Star League 3 Page 3

  I panic and make a break for the other side of the pit, but the moment I do the scorpions start to scuttle around like crazy.

  ‘You’re scaring them,’ says Leigh. ‘You need to calm down or they might sting you!’

  ‘Oh, great!’ I say. ‘How am I supposed to calm down now?’ I can feel their stingers starting to prick against my clothes. Any more pressure and I’m going to get skewered!

  ‘Don’t run!’ says Jay. ‘Take deep breaths and walk slowly. Pretend you’re somewhere else!’

  Okay. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to ignore the scorpions. I picture my home back in the rainforests of the Amazon. There were lots of bugs there, but Dad always brewed me a special scent to wear to keep them away. Sure, it made me smell like a swamp, but it was worth it.

  I get so caught up thinking about the rainforests that I don’t even realise I’ve made it to the other side until my hand brushes up against stone. I open my eyes as the others haul me out of the scorpion pit. I can’t believe I made it!

  ‘Thanks, guys!’ I say with a grin. ‘I hope there’s an emergency exit in this place, because there is no way I’m doing that again!’

  We cross over to a door with a strange carving on its surface. It’s some sort of creature with a lion’s body and a human’s face.

  ‘It’s a carving of a Sphinx,’ says Sam. ‘A figure from ancient Egyptian mythology.’

  The Sphinx opens its eyes. ‘I am no mere myth!’ We cry out in surprise.

  ‘Uh, sorry, Sphinx,’ says Jay. ‘We didn’t mean to offend you. We just need to get through this door.’

  ‘I am the guardian of this door. To enter this room you must first solve a riddle,’ says the Sphinx. ‘If you get it right, I will let you pass.’

  ‘And what if we get it wrong?’ asks Asuka.

  ‘Then you shall be trapped down here for all eternity.’

  We look at each other uneasily. Spending the rest of my days in an underground tomb isn’t exactly my idea of fun, but this looks like the only way to get through.

  ‘What’s the riddle, Sphinx?’ I ask.

  The carving on the door clears its throat and recites a short poem.

  ‘In this ancient hidden tomb

  There is a special kind of room.

  For though this is the mummies’ place They may not set foot in this space.

  What is the name of this room?’

  We stare at each other blankly.

  ‘Uh, anybody got any ideas?’ asks Jay.

  ‘I have a map of the museum on my database,’ says Sam, ‘but unfortunately this tomb isn’t on it so the rooms aren’t named.’

  ‘What about the above-ground areas?’ asks Leigh. ‘Are there any off-limits rooms where mummies wouldn’t be allowed?’

  ‘Yes. I calculate at least fourteen.’

  ‘And we’ve only got one chance,’ says Connor.

  I can see from the looks on everyone else’s faces that they’ve got no clue. I sigh, wishing I was back at the studio, watching TV in some nice big comfy chair …

  An idea pops into my head. I click my fingers, and the others look at me.

  ‘I’ve got it! I know the answer!’

  The others stare at me with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

  ‘Are you sure it’s the right answer?’ asks Asuka.

  ‘Yeah, because if you mess this up and I have to spend eternity down here with you, I’m going to be a bit annoyed,’ growls Connor.

  I step up to the Sphinx carving and clear my throat. ‘Uh, hi Sphinxy! The one room a mummy can’t set foot in is the living room. Get it?’

  The others groan. ‘You think this is another one of your bad jokes?’ spits Connor. ‘I don’t think the answer to an ancient riddle would be a terrible jo–’

  ‘The answer is correct,’ says the Sphinx, cutting Connor off. ‘You may enter.’

  ‘Yes!’ I feel like doing a victory dance, but the others pull me through the door before the Sphinx has a chance to change its mind.

  On the other side of the door is a high platform with a ladder leading down to some kind of laboratory. I peer over the edge of the platform and spot Nefertina, but luckily she’s talking to someone on a screen and hasn’t noticed us come in. I try to move so I can see who she’s talking to, but the angle is bad.

  ‘Don’t worry, Professor Pestilence, I’ve dealt with those annoying kids,’ she says. ‘By now they’ll be nothing but mush!’

