The 8th Continent

by Matt London

  Rick threw the switch to open the submarine. Like there were not enough holes in it already.

  “Get ready to swim!” The chamber filled with water, and the airlock popped open.

  Evie, Rick, and a frightened seal were sucked out like they were being flushed down the toilet. Rick took his sister in his arms and kicked for the surface.

  They came up, gasping desperate breaths. Rick’s teeth chattered at the shock of going from the heat of the engine room to the cold of the ocean. He fumbled for his phone with numb fingers and activated the homing beacon.

  After a few seconds, the Roost appeared overhead and landed in the water a short distance off. He could see 2-Tor inflating the rescue raft to come pick them up.

  Rick had never been a strong swimmer, but he managed to tread water and hold Evie above the surface. “Are you okay?” he asked his sister. He could not account for all the salt water on her face.

  “I didn’t even get to say goodbye. And it was my fault he had to come back.”

  Rick held her tighter than he had since they were babies. He didn’t know how to tell her that no one blamed her for what happened, not even Doctor Grant. The look on the old man’s face as he pushed Evie to safety had said everything. He knew what was going to happen the moment he went back into the chamber, and he was at peace with it.

  The only parties responsible for what happened were that robo-shark and its owner. He would not let Evie blame herself.

  But how to recover? Everything had been on the sub, and the sub was lost.

  SPWOOOOOSH!

  Rick and Evie whipped their heads around at the noise. The rain machine floated on the surface a few feet away, surrounded by inflatable yellow buoys. The canister of Eden Compound was still in place.

  And to Rick’s great relief, riding atop the machine was one very soggy Niels Bohr.

  The water had soaked him skinny, and droplets dripped from his whiskers. He meowed his anger and sorrow, but he quieted when the children swam over to him and smoothed out his coat, telling him he was safe.

  They still had the cat, and they still had the Eden Compound, which meant the dream of the eighth continent was still alive. Now, more than ever, they had to make it real, for Doctor Grant and for the world.

  THE ROOST FLEW LOW OVER THE OCEAN, KICKING UP A TRAIL OF SHIPPING POPCORN AND SOUP CAN lids as it crossed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

  Evie looked out the cockpit window, her eyes narrow and her lips tight. After what had happened to Doctor Grant, she was ready to see the garbage patch destroyed.

  “Okay, 2-Tor, bring us in for a landing over there.” Rick pointed to the remnants of several box spring mattresses floating on a bed of plastic bags.

  The Roost set down with a splash and bobbed among the garbage like a carrot in some very unappetizing dip.

  Rick wheeled the rain machine around and pulled it into the hall.

  “Shall I stand guard here again, Richard?” asked 2-Tor.

  “No way. You’ve been a big part of this adventure. You should be there to watch it end. Niels Bohr can hold down the fort. Right, Niels Bohr?”

  The tiger cat leaped on top of the control console and sprawled out on the dashboard.

  “See? He’ll be fine.”

  Evie knew that wasn’t true. How could Niels Bohr be fine? Evie wasn’t fine, and she’d only known Doctor Grant a couple of days. Of course, Niels Bohr had been able to get out of the submarine on his own, and save the Eden Compound, without getting his friend killed.

  “Evie?”

  She turned to her brother. “Sorry, Rick. Did you say something?”

  “We’ve come so far. It’s time to make that continent.”

  Rick, Evie, and 2-Tor made their way to the bottom level of the Roost, where the internal power plant chugged like a marching band, pistons firing. Evie shivered. Even though the engine room was one of her favorite places on the ship, being there felt eerily similar to being back on the submarine.

  It seemed to Evie that no matter what she did, she couldn’t escape the bad memories. They hadn’t even had time to deflate the big life raft that 2-Tor had picked them up in back in the Arctic Sea.

  Now the birdbot stumbled in while Rick and Evie carefully lowered the rain machine into the rubber boat. Evie hit the button on the wall, and the gate of thick bark rumbled open. She didn’t want to get back in the boat, but she forced herself to hop in as Rick lowered the onboard motor into the water, and they sputtered away from the Roost.

