F
INN AND
M
AYBECK
escorted Philby and Willa to the train platform for the Wildlife Express Train. Amanda had announced a discovery and asked that they meet her. She’d been very secretive, and they were eager to talk with her.
Charlene was still keeping an eye on the bat enclosure. The ice truck had not been moved.
The kids stood around watching Finn as he finally made the call to Rob Bernowski, Jez’s boyfriend. He had the BlackBerry on speakerphone so everyone could hear.
“Rob?”
“Yeah? Who’s this?”
“My name is Finn Whitman. I’m a friend of—”
“Jez’s. Yeah, I know.” He didn’t sound too thrilled. “She talks about you and the others all the time.”
Too much of the time
, his tone of voice implied.
“Have you seen her by any chance? Heard from her?”
“No. Why?”
“Just curious,” Finn said.
“What’s up with that?”
“Just asking.”
“Because?”
“Yeah, well…listen…I know this is going to sound stupid, but if there was one thing Jez could change about you, what would it be?”
“Is this some kind of contest or something?”
Finn hesitated. Willa was nodding violently.
“Yeah, that’s it exactly,” Finn said. “A contest. A school thing. How well do boyfriends and girlfriends know each other?”
“The one thing she would change?”
“Yes. That’s the question.”
A long hesitation on the other end of the call. “My clothes. She doesn’t like my jeans, man. I wear ‘em kinda low.”
“Your jeans?”
“Yeah. Did I answer right?”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Finn said. “That’s all you can think of?”
“I can tell you the one thing I’d change about her,” Rob volunteered, not giving Finn a chance to stop him. “I’d take her iPod away from her. She’s, like, addicted to that thing. That, and all the word games she plays. She’s into scrambling every word she can—making other words out of the same letters, you know?”
“Anagrams,” Finn said.
“What’s that?” Rob asked.
“It’s what you call that: an anagram is a word that can be made from the letters of another word.”
“Never heard of it.” He paused. “So what about my prize? Do I win a prize?”
“Ah…we’ll let you know. Thanks for your answers.” Finn ended the call.
“Anagrams,” Philby said. “You think it’s worth a try?”
“Do we think
what
is worth a try?” Maybeck asked.
“Jez wrote ‘change Rob’in her diary—”
“
And
inside the tree stump,” Willa added.
“Some kind of code?” Finn asked.
“Give me the BlackBerry,” Philby said, reaching toward Finn.
“I really don’t think we should call him back,” Finn said.
“I’m not calling anyone. The BlackBerry has Internet. We can settle this pretty quickly.”
Finn and the others leaned over Philby’s shoulder as he used the BlackBerry to Google an anagram site. Then, reaching a site, he typed in “change Rob,” and hit the button to generate anagrams.
The small screen showed a long list of possible letter combinations.
“‘Branch ego,’” he read from the screen. “‘Corn bag he.’” They laughed. “‘Herb can go.’”
“Let me see that.” Willa moved in next to Philby, to where their shoulders touched. No one missed how close she got to him, least of all Maybeck, who suddenly started shifting anxiously. Willa studied the screen and spoke in a quiet voice.
“We’ve done this before,” she reminded him. “The clues from the Stonecutter’s Quill. Remember? We solved that anagram without a Web site.”
“That’s because we didn’t have a BlackBerry. There’s nothing here,” Philby said.
“There are no proper names,” Willa said.
“So?” Philby challenged.
Willa took the BlackBerry out of Philby’s hand and held it where she could study it clearly. Then she calmly returned the BlackBerry to Philby, who passed it back to Finn.
“So I’ve got one,” she said, capturing the full attention of the others. She meant this as a challenge. She remained incredibly close to Philby, and she was looking him directly in the eyes. “One word. A name. A
Disney
name.”
“I give up,” Finn said.
“I don’t! Wait! Wait!” Philby barked, not wanting to lose to Willa.
“A Disney name?” Maybeck asked. “But then that’s
got
to be it. What is it, Willa? Tell us what it is!”
“Give up?” she asked Philby, her voice a hoarse whisper. There was something going on between these two. And Maybeck didn’t like it.
“No…No…” Philby pleaded.
“He gives up,” Maybeck said. “WE ALL GIVE UP.”
Willa’s eyes scrunched, as if to convey her disappointment in Philby. But Philby didn’t see her. His eyes were closed, his lips moving as if reading to himself.
“Chernabog!” Philby shouted out.
“And I was about to give up on
you
,” Willa said, obviously impressed.
“The creature from
Fantasia
?” Finn asked.
“You ever see that movie?” Maybeck questioned. “He is one mean dude.”
“And guess what?” Willa said. “Chernabog’s not only the most evil of all the Disney villains, he happens to be a demon with
bat
wings!”
