City Spies

by James Ponti

  “What is it?” he asked, concerned.

  “Reggie didn’t save me,” she said. “A woman did. She gave me this.” Brooklyn took the flash drive out of her pocket and handed it to Mother. Then she looked up at him and said, “I think it was Clementine.”

  The color drained from his face.

  “What makes you say that?” he asked, stunned.

  “She told me to tell you that the kids are fine. That they’re happy and healthy but that you have to stop looking for them,” said Brooklyn. “And here’s the weird part.” She paused for a moment. “She knew about Reggie and the tranquilizer gun. She knew about the tunnel and the code for the door. It felt like she was still part of MI6, not Umbra.”

  Now Mother’s eyes narrowed, and he looked through the doorway into the other room. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, but he focused on Tru. He studied her and wondered what she might know and what she might have kept from him.

  He tried to hide his emotions, but he desperately needed to see what was on the drive. He went to the computer but realized it needed a log-on username and password.

  “Can you take care of this?” he asked Brooklyn.

  She smiled. “No problem.”

  It took her about thirty seconds.

  He plugged in the flash drive. There was only one file on it. He clicked it open to reveal a photograph.

  “Is that them?” asked Brooklyn. “Are those your kids?”

  On the screen was a picture of a boy and a girl on the sidewalk of a city street. They were five years older than the last time he’d seen them, but he knew without question that it was Robert and Annie. Both were smiling. Both looked happy.

  He didn’t answer her. He just stood there looking at them with tears in his eyes.

  37. The Snow Globe

  IT HAD BEEN THREE WEEKS since they’d returned from Paris, and Brooklyn was finally getting a glimpse of normal life at FARM. That is, if you could call demolition practice and martial-arts training normal.

  She’d enrolled in Kinloch Abbey and was trying to adjust. The school was unlike any she’d ever known, and she was pretty certain Charlotte was going to make her life there as difficult as possible. But she had some classes with Kat and Rio, and they all sat together at lunch. Ever since the hug, she and Kat had been steadily building a friendship, and, while she wouldn’t yet say that Rio considered her a mate, there were times when he was at least friendly.

  Brooklyn hadn’t told anyone about Mother’s wife. He’d asked her to keep it secret. If there was any chance she was some sort of double agent for MI6, that information needed to be closely guarded.

  She worried about him, though. Keeping the secret meant she couldn’t ask anyone else to look out for him. She needed to do that, which is why she went to the air traffic control tower to visit him one Sunday afternoon. She was carrying the pale blue shoebox from her closet. The one she retrieved during her first alpha test.

  She climbed up the stairs to the top of the tower and found him lost in thought as he looked out the window, an untouched cup of tea sitting on the table next to him.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Brooklyn, startling him.

  “Nothing,” he said. “Just looking out at the ocean and enjoying a cuppa.”

  “Liar,” she said. “Do you want to know how long I was standing there without you noticing me?”

  “Okay, you got me,” he admitted. “What can I do for you?”

  “You’ve got that backward,” she answered. “I’m going to do something for you. I’m going to help you.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I know what goes on here,” she said. “At night, when everyone else is sleeping, you’re searching for them, aren’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?” he asked.

  “Beny,” she replied. “You’re using his computing power. I can see the spikes in his usage every night. Where are you looking?”

  He shrugged. “Anywhere I can think of,” he said. “Social media accounts, school attendance rolls, hospital records. Anything with a list, anywhere around the world. Robert has asthma, so I check pharmacy orders. Annie’s an excellent swimmer, so I look at race results. I even check police arrest reports.”

  “Like when you found me?” she asked. “You were looking for them in New York City arrest records?”

  He nodded.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t her,” she said.

  “Don’t be,” said Mother. “That’s ridiculous.” He paused for a moment before adding, “By the way, I was right.”

  “When?” she asked.

  “When I told Tru that you were a natural,” he said. “Already better than the other four. I didn’t want anyone to hear it. But I was right.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t reply at all. She just looked out at the sea.

  “It doesn’t let you off the hook,” he said. “You’re going to have to work twice as hard because you have twice the potential.”

  “I know,” she said.

  She saw the picture of Robert and Annie on the table. “Has it given you any clues?”

  “A few,” he said. “I’m studying the reflection in this store window, trying to identify which city they’re in.”

  Brooklyn looked at the flash of color in the window. There wasn’t much to go on. “I’m going to help you find them,” she said.

  “How?” he asked, perplexed.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty good with computers,” she answered. “I can write some algorithms to help your search. I can create a visual recognition program to see if their faces pop up in anyone else’s social media. I can help a lot.”

