Читать книгу Shelby and Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes - P. H. C. Marchesi - Страница 4

Hardly anyone called the Kitts – least of all past midnight. When the phone suddenly rang, therefore, Shauna and Shelby stared at it with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion.

“Are you expecting a call?” asked Marina.

“Uh, not really,” said Shelby, jumping over the armchair to reach the faded, slimline phone.

“H-hello? Uh-huh. Ok, I’ll get her,” Shelby said, glancing at Marina with wide, astonished eyes.

“Who is it?” asked Shauna, itching with curiosity.

“It’s the president,” whispered Shelby, handing Marina the receiver. “He says he’s been trying to call you.”

Marina fumbled inside her pocket, flipped open her cell phone, and looked decidedly mortified.

“Mr. President, hello,” she said, apologetically. “Yes. It’s because the battery died. How did you find us here? Yes, of course you have people who can do that,” she added, embarrassedly.

“I can’t believe the president’s calling here,” Shauna whispered to her brother. “Marina must be really important.”

“Yes, we found the kids,” Marina continued, “but there’s a problem.”

As Marina began to tell the president about the klodian attack on Fran, Shauna glanced at Lendox. She always had trouble talking to people she did not know well, but something about him made her feel unusually at ease, so she decided to try.

“Can I ask you a question?” she ventured.

“Certainly. You may ask as many as you would like.”

“What were those sounds we heard before?”

“When your mother was attacked?”

“Yeah,” she said. “It was like something growling.”

“It was a klodian.”

“What about that creepy, moaning sound?” asked Shelby. “It totally freaked me out.”

“That is because it belonged to a space ghost,” said Lendox. “The space ghost is the ship that carries the klodian roomix.”

“What’s a roomix?” asked Shelby.

“You will see,” said Lendox, tapping his ear. “Mirians also use them.”

Shelby and Shauna glimpsed something inside Lendox’s ear that looked like a hearing aid, except that it pulsated with emerald light.

“You’re deaf?” asked Shelby.

“Not at all. What I have in my ear is a ripple emitter. When you throw a stone in a pond, it creates several ripples, correct?”

“Yeah, so?”

“In just this manner, the tap I made creates a ripple in space. My ship is capable of locating the source of the ripple, and thus locating me.”

Shelby’s heart jumped at the mention of a ship. He had always dreamed of flying something – anything. When he was only five years old, he had announced his intention to become a pilot. He had never actually been on a plane, but every night he imagined what it would be like to race through the sky with the clouds below him – and now he was about to fly in an alien ship! Nothing, as far as he was concerned, could beat that. He was about to ask Lendox a battery of questions about the ship when Marina got off the phone, looking as if she had important news.

“I’ve arranged everything,” she announced. “The president said the hospital’s expecting us. They’ll take care of your mom for as long as she needs it.”

“Will she be ok?” Shauna asked, seeing her mother sleep peacefully.

“She will recover with enough time,” said Lendox, so reassuringly that Shauna did not have the least doubt of her mother’s complete recovery.

“Are they sending an ambulance?” asked Shelby.

“Nope,” said Marina. “Lendox can take us there on his ship – it’ll be much faster.”

“Here she comes,” added Lendox, as an emerald trail flew in through the window, cutting the air like a watercolor brushstroke under the rain. “Perfect timing.”

“That’s so pretty,” muttered Shauna, following the brushstroke with her eyes.

“My guess is that you were too preoccupied with your mother to notice Loola before,” said Lendox.

“Who’s Loola?” asked Shelby.

“I am,” said a voice right behind them. They turned around, and saw a tall girl who looked about fifteen. She was not wearing anything that could be considered clothing, for her entire body was covered in emerald and silver scales. Her bright, white hair flowed down to her feet, and her emerald eyes shone brightly from under a pair of square goggles.

“Hello, Loola,” said Lendox, pleasantly. “Thank you for coming so promptly.”

“No problem, L,” Loola said, smiling with teeth that looked as if they were made of pearls. “I was just taking a ride round the block – this planet is awesome!”

“You’re the ship?” asked Marina, flabbergasted.

“Hi, M,” Loola said, cheerfully. “What’s up?”

“That was you I saw before?” Marina cried, remembering the unfocused emerald blur she had not been able to identify. “How come you don’t look anything like Lendox?”

