5.18

The titanic battle between the Trash Queen and Gadgeteer had caused so much destruction that some people later questioned if it had been the right way to do things.

Hunter, Jimena, and Silas stood where they were on the ground of Crooked Downs. The body of Stick lay crushed under a chunk of a building.

“What can we do against that?” Silas asked.

The antennae on top of Gadgeteer’s robot glowed blue and electricity surged forward and exploded on impact against the giant trash golem. Pieces of the golem broke away and fell to the ground.

“They’re so big. I don’t know if there’s really anything we can do,” said Silas. He and Jimena placed a hand on each shoulder of Hunter. They all felt fury toward the Trash Queen, but the reality in the power gap between themselves and their enemy was obvious.

“We just help in whatever way we can in defeating her,” said Hunter. His fists still clenched; his fingernails drew blood.

They watched, unmoving, as the two titans continued to clobber each other. The golem and the robot moved with a grace that belied their size.

“I feel so useless!” Hunter yelled. The trash golem opened its mouth and a swirling green cloud burst from its mouth. He could smell the putrid gas from here.

“We just have to help in other ways,” said Jimena. Her and Silas’s hands were still on Hunter’s shoulders.

“Yeah. We helped rescue all those people. Many of them wouldn’t be alive if we didn’t help.” Silas knew his words wouldn’t mean much right now, but he said them anyway.

Hunter heard a scuffling noise to his right. He turned to see a trash golem clambering toward them. Hunter destroyed it swiftly with the dust bat without moving. He heard another one coming up from behind and made quick work of that one as well.

“Just leave us alone,” he called.

The giant golden robot thrust one fist forward and to the teens’ amazement, the fist detached from the arm and shot forth. It exploded on impact against the trash golem and slowly retreated back onto the golden robot.

The trash golem staggered back and fell into a building. The building screeched and lurched and slowly collapsed to the ground.

Hunter and the others felt the ground shake beneath them. For a moment, it seemed as though the trash golem wasn’t going to get back up. The mass slowly shifted back. It stood but looked battered and bruised.

“Well, this just won’t do. This has gone on for far too long.” The Trash Queen laughed. The trash golem shot forth and wrapped itself around the golden robot.

The robot struggled to move. Hunter could hear it screeching and grinding under the pressure of the trash golem.

The body of the golden robot started to hum and glow.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Silas asked.

“I think so,” said Hunter. They watched as the robot hummed louder and its body grew brighter.

The trash golem started to withdraw from the robot, but the robot shifted and held it in place.

“We need to go, now!” said Jimena. The three teens turned and began to run. Silas inflated himself and scooped up his two friends.

A distorted, bass-like explosion ripped through the air, then a moment of silence followed. The teens were then launched further forward by the shockwave as the deafening roar caught up to them.

They were smashed into a building that surprisingly, stayed standing. They picked themselves up off the ground and looked back at where the fight had been happening.

“That was close,” said Silas.

“Yeah,” agreed Jimena.

“Should we go back and check on it?” Hunter asked. There was a spike of doubt within him. He didn’t believe the Trash Queen was dead. But he also realised, if she wasn’t, there really was nothing they could do.

“Let’s go,” said Jimena. The three teens ran back to where the explosion had happened.

The body of the golden robot and the trash golem lay scattered about. The ground was shattered, and cracks and holes were everywhere.

“What are you three doing here?” The teens looked to see Brickla, and Claw were standing there, assessing the damage.

“We helped with the evacuation and then came back out to try and help Stick. She died. Crushed by a building,” there was an uneasy steadiness to Hunter’s voice.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. Maybe the three of you should go back to the hall and wait this out,” said Brickla.

“No. We’re going to see this through in whatever way we can,” said Hunter.

“Kid, I’ve seen some nasty stuff in my life. Believe me when I say you want to wait before you see some things that are out there.” Claw lit a cigar and narrowed his eyes at the three teens.

“No. We’re a part of this. Don’t stop us.” Jimena stepped forward as she said this.

“Fine.”

“Where would she be?” Silas asked.

“She’s powerful, but she would not have survived a blast like that at point blank. We’ve theorised for a while she’s got access to some kind of teleporting,” said Brickla.

“That would explain how she avoids capture and total defeat every time.” Claw took a long drag and exhaled the smoke through clenched teeth.

As if out of thin air, a shimmering portal appeared. The five of them watched as the Trash Queen stepped out of the portal. She looked at the five heroes and a smile crept upon her face.

“This is my welcoming party, is it?”

“Yep.” Hunter whirled up his javelins and hurled them at the Trash Queen. She parried his dust with little effort and the smile on her face grew wider.

“Very well then. I’m a little disappointed there aren’t more of you. There’s no way you can defeat me.” A spine-tingling cackle bounced around the night air.