The Vermillion parked close to the lodge, and Captain Vincent emerged from his cabin, Santiago on his shoulder. “Everyone out.” Albert moved toward the exit, but Captain Vincent pulled him back. “Mateo, you first.”
Albert glared at Matt as he passed him. As Matt stepped down from the RV, he shielded his eyes from the sun. The sky was a bright blue, and the air was mildly warm and dry, a stark difference from the muggy heat of Chicago. Based on the greenness of the trees surrounding the geysers and the patches of snow in the mountains, Matt was guessing it was late spring or early summer.
Jia stood beside Matt as Wiley, Brocco, and Albert filed out. Lastly, Pike hopped down, her newly woven safety-pin web dangling from her pillowcase dress like a little metal apron. Albert kept his distance from Matt, which he thought was a smart move on Albert’s part. Wiley barely looked Matt in the eye and gave him a somber nod that Matt found acceptably polite, but still acknowledged their conflict. Brocco, however, bounced out of the RV in a bright-yellow button-down shirt, green-plaid bell-bottoms, and a matching jacket. It looked like he’d made himself an outfit from the interior of the Vermillion in its current form. Brocco winked at Matt and flashed a smile, his diamond tooth sparkling in the sun. He opened his jacket to show the two guns holstered at his hips. Matt glared at him and ground his teeth. Had Brocco no shame at all?
“Come along,” said Captain Vincent, starting toward the lodge.
Yellowstone was a magical place to Matt, brimming with scientific wonders. At one point there were wide fields spread like a soft green blanket, then the land abruptly rose into the sky and became forested mountains, then dramatically dipped into lush valleys gushing with waterfalls and rivers, which then starkly changed to dry, barren land dotted with sulfurous hot springs and steaming geysers that boiled and bubbled and spontaneously erupted. The entire park was a super volcano that, if it were to fully erupt, could obliterate half of North America.
Currently they were in a concentrated section of geysers in the park, which included the famous Old Faithful. The crowds were mostly in that area, sitting on benches, waiting for the geyser to erupt. As it was, it didn’t look all that impressive, just a mound of dry dirt with a bit of smoke coming out of it.
“What’s our mission, Captain?” said Albert, hopping to keep up with Captain Vincent’s long strides.
“Just a stop to stretch our legs and get a bit of fresh air,” said Captain Vincent.
Matt was not sure he believed this, and by the look Jia flashed him, she did not believe it either. They could have stopped to rest in any number of places, and he wouldn’t describe the air here as particularly fresh. The geysers gave off quite a stink, like rotten eggs mixed with skunk spray.
Matt walked beside Jia, trailing Captain Vincent and the rest of the crew. They walked along the wood-planked walkways, passing crowds ogling over spitting geysers and cerulean pools edged with rusty red and yellow and white. People snapped pictures with their clunky cameras. Captain Vincent was keeping a watchful eye but didn’t seem all that interested in the geysers or springs.
“What do you think he’s looking for?” Jia whispered to Matt.
“I’m guessing it’s not what but who,” said Matt.
“Quine?”
“That’s my guess.”
“Do you think that’s why we came here before?” Jia asked. “Because Captain Vincent was looking for Quine?”
Matt shrugged. “Could have been a coincidence, but probably not.”
“We came here at least once before you came on board,” said Jia. “But we didn’t perform any missions, as far as I’m aware. We just walked around a lot, like last time.”
Matt frowned. There must have been something in Quine’s letter that he’d glossed over, a coordinate or some kind of clue, that led Captain Vincent to this place. They walked all around the walkway twice, the captain’s gaze continually scanning the crowds and the landscape, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary from what Matt could tell. The most exciting thing that happened was Brocco said he wanted to take a dip in one of the hot springs. He was about to step off the walkway, but a park ranger shouted at him to get back, then gave their whole group a stern warning that the springs could reach nearly two hundred degrees Fahrenheit, and people had died in them in the past, whether they fell in by accident or jumped in on purpose.
“I’ve jumped in them in the past,” Brocco whined. “I didn’t die. Felt like a nice hot bath.”
Captain Vincent thanked the ranger and told him it wouldn’t happen again. He held Brocco by the arm as though he were his unruly child.
