With Young Action holding back a swarm of drone-bees at the hatch, Leo frantically rewired the panel, using a trick he’d learned from his father’s old radio kits. With a final click, the mechanical ivy shuddered and retracted into a harmless metal seedling.
They raced toward the tower. While Young Action used his energy baton to slice through the thickest metal vines, Leo used his knowledge of the tower’s hidden maintenance tunnels to bypass the botanical traps. He navigated the narrow, dark passages he had explored as a kid, reaching the central control panel just as a vine began to squeeze the clock's main spring. Young Action
Leo blew the whistle, but no sound came out. Instead, time seemed to ripple like water. A teenager in a sleek, neon-trimmed suit appeared in a flash of blue light. With Young Action holding back a swarm of
"I'm Action," the teen said, checking a glowing gauntlet on his wrist. "Well, Young Action. The whistle only works for those with 'unstoppable initiative.' What's the emergency?" While Young Action used his energy baton to