Hidden Rock Rescue Read online

  For Will Russell, for being my Aldo in every adventure

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

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  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

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  15

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  43

  Property of Spencer Plain

  Card Page

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Spencer Plain threw rocks and twigs aside frantically as he searched the ground for his jade bear. He rushed forward, following the row of bushes he’d hidden behind last night. It has to be here!

  He tore his eyes away from the dirt to glance up at the sky. It was almost midmorning. He was running out of time.

  He jumped to his feet and headed for one of the trees he was sure he’d climbed. He did a lap around the huge tree trunk, his eyes glued to the ground, then turned around to do another lap in the opposite direction and bumped straight into Kate Weaver.

  “Oof!” He stumbled backward, startled.

  “Oops!” exclaimed Kate, the chestnut-colored cub who was just scrambling down from the tree branches. “I didn’t see you.”

  “Did you find it?” Spencer asked. He glanced at the glimmering device around Kate’s neck, the BEAR-COM that translated the bears’ language, Ragayo, into English. He willed it to translate the Ragayo word for “yes.” It didn’t.

  “Not yet,” Kate replied. She hurried to a nearby tree. Her bandaged ear bobbed as she ran. She started sniffing the ground.

  “It could be anywhere!” Spencer didn’t mean to yell, but today, of all the days in his whole life, was the worst possible one to lose his jade bear.

  “Not anywhere,” Kate said. “It fell out of your pocket during training last night, right?”

  “Right,” Spencer agreed.

  “Well, this is where we trained, so it has to be here somewhere!”

  Spencer nodded. Last night after dinner, he and Kate had come here, to the Bear Stealth training field in Bearhaven’s school yard, to practice some of Spencer’s operative skills. He was leaving on a rescue mission today, and he had wanted to make sure he was really ready. He had run and climbed and tumbled and crawled and done a million other spy-like moves. And at the end of it all, when he got back to the Weavers’ house, where he was staying, he felt really ready. Until he discovered that at some point in all that training, the jade bear had slipped out of his pocket.

  So Spencer was retracing his steps around the Bear Stealth training field at a sprint, searching for the small black jade figurine he always kept in his pocket. Mom and Dad had given it to him on his eighth birthday. It made him feel stronger, braver, and closer to them, and he had never gone on a rescue mission without it. Today was definitely not the day to start because today he wasn’t leaving on just any rescue. He was leaving on the most important mission of all: to save his parents.

  Something shiny and black caught Spencer’s eye. He dove for it, snatching up a whole handful of earth as he grabbed for the jade bear. He opened his fingers and brushed dirt away from the shiny black object in his palm. Just a rock. Spencer threw it to the ground angrily. Kate was watching him. He shook his head.

  “We’ll find it,” Kate said, resuming her hunt.

  “We have to,” Spencer muttered, thankful, at least, that he wasn’t searching alone. Kate was Spencer’s best friend in Bearhaven. He couldn’t imagine what he would do without her. Only a week ago, Spencer had made a mistake that landed Kate in terrible danger, and there had been a chance he would never see Kate again.

  Luckily, Spencer and a Bearhaven rescue team had saved Kate and brought her home three days ago. But the bandage on her ear where she had been painfully pierced with a metal tag was a reminder that seriously evil criminals had almost taken Kate away from her family and Spencer—and Bearhaven—forever. Those people—Pam, Margo, and Ivan—were the very same ones who were holding Mom and Dad prisoner now.

  Pam was a bear-obsessed creep who was behind numerous terrible and illegal things that were happening to bears. His employees, Margo and Ivan Lalicki, a sister-and-brother team who did Pam’s dirty work, were almost as dangerous and definitely as creepy.

  “What if I don’t find it, Kate?” Spencer said, his voice catching in his throat as he started to panic. He had faced Pam, Margo, and Ivan before but never without the jade bear in his pocket. What if without it, Spencer wasn’t brave enough to save Mom and Dad? What if the jade bear really did have the power to make him stronger? “We’re probably late already.”

