Chapter 5:Zero Hour
Tulio first dialed the number to the main police station, hoping he could make some progress with them. After three rings, the dispatcher picked up, and although it was male, it wasn't who Tulio needed to talk to.
"Qual é a sua emergência?"
"Eu preciso falar com Lopez ou Sandoval! Eu não posso explicar agora, mas tem a ver com o meteoro!"
"Sim senhor, agora mesmo! Qual é seu nome?"
"Tulio."
"Por favor, segure por apenas um minuto, Tulio..."
A soft clicking noise could be heard, and Tulio attributed it to the phone being set down. He heard muffled shouts from the dispatcher, but they were unintelligible on his end. After two minutes of waiting, the clicking sound returned, and a now-familiar voice spoke to him.
"Tulio? This is officer Lopez. I was actually just about to call you, but my wife called me first. I don't know how many times I've told her to not call me while I'm at work! Anyways, what have you found out?"
"This may be hard to believe, but you have to trust me! That meteor is killing the jungle! The plants are rotting away, and the animals are going mad! I've already encountered a few that were affected, and they all possessed rabies-like symptoms. One of those rare macaws I told you about is sick, and I don't know how long he'll last. It's hell out here, Lopez!"
After a tense silence, Lopez collected himself and replied, "Meu Deus! That is terrible news! Is there anything I can do? Should I jump in my patrol car and come over?"
"No! There is something that we can do, because I have found a cure for the disease!"
"You have! What is it?"
"I decided to go back and visit the meteor the day before, and I managed to harvest a sample. That cursed rock knocked me out somehow, but the shard I chipped from it did something amazing! I had put it into my pocket, and after my wife dragged me back to safety, it began to glow. After just a few seconds, I was awake and alert. In fact, I felt almost superhuman!"
"So, what are you trying to tell me?"
"I realized that the meteor, as a whole, is incredibly deadly, but any pieces that are separated from it have incredible healing powers!"
"How's that for irony? Well, what should we do? How are we going to save the jungle?"
"We need to blow that meteor into as many shards as possible. Is there any way you can contact the Brazilian Military?"
"That is quite a request, Tulio! I'll need to talk with my Police Chief, and then he'll have to talk with the Mayor, who'll have to call-"
"No! We don't have the time, Lopez! Not only is the entire jungle in danger, the last male Spix's Macaw is as well! I can't afford to lose him. This planet can't afford to lose him. You have to try!"
Tulio heard a discontented sigh from the other end, and a few seconds of silence persisted afterwards.
"I could lose my job over this. It wouldn't be near as much trouble if we could somehow prove it to the Military! Mere words won't accomplish much, Tulio, and I think you know that..."
"I know, I know! I'll try to think of something, and it would be wise for you to do the same."
"Okay, Tulio, but it will take some time. It could take a few hours or a few days. As soon as I make any progress, I'll call you."
"Thank you for your time, Lopez. I'll be waiting..."
A loud *thump* was heard, and the line went dead. He replaced the phone back in its mount and ran his hands through his hair.
Linda and Jewel had been watching his silent conversation through the lab window, and he seemed utterly displeased with the outcome. Jewel perched on Linda's shoulder, and the two creatures made their way out of the lab. Linda gently closed the steel door, and the sound alerted him to their presence.
"What's the matter, Tulio? Any luck?"
"Not really, Linda. I was talking to Officer Lopez, and he said he'll do his best to get in touch with the military, The thing is, it could turn out very bad for him. If only there was a way for me to prove that what is happening here isn't just a web of lies! Without that, they'll just think I'm trying to pull some big publicity stunt!"
Linda frowned and drew herself up to her husband's side.
"No one said it was going to be easy. Still, we have to think! Those shards are worth their weight in gold, and we have to get them somehow! The stability of the sanctuary depends on it, not to mention the life of Blu..."
She twisted her head around and gazed through the window of the lab, with Jewel imitating her. Blu's sedated form lay motionless on the bed, just as Tulio had left him the previous day. Next to him,Yarah's fried remains still stained the bed, and the polka-dot design created by her blood had not yet been erased from the walls.
"We'll just have to put our faith in Officer Lopez. The only other solution is divine intervention..."
The two humans and the macaw consigned themselves to the living-room couch, and their brainstorming proved futile.
The rest of the avian party that had arrived with Jewel was still sleeping in the enclosure, and she thought that they were better off that way.
