فصل چهارم

Chapter 4: A Surprise Reunion

I awoke to one of the tribesmen shaking me. I rubbed my eyes and looked up. It was dawn, and Tessa was already sitting up, her hair matted to the side of her head. She pulled her hair back from her face. “I think we’re here.” I lifted myself up and peered over the side of the boat. We were docked, but all I could see was more jungle. “Where’s here?” “I don’t know,” Tessa said. “Somewhere downriver.” “With your old friend Jaime,” a voice said.

I spun around. Standing behind us on the shore was Jaime, the Peruvian man who had brought us into the jungle.

“Jaime!”

“Mr. Michael,” he said, stepping forward. “Let me help you out.” “Help her first,” I said, looking at Tessa.

Jaime offered her his hand, but she grabbed the side of the canoe and climbed out by herself. I got out too.

When I was on the bank he said, “Congratulations, amigo.” I looked at him quizzically. “What for?”

“For still being alive,” he said. “And for making some serious trouble. Mucho caos.” I’m pretty sure that that was the first time in my life that someone had congratulated me for causing trouble. “More than we planned on,” I said.

Tessa looked at Jaime suspiciously. “How do you know this guy?” “He’s the one who brought us into the jungle.” “How did you meet him?”

“I’ll tell you later,” I said. “But we can trust him. He’s a friend.” She still looked unsure. “You’re from Idaho. How do you have a Peruvian friend?” She looked directly at Jaime. “Are you an Elgen?” “Ufff! Que locura!” Jaime said. He looked her directly in the eyes. “Do not insult me. I would rather cut out my own heart and feed it to the piranhas than to be called one of those demons.” “That’s pretty graphic,” she said.

“We have not the time to chitchat,” Jaime said. “We must hurry. You have angered the Elgen wasps, and they are looking for someone to sting.” “Where are we going?” I asked.

“Into the jungle,” he said. He turned to the tribesmen. “Feichang, sye sye.” They slightly bowed. “Bukechi,” they replied. They immediately paddled away from the shore until they were in the middle of the river and headed upstream.

“Those guys are strong,” I said. “They didn’t even rest.” Jaime turned back to me. “They have not time to rest,” Jaime said. “Neither do we. Come. Vámonos!” We followed him through a path in the trees that quickly disappeared, overgrown with foliage and snarled tree roots that rose like snakes through the jungle’s dark soil. Even though it was morning, beneath the canopy it was dark enough that Tessa and I could see our glows.

We had hiked more than an hour into the jungle when the foliage in front of us suddenly lightened into a small clearing, exposing an elaborate campsite built next to a stream.

“We are home,” Jaime said.

“It’s not my home,” Tessa said, looking around.

I surveyed the camp with wonder. “How did you get all this stuff back here?” “With much work,” Jaime said. “This is our base to monitor the Elgen.” The camp consisted of two large nylon tents, a cooking spit, a generator next to at least a dozen plastic gas cans, and a metal communications tower that rose as high as the trees but no higher. About fifteen yards from the camp Jaime suddenly stopped, holding his hands out. “Alto.” In spite of my B+ in Mrs. Waller’s eighth-grade Spanish, I didn’t recognize Jaime’s command to stop, and Tessa and I just kept walking.

“I’m starving,” Tessa said. “I hope he’s got something to eat.” Jaime lunged at me, grabbing me by the arm. “Párate! Stop! Do not walk any farther.” I hadn’t seen him coming for me and instinctively pulsed. Jaime screamed as he fell to the ground. I looked down at him. He was holding his arm and moaning. “Ay caramba, caramba, caramba!” “I didn’t mean to do that,” I said. “It’s just habit.” “You are worse than the anguila,” Jaime said, still grimacing with pain. “You must not walk any farther.” From the ground Jaime pointed toward a twitching pile of fur lying near the second tent. “See? It is a trap.” “Who would set a trap out here?” I asked.

“I did. It is a safety.”