Loola proudly threw her hair back.

“Just because Novia is Miriax’s moon,” she said, with a superior air, “doesn’t mean we’re anything like them. Mirians are totally boring.”

“Thank you, Loola,” said Lendox, amused. “I can always count on you to express your opinion, no matter how inaccurate it is.”

Loola’s brief attention span, however, had already found its next focus in Shelby and Shauna.

“You guys must be S and S,” she said, quickly scanning Shauna and then focusing on Shelby. “Nice to meet you, S.”

For the first time in his life, Shelby felt his heart beat in a way it had never quite done before. He stared at Loola, convinced that she had to be the most beautiful girl in the entire universe. He desperately wanted to say something – something that would impress her, of course – but he could not bring himself to utter a single word. Shauna glanced at her brother, and saw that his eyes had a distant expression, as if he had lost himself in a dream. She had never seen him look quite so ridiculous before, and it was with some effort that she stifled a laugh.

“As you may have guessed,” said Lendox, pleasantly, “Novians are shape-shifters. They are in charge of picking up and delivering a roomix. In other words, they run most of the transportation on Miriax.”

“That’s awesome,” said a dazed Shelby.

Loola turned to him, and smiled so flirtatiously that he felt his cheeks burning.

“You just become a ship?” asked Marina, who was clearly having difficulty accepting Loola as any method of transportation.

“Pretty much,” said Loola, casually. “All you need to do is get into L’s roomix, and then I’ll take you to your destination.”

“Do you call everyone by their first letter?” asked Shauna.

“Uh-huh.”

“What happens if you run into another person with a name starting in L?” insisted Shauna.

“That’s obvious,” said Loola, looking at Shauna as if she had asked a very stupid question. “I’ll just use another L.”

“One day, Shauna,” said Lendox, seeing Shauna’s confused stare, “I will tell you about the novian language. It is quite absurd, if you ask me.”

Loola was about to retort, but Marina, who had been listening impatiently, stepped forward and showed Loola a piece of paper.

“Explain to me one thing,” said the aerospace engineer. “How will you know how to take us to this address?”

In response, Loola’s goggles became as dark as a pair of sunglasses, her emerald eyes disappearing completely from their view.

“Loola has mappix goggles,” explained Lendox. “These goggles can translate any address, from any language, into a grid with coordinates that novians understand.”

“Got it,” said Loola, handing the crumpled piece of paper back to the amazed Marina.

Shelby was just thinking that Loola looked even more amazing with sunglasses – if that was even possible – when he suddenly realized she was gone. In her place hovered a silvery sphere that looked like a giant water drop.

“Where did she go?” he asked, quickly scanning the room for any sign of the beautiful novian.

“She is right in front of you,” said Lendox.

“That’s her?” he asked, his entire face sagging with disappointment. “That’s what she looks like?”

“All novians look like that, unless they are in social mode,” explained Lendox. “Perhaps it is a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” asked Shelby, pretending that he had no idea why Lendox was smiling.

“Novians have a type of paralyzing effect on those members of the opposite sex that are of similar age. It is a defense mechanism they developed over thousands of years against non-novians. Thankfully, it wears off eventually.”

“I don’t feel anything,” said Shelby, shrugging as casually as he could.

“Now,” said Lendox, picking Fran up in his arms as if she weighed nothing, “to get into the roomix, you need to connect to my energy field and form an energy chain. Marina, hold my arm, please. Shauna, you can hold Marina’s, and Shelby can hold yours. Ready?”

“What about Tippy?” asked Shauna.

They all followed Shauna’s gaze, and saw a whitish blob comfortably snoozing under the sofa.

“A cat!” whispered Marina, sneezing as if that discovery had made her allergies worse. “You want to take a cat with you?”

“I don’t have anyone to leave her with,” protested Shauna.

“Don’t you have a neighbor who can look after her?” asked Marina.

“Nope.”

“What about a friend?”

“We just moved here,” said Shauna. “We don’t really know anyone.”

“But we’re going to a hospital,” Marina said, turning to Lendox as if begging for help. “Hospitals are not pet-friendly.”

“Do you not think we can make arrangements when we arrive there?” asked Lendox. “It is, after all, a special set of circumstances.”

Marina glanced at Shauna, and met with an expression that was so pitiful she simply had to give in.

