by West, Tracey
“Looks pretty normal to me,” you say.
“That’s why we need to look closer,” Rookie says. “I need to comb every inch of the Cove until I find a clue.”
You sigh. Rookie is very dedicated, but you’re pretty sure he’s wasting time. Still, he’s a lot of fun to be around, so you decide to help him.
“I’ll check out the Surf Hut,” you offer.
“Thanks!” Rookie says. “I’ll start with the lifeguard chair.”
You waddle over to the Surf Hut, admiring the colorful surfboards on display outside. You’re not exactly sure what you’re looking for, but you look around, anyway.
Then you see it—behind the Surf Hut is an open can of something sticky. You lean down to get a closer look.
“Pizza grease?” you ask. “What is that doing here?”
You call Rookie over. “Rookie, you’d better come see this!”
Rookie quickly joins you and frowns when he sees the pizza grease. “Very suspicious. Let’s see what else we can find.”
Rookie starts to look around and quickly spots something you didn’t see because it’s white and sitting on top of the snow.
“Check it out,” Rookie says excitedly. “Polar bear fur! Herbert must have been here!”
You’re pretty impressed—it looks like Rookie was onto something after all. He takes out his spy phone and calls G.
“G, I found some of Herbert’s fur by the Surf Hut,” he says. “Along with a can of pizza grease.”
You can hear G’s reply through the speaker. “Aha! That explains this mysterious message I received. It says, ‘I hate seeing penguins having so much fun playing Catchin’ Waves. Now they’ll be catching nothing but trouble!’ Herbert must be trying to sabotage the surfing game.”
“I bet he polished the surfboards with pizza grease!” Rookie says. “That’ll be sure to send penguins sliding off their surfboards!”
“Don’t let anyone near the surfboards,” G says. “I’ll send some backup.”
A few minutes later, Jet Pack Guy zips into the Cove.
“G tells me you cracked the surfboard case,” he says. “Nice work, Rookie.”
Rookie lights up. “Gee, thanks, Jet Pack Guy! So are you saying that you’re . . . impressed?”
“Sure,” Jet Pack Guy says.
“Woo-hoo!” cheers Rookie, and you give him a high five.
“I knew you could do it!” you tell him.
THE END
CONTINUED . . .
You slowly open the door on the right. To your surprise, you see that you and Rookie are backstage at the Stage!
“I have a feeling we weren’t in another dimension,” you say.
Rookie looks sad. “We were so close to the golden puffle! I’ll never impress Jet Pack Guy now.”
“Did somebody say Jet Pack Guy?”
The sunglass-wearing EPF Agent walks up between you and Rookie, surprising you.
“Jet Pack Guy! What are you doing here?” Rookie asked.
“G asked me to investigate a mystery,” he replies. “Want to partner with me on this one?”
“Do I? You bet I do!” Rookie says happily. He turns to you and shakes your flipper. “Thanks for your help, but I’ve got to get busy on this case with Jet Pack Guy!”
You can see that your new friend is thrilled, and that makes you happy. Maybe one day, you think, you’ll be able to investigate with him again.
THE END
CONTINUED . . .
Rookie skids to a stop.
“Thanks for the warning,” he says. “I’ll jump over it.”
Rookie hops over the top step and climbs the platform until he reaches the golden puffle. He triumphantly picks it up.
“Ta-da!” he announces. And then he falls.
“Wait a minute, this isn’t a real puffle,” he says.
“What do you mean?” you ask.
Rookie climbs back down and hands the golden puffle to you. It’s not too heavy, and it’s definitely not fuzzy.
“I think it’s wrapped in golden foil,” you say. You peel off a little bit, see something dark underneath, and sniff it. “Mmm, chocolate!”
“Just like in the play,” Rookie says. “I’m starting to think we’re not in an alternate dimension.”
You’re thinking the same thing. You point to a door next to the platform. “I think we’ll find our answers there.”
You and Rookie step through the door—and find yourselves backstage at the Stage! A navy- blue penguin wearing a director’s cap rushes up to you.
“Awesome!” he exclaims. “That door to the prop room has been stuck for days. We’ve been trying to get in there so we can put up the set for our next play. Thanks to you, the show will go on!”
Rookie smiles. “Just doing our job, friend. Just doing our job!”
The director of the play hurries off to spread the good news.
“Sorry we didn’t find the real golden puffle,” you say. “I know you wanted to impress Jet Pack Guy.”
“Hey, we saved the play, and that’s a big deal,” Rookie says. “I can always impress Jet Pack Guy tomorrow!”
THE END
CONTINUED . . .
“The Lighthouse sounds good!” Rookie says. “Let’s go!”
You and Rookie waddle over to the Lighthouse. Inside, it looks like you’ve stumbled onto some kind of party. Some penguins are seated in the folding chairs, chatting. Others are on the stage, tuning their instruments and warming up. Other penguins are putting up colorful decorations.
“Looks like a simple party,” you remark.
“To the untrained eye,” Rookie says, getting into detective mode. “But I view everything through the eyes of a trained EPF Agent.”
