Project Mc2

by Jade Hemsworth

  “Charles Coyle,” A.D.I.S.N. said, mimicking Mr. Coyle’s voice. “Access code: Echo Mike Charlie Two.”

  The door buzzed open. All four girls ran inside, but they didn’t get more than a few feet before they were in total darkness. M and Cam pulled out their cell phones, illuminating the space in front of them.

  It was a long corridor with a steel door at the other end. Bry began to step forward in the darkness.

  M grabbed her before Bry could go another inch. She was staring at a pinpoint of red light in the distance. “Adri … got any baking soda left?”

  “Am I a culinary chemist or what?” Adri reached into her purse, grabbed a fistful of baking soda, and blew it into the air. Instantly, the girls could see an intricate web of red lasers, crisscrossing the room in all directions, leaving no space to walk or even crawl through. If they hit any of the beams, they would set off the alarm.

  “How do we get through that?” Bry asked.

  Adri, Bry, and McKeyla stared ahead, their stomachs tightening. They’d come all this way just to get stopped by a bunch of laser beams? Was this really how their night was going to end?

  But Cam didn’t even hesitate.

  “Compact mirror?” she said, holding out her hand to Adri. Adri dug through her bag, finally surrendering her double-mirrored compact.

  “Gum?” Cam said, holding out her hand to Bry, who reluctantly spit out her chewed-up gum.

  “It still has flavor!” Bry protested.

  Cam pulled her skateboard off her back and put it on the floor. She set the gum on the front, and pressed the compact down on top of it, securing it in place. Then she readjusted the compact’s tiny mirror, checking and rechecking the angle to make sure she got it right.

  “If it’s exactly three-point-five-seven meters away, with an angle of approximately forty-five degrees, the velocity should be … Okay … here goes.…”

  Cam took a deep breath, hoping the calculation she did in her head was right. She carefully rolled the skateboard forward, finally letting it slip from her grasp. As it glided across the room, they all held their breath. It slowly rolled to a stop right in front of the metal box with the bright red laser emitters. The laser beams were captured and bounced back between the two mirrored halves of the compact. Now the girls could pass through!

  “Nailed it!” Cam said, pumping her fist in the air. Adri gave her friend a high five as Bry and McKeyla looked on. They had just thwarted one of the most complex security systems in the country with only a piece of gum, a skateboard, and a mirror!

  As the girls ran to the steel door, Adri let out a small yip of excitement. Right in front of them was an access panel that required a number code. Bry flipped open her laptop, then connected a cable to a remote circuit board in the laptop and electrical clips inside the panel’s electronic lock system.

  “I love number games.…” She smiled. This was the perfect chance to put all her electronics expertise to work. All those nights she’d stayed up late coding just for fun were totally worth it.

  Then she hit her Random Number Generator application, and the screen started flipping through thousands of four-digit combinations. It ran for a few minutes, then stopped on 3421. The lock turned and the door popped open.

  “Ding! Ding!” Bry said. “We have a winner!”

  The girls let out a collective sigh of relief. They were just seconds away from finding Black Star’s hacking device. The girls could practically hear the clock ticking down as they raced through the door. They had to reach the prince’s luggage before it was too late!

  They ran as fast as they could, winding through a long hallway to the Launch Assembly Room. It was vast with huge ceilings and mechanical equipment on two of the four walls. Far across the hangar, people in white suits and masks were doing last-minute checks on the spacecraft. Adri spotted the prince’s luggage on a plastic mat a few feet away, waiting to be loaded into the craft. The girls darted toward the pile, hoping the hacking device was still inside.

  The girls began unzipping the dozen suitcases—how many outfits did the prince need for space, anyway?—searching for the device. They found tube after tube of hair sculpting goop and a dozen pairs of designer jeans, but nothing that looked like what Aaron had described. Where was this menacing device that could destroy the world?

  Adri was going through a duffel bag filled with video games when she heard McKeyla gasp. All the girls turned to look.

