PREVIEW CHAPTER THIRTEEN (Excerpt)

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                                                                                 Field Trip

 

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         Today would be one of those childhood memories ingrained in the shared consciousness of Alpha Squad. Although they wouldn’t remember taking the shuttle to Hangar Eleven, they would recall the impressive lineup of Aurora Class Two interceptors, combat jets capable of hover flight that was able to reach Mach 1 speeds. They followed the professors to the heavily armored personnel transport Inta-Doa, a sturdy vessel with a pot-marked hull, scratched and faded paint revealing its Herstory of service. After they had boarded, the transport lifted off and quickly rocketed toward the outer marker, speeding toward the undeveloped territory.

            Since the yoniversity prohibited students from going outside the campus grounds, the thought of traveling far away from the city core was enthralling. They looked outside the windows seeing the pockets of residential, commercial, and industrial complexes built around the ancient power plants that were modified to supply cold-fusion energy to the inner world. For The Nine, however, the feeling of flying over structures, surrounded by a network of abandoned clay villages, once populated by the earliest humans felt more like a memory.

         The children had only seen the jungle from a great distance, which had made it seem like nothing more than a giant blob of an indefinable green mass. However, this time, the transport flew far lower than when it had brought them to Nevaeh. The farthest section of the ancient jungle seemed to reach towards the heavens as the carrier drew nearer to the restricted zone, which was populated with the world’s oldest forests—with some of the youngest trees as tall as an eighty-story skyscraper.

           The forest stretched out in all directions for what seemed like forever, but curiously, what appeared to be a bright green shrub was always peeking over the horizon, despite flying over various elevations. The group suspended their jocosity as each began to notice the shrub appear to grow ever larger with their approach. The eyes of everyone aboard the transport widened in complete awe, seeing the majesty of the twelve mesas surrounding the Mother Tree standing nearly fifty miles high above the deep valley.

            As instructed by Aaron, the pilot circled around the magnificent giant tree, allowing the passengers to see the sparkle on the tree-sized leaves. The professors sensed The Nine’s excitement as they used their Nu human ability to see farther and observed charges of electricity surging throughout the mighty tree’s crystalline structure.

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            “This is incredible,” the co-pilot declared, “and we can’t tell anyone.”

            “Honestly, who’d believe it?” The pilot replied, “I’m looking at it, and I don’t believe it.”

            “Set us down over there gentlemen,” Aaron pointed to the only clearing in the dense forest, at the heart of the ancient forest valley several kilometers away. The transport touched down opposite to what looked like an altar the height of a four-story building. The children stepped outside, paying heed to Sunny and Aaron’s warnings not to wander off as they dazedly wandered in the direction of the tree, with their attention captured by its mystifying enormity, the top of which seemed to pierce the heavens itself.

            “What do you think Christian, holographic projection?” Ryan muttered to the amusement of The Nine.

            “I don’t know what to think,” Christian replied, “There’s no mention of anything like this in any of the literature Professor Hayes suggested reading.” 

            “That’s because there is no research regarding trees this size. Not even in your greatest mythology…” Sunny advised, “The AgarthIshed is only spoken of in the Oral Herstory of the Primordials, which was kept secret until a few centuries ago.”

            “Here we go,” Ryan muttered.

            “And since the Institute of Science and Technology has categorized all Oral Herstory as folklore and mythology, the only way to know they exist is by seeing with your own eyes,” Aaron added.

            “I can see why they wanted to keep them a secret,” Raphael said while imagining the impact of a growing human presence.

            Of the twelve children who had heard rumors of the plan to expand development into the conservation, only The Nine shared the same thought: Why would anyone want to ruin such a magical place with development? Moreover, what stopped them from developing in the first place?

            Just then, on all fours, the answer lumbered out of the enormous jungle in the form of a fifteen-story-tall black drill baboon, “Wow…” The Nine muttered.

            “How’re your convictions now, guys?” Uriel asked the trio.

            “Shattered,” Christian muttered while shrinking behind Aaron with his two siblings.

            “He’s beautiful,” the sisters murmured.

            Thank you, the king of the giant baboon tribe replied telepathically.

            “Children, meet our guide,” Aaron said, “Alpha Squad this is UpreHui.”

            Hello, children. UpreHui’s thoughts resonated within the deep growl rumbling over them. Welcome to the conservation.