They need to rest and recover. Seeing my mate on the brink of death, coupled with their inability to help him, must be tearing them up inside. Please let whoever Tulio was talking to get the job done. If Blu...dies, I will die with him...
The hours slowly dragged on, and the gray phone clinging to the wall did not ring once. To the two humans, it became not an object of salvation, but an object of mockery. It sat there, silent and motionless, as if it refused to convey the news they so desperately needed, courtesy of the police officer.
However, as the hour hand of the watch on Tulio's wrist inched past the tiny number four, the silence and despair in the aviary was shattered by a steady ringing sound. Linda and her husband awoke, nearly falling off of the couch in the process.
Jewel squawked in alarm and rose into the air as Linda jerked beneath her. Settling herself down on the edge of the soft leather couch, she noticed Linda dashing over to the phone. She ripped it from the mount and plastered it to her ear. Tulio stood next to her and listened intently to his wife's words, in an attempt to decipher what was being said on the other end.
"Hello, Lopez, this is Linda! We've been waiting so long to hear back from you! You brought news? What sort of-"
"What's going on, honey?"
She merely flailed her hand in response to his interruption, meaning for him to stay quiet.
"Is it good or bad? Okay. What? Wait, you can't be serious! So, there is hope after all? Oh, thank you so much! We'll be waiting for your arrival!"
She hastily placed the phone back in the mount, and without a word, squeezed her husband in a tight hug.
After withdrawing after a few seconds, Tulio asked, "Well, you seem happy! What did he tell you?"
"It turns out that some scientists got word about the meteor strike, and they are incredibly eager to investigate it! Once they see what a tragedy it caused, and how the jungle can be saved, they'll convince the military to come destroy it! I have a feeling that Blu will make it after all."
He gave Linda a hug in return and responded, "I knew that some kind of miracle was going to happen! Blu means so much to us, and to this planet as well. It's as if the planet has intervened on Blu's behalf, and given him a means to be saved!"
"I'm so happy! This nightmare is drawing to a close, dear."
"Yes it is. Oh, we need to prepare the evidence for them!"
"What evidence? Oh, the shard! Where did you put it?"
"Not just the shard, honey! We have to show them the remains of that Military Macaw from earlier. Still, where did I put that shard?"
As he gazed around the room, he spied the two backpacks from yesterday's excursion resting on the nearby counter.
"I must have put it in one of our packs. Let's go dig it out."
Tulio walked over and started rummaging through one bag, while Linda the other.
After a few moments, she felt her hand scrape something rough and cold. She withdrew the sizable chunk of rock and pointedly cleared her throat.
Looking up, Tulio saw his wife holding the shard, a slightly amused expression staining her face.
He snatched it up and exclaimed,"You just got lucky! Well, it's time to start up the waiting game..."
The husband and wife skipped over to the couch and plopped themselves down, their hearts thrumming with silent joy.
Jewel perched back on Linda's left shoulder and settled down. She stared deep into Linda's eyes for a few seconds, and the twinkle she noticed told her all she needed to know.
He's going to make it! My Blu is going to survive! Oh, thank the lord. I don't know how much longer I could've endured seeing him so...frail...so close to death.
After an anxious fifteen minute wait, a hearty series of pounds on the front door caught their attention. They rose off the couch-more carefully this time, in Linda's case-and ambled over to said door. Tulio swung it open, and along with his two favorite officers were three men and one woman, all dressed in classic lab attire.
"Good afternoon, Tulio, Linda! Our drive took longer than usual, because some people had started to gather at the entrance gates of your sanctuary. We had to stop and see them off. And why are you wearing pajamas, of all things?"
"Good afternoon, Lopez and Sandoval! And as for the extended wait, it's okay. We knew you would get here eventually! And to be honest, I was woken up by a bird crisis before I called, and I never thought to change..." responded Tulio.
Noticing the lovely bird perched on Linda's shoulder, officer Sandoval pointed and asked, "Who's that stunning bird there?"
"Who, this?" Linda replied. "Oh, this is Jewel! Her mate is affected with a deadly illness, and we believe that the meteor is what caused it."
"That's terrible! Is he okay?"
"Not really. My husband has him sedated, but he is inching closer and closer to death with every passing hour. The only way to heal him is with a shard from the meteor, but we need the military to help us harvest them."
"I see. Well, I think that these scientists will have no problem getting that done..."
After gesturing to the four new guests, Officer Sandoval announced, "I would like you both to meet the researchers who have come to study the effects and details of the recent meteor strike."
