact…”

On cue, Queenie slid her monolithic, horned head to water level. She wiggled her pointy ear and winked, letting out a soft purr.

“What’s she saying?” the captain asked quizzically.

“She’s inviting us to get on.”

Kimbo gestured to Jack.

“Children first, I always say,” he gave the boy a boost. Jack draped over Queenie’s neck. Digging his fingers into the crevices of her rough skin, he pulled up to her spine. She didn’t seem to mind. He must have felt no heavier than a bug to her. Takota climbed up next, turning to help the captain hoist his short, portly mass out of the water. Once on top, they each collapsed, using the giant sea creature for a mattress.

FIFTY-FIVE

“LOOK AT ALL those people! This has to be half the population of Clatsop County!” Ben hit the horn as they accelerated down the steep decline.

“Where?” Pud bounced on the springy seat, trying to grab the door handle for stability. “I can’t see anything!”

He managed finally to climb over the dash.

“Ahh! Whoa!”

From the hill, they saw the entire geography of North Point, a series of rugged and wooded foothills giving way to low flatlands which projected into the Columbia River. The northernmost spot in the town of Willow. The bridge to Washington State loomed two miles further west, a sentry over all boat traffic traversing the treacherous bar to the Pacific. Now it watched Ben and Pud race to their fate.

“Archer Savage Industries,” Ben pointed at a series of concrete buildings surrounded by a phalanx of solid fencing and barbed wire. He weaved the hearse around a haphazard disarray of parked vehicles and loitering citizens. “But who are all these people?”

“Over there!” Pud pointed at the front gate. Ben peered among the masses at a news van, a cameraman and a reporter. He also saw people in suits. Savage’s people. Then they got near enough for Ben to see what Pud was pointing at—Archer Savage himself.

The man had Ayita in some sort of cage. In full retreat toward his compound, he paused and eyed the vehicle barreling at him.

“You’ve got the O/A?” Ben reached out.

“Check!” Pud slapped the machine onto Ben’s open palm. He felt the surge already.

“Get ready,” he warned. They sped toward the heavy gate as it rolled closed. Savage stood behind it, grinning ear to ear. Ben held his hand over the O/A’s surface, steering with his knee, guiding the hearse straight at the ruthless businessman.

“Jump!”

“Woo-hoo!” Pud soared out the window, leaving a trail of dust where he bounced and rolled to safety.

A moment before the hearse slammed into the barricade, Ben pushed open his door and tried to jump. His reflexes proved too slow. The impact came as he slid off the seat.

He expected the force of the wreck to throw his limp body against or even through the windshield. Instead, he felt feathery, drifting, bouncing gently off soft clouds in a warm sky. On its own, the O/A had created a shimmering, violet sphere to protect him. Bent metal and broken glass tried to invade the shield. The O/A held firm, even at low power, the only setting he dared have it on.

Though he seemed in good shape, Willow Funeral Home’s hearse didn’t fare so well. Neither did the gate. The twisted steel and fused metal made a big mess. However, Ben had succeeded in one thing—he punched a hole in the security barrier and made it into the compound. Now he had to finish it.

Several people pushed through the wreckage, yelling at him, asking if he’d been hurt. They backed off when Pud hurdled from behind the hearse. He landed in front of Ben, growling, pressing forward, warding off anyone who dared get close.

Then Ben stepped out of the busted-up rig and everyone moved away faster. Even the agents. Their eyes had gotten big when they’d spotted Pud. Now they began to withdraw, giving Ben wide, unbelieving stares.

“What the heck happened to you?” Pud looked over his shoulder.

Ben wondered why all the fuss. Then he saw his arms and flinched. He seemed abuzz. When he moved, it became especially noticeable. After he waved his hand, he saw another hand, then another, and another. With each duplicate hand joining his, he felt just a little more powerful, then a little more with the next, and the next. Over and over it happened, hundreds of times, until he coursed with immeasurable strength.

“Duck soup!” he raised his fists in triumph. “I’ve finally got it to work! The omnidimensional energy field! It’s stable!” he trained his focus on Savage. “Good news for me, bad news for you!”