“Fine,” the aerospace engineer sighed. “Maybe while we’re there, I can get something for my allergies.”

Shauna’s face exploded into a smile of gratitude, and she hurriedly grabbed Tippy, who complained adamantly about being woken up so rudely. Shauna awkwardly put the cat in her backpack, and then grabbed Marina’s arm to form the energy chain.

“We are ready,” said Lendox. “Take a step forward with me.”

A step later, Shelby and Shauna found themselves inside a bright round space bathed in blue light.

“I’m feeling really sick all of a sudden,” moaned Shauna, dropping her backpack on the soft floor.

“Me too!” cried Shelby. “Everything’s blurred!”

Even Tippy, meowing in protest, wobbled dizzily out of the backpack.

“You’ll feel better soon,” said Marina, quickly holding on to Shelby before he fell. “I think your body gets used to it – Shauna looks like she’s doing better already.”

“Yeah, she always does,” complained Shelby, feeling nearly too sick to talk. “Nothing gets to her.”

“I can see that,” said Lendox, placing Fran on the floor against a cluster of pillows. “How do you like the roomix, Shauna?”

“It’s awesome!” she cried, sitting down next to her mother. “It’s like a super comfy living room.”

“Except that everything’s spinning,” complained Shelby. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up!”

“It will pass in a moment,” said Lendox, encouragingly. “It is normal to feel dizzy the first time one enters a roomix.”

“I get motion sickness,” complained Shelby.

“What you are feeling is not motion sickness, for one cannot feel motion in a roomix,” explained Lendox, helping Shelby to sit down. “Perhaps that is a good thing, as novians tend to be bumpy.”

“You’re sure we can trust Loola?” asked Marina, somewhat uneasily. “She seems kind of flaky to me.”

“Novians have a tendency to appear that way,” said Lendox. “Loola is absolutely trustworthy.”

“The people at the hospital are gonna freak out when they see her,” said Shauna.

“They will not see her,” said Lendox. “They will only see her trail – if they even see that much. I have instructed her to drop us off, and go back to Miriax for the time being.”

“Too bad,” muttered Shelby, his voice drenched in disappointment.

Shauna, Marina, and Lendox exchanged amused glances.

“Are your eyes beginning to focus?” asked Lendox, suppressing a smile.

“Yeah, finally,” said Shelby. “Did the lights just turn pink?”

“They did,” said Lendox. “We have arrived at the hospital.”

“Wow, Loola’s fast,” said Shelby, as an involuntary yawn forced itself on him. It was incredibly late, and he found himself wishing that he could just go to bed, and deal with whatever it was that they had to do later. Shauna too, looked drowsy as she held on to Marina’s arm to form the energy chain.

“You guys look like you’re fading fast,” said Marina. “Come on – we just need to do this, and then you can crash.”

“Crash into what?” asked Lendox, worriedly, as he picked up Fran.

“It’s just an expression,” explained Marina. “No one’s going to crash onto anything – well, except maybe onto a bed.”

“That sounds dangerous,” said Lendox. “No wonder you need hospitals.”

“Forget I said it,” replied Marina, holding on to the vice consul’s arm and completing the energy chain. “It’s too late to explain, anyway.”

As they stepped out of the roomix, Shelby and Shauna were both too tired to ask any questions, or to notice the hospital corridor with faded linoleum floors and harsh fluorescent lights. They were so exhausted that soon everything that happened felt like a dream. They stood by, in a sleepy stupor, as doctors came to meet them and took Fran away. Then they mindlessly followed Marina and Lendox to some sort of visitor area, and dozed off until they were finally allowed to go into Fran’s room.

“How long do you think she’ll be like this?” asked Shauna, gazing at her mother’s serene face.

“I do not know,” said Lendox. “I have never healed anyone who was attacked by a klodian before.”

“Why don’t we get some sleep?” Marina suggested. “They’ve arranged two rooms for us next door. I guess Shauna can stay with me, and Shelby can –”

“And leave mom by herself?” asked Shauna, feeling a lot more awake all of a sudden. “No way. There’s an empty bed here that no one’s using.”

“Yeah, and a pullout chair over there,” said Shelby, yawning. “I’m already used to it.”

“Suit yourselves, then,” said Marina. “I’m too tired to argue - good night.”

“Tippy can stay here with us, right?” asked Shauna.

