by Peter David
There was a sharp pounding at the front door, combined with the doorbell’s urgent ringing. Doris, feeling as if she didn’t know where to look first, pressed stop on the machine and went to the front door. She opened it and was confused to see Zack Markus standing there looking extremely agitated. “Oh…hello,” she said. “Kelsey’s dad, right?”
“Where are they?”
She blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“Where are my daughter and your son?” he said accusingly.
Doris’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I can tell you this: If you don’t calm down, I’m going to slam this door in your face. And if you don’t go away, I’m going to call the police.”
“I am a policeman.”
“Really? Can I see your identification?”
Zack hesitated and then admitted, “I’m…no longer with the force.”
“I see,” Doris said. “Let me guess: You lost your temper and were fired.”
“No. I was discharged because I was shot in the hip in the line of duty, stopping a liquor store holdup.”
“Oh.” Doris suddenly felt terrible. “So…that’s why you…”
“Limp, yes.” Zack took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look…Doris…I’m just…I’m very worried about Kelsey. And if she’s really not here and you don’t know what I’m talking about, then we’ve all got some serious problems. Can I—?”
She stepped away from the door and gestured for him to enter. He did so, trying as hard as he could not to limp at all. He made his way over to a chair and sat. As soon as he did, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a copy of the permission slip he had printed off Kelsey’s computer. “Did Josh give you something that looks like this?”
She took it and stared at it. Her newly purchased frozen dinners were thawing on the kitchen table, but she had forgotten about them. “Yes. I signed this yesterday. They were going on a class trip to a museum…. No?” she added when she saw him shaking his head.
“Some woman from the school, a Mrs. Faber…”
“Farber,” corrected Doris, glancing in the direction of the kitchen answering machine.
“Right, her. She called and said there was no school trip.” He looked at the permission slip. “According to this, the ‘school trip’ was going to run late and they weren’t going to be back until this evening. So obviously they wanted to be able to go somewhere that was going to keep them away from home until late, and not have us wondering where they were.”
“But…where did they go? The movies? The mall? Why would they—?”
“Read this.”
He pulled out a sheaf of papers, unfolded them carefully, and handed them to Doris. She sat down opposite him and began to read. A few sentences in, she stopped and looked up. “This is from Kelsey’s diary,” she said uncomfortably. “I’m…I’m not sure I should…that we should…”
“Look…Doris…you don’t know me,” he said. “But reading Kelsey’s private thoughts isn’t something I do routinely. And I wouldn’t be doing it now if I weren’t worried that she’s in deep trouble. The fact is that most of what she’s written there is about Josh, and I think you need to see it.”
Doris hesitated, then nodded and started reading again. Her eyes got wider and wider the further she went. “I…I had no idea,” she finally said. “I mean…I knew that he loved his comics, and he loved Mascot. But that he identified with a comic book so strongly…that he actually thought he and this character were connected somehow…” She read aloud from the entry. “‘Josh seems so determined to stop the comic from coming out, and he wants my help. He needs me. I’ve got to do whatever I can, because if I don’t, he’s just going to go off and do it himself. Telling his mom or my dad won’t do any good. They won’t believe him and they’ll try to stop him, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Josh, it’s that he’s pretty hard to stop. Plus…I know it’s ridiculous…but what if he’s right? What if Mascot dies and Josh dies too? How can I live with that?’” She looked up from the diary and said, “Your daughter has quite an imagination.”
“She’s an amateur compared to your son.”
Doris forced a smile. “That’s…true enough.”
“All right. Since they’re not here, we have to start making calls.” He pulled out his cell phone.
“You’re calling the police,” Doris said nervously.
He looked up at her. “Of course. We’ve got two missing children.”
“Yes. Of course. I…of course.”
Zack hesitated, holding his cell phone but not immediately dialing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. We…we have to call. Naturally. Call them.”
Slowly he lowered the phone. “Doris, what are you not telling me?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She got up, and her hands were moving in vague, nervous gestures. “The kids are missing, and—”
“Doris?”
It all spilled out of Doris then, everything that Mrs. Farber had said and the talk of social services and her worry that they would try to take Josh away from her because she was a terrible mother and she should have done something about this earlier.
By that point Zack was pulling tissues out of the tissue box on the small table next to him and handing them to Doris, whose eyes were stinging with tears. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she kept saying. “Please, by all means, call the—”
“That may not be necessary,” said Zack as he slid the phone back into his jacket pocket. He pulled himself to a standing position, grunting slightly and trying not to look like he was in pain. “Look…this town isn’t all that big. I know a few people—I can make a few calls in a nonofficial capacity….”
“Are you sure…?”
“Of course I’m sure.” He started to head for the door. “I’ll get right on it, and you just—”
He stopped and turned in confusion when he heard a phone being dialed. There was Doris, standing there with the receiver to her ear. “Yes…911…I need to report two missing children…yes, I’ll hold, but please make it quick….” She put her hand to the speaker and said, “You were going to call as soon as you were out the door, weren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“How about we work together and start being honest with each other. Deal?”
