The Bully Chip Page 9

  Lester paused, enjoying his moment of triumph. He walked to a nearby water cooler, poured half a cup and took a long drink. He emitted a loud, self-satisfied sigh and continued.

  “Once the chip is in place, it enhances the subject’s cunning and their desire to do bad things and hurt people. Conscience is overridden and so is regret. In essence, the chip transforms them into a cold, calculating bully. And I have added a slave function so the subject will only take orders from me. It’s perfect.”

  “Not quite,” called out Sophie. “It’s got a few bugs, hasn’t it?”

  From the look on her face, Lester knew she was enjoying contradicting him. He shot her an annoyed look. “Yes, yes. If you look closely you can detect a purple haze around the iris and, as you’ve obviously discovered, the chip will short out if the ear cavity is flooded with water.” He sighed. “I take it that’s what happened to Lucy?”

  The girl glanced at her disabled friend and he gave a small shake of his head. “We don’t know what you’re talking about,” replied Sophie.

  “Suit yourself,” said Lester, with a shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t really care about one girl. I’ve got a whole school full of bullies here. And soon I will have placed one in every classroom in the country.”

  Lester stepped from behind the desk and stood before the teenagers. He spread his arms dramatically in front of his body. “Imagine the glorious misery they’ll cause. And that’s just the start. When they grow up, I’ll have bullies in the police force, the army, even the government. All under my control.”

  Lester’s miscoloured eyes glowed at the thought. “And once my army of bullies is complete, I’ll start exporting them overseas.” He paused, thinking. “I’ll probably start with Poland.”

  “You’re insane,” snapped Callum.

  Lester nodded. “Quite possibly. All the best people are.”

  “I suppose you’re going to fit those chips into us,” said the boy.

  Lester shook his head. “Where’s the fun in that? No, you and your friends are going to be the bullied, not the bullies. I need test subjects to help my students perfect the art of thuggery. Sophie can start the day being picked on by the girls and you can get beaten up by the boys.”

  Lester looked at Jinx and frowned. “I’m not quite sure what to do with bad luck boy. I don’t want to unleash a disaster.”

  “I don’t think he has control of his bad luck any more,” said Cain, speaking for the first time since entering the room. “He and Callum were nearly killed by a tornado he accidentally unleashed the other day.”

  “Interesting,” murmured Lester. “I’d love to take a look at his brain, maybe tomorrow. In fact I might take a look at all your brains, slice ’em open and take a peek.” He gave a perverse chuckle. “Hope I don’t slip while I’m in there.”

  Lester watched with pleasure as looks of fear passed between Callum and Sophie.

  He addressed Parson. “Jinx should wake up soon. When he does, take him to the sports fields for some outdoor bullying. He can’t do much damage out there.”

  Lester leaned in to Callum and Sophie. “You are going to regret what you did to me last year,” he hissed. “And I’m going to enjoy watching that happen.” He turned to Darryl. “Take them away,” he ordered.

  Callum spoke before Darryl could move. “Before we go, I have a question. What’s the deal with Cain? Why didn’t he need a chip?”

  Lester shook his finger at the boy. “You’re just trying to stall me, aren’t you? Trying to put off the bullying.”

  Callum shrugged. “Suit yourself. Don’t tell me then.”

  Lester considered the boy. “All right, I’ll let you have this one question. Remember the ray I invented to eradicate goodness from children? I’m sure you do, since you broke into my laboratory and destroyed it. Well, before you began meddling, I carried out one spectacularly successful test-firing. The goodness I destroyed that happy day belonged to young Cain here, and he is now totally free from morality or conscience. So it seems fitting that he’s responsible for your capture.”

  Lester walked over to Cain and patted him proudly on the shoulder. “He’s like the son I never had, and he will be the heir to my empire of bullies.”

  “Not if we can help it,” said Callum. “My friends and I are going to close down your school and destroy your evil microchips. We’ve stopped your sick plans before and we’ll do it again.”

