The Jungle Warrior (24 page)

The pilot hadn't seen Rokoff approaching from his blind spot just behind him to the right. As soon as he saw movement he reached for a pistol stowed under his seat—but he was too slow and a second later Rokoff was pointing the rifle menacingly at him. The pilot raised his hands, moving slowly so as not to alarm the Russian.

“I can't fly this thing if you shoot me,” said the pilot as bravely as he could.

Rokoff threw Karnath into the back of the Huey, then pulled the tranquilizer gun and shot the pilot in the chest.

“I'm afraid you're not needed,” purred Rokoff, booting the man out of the helicopter.

Milton stood and sprinted for the chopper just as the Russian throttled the engine and the aircraft rose from the ground. Several rangers opened fire, bullets pinging from the fuselage.

“NO!” screamed Jane.

“Hold your fire!” shouted Milton. “The gorilla's on board!”

The helicopter wobbled as Rokoff fought the controls. It had been a while since he had piloted one, but it soon came back to him. The nose dipped and the Huey shot forward—so low that everybody was forced to hit the ground.

At the controls, Rokoff laughed as everybody ducked out of his path. Then he saw movement from the ranch. Tarzan swung from a top-floor window and somersaulted onto the hot solar panels on the roof. He sprinted along the angled panels as the chopper flew alongside.

Rokoff pulled on the collective, making the aircraft rise. Tarzan's intentions were clear—but leaping aboard would be impossible, so Rokoff thought.

Tarzan jumped from the rooftop without any fear of the spinning rotor blades while everyone watched in horror, expecting him to be shredded.

But Tarzan had no such anxieties. For him, this was no different from navigating through the tree-tops. He soared under the rotors and caught the landing ski with both hands. Momentum sent him under the fuselage and as he swung back he flexed his arms and flipped through the open slide door, into the cabin.

Rokoff was searching the ground to see where Tarzan had fallen. The thrashing rotors masked any sound from inside the cabin as Tarzan picked up Karnath and held him tight. The little ape's arms had just enough strength to hold on.

Rokoff caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned in the pilot seat, inadvertently leaning on the stick and banking the aircraft to the left.

“That's impossible!” he screamed, his words almost lost in the roar of the engine.

Tarzan didn't have time to talk. He just wanted justice. As the helicopter sharply angled under him, Tarzan punched Rokoff so hard across the face that teeth flew out and bounced against the canopy. Rokoff fell against the stick, sending the chopper into a nosedive.

Revenge would have to wait. Tarzan's priority was to get Karnath to safety. He stood at the doorway and braced himself with one hand, holding Karnath in the crook of his other arm. The ground was rapidly catching up.

•••

Jane saw Tarzan jump from the Huey seconds before it completed its uncontrolled arc and ploughed into the middle of the mansion. Dust obscured Tarzan and her gaze was drawn toward the devastation as the roof collapsed, solar panels shattering. The Huey's rotors severed and the aircraft tipped onto its side.

Jane braced herself for a huge explosion, but instead a massive cloud of debris shrouded the scene and the smell of fuel grew stronger.

“Run!” shouted Robbie, grabbing her hand and sprinting from the building.

Then the leaked aviation fuel set alight, ignited by sparking electrical wires exposed within the mansion. The helicopter blew apart and the explosion struck the middle of the house like a wrecking ball, effortlessly demolishing walls and floors.

Okeke watched in despair as his mansion was torn in two, but then he was forced to duck for cover as burning wreckage fell around him.

“Tarzan!” Robbie screamed.

•••

Robbie and Jane stayed with Milton for an hour. The fire had spread through the building and razed it to the ground with surprising speed, spitting fat black ashes across the plains. Okeke and his clients were handcuffed and taken to UWA trucks when they arrived on the scene. The caged animals were taken to a vet and a team of rangers went looking for the stray elephant and rhino. Milton assured Jane that they would be humanely caught and safely relocated.

An immediate search of the wreckage revealed no sign of Rokoff, Karnath, or Tarzan. Robbie and Jane had watched silently, dreading what they might find. The lack of bodies confused Milton, who swore that nobody could have escaped the disaster and got past his men.