The ranger then started to give a loud lecture on safety to all the park patrons, issuing dire warnings about the dangers of not staying on the designated paths or ignoring other park rules, but everyone’s attention was pulled away when Old Faithful started to erupt, and the crowds quickly moved in that direction. Matt followed the crowd toward the geyser, now spitting out sprays of water higher and higher, while white steam billowed out in bigger and bigger clouds. The crowd began to ooh and aah as the geyser’s fountain arced into the sky. Just as it was really getting going, the geyser abruptly stopped, like someone had turned off the faucet. The steam cleared and nothing else happened. People started to mutter and mumble, wondering if something else would happen.
“That was it?” said a young man in denim bell-bottoms and a leather jacket. “That was pathetic. I thought it was going to explode!”
The earth suddenly let out a deep groan, like it was some giant beast waking up from a long slumber. And then Old Faithful exploded. And not just with water. Along with a spray of dirt and clumps of earth came a rusty orange Volkswagen bus.
Matt’s heart flared in his chest. It was Blossom!
“Groovy,” said the man who’d been complaining.
“Everybody back away!” shouted the ranger, but there was no need. Besides Matt and the rest of Captain Vincent’s crew, everyone was running toward the lodge. The ranger whipped out his walkie-talkie and said, “This is Ranger Larry. Old Faithful here is exhibiting strange geothermal behavior. It appears to be spitting out . . . automobiles.”
Blossom soared on the arc of the water and landed with a rattling thud. She groaned and screeched and then drove in a jerky zigzag path toward the wooden walkway.
Ranger Larry waved his arms at Blossom. “Stop!” he shouted. “This is a hydrothermal preserve! You cannot drive on it!” But when it was clear the bus was not going to stop, he tossed his walkie-talkie and ran away with the rest of the crowd.
Blossom screeched to a stop just before it hit the walkway. The doors flew open and out jumped Mrs. Hudson, clutching Matt’s compass in one hand and in the other, a short sword that Matt thought looked mysteriously like the swords the guards had carried at the World’s Fair in Chicago. Mr. Hudson came out after her, followed by Chuck with his harmonica, Tui holding a knife, Annie, clinging to her rifle. Then Ruby hopped out with another short sword in hand. And behind Ruby came Corey. Matt’s chest expanded. Corey. He was okay. His arm was in a sling, heavily bandaged, but he was alive! In his good arm he held what looked like one of Annie’s rifles.
“Relinquish our brother, you filthy rogues, or we’ll shoot you straight between the eyes!” shouted Corey.
“Mateo!” his mom called. “Run!”
Matt tried to run toward them, but someone caught him by the arm. He winced as Captain Vincent’s fingers dug into his burns.
“We’re not finished, you and I.”
Brocco pulled out both of his guns and aimed them toward Matt’s parents, but Annie was faster. She shot both Brocco’s guns clean out of his hands, first the right, then the left. She reached out a hand and Corey tossed her the rifle he’d been holding, then took her other one. Annie aimed at Vincent now, but Vincent pulled Matt squarely in front of him, using him as a human shield.
“Stop, Annie!” Mrs. Hudson shouted. “Don’t shoot!”
“Brocco, go and get the Vermillion!” Captain Vincent comm
anded, holding Matt tightly in front of him.
Brocco started to crawl on his hands and knees along the walkway, but he couldn’t get past Annie. First she shot him in the hair. One of his thick locks started smoking, but he kept going. Then Annie shot him right in his rear. Brocco howled and grabbed at his behind. He rolled off the walkway and writhed on the smoking ground.
“Albert,” said Captain Vincent. “Go.”
Albert looked hesitantly toward Annie, who was swapping guns again.
“Now, Albert!” shouted Captain Vincent. Albert didn’t say a word, but ran as quickly as he could. Annie took aim.
“Annie, don’t shoot,” said Mrs. Hudson. “He’s only a boy!”
Annie lowered her gun while Albert kept running in zigzag lines along the walkway toward the lodge and parking lot.
Mrs. Hudson started running toward Matt now, sword in hand, his compass now hanging around her neck. Captain Vincent didn’t move. As his mom drew closer, Matt felt a rising heat around his shoulder where Captain Vincent’s hand was holding him.
