“You are the first!” the gar exclaimed. “Where did you come from?” The gar spoke slowly and clearly, as if talking to a child. Mark realized the guy was expecting a slew of gars who weren’t used to normal conversation. He decided not to freak the gar out, so he spoke slowly and simply, pretending to have trouble finding the words.
“Uh, thank you,” Mark said slowly. “Need help. Must see Aron.” The gar gave him a surprised look. “Aron? How could you know Aron?”
Mark had the answer, but didn’t want to give it. “Must see Aron,” he repeated.
The gar looked at Mark’s clothing and frowned. He was expecting the incoming gars to be wearing rags, not slick-looking swimskins.
“Please!” Mark begged. “Important!”
The gar nodded. “All right, come with me,” he said.
Score. Mark was on his way.
Courtney crested the summit of the rocky cliff and collapsed in exhaustion. Her arms were screaming from the exertion. Her hands had long ago gone numb from the constant climbing, and her legs were cramped, but she had made it.
Spader followed soon after and fell down beside her.
“I suppose I should have offered to take the tank,” he said.
“Why?” Courtney asked. “Don’t you think I’m capable?”
“No, no,” Spader assured her. “Just thought it might be polite.”
The two sat together, catching their breaths.
“So you’ve got a thing for Pendragon, aye?” Spader asked.
Courtney shot Spader a look and said, “That’s a strange thing to ask now.”
Spader shrugged and said, “Just staying loose.”
Courtney said, “Define a ‘thing.’”
“Weren’t you two all lovey-do before Pendragon became a Traveler?”
“If you mean do we like each other, yes,” Courtney said. She thought for a moment and asked, “Does he talk about me?”
“All the time. He thinks you’re natty. I can see why.”
Courtney looked closely at Spader. She thought he looked pretty handsome sitting there in his black swimskin with no sleeves, his long dark hair blowing around in the wind. She shook the thought away. “Seems to me he’s got a thing for that other Traveler girl,” Courtney said coyly. “What’s her name? Oh, yeah. Loor.”
“Define a ‘thing,’” Spader said.
Courtney answered with a coy smile.
“Couldn’t say one way or the other,” Spader answered. “But if you ask me, he’d be crazy to bother with anybody else if he’s got a girl as spiff as you. I mean, you risked your life to help him. That’s special, it is.”
Courtney shrugged. “You’ve helped him more than once yourself.”
“And the other way ‘round. But that’s my job, being a Traveler and all.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not here just for Bobby. I kind of wouldn’t mind if Saint Dane were stopped before messing around with Second Earth.”
“I hear you, mate,” Spader said, and stood up. “Let’s get back on that.”
He looked in the direction they needed to go. Ahead was a long, flat mountaintop that could pass for the surface of the moon. It was barren and scattered with huge boulders.
Courtney said, “There could be tangs hiding behind any one of those rocks.”
“I suppose,” Spader answered. “But they’d have to be pretty desperate to be looking for food up here. I’ve got no worries.”
“Good,” Courtney said with a smile. “Then you go first.”
Spader gave her a wink, and started on his way.
Kasha and Bobby flew low over the barren valley on the last leg of their flight to Black Water. The idea was to keep a watchful eye out for Gunny and the others, in case they had run into trouble and needed help transporting the antidote. Every second was precious. They were able to fly much faster than the squadron of killer gigs and would arrive long before they made their lethal bombing run. The question was, would it be enough time to save the gar village? They were rapidly approaching the mountain range. Kasha took a quick look up to the sky to get her bearings.
“We’ve got a problem,” she announced.
Bobby didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What do you mean?”
“I told you how the gigs are powered by the crystals, right?”
“Right.”
“I also told you the crystals couldn’t store power. They need constant light.”
Bobby took another look at the sky. The problem suddenly came clear. Thick, gray storm clouds formed a line across the sky. It was moving toward the sunbelt.
“Are you serious?” Bobby exclaimed. “What happens when the clouds cover the sunbelt?”
