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Chapter 16: Against the Current

Jaime, Tessa, and I continued our hike west through heavy jungle for two more days. At times the silence between us seemed as stifling as the jungle’s humidity. Jaime was angry. He was breaking orders and was leading me only because I had threatened to expose the voice if he didn’t. Tessa still hadn’t changed her mind about helping me rescue my friends, though I was pretty certain she felt guilty about it.

Late afternoon of the second day, Jaime led us up the steep slope of another hill, then abruptly stopped and dropped his pack on the ground. “This is where we will camp for the night.” “It’s not even dark yet,” I said.

“Come with me,” he said. I followed him to a break in the trees. “There,” he said, pointing to a mountain on the opposite side of the river. “That is our destination. It is close. We can make it by tomorrow.” “If it’s close, then we should keep going,” I said. “The army could move them at any time. They could be traveling right now.” “No,” Jaime said, shaking his head. “If they are traveling right now, then it is already too late. We do not want to cross the river at night. There are things in the river that feed most at night. And we cannot make a fire to warm or dry ourselves after we swim. It is best that we wait until the morning. Once we reach the hill, I will make radio contact again. I will ask our people to tell us about the movements of the army.” I looked back out over the river. “All right,” I finally said. I had to give him credit. In spite of his disagreement with my plans, he had been more helpful than he had to be. I think that secretly, despite his orders, he wanted me to rescue my friends. “Thank you.” He looked at me with worried eyes. “Tell me that after you do not die.” * * *

Food was running low. All we had left from Jaime’s camp was some beef jerky, dried banana chips, and hard rolls with packages of soft cheese. While Tessa and I set up the tent, Jaime left us to look for food. He returned about an hour later with a lumpy backpack.

He laid the pack down and fruit spilled out. Tessa held up an egg-size fruit with dark purple scales.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“It is the aguaje,” Jaime said. “It is delicious and very good for you.” She peeled back the fruit’s skin and took a bite. “It tastes like a carrot.” “It is very popular,” Jaime said. “Women who live near the rain forest eat it very often. They say it makes them more beautiful.” “I feel more beautiful already,” Tessa said sarcastically.

Jaime handed me a different fruit. It was yellow and shaped like a bell pepper. “This is the cocona. It is also called the Amazon tomato. It is not sweet, but good to eat.” I took a bite. Its taste fell somewhere between a lime and a tomato. I ate until I’d finished the fruit, then wiped the juice dripping down my chin.

“Thank you,” I said. “Was this hard to find?” “Not so hard, but you must know what to look for. There are many fruits in the jungle, but much of it is poisonous.” We finished eating, then set up our camp. It was the earliest that we had gone to bed since we’d started our journey.

I woke early the next morning. Tessa was still asleep, her soft breath rhythmically filling the tent. Jaime was gone again. I sat up, then crawled toward the tent opening. It was dawn and a new sun had begun its climb over the jungle canopy, painting a baby-blue sky with creamsicle-orange clouds.

Jaime had nearly finished packing up the camp except for our tent. He looked over at me.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Buenos días,” he replied. “Have some fruit.” “Thank you,” I said. “You’ve already packed up.” “Sí. We should get an early start.”

“How long have you been up?”

“Maybe two hours. I went down to the river to watch for Elgen patrols. One boat went by an hour ago.” I held up a piece of brown fruit. “This is new,” I said, examining the avocado-size fruit.

“The piton,” Jaime said. “I found it this morning.” “It looks like a mango.”

“It is a wild mango.”

“I love mangoes,” I said. “The greatest fruit ever invented.” Tessa crawled out of the tent. “What’s the greatest fruit ever invented?” I held up the fruit. “The mango.”

“I love mangoes,” she said. “Especially in smoothies with sweetened condensed milk.” “That’s not going to happen,” I said.

“Eat it all,” Jaime said. “We cannot carry much across the river.” “We’re crossing the river today?” Tessa asked.

“Sí, senorita.”

“Good. That means we’re getting close.”