“A safety?” Tessa replied. “I think you’re using that word wrong.” Jaime rose to his knees. He picked up a fallen branch on the ground and threw it into the clearing ten feet in front of us. There was an immediate eruption of gunfire and bullets that tore through the wood, shredding it into slivers.

“Whoa,” I said.

“That totally could have been us,” Tessa said. “Swiss cheese.” “That is my safety to make sure no one enters my camp when I am gone. Before we go in I must deactivate the sensor.” “I’m for that,” Tessa said.

Jaime took a small, black cylindrical object out of his pocket. It was about the shape and size of a lipstick tube, with a single red button on top. He pushed it. “It is safe now.” Looking at the quivering animal near the edge of the clearing, I wasn’t about to step into the firing zone. “Are you sure it’s off?” “Yes. Look.” He lifted another piece of wood and threw it into the clearing. This time nothing happened. “It is turned off.” He pointed toward the gun. “There is no light on the turret.” He climbed back to his feet and stepped forward, still rubbing his shocked arm. “We are safe. I will go first.” He walked into the clearing, with Tessa and me close behind.

“That was pretty cool,” I said. “How does it work?” “It is simple, amigo. There are two guns.” He led me to one of the machines. The turret was run by electric motors mounted onto steel pipes that Jaime had wrapped up in leaves. The contraption looked simple enough, and my first thought was that Ostin could probably build one of these from spare parts he had in his bedroom. The thought of that made me miss him.

“It is a robotic sentry that runs off a program from my laptop. I bought it from an American company that makes them for paintball guns.” I touched the gun’s barrel. It was still warm. “They make these for paintball guns?” “Yes. I just made some adjustments.” He pointed to the other side of the clearing. “The other one is over there behind that tree. They are very fast. Each one can move so quickly it can follow up to four targets at the same time.” “How does it know when to shoot?” Tessa asked.

“The guns are activated by movement. They shoot anything that moves past its camera.” He turned back to me. “I put these here to keep my equipment safe from Elgen when I am not here. If they were to get our communication codes, it would endanger everything.” “It seems . . . extreme,” Tessa said.

“Our cause is extreme,” Jaime said seriously. “The sentry is very effective, but so far all it has shot are monkeys. That is good.” “Not for the monkeys,” Tessa said.

“Monkeys and whatever that thing is,” I said, looking at the animal, which had finally stopped twitching.

“What is that thing?” Tessa asked.

Jaime pointed to the pile of fur. “That, senorita, is dinner—the osohormiguero.” “Lovely,” she replied.

I walked up to examine the beast. It had thick, spiky fur and a long body about four feet in length, not including its tail, which was curled up around its belly. I still couldn’t tell what it was, and I had to push it over with my foot to see its head. It had small dark eyes and an elongated snout. “It’s an anteater,” I said.

“Was,” Tessa said. “I think its ant-eating days are over.” “Yes, you call it an anteater,” Jaime said. “It is most tasty.” “I’ve had it before,” Tessa said. “It was okay.” She looked at Jaime. “Do you have anything to drink?” “The water barrel is there,” Jaime said, pointing to a five-gallon white plastic bucket. “You must lift the lid. The cup is hanging next to it. Be sure to look for spiders. They like the water.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. She unhooked the tin-handled cup hanging next to the bucket, then lifted the bucket’s lid. For a moment she just stared. “There’s something dead in here,” she said dryly. “Actually, there’s like a million dead things in here, but there’s one really big dead thing.” Jaime walked over and looked in. He took another cup and lifted out an eight-inch insect. “It is only a walking stick. Not poisonous.” “I feel so much better now,” Tessa said. She skimmed the top of the bucket, dumping the contents of her cup on the ground three times before scooping up a cup of water clear enough to drink. She drank down two cups, then filled it up again and brought it over to me. There were small things floating around in it, mostly mosquitoes and fleas, but I drank it anyway.

“Thanks,” I said.

