The Incredible Space Raiders from Space! (16 page)

He kept his eyes on Weasel. “I guess we're special,” he said. “We're not afraid of a bunch of smelly pirates.”

The other Space Raiders looked at him in amazement. Jonah instantly knew he'd crossed a line. Weasel narrowed his eyes.

“Is that so?” he asked quietly, looking around the room. “Is that what you think?”

Leppy was still watching from the corner.

Weasel took another step toward Jonah. “No one knows you're here, little boy,” he said. “And no one cares. You know what I think? I think we need to make an example of you. Locking you in the brig wouldn't work. Didn't work before. No. Someone needs to die.”

His slender fingers were hovering over his gun. Jonah felt his skin go cold. His hands started trembling. Martin was almost at the door now. He could take off and run. Weasel would have to let him go. But Martin the Marvelous wasn't running.

He started creeping back toward Weasel. He moved as quietly as a mouse, his socked feet padding off the metal floors with tiny, tiptoeing steps.

Weasel smiled even wider. “I think the captain would agree this once. But I won't ask, just in case. Any last words, hero?”

Jonah wanted to cry. He wanted to drop into a quivering ball and beg for his life and cry out for his parents and ask for mercy. But once again, space had changed him.

He just stared up at Weasel. The bonker was shaking. His knees were wobbling. He couldn't even bring himself to speak. But he didn't cry. He just faced his enemy bravely.

“I do,” Martin said. “Good night.”

With incredibly deft hands, Martin plucked the gun out of Weasel's holster, stepped back, and shot the space
pirate in the chest just as he turned around. There was a flash of brilliant blue, and then Weasel fell face-first onto the floor.

The brig was completely silent. Leppy watched with wide eyes.

“Did you kill him?” Samantha asked.

Martin shook his head. “They keep their guns set on stun. Captain's orders. I heard them talk about it when they carried me up here.” He smiled. “But he won't feel very good when he wakes up.”

“We better move,” Jonah said, scooping up the portable light. “Thanks, Martin.”

“Least I could do,” Martin replied. He turned the gun around and handed it to Jonah. “Here. The hero takes the gun.”

Jonah smiled. “Then I guess you better hold on to it. Follow me.”

He started for the door, his hands still shaking.

“How do we get back, Jonah?” Samantha asked.

“I know a secret way,” he said. “Just stay close and—”

Leppy looked at him, his dark eyes barely visible through his hair. “What did you say your name was?” he asked softly.

Jonah glanced at him. “Jonah.”

Leppy brushed the hair out of his eyes. “Jonah what?”

He hesitated. “Jonah Hillcrest.”

Leppy stared at him for a moment and then burst out
laughing. It was a manic, uncontrollable laugh. His whole body shook and convulsed, and he grabbed his stomach and kept laughing like he'd gone completely mad. Jonah looked at Martin, confused.

“I'm dead,” Leppy managed through his laughter. “I'm so dead.”

“He's crazy,” Samantha said. “Let's go.”

Jonah nodded and led them out the door, unnerved by Leppy's reaction. The insane laughter followed them all the way down Pirate Road until Jonah plunged into the service shaft, the twelve freed Space Raiders close on his tail. He flicked the portable light off when he was through the door and put it down. They were safer in the shadows.

Jonah jogged down the staircase, peeked out the service shaft, and hurried out. Then he froze. He'd come to the crew's quarters through the engine room. He couldn't go back there.

Samantha stepped up beside him. “Where are we?”

“The service shafts,” Jonah said. “But we can't go back the way I came. The pirates are down there fixing the power line. We need to find another way back.”

“Have you seen the Shrieker?” Martin asked nervously.

“I've heard it,” Jonah said. “It lives in here. Let's go the other way. Look for ladders and stairs. We just need to get down.”

The group took in off in the opposite direction from
the engine room, Jonah at the lead. He wondered if Sally Malik was all right. He really hoped so.

“There,” someone said, pointing at a service ladder that descended through the floor.

