In 2024, fourteen-year-old Lucy Sampson used an experimental computer mouse to travel back in time. With no project or clearly defined mission to guide her, she must discover her own path if she wants to return home.
Lucy blinked.
She opened her eyes to the sound of "Tik Tok" by Kesha playing grainily from a radio. She was no longer in a bedroom, but rather slouching in the back seat of what looked like a Jeep. It was daytime, and the sunlight that poured in from the windows heated up the interior, as if the air conditioning wasn't working.
She looked down and noticed she was now wearing an all-tawny outfit, with long jeans, boots, and a shirt with four pockets and a name tag reading "Junior Zookeeper Dana". There was a Casio digital watch on her right wrist reading 1:25 PM on Sunday, January 3, 2010.
"Wh- what happened?" sputtered Lucy in confusion. "Where am I?"
"We traveled in time again."
Lucy turned to her left and saw a white unibody MacBook on the seat beside her. She clearly saw the dongle of a USB wireless mouse in the slot, but instead of a third-party mouse, she saw Boop sitting on top of the laptop.
"Oh, you have a message," said Boop. "Click me to read it."
Lucy put Boop in her palm and clicked her. A long text message from Ian Wright, Boop's creator, appeared on the mouse's flat, touch-sensitive surface. It explained how Josie Bona, the eleven-year-old girl Lucy just leaped out of, became a famous scientist thanks to Lucy's intervention.
Lucy typed up a short reply on a keyboard that appeared on the mouse, then reclined back in the seat as the Jeep drove across dry rolling hills that seemed to glow under the light of the clear blue sky.
The vehicle hit a pothole, shaking her from her comfortable position and turning her gaze directly at the rearview mirror. The oval-shaped face of an Asian-looking young teenage girl stared back at her, with pale brown skin, narrow black eyes, and a black shoulder-length bob. This must be Dana, thought Lucy.
"You seem quiet lately, Dana," said the driver with a slight twangy accent. She was a taller woman with fair skin, blue eyes, and brunette hair tied in a bun, wearing a uniform identical to Lucy's except for a name tag reading "Brooke".
Lucy was a little taken aback. "I just, uh…" she sighed, "don't feel like myself today."
"You're probably just tired. Don't worry. Once we wrangle this escapee, you can head to your quarters and have a nice afternoon nap."
"Escapee?"
"Didn't you get the memo? Our oldest African bull was spotted in the Asian exhibit."
"African bull? Asian exhibit? What are you talking abou-"
Before Lucy could finish her sentence, Brooke hastily parked the Jeep.
"There he is," said Brooke, pointing out the window. "Our elephant."
Lucy looked outside, but all she saw were a few indistinct shapes in the distance.
"I'll call for backup," said Brooke, reaching for the walkie-talkie on the dashboard. "In the mean time, try luring the elephant to the entrance."
A little reluctant, Lucy stepped outside. She found herself in a large grassy plain surrounded by mountains with no buildings in sight. The only clue to her location was the words on the Jeep's door - "San Diego Wild Animal Park".
"Wild animal park?" read Lucy, shocked.
"You volunteer here," said Boop, who was in her shirt pocket. "You're in the junior zookeeper program, mentoring under Brooke - the driver and head zookeeper. Your name is Dana Tju, you're thirteen years old, and you're Chinese-Indonesian on your father's side."
Suddenly, a loud trumpet pierced the air.
Lucy turned around to see an elephant mingling with animals that didn't come from its habitat, like two-humped camels, mountain sheep, and deer.
She made her way to the elephant. Up close, it was larger and more intimidating than she expected. She had no idea how to deal with a creature of its size - but Dana probably did.
Lucy reasoned that if she was in Dana's body, she should be able to access Dana's thoughts. But she could only remember what little she knew about herself.
"You can't access your leapee's memories," explained Boop. "You have to figure this out on your own."
A few moments later, Lucy suddenly remembered something. She plucked a particularly large blade of grass and waved it in front of the elephant. At first, it didn't seem interested, but after a few moments, it reached its trunk out to her.
She stepped slightly back, and the elephant stepped slightly forward. She made another, larger backwards step, and the animal matched it.
She then slowly walked backwards, leading the elephant. She periodically glanced ahead and behind her, making sure the animal didn't lose its sight on her bait. Luckily, she was able to lead it to the entrance despite it glancing away multiple times.
"I couldn't believe that worked," commented Lucy. "And I thought I was lucky when I lured that giraffe at the zoo when I was twelve."
"You did?" replied Boop, shocked. "Tell me about it."
"There was this zoo where people have to pay to feed the giraffes and get a closer look. But I used a blade of grass to lure them away from the feeding booth. I was able to get a selfie away from everyone else."
Suddenly, a team of zookeepers arrived to take over the rescue operation.
Brooke beckoned Lucy back inside the Jeep. "Let's get this guy back where he belongs."
Lucy made herself comfortable in the back seat and glanced out the back window, where she saw the zookeepers load the elephant onto a flatbed truck.
The Jeep drove away, and the truck followed it.
"You did a great job there, Dana," congratulated Brooke. "Looks like the two years we spent wrangling animals together really paid off."
