Widderkin V. O. E. - 10. Chapter 10

WIDDERKIN VOE.

Chapter 10.

"Three days and they haven't found him? We need a more competent team."

"I don't believe so, sir."

This contradiction raised his boss’s eyebrows and Harris hastened to justify himself.

"The team arrived in Central Australia the same day we activated them and very quickly established that the subject had flown to Melbourne to register for the next semester of study at a college in the south-east. The first available flight was the next morning and by the time they arrived their IT specialist had accessed the college academic and administrative details."

"Does that help us?"

"Very much. It provided the subject’s living address, the names of three others sharing the location, and the banking number used for payment of course fees. The whole team went direct from the airport but arrived to find an empty house. Information from an inquisitive neighbour led to a van hire company, but with no way to track them that was little help, and their week-long contract left a wait as the only reasonable option. It won't be long. According to Benton this ... Woorawa ... addresses a council meeting on Wednesday."

"What did they found in the house?"

"Typical student gear and very little else."

"And then?"

"Level one surveillance of sound and vision was installed throughout the house."

"Jargon, Harris. Level one sounds impressive but what does it mean?"

"The best use of the best equipment available, and unfettered access with virtual undetectability."

"I should hope so ... What do the academic records tell us?"

"Again, not very much! The subject is attempting a challenging IT course despite being classified as disadvantaged, and there is a liaison with the professor in charge of the anthropology Department."

"Information Technology? That supports the laser light suggestion. He has a computer?"

"A cheap and nasty desktop with very little on it. The IT man took mirror copies of the hard drives but can't find anything unusual."

"Another brick wall. What of the companions?"

"One is a mid-range student with an aptitude for literature studies. The other two are rated far above anyone else in their year level for maths and science."

Silence stretched for long enough to make Harris wonder if he’d overlooked something.

"Hmm! Outliers ring alarm bells. Instruct the security team to extend their scrutiny to all these companions. Have them to return to Central Australia and leave one pair of eyes only for the Melbourne residence."

"Sir?"

"Does the hire company have an outlet in Alice Springs?"

"They are one of the majors. I suspect so."

"And I suspect the van is touring its way there with an arrival target of Tuesday or Wednesday. The only certain intercept is the council meeting. The security team can assist Benton while they get properly established. We need eyes in that Cultural Center for a start.

Keep things moving. Harris, I have heard on the grapevine that the engineering people are deploying a unit of heavy equipment for trial purposes."

"Yes, sir."

Harris, knowing every nuance of his manner was being assessed, nodded politely, left the room, smiled till he was past Madelaine, then ground his teeth. No wonder the old so-and-so was secure in his position.

In the course of their short discussion he’d assessed the situation, issued clearly superior instructions, and indicated the level of performance he demanded. And the deployment of heavy equipment? Hmm! Careful oversight might offer a possible payoff.

***

Kieran sat up from the padded recliner seat and wondered why Mr B was the only person he could see. An exuberant yell cleared that up.

"Are they still in the water?"

"Half an hour’s nothing for Rhys, and Tan lies across the back of Norkus whenever he wants a rest."

"Norkus? ... That has to be a Rhys invention."

"Well, it did start off as Dorkus but we all yelled at him and he compromised."

"Just as well! ... So how many others have weird names?"

"None. Tan said it’s Michael's prerogative and Michael said it was too important to rush."

"Michael's prerogative?"

"Because he’s their speaker, whatever that means. It was typical Tan being thoughtful. Was half an hour enough rest, Kieran?"

"Plenty, Mr B. The cleansing heal is stacks easier than wounds or breaks, and five orcas wasn't many. Is Norkus the first one we healed?"

Mr B laughed.

"Tan has really taken to him and reckons he’s got more personality than the others. We’ve been wondering if he’s extra friendly because he’s grateful."

"Extra? More new things while I was asleep?"

"He likes us sitting on his back and it seems like he’s laughing when his movements make us fall off. Rhys got a mouthful of water once when they submerged without warning and now it happens every time."

"Like it’s a game?"

"Exactly, but it’s even funnier because he only does it to Rhys."

Kieran stood up to look for himself. Massive bodies were all around, moving with effortless grace in their now familiar but always fascinating ways. And yes, Tan was indeed prone across Norkus’s back, one arm using the dorsal fin to keep him in place while he watched the other three mess with the tail flukes. Gods! One accidental flap could squelch them.

"Rhys! You idiot! You’ll get mangled."

"Yay! Kieran! Get in here and join us. This guy’s the best."

"His tail must weigh as much as a car."

"He’s as careful as. Watch this! Triple grab this time, guys! Ready. Now!"

The call to action sounded. Six hands grasped as best they could and the bodies connected to them were promptly lifted almost clear of the water. Michael lost hold and sculled backwards in the water while the tail flukes descended and Rhys and Woorawa, holding tight and ready with lungs full of air, disappeared below the surface. Mr B laughed.

