off.
Ethan checked the computer monitor. This particular camera watched the place he feared Paul would’ve gone.
“The flight deck,” Ethan said. “Paul’s gone too far this time.”
11
CHANGE IN THE LINEUP
E THAN AND THE OTHERS RAN OUT INTO THE wide-open space of the flight bay. The deck lights were on minimal power so it was hard to make out details, but Ethan couldn’t miss their I.C.E.s lined up and readied for takeoff. They were giant forms of shadow … and one smaller human figure that darted from insect to insect.
There was a groan to Ethan’s right.
Kristov slowly tried to sit up, failed, and rubbed his head.
“Sara,” Ethan whispered, “see how bad he’s hurt. The rest of you, with me.”
Sara stayed back to help Kristov. Ethan quietly jogged toward the I.C.E.s. “Fan out,” he murmured to the others. “Don’t let him get away.”
Felix lingered by the wall, fiddling with some light controls.
The deck lights warmed and they could finally see.
So could Paul. He whirled around and spotted Ethan and the others coming for him. He sprinted for a tunnel entrance that led to the maintenance decks. He would lose them down there among the machinery.
They raced after him. Paul was fast, though, and had a huge head start.
He was going to get away.
Ethan couldn’t let that happen. He halted and closed his eyes. He reached out with his mind for his wasp.
There was a connection. A spark.
The wasp turned to face him. Its stinger laser heated in anticipation of combat.
Ethan ordered his I.C.E. to take off, get ahead of Paul, and blast him with a downdraft from its wings.
That
ought to slow him.
With a great buzzing from its crystalline wings, the wasp sprang into the air. It zipped across the flight bay and hovered in front of Paul.
Paul stopped dead in his tracks, and the color drained from his face. This Ethan saw up close through his mental connection with the wasp.
Instead of buffeting Paul as ordered, though, the wasp lashed out menacingly with its barbed forelimbs.
It missed. On purpose. It was playing before it moved in for the kill.
Ethan could barely hold it back.
He felt the red-hot desire to pounce on this little morsel. Rend Paul into mincemeat. And then eat him.
While Ethan was horrified, he also felt the same impulse to do violence heat within him. Maybe the secret desire to hurt Paul had been in his brain all this time … and the wasp was just bringing it to the surface.
No. He wouldn’t let the wasp rampage out of control.
He took a deep breath and reasserted command over the insect brain.
The wasp shook its head once and gave in. It angled its wings and buzzed them hard—blasting Paul with a hurricane-force wind.
Paul fell back onto his butt.
The wasp settled onto the deck in front of him with a tremendous
thud
.
Paul scooted back fast.
By then, the others had caught up to Paul, Madison leading the charge.
Paul started to rise, but Madison socked him on the chin, and he went down.
Emma pulled Madison back before she leaped on Paul.
Surrounded by an unfriendly crowd, Paul had the good sense to stay down.
Ethan jogged up to them. He gave a mental push to his wasp. The gigantic creature backed off and relaxed its combative stance.
Paul rubbed his chin and glared at Madison, Ethan, and the wasp. “You,” he said with a scowl. “What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
He sounded as if he
wasn’t
in trouble. This was Paul’s special trick: complete defiance in the face of authority. Ethan had seen him try it before.
But it hadn’t worked on Colonel Winter. It wasn’t going to work on him either.
“So …,” Paul continued, acting like this was still ahuge misunderstanding. “I was just going to run a maintenance routine on my mantis.”
“Was that before or after you assaulted Kristov?” Madison demanded.
“That?” Paul smiled. “He just grabbed me, tried to clobber me.”
Ethan didn’t believe that. They’d all seen Paul on top
Ethan checked the computer monitor. This particular camera watched the place he feared Paul would’ve gone.
“The flight deck,” Ethan said. “Paul’s gone too far this time.”
11
CHANGE IN THE LINEUP
E THAN AND THE OTHERS RAN OUT INTO THE wide-open space of the flight bay. The deck lights were on minimal power so it was hard to make out details, but Ethan couldn’t miss their I.C.E.s lined up and readied for takeoff. They were giant forms of shadow … and one smaller human figure that darted from insect to insect.
There was a groan to Ethan’s right.
Kristov slowly tried to sit up, failed, and rubbed his head.
“Sara,” Ethan whispered, “see how bad he’s hurt. The rest of you, with me.”
Sara stayed back to help Kristov. Ethan quietly jogged toward the I.C.E.s. “Fan out,” he murmured to the others. “Don’t let him get away.”
Felix lingered by the wall, fiddling with some light controls.
The deck lights warmed and they could finally see.
So could Paul. He whirled around and spotted Ethan and the others coming for him. He sprinted for a tunnel entrance that led to the maintenance decks. He would lose them down there among the machinery.
They raced after him. Paul was fast, though, and had a huge head start.
He was going to get away.
Ethan couldn’t let that happen. He halted and closed his eyes. He reached out with his mind for his wasp.
There was a connection. A spark.
The wasp turned to face him. Its stinger laser heated in anticipation of combat.
Ethan ordered his I.C.E. to take off, get ahead of Paul, and blast him with a downdraft from its wings.
That
ought to slow him.
With a great buzzing from its crystalline wings, the wasp sprang into the air. It zipped across the flight bay and hovered in front of Paul.
Paul stopped dead in his tracks, and the color drained from his face. This Ethan saw up close through his mental connection with the wasp.
Instead of buffeting Paul as ordered, though, the wasp lashed out menacingly with its barbed forelimbs.
It missed. On purpose. It was playing before it moved in for the kill.
Ethan could barely hold it back.
He felt the red-hot desire to pounce on this little morsel. Rend Paul into mincemeat. And then eat him.
While Ethan was horrified, he also felt the same impulse to do violence heat within him. Maybe the secret desire to hurt Paul had been in his brain all this time … and the wasp was just bringing it to the surface.
No. He wouldn’t let the wasp rampage out of control.
He took a deep breath and reasserted command over the insect brain.
The wasp shook its head once and gave in. It angled its wings and buzzed them hard—blasting Paul with a hurricane-force wind.
Paul fell back onto his butt.
The wasp settled onto the deck in front of him with a tremendous
thud
.
Paul scooted back fast.
By then, the others had caught up to Paul, Madison leading the charge.
Paul started to rise, but Madison socked him on the chin, and he went down.
Emma pulled Madison back before she leaped on Paul.
Surrounded by an unfriendly crowd, Paul had the good sense to stay down.
Ethan jogged up to them. He gave a mental push to his wasp. The gigantic creature backed off and relaxed its combative stance.
Paul rubbed his chin and glared at Madison, Ethan, and the wasp. “You,” he said with a scowl. “What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
He sounded as if he
wasn’t
in trouble. This was Paul’s special trick: complete defiance in the face of authority. Ethan had seen him try it before.
But it hadn’t worked on Colonel Winter. It wasn’t going to work on him either.
“So …,” Paul continued, acting like this was still ahuge misunderstanding. “I was just going to run a maintenance routine on my mantis.”
“Was that before or after you assaulted Kristov?” Madison demanded.
“That?” Paul smiled. “He just grabbed me, tried to clobber me.”
Ethan didn’t believe that. They’d all seen Paul on top
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