‘What whale?’
‘Bad fish,’ Graham said disapprovingly. ‘Big teeth.’
Quickly they told Spinner the story of their action-packed journey to shore. Spinner listened in astonishment. ‘Feral dogs and temple whales? I’m amazed you made it here at all.’
‘You really think it was a temple whale?’ asked Annalie.
‘Must have been. I didn’t think there were any left.’
Blossom looked at Will triumphantly. Will ignored her. ‘So why don’t we just go?’ he said. ‘Get away before Beckett finds us.’
Spinner shook his head. ‘We’ll need some help organising safe passage, otherwise we could end up with the Sundian coastguard to deal with. And that could be even worse than the Admiralty.’
He looked around at the empty plates. ‘All finished? Who’d like a tour of the Ark?’
By daylight, the Ark rose up out of the desert with the vast heft of an ancient monument. But this one hadn’t been hewn from stone. It was a massive structure built with the strongest reinforced concrete, and it dated back to the time before the Flood. In those years, as the climate went dangerously out of control, ecosystems started collapsing and hundreds of species began to go extinct. A coalition of national governments, charities and some absurdly rich private investors had come together to build the Ark. It was a facility designed to house both living and preserved specimens of every kind of life: not just animals, but insects and plants, too. The Sundian desert had been chosen because it was geologically and climatically stable, and also extremely remote. Although the Sundians had not yet withdrawn into isolation at the time the Ark was built, there was already a strong religious element in its government and they agreed to accept the Ark on Sundian soil for religious reasons, rather than from a spirit of international cooperation. They believed that the sea god had risen from the cradle of life in the sea to create the land and everything on it, scattering himself across the world in multiple forms—male and female, plant and insect, mammal and reptile. That meant that protecting this creation was not just a practical imperative, it was a religious duty. So while the Ark was certainly a research station, to the Sundians it was also a kind of temple.
Above ground, the Ark contained a series of sky-lit galleries the size of football stadiums filled with trees and flowers, animals and birds, frogs and insects: mini ecosystems with their own climate-controlled environments, supported by a network of plant nurseries and animal breeding areas and insect hatcheries.
Spinner walked them past the huge spaces, letting them marvel at the sight of living things they had never glimpsed before. They saw deserts and rainforests, grasslands and forests, all filled root to tip with life.
‘This place is like the world’s most amazing zoo,’ Essie said.
‘It’s just a tiny sliver of what the world used to contain,’ Spinner said. ‘But it’s something.’
The soaring concrete galleries above the ground were only a part of the Ark. The complex extended for many kilometres underground as well. The first level below ground was the living quarters for the Ark’s extensive staff: the gardeners and botanists, veterinarians and animal breeders and scientists, maintenance and tradespeople, cooks and cleaners and medics. There were enough people living and working in the Ark to fill a small town. Below that, occupying another three levels, was an enormous archive. The archive was almost unimaginably vast. It contained everything from ancient ice cores to seed banks to cryogenically preserved specimens, as well as truly vast amounts of research data housed on servers that stretched for kilometres. It had been built to be self-sustaining and self-preserving, using all the very best long-term technology, in the hope that at some point in the future, some of these forms of life could be returned to the world.
Spinner took them down in a lift that seemed to take a very long time to travel between one level and the next. They stepped out into the cool darkness of the archive; as the lift doors opened, lights flicked on directly in front of them, hinting at many corridors, but the vast majority of the cavernous space they could sense around them was entirely dark and humming quietly.
‘What’s wrong with the lights?’ Essie asked.
‘Most of the time there’s nobody down here,’ Spinner explained. ‘They have motion sensors that switch the lights on where you need them, and after a while they switch off again.’
Will tested them, making little darting runs into the darkness to see how quickly he could make the lights come on, crowing with delight. They began to walk past rows and rows of corridors stretching away into the distance. Some were lined with cupboards and drawers, others with rows of fridges or freezers.
‘What is all this stuff?’ Annalie asked.