  “I appreciate it,” he said. “But this is my obsession. You’ve got plenty to worry about on your own. It’s hard enough being twelve years old, much less a twelve-year-old spy.”

  “Back in Brooklyn, when you busted in on the meeting with my attorney, did you ask me if I wanted help?”

  “No,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Right, and just now I wasn’t asking you,” she said. “We’re going to work on this together.”

  He looked at her and sighed. “That sounds very good to me.” He motioned to the shoebox she was carrying. “What’s in there?”

  “A present,” she said. “Your room needs a little decorating help, so I thought I’d give you this.” She reached into the box and pulled out the old snow globe of the Brooklyn lighthouse. “The water’s missing, and the plastic’s been taped back together, but it seems to fit in with the decor.”

  She handed it to him, and he studied it.

  “Whenever I’d move into a new foster home, I’d put it up on a shelf near the window,” she said. “I think some part of me thought that the lighthouse would guide my family back to me.”

  The memory of this caused her to pause for a moment.

  “Then one time, a boy in one of the houses was mad at me, so he threw it against the wall and shattered it.” She wiped a tear out of her eye. “My foster parents threw it away, but I went out to the trash and found it. I taped it back together and hid it in my shoebox.”

  Mother was touched. “I can’t take this from you.”

  “I want you to have it,” she said. “Put it by the window, so it can guide your children back to you.”

  “No,” he said, near tears. “This is yours. This is for your family.”

  Brooklyn turned and looked out the window back toward the FARM. The rest of the team was playing soccer in the yard. They were kicking the ball back and forth, laughing. Monty was watching and shouting encouragement. Everyone was happy.

  “I don’t need it anymore,” she said, turning back to him. “I found my family.”

  UK EYES ONLY

  Secret Intelligence Service/MI6

  Vauxhall Cross, London, UK

  Project City Spies (aka Project Neverland)

  Dossier prepared by A. Montgomery

  BROOKLYN

  NAME: Sara Maria Martinez<
br />
  AGE: 12

  BIRTHDAY: November 20

  BIRTHPLACE: Vega Alta, Puerto Rico

  RECRUITED: Kings County Family Court, Brooklyn, New York, United States

  SPECIAL TALENT: Computer hacking—used an outdated laptop to hack into the computer of Dr. Serena Ochoa to wish her a happy birthday. At the time, Dr. Ochoa was an astronaut on board the International Space Station.

  LIKES: Enjoys graphic novels and writing code.

  DISLIKES: Hates that spies never get to sleep in.

  LANGUAGES: English, Spanish

  CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: FARM-Crypto Unit, Aisling, Scotland, United Kingdom

  PARIS

  NAME: Salomon Omborenga

  AGE: 15

  BIRTHDAY: January 13

  BIRTHPLACE: Kigali, Rwanda

  RECRUITED: 14th arrondissement, Paris, France

  SPECIAL TALENT: Survival skills—youngest person ever to pass Special Forces Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract (SERE) Training at RAF St. Mawgan. Graduated top of class.

  LIKES: Has three great loves: chess, Doctor Who, and Liverpool FC.

  DISLIKES: Convinced the fall of the British Empire was due to its food, which he calls “a culinary crime against humanity.”

  LANGUAGES: English, French, Swahili (partial)

  CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: FARM-Crypto Unit, Aisling, Scotland, United Kingdom

  SYDNEY

  NAME: Olivia Rose

  AGE: 14

  BIRTHDAY: July 15

  BIRTHPLACE: Bondi Beach, New South Wales, Australia

  RECRUITED: Wallangarra School for Girls, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  SPECIAL TALENT: Field ops—highly resourceful and creative. She once saved a mission by disabling an Indonesian passenger train using only “some rando stuff I found in the snack bar.”

  LIKES: Describes both surfing and explosives as “Bonzer!”

  DISLIKES: Practically allergic to following rules.

  LANGUAGE: English

  CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: FARM-Crypto Unit, Aisling, Scotland, United Kingdom

  KAT

  NAME: Amita Bishwakarma

  AGE: 13

  BIRTHDAY: December 8

  BIRTHPLACE: Monjo, Nepal

  RECRUITED: UNICEF Transitional Learning Center, Kathmandu, Nepal

  SPECIAL TALENT: Cryptography—uses off-the-chartscode-breaking skills to decipher encrypted communications. Also used them to determine which candy bars held the winning pieces for a £5,000 sweepstakes. (Donated prize money to UNICEF efforts in Nepal.)

  LIKES: Secretly maintains a social media account focused on yetis and the Loch Ness Monster.

  DISLIKES: Most people.