"It didn't take long for your horrified look to disappear. Come on, Kieran! You can show off your water skills to the masters. This is too good to miss."

***

Michael was rather overwhelmed when Woorawa invited him to Mparntwe any time he could manage between now and the start of semester in the new year, and despite the promise of return visits, wished the companions weren't leaving. His wave when the hire van drove off left everyone quiet for a while.

"He’s a bit of a loner, Kieran. It would’ve been good for him to come with us and meet Burrimul. Talking with an elder would be a big deal for him."

"He’s too conscientious, Rhys. Mandy was all for it when he spoke to her yesterday but she would be understaffed till another Ranger finishes their family leave in three weeks time."

"Is that why she kept him? I didn't hear that."

Mr B explained more.

"She didn't want to keep him, Rhys. She was keen for him to have the time off but she’s responsible for running the whole Penguin Park and there wasn't enough warning."

"I suppose ... How long’s it going to take us to get home, Tan?"

"We stayed with the orcas longer than we meant to, Rhys, so that means we’ll catch some of the peak traffic, but as long as we don't dawdle at the cabin we’ll miss the worst of it ... Well, I’ll miss the worst of it. You’ll doze in the van if you’re sensible."

Kieran watched Rhys check if Tan was serious. He was, and with an early get up in the morning it really would be sensible for everyone to relax while they had the chance. Mr B set the parameters for a twenty minute get away with an in-and-out shower to clear the saltwater remnants, gathering belongings and a quick tidy and check, then laughed because everyone would do their own thing anyway.

The van pulled in and there was a bustle of activity till Kieran, wrapped in a towel and feeling clean and fresh, was headed for his pack and a fresh set of clothes.

"Kieran, get out here. Woorawa’s got news."

"Okay! I’m coming. Is it bad?"

"It might be but Woorawa will tell you himself."

Mr B, Rhys and Woorawa were gathered round Tan, intent on the screen of the new laptop.

"What’s happened?"

"I should have taken my phone today, Kieran. Uncle’s been trying to contact me since this morning and he's hoping we can get home on the earliest flight possible. Tan’s looking in case there’s anything this evening."

Tan shook his head.

"The last flight today is at 6 PM, Kieran, but that’s only two and a half hours away and from here there’s no way we can make it."

"Tell me, Woorawa."

This was partial command tone and everyone stilled.

"Auntie was threatened with trouble if she keeps on with the protest tent or goes to the public meeting, and people are being offered money for information about what the elders are doing."

"Has she been hurt?"

"No, and she won't be intimidated, but Uncle thinks it’s serious. The lady from the Shire office contacted him too, and said she’s been informed she’ll lose her job if she gives any more public support. She told him there’ll be really big guns to face at the public meeting tomorrow night."

"What sort of big guns?"

"The local mining company representative named Benton is going to be there, as well as a federal government senator and the local state government member of Parliament. She didn't know any details except that they’re all supporting the mining company."

Kieran took this in and reflected that the professor’s warning about government involvement was coming true.

He felt Woorawa's concern, especially for Auntie, Tan and Mr B's concern for Woorawa, and a rumble of defiance from Rhys. Yes, Rhys was on the right wavelength. This needed to be faced.

"Okay, everyone! Burrimul wants haste.

Tan, you organised the hire van so get on the phone and find out if the company’s got a drop-off point on the island. If there isn’t we’ll organise something with Michael and his mum.

Woorawa, you get on the phone to Burrimul and tell him we’ll be at the same pickup point in … one hour.

Rhys, you contact Michael and tell him we’re arriving at his place in ... half an hour. I hope all the packs are close to ready because we’re on the move."

Woorawa, Tan and Mr B looked shocked. Rhys raised a fist and yelled, yay!

The moving became a veritable stampede.

***

Michael came rushing when the hire van pulled up.

"I rang my mum at her work and she’s too nervous to drive to the drop-off place in Frankston so I rang Mandy and she’s organising for one of the other rangers to help … What will I tell her, Rhys? She’s helping because I said it was an emergency but she’ll want an explanation."

Rhys had done the organising with Michael but Kieran took over.

"And we owe you an explanation too, Michael. We have to get back to Central Australia as quickly as possible to help Woorawa's people with the mining company trouble you heard us talking about. We want to leave straight away and your help with the hire van means we won't have to waste time."

"Are you hiring a helicopter? There are lots of them on the island."

"We’ll show you what we do, but it’s one of our secrets so can we come inside your house where no one will see us?"

"Inside? … Of course you can."

Tan locked the van, handed the keys over and, along with the rest of the group, shouldered his pack to follow a very mystified Michael.

Mr B spoke.

