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Sammy got a message from her English teacher that Mr. Heep wanted to see her.  She made her way to his room and found him sitting at his desk eating a tuna sandwich.  "Oh, hey.  I thought you'd like to know that your bees were mostly harmless.  They had been bred to produce a narcoleptic toxin as opposed to normal bee toxin.  Serious genetic engineering going on there.  Your friend and the gym teacher should be safe though.  They were bigger, and I'm guess stronger then normal bees.  the gym teacher said that before she passed out she saw them swarm your friend and pick her up to carry her away, which is an impresive feat for bees."

"Heather said they carried her up to the roof!  I wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or what.  I guess she wasn't, but that probably isn't going to make her feel any better."  She plonks her butt down on a desk top.  "How did you figure out that they made a narlo... narpoclep... narcoleptic toxin?  Did the hospital do some tests?"

"No."  He sets his sandwich down and goes to his file cabinet, getting a folder out and handing it to her.  "I did an autopsy on the bee and found they're like bumble bees in that they can sting more then once.  I took a sample of the venom, looks just like a pharmacutical grade anesthetic chemically.  Really pretty neat, if you like bugs."

Sammy takes the folder and looks through it with a pleasantly surprised expression on her face.  "You have the stuff to do that here? Not the dissection part, the chemical part.   I thought they only had that kind of equipment  in colleges and big labs.  That's awesome.  So did they have their home address tattooed on their legs so people would know who to call if the bees got lost?"  She's joking about the address part.  Really.

Mr. Heep laughs, "No, no if lost call tag.  As for the equipment, I have some stuff at home.  I'm a geek, what can I say."

Sammy smiles at the shared humor.  "Seriously, since you were able to figure out so much already, can you tell where they might come from?  I mean, why would anybody want to make bees that can put a person to sleep and carry them off?  Why would the bees even be here at school?  Did they get loose from somewhere and swarm here, or what?  Why would anybody want smart bees anyhow -- wouldn't they have to be smart to be able to work together to move a person from one place to another?  Did they pick the teacher and Heather, or was it a weird accident?  Its all kind of creepy, don't you think?"  She shudders.

Mr. Heep sits back down.  "My honest opinion, it was no accident.  I vaugely remember some guy back in the 60's or 70's that controlled a colony of killer bees.  Super villain type.  This might be something along those lines.  These bees are no accident, someone tailored them."

Sammy soberly replies "Oh.  That's not good.  But why here?  Maybe its somehow connected to that Superman drug?  The same people doing both things?  But why here?  Is somebody mad at the school?"

"Maybe not at the school, maybe not even mad.  Maybe they just wante to kidnap Heather?"

Kidnap Heather?  Who would want to kidnap Heather?  Its not like her parents are rich or famous or anything like that.   Unless...  Sammy frowns.  "Mr. Heep... Heather's parents aren't rich, and they can't make people do things just because they say so.  Has anybody ever been kidnapped because the kidnapper is really out to get somebody else?"  Like me?

"Well sure.  Or they wanted Heather for something other then money.  Love, obsession, revenge.  If we're talking super-villain type thinking any of those is a good reason to snatch someone."

No.  If it was any of those things, Heather wouldn't have been so easy to find or hear, out in the open on the rooftop.   Was this some sort of challenge?  Was it aimed at me, or did I just trip into something aimed at one of the other kids with powers?  I'm going to guess me.

Sammy looks hard at Mr. Heep, trying to decide if he is somebody she can trust.  Not too many people knew about her powers when the bees went after Heather; that counselor, some of the kids at Kel's table.  Then again, maybe somebody saw her act at the party?  No.  Better not tell anybody else, not right now, not unless I know I can trust them.  She breaks the stare and looks away.  "Thanks for checking all of this out.  It helps to know what really happened.  I should be going now, I don't want to be late..."  Her voice is somewhat strained.  The girl who was happily impressed by his lab work has gone away.

"Okay.  Thanks for bringing me something interesting."  he says, going back to his tuna sandwich and reading.

OK.  Suppose somebody does know what I can do, or thinks they do.  Then they put Heather in danger to draw me out.  What did they get from that?  Now they're sure I have powers instead of just suspecting it?  How do I get them to poke at me again but not let them know I'm looking for them?

Sammy imagines herself standing on the roof of the school, waving her arms and shouting "Yoohoo!  Beasties!  Come and get me!  I'm right here, and I'm alllll alooooooone!"  That'd never work.  I'm not even sure its me they are after. Think, Sammy, think!

Deep in thought, she continues making her way through the school, narrowly avoiding collisions with pillars and other people.