by Elle Scott
‘More energetically inclined people?’ Miles teases, throwing a thumb at Trevor.
‘I heard that!’ Nina scoffs.
‘It’s true though, right? We’re being replaced by these young ones?’ the pilot says as he pours water down his back.
‘Yes, it’s true,’ Trevor says, resealing his bottle. ‘But they have a lot to learn yet! Keep moving, it should be right around the corner.’
I look behind us. Somehow, we’ve made it a few hundred metres up the base of the mountain. If I squint, I think maybe I can see the helicopter propellers through the dense leaves, but maybe that’s just my brain playing tricks on me.
The group starts moving again. Miles hangs back a few steps before saying, ‘I hope it’s true. The more field missions I get to do, the happier I’ll be!’
It doesn’t take long for us to be on their heels again. As I slide past Nina she gives me a warm smile and I try not to think what I thought before. I keep my eyes above neck-line and return her smile. I run to catch up with Ross. His eyes are glued to Trevor’s hand that holds the beacon. I lean over Trevor’s shoulder to get a better look. The beacon is a little larger than a phone and looks like a radar. A green line pulses from the middle and ripples out until it hits the sides of the screen and starts again. About an ant length up from the middle is a red dot that lights up when the green line goes over it.
Trevor stops, too quick for me though, and my chest slams into his back. ‘Sorry,’ I mutter, stepping back.
‘Ten metre perimeter!’ Trevor commands.
I look at Ross, and then Miles, but neither of them know what that really means.
‘Form a circle around the orb, but no closer than ten metres.’ Nina elaborates for us. She winks at us before walking around the orb to stand on the other side. The pilot follows her but doesn’t go as far. We all follow suit until we are standing in a massive circle.
And in the middle of our circle, a dusty sphere.
LEADER
Moss rises and falls over tree roots and rocks like a blanket. Green everywhere, except for one spot right in the middle of the circle we stand in. An orb sits lodged in the ground, it’s covered in dirt and dried leaves.
Trevor takes the first steps towards it. Ross moves in with him.
‘Stand back,’ Trevor yells. ‘We need to remove the debris before we can extract it.’
‘Can’t we just read it with the Electrostatic Analyser to determine its biology?’ Ross replies.
The trek part I can handle, but all this electro biology stuff goes way over my head. It seems to go over Miles’ head too, he’s busy gazing up the mountain.
‘Yes correct, but if there are contaminants on the orb you’ll get a mixed reading, its best to remove the debris first.’ Nina says, replacing Trevor’s harsh command with a softer, more understanding tone.
Trevor grabs a stick and tries to scrape the leaves and dirt off the orb. When that fails to remove the debris, he digs at the edges and tries to loosen it from its place in the ground. It’s like watching a stubborn child trying to fit a square into an octagon hole.
‘Does water hurt the orbs at all?’ I ask, retrieving my bottle from my backpack.
Trevor looks up as though he forgot I was here.
‘No.’ He continues to dig.
I search through my bag and remove a spare sock. I take a step into the forbidden circle, pour the water onto the sock, then slide the sock over my hand like a glove—just in case it’s one of those orbs you can’t touch with bare skin.
‘Xand…’ Nina begins, but once she sees what I’m doing she stops talking and nods her permission.
I bend down next to Trevor. He grabs my shoulder, and tries to push me back. ‘What are you doing? This is dangerous.’
I wave my hand in his face. ‘Cleaning it.’ I push past him and gently wipe the wet sock over the orb. Silver shines through.
‘Portal?’ I offer.
‘Let me get a read on it.’ Ross is gleeful as he places his analyser on the ground and presses buttons.
‘Just step back while we wait,’ Trevor says, less forceful.
‘It’s a portal!’ Ross booms.
I let Trevor pick it up. He covers it in a cloth and places it in his backpack. ‘Back to the helicopter,’ he sighs.
~~~
The walk back is slower than the walk up. We stop for the second time in ten minutes for Trevor to have a break, yet it doesn’t seem like we’ve walked far at all.
