Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear (44 page)

FIFTY-NINE

“TAKOTA!” JACK BURST THROUGH the O/A’s protective membrane, sprinting toward his tiny, fallen friend. Davos stepped in his way, his smile belying his evil intent.

“Going somewhere, little boy?” he used a charming tone, allowing his blazing sphere to descend behind his back.

“What did he do to Takota!” demanded Jack. “What did he do!”

Davos snickered. Cheyton slid next to his master and shared in the revelry.

“He did what he had to do. He destroyed your friend!”

“NO!” Jack tried to get past them. In the blink of an eye, Cheyton had him by the shirt collar and shoved him to the ground. Next thing he knew, Cheyton had his legs, twisting him onto his back. Cheyton’s grip dug into his ankles, dangerously close to causing a fracture. He winced and let out a scream.

The possessed Tanakee let go finally, snorting with pride at his work. In one bound, he landed next to Jack’s face. He peered at the boy, waiting for the signal from his master.

Davos gave a tiny half-nod. “Do it.”

“Cheyton! Don’t you dare hurt him!” Enola ordered. He wouldn’t respond. She puffed her chest and exhaled hard. Enormous green flames exploded from the tips of her snowy fur. She directed them at Cheyton. He noticed the onslaught, and in one great leap, managed to hurl his body high enough to avoid it.

After he came down again, Ayita tried to take him by surprise and jump on his back. He saw it coming and tossed her aside effortlessly. She rolled to the grass, unhurt, yet clearly fraught with worry.

“I said do it!” Davos had lost his patience. “Destroy the True Soul!”

Cheyton leapt, twisting and turning until he was over Jack. At the top of his jump, he pointed his heel, aiming between the boy’s eyes.

Time froze. Cheyton froze. The earth seemed to stop rotating on its axis. A moment became an eternity. Jack saw every minute detail of the striking patterns in Cheyton’s fur.

Even though it seemed the entire universe stood still, he saw motion, a grayish earth tone streak cruising with supernatural speed. It smashed into Cheyton, sending him careening across the lawn and crashing against a metal fencepost.

Takota touched down next to Jack. The ground trembled under his feet.

“Are you hurt?” Takota inspected him.

Jack was astounded at his rapid recovery. “I should ask you that question. Cheyton really injured you.”

“All that matters is you’re safe,” Takota propped him onto his feet. “Come on!”

Wobbly and weak, Jack let Takota lead him to his loved ones huddling inside the O/A’s glowing shield.

“What were you thinking!” Amelia tugged him in.

His mom yanked him from Amelia’s grasp. “You almost got yourself killed, young man! Couldn’t you see that was dangerous?”

“Your mom’s right, Jack,” Ben agreed. “You’ve got to be more careful. Don’t try that again.”

He searched their faces. “I had to do something!”

Amelia forced him to look at her. “Next time, wait for my word, okay?”

“But, but,” he stammered. “Are you sure?”

“Just trust me,” she pointed. “Watch!”

Jack looked, though he didn’t want to. Cheyton and Takota were steps away from each other. Cheyton roared, snapping his jaws. Then he hopped up and landed solidly. In a flash of light and a crack of thunder, he split into at least a hundred copies. An instant mob of Cheytons formed a circle, yet Takota didn’t appear a bit concerned.

“Is that all you GOT!” Takota mimicked the move, launching himself skyward and coming down in a loud, brilliant eruption. The flash blinded Jack. Then his vision readjusted and the dust cleared, revealing a spectacular scene. Takota had also separated into scores of duplicates, each of them paired with a different version of Cheyton.

An audible hum exhaled from the spectators. The two gangs of tiny beings clashed, fur flying, teeth gnashing, shrieks of pain and growls of aggression. The action whizzed in a blur, and everywhere Jack turned, the Takota double had an advantage. One Takota thumped a Cheyton in the gut, folding him over then tossing him down. Another Takota held a Cheyton in an armbar, grinding him into submission. In yet another battle, a Takota had his counterpart pinned down, forcing him to surrender.

