Star League 7 Page 2

  I stare at the spot where Ben was just a moment ago. I look around the theatre for him, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

  ‘He just vanished into thin air,’ chirps Chu from my shoulder. I’m so shocked that I don’t know what to do. What did the Shadow Six do with Ben?

  ‘It must have something to do with those black crystals,’ I say.

  By this point the audience in the movie theatre is starting to grow restless.

  ‘Wow, those are some of the best special effects I’ve ever seen,’ says a man in the third row. ‘And the movie hasn’t even started yet!’

  They all still think this is part of the act.

  I glance at the other members of the Star League, but everyone else is as speechless as me. We’re used to Professor Pestilence’s goons coming after us, but this time the Shadow Six weren’t interested in fighting. They seemed to think Ben had something they were after.

  I jump as a loud ringing cuts through the cinema. I look down and find a mobile phone on the floor next to my feet. It seems familiar and as I reach down to pick it up I realise it’s Ben’s. He must’ve dropped it just before the Shadow Six took him. The caller ID says it’s from a private number.

  ‘Should I answer it?’

  Jay nods, so I press the accept button.

  ‘Hello?’ I ask, my voice trembling a little.

  ‘Where’s Ben?’ The voice on the other end is deep and gruff.

  ‘I don’t know … they took him.’

  ‘Who took him?’ demands the voice.

  ‘The Shadow Six.’

  The voice on the other end is silent for a moment.

  ‘We need to act fast,’ it says finally. ‘A car will be waiting for you outside. Once you’re here, we can talk.’

  ‘Wait, where are we going? I’m not about to get into some strange car without even knowing who I’m talking to!’

  ‘You’re coming to GALACTIC headquarters,’ says the voice, then the line goes dead. I close Ben’s phone and slip it into my pocket.

  The others stare at me. ‘Who was that, Leigh?’ asks Jay. I’m about to explain when I realise that every person in the cinema is staring at me. I can’t very well spill our secret identities in front of all of them.

  ‘We need to get out of here.’ I turn to our family members. ‘Do you think you can keep this audience entertained until we get back?’

  ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart,’ says my mum. ‘You go do what you have to do.’

  As we leave I catch a glimpse of Roger’s witchdoctor father standing in front of the cinema. ‘So, does anyone here like magic tricks?’

  We hurry into the foyer and go through a side door to avoid the crowds still gathered outside. Sure enough, a car is waiting for us at the door. We jump in and it speeds off.

  ‘Who was that on the phone?’ Jay asks again.

  ‘It was GALACTIC,’ I say. The others look surprised, and with good reason. We’ve received plenty of cases from GALACTIC, but we’ve never actually been there, or even met any members besides Ben. I’d be excited if I wasn’t so worried.

  The car pulls into a dark alleyway.

  ‘This is it,’ barks the driver. We all climb out into what seems like a dead-end street and the car speeds off. Just as I’m starting to wonder if this is a very bad idea, the phone rings again. I put it on speakerphone so we can all hear.

  ‘You’re almost here,’ says the same gruff voice from before. ‘Now just walk straight ahead.’

  We all glance up at the dead end.

  ‘Are you crazy?’ asks Connor. ‘That’s a solid brick wall!’

  Sam steps forward and scans the wall. ‘It’s a brick wall, but there’s nothing solid about it.’ He sticks his hand out and it passes right through. ‘It’s just a projection.’

  He steps forward and disappears. The others quickly file after him until it’s just me and Chu.

  ‘This all seems really strange,’ I say. ‘Why would Professor Pestilence take Ben and leave us?’

  ‘I don’t know, Leigh,’ chirps Chu. ‘But the only way to find out is through that brick wall.’

  I nod, then I step forward into GALACTIC HQ.

  We pass through the brick-wall projection and find a door with so many locks it looks like it leads to the queen’s toilet. Jay steps up to knock, but before he can the locks slide back one by one and the door swings open. As we head inside, the door slams shut behind us.

  ‘If this is a trap we’re not doing a very good job staying out of it.’

  ‘I know, Roger,’ says Jay. ‘But we don’t have any other options. We need to find out why the Shadow Six took Ben and, more importantly, where they’ve taken him.’

