by Jamie Grey
Asher got an excited gleam in his eye. “Lexie’s right. If Amy’s been spying on us for information, let’s give her what she wants.”
“What do you have in mind?” Zella asked.
“We tell her about what we’ve discovered and give her the new calculations. We know she’s going to send them to Danvers, so we alter them enough that they look real and include some extra code that’ll let us access Danvers’ computer. Then we use it to get into Branston’s system and delete all the files.”
Zella nodded. “That might work. But what about Avery’s catastrophe machine? It already exploded once, and they just rebuilt it. How are we going to take that offline?”
Max studied the image of Avery’s machine in his simulation. “I don’t see why we can’t just take out the photon core charger. That should disable the machine. Then all we’d need to do is plant some charges and blow it up. Once Asher’s deleted the plans, they won’t know where to start building again.” He tapped a finger on the table. “The problem is going to be getting past security if the regents don’t believe us. They’ve locked it down so tight no one can get to Division Seven now but the top scientists.”
He nodded. “Whatever we decide, we have to do it off-hours. I need Danvers’ computer.”
“Then we go Friday night if Danvers is planning another test,” I said. “Does that give us enough time to develop the fake simulation and calculations for Amy?”
Asher’s voice went hard. “It’ll be enough time. She should jump at the chance to have us all over to hang out Thursday night since I’ve been ignoring her since Saturday. That’ll give me two days to come up with something. You up for this, Max?”
“For sure. Actually, if you have time right now, I could use your help mocking up some of this.”
“Cool.” Asher scuffed his shoe on the library carpet before looking over at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Lexie. I just couldn’t imagine Amy was using me. Even when all the signs were there.” His lips twisted into that cocky smile. “So much for being resident genius. I’d make some joke about being blinded by science, but yeah, I think I’ll skip it for now.”
“Thank god for small favors,” I said, rolling my eyes. But inside, a warm glow had started, and we grinned at each other stupidly.
Max smirked at us. “We should get going, Asher. Especially if you have to track down the trustees later.”
“Right. Duty calls. Guess I need to win my title back.” He winked at me, and the two boys walked away, leaving me there with Zella. I hoped I wasn’t staring after Asher the way she was at Max.
I played with the hem of my shirt, snuck a glance at her from the corner of my eye. “So…you and Max?”
A blush tinged her cheeks, but she nodded. “I’ve had a crush on him since I was eight.”
“Why haven’t you told him?”
Zella shrugged. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way? I don’t want to ruin our friendship, and it’s not exactly like I can escape him while we’re both here. I don’t want to deal with the awkwardness.”
“But you don’t know that. Max could like you and be just as scared to say something. Sometimes you have to take chances.”
“Like you?” Zella raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t see you letting your guard down around Asher.”
I laughed dismissively before turning away to rummage in my bag, my lungs suddenly tight.
Zella shook her head, frowning. “Aren’t we a pair? We’re both cowards.”
“Maybe we should do something about it?”
“Like what? Profess my undying love?” Zella scoffed and shook her head. “Uh-uh. Not going to happen.”
“What about a movie? Or coffee?”
“Max and I do that every weekend. Honestly, we’re practically dating now. Without the additional benefits.” She sighed. “It doesn’t matter. We have bigger things to worry about. Any ideas on how we can sneak into QT Friday night?”
I shook my head. I’d let it go for now, but there had to be some way to get them to realize what they had before they turned eighty. “How about you?”
“It’s going to have to be a good reason. Security is tight already, and if the four of us show up in the middle of the night, that’s going to set some alarms off.”
Zella and I stared off into the distance, trying to think. I watched Joan re-shelving some of the research books, her movements jerky and strained.
“They should really get someone to reengineer poor Joan. She’d be much more efficient with a few tweaks.” All they needed to do was move those bolts down a few inches and use some different gauges for the joints. I could sketch it out for them in my sleep.
