"But, Daddy, I survived," Natalia said, sitting up. "Look, as strange as this may sound, I think we were called into this for a reason, and I don't want to stop. I can't stop. I want to protect you and Mom and our whole family, and I won't be able to do that if I leave."

Mr. Romanov scratched at what little of the auburn hair remained on his scalp. Then he stood up, shook his head, and smiled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but okay."

"I can stay?" Natalia couldn't hide her shock.

"I'll talk to your mother about this, but I have a feeling she isn't going to be happy. Either way, there're going to be some conditions," he said, trying to sound stern but failing miserably. He couldn't help but sound proud. "No more joyrides in flying cars. In fact, I don't want you in flying cars at all."

"Agreed."

"And other than your classes, I don't want you coming into this city."

"Wait, you mean New Victoria?"

"Yes."

Natalia was about to protest, but she decided against it. After all, considering everything that had happened, Natalia knew that she was lucky. She didn't think there would be a chance that she'd be able to stay, and her father wasn't asking for much.

He'd been sleeping on an uncomfortable cot in her room every night since the accident, while Natalia's mother stayed with her sister, Katarina, at their house. It was a sacrifice. After all, Mr. Romanov was a tall man, and his legs were far too long for the cot. Yet he never complained, not once.

Instead, he stayed up half the night trying to catch up on paperwork that he'd neglected in order to spend more time with Natalia. Occasionally he'd leave to pick up something at his office, but only if Brooke or someone else was there to keep Natalia company.

When Doc Trimble finally signed her release papers, Natalia wasn't sure what to do with the cover of Von Strife's journal. Her first thought was to tie it to a rock and throw it to the bottom of Lake Avalon. She figured it couldn't harm anyone from there.

Still, despite the fact that it gave her nightmares, the journal had proved useful so far. As much as the thought of traveling back inside its memories terrified her, Natalia knew that the journal cover might come in handy down the line. She decided to hide it in the records room inside the school library. Natalia was fairly certain she was the only person who went in there, besides Mrs. Prosser, the head librarian.

Ernie had told his parents that he needed to stay after school to work on a project. Instead, he ended up outside Obadiah Strange's office. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Ernie found Strange standing as he stared at several maps strewn across his desk. An antique phonograph played classical music as a fire crackled in the hearth nearby. There was ash on the floor, likely from the stack of papers that were burning atop the logs.

"I thought you were someone else," Strange said, looking up.

"Oh, sorry."

"Nonsense. Please, have a seat." Strange pointed to the leather chairs in front of his desk, took a deep draft of tea, and joined Ernie.

"What are all the maps for?"

"Your field test," Strange said. "We'll use the jump station to transport here." He pointed to a clearing in the middle of an enormous forest on one of the maps. He slid his finger to a dark area that looked like it might be a hill. "And this is where we should find the Schrodinger Box."

"What does that thing do again?"

"Theoretically, it will ensure that you're not torn apart when you travel from one universe to another."

"How do you know it's still there?"

"I don't," Strange said.

Ernie stood up and walked over to a shelf where he had spotted some tin soldiers next to a small box. They were lined up as though they were in a battle. Some stood with rifles aimed, while others rode on horseback. Then he saw tin clockworks scattered among the soldiers. There was even a suit of Mark Four armor just like the one Harley had worn.

"Where did you get these?" he asked as he picked the armor up.

"They were a gift from a man by the name of Wilhelm the First," Strange said.

"Was he a king or something?"

"Yes, for a time."

"What's this?" Ernie asked. He set the tin armor down and touched the box.

"Please be careful, it's quite delicate."

Ernie unfastened the latch and pushed the lid back to reveal a porcelain ballerina that started to pirouette as music played. "Natalia has one of these."

"Many young girls do," Strange said.

"Then why do you have one?"

"Let's just say it has sentimental value," Strange said, walking over to shut the lid. He clasped the lock and turned back to Ernie. "Now tell me, what brings you here at this late hour? Are you out of our special brew?"

"I think I have enough," Ernie said, referring to the dragon dung tea that was supposed to stunt the changeling transformation from human to faerie.

"Since you don't have a tail just yet, I'd say it must be working."

"I guess."

"Is something troubling you?"

"I've been thinking," Ernie said after a moment. "You know how you can travel through time?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Strange said.

"Do you already know what's going to happen?"

"What do you mean?" Strange walked over to his desk and sat down. He motioned for Ernie to do the same.

"If you already know what's going to happen, you could tell us how to save Hale."

"I'm afraid that my gift doesn't work that way."

"Why not?"

"It's true that because of my changeling gift I travel back to a certain point in time if I die, but there's a twist.... It's never the same world."

"Like Mars?"

Strange sighed. "No, Mr. Tweeny. Though that would simplify things. I'm referring to an alternate universe that may resemble our own, but it's quite different."

"Oh, you mean like in comic books where there's a thousand versions of Superman on a thousand different Earths?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Does that mean there's more than one of me?"

"More than likely."

Ernie sat there trying to grasp the concept, but it wasn't easy. "So what would happen if I met another version of myself? Would the world explode or something?"

"I hope not," Strange said, laughing.

"Do you think there's another version of me here right now?"

"I'd say the odds are against you, but more peculiar things have happened."

