by Rick Poldark
As he pulled his knife out of its throat, a claw struck out to his left and then a spear between his legs. The other lizard man was close. Jason swam out of the bloody cloud and to the side. The remaining lizard man lunged at him, gliding through the water, but a long, thick shape shot up from underneath it.
The reptilian attacker stopped short of colliding with Jason and was pulled under by a massive snake chomping down on its legs. The lizard man turned its attention to the massive boa as he sank, and Jason shot up to the surface. He filled his lungs with air and wiped the water out of his eyes. He saw Susan drifting closer to shore.
Jason swam over to her as fast as he could. She was exhausted from fighting the current and barely treading water. Spent himself, he grabbed her and swam sideways toward shore. When they felt the bottom rise up to meet them, they crawled, sloshing through the shallows, until they reached land.
Susan rolled over on her back, catching her breath. Jason lay on his side, panting, re-sheathing his knife.
“Wh-what…are you…doing here?” he asked.
She turned her head toward him. “Rescuing…you…of course.”
They shared a laugh, a welcome dissipation of the high anxiety of moments ago.
“Where’s Mary?” asked Susan.
Jason swallowed, his breathing equalizing. “They took her.”
“You left her?”
“No! I didn’t leave her. I was hurt from the velociraptor attack. They decided I was dead weight and left me behind.”
Susan frowned. “You look all right to me.”
Jason sat up, grunting. “It’s a long story. I had…help.”
Her face lit up. “Peter? He’s here?”
Jason shook his head as he pushed himself to standing. “No, something else.”
“What?”
“We need to focus on finding Mary.” He walked up onto land and scanned the ground for tracks. “They split up into groups…we met the ones waiting in the river…but Mary’s tracks continue to follow the river.”
Susan stood, brushing herself off. “I didn’t even see them coming. Do you think they can breathe under water?”
Jason shook his head. “Probably not. But, many reptiles can slow their breathing and heartrate to stay under for extended periods of time. Hell, I had an iguana that could stay submerged in the bathtub for half an hour.”
Susan grimaced. “Yuck. Gross.”
“He was a great pet, actually. Smart fella.”
“I’ll stick to dogs,” said Susan.
Jason snickered. “Yeah, they’re not gross at all. They just eat their own poop and use their tongues as toilet paper.”
“That’s charming,” said Susan. “The ladies must be lining up to go out with you.”
Jason’s eyes lit up. “There she is.”
Susan stood next to him as he crouched. “Who?”
“Mary. I see her tracks.”
“What do you think they’re up to?”
“They’re keeping Mary alive. I think they wanted me alive, but in my condition, I was slowing them down.”
Susan wrinkled her nose. “How do you know they wanted you two alive?”
“They could’ve killed us at any time, but they didn’t,” said Jason. “One of them spoke to Mary.”
“Spoke to Mary? How?”
He moved his hands in a circular motion. “It used some kind of a crystal ball. If Mary and the lizard both touched it simultaneously, they could hear each other’s thoughts or something. At least that’s what it looked like.”
Susan raised her eyebrows and let out a big sigh. “Well, now I’ve heard everything.”
Jason was lost in thought. “They’re tracking someone. They’re keeping Mary alive as a bargaining chip.”
She snapped her fingers. “Peter.”
Jason nodded. “He’s still alive. It has to be him. He must’ve escaped their lair.” He looked around. “You’re alone. What happened to Hiu and the others?”
“They went to rescue those taken back to the underground city,” said Susan.
“With most of the warriors taken captive? They won’t stand a chance.”
“Not if most of the lizard men are out combing the jungle for Peter,” said Susan.
Jason looked around and then at Susan. “Something happened. They want him badly. I’ve never seen them come above ground in these numbers before. We’d better get moving if we’re going to help Mary.”
“Maybe we’ll run into Peter along the way,” said Susan.
Jason picked up the trail, focusing on Mary’s tracks. “The good news is she’s still walking and not being dragged.”
Susan walked alongside him. She had lost her spear in the river and was completely unarmed.
Jason looked over and saw she was wringing her hands. He unsheathed his hunting knife and extended it to her.
She was surprised by the gesture. “I-I couldn’t.”
He chuckled. “What? You’re afraid of a little knife?”
Susan laughed. It was a nervous sound. “I wouldn’t know what to do with that. Besides, you’d be completely unarmed. I’d feel safer if you had it.”
“Are you sure? I can fashion a spear out of a tree branch.”
She shook her head. “No, but thank you.”
“When we find Mary, I’m going to need your help,” said Jason. “I can’t do it alone.”
Susan’s shoulders slumped.
He looked over at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Come on, out with it.”
Susan bit her bottom lip. “I feel…useless.”
“What do you mean? You led the rest of the tribe to safety.”
“Only to have them go on a half-assed rescue mission where they’re totally outmatched.”
“Not your fault,” said Jason. “It was Hiu’s choice to do that.”
“I don’t know…back in the world—our world—I was someone important. I ran projects, managed people.”
Jason stared at the ground as he spoke, following the tracks. “You still do. You helped the Umazoa improve their village. Even though you’re an outsider, they look up to you.”
