Rise of the Elgen

  “I think I see them,” Ian said, standing up and looking toward the compound. “There are two huge tanks aboveground, then a couple dozen oil barrels stacked near them.”

  “Can you tell if they’re full?”

  “All except two.”

  “Perfect,” Ostin said. “So first we set the dynamite at the pump. The generators are going to be trickier because they’re behind the fence.”

  “We could throw the dynamite,” Jack said. “If it’s not too far.”

  “It’s not,” Ian said. “But then how do we detonate it?”

  “Zeus could do it,” Jack said. “Couldn’t you?”

  Zeus nodded weakly. “If I can get there, I can. Back at the academy I used to set off firecrackers all the time.”

  “I’ll get you there,” Jack said.

  Ostin continued, “While the guards are trying to put out the fire, we’ll blow the pump house. Then the bowl will melt down, the power will go out, and in all the confusion, Ian, McKenna, Taylor, and I will slip in through the east fence to save Michael.”

  “Where am I while this is happening?” Jack asked.

  “After we blow the pump house, you and Zeus will stay with the rest of the Electroclan. If something goes wrong, you get them to the village. Raúl knows his way through the jungle. In the village he can hide you.”

  Jack nodded. “Good plan.”

  “When do we do it?” Taylor asked.

  “Tomorrow, after dark. It’s also best if we wait until their feeding time—that’s when the bowl will be at its hottest.” Ostin looked at them all. “Are you with me?”

  “I’m with you,” McKenna said.

  “Me too,” Taylor said.

  “I’m in,” Jack said. “So is Wade.”

  “It could work,” Ian said. “What do we do first?”

  “First thing we need to do is get the dynamite. Let’s just hope Raúl knows where to find some.”

  “Let’s just hope Raúl comes back,” Jack said.

  * * *

  Raúl returned to the camp about a half hour later carrying half a dozen large, dull-green serrated leaves. He set them down on the ground near Zeus, then knelt beside him.

  “Yep, aloe vera,” Ostin said. “It’s a natural remedy for burns.”

  Zeus looked at the moist leaves fearfully. “It may burn me more,” he said.

  “Let me try just a little,” Ostin said. He took a leaf from Raúl, squeezed some salve from it onto his finger, then lightly touched it to Zeus’s skin. There was no electric reaction. “Looks good,” Ostin said.

  “All right,” Zeus said.

  Ostin nodded to Raúl. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” Raúl said. He split a leaf, then began applying the salve to Zeus’s burned flesh, murmuring something to Ostin as he worked.

  “He said this will help,” Ostin said.

  “Let’s hope so,” Jack said.

  Abigail continued to hold Zeus’s hand.

  “How are you holding up?” Zeus asked Abigail. She was weary from her constant exertion, but she forced a smile. “Still better than you.”

  As Raúl worked, Ostin explained his plan, then the two of them had a long discussion. When it was over, Ostin said, “Raúl knows where we can find dynamite. It’s about a three-hour walk from here. But he’ll need help carrying it.”

  “Someone’s going to carry dynamite for three hours through a slippery jungle?” Wade said. “That sounds like a death wish.”

  “Wade and I will go,” Jack said.

  “What?” Wade said.

  “Someone’s got to do it,” Jack said. “We’ll do it.”

  Wade just shook his head.

  Raúl handed Jack’s knife back to him, then pointed to Jack and Wade and said something.

  “He said you should leave a little before sunrise,” Ostin said.

  Jack nodded. “Sí.”

  Wade looked distressed. “Great. I won’t even get a last meal.”

  * * *

  As darkness fell, Mrs.Vey approached Ostin, who was sketching out a map of the compound in the dirt. “Ostin?”

  He looked up. “Yes, Mrs. Vey?”

  “It’s really a great plan you came up with.”

  Ostin blushed. “Thank you.”

  She kissed Ostin on the forehead. “You’re a good friend to Michael. That’s why he loves you so much. And when we get back to Idaho, I’m making you waffles.”

  Ostin pumped his fist. “Yes!”

  Ostin was still smiling when Taylor approached him a few minutes later.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Ostin looked up.