  The motor had a lot of trouble cutting through the trash-filled water of the garbage patch. Several times Rick and Evie had to attack the jammed propeller with oars, untangling fishing lines and shopping bags.

  From her vantage point in the middle of the garbage patch, down low, on the surface, Evie concluded that the term “continent” was well deserved. Trash went as far as the eye could see in every direction. The only seabirds were the dead ones floating in the water, choked on those plastic rings soda cans came attached to. It was a desolate, horrible world, one without interest in supporting life.

  “It’s a graveyard,” Evie said, feeling sick.

  Rick wrenched his face. “Endless ranks of the dead would smell better than this place.”

  They found a clearing in the blanket of trash, a small pool of black water where the raft fit snugly. “This looks as good a place as any,” Rick said. “Let’s power up the machine.”

  Evie switched on the device, trying not to inhale too deeply. She never thought to ask Doctor Grant if the Eden Compound would remove the gross stench of trash as part of transforming its substance. Now she never could.

  But she’d know the answer soon enough.

  “Activating internal battery now,” Rick said, flipping a switch on the bottom of the rain machine. It hummed to life, illuminating the few dozen lights that surrounded the activation plunger on top of the machine.

  “Are you ready?” Evie asked, placing her hand on the plunger.

  “Are you?” Rick smiled, placing his hand over hers.

  “Children,” 2-Tor interrupted, putting a sudden stop to their moment of triumph.

  They froze and looked at their robot guardian. “What is it?” Rick asked.

  The robot’s voice was cold. “Children, it is time for a quiz.”

  Rick and Evie shared a worried look. “Uh, 2-Tor,” Rick said, “I thought that last shock fried your quiz software.”

  “Children, it is time for a quiz.”

  Evie gave her brother a nudge. “Something’s wrong with him.”

  “I can see that,” Rick agreed.

  2-Tor shouted so loudly that they jumped back from the rain machine. “Answer my quiz, or you will be grounded for the rest of your natural lives!”

  Evie reached for the plunger. “I’m just going to activate the machine and not deal with this right now.”

  “No, wait,” Rick said. “He might interfere if we don’t do what he says. And this is all the Eden Compound there is. We only get one shot at using it. It’s not worth the risk.”

  Evie sighed, taking a step away from the machine. “Okay, 2-Tor, fine. Quiz time. Let’s go.”

  “Zoology. What is your favorite animal?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Where is the best pizza in Uzbekistan? How many giraffes fit in a jar of peanut butter? Who discovered the color blue?”

  Evie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, 2-Tor. Pork?”

  “Incorrect! Incorrect! Your failure indicates that you must repeat the fourth grade.”

  “But I’m in fifth grade,” Evie snapped.

  “This is very bad,” Rick said, moving to the robot’s side.

  “Understatement!” Evie said, hugging herself.

  As Rick reached to adjust 2-Tor’s machinery, the robot threw out his wings to their full span, blocking ou
t the sun. He screeched, sounding like a cross between a hawk and television static.

  The cracked screen in 2-Tor’s chest went bright white, and then a face appeared.

  Their mother’s.

  “Multi-way communication channel opened,” 2-Tor said.

  “Well, well, well,” their mother hissed. “If it isn’t my little embarrassments. You thought you could break every rule imaginable and get away with it? No one disrespects me like that. This is UN-AC-CEPTABLE!”

  Evie’s heart fell. “But, Mom! We can explain.”

  “Uh-uh. No need for that. I found that message you left for your father at the house. Eden Compounds. Eighth continents. I am ashamed of you.”

  “Don’t speak to us that way,” Rick said, glaring at 2-Tor’s screen.

  “I’m your mother, Richard. I will speak to you any way I choose. And really, I expect this kind of behavior from your stupid sister, but not from you, dear.”

  “Mom!” Evie cried. “How can you say that?”

  “Let’s be honest,” her mother continued. “These latest shenanigans are only the most recent in a long string of disappointments.”

