Blood dripped on the concrete. It pooled under the old splintered wooden table. The faint splashes echoed off the walls, the only sound that pierced the deafening silence of the room. Another drip. It puddled under a hanging flayed carcass of a rhino calf. Or was it an elephant calf? They couldn't stomach staring long enough to find out.
The four Planeteers sat huddling together, desperately trying to drown out the terrible dripping sound or try to mask it as simply water from a cracked pipe. Something. Anything. Their eyes were sealed tightly as they try to imagine something hopeful. Something. Anything to escape their horrifying surroundings. They had tried merely adverting their gaze to the ground, but the cold floors they sat on were not so merciful. In a more ideal circumstance, all they'd see were traces of blood. Their hosts, however, made sure they got the royal treatment. The very cage they were roomed in had been recently occupied as it still had fresh traces of blood, hair, fur, and bone, freshly topped off with their own spilled bile. Complete with a perfect view of the butcher table.
Plunder's latest get-rich scheme felt like the same old song and dance in hindsight. Posing to the public as a good samaritan-- Dr. Donnell Troupe -- using his riches and influence to protect the environment by building a wildlife conservation center. He preferred to keep it out of the public's eye so as not to "advertise his charitable work", and even the Planeteers were none the wiser. So when the "good doctor" had called the five teens for a meeting to discuss a special project in elephant conservation, they were thrilled to oblige. Little did they know that it meant trapping the teens and taking their Rings so that the elephants could be "preserved" for Looten Plunder's secret abattoir. A black market butcher shop disguised as a wildlife preservation center, funded by misled charitable sponsors. What was this world coming to?
Another drip. It fell from Ma-Ti's chin.
"I...I'm sorry..." The boy silently wept into his arms, hugging his knees to his chest. "I-I'm so...so..."
Kwame's fingers stopped fiddling with the padlock as he turned to Ma-Ti. He gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder in a brotherly way to comfort him.
"Whatever for, Ma-Ti? You have done nothing wrong," he reassured softly. The two other girls nodded in agreement.
Ma-Ti shook his head softly and sniffed. "I-I could not sense his deceit. He lied about everything...a-and I could not..." his voice trailed off in tremors as he buried his face further. Suchi chittered quietly as she nuzzled against Ma-Ti's shoulder. He felt an arm around him.
"He tricked all of us, Ma-Ti," Gi reassured softly. "It's not your fault. That's just what he wants you to think."
"Da," Linka nodded. "He knew vhat your Ring vas capable of, so he used his silver tongue to his advantage. Do not blame yourself or your power for his deception."
Kwame grunted in frustration as the bobby pin snapped off the lock, its broken end skidding across the floor far out of arm's reach. He sighed heavily in defeat as he flicked the useless tool away. Wheeler always made it look so easy. Kwame's eyes lit up.
"Besides," he glanced back at his team with a hopeful smile. "It is not hopeless. Wheeler is still out there, and I bet he figured everything out already and is on his way here. And when he does, he will break us out and we will get our Rings back. I am sure of it!"
Linka and Gi donned matching smiles, their eyes sparking with hope.
Ma-Ti finally lifted his head, his dim glossy eyes still downcast. Even with the rising warm positivity surrounding him and the mention of their loyal friend, he didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. His woeful features sent a shiver down their spines.
"...Wheeler figured everything out already." The boy's words were heavy with dismay and regret.
Their smiles faded. He was right. Wheeler was the first to be suspicious as soon as they got the meeting call. They'd brush it off as just him being cynical or delusional. If they were being honest with themselves, they too had thought the offer to be too good to be true. But what were they to do? Doubt anyone, let alone rich folks, who would want to use their influence for good? What kind of positive change would that make? They're not the only ones who care about the planet. They can't be.
Even so, how many times would they have to be deceived before they finally learn to trust their suspicions? Or their teammate, for that matter? The only reason Wheeler hadn't met the same fate as them was simply because he had left the tour earlier to find a restroom. Dumb luck, or good karma? It was anyone's guess.
BAM !
The pondering moment was shattered back to harsh reality when the metal door slammed open. The four teens reflexively looked up at the sound to see Argos Bleak standing at the doorway, a mocking grin etched on his face.
"Room service!" the mercenary announced in a taunting singsong tone as he made his way toward the cage.
The three teens' hard gazes quickly fell when they noticed he was hauling something over his shoulder. No. Some one .
No...
