âExcellent helmet!â He tapped Jeffâs plastic head a couple of times. âI wonder who will get to play the Wizââ
Zzzzzzt! A sudden buzzing sound came from inside the X-RaysUs Medical Clinic.
âThe big machine!â said Sean. âTheyâre using it!â
The two friends looked through the window at a huge complicated machine with tubes and lights and wires and shiny metal parts. Bending over the controls was a man in a white lab coat.
âThat X-ray machine has awesome power,â Sean whispered to Jeff. âIt blasts nuclear energy right through peopleâs heads!â
âAre you sure?â Jeff wrinkled his nose. âX-ray machines donât really work like that, do they?â
Sean shrugged. âThatâs what Iâve heard.â
Jeff nodded. âIt reminds me of the sounds coming from my dadâs office when he works at home.â
Sean turned to Jeff and frowned. âHave you ever actually seen that office, Jeff?â
âItâs in the attic. He doesnât want me in there.â
âA secret room in your house that makes noises?â said Sean. âPretty zoney, Jeff. Come on, letâs go. We just have one short class, then tryouts!â
It was then that Jeff noticed the sign in the X-RaysUs window. It said, CLOSED FOR VACATION. SEE-THROUGH YOU LATER!
âWait a second,â Jeff said, grabbing Seanâs arm and pointing to the sign. âIf the clinic is supposed to be closed, then whoâs that guy using the machine?â
Seanâs eyes widened as the man in the white coat continued to press buttons on the machine. The man still had his back to the boys.
âAh, a mystery!â Sean whispered. He put his finger to his lips and tiptoed into the clinic. Jeff was right behind him.
Suddenlyâ zzzzzt! âthe X-ray machine buzzed loudly, exploding with large sparks.
The room flashed with bright light.
âWhoa!â Sean shouted. âHeâs gonna zap us!â Sean turned to run just as the man in the white coat jumped away from the exploding sparks.
Bweeeep! came a screeching sound.
Jeff tried to move, but Sean slammed him hard and the man tumbled back into both of them.
WHAMâWHAMâWHAM!
The three people crashed into one another with the force of planets colliding!
âWhoooomph!â groaned Sean as he drove Jeff out through the door to the sidewalk.
In the instant before he dropped, Jeff turned to see the man holding a large green vegetable in front of his face.
âWeird! Cabbage!â Jeff cried out, as heâ umph! âslammed to the ground, his plastic Cosmic Boy helmet crunching down hard.
âMy head!â he groaned.
Then things went dark in that head.
2
Class Brain
T hump-thump-thump!
When Jeff opened his eyes, he was facedown on the sidewalk outside the X-RaysUs Medical Clinic.
His head throbbed. His ears throbbed. His eyes throbbed. Thump-thump-thump!
âUhhhh!â Jeff groaned as he slid out from under Seanâs legs and got up. âOh, man, my head hurts. My ears hurt. My eyes hurt!â
Sean dusted himself off and got up, too. The two friends were alone on the sidewalk.
âWait,â said Jeff, glancing around. âWhereâs the guy?â He looked up and down and all around Main Street. âThe guy in the white coat. I think I saw him outside my house this morning. And he had some kind of big vegetable â¦â
âNever mind him,â said Sean, shaking his head. âWeâre lucky we didnât get zapped to death with nuclear-powered X-rays. Now, come on. Put your helmet back in the box and letâs go.â
âI guess.â Jeff continued to look up and down the street. âIt was a cabbage, I think. Big leaves.â
Jeff slipped off the chin strap of his Cosmic Boy Space Helmet and pulled.
âOuch!â A sharp pain went through his head.
The helmet wouldnât budge. Jeff tugged
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