  “But we succeeded!” Evie said. “I accomplished something. Isn’t that what you’re always criticizing me for? Never accomplishing anything?”

  “What exactly have you achieved?” The image of her mother shook with static, then reappeared, looking more judgmental than ever.

  Evie felt a warmth inside of her, a passion that had been smoldering for a long time and suddenly burst into flames. She felt it at the sight of all the garbage creeping up on their boat, and at the thought of the death of her friend Doctor Grant, which weighed like a squid-cuff on her back. It was the contempt on her mother’s glitchy face that finally pushed Evie to make something of herself. The continent was more important than her needs now. It was bigger than her family. Bigger than any one person. Her mom needed to see how close they were to changing the world—to saving it.

  “We have the Eden Compound, Mother. Now we can terraform the garbage patch into the eighth continent.”

  “Yes, yes, make the continent, free your father. I’ve heard enough of it. Evie, your father doesn’t need help. I took care of that by teaming up with Winterpole. He won’t be going to the Prison at the Pole, thanks to me. Not you.”

  “It’s not about that!” Evie said. “It’s what we set out to do, but it isn’t what we needed to do. Don’t you see, Mom? This planet is sick. There is pollution everywhere, and it’s killing the world. Animals are dying. Look at this water! It’s black, Mom. Water isn’t supposed to be black.”

  “I don’t see what this has to do with—”

  “You run Cleanaspot! You should understand. We are trying to clean up the world. Building the eighth continent is a big step toward making that happen.”

  “No one cares about the eighth continent,” her mother sneered.

  Evie pointed a finger at the screen. “You told me to make something of myself. I’m trying to make you proud of me.”

  “Well, you’re not. And now you’re bringing your brother into it. Rick, you must see that your sister is crazy. Put a stop to this at once. Come home.”

  A strange look passed over Rick’s features. He looked determined, resolute. His face then shifted again, like the forced expressions of a robot. He looked angry.

  “Mother is right, Evie,” he said. “You have screwed it all up again.”

  “Rick, what are you saying?”

  “I hate you! You are lazy, and you disgust me. I never wanted to come on this trip, but you were too lazy and stupid to do it alone. You needed me.”

  Evie felt like her insides were spilling out. “Stop saying these things.”

  Her mother cackled. “No, Richard! Keep going!”

  “We should have listened to Mom. Who cares about Dad? We should have stayed home and played video games.”

  “Yes! That’s right!” Mom said.

  “We should have left the eighth continent alone.”

  “No!” Evie said.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” her mother said.

  “Evie, you are stupid,” Rick said.

  “She is!” her mother agreed.

  “We should have turned the eighth continent into New Miami!”

  “Exactly! That was my idea,” Mom said.

  Evie was stunned. “Wait, what?”

  “Wait, what?” Mom asked, quite surprised and sounding embarrassed.

  “Aha!” Rick cried out. “I knew it was you, Vesuvia.”

  Their mother screamed and dissolved into a flurry of static, revealing the bright pink face of Vesuvia Piffle. “You tricked me!” she squeaked.

  “You tried to trick us first.” Rick turned to his sister. “I’m sorry, Evie. I didn’t mean any of those things I said before. I was trying to get Vesuvia to blow her cover.”

  Evie collapsed in the raft. She was glad that Vesuvia had been found out and that Rick and her mother were not really being so dreadful to her, but she didn’t know how much more heart strain she could take. She was used to physical challenges, not emotional ones.

  “That’s right. My little pink birds told me all about the drama between you two. But that doesn’t matter now,” Vesuvia said. “It’s already too late. Look behind you.”

  A fleet of ships was cutting through the garbage on a direct course with them. A squad of speedboats had been dispatched to disable the Roost, while the rest were coming for the raft with the Eden Compound. At the bow of the lead yacht stood Vesuvia and Diana, holding computer tablets. Vesuvia hurled hers into the water, and the image on 2-Tor’s stomach cut out.