We finished eating, then Tessa and I packed up our tent and we all hiked down to the river.

Before coming out into the open of the riverbank, Jaime looked for several minutes through his binoculars, then set them down. “It is time to cross the river.” “Where’s the boat?” Tessa asked.

“There is no boat,” Jaime said.

“Then how do we cross?”

“We swim.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?” “No. I am not kidding.”

“I don’t swim. I almost drowned in a hot tub once.” I turned to Jaime. “We’ve got a problem.”

“There is no other way across the river.”

“You can’t swim?” I asked.

“I don’t swim well,” she replied. “And this isn’t a swimming pool. It’s a big, scary, muddy river with things in it that eat people. Why can’t we just take a bridge?” “There is not a bridge for a hundred kilometers,” Jaime said.

“Then let’s get a boat. I mean, how are you going to take the radio across?” “I have a waterproof bag. I will carry it across.” “You should put me in a waterproof bag and carry me across,” she said.

“What if we found a log and floated across?” I said.

“We do not have time,” Jaime said.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” I said. “Tessa, will that work?” “There’s still all those creatures in there. What if they’re attracted by our glow?” “The jungle people swim in the river all the time,” Jaime said. “It is safer than crossing a street in Los Angeles.” “Not real comforting,” Tessa said.

I looked Tessa in the eyes. “Come on, we’ll be okay. I’ll be right beside you.” She looked exasperated. “All right. Just make sure it’s a really big log.” “We’ll do our best.”

Jaime and I went into the jungle and after ten minutes of looking, found a log about seven feet long. In spite of its size, it was very light—like balsa wood.

“This will work,” Jaime said. “This is the kapok tree. Natives make boats out of it.” * * *

We carried the log to the river’s bank. Then Jaime secured the radio in his waterproof bag, leaving as much air in the bag as possible before sealing it shut. Then we fastened all our packs to the log and pushed it partway into the river.

“Remember,” Jaime said, “the current is strong. You must swim hard with the log.” He waded into the dark water, holding the radio in front of him. “Vámonos!” he shouted, and then he plunged into the water on top of the bag and began kicking fiercely as the water’s current grabbed hold of him.

“Let’s go,” I said to Tessa.

Tessa glanced at me fearfully but still walked forward toward the log.

“I’ll get in front,” I said.

“No,” she said. “Get behind me. In case I let go.” “Don’t let go,” I said.

“Like I’m going to on purpose!” she said. “It’s a log. There’s no handles!” I moved behind her. “Here, just hold on to the pack’s straps; it will be easier than holding the log.” “Okay, okay.” She stepped into the water. “It’s gross and dirty.” “So are we,” I said. “C’mon, let’s get it over with.” We heaved the log into the river. The log submerged with us in tow, then quickly popped up again. Tessa clung tightly to the straps. She was terrified.

“I hate water!” she shouted, dripping and sputtering.

“You and Zeus,” I said.

“Don’t put us in the same sentence,” she replied.

The current pulled us about twenty feet out into the river, then swept us forward.

“We’ve got to swim hard to get across!” I shouted.

“How do I swim and hold on?”

“Just kick!”

We both kicked as hard as we could but made little headway against the powerful current. Jaime was twenty yards downstream from us but was already approaching the opposite bank. We were having more difficulty, as the log put us at the mercy of the river.

“Más rápido!” Jaime shouted to us. “Swim more fast!” We both kept kicking as hard as we could. We were quickly becoming waterlogged as the river repeatedly washed up over us and our log.

“Keep going,” I said. “We’re almost halfway there.” I realized that by the time we reached the opposite shore we were going to be separated from Jaime by several hundred yards. Although he was only ten feet from the opposite bank, Jaime was still swimming, trying to keep up with us.

Suddenly Tessa screamed. “What’s that?”

“What?”

“In front of us.”

I looked forward. There was another log ahead of us. Except it wasn’t moving downstream.

“It’s just a log,” I said. “It must be stuck on something.” “I don’t think it’s a log.”