Miles doesn’t realise we’ve stopped until he’s five trees ahead of us. He runs back and says, ‘I thought we already had a break?’
‘Yeah at this pace we’ll be home at midnight.’ Ross groans.
‘Come on.’ Miles throws his arm across Trevor’s shoulder and helps him along.
We get to the base of the mountain and Trevor wants another break. I roll my eyes, no wonder they want “young ones” for these missions.
Nina wets her own spare socks and pats Trevor’s forehead with them. Sweat rolls down his temple and into the wrinkles on his neck.
‘He’s going to pass out.’ She says.
‘Can he use the portal orb?’ I ask.
‘No,’ Trevor croaks, standing up straight. His eyes flutter.
‘No, we keep it safe until we can store it in the vault. Those are our orders,’ Nina states.
‘And we’re expected to carry him through the forest if he faints?’ I shake my head. ‘The orb will be safe. Just used once, does that matter? Professor Nichols used the one he found the other day.’
Trevor leans against Nina and they continue walking. Ross shrugs and follows them.
What a stubborn bunch.
A tree cracks behind us. Ross turns around just as a roar fills the air and bounces off the canopy of branches.
Ross’ eyes widen. ‘RUN!’ He screams.
‘GO!’ Miles shouts, pushing me forward. The look in Ross’ eyes and the sound in Miles’ voice are enough to make me obey.
‘What was it?’ I ask, careful not to tread on the pilot’s heels in front of me.
‘Gorilla!’ Miles replies behind me.
I can’t help myself, I have to see. I glance over my shoulder. There it is, barely ten metres away, a large gorilla. Its fists pound the ground as it yells at us to leave its home. I expect it to charge but it seems happy enough that we are leaving.
Miles steams ahead and takes the weight of Trevor from Nina. We all slow down to a jog. We leap over fallen vines, rocks covered in moss, and tree roots that protrude from the ground. Beside me, the pilot’s foot catches on something; he hits the ground faster than I can catch him. His forearm is streaked immediately in blood.
The gorilla’s call still resonates through the jungle.
After I help the pilot up, I make a bee-line for Trevor’s backpack, I unzip it and pull out the orb. I slam it onto his chest, ‘Use the damn portal. There’s food and water in the helicopter, we will meet you there.’
Trevor nods and holds the orb; a shimmer passes over it.
‘Wait!’ Nina yells, but it’s too late, Trevor and Miles are gone.
‘What?’ Ross asks.
‘The orb could have transported more than the two of them.’ She says.
‘Could it have taken six? It could have taken six, couldn’t it?’ Ross asks, breathless.
‘Probably could have taken six!’ I sigh.
~~~
My head floats above me while my feet make strides down the tarmac towards the entrance to Palladium.
I’m in. I’m so in.
It had only taken ten minutes for the four of us to get back to the helicopter. The pilot asked Miles if he would be his “left” arm, but Miles ended up pressing all the buttons. The front seat suited him.
‘I found my calling.’ Miles beams.
‘Me too!’ says Ross.
I just nod as though my chin is in hyper-mode.
Ladlow walks through the Square making a bee-line for me. I brace myself for retribution. ‘I
heard of your intuitive leadership skills. You’ll be a good asset to our new explorer teams.’
Leadership skills? I never even thought. I mean … wow.
‘Do you think it’s possible for me to learn how to fly a helicopter?’ Miles asks his dad.
Ladlow furrows his brow as though Miles has asked him if ankles where a part of the human body. Ladlow turns to the pilot. ‘Can you see to it that Miles gets the proper training?’
‘I guess so … I don’t see why not … I’ll make the arrangements,’ the pilot replies.
Without another glance in our direction, Ladlow motions to Trevor and Nina to follow him back into the maze of labs.
Ross pats me on the back. ‘Oh no, we can’t possibly use the orb. Sacrilege, sacrilege.’
Miles laughs, then says; ‘I’m off to clean up. Great day, boys!’
I shake Ross, ‘Best day ever.’
‘I know! The equipment here is brilliant.’ Ross hugs his new back-pack as though it’s his very own puppy.