Rookie strolls over to a red balloon. “This may look like an ordinary balloon to you. But it’s the perfect vehicle for a secret message!”
Rookie produces a sewing needle.
Pop! The balloon pops loudly, and everyone in the room jumps. The deflated balloon sinks to the floor, with no secret message inside.
“Okay, so maybe there’s no message in this one,” Rookie says. “We’ll just have to check all of them.”
You gently lead Rookie away. “There must be some other clues around here,” you say.
“Of course!” Rookie says. He jumps up on stage and tears down a long blue streamer. “These might look like ordinary streamers, but I bet they contain a secret code.”
Rookie examines the streamer and frowns. “Hmm. This one is blank. Herbert must have used invisible ink.”
“Or maybe it’s just a decoration,” you say. “I think that message you found was just a flyer for the party.”
Rookie is concentrating so hard that he doesn’t hear you. He strolls up to the wall, where some penguins have started a game of Pin the Tail on the Mullet. There’s a picture of a Mullet, a large red fish, on the wall, and there are two darts stuck in it.
“Excuse me,” he says to the two penguins, who step aside. Rookie nods at you. “This may look like an ordinary game. But see how this fish is shaped like Club Penguin? I think these darts represent where Herbert will strike.”
“What do you mean?” you ask.
Rookie points to a dart. “See this one here, near the tail? On a map of Club Penguin, this would be the Cove. And this other dart, over by the eye, would be Ski Hill.”
You think Rookie is imagining things, but getting him out of the Lighthouse now seems like a good idea.
“Okay,” you say. “So where should we go?”
If you go to Ski Hill, go here.
If you go to the Cove, go here.
CONTINUED . . .
“Pizza is great, but coins are everywhere,” you point out. “You earn the
m when you do jobs or play games. You can use them to buy cool things. And when penguins donate coins to the Coins For Change program, they help people, animals, and environments all over the world.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Rookie says. “So, if Protobot is going after the coins, we should probably tell G!”
You and Rookie hurry to the Everyday Phoning Facility in the Ski Village. When you enter, the innocent-looking pay telephone turns into a screen that reads, “WELCOME, AGENTS.” A column in the corner rises to reveal the tube transport that leads to HQ.
Whoosh! The tube quickly takes you down, down . . . and then opens up on an incredible scene. Dot, Jet Pack Guy, and G (the EPF Agent and inventor also known as Gary the Gadget Guy) are inside a cage that’s crackling and sparkling with electricity. Looming over them is a big robot with yellow, glowing eyes. His body is made up of items from around Club Penguin, including a mine cart and a ticket booth.
“Protobot!” Rookie yells.
The robot turns his head. “I am Protobot. Surrender, intruder.”
Rookie looks angry. “I will not surrender! You’re messing with Rookie now!”
Rookie charges at Protobot, hoping to reach his control panel and shut him down. But as he races up the steps, he trips and comes tumbling back down. He rolls under a conference table, and you race to his side.
“I am Protobot. Resistance is pointless.”
The robot moves toward you both now. Rookie groans and sits up while you look around for something—anything—that you can use to defend yourself.
“Be careful!” Dot calls from the cage. “Protobot was looking for Club Penguin’s coins but couldn’t find them. He trapped us so that he can hook into the EPF mainframe and find their location. There’s no stopping him.”
Protobot is getting closer every second. The only thing within reach is what looks like the remains of an Agent’s lunch—a cup of water from the watercooler and an apple. It’s all you’ve got to work with, and Protobot is advancing fast.
If you toss the apple at Protobot, go here.
If you throw the cup of water at Protobot, go here.
CONTINUED . . .
“Let’s try the door on the left,” you say.
Rookie slowly opens the door and steps inside. You follow behind him. Almost immediately, you hear a loud thump.
“Uh-oh!” Rookie cries, and he drops his flashlight. The room goes dark.
“Rookie, what happened?” you ask.
“I tripped over something,” he says.
“Hold on,” you tell him. “I’m coming.”
You hurry forward—and bam! You trip, too. Rookie must have knocked over a box of long, white bandages, because they’re all over you. You try to get back on your feet, but you get tangled in the bandages.
“Found the flashlight!” Rookie calls out.
“Oh good,” you say, finally standing up. “I need some help with my—”
“MUMMY!” Rookie yells. He’s staring at you and pointing.
“Stand back, Mummy,” he says. “Your ancient Egyptian powers can’t hurt me.”
You take a step forward to explain when one of the bandages wraps around your beak.
“I’m warning you, Mummy,” Rookie says. “I’m a secret agent.”
You pull the bandages off your beak. “Rookie, it’s me! I got wrapped up in those bandages you knocked over.”
Rookie relaxes. “Wow, you scared me! I thought this other dimension was full of mummies.”
Rookie unwraps your bandages, and the two of you continue your exploration. Moving forward, Rookie’s flashlight illuminates a tall, stacked platform. There’s something shining on the very top.