  Lester laughed. “Oh, I doubt you’ll have the energy to do anything at all after an afternoon of solid bullying.” He called to Darryl and Parson. “Search them. Take all their belongings and then put them to work.” Lester pointed to the Thunderkit. “Go over the chair as well. He keeps a metal baton in there somewhere. Make sure you get it.”

  Lester switched his attention back to Callum and Sophie, and gave a theatrical bow. “Thank you so much for volunteering for our bullies in schools program. Sethel Stymer Preparatory appreciates your help.” He gave an evil laugh and walked out of the room. “I do love a good reunion.”

  Twelve

  Sophie stood nervously beside a bank of lockers in a corridor in the school’s main teaching block.

  She had been put there by Darryl and told to pretend she was retrieving something from her locker. He made it clear that things would be considerably worse if she disobeyed. The thug then retreated and stood guard by the stairwell.

  About a dozen female students of a similar age to Sophie stood near a classroom at the other end of the corridor, ten metres away. The girls were all bigger than Sophie and their attitudes were definitely aggressive. Sophie could make out a purple sheen around their irises.

  A spidery woman with bug eyes and thinning hair stood amongst the students. She had a humourless, pinched face and a bloodless pallor. She was clearly the girls’ tutor.

  The woman bent down and whispered into the ear of the plain, beefy girl beside her. The girl nodded and walked down the corridor towards Sophie. When she drew level, she spun around and slammed both her hands into the smaller girl’s shoulders. Sophie flew backwards and smashed into the bank of lockers, the impact stealing the breath from her lungs. Pain shot through her left side, her vision swam and she could taste blood in her mouth where she’d bitten her tongue.

  She was dimly aware of the teacher running down the hallway.

  “No, no, no!” screeched the woman, glaring at the bigger girl.

  Relief washed over Sophie. She was certain the teacher would help her up and punish the other kid, but she was wrong. The teacher completely ignored her and spoke to the chunky girl.

  “Listen carefully, Martha,” she began. “You can’t just whack into your victims. That’s way too obvious. Even a blind teacher would have noticed what you did, and you’d be in detention for the rest of the week. The secret to being a good bully is to be discreet. Make sure your actions aren’t seen, so nothing can be proved.”

  Sophie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “In other words, act like a coward,” she spat.

  The teacher fired a withering look at her. “No one said you could speak, insect. Get up.”

  Sophie picked herself off the ground and stood defiantly by the lockers.

  The teacher pulled Martha to one side and called down the corridor. “Cherelle, demonstrate, please.”

  A tall, pretty girl with curly brown hair left the rear of the group and approached Sophie.

  As the girl drew close, Sophie tensed, waiting for an attack, but Cherelle flashed her a friendly smile. “Hi,” she said.

  Sophie was caught off guard. She was wondering whether to reply when the still-smiling girl dropped her hip into Sophie’s side. She flew into the lockers again and tumbled to the ground. She hadn’t been hit with as much force as the first time but it still hurt. A look of concern flashed over Cherelle’s face and she moved to Sophie’s side, offering her hand to help her up.

  “Gosh, are you okay? You must have slipped on the floor.”

  Sophie swatted the girl’s hand away a
nd stood by herself.

  “Excellent,” cried the teacher, elated. “A perfect hip check and then a lovely misdirection afterwards.” The teacher raised her voice so the other students down the hall could hear. “Did you notice how Cherelle showed concern for the victim? This puts doubt in their mind and before long they’ll have convinced themselves it was an accident. Remember, girls, don’t just bully the body, bully the mind as well. Right, Terri, it’s your turn.”

  A stern girl with dark hair pulled into a severe bun split from the group and headed down the corridor. This time Sophie was ready for the attack. She let the girl get close but when the bully dropped her hip, Sophie moved swiftly to her left, crouched down and fired her right leg out to sweep the other girl’s legs from underneath her. The bully hit the floor with a heavy thud, breath exploding from her lungs like exhaust from a backfiring car.

