فصل 40

chapter-40 Black Mambas,Hatch, and other deadly things.

We ended up taking the long way to Sydney, Australia. Usually pilots look for the shortest route between two dots, but in this case that would have basically taken us through a hurricane.

An hour into the flight our pilots informed us that there was a category-five tropical cyclone (which Ostin explained meant there were winds of above one hundred thirty miles per hour) in the area of the Marshall Islands, which were about a thousand miles from Tuvalu and close enough to Sydney that all air traffic had been delayed or rerouted.

We ended up flying from Taipei to Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste—a country I’d never even heard of. Ostin, of course, had not only heard of the country but knew more about it than any normal non-Timorese wanted to know.

He informed us that Timor had been a Portuguese colony since 1520 except when, during World War II, the nation was invaded and conquered by the Japanese, but Timor was returned to Portugal after the war. Thirty years later it declared its independence from Portugal. Nine days after that it was attacked and conquered by Indonesia, which made it part of their country. Kind of like Tuvalu, which was open to attack from the Elgen after they declared their independence from England. Maybe sometimes it’s better to just live with the devil you know.

We didn’t do anything in Dili. We didn’t even get off the plane. It was raining hard, and we waited on the runway while the ground crews refueled our jet, and then we took off again.

From Dili we flew south over Darwin, Australia, then overland to the Australian east coast and Sydney. Once we were over Australia, Ostin began vomiting facts about the country.

“Did you know that Australia was England’s penal colony? It’s basically where they dumped all the people they didn’t want. That’s why modern Australians call people from England ‘POME.’” “What’s a ‘POME’?” Jack asked.

“It’s something that rhymes,” Tessa said.

“Not ‘po-em,’” Ostin said. “POME. It stands for ‘Prisoner of Mother England.’” Ostin continued without taking a breath. “There are more than one million wild camels in the Australian outback. And even Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia.” “That’s not true,” Tanner said.

“Completely true,” Ostin replied. “Before humans arrived, there were nine-foot-tall kangaroos.” “Now he’s just making things up,” Tessa said.

“Australians have three times more sheep than people. And wombat poop is the shape of a cube.” “What’s a wombat?” Abigail asked.

“Something that poops cubes,” Jack said.

“A wombat is a plant-eating marsupial that looks like a badger with shorter legs.” “Is it dangerous?” Tessa asked.

“Does it sound dangerous?” Zeus said.

“No.”

Ostin nodded. “They have been known to charge humans and bowl them over.” “Oh, that sounds scary,” Tessa said, rolling her eyes. “Getting run over by a short-legged, cube-pooping badger.” “Yeah? Well, there are plenty of things in Australia to be really scared of,” Ostin said defensively. “Australia is famous for having a lot of things that can kill you. It has more species of venomous snakes than any other country, including one of the most venomous of all land snakes, the inland taipan. One bite has enough venom to kill a hundred people.” “How do they know it can kill one hundred people?” Tessa asked.

Tanner joined in. “Is that, like, exactly one hundred? Because maybe it’s really like ninety-seven people. Or what if it’s a hundred huge people versus one hundred little people? The whole ‘exactly one hundred people’ thing sounds suspicious.” “Didn’t we already have a snake conversation in Peru?” Taylor asked me.

“Yes,” I said. “But this is a new country.” “Is the taipan as dangerous as the black mamba?” Nichelle asked.

“Yes.”

“But it’s not as cool.”

Ostin’s brow furrowed. “Why do you say that?” “Who doesn’t like to say ‘black . . . mammmmbaaaa’?” Everyone laughed except for Ostin, who was trying to analyze her point. He eventually gave up and continued. “Just so you know, the black mamba isn’t necessarily black. The inside of its mouth is.” “Good, that way I’ll know it’s dangerous after it bites me,” Tanner said.

“What is the most poisonous snake in the world?” Tessa asked.

“Snakes aren’t poisonous; they’re venomous. Poison is something you eat.” “I wouldn’t eat it,” Tessa said.

