Page 7 of Factory Controller

“We’re not going to confront the kidnappers, Aberto. We’re just going to observe and record.”

“You talk like a spy. Are you a spy?”

“Not really.”

Aberto chuckles. “If you were a spy, you couldn’t tell me though, right?”

That makes me smile. The kid is smart, and funny too.

The second we walk away from the mission, we’re in the jungle. I’m amazed at how fast Ipixuna vanishes from view. Literally a dozen steps into the rainforest and I can no longer see it. Aberto knows his way, or at, least, he seems to. He picks a path through the densely packed flora until we reach a narrow game trail.

“Don’t go off the path here,” he says. “It turns into mud after a couple of steps, and the caiman are everywhere.”

“Caiman? Those are like alligators, aren’t they?”

“I don’t know, do alligators eat people?”

“Yes.”

“Then yeah, they’re like alligators. They’ll probably leave us alone as long as we stay on the path.”

“Probably?”

“There’s no guarantees in the Green.”

Swaggering little sucker. I think I just might like him.

HEATHER

Acouple of steps behind Aberto, I try to concentrate on following the path instead of what will happen to me if I don’t.

We reach the outskirts of his village about an hour after midnight. I’m exhausted. The adrenaline rush that spurred me away from the mission is gone.

Aberto takes me to a rise in the land where he says an ancient flood tumbled fallen trees into a dam. The dam has since turned into a moss-encrusted hill. The undergrowth is soft.

We stop and I squeal when I put my hand down on something which wriggles.

“Shh!” Aberto hisses, putting his finger to his lips. “You’re going to get us caught.”

“Sorry.”

We sit atop the hill.

“Now we wait,” he says.

And we do. Minutes feel like hours. Looking down on the dozen or so huts of Aberto’s village, I struggle to keep my eyes open. I didn’t get enough sleep on the plane.

Are those the displaced people Isabella’s charity is supposed to be assisting? Probably.

I sip water from my canteen and glance over at Aberto. “Are you sure they’re coming tonight?”

He shrugs and says, “They usually come on a night when there’s no moon.”

Aberto leans forward and squints down at the village below. “You might be right, though. Maybe they’re not coming tonight.”

I sigh, rubbing my aching hamstring and shift positions on the hill. I slather a little more insect repellent on my arms and legs, even my face. It’s not one hundred percent effective, but the forest does teem with winged, biting horrors. Any protection is better than none.

“Let’s watch a little bit longer and then pack it…”

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