  We make our way up a long corridor and a flight of stairs. At the top is a room filled from floor to ceiling with all kinds of gadgets, and standing in the middle of the workshop is a kid who can’t be older than five. He squints at us through a pair of glasses that look way too big for his face.

  ‘Star League, it’s good to finally meet you.’

  When the kid speaks, my jaw drops so low it almost falls off. His voice is deep – way deeper than a normal five-year-old’s.

  ‘You were the one who called us,’ says Leigh.

  He nods. ‘My name is Ridley. Welcome to GALACTIC Headquarters.’

  ‘No offence, kid, but we’re not here to play office with you,’ I say. ‘Can you tell us where the rest of GALACTIC are so we can hunt down the creeps who took Ben?’

  ‘I am the sole member of GALACTIC HQ,’ he says in his deep voice.

  ‘You?’ I ask. ‘You look like you should be off playing with action figures instead of leading a secret organisation.’

  ‘Roger, don’t be so rude!’ hisses Asuka, but Ridley just laughs.

  ‘You’re right, Roger, I’m no ordinary five-year-old. I have the IQ of a genius. While other children my age were colouring in and building cubby houses, I was creating a team dedicated to stamping out crime. And so the General Anti-Lawbreaker Association Committed To Immobilising Criminals was born. I recruited Ben Beaumont, who in turn recruited you. After all, who better to recognise the potential of young agents than I? Together, we will bring down the force of evil that is Professor Pestilence!’

  ‘Speaking of which, do you have any information on the Shadow Six that might help us find Ben?’ asks Jay.

  Ridley’s face clouds over. ‘Ah yes, the Shadow Six.’ He shuffles over to a computer and hits some buttons. ‘Six kids with amazing powers, just like you. But unlike you, they got their powers from a darker source.’

  A picture of a black crystal flashes up on screen.

  ‘Hey! They were all wearing pieces of that crystal!’ I say.

  Ridley nods. ‘I’d feared as much. The black crystals are shards of something known as the Shadow Stone. It was a powerful item that could give whoever held it unlimited power. Thankfully, the stone was smashed into pieces. Up until now I had thought those pieces were missing. But it looks like Professor Pestilence has found the shards and used them to create his own team of superheroes. These shards are where the Shadow Six draw their powers from, and it was how they were able to escape with Ben held prisoner.’

  ‘So how are we going to find Ben?’ asks Sam.

  ‘I’ve been researching the clues left behind from your encounters with Professor Pestilence’s minions and I’ve uncovered some new information,’ Ridley says.

  ‘Does that mean you’ve got a lead on the professor’s real identity?’

  Ridley grins. ‘I’m very glad you asked that, Roger. Come with me.’

  The one known as Ridley leads us into a large, circular room. Computer screens line every wall and I can’t help but be impressed.

  ‘Wow! Is this the Model 3000 Cranium Chamber?’ I ask, excitement creeping into my voice.

  Ridley nods. ‘Yes, it is. I just installed it yesterday.’

  ‘I thought it wasn’t due out for months. Can it really amplify the signature wave of time like they claim?’

 
Ridley grins. ‘Do you want to see?’

  Asuka steps forward with her arms crossed over her chest, clearly unimpressed. ‘Uh, hello! There are some non-geeks among us who have no idea what you’re talking about and would really like to get on with finding Ben.’

  Ridley nods. ‘You’re right, Asuka. Fotunately the Model 3000 Cranium Chamber can do other things.’ He points a remote at one of the screens and a very familiar image appears.

  ‘That’s the mansion Professor Pestilence was based out of on our first mission,’ says Jay. ‘He took Jefferson there and tried to blackmail me into endorsing his products, but luckily you all showed up and helped me out.’

  ‘Correct,’ says Ridley. ‘We searched the house from top to bottom, but the biggest clue we found was the robot that was disguised as Professor Pestilence. We got the serial numbers from it and tracked it down to a particular robotics factory.’

  Ridley presses the remote again and another image replaces the mansion on screen. This time it’s a video recording. He hits play and a monkey starts to frolic around on screen. But instead of screeching like Chu does, he’s talking like a human.