Zella dropped her pen. “Lexie, that’s it.”
I blinked at her. “What is?”
“My parents work in the robotics labs and have been complaining about most of their staff being reassigned to Project Infinity. They’re always looking for help with check-ins and chassis tweaks. They have three to do this week alone. I’ll offer our help after-hours, and that’ll give us a legit reason to be here. Besides, the robotics labs are in Division Five. Just a few floors from where we need to go.”
“That could work.” I jumped to my feet. “Let’s go get us some extra homework!”
Asher called me later that night, but I’d already heard the bad news from my dad.
“The regents wouldn’t even see me,” Asher said. His voice in my ear was unexpectedly intimate, and I couldn’t stop myself from remembering the way those lips had felt against mine the night of the gala.
I shivered as goosebumps erupted on my skin. Focus, Kepler. “I can’t believe they met in my dad’s hospital room.”
“I can’t believe my own father wouldn’t listen to me.” He growled, and I could tell he was pacing. “He wouldn’t even let me in the room. Though I suppose, since Danvers was there, it wouldn’t have done much good. What do we do now?”
I bit back a grin. “Are you asking my opinion for a change? Well, I think we move ahead with our plan. We still have to trick Amy into leaking our data to Danvers so we can destroy Branston.”
“You sound excited about that prospect.” There was a smile in his voice.
“I am. I hate what they’ve done to QT and to you guys.”
“I just hate I was stupid enough to fall for Amy’s act. I should have caught it.”
I fought to keep my voice cool. “Even the smartest guys can get distracted by a pretty girl.”
“Yeah, but it takes more than just pretty to interest me. I like girls who are smart and funny and real. Amy is fake. In every way.” He let out a noisy sigh. “Thing is, even though I didn’t like her, I was still flattered she liked me. I can’t believe I was so stupid. If Branston takes over QT because of me…”
“You couldn’t have known she was part of this. It’s not your fault. And we’re going to stop her. Don’t even talk like that.”
He laughed softly in my ear. “Fine. But you know the only way I’m really going to feel better about all this?”
“Stopping Danvers and Amy and Branston?”
“Finally going on our date. It feels like the universe is conspiring to keep us apart.”
“Oh.” The breath froze in my lungs, and the silence between us crackled for a long, delicious moment. I couldn’t stop my stupid grin. “Well, at least by the time we get around to it, it’s going to be one epic date.”
Zella texted Amy on Thursday and asked if we could have a study session at her house that afternoon. Amy’s text back was mostly exclamation points and smiley faces. We were in.
Asher’s black BMW pulled up at my house a little before two. I locked the door behind me and shivered as a gust of November wind blew through the bare trees. I pulled my heavy coat tighter around me and inhaled the damp, cold air. It would be winter soon. My first winter in Tennessee, and if we didn’t stop Branston, it might be my last.
I slid into the front seat and smiled over my shoulder at Max and Zella in the back. “
Asher’s playing chauffeur, huh?”
“We needed to spread out and review some of Asher’s plans.” Zella smirked, and I knew that wasn’t all she wanted to do back there.
“We ready for this?” Asher asked as he put the car in drive, and we sped toward Amy’s.
I was glad my fingerless gloves hid my clammy palms. “What’s the plan?”
“We’re just going to keep it simple. We’ll tell Amy that you found proof the simulation and equations are wrong. Max and I will use Amy’s laptop to ‘redesign’ our simulation so it works now, based on what you discovered. That’ll load the wrong data on her computer, along with the tracking code, but she’ll think it’s the right stuff.
“Where do I come in?” Zella asked from the back seat.
Asher tapped his finger on the steering wheel. “You’re our ringer, Z. We’re going to argue about whether or not we share this new info with Danvers, and you need to keep us from making an actual decision. Then, when we conveniently leave our USB drive behind in Amy’s computer, it won’t seem so suspicious.”
“What’s that going to do?” I asked.
