KENNETH AND SAVANNAH had been placed in guest quarters together. To Kenneth's surprise, a bowl of fruit had been placed on a desk in the corner of the room. He picked up an red apple, pressing his fingers into it. The apple felt real, instead of the plastic he thought it might be. He considered taking a bite out of it, feeling remorseful that he hadn't had time to eat more meat by the campfire. He wasn't hungry, but neither had he been able to eat his fill.
Two large bunk beds sat on the right side of the room. The beds, Kenneth saw, were meant for the giants that lived in the future. So big were they that he didn't think his feet would reach half way down the bed while, at home, his feet had always dangled over the edge of the bed his parents had bought for him. A photograph of a very old, perhaps impossibly old, man hung in the center of the back wall. The man depicted in the photograph didn't look happy, or even awake. His eyelids drooped closed while his head seemed ready to nod straight down from having fallen asleep.
A large desk with a large chair sat on the left side of the room. Savannah tried sitting in the chair. She struggled just to get up into it, and when she did, Kenneth thought she looked like Alice from that cartoon with the talking cat and the angry queen. Except, Alice had always looked her best, even when beset by the strangest of circumstances. A smear of dirt had gotten onto Savannah's forehead. Her face looked pale. She suppressed a burp, putting one hand over her mouth. Her two feet dangled high above the floor. The shoelaces of one of her sneakers had come undone, yet she had not sought to retie it. Kenneth wondered if he should tie it for her. He wasn't quite sure if she would be insulted by that or not.
The walls of the room were made of dull, gray bricks. A green carpet with a pattern of rectangles covered the ceiling, though the floor was composed of hard concrete. At each corner of the ceiling, a security camera observed everything in the room. A red light blinked on each camera. Kenneth wanted to put a handkerchief over each one. He wasn't sure if anyone would actually bother watching when he went to sleep, or if he changed his clothes.
Thinking of clothes made him remember that he had no spare clothing. The superhero logo on his t-shirt had started to wear away. Both the white circle and the yellow lightning bolt over it had begun to give way to the red fabric beneath. Below the logo, Kenneth saw a copyright dated 1987. The year made him laugh, even though he'd seen it before. Somehow, a copyrighted image from over 5000 years ago was a lot funnier than one claimed a generation before.
Just as Kenneth got settled into the room, a loud knock sounded at the door. The door opened to reveal a soldier, his helmet tucked underneath his arm. Green grass stains covered his knees. Upon seeing Savannah and Kenneth, the soldier started in place. He said, "I am Red Wikal. I am told you are citizens of the time stream who need to consume nutrients. Are the nutrients provided in your room sufficient for you needs?"
Kenneth didn't know how to answer the man until he realized that by nutrients, Red Wikal referred to food. Kenneth wasn't sure if fruit would fill him up. He said, "Where did you get these from?"
Red Wikal straightened in place, his arms at his sides. "Citizen, these nutrients have been purchased from the people of the island who eat such things. They have been screened for poison and found safe to consume."
"You mean, the people of the island eat food?" Kenneth asked. He found the idea hard to believe.
Red Wikal shrugged his shoulders. He said, "As to eating, that I cannot say. We only know that they grow and sell food. What they use it for, I couldn't tell you."
Savannah hopped down off her chair, then went over to the fruit bowl. She grabbed a large orange with both hands and tore off the skin, letting rinds fall on the floor. She took a bite of the orange. Juice dripped down her chin and into her hands. She murmured with approval at the fruit. Pulling the orange away from her mouth, she said, "It's delicious." Then, observing the mess she had already made, she added, "Is there a trashcan? And maybe some paper towels?"
Red Wikal entered the room. He collected the orange peels from the floor, then stood at the back wall, just below the painting of the old man. He said, "We take this for granted. It's easy to forget that you don't know about it. Down the hall, you'll find a shared restroom in which is a waste disposal unit."
Savannah said, "I'll need something to clean my hands."
"Ah yes," Red Wikal said. "Then, follow me, and I'll show you."
Kenneth scratched the side of his face. He said, "Hey, how is it you all need to use the toilet when you never eat anything?"
Red Wikal blushed. He stammered, "Yes, yes, well, um...that's a private matter."
Kenneth and Savannah shared a laugh between them.
