“Thanks for the help!” Regan yelled after me, but I ignored her as I quickly typed a few key words into the computer’s state-of-the-art history search engine. I needed somewhere I could ditch a bag of explosives without it causing major damage to the past. The first thing that came to mind was Chernobyl, but I almost immediately dismissed the idea. It was nuclear, which always involved a lot of equipment and prep work, and besides that, we really couldn’t mess with Ukraine’s history without a sanction from their Glitch department.

What I needed was a big explosion that didn’t kill anyone, and that was tricky. I looked up to ask Regan, but she had her hands more than full with the flailing Salzburg. I shut my eyes, thinking hard. There was a test in New Mexico in 1985. If I remembered correctly, and I almost always remembered correctly, it was called Minor Scale, and it was the largest nonnuclear explosion ever detonated.

It would have to work. We were out of time. I quickly punched in the correct coordinates and raced for the platform as the clock above it started counting down. I skidded to a stop on the platform to collect the odd bundle of explosives like some kind of terrible Santa Claus and turned to see Regan leap off Salzburg’s back and roll clear as he came up swinging. I’d forgotten just how good she was at hand-to-hand combat when she didn’t have a hoop skirt in her way.

Regan looked up then, and I saw the horror register on her face as she realized why I was still standing there. Someone was going to have to take the bombs to their final resting place, and that someone was going to be me. I tried to smile what I hoped was a reassuring smile, but the tears I felt streaming down my cheeks ruined the effect as I prepared for my final Glitch in this lifetime.

Regan stood frozen, watching me for another heartbeat before sprinting for the platform.

“Stay back,” I yelled, but when had Regan ever listened to me? With one second left to go on the countdown clock, she grabbed my hand as everything went black.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Regan

We opened up our eyes in the desert. I looked around, expecting there to be a big pile of explosives sitting somewhere, but all I saw was what looked like an aboveground pool about ten feet in front of us. Whatever, it didn’t matter now, we were down to seconds before these things exploded, and I had no intention of exploding with them. Elliot was still holding the bag of explosives, and I ripped it off his shoulder and dropped it on the ground.

“Let’s go,” he said just as we heard a plane overhead. We turned to see that it was carrying something large and rocket shaped.

“It’s heading toward that pool,” I said.