“Thank you, ladies. Rest assured, what I have to say won’t keep you from discussing ways to kill your enemies for too long.”
Andy listened closely as Rusty began to outline the latest quest.
“As you all know, we’ve been searching for some time now for a cursed artifact called the Golden Paw. Our intelligence tells us that the Collective is searching for this artifact as well, and are on track to find it before we do if we don’t act immediately.”
“The Collective?” Andy asked. “Who are they?”
“We don’t know much about their members,” Rusty explained. “Just that they are an assembled group of the worst criminals around. Phink was one of them, but his secrets died with him. They keep their membership secret. The one thing we do know is that their leader, the Potentate, is directing their efforts.”
“What about the artifact? What does it actually do?” Andy asked.
“The paw?” Rusty replied. “Legend says that it can confound the bearer’s enemies, allowing the person who possesses it to magically take on any appearance they desire. They can make themselves look like a person’s best friend or family member—even a king or queen.” Rusty sighed and then continued, looking troubled. “The implications of using such an artifact are boundless. The legend also states that the paw was designed for evil purposes, and as such, extracts a heavy price from the person who uses it, shortening their lifespan considerably. Every minute the user spends impersonating another is another minute taken from their own existence. Only someone truly evil would use such a cursed object.”
Andy’s mind reeled, thinking over the possibilities. A person could do a lot of damage with such a thing. Maybe even take over the world!
“Until recently, the Golden Paw was thought to be a myth,” Rusty continued. “But if what we have heard is true and they have nearly found its location, then we must take it as fact that it exists. More than that, if the Collective wants it, we must assume that they will waste no time in trying to retrieve it.”
Andy felt a nervous fluttering in his stomach as Rusty continued.
“Ned will remain here, gathering whatever intel he can on our enemy’s position. In the meantime, he’s provided me with the fastest route to the location where the Golden Paw is rumored to be hidden and has asked that I assemble a team to beat the Collective to its whereabouts.”
As Rusty narrowed his one good eye and gazed around at the group, Andy found himself desperately hoping that he would get to go. He had come a long way from the boy he used to be, a boy who would rather have read about adventure in a book than actually partake in one. But after the way he’d bungled the last mission, he worried that he might be forced to sit this one out.
Pick me, please, pick me.
“Betty, Dotty, you’ll both be needed for this,” Rusty said.
“As if one of us could stay behind,” Dotty murmured to her twin sister with a roll of her eyes.
Rusty continued, ignoring the sisters. His gaze alighted on Abigail and he grinned. “Feeling up for another one, Abigail?”
Andy watched as the girl leapt to her feet and saluted. “Ready when you are, Captain Bucketts!”
Rusty laughed and nodded. “At ease, soldier!”
The group all gave Abigail congratulatory pats on the back for being included in the expedition. Until recently, Abigail had been a member of the Collective, the very group they were fighting against. But she had turned her back on the organization and done her part to help Andy fulfill his last mission. Now she was trying to prove her worth and commitment to the Jungle Explorers’ Society. The others had understandably been treating her with a bit of guarded suspicion, but Andy had watched as she’d made good on all her promises over the last few months, and the fact that she’d rescued him the day before had evidently put her in good standing.
He couldn’t help feeling just a little bit jealous that she’d been picked.
“Ordinarily, Molly and Albert would round out the team, but Molly is on a mission in Paris and Albert is working with Ned to find out more about the Golden Paw. That means, in addition to Abigail, we’ll need one more.” He paused, as if considering whether he’d made the right decision. He was just about to speak up again when a loud voice rang out….
“Ho there, hope I’m not intruding! Charlie, get a shot of me next to the big guy….”
A man in a dazzling white safari outfit, complete with matching pith helmet, strode into the assembly. Next to him was a pudgy man with a motion picture camera, cranking a handle and capturing everything on film.
“Right, J.B. I’m on it….”
As Charlie swung the camera around and pointed it at Rusty, the man in the white suit strode over to the stunned bush pilot and shook his hand. When he smiled, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth and a strong-jawed profile, Andy gasped.
It’s John Bartlemore, the actor! I can’t believe it!
Andy had seen John Bartlemore in countless adventure serials, always playing the part of Dan Daring, an intrepid jungle explorer and treasure hunter. The Dan Daring serials were a favorite of most boys his age, and the show often featured fantastic creatures like Egyptian mummies and fearsome gorillas. Now that Andy had seen such creatures for himself, he realized just how unrealistic the suits the actors wore looked.
A whispered buzz rippled around the assembly as the others recognized the actor, too. The only one not impressed was Rusty, who seemed quite put out that the unexpected visitor had stumbled upon their secret meeting.
“And who in the blazes are you?” Rusty asked, dropping the hand that Bartlemore was pumping furiously.
“What? You don’t know who I am? That’s priceless! Are you getting all this, Charlie?” Bartlemore replied, evidently enjoying himself. “He doesn’t know who I am!”
“Got it,