Ernie sighed. "I wish I could go to another Earth right now."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because everyone at school thinks that I'm helping Otto Von Strife kidnap the changelings. You know, just like Smoke did."

"Let me ask you a question," Strange said after a moment of contemplation. "When a baseball team doesn't live up to expectations, what happens?"

"I don't know," Ernie said. "I guess they fire the coach."

"Precisely," Strange said. "Right or wrong, the coach becomes the scapegoat for the failures of the team."

"The team didn't fail, though. I did," Ernie said. "I mean, I didn't do it on purpose or anything, but I'm the one who led them into the trap."

"Perhaps, but we all make mistakes," Strange said. "No matter what, we cannot let those mistakes define who we are."

"What am I supposed to do?" Ernie said.

"Only you know that answer, Agent Thunderbolt," Strange said. "But one way or the other, you must win back their confidence."

MAKE THE JUMP.

Ernie knew that he had to rescue Hale before Von Strife ripped the soul out of her body and stuffed it into one of his machines. It was the only way the other changelings were going to forgive him. Ernie just wasn't sure how he was going to do it.

A few days after the incident, the New Victoria Chronicle ran an article unmasking the Agents of Justice. Once the public learned that the vigilantes were changelings from Iron Bridge Academy, editorial letters about Dean Nipkin's incompetence poured in.

Dean Nipkin decided to take her frustration out on her students. Annie was given daily injections of a serum that negated her powers so she couldn't manipulate the inhibitors. Short of a miracle, the changelings-except for Ernie-were going to be stuck in Sendak Hall until summer break.

There was an exception, however. Obadiah Strange made sure that the changelings were allowed to continue attending his class. Dean Nipkin wasn't happy about it, but Strange had the backing of the Templar academies' governing board, and its word was final.

The Relic Hunters continued to train in the SIM Chamber, despite the friction among the students. After the incident with Hale, Ernie was enemy number one with the other changelings. His relationship with the Grey Griffins wasn't much better. Ernie was still avoiding Max and Harley, despite Natalia's constant urging for them to work things out. They didn't.

Then, just three days after Ernie met with Strange in his office, a clockwork messenger showed up in homeroom. The machine was tall and thin, with a shiny iron casing accented by bits of bronze. It had four eyes, all the same size, stacked in two rows of two, and a hinged jaw and long fingers.

"Excuse me," the clockwork said.

"Yes?" Ms. Merical asked.

"I've been sent to collect the following students: Natalia Romanov, Harley Eisenstein, Ernest Tweeny, and Grayson Sumner," the clockwork said, using Max's formal name.

"Max," Max said, correcting the clockwork.

"Pardon me?"

"My name is Max."

"Never mind," Ms. Merical said. "May I ask why you need to see them?"

The clockwork turned away from Max to face her. "Obadiah Strange requires their presence. They are to be excused from all classes today." It walked over to hand her a slip of paper.

Ms. Merical removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You tell Obadiah that I expect him to look out for these children. I swear, if one hair on their heads is harmed, I'll come after him."

The clockwork tilted its head as though it was trying to understand the gravity of the threat. At the same time, Max and the other Grey Griffins gathered their belongings and followed the clockwork down the hall, up a flight of steps, and then into a large room, where Strange was standing with the other students from their Archaeological Reconnaissance and Excavation class. Todd and Ross were already there.

"Welcome," Strange said as the Griffins walked in. "Well, now that our class is complete, let's get down to business. We have reason to believe that Von Strife is actively searching for the Schrodinger Box, which means we must act now."

"Wait, does that mean we're going on our field test today?" Todd asked. His eyes were wide.

"I'm afraid so," Strange said.

"But we haven't been able to pass the test in the SIM Chamber," Ross said. "Yesterday I fell into a pit with a Sand Dragon, and Todd got eaten by a colony of Vampire Pixies. Xander hasn't even passed his test yet. I mean, if he can't do it, how are we supposed to survive?"

Though Strange was smiling, it was clear by his stiff posture, if not the intensity of his eyes, that he was just as concerned. "I'm afraid we haven't the time to wait," he said. "I don't have to tell you the gravity of what would happen if Von Strife opens a portal to the Shadowlands. All would be lost."

"What if we can't find it?" Todd said. "Or what if Von Strife already has it?"

"We'll worry about that later," Strange said. "Right now, all you need to focus on is getting into your gear and making the jump."

"Are you talking about a jump station?" Ross asked. "As in a room that can teleport us anywhere in the world?"

"Yes, of course," Strange said.

"When did we get one of those?" Todd asked. "I mean, I thought we weren't allowed to use portals on campus."

"You aren't," Strange said, "but I am."

Even though they had spent weeks preparing for the mission, tensions were high. Catalina's imp vomited, while Kenji's drake flew in circles belching flames. Sprig, however, was asleep in a corner of the room.

"I bet these things are made with that new ballistic fabric," Todd said as he slipped into a camouflage jumpsuit that each of the Relic Hunters had been given. "You know, like a bulletproof vest."

Besides the jumpsuit, each Relic Hunter had been given boots, gloves, a helmet, a backpack filled with basic supplies, and a communication device that fastened to their wrists like an oversized watch.

Natalia saw Ernie sitting by himself in the far corner of the room, his eyes focused on the floor as his leg shook up and down thanks to nerves. She walked over and asked, "You haven't talked to Max or Harley yet, have you?"