Welcome to the Jungle (18 page)

“SO YOU SEE, WE'RE ALL STUMPED HERE, AND WE WANTED TO KNOW—I WANTED TO KNOW—IF YOU
had any ideas.”

Evie listened carefully, watching her brother's face on her pocket tablet. She stood outside the
Roost
, looking across the landscape of the eighth continent. A rocky cliff was just ahead, overhanging a deep ravine. As soon as she and Sprout had gotten back to the
Roost
, they'd flown to a remote corner of the continent in an attempt to hide their tree-shaped ship among its jagged cliffs while they tried to come up with a way to anchor the super root to the ocean floor. To make matters worse, Winterpole had launched a counter-attack against the
Big Whale
. The lights of pink robots battling hoverships filled the sky. Evie's mind felt like the sky must have felt—mayhem full of flashing lights and clashing ideas.

“Listen, Rick, about before, I—”

“Evie, I know, but we don't have much time.”

“Okay.” The wind was whipping her ponytail—blowing stray wisps of hair across her face. She had to think. How could she anchor the continent, sop up the stain, help Mom, and save the day? Even with so much at stake, Evie's mind wandered. It was hard to believe Rick and their mom had come to
her
for help.

Gazing across the open expanses of her continent, Evie wondered what this area had been before the Eden Compound changed it. Sometimes she would look at a cylindrical rock formation and immediately see a tower of old car tires. But sometimes it was just wide stretches of the spongy green earth.

Spongy earth. The ground did have a lot of give to it, but it sprung back into place when she raised her foot. The dirt on the eighth continent had a number of strange properties. This was only one of them. Evie could shovel the dirt, kick it, or pack it like normal dirt. But it was different too. She remembered the way the continent drank up all the weird ingredients the Piffle Pink Patrol threw at it, from water and juice to olive oil and tapioca. The continent absorbed everything. Like a sponge.

Evie shouted into her tablet with a look of pure joy on her face. “That's it! Like a sponge, Rick! A sponge!”

Sprout stuck his head out of the
Roost
, raising an eyebrow. “What's all the hollering about?”

On the screen, Rick scratched his head. “Yeah, Evie, I have no idea what you're saying.”

“No time to explain! But I've got it. Trust me.”

“Evie, wait! You have to—” Rick disappeared as Evie pressed the button to end the call.

She turned to Sprout, who was sauntering toward her. “We need to soak up the stain somehow. And the eighth continent is spongy like a sponge.”

“As opposed to spongy like a brick?” Sprout grinned.

Evie snorted in amusement. “We can use the continent to sop up the stain. We just need to get the continent over there.”

“Well, saddle up, little lady,” Sprout said. “I'm gonna hogtie this here continent and drag her home!”

They flew the
Roost
away from the battle raging between Condo Corp and Winterpole, landing again just offshore. A quick scuba dive later, they had taken the longest root dangling off the bottom of the continent and fastened it to the back of the
Roost
. Evie turned up the throttle until the hovership growled in exertion. She fired the engines.

The
Roost
took to the air, tugging the root tight. The tiny hovership pulled and pulled. Fortunately for Evie, Winterpole and Condo Corp were so caught up in their battle over the eighth continent, they didn't notice they weren't over the continent any more. The
Roost
was making off with the prize!

As the
Roost
pulled the continent, Evie scratched her chin the way Dad always did. Dad. He was still nowhere to be found. Rick had rescued Mom, no thanks to Evie, but Dad had disappeared and they hadn't even had a second to look for him. In his absence, a twist had appeared in Evie's heart. She felt responsible.

All Evie could do was focus on her mission for now, or she would start to feel the twist getting tighter.

The going was slow at first, but soon the
Roost
picked up speed and the continent was cruising along the water like an inner tube behind a speedboat. They were halfway across the ocean when the hovership's sensors picked up the Winterpole patrol behind them. A flock of their hoverships was in hot pursuit, led by a bulky flying vehicle.

“Oh, sixteen kinds of darn it!” Evie moaned. “Now we're sunk for sure.”