  Just then, as though on cue, a black-and-brown bear came running around the side of the school building shouting their names.

  “Kate! Spencer!” It was Aldo Weaver, Kate’s older brother. No! Spencer’s stomach twisted. They were out of time.

  “What am I going to do?!” he whispered.

  Kate shot him a wide-eyed look.

  “It’s time to go,” Aldo called.

  “Spencer’s not ready yet!” Kate piped up. Spencer dropped his eyes to the ground and kicked the shiny black rock. He hated the idea of leaving on the mission without his jade bear, but Spencer didn’t want to admit to Aldo why he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to sound like a baby.

  Aldo looked from Kate to Spencer. The silver cuffs on his two front legs that marked him as a member of the Bear Guard, Bearhaven’s security force, reflected the sunshine.

  “We have to go,” Aldo said. Even though Aldo was on the guard, he was almost as new to being a Bearhaven operative as Spencer was, and he and Spencer both knew it wouldn’t look good if the two newest operatives were late for the mission send-off.

  Spencer gulped. “Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I guess we’d better hurry.”

  “Come on!” Aldo turned and led the way around the side of the school building at a run.

  Kate hesitated. “What about your jade bear?” she whispered.

  “I guess I have to leave without it.” He tried to sound confident as he broke into a jog. Kate fell in beside him, and together they took off after Aldo.

  As he ran, Spencer tried to shake the feeling that Mom and Dad’s rescue was already off to a bad start. And he and the rest of the operatives hadn’t even made it out of Bearhaven yet.

  Spencer and Kate raced through the outskirts of Bearhaven after Aldo, who had picked up speed. When the larger bear started up a hill, Spencer looked beyond him, to the hilltop where a row of figures stood, shadowed by trees, overlooking Bearhaven’s hidden valley. He started to run faster.

  “There you are, Spence!” a voice called from the tree line. It was Spencer’s uncle Mark, the only other human in Bearhaven right now. Spencer and Kate reached the top of the hill a good minute after Aldo.

  Uh-oh. They were late. Everyone else was already here. Kate bounded over to her parents, Professor Weaver and Bunny Weaver, who were standing with the rest of the Bear Council.

  B.D., the Head of the Bear Guard and the largest, strongest bear in Bearhaven, shot Spencer a reprimanding look. Just like Aldo, B.D. wore the guar
d’s silver cuffs on his two front legs.

  “I would’ve thought you’d be here at the crack of dawn,” Uncle Mark commented, waving Spencer over. “You’ve been waiting for this day since your parents went missing.”

  “Sorry, I was just … doing some last-minute training.” Spencer went to stand with the other operatives. There was Uncle Mark, who looked as cool and collected as ever in a leather jacket and black jeans; Aldo, who was trying hard to hide his eagerness to set off on a new rescue mission; and B.D., who rose up onto his massive hind legs, taking charge.

  “All right, that’s everyone,” B.D. announced, looking down the row of bears and humans who had gathered for the mission send-off. Spencer followed B.D.’s gaze. The eight other bear members of the council stood to one side of B.D. They were the bears who made the most important decisions for Bearhaven. B.D. was on the council, and so were Uncle Mark, Mom, and Dad because they had helped to create Bearhaven. Just thinking about how Mom and Dad had been part of the team that built this secret, safe haven for bears still made Spencer swell with pride. He had only learned about Bearhaven’s existence three weeks ago, when his parents first disappeared, and since then, Spencer had discovered that Mom and Dad had rescued almost all the bears who lived here.

  B.D. continued, “Today Mark, Aldo, Spencer, and I will be departing on a mission of the utmost importance to the Bearhaven community. In our absence, the remaining members of Bearhaven’s council will oversee the continuing preparations … ”

  Spencer saw B.D. hesitate, and goose bumps rose on his arms. B.D. never hesitated.