He pointed to the two men on the left and said, "First off, Dr. Silva and Dr. Ortega are microbiologists from our own home country of Brazil,"
He then pointed to the remaining two and intoned, "While Dr. Andrews and Dr. Lane are astronomers that have flown in from the U.S."
After Tulio and Linda shook hands with the group of four and introduced themselves, the scientists walked back to the squad car and retrieved two steel containers, one for each group of two. They then entered the building, along with the policemen, and placed the boxes down on the living-room couch.
"This is quite the place you have here, Dr. Monteiro! Not to mention that it also contains a lab! By the way, where is the lab? We need a quiet, sterile place to conduct our studies."
"Thank you, Dr. Lane! Follow me..."
He led the quartet down the hall and into a separate lab from the one that held the dying macaw. He swung the door aside and allowed them to file in. He watched as they popped open the steel boxes and extracted their respective equipment.
They moved their instruments to opposite sides of the lab and set the boxes down on the floor. They all walked up to Tulio, and Dr. Ortega asked, "Do you have a sample of the meteor?"
He lifted up his left arm and dropped it into his hand. Dr. Ortega twirled it around, feeling its heft and giving it a quick look-over.
"Hmmm. This is a wonderful sample, Dr. Monteiro! How did you obtain it?"
"Well, it wasn't easy. I had to get up close and personal with the space rock, but the meteor is downright deadly at that distance."
"How so? Is it tied into the supposed illness that Officer Lopez briefed us on?"
"You could say that. I was left unconscious after just a few seconds of exposure, but thankfully, my wife rescued me."
"That is very interesting testimony! We will be sure to keep that in mind. Now, could you please excuse us, so that my colleagues and I can examine this shard?"
"Certainly. Your fields of study are, needless to say, very distant from my own! Take all the time you need."
"Thank you, Dr. Monteiro. I have a feeling that this shard has some secrets that it would like to share with us..."
He strode from the room with a smile, and after walking back down the hall, spied the two officers plastered on the couch, watching TV.
He went over and sat down in the kitchen, and Linda walked up to him a few moments later.
"Hey, honey. It seems that everything went well with the scientists. Did they say how long it would take for them to study the shard?"
"Everything is fine, dear. And no, they didn't say. I told them to take however long they needed. Still, it's just one measly lump of rock. Finding out what they need to know about it couldn't take that long!"
She walked behind him and placed herself down in the chair to his left.
"I hope not. Even though we will undoubtedly get the cure for Blu, I just pray that we'll get it in time. He could...go...any second."
"Trust me, Linda. We'll save him. I promise you that."
"I trust you, Tulio..."
After Tulio had led the researchers into the spare lab, Jewel had flown over to the observation window to observe her mate. The myriad of monitors hooked up to him, although silent, still showed that he was alive. One display bore a regularly spaced series of peaks and troughs, and they were sliding across the readout at a steady pace.
Jewel, however, grew concerned upon seeing the next readout, the one that displayed his temperature, among other things. She focused her eyes to read the LCD display, and it stated that his temperature was 42.5 degrees Celsius.
She somehow knew that his temperature should not be that high, and she blinked to make sure that she wasn't imagining it. After refocusing once again, the numbers now read 44.0 degrees Celsius. She realized that he was getting hotter and hotter as time dragged on.
She couldn't think of anything to do, nor think of any ways she could help. She left the windowsill and glided down the hall, alighting in front of the viewing window of the spare lab. Looking in, she spied four figures hunched over in one corner, but that was all she could see.
They were fidgeting around and adjusting some sort of microscope, and she managed to catch a glimpse of the black rock. She resorted to observing the humans as they conducted their research, and she could not find it in her to fly back to the other lab window. The scientists were too focused to notice her, and she silently wished for them to work faster.
Please hurry! The life of my husband depends on it! Please...
Jewel had dozed off against the edge of the window in the two hours that the scientists had studied the shard. They replaced their instruments back in the padded steel containers, cleaned up their workspace, and headed out of the door.
The sudden burst of noise tore Jewel from her nap, and the four humans filed by, each of them giving her a kind wave. She carefully turned on the narrow sill and watched the humans walk over to Linda and Tulio.
Looks like they're finally finished! We are one step closer to saving Blu...
She glided back down the hall and landed on the counter, next to one of the rugged backpacks. Tulio and his wife jumped up from the table enthusiastically, almost knocking over their chairs in the process. They steadied themselves and joined their guests behind the couch.
"What did you find out? Something must be responsible for the terrible decay that is destroying the jungle!"