"Thanks," replied Lucy shyly, not knowing what else to say.
Lucy turned to the side window, watching the surroundings pass by. She saw rhinos, tigers, giraffes, and other animals roaming freely around the grassland, accompanied by the occasional tour vehicle.
"Whoa, this place is huge," observed Lucy. "Looks like it's easy to get lost."
"Not for Dana," replied Boop. "She knows the entire zoo like the back of her hand."
"How do you know so much about Dana, Boop?"
"I leaped into the mouse connected to Dana's laptop. Looks like I was right. I can only leap into computer mice."
Lucy snickered. "You never fail to amaze me, Boop."
"Who are you talking to?" asked Brooke suddenly.
"My, uh, friend?" stammered Lucy in reply, trying to hide Boop.
"Dana, you're talking to your computer mouse."
Lucy looked at Boop in shock. "Y- you can see my mouse?"
"Uh, yeah?" replied Brooke, a little confused.
"What does it look like?"
"It's, uh, a regular computer mouse? It's small and black, with two buttons and a scroll wheel."
Only did then Lucy notice that Boop's reflection in the rearview mirror was a cheap wireless mouse.
"Must've mistook it for my phone," said Lucy, scratching her head.
The Jeep rounded a curve, turning in the direction of a sign reading "Elephant Viewing".
As it crossed the staff-only gate into the exhibit, Lucy thought about what this leap's problem would be. She would be extremely grateful if it was simply returning the elephant, but something told her that it was much more than that.
A few moments later, the zookeeper team carefully released the elephant in the Elephant Viewing exhibit.
Lucy followed Brooke as she got down from the Jeep to check on her colleagues. The retrieval team was congratulating themselves with cheers and high-fives, but two men standing near the gate were less than excited.
"John? Jeffrey? Is something wrong?" said Brooke, addressing the two nearly identical, twenty-something white men that reminded Lucy of the Property Brothers on TV.
"No, nothing. Everything's fine," said the slightly taller man with a short beard and mustache.
"Yeah. What John said," said the shorter, clean-shaven man with short bangs.
Brooke was a little put off by the men's dismissive tone. "But you're our most senior caretakers! Shouldn't you be more concerned when a member of the herd escapes?"
"I'm sure it's just an isolated incident," dismissed John. "We'll be more watchful next time. Right, Jeffrey?"
Jeffrey didn't answer at first. John had to elbow him to force out a sheepish "Yeah. We will."
The two caretakers glared at Lucy and Brooke before walking away without a word.
"What's up with them?" asked Lucy.
"I was just about to say the same thing," responded Brooke. "John and Jeffrey never felt this… off before."
"Maybe they're just tired like I am," replied Lucy, stifling a yawn.
"Something tells me it's more than just that. Keep an eye out for anything strange."
Lucy didn't say a word. She was a little unsettled by the implications of what Brooke said.
"Why don't you go to your quarters, Dana? We'll call you on the intercom when we need you."
Lucy immediately turned around. She was tired, but she wasn't sure if it was because she could feel Dana's tiredness or if she was just exhausted from leaping. Maybe it was both.
She retrieved Dana's laptop from the Jeep and walked to the staff building, using a map Boop displayed to find her way.
The quarters for the junior zookeepers consisted of a single, simple room with a fridge, a kitchen counter, and multiple desks and bunk beds. Each bed was decorated differently, fitting the varied personalities of the zookeepers stationed there.
Lucy searched the empty room and quickly found Dana's bed at the back of the room, which was conveniently labeled by cheap stickers spelling "Dana".
She made herself comfortable on Dana's blanket, a small, thin piece of cloth with a faded picture of Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She turned on the desk lamp clipped to the bed frame and opened Dana's laptop.
She was greeted with a login screen. Unlike the one she was familiar with, which displayed user profiles as floating circular icons, this one listed users in a metallic gray box. She clicked on the only option, "Dana".
"Looks like there's a password," observed Lucy. "Any help, Boop?"
"Click on me," said Boop.
Lucy pointed the mouse at the computer and clicked. The screen flashed with lines of code for a few seconds, after which a series of dots appeared in the password field.
She pressed the enter key, taking her to Dana's desktop. Its wallpaper was a space scene with a purple aurora that spread out like a lotus.
She used Boop to guide the black mouse cursor across the few files and folders, hoping to find some more information about Dana. But most of them were about the zoo's finances and inner workings, which Lucy found uninteresting.
She then clicked on the Safari browser, opening the last window Dana used - her Facebook profile.
Lucy suddenly remembered what Facebook was, but the website she was seeing didn't match what she knew. The interface, font, and even the content were different - instead of political arguments and moralistic essays, Dana's feed was filled with warm, down-to-earth, and authentic posts expressing her passion for animals.
Lucy scrolled through the feed, noting a lack of intrusive ads or influencers. The only hint of self-promotion she could find was a post by Dana herself, reading "click here 2 visit my myspace! ive got some good music over there!"
A little confused as to what MySpace was, Lucy clicked on the post. She found herself on a website that somewhat resembled the version of Facebook she was using, except it had an embedded music player that automatically played "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.
