“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.
47
HE’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.
48
FINN 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.