Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Power Cell
The woozy janitor limped his way toward the ensnared Noodles, slowly regaining his wits as he did so. Jasper had a suspiciously green tint to his features, after having been spun about so many times, and then launched through the air like a rag doll, courtesy of one break-dancing, funk-driven robot.
Nonetheless, he steadily approached Noodles, eyeing the troublesome robot with suspicion and great caution. Drawing near, Jasper stooped down, and inspected the robot. Due to Noodles’ great height, Jasper had been having difficulty when he had earlier attempted to determine where the power cell was hidden. But now, with Noodles immobilized and sitting on the floor, the tall janitor could examine the robot with ease.
“Ah-hah! Looks like an access panel,” Jasper muttered, as he squinted his eye and rubbed at the stubble of his jaw thoughtfully. He pulled away a portion of the net, so that he could reach the panel.
“Yes, that’s it! That’s where the power cell will be,” Ebenezer told him, as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Jasper inspected the panel, mumbling and grumbling to himself. After a moment of deliberation, he was able to find the release for the hatch, and it popped open with a clink noise. Noodles once more chuckled in his mechanical manner, as if this tickled him.
Jack could hear Lefty groaning in protest, but his uncle couldn’t yet speak. He had been knocked silly by the heavy things that had fallen on him, and he had not yet regained his senses. As such, Jack decided that he must speak for him.
“Don’t do it, Jasper!” he shouted. “Don’t you dare!”
Startled by the warning, Jasper looked up, temporarily distracted. He fixed his single, gray-blue eye upon Jack, and his brow furrowed in fury.
“Bah!” Jasper snarled. “Still full of gumption, are you? I figured you would have learned your place by now. How dare you tell me what to do, you miserable punk? I’ll do as I please, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me… is there?”
Nibbler woofed in disgust at the diabolical janitor. Jack glowered at Jasper, but he knew that what he had said was true. For now, he was powerless, and could only watch.
Ebenezer had edged closer, and he was now hovering over Jasper and Noodles. The mad scientist cackled and murmured to himself. He was clearly beside himself with eager anticipation.
“Oh, how long I’ve waited for this moment,” Ebenezer said with great longing.
Without further ado, Jasper reached into the opened panel at the center of Noodles’ back. His large fingers proved to be surprisingly nimble, for he was able to skillfully pluck the object of his desire from within, despite its small size. Once secured, he held it aloft between his index finger and thumb, and all could behold its radiance.
“It’s beautiful,” Ebenezer whispered.
Jack was surprised to see that the power cell was nothing more than a tiny, rectangular block. It couldn’t have been more than an inch long, and half an inch in width. Had that minuscule thing really been powering the enormous robot?
What made the power cell stand out, however, was the way that it glowed. It was incredibly bright, radiating a pure light of white and gold that made it hard to look at for any more than a second or two. It was almost like looking into the sun! Nibbler paused his chewing, squinted at the power cell, and made an inquisitive chuffing sound in Jack’s ear.
“I know, Nibbler. I’ve never seen anything like it!” Jack whispered.
It was impossible to not be impressed by the sight of the strange object, even in their undesirable situation.
Noodles, meanwhile, began to power down. His head slowly tilted forward, until his chin came to rest on his chest. The bright, blue eyes flickered, and then lost their color. Without the power cell, there was no energy to fuel the lanky robot.
“Beep boop,” Noodles said pleasantly, waving his hand once, before going still.
The villainous duo of Ebenezer and Jasper gloated over their prize, cackling and patting one another on the back.
“He did it. He really did it! After all these years, the research we began so long ago is complete,” Ebenezer sighed. Turning his attention to Jack, he said, “It appears that the work of the Black Hats is done here. As for you, young man, your best option for the time being would be to stay entangled in the product of my MegaNet. You’ll be able to wrestle your way out of there in an hour or two, I would imagine. No hard feelings, eh?”
“No hard feelings? But you’re a scoundrel!” Jack replied with incredulity. “You’re stealing what belongs to my uncle! Not to mention the damage you did to his roof, and shooting us with this giant net!”
“Manners, young man, manners,” Ebenezer scolded, mocking the helpless Jack. “I warn you… Don’t even think about following us. Or the consequences will be dire!”
“Dire!” Jasper reiterated, shaking his broom at Jack and Nibbler. “Dire, I say!”
Without further ado, the strange team of Jasper and Ebenezer fled up the basement stairs, cackling with delight and excitement. They were really pleased with themselves.
Jack watched them depart, and he was saddened by the injustice of it all. He thought of how Jasper had set up his father for imprisonment, all so he could get his greedy paws on this mysterious power cell. He thought of how Ebenezer had ensnared them, and left his uncle caught beneath a pile of debris, without a care for their safety.
Jack could not let things end like this. He could not let those villains win, and let them whip him so thoroughly. One way or the other, they would have to answer for what they had done.
Nibbler had also watched the retreat of Jasper and Ebenezer, growling at them as they fled. When they were gone, he once more resumed his chewing of the net with a dogged determination.
Jack scratched Nibbler behind the ears with one hand, and offered encouragement. “Okay, boy, do what you do best. Nibble!”