Finding the melody calming, Lucy grabbed the wired earbuds dangling from the khaki backpack hanging from the bed frame and put them on. She then lay down on the bed, hugging Boop and the laptop.
But before she could drift off to sleep, she heard Brooke's voice call loudly from the intercom.
"Code blue. Code blue. All zookeepers to pavilion."
Lucy was stunned. She didn't know what "code blue" meant in a zoo context, but she knew it was serious. She slung the bag over her shoulder and hurried outside.
Using Boop's map as a guide, she rushed over to the pavilion near the hippo exhibit. She found Brooke surrounded by most of the zoo's staff, including adults, teens, and kids.
"What's wrong, Brooke?" asked Lucy breathlessly.
"An elephant has escaped," stated Brooke firmly. "It's not the one we just wrangled earlier. This one's a pregnant female."
"Could she be in one of the other exhibits?" asked a twenty-something female zookeeper.
"We've performed a visual inspection of the entire zoo," said an older male zookeeper with a slightly bulging belly. "She's not anywhere."
"Send the retrieval team," ordered Brooke. "We can't afford to lose another animal."
Most of the zookeepers nodded and drove away in convoy of trucks and Jeeps.
Not long after they left, an African-American teenage male zookeeper received a call on his walkie-talkie. "What? A gemsbok? It's- it's missing?!"
Immediately after that, an older female zookeeper with blonde hair and an Australian accent got a similar message. "Our platypus? Gone?"
"Everyone, to your respective departments," ordered Brooke. "Find those animals before they get lost!"
All the zookeepers hurried away from the scene, leaving Brooke and Lucy behind.
"What's happening?" asked Lucy.
"Either the animals have learned to escape or someone's helping them escape," responded Brooke.
Just when Lucy and Brooke were about to leave, two familiar faces approached them.
"John! Jeffrey! There you are," said Brooke. "I was just about to call you. Things have been going crazy around here."
"…What do you mean?" asked John.
"Haven't you heard? Animals are escaping left and right!"
Jeffrey took a few seconds to react. "I'm pretty sure they're just isolated incidents. Nothing to worry about, Brooke."
"Nothing to worry about?! We've barely had escapes since we opened in 1972! In my ten years as a zookeeper here I've never seen an animal escape, let alone three in one day!"
Suddenly, the African-American zookeeper rushed back to the scene. "Brooke! Brooke! I found the platypus!"
"Where is it, Shawn?"
"It's in the African exhibit, with the flamingoes."
"How did it get there?"
"You won't believe this, but I saw John and Jeffrey put it there. I saw them, they saw me, then they ran away like it was nothing!"
Brooke glared at Jeffrey. "Is that true, Jeffrey?"
Jeffrey smiled shyly, as if he was a kid who had just stolen some candy. "Okay. You caught me. I did move it. But it's not for the reason you think. You see… Abby and Mac told me to put it there."
"Who's Abby and Mac?" asked Lucy.
"They're, like, the wealthiest patrons of the zoo," explained Shawn. Lucy watched as he produced a BlackBerry 9630 camera phone and used the clunky keypad to show her a picture.
It showed a middle-aged couple, with the gray-haired man wearing a black formal suit, hat, and tie, and the woman wearing a red Asian dress with golden dragon patterns. They were posing in front of an elephant that had marched up to the exhibit fence.
"These guys donate so much to the zoo every month," continued the other teen. "We even consider them VIPs, which means they could schedule their own tours and access normally restricted areas."
"And this time, they've requested to see the platypus in the African exhibit," added Jeffrey. "They'll go on their monthly tour tomorrow but they have to bring their daughter to school first, so they don't have time to see the platypus in the Australian exhibit."
Brooke sighed in defeat. "If it's Abby and Mac we're talking about then… I guess I could give it a pass."
Lucy watched John and Jeffrey return to their Jeep with sly smiles. Brooke was right - there really was something off about those two people. She suspected they could be behind the disappearances, but their explanation seemed to make sense. Whatever the truth was, she had to get to the bottom of it.
Lucy woke up the next day, finding herself still in Dana's quarters.
The previous afternoon had been chaotic. She was suddenly called to lead a small tour group, but due to her fragmented memories and lack of interest in biology, she wasn't able to answer most of the group's questions. It embarrassed her greatly, so she retired to the quarters early to sleep things off.
She turned to her watch, which she didn't take off in tiredness, and her eyes widened when she saw it was 7:54 AM on January 4 - a Monday.
"I'm late for school!" cried Lucy.
"Dana, what are you talking about?" replied Shawn groggily, waking up in the bunk above Lucy's. "We're homeschooled. Our worksheets are mailed here."
"Phew."
Lucy lay back down to go back to sleep, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
It was Brooke. "Dana, where are you? Abby and Mac are here. They want you to lead their tour."
With an uninterested grumble, Lucy rubbed her eyes and dragged herself outside.
She was a little surprised to see a black 2009 Range Rover parked outside the staff building. Mac was standing in front of the back right door, beside a young man with short black hair.
"Ah, you must be Dana," said Mac, his voice creating a puff of smoke in the cool winter air. "My name is Mac McCormick, and this is my personal assistant, Alfred. Allow him to assist you."
Alfred opened the passenger door and motioned for Lucy to step inside.
