Live and Let Psi Read online

  “Do you remember the part where I said not to do anything stupid?”

  “Would sneaking up on Nicolaitan fall into that category?”

  Andy’s mask turned toward me, and the Andymobile slowed noticeably. “The Knight you saw was Nicolaitan? Did you not think that was something I needed to know when you called?”

  “Would it have gotten you here any quicker?”

  “Yes, with backup.”

  “Hey, at least I called. I’m getting pretty good at following orders, huh?”

  Andy grunted, and the Andymobile shot forward, pressing me into the seat. We flew across the cemetery, through the playground, and skidded onto a main street.

  “Shimmer,” Andy said, and the Andymobile disappeared right out from under us.

  “The Andymobile has Shimmer mode?” I asked, stunned.

  “I don’t have Batman’s ego. He drives all over Gotham to show off that hunk of junk. I don’t like the limelight.”

  “You love the limelight.”

  “True.” Andy nodded, chuckling. “I really do, don’t I? Okay, here’s the thing. You can’t get a registration for something like this. It’s not street legal. I don’t want a ticket.”

  “Always the law-abiding citizen.”

  We came to a jarring halt just inside a tunnel where the railroad crossed above the street. Andy hit a switch on his armor, and a section of the stone underpass opened silently. “Hang on,” he said, and we shot through the opening into darkness.

  “I didn’t know we had a secret entrance here,” I said.

  “Haven’t you ever looked at our map of secret entrances?”

  “We have a map?”

  “No.”

  We sped along through a section of the mines I had never seen before. It was totally dark except for the Andymobile’s headlights. The tunnel became bright and I recognized the entrance to the Academy. We slid to a stop right in front of the Kilodan and, of all people, Mrs. Simmons.

  “I understand you have had quite an adventure,” Mrs. Simmons said as Andy and I exited the Andymobile.

  “I did,” Andy said, removing his mask. “Traffic was awful, I almost ran out of gas, my GPS sent me clear to the other side of town—”

  “You saw Nicolaitan,” the Kilodan interrupted, pulling me into a hug. “Are you all right?”

  That was just weird. The Kilodan never hugs. He is a big, emotionless blob of robot who trains, directs, and pontificates. But he never hugs. I must say, though, it was nice. I hugged back, relieved to be safe.

  “How did you know?” I asked when he had released me.

  Andy patted my shoulder. “The Andymobile constantly sends audio and video streams to the control room. We like to monitor everything, in case, you know, maybe somebody nearly wrecks my priceless super-gizmo.”

  I felt my face blaze beneath my mask. “Oh, you saw that, huh?”

  “We did,” Andy said. Then he turned to Mrs. Simmons. “What now?”

  Mrs. Simmons placed her arm around my shoulder. “We listen.”

  So, I told them everything about my scan of Mrs. LaReau’s grave and my encounter with Nicolaitan. Then I asked, “What’s a Malice Monger?”

  “The Knight’s version of us,” Mrs. Simmons said solemnly. “Like the Whisperers, the Malice Mongers gather information, but their whispers are made to turn people against each other. Like the Knights, they tell half-truths.”

  “So, is Nicolaitan’s claim that a rogue Psi Fighter is behind the home invasions a half truth?” I asked.

  “No,” the Kilodan said forcefully. “It is an outright lie.”

  “But he seemed so insulted when I brought it up,” I said. “I don’t think he was lying.”

  “That is not important right now,” Mrs. Simmons said. “What matters is the fact that you know Ruth Draudimon is alive. And you have seen Nicolaitan’s face and heard his name.”

  I shook my head. “He was only eight years old in the memory I saw. Can we age him to see what he looks like now?”

  “I do not believe that Nicolaitan has left his face unaltered,” the Kilodan said. “He murdered Norma LaReau because she knew his identity, and I am certain he would have gotten a new face years ago.”

  “Plastic surgery?” I asked. “Like the movie stars?”

  “Without the Barbie Doll cheeks and Angelina Jolie lips,” Andy said. “He’d probably go for the King Arthur look.”

  “Very funny,” I said. “That would be good news if Norma LaReau was right about Camelot.”