  ‘I’d know that voice anywhere,’ growls Connor. ‘That’s Baron von Wulfheim, the guy who tried to turn himself into a werewolf. Thankfully, we were able to trick him and turn him into a monkey instead. So I guess his potion still hasn’t worn off, huh?’

  ‘No, it hasn’t,’ says Ridley. ‘But he only transforms into a monkey on a full moon, and instead of craving blood, he craves bananas. He wasn’t too cooperative at first, but after a while he told us where the professor instructed him to buy his chemicals so he could create his potions.’

  He presses the remote again and the screen is filled with trees.

  ‘The Mori Mountain Fortress!’ gasps Asuka. ‘That’s where we defeated Fuzen after he tried to kidnap my brother, only it turned out that Fuzen was actually Pestilence and he got away!’

  ‘Right!’ says Ridley. ‘He might have escaped, but we were able to capture and question his ninja spies.’

  Next, the screens show some surveillance footage from a museum. Then a very familiar figure comes into focus.

  ‘Nefertina!’ cries Roger. ‘Thanks to her we almost ended up as part of the mummy exhibition!’

  ‘We took this footage and analysed it. We were able to track some of the video feeds that came through and identify another possible location for Professor Pestilence’s hideout.’

  Ridley pulls out a ripped-up lump of latex and fur.

  ‘The gorilla suit!’ says Leigh. ‘I knew all along there was something strange about Aunt Petunia’s gorilla, Sweetpea, but I never would’ve guessed it was Professor Pestilence in disguise!’

  Finally Ridley opens a small door to reveal a pile of broken robot-parts.

  ‘That’s iRis,’ I mutter. ‘Or what’s left of her.’ I fall silent for a moment as I remember the robot who tricked me into being her friend, only so she could turn me against my real friends.

  ‘We used the last footage recorded on this robot to track down another possible hideout,’ says Ridley. ‘After combining all these clues, we’ve come up with some answers.’

  ‘Does that mean you’ve been able to figure out where Professor Pestilence is hiding?’ I ask.

  Ridley frowns. ‘Well, yes and no …’

  ‘What do you mean?’ I ask. ‘You either know where he is or you don’t!’

  ‘There are three possible places Professor Pestilence’s lab might be,’ says Ridley. ‘One is a village deep in the jungle. Another is a laboratory in the middle of the desert, and the third possibility is an icy mountain stronghold.’ Three images flash up on screen. I peer at them, hoping by some huge stroke of luck I’ll be able to spot Professor Pestilence in one of the photos, but of course he’s nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Can you narrow it down any more than that?’ asks Jay.

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ replies Ridley. ‘The data we have received from tracking Professor Pestilence leads to all three places. The professor has probably used all of the hideouts at some point. The only way to be sure is to check them all.’ He brings up a map on screen and the three points flash in red.

  ‘They’re all at opposite ends of the earth,’ says Asuka.

  Connor nods. ‘Even if we get on a supersonic jet it could take us weeks!’

  ‘Ben won’t be able to last that long,’ chirps Chu on my shoulder. I imagine Ben wasting away in a dark cell and I see red. I’m so angry, I just want to find Professor Pestilence and make him pay!

  ‘What if we split up?’ asks Roger. ‘We could cover more ground that way.’

  Roger’s idea makes sense. ‘We could split into teams of two and check out one location each,’ I say.

  ‘Statistically speaking, it affords us the greatest chance of success,’ adds Sam. But straight away I can tell that Jay, Asuka and Connor think it’s a bad idea. They frown and cross their arms.

  ‘I don’t think we should split up,’ says Jay. ‘It’s probably what Professor Pestilence wants.’

  Connor nods. ‘He might not have come after us back at the cinema, but I’m sure he still has a grudge against us. I think he’ll take whatever opportunity he can to crush us, and we’re weaker when we’re separated.’

  ‘Plus, what happens if we run into the Shadow Six again?’ asks Asuka. ‘Cale was able to control my mind somehow.’ She shudders, obviously remembering what happened in the theatre. ‘And who knows what the rest of them are capable of? If we split up and run into them, we won’t stand a chance without all our powers combined.’

