Time Chasers #3 (Area 51 Interns, Band 3) - Hardcover

Buch 3 von 3: Area 51 Interns

Murray, James S.; Smith, Carsen

 
9780593226162: Time Chasers #3 (Area 51 Interns, Band 3)
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 059322616X ISBN 13: 9780593226162
Verlag: Penguin Workshop, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

From the mind of Murr from the Impractical Jokers and comedian Carsen Smith comes the third book in the hilarious and action-packed series about a world of bizarre creatures, wacky gadgets, and four kid interns at the most interesting place on Earth: Area 51!

After the shocking revelation about her long-lost father, Viv, Elijah, Charlotte, and Ray are determined to save him at any cost. So it's a no-brainer for them to sneak into one of Area 51's finicky time machines to try to bring him back. What could go wrong? Well, how about not being able to track Viv's father through time, almost getting destroyed by the same meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and being chased by strange beings that preserve the proper flow of time? And with her father's life—and their own histories— at stake, Viv and her friends may be running out of time to set things right... 

This third book in the debut middle-grade series from Murr of the Impractical Jokers and co-author Carsen Smith, Area 51 Interns is filled with enough high-tech hijinks, strange creatures and technology, and laugh-out-loud humor (plus an extra color insert full of gadgets) to make even Area 51 skeptics hooked for more!

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

James S. Murray is a writer, executive producer, and actor, best known as “Murr” on the hit television show Impractical Jokers on truTV and The Misery Index on TBS. When he is not helping search for LARRY or getting thrown out of an airplane by his best friends, Murr writes novels, such as the international best-selling Awakened trilogy, Don’t Move, and The Stowaway. Originally from Staten Island, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife, Melyssa, and puppy, Penny. @jamessmurray. Carsen Smith wrote her first book at nine years old, but it wasn’t very good. Now, she’s a comedian, writer, and producer living in Brooklyn with her cats, Goose and Buffalo. She once worked as a zookeeper and can probably beat you at Ping-Pong.

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Chapter One

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO . . .

The arch of electricity curved over the top of the machine as the metal apparatus came to life, crackling and sizzling like a bug zapper.

Ernest Becker watched it through the glass window from the nearby observation room. He had waited for this moment his entire life, and so he tried to ignore the fact that the compression suit meant to monitor his vital signs was starting to itch. He wished he’d chosen a comfier outfit for traversing the space-time continuum.

But there was no turning back now.

A knock at the door pulled his attention away from the impressive electrical display.

Ernest felt his heart clench upon seeing it was Cassandra Harlow who had joined him in the small room. His mind swirled as he tried to sort out everything he wanted to say to her, but she took the decision out of his hands by speaking first.

“Are you sure about this?” Cassandra asked. Ernest could hear the tiniest shake to her voice.

“If everything goes according to plan, you won’t even notice I’m gone.” Ernest smiled. “You trust me, don’t you?” He took her hand in his. Her eyes twinkled under the lights of the time machine.

“You’re sure you don’t want a team to go with you?” Cassandra pressed. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“I can’t risk losing anybody else,” Ernest said. “It’s my machine. If anyone should go, it should be me.”

Cassandra crossed her arms. An uneasiness filled the silent space between them.

“You want anything while I’m out?” Ernest asked with a raised brow. “Whatever you want. Cleopatra’s necklace? Amelia Earhart’s goggles? One of Queen Victoria’s crowns?”

Cassandra smirked. “Leave it to you to make the first manned mission through time sound like you’re going Christmas shopping.”

“You’re right. Who am I kidding? Guess I’ll have to settle for a Super Bowl ring from 1978.”

“Now that you mention it, I suppose I wouldn’t mind one of Marie Curie’s beakers.”

“Say no more. I bet she won’t even notice it’s gone,” Ernest said with a grin.

Cassandra sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back by the door. “Ernest . . . all I want is for you to get back in one piece.”

“Cassandra . . . ,” Ernest started. He turned toward the window, resting his gaze upon the time machine.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been wanting to tell you something for a while now . . .” He trailed off again, his breath fogging up the glass.