I looked again. It wasn’t a log. It was a massive caiman. “Oh, crap.” “Michael . . .”

“Climb up on the log!” I shouted.

We both tried, but the log just rolled back with us, dunking us underneath the water.

After our third attempt, Tessa shouted, “I can’t!” She turned back. “It’s coming!” “Jaime!” I shouted. “Caiman! Caiman!”

He was far enough away that he looked at us without comprehension. “Get your gun!” I pointed toward the approaching caiman. Jaime began swimming toward the bank.

“Michael!” Tessa screamed. She closed her eyes as the caiman opened its mouth just five feet in front of her.

“Enhance me!” I shouted. “Give me everything.” I pulsed the hardest I ever had. So hard, in fact, that the water around me actually sizzled. The reptile shook violently, then turned sideways and sank. Suddenly, all around us, fish began popping up on the river’s surface. They were everywhere, dozens of them.

“I’m going to faint,” Tessa said.

“Don’t do that,” I said. “Just keep kicking.” It was another ten minutes before we were close to the opposite bank. Jaime had abandoned the radio and ran down the side of the riverbank to help us. He waded into the river up to his shoulders and grabbed the front of the log and pulled us in to shore. Tessa and I stumbled up to dry ground, then fell to our knees, exhausted. After she’d caught her breath, Tessa screamed at Jaime, “Don’t you ever make me do that again!” “Senorita . . .”

“Don’t you ‘senorita’ me!” she shouted. “I almost got eaten by a crocodile.” “Caiman,” I said.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Yeah, I bet you are,” she said.

Jaime looked at me sheepishly.

Tessa took off her shoes and poured the water out of them, then put them back on and stood up. “Vámonos,” she said.

I looked at Jaime and shrugged.

We were wet and uncomfortable, and the hike from the river to the top of the mountain took us six more hours. The one good thing was that by the time we reached our destination our clothes were mostly dry—at least as dry as one can hope for when hiking through a tropical rain forest.

From the mountain peak I could see the highway stretching east and west for at least five miles in both directions before it disappeared into the jungle. I could see why Jaime chose this point to attack. The roadway was steep and rugged, and the jungle seemed to spill over the asphalt as if attempting to reclaim the road.

Jaime looked out toward the east with his binoculars, then handed them to me. “That is the direction they will come from.” I lifted the binoculars and looked out over the fading ribbon of asphalt. “Are you sure this is the only way they can get to Lima?” “Sí. This is the road they came on. I saw them. The road will go through Cuzco, then west to Lima.” “Is it possible that they’ve already passed?” I asked.

“No. Look closely. There is fruit and dead animals on the road that are not flat. That many trucks would not miss anything.” I looked out again and could see that he was right. There was some pretty bloated-looking roadkill. I handed him back his binoculars. “Thank you.” “We will make camp, then radio the voice and see what he knows.” * * *

We set up our camp a little off the peak on a mild downhill slope where the canopy was thicker. As we had no idea how many days we would be waiting, we took the time to carefully conceal our camp—gathering banana leaves and palm fronds to cover our tent. Jaime created a trip line of vines that would warn us if someone was near.

The sun was fading in the west when we finally stopped to eat dinner. Jaime handed us some reddish-orange pods he had cut open with his knife. The inside of the fruit was white, like boiled lobster, with a dark bean in the center.

“I’ve never seen this,” Tessa said.

“It’s cacao,” Jaime said. “Chocolate.”

“Finally something decent,” Tessa said.

“It will not taste like a chocolate bar,” Jaime said. He pulled out some of the beans. “You suck the flesh off of the cacao bean. Then you chew the bean.” Tessa and I followed his lead. The fruit surrounding the bean was actually quite good, but the bean itself was bitter with only a vague semblance of chocolate flavor.

“This isn’t chocolate,” Tessa said, clearly disappointed.

“It is what chocolate is made from,” Jaime said.

“Could have fooled me,” she said, spitting out the seed.

“You can have this,” I said, giving her the last piton.

