Rise of the Elgen

  The boat’s long benches were covered with dark vinyl pads and the ten of us stretched out on them, overlapping our heads and feet. The inside of the boat was lit with a warm, green luminance from our glow. I looked around at my friends. McKenna, Wade, and Abigail were asleep. Jack was awake, sitting near the engine, opening and shutting a pocketknife. Ian was leaning over the side watching the water. Ostin, who was lying near Taylor, was still trying to get comfortable. When he turned to his side I saw something move across his back—a hairy tarantula about the size of my hand.

  “Ostin,” I whispered.

  “What?”

  “Don’t move.”

  His eyes widened. “There’s something on me, isn’t there?”

  “Don’t move. I’ll get it.”

  “There’s a massive, hairy spider on your back,” Taylor said.

  “You didn’t have to tell me,” Ostin said.

  “I’ll get it,” I said. I pulsed as I grabbed the tarantula. There was a loud snap, followed by a wisp of gray smoke. I threw the spider over the side of the boat into the dark water.

  “Spiders,” Ostin said. “I hate spiders.” He shuddered, then lay back down.

  I slid to the front of the boat near Jaime. “How did you get involved with us?” I asked.

  He leaned back a little. “Let’s just say I do not like the Elgen. They come to my city and they change everything. We live in fear now. Their guards walk our streets. They have all the power. If they want something you have, they take it. There is nothing you can do. Even our policemen fear them. We know danger. The jungle is dangerous. It will take your life, even your family. But it is fair. It only takes from those who do not respect it. The Elgen take what they want.”

  “Did the Elgen take something of yours?” I asked.

  Jaime slowly nodded, his eyes dark with gravity. “They took my son.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t there. The Elgen need no reason.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Me too,” he said softly. “I am very sorry I was not there to protect my son. I was working for the Elgen. It was my right to die before my son.” Jaime looked at me with a deep sadness. “I must tell you something I learned as a boy.” He looked around. “We are jungle people. From my boyhood I was taught its ways. My father taught me the vines and roots that will save your life from a viper bite. And he warned me never to go into the jungle without a machete. There are many dangerous animals in the jungle. In the water, the electric eel, the caiman, and piranha. On the land, there are the vipers and the jaguar and puma. But the most dangerous lives both on land and water, it is the anaconda. They grow ten meters and longer, yet they are fast. Even the caiman and jaguar fear the grown anaconda.

  “One day my father taught me this lesson. He said, ‘Jaime, if you are ever in the jungle without your machete and you are to meet an anaconda, do not run, it will catch you and eat you. This is what you are to do. First, you must look directly at the snake. It is frightening, but you must look at it. It will freeze like a tiger does as it stalks its prey. While it is frozen, you must slowly move yourself, very, very slowly, to where the sun is directly above your head. The jungle is on the equator, so the sun is often high in the sky. The snake will not want to lose its dinner, so it will keep following you, slightly turning. But the snake does not have eyelids, so as it looks up at you it is also looking into the sun and it will burn out its eyes. When its eyes are white with blindness, you may just walk away.’”

  I looked at him for a moment, then said, “You’re not just talking about snakes, are you?”

  He shook his head. “No. I have not met the one they call Hatch. But I think he may be like this snake. If he wants you too much, that may be his weakness.”

  “I hope that’s not his only weakness,” I said softly. I exhaled slowly. “I better try to get some sleep.”

  “Yes,” said Jaime.

  I lay back on the bench next to Taylor. But I couldn’t sleep. After a while I sat up, looking out over the dark, moving landscape.

  It was maybe an hour later when Ian whispered, “Michael, look.” He was pointing toward the riverbank.

  “I don’t see anything,” I whispered.

  “Look carefully.”

  As my eyes focused I saw the silhouette of a man standing on the bank looking at us.

  “I see him. Is he . . . Elgen?”

  “No,” Ian said. “He’s dressed like some kind of tribesman.”

