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 drawer. 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.