Savage dropped Ayita’s cage. He snatched a rifle from one of his minions and fired. Ben thought he’d been taken by surprise. However, the O/A had infused him with such quickness and clarity that he saw Savage’s every move before he’d made them. At first, he thought it was a delusion. Yet the images were clear. In reality, Savage hadn’t gotten the drop on him at all. It was Ben who had the upper hand. He saw Savage’s intent and crouched before the gun went off. The speed of Ben’s movements must have seemed superhuman. He felt superhuman.

He watched the tranquilizer dart zip over him, hitting an unwitting observer, a boy standing next to a man in camouflage. Funny thing, too. The boy looked familiar. One of Jack’s friends, maybe.

“Dillon! Are you okay!” another boy ran to catch him. The dazed kid wilted, bringing them both down.

Pud hurried to Ben’s side and gave him a quick examination, staring him up and down. Ben studied himself again. The O/A sparkled, so did he. Pud gave him the thumbs up while Savage and his men attempted to surround them.

Savage surveyed his assault team. “They can’t possibly dodge twenty darts. Everybody, on my mark! Aim! Fire!”

The would-be shooters didn’t get the chance to squeeze their triggers. Pud acted with his own supernatural swiftness—one second standing in the center of the firing squad, the next holding a surprised agent by the ankle. Ben imagined himself helping. At the speed of light, reality merged with his thoughts. He and Pud incapacitated Savage’s entire crew, racing from one agent to the next, stealing their guns, and shooting them with tranquilizers.

The people marveled. It made Ben stop to consider what had just happened. The O/A. It was working, albeit at its lowest setting.

“All right, Savage!” he stepped toward the cowering man. “Your rent-a-soldiers have been laid to waste by me and my machine,” Pud cleared his throat and nudged him. Ben nodded. “Yes, yes, of course. And my little friend here. You’re no match, so give it up!”

“No!” Savage stood straight. “You give up!” he pointed at the news crew, the cameraman hiding behind the lens, the reporter on the ground aiming her microphone in the sky while shielding herself with her free arm. “You’ve been caught on camera, my friend, your criminal mischief recorded for all the world to see. These creatures belong to me. They’re a part of a highly sensitive project for the Department of Defense. That’s right, our national defense. That means you’re trespassing on a federally contracted facility and interfering with vital matters of this country’s security!”

Savage stopped at the sound of sirens. A police car sped down the hill to North Point, followed by another, right on its bumper. Still others came. Cruiser after cruiser, emergency lights ablaze, horns wailing.

Shouting over loudspeakers for the crowd to disband, the police pulled their vehicles close to the wrecked hearse. As each black and white screeched to a stop, law enforcement personnel scattered in all directions. Using fenders, hoods and trunks for cover, they formed a line, aiming their weapons.

Ben’s pulse raced when a recognizable character stepped out of his squad car. Chief Sillay glared, raised his hand to his mouth, and spoke into a microphone.

“This is your last stand, Ben James. Jailbreak is a serious offense, and now you’re threatening some very important people with a very dangerous weapon. Don’t be a fool. You don’t want to die right here, do you? Put the weapon down and surrender, now!”

Ben noticed Pud staring up at him. Right away, he knew the tiny fellow’s plans. He nodded. Pud disappeared from the spot where he stood and reappeared on top of the chief. A quick bark of pain went over the speaker and the man fell behind his patrol car, the furry animal riding him to the ground.

The other officers seemed to forget about Ben and hurried to the aid of their commander. Ben couldn’t see what was happening, though by the sound of it he knew Pud was winning. Smacks and wallops and groans. Startled cries arose from the stunned citizens while one uniformed body after another flew in the air as if tossed by a grizzly.

With the attention focused on Pud, Ben caught sight of Savage slipping into the front entrance of his compound, making a hasty escape with Ayita’s cage.

Ben followed, but, threateningly, two muscular agents stood in his way. He pictured himself tossing them aside with a flick of his wrist. The O/A responded. The dimensional energy fluctuated, creating in him strength unrivaled by any mortal. Using one arm, he swept the pair away easily.

He didn’t wait to see if they’d been hurt. Though he didn’t want them sneaking up on him, something told him it wouldn’t matter. He’d know, just like he knew where Savage had gone. A feeling told him. The O/A? Probably. After the Winmart experience with Amelia, he already knew it gave him clairvoyance. It made perfect sense, too. If it combined the physical strength of the multiverse into his body, why not the mental power, too?

With the aid of the O/A, he ran so fast he began to glide, his feet brushing the concrete floor through the maze of twists and turns. Behind him, he heard agents shouting, trying to keep up. They had no chance.