  We look at each other in shock. Professor Pestilence? That guy seems to be behind every single one of the missions we’ve had to solve so far. It’s starting to feel personal! I wish I could see the screen. So far, all we really know about the professor’s appearance is that he’s a master of disguise.

  ‘I’ve managed to obtain a recipe for a Zombification Potion from that loathsome zombie boy,’ says Nefertina. ‘As soon as the potions have finished brewing we can begin the process of bringing the Modified Mummies back to life.’ She points to two enormous vats that are bubbling away over a fire. One is full of bright green Zombification Potion and the other is filled to the brim with …

  ‘Loosifying Juice!’ I stare longingly at the big vat of red potion. If I don’t get some Loosifying Juice soon, all of my limbs are going to drop off for good! If I can sneak down the ladder I can grab some of that Loosifying Juice and, while I’m at it, kick Nefertina’s butt. I’ll be a hero!

  I start to sneak over to the edge of the platform, trying not to make any noise. The others motion for me to come back but I can’t tell them my plan because Nefertina might hear us.

  When I get to the bottom of the ladder I can see the rest of the room. Underneath the platform are six figures wrapped in bandages – the missing mummies from the museum! Each is hooked up to a tube connected to the vats. At first I think I’ve been sprung, but then I see that they aren’t awake yet.

  I leave them for now and sneak over to get a better look at the screen. I’m careful to hide so that the professor won’t see me over Nefertina’s shoulder and warn her. I slowly stick my head out until …

  I see the professor’s face! It’s awful – peeling skin, jagged pointy teeth and sunken black eyes. He looks in worse shape than me, and I’m undead! I’m so surprised, my jaw drops open. Then I hear a loud THUNK! I look down to see that my jaw has fallen off and has literally hit the floor. Oh no, my Loosifying Juice has almost worn off completely!

  Nefertina turns and sees me. ‘Intruder!’ she screeches. ‘Mummies, attack!’

  The mummies begin to moan and rise up off the tables.

  Uh-oh. This isn’t how this was supposed to work. I was supposed to sneak down here and save the day but instead it looks like I’m going to become mummy breakfast. Well, at least I got to see the professor’s face …

  Except that as I stare at it some more I realise it’s not real – it’s a mask! I could kick myself for falling for it. I pick up my jaw and put it in my pocket, just in time to dodge a swipe from one of the mummies. I jump out of the way, almost knocking over Jay, who has climbed down the ladder with the rest of the Star League behind him.

  ‘You six are supposed to be finished!’ screeches Nefertina.

  ‘Guess again!’ I say. Except without my lower jaw in place it sounds more like, ‘Ess ah-en!’ I fish it out of my pocket and pop it back into place. ‘You’re the one who’s finished, Nefertina!’

  ‘I don’t think so! My Modified Mummies will take care of you,’ she says with a smug grin. ‘They’ve been engineered to have magical ancient Egyptian powers.’

  As she says that, one of the mummies sends a lightning bolt crashing towards us. We duck and it smashes into the ladder behind us, obliterating it. Well, there goes any escape plan!

  We run towards the mummies, fanning out and picking a mummy each to fight. I round on one and reach into my satchel for a potion. The mummy glares at me with dull, lifeless eyes and I shudder. I pull out an Itching Fit Mixture and throw it at the mummy. It smashes at its feet, covering it in o
range liquid.

  Normally when I use this potion it causes people to itch all over and stop whatever they’re doing. It’s a great way to buy time. But on the mummy it has absolutely zero effect. It just pauses for a second to look at its orange feet, then moans and keeps stumbling towards me. Maybe it doesn’t even have any skin under all those bandages? I gulp. Okay, time for Plan B …

  Which is to run as fast as I can! I dash around the room with the mummy in hot pursuit. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the others fighting with their own mummy menaces, and they’re having about as much luck as I am.

  Connor’s strength is no match for his mummy’s magic, which is buffeting him with a fierce gale. Asuka is as agile as a cat, but she’s having a hard time dodging the fireballs her mummy is throwing at her. Leigh can control animals, but the vulture that her mummy has summoned up seems immune to her powers and is swooping at both her and Chu. Sam’s computer skills certainly aren’t helping him against centuries-old mummies, and Jay can usually pick up just about any skill but I don’t think even he can learn how to cast a magic spell without practice.

