Vikram's Revenge

Chapter 1

Amy gripped the phone with strength that one would use to grip a leash of a stampeding buffalo. “Yes...yes, I can hold on.” She glance at her watch: 3:00 A.M. Amy waited for what seemed like hours. She looked at watch again. 3:01. Had she really just looked at her watch under a minute ago? She was wondering whether she should call someone else when the woman who told her to hold, got back to her.

    “What seems to be the problem? It’s three in the morning.” The woman asked, obviously annoyed.

"I would like to report a missi-” Amy was suddenly cut off by an abrupt knocking at the door. “Please hold on.” Amy put the phone down and ran to the door. She flung it open, and there he was. The cause for all the misery and pain in her life: Her little brother, Dan.

“Wh-What are y-you doing?” Amy asked Dan. Her stammer kicked in, and she instantly hated herself. She was talking to her own brother! What was there to be nervous about? Dan was covered in grime and dirt from head to toe, everything except for his face, which had only small splotches of dirt. “What happened to you?”

    “I had some Cobra trouble.”

    “What! Where? I thought they moved to San Francisco!”

    “They are. I had trouble with the King Cobra.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“V-Vikram?” Amy hated how she stuttered when she mentioned his name. He was an unknown to them, and was shrouded with mystery. Amy and Dan had only heard a rumor from Ian Kabra that he was an explosives expert. “He was also an expert in <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">cartography <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">” Ian Kabra, his ingrate of a cousin, used to tell her, just his way of saying, “He was a better map-maker than that old, senile fool that you call grandmother will ever be.” Amy was wondering why she had never seen or heard of Vikram during the clue hunt (except for in Korea, and a story that Ian told him about grace). Only his maniacal, murderous wife.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Well, not exactly. His henchman. At least, I assumed that they were.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“What were they like? I could ask Erasmus to search up people like that. While he’s at it, maybe he could search up Vikram, too.” Erasmus was their newly found ally. Besides being having a Vesper database in his head, Erasmus could also ski and bike like a pro, and could also speak at least three different languages. The Vespers were a family that had long since tried to steal the Master Serum. And Amy’s Ring. The ring had been passed down from generations of Madrigals. Starting with Olivia Cahill, to Madeleine Cahill, and eventually, from Grace Cahill to her.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“They wore masks that covered their entire face. I had no idea how they could see through the mask, because the mask was one of those hard plastic masks, like Mardi Gras. I collected one of them, after it fell off!. They decided to give up after I gave them the slip! Hah! Eat that, Lucian Mastermind!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“You? Alone? Gave them the slip? Even before you have had any substantial training?” Fiske said, walking in the room. “What happened to you?” Fiske asked, with a hint of worry in his tone. Fiske was their “adopted father”, who parented them, but might as well have been parented by a rock. Fiske had disappeared, by regards of Grace, their grandmother, and had become only slightly anti-social.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Oh my gawd! What happened to you?” Nellie asked, oblivious to what Fiske had just said. Her earphones were set on max volume, playing “ <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Somebody That I Used To Know”. <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Nellie used to be their au pair, but then resigned to become their guardian. It was surprising that she didn’t have hearing problems or brain damage. As Nellie crunched on a bag of potato chips, Fiske covered his ears.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “What are you doing? That could hurt somebody! TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN!” Fiske shouted over Nellie’s music.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “What? You want me to turn my music up?” Nellie questioned. <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The music isn’t on max? <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Amy thought. Nellie simply walked out of the room and to the other side of the house. Amy saw Nellie plug her I phone into a stereo system in her room. The music was just as loud as it was, maybe even louder, and Amy was wondering what it would sound like if you went up close and personal with the subwoofer.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    When Nellie finally turned off her subwoofer, Dan continued with his story, with everybody listening.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“I was walking out to the card store, just to see if they were open, because I wanted to see if they had a “1991 Michael Jordan 'Blank Back' rookie bb card”, when I was ambushed by those three goons in masks. They tried to grab me with their hands! They were like surgeons! Scalpels and all!

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“I started to run the other way, when I saw a small pole, probably used for those protester’s signs. I can’t believe they thought that the chip factory was unsanitary!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Dan...” Amy chided, “On with the story?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Oh, yeah. Right. Anyways, I used that as a weapon, like in <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Immortal Kombat VII <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Dan!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Sorry. I smacked on guy upside the head with the thing, and it broke. His mask fell off, and I put it in my bag. The other two ran away, and I questioned the guy who I hit. I must have hit him pretty hard, because he said something like “Jean travel pouring victim”, and-”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Are sure that he said those exact words?” Nellie said, “Because he could have said, “ <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Je travaille pour Vikram.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">-

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dan was insulted by Nellie. She thought he couldn’t remember the words he said. Well, they had been said with a french accent, but curiosity won out.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“What does that mean?” Dan asked. <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “It means: I work for Vikram. He must have been french. You also must have scared him pretty badly.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “He also left me a note.” Dan said, holding out the note.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Oggv jko cv kegocp iqnhgtu pcwugcu ucwegf gxgz? Sounds like a code.” Amy said.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Well,” Nellie said, “ Why should we do what this Vikram guy wants us to do?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Dan thought for a moment. “There’s no harm in solving it.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “It’s not an anagram, I got nothing. It’s as clear as mud.” Dan said, frustrated.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Replace every vowel with...no....How about replacing every consonant with...no...” Fiske muttered to himself, trying to solve the gibberish.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “How about replacing all of the letters with the next letter in line?” Nellie proposed

