by Paul Heron
‘You mean shitting ourselves?’ Marcel asked, crudely.
‘The suits weren’t made for that!’ Larry chuckled.
‘Okay,’ Sofia shouted as the helicopter took off, ‘we have something they don’t have right now: the element of surprise. I don’t know about you all, but I can’t wait to see their reaction when we’re the ones to mess up their plans; them being the most powerful organization in the world, being embarrassed by seven students. And I’m really excited to see Michael’s mug appears on their screens.’
‘I’m gonna open a big can of Sirani whoop ass!’ Mohammad yelled, punching Michael’s shoulder.
‘And after?’ Carolina asked. ‘What do we do after we find Eduardo and send this message?’
‘Good, you’re thinking ahead, that’s positive,’ Scarlett said.
‘When we finish, to be honest, I just want to go back to Little Camberly and be normal again.’ Sofia laughed. ‘If we ever were.’
‘I don’t think we ever were,’ Ajit said.
‘I’m not sure we’ll be able to have a normal life,’ Marcel said. ‘We’ll be known by everyone, and even when we go back to normal, when Elisabetta lifts the charm, we’ll always know that we were the ones who did this. Who, you know, saved the world.’ It sounded ridiculous, saying it out loud. It seemed like the biggest boast anyone could make.
‘We’ll definitely not be the same again. We’ll not be able to walk freely. People all over the UK have seen us after what happened in London,’ Carolina said.
‘They’ve seen our charmed appearances, not the real us,’ Ajit said. ‘It was a good idea for Elisabetta to send us back like-’ He remembered. ‘Oh shit!’ His face went pale.
‘What?’ Sofia asked.
‘What about our families? They’ll be in danger.’
‘Sirani agents are going to meet with all your parents and inform them. We may need to keep them all safe,’ Scarlett said reassuringly. ‘You guys have the most powerful organisation in the world after you. Your families have become targets.’
‘Why is there another chopper following us?’ Mohammad shouted. Panic set in.
‘It’s okay, don’t panic.’ Scarlett said. ‘A team of Sirani commandos will be following you to the location. They’ll keep their distance from you, but we don’t know how many there are in there. There could be few of them, or too many for you. They’re simply a backup, in case you guys get swarmed by Mancini agents, or worse, some very nasty Fomorians. They’re a silent team, you won’t even know they’re with you. But that’s their job, to ensure people in the jungle don’t know you have back up.’
‘Just about to land!’ Alban screamed
IT WAS THE DEAD OF night in the jungle; blackness as far as the eye could see. After the engines shut down, and the propellers gradually slowed to a halt, they all stepped out into an eerie stillness. They stood at the entrance to the abandoned village, on the banks of the Usumacinta River.
Michael’s stomach twisted. He felt watched; if not by people from this world, then he was without a doubt being haunted by people from The Otherworld: Irish gods who, until a few days ago, he’d believed were nothing but legend.
Leaves rustled in the wind, crickets chirped in harmony. The distant mumbles from the backup team of commandos drifted into the distance.
The moment his feet touched the hard – but loose in places – floor of the jungle, Michael wanted to turn around and run back into the helicopter. Shit, this is really happening. Okay, Michael, get your act together. He looked over his shoulder. ‘Are we all ready?’
His question was met with nervous murmurs.
Michael activated his night-vision, making their surroundings fluorescent green, more verdant than it was in daylight. ‘Ready or not, here we come.’ He whispered.
‘Don’t activate Chameleon mode until daylight, it will waste the battery,’ Larry whispered as they all gathered around in a huddle.
‘Michael!’ Scarlett whispered from inside the chopper. ‘I forgot, this is a bottle of poison. Pour it over the roots of the Dark Tree; it’ll kill it. Remember, only use the guns if you have no choice.’ She paused and looked at them all. ‘You lot be careful, you hear me?’
‘Thanks.’ He tried to keep his cool. ‘We’ll call you when it’s safe, and we’ll figure out where to meet.’ He looked into the chopper at the others. ‘See you guys later.’
