Someone in Trouble

Chapter 20: Status Quo

"Sportacus!"

Something shiny and metallic whizzed overhead that made Sportacus and the other kids duck down. It looked like a UFO, all chrome and sleek, but when it banked around to come back they saw a camera lens on the front of the airborne dish. It was Pixel's digi-cam device and it circled them as the gizmo guy's voice came out of it from a tiny microphone.

"Sportacus, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you, Pixel," Sportacus said. "What's going on?"

"Robbie Rotten has just been sighted, and he's got Stephanie on the run! You need to get across town right now!"

"I'm on my way," Sportacus said.

"We're coming too!" Trixie said.

"Yeah!" Ziggy threw aside his mostly eaten lollipop. "Let's all stop Robbie!"

"Hey, guys!" Stingy called shrilly as he ran through the park towards them, "wait for me!"

"All right," Sportacus rallied the troops, "let's go!" He pumped his arms in his signature move to loosen up all the anxious energy coursing through his muscles and broke into a decisive sprint with the kids following.

He cut through the community garden, flipping over flower beds and vaulting off an empty wheelbarrow. Jumping and twisting through the air he flew through the playground and sprung off the seesaw, launching himself clear over the swing-set and onward. The kids all cheered his acrobatics even as they fell behind. The only one who could keep pace with Sportacus was Pixel's digi-cam flying at top speed just ahead of him leading the way.

Sportacus could hear Stephanie before he saw her. The girl was screaming and hollering like her life depended on it. Following closely on the heels of her high pitched yelps was a much deeper and raspier voice, a nasty cackling and taunting.

"There's no reason to keep running, pip-squeak. There's nowhere to go and no one to help you now."

"This isn't funny, Robbie, please! Stop it!" Stephanie tried to reason with her pursuer as she continued to run away, but it was no good. The villain let out another horrible laugh that let her know it was funny to him.

Sportacus leapt up onto a low wall and looked around anxiously. Over there! Flashing by in the blink of an eye was a pink head of hair. Following not too far behind was a much larger purple shape. Robbie loped after Stephanie with a long fishing net balanced on one shoulder. It was big enough to catch a fish as big as a tuna— or a little girl.

Stephanie changed course abruptly and Sportacus craned his neck to keep her in view. She had caught sight of the treehouse and poured on an extra burst of speed. The girl threw herself at the ladder and clambered up in record time, barged open the hatch door, and vanished inside. The door slammed shut just as Robbie arrived at the base of the tree.

"Leave me alone!" Stephanie shouted from the treehouse window. Robbie turned his net idly in his hands as he looked up at her. He ran his gaze from the tightly shut hatch all the way down the ladder and back up again.

"You want to stay up there? Fine." Tucking the net under one arm he seized hold of the ladder and grunted with the effort as he pulled it away from the tree. "I'll leaf you alone, all right. Don't let anyone say I was all bark and no bite."

The ladder creaked and shifted away from the trunk. Stephanie cried out her protest but there was nothing she could do. With a big push Robbie shoved the ladder clear of the tree. It stood free of any support for one long second before teetering over.

"Tim-m-m-ber-r-r," Robbie crowed as the ladder gained speed for a hard crash into the ground, one that should surely shatter it to splinters.

Sportacus sprang off the wall and tumbled through the air like a whirling dervish. He twirled around and over and landed in a handspring before throwing himself back up on his feet just in time to raise both arms up and catch the ladder! He bowed under the weight of the large and heavy instrument but refused to give in. Above his head he heard Stephanie let out a gasp.