by Kim Long
Team RAM reached the directory as the alliance backed away. Ron nudged Lexi and Mal forward to take their places. As Lexi sidestepped Tomoka, she brushed against Haley.
“Oops. Sorry,” Lexi said.
Haley didn’t respond. In fact, although Lexi could have sworn they made eye contact, Haley acted as if she didn’t even recognize her. Seconds later, the Comets scattered across campus.
Lexi watched for only a second before advancing to the directory. Time to focus.
“Well,” Ron said. “Is it me or is there no physics building on this map?”
Lexi shook her head. “I don’t see one, either.” She looked again. “In fact, I don’t even see a reference to Imes.”
Mal whipped out her tablet. “I’m going to research the university. Maybe the school’s site has something.”
Lexi glanced past the directory, where other teams raced in and out of buildings. Even the Doppler Daredevils and Awesome Einsteins, the two teams that had teleported after Team RAM, had begun their search. Team RAM had to be missing something obvious. She pressed her nose against the glass and studied the map.
“Hey, did you guys see the numbers in the center of each of these buildings?”
Ron joined her. “No, but I see them now. What do you think they mean?”
Lexi retrieved her notebook. “I’ll write them down.”
“You two ready for a summary of Dr. Imes?” Mal asked as Lexi wrote.
“Yeah,” Lexi replied, finishing the list. She showed it to Ron.
Park-Johnson Hall: A-18-83
Biology Labs: B-19-41
Harris Music Building: C-19-03
Talley-Brady Hall: D-00-04
Dubois Hall: E-16-53
Adam K. Spence Hall: F-19-18
Crosthwaite Hall: G-19-30
New Livingston Hall: H-24-27
“Okay,” Mal started. “Dr. Elmer Samuel Imes was the second African American to earn a PhD in physics. He developed the physics department at Fisk University. He had four patents, all having to do with instruments that measured magnetic and electronic properties.” Mal paused. “Whatever that means.”
Lexi laughed. “Go on.”
“He published a bunch of articles in physics journals. Do you want to know the titles?”
“Not right now.”
Mal continued, “Okay, it looks like he was one of the first scientists to show that quantum theory could be applied to all… regions of the electromagnetic spectrum? Something about infrared spec… spectr—”
“Spectroscopy,” Lexi finished. “Interesting.”
Ron arched an eyebrow. “Verrrrrry interesting.”
Lexi tapped his elbow “Fine. Not interesting to you, but I think—”
“Enough,” Mal scolded. She looked at Lexi. “So is any of that useful, ’cuz to me, um, nada.”
“No,” Lexi said. “At least I don’t think so.” She tilted her notebook so Mal could read the list of buildings. “Do any of these mean anything to you?”
Mal read the list. “Yeah, maybe.” Her fingers danced across the screen. “Oh my gosh. These numbers. Look.” Mal referred to a paragraph of background information on Imes. “Imes was born in 1883 and died in 1941. The first two buildings have 1883 and 1941 in their… whatevers.”
Lexi gasped. “You’re right.”
“It also says that Imes received his physics degree in 1903 and got his masters in 1918. He started teaching in 1930…”
“Those numbers are all on here,” Lexi said.
“Cross out those buildings,” Ron offered. “Maybe it’s the building that’s left.”
“There are three left,” Lexi said. “Maybe we can go to these buildings first?”
Ron stepped away, mumbling to himself, “Use the directory to find him. Use the directory to find him.”
“E-S-I!” Lexi cried. She slapped a hand to her mouth as the Fig Newtons and Daredevils returned to the directory. She lowered her voice. “We’re looking at it wrong. The clue says they know him as ‘E-S-I.’ I bet that’s who we’re supposed to find—not Elmer Imes.” She pointed to the three remaining buildings:
Talley-Brady Hall: D-00-04
Dubois Hall—E-16-53
New Livingston Hall: H-24-27
“Well, if it’s E-S-I, maybe it’s Dubois Hall since it starts with an E,” Mal said.
Ron agreed. “Makes sense, but how is a 16 an S and a 53 an I?”
