16 POP TIL YOU DROP

CHAPTER 16 POP 'TIL YOU DROP The bubble-wrap warrior squeezed Rip and Alexander until their eyes bulged. "Drop my friends, bubble brain!" yelled Nikki. She sat on a platform near the clock's face, dangling her legs over the edge. She stuck out her arm, jiggling something red and shiny over the grinding gears.

The Ruby Scorpion!" said Alexander. "Warrior, if you don't put my friends down," she said, "I'll toss this into the gears!" "You wouldn't dare ruin Stermont's shiniest treasure!" growled the monster. It squeezed the boys tighter. "Sure I would!" said Nikki. She tossed the red shiny scorpion into the clock's gears.

CRRUNNNCHH!!! Shiny red pebbles tinkled down through the gears. "NOOOOII!!" the bubble- wrap warrior screamed. The monster dropped the boys and reached for the gears. POP-POP! One of its arms got twisted in a cog. Alexander rolled to his feet. He was standing near the broken cuckoo. "SQUAAAAARRK!" The monster let out an angry battle squeak. It raised its puffy fists high, ready to smash. "Guys, quick!" Alexander shouted. "Over here!" Rip and Nikki ran over.

Together, the three friends lifted the cuckoo. Then they pointed it at the monster's head. "Hey, bubbles!" said Alexander, "Watch the birdie!" He pulled a latch near the cuckoo's spring. BOING! The bird delivered a cuckoo punch, right on the monster's nose. The monster fell backward. The rest of its long arms became tangled in the clockwork gears.

It sounded like the Fourth of July as the bubble-wrap warrior was pressed between the gears, building up to one final clock-rocking BOOM! Nikki, I can't believe you destroyed the Ruby Scorpion!" said Alexander. "What?! No way!" said Nikki. "That was a paperweight I bought in the gift shop." She pulled the real Ruby Scorpion from her pocket.

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-WHIRR! The clock's gears spat out a flat, clear sheet of plastic. "Looks like every last bubble's been popped," said Nikki. "So, what now?" asked Rip. "Ms. Sargent will lock us up if she sees us with the Ruby Scorpion!" "Hmmm," said Alexander. "Let's prop the clock door open and leave it here for her to find." "Along with all the other missing stuff!" said Nikki.