Contest (The Stork Tower Book 6)

by Tony Corden

  STORK TOWER

  Leah appeared in the Tower and said, “Gèng, I’m going to finish reviewing the new material on Survival and then I was hoping to do a run through with you. Could you set up a room to replicate the information we’ve collected?”

  “I’ll prepare that now. I suggest you also check your messages. Kate was trying to contact you.”

  Before Leah started reviewing the material on Survival, she looked at her messages. Kate and Thad had checked in to the hotel and were in their respective pods. Kate said Thad had calmed down but was still coming to terms with his family’s betrayal. Leah sent Kate a quick note asking for an invite to Kate’s world. Within moments Leah had been invited, and Gèng opened a portal.

  KATE’S WORLD

  Leah hadn’t been to Kate’s place before and was surprised to arrive in a small enclosed area that was much larger than a standard lobby. Kate was standing nearby.

  Leah said, “Kate, this is great. This is the first time I’ve arrived at someone’s place, and it’s not a simple entrance.”

  “I was so impressed with Gèng and what she’s done that I’ve been working with my PAI to see if it can become more than just a tool. We’ve been working for some time, and now we have this larger boxed area. I know it isn’t much, but it is a start.”

  They walked into Kate’s apartment and sat opposite each other without speaking. Finally, Kate said, “Thanks for helping, Leah. I was afraid for a minute that they would physically force us to stay behind, that they’d have some way to physically reinfect us.”

  “It wouldn’t have surprised me either. I’m glad to help, and I have some ideas on ways to get you guys up and on your feet. I’ll send you some information to consider soon. But first, tell me, how’s Thad?”

  “He’s angry and miserable. I really thought he was going to attack Mr Peterson.”

  “If it had been me, Kate, I would have. He’d have been lucky if he was still breathing.”

  Kate looked shocked for a moment, and then her face went still, and she said, “Yes, I think I was so caught up in the emotion of being kicked out that I forgot all the things he’d done. I’m not sure I could kill him but a good beat down would definitely be in order.”

  “Kate, I’m sorry to rush things, but I have to keep working on finding my mum. I’d love to see Thad if possible. Could you invite him here? I’d like to make sure he’s OK before I go anywhere else. It’ll take a huge burden off of me.”

  Kate nodded, and her face went blank for a moment as she sent a message to Thad. It was only a moment or two later when there was a knock at the door. Kate got up to open the door, and Leah moved on the seat so she was facing the doorway. Thad stepped inside as soon as Kate opened the door but when he saw Leah, he stopped and just stood there, staring at her. After a moment his eyes went dark, and his head began to droop.

  Leah said, “Thad, if you disappear before I get a kiss, so help me, I’ll smack you over the head.”

  Thad looked up but stayed where he was. Finally, Leah said, “I’m not coming over there you big moron, you’ll have to come here. Last time I stepped too close, you tried to kill me.”

  Kate looked shocked, and Thad took a step back before stepping forward and saying, “What did you expect, Leah? You called me a dummy, you shot my uncle in the head, you threw my cousin off an airship, and you ruined my mother’s party. What was I supposed to do?”

  Leah rose to her feet and said, “Your cousin is an obnoxious jerk who, now that I think about it, died too quickly. Your uncle is a wicked and despicable tyrant. The party was not only boring, but the food was tasteless and the decor was overdone. As for you, I repeat, you are a dummy. I really don’t have time to explain all the ways that statement is true.”

  Thad took a step forward, “I accept that my cousin is a jerk and I’ll also concede that my uncle is wicked. I’ll even admit that the party may have been boring, but it wasn’t as bad as you suggest. I did see an amazingly beautiful girl there.”

  Leah took another step and said, “Right, so not only do you succumb to peer pressure and cave to the whole mind control thing but you go on your own to the very party that you specifically invited me to. It was supposed to be a date. Then, when you get there, you spend your time ogling all the pretty girls.”