“Deal,” he said.
CHAPTER 7
DANGER RIDES THE RAILS!
Looking right and left, Mascot slowly makes his way down the corridor of the lurching train known throughout the world as the Orient Express.
He is doing everything he can to elude those who have been pursuing him and Captain Major. The quest to discover who has framed the Captain and sent them both on the run has led Mascot to this famed train as it lurches along its route between…some big city and some other big city in the Orient.
Mascot is doing his best to cope with the fact that Captain Major has disappeared. He knows beyond a doubt that the Captain would never simply abandon him. It is obvious that the evil forces behind this frame job have captured him! And a frame job is what this most definitely is. One of the Captain’s most formidable foes has convinced the world that the Captain is actually a fearsome criminal, and now the Captain and Mascot have been trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities while fighting to establish their innocence. Oh, the brilliance of this plan that sets the Captain against his former allies. All those global organizations that used to depend on his help have now turned against him. Mascot has to grudgingly give credit where it’s due: Whoever has contrived to come up with this scheme has outdone himself.
But who? Who could it be? The Mad Mannequin? The Lopsider? Mr. Inside Out? Sir Apropos of Nothing? Perhaps the dreaded Silver Dragoness? It could be any or even all of them.
Mascot and the Captain became separated somewhere in the vast…um…Orient Station. Mascot had already boarded the train and gotten to his seat and then, to his horror, saw the Captain through the window, battling a
group of killer ninjas. It was too late: The train was already in motion. And it was an express, so there was no way for him to get off and return to aid his friend and mentor. It’s not as if he’s worried that Captain Major can’t handle himself. In fact, he is convinced that the Captain will somehow manage to get to their destination in the Orient before Mascot even arrives. Still, there’s a gnawing uncertainty that is gnawing at him, the way that gnawing uncertainties tend to…gnaw.
But Mascot knows he must put these concerns aside and focus instead on the mission at hand. He and Captain Major are supposed to meet with a potential informant on the Orient Express, who will provide them with proof on a microchip that Captain Major has been framed. He doesn’t know the informant’s name. All he knows is the following: The informant will be dressed in white, and they are to speak a predetermined coded exchange.
Mascot keeps his eyes open, looking for the slightest sign of danger or ambush. He is not clad in his customary costume and mask, but instead is wearing a brilliant disguise that makes him look no different from any other young boy. Still, there’s no telling if enemy operatives are on the train, and whether they are capable of penetrating his false guise, no matter how clever he might think it is.
He steps from the fourth car into the fifth. The tracks speed past him below and he vaults from one car to the next effortlessly. This train car is different from the others; it appears to be some sort of lounge car. He scans the crowd and spots his contact. It’s a woman, dressed in white, tall and thin. Quite a remarkable individual. She’s probably risking life and limb to get this much-needed information to where it can do the most good.
Mascot sidles over and says in a low voice, “The nightingale sings only at daybreak.”
She stares at him, her face impassive. “Whatever,” she replies.
Perfect. Code phrase given, code response provided. Mascot has to admit that she’s quite a cool customer, this one.
“Chip,” says Mascot, adopting her terse manner.
She nods, and seconds later Mascot is holding the valuable evidence close to his chest. He makes his way through the train, his heart pounding with growing excitement. This is it: He’s holding the proof of Captain Major’s innocence. Now all he has to do is find a way to…
He senses the danger before he sees it. He has just stepped through to the next car when suddenly his head whips around and he sees the man in black heading right toward him.
A ninja!
Clad head to toe in the sort of dark clothing that enables him to blend with the shadows, the ninja bears down upon Mascot. In the ninja’s right hand is a gleaming metal instrument: a sai, the vicious stabbing implement favored by this sort of assassin. The sai gleams in a brief flash of sunlight, and then the ninja is in the car with Mascot.
Mascot glances right and left. The train car is crowded. Too many innocent people who could possibly wind up in the line of fire. This is no place for a battle. Mascot knows he has to keep moving, stay one step ahead of the ninja.
Large Lass. She’s Mascot’s best bet for ending the battle quickly. With her power to turn things superheavy, she can disable the ninja, no problem. That way no innocent lives will be put at risk.
But can he get to her before the ninja gets to him?
Mascot tosses aside all efforts at subtlety and takes off at a dead run. The shadow warrior comes right after him. He is shouting things in his native ninja tongue. Mascot doesn’t understand what he’s saying, but doesn’t care. All he knows is that he has to stay ahead of him long enough to get to Large Lass.
He charges forward, making it to the next door, sliding it open as fast as he can, and then slamming it shut as he dashes into the next car, nearly colliding with a priest. He mutters a quick apology and keeps going. Mascot doesn’t slow, his sneakered feet pounding along the floor. He throws open another door, charges between the cars….
In his haste he trips. He tumbles forward, landing on the rickety platform that bridges the span between the two cars. He clutches like a rabid bat. The tracks hurtle past below him at blinding speed. He takes a breath, pulls himself together, and gets to his feet once more. But he has lost distance, and now the ninja is almost upon him.