Just as each of his copies seemed on the verge of defeat, they melded together one by one, once again forming a single Cheyton. He crawled to his feet and staggered to safety. The Takota duplicates did the same, merging into the same physical space, returning to the original.

Cheyton disappeared again, attempting to escape. Takota seemed to know where and when he would come back, flashed into position, and pounded him with a solid blow to the head. Cheyton crumpled. Takota hauled him toward the broken gate where the metal had frayed into a tangled mess. He took a strand of stiff wire and yanked it loose. When he had enough, he wrapped it around and around Cheyton’s wrists. Then he flipped Cheyton over and did the same to his ankles, pulling them behind his back, rendering him immobile.

Finally, Jack allowed himself to relax. He watched Takota let out a heavy sigh and wipe his hands together. The little guy’s self-congratulations didn’t last long. He took a step toward his friends, then stopped short. Eyes widening, he vanished just before a bolt of red lightning struck the ground where he’d been standing.

Takota flashed into reality nearer Davos, crouching, ready to tear into the evil being. Then, just like that, he was gone again. Davos flicked his hands and his blazing orb shot a static-charged stream. As before, it missed where Takota had been by a split second, bouncing off the totaled hearse.

When Takota solidified from the unseen, he was even closer to his enemy, and this time in a dead sprint. Davos sent out a rapid fire, showering the area in tiny meteors, scorching the ground with explosion after explosion. Takota flashed here and there, here and there, moving with a calm fluidity, a total contrast to the frantic actions of the Nagas.

Inevitably, Takota reached his goal, launching his body and thrusting Davos backward and downward, deep into the ground. A sonic boom resonated beyond the river and back. A hail of dirt and rocks and grass fell over everyone. Jack shielded himself, though it was unnecessary. The O/A’s protection kept anything from touching him. He still wasn’t used to that.

Then all went quiet. Jack peered through the dust at a current of smoke drifting from a fifty-foot-long impact crater, the result of the epic clash.

SIXTY

JACK LEFT THE O/A’S SAFETY and raced to meet his protector, plucking him off the ground and hugging him with all his might. The little guy could take it. He could take anything.

“You’re so amazing!” he told Takota. “We’re just lucky you’re on our side!”

People began to filter through the broken gate. They jumped and shouted in celebration, surrounding both Jack and Takota. Then a loud, commanding voice rang out, silencing the merriment.

“All right, all right! Everybody disperse!” Chief Sillay pushed through, nursing a bruised eye. “What are you doing treating these criminals like heroes?” he pointed at Jack. “This child is a thief!” he then motioned toward Ben. “And that man is a fugitive from justice. He’s an escapee, and he’s armed and dangerous. They’re all under arrest!”

“Are you kidding?” shouted a woman in a green
Oregon Ducks
hat. Jack squinted to examine her better and recognized Mrs. Eisenschmidt. She winked at him.

“Are you blind or something?” added a tall man wearing mirrored sunglasses.

A silver-haired woman spoke up. “Didn’t you see what happened here? They just stopped that, that nasty, evil man!” she pointed at the smoldering crater. “If it was a man! Whatever it was, it could have easily come after us and probably would have.”

“YEAH!”
agreed the majority
.

The chief remained stoic. “Protest all you want, it won’t change a thing! These people are in a lot of trouble,” he seized Takota from Jack’s grasp. “And these creatures are the property of Archer Savage Industries.”

“That’s right!” Savage stepped energetically from the main entrance of his compound. He forced into the crowd to get at the chief and retrieve Takota. “And my company is striving to protect this nation. With these creatures, we can do our part. Thank you, Chief Silly.”

The chief coughed. “Uh, that’s Chief
Sillay
.”

“Whatever,” Savage cleared his throat. “You’ve done a great thing for our country’s safety today. I just hope these criminals get what they deserve. The full letter of the law should be brought to bear on them for what they’ve done.”

People became agitated, hundreds shouting at once. One strong voice rose over the rest.

