Jump Starting the Universe Book Bundle

by John David Buchanan

  “I have an idea,” said Amelia, as Wayne fixed a small plate of food. “We need to build a camouflaged carport we can drive the Nomad into. If the Goyspers attack the behemoths and distract them, we might have time to drive the Nomad to a hiding spot and cover up the tracks before the behemoths can find us.”

  “I like that,” said Wayne. That may be our only shot at getting my car back in one piece. It doesn’t guarantee they won’t find it and destroy it, but based on what we know, I’m sure it’s going to be destroyed if we do nothing.”

  Blackie listened to Wayne’s reasoning. Personally, he wasn’t sure the behemoths would destroy the Nomad, but he wasn’t sure they wouldn’t either.

  “Tawtue said he knows where the Nomad is located. We should tell him our plan to build a hiding spot, and ask if he knows somewhere we can put it that would be quick and easy to get to. We’ll need to drive as fast as possible to give us time to hide the tracks,” he said. “If we could find somewhere in the trees along the beach, that would be perfect, assuming we can somehow get the Nomad onto the beach from wherever the behemoths stashed it.”

  “We are going to get back aren’t we; to Centoria and then back to Gafcon-49?” asked Amelia.

  The question shocked everyone. There was a longing for reassurance in her voice; a longing each of them shared. They all wanted to believe they would be successful, that they would find Mark and Nita and make their way back to Gafcon-49. Without speaking to it directly, Amelia verbalized the biggest question about the biggest unknown they faced. Would they evade the World Eaters? They had been so busy with their current situation none of them had time to think about the bigger picture. Without hesitating, Wayne said the one thing that was sure to calm her worries.

  “I’ll bet you ten dinners at that restaurant on the square, the one down the street from Joules’ museum, we collect Mark and Nita and all of us enjoy an incredible meal together with Mr. and Mrs. Livingston.”

  Wayne’s response was perfect. Amelia knew he only bet on something he thought was a sure thing. The momentary feeling of despair that had crept into the room dissipated like dry ice and everyone felt better. It was as if that simple statement charged them all with a renewed sense of hope, one so strong the outcome they hoped for seemed inevitable.

  “Let’s go visit with Tawtue,” suggested Joules. Then, we need to start on that camouflaged carport.

  On their way down the stairs they met Aduan, and he told them Tawtue was in his home. Before long they were sitting at his table and had described the camouflaged carport they wanted to build.

  “It’s a good plan, but you have to do it today. We plan to attack the behemoths tomorrow morning. Aduan’s scouting party said the Nomad is sitting in the trees on the south cove. You’re fortunate, the beach there is continuous with where you found the behemoth’s shoe, and for several miles beyond.”

  “Desi can show you a where to build. When you’ve collected your ship, you have to be careful on the beach. The gravel is deep near the water and over halfway to the tree line. You will have to drive as close to the trees as you can to avoid getting stuck. Several shallow tidal pools are along the beach between there and here, and the soil around them is wet and mushy. Stay on the high side of the beach near the trees, and keep your speed up when you go around them or you’ll bog down.”

  After their meeting with Tawtue, Desi took them to the beach and showed them where to build their carport. The location was about a mile past where they found behemoth’s shoe.

  “The beach is accessible here and this small opening in the beach grasses will help hide your ship. There are plenty of trees here,” Desi told them, “and the extra distance down the beach will give you more time to hide your tracks. I hope they don’t follow you. Being hunted by a behemoth is a frightening experience.”

  They could tell from the way she spoke, her comments were based on a personal story. But Desi didn’t offer any explanation, and none of them were comfortable asking her about it.

  “Time is wasting,” said Blackie, breaking the awkward silence. “Let’s get to work.”

  They spent the rest of the daylight hours erecting a carport sized frame out of long, slender tree limbs and covering its top and sides with leafy branches. The sun was beginning to set over the water when they finished. Wayne stepped away, and stood inside the tree line to examine their handiwork as the sun dipped below the horizon.

