Chapter Two
Taking shelter underneath the thick bushes at the bottom of a jungle when torrential rains pour down from the sky is a very good idea, or at least it was in the case of the Baudelaires. They were now very cold, and night approached. Violet had even dared to climb her way back into the suspended helicopter to retrieve anything useful - and was truly horrified to learn she had forgotten the back pack containing the sugar bowl
inside the helicopter - and she found two blankets in an emergency kit, which also contained several energy protein bars, some biscuits and bottled water. She also found a knife hidden in the kit, and engraved in the knife were the initials of a Casanova. Which one she didn't know, because CC were the initials of three Casanovas. Violet put everything in her back pack and returned to ground level.
'Would be nice if we c-could start a f-f-f-fire.' Said Agatha, shaking in her torn jacket from the Casino. Christie had it even worse, she still wore the bunny-waitress costume, which was comprised of nothing more than bunny ears, a corset, a leotard and thin stripped stockings. Violet had given her one of the blankets out of pity, as long as she shared it with Beatrice and Sunny, the two smallest, youngest - and if I may add,
fragile - of the Baudelaires. The other blanked covered Lars, who was shivering and moaning all the time, the Baudelaires not being able to tell if it was from the pain, the cold, or the rain, or the three at the same time, which was probably the case.
'We can't stay here much longer. We need to get Lars to safety.' Violet said out loud, trying to make herself understood over the noise of the rain and the thunder. The weather had changed so quickly she almost could not believe it. The sky was a dark gray, and the heavy rain drops poured down from above, and the cold mist surrounded them.
'We have to get away from here.' Klaus said, looking up at the suspended helicopter, which was practically a lightning magnet. And with the leaking tank,
lightning was the very
last thing they needed.
'Christie and me can take turns carrying Lars. We may not seem like it, but we're strong.' Agatha said, positioning Lars on her back so that she could carry him around; luckily, he was thin. With everything in it's place, the Baudelaires took advantage of a sudden break of the rain, which gave them opportunity to get away from the helicopter.
When they had advanced through the jungle, they heard the cracking sound of thunder, and the enormous sound of an explosion. As they looked back, they saw that a lightning bolt had hit the helicopter exactly on the leaking tank, setting off a big explosion which was seen from a certain volcanic research facility not far from there.
'Wow...we sure were lucky now. If we were under it, we'd be...
barbecue.' Christie said, looking as the
JubJub burned in flames. The woods around it were too wet to burn, fortunately, so the fire didn't spread out through the jungle. But if anyone was to worry about
fire at that time, on that island, it was a whole
different kind of fire they would be worrying about, and if the Baudelaires knew this, they would have proceeded faster through the jungle, even with the restraints of not having adequate tools for exploration.
The rain had stopped, and now only the cold, thick mist lingered, lowering the temperature of any body part exposed to it; hence why Christie was still wrapped with the blanket Violet found, holding Beatrice and Sunny in a tight grip. In other circumstances, the elder Baudelaires would never let their younger sisters with those two women, but they were all in the same
dreadful situation, and I'm sorry to say they were
clueless as to how exactly unfortunate they were at that moment. I also cannot if such ignorance was a blessing or a curse, because if they did know, they would be
very concerned, to use a light word, and not knowing about it, at least, gave them space in their minds to think of healthier things.
'Where exactly are we going? We don't have a map, or a compass. We can get
seriously lost in this jungle.' Klaus said. He had read many books on the subject of jungle exploration, but even with the things he had learned, they still were too under-equipped to explore a jungle like that.
'We'll have to at least find a place where we can rest, a place that's
dry.' said Violet, who did not apreciate humidity, as her and her siblings' misadventures had led them to several circumstances that were as much dark as they were damp.
'There! Look!' Sunny shrieked, pointing her finger towards a huge gate, concealed partially by mist, and plants. The gate seemed deep enough that it was actually a passage as opposed to just a gateway, and the Baudelaires quickened their pace until they reached it. The two women laid Lars on the cobblestone floor, from which several weeds and roots sprouted, covering the inner walls of the gate in a thick layer of vines. It wasn't as humid inside, and it also seemed less cold. However, the opposite end of the gate was very dark, and the Baudelaires could not tell where it led. It was almost like a cave, and it reminded Violet, Klaus and Sunny of the cave in which they'd taken refuge in at Mortmain Mountains, and where they ran into no other than Carmelita Spats, a bunch of snow scouts, and a boy who later revealed himself to be Quigley Quagmire, the long lost triplet of the Quagmire triplets, Isadora and Duncan. Trying her hardest to not let her mind wander to questions pertaining the Quagmire's welfare and whereabouts, Violet took it upon herself to examine the tunnel-gate while everyone else rested for a bit.