Susan shook her head. “I screwed up the first expedition. People died. I died. Still can’t wrap my brain around that one.”
“And Peter brought you back,” said Jason. “He brought me back, too.”
“Honestly, I was a screw up back home, too. My marriage was falling apart because I devoted so much time to getting to this damned island. None of it was worth it.”
“Well, we all make mistakes.” He paused a moment, dwelling on his own. “All we can do is learn from them and live with them.”
Susan smiled, looking at him sideways. “Pretty philosophical for a big game hunter.”
He smiled. “When you’ve devoted your life to taking life, you get pretty philosophical. Metaphysical, even.”
She opened her mouth to speak but stopped short, as if wanting to ask him something but thinking better of it.
“Out with it,” he said.
“Have you…ever…you know, hunted a person?”
“You’re asking if I’m a murderer?”
Susan quickly averted her eyes as they walked. “It was just how you said it…taking lives. Sounded like you were referring to human beings.”
“I’m not a monster, you know.”
“I’m not saying you are,” she stammered. “You’re a complex guy. A real mystery wrapped in an enigma.”
Jason guffawed, breaking the tension. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
They continued on, following Mary’s tracks in a comfortable silence. Jason hadn’t noticed that they were being watched, but it wasn’t by dinosaurs or lizard men. It was something that left no tracks.
* * *
“We need to return to base camp,” said Collins. “We can discuss side missions later.”
“I made this mess,” insisted Peter, “I need to clean it up.”
“I�
�ll go with you,” offered Tracey.
“No, you won’t,” said Nielsen. “You’re an employed consultant of Poseidon Tech, and you’ll stay on mission, Dr. Moran.”
Tracey shook her head. “I left him all alone to deal with all of this. I need to help him fix it.”
“Who’s to say that this thing is telling the truth?” said Collins. “It could be leading you right into a trap.”
Ghenga watched the exchange, occasionally flicking his tongue out to taste the air. Grux stood by his side, waiting patiently.
“I don’t think so,” said Peter. “He basically wants me to awaken an old rival race.”
“How do we know this Simian race won’t join forces with them and kill everything else on the island?” insisted Collins.
“Why do we even care about this when we’re all going to be leaving this island?” said Nielsen. “It’s a moot point, because we won’t be here long.”
“In all good conscience, I can’t leave everything like this,” said Peter.
Tracey placed a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe Nielsen’s right. I came to get you and bring you back, not help you fix unintended consequences.”
Peter met her eyes with his. “I can’t go back. Not yet, anyway. You have to understand, I set things in motion that need to be corrected.”
She nodded, eyes welling up. “I’ll back whatever decision you make. I need to correct my mistakes as well.”
Peter arched an eyebrow. However, before he could query as to what she meant, Nielsen stepped in front of him. “If it was your interference that caused these problems, do you really think more meddling will help? We came for you, to bring you back home.”
Tracey turned on him. “That’s not really why you’re here.”
Nielsen took a step back. “Well, we’re here to bring back all of the old team.”
Tracey put her hands on her hips. “Is that why most of our current team is back at base camp?”
Nielsen laughed, but it was bitter and joyless. “What are you talking about? We brought a full weapons team and a helicopter. I came in person, for crying out loud. And I brought Collins, the head of security, with me.”
Everyone looked at Collins, who shifted his feet, looking uncomfortable. “Can we argue this back at base camp? We’re sitting ducks out here.”
“No,” demanded Tracey. “We discuss this now. You brought a team of technicians but only bring one on this mission, and she’s a damned kid.”
“Hey!” protested Marcy. “I’ll have you know I’m damned good at what I do.”
“I don’t doubt that,” said Tracey, “but what are all the others doing back at base camp?”
Marcy turned on Nielsen. “Now that you mention it, she raises a good point.”
“We’re making a lot of noise,” said Collins, annoyed, his eyes darting around their surroundings. “This really isn’t the place to discuss this. We really need to return to base camp.”
“He’s right,” said Nielsen. “I’d be happy to discuss this back at base camp.”
“What about him?” said Peter, gesturing to Ghenga.
“He can come with us,” said Nielsen.
Collins stepped forward, putting a hand up. “Now, wait a minute. I didn’t approve that.”
“You don’t need to,” said Nielsen, sounding imperious. “I’m the project manager and team leader.”
“I’m in charge of keeping base camp secure, and bringing lizard men back constitutes a major security risk,” said Collins. “What happens when the others track him back to our base camp?”
Nielsen waved a dismissive hand. “Your men can handle a bunch of lizards with spears.”
“What about Mary?” asked Peter. “They have her.”
At her mention, Tracey appeared deflated.
“We can launch a rescue mission once we regroup,” said Collins.
Peter glowered. “She could be dead by then.”
“Now, we don’t know that, Dr. Albanese,” said Nielsen. “We can’t go off into the jungle half-cocked without support.”
“He’s right about that, Peter,” said Tracey, her voice small. “It’s too dangerous. We’ll be no good to Mary or Jason.”
