by Rae Knightly
I’ll need to take care of both.
Determined, he took out a piece of paper and pen and wrote: Gone to the SOVA. He left the piece of paper on his cushion, picked up the cookies and clambered down the stairs. “See you later, Auntie Jen!” he yelled, rushing out the door.
Reaching the path, he stopped and backtracked. Leaving without a surfboard would look suspicious, so he grabbed one that was leaning against the side of the house and headed to the beach.
He followed the shoreline, squinting at the waves. Surfers had once more claimed the beach, and it took him a while to discern which one of them was Kimi, but none resembled her.
Ben hesitated. He would have liked to talk to her, explain things so she would understand what he needed to do next, but she was nowhere in sight.
Disappointed, he headed to the pier for the second time that day. He dropped the surfboard and hopped on to the motorboat.
“What took you so long?” Kimi said.
Ben gaped. Kimi sat at the bottom of the boat, wearing her wetsuit and untying knots on a fishing net. Her long, black hair was tied loosely in a bun on top of her head, and she glared at him through the long bangs draping her eyes.
“I… er…”
She stood and narrowed her eyes. “I know where you’re going,” she said. “And you’re not going without me this time.”
Ben stared at her, at a loss for words.
“Stop gaping already,” she scolded. “It’s decided. We’re going to the SOVA, and we’re going to give them a piece of our minds.”
“But… how did you know?’
She rolled her eyes. “Even if you never tell me anything, I still know you better than you think. You decided to go to the SOVA the minute Uncle Pete told you not to. And I’m going with you.”
Ben sagged into the driver’s seat and stared at his friend. His heart bulged at her loyalty, but he was also extremely worried. “I don’t know…”
“Oh, stop it!” she snapped. “You don’t have to do everything on your own, you know? We’re in this together. Don’t you realize that yet?”
“I…,” he fidgeted. “It’s just… I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Oh, so it’s alright for you to face danger on your own, but I’m not allowed to decide what I want to do?” she said. “This is not your decision. I’m coming with you, and that’s final.” She plopped on the other seat and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.
Ben felt his cheeks burn. He wanted more than anything to be with her, but the responsibility fell on his shoulders. He knew things she didn’t, and that put her at a disadvantage. “Kimi, if I haven’t told you anything, it’s because I’m trying to protect you…”
She snorted and checked the time on her wristwatch.
“Um, ok,” he said, feeling as if he were walking on egg-shells. “Look, I’d like nothing more than for you to come along, but just so you’re aware, I’m going to get into heaps of trouble when I get back. You, on the other hand, still have a choice.”
“…and you don’t?” she retorted.
Ben pursed his lips, thinking of the orcas, then replied firmly, “No, I don’t.”
The determination in his voice must have surprised her because she looked at him, and her face softened. “Then, I don’t either,” she said. She placed her hand on top of his. “I’m coming, ok?”
Ben nodded slowly. “All right.” He forced a smile. “Thanks.” He meant it. It felt reassuring to have someone by his side. He creased his face in thought. “We have to plan carefully, though. Like, we need to make sure we have enough fuel…”
“Done,” she cut in. She lifted a fuel tank. “I filled her up and got some spare fuel, just in case.”
Ben’s eyes widened at her foresight. “O-o-k! That’s what I’m talking about! And I left a message in Wil’s room, so he knows where we are.”
Kimi grinned at him for the first time. “Good. We’d better hurry, then, before Wil finds out.”
Ben grinned back and started the motor. “We won’t be long, anyway,” he said.
CHAPTER 17 The SOVA
It took them a little over an hour to reach the SOVA. Metallic sounds from machinery somewhere inside the ship reached Ben and Kimi’s ears, but in spite of that, the boat had an eerie and abandoned feeling to it, maybe because the black hull with yellow bordering its deck-line was smudged with corrosion and dents.
