by Jess Keating
“Why, so we can pair up boy-girl like they do in the movies and ride off into the sunset?” Mary sniffed.
She swung her leg over the motorcycle and turned the ignition. “Not interested. Nikki and I need some girl talk. You boys can take care of yourselves. The others will be headed to the Louvre, I’m sure of it. We can hide out in the gardens there and figure out our next move when we all reconnect.”
Swelling with pride at Mary’s sudden confidence, I put on the helmet and joined her on the motorcycle, clinging to her jacket. “You heard the woman,” I said. “Last one there is wanted for grand theft auto!”
The engine growled under us as Mary gripped the throttle, sending our chopper roaring to life. Hanging on for dear life, I prayed to whatever motorcycle gods existed for a safe trip. We zipped down Gower Street in King’s Cross, weaving our way through packed London traffic toward St Pancras train station.
It was no romantic trip into the sunset, but given the week I’d had, I was going to have to take what I could get.
I had to hand it to the French; the gardens outside the Louvre were the nicest I’d ever seen.
Officially called the Tuileries and Carrousel Gardens, they were the perfect place to have a picnic, people watch, and enjoy the buzzing bees, trees, and a rainbow of flowers as a perfect warm breeze drifted through the air.
They were also a great place to meet up with your exhausted team and plan a last-ditch effort to save the world.
After taking a train through the tunnel under the English Channel to France (paid for by Arthur), we’d grabbed a cab ride to a local hotel (paid for by Arthur), and ordered tickets online to the Louvre (you guessed it—also paid for by Arthur). From there, we’d walked right through the front door of the museum with the other tourists and even had croissants and hot chocolate at the ridiculously expensive café on the premises.
Did you know that being on the run from British intelligence was so expensive?
In case you haven’t guessed it yet, along with providing some exceptional deductions and perfectly timed glitter bombs, Arthur was covering the costs of our operation.
And we couldn’t have gotten to this moment without him.
Hiding in a bathroom, once again.
“Are you sure this will work?” Leo squirmed. “Invisibility cloaks are for wizards, not geniuses.”
“You take that back!” Bert demanded. “Wizards may seem cool in books, but real magic takes place at an atomic level! You should be thankful I was smart enough to actually grab my backpack when we were chased out of our safe house, while you were too concerned with your mac and cheese, bud.”
“The only reason you have this thing is because you forgot it was in your backpack, because it’s invisible,” Leo quipped.
Bert rolled his eyes. As the tallest one of us, he had the hardest time in such a cramped situation. And yes, you read that right—we were officially hiding in the fancy bathroom of the Louvre, waiting for closing time. Bert hunched down and tried to keep his toes buried beneath one of the super high-tech cloaks he’d shown up with.
“I told you! It’s not an invisibility cloak!” Bert whined. “It’s a spectral cloak. It changes light waves as they pass through an object!”
“Therefore creating the illusion of …” Leo teased.
Bert pouted. “Invisibility. Fine.”
With three of us to conceal, Bert’s cloaking experiments were getting a real workout. We’d broken up into three groups, with Leo, Bert, and me under one; Charlie, Grace, and Mary under a second one; and Mo and Artie under the third. Each group was in a different bathroom all over the museum. According to Leo’s research, museum staff usually checked the bathrooms a few minutes before closing on a specific schedule, and then once more around eleven thirty, after the museum doors were finally locked for the night.
“Grace, can you hear me?” I checked the GeckoDot on my ear again and kept my voice low. Ever since I’d first led Agent Donnelly to our safe house back in London, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was snapping at my heels like a rabid dog, triangulating our positions somehow.
“Loud and clear, Nikki,” Grace said. “Is everyone else connected?”
I counted off the voices in my ears as the rest of the team chimed in, one at a time, to confirm they could hear Grace’s instructions.
“Is Pickles behaving, Charlie?”
“She’s currently sawing logs in my backpack, Nikki,” Charlie answered. “I promise. No matter what happens, I’ll keep her safe!”