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">   “Yeah! Let’s try it!” Dan said. He was glad to be doing something other than listen to his teacher droning on about the development of parliament.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Let’s see...replace that with that, and that with that... There!” Dan said. Then he looked over his work.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    "Nffu ijn bu jdfnbo hpmgfst obvtfbt tbvdfe fwfy?" Dan thought. That can’t be right.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Maybe replacing every letter with the one before it?” Amy proposed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Well... that might work...” Dan said. They tried and got, “ldds ghl zs hbdlzm fnkedqr mztrdzr rztbdc dudw”.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“This isn’t the first gibberish we have seen.” Amy said. She was right, of course. The hunt for the 39 Clues had been anything but a clue hunt. Dan went to sleep, claiming that he would think better in the morning. Fiske had to get some sleep that he had been wanting, too. Nellie eventually left to watch <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The X Files <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. Amy stayed working throughout the night.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">   The next morning, Amy found Dan asleep, drooling on their paper. “Dan!” Amy shouted. Dan stirred, and Amy kicked him in the knee.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Ow! <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“What have you found?” Dan asked.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Listen: Meet him at iceman golfers nauseas sauced evex! It’s the first thing that actually makes sense!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “How did you get that?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Replacing every letter like this: A with C, B with D, C with E and so on.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “What are iceman Golfers?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “I don’t know. Anagrams?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Dan scrawled out the following possibilities:

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Confirm Eagles

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Falcons Regime

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Female Scoring

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Limoges France

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Limoges France! Where in Limoges?” Amy exclaimed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Maybe the second part will tell us!” Dan said.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “ <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">France! <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Again! OH YEAH! WE ARE GOING TO <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">FRANCE <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, BABY! WOOHOOO!” Nellie yelled. The heard a <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">bump <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, a crash, and a startled swear. Fiske came out of his bedroom upstairs, scratching his head.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Get the number of that truck that passed by here. I think it should be illegal to have a horn that loud.” Fiske groaned.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “That wasn’t a truck. That was Nellie.” Amy supplied.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Figures.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Would you all be quiet? I am trying to work this out!” Dan shouted. A hushed silence fell over the room.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Hey, Nellie.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“What is it, kiddo?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Is Avenue des Casseaux a street?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“So then that’s where we’re going!” Amy exclaimed

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Times New Roman';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Chapter 2

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dan thought the plane trip was heaven. First class seats in this airline service had TVs in the back of the seat, with headphones and an array of 100 of the best movies Dan has ever seen. Nellie had plugged her I phone into the plane’s I phone port. She listened to a couple of songs before falling asleep. Amy had insisted on having the aisle seat, as she wanted to have a quick exit if she felt like throwing up. Why that was, Dan had no idea. It’s not like he would spill Lasagna on her AGAIN, like on the first time going to France. Apparently, Amy wouldn’t risk it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">When Dan saw that both Amy and Nellie were asleep, he checked his phone. The newest text read:

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Consolas;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">> Give me the Serum. I am not asking.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dan typed back an answer

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Consolas;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Who are you? <

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">A response cam back quicker than he expected:

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Consolas;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">> Vkram0291. Or a █████. Or a Preves.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dan was sick of Vkram0291 texting him. He didn’t know how he got his texting number, and He wished that he would give it up. He was pretty sure that Vkram0291 was Vikram Kabra.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">When Dan, Amy, and Nellie got of the plane, Dan checked his phone again. No response.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “I am going to sell my phone.” Dan said.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “What?!?” Nellie asked. To her, it was an abomination to sell a phone, as she worshiped hers.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Why?” Amy asked.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Well, I think Vikram has my number.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Oh my...He is a Vesper! “Preves” is an anagram for “Vesper”!” Amy exclaimed, looking at the text.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">   “What? Anagrams are my thing, remember? You stay over in your area of expertise, which is boring you little brother to death with famous people’s houses, and libraries. And all of that nerdy stuff that you do.” Amy was about to retort when a large truck pulled up to them.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Anyone need a ride?” The truck driver asked.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">-

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">   The driver had an orange hat, suit, and pants, and smiled at them like they were the best things that ever happened to him. He gave them a wink.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “We need to go to the airport. Please. I have...350 USD!” Dan spurted.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Dan!” Amy hissed, “350 USD is a lot of money, you know.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “We’re loaded, remember? We got money to waste!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “ <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">You <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> can waste <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">your <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> money on expensive <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">truck <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> rides. I’ll save mine for college.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Yeah, whatever.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    The driver took their bags and put them in the back seat. “This truck has a back seat?” Nellie said.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Yep.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Sweet ride.” Nellie replied coolly. “I’m not so sure about the getup, though.” Nellie whispered to Dan.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">-

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Seadrus was lamenting. He wish he could tell the Cahill children about himself. Now was not the time for that, though. He looked at them, goofing around. He longed for days with a child. But he was still too young to think like that, and still had many days ahead of him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    He watched them as they got into the car, and he sped off to the airport.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:32px;font-family:'Architects Daughter';color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">-

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dan watched Seadrus as he calmly controlled the truck. He had started to admire him. Yet something was off. He looked familiar, but Dan knew every face he had ever saw. He had a photographic memory, and he never forgot a face.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">He opened his laptop, and exclaimed, “I have internet connection! No way!”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The driver smiled. “I have portable Wi-Fi. I have people following me for a connection every day.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Cool!” Dan looked at the driver in awe.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Driver?” Amy asked him politely.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Yes?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“What is your name?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“I can not disclose that information.” The driver responded. <p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">For a truck driver, he speaks like a lawyer! <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> Amy thought.