They promptly received a transmission from the lead hovership. A stiff, professional voice came over the comm. “You with the continent! On behalf of Winterpole we order you to proceed at a pace infinitely slower than the pace at which you are proceeding now. In other words, not at all!”

Evie grabbed the communicator. “But you don't understand! There's an enormous stain in the Pacific that's hurting the ocean. We're trying to clean it up. And the continent was on a collision course with Australia. We just wanted to pull it away. Don't you see? We're trying to protect the oceans, and Australia, and we're trying to make the continent stop moving so Winterpole can stop hounding the Lane family!”

She listened carefully as some quiet murmurs came over the comm. Clearly the agents aboard the lead hovership were discussing something.

“I know, Barry. She makes a couple of good points.”

“Sure, Larry. I agree. But that doesn't mean we should let her run off with the continent.”

“That's cold, Barry. Real cold.”

“Oh you are at it again!”

Evie and Sprout exchanged a puzzled look.

“Well, we've checked the statutes,” Agent Larry said. “Turns out there's nothing in the Winterpole bylaws prohibiting you from stealing a continent. I guess no one ever thought that would come up.”

“Make a note of it!” Barry said.

“It's
our
continent!” Evie said.

Larry coughed. “Right. So. Can't stop you from taking the continent, and your story about cleaning up the oceans, that's cool with us.”

“LARRY!” Barry shouted, annoyed.

“Sorry. We are okay with you pursuing this eco-friendly mission. Sheesh, Barry. Chill—”

“—Don't you say it!”

Evie leaned into the throttle. The engine argued, but she kept it up. “Okay, well thank you! Nice speaking to you gentlemen! So long, now.”

The Winterpole agents continued to bicker as Evie and Sprout pulled the eighth continent closer to the stain—and to their final victory.

WITH A HEAVY THUD, THE
ROOST
LANDED ON THE DECK OF THE
SUDSY BUBBLER
. A FINAL, PITIFUL
gasp emerged from the hover engine. Black smoke billowed from every opening on the vessel. But the thick root trailing from the hovership remained intact. The continent floated in the ocean, just beyond the edge of the stain.

Rick watched Sprout and Evie exit the
Roost
, looking pretty thrilled their long journey had finally come to an end. And in the nick of time, too. The sun was beginning to set, striping the western horizon in pink haze. They didn't have long before Cleanaspot would revoke Mom's command.

This urgency did not seem to be on Mom's mind as she sprinted across the deck to her daughter. She scooped Evie up in her arms, showering her with kisses all over her face. “Oh my darling! I'm so glad you're safe!”

“M-o-m! Stop!” Evie tried to cover her cheeks.

“I will not stop! Smooch!”

“There's no time! We have to soak up the stain before sundown!”

“Evie's right, Mom,” Rick said, coming up behind, along with the others. “We have to hurry.”

“Quite so!” 2-Tor added.

Mom put Evie down. “Okay. I know. Catherine! Connect this continent to the
Sudsy Bubbler
and let's move!”

The Cleanaspot workers scurried across the deck, detaching the continent from the
Roost
and re-attaching it to their flagship, which was a much more stable tugboat.

With the adults distracted, Rick stepped closer to Evie. “Hey.”

Evie grinned. “‘Evie's right.' I like the sound of that.”

“Yeah, well, this whole thing was your idea. Including, it seems, completely destroying the
Roost
.”

“Destroying?” She waved her hand at the
Roost
. “Psshh. She might look like she's in rough shape, but it's nothing an engine replacement and complete interior redesign won't fix.”

“Interior redesign?”

“Yeah, but that's just because of the fires.”

“Wait,
fires
, as in, plural?”

Evie rolled her eyes. “Rick! It was just a couple of them.” Sprout nudged Evie, urging her to continue. With a sigh, Evie looked down at her feet. “Yeah, so, Rick, about before, I'm sorry we fought.”

“Yeah, I'm sorry I'm always blaming you for everything,” Rick said. “And to you too, Sprout. I just wanted you to be
my
best friend. I wish I hadn't acted like that.”