  “If I didn’t know it was there, I wouldn’t know it was there,” remarked Wayne.

  “That’s a classic Wayne. You’re now only one quip behind Yogi Berra, whether you want to be or not. Mark would be so proud.”

  “Make sure you put that in your journal,” said Joules “It raises the bar of deniability.”

  Desi had stayed with them to watch for behemoths that might be walking down the beach. As the light began to fail, she suggested it wouldn’t be safe for them to stay any longer. “It’s best when we can see the behemoths a long way off. We should leave soon.”

  The prospect of meeting a behemoth in the dark was enough incentive for them to hurriedly pack the few tools they had brought, and begin the long hike back to the mountain. They were tired after finishing the Nomad’s hiding place and exhausted by the time they reached the mountain home. Joules invited Desi to stay and have dinner with them, but she declined.

  “I would love to.” She was comfortable around them, and seemed to enjoy their constant taunting, joking and laughing. “But I should go. My father will be waiting for me to tell him how things went today. We didn’t see any behemoths, so he’ll be happy about that.”

  **************************************

  Early the next morning a knock on their front door echoed through their quarters. Tawtue sent Desi to roust them out of bed and make sure they had something to eat and drink before the they left. Everyone was fairly reserved at breakfast as the realization of what they were about to do set-in.

  “So, we are going to help Tawtue attack these guys that are two-and-a-half stories tall, and, while they’re distracted we’re going to sneak in and steal my Nomad.”

  “That about sums it up,” said Blackie, as he sipped his coffee.

  “Easy for you to say, they’ll never see you!”

  “I wouldn’t call it stealing. It is your Nomad,” said Amelia.

  “Something tells me the behemoths won’t take it that way. We’ll be lucky if the whole clan doesn’t chase us down the beach. We’re lucky like that,” added Joules, as she passed the breakfast sausages to Desi.

  Before any of them could comment, the sound of a horn being blown reverberated through the inside of the mountain. “It’s time,” said Desi. She stood and picked up dirty dishes to take them to the kitchen.

  “I’ll just rinse them,” said Blackie, as he took the dishes from her. “When we get back, we’ll wash them and put them away.’’

  They made their way down the winding stairway to the bottom level, where scores of Goyspers had already convened. More were arriving every second, and when everyone had assembled, hundreds of men and women combatants were ready for battle. Tawtue stepped onto a raised platform against the north wall and addressed the crowd.

  “First, I want to thank all of you for your willingness to participate. Early this morning the Council convened to discuss what we would accomplish today. Our goals have changed and therefore our manpower requirements have changed also. We will attack the behemoths at their camp in the south cove this morning.

  Our intention is to accomplish two things. First, to demonstrate to the behemoths if they come into the mountains to attack us, we will retaliate. Today’s action will send a strong message; we know where they live. Although we have never entered or attacked their camp, we want them to know we are not afraid, and we will attack them if we’re pushed.

  Second, we intend to create a diversion so our visitors can recover their ship. These are our objectives. The Council also decided we will not take the lives of any behemoths today, unless it is an
act of self-defense to safe-guard our own lives.”

  “Because we have changed and limited today’s objectives, we only need fifty volunteers. It is the Council’s decision all newlyweds among you are dismissed; please return to your homes. Those of you who have young children are also dismissed. Any among you who are caring for your elderly mother, father, or other elderly person – you are dismissed. Finally, if you are below the age of thirty, you are dismissed; no exceptions. Take a moment if you like to wish your friends safety during our raid, then please return to your homes so we can determine our numbers and make group assignments.”

  After those who were dismissed returned to their homes, fifty-nine volunteers remained. Tawtue sent an additional eight young men, and four young women home (including his daughter) because he knew they were underage.

  Blackie overheard Desi telling one of her friends, “It won’t do any good to argue with him, we might as well go home.”

