The Secret War (Jack Blank Adventure) by Matt Myklusch Read Free Book Online Page A

in my lab. You know, I work on machines. I build things. It’s part of how I’m supposed to develop my powers.”
    “How come we never see any of these things?” Skerren asked.
    “Trust me,” Jack said. “After tonight I’m going to start busting them out on missions. I need all the help I can get out here.” Jack hoped his explanation would satisfy everyone’s curiosity. The last thing he wanted to talk about was what went on in his lab.
    Before anyone could ask any more questions, the windstarted to pick up, coming out of nowhere and blowing hard enough to overtake everyone’s attention. Jack and the others squinted and turned their backs into the breeze as sand whipped into their faces.
    “Is that it? Is that them?” Jack asked, thankful for the interruption. He put up a hand to shield his eyes and craned his neck to look up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering around the moon. There was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder, and then a large flying boat burst out from the clouds. The massive ship just appeared out of thin air, directly above the train wreck.
    “It appears our Secreteer is here to tie up loose ends,” Ricochet announced.
    “Whoa,” Jack said, genuinely impressed by the ship’s stunning, sudden appearance. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
    “Nobody does, Jack,” Midknight replied, patting Jack on the back. “Nobody ever does.”
    It was truly a fantastic sight. The large wooden ship was decorated with shiny gold fixtures, ornately carved figureheads, and stained-glass windows that basked in the glow of gas lamps and the full moon’s light. It was the kind of ship that Jack would have expected a pirate to go sailingaround in, only in place of the mast and sails, the ship had a giant hot air balloon. A massive fabric envelope fashioned in a dynamic mosaic of colors was covered over with thick webbing and strapped tightly to the ship’s railing. At the rear of the ship, a large iron cauldron filled with purple flames pumped hot air into the balloon and kept the vessel afloat among the clouds. Standing at the helm was a figure in a black cloak. The Secreteer’s appearance was exactly what Jack had expected, but the ship he’d arrived in was anything but. Jack had lived in the Imagine Nation a full year without seeing a Secreteer. Now he wondered how he could possibly have missed them.
    “They fly around the world in these things and nobody notices?” Jack asked. “I thought Secreteers kept a low profile.”
    “They can fly around in anything they want,” Blue said. “Secreteers have memory powers. Nobody can remember anything about a Secreteer unless the Secreteer wants them to. You’ll see.”
    Jack did his best to do just that, but from his angle below the ship he couldn’t make out much. The Secreteer made no effort to address the heroes. Jack watched as themysterious figure briefly surveyed the scene before turning and leaving the wheel of the ship. The Secreteer’s black cloak twirled up behind him and flapped in the wind as he vanished from sight. Seconds later twin streams of dark purple smoke dove out over the railing and shot down like missiles. They didn’t hit the ground, but rather spun out in spiral patterns, swirling through the air. The smoke spread quickly as the wind began to howl, and in an instant everything was pitch black. Thick, murky vapors filled the area, and Jack couldn’t see anything, not even his friends right there next to him.
    Now Jack could understand why the Secreteers creeped Blue out.
    Jack heard yelling. The train’s passengers were scared. He didn’t blame them. If he hadn’t known what was going on, he’d have been terrified himself. He called out his friends’ names and heard his own called back from a dozen different directions. It was no use. The wind was so strong he could barely open his eyes. Still, he did try, and for a split second he was able to glimpse the Secreteer flying around, camouflaged by the smoke. It was