Ringo jumped up from his seat. ‘Go get them!’ he said. He slapped Michael across the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
Michael bid them all a hopeful goodbye. Turning to face the team, he took a deep breath. ‘Don’t worry, guys. Tomorrow, we’ll be relaxing at Scarlett’s house, laughing and joking about this.’ Everyone could hear the nerves coming through in Michael’s voice.
The choppers took off, attracting more attention than they would have liked. It was now them, only them, against the elements. Abandoned was the feeling felt.
According to Sirani GPS, they needed to go west. Michael, accompanied by Ajit, led the way through the old village towards a path that would lead them deeper into the jungle. This was a part of the jungle that had recently seen outside investment and had attracted many tourists, so they needed to be careful not to be spotted by anyone that could have questions about what they’re up to.
It had recently rained, and the path was an endless gulley of mud. Michael could feel his feet sinking with every step. Everyone trudged on, creating a sucking sound with every step. It was more humid than they’d imagined, and underneath their suits, they were sweating as if they’d run from Scarlett’s house.
After twenty-five minutes of arduous trekking, Mohammad gasped, ‘we need to go slower.’
Michael turned around and saw Mohammad struggling to breathe. ‘According to Sirani Maps, there’s a lagoon just three thousand meters away. We can relax for a while there. And the base is only eight miles from here,’ Michael said this while tasting the salty sweat run into his mouth.
Sofia stopped, and hissed for everyone else to stop. She whispered, ‘look, over there!’ They all followed the direction she was pointing.
‘Wow,’ Michael said. This wasn’t something I expected...
Chapter Five
THEY’D STUMBLED ACROSS an old wartime airplane.
‘A Nazi aircraft from the Second World War? How’d it reach America?’ Michael said.
Marcel and Carolina climbed inside. They searched around.
‘I think we’ve found something,’ Carolina hissed.
‘What is it?’ Sofia whispered, approaching the wreck.
‘Wait a second,’ Marcel said, climbing back into the cockpit from the rear. Carolina followed.
‘Anything?’ Michael followed Sofia.
The rest of the team formed a circle around them.
‘I think it’s a map of the jungle,’ Marcel said.
‘Yes, it’s a map, and a letter,’ Carolina agreed. She handed it to Michael. ‘I don’t understand German. The ink’s faded, and it’s covered in dirt but you might still be able to pick up what the message was.’ She climbed out of the wreckage.
Michael pointed his torch at it. ‘Hold on a second...’ his voice changed, ‘this isn’t a map of the jungle.’ He looked at Marcel and Carolina, excited like he’d just been handed a winning lottery ticket.
‘Can I see it?’ Sofia whispered. She looked at it under the light of her torch. ‘Uffa!’
‘What?’ Mohammad hissed, ‘what the hell’s uffa?’
They all crowded around her. ‘It’s Italian for oh my God, like mamma mia. And this is written in German. It’s not a map of the jungle; it says here that this is a map to the cave where Elisabetta created her sculpture!’
‘Bruce’s Cave in Ireland?’ Marcel asked. ‘House of the Dark One?’
‘Great,’ Ajit moaned. ‘God of the Dead. The guy gives me the creeps.’
They all huddled around closely. Sofia pointed at the letter that was attached to the map. ‘July 21st, 1942.’ She looked around the g
roup as if they should all know what was so special about that date. ‘This was around the time when the intelligence plan to attack the United States was foiled. It was called Operation Pastorius, and the letter is signed by Colonel Kappe.’
‘Who’s he?’ Mohammad asked, reaching for the map to take a look.
‘Hitler sent him to lead the attack on America,’ Michael said.
Mohammad groaned. ‘But what’s this got to do with Elisabetta?’
‘Apparently,’ Larry said, ‘Hitler was a member of the Mancini Corporation, he sought help from the secret Mancini family to fund his war.’
Michael retrieved the document from Ajit and looked at it in disbelief. ‘Hitler was a bastard. With or without Mancini Corporation’s help. Of course Mancini would have helped a scumbag like Hitler. Their desire is to grow even more powerful. They know that by dividing nations, you weaken them.’
‘The old divide and conquer strategy,’ Carolina said.
‘But if the Nazis knew about this sculpture, and of its power, then why didn’t they just take it?’ Mohammad asked.