We finished eating, then we gathered around the radio that Jaime had concealed behind our tent. We were high enough up that I didn’t need to climb any trees to mount an antenna. I didn’t need to power the radio either. Apparently I had sufficiently recharged the batteries during our previous transmission.

Jaime flipped a switch and the lights of the radio came on. He handed me a headphone. The crisp crackle of static drowned out the jungle’s symphony.

“I want to listen,” Tessa said.

“I only have two headphones,” Jaime said.

“I’ll share,” I said. I flipped the two earpieces around and Tessa sat next to me, both of us holding a speaker to one of our ears. Jaime dialed a number, then said, “Lightning Rod, this is Southern Cross. Over.” Nothing came back. Jaime signaled again. “Lightning Rod, this is . . .” He was interrupted by three beeps, and then a female voice said, “Southern Cross, we read you. Please confirm.” “Diez, uno, uno, uno, nueve, seis, dos.”

“Please repeat the last two numbers.”

“No,” he said.

“Confirmed,” the woman said. “One moment, please.” There was a pause, then the voice said, “Southern Cross. Are you still in possession of the jewels.” “Yes.”

“We are pleased to hear that. At least not everything has gone wrong.” “What do you mean?” Jaime asked.

“Things have taken a turn for the worse. Hatch has gained control of the Elgen. He has imprisoned the chairman and commandeered the Elgen fleet.” “Qué piña! It could not be worse.”

“Our source has learned that Hatch plans to secure a land base so the Elgen can train soldiers and ultimately build weapons of mass destruction.” “Weapons of mass destruction?” I said. “You mean nuclear weapons?” “No,” the voice answered. “The Elgen are developing high-potency EMPs.” “I know about EMPs,” Tessa said. “Quentin is an EMP. He can shut down machines and stuff.” “That is right,” the voice said. “A powerful enough EMP device could create an electromagnetic pulse that could conceivably shut down all electrical devices for many thousands of miles.” “Then EMPs don’t kill people,” I said.

“They will most definitely kill people,” the voice replied. “It’s estimated that up to ten percent of the population would die immediately. If you destroy all electrical devices, you shut down hospitals and all health devices. Anyone on life support would die.” “But hospitals have backup generators,” Tessa said.

“An EMP doesn’t just stop the source of power, it permanently destroys all electronic circuitry. Lights won’t work. Cars won’t run. Communication will be shut down, including all cell phones and radios. Gas stations won’t be able to pump gas; grocery stores will lose refrigeration; food will rot and people will starve. All business will be brought to a standstill. There will be riots in the streets and looting. It is believed that an EMP may, in the long run, produce as many casualties as a nuclear weapon.” “How long would it take to get power again?” I asked.

“The problem is, the machinery required to repair or rebuild the infrastructure is also powered by electricity. It might not be possible for a country to rebuild itself.” “That’s incredibly stupid,” Tessa said.

“It’s shortsighted,” the voice replied. “But electricity has always been the Achilles’ heel of the modern world.” “How will that benefit the Elgen?” I asked.

“The Elgen will offer aid by helping to rebuild the country’s electrical grid to run off their Starxource plants, ultimately putting them in complete control of the world’s power and economy.” “Where is this land Hatch plans to conquer?” Jaime asked.

“Hatch’s target is a small country in the South Pacific called Tuvalu. The Elgen have already been there for more than a year and have already constructed a Starxource plant as large as the Peruvian facility that will serve as their administrative building and reeducation center.” “Doesn’t the country have an army to defend itself?” I asked.

“No. Tuvalu is the size of a small American city. All they have is a police force, and there are more than a hundred Elgen guards to every police officer. The Elgen are also much better armed and trained. The Tuvaluans are a simple people. The Elgen will either slaughter them or turn them into their work force.” “You mean they’ll make them slaves,” I said.

“Very likely,” the voice said.