The two astronomers stepped forward, slightly astonished looks on their faces.
"Before we get to that," Dr. Andrews began. "We need to tell you what we found out. However, we should sit down first."
"Of course! We can head back into the kitchen."
"Thank you. You are quite kind..."
Being as there was only four chairs, Tulio and Linda opted to stand, allowing the four scientists to sit and ready themselves.
Fixing Tulio and Linda in his gaze, Dr. Andrews said, "What Dr. Lane and I discovered in reference to the shard is quite abnormal. The shard was composed of more iridium than we've ever documented, more so than we would have expected from plain old space debris. The average concentration is 0.5 ppm, and the shard in question bore a level of 20 ppm. Other than that oddity, the meteor is completely normal, in terms of structure and origin. As of right now, we can think of no explanation for the iridium abundance."
"Wow. Although I have no idea what you are talking about, it sounds strange indeed!" exclaimed Tulio.
"I think our fellow researchers would like to speak now."
Tulio and his wife swiveled their gaze to the two Brazilians, their faces exact replicas of the two former scientists.
Dr. Silva leaned forward and began, "My partner and I have also discovered something quite unprecedented. Using one of our light microscopes, we examined the surface of the shard. We spied numerous clusters of what we think are...microorganisms. We don't know what they are, or where they came from. We believe that we have found an entirely new species, as their structure and biology is unlike anything that is present here on Earth. We have yet to establish if the bacteria and the iridium have any connection. They seemed to be dead upon our examination, so we have no way of knowing. Still, we can assume that those organisms are responsible for the death that we have been told is happening nearby."
"Did anything happen to the shard from the time you harvested it until the time you gave it to us?" questioned Dr. Ortega.
"Well, after I chipped it from the meteor, I fell unconscious. My wife dragged me back to safety, and a few moments later...why don't you tell it, honey."
He flashed a glance at Linda, and she nodded gently.
"He had dropped the shard in his pocket, and after I pulled him to safety, the rock started to glow. It shined with a golden light, along with a soft humming sound. Moments later, he was back on his feet, and he felt like he could take on the world! Therefore, we discovered that the shards possess wondrous healing powers. After that, the rock never did anything else."
"I see. Perhaps the dead creatures have something to do with that. It's the only solution at this point."
"So, do you feel that you can convince our military to come and deal with the space rock?"
"I believe so, Linda! What do you say, guys?"
He raked his gaze across the others, and they all nodded, one by one.
"Excellent! We need to call the police station first, and then they can transfer us."
They all rose from the kitchen table and headed straight for the front door. Just before leaving, the four researchers stopped and motioned for the two officers to follow. After a few seconds, the officers, who were half asleep, caught the movement to their left.
They quickly perked themselves up and joined the others, trailing behind as they stepped into the glaring afternoon sun. The front door slid shut, casting a wave of warm air into the house. Tulio and Linda faced each other and smiled, knowing that the salvation of Blu, along with the entire jungle, lay right around the corner.
"Finally, Tulio! The nightmare is just about to end."
"Indeed, honey! Now, we need to prepare to go back into the jungle."
"Oh, you're right. What should we bring?"
"Not much, I think. I don't know how they plan to approach the meteor, but they should be able to sort that out with the scientists' help. Most importantly, I want to gather a decent supply of shards. We can take one of the travel backpacks from before to carry them in."
"Good idea! Let's get started..."
They trotted over to the pair of backpacks on the counter and grabbed one, casting slightly amused expressions at Jewel, who popped out from behind it. They passed the time by unloading the supplies, along with a little help from the cheerful macaw.
The group of six returned a few minutes after they had finished emptying the packs, and their faces bore triumphant expressions.
"The military is on their way, you two! Our friends here gave them a most convincing speech, and they seemed to understand the severity of the situation."
"Wonderful, Lopez!" replied Tulio.
"And we must give you four our deepest thanks!" said Linda and Tulio, resolutely shaking hands with all of them.
"Without you, Blu would probably have never made it. We can show you one of the victims, if you like. Be warned, it is very graphic and disturbing."
"If you wish to show us, we will accept." replied the group of four.
They all crossed the living-room and stopped directly in front of the flawless window. A collective gasp erupted from all but the ornithologist and his wife, and they turned to them with dazed expressions.
"That used to be a Military Macaw, but as you can see, the disease kills quite effectively." stated Tulio.
"I never could have imagined..." replied Andrews.
"What about the live ones? How are they affected?" added Silva.