Asher gave us a Cheshire cat grin. “I’ve installed a code inside the simulation to track who opens it and create an exploit that will allow us to access any computer it’s sent to. As soon as we have confirmation she’s given it to Branston, we’ll use Danvers’ computer to hack into their network and delete all the old files. They’ll be left with the fakes and no record of anything else. They can’t trace it back to us, and they can’t verify if there were other files. It’ll be like Harry Potter waved his magic wand.”
Zella nodded. “My parents are on board with us helping at the lab tomorrow night. They won’t be there, conveniently. Danvers has called a meeting with all of the senior personnel at eight o’clock. We should plan on making our move then.”
“We’ll only have about an hour, so we should split up. Max and Zella can break down the wormhole machine and set the explosion before anyone gets back to the lab. Lexie and I will break into Danvers’ office and hack into Branston.”
Max’s eyebrows pulled together, and he frowned. “It seems a little too convenient.”
Asher shrugged. “Danvers probably wants to make sure they’re still on target so she’s got her death ray by Christmas. She’s losing a whole testing window next week when the conference starts.”
The car slowed as we pulled up in front of Amy’s house. I stared at the light spilling from the huge bay window and pushed away the pang of worry that shot through me. Amy deserved everything about to happen to her. This was going to work.
She had the front door open before we were even out of the car and skipped down the walk to greet us. She pressed a kiss to Asher’s cheek before wrapping an arm around his waist. “I haven’t seen you forever, Ash. I’ve missed you.”
He untangled himself from her and stepped away. “Hey, Amy. Been busy with the project. Sorry.”
She pouted for a moment, then remembered the rest of us standing awkwardly on the sidewalk. “So glad you guys wanted to hang out. I was getting lonely over here. Mom and Dad won’t let me go back until Danvers figures out what happened.”
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep my face expressionless. “Thanks for having us over. We have so much to talk about.”
“Yeah, that’s what Z said. Come on in. My mom made us snacks. And then we can get to work.”
Amy’s house was new and shiny and fake, just like she was. Her mom, a brainy-looking blonde with long hair and glasses, waved at us from her office as we tramped through to the kitchen. A huge tray of veggies and dip sat on the counter, along with another tray full of cookies.
Max groaned and immediately started loading up a plate. Zella raised her eyebrows.
He threw up his hands. “What? Lunch was hours ago. I’m starving.”
“Help yourself, guys. I set up our stuff in the basement, so we can head down there when you’re ready.” Amy leaned closer to Asher, lowering her voice. “But you already know all about the basement, don’t you?”
Asher moved around to the other side of the island like he hadn’t heard. A faint tinge of pink colored his cheeks.
Jealousy twisted my gut, and I clutched the edge of the counter until my fingers turned white.
“Want a plate, Lex?” Max asked, gesturing to the veggies.
I nodded as he loaded up piles of broccoli and mini carrots, and then we followed the rest of the group down the stairs into another immaculate space. This one had a huge L-shaped couch; a TV that filled the entire wall; and, at the back of the room, a full lab set up with sink, burners, computer, and projector. A QT station smack-dab in the Green’s house.
“Pull up a chair.” Amy slid onto a stool and waited for the rest of us to follow. She brushed her hair back off her shoulders and turned to Asher with her fake smile again. “What’s going on?”
Asher had moved his stool close to mine, and he nodded in my direction. “It’s your discovery, Lex. Tell her.”
I grimaced at him. He so owed me for this. “After the explosion last week, I knew I’d been right with my original calculations. Then I did some more poking and discovered they’ve been using the wrong information all along.”
Max nodded. “It doesn’t seem possible, but we rebuilt the simulation and Lexie’s right.”
Amy narrowed her eyes. “I don’t get it. How can the top scientists in the world miss something like that? And how is it someone like Lexie didn’t?”
I clenched my fists at the sneer in her voice. I think I might have punched her if Asher hadn’t put a hand on my arm.