Tippy’s ears, followed by the rest of her little face, finally ventured out of Shauna’s backpack. Marina’s astonished look revealed that she had completely forgotten about the stowaway feline.

“Tippy can stay in my roomix,” offered Lendox. “It is very spacious, and you can visit as often as you like.”

“But a cat needs food and water, Lendox,” said Marina, nervously. “And she’ll need a litterbox, which is where cats –”

“The roomix will provide for whatever she needs,” said Lendox. “It senses the needs of any life-form aboard it. I believe Tippy will even get some entertainment when we are not there. Would you like to come with me, Tippy?”

Tippy sprang from Shauna’s backpack, trotted cheerfully over to Lendox, and jumped on his lap.

“I guess it is a yes,” he said, affectionately. “Good night, Shelby and Shauna Kitt.”

“Do you think mom will be ok here, Lendox?” asked Shauna. “What if there are any more klodians?”

“I will be in the room next door. No klodian could come anywhere near this hospital without me sensing it. Besides, your mother’s negative energy has left her system. Even if she were awake, she would not attract a klodian. They would not know where she is, even if they were looking for her.”

He gave them a reassuring smile, and left. Shauna, feeling perfectly safe all of a sudden, climbed into her bed, and Shelby crawled onto the pullout chair.

“Sleep tight, guys,” said Marina, as she closed the door. “Who knows? Maybe your mom will be awake tomorrow morning!”

The next morning, however, Fran was still asleep. She did not wake up that day, or the following day, or the day after that. Five days passed, and still there was no sign that she would regain consciousness anytime soon.

“It’s too bad you don’t have anyone who could stay with her,” said Marina. “Isn’t there a relative in Chicago you could call?”

“I don’t think so,” said Shelby, hopelessly.

“What about grandparents?” asked Marina.

“Nope,” replied Shauna.

“That’s going to make things harder,” said Marina. She and Lendox traded worried glances, and Shauna and Shelby immediately understood that their time was running out.

“We’re gonna have to leave her here, won’t we?” asked Shauna.

“You do not have to do anything you do not want to,” said Lendox. “However, Marina and I must leave tomorrow, and you must choose whether you are coming with us or not.”

“‘Course I’m coming,” said Shelby, with determination. “Shauna?”

Shauna hesitated. In the past few days, Lendox had told them about the mission against Klodius, and Shelby had immediately volunteered – of course he had. Shelby never thought anything through. She, on the other hand, had the hardest time making any decision quickly, and this one seemed to be getting harder by the moment. She looked at her mother: what if she woke up and no one was there? But what if she didn’t wake up anytime soon? Then Shauna would miss the chance to go on the mission, and would let down the only people who had ever believed in her.

“Me too,” she said, finally. “Shelby can’t do anything without me.”

“Whatever!”

The next day, Shelby and Shauna said their good-byes to Fran and followed Marina and Lendox to the roof of the hospital, where a helicopter waited to take them to a military base in an undisclosed location.

“You look worried, Shelby,” said Lendox, seeing him lag behind. “Is something wrong?”

Shelby was caught off guard by this – he did not think Lendox had noticed. The mirian vice consul, however, seemed to be waiting for an answer as he looked at Shelby from behind the sunglasses that hid his lilac eyes.

“I just remembered that I get sick on anything that moves,” confessed Shelby.

“I see,” said Lendox, relieved. “I thought it was something much worse.”

“It’s awful!” protested Shelby, disappointed that his revelation had not been as impressive as he had expected.

“What do you do if you have to take the subway?” asked Marina, who had clearly decided she wanted to be part of the conversation.

“He draws,” said Shauna.

“Doesn’t that make you sicker, Shelby?” asked Marina, baffled.

“I know it’s weird,” he said, feeling self-conscious, “but it’s the only thing that works. I’ve tried everything else.”

“So draw inside the chopper,” said Marina. “No one will mind.”

“I mind,” said Shelby. “I won’t be able to draw when we’re trying to close the dimensional holes!”

“I understand what is worrying you,” said Lendox, rummaging inside his sling bag. “Most worrying, thankfully, is either unwarranted, or easily fixed.”

Shelby had no idea what “unwarranted” meant, but he was pretty sure that Lendox was wrong. His motion sickness definitely did not fall under the category of something that was easy to fix.