  “Good news, indeed,” Mrs. Simmons said. “But we have bad news, as well. Nicolaitan has confirmed that his Knights are still in the high school. It was no doubt a Knight who delivered the poisoned rose to Dr. Captious.”

  “Poisoned?” I pulled off my mask. “How do you know it was poisoned?”

  “You are the first to be told,” Mrs. Simmons said sadly. “Please don’t mention this before the assembly tomorrow.”

  “Mention what?”

  “Dr. Captious is dead. The riddle was about him.”

  “Dead?” I looked between Mrs. Simmons and Andy. “How could he be dead? I just saw him today in class. The rose—” A great sob forced itself from my throat. The Kilodan’s expressionless mask stared intently, lovingly at me. I threw myself into his arms. He wrapped them around me and held me as I cried. How could Dr. Captious be dead? He was nice to me. He saved Christie. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.

  My sobs diminished, and a burning anger ignited inside me, pushing aside the terror I’d felt in the cemetery. Nicolaitan had murdered someone close to me again. I squeezed the Kilodan with all my strength and then pushed away. “I should have killed him today when I had the chance,” I hissed. “Next time—”

  “We don’t kill,” Andy said softly. “Don’t let yourself be like him.”

  “Are you sure Doc’s dead?” I asked, the anger still simmering. “Maybe it’s just a mistake.”

  Mrs. Simmons nodded. “Dr. Captious was found in the schoolyard by the Megadan’s alter ego, Mrs. Bagley. He was still alive but suffering from the symptoms of a massive heart attack. When the ambulance arrived, Mrs. Bagley went back into the school to ensure that no panic ensued. While the paramedics were preparing to load Dr. Captious into the ambulance, he flat-lined. Before they could begin CPR, something distracted them. They have no memory of what happened immediately after the distraction. They cannot even explain the nature of the distraction. We know this because Mrs. Bagley took the opportunity to scan their minds. When she returned from inside the school, Captious’s body was gone and the paramedics were tied up in the ambulance, unresponsive. Each of their minds held the image of a man with a rotting face but nothing else.”

  “What happened to Dr. Captious’s body?” I asked, afraid of the answer. “How could it just vanish?”

  “A ploy by Nicolaitan,” Mrs. Simmons said quietly. “I am afraid that Dr. Captious’s body will turn up. Nicolaitan will use it to send us a message in a most gruesome manner. The fact that the method of murder was delivered to the victim along with the riddle can only mean that Nicolaitan does not intend for this to be a fair fight. The rose was dusted with Rohiene poison.”

  “What is Rohiene poison?” I asked.

  “Something the police lab will have to bring in an expert to discover,” Andy said.

  “How do you know what it is?” I asked.

  “Andor is our expert,” Mrs. Simmons said.

  The Kilodan said, “The Psi Fighters will need to be very vigilant to save the next victim. Mrs. Simmons has assigned your friend Kathryn to use all of her resources at school to gather information. Tammy Angel is still receiving instruction from a Knight, and it is possible she may know something.”

  “Scallion,” I said.

  Mrs. Simmons nodded. “Since Nicolaitan has begun using Psychedone 10 to control the minds of our students, we can only assume he is planning something significant. I believe he is planning a large-scale attack on the Psi Fighters. If it comes
to that, we must be cautious.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Can he beat us with numbers?”

  “Nicolaitan has turned students into fighting puppets because they are expendable. We must remain in control so we do not accidentally kill them.”

  I nodded, remembering my encounter with Scallion’s puppets. “I know some of them. I can’t even imagine killing somebody I know.”

  “This is how Nicolaitan fights,” Andy said. “The odds are never even. He uses innocents against us.”

  “Then let’s stop him, once and for all,” I said. “Look, I know all this stuff is important, but for the first time ever, we have a clue to Nicolaitan’s true identity. Shouldn’t we dig into that? I want to know who he is. I want to stop him.”

  “And you shall, dear,” Mrs. Simmons said with a smile. “How do you feel about breaking and entering?”

  Andy buried his face in his hands. “Please don’t do this to me. She’s hard enough to control as it is.”