  The bear looked away from the council and down into the valley of Bearhaven. Spencer followed his gaze. In the distance, Spencer spotted the glint of the special metal that encased the dome-shaped Lab. A wide river curled around the outskirts of the valley, and a path led from the dock beside the river into Bearhaven’s center. It passed the schoolhouse and the Bear Guard’s training grounds before reaching the middle of the valley, where a tall flagpole stood. Bears following their daily routines moved along the paths that arched around rows of moss-covered homes. They looked so safe in the morning sun …

  Spencer guessed B.D. had stopped short of talking about “the continuing preparations” because he didn’t want to scare Kate by mentioning the danger facing Bearhaven now. And what it was exactly that Bearhaven was continuing to prepare for.

  Professor Weaver spoke up. “Everything here will continue as planned,” he said, signaling to B.D. and the rest of the group that B.D.’s message—get ready to protect Bearhaven—had been understood.

  “Speaking of preparations … ” Chef Raymond reached out a claw and tapped a box on the ground beside him, startling Kate, who had been sniffing curiously at its edges. “B.D., there’s a fresh batch of homemade Raymond’s fuel bars in here for the mission.”

  “Thank you.” B.D. nodded at Raymond, finally taking his eyes off the flagpole at the center of Bearhaven, where two flags snapped back and forth in the wind.

  “Well,” said Grandmama Grizabelle, the oldest bear on the council. “Nobody’s going to get rescued if we all just stand here chitchatting,” she said frankly. “Good luck, gentlemen.” She looked from Spencer, to Uncle Mark, to Aldo, and back to B.D. “I hope the next time we’re all here together it will be to welcome more of the Bearhaven family home.”

  “And don’t forget!” Kate suddenly exclaimed. Bunny Weaver tried to quiet her, but the cub ignored her mother. “My concert is in nine days. And I. Have. Been. Practicing. So you have to be home by then.” She looked at Spencer and Aldo, waiting for them to promise they would be.

  Spencer smiled. Kate was not quite as happy and playful as she had been before she was kidnapped by Margo and Ivan Lalicki and kept as a prisoner by Pam on his evil Moon Farm island. But even though she was not 100 percent back to her old self, one thing hadn’t changed. She was still incredibly excited to perform her first solo in her family’s band, the Weaver Family Singers, and she expected everyone to be at the concert to see her perform. No excuses.

  “We’ll be here, Kate,” Aldo promised.

  “Well, now that’s settled.” Uncle Mark chuckled. “How about we get this show on the road?”

  They all looked to B.D. The bear nodded solemnly. Spencer knew how important this mission was, not just for him and his family, but for B.D., and all of Bearhaven.

  B.D. stepped out to face the group. He lifted a claw to his BEAR-COM and switched it off so that his Ragayo would come out untranslated. Spencer remembered this was exactly what B.D. had done before the team left Bearhaven last week to rescue Kate. “Abragan,” B.D. growled.

  “For the bears,” everyone on the hilltop replied. And with that, the rescue team had officially been sent off.

  Spencer stood beside a medium-sized white plane with copper-tinted windows. Its sleek exterior reminded him at once of the TUBE, Bearhaven’s train, and now Spencer knew why it looked familiar. Uncle Mark had just told him that this special plane was also part of Bearhaven’s transportation fleet. Spencer kept staring at it in awe, just like he had been doing for the past five minutes, imagining Mom and Dad jetting off on rescue missions all over the country. He could hardly believe he was about to do the very same thing.

  “Hey, you!” Evarita emerged from the plane. “Don’t you want to see the inside?”

  Evarita was Mom and Dad’s assistant, and back home, she stayed with Spencer when Mom and Dad traveled. Since his parents’ disappearance, Spencer had learned Evarita was also a backup operative for Bearhaven, proving she was even cooler than he’d ever suspected. She usually did the research that helped Bearhaven’s team plan its missions, and today she was handling transportation.

  “Yeah!” Spencer cheered, eager to see if the plane’s interior had as much state-of-the-art technology as the TUBE.

