by Jess Keating
“Yeah!” Charlie added, grinning widely. “We’ve seen worse before breakfast, haven’t we, guys?! Who hasn’t tried to bring back the dead, huh? Pretty sure Martha even had a class on that at the Academy back in the old days!”
A small smile tilted the corners of Mary’s mouth. We were being ridiculous. She knew that. But it was enough to get a half-hearted laugh out of her.
“It’s true, Mary!” Leo joined in. “Plus zombies and ghosts and the living dead are all the rage right now. Your aunt is on-trend!”
“You’re way too forgiving,” Mary said. Then she took a deep breath and began to tell us about her aunt. “Victoria was always performing illegal experiments—autopsies, research on tissue regeneration, you name it. She was a brilliant scientist.” Mary stared at her hands while she spoke. “But I didn’t understand as a child. One day, I came home from school and the house was empty. She said she’d be home, and when she wasn’t, I got scared. So I ran to the neighbors for help. The Franklins were a sour old couple—always glaring at us and poking around our property like they thought Victoria was too smart for her own good. I hated them! But when she disappeared, I had nowhere else to turn. And soon after, the police arrived and told me that I’d be moving to foster care. I guess they went inside our house to look for her and found her laboratory.”
I reached for her shoulder again. “Oh, Mary, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
Mary sniffled. “That’s not the worst of it.”
“What happened then?” Charlie asked.
“A fire,” Mary choked out. “I stayed with the Franklins while the cops searched the house. But while I was at the police station later that evening, I heard that before Victoria was arrested, she set fire to her laboratory. The police were talking all about it.”
Nobody spoke, riveted by the images that Mary was conjuring with her story. How had she never told me any of this?
“Martha found me shortly after,” she continued. “The last I heard, Victoria was in jail and had lost her license to practice medicine. But I guess she must have escaped—I can’t imagine the authorities would have let her out on good behavior. And there’s no way she could have come up with the Spark serum behind bars.”
Grace tilted her head. “Do you have any idea why she would make something like that? Why a virus?”
Mary frowned. “She wasn’t the type to want to hurt people. At least, not billions of them. She always told me she wanted to bottle the essence of life.”
“The spark of life,” Leo said, snapping his fingers. “That makes sense!”
“Or spark of a fire …” Bert said darkly. “Maybe she was trying to develop something that gave people a kind of superstrength that would allow them to defy illness or injury … to defy death! Only the whole thing blew up in her face, and it turned out to be lethal and not helpful?”
I turned over the possibilities in my head. “But that doesn’t explain why she would create this elaborate game to tease us with it. We’ve also got Arthur’s side of this—she’s been stealing money from scientific organizations. Probably to fund her research. What are we missing here? Why would she bring Mary into any of this? Mary wouldn’t hurt a fly, and Victoria must know it from her time with her.” I turned to Mary, unsure of how to phrase my next question tactfully. I’d be a monster if I made her cry again.
“Was your aunt, er … someone who would ever turn on people?” I tried. “Like, would you put it past her to completely snap and want to, uh, destroy humanity?”
“Nice one, Tesla,” Grace gave me a look. “Real smooth.”
“Well, sorry!” I said. “But she knows what I’m trying to say here!” I leaned closer to Mary.
Mary chuckled sadly. “It’s okay, Grace,” she said. “I know how this works. You all need to know if my aunt was bananas. The truth is, I don’t know. Maybe she blames the whole scientific community for being sent to jail? That could explain why she targets them in her robberies. And the serum itself would certainly do a number on a world that condemned her research. As for me?” Her eyes cast downward as she shrugged. “I don’t know why she’d involve me at all. She might be angry that I accidentally got her arrested, I suppose. But I was so young … Maybe she wanted to keep us out of the way. If we hadn’t escaped, we’d probably still be locked up with those British intelligence agents right now, unable to stop her.”