“I have something that will help you,” continued Lendox, ignoring Shelby’s skeptical look and pulling a dry and wrinkled brown leaf out of the bag. “This is called an agitex leaf. It will keep you free of motion sickness for about five hours.”

“I’m supposed to eat it?”

“Put it under your tongue. Do not chew.”

Unimpressed, Shelby stared at the shrivelled leaf. Not wanting to offend Lendox, however, he put it in his mouth, and discovered that it had a very bitter taste. It was so unpleasant, in fact, that he decided he couldn’t take it.

“Do not spit it out,” warned Lendox. “Be patient.”

Being patient was not something that Shelby was very good at, so he waited, in total agony, until he began to feel a moldy, honey-like taste replace the bitterness.

“Lendox,” said Marina, intrigued, “how did you know you’d have to bring that leaf? Don’t tell me you have motion sickness too?”

“No,” said Lendox. “I am carrying a connectix bag. It establishes a connection to the medicine warehouse at the Healing Arts Academy in Palanix. Whatever item I want, I need only reach for.”

“You’re a doctor?” asked Shelby, barely able to hide his disappointment. He had not given much thought to Lendox’s profession, but “doctor” did not seem nearly exciting enough for someone leading a heroic mission to save the planet.

“Yes, I am,” replied Lendox. “Unfortunately, I have not been able to practice as much since I became vice consul.”

“Can we see inside the bag?” asked Shauna.

Lendox obliged them, and they all peeked inside. There was absolutely nothing.

“No way!” cried an amazed Shelby. “Can I get one of those?”

“I am afraid only a healer is allowed to have a connectix bag,” explained Lendox as they climbed into the helicopter. “One receives it upon graduation from the Healing Arts Academy.”

“Too bad,” joked Marina. “It could make fashion history.”

They all sat down, and the helicopter propelled itself upwards. Shelby glued his face to the window, half-expecting to feel his stomach churning, and feeling like the luckiest person on the planet when it didn’t.

“Those leaves really work, Lendox!” he said, eagerly watching the untidy rows of tiny cars below. “I can’t believe it!”

“Thankfully, agitex leaves do not require belief in order to work,” said Lendox, pleasantly. “You do not have motion sickness, Shauna?”

“Nope,” she said, cheerfully. “Never had it.”

“I noticed that you recovered remarkably fast inside the roomix. Most people take considerably longer the first time they ride in one.”

“Shauna’s like that,” said Shelby, absent-mindedly staring outside.

“Like what?” asked Lendox, intrigued.

“She never gets sick,” said Shelby, finally turning his attention back to them.

“Never?”

“Never,” said Shelby. “One time my mom and I came down with this horrible flu, and she didn’t even come close to catching it.”

“It’s not such a big deal,” said Shauna. “It was probably just one of those 24-hour bugs.”

“I don’t think so,” said Shelby. “Mr. Ivanovich who lived above us got the same thing, and he was in bed for two weeks.”

“So what?” asked Shauna, feeling her cheeks flush. “It’s possible for someone not to get a flu, you know.”

“Yeah, but mom said she can’t remember you ever having been sick – not even as a baby.”

“I wish I were like that,” lamented Marina. “I hate getting sick. I hate allergies even more.”

She blew her nose and glanced sourly at Tippy, whose little white head had just stuck out of Shauna’s backpack.

“I’m sure I’ve been sick at some point,” said Shauna, uneasily. She intensely disliked being the center of attention, and she could tell that Lendox, even from behind his sunglasses, seemed extremely interested in what Shelby had said. She tried very hard to think about when she might have been sick, but not even one instance came to mind. One time she and Shelby shared an egg salad sandwich at a deli, and Shelby had terrible food poisoning afterwards. She, however, was absolutely fine. She always told herself that she had eaten the good half, but now she wasn’t so sure. She began to think about all the instances in which she should have been sick, and was still scanning her memories when the helicopter landed on a runway.

“Is that Airforce 1?” asked Shelby, spotting a large, white airplane parked across from them.

“No, but it’s close,” said Marina, smiling. “Let’s go - you’ll see what I’m talking about in a sec.”

Marina wasn’t exaggerating. The plane was the most luxurious place Shelby and Shauna had ever been in.

“This place is like a hotel!” cried Shauna.

