Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament

by Kim Long

  “So are the Isaac Fig Newtons, Awesome Einsteins, and the Gravity Gurus,” Mal said. “They’re back in the lounge.”

  Lexi caught her breath. She totally missed the other teams’ entrance. “Really?”

  Ron waved her off. “I don’t see how that matters. There are plenty of other teams unaccounted for. Surely, ten of them made it to the bridge by now to be part of the top fifteen.”

  “Not if you consider how much time was left,” Lexi said. She tapped the Time-Zone Cheat Sheet. “When we left the maze in Versailles, there were still several teams in the plaza who hadn’t finished. They still had to figure out where the next destination was, walk back to the Versailles train station, take the train back to Paris, teleport to England, find Turing, listen to the clue, and solve the longitude and latitude problem.” She pointed to the column with England’s time zone. “With all of that, it’s entirely possible teams wouldn’t finish by ten p.m.”

  Mal gasped. “Meaning they’d be stuck in England while we’re stuck here.”

  Ron arched an eyebrow. “Hang on. Let me see that sheet.” He shook his head as he read. “But they’d still have a head start on us. If they get trapped in England, they’ll leave at seven a.m. England time—”

  “—and arrive in South Carolina at two a.m., seven hours after we get there at seven p.m.” Lexi finished.

  “Wait—what?”

  Lexi sprung from her seat and stood next to Ron. “See?” She pointed to the row of times indicating it was 7:00 a.m. “When we leave at seven a.m., it will be midnight in England. We’ll be teleporting while they’re still trapped. We’ll beat them to South Carolina.”

  Ron tapped his fingers against his chin. “What time did we leave England again?”

  “A little before seven p.m.”

  “Huh. So the other teams only had three more hours to figure it out before they were trapped, too.”

  Lexi plopped into her chair. “Right.” She adjusted her glasses. “I know three hours is a long time, but the maze was hard, and teams were tired. I think it might be possible.” After not seeing any reaction from her teammates, Lexi added, “Or, we can ask Mr. Yang if we can hang out here tomorrow morning before teleporting back.”

  “What?” Mal asked.

  Lexi explained, “So you can take some photos for your exhibit. I can’t imagine anyone will have photos of Europe and Tibet.” She nodded at Ron. “And I know your swag isn’t here, but after we do get to South Carolina, I bet we can track it down. You can sell some of your stuff before we teleport back to Wisconsin.”

  Ron and Mal looked at Lexi as though she had suggested they swim across the Atlantic Ocean to get home.

  Lexi averted her eyes from her teammates and kicked the floor with the toe of her gym shoe. “Like you said, if you don’t sell enough, you’ll have wasted the whole weekend.” She nodded to Mal. “You too, Mal. More photos will help.”

  Ron rubbed his chin. “I shouldn’t have said that. That’s not what I meant—not exactly, anyway.” He let loose a breath. “Truth is, I’m glad I came. It’s different from what I expected, but I like to compete… and I’m not a quitter.”

  Lexi offered a small smile. “There’s no guarantee we’ll get to keep racing. And with all the time-zone changes, our bodies are really going to be messed up. We might fall asleep before we get to the finish line.”

  “Nah,” Ron replied. “We’ll have all of Sunday night in South Carolina to sleep. That shouldn’t be a problem.” He glanced at Mal. “What do you think?”

  Mal leaned over and met Lexi’s eyes. “You’d really quit now if we wanted to?”

  Lexi nodded. “You were right, you know, before. We should be making decisions as a team. I’m sorry.”

  Ron crossed his arms. “It wasn’t just you.”

  “Huh?”

  He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t wear blue and gold. You told us we should all wear Brewers colors so we looked like a team, and I completely blew you off.”

  “Oh,” Lexi replied. “That’s no big deal.”

  “No,” Mal said. “He’s right. We were each interested in doing our own thing—swag, photos, and science. We didn’t even look like a team.”

  A few moments of awkward silence followed. Finally, Lexi bit the bullet and asked, “So, do we want to keep racing?”

  Ron looked at Mal and then Lexi. “Down two touchdowns with less than two minutes on the clock?” he joked. “That’s my specialty.” He threw out his hand, palm down. “I’m in.”

  Mal slammed her hand on top of Ron’s. “Me too.”

  They looked at Lexi.

