“Another red ball?” asked Marco.
Leo nodded. “There will only be two more after this one. I don’t have much time.”
“What can we do?” asked Sarah.
“I have to catch the butterflies and that bird.” His eyes drifted to the modules at the end of the row that had contained Nacho, John, and Ahab. “And—”
“You have to refill those,” said Marco.
Sarah frowned at Leo. “What’s he talking about? Refill them? With what?”
“More like, with whom,” muttered Marco.
Sarah gasped as she understood. “No! You’re not putting them back in there.”
Leo glared at Marco and raised the tube. “We made a deal. You got your end of it.”
“What deal?” Sarah put her hands on her hips.
Nacho crossed his arms. “Yeah. What deal?”
Marco’s mind raced. He had promised Leo. John and Nacho and Ahab had been let out of those modules. And now they needed to be replaced before Leo could leave.
Marco watched Fox for a moment. “So. Leo.” He smiled. “Do they have to be the same humans?”
Sarah’s eyes widened. Then she grinned. “Or the same dog?”
Leo shook his head.
“Somebody grab Ahab,” said Marco.
Sarah took hold of his collar.
Marco stepped closer to Fox and aimed. “On three, pull him off.”
Fox sputtered, “Hey, hold on there.”
“One,” said Marco.
The man held out his palms toward Marco. “We can split the treasure! Fifty–fifty!”
“Two.”
Fox started to sit up. “Okay, okay! Sixty–forty! Seventy–thirty! There’s enough for everyone.”
“Three!”
Sarah pulled Ahab away as Marco fired.
Encased in the shrinking white net, Fox was soon nothing but a moaning white lump on the floor.
“Well, there’s one down.” Marco grinned. “And I’m pretty sure I know where we can get the other two.”
11
Sarah helped the others drag Fox to the same module that had housed her father.
Marco said, “Lift on three!”
Leo opened the door of the module, and Sarah, Marco, and Nacho tilted the man inside. They deposited him on the floor, then backed out.
Leo told Marco, “Get ready to release him.” Then he placed his webbed fingers over the keypad. “Now.”
As soon as Marco twisted the tube, the netting began to dissolve. Fox struggled free of the remaining white strands.
Leo shut the door. He morphed back into his alien self and touched the panel with one webbed hand.
The mist began to rise in the module.
“Hey!” Fox pounded on the glass. “Let me out!” His eyes narrowed and he held up a fist. “I’ll get you for this! I’ll—”
And, just like that, he was stiff and still.
Sarah sighed with relief.
No more yelling. No more shoves or pushes or sneers.
She didn’t feel badly about Fox, not at all.
Leo said, “We need to catch the butterflies and the passenger pigeon.”
“What did you say?” asked Nacho.
“There.” Sarah pointed out the bird overhead.
Nacho’s mouth fell open.
Leo took the tube from Marco and aimed at the bird.
“Wait!” Sarah set a hand on his arm. “You can’t just shoot it when it’s flying.”
“How do you think I caught his mate? Although it took me a while. They already built a nest in the corner.” Leo took aim. “Get ready to catch it.”
Marco and Nacho held out their arms and stared upward. Sarah did the same, shuffling around as she tried to get directly under the bird.
“Ready?” called Leo.
“Not yet!” yelled Sarah.
“Now!” The shot was true, white shrouding the passenger pigeon, which stiffened and dropped from midair.
Marco elbowed Sarah out of the way.
“Watch it!” she called.
The bird landed in his arms, where he cradled it.
“Hold it out.” Leo twisted the tube.
The net slowly dissolved.
Marco held the quivering bird in his hands, its bright eyes blinking.
“You’re okay.” Sarah stroked a wing with her fingertips.
Nacho touched it and whispered, “He’s so soft.”
“You know it’s a male?” asked Sarah.
“He would. He did a huge diorama for his extinct-animal badge in Eco-Scouts.” Marco shifted. “Here, you want to hold him?”