  “Got it!” M said, pulling a large black box with cables out of a black suitcase. An LCD display was at the top of it, showing the radio frequency, the distance and power setting, and an IP address.

  Bry studied the device. It was the most sophisticated piece of equipment she’d ever seen, with a glass front that made its internal system visible. “It’s a transmitter and antenna,” she said, moved by its complexity. “No doubt with state-of-the-art hacking software inside. A beautiful piece of technology,” she added, wiping away a tear.

  “Yeah, yeah,” M said. “It’s gorgeous. Now, let’s kill it. Fast!”

  She glanced back, where a few of the Space Inc. workers were. They’d spotted the girls across the hangar. One man put his radio to his mouth, calling for security. She knew what they must look like—a bunch of fangirls trying to get a glimpse of the prince. They only had a few minutes before they would be swarmed by guards.

  “We need a power source strong enough to short out its core drive,” Bry explained, talking twice as fast as she normally did.

  Cam opened up the front of the device, exposing the wires, circuitry, and a battery. She attached one short electrical cable to a power source in the wall of the hangar and pulled a longer electrical cable (the longest she had) from the bag of tech tricks that had served them so well this far, but, unspooling it, she realized to her dismay that it was still too short to reach any power supply on the wall. And they dared not move the device, not knowing if or how it might be booby-trapped.

  “There’s no way to complete the circuit,” she said, pointing to the device. “We still need about ten feet of wire to connect back to the device.”

  McKeyla turned, watching as George and three security guards rushed in through the far exit. The girls scanned the hangar. They were running out of time—if they didn’t destroy the device before security reached them, it might never be destroyed. What if it fell into the wrong hands?

  “How about us?” M said, looking at the distance between the device and the power source. “We can conduct electricity.”

  “You’re right,” Bry agreed. “We can complete the circuit using our bodies instead of the wire! It will send just enough power to prematurely activate the device now. We could confuse it so it shorts itself out and causes a circuit failure.”

  “It won’t hurt us?” Adri asked.

  “Nope! Since the battery is low voltage, the current is so small we won’t even feel it,” Bry replied.

  “Yeah, just no fingers in sockets or grabbing power lines, please!” Cam said with a wink.

  “Who’s ready to make a human chain?” M asked, holding out her hand.

  Cam clipped into the device, then stretched out her hand. The girls clasped hands one by one to form a human chain from Cam to Adri to M to Bry. With her free hand, Bry reached out and grabbed the wire connected to the power source. They all watched as the device lit up. It made a few whirring sounds, like it was working, then a fuse blew. Smoke filled the air.

  Cam leaned over, looking at the LCD display. It read, CIRCUIT FAILURE.

  “It worked!” M said. “We did it! Go, us!”

  The girls broke into a celebratory dance. They hooted and high-fived, singing “Go, us … go, us”—and this time even M joined in. They were so excited it took them a few seconds to notice the pack of security guards closing in on them. Cam looked up and saw her father walking toward them from the far end of the hangar. He looked worried, and a bit angry, too.

  “Cam, what are you doing here?” he said in his most stern you’ve got some
explaining to do voice.

  Cam felt her throat tighten, the way it always did when she was trying not to cry. She’d been so caught up in stopping Black Star that she’d forgotten that she’d also deceived her father’s coworker, vandalized his workplace, and broke through every security system in the east wing of Space Inc. How could she possibly tell him everything that had happened in the last two days? Would he believe her?

  “We can explain, Dad,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I promise.…”

  * BREAKING AND ENTERING TO SAVE THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT

  Chapter Twelve

  W.T.T.S.S.*

  Francois Darone, the CEO of Black Star, looked down at the control in his hand. Just seconds before, everything had been on track. The hacking device had been responding, but now it read CONNECTION OFFLINE. FAILURE kept blinking over and over again.

  “What happened?” he growled at Jillian, who was standing behind him, watching the launch. “What’s going on?”