He sheepishly approached Robbie and Jane as they sat on the tailgate of a truck. He gazed around, almost unwilling to look them in the eye.

“I suppose I owe you an apology for not believing you, eh?”

Jane shrugged. “You did in the end. That's what counts.”

Milton nodded, then finally looked at them with an embarrassed smile. He offered his hand. “Congratulations. You broke a major international smuggling ring.”

Robbie winced as Milton crunched his hand. “I think you should take all the glory for this one.”

Milton smiled; he wouldn't say no to being branded the hero of the hour. “If you insist, but I will still need your details to contact you so we can follow up the investigations.”

Robbie hesitated, but Jane smoothly chipped in. “No problem. We're staying at the Hilton in Nakasero Hill. We'll be there for another two weeks. Ask for me, Mary Winter.” She had no idea where the pseudonym came from but there was no way she was going to use her real name.

Robbie had a flash of inspiration. “And I'm Robbie Canler, from New York.”

Milton nodded as he wrote the names in a small notebook he kept in his breast pocket. He didn't see the shocked look Jane gave Robbie.

When Milton was taken aside to process Okeke and the others, Robbie steered Jane toward one of the bidder's jeeps. The keys were in the ignition, and they took it, slipping away without anybody noticing.

Jane gave directions from a map she found in the glove compartment. They were soon bouncing along a rough track and eventually stopped at a crossroads, parking in the shade of a lone acacia tree ten miles from the ranch. This was the predetermined meeting spot they had arranged with Tarzan: an easy decision, as it was the only landmark for miles. Jane only hoped nothing had gone wrong and he could make it.

Minutes blurred, and Jane estimated an hour had passed before the long grass suddenly moved and Tarzan stepped out with a wide grin, Karnath knuckle-walking along by his side. The tranquilizer had worn off by now and the little ape jumped into Jane's arms. He was more cautious about Robbie, but encouraged by Tarzan, the young ape soon allowed Robbie to stroke his greasy fur.

When Jane told Tarzan that Rokoff had disappeared in the crash, Tarzan just studied the landscape thoughtfully. Nothing further needed to be said.

•••

Without the constant pressure of pursuing Rokoff, the journey home was a little more leisurely. Tarzan had an impressive sense of direction in retracing their steps, this time driving around Lake Victoria and across Tanzania. They were able to refuel the jeep using a credit card Robbie had taken from Okeke's apartment.

After a day, Robbie used his satellite phone to call Clark.

“Robbie? Where the heck are ya?” There was no enquiry as to their well-being, just straight to business.

Robbie didn't feel like filling him in on their adventure. That could wait. “We've been traveling. We're about a week away. Tell Archie that Jane's fine.”

“Yeah, yeah. Listen, some great news about the Greystokes—“

Robbie cut him off. “Whatever. It can wait until I'm back. I gotta go.” He disconnected as Clark started to protest. He was tired of Clark's scheming and was in no mood to hear what he had to say. He turned the phone off for good measure.

The ferry journey across Lake Tanganyika was uneventful as they hitched aboard a cargo ship that didn't ask any questions about the young ape with them. The crew kept away, wary of Karnath and frightened by Tarzan.

Robbie was keen to avoid any conflicts so they crossed into the Democratic Republic of Congo using narrow off-road trails that were beyond the reaches of frontier guards and drove almost continuously. He and Jane took turns at the wheel and when he wasn't resting he played a little with Karnath and enjoyed talking to Tarzan.

The road soon petered out and they were forced to abandon the vehicle so they could continue on foot through the jungle. Entering the solitude of the rainforest seemed like a homecoming to them all. Jane was glad to leave the dry savannah behind and reveled in the heavy tropical rain as it washed the dirt away.

Tarzan made the trek easier by summoning Tantor and a pair of jungle elephants to carry them home. In the comfort of the jungle, Tarzan relayed Rokoff's confession about D'Arnot. It was difficult as Tarzan still lacked the vocabulary to explain every detail, but they soon built a dark picture of the Greystokes as a family who would kill to preserve their wealth.

