Danger Lurks Behind, W/ Strangers Out To Find Ya!

A Family Adventure!

"Are they shooting at us?" Lena asked.

"Change of plans. Kids get as far away," Della was cut off by Louie.

"Not a chance. Dewey, go around for another sweep," Louie said.

"No! You need to get to safety," Scrooge panted.

Gladstone looked at me. He was determined.

"I promise," he offered a hand and didn't have to finish.

"I trust you," I mumbled. No way he heard it over the wind but he must read my lips.

"Poor decision, Sweetheart," he beamed.

"I know," I shouted over the wind.

"Now, Blueberry," Gladstone said.

"Whatever you're thinking," Scrooge started but it was too late.

The plan tilted, throwing us backwards. We slide out of the plane with ease. I did my best to shield us as we descended but my strength was beyond low. At this point, we were coasting on Gladstone's luck so I clung to his hand.

The rushing wind and adrenaline rush would've been cool if we weren't on a suicide mission. I struggled to breathe. Tears ran up my face.

I waited for him to motion to his rope. We pulled them together and luckily FOWL was too distracted by the rest of our teams to get a clear shot at us.

We landed safely and waited for a group of eggheads to run out of a nearby exit to sneak in. I wish I could've taken in the enchantment of the place. The floor was lined with marble and the walls were stone. A layer of dust covered nearly everything in sight. The ceiling was 100 feet high and painted in faded Greek and Roman imagery.

We ran to the nearest towering bookshelf. I wonder what amazing hidden treasures were buried under centuries of dust and sand but only for a split second. Gladstone grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall.

We wondered for what felt like ages. It was too loud to be so quiet. We heard boots of passing guards on other isles, an occasional shouted order, the trickling of water from somewhere, the sound of our family grunting in our ears, Dewey humming to himself, and our own soft footsteps echoing through the chambers.

About ten minutes into us sneaking around Gyro's crackled to life in our heads.

"Their communications and cameras are down," he said confidently.

Then his confidence turned to yelp. He turned his com off. Static filled the air for a second then it was back to mostly silence.

We passed gadgets that FOWL had been storing. Some of them were partly covered with tarps. Those that weren't made me glad they hadn't seen the light of day.

We dodged through the open areas and only saw two or three guards that we had to pause to let pass before we continued. I paused after another five minutes. We were well as lost as we could be in the giant labyrinth of books and machines with the world's luckiest man leading us. Though being lost wasn't the reason I paused. A vision of the plane pledged my mind.

"Something's wrong," I whispered.

"What?" Gladstone stopped.