I considered that. It seemed impossible that someone related to Mary—the sweetest, kindest person alive—would ever want to hurt anyone.
But families can surprise us. I knew that best of all.
“Was there anything else on the phone that might be useful, Artie?” Mary looked up at him.
“I’m glad you asked,” he said. “Your aunt kept very clear records, Mary. We might not have the antidote, but her plan to release the serum is all here. It can be released into the air or someone’s bloodstream, right?”
“Wait a second,” Leo said, waving his hands in protest. “You’re telling me that she left notes on her phone on precisely how she was planning to release the virus? That’s way too easy! This has to be a trap. Another one so she can outsmart us again.”
Arthur crossed his arms. “Oh, it is definitely a trap. If I hadn’t pickpocketed her phone, I have a feeling she would have handed it right to me. But I still think we need to go. If history tells us anything, she will be there. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s enjoying having an audience. Plus, it’s our last chance to get within ten feet of the Spark serum. Maybe Mary can reason with her?”
Now it was my time to argue. “You want Mary to reason with this madwoman? After everything her aunt’s put her through?”
Arthur blushed, but Mary came to his aid. “I have as much right to be there as the rest of you!” she said. “Besides, Arthur’s right. We’ve come this far. For some reason, Victoria seems bent on keeping us just out of reach. We have to go, and we have to do everything we can to stop her from releasing the Spark serum.” Her meaning was clear. “And I mean everything.”
I had to speak up, even though the logic of Mary’s plan made sense. “I really don’t think you should go anywhere near Victoria,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. She’s clearly wrapped you up with this chaos in her mind, and what if …”
I couldn’t finish my thought. It was too awful.
The team turned to Grace, who had been silent as she watched us all carry on.
“What’s it to be, G?” Bert asked.
For the first time, I wasn’t sure what I was hoping to hear. Part of me wanted Grace to say that there was no way we were going to do exactly what Victoria wanted. That it would obviously blow up in our faces and that we’d be stupid to do it.
But the other part? The reckless part that hated to see my best friend in such pain and despised anyone who would play with humanity like this, that part of me wanted to set things right.
Maybe even more, that part of me wanted revenge.
What Arthur had said was true: This was our last chance to grab the Spark serum before Victoria unleashed it. I didn’t know how we’d manage to get it out from under her. But all other outcomes were unthinkable.
Which is how I knew what Grace was going to say before she said it. When it came to Genius Academy, saving the world was important because that was how we saved each other. Maybe Mary and Arthur weren’t the only ones who could predict the future.
“I say we do it,” Grace said. She reached down and grabbed one of the chocolate-covered peanuts from the table and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly. “But this time, we don’t mess it up. She knows we’re coming. So we need to act like she knows.”
The rest of us were silent, but the resolve in my chest was growing by the second. We were walking into a trap, and we knew it.
“So,” Leo said casually. “Where is she planning on releasing the serum? Tell me we get to go home soon?”
My shoulders clenched. Where would the virus do the most damage? It had to be someplace public. Somewhere big and busy
and full of people, where the Spark of Life would spread at a rate that was impossible to stop.
Arthur turned the phone in his hand to show us the screen. A picture of a beautifully designed transparent pyramid stared back at us. “Paris,” he said. “At midnight tomorrow, she’s going to use an aerosol system to contaminate a highly trafficked tourist attraction before it fills to capacity in the morning. And she’s chosen a famous piece of art as her target.”
I winced.
I hate being right all the time.
“The Venus de Milo,” Arthur continued. “Ever been to the Louvre?”
It should have ended there. We should have calmly finished our donuts, cracked through our plan together, and booked tickets to Paris, France, so we could figure out a way to sneak into the world’s most famous museum before Mary’s aunt went full mad scientist on the global population.
But if you’ve learned anything from these records—or from my life—it’s that nothing ever goes the way it should.