“A five-star hotel,” said Shelby, comfortably sitting on one of the large chairs. “You guys have to try these!”

“Very comfortable, indeed,” said Lendox, sitting next to Marina and clutching his sling bag. Shauna sat next to him, and noticed that he seemed nervous – even his voice sounded tense. Shelby and Marina, however, were too busy to notice: Marina was immersed in the list of entertainment channels, and Shelby was apologizing to the flight attendant for having accidentally pressed the button that had summoned him.

“How come we need soldiers on the plane?” Shauna asked, seeing two sitting in a corner.

“It’s just a security precaution,” said Marina, who had apparently not found a single entertainment channel to her liking. “They’re accompanying us to the base.”

“How long will it take to get there?” asked Shelby, noticing that the red-haired flight attendant was still firing disapproving glances at him from a distance.

“I’m guessing it’s about four hours,” said Marina. “When I was working on the MG planes, people talked about a secret base somewhere in Colorado. I bet that’s where we’re going.”

“Cool,” said Shelby, as the plane began to move along the runway. “We’ve never been anywhere but Chicago and New York.”

“You won’t get to do much sightseeing, unfortunately,” said Marina. “They’re keeping everything a big secret, so I doubt you’ll be able to get off the base.”

Shelby sat back and sighed. Colorado did not seem nearly as exciting now that he could not go snowboarding or mountain climbing. He did not have much time to nurse his disappointment, however, because the plane began speeding through the runway. Within moments, Shelby felt it tilt upwards and lift off. He could not get enough of looking out the window, and had the strangely persistent feeling he had flown before, though he knew he had not – they had taken the train when they moved to New York City.

Shauna, seeing that her brother was completely absorbed in watching the plane go through the clouds, turned her attention to Tippy, who seemed outraged at the amount of turbulence she was having to endure. Lendox, too, began to shift uneasily in his chair, and Marina finally noticed.

“If I didn’t know better,” she said, “I’d say you’re nervous.”

“I am,” said Lendox. “I am not accustomed to lifeless transportation. First the helicopter, now the plane. How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Trust something that has no soul.”

Marina looked utterly perplexed at this, but a giant sneeze overcame her before she could say anything. She glanced disapprovingly at Tippy, who looked particularly proud of what she had just accomplished.

“Oh, yes, I forgot,” said Lendox, rummaging through his bag. “I meant to give you something for your allergies.”

Marina watched eagerly to see what Lendox would take out of his bag, and stared in disbelief at the little green mushroom he gave her.

“It will retrain your system,” he explained. “Within a few minutes, your body will no longer react negatively when it senses a cat.”

Marina scanned the mushroom carefully from behind her glasses.

“You’re sure this isn’t poisonous?” she asked. “Here on Earth you’d have to be crazy to put a green mushroom anywhere near your mouth.”

“Then perhaps you should allow yourself some temporary insanity,” said Lendox, smiling. “There is nothing better for allergies than green mushrooms. Chew it first, and then swallow.”

Somewhat reluctantly, Marina chewed the mushroom, wincing at the taste. A few minutes later, however, she found herself affectionately petting Tippy without the slightest hint of a sneeze.

“I always wanted a cat,” she explained. “My dad got me a goldfish because of my allergies. I wasn’t happy at first, but I eventually loved Mr. Bubbles.”

“Mr. Bubbles?” laughed Shelby. ”I thought Shauna was the only one who came up with lame names.”

“Very funny,” said Shauna, with a smirk. “Tippy’s a good name, ok?”

“It’s better than Mr. Bubbles, in any case,” joked Shelby.

“Hey, I was seven when I named him,” protested Marina. “I have a picture of him in my laptop. Let me show you guys.”

Marina quickly retrieved her laptop from under her seat and turned it on, while the three of them waited eagerly for a picture of the famous goldfish.

“I actually scanned all my pictures last year – I was going crazy without something to do. I know it’s here somewhere,” she added, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes. “Give me a second – I’m feeling kind of weird all of a sudden. I’m having trouble focusing on –”

To their surprise, Marina never finished what she was saying. Instead, she jumped up, sprang towards the two soldiers, and knocked them out so violently and unexpectedly that they never saw her coming. Grabbing one of their guns, Marina turned to Shelby and Shauna, and they saw that her clear, gray eyes were completely black, as if a dark cloud had swept across them.