"They develop rabies-like symptoms, and they attack other individuals with reckless abandon. When we first went to observe the crash site, several infected birds even attacked us."
"Oh my. This is one terrible situation, and it seems that you are right in the middle!"
"You couldn't be any more right, Silva..."
They continued to converse, until one of the Brazilians caught sight of Blu's monitoring devices.
"Uh, Tulio, you might want to check on that macaw of yours."
He gazed past Ortega and scanned the monitors.
"Why? Is something...oh my god!"
He rushed past the others and flew into the lab, skidding to a stop next to Blu's bedside.
"What? 56 degrees Celsius! This is bad, very bad!"
He inched his hand closer to Blu, and he could feel waves of heat rolling off of him, before he even made contact. Fear in his eyes, he shut the power off to the monitor and restarted it. After allowing it to power back up, the display popped up the exact same reading.
"Oh no! We have to bring him a shard! Those military people need to hurry!"
He stormed back out, and was immediately met by a shaking Linda.
"Is he going to be alright? He has to be!"
"We haven't...much time, Linda. We need to get a shard to him, and quick! The military personnel need to hurry up and get over here!"
The others merely looked on in disturbed silence, their gazes alternating between the two humans and their dying macaw.
Nearly thirty minutes later, a loud rumble from outside jarred their attention, followed by a penetrating honk. The two officers reached the door first, the others following close behind.
Bright sunlight flooded the living-room, and as their eyes adjusted to the glare, they spied two vehicles consuming the space in front of the aviary.
To the left was a sturdy M-113 troop transport, adorned with a classic camouflage paint job. To the right, dwarfing the former, was an imposing M60 tank. The barrel of the 105 mm cannon was pointed directly at the aviary for some reason, inciting pangs of anxiety in the eight humans that stood before it.
Five soldiers climbed from the M-113, and four from the M60. They sidled up to the others and stood at attention as one man stepped forward. He turned around and motioned with his hand, and the remaining soldiers relaxed visibly.
With a smooth Portuguese accent, he said, "I am Major Nunez of the Brazilian Armed Forces. I have heard news of the meteor crisis, and that you wish for it to be destroyed."
"Correct, Major Nunez. We need to gather the shards that it will yield when disposed of. Can you help us do that?"
"Without a doubt, Tulio. Now, how about we head inside and plan out our strategy."
"Of course. Come on in..."
They clustered around the kitchen table and discussed the dangers that the nearby jungle would reveal, as well as how to best deal with the infiltrator from the heavens. They resolved that C-4 would be more viable to spread the meteor's healing shards as far and wide as possible.
The fact that the M60 would not be needed depressed some of the soldiers, at which point the others silently laughed.
At some point during the conversation, the rest of the refugees awoke and flew out of the artificial jungle. Landing on the counter a few feet away from the group of humans, they listened intently, and they were able to get the gist of what the humans and soldiers were planning.
After the humans concluded their discussions, they marched back out through the front door, and they never returned.
To Jewel, the other birds appeared slightly confused, and she opted to give them a rather depressing recap of the events that transpired prior to their waking up.
She then took it to the next level and led them over to the all-too-familiar windowsill. Seeing Blu's unheard-of body temperature instilled deep pools of worry and desperation in each and every one of them. They maintained silent vigil over his still body, willing for someone, anyone, to return with a sliver of the space rock.
Outside, the soldiers unloaded all the supplies from the M-113 they had resolved to take into the jungle. They heaved three forest-green boxes from the vehicle, their contents identified by the C-4 painted on the lids.
All but five of the soldiers were then each handed an MD-2 rifle, which would be their defense against the psychotic avian creatures that Tulio had assured them would be encountered.
The five rifle-less men were assigned to carry the explosive-laden crates and the equipment crate, while the rest would shoot down the winged threats. Again, at Tulio's cautioning, all of the soldiers but Major Nunez donned neon orange hazardous material suits.
Just before they departed, Linda rushed back in the house and grabbed the empty backpack, while Tulio walked past her to change into more appropriate attire.
Their entrance startled the birds, to which she promptly apologized after uttering a quick hello. Tulio reappeared a few minutes later, and they headed back outside to rejoin the others.
Without hesitation, they all determinedly marched past the house, straight for the jungle of horrors...
Their trek towards the meteor was quite eventful, and they soon realized that the decay had continued, unimpeded, through the jungle. The edge of the clearing was now stained with fetid plant matter, and the home of Blu and Jewel was only hours away from meeting the same fate.
