[Janitors 04] Strike of the Sweepers by Tyler Whitesides Page A

necktie, and rubber boots. But, most important, he was a trusted Rebel, which was hard to come by these days.
    “I’m in the parking lot,” Bernard’s voice came through the walkie-talkie. “But you might want to hurry. I think I’ve been detected.” There was a loud sound that caused the radio speaker to pop. “Scratch that,” Bernard said. “I know I’ve been detected!”
    Walter clipped the walkie-talkie back onto his belt and took off at a run. The group didn’t pause again until they stood at the base of the Academy’s outer wall. Then, one by one, they unclipped their brooms and drifted to the top of the wall.
    Balancing there, staring down into the parking lot with Daisy by his side, Spencer was suddenly reminded of his week at New Forest Academy. They had spied on Slick from this same vantage point. So much had happened since then, and Slick seemed weak compared to their more recent enemies.
    Idling in the center of the parking lot was Bernard’s garbage truck. Technically, the truck was Rho’s, but Bernard had commandeered it when they left the landfill. Since then, he had been driving it around the country, doing whatever garbologists did. It was a sturdy vehicle, and the Aurans had reinforced it with many Glopified enhancements: puncture-proof tires, unbreakable glass, and an engine that could run forever without gasoline.
    But even these extra security features didn’t stop Bernard’s garbage truck from getting surrounded. From high upon the brick wall, Spencer counted eight figures stationed around the vehicle. Several were hammering on the cab’s glass, and Spencer knew by the eerie, inhuman way that they moved—these were Sweepers.
    “It’s Mr. Clean,” Spencer whispered. He couldn’t tell which of the Sweepers below was the warlock, but he knew. Garcia had said that Clean would be there any moment. But even more than that, Spencer’s Auran sense seemed to tell him that the BEM warlock was nearby.
    “Yeah,” Dez said, squinting. “I think that’s him by the front of the truck. Hard to tell from up here.”
    “You know Clean?” Spencer asked.
    Dez shrugged. “He stops into the Academy sometimes. I’ve seen him around. He likes to yell at Garcia.”
    “We’ll have to find another way out,” Walter muttered.
    Spencer didn’t like what he was hearing, and Daisy voiced his concern. “What about Bernard?”
    “He knew the risks,” said Walter. “The BEM will hold him alive for questioning. Let’s make for the trees.”
    “Wait,” Dez said. “Why aren’t we going down there to fight those guys?”
    Penny shook her head. “Eight Sweepers, one of them Mr. Clean. They’d tear us apart.”
    “Not if I go down first,” Dez said.
    Spencer couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Oh, please,” he said. “We’re supposed to believe that you’re some kind of amazing fighter now?”
    “I’m not going to fight them,” Dez said. “I’m going to tell them that Garcia has you all captured inside.”
    “But that’s not true,” Daisy pointed out.
    “Duh,” said Dez. “It’s called deception.”
    “That’s a pretty big word for you,” Spencer said.
    Dez grinned, taking it as a compliment. “I learned it at the Academy.”
    To Spencer’s horror, Walter began to nod. “It might actually work,” the warlock muttered.
    “No way!” Spencer said. “He just admitted that he learned deception at the Academy! Remember, this is the same kid that double-crossed us. What if he does it again?”
    “Would that make it a triple cross or a quadruple cross?” Daisy asked.
    “Let me do this,” Dez said. “I’ll prove that I’m really on your side.”
    “I don’t know,” Penny finally said. “I don’t like the idea of having him down there without any way of knowing what he’s telling Mr. Clean.”
    Alan drew Garcia’s bronze hammer from a pouch on his janitorial belt. His eyes turned to Spencer. “Could you use Holga?” He offered the hammer to his son. “If Mr. Clean is