[Janitors 04] Strike of the Sweepers by Tyler Whitesides Page B

The rushing air stole Spencer’s breath as they zoomed down behind the unsuspecting Sweeper.
    When they were still some distance away, Dez pulled up hard, his wings snapping out and catching the wind like sails. “I’ll handle this one,” Dez said. Then his arms opened, and Spencer fell hard onto the angled arm of the crane.
    It should have knocked the wind out of him, but Spencer’s Glopified jumpsuit absorbed the impact and he felt no pain. Still, he let out a cry of fear and surprise. There was really no way to hold it in at such a terrifying height. Spencer clung to the metal crane arm as he tipped his head to see the Sweeper above him. She leapt to her feet with surprising agility for a woman of her size. Her wings curled outward to steady her as pink eyes honed on Spencer, who was clinging helplessly a few feet down.
    The Sweeper’s taloned hand reached for the walkie-talkie at her side. No sooner had she unclipped it from her belt than Dez Rylie struck like a diving falcon. His force knocked her from the tip of the crane, and she reeled in the air for a moment before her own wings caught her fall.
    Her walkie-talkie clattered down the crane arm. Spencer reached out, but it bounced over the edge, spiraling toward the construction site below. Spencer watched the little black device fall, illuminated by the floodlights.
    When the walkie-talkie was about twelve feet from the ground, it struck the invisible force field that spanned the top of the chain-link fence. Magic rippled like water disturbed by a thrown stone. It sent an audible hum across the entire construction site, lighting up the whole force field for one brief second. Then the walkie-talkie exploded into unrecognizable fragments.
    Spencer’s eyes were wide. Agnes wasn’t joking about the Glopified fence. His grip around the crane arm tightened as he realized that a fall would completely obliterate him.
    The exploding walkie-talkie would have surely alerted the two Sweeper guards at the gate. But Spencer couldn’t worry about them at the moment. The Sweeper was flapping her wings. She didn’t look very graceful or experienced, but that didn’t stop her from rising toward Spencer’s precarious position on the crane.
    Spencer cast his eyes around frantically. “Dez!” he yelled. Stealth was no longer a thought in his mind. “Where are you?”
    From somewhere below, Spencer heard the kid’s voice. “Just let go, Doofus! I’ll probably catch you!”
    “ Probably? ” Spencer yelled. There was no way he was letting go. The plan was shot and time was ticking away. If they didn’t spray the Sweeper soon, the green solution would be unable to erase the whole skirmish from her mind.
    The fat Rubbish woman shrieked below him. Her wings painstakingly bore her plump body up toward Spencer and the crane.
    With sweaty hands, Spencer drew his green spray bottle. He figured he’d have one good shot before the Sweeper reached him. If he hit her, she would plummet down and explode in the force field. He didn’t like the idea, but did he have a choice?
    Dez suddenly flapped up beside him, feet finding purchase on the tilted crane arm.
    “Give me that green spray,” he said. “She’s so slow, I think I can blast her in midflight.”
    “I thought your clumsy hands couldn’t hold on to anything,” Spencer said.
    Dez shrugged. “That was before.” He reached down and easily plucked the spray bottle from Spencer’s grasp. “I just didn’t feel like carrying Penny.”
    Spencer didn’t have time to yell at Dez for lying. In the next moment, the fat Sweeper rose into view, her sharp fingers reaching out for Spencer.
    Dez aimed the spray bottle and shot a stream of green solution into the woman’s face. Her pink eyes rolled back as consciousness slipped away from her. Then her leathery wings spasmed, one of them catching Spencer across the shoulder and knocking him back. He slipped from the crane arm and found himself in a gut-wrenching free fall.
    The