Black Water

EELONG

(CONTINUED)

“No way!”Bobby exclaimed as he stepped into the cavernous room that was the helicopter hangar. “You guys can fly?”

“Gigs have been around forever,” Kasha explained. “They’re simple, really.”

Bobby examined the first gig he came to. The body looked like a bumper car from an amusement park, only narrower. There were two seats in an open cockpit, side by side. The body itself looked to have been molded out of a natural resin material that was hard, like plastic. The craft was a deep yellow color. Half of the gigs were the same yellow and the rest were a deep, forest green. Rising up from behind the cockpit like a triple umbrella were three rotors. The blades of each were only a few feet across, rather than a single, large rotor like Second Earth helicopters. There were two more small rotors on either side of the body, below the cockpit. Each of these rotors was encircled by a ring of the same hard, resin material that the body was made out of.

“No wheels?” Bobby asked.

“Rollers,” Kasha said, and gave the gig a push. The light little craft moved forward a few feet. “It’s powered by the same type of crystals that light the city.” She pointed out two clear, crystal panels that were built into the body in front of the cockpit, and behind. She reached into the cockpit and squeezed a handle in front of the right seat. “Look to the front,” she said.

Bobby looked to see a set of pincer claws attached below the rounded nose-they looked big enough to grab a good-size pumpkin. As Kasha squeezed the handle, the pincers opened and closed like a lobster claw.

“We can pluck fruit from the highest treetops and drop it in a container hanging underneath.”

“Isn’t it kind of…dangerous?” Bobby asked.

“It’s safer harvesting with a gig than fighting off tangs. Except we can’t carry as much as a wagon, so it’s not always practical.”

“Can you fly this thing?” Bobby asked.

“All the foragers can. There’s only one problem with the gigs. The crystals can’t store enough solar energy to spin the blades. So we can only fly during the day.”

Bobby looked to the far side of the hangar where there was a huge opening that looked out onto the forest. A large platform was built out from the tree, where Bobby figured the gigs were launched. But what he focused on was the sky. It was turning from black to deep blue. Daytime was coming.

“I think this is how they’ll do it,” Kasha said somberly. “Two klees can fly over Black Water with the Cloral poison attached to the front. It would be simple to fly down low over the village and dump it. We do it all the time with fertilizer over farms. Black Water would be destroyed before they made the turn to come back.”

“And Saint Dane and the klees could stay here all safe and comfortable while an entire race was wiped out.”

“With the rest of Eelong soon to follow.”

Bobby took a few steps toward the giant hangar door and looked out at the early-morning sky. “They can’t fly until it gets light?”

“Exactly, which means we don’t have much time,” Kasha said. “To do what?”

She gestured to the neat rows of helicopters and said, “Sabotage.”

Gunny looked ahead to see the faint outline of the mountains that held Black Water. That was the good news. They were getting close. The bad news was that he could see them at all. It meant daytime was coming and with it, the chance of a tang attack. They had been riding through the night, constantly coaxing the zenzens to gallop, trying to beat the gars who were making their way to Black Water. The animals were at the point of exhaustion and so were the riders. It was a grueling journey.

“Ho!” Gunny shouted, and pulled his zenzen to a stop. Soon the others galloped up and stopped. They were at the point where the jungle began to grow sparse and give way to dry, rocky terrain.

“It’s going to be light soon,” Gunny announced. “This is our last chance to take a break.”

“Gladly!” Courtney shouted and hopped off her panting zenzen. “I’ve been bouncing so much I think I’m two inches shorter.”

Everybody dismounted and stretched. “How much farther, Gunny?” Mark asked as he did a deep knee bend to get the circulation back.

“At this pace I’d say we’ll hit the trail into the mountains in about an hour. Then maybe another hour from there until we’re inside Black Water.”

“We’re going to make it!” Spader exclaimed. “Saint Dane won’t attack until the gars get there and we’re way ahead of them.”

“Maybe,” Gunny said. “We don’t know what he’s planning.”

Boon added, “And we’re not there yet.”