The journey was often punctuated by the staccato shouts of an MD-2 rifle, with Tulio and Linda bearing witness to the untimely deaths of several birds as a result.
Tulio cringed away from the attackers who, after being shot, were often left headless or torn in half, their organs and blood pouring from their bodies. He said a silent prayer for each of them, knowing that was all he could do to give them some peace in death.
They eventually caught glimpses of the meteor between the withered trees, and they quickened their pace as a result. After walking through the sickly grove of trees, they laid eyes upon the culprit of the disaster. The red, pulsing glow was still visible deep in the core, and it seemed to flicker and flash disapprovingly.
The soldiers got right down to business, unpacking the square blocks of C-4 from their containers and stacking them on the blackened grass at their feet.
Major Nunez turned towards the ornithologist and asked, "What is it that needs to happen to this...monstrosity?"
"The explosion needs to create as many fragments of rock as possible, and it needs to spread them far and wide, Major."
"Very well, Tulio. Let us see what we are dealing with..."
He turned his back to Tulio and faced the group of orange beings.
"Lieutenant Cortez, step forward!"
A rather tall figure walked out of the crowd, unzipping his hood and saluting his superior officer.
"Yes, Major Nunez?"
"At ease, soldier. I need you to scout out the meteor and determine the best sites for the explosives. That big rock needs to be rendered into small fragments, and they need to be spread over a wide area."
"Right away, Major..."
Resealing his suit, he trudged directly towards the hulking mass, seemingly impervious to the disorienting effects that it produces. He made several circuits around the growling mass, at times surveying the top, and at others studying the base on his hands and knees.
He returned from the rock just as healthy as before, and he removed his hood once again.
"I have discovered the ideal spots for C-4 placement, Major. But first, I must wire the charges."
"Well done, Lieutenant. Your fellow soldiers will assist you in doing so, after you have prepped the charges."
Cortez went over to the third container and withdrew several extensive lengths of wire, tipped at the ends with gleaming metal blasting caps. One by one, he lifted the deadly white squares, firmly inserting the blasting caps into each.
All told, he had primed twenty-five charges, and the resulting blast would, without a doubt, accomplish its goal, not to mention be quite spectacular.
Standing up, he nodded to the Major, who in turn focused his gaze past Cortez and declared, "Assist Lieutenant Cortez in laying the explosives, and follow his orders exactly. Get to it, men!"
Cortez led the rest of the soldiers over to the space rock, each of them cradling a square of C-4. He pointed to the appropriate spot, and the charge would be laid down, and then the soldier would return with another.
After fifteen minutes of the monotonous routine, a slew of wires were left trailing across the ground, and the meter now appeared as though it rested on a giant marshmallow.
Cortez then connected each of the wires to the remote firing box that had been resting in the third container.
"Everything is good to go! I would advise that we step back. Far back. The shock-wave and resulting shrapnel is not compatible with life... "
The small crowd of anxious humans retreated nearly one hundred feet, and the stark white blobs of C-4 were the only things that could be seen.
"Fire when ready, Lieutenant!" announced Nunez.
The scientists, as well as Linda and Tulio, tensed their muscles, awaiting the blast that would soon assault their senses.
The soldiers, on the other hand, were tense with energy, as this is the first real-life exercise that they have done in a long time.
Setting the detonator on the ground, he popped the yellow cover off of the arm switch and clicked it forwards. An intense red light glowed to life, and he then removed the cover from the fire button.
He momentarily bottled up the excitement raging inside him and declared, "In 3...2...1...action!"
Pressing the concave button down with his thumb, an audible click was heard. Small charges of electricity raced down each of the twenty-five wires, uniting with the blasting caps far ahead. The gunpowder popped, and the resulting heat and shock triggered its parent charge.
After just a two second delay, a concussive noise filled their ears, and they felt the ground tremble beneath. A towering orange fireball roared into the sky, and the humans had to crane their necks to watch it climb.
A rush of heated wind then blew past them, carrying with it the tons and tons of ash from the decayed jungle near the blast zone. The soldiers were unaffected, but the others had to shield their eyes and mouth from the choking flurries that swirled through the air.
After the blizzard of ash had dissipated, their open eyes revealed a desolate expanse of charred ground, and they shuddered upon absorbing the true expanse of the meteor's influence.
"It's so...huge! It must b-be nearly a q-quarter the size of the entire sanctuary!" shouted Linda.
