Nick moved low and fast towards the school store. "Remember, Tom's a runner. When we come up on him, you cover the right side near the cafeteria. I've got the left."

Courtney stayed on Nick's heels and said, "Got it."

As they neared a bend in the hall, Nick raised a closed fist and came to an abrupt halt. Courtney slammed into his back and nearly sent him tumbling to the floor.

"Courtney," he bristled, "a closed fist means stay still."

"How the heck am I supposed to know that?"

"You've been through three foam wars. How could you not?"

"It was actually four if you count the one with our parents after graduation."

Nick glared and let out a long sigh. "Closed fist," he demonstrated, "means stop."

Courtney pulled out a small notepad and pen. "Okay."

Nick pushed his left arm towards the floor, held his palm horizontal, and swept it side to side. "This means start your attack."

"Ooo, scary," Courtney smiled while scribbling that down.

Nick pointed at his eyes with his left index and middle finger, then angled them across the hallway. "That means look over there."

"Got it."

Nick flashed a thumbs up. "This means I understand." He waited for Courtney to finish writing and asked, "Do you have all that?"

Courtney slammed her notepad closed, tucked it in her pocket, and made an exaggerated thumbs up.

Nick huffed in amusement as a loud Valley girl accent drifted down the hall. "What'll you have, Oleander?"

Nick peeked around the corner and spotted his orange-haired classmate standing in front of the school store's Dutch door. "That sounded like Brittany was tending shop."

Courtney shoved her head out and hovered it over Nick's shoulder. "It is. I can see her pigtails."

"Diet Purple Flurp coming right up," Brittany said. "That'll be a buck fifty."

As Oleander scrounged in his pockets, Nick said, "I guess we'll just have to question her instead of Tom."

Courtney asked, "You don't think we need more of a plan?"

Brittany handed Oleander a handful of spilling dimes. "And out of five dollars, 4.50 is your change. Have a great day!"

Nick deadpanned, "Something tells me we can outsmart her."

Courtney watched their old classmate shove a crazy straw into a bottle of margarita mix and take an obnoxious sip. "Fair point."

The partners straightened up and strode forward. Brittany flashed them an eager smile and said, "Hey guys! Need something?"

With a nod, Courtney answered, "We both skipped breakfast and could use a snack. Do you have any food?"

"Barely. Ever since that lunch thief started doing his thing, we've been selling food like hotcakes. But they're not too popular, considering we don't have any syrup."

"We'll split a granola bar," Nick said while handing her a dollar. "So the store's doing well? Is that why you're helping out?"

"Yep. Tom really needed an extra hand this morning. Which is great, because I am flat broke."

Nick accepted his purchase and ripped it open, "Seems like you really owe the Hungbringer."

As Nick broke the granola bar in half and handed Courtney her share, Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to date a criminal just because he got me a job, if that's what you mean."

"No, it's not."

Brittany sipped her margarita mix and stared dreamily into space. "Even though I bet he's the strong and silent type. And he must have been through a lot of hard times to turn out this way." Her face lit up and she eagerly turned to Courtney. "Do you think I could fix him?"

Courtney stared in pity while Nick asked, "How do you know it's a him?"

"Come on," Brittany answered. "Stealing lunches is boy's play. Girls are way more psychotic. The Black Atom nearly ripped people's butts off!"

"You might actually be right about that," Courtney conceded. "Seems like you know a lot about this guy. Have you heard anything else?"

Brittany smiled. "The only other thing I know is that he's never going to steal my food. Check this out." She ducked behind the bottom half of the door and reappeared clutching a bulbous chrome box. "Neutron owed me a favor for being one of his Strikers, so I finally called it in. I asked him to make me an impenetrable lunchbox. This baby has everything. Titanium build, fingerprint scanner, DNA tracker, and the world's greatest security measure."

Brittany flicked a small switch on the device's side. "If someone touches the lunchbox when it's armed, it will instantly tell you the thing you hate most about yourself. There's no way anyone can run away with this!"

