| “Exposure” A short story based on the WB Series, “Tarzan” By Kythera *** This story contains characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and is creation of Warner Brothers and the property of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Trust. I have created it strictly for my personnel amusement and the amusement of others on www.travisfimmelforum.com Summary: Jane is in college but wants to be an investigative reporter. She is taking a journalism major. Her older sister Nikki is a cop so Jane gets involved her cases, just like her favorite detective, Nancy Drew. Lately Jane is particularly interested in the Clayton case – missing family of a corporate giant, murder mystery, and the looming presence of Richard Clayton – all the makings of a good investigative article. *** Chapter 1- Getting started “Hi Nikki! I’m home!” she shouted as she burst into the apartment. She looked around. The apartment was empty. “Well,” she thought, “she’s probably still working.” Jane was a sophomore in the local college and was living with her older sister Nicolle or Nikki for short. The Porter sisters were seven years apart and had not been too close until now. Jane needed a place to stay while going to college. The dorms were out of the question as they cost too much. She had qualified for a grant in journalism, that, along with student loans and some help from her parents had allowed her to come to Los Angeles to go to school. Her older sister Nikki had provided just the right location so Jane didn’t have a long commute by bus. It was pretty generous of Nikki as she had her own life which was now complicated by the appearance of a younger sister. Nikki had just qualified to become a junior detective-officer on the Beverly Hills Police Department. It was not only a nice promotion but a real chance to become a full-fledged detective first grade. It was a career that Nikki had wanted from the time she was very young. No one in the Porter family had ever been a cop. They were professors, doctors, lawyers, and a few “gentlemen” farmers but no cops! No one understood her need to help other people through law enforcement. But it was her choice and the family supported it although they constantly worried about her safety. Jane, on the other hand, had decided to become a journalist – an investigative reporter no less! She was fascinated by the idea that she had the power to bring down any one who was doing nasty deeds by bringing their misdeeds to light. She loved snooping into other people’s hidden lives. She fancied herself a modern day Nancy Drew. In the meantime, Jane was honing her reporting skills by getting a part-time job as a cub reporter in a small newspaper (The Courier) and also reporting for the local college paper. They assigned cub reporters to the fluffy features – lost dog, small hero, good student type stories. She, however, aspired for more and was always alert to deeper stories. She had submitted a few articles but had not really aced the 5 Ws of reporting -- who, what, where, when, and why. So it was back to the drawing board. The college newspaper offered easier writing projects as there was always a “cause” or two to promote. These jobs, along with her studies, didn’t give her too much free time for socializing. But, despite this, she was having a ball in Los Angeles and its proximity to Beverly Hills and movie stars. It was her first time away from home; her first time in a big city; and her first time living sort of on her own. So many first. Yes, she had her big sister to protect her but she tried to stay as much out of Nikki’s personal life as possible. Nikki’s work life, however, was another story. Here were juicy cases that were just waiting for someone to tell an eager public. And she was the one who would scoop the story. She was not above looking into Nikki’s case files to try to find something interesting. Nikki caught her once and gave her a scolding, even threatened to send her home, if she interfered with or compromised any of her cases. Jane just grinned inwardly to herself, put on her “I’m so sorry” face, and waited for an opportunity. It came in a most unexpected way. She had seen a case that Nikki was working on that involved a big corporation, its CEO, and its missing heir. Now this in itself was not really new. There had been countless missing heirs with greedy relatives waiting to inherit. This one, however, was different. The case files showed that a Richard Clayton, CEO of Greystoke Industries, had been planning to head yet another expedition into the Congo to try to find his missing brother, John, and his family – John’s wife Alice and their baby, John Jr. He could not succeed as official head of GI until there was concrete evidence that they all had perished. This final trip was to verify this. Clayton would inherit all of GI’s holdings. Clayton was under police investigation because he had been linked in a murder cover-up that somehow was connected with the missing family. Jane had a journalist’s instinct that there was a big story hidden behind the few clues in the case file. She was just itching to get involved. In the meantime, she was hungry so she decided to hunt up something from the refrig. Chapter 2 –The hunter Far away in a tropical jungle, a hunter spotted his quarry from his vantage point high on a tree. Keen eyes looked out of a handsome face to focus on the small deer that was grazing below unaware that it was been stalked. He was all attention. The breeze shifted slightly bringing to the hunter an awareness that another was close at hand. He tensed his muscular sun-tanned body and growled lowly. Sabor the lioness was stalking the same prey! It wasn’t the first time that Tarzan had had this kind of encounter and each time he had been victorious. He had no intentions of changing his winning streak now. He thought quickly and put his thoughts into instant action. Sabor was farther away than he was in his tree. He carefully uncoiled his rope and sent the lasso out and over the neck of the still unsuspecting deer. It caught as its owner knew it would. Quickly he pulled the struggling deer up, up into the tree. Sabor saw what was happening and made a leap to prevent the deer from disappearing into the foliage. Tarzan pulled harder and faster so that Sabor had to let go of the rear end or else be pulled up along with the deer. Tarzan quickly and mercifully put the animal to death while Sabor roared and jumped below. Tarzan grinned. Once he had finished his repast, he’d have some fun taunting Sabor. But what was that? His exceptional hearing brought him the sound of something in the distance. Another shift in the wind brought more data and made the idea of taunting Sabor boring compared with the potential that the new information brought him. He quickly threw the remains of the deer at Sabor, satisfied that he had hit her squarely in her face, and took off through the middle terraces towards the sounds he had faintly heard. Chapter 3 – Nikki tells Nikki opened the apartment door to see her sister making a meal for herself. “Hi Jane! Did you make anything for me?” she said. “Oh! Hi! Nikki. I didn’t know if you were coming home tonight so I made just enough for me. Do you want me to warm up something?” “Yes! If you don’t mind. I’ve had a hard day.” Her voice sounded tired. She proceeded to tell her sister the kind of day she had had. Miserable. Each case had its good points and problems. Jane was mildly interested in hearing about the usual cases of purse snatching, car theft, mugging, and gang-related crimes. None of these were of an “investigative” nature, however. She had heard it all