The kids went silent, the air suddenly shattered by the train’s sharp whistle, announcing its arrival at the station.
H
E’S THE BADDEST OF THE BAD
. The most evil Walt Disney ever created.” Philby was in fine form, back to himself, alert from the sleep he’d gotten and able to think more clearly than either Maybeck or Finn. They waited in line for the Park train to the Conservation Station.
Charlene remained behind in the jungle just outside the bat enclosure. She blended in well there and, having found a log to stand on with her stilts, could keep an eye on the activities backstage by peering over the top of the wall. The back doors of the ice truck had been shut, Maleficent inside. As far as Charlene could tell, before entering the back of the truck neither Maleficent nor the monkeys and apes had realized the cages were empty. The tarps used to contain the captive DHIs and to block their projections from showing had also served to fool their captors.
Once the line was moving, Maybeck, Finn, Willa, and Philby separated for the ride out to the Conservation Station. They each took a place on the long benches amid the Park guests, all on different train cars. Summoned by Amanda, they were anxious to rendezvous and find out what had her so overheated.
As the train arrived at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, the kids split up. Park visitors trudged up the long path toward the Conservation Station. They were a team now, protective of one another and concerned for each other’s safety. These kids, who had once been strangers, were now anything but—brought together by a common enemy and the strange manifestations of a technology gone wrong. To remind them of their previous lives would have been foolish, for they could barely remember a time when falling asleep did not mean crossing over into a strange world, and where a white-haired old man had not controlled their shared fate.
Finn, who’d taken up the rear, entered the facility and joined the others in a huddle by the restrooms.
“I’m starving,” said Willa.
“Later,” said Philby.
“What’s so important?” Finn asked Amanda, who had abandoned her viewing station. The crowd had thinned as a veterinary demonstration had begun at the central display window: a snake had eaten a golf ball and was undergoing surgery.
“We have to act while they’re distracted. And I have to get back to the AnimalCam before someone realizes how many cameras that station has access to.”
“Act?” Finn inquired.
“One of the sketches from the diary.” She unfolded the original page of the diary and pointed out the ape on crutches. “It’s a tattoo. A washable tattoo for the children. It’s given to them after the private tours of the vet clinic. I think our passes will get us back there, but I didn’t want to leave my station for too long. And since the veterinary clinic means
animals
, I thought it was better to get some help and maybe do this as a team.”
“Agreed,” said Finn, attempting to digest everything she’d just told them.
“A tattoo?” Maybeck quipped in complaint. “What about Chernabog? What about the two apes we left spinning donuts back in the lodge? Who cares about some bleeping tattoo?”
“If it’s in the diary,” Philby said, “then it’s part of the puzzle she left us. That makes it significant. Amanda’s right: we have to pursue it.”
“Says the one who just got a couple hours’ sleep,” Maybeck complained.
“I know this may sound foolish,” Amanda said, apologizing to Maybeck, “but I
feel
it’s important. I really do. I wouldn’t have called you out here otherwise. I know how hard you’re all working to help Jez. How much risk you’re taking. I can’t tell you how I appreciate it. I have no right to ask you to do anything more.”
“That’s true,” Maybeck said.
“Shut up,” said Willa.
“I’m agreeing with her.”
“You’re being a nimrod, and you know it,” Willa protested.
“A tattoo!” Maybeck shouted, a little loudly.
“Everything in the diary has proved out,” Finn reminded them. “The tiger and lion were DHIs. She drew the lightning hitting the castle days before it occurred.”
“Change Rob,” Willa said. She reviewed Finn’s phone call to Rob for Amanda, and the discovery of the Chernabog anagram.
“And that too,” Finn agreed.
“The apes,” Philby added.
“And now the tattoo,” Maybeck mumbled. “Okay. I get it. So what now?”
“I’m going back there,” Finn said. “Into the vet clinic.”
“And I’m going with you,” Amanda stated, leaving no room for argument.
“I can take over the viewing station,” Philby offered eagerly.
“Willa and I will stand guard,” said Maybeck. “Our DSs at the ready.”
“What’s the code word if there’s a problem?” Finn asked.
“Give it a rest, Whitman.”
“Chernabog,” said Philby.
All eyes fell on him.
“At least that way we’ll all understand it’s serious,” Philby said.
F
INN SWIPED HIS
ID in the card reader. A small light changed to green. An even smaller light went off in his brain: what if the Overtakers had figured out the kids were using fake IDs and were now tracking them through the use of their cards? He shook it off.
He tried the doorknob, and the door opened. He and Amanda stepped through, leaving the sounds of activities behind them.
The hallway he found himself in reminded Finn of the veterinarian’s office where his mother volunteered part-time. It also served to remind him of his mother and the fact that he hadn’t yet called home. He’d messed up: soon his parents would be at Blizzard Beach looking for him. They were going to be furious. He wondered if any of the other kids were in the same predicament. One thing was certain—time was running out. The Park would remain open only another hour or so. Jez’s chances of being freed were quickly diminishing.