“It’s funny how we adapt, isn’t it? In the academy days I would complain if my water didn’t have a slice of lime in it. But after being in the jungle this long, hardly anything bothers me anymore. I once ate a roasted armadillo. The Amacarra roll them up and cook them in their own shells.” “What I wouldn’t give for a cheeseburger about now,” I said.

“Sorry,” Jaime said. “No cheeseburgers. But I do have food.” He disappeared into the first tent and returned carrying two boxes, which he handed to us. “I was only making a joke about the anteater,” he said. “We cannot make a fire to roast it. The Elgen soldiers could follow the smoke. But trust me, it is very delicious.” “I’ll take your word for it,” I said.

We opened the boxes. Inside was a ham sandwich sealed in cellophane, a package of crackers with soft cheese, quinoa cake, a Sublime chocolate bar, a piece of fruit I’d never seen before, a bottle of Inca Kola, and a yogurt drink.

“Real food,” Tessa said. “Muchas, muchas gracias. It’s been so long.” “Yes, thanks,” I said. “I’m starving.”

“Come inside the tent to eat,” he said. “We will talk.” Jaime lifted the mosquito netting around the second tent. We ducked under the netting and went inside. The interior was a square, about twelve feet by twelve feet, cluttered with crates and barrels. There was a small collapsible plastic table against one side of the tent with a ham radio and a digital clock. Stacked up next to the table were long crates with the word PELIGRO stenciled on them.

Jaime grabbed himself a box of food, and all three of us sat down on the tent’s vinyl tarp floor.

“I like this Inca Kola,” I said. “It tastes like bubble gum.” “You have this in America?” Jaime asked.

“No,” I said. “At least not in Idaho.”

“Shame,” he said.

I lifted the fruit.

“What is this?”

“Granadilla,” Jaime said. “Try it.”

I peeled it open. Inside, the fruit was gray and looked like mucus.

“It looks like snot, “ Tessa said.

Jaime laughed. “Yes, Americans call it ‘snot fruit!’ Try it!” I looked at it for a moment, then took a bite. It actually was quite good. Tessa just looked disgusted.

“I just threw up in my mouth,” she said.

I ate the rest of the fruit, then took hers as well.

“There’s something I’m wondering,” Tessa said. “How did the Amacarra know to find you here?” “A few days ago, when I saw smoke coming from the compound, I asked the chief to keep an eye out for Michael and the others.” “So that’s how he knew my name,” I said.

“Yes. I told him about you.” Jaime looked at Tessa. “But I am surprised that he did not tell me about you.” “They were looking out for me,” Tessa said.

Jaime shook his head. “Our affairs are not the Amacarra’s affairs. But the Elgen have been bad to them.” “Do you know where my mother and friends are?” I asked.

“Your mother and Tanner made it to the rendezvous site. They are now safe with our people.” Hearing this filled me with a powerful sense of relief. “And what about the rest of the Electroclan?” Jaime’s expression turned. “They have been captured.” My relief vanished. “The Elgen got them?”

“No. The Peruvian army.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand why they’re hunting us.” “It was my country’s electricity you stopped.” “Do you know where they’re being held?”

“They are at a jail in Puerto Maldonado. But we are sure they will take them back to Lima to be tried.” “Tried? For what?”

“For terrorism.”

“Terrorism! We’re not terrorists! The Elgen are the terrorists. We were helping your country!” “They did not ask for your help. The way they see it, you put my country out of power. Shops and businesses shut down. Hospitals are on backup generators. People will go hungry. The power outage cost my country millions and millions of dollars. Only we know that what you did was good.” “That’s not fair.”

“No. But that is how it is in the world—the wise are hung and the fools are glorified, at least while they are living.” I raked my fingers back through my hair. “What will happen if they try them in your courts?” “They will probably find them guilty of terrorism.” “What will they do to them? They’re just teenagers.” Jaime’s voice came slowly. “If they are found guilty, their age will not matter.” “What will they do to them?” I asked again.

Jaime hesitated. “They will probably be executed.” My blood ran cold. “They can’t do that.”