  Before Jillian could answer, they heard the Whoop! Whoop! of a police car. He turned to see the four girls marching toward them. The massive crowd parted as they came closer. Mr. Coyle, George, and a team of security guards were right behind them, along with a security vehicle with flashing red lights.

  Hundreds of people turned to watch as McKeyla and her friends walked right up to Jillian, the prince’s assistant, and Francois Darone, who were both standing in the front row, waiting for the launch. Darone looked just a bit less polished than he had five minutes ago.

  McKeyla had confronted bad guys before—thieves and liars and people who’d tried to sabotage NOV8’s efforts. But this felt different. Darone was out for world domination. He might have been the most deceitful, villainous bad guy yet.

  “We stopped you, Darone,” M said, trying to keep her voice even. She balled her hands into fists. “You and Black Star can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

  “Yeah, your device is tostada!” Adri scoffed. “Burnt toast. So burnt you can’t even scrape off the black part with a knife and still eat it.”

  “You’ll find the carcass inside.” Cam smiled, pointing back toward the hangar.

  Darone sneered at the four teenage girls in front of him. He kept looking at the security team, then Mr. Coyle, his brows drawn together as if to say Why are you listening to these girls?

  “This is ridiculous,” he snapped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would anyone believe a bunch of silly young girls?”

  Mr. Coyle stepped forward. “I believe them. And it’s all true. Every word of it. We’ve got the device, and these girls stopped it.”

  Cam smiled up at her dad. After she’d explained about Aaron Markus, Black Star, and the hacking device—he didn’t need any other proof. Sure, maybe he and George wished the girls hadn’t spewed pink sludge all over the Space Inc. lobby, but considering the circumstances, even that could be forgiven.

  “Take him away,” George called out as a group of security guards rushed in. They handcuffed Darone and put him in the back of the police car.

  “Call the lawyers!” Darone shouted as he ducked inside. “Jillian, call the lawyers! What are you waiting for?”

  M started toward Jillian. This whole time the prince’s assistant had been against him, working with Black Star to try to download millions of dollars’ worth of personal information. How could she wake up every morning and smile, pretending to be someone she wasn’t?

  “And Jillian…” she said, angrier now, “all those secret phone calls, how you had the prince leave the safe house—I knew there was something off about you, but I never imagined you could be involved in such an evil plan.”

  Prince Xander came down the stairs from the podium where he had been standing, a stunned look on his face. It took him a few seconds to process what was going on. “Jillian? A mole? No wonder you stank at your job.…”

  As the guards began handcuffing her, Jillian sneered at the girls. “You nosy little spy girls think you’re so smart, don’t you?” she asked, struggling against the guards. “Ever since I took that stupid job with the prince, it’s been ‘Get this, Jillian!’ or ‘Get that, Jillian!’ Darone offered me the chance to have money, power—to be the boss for once. But you girls had to go and ruin it. I won’t forget this. Or you, Agent McAlister! You can tell that stupid organization you work with that they’ll regret the day they messed with me.”

  “Yeah,” M said. “We’ll tell them you send your love … from jail!”

  The girls watched as the guards put Jillian into another squad car. They high-fived and bumped fists, then threw their arms around one another like a real team. They were so excited about solving the case that they didn’t notice Prince Xander walking toward them.

  “I can’t leave without apologizing to you, M,” Prince Xander said, stepping up to her. He was so close she could see the flecks of blue in his eyes. She had to admit—he was kind of cute.

  “I gave you a hard time from the minute we met,” he went on. “You didn’t deserve that.”

  “Wow, I don’t know what to say.…” M smirked. “Wait, yes, I do. You’re right! I actually know what I’m talking about!”

  “Yes, you do,” Prince Xander laughed. “Despite every stupid thing I did to get in your way, you and those clever girls still managed to save the world. You’re obviously a great leader.”

  M smiled at her shoes, trying not to look him in the eye. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. Was she actually blushing like a Prince Xander fangirl? If she kept this up, it wouldn’t be long before she was wearing one of those I’M OVER THE MOON FOR PRINCE XANDER shirts.

  “I try to be a good influence.…” she said.