  “About your idea,” Taylor said. “It’s brilliant.”

  “Thanks.”

  She took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. It wasn’t your fault. I was just upset.”

  “I know,” Ostin said.

  “You do?”

  He nodded.

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t know that. I mean, you’re so smart about everything except girls. Well, girls and pretty much anything social . . .”

  “McKenna explained it to me,” Ostin said.

  “Oh,” Taylor said. “I feel awful about what I said about you being a bad friend. You’re not. You’re a great friend.” She looked into his eyes. “Can you forgive me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I know I tease you a lot, but I’m glad we’re friends, too.”

  “Really?” Ostin asked.

  Taylor nodded. “Really.”

  Ostin put out his fist. “Bones?”

  Taylor smiled and put out hers. “Bones.”

  The group huddled together for the night, sleeping on the dirt. The Amazonian floor receives less than 2 percent of the sunlight, so very little grows, making it soft, like a decaying mulch pile.

  The night air was moist and a little too cool for comfort, but they didn’t dare make a fire or even let McKenna light herself up for fear that they’d be discovered by an Elgen patrol—it was dangerous enough that most of them glowed naturally.

  Everyone was thirsty. Raúl took Ostin with him into the jungle, and when they came back Ostin was holding a tan, tennis-ball-size glob from which he pinched out pieces, rolled them into small balls, and handed them out to everyone.

  “What is this?” Taylor said.

  “It’s gum,” Ostin said. “It will make you less thirsty.”

  “Where did you find gum?”

  “It’s called chicle. It comes from the sap of the sapodilla tree. That’s how they make gum.”

  “Chicle. Chiclets,” McKenna said.

  “Exacto,” Ostin said. “That’s where it got its name.”

  Taylor put some in her mouth and chewed. “It’s kind of sweet. But it tastes like gum you’ve already chewed for ten hours.”

  “It’s tree sap,” Ostin said. “What did you expect, Bazooka bubble gum?”

  Taylor shrugged. “That would be nice.”

  * * *

  The jungle came alive at night, as noisy and bustling as Times Square. Maybe noisier. As exhausted as he was, Ian volunteered to stand guard. It wasn’t as difficult as he thought it would be, as observing the jungle at night was like watching a live presentation of the Discovery Channel. He watched two scorpions, locked in combat, battle to the death. He saw a jaguar climb a tree to catch a monkey, and an entire colony of vampire bats emerge from a rotted tree to seek blood. Everything in the jungle seemed engaged in a life-and-death struggle. Just like them.

  No one, outside of Raúl, got much sleep. Between their growing thirst, the symphony of insects, and the continuous assault of mosquitoes, everyone was miserable.

  In the middle of the night the sound of thunder rolled across the forest accompanied by the excited chatter of monkeys. Even though they could hear the sound of rain hitting the trees, the thick, lush canopy of leaves kept them dry. Ian found a stream of water rolling down a tree and let it gather in a leaf to drink.

  Tanner woke up three times in the n
ight screaming. On the third occasion, Mrs. Vey went to his side and comforted him, gently stroking his forehead. He broke down crying, and she held him, rocking him like a baby.

  The only thing that really concerned Ian was when he spotted a guard sneaking back to the pipe. Isn’t he going to be surprised? Ian thought.

  A half hour later, the guard, having found the cap locked, reemerged from the pipe’s mouth and ran back in the direction he had come from.

  Ian was still awake when Raúl, Jack, and Wade left at the first hint of dawn.

  Ostin awoke an hour later covered with mosquito and spider bites. “I can’t spend another night here,” he said, scratching his arm.

  “I know what you mean,” Ian said.

  “Did Jack and Raúl already leave?”

  “And Wade.”

  “I hope they make it.”

  “Me too,” Ian said. Then added, “It’s a jungle out there.”

  * * *

  The three didn’t return until late afternoon. They were carrying large, overstuffed packs. Jack had two, one strapped to his front as well as his back, and Raúl was carrying a bag in his hand in addition to his pack. Wade was a physical and emotional wreck and his clothes were soaked through with sweat. He took off his pack and carefully set it on the ground, overjoyed to be free of it.

