by K. E. Rocha
“Aaah!” he shouted, nearly letting go of the cable, he was so startled. One of the cubs had come back down and was hanging just above him, its snout poking right into Spencer’s face.
“Grauk?” the cub growled curiously. Spencer looked up the elevator shaft. He was halfway to the door. He tightened his grip on the cable.
“Grauk.”
The cub started climbing back up the cable. Spencer followed.
Don’t. Look. Down.
Wrapped around the cable, the cubs were waiting patiently and peering down at Spencer from the top of the elevator shaft. Spencer tried to take another deep breath. It was no use. Deep breaths weren’t an option.
He’d finally made it to the doors at the top of the shaft, but in order to open them he had to press a button on the wall in front of him. Which meant that he had to take one hand off the cable. He hadn’t thought of that before he’d started climbing. Now he was sweating, and all of his muscles were burning from exhaustion. The idea of removing so much as a single pinkie from the cable meant risking a long, long fall.
“Grauk, grauk,” the cubs murmured, reassuring him.
“Okay,” he said, staring at the button. It really wouldn’t take much to press it. The doors themselves weren’t more than a foot away, but even so, one wrong move this high up . . . No. He couldn’t think like that. The longer he waited, the more tired they’d all become, and Ro Ro still needed help. They didn’t have time for him to just hang around stalling. “Okay,” he said again, his voice a little shaky. All I have to do is push that button, he told himself. Then we’re home free.
“Grauk.” The call to go came again. Before he could talk himself out of it, Spencer released his right hand from the cable and hit the button. As quickly as he could, he clamped his arm back around the cable. His pulse raced. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself down. When he opened them, he saw that the doors had slid open and they were looking out into a patch of moonlit trees.
Thump! Thump! The cubs leaped through the open door and tumbled onto the ground. Spencer laughed. He let go of the cable and grabbed on to the door frame with his right hand, then unwrapped his legs from the cable to step out onto the ground. He pulled himself out of the elevator shaft in one smooth motion. They’d made it!
Spencer sank down beside the bears, who were batting at each other with their paws, full of pent-up energy. Through the trees, he could see Jay Grady’s barn looming, but they were far enough away and it was dark enough now that he didn’t think anyone would spot them. He relaxed a little, feeling some of his strength return.
Suddenly, the doors to the elevator shaft started to slide shut. Ro Ro!
Spencer scrambled forward, trying to catch hold of one of the doors before it closed. There was no handle. He grasped the edge of the door, but it continued to shut. Spencer’s arms were too tired to stop it. With his left hand on the door, he grabbed the jade bear from his pocket and jammed the figurine into the last sliver of open space. The door stopped.
“Spencer!” a voice called from behind him.
Uncle Mark!
Spencer turned. Uncle Mark was running toward him through the trees, with Evarita close behind. They were both still in their disguises, but it was clear that in their relief at finding him they’d abandoned their characters altogether.
Spencer felt himself starting to breathe normally again. “Shala,” he said to the cubs, who were pawing at the ground in front of the elevator door.
Uncle Mark dropped to the ground and grabbed Spencer, wrapping him up in an enormous hug. Evarita followed, hugging him, then holding him by the shoulders at arm’s length to look him over. “You’re all right?” she asked. Spencer nodded, too happy and relieved to get any words out.
Uncle Mark looked at the cubs. They’d started sucking each other’s paws again, humming loudly like Spencer had heard them do before.
“They need their mother,” Spencer said urgently. “Ro Ro’s badly hurt. Her neck and her back leg. She needs help.” He nodded to the door. “It’s an elevator shaft. We had to climb the cable to get out. I promised.” His voice shook. “I promised we’d go back for her.”
Uncle Mark stood and went to the door. “Spence, did you do this?” he asked, pointing at the jade bear.
“Yeah, I had to keep the door from closing.”
“Good thinking.” Evarita sounded impressed. “Very resourceful.”
“You’re turning out to be quite the operative, Spence,” Uncle Mark said.
He swung a black backpack off and retrieved a pair of pliers. As he approached the door, the cubs shrank away from him, blocking the entrance to the elevator shaft.
“Hruk,” Spencer said gently, urging them to come to him.
