Jackson turned his head in the direction Ruby was looking. He saw a lone figure walking toward them with six camels in tow.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jackson said. “We’re riding camels to Cairo?”

“Aaagha bezzzeter chuck,” Flinch said.

“Huh?”

The hyperactive boy turned the knob on his body harness. “I said ‘camels rule, bro!’”

Ruby ignored the chatter. “Let’s move, people.”

“Uh, we’re kind of stuck!” Jackson cried from inside the parachute burrito.

“No worries,” Duncan said. “Laser watch activate.”

Duncan’s wristwatch opened and a tiny laser cannon poked out. It targeted the straps of the parachute, and moments later the two boys were free.

“I didn’t get a laser watch,” Jackson grumbled.

“I know,” Duncan said with a smile. “It’s only for the good agents.”

With the camel salesman’s help, Jackson and the others mounted their animals. Once they were safely aboard, the old man smacked Jackson’s camel on the rump, sending him racing into the desert. It turned out riding a camel was like being on a smelly inner tube trapped in white-water rapids. He fell off the furry monster a dozen times, and each time, the camel reached down and bit him. His teammates just laughed.

Worse, the sun was broiling. The disguises the librarian had given them protected against its vicious rays, but felt heavy in the heat. Jackson complained, and the others ignored him.

They had been traveling for a couple of hours when Ruby called for them to take a break. She pointed out a rocky outcropping and led the rest of the team toward it.

Jackson attempted to dismount, but his camel bucked and kicked, sending him sprawling onto the ground. He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as if the beast was giggling at him, just like the rest of his team. He picked himself up and pulled his pack off the camel’s back. Inside he found several bottles of water and Ms. Holiday’s cookie. He decided he needed a treat and took a bite. The cookie was as hard as stone and tasted like vinegar. He wrapped it back up and put it in his shirt pocket. Clearly, Ms. Holiday could not bake.

“How long do you think we’ll be here?” Jackson asked Ruby. She ignored him. She took a school organizer out of her pack and opened it up. Where folders and rulers should have been, there was a computer monitor and keyboard, as well as a tiny satellite dish spinning in circles.

“Probably a half hour,” Duncan said. “Ruby likes to get topographic maps and weather before we get into the heat of the mission. It will take a while to link to Benjamin.”

Jackson laid back and closed his eyes. “I think I’ll take a nap, then.”

“Do what you want, but don’t expect a bedtime story from me,” Wheezer said.

When Jackson awoke, the sun was in his eyes, his mouth was dry, and he had a knife across his throat. He looked up and saw the owner of the blade—a dark-skinned man with a long beard and stringy black hair. He wore loose, flowing white pants and a green shirt and had a leather belt lined with shotgun shells. He barked something in a language Jackson didn’t understand. Out of the corner of his eye, Jackson saw more men just like him, all brandishing ugly swords and shouting threats. He didn’t have to be multilingual to know they were angry.

“Try to relax,” Ruby said to him. “No sudden movements. These are local tribal fighters and we’ve stumbled onto their land.”

“How do you know that?” Jackson said as he craned his neck to see her. She was standing behind him. A group of men had their swords aimed at her heart.

“Call it a hunch,” Ruby said.

“Where are the others?” Jackson asked.

“I sent them ahead to scout the highway into Cairo. They won’t be back for an hour,” the girl replied.

“So we’re here alone?” Jackson cried. The man holding the sword shouted at him angrily and pressed his blade closer to his Adam’s apple.

“You remember me telling you to relax, right?” Ruby said.

“So what are we going to do?” Jackson said more quietly.

“Well, we have two choices. We can die, which is what these guys want us to do, or we can fight back and die a little later. You choose.”

“Don’t you have some spy gadget or gizmo?” Jackson asked. “What about your upgrades?”

“Mine are inside my body, doofus. My allergies make me highly sensitive to danger—almost bordering on psychic. For instance, my tongue is swollen because I’m allergic to angry threats. My eyes are itchy because I’m allergic to large groups of people with swords. My ears feel clogged because I’m allergic to answering dumb questions. My ability is not going to help us much here. Why don’t you use your upgrades?”

“I don’t know how to use them yet,” Jackson said. “All I know is that I can use my braces to catch a flying car and force-feed a dog. I haven’t had a single lesson on what they can do.”

“I told Brand you weren’t ready,” Ruby said. “I wish Gluestick was here. He’s a technology guy, but I’ll do my best to explain. Your braces are made from millions of tiny robots called nanobytes. They are linked to your brain so you have control over them. If you want them to react, all you have to do is to think it.”

Jackson concentrated and he could feel the wires swirling around in his mouth, and in a flash a crudely shaped fist rocketed out of his mouth and caught the warrior leader under the chin. He dropped his saber and fell backward into the sand.

The other warriors raised their swords in the air and screamed in fury. Six strands shot out of Jackson’s mouth, all with swords at the ends. The fighters slashed with their weapons, but Jackson’s braces blocked each attack. Jackson felt like he had six musketeers in his mouth. Metal crashed into metal and sparks flew everywhere. Finally, Jackson managed to disarm the entire gang, and they ran off in fear.

“Did you see that?” Jackson cried as his braces retracted into his mouth. “I rule!”

“That was hardly worth the self-congratulations,” Ruby said.

“What? Was I the only one standing here? Those guys were going to kill us. You’re lucky I was here to save your itchy behind.”

“Let’s just get something straight!” Ruby shouted. “We don’t need your help in any way, shape, or form. Each one of us is an expertly trained fighting machine. We all know how to paralyze a man with just a pinch. You’re on this team despite the fact that all of us voted against you. Our votes used to mean something … anyway, just because we’re stuck with you doesn’t mean we’re ever going to be buddies or grateful to you for anything. You’re a bully—”

“What?” Jackson cried.

“A bully!” Ruby shouted even louder. “So you fought off a few bad guys. If you think I would do the same for you, then you’re dumber than you look. You’re on your own, and if you think you can intimidate us with a wedgie or a headlock, you’ve got another think coming.”

“So I guess you’re not going to thank me?” Jackson said.

An hour later, Matilda floated to the ground with Duncan in her arms. In the distance they spotted a streak of dust heading in their direction. When it stopped just six inches away, Jackson realized it was Flinch with Heathcliff on his back.

“Oh, I always miss the fun,” Matilda complained when she saw the piles of weapons.

“Some fighters decided to mess with Jackson Jones!” Jackson crowed. “They learned the hard way how tough I am.”

Ruby turned away. “Let’s get going. We’ve got several more miles before we get to the lab, and who knows how many more of these fighters are lurking about.”

The others were soon climbing aboard their camels.

Jackson was annoyed. “What? No pat on the back? No good job, Jackson? Where’s the gratitude?”

The others ignored him and trotted off.

Cairo was a fascinating place. Skyscrapers rose high into the air next to ancient stone buildings. Taxis and sports cars shared the roads with camels and donkeys. Men in suits rushed off to work while farmers pushed carts of exotic fruits and vegetables to market.