Dragons Awakening
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Working the Plan

A bank of low clouds shielded Vesuvius from view. Akolo shuffled his feet. The plan he had spent hours formulating last night seemed ludicrous in the light of day. In fact, he tossed and turned, staring into the darkness for hours when he should have been sleeping. All his beliefs had been challenged by a single encounter with a black dragon. If dragons existed, what did that mean? Was his father’s work even valid? If a unique phenomenon (a dragon!) caused all this activity from inside the earth, wouldn’t things return to the status quo once it found its way to the surface?

Akolo closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly. He wanted things to rewind a single day so he could still be oblivious to the horrifying reality. He would choose ignorance? What sort of scientist did that make him?

Akolo paced down the sterile hallway, glancing into the laboratory where his father spent hours. Rows of seismographs and other geological monitors lined two of the walls. The rest of the space was jammed with computer stations for syncing data from around the world. Talk about a mindless job: data entry topped the list. At the end of the hallway, a door opened into the no-man’s land between the seismic center and the Vesuvius Observatory. Funny how the two groups of scientists preferred autonomy. If his father was correct, the two data streams were intertwined.

A glance to the left offered a view of the door to the reception area, where Zi waited for them. He waved his badge over the sophisticated electronic lock securing the door. Based on the security, you’d think this place housed secrets of international significance. He heard the internal click and slid the door to the left. After he cleared the doorway, the door closed silently until a loud click and single buzz signaled the lock reengaging. Deafening noise filled the crowded room - whirring fans, humming hard drives. At one of the work tables, his father muttered, shuffling data on three different tablets and glancing periodically at the screen of his portable computer.

“Dad, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

In response: more muttering without even a pause in his movement. Just as he had hoped, his dad was fully immersed in this project. Akolo sidled around chairs and wires to reach his father.

“Dad.” He squeezed the bony shoulders beneath his fingers.

Bleary eyes peered over the dark frames. Since the second day in Italy, his father donned the reading glasses whenever he worked in the lab. Several blinks later, his vision focused on Akolo’s face.

“The girl I told you about is here,” Akolo said.

“I don’t have time for wild speculations.”

Akolo sighed. “A few minutes, Dad. I promise you’ll understand why it’s important.”

His father removed the glasses, laying them on the stack of printouts he’d highlighted with a rainbow of neon colors.

Akolo and his father, soft soles nearly soundless on the pale tiles, walked toward the door into the intermediate hallway. Dr. Blunk emerged from her office.

“Is it break time?” Her narrowed eyes contradicted her smiling lips.

“We’re meeting someone,” Dr. Duboff said.

“Oh?”

The hope floating in Akolo’s chest drained into the pit of his stomach. This was not part of the plan.

“It’s nothing,” Akolo said. “Don’t need to worry about it.”

The dark-haired scientist raised a shapely eyebrow. Her gaze spoke volumes her lips never uttered. Was that a woman thing?

“She has a theory about the eruptions and some data,” his father said.

“Sounds interesting.”

Doom swept away the fragments of hope raining down from Akolo’s heart. So much for their carefully outlined plan of attack. He shuffled into the reception area.

Zi wore a professional-looking linen pantsuit. A flaming red camisole peeked from the vee at the neckline of the double-breasted jacket. Her hair was pulled away from her face and flowed over her shoulders like a black waterfall. Akolo dropped his eyes to the floor and noticed toes of red pumps peeping at him. He concentrated on pulling air into his lungs. This would work. It had to work.

When their eyes met, Zi’s widened. She wasn’t expecting the female scientist to accompany them, either. Akolo shook his head slightly. Presenting the cover story to his distracted father might get them what they wanted. The intuitive Dr. Blunk would be scoffing in minutes, but they couldn’t exclude her now.

“This is Miss Oohara, undergraduate assistant to Dr. Chiang, Tibetan geologist.”

Zi shook hands with both of the adults, making eye contact and exchanging appropriate greetings. No hint of nervousness could be detected in her face or body posture. Surely her stomach clenched and churned, regardless of what her face indicated. Akolo couldn’t be the only one suffering such maladies.

“Dr. Chiang has data to share about the recent tremblings in the Himalayans.”

“Himalyans? No active volcanoes there.” His father’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ve been in contact with the Everest Preservation Team. No mention of subterranean issues, aside from the last month’s earthquake and aftershocks.”

Zi swatted her hand, as if shooing an insect. “Preservation Team. They are hardly geologists in the strictest sense. Dr. Chiang, on the other hand.”

“The same Dr. Chiang who proposed only mountains located on oceanic plates or adjacent to those plates could produce significant eruptions?”

“The same,” Zi nodded. “His newest replaceings may prove his earlier hypotheses incorrect, it seems.”

“What data?” Dr. Blunk moved closer, narrowing her eyes.

“That’s the problem.” Zi glanced around. “Is this room secure?” She perched on the end of the nearest sofa. Akolo stared, amazed by her performance.

