“Prosthetic,” Ostin corrected. “He’s rude. And I don’t like the way he looks at me. He’s got the look of a cat outside a birdcage.”
“Maybe he just hates teenagers,” Zeus said.
“He doesn’t hate Taylor.”
“Don’t go there,” Taylor said.
“Maybe he just hates you,” Zeus said.
“That’s understandable,” Tessa said.
Ostin looked at her. “What do you mean by that?”
I changed the subject. “No, Ostin’s right. I can’t explain it, but he seems a little . . . off.”
“Hey, the dude saved Gervaso’s life in Iraq,” Jack said. “He took a bullet for him. What more endorsement do you want?”
After a moment I said, “You’re right. It’s probably just nerves. How far are we from Tuvalu, anyway?”
“Gervaso said it’s a three-day trip from Fiji,” Ian said. “If we leave around noon tomorrow, we’ll arrive Saturday night. There’s nothing to do, so you might want to get some magazines. Lots of magazines. And seasickness pills.”
Taylor nodded. “Lots and lots of seasickness pills.”
Wednesday morning I woke to the crack of thunder. I sat bolt upright in bed. I showered, which seemed a little redundant since the entire outside world was already water and I’d no doubt be sick of it by the end of the day. At least this water was hot.
We met up for breakfast at the café across from the hotel. I had a loaf of native sweet bread and some Fiji gram tea.
Tessa looked out at the weather. “I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain for another three days.”
“That’s when the tropical storm hits,” Ostin said. “This is nothing. It’s just inclement weather.”
“Inclement,” Tanner said. “Why can’t you just say bad weather like a normal person?”
“Because intelligent people use the most exact word to precisely communicate their intentions. I don’t suspect you’d know anything about that.”
Tanner was speechless.
“Touché,” Tessa said.
Taylor glanced over at me. “Never seen that before.”
“He’s figuring it out,” I said.
* * *
After breakfast we all followed Gervaso down to the harbor. As we walked down the dock, our boat bobbed up and down in a turbulent sea, pounding against the rubber-tire bumpers on the dock.
“Are we really going to sail in this?” Taylor asked.
“J.D. says it’s no problem.” I looked into her eyes. “At least we won’t sink.”
“Just throw up a few hundred times,” Taylor said. “I should have gotten some of those seasickness patches.”
“I can help,” Abigail said. “Seasickness is a specialty of mine.”
“Maybe the bad weather will help conceal us,” I said. I turned toward Zeus. He already looked green. “How are you doing?”
“This isn’t going to be good,” he said.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not. You sure you want to do this?”
“I’m sure I don’t want to.”
“I hear you, Zeus. I hear you.”
In spite of the weather, the first day sailing was boring and uneventful, which, all things considered, was a good thing.
It rained most of the day, so we were stuck together below deck. Nobody had much to say. Maybe the boredom wasn’t such a bad thing. At least it made us hungrier for action.
Jack had brought his playing cards, and we played like a hundred games of Texas Hold’em. We even let Ian play, which is kind of ridiculous, since he could see through the cards and always knew what everyone else was holding.
The second day was a little better. The weather calmed some, and although the skies were still gray, the rain only fell intermittently throughout the day. Zeus even came up on deck for a while.
We tried fishing. Jack borrowed poles from one of the deckhands, and Ian was especially useful. He’d tell us where the fish were or if one was about to bite. I hadn’t ever thought of all the things Ian’s power could be valuable for, but he’d be especially great at oceanography, as he could see reefs and all sorts of marine life.
He also saw a sunken galleon. We were going too fast to be sure, but he thought it had chests filled with gold doubloons. Jack got the GPS coordinates from the boat’s first officer so we could go back someday and check it out.