‘A record of life on our world,’ Spinner said. ‘Specimens, samples, genetic material.’
‘You mean extinct things?’
‘They have a lot of seeds, and the plants could certainly be brought back and propagated. But a lot of the specimens down here are extinct, yes. When this place was first set up, they hoped they might be able to bring some of them back one day.’
‘Is that possible?’ asked Will.
‘Before the Flood, I think they were getting close, technologically. These days, I doubt it,’ Spinner said. ‘Hopefully, one day, smarter people than us will be able to do something with all this knowledge.’
‘Look at this row,’ Annalie said. ‘It looks really old.’
It was a long row of antique cupboards, lockers and drawers, the wood glowing from years of furniture polish.
‘It is old,’ Spinner said. ‘This used to be a museum collection. They donated it to the Ark. Collections like these take up a lot of room and they’re expensive to maintain, so I guess the museum was happy to get rid of it.’
‘Collections of what?’ asked Pod.
Spinner checked the labels, which were handwritten in a beautiful script on cards which were beginning to brown. The scientific names were incomprehensible to the children. He pulled open a drawer. Five little furry animals lay inside, looking very dead and a little deflated.
‘The Lesser Duxan Ground Squirrel,’ Spinner said. ‘Extinct for about a hundred years.’
‘Why do they look like that?’ asked Pod. ‘Kind of weird.’
‘They’re museum specimens,’ Spinner said. ‘They were preserved and stuffed. All that’s left are the skins.’
‘They were cute,’ Essie said wistfully.
‘After they introduced foxes to Dux, they didn’t stand a chance,’ Spinner said.
‘Are all these drawers and cupboards full of dead things?’ Pod asked.
‘More or less,’ Spinner said.
‘Hey, check this out!’
Blossom had wandered off and opened another drawer, further down on the other side. Now she was beckoning to them excitedly.
They all came to see what she’d found. Spinner caught his breath, and Graham let out a horrified squawk.
There in the drawer were six birds who looked almost exactly like Graham, along with a smaller juvenile and some eggs.
Graham flapped agitatedly around and then landed on Spinner’s shoulder. ‘Who did this?’ he rasped.
‘It happened a long time ago,’ Spinner said softly. He read the notes on the cards accompanying each specimen. ‘Some of these are more than a hundred years old.’
Graham peered at the birds suspiciously. ‘How they die?’
‘I don’t know. Caught by collectors? They may have just died of old age.’
Graham whistled thoughtfully.
‘If they’ve got them here, does that mean…’ Annalie began.
She stopped before she could finish the thought, but Graham caught her drift.
‘Graham not extinct!’ he snapped.
‘Of course you’re not,’ Spinner said soothingly. ‘You’re an exceptional bird.’
Pod glared at Blossom. ‘Why did you have to show him?’ he hissed.
Blossom was baffled by his anger. ‘I thought it was co
ol.’
‘They’re his ancestors,’ Pod said. ‘Dead and stuffed. How would you like it?’
‘Do you think there are ghosts down here?’ Blossom said. She didn’t look frightened; if anything, she looked a little excited. ‘With all these dead things, I bet there are heaps of ghosts.’
Essie shuddered. ‘This place is creepy,’ she said, turning to the others. ‘Can we go?’
The sight of the dead parrots had thrown a pall over all of them, and they were happy to leave the dark and labyrinthine corridors of the archives behind. Down there, everything was already dead and gone, a memory of all that had been lost; up above, it felt like there was still hope, for there everything was still alive, and thriving.
When they reached the habitat level, they all went their separate ways, in search of lunch (Will and Pod), a long, hot shower (Essie), and undisclosed business (Blossom). Annalie lingered with Spinner.
‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ she said. ‘I found the memory stick.’
‘Oh.’ Spinner looked at her warily.
‘When I ran away from school, I took Lolly with me. I don’t know why, I just…Anyway, I still had her when we landed at Uncle Art’s place. His kids broke her and the memory stick fell out.’
‘And then what happened to it?’