I nodded once to myself. With Mary so wound up in Victoria’s past, I’d passed my beloved pet over to Charlie. I wanted to be able to focus on Mary tonight, just in case.
“We’ve got about two minutes until security does the final check of the bathrooms,” Grace said. “Everyone stay put. After that, we’ll head to the guard’s station, disable the cameras around the Venus de Milo, and get our butts over to the statue as quickly as we can.”
Bert sucked in a loud breath, loosening his shirt collar. “And what if Victoria’s released the serum into the air already, huh? We could all be breathing it in right now and have no idea!”
My chest constricted at the thought of some horrible virus coursing through my bloodstream without me knowing it, but Mary’s voice abruptly cut off that nightmare.
“No way,” she said. “After everything we’ve been through, she clearly wants us to be there when it happens. I’m sure of it.”
I nodded to myself. If anything, I was happy to hear Mary getting some of her usual quiet confidence back.
“Everyone!” Grace hissed. “Shh! Not a word until all areas have been cleared.”
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the patter of thick-soled shoes entered the restroom where we were hiding. There was a slight shift in Bert’s cloak on my shoulders as we all inhaled deeply and held our breaths.
The guard hummed over the squeaking doors of each stall as he checked for stragglers.
Suddenly, the jarring sound of electronic jazz filled the room.
What the?! My eyes widened as I looked to Leo for answers.
“Bonjour?” the guard greeted. “Hello?”
My heart shot up to my throat. The sharp intake of my gasp shifted the cloak ever so slightly, causing Bert to squeeze my hand and point to the ground. I ducked down until the cloak covered the tips of his shoes again.
A low, annoyed huff filled the restroom, sending another jolt up my spine.
Whoever he was talking to, the guard was not pleased.
Moving as slowly as he dared, Leo bent his arm to set his hand next to his head, mimicking a telephone.
Ohhhh.
My knees buckled under me. The guard was taking a phone call.
See, I told you I was paranoid.
From the sound of his voice, he wasn’t very old—maybe only in his midtwenties.
“What are you doing calling me here?!” he hissed. He spoke French, but the three of us could translate easily enough. “I told you not to phone when I’m at work!”
Bert’s mouth dropped open as we eavesdropped.
The guard paused, and I heard the distinct creak of one of the chairs situated by the sink. “Maaamaaan,” he whined. “Can’t we talk about this later?” Another pause. “No, I don’t want pasta again,” he said. “You promised we could get pizza. Yes, you did! You told me we could get pizza if I cleaned out Sprinkles’s litter box, and I did that yesterday!”
“Sprinkles?” Leo mouthed to me, barely holding back his giggle. Then he tapped his watch. I couldn’t argue with him—we were going to be late because of this guard—but what could we do? We had no other option but to wait it out and hope that the fate of the world didn’t rest upon the actions of a museum guard with a cat named Sprinkles.
After what seemed like an eternity of arguing about pizza, the cat, and what his brother got for his birthday, the satisfying beep of a call ending sounded through the room.
It’s a good thing, too, because ten more seconds
of that nonsense would have been enough to make me blow our cover so I could throw his phone in the toilet.
The three of us groaned with relief as the restroom door closed.
“That was awful!” I whispered, throwing the cloak from my shoulders and stretching my arms above my head. My neck cracked loudly at the movement. “How long were we under there? What year is it?”
“Five minutes,” Leo said. He pressed the dot on his collar to check in with the others. “Hello? Anyone there?”
I turned on my own dot and listened. Mary was first to speak. “We’re here,” she whispered. “And we’re headed to the statue now! Is everyone ready?”
Leo grabbed my hand. “We’re ready,” he said. He was talking to Mary but looked me right in the eye. His tone went from eager to serious. “It’s going to be all right,” he told me.