before but allowed her sister to vent. But then her sister started telling her about the Clayton case. Jane came to immediate attention! Jane knew something about the Clayton family because she had taken a summer internship at Greystoke Industries this past summer. She had even been introduced to Richard Clayton the CEO at the welcome party. They had formed an old fashioned receiving line. As she passed him, her sponsor gave him her name. She shook his hand and looked for the food line. He was a very important man but Jane got bad vibes from him even with this short meeting. Nikki had been assigned to an undercover unit that was observing Richard Clayton of Greystoke Industries. He had been at a murder scene but had managed to leave with only one witness having seen him. Since that witness might prove to be unreliable, the captain had assigned Nikki and three other detectives to follow and record Clayton’s movements. They might get lucky or Clayton might get careless and lead them to evidence that would implicate him directly to the crime. Clayton had gone to a warehouse to meet with several unsavory-looking men. The meeting lasted half an hour with each party leaving separately and in different directions. One of the police team decided to follow the men while Nikki and her partner Sam continued following Clayton. They followed him to a private airport. A plane with Greystoke Industries’ logo painted on it was waiting for him. He spoke to the waiting crew and boarded quickly. Nikki and Sam could only watch as the plane taxied down the runway. They didn’t have any evidence to stop Clayton from leaving or any orders to arrest him. They asked the control tower for copy of the flight plan for that plane. It was going to yet another private airport in the Mojave Desert. Jane and Sam would have to go out there tomorrow to check it out. It was too close to a super-secret facility run by the Air Force. A possible dead-end. Clayton was up to no good but they still hadn’t found any evidence to link him to the murder. “Who was murdered?” asked Jane as innocently as she could. She didn’t want to appear too eager. Her sister may stop providing her with information. “Well, it was a man who had been in the employee of Richard Clayton’s older brother John. John and his family disappeared on a trip to the Congo. Greystoke Industries cannot be run under its current organization. Some closure has to be made about John Clayton. This employee had come to the police with a copy of John Clayton’s Will. He also implicated Richard Clayton as the instigator of a plot to kill his older brother to gain control of Greystoke Industries. But before he could bring in his evidence or a copy of John Clayton’s Will to us, he was found murdered mafia-style.” “When we started investigating, a street person came by and said he recognized Richard Clayton from the newspapers as being at the scene of the crime. We couldn’t really trust this witness since he had an obsession with Richard Clayton and had attributed other crimes to him in the past. All of the crimes had been checked out and were unsubstantiated –not necessarily untrue but unprovable.” “That’s why Sam and I are assigned to undercover duty. We’re to follow Clayton around to see if he’s hiding something. I guess we’ve come to a dead-end for the moment.” Nikki realized that she may have said too much that might activate her sister’s overactive imagination. She looked at Jane to see any reaction from her. Jane realized that she couldn’t react too eagerly and merely showed mild interest. “Maybe he was going to visit one of his other businesses. That homeless man may have hallucinated it all.” She said in as calm a voice as she could muster. “Oh, your dinner is ready.” They sat at the dinner table and ate in silence. Nikki was thinking about what her sister just told her. She hoped that she was not on a wild goose chase. Clayton was a powerful man who had enough resources to cover up whatever he wanted to and enough connections in high places to get out of any legal entanglements – up to now. Also, she wanted to prove herself to the captain, that she could handle a sensitive case involving high-profile suspects. “Hey, I forgot to ask you about school today. I’ve so busy talking about my own work. Did you get into all of the classes you wanted? How do you like the campus?” Jane really didn’t want the conversation to leave
the Clayton case so she quickly summarized her first few days with. “Oh
everything is great. I got all of my classes; I started working on the
school paper; and really like the campus.” “But Nikki, why is the case so complicated from your other ones? I read somewhere that Greystoke Industries was headed by a John Clayton but that he and his family has been missing for many years. What is the connection between this crime and the missing Greystoke family?” Jane kept her voice calm but was taking a chance in asking this because her sister might get suspicious. Either because she was tired or because she didn’t suspect the keen interest her little sister had in this particular case, Nikki answered, “Well, with the disappearance of John Clayton, Greystoke Industries has been in a trust with Richard Clayton and his sister Kathleen as co-CEOs. They haven’t gotten along for years but have managed a truce in order to run the company and to keep the Board of Directors and the shareholders happy. “The employee who was found murdered had John Clayton’s Will in his possession. It seems that John did not trust his brother or any of the attorneys in the Greystoke legal department. He gave his Will to the only employee he did trust who was not loyal to Richard. That man came to the precinct and told the captain all this. He knew and respected the captain but Richard’s corrupting arm might have reached into our department. He didn’t know if it was safe to bring the Will and any other evidence he had to the police department. The captain assured him that we were safe. At least, he was uncorrupted and would see to it that the Will was filed correctly and he would look over the evidence to see if it was valid. The man was to bring his documents to the captain several days ago but never showed up for the appointment. We now know why. Richard probably got hold of that Will and most likely destroyed it and any other evidence he had with in. We need a break in this case but we haven’t been able to find one.” There was a pause in Nikki’s narration. “So you think Richard may have arranged to have his older brother killed?” Said Jane quietly. “It would seem so but we have no proof.” “Could there be another copy of the Will?” suggested Jane. “Maybe on computer disk or something?” Nikki’s eye snapped open wide. ‘Why’d she thought of this?’ Her little sister was more cleaver than she looked. ‘Well, no sense avoiding it. Give the devil her due.’ Jane noticed the “light bulb” affect her words had had on her sister. “You know, Jane, it never occurred to me that an electronic copy may exist!. You really have good detective instincts! It was right in front of me! I guess I’m tired or something.” “Thanks. Glad to help. Of course, you know I could help you more if you want me to,” pushing her advantage and hope her sister would weaken and let her get involved. “Not so fast, little sister. You have college to attend.” Jane looked a bit coy. Well, gave her best shot. To herself she said ‘But I could hack into the Greystoke computer system and find John Clayton’s files. I might even find that Will. I might still be involved in this case.’ After dinner, the sisters sat in the living room reading the newspaper. Nikki always took the front page to check to see what crime cases had made it into print. Jane was looking for a “political cause” for a potential article for the college newspaper. Her eyes caught a small announcement that changed her mind about hacking. It read: “Richard Clayton of Greystoke Industries is going to the Congo to make a final search for his missing brother and his family. He wants a reporter to accompany him to send articles back directly from the safari to record any findings and to show that his intentions are to put closure to this sad family event. All expenses will be paid by Greystoke Industries. Any interested newspaper should send its reporter to GI’s headquarters within the month to be interviewed directly by Clayton. He will select the reporter himself.” Jane thought quickly. She wanted nothing more than to be “imbedded” in this safari. The idea stirred her imagination and sense of adventure. Maybe she could pull it off if she could convince the school to send her as part of her journalism class project. It would be a great opportunity no matter what happened She’d speak with her guidance counselor to see if it were possible. Nikki nor her parents couldn’t object if the college sponsored her. Chapter 4 – The bird He sped through the middle terraces of the trees towards the sounds. As he did so, he wondered what kind of creatures had invaded the tranquility of his jungle. His life in the jungle among the apes who had adopted him had inerred him to violence. His own mother Kala had taught him how to protect himself and to kill when he had to. He had discovered an advantage over all of his enemies when he found a hunting knife left by his long-dead father. He learned to use it through trial and error so that he knew its limitations as well as its advantages. Of course, Kala didn’t tell him too much about his parentage, only that his father had been white and hairless. He assumed that Kala was his natural mother and Kala never let on differently. That hunting knife allowed him to overcome the disadvantages of being human. His fertile brain together with his well-developed physique gave him an edge that few in the jungle had. His life among the apes had been a happy one as he knew no other. But there always was a nagging thought, “Am I the only one who looks like this?” The apes had tolerated his hairlessness but just barely. He had to admit that he was ugly. Compare his small face to the full face of a male bull, his beady grey eyes to its brown ones, his small nose to its large flat one, and his mouth and teeth so small compared with the full lips and canines of the ape. It was any wonder they avoided him! He had been mildly harassed in childhood but had withstood the taunting to develop into an exceptionally well proportioned physical specimen. Kala, however, had been his anchor as a child and he loved her deeply but in the way of the apes. As a young child, he would caress her and be held lovingly in her arms as she crooned to him softly. But now that he was grown such signs of affection were not permitted in ape society. He didn’t know why. He still felt for her and wanted to show it. He devised other means to show his affection – giving her the best of the kill, bringing her some juicy termites, and staying nearby to make sure no bull ape tried to attack her. She in turn continued to love this orphan she had adopted long ago well beyond the normal for her kind. She had paid the price for raising this waif. Because she had refused to mate after adopting Tarzan, she had been relegated to the group of Omega females who were picked upon by the Alpha females. Tarzan, once having achieved Alpha male status when he became an adult, did not allow his mother to remain in that low status. Kala regained her Alpha status after Tarzan had dispatched her mate, Tublat, and established himself as a power to be reckoned with within the tribe. His mother would have the respect that was due her or else. No one, even Kerchak the king of the tribe, challenged him on this point. Kerchak realized in his dim brain that Tarzan was a different advisary to contend with. He sensed that he would have to battle this hairless wonder for the kingship of the tribe on of these days. Tarzan had been adopted so long ago that Kala actually thought he was from her. So when he discovered the cabin, Kala was forced to remember the past. He asked her many questions but he was never satisfied with her limited answers. Tarzan explored the cabin daily after he figured out how to open the door. He found treasures in there – pencils, paper, crude furniture, and, best of all, books. He studied each one, comparing the pictures with the funny looking bug-things below them. Eventually, he realized that the “bugs” had specific shapes and each shape meant something. He looked at the picture and then at the bugs. The bugs were connected with each picture. D-O-G was below a hyena-like animal. T-R-E-E was below a picture of the “plants” he climbed and swang from. He progressed slowly but steadily so that by the time he reached manhood he could read most of the books in his cabin. He had also learned how to write by tracing each letter on the sheets of paper he found on a shelf. By matching the combinations to the pictures, he learned to spell. When he had reached manhood, he was able to read and write. He could not pronounce because he did not have anyone to speak to him. He did not remember that he had spoken the language of his own kind when he was six years old and orphaned in the jungle. His hard life for survival since then had blocked out that memory. He only spoke the language of the apes. He also discovered that he was M-A-N while his tribe was A-P-E-S. This was quite a revelation. He was part of another species although he didn’t express it like that. There may be other hairless ones, called Tarmangani by the apes, somewhere! He took pride in this new knowledge. He even boasted about it to the tribe. He was no longer embarrassed to be hairless. He wore his hairlessness as a badge of honor and strutted around until the tribe got tired of hearing him talk about it. They would walk away to avoid having to listen to him extol the virtues of being M-A-N. He made a goal to one day leave his jungle to search for his own kind. But his love for Kala pushed that goal into the distant future. His attention was now riveted to a clearing ahead. As he approached, the sounds got louder until they blocked out any other noises. He looked up to see the source of the noise --a large bird-like ”thing” hovering above the nearby clearing! It was the strangest bird he had ever seen! It didn’t have feathers but two whirling things – one on its tail and another on top of its head! What a weird animal! Where had it come from? As he hid in the trees, he saw that the bird-thing was landing. Its feet belonged to no animal he had ever seen – strange shaped long logs where toes or claws should have been. The whirling things slowed and finally stopped, thus returning the jungle to some semblance of quiet. He watched expectantly to see what this creature was going to do. It had landed where there was no game to hunt. This creature had no right to be here. He was tense, ready to fight or flee from it depending on the situation. Tarzan knew no fear as humans know it. He was merely cautious and practical. If his enemy proved to have an advantage over him, he was wise to withdraw to be able to observe it, find its weakness, and then attack it on his own terms. The door to the “bird” burst open and several creatures descended from its underbelly. To Tarzan it looked as if the belly of the bird-thing was spewing out M-A-N! Oh