“First we lose light,” Kasha said. “Then we lose power.”
Bobby glanced ahead to the mountain range. It suddenly looked a lot farther away than it had a few seconds before.
“Can we make it?” he asked.
Kasha gunned the throttle. “We’re going to try.”
Mark was led by the gar through the tunnel into Black Water. After having read Bobby’s description of the village, he felt as if he knew the place. Still, seeing it firsthand was an incredible experience. He was brought to the vast building that was called the Center. The whole way he kept his eyes down, hoping that his gar guide wouldn’t ask him any questions. All he wanted to do was get to Aron and tell him what danger the village was in, so they could figure out how to use the antidote he had strapped to his back. The gar guide brought Mark into a giant room that was full of empty cots. Bobby had described this room. It was where many of the gars would spend their first night of freedom.
“Wait here,” the gar instructed. “I’ll get Aron.”
“Thank you,” Mark said, and sat on a cot. It was like heaven to finally get the chance to rest. He started to take off his harness with the tank, but decided against it. He wasn’t there to chill and get comfy. This was business. A few minutes later a door opened on the far side of the room. The gar had returned, along with another gar. This new gar was short, with long black hair that fell to his shoulders and no trace of a beard-Bobby’s description of Aron.
“Hello,” the gar said. “I am Aron. How is it that you know me?”
Mark debated with himself about how honest to be. He quickly decided the time for being cagey was over.
“My n-name is Mark Dimond,” Mark began. “I’m a friend of Gunny’s.”
Aron and the other gar straightened up. Mark wasn’t sure if it was because he had mentioned Gunny’s name, or because they were surprised to hear a gar from the outside speak so fluently.
“You know him, right?” Mark asked.
Aron nodded tentatively.
“G-Gunny and me and some others were attacked by tangs, and I don’t know where anybody is now. There was a rockslide in the crevice leading into the mountains, and it’s totally blocked off. You’ve got to send some gars out there to clear it, or nobody’s gonna get through.”
Aron gave the other gar a quick look, and a nod. The gar hurried off. Hopefully, Mark thought, to get somebody on the job of clearing out the crevice.
“This is why you had to see me?” Aron asked.
“There’s more,” Mark answered. “Black Water is in danger. Big-time. The klees are going to attack as soon as the gars from the outside arrive.”
“We are prepared for that,” Aron said. “Black Water is well protected.”
“N-Not from this kind of attack, it isn’t! They’re going to unload a bunch of poison that will kill every living thing in Black Water.” Mark pulled off his tank and held it out to Aron. “But the chemical in this tank can stop it. We’ve come all this way to bring it to you and help you save Black Water.”
Aron looked at the tank curiously. Mark wished he could think of a better way to describe the danger to him. If he couldn’t convince Aron, Black Water was doomed.
“Gunny knows about this?” Aron asked.
“Yes, and two other friends of mine, and a klee.”
On hearing the word “klee,” Aron perked up.
“You brought a klee to Black Water?” he asked.
“Yes. His name’s Boon. He’s a friend. Gunny would tell you the same thing, but I don’t know where he is. I don’t know where anybody is! Please, I’m telling you the truth. We’ve g-got to figure out a way to use this antidote.”
Aron nodded. “Come with me.”
“Excellent!” Mark said with relief. He gladly followed Aron out of the room.
Mark was beginning to think their plan was going to work. They had made a treacherous journey that might have cost the lives of Courtney, Gunny, Spader, and Boon, but against all odds, he, Mark Dimond, had made it through and delivered the antidote. But Black Water wasn’t safe yet. They still had to figure out a way to use it. Mark tried not to worry about the others. There would be plenty of time for that. He set his mind to the challenge of using the antidote.
Aron led him out of the room full of cots and down a long corridor to a closed door where a gar stood in front.
“Please,” Aron said. “This way.” He motioned for Mark to enter the door. The gar standing there opened the door, and Mark went inside. What he saw made him catch his breath.