  Smiling, she leaped forward. “Bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded, full count?” She added her hand atop Mal’s. “Heck yeah.”

  Ron set his other hand on top of Lexi’s. “Ready? On the count of three, it’s Team RAM.” He pushed their hands down. “One, two…”

  “TEAM RAM!” Ron, Mal, and Lexi shouted.

  “What? Who is that?” Mr. Yang called from the other room. “Is something wrong?”

  Oops, Lexi thought. But as Team RAM burst into laughter and quickly scattered to their cots, she couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t over yet.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  After waking from a short nap, Lexi grabbed something to eat and was readying her pack for their 7:00 a.m. departure time when Mal bounded over. She dangled two long, bright red plastic strips in front of Lexi’s face. “Here you go. I just gave Ron his.”

  Lexi accepted the strips and side-eyed Ron as he stepped to her side. He stretched the strips in front of his chest with what she was sure was the same what-the-heck-are-we-supposed-to-do-with-these look on his face that she had on hers.

  With a huge grin, Mal nodded in her teammates’ direction. “I couldn’t sleep, and I kept thinking about what we were talking about earlier—how we don’t look like a team.” Mal motioned to the kitchen. “Mr. Yang was already up, and he said I could use one of the tablecloths.” She plucked a red strip off her cot and wrapped it around her wrist. “We can wear one on our arm and use the other as a headband.”

  Mal secured her new wristband and then tied the other strip around her forehead, making a knot in the back. When she finished, she adjusted the front so it didn’t cover her eyebrows. She tapped the knot and faced her teammates.

  Lexi eyed Mal. If fashionista Mal could wear them, she supposed she could, too. She secured her strips like Mal had, all the while noticing Ron wasn’t moving a muscle.

  “Ron?” Lexi called. “Hurry up. It’s six forty-five a.m. We have to get in line.”

  He flipped the red band and scowled. “Seriously? We’re wearing these?”

  Mal set her hands on her hips. “It’s called improvising. What, it doesn’t match the baggy shorts and too-big T-shirt look you have going on?”

  Ron rolled his eyes. “All right, fine.” He tied the headband. “Maybe we’ll be able to distract the other teams with the bright red.”

  Lexi giggled. “Yeah, we’ll definitely be able to find one another in a crowd.”

  Mal clapped excitedly as Ron finished securing his bands. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

  Team RAM took their place at the head of the line. As the clock neared 7:00 a.m., Mr. Yang invited Lexi to the telepod. She inserted her Tel-Med, set her backpack on its spot, and waited for the thumbs-up.

  Ding! The clock chimed.

  Moments later, Lexi opened her eyes. She stood in the middle of… a tent? Wrinkling her nose, she stepped off the telepod, waving her arm to clear the dusty air and get a better look. Wood beams holding white canvas sheets surrounded her. Definitely a tent. Ron and Mal joined her.

  “Where the heck is this?” Ron wondered aloud. “Are we joining a circus?”

  “Over here!” a woman called, rushing through a flap of canvas. “Check-in’s through here!”

  Team RAM darted to the official, who stood in an adjacent tent, just as sparse, and with the same white canvas serving as the walls and ceiling.r />
  “It’s seven p.m.,” the official said as she checked them in. “Please note the time.”

  Lexi didn’t flinch. She had changed her watch before teleporting.

  “As you can see, this is a temporary teleport station. To reach the Grace Hopper Memorial Bridge, walk straight out this tent.” The official pointed to an opening in the canvas on the opposite side of the flap they had entered. “Cross the bridge—please stay in the designated walkway marked by police tape—and on the other side you’ll see another tent. That’s where you’ll find your next instructions. Good luck!”

  “Thanks,” Lexi said.

  The Doppler Daredevils joined Team RAM at the counter and tossed their badges to the official.

  “Let’s go,” Ron said. “Everyone’s coming.”

  About halfway across the bridge, Lexi noticed a row of tents on the other side. Lights streamed from opened flaps, but the angle prevented her from seeing how many teams were inside. Her chest tightened. Please not fifteen. Please not fifteen.

  When they reached the end of the bridge, Mal paused. She gripped Lexi’s and Ron’s arms and linked them with hers. “This is it,” she squeaked.

  Lexi squeezed Mal’s hand as Ron slapped the canvas out of their way.