‘First of all, nobody can get close to that sculpture, remember?’ Sofia said, shining her torch on the piece of stone hanging around her neck. ‘That’s why it’s so powerful. Nobody but Elisabetta could have gotten close to it; and secondly, Mancini is more powerful than even the Nazis were.’
‘More powerful than any government in the world,’ Michael added. ‘We can’t underestimate this organisation; I think the second we do that, we’re done for. Even without The God of Greed and The Dark One helping them, Mancini Corporation are still more powerful than any human influence. Guys, we should hope that we’re worthy of this.’
‘We got this, chief!’ Mohammad said.
‘Why don’t they just take control of the world if they’re so powerful?’ Marcel asked.
‘Because they’re only powerful when they keep nations divided,’ Michael replied. ‘If nations were to come together, as one, Mancini Corp would have no chance.’
‘That – I’m guessing – is why the Mancini Corporation hasn’t been able to dissolve the Sirani Foundation,’ Sofia said.
‘Political division is what’s causing our problems, but together...’ Michael paused.
‘What is it?’ Sofia said.
‘Look, the same symbol we keep seeing, the ramping unicorn. It’s on the gate of the gallery, it’s on the computer software, our phones and... look!’
He walked closer to the wreckage. The same symbol, painted onto the side. ‘Could this guy have been bringing information about the attack on America? Maybe he was helping the Sirani Foundation, and if so, this poor soldier died doing something good, and I bet his family aren’t even aware.’
‘Lets get his name.’ Marcel jumped back into the aircraft. ‘It must be somewhere.’
‘I’m going in, too.’ Michael jumped in to find a mess of old WWII supplies. The equipment was knotted with ivy that had grown through the broken windows.
‘There’s nothing here. I don’t think...’ Marcel trailed off. ‘Hold on a second...there’s a bag under the pilot’s seat. There’s a tag on it.’ He dragged it out, and read the name out loud. ‘Adelbert Schmidt.’
Michael jumped back out. ‘Adelbert Schmidt. We need to inform the German authorities when this is over. It appears that he died helping our cause, and his family have no idea what happened to him. We owe him that, at least.’
‘Ajit, is everything okay?’ Sofia asked.
Ajit quietly occupied himself with his phone. He handed the device to Sofia.
‘Shit! They’re moving Eduardo,’ Sofia said, gazing at the tracker. ‘We need to move now. Ajit, are you sure this is Eduardo, and it’s not a trap?’
‘I’mmmm.... suuuurrreee!’ Ajit screamed. He started jumping, flailing his arms, screaming like a man possessed. He frantically tugged at his suit, trying to rip the fabric off his skin as if he was on fire. The group looked on in shock confusion.
Michael grabbed him. ‘Marcel, give me a hand!’
As Ajit screamed, they all worried that the noise would give away their location.
‘Something’s inside my suit! Mammmaaaa!’ he screamed. ‘Get it off, get it off!’
‘What is it?’ Sofia shouted.
Ajit was hysterical, barely able to string a sentence together. Michael and Marcel wrestled him to the ground and rolled him over onto his front.
‘Mohammad, quick, open his suit,’ Marcel shouted.
Both Michael and Marcel struggled to keep him in one position. Mohammad unzipped his suit from the back as he continued to scream. Larry and the girls pointed their torches to see what it was. Just as the light from Sofia’s torch reached Ajit’s topless back, a scorpion the size of a masonry brick crawled off his hip.
‘You’re very lucky, my Indian brother!’ Mohammad said. ‘That is a Striped Back!’
‘This has a deadly sting,’ Carolina said. Mohammad grabbed it by the tail, its eight legs kicking in the air. ‘Let it go,’ Carolina said.
Michael and Marcel helped Ajit with his suit. He was trembling as if he’d just been pulled out of freezing water
Mohammad started swinging the Scorpion towards Sofia and Carolina.
‘You’re grateful for your suits now?’ Larry laughed.
‘Mohammad, you have three seconds to get that thing away from us,’ Sofia said. ‘Or Carolina here will kick your ass all the way back to Little Camberly.’