As Violet walked towards the dark end of the tunnel-gate, she saw something quite unnusual. It was a small red light. Violet approached it, and squeezing her eyes to see, because it was very dark, she saw the reflection of the opposite, bright end of the gate on a
circular object. The circular object in question was a lens, and the lens in question was of a surveilance camera, and the surveilance camera focused on Violet. It was a night camera, so the people watching this scene on the other side of the camera, on a computer screen, were very excited to see Violet's face in it, and quickly transmitted the whereabouts of the Baudelaires to the team of trackers that were searching the perimeter around the explosion.
'Guys, I found a
camera over there.' Said Violet, as she returned to everyone else's company. 'A camera?
Here?' Klaus asked, a bit bereft by such information. He thought they were lost in a desert, jungle island, with no one else to help them. After so much suffering, Klaus had learned to expect the
worst out of every possible situation, which you would too, if your life was as unfortunate as that of the Baudelaires.
'It's working, so yes, I think there are others on this island.' Violet said. She had heard the sound the cameras make when focusing their lenses, there was no mistake. 'I say we should rest here, and see if anyone arrives.'
Saying nothing else, Violet distributed the protein bars and they all ate them. If you ever ate a protein bar you probably know how bad they taste, and how gritty they feel, but if you ever ate protein bar you probably also know that in times of need they can be quite useful to keep one's strength, specially when one is in a deep jungle. Plus, the Baudelaires had had worse meals before, so no one complained, and they judged themselves lucky that Violet found all those protein bars in the
JubJub.
After they all ate - even Lars, who managed to swallow down a bite or two before fading back into darkness, - they decided to wait to see if anyone would arrive to check on them, and they had decided to do so by sleeping while one person stayed vigilant, all taking turns. Lars, Beatrice and Sunny, however were allowed to sleep the entire time.
Soon, it started to rain again, and it was even darker than before. When Klaus' turn arrived and Christie went back to sleep, he saw something move between the trees, not too far away from where he - and everyone else - was. Then he saw something else moving, and then the whole area around was full of them, sillhouttes lurking behind the trees, in the mist. Klaus was very scared, and reached for a fallen branch on the ground which hopefully he could use to bludgeon one of the 'things' on the head.
It was only for a moment, but the mist then got
very thick and Klaus couldn't see anything but an empty gray area. When the mist cleared again, a group of eight people was staring at him. They all wore strange full body suits with camouflage, and even stranger red goggles, only the lower part of their faces exposed. There was one woman, and the other seven were men. The woman was shorter and had a smile on her face, and Klaus noticed she was
curvy, like an actual beautiful version of Carlotta Casanova - the absurdly large woman of the Casanova family -
'Are you one of the Baudelaires? Please respond! Are you injured?' The woman asked, and Klaus noticed she and the seven men had many weapons strapped to their bodies. Klaus didn't like guns any more than he liked fires, but he didn't also want to find out what happen if he didn't give them answers.
'Yes, I am Klaus Baudelaire. We were on the helicopter that fell on this island, there are seven of us.' Klaus said. The woman looked surprised - from what Klaus could tell, only being able to see the lower half of her face -
'Seven? I thought there were only four Baudelaires. Did any of you marry and have triplets, is that it?' She asked, seriously, but at that idea, Klaus couldn't helped but to giggle. 'No, there are us
four Baudelaires, and three other people, one of which is badly injured.'
'Is it now? Then we have to get him or her to safety, along with the two others and the four of you Baudelaires!' said the woman, removing the goggles and revealing her face. 'I am Jane Boreas, of the Vulcanic Furnace Department of Jupiter Island. Nice to meet you, Klaus Baudelaire.' She said, finishing with a smile. 'Me and my two sisters were left in charge of this island's two V.F.D. stations. You'll all meet them eventually. Now let's go, it's very important that we get you to safety.'
Then two of the men behind Jane Boreas started building a portable gurney to transport the inconscious Lars while everyone else walked.
'There's a cable car station at the bottom of Mt. Gulug, near the Fiery Fissures and the Sizzling Springs. We have to be careful as it is very hot in that area.' Jane explained to the Baudelaires as they walked in the middle of a circle of six of the eight armed men - because two were carrying Lars - as they moved through the thick jungle. 'The cable car will take us to the Volcanic Furnace Department, from where we can ride yet another cable car to the Verdant Forest Dome, which is to the the northwest of here, where my sisters work.'
'Verdant Forest Dome?' Violet asked, as that name struck her as odd. 'Yes, it's an isolated area of the jungle surrounded by a dome of glass, like a ginormous greenhouse.' Jane said. Ginormous, of course isn't a real word, but as the Baudelaires later verified it, it was a more than appropriate description of that place, but right now, the Baudelaires had other things to worry about. Like the earthquake that started shaking the earth beneath them in that moment.