The door behind him is still open. He lashes out with his foot and kicks the protruding handle just as the ninja is reaching for him. The door slams shut, the ninja barely yanking his hand out of the way in time. Mascot wastes no time, bounding to his feet and running into the next car.
Large Lass is seated, waiting for him. Next to her is her faithful sidekick, Waistline. They look up at him curiously, unaware that danger is mere steps behind.
Before Mascot can get a word out, the ninja has come up behind him and grabbed him by the arm. He whips Mascot around. Mascot draws back his power punch, ready to take a stand. Why isn’t Large Lass activating her mass powers? What sort of ally is she, anyway? Maybe she—
“What the heck is your problem?”
—doesn’t realize the magnitude of the threat. She believes this to be Mascot’s fight and is loath to violate the superhero code by horning in on—
“You could have broken my hand!”
“He’s sorry, sir,” Kelsey said quickly. “Aren’t you sorry, Josh? Tell the conductor you’re sorry.”
“Sorry,” muttered Josh.
The conductor, a young Asian man, stared at Josh for a long moment before finally releasing him. He made no attempt to hide just how annoyed he was. He was holding a ticket puncher in one hand. In the other hand was a fistful of singles. “I was just trying to give you your change. You left it back at the snack bar. And you start running from me, like…like I don’t know what.”
“I was worried you might be a ninja.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes and—maybe a bit too dramatically—slapped her forehead with her hand. Paul just stared. So did the conductor. “A ninja?” he finally echoed.
Shaking his head, the conductor handed Josh the money. Josh took it with his free hand, the other hand clutching the bag of chips that he’d gone to buy for Kelsey.
“A ninja,” said the conductor once more, and then he looked suspiciously at the threesome. “Where are your parents?”
“Home,” said Josh.
He tilted his head toward Paul. “Who’s this?”
“My big brother,” Kelsey said immediately. Paul, to Josh’s astonishment, didn’t react at all. He didn’t seem surprised that Kelsey had just identified him as an older sibling. Instead he just smiled vaguely in the conductor’s direction.
“This is a train, not a playground,” said the conductor.
“Okay,” Paul said.
The conductor nodded once more, as if assuring himself that he’d handled the situation, and then walked away muttering to himself, “A ninja. Unbelievable.”
Sheepishly, Josh handed the chips to Kelsey. She leaned in toward him and said in a sharp whisper, “Are you trying to get us in trouble?”
“I just…”
“You just what?”
Mascot knows that they cannot be too careful. Enemies lurk everywhere, and although this “conductor” person was harmless…the way of the ninja is crafty.
He shrugged again. “I dunno.”
“You dunno. Sheesh.” Kelsey ripped open the bag of chips. The chips flew everywhere, and she moaned. “See what you made me do?”
Josh, who was sitting across from her, didn’t quite understand how he was responsible, but he wisely chose not to defend himself.
Paul abruptly looked at Kelsey and asked, “Am I really your big brother?”
In the midst of gathering up the scattered chips, Kelsey froze. She looked up at Paul. “Well…uh…no.”
“Then why did you tell him I was?”
Kelsey looked at Josh for help, but he didn’t have much more of a clue what to say than Kelsey did.
“Are you guys running away?” said Paul.
“What? No! No, we’re not—” Kelsey’s voice was louder than she would have liked, and she bro
ught it down quickly. “We’re not running away.”
“Do your mom and dad know where you are?”
“She doesn’t have a mom, and my dad…isn’t around,” Josh told him.
“Oh.” Paul looked saddened by that. “I don’t have a mom or a dad either.”
Kelsey and Josh exchanged looks. It had been difficult enough for them, coping with only having one parent. The notion of having none—that was too much.
“Who took care of you?” said Josh, who really was more interested in what had happened to Paul’s parents but couldn’t quite bring himself to ask.
“Mostly my uncle, but all kinds of people,” said Paul, looking into the distance. “There have always been different people taking care of me. But now,” he said with a touch of pride, “I take care of myself. And I guess,” he added almost as an afterthought, “I could take care of you guys.”
“Sure,” said Josh and Kelsey at almost the same time.
“That’d be nice. I never had people to take care of before. I took care of some goldfish once. And a cat.”
“Well, it’s not that much different, taking care of people,” said Josh.
“The cat ate all the goldfish and then got sick and died.”
“Oh,” said Josh.
“I see,” said Kelsey.
The train continued to speed on its way toward Northchester.
CHAPTER 8
MOM AND DAD HIT THE ROAD
The ticket seller only had to look at the picture Zack Markus showed him for a couple of seconds, and then he nodded and handed it back. Speaking from the other side of a thick glass window, he grinned and said, “Yup. I remember her. Came by early this morning, bought two bus tickets—for herself and the young man who was with her. Kid brother, I figured.”
“It never occurred to you,” Zack said very slowly, “that maybe selling two bus tickets to a couple of kids wasn’t the brightest idea?”