Insignia by S. J. Kincaid

Author:S. J. Kincaid [Kincaid, S. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780062093011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2012-07-10T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TOM AND VIK binge-downloaded the night’s homework and then tried to walk out the door of their bunk. Neither of them made it. They collapsed in a stupor on the floor. Tom roused only when Vik cried, “Wake up! We missed Calisthenics!”

Tom jolted to his feet, feeling stupid and strange. He fell behind when Vik rushed off to Math class. Flashes of the night’s homework kept plaguing him, appearing before his eyes, confusing him, drawing his attention to irrelevant facts his processor hadn’t yet sorted out. It took him a full minute to remember how to press the button to summon the elevator.

When he finally made it inside, he found Karl Marsters already in there. The two boys froze, shocked for a full second.

Like that, Tom’s brain snapped into gear. He tore back his sleeve to bare his forearm keyboard and frantically typed. He heard Karl doing the same thing.

“Aha!” Karl cried.

Tom launched Walk Only Right as Karl launched Exorcist.

Exorcist had been floating around ever since Alec Tarsus wrote it, so Tom opened his mouth to taunt him, “You couldn’t come up with your own?” even though Vik had practically rewritten all his code for Walk Only Right. But creepy Latin-sounding words spouted out instead.

“Gotcha,” Karl exulted, but he wasn’t laughing for long. When he tried to step out of the elevator, he turned right. When he tried to go left, he went right. He bellowed and tried to change direction, and he turned right again.

Tom had planned to say, “Don’t get too dizzy” to rub it in a bit, but instead heard himself shriek, “I’ll spit on your grave!” He covered his mouth and left Karl turning in endless circles in the middle of the elevator.

He arrived at the Lafayette Room several minutes late. Vik glanced up as Tom slid onto the bench next to him. “Have your head on straight yet?”

“Oladae holovii inuladus,” Tom answered.

“Ooh. Got Exorcisted, huh?”

Out of habit, Tom tried to say yes. Instead, he shrieked, “I’ll eat your soul!”

At the front of the room, Dr. Lichtenstein jerked, startled by the noise. Vik muffled his laughter, and Tom just covered his mouth to stop it from chanting more pseudo-Latin or homicidal phrases.

“The program’s all compiled. We’re on for taking down the Evil Wench tonight?” Vik said in a low voice.

Tom nodded, hand still over his mouth.

“Are you sure? That was a reluctant nod. I’ll really feel a lot more confident if I hear you say yes or no. Just say it out loud for me.”

Tom glared at him, knowing he just wanted him to Exorcist a little more, and gave him a nonverbal reply. It only required one finger, too.

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