Ajit took repeated deep breaths, attempting to calm his nerves.
‘What were you saying about Eduardo?’ Michael asked while checking the time.
‘Right after we built L’amico, we... Please, I feel like it is still on me. Where is the scorpion now?’ Ajit’s head swung from left to right looking over each shoulder to check what was on him.
‘It’s gone, we haven’t got time,’ Marcel said.
‘The tracker, it’s telling me Eduardo is returning in the opposite direction now, this is odd,’ Ajit said.
‘Well, why would he be moving back and forth?’ Larry asked. ‘This does not make sense.’
Carolina sighed. ‘Well, we’re not going to find out standing around here. Lets go.’
‘Quiet!’ Sofia hissed. ‘I heard something.’
They all scampered off the trail to take cover in the trees.
‘I’ll go check it out, back in a second,’ Michael said.
‘Be careful,’ Larry whispered.
‘I’ll go with you.’ Marcel followed Michael up the steep hill that lay before them. As they reached the top, breathless, they stopped. They heard another rustling noise coming from the bushes.
Then silence again.
‘Michael, we don’t have time to wait!’ Ajit shouted. ‘We need to find Eduardo before sunrise. We can’t afford to go into the camp in daylight.’
‘You’re right, let’s go!’ Michael shouted back down the hill. But as he turned, they saw a group of people appear as if from nowhere.
‘This is our home!’ an elderly man shouted under the glowing flames of torches. ‘You are trespassing. You are not welcome.’
A group of a dozen or more people formed a circle around Michael and the six others. They were part of the indigenous people; dressed in white tunics, wearing their hair long and wild. The tribe held flaming torches in one hand and sticks in the other, clearly up for a fight.
One of the tribesmen went for Mohammad.
Mohammad dropped to the ground and curled into a ball.
As he swung the stick at Mohammad, Carolina caught it mid-air, snatched it from him. ‘I don’t think so!’
The man swung his fist at Carolina; she swiftly dodged it and knocked him on his back.
‘Stop it,’ Sofia shouted as another six men ran for Carolina. Marcel stepped in. Within seconds, Marcel and Carolina had dropped them all like it was a martial arts class. ‘Stop it!’ Sofia repeated.
The elderly man, who’d first spoken for the tribe appeared to be their leader. He said somethin
g in a foreign language. Michael and Sofia understood.
‘What did they say?’ Ajit said.
‘He thinks we’re here to take their property away. I don’t think they want to hurt anyone. They’re just defending their homes,’ Sofia said. ‘I am sorry,’ she spoke directly to the elderly man in his language. ‘We are not here to take your home. We are here to find a friend who has been taken from us and is being held in a detention camp here in Chiapas. We believe he is a little bit west from this location.’
‘How do you know our language? There are not many people in the world who can speak it,’ the man said.
‘Because, I am interested in your culture and have studied your language.’ Sofia was clever enough to use flattery in an attempt to defuse the situation.
‘What’s he saying?’ Mohammad asked.
‘Shhh,’ Sofia hissed, paying attention to her conversation.
After a few moments, Sofia and the leader seemed to relax. Their shoulders dropped, their facial expressions became less aggressive, and the man even produced a smile.
‘Marcel, Carolina, give them back their weapons,’ Michael said.
The tribesmen stared at Marcel and Carolina. Fear and confusion written across their faces, clearly baffled at how easy it was for them to take on the whole group. Michael didn’t want to make enemies with these people. After all, they just wanted to live in peace.
‘There is only one place where your friend could be,’ the elderly man said. He signaled for his men to lower their weapons.
‘Where?’ Sofia asked.
Michael checked the tracking app on his phone to find out if Eduardo had moved again. He hadn’t.
‘Why has your friend been kidnapped?’ the man asked. He strode across the path and sat on a grass mound against a tree trunk.
‘That is information we can’t give you,’ Sofia said as she and Michael sat down beside him.
‘We have respect for you and your home, and we are sorry to disturb you. But we cannot tell you why our friend has been kidnapped,’ Michael said.
The elderly man wasn’t in a hurry to trust the outsiders, but the group needed to get going.