“What is it, Ernest?” Cassandra asked.

Ernest bit the inside of his lip. Risking his life by traveling through time felt less scary than trying to get out the words that had been building up for so long.

Is now the right time? What if . . . I don’t make it home?

No. I’ll make it home. And we’ll have the rest of our lives to figure this out.

“How about this? I promise to tell you when I get back,” he said with a gentle smile. “And it will definitely be worth it.”

Cassandra raised a curious eyebrow, but before she could respond, a buzz came from her hip. She glanced down at the message and then back up to Ernest.

“That’s Director Martinez. He says it’s time.”

Cassandra opened the door and motioned toward the hall. Ernest took one last deep breath as their hands brushed against each other’s on the threshold.

Stepping into the time machine bay, Ernest suddenly felt claustrophobic. A hundred faces looked back at his. A whole array of Area 51 employees had come to watch the historic occasion. Their expressions ranged from excited to petrified, a perfect amalgamation of Ernest’s own feelings.

Slowly but surely, a wave of applause overtook the crowd. Ernest couldn’t help but feel humbled by the outpouring of admiration from the nation’s top scientific minds.

Director Martinez intercepted the two of them.

“Everything is set and ready to go; the same parameters as the last fifty test runs,” Director Martinez said. “Now, don’t you go forgetting about us during all of your incredible travels!”

Ernest ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, don’t worry, Director Martinez. I could never forget about you.”

The director gave a hearty chuckle and took his place at the control station. Ernest stepped into position in front of the large pod. His heart began to beat wildly against his temporal transporter device that hung against his chest. Much like his suit’s itchiness, he questioned why he’d made the important time dial quite so heavy.

He peered around the back wall at the numerous time machine prototypes lined up in the bay. The first few were in shambles, shattered pieces of titanium that couldn’t hold up against the powerful portals they created. The more recent prototypes had been successful in transporting androids, plant life, and even mice through time. Each represented one step closer to this moment—the moment when Ernest’s life’s work would finally all be worth it.

Director Martinez and the members of Ernest’s Continuum Navigation team hovered over the control panel. In synchronicity, they revved up the power feeding to the center machine. All that was left was for Ernest to step inside, set his coordinates on the interior time machine dashboard, and let the portal do the rest.

The voltage swelled into the metallic dome. Electricity zapped faster and faster until the rhythm morphed into one continuous thrumming sound.

Ernest looked over his shoulder one last time. Cassandra mouthed the words he had been searching for all this time:

I love you.

The doors closed behind him with a resounding clang.

He looked down at his temporal transporter and twisted the dial, aligning the clock on his chest to the coordinates set into the dashboard.

Within an instant, the time portal swirled to life inside the machine. It was even more beautiful than he ever could’ve imagined—a churning spiral of vivid colors and shimmering silver dust. Ernest felt his hands ball up into fists by his side. He steadied his nerves, stepped into the spinning mass of particles, and felt his own atoms disassemble as his body was thrust into the space-time continuum.

*****

Cassandra held her breath, waiting for Ernest’s safe return. All the oxygen in the room felt like it had been sucked out through the portal with him.

She blinked her eyes and squeezed them hard, hoping that when she opened them, Ernest would be standing there with his gleaming smile as brilliant as ever.

The question built up in her throat like a punch. “Shouldn’t he be back by now?”

Director Martinez curled his fingers around his chin.

Steam drifted and swirled in the place where the time machine had been sitting. When the vapor finally cleared, there was nothing.

No Super Bowl ring.

No Marie Curie souvenirs.

No time machine.

No Ernest.

Alarms exploded from the control panel.

“What’s happening?” Cassandra shouted. “What’s wrong?”

Director Martinez and the rest of the Continuum Navigation team spread out across the control panel in a flurry of typing fingers and dizzying scrolling.

“His tracking...

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Verlag
Penguin Workshop
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
059322616X
ISBN 13 
9780593226162
Einband
Gebundene Ausgabe
Anzahl der Seiten
240
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