“Not for in-depth data sharing,” Dr. Blunk said.

His father sat across from Zi and leaned toward her. “What data?”

“Figures noting increased magma buildup in connection with seismic activity from the past several years.”

Dr. Blunk shrugged. “I have data from Tibetan sources.”

Zi ignored the woman and continued to focus on his father. “Dr. Chiang respects the work you have done, Dr. Duboff.”

Surprise flickered across his father’s face before he straightened his shoulders and held his head higher. Yes, mentioning the work was a winning idea. Akolo’s shoulders sagged and leaned his hip against his father’s chair.

“He is willing to release his confidential information to you or your representative.”

“Of course.” His father glanced around at Zi’s empty hands until his gaze rested on the leather bag sitting on her lap. “I’m flattered. Do I need to sign something?”

“Oh, I don’t have the data.”

Dr. Blunk made a rude noise with her lips. Akolo stared at her. Zi continued speaking as if the woman was invisible.

“He will only release it to you in person.”

“I’m in the middle of important work,” Dr. Duboff said, leaning back, shoulders hunching. “I can’t trek all over China chasing data that may or may not be pertinent.”

“Definitely not,” Dr. Blunk agreed, stepping closer, nearly standing between Zi and his father.

“If you sent a representative,” Zi said, glancing around until her eyes happened to replace Akolo, “like the young Mr. Duboff, I’m sure Dr. Chiang could be persuaded to release the data to him.”

“Akolo?”

“Chasing a wild hare,” the female doctor said.

Zi glared at the woman. While Dr. Blunk and Zi stared fiercely at each other, the temperature in the room seemed to rise. Sweat itched beneath Akolo’s hair. Finally, the doctor shook her head and dropped her hand onto his father’s shoulder. Akolo held his breath.

“This is a waste of time.”

Dr. Blunk squeezed his father’s shoulder. Akolo felt as if she’d clenched his heart. Her icy glare fixed on Zi’s face. “You should leave now.”

Dad stood up, glancing between Zi and Akolo. The shuttered look in his eyes told Akolo curiosity had been buried beneath a landslide of suspicion. Thanks to Dr. Blunk, the plan was doomed.

“I’ll handle this.” He nodded to Dr. Blunk. “In a more private location.”

Dr. Blunk heaved a sigh of seismic proportions, casting another glare at Zi. She strode from the reception area, her muted footsteps fading into the background, as the other three followed only as far as the nearest conference room.

As his father led the way, Zi grinned. Akolo pursed his lips, giving a negative shake of his head.Whatever this private meeting portended, it was not positive.

Dr. Duboff led them beyond the electronically locked doors and into the inner sanctum. Things couldn’t be going any better. So why did Akolo look like he’d swallowed something sour? Zi frowned at him. Everything preceded according to plan, except the snide woman scientist. But she wasn’t joining them, so what could go wrong?

Another click of a lock. Dr. Duboff held the door to a tiny conference room. Akolo, head down, shuffled to the far end of the rectangular table. Zi pulled out a chair to the right of the head seat and tossed her hair over her shoulders as she sat down.

The scientist closed the door, standing in front of it. He pushed his fingers through his curly hair, creating a riot atop his head. Intense eyes stared at Zi, searching her like a reference shelf. Zi raised her chin, not looking away.

“Dad, I can explain.” Of course he would break the silence.

Zi shot him a haughty “shut up” glare. It fell flat since he was staring past her, pale eyes fixed on his father, pleading.

“I don’t want more tales about Dr. Chiang.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “The truth, please.”

“Let me explain,” Zi said, holding her palm toward Akolo to keep him from running his mouth.

Dr. Duboff, jaw stiff, squinted at her.Zi narrowed her eyes, considering his request. A different approach might soften him. The truth? That would earn her the boot and a restraining order.

“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

He glanced between her and Akolo before pulling the chair away from the table and sitting near the door. A compromise of sorts, which she hoped indicated an open mind.

“Have you heard of The Visionary?”

The scientist’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. “A girl who supposedly sees visions of the future?” His tone mocked his question.

“A Chinese girl born seventeen years ago. She saw bombings and riots that came to pass as predicted. The outcome of the Eastern Island War wasn’t hidden from her.”

“Superstitious talk, mostly disregarded by true scientists.”

Zi raised her eyebrows. One of the hard-nosed nonbelievers, then. Her father had been one, too, until she predicted her mother’s death. When her description, given a week beforehand, matched the accident scene in every last detail, his doubts morphed into greedy plots.

“My name is Zi Yan Oohara, The Visionary. I have envisioned a catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.”

Dr. Duboff rubbed the side of his face, scooted his chair close enough to rest his elbow on the table. He looked toward his son.

“Where did you replace this one, son?”