  Thad took another step. “I wasn’t ogling all the girls. I’m just saying I was captivated by the most beautiful creature there. Unfortunately, she was with this old Russian guy instead of me.”

  Leah took another step. “Kate, you were captivated by Kate. Really, Thad, she’s your sister, and honestly, that’s kinda weird and sort of gross, even for you.”

  Thad’s next step brought him within a foot of Leah. He looked down at her and opened his mouth to say something when Kate smacked him on the back of his head and said, “Don’t talk, you idiot, just kiss her.”

  Thad leant down and gave Leah a tentative kiss which she returned somewhat less tentatively. After a long kiss, she leant into Thad and put her arms around him and said, “I’ve missed you so much that it hurt.”

  After a few more kisses, Leah said, “Guys, I can’t stay. I wish I could, but I can’t. Mum is still in danger, and I need to go soon.”

  Thad was holding her hands and said, “Amy and Kate have told me most of what happened, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t around. They said you have broken bones from getting your mum back, and that you were shot. Tell me seriously, how badly were you hurt, and how are you really doing, in real life?”

  “I’m fine, Thad. Truly I am, I’m healing really well.”

  Thad said, “Gèng, can you show me how badly Leah was hurt please?”

  Before Leah could say anything, Kate said, “Granted,” in response to a query from Gèng.

  A screen appeared which showed the bruises over Leah’s body and the damage done to her left shoulder. It progressed through a series of images showing the damage done by the bullet and the final result after Kevin had finished the operation. Gèng had carefully blurred or blocked out parts of Leah’s anatomy, but Thad was able to see the extent of the damage.

  Thad’s grip on Leah’s hands had tightened, and though tears ran down his face, it had grown hard. Leah said, “Gèng, that wasn’t necessary. Listen, Thad, I’m recovering. Most of the bruises have gone, the bones will heal, and all I’ll have is a few scars.”

  Gèng appeared and sat next to Kate. She said, “It was necessary Leah. Not only because Thad loves you, but because Thad and Kate need to know what can happen if they don’t take proper care of themselves. Nathan and Meredith aren’t the only ones who are involved, and it’s possible the Emersons will be just as ruthless. Thad and Kate need to take proper precautions.”

  Kate said, “You can’t think our parents would try and kill us.”

  Leah shook her head and said, “I’m sorry Kate, but I have to agree with Gèng. What makes you think they won’t use violence? They felt it was alright to make you their slaves. Even if they don't hurt you, there are others who will. Your parents aren’t the biggest fish in the pond, not by any means. That being said, I think that if you distance yourselves from me, then you’ll be reasonably safe.”

  Kate said, “Leah, I told you a few times already, you’re not alone in this. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Thad nodded and said, “Leah, I’m still reeling from everything that happened, but I’m certain of this—there is no way I’m planning on distancing myself from you.”

  Leah wriggled her way under his arm and leant against his chest for a minute, then said, “I’d like to stay here forever, but I can’t. I need to go. Gèng knows what I was going to suggest you guys do tomorrow so she can stay and discuss things while I head back to the Tower. I have to finish getting ready to help my mum.”

  There were a few more kisses and hugs but Leah’s urgency to get to Survival, and Kate’s presence, ensured Leah disappeared moments later.

  STORK TOWER

  Back in the Tower, Leah did a little dance and then forc
ed herself to read through the Survival stuff again. When she’d finished, Gèng led her to the room she’d prepared. Leah walked through and identified the different animals and plants, and after only a few corrections she felt she was ready to spend a few hours in Survival.

  SURVIVAL

  Leah logged in and appeared back on a clear section of branch, high in the canopy. She immediately felt hot, sharp points of intense pain on her legs and looked down to see red spots appear. They looked like large insect bites and were formed by smaller groupings of three puncture wounds in the centre of a swollen and raised area of skin. The reports she’d read discussed an insect the size of her finger which used a set of hollow pincer’s to grasp hold of the skin for feeding. The pincers had some form of natural anaesthetic and were not usually felt. If the insect wasn’t removed, then as it disengaged, it drove its ovipositor into the skin just below the pincers. As the pincers withdrew they also secreted a neurotoxin which caused severe pain and increased the victim’s heart rate, circulating the deposited eggs throughout the body.

