by Kim Long
The teams bolted through the door and onto the ferry. As Captain Peter pushed off from the dock, Lexi peered up the trail. She was too far away to make out how many teams had made it onto the first tram. They were in front of at least a few of them, though.
Ron offered Lexi a high five. “Good call, Magill!”
A short time later, the ferry bumped into the museum’s dock, and the teams disembarked. As they ran to the museum, the Comets, Techies, and Solar Flares joined from the tram’s driveway.
The teams crossed into the courtyard, where a bevy of oak and elm trees surrounded bronze statues of Dr. Kent, Dr. Bressler, and Dr. Vogt. The statues pointed to an elegant white stone building atop the small hill.
A blue-and-gold sign hung above the building’s entrance.
PUZZLE TIME!
You know what to do—find the location where teleportation began!
“The lab,” Lexi whispered. “Follow me.”
Lexi raced into the museum and across the foyer to the far staircase. Grabbing the railing as she skidded to a halt, she checked over her shoulder for her teammates. Ron and Mal were right behind her, not missing a step.
She jumped down the last couple stairs and turned. “This way! Hurry!”
Riiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiing! Ringity Ring!
Lexi skidded to a stop. Her cargo pocket was glowing. Her phone. But it wasn’t her parents’ ringtone, or, actually, any of the personalized ringtones she had programmed for her friends and family. This had to be an unknown caller.
Wren Tech.
Her stomach plummeted at the thought, and she slowed as she felt for the zipper on her cargoes to retrieve her phone.
“It’s up ahead!” a Sanborne shouted.
The elevator’s doors opened and teams hustled inside.
Lexi let her phone be. They had fallen behind while she had been trying to get the pocket unzipped. Now other teams were closing in. Darting around a corner and through the cafeteria, Lexi wound a path through the various exhibits to the auditorium.
“Here it is,” Lexi said, and she bolted through the doors…
… and smack dab into a tournament official talking to the Phenoms. Lexi glanced at the stage at the front of the auditorium. The Mighty Sanbornes were taking their seats in the front row.
Oof.
The Solar Flares bumped her from behind.
The tournament official directed the teams to seats in the front of the auditorium. A second after Team RAM settled in, Haley’s Comets emerged at the door. The official placed them in seats behind the Flares, and the auditorium doors thudded closed.
Dr. Harrison took the stage. “Congratulations. You’re our top five!”
Silence, then gasps, and finally excited screams echoed through the auditorium. Lexi remained quiet, trying to absorb Dr. Harrison’s words. She placed her hands over her head, closed her eyes, and hunched forward in her chair. Top five? Top five! Tears pricked her eyes as her stomach bounced. The events of the last three days flashed through her mind, from traveling to the wrong castle, to almost fishing Mal’s Tel-Med out of the toilet, to Haley’s attempted sabotage, and, of course, to her blunder that had led the team to Tibet. Despite it all, Team RAM had battled through and made it into the finals.
She shook her head in disbelief. Before the tournament, she had often dreamed of being in this position, but now that she was here, it was ten times more exhilarating than she had ever imagined. She glanced at her teammates. She couldn’t picture being here without them. She turned to them to celebrate.
Ding!
Lexi flinched as her cargo pocket vibrated. The light, fuzzy feeling coursing through her body instantly drifted away, replaced by a heaviness that weighed her into her seat. Their top-five finish was about to be wiped out. She fumbled for the phone, wishing she had a reason to ignore it. But she’d put it off long enough. She pulled out her phone and squinted warily at the screen.
*** CRITICAL PROTOCOL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED ***
Tears welled in Lexi’s eyes. The exact thing she’d been dreading had become a reality. Their race was over, and all because she’d ignored the messages. If only she would have shared them with her teammates. Together, they might have been able to come up with a solution. Now, it was too late.
As teams around her continued to cheer, Lexi slid low in her seat. She glanced at Mal and Ron, trying to figure out how to tell their laughing and smiling faces that their tournament had come to an end.