“My country abolished the death penalty in 1979, but not for treason and terrorism.” “We can’t let that happen. I’m not going to let that happen. How many soldiers are there?” “More than you can fight,” Jaime said. “Maybe as many as four thousand soldiers. Even if our organization risked everything and came out in the open to help you, we could not rescue your friends.” “An army couldn’t,” I said. “But a mouse can get in where a lion can’t.” He looked at me. “That is true.”

“I could sneak in and rescue them like we did in Pasadena. Are they still in Puerto Maldonado?” “You will never get close. There are many patrols, and they have built fences. I am certain that they will be moving your friends soon.” “They’ll fly them to Lima?”

“No, they will not fly,” Jaime said. “They must have been warned about Tanner, because they did not bring any aircraft into the area. And Tanner destroyed all the Elgen helicopters.” “But you said that Tanner’s gone.”

“The Elgen and the army do not know that.”

“Then they’ll have to drive them to Lima,” Tessa said.

“There is only one road to Lima,” Jaime said. “It is a mountain road and very narrow at spots. That is your best chance of stopping them. It could be like Thermopylae.” “The what?” Tessa asked.

“Thermopylae is an ancient place in Greece where three hundred Spartans held off tens of thousands of Persians. It is a narrow place that a large army can’t march through. If only a few people can get through the door at a time, it doesn’t matter how many people there are.” “If we stop the trucks in front, the rest will be trapped behind them,” I said.

“Then what?” Tessa asked.

“In the confusion, I’ll sneak in and free my friends.” “They will be guarded,” Jaime said.

“I can take care of that,” I said.

“But you will still be surrounded by the entire army,” Jaime said.

“If we had everyone’s powers . . . ,” I said.

Jaime looked skeptical. “Those powers did not stop them from being captured.” “But if they were enhanced.” I turned to Tessa. “Could you enhance everyone’s power at the same time?” “I enhanced a half million rats’ power at the same time,” she said.

“If we had even ten times the power, Taylor could reboot all the soldiers at the same time, and we could just walk out of there. Zeus could fire real lightning and destroy any weapon. McKenna could go supernova and melt everything in sight.” Jaime looked at me. “It is still a big risk. We need to talk to the voice and see what he says.” “You can contact the voice?” I asked.

He looked around cautiously, then nodded. “Yes.” “What’s ‘the voice’?” Tessa asked.

Jaime looked at me, then Tessa. “We cannot speak of the voice around her.” Tessa turned red. “You don’t trust me? I followed you into the middle of the jungle, and you don’t trust me?” “Tessa, it’s okay,” I said. “He’s not trying to insult you. He’s just got to be sure.” “Then get sure,” she said to Jaime.

Suddenly, Jaime froze. “Do you hear that?”

We stopped talking to listen. “No,” I said. I looked at Tessa.

“I don’t hear anything,” Tessa said, still sounding annoyed. “In fact, it’s kind of quiet.” “Yes,” Jaime said. “Exactly.” He stood. “Just a minute.” He parted the door and walked out of the tent.

As soon as the tent’s flap shut, Tessa asked, “What’s this voice?” I looked at the door to make sure Jaime was really gone, then back at her. I lowered my voice. “After we escaped from Pasadena we went back to Idaho. The Elgen followed us. We were hiding from them at a tanning salon when a woman came in and handed me a cell phone. There was a man on the other end. He knew who we were and where we’d been. He knew all about the Elgen. That’s how we got down here. He flew us down.” “Who is he?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that he hates Hatch as much as I do.” “Why is he so secret?”

“Because secrecy is his most important weapon. You can’t fight an enemy you don’t know exists.” She nodded. “That makes sense.” She looked around the place. “What if this voice tells you not to go after your friends?” “I’ll go anyway.”

“They mean that much to you?”