“Qué lío!” Jaime said. “They are pure evil.” “The location of Tuvalu is strategic. It will give the Elgen unrestricted access to Hawaii, Australia, Taiwan, China, India, the Philippines, and Japan.” “This is most horrible news,” Jaime said, rubbing his forehead. “What can be done to stop them?” “We have leaked information to the leaders of Tuvalu, but it’s falling on deaf ears. The Elgen have just solved the country’s power shortage and are being heralded as heroes. But we have one other chance to stop them. Prior to their attack, the Elgen fleet is sailing to the port of Callao, west of Lima, to pick up the remainder of their force still quartered in Puerto Maldonado. There are thousands of guards stranded after the attack of the Starxource plant.

“They will also be refueling and stocking up on supplies. We estimate that it will take them four or five days to complete their preparations. But once they have left the port, there will be no stopping them. We must strike before they leave.” “What are your orders?” Jaime asked.

“Sink the Ampere while it’s in port.”

“What’s the Ampere?” I asked.

“It’s the Elgen’s superyacht,” Tessa said. “I’ve been on it. It’s very cool. It has a helipad, sushi bar—it even has a disco.” “The Ampere is the Elgen command base,” the voice said. “It’s where Hatch operates from.” “How are we supposed to sink a ship?” I asked.

“You and your friends destroyed their largest and most secure Starxource plant. We’re confident that you can sink a ship.” “Yeah, well, I don’t have my friends with me,” I said. “And the last time we spoke, you told me not to go after them.” “We were only protecting you,” the voice said. “We believed that the chance of your success against their army was less than the chance of our success. But that’s before Hatch took over. Now we are certain that we have no chance of diplomacy. The Elgen will be pressuring the Peruvian government for blood. You need to rescue your friends. Jaime, do all in your power to assist Michael in this cause. Call in assistance if you have to.” “Yes, sir. Do you know where the others are?” “They are still being held in Puerto Maldonado. They nearly escaped but were recaptured outside the compound. Our sources tell us that the army is preparing right now to move them to Lima. So if you expect to breech their compound, you’ll have to move fast.” “We have a different plan,” Jaime said. “There is a narrow highway they will have to pass through on the way to Lima. We believe it is a place where we could stop them. We just need to know when they are moving.” “Very well. We’ll alert you when the army is moving.” “And then what?” I asked.

“After you have rescued your friends, we will instruct you on everything we know about the Elgen fleet and the Ampere. Is there anything else you need right now?” “I want to speak with my mother.”

“I’ll arrange for you to talk. I will give you a time during our next communication.” “Wait, I have a question,” Tessa said, leaning forward toward the microphone. “Do you know anything about the Amacarra? Are they okay?” There was a long pause. “The Amacarra tribe no longer exists.” Tessa turned white. “W-what do you mean?”

“The army massacred the tribe for harboring terrorists.” Tessa’s eyes welled up with tears. “No!”

“I’m sorry. The army has been ruthless.”

I put my hand on Tessa’s back.

Tessa grabbed her beads, and tears began falling down her face. “My mama . . .” There was a long pause, then the voice said, “I’m sorry, but we must sign out. There is one more thing you must know. We have been compromised.” Now Jaime turned white. “How?”

“The army learned of our existence while interrogating the others. They passed it on to the Elgen. They don’t know who or where we are, but they now know that we exist. We have called a few of our agents in the field to come in.” “This cannot be true,” Jaime said, putting his hand over his eyes.

“I wish it weren’t. We will contact you when the army starts to move. Over.” The radio went dead. I took the headphone and gave it back to Jaime. The dread was palpable. It was as if a bomb had just gone off in our midst.

Jaime was the first to speak. “They know of us . . . ,” he said, slowly shaking his head.

I looked at Tessa. She was sobbing.

“I’m sorry,” I said, returning my hand to her back.

“They were so innocent,” she said. She covered her eyes with her hand.

I didn’t know what to say. I just kept rubbing her back. After a few minutes her sobbing slowed, turning to a soft whimper. Then she stopped completely. She held her hands at her temples, her fingers digging into her hair. Then she looked up at me. Her eyes were red and swollen. “They’re going to pay for this. We’re going to make them pay.”