To Catch a Cheat

by Varian Johnson

  As Jackson rushed toward them, he saw Keith Sinclair and Victor Cho coming his way. Neither Victor nor Keith glanced at Rob, Thom, and Charlie as they passed. Everything seemed like business as usual.

  Jackson barged in between Charlie and Rob. “What are you guys doing?” he whispered.

  “Charlie was just filling us in,” Rob said. “So you’re in?”

  Jackson glared at Charlie, who seemed to shrink back a little. Then Jackson motioned for them to huddle around one of the industrial-sized recycling bins that the Environmental Action Team had placed around the school. “Open your textbook,” he said to Rob. “Prop it up and pretend you’re asking me a question.”

  Rob paused. “But I don’t have my book.”

  Jackson rolled his eyes. No wonder the boys were about to flunk. He opened his book and placed it on top of the bin. Rob, Thom, and Charlie crowded around him. “Yeah, we’re in,” Jackson whispered, pointing to a random word on the page. “We’ll get you the test. But you have to give us the video first.”

  “No way,” Rob said. “We’ll hand it over once you’ve given us the test. But not before.”

  Jackson flipped a page in the book. He hadn’t expected the boys to give up the video, but he had to ask. “Okay. I’ll be in touch next week. After we get the test.”

  “Unh-unh,” Rob said. “Thom and I should be part of your crew.”

  “Absolutely not,” Jackson and Charlie said together. Jackson glared at him again, but this time, Charlie didn’t back down. “I don’t need you two bumbling around, messing things up,” Charlie said. “Me and my guys will handle it.”

  Jackson wished he had a piece of duct tape to put over Charlie’s mouth. “What Charlie means is that it’ll be safer and faster if we go in and get it,” he said. “And less risk to you guys.”

  “That’s not an option,” Rob replied. “We’ve been … encouraged to tag along, to make sure you actually get the test.” He pulled out his phone. “So when is the crew meeting again?”

  “In the newsroom, like this morning?” Thom added, looking at Charlie.

  Jackson quickly flipped another page, almost ripping it out of the book. “No. At Hashemi’s shed,” he said. “We’ll send you the address.”

  Rob leaned against the recycling bin. “Don’t try to pull anything on us, Jackson. We’re way ahead of you.”

  Jackson slammed the book shut and stuffed it in his bag. “Like I said, we’ll send you the address.” He grabbed Charlie’s arm and began pulling him away. “Let’s go.”

  Charlie shook Jackson off but still followed him down the hallway. Rob and Thom walked away in the other direction.

  And Serena Bianchi stood in the doorway of Mr. Hunt’s class, taking it all in.

  Gaby slipped her book bag off her shoulders and began unzipping it as she sped down the hallway. She had spent longer than she had planned talking with the Mathlete team and was now close to being late to her own Student Council meeting. But if her school-wide Coins Against Cancer project was going to be a success, she knew she had to reach out to every organization for their support, including the six Mathletes.

  She rounded the corner, then slowed down. Jackson was leaning against her locker.

  “Hey, Gaby,” he said, moving out of her way. “I know you’ve got your Student Council meeting today —”

  “I have time.” She looked at her watch. “Well, I have five minutes.” She swapped a few books into her bag, then closed her locker. “Is this about Charlie?”

  “No, but thanks for trying to talk to him,” he said as they walked back down the hallway. “Not that I think it’ll do any good. He’s so stubborn….”

  “Try to see where he’s coming from,” she said. “He’s been running that crew for months. And now here you come, and just like that, you’re back in charge.”

  “I don’t want to lead the crew,” Jackson said.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Really, I don’t,” he said. “It’s just … Hash, Megan, Bradley, even Charlie — they’re all my friends. I don’t want them to get hurt or in trouble. And if they’re going to run jobs, they need a leader who knows what he’s doing. Who sees all the angles. Charlie’s great at logistics and information gathering, but he’s not a big-picture guy.”

  “So why don’t you just tell him that?”

