The students are bussed to the camp from “designated rendezvous sites in major cities” (47). During the drive, Ben worries about SPYDER and Murray Hill. He also wonders where Erica is, as he hasn’t heard from her since he showed her the letter. He isn’t sure if she is keeping an eye on him as she’d promised—and if she is, where was she when Murray Hill approached him at FunLand—or if something has happened to her, or if she is “merely being her usual, cryptic self” (47). When they arrive, Ben is pleasantly surprised by the Happy Trails camp. It has armed guards and an electrified fence, which Ben appreciates, but it also looks charming and like a normal summer camp. He had been worried it would be cold and imposing like the academy, but instead, it is cozy and homey.

Ben’s bus is the last to arrive; he is greeted by Zoe and Warren, who tell him all the good bunks are already taken. Zoe is Ben’s friend; she nicknamed him Smokescreen because she thinks his ineptitude is a cover he uses to make others think he is harmless when he is, in fact, lethally good at being a spy.