"This is another event like the healing and mind pictures, so just tell Mandy that when you told us about hiring a helicopter we went rushing off. It’s a misdirection but if you go on to explain it was an emergency with Woorawa's family it should get you through."

"Is it your turn this time, Mr B?"

"My turn? Why do you say that?"

"Well, Tan did the thing with his voice, Rhys did the healing, Kieran did the animal things and Woorawa showed us some of his mystery chants, so for something else it's likely to be you."

Rhys grabbed Mr B's hand and pushed it forward.

"Grab a hold, Michael, and watch what happens. It’s really neat so don't freak out."

"Cover his arm with glow, Mr B. It might distract him when we disappear."

There was no freaking, and Michael eagerly took the proffered hand.

"Are you going to make me sing like the penguins and the seals?"

"No, only Kieran can do that. Watch your hand while I concentrate."

Michael watched and then gasped.

"Sheba! It’s blue!"

Everyone stared at him.

"What? ... Is it a trick?"

Mr B had the biggest smile while he answered.

"It’s real, Michael. We’re looking at you funny because you’ve caught goose language. Rhys says ‘sheba’ all the time and now he's infected you."

"Will it disappear if I let go?"

"Only if I tell it to. Try it."

Michael brought his hand closer to his face and watched while his other hand moved through the glow.

"That is so unreal! Can you do it to both hands? Why can't I feel anything? It looks like it's warm but it’s not."

The glow spread and Michael stared with utter fascination.

"Sorry, Michael. I’m turning it off now. We have to get moving."

"Yeah! Wow! Can we do that again next time you’re here?"

He waited for Mr B's agreement before leading the way to the back part of the house.

"This is our little rumpus room and no one will see in here unless they climb a tree to look over the back fence. Do you want me to close the blinds just in case?"

Kieran checked.

"No! This is perfect.

Michael, we’ve got a way to go straight to Central Australia from here which will probably be the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen."

"Weirder than talking to orcas and healing them?"

"Well, we’ll disappear while you’re watching. That’s pretty weird."

Michael snapped his fingers.

"What? Just like that and you’ll be gone?"

Rhys made another finger snap.

"Yep! Just like that!"

"All the way to Central Australia?"

"Woorawa will give you a call when the phones get a signal or I can give you a mind picture."

Michael looked to Woorawa and then back at Kieran.

"Both, please."

"All right. We will! Okay, everyone, hand totem time and be ready in case we end up in a tangled heap."

The group contact was instant, except for Tan, who held back.

"I know you have to lock us together, Kieran, but it might be a good idea if Michael stands further away. If he’s this close he might get dragged along with us."

Kieran was almost certain that wouldn't happen.

"What makes you think that, Tan?"

"This Nexus has lots of mystery about it and it’s definitely not a normal portal."

Kieran had a think.

"Nothing happened to our watchers when we left the Realms, but they did stand back I suppose. Watch from that armchair, Michael. If you do get dragged with us we’ll put you on an aeroplane to get you home."

Michael hesitated then moved to the seat and watched Tan's hand join the others.

"Here we go, Michael. We’ll see you next time we get back to Melbourne."

Kieran set the process going and Michael's wide eyes were replaced with total dark. This was expected so light was called. The expectant looks and stable hand totem wasn't. The hold broke and everyone took stock.

"Well, we’re here, Kieran, but what happened to the tangled heap? That was smoother than a tree portal."

Rhys was right but Kieran didn't answer while he adjusted to the awesome presence of the Earth Nexus and then the urgent call from Mr B.

"What’s it doing, Kieran? I was nearly overwhelmed."

"I don't know, but I felt the same."

Kieran turned and almost instinctively lit up the nearby wall of quartz.

"That’s one edge of the Nexus, everyone. Mr B and I felt something for a few seconds."

"One edge? I wonder how big it is? Let’s have a look before it kicks us out."

Woorawa wasn't happy.

"No way, Rhys. Kieran’s the only one with any experience for a decision like that. Uirebon said people get sucked in by the Realms Nexus and it’s a baby compared to this."

"Hmm! He did too! What d’you reckon, Kieran?"

"No exploring this time, Rhys. We’ll stay close to Tan because I suspect he’s our way out and I want to focus on Ranevargar's suggestion while I’ve got the chance."

"Probing that? Maybe we should make our contact again in case it reacts."

Four hands grasped firmly and made Kieran smile.

"Well, my instructions are to tiptoe very carefully, but it’s a good idea. You might have to be patient."

Tan made the first move and when everyone was in place Kieran closed his eyes and opened his mind to trace any flows of power with a feather touch. He was getting good at this. Ranevargar said it was one of his natural talents and had pushed him with exercises examining the wide range of energy sources in the Realms.

When five gigantic energy rivers blocked his mind view he cut the feather touch completely and, astonished, tried again with a fraction of the first trace. Yes! Now he could cope. Five potent flows questing with a feeling of great distance. Follow one to see what was at the other end? No! One thing at a time. There were subtle bands of minor flow right here. Subtle? No! Only subtle relative to the major flows.