“Stay behind me,” Lendox warned, stepping in front of Shelby and Shauna. “I do not think it is Marina looking at us.”

Marina’s empty grin was so chilling that Shauna felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Is it a klodian?” asked Shelby. Since the attack on his mother, he had promised himself that he would confront any klodian, anywhere.

“Yes,” said Lendox, quietly. “They are using Marina to get to us.”

“Good guess,” Marina said, in a hollow voice that was extremely unsettling.

“Have you killed them?” Lendox asked, glancing at the two soldiers on the floor.

“They are insignificant,” she replied, disdainfully.

“Is that what you thought when you attacked my mom?” Shelby asked, his voice shaking with anger.

“Yes,” said Marina, “but you interrupted me before I could kill her. I should have killed you first, and her afterwards.”

An overwhelming urge to lunge at Marina overcame Shelby, but a surprisingly strong hand from Lendox blocked him.

“This is exactly what they want, Shelby,” Lendox said, without taking his eyes off Marina. “Are you going to make it easy for them to kill you?”

Shelby, suddenly ashamed of his behavior, mumbled something apologetic.

“You do not have the right to harm humans,” continued Lendox to Marina. “Your planet could not survive without them.”

“Our planet is doing better than ever,” she said, in what sounded almost like a hiss. “Besides, we only kill a few humans at a time. We have no plans to attack the planet.”

“Of course not,” said Lendox, sternly. “Your aim is to create panic and confusion, and take advantage of those who suffer its effects. You search for the grief-stricken, hopeless, and desperate, because they are easy victims.”

“The weak die,” said Marina, grinning cruelly. “It is the law of the universe.”

“The Earth’s energy has sustained both our planets for thousands of years,” replied Lendox. “You will not succeed in upsetting the balance in your favor.”

Marina ignored Lendox, and turned all of her empty gaze to Shauna and Shelby. Shelby felt a wave of hopelessness overwhelmed him – he had never been so depressed before. He was just thinking that everything in life was pointless, when he felt the warm touch of Shauna’s hand, and immediately felt more like himself.

“We want the twins,” Marina told Lendox.

“You cannot have everything you want,” replied Lendox. “That, too, is the law of the universe.”

Marina stared at Lendox for a moment, and Shelby and Shauna could swear they heard a low growl coming from her.

“Step aside,” she said, “or I will kill you.”

“I do not believe so,” Lendox said, calmly. “Marina is still in there somewhere, and from what I know of her, you will not be able to force her to do anything against her will.”

“I will kill you,” she said, her hand shaking now.

It was then that Shauna noticed Lendox glancing at Marina’s laptop, which was still lying on her seat. Shauna immediately understood: the laptop was, somehow, responsible for Marina’s behavior.

“Shelby!” she whispered. “It’s the laptop! We have to get rid of it!”

Shelby could never explain, afterwards, exactly what had gone through his mind – all he knew was that he somehow grabbed the laptop and quickly threw it on the floor as strongly as he could. Marina collapsed, as if she had short-circuited, but Lendox caught her before she hit the ground.

“Thank you, Shelby and Shauna,” he said, as he carried Marina to her seat. “Remarkable teamwork.”

The flight attendant, who had been humming in the kitchen all this time, now came out carrying a tray of drinks, and nearly dropped them all at seeing the soldiers on the floor.

“Please assist them,” Lendox said. “I have to take care of her.”

The pale attendant put the tray aside, and rushed to get a first-aid kit.

“What took you guys so long?” complained Marina, her eyes returning to their usual grey. “I thought I was going crazy! One minute I’m talking about Mr. Bubbles, the next I’m hearing orders to shoot you!”

“I am very glad you did not,” replied Lendox.

“How did they get to me like that?” she asked. “Can they just get inside anyone’s head?”

“They sent a virus through your computer.”

Marina finally saw her broken laptop lying on the floor.

“Sorry,” said Shelby. “I was just trying to –”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’d much rather have my sanity than my laptop. Besides, it doesn’t look too bad – I’m sure I can get it to work again.”

“It could have been worse,” Lendox said. “At least you are back with us, and the plane is still flying.”

“Now that you mention it,” she said, looking considerably worried, “either there’s a lot of turbulence, or the klodians sent another virus to the cockpit.”