“Hobey!” Spader exclaimed. “Let’s be positive.”

“Okay,” Boon said. “I’m positive we’re not there yet.”

Spader laughed and said to Boon, “I like you, mate. When this is over I want to show you Cloral.”

“You sure about that?” Courtney asked. “Can klees swim?”

“No, we can’t,” Boon answered. “Would I have to swim if I went to Cloral?”

Courtney, Mark, and Spader exchanged glances, and burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Boon asked, confused.

Spader answered, “Maybe a trip to Cloral’s not such a good idea after all-“

The attack came without warning. A tang leaped from some low bushes just off the trail. It had crept as close as possible before making its move. Its target… was Mark.

“Ahhh!” Mark screamed as the beast jumped on his back, throwing him to the ground. The lizard opened its mouth and lunged. But instead of soft flesh, the tang got a mouthful of broken teeth when it clamped on the steel tank.

Boon leaped and tackled the lizard like a linebacker. With one quick move, he lashed at the surprised tang’s throat with his sharp claws. The tang didn’t stand a chance.

Spader swooped in and pulled Mark to his feet. “You all right, mate?”

Mark’s eyes were wide with fear. He was breathing fast, but able to nod and say, “Y-Yeah.”

“Back on the zenzens!” Gunny ordered.

Gunny and Courtney mounted up while Spader helped Mark climb onto Boon’s animal. They all looked back toward Boon. What they saw made them turn away just as quickly. Boon was backing away from the dying tang, his paw glistening with blood. Tang blood.

“Boon!” Courtney yelled. “C’mon.”

Boon kept his eyes on the tang to make sure it didn’t jump up and fight to its last breath. A sharp hiss of exhalation told Boon he needn’t bother. The tang was finished. The entire event took no more than twenty seconds.

“I…I’ve never killed a tang before,” Boon said with a quivering voice. He was truly shaken.

“You picked the right time to start,” Spader said. “You saved us all.”

“Pull yourself together, Boon,” Gunny said with authority. “It’s getting light and there are more tangs where that came from. No more stops until Black Water. Yah!” He kicked his zenzen and galloped off. Courtney was right behind and Spader behind her.

Boon climbed onto the zenzen in front of Mark and grabbed the reins.

“Th-Thank you,” Mark said. “You saved my life.”

“Thank me later,” Boon replied, still a little shocked. “We’re not done yet.”

Boon kicked the zenzen, and they galloped after the others. Smash!

Kasha used a heavy metal tool to crack the crystal power source on the front of a gig. She dug out the broken pieces with the clawlike device, then moved to the back and smashed the rear crystal. Bobby had his own tool and was doing the same to another gig. It was a slow process because the crystal was diamond hard. They had been working for nearly half an hour and had sabotaged only ten gigs.

“It’s getting lighter,” Bobby announced as he looked out the hangar door. The sky was getting bright. Daylight painted the treetops. It was going to be a nice, clear day, unfortunately.

“Keep working,” Kasha ordered. “We don’t know when they plan to-“

They both heard the door opening at the same time. Kasha and Bobby ducked down behind a gig and looked to the hangar door. Two klees entered, looking relaxed and casual.

“You piloted the last two missions,” one klee complained. “It’s my turn in the command chair.”

“Who’s the senior forager here?” the second klee asked patiently.

“Well, you, but-“

“And who’s responsible for the success of this mission?”

“Okay, you are, except-“

“This is history!” the second klee said. “When they write about this day, nobody’s going to remember who was in the command chair. They’re only going to remember that two hero klees saved Eelong.”

“Really?” the first klee asked with a big smile.

“Yes, really,” the second answered.

“Yeah, well, I still think it’s my turn,” the first klee complained.

“Live with it,” the senior forager snapped back.

The two klees went to the front row and pushed a yellow gig out of line toward the edge of the launch platform. It was one of the helicopters that Bobby and Kasha hadn’t yet sabotaged.

“I know them,” Kasha whispered. “They’re the two best flyers we have.”

“Figures,” Bobby said, deflated.