Kieran chose one of the bands at random and, realising it held far more energy than the Realms Nexus, chose another for comparison. It was even bigger. How many of these bands were there? Kieran abandoned that assessment when his roving attention was caught and held by one particular band. What? There was something about it, something familiar? Recognition of the identity key for the Realms Nexus was instant … ???

Kieran, taken by curiosity, directed his focus to trace for a destination and was wondering how it could be disappearing to apparent nothingness when all his perception faded gently away. Gently? Yes, something like a sleep command was closing down his mind.

***

"Snap out, Kieran. Burrimul will be waiting."

"Burrimul? Are we out of the caves?"

"Are you zonked or something? Open your eyes."

Kieran did that, recognised the surroundings, and turned to Tan.

"You brought us out again, but something was different."

"Don't ask me, Kieran. I’m the last one to know."

Three negative head shakes was all Kieran got from the others.

"Not way different, but I think I felt the takeover starting ... Let's go! I just told Burrimul we’re on the way."

Kieran slipped into line between Rhys and Mr B.

"Did you have time to look at the Nexus, Kieran? You’d only just closed your eyes when Tan took over."

"Five gigantic power flows, Mr B. I want to show Ranevargar because I think they must connect to other Earth Nexuses."

"That does fit with Tan's diagram. Uirebon will want to know too, but I’m hoping you’ll have a relaxing night tonight to recover from healing all the orcas. Was bringing us here harder than Tree Portals in the Realms? It was surprisingly smooth."

"Hard doesn't really come into it, Mr B, because the Opal does all the work, but I was surprised too. I was ready to get dumped."

"I’ve got a theory about that."

Progress paused while everyone turned to Tan.

"If we were at the North Pole and portalled to the South Pole we’d be upside down when we arrived. Coming here from Phillip Island would be relatively identical and so would swapping between groves."

Rhys laughed and everyone waited for whatever was coming.

"It’s the new theory of relativity. It takes over from where the old one finished and Tan’s the genius."

Tan resorted to the usual group insult of calling him an idiot.

"Lead on, Woorawa, and we’ll hope his brain can catch up by the time we reach Burrimul."

***

Woorawa rushed to an eager reunion with Burrimul, and his smiling companions hurried to join them.

"Have you been waiting long, Uncle? We came as quickly as we could."

Burrimul pointed to a long low rock jutting from the sandy soil.

"I left the minibus because that is a proper meeting and talking place. It will be much better than the rush and distraction of a vehicle."

"Proper?"

"I heard many stories here from three of my elders while we shared a listening fire on that platform."

Mr B's head lifted.

"That sounds special. Is it okay for us to be here?"

"You are with us in mind and spirit, brother of Woorawa. The flow of your ideas and wisdom will be more than proper. It will be fitting."

Mr B didn't know what to say.

Woorawa's features lit with pride and assent and Kieran, on behalf of everyone, acknowledged the moment with formal dignity.

"I spoke with Auntie Arika, Woorawa, and we think the forces gathering against us plan to discount our protest at the public meeting with actions and proposals designed to make us look unreasonable. You will be challenged and this early arrival will allow time to discuss the situation and work out ways of responding."

Woorawa quietly regarded Burrimul, then shared a confident smile with his companions.

"The challenge is not to me, Uncle. It is to our people and our friends. And it will fail.

You said Auntie Arika was threatened. Is it pointless to ask if she’s coping?"

Burrimul smiled.

"It is, Woorawa. She has faced controversy many times but this incident was a step too far and her voice has renewed her protest."

"Her voice?"

"Yes, it is her new weapon and she takes it to the city centrer and other places where people gather."

The friends shared a look, then Woorawa asked for more information.

"She has always used her voice like a weapon, Uncle, so why do you say it’s new?"

Burrimul's eyes lingered on Tan.

"She takes a group with her and makes the chant till everyone around is caught."

"The Tan chant?"

"Yes, Woorawa. It's call seems to be universal and Auntie is counting on it, especially with your help, to have a big influence on the meeting tonight."

"Of course I’ll help her, but what do you mean by universal?"

"Everyone listens to it. The TV station has been flooded with requests to replay the good-quality clip they made at the protest tent and Auntie has to be careful the people listening don't block the entrances to town businesses."

Rhys laughed.

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Not if it annoys the business community, Rhys. We want them to listen to us too."

Mr B took that up.

"Do you know where they stand, Burrimul? New money and jobs from the mining company would be tempting for them."

"Very tempting, Mr B, and profit will override respect for many of them."

Woorawa waved a hand against this line of thought.

"It doesn't matter what they think because there won't be a mine. Explain everything you know, Uncle, so we can plan how to make tonight work for us."

***