Lendox ran to the cockpit, with Shelby, Shauna, and Marina right behind him.

“Do not touch anything!” he warned, as Shelby rushed in. “The instruments are infected.”

Shelby finally saw the pilots lying on the floor, with dark blotches all over their fingers and hands.

“Are they dead?” he asked.

“I am afraid so,” said Lendox. “Marina, can you fly this plane?”

“Yes, but you just said the controls were infected!”

“Not for long,” he said, going up to the controls and placing his left hand firmly on a gauge. “No matter what happens, do not interfere.”

Lendox closed his eyes, and they watched, horrified, as his hand began to darken, like a sponge absorbing ink. Beads of sweat ran down his temples, and he winced in pain as he kept a firm grip on the gauge.

“Lendox, are you ok?” cried Marina, impulsively taking a step forward, then stopping herself.

Lendox finally yanked his hand away, and collapsed on his knees.

“I have absorbed the virus,” he said, weakly leaning on his right hand. “Fly this soulless contraption, please.”

Marina scrambled to one of the pilot’s seats, and attempted to steady the plane.

“I need someone to help me,” she cried, grunting with effort.

Shelby and Shauna looked at Lendox – Marina must have meant him, right?

“One of you must do it,” he urged.

Shelby jumped up and rushed to the seat next to Marina. Shauna knelt next to Lendox, and took his hand in hers. She wasn’t sure why she did it – she had never simply reached for someone’s hand before – but she felt that she had to help Lendox somehow.

“Shauna, no!” he said, yanking his hand away from hers.

Shauna did not have time to be shocked at Lendox’s reaction, for an unbearable pain on her fingertips suddenly demanded her attention.

“Ew!” she gasped, seeing that her fingertips had turned blue. “What is this stuff?”

“Do not panic – it will go away soon,” said Lendox, hoarsely. “You have absorbed some of the poison. It is my fault – I should have warned you about that particular instinct.”

“What instinct?” she asked, wishing that she could stick her burning fingers into a bucket of ice.

“You are naturally drawn to help a victim of poison,” explained Lendox. “All healers are, but young healers are not always ready to absorb it.”

“My fingers aren’t gonna fall off one by one, are they?” asked Shauna.

“Neither one by one, nor all at the same time,” said Lendox, giving her a weak chuckle. “If you look closely, you will see that you are already neutralizing the poison. In a moment, there will be nothing left.”

Shauna stared at her fingers, realizing that the fingertips were slowly returning to their normal appearance. She glanced at Lendox’s hand, and saw that it was quickly improving as well.

“Aren’t you guys going to thank us for steadying a plane headed for destruction?” asked Marina, turning around from her seat. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice!”

“We did not, regrettably,” said Lendox. “You must forgive us.”

“I do, but I don’t know about Shelby,” said Marina. “It was his flying debut, you know.”

“And I totally aced it,” said Shelby, triumphantly. “I rock!”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew how to fly, Shelby?” asked Marina.

“I don’t,” said Shelby. “This is my first time on a plane.”

“It can’t be,” she cried. “You had it all figured out in just a few seconds – you must have flown before!”

“Nope,” said Shelby. “Sorry.”

“Well, then you’re a natural,” said Marina, impressed. “I’d say you were born to be a pilot.”

Shelby felt his heart race with excitement. No one had ever given him a compliment of this magnitude before. It was one thing to get a B - and even occasionally an A - on some test or other, and another to be told that you had the makings of a great pilot.

“I see you got rid of that stuff on your hand, Lendox,” said Marina. “What happens if they send another virus?”

“They will not be able to,” said Lendox, leaning on Shauna to get up. “The plane has temporarily absorbed my immunity. I believe it will last until we land.”

“Good, because I think I’ve figured out where we’re going,” said Marina, excitedly. “We should be there in a few hours.”

“Let us hope they are uneventful hours,” said Lendox.

“Will you be able to get back there?” asked Marina. “You look a little wobbly.”

“Perhaps, but I have the steadiest and most reliable crutch in the universe,” he said. ”Shall we, Shauna?”

Shauna nodded eagerly, and slowly walked out of the cockpit with Lendox.

“So, Shelby,” Marina said, “it looks like you’re going to be my co-pilot for the rest of the trip. What do you think of that?”

What did he think of that? It was just too awesome to be true.