Once she had settled into the large, black leather seat, Alfred wordlessly handed her a bottle of Fiji water.
"No thanks," she said, pushing the bottle back. "I'm not thirsty."
Alfred put the bottle in his drink compartment. "Just tell me if you want a drink," he said, almost mumbling.
He turned on the radio, which played "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train. "Do you like this music? Or should I change it?"
Lucy nodded. She suddenly remembered how she liked listening to music from the early 2010s, which reminded her of her childhood. This track, in particular, was very calming and uplifting, and she often listened to it to forget the chaos in her time.
Alfred drove through a gate reading "No Private Vehicles Allowed" and joined several tour vehicles on the winding road through the African exhibit.
Although a little unsettled by the fact that they had just broken the zoo's rules, Lucy decided not to complain. She just pointed at the animals and shared whatever facts she remembered - not that the McCormicks seemed to be interested.
They traversed the entirety of the exhibit, ending with a large artificial pond.
"These are our greater flamingoes," explained Lucy, "and today they're joined by a special guest."
She looked outside, expecting to see the platypus hiding between the flamingoes' legs. But no matter where she turned, she couldn't find it.
"Who?" interjected Mac.
"Uh, the platypus?" replied Lucy.
"The platypus?" repeated Abby. "What would the platypus be doing in the African exhibit?"
"Didn't you request to move the platypus?"
There was an awkward silence before Mac suddenly laughed. "Why would we do that, Dana? We've been patrons of zoos for decades now. We know the risks of moving animals between exhibits, especially when their companions do not come from the same habitat."
Lucy was confused. A part of her wanted to believe him, but he could also be making an alibi, possibly to buy or capture the platypus. Someone had to be lying - either Shawn was mistaken, Mac was hiding something, or John and Jeffrey weren't who they seem.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and by mid-morning, the McCormicks returned Lucy to the staff building, giving her a very generous tip.
She met Brooke by the entrance, who led her to the office beside the sleeping quarters.
Lucy sat alongside a number of other zookeepers, some of which she recognized from the pavilion the previous day. Brooke stood in front of the whiteboard across them, looking like a teacher about to lecture her students.
"We need to address the elephant in the room," began Brooke, "and no, it's not the missing elephants - or other escapees."
"What is it, then?" asked the twenty-something female zookeeper.
"It's the rampant abuse of privileges by our VIP donors."
"Abuse?"
"I have received a report that our longstanding donors, the McCormicks, have requested moving our platypus to the African exhibit for a private drive-through tour."
"But it wasn't there," interjected Lucy. "I led their tour and we couldn't find it. Mr. McCormick even said he knew better than to move animals."
The zookeepers exchanged tense glances.
"But how come John and Jeffrey both said the McCormicks had the platypus moved?" wondered Brooke. "Even Shawn caught them in the act!"
"I don't know," replied Lucy. "I believe someone's not telling the whole truth."
"Whoever did it, it shouldn't have been allowed," gasped the Australian-accented zookeeper. "Platypuses have a difficult time adapting to habitats that aren't their own."
"No animal should be moved without explicit written permission from me," said Brooke, her face hardening. "John, Jeffrey, explain yourselves!"
Brooke glared at the two senior zookeepers, who were huddling in the corner, as if they did something wrong.
"Did… did we say that?" stammered John.
"Yes, you did," affirmed Lucy. "I heard it loud and clear at the pavilion meeting yesterday."
"And speaking of yesterday," added Brooke, "why were you so late for the meeting?"
"We just, uh, had our hands full," said Jeffrey.
"Let me guess, you were trying to help the platypus escape," accused Brooke.
"Help it escape?" repeated John. "We would never do that. Right, Jeffrey?"
John elbowed Jeffrey, eliciting a nod from the latter.
"Then why did Shawn see it with you in the African exhibit?"
"It, uh, escaped on its own," said Jeffrey. "We were just, uh, trying to catch it so we can return it to the Australian exhibit. In fact, it's probably there right now, swimming with the kangaroos."
"Go check on them, Camilla," ordered Brooke, turning to the Australian zookeeper.
Brooke turned back to the twin zookeepers. "If you just wanted to return the platypus, why did you say the McCormicks wanted it to be moved?"
Stunned, the twins took a few seconds to respond. "We were, uh, just kidding."
Brooke sighed. "Meeting's over. Report back to me if you notice anything unusual."
Lucy sighed in a mixture of tiredness and relief. She retired to the quarters and lay down on Dana's bed to use the laptop.
"You know, I'm having suspicions about those John and Jeffrey guys," said Boop as Lucy clicked her around the bed.
"Why?" asked Lucy, not taking her eyes off Dana's Facebook page, which she was browsing.
"Yesterday they said they moved the platypus because Abby and Mac wanted to see it. But earlier when they heard the McCormicks didn't say that, they said the platypus escaped on its own."
"They did say the thing about Abby and Mac was a joke though. I'm not sure what to believe. John and Jeffrey could be lying to cover themselves, or Abby and Mac are playing both sides."
Boop paused. "That's possible. The platypus disappearing sometime before the tour is suspicious, don't you think?"
