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So he waited, and tried to come up with a plan. How was he, the shrimpiest of the agents, with zero powers, going to stop four hulking freaks? And then it dawned on him. If Miss Information’s secret lair was just like the Playground, there had to be gadgets in the science lab. He dashed through the halls, past the control room, and into the science center. Racing up and down, he eyed one dangerous-looking contraption after another.
He grabbed what looked like a laser gun from a low-budget space movie. He had no idea what it did, so he aimed it at the wall and fired. A second later everything in the laser’s path was encased in a thick layer of ice.
“This could come in handy,” he said, taking off his backpack and unzipping it. He pla
Benjamin! He would know what to do. The orb had been the greatest ally the NERDS ever had.
Carefully, Heathcliff laid out the pieces of the broken orb. Then he got to work. It wasn’t long before the charred copper wires were gone and fresh ones had taken their place. He double-checked his work, not wanting to repeat the tragedy of his last attempt. Then, he snapped the two sides together and pressed the on button.
As before, the ball glowed red before it turned blue. Spi
“Benjamin?”
“Heathcliff Hodges,” it replied. There was something tentative in its voice. “I’m having some difficulty accessing my satellite link. I need to reboot for time and date and hop onto the data stream—”
“Don’t do anything u
“I see …,” the robot said with even more hesitation.
“I’m so happy you’re back! You were damaged by Ms. Holiday,” he said. “I’ll explain more later, but right now we have a bigger problem. There are a bunch of thugs inside an upgrade room and they’re getting a massive dose of nanobytes. I have no idea how to stop them. I’m powerless and—”
Suddenly, Benjamin was zipping around Heathcliff’s head like an angry hornet. “I suppose this is part of another one of your diabolical schemes.”
“No, I—”
“You might be able to fool the others, but I’ve been around a long time, kid.”
Heathcliff’s heart sank. “What did I do?”
“Huh?”
“I have no memories of the year and a half before I woke up in the Playground. No one will tell me anything. I know it’s bad, Benjamin, but I have a right to know.”
The orb spun around and clicked. “Heathcliff, is this some kind of trick?”
Heathcliff shook his head. “The last thing I remember was Jackson joining the team. You know what happened, don’t you?”
“An analysis of your heartbeat indicates that you are telling the truth.”
Heathcliff wiped away tears and nodded his head. “I am.”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Heathcliff nodded.
“Very well,” the orb said as light shot out and swirled around Heathcliff in a three-dimensional projection.
He saw himself putting on a black mask with a white skull—exactly like the one Ms. Holiday was now wearing. He saw a machine on a patch of ice at the North Pole. He saw it rising up into the sky, creating a monstrous mountain. He saw himself falling into the water. He saw himself ru
The projection stopped, but his head was ablaze. Every moment, feeling, and dark plan of the last year and a half wrestled for his immediate attention. It was too much. He screamed out in pain.
He must have passed out because he woke on the floor with Benjamin’s voice asking if he was OK. He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and ran a tongue over the false teeth that had been inserted where his real teeth once were.
“I’m great, Benjamin. I actually feel like my old self again.”
He snatched the ball in midair and raced out of the room, down the hall, toward the exit tubes.
“Heathcliff, I’m sensing disturbing sounds coming from this place’s upgrade room. Shouldn’t we investigate?”
“There’s no time,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because, you stupid wad of aluminum foil, I’m going to take over the world!” he cried.
Heathcliff floated down the entrance tube and landed on the floor of the deserted Playground. Because he’d arrived a week in the past to follow the BULLIES, the Playground hadn’t been destroyed yet.
Benjamin squirmed in his hand but could not break free from his grip. “Heathcliff, don’t do this,” the orb begged. “Don’t abuse your team’s trust again.”
Heathcliff ignored the plea and marched to the upgrade room. Once inside, he activated the process while his mind lit up with possibilities. What kind of power would he have this time, and how would it be useful for taking over the world? Would it help him seek revenge on the people he once called friends—the ones who had lied to him for months?
“SCANNING FOR WEAKNESSES.”
The lasers danced over him. The psychic powers he had before had been delicious. If only he could get them once more. He wouldn’t mind the hypnotic teeth, either. Those were cool.
“SUBJECT HAS SUPERIOR INTELLECT AND IS IN GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH CONSIDERING COMPLETE LACK OF EXERCISE,” the computer said.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me I am perfect! You have to find something, no matter how small.”
“WEAKNESS DETECTED,” the computer said. “PREPARE FOR UPGRADE.”
Tubes and needles dropped from the ceiling and hovered above his body. A platform rose below him and forced him flat on his back. A second later his arms and legs were strapped down.
“What is it? What’s my weakness?”
“SUBJECT NEEDS HIS PARENTS,” the machine said.
“What?”
“ONLY PARENTS CAN STEER YOU TOWARD A HAPPY LIFE UPGRADING NOW.”
“How is that going to help me take over the world?” he shouted, but the machine did not respond.
The needles injected him with nanobytes and he winced in pain. “Benjamin! Get me out of this,” he begged.
“Sorry, Hodges. But if it makes you feel any better, I would have thought you needed a spanking,” Benjamin said.
Heathcliff watched as the tiny black robots swirled down a tube and into a needle inserted in his hand. And then everything went black.
“You’re alone, Hodges,” a voice said to Heathcliff. He was standing in complete darkness and couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. “Always alone. Who do you think is to blame?”
Heathcliff snarled. “I don’t need a lecture.”
“There is no one in the world who needs a lecture more than you. Look around. You have no family. No friends. How did this happen?”