“It’s the golden puffle!” Rookie yells. As he races toward the platform, you notice that the first step looks suspicious.
“Hey, Rookie, watch out for that first step!” you yell.
If Rookie climbs the platform, go here.
If Rookie steps on the first step of the platform, go here.
CONTINUED . . .
“Let’s not chance it,” you say. “Come on, let’s go free those guys!”
You race back to the main room, and G instructs Rookie to pull a lever on the wall. It cancels the electric charge in the cage, and Jet Pack Guy opens the lock, freeing himself, Dot, and G.
“Where’s Protobot?” Jet Pack Guy asks.
“He’s infected the EPF mainframe,” Rookie reports. “But we think we can use System Defender to take him down.”
“I’m on it!” Jet Pack Guy says, quickly dashing away.
“Dot and I will accompany Jet Pack Guy,” G tells you and Rookie. He’s a blue penguin wearing round eyeglasses and a white lab coat. “Rookie, you stay here and make sure no other Agents enter. It’s too dangerous.”
“But, G, I want to be where the action is!” Rookie protests.
“This is an important job, too, Rookie,” G says. Then he and Dot take off after Jet Pack Guy.
Rookie sighs. “I never get to do anything cool.”
“Well, at least we can watch it,” you say, turning on a screen attached to the surveillance system. “Look!”
You see that Jet Pack Guy is trying to call up System Defender.
“It’s not working!” he says. “Whatever Protobot is doing to the mainframe seems to have crashed it.”
G steps in front of him. “Let me try.”
He starts typing quickly on the keyboard. “You’re correct. But I am able to bring up a few red cannons.”
“Better than nothing,” Dot says, and she activates them.
Bam! Bam! Bam! The cannons shoot at Protobot but miss. The robot spins around, his eyes blazing.
“I cannot be destroyed,” he says. “Reboot ninety-nine percent complete.”
Protobot’s eyes flash on and off, and the red cannons spin around. Now they’re aimed at the EPF Agents.
“Everybody duck!” Jet Pack Guy yells.
Even though you and Rookie are in the next room, you both dive under a table—those cannons are serious. On the screen, you see Protobot rolling away from the mainframe. The robot is headed back to the Control Room!
“We can’t let him escape!” you yell.
“I know,” Rookie says. “We’ve got to think. I don’t have any weapons on me—just my lucky marble collection. I never go anywhere without it.”
From your position under the table, you see a panel of flashing lights marked CONTROL ROOM.
“What does that thing do?” you ask Rookie.
“I’m not sure,” he replies, “but I think maybe it secures the Control Room.”
If Rookie presses a button on the control panel, go here.
If Rookie uses his marble collection to stop Protobot, go to here.
CONTINUED . . .
Rookie is in such a hurry to grab the golden puffle that he ignores you. When he reaches the platform, he steps right on the first step.
The wall behind the platform opens up, and a huge boulder rolls out!
“Run!” you yell.
You and Rookie race across the room. You reach a door marked EMERGENCY EXIT. You push as hard as you can, and you and Rookie emerge into the bright sunshine.
“Rats!” Rookie exclaims. “The golden puffle is still in there. We’ve got to get back into that dimension.”
“Um, I’m starting to think that wasn’t another dimension,” you say, looking around. “It kind of looks like we’re behind the Stage.”
But Rookie is so excited that he doesn’t hear you.
“No matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to do, I will impress Jet Pack Guy!” he vows.
THE END
CONTINUED . . .
“What’s the assignment?�
� you ask.
Rookie reads the message on his phone. “‘I have intercepted a strange message at the Recycling Plant, and I need you to decode it.’”
“A message?” you ask. “Do you think it’s from Herbert?”
“Could be,” Rookie says. “Come on, let’s go.”
The Recycling Plant is a green glass building next to the entrance of the Mine. Rookie heads right for the large control panel that runs the recycling machine and turns on the screen.
“Here’s the message. It looks like a typical substitution cipher,” he explains, “where each shape stands for a letter of the alphabet.”
He types on the keyboard for a bit, concentrating. After a few minutes, he stops.
“Got it!” he exclaims. “It says, ‘I am Protobot. You thought I was destroyed, but you are incorrect. I have returned to destroy Club Penguin’s most precious resource. Surrender now. You cannot stop me.’”
“Whoa,” you say. “You got all that from a bunch of shapes? Cool! And who’s Protobot, anyway? Another villain?”
Rookie nods. “It all started when G built these three Test Bots to help with his experiments. But they went haywire and built Protobot out of stuff on the island. Protobot turned out bigger and stronger than the Test Bots. The EPF destroyed him, but Herbert rebuilt him. Then the EPF destroyed him again, but it looks like he’s back.”
“And now he’s after Club Penguin’s most precious resource,” you say. “What do you think that is?”
“Pizza!” Rookie exclaims. “Everyone loves pizza!”
“True,” you agree. “But is it really precious? What about coins?”
If you and Rookie go to the Pizza Parlor, go here.
If you try to convince Rookie that coins are more valuable than pizza, go here.