“Ah!” Captain Vincent gasped. He let go of Matt and reached inside his sleeve and pulled out the Obsidian Compass. It dangled from his wrist, smoking. The compasses were reacting to each other. Matt tried to use the distraction to get away then, but before he could take two steps Captain Vincent stuck out his leg, tripping Matt. Matt fell hard on his hands. He cried out as pain shot through his hand and up his arm. He was certain some of the burns had torn open.
“Mateo!” his mom shouted.
Matt looked up. His mom was clutching at her chest, wincing in pain. The compass was clearly burning her, but she pushed on toward Matt, refusing to stop. “Mom! The compass! Take it off!”
Mrs. Hudson pulled off the compass.
“Tui! Catch it!” She tossed it to Tui, who caught it neatly in both hands, but it was still burning hot. As soon as she touched it, she threw it right back toward Mrs. Hudson. “Captain!” she shouted, but Tui had overshot. The compass arced right over Mrs. Hudson’s head.
“I got it!” Brocco reached out and caught the smoking compass, then immediately started doing a dance as he tried to hold on to it somehow, but he couldn’t. He tossed it to Wiley, who tossed it back to Brocco like they were in a game of hot potato. Brocco caught it and tossed it up and down in his hands.
“Ooh! Eeee! Ha-haaah!” Brocco finally caught the compass by the chain and swung it around and around like a sling, then released it. The compass soared over Matt’s head and through the air until it landed somewhere near Old Faithful.
Matt scrambled to his feet. Captain Vincent grabbed for him, but Mrs. Hudson was there now. She jabbed her sword at Vincent. She would have stabbed him through the throat if he hadn’t jumped back as quickly as he did.
“Hello, Bel,” said Captain Vincent. “Come to steal back your treasure? It keeps slipping away from you.”
Mrs. Hudson snarled and slashed her sword down again, but Captain Vincent was ready this time. He rolled back and jumped up with his own sword in hand.
“Mateo, get back to your father,” his mom shouted as Captain Vincent came after her and their swords clashed.
“Wiley, the boy!” shouted Captain Vincent. Wiley started to come after Matt, but Annie shot at him and he stumbled and fell. He writhed on the ground and yelled, grabbing at his shin.
“Jia!” Matt called. He searched around frantically for her, then found her running toward him, little Pike in tow. He grabbed her hand and they started running toward Blossom, but halfway there he stopped short and looked toward the place where his compass had been thrown.
“What are you doing?” Jia asked, tugging at his hand.
Matt made a split-second decision. He pulled his hand away from Jia’s. “Go to my family. I have to get the compass.”
“Matt! Come back!” Jia’s shouts were mixed with those of his dad and Corey and Ruby. Matt sprinted over the hot, dry earth, dodging the bubbling springs and pockets of steam as he made his way toward Old Faithful. There! He could see his compass now, sitting just at the base of the steaming mound of earth. He raced to it and swiped it up by the chain, ignoring the searing heat on his skin, and started to run back.
He stumbled, though, as the earth suddenly began to shake beneath his feet. Old Faithful hissed angrily and emitted a forceful puff of steam. The geyser erupted again, but not with the typical white spout of water and steam. It exploded with a thick gush of bright-orange lava. Matt raised his arms, shielding his face from the heat and glow of the lava that bubbled and flowed in slow, thick streams over the steaming earth, right toward him.
“Matt!” he heard Ruby scream. “Run!”
Matt turned and started to run, but as if Old Faithful had called all the earth to action, other geysers and hot springs began to erupt, some with lava, others with steam and water.
The Vermillion RV came racing over the steaming land and screeched to a stop in front of the place where Captain Vincent was still fighting Mrs. Hudson. Brocco and Wiley both limped their way to the RV. “Captain, I think we’d better get out of here now,” said Brocco. “This place looks like it’s going to blow!”
The air was a smoky, sulfurous oven. Matt started to cough. His eyes burned. The ground crumbled and steamed beneath his feet. He could feel the bottoms of his sneakers starting to melt. It was like he was running on a hot chicken potpie. Pockets of earth started to pop open and erupt with smoke and steam. Matt nearly fell into one. His foot sank down into a steaming hole. He tripped and fell, landing just feet from a stream of lava. The searing heat washed over his skin. He picked himself up and started to move, then stopped. His compass . . . It wasn’t in his hand. . . .
