by Robin Cook
“That was easy,” Kevin said. He looked behind at the path they’d created to the lake, but already the reeds were springing back to their original position.
“Am I supposed to get out?” Candace said. “I can’t see the ground. What if there are bugs and snakes?”
“Make yourself a clearing with your paddle,” Kevin suggested.
As soon as Candace climbed out of the bow, Kevin paddled against the vegetation and succeeded to force the canoe still further onto the shore. Melanie got out easily.
“What about the food?” Kevin asked as he moved forward.
“Let’s leave it here,” Melanie said. “Just bring the bag with the directional beacon and flashlight. I’ve got the locator and the contour map.”
The women waited for Kevin to get out of the boat, then motioned for him to go ahead of them. With the gear bag over his shoulder, he pushed aside the reeds and began moving inland. The ground was marshy and the muck sucked at his shoes. But within ten feet, he emerged onto the grassy field.
“This looks like a field, but it’s actually a swamp,” Melanie complained as she looked down at her tennis shoes. They were already black with mud and completely soaked.
Kevin struggled with the contour map to get his bearings, then pointed off to the right. “The transmitting chip from bonobo number sixty should be no more than a hundred feet from here in the direction of that cul de sac of trees,” he said.
“Let’s get this over with,” Melanie said. With her new tennis shoes ruined, even she was beginning to question if they should have come. In Africa, nothing was easy.
Kevin struck off with the women following. At first, walking was difficult because of the unstable footing. Although the grass appeared generally uniform, it grew in small, lumpy hummocks surrounded by muddy water. But the going became easier about fifty feet from the pond, where the ground rose and became comparatively drier. A moment later, they came across a trail.
They were surprised to discover that the trail looked well-used. It ran parallel with the shoreline of the lake.
“Siegfried must send work crews out here more than we thought,” Melanie said. “This trail has been maintained.”
“I’d have to agree,” Kevin said. “I suppose they’d need to keep them up for retrievals. The jungle is so thick and grows so fast out here. Lucky for us, they’ll certainly help us get around as well. As I recall, this one heads up to the limestone cliff.”
“If they come out here to maintain trails, maybe there is something to Siegfried’s story about workmen making the fires,” Melanie said.
“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Kevin said.
“I smell something bad,” Candace said, while sniffing the air. “In fact, it smells putrid.”
Hesitantly, the others sniffed and agreed.
“That’s not a good sign,” Melanie said.
Kevin nodded and moved off in the direction of the cul de sac. A few minutes later, with their fingers pinching their nostrils shut, the three stared down at a disgusting sight: It was the remains of bonobo number sixty. The carcass was in the process of being devoured by insects. Larger scavengers had also taken a toll.
Far more gruesome than the state of the corpse was the evidence of how the animal had died. A wedge-shaped piece of limestone had struck the poor creature between the eyes, effectively splitting his head in two. The rock was still in place. Exposed soft eyeballs stared off in opposite directions.
“Ugh!” Melanie said. “It’s what we didn’t want to see. This suggests that not only the bonobos have split into two groups, but they’re killing each other. I wonder if number sixty-seven is dead, too.”
Kevin kicked the rock out of the decomposing head. All three stared at it.
“That’s also what we didn’t want to see,” Kevin said.
“What are you talking about?” Candace asked.
“That rock was shaped artificially,” Kevin said. With the toe of his shoe, he pointed to an area along the side of the rock where there appeared to be freshly made gouges. “That suggests tool-making.”
“More circumstantial evidence, I’m afraid,” Melanie said.
“Let’s move upwind,” Kevin managed. “Before I get sick. I can’t stand this smell.”
Kevin got three steps away in an easterly direction when someone grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop. He turned to see Melanie with her index finger pressed against her lips. Then she pointed to the south.
Kevin turned his gaze in that direction, then caught his breath. About fifty yards away in the shadows of the very back of the cul de sac was one of the bonobos! The animal was standing ramrod straight and absolutely motionless, as if he were a military honor guard. He appeared to be staring back at Kevin and the others just as they were staring at him.
Kevin was surprised at the creature’s size. The animal was well over five feet tall. It also seemed oversized in terms of weight. Given its enormously muscular torso, Kevin guessed the bonobo weighed between one hundred twenty-five and one hundred fifty pounds.
“He’s taller than the bonobos that have been brought in for transplant surgery,” Candace said. “At least I think he is. Of course, the bonobos for the transplants were already sedated and strapped to a gurney by the time they got to me.”
“Shhhhhh,” Melanie admonished. “Let’s not scare him. This might be our only chance to see one.”
Being careful not to move too quickly, Kevin pulled the gear bag off his shoulder and got out the directional beacon. He turned it on to scan. It began to quietly beep until he pointed it toward the bonobo; then it let out a continuous note. Kevin looked at the LCD screen and gasped.
“What’s the matter?” Melanie whispered. She had seen Kevin’s expression change.
“It’s number one!” Kevin whispered back. “It’s my double.”
“Oh my God!” Melanie whispered. “I’m jealous. I’d like to see mine, too.”
“I wish we could see better,” Candace said. “Do we dare try to get closer?”
