by Mark Young
“Okay, Newton. Put your finger under the lens,” Theremin instructed.
Newton obeyed. Higgy looked through the lens first. “Yes, yes. His digits seem a bit unusual, but I can’t quite figure out what I’m looking at.”
Then Shelly looked—and gasped.
“Your fingers seem to be equipped with tiny hairlike structures, Newton,” Shelly said. “It’s similar to . . . to the setae of wall-climbing reptiles.”
“I can cling to walls,” Newton said. “I’ve done it.”
“That’s because your finger pads are super grippy,” Theremin said. “That’s probably why you haven’t been able to fold the brochure to get the portal. Your fingers stick to it.”
“Reptiles can control when they grip and when they don’t,” Shelly explained, her voice rising with excitement. “Your body may have activated this reptilian function under stress. You could always wear gloves when you take the portal test. That would solve the problem.”
“Right!” Newton said. It felt good to have an answer—well, sort of an answer. A bunch of other questions flooded his mind.
“Could this be a clue?” he asked. “Maybe I’m from a family of mad scientists with grippy fingertips?”
Shelly and Theremin looked at each other again.
“Um, I’m not sure,” Shelly said. “Listen, Newton, the stuff we wanted to talk to you about—your grippy fingers are part of it, I think.”
She took out her tablet. “I’ve been taking notes the last few days, to try to help figure out what your deal is,” she said. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but I should tell you what I’ve observed.”
“You’ve noticed stuff about me?” Newton asked.
Shelly nodded. “Remember when we snuck into Mumtaz’s office, and she walked in on us? You flattened yourself against the wall. I saw you from the closet. You sort of just . . . blended in.”
“Really?” Newton asked. “So that’s why she couldn’t see me.”
“Also, you can see in the dark. And when you jumped in the pool, you sort of blended in with the water and the blue tiles on the floor,” Shelly added. “And that’s not all. Newton, when you came out of the pool I could swear I saw . . . gills on your neck.”
“Like a fish?” Higgy asked. “Cool!”
“Like a fish, or maybe . . . maybe an amphibian,” Shelly said.
Newton looked down at his hands. “Super-grippy fingertips.”
“And toes, too, I’ll bet,” Higgy said.
“Does all that mean . . . ?” Newton asked. “That I’m not human?”
Shelly shook her head. “I don’t know. You sure look human. You’re just . . . an extra-special one.”
“I’ll say!” Higgy exclaimed. “Those grippy fingers are pretty cool, roomie.” He held up his goo hands. “I can bounce and slide down walls, but I’m not great at gripping anything. My gloves help a little, but it’s nothing compared to your gripabilities. Hands like yours sure would come in handy.”
Shelly laughed. “They sure would,” she said. “But right now, we have to focus on an idea for our project. I don’t think my sonic rat collar is going to come together in time.”
“That’s okay, Shelly. Next time,” Theremin said.
Shelly went on. “I’ll try to think of something else tonight,” she said, “but maybe we can put our noodle noggins together in the morning, as Professor Snollygoster says.”
Newton twitched. He blinked. Then he cried out. “I have a great idea for our science fair project,” Newton said, looking down at his hands. “A real handy idea, as a matter of fact.”
Shelly grinned. “I like the way you’re thinking, Newton. Do you think we can do it in time?”
Calculations and designs for his idea were rolling through Newton’s brain.
“I’d say there’s a 91.57638 percent chance that we can!” he replied.
“Count me in,” said Theremin. “Whatever it is.”
“Me too,” Shelly said. Then she turned to Higgy. “Higgy, do you want to join us?”
Higgy shook his head. “No thanks. I’m already working on my project. But you guys go for it.”
After making plans to meet up with Newton soon to get started, Shelly and Theremin left. Newton felt weary from the busy day, but filled with a new determination.
He, Shelly, and Theremin were going to make the greatest Mad Science Fair project ever and win the first-place prize, and all he needed to access the portal pass was a pair of gloves to fold the brochure!