  “Breaking and entering?” I said. “What are you talking about?”

  “You must get inside the LaReau mansion.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Not if you have a search warrant.” Mrs. Simmons handed me a very legal-looking document.

  “Police Chief Munificent got a federal judge to sign this?” I said. “How? He’s dead.”

  Mrs. Simmons nodded. “This search has been long in the making. That key you found opens something important. I want it. I suspect it contains clues to Nicolaitan’s true identity.”

  “Or to where he lives.” I thought of Mrs. LaReau’s dying words. I told Robert that Camelot is no longer hidden.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A School in Shock

  Early the next morning, students piled into the auditorium, chattering relentlessly, thrilled that an unscheduled assembly had pulled them out of homeroom. Kathryn and I stood outside, dreading what was coming. We didn’t share the rest of the school’s enthusiasm—we knew why the assembly had been called.

  “Be careful not to get too close,” a disgustingly familiar voice said. Tammy Angel flipped her long blond hair, staring at me like I was a moldy cheeseburger.

  “I know,” Boot Milner said. “I might catch what it has. Hey, Peroxide, you look like you’re going to a funeral. Why so serious?”

  I ignored her and started into the auditorium, but they both moved in front of me, blocking the door. Tammy sneered and said, “Boot asked you a question, Peroxide. Why do you always have to be so rude? All I’ve ever asked from you is that you give me the respect I deserve.”

  “Back off, Angel,” a voice said.

  Mason. I turned to say hi, but he ignored me.

  “Protecting your little girlfriend, Mason?” Tammy said. “But I know you, big guy. Boot and I are girls. You won’t hurt us.”

  “Boot’s questionable,” Mason said.

  “Tammy,” Boot barked, throwing her arms wide. “Are you gonna let him talk about me like that?”

  I was really not in the mood for either of them, but rather than using them to dust the floor, I tried to walk around.

  Tammy put her hand on my shoulder and Boot grabbed my wrist.

  “She’s talking to you, Peroxide,” Boot said. “Do you need a lesson in the social graces? Because, believe me, I can teach you.”

  “Take your hands off her, or I’ll do it for you,” Mason said in a venomous tone.

  “Very uncool, ladies,” Kathryn said, pulling me out of the Red Team’s grip. “Release the prisoner.”

  Tammy laughed. “I used to look up to you, Kathryn. That was when I was young and foolish. But to tell the truth, I’ve lost all respect for you. You hang out with losers like her. What has become of you? You could be hanging with me. Why did you let your standards drop so low?”

  “Tammy, if you got the respect you deserved, you’d be eating out of dumpsters. Don’t you have a child to make cry? Go sit in your seats and leave decent people alone.”

  Tammy stood staring with her mouth wide open and nothing coming out. She was as shocked as I was. Kathryn never spoke to anyone like that.

  Boot grunted and said, “Come on, Tam, you don’t need her type of lowlife.”

  “Yeah, Boot is more your type of lowlife,” Mason said.

  “Tammy,” Boot said. “He did it again. Do something.” Tammy huffed, and they both left, grumbling.

  Mason turned away and walked into the auditorium without even looking at me.

  “Mason, stop being a butthead,” Kathryn snapped.

  “I guess that’s all I am,” Mason said, and kept walking.

  “It’s okay,” I said.

  “I know. I’m in a bad mood.”

  “Eating out of dumpsters?” I said. “Where did that come from?”

  Kathryn smiled. “Right off the top. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  We entered the noisy auditorium and found Bobby in the front row. We took our seats with him. Mrs. Bagley slowly crossed the stage, her hands folded in front of her. She stopped at the microphone. Something about her demeanor silenced the auditorium.

  “Students,” she began softly. “I have called you all together because tragedy has struck us. I am sorry to announce the death of our own Dr. Benjamin Captious, a teacher many of you have had the pleasure of knowing.”

  Gasps came from all over the auditorium. Mason sat in the next aisle. He stared straight ahead, his mouth pulled tight, his lip quivering. He was fighting tears. I inhaled quickly and pushed back a sob.