'Not another one!' shouted one of the armed men, grabbing a tree branch to keep himself up. 'Everybody careful! The ground beneath us may open!' Jane shouted, quickly jumping and holding onto to a tree trunk. 'You should really follow my lead, Baudelaires!' Waiting for nothing else, Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice followed in Jane's example, a phrase which here means 'they also held onto trees to get out of the ground' The two men carrying Lars along with Christie and Agatha managed to get away before an enormous fissure opened on the ground, the red glow of the volcano's lava emmiting from below.
When the fissure stopped opening, the red glow became brighter an stronger, and lava started coming out of it, slowly. Even from several feet away the Baudelaires could still feel the heat it gave off, and they were very scared. The ground slowly stopped to shake, and the lava stopped flowing, after it formed a big puddle.
'Lord allmighty! Does this happen in a regular basis?' Violet asked, very worried that she, along with her brother and sisters, would face yet another geological phenomenon, which I'm very sad to say that yes, they did. 'Yes, Mt. Gulug has been
very active lately, unlike anything we've seen before. Right now, the whole island is in jeopardy; if the volcano blows up, then it's
bye-bye for us all.' Jane said, offering Violet an equally worried expression.
'Quickly, let's go! The cable car station isn't much further away!' Jane said, as she penetrated the jungle, the rest of the group reassembling around her; their timing and team-work were very impressive, as if they were all one. Soon after they started walking again, they arrived at a large area without any trees. The ground was dark, solid, and oddly-shaped, as if it were made of chocolate frosting poured on a cake. Away from them, across the dark, strange field, clouds of steam rose up the air, and the silhouette of Mt. Gulug was visible. It was an enormous, menacing volcano, and the Baudelaires did not want to imagine what it would look like if it exploded.
'There are the Fiery Fissures, ' said Jane, pointing in one direction, ' And there are the Sizzling Springs, and in
that direction is the Gargantual Geyser. You don't wanna be around it when the water comes out of it, as it is boiling hot.' Leading the team across the field, Jane pointed to a building in the middle of it, cloaked by steam.
'There is the cable car station. Only nine people can go at one time, so it will be the four Baudelaires, the injured man, me, two of my best men, and those two.' Jane said, as they all arrived at the station's entrance. A very familiar dispositive was installed on the door, and the Baudelaires immediately recognized it.
'That's a Vernacular Fastening Device!' Violet and Klaus shouted at the same time, while Sunny and Beatrice saved their energies, the two still recovering from the scare in the jungle moments ago. 'Yes it is! So you
are volunteers, after all. I'm glad that you made it here, Baudelaires. If you had missed this island, no one knows what grim circumstances you might have been put in.' Saying this, then, Jane turned to the Vernacular Fastening Device, and used three passwords to unlock the door to the station, when they opened, four of the armed men entered first to secure the place, an expression here meaning 'make sure no enemies had broken into and hidden themselves inside that station even if the vernacular fastening device on the door kept them from doing it'.
Proceeding to a computer on the left, while everyone else rested on the benches, Jane turned it on with the lever and pushed a few buttons, and a large hissing noise was heard, the heavy hidraulic mechanisms locking the door to the cable car opened, revealing it's interior.
'Please, proceed. I'll grab a medi-pack from Supply Room to take proper care of that man.' Jane said, walking towards a cabinet marked with a large red cross, while the Baudelaires and Agatha and Christie were escorted to the inside of the cable car, and the two men who carried Lars.
Jane walked into the cable car with a medic kit, and signaled the men who stayed to send them up, an expression here meaning 'prompt the cable car's journey up Mt. Gulug'. Lars was looking
deathly pale, but his breath was regular, and he didn't look as he was in too much pain, despite the events he had went through recently.
As they looked outside the cable car, the Baudelaires saw the fields of the Sizzling Springs and the steam that rose up from below, and a a few minor eruptions of lava from the Fiery Fissures. Seeing how nervous they were, Jane trancquilized them, saying. 'Don't worry, those eruptions are not in our range. The entire Volcanic Furnace Department is in a strategic location on Mt. Gulug, beneath an enormous rock that keeps the lava flow from hitting our station. Unless the next eruption is a
big one, we have nothing to worry about.'
That did not do much for the Baudelaires; generally, whenever they were told to 'not worry about it' or 'relax', things ended up getting
very worse, and the people telling them to relax often got killed, kidnapped, stabbed, tortured, among many other grim fates which I'm sure you, dear reader, can remember - or imagine.
The only thing the Baudelaires hoped is that they could relax, even if briefly, at this most unlikely of places; a geological research facility at a volcano. But, in their hearts, the Baudelaires knew that taking shelter in a station on a volcano that was on the verge of exploding was
not a very good idea indeed.