I had a bite of warm, raspberry-filled donut in my mouth when it happened. The taste and aroma of sugar and berries were strong, and for a brief moment, I was able to clear my head from the day’s disasters.
And then—
“Nikola Tesla!” A booming voice cut through my donut reverie. Around me, the others had already begun to shove their chairs away from the table.
I whipped around, still holding the donut in one hand. Pickles clawed her way up my other arm, digging her nails into my skin. The café customers jumped at the noise, their dishes and cups clattering to the floor as a group of tall men in rumpled suits rushed toward us.
Through the chaos, I caught sight of a square jaw attached to a very ticked-off member of MI6.
Agent Donnelly.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
There are three things that every wanted criminal understands before entering a room:
1) Never, ever sit with your back to the entrance.
2) Don’t let anyone corner you without an escape.
3) Always, without fail, know your exits.
Unfortunately for me, Mary’s crying had made me forget numbers one and two. When Agent Donnelly crashed into the café with two other agents, I didn’t even see him, and I was completely cornered, with my back tucked next to the pastry counter and cash register.
Unfortunately for Agent Donnelly, I hadn’t forgotten rule number three.
“Scramble!” Grace bellowed, kicking the table and throwing her mug in the direction of the agents.
Donnelly dodged the flying cocoa but tripped on the corner of one of the other tables as he lunged to grab her.
Twenty seconds ago, the eight of us had been crowded around a single table. Now only four of us remained; Bert, Mo, Charlie, and Grace had all weaseled their way down into the basement, or out through a back window in the men’s bathroom. I’d always thought my team’s greatest skill was our mental genius, but I was beginning to realize that our ability to scatter from police was at near-Olympic levels.
“Don’t even think about it, Nikola,” Agent Donnelly said to me. He wasn’t holding a gun, but he continued to edge his way toward me slowly with his arms outstretched. I gritted my teeth as I noticed the bloom of a bruise on his temple.
Oops. That would be my fault.
I widened my arms as though to block the others from view. Mary, Arthur, and Leo shifted instinctively behind me. Cracked and broken pieces of ceramic mugs and glassware crunched beneath my feet as we moved, and my breath came out in sharp pants.
“I’m sorry,” I said, gesturing to his hand. “But we can’t come with you. Not yet.”
Agent Donnelly’s eyes widened with incredulity. He still wasn’t used to being told no. But being told no by a kid was clearly too much for him.
“Excuse me?!” he sputtered. “You’re all coming with me right now!”
“We can’t!” I shouted. “Don’t you get it? We’re on the same side. We didn’t blow up the Tower of London. Besides, this situation is so much bigger than that. And all you’re doing is getting in the way. You have to let us go. There’s no time to waste!”
To my surprise, the angry lines on Agent Donnelly’s face disappeared. He held up his hand, gesturing to his fellow agents to freeze.
“Tell me, then,” he said. “Tell me exactly what you’re doing here, Nikola. You’ve got three seconds before I arrest you again. Convince me that you and I aren’t enemies.”
I swallowed hard, feeling the stares of Leo, Mary, and Arthur on my back. Should I tell him? Maybe he could actually help us. Having police backup at the museum could be the thing that tipped the scales in our favor for once. And he really did seem sincere in wanting to know what we were doing.
“Well …” I began. Instead of Agent Donnelly’s face, it was Martha’s that swam in front of me. She’d been very clear from the start. Agents had died because of what they knew. Mary’s hand reaching for mine confirmed my thoughts.
“Nikki, no,” she whispered.
“I can’t!” I yelled to Agent Donnelly. “You’ve got to trust me! We’re trying to stop a global catastrophe here, all right?! I’m only trying to protect you!”
He gawked at me like I’d told a bad joke. “Protect me?” He laughed. “Mate, I don’t know who you think you are, but you’re going to explain everything to me. At headquarters. Now.”
I stepped back again, shifting on my toes. A slight breeze from the back room tickled my ankle. Someone—Grace probably—had left a window open or broken it entirely.