what joy! These were hairless like himself although they had strange colored “pelts” covering them. He should go to greet them as brothers! But the caution and shyness of the wild that was ingrained in him made him pause. He had better watch them first to see what manner of creatures they really were. All in the jungle were enemies to his tribe until they proved themselves otherwise. This group, dressed in paramilitary uniforms, did not present a positive image even to the uninitiated Tarzan. They looked mean. They carried thunder-sticks. Tarzan had seen these once as a youngster when his tribe had ventured too closely to a native village. The thunder-sticks gave Death. The men scattered to form a circle, checking the surrounding area for danger. Once they felt assured that no danger was imminent, they set about opening some big parcels that had been shoved out of the “bird” and began opening them up. Tarzan sensed they were setting up some kind of shelters. They then signaled others from within to descend from the machine. Chapter 5 – Beauty Tarzan couldn’t see the people coming out of the bird because the thick foliage that hid him also did not allow him a clear view. But Usha the Wind brought to his sensitive nostrils a familiar scent from a by-gone day. Why? He had never seen a M-A-N before. He must find out who among the people assembling below him had a scent that he already knew. In the meantime, he studied the first of his kind. The men were divided between those who carried the thunder-sticks and those who wearing backpacks. The backpackers were his age and seemed friendlier than the others. They laughed and chatted with each other. He even spotted “shes” or females. Tarzan knew this from his books. But the books did not do justice to a she. The reality of the females was so much more than the drawings of them. There were two of them. One had short black hair, olive skin, was slightly plump, and giggled a lot. The other had golden blond hair held back by a cord, with pearl-like skin that was starting to darken with exposure to the sun, a face that took his breath away, a slim but very shapely body, and a smile that lighted the world. He felt instantly drawn to her and had a warm feeling he had never experienced before. An older man spoke to the group. He must be their leader because he spoke with authority and, when he finished giving them instructions, they went into their shelters. Then the older man turned to speak with the thunder-stick holders. He told most of them to go back into the bird so that only four remained. Suddenly, the ‘bird’ came to life, the whirling things began to turn swiftly, and the ’bird’ raised itself straight off the ground, turned once while up in the air, and disappeared into the horizon. Tarzan almost lost his balance because of the wind created when the ’bird’ took off. But his years in the jungle gave him the skill to adjust to a changing environment so he threw himself against the branch he had been standing on and clung to it until the ‘bird’ left. ‘Good riddance,’ he said to himself. Now he could study the group and try to find the one whose scent he already knew. He didn’t have long to wait. The older man. His scent was the one that brought back distant memories. The man had moved into the sunlight so that Tarzan had a better view of him. Now here was another puzzle! That man below him looked like an older and slightly different version of the man in his locket. Several years ago he had found a diamond-studded locket in his cabin and decided to wear it as a badge of his M-A-N-ness. One day as he fingered it, he accidentally pressed the side where the clasp was. The locket opened to his amazement, and inside were the images of three people – a handsome young man, a beautiful woman, and a young boy. The young man was John Clayton, the beautiful woman his wife Alice, and the young boy, John Jr. He didn’t know it but he was looking at his own father and mother and a young photo of himself. He liked the smiling faces but they had no other meaning to him. Tarzan was not sure what to do next. Should he jump out of the tree and confront the man? Should he continue to study him a while more and find a chance to meet him? While he pondered this, the backpackers started to emerge from their tents. Each came out carrying strange looking devices and set about to enter the jungle. The shes and one of the young men started off in a northerly direction. The other men divided in threes; some went south; others, east; and finally the older man with one of the thunder-stickers, west. Tarzan decided he was more interested in the beautiful blond she for whom he had strange feelings. So he struck off to the north taking a parallel trail through the trees so he could follow them. They took strange-looking objects with them and set them
into the earth. The objects made soft humming noises. The blond she was
walking around and writing on a board the likes of which was unfamiliar
to Tarzan. He couldn’t get enough of her. He was worshipping her
as if she were a goddess. How he longed to be close to her. But he was
afraid that he might frighten her. The shyness of the wild thing he was
kept him from trying to make an opportunity. Chapter 6 – The Application Mr. Occupinti sat in his office looking at Jane. She had come with a very interesting proposition. “Let me understand you. You want to apply to accompany the Greystoke expedition to Africa to report back its activities and to make it your journalism semester project?” “Yes. I feel it would be a terrific opportunity. I have sample articles I’ve written for other journals in the packet I gave you yesterday. You can see that I’m fully qualified to fulfill the journalistic duties required.” said Jane with enthusiasm. “A trip of this nature would be arduous and dangerous. The liability to the college would be high,” said the counselor almost thinking out loud. “Oh, I’ve been to Alaska and hiked the Denali wilderness, I’ve hiked the Santa Monica Backbone trails, I’ve done rock climbing and climbed Mt. Whitney (at least part way) and even went on an archeological dig to Arizona,” she emphasized, as she could see her “trip” slipping away. “I can take care of myself.” “This, Ms. Porter, is quite different. It puts you in a strange country with wild animals and an even wilder political situation. You realize you would be on your own. No parents, no college, no one to come to your aid. You would be isolated with your traveling companions with your only connection to the outside via one satellite phone and your laptop wireless connection.” “That would be OK. I would still be able to reach the authorities or call home if I had to,” she said thinking quickly. “How did you arrive at this proposal,” he asked. “Well, I saw an article about the Clayton expedition in the newspaper. It said that Richard Clayton himself would select the journalist. I decided that I was that journalist and this was a perfect project for this college to support.” “Well, you know you are not the first student to make this request.” He let his statement sink in. Jane’s reaction was predictable. “What? I had no idea. I thought I was the only one who had read the article.” The steam had been knocked out of her. “In fact,” he continued, “ several other students from the archeology and geology departments have also expressed an interest in this expedition for the same reasons. It does not appear that all of you have collaborated because of the manner of each of your presentations to your respective counselors.” “Well, as it happens, I’m an acquaintance of Richard Clayton. He is a major contributor and benefactor