The auditorium lights flickered, and Dr. Harrison approached the stage. Photos of King Ludwig’s castle, the art museum, and other tournament locations flashed on a screen behind him. Lexi straightened in her seat. At almost every location, Team RAM had overcome some sort of problem. No matter how bad things had gotten, they hadn’t given up.
A speck of hope surged through Lexi. Maybe this was no different. Maybe if she solved the clue real fast, she could be the first one to teleport and get to the final destination before Wren Tech completed the protocol and her Tel-Med deactivated.
In a flurry, Lexi took out her notebook and readied herself for the next clue one last time.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Attention everyone!” Dr. Harrison said. “One of our officials is passing out your stickers for this stop. Then we’ll begin.”
Lexi stuck the sticker on the Tracker and refocused on Dr. Harrison.
Ding!
Her phone beeped again. Irritated, Lexi zipped her pocket closed, hoping to muffle any more dings. She knew what she had to do, and the incessant chiming would be a distraction.
The lights dimmed, and Dr. Harrison left the stage. A projection of Dr. Kent, Dr. Bressler, and Dr. Vogt zapped onto the screen.
Dr. Kent moved to the front and peered into the auditorium. “Well, they found us,” he said. “Now what?”
Dr. Vogt playfully tapped his shoulder. “Oh, quit teasing.” Straightening, she addressed the camera, “In developing teleport travel, Dr. Kent, Dr. Bressler, and I worked as a team. Each of us brought a different way of thinking, a special set of skills that the others didn’t have, that made us successful. I venture to say the same is true with you—that each of you has made valuable contributions to your teams. True advancements in technology are always a team effort. Remember that when the race is over. It will serve you well in life.”
Dr. Bressler advanced to the camera next, and Lexi leaned forward, still waiting for the scientists to say something about the next clue.
“What, I ask, is the purpose of technology?” Dr. Bressler started. “Why do we invent things? What prompted Da Vinci, an outstanding artist, to pursue science and invention? Why did Marie Curie study radioactivity? Why did Alan Turing build a computer? Simple. It was an effort to make our lives better, to end suffering in some respect.” He held up a finger. “Teleport travel started no differently. Yes, of course the science of it, the dream of it, was enchanting. But to make it a reality, to make it possible for people to see loved ones, to travel to far off places in a split second”—Dr. Bressler snapped his fingers—“Remember that as you go forward. Whatever you decide to do, do it with the intention to make the world a better place, and you will live a happy life, indeed.”
Dr. Bressler returned to his colleagues. Lexi craned her neck and looked around the auditorium, curious whether any of her competitors had heard something worth writing down, but it was too dark to see. As Dr. Kent took the stage, she hoped she hadn’t missed anything.
“Home,” Dr. Kent said calmly. “No matter where we travel, no matter what we do, in the end we share the same thing—a desire to get back home. It’s where we feel safe. Teleportation travel allows us to make those trips home quicker, but even if we take our time, we get there. I hope you all have safe and happy homes.”
Dr. Kent stepped back as Dr. Vogt joined him. “Dr. Kent is right. There’s nothing like going home after a long day.”
Buzz.
Lexi’s phone vibrated. She stared at her pocket, willing it to stop. Dr. Vogt’s vo
ice shook her out of her trance and Lexi refocused.
“… we do it on the count of three? One. Two. Thr—”
“Wait!” Dr. Bressler called. “I want to help! Now, where were you? One, three, two?”
Lexi rubbed her forehead, confused. She’d missed something. None of this made sense. Her pocket vibrated again. With one eye on the scientists, she undid the zipper. She should have shut it off.
“Oh, come on,” Dr. Kent said, placing his hands on his hips. “Next thing you’ll say is Germany, Italy, Poland, when you know the correct order was Germany, Poland, and Italy all the way to the finish line.”
The scientists laughed. After a few awkward seconds, Dr. Vogt winked and whispered, “Why are you still here? You know what you must do. Be safe at home. After all, that’s where the first successful human teleportation ended, isn’t it?”
The screen went black, and the auditorium’s lights blinked on. Dr. Harrison reemerged at the end of Team RAM’s row. A set of double doors opened behind him. “When you’re ready, you can exit through here. The scientists’ private telepod station is behind me. Hand in your final Travel Request Form, and you’ll be on your way.”
