by S.A. Bodeen
Ahab wagged his tail.
“Good boy.” Marco patted his head.
Nacho asked, “Which way now?”
Marco pointed at the path to the right.
Ahab barked and took a few steps along the trail that headed to the beach and water. He turned to look at the boys.
“No, Ahab, this way.” Marco stepped onto the right path and slapped his hand on his thigh. “Come on.”
Ahab barked again, moving farther away.
Nacho said, “I think he wants us to go that way.”
Marco gestured. “But the face rock is this way.”
“I think we should follow Ahab.”
Marco sighed. “Now you’re letting the dog decide?”
Ahab took off running and Nacho went after him.
Marco had one choice. He followed.
The dog moved fast. Remarkably, so did his little brother. Marco was out of breath by the time they reached the beach.
Ahab barked. Then he took a few steps in the direction of Leo’s cave.
Marco shrugged. “Let’s follow him.”
Ahab trotted down the sand, the boys on his heels.
As they moved along, Marco scanned the water, eyes peeled. But, for the moment, the waves remained fin free.
“Hey!” Nacho jogged ahead a bit and snatched something up. He held out a water bottle. “Maybe it was Sarah’s?”
Marco’s gaze dropped. Two clear sets of footprints sunk into the sand, one an adult’s, one much smaller. “Who else could it be?”
Nacho said, “Sarah’s heading to the cave.”
Marco’s eyes locked with his brother’s. “Let’s go get her.”
9
Sarah stared at the animal in front of her, wondering if she should even believe her eyes.
“What’s that?” Fox pointed.
From behind the partition came Leo in his natural state, gills and all, white weapon tube in his hand. He crouched as soon as he saw them.
Sarah got to her feet. “Oh, that’s just Leo.”
“What is he?”
“An alien.”
Just then, the animal whirled toward the alien boy, who raised the tube.
“No!” cried Sarah.
Immediately the animal tried to fight off the white net. But the shrinking net quickly immobilized the creature, which ceased to struggle and fell over on one side.
Sarah ran over. “Why did you do that?” She dropped to her knees beside the creature and set a hand on its heaving side. “Is it hurt?”
“No, of course not,” said Leo.
Sarah studied the creature, whose dark, expressive eyes gazed up at her. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Tasmanian tiger,” said Leo.
“Wait, so this means you did it? You figured out how to use the progenitor?”
Leo grinned. “I’ve been busy.” He dropped his head back and stared up at the butterflies. “Some I still have to catch, though.”
Sarah touched a patch of the tiger’s fur that stuck out of the netting. “I’m touching an animal no one has touched since … who knows when?” She stayed there a moment, feeling the energy of the creature.
The bird flew overhead.
“And what’s that?”
“Passenger pigeon.”
“It’s beautiful.” She rubbed the tiger once more. “You have to let it go.” Sarah jumped to her feet. “It belongs in the wild.”
Fox said, “No way. That belongs in a zoo. You know how much people would pay to see it?”
Leo asked Fox, “Who are you?”
Fox smiled his smarmy smile. “What are you?”
Sarah wanted to tell Leo about Fox, tell him he was bad, but before she had a chance, the boy asked Sarah, “Do you know what would happen if we released this one Tasmanian tiger back into its natural habitat? Do you?”
Sarah’s thoughts whirled. “Yes. It would be free.”
“Would it? For how long?” Leo’s voice was soft. He wasn’t arguing. The passenger pigeon winged by again, and then the butterflies. “There’s more than one reason why they all went extinct.” He side-eyed Fox. “And those reasons have not gone away.”
Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes. “I know, but … the tiger should be free. Not have to live in a cage.” Fox stepped up to get a closer look at the tiger.
Leo set a webbed hand on Sarah’s arm. “Come here.” He led her down the row of modules, to one that was just beginning to frost over. “Look.”
Sarah pressed her face to the glass.
A Tasmanian tiger stood inside, eyes bright, slight mist around the snout. “Another one?”
