Zoe was just taking off her crash helmet when Ben came screeching to a halt right behind her He watched as Zoe ran over to the woman recognizing her immediately Erika Zoe cried out in excitement She looked around to make sure that no one else was within earshot Do we have a new mission Is that why you’re here Yes said Erika I’m here to take you straight to your destination Ben and Zoe were by far the youngest operatives in WILD a top-secret rescue organization run by their uncle Stephen Fisher Erika Bohn was his second-in-command Whenever WILD received news of an animal in danger Erika showed up suddenly wherever Ben and Zoe were Before they knew it they’d be heading out for another WILD rescue mission Erika grinned Sorry I interrupted your race she said No problem Erika Ben said grinning widely We’ll just call this last race a draw No we won’t said Zoe I was in the lead the entire Zoe was cut off by a revving go-kart engine Before she could speak Ben zoomed away to return his go-kart Zoe rolled her eyes Boys she said
A few moments later they were all driving down the highway in Erika’s car toward a private airfield Ben quickly sent a text message to their grandma letting her know that they wouldn’t be home tonight Grandma took care of Ben and Zoe while their parents were working abroad as vets She knew all about WILD and was very proud of her brave grandchildren Zoe watched from the front seat as they passed the white barren fields Evergreen trees were lit briefly in the car’s headlights as they passed I wonder what kind of animal we’ll be helping this time she said You know the drill said Erika In the glove compartment you’ll find a clue from your uncle Zoe reached into the compartment and pulled out a glass eyeball Using a penlight she found inside she inspected the eyeball It had an orange and brown iris with a round black pupil
It reflects the light she said turning it in the beam So it’s probably a copy of a nocturnal animal’s eye Ben reached over from the back Zoe gave him the eye and the penlight And it’s big he said I bet it’s from a member of one of the wild cat species I agree said Zoe Let’s see what Uncle Stephen has to say Ben gave her the eyeball Zoe carefully placed it into a slot in the vehicle’s dashboard Immediately a small hologram of a man appeared in front of them He wore a white lab coat and had a hat sitting on top of his messy hair Greetings my nephew and niece said Uncle Stephen Your destination for this mission is Africa It’s definitely not a tiger then said Ben Africa is a king-sized clue to the animal you’ll be rescuing Uncle Stephen’s hologram said Call me as soon as you’ve figured out the answer The hologram disappeared
