trout.
Phoenix smiled. “What do you have for us, Big Bertha?”
This was Big Bertha? Five-foot-nothing was Big Bertha? Braided balls of fury? A light gust of wind could’ve blown her away. She rolled her eyes and gave Phoenix the finger.
“Real nice,” he said.
She slowly dragged a large black bag through the doorway.
“Perhaps,” said Phoenix, “it might be possible for you to hasten your pace a smidge? We do have megalodons swarming the island…”
“PATIENCE!” she shouted.
I had half a mind to run into the water right then. The megalodons might’ve had teeth, but the Lost Boys had guns. And likely torture. With the megalodons, at least it would be over quick.
I stared at the gun Phoenix still pointed in my direction. I couldn’t run, not yet. I had to wait for the perfect moment. Bertha still sorted through the bag. Her black braid balls stuck out from its depths.
I turned to Kindred. “That’s Big Bertha?”
She nodded.
“And the ‘big’ comes from where exactly?”
Bertha pulled out a gun the size of a lawnmower. She yanked the trigger and yelled. “CLEAR!” A ball of static electricity fired fifteen feet into the air.
“Oh,” I said quietly.
Kindred nodded, smiling like a proud mom. “She makes most of our guns, dear. The rest we borrow from the Federation.”
“You mean you steal them from the Federation?” I said.
“No, silly.” She winked. “We return all the bullets.”
Bertha fired another round into the air.
“Brilliant, Bertha,” said Phoenix. “What do you call her?”
“The Paralyzer,” the girl said, cradling the gun in her arms like an infant. “She launches an electrical shock capable of inducing paralysis for between ten and sixteen hours, and she’s effective up to forty feet away.”
“Balls, that’s cool,” said Dove under his breath.
The megalodons’ fins teetered as they tore off more chunks from the island.
“Yeah,” I whispered to Kindred, “but can it kill a shark?”
Bertha pointed to me. “Who’s the kid? Boy Scout? We’re not buying cookies this year, thanks.” She cackled at her own joke.
I rolled my eyes. “Boy Scouts don’t sell cookies.”
She stepped back. “And now he’s giving me sass. The Boy Scout’s giving me sass.”
Kindred patted my back. “His name’s Kai Bradbury, dear.”
“What?” she squinted. “Car Battery? What the hell kind of name is that?
“Better than Big Bertha,” I muttered. I glanced at Phoenix. He was shaking his head. Crashing glass echoed around us.
“I suspect he’s got brain injuries,” said Phoenix. “So far he’s been slow. But he did take a Dummy Dart to the head. I imagine the serum’s still wearing off.”
“For his sake, I hope so,” said Bertha. “We don’t need another Dove.”
At that moment Dove was giggling and chasing a butterfly.
Bertha sucked in a breath. “Now lemme tell you something, Car Battery—”
“It’s Kai Bradbury—”
“You don’t kill sharks. Or megalodons. Or anything for that matter in these waters. The last thing we want is a bunch of blood floating around us in the middle of the ocean. You think a few megalodons are bad? Picture an ocean full of ’em.”
Sparky glanced at the shore. “Could we possibly focus on getting rid of them? Maybe? For even the smallest of seconds? They’ve already destroyed fifteen feet of shoreline.”
Bertha sighed and fired her gun at the water. The weapon kicked like a bucking horse, and she had to steady herself against the building’s concrete wall. The salt water magnified the electric ball’s effects, and a megalodon’s frozen body floated to the surface. The Paralyzer had worked. She fired again.
“Shiny!” said Dove, noticing the ball of white sparks. Kindred patted his back.
Another megalodon floated to the surface. For a split second, Phoenix lowered the gun he aimed at me.
I jerked Kindred’s gun from her hands and immediately fired twice at his leg. Darts flew out rather than
Phoenix smiled. “What do you have for us, Big Bertha?”
This was Big Bertha? Five-foot-nothing was Big Bertha? Braided balls of fury? A light gust of wind could’ve blown her away. She rolled her eyes and gave Phoenix the finger.
“Real nice,” he said.
She slowly dragged a large black bag through the doorway.
“Perhaps,” said Phoenix, “it might be possible for you to hasten your pace a smidge? We do have megalodons swarming the island…”
“PATIENCE!” she shouted.
I had half a mind to run into the water right then. The megalodons might’ve had teeth, but the Lost Boys had guns. And likely torture. With the megalodons, at least it would be over quick.
I stared at the gun Phoenix still pointed in my direction. I couldn’t run, not yet. I had to wait for the perfect moment. Bertha still sorted through the bag. Her black braid balls stuck out from its depths.
I turned to Kindred. “That’s Big Bertha?”
She nodded.
“And the ‘big’ comes from where exactly?”
Bertha pulled out a gun the size of a lawnmower. She yanked the trigger and yelled. “CLEAR!” A ball of static electricity fired fifteen feet into the air.
“Oh,” I said quietly.
Kindred nodded, smiling like a proud mom. “She makes most of our guns, dear. The rest we borrow from the Federation.”
“You mean you steal them from the Federation?” I said.
“No, silly.” She winked. “We return all the bullets.”
Bertha fired another round into the air.
“Brilliant, Bertha,” said Phoenix. “What do you call her?”
“The Paralyzer,” the girl said, cradling the gun in her arms like an infant. “She launches an electrical shock capable of inducing paralysis for between ten and sixteen hours, and she’s effective up to forty feet away.”
“Balls, that’s cool,” said Dove under his breath.
The megalodons’ fins teetered as they tore off more chunks from the island.
“Yeah,” I whispered to Kindred, “but can it kill a shark?”
Bertha pointed to me. “Who’s the kid? Boy Scout? We’re not buying cookies this year, thanks.” She cackled at her own joke.
I rolled my eyes. “Boy Scouts don’t sell cookies.”
She stepped back. “And now he’s giving me sass. The Boy Scout’s giving me sass.”
Kindred patted my back. “His name’s Kai Bradbury, dear.”
“What?” she squinted. “Car Battery? What the hell kind of name is that?
“Better than Big Bertha,” I muttered. I glanced at Phoenix. He was shaking his head. Crashing glass echoed around us.
“I suspect he’s got brain injuries,” said Phoenix. “So far he’s been slow. But he did take a Dummy Dart to the head. I imagine the serum’s still wearing off.”
“For his sake, I hope so,” said Bertha. “We don’t need another Dove.”
At that moment Dove was giggling and chasing a butterfly.
Bertha sucked in a breath. “Now lemme tell you something, Car Battery—”
“It’s Kai Bradbury—”
“You don’t kill sharks. Or megalodons. Or anything for that matter in these waters. The last thing we want is a bunch of blood floating around us in the middle of the ocean. You think a few megalodons are bad? Picture an ocean full of ’em.”
Sparky glanced at the shore. “Could we possibly focus on getting rid of them? Maybe? For even the smallest of seconds? They’ve already destroyed fifteen feet of shoreline.”
Bertha sighed and fired her gun at the water. The weapon kicked like a bucking horse, and she had to steady herself against the building’s concrete wall. The salt water magnified the electric ball’s effects, and a megalodon’s frozen body floated to the surface. The Paralyzer had worked. She fired again.
“Shiny!” said Dove, noticing the ball of white sparks. Kindred patted his back.
Another megalodon floated to the surface. For a split second, Phoenix lowered the gun he aimed at me.
I jerked Kindred’s gun from her hands and immediately fired twice at his leg. Darts flew out rather than
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