  “You made it,” Taylor said to them.

  “That was farther than I thought it was,” Jack said. “Nice hike.”

  Taylor turned to Wade. “So how was it?”

  “It was a death march,” he said. “Nothing like carrying death on your back through a dangerous, death-filled jungle.”

  “The good thing is that if the dynamite had gone off you’d never even know it,” Jack said.

  “Comforting,” Wade said.

  “Well,” Taylor said, “if you gotta go, that’s the way to go. Oblivious.”

  “Just like my great-grandfather,” Jack said. “He died in his sleep. Much more peacefully than the screaming passengers in the car he was driving.”

  “You just made that up, didn’t you?” Taylor said.

  Jack grinned. “Yep.” He lifted one of the packs and tossed it to her. It landed on the ground a few feet in front of her.

  Taylor jumped back. “What are you doing?”

  Jack laughed. “It’s not dynamite. I brought back some food and water. Also some gauze for Zeus.”

  Taylor opened the pack. Inside were a dozen bottles of water, four large, crusted loaves of bread, and green fruits that were slightly smaller than a grapefruit, with the texture of an avocado. She drank some water, then took one of the fruits from the pack.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “No idea,” Jack said. “He said it was a cherry or something. But it’s pretty good.”

  “Cherimoya,” said Raúl, who was eating one a few yards away.

  “I’ll take your word for it,” Taylor said. She grabbed two more bottles of water, three fruits, and a loaf of bread to take to Mrs. Vey and Tanner.

  Jack walked around distributing food and water. McKenna was so happy when she saw the water that she started to cry. “Water.”

  “I got two bottles for you,” Jack said. “I know how you need it.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, opening a bottle. “You’re my hero.”

  “I thought I was,” Ostin said.

  McKenna drank half the bottle, then said, “You still are.”

  Relieved, Ostin asked, “Are those cherimoyas?”

  “Something like that,” Jack said, tossing him one. “Is there anything you don’t know?”

  “The meaning of life,” Ostin said. “And how girls think.” He peeled back the fruit’s glossy green skin and took a bite, juice dribbling down his chin. “Oh man. That’s good.”

  “What does it taste like?” McKenna asked.

  “The flavor falls somewhere between strawberry and bubble gum.”

  “I want one,” she said.

  “Mark Twain called the cherimoya the most delicious fruit known to man,” Ostin said.

  “I definitely want one,” McKenna said.

  Jack handed her a fruit.

  “Me too,” Ian said. “Toss one this way.”

  Raúl laughed and said to Ostin, “Vendes muy bien. Puedes trabajar en el carro de frutas de mi mamá.”

  Ostin laughed.

  “What did he say?” McKenna asked.

  “He said I’m a good salesman. And I can have a job at his mother’s fruit cart.”

  Jack took water and food to Abigail and Zeus. The night before, at the first sound of thunder, Jack and Abigail had carried Zeus into the sloping, deep roots of a kapok tree, then covered him with an additional canopy of brush. Jack handed Abigail a bottle and she took a quick drink, then held it to Zeus’s lips.

  Zeus raised his hand. “I can hold it,” he said.

  “How are you feeling?” Jack asked.

  “I think the aloe vera is helping.”

  Jack brought out a crusted loaf of bread and offered it to Abigail. “I brought this.”

  She tore off a piece and handed it to Zeus, then took a piece for herself. “I’m so hungry,” she said.

  “Try this,” Jack said, handing her a cherimoya.

  “What is it?” she asked. “Actually, never mind, I don’t care what it is. I’ll eat anything.”

  Jack peeled a fruit for Zeus and handed it to him.

  “I’ve had one of these before,” he said. “In Costa Rica. Thanks.”

  “No problem,” Jack said.

  After the food was gone Jack handed Abigail the gauze. “We should wrap him in this. It will help keep his burns from getting infected.”

  “Thank you,” Zeus said. He turned to Abigail. “Could you give Jack and me a moment to talk?”

  She looked at him quizzically. “But your pain . . .”

  “I can take it for a few minutes. And you need the rest.”

  “Okay.” She stood up. “Bye.” She walked over to McKenna.