  Tables were scattered throughout the tent, all unoccupied except for one in the far corner around which the Solar Flares huddled. Lexi swallowed hard. She’d hoped to see several teams still working on a puzzle.

  As Team RAM reached the tournament booth, an official slid an envelope across the counter. “Welcome to South Carolina. As you know, only the top fifteen teams will be racing tomorrow. Here is your next clue.”

  The worker turned away. No one from Team RAM moved.

  “Oh, wait!” the worker said, whirling around to face them. “I need your electronic devices.” Team RAM remained still. “You’ll get them back after you solve the puzzles associated with the clue.”

  Lexi inched forward and tried to make sense of what was going on. He was confiscating their electronics, so did that mean—

  The official shoved the bin toward them. “In here, please. All electronics—tablets, phones, etc. Don’t worry, we’ll keep them secure.”

  A fuzzy feeling filled Lexi’s head. This had to mean…

  Mal leaned in. “Are you saying we’re still in it?”

  “Ahhhh!” the official said. “That’s why you’re all looking at me as if I have two heads!” He laughed. “Yes, you’re still in it. You’re the twelfth team to arrive.”

  “What?” Lexi said.

  “For real?” Ron added.

  The official nodded. “We had eleven teams arrive between two p.m. and five p.m. The last of those is completing the clue now. Five other teams are arriving with you from Tibet, and the other thirteen are in England or didn’t make it past the maze.”

  Lexi looked at the envelope, then the official, then the envelope, and then back at the official. “I can’t believe it!” she cried.

  Shrieking with delight, Mal twirled and wrapped her arm around Lexi’s shoulders. “Holy baloney! We did it!”

  Ron punched one fist into the air, then the other. “Yes!”

  The Doppler Daredevils ran into the tent.

  Team RAM immediately halted their celebration and dug out their phones. “Hurry up,” Lexi said. “There are only four slots left, and six teams trying to make it.”

  Ron and Mal tossed their electronics into the bin. As Lexi pulled out her phone, she saw the blank screen. “The battery died. Is there a place to charge it?”

  “Sure thing. I have a power strip back here.”

  “Thanks.”

  Team RAM picked a table, and Ron tore open the envelope and slid out its contents, including a bridge sticker for their Trek Tracker. Lexi scooped up the sticker as her teammates filtered through the other papers.

  “Wow,” Mal said.

  “Uh, yeah,” Ron replied.

  “What?” Lexi asked, putting the bridge sticker over circle No. 6. Three to go. She lifted her eyes to the table, where Ron was stacking worksheets. “Oh my gosh. Please tell me some of those are duplicates.”

  “Doesn’t look like it,” Ron said. “Hang on. I’m organizing them by type.” When he finished, he had three piles. Lexi picked up the stack closest to her.

  TEAM NAME:

  WORD SEARCH # 1

  ELEMENTS

  ALUMINUM

  CARBON

  COPPER

  GOLD

  HELIUM

  HYDROGEN

  KRYPTON

  MERCURY

  NEON

  NICKEL

  OXYGEN

  PLATINUM

  POLONIUM

  RADIUM

  SILVER

  SODIUM

  SULFUR

  TIN

  XENON

  ZINC

  Lexi flipped through the stack. Four different word searches, all with a science theme. Mal leaned over and looked, too.

  “Well,” Mal said. “I can do word searches. I mean, yeah it’ll take some time, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Busy work, really. What else is there?”

  “These,” Ron said.

  Lexi looked at the top page.

  TEAM NAME:

  WORD SCRAMBLES

  PHYSICS

  1. TOERCCALRAE

  2. NCVCIEOTON

  3. MTOA

  4. DCORLILE

  5. UNNRTEO

  6. ROLTCEEN

  7. SEPOOTI

  8. SMSA

  9. TMPSUCRE

  10. AURQK

  11. WHEGLNETVA

  12. JUOEL

  13. EOITYVCL

  14. TZHER

  15. YRGVATI

  16. PWEOR

  17. TOHPON

  18. NYEGER

  19. TCSNDAIE

  20. CNINUTODCO

  “There are four sheets of these, too,” Lexi said. “Physics, general science, chemistry—yeah, I should be able to do these, though it would be quicker if we had Mal’s tablet. There are programs that can unscramble words for you. My mom uses them when she plays hangman against my dad on their phones.”

