Sinan’s mom wakes Anna to ask if she’s seen him; he hasn’t returned since he went to the bathroom. Guards come to get Sinan’s mom, who is supposed to be restricted to one section of the airport with the rest of the musicians. Anna wakes José and Henry when she realizes Sinan has gone to rescue Hammurabi. Since most of the airport is sleeping, they agree to take a chance and sneak into the baggage area to find him.

The kids sneak past the airline desks, where the only adult is an inattentive employee “eating a cupcake and reading a book called Ten Days to a Flatter Belly” (109). The kids realize that to get into the baggage area they will have to ride the conveyor belt that takes luggage to be sorted. As the kids contemplate this idea, Snake-Arm hurries into the area wearing a baggage handler’s fluorescent orange vest, reaches behind a counter, and turns on the belt. From their hiding spot, they see him hop onto the belt and disappear. They become more convinced that Snake-Arm is involved in the theft of the flag and is going to check on it down below. Nervous but determined, they follow.