  “I would if I thought he wouldn’t get mad. You know how Charlie is. Anyway, I figure he and I will have plenty of time to sort things out after this is over.” Jackson opened the hallway door for Gaby and let her enter the atrium before him. “But even I have to admit that we’re in some real trouble. There are just too many holes.”

  Gaby slowed down to let two homeroom representatives pass by, then asked, “You mean like not knowing who Rob and Thom’s mastermind is?”

  “Mastermind? So we’re giving him a title now?”

  “Or her,” Gaby said.

  Jackson loosened his tie and smiled apologetically. “You’re right. Sorry about that. I should know better than to jump to conclusions.” He sighed. “But yeah, it’s pretty hard to plan a job when you don’t even know who you’re trying to con. And think about it — why does … the mastermind need us to steal the test from Mrs. Clark’s room? If Rob and Thom can break into the security room to steal the hard drive from the NVR, you’d think they could break into her classroom.”

  “Maybe they don’t know how to pick the lock on her file cabinet.”

  “But even then, why steal the hard drive?” Jackson opened his notebook. “Why not take the entire NVR?”

  “Maybe it was too big. A hard drive would be a lot easier to carry and hide.” Gaby stopped a few feet from the auditorium. “You should really talk to Charlie. He might have some ideas. You guys are always better together.”

  Jackson took his pencil and crossed out a line in his notebook. “There’s not much to talk about. Plain and simple, we’re in over our heads. We should walk away.”

  Gaby waited for a few seconds for him to continue, but he just looked at his notebook and shook his head. Finally, she whispered, “But you’re not going to walk away, are you? You’re going to steal the exam.”

  He closed his notebook. “Maybe. But first we’re going to do a little recon and see if we can’t learn more about the mastermind.”

  “How?”

  Jackson smiled. “It may involve a bit of breaking and entering on school property….”

  Gaby glanced at the auditorium, then back at Jackson. “You know I can’t —”

  “I know,” he said. “You’re Student Council president. You have other responsibilities.”

  “But if I could —”

  “Then you’d be right there.”

  “I’ll find another way to pitch in,” she said. “I can talk to Dr. Kelsey … see if he knows anything more. Or maybe I can make some calls, see if any of the club presidents have heard anything. Or I could —”

  “Gaby, it’s okay,” he said. He began to walk away. “And don’t worry — I’ll keep an eye on Charlie to make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble.”

  Gaby lingered by the door, watching Jackson disappear down the hallway. But if you’re looking after Charlie, she thought, who’s going to look after you?

  “Let me do all the talking,” Megan said as she and Hashemi rounded the corner to Briscoe Lane. According to the MATE, it was only supposed to be a quick 7.28-minute stroll from the bus stop to Kayla’s house. They had finally found the right street after twenty minutes of walking, when Megan forced Hashemi to turn off the tablet and ask for directions.

  “So what exactly are you going to say?” Hashemi asked. “You can’t just knock on her door and accuse her of forging the video.”

  “Why not?” Megan asked. “What’s wrong with being direct?”

  “What if we’re wrong?”

  “You saw her message. She was practically bragging through the screen.”

  Megan had emailed Kayla earlier that day, asking if they could drop by to dis
cuss a joint social between the Maplewood Tech Club and the Riggins Robotics Club. The other girl had replied:

  Let’s meet today. I’ll be at home, working on a small video project for a friend. Nothing major — just some light Photoshopping. Adding water effects can be such a bore.

  P.S. If you can’t meet in person, we can always video chat. I hear you guys are really comfortable on camera.

  Kayla’s house sat halfway up the block, with skeletons of birch trees overhanging the two-story structure. Megan opened the wrought-iron gate, crossed the large yard, and climbed the steps. But before she or Hashemi could ring the buzzer, the door opened.

  Kayla held up a small tablet. “Saw you guys walking up. You can never have too much security.”

  Megan hated to admit it, but there were a number of similarities between her and Kayla Hall. She had always thought of herself as the rare techno-geek who didn’t sacrifice fashion for science, and Kayla seemed the same way. Kayla’s braids were pulled back into a bun without a stray strand in sight. Her glasses — dark blue frames with a slight tint — were trendy enough to be fashionable and comfortable-looking enough to be practical.