to this college. He is planning to build a new library for us, you know.” “The Board is giving this very serious consideration. Mr. Clayton is willing to expand the project to send a group of fledgling scholars and scientists from this college to study the unchartered lands that the expedition will be crossing. It is felt that this group would make a valuable contribution by mapping the area in addition to searching for the missing Claytons.” Jane’s heart leaped almost out of her chest! This was easier than she had ever expected! She had to contain herself from letting loose with a loud yell! She calmed herself down by counting to 10 internally so she could listen attentively to what Mr. Occupinti was saying. “Richard Clayton has endorsed this and will pay all expenses out of his personal funds. His only condition is that every student accompanying him be under his supervision and authority and follow his directives at all times.” Jane gulped inwardly at this bit of news but outwardly smiled and nodded in agreement. “You certainly qualify to participate based on the material in this file,” he gestured at a thick file on his desk, “as long as your parents will sign a waiver agreement.” That’s what she wanted to hear! She would get her parents to sign if it killed her. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Occupinti. My parents will certainly agree to sign,” she said confidently. “Here are the forms. Please return them with their signatures by next Monday. Here is the checklist of supplies you’ll need and your group assignment. Charge all of your purchases to the account shown on the checklist. Also be sure to get a visa, passport, and passport photos. Do you have any questions, Ms. Porter?” “No. Thank you so much. I won’t disappoint you or the school.” “I’m sure you’ll do the best you can. As an incentive, your semester grade will depend upon a successful result.” He rose and ended the interview. With forms in her hand, she rose and left the counselor’s office. She hurried down the hall and outside where she met with her best friend, Nancy Drummond. Both girls seemed to read each other’s minds and just screamed with joy! Nancy was also going to Africa as part of the geology group! Jane met the journalism students . They were her two classmates -- William Canfield and Cecil Rhodes. They too were as excited as Jane. She hadn’t known them for long but a friendship had developed with both of them. She had even dated them and was beginning to get more serious with one of them. Now, they all would be traveling together in close quarters. The possibilities were endless. ‘Better check that for now. I have to keep focused on my “real” project – snooping on Richard Clayton!’ It would not take long to convince her parents as long as she had Nikki’s support. Now that she considered herself actually going, she might be able to pry more information from Nikki and be able to help her with her case. At the apartment several evenings later, Nikki looked at her sister suspiciously when Jane told her of her meeting with Mr. Occupinti. “Well, little sister, you really pulled a fast one and will get away with it too.” “Whatever do you mean, sister darling,” Jane retorted innocently. “You’ve just been itching to get involved in MY Clayton case. I’ve tried to keep you out of it. To protect you. But you had to find a way!” Nikki was building herself into a big hissy fit. This would not do because she might talk her parents out of the trip. “Gee, Nikki, calm down. It’s a done deal Mom and Dad have signed the forms. I’m turning them in at the end of the week. So why don’t we work together on this. I really want to help you,” Jane offered in a sincere voice. She didn’t want her sister to be mad at her or to think she had been underhanded. As far as she was concerned, she had jumped at an opportunity that had presented itself. “Oh all right! You always have gotten your way. Give me a hug.” “Now about the Clayton case. You have to be very careful. Clayton is not a person to toy with. He can be dangerous. All you have to do is send me daily reports on his activities. Tell no one what you are doing—not even Nancy. Take photos if you can and if you feel it’s safe to do so. Send everything to my personal email address. If anyone asks say you’re keeping a diary and are taking photos to send back to your family. But sure to erase each report and every photo from your computer. Don’t go trying to find physical evidence. You’d never get it back here and past Clayton or customs.” “Ok! Ok! I get it. Be careful. Be cool. Be silent. Anything else?” “Have a great time. I’ll be looking forward to reading the reports about the expedition that you’ll be writing. Remember to have fun.” The next day, Jane and Nancy went on a buying spree to get all of the required supplies and clothing recommended on the checklist. Just to be on the safe side, they purchased triple the number of pieces of clothing. Their luggage was bursting with everything. They laughed and laughed about it. After all, Greystoke Industries was footing the bill and expected its guests to travel first class. They said their good-byes to the families, friends, and school officials who had come to see them off. There was a brief ceremony to give the Press its story. Richard Clayton attended and spoke with each family to personally assure them that their child would be safe under his charge. He also spoke to the Press expressing his heartfelt desire to find his missing brother alive and to bring him home. Chapter 7 – Wgasa Jane, Nancy, William and Cecil decided to sit together on the plane ride to the Congo. They were going on the Greystoke Industries private jet! Talk about going first class! Upon arrival in the Congo, their entire party found that they would stay at a Greystoke-owned hunting lodge. It took the greater part of the day to settle in with their luggage, scientific equipment and other paraphernalia. It was dusk when they assembled in the main dining room to eat a delicious dinner and to be addressed by Richard Clayton. He spoke in a low, authoritative voice that matched his bearing – a man who was in charge. He was not a man to cross. “I want to welcome all of you to Greystoke Industries’ Wgasa Lodge,” he said in firm, friendly voice. “We will be staying here for two days so I encourage you to explore its grounds, become familiar with the different terrains it has. Wgasa will give you a small sample of what’s in store for you when we get into the interior. Just keep in mind that the Lodge is under ideal conditions while the interior will not be.” “We’ll be using a Sigorsky helicopter to go in as close to the reported site where the plane was lost. This will save us time and a lot of wear and tear. We can start our investigations from there, setting up a base camp. My staff will see to it that all is in readiness for our arrival. When we leave in two days, have your luggage ready at 7 am sharp and put it outside of your door. My staff will take care of everything.” Now his voice took on a more somber tone, “Remember that the main objective is to find my brother and his family or evidence that they are no longer alive. When you discover something that you think is from the plane, do not disturb it. Mark it and let me know. I’ll be the final judge of its importance. I have my own staff accompanying us who will do what is necessary with it.” “You students will map the area, get geologic samples, and do whatever else your professors have assigned to you to do; but they however, are secondary to the main object of this expedition. I hope I’ve made myself clear on this point.” He didn’t stop for