Chapter Thirty-Six
The Darkest of Hours
The Mecha-Machine loosed a warbling, bone-chilling shriek, like a prehistoric nightmare. With its pincer-hands, it easily lifted the ruined van, hoisting the vehicle high in the air, above the helpless, motionless form of Lefty.
“That’s right!” Ebenezer called from the sky, where he hovered about with the aid of his jetpack. “Teach that second-rate scientist a lesson he won’t soon forget!”
Jack was running for his life, when he heard Ebenezer’s mean spirited command. He looked back, and saw the horrible scene that was unfolding. “Uncle Lefty!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned back, and ran to the aid of his uncle, who appeared to be taking a nap at the worst possible moment. Nibbler saw what Jack was doing, and he skidded to a stop, digging his four paws into the ground to break his momentum. As soon as he managed to do so, he turned around, and ran back toward the source of the commotion.
Murphy at first offered a squeaky protest, but when he saw what had become of his friend, Lefty, he urged Nibbler on. He held onto his doggie steed with one paw, and shook the other at Jasper and the Mecha-Machine.
At the sound of all the hullabaloo, Neil turned around. “Well, would you look at that! I should have known this wouldn’t be easy… I guess we’re going right back into the thick of it!”
“Yep, it sure looks that way,” Sara agreed, as she also reversed her footing.
“We formed a fellowship, after all,” Maria said. “We’ve got to stand by our friends, in their time of need!”
“And we always stand up to Jasper, don’t we?” Sara asked.
“Yeah, why are we running away?” Neil asked. “Let’s run back at Jasper and that rusty dinosaur he’s riding around on. What was it that Lefty referred to Jasper as? A rattlebrained doorknob, wasn’t it? I’ve got some choice words for that cranky janitor, now that I think about it.”
With their feet flying and their fists pumping, the three of them reversed course, and they quickly rejoined Jack, Nibbler, and Murphy. Together, the lot of them tried to pull Lefty from harm’s way. But he weighed too much, and though they collectively pulled him along some distance, they were too slow to escape the mechanical monster.
The Mecha-Machine roared and clomped about, raising the crumpled van above them. Odds and ends of all sorts fell from the shattered windows of the vehicle, including scientific instruments, empty coffee cups, and a pair of fuzzy dice.
“Oh, good! You’ve come to make a fruitless, final stand, have you?” Jasper asked. “You punks have bothered me for the last time. It’s long past due that I taught you a lesson that will stick with you!”
Neil realized that now would be a great time for a distraction, and he attempted to stall Jasper. Raising one hand to wave up at the mechanical beastie, he shouted, “I really wish you’d reconsider teaching us such a lesson, Mr. Cragglemeister! After all, you are known throughout the halls of our middle school for your wisdom and benevolence! And say, have I mentioned that your eye patch looks awfully snappy this evening?”
While Neil babbled away and tried to distract Jasper, the others continued to pull Lefty along. Sara and Maria each grabbed an arm, and Jack seized his uncle’s ankles. Nibbler wanted to help, too, so he gripped Lefty’s lab coat between his teeth and tugged along, while Murphy squeaked away.
But Jasper was too wily, and he could not be fooled so easily. He was drunk with power, riding atop his Mecha-Machine, and he exalted in his current position of supremacy. With his arms flying about the cab, he worked the gears, and the monster clambered closer, cutting off the Beans’ escape route.
It was no use, they realized. Though the Mecha-Machine was not particularly quick, the Beans simply could not evade it, when they were slowed by the weight of a comatose Lefty. Recognizing the futility of their escape plan, they redirected their efforts toward maximum protection. They grouped defensively over Lefty, forming a shielding huddle, and braced for the worst.
They stared up at the colossal, snorting Mecha-Machine, which looked positively gigantic at such close proximity. Pieces of debris sprinkled down from the crushed van in its pincer-hands, held high above, blocking out the moon.
“It’s possible that this might prove to be somewhat uncomfortable,” Neil opined, with an attitude that could only be described as remarkably optimistic. “But, hey… what’s the worst that could happen?”
“Well, it seems that we might be thoroughly squashed,” Sara pointed out.
“Run, you guys!” Jack shouted, as he crouched beside his uncle, trying to protect him. “What are you waiting for?”
“Nah… there’s no place we’d rather be,” Maria giggled. She considered this for a moment, and then asked, “Sort of weird, isn’t it?”
Knowing that they would not abandon him, Jack sighed in resignation. “Everybody… thank you. No matter what happens, your friendship…” he paused, as he searched for fitting words. “It has been the greatest privilege of my life.”
The Beans huddled close over the napping Lefty, and they held each other for comfort. The comfort they gleaned was that which only came from the truest of friendships – friendships that were immovable, even during the most challenging of trials, and the darkest of hours.