“If you eat poison, you die,” Jack said.

“I know,” Ostin said.

Jack pressed his point. “But you just said poison is something you eat.” “It is.”

“But no one would eat it,” Tessa said. “That’s the point.” “Poison is something you eat,” Ostin said. “Venom is something you inject.” “Again,” Tessa said. “I wouldn’t inject it.” “You’re talking in circles,” Zeus said.

“What is the most venomous snake in the world?” Jack asked.

“The Belcher’s sea snake is number one. But it’s not the most dangerous snake in the world.” “What does that mean?”

“Only about twenty-five percent of Belchers carry venom, and those that do don’t really like to bite. But if it does, and it’s venomous, you’re toast. One bite can kill a thousand people.” “That doesn’t make it more dangerous,” Zeus said. “What does it matter if it can kill a thousand people or one? Either way you’re dead.” “He’s got a point,” Nichelle said.

“I never said it was more dangerous. You asked which snake was most venomous.” “He’s got a point too,” Nichelle said.

“The point is,” Zeus continued, “it doesn’t matter if the entire universe implodes on itself or you swallow a grenade, either way you’re dead.” “Who would swallow a grenade?” Tessa asked.

“A grenade would never fit down your throat,” Nichelle said.

Tessa nodded. “It wouldn’t even fit into your mouth.” “That’s not the point,” Zeus said.

“You just said it was your point,” Nichelle said.

Zeus groaned. “I’m leaving this conversation.” “It might fit into Ostin’s mouth,” Tessa said. “It’s pretty big.” “Thank you,” Ostin said, though I’m not sure why. “Back to the snakes.” “Oh, thank you,” Taylor said. “I was afraid you’d forgotten.” “There’s the brown snake, which is known for its bad temper and aggressive nature, which makes it very dangerous. The mulga snake, which puts out ten times the amount of venom in one bite as the tiger snake, the red-bellied black snake . . .” “Which isn’t really black, only its toes are,” Tanner mocked.

“Snakes don’t have toes,” Ostin said. “That would make it a lizard.” “He’s so literal,” Tessa said.

“It’s one of his more endearing qualities,” McKenna said.

“. . . There’s the southern death adder, which is dangerous because it likes to camouflage itself, so it gets stepped on a lot and the venom acts so fast that half the victims die before they can get antivenin. . . .” “And it has ‘death’ in its name, which makes it super-scary,” Tessa added.

“And then there are spiders.”

“Of course there are,” Taylor said.

“Can we please stop now?” Abigail said. “I have arachnophobia. I’m not kidding.” “I love that word,” Ostin said, ignoring Abigail’s request. “My favorite is the Sydney funnel-web spider, which is one of the world’s most dangerous spiders. Humans are especially susceptible to its venom.” Tanner asked Taylor, “Why would anyone have a favorite spider?” “I’ll just stick to the ocean,” Tessa said.

“You’re not safe in the ocean,” Ostin said. “Especially not in this ocean. It’s filled with all kinds of killers.” “Like the great white shark,” Jack said.

“Yes, but there’s worse,” Ostin said. “Much worse.” “What’s worse than a great white?”

“There’s the blue-ringed octopus, with one of the most toxic venoms on the planet. If it bites you, it causes paralysis within minutes, stopping your heart and lungs.” “I can do that in seconds,” Cassy said.

“You bite people and cause paralysis?” Zeus asked.

Cassy laughed. “Sometimes.”

Ostin continued. “There’s the cone snail. One sting can kill fifteen healthy adults within hours.” “But one sting doesn’t kill fifteen anything, because one sting is for one person and you only die once,” Zeus protested.

“Don’t start that again,” Taylor said. “It’s a slippery slope.” “There’s a fish called the stonefish. Its sting is so excruciating that people die just from the pain. When it comes to killers, most people think of the great white shark as the deadliest creature of the sea, but the box jellyfish has killed more people than all sharks, stonefish, and crocodiles combined. And it’s almost invisible.” “That is so comforting,” Taylor said. “The invisible killer.” “Like carbon monoxide,” Jack said.