For the record? I was not okay with our plan. Most of us were going to keep Victoria distracted before she could release the serum, while Leo went off on his own and snuck around behind her. Our hope was that she would count seven kids and forget that we were now a team of eight—giving Leo a chance to make his move and wrestle the serum from her.
“It’s not too late,” I said, gripping his hands in mine. “Why don’t Charlie and I go with you? We’re fast, and three of us will have a better chance than one.”
Charlie joined in the conversation through our ears. “Happy to help if you want it, Leo!”
Leo frowned. “I know you’re worried, but like I already told you, I’m going to have a much better chance of staying hidden on my own—she’ll notice if someone is missing. Plus, we may need every last one of you to keep her talking!” He squeezed his dot once, cutting off the others from listening. “And you’ve got to be there for Mary,” he reminded me. “It’s her aunt we’re confronting. Her family. She’ll need you there, Nikki.”
“I want to be there for everyone,” I said. “You and Mary—the entire team!” I hiccupped, annoyed at the pathetic way my voice cracked.
“Hey,” he said. “You are there for us. We all know that, including Mary. We’ve only got one more step to complete this mission. We can do this!”
“Right,” I said, forcing a smile onto my face. Despite how torn I was about how best to help my friends, I didn’t want Leo to waste any time worrying about my feelings. “We need to finish the mission.”
“Just like always.” He winked at me.
“Promise me one thing?” I said.
“Anything.”
“Whatever happens tonight, make sure Mary’s okay,” I said. “I’m really worried about her, and I’m afraid Victoria might do something Mary won’t recover from.”
He squeezed my hand tight. “Of course,” he said. “We’re all watching out for her.”
I steeled my nerves and gave him a kiss on the cheek before watching him dash down the hall to where he’d hide. Midnight was approaching, and no matter how much I willed the clock to slow down, time was running out.
To my surprise, Bert came over and rested his hand on my shoulder. “This is going to work, Nikki,” he said quietly.
I bit the inside of my cheek, avoiding his eyes. Nothing would get me crying like Bert being too sincere. “And how do you know that?”
We started to slink our way through the shadows toward the statue and the rest of our team.
“Because it’s got to,” he said simply.
As weird as it sounds, Bert’s words actually made me feel better, and my breath began to level out as we navigated our way to the Sully wing, where the Venus de Milo statue was located.
But my relief didn’t last for long.
Instead of the lone Venus de Milo—beautiful yet tragic—bathed in light in the middle of the marble room, there were two statuesque figures waiting for us when we arrived.
Victoria had beaten us there.
And worse, she greeted us with a smile.
She was taller than I expected, with her hair bundled up in a messy bun held together with a pencil. Were it not for the crazed look on her face, I’d say she bore a striking resemblance to Mary. Clever eyes, brown hair, and a distinct air of intelligence in her expression. An odd, shiny silver gun was clutched in her hand.
The rest of the team closed ranks in front of her, each of our three groups arriving with military precision. I sidestepped to be closer to Mary, who already looked sick with worry.
“Aunt Victoria?” she gasped.
“Mary.” The word was sickly sweet coming from Victoria’s mouth, drawn out like a slow drip of honey from a spoon. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Since we spent all those late evenings in my laboratory with takeout boxes strewn everywhere. Come.” She stretched out her arms. “Give your dear old aunt a hug.”
Mary’s feet remained planted firmly on the shiny floor.
“Easy, Mary,” I whispered, noting her shaking hands. Even though we outnumbered Victoria eight to one, my heart thumped with ominous paranoia. It was clear to me that bringing Mary here—face-to-face with her deranged aunt—was one of the worst ideas we’d ever had. I had to protect her, no matter what it took.
Victoria tilted her head playfully. “What?” she asked. “You’re not pleased to see me? I must admit, I was hoping for a warmer welcome from you after all these years.”
Grace spoke. “Why don’t you—”
“NO!” Victoria snapped. Her jaw clenched, and her upper lip twitched to reveal her teeth. “This is between Mary and me.”
