Con Quest!

Wait.

What was that?

Alex stood up, ignoring Cat’s frantic urging for him to crouch down again, lest James M. still be around. But Alex wasn’t even thinking about James M. anymore. No. Now he could only focus on the fact that something on this engine bay replica … was wrong.

Well, not wrong maybe. But … different. Added?

“Cat, take a look at this,” Alex said, pushing his face closer to the replica.

“What, is it germs? Because you really shouldn’t get that close to anything here—”

“I think it’s writing,” Alex realized, finally reaching out to touch the replica in front of him (despite the numerous printed warnings against doing so and the potential germs, but desperate times called for desperate measures). Alex ran his fingers across one of the levers and down the side of a console.

That was it. The pattern looked so random at first, he couldn’t be certain, but there was no doubting it now. There was a message hidden in the USS Venture replica.

And hidden messages usually meant just one thing.

Alex unzipped his messenger bag in a hurry and fished around for his phone, currently connected to one of the three portable chargers he’d brought in case of emergency battery drainage (you really can never have too many). He swiped through his folders—games, social, finance, movies … There! Linguistics.

He popped open his Universal Translator app and scrolled through the list of languages it held. Someday Alex wanted to make something this cool and useful but with art. He had yet to figure out what that was or how to do that. But he figured he had time.

Alex selected the Star Cross category and started flipping through the available languages. Not Korgon, too elegant. Not Atalantian, too boxy. Not Ioslan …

“DeForean!” Alex shouted triumphantly, startling Cat.

“The writing?” Cat asked, standing up to look at Alex’s phone.

“The writing,” Alex agreed. “This is why I always have the Universal Translator ready to go. Here, look…” Alex hit the video recording option in the app and passed his phone over the writing on the Venture console. Come on … come on …

Ping! The Universal Translator app had done its job. And it had done it really well.

“Let me see!” Cat wiggled her fingers, demanding Alex’s phone. “What does it say?”

Alex looked down at the screen for one more second to be sure he hadn’t misread it.

He hadn’t. This was huge.

Alex held up his phone for his sister to read.

“DeForean. Universal Translation: Quest Item 5: The Quest donation box is hidden behind booth 3346.” Cat stopped dead and stared at the phone. “Alex.”

“Yes?”

“Alex!” She started to bounce in place.

“Yes?”

“Alex!” Cat started jumping up and down with glee, all worries about James M. forgotten. Her purse bounced up and down against her back, and she didn’t even seem to notice. “Item five! You found it!”

Well, you know what? He really had. Alex grinned. It had been a good escape plan, after all.

29. Share a photo of your team eating healthy at the convention! Maybe the most challenging item of all! (46 points)

12

Fi

“There’s just no point to it.” Fi gestured at the wildly colorful booth she and Rowan were passing.