  “Thanks for having us over.” Megan reached out her hand, and Kayla shook it. It was a cold grip. Cold and strong.

  “Let’s talk in my room,” Kayla said. As they passed the kitchen, she waved her hand at the table. “Cookies? Mom just baked them.”

  Megan shook her head, then slapped Hashemi’s arm when he reached for the platter. “We’re not hungry,” she said.

  Kayla shrugged, picked up a cookie, and continued to her bedroom.

  Actually, “bedroom” wasn’t quite the right word. It was more of a hybrid study and computer lab, with a bed and dresser shoved in the corner like an afterthought. An L-shaped desk hugged the two longest walls, and the number of monitors, laptops, and circuits that topped it could rival the electronics in Hashemi’s shed. Bookshelves lined another wall and held both more computer equipment and models of Battlestar Galactica ships. Megan couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like Kayla owned both the rebooted and retro versions of the Colonial Viper.

  “Like it?” Kayla asked.

  Megan realized that she’d been staring at the retro Viper. “Sure. It’s okay.”

  “I made it myself,” Kayla continued. “It’s to scale and everything.”

  “Cool,” Hashemi said as he stepped closer to the models. “I thought about trying to build the Viper, but I didn’t have room for both it and the Enterprise 1701-D in my closet.”

  “Well, I’d think not,” Kayla said. “The Enterprise is a Galaxy-class starship, you know.”

  “Exactly! I thought about trying to build it at a smaller scale, but I —”

  “Maybe we should get down to business,” Megan said. This was war. They should not be fraternizing with the enemy.

  “Fair enough,” Kayla said. She sat down at her desk, then pointed to a small couch. Once Megan and Hashemi had settled into their seats, she said, “You’re here because of the doctored security video, right?”

  “Told you,” Megan murmured to Hashemi.

  “So you’re admitting to it?” Hashemi asked. “You actually framed us?”

  “Um, duh. Didn’t you read the email?” Kayla looked at Megan. “This is your ace hardware guy? Thought he’d be a little quicker on the uptake.”

  Megan crossed her arms. “Slow and steady wins the race.” It was okay for her and the rest of Gang Greene to make fun of Hashemi, but not Kayla.

  “But why?” Hashemi leaned forward and wiped his hands on his khakis. “What did we do to you?”

  “Ask Megan.”

  “What? Is this about you cheating at the Battle of the Robots last year?” Megan asked.

  “It wasn’t cheating. I was just using an advanced processor.”

  “Which was against the rules,” Megan said. “And it’s not my fault you got caught. I didn’t turn you in.”

  “No, you just gossiped about it, then rubbed it in,” Kayla said. She swiped at her tablet, cleared her throat, then said, “Let me see if this email rings a bell. ‘Congratulations! I know you got disqualified, but at least your robot lasted two minutes in the ring. Think about how quickly you would have lost if you hadn’t cheated.’ ”

  Megan shrugged. “I said, ‘Congratulations.’ ”

  “Or how about this: ‘Better luck next year — oh, I mean in two years.’ ”

  “You’re taking it out of context,” Megan said. “You have to read between the lines.”

  “You really sent those emails to her?” Hashemi asked.

  “Just friendly banter between two rivals,” she replied. “But gossiping and trash talk is one thing,” she said to Kayla. “You’re actually framing us. Where’s the ethics in that?”

  “Ethics don’t pay for motherboards,” Kayla said. “My parents cut me off. Said I spent too much time and money on computers. Lucky for me, I received an offer from an alternate source of financing.”

  “Can you at least tell us who’s behind this?” Hashemi asked. “Is it Rob and Thom?”

  “No, they’re just middlemen. Pawns. And before you even start — I’m not saying anything more about my contact.” She turned toward one of her three oversized monitors and logged onto her computer. “So I could play you the doctored video again. It’s right here on my desktop and it looks great in high-def. But if you ask nicely, I’ll actually show you how I doctored the video.”