The cubs scrambled over, tumbling onto the ground beside Spencer. Together, they watched Uncle Mark put the pliers in the space that the figurine was holding open. He examined the black jade bear, turning it over in his palm. “Your mom’s gonna love this story,” he said, tossing the jade bear to Spencer. Catching it with both hands, Spencer wrapped his fingers around the familiar stone. Mom would love this story—but wait! He had to tell Uncle Mark and Evarita everything that he’d seen!
“About Mom, Uncle Mark.” The words started tumbling out. “I saw—”
“Wait, Spence.” Uncle Mark stopped him. “We’ll have plenty of time to debrief after we get Ro Ro out of there safely. I’m sure you saw a lot down there, but for now focus on keeping the details fresh in your mind. We’ll want to hear everything as soon as we get back to transport.”
Spencer nodded. “Right. Transport.” Uncle Mark was right; this was no place to talk about Mom. Uncle Mark and Evarita may have dropped their accents, but they were still on Grady’s land, and Margo was way too close to take any chances. Even if she was still locked in the bear cage.
One of the cubs padded back to the elevator doors, creeping up beside Uncle Mark to sniff at the crack that the pliers now held open.
Uncle Mark took hold of the pliers. “All right, let’s get Ro Ro out.”
Spencer called the cub back again. “Hruk.”
Prying open the pliers’ handles, Uncle Mark began to push the doors apart. As the pliers opened, the crack between the doors widened. Evarita jumped up to help. Once the opening was wide enough for her to get her hands around the edge of one of the doors, she started to push, forcing it to slide back into the wall. Uncle Mark dropped the pliers and put both hands on the edge of the opposite door, forcing it back. Within seconds, the entrance to the elevator shaft stood completely open. Uncle Mark fashioned two door stops out of rocks to keep the doors from sliding shut again, then he and Evarita looked down into the shaft.
“We have to get her out,” Spencer said. “I promised!”
“Don’t worry, Spence,” Uncle Mark said as he stepped away from the shaft. “Ro Ro’s coming back to Bearhaven with us. You’ll keep your promise. But you’ve already rescued two bears today; time for the rest of us to do some work.” He clapped his hands. “Evarita, take Spencer and the cubs back to the TUBE in the Cadillac. Stop at the truck and tell B.D. that we have to get Ro Ro up the shaft on a cable. She can’t climb if she’s got a bad leg. He’ll know what to bring.”
“Got it.” Evarita nodded. Uncle Mark and Evarita looked at Spencer.
“Got it,” he said, swelling with pride. He was a real operative now.
Uncle Mark slung his backpack on. “I’m going down to Ro Ro. We’ll meet you at the TUBE as soon as we can.” He leaned out into the elevator shaft and grabbed hold of the cable with both hands. Without hesitating, he swung himself out into the open space, wrapped his legs around the cable, and started to descend.
Spencer stood up on exhausted legs. The cubs ducked their heads down into the elevator shaft, loudly grumbling Ragayo.
“Uncle Mark?!” Spencer called down the shaft, “Be careful! Margo and Ivan, they’re—” he started, not sure how much he should say right now. “They’re really . . . angry. I, uh .
. . I left them locked in a bear cage.”
Uncle Mark tilted his head back and laughed. “Of course you did, kid.”
Marguerite swept into the passenger car of the TUBE, a silver tray piled high with covered dishes balanced gracefully between her shoulder and paw. Spencer raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and nodded toward Ro Ro’s cubs. She put the tray down on a side table and tiptoed over to where Spencer stood looking into one of the car’s reclined seats. There the cubs lay snuggled together, fast asleep.
“Little darlings, they’ve had quite the time of it,” Marguerite whispered as she carefully pulled the segmented hood down. Clicking it into place, she closed the cubs into a pearly cocoon. “And you have, too, Spencer,” Marguerite said gently. “You should get some rest.”
Spencer sighed, exhausted. If he sat for even a minute on one of these cozy seats, he’d be asleep instantly, too, but he was determined to wait for Uncle Mark and B.D. to arrive with Ro Ro, no matter how late it got. He looked at Marguerite’s tray. He didn’t want to sleep, but he definitely wanted to eat. Marguerite chuckled.
