Atherton #3: The Dark Planet (No. 3) (4 page)

Then Dr. Harding said something that almost surprised himself

at the sound of it, something he had long given up all hope of

achieving.

"We could reconnect."

Samuel was the first to understand what Dr. Kincaid meant.

He'd been thinking about it already without saying it out loud.

"You mean with the Dark Planet? Reconnect with them, so they

know where we are."

"But how would we do that?" asked Edgar. "What does that

even mean?"

Dr. Kincaid turned more animated still and began pacing back

and forth.

"There was once a way to do it--to actually
go
to the Dark

Planet--but that way was cut off."

Dr. Kincaid glanced toward the entrance to the cave. Hidden

inside was a locked, round door, and behind the door lay a

secret place. The children had known it was there but were

under no circumstances allowed to enter.

"
Inside
Atherton. That's where the path used to be."

Edgar still had his hand on Isabel's and he felt it shudder. Isabel

had journeyed through the inside of Atherton with Samuel at her

side and nearly lost her life.

"Deep inside Atherton--deeper than any of you have ever dared

to go--there used to be a path, a tunnel if you will. In its place is

a pile of rubble no man or beast could break through."

"And at the end of the tunnel?" asked Edgar.

"The docking station," said Dr. Kincaid. The words had no

meaning for Edgar, but he felt the power they held over Dr.

Kincaid. "I have long been certain we could never go there

again. But tonight has made me think differently."

"What do you mean, differently?" asked Samuel. For once

Isabel seemed unable to open her mouth. She was holding

Edgar's hand tighter, because she knew what Dr. Kincaid was

getting at.

"I know what he means," said Isabel. "He means to send Edgar

by another way."

The words stabbed Dr. Kincaid. Did he really mean to put

Edgar in great danger in order to have a chance at reconnecting

with the Dark Planet? It went against every thing he believed,

and yet, knowing Edgar could climb as he did, Dr. Kincaid

couldn't help but imagine the unimaginable.

"It's all right," said Edgar, standing and moving toward Dr.

Kincaid. "The truth is, none of you can stop me. So long as

there are places on Atherton where I can climb, I can't even stop

myself. So if I'm going to climb down there anyway--and trust

me, I am--I might as well be of some use."

"But do we
want
to reconnect?" asked Samuel. "What if they

come here? What if they destroy Atherton like they destroyed

the Dark Planet?"

It was an excellent question and a real concern. It hung in the

air for a good long time before Isabel broke the silence.

"Are there children on the Dark Planet?"

Dr. Kincaid didn't hesitate when he answered.

"There are many, many children."

Isabel, Samuel, and Edgar glanced at one another. They all

seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"It's up to you, Edgar," said Isabel. More than anyone else it

was she who would worry. "I think you're probably right. No one

can stop you from climbing, not even your closest friends. And if

you won't listen to reason, then let's at least make the risks

you'll take worthwhile. Maybe there's something down there,

something that can help."

Samuel nodded but didn't speak. He wished more than ever

that he, too, could climb so that he could see the docking station

for himself. He longed for adventure of the kind Edgar would

have.

Dr. Kincaid sensed there would be no better time to reveal a

little more about what Edgar was planning to undertake. "We

need to talk with Vincent. There are things down there Edgar

will need to avoid."

"What kind of things?" said Isabel.

Dr. Kincaid wouldn't answer. He simply smiled with a renewed

spirit and departed into the night to search for Vincent.

As his figure turned to shadow he called back, "To bed with all

of you! Come back at the crack of dawn for a plate of Black and

Green and the beginning of what we must do!"

And then he was gone.

Isabel, Samuel, and Edgar were left to wonder what sorts of

creatures might be hiding on the underside of Atherton.

CHAPTER 3EDGAR'S SECRET

REVEALED

Morning came stark and glaring through Isabel's window at the

crack of dawn. She bolted from her bed and peered around the

corner of her tiny room.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd wake," said Isabel's

mother. Isabel turned with a start and saw her mother looking

through an open window.

"You scared me," said Isabel. She tried to run her fingers

through her long, tangled hair without much success. "Where's

father?"

"He's already out in the second-year grove tying up the

remaining rows, but he'll be back for breakfast."

Isabel's mother held up a basket. Inside Isabel could see ripe,

juicy figs and a loaf of bread. Not long ago fresh figs were rare

indeed and bread hadn't even been known among the people

of the grove. How quickly they'd all become accustomed to

such extravagance.

"I want to stay, but I can't," said Isabel. Even she couldn't resist

tearing a piece of the bread loose and fetching one of the many

figs. "Dr. Kincaid wants to see us this morning about something.

Edgar and Samuel are going to be there, too."

"Your father expects all of you in the new field by mid-morning,"

said her mother. "Don't be late."

Isabel smiled and nodded as her mother handed over the

basket of food.

Her mother stepped aside and Isabel darted past, taking a bite

out of the fresh fig and the piece of bread.

"Clean your teeth along the way. And don't come back for

dinner if you haven't washed up."

Isabel half trotted, half walked down a line of first-year trees as

she finished the fig and bread. The first-year trees were barely

taller than she was, but they ran in long lines all the way down

to the edge of the lake. She stopped at one of the trees and

snapped a little twig off, something she would never have done

to a first-year when mean Mr. Ratikan was running the grove.

But the lake seemed to feed the trees like never before. They

were vibrant and healthy and didn't mind being picked at now

and then.

She used the twig to scrub her teeth, working it into the corners

and along the sides. When she was finished she put the twig in

her mouth and chewed on it. The twig turned a little soft and

Isabel could feel her teeth growing squeaky-clean as the bark

lifted bits of bread and fig. She spit out the twig and ran for Dr.