“They’re my friends,” I said. “You don’t abandon your friends.” For a moment she was quiet. Then she said, “It wasn’t like that at the academy. We got along because it was a rule. But everyone was in competition with one another.” She looked at me seriously. “Friends or not, I don’t think it’s a good idea going up against the army. You’ll only get caught.” “I have to,” I said. “And I really need your help.” She looked down. “I don’t know,” she said. “I have to think about it. If Hatch captures me, he’ll punish me for running away.” I looked into her eyes. “Tessa, I can’t do it without you.” She took a deep breath. “I just don’t know. I have to think about it.” I sighed. “Think about it. Because either way, I’m going.” The silence between us grew uncomfortable and I began gulping. After another minute I said, “Jaime’s been gone a long time for just checking around.” “Maybe he had to use the bathroom,” Tessa said.

I stood. “I’m going to go see what he’s doing.” I walked out of the tent. At first I didn’t see anything. I took a few steps before I saw Jaime lying motionless on the ground.

“Jaime?” I started walking toward him. “Tessa!” I shouted.

Tessa came to the flap of the tent and looked out. “What is it?” “Jaime’s on the ground.”

“Did he have a heart attack?”

Someone shouted, “Put your hands on your head and walk out of the tent! Now!” I looked up as a squad of uniformed Elgen guards emerged from the jungle. Their guns were pointed at us.

“Now!” the guard shouted again. “Both of you. Or we’ll open fire.” “I’m not going back,” Tessa said, her voice pitched with terror. She ducked into the tent.

I put my hands on my head. “Don’t shoot.”

“Don’t try anything, Vey,” one of the guards said. “Or we will. And tell the girl to get back out here before we shoot up the tent.” I turned back. “Tessa, come out!” I shouted. “They’ll shoot.” “Tessa?” the short guard to my left repeated. “Was that really Tessa, aka Tesla?” I didn’t answer.

“Jackpot, boys,” the guard said. “It’s two-for-one day at the Happy Mart. Vey and Tessa. Hatch is going to be happier than a monkey on a banana boat.” Tessa slowly walked back out. She was shaking.

“Beautiful little Tessa,” the guard said, grinding his teeth. “Remember me? Carvelle?” He walked up to her. “I always had a thing for redheads. And then you had to go and run off.” His expression turned dark. “Hatch was so upset when you went missing that he fed your bodyguard to the rats.” His eyes narrowed. “He was my cousin.” Tessa swallowed. She looked pale, like she might faint.

“Did someone radio base?” a guard asked.

“There’s no coverage,” the captain replied. “We’ll radio it in back at the river.” “Look at that tower,” another guard said. “They’ve been communicating with someone.” “Let’s find out who,” the captain said. “Search the tents.” Four of the guards disappeared into the tents.

I was twitching a lot and electricity was sparking around me wildly. Under duress it always did, but with Tessa standing next to me it was crazy. It was even sparking between my legs, climbing from my ankles to thighs like a Jacob’s ladder.

“Stop sparking!” the main guard shouted.

“I can’t help it,” I said.

“Then I’ll help you,” another voice said. Two of those yellow-and-red-striped darts struck me in the side.

I collapsed to the ground, groaning as I fell. But I was still sparking. The darts started smoking, then blew. My energy immediately returned.

“It’s Tessa,” Carvelle said. “She’s making him more electric. She’s got that way with men.” Three darts hit Tessa. Then another three darts hit me. Tessa fell to the ground about two yards from me. My electricity stopped.

Tessa was almost breathless with pain. My own pain was agonizing, but she seemed less able to handle it.

“Let’s move it,” the captain shouted. “Pedro, Pair, and Sanchez, secure the radio. Find out who they’ve been broadcasting to. I want all codes, logs, and frequencies. Then we’re going to pack that thing out of here.” “Yes, sir.”

“Johnny and Ryan, you have Vey. Cuff and RESAT him. And be careful, he’s slippery. Carvelle, since you and Tessa are such good friends, she’s all yours. RESAT her, too.” “My pleasure,” Carvelle said, pulling the white RESAT box out of his pack. “I’m going to keep it turned up a bit high just to be sure you’re not enjoying this, sweetheart. Every time you scream out with pain I want you to think about my cousin in the bowl.” Tessa began to cry.