Laptops and tablets buzzed into action as teams got to work. Lexi pulled her hand back from her pocket and yanked out a Travel Request Form from her backpack.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Mal whispered. “’Cuz I gotta say, that was all gibberish to me.”
Lexi nodded, scribbling as fast as she could. The part she had missed hadn’t been important after all. Dr. Vogt had made it perfectly clear where they had to go.
“Where?” Ron asked.
“Home,” Lexi said. “Exactly like Dr. Vogt said.”
Mal and Ron stared at her. “Huh?”
Lexi stood and revealed the form and their final destination. “Miller Park,” she whispered. “The first successful teleportation was from here to Miller Park. The Brewers were on a road trip, so the stadium was empty. The scientists thought it’d be cool to have a stadium filled with people watching the first human teleport to his destination. That way there’d be thousands of witnesses.” Lexi pointed through the double doors at the scientists’ telepod. “They showed this telepod on the JumboTron, and the telepod at the stadium was positioned on home plate.” Lexi chuckled. “It’s perfect. We’re going to run home.”
Mal and Ron shrieked, and moments later Team RAM raced through the doors into the private teleport area. The Mighty Sanbornes and Haley’s Comets followed, leaving the Physics Phenoms and the Solar Flares still working on the clue. Lexi handed in the form to the first official she saw.
Her thigh tingled, and Lexi glared at her pocket. Not waiting for approval, she advanced up a small flight of stairs to the telepod and clicked in her Tel-Med. She flashed a thumbs-up sign.
The telepod operator punched a few keys, and the glass doors closed. “Ready. Three, two, one…”
Lexi stiffened and closed her eyes, anticipating the flash. When she opened her eyes, she’d be at Miller Park. All of Wren Tech’s warnings would be behind her.
Lexi opened her eyes. She hadn’t gone anywhere, and now, Haley’s Comets and The Mighty Sanbornes were shifting anxiously behind Mal and Ron, ready to board. Lexi eyed the telepod operator again. He gave the signal, and Lexi thrust a thumbs-up forward. Okay, he hadn’t been ready. No problem. Now she’d go.
Nope.
The telepod operator scowled and punched a few keys. A few seconds later, he addressed Lexi. “Can you reinsert your Tel-Med, please?”
Lexi lowered her thumb as the reality of the situation took hold. Her hand shook as a sudden chill coursed through her fingers.
“Miss?” The operator said, gesturing to the shelf. “Can you please reinsert your Tel-Med?”
Feeling like she was moving in slow motion, Lexi inched forward and tried to pry the Tel-Med out of its slot. Her twitchy fingers refused to cooperate.
The Tel-Med dropped to the platform. Lexi bent to retrieve it, striking the top of her head against the shield. Straightening, she inserted it again, careful to avoid meeting her teammates’ eyes. She couldn’t risk a peek at their disappointed faces.
“Take your position, please,” the operator said.
Lexi tried to think positive thoughts. Maybe it had been a glitch. Things like this had to happen every once in a while. Perhaps the inventors’ old telepod was rusty. It wasn’t like it got a lot of use anymore. She rubbed the Brewers logo on her cap and then on her shirt. Courage mustered, she closed her eyes. Please. Third time’s the charm.
The operator repeated, “Ready. Three, two, one…”
Nothing.
Lexi slumped. The shield released, and she grabbed the Tel-Med and shuffled toward Ron and Mal, fumbling for a way to apologize.
Bump.
“Excuse me,” a female tournament official said as she hurried past.
Lexi lifted the chain dividing the telepod from the waiting area so she could duck under and join her teammates.
The official blocked her effort. “A moment, please.” Then, to everyone else, she explained, “Sorry about the holdup. We had to shut down the telepod.”
Lexi gulped. Shut down? As in, on purpose? She squeezed the Tel-Med, willing herself to keep upright.
“From our observations,” the official continued, “these three teams completed the Travel Request Forms at about the same time. But, since Team RAM was seated closest to the exit doors, they made it here first.”
“What?” Mal balked. “Are you kidding?”