Jonah tucked the bonker into his belt and started down the ladder. He took a nervous look below him as he unsteadily felt for the rungs. If the Shrieker attacked now, he was finished. But there were no shrieks or laughs as he dropped to the service-shaft floor, and he pulled out his bonker and waited as the others climbed down with him.

“Two more floors,” Jonah said. “Come on!”

They ran along the shaft until they found another ladder and repeated the same process. Jonah almost slipped on the way down. He really hated climbing.

The group kept moving in perfect silence, no one daring to speak in the heavy quiet of the service shafts. Samantha ran right beside him, looking far calmer than he felt. He could see why she was the most important adventurer. She was fearless.

They found the last ladder to the bottommost level. Jonah had just put his foot on the first rung when they heard it. A piercing, inhuman shriek echoed down the shaft.

Jonah glanced up at the others. “Move!” he shouted.

He climbed down the ladder as fast as he could and dropped to the floor. He looked around, raising the bonker.
But he realized the laughter was coming from the second level. Right where the others were waiting to use the ladder.

“Faster!” he said.

Samantha dropped down beside him, brushing the long hair out of her eyes and glancing at Jonah. “They're not going to make it.”

“They'll make it,” Jonah said.

More Space Raiders scurried down the ladder. The laughter was growing louder and louder. Eight of them were down when Jonah realized Martin was still up there. The shrieks were close now. The ninth Space Raider had just put her foot on the stairs when a shot rang out. A blue flash lit up the darkness above them, and the shrieking stopped. The ninth Space Raider dropped to the ground, and then Martin climbed down after them.

He grinned and patted the gun tucked in his belt. “I like this thing.”

“Did you shoot it?” Jonah asked incredulously.

“No, just a warning shot. But it took off.”

Jonah just shook his head. “Let's get you guys home.”

It took a few minutes to locate in the eerie lighting, but they eventually found a door out of the service shaft. Jonah pulled it open and was greeted by the welcome sight of the Haunted Passage. He quickly looked around for Sally. The hallway was empty.

The rest of the Space Raiders hurried out. Jonah felt
his stomach knotting up. Had something happened to Sally?

“Shouldn't we keep moving?” Samantha asked.

“You guys go,” Jonah said. “I have to go back for—”

“The space princess?”

Jonah turned and saw Sally walk out of the service shaft wearing a sly smile.

“I'm touched,” she said. “But I'm fine. Wrinkles never had a chance.”

Jonah heard the others whispering behind him, and he turned to face them. “This is Sally Malik, space rat. She's the one who helped me rescue you.”

“I thought I was a space princess,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Nah,” Jonah said. “A princess couldn't shriek like that. Why don't you come back with us? You can live in the sectors again.”

The smile disappeared from Sally's face. “I don't belong there. Sorry. And I don't think you lot belong there either.” She glanced down the hall. “Speaking of which, time to disappear.” She gave Jonah a mock salute. “See you in the wild.”

With that, she took off down the hall like a flitting shadow, heading back to the Unknown Zone.

“Where did she come from?” Martin asked.

“Long story,” Jonah said.

He started for Sector Three. The others fell into step
behind him. After everywhere else Jonah had been, the Haunted Passage almost felt like home.

He turned the corner into Death Alley, and the two guards instantly lifted their bonkers. Their eyes widened.

The first guard turned to her partner. “You better get the lieutenant.”

S
ECTOR THREE FELL INTO COMPLETE
silence when Jonah and the other Space Raiders walked down Squirrel Street with a still-shocked Lieutenant Gordon.

The lieutenant had come running down the hall with the guard, and when he'd turned down Death Alley, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. It took him a moment, but then he managed to compose himself enough to formally welcome them all back.

“The commander will want to see you immediately,” he said. “Follow me.”

Ben was the first Space Raider to see them in the hallway. He just stopped in his tracks, his mouth opening in disbelief, his eyes directly on Jonah. Everyone else did the same thing. They ran out of doorways, hearing the rumors, and then stopped and stared.

Even Willona and Jemma had no words. Willona just shook her head in amazement, smiling from ear to ear. Then came the reunions.