  “He is of the Amacarra tribe,” Jaime said. He had walked over to see what Ian was pointing at.

  “Amacarra?” I said.

  “Yes. The Amazon once had many such tribes—more than ten million people. But now there are few left in the forest. The shamans and medicine men are growing old. The ancient knowledge of the Amazon and her healing will soon be lost.”

  “Are they dangerous?” Ian asked.

  “Not as dangerous as some of you, perhaps. But they have blow darts tipped in the poison of the blow-dart frog—very, very dangerous.”

  “Dendrobates leucomelas,” Ostin said in his sleep. “The poison dart frog, indigenous to South America. A frog the size of my fingernail has enough venom to kill ten full-grown men.” Then he smacked his lips and was quiet again.

  I looked at Ian, and we both shook our heads in wonder.

  “The Amacarra have something in common with us,” Jaime said.

  “What’s that?”

  “They hate the Elgen. They call them ‘bai mwo gwei.’ The white devil.”

  We watched the man fade into the inky blackness of the forest as our boat slowly slipped past.

  “He is a holy man,” Jaime said. “Once when I was fishing, my boat engine had problems, and I paddled my boat to the shore. The holy man was standing there at the bank. I told him I was having problems with my boat. He said, ‘Yes, last night the Great Spirit told me to wait here for you.’ Then he blessed my boat, and the engine started. I made it all the way home.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Now sleep,” Jaime said, and went back to the bow.

  * * *

  As badly as I needed sleep, I couldn’t find it. I lay quietly, listening to the steady sound of the boat’s whining chug.

  As dawn came, Jaime left his post at the front of the boat to talk to me. “Señor Michael. You are not sleeping?”

  “No. I can’t.”

  “Too much on your mind, I think.”

  “Probably.”

  “You are a very brave young man.”

  “No,” I said. “I’m very afraid.”

  “You cannot be brave without fear.” He sat back. “Luis at the engine is mourning. Last summer his son was in this river playing with his friends when he vanished. A caiman pulled him under. Or perhaps an anaconda. Luis was on the bank. He jumped in the river to save his son. But it was too late. His son was already gone.”

  I sat up and looked at Luis. No wonder he was so quiet. “That was very dangerous for him to jump in after his son,” I said.

  “Yes, but he did not think of the danger to himself because he loves his son.”

  I nodded.

  “You and Luis have much in common. You also jump in the water with the Elgen caiman. You too are brave.” He slapped his chest. “But more than brave, you have love. And love is brave.” He patted me on the shoulder, then went back up to the front of the boat.

  About a half hour later the engine cut back, and Luis shook Jack to wake him. He then pointed at the dirty, oil-stained blankets Jack was lying on. Jack handed the blankets to Luis, who began wrapping them around the outboard motor. Everyone but Wade and McKenna awoke.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Jaime.

  “Luis is quieting the motor. Just ahead is the beginning of the Elgen compound. Their land comes close to the river here.”

  I peered up over the side of the boat. Through the trees I could see the light of a clearing in the forest and the glistening of a metal fence.


  “How big is the compound?”

  “Ten thousand hectares,” he said. “It will take you an hour to hike to the compound, if that’s the route you take. But I don’t think that will be possible. There are cameras everywhere.”

  “The Elgen love cameras as much as I love Oreos,” Ostin said, sitting up.

  “It would be like walking three miles in front of their faces and them not seeing you. It is impossible.”

  “Then how do we get in?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I do not know. But I am instructed to give you this.” He handed me a bulky envelope, which I quickly opened. Inside were several documents, a satellite map, and a letter. I extracted the letter and began to read it out loud.