  When she was gone Zeus said to Jack, “Why are you being so nice to me? I shocked you twice.”

  Jack grinned. “Yeah, but what did I call you? Lightning stink? I deserved to get shocked.”

  Zeus looked at him somberly. “I’m serious. Abi told me what you did in the compound. How you ran through the rats to save me.”

  Jack sat down next to Zeus. “Not something I hope to do again soon.”

  Zeus just looked at him. “Really, why did you do it?”

  Jack didn’t answer immediately, though his expression turned more serious. When he spoke his voice was low and sincere. “We may have our differences—or maybe they’re really our similarities—but anyone who’s willing to sacrifice his life for his friends is a true hero. I’d award you the Medal of Honor if I could.”

  For a moment Zeus was speechless. Then he said, “About Abi . . .”

  Jack lifted his hand. “We don’t have to talk about her.”

  “I know. But if you want a shot at her, I’ll step aside.”

  Jack looked down at him. “I don’t think she’s going to be leaving your side anytime soon,” he said. “Besides, that’s not really our choice, is it?”

  “I’m just saying, I owe you.”

  “No you don’t. But I’d be proud to be your friend.”

  “Me too,” Zeus said. They clasped hands and Zeus grimaced a little, hiding his pain.

  Jack stood. “I’ll get Abi.”

  “Thank you.”

  He took a few steps, then turned back. “Semper Fi.”

  Zeus smiled. “Semper Fi.”

  * * *

  After everyone had eaten, Taylor and Ostin called the group together. Jack and Abigail helped Zeus over, though he insisted on walking himself.

  In the center of their camp Ostin had drawn a diagram of the Elgen compound in the dirt, using rocks and leaves to designate buildings.

  “This is where we are,” Ostin said, pointing to a spot a few inches from the compoun
d, using a long, slender stick. “And this is where we came from the pipe. Over here, about four hundred yards from us, is the pump house. Earlier today Ian and I sneaked over to take a look at it. Even though it’s outside the compound it’s still within view of the guard towers, which means we’ll have to camouflage ourselves to get to it. Right here is the side where the water is controlled.”

  “There’s also a barbwire fence around it,” Ian said. “But it’s easy to climb over.”

  “Or under,” Ostin said. “When we blow this thing, it’s going to be like a fire hydrant on steroids. We’ll be hiding over here behind these rocks when we set off the dynamite. The northeast guard tower is only fifty yards from the pump house and it’s equipped with two fifty-caliber Browning machine guns. Those bad boys spit bullets longer than my foot and can pretty much mow down anything in the jungle, so hiding behind a tree won’t do much good. Stay clear until the place goes dark.”

  “I’ll explain the next part,” Taylor said. “After the sun sets we’ll split up into three groups. Ian, McKenna, Ostin, and I are in group one. We’ll set the dynamite at the pump house and keep an eye on the bowl. Ian will tell us when it’s time to blow the pump and the generators.

  “Group two is Jack, Zeus, Abi, and Wade.” She looked at Jack. “Your job is to blow the fuel and diesel generators. You won’t be able to get close, so you’ll have to throw the dynamite, and Zeus will have to set it off. The oil drums are about thirty yards behind the fence. What’s the farthest you can hit, Zeus?”

  “I can hit them,” Zeus said.

  “Good,” Taylor said. “Ian will be watching for when the bowl is hottest, which is at feeding time. When we tell you, you’ll blow the pumps. Ian’s been able to confirm that there are eighteen forty-two-gallon drums as well as the tanks connected to the generator. There are fourteen sticks of dynamite in each pack, so you’ll each take one pack. Combined with all that oil, that’s going to make one big explosion. The generator is only fifty yards from the guard barracks, so with some luck we’ll set them on fire as well.”

  Ostin jumped in. “Diesel puts out a lot of thick smoke, so it will help create confusion and panic, but it has one potential problem—it’s not as flammable as gasoline, so it’s going to be harder to get this right. Remember, our primary goal is to shut down the generator. So make sure that the dynamite is close to the generator and blows up the tanks first. Just hitting the barrels might not be enough. Are you clear on that?”