Lexi couldn’t contain her excitement. “Sixteen is the atomic number of sulfur, which is the symbol S on the periodic table, and 53 is the atomic number for iodine, which has I for its symbol. So if we’re looking for E-S-I, it—”
“Would be E-16-53,” Ron finished. “It is Dubois Hall!”
Mal advanced to the directory. “You have to be kidding me,” she grumbled. “Dubois Hall is right on the other side of the gymnasium. We could have been there already.”
“Shoot!” Lexi motioned her teammates to follow her. “C’mon!”
Minutes later, Team RAM entered Dubois Hall. A bulletin board near the doors contained class schedules, and a quick skim revealed the physics laboratory was on the second floor. Team RAM pounded its way up the stairs and around a corner. They skidded to a stop as they entered the lab. Six teams, including the Comets, were already there.
“Check out the posters,” Mal said, pointing to the far wall where most of the other teams congregated.
Team RAM maneuvered around the lab tables and toward the wall, where several photos of Dr. Imes hung over a table containing miniature rockets, journal articles, and computer equipment. A tablet encased in a clear plastic case stood atop a table in the corner. The Mighty Sanbornes, Solar Flares, and Edison’s Excellencies surrounded it, notebooks in hand, while the Comets, Phenoms, and Techies waited behind them. Lexi peeked between two heads to catch a glimpse.
“It’s another video clue,” Lexi said out of the corner of her mouth. “We’ll have to wait our turn.”
“I don’t hear any—”
The teams removed their earbuds.
“Ohhhhhhh,” Ron said. “Never mind.”
Lexi fidgeted. Six teams would see the clue before Team RAM, and since they had to wait for the video station, there was nothing she could do about—
“Lexi?” Haley’s voice called. Haley left her teammates and stepped toward Lexi. She looked her up and down before finally pointing at Lexi’s red headband. Giggling, she shook her head. “What in the world?”
Lexi fumbled for a response as Emma tapped Haley’s shoulder. “Let’s go, Haley. We’re up.”
Ignoring Emma, Haley gave Lexi another once-over. “Seriously,” Haley said. “What are you doing? You look ridiculous!”
Lexi told herself to stay calm. “I think it’s awesome. Different. Anyone can wear matching T-shirts.”
Haley guffawed.
“Haley, come on. It’s our turn,” Emma repeated.
Lexi watched as the Comets, Phenoms, and Techies moved into position at the video station. One spot remained—the spot that belonged to Haley. Lexi opened her mouth to tell Haley, but closed it just as quickly. Mal had slinked from Lexi’s side and was now creeping toward the last spot. If Haley didn’t turn around soon, she was going to miss the video and Mal would see it instead!
Lexi returned her attention toward Haley, who flicked the end of the red band around Lexi’s wrist.
Lexi pulled her hand away. “I don’t get it, Hale,” she said. “Why’d you do it?”
Haley shrunk back. “Do what?”
“The maze,” Lexi said. “You told us the wrong word.”
Haley narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about? I tried to help you guys. It was hot and I was tired. Maybe I made a mistake. Don’t take it personally, Lexi. We all want to win.”
We all want to win. The words pierced through Lexi, hitting her at her core. Haley had chosen winning over their friendship. No doubt about it.
Lexi peered past Haley at the clue station. “You’re right. We all d
o want to win. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a clue to solve.”
Haley smirked. “Not yet you don’t. We got here first. You have to—” She whirled to the video station, where the Phenoms, Techies, Haley’s teammates, and Mal were listening to the clue. Haley spun to Lexi. “You cut in line!”
“No, we didn’t. Emma called you, but you ignored her. Mal took your spot. Nothing illegal about that.”
Doppler Chris laughed from the back of the room. “She’s right, Haley. I saw the whole thing. Other teams shouldn’t have to wait while you chitchat.”
Haley walked away in a huff, and Lexi stepped back toward Ron.
He offered her a quiet fist pound. “Go, Mal. That. Was. Tremendous.” He bumped his shoulder into hers. “She squeezed right in.”
