The Team are reunited with an old friend.
The Team could hardly believe their ears. Did that whinnying sound mean what they thought it did?
Sure enough, moments later a majestic black stallion emerged from behind the Mona Lisa's false wall. It gave a delighted neigh as it recognised the players.
"Milo?" asked Grandpa Eddie in amazement. He'd never expected to see his old friend again, let alone in the Louvre in Paris.
As Mouse Finbar, Fridge was able to understand the equine language. "Yes, it is our good friend Milo!" he confirmed, laughing. "He says it's good to see you too, Grandpa Ed."
"Sorry, old pal," apologised the old man. "I'm a little tied up at the moment."
"Wait a minute!" Martha exclaimed, struck by a sudden epiphany. "The poem said that our paths would soon cross with an old friend. This must be what it meant!"
"Oh my God, that's right!" gasped B1.
"I don't get it!" said Alex. "Why would the game bring Milo here now? Is he supposed to help us find Jayne?"
"Maybe he's here to help us complete our team," Spencer theorised, turning to the horse. "It's good to see you, Milo!" he said warmly. "Now all nine of us avatars are together!"
"All… nine," repeated Fridge slowly. His mind was racing and he felt he was on the cusp of a great discovery. He quickly ran through the day's events in his head, and all of a sudden, it clicked. Nigel was right – the key to the mission had been in the briefcase. Or rather, it was what wasn't in the briefcase.
"That's IT!" he shouted excitedly. "Holy sh*t! Everyone! There were supposed to be ten medallions in Nigel's briefcase, not nine!"
"What are you saying, Fridge?" asked Martha quizzically.
"There are ten avatars in Jumanji!" cried Fridge. "Bravestone, Ruby, Shelly, Mouse, Seaplane, Ming, Cyclone, Dias and Jurgen – that makes nine," he said, counting off the avatars. "But where's Number 10?"
The whole group gasped as the meaning of Fridge's words became clear.
"It's JAYNE!" shouted Bethany Walker. "Spitfire Jayne's the last avatar in the game!"
"Exactly!" said Fridge triumphantly. "We were never looking for a person; our task was to find and locate the last medallion!"
"Which is hidden somewhere in this museum," breathed Martha.
"THAT'S RIGHT!" screeched a dreadfully familiar voice. The players' hearts sank as the room began to fill with an unwelcome green smoke.
"Now it's time for my revenge!" gloated Manjeet as she materialised. "Pitiful peasants – everything you've done has only furthered my plans! You've given me the Monkey's Egg, and now you've handed me the Falcon Jewel too! What would I have done without you idiots? Au revoir, and thank you for your planet!"
With those words, Manjeet catapulted herself through the glass skylight towards another part of the Louvre complex. Martha ran past the Mona Lisa to find a north-facing window, hoping to catch a glimpse of where the sorceress would land.
To her surprise, Manjeet made a beeline for La Pyramide Inversée, descending through the glass structure and shattering it to pieces. Hundreds of flying monkeys followed her down, rejoicing in their success. Telekinetically, she moved the little stone pyramid aside, expecting to find Spitfire Jayne's bronze medallion underneath.
Her calm façade evaporated when she found only an empty chamber. "CHEATS!" she screamed in apoplectic rage. "WHO STOLE MY TREASURE?!"
Back in the Mona Lisa room, Spencer could hear Manjeet's furious yells. Slowly, he turned to the one person who might have outsmarted them all.
"Grandpa?" he whispered in awe. "Did you have something to do with this?"
Grandpa Eddie was grunting, struggling against the vines pinning him to the wall. It appeared that he was trying to reach his hand inside a secret pocket. Moments later, he let out a cry of breakthrough, and a bronze medallion tumbled to the floor below.
If the players fastened to the walls could have applauded, they would have.
Fridge rushed over and grabbed the precious medallion, examining it. As he'd hoped, it was exactly like the others, except for the image of a gun embossed upon it. There could be no more doubt – this was Spitfire Jayne's medallion!
The zoologist gave a delighted shout, kissing the medallion over and over. "Mad, mad, GENIUS!" he laughed, dancing for joy. "Grandpa Ed, YOU'RE the MVP!"
"Grandpa, you magnificent son of a b*tch!" exclaimed Spencer, shaking his head in amazement.
"Shall I tell your mother you said that?" joked Grandpa Eddie.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the northern wall of the Denon Wing, sending shockwaves through the building and freeing the trapped players. Manjeet the Macabre levitated back in through the opening left by the destruction, ready to avenge herself on those who'd made a fool of her.
Martha took the medallion from Fridge and turned to Bethany Vreeke. "Bethany," she told the little girl hurriedly, "I need you to put this on, get on the horse, and ride!"
Things are getting real! Please leave a review if you want to see more!
Fun fact: I imagined 'Chevaliers de Sangreal' playing during the scene in the last chapter where the players found the Inverted Pyramid. To my amazement, I discovered that if Sony Pictures wanted to make this happen, they could.