Ben navigated to its side, making sure the SOVA would not drift into the motorboat, even though it was safely anchored in deeper waters. Floating next to its imposing hull felt a lot more dramatic than Ben had expected. He tried to ignore his nervousness at the idea that he was about to communicate with the sailors on board.
He exchanged a glance with Kimi, who nodded once in encouragement. He held his breath, feeling like a cheeky kid who had been challenged to knock on the grumpy neighbour’s door, then run away before anyone could open it. He raised his fist and thumped against the hull, the thuds echoing deep into the ship’s belly.
He took a step back and craned his neck.
Nothing happened.
“Try again,” Kimi breathed.
He did, this time using both hands. He thumped as hard as he could. “Hey!” he shouted. “Hello, up there. I need to talk to you.”
Kimi joined in. “HEEEY!”
They shouted and waved their arms. Ben pushed the side of the hull so the motorboat could drift back a bit. This gave them a better view of the deck way up above them.
Nothing moved.
“HELLO! HEY! Look down here!”
They yelled and yelled, but to no avail.
Finally, Ben plopped in the motorboat, wondering what to do next. Could the crew have abandoned the ship and travelled to land for the day?
But then, his ears picked up the sound of men’s voices from the port side, and suddenly, two heads popped over the railing. The men continued to chat together, even though they had spotted Ben and Kimi.
“Hey!” Ben shouted. “I need to talk to your captain. Can you call your captain, please?”
The pair continued to talk in a foreign language, ignoring him. Ben’s heart sank. How was he going to communicate with them if they could not understand each other? He kept meaning to ask Mesmo. Why was it he could use his skill to communicate with animals, but not with humans?
The sailors disappeared.
“Oh, come on!” Ben said with annoyance.
Kimi stood beside him, her hands on her hips.
They yelled for attention again. Then a third man appeared and gazed down at them. He wore a sailor’s cap and had a stubble beard. A cigarette hung loosely between his oil-stained fingers. He leaned over the side, resting his weight on his arms, then tapped at the cigarette, releasing ash from it.
Ben wrinkled his nose and brushed at the dust that landed on his shoulder.
The man took a deep inhale of the cigarette, then flicked the stump with the tips of his fingers, making the cigarette land in the water with a tiny fizz.
Now there were three men on deck, commenting and chuckling together. They did not seem interested in the teenagers at all.
Ben’s cheeks heated with indignity. “HEY! YOU! I’m talking to you. Pay attention for a minute.”
The man with the cap blew smoke through his mouth. “Vhat you vant, kid?” His deep voice bore a thick accent.
“Are you the captain?”
The man shrugged. “Vhat if am I?”
Ben’s nostrils flared. “You need to listen!” he persisted. “We’ve come from the shore, where a family of killer whales got stuck on the beach. Your machines disoriented them. They managed to free themselves, but this could happen again. You need to move further away from the coast.”
The man turned to the other two sailors, and Ben guessed he was translating what he had said.
Guffaws followed.
“Hey!” Ben yelled, his neck tensing. “What’s the matter with you? Do you not understand what I’m saying? You’re putting lo
cal wildlife in danger. You need to head back to the ocean.”
The two sailors disappeared as if they’d become bored by the show, while the smoking man propped his arms on the railing again and lit a new cigarette. “I indrested in zis vhale bizness. You tell more to me.” He waved Ben to the centre of the ship, where metal rungs stuck to the side of the hull. “You come. Tell me of vhales.”
Ben’s lips tightened into a thin line as he considered the offer.
“Ben!” Kimi’s warning whisper stopped him.
He glanced at her and saw her shake her head. Don’t do it, she was saying.
Ben exhaled.
She’s right.
His mom’s voice echoed in his mind. “Never accept a lift from strangers,” she’d say.
But I can’t let them get away with this.
Ben ignored the fluttering feeling in his stomach. He approached the wheel of the motorboat, then glared up at the man. “There’s nothing else to explain,” he said, shooting him a fiery look. “We came to warn you about the damage you’re doing and will continue to do if you don’t go away now. The Coast Guard is aware of you being here, so consider this a friendly warning.”
