McKendrick.”
“Good. I’ll get the police to call your house and let your folks know that you’re all right.”
“I’m not going home?”
“Not yet. I want you to tell me everything about that warehouse and the men who chased you. The colonel’s scheduled a meeting in fifteen minutes. So get some rest because it’s going to be a long night.”
“Can you do me a favor first?” Lance asked. “Abby here needs to get back home. . . . Can you take her?”
Paragon nodded. “All right. What about you?” he asked Thunder.
“I’m cool. I’m not expected home for another hour.”
“OK. Lance, you better be here when I get back. I mean it.”
Paragon scooped Abby up in his arms and launched himself into the air.
Lance glanced at the others and then turned in a slow circle, taking in the military vehicles and dozens of soldiers. “So . . . What exactly is going on here?” he asked Thunder.
The boy ignored him, and passed a slip of paper to Roz. “My number. I’m guessing that this isn’t over. You need me, just call.”
“What about Abby?”
“I can contact her. I know where she lives.”
Roz nodded, then Thunder vaulted easily over the low fence and ran across the field.
After a couple of seconds, Lance asked Roz, “Was that guy wearing a wet suit? What a dweeb!”
“He can hear you, you know,” Roz said. “Super-hearing.”
Lance smirked. “Yeah, right.”
Thunder’s voice appeared out of nowhere: “She is right. I can hear everything.”
“Now that’s just creepy,” Lance said. “So, uh, Ms. Dalton? What’s happening here?”
“Call me Roz,” she said. She told Lance about the attack on the power plant, and the fight with Slaughter.
“And the other two just showed up?” Lance asked. “Scubaboy and the cute chick just decided they were superheroes?”
Roz’s eyes narrowed a little. “The cute chick?”
“Um . . . I mean, the cute babe.” He saw her expression of distaste and hastily suggested, “Girl?”
“It’s the cute part that I find objectionable. But, yes, they just turned up. Thunder was able to listen in on the terrorists—they referred to something called The Helotry, but we don’t know exactly what that means.”
“I’ve heard that word before,” Lance said. “Recently, I mean. . . .” He shrugged. “So what were they after?”
“We don’t know.”
“But you said that the power plant isn’t even operational yet, right? That means they can’t have been after the uranium.”
“Plutonium,” Roz corrected. “The plant was finished ahead of schedule . . . ,” Roz said. A frown line appeared on her forehead. “So that could mean that they had to move their plans up.”
“Right. They took advantage of everyone getting the flu and they . . . Wait, how did the bad guys know that they wouldn’t get sick?”
“We think they caused it,” Roz said.
“Nah. . . . They wouldn’t make the whole world sick just to distract everyone’s attention from the attack on the power plant.” It was his turn to frown. “Thunder was right—this isn’t over, is it? They’re planning something much bigger than this. And they want everyone out of the way because . . . I’ve no idea.”
A passing soldier sneezed violently, and Lance flinched. “Oh great. Now we probably have it too.”
Roz stared at him.
“What?”
“You go to school, right?”
“When the mood strikes me. Why? Don’t you?”
“No, I’m homeschooled. But is anyone in your school sick?”
“Sure. Lots of them. So many that school was actually canceled today. My math teacher got it first, then the social studies teacher, then . . . Huh. That’s odd. . . .”
“Only the teachers, right?” Roz asked.
“Yeah. . . . My folks are sick, so are most of my aunts and uncles. But not me or my brother or any of my cousins, that I know of.”
Roz nodded. “That’s what I thought. The plague is only affecting the adults.”
CHAPTER 12
Abby pointed toward the yard at the
“Good. I’ll get the police to call your house and let your folks know that you’re all right.”
“I’m not going home?”
“Not yet. I want you to tell me everything about that warehouse and the men who chased you. The colonel’s scheduled a meeting in fifteen minutes. So get some rest because it’s going to be a long night.”
“Can you do me a favor first?” Lance asked. “Abby here needs to get back home. . . . Can you take her?”
Paragon nodded. “All right. What about you?” he asked Thunder.
“I’m cool. I’m not expected home for another hour.”
“OK. Lance, you better be here when I get back. I mean it.”
Paragon scooped Abby up in his arms and launched himself into the air.
Lance glanced at the others and then turned in a slow circle, taking in the military vehicles and dozens of soldiers. “So . . . What exactly is going on here?” he asked Thunder.
The boy ignored him, and passed a slip of paper to Roz. “My number. I’m guessing that this isn’t over. You need me, just call.”
“What about Abby?”
“I can contact her. I know where she lives.”
Roz nodded, then Thunder vaulted easily over the low fence and ran across the field.
After a couple of seconds, Lance asked Roz, “Was that guy wearing a wet suit? What a dweeb!”
“He can hear you, you know,” Roz said. “Super-hearing.”
Lance smirked. “Yeah, right.”
Thunder’s voice appeared out of nowhere: “She is right. I can hear everything.”
“Now that’s just creepy,” Lance said. “So, uh, Ms. Dalton? What’s happening here?”
“Call me Roz,” she said. She told Lance about the attack on the power plant, and the fight with Slaughter.
“And the other two just showed up?” Lance asked. “Scubaboy and the cute chick just decided they were superheroes?”
Roz’s eyes narrowed a little. “The cute chick?”
“Um . . . I mean, the cute babe.” He saw her expression of distaste and hastily suggested, “Girl?”
“It’s the cute part that I find objectionable. But, yes, they just turned up. Thunder was able to listen in on the terrorists—they referred to something called The Helotry, but we don’t know exactly what that means.”
“I’ve heard that word before,” Lance said. “Recently, I mean. . . .” He shrugged. “So what were they after?”
“We don’t know.”
“But you said that the power plant isn’t even operational yet, right? That means they can’t have been after the uranium.”
“Plutonium,” Roz corrected. “The plant was finished ahead of schedule . . . ,” Roz said. A frown line appeared on her forehead. “So that could mean that they had to move their plans up.”
“Right. They took advantage of everyone getting the flu and they . . . Wait, how did the bad guys know that they wouldn’t get sick?”
“We think they caused it,” Roz said.
“Nah. . . . They wouldn’t make the whole world sick just to distract everyone’s attention from the attack on the power plant.” It was his turn to frown. “Thunder was right—this isn’t over, is it? They’re planning something much bigger than this. And they want everyone out of the way because . . . I’ve no idea.”
A passing soldier sneezed violently, and Lance flinched. “Oh great. Now we probably have it too.”
Roz stared at him.
“What?”
“You go to school, right?”
“When the mood strikes me. Why? Don’t you?”
“No, I’m homeschooled. But is anyone in your school sick?”
“Sure. Lots of them. So many that school was actually canceled today. My math teacher got it first, then the social studies teacher, then . . . Huh. That’s odd. . . .”
“Only the teachers, right?” Roz asked.
“Yeah. . . . My folks are sick, so are most of my aunts and uncles. But not me or my brother or any of my cousins, that I know of.”
Roz nodded. “That’s what I thought. The plague is only affecting the adults.”
CHAPTER 12
Abby pointed toward the yard at the
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