by K. E. Rocha
“Here goes nothing.” He placed the ginger root on the floor between himself and Darwin. Darwin lowered his snout to sniff at it. He extended a shiny black claw and jabbed the root, then picked it up with his mouth. Adrenaline started to pump into Spencer’s veins. He knew how loud cubs could be when they were in distress. There would be no hiding the sound. As Darwin started to gnaw the ginger root, Spencer reached forward and picked the cub up in his arms. He was relieved by how light Darwin was. He couldn’t be more than ten pounds, and the rope sling would definitely be secure enough to hold him.
“You’re going to come with me, anbranda,” Spencer cooed as quietly as he could. “So far so good. Shala.” Darwin continued to gnaw the ginger root, allowing Spencer to tuck him into the rope sling he’d made. “Look how comfortable you are. You’re just going for a fun ride.” Spencer couldn’t believe his luck. Darwin was so captivated by the ginger root, he hadn’t protested being carried at all, but Spencer didn’t know how long that would last.
Spencer got to his feet. He grabbed his night-vision goggles from the ground where he’d left them and tugged them on over his eyes. He strode quickly to the door, snapped off the light, and let himself and Darwin out into Pam’s office. Spencer paused, waiting for the sound of Pam’s snore. The moment he heard it, he made a break for it, running as fast and as quietly as he could, holding Darwin against him in the knotted sling. Silently, with Spencer landing lightly with every stride, they flew through the hall, down the stairs, and out Pam’s front door.
“I got him!” Spencer gave a hushed cheer into his Ear-COM as he climbed the tree to return to Dora and Aldo. Darwin started to make a light humming sound in his rope sling, but he didn’t sound afraid, and Spencer knew that in minutes, he would be reuniting the cub with his mother. Spencer reached the branch that extended out over the glass wall surrounding Dora’s home and overlapped with the tree inside the enclosure. After checking to make sure the cub was secure, and each of the knots would hold, he crawled out across the branch.
“Great work, little man,” Aldo replied through the Ear-COM.
Spencer climbed down through the branches of the tree inside Dora’s home. This time, when he passed the knothole where Dora had stored a scrap of her Gutler uniform, he recognized the tuft of silver-colored fur. It was probably all Dora had of Darwin … until now.
Dora was up on her hind legs at the base of the tree. Her front paws were firmly planted on the trunk, and her eyes were glued to Spencer as he descended toward her. As soon as he dropped to the ground, he untangled Darwin from the rope sling and set him in front of Dora, who immediately began to nuzzle her cub. Darwin scrambled to all fours, burrowing into his mother’s fur, making a sound like a helicopter that Spencer knew showed the cub’s happiness.
A lump rose in Spencer’s throat, and he had to look away. He didn’t want to interrupt Dora and Darwin’s reunion, but he was desperate for it to be his turn to see his mom, and the rest of his own family. How long would he have to wait before Dora turned over the information she’d promised?
Spencer left Dora and Darwin together, and joined Aldo, who had settled himself beside the stream.
“That blaze mark,” Aldo said, his eyes on Darwin. “I’ve never seen one like it.”
“I know,” Spencer answered. He pulled off the night-vision goggles—out here, the moonlight was enough to see—and started to untie the network of knots he had used to harness Darwin to his chest.
“I hadn’t either, and I don’t think it’s a concidence that it matches Pam’s crown logo. I wonder what else Pam has done to make him special.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. How was it in there?” Aldo jerked his muzzle in the direction of Pam’s home.
“Creepy.” Spencer thought back to the living room with its dozens of bearskin rugs. “And Pam snores. But it was worth the risk to go in there. At least we’re one step closer to finding Mom, Dad, and Uncle Mark.”
Aldo avoided Spencer’s eyes. The bear bowed his head and drank from the stream.
“What’s the matter? We are one step closer … right?”
Aldo lifted his head and looked at Dora and Darwin. The cub was clambering onto his mother’s back. “It’s just … ”
Spencer’s stomach flopped. He had no idea what Aldo was about to say, but he couldn’t stand to hear they weren’t really going to find Mom and Dad in a matter of minutes.