“She found me. In the museum.” Akolo traded a glance with Zi, whose hands clenched the edge of her chair, whitening her knuckles. “I didn’t believe it at first either, but I do now. Completely.” A dragon’s mouth can be quite convincing.

The scientist sighed, studying his son for a few moments. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before meeting Zi’s eyes.

“What is this really about?”

“Saving the world.”

His eyes widened and he frowned. “What can you do to save the world from a volcanic eruption?”

“I know the source of the problem, sir,” she said. “If it can be stopped, all the increased seismic activity will also cease.”

“The source. Which is?”

Zi tugged her earlobe. A glance toward Akolo: he was shaking his head. She closed her eyes and contemplated the man in front of her. What did his future hold? No vision came. The wisdom of her mother seemed woefully absent, as well.

“Dr. Duboff, there is a disturbance in the earth’s mantle, something brewing for centuries.” Maybe stewing would be more accurate. “When it breaks the surface, most of southern Europe will be destroyed.”

“How do you know this?”

Zi fixed the scientist with a stare. If he thought his glare intimidated her, he couldn’t be more wrong. The man had never met her father. In comparison to any exchange with elite businessman Oohara, this conversation was child’s play .

“I wish I could reveal my source, Dr. Duboff, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. I promise you, it is valid. If you spoke to him yourself, you would be wholly convinced of the severity of the situation.” If you didn’t topple over from a coronary first.

“The data I’ve collected from volcanoes around the globe has convinced me of the severity of this situation, miss. What does it have to do with you? Or Akolo?”

“Dad, you know how I get animals to do what I want?”

Zi looked toward her shoes when the scientist swiveled toward Akolo. Didn’t this kid have a backbone? Every word he spoke to his father seemed shrouded in apology.

“Well, it seems that’s an important skill to the source of Miss Oohara’s data. That’s why she wants me to accompany her. I wasn’t trying to trick you.”

Zi rolled her eyes in plain view. It was the only thing that kept her from gagging on all the simpering.

Dr. Duboff rubbed his chin, staring at Akolo. “You have an unusual gift, it’s true.”

“Wait! You believe he can communicate with animals but not that I can see visions of the future?”

Akolo’s smirk made her ball her hands into fists.

“I’ve seen Akolo control animals, Miss Oohara. There is proof of his telepathy.”

“Big deal! I saw Akolo standing inside the museum next door more than a week ago when I was still in China. How do you think I knew where to replace him?” Zi bolted to her feet. The scientist’s blank face spurred her onward. “And I’ve seen an ocean of lava swallow Italy while fields of fire devour the vineyards. When it happens, I’ll be sure to check in with you and confirm this proof.” Her fisted hands snapped to her hip bones. “Except you’ll probably be dead.”

“Zi!” Akolo burst to his feet and snatched her bent elbow, knocking her into the table.

With narrowed eyes, Zi stared at Akolo’s hand on her arm. His fingers slid away. He challenged her but whimpered beneath his father’s glare? That made about as much sense as wearing a tank top to summit Everest.

“I’m sorry-” The scientist stood, reaching a hand toward her.

“I’m not,” Zi said, done with all the apologies. “If you don’t want to accept my information, fine. But Akolo comes with me.”

Akolo gasped. Dr. Duboff’s mouth dropped open then snapped shut with an audible click of his teeth. Time to seal this deal.

The scientist shook his head. “But-”

“All expenses paid by my father,” Zi said. “My jet is standing by at the airfield. We will be airborne in the morning.”

“Where are you going?”

“Everest,” Zi said, smoothing her hands down her crisp slacks.

“Not with Akolo,” the scientist sputtered.

Zi gritted her back teeth. “Akolo is coming with me. In the mean time, your agency needs to figure out a way to evacuate the blast zone.”

“We have no data indicating an impending eruption.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, rocked back on his heels. Waffling. “We can’t insist people leave their homes and businesses on the whim of some unknown scientist.”

You can if the “scientist” is a dragon with intimate knowledge of the fire storm to come. “The Visionary’s predictions always come to pass.”

“If I tell the governor of Italy and the executive board of the Union that you’ve seen the volcano erupt, they’ll evacuate?” The doctor shoved his chair against the door.

“You better hope so if you want to save your life and the lives of everyone in this blast zone.”

“You think I don’t care about saving lives?” The man’s sputtering sprayed her with spittle. Not pleasant. She shielded her face with her arm.

He turned to open the door but the chair blocked his way. The wrestling match that ensued dispelled the tension of their argument. For her anyway. Judging by the way he slammed the door open, the doctor was still feeling frustrated.

“This is a restricted area,” he said, pointing toward the door to the reception area. “You need to leave. Now.”

ZI turned to Akolo. “Pick you up in the morning.”

Akolo nodded, eyes wide. A healthy dose of red flooded his bronzed face.

Flames heated her own cheeks, but for a different reason. Without a backward glance, Zi strutted out of the center.

Mission accomplished. Time to pack for a colder climate.