“Nine,” Kasha said. “That’s not a good number.”
“It’s a bombing run,” Bobby uttered. “They’re going to unload on Black Water.”
“Pendragon, I can’t knock nine gigs out of the sky!”
Bobby thought fast. “Can we beat them to Black Water?” he asked.
“I think,” Kasha replied. “They’re loaded, so they’re flying pretty slow.”
“Then we gotta get there,” Bobby exclaimed. “And do what?” Kasha asked.
“We’ve got to make sure the others get there with the antidote,” Bobby answered.
“I’m not sure how, but… okay,” Kasha said. She banked the gig into a one-eighty and set them on a course to Black Water.
Mark walked his zenzen toward the base of the towering waterfall, stopping close enough to feel the spray on his face. He was exhausted and sore and more than a little bit scared as he swung his leg over the zenzen and dropped to the ground for the last time.
“Thanks, guy,” he said to the animal, and rubbed its head. “I’m not gonna miss you.”
He tried to remember Bobby’s description of how to enter the hidden portal to Black Water. Walking around the pool of water at the base of the falls, he scanned the surface, looking for the stepping stones below. He didn’t see anything, until he thought to shade his eyes from the bright sunbelt. Instantly he saw a faint outline under the water about the size of a pizza. He tentatively stepped on it, put his weight down, and didn’t get wet. He found the path. A few cautious steps later he found himself walking across the water, behind the waterfall, and into a cave.
“Welcome!” a voice shouted from the dark.
Mark nearly peed in his pants. He stood rock still, fighting the urge to turn and run as a shadowy figure walked toward him. It was a gar who was so genuinely thrilled to see Mark, he held his arms out wide and hugged him.
“You are the first!” the gar exclaimed. “Where did you come from?” The gar spoke slowly and clearly, as if talking to a child. Mark realized the guy was expecting a slew of gars who weren’t used to normal conversation. He decided not to freak the gar out, so he spoke slowly and simply, pretending to have trouble finding the words.
“Uh, thank you,” Mark said slowly. “Need help. Must see Aron.” The gar gave him a surprised look. “Aron? How could you know Aron?”
Mark had the answer, but didn’t want to give it. “Must see Aron,” he repeated.
The gar looked at Mark’s clothing and frowned. He was expecting the incoming gars to be wearing rags, not slick-looking swimskins.
“Please!” Mark begged. “Important!”
The gar nodded. “All right, come with me,” he said.
Score. Mark was on his way.
Courtney crested the summit of the rocky cliff and collapsed in exhaustion. Her arms were screaming from the exertion. Her hands had long ago gone numb from the constant climbing, and her legs were cramped, but she had made it.
Spader followed soon after and fell down beside her.
“I suppose I should have offered to take the tank,” he said.
“Why?” Courtney asked. “Don’t you think I’m capable?”
“No, no,” Spader assured her. “Just thought it might be polite.”
The two sat together, catching their breaths.
“So you’ve got a thing for Pendragon, aye?” Spader asked.
Courtney shot Spader a look and said, “That’s a strange thing to ask now.”
Spader shrugged and said, “Just staying loose.”
Courtney said, “Define a ‘thing.’”
“Weren’t you two all lovey-do before Pendragon became a Traveler?”
“If you mean do we like each other, yes,” Courtney said. She thought for a moment and asked, “Does he talk about me?”
“All the time. He thinks you’re natty. I can see why.”
Courtney looked closely at Spader. She thought he looked pretty handsome sitting there in his black swimskin with no sleeves, his long dark hair blowing around in the wind. She shook the thought away. “Seems to me he’s got a thing for that other Traveler girl,” Courtney said coyly. “What’s her name? Oh, yeah. Loor.”
“Define a ‘thing,’” Spader said.
Courtney answered with a coy smile.
“Couldn’t say one way or the other,” Spader answered. “But if you ask me, he’d be crazy to bother with anybody else if he’s got a girl as spiff as you. I mean, you risked your life to help him. That’s special, it is.”
Courtney shrugged. “You’ve helped him more than once yourself.”
“And the other way ‘round. But that’s my job, being a Traveler and all.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not here just for Bobby. I kind of wouldn’t mind if Saint Dane were stopped before messing around with Second Earth.”
“I hear you, mate,” Spader said, and stood up. “Let’s get back on that.”
He looked in the direction they needed to go. Ahead was a long, flat mountaintop that could pass for the surface of the moon. It was barren and scattered with huge boulders.
Courtney said, “There could be tangs hiding behind any one of those rocks.”
“I suppose,” Spader answered. “But they’d have to be pretty desperate to be looking for food up here. I’ve got no worries.”
“Good,” Courtney said with a smile. “Then you go first.”
Spader gave her a wink, and started on his way.
Kasha and Bobby flew low over the barren valley on the last leg of their flight to Black Water. The idea was to keep a watchful eye out for Gunny and the others, in case they had run into trouble and needed help transporting the antidote. Every second was precious. They were able to fly much faster than the squadron of killer gigs and would arrive long before they made their lethal bombing run. The question was, would it be enough time to save the gar village? They were rapidly approaching the mountain range. Kasha took a quick look up to the sky to get her bearings.
“We’ve got a problem,” she announced.
Bobby didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What do you mean?”
“I told you how the gigs are powered by the crystals, right?”
“Right.”
“I also told you the crystals couldn’t store power. They need constant light.”
Bobby took another look at the sky. The problem suddenly came clear. Thick, gray storm clouds formed a line across the sky. It was moving toward the sunbelt.
“Are you serious?” Bobby exclaimed. “What happens when the clouds cover the sunbelt?”
“First we lose light,” Kasha said. “Then we lose power.”
Bobby glanced ahead to the mountain range. It suddenly looked a lot farther away than it had a few seconds before.
“Can we make it?” he asked.
Kasha gunned the throttle. “We’re going to try.”
Mark was led by the gar through the tunnel into Black Water. After having read Bobby’s description of the village, he felt as if he knew the place. Still, seeing it firsthand was an incredible experience. He was brought to the vast building that was called the Center. The whole way he kept his eyes down, hoping that his gar guide wouldn’t ask him any questions. All he wanted to do was get to Aron and tell him what danger the village was in, so they could figure out how to use the antidote he had strapped to his back. The gar guide brought Mark into a giant room that was full of empty cots. Bobby had described this room. It was where many of the gars would spend their first night of freedom.
“Wait here,” the gar instructed. “I’ll get Aron.”
“Thank you,” Mark said, and sat on a cot. It was like heaven to finally get the chance to rest. He started to take off his harness with the tank, but decided against it. He wasn’t there to chill and get comfy. This was business. A few minutes later a door opened on the far side of the room. The gar had returned, along with another gar. This
