know about sneak suits? Would it just chalk her up to a smudge on its lens?
Apparently, Shay wasn't waiting to find out. Her suit's camouflage had changed into the sleek black of armor. She pulled herself silently out into the open, pointed at the camera, and drew her finger across her throat.
Tally knew what she had to do.
In a single motion, she whipped the rifle from behind her back. It struck the hovercam with a crack, sending it flying across the museum, past the astonished crumbly's head, and careening into a wall.
It dropped to the floor, stone-cold dead.
Instantly, a screaming alarm filled the room.
Shay burst into motion, running toward the ladder. Tally squeezed out of her corner and followed, ignoring the astonished crumbly's cries. But as Shay jumped for the ladder, a metal sheath snapped shut around it. She bounced back with a hollow clang, her suit cycling through a sequence of random colors from the impact.
Tally swept her eyes around the museum—there was no other way out.
One of the two remaining hovercams buzzed straight up to her face, and she smashed it with another blow from the rifle butt. She swung at the other one, but it shot away into a corner of the ceiling, like a nervous housefly trying not to get swatted.
"What are you doing here?" the crumbly shouted.
Shay ignored him, gesturing at the remaining hovercam. "Kill that!" she ordered, her voice distorted by the sneak suit's mask, then spun back toward the shelves, riffling through them as fast as she could.
Tally grabbed the heaviest-looking object she could find—some sort of power hammer—and took aim. The camera was flitting back and forth in a panic, swinging its lens one way and then the other, trying to keep track of both her and Shay. Tally took a deep breath, watching the pattern of its movements for a moment, her mind racing through calculations…
The next time the hovercam's lens left her for Shay, she threw.
The hammer hit the camera dead center, and it dropped to the floor, sputtering like a dying bird.
The crumbly jumped away from it, as if a wounded hovercam were the most dangerous thing in this museum of horrors.
"Be careful!" he shrieked. "Don't you know where you are? This place is deadly!"
"No kidding," Tally said, looking down at the rifle. Was it powerful enough to cut through metal?
She took aim at the sheath that had covered the ladder, braced herself, and pulled the trigger…
It made a clicking sound.
Bubblehead, thought Tally. No one kept loaded guns in a museum. She wondered how long it would be before the ladder would open back up to reveal one of the evil machines from the shaft, fully awake and primed to kill.
Shay knelt in the middle of the museum, a small ceramic bottle clutched in her hands. She placed it on the floor and grabbed the rifle from Tally, lifting it over her head.
"No!" the crumbly cried as the rifle butt swung down, hitting the bottle with a dull thud. Shay raised the weapon for another swing.
"Are you crazy?" the crumbly yelled. "Do you know what that is?"
"Actually, I do," Shay said, and Tally could hear the smirk in her voice. The bottle was making its own beeping noise, the little red warning light on it flashing furiously.
The crumbly turned away and started climbing up the shelves behind him, throwing aside ancient weapons to clear space for his hands.
Tally turned to Shay, remembering not to use her name aloud. "Why is that guy climbing the walls?
Shay didn't respond, but on the next swing of the rifle, Tally got her answer.
The bottle broke open, and a silvery liquid streamed from it, spreading out across the floor. The liquid flowed into many rivulets, stretching out like some hundred-legged spider after a long nap.
Shay hopped away from the spill, and Tally took a few steps back herself, unable to take her eyes from the mesmerizing sight.
The crumbly looked down and let out a horrible howl. "You let it out? Are you insane?"
The liquid began to sizzle, and the
Apparently, Shay wasn't waiting to find out. Her suit's camouflage had changed into the sleek black of armor. She pulled herself silently out into the open, pointed at the camera, and drew her finger across her throat.
Tally knew what she had to do.
In a single motion, she whipped the rifle from behind her back. It struck the hovercam with a crack, sending it flying across the museum, past the astonished crumbly's head, and careening into a wall.
It dropped to the floor, stone-cold dead.
Instantly, a screaming alarm filled the room.
Shay burst into motion, running toward the ladder. Tally squeezed out of her corner and followed, ignoring the astonished crumbly's cries. But as Shay jumped for the ladder, a metal sheath snapped shut around it. She bounced back with a hollow clang, her suit cycling through a sequence of random colors from the impact.
Tally swept her eyes around the museum—there was no other way out.
One of the two remaining hovercams buzzed straight up to her face, and she smashed it with another blow from the rifle butt. She swung at the other one, but it shot away into a corner of the ceiling, like a nervous housefly trying not to get swatted.
"What are you doing here?" the crumbly shouted.
Shay ignored him, gesturing at the remaining hovercam. "Kill that!" she ordered, her voice distorted by the sneak suit's mask, then spun back toward the shelves, riffling through them as fast as she could.
Tally grabbed the heaviest-looking object she could find—some sort of power hammer—and took aim. The camera was flitting back and forth in a panic, swinging its lens one way and then the other, trying to keep track of both her and Shay. Tally took a deep breath, watching the pattern of its movements for a moment, her mind racing through calculations…
The next time the hovercam's lens left her for Shay, she threw.
The hammer hit the camera dead center, and it dropped to the floor, sputtering like a dying bird.
The crumbly jumped away from it, as if a wounded hovercam were the most dangerous thing in this museum of horrors.
"Be careful!" he shrieked. "Don't you know where you are? This place is deadly!"
"No kidding," Tally said, looking down at the rifle. Was it powerful enough to cut through metal?
She took aim at the sheath that had covered the ladder, braced herself, and pulled the trigger…
It made a clicking sound.
Bubblehead, thought Tally. No one kept loaded guns in a museum. She wondered how long it would be before the ladder would open back up to reveal one of the evil machines from the shaft, fully awake and primed to kill.
Shay knelt in the middle of the museum, a small ceramic bottle clutched in her hands. She placed it on the floor and grabbed the rifle from Tally, lifting it over her head.
"No!" the crumbly cried as the rifle butt swung down, hitting the bottle with a dull thud. Shay raised the weapon for another swing.
"Are you crazy?" the crumbly yelled. "Do you know what that is?"
"Actually, I do," Shay said, and Tally could hear the smirk in her voice. The bottle was making its own beeping noise, the little red warning light on it flashing furiously.
The crumbly turned away and started climbing up the shelves behind him, throwing aside ancient weapons to clear space for his hands.
Tally turned to Shay, remembering not to use her name aloud. "Why is that guy climbing the walls?
Shay didn't respond, but on the next swing of the rifle, Tally got her answer.
The bottle broke open, and a silvery liquid streamed from it, spreading out across the floor. The liquid flowed into many rivulets, stretching out like some hundred-legged spider after a long nap.
Shay hopped away from the spill, and Tally took a few steps back herself, unable to take her eyes from the mesmerizing sight.
The crumbly looked down and let out a horrible howl. "You let it out? Are you insane?"
The liquid began to sizzle, and the
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