Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula (35 page)

“What? NO, YOU IDIOT!” King howled.

Something tore into my left arm. Looking down, I saw one of the stars lodged deep in my flesh. The pain intensified my focus as the next nine stars soared toward me. Like a deadly game of dodgeball, my body contorted to avoid contact. Eight stars zoomed past. The ninth headed for my face. As I bent backwards, my right hand shot up in the air, pinching the star dead center before it embedded in my cheek. Springing upright, I pirouetted, and with a snap of my wrist sent the star flying back at the second ninja. It grazed his shoulder and continued its flight, sinking into King’s office door.

Without delay, the ninja charged at me, with the other ninja close behind. My star stunt had changed the “taking turns” strategy. The leading ninja leaped toward me in a perfect jump-kick. Imprinting, my body duplicated the jump-kick with more speed and precision. My heel made contact first, ramming into the side of his nose. I could feel the cartilage give way under my foot. Flying backwards, the ninja hit the floor, his bloody nose pushed to the side of his face.

A nunchuck struck the top of my head. I felt and heard my skull crack. In excruciating pain, I fell to the floor. My vision blurred, and sound diminished. King’s words echoed through me:
Tick, tick, tick…tick…Time is up
.

No, it’s not!
Attempting to lift my aching skull, I saw a blurred object rapidly dropping at me. The end of the nunchuck closed in, and before I could react, the ninja jammed it viciously against my throat, crushing my windpipe. I gasped for air that could not enter. The pressure continued, the ninja putting his full weight against the nunchuck. A burning sensation gripped my heart as it beat faster, then slowed.

The pain faded, and my limbs tingled. Warmth spread throughout my body. The blurred brightness softened, creating a soothing glow, dimming to darkness. My last heartbeat thumped in my ear, dissolving into absolute silence.

Above me, a brilliant light appeared made of white fire. The licking flames, alive, spoke my name. My soul responded to the gentle, familiar voice, and gravity lost its hold. Light as a feather, my soul lifted, floating peacefully upward. Closer now, the flames began to move together. Excitement and serenity, two contrasting emotions, worked harmoniously within me as the flames took shape.

Suddenly, I felt a tugging at my core. Like a magnetic force, gravity grabbed me, pulling me rapidly down. The light became distant, then disappeared all together. In a thud, my soul reunited with my body.

Pain returned, though bearable now, and so did sound. I heard a voice, but it wasn’t God’s. He wouldn’t say the kinds of words I was hearing.

After releasing a string of victorious cuss words, King shouted, “I WON, YOU STUPID, DEAD NINJA!”

Rapidly, the pain subsided, and my heartbeats became strong and even, though air didn’t yet flow into my lungs, due to the obstruction still pressing into my throat. My eyes flew open, startling the ninja who still leaned on the nunchuck. My hands darted up and gripped the nunchuck. The ninja stared into my eyes as I slowly lifted him and the nunchuck from my throat, my windpipe miraculously reforming with the ease of pressure. Taking a deep, glorious breath, I thrust the ninja over me, curling up my legs under him so my feet planted on his gut. Exhaling, I straightened my legs, launching the ninja. He flew thirty feet down the hall, slamming against King’s office doors, rattling them.

Whole again, I sprung to my feet. As I faced the ninja slumped on the floor, he stared up at me in awe.

“WHAT!” King shouted, infuriated. “You’re dead! You’re dead! Get back down!”

The ninja slowly lifted himself from the floor and cautiously moved toward me, keeping his eyes lowered. Woozy and bloodied, the other ninjas joined him, the three assembling together. I positioned myself, waiting for their move. To my astonishment, the paid killers dropped their heads in reverence. I understood they were paying homage to the purple-faced ninja who had proven himself undefeatable by rising from the dead.

The miracle totally escaped King. “Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!” he screamed, ironically. “I’m paying you good money! KILL HIM!”

Raising his head, the first ninja’s eyes lifted up to the monitor. “King-san, keep your money.”

Bowing low to me, all three ninjas turned their backs to King and walked past me down the long corridor, side by side, to the elevator.

“Where do you think you’re going?” King screamed. “COWARDS!”

As King ranted at the ninjas who had just left his employment, I gathered the throwing stars. Biting my lip, I quickly yanked out the one sunk in my arm. Within seconds, I felt the wound close. Pushing my robe aside, I stuck the stars in my back jeans pockets.

Tuning in to the office, I heard a henchman move into position behind the door. I knew I only had seconds before he started firing. Pulling the staff out of the wall, I ran, catapulting feet-first toward the doors. The doors burst in when my feet struck them, knocking Mr. Spade down. His machine gun skidded across the floor. Landing on my feet, I gave him a good wallop with the staff, knocking him unconscious.

Turning toward the room, my heart leapt as I looked into my dad’s eyes. In the center of the open space, he sat in a chair to the left of Professor Phillips, with Emery to her right. Dad and the professor stared at me with astonished uncertainty. Emery smiled proudly. Our only obstacles now to a happy ending were the guns held to Dad’s and Emery’s heads by none other than Selma Heart and Detective Paul Reed, the crooked cop.

Perched on a platform in his cushy chair, King glowered at me. Security monitors filled the wall behind him, revealing every inch of the building, except the elevator shaft, and, of course, the lobby. On the stairwell monitor, Detective Conlin, Detective Drammeh, and ten uniformed officers with guns drawn cautiously weaved their way up.

Fixing my eyes on Miss Heart and Detective Reed, I pulled the stars out of my pockets, fanning them in my hands as the ninja had done. It would all go without a hitch if the people I came to rescue sat perfectly still.