“How can you two stand there and ignore what just happened?” screamed Mrs. Eisenschmidt. “Am I losing my mind? Are we all? That, that…
thing
is some kind of a monster! And the only ones who tried to stop it were Jack and Ben James and those dear little creatures!”

“And their friend Amelia,” Kristy Blades suggested. “These kids have an interesting story to tell. What do you have to say, Chief?”

“I say they can tell it to the judge!” he snapped his fingers at the squad of officers assembled behind him. “Arrest them!”

The men in blue gave their boss quizzical expressions. One of them, a big man, came forward and took off his hat.

“Sir, I…we agree with these people,” he squeaked. “We think Ben and Jack are heroes. We don’t think they belong in jail, and those amazing creatures sure don’t belong in some secret defense lab, either.”

Everyone agreed. Everyone, that was, except two people.

“This is a bunch of bull!” Dillon staggered. He pointed his shaky finger at Takota, still comatose in Savage’s grasp. “That thing belongs in a cage forever!”

“It attacked us!” Mike stood next to his friend. “They’re dangerous, and if Archer Savage wants them, he should have them!”

“And he will,” assured the chief. Then he unleashed his growing impatience on his reluctant underlings. “If you don’t want to lose your jobs, you’d better do what I say and arrest them, NOW!”

The officers snapped to attention and hurried to secure the prisoners. One apprehended Jack. Another took Amelia by her arms. Others raced to Ben and Liz.

“Fine, I won’t fight you anymore,” Ben sighed. The O/A’s force field fizzled to nothing. He placed the machine on the ground and raised his hands in surrender.

“Okay,” the chief nodded to Savage. “The creatures are all yours now.”

Savage grinned from ear to ear. He glanced at Jack, then returned his satisfied gaze to the chief. “I’ll make sure the boys in DoD hear about the brave work you’ve done today. Now, we have a big job to do, so if you’ll all excuse me.”

“Takota! Wake up!” Jack screamed.

Savage’s chest heaved with pride. “Face it. I’ve won. Your friends can flash in and out with those dazzling illusions of theirs, you can show off your so-called advanced technology, but in the end, I’ve won!”

“Not if we can help it!” Enola stood in Savage’s path, her green halo aflame with cloudy formations. Ayita and Pud were by her sides. They each wore firm faces, staring at the man.

“Do I need to hit you with my power again, Savage?” Enola’s aura raged. “How many times will it take before you learn your lesson?”

Savage inched backward. Jack detected Takota rousing from his daze, stirring in the man’s hands. His eyes darted underneath their lids. Then they opened. In a snap he vanished, reappearing between Savage’s French loafers and tripping him to his knees. Then he bounded to Savage’s shoulders and smothered his face. The man jumped to his feet again, spinning and jerking. He grabbed and hit Takota hard. The little creature held fast.

“HELP!”

Then, in one gigantic shift, the ground rocked, forcing the officers to hunker down and let go of Jack and Amelia. Suddenly free, the children got low, along with everyone else on North Point—everyone, even Chief Sillay. He was on all fours, his face wrought with concern.

Savage fell to his belly and whimpered. Takota stood on the man’s back, scanning the grounds, searching for the source of the quake. He shot his stare to the trench where he’d buried Davos. Stones and roots and mounds of soil spat from the hole as all four Tanakee approached the crater together—slowly, steadily.

When they got near the ditch, it erupted. A giant, blinding fireball filled the sky. Davos roared out of the earth. He glared at the crowd, then at the Tanakee.

“I should have listened to the others and destroyed you the second I found you. But it’s not too late. I WILL destroy you! I will destroy ALL of you! Along with the entire city of Willow!”

“Get him!” Takota shouted. In mid-sprint, all four Tanakee disappeared, reemerging on top of Davos, clinging to his arms and legs, attempting to stop him from executing his plan of destruction.

It was no use.

The glowing sphere folded into itself and shrunk to nothing. At the same instant, Davos changed his form once again, splitting from his hair to his feet into dozens upon dozens of black, sinuous, winged serpents. Like missiles, they soared along the river and arched toward the expansive bridge in the distance.