Charlene was speechless. She turned her cheek toward Finn so that at least if he tried to kiss her it wouldn’t be on the lips. But she didn’t push him away, and she would later secretly wonder why not.
“Think about Jess’s dreams,” Finn said. “Her visions. What’s the one thing we know about them? About when they take place?”
“The fut—” Philby said, catching himself. “No way!”
“What’s going on?” Charlene asked, still braced for the possibility of a kiss.
Philby answered for Finn. “When we went to Wonders, the writing wasn’t on the wall behind the chair. It wasn’t exactly like Jess’s dream. No Wayne. No words on the wall.”
“I was there. I know all this.”
“We were all there. But we were too soon,” Finn said. “Wayne hadn’t been brought there yet. We got there ahead of Jess’s vision. It wasn’t that she’d gotten it wrong—”
“We were just early,” Philby said, completing his thought.
“So at some point he’s still going to end up in that chair?” Charlene said.
“At some point they start moving him around to keep him hidden,” Philby said.
“Like, for instance,” Finn said, “after the Kingdom Keepers cause a car crash at Test Track.”
“Or discover the maintenance log at Soarin’,” Philby said.
“Or end up on Mission: Space,” Charlene added.
The excitement sparked between them. Finn finally released Charlene’s shoulders, apologizing, and she quietly sighed in relief.
“He’s there now,” Finn said. “I can feel it. He’s leaving a message on the wall for Jess that she got days ago. We can still save him.”
“If you’re right, he’ll be under heavy guard,” Philby said, not contradicting Finn.
“Since when has that stopped us?”
36
WONDERS OF LIFE loomed out of a gray ground fog sucked from the earth as the night stretched its cold arm toward morning. Four AM had come and gone beneath an overcast sky that seemed to darken by the minute. It was as if Maleficent herself were in the sky, directing the darkness to continue, blotting out any attempts of a dawning sun to hint at its impending arrival.
From within the jungle landscaping, not far from their original position, seven pairs of eyes studied the abandoned pavilion, seven hearts beat wildly from a combination of fatigue, fear, and anticipation. Where was the snake? The cavemen? Where were the Norwegian and his son?
The plan, hastily thought up by Maybeck, but agreed upon by all, was a simple one of tactical diversion: Maybeck and Finn, both capable of all-clear—though Maybeck less so than Finn—would enter the pavilion first and position themselves with a view of the boardroom. Charlene would arrive to provide a distraction, making herself the object of pursuit. Her athletic ability was supposed to best any effort by the Overtakers to capture her. While she kept the Overtakers busy, Maybeck and Finn would rescue Wayne.
Jess, Willa, and Amanda were to take up positions outside the pavilion, keeping it under constant surveillance, while Philby would infiltrate the pavilion’s utility area—which they believed to be in the basement—hoping to be able to monitor, if not control, the structure’s electricity and security.
It took them ten minutes to finally spot Gigabyte. The humongous snake came from their left, up the path toward the pavilion, its tongue lashing the air for unexpected scents. It circled the pavilion and headed back down the path and through the line of potted trees that blocked the view of the pavilion from the park.
Philby checked his watch. “Twelve minutes,” he said. “We need to be in and out in ten, or the snake is going to present a major problem.”
“Is everyone clear on what to do if we find Wayne?” said Finn.
“It’s up to Charlene,” Jess said, “to create a diversion.”
“Eleven minutes,” Philby warned, “and counting.”
“Let’s go,” Finn said to Maybeck.
The two approached a side window together, avoiding the front door.
“I can do this,” Maybeck said. He closed his eyes, let out a deep breath and stepped forward, knocking into the window as he tried to step through. He fell back, but Finn caught him.
“A little quieter wouldn’t hurt,” Finn said, standing him up again. “Picture a train—”
“I said I can do this!” Maybeck said. He tried again, but the window blocked him for a second time.
Finn could imagine Philby counting down the minutes. He checked his watch: ten minutes left.
“One last try,” he told Maybeck. “Then I go it alone.”