“This is the mate. When we get to my planet, we will set them free. And no one will hurt them. Ever.”
Sarah faced him. “You promise?”
Leo smiled. “Yes. I promise.” He lifted an arm and gestured down the row. “That’s why we’re doing all of this. For my people and our planet, yes.” He pointed at the module. “But for them too.”
“But what if…” Sarah sniffled. “What if you make it back to your planet and…”
Leo’s forehead creased. “And what?”
“What if it’s not how you thought it would be?”
Leo’s shoulders slumped. He breathed out, long and hard.
“What if, all this time, you’ve been trying so hard to get to a place that … that you can’t return to?” Sarah felt bad saying it aloud. But it was true, wasn’t it? His Cry of the Ancients, the collection of animals—they were all because of a place he had never seen or been to. Neither had any of his people on the ship.
Leo smiled the tiniest bit. “Hiraeth.”
“What?”
“It’s a word on your planet that means being homesick for a place that you can’t return to. Or maybe, a place that never even was.”
Sarah stared at the Tasmanian tiger and felt a lump in her throat. The tiger couldn’t go back.
She thought about her mom, how much she missed her. Oh, how Sarah wished she could return to her embrace, be in that place of safety and love.
Tears welled up.
Was it the same, in a way?
Leo longing for his world …
The Tasmanian tiger, pacing in that long-ago cage in the Hobart Zoo, longing for his …
And Sarah, herself. She could never return to her mother’s arms; they were lost for good, but …
Leo still had a chance.
Her gaze swept down the closest modules that contained animals gone from the earth forever, never to return. The passenger pigeon overhead, the butterflies …
They all still had a chance.
She couldn’t stand in the way. She glanced back at the immobilized tiger and gasped. “Where’s Fox?” Sarah stepped closer to Leo and spoke softly. “He stole a sailboat from Cash’s grandpa. He’s looking for the trunk. Your trunk.”
Leo’s grip on the white tube tightened. “Why?”
“He’s the one who stole it from the tribe. Or else got it from the ones who stole it.” Sarah shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“He can’t have it,” growled Leo. “I won’t let him.” He glanced at the tiger. “I’ve got to get him in a module. Can you help me?”
“Okay.”
Together they gently dragged the Tasmanian tiger across the smooth floor and inside an empty module.
“Wait, just one second?” Sarah crouched beside the creature and set her hand on its head. A tear ran down her cheek.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She straightened up and backed out of the module.
Leo twisted the end of the tube. A puff of steam came out and dissolved the net. Leo quickly shut the door as the animal got to its feet. He handed Sarah the tube and pressed the keypad.
Slowly mist filled the module, starting the stasis process.
Sarah leaned the tube against the module and pressed both hands on the glass.
Leo stood beside her, watching too.
Within moments, the tige
r was still and silent.
Sarah whispered, “Sweet dreams.”
“Well, isn’t this touching?”
Sarah gasped.
Fox stood ten feet away, evil grin on his face, the white tube now firmly gripped in his hands and aimed straight at Leo. “Now, how ’bout somebody show me where my treasure is?”
10
Marco, Nacho, and Ahab sped along the beach. When they needed a break, they walked until they could run once more. During one rest, Nacho pulled another two bottles of water from his backpack. As Marco cranked one open, Nacho said, “These are the last ones.”
Marco glanced down at Ahab, whose pink tongue seemed to hang halfway to the ground. “Let’s give him some first.”
“Good idea.” Nacho cupped his hands.
Ahab lapped up the water. Then he licked Nacho’s hands as clean as possible, minus the dog slobber. Then Nacho and Marco shared the one remaining bottle. Nacho put the empties in his backpack and zipped it.
“Want me to carry it?” asked Marco.
“I got it.” Nacho looped it over a shoulder. “It’s a lot lighter now.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead. “How much farther?”
Marco took a few steps down the beach and scrutinized the tree line. He pointed. “It’s there. The cave is right there.”
Nacho took hold of Ahab’s collar. “Do we just go in?”