"That's ridiculous," Courtney said.

"Oh yeah? Try it!" Brittany quickly tossed the lunchbox towards Courtney's chest. She reflexively caught it, and the machine immediately spoke in a robotic monotone.

"I'll never be good enough for-"

"Eek!" Courtney threw the box Nick's way.

As Nick caught the device, the same monotone droned, "At the dance, I never should have-"

"Ah!" Nick hurled the box back to Brittany.

With a Valley Girl accent, the robot said, "These pigtails make me look fat."

"AHH!" Brittany slammed the box into the floor and watched it shatter into a thousand pieces. "Oh dang it!"

Nick's eyes widened in panic, but Brittany was too distraught and Courtney too embarrassed to be paying him any mind. The tightness in his chest loosened a notch as he growled, "We need to talk to Tom."

Brittany fell to her knees and sadly examined her obliterated lunchbox. "Was this fake titanium? Or am I super strong?"

"Brittany!" Nick snapped. "Where's Tom?"

Brittany shrugged and said, "He had to make a delivery to the Neutronauts. He's probably still at their lab."

Courtney swallowed hard and mumbled, "Thanks." She spun on her heels and headed to the main stairwell without another word.

Nick followed as Brittany cried out, "And ask them if they can fix my lunchbox!"

Once they'd rounded the corner, Nick asked, "Are you okay never bringing that up again?"

Courtney wrung her hands and quietly nodded.

Nick took a deep breath, held it to the count of six, and blew out a lungful of air as quietly as he could. Once that was done, he rounded on the staircase and led the way down to the basement. "We should sneak up on Tom and try to see if we can overhear something useful."

"Sure," Courtney agreed. She nodded to herself and forced some pep back in her step. As Ms. Peck's classroom came into view, she pointed at a glowing green device built into the wall beside the door. "That's new."

"Neutron installed some new security measures for his lab. He decided to do the same for the Neutronauts." Nick explained. "It checks fingerprints and DNA. Neutron has access."

"Well, that doesn't help us."

"Yeah it does," Nick said while pulling a device the size of an iPod from his kit belt. "He gave me this in case of an emergency. It has his bio…meter? Something like that."

"Biometrics?" Courtney asked.

"That's it," Nick nodded while pressing a button. An image of a fingerprint appeared onscreen while a single strand of hair shot out of the top of the machine.

As Nick set about unlocking the door, Courtney said, "I didn't realize you and Jimmy were so close."

Another pang of guilt tightened his chest. Neck grit his teeth and forced it aside. "It has been a crazy year."

"True," Courtney agreed. "Remember when Mr. Pace gave us that paper in math class?"

"Don't remind me," Nick groaned. He pocketed the biometric unit after the door's lock clicked open. As Courtney pressed her ear against the door, Nick pulled out his motion tracker and watched. After a few seconds, an enormous cluster of movement appeared about fifteen feet away.

"I don't hear anything," Courtney said. "If Tom's inside, I don't think he's in the main classroom."

Nick nodded. "Heavy activity near the supply closet. It's reading too many targets to count."

Courtney racked her brain and suggested, "Could be lab rats."

Nick considered this. "Good thinking. I guess Tom could be delivering those to a science club. Let's get inside and see if we can overhear anything useful."

Courtney nodded and followed as Nick gently pushed open the door. As expected, the classroom was empty. He slinked towards the supply closet on the far right of the room. As they got closer, they made out two voices.

"And they're all there?" Charles's posh British accent barely breached the door.

"Of course, I wouldn't short change y'all," Tom's much louder Southern drawl answered. "One hundred primo guinea pigs."

Nick arched an eyebrow as he posted up on the closest edge of the door. Courtney plastered herself against the other side, and they listened as the conversation went on.

"Perfect," Charles answered. "And they're hardy enough for our experiments?"

"Don't you worry about that. I've been subjecting these critters to all kinds of stress since the moment they were born. We're talking heat, cold, emotional trauma. Ain't that right, dummies?"