It was Boon, wrapped in a net.
“Boon?” Mark shouted.
Slam! The door closed behind them. Mark spun around to see Aron looking at them through a small window in the door.
“Please forgive me,” Aron said. “I do not understand what you are doing here, and right now it does not matter if you are friends or foes. I cannot let anything interfere with the Advent. Once we are settled, I will return for you, and we will discuss your intentions. Perhaps in a few days.”
Mark put his face up to the window and screamed, “No! We d-don’t have a few days!”
Aron shrugged an apology and left. The gar outside the door didn’t turn around. It now came clear to Mark why he was standing there. He was a guard.
“Uh, little help, please?” Boon said. The brown klee was on the floor, tangled up in the net, unable to move.
“A-Are you okay?” Mark asked.
“I’ve been better,” Boon answered.
“What happened to Gunny?”
The thick band of gray clouds was getting dangerously close to the sunbelt. Bobby and Kasha were flying low to the ground in case their power suddenly cut out. But they were nearly at the mountain range.
“Decision time,” Kasha said. “Land now, or risk flying up and over.”
Bobby glanced at the clouds and said, “We’re not going to do any good out here.”
“Then we go!” Kasha said. Without wasting another second, she pulled back on the joystick and they shot straight up. They were so close to the craggy wall of rock that Bobby could almost touch it. Higher and higher they climbed, racing time. Finally they cleared the peak and Kasha jammed the throttle. They jumped forward and flashed over the top of the mountain. Bobby kept his eye on the clouds. The leading edge was about to reach the sunbelt.
“Hurry, please,” Bobby said.
The gig flashed over the bleak, flat mountaintop, racing the line of clouds. They were nearly at the far side when Bobby felt the gig hesitate.
“What’s that?” he shouted.
“We’re losing power,” Kasha said in a calm voice.
Bobby looked up to see the cloud was moving faster. Sunlight was still coming through, but it was filtered through the leading edge of the storm.
“We won’t lose it all at once,” Kasha said. “But when it goes, it’ll go fast.”
Bobby held his breath as the gig shot off the mountaintop. They were flying high above the ground once again. The gig lurched. The whine of the rotors was noticeably slower.
“I’ve got to put down,” Kasha announced.
She dropped the nose and descended so quickly, Bobby’s ears popped. He feared they were descending faster than gravity would have pulled them. But he wasn’t the pilot so he kept his mouth shut.
A second later the line of clouds covered the sunbelt, and the gig lost power.
EELONG
(CONTINUED)
The green gigwhistled through the sky, plummeting toward the ground, past Courtney and Spader, who were carefully making their way down the steepest part of the inside of the crater.
“Whoa, what was that?” Courtney yelled, almost losing her grip.
“A flying machine!” Spader announced. “More like a falling machine,” Courtney corrected. “Could it be Saint Dane’s attack?”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Spader answered. “Really, how?”
“We’ll be dead.”
Kasha struggled with the control stick to keep the gig upright and prevent a tumbling free fall. The craft bounced back and forth as she expertly coaxed every last ounce of lift from the failing rotors.
“If I can keep us upright, we’ve got a chance,” Kasha said, sounding strained.
“The lake!” Bobby shouted. “Can you put us down there?”
“Maybe,” Kasha said. “But I can’t swim.”
Bobby shot her a quick look and said, “Let’s hope we have that problem.” The gig abruptly fell a few more feet, sending Bobby’s stomach into his throat. “Seriously, we’ve got a better chance landing on the lake than crashing into a tree or a rock… or the freaking ground.”
“All right,” she said nervously. “But if we land safely and I drown-“
“I won’t let you drown,” Bobby said with such conviction that Kasha actually smiled.