“As soon as Pam wakes up and realizes Darwin is gone, he’s going to lock down all of Hidden Rock Zoo,” Aldo explained. “That cub is obviously his most prized possession.”
“But … what about … we have to … ” Spencer stammered, but he knew Aldo was right. What were they going to do? Dora had tricked him!
“I know. I thought we were going to go find your parents and Mark right away, but if we can’t be sure we’ll be able to make all four of our rescues—Jane and Shane and Mark and B.D.—before Pam wakes up, getting out of Hidden Rock Zoo is going to be a whole lot harder. And we both know it was never going to be easy to begin with. The last thing we need is for Pam to put all the Hidden Rock Zoo guards on high alert.” Aldo watched the mother bear snuggle with her cub. “I don’t know if this was a trick … or if Dora just hasn’t realized yet. But we—you—are going to have to put the cub back where you found him. And it’s been a long night already, I don’t think you should wait too long to do it.”
“No,” Spencer groaned. He stopped untying knots and let the rope hang over his shoulders. It’s not fair! He’d brought Dora her cub; now she needed to tell them where to find Mom, Dad, and Uncle Mark. That was the deal! Going back into Pam’s office now to return Darwin to his special room meant even more delay, and even more risk. “Disconnect,” he said, frustrated. “Team,” he connected his Ear-COM with Dora and Aldo’s. He knew how much Dora’s time with Darwin must mean to both bears, but soon enough they’d be together in Bearhaven. Right now Spencer had to get the mission back on track.
“Dora, where is my family being held?” he asked right away. The mother bear didn’t so much as flick an ear in Spencer’s direction. “Dora, you promised.”
Dora lifted her head. Darwin nipped at her ear. “They’re in the aquarium.” She said offhandedly, her attention still focused on Darwin.
“The aquarium?” Spencer looked at Aldo. “There wasn’t an aquarium on the map.”
“What map?” Dora asked.
“We have an old zoo map, from when Hidden Rock Zoo first opened, and there definitely is not an aquarium on it.” Spencer reached for his map. Was Dora really tricking them?
“It wouldn’t be on the map. It was never finished,” Dora explained as Darwin slipped off her back. “It was supposed to be unveiled later.”
“Where is it?” Spencer’s heart started to pound. This was it! He was really going to find Mom and Dad at last!
“There’s an entrance beyond the Airy Aviary,” Dora said, pausing to pick Darwin up off the ground and set him back on his paws. “It doesn’t look like much, but you’ll find it.”
Spencer could barely stand his excitement. “Aldo, let’s go.” The bear didn’t budge. “Come on,” Spencer started, impatiently, then followed Aldo’s gaze. He was looking at Darwin. Pam’s prized cub. “Oh. Right.”
Spencer climbed back up the tallest tree in Dora’s enclosure as Darwin grunted softly in his knotted rope sling, bound tightly to Spencer’s chest. Spencer could imagine Dora’s ears snapping in the direction of the sound. He knew she was below him now, pacing back and forth, watching his every move to make sure he was being careful with her son.
Spencer’s anger at Dora had faded. She hadn’t been trying to trick them. She just hadn’t realized that Darwin would have to be returned. The risk stealing Darwin posed to the rest of Spencer and Aldo’s mission just hadn’t mattered to her as much as the chance to see her cub. Spencer had taken the Ear-COM back from Dora and slipped it into his pocket before that conversation. They couldn’t leave the top secret device with Do
ra in case Pam caught sight of it, and Spencer didn’t want to hear Aldo reason with the mother bear. He knew Dora would fight for Darwin to stay with her, and he understood why. He couldn’t imagine being separated from Mom again after finally being reunited with her, even if just for a short time. But eventually Aldo had convinced Dora that returning Darwin to Pam’s house until Bearhaven’s team was ready to make its final escape from Hidden Rock Zoo was the only plan that made any sense.
“That’s the one,” Spencer whispered up to Aldo. The bear was above him, testing the sturdy branch that would carry them all out over the glass wall. Aldo didn’t answer; he was just focused on getting out of Dora’s home as fast as he could. While Spencer was returning Darwin to his room, Aldo would update B.D. Then Spencer and Aldo would meet in the pear grove as soon as possible, before finally going to find Mom, Dad, and Uncle Mark.