In one swift motion, the stars glided one after another through the air, hitting their intended targets. The stars plunged into Miss Heart’s and Detective Reed’s hands and forearms. As they cried out in agonizing pain, Dad and Emery grabbed their guns.

Having seized Detective Reed’s gun, Emery held it on the two henchmen. “On the floor,” he ordered.

With injured arms and hands held carefully to her chest, Selma stood, sizing Emery up. Following her cue, Detective Reed also ignored the command.

Emery aided her analysis by pulling the hammer back.

The smile played on her lips as she slowly lowered herself to the floor. Though in tremendous pain, she didn’t show it except for a wince here and there. Detective Reed wasn’t so tough, crying out the entire, excruciating way down.

Behind me, Dad ordered King, “You, too, on the floor.”

I smiled to myself.

“Down on the floor,” Dad demanded again, a threatening edge in his voice.

Turning around to see why King resisted, I looked to see that Dad held the gun on me, not King. I gaped under the hood, my eyes moving from the barrel up to his face. His crystal blue eyes narrowed on me dangerously. I froze, unable to move a limb in the unfathomable situation.

“No!” Emery shouted behind me. “Mr. Jones, lower the gun. He’s with us.”

Speak
, I instructed my unwilling vocal cords,
If Dad hears your voice,
he’ll put the gun down
.
Speak!
But no sound came forward. Immobile, bewildered, afraid, and despairing, my eyes filled with tears.

Dad’s expression changed to disbelief. His lips began to form my name. Abruptly dropping his eyes, he slightly shook his head. I understood the gesture. He was dislodging the impossible thought. His eyes shot back up to mine, more resolute than before, and he pulled the hammer back.

“Down, now, or I shoot.”

“No! Mr. Jones, you don’t understand.”

Suddenly, Professor Phillips filled in the gap between me and the gun. Facing my dad, she said, calmly, “Drake, lower the weapon.”

“Serena, what are you doing? Get out of the way,” Dad demanded.

Her right arm moved forward. “Drake, this is not an enemy.” Her arm moved down. I knew then that she had placed her hand on the gun, lowering it herself. Turning toward me, she whispered urgently, “Go, my dear. King is escaping from the roof.”

Whipping around to King’s perch, I saw a staircase that had been revealed next to his command center. Through the secret doorway, I heard the sound of helicopter propellers warming up.

~~~

By the time I reached the rooftop, the little weasel was halfway to the helicopter. Scanning the roof, I noticed a long, thick metal chain coiled up next to the roof’s guardrail. Leaping to the chain, I lifted the heavy end, twirling it over my head like a lasso. As the chain spun faster, I released more of it until about ten feet whirled over me. Taking aim, I released the chain. It flew through the air, hitting the spinning propellers and snapping them in two.

King stopped dead in his tracks. His body convulsed in rage. “LOUSY, STUPID NINJA!” he howled at the night, shaking his fists in the air. Jerking around to me, his pointy teeth poked out from his curled lip. “Great! Just great, ninja. Now we’re trapped up here,” he snarled.

Stunned, I stared at him. After everything he’d witnessed me do, I expected him to be quivering in a corner. At least, that was what a sane villain would have done when face-to-face with his assumed assassin. A sane villain wouldn’t reprimand the assassin.

Pompously, he walked toward me, face twisted into a friendly expression. “Hey, ninja, let’s work somethin’ out here. A guy like you doesn’t care who signs the paycheck. Guys like you are always on the lookout for a better opportunity, right?” Crookedly smiling, he lifted his elbows and flipped his hands palms up. “Well, here I am. Opportunity…Hey, I’ll cover whatever this hit will cost you tonight. Heck, I’ll double it! Work for me. I need a guy with your talent. First order of business is getting me off this roof. A smart guy like you already has a plan, right?”

Crossing my arms, I shook my head slowly. I didn’t know if it was the money that made him feel indestructible, or the madness.

Undeterred, King continued to persuade. “Don’t you get it, ninja? I’m your golden goose. Get us outta here, and you’ll have riches beyond your imagination.” Raising his hands to the diamond beacon above us, he cried passionately, “All of this will be yours, too. Give me your allegiance, and the world will be at our feet!”

Huh?
I thought.
Wasn’t there another serpent who tempted in a similar way?
Sorry, you slimy snake, I’ll have to pass.
Turning to the guard rail, I looked down. The way the floor-to-ceiling windows slanted, the side of the building appeared like a long, steep slide. Shrugging to myself, I thought,
Well, why not? It’ll be the ride of my
life, but after everything else, sliding three hundred feet is minor. What’s the worst that
can happen? I’ll die…again.
Hopping up to the top of the guardrail, I sat, dangling my legs, and prepared to go down.

King grabbed my forearm. “Don’t leave me here,” he pleaded in stunned disbelief. “Take me with you.”

Looking down at him, I pulled my arm from his grasp.

His face twisted into fury. Grabbing my forearm again, he sank his pointy teeth into it, like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum.

Yanking my arm from his rabid mouth, I swatted his face, sending him reeling backwards. Quickly recovering, he ran at me, eyes wide, as I lifted my backside off the rail. His cussing followed me down the painfully bumpy descent. I hadn’t taken the metal window frames into account.

As I slid past the second floor, I pushed off the cold glass, landing on my feet to the right of King Pharmaceutical’s main entrance. Slipping into the shadows, I observed the police cars, ambulances, and media collected out front, a circus waiting for a circus. I wanted to hang around and watch King and his henchmen escorted out of his fortress in handcuffs, but I knew I had to get moving if Mom was going to find me peacefully sleeping in bed when she came in to tell me the good news.