“Okay, how about a rest after you eat?” she said, retrieving her tray before leading Spencer into the first car of the train.
Evarita looked up from her tea when they entered. “Not tired yet?” she asked Spencer, waving him over to join her.
“I have two sleepy cubs and one hungry one,” Marguerite chimed in. She slid her tray onto the table beside them and started uncovering and recovering dishes. Finding the two she was looking for, she placed steaming bowls in front of Spencer and Evarita. Spencer raised his eyebrows.
“What?” Evarita asked slyly as she lifted a heaping spoonful of macaroni and cheese to her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring the bite. Microwavable mac and cheese was Evarita’s favorite food.
“Your uncle has that stashed all around the train, too,” Marguerite said, eyeing the bright orange food suspiciously. Evarita blushed. Uncle Mark was a health nut. If there was microwavable mac and cheese on the TUBE, it sure wasn’t for him. Not that Spencer was complaining. He scooped up as much as would fit on his spoon and shoveled it into his mouth. It was delicious. He wondered if it would be rude to ask for seconds already.
“Well, you two enjoy. If you need anything else, just holler. I’ll be right next door.” Marguerite gave them a bright smile, then bustled away to check on the cubs.
“B.D. will be able to carry Ro Ro up the elevator shaft, right? With Uncle Mark’s help?” Spencer asked through a mouthful of mac and cheese. “Even if she can’t hold on very well?”
“Yes, I think so,” Evarita answered thoughtfully. “This sort of situation is why B.D. comes on the missions in the first place, Spencer. He’s trained for things like—” Evarita stopped midsentence, her eyes focused on something outside the window. Spencer followed her gaze.
Uncle Mark was stepping out of the elevator onto the station platform, holding his backpack in one hand and a bundle of thick ropes in the other. With a smear of blood staining one sleeve of his shirt and the bottom half of his fake goatee missing altogether, he looked disheveled . . . and very serious. B.D. stepped out after him. Spencer jumped up. Where’s Ro Ro? He sprinted out of the train.
“Where is she?” he demanded, hurtling onto the platform. His voice caught, a lump already rising in his throat. I promised her! He glared at Uncle Mark.
“Marguerite!” B.D. called, staying close to the elevator. Spencer rushed forward. B.D. held out a paw to stop him. “Ro Ro’s lost a lot of blood and she’s in pain,” he grumbled. “Don’t startle her.” Spencer stepped carefully into the elevator.
Her eyes closed, Ro Ro was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall.
“Anbranda?” Spencer growled softly. The bear’s breath was labored, and she didn’t open her eyes, but after a moment, she replied.
“Anbranda.”
B.D. and Marguerite stepped into the elevator. Marguerite motioned for Spencer to move aside. On the platform, Spencer watched Evarita roll a low, bear-sized gurney up to the elevator door just as Marguerite and B.D. were backing out with Ro Ro in their broad arms. They laid the injured bear on the gurney, then swung it around and headed onto the train.
Evarita and Spencer were left standing on the platform.
“She’ll be okay, won’t she?” Spencer asked. Evarita put her arm around his shoulder.
“She’s lost a lot of blood, but I think she’s going to be all right. Marguerite and B.D. will be able to stabilize her until she gets to Bearhaven, and then she’ll get proper medical care and go to Pinky’s for rehab.”
“Okay, good. Where’s Uncle Mark?”
Evarita started walking toward the train. “He went to clean up. If Ro Ro needs stitches right away, he’ll be able to do it. Come on, let’s go wait inside.”
Uncle Mark joined them in the first car after a while. Goatee gone, he was dressed like the Uncle Mark Spencer knew so well, and he had three bowls clutched precariously in his hands. “Marguerite thought your food might have gotten cold,” he said, focusing on not dropping anything. He set fresh bowls of mac and cheese on the table, then sat down next to Evarita with a bowl of oatmeal and berries for himself.
Spencer reached gratefully for his food. “How’s Ro Ro?” he asked.
“Her neck’s scratched and sore, and the deep bite on her leg is the worst of it. It’ll take some time, but she’ll make a full recovery.” Uncle Mark sounded relieved.