"Unbelievable! No wonder so many birds had been affected!" added her husband.
Hugging him tightly, Linda exclaimed, "It's finally over, Tulio!"
"But, where are the shards! Did we make the blast too big?"
"No, Tulio! Look!"
Far ahead, near the crash site, small black specks could be seen whizzing through the air, disappearing upon meeting the charred ground. Moments later, patches of green grass began to erupt all over, growing and meeting up with one another.
The replenishing effect of the shards upon the dead ground became like a wave, and it traveled steadily towards the awed humans. Eventually, a humming sound became audible, and the crowd was then pelted by hundreds upon hundreds of rock fragments.
"The jungle is saved, but we still need to save Blu! I'll gather the shards, while you take one back to him!"
Tulio plucked a thumb-sized chunk from his shoe and pressed it into his wife's palm. Desperation in his voice, he shouted, "Go honey! Go!"
Linda jumped up and took off towards the aviary in a dead sprint, leaving Tulio to wonder how the rest of the afflicted birds would be saved by the shards...
A Blue-and-Gold Macaw named Rosa was slumped over in a small tree, her chest heaving from exertion. She had been forced to flee earlier that morning, having woken up to a deranged version of her mate, who promptly attempted to massacre her.
She fought him off and fled her hollow, but his pursuit was relentless. Throughout the course of the day, he managed to discover her makeshift hiding place several times. Exhausted from this repeated routine of hiding and fleeing, she wound up in a small tree just on the edge of the mysterious decay that she assumed was from the meteor.
She felt reasonably confident that she had managed to finally lose her sadistic mate, and she had been dying of thirst for over an hour. Creeping out onto a narrow branch, she spread her wings to begin the search for a source of water.
She managed to fly only a few feet away from the diseased jungle before she felt a blow to her back. She plummeted to the ground, landing softly in a patch of orchids.
Still reeling from the pain, she looked up to see her mate, Alfred, streaking towards her. She was too drained and dehydrated to run any longer, and she knew that she was going to be slaughtered where she lay.
As he landed, he pressed her neck against the ground with his right foot, his coal-black eye peering into her own. She tried one last time to deter her seemingly emotionless husband, despite his choking maneuver.
"No! Please...stop! What has happened to you, Alfred! Don't you...know me?"
He uttered an insidious noise in response, more like a growl than a squawk.
"Don't...do this..."
He then placed the same foot on her throat and raked his talons across it. Three parallel wounds appeared, leaking steady trickles of blood. He replaced his foot for another slash, and Rosa screamed in pain and desperation.
She got one last glimpse of her assailant and closed her eyes, ready to receive death's embrace.
However, a resonating boom filled her ears, and her killer paused for just a few seconds. She caught sight of a large, flaming tower erupting into the sky from the corner of her eye, and a steady gust of wind buffeted the two macaws. A flurry of soft ash blew past them, obscuring their vision and causing them to cough.
Moments later, small pieces of rock began to rain down, and a soothing hum came along with them.
Rosa watched as one chunk bounced along the ground, and was somehow drawn to her mate. It glued itself to his neck, and a bright, golden light forced her to close her eyes.
A strange half-choking, half-screeching noise issued from her mate, and she felt his grip disappear completely. Forcing her eyes open and rising to her feet, she saw her mate sprawled out before her, belly up.
"A-Alfred! Are you okay? C-can you talk? Answer me!"
His eyes flew open and his head rose from the ground in response to her queries.
"Rosa? Is that you? Rosa!"
"Alfred! You're back!"
He sprung to his feet as if nothing had ever happened, and squeezed his wife in a loving hug. He drew back and noticed the bloodstains on her neck, immediately growing worried.
"Rosa, you're bleeding! What happened?"
"You happened, Alfred. You tried to kill me! Your own wife! Don't you remember anything?"
"Oh, I am so sorry! All I can recall is falling asleep, what was it...yesterday. I finally gathered up enough courage to go and check out the meteor, and then I came home. That was it. I hope you can forgive me. I would never dream of killing you!"
"It must have been the meteor that did that to you, and somehow, it was just destroyed! Your eyes, they were terrible! I have never been so scared in my entire life..."
"Hey, it's okay. Everything is fine now. I'm here with you, and I am perfectly normal..."
The macaws hugged after a brief kiss, and they remained in that embrace for several reflective minutes. Their minds were reeling from the tumult of the previous events, but one feeling outshone the rest.
