“Th
at’s because they use a crystal-based technology. No circuits,” Coach Powers said. “But most of the school still uses old-fashioned circuits and wires.”
“Where did-“
The rest of Natch’s question was lost in the loud whirring of a helicopter flying overhead. Hanging from the bottom of the helicopter was the prototype hovercar from Doc Frost’s lab.
Silently they crept down the side of the Student Union until they reached the corner. From here they could see four large cargo helicopters sitting in t
he parking lot. Several men in black uniforms were quickly loading computers, robot pieces, and entire filing cabinets into the two helicopters furthest away. A few of the men were trying to figure out how to get the ion cannon to fit in the third helicopter, but Sam was mostly concerned with the fourth and nearest helicopter.
Zoey, Doc Frost, and Zack were being forcibly led into the helicopter, their hands bound by the same blue energy bands Constable Albion had used on Sam.
Zoey turned around and pounded on Nero with her bound fists. He swatted her away. Fortunately, Doc Frost was able to catch her before she fell.
Nero
pushed both of them into the helicopter ahead of him and closed the door. Sam wanted to rush out and throw open the helicopter door. Tasha must have realized this because she placed her hand on Sam’s shoulder to stop her.
“We have to save them,” Sam whispered.
“We will. But we have to save the bear first,” Tasha whispered back.
But as the helicopter blades began to spin
, Sam saw that they had failed on both counts. Nero was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat of the helicopter, with Mr. Hopscotch still in his pocket.
“Shoot the helicopter,” Tasha ordered Coach Powers.
He looked from her to the ray gun in his hand.
“If I miss I could hurt everyone inside.”
“Then don’t miss,” Tasha said.
“Aim for the back or something,” Sam suggested.
Coach Powers took a deep breath and aimed at the helicopter, which was now a foot off the ground and rising quickly.
Bang.
It took Sam a moment to remember that Coach Power’s ray gun didn’t go bang.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
That was a gun. A real gun.
But Sam thought the campus security guys only carried tasers.
It wasn’t a campus guard; it was Agent Rosenberg. She was firing a pistol up at an angry dinosaur the size of a semi truck. Nero must have used the Lantern of the Blue Flame on one of the fossils in the Palentology building.
The only dinosaurs Sam knew by name were Stegosauruses and Tyrannosauruses. This was neither. But it was big and had a mouth three times the size of Sam’s head filled with dagger-like teeth.
“Dinosaur!” Natch yelled.
“Zombie dinosaur,” Tasha corrected.
“Cool.”
In the back of her brain
, Sam had to admit that it was extremely cool. Too bad it was seconds away from eating Agent Rosenberg.
A blast from Coach
Powers’s ray gun knocked the dinosaur backward, giving Agent Rosenberg the opportunity to roll away to safety.
She looked over her shoulder to see her rescuer. Her eyes locked onto Sam. “What are you doing
, Powers? Get them out of here.”
Coach Powers looked confused and embarrassed for a moment. He looked at Sam and the others as if he was just now realizing he had brought a group of teenagers into a war zone.
“Shoot it down,” Tasha commanded, pointing at the rising helicopter.
Coach Powers snapped back into fighting mode. He raised his gun and then immediately lowered it again.
“It’s too high,” he said reluctantly.
Indeed
, the helicopter was already flying over the big glass dome of the Norman Borlaug Agricultural Science building.
“We have
to get the bear back from Nero,” Tasha protested.
But before they could argue the point any further
, Agent Rosenberg shouted at them again. “Get them out of here, Powers!”
Coach Powers looked at Tasha with pleading eyes.
“Fine,” she said, grabbing Sam’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Tasha had only dragged Sam
ten feet when they heard a pain-soaked scream behind them. They turned around to see Agent Rosenberg writhing on the ground. Her right shoulder was soaked in blood. The dinosaur had clawed her with its giant foot.
“Tasha, g
et Sam to safety,” Coach Powers yelled over his shoulder as he charged at the dinosaur with his ray gun spitting lightning.
“This is nuts,” Natch said
, watching Coach Powers fire repeated energy blasts at the very angry dinosaur as two campus guards in hockey goalie gear pulled Agent Rosenberg out from beneath the snapping beast.
“Run,” Tasha urged.
The three of them ran in silence for several minutes between the blacked-out buildings before coming to a stop near the lake. From here campus looked extremely creepy without any of the lights on. The occasional dinosaur roar didn’t help matters either.
“Where are we going?” Sam asked.
“We have to contact someone. The BEA might be able to track the helicopter,” Tasha said in a panicky rush. “Otherwise we’ll never be able to find him.”
“I know where he’s going,” Sam said.
Tasha looked at her in complete amazement.
Natch
just stared at her in complete confusion.
“I cracked the final clue,” Sam said with profound joy. “Okay, I guess I didn’t, technically it was-“
“Where?” Tasha cut off her rambling.
“Vegas.
The Camelot casino.”
Tasha slapped her forehead.
“Of course. Who would ever think that your parents would hide it with the McQueens? Oh, and that’s why Nero took Zack. He probably knows all about the casino’s security.”
“Cracked the clue? Who talks li
ke that?” Natch asked the night air.
Tasha ignored him. “Okay, how are we getting to Vegas? Think, think,
think.”
She tapped her left temple and walked in a tiny circle for a few seconds.
“Got it,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “The horses.”
“What horses?”
“The stables,” she said. “Come on.”
“Oh, you mean those horses,” Natch said pointing over to the horses galloping along
the edge of the lake with sword-wielding security guards on their backs.
