Chapter 5

chapter five Ry.k practically does a little dance, apparently pleased with the way his big reveal went off. He calls, "Oh, relax! The human is alive. When my Rifters open the sphere, she'll wake up, good as new. At least, until .e...c. eats his way through your dimension." June opens her mouth to respond but then clamps it shut. She glances over the side of the bridge again, peering down at the stadium, confirming what we saw. "Those spheres!" June shouts, whirling around. "There are thousands down there!" "And each one filled with a person!" Ry.k singsongs. "We've been busy rounding up humans. Thrull wants no one interfering when .e...c. comes." Quint steps back so he and June and are side by side, shoulders touching. June wraps her hand around Quint's.

Her parents. Are they down there? "Don't know, don't care!" Ry.k says with a dismissive chuckle. "The humans now in the stadium— we found them cowering inside that strange human-lady statue." He waves a hand toward where the Statue of Liberty was, before it became part of the Tower. Dirk growls. "Is he badmouthin' Lady Liberty?" Ry.k's armor clangs as he plops onto the hood of an old Buick. "But there are oh so many Rifter bases across this land—and each holds oh so many humans." I watch Quint and June exchange nervous glances. "We don't know for sure they were ever there, June,"

Quint says. "We just know that they checked in alive from somewhere." June swallows and nods quickly. "Hey," Dirk says, to June and Quint. "You two OK?" "The best-case scenario is that my parents are locked inside a giant Jell-O mold," June says coldly. Neon nuzzles her leg. "So, no, not OK." "Hold up," I call to Ry.k. "You're working with Thrull now? But you told us where the Tower was so we could defeat Thrull." THINGS CHANGE. I was ALSO A FORMER RIFTER RETIRED. NOW I HAVE RETURNED AS THEIR LEADER WHEN I LEARNED THRALL NEEDED AID IN COLLECTING. I COULDN'T RESIST, "But we had an understanding," I protest. ".e...c. coming will be bad for everyone in this dimension. And

look around, man—you are very much in this dimension." Ry.k struts toward us. "Thrull has made promises— promises of great rewards! In exchange, my Rifters— and the artillery in our base below—will destroy any who dare interfere with .e...c.'s arrival. And .e...c. is coming soon, now that Thrull has the Tower Schematics." Dirk cracks his knuckles, then sets his big hand on my shoulder. "Hey, Ry.k. You know Jack's got a whole zombie army backing him up, right? You wanna pick sides? I think you're picking the wrong one. Plus we can combine that artillery you got down there with my little bud Drooler's Ultra-Slime. We can put a real hurtin' on Thrull. Go on, Jack. Tell him." Dirk squeezes my shoulder so hard my knees just about buckle. Dirk knows I can't control an army. But Ry.k is as slimy as they come—and now feels like the right time to fight slime with slime. "Yeah," I say. "I control a zombie army. And I'm super good at it. I know exactly how to do it and everything." "No," Ry.k says. "I don't think so." Darn it. "But... you can't trust Thrull!" Quint shouts.

"I trust Thrull more than I trust that this boy can control an army," Ry.k says. "And without an army, you all will fail. Without an army, my only choice is to continue my alliance with Thrull." "Forget this," June says. "I'm going down to that stadium. I need to know..." June places a hand on Neon, readying herself to hop on. Quint does the same. But before they can make their move— RAFTERS, COME ON OUT In an instant, the Rifters are forming a circle around us.

Ry.k grins. "Like I said, my Rifters will destroy any who dare interfere with .e...c.'s arrival. And you all seem like you've got interfering on the brain. So my Rifters are going to take you to the Tower. To Thrull." The Rifters begin closing in, arrow launchers aimed at our chests. My mind is racing, trying to think of a way out of this —when one Rifter suddenly freezes. The Rifter's gaze shifts up, looking beyond us, toward the Tower. Another Rifter stops in their tracks, murmuring something. I feel a chill at my back as I turn to see what's caught their attention. The Tower has begun to emit an eerie purple glow. A hypercharged hum fills the air. And I realize... it's happening. Right now. The Tower is powering on...