"Oranges." She still refused to look at him. She didn't need to. She had her overlay in front of her again. There were two red dots, not one. This meant the trees could sense another presence. There was a green dot approaching quickly, more approaching quickly behind that one. She needed to stall.
"How much is Duke paying you?"
"You are the payment."
She scoffed, "You're crazy if you think I'm going to with you willingly?"
"Who said I needed you to be willing? I have enjoyed this game we've been playing, but our time is running short. I have spent a great deal of time preparing a special place for us."
She could hear his steps approaching slowly as if he was savoring the moment. She could also see that green dot almost there. Just a few more seconds…
"Is the place as cold and vicious as your heart? You have to have tom redeeming qualities if you're willing to do such a thing just because you want to avenge your brother. I can relate to that. The problem here, is your brother was in the wrong but you still back him up."
Green dot was next to Tucker. Then she felt arms around her waist while a hand grabbed her shoulder and she was gone.
Leaving an invisible enemy to attack her group.
She had closed her eyes, afraid to see where they were going but she opened them now as she could feel a breeze. She also heard:
"What the hell? Where are we? How?" Tucker was obviously confused.
Suddenly an earth pillar went straight for his head like she had never seen. Tucker was knocked out and bleeding. Minx quickly tied him up with roots and gagged him with a vine.
"Sil, the invisible boy was there. My team is in trouble if they can't see him."
"You can?"
"Oh, I guess you were sleeping then. The trees can give me an overlay that shows me what they see. Essentially, they all send me information at once and it shows on a map."
"Okay." She saw the sleeping captive lift into the air then felt an arm around her waist. They were suddenly back at the agricultural department.
Sil whispered in her ear, "point me to his area."
She saw the red dot then a moment later she didn't need to point it out to Sil. He created an earth box and squeezed it in, making it smaller and smaller.
"Cancel your ability or I will crush you."
"DONE!!!"
Sil cancelled his ability as well and Minx wrapped the other boy up as well in roots.
Minx looked her people over. She had only been gone a few seconds so they could not have been there long enough to get really injured.
Minx asked the others to stay on lookout. "Dufus, bring your camera."
"Where do you want them?" Sil put Vorden back in charge for now. Sil didn't fight more than he needed to anyway. As long as he had strong abilities, it was easy for him to win. So far, anyway.
"Up against the trunks of these two trees." Minx pointed so her back would be toward the willow. "Just in case."
Vorden moved them then she firmly tied them in place with roots. Since the invisibility guy was awake, she decided to start with him.
"What does Duke know and what does he want with me?"
"Who are you?"
"Right…" she looked at his watch and had the camera record his information. "Crow. You don't look that intelligent to me. I guess your parents had high expectations for you. Are your parents named Slug and Worm?"
"Eat shit."
"Oh, I see. Your parents didn't love you enough. I think you need a hug." She sat across his legs then activated her spikes just where there was contact. The camera didn't catch them because they were under her. Crow screamed. "Tell me what I want to know, yes?"
"Truedream is mad at Duke for losing those students. Duke hopes if he can give Truedream a good ability, he will stop being angry with him."
"There now, that wasn't so hard, was it? Has he promised me to Truedream yet?"
"No, it was to be a surprise."
"What does Tucker want from me?"
"To torture you. He gets his pleasure through hurting others. The more they fight, the more it pleases him. You specifically, because you humiliated his brother making his first days harder on him, he wants you to be humiliated then hurt so bad that Dr. Hayley can't fix you."
"What do you get out of all this?" she asked with curiosity.
"To live… holding … my.. parents." He passed out.
Minx cancelled her spikes and got off his lap. Then she healed him.
"Remind me never to anger you," Dufus said.
She smirked.
"What happens next?" Revlis asked.
"We take them to Dr. Hayley and show her the footage. After Logan sees it and copies it so it doesn't get vanished."
"No need," she heard from her shoulder. "Did you forget these are cameras as well as voice?"
Minx laughed. "I guess my parents weren't too bright either…"
Midas replied, "Speak for yourself!"
She looked to the guys, "who is going to carry these people?"
Revlis carried the heaviest one, Crow and Midas carried Tucker.
They got to the doctor's office and placed the captives on a spare bed each. Minx pulled her aside and showed her the footage. Hayley copied it off the camera and sent it to General Mike and General Paul.
Just as the others got to the dorm building and were heading up to Logan's room, Duke's men arrived to collect the boys. No explanation. They also took the camera.
Minx let them into Logan's room. "What next, Logan?" she asked as she crossed the distance to his desk.
"I had an extra spider on you and left it in the Doctor's office. Duke's men picked them up and took them away. Hayley didn't call him and according to the computer screen, she really did send it to General Mike and General Paul, not Duke. Nor did she get a chance to examine them. The question is, is General Mike on Duke's side or does Duke have that many spies? Paul isn't even here right now"