Tasha swore loudly.
In the distance they saw another helicopter taking off. Sam couldn’t tell if it was the one with the computers or the one with the ion cannon. It was probably bad news either way.
“Uh, we got company,” Natch said.
Sam and Tasha followed his gaze. There was a light bouncing towards them.
“Get back,” Tasha ordered. She drew an arrow from her quiver and took aim at the light.
But as it drew closer, Sam could hear the familiar hum of a moped engine. She recognized Lucas immediately despite his Lone Ranger hat and mask. A half-full trick-or-treating sack hung from the handlebars.
“What’s with the arrow?” he asked.
“Sorry,” Tasha said lowering her bow.
“And what was with the PG-13 language Tasha
?”
Sam stepped forward. “Jerry is Bad Guy
, except his real name is Nero. He set off a bomb or something that fried all the electronics on campus, he kidnapped Zoey, Doc Frost, and Zack, and is on his way to Las Vegas to get the Witch Hunter’s Gauntlet right now.”
She stopped to catch her breath.
“Jerry? Really?”
Sam could have sworn Lucas was actually impressed.
“Wait. The glove is in Vegas?” He slapped his forehead. “Camelot!”
“Yes,” Tasha said. “How did you know that?”
“There is a giant replica of Excalibur there. I saw it during the Video Game Finals. I should have figured that out weeks ago.”
“Its okay,” Sam said
, patting him on the shoulder.
“Right now we have to get the word out
to somebody who can stop Nero,” Tasha said.
“My phone is dead,” Natch said angrily shaking his cell phone.
“Wait a minute,” Tasha said. “Lucas, you were off campus, right? Gimme your phone.”
Lucas had to turn his gun belt a bit to reach the cell phone in his pocket. He handed it to Tasha.
Tasha stared at the phone for several seconds while chewing on her bottom lip.
“Feel free to call long distance. It
’s covered by my plan.”
“It
’s not that,” Tasha said. “I just realized I don’t actually know my parents’ phone number. Or how to reach the BEA.”
“Brilliant,”
Natch yelled.
“I programmed them into my phone so I wouldn’t have to remember.”
“Smart.”
Tasha sneered at Natch. He sneered back.
“Okay, fine,” Lucas said before things could get out of hand. “How about 911?”
“And tell them what? That a teenage billionaire and his pet vampire are on their way to Vegas to steal a magical glove that will let him conquer the world?”
“Vampire?” Natch asked quietly.
“No,” Lucas said slowly. “We could say
that someone is going to rob the casino or something.”
Tasha shook her head. “Even
if they checked it out they’d be no match for Cervantes.”
“The BEA then.
Ask the operator for the number.”
Tasha actually laughed. “Right, because all secret government agencies have their numbers listed with the local operators.”
“Okay, sarcasm noted. Not helping,” Lucas said. “Any other ideas?”
“We have to get to Vegas. We have to stop them,” Sam said.
Everyone looked at her in silent surprise.
“Oh come on,” she said. “We’re all thinking it.”
Natch raised his hand. “I wasn’t.”
She continued. “Ok
ay guys, my parents wanted me to protect the Witch Hunter’s Gauntlet. I can’t escape that. It’s like my job or something, but I honestly can’t ask any of you to risk yourselves to-”
“Knock it off
, drama queen,” Tasha said, shaking her head. “Of course we are going to help. Right, guys?”
Lucas exploded with laughter. “Is that a real question? I’ve been waiting for something like this my whole life.”
“Really?” Sam challenged. “You didn’t even know vampires and wizards were real until a few weeks ago.”
“True, but I had always really, really hoped.”
Boys.
“We s
till need a way to get to Vegas,” Tasha said. “And fast.”
“I think I know a way,” Lucas said. He patted the back of the moped seat. “Hop on
, everybody.”
“Yeah, no thanks,” Natch said taking a step back
. “I really don’t feel like running off into battle with the Last Starfighter, Nancy Drew, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer here.”
“But this is exciting. And important,” Lucas said.
“I’ve got zombie protocols to follow,” Natch said, walking away. “Good luck on your suicide mission, though.”
“There are zombies?” Lucas asked
, looking around hopefully.
“Zombie dinosaurs
, actually,” Tasha said.
“Where?”
He looked around some more.
“We don’t have time for this. We have to save the world now.”
“Fine.” Lucas slumped forward onto the handlebars. “All aboard.”
Tasha gestured for Sam to get on the moped first. It made sense for Tasha to sit on the back so her quiver and bow wouldn’t be crushed. That meant
, however, that Sam had to sit in the middle, pressed up against Lucas with her arms around his waist.
He didn’t seem to mind
, though.
If anyone in town knew there was a problem at the school
, they hid it well. The town was pretty quiet, but it was after eleven o’clock, so everyone was probably at home gorging on Crackerjacks and fun-sized Kit Kats.
It wasn’t until they were a block away that Sam realized Lucas was taking them to Doc Frost’s house.
Lucas pulled into the driveway and cut the engine.
“Anyone
know how to break into a house?” he asked.
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Tasha said. She climbed off the moped, walked up to the front door, and picked up a rock lying next to an empty flowerpot by the door. She turned the rock over and slid the back off
, producing a key.
“You would think someone with an arsenal of superweapons in his basement would have a better security system than the old fake rock,” Tasha said. “But you know how these brilliant eccentrics work.”
Tasha swung the front door open. “This was your idea Lucas. Lead the way.”