[Janitors 04] Strike of the Sweepers by Tyler Whitesides

That had brought a serious side effect, introducing Glop into his bloodstream and turning him into an Auran.
    Daisy pressed the hammer against the flat head of the bronze nail. Immediately, a burst of golden light formed between the two objects. Daisy pulled back, magically plucking the ancient nail from its place in the wall.
    The small object fell to the ground, and Dez snatched it. “This is what you guys came for, right?” He rolled the nail between his stout fingers. “Now, how do we get out of here?”
    Daisy had clipped the squeegee into her janitorial belt. But it was useless now anyway, since both squeegees were in the same room and no one was back at Welcher to complete the portal.
    Spencer held out his hand, acting as if Dez would fork over the nail without an argument. “You can’t be trusted with it,” he said.
    “You chumps still think I’m a bad guy?” Dez did his best to look shocked. “The whole reason I left you guys was so I could get some cool stuff from the BEM and then betray them.”
    “Wait a minute,” Daisy said. “You betrayed us so you could betray them?”
    “Duh,” Dez said. “It’s called a double cross.”
    “I can do those with a jump rope,” Daisy said.
    Alan suddenly ducked over to the kids, his eyes quickly finding the bronze nail in Dez’s hand and the hammer in Daisy’s. He nodded in approval, taking both items before Dez could protest.
    “This way,” Alan said. Walter and Penny had succeeded in clearing a path to the doorway of the band room.
    Spencer took one final glance at Director Garcia. The man was finally stirring, a hand pressed to the injured side of his head. He was still a warlock, but without the hammer and nail, Garcia was useless.
    “It is over!” Director Garcia managed, his hand outstretched. “You will not escape.” There was a current of panic in his voice that caused Spencer to stop. “He is here.”
    Spencer didn’t have to ask who Garcia was referring to. It was Mr. Clean. It was always Mr. Clean, standing on the sidelines and controlling everything.
    “He will kill you,” Director Garcia said. “And he will kill me for my failures.”
    Daisy tugged on Spencer’s arm, reminding him of the urgency of their escape. Spencer didn’t look back at Garcia. He was a villain, and whatever fate awaited him would be the result of his own dark choices.
    Spencer and Daisy ducked out the doorway and into the dim hallway, leaving Director Carlos Garcia broken and powerless on the band room floor.

Chapter 10
    “No whiff from me.”
     
    The Rebels burst out of the Arts Building and into the cool night. They paused in the lamplight, scanning the area for enemies as Walter searched for something on his janitorial belt.
    “How are we getting out of here?” Spencer whispered to his dad. With both Glopified squeegees in once place, there was no way to make a portal back to Welcher. Spencer knew from his time at New Forest Academy that the private school was sequestered several miles up a canyon road. Going on foot could take them all night.
    “Walter had a backup plan in position,” Alan whispered. “In case things didn’t work out with . . .” He didn’t say Dez’s name, but Spencer saw his dad’s eyes flick over to the kid. It had been risky to use Dez in the first place. Spencer still hadn’t decided if the risk was worth it. Dez had double-crossed the BEM and helped the Rebels find Holga and the nail, but what was he really up to?
    The old warlock unclipped a walkie-talkie radio from his belt. A slight trace of magic shimmered around the device as he whispered into it; the radio was clearly Glopified. Spencer wondered who Walter was contacting, until a familiar voice crackled through the speaker in response.
    “Dr. Bernard Weizmann, at your service.”
    Daisy shot Spencer an excited glance. They hadn’t seen the garbologist since their adventure into the Auran landfill two months ago. He was an odd man, with a tweed jacket, duct-tape