  Aduan assembled the remaining volunteers in groups, selected leaders for each group and gave them their assignments. As soon as he was finished they followed Tawtau down a long underground corridor. After walking for five minutes they halted at a set of stones steps leading to the surface. Aduan sent a scout to make sure no behemoths were prowling the area, and when he received the all clear, they climbed the stairs. Each of the four groups moved off separately.

  Mark, Joules, Wayne and Amelia went with group one. They would wait until the other groups engaged the behemoths, then their group would rush the south beach area to find the Nomad. If everything went according to plan, Wayne would be driving them down the beach within minutes of the first attack.

  Normally, a hike to the south beach would only take ninety minutes, but they were being especially careful and only advanced as the scouts told them their path was clear. The hike took an extra forty-five minutes, and it took another twenty minutes for all the teams to crawl into their positions undetected.

  When they reached their position, Blackie asked their leader, Juir, “What now?”

  “The north group will attack first. After they’ve found something to burn. There’s nothing like a fire to grab people’s attention. When we hear a commotion, the east and west groups will also light fires. Three sets of smoke plumes are the signal to make our move.”

  On the north side of the behemoth’s compound, a Goysper scout crawled through thick brush to a small wooden building on the perimeter of the clearing. It was only small relative to the other buildings in the compound, as it stood 15 meters tall and was sixty meters by sixty meters at the base. The scout carefully pried open the huge door to make sure no one was inside the building.

  As soon as she was sure it was unoccupied, she tendered a flame against the wall next to the door and made sure the wall and door caught fire. Then, as quickly as possible she crawled back to her group hidden in a stand of dense brush and trees some thirty meters away. By the time she rejoined them the building was engulfed in flames.

  Within minutes, the sound of yelling could be heard throughout the compound. Several behemoths had rushed to the building, trying to douse the towering flames with huge drums of water. As more of them joined in to put out the fire. they realized this was no accident, fires had also been kindled in buildings on the east and west sides of their facility. The air was filled with all sorts of deafening noises as the fires blazed and behemoths raged at their unseen attackers. The ground shook as they stomped around with drums of water hoping to quench the flames.

  “That’s our cue,” said Juir, pointing to the giant plumes of smoke rising over the trees in the distance. “Follow me.”

  They ran down the beach along the edge of the tree line hoping they wouldn’t be seen. Their plan seemed to be working as every available behemoth was now fighting the fires and trying to keep them from spreading.

  “There, there,” shouted Wayne.

  The Nomad was sitting about forty feet from the beach in a sandy area. Wayne jumped behind the wheel and started the car as Amelia and Joules jumped in the back seat.

  “We’ll join the other groups,” said Juir to Blackie, “to find out if they need assistance. If I know Desi and her friends, they are waiting at your hiding spot to help you cover the ship’s tracks.”

  “We’ll see you at the mountain home later,” said Blackie.

  Wayne rolled down the driver’s side window and yelled thanks to the group, as Blackie got in the front passenger seat. Gunning the engine, he guided the surging Nomad out of the loose sand and onto the beach. It went into a sideways drift as he jerked the steering wheel hard to the left, spraying sand halfway to the water.

  “Show off.”

  Wayne couldn’t help but grin so big it covered his entire face, “Yeah, a little bit.”

  Racing down the beach, Wayne drove as close the tree line as he could. They had to put as much distance between them and the compound as possible. The behemoth’s size and their ability to run athletically allowed them to cover long distances speedily. The idea of having a behemoth right close behind them wasn’t very appealing. But Wayne soon let the car coast to a slow crawl.

  “What are you doing Wayne?” asked Amelia as the car slowed.

  “There’s the first tidal pool. I want to slow down and check it out as we approach; before we try to get around it.”

  The ground near the pool definitely looked wet and mucky, and appeared more like sloppy silt than sand or gravel. But near the tree line the soil was lighter in color. They hoped that meant it was drier.