My whole body feels alive. Like being here has flicked a switch to a light-bulb inside me I didn’t know I had. The smile is permanently on my face. I dread the phone call to Mum telling her I most definitely will not be coming home anytime soon. She’ll be disappointed at first, but then she’ll sense that I’m changed, that I have purpose, and she’ll understand.
I look up and around the mezzanine as Ross and I wander across the Square. Trevor enters the Containment Room on the second floor, he takes the portal orb with him and puts it in the vault.
As we enter a hallway of labs, I say, ‘Remember in grade five, when you pulled me out in the middle of school because you thought you saw something fall from the sky?’
A smile spreads across Ross’ face, ‘I did see something fall from the sky.’
‘Yeah, except it wasn’t space junk like you thought it was. What was it again?’ I elbow his ribs already knowing the answer.
‘A kite,’ Ross says, his glasses lift from the grimace.
‘I got grounded so long for that. As we rushed around the beach hunting for it, you gave me something… and now you’ve given it to me again.’
‘What?’ He asks.
‘Excitement. Amazement. Drive.’
‘It’s going to be a wild ride, I’m so glad you’re here for it.’ Ross thumps me on the back.
I return the sentiment as we turn the corner to the bedroom hallway. In front of us, about ten metres away, Ladlow and Nichols stand talking.
‘That’s not what we’re doing here!’ Ladlow scolds.
Realising we’ve walked into a private conversation, I grab Ross and pull him back around the corner.
‘Uhhh, where are we?’ Ross whispers. ‘I thought our rooms were—’
‘I can’t get my head around you Ladlow, always burying your head in the sand. You can pretend to everyone around you, but I see right through it. I won’t be a part of it.’ Nichols replies with haste.
I look around and see a row of glass-walled labs. ‘Wrong hallway.’ I whisper back.
‘The orbs stay in the vault!’ Ladlow’s voice gets louder with every word.
Ross squints as he stretches his head closer to the corner.
‘Don’t worry, they will. And we will all lose.’ The gruffness of Nichols voice reminds me of when I first met him—when I thought he might throw me in the boot of his car for seeing something I shouldn’t have. Will his tone lighten up once he’s had time to think, like it did with me?
I don’t wait to find out. ‘Sounds like a power struggle,’ I say, grabbing Ross’ arm. ‘We should go.’
TEAM ALPHA
It’s been three months since Nichols left. I’m not surprised really, there was such a top-dog battle going on between them. I guess Ladlow won. Ross is a bit upset, Nichols being his professor and all, but I’m not fussed. Ever since that trial mission, I’ve been on top of the world. Nothing feels half-hearted anymore. I give it my all. Soon, I’ll have my own team to lead out on retrieval missions. My parents are proud; I haven’t been home since I left, but we talk all the time. Kate tells me she keeps them in check, I’ve no doubt she does.
Miles lays out the 8-balls in a triangle on the table. ‘Dad told me we are on the same team, all three of us.’
‘Really?’ I say grabbing a cue and looking over to Ross to see if he heard. He sits on the sofa with head-phones over his ears as he plays a video game.
‘Mm, I won’t hold my breath though, he also said he would get them to put in a basketball hoop…’, He motions around the newly finished Rec Room—not a hoop in sight.
‘Well I hope he means it.’ I say, lining up to break.
‘Everything is going to change, you know that?’ Miles says.
‘Everything already has changed for me.’ I reply.
‘True,’ Miles says, before sinking three balls in a row.
The speaker crackles. ‘Attention. Welcome address will commence in the Square in five minutes. All persons are required to attend.’
Miles throws his cue on the table. ‘Here we go!’
Ross uncovers one ear, and says, ‘I’ll meet you there, just two more minutes of this game!’
‘What do you say Captain? Team member falling behind?’ Miles teases.
‘I say, we can’t do the missions without him, give him the game, we need him happy.’
Miles chortles. ‘Too right we need him happy. I know nothing about orbs and their molecular molecs.’
‘Did you just make up a new word?’
‘I think I did!’ Miles says. He pushes the Rec Room door open and the sound of over a hundred people echoes from the Square.