comments or questions but continued… “I’ve broken us up into teams with one reporter, one geologist, and one anthropologist in each. Each team will have an armed guide for its protection.” “You may at your discretion elect to stay overnight in a remote location to do further work but you must report in that location to base camp. You will have to bring your own sleeping bags with you and sleep out doors as we have no extra tents for out of base camp stays.” “I will take Jane Porter, Paul Darnot, and my personal assistant Mr. Nash with me as Team 1. Nancy Drummond, Jim Muff, and Cecil Rhodes will form Team 2. The final team (Team 3) will consist of Malcolm Pierre, John Skull, and William Canfield.” “I think I’ve covered everything for now. If there are no questions, I’ll bid you good-night.” No one dared raise a question. They rose almost as a group, thanked their host for dinner, and left the dining room as quickly as they could. Once they reached their rooms, however, they became more animated. “Boy, he’s going to be a lot of fun -- not!” exclaimed Bill Canfield. “Yeh, you’d think we were in the army or something,” added Cecil Rhodes. “Well, we did sign a lot of papers that said that he was totally in charge,” reminded Nancy Drummond. “What did we get ourselves into!” chimed in Jim Muff and John Skull almost together. “Let’s not panic,” offered Jane. “We have a job to do so we need to stay focused on it. Mr. Clayton is probably stressed out given what’s at stake.” “What’s at stake?” asked Bill. “Don’t you read the papers!” Jane had no patience with people who didn’t do their homework. “Clayton has to find some evidence that his brother is either alive or dead or, he, Clayton, cannot inherit his brother’s estate and become head of GI. The courts won’t just award it to him. He also has a sister, Kathleen is her name I think, who is another claimant to the estate,” said Jane. “How do you know so much?” asked Cecil. “Well a good reporter always knows her subject.” “Hey,” said Paul to change the subject. “Let’s check out our laptops, science equipment, and cameras to make sure they work. They said they’d bring a generator so we could recharge them; but I, for one, want to make sure they are charged and working now that we are still in “civilization.” With that, everyone went to their respective rooms to do just that and get a well- needed night’s rest. The following day was filled with touring Wgasa and preparing for the heli-safari. All of them were excited to leave on this great adventure! Their lively chatter as they boarded the Sigorsky gave the expedition a light-hearted atmosphere. Chapter 8- Swimming Jane awoke to strange sounds and at first did not know where she was. “Ah, yes, base camp” but a base camp like no other. No expense had been spared. The teams were housed in yurks that had their own raised floor. The interiors were plush with Persian carpets on the floors, computer workstations on one side with electronic communication hookup, a living room-type area at the entrance, and bedrooms separated by thick canvas drapery. The five yurks formed a circle with a larger one in the center. This one served as a conference-gathering room on one side and Richard Clayton’s very plush “apartment” on the other. Jane and Nancy had been given their own accommodations. Nearby, photovoltaic display cells provided electricity. A chef with a complete traveling gourmet kitchen prepared all of the meals. All the comforts of home and then some! These early days were spent getting oriented with their surroundings. They’d go out together in their assigned teams in the morning, return to have a gourmet lunch, change around so that everyone would be familiar with the other team’s grid. It was important that they be able to help each other in case an emergency occurred and to become familiar with the entire search area. The terrain was pristine forest as yet untouched by humans. They all started to feel more at ease in their surroundings. Jane decided to go to a nearby stream to swim. She also mentioned to Nancy that she felt as if she were being watched. “You thought Big Foot was stalking you, too,” laughed Nancy. “I don’t feel anything.” “Give me a break. I was only 10 and had just finished reading a story about Big Foot. It was only natural that I’d think he was after me,” replied Jane. “This is very different.” “I’m going to go check the seismograph to see if we’ve located any earthquake fault activity in this area. Care to come?,” asked Nancy. “No, I really want to cool down with a swim in that lagoon by the river. Thanks for asking me. You’re not going alone, are you?” “No, Jim wanted to go too. See you when we get back.” And with that, Nancy took off to find Jim. Jane still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She thought to mention it to Mr. Clayton or one of the guides but decided against it. They might think that she was flighty and would be unable to perform her duties. She put on her blue maillot, adjusted the wrap skirt that matched it, took a towel from the bathroom (yes the yurk had a “real” bathroom complete with toilet!) and took off for the lagoon. High above in a nearby tree, a pair of eyes squinted against the glaring sun to focus on the feast below. The maillot hid none of the shapeliness of her body but actually emphasized it. Her golden hair glisten in the light, her neck was swan-like, her breasts were high and tight, her arms were well conditioned, her midriff had no extra fat, her waist was tiny, her hips were correctly proportioned to her torso, her slim, firm legs allowed her to move gracefully, and her skin glowed golden as exposure to the sun had warmed it. She was a vision of absolute beauty. Even the observer knew this and was moved to be closer to this goddess. She, however, was unaware of all of this. She walked toward the lagoon, removed the wrap skirt, and entered the water by walking into it until it was deep enough to swim in. She swam around in lazy circles enjoying the water. She turned on her back and floated lazily. The current pulled her out toward the center of the river and out of the protection of the lagoon. Jane didn’t notice two beady little eyes just at the waterline. But the observer did. ‘Why was she swimming so close to Gilma the crocodile,’ thought Tarzan. ‘Didn’t she see it just below the surface?’ Apparently not because she was floating nearer and nearer to it. Jane instinctively flipped over to start swimming again when she became aware that the current was stronger. When she did, her eyes widened. A crocodile was heading in her direction. She didn’t waste time trying to yell for help. All of her energy had to be put to swimming back to shore as fast as she could. She had to out-distance that croc or else. And the croc was gaining on her. Just when she thought it was gaining on her and she would be in the fight of her life, she saw from her peripheral vision someone dive into the water towards the croc. She didn’t wait to look but took this distraction to swim even harder to shore. Then from the safety of the shoreline, she turned to see what was happening in the waters she had just vacated. She saw a man who was using a gun or stunning device. He had succeeded in killing it very quickly. The man came out of the water. It was Richard Clayton! He let croc float to the main stream where its own kind feasted on it. She couldn’t believe it! Rescued by the very man she was investigating! “Oh, Mr. Clayton, that was the bravest thing I ever saw anyone do!” she stammered. “You’d better watch where you swim, young lady. I told you that this was not an animal park!” he exclaimed good naturedly. They