Khan: "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I have money, but I also have a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my niece go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you. I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."
With Covington chasing Eliza, Arnold and Wallace made their way back to the beach. "Once we sell these," said Wallace, "We can each buy our own private islands, three times bigger than this one."
"You think the museum will pay enough?"
"With their funding?" Wallace scoffed. "Nah. Ya gotta think big. Who would pay a fortune for a rarity? More importantly, who could afford it?"
At that moment, the bushes ahead of them parted, revealing two panthers in flight suits, guns at the ready. Behind them, emerged the foreboding Shere Khan.
"Mr. Khan!" they chorused. "This is unexpected," Wallace added. "Here for a little treasure-hunting?"
Khan eyed the badgers. "Something like that."
"Well, you're in luck!" Wallace winked at Arnold and pulled out the ruby doll out of his bag, earning a gasp from the panthers. "The missing idol of Queen Hatshepsut." Wallace handed Khan the treasure. "I'm sure you could find some use for the ruby."
"Wait a minute," said one of the panthers, horrified. "You mean destroy something that precious for spare parts?"
Wallace and Arnold shrugged. "Sometimes," said Arnold, "ya gotta make a sacrifice."
"So, it would seem," said Khan, turning the idol back and forth for a full view. As someone who delved in valuables, he could tell a real ruby when saw it. And there was no denying this one's value.
"That's not all," said Wallace, pulling the wooden doll out of his bag and handing it to Khan. "We have the key to the tomb."
Khan silently looked it over with intense focus. His thumb traced the scratch running along the figure's body. "Now then," he tossed the ruby to one of the panthers without a second thought and turned back to the badgers. Their jaws dropped at the mishandling. "Where's the girl?"
"What?" Arnold stammered. "How'd you-" he broke off when Wallace elbowed him in the ribs.
"Uh, what girl?" Wallace laughed nervously.
"The one who made this?" Khan held up the doll, gesturing his thumb to the scratch.
Wallace's stammer mirrored his partner's. "How'd you-?" he cleared his throat. "I mean, that was already there."
"Really?" Khan flicked out his thumb claw and scratched alongside the first cut. Now two identical fresh scratches paralleled each other.
"Are you crazy?" Arnold exclaimed.
"Look," said Wallace. "We got these artifacts, who cares about some puny brat?"
If Khan's gaze could get any harder, it did now. His voice, however, was too calm for comfort. "You have a point." He tossed the doll to another panther. "So, I'll ask a different question." Khan fanned out the other four claws. His tone remained unchanged. "Do you like your organs?"
Eliza didn't stop to brush off the spiders, no matter how much she wanted to. Covington had broken through the webbing himself, and was closing in.? Once she broke through the trees, a stream blocked her way. It wasn't especially wide, but it was running fast. If she tried to swim it, she would be carried away. Eliza considered running alongside it, until she spotted a fallen tree. Its head submerged two thirds across. The trunk was only partially uprooted, which meant it was still secure. The tree was too thin to hold an adult, but she was light enough. She just needed to jump the rest of the way.
Her heart jumped ahead of her. It was risky, but she could finally lose him. She scrambled down the bank and placed a trembling foot on the trunk. It wobbled as she made a giant step to get both feet planted, arms spread like a plane.
"Ok, you got this." Despite her efforts to comfort herself, her body shook. "It's not that far." This was also a lie. The other bank looked farther from where she stood now. "Here we go." She took a deep breath, counted to three, and sprinted.
The tree seemed to get longer the closer she got. As she prepared to spring for the moment of truth, something else sprang in front of her. She saw a flash of teeth in the split second, halted midjump and stumbled. Her arms and legs encircled the trunk like a koala. She grabbed her hurt wrist to secure herself, wincing. Eliza hyperventilated, staring into the nightmarish face of the crocodile leering at her. Its mouth opened wide. "Are you kidding me?" she belted.
"Well, this is quite a turnaround," said a smug voice. Eliza couldn't see far over her shoulder, but it was just enough to make out the folded arms and that smile she despised. Covington leaned against a tree as if witnessing his favorite entertainment, then pressed his foot at the base of the trunk.
Eliza ground her teeth. "Don't. You. Dare!" The tree wobbled under his foot, even more so than when she stepped on. "Stop that!" Eliza shrieked, clinging for a dear life. "What's the point of killing me anyway?"
Covington shrugged. "It's a cruel world, my dear. We all have to do what's best for ourselves."
That sounded familiar. "Ugh, I get it!" Eliza groaned. "The world's a jungle. There are the eaters and the eaten."
Covington lifted his foot and nodded in admiration. "You learn fast, I'll give you that."
The crocodile closed its mouth, but it still watched her. Although she was terrified, part of her was memorized. She had only seen pictures in books. Being up close was something else. "You know," she panted. "The jungle's more fair than you think. The predators only hunt to survive. But you." Anger burned through. She had seen this before in Karnage, relishing it like a child who refused to grow up. She had seen it in her uncle, but at least he was turned off by unnecessary cruelty. She even felt it in herself when she first discovered her claws. "You just want power." She then thought back to the badgers' behavior. "Oh, I get it now. You're tired of being pushed around, so this makes you feel better."
"Shut up!" There was a clank and the tree jolted.
Eliza hugged the trunk. Death grip on her injured wrist.
"You're just a child," said Covington. "What do you know?"
"More than you think," Eliza hissed.