Overwhelmed, Lucy stopped to consider the details. "Yeah… I don't know who's telling the truth. But I'll figure it out. Something's definitely off."
Lucy groggily yawned and rubbed her eyes.
She had slept late the previous night, checking Abby, Mac, John, and Jeffrey's Facebook pages for any clues as to their strange behaviors. But there was nothing suspicious on any of them - if there was, she must've forgot about them in tiredness.
She checked her watch, noticing the time and date - 7:45 AM on Tuesday, January 5 - before going to the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth.
A light behind her suddenly pierced the darkness. It was a Sony Ericsson C510 phone, which, based on the wallpaper, appeared to be Dana's.
There was a text message from Brooke. It read "come here 2 vet clinic asap."
Using Boop to guide the way, Lucy rushed over to the zoo's veterinary clinic, in an unassuming building off the beaten path.
Lucy put on a blue, full-body surgical gown as instructed by a sign near the entrance, suddenly reminding her of the COVID times when everybody had to wear face masks or other personal protective equipment to go on their day-to-day activities.
She pushed herself through a clear plastic strip curtain and entered a sterile-smelling room where Brooke and a number of veterinary staff, also dressed in blue gowns, observed something on the floor.
"What's happening here?" asked Lucy.
"We've found our escapees," explained Brooke. "But there's something off. We think they were mishandled or even sedated."
Lucy stepped closer to the vets, finding the elephant, gemsbok, and platypus lying on their sides, their stomachs rising and falling slightly but the rest of their bodies frozen still.
"Who would do such a thing?" said Lucy, feeling a pang of concern for the animals.
"The same person, or people, who let them loose in Escondido," replied one of the doctors. "They were spotted in the streets near Felicita Park, not moving even when drivers honked their horns at them."
"Is there any chance they'll get better?"
"We hope so. The sedative used appears to be a weak one. They should regain consciousness within a few hours, a few days at most."
"Oh, so that's where they went."
Everyone in the room was stunned to see John and Jeffrey casually walk in - especially Brooke and Lucy, who were just about to leave.
"I'm glad you're actually caring about our animals' welfare for once," said Brooke with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Of course we care," added Jeffrey. "We always make sure to keep our animals in tip-top shape. Right, John?"
This time, it was Jeffrey who elbowed John to elicit a shy nod, complete with a toothy, monkey-like smile.
"Why? Because you have nefarious plans for them?" teased Brooke.
John was a little stunned by the accusation. "Nefarious plans? Of course we don't have nefarious plans. Like all good zookeepers, we stand up for the well-being of all animals. Right, Jeffrey?"
Jeffrey nodded without being nudged.
"I'm glad you still remember your commitment. Just make sure nothing like that ever happens again."
John and Jeffrey nodded and proceeded to inspect the animals. Lucy noticed something odd about them - unlike the skillful, thoughtful actions of the vets, the twins' motions felt inauthentic, as if they were just copying the vets' moves without understanding the intention behind them.
But she couldn't act on those thoughts, since it was almost the zoo's opening time, and she had to get ready.
As she led her first tour of the day, Lucy couldn't help but think about the strangeness of the situation. She was starting to doubt that John and Jeffrey were completely innocent, but she also entertained the possibility that the evidence against them was circumstantial. On the other hand, Abby and Mac looked exactly like the type of people who would order the capture and sedation of exotic animals, but Mac's denial sounded fake.
She spent most of the morning racking her brain over who to hold accountable for the disappearances. She eventually settled on Abby and Mac, but she was unsure how to prove their guilt and bring them to justice.
At mid-morning, she met with Brooke at one of the zoo's many restaurants.
"So, Brooke," Lucy began over a meal of chicken fingers and French fries, "have you found out who's behind the disappearances yet?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," replied Brooke after sipping on a slushie. "I don't know either."
"I'm starting to suspect Abby and Mac. They just check all the right boxes."
Brooke giggled. "Abby and Mac? Stealing animals? Dana, you said it yourself. They know better than to move animals between exhibits."
"Well, I think they're just making excuses."
"What's your evidence?"
"Just a hunch. But I'm going to do research anyway. Something tells me the evidence will point to them."
"Be careful, Dana. If they do end up being guilty, their reputation and the reputation of the zoo might be in danger."
Lucy walked away, feeling a little uneasy. Brooke sounded oddly dismissive of what she thought was the best lead. Could she be working for Abby and Mac?
She went back to the quarters, feeling a little overwhelmed by the conflicting pieces of information. She lay down to have a rest, hoping that it would clear her mind.
But just before she could go to sleep, she heard voices chattering from the room beside her.
She pressed her ear to the wall and heard what was clearly John and Jeffrey discussing something, using hushed tones as if to evade detection.
"We can't let them escape again," said John. "We have buyers to satisfy."
"What are we going to do?" asked Jeffrey. "Capture other animals?"
"No. Mr. Smith wants the elephant, Mr. Devi wants the elephant's calf, Mr. Nguyen wants the gemsbok, and Mr. Moyo wants the platypus. They already paid millions of dollars for them. We can't just change their orders."
Lucy's eyes widened. It all made sense now - the strange behaviors, inconsistent testimonies, and inauthentic aura were all part of a disguise. They weren't well-meaning zookeepers, but rather something far more despicable.