Ben turned the key in the ignition. The motor roared to life. He veered the boat slowly away from the hull of the SOVA, never taking his eyes off the man with the cigarette.
The man straightened with a smirk.
Then Kimi screamed, “Ben, watch out!”
Ben jumped in fright. His head snapped forward.
From the bow of the SOVA, an inflatable dinghy emerged, roaring towards them at full speed, its outboard engine cutting through the water.
Ben’s mind froze for a second before he realized the two sailors must have dropped it into the water on the other side of the ship so as not to alert him. He swung at the wheel of the motorboat, barely avoiding a head-on collision.
In a swift movement, the dinghy cut off Ben’s path, and as soon as the two boats thudded against each other, one of the SOVA sailors hopped on board. He grabbed Ben roughly by the arm and shoved him aside, making him fall heavily on his back. The burly man twisted the key out of the ignition and cast the keys into the water.
“No!” Ben yelled, springing to his feet in panic, but another sailor reached for his shoulder from behind and pulled him into the dinghy.
Kimi yelled as the burly sailor dragged her on to the dinghy, as well.
The second sailor grabbed a thick axe, jumped on to Wilson’s boat, and hacked away at its bottom. In no time, the motorboat began taking on water, with Ben and Kimi watching in horror.
The burly man towered before them. “You. Up. Speak to gaptain,” he ordered, pointing at the rungs of the SOVA.
Head spinning, Ben glanced helplessly at Kimi. His legs feeling like jelly, he stood and clambered up to the deck of the ship.
* * *
Mesmo watched the Wise Ones argue back and forth with tired eyes.
Ever since he had laid out the purpose of the meeting, asking them to help humans mend nature’s broken balance, he had remained silent, letting the seven men and women debate whether this was allowed, conceivable, or even worthy of consideration. He had known it would not be easy. Finding common ground was going to be an almost impossible feat.
Einar did not speak, he noticed, and he worried deeply what the Norseman could be thinking.
“Mesmo,” Wonomanga said in a warning voice. “Someone is here.”
Silence fell over the group as they turned to watch a person walk towards them on the path by the cornfields.
Mesmo stood as a man in a grey business suit approached. They shook hands, and Mesmo said, “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“I came as soon as I could,” the man answered.
“Observer,” Kahalu burst out. “Who is this? Explain yourself?”
Mesmo turned to the Wise Ones and said, “This is High Inspector James Hao from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He is the human expert on The Cosmic Fall and my trusted ally in my new mission to avoid a future confrontation with the Toreq. I have asked him to join us, so you can judge the seriousness of my resolve to help humans.
“The High Inspector has pledged to be a link between the human leaders and me, and I would wish for you to trust him in the same way.”
Indignant eyes turned Mesmo’s way as if the alien had broken a thousand unspoken rules in one go.
“Thank you for allowing me to take part in this meeting,” Hao said, ignoring the cold stares. “A very limited group of people of the highest rank are aware of the Toreq threat. The government wishes to keep it that way until Mesmo, and – ahem – perhaps you, would be willing to reveal more. Several heads of state have been notified and have been given access to the remaining alien spaceship debris recovered from the crash site. As you can imagine, this event is considered a major threat to them, but I believe, with your help and insight, we could turn this to everyone’s favour, for humans and Toreq alike.”
Einar spoke for the first time, never taking his eyes off Mesmo. “Well, Observer, it seems you are many steps ahead of us. You bring forth this High Inspector without our prior approval, yet are you not conveniently avoiding the mention of the other key negotiator in your elaborate plan? A human boy, who, I have heard, now possesses the Toreq translation skill.”
All eyes were on the Norseman.
“Why do you bring forth this Inspector,” Einar continued. “Yet, you do not bring forth this boy?”