  “Let’s give it a go,” said Wayne, and he stomped on the accelerator as they neared the upper edges of the tidal pool.

  About halfway across, Wayne could tell the tires were sinking into the moist soil, but the Nomad maintained its forward momentum and seconds later they were back on dry gravel and picking up speed. When they had successfully crossed the third tidal pool, Wayne was fairly confident they weren’t going to be a problem. He drove as fast as he could along the tree line for about five minutes. Then, he started slowing down again.

  Down the beach, about a quarter of a mile, they could see what looked like a boat flipped on its side at the edge of the water. Two more tidal pools and they would have a clear path to the Nomad’s hiding spot.

  “There’s the boat shoe,” said Amelia from the back seat.

  “Wayne, that’s a big tidal pool,” said Blackie. It was significantly larger than the previous three they had avoided. Based on the color of the soil, the high side of the beach along the tree line didn’t appear to be any drier than it was near the water.

  “The beach above this tidal pool recedes a long way up the slope, and way past the tree line,” said Amelia. “Maybe it’s high enough above the pool that it stayed dry. We might be able to go around up there.”

  Wayne had spent a lot of time at the beaches in Texas, near Aransas Pass. Once he took a job on the island during his summer break, and every minute he wasn’t working, he was on the beach. It was his favorite place and he loved it so much he often slept on a cot on the beach to enjoy the sundowns, even though he had an apartment he shared with a coworker. He surfed, fished, jogged, and drove the beaches all summer, and he got good at reading the water and beach conditions.

  “What do you think, Wayne?” asked Blackie as Wayne let off on the accelerator and coasted to a stop.

  “The tide is coming in. The soil is already wetter here than the ones we crossed earlier. I’m not sure this is going to work.”

  He jumped out of the car and looked down the beach behind them. So far, no sign of behemoths. If they had a little luck, it would stay that way.

  “I’ll drive us up a little closer and we’ll check it out.”

  The Nomad crept up the beach until Wayne could feed the resistance of wet soil against the tires.

  “Blackie and I are going to check out the area beyond that break in the dunes. Amelia, you should have the Jump Starter handy, just in case. We won’t be long.”

  “What do you want me
to do?” asked Joules.

  Before Wayne could answer, Blackie answered for him. “If a behemoth shows up, don’t let it have Wayne’s Nomad.”

  “And try to not let it have Amelia either,” added Wayne.

  Amelia stuck her tongue out at Wayne. “I thought you should know how I feel about being second place to your old car.”

  “She’s been around longer than you have,” said Wayne and he turned and ran up the beach.

  Blackie and Wayne walked into the recessed area only to find it was a high water tidal pool. Their only chance at getting across was through the area between the two pools.

  Blackie explained the situation to Amelia and Joules when they got back to the car.

  “And the longer we wait the worse it’s going to get. The tide is coming in and this whole area in front of us may end up being covered with water.”

  “The way I see it, we only have a few options and some potentially have bad results,” offered Joules. “We abandon the Nomad here, and hope the behemoths don’t take it again or destroy it. We try to cross, and it gets bogged down and we abandon it. Or, we make it across and keep going to the next pool.”

  “If it gets bogged down, it’s no different than leaving it here,” said Amelia.

  “The only difference is, we don’t know how high the tide might get,” said Blackie. “If it gets high enough to reach that upper tidal pool, the Nomad will have two and a half feet of water in it. Wayne – your car, your call. What’s it going to be?”

  “The only shot at saving the Nomad is if we get it to the hiding place. We don’t have time to build another camouflaged area, and even if enough big trees and brush were here to do it, which there aren’t, we don’t have any tools with us. I’m sure a behemoth is going to stroll down the beach and collect it again, or destroy it, if we leave it here.”

  Wayne paused for a minute to consider his options.

  “Get in, we’re going to try and blast through it.”