"But they've already escaped our safehouse. If we catch them, they might find their way out again."
"Then we just ramp up security. Come on, let's capture those animals while they're still in the vet clinic."
Lucy heard John and Jeffrey get up. Quickly getting over her initial shock, she followed the noise of their footsteps to the quarters' door, peeking outside to see the twin zookeepers walk past.
She saw John speak into a cellphone. "Requesting backup. Send security forces to the zoo and the safehouse. I'll text you the address."
"I've intercepted their text message," announced Boop, correctly predicting that Lucy would ask her to do it. "The safehouse is in a residential area of Escondido, California, between the I-15 and Felicita Park."
Lucy squinted at the map Boop displayed on her surface, with a red dot over the safehouse's exact location. "That's where those vet guys found the animals."
"And that's where John and Jeffrey will take them if we don't stop them."
Later that afternoon, Lucy went to the bathroom after leading a small family on a tour. She drank a lot of water because she felt hot, and she couldn't wait to relieve herself.
But as she stepped outside, she bumped into someone she didn't expect.
"Oh, Brooke, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."
"It's alright."
"I was just looking for you. You won't believe who the smugglers are!"
"Who?"
"John and Jeffrey! They stole the animals last Sunday and want to sell them to some shady people!"
"Wha- really?"
"I overheard them talking about it earlier."
Lucy produced Boop from her pocket in the hopes that the mouse recorded the zookeepers' conversation. Sure enough, there was an audio file displayed on the mouse's surface.
"I recorded your brainwaves while you were snooping on them," explained Boop. "This should be exactly what you heard."
Lucy clicked the mouse, and John and Jeffrey's conversation played back exactly as she had heard it. But Brooke didn't seem to know what was happening.
"What are you trying to do, Dana?" asked Brooke.
"What do you mean?" wondered Lucy.
"How is showing me your computer mouse and clicking on it supposed to prove that John and Jeffrey are smugglers?"
Only then did Lucy remember that only she can hear Boop.
Suddenly, she heard a buzz from her pants pocket. It was Dana's phone, which had received Boop's audio file via Bluetooth.
Lucy played the recording again. Brooke's eyes widened as she realized just who the senior zookeepers really were.
"I- I can't believe this," sputtered Brooke.
"Is something wrong, Brooke?" asked Lucy.
"I… I trusted them. I know I felt something off about John and Jeffrey, but I brushed it off because I thought they were exceptional zookeepers. I gave them access to almost everything - and now they're using their privilege for this!"
"It's okay, Brooke," comforted Lucy, putting a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "Now that we know the truth, we can stop them."
Brooke took a deep breath. "Yeah. You're right. I'll alert the authorities. Keep an eye on them and text me when they're about to make their move."
The moment Lucy stepped outside, she noticed a few figures walking past the bamboo hedges concealing the bathroom. She didn't have to see them to know who they were - John and Jeffrey.
She carefully walked along the shrubbery, which lined a narrow path parallel to the one her targets were taking. She occasionally peeked through the leaves, noticing how the smugglers acted strangely casual, sharing jokes and even smiling at the people they passed by.
But once they reached the clinic, things took a drastic turn.
Lucy stopped in her tracks when she noticed two muscular, heavily armed men flanking the entrance. Their hardened faces didn't blink or flinch even as they opened the door for John and Jeffrey.
Not knowing what else to do, Lucy texted Brooke. She struggled a little to type with the keypad, but she was eventually able to send a message: "im at clinic. targets r inside. guards blocking door, cant go in."
She cringed at the fact that she made so many spelling mistakes, but between the clunky keypad and the urgency of the situation, she didn't have much of a choice.
Brooke replied almost immediately. "gr8. cops have been alerted. will be there soon."
Lucy waited for what felt like hours, but Brooke didn't arrive. Lucy started to feel uneasy, fearing that John and Jeffrey would move the animals before the authorities came. She wanted to go inside, but the guards remained fixed to their post, unmoving like statues.
She texted Brooke again. "going in when i get chance. txt when backup coming."
A few moments letter, Lucy noticed the guards nodding to each other before walking away, presumably to the bathroom.
This was her chance. She quickly snuck through the door, put on a gown, and followed the smugglers into the treatment room.
Hiding behind a file cabinet, she pulled out Dana's phone and filmed John and Jeffrey performing a caesarean section on the elephant.
She tried to keep quiet, but she couldn't help but make a disgusted sound. Despite attempting to control herself, it was loud enough for John to turn in her direction. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice her, as he immediately turned back to what he was doing.
Spooked, she texted Brooke. "am in alr. john almost saw me!"
Brooke responded almost instantly. "look what i found!"
Lucy opened the picture message Brooke sent. It took a while for it to load, and when it did, it was very grainy. She could make out some papers on a wooden surface, but she couldn't read the text.
"wat is dat?" asked Lucy.
"found dis in quarters," replied Brooke. "looks like john n jeffrey arent da only 1s involved."
Suddenly, Lucy heard footsteps. She looked up to see John and Jeffrey loading the elephant's calf, covered in a thin white membrane, onto a gurney, which they wheeled briskly out the door at the back of the room.
