125
“Holy [insert a swear word of your choice here],” Fang said, stunned.
“No kidding,” I said. There were banks of computers taller than me. And tables with first-class lab equipment. Dry-erase boards covered with diagrams—many of which I’d seen during my brain attacks. Things were in “sleep” mode, quietly humming but not working—it wasn’t yet dawn.
We wove our way among the tables, trying to take it all in while quaking in our boots. I knew there were Erasers in this building—I could feel them.
Then I saw one computer still on, its screen bright, data being processed as we watched. This could be it—our chance to find out about our past, our parents, the whole amazing enchilada.
“Okay, guys,” I said quietly. “Fan out, stay on guard, watch my back. I mean it! I’m going to try to hack in.” I climbed on the lab stool in front of the counter and grabbed the computer mouse.
Password?
I cracked my knuckles, making Fang wince. Well, it could only be about a hundred million different things, I thought. How hard could it be?
I started typing.
I won’t bore you with the whole list of what was rejected. I was thankful that the system didn’t lock me out after three bad tries. But “School,” “Batchelder,” “Mother,” “Eraser,” “Flock,” and a whole lot of others didn’t cut it.
“This is pointless,” I said, my nerves frayed.
“What’s wrong, Max?” Nudge asked softly, coming to stand close to me.
“Who am I kidding?” I said. “There’s no way for me to crack the password. We’ve come all this way for nothing. I’m such a loser! I can’t stand it!”
Nudge leaned closer and touched the monitor with a finger, angling it so she could see better. She read the screen, her lips moving silently. I wanted to push her away, but I didn’t want to be pointlessly mean.
Nudge closed her eyes.
“Nudge?” I asked.
Her hand fanned out on the monitor, as if pressing closer for warmth.
“Hello?” I said. “What are you doing?”
“Um, try big x, little j, little n, big p, the number seven, big o, big h, little j, and the number four,” she said in a whisper.
I stared at her. Across the room, Fang was watching us, and my eyes met his.
Quickly, before I forgot, I typed in what she’d said, seeing the letters show up as small dots in the password box.
I hit Enter, and the computer whirred to life, a list of icons popping up on the left-hand side of the screen.
We were in.
126
I stared at Nudge, and she opened her eyes slowly. A bright smile crossed her face. “Did it work?”
“Yeah, it worked,” I said, stunned. “Where’d you get it?”
“The computer,” she said, looking pleased. “Like, when I touched it.” She reached out and touched it again. “I can see the person who works here. It’s a woman, with frizzy red hair. She drinks way too much coffee. She typed in the password, and I can feel it.”
“Wow,” I said. “Touch something else.”
Nudge went to the next chair and put her hand on it. She closed her eyes and, a few moments later, smiled. “A guy sits here. A baldie. He bites his nails. He went home early yesterday.” Opening her eyes, she looked at me happily. “I have a new skill!” she said. “I can do something new! This is so cool!”
“Good for you, Nudge,” I said. “You saved our butts here.”