Ostin continued. “Even the gentle male platypus has enough venom to kill a dog.” Taylor groaned. “That does it. I’m not getting off the plane.” “Is there anything venomous in Tuvalu?” Three of us said at the exact same time, “Hatch.” * * *

A few minutes later Tessa said, “I know something about Australia. The name ‘Kylie’ came from the name of an aboriginal hunting stick similar to the boomerang.” “So Kylie just keeps coming back,” Zeus said.

“All I know about Australia,” McKenna said, “is that they have koala bears, a whole lot of kangaroos, and that famous place where they hold concerts.” “That would be the Sydney Opera House,” Ostin said. “Did you know that if all the sails of the Sydney Opera House roof were combined, they would create a perfect sphere?” “A spear?” Jack said.

“A sphere. You know, a ball. The architect was peeling an orange when he came up with the idea.” “A ball or an orange?” Jack asked.

“They’re both spheres,” Ostin said.

“Then why didn’t you just say an orange to begin with?” “Yeah,” Zeus said. “You can’t peel a ball.” “I peeled a golf ball once,” Tanner said. “It had like a million elastics inside. It moved like it was alive.” “This is making me hungry for oranges,” Tessa said.

“We should eat more bananas,” Taylor said. “I’ve been slacking off.” “No one ever designed anything to look like a banana,” Jack said.

Tessa shook her head. “Can you blame them?” Ostin sighed. “Also, some shopping malls play classical music in their parking lots at night to scare off teenagers.” “That would scare me,” Nichelle said. “More than a wombat.” “Much more than a wombat,” Tessa agreed.

In spite of everyone pretty much dissing Ostin (who now looked as if he might lose his mind), I was glad for the conversation. Somehow it made me feel hopeful. I suppose in times of danger it is helpful to cling to mundane things. Like holding on to a life raft in rapids.

While everyone was talking, I looked over at Welch. He was sitting alone, quietly watching us. He had a grim look on his face. I wondered what was going on in his mind. The reality of him being with us was a strange one for all of us, but it had to be especially strange for him. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had hunted us in our childhood. He didn’t look so frightening now. In fact, other than his size, he looked just like any other man you might walk by and not notice.

I remember hearing something from the Bible that said, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?” This was the man who made us tremble, who was calling the shots against us in Peru and Taiwan. Now he was sitting with all of us, quietly listening.

I wondered what that felt like, to be cast out from your tribe and to seek refuge among your former enemies. Among the Elgen, Welch was a traitor. I suppose the real question is, you can take the man out of the evil, but can you take the evil out of the man?

Still, the fact that he was going with us to Tuvalu spoke volumes about him. I wasn’t sure what Hatch would do with us, but it was a guaranteed death sentence for Welch. Back in Dili, Jack had asked me if I thought we could trust him.

“What are the odds of Hatch forgiving him?” I asked.

“Zero,” Jack replied. “Less than zero. Negative zero.” “That’s why we can trust him.”

“I’m going to talk to Zeus,” I said. Taylor scooted back so I could get around her, and I walked down the aisle. Tessa was asleep next to him, listening to music with earbuds. “Hey, can I ask you something?” “Yeah, bro.”

“You don’t need to answer if you don’t want.” “Ask away.”

“What is it between you and Welch? It feels like there’s bad blood.” Zeus’s eyes narrowed as he glanced toward Welch. “Yeah, there’s bad blood. A freaking river of it.” “What happened?”

