DR. CATALYST STRODE THROUGH THE LOBBY OF THE hospital. It was always amazing to him how easy it was to get into and out of places if you assumed the identity of someone in authority. His Florida City police uniform gave him entry to the entire hospital. No one stopped or questioned him.

On the drive to Miami, he had contemplated how he could get his hands on Emmet. Going straight into the hospital and asking for him would arouse suspicion. Worse, there would be security cameras, and a record of him asking. The boy might also be under watch by security or other police officials, and they would not be so easily fooled by his disguise. He didn’t want to charge into a gaggle of police officers. The best option would be to get the hospital empty and have Emmet outside, where he might have a chance to separate him from those watching him.

The ideal way to do that would be to create some kind of emergency. The easiest emergency would be a fire alarm. But he couldn’t just pull the fire alarm. Hospitals had sophisticated fire-detection-and-suppression systems. Once they determined it was a false alarm, they would simply shut it off. Which meant he would need to start an actual fire. But he had to choose a spot carefully. He did not want to unnecessarily hurt anyone. Once word got out that Emmet was missing, he would receive enough bad publicity. Setting fire to a hospital would not win any followers to his cause. But the Doyle brat’s interference had gone on long enough.

Dr. Catalyst parked the cruiser in a parking garage adjacent to the hospital. He studied a map of the interior of the building on his tablet. Looking closely at the layout of the place, he immediately found the ideal location for his decoy fire. He entered the building through a side entrance, carrying a small duffel bag, and made his way to an isolated spot near the kitchen. A large plastic garbage disposal unit sat in a hallway outside the cafeteria. When it was full, it would be rolled outside and hauled away by the trash company. Before entering the hallway, he removed a small device from his pocket and switched on the power. It would temporarily jam the signals of any nearby security cameras. He could not risk being caught on camera.

On his way to Miami, Dr. Catalyst had stopped at a hardware store and purchased a few supplies. Now, hidden from view, he duct-taped an emergency road flare to a plastic bottle of lighter fluid. He pushed the garbage unit down the hallway, until it stood directly beneath an air-conditioning vent that fed into the hospital’s main ventilation system.

It was now or never. Dr. Catalyst struck the flare head against the wall, and it burst into a bright, hissing flame. He tossed the burning bundle inside the garbage unit. The flare would burn down like a candle and the heat would eventually melt the plastic bottle, igniting the lighter fluid inside. Most of the garbage in the bin was plastic and paper, and would only produce smoke. But it would be enough to set off the alarm.

Dr. Catalyst walked away, returning to the lobby and exiting the building. A few minutes later he pulled his police cruiser in front of the hospital and waited. He rolled the window down on the passenger side of the car and was soon rewarded by the shrieking fire alarm.

Soon the evacuation began. Patients who could walk exited first, escorted by orderlies and nurses. Then came others, being pushed on gurneys and rolling hospital beds. Smoke filtered out of the ventilation system on the roof. The evacuation continued. Dr. Catalyst scanned the crowd, watching for his quarry.

His patience paid off. Emmet and Calvin left the lobby, wearing bewildered expressions.

Dr. Catalyst exited the police car and made his way through the crowd toward them. The nameplate above the badge on his uniform said FULMAN.

Now came the hard part. The area in front of the hospital was teeming with people. He would need to be very careful and hope the boys didn’t recognize him from the school. All he needed was a few minutes. Just a little luck, and he would have his revenge.

He worked his way through the crowd until he was in front of the boys.

“Hey, guys,” he said, a friendly tone in his voice. “Are you by any chance Emmet Doyle and Calvin Geaux?”

“Yeah,” Emmet said, with a wary look on his face.

“Officer Stukaczowski just radioed ahead. I’m Officer Fulman. Your parents are going to be moved to Miami General, because of the fire. He wants to meet us there. Asked me to transport you.” Dr. Catalyst didn’t wait for an answer. If you acted like you were in charge, most people would follow along. So he turned and started walking back toward the cruiser.

With a quick glance over his shoulder, he found Emmet and Calvin were following him.

His plan was working to perfection.