Evil Genius (novel)
| File:Evil Genius Cover.jpg Front cover of the novel | |
| Author | Catherine Jinks |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Science fiction |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin, Australia |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 486 |
| Followed by | Genius Squad |
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (March 2008) |
Evil Genius is a novel written by Catherine Jinks and published in 2005 by Allen & Unwin, Australia. The book follows the story of Cadel Piggot, a child prodigy.
Synopsis
Phineas Darkkon, a scientific genius and the owner of a company called GenoME, develops an evil scheme with his assistant, Doel the Disrupter (a psychic), to take over the world. Bobrick, under the name Phineas Darkkon, uses Doel to blackmail the government. However, an anonymous tip lands Darkkon in jail and Doel in a mental institution.
Years later, Cadel Piggot and his adoptive parents, Lanna and Stuart Piggot, arrive at Thaddeus Roth's psychologist office, after a "suggestion" from the police, after he hacked into several high-security networks. Thaddeus gives Cadel the cryptic message to "not get caught." For many weeks after, Thaddeus sees Cadel on a regular basis, encouraging him to use his unique gifts. This results in him causing a stall in Sydney's rail network and its roads, both times using a bomb scare to cause the stoppage. Thaddeus reprimands Cadel, lecturing him on Modus Operandi. He later causes the destruction of his school's gymnasium, manipulates his fellow students in order to make them score dismal results on their HSC tests, and accidentally made another student blow his thumb off.
While Thaddeus and Cadel were talking about his adoptive parents, Thaddeus mentions that he has known Cadel's real father for quite a while. He instructs Cadel to research the name Phineas Darkkon. The next time Cadel visits Thaddeus, his father talks to him through a DNA-wired transmitter, hidden in his arthritis bangle, whereupon Cadel demands a computer from his father, insisting that he gets a DNA-wired one. Later, he agrees, and sends Cadel a computer, disguised as a mobile phone, which was, in fact, disguised impeccably as Cadel's.
Using his computer, Cadel founds an online dating website called Partner Post. Rather than matching people with other people, Cadel simply creates a fake identity who would cater to a user's every need. He eventually meets a person by the name of Kay-Lee McDougall, and converses with her for quite a time, under the name of Eiran Dempster, gradually forgetting his other Partner Post clients.
By this time, Cadel had finished high school, receiving top marks, and was looking for a university to go to. Thaddeus and Dr. Darkkon suggest Axis Institute, an academy founded especially for Cadel, by his father. When he goes there, he is initially treated badly, just as in school, but Thaddeus announces that he is Dr. Darkkon's son, (He was enrolled as Cadel Darkkon for his own safety) and says that he is "off limits." Cadel becomes cautious friends with many people, including some twins (Gem and Ni - Gemini), who claim to have ESP, a person who claims to be pyrogenic, and a boy who must wear a specially designed suit to prevent him from killing anyone with his stench...
Mrs. Brezeck, one of Cadel's former teachers, confronts Cadel, accusing him of manipulating his the students in his grade to make them score terribly on their HSC tests. (He had, in fact, engineered the breakup and distraction of many couples, so they would be too distraught to perform well on the tests, as a form of revenge). Thaddeus arrives, and immediately tells her to leave, and Cadel to be careful.
Meanwhile, at Axis Institute, Cadel is discovering that his father is keeping constant surveillance on him, the Piggots being "in on it," as well. Cadel responds by manipulating and sabotaging the institute, which results in many teachers dying.
One of Cadel's teacher's "Maestro" Max, kidnaps Cadel, and places him in an underground dungeon, after deducing that Cadel, Dr. Darkkon, and Thaddeus Roth are sabotaging the Institute. Max visits Cadel, telling him this, then leaves, leaving Cadel with a box of juice and potato chips. Cadel, having formulated an idea to escape, shorts out the heater in the room, and starts a fire using the mattress, duvet, pillow, and chip packet. When Max's bodyguards enter the room, filling with smoke, Cadel attempts to make his escape. Tommy, Max's bodyguard, catches Cadel, but he is soon rescued by Wilfreda (Thaddeus' receptionist) and Thaddeus.
Thaddeus takes Cadel away to his own house, in a somewhat remote location, which was named "Curramulla". Thaddeus, whose name is revealed to be Prosper English, informs Cadel that Dr. Darkkon is not, in fact, his father. English says that her mother and he were in love for a time, and that Cadel is actually the son of Prosper.
Cadel is taken to the Piggott's house, where his adoptive parents, 'Sue' (Lanna Piggott) and James Guisnal (Stuart Piggott) are waiting to help him gather some necessary items, which English suggested he take back to his estate. James soon leaves with Cadel's Infiltration (Computer Studies) teacher, Dr. Vee. Police arrive, and arrest Sue, and Cadel is 'rescued', but he was still in possession of his disguise. (Cadel's teacher, Alias, once set the homework of arriving at the next class in disguise, whereupon Cadel turned up wearing a cotton skirt and mascara.)
Whie in police custody, Cadel formulates a plan to escape, and requests that he use the lavatory. Secretly, he enters the women's lavatories and dons his disguise. The police officer standing outside the door, after waiting for quite a while, enters the men's lavatories, and Cadel takes then the opportunity to leave, and runs outside the building, hailing a taxi.
Unfortunately, Wilfreda, who was there on other business, was in the taxi. She takes him to English, and, after several unsuccessful attempts on the part of Cadel to escape they reach an unknown location, 'where the authorities will never think of looking.'
Eventually, police surround the house where Cadel and Prosper English are, and a standoff takes place, and English pretends to be an old man, calling out to the police in a fake voice of worry. English is meanwhile saying that Cadel must go with him, and be safe. Cadel responds by leaving the house, and he is immediately taken away in a car. While in the car, Cadel hears that Prosper surrendered, simply walking out of the house with his hands up.
The last chapter is an e-mail to Sonja, previously under the pseudonym Kay-Lee, who actually was posing as her nurse, by the same name, after Cadel discovers that she has cerebral palsy. The e-mail chronicles the events of Cadel's life after the police found him: he was living in a large house, while the authorities figure out who he really is. (His birth was not registered in America, and he was smuggled into Australia.) He reveals that Prosper English was being questioned, and the chance of a trial was slim, as English stated that he was merely renting the house he was found in, and his lawyers are arguing the false possibility of police not confirming to search warrant law. Cadel reveals that he might have to testify against his father. Finally, he recorded that he had signed a contract, admitting his involvement in the dismal failures of the students of his grade in the HSC test. He didn't expect that Sonja will reply, he is simply informing her of what was happening.