were alone so he took the opportunity to become a bit more familiar. “Are you all right, Jane?” he asked with concern in his voice. “I hope it’s ok that I call you Jane.” “I’m fine. Yes, it’s ok if I can call you Richard,” she replied. H nodded his assent. They sat down on a nearby rock. Richard was showing a side of himself that Jane never expected. She let him talk. “You know, people think I’m a corporate giant with no feelings, that I only go for the business deal, that this is my only purpose in Life,” he said. He went on to explain that he had become hardened by the corporate life after a childhood spent in the shadow of his brilliant older brother. “Nothing I did could beat what he did. Nothing I did could win the love of my parents or the respect of my colleagues. The company, Greystoke Industries, became everything to me. I had to gain control of it, to be somebody – as Marlon Brando said, ‘to be a contender’. I wanted my family to be proud of me – especially my brother. But in the course of trying to equal or surpass my brother, I become a new person. I was driven by greed, by power, and any other vice you can name. When John and his family disappeared, I will admit I was glad. I was rid of the one person who made me feel small. “I have had an empty life but I now have the money and power to get what I want. I am ready to enter a new phase – that of a family man. I want children so that I can give them what my parents denied me – love. Can you understand this Jane?” Jane was stunned by these revelations. He had opened himself to her! She was frightened by the direction of the conversation and his question. She thought quickly and responded, Mr. Cla… Richard, I do believe that it is possible for any person to change for the good. But there may still be things in your past that need to be settled before you can embark on this new course in your life.” “I see what you mean, Jane. I’ll have to review all outstanding deals so that I can start fresh,” he said earnestly. She turned towards the direction of some noise only to see the foliage parting and some of her comrades coming towards her. She sighed with relief. Things were getting a bit too warm with Richard. “Jane, are you OK?” called out Cecil. He, with Paul and Nancy, had been downstream and had seen the waters churning. They knew that Jane was swimming in the lagoon so they ran as quickly as they could to find her. “What happened?” “I’m ok,” she said rose slowly. “A croc attacked me. Mr. Clayton here jumped into the river and killed it.” “Wow,” said Cecil. “That was an awesome thing to do, Mr.C !” “Yeh,” chimed in Paul and Nancy. “Awesome.” “Well, let’s all get back to camp,” said Richard. “It’s time for Jane to get a rest after her ordeal.” So, they all went back to camp. High in the nearby tree, Tarzan saw everything. It had been his intention to rescue the girl but the older man had been closer to the shoreline. He looked at him carefully from his aerial vantage point. ‘Why do I know him?’ He shook his head. He would continue to watch the camp and look for an opportunity to meet his golden goddess. Chapter 9 – Tell all Once they were back in their yurk, Nancy could not contain herself. “Ok. Talk,” she insisted. “What do you mean? I told you all about the croc,” said Jane defensively. “There’s more, so give,” coaxed Nancy. “It’s all so weird, Nanc. I was swimming and then I decided to float for a while. I guess the current took me into the main river. When I realized that the current was stronger than the lagoon’s, I started to swim back. Then I saw this croc coming at me. I swam as fast as I could but it gained on me. Then Rich… Mr. Clayton appeared out of no where, dove into the water, and killed that croc with some sort of stun gun or something. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.” Jane said. “Yeh. But something else happened. You seem to be sort of star-struck.” “Oh, Nanc. I NEVER expected this! He told me some things about his early life that I don’t believe he has told anyone else.” And she proceeded to tell her best friend. “Maybe he is changing. But he still makes me uncomfortable.” “I know you’re very reserved around Mr. Clayton,” Nancy said. “I haven’t mentioned this before today, Nanc, but have you noticed any change in Mr. Clayton’s behavior? “ Nancy looked strangely at her friend. “Whoa! You’ve been reading too many romance novels. Mr. Clayton has been a gentleman at all times. In fact, as leader of this expedition, he is more of a father-figure.” “I don’t know. You may be right. I may be misinterpreting him. I really don’t know what to think anymore,” said a perplexed Jane. She was also forgetting her real reason for wanting to come to Africa! She looked at her best friend. She needed to confide in her, to have Nancy help her to strategize how to get evidence against Clayton. Nancy had always been her “George” to Jane’s “Nancy Drew”—a loyal sidekick who was always ready to assist. “Nanc. I need to tell you something but you have to promise never to tell anyone – YaYa Sisterhood promise!” “Boy, Jane, you must have something very important. OK, YaYa.” They then did their own version of the YaYa loyalty-secrecy ceremony. Jane explained everything – that she was “imbedded” to help her sister Nikki by getting evidence against Clayton. They both decided they needed a “plan” but they had to do it when they were out of the base camp or at least in the privacy of their yurk. That evening’s dinner was uneventful. Richard seemed preoccupied that evening and kept to himself. He was beginning to like having Jane around. He was glad he had come to her rescue. He couldn’t have staged it better himself. ‘Yes. I get the company, pay off my sister, and get a trophy bride in the bargain.’ Richard was forty. A nineteen year old wife would look good on his arm. And she would have whatever GI could buy—diamonds. clothes, yachts, trips -- everything. What girl could resist that! He really wanted a family of his own to set everything right. Now he had a goal to win this girl. Jane and Nancy decided that they were very tired after the day’s activities. They bathed and went to bed. Both girls fell asleep at once. Chapter 10 – the morning after In the morning, she found an orchard next to her pillow. She showed it to Nancy then took it and put it in a vase. ‘One of the guys was really sweet to do that,’ she thought. After dressing, she brought the vase with its beautiful flower with her, placing it on the table. “Thank you,” she said to Cecil, Paul, and Bill as they joined her for breakfast and flashed a smile. “I found it on my pillow this morning. Which one of you left it? It was such a sweet gesture.” “Don’t look at me,” said Cecil. “Or me,” “Or me,” chimed in Paul and Bill. “I’m sure we would brought you one if we had thought of it,” added Paul lamely. Jane frowned. ‘Who entered her yurk while she was sleeping?’ she thought. A cold chill passed through her as she realized how venerable she was here in the jungle. Meanwhile above the camp, Tarzan was pleased to see that his goddess had accepted his gift. Her radiant smile warmed him. He noticed that she was writing. He hoped he could communicate with her through this media. With that thought in mind, he left to hunt. He had barely eaten lately so he was ravenous. His goddess would have to wait until his belly was full. Chapter 11 – Finding a friend As Tarzan hunted for his lunch, Paul D’arnot was heading to look at an outcropping that seemed promising. On the way, he checked the seismic equipment. There were readings that indicated that there definitely was seismic activity occurring. The waves were increasing slightly on the Richter scale. The area was near a dormant volcano. Perhaps that mountain in the distance was coming alive again. He walked at a steady gait and was just about to reach the outcropping when a roar behind him made him freeze. Turning, he came face to face with a male lion! He knew he was not supposed to run. The cat would attack him immediately. But he was unarmed, having stupidly left his mace in his other pack. That may now cost him his life! The lion moved slowly towards him but seemed to be relishing this stalk. Paul didn’t know that this lion had just fed and was not actually hunger. It was just looking for some amusement and had found it! Paul saw his life flash in front of him as the lion jump at him, knocking him down. But instead of mauling him or tearing him apart with its claws, the lion just sat on him! ‘Ok, don’t panic Paul,’ he told himself. ‘Stay calm, pretend to be sleeping. It might loose interest and go away.’ An hour passed; then another; the lion didn’t seem