Karnath's homecoming was greeted with grunts and hoots of delight from the gorillas, now back at the crashed aircraft. Even the normally aggressive Kerchak was pleased to see Tarzan's return. Karnath's adopted mother held the little ape tight, then began grooming his fur to remove the stench of his ordeal.

Jane was touched by the care and family spirit the gorillas showed Karnath. She glanced at Robbie and saw that he was affected by it too. She had been apprehensive about bringing him here, as she still hadn't forgiven him for secretly videoing Tarzan. But without the camera he could do no harm. She was certain he wouldn't be able to find his own way here from Karibu Mji.

Robbie kept a wary distance from the apes, but they appeared to welcome him—after all, they had met before when they had helped rescue him from Tafari's clutches.

The aircraft fascinated Robbie, but he didn't ask any questions or inflame Jane's suspicions by taking anything away. He could hardly believe he was finally here. But instead of experiencing elation that he finally had the proof he and Clark needed, he felt unusually subdued. Circumstance had brought him and Tarzan together as friends who had risked their lives together and now he wasn't so sure he wanted to do anything to betray him. However, that didn't solve Robbie's problems and he was painfully aware that he still had to fend for himself.

“Family need new home for a time,” said Tarzan watching as the apes lavished Karnath with attention.

“You'll take them toward the volcano?” asked Jane.

Tarzan nodded. “First Tarzan take you home.”

Jane didn't feel the need to ask if she would see Tarzan again. A bond had formed between the three of them during their adventure and, in a strange way, Tarzan had accepted her and Robbie into his family.

•••

Back at the camp, Archie welcomed Jane home with a huge hug. He shook Robbie's shoulder, glad to see him.

“You smell terrible, mate,” he said laughing. “Where the heck have you been?”

“You really don't want to know,” Jane replied. And she meant it. Her father worried enough and he didn't need to know they'd traveled across half the continent over the last two weeks.

Clark slapped Robbie on the back and made sure Jane wasn't within earshot.

“Good news. That private eye I mentioned was askin' questions about ya. He turned up at Sango then suddenly got word you were in Uganda and left pronto.”

Robbie smiled to himself. He knew Milton's report would raise a few alarms when his name was mentioned and had hoped that would draw attention away from the Congo.

“You get the footage?” whispered Clark.

“I lost the camera,” said Robbie.

Clark looked disappointed, but nodded. “Still, we got the GPS coordinates, ain't we?” Robbie nodded. Clark's eyes narrowed and he stared at him. “You've been there, haven't you? You've seen the plane?”

Robbie nodded, but couldn't meet Clark's gaze. He was feeling guilty for betraying Tarzan. Clark smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

“So it's all true. Perfect!” He shouted across at Archie. “Hey, Arch! Tell 'em the good news.”

Jane looked expectantly at her dad. “What good news?”

“That,” said Archie pointing over to the bar as Esmée came out with a tall dark-haired man who flashed a disarming smile.

Jane didn't need to ask who it was. The family resemblance was clear. Her blood ran cold.

The man extended his hand. “Ah, you must be Jane. A delight to meet you, I've heard so much about your exploits. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is William Cecil Clayton. I believe you know my cousin?”

F
rom the day he was born in Chicago, on September 1, 1875, until he submitted half of a novel to
All-Story Magazine
in 1911, Edgar Rice Burroughs failed in nearly every enterprise he tried.

He attended half a dozen public and private schools before he finally graduated in 1895 from Michigan Military Academy, an institution he described as “a polite reform school.”

Having failed the entrance examination for the United States Military Academy at West Point, he enlisted as a private in the Seventh US Cavalry because he thought he might still obtain a commission as an officer if he distinguished himself in a different assignment. He asked to be sent to the worst post in America—a request the authorities speedily granted.

The post was Fort Grant in the Arizona desert, and his mission, as he put it, was to “chase outlaw Apaches.” “I chased a good many Apaches,” he said, “but fortunately for me, I never caught up with any of them.”