She sent a quick text to Brooke - "gtg. targets r escaping." - before getting up to give chase.
She wasn't able to go far, though, as she nearly lost her balance, her boots squeaking on the wax-coated floor loud enough for the smugglers to notice.
"Who's there?" said Jeffrey, turning around in shock.
Lucy crouched in a corner, expecting the twins to just brush it off and continue with their plans. But instead, they started walking in her direction.
Thankfully, they didn't notice her. They just went past and disappeared into another part of the building.
She sighed in relief. She made sure the coast is clear then ran up to the elephant, which the twins seemingly forgot about.
Even though she wasn't well-versed in biology, she could tell that the elephant wasn't in good condition. Its trunk twitched slightly while its weak legs tried and failed to right itself up, and its breathing was slow and labored, as if it was fighting to stay alive.
Feeling concerned for the animal, Lucy sent a picture of it to Brooke then slowly wheeled it towards the back door.
"Hold it right there!"
Lucy froze. She looked up to see one of the guards from the door glaring at her, his weapon aimed directly at her chest.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here," said John, casually strolling up to her with a sick snicker on his face.
"Thought you can spy on us, huh?" teased Jeffrey.
Lucy could only watch as he grabbed the phone from her hand and deleted the picture message she just sent. He then threw the phone to the ground, but thankfully, being built like a brick, it was only lightly scratched.
Before she can react, the smugglers grabbed her tightly by the arms and threw her into a small, featureless room. Her bottom hurt from the strength of her landing.
"Now stay put," commanded John. "We'll deal with you once the boss arrives."
He locked the door with a loud thud, plunging the room into darkness.
Lucy wanted to call for help, but she heard heavy footsteps march in her direction and stop at the door. It must've been the guard, sent to make sure she doesn't get out.
She looked around the sterile-smelling room, hoping there was another way to escape. But there appeared to be none.
She was trapped.
Lucy didn't know how long she spent in the room. All she knew was that it was a very long time - although she probably thought it was longer than it actually was.
Running out of things to do, she searched her pockets for anything that could help her. The only thing she found was Boop, whom she had almost forgotten about in stress.
"Boop, thank goodness you're still there," sighed Lucy in relief as Boop's screen faintly lit up the darkness.
"I'm always here for you, Lucy," reassured the mouse.
"Is there anything you can do to help me escape? It's getting sticky in here."
"I don't think so. My radar sensors don't detect any holes, windows, or any other ways to get out of here."
"Does that mean… I've failed? Boop, what happens if I fail a leap?"
"I don't know. When Sam and Ben got into sticky situations like this, they always found a way to complete their mission in the end. You just have to wait."
Not long after, Lucy heard the sound of someone falling to the ground. The doorknob rattled, then turned. The door swung open, making light spill into the room.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust and notice the silhouette standing in the doorway.
"Brooke?"
"No time to explain," said the head zookeeper hurriedly, grabbing Lucy by the arm. "The smugglers have escaped. We have to catch them!"
Brooke dragged Lucy out the room, past the guard lying unconscious on the floor, then outside to a waiting Jeep.
They hightailed it out of the zoo and onto the nighttime streets of Escondido. They only slowed down once they were behind a large flatbed truck with decals of the zoo's name on the door.
"Why are we following a zoo truck?" asked Lucy.
"John and Jeffrey stole it," replied Brooke, not taking her eyes off the road ahead. "Just one of the many crimes you can add to their list."
Brooke handed Lucy a few sheets of paper. They were the ones she found in the office earlier, detailing John and Jeffrey's plans and transactions.
The zoo truck soon stopped in front of an unassuming-looking house on a suburban street. Brooke stopped her Jeep a few feet behind them, sliding it sideways like a motorcycle, before getting down dramatically.
"Hold it right there!" screamed Brooke.
"B-B-B-Brooke?!" stammered John, who had just gotten down from the truck with his twin. "What are you doing here?"
"No, what are you doing here?"
Jeffrey didn't know how to react. "We're, uh, we're, uh… taking the truck out to the gas station? The tires need work and…"
"You're not fooling us this time, Jeffrey!" said Lucy, getting down. "How do you explain this?"
She held the papers in her raised arm, making the twins' eyes grow wide.
"H- how did you get that?" trembled John.
"It doesn't matter. Explain yourself!"
Jeffrey started to sweat profusely. "That is… a list of donors. From the VIP tier. They're friends of Abby and Mac."
Suddenly, Abby emerged from the house on the other side of the street. "Oh, my! What's going on here?"
"John and Jeffrey here claim these people are your associates," said Lucy, handing Abby the list. "Is that true?"
Abby adjusted her glasses. "Why, uh, yes. They are my associates."
Jeffrey snickered, as if to say "Looks like I was right after all."
"But I don't remember them donating to the zoo," continued Abby. "Mr. Smith's more into this new social media thing while Mr. Devi's a close associate of President Obama - assuming we're talking about the same people."
"That's because they're not actually donors," said Brooke. She played the recording from Dana's phone, which she must've picked up before rescuing Lucy.
Everyone heard loud and clear just how cruel and despicable John and Jeffrey were.