For Alfred, it was the feeling of infinite relief that he was reunited with his mate. For Rosa, it was the assurance that her mate had been reborn, all thanks to a tiny piece of rock...
Linda made it back to the sanctuary in no time, and her steady sprint had left her doused with sweat. She threw open the rear door and turned the corner into the living-room. All of a sudden, seven familiar birds began flying about in front of her, making desperate noises of all kinds.
Staring past them, she determined their origin, and her stomach twisted with dread. Visible through the viewing window was a squirming sapphire form, and she realized that Blu was only one step away from phasing into nonexistence.
"I'm coming, Blu! Hold on! Please, don't die!"
She rushed past the frantic storm of birds and shoved the lab door open, Jewel following close behind. Jewel perched on her shoulder after Linda skidded to a stop next to Blu's convulsing form, and the human was instantly showered by his coughed-up blood.
The restraining belts had already been burned away down the middle, and he was flailing about on the table. As she jerked her hand open, the shard skipped from it and stuck itself to Blu's chest, as if guided by some unseen force.
Immediately after, Linda shrieked in pain and fled from his steaming blood. A brilliant golden glow filled the room, and the birds outside alighted on the windowsill, their eyes filled with a mix of terror and hope.
A humming noise manifested itself with the glow, and after a few agonizing seconds, faded along with it.
Linda gritted her teeth to deal with the pain of her burns, slowly looking over at the table where Blu lay. He was perfectly still and silent, a stunning contrast to his former state. For some chilling reason, his temperature was indicated by an ERR, and the monotone beep from the ECG remained.
Another minute passed, and still Blu did not stir. In that moment, two separate worlds came crashing down, one human, and one avian. Linda began to tremble and trudged from the room, while Jewel dropped from her shoulder and alighted next to her soulless mate.
Once outside the lab, Linda slumped down against the wall and began to whimper, her tears forming two miniature versions of the Nile upon her face.
Jewel stared deep into her mate's wide open black eyes and began to cry as well.
"No, no, no! Please wake up, Blu! The shard healed you! You are fine! You have to...wake up..."
She placed her right foot on his chest and jiggled him around as best she could, hoping that it would be more effective in reviving him. As her tears stained his feathers, her shaking caused him to slide from the table, along with the now-useless sliver of rock on his chest.
The rock clinked upon meeting the cold tile floor, but Jewel never heard the hollow thump of Blu's body doing the same.
She watched, utterly shattered, as he dropped just a few inches and then stopped. The sensors and IV's that pierced his body had broken his fall, leaving him to swing back and forth languidly, like some twisted, forgotten marionette.
Witnessing the trauma of her dead mate rocking silently below, along with the desecration it bestowed upon him, was too much for Jewel. She felt as though a dagger had been driven through her body, heated to volcanic temperatures, and then rotated at blinding speeds.
She collapsed onto the bloodstained bed in the most irrefutable and symbolic of faints.
The other birds, who had been pressed against the window, merely turned away and flew onto the kitchen counter, their spirits obliterated due to the implications that Blu's death had brought.
Aside from Linda's occasional cries of despair, a tar-like silence had swallowed the aviary, and it persisted for nearly an entire hour.
The creaking sound of the back door opening only served to alert the beings in the room, and no more.
Tulio soon found himself staring at a group of six defeated birds on the counter, and they were milling about in the manner of zombies.
He then heard tragic snuffling down below, and as he caught sight of Linda's hunched-over form, he expected the worst.
"What's wrong, Linda?"
She barely managed to choke out three deadly words: "Blu...is...gone..."
The enormity of her reply ignited a fire of rage and frustration inside him, and he simply could not contain it.
"WHY! Did the shard NOT WORK!"
He noticed that the birds on the counter were staring at him, their heads shaking side to side.
"HOW! DAMN IT!"
He stormed out the front door, hands buried in his hair, shouting all the while. The silence returned once more, hammering home the despair that had been briefly obscured by Tulio's disbelief.
Had Linda gazed back into the lab, or Jewel been awake, they would have seen the ECG display spring to life, accompanied by a steady, high-pitched chirp...
A/N:
Qual é a sua emergência?=What is your emergency?
Eu preciso falar com Lopez! Eu não posso explicar agora, mas tem a ver com o meteoro!=I need to talk to Lopez! I can't explain right now, but it has to do with the meteor!
Sim senhor, agora mesmo! Qual é seu nome?=Yes sir, right away! What is your name?
Por favor, segure por apenas um minuto, Tulio...=Please, hold for just one minute, Tulio...