  There was a collective gasp from the bully school students. Several of the bigger girls moved threateningly towards Sophie. Sophie set her back against the lockers, curled her hands into fists and prepared to defend herself.

  The teacher stepped in front of Sophie and froze the approaching students with a stern glare. “Stand back,” she growled. The girls returned to the end of the corridor.

  The teacher picked Terri up off the floor. The girl clutched her stomach and struggle for breath, winded. The teacher showed no sympathy.

  She pushed the wheezing girl back in the direction of her classmates. “You can’t expect all your victims to just lie down and take it,” she snapped. “And if they do fight back, you can’t let your tempers get the better of you.”

  The teacher pointed to the tall, pretty girl. “Cherelle, what’s the best thing to do if you find yourself in a situation like this?”

  Cherelle grabbed her stomach and twisted her face in pain. Tears appeared in her eyes. “Teacher, that girl just kicked me,” she sobbed. She straightened and pointed at Sophie. “I don’t know why she did it. I’ve never done anything to her.”

  Cherelle’s face was a picture of wounded innocence. Even Sophie had to admit she was a convincing actress.

  The teacher nodded. “Good.”

  She leaned in close to Sophie. Her breath smelled like stale air. “Don’t think I stopped them from beating you up because I’m concerned at all for your health,” she hissed. “I’ve got a full afternoon of lessons to teach and I don’t want you so badly damaged that I can’t complete my study plan.”

  The woman took Sophie by the shoulders, pulled her away from the lockers and stood her in the corridor. She addressed her students.

  “Right, who can show me how to hit someone without leaving a bruise?”

  Every girl in the corridor raised her hand.

  Jinx woke from sleep to find he was in a nightmare. He sat in the middle of a manicured sports field, surrounded by a group of thuggish-looking boys dressed in black shorts, T-shirts and trainers.

  Jinx had no idea what was going on. The last thing he remembered was cruising along in a limo with Callum, Sophie and Cain. They had been on their way to the school. Something had gone very wrong.

  He blinked and assessed his surroundings. Peering through the legs of the boys that encircled him, he could make out buildings nearby. He caught a glimpse of the limousine he’d been in. It was parked outside what he assumed was the entrance to the school.

  Jinx went to push himself upright. He stopped and glanced down; something was wrong with his hands. To his amazement Jinx saw that both of his hands had been tightly wrapped in silver electrical tape. It was as if he was wearing a pair of dull metal mittens. The tape pinned his thumbs firmly to the side of his hands.

  “What the …?” he said.

  The circle of boys parted and Parson walked forwards.

  “Recognise me?” said the man.

  Jinx nodded. His hopes sank to subterranean levels, paused briefly, then sank even further. The last time Jinx had seen Parson, the boy had been responsible for unleashing a swarm of bees on the man before crushing him under a stack of wooden pallets.

  Parson pointed to the tape on Jinx’s hands. “That’s to stop you doing that thing with your thumb.” He pulled aside his jacket to show Jinx that he had a pistol holstered inside. “And if that doesn’t work, this will. Got it?”

  Jinx swallowed hard. “Sure, but there’s no need for that. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t even know where I am.”

  Parson grinned. “I can help with that. You’re at the Sethel Stymer Preparatory School and you’re going to help these pupils with their sports lessons.” He gestured at the assembled students. “That’s all you need to know for now. Your friends can fill you in on the rest of the details tonight.”

  Parson strolled over to a stack of sports equipment and picked up a rugby ball. He approached Jinx. “Do you know anything about rugby?” he asked.

  Before Jinx could answer, the big man threw the ball at his groin. The ball hit Jinx in the most delicate of places and he collapsed on the ground with a loud moan. Through waves of pain, the injured boy could hear Parson addressing the boys.

  “The great thing about rugby is that hardly anything is illegal,” lectured Parson. “What I just did is entirely within the rules. How great is that? Gather round boys and I’ll show you some other ways to cripple your opponents without getting sent off.”