Miles leans over the mezzanine. ‘See any fresh faces?’
We ride the elevator to join the masses. I follow Miles as we squeeze through the crowd and stand in front of the lectern.
Ladlow rolls a piece of paper in his hands around and around as he scans the sea of faces. He walks over to us: ‘Stand with me, Miles.’
Miles gives me a look that says something like “What the hell just happened? Was my dad just nice to me?”
If this was my first day at Palladium, Ladlow’s speech would have scared me right out the door and up to the tarmac. I would have taken Mum’s offer to come and get me, and bring me home, and forget that I ever wanted to do this crazy thing in the first place. Nobody leaves though.
Ladlow tells us there will be four teams with six explorers each. Explorer. I like that title.
‘Ok, Team Alpha,’ Ladlow starts. ‘Miles Ladlow, Elijah Wilhelm, Eleanora Ray, Vivian Dhawan, Alexander Abramson, Ross Dowd…’ Yes! I give a small fist pump to myself. Ladlow pulled through, the three of us are together.
I shuffle to the side and stand to the left most side of the lectern where Ladlow indicated. Ross is the first to join me, I rattle his shoulders so hard I think I can almost hear his bones clack together. Ross lifts his thumb over his shoulder, and I peer past him to see what he’s pointing at. A girl my age gives a semi-smile and waves with the tips of her fingers. Ross tells me her name but I’ve forgotten already. Her long hair looks like silk, and a few strands fall down like ribbons across her cheek. I begin to reach for her stray hair to tuck it behind her ear. At the last moment I realise how creepy that would be, so I lower my arm to offer a hand-shake instead.
‘Hi,’ I say.
Is my voice shaking? Has everyone gone from the room except for me and her? Am I holding her hand too long?
Nora! Ross’ words catch up in my brain. Her name is Nora. Half of me wants to fall into those light-filled eyes that bait me like a hook in a fish’s throat, and the other half… the other half of me… wait, that’s it, that’s all I want to do.
<<<<>>>>
CONTINUE THE STORY WITH:
Flip the page to read the first three chapters now…
ONE
Nora
Present day
I need relief.
Towering man-ferns give me shade and promise to cool me from
the harsh sun, a few small rays make their way through the canopy-like branches, but leaves don't do much on a hot day. Water and mud encircles the tree trunks—it is warm and sticky as it swirls almost knee-high. I knew the Amazon was formidable, but I didn’t expect it to be so difficult to endure.
‘VIV?’ I shout as I wade through the dense foliage and murky sludge. With my neck aching from the weight of my camera, I take a moment to catch my breath. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if I wasn’t alone. The boys are well ahead of us, they ran off as soon as the beacon lit up. Such a typical male reaction, to run towards the shiny light. I thought it may be different with him though… considering.
‘VIVIAN?’ I bellow again. It is not lady-like; but I'm already covered in filth, sweat is pouring out of my body, and my hair resembles a bird's refuge. I tug at the waist of my black and silver full-body uniform. It is made out of neoprene, which is supposed to be comfortable and flexible for any condition. I hope mine comes with a warranty.
A rustling noise resonates behind me and Vivian emerges. I don’t know how she still looks so beautiful even in the gruelling conditions. Her Indian decent showcases flawlessly tanned skin and warm wide eyes. Her hair is jet black and slicked up in a high pony tail. She grimaces as she wrestles with a fern branch, her mouth curving almost all the way to her nose.
‘Oh, God Nora! I hope there aren't any snakes in this forest!’ She stops beside me and rests her head on my shoulder, ‘How much further do you think? I'm over all of this.’
We've only known each other for ten months, along with our four other team mates, but we all act like we've known each other forever. Our bonding process was sped up by the constant missions and debriefs, spending so much time with the same people on a daily basis.
I lean my head onto hers and her thick brown hair acts like a magnet to my mouth, I try to blow it off but it’s already stuck.
I peel the strands of sweat-dampened hair off my mouth. We laugh meekly for two seconds before I notice Viv's face change.
