Chapter 6

“I love Bingo!”

Marv leaned across the circular table. “Believe me,” he said, “we’ve tried to destroy the source. Hit it with all we had. BEM has Sweepers protecting it.”

“The Glop source can’t be destroyed,” Olin explained. “But it can be closed.”

“How?” Daisy asked.

“The same way it was opened,” said Aryl. “With a Glop formula.”

Spencer remembered how he and Walter had added every ingredient to the drinking fountain. Spit of an Auran was the final element, which was why it had been necessary for Spencer to be there.

“As long as the source is open,” Sach said, “we run the risk of the Witches getting their wands back.”

“The bronze nails are safe for now,” Aryl cut in. “But it’s only a matter of time before the BEM finds them. If the Witches get their wands, this war will be lost.”

“So that’s why we have to close the source?” Daisy said.

Sach nodded. “There are a number of reasons. For every moment the source stays open, more Toxites are being introduced to the world.”

“Because Toxites are born out of Glop.” Spencer shot a glance over at V. She’d been recycling the nasty liquid with her Glopified pump house. But Spencer had put an end to that operation.

“Right,” said Olin. “But you have to understand what Glop is, and where it’s coming from.”

“Where?” Aside from the source, Spencer had never really thought about it.

“You’ve been there before,” Olin said. “The Dustbin.”

Dez moaned, obviously remembering when they had intentionally gotten sucked into the Vortex. “Not that place again! It was so . . . dusty!”

Marv folded his big arms. He’d spent more time in the Dustbin than any of them. “Glop comes from the Dustbin?”

“Indeed,” Sach said. “Everything ties back to the Dustbin. Think about it—when dust gets wet, what happens to it?”

“It turns to mud,” Spencer said.

“The Glop source is a spillway,” said Sach. “When the source is open, magic dust from the Dustbin leaks into our world. But crossing over the threshold causes the dust to weaken and destabilize. It turns into Glop.”

“So Glop is just muddy dust from the Dustbin?” Daisy asked.

“Basically,” said Aryl. “Hundreds of years ago, the Glop source opened for the first time. We don’t know exactly how it happened, but as a result, thousands of gallons of Glop leaked over from the Dustbin before the source could be closed. Since that time, those thousands of gallons have been recycled over and over, sustaining life for enough Toxites to continually regenerate and cover the nation. Now the source is open once more. Each day, hundreds of gallons of new Glop are leaking into this world through that drinking fountain in Welcher Elementary. It gets absorbed into the ground and mingles with the Glop that’s already here. This is causing the Toxite population to increase, since more Glop equals more Toxites.”

“So, if we close the Glop source, it’ll stop the Toxites?” Rho asked.

“It’ll stop the new flow of Toxites,” Aryl clarified. “Then we’ll just have to deal with the ones that already exist here—the hundreds of thousands that continue to regenerate in the Glop that has already leaked into the earth.”

“All this sounds lovely,” V said. “But who knows the formula to close the source?”

“We do.” All three of the Dark Aurans said it in unison.

“The Witches gave us the recipe the first time we closed the source,” said Olin. “That was a long time ago. We were just kids then. But you don’t forget something that important.”

“You guys closed the source before?” Spencer asked.

Sach nodded. “It was a direct order from the Founding Witches. We closed the source, sealing them inside, safe and sound until the day when they were supposed to return and help us.”

“Stinks to be you right now,” Dez said.

“Stinks to be all of us, if the Witches have turned evil,” Sach answered.

“When the Witches came back,” Spencer said, “what were they supposed to help you do?”

“Destroy all Toxites forever,” answered Olin.

“So there is a way?” Marv asked. It was what the Rebels had been searching for since Alan was rescued from the dumpster prison.

“Remember the Instigators from the Dustbin?” Aryl asked.

Spencer nodded, and he saw Marv’s expression darken at the name. The Instigators were the rulers of the Dustbin. They had constructed a giant fortress, unleashing waves of toilet-paper mummies to wipe out any newcomers.

“The first time we entered the Dustbin,” Aryl continued, “we were prisoners of the Instigators. The Witches rescued us, but as we made our retreat from the Instigators’ fortress, we came across something horrible. We found the very place where Toxites originated. Three hideous nests. They were not occupied by giant beasts or monsters, but in the heart of the nests were three great brains, rotten and corrupted. Visible brain waves of light intertwined, spiraling heavenward like a beacon.”

Spencer felt a chill pass through him. He remembered what he’d seen as he rode the slipstream leaf blower out of the Dustbin. He’d looked across the wide expanse of endless dust and seen the dark fortress of the Instigators. He’d seen a beacon of eerie light rising from the heart of the black abode.

