Page 29 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Is that one of your special talents?” she inquired. “Stealing bicycles?”

“Only when I’m bored.” Roux grinned. “The rest of the time I try to steal mechanical rats.”

Lucy glowered.

Mano cleared his throat. “I’m sure the lab has a pair of bolt cutters,” he said, sensing the obvious tension between Lucy and Roux. “Let me go grab one, and I’ll be right back. Two seconds.”

A few minutes later, they all watched intently as Mano inserted the padlock between the jaws of the wire cutter and squeezed. The snips easily cut through the rusty bolt, and it dropped to the table with a clink. Mano nodded and gestured to Oliver with a large hand.

“Wanna do the honors, Ocean?”

Oliver smiled and glanced at Shinji, who could barely contain his impatience to see what was in the box. He suddenly couldn’t sit still. His hands itched, wanting to grab the lid and wrench it open. There was a strange pull in the pit of his stomach that drew him toward the box and whatever was hidden inside. He knew, somehow, that it was important.

For a second, he wondered if it was the Coatl that was affecting him, but then Oliver chuckled and shook his head, still giving him a wry grin.

“Well, since it was Shinji’s shark that showed us through the ship—wow, that’s a tongue twister—I think he should be the one who gets to open it.” He gave the box a nudge with his gold-headed-parrot cane, pushing it toward Shinji. “Go ahead, kiddo. This one is yours.”

Shinji’s heart pounded. Reaching out, he snagged the box, dragged it toward him, and pushed back the lid. Inside was a single long tube made of dark, lacquered wood. It was sealed on both ends, and the tube itself had once been painted with bright, intricate patterns, though much of it was faded and waterlogged now. Shinji picked it up, and it felt light and hollow in his hands.

“That’s it?” Roux exclaimed after a moment. “That’s all there is? No pirate gold? No money or jewels or treasure?”

“No,” Shinji replied after thoroughly checking the box. “That’s it. That’s all that was inside.”

Roux sighed. “Worst treasure box ever.”

“What is that, anyway?” Lucy asked. “A telescope or something?”

Both Oliver and Mano chuckled. “You wanna tell them?” Mano asked, looking at Oliver. “Or should I?”

Oliver grinned. “Oh, you kids today.” He reached across the table, plucked the tube from Shinji’s hand, and held it

up like a trophy. “Wanting to be pirates and missing something so important. Do you know what this is?” he went on, shaking the tube in the air. “It’s a map case. Which means, inside…”

He gripped one of the seals and turned, grunting a bit, as the wood was swollen and waterlogged, but eventually it came free with a pop. He upended the tube, shook it, and a rolled piece of paper slid out into his hands.

A map.

Lucy gasped, and Roux’s eyes widened as Oliver held it up. “Thisis the real treasure,” he said triumphantly. “Too bad Hightower was in such a hurry and missed this little beauty. Let’s see where it leads, shall we?”

Unrolling the parchment, he spread it out on the table. Everyone crowded around. It was the map of an island, as far as Shinji could tell—an irregular landmass in the center of the ocean. A dotted line led from one edge of the island to a point in the very center and was marked with a faded but very recognizable red X.

“X marks the spot,” Oliver said with a thoughtful nod. “Pretty classic.”

Shinji drew in a sharp breath. The map, and the red X, suddenly seemed to rush up at him, filling his vision. He saw an island with sandy beaches, thick rain forests, and a green mountain rising up from the center. He was speeding over the beach, then through the tangled vines and leaves of the rain forest, seeing flashes of color and movement

from the corner of his eyes. He saw the remains of a village, thatched huts and wooden benches lying abandoned in the trees. He continued to speed through the rain forest, ducking vines and zipping between trunks, until he came to the base of the mountain that soared toward the clouds. A stone door was carved into the side of the cliff, flanked by huge pillars and covered in moss. Through the vines and vegetation, Shinji could see the carving on the stone was the head of an enormous boar, deadly tusks curving up to frame its entire face.

Shinji blinked, and the vision faded. He was back in Mano’s quarters, with the map still lying on the table and Oliver’s voice echoing in his ears. Nobody seemed to notice anything had happened, but he could still see the abandoned village, the stone door, and those angry blue eyes staring out at him. For a moment, he wondered if he should say anything, but then he spotted Phoebe, beaming with excitement on the other side of the table. If he mentioned anything about a mysterious door on the island, she would never leave him alone. He’d told them about the shark because he felt he had to. Admitting he was having visions of volcanoes and hearing angry voices was another story.

“How far away is this island, Mano?” Oliver was asking. “You know all there is to know about the Polynesian Triangle. How long will it take us to get there?”

Mano didn’t answer. He was gazing down at the map, still lying in the center of the table. His brow furrowed, and

he turned the map sideways, then upside down, as if trying to figure something out.

“Uh, Mano?” Oliver prodded. “You okay there?”

The big man shook his head. “This island,” he muttered, tracing the edge of the map with a thumb. “These coordinates…it doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing there.”

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