The tunnel under the science lab was cold, dark, and creepy. I held my phone in front of me like a flashlight. It wasn’t working anymore, but I kept it close. I didn’t trust it, but also… I kind of did.
After crawling through, it felt like a mile of dirt and cobwebs. I finally reached the metal door. As soon as I touched the handle, the phone lit up again.
“Brace yourself,” it said. “Things are about to get weird.”
Gee, thanks for the warning now.
I pushed the door open and stepped into a huge underground lab. A tech lab with many weird looking sci-fi computers. Glowing maps. Giant screens. And standing in the middle of it was a boy.
He looked about my age. Dark curls, navy hoodie, black boots. He turned around and gave me this smirk.
“Took you long enough,” he said.
I blinked. “Who are you?”
“The name’s Jace,” he said, walking toward me. “I’m the one who’s been talking to you through your phone.”
“Wait. That wasn’t AI?”
He laughed, and it was honestly kind of cute. “Nope. I’ve been tracking dangerous tech at your school. You passed every test I gave you.”
“Test? You mean the fire alarm, the messages, the trapdoor—”
“All of it,” he said. “We’ve been looking for new recruits. People who are smart, brave, and don’t run screaming when their phone starts talking.”
I didn’t know whether to be flattered or freaked out. So I crossed my arms. “Why me?”
Jace looked at me, and suddenly he wasn’t smiling. “Because you’re different. You didn’t ignore the signs. You followed the clues. And … I guess I noticed you a long time ago.”
“Wait.. what?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve seen you at school before. You helped the kid in the cafeteria last month when he dropped his tray. And in gym class, you stood up for that girl when people were teasing her. I figured someone like you could handle something bigger.”
My face was definitely turning red now.
“Oh,” I said, pretending to look around that room. “So this is the part where you say we’re partners now, right?”
“Maybe,” Jace said, stepping closer. “Or maybe… this is the part where I ask if you want to hang out sometime. You know when we’re not saving the world.”
I looked at him, still trying to process everything. But somehow, even with all the weirdness, I smiled.
“Sure,” I said. “But next time just text me like a normal person.”
He grinned. “Deal.”
