Matilda and Kylie stepped forward, and then there was a light so bright that Matilda could see it through the hand she raised to protect her eyes. Electricity danced across her skin and an incredible roar flooded her ears. She had once visited Niagara Falls during a mission, and the millions of gallons of water that tumbled over its edge was only half as loud.
And then … it was over.
She lowered her hand and glanced around. She and the other cheerleaders were standing inside a dark room with wooden walls and floor. She couldn’t see much, but the floor was rocking back and forth.
“We’re on a ship,” Pammy said.
“Duh,” Toni said.
“Can we please not argue?” Shauna said. “We’ve got nine minutes and counting to grab and go. Unless of course you aren’t interested in this room full of treasure chests.”
Toni snarled but turned to one of the big wooden chests. She opened the heavy lid and let out a happy shriek.
Matilda stepped forward. Inside the chest, packed to the top, was a collection of gold coins, rubies, sapphires—even a crown. She had never seen anything dazzle so brightly.
“I’m totally posting this!” McKenna said as she reached for her phone. “Hey, there’s no service here!”
“So how did we get on a pirate ship?” Matilda asked.
“This is an alternate Earth,” McKenna said and gestured to the device on her arm. “This thing built a bridge for us to get here.”
Tiffany pushed McKenna aside. “Hello! Eight minutes and counting!”
Matilda watched the squad leap into action like little ferrets stealing seeds. Lilly found a pile of empty canvas sacks and started shoving as much precious material into them as she could. When one was full, she stuffed empty sacks into Matilda’s and Kylie’s hands and dragged them over to another chest.
“Hey, the first time I did it I was completely freaked out, too. But we don’t have a lot of time,” Lilly said. “If you don’t help, Tiffany might just leave you here.”
“The battery is charging at fifty percent, girls,” McKenna shouted. “Less talking. More taking!”
Matilda reached into a chest of diamonds, grabbed a handful, and stuffed them into her sack. She felt terrible. She prided herself on her integrity—a trait her parents had instilled in her. How could she ever look them in the eye again? Still, she had to remind herself that this was a mission. She had to do this to save the world—her world.
“Four minutes, people,” McKenna said.
“We have to come back here,” Shauna said. “There’s enough to fund our entire lives. We’d never have to work again.”
“We’re not here for our retirement. This is for cheerleading only!” Tiffany said. “Besides, the machine doesn’t take you back to a world once you’ve visited it, so you better take what you can.”
Just then there was a loud bang. A door slammed opened behind Matilda and she heard a heavy footstep followed by a metallic clink.
Boot-clink. Boot-clink. Boot-clink.
When Matilda turned, she saw a rough-looking man holding the biggest, sharpest sword she had ever seen. His mustache was long and bushy and hung down to his Adam’s apple. He was dressed in a black coat embroidered with silver flowers and had a red silken scarf tied around his neck. One of his legs was a stump with nothing more than a crude metal spike for him to balance on. But nothing about his appearance was as shocking as his face. He could have been Agent Brand’s twin brother.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” he said.
Matilda shuddered. His voice was identical to her boss’s, too.
Another set of feet stomped into the room, this one belonging to a blonde woman. She was tall and lean with braided hair. She had a black patch over her left eye and what looked like the scar of a hangman’s noose around her slender neck. Only those two characteristics kept her from being an exact copy of Ms. Holiday. In fact, standing side by side, the pirates looked as if they were Brand and Holiday on their way to a costume party.
“What do we have here, Alex, my lad?” she said, removing a dagger from within her vest.
“Looters, my love,” he said. “No-good thieving scoundrels.”
“Isn’t that what we are, dearest?”
The pirates laughed.
“Indeed. But there has to be some respect for finder’s keepers, my darling. This treasure was stolen by us and therefore rightfully belongs to us. It’s unbecoming of a scoundrel to steal from other scoundrels.”
“I suppose we should alert the captain,” the female pirate said.
“Captain?” Matilda asked.
“Someone called?” a voice rang out, and another person entered the room. Matilda’s heart almost stopped. The captain was no rogue of the seven seas but eleven-year-old Ruby Peet, dressed in a huge black hat and leather boots, complete with a parrot standing on her shoulder.
“Brand and Holiday! Tell me my eyes don’t deceive me! Is it true we have some rats below decks? Filthy, thieving vermin. I’m allergic to the hairy little buggers.”
“It’s true, Captain Peet,” Brand said. “Permission to hoist them up by their tails and toss them overboard?”
“No, Brand, this is a pleasure I seize for my own,” the pirate Ruby said as she unsheathed a broadsword from her hip. She flashed a rotten smile nearly as deadly as her blade, then charged at Shauna, swinging murderously. The pretty cheerleader screamed and cowered in the corner.
Before Pirate Ruby could slash her throat, Matilda leaped across the tiny room and kicked the sword out of Captain Peet’s hand. It clanked to the floor. While Ruby bent to retrieve her weapon, Matilda sucker-punched Brand in the belly. The pirate tumbled over just in time to catch a knee to his front teeth.
“Stay back!” Matilda shouted to the other cheerleaders, though by the looks on their faces they weren’t about to attack—or even defend themselves.
“Ye look familiar to me, little one,” Pirate Holiday said. “Don’t you think so, Captain?”
Peet eyeballed Matilda, rubbing her sword on her shirt. Something flashed in her expression.
“I do,” said the captain. “Remember that first mate we had out of Boston? The one with the breathing malady?”
Brand finally regained his breath. “Why, you’re right, Captain. She’s the spitting image. If I hadn’t seen you feed her to the sharks, I’d think it was the same girl.”
“Perhaps she’s a ghost,” the captain said as the two women circled Matilda.
“Take a step closer and I’ll show you who’s a ghost.”
Peet laughed. “Just as chatty as the other one, too. Run her through, Holiday.”
Holiday tossed her dagger from hand to hand then charged at Matilda. In such a small space, Matilda couldn’t use her inhalers to fly. So instead she turned her stealth inhalers on the woman’s face. One squeeze sent the woman flying against the ship’s wall, where she crumpled to the floor. Matilda hoped it looked to the other girls as if she just had a great right hook.
Captain Peet seemed momentarily stunned, but Matilda knew if she was anything like her own Pufferfish, she wouldn’t stay that way. Matilda was going to have to fight, and she needed more room.
“Everyone on deck!” Matilda commanded, and the cheerleaders didn’t hesitate. They all flew through the door. Kylie and Matilda brought up the rear, tumbling out into the sunshine with the salty air tearing at their eyes and noses.
There they found a dozen more pirates, each filthier than the last. Lilly threw a punch at one Matilda recognized as a member of NERDS’ scientific team. Other pirates were alternate versions of teachers from the school, albeit very tough versions. They surrounded the group of girls.
“Whose idea was it to come outside?” McKenna complained.
“Stop complaining and keep an eye on that battery. When it’s charged, activate the machine, no matter what is happening!” Matilda said.
“We’re at seventy-seven percent right now. I’d say three more minutes. Maybe two.”
“Looks like we’ve flushed us out some worms,” a new voice said. Matilda turned and spotted this world’s Duncan. He was dressed in striped pants and a huge belt, and he had a red bandanna around his head.