"I knew something was off about you!" screamed Abby.
John growled. "You will pay for this!"
Brooke turned to the distance. "Now!"
At her motion, several officers from both the zoo security team and the Escondido Police Department burst out of their hiding spots and charged at John and Jeffrey. But the twins escaped to the truck and drove away.
They didn't go too far, though, since they ran over some spike strips, allowing a burly police officer to extract them from the truck.
"Stop!" pleaded John. "We can explain!"
"Explain it at the precinct," said the officer, cuffing John's hands behind his back.
He put John and Jeffrey into a waiting 2007 Ford Freestar police car, while the others searched the truck and the safehouse.
Lucy and Brooke shared a satisfied smile, knowing the zoo's problems are finally over.
Later that night, Brooke dropped Lucy off at the staff building.
Lucy was very tired from the past few days, and she was more than ready to rest. She pushed herself through the quarters door with a big yawn.
"Hey, Lucy."
Lucy was shocked to find a person sitting on Dana's bed. They looked to be in their late twenties, with long blonde hair and round-frame glasses. Their outfit was a mix of male and female styles, and it was difficult to tell which gender they were.
"Who… who are you?" stammered Lucy. "How did you know my name?"
"Don't be scared, Lucy," comforted the figure. "It's me, Ian."
"If it's really you, what are you doing here in 2010?"
"Oh, I'm not actually here. What you can see is just a hologram of me projected from my homemade Imaging Chamber back in 2024."
Lucy reached her arm out to Ian's skirt, and sure enough, her arm went right through the garment.
"How did you even project a hologram back in time?"
"It's a Boop feature. In case she hasn't told you yet, I used to work for a time travel project where the traveler is guided by a holographic observer only they can see. They are projected from the Imaging Chambers in the present directly to the traveler's brain in the past. I designed Boop to be able to receive these projections, even though she can function as an observer on her own."
"So why did you decide to project to 2010?"
"I just want to tell you what happened after this whole zoo fiasco. Sit down. It's a long story."
Lucy sat down on the bed, and Ian's hologram did the same thing.
Ian cleared their throat. "So, because of your actions as Dana, she is hailed as a hero and will go on to win the Congressional Gold Medal. She also becomes an animal rights activist on top of being second-in-command to Brooke, who works for the zoo to this day."
"But how about John and Jeffrey?" wondered Lucy.
"Well, they get life imprisonment for a lot of crimes. Police found physical documents implicating them and a number of other zookeepers in an international animal smuggling ring. Their clients were all influential figures who ended up losing their positions because they tried and failed to cover up their connections. All the animals were returned to places where they could be taken care of, sparking a global awareness of wildlife poaching, conservation, and secret business deals and the passing of laws designed to prevent smuggling rings from forming again."
"Sounds like what I did with Josie. I just spent a day with Abel and now she's a famous scientist, changing science and inspiring others."
"That's the beauty of time travel, Lucy. You solve small problems and you get to see the world change for the better with each leap."
Lucy remembered something she had been putting off for a while. "So, uh, now that we're here, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"How did you make Boop?"
Ian chuckled. "I guess that's a question for another time."
Lucy saw that her body was engulfed by a strong bluish-white light. A whirlwind surrounded her as a powerful wave of energy emanated from Boop and overtook her, sending all her hairs standing on end.
And the next thing she knew, she was no longer in 2010.
Lucy blinked.
She opened her eyes to find herself tucked under the thick yellowing covers of an old queen bed. There was something about it that made her feel right at home, as if she's slept in this bed before.
She instinctively rolled to the right and pulled the string of the lampshade on the rustic bedside table, bathing the room in a soft orange light.
She sat up and looked around. The windowless walls were made of horizontal logs, which meant she was probably in a log cabin. There was an old-looking chest of drawers on one side of the room and a desk on the other, which had a Power Macintosh desktop computer.
She went to the computer and saw Boop taking the place of the computer's normal mouse.
As she sat down, she noticed her reflection in a small foldable mirror. She was shocked to see that the face that stared back at her looked somewhat like her, except for chestnut brown hair cut in a messy brown bob - one that was very familiar to her.
"No," gasped Lucy. "No way."
She clicked on Boop, putting her out of sleep mode. "What's the matter, Lucy?"
"We've traveled through time again. And look who I've leaped into this time!"
Boop peered at the mirror, but she didn't recognize who she was staring at.
"That is my own aunt," shrieked Lucy. "Scotia Sampson. She looks just like that picture of her I saw in the family photo album. It was dated 1995, when she was only twelve years old!"
"Lucky guess," said Boop. "According to that calendar, it is 1995. August, to be precise."
Lucy picked up the table calendar Boop was pointing at, noticing the first fourteen days crossed out, with the 15th, a Tuesday, marked with the words "Big Fishing Trip!"
"No! This can't be!" exclaimed Lucy.
"What do you mean?" asked Boop.
"Today is August 15, 1995. That's the day Aunt Scotia - me - goes on a fishing trip! She'll get caught on a fishing hook, get her leg infected, and live the rest of her life in a wheelchair!"
"That must be what we have to prevent. Let's go, Lucy."