“You mean other than he was the one who kidnapped me and killed my family?” “No, that’s enough reason to hold a grudge.” “There’s more. We were on the outs long before you showed up. Remember when the Elgen found us in the safe house in Idaho, before we went to Peru? There was that one guard who hated me because I shocked him in the shower and he hurt his back?” That time seemed like a lifetime ago. “Yeah. The one who was torturing you.” “That’s the dude. He was Welch’s college buddy. Ever since he hurt his back, Welch treated me like trash. Most of the time he called me ‘stinky’ or ‘the pungent one’ in front of the other Glows. If it wasn’t for Hatch, I’m sure he would have done worse.” “I can see why you hate him,” I said softly. “Anyone would. But right now, we can’t afford any division between us. Can you forgive him?” “No.”

“Can you work with him?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I can put it aside. For now.” “Then do that. There will be time after to put things right.” “What if there’s not?”

I looked at him for a moment, then said, “Then it won’t matter, will it?” He thought about that, then grinned. “You’re right.” We bumped fists, and I went back to my seat.

Taylor waited until I had settled in before asking, “How’d it go?” “Not good,” I said. “But we’ll survive.” A few minutes later our pilot, Scott, came out of the cockpit. He crouched down next to Gervaso.

“So if he’s out here, who’s flying the plane?” Nichelle asked.

“His copilot’s still in front,” Zeus said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ostin said. “The plane can fly itself. It’s called autopilot. It’s like autocorrect.” “I hope it’s not like autocorrect,” Jack said. “I sent a text to a girl that said I wanted to kiss her. Her father ended up on my doorstep with the police. The autocorrect had changed my text to I wanted to kill her.” Tanner laughed. “That’s epic, dude.”

“Her dad didn’t think so.”

“Excuse me,” Gervaso said, standing up near the front. “May I have your attention?” We all stopped talking and looked at him.

“We are currently a little more than two hours from Sydney. After we land, we’ll be going to a hotel where we can rest and wait out this storm before we fly to Fiji. Are there any questions?” “How long will we be in Sydney?” McKenna asked.

“The short answer is, we don’t know. The storm has interrupted our timeline. Probably at least a few days. If the boats aren’t sailing, it’s better we wait in Australia. Fiji’s a small country with many Elgen informants.

“The longer answer is, we’ve got eight days until the Elgen kill the first of their youths. So weather or not, we’re going.” McKenna raised her hand. “Once we get to Sydney, can we go out, or do we have to wait in the hotel?” “You should be okay to go out. Just be smart about it and don’t go out alone. Buddy system.” He looked around. “Any other questions?” Ostin asked, “Why didn’t we fly directly to Auckland, New Zealand? It’s a fifty percent shorter flight to Fiji.” “I’ll answer that,” Scott said. “Besides the weather, three months ago, the Elgen started running a direct charter from Tuvalu to Auckland, which means there are now full-time Elgen guards and employees at the Auckland Airport. Even though it is New Zealand’s largest airport, it’s still a single runway, which means—” Ostin interrupted, probably trying to save face after being publicly schooled. “. . . The odds of encountering Elgen is highly probable and therefore unacceptable. Smart move.” “I’m glad you agree,” Scott said, smiling slightly. He gave us a short wave. “I’ll see you on the ground.” A moment later Cassy squatted down in the aisle next to Taylor and me. “Hi, Michael. Taylor.” “Hey,” I said.

Taylor just kind of nodded.

Cassy asked, “Is now a good time to talk?” “Sure,” I said.

“You can take my seat,” Taylor said, abruptly standing.

“You don’t need to leave,” Cassy said.

“No,” Taylor said. “I do. I need to stretch my legs.” I watched her as she walked toward the back of the plane.

Cassy sat down next to me. “I’m sorry, is there a problem?” “No. She’s just a little . . .”

When I didn’t finish, Cassy said, “Jealous?” I nodded. “Yeah. A little.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. We’ve just had a rough go of it lately.” I reclined my seat back a few inches. “So what did you want to talk about?” “I’ve been waiting to meet you for so long that I feel like I should get to know you better.” “You’ve been waiting to meet me?”

“For a long time. I’ve known about you for more than five years. We knew you were out there somewhere before you were found by the Elgen. We were looking for you too. Unfortunately, the Elgen found you first.” “That was unfortunate,” I said.