“If by that you mean someone who just started at QT, I think we’re lucky Lexie came along when she did. Obviously, she has a different perspective on things. Maybe that’s exactly what QT needs.”
She shrugged, her lips pulled into a pouty frown. “I don’t care if she’s related to Einstein himself. There’s no way that equation is wrong and she’s the only one who found it.” Amy turned on the computer sitting beside her. “I want to see this.”
Asher pulled the USB drive from his pocket and moved over to the computer. “Just give me a sec to get everything set up.” He bent over the keyboard.
For the first time since we’d entered the house, Amy turned her full attention to us. Along with her fake smile. “What have you guys been up to? I haven’t heard from any of you since before the explosion.”
The words burst out of me, sarcastic and full of anger. “Some of us have been a little busy. You know, since my dad’s in the hospital after almost being killed.”
Amy’s eyes widened. “How is your dad? Is he home?”
“He’s coming home this weekend.”
“Oh, that’s good.” She glanced at Asher. “And where have you been, Ash?”
“Busy. Project lead and all that. You know Danvers won’t let a little thing like an explosion stop this project.” He didn’t even bother to look up from the keyboard.
“That’s why she gets paid the big bucks. I wouldn’t want her job for all the grant money in the world.” Amy slid from her stool and draped her arms around Asher’s shoulders so she could peer at the computer screen. “Aren’t you done yet? I’m so curious.”
He shrugged her off. “I’m working on it. Just give me a few more seconds. You’re going to be amazed at how the machine works using Lexie’s calculations. She’s a genius.” Our eyes met across the lab table. The room fell away until there was just the two of us for a moment.
Then Amy tugged at Asher’s arm. “It’s done. Let me see.”
Max and Zella moved around the table so they were grouped at the computer, too. But I stayed where I was. I was more interested in Amy’s reaction.
Asher clicked play, and the humming of the computer filled the room as everyone watched in silence. I let my gaze drift innocently over the group. Amy’s face was expressionless for most of the playback until we got to the end. A small, secret smile played on her lips. She looked like she
’d just won something.
And that’s when I knew for sure. Anger spiked through me, white-hot and blazing.
She was working for Branston.
Amy shook her head. “Amazing. I can’t believe they didn’t catch this. That’s got to be why the machine exploded when Dr. Kepler activated it. We need to tell Dr. Danvers before anyone else gets hurt.”
I clutched my hands together in my lap to stop them from trembling. Every word she uttered put another nail in her coffin. She wanted to run straight to Danvers with this new information. What more proof did we need?
Zella shook her head. “She’s not going to believe us, even with this simulation. I’m sure one of the other scientists will figure it out soon.”
“But they haven’t so far. What if someone dies? It would be our fault. She needs to know. Right, Ash?” Amy’s eyes were pleading.
“I’m not sure what to do. Maybe they have a plan. Maybe they know something we don’t. Maybe there’s a missing piece.” Asher got to his feet and paced the room. “I’m the student liaison. It’s my responsibility to make sure the other students working on this are safe. I just don’t know.”
Zella shrugged. “I don’t think another few days will hurt. They won’t be testing until after the conference next week. We need to be careful here. This could destroy our careers if we’re wrong.”
Amy pouted for a minute and then shrugged. “I guess we can talk about it later. Maybe we’ll come up with a better idea. Though I still think we’ve gotten too deep into this. We need to involve Danvers now. She’s the only one who’ll know what to do.” She moved over to a bookshelf filled with DVDs. “You guys want to watch a movie? I’ve missed us just hanging out.”
Blood roared in my ears. How could she look so innocent and friendly when she was the one responsible for my dad being in the hospital, for Branston trying to destroy QT? And she was using her false concern to betray us all.
I jumped off my stool. “Actually, I need to get going.” My whole body trembled, and I was going to explode if I had to be in the same room with her for one more minute.