With trembling hands, Nacho took the bird. He seemed to be holding his breath.
Sarah asked, “You okay?”
A tear dropped onto Nacho’s hand. He sniffled.
Marco set a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Nacho’s brown eyes glittered with tears. “There used to be five billion of these. Did you know that?”
Marco met Sarah’s gaze. She swallowed. So many. It seemed impossible that there could be none left.
“Their flocks could be a mile wide and take hours, sometimes days, to fly overhead.” Mesmerized, Nacho watched the bird.
Sarah tried to get him off the subject so they could finish what they needed to do. “Leo used the progenitor to make other extinct animals too.”
Nacho snapped out of his reverie. “Like what?”
Leo pointed at the ceiling. “Madeira and Xerces butterflies. Tasmanian tigers—”
Nacho shook his head. “This can’t be happening.”
Sarah smiled. “It is.”
Leo said, “Now let’s put this bird away and get the butterflies.”
Once the butterflies were caught and carefully put away, the only two empty modules left were the ones that had held Nacho and Ahab.
Leo said, “The last two signals will arrive within the hour.”
Sarah gulped. “What happens then?”
“Best case, if the modules are all full, my ship will leave automatically.”
“And if they aren’t?” asked Nacho.
“They will be,” said Marco firmly. “I promised they would. But we need to get back to the beach, fast. Come on.” He started toward the dark passage.
“Wait,” said Leo. “There’s a faster way.”
Sarah gripped Ahab’s collar. They entered the narrow white hallway. Ahab’s nails clicked on the shiny, glittery tile. They walked past several doors, and Sarah recognized the one with the machine that made the food. She could almost smell that grilled cheese and wanted so badly to tell Nacho about it. But she knew there wasn’t enough time. They went down another pristine white corridor, and Leo opened another set of doors.
Sarah led Ahab through into a clear circular space nearly a quarter mile across. The ceiling gave way to blue sky. “What is this place?”
Leo said, “The center of the volcano.”
“Hold on. This volcano is real?” asked Marco.
“Very. It was far smaller when we arrived. But we helped it along, made it the size it is now to cloak our ship. And also stabilized it.” He frowned.
“What?” Marco asked.
“Well, once the ship leaves, the volcano may become unstable. And if it does … there’s no telling when it will erupt.”
Nacho asked, “Should we be worried??”
Leo started to say something, but Marco cut him off. “You grew a volcano. How is that possible?”
Sarah let out half a laugh. “How is any of this possible?”
“True,” muttered Marco. “So how are we getting to the beach?”
Leo pointed behind Sarah.
A sleek oblong silver craft sat in shadow.
Nacho gasped. “Is that a flying saucer?”
“That’s our shuttle,” said Leo.
“Why didn’t you just go back to your ship in that?” asked Marco.
“Can’t,” said Leo. “Power comes from this annex ship and the shuttle won’
t operate if it’s more than ten thousand miles away. Plus…”
“You wanted to finish what your grandfather started,” said Sarah.
Tears welled up in Leo’s eyes.
She touched his arm. “You’re almost done.”
With the back of a webbed hand, Leo brushed away the tears. He walked over to the shuttle and touched the side.
The clear top lifted completely, hovering six feet in the air.
“Whoa…,” said Nacho.
Leo said, “Plenty of room.”
Sarah patted the metal side, which tingled under her fingers. “Come on, boy!” Ahab jumped in and turned to face her, tail wagging. Sarah pulled herself up and hooked a leg over the side.
“You need help?” asked Marco.
“Nope.” She rolled over and in, then sat next to the dog on a white seat covered with a slick, silvery fabric.
Nacho followed, after a boost from Marco. He plopped down next to Sarah and Ahab and then smacked his hand on his forehead. “Oh no! I forgot my backpack.”
“We don’t have time.” Marco climbed in and sat down in front. “Sorry.”
Nacho sighed. “It’s fine.”
