Directly ahead of them, coming over the crest of the small rise, were two more tigers—barreling toward Finn and Jez at full speed and, to the right of the yard, a half dozen monkeys and four large orangutans were also charging. The number of wild animals, as well as their combined ferocity, every twitch of muscle aimed directly at Finn and Jez, froze the kids. They stood absolutely still, which was a good thing.
Then Finn spotted the ivy creeping along the right wall—just behind the gang of monkeys. Charlene.
“Finn?” a terrified Jez said, her voice breaking.
“No fear,” Finn whispered. He had tried to cross over on his way out of the hatch, but his excitement had prevented it. He didn’t want Jez to know this, so he spoke with authority.
“Move to your right,” he said. “Stay close to the wall.”
“But the monkeys!” she said.
“I know.”
A hollow growl reverberated from behind them: another tiger, this one coming through the tunnel from the lower yard.
Finn picked up a stick and stepped forward, putting himself between the charging monkeys and Jez. The two center tigers continued their advance, while the one in the shade to the left had spun fully around to face the hatch. If he didn’t do something quickly, he and Jez were going to be animal crackers—a late afternoon snack.
“Go!” he said.
Jez took off along the wall at a run.
Finn attacked the line of advancing monkeys and apes, swinging the stick like a baseball bat. The monkeys skidded to a stop, forming a semicircle around him. He saw a flash in the eyes of one of the orangutans: the ape had spotted Jez fleeing along the wall. He chose this ape to go after, chanting under his breath: Nothing can hurt me.
He charged the orangutan, swung the stick, and forced the ape to dance backward, out of the way of contact. In doing so, the orangutan left a small gap between him and the ape to his side. It was just big enough for Finn to squeeze through. He ran forward and shot the gap. The ape turned.
This offered Jez the opportunity to run even harder, quickly moving along the wall toward the slowly advancing Charlene, who, posing as DeVine, was high atop her stilts.
The large cat to the left stepped out of the shadows, her strides calculated and controlled: she was hunting. If not Finn, any one of the monkeys would make a worthwhile snack.
The monkeys saw the cat as well, their hackles raised in alarm.
Finn was facing the wall of monkeys as the second cat climbed up and out of the tunnel. He glanced over his shoulder: the other two cats would arrive at any moment.
He’d done a fine job of pulling attention away from Jez, but his own situation was far more tentative. If he didn’t think of something quickly, his lone stick was not going to be enough to defend himself.
He held the stick high overhead and cried out loudly in a war cry.
“Go ahead, try it!” he shouted, watching Jez continue her progress. But the monkeys grew daring, tightening the circle around Finn.
Preparing to strike.
57
PHILBY’S AND WAYNE’S AVATARS ran along a catwalk of steel mesh, following the few remaining cables like train tracks toward an unconfirmed destination. But everything pointed toward the Dino Institute. Finally, the first wall of the institute appeared, and then the identification on the schematics.
The trick for Philby was to juggle back and forth between the DS and the computer terminal. It wasn’t easy.
philitup: it’s definitely dino-institute.
mybest: we’re almost there.
He studied the wires ahead of him. The purple wires turned right just inside the doors of the institute.
The virtual blueprint spread out before him and Wayne. As they neared the entrance, the plan shifted from two to three dimensions. He and Wayne moved inside the guest entrance. Philby stayed alert for any other ways to get in.
Wayne’s avatar stopped at the edge of the doorway.
Philby typed a message to Wayne.
philitup: what’s wrong?
[ ]: i sense a trap.
philitup: why?
[ ]: we should have met more resistance, i am familiar with their tactics, this is unlike them.
philitup: maybe they’ve changed.
[ ]: not likely, the overtakers never rest, they are cunning and clever and they possess many spells.
i would suggest we look for another access point.
philitup: there’s no time, besides, the cables are right here.
[ ]: have you considered the cables themselves may be part of a trap?
Philby had not given it any thought. The data flow had convinced him he was following the right cables. If it was a trap, then Maybeck and Willa were also walking right into it.
[ ]: please…another door, it’s safer for all of us.
Philby hesitated, incredibly tempted to follow the cables. But Wayne had gotten him this far. He had to trust him. He backed his avatar out of the entrance, took his hands off the controls, and texted a message to Maybeck’s DS