  LANGUAGES: English, Nepali

  CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: FARM-Crypto Unit, Aisling, Scotland, United Kingdom

  RIO

  NAME: João Cardozo

  AGE: 12

  BIRTHDAY: November 3

  BIRTHPLACE: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  RECRUITED: Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  SPECIAL TALENT: Street magic—incredible sleight-of-hand skills allowed him to gain access to high-security area at the Russian embassy by picking the pocket of ambassador Anatoly Morozov.

  LIKES: Despite his small size, has a voracious appetite and once won a £20 bet by eating ten hot dogs in ten minutes.

  DISLIKES: Homework. He’s very intelligent but struggles academically.

  LANGUAGES: English, Portuguese, Spanish (partial)

  CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: FARM-Crypto Unit, Aisling, Scotland, United Kingdom

  Acknowledgments

  Writing is a solo endeavor, but publishing is most definitely a team sport. I’m beyond lucky to have a book family made up of remarkable people, including a few who I’d like to thank for helping City Spies come to life.

  Fiona Simpson edited this book, just as she edited my previous six, which is a testament not only to her talent and skill but also to her incredible patience and good humor. She’s a superb collaborator whose only notable flaw is that she roots for the Yankees.

  Not only is Mara Anastas a wonderful publisher, she was the first person other than my wife to hear the concept for City Spies. We were at the ALA convention in Orlando when I blurted out my idea for the opening chapter and the basic premise. She responded with a big smile that told me we might be onto something.

  Mara and Fiona are joined by the amazing Aladdin all-stars. This group includes Tricia Lin, Rebecca Vitkus, Brenna Franzitta, Kathleen Smith, Chelsea Morgan, Tiara Iandiorio, Caitlin Sweeny, Alissa Nigro, Savannah Breckenridge, Nicole Russo, Cassie Malmo, Anna Jarzab, Lauren Hoffman, Michelle Leo, Amy Beaudoin, Sarah Woodruff, Chriscynethia Floyd, and Yaoyao Ma Van As. They are smart, funny, and dedicated. They’re also tons of fun to hang out with and always make me feel welcome when I visit New York.

  Rosemary Stimola is equal parts Sherpa, spirit guide, and literary agent. She’s also a great friend. I’m so fortunate to be part of the Stimola Literary Studio and have her guiding the way. I’d also like to give a huge shout-out to Peter Ryan and the rest of the crew at SLS.

  One of the greatest treats of writing middle-grade fiction is getting to know others in the kid-lit community. Among those I’m lucky enough to call friends are a host of great writers who are even better people, a group of coconspirators called the Renegades of Middle Grade; my wonder twin, Rose Brock; the dynamo that is Donalyn Miller; and a multitude of librarians and educators who work every day to put books into the hands of young readers. To all of you, who are too numerous to name, know that you are my heroes.

  Finally, I’d like to thank my family. You give me purpose. You give me inspiration. And you fill my heart with love and joy.

  More from the Author

  Trapped!

  Vanished!

  Framed!

  Dark Days

  Blue Moon

  Dead City

  About the Author

  JAMES PONTI was born in Italy, was raised in Florida, and went to college in California. After receiving a degree in screenwriting from the USC Film School, he began a career writing and producing television shows for the likes of Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, Spike, History Channel, and Golf Channel. James loves writing, travel, and the Boston Red Sox. He lives with his family in Maitland, Florida.

  ALADDIN

  SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/James-Point

  ALSO BY JAMES PONTI

  The Framed! series

  Framed!

  Vanished!

  Trapped!

  The Dead City trilogy

  Dead City

  Blue Moon

  Dark Days

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ALADDIN

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  First Aladdin hardcover edition March 2020

  Text copyright © 2020 by James Ponti

  Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Yaoyao Ma Van As

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

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  Book de
signed by Tiara Iandiorio

  The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.

  Jacket designed by Tiara Iandiorio

  Jacket illustration copyright © 2020 by Yaoyao Ma Van As

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Ponti, James, author.

  Title: City spies / by James Ponti.

  Description: First Aladdin hardcover edition. | New York : Aladdin, 2020. | Summary: “Sara Martinez is facing years in the juvenile detention system for hacking into the foster care computer system to prove that her foster parents are crooks. But then she gets a second chance when a mysterious man offers her a chance to join a group of MI6-affiliated spies” —Provided by publisher. |

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019011804 (print) | LCCN 2019016515 (eBook) |

  ISBN 9781534414914 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534414938 (eBook)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Foster children—Fiction. | Spies—Fiction. | Hackers—Fiction. |

  Conduct of life—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.P7726 (eBook) | LCC PZ7.P7726 Cit 2020 (print) |

  DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019011804