Finally, Leo climbed in and took the pilot’s seat directly facing a console. The top closed down over them.
Sarah started to sweat. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?”
As if to answer, Leo swiped a hand over the panel. The controls lit up, beeping and flashing. He muttered, “We’re about to find out.”
Fresh, cool air rushed over them. Sarah took a deep breath.
The craft lifted, rocking unsteadily from side to side.
“Whoa!” cried Nacho.
Ahab whined.
Sarah set a trembling hand on his head. “It’s okay, boy.” At least she hoped it was.
They rose farther in the air.
Sarah peeked out and watched the floor recede. Her heart pounded faster.
Nacho grabbed her free hand and squeezed.
“Are you scared?” she whispered.
“I should be.” He grinned. “But this is way too cool.”
Sarah stared up through the roof.
The blue sky got closer and closer.
At last, Sarah stared out at the craggy lip of the volcano. They paused there, hovering, even with the top.
Marco whistled. “Whoa. Check it out.”
Sarah took a deep breath and got up on her knees to look down. She gasped. From their height, everything was visible: the beach, the beautiful lagoon, and the tops of the trees.
“Hold on!” said Leo.
Sarah grabbed Ahab with one hand, the back of Marco’s seat with the other.
With a jolt, they sped forward. The green and blue and white of the sand became a blur underneath.
BOOM!
The craft tipped to the right, and Ahab and Nacho both tumbled onto Sarah.
“Ow!” Sarah pushed at them and managed to get them both off her. “What happened?”
They swayed again, the other way, and she fell on Nacho. She sat back up.
“Leo!” Marco pointed straight ahead.
Leo’s hands waved across the console, trying to smooth out their ride. “I can’t look right now!”
But Sarah could.
Red streaks in the sky swirled together, working quickly as they stitched together a crimson orb.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
“It’s coming!” yelled Nacho.
The latest red ball hurtled straight toward them.
“Get out of the way!” yelled Marco.
“I’m trying!” Leo pushed a button and twirled a knob.
Marco jabbed to his right. “Go to the side! To the side!”
“I only know how to go forward and up!”
Sarah’s stomach did somersaults. The ball came closer and closer, red vapor trailing. “Now would be a good time to figure it out!”
Marco pointed at a red button on the console. “What about that?”
Leo shook his head. “I don’t know!”
“I don’t care!” Marco pushed it.
Sarah smashed into the seat in front of her.
The craft was at a complete standstill, frozen in the air.
The crimson orb was nearly upon them.
“Go!” cried Marco.
Leo slammed his hand down on a black button.
The top of Sarah’s head hit the ceiling as they dropped out of the air. “OW!”
She glanced up.
The red orb flashed past, mere inches above her face. She started to sigh with relief, but her stomach lurched.
“We’re dropping!” yelled Nacho.
Leo arrested their fall abruptly, sending Sarah into the ceiling once again. “Come on.”
They were even with the treetops.
Sarah smacked the window. “Let me out of this stupid thing. I’d rather walk!”
“Sorry.” Leo turned around. “Is everyone okay?”
Nacho and Marco both rubbed their heads.
Ahab lay down between Sarah and Nacho, rested his snout on his paws, and whined. His huge eyes blinked at Sarah.
She leaned down and kissed his head. “Sorry, boy.”
Leo said, “I think I’ve almost got it figured out…”
Sarah rolled her eyes and set a hand on her smarting head as well. “Awesome.”
Leo studied the panel.
“How much time do you have?” asked Marco.
“There’s only one ball left. About half an hour in your time.”
Sarah frowned. “Then why are we sitting here?”
“I think this is it…” Leo touched a button and the ship sped forward.
All the green outside was simply a blur to Sarah. The speed made her queasy. She set a hand on her belly. Do not hurl, do not hurl. But she had to admit that even if she did get sick, the ride was way better than a hot walk and getting chased by freaks of nature.
Within a few moments, Leo slowed. “Tell me where to land.”