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           The children were in awe of UpreHui’s magnificent presence instead of being instinctively terrified as anyone would be, seeing a creature that large, but were amazed at his outward beauty and inward intelligence. Animals, most thought, are supposed to be dumb, soulless creatures incapable of conscious thought, yet here was this giant creature whose thoughts seemed to travel through the vibrations of his grunts, growls, and hums.                   Michael, Brielle, Uriel, and Raphael were the first of the twelve to approach the great beast cautiously, as though unconsciously aware of UpreHui’s symbolic role as Uriel’s connection to the Deity Dje-Huti. The others soon followed, unafraid only because of the implicit trust Aaron and Sunny seemed to place in the giant. Brielle and Uriel inched Michael forward, despite his resistance.

            Well, what have we here? UpreHui scrutinized Michael’s bravery, inadvertently causing it to wane, Don’t be afraid, little one. I won’t bite.

            “Hello, sir. I’m Michael,” he said to the confusion of the trio, who could not detect the beast’s thoughts.

            “Does he understand language, Professor?” Sammaelle had asked before time stood still.

            Hello, young Mr. Hatcher. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

            How did you know my last name? Michael thought.

            The same way I know all of your names: you told me.

            No, he didn’t. He just said his name was Michael, Brielle thought.

            UpreHui turned his eye to the tiny girl with an expression of what the unworldly children only could have considered being anger and the possible contemplation of devouring this daring little upstart. Brielle shrank behind Michael as the corners of the giant’s great mouth curled upward, unveiling its silo-size canines before his earth-shaking laugh erupted.

            Indeed, he didn’t, my darling Miss Pearce! You are as bold and tenacious in defense of your brother as your namesake! You two truly may be the reincarnations of the royal pair; he thought to them.

            Reincarnations? The nine thought.

Aaron coughed, interrupting UpreHui’s reply, which disrupted the deepening mind link and brought The Nine back into regular time, with the trio none the wiser.

            “He understands far more than you realize,” Sunny replied to Sammaelle.

            “It sure doesn’t look like it,” Ryan remarked. “He just seems like a big dumb animal to me.”

UpreHui tilted his head back and slowly fixed his stern eyes directly on Ryan, with a perturbed expression that suggested his understanding of human language was indeed authentic.

           

           “Attention everyone,” Aaron interrupted, while staring at the AgarthIshed in the distance, “we have a lot of ground to cover and need to get moving now if we’re to keep on schedule.”

The two professors led the students to the edge of a high embankment.

            “Was that apprehension I heard in the professor’s voice?” Ryan whispered to Christian, as UpreHui stepped down into the gorge, leveling his broad back with the ledge, which seemed perfectly slotted for his shoulder.

            Aaron led the class onto UpreHui’s shoulders as if the giant animal were a massive ferry transport covered with a long black-and-gray field of fur the length and breadth of bamboo stalks.

            “I wonder what our instructor is hiding,” Ryan replied.

            In a demonstration of his keen hearing, UpreHui glanced over his shoulder at them, which was more than enough warning to silence them while leaving the rest of the class, including Sammaelle, very amused.

            “All are present and accounted for!” Sunny called out, being the last one off the ledge.

            “Everybody ready?” Aaron called.

            “Yeah!” the children excitedly answered.

            “Then away we go!” Aaron said.

            UpreHui slowly crawled out of the gorge and turned around, making his way through the dense jungle. Gentlemen…are we all right with this pace?

            After gauging the path ahead, Aaron and Sunny exchanged excited glances, remembering the thrill of riding on the shoulders of a fifteen-story-tall baboon; they knew the children were in for quite a treat. “I think we can handle a bit more speed. What do you say, children? Shall we go a bit faster?” Aaron inquired uncharacteristically.

            “Yes, Professor!” they answered in unison. “Faster, faster!”

            “Then hold on tight!” Aaron said while tying a single, rope-sized strand of UpreHui’s hair around his waist like a sturdy vine. Then he waited until Sunny visually confirmed everyone was secure. “UpreHui, the children would like to go faster!”

            Then faster it is! UpreHui happily thought.

            The children‘s tiny hearts pounded, feeling the pure excitement of high winds whistling through their ears. With every roller-coaster-like twist, turn, dip, and leap, triggering faint memories of theme-park commercials they’d viewed before leaving earth, and although they had no real frame of reference, they knew this ride had to be a million times better.

            The day seemed to pass more quickly than most, definitely much more rapidly than if the children were in school, even under the tutelage of the professors who made instruction an enjoyable experience. In class, the children were always engaged mentally, physically, and spiritually, but this was a magical trip the twelve would remember for the rest of their lives.

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