2-Tor flapped his wings. “I say, that is wonderful news. Everything is all patched up.”

“It's my fault too,” Evie said, turning to Sprout. “For the same reason. I wanted you to be my best friend.”

Sprout tipped back his hat. “Aw, shucks, y'all. I reckon that's the silliest thing I ever heard. I'm both y'all's friend. Wouldn't have it any other way. Shoot, a week ago I was just a humble cabbage rancher with nothing going on. Now look at all the fun we've had!”

Rick smiled. If Sprout's idea of fun was outrunning robots, busting juvenile delinquents out of jail, and nearly dying in multiple fires, then he was going to fit right in with the Lane family.

Sprout looked between them. “As for best friends, why, that's sillier than a skydiving squash! Y'all both already have a best friend, and it sure ain't me.”

Rick wrinkled his brow. “Who?”

“He means me, you nerd.” Evie glowered.

Sprout was right of course. It was what 2-Tor had been trying to say. Rick and Evie were very different, but they complemented each other. They were stronger together than they were apart. They never could have accomplished their missions alone.

Suddenly 2-Tor scooped both kids up in his wings. “Oh I am so glad everyone is back safe and sound. My feathers could not take any more anxiety!”

Mom ran over to them. “All right, kids. Ready to see the world's biggest sponge in action?” She tapped her communicator. “Catherine! Increase speed to full throttle!”

The
Sudsy Bubbler
lurched, churning water with its big propellers. The root went tight.

Rick and Evie high-fived. Sprout gave them both a big hug.

But something was wrong. The continent wasn't moving.

They looked. It was hard to see at first, because it sort of blended in with the pink haze on the horizon.

“By my endless consternation!” 2-Tor moaned.

Rick couldn't have said it better himself. There in the distance was the
Big Whale
, tethered to a different tendril of the super root. Vesuvia's giant blimp was pulling the eighth continent in the other direction!

EVIE WATCHED IN DISMAY AS THE
SUDSY BUBBLER
AND THE
BIG WHALE
PLAYED TUG-OF-WAR WITH
her continent.

“We have to fight them!” she said.

Rick grabbed her. “We have to run.”

“What, why?”

“RUN!”

A tornado of pink robo-birds came screeching out of the sky. Evie and the others fled for cover. The Cleanaspot sailors turned their water cannons on the birds, but without more powerful defenses, fighting them was like trying to shoot a swarm of mosquitoes with a squirt gun.

They ran along the edge of the deck, teetering over the water far below. The birds flew all around them, pecking with their needle-sharp beaks. Evie shielded her face from the birds and shouted orders. “Mom! Have your people hold off the robots as long as they can. Rick! Sprout! Get to one of the acorns and take off. We have to stop Vesuvia!”

2-Tor squawked. “I say, Miss Evelyn. What shall I do?”

Evie screamed, “2-Tor, you gotta fly!”

“My word. What do you mean?”

“Fly, you bird. Fly!” Evie tackled 2-Tor, hurling both of them off the end of the boat.

2-Tor flapped his wings as they fell, slowing their descent and eventually gaining height. Evie clung to the bird's back. They left the
Sudsy Bubbler
far behind and far below.

“Get closer!” Evie yelled over the roaring wind, pointing ahead at the looming
Big Whale
.

The blimp's engines were going full reverse, pulling the vine like a dog with a chew toy. Evie squinted. Through the wide front viewport, she could see the determined faces of Vesuvia and Grandma Condolini.

“Come on, 2-Tor! Full flap ahead!” The flock of birds was right behind them and gaining.

They neared the viewport. “Miss Evelyn, I beg of you, please reconsider this line of attack. I swear, I would sooner be prohibited from administering quizzes for the rest of my days than proceed with this action.”

“Relax, 2-Tor, we'll be fine!”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

Behind the viewport, Vesuvia was glaring at Evie and gritting her artificially whitened teeth, but as 2-Tor flapped harder and picked up speed, that determined look morphed into one of incredulous shock. Evie had seen the Piffle Pink Patrol do this to the
Roost
once. She felt it was only appropriate to return the favor.