Taylor caught a halibut. Ostin caught a twelve-foot hammerhead shark, though I’m not sure that “caught” was the right word. “Annoyed” is probably better. The monster fish yanked the pole out of Ostin’s hands, and everyone laughed about that except the guy from the crew who actually owned the pole. He was pretty mad. He called Ostin an oolu-cow. None of us knew what it meant, except maybe Ostin, who turned bright red. The crew member told Ostin that he’d have to buy him a new fishing pole.
It was nice to be above deck and be able to take our minds off things for a while, especially Zeus, who was pretty much confined below deck the whole time. It wasn’t just the rain or the threat of hitting water. Just seeing it made him crazy anxious. I could understand. It’s how I would feel if we were sailing on an ocean of sulfuric acid. I couldn’t help but feel he was suffering more than the rest of us. But there was no way around it. In the end, there would be plenty of suffering to go around.
* * *
We didn’t see a whole lot of J.D., as he spent his time up in the boat’s control deck. Gervaso spent a lot of time with him. At night Gervaso would tell us what they had talked about: the old days, old friends, changes in the military, and what J.D. knew about the Elgen.
I didn’t see much of Welch either, as he kept mostly to himself. That second day Taylor woke me in the middle of the night.
“Michael.”
It took me a moment to remember where I was. “Taylor?”
She was kneeling on the floor near my bed. Even in the darkness I could see that she had been crying. “I had a dream.”
I took her hand as I sat up. “Tell me about it.”
“We were on an island. It was small, like fifty feet. And we were with some other people. I don’t know who they were; they looked like island people. And suddenly we were surrounded by crocodiles. Thousands of them. They were coming from every side. We kept fighting them back, but they just kept coming. And then there were too many of them and they started eating our people.
“They were just about to eat us when lightning hit and killed all the crocodiles and everything turned to glass. . . .”
Her words trailed off into silence. For a moment neither of us spoke. Then I said, “That’s good, then. Right? The crocodiles were killed.”
Taylor looked into my eyes. “No, it’s not good. The lightning hit you. And I couldn’t find you.” Her eyes welled up.
“Come here,” I said. She climbed up onto my berth with me and I held her. “It’s just a dream,” I said, forcing the words. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a dream.”
I barely slept the rest of the night.
* * *
Late afternoon of the third day the storm returned in force. At times the waves were big enough to make me wonder if the ship was going to tip over. We were all seasick.
The sky was dark long before nightfall, and as we neared Tuvalu, the rains were torrential. We knew we were close as we huddled beneath the deck, trying to get a little sleep before our first test. A little after ten at night Gervaso came and found me.
“Michael, it’s time we brought everyone together. We’re an hour from docking on Nike.”
“Any sign of trouble?”
“No. The Elgen are expecting us.” He corrected himself. “Hopefully not us, the boat. We’ll meet in the mess in ten minutes. I’ll get Welch.”
I got Taylor, and then we gathered everyone to the dining room. Gervaso and Welch were already there, bent over a map. They had taped the corners of the map to the main table and were drawing on it in pencil. They stopped when we arrived.
“Hurry in,” Gervaso said. “Gather
around the table. We haven’t much time.”
We surrounded the table.
“The original Nike landing team consisted of Michael, Taylor, Ian, Zeus, Tessa, McKenna, and Jack, with Michael leading. But with this weather we’ll have to take Zeus out of the mix.”
Zeus looked too sick to care.
“I think we should bring Nichelle to take out the cameras,” I said, glancing at her. “She’ll also be valuable in case Quentin decides not to cooperate.”
“Good call,” Gervaso said, looking at Nichelle. “You good with that?”
“I’m good,” she said. “May I drop Quentin once, just for old times’ sake?”
I looked at her. “No.”
She grinned. “Never hurts to ask.”
“I’m coming too,” Welch said. “Quentin should see that I’m with you. He’s going to be disoriented enough.”
“Like you being with us won’t be disorienting,” Jack said.
“Just us rescuing him is going to be disorienting,” I said. “But I agree that Welch should come. In case things go wrong, he knows the Elgen procedures.”