“I guess.” Marco glanced at the backpack. “Got a flashlight in there?”
Nacho shook his head. “But I have this from my last camping trip with the Eco-Scouts.” He pulled out a package of green glow sticks.
Marco frowned. “But you said you felt sick. Mom let you stay home.”
Nacho opened the package. “That’s why I’ve still got them.” He snapped two glow sticks and handed one to Marco.
“Thanks.” He led the way to the mouth of the cave. “So when we go through, you might feel like a…”
“A what?” Nacho’s forehead wrinkled.
“A tingle? Like a little electric shock.” Marco hoped it was as little as he remembered. He stepped through. The buzz spread out through his body, almost over as soon as it started.
Ahab came next. He barked and jumped like he’d been bit.
“You’re okay, boy.” Marco gripped his collar.
Nacho hesitated. “Does it hurt?”
“No! Just come on.”
Nacho scrunched his eyes shut and leaped through. “Oh! That was weird.”
Marco sighed and held up his glow stick. “Ready? It’s dark up ahead.”
“Yeah.” Nacho adjusted his backpack and brandished his glow stick. “Ready.”
Marco took a few steps. “Let’s be quiet, okay? We don’t know what’s happening in there.”
“Got it.”
Ahab’s panting and the shuffling of their footsteps along the rocky bottom echoed slightly. The walls, glowing green from the glow sticks, closed in.
Marco stopped. He covered his glow stick with his hand and whispered, “It’s getting lighter ahead. We’re almost there.” He set his glow stick on the ground, then tightened his hold on Ahab’s collar and put a finger on his lips.
Nacho stuck up a thumb.
Marco stepped as lightly as he could the rest of the way, until he was on the verge of the massive cavern. The place was lit as brightly as always, the white modules glaring after the dimness of the passage.
He ran, pulling Ahab over to the nearest row of modules. When Nacho was beside him, Marco leaned out and tried to see if anyone was farther down.
The place seemed deserted. But his gut told him the opposite.
“Hold Ahab and stay here,” he whispered.
“But I want to go with you.”
Marco sighed. “I want to do a quick scout, okay? As soon as it’s safe, you can come out.”
“Fine.” Nacho grabbed ahold of the dog’s collar and knelt beside him. “We have to stay here, boy.”
Ahab licked his face.
Marco paused for a deep breath, then stepped out and ran halfway down the row. He ducked into a gap between two modules and peeked out. Still no movement from the other end of the space.
Wouldn’t Leo be there, trying to fill the modules?
Maybe the progenitor had failed.
But where was Sarah? Had she and Fox made it to the cave?
Marco ran farther along the row until he found another gap big enough to hide in.
Then he heard the murmur of voices.
One was deep, a man’s for sure. And the higher-pitched ones: Sarah’s, maybe? Leo’s?
A movement overhead caught Marco’s eye.
A bird. A beautiful gray bird.
With only two wings.
Not a freak.
It worked. The progenitor worked!
Marco slipped out of his hiding spot and crouched, quietly moving down the aisle, his arm brushing the modules as he passed by.
At the end of the row, he knelt on one knee and leaned out far enough to see with one eye. Next to some kind of divider about ten yards away stood a man in a blue shirt and dirty cargo shorts and a dumb-looking Panama hat. Fox, obviously. And he gripped a white tube in his hands.
Marco’s stomach was in knots.
“Careful, now. Careful,” said Fox.
Leo and Sarah came into view, lugging the trunk.
“Oh no,” whispered Marco.
“I said careful. That’s my treasure.”
Marco’s heart raced.
Fox was trying to steal the progenitor back.
Sarah and Leo set the trunk down.
“Oh, hold on, now. This loot is going all the way back to the beach and my boat.”
“It’s not your boat.” Sarah sounded out of breath. “It belongs to Sarge.”
Fox laughed and held up the tube. “I’ve seen what this thing can do. Once we get back to the beach, you’ll all be wrapped up like little presents. And I’ll be on my way with my treasure. And my new cash cow.”
