The Spider, The Night's Wave, The Tempest, The Archer

14

Grace glanced at Peter and Nathan. "I'm gonna run ahead and try to warn Ned and Gabriela. You two focus on keeping the bomb from detonating."

Peter and Nathan nodded. "Be careful."

"You too."

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

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

---

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

"Karen, you have to get me and Nathan to Decathlon as fast as possible," Peter said. "I hope Grace 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 Grace told you or Gabriela!"

---

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

---

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

Peter and Nathan 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. Grace smirked lightly as she caught sight of his nervousness.

---

Peter and Nathan leapt on a SUV.

---

"The next correct answer wins the championship."

---

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

"Midtown Tech?"

"Zero," MJ said.

"That is correct. Midtown takes the championship!"

Ned, Gabriela and Grace 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 or Nathan," Flash stated.

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

Grace nodded. "So maybe bite your tongue." She pulled Ned and Gabriela aside and said, "Glowy thing in your backpack is a bomb."

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

"I tried, but the Decathlon started. Peter and Nathan are on his way and will probably tell you the same thing. Just be careful until we figure out how to get rid of it."

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."

Grace walked up and said, "Good job on the final question."

"Thanks. Where were you last night?"

"Uh, I got caught up in something."

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

"Oh, Ned, you're alive!" Peter exclaimed. "Grace is okay, right?"

Ned was at the Washington Monument, about to get a security check. He whispered, "Peter, are you and Nathan okay? Grace is fine."

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

"Don't worry, it's safe. It's in my backpack. Grace 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 two missed the Decathlon. Gabriela 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 and your cousin?"

Now at the Lincoln Memorial, Peter and Nathan were 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." They kept running, and the Washington Monument came into view as they got closer.

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

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

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

Gabriela frowned. "Is that arguing normal? I'll find Peter and Nathan."

Ned nodded. "Afraid so. Okay."

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. Grace 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. It wasn't that hard. 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.

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