We have to win! he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 13
May the Best Mad Scientist Win!
In the days leading up to the Mad Science Fair, the students at Franken-Sci High got even more caught up in the frenzy and excitement.
They filled the library, talking and researching, until library drones started crash-landing. Their batteries had died from having to say “Shhhh!” so much.
They received packages in the mail that smoked and snorted and shook, containing ingredients for projects.
They prepared elaborate displays to show off their projects, filling the halls with the sounds of drills, hammers, liquids gurgling, and centrifuges spinning.
Newton, Shelly, and Theremin did most of their work in Newton’s dorm room because they knew they could trust Higgy to keep their project a secret.
Even so, every time Newton bumped into Mimi in the halls, she would ask the same question.
“So, what project are you guys working on, Newton? You can tell me. I’ll keep it to myself.”
But Newton, under strict orders from Shelly and Theremin, didn’t share their plans with anyone.
It was a good thing, too, because as the science fair approached, strange things began to happen.
Odifin and Rotwang’s experiment went missing, then turned up in the garbage. On the bright side, since it was about how to breed roses to smell stinkier than foot fungus, they were able to salvage it without much damage.
Then Tootie’s antigravity platform was tampered with and began flinging her big box into the jungle instead of holding it in midair. But whatever was inside it was so loyal it came trotting back, shuffling along in the box until it reached her side again.
It seemed like every day experiments were being lost, damaged, or ruined.
“It has to be Mimi, right?” Shelly whispered to Newton and Theremin at the school store one day when they were buying snacks.
“Seems likely,” Theremin said.
But Newton wasn’t so sure. “There are a lot of power-hungry students at this school, and any one of them could be trying to sabotage the other contestants,” he said. “Whoever it is, they aren’t very good at it.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Shelly said. “Or that poor, defenseless lizard would have been toast when someone turned up the heat in its tank. How could anyone do that?”
That’s when Newton thought he saw a flash of Mimi’s hair behind a row of snack food. “Did you see that?” he asked Theremin and Shelly. “I think Mimi heard us.”
“So?” Theremin said.
As awful as Mimi could be, Newton didn’t want to hurt her feelings if she had overheard them. He knew that she wanted desperately to be brilliant at everything, even sabotage. Suddenly, he felt bad for her. Even so, he was happy to find out soon after that the sabotaging seemed to stop.
Soon, the day of the Mad Science Fair dawned and Newton awoke to the sound of pounding on his door.
Newton jumped out of bed and opened the door. Shelly raced in with Theremin floating behind her. She handed Newton a smoothie.
“I know it’s early, but I’m so excited!” she said. “A lot of kids are already in the Hall of Mad Science, setting up their projects and displays.”
She motioned toward the bottom bunk. “Looks like Higgy’s one of them.”
Newton followed her gaze. “You’re right! I must have been sleeping when he left. We should get going!”
Newton grabbed a cardboard box from his desk and they
went outside, where a large wooden crate held their display. Theremin easily hoisted it above his head, and Newton’s eyes widened.
“Superstrength,” Theremin said. “One of the benefits of being a robot.”
“So, the judging starts at ten,” Shelly told Newton as they walked. “The teachers will judge the projects and vote for the best one. There’s a prize for first, second, and third. But only the first-place winner gets the portal pass!”
Newton nodded. He wanted to win so badly that he could taste it.
When they arrived at the Hall of Mad Science, it was noisy with the sounds of students setting up their projects. Newton stopped when they stepped inside, taking it all in.
A large banner overhead read, WELCOME TO THE MAD SCIENCE FAIR!
Newton recognized some of the students.
Tootie Van der Flootin was walking around with a one-eyed, one-horned purple monster on a chain leash. It looked quite sweet at first glance, but when anyone but Tootie tried to pet it, the monster roared, displaying rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Gustav Goddard’s display had a curved sign that read: WHAT’S MORE FUN THAN BALLOON ANIMALS? SENTIENT BALLOON ANIMALS! Above him, a dog made of blue balloons was chasing a cat made of yellow balloons.