“Marguerite’s bandaging the leg now,” B.D. said, entering the car. “She’ll get Ro Ro to sleep before she leaves her.” The weary-looking bear pulled the seat beside Spencer away from the table and sank into it.
“Before we know it they’ll be fixing up Ro Ro in Bearhaven,” Uncle Mark finished.
Spencer gulped down a mouthful of mac and cheese. “And Margo?”
Uncle Mark shook his head. “No sign of her—or of Ivan. But we couldn’t risk leaving the elevator shaft to look into it.”
“Mom and Dad aren’t there,” Spencer rushed on. “I mean, I saw Mom, and she’s not at Grady’s.”
“Then how . . . ?” Evarita began, but didn’t finish. Both she and Uncle Mark looked shocked.
“Go on, Spencer,” B.D. prompted, leaning in.
“I saw Margo on a video conference with a really creepy guy, Pam, who I think is the boss, and Mom came onto the screen.” The story started to pour out of Spencer. “She was serving the man tea, like she was a maid. It didn’t really look like her. She’s got an awesome disguise, and I know Margo didn’t recognize her because she asked me when the last time I saw Mom was, even though she’d just seen her on the screen. So Margo’s trying to find her. And Bearhaven. Margo tried to make me tell her about Bearhaven, too.” Uncle Mark opened his mouth to say something, but Spencer continued. “I didn’t say anything, don’t worry. And I memorized the creepy guy’s face so that we can find him, because if Mom’s there, then Dad’s there, too, right?”
It took a moment for Uncle Mark to answer. “Yes,” he said. “We think so, yes.”
Marguerite opened the door and shooed the cubs into the car. Tripping over their paws, they scrambled over to stand between Spencer and B.D.
“They’re a bit frantic, I’m afraid,” Marguerite explained, before switching off her BEAR-COM.
“Excuse me,” B.D. said, then switched off his own BEAR-COM. Spencer watched as the two adult bears growled gently in Ragayo to the cubs. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t understand what they were saying. B.D.’s demeanor softened, intent on calming the little bears. Marguerite drew the cubs closer to her, letting them burrow into her fur as they listened to B.D.
Spencer thought of Mom and Dad and the way they called him their cub. A lump started to rise in his throat, but then his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a word he recognized. “Anbranda.” The cubs were looking up at him, calmer now. “Anbranda,” one said again.
“Anbranda,” Spencer answered.
B.D. turn
ed his BEAR-COM back on. “You did well tonight, Spencer. We were all very lucky to have you on the mission.” With that, B.D. left the car, the cubs trotting along behind him, and Marguerite followed them out.
“You were right, Spence,” Uncle Mark said after a moment. “We need your help to find your parents.”
Spencer pushed his bowl away. I did it! he thought.
“Does this mean you’ll have peanut butter toast on the TUBE for the next mission?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Spencer woke up to the sound of snuffling coming from both sides of him, circling the closed hood of his seat. He smiled. Sounds like the cubs are awake. He pushed up the first segment of the hood. Immediately, two dark brown snouts poked in, sniffing rapidly. Spencer pushed the hood up the rest of the way and pressed the button to return his seat to its normal position.
One of the cubs scrambled up. The little bear tumbled around, smothering Spencer with soft fur until it settled in beside him. The other cub raced to the window and stood up on its hind legs to see over the edge.
I must have been asleep for longer than I thought! Spencer realized happily. They were pulling into Bearhaven.
As they glided out of a tunnel and into the brightly lit station, Spencer could see that the platform was crowded with bears. The cub beside him kept his big brown eyes glued to the scene in the station and whispered something in Ragayo that Spencer didn’t understand.
“Shala,” Spencer replied, trying to reassure the cubs, but “safe” wasn’t really what he wanted to say. What he wanted to say was “home.”
The TUBE whispered to a stop, and Evarita and Uncle Mark walked into the passenger car.
“Oh!” Evarita exclaimed. “You’re up! We were just coming to wake you.”
“Yup, I’m—” Spencer started to answer, but all of a sudden the cub beside him decided that it was time to get down. Spencer was overtaken by a little storm of fur and flopping limbs as the bear awkwardly rolled out of the seat.