AFTER SAVANNAH had finished her orange and Kenneth had eaten the apple he'd handled earlier, the two children entered what Red Wikal called the strategy tent. The tent had been so named because it contained the only connection to the computer on the encampment, yet with the computer inoperative, four computer screens had been placed together in a corner of the room. Keyboards lay on their sides next to the screens. Black connection cables lay splayed out about the floor. In place of the computer screens, a large paper had been placed on the top of the able. The map showed the island of Madagascar, together with the Lotus Lion Bridge. Various green toy soldiers with bayonets pointed forward laid about the map. Five white toy soldiers with one arm pointing forward stood at the entrance to the bridge.
An extraordinarily tall man stood at the far end of the table, studying the map. The man said, "Welcome, citizens of time. I am Indigo Pavun Kiro." He gestured towards the figures standing on the map. "I've brought you here because I've learned that you two have a special talent when it comes to military matters."
Kenneth, who liked playing first-person shooter games, smiled at the compliment. He said, "Well, it's not exactly a secret, is it?"
Pavun considered Kenneth with two unforgiving green eyes. He said, "Perhaps not. The Temporal Constabulary didn't seem to regard it as a secret. Though I suspect that neither of you know just how good you really are." He paused, as though he expected an answer. When none came, he continued, "So that's why I've brought you here. I need your advice."
Savannah bit her bottom lip. She studied the map carefully, then looked up at Pavun. "I'm not really- I mean, I don't know that I could help you any better than anyone else could."
Pavun waved a hand in dismissal. "I'll be the judge of that, if you please. Now then, to the situation. We are outmanned and overpowered. We have superior technology but we don't have the means to utilize it. We have seven Turtle Buster cannons out there, but we can't move them. They're only meant for defense." He pointed at the place where the white toy soldiers had been placed on the map. "Because of this, it's become a waiting game between ourselves and the rebel forces outside. We know they have a great many fire balls left to throw at us. We dare not lower the barrier, though we can't keep it up forever. The next shipment of Estonite is supposed to come this evening. That gives us three hours. If we can't break the stalemate by then, the shipment will be confiscated. The rebels will likely kill the miners trying to deliver the Estonite to the mainland. Have you understood what I've said so far?"
Kenneth picked up a green toy soldier, then looked on its underside. He put the object back down where had found it. He said to Pavun, "What's a Turtle Buster?"
Pavun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He said, as though to himself, "This may take a while." Then, he opened his eyes again. They looked harder to Kenneth than they had before. "Turtle Buster is a name we give to cannons that can take down the world's most powerful tank, the 161 Williamsport Turtle. The Turtle is the primary offensive weapon of choice in any major engagement, since it is capable of moving across any terrain, flat or steep. The rebels have one, but they haven't brought it forth for fear of our cannons."
Savannah put both her elbows on the table and brought her eyes on the same level as the white toy soldiers. She said, "Why can't we just steal it, this Turtle thing?"
Pavun considered the suggestion. He said, "It's possible. The main problem lies with my men being too recognizable, even out of uniform. I don't have anyone I can send to complete the task."
Kenneth and Savannah shared a look. Kenneth said, "Well, you have us."
Pavun tilted his head to one side, as though asking with his body a question he could not speak aloud. He said, "This will warrant further discussion. I believe the two citizens who came with you- Hester and Unpo- should remain here for the moment. Red Wikal has training on how to operate a 161. He will accompany you."
Kenneth clenched a first underneath the table. "No, Unquill comes with us. The other guy, I don't really care, but I won't leave Unquill behind."
Pavun put his hands behind back. He looked down at the map, then said, "What skills can he offer that would help you on this mission?"
Kenneth unclenched his fist. He poked at a green soldier with his other hand. He said, "I don't know. I just- I don't want to leave him behind is all."
Savannah lifted her head off the table. She said, "I agree. He should come with us."
Pavun ran his thumb between his lower lip and the bottom of his chin. He pointed to the green soldier Kenneth had poked. "That one there, that's the unit with the Turtle. There are," he indicated two other green soldiers which stood before the army encampment, "Two different rebel groups gathered here. One is the artillery brigade. They fire the cannons. The other is the infantry. Their job is to either wait until we lower the barrier so they can rush us, or ambush the miners as they pass by. You don't need to worry about the infantry. Just take this group out here," he knocked over one of the two green soldiers, "and we can do the rest."
Kenneth pulled back from the table. He grinned. "Oh, is that all? This should be a breeze, then."
Pavun's face darkened upon hearing those words. Kenneth did not notice.