“I believe you,” she said, and guided the falling gig toward the lake. They were buffeted back and forth inside the small cockpit so violently, Bobby feared his arms would be too bruised to swim. Kasha forced the gig into a tight spiral, desperately trying to slow their descent so the craft wouldn’t break up on impact. Bobby glanced to see they were over the lake. The water was coming up fast. Very fast. It was going to be a rough landing.
“Brace yourself,” Kasha yelled.
The gig slammed into the lake with such force, Bobby felt like his brain had broken loose inside his head. Kasha had maneuvered the craft so that they landed square on its bottom, like a space capsule splashing down. The impact caused a huge wave of water to shoot out all around them. Bobby thought sure the force of the landing would drive them so deep, they’d be swamped. But the gig bounced back. Like a cork, it lifted back to the surface, still in one piece. Bobby and Kasha were still in one piece too.
“You okay?” Bobby asked, shaken.
“I think. You?”
“Yeah,” Bobby shouted. “You did it!”
The gig tipped over and water poured into the cockpit.
“Sort of…”
“Get me out of here, Pendragon!” Kasha screamed. It was the first time Bobby saw her scared. He quickly unlatched his seat belt and reached to release hers. Water filled the gig quickly. Kasha panicked. She scrambled over Bobby to get out, forcing his head underwater. He felt her fur brush over his head and prayed that one of her claws wouldn’t lacerate him. Bobby was good in the water. His junior lifeguard training was permanently ingrained. Once Kasha cleared the gig, he resurfaced and looked around the sinking craft for something to help her float.
“Pendragon!” she screamed, gulping water. She was floundering, which meant more trouble for Bobby. If he wasn’t careful, they’d both drown. The seats of the gig were padded. Bobby took a chance and yanked one loose. A quick test showed that it floated.
“Kasha here!” Bobby shouted, and held the pad out to the drowning klee. “Grab on to this. Relax. It’ll help you float.”
She grabbed the pad like it was her last chance at life, which it probably was. It wasn’t a perfect flotation device, but it definitely gave her enough confidence that her panic came down a notch.
“It’s okay,” Bobby said soothingly. “Hold it against your chest. Lean back. It’ll keep you up.”
Kasha did what she was told and was soon floating on her back, staring up at the sky, trying
to calm herself.
“I’m going to tow you in, okay?”
“O…kay,” Kasha said weakly.
Bobby didn’t want to get too close to her. If she panicked again, he’d be in trouble. So he spun her around and towed her in by pulling on her back paws. They weren’t far from land. It only took a few minutes to get to where it was shallow enough for them to stand. Kasha awkwardly got her balance and dragged herself out of the water, her fur dripping, and collapsed on the sandy shore. Bobby fell down next to her, exhausted.
“You’re a great flyer,” Bobby said, gasping for breath. “But you gotta work on the swimming.”
They both burst out laughing. It was a complete release from the terror that had gripped them for the last leg of their flight.
“Thanks,” Kasha said. “I’ll remember that.” She looked to the sky and said, “This is good. The gigs can’t fly until the cloud passes. I’m sure they put down back in the valley. That gives us a little more time.”
Bobby stood up, did a quick look around and said, “There’s our waterfall.”
Courtney and Spader slid down the last steep portion of the rocky wall and took their first steps inside the crater of waterfalls. They found themselves a few feet from the opening of the crevice they would have come through if they hadn’t been ambushed by the tangs.
“We’re not dead,” Courtney said. “I guess that wasn’t the attack.”
“Then we’ve still got time,” Spader said as he scanned the inside of the vast crater. “There it is!” he said, pointing. “Second waterfall from the right,” Courtney declared. Boom!
A huge explosion erupted from inside the crevice, knocking Courtney and Spader to their knees. Seconds later, a cloud of dirt blew out of the narrow fissure.
“What the heck?” Courtney coughed.
“Somebody’s trying to clear the rockslide,” Spader said. “I think the first gars have arrived.”
“Or Saint Dane and his klees,” Courtney said.
“Either way, we gotta go.”
The two got back on their feet and ran down the steep incline of the crater, headed for the waterfall.
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