He knew that no matter how they tried, he and Amanda still looked like kids. Tired, even exhausted, kids—but kids nonetheless. There was no getting around it. And he had no idea if unaccompanied kids his age were allowed backstage. With this in mind, he signaled to Amanda to hurry, and they moved down the hallway with an eye out for someplace to hide. Thankfully, most of the doors had glass panels, allowing them to see inside. They passed an examination room, and another, filled with medical equipment. There was one door marked
PRIVATE
, and another with stickers and cartoon clippings taped to it. It was this door Finn tried first. Inside was a single table and some vending machines—an employee lounge. It was empty. They ducked inside, both wide-eyed and slightly out of breath due to the excitement.
“I’m terrified,” Amanda said.
“Me too,” Finn admitted.
“We have no idea what we’re looking for.”
“No. But she must have dreamed about that tattoo. That has to mean something.”
“But what?”
“The tattoos are given out to kids who take the private tours. Maybe there’s something on the tour we’re supposed to see?”
Amanda’s blue eyes brightened. “That’s got to be it! You’re a genius.”
Finn felt his face warm. “Hardly,” he mumbled under his breath, wondering how a guy like Maybeck could carry himself so confidently.
There was noise in the hallway, and both of them instinctively looked for a place to hide. But the employee lounge offered them nothing: a few lockers, all padlocked.
A text message appeared on both their DSs
angelface13: the green one just left the ice palace.
“Maleficent just left the ice truck,” Finn whispered.
“Yeah…I saw that. But what’s it mean?”
“No idea. But it can’t be good.” Amanda looked terrified. “Okay, here’s the thing: try to look like you belong here,” he advised, bracing himself for whoever was out there to come through the door.
Instead, he saw a woman dressed in green nursing scrubs leading two adults and a string of four or five kids down the hallway. A tour!
“I’ve got an idea,” Finn said.
A moment later, he and Amanda were in the hallway trailing only a few feet behind the family. For anyone seeing them they would appear to be a group. The nurse, busy with her explanations, a memorized tour she probably did too often, seemed to pay little attention to those at the back of the pack.
The guide pointed out the purpose of several of the rooms, explaining in some detail about the care and attention lavished on the animals in the Park. This facility was so advanced it was used not only for Disney-owned animals, but for all sorts of wild animals rescued throughout the state. Finn found himself getting caught up in the tour as Amanda tugged on his shirt. They stopped, and the tour went along without them.
On the wall was a corkboard. Pinned to it were photographs of some of the recovered animals—including
a gorilla with a broken leg.
There were maps and brochures tacked to the board as well.
“The tattoo!” Amanda said.
She was right: the similarity of the subjects was unmistakable. A photo of a gorilla with a broken leg and a tattoo sketch of the same thing.
“But how does it help us?”
“I don’t know,” Amanda said, “but we’re in the right place.”
Finn studied the rest of the stuff thumbtacked to the corkboard. One of the items was a very large satellite photo of the entire Animal Kingdom. Finn spent a good deal of time—probably too much, according to his mother—on Google Earth. He loved everything about satellite photos. Using the image, it took him only seconds to establish where they were: in a complex of buildings near the top right of the photo at the end of a loop that was obviously the train line.
And then he saw them: an
M
near the bottom, and a
C
near the top.
For a moment his breath caught; it felt as if a bone were stuck in his throat. His hands were moving before he knew exactly what he was doing. He pulled the thumbtacks from the four corners of the satellite photo.
“How stupid could we be?” he muttered.
“Finn? What’s going on?” Amanda asked, the concern apparent in her voice.
“Hey!” came a man’s voice. “You can’t do that! Put that back!”
Finn glanced to his right. The man was a long way off, at the end of the hallway.
“Finn?” Amanda said heatedly.
“They’re
both
here: the
M
she wrote in her diary, and ‘Under the Sea’!” Finn answered. He pointed to the satellite photo, which he had turned counterclockwise.
The man picked up his pace, heading toward them. “Hey there!” he called out.
“It wasn’t ‘Under the S-e-a,'” Finn spelled. “But, under
the letter C
!” Turning the photo, he traced the prominent shape at the top of Asia. It was very clearly a big bold letter
C
, formed by an arched bridge. “She’s here. Jez…is under the
C
on the map.”
“Oh…my…gosh!” Amanda squealed with excitement. “You found her!”
“It’s the tiger yards,” Finn said, recognizing the route of the Jungle Trek. “Maybeck and I walked right by there.”
The man was nearly upon them.
Finn kept hold of the satellite photo, already folding it as he turned to Amanda and shouted harshly, “I think it’s time we…RUN!”