The men connected the RESAT to my leg, then they rolled me onto my stomach and pinned my arms behind my back and banded them together.

“Should we band his legs?” one of the guards asked.

“Only if you want to carry him out of here,” another replied.

“That would be negatory.” He laughed. He smacked me in the head. “Sorry, boy. No free rides on this train.” Out of my peripheral vision I could see them cuffing Tessa’s hands as well. She was still crying but not struggling. She looked as if she was having difficulty breathing. The RESAT was set way too high for her.

When we were both secure they dragged Tessa, on her back, to the center of the camp and lay her next to me; then the men left us to join the others searching the tents, leaving just two guards to watch over us. That’s all they needed. With the RESATs we could barely even breathe, let alone escape.

With some effort I looked over at Jaime. He was so still I wondered if he was dead. But I hadn’t heard any gunshots and he’d been cuffed, which wouldn’t make sense if he were dead. Then I saw the dart sticking out of his hip. It was not like one of the RESAT darts—it was more like a needle. They had tranquilized him. Of course they had. The Elgen only killed when their foe had no value. Jaime had value. They would torture him for information. They would break him and learn about the voice. They would know everything. Our cause would be lost.

Then I noticed something else. Something on the ground next to him. The small black remote to the robotic guns had fallen out of his pocket.

“Tessa,” I whispered.

Only her eyes moved toward me. Her cheeks were stained with tears mixed with dirt.

I struggled to take a deep breath. “No matter what happens, don’t move a muscle. Not a muscle. Understand?” I gestured with my eyes to the remote.

She followed my gaze to the device, then looked back at me. She looked scared but blinked in understanding.

On my stomach, I inched my way toward Jaime. If I could get close enough, I could roll over onto the remote and activate it with my fingers. Moving was slow and painful, and I had to rest after each exertion, hoping that the guards didn’t notice me and that the other guards didn’t finish their search before I got to Jaime. I was about two feet from the remote when the rest of the guards emerged from the tents, their arms loaded with papers and equipment.

“We’ve found a treasure trove, gentlemen,” the captain said, his arms laden with boxes.

Then one of the guards glanced over at me. “What’s he doing?” “He’s going for that thing,” another said, pointing to the remote.

“What is that?” the captain asked. “Someone get that.” With everything I had, I rolled onto my back over the remote.

“Get him!” the captain shouted.

Slightly arching my back, I got the remote in my hands and moved it around in my fingers. As the first guard reached me, I pressed the button. The entire campsite exploded with machine-gun fire.

“Ambush!” a guard shouted, before falling to the ground riddled with bullets. The sound of bullets whistled past me, one so close that it caught a flap of my shirt, ripping the side of it open.

The guards shouted in panic, making their situation worse as they went for their weapons to combat their unseen assaulters. The firing probably lasted less than twenty seconds, but felt much, much longer. I closed my eyes until the firing stopped, the stench of smoke falling low to the ground. I fought coughing. I dared not even move my head enough to look around to see if anyone was left. I was afraid to look at Jaime and Tessa.

When it had been quiet for nearly thirty seconds, I pushed the remote button again, then slowly raised my head enough to see the turret. The red light above the gun was off. I breathed out in relief, then fell back again, my body racked with pain. The Elgen guards were lying all around me, but no one was moving.

I looked back at Tessa. She was shaking.

“It’s off,” I croaked.

She tried to speak but couldn’t. She was drenched with sweat and her blouse looked as if she had showered in it. The RESAT was set way too high. I worried that if I couldn’t get it turned off soon that it might stop her heart. But I could barely move myself and I doubted that I could cut myself loose, even if I could wriggle myself to the nearest guard and unlatch his knife.

That left Jaime. I had to get the dart out of him. I rolled over again, then pushed myself up over him. I felt around until I found the dart, clasped it with my fingers, then rolled off, collapsing on the other side of him. I had the dart. Now he just needed to wake up.