“I DON’T REMEMBER, EXACTLY,” EMMET WAS SAYING to Dr. Geaux and his dad, as he sat in the back of an ambulance.

“I went over the side. The water was way cold. Apollo popped to the surface, and I swam to him. Those creatures were confused at first. Probably all they’ve been fed is lionfish, and we don’t resemble them. It was like they didn’t know what he was, and I got to him before they could figure out we were food. I held on to Apollo with one arm and treaded water with the other. Those things attacked and attacked. I remembered that day in the ocean and just kept kicking them in the face whenever they got close. It was all I could think to do. I knew Calvin would figure out a way to save us.”

Dr. Geaux was pacing back and forth. Emmet wasn’t sure, but he thought from the look on her face that he and Calvin were going to be in big trouble. His dad just looked relieved.

She looked at Calvin. Then at Emmet.

“You two!” she said. “What part of ‘Don’t get involved in this’ do you not understand?”

Apollo was in Emmet’s lap, wrapped in a towel. He looked up at her and barked.

“Don’t you start,” she said to Apollo.

“Dr. Geaux, I’m sorry. And I understand why you’re mad. But Dr. Catalyst took my dad and my dog. And that kind of involves me. And if Calvin hadn’t come with me, I’d be dead. I say we call it a win and go home,” Emmet said. He was trying very hard to sound cheerful and nonchalant about the whole ordeal. Part of him felt bad for making them worry. But he couldn’t sit by, either.

“Do you know what could have happened to you?” She had switched to angry-mom mode. Emmet and Calvin said nothing. They just looked down at the ground. Finally, Emmet looked back up at her.

“I could have gotten eaten. Or chewed up pretty good. But we stopped him again,” Emmet pointed out.

“Don’t think that gets you off the hook,” Dr. Doyle said. “Rosalita is right, you could’ve —”

“And if you’d called us, we might have been able to apprehend him. Instead he got away again, and who knows what he’s going to do next!” Dr. Geaux said.

Apollo barked and jumped out of Emmet’s lap. He ran off, disappearing around the Princess of Atlantis ride.

“Where’s he going now?” Emmet asked.

The four of them trotted after him, and were met by Apollo coming back toward them, a ten-inch tablet computer in his mouth.

He laid it at Dr. Geaux’s feet.

“What do you suppose this is?” Dr. Geaux said, picking it up carefully by the edges with just her forefingers.

“I don’t know,” Emmet said. “But I’ve got a pretty good idea who it belongs to.”