“I’m sorry. We did our best. I’ve heard about Cell 25.” I hurried to change the subject. “So what did you want to ask me?” “All right,” she said, settling into the seat. “First question. You were the last to find out that there were other electrics. What was it like to grow up thinking there was no one else in the world like you?” I pondered her question. “Mostly it was lonely. Partially because my mother and I were always hiding and moving. And partially because I always felt like I was different from everyone else and I was afraid of what they would think if they knew the truth. It wasn’t until just recently that I learned that almost everyone feels that way. You don’t have to be an electric mutant to feel like you’re different.” “Or have Tourette’s,” she said.

“Or have Tourette’s,” I repeated.

“I was told that you keep getting more electric. Is that true?” I put my hands out in front of me with the fingers about three inches apart. Electricity began arcing between my hands. “I’m not even pulsing. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t do that.” “I’ve also heard that you can absorb other powers.” “Not always,” I said. “It’s happened, though.” “Can you absorb mine?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will you try?”

I thought about it. “No. I can’t control it. I’m not sure what will happen with it.” “It’s okay,” she said. “I really want to see if you can.” When I didn’t say anything, she said, “Please.” I breathed out slowly. “All right. I’ll try. No guarantees it will work.” I put my hand on her arm. “Let’s see.” I could feel her, as if she was dissolving into me. Then suddenly she froze. Completely. Her eyes didn’t blink or move, she wasn’t breathing. “Cassy?” She couldn’t speak.

“Cassy!” I took my hand off, and she fell sideways, completely still. She looked dead.

“Gervaso!” I shouted.

Gervaso jumped up. “What’s wrong?”

“Cassy passed out or something.”

He grabbed Cassy by the shoulders and lifted her. “Recline her seat all the way.” I pressed her seat button, and he laid her back.

“She’s not breathing,” Gervaso said. “What happened?” “She wanted to see if I could freeze her.” “Her heart stopped!” Ian shouted from the front.

Gervaso began giving her CPR.

“It’s not working,” Ian said. “Her blood’s not flowing to her brain.” Gervaso pushed harder.

“Still nothing,” Ian said. “We’re losing her.” “Let me shock her,” I said.

“Hurry,” Gervaso said, leaning back. I put my hands on Cassy’s chest and pulsed. Her whole body jumped. Then she began trembling and gasping for air.

“She’s back,” Ian said.

I breathed out in relief. “I’m so sorry.” “It was an accident,” Gervaso said. “Abi, come help us.” “Here,” Abigail said.

She put her hand on Cassy’s head, and Cassy’s body immediately began to relax. After a few seconds Cassy opened her eyes and groaned. Everyone was quiet. She looked up at Abi and me.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“What happened?”

“I froze you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Abigail rubbed Cassy’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” “Yes. Thank you. You have a beautiful gift.” “Thank you.”

“How does she look, Ian?” Gervaso asked.

“Heart, lungs, and blood flow look normal.” Gervaso still looked concerned. “How do you feel?” “I think I’m okay. Just a headache.”

He felt her forehead, then said, “All right. Just rest. We’ll see how you are after we land.” He got up and went back to his seat.

“I really am sorry,” I said. “I wasn’t trying to kill you. I shouldn’t have done that.” It took a moment for her to answer. “It’s not your fault. I made you do it.” “That’s the problem with taking someone’s power. They’ve been using their powers most of their lives. For me it’s like riding a bike for the first time.” A little while later Taylor came up the aisle and knelt down next to Cassy. She put her hand on her arm. “Are you okay?” “I think so. I’m sorry I’ve taken your seat. I don’t think I can walk just yet.” “No hurry,” Taylor said softly. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” “Thank you.”

Taylor glanced at me, then went to the back of the plane. After a moment Cassy said, “That was nice of her.” “She’s a good person,” I said.

“I know.” She closed her eyes again. “I’ve wondered what it felt like to be on the other side of my power. It’s not so great.” “You do a better job of not hurting people,” I said.