“No!” he shouted, and watched in helpless horror as the flow of lava slowly rolled over his compass, leaving only half of the chain exposed. He reached for it. He would have picked it up, burned his whole arm off, if someone hadn’t stepped up beside him and grabbed his arm.
“Matt, don’t!” said Jia. “It’s too late.”
Pike came up beside her. She was holding one of the little swords. Without any fear or hesitation, she slid the blade beneath the bit of chain sticking out from the lava and lifted it up. The compass looked like a molten ball of fire. Pike gently lowered it into her safety-pin apron. Matt was certain it would melt right through, but it held. Pike cradled the compass and ran toward Blossom.
Matt ran after her, looking over his shoulder to check on his mom. She was still fighting Captain Vincent, but then he jumped in the Vermillion, and it disappeared. Mrs Hudson ran toward Matt. “We need water!” Matt shouted as they moved their way toward Blossom, hopping over streams of lava and dodging spewing springs and geysers. Ruby disappeared inside Blossom, and when they arrived she was holding a plastic pitcher of what looked like cherry Kool-Aid.
“Put it in here!” she shouted.
Without thinking, Matt grabbed the chain of the compass from Pike’s apron. He shouted as it seared his skin. He plunged his entire hand into the liquid, which hissed and steamed as it met the smoldering compass.
“Chuck, drive!” Mr. Hudson shouted. Blossom beeped her horn and rolled over the smoking, burning ground. Matt wondered if they’d be able to drive out of this, or if they’d get stuck here and burn. Bake to death. He thought he felt the floor beneath him tilt and stretch. Was Blossom transforming or melting?
A geyser shot up in front of them. Blossom sank into the earth. And then they were gone.
20
The Real Inventor
Nowhere in No Time
They were either dying or traveling. Matt wasn’t sure which, but either way it was a weird, bumpy, painful ride. Everyone shouted, screamed, and grunted as they were all tossed around like bugs in a jar. Matt got an elbow to his jaw, a foot in his ribs. He was hurtled across the bus and slammed against the side. He felt the walls swelling and stretching beneath his squished face. Everything went pitch-black, and he felt they were moving very fast, lightning speed.
Blossom bu
rst through the darkness. Water sprayed all around them, showering down on their heads like a cloudburst. Blossom rocked violently from side to side. Matt shielded his eyes from the sudden bright light. When his vision adjusted and he got his bearings, he looked around. Blossom had transformed into a boat again, but an even larger one than when they’d gone to Chicago. She was nearly the size of a small ship. A mast with two white sails had risen out of the floor. Ruby was inexplicably tied to the mast.
“Get me out of here!” she growled, struggling against the ropes that bound her to the mast. Mrs. Hudson stumbled over to her daughter and unwound the ropes.
“Just like the Vermillion,” Ruby grumbled. She threw the ropes to the deck like she was trying to punish Blossom.
“Mateo? Corey?” Mrs. Hudson asked, looking all around. “Matthew? Jia?” She started calling names until she heard a grunt or a “fine.” Everyone had been shoved in various corners or plastered against walls during their travels. Corey popped his head up from a hatch. He had somehow ended up belowdecks. Mr. Hudson was hunched over a bench, which was screwed into the floor. He looked like he was about to be sick. Matt suddenly realized that he was going to be sick too. His stomach churned. He leaned over the side of Blossom and vomited.
“Oh, Mateo, chéri.” His mother rushed to him.
“I’m okay,” said Matt. “I’ll be fine in a minute.” He closed his eyes and took a few deep, raspy breaths. His throat was dry and scratchy as sandpaper, and his lungs ached.
“Here. Drink this.” Chuck handed him a can of club soda. He took a sip, cringing at the bitter taste, but it wet his throat and calmed his stomach some. A gentle breeze brushed his face. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at endless water. They couldn’t possibly still be in Yellowstone.
“Where are we?” Matt asked.
“We could be in the middle of the ocean somewhere,” said Jia, “but if I had to guess I’d say we’re in Nowhere in No Time.” Matt would have guessed that too. It felt like Nowhere in No Time. He wasn’t sure why it felt different than just the middle of the ocean, but it did. He wondered how they had gotten here, what had happened just before. His brain was foggy, disoriented.
Time Castaways #2 Page 24