Gervaso said, “That leaves me, Zeus, Cassy, Ostin, Abi, and Tanner to hold the boat.”
“We can do it,” Zeus said.
“If our cover is blown and they attack the boat, our goal is to get onshore. We’ll have better odds fighting on land. Michael, if that happens, we’ll radio you, and your team can flank them from the rear.”
“We can do that.”
Gervaso leaned back over the map, touching it with a pencil. “This is where we’ll be docking. The landing team will be wearing rain ponchos and getting off the boat with the rest of the loading crew, then they’ll gather here behind the warehouse.
“The central square is less than a quarter mile from the dock. You’ll use this trail right here. It’s an old goat path the natives use. It’s not lighted. You can take it all the way to here, the outer wall of the square.” He touched the end of the pencil to a point near the center of the map. “From here you’ll take out the lights and cameras, then advance to here. Taylor will reboot the guards, and Michael and Jack will take them out.”
“With pleasure,” Jack said.
“I can help,” Welch said.
“Good,” Gervaso said. “Nichelle, we’re going to use the weather to our benefit. Don’t take out the lights and camera until there’s a lightning strike. Then, with Tessa’s help, blow them. With luck the Elgen will assume it’s the weather.
“At that precise moment, Taylor will reboot the guards, and Michael, Jack, and David will take them out: Jack and David at the prime minister’s cage to the west, Michael at Quentin’s cage to the east.
“Once they’re down, McKenna, Tessa, and Nichelle will come around to the back of the cage. The cage has a built-in door lock and also a chain with a padlock. McKenna will melt through the bars and chain to get Quentin out. He’s not going to be in very good shape, so you’ll probably need to help him walk. You might even have to carry him.
“As soon as you have him, get back to the boat as soon as possible.” He looked around the table. “All clear?”
“Crystal,” I said.
“Good.” He leaned back. “You know, this weather is a blessing. Chances of running into anyone out there are much less likely.”
“Where do we get our ponchos?” I asked.
“Come with me. You’ll suit up with the boat’s crew. The rest of you, eat a banana or something.”
Captain J.D. had planned to reach Niulakita, the first of the Tuvalu islands, around seven p.m., but the weather had set the boat back nearly four hours. When the island was within sight, J.D. radioed in. “Come in, Nike port. This is Risky Business, do you copy?”
“Risky Business, this is Elgen base Nike port. We copy you. Provide passcode.”
“Yes, Elgen base. I-L-K-M-E.”
“Passcode clear. What do you have to report?”
“Cargo is secure and complete. I am prepared to deliver.”
“We are pleased to hear that, Risky Business.”
“. . . And tell the general that I brought him a bonus.”
“You can tell him yourself, Risky Business.”
There was a brief pause. Then a new voice came over the headset. “This is Admiral Hatch.”
Captain J.D. was a bit ruffled to have Hatch actually speak to him. “Admiral. This is an honor.”
“What is this bonus you spoke of?”
“The man you’ve been looking for. The one they call Welch. I understand there is a million-dollar bounty on his head.”
Hatch couldn’t believe his good fortune. “Please repeat, Captain.”
“I have the fugitive EGG Welch. He is with the children.”
A dark smile crossed Hatch’s face. “And to think I said there is no God. Everything changes today.” He turned back to the microphone. “You just earned a million dollars, Captain. What is their plan?”
“They first plan to sail to Nike to rescue the Glow Quentin. Then they sail to Hades to rescue the other two Glows.”
“Torstyn and Tara,” the radioman said.
“We could sink the boat before it reaches us,” the Zone Captain behind Hatch said.
“Admiral, please don’t sink my boat,” J.D. said.
“We won’t sink your boat,” Hatch said, even though he was considering it. After a moment he said, “No, let them follow through with their plan. Alert no one. I don’t want them to know we are aware of them.”
“We attack them in Nike?” the Zone Captain asked.