“Yeah,” Ron added. “You’re punishing us for sitting by the door where we were told to sit?”
“No, no, not at all,” the official said. “What I’m saying is that, to negate any random advantage, we’re not going to teleport a full team first. Instead, we’re going to teleport one member from each team, then do that again, and then a third time. This way, the third members of each team will arrive pretty close in time. After your teams are complete, you can continue.”
The official tapped Lexi on the shoulder. “You can head up now. I didn’t want you waiting by yourself at Miller Park wondering what was going on. We wanted to make sure everyone heard the explanation.”
Lexi heaved a breath as the official’s words sunk in. She grabbed the edge of the control panel and placed a hand to her forehead.
The official chuckled. “I’m sorry. I can see I upset you.” She opened the chain. “Why don’t you take a minute and let one of your teammates go first.”
Lexi pressed her palms to her forehead and stared. The telepod seemed a mile away. She doubted she could get there without stumbling. “Okay,” she mumbled.
“I’ll go,” Mal said, stepping past Lexi and onto the platform.
Ron followed Lexi to the back of the line. “Lex, you okay?”
Exhaling, Lexi met Ron’s eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, swallowing hard. “I thought for a second they deactivated the Tel-Med.”
“Yeah,” Ron said. “We wondered that for a minute, too.” He slapped Lexi on the back. “But it’s okay! We’re still in it!”
“All right,” the official said. “I will leave you to it. Sorry about the delay. We really are trying to make this fair for everyone.… Though hopefully with all of you arriving close to the same time, there won’t be a tie.”
The official left to a chorus of anxious twitters from the other teams, but Lexi lurched, clutching Ron’s arm.
A tie.
There couldn’t be a tie. During the rules explanation Dr. Harrison said it was impossible—that the tournament was designed specifically to prevent a tie. That’s why teams couldn’t work together. That’s why—
“Earth to Lexi,” Ron said. He twisted his arm to loosen her grip.
Lexi unclenched. “Sorry.” She nudged Ron away from the other teams and retrieved her notebook. There was more to this last clue than simply running to home plate. Unfortunately, they had only a few seconds to figure out what it was. Mal was already gone
, and David Sanborne had entered the telepod.
“Something about this clue isn’t right,” she whispered to Ron. “Dr. Harrison said there was no way there could be a tie, remember? Check your notes from this last clue. I’m going to look at what I wrote during his rules explanation. I think we might have to solve another puzzle before crossing home plate.”
As Ron retrieved his notebook, Lexi flipped to the first page.
DON’T LOSE BADGES
DON’T GO TO ANTARCTICA
CHECK IN EVERY STOP
NO TEL-MEDS 10:00 P.M.-7:00 A.M.
NINE PUZZLES
COLLECT NINE STICKERS
ONLY THREE WINNERS, NO TIES
Yep, it was definitely there. No ties. She went to circle it and froze as she caught what she wrote above it. Collect nine stickers. They had eight.
Lexi pointed to the page as she stood on her tiptoes to whisper into Ron’s ear. “Collect nine stickers. There definitely has to be another puzzle somewhere.”
Ron looked unconvinced. “Unless they give you the sticker at home plate or while running there. There could be a booth set up in between third base and home.”
“What, so they throw stickers at the teams while they pass?” She arched an eyebrow.
“Well, I don’t know,” Ron said.
Comet Andre flashed a thumbs-up from the telepod.
Lexi scanned Ron’s notebook. “What did you write about the last clue? I missed part of it.”
“Next!” the telepod operator called.
Lexi raised her eyes to Ron’s expectantly, but he frowned and closed his notebook. “I don’t have anything,” he whispered, setting it into his backpack. “It all sounded so mumbo-jumbo-ish. What is teleportation? We want to go home.”
“Next!” Haley shouted.
Lexi scowled, irritated she’d allowed herself to become distracted by her phone when Dr. Vogt had been talking. She whispered to Ron, “Fine, go ahead. But, think about it on the way.”
Ron took a step, then called over his shoulder. “On the way? That’s like two seconds. How’s that going to help?”
No idea.