Kevin was struck by two things. First was the coincidence that the first live bonobo they’d come across would happen to be his double. Secondly, if he had inadvertently created a race of protohumans, then he was in some metamorphic way meeting himself six million years earlier. “This is too much,” Kevin couldn’t help but whisper aloud.
“What are you talking about?” Melanie asked.
“In some ways that’s me standing over there,” Kevin answered.
“Now let’s not jump the gun,” Melanie said.
“He’s certainly standing like a human,” Candace remarked. “But he’s hairier than any human I’ve ever been out with.”
“Very funny,” Melanie said without laughing.
“Melanie, use the locator to scan the area,” Kevin said. “Bonobos usually travel together. Maybe there are more around that we can’t see. They could be hiding in the bushes.”
Melanie played with the instrument.
“I can’t believe how still he is,” Candace said.
“He’s probably scared stiff,” Kevin said. “I’m sure he doesn’t know what to make of us. Or if Melanie is right about there not being enough females out here, maybe he’s smitten with you two.”
“That I don’t find funny at all,” Melanie said, without looking up from the keyboard of the locator.
“Sorry,” Kevin said.
“What’s he got around his waist?” Candace asked.
“I was wondering that, too,” Kevin said. “I can’t make it out, unless it’s just a vine that got caught on him when he came through the bushes.”
“Look at this,” Melanie said with excitement. She held up the instrument so the others could see. “Kevin, you were right. There’s a whole group of bonobos in the trees behind your double.”
“Why would he venture out on his own?” Candace asked.
“Maybe he’s like an alpha male in chimp society,” Melanie said. “Since there are so few females, it stands to reason these b
onobos might act more like chimps. If that’s the case, he might be proving himself to be courageous.”
Several minutes passed. The bonobo did not move.
“This is like a Mexican standoff,” Candace complained. “Come on! Let’s see how close we can get. What do we have to lose? Even if he runs off, I’d say this little episode is encouraging that we’ll see more.”
“All right,” Kevin said. “But no sudden movement. I don’t want to scare him. That would only ruin our chances for seeing the others.”
“You guys first,” Candace said.
The three advanced carefully, moving forward step by step. Kevin was in the lead followed immediately by Melanie. Candace brought up the rear. When they reached the midway mark, between them and the bonobo, they stopped. Now they could see the bonobo much better. He had prominent eyebrows and a sloped forehead like a chimp, but the lower half of his face was significantly less prognathous than even a normal bonobo. His nose was flat, his nostrils flared. His ears were smaller than those of either chimps or bonobos and flush against the side of his head.
“Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” Melanie whispered.
Candace nodded. “He reminds me of the pictures I saw in the third grade. Of very early cavemen.”
“Uh, oh, can you guys see his hands?” Kevin whispered.
“I think so,” Candace said softly. “What’s wrong with them?”
“It’s the thumb,” Kevin whispered. “It’s not like a chimp’s. His thumb juts out from the palm.”
“You’re right,” Melanie whispered. “And that means he might be able to oppose his thumb with his fingers.”
“Good God! The circumstantial evidence keeps mounting,” Kevin whispered. “I suppose if the developmental genes responsible for the anatomical changes necessary for bipedalism are on the short arm of chromosome six, then it’s entirely possible that the ones for the opposable thumb are, too.”
“It is a vine around his waist,” Candace commented. “Now I can see it clearly.”
“Let’s try moving closer,” Melanie suggested.
“I don’t know,” Kevin said. “I think we’re pushing our luck. Frankly, I’m surprised he hasn’t bolted already. Maybe we should just sit down right here.”
“It’s hotter than blazes here in the sun,” Melanie said. “And it’s not even nine o’clock, so it’ll only get worse. When we decide to sit and observe, I vote we do it in the shade. I’d also like to have the food chest.”
“I agree,” Candace said.
“Of course, you agree,” Kevin said mockingly. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.” Kevin was becoming tired of Melanie making a suggestion only to have Candace eagerly support it. It had already gotten him into trouble.
“That’s not very nice,” Candace said indignantly.
“I’m sorry,” Kevin said. He’d not meant to hurt her feelings.
“Well, I’m going closer,” Melanie announced. “Jane Goodall was able to get right up next to her chimps.”
“True,” Kevin said. “But that was after months of acclimatization.”
“I’m still going to try,” Melanie said.
Kevin and Candace let Melanie get ten feet in front of them before they looked at each other, shrugged, and joined her.
“You don’t have to do this for me,” Melanie whispered.
“Actually, I want to get close enough to see if my double has any facial expression,” Kevin whispered. “And I want to look into his eyes.”
With no more talk and by moving slowly and deliberately, the three were able to come within twenty feet of the bonobo. Then they stopped again.
“This is incredible,” Melanie whispered without taking her eyes from the animal’s face. The only way it was apparent the bonobo was alive was an occasional blink, movements of his eyes, and a flaring of his nostrils with each respiration.
“Look at those pectorals,” Candace said. “It looks like he’s spent most of his life in a gym.”
“How do you think he got that scar?” Melanie asked.