"Well, it doesn't matter now." Covington bounced his foot on the tree.
Each movement was agony on her wrist. Perspiration slicked her numb hands. Eliza closed her eyes to avoid getting dizzy. Think! Think! Not an easy feat when her stomach was in motion. Greed! Use their greed! "They're gonna leave you."
The wobbling stopped. "What's that?"
Eliza caught her breath, though she still felt the swaying sensation. "Your partners. If you stay here, they're gonna leave you and get your share."
Silence followed. Eliza opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Covington had taken his foot off the tree, and now looked behind him. "I forgot those lugs," he growled.
Money and power, just like her uncle said. The question was, which desire was stronger? Eliza got her answer when Covington vanished behind the trees. How could he go from pursuing her to throwing her away so quickly? Considering her past encounters with him and Karnage, she should be used to it by now. It made her feel less like a person and more likeā¦
Eliza gulped, and turned back to the crocodile. It stayed still as log with eyes wicked and shiny. A scrap of meat, that's what she felt like. Trading one monster for another. She tried shimmying backwards when she heard a snap and dropped slightly. The movement was quick, and her heart skipped with it. Her hold tightened, despite the pain on her wrist. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the roots withering, thanks to Covington. If she tried to climb, it would give before she reached the bank.
That only left one option and it made her stomach turn. She had to be out of her mind, but at this point, she was dead either way. Eliza tucked her knees under her chest and rose on shaky legs, arms spread-eagled. Another root snapped, nearly throwing her off balance. The crocodile's mouth gaped open. Eliza trembled as she stared down a pink tunnel. It wasn't going to close until she fell. Until it swallowed her whole.
Maybe she could fool it. Though it was risky, she stamped her foot on the tree, creating a thump. After that, everything happened in a heartbeat. The tree dropped. The crocodile snapped its jaw shut. Eliza sprang, landing in a crouching position on its scaly head. As fast as time moved before, that was when it stopped. Eliza went rigid. Green eyes shone like marbles. Thin black pupils seemed to cut right into her soul. Her mind emptied except for one little though: this was a bad idea. She could feel the crocodile rumbling under feet. The jaw re-opened, urging her to run along the wriggling, slippery body. The tail whipped back and forth, but she leapt over it like a jump rope.
Eliza hit the bank, wincing as she landed on her left wrist, submerged up to the waist. The current pushed at her legs in an attempt to claim her. Despite the pain, she dug her fingers into the sand and clambered up the bank. The water was now at her ankles when something tugged at her right pant leg. Eliza didn't need to look back to know what it was. The cold jagged teeth bumping her ankle were a dead giveaway. She planted her left foot into ground and pushed. Cloth ripped, freeing her to scramble up the bank and run.
She stopped when she was at a safe distance to look behind her. The crocodile chewed irritably on the black cloth. Eliza felt sick. This had to be her third near-death experience, yet also the closest. She swallowed back bile when she imagined the gory ending. The only sound now was her heart hammering. Her vision blurred and she felt lightheaded. With the adrenaline wearing off, the exertion and lack of nourishment were catching up. She leaned against a tree and steadied her breathing until her vision cleared. Her head still felt light and her legs wobbled, but Eliza walked on.
"Honest!" Wallace squeaked. "Covington chased her up the hill. We were just leaving."
Khan moved his claws away from the badger's neck. He paused to think, then hovered his claws in front of the taller badger's throat. "Anything to add?"
"No," Arnold stammered. Even though they were the same height, Khan had the same effect Arnold usually had on shorter people. Only worse. "No, he's telling the truth."
Before Khan could ask further questions, the sound of panting and breaking branches drew everyone's attention to the thicket. Covington broke through the opening, mopping his sweaty head with a handkerchief. "Ah, gentlemen!" he panted. "You didn't leave me."
"Yeah, lucky you," Wallace groaned.
"And Mr. Khan." Covington's face brightened. "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."
Khan raised a brow, as if to say, "Is he for real?"
Wallace exchanged a grin with Arnold before speaking. "Say, Covington, what happened to the kid?"
"Oh, her?" Covington shrugged. "Last I left her, she was dangling over a crocodile."
A symphony of sharp gasps erupted from the panthers. Most of their dark fur had paled to gray. John, who never had the stomach for these missions, looked ready to retch. Bagheera ground his teeth, hands balled into fists. The only reason he hadn't pummeled the mercenary by now was that his junior recruit Jim was holding him back.
Khan's voice was almost a whisper. A thundering whisper. "What did you say?"
Covington, oblivious to the reaction, added, "Just some pest got in the way. Anyway-" before he could finish, a hand grasped his throat. He found himself lifted off his feet and looking into the fiery eyes of Shere Khan.
"Where?" Khan rasped.
"W-what?" Covington choked. Khan's hold tightened. "The stream!" Covington wheezed. "Uphill!"
Khan nodded at the tallest panther wearing a captain's hat.
"Fan out, men!" the captain ordered. Most of the pilots followed suit, except five who he ordered to stay behind and keep an eye on the criminal.
Khan watched them until he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Uh, sir," said John's shaky voice. "I think you should drop him."
Khan looked at Covington's now purple face. Although Khan wanted to see that face pop like a grape, he let go.
Covington crumpled, wheezing, and massaging his neck. "Why? What can one little girl mean to you?"
Khan stared out into the thicket where his pilots departed. So still, he might as well have been a statue. A furious statue. "What does your life mean to you?"