A chorus of depressed squeaks answered him.

Tom went on, "These fellas can handle anything life throws at 'em. Now, about my recompense?"

"It's at the drop point, as you requested. Why didn't you just want me to hand it to you?"

Tom chuckled and said, "Let's just say the school's a bit complicated today. Just one more thing. Between you and me, these lil guys will be okay, right?"

Charles's voice softened a note. "Don't worry. We do the brunt of our testing on inorganic models to work out any initial kinks. I fully expect they'll be fine."

"Good, good," Tom breathed a sigh of relief. "They might be dumb, noisy, and smelly, but they're loyal. And that's hard to find these days. Will you send me a card with updates on how they're doing every week?"

"No."

Nick rolled his eyes and pushed the closet door open. "Okay, that's enough." He and Courtney blocked the doorway as the boys inside pulled back in surprise.

Charles asked, "How did you get in here?"

"Not important," Nick answered. His eyes were drawn to the red wagon filled with a frothing horde of guinea pigs. He shook his surprise aside before jabbing a finger towards Tom. "We've got some questions for you."

Tom smiled. "Sure. The only thing I love more than answering questions is RUNNING AWAY!" he shouted while flipping over the wagon. Dozens of rodents immediately scattered in all directions. "Protect your father!"

The horde reassembled and moved with purpose towards the doorway. Tom followed in their wake and tried to dash through the duo blocking his path.

Nick grabbed Tom's arm, but a quintet of cavies flew through the air and latched onto his sleeve. They pulled as one and yanked his arm away from the shopkeep. While Tom slipped through his grasp, Courtney tried to leap on him. A dozen guinea pigs clamped their powerful jaws onto the bottom of her jeans and pulled her to the floor as Tom burst out of the door.

"Get off of her," Nick kicked the throng of chomping cavies off of Courtney. As Tom disappeared in the hallway, Nick slammed a fist onto a large red button on the side of his kit belt. Twin thrusters popped out and warmed to life.

Nick flashed a cocky smile, leaned forwards, and said, "Gotta blast," while flying out of the closet.

He immediately smashed full force into the teacher's desk.

Wood splintered and his body screamed in agony. "Oh god," Nick moaned while crumpling to the floor.

Courtney brushed more guinea pigs aside and dashed towards Nick. "Are you hurt?"

Nick moaned and clutched his bruised ribs. "Yes."

Courtney knelt down and gently helped him stand up. "What the heck were you thinking? How were you going to use a jetpack inside a closet?"

"Hey!" Tom shouted while peeking his head back into the classroom. "Are y'all okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Nick spat.

"Okay, just checking. Usually the people chasing me are a bit more on my tail."

Courtney shouted, "We're coming!"

"Okay, good luck!" Tom waved and dashed back down the corridor.

"Come on," Nick groaned while struggling to jog after the boy. Courtney kept pace as they wound their way through the halls.

"I think we lost him," Courtney moaned after the fourth turn without a sign of him.

"No," Nick shook his head. "We know he went this way, and he's not the type to hole up in a classroom. We're still on his trail." He slid to a stop beside a fork in the road. Dead ahead lay an exit to the teacher's parking lot. To his right was a staircase. "We'll split up. I'll take the stairs and you go outside."

Courtney cocked her head. "That doesn't make sense. The jetpack will be more useful out there. You take the parking lot."

"Can you handle the stairs?"

Courtney's jaw dropped. "Yes, I can handle stairs. I'm a nerd, not feeble!"

"What does feeble mean?"

"Just go outside, Nick!" Courtney screamed.

Nick nodded and dashed towards the exit door. Courtney tried to run past him, but the two knocked heads.

"Ugh," Nick groaned while gently shoving past her and pushing the door open.

The sky was gloomy and the gently inclining parking lot was covered in puddles, but the rain had stopped. Dozens of cars were randomly parked in all directions and obscured Nick's view of the muddy lawn leading to a nearby park.

