it.”
“I get it,” Coke guessed. “After you chuck it, razor blades pop out of the sides. When it reaches the victim, it can slice a man’s head off like a knife going through a hunk of cheese. That is awesome !”
“No, no! It’s nothing like that,” Bones told Coke. “It’s a toy . You throw it to somebody and they catch it. Then they throw it back to you. Something fun for you to play with in your travels. The only thing you can kill with it is time.”
“No razor blades?” Coke said, disappointed. “No laser beams or force fields?”
“Just plastic,” Bones said.
“Plastic explosives?” Coke asked hopefully. “I heard about them. They’re invisible to metal detectors.”
“No. Just plain old plastic plastic.”
Coke looked at the Frisbee.
“Well, this thing is lame,” he decided.
“You’re giving us a Frisbee ?” Pep said. “We’re expected to go out and protect the free world with a Frisbee ? I don’t even know how to throw a Frisbee.”
“It’s just for fun!” Bones told the twins. “You’re kids! Don’t you want to have fun? Here, I have a deck of cards for you, too.”
“A deck of cards?” Pep said. “What am I supposed to do with that ?”
“I know,” Coke said. “The playing cards contain the secret codes to launch a nuclear attack, right?”
“Uh, no,” Bones said.
“I think they’re just plain old playing cards,” Pep told her brother, disappointed.
“What, is each card actually a video camera?” Coke asked. “That is ingenious! How do you fit the camera into such a thin piece of cardboard?”
“We don’t. It’s just a—”
“Don’t tell me,” Coke said, holding up his hand. “The edges of the cards are coated with poison. When you flip them at somebody, they get a paper cut, the poison enters their bloodstream, and they die within thirty seconds. Am I right?”
“No.”
“Sixty seconds?”
“Look, you’ve got to understand,” Bones said. “The Genius Files project doesn’t have a lot of money. These are just going-away presents I’m giving you. It’s like a goody bag you get when you go to somebody’s birthday party.”
“Don’t we get any real weapons to use so we can defend ourselves?” Coke asked.
“No. Here, take some fruit too.”
“Thank you,” Pep said graciously. “This is all very generous of you.”
“Are there bombs inside the fruit?” Coke asked.
“No. You eat it,” Bones said wearily. “Now listen, because this is very important. You will not tell your parents anything I have told you. You will not tell your friends. You are undercover. There appear to be some extremely dangerous people out there who want The Genius Files to fail. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Pep said.
“When are we going to see you again?” Coke asked.
“Soon, hopefully. Or maybe never.”
“Gee, can you be more vague?” asked Coke.
“Would you like a ride home?” Bones asked.
“It’s a short walk,” Pep said.
The twins took their goody bag and climbed back up the ladder into the garage. Bones yanked open the creaky door and let them out.
“Good-bye,” Bones said. “And good luck.”
The twins left the garage and had walked about ten yards when Pep stopped.
“What did we just get ourselves into?” she asked her brother.
“Relax,” Coke replied. “I have a feeling this is gonna be cool. We’re gonna be like spies. Hey, I thought of a new name for myself. From now on, I want you to call me Ace Fist.”
“What?!”
“Ace Fist,” Coke repeated. “That would be a cool nickname. Doesn’t it sound like an action hero? Ace Fist, secret agent.”
“It sounds stupid,” Pep told her brother. “That’s what it sounds like.”
“You’re just jealous because you didn’t think of it.”
“I am not.”
“Are, too.”
The twins were jawing back and forth when a flash of light came from the garage they had just left. As they turned to look, a huge orange fireball rocked them backward
“I get it,” Coke guessed. “After you chuck it, razor blades pop out of the sides. When it reaches the victim, it can slice a man’s head off like a knife going through a hunk of cheese. That is awesome !”
“No, no! It’s nothing like that,” Bones told Coke. “It’s a toy . You throw it to somebody and they catch it. Then they throw it back to you. Something fun for you to play with in your travels. The only thing you can kill with it is time.”
“No razor blades?” Coke said, disappointed. “No laser beams or force fields?”
“Just plastic,” Bones said.
“Plastic explosives?” Coke asked hopefully. “I heard about them. They’re invisible to metal detectors.”
“No. Just plain old plastic plastic.”
Coke looked at the Frisbee.
“Well, this thing is lame,” he decided.
“You’re giving us a Frisbee ?” Pep said. “We’re expected to go out and protect the free world with a Frisbee ? I don’t even know how to throw a Frisbee.”
“It’s just for fun!” Bones told the twins. “You’re kids! Don’t you want to have fun? Here, I have a deck of cards for you, too.”
“A deck of cards?” Pep said. “What am I supposed to do with that ?”
“I know,” Coke said. “The playing cards contain the secret codes to launch a nuclear attack, right?”
“Uh, no,” Bones said.
“I think they’re just plain old playing cards,” Pep told her brother, disappointed.
“What, is each card actually a video camera?” Coke asked. “That is ingenious! How do you fit the camera into such a thin piece of cardboard?”
“We don’t. It’s just a—”
“Don’t tell me,” Coke said, holding up his hand. “The edges of the cards are coated with poison. When you flip them at somebody, they get a paper cut, the poison enters their bloodstream, and they die within thirty seconds. Am I right?”
“No.”
“Sixty seconds?”
“Look, you’ve got to understand,” Bones said. “The Genius Files project doesn’t have a lot of money. These are just going-away presents I’m giving you. It’s like a goody bag you get when you go to somebody’s birthday party.”
“Don’t we get any real weapons to use so we can defend ourselves?” Coke asked.
“No. Here, take some fruit too.”
“Thank you,” Pep said graciously. “This is all very generous of you.”
“Are there bombs inside the fruit?” Coke asked.
“No. You eat it,” Bones said wearily. “Now listen, because this is very important. You will not tell your parents anything I have told you. You will not tell your friends. You are undercover. There appear to be some extremely dangerous people out there who want The Genius Files to fail. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Pep said.
“When are we going to see you again?” Coke asked.
“Soon, hopefully. Or maybe never.”
“Gee, can you be more vague?” asked Coke.
“Would you like a ride home?” Bones asked.
“It’s a short walk,” Pep said.
The twins took their goody bag and climbed back up the ladder into the garage. Bones yanked open the creaky door and let them out.
“Good-bye,” Bones said. “And good luck.”
The twins left the garage and had walked about ten yards when Pep stopped.
“What did we just get ourselves into?” she asked her brother.
“Relax,” Coke replied. “I have a feeling this is gonna be cool. We’re gonna be like spies. Hey, I thought of a new name for myself. From now on, I want you to call me Ace Fist.”
“What?!”
“Ace Fist,” Coke repeated. “That would be a cool nickname. Doesn’t it sound like an action hero? Ace Fist, secret agent.”
“It sounds stupid,” Pep told her brother. “That’s what it sounds like.”
“You’re just jealous because you didn’t think of it.”
“I am not.”
“Are, too.”
The twins were jawing back and forth when a flash of light came from the garage they had just left. As they turned to look, a huge orange fireball rocked them backward
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