Lexi smiled. “I know. I looked up and all of a sudden she was there!” Lexi recalled the look on Haley’s face when Haley learned she had missed her turn. If Team RAM could solve the clue based on Mal’s report, they’d be right with the top teams. Making it to the top five for the final puzzle was totally within their grasp.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
As the video clue ended, Mal removed her earbuds and joined her teammates. “Quick,” she said. “Over here. I want to tell you everything real fast before I forget.”
Lexi retrieved her notebook as Team RAM grouped around a table.
“Okay,” Mal said. “This one showed all three teleport scientists and, first of all, I have to say that they were all wearing these bright red Wisconsin T-shirts that had a weird animal on them. I’m not sure what they were thinking with those or whose idea it was, but it wasn’t a good look. But anyway, first they congratulated us. Then one of them said it was time to ‘implement your invention.’ The American scientist then said our destination is where teleportation had its start. All three then did this jokey thing where they were winking at the camera and smiling. A lot. It ended with one of them telling us not to badger them for more clues.” Mal took a deep breath. “And that was it.”
“That was it?” Ron asked incredulously. “You were up there for, like, three minutes.”
Mal scowled. “I’m giving you the important stuff. There was a lot of mumbo jumbo about dreams becoming reality and inventing and—”
Laughing, Lexi stuffed her notebook into her backpack and sprung from the desk. “It’s enough, you guys. I know where we’re going. Come on. You know the drill. Let’s get back to the telepods. I’ll explain while we’re in line.”
“I’ll save us spots,” Ron said, and the Filipino Flyer tore out of the building. By the time Mal and Lexi caught up to him, he had secured a place in front of the Phenoms and Techies.
Joining the line, Lexi pulled out her Teleport Tableau.
“So, where are we going?” Mal asked.
“The National Teleport Museum,” Lexi answered. “Madison, Wisconsin.” She filled out a Travel Request Form. Three of the last five tournaments had included a stop at the museum, and she had made sure to include Madison’s station code on the tableau.
“How do you know?” Ron asked.
“The museum was built on the site of Dr. Vogt, Dr. Bressler, and Dr. Kent’s original lab, which is where they made the first telepod. It has to be what they meant by where teleportation got its start. It’s the museum’s most popular exhibit. I’ve been there almost every summer for science camp, too.”
“Hm,” Ron said. “But I remember something about a baboon teleporting from San Diego to L.A.”
Lexi nodded. “You’re right. They teleported with baboons first, but I think the clue’s asking about the lab and the site of the first human teleportation because A, the tournament’s nearly over and we have to get back to Wisconsin, and…” She put an arm around Mal. “B, our wonderful fashionista had the brains to tell us they were wearing Wisconsin sweatshirts with a ‘weird animal.’”
Ron gave her a puzzled look. “Otherwise known as a badger? The University of Wisconsin’s mascot? That cinches it.”
Mal snapped her fingers. “Hey! I bet that’s why he said that thing about badgering him for clues, too. It was really awkward, but also so weird I figured it had to mean something.”
Ron laughed and shook his head. “I can’t believe it. Badger. Who knew knowing teams’ mascots would be helpful in a teleportation tournament?”
Team RAM reached the telepod engineer and handed in their Travel Request Form. After receiving a sticker of a rocket for their Trek Tracker (seven!), they took their positions on the telepod. Three flashes later, they stood at a tournament booth at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
In a matter of minutes, the line contained the Sanbornes, Excellencies, Flares, Team RAM, Phenoms, Techies, Comets, Fig Newtons, and Daredevils. Lexi’s heart pounded. With the teams so close, any mistake could oust them from the top five.
She peered down the road toward the administration building. Trams left the building every ten minutes to transport passengers to the museum, which stood on a small island in the middle of Lake Mendota. Lexi scratched her head, thinking back to when she had attended science camp at the museum last summer. At this time of day—after the opening rush, there would only be a couple cars on the tram. Maybe four to five teams would fit, but if museum visitors were in line, it’d be even less. The teams that didn’t make the first tram would fall at least ten minutes behind as they waited for the next.
