“What’s the matter?” Gronene asked as he opened the door.
James updated him about the events. Gronene was shocked.
“Look, we don’t have much time,” James said. “The Scavenger’s bracelet is missing. Please call the Greenies immediately through whatever means you communicate with them.”
Gronene shook his head. “I don’t think that’s possible. Commander Greene was supposed to send me another communication bracelet from Jupiter, but I haven’t received it so far.”
“What? Oh my God!” James was shocked. “Do something. Can we make the bracelet here in our lab?”
“No, buddy. That’s not possible,” Gronene said in dismay, “The communication bracelet is made of special material from Jupiter. It’s not possible to make the bracelet here.”
James thought for a while and turned towards Gronene. “Can the Greenies hear very low-frequency sounds?”
Gronene nodded. “Obviously. In Jupiter, we need to hear very low frequency sounds to locate things.”
“How low?”
“As I said, very low. What do you have in mind?” Gronene asked.
James said, “I don’t know how effective that would be, but isn’t it right that we can transmit waves at a frequency low enough, halfway around the world?”
Gronene nodded. “Absolutely. If it’s low enough, then the ionosphere reflects the radio signals down to the Earth. And the signals continue bouncing around the Earth.”
“Well, what if we transmit a wave with a simple message – SOS – with a very low-frequency. The Greenies would hear that and would make out that only their fellow scientist Greenies could do this. They would immediately know that there’s a problem, and come here?”
Gronene gasped. “Brilliant. That could work!”
The Scavenger, along with Archer and Daniel, approached the front gate. There was chaos all around.
The enemy warriors on hounds – the typical signs of Osay’s army – had attacked the Brentinute.
The Scavenger was giving instructions rapidly to the people around. The guards in makeshift huts on the walls shot arrows and lances on the enemy. They were behind steel barriers that protected them. The guards were using strange but amazingly effective weapons designed by the scientists of the Brentinute.
But cracks had started to appear in the steel barriers. It was not long before they would be overpowered.
Back in the laboratory, the scientists had an urgent task at hand. They needed to create a signal transmitter, sturdy and resistant enough to transmit SOS in a very low-frequency wave across to the Greenies residing at the Shephard Mountains. Gronene and his team were assisting the scientists as best as they could.
“How long will it take?” James was impatient.
“I don’t know!” Gronene was furiously sharpening a steel piece. “I am going as fast as I can!”
“How can I help?” James asked.
Without looking at James, Gronene replied, “Just have patience and wait. We are all trying our best.”
The barriers in front of the gate had now cracked, and ferocious hounds had started to climb the walls. The guards threw grenades and burning oil on the enemy.
“Where is James? Was he able to get Gronene to call the Greenies? In a few minutes, we are all gone for good,” the Scavenger shouted to Daniel and Archer.
The three were now standing on a raised platform above the walls of the Brentinute and summoning their Elemental Powers.
“Have faith,” Daniel said as roots shot out from his hands, thrusting the enemy hounds down the wall.
The blazing fire that Archer summoned proved too much to handle for the enemy. The hounds ran helter-skelter due to the heat.
“Great job.” The Scavenger was delighted as the enemy warriors and hounds were taken aback by the counterattack. He raised the Lightning Sword. “Now I want you to get off the platform. It’s time to summon lightning.”
The sky crackled ferociously. Bolts of electricity fell upon the enemy as the lightning struck.
The damage to the enemy was significant, but the Scavenger felt exhausted. Daniel and Archer rushed to steady him.
The Scavenger murmured, “I’m all right. We just bought some time. We need reinforcement, fast. Where is James?”
Daniel and Archer ran towards the Laboratory and barged in.
“Oh, what a good time!” James exclaimed to Daniel and Archer. He handed them two staffs covered with antenna and wires. “It’s good that you’re here. Please take these staffs to someone who’s an excellent thrower, and then ask him to throw these staffs outside as far as possible. These will act as communication stations and transmit signals.”
Archer said, “But you were supposed to ask Gronene to call the Greenies. Why should it take so much time?”
“No time to explain,” James said, “Obviously, something hasn’t worked. Don’t waste my time. Take these staffs and do what I said.”
Archer and Daniel took the staffs without further questions.
Archer asked, “How much more time should your thing take?”
James smiled. “It’s almost done! Twenty minutes, at the max.”
“Twenty minutes!” Daniel exclaimed. “We are never going to hold out for that long a time!”
“I don’t care about that,” James said. “Now let me work. Just go and get the staffs thrown out as far as possible.”
Archer and Daniel rushed back to the Scavenger and briefed him.
The Scavenger sighed. “Twenty minutes is a very long time. But let’s all trust James. He surely knows what he is doing. Give me the staffs. Let’s see how far I can throw them.”
The Scavenger rushed to the back wall of the Brentinute. Daniel and Archer eagerly followed the Scavenger to a raised platform.
With a deep breath, the Scavenger pulled the staffs backwards. Then, with a grunt, he propelled them forwards.
The staffs flew ahead, as a typical stick of wood would. But as they started to fall, they flared up. The staffs emanated red light, and they got propelled several miles before landing on some treetops.
The Scavenger, along with Daniel and Archer, rushed to the front gate. There was a huge blast, and the wall shook. Archer lost his balance and crashed against the ground. Although the armour protected him, all the breath got knocked out from his lungs.
The walls had collapsed. Enemy warriors on hounds were flooding