“Nope,” I said. “Not going to happen.” I forced a grin on my face. If I couldn’t convince Agent Donnelly that we were on the same side, then I’d have to try another tactic.
I’d have to get him angry enough that he’d make a mistake.
Angry enough to distract him for one second.
“Why don’t you grab a donut and relax for a minute?” I pointed to the counter, where a very scared and confused barista shot her hands in the air. “You look tired.”
A muscle in his jaw jumped. He took another step closer, trying to corral us against the wall. “Enough games,” he muttered. He reached behind his back and pulled out a set of handcuffs. “You’re coming with me.”
“Arthur …” I had no idea if the others were still behind me, but the crunch of glass under my feet continued. They wouldn’t have all left me like that.
“I’m here,” Arthur said.
“Now would be a good time for that party we were talking about,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Way ahead of you,” he answered.
I pinched my lips together hard and held my hands up in apology. “It’s nothing personal,” I told Agent Donnelly, shifting quickly to the left so Arthur had a wide berth to throw his balloon grenade between me and the wall, aiming at the agent’s feet.
Donnelly yelled something, but whatever he said was drowned out by the explosion of glitter paint all over the café.
Say what you will about Arthur’s ancient tech, there was definitely a time and place for a good old-fashioned glitter bomb, and that time and place was in this café, with three very ticked-off agents hunting us down. Operation Disco Ball—inspired by Bert—hadn’t been our plan, but it had worked perfectly.
Huge splatters of paint shot through the air, and though I’d never seen unicorn vomit, I imagined it looked something like the mess of hot-pink and blue sparkles that covered the walls, the agents, and ourselves.
With the agents cursing and disoriented, the four of us had the chance we needed. We turned on our heels and bolted for the back room. I’d been right about the window in the men’s bathroom—and thanks to the others, it was still hanging open, damaged on its left hinge.
With Arthur and Leo’s help, I hoisted Mary up and out the window, then took Leo’s hand as we hopped out after her, with Arthur following right behind us.
“Where are we going?” Arthur panted after us. My legs burned with exertion as we pounded up the pavement as fas
t as we could, skidding around corners and through alleyways. Agent Donnelly and his men had been prepared, but they’d made one crucial mistake: They’d assumed we’d be leaving with them out the front door and had nobody stationed at the back. Grown-ups really did underestimate kids all the time.
“Paris!” Mary answered.
I know I should have been too focused to notice, but a tiny part of my heart jumped to see her reach out and grab Arthur’s hand. Maybe she was only trying to get him to speed up, but still. So sweet, right?
“We need to lose these agents,” Leo said.
“Wait!” Arthur came to a quick stop, causing Mary to smash into him.
“What are you doing?!” she yelled. “Keep going! We need to put more ground between us!”
“No, look!” Arthur said, doubling over. He stretched out an arm to point at the side of the alleyway where a pair of motorcycles sat waiting.
“Well, that’s convenient,” Leo said.
“Really, guys?” I said. “You want to steal some bikes? I don’t even know how to ride these things! Quit messing around!” I turned on my heel, but Mary grabbed my arm.
“You don’t need to,” she said. “We do. Isn’t that right, Leo?”
Leo’s shoulders lifted to a shrug, but he couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. “They’re nice bikes,” he mused. “Four helmets, too. It’s almost too good to pass up. Be a lot quicker than running.”
“Sure,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And totally illegal.”
“You stole a private plane last year,” Mary reminded me. She dragged me over to one of the motorcycles and grabbed the helmets from the back. Handing me one, she spoke quickly. “Look, they were naive enough to leave the keys in the helmets. It’s meant to be. Put this on. You’re coming with me. Leo, you take Arthur.”
“Done,” Leo said, tossing Arthur a helmet from his own motorcycle.
“Shouldn’t I go with Mary?” Arthur asked timidly. “I mean, if we’re splitting up into teams here?”