“Ready to head back to bed, buddy?” Spencer whispered down to the bundle of black and white fur at his chest. He didn’t think the sleepy cub would mind being returned to his fake forest and cave for a little while. Darwin took a long, slow blink.
Once Aldo had reached the tree outside, Spencer climbed out across the wide branch. Just as he was moving deeper into the branches of the far tree, heading for the ground, a fiery sliver of light appeared on the horizon.
“Oh no … ” he whispered.
“Spencer?”
“The sun’s rising,” Spencer said, speeding his climb back down to the ground.
“Hurry,” Aldo urged, then took off toward the Caves.
Spencer tucked one of Darwin’s paws back into place inside the knotted sling and headed for Pam’s front path. He pushed open Pam’s front door and silent-walked inside. He left the door open behind him. With the sun rising through the massive windows, Spencer didn’t need his night-vision goggles to retrace his steps to Darwin’s room. This time, he ignored the huge dining room, and the living room filled with bearskin rugs. He headed for the stairs, straining his ears with every step for the sounds of Pam snoring. When he heard the whistling snore, he stepped off the staircase and onto the second floor. He didn’t hesitate but rushed down the hall, right into Pam’s office, and slipped into Darwin’s room. The room was just as he and Darwin had left it barely an hour earlier.
Spencer crouched to the ground. He scooped Darwin out of the rope sling and set him down on all fours. The cub stumbled, then found his footing and trotted over to his cave. He flopped down in the mouth of the cave, gave a great big yawn, and tucked his paws in close to his furry body to sleep.
“So far, so good,” Spencer whispered. Quietly, so he wouldn’t disturb Darwin, Spencer left the room. Standing in Pam’s office, he checked again for the sound of snoring. When he heard it, he headed back downstairs.
Spencer was in the foyer, silent-walking toward Pam’s half-open front door when he heard footsteps coming up Pam’s front path. He froze. The living room was too wide open, and the thought of hiding anywhere near a bearskin rug made Spencer’s own skin crawl. The dining room didn’t offer any good hiding spots, either. Spencer turned and sprinted down the long hallway. He saw a doorway and darted through it just as someone stepped through the open front door.
“Hello?” a man’s voice called softly. “Hmm. How odd.” Spencer held his breath. He immediately regretted leaving the front door open when he’d snuck in. Just don’t alert the guards, he thought, willing whoever was now in the house with him to not raise an alarm about Pam’s open front door. Spencer listened to the door shut. Then footsteps started toward the kitchen.
Now what?! Spencer’s heart pounded as he scanned the kitchen. He spotted a pantry on the far side of the room, one of its doors stood open. Spencer ran over to it, ducked inside, and pulled the door shut. Through a small crack between the two pantry doors, Spencer watched a man walk into the kitchen and flip on the lights. He went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a baby bottle.
It’s Darwin’s caretaker! Spencer realized as he watched the man pull milk from Pam’s fridge and heat it in a small pot on the stove. The man checked his watch, filled the baby bottle with warm milk, and left the kitchen.
Spencer sighed in relief. He hadn’t been discovered yet, but it was only a matter of time before Pam woke up and the rest of his household staff arrived. Spencer had to get out of here, but first … He slipped his mission pack off his back, then grabbed a box of protein bars from a shelf and emptied it into his bag. Power food for the powerful man the box read. Spencer rolled his eyes and put the empty box back on its shelf. He took a jar of mixed nuts off another shelf, and a package of dried apricots, hurriedly stuffing them into his mission pack. He zipped the pack and got ready to leave. He didn’t know how long it took to bottle-feed a sleepy spirit bear cub, but he definitely didn’t want to still be here when Darwin’s caretaker got back.
Spencer slowly opened the pantry door, slipped out of the closet, and silent-walked out of Pam’s house.
“Let’s go now, before it’s broad daylight,” Aldo said, polishing off another pear. His head was bowed beside Spencer’s as they crouched in the pear grove and poured over the Hidden Rock Zoo map.
“Of course we should go now!” Spencer exclaimed. Nothing was going to delay him going to the aquarium. He pointed to a small open space beside the aviary on the zoo map. “This area must have been left open for the aquarium … Come on.”