‘I got it back and we left. But Uncle Art saw the stick, and he knows I’ve got it. He was working for the Admiralty the whole time, Spinner. He must have told them I have it.’
‘So they got to Art?’ Spinner sighed. ‘I can’t blame him, I guess. They would’ve made it pretty tough for him.’
Annalie couldn’t understand why Spinner wasn’t angrier. ‘He betrayed you. He betrayed all of us!’
‘He’s got a family of his own to consider,’ Spinner said. He looked at her sadly. ‘I’m sorry you got caught up in all this. I should have done more to keep you safe. I thought you were safe. I was wrong.’
‘It’s all right,’ Annalie said. ‘We can look after ourselves.’
Spinner gave her an affectionate look. ‘You and your brother are the smartest, toughest kids on the planet. I’m lucky to have you.’ He paused. ‘So where is the memory stick now?’
‘It’s right here.’
Through all their adventures she had kept the memory stick safe, secured inside several layers of waterproofing, and then stitched into a secret pocket of her shorts. Now she gave it to Spinner.
He sighed, looking down at the little object nestled in his hand.
‘Did I do the wrong thing bringing it to you?’ she asked anxiously.
‘No,’ Spinner said, ‘you did the right thing.’
‘What are you going to do with it now?’
‘I’m going to put it somewhere safe,’ Spinner said. ‘Thank you for looking after it.’
Later that day, Annalie was lying on her bunk reading a book she’d found in the canteen. Essie came in, clean, pressed, and smelling of conditioner, her hair a shiny miracle.
‘You smell nice,’ Annalie said. ‘Is it good to be clean again?’
‘It’s heaven,’ Essie said. ‘Did you know they have a hairdresser here on staff? She gave me a trim.’
‘Oh, so she did,’ Annalie said. She was not very tuned in to details of personal grooming. ‘It looks nice.’
‘Thanks,’ Essie said. But she had not really come to talk about hair. She had more pressing things on her mind. ‘Can I talk to you about something?’
Annalie looked at her curiously, then put her book aside. ‘Of course.’
‘We always said,’ Essie said slowly, ‘that this journey was about finding Spinner. Right?’
‘Right,’ Annalie said.
‘And I was glad to come. I’ve loved it—mostly—except for the bad bits. I could’ve done without getting shipwrecked and then nearly starving to death on the raft. But this has been the most amazing adventure.’
‘We couldn’t have done it without you,’ Annalie said.
‘The thing is…I’ve been thinking…’ Essie said, coming to the crux of what she wanted to say. ‘Now that we have found Spinner…’
‘Oh,’ Annalie said, suddenly realising what Essie was getting at. ‘You want to go home.’
Essie was stricken by the look of sudden disappointment on Annalie’s face. ‘It doesn’t have to be straight away. I mean I know we’re still a long way from Dux. I just…it’s been so long now and…When I finally got to message my dad, I realised how much I missed him.’
Essie’s eyes were welling up as she blurted out her feelings. Seeing this, Annalie began to get teary too. ‘Oh, don’t cry!’ she said. ‘Of course you have to go home. We’ve been so selfish, dragging you all the way round the world like this. It’s time we let you go home.’
‘You don’t mind?’ Essie said.
‘Of course I mind,’ Annalie said. ‘I’m going to miss you heaps. I’ve never had a friend like you.’
‘I’ve never had a friend like you, either,’ Essie said, gulping back tears.
‘But you’re right. It’s time. Send him a message. Tell him you’re coming home.’
‘Are you sure?’ Essie asked.
‘Of course I’m sure,’ Annalie said. ‘Sola’s working on a plan to get us home. I don’t know when it’s going to happen exactly but with a bit of luck, we’re probably only a few weeks away from Dux.’
Essie smiled, filled with a mixture of joy, relief and sadness. ‘Shall I message him now?’
‘Yes! Right now! Why not?’
Essie sat down on her own bunk and began to type a message into My Monster. The message went off with a growl. To her surprise, moments later, her shell began to ring.