"Guess she was right," Nick grumbled while activating his jetpack. Once the thrusters popped out, he lifted himself up in the air as slowly as he could. Once he was a dozen feet up, he spotted Tom sprinting across the field. "Got ya," Nick smiled while accelerating towards the boy.

"Tom!" Nick roared. The shopkeep craned his neck and widened his eyes as Nick barreled towards him. Nick spread out his arms and tried to tackle him, but the shopkeep fell prone and narrowly avoided Nick's clutches.

"Dang it," Nick groaned as he struggled to decelerate and turn around. He whipped out his walkie-talkie as Tom dashed towards the conglomeration of slides, towers, and activity panels in the center of the park. "Courtney, I see him. Get to the playground!"

Nick pocketed his radio and flew towards the tower that Tom was ascending. "It's over, Tom. There's nowhere to go."

Tom glanced over his shoulder at the thick woods behind him. "I guess you're right. There's no way I could make it there without you catching me, since I ain't got any more tricks up my sleeves."

Nick groaned. "Are you ramping up to something?"

Tom flashed a grin and shouted, "Because they're in my pockets!" while flinging two more guinea pigs at Nick.

Nick batted one screeching rodent out of the air, but the other clamped onto his utility belt. It immediately scurried towards the nearest thruster and severed its wiring with a mighty bite.

Nick screamed as his lone thruster sent him spiraling towards the playground equipment. Tom barely dove out of the way and spilled over the platform's edge. Nick desperately tried to control his path, angled to the right, and grabbed onto the sliding pole. He spun around and slammed straight into the side of the tower's wall.

Nick punched the jet pack's power button and thrust one hand up. He grabbed the tower's edge, let go of the sliding pole, flicked away the guinea pig, and clasped the platform with both hands.

Nick sucked in a few pained breaths while staring at the ground five feet below. His eyes widened at the enormous bed of mud beneath him. A fall into that would shatter his self confidence.

Nick hoisted himself up with a groan. He limped towards where Tom also dangled over the edge. Nick narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you all out of guinea pigs?"

"Yeah, I'm empty," Tom admitted. "You mind helping me up?"

"I don't know," Nick shrugged. "You haven't been willing to answer our questions. Maybe a tumble in the muck will loosen your lips."

In a panic, Tom said, "Wait, I'll talk. Just don't drop me! After Cindy sprained my ankle, the doctor said the slightest impact would shatter my whole limb."

"That is not how legs work."

"Yes it is." Tom protested. "Don't do it!"

"Nick!" Courtney's distant voice rang out.

Nick spun around and screamed, "What?!"

He spotted Courtney dashing across the field. She offered a wave, then doubled over and gasped for breath. "I'm coming!" she gasped.

"Help!" Tom screamed.

Nick spun on the boy and watched his fingers slide from the flooring. Nick lurched forwards and grabbed both of the falling boy's wrists.

"Thanks," Tom gasped as Nick hoisted him onto the tower. "You know, I have to admit, you really turned this chase around. You started off slow, but it ended top tier."

"That's great," Nick grumbled while turning towards the climbing net that Courtney was awkwardly ascending. He offered her a hand and helped her up.

"Did the jetpack help?" Courtney asked.

"Until a guinea pig broke it." Nick narrowed his eyes and spun on their suspect. "Alright, Tom. Time for some answers."

Tom sighed and said, "Fine. What is all this about?"

Courtney answered, "It's about the Hungbringer."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

Nick explained. "A dozen lunches have gone missing, and your store's making more money than ever."

"Wait," Tom slowly blinked, "y'all think I've been stealing people's food?"

"Obviously," Courtney answered.

Tom said, "I haven't even been here in two weeks. How could I have stolen anything?"

Nick didn't hesitate to say, "You could have paid your employees or anyone else to do that dirty work for you."

Tom threw his hands in the air. "How many times do I have to tell everyone that I am a reformed criminal? I had nothing to do with this."