The first was Alex the Adventurer, who stepped out of
his room and saw his older sister. They might have been professional competitors, but they were siblings now. He broke into a wild smile, and his sister hurried over and gave him a hug. Samantha stepped back and messed up his hair and hugged him again.

“How—,” Alex started.

Samantha nodded at Jonah. Alex looked at him, his cheeks bright red. He seemed almost ashamed, though Jonah couldn't imagine why.

“You're back!” Jonah said. “What happened?”

“Long story,” Alex muttered. He patted Jonah on the arm. “Thank you.”

Jonah just smiled. The next one was even better.

Victoria came running out of her room, saw her brother, and literally screamed in excitement and joy. She sprinted down Squirrel Street, right past Jonah and the others, and wrapped her little brother in a tight hug, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Are you okay?” she said, grabbing his face with her hands and turning him both ways. “Did they hurt you?”

He shook his head, his eyes welling with tears as well. She hugged him again and looked like she might never let go. She was shaking with sobs now. Finally, she let him go, wiped his cheeks, and turned to Jonah. Before he could say anything, she walked over to him, grabbed his cheeks, and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

It was only for a second or two, but it felt longer to
Jonah. He'd never kissed anyone before. It was a bit strange with their lips mashed together like that, and he didn`t know if he was supposed to do anything, but he could see the appeal. Especially with Victoria, who opened her pretty eyes for just a moment before she let go.

He felt his cheeks burning as she stepped back and looked coyly at the floor.

“Thanks,” she murmured. Then she turned to her brother, who looked more surprised than anyone. “Come on, Matty,” she said. “We need to catch up.”

She took him by the arm and led him to the cafeteria, sparing one last red-faced glance at Jonah before she hurried inside.

“Did she just kiss my spy?” Willona said to Jemma.

That comment broke the silence. Everyone started laughing and talking and hugging the freed Space Raiders from Sector Three. Martin and the two captured guards were swarmed by Space Raiders, while the ones from the other sectors watched with big grins. For a second, they were all kids. They were all happy.

But rules were rules. And there were important discussions to be had.

“Order!” Lieutenant Gordon said loudly, though even he had cracked a smile. “We're on our way to see the commander. Follow me.” He paused. “Matt the Amazing can stay with his sister.”

He continued down Squirrel Street, and Jonah and the others marched after him while the rest of the Space Raiders saluted and laughed and waved good-bye.

It was the same in Sector Two. The Space Raiders greeted their lost companions with hugs and cheers, and Lieutenant Potts watched in stunned disbelief as Jonah walked by, his pudgy round cheeks flushed red. Lieutenant Gordon slid open the thick double doors to Sector One, and Samantha was greeted with the loudest cheers yet.

It was the happiest walk of Jonah's life.

Finally, they reached the commander's headquarters, and Erna the Strong watched them approach in obvious confusion.

Jonah smiled. “Hi, Erna.”

She just stared at him.

“Erna the Strong,” Lieutenant Gordon said, “we need an immediate audience with the commander. Tell her . . . well, you know what to tell her.”

Erna had just turned to open the door when it slid open. The commander, who so rarely showed emotion, looked visibly upset. Her dark, serious eyes were wide open.

“What did you do?” she whispered.

•  •  •

The meeting was called immediately. The lieutenants and Samantha and the other important Space Raiders
sat down at their long tables while Jonah and the other rescued Space Raiders stood in front of them. Erna the Strong guarded the door as always.

But this time the hall in front of the door was packed with Space Raiders. Jonah could hear them whispering through the door. They all wanted to know what had happened.

The commander had quickly recovered after her initial reaction. There had been a lot of surprised looks and murmurs after what she'd said to Jonah, but she had taken control back. She'd warmly welcomed Samantha and the others and ushered them inside while calling for order from the other Space Raiders.

But she'd still given Jonah a dark look as he walked by.

Now she was sitting at the head table, eyes serious again, her cascading lightning-streaked hair falling over her shoulders, her finger tapping on the metal.