  “I am declaring this a day of mourning,” Mrs. Bagley said. “School has been canceled. Your parents have been notified, and the busses are waiting outside. We will resume classes tomorrow morning.” She backed away from the microphone.

  “We should do this more often,” a voice from the balcony shouted. “A teacher goes belly-up and we get a day off. Life is good!”

  I recognized the disgusting voice, but turned toward the balcony anyway.

  “Tamara Sophia Angel!” Mrs. Bagley shouted. “I never thought that even you could be so unfeeling and self-absorbed. I should have known better. I am done tolerating your disrespect, young lady. I don’t care who you are related to. While the rest of the student body is dismissed to go home, you, Ms. Angel, will begin serving the first of your one-hour detentions.”

  Tammy Angel laughed. “I will not. My father will have something to say about this. He sits on the school board, and I believe that makes him your boss.”

  “He knows where I work,” Mrs. Bagley said sternly into the microphone. “Tell him to make an appointment. You can also tell him that your detentions just went up to two hours. Would you like to try for three?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When the Odds Are Against You

  That evening at the Academy, I put everything I had into practice. I was totally miffed about the way Mason had been ignoring me, so it was no holds barred.

  “It’s not like I ever told him I was his girlfriend,” I muttered as I fired a particularly vicious side kick at Andy’s head. “No need to be a butthead over it.”

  “Whoa, girl,” Andy said, ducking. “Technique, not brute force. Get control.”

  “Yeah, like Mason has control,” I said.

  “Girls get so caught up in their emotions,” Drake Reynolds said from the sidelines. “Interferes with their martial arts skills.”

  I gave Andy a shut-him-up-before-I-kill-him look and dropped lower into my fighting stance, sidestepping as Andy retaliated.

  “But I have to admit,” I said to no one in particular, “Drake’s nonstop yakking is way more tolerable than getting the cold shoulder for no good reason.”

  “What are you mumbling about?” Andy said, a frustrated expression on his face. “Get your head in the game, Rinnie.”

  “Your feet are too far apart,” Drake said. “You’ll move quicker with a narrower stance.”

  “And you know this, how, Drakie-poo?” I asked sweetly, as I imagined Mason’s face
and launched myself into an airborne assault at Andy. Both feet slammed into his armor like twin pistons.

  “That’s control?” Andy said, dropping to the floor to sweep me as I landed. I jumped and he missed.

  “I know because I am the Dragon,” Drake said. “That’s what my name means. Drake, dragon, right? By the way, that double kick would have been more effective from the floor.”

  Deciding that pummeling Drake would take my mind off Mason, I turned to “the Dragon” and said, “Let’s see how effective you are from the floor.”

  “Line up!” a shout rang out, saving Drake’s miserable life and leaving my frustration sadly undiminished. We all took our places as the Kilodan entered and bowed to the class.

  “Tonight,” he began, “we practice defense against overwhelming numbers.”

  Drake stepped forward and raised his hand.

  “Mr. Reynolds,” the Kilodan said.

  “Can I do the demo?” Drake asked. “I’m all over this. See, I proved that martial arts are much more critical than Mental Arts for a Psi Fighter, and my skill as a martial artist is more advanced than most.”

  Please let him. With me. I’ll pretend he’s Mason. It’ll be beautiful.

  “While I admire your enthusiasm,” the Kilodan’s emotionless voice said, “and your self-assessment, you have not yet achieved your black belt and are therefore unable to demonstrate advanced methods. Lynn and Andor, if you please.” The Kilodan turned away and took a seat along the sidelines, mumbling something about never doing a favor for an old friend again.

  I just don’t get it. Why is Mason pushing me away? It wasn’t like this was what I wanted. Was it?

  I sighed and followed Andy to our place at the center of the demonstration floor.

  “The key to doing battle with multiple opponents is to address them one at a time,” Andy said. “Real battle doesn’t work like in the movies. Even Batman can be taken down by overwhelming odds. That’s why Psi Fighters don’t wear capes. Too easy to get caught in a garbage disposal.”

  I rolled my eyes at Andy. He ignored me and kept on talking.

  “If you fight as a team—”

  “Capes can be used as a weapon,” Drake interrupted. “Maybe we should think about that.”