She looked at the caller ID and squeaked with surprise. ‘Dad, is that you?’
‘Essie! It’s so good to hear your voice! Where are you, are you all right?’
‘I’m fine, but what about you? How come you can call me? I thought they were monitoring your calls?’
‘That’s all over. I’m free.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The trial, it’s over, and they set me free.’
‘I knew you were innocent!’ Essie cried. ‘Oh Dad, that’s so amazing! I can’t believe it!’
‘I’m not exactly innocent,’ her father said sadly. ‘I was found not guilty of the charges laid against me, but as a company we’ve got a lot to answer for. Things are going to change at Tower Corp, you can count on that. But that’s not something for you to worry about. The good news is, I’m a free man again. But you still haven’t told me where you are.’
‘I’m not sure if I should say,’ Essie said. ‘That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about. Our mission is over now—well, pretty much—and I’m ready to come home.’
Her dad gave a happy sigh. ‘Thank goodness! I’ll come and get you myself.’
‘You don’t have to do that. We’re coming home very soon.’ Essie paused. ‘What happened about the house? Did we lose the house?’
‘The house? Well. That’s a little complicated. But don’t worry—there’ll always be a place for you, even if it’s not quite as grand as you’re used to.’
‘I don’t care about grand,’ Essie said. ‘I just want to see you.’
‘Same here, darling,’ Essie’s dad said, his voice sounding a little choked. ‘I won’t hound you about where you are. But can you promise me you’re somewhere safe?’
Essie pulled a face. Was she somewhere safe? She wasn’t entirely sure. ‘Safe enough, I think,’ she said.
‘And what happened to your friend, the one who was kidnapped by pirates. Did you get her back?’
‘Oh yes,’ Essie said. ‘She managed to escape all by herself. We didn’t need the ransom money in the end.’
‘So where is it now?’
‘Oh, I’ve still got it,’ Essie said, feeling slightly embarrassed. ‘I can give it back to you.’
‘Maybe you should hang onto it, in case something else comes up.’ He paused. ‘You know, whatev
er trouble your friends are in, I might be able to help. You know I’ve got great lawyers.’
Essie hesitated, attracted by the thought of getting some high-powered help. ‘It’s a good idea, Dad. I’ll talk to the others.’
‘I have to go,’ her father said. ‘But stay in touch, okay? Don’t disappear on me.’
‘Okay.’
‘I love you, Essie. I can’t wait to see you again.’
‘I love you, too,’ Essie said.
‘I’ll see you soon,’ her father said, and ended the call.
Essie sat there for a moment, a feeling of giddy relief washing over her. In the space of a few moments, it felt like all her troubles and worries and fears had been swept away. Her journey was over, her father was free (not exonerated exactly but free), and now she could go home. It had been so wonderful to hear her father’s voice again, and it had brought with it a sharp, yearning desire for home. There had been plenty of moments when she had wished herself out of danger and far away, but this was almost the first time she had allowed herself to fully admit how much she longed for the safety and security of home, to be protected and comforted and looked after and loved.
‘Is everything okay?’ Annalie asked. Of course, she had heard the whole conversation.
Essie nodded, her eyes shimmering. ‘It’ll be good to go home again,’ she said.
Exit strategy
Essie shared her news with the others over dinner in the canteen.
‘Like rats deserting a sinking ship,’ Will joked. ‘You’re the first rat.’
‘This ship isn’t sinking,’ Spinner put in.
‘You can come and visit me,’ Essie said. Now that her heart was set on departure, she was already starting to miss her friends.
‘So what about the rest of us?’ Annalie asked. ‘Do we know where we’re going?’
Spinner scrunched his face up. ‘I have a few ideas,’ he said. ‘Right now, I’m keeping it loose.’
‘Do we have to have a destination?’ Will asked. ‘Couldn’t we just keep sailing?’
‘We’re going to Violeta,’ Blossom said.
The others looked at her, surprised.
The Skeleton Coast Page 15
