“Nemo!” he called.

There was no response. Sam crawled faster. When he reached them, he saw that Ghost was badly injured. Nemo’s face was swollen from what appeared to be dozens of bee stings, and she seemed unconscious. He shook her gently. To his relief, she opened her eyes.

“Hey,” Sam said.

“I killed Boomer,” Nemo said, her voice hoarse. “He was attacking us, and . . .” Her voice trailed off as she gasped, trying to draw in breath.

“Don’t talk,” Sam said.

“Ghost,” Nemo said, ignoring him. “Is she . . .”

“She’s alive,” Sam reassured her. But not for long, he thought. He had to get them out of there.

All of a sudden, the statue shuddered. Then something hit it again. Sam turned and crawled around the ring, trying to see what had happened. When he saw what it was, his heart dropped. Eleni had launched a fireball onto the base of the statue. It was melting the pole on which the model of Saturn rested. Now Six and Eleni were engaged in an exchange of punches.

Sam returned to where Nemo and Ghost were seated on the ring. As he crawled, he felt the statue shake again. Then it lurched, leaning farther out over the edge of the hotel. Sam saw Nemo and Ghost start to slide.

“Nemo!” he shouted.

Nemo stirred. When she saw what was happening, she suddenly became alert. She grabbed Ghost, holding on tightly with one hand as she gripped the edge of Saturn’s ring with her other, trying to prevent herself and Ghost from sliding off and into thin air.

The planet continued to fall, and Sam realized that there was no way he was going to get to the girls in time. Even if he did, he had no way of getting them off the statue and onto the roof. He might be able to save himself, but only if he abandoned them. And he wasn’t going to do that.

He thought fast. “Nemo, try to use your telekinesis to push the statue back towards the building,” he said.

He did the same, attempting to create a force strong enough to counteract the weight of the statue. He felt the giant sphere resist, and for a moment he thought it might work.

“Keep pushing!” he encouraged Nemo.

But the weight was too much. The planet continued to fall as the pole holding it up came apart. Sam saw Nemo lose her grip. She and Ghost slid to the edge of the ring, then over it. Sam wanted to shut his eyes, but couldn’t. He could only watch as the girls, still holding on to one another, fell.

Only they didn’t. They hovered in the air, the planet looming behind them. Something was holding them suspended in place. Sam, clinging to the ring, looked to see what might be going on.

“A little help would be nice,” said Nine’s voice. “This thing is heavy.”

Sam couldn’t see him, but the voice was coming from somewhere below him. With no time to ask questions, he once more used his telekinesis to try to move the statue. And this time, it worked. Slowly, Saturn returned to an upright position. Once he was no longer in danger of falling, Sam crawled to Nemo and Ghost. Then Nine finally appeared, riding on a floating platform.