CHAPTER 1 LIFT-OFF Ben's mountain bike soared through the air Woohoo he yelled As he landed he glanced back at his twin sister Zoe She was catching up to him Their mountain bikes gifts from their grandma were brand-new A race across this hillside was a perfect way to try them out Pedaling faster Ben swerved around a tree root As he turned he skidded across a patch of mud barely avoiding a crash
As Ben breathed a sigh of relief Zoe took the opportunity to catch up Her pedals circled in a blur as she sprinted down the steep slope The shallow stream at the bottom was their finish line Grandma was sitting in her car near the ravine reading a book while waiting for them to return Grandma lived with Ben and Zoe during summer vacations while their parents were away Their parents were vets whose jobs had them traveling all around the world Ben and Zoe usually went with them but this trip would keep their parents away until after school had started So the twins had to stay home this time Zoe splashed through the stream cheering triumphantly I win she cried Ben was splattered in mud
He grinned as he zoomed up behind Zoe You got lucky Ben said Just wait until next time Suddenly a whirring sound echoed through the area The nearby trees began to sway from side to side The teens stopped talking and looked upward Directly overhead they saw the whirring rotor of a helicopter The next instant two harnesses on ropes dropped down just in front of them What’s going on asked Ben Zoe’s face lit up I recognize that helicopter she yelled It’s Uncle Stephen Ben and Zoe’s uncle Dr Stephen Fisher ran a top secret organization called WILD It was dedicated to rescuing endangered animals all over the world and Ben and Zoe were its
youngest and newest operatives Ben grabbed one of the harnesses We’d better get up there and see what mission Uncle Stephen has for us this time he said The twins strapped themselves in Soon they were being lifted into the air high above the trees and hills Zoe gasped What about our bikes she yelled over the deafening sound of the rotor blades Ben looked down at a small figure on the ground Their grandmother was waving up at them as they made their dizzying ascent Grandma has it under control Ben yelled waving back at her After all she knows what Uncle Stephen has in store for us before we do
