7 The Coast Is Clear

Chapter 7 THE COAST IS CLEAR Coke and Pep were lowered to the ground more gently than they expected. When they ripped the pillowcases off their heads, their kidnappers had familiar faces. "Bones!" shouted Coke. "Mya!" shouted Pep. Now, if you had read the first two Genius Files books, you would know that Bones and Mya are on the side of goodness and niceness. They once worked for Dr. Warsaw to start The Genius Files project but quit when he lost his mind and became determined to kill off all the children. At that point, they made it their mission to help Coke, Pep, and any other Genius Filers who were being pursued by Dr.

Warsaw or his henchman. That's okay, you know it now. The important thing is that Bones and Mya are friends and had already saved the twins' lives several times. "What are you doing here?" Pep asked as she hugged them. "We came to see you two," Mya told her. "We have good news." "It's about time," Coke said. "We've intercepted several text messages over the last few days," Bones reported, looking around to make sure they were alone. "Dr. Warsaw, it seems, is genuinely head over heels in love with your aunt Judy and is no longer interested in hurting children. Love will do that to a man. He's as harmless as a puppy dog now." "And we've also heard that Mrs. Higgins and those bowler dudes are out of the assassination business," Mya said. "So you can rest easy." Pep, for one, wasn't buying it. "Can you trust those text messages you

intercepted?" Pep asked. "Yeah," Coke added, "how do we know there aren't any new enemies out to get us? Like that Archie Clone jerk. He came out of the woodwork." "I can't offer any guarantees," Bones told them, "but I'm pretty confident the coast is clear. You can live your lives. You don't need us anymore." "Yeah, well, just in case, how about giving us something to defend ourselves?" asked Coke. "Like a few of those cool Frisbee grenades, like the one we used to blow up Archie Clone's helicopter?" "We can't do that," Mya said, reaching into her handbag. "The Frisbee grenades cost fifty thousand dollars each. But we did bring you a little good-bye present." She pulled out a small plastic jar with some kind of liquid inside. "What is it?" Pep asked. Mya unscrewed the top of the jar and pulled

out a little black wand with a circle at the end. She dipped it into the liquid and blew on it. Bubbles floated through the air. "You got us … bubbles?" Pep was incredulous. "I know," Coke said. "They're probably exploding bubbles, right? You blow them into some bad guy's face and … boom … his head is blown off! That is ingenious! Thanks. I can't wait to try this out." "Uh, they're not exploding bubbles," Bones said. "I'm sorry."

"No? Oh, I get it," said Coke. "The bubbles are filled with poison gas, right? You blow one and when it pops, your enemy inhales the gas and drops dead instantly, right? Cool! What will you people think of next?" "There's no poison gas in the bubbles, Coke," Mya told him. "Maybe the poison gas just puts you to sleep?" Coke suggested. "Or into a coma. That is awesome!" "No, the only gas in the bubbles is oxygen," Mya explained. "They're just plain old bubbles. We picked them up in a gift shop. You blow them. They float around. They're pretty. We thought you'd like them. Just be careful not to get them in your eyes. The soap stings like the dickens." "Gee, thanks a lot," Coke said, taking the jar. "Now that I have bubbles, I can defend the free world. I feel a lot safer." "We already told you," Mya said, "the coast is clear. You don't have to worry anymore."

"What about the cipher we received?" Pep asked. "LEVEL VIS I. It was part of the Fourth of July fireworks show we saw in Washington." "I don't think that's a cipher," Mya said. "It sounds more like a typo or something." "Even if it was a cipher," Bones told them, "how do you know it was meant for you? There were thousands of people there yesterday. The message, if there was one, could have been intended for anybody in that crowd." "I guess you're right," Pep said. "Well, I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure working with you two," Bones said. "Our job is done now. We wish you the best of luck in your future, wherever it may lead you." After a group hug, the twins ran back to the RV, where their parents were waiting. "Where were you two?" Mrs. McDonald said sternly. "You were just supposed to go get sodas. We were looking all over." There was a time when the twins would tell a lie to get out of trouble, but that never