“No, too much possible collateral damage. We’ll let them rescue Quentin and sail to Hades. We will bring them all together and destroy them once and for all. Radio me after you leave Nike.”
“Yes, sir. Over.”
Hatch took off his headset and stood back from the microphone. “Today I will feast on my enemy.”
It was a little past three in the morning when we reached Nike. The rain fell in great sheets illuminated by the shore’s electric lighting. From where I was watching, the island looked deserted. As Gervaso said, it wasn’t the kind of night someone was going to be out on a midnight stroll.
Our team had put on our rain gear and had blended in with the rest of the loading crew who were preparing the crane to lift the crates from below deck. They were carrying canned goods from New Zealand: concentrated milk, butter, cheese, and frozen beef.
As our boat edged up to the main loading dock in front of a landing with warehouses and parked forklifts, there was a bright flash of lightning, followed just two seconds later by a clap of thunder.
“That was close,” Jack said.
“Let’s hope the lightning keeps up,” Taylor said.
I looked up at the angry sky. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that.”
There were three lights on the dock as well as lights inside the warehouse offices, but I couldn’t see any movement, at least not the human kind. The wind was strong and anything not bolted down was flapping or swinging. The waves had also kicked up, and J.D. revved the engine in reverse to keep us from slamming into the dock.
Then two Elgen wearing rain gear emerged from the warehouse. Both carried flashlights, and one of them made hand signals to the control deck.
Three of our crew members came out holding lines and threw them to the men, who grabbed them and wrapped the ropes around the dock’s heavy cleats and secured them. Another man walked out in rain gear carrying a radio.
Our crew members lowered a plank onto the dock, and one of our crew walked down to the man holding the radio. The two of them walked back to the warehouse.
“That’s your cue,” Gervaso said. “Go.”
The eight of us climbed down a ladder near the front of the boat. Then, one by one, we sprinted across the deck into the shadows behind the warehouse, then into the forest.
We met up in a grove of breadfruit trees about fifty yards from the dock. In our outfits I couldn’t tell who was who.
“Who’s here?” I asked.
“Everyone’s here,” Ian said.
“You lead us,” I said.
We followed Ian along a narrow grass path through the dense forest. The sound of the rain covered our footsteps, and it only took ten minutes to reach the center square.
The center was dark. There were only a few lights in the square, and raindrops fiercely pelted the tops of the two monkey cages, pouring down the sides of the cages in a steady waterfall. The cages were dark inside, and I couldn’t see any humans, but Ian could.
“Quentin’s in the corner of the east cage,” he said. “In the back.”
“How does he look?”
He turned to me. “Like a man in a monkey cage.”
There were two guards, one for each cage, standing at attention with rifles. They were dressed alike, wearing hats, black knee-length jackets, thick-soled shin-high boots, and pants with a purple stripe down the side. They stood perfectly still as the water bounced off the crowns of their hats and ran down the brims and their shoulders. They seemed to be in an almost trancelike state.
“There’s a sign that says ‘King of the Monkeys,’” Ian said, shaking his head.
“Should I reboot them now?” Taylor asked.
“Cameras first,” I said. I could see at least six cameras, revealed by the red diode on top of them. Four of them slowly panned the square. I turned to Ian. “I count six. What have you got?”
“There’s fourteen,” he said.
“It’s good to be you,” I said. “Are there any other guards nearby?”
“Just the two.”
“Let’s keep it that way. Are you ready, Nichelle? Tessa?”
“I’m ready,” Tessa said. “You?” she asked Nichelle.
“Just waiting for lightning.”
We didn’t have to wait long. In less than two minutes there was a double strike of lightning to the east of us. Nichelle’s hand was already extended. The lights went out.
“Did we get all the cameras?” I asked Ian.
“No. There’s one camera next to the building that’s live. But I don’t think it’s panning.”
“Will they see us?”
Ian looked at it, then said, “No. Not if we stay close to the cages.”