Mr. Stott entered the room, balancing three smoothies on a tray. “Berry colada,” he announced. “Fortified with protein, quality carbs, and an herbal assortment of pick-me-ups. Try it.”
Nate accepted a tall glass and sucked the pink liquid through a thick straw. Coconut dominated the flavor, sweet and strong, accented by the berries. Only a faint graininess hinted at the protein and other additives.
“It’s amazing,” Nate said. “Thanks.”
“Did you show him the map?” Mr. Stott asked Ziggy, offering him a glass.
Ziggy claimed a smoothie, then leaned over and picked up a sheet of graph paper off a small table. “I saw what Victor saw. This should be close to the actual layout. It’s incomplete, but better than a poke in the eye.”
Sipping his smoothie, Nate studied the paper. Half of the sheet was labeled LEVEL ONE, the other half BASEMENT. Nate recognized the main arcade room at Arcadeland, then a single hall that led to a stairway. The basement diagram displayed several intersecting corridors. Most of the hallways ran some distance and then stopped, not at a wall, but open-ended, as if the mapmaker hadn’t known where they went. The halls that were intact led from the stairway to a room labeled SANCTUM.
“If we destroy the Source, Jonas goes down?” Nate verified.
“It would pull the plug on his simulcry,” Mr. Stott said around his straw. “He’d still have his engineered apprentices and whatever other magic he knows.”
Nate stared at the graph paper. “If Jonas knows I’m coming, he could freeze me like he did to Pigeon and John.”
“Freeze you or worse,” Mr. Stott agreed. “He’ll be on his guard after tonight. The sanctum will be locked. His henchmen will be on high alert. Not only did Jonas just repel a potentially devastating assault, but he has also just acquired the object he needs to ensure his success. He’ll be protecting his interests with every asset at his disposal.”
“What do you think, Ziggy?” Nate inquired.
“If the two of us charge in fully loaded, we’ll promptly be escorted to private cells of our own. I’d never tell him this, but Victor is at least as competent as I am in combat. So is Dart. Your friend Trevor went in as a Kodiak bear.”
“He was using a new treat I invented,” Mr. Stott interjected.
Ziggy rubbed his big hands together. “No bologna? If they failed to win through with twice our numbers and surprise on their side, our chances of pulling off a direct assault are less than zero.”
Nate turned to Mr. Stott. “Any other new surprises up your sleeve?”
“I wish,” Mr. Stott sighed. “Ziggy is right. A frontal assault doesn’t sound promising. I have more of my Bestial Biscuits, but you can’t risk changing into an animal while your stamp remains active. I don’t have another Sands of Time. I would require a team of assistants and a long, arduous retreat to produce another.”
“I’ve called for backup,” Ziggy mentioned. “Highest priority alert. But our closest available operatives won’t get here until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Which might be too late,” Nate said. “We have Lindy. She stayed behind to keep watch. She could help. Both of us can fly.”
“And both of you can be petrified or worse at the whim of Jonas White,” Mr. Stott reminded him. “He really has engineered an extremely advantageous scenario.”
“Maybe I could go to the Hermit,” Nate proposed. “He had some amulet that protected him from simulcry.”
“Think he would hook you up?” Ziggy snorted. “A talisman like that could take years to produce. No way would he surrender his.”
“What if I took it?” Nate asked. “I’ve kept a couple canisters of pepper spray in reserve, just in case. I mean, we’re desperate. I’d give it back.”
“Take it by force?” Mr. Stott mused. “Such an item might be uniquely attuned to the Hermit himself. It might not shield another.”
“But if it happened to work, we could sure use it,” Ziggy said. “Can you find the Hermit?”
“I think I know where he’ll be,” Nate said. “I told him I would try to return the Gate to him. He told me where to find him. It would be a pretty big betrayal if I showed up and swiped his amulet. I guess I could ask first.”
Ziggy chuckled. “Right. Feel free to write the request on my personal stationery. I’m sure he’ll be anxious to comply.”
Mr. Stott suddenly sat up straight. “Someone is at the back door.” He hurried out of the room. Nate flew after him.
Mr. Stott rushed down the stairs and answered the door. Summer stepped into the candy shop.
“You got away!” Nate cried, giving her an enthusiastic hug. She hugged him in return, tilting back to lift him off the ground with her embrace. Her clothes were mangled. She felt a little damp. “Put me down,” he complained.
“Everything feels so light,” she replied, setting him on his feet.
“Maybe I was flying,” Nate said.
“Maybe I’m a Tank.”
“What happened?” Mr. Stott asked.
“I ditched the other Tanks on my way back to Arcadeland. I told Roman that I was done with all of this. I acted hysterical. He tried to tell me that I didn’t need to leave, that our part was already finished, but I wouldn’t listen to him. I think they all bought that I had been pushed over the edge. It probably helped that I wasn’t completely faking it.”
“Get to the sanctum,” Mr. Stott ordered. “It’s the guest bedroom. Otherwise, Jonas White could use your simulacrum at any moment to—”
He stopped speaking as Summer streaked away, dashing up the stairs in a blur of speed. Nate and Mr. Stott returned to the apartment to find her waiting in the sanctum with Ziggy.
Summer had questions, so they filled her in regarding all that had happened. She looked as dismayed as Nate felt.
“Summer has tank and racecar stamps working together,” Nate pointed out. “Would her help make a direct attack more possible?”
“More possible than without her,” Ziggy allowed. “But success would remain highly unlikely. Summer shares the same vulnerability that limits you and Lindy—once Mr. White realizes that she has turned on him, he’ll go after her with her simulacrum.”
“I probably shouldn’t have left Lindy at Arcadeland,” Nate worried. “Jonas knows that me, Lindy, Pigeon, Trevor, and Summer are all friends, and that we’re all involved with you, Mr. Stott. Pigeon and Trevor attacked. Summer has run away. What if he retaliates against Lindy?”