Chemistry

14

Alessa glanced at Peter. "I'm gonna run ahead and try to warn Ned. You focus on keeping The bomb from detonating."

Peter nodded. "Be careful."

"You too."

Alessa ran ahead and barely managed to catch up as the students were entering the Decathlon venue.

"Please be sure all cell phones are turned off," the moderator said.

Ned handed his phone to the security.

"Thank you," the security guard replied.

"Ned!" Alessa called. "Ned, the glowy thing-"

But she didn't get some chance to tell him as they had to prepare for the competition.

---

Peter was standing on the back of a trailer truck. A ringing tone was heard in the background.

"Karen, you have to get me to Decathlon as fast as possible," Peter said. "I hope Lessa made it."

"Sure thing. Just tell me where it is."

"Right across the street from the Washington Monument."

Peter held his phone to his ear.

"Hey, it's Ned. Leave a message."

"Ned, call me back! The glowy thing is a bomb! I hope Lessa told you!"

---

At the Decathlon, the students were scribbling. The  purple energy core was glowing in Ned's pocket. Alessa glanced at it worriedly, then to her friend.

---

"There's a vehicle approaching on your right," Karen said.

Peter grunted and climbed on top of the cargo.

---

"We have now entered sudden death," the moderator said.

The students prepared themselves, trying to be calm and placed their hands on their buzzers. Flash took a deep breath, clearly nervous. Alessa smirked lightly as she noticed his nervousness.

---

Peter leapt on a SUV.

---

"The next correct answer wins the championship."

---

MJ hit the answer bell with a bored, impassive look.

"Midtown Tech?"

"Zero," Michelle said.

"That is correct. Midtown takes the championship!"

Ned and Alessa hugged MJ and she smiled. More Midtown students piled in for a group hug.

The Midtown High students were walking towards the Washington Monument.

"We won!" a student cried.

"You guys, I am so proud of you," Liz told them.

"Told you we didn't need Peter," Flash stated.

"Flash, you didn't answer a single question," Ned said.

Alessa nodded. "So maybe bite your tongue before I hit you." She pulled Ned aside and said, "Glowy thing in your backpack is a bomb."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I tried, but the stupid decathlon started. Peter's on his way and will probably tell you the same thing. Just be careful until we figure out how to get rid of it. I'm gonna congratulate my friend."

MJ was standing alone with a book.

"Taking it all in, Michelle?" Mr. Harrington asked.

"Oh, yeah, I just... um, I don't really want to celebrate something that was built by slaves," MJ replied.

"Oh, I'm sure the Washington Monument wasn't built by-" He looked up at the monument. A park ranger wobbled his hand as a confirmation to Michelle's words. Mr. Harrington pursed his lips and walked away. "Okay. Enjoy your book."

"Thanks."

Alessa walked up and said, "Nice job on the final question."

"Thanks. Where were you last night?"

"Uh, I got caught up in something. But I'm here now, so that's all that matters, right?"

MJ stared at her suspiciously and nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Peter swung on top of a bus. Peter and Ned finally reached each other on the phone.

"Oh, Ned, you're alive!" Peter exclaimed. "Lessa's okay, right?"

Ned was at the Washington Monument, about to get a security check. He whispered, "Peter, are you okay? Alessa's fine."

"Ned, Ned, where's the glowy thing, the glowy thing?"

"Don't worry, it's safe. It's in my backpack. Alessa told me what it was." He put his backpack down on the conveyor belt for an X-ray security scan.

"No, Ned, listen! No, no, Ned, the glowy thing is dangerous. Wait, she told you? You can't let it go through security!"

"You missed the Decathlon. I covered for you."

"Ned, listen to me!"

"We're at the Washington Monument now. You gotta-"

Liz took the phone from Ned. "Peter, is that you?"

"Oh, hey, Liz," Peter said.

"Is that Liz?" Karen asked.

Peter jumped from the bus, tumbled on his back, and started running.

"Please put Ned back on the phone."

"You should tell her how you feel."

Peter tried to put a word in edgewise but Liz ignored him and talked on. "You freak! You are so lucky we won. You know, I want to be mad, but I'm more worried. Like, what is going on with you?"

Now at the Lincoln Memorial, Peter was running towards the Washington Monument.

"Liz, I have to talk to Ned. It's really important!"

"Miss, all items on the belt, please," security said.

"Liz, there's something in Ned's backpack! It's really dangerous. Don't let it go through an X-ray."

Not hanging up, Liz put Ned's phone through the X-ray machine along with Ned's backpack. Ned walked through the scanner, oblivious, and moved to collect his backpack. The X-ray scanner screen buzzed.

"Liz? Liz! Damn it." He kept running, and the Washington Monument came into view as he got closer.]

Ned put on his bag. The students entered an elevator.

"Hey, Mr. Harrington, can I be the one to tell Peter he's expelled?" Flash asked.

Alessa narrowed her eyes. "Can I be the one to tell you to shut the hell up forever?"

Outside the Washington Monument, Peter webbed his backpack to a tree.]

The elevator was steadily climbing upwards. The core in Ned's backpack began to glow. Alessa stared at it with wide eyes and panicked as she tried to figure out what to do.

She was an unofficial Avenger. She could save her friends and fellow students and two adults. Right?

The tour guide said, "The Washington Monument is 555 feet, 5 and 1/8 inches tall. Notice how the marble and granite are cut around the stone."

The energy core erupted with light, breaking glass, and the tip of the monument cracked.

Alessa frowned and said quietly to herself, "Okay, now what? Come on, Alessa. You've fought alongside and against Avengers. You can do this. You can figure it out. Think, Alessa!"