“This is our headquarters,” Jackson said as he led her down the hallway.

“Your spy headquarters is in an elementary school?”

Jackson ignored her question. She’d be impressed by the Playground once she saw it. He had turned the corner heading for the lockers when a mob of panicked scientists nearly ran him over.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“End-of-the-world stuff, kid!” one shouted back to him.

“C’mon,” Jackson said to the Hyena, and the two ran the way the scientists had come. Jackson shoved the would-be assassin into one of the lockers and slammed the door before she could ask him to explain, then climbed into his own. A moment later they tumbled out into the Playground.

There Jackson found Ms. Holiday shouting directions at dozens of scientists who were working furiously on computers.

“Find that signal!” she shouted. “I don’t care if it bounced off every satellite in space. Find its origin.”

Jackson was surprised by her tone, but even more surprised by her appearance. Gone were the cardigan sweaters and pleated skirts she usually wore. Now she was wearing a black bodysuit and a black beret, and had weapons strapped around her waist.

“Jackson, what are you doing here? And who is she?”

“This is the Hyena,” he said. “She needs our help. Dr. Felix Jigsaw is going to destroy the world.”

“We know,” the librarian said, just as a scientist approached her with a map. “What?”

“My math shows that Australia has indeed moved. It was here,” the scientist said, circling the continent with a red pen then circling a spot in the ocean off the eastern coast of Africa. “Now it’s here.”

“Where’s the team?” Jackson said. “They need to stop this now.”

“Unfortunately, that is no longer an option,” Ms. Holiday said.

“What? Why?”

“Benjamin, can you explain?” Ms. Holiday said, and the blue orb on the desktop began to spin. Soon, the holographic Benjamin Franklin appeared before the frozen landscape of the North Pole.

“Approximately an hour ago, a beam of magnetically charged energy shot out from the heart of the North Pole,” Benjamin explained as the North Pole morphed into the blackness of space. The sky lit up as the beam of green light shot through Earth’s atmosphere and bounced off a satellite.

“It’s Jigsaw,” the Hyena said. “It’s a tractor beam.”

The image changed, showing the ray bending to connect with the ground near the Sydney Opera House.

“Three days ago we sent the team to stop Jigsaw,” Ms. Holiday said. “When we lost contact with them, Alexander—I mean, Agent Brand—and the lunch lady circled for hours. Now we’ve lost contact with them too. The School Bus is programmed to return to the school if it is abandoned. It returned empty, and there’s not much information about what happened. I fear the worst.”

“What are you going to do?” Jackson asked.

“Jigsaw needs a huge amount of energy to power his tractor beam. So far he’s been able to move just one continent, Australia. Benjamin studied the energy output Jigsaw’s satellite dish released to move Australia.”

Benjamin appeared. “I’ve calculated that it will take seven hours for Dr. Badawi’s solar panels to repower Jigsaw’s satellite dish.”

“It gives us a small window of time before Jigsaw can move another continent,” Ms. Holiday said. “I’m going to stop it from happening.”

“How?”

“Follow me,” the librarian said. She led them into the upgrade room, pushed a button on the podium, and brought the chair out of the floor. Then she climbed into it. “I’m going to get the upgrades myself.”

“I’m afraid that can’t be done, Ms. Holiday,” Benjamin said when he appeared in the room.

“Well, why not!”

“The upgrade application is specifically designed to work on children alone. You are much too old for the process.”

“But this is an emergency,” Ms. Holiday said.

“I’m sorry, but it simply can’t be done,” Benjamin said.

“Put me back in the chair,” Jackson said.

Ms. Holiday shook her head. “No, you quit for a reason, and I respect it. I’m not dragging you back into this. I’m going to find a way to stop Dr. Jigsaw with or without nanocomputers. The best thing you can do is take your friend and find someplace safe. If Jigsaw’s plans succeed, the world is going to be a very different place by tomorrow.”

Jackson knew what he had to do. “Well, why don’t you walk us out?”

“What?” the Hyena cried. “You’re giving up just like that?”

“He’s right,” Ms. Holiday said. “It’s best if you leave this to the professionals.”

The children followed her toward the door, but just as they stepped through, Jackson grabbed the Hyena and pulled her back. Then he slammed a button on the wall, and the door slid down from the ceiling, locking the librarian out of the room.

“Jackson, you open this door this instant!” she demanded.

“Sorry, Ms. Holiday, but there’s only one guy who can save the team, and you know it.”

Jackson leaped into the chair. Straps wrapped around his feet as Holiday pounded on the door.

“Are you sure about this, Jackson?” Benjamin asked.

Jackson nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Commence scanning,” Benjamin said.

A moment later lasers swept over Jackson’s body.

“Physical attributes are above normal range. Continuing to scan for weaknesses.”

“What is this thing doing to you?” the Hyena cried.

A blue orb began to spin on the panel in front of Jackson, and a moment later a holographic skeleton was floating before his eyes.

“Benjamin, I hate to be impatient, but can we skip this? Just give me the deal you gave me before.”

“Very well, except there is one thing,” Benjamin said.

“What?”

“Subject’s code name?”

Jackson took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Call me Braceface.”

Machines dropped from the ceiling and wrapped around his body. Soon his mouth was forced open by rubber hooks.

He turned to the Hyena. “You might want to step back and maybe avert your eyes. This isn’t pretty.”

“Think pleasant thoughts,” Benjamin reminded him.

“Oh, this is so gross,” the Hyena groaned.

WELL, WELL, WELL … LOOK WHO

HAS COME CRAWLING BACK FOR

SECURITY CLEARANCE. YOU HAVE

A LOT OF NERVE, BUSTER. WHY

SHOULD I HELP YOU? WHAT’S

IN IT FOR ME? YOU KNOW,

THIS JOB DOESN’T PAY THAT

WELL AND TIMES ARE TOUGH.

YOU COUGH UP SOME CASH

AND MAYBE WE CAN TALK.

NO, I WOULDN’T CALL IT

BLACKMAIL. I’D CALL IT A

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. YOU GET

LEVEL 9 CLEARANCE AND I GET

A LITTLE COIN IN MY POCKET.

EVERYBODY WINS. YOU THINK

ABOUT IT, AND WHEN YOU’VE

MADE YOUR DECISION, TAPE

SOME MONEY TO THE SENSOR.