  “Well, it worked on them, and it worked on me.”

  “Oh really? How’s that?” she asked.

  “You make me want to read a book.”

  “Awwww,” M said. “Not a picture book, right?”

  “No, one with lots of tiny words.”

  “Welcome to the smart side,” she laughed. “Well … have a safe trip. Enjoy battling aliens with laser swords.…”

  He winked at her, then turned to go. “I’ll catch you when I get back, M.”

  She stood there, watching as he climbed the podium. Yes, Prince Xander was pompous, and in love with himself, and had the attention span of a toddler on a sugar high, but he was also kind of … sort of … sweet?

  M pushed away the thought, trying to be professional about the situation. This was business, after all.

  M turned to the girls, who were standing beside her, giggling. Bry was bouncing up and down on her toes, the way she always did when she was excited. Did she just see the prince wink at M? So lucky!

  The crowd watched as Prince Xander walked off toward the spacecraft. Music blared. Some people waved glow sticks in the air. Others shouted and cheered, watching as the shuttle rumbled and whirred to life.

  The launch clock above the podium ticked down. There was only a minute left, then thirty seconds, then the entire crowd was counting down:

  Five … four … three … two … one …

  Smoke billowed out from under the rocket. The ground rumbled and shook. Adri, Cam, and Bry had their arms around one another as they stood there, looking up at the sky. Everywhere they turned, people were clapping and cheering. M smiled up at the spaceship as it lifted off, the fire propelling it into the atmosphere, far beyond where they could see. She couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful sight.

  * WELCOME TO THE SMART SIDE

  Chapter Thirteen

  S.I.T.N.C.*

  Back at M’s lab, the girls were smushed together on the couch, watching the footage of the space launch for the third time. A reporter narrated the scene as the spacecraft prepared to blast into the sky. “Prince Xander’s space launch this evening was a huge success,” he said. “All thanks to an elusive group of four girls who helped Space Inc. thwart a dangerous, last-minute threat.”

  The spacecraft took off, disappearing into the
atmosphere. “I can watch that launch a zillion times and never get bored,” Cam said, leaning her head on Adri’s shoulder.

  Bry sat up straight, her eyes wide. She was gripping her cell phone in her hand. “Prince Xander just posted a video from space!”

  She held up the screen, showing the other girls. The prince was floating in the spacecraft. He’d put the letters S.I.T.N.C. across the video.

  “S.I.T.N.C.?” Cam asked.

  “That’s easy.” M smiled. “Smart Is The New Cool.”

  The girls all high-fived M, thrilled that she was finally breaking the code. There was hope for her yet! As they celebrated the small victory, the monitor over the desk turned on, revealing a video chat with the Quail.

  “Congratulations, Agent McAlister, on closing the case of Prince Xander,” the Quail said.

  “Thanks, but I didn’t do it alone,” M said. “I had help … from my friends.” She glanced around at the girls, smiling.

  “OMG, what did you call them?” A.D.I.S.N. demanded.

  “Sorry, A.D.I.S.N., they are my friends,” M said, standing her ground. Then she softened. “Just like you.” She looked at the girls. “And not only that, you’re all first-rate operatives, and I’m proud to say I’ve had the honor of working with each and every one of you.”

  Bry clapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe you just said that!”

  “Me neither,” A.D.I.S.N. sniped.

  “Believe it, A.D.I.S.N.,” M said.

  “Well, you know what they say,” A.D.I.S.N. said, “any friends of yours … are friends of yours. That I can try to be nicer to.”

  “Not sure that’s an actual saying, but I appreciate the sentiment,” M laughed. Then she turned to her mom. “You were right about this whole team thing. I know I’m scheduled to leave for my next assignment, but if you and NOV8 approve, I’d like to stay here so we can keep working together.”

  Cam glanced sideways at Adri and Bry. To have M here all year long, building experiments and helping them continue their training … it was better than anything they could’ve imagined. They waited, watching the Quail’s face to see how she’d respond.