Tori Twitcher proudly stood in front of a glass aquarium with a robotic shark she had created swimming around inside it and snapping its jaws.
Newton couldn’t believe all the great inventions and experiments. Everywhere he turned, he saw something new and inventive.
Edible tattoos.
Gravity in a can.
Elevator fart eraser spray.
Newton started to feel nervous. “These are some great projects.”
“Ours is great too,” Shelly assured him. “Look, here’s our spot. D-17.”
Theremin dropped the crate with a clatter and they quickly began to assemble their display. Newton’s confidence started to climb. Their invention was really a winner.
Mimi walked up just as they were putting on the finishing touches. She stopped and folded her arms across her chest.
“This is your winning invention?” she snorted. “A bookshelf?”
The center of the display featured a very tall metal bookshelf, as tall as the shelves in the library.
“No, Mimi, but nice try,” Shelly said. “Newton, why don’t you demonstrate?”
“Sure,” Newton said. He slipped on their real invention—a pair of opalescent gloves and matching socks—and approached one of the slippery, flat sides of the bookcase. Then he casually climbed to the top shelf, using the gloves and socks to stick to the side. He took a book from the top shelf and climbed back down.
“We call them Sticky Savers,” Shelly said proudly. “No ladders needed! No complicated gear! You can carry the gloves and socks in your backpack, so you can climb whenever you need to!”
Newton was grinning with pride from ear to ear. After all, the invention had been inspired by his own biology. He suddenly got worried that Mimi would remember when he hung on to the glass wall of the Airy Café during the power surge. Would she put two and two together and realize their invention was based on his strange ability?
Mimi’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm,” she said. “That’s a pretty sophisticated invention created by somebody with amnesia.”
Newton took a deep breath. She didn’t seem to be onto him or realize he had special talents.
At that, Odifin rolled up, with Rotwang close behind. “If you even believe that he has amnesia. I don’t believe it for a second,” he said. “There’s something not right about you, Newton Warp.”
“Speaking of ‘not right,’ ” Theremin noted, “you do realize you’re a brain floating in a jar, don’t you, Odifin?”
Mimi sniffed. “Well I have more brains than all of you combined, and you’re not going to win this. My invention is the best this school has ever seen!”
She stuck her nose in the air, turned, and walked away, as Odifin and Rotwang followed after her.
“What is her invention, anyway?” Shelly asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Theremin said. “Come on! Follow me.”
Shelly stayed behind to watch over their project while Theremin and Newton followed Mimi as she strolled down the crowded rows of displays. Then they froze when they heard farting sounds.
Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!
Higgy walked up behind them wearing shoes with thick, springy heels.
“Hey, guys!” he said. “Like my invention?”
“Fart Shoes?” Newton guessed.
“The first and only!” Higgy said, taking another step. Pffft! “They’re a hit. Everyone’s trying out my prototype pairs.”
Higgy was right. Farting sounds were sprouting up around them in all directions.
“Nice, Higgy!” Newton said. “Good luck!”
They spotted Mimi up ahead and followed her to the largest display in the room. It was a huge volcano that nearly touched the ceiling. A large bubble covered the top of the volcano.
Mimi noticed the two boys and grinned. “Jealous of my crowning achievement?”
“Looks more like a third-grade science project,” Theremin said. “What’s so great about an artificial volcano?”
“This is just the prototype.” Mimi smiled as she rubbed her hands together. “The real ones will be life-size—and portable—working volcanoes! Just think about it: They’re perfect for world domination! Some town doesn’t want to give in to your demands? Just plop down one of these babies. Nothing inspires mad-scientist devotion like a volcano that can erupt at the touch of a button. My parents’ company will probably even manufacture it. It’s going to be huge.”