“The Instigators created the brain nests,” Aryl continued, “and the Witches told us that we were the only ones who had the power to destroy them. Within us was the ability to destroy Toxites forever. The Witches called us the heroes of the Dustbin.”

“So you have to go back there,” Spencer said. “Back to the Dustbin.”

“Eventually, yes,” answered Sach. “But first, there’s something we must find in order to succeed.”

“We need the scissors,” said Olin.

“You should have told me,” Daisy said. “I have some in my backpack. I could have brought them.”

Olin chuckled. “These are no ordinary scissors. They are likely the most powerful Glopified tool in history.”

“More powerful than the Vortex?” Spencer asked. The deadly vacuum bag and the Spade were the strongest things he’d encountered.

“Three times more powerful, you might say,” said Sach. “We Glopified the scissors together, before we got Panned. Using our combined magic, we created something that would be strong enough to sever the brain waves from the nests.”

“I could probably do it with my bare hands,” Dez said, but everyone ignored him.

“The Toxites are fueled by those brain nests,” Olin said. “If we snip the connection, the brains will wither, and the Toxites will return to ordinary dust, never to bother another student again.”

“But the Glop source must be closed when that happens,” Sach added.

“Why?” Spencer asked. “If we use the scissors now, why do we even need to worry about closing the source?”

“Destroying the nests will create a lot of destructive energy,” Aryl said. “We have to contain the blast in the Dustbin. If the Glop source is open, that energy will spill into our world, destroying everything in its path.”

“Destruction.” Dez grinned, rubbing his hands together. “Sounds cool.”

“This wouldn’t be the kind of destruction you want to see,” Olin said. “The blast would cause the source to rip wide open. All that magic dust from the Dustbin would come through like a hurricane, turning to Glop when it entered our world. Since the dust is endless, there would be no way to staunch the flow. Earth would be completely flooded within minutes. Everything would be covered.”

“Welcher?” Daisy asked.

“It would be gone,” Olin said.

“San Francisco?” she persisted.

“Also gone.”

“What about New York City?” Daisy asked.

“Everything would be flooded,” Olin emphasized.

“Even China?” Daisy’s eyes grew wide.

“Everything!” Olin said again. “China is part of everything.”

“That’s why closing the Glop source is our top priority right now,” Sach said, getting them back on topic. “It’ll stop the flow of new Toxites, make it impossible for the Witches to restore their wands, and it will protect the world from the devastation that will ensue when the brain nests are destroyed.”

“Plus,” Olin added, “it buys us more time to get the scissors.”

“Where are they?” Rho asked. Spencer was surprised that she hadn’t heard of them before, but then he remembered that the Dark Aurans thrived on keeping secrets from the girls.

“Well . . .” Olin scratched behind his ear. “We lost them.”

“You created the most powerful weapon in history,” V said, “and then lost it?”

“We completely underestimated the toll it would take to create something that strong,” Aryl said. “The effort nearly killed us. We were left drained and vulnerable for weeks. It was months before the Glop recharged in our systems.”

“When we regained consciousness,” Olin said, “the scissors were gone.”

“We approached the other Aurans to ask if they’d seen anything suspicious,” Sach said, gesturing to V and Rho.

“You accused us!” V yelled. “You had the audacity to accuse us of stealing after you had swiped the Manualis Custodem for yourselves!”

“We were keeping the book safe until the proper time,” Sach countered.

V shook her head, long white hair swaying. “We did what we had to do to keep you under control.”

“We were weak,” Aryl said. “We could barely even stand when you dragged us out to the Broomstaff!”

“If we had let you recover, you would have destroyed us all!” V said.

“Enough!” Rho leapt to her feet, slamming her hands flat against the table. “This quarrel is centuries old. Let us work together.”

V and the Dark Aurans settled back in their chairs as order was restored to the room.

“Good,” Rho said, seating herself once more. “Now, what happened to the scissors?”

“We don’t know,” Sach said, running a hand through his white hair. He shot an icy glare at V. “I’m sure someone stole them.”

In response to the veiled accusation, V simply folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

“We have to find the scissors or this will never succeed,” Aryl said.

“Can’t you just Glopify new scissors?” Spencer asked.

“The effort nearly killed us the first time,” Olin answered. “Doing it again would surely finish the job.”

“Those scissors have to be around here somewhere,” Daisy said. “We can search.”

“We’ve searched,” Olin said. “We’ve spent the last two hundred years searching every inch of this landfill.”