“I’ll have to remember to go easy.”

“I think you just went through more than most.” She said softly, “I know. I think I died.” “What?”

“My heart stopped, right?”

I looked at her quizzically. “Yes, but you were unconscious. How did you know that?” “My body was unconscious, but I wasn’t.” “What do you mean?”

“I left my body. I was, like, floating above my body and I could see what everyone was doing. You reclined my seat and Gervaso gave me CPR. Ian shouted from the front that my heart was stopped and that blood wasn’t getting to my brain. Then you shocked me.” I looked at her in amazement. “That’s exactly what happened.” “I could see everything. Ostin was working on a crossword puzzle. He was writing P-R-O-B-O-S-something.” I looked back over my seat. “Ostin.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you doing a crossword puzzle?”

“I was. Why?”

“Did you write . . .” I looked at Cassy. “What was that?” “Probos . . . ,” she said, struggling with the word.

“’Proboscis,’” Ostin said. “Eleven across, a nine-letter word for a mammal’s long nose or snout. That’s when I stopped to see how you were. How did you know that?” “Lucky guess,” she said, leaving Ostin baffled. She looked back at me. “The really weird thing, I was able to go outside the plane and travel as fast as it was. Even faster. I went to the front of the plane and watched the pilots. The younger one is asleep. The other was eating a Hershey’s chocolate bar.” Her brow fell. “Do you think I was dead?” “I’ve heard that when you die, you’re supposed to see a light.” “I didn’t see it,” she said. “But maybe it’s because I wasn’t supposed to die.” “Maybe,” I said. “I’m glad it wasn’t your time.” “That’s a good omen, right? About our mission?” I thought about it. “Yeah, I think so.” Cassy took in a deep breath. “I still don’t feel very good. I think I’ll rest a little.” She lay back and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes she was asleep. I picked up a Popular Science magazine and read.

About a half hour later she woke, rubbing her eyes with her hand.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, setting down my magazine.

“Better.”

“I wanted to ask you something,” I said.

“Go ahead.”

“What’s it like, living with the voice?” “I’ve been treated really well. I guess I’ve always considered myself lucky.” “In what way?”

“You know, the Elgen could have found me first. I might have been fighting against you right now instead of with you.” “What do you do with the voice?”

“I’m mostly his bodyguard. This mission is one of the few times I’ve left him.” “He made you come?”

“No. I volunteered.”

“Really? You volunteered for this? Didn’t you know how dangerous it was?” She nodded. “I knew.”

“Then why would you volunteer?”

“Why did you?”

I shrugged. “Someone had to do it.”

“Exactly.” A moment later she added, “And maybe I was bored.” “If you were bored, you could have found something safer to do than attacking the Elgen. Like skydiving without a parachute.” She laughed. “I think there was also some guilt involved.” “Who made you feel guilty?”

“You. Not that I’m blaming you. It’s just, you and your friends have been out here fighting this whole time while I’m living safe and in luxury. When I was little, the voice read a quote to me. It was something like, ‘You should be ashamed to die without winning some victory for humanity.’” I looked at her with surprise. “I know that quote. I think it was important to my father.” She slightly nodded. “Then you understand why I needed to prove myself.” “Proving yourself could cost you your life. Is it worth it?” She smiled a half smile. “Ask me that after I die.” I grinned.

“I think the real question is, is an unproven life worth living?” As I thought about the question, she touched my arm. “I think I should give Taylor her seat back.” She started to stand up.

“Cassy. Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being courageous.”

She smiled. “I had good examples.” She walked slowly back to her seat, stopping to thank Taylor on the way.

Taylor came back over and sat by me. “She’s really nice. I feel like such a jerk.” “I’m the one who almost killed her.”

We landed in Sydney late in the afternoon, though the rain was torrential and the skies were so overcast that it almost looked like night. The storm was still raging a few hundred miles northeast of us, so there wasn’t much we could do but wait it out and hope the storm died before the Glows did.