to have any notion to leave. Paul was having trouble remaining calm so
no fear-scent would make the lion attack. Suddenly, the lion’s head
went up, its body stiffened, and a low growl came out of its throat. Something
was coming! Even Paul sensed it now getting his clues from the demeanor
of his new “friend”. There was a slight movement from the
trees above and a demi-god of the forest descended to the ground in one
leap. That’s what Paul thought. He had never seen a man like this
before. The new arrival “spoke” to the lion by making one guttural noise. The lion got off Paul and moved to sit on the other side of the clearing. Tarzan approached Paul and offered his arm to him. Paul took it and was pulled up. ‘Boy this guy is tall, dark, and handsome,’ he said inwardly. ‘And hopefully friendly’ But to the stranger he said, “Hello.” “H-e-l-l-o,” repeated Tarzan. Then he cut some bark , removed a pencil from a leather bag that dangled from his waist-cord, and wrote on the smooth size of the bark: “Can you read this?” “Yes” vocalized Paul. Tarzan shook his head and pointed to the bark, handing Paul the pencil. “Yes.” Paul wrote. “Thank you for rescuing me. What did you say to the lion?” Tarzan answered, “to go sit someplace else.” “My name is Paul. What is your name?” “Tarzan” “Do you live here?” “Yes.” Tarzan cut a large bunch of bark so they could continue “talking”. “How did you get here?” Paul wrote. “I did,” replied Tarzan “How?” “I think I was born here.” Tarzan replied. “Where do you live?” Paul asked. “With my tribe in the jungle” Tarzan answered. “Your tribe?” “Yes, they are apes” You mean that you live with a tribe of apes?” Paul couldn’t believe this. “Yes” “But apes don’t read and write. Are there others like you in the tribe?” “No” Paul let this information sink in and continued his line of questioning. “Who taught you to read and write then?” “From books in my cabin.” Tarzan looked at Paul carefully, then wrote, “I will take you there.” Without further warning, Tarzan bent down, grabbed Paul by the arms, threw him over his shoulder, and took off for the nearest tree. What followed was the best and worst “ride” in Paul’s life. He was over 100 feet above the jungle floor and traveling by vines at a good rate of speed. He was hanging upside down and couldn’t see where he was going but, in his upside down position, could see where he had been! The “ride” was breathtaking and over just before Paul started to get dizzy and nauseous. Tarzan set him down next to a cabin that was hidden by overgrown vines and tree limbs. Paul had no idea where he was or how far they had come but he was up for this adventure. Tarzan opened the door and they entered. It took Paul a little time to adjust to the dim light. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw shelves of books along one wall, crude chairs and a table, but what surprised him the most was that there was an opening at the back of the structure that led to a cave! So, this cabin was a false front to hide the cave. Paul walked around, looking at the rows of books – lots of child readers but also some scientific text books. He then wandered over to the opening of the cave and looked in. He was amazed to find a very antiquated communications center buried in this cave! Some boxes were labeled “CIA”. Most of the equipment was broken or had rusted and could no longer be used. Paul was very curious about this and wondered if Tarzan knew who had set it up. So, he asked him. “It has always been this way.” Was the only answer he got. Tarzan remembered that he was still hungry. He decided to collect some fruits so he and Paul could eat. While Tarzan was away, Paul had a chance to look at the equipment more carefully. An old desk contained papers with CONFIDENTIAL stamped on top of each sheet. The information was written in a coded language and didn’t make any sense. It had also faded with Time. He noticed that Tarzan must have used these sheets to practice on because there were penciled scrawls on the back side. It was getting late now so Paul tried to signal base camp. He had told them that he planned to camp out to better explore the out-cropping so no one would be concerned that he had not returned in the evening. But he still had to call in. He could not get his communicator to work at this location. The best he could do is try to beam his location via satellite and hope it eventually got back to base camp. He was not worried about his safety. Tarzan was a good protector. Still, he wanted to know where he was – what the coordinates were outside of the grid pattern they had been mapping. At dusk, Tarzan returned with an armful of fruit. He signaled Paul to join him to eat. Paul realized that he hadn’t eaten all day and was hungry. They ate in silence. After completing their meal, Tarzan grabbed a bark and wrote, “Can you teach me to speak what I am writing?” Paul had to think for a minute. He was not a trained instructor and didn’t want to make matters worse for Tarzan. But Tarzan had such an eager, expectant look on his face that Paul couldn’t say no. “Of course. I’d be glad to. After all, you saved me from that lion. I am in your debt.” Tarzan read this and thought about it for a while. “Debt? What is that?” “It’s when one person owes something to another,” wrote Paul. “You owe me nothing But I want us to be friends.” “Friends it is then,” replied Paul. It was dark by now so any speaking lessons would have to wait until daylight. They both settled down at each end of the cabin and slept on the floor. In the morning, Tarzan brought more fruit for their breakfast. As they ate, Paul tried to create a curriculum for the speaking lessons. Teaching Tarzan to speak what he wrote might make him dependent upon the writing. Paul had to find a way to teach Tarzan to identify an object with a spoken word and then spell out the word to remember it. It was not going to be easy. Paul sat with Tarzan and wrote out his plan. Tarzan, not having a better suggestion, nodded. So it began. Paul would point to something, give it a name, have Tarzan pronounce it, and then write out the name. He was sort of learning speaking and spelling at the same time. They progressed surprisingly well. Soon Paul could speak small sentences without having to write them out. Tarzan was a very fast learner. He was very motivated – the blond goddess was always on his mind. While the learning-to-speak lessons were progressing, Paul visited the out-cropping to survey it. Tarzan accompanied him and asked many questions. “Why did you come here, Paul?” he asked. “I came to find someone and to study the rocks and earth.” He answered simply. |