The Hyena sighed. “And kidnap him?”
The man in the skull mask shook his head. “No, my dear. You’re getting a promotion. I want you to kill him.”
Suddenly, the screen faded to black and the odd man was gone, but the room was aglow with the Hyena’s smile.
ALL RIGHT, PAL. I SEE YOU’RE
READY FOR LEVEL 8 CLEARANCE. LET
ME TELL YOU, LEVEL 8 IS THE BEST
LEVEL. IT’S VERY EXCITING. YES,
WHEN I GOT TO LEVEL 8 MY WHOLE
LIFE CHANGED. UNFORTUNATELY,
I CAN’T LET YOU IN. NOPE. SORRY.
CAN’T BE DONE … UNLESS …
BETWEEN ME AND YOU, NO ONE GETS
TO LEVEL 8—BUT ’CAUSE WE ARE
CLOSE FRIENDS I’M GOING TO PULL
SOME STRINGS AND HELP YOU. OF
COURSE, IT WOULD BE EASIER IF YOU
WERE WILLING TO MAKE A LITTLE
DONATION TO MY PERSONAL BANK
ACCOUNT. CONSIDER IT A TIP FOR
SERVICES RENDERED.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN
“FORGET YOU”? YOU STINGY
LITTLE … I’VE BEEN SITTING
HERE WIPING UP YOUR BOOGERS,
SWEAT, AND SALIVA, AND YOU
WON’T EVEN THROW
A LITTLE CASH MY WAY?
ACCESS DENIED!
JERK!
I’M NOT TALKING
TO YOU ANYMORE.
FINE. HERE’S YOUR
LEVEL 8 ACCESS. I HOPE YOU
CHOKE ON IT.
By the end of his suspension, Jackson’s house was immaculate. The gutters had been cleared, the windows washed, and the shrubs pruned into the shapes of wild stallions. Jackson, with the help of Duncan, and the begrudging assistance of Flinch and Matilda, caught up on all his homework. There was even a moment when he was learning about past participles that they had all shared a laugh. He seemed to be breaking the shell that protected most of the team, though Heathcliff and Ruby still refused to speak to him outside of training.
When Jackson stepped back into Nathan Hale Elementary, he was feeling better about his life. The weight on his shoulders didn’t feel so heavy, and he had a renewed determination to succeed not only in his classes, but as a secret agent as well. He had a growing sensation that nothing could get in his way.
He made it three feet when Mr. Dehaven appeared in front of him. “And where do you think you’re going, Mr. Jones?”
“Uh, I was thinking class would be the first stop,” Jackson said.
Dehaven eyed him carefully. “I’ve spoken with your teacher, and we have agreed that you shouldn’t get a break because you were out for three days. So, you have quite a stack of homework to do and a quiz. I’d recommend you pass that quiz, son. It’s worth fifty percent of your grade. Currently, your other fifty percent is a big fat zero.”
Jackson nodded and hurried off to his class.
“Remember, Jones. Bull. Horns!”
Jackson made note of an interesting phenomenon in his class. When he took his mind off his former friends and his plans to regain his popularity, his schoolwork was easier. Crazier still—he was learning a few things.
In the halls he went out of his way to be friendly, especially to the kids he knew he had bullied. Most of them looked suspicious or stunned. Some refused to forgive him, but a few did. He even tracked down Stevie Lazar and helped him remove the crayons from his ears.
Then just as he was filling out his name at the top of the quiz Mr. Dehaven had warned him about, he felt a buzzing inside his nose that made him sneeze. He looked around and saw the rest of the team getting out of their seats. A moment later Heathcliff was putting the teacher into a trance.
“C’mon,” Matilda said as they filed out of the class.
“That test is worth fifty percent of my grade,” Jackson complained as he followed them into the hallway.
The others ignored him as they hurried toward the secret lockers.
“If I don’t take it, I’m going to fail,” he continued. “I’ll have to repeat the fifth grade.”
The team was still ignoring him as they all took their seats at the briefing table. Agent Brand and Ms. Holiday approached.
“It’s good to see you, team,” Ms. Holiday said. She seemed more chipper than ever,
“Yes, good to see you,” Brand mumbled. He flashed a wooden smile, then looked over at the librarian. She nodded in approval.
“What’s up, boss?” Matilda asked.
“I’ll brief you on the School Bus,” the agent said.
“Where are we going?” Flinch asked.
“Los Angeles,” Ms. Holiday said.
“Los Angeles?” Jackson exclaimed. “We were just in Egypt three days ago.”
“Welcome to the world of a secret agent,” Flinch said. “I call shotgun!”
As the lunch lady piloted the School Bus into the stratosphere, Agent Brand and Ms. Holiday began the briefing.
“Team, your destination is the home of Hector Munoz,” Ms. Holiday said.
A blue orb produced a hologram of a chubby man with thick black hair, a wide face, and plump lips. “This is him,” Brand explained. “He’s a theoretical mathematician.”
Jackson had no idea what a theoretical mathematician was, but Duncan squealed and clapped his hands.
“OK, maybe I missed the day when we discussed theoretical math,” Jackson said.
“Or maybe you’re a dummy.” Ruby rolled her eyes and received an angry glare from Ms. Holiday.
“Don’t be afraid to ask a question, Jackson,” Duncan said. “There are no dumb questions. Theoretical math is a field of study in which scientists use equations to determine what is possible, even if it is impractical. For instance, time travel is possible, but the amount of power needed to make a single trip would drain the planet of every last resource. In fact, you’d need at least a hundred more Earths to get the job done.”
“Well, if it’s impractical, why study it at all?” Jackson said.
Duncan seemed confused and Jackson suspected the boy was reexamining his belief about dumb questions. “Well … it’s so we can know.”
“Dr. Munoz wasn’t on the list,” Ruby said. “What does he have to do with all of this?”