Martin sat surrounded by a huge group of Bonobos, just hanging out with them. They were much more peaceful than common chimpanzees. Lounging around, grooming each other, eating fruit and bugs. Martin could get used to this.
"Check it out," Martin said, still on call with Aviva.
The lead female of the group signaled it was time to find a new foraging spot. The rest of the Bonobos getting up.
"Bonobo communities are led by elder females. Unlike chimpanzee colonies who are male dominant. With Bonobo's the female's lead." Martin observed.
"Incredible!" Aviva replied, adding information to the creature power disks.
The young male Bonobo, Bushy, curiously walked up to Martin.
"Hey Bushy! How's it hanging? Oh Chris is gonna be so psyched to meet you" Martin said, enjoying the little primate's playful nature.
Bushy examined the creature pod in Martin's hand.
'Where is Chris anyway?' Martin thought. He couldn't have been that far away. Martin searched the trees. He felt something being yanked from his hands.
Bushy began fiddling with the creature pod, pressing buttons and seeing what it did. Martin chuckled. Fascinated by how quickly the ape figured out the device.
A blood-curdling scream pierced the air, interrupting the peace. The hair on Martin's neck stood on end. Chris. The shriek that undeniably belonged to his little brother.
The sudden fright sent the Bonobos off, Bushy running off with Martin's creature pod.
"Hey wait!" Martin called, letting them go on their way.
Martin bolted through the forest. Frustrated at the vines and foliage slowing him down, attempting to ensnare him. Frantically, he scrutinized the treetops for a sign of his brother. Pushing down the horrifying thoughts and images that invaded his imagination. 'Find Chris first, everything will be fine.'
CRACK!
The sharp sound echoed through the forest, followed by a dreadful thump. Martin rushed towards the source of the sound.
Chris hit the ground, the air in his lungs struggling for air, the fall knocked the wind out of him. His head smacked the ground painfully, his helmet didn't seem to do its job very well. Lying on the floor, choking on air, the ground underneath him an ocean of twisting waves. Exasperating the spinning in his head. His body, in urgent need of rest, sent Chris plummeting once more. Into darkness.
"Chris!" Martin called out, desperation in his voice as he continued his search.
Martin stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his brother, lifeless, on the forest floor.
"Chris…?" Martin choked, his eyes welling up.
Martin ran to his brother's side, immediately checking for a pulse. An inconsistent and weak thumping, but it was a pulse nonetheless. Martin exhaled a sigh of relief. But they weren't out of the woods yet, literally.
Martin placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, shaking him with extreme caution and gentleness. Chris's breath hitched, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Chris, you okay?" Martin questioned. Chris obviously wasn't okay, but Martin couldn't think of anything else to say.
Chris fought against the grasp of unconsciousness, struggling to open his eyes. He heard a muffled, echoing voice above him. It sounded familiar, comforting. His eyes fluttered open sluggishly, the sunlight overwhelmingly bright.
"Chris can you hear me?" Martin asked, seeing his brother coming to.
The voice echoed again, a hazy image of someone stood over him. His eyes adjusted to the light, but his vision was still unfocused. The throbbing sting of the snakebite returned, his whole body was aching with pain. Waking up was a bad decision.
"Talk to me Chris," Martin said, lightly holding Chris's face, looking into his dazed eyes.
Chris tried focusing on the figure, the image becoming clearer. Three copies of Martin danced around his vision, the echoey voice becoming more audible. His brother looked full of worry. The snakebite sent out a jolt of malevolent pain. A loud groan of agony escaping his lips, he lethargically lifted his hand. It took nearly all his energy to grasp onto the burning wound.
Martin noticed the movement, curiosity blending with apprehension. Why was he grabbing his arm like that? Cautiously, Martin placed his hand over Chris's, pulling it away to reveal the secret. A pool of red, inflamed skin surrounded two tiny dots. A snake bite. Martin gasped, examining the bite.
Martin let go of Chris's arm, whipping out his backpack and rummaging through it. Where the hell was the first aid kit? He dumped out the contents of the bag, the first aid kit was nonexistent. And he didn't have his creature pod! 'Don't panic. Don't panic. Chris needs you right now.' Martin diverted his attention back to Chris, who was clutching his arm.
"Chris, we gotta get you back to the Tortuga," Martin said hastily, trying to keep his emotions under control.
Chris hadn't said a word since Martin found him, and it frightened him. Chris wasn't all together there, and it showed. In the middle of the rainforest, with no first aid kit, and no communication. His positive thinking being stolen by fears of his brother's demise. Chris's voice broke his mental spiral.
"M-martin" Chris whispered, voice weak and breaking.
"I'm right here Chris" Martin replied soothingly, he had to stay strong.
Chris's lip began to tremble, despair written on his face.
"Am I g-gonna…" Chris trailed off, tears forming in his eyes.
".. die?" he finished.
"No, I'm getting you out of this. You're not dying on my watch" Martin replied with false confidence.
Martin got a small epiphany. Chris still had his creature pod! He reached for Chris's power glove, where the creature pod sat in place. A large crack through the middle of the screen made Martin's stomach drop. This can't be happening. He tapped the screen, it flashed and glitched, showing a static screen.
Back at the Tortuga, Koki got an alert from the computer. It was from Chris's creature pod. Koki accepted the call with a smile, but it soon faded at the sight of the bad signal.
Through a broken and static connection, Martin's face showed up for only brief seconds at a time. Koki tried to combat the errors, but to no avail.
"#####….########...Chris!...#######….hurt..#######…..help!-" the cryptic message said, before cutting out.
"Aviva!" Koki yelled.
"Okay I just called Koki but I don't know if they got the message" Martin explained.
Chris didn't respond, his gaze set straight ahead and unmoving. He had stopped his grimacing and groaning. 'This is it', Chris thought. The last time I'll see my brother, the earth, the animals, the trees. Once again he was reminded of his smallness, his insignificance, yet just existing seemed to hold a giant importance. He wasn't ready to leave, there was so much more to explore, creatures to find, adventures to have.
"Chris!" Martin practically screamed, seeing his brother's stillness.