  Michael,

  If you are reading this letter you are already near your destination. Through satellite surveillance we have gathered some information about the Elgen compound that may be of help to you. The Elgen compound is built in the center of a twenty-five thousand acre ranch surrounded by two high-voltage electric fences. The fence may not be a problem for you, but it will be for some of the other Electroclan members. How you get into the facility will be up to you. It won’t be easy. Crossing the ranch will be difficult, if not impossible, as there are hundreds of surveillance cameras, some visible and some not, and nowhere to hide. You will be utterly exposed. There is only one entrance into the compound, the main road, and it is heavily guarded and entered only at the checkpoint. All vehicles are searched by dogs, even the Elgen vehicles. Again, it is up to you to find a way into the compound.

  The facility consists of four main buildings and a power transformer. This is the largest of the Starxource plants. We know that your primary goal is to find your mother, but if you can knock out the compound’s grid you will do great damage to the Elgen’s credibility as you will shut down all power in a two-hundred-mile radius and affect the major cities of Lima and Arequipa. After you leave the compound, we have made transportation arrangements for you. Enclosed in this package is a transmitting and global positioning device.

  I reached into the envelope and pulled out what I thought was the device but turned out to be only an iPod nano.

  “It looks like an iPod,” Taylor said.

  “That’s definitely an iPod,” Ostin said. “Maybe they rewired it into a GPS.”

  “Keep reading,” Taylor said.

  For your and our safety the GPS device has been hidden inside an iPod nano.

  “Told you,” Ostin said.

  “Shh,” Taylor said.

  To use the GPS go to the Colby Cross album and click on the song “I’m Lost Without You.” A map of the area will appear, leading you to us. When you have reached your destination you can use the device to signal us. Again, go to the Colby Cross album and click on the song “Come and Get Me, Baby.” As the song plays it will send us a signal, and we will dispatch a helicopter to pick you up at the location we installed on your GPS, a clearing in the jungle about ten miles east of the compound. We’re sorry it cannot be closer, but once you’ve attacked the base, nowhere in the vicinity will be safe. Traveling through the jungle will not be easy, but the Elgen will have difficulty following you.

  We have just received some unfortunate news. We have learned that Dr. Hatch is now at the Peruvian compound. For reasons unknown to us, he has summoned all of the Elgen guards from around the world. We believe there will be more than two thousand guards on the premises. Had we known this earlier we would have postponed your arrival. If you wish to delay, it’s your call. Tell Jaime and he will continue to drive you up the river to our rendezvous.

  Good luck.

  “Hatch is there,” I said.

  “Good,” Jack said, making a fist. “I have a present for him.”

  I looked over at Taylor. “What do you think?”

  “Not good,” she said softly. “Two thousand guards?”

  “That’s an army,” I said. “Maybe we should delay.” I looked at Ostin. “What do you think?”

  Ostin thought for a moment, then said, “Where’s the best place to hide a penny?”

  “Really?” Taylor said. “We’re about to face our deaths and you’re telling riddles?”

  “I’m making a point,” Ostin said indignantly. “The best place to hide a penny is in a jar of pennies.”

  Taylor just looked at him.

  “Think about it. The more people there are, the easier it is to blend in. The huge influx of guards might be creating the very distraction we need. Besides, if it comes down to a gunfight, what does it matter if there’s fifty guards or two thousand? Either way we’re dead.”

  “Wow, I feel so much better now,” Taylor said.

  “He might be right, though,” I said. “What do you all think? Do we go?”

  “Your call,” Jack said. “I’m game either way.”

  “Zeus?”

  He looked nervous but said, “Whatever you decide.”

  I turned to Taylor, who was still looking anxious. “What do you think?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s up to you.”

  I put my head in my hands. “Why does everyone keep saying that? I have no idea what the right thing is.”

  Jack said, “Look, you got instincts. You rescued us from the academy, didn’t you? You didn’t know what you were doing then, either.”

  I sighed. “Okay, I think Ostin’s right. If we can figure out how to get inside the place, I say we do it. As far as taking out the power station, I wouldn’t know how to do that if I were alone in the building with a ton of dynamite. I say we find my mother, then get out of there.”