Lexi had no doubt Team RAM would be one of them. While Ron and Mal would undoubtedly keep pace with the fastest teams, there was no way she would. She had barely made it up the trail to Castle Neuschwanstein.
With a sigh, she pointed to the museum. “It’s going to be a race to that building to catch the first tram.”
“Oh, really?” Ron stretched his arms over his head and bent sideways. “I need to loosen up.”
“For sure,” Mal said as she started lunging.
Lexi watched her teammates in silence. A little stretching wasn’t going to make her faster. An idea struck, and she tapped Ron’s elbow. “Hey, do you have your eye black?”
Ron arched an eyebrow and handed it over.
Straightening, Lexi marked her cheeks with resolve. She was about to run the fastest she’d ever run in her life. “It’s Game Time,” she said with a stiff nod as she returned the stick to Ron.
Smiling, Ron applied it to his face, too. Before he could put the stick away, Mal grabbed it out of his hand and stroked it on her cheeks. Lexi laughed, imagining how the three of them must look with their red head and arm bands and marked cheeks. Definitely like teammates.
As Ron dropped the stick into his pack, the tournament monitors arrived. Teams jostled for position at the counter, elbows poking and jabbing. Everyone realized a few seconds could make all the difference in the world.
“Okay,” a monitor said, peering at the nine teams huddled at the counter. “We’ve counted heads, and you’re all checked in. You’re free to go.”
A flurry of colored shirts darted down the block. Lexi ran, too, but as four teams increased their lead, her mind whirled. Unless the eye black was a high energy wave like a gamma ray that could instill her with supernatural powers, she was not going to catch up to the leaders. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the lake, and an idea zapped to mind.
Keeping an eye on her teammates, Lexi kept pace as best she could. As Ron and Mal reached the entrance, she shouted, “Wait! Ron! Mal! Hold up!” Her teammates skidded to a halt. Lexi caught up and diverted her path to a nearby water fountain.
“You okay?” Ron asked.
Lexi heaved a breath. “Yeah.”
The Dopplers passed by, and Ron whirled to dart after them.
“Wait!” Lexi shouted. She let the Dopplers disappear into the building before leaning in and whispering, “I have an idea.” She gestured to the building. “The tram’s that way, but there’s no way it’s going to hold all of us. Some teams are bound to be left behind waiting for the next one.”
“Which is why we should hurry and get our pl
ace in line,” Ron said.
“No, look.” Lexi dug deep into a side pocket of her backpack and pulled out her junior scientist badge. “I got this last summer when volunteering at camp. It lets me use the employee ferry, which sails straight across the lake to the museum. When we went on field trips at the academy, he’d let those of us with badges use it. This should be the same thing, right?”
Mal tapped the badge.
“Oh wow,” Ron said. “Really?”
Lexi nodded. “It is a risk, though. We have to follow the dirt path down to the docks, and if he won’t let us board, we’ll have to backtrack up here.”
Ron glanced toward the tram entrance.
Mal shook her head. “Do you think he’d let all of us on?”
Lexi pursed her lips, then nodded. “I think he will. My parents have gone with me.”
“I vote yes,” Ron said. “It’s a trick play—like when the running back passes to the quarterback for a touchdown. Sure, there could be a fumble or other disaster, but if it works, it’s huge. High risk equals high reward.”
He threw his hand into the middle, and Lexi and Mal added theirs. After a quick Team RAM cheer, they trekked down the hill.
Stepping off the trail and onto the dock, Lexi craned her neck to see inside the boathouse. She’d met several ferry captains, but Captain Peter had been the nicest. Their chances were best with him. She opened the door.
The Mighty Sanbornes and Physics Phenoms spun to face her.
Lexi froze, then sighed. She should have expected other science camp volunteers would have remembered the ferry. Still, she’d rather be with two teams on the ferry than stuck waiting for a tram.
Daniel Sanborne flashed his volunteer badge. “Great minds think alike, huh, Lexi?” he joked.
Lexi laughed. “I guess so. Is the captain letting us board?”
“Yep,” Tomoka said. “He told us he’d be right—”
“All aboard!” Captain Peter’s voice echoed through the boathouse.
