They Came From Planet Q (9 page)

There were jagged cracks in the darker rock. We flashed the light all around to see if the cracks had done more than open a passage for air. Had the cracks created a break in the rocks where we could actually go outside? We might have found an alternate exit from this dark place!

And then, right there, between two of the split slabs, I saw it. It was hardly even noticeable at first, but after a moment or two . . .

The hunk of firequartz rock was right there!

No one knew what to say or do.

“GET IT!” Stella said, assuming her karate pose.

“You get it,” Damon grumbled.

We all just stared. It wasn't very big—just like Leery said. It was hard to believe it had much power. But we knew it did. We had to get it out of here . . .

“Grab it and go,” Jesse said.

I finally raced over and plucked it out. “We found you!” I cried to the slab of firequartz. It was about the size of a door.

I could have kissed it!

“So now what?” Damon cracked.

“What if . . .” I was thinking on my feet. “We could ask them
nicely
to leave Earth,” I offered.

Damon cracked up. “Are you kidding me? Ask them nicely
how
? With flowers and a box of candy?”

“Yeah,” Stella laughed. “After we sit down and have lunch together?”

Damon piped up, “And do you speak robot, Lindsey?” “Um, I hadn't considered the Planet Q language barrier, but—”

“You guys!” Jesse yelled loudly. “I know you're nervous. So am I. But we have to stop talking and start moving. We don't have any more time!”

“Oh nooooo!” Stella yelped. “They're all on the level just above us now! They'll be down here soon! What are we going to do?”

“We need a zapper just like Roger Rogers used,” Jesse said. “And I have a good idea where we can find one. Grab the firequartz and follow me.”

Damon and I took opposite ends of the slab and carried it out. “We can beat these bots,” I said with confidence. “Let's go!”

Then Jesse led us through the largest break in the rock wall, out into the loud, hot night.

When we got upstairs, we could hear the robots all around the mall, breaking up walls and crashing into cars and surrounding the area where we were. The magnetic field was so strong, it practically hummed. I felt it tug at me even though I wasn't carrying or wearing anything metallic anymore.

I imagined the news headline the next day:

Through a set of windows in the mall, I saw a flash of light zapping in the distance. It looked a lot like the sunset earlier that day.

But it wasn't sun. It was lightning. And Damon pointed out the flash wasn't white like normal lighting. It was
red
.

This was B-Monster lightning.

Between the robots and the sunset sky and all this firequartz dust all over my clothes, everything seemed reddish.

I held my breath.

Was the world coming to an end? Had that woman in the mall been right all along?

I had a feeling we'd find our zapper outside. I was counting on Jesse to help pull it together. After all, he was the inventor of the group.

“Hurry!” I cried. “Let's make a break for the front exit. We can get to the big pile faster from there.”

“Wait! Stop!” Jesse pointed over toward the mall. We could see the ceiling hole from here. It was bigger than ever and now a large, steely arm poked through. And I was terrified.

More enormous robot arms appeared. Then we saw robot heads. Red bulbs on top glowed like fireballs and they moved a lot more quickly than I expected. Weren't they supposed to be slow and running out of power, after all!?

“Stand here or hide?” Stella asked.

“Hide!” Damon said. He was probably plotting to run away again . . .

“No,” I said. “We need to stand up to them. All for one and one for mall!”

From the middle of the bot swarm, one robot appeared that was even bigger than the rest. It had three bulbs on its head!

“Oh no! Who is
that
?” Jesse asked.

Damon looked at him funny. “I thought you knew everything, dude.”

The supersized robot leaped toward us. All around it were the red laser beams, flashing like a portable electrical storm. But it looked a little sluggish. One thing was for sure: That bot had its eyes on me like I was dinner.

All at once, as the leader bot approached, my head tingled and my hair started to stand up on end. I noticed Damon's and Jesse's hair, and Stella's, too. With a last-minute surge of power, our hair went vertical—electrified!

The moment to act was NOW.

Without thinking, I snatched the slab out of Damon's hand and rushed out in front of that giant bot all by myself. I don't know where I got the strength to carry that slab on my own. You know that story about a grandma who lifted a car to get to her kitty-cat out from underneath? I felt like that grandma.

As I rushed forward, the biggest robot paused and raised up his steely arm. I held up that very large chunk of firequartz in front of me, sort of like an offering. I was testing the bot.

Would he take it?

“Stop!” Stella screamed. “He's going to squash us like pancakes, I just know it. Lindsey, back up! Run away! This is dangerous!”

“No, he sees the rock!” Damon cried. “Way to go, Lindsey! He sees the rock! He wants the rock!”

Turns out, he didn't go for the rock.

Instead he grabbed
me
and lifted me high into the air. I lost my grip and the slab went careening for the ground, breaking it in two.

I screamed.

Well, of course I screamed.

Who wouldn't scream if a massive robot from outer space grabbed her with its metal claw?

“Lindsey!” the other three members of the Monster Squad cried. They were screaming, too—a lot. From where I was dangling, I could see them waving their arms around, too.

Damon turned white as a ghost. No big surprise there.

Stella had assumed her usual “I'm gonna kick your butt” pose. Hard to believe that she actually thought she could take on thirty-six robots! But she was always ready to try!

I could not see Jesse, though. Had the robots gotten him, too?

I swooshed through the air. The giant robot was not wasting any more time. He didn't care about bargains or deals.
He wanted me.

I was a goner.

“Hey!” I yelled. “Tell my mom and dad I love them, will ya?”

The noise in the parking lot outside the mall was deafening. With all of our focus on getting the bots, I'd forgotten just how noisy and nuts the mall had become. From up here, I could see everything spread out for an acre or more. I wondered if Walter could see me, up here, clenched by this B-Monster. This was
so
not how I wanted to end today.

All of a sudden, without warning, the robot opened its claw and let me roll right out.

I landed hard on the ground.

I was alive! I was free! I was . . .
confused
.

I darted back over to Stella and Damon, gasping for air.

“What happened?” I said. “Why did it let go of me?”

“Look at yourself,” Stella said. “The bot thought
you
were the firequartz rock. You're covered in red dust. It got mixed-up.”

“Where's Jesse?” I asked. “Where's the rock?”

Jesse let out a whoop and a howl. “I'm over here!” he cried. “FIREQUARTZ IS OVER HERE!”

He wanted us—and the robots—to hear him.

What a fabulous photo opportunity that scene would have made! We watched as the army of bots turned their attention—and their clunky bodies—toward Jesse. Now they were definitely moving more slowly.

Damon and Jesse each took a slab of the split firequartz and raised it over their heads. The bots moved toward them.

What were we supposed to do?

“Follow me!” Jesse bellowed.

Their eyes were on the stone.

“To the left,” Jesse called out to Damon. They moved from side to side like they were on the TV show
Stars Who Dance
.

When Jesse and Damon ran to the left, the Bots ran to the left. Then Jesse signaled to Damon to switch to the right. They switched and ran right . . . and left . . . and right. They zigzagged in circles, lugging the heavy rock close to their chests. The bots tried to keep up.

But they couldn't.

Some stumbled and tripped over their own robot feet. Others slowed to a stop. The robot leader was the only one who was keeping up—and even its red bulbs were beginning to dim.