The Departure Protocol

Chapter 20

They climbed the ridge and paused at the top. Wared felt his mouth drop as he took in the lush, green jungle ahead. Right there, half a mile away, was a lush jungle wedged into a valley that moments ago he had no clue even existed. The tube disappeared into the greenery.

"How about that," Wared said and pointed towards the trees that swayed in the breeze. "You don't see that every day."

"Most people don't even know this exists," Randee said.

"What do you mean? It isn't far from the city."

"Did you know it existed?" Randee said and looked at Wared.

"Come on," Shea said, and started down the other side of the ridge. "We need to keep moving. The jungle will give us shelter."

As they approached the dividing line between desert and jungle, the scents and sounds changed. The chirping of birds reached their ears as the came closer and the humidity in the air became more noticeable as they stepped across the line that separated the jungle from the desert. The scents of the jungle overwhelmed their senses to the point where Wared had to wipe tears from his eyes.

Although the canopy of the trees protected them from direct sunlight, it also reduced the amount of light as the rays of the suns had less opportunity to reach the jungle floor. They also quickly discovered that their progress slowed significantly due to the overgrown jungle floor.

"This isn't working," Randee said as he stopped and wiped sweat from his face. "It'll take us forever to get through this."

"We can't stop," Wared said as he took a swig from his canteen.

"What do you suggest?"

"How about we get on top of the tube?" Shea said and pointed towards the dull gray tube that ran across the jungle floor. "There's no vegetation on top."

Wared looked over at the tube for a few moments, then jumped to his feet and pointed. "That's a great idea. We can use the joints to climb up. Shouldn't take long."

They followed Wared over to the tube joint. Spaced regularly along the length of the tube, the joints provided a connection point for each piece of the tube. Although not its intended use, the metal wrap around the tube also allowed for enough protruding pieces for human hands and feet.

"Allow me," Randee said and put his hand on Wared's arm. "It's best if you don't take unnecessary risks. Before anyone could protest, he proceeded to climb the side of the tube and moments later, he stood triumphantly at the top, surveying the surroundings.

"How does it look?" Shea said.

"I just see more jungle up ahead. The good news is there seems to be some sort of road on the other side."

"A road?"

"Yes," Randee said and nodded. "It's over grown for sure but it looks a whole lot easier to move on than up here on the tube."

"So we climb over?" Wared said and made an arching move with his hand.

"Exactly."

Shea promptly climbed up the tube, followed moments later by Wared. As Shea followed Randee down on the other side, Wared took a moment to take in the view from the tube. Randee had been right. There was more jungle up ahead. Thick jungle. The vegetation covered much of the tube as well, which mean that it would be impractical to continue their journey along the spine of the tube.

The road Randee had mentioned barely deserved to be call a road. There was a clear trail that snaked through the brush. At some point in time, it had been wide enough to fit large vehicles but it had been a long time since anything traversed it in any direction.