He came to a door red-hot with Savage’s sweaty fingerprints. His enhanced state of mind and body allowed him to see the smudges. Savage had to be in there. When he tried turning the handle it refused to budge, so he twisted harder, demolishing the inner workings of the lock mechanism.

Deadbolt in ruins, the door remained jammed. He breathed deep and stepped back, feeling the O/A gather energy. His one leg became many and he kicked the metal slab, sending it airborne into the darkened room.

He stepped inside, feeling a cold sense of terror, though not his own. Then he saw more and more into the shadows, as if a personal night vision had been implanted into his optic nerve. He observed the far wall, the battered door leaning tenuously on its side, its hinges warped and distorted.

What he noticed next made him freeze in his footsteps.

“Liz!” he advanced toward his wife, realizing she was tied to a chair. Then he saw his daughter and his pulse went wild. He perceived something else, from the side, lightning fast and blending with the shadows. It hit him hard. He lost his balance.

As he stumbled, the lights came on. Large overheads stinging him blind. The O/A hummed and his vision adjusted to let him see his enemy, the flawless features, the mane of long, jet-black tufts rippling with life. He recognized Davos from his son’s description. His insides became a tumult of nerves, though he didn’t allow the sorcerous beast to see it. He lunged at Liz. Davos moved quicker, standing between Ben and his family.

“If it isn’t Ben James, the infamous inventor,” Davos noticed the O/A. “Of course. You have your Eteea machine. I hear it’s a powerful one. The most powerful yet.”

“What are you talking about?” Ben asked. “This is an original invention. It’s one of a kind.”

Davos chuckled. “Arrogant humans. That very trait will be your ultimate downfall. You think your machine is so special and unique. You don’t know anything. It’s a good thing, too. A good thing you never learned how to really use it. Now give it to me!”

“No!” Ben held it tight.

“Hand it over, now!” Davos pointed at Liz. “Or I’ll destroy her!”

Brilliant green flames erupted behind Davos. For a second, Ben thought somehow the O/A had caused the bright, shapeless bubble. Then he saw it came from somewhere, or someone else. A once darkened corner of the room lit up, revealing a heavily reinforced cage. Inside was an all-white Tanakee, on fire with an emerald blaze. Staring at Davos, it sent a sharp projection and sliced his rigid cheek.

“
Ahhh!
” he reeled back. “Enola was supposed to be out of range!”

Savage scurried along the opposite wall, rifle in hand. Enola diverted her energy stream toward him. Caught in her ethereal glow, Savage’s frown transformed into a beaming grin.

“What a beautiful animal,”
Clank!
he let the tranquilizer gun fall to the floor and asked Davos, “Why do we have to hurt them?”

“Silence, fool!” Davos lifted his left hand and flicked his fingers apart, conjuring a bright red point of light. As the fiery manifestation grew in size and intensity, Ben felt its heat. Davos twitched toward Savage and sent a thin beam, snatching him with a magical grasp. It threw the man clear of Enola’s cage, ripping him from her charmed glow.

On the floor, Savage climbed to his elbows. “I hate when she does that!”

Davos directed his pale scowl toward Ben while aiming the flaming orb at his wife and daughter.

“You have no chance against me! Surrender or your family dies!”

Ben received the biggest surge from the O/A yet. He moved quick, gliding with steps which seemed simultaneous, and in less than a millisecond found himself holding a stunned Davos by the neck.

Then, in his hand, Ben felt the strangest sensation. Hundreds of veins appeared under Davos’ skin. The tips of his long dreadlocks separated, slicing his body into individual strands, progressing all the way to his feet while turning deep, dark green, almost black. The slender beings twisted from Ben’s grasp, winding into the air, a sudden flock of winged serpents with twisted horns and gnashing claws. They blotted out the light, eclipsing everything in sight, encapsulating him in a cocoon of fangs and armor plating and sharp talons.

The O/A formed another brilliant, protective buffer. Just in time, too, as the flying creatures all at once widened their foul mouths and spat a deadly firestorm. The force sent him jetting toward a wall. He readied for an impact he knew should have killed him. He didn’t feel a thing, though, while battering through the steel-reinforced concrete, leaving behind a massive, crumbling hole. Unscathed, he tumbled into the May sun, his machine’s ethereal shield providing a soft landing.