Sarah frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Fox tapped the tube on the chest. “Antiquities are one thing.” His gaze slid sideways to Leo. “Aliens are totally another. I’ll never have to work again.”
Marco clamped a hand over his mouth. Would Fox really take Leo?
Sarah crossed her arms. “I don’t see any aliens.”
Fox scowled. “What do you call Fish Boy here?”
Sarah shrugged. “I just see a boy. Right, Leo?”
Leo met Sarah’s gaze. His gills and webbed hands disappeared. “Right.”
Marco grinned.
“Hey!” Fox looked from one to the other. “What happened?”
“I told you,” said Sarah. “He’s just a boy.”
Marco pulled back and leaned against the module, out of sight once more. Maybe now Fox would forget about Leo. But they couldn’t be allowed to leave the cave, especially not with the trunk. If Leo had truly determined how to use the progenitor, then he had to stay and finish his work before his time ran out.
Somehow Marco had to get that tube away from Fox.
“Let’s go.” Fox waved his free arm. “Come on, come on, I don’t have all day.”
With a groan, Sarah picked up her end of the trunk as Leo hefted his.
Marco made a fist and released it. He did it again as he tried to figure out what to do. He could wait there, let them walk by, and then tackle Fox. Granted, the man was bigger than he was, but Marco had the advantage of surprise, not to mention some martial arts skills. It might be enough to distract Fox and give the others a chance to help disarm him.
Leo and Sarah neared his hiding spot.
Marco sucked in a breath and tried to shrink into the slim space even more.
They were almost there, Fox right behind them.
Marco held his breath. Wait for it … wait.
“Woof! Woof!”
The end of the trunk dropped out of Sarah’s hands as Ahab bounded into view and hopped up on her.
“Ahab, no!” Marco
covered his mouth, but too late.
Fox swung the tube in his direction and fired.
Marco shut his eyes and hoped it wouldn’t hurt.
Sarah screamed, “No!”
Marco’s eyes shot open.
Ahab lay in front of him, enmeshed in the white net, his struggles already slowing. The dog whined.
Fox took aim at Marco again.
“Nooooooo!” With a grunt, Nacho ran across the space and rammed the man with all his might. Fox went down on one knee, and Nacho slipped and fell.
The tube skittered across the floor, and Marco dove for it.
Before Nacho could get back up, Fox grabbed him, his elbow bending around the boy’s throat.
Marco hopped up and aimed the weapon at Fox. “Let him go!”
Fox stood up, shielding himself with a flailing Nacho. “Go ahead and shoot,” Fox sneered. “You’ll only get him.”
Leo dropped his end of the trunk and stood by Sarah. He told Marco, “Release Ahab.”
Marco twisted the end and pointed the tube at Ahab. Steam came out, dissolving the web. Seconds later Ahab got up and shook himself, his thick black fur rippling. He barked at the man.
Fox tightened his grip on Nacho.
“Let him go!” cried Sarah.
Nacho stopped kicking. His fingers scraped at Fox’s arm, trying to loosen the stranglehold. His eyes bulged.
Marco aimed. Could he get a clear shot? What if he shot both of them? Then Fox could release Nacho and—
“I said, LET MY BROTHER GO!” Sarah ran over and kicked Fox in the shin.
Fox cried out in pain and nearly dropped Nacho before he regained his grip.
Ahab barked and moved closer.
“Keep that dog away from me!” yelled Fox.
Sarah kicked him again. “Let him go!”
Leo joined her and kicked Fox’s other leg.
Grunting, Fox tried to back away with Nacho, but tripped over the boy’s backpack and fell to the floor. Nacho scrambled away, clutching his throat and coughing.
Immediately Ahab put one paw on Fox’s chest and growled.
“Get him off!” Fox threw up his hands and cowered. “Get him off!”
“No way,” said Sarah. “Good boy, Ahab.”
Marco tossed the tube to Leo and then pulled Nacho to his feet. “You okay?”
“I think so.”
The ground shook underneath their feet.
Leo’s face grew pale.