“What’s that bubble on top for?” Newton asked.
“For demonstration purposes only, Newton,” Mimi replied. “So the volcano can erupt without melting down the place.”
She pressed a button, and the volcano erupted. The bubble contained the lava, diverting it into a tank.
“Heatproof bubble, heatproof tank,” Mimi said.
Newton had to admit that he was impressed. “Wow, Mimi,” he said. “That’s pretty awesome.”
“Of course it is,” Mimi responded.
Newton and Theremin walked back to their display.
“I don’t know, Theremin,” Newton said, worried. “There are a lot of amazing projects here, and Mimi’s is, like, super amazing. I know she thought she was building a portable volcano, but that bubble tank idea could really save lives by protecting people from eruptions, whether she intended it to do that or not. I don’t think we can win.”
“Never say never!” Theremin said, and then he stopped in front of another display area where people were wearing goggles. “Ooh, cool,” Theremin said, looking up at the sign. “It’s Predictive Virtual Reality.”
He pointed to a girl staring wide-eyed in front of them.
“What’s that?” Newton asked.
Then the girl who made the goggles stepped up. “Well, regular virtual reality is technology that makes you feel like you’re experiencing something, only you’re really just seeing a video in real time,” she said. “This is, like, one step better. It predicts the future of some of the science fair projects here. I recorded them and then applied a program that can illustrate what will most likely happen next.” She removed the goggles. “Here, try them. Take a look at a display and then press the fast forward button to see how it’ll turn out. Or press rewind to see what happened before.”
“Got it!” Newton said.
He put the goggles on and looked at the next experiment—about using cafeteria food to make an all-in-one meal called hamburger cheesecake. He fast-forwarded, and could see the future of the experiment. The leftover hamburger cheesecake quickly grew mold, got thrown in a compost bin, was dumped into a garden, and a bunch of sunflowers grew from it.
“Cool!” Newton said. “Let me try another one.”
The next display was an experiment to determine the ideal artificial environment to h
elp lizards survive on Mars. This time, Newton stared through the goggles at a lizard perched on the glass wall of its tank, then pressed rewind.
As he watched, the lizard got smaller and smaller. Suddenly, the tank got brighter.
Soon he saw why: At what appeared to be nighttime because the image was dark, Newton could see a hand in the background turning up the dial on the heat lamp. It was wearing Mimi’s green nail polish!
Shelly and Theremin had been right about Mimi sabotaging the experiments!
He almost took off the goggles then to tell Theremin, but he decided against it. He didn’t want to get Mimi in trouble.
As he was thinking, the experiment kept rewinding, and the lizard got even smaller. It transformed into a tadpole, and then the tadpole became an egg.
Newton looked at it in wonder.
An egg . . .
Something flashed in Newton’s brain, and it wasn’t the Predictive Virtual Reality image.
It was what seemed to be a memory flooding back to him. He was inside a bubble . . . a pod, filled with water. He couldn’t see through the pod; it was foggy. But then a bright light came on, and he could see shadows around the pod . . . people . . .
Sparks fell from the ceiling. The pod cracked open a bit . . . and . . .
The memory stopped. “Nooo!” Newton yelled. He stumbled around, trying to take off the goggles, but he couldn’t. He felt a robot hand tear the goggles off his face.
“Are you okay?” Theremin asked.
Newton nodded, but he was panting and sweating. Kids were staring at him. He took a deep breath and tried to make it seem like nothing was wrong.
“I mean, nooo way! That was so cool!” he said weakly, still shaken.
That’s when Higgy showed up and stepped in.
Pffft! Pffft! Pffft! “Hey everybody, check it out! Farty dancing!” Higgy yelled, and busted into dance moves. Everybody forgot about Newton’s outburst and started laughing at Higgy.
Thanks, Newton mouthed to Higgy.
Newton and Theremin made their way back to their Sticky Savers display, and Newton tried to pull Shelly aside.
