“You’re right about the computer,” he finally admitted. “It’s supposed to turn on for you and only you. The systems in Mouse’s lab are supposed to scan the biometrics of anyone present and if you’re alone, the computer turns on. If someone is with you, the computer stays off.”
“So why did it turn on when Electra was with me?” I asked, then narrowed my eyes as the truth became evident. “You did something. What was it?”
“I suppressed all of Electra’s vitals and biometric data, so that the scanners in the lab couldn’t detect them.”
I had trouble hiding my surprise. “You can do that?”
“That and a whole lot more,” he declared. “Anyway, as far as the lab’s scanners were concerned, there was no Electra. You were the only person in the room.”
“And that’s why the computer turned on,” I concluded.
“Exactly,” Older Jim said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to being unknown and unseen.”
“Understood,” I stated with a nod. “And thanks.”
“If you want to thank me,” he shot back, “see if you can get Mouse to let me have something else to eat when this is all over. Maybe some lasagna, or steak, or even takeout. On second thought, scratch the takeout; it doesn’t really agree with me.”
“Will do,” I promised.
Older Jim gave me a curt nod and disappeared. The second he vanished, Myshtal began moving.
“No, I’m ready,” she insisted. “We can try it again now.”
“Huh?” I muttered, unsure of what she was talking about.
“You just said something about searching for my ring again later. I was just saying that I’m ready to try again now.”
“No, I think we’re good at the moment,” I assured her. “Let me get you back to Monique.”
Chapter 52
I immediately teleported Myshtal back to Monique’s house. Still under the influence of the brownies, Myshtal apparently couldn’t shake the notion that she had somehow disappointed me. Thus, I made it a point to explain to her that she’d done an excellent job, and I appreciated her efforts. I didn’t leave until I was confident that she understood I was being sincere.
Afterwards, I teleported back to HQ, popping up in the teen lounge. No one was around. I was about to go looking for my friends when klaxons abruptly began blaring.
Mouse is back, I surmised, not needing any external source of confirmation.
I teleported, popping up at Command Central – the control room for HQ. Nominally the nerve center of all League activity and information, it was filled with various types of equipment, including computers and monitors, and allowed access to cameras throughout the building.
There were a handful of guards on duty when I appeared. My sudden appearance startled a couple of them, but they quickly recovered.
“Where?” I demanded of no one in particular.
Even though I hadn’t bothered to properly phrase my question, everyone present understood what I was talking about. Even better, they all knew who I was.
“Underground parking garage,” one of the guards replied. “Level Three.”
I teleported, this time appearing – in line with the guard’s information – on the third level of HQ’s subterranean parking structure. I immediately found myself in an expansive parking bay, with vehicles of various makes and models all around.
There was a fair amount of commotion nearby in the form of shouts and other noise, and I dashed in the direction of the sound. A moment later, I was standing at the edge of an open area, where I saw Mouse facing off against several League members. Unlike previous run-ins, however, my mentor seemed to be receiving the worst of it this time.
Mouse was grappling hand-to-hand with Luna when I showed up. Just as I arrived, she broke his grip and then spun inside his guard, at the same time bringing up an elbow that she used to whack him in the head.
The blow sent Mouse staggering backwards. While he was still off-balance, Luna leaped towards him and spun in the air, landing a back kick on his chest that send him flying.
While he was airborne, a streak of black and gold – obviously Buzz – slammed into my mentor, sending him caroming off to the side. However, he didn’t travel far before his motility was arrested, brought to an abrupt halt by the hand of my father catching him around the throat in midair.
Mouse clawed futilely at the hand gripping him for a moment, and then Alpha Prime flicked his wrist, as if swatting at an annoying insect. Mouse went sailing backwards; a second later, he slammed into the windshield of a nearby sedan with such force that he not only shattered the glass that he struck but also blew out the remaining windows.
Walking almost in synchronized fashion, my father, Luna, and Buzz began to close on Mouse from three different directions. On his part, my mentor appeared to be barely holding on to consciousness, and I saw a small trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
All of the action had happened pretty fast – in the space of just a few seconds, to be honest. Had one party or the other been comprised of bad guys, I like to think I would have immediately joined the fray. As it was, with me now convinced that Mouse hadn’t gone rogue, I had hesitated those first few moments. But the current lull in the conflict, such as it was, gave me just enough time to come to a decision.
“Hey!” I shouted, causing everyone to look in my direction. “Mouse is fine now, I think. He’s–”
“It’s okay, son,” Alpha Prime interjected, cutting me off. “We’ve got this under control.”
With that, he, Luna, and Buzz resumed closing in on Mouse. My mentor, however, apparently hadn’t been idle. At some point during the exchange between me and Alpha Prime, he had pulled one of the little silver balls from somewhere on his person. He tossed it weakly at Alpha Prime’s face.
My father swatted at the metallic sphere
