Free Operation Tenley by Jennifer Gooch Hummer Page A

into his palm. “ Pow !”
    Pennie smiled weakly.
    Gavron glanced down around her waist. “But just in case, in the teensy weensy chance of a sudden explosion, we’ll need to ask you for a little, ooh, something for our time.”
    “I brought you the frozen yogurt,” Pennie reminded him.
    The sipLips chuckled and drooled.
    “And it was de licious.” Gavron slurped. “However, we were thinking of a more permanent gift. You know, like a few of your fancy Fair One gadgets.”
    The sipLips hooted.
    Pennie threw open her hands. “I don’t have any tools at all.”
    “How about stroons?”
    “Sorry.”
    “And we’re off, boys,” Gavron snapped, spinning around and forming a huddle.
    “No please!” Pennie rushed forward.
    Gavron looked back at her pointedly. “We have a wave light surfing contest we forgot about. Encounter you later, Fairly One.”
    Their flimsy propellers began to turn in unison.
    “You don’t understand. I have to get down there. Fair Force has started the time,” she held out her wrist.
    Gavron eyed the stopwatch. “On second thought, what’s the rush, boys?” The propellers came to a halt.
    Pennie looked down at the stopwatch and then up at Gavron.
    She shook her head. “I need this.”
    “Now here’s where you’re wrong, Fairest of the One. You won’t be needing any of your tools on the big E. That’s even against the rules for the rule-breakers.”
    “This was assigned to me for the trip.”
    Gavron stepped closer, ogling the watch. “Hel- lo beautiful purple creature.” He smiled at the dinosaur. “Where’ve you been all my life?”
    Pennie pulled her hand back and tucked it inside her robe. “I’ll give you something from my tool belt when I return.”
    “Yeah. Nope.” Gavron shook his head, a little dust flying off as he did.
    She lowered her voice and tapped on her pocket. “I have an earpiece?”
    He pulled a dozen tangled earpieces out of his robes. “Like these?”
    Pennie flinched.
    “You think you’re the only desperate Fair One, Fair One?”
    Pennie checked the stopwatch. 45:50:04 . More than two hours were gone. Tink said it was only a simple stopwatch, but what if it wasn’t? What if the Fair Force couldn’t locate her without it? Ever?
    “Time’s a tickin’,” Gavron slurped.
    She started to undo the watch. It was her only chance to save Tenley. It was the only chance to save herself. “Stop!”
    From the top of the garbage pile, with his red beard blowing over his shoulder, Laraby looked down on them.
    “Don’t give that sipLip anything .” He pointed at Gavron. “She brought you froyo.”
    Gavron opened his arms and chuckled. “It’s a risky business, bro.”
    “It’s nothing, Laraby. It’s just a stopwatch,” Pennie argued.
    “Nothing? Every time these things get a piece of our equipment, they get closer to their goal.” Laraby held his gaze on Gavron.
    The smaller sipLips chuckled repulsively.
    “What goal?” Pennie asked.
    “Oh, you know,” Gavron flapped his hand, “to take over the whole universe and all that. This side of it, anyway. That side’s a little too outback for us.”
    “These sipLips are capable of things you can’t even imagine, Pennie. Particularly this one. Isn’t that right, Gavron?”
    “Always bragging about me, aren’t you, bro?” He beamed.
    Pennie looked from Gavron to Laraby and back to Gavron.
    “That’s right. We’re bros. As in brothers .”
    “Get out of here, Gavron.” Laraby slid down the pile of garbage. “And take your mini-me’s with you.”
    “Hey! Don’t insult my boys. Don’t ever insult my boys. It hurts their feelings.” Gavron snapped the sipLips to attention. “Deal’s off.”
    “Laraby,” Pennie pleaded. “Do you have any other way of getting me down there?”
    He hesitated, but shook his head.
    “Well, I’m sorry then. I have no choice.” Pennie handed Gavron the stopwatch, who deposited it into his robes faster than Laraby could react.
    “What if it tracks