Sarah’s shoulders slumped, and she leaned back with a sigh.
Marco waved his hand. “Here! Our beach is just around the corner.” He grasped the tube.
Leo lowered the ship and landed with a jolt on the beach.
Nacho leaned over and whispered to Sarah, “He needs to work on his landings.”
Sarah added, “And on his flying in general.”
The top lifted.
Sarah clambered out. She resisted the overwhelming urge to drop to her knees and kiss the sand.
Ahab needed no coaxing and bounded off, tail wagging.
“Ahab, no no no.” Sarah tried to catch him, but he was out of reach. “Marco, help!”
Marco leaped out of the ship and onto the sand. He lunged for the dog, but missed. “He’s going toward our camp. We’ll catch up to him.”
Nacho hopped down beside Sarah, and Leo followed them down the beach after Ahab, who was about a hundred yards ahead.
Then the dog disappeared.
“What if he went to the camp?” asked Sarah.
Marco said, “He’ll be fine.”
A few minutes later they reached the corner with the embankment that led to their beach.
“Here’s the plan.” Marco faced them and held up the tube. “I hit Fox’s girlfriend with this before she has a chance to pull the gun.” He glanced at Leo. “Then we get her and her dog back to your cave. And you are free to leave.”
“You make it sound so easy,” said Leo.
“A little too easy, probably.”
Sarah gasped and whirled around.
“Well, look at all you small persons.” Miss Blackstone stood there, one hand firmly gripping Ahab’s collar, the dog panting next to her. The other hand held the gun, pointed at his head. “Now, if you care at all for this dog, someone better tell me where Laird is. Pronto.”
12
Marco’s heart sunk. She had them. His plan would never work now.
But then M
iss Blackstone’s forehead furrowed as she noticed Leo.
Marco took the opportunity to casually sidestep, so that he was halfway hidden by Leo. He tucked his arm with the tube behind his back.
Even if she’d caught sight of the weapon, Miss Blackstone had no way of knowing its function. He snuck a glance out at the sailboat.
He squinted, searching for a sign that John had called for help.
Nothing.
No red.
Had John not been able to call for help? That would be a setback, but they could still get off the island by themselves, especially with Fox out of the picture. Or maybe there simply wasn’t anything red available. Or what if John hadn’t made it to the boat.
No, that can’t be. Marco ignored that one and focused on the first two, much brighter possibilities. He had to have made it. He had to.
Miss Blackstone tightened her hold on Ahab. “Where’s Laird? Well? Start talking.”
No one said anything.
She rolled her eyes and jerked her head at Leo. “You. Odd-looking child. Where is Fox?”
“He’s with his treasure,” said Sarah.
Heads swung toward her. Marco bit his lip. Oh, Sarah, be careful.…
Sarah set her hands on her hips. “It’s too heavy to drag here. He needs you to come to him.”
Miss Blackstone’s lips pursed. “And just how does he expect me to do that?”
Sarah pointed at Sarge’s sail. “Sail around to the other end and pick him up.”
Marco sucked in a breath. Whether or not Miss Blackstone bought it, she was considering it, which meant she was definitely distracted. He leaned closer to Leo and nudged him in the back with the tube.
Without turning around, Leo slowly took hold of the weapon.
“Why should I believe you?” Miss Blackstone lifted a foot and sand trickled out of her sandal.
Sarah held her arms out to the sides. “Do you really think he would come back without the treasure?”
Miss Blackstone lowered the gun. “Well, I don’t know what that idiot was thinking.”
Leo lifted the tube.
Miss Blackstone whipped the gun up. “Freeze, you little freak.”
“She’s quicker than she looks,” whispered Nacho.
The woman turned to Sarah. “It’s time to stop with your little fibs. All of you, get up there. Slowly! And, you, drop that white thing, whatever it is.”
Leo bent down and set the tube on the sand.
“Go on!” Miss Blackstone waved the gun. “Single file!”