Peter felt guilty. All this time he only focused on Mary; he’d almost forgotten about Jason. He turned away, angry at himself and the situation. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Send them away,” said Collins, gesturing to Ghenga and Grux. “Tell them you’ll go to that Temple of the Simian King, but you need reinforcements.”
Peter knew he was right. He didn’t trust Nielsen as far as he could throw him, but he respected Collins’ judgement. The man seemed like a straight shooter. He turned to Ghenga and reached out, palming the orb. ‘Ghenga, I have to return to my people.’
Ghenga flared his dewlap and retracted it in a swift motion. ‘What about the Temple of the Simian King?’
‘I will go and awaken them, but I cannot do it alone. I need my people.’
‘If you do not do this, your people will die. All of them.’
‘You have my word, Ghenga. I will fix my mistake.’
Ghenga cocked his head. ‘You gave the Zehhaki a second chance at existence. It is their mistake that threatens all life in this land, including their own…I will lead them away for now, to afford you time.’
‘Thank you. How will I know where the Temple of the Simian King is?’
‘I will show you.’
Without warning, a map flashed in Peter’s mind with such force it nearly knocked him off his feet. It depicted his current location and the path to the Temple of the Simian King. The map extended even further. Peter’s mind meandered, exploring, but the mental image was cut short by Ghenga.
‘Now you know how to get there.’
‘Thank you, Ghenga.’
‘Remember, Peter, beware of Nazimaa and what she offers.’
‘I’ll stay away from her.’
Ghenga flared his dewlap. ‘You cannot. She will follow you.’
‘Follow me? Why?’
‘She is entombed within the temple. She was separated from the life and death orbs to prevent her resurrection.’
‘Well, that’s an important detail.’
‘Yes. She will try to manipulate you into freeing her from her prison.’
“Let’s go, doc,” pushed Collins. “We don’t want to get ambushed out here.”
Peter nodded. He released the orb. Ghenga croaked something to Grux, and they both turned and disappeared back into the jungle.
“Let’s go,” said Tracey.
“I’ll take point,” said Collins.
*
Collins and Nielsen took the lead, discussing future plans. Nielsen appeared to dislike having his authority challenged by the security chief. The two hashed out their differences as Peter, Tracey, and Marcy lagged behind.
“I think you’re right,” said Marcy, keeping her voice low.
“About why you’re really here?” asked Tracey.
Marcy nodded. She shot a nervous glance at Peter.
“I won’t bite,” said Peter.
Marcy averted her gaze a moment. “What does it feel like?”
“What?”
“Those orbs…the power.”
Peter shrugged. “It’s all very…alien. They are a part of me, yet they feel different from me.”
“How do you bring people back to life?”
Peter considered this a moment. “It’s like I reach out with my life force or soul, and I can feel the souls or life forces of others. Then, I just focus on them, making them stronger. Kind of like turning a dial to brighten a light.”
“That’s amazing,” said Marcy, gazing at Peter with obvious admiration.
It made Tracey a little uncomfortable. She remembered Petra, their graduate student, and her kiss with Peter. “That must be some burden to carry.”
Peter nodded. “The consequences more so than the powers.”
“I shouldn’t have left you,” said Tracey, her voic
e thick.
Peter smiled. “You didn’t leave me, Trace. I told you to go.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t have to listen.”
His smile faded. “Have you been beating yourself up about this the whole time?”
Marcy apparently decided to hang back and spectate rather than interject. She fell a couple of steps behind, allowing Peter and Tracey space to talk.
“It’s been eating me up for the last year.”
Peter appeared nonplussed. “Is that all it’s been? A year?”
Tracey nodded. “Yeah. Why? It feels like longer?”
“It feels like it’s been years.” He unconsciously glanced down at his wristwatch, long broken, a force of habit. It didn’t matter anyway. The island had a peculiar effect on time.
“That’s a long time,” said Marcy, chiming in.
Both Peter and Tracey glanced back at her.
“That must’ve been awful,” said Tracey.
“Not all of it,” said Peter. “In that time, we’ve gotten more familiar with the Umazoa.”
Marcy scrunched her nose. “The who?”
“That’s what we call the indigenous tribe. We’ve actually learned some of their language, and they ours.”
“That’s amazing,” said Tracey. “What are they like?”
“They seem like good people. Very family-oriented.” He hesitated. “Then, there are the Zehhaki…”
“The lizard men?” said Tracey.
Peter nodded. “They seem more primitive, animalistic, but not entirely. They make use of orbs to record memories and history, and to communicate with humanoids.”
“What do you make of that intelligent one who spoke to you?” asked Tracey.
“I believe him. I believe that they’d wipe everything out, exhausting their own food supply. Which leads me to something else…something I saw in my mind when he showed me the location of the Temple of the Simian King.”
“What did you see?” asked Marcy.
Peter paused, gathering his thoughts. “Something has always bugged me about this island. We’ve encountered way more predators than prey. Tracey, you know that in a stable ecosystem there needs to be an optimal ratio between predators and prey.”
Tracey nodded. “That’s right. That bothered me from last time I was here, but I just figured I hadn’t seen enough of the island.”