2-Tor and Evie crashed through the viewport. Glass shattered and whipped around the windy bridge, while the pursuing robo-birds flew in after them. The birds pierced the floor, the walls, and the command console. Grandma Condolini howled angrily as one of the birds hit the throttle, locking it at maximum. The engines roared and the blimp groaned.

Evie let go of 2-Tor and dropped into a somersault. She bounced to her feet and turned to face her enemy.

Vesuvia struggled to her feet. Her clothes were a mess. She plucked a little bird from her hair and threw it at the ground with a plastic
thok!
“You . . .” she hissed. “You ruin everything! GET HER!”

The serving-bots dropped their trays and moved in to attack. 2-Tor flapped his wings. “Shoo! Shoo!”

Evie made a break for the command console and grabbed the steering wheel. Grandma Condolini swatted at her. “Stop that, you little rodent! Let go!”

Evie pulled back as hard as she could. The
Big Whale
veered upward, tipping the bridge back at a steep angle. The serving-bots slid across the floor and slammed into the back wall. Grandma Condolini fell out of her chair. “Aie! My osteoporosis!”

Vesuvia grabbed Evie and pried her away from the controls. “Give me back my blimp!”

“Give me back my continent!” Evie said, fighting against the wind as she climbed on top of the command console and hopped out of the shattered viewport. The water was hundreds of feet below. One wrong step and it would be bye-bye Evie, hello pancakes.

Vesuvia climbed out the viewport after her, clinging to the nose of the
Big Whale
. “Hold still, Evie. It's time for you to go on a trip.”

“I say, leave her alone!” came 2-Tor's voice. He'd followed Vesuvia out of the viewport, flapping his wings at her.

At that moment, the acorn escape pod flew by. Rick was piloting. Sprout leaned out the window. “Evie! What should we do?”

“You should catch her!” Vesuvia yelled, breaking free of 2-Tor and shoving Evie with all her might. Evie grabbed Vesuvia's arms, but the damage was done. They fell off the front of the
Big Whale
together.

Evie landed on the super root and scrambled to get a grip as she nearly slid off the taut tether. She winced, but managed to hold on. Vesuvia hit the root flat on her back.

“I have had it up to here with you.” Vesuvia struggled to her feet, smoothing her loose bleached hair against her head. “You have ruined my
life
, Evie Lane. I
hate
you! And your stupid clothes! And your stupid shoes! And your stupid family! And that stupid bird! I hate you! And now I'm going to send you all to the bottom of the ocean where you belong.”

“Evie, catch!” The acorn flew by again, and Sprout flung his machete at the root. It landed point down, embedded halfway up the blade.

As Evie drew the machete out of the root, Vesuvia watched in horror. “No! Don't do that. Stop!”

With a hard swipe, Evie cut deep into the root. She hacked at it, making the split deeper and wider.

“Don't!” Vesuvia begged.

Evie struck the root again and again, with each cut shouting, “Vesuvia! I! Like! These! Shoes!”

The machete sang as it sliced through the root. The
Big Whale
, now untethered, rocketed into the stratosphere. If they were lucky, the
Big Whale
would fly all the way to the moon, taking Vesuvia and Grandma Condolini along with it.

2-Tor dove clear of the blimp just in time. He arrowed toward Evie and nabbed her out of the sky before she hit the water.

The acorn flew alongside them. “You did it!” Rick cheered.

Evie waved the machete at them. “We did it!”

As they flew back to the Cleanaspot fleet, the
Sudsy Bubbler
pulled the eighth continent over the stain. Just like Evie expected, the spongy continent slurped up the ink with ease. She nodded, content and a little impressed with herself. “That worked pretty well, actually.” Now they just needed to root their continent to the coral reef under the stain, and their new home would have a permanent address.