  Hashemi looked at Megan. Her mouth was in full frown mode, and her eyebrows were bunched and angry. He figured it might be best if he spoke for both of them. “Yes, we would like to see that.”

  Kayla glanced over her shoulder. “Megan?”

  The lines deepened in Megan’s face, but she gave a quick nod. “Yes, please,” she mumbled.

  Grinning, Kayla shifted a few boxes from her desk, exposing a small black box.

  “You have a KRX Supreme security system too?” Hashemi asked.

  “Yep, just like the one from your school.” She spun the machine, popped out the hard drive, then inserted a new one. “Those KRX guys really know their hardware, but boy, do they make you pay for it.”

  Hashemi nodded. In addition to the sixteen cameras, the network video recorder, and the proprietary eight-terabyte hybrid hard drive, the KRX Supreme security package also came with specially tailored software that made it virtually impossible to crack. The only thing more inflated than its specs was its cost.

  Kayla attached a cable from the NVR to her massive desktop computer, waited a few seconds for the security system log-in to pop onto the screen, then hunched over the keyboard. “I’ve been warned not to let you guys get too close to this — that you all have a habit of taking things that don’t belong to you.” She leaned back after a few keyboard clicks. The center monitor was broken into sixteen quadrants. “This is the hard drive from the NVR from Maplewood. I took the footage from it to create the video this weekend.”

  “Wait a minute.” Hashemi straightened his glasses. “You modified that video by yourself? Over the weekend?”

  Before Kayla could respond, Megan said, “Of course she didn’t. No one can doctor a video that quickly. Not alone. Not even her.”

  Kayla grinned again — it was clear she was enjoying this. “Let me show you something.” She began rewinding one of the videos. “The great thing about the NVR hard drive is that it holds up to three months of recorded footage,” she said. “Plenty of images of you all to pick from.”

  “I don’t care how much video you had,” Megan said. “There’s no way you could have pulled this off. Not without a green screen. It’s …” She trailed off as Kayla paused the video, freezing on an image of Hashemi and Megan walking down a hallway … painted blue.

  “It’s a good thing your school colors are blue and red.” Kayla restarted the video. “Not as ideal as a green screen for a background, but it works well enough.” She turned toward them. “And it only took a few hours to make the video, not a f
ull weekend, thank you very much.”

  Hashemi watched as he and Megan disappeared off camera. As good as Megan and Bradley were with video manipulation, there was no way they could create a video like that.

  “Just in case you get any ideas about breaking into my room to steal the video, there are sixteen cameras monitoring my house. And by tomorrow night, I will have delivered the final video, wiped the hard drives clean, and purged all traces of the video from my desktop. I probably should have done all that after getting your email, but you can’t blame me for showing off.” She winked. “Just friendly banter between two rivals.”

  Megan shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. You’re a … a …”

  “An opportunist,” Kayla said. “Look, even the best forgeries can be proven as fakes. I mean, you won’t be able to trace it back to me — I’m not that careless — but you’ll be able to clear your names.” She logged off the machine. “Worst case, if you don’t do what they want, they’re going to give the video to the principal at the end of next week, right? Then it might take three or four months, but even Megan can eventually prove that the video’s fake.”

  “But the Battle of the Robots is in three weeks,” Hashemi said.

  Kayla shrugged. “What’s life without a few obstacles?”

  Neither Hashemi nor Megan spoke as Kayla let them out. It wasn’t until they were almost at the bus stop that he cleared his throat and said, “Tell me the truth. How bad is it?”

  Megan shook her head. “Even if I worked twenty-four-seven and had the best equipment in the world, I couldn’t prove that the video is a fake in three weeks.” She stopped. “Do you think Jackson could sneak into her house and swipe the hard drives from the NVR or her desktop? We both know that it’s impossible to erase everything from a drive. I’m sure I could find traces of the video if I poked around long enough.”

  “I don’t know. Breaking into her house could get him into some serious trouble —”

  “But sneaking into a school and stealing a test is totally harmless.” She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Maybe I could hack her system remotely.”