"Reformed, huh?" Courtney asked. "We overheard what you told Charles. A mysterious payment being left at a drop point doesn't sound innocent."

Tom's back stiffened. "Uh, y'all know about that?"

"Yep," Nick took a step towards the boy, who inched backwards towards the platform's edge. "What was the payment, Tom?"

Tom swallowed hard and said, "Alright, I'll tell ya. But it ain't as bad as it sounds." He shifted his eyes from side to side and quietly admitted, "Charles gave me a Hypno-beam."

Nick and Courtney shared a shocked glance. Nick recovered first and said, "Those are as forbidden as foam."

"I know. Which is why I was smart about this," Tom explained. "I never touched the Hypno-beam. The Neutronauts leave it in a hidden spot, then my buyer picks it up. Since I don't handle the illegal goods, I can't get in trouble!"

Courtney's face contorted in confusion. "Of course you can. That's still a crime."

Tom blinked slowly and cocked his head. "Wait, really?"

"Yes!" Nick answered.

Tom waited a long moment, then said, "Then I would appreciate this staying between the three of us."

Nick said, "If you want any chance of that happening, tell us who the buyer is."

"I don't know."

Nick took another step towards Tom, making him waver right on the platform's edge.

"I'm telling the truth, I swear! On Monday I got an unsigned letter from the interschool postal service. They needed a Hypno-beam and figured I could procure one. They promised three hundred buckaroos would be deposited in my store's account if I got one and left it at a place they chose. I knew the Neutronauts were holding onto H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S.'s Hypno-beams after y'all had to get rid of them. They needed animals for their experiments, so I set up a deal."

Courtney asked, "And you have no idea who sent you the letter?"

"Well I don't know for sure, but I've got a pretty good hunch. The drop point gives it away."

"Where is it?" Nick asked. "Where did Charles leave the Hypno-beam?"

Tom leaned forward and said, "Home ec wing. In a hole in the wall behind the cooking lab's leftmost stove."

Courtney immediately whispered, "Chez Chic."

Nick faced her and asked, "What?"

"It's a new student-run restaurant. They're opening in the cooking lab next week."

Tom huffed and asked, "And you're a reporter? You may want to keep your nose to the grindstone instead of sniffing after me. Because Chez Chic moved their grand opening up to this morning. And if I had to guess? A new restaurant where a Hypno-beam is hidden might be behind those missing lunches."

Nick asked, "Do you know anything else?"

Tom shook his head. "That's everything, I swear. Now considering I solved your case for you, I suppose we're even Steven." Tom started to walk by Nick and said, "So I'll just be going-"

"Tom," Nick's firm tone halted the boy in place. "H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S. is cleaning up this school. For now, we've got bigger fish to worry about. But eventually we'll work our way down to you. So my advice? Your store better be squeaky clean by next I.O.P. day."

"So you're telling me I've got two more weeks to commit crimes?" Tom beamed. "Thank you, Nick! I shall not waste this."

As Tom leapt onto the sliding pole and disappeared, Nick said, "That's not-"

Courtney said, "Just let him go. We've got to figure out what to do about Chez Chic."

Nick watched Tom sprint into the woods and asked, "Where is he going?"

"Nick," Courtney commanded his focus.

Nick forced Tom from his mind and faced his partner. "Do you know anything about this restaurant?"

"Only that Chez Chic is supposed to be the fanciest restaurant R.M.S. has ever seen. And if they have a Hypno-Beam, we can't just show up and ask questions."

"Right," Nick agreed. "They'll fry our brains the second we open our mouths."

"Probably as soon as a H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S. agent and a reporter walk through the door."

Nick rubbed his chin and tried to think of a solution. "Then we'll have to go undercover."

Courtney considered this, then nodded. "I think that's the only way. But we'll need really good disguises."

"Agreed," Nick said while motioning for her to follow him towards the sliding pole. He gripped the bar and said, "So we'll have to see the Tailor."

Nick glided down the pole and led the way towards R.M.S.