Bleak's dark eyes narrowed as his smug grin stretched upon seeing their growing horror. He was enjoying every bit of this. But, short as it is, all good things must come to an end. Drawing a silver skeleton key from his back pocket, he unlocked the padlock and opened the barred door all the way with arrogant certainty. The four blanched kids remained frozen where they sat. He gave a smug chuckle.
"Now, we have a full set," Bleak said before unceremoniously dropping his cargo on the concrete floor. It fell with a hard thunderous boom and reacted like a sack of bricks.
It took no time for the four kids to recognize--
"Wheeler!!!!"
They scrambled to their hands and feet to get to their lifeless friend, Linka already pulling ahead of them. The four collectively reeled back when they saw the horrible sight of his bloodied face.
" Bozhe moi !" Linka exclaimed, absentmindedly clenching Wheeler's hand.
"Ch-check his pulse! Is he breathing?!" Gi cried, desperately trying to push her way through.
"Wheeler! Please, get up!" Ma-Ti shook the ginger's shoulder as he felt his eyes well up again rapidly.
Kwame gazed down at his friend in disbelief, icy fear clenching his heart. He snapped his gaze back up at Bleak, who had just locked the cell door and started to take his leave as if quickly growing bored of watching four children trying to rouse their unresponsive, beaten friend. The Earth Planeteer felt a heat brewing inside his core. Before he could say anything, however, another voice pierced the air.
"Vhat did you do to him?!" Linka shrieked, her face flared red as her grip on Wheeler's hand tightened. She panted through grit teeth and she could feel her eyes sting.
Bleak stopped halfway through opening the front door, barely looking back.
"As much as I'd love to chit-chat, I'm afraid we've got a show to get to. If you kids behave yourselves, I might let you see a premiere screening. After all..." He glanced at the butcher table. "...What goes better with dinner than a show?" With a malicious cackle, he slammed the door behind him, his laughter dying out in the hallway.
Kwame unclenched his jaw as the heat within him simmered down, reeling his attention back on his friend. He knelt next to Gi, who had unbound Wheeler's hands and helped move him on his back to check his injuries.
"How does it look, Gi?" Kwame asked, a bead of sweat trickling down his creased forehead.
Gi's fingers trembled as she grazed the swollen eye, crusted with dark blood. "I...I don't know." Her heart pounding against her ribs. "It looks pretty bad, and he's not responding. I-I'm afraid he might have a--"
"It's...a little rude ta' talk about a guy...when he's right in front ah' ya." They paused when they heard a dazed voice and glanced down to see Wheeler tiredly beaming up at them with his good eye and a bloodied smirk. Waves of relief swept through the air.
"Wheeler, you are alright..!" Ma-Ti exclaimed as he brushed joyful tears from his cheeks. Wheeler tussled the boy's hair playfully.
"Ha. Fire ain't snuffed out yet, little buddy." he chuckled. He then turned to see Linka, who had muttered something in Russian that he could only guess was a brief prayer. Her gaze hardened to a stern but caring expression when she met eyes with Wheeler.
"Do not ever scare me like that again, Yankee." She demanded.
"It's okay, babe. You don't need an excuse to hold my hand." the ginger boy teased with a one-eyed wink. Linka rolled her eyes with a smile as her cheeks flushed pink.
Wheeler's cheeky smile vanished as soon as he remembered something important. He groaned as he quickly struggled to lift himself off the floor. Gi gently pressed a hand on his chest.
"You shouldn't get up so quickly," she warned with a soft tone, "You have a bad head injury. You should lay down for a bit."
Wheeler shook his head.
"I got shiners worse than this back in Brooklyn. But there's no time for that. The elephants..." He tried to keep his focus away from the pain. "They're in danger."
"What do you mean, Wheeler?" Kwame asked. The others glanced at each other and leaned in for Wheeler's response.
"Plunder an' Bleak are tryin' to lead the herd to an electric fence. I overheard 'em talkin' about it. We have less than two hours to save 'em." The other four exchanged wide looks.
"We knew Plunder was using the wildlife park to bait the herd, but an electric fence?" Kwame felt his stomach twist. "It is just so...cruel."
Wheeler gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah, well, that's Plunder for ya."
The four Planeteers' faces darkened with regret and shame. Wheeler raised a cut brow.
"We are sorry we did not believe you, Wheeler." Ma-Ti apologized. The others nodded softly.
"Hey, guys, c'mon," Wheeler shrugged with a nonchalant hand wave, "I probably should've had a better reason other than, "I saw it in a movie", huh?" he chuckled as he rubbed the side of his neck. The "charitable" streets of Brooklyn weren't so kind to his trust instincts either, but he decided to keep that bit to himself.