  The reports had described the intensity of the pain from a single bite, and some people had not recovered from that. Leah counted eight triple puncture bites and knew she was fortunate that the pain and damage were set at two per cent actual damage per hour. She bent down and tried to manipulate the area around the bites and see if she could squeeze any eggs out. She was disgusted when she was successful and a silvery liquid, mixed with her blood, oozed from one of the puncture sites. In the mixture were two or three small black orbs which she imagined were the eggs. After extracting eggs from each of the sites, Leah decided there was nothing else she could do about the bites so she’d best keep moving.

  Leah planned to accomplish four things in the three virtual hours she had until she was due at Dr Ellis’ laboratory. She had to find a place to spend the night, she had to find water, she wanted to make some type of weapon, and she had to work out which direction her mother was in relation to herself. But first, she needed to decide if she was staying in the canopy or heading for the forest floor.

  Carefully, she made her way along the branch to the trunk of the huge tree. The bark wasn’t heavily ridged and was sparsely covered in a layer of moss. Leah’s research helped her avoid the two or three types of moss people had found to cause numbness, rashes or death. When she reached the trunk, she found enough cracks, ridges and well-anchored epiphytes to make her way up to a branch which she could see stretched over toward one of the neighbouring trees. She wanted to know if she could expect to easily move from one tree to another and still head in a set direction. On the forest floor, there were small streams, but others had found those to be a mixed blessing because of the increased animal presence. The other source they’d found below was a variety of plants which stored water in their stems and in smaller branches, either in small cavities or in spongy tissue.

  Leah moved carefully, not only watching where she put her hands and feet but also looking for any movement from vines and branches that wasn’t caused by the wind. She had recognised several plants which the notes explained would attack if she got too close. Leah also kept watch for any animals. Insects were almost everywhere, but she was careful and tried not to get too close. She stayed further away from the few insects she knew were dangerous. She was especially watchful of birds, and other flying animals as over a third of deaths at ground level were caused by airborne attacks.

  Because of her careful approach, it took almost ten minutes to climb up the trunk and get into a position where she could jump onto the neighbouring tree’s branch. She hadn’t seen any arboreal animals in that time although she was sure some of the noises that filled the jungle were made by creatures in the trees around her. She had seen numerous birds, but so far they’d mainly kept away from her. She’d been swooped twice, but on both occasions, she’d been aware of the danger. Both times she'd evaded the attacks and used her fists to lash out at the assailants. She was just about to leap between branches when a faint sparkle in the air between them caught her attention. She shifted position, peering at the intervening space and was finally able to make out the faint cluster of small translucent fibres which hung like a curtain between the two branches where they were closest to each other.

  She’d read about this danger, and so she knew to look up. About eight metres above her was the hovering hemispherical shape of the floating creature the others first called a Jellyfish but soon renamed a Deathdrape. Underneath its gas-filled exterior hung hundreds of the fibres that it used for hunting. When someone accidentally ran into or even touched one of the fibres small barbs caught hold of whatever they’d touched. The fibre also reacted by flexing in the direction of the affected barb and causing even more of the thread to attach itself to the prey. As soon as prey was securely hooked the Deathdrape began to lose altitude, therefore bringing even more fibres in contact with the quarry. No matter what direction someone moved they became entangled in the fibres. Not only were the strands difficult to break, but they secreted a toxin which caused paralysis and pain.