  I turn my attention back to my own mummy, who makes a sudden grab at me. I manage to dodge its outstretched hands, but only just. I run behind a table full of beakers and duck as the mummy shoots a bolt of lightning straight at my head. The lightning hits the beakers, which explode in a shower of rainbow-coloured liquids.

  The mummy lurches towards me and I realise there’s nowhere else to go. I’ve run into a corner and the only exit is past the mummy. I’m trapped!

  I desperately reach into my potion satchel, hoping to find something to get me out of this mess, but my hand comes up empty – I’m out of potions! The mummy looms over me. This is it. I’m done for!

  I definitely don’t have the fighting skills of Jay or Asuka, but maybe I can buy myself some time. I reach out to push the mummy away, but my hand gets tangled in one of its loose bandages. I flail around, trying to get free. The mummy roars in anger. I pull more and more bandages away, spinning the mummy around in circles. Then it starts to fall apart.

  First a hand, then a foot, and then the whole mummy collapses in pieces. Of course! Without the bandages, there’s nothing to hold it together. The pieces of the mummy still moan and wriggle around my feet.

  ‘Everyone, listen up!’ I yell. ‘Their weak point is the bandages! Go for the bandages and they fall apart!’

  The others stare at me for a moment as my words sink in, then they set to work on their mummies.

  Jay dodges a bolt of lightning from his mummy and ducks under its arm. He grabs the loose end of a bandage and pulls as hard as he can. The mummy spins around like a top and collapses in pieces.

  Asuka whips out a small dagger to cut a few bandage strips off her mummy. Then she pulls the loose ends and the mummy falls apart.

  Connor makes fast work of his mummy. With his werewolf claws, he slashes at the bandages and in a matter of seconds it’s nothing but spare parts.

  Leigh and Chu work together on their mummy, each grabbing a loose end. They pull, running in opposite directions, and eventually the mummy falls to the ground.

  Sam seems to be taking his time thinking about something. It looks like the mummy is about to attack him when he pulls the tip off his finger, producing a laser. He burns off a small patch of bandage. At first I think it’s not going to be enough, but then the rest of the bandages fall off. He must’ve been analysing the mummy to find a weak spot!

  Now all that’s left are six piles of mummy parts and a whole lot of bandages. Somebody starts laughing, and I look around. Nefertina! I’d forgotten all about her.

  She stands with her head thrown back in maniacal laughter, slowly clapping her hands. ‘Well done, Star League,’ she hisses. ‘But did you really think it would be that easy to put a stop to my Modified Mummies?’

  I shrug. ‘Well, yeah, it looks like it.’

  Nefertina shakes her head. ‘These are mummies, which means they’re undead. And do you know what happens to something that’s undead when it gets pulled apart?’

  My shoulders sag because I know the answer. ‘It puts itself back together again.’

  ‘Very good!’ Nefertina squeals. The mummies begin to twitch and pull their limbs back together, just like I do when I’ve been broken into pieces. In a matter of seconds they’ve completely restored themselves.

  They grab each of us, holding us in place. I struggle against the mummy holding me, but its grip is rock-solid. The others try to get free too, but for the moment it doesn’t seem like anyone’s going anywhere.

  They line us up in a row and Nefertina walks down examining each one of us.

  ‘You know, I “borrowed” these mummies from the museum’s ancient Egypt exhibition,’ she says.

  ‘You mean stole,’ interrupts Jay.

  ‘Be quiet!’ screeches Nefertina. ‘Sooner or later the museum is going to notice them missing. So perhaps I should replace them.’

  Nefertina holds up an old, yellowing bandage and begins wrapping it around Jay. In a couple of minutes he’s covered from head to toe.

  ‘You look just like the real thing!’ she says, standing back to admire her handiwork. ‘With you six replacing my mummies in the exhibition, you’ll be out of my way for good!’be out of my way for good!