Kincaid's cave.

As Isabel came nearer the water's edge she could see way out

into the middle. It was the bluest water one could imagine,

bright and sparkling, teeming with new life. Cleaners, once

dangerous creatures that roamed on land devouring every thing

in their paths, now lived in the great blue lake at the center of

Atherton. Some of them were getting big--really big--but those

stayed very deep in the lake and didn't taste very good, or so

she was told.

Isabel glanced down the shoreline and saw the herds of sheep

on a long, grassy plain. She made her way toward Dr. Kincaid's

unusual home and ascended the path between the cluster of

giant, egg-shaped rocks until she reached the opening of the

cave. In place of the fire was a table set for five. Edgar, Samuel,

Dr. Kincaid, and Vincent were waiting for her to take her place

at it.

"I told them to wait," said Samuel. He was struggling to speak

through a big, sloppy mouthful of Black and Green. "But they

wouldn't listen."

"He took the first bite!" said Edgar, who had also just taken an

enormous chunk of black meat slathered in green pudding.

Vincent stood and pulled out Isabel's chair. His long, thinning

hair was pulled back in a tail. His nose had been broken and

had healed wide and flat against his face. "An excellent hunt

last night. Please, join us. And by all means, take as much as

you like. There's plenty more inside if we run out."

Isabel sat and filled her plate with fresh Cleaner from the lake. It

wasn't much to look at, but Black and Green was everyone's

favorite food. Better than rabbits or sheep or bread. Even better

than figs.

Dr. Kincaid took his walking stick and twisted its top hard and

fast. With a click, the end of the stick popped free.

Edgar felt a sudden pang, remembering how the sculpture of

Mead's Head had operated in much the same way within the

House of Power. He looked toward the lake and wondered how

far below the surface Mead's Head now lay, and how many

Cleaners were swarming around it.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" asked Vincent. His eyes

spoke volumes as he stared at Dr. Kincaid.
This is a foolish

idea. It won't work. There is still time to change your mind.

"Of course I'm sure," said Dr. Kincaid. "And besides, it's already

decided."

He stole a glance at Edgar and the boy looked up. He was

slurping down a handful of green pudding and only nodded with

excitement. He appeared to be trying to bulk up for a long

journey.

"Ahhhh, here we are then," said Dr. Kincaid.

He had removed a piece of rolled-up paper from the inside of

the walking stick.

"You're full of surprises," said Edgar. "Is it a map?" asked

Samuel. "Does it lead inside Atherton?" There had long been a

dispute between Samuel, Edgar, and Dr. Kincaid about going

back inside. The way was locked, though, and the boys didn't

know the combination. Samuel was overwhelmed with curiosity

about the inside and wanted to show it to Edgar. It was the one

place in the world he knew better than Edgar, and he knew his

friend would love it inside.

"It's dangerous," Isabel said warily, "and there's nothing much

to see, anyway." Things hadn't gone well for her on the long trip

across the inside of Atherton. She had no interest in seeing

firebugs and cave eels and rivers of fire. And the Nubian! "Why

would anyone want to go back in there with those giant winged

creatures with razor-sharp beaks ready to snap you up? No,

thank you."

"It's not so bad," said Samuel. He knew Isabel's fear was

warranted, but he couldn't help wanting to go. He would do it

against his father's wishes and those of Dr. Kincaid and

Vincent, if only he could find the combination. "You want to go

there, don't you, Edgar?"

Edgar had stopped eating, and wiping his face with his hands,

he pondered the idea before answering.

"I'd rather go to the Dark Planet."

"You don't want to do that, Edgar," said Vincent. He looked at

Dr. Kincaid in disbelief. "You didn't tell him he could
go
there,

did you?"

"Of course not! Only to the docking station. That was all I said."

And so it was that everyone at the table had conflicting ideas

about the inside of Atherton, the bottom of Atherton, and the

world outside of Atherton. Vincent, knowing Dr. Kincaid's

wishes, sought to find common ground among the five.

"All of you must understand something very important. We're

only hoping to reconnect with the Dark Planet, not go there. If

the docking station can be reached from the outside--and that

has yet to be proven"--Vincent shot Dr. Kincaid a glance before

continuing--"our hope is that it can be used to contact the Dark

Planet. What happens after that is anyone's guess, but one

thing is certain: No one from Atherton is going to fly off into

space anytime soon."

"Then why are we doing it at all?" asked Isabel. "Why risk it?"

"Because Dr. Kincaid believes..." started Vincent. But he

couldn't bring himself to lay the whole burden on the old

scientist. "We
both
believe that connecting is the important

thing. Letting them know we're still alive is the first in a chain of

important events. Nothing else can happen until they hear a

voice from Atherton."

Edgar swallowed a last big bite of food and washed it down

with a gulp of cold water.

"I'm full," said Edgar, whose mind seemed to have gone

somewhere else. "I don't need to eat again for a couple of days

if it comes to that. When can I leave?"

Dr. Kincaid loved Edgar's spirit of adventure. He couldn't help

smiling while he chastened the boy.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Edgar. There's a lot we have to

consider."

Vincent removed the plates and food and unrolled the paper

from Dr. Kincaid's walking stick. He placed rocks at each corner

and everyone huddled close, looking at a three-dimensional

map of one side of the bottom of Atherton. Edgar could see the

top edge--the Flatlands--and every thing that lay hidden below,

all the way down to the bottom. It was a view of Atherton from

space, which was a new idea for Edgar.

"Who made this?" asked Samuel. It was a marvelous rendering

of the world in which he lived from a viewpoint he'd only been