Three more klees entered the hangar. The first was the new viceroy of Leeandra, Timber… Saint Dane. He was followed by two klees who struggled to carry a shiny, golden tank. It was the size of the propane tank Bobby’sdad had used to fuel their barbeque at home. The tank must have been heavy, because it took two klees to carry it. They got to the end of a row of gigs, turned the corner, and one klee caught the back of his leg on a side rotor. It threw him off balance, and he fell.

“Look out!” the klee called as he let go of the tank.

“Help!” the second klee said in a panic.

Timber reacted with incredibly quick reflexes. He spun around and caught the tank just before it hit the floor. The other klees stood frozen, holding their breaths.

“Sorry,” the fallen klee said sheepishly.

“Sorry?” Timber repeated. “You nearly killed every klee in Leeandra and all you can say is…’sorry’?”

The klee looked down, ashamed.

“Leave,” Timber commanded. The clumsy klee skulked away. Timber carried the tank the rest of the way himself.

“I think we almost died,” Kasha whispered.

“If that’s the Cloral poison, we almost did,” Bobby agreed.

The two crawled cautiously forward to get a better look at what the klees were doing. They watched as the two pilots took charge of the golden tank and attached it to the pincer claws on the front of their yellow gig. They ran black tubing from the tank and attached it to the body beneath.

“They’re setting it up like they’re going to spray fertilizer over crops,” Kasha whispered.

“Or death over Black Water,” Bobby whispered somberly.

When the job was finished, the two pilots stood at attention in front of their new viceroy.

“You must fly into the wind,” Timber instructed. “Come in close to the rim of the canyon, drop down low, and release the chemical. One pass will be enough. Do not circle back or you will meet the same fate as the savages below. Understood?”

“Yes. Understood,” the pilots answered.

Timber continued, “Once you have passed over Black Water, set your sights on the gars that are traveling toward the mountains.” Timber chuckled and added, “They think they have saved themselves by fleeing from Leeandra, but all they’ve done is separate themselves from the klees so we can cut them down more efficiently.”

The klees chuckled at the irony. Timber held out a map. Seegen’s map. “The mountain range is vast,” he instructed. “Follow this map precisely or you’ll miss your target.”

The copilot took Seegen’s map and said, “Don’t worry, Viceroy. I’ll get us there.” He folded the map and put it inside his tunic.

“After your mission, you will forever be heroes in the minds of klees everywhere,” Timber said. “I thank you, and your fellow klees thank you.”

“The light is high enough,” the commander said. “We can fly right away.”

“Not yet,” Saint Dane said. “We want to make sure that most of the gars have reached the killing ground.”

Bobby felt his stomach tighten. They were talking about mass murder as casually as if they were discussing sports.

“Be ready,” Saint Dane said as he turned to leave. “I will return to send you off momentarily.” The other klee followed him out, leaving the pilots alone. The two pilots relaxed and smiled.

“We’re going to be heroes!” the copilot shouted with giddy enthusiasm. “Will we get medals?”

“Don’t start writing any speeches yet,” the commander said as he climbed aboard the gig. He sat in the left-hand, pilot’s seat. “Let’s fly the mission first.” He toggled three switches and shouted, “Clear!”

The copilot took a step back from the gig. With a low whine, the three overhead rotors began to turn. In no time they were up to speed and whirring softly. Bobby was surprised at how quiet they were. They sounded more like powerful fans than the helicopters back home.

“Now’s our chance,” Kasha said as she crept forward.

“Whoa, to do what?” Bobby asked.

“To steal the gig, of course,” she said, and tossed her lasso at Bobby. “Take out the copilot,” she ordered, and sprang from their hiding place. Bobby caught the lasso awkwardly and followed her.

“Take out the copilot?” he said to himself quickly. “Yeah, right.”

As Kasha ran, she reached into her belt pouch to retrieve her lethal disks. The klees had no idea what was coming. Kasha silently flung the first disk, hitting the commander square in the shoulder. He screamed and looked around with surprise.