They landed back on the deck of the
Sudsy Bubbler
. Cleanaspot sailors were sweeping up piles of the pink robo-birds and depositing them in recycling containers. As Rick and Evie climbed out of the acorn escape pod, Mom came running over to them.

“Oh no, not again!” Evie said.

Mom scooped them up and smooched them like crazy.

The wet reunion was interrupted by the arrival of a Winterpole hovership, which touched down next to the acorn.

Evie let out a heavy sigh. Now what?

The cockpit door opened and Dad stepped into the light.

Mom squealed and ran to her husband, kissing him all over the face.

Dad's eyes went wide with panic. “Wah! Kids! Grab the mop!”

There were no mops in sight, so instead Rick and Evie ran and hugged their father. Sprout and 2-Tor watched the reunion, smiling (although 2-Tor had a beak and couldn't really smile).

Rick adjusted his glasses as he pulled away from the hug. “How did you get here? I thought Winterpole had you.”

“I was trapped at the Prison at the Pole,” Dad explained. “But this young lady helped me escape.” He pointed to the open cockpit door.

Diana Maple stepped out.

“Diana?” Rick sounded as confused as Evie felt. “But you're . . .”

“Yeah, I know,” Diana said awkwardly. “But it didn't feel right to keep your dad locked up. He didn't do anything wrong! Winterpole has been acting so weird lately.”

“Lately?” Evie asked. Rick nudged her to hush up.

Dad smiled as he pulled Mom close. “Diana doesn't want to work for Winterpole anymore. And she doesn't want to work for Condo Corp either.”

Diana nodded. “They really drive me nuts.”

“You can stay here with us,” Rick said. “You can help us build our civilization on the eighth continent. And you know how Condo Corp and Winterpole operate. You'd be a valuable asset.”

“Sheesh, Rick,” Evie elbowed her brother, “she's a person, not a beach house.”

Rick smiled. “Either way, you're always welcome on Octopia.”

“Octopia?” Evie shoved him playfully. “Is that your new name for the eighth continent? I kind of like that.”

Rick looked hopeful. “Really?”

“No, of course not. That name is stupid. You might as well call it Squid City.”

Dad flailed his hands in the air. “No more squids, please! No sea creatures of
any kind
, thank you.”

“Y'all could name the eighth continent
Ocho
,” Sprout suggested, prompting thoughtful nods from Rick and Evie.

Diana smiled at them. “Whatever you decide to call it, I'm not sure I can leave Winterpole just yet. My mom is there, and . . . I dunno. I can be more help to you if I'm at Winterpole, on the inside. I'll stay to deflect suspicion, and I can keep you up to date on whatever crazy schemes they're up to.”

“A double agent!” Evie cheered.

“Something like that.”

“Well, good luck,” Rick said.

“Yeah, good luck,” Evie echoed. “Oh, and when you get back to Winterpole, can you please tell them that the Lanes are once again sovereign owners of the continent?”

Everyone smiled. It was a hard-fought victory. But their troubles, at least for now, were over.

“I'll tell them for sure!” Diana said as she climbed back aboard the hovership. “And I'll see you again soon. I promise.”

When Diana had flown away, Sprout began to fidget anxiously.

“What's wrong, Sprout?” Evie asked as she and Rick stepped close to him.

“Well shoot, y'all. This has been one grand adventure—finer than fresh berries, if I say so. But I should really be packing it back to the Prof.”

Evie couldn't believe it. “You . . . you're leaving?”

Sprout removed his hat solemnly. “Just for a while, I reckon. The Prof needs me for the growing season. But I want y'all to know that I ain't never had two finer friends in my whole life. No finer family, neither.”

A stubborn tear fell from Evie's eye. She flung her arms around Sprout, and Rick joined in on the hug.

“I'll be seeing you soon, amigos.” Sprout backed away and strolled west toward the bow of the ship. “On the other side of the sunset.”

Evie and Rick watched sadly as he departed. Sprout took about ten steps, then stopped, turned, and walked quickly back to his friends.

“Um . . .” he mumbled. “I just realized—can any of y'all give me a ride back to Texas?”