“Whoever stole the scissors,” Sach said, glaring again at V, “obviously didn’t want us to have them. Their first move was probably to get the scissors out of the landfill, knowing that once they were away, the curse of the Pan would stop us from ever reaching them.”

“Now that we’re free to leave the landfill,” Aryl said, “it looks like our search parameters have opened up.”

“I’ll try the Silver Swiffers,” Marv said.

“What kind of name is that?” Dez retorted.

“It’s a retirement group,” Marv said. “Bunch of old birds that worked for the Bureau back in the day. They get together on Tuesdays for Bingo.”

“I love Bingo!” said Daisy. “What do they get if they win?”

“Cleaning supplies,” Marv answered. “They can’t let go of the glory days, and many of them illegally collect Glopified supplies. They’ve got a lot of old gear. One-of-a-kind stuff. They might have come across the scissors.”

“Silver Swiffers,” Spencer mused. He remembered hearing about them when the Rebels were picking a translator for the Manualis Custodem. “Wasn’t Professor Dustin DeFleur part of that group?”

“The professor was dusting the floor?” Dez asked.

“No,” Spencer said. “That’s his name.”

“I don’t get it,” said Dez.

“DeFleur was part of the group,” Marv said. “Before he rejoined the BEM.”

“He must have lost at Bingo,” Daisy said.

Walter had trusted Professor Dustin DeFleur to translate the Manualis Custodem. But the old professor had intentionally left out some very important parts of the handbook that kept the Rebels from knowing that the Witches were bad.

Most recently, DeFleur had been hired as the P.E. teacher at Welcher Elementary. He kept an eye on the Glop source and sabotaged any work that Marv or the kids might attempt. Spencer, Daisy, and Dez had been skipping that class, usually sneaking down to the janitor’s closet to spend P.E. time with Marv.

“Look into the Silver Swiffers,” Sach said. “I think it’s worth a shot.”

“Meeting’s tomorrow in southern Florida,” Marv said. “Doesn’t leave me much time to get there.”

“Then you’d better get on your way,” Olin said. “Do we have a truck in Florida?”

Rho shook her head. “I think Lina’s parked in Atlanta. That’s our closest.”

“Third dumpster from the left,” Olin told Marv, gesturing past the doorway to the concrete pad beyond. “Keys should be in the ignition. Jump through and drive the truck wherever you need to go.”

“Best of luck,” Sach said. “Let’s hope you have some good news after Bingo.”

Marv stood up and looked at Spencer and Daisy. Spencer really didn’t want the big janitor to go, but it would be worth it if Bingo gave him a lead on the scissors.

“You two be all right?” he asked, rubbing a hand through his beard. Spencer and Daisy nodded. “Stay here. Be back tomorrow night,” he said. “Don’t get into trouble without me.”

“Don’t worry,” Dez said. “We will.”

“Have fun at Bingo,” said Daisy. “I hope you win.”

Marv nodded brusquely at Spencer, crossed the room, and disappeared into the hallway. Something about his leaving made Spencer feel alone. As he looked around the table, he realized why.

No adults.

Their Rebel friends had all been captured, and now Marv was off on a mission of his own. Spencer, Daisy, and Dez were alone with the Aurans. And while the residents of the landfill were technically three hundred years old, they sure didn’t act like grown-ups.

“This is what we call divide and conquer,” Sach said. “While Marv is off playing Bingo with the old-timers, Rho and the girls can start gathering the ingredients we’ll need to close the source.”

Rho nodded, using another spritz of V’s vanilla air freshener to keep Dez’s Sweeper breath at bay. “What do we need?”

“Basic stuff,” Sach said. “A combination of six ingredients will close the Glop source.” He numbered them on his fingers as he went. “Eye of Grime, tooth of Filth, beak of Rubbish, bristles of a broom, blood of an Auran boy.”

“Wait! What?” Spencer cut in. He remembered that the formula to open the source had included spit of an Auran. Now blood would be required?

“So, which one of you chumps is going to die for this?” Dez asked.

“No one’s going to die,” Olin said. “It only needs to be a drop of blood.”

“That’s boring,” said Dez, pretending to lose interest in the conversation.

“But the drop has to come from one of us,” Aryl said, gesturing to himself, Olin, and Sach.

“What about Spencer?” Rho asked. “He’s an Auran.”

“And he’s a boy,” Daisy pointed out.

Olin nodded. “I hadn’t considered it. But Spencer’s blood would work too.”

“That was only five ingredients,” V said. “What about the last one?”

“The last ingredient . . .” Sach paused. “It might be a bit tricky to come by.”

“What is it?” Spencer asked.

“We’ll need a hair from the head of one of the Witches.”