  So far, according to the reports, no one had escaped from a Deathdrape. The fibres could be moved aside using a stick or sword, but the weapon became attached to the threads and was unrecoverable. Leah considered moving to either side and making a longer jump, but she wasn’t confident she could see all the fibres. She backtracked until she found several small branches which she broke off the tree. She carried these back to the place she wanted to jump from and then taking a small branch she threw it so that it intersected the fibres along its entire length while it was horizontal. The fibres contracted around the branch, and the Deathdrape began dropping. Leah tossed almost all of the rest of the material one after the other until the weight of the material moved the descending Deathdrape below the branch she was standing on. She threw the remaining material across the gap to check it was free of strands and then leapt across.

  Leah’s next destination was the other side of the current tree to see if she would be able to continue moving from tree to tree. The branch she was now on had a diameter of about thirty centimetres where she’d landed, and it thickened to two metres where it joined the trunk of the tree almost forty metres away. The branches weren’t really circular but were shaped more like an arch. The top was semicircular, but underneath it was squarer in shape. When Leah looked at a branch side on, it resembled one half of a bridge arch with the spandrel enclosed. With a few extra checks above her, Leah made her way toward the trunk of the new tree. As she approached the trunk, she noted three things in particular. One fuelled her thirst while the other two ignited her interest.

  Leah had been ignoring her growing need for water, but seeing one of the plants she knew could provide water brought this need to the forefront of her attention. She also had to steel herself from rushing to the segmented climbing vine she could see on a nearby tree which had only come into view as she’d approached her current position. Instead, she looked at the mostly straight piece of metal which she could see embedded in the trunk almost ten metres above her and nearly a quarter of the way around the circumference. Having it would significantly increase her survival but would also help in harvesting the water.

  Both John and Jimmy had always emphasised the perversely inverse relationship of prudence and desire. The more you wanted something, the less likely you used prudence to get it. You could plan all you wanted, but in the end, if you really wanted something, you almost always made faulty risk assessments. Leah wanted this piece of debris from the exploded shuttle, and she needed a drink. There were no branches nearby, but Leah knew she could easily climb up to the metal shard. Taking note of John and Jimmy's advice instead of rushing, Leah actually slowed down and took extra care.

  As she scaled the tree trunk, she was particular to check each handhold before she moved and stopped after every movement to look around. As she approached the metal spar, she saw a stream of centipede-like creatures flowing from the other side of the tree and congregating around the i
mpact site. Each of the creatures was fifteen to twenty centimetres in length and had ten segments. Each segment, except the first, had two legs on either side. The first segment was twice as long as the others and had arm-like appendages which ended in pincers. This segment also had an eyelike organ and a mouth which looked to have serrated teeth as well as a large pincer on either side. Surrounding the ‘eye’ was a series of fleshy appendages which Leah thought similar to that on a star-nosed mole.

  She stopped a metre short of the creatures and discovered they were harvesting the dark turquoise secretion that glacially oozed from the tree’s wound. Each creature would use its pincers to cut away a section of the slightly darker outer crust and scuttle back in the direction the stream arrived from. As each piece was cut away a more viscous and slightly lighter inner layer of sap filled the gap. Leah inched toward her goal but stopped when several of the centipedes stopped their harvesting and turned in her direction. Eventually, all except one turned back to continue collecting the secretion. Leah needed to know how dangerous the creatures were, so she allowed it to approach before slowly moving and drawing it away from others. When she was about three metres from the others, she waited until it came close. She’d seen the pincers cut away the hardened sap and didn’t want to let it bite but needed to see how fast they could move and if they were poisonous to touch. The first thing she did was reach out and bring her hand down hard against the tree near the creature to gauge its reaction.

  It stopped suddenly and pulled its body close to the tree but moved its head around as if looking for the cause of the noise. Looking over, Leah could see that all the creatures had reacted similarly. After a few minutes, the creatures decided there was no danger and resumed their harvesting. Leah banged the tree again, and once more the creatures stopped. She didn’t wait as long before thumping the tree again, this time a little harder. The creature near Leah was the last to resume its movement, but when it did, it began to retrace its step and head back to the others.