* * *
Minutes later, Ben stood before the smoking man, whose cigarette hung precariously from the corner of his mouth. The captain sucked at the stub, then exhaled a cloud of smoke into Ben’s face.
Ben coughed, raucously.
The man waited for him to stop, then said with a smug look, “I Ivan, SOVA Captain. Vhen Ivan say, ‘you tell of vhales,’ then you come and tell Ivan of vhales. Time is money, da[6]?”
He tapped at a pair of binoculars that hung from his neck. “I make deal vhiz you. I vatch you zis morning. Vhales follow you. You tell Ivan vhere vhales go, then ve catch vhales. Customer buy for big vhale show. You make good money. You get rich.”
Ben’s legs went weak. He gaped at the captain. His mind reeled with worry, not only for himself and Kimi but also for the orcas. All he could manage was a shake of the head.
No way!
The captain pulled at the suspenders of his faded red fishing waders, then nudged his head at the sailors standing behind Ben.
They grabbed Kimi and led her to the railing. She shrieked and fought back, but was no match for them.
“No! Wait! What are you doing?” Ben yelled.
The captain stepped forward and put his face inches from Ben’s own, his small eyes hard as steel. “No deal, no girlvriend. You tell Ivan vhere vhales go, or girlvriend…” he made a slitting movement under his throat.
Ben’s pulse raced in terror. Things were getting out of hand way too fast.
There was a pause, which lasted a fraction of a second, as they waited for Ben to react, but his mind had frozen.
Kimi cried out again, as the sailors made to throw her overboard.
“Ok! I’ll tell you!” Ben shouted. “Let her go, please!”
The sailors loosened their grip on Kimi. She slipped out of their grasp and ran to Ben’s side, sobbing into his shoulder.
“They went south, ok?” Ben said defiantly. It was all he could do not to burst into tears. “They went south.”
The captain regarded him with emotionless eyes, puffing at his cigarette as if trying to decide whether Ben was telling the truth. Then he nodded slowly. “See? Deal not hard. But not good cooperation, so I keep vhale money.”
Ben stood his ground. “I told you what you wanted, now let us go.”
The captain smirked. “Ts, ts. Deal done vhen Ivan get vhales. Until then, you guests on great SOVA.” His laugh chilled Ben to the bone.
“You won’t get away with this. You’ll have the Coast Guard all over you
r trail.”
The captain eyed Ben from the corner of his eye. “Coast Guard?” He shielded his eyes with his hand and gazed at the empty horizon. “Vhere Coast Guard? Vhy small kids to come, and not mighty Coast Guard?” He pointed a finger at Ben’s nose. “No, Ivan zink you lie. Zere is no Coast Guard.” He turned and shouted gleefully, “Now, let’s catch zome vhales!”
Ben’s heart sank to the bottom of his feet.
The two sailors chuckled as they led the teenagers to the back of the ship.
Through stunned eyes, Ben watched as they marched along the trawl deck and passed a giant gantry crane, which stuck out from the centre of the ship. Then they followed a massive basin, which, he realized, was big enough to contain a killer whale or even two. But there was no time to think about this because they reached a small stack of containers, one of which turned out to be empty and reeking of fish.
The sailors pushed them inside and shut the hinged door on them with a heart-stopping bang.
CHAPTER 18 Precious Cargo
Ben wrapped his arm around Kimi’s shoulder and waited until she stopped sniffling. They sat to the side of the container, resting their backs on the hard, corrugated metal.
Rays of light from a couple of tiny holes in the roof hit the bottom of the container like laser beams, and Ben watched dust float around inside them.
He concentrated on not giving in to devastating panic at what he had done.
I shouldn’t have brought Kimi.
His mind screamed with guilt. He should have insisted she stay on shore, even if it meant losing her friendship.
I should have known better.
He swallowed the painful lump in his throat. He’d have to get her out. He didn’t know how, but that would have to be his priority above all else. And he’d have to think of something fast before the captain realized he had lied.
