7. The Great Escape

7 The Great Escape The next day, Oda Nobu saw Lily, Stanley, and their fathers off on the last ferry to Alcatraz. Nearby, reporters were already beginning to gather for Oda and Carmen's "surprise" news conference. It was late in the afternoon, and the Bay was choppy. Stanley's edges fluttered in the wind, and his father held his hand to make sure he didn't blow away. The red, ghostly outline of the Golden Gate Bridge rose behind them as the ferry plowed toward Alcatraz.

It was less than two miles to the island, but Stanley thought the distance felt much too great for anyone to cross without a boat.

Inside the prison, they hung at the back of the group as the tour guide explained how Alcatraz was first used as a prison during the Civil War. But Stanley was too nervous to pay close attention. Lily wore all black. Meanwhile, Stanley was wearing his flight suit beneath his clothes. Sweating, he passed mug shot after mug shot of hardened criminals who had served time on the Rock. Stanley imagined what they might say: We never escaped. You won't either. Finally they arrived at the cellblock that Stanley remembered from the blueprint. It was long, narrow, and lined with cells on both sides. Each tiny, broken-down cell contained nothing more than a toilet, a sink, and a small cot.

And then here it was: the cell in which America's most notorious gangster, Al "Scarface" Capone, had done his time. The door was open for visitors, just as they expected. As the guide spoke about Capone's years at Alcatraz, Stanley's father pulled him close and whispered "Good luck." Dr. Fox kept his eyes on the guide and then gave the hand signal: The guide was looking away. Stanley shimmied out of his

baggy clothes and slipped into the cell, wearing nothing but his flight suit. He leaned his body against a back corner, his suit turning pale yellow to match the wall. With a flick of the wrist, Lily backed in behind the screen formed by Stanley's camouflaged body. Dr. Fox leaned against the cell door, gently shutting it. The door locked with a terrible click. And then Lily and Stanley were alone. Just when Stanley thought he couldn't wait a second longer, the lights went off, right on schedule. Alcatraz was locked down for the night. The cellblock was now lit only by the eerie red glow of emergency lights. Stanley stood and crept to the cell door. In his black, self-camouflaging flight suit, he could barely see his own body in the darkness. He twisted sideways, inserting his head between the bars, and looked up and down the cellblock. "All clear," he whispered to Lily. Lily reached down and pulled a spoke from her wheel: the lockpick. She rolled up against the bars, reaching

around with one hand to find the lock. Her eyes were shut tight in concentration. There was a loud click, and the door swung open with a painful squeal. Stanley and Lily froze. After a count of ten, he followed her out of the cell. Lily rolled through the deserted prison. Stanley crept ahead of her, peeking around corners. He gave a signal when the coast was clear.