The bonobo had a thick scar that ran down the left side of his face almost to his mouth.
Kevin leaned forward and stared into the animal’s eyes. They were brown just like his own. Since the sun was in the bonobo’s face, his pupils were pinpoint. Kevin strained to detect intelligence, but it was difficult to tell.
Without the slightest warning the bonobo suddenly clapped his hands with such force that an echo reverberated between the leafy walls of the cul de sac. At the same time he yelled: “Atah!”
Kevin, Melanie, and Candace leaped from fright. Having worried from the start that the bonobo was about to flee at any moment, they’d not considered the possibility of him acting aggressively. The violent clap and yell panicked them, and made them fear the animal was about to attack. But he didn’t. He reverted back to his stonelike state.
After a moment’s confusion they recovered a semblance of their previous poise. They eyed the bonobo nervously.
“What was that all about?” Melanie asked.
“I don’t think he’s as scared of us as we’d thought,” Candace said. “Maybe we should just back away.”
“I agree,” Kevin said uneasily. “But let’s go slowly. Don’t panic.” Following his own advice, he took a few careful steps backward and motioned for the women to do likewise.
The bonobo responded by reaching around behind his back and grabbing a tool he had suspended by the vine around his waist. He held the tool aloft over his head and cried “Atah” again.
The three froze, wide-eyed with terror.
“What can ‘Atah’ mean?” Melanie whined after a few moments when nothing happened. “Can it be a word? Could he be talking?”
“I don’t have any idea,” Kevin sputtered. “But at least he hasn’t come toward us.”
“What is he holding?” Candace asked apprehensively. “It looks like a hammer.”
“It is,” Kevin managed. “It’s a regular carpenter’s clawhammer. It must be one of the tools the bonobos stole when the bridge was being built.”
“Look at the way he is grasping it. Just the way you or I would,” Melanie said. “There’s no question he has an opposable thumb.”
“We got to get away from here!” Candace half cried. “You two promised me these creatures were timid. This guy is anything but!”
“Don’t run!” Kevin said, keeping his eyes glued to the bonobo’s.
“You can stay if you want, but I’m going back to the boat,” Candace said desperately.
“We’ll all go, but slowly,” Kevin said.
Despite warnings not to do so, Candace turned on her heels and started to run. But she only went a few steps before she froze and let out a scream.
Kevin and Melanie turned in her direction. Both of them caught their breaths when they saw what had shocked her: Twenty more bonobos had silently emerged from the surrounding forest and had arrayed themselves in an arc, effectively blocking the exit from the cul de sac.
Candace slowly backed up until she bumped against Melanie.
For a full minute no one spoke or moved, not even any of the bonobos. Then bonobo number one repeated his cry: “Atah!” Instantly, the animals began to circle around the humans.
Candace moaned as she, Kevin, and Melanie backed into each other, forming a tight triangle. The ring the animals formed around them began to close like a noose. The bonobos came closer a step at a time. The humans could now distinctly smell them. Their odor was strong and feral. The animals’ faces were expressionless but intent. Their eyes flashed.
The animals stopped advancing when they were an arm’s length from the three friends. Their eyes ran up and down the humans’ bodies. Some of them were holding stone wedges similar to the one that had killed bonobo number sixty.
Kevin, Melanie, and Candace did not move. They were paralyzed with fear. All the animals looked as powerful as bonobo number one.
Bonobo number one remained outside the tight ring.
He was still clutching the clawhammer but no longer had it raised over his head. He advanced and made a full circuit of the group, staring at the humans between the heads of his compatriots. Then he let out a string of sounds accompanied by hand gestures.
Several of the other animals answered him. Then one of them reached out his hand toward Candace. Candace moaned.
“Don’t move,” Kevin managed to say. “I think the fact that they haven’t harmed us is a good sign.”
Candace swallowed with difficulty as the bonobo’s hand caressed her hair. He seemed enthralled by its blond color. It took all the resolve she could muster not to scream or duck away.
Another animal began to speak and gesture. He then pointed to his side. Kevin saw a long healing surgical scar. “It’s the animal whose kidney went to the Dallas businessman,” Kevin said fearfully. “See how he’s pointing at us. I think he’s connecting us to the retrieval process.”
“That can’t be good,” Melanie whispered.
Another animal reached out tentatively and touched Kevin’s comparatively hairless forearm. Then he touched the directional beacon Kevin was holding in his hand. Kevin was surprised when he didn’t try to take it away from him.
The bonobo standing directly in front of Melanie reached out and pinched the fabric of her blouse between his thumb and forefinger as if feeling its texture. Then he gently touched the locator she was holding with just the tip of his index finger.
“They seem mystified by us,” Kevin said hesitantly. “And strangely respectful. I don’t think they are going to hurt us. Maybe they think we are gods.”
“How can we encourage that belief?” Melanie asked.
“I’ll try to give them something,” Kevin said. Kevin considered the objects he had on his person and immediately settled on his wristwatch. Moving slowly, he put the directional beacon under his arm and slipped the watch from his wrist. Holding it by its bracelet, he extended it toward the animal in front of him.