“Well, sorry, lady.” I surprised myself by jumping in. “We’re kind of a package deal here. You want to talk to Mary, you can talk with all of us.”
“Is that so?” Victoria looked at me innocently through her thick lashes. “You might want to be careful. Mary might seem like a true friend, but she’ll turn on you at a moment’s notice …” The thin line of a smirk appeared on her lips.
A small thread of clarity wound through my thoughts. Mary had been right: Victoria did blame Mary for her arrest.
“I was seven!” Mary spat. Clearly her anger had started to outweigh her fear. “And I didn’t turn on you! How was I supposed to know the neighbors would call the police?!”
“You were supposed to be clever,” Victoria answered.
“And you were supposed to be home!” Mary shot back.
“I had more important things to see to.” Victoria’s voice was as cold as the steel of the gun she waved dismissively in the air as she mocked Mary. It didn’t look like any gun I’d ever seen—with a wide silver grip and transparent sections along twin barrels. The compartments were filled with a light green substance that reflected the light. Curiously, there were also two triggers, one silver, one gold.
That’s when it hit me: It wasn’t an ordinary gun at all. It was built to spread the virus. I couldn’t quite work out why there were two triggers. One to transmit the airborne virus, and one to inject the serum directly into a human body?
I suppressed the gag in my throat and glanced behind Victoria, searching for Leo.
Come on. Where are you?
“She is clever,” Bert said. His cheeks were clouded red as he came to Mary’s defense. “Maybe you’re the one who isn’t so smart. Who expects a kid to stay calm when her guardian goes missing? Who wouldn’t be a little freaked out by your ridiculous attempts to wake the dead? Ever think of that?!”
I cleared my throat loudly. Was he trying to make Victoria even angrier? Grace obviously mirrored my concern, shaking her head ever so slightly.
“Bert,” she whispered. “Keep it together.”
“Ridiculous attempts?!” Victoria flared with rage. “You sound like everyone who’s ever doubted my genius! Do you know what I’ve accomplished? How my research will change the world?!”
Bert snorted. “Sure. It will kill people. Big whoop. Way to change the world! It’s easy to destroy things. People do it all the time! You could have done something truly amazing, but instead you’re going to end it.”
Victoria’s eyelids twitched. �
��You think I’m destroying the world?” She bared her teeth viciously in a snarl. “I’m setting things right again. They took everything from me!”
Her voice rose sharply, and a flicker of pain flashed in her eyes.
What on earth did that mean? I glared at Grace while a dangerous knot of suspicion tightened inside me. The way Victoria was talking made it seem like she wasn’t just some out-of-control maniac trying to hurt people at random. It sounded like she wanted …
“Revenge?” Mary asked. “Is that what this is all about?! Aunt Victoria, I told you—I’m sorry you lost your work and got sent to jail. You want to hurt billions of people to get back at me, but you can’t blame the world for what I did! Can’t you see how crazy that is? It’s worse than setting fire to your own laboratory!”
Something about the disgusted expression on Victoria’s face caused a swell of uncertainty inside me. We’d seen villains before, but there was something decidedly different about Victoria that seemed to simmer just beneath the surface. Something shattered and fragile. Desperate … but not for power.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t clever enough to figure it out.
That’s where Arthur came in.
“Mary,” he said gently. “She’s not upset because she lost her laboratory or her work.”
Mary didn’t turn to face him. Instead, she stared straight ahead, her eyes still locked on Victoria. The others remained silent, but an eerie stillness gripped us as Arthur’s words hung in the air.
“What are you talking about?” I could barely hear Mary’s voice above the low hum of the museum’s ventilation.
Oh no.
Victoria’s grin fractured, and a menacing glint appeared in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter now.” Her voice was almost robotic, and her knuckles turned white as she clutched the gun tighter.
Anger hadn’t worked, so now Mary tried something softer. “Whatever you think has happened, we’re not here to fight you, Aunt Victoria,” Mary pleaded. “Please don’t do this. We’re family.”