  “Well, come on, then.” Evarita disappeared back under the canopy covering the stairs. Spencer rushed to follow her onto the plane.

  “Evarita, does Bearhaven have a pilot?” Spencer asked, wondering what kind of pilot would be available to fly bears all over the country.

  “Yeah, of course.” Evarita laughed. “Me.”

  “No way!”

  “Don’t sound so surprised!” Evarita headed for the cockpit. She made her way through the passenger area, where four comfortable-looking seats faced two huge video screens. On the other side of the plane were a few big, sturdy seats that looked like they’d been specially made for bear operatives. Aldo and B.D. had already settled themselves there.

  “Spencer, watch this,” Aldo called. He reached out a claw and touched something on the wall beside him. All of a sudden, a copper-colored panel came down from the roof above Aldo’s head. It slid down in front of the space where Aldo sat. When it reached the floor, it clicked into place, completely hiding Aldo from view. Spencer walked over and knocked on the shell. It looked like a piece of the plane, like a cargo section of the cabin or a specially designed wall.

  “That could come in handy!” Spencer shouted.

  “It’s not soundproof,” B.D. grumbled. “He can hear you.” Spencer looked over his shoulder at B.D. The bigger bear had the same button and folded-up copper shell above his head as Aldo. In an emergency, they’d be able to hide both bears completely, even on this small plane.

  Whoosh.

  Spencer turned back to Aldo. The shell was rising, folding back into place above Aldo’s head.

  “That was awesome,” Spencer whispered to Aldo, then continued into the rear section of the plane, which held what Spencer guessed was a collection of operative gear. There were no windows in the back. Instead, shiny white drawers were stacked one on top of another, lining the wall and arching toward the center, following the curve of the plane.

  “So what do you think, Spence?” Uncle Mark stepped into the cabin. He strode over to where Spencer stood reaching for a drawer labeled “rope.”

  “It’s like a compact version of the TUBE,” Spencer answered. He opened the dra
wer. Six coils of rope lay neatly inside. Each rope was a different width or texture. “Actually, this plane might be even cooler than the TUBE.”

  Uncle Mark laughed. “There are tools here,” he said, pointing to a section of drawers. “Medical supplies here.” He pointed to another five or six drawers. “Night-vision goggles are in here. Ear-COMs are over there, and handheld walkie-talkies are there.” Uncle Mark continued to point out different drawers. He showed Spencer where Raymond’s fuel bars were and where the prosthetics were for the more serious disguises. He even pointed out a drawer filled with recording devices like cameras and audio recorders. “You have your backpack with you?”

  “Yeah, right here,” Spencer answered. He slipped the black backpack off his back as Uncle Mark retrieved a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He handed the paper to Spencer.

  “Why don’t you fill your own mission pack this time? Here’s a list of things you must have, but you can add whatever else you think you might need. Just don’t make your pack too heavy—that’s a rookie mistake—and don’t forget rope.”

  Spencer’s excitement spiked. He could take any of this operative gear with him!

  “I’m going to see what else needs to be done before we take off,” Uncle Mark said, heading toward the cockpit. “Call me if you don’t know what something is.”

  Spencer didn’t answer. He was already focused on checking Uncle Mark’s list and filling his backpack with supplies for the mission ahead.

  Just as Spencer was dropping a slingshot into his backpack, Evarita’s voice rang out of the cockpit. “Time to find your seats and prepare for takeoff.”

  Spencer slung his backpack over one shoulder and headed up to the passenger area of the small plane. He dropped into the seat beside Uncle Mark and fastened his seat belt, then turned to check on Aldo and B.D. The bears sat back on their haunches. A strap crossed each of their chests and was fastened to the wall of the plane behind them—bear-sized seat belts. A screen was lowering down between B.D. and Aldo, so anything that played on the video screens in front of Spencer and Uncle Mark would be shown to the bear operatives, too.