  ‘But how do you know we won’t stand a chance?’ I ask. ‘We’ve been able to take down Professor Pestilence’s other minions in the past, so why not now?’

  ‘Leigh is correct,’ says Sam. ‘And every minute we waste looking for his hideout is another minute Professor Pestilence might hurt Ben.’ Roger nods.

  We stare each other down. Jay, Asuka and Connor stand on the opposite side of the room to Roger, Sam and I. It’s three against three, and I don’t know what to do. We’re all desperate to find Ben, but we’ve never disagreed like this before, and I don’t see any of us backing down any time soon.

  Our stand-off is interrupted by a crackling in the air that makes my hair stand on end.

  ‘What is THAT?’ screeches Chu in my ear. I turn to see what he’s looking at and spot a ball of bright light hanging in the middle of the room. From out of it step the Shadow Six: Cale, Ursula, Zeke, Rach, Greta and Vlad.

  ‘What’s the matter, Star League?’ laughs Cale. ‘Not seeing eye to eye?’

  ‘What have you done with Ben?’ I ask, stepping up to Cale.

  Cale sneers at me. ‘Nothing … yet. But he refuses to tell us what we need to know. Maybe he needs some more convincing.’

  The way Cale says ‘convincing’ makes me think that they’re not just going to ask Ben nicely. Before I can transform into a werewolf and teach Cale and his pals a thing or two about how we treat kidnappers, he turns to Ridley.

  ‘Ben Beaumont claims to know nothing, but you, on the other hand, may prove helpful. After all, you are the brains behind this secret operation, aren’t you?’

  Ridley peers up at Cale, his eyes widening behind his glasses.

  ‘Hey! Get away from him!’ I race up and push Cale away from Ridley. He staggers back but doesn’t fall. ‘Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?’ I scowl at him and make the Change into werewolf form.

  At first Cale looks so angry I think he’s going to explode. Then he laughs. ‘You really think you can take me on with your puny powers?’

  ‘Who are you calling puny?’ I ask, flexing my claws as I tower over him. Then Cale’s eyes turn black, and when I try to take another step I find that my feet are frozen to the ground. I try to look down, but my neck is frozen too.

  ‘What’s the matter, Wolf-boy? Freezing up in the face of danger?’

  I hear the other members of the Star League try to come to my aid, but out
of the corner of my eye I see that Cale catches them in his psychic-mind freeze too. It’s like we’re statues. The only one who can move is Jay.

  Cale’s sidekicks move to form a wall between him and Jay. Jay lashes out with a string of attacks, but it’s still just one against five. He doesn’t stand a chance.

  ‘Give it up, Jay,’ smirks Cale. ‘Don’t waste your energy. We just came here to have a little chat with Ridley and then we’ll be on our way.’ He turns back to the five-year-old genius. ‘You know why we’re here, don’t you?’ Ridley shakes his head, clearly terrified. ‘You mean to tell me that you haven’t worked it out, even with your genius brain?’

  ‘Leave him alone, Cale!’ yells Jay, but the Shadow Six leader ignores him.

  ‘Professor Pestilence is looking to reunite the Shadow Stone so he can rule the world. As you know, it was shattered into seven shards. We have recovered six of those shards, but the seventh is missing. We think you know where it is.’

  ‘I have no idea where it is, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you,’ says Ridley.

  ‘Huh. That’s exactly what Ben Beaumont said. Maybe we should take you back to Professor Pestilence’s lair so you two can talk things over?’

  Cale holds up the Shadow Shard in his ring and a blinding light starts to flow from it, swirling faster and faster until it becomes a glowing portal. He grabs Ridley roughly by the arm and starts to shove him through.

  ‘No!’ yells Jay. He breaks through the Shadow Six and pushes Cale to the ground. ‘Run, Ridley!’ Ridley doesn’t need to be told twice. He disappears into another room and slams the door shut behind him.

  ‘That was stupid.’ Cale brushes himself off as he gets to his feet. ‘Now I’m going to have to use your friends as target practice.’

  If I were free I’d make Cale pay for trying to terrorise a little kid, even if that little kid happens to be the genius leader of a secret organisation. I clench my fists, and I’m surprised to find I can move again. I glance around and see the others are breaking free as well.