  For the next half hour Ostin and I carefully studied the map of the compound, trying to get an idea of where we were. About the time the sun rose above the tree line, Luis cut back the boat’s motor and we began moving closer to shore.

  “Señor Michael,” Jaime said. “We are close. You should all eat before we dock.”

  “Ostin,” I said. “Wake Wade and the girls.”

  “No problem,” he said.

  * * *

  Jaime had brought bananas, tamales wrapped in corn husks, and a pastry that looked a little like something my mother used to make called a tiger roll.

  “Pionono de manjarblanco,” Jaime said as he handed it to me in a pan. “It is filled with dulce de leche.”

  I knew only a few words in Spanish, leche being one of them. “Milk?”

  “Sweet milk,” Ostin said. “Caramel.”

  I took a bite. It was airy and good. “Bueno,” I said.

  “Eat many,” Jaime said. “Eat many.”

  “Everyone eat a lot of bananas,” Zeus said. “We need to be at our best.”

  “Hand me a couple,” Ostin said.

  “Not you,” he said. “The electric ones.”

  “I do have electric powers. The brain . . .”

  “We know, Ostin,” Taylor said. “A hundred gazillion electric synapses-thingies.” She smiled at Zeus. “He won’t give up.”

  “Here is something to drink,” Jaime said. He opened a cooler filled with cartons of milk and bottles of Inca Kola. I took one of each, popping the cap off the bottle with the bottle opener Jaime handed me. The Kola tasted a lot like bubble gum.

  “What’s with tamales for breakfast?” Taylor asked.

  “It’s Peru,” I said.

  The tamales were stuffed with eggs, cheese, and shredded chicken.

  “Think we can heat these?” Ostin asked, peeling back the husk.

  “Sure,” Taylor said. “We’ll just throw them in the microwave.”

  McKenna reached over and took the tamale from Ostin, holding it gently in her hands. Within a few seconds steam began to rise from between her fingers. She handed the tamale back to Ostin. “Careful, it’s hot.”

  Ostin stared at her with bright eyes. “I’m so going to marry you someday.”

  She smiled as she sat back.

  A half hour later Jaime and Luis began arguing. Jaime was pointing ahead toward
the bank and Luis was shaking his head. “No aquí.”

  “Sí, aquí,” Jaime said.

  Finally Luis relented, steering the boat closer to the bank.

  “Ian,” I said. “I think we’re about to dock. Do you see anything up ahead?”

  He looked toward the bank and shook his head. “Nothing but jungle.”

  Luis guided the boat into a small inlet that was overhung with thick canopy, and again we were obscured in shadow. Jaime climbed out onto the bow as Luis ran the boat up onto the shore, startling several small caimans and sending them scurrying back into the water. Jaime jumped out onto dry ground with a coil of rope. He pulled the boat farther up onto the bank and lashed the end of the rope around the trunk of a peculiarly shaped tree. “Amigos, hurry,” he said.

  We grabbed our packs and one by one climbed out of the boat. Ostin and I were the last out. As I was stepping down Jaime put his arm on my shoulder, stopping me. “Señor, do you have your device?”

  I held up the packet. “It’s in here.”

  “I’m sorry, you cannot take the packet.”

  “What?”

  “It is too dangerous. If the Elgen find it they will know we are helping you. Do you remember the instructions for the device?”

  “Colby Cross. Yes. Can I at least take the map?”

  “No, señor.”

  “It’s okay,” Ostin said, tapping his temple. “I’ve got it all right here.”

  I took the iPod out of the envelope and handed the rest back to Jaime. He unlashed the boat.

  “Dios esté contigo,” he said.

  “God be with you,” Ostin translated.

  “Gracias,” I replied.

  Jaime pushed the boat off the bank, jumping into it in one fluid motion. He gave us a salute, then the boat pulled back out into the river, reversed direction, and sped back the way we had come.