Spencer folded the map and put it in his back pocket. He gathered the empty wrappers from all the protein bars he and Aldo had wolfed down, and stuffed them into his mission pack. Unlike Raymond’s fuel bars, these protein bars didn’t come with edible wrappers.
“Hop on.” Aldo headbutted Spencer.
Spencer grabbed two fistfuls of Aldo’s fur and swung himself up onto the bear’s back. “Let’s go,” he said as soon as he was settled. His mind was racing. Until now, it hadn’t really felt like Mom and Dad were at Hidden Rock Zoo. There hadn’t been a single sign of them, and with the mission going so terribly wrong, Spencer had hardly had a minute to think about how close he really was to his parents. Now Spencer wasn’t sure he could go another minute without seeing them.
Aldo broke into a run, and Spencer had to resist urging the bear to go even faster. They flew down the hill into an open field stretching beyond the birdless aviary.
“Do you see an entrance?” Spencer asked. Part of him had expected to find half-constructed buildings here, even though Dora had said the entrance didn’t look like much.
“I think so,” Aldo said. They were running straight for a set of iron gates, but from what Spencer could tell, there wasn’t a building, or anything, beyond the gates. Aldo lurched to a stop. Spencer leaped off the bear’s back.
The iron gates didn’t lead to a half-constructed building at all. Instead, they led to a sloping cement walkway, and that walkway led straight into the ground. “The aquarium is underground?” he asked.
“It looks like it,” Aldo said, then glanced up at the orangey-yellow dawn sky. “We’d better get inside.”
Spencer didn’t have to be told twice. The iron gates were anchored into low cement walls that rose up on either side of the ramp into the underground aquarium. Spencer climbed up onto the cement wall and hopped down on the other side. Aldo clambered after him, and they set off at a run down the steep path.
At the bottom of the ramp, there were four big doors.
Spencer didn’t wait. He couldn’t even stop himself long enough for Aldo to smell for humans inside. He reached for the closest door and yanked it open.
Errrr! Errr! Errr! Errr!
An alarm started to blare. Red lights started to flash.
“No!” Spencer shouted.
“Pam must have alarmed it to stop Dora from coming here!” Aldo was frozen a few paces away. “I don’t—”
“Come on!” Spencer shouted over the sound of the alarm. He charged into the building.
“Spencer!” Aldo called, ducking in through the open door.
“I have to fi
nd my family!” Spencer sprinted into a long tunnel-like hallway that was only illuminated by the red flashing lights of the alarm. “We can’t leave now!” Spencer didn’t stop to see if Aldo was following. The viewing tunnel was lined in glass windows, like a massive version of the long corridor in the Reptile Lodge. The flashing lights showed dark, empty tanks through the windows.
Did Dora lead us into a trap?!
Where were Mom, Dad, and Uncle Mark? Spencer kept running as fast as he could through the viewing tunnel, swinging his head from side to side, looking into the empty tanks as he passed. For all Spencer knew, the viewing tunnel went for miles. Aldo broke out ahead of Spencer, running on all fours. He disappeared around a bend in the tunnel.
“They have to be here!” Spencer yelled after the bear. The alarm was so loud it was making it hard for him to think straight. He took another turn in the tunnel and spotted Aldo.
“Aldo, what do you see?!” Spencer yelled, wishing his feet could carry him faster. “Where are they?!” Spencer was starting to panic.
“I don’t see them yet!” Aldo followed the next curve in the tunnel and disappeared from sight again. When Spencer finally reached the bend, he found Aldo in a brighter section of the tunnel. It looked like the windows might actually lead to the outside. Spencer’s hopes lifted. He forced his legs to move faster, carrying him toward Aldo, who had stopped running and was staring into one of the tanks.
Errrr! Errr! Errr! Errr!
The alarm continued to blare and the lights flashed a threatening red, but when Spencer reached Aldo and the tank the bear was staring into, Spencer forgot the danger they were in. He even forgot the long, winding viewing tunnel they’d just raced through, and Hidden Rock Zoo above them, because in the tank in front of him he saw Mom, Dad, and Uncle Mark.