  Oh no! Trapped in a museum forever? I think about spending the rest of my life under bandages and layers of dust and I know we’ve got to stop Nefertina. She’s still working her way down the line, wrapping the others in bandages. I try to wriggle against the mummy holding me but it’s got an iron grip on my wrists … on my wrists. An idea pops into my head, but it’s risky. There’s a small chance it might do me in for good. Well, more than a small chance actually. I just hope I’ve got enough Loosifying Juice left in my system.

  Using the last ounce of my strength, I pop one of my hands off. It falls to the floor with a soft plop, but I guess the mummy is too brain-dead to hear it.

  I direct my hand over to the large vats of Zombification Potion and Loosifying Juice, hoping that Nefertina won’t turn around and spot it. Then my hand climbs up the side of one of the vats. The next part is tricky, because if I’m wrong about my hunch then me and the rest of the Star League are history – history exhibits in a museum, that is!

  I’m distracted as Nefertina begins wrapping bandages around me. Normally I wouldn’t be so worried since I’ve already got out of this once by falling apart. But with my Loosifying powers already drained, I don’t think I can do it again. She finishes wrapping me up like a mummy, but luckily she’s missed a spot over my left eye.

  When she’s finished tying us all up, Nefertina orders the mummies around her in a circle and starts giving them orders. I can’t believe my luck – they’re standing directly under the vats. I watch my hand as it starts searching and finds what it’s after: an automatic release lever.

  My hand pulls the lever and the big vat of Loosifying Juice slowly begins to topple over. Nefertina doesn’t notice until the very last second when a tidal wave of red potion slops out of the vat and crashes into her and the mummies.

  ‘Nooo!’ she screeches before choking on a mouthful of the stuff. Unfortunately the wave doesn’t stop there. It surges towards me and knocks me off my feet. I lie there dazed for a minute, then I try to get up.

  Except my torso is over by the door and my legs are in one corner! Which I guess is a good thing because it means my plan worked. Too much Loosifying Juice makes you too loose, and you still can’t put yourself back together. I look over at the mummies and they’re also in pieces scattered all over the floor. They’re grunting with the effort of putting themselves back together again, but as I’d suspected, they’ve had an overdose of Loosifying Juice and it’ll be a while before they can reconnect with themselves.

  By this point the Star League have managed to wriggle out of their bandages and they’ve cornered Nefertina.

  ‘Give it up, Nefertina,’ I yell. ‘You’re outnumbered!’ She g
lares at me, then hangs her head. She doesn’t even try to fight back as Jay ties her hands behind her back with some of the bandages.

  ‘That was a great plan, Roger,’ says Jay. ‘I always knew you had a good head on your shoulders.’

  ‘Yeah,’ says Asuka. ‘I thought we’d reached a dead end!’

  ‘But thanks to you we’re all in one piece,’ says Connor with a smirk.

  ‘How did you manage to hold it together so well?’ says Leigh, who giggles a little. Then they all burst out laughing.

  ‘Also, you’re a zombie and you’re able to disconnect parts of your body,’ says Sam. The others stare at him. I don’t think Sam really gets jokes.

  ‘Ha ha! Very funny, guys,’ I say, rolling my eyes. ‘Now, can you give me a hand getting out of here? I can’t put myself back together until the extra Loosifying Juice wears off … that is, if it wears off!’

  As the others scoop me up, Jay grabs my recipe book from Nefertina’s desk.

  ‘Want me to hold onto this for a while?’

  I glance at my hands on the other side of the room. ‘Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.’

  ‘What about these guys?’ asks Asuka, pointing to the mummies and Nefertina.

  ‘Well, the Zombification Potion that brought the mummies back to life should wear off sooner or later and then we can return them to the museum,’ I say. ‘As for Nefertina, she should be behind bars.’

  ‘You’ll never hold me for long! I’ll escape, and then I’ll …’

  Jay wraps a big piece of bandage over her mouth.

  ‘Looks like this case is all wrapped up,’ I say. ‘Now let’s make like mummies and go unwind!’

  The others laugh and we work on finding that emergency exit.

  The Loosifying Juice did its job so well that it takes a few days before I am able to pull myself together again. By that time, the mummies have been safely returned to the museum and Nefertina is locked away for good. The only one we didn’t catch was Professor Pestilence, but I have a feeling we’ll be bumping into him again soon.