  Through watering eyes, Jinx watched in horror as a forest of hairy legs trudged his way.

  Sophie waited tensely as one of the bigger girls strode up to her. She had a heavy textbook in her hand. The girl raised the book. Sophie braced herself for the blow but it never came. The girl was gawking behind Sophie, frozen on the spot.

  “I think she’s had enough for today.” It was the unmistakable sound of Lester’s voice.

  Sophie spun around to find the evil man standing just behind her. He beckoned. “Come with me.”

  Sophie didn’t know what to do. She was completely surrounded, so running for it wasn’t an option. She decided to go with Lester and keep her eyes open for a means of escape.

  Lester seemed to read her mind. He called to Darryl. “Plastic handcuffs?”

  Darryl nodded.

  Lester returned his attention to Sophie. “Hands behind your back, please.”

  Sophie did as she was told and waited for Daryl to secure her hands with the plastic strap. As the big thug was tightening the band, his boss called out, “Not too tight.”

  Sophie was puzzled. Lester was being almost nice to her. Well, as nice as it’s possible for a psychopathic lunatic to be, she thought.

  Lester took her by the arm and led her out of the corridor. He chatted as they walked. “I think you and I got off to a bad start,” he began.

  “Bad start!” spluttered Sophie. “You wanted to suck the goodness out of my brain, threw me in a cell, tried to kill my best friend, and then had me bullied and beaten.”

  Lester waved away her comments. “Yes, yes, but that’s in the past. Now I’ve got a proposition for you.”

  He steered Sophie through a series of hallways and took her into the main body of the school. He stopped before a solid white door, punched a code into a keypad and led Sophie inside.

  Sophie couldn’t help but be impressed. She was in a high-tech laboratory. She recognised equipment from the latest electronics magazines and the workstation was clean and well organised.

  “How’d you like to work here?” Lester whispered from close behind her. “You’re a very clever girl, and I think you could help me with some of the issues I have with my chip. Perhaps work out how to waterproof it and eradicate the hazing of the iris. You’d be very well rewarded.”

  Sophie couldn’t believe the man’s gall. She spun around and faced him, spitting out her words. “Nothing in the world could convince me to help with your evil plan.”

  Lester was unperturbed. “Oh, but that’s not true. I could offer to let you and your friends go and promise to leave you alone for good.”

  Sophie wavered. “You’d
do that?”

  “Absolutely. The moment I have a tested foolproof chip I’ll release you all.”

  Sophie looked closely at the man. His eyes shifted to the left, and she knew he was lying. “No, you won’t. You’ll never let us go.”

  Lester gave the girl a sad smile. “I didn’t really expect you to fall for that, but you can’t blame a guy for trying.” His demeanour hardened. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder, dragged her into an adjoining room and pushed her into a large padded chair.

  Sophie struggled as hard as she could, but Lester was too strong. “I’ll never help you, no matter what you do,” she screamed.

  Lester snapped a series of straps across Sophie’s body until she couldn’t move. He radiated anger as he worked. “You had to be difficult, didn’t you? It would have been so much easier if you’d volunteered to help but, oh no, not little miss goody-two-shoes.” He glared at her. “Well, you’ve only got yourself to blame for what happens next.”

  Sophie watched as Lester stomped from the room. Moments later she heard the hissing of gas and a purple mist descended from the roof. She recognised it instantly. Doesn’t smell anywhere near as nice as the one I made, she thought as she lost consciousness.

  Thirteen

  Callum sat in his wheelchair. He was behind a desk in a classroom. The room was similar to hundreds like it, found in places of learning all over the world. Lines of wooden desks and chairs were arranged in blocks. They faced a much larger teacher’s desk that sat in front of a square whiteboard. The walls were decorated with children’s artwork and school projects. For all intents and purposes, Callum appeared to be in a normal school.

  Except that Darryl Yarmouth sat behind the teacher’s desk and he was about as scholarly as Attila the Hun.