Kwame's eyes perked in sudden realization. "How did you overhear all of this, Wheeler? I thought you said you were going to find a restroom."
Wheeler pondered for a bit. "Well, I was, but on the way, I noticed I was bein' followed by a guy. Made sure to take a long way and, sure enough, he didn't leave. I figured he was prolly waitin' to get the jump on me when I got out, so I escaped through the air vents. While I was crawlin' for a way back, I saw Bleak pocket your Rings. Next thing I knew, the stupid vent gave out and I landed right in fron'a him." He chuckled as he rubbed his swollen cheek before recoiling sharply in pain.
The others didn't share the same humorous mood. Their faces scrunched in heavy guilt. Wheeler had gotten hurt for the Rings. For them. If they had just been smarter...
Wheeler noticed the change in tone and cleared his throat as he reached into his front pocket.
"Oh, by the way, you guys want these back?"
The other Planeteers' gaze finally met with Wheeler, and their eyes lit up when they saw the glimmering in his palm.
"Our rings!!!!" the four clamored in unison. They each reached for their respective Ring, shifting their gaze from it to Wheeler, all of them having the same question on their minds. Wheeler flashed a grin.
"Bleak was nice enough to let me snag 'em when I pretended to tackle him. Nearly knocked the daylights outta me, but I played opossum long enough to make sure he never noticed the Rings were missing. I actually didn't expect to hear about the fence. Guess I just got lucky." he finished with a cocky shrug. They looked back at Wheeler in surprise.
"'Played opossum?' You mean, you stayed awake? Even after..?" Kwame glanced at the swollen eye and the other facial injuries but quickly adverted his gaze to seem less rude. Wheeler gave a reassuring smile.
"Guess my iron will hasn't rusted, after all, huh?" he chuckled with a raised brow. Kwame chuckled back as Wheeler continued.
"Besides, hitchin' a ride on Bleak seemed like the fastest way to get back to you guys."
Linka shook her throbbing head with a sigh. "You realize he could have killed you, right?"
Wheeler's ears flushed pink as if someone was holding a light behind them.
"Ah, yeah, well...I guess my chances were about fifty-fifty, huh? Lady Luck must think I'm pretty cute." A bead of sweat trickled down his brow as Linka glared daggers at him.
"Not cute enough." She muttered.
Gi glanced at the clock on the wall. "If we really do have less than two hours to get to the fence, we'd better get moving fast." The other four beamed with sudden energy, especially Kwame.
"Right! Ma-Ti, do you think you could use your Ring to keep the elephants away from the fence?" he asked.
Ma-Ti pondered for a moment. "They may be far for me to reach, but I can certainly try. Heart!" His Ring pulsed with yellow light as he focused his mind on visualizing the herd. Finally, he found one. "The elephants are already in the valley. It may be hard to get them one by one, but...wait, I see something. On the cliffside...it looks like e-explosives..!" Kwame's eyes went wide.
"They may be trying to use them to lure the elephants towards the fence!" he alerted.
Ma-Ti opened his eyes, his head throbbing as he was forced to sever the connection. "And if that happens, they will be blinded by so much fear that I will not be able to reach them."
"Well, we're not gonna be good for 'em sittin' here. Let's bust outta this dump and head back to the Geo-Cruiser!" Wheeler exclaimed with determination.
Linka nodded her head in agreement. " Da ! Wheeler, see if you can--Wait..." Linka's gaze focused on Wheeler. His eyes traced her gaze down to his hand, his finger. "Wheeler, where is your Ring?" Linka finished.
Wheeler blinked stupidly as if he never even considered his missing Fire Ring.
"Oh...yeah. Bleak swiped it after he thought he knocked me out. I couldn't risk losin' yours just to get mine back. But don't worry, I definitely plan on gettin' it back, and givin' that bald bastard a matching shiner." Wheeler pounded his fist against his palm with a determined gleam in his eye. "You guys just take care 'a the elephants."
The Fire Planeteer's bright attitude ignited a small warm light in their souls. It was then that they truly realized just how much they relied on that light. On him.
Kwame rested a firm hand on Wheeler's shoulder.
"Of course, we will!" he felt a warmness flare in his cheeks when he realized something. "Eh, do you think you could...?" Kwame gestured to the barred door. Wheeler glanced to the padlock and back to Kwame with a raised brow.
"Lemme guess, you tried to use a bobby pin?"
Kwame smiled nervously with a small shrug. Wheeler chuckled as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a paperclip.
"Next time, leave it to a pro."