  “I say,” 2-Tor announced, “why do I suddenly feel the urge to go shopping?”

  Vesuvia screamed across the water. “It’s too late, Lanes. I’m back, and now the Eden Compound will be mine!”

  VESUVIA’S SHIPS WERE GETTING CLOSER TO THE RAFT. RICK AND EVIE ONLY HAD A MOMENT BEFORE they arrived.

  Rick knew he had to make sure Evie understood why he’d said those things. “Evie, listen to me. Vesuvia used 2-Tor to impersonate Mom. She was trying to get us to fight each other. I didn’t mean what I said. Please, forgive me for being so terrible.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I have been pretty stupid this whole journey.”

  “That’s not true. You’ve been smart, and very brave. I don’t even remember how many times you have saved my life, and you know how good I usually am with numbers.”

  “But Doctor Grant—”

  “Believed in our mission. Because of you. Because of what you said. Now we have to make him proud.”

  Evie’s head and heart had seemed heavy ever since they’d left the Arctic, but as Rick said this, he watched his sister perk up and brighten.

  Then Vesuvia arrived and ruined the good mood. Her yacht bumped into the raft. From their place at the bow, Diana looked on while Vesuvia spat at Rick and Evie. “Well, if it isn’t my two least favorite fashion disasters. I have good news! You are going to be the first visitors to New Miami. Doesn’t that sound exciting?”

  2-Tor pointed a sharp wing at her. “Young lady, you leave these children alone or else.”

  Vesuvia laughed. “Or else what? What will you do? Rust on me? Hahahahaha!”

  2-Tor lowered his wings helplessly.

  Evie glared. “You are not getting the Eden Compound, Vesuvia. No matter what.”

  “But New Miami will be so much fun!” Vesuvia declared. “There will be ten-story arcades for Rick and all sorts of fun stuff for you, Evie. Paintball, ropes courses, climbing walls, wind surfing. New Miami will be way cooler than Trash Island.”

  “We are trying to build an eighth continent!” Evie said.

  “Yes, I know. You thought you could build your own eighth continent to get away from me and all the cool, wonderful girls at ISES. But n
ow that continent is mine. Oh, I think I might force you to live with me in New Miami, so I can torment you every single day. Won’t that be your worst nightmare?”

  Evie scoffed. “You are so narrow-minded. Sure, I started off this journey trying to make the continent for my own reasons, but it’s bigger than me now. So your petty meanness doesn’t hurt me at all. I couldn’t care less what you and the kids at school think of me. I’m building the continent for something greater.”

  “Continent, schmontinent. You’re not going to be building anything. Diana called her mommy. Winterpole agents are on their way, and won’t they be surprised to see all the rules you two have been breaking on behalf of your criminal father?”

  “We haven’t broken any more rules than you!” Rick said. While they bickered, he tried to get a sense of the odds stacked against them. It did not look good. Vesuvia’s fleet had dozens of ships, and she had hundreds of grown-up crew members at her command. Even the Roost was surrounded by her boats.

  Vesuvia stretched like a triumphant lioness, her plastic clothes squeaking. “I hear the penalty for aiding a known criminal is quite severe. Perhaps you will be sent to the Prison at the Pole along with your father. But I’ll tell you what. If you give me the Eden Compound, I’ll call off Winterpole and save your family.”

  At a time like this, when the odds were so clearly not in their favor, and their futures were at such risk, part of Rick wanted to agree. He could not bear to see Evie or his dad go to the Prison at the Pole. But he knew his sister would never back down and never surrender. He waited to see what she decided.

  Vesuvia extended a perfectly manicured hand. “So, do we have a deal?”

  Evie was still full of surprises, even sad ones. “It’s a deal.”

  Vesuvia clapped like she was watching the world’s most interesting golf tournament. “Oh, goodie! Diana, lower the bridge.”

  Diana and a couple crewmen fetched a boarding ramp and lowered it into the raft.

  “Are you sure about this?” Rick whispered to Evie in the bustle.