  Ron chuckled. “Nice.”

  Lexi stared at the remaining stack on the table. “That one’s a lot thinner. What’re those?”

  Ron fingered the pages. “There are only two pages, but these are the hardest. Ciphers.”

  “Ciphers?” Lexi repeated.

  “Yep.” Ron slid the first page to her and Mal.

  TEAM NAME:

  CIPHERS

  GREAT SCIENTIFIC MINDS

  1. WEH’B PT KLCKRW EL XKCW DECZ. HEBXRHY DECBXDXRGT JEATU TKURGS. WEH’B GTB EBXTCU WRUJEOCKYT SEO EC BTGG SEO BXKB SEO JKH’B WE RB.—YTCBCOWT TGREH

  Hint: W=D

  2. QNU QADU KEIM TJ EMQUXXEIUMPU EK MTQ LMTFXUWIU HDQ ESBIEMBQETM.—BXHUAQ UEMKQUEM

  Hint: H=B

  3. VL MOWRI YBQJLGWOA CRQ WGWO SRYW CBINLPI R ULHY MPWQQ.—BQRRJ VWCILV

  Hint: O=R

  4. THPK XLBSKHUOH YC GB XLBS GJH HMGHLG BN BLH’C YOLBTPLEH.—EBLNZEYZC

  Hint: N=F

  5. PBMFDTDH DBKBF BJIMSXVX VIB OTDU.—PBADMFUA UM KTDYT

  Hint: O=M

  Lexi slumped in the seat. “Ugh. I hate ciphers.”

  “I’ve never done one,” Mal said. “But at least they give you a hint. That should help.”

  Ron tapped the stack. “I actually like ciphers. My grandma and I do them together on the weekend. But this is a lot.”

  Mal plopped into her chair. “It’s all a lot.”

  The Isaac Fig Newtons stormed into the tent.

  “That’s three teams so far,” Lexi said. “We should get started.” She nodded to Ron. “You start with ciphers, I’ll start unscrambling, and Mal can do the word searches.” Lexi distributed the stacks, but then paused. “Wait a second. So, let’s say we do all of this. Then what? Is there anything that tells us how to figure out where we’re teleporting next?”

  Ron nodded. “Yeah, I saw something. I set it
aside.” He placed the paper in the middle of the table.

  DESTINATION NO. 7

  Quantum physics is critical to teleportation. Many scientists have contributed to the development of quantum theory. Your next destination will introduce you to a scientist who invented instruments to measure magnetic and electric properties and was one of the first individuals whose work validated quantum theory.

  To determine his identity, complete ALL of the worksheets in this folder. Then, bring them to the tournament official, who will give you the key you will need to complete the second part of the clue.

  “Shoot,” Lexi said. “I was hoping that maybe we’d only have to solve the relevant words, but it looks like we’re going to have to do them all.”

  “Pizza’s here,” an official shouted from the back of the room. “Help yourselves.”

  Ron spun out of his seat, his ciphers sliding across the table in the breeze. Lexi caught them before they hit the floor.

  “No. Wait,” Ron said, returning to his chair. “No pizza until I solve the first cipher.”

  “What?” Mal and Lexi were shocked.

  Ron straightened the page of ciphers in front of him. “It’ll motivate me.”

  Mal and Lexi continued to stare at him, not believing what he’d just said, but when Ron didn’t look up, they shared a smile and got busy with their own worksheets. They were still in it, but with six teams and only four slots, Team RAM had to get to work if they wanted to be racing tomorrow.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Team RAM worked diligently on its puzzles over the next few hours, with Ron holding his trips for pizza to a minimum, even after he completed the first cipher. By ten-thirty p.m., Ron’s hair stuck straight up from all the times he’d pulled at it in frustration, Mal’s exquisite braid had unraveled, and Lexi wore her cap backward, the snap barely above her eyes as she placed her hands over the top of her head and pressed down in an attempt to push the answers out of her brain.

  Around the same time Lexi unscrambled her hundredth word, Mal slid her sheets across the table.

  “Done,” Mal said. “Finally.”

  Lexi glanced around the room. While the Solar Flares had finished shortly after Team RAM had arrived, none of the teams from Tibet had received the second part of the clue.