“We certainly will,” I agreed, glaring up at Noah. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
Everyone followed Amy into the computer lab and into the adjoining editing suite. For the first time since I’d been to the new space, it was completely empty.
“He must be out watching the beast with the others,” Sam surmised.
I looked over the complicated workstation. “Do you think you can find it, Amy?”
She sat down in front of the keyboard. “I think so. After all, I helped organize it.”
Using the keyboard and the large trackball, Amy navigated to a screen full of file folders. She opened one labeled CONFESSIONALS, revealing more folders inside. Each of these had a student’s name, just like the scanned blueprints. Amy scrolled down and selected one labeled NEWTON, NOAH. There were dozens of new files inside.
Sam gave a look of disbelief. “How many of these did you do? Have you even been to class lately?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Welcome to the Noah Newton Show.”
“Just show me the clip you’re talking about,” Noah snapped.
Amy moved the cursor over the files. “How do you know which one it is?”
“It’s Newton eleven,” I said confidently. I may not have a photographic memory like Amy’s, but I remembered the file Joey had asked for.
Amy clicked on the icon and Noah’s smiling face appeared on the large viewscreen above the workstation.
“Get over yourself, Tom Swift,” the Noah onscreen said. “Just because your name’s on the school doesn’t mean that you’re a big deal.”
Sam and Amy gasped in unison.
“Noah!” Sam said.
“Oh snap,” Noah muttered. “I remember this now.”
“You probably wouldn’t be here if your dad hadn’t built the school,” Onscreen Noah continued. “You’re not even that good of an inventor.” The clip cut to black.
“There,” I said, pointing at the screen. “Is that clear enough for you?”
Amy sprung out of her seat and rounded on Noah. “How could you?”
“What were you thinking?” Sam asked.
Noah held up his hands. “Okay, okay, I know this looks bad.”
“It is bad!” Amy barked. I had never seen her so worked up. “Tom is your best friend!”
“Listen, I can explain,” Noah said, backing away.
Sam narrowed her eyes. “I don’t see how.”
Noah pointed at the workstation. “Ames…”
“Don’t you Ames me,” Amy said, shaking her head.
“No, please. Is there a way to show the entire clip?”
Amy crossed her arms and just glared at him.
“Please?”
Amy let out a long breath and sat back down. She shook her head as she moved the cursor over to a screen showing a timeline of Noah’s clip. Only part of the bar was highlighted. Amy moved the start point back and the end point forward. Once most of the clip was selected, she pressed the space bar so that it played on the main screen.
“Tell me about your friend Tom,” came Joey’s voice from the speakers. Since he sat behind the camera, his voice was softer than Noah’s had been.
“Tom’s great,” Onscreen Noah replied. “He’s a first-rate inventor, too. You should see some of the cool stuff he comes up with.”
I suddenly felt very confused. Here was my best friend, in the same clip, saying how great I was. I didn’t understand.
“What would you say are some of his faults?” Joey’s offscreen voice asked.
On the screen, Noah glanced down. “I don’t know. I guess he gets hung up sometimes about people treating him differently because of his name.”
I glanced over at Noah. He gave a small shrug and a nod in a Well, you do kind of way.
It was true. If anyone was sick of listening to my worries about being treated differently, it had to be Noah.
“Interesting,” Joey’s voice said. “What do you think Tom worries people would say to him if they thought he was getting special treatment?”
Onscreen Noah rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I don’t know… probably something like”—he straightened and looked right into the camera—“ ‘Get over yourself, Tom Swift. Just because your name’s on the school doesn’t mean that you’re a big deal. You probably wouldn’t be here if your dad hadn’t built the school. You’re not even that good of an inventor.’ ” Noah shrugged. “Something like that, I guess.”
“That’s great,” Joey’s voice replied. “I think that’s all we need for now.”
The screen went black as the clip ended.
The four of us blinked at one another, stunned.
Sam pointed to the screen. “So, Joey just showed you that part?”
I nodded.
Amy covered her mouth. “How awful.”
My face grew warm as I felt both embarrassed and angry at once—angry for being so easily manipulated, and ashamed for being so upset with Noah that I’d said horrible things about him. At least Noah hadn’t meant what he’d said. I had.
I could barely look at my best friend. “I’m so sorry, man.”
Noah held up a hand. “No, I’m sorry. And I would be furious too if I saw that clip.”
“Yeah, but the stuff I said—”
Noah held out a fist. “Don’t worry about it.”
I smiled and bumped his fist with mine.
“Okay, we get it. You’re both friends again,” Sam said, shaking her head.
Amy covered her mouth and giggled.
“The bigger issue here is that you were being manipulated into hating each other.” Sam nodded at the workstation. “Since there are so many people at each other’s throats, do you think Joey has been doing this to everyone?”
Amy’s fingers raced over the keyboard. “I can find out.”
Just then, we heard voices coming from the computer lab.
“Both camera crews lost them,” Joey said, his voice getting louder. “But they’ll pick them up tomorrow.”
The four of us exchanged looks. We were trapped with no way out.
11
The Obliteration Objective
“IN HERE,” I WHISPERED, PULLING back the curtain to the confessional.
We crammed into the small area. It was tight with four of us and all of our backpacks, but I was just able to pull the curtain closed again.
“Wait a minute.” Amy shoved past me and hurried back to the workstation.
My heart raced as I watched her lean over the keyboard. Joey could walk