Bobby ran for the copilot, having no idea what he was going to do. He had never thrown a lasso in his life. He clutched the rope near the three balls. The confused copilot was turning to look back at what all the screaming was about. Bobby figured this was his one shot at catching him by surprise. He flung the lasso. The three balls flew toward the copilot, catching him on the legs and tripping him up. It was the best Bobby could have hoped for.

Kasha quickly threw another disk at the commander and caught him in the other shoulder. The stunned klee struggled to power up the gig, but he was too late. Kasha pounced. She yanked him out of the craft and threw him to the ground.

Bobby didn’t know what to do next. He grabbed one end of the lasso and tried to run around the copilot in a desperate attempt to tie up his legs. It was a lame effort. The copilot quickly got his wits back and lashed at Bobby with his claws. Bobby dove away, barely missing being sliced. He was helpless against this deadly cat.

Kasha scrambled into the gig. She was halfway in and already throttling up. The rotors hummed faster, blasting wind across the platform.

“Stop her!” the injured commander shouted.

The copilot forgot about Bobby and leaped for Kasha.

“Kasha, look out!” Bobby yelled.

Too late. Kasha’s attention was on the gig controls. She wasn’t prepared for the attack. The copilot yanked her out of the seat and with a mighty heave, sent her spiraling backward toward the edge of the platform.

Bobby grabbed the lasso and bolted for her. On the run, he tossed the balls.

“Kasha!” he yelled.

Kasha grabbed wildly at the lasso as the balls flew past her and caught the rope. Bobby planted and held on to the other end, ready to be yanked, praying he could hold on. The rope went tight and Bobby dug his heels in. Kasha pulled back and was saved only two steps before tumbling over the edge. Bobby pulled her back onto the platform, safe. They were instantly hit with a blast of wind. They both looked up in time to see the gig lifting off, with the copilot at the controls. The side rotors that had been parallel to the ground, rotated until they became perpendicular. They whined to life, and the gig shot forward, right for Bobby and Kasha. The two dove for the deck as the gig shot over their heads, barely clearing them. The small helicopter sailed out over the city of Leeandra, throttled up, and was gone.

Kasha and Bobby lay together on the platform, out of breath, staring at the little helicopter as it grew smaller in the distance.

Kasha said, “Do you think the others will make it in time?”

“I don’t know,” was Bobby’s honest answer.

Kasha looked back at the rows of gigs. Bobby saw her eyes sparkle, as if she were hit with an idea.

“Pull a gig out here now!” she ordered while getting to her feet.

“What? Why?” Bobby asked.

“We’re going after him.”

Bobby didn’t allow himself to think of all the reasons why this was a bad idea. He ran to the first gig he saw, a green one. He made sure its crystals were intact, then rolled it out onto the platform. When he got near the edge, he saw that Kasha had tied the klee commander up with her lasso.

“Why, Kasha?” the pilot asked. “This is treason!”

“Killing the gars will mean killing off Eelong,” Kasha answered. “Timber knows it-that’s why he wants to wipe them out.” She looked to Bobby and ordered, “Get in.”

Bobby obediently sat in the right, copilot seat. Kasha settled into the pilot’s seat and toggled the power switches. The overhead rotors began to turn.

“That’s insane. Why would he do that?” the klee commander asked.

“Because he’s a monster,” Kasha answered. “I swear to you, it’s true.”

The rotors whined faster and the little craft shook. “How do you know?” the klee asked.

“I’ve been to Black Water,” she answered. “The gars can save Eelong, but only if I can stop the poison from being dropped.”

“Can you?” Bobby asked.

“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Kasha said, and grabbed the joystick between the two seats. She twisted the handle, the rotors whined, and with a slight bump, the gig lifted off. Bobby instinctively held on to the side for support. The craft hovered a few feet above the platform. Kasha toggled a switch and Bobby looked down to see the side rotors rotate into position. Bobby realized that the overhead rotors gave the gig lift, but the side rotors moved them forward.

“Ready?” Kasha asked.

“Always,” Bobby answered.

Kasha pushed the joystick forward and the gig shot off the platform, high over Leeandra, in pursuit of the killer gig.