“Sta zit arak,” Kevin said. He opened his fingers and swept his hand away from his chest, the gesture that Candace had described in the operating room. Kevin hoped his amalgamated sentence said: “You go away.”

After repeating the phrase once again, Kevin pointed to the northeast in the direction of the limitless rain forest.

Bonobo number one rose up on the balls of his feet and looked over Kevin’s shoulder at the dark wall of mainland jungle. He then looked back in the direction of the cages. Spreading his arms he vocalized a series of sounds Kevin and Melanie had not heard, or at least not associated with any specific activity.

“What’s he doing?” Kevin asked. At that point the animal was facing away from him.

“I could be wrong,” Melanie said, “but I think he’s making reference to his people.”

“My god!” Kevin said. “I think he might have understood my meaning. Let’s let more of the animals out.”

Kevin walked forward. The bonobo sensed his movement and turned to face him. Kevin hesitated. The bridge was about ten feet wide, and Kevin was concerned about coming too close. He remembered all too well how easy it had been for the bonobo to pick him up and throw him like a rag doll.

Kevin stared into the animal’s face to try to see any emotion, but he couldn’t. All he got was a repeat of the uncanny sensation that he was looking into an evolutionary mirror.

“What’s the matter?” Melanie asked.

“He’s scary,” Kevin admitted. “I don’t know whether to pass him or not.”

“Please, not another Mexican standoff,” Melanie said. “We don’t have much time.”

“Okay,” Kevin said. He took a breath and inched around the animal while teetering on the edge. The bonobo watched him but didn’t move.

“This is so nerve wracking!” Kevin complained when he climbed down from the bridge.

“Do we want him to stay here?” Melanie asked.

Kevin scratched his head. “I don’t know. He might be a lure to get the others over here, but then again, maybe he should come back with us.”

“Why don’t we just start walking?” Melanie said. “We’ll let him decide.”

Melanie and Kevin set out for the animal cages. They were pleased when bonobo number one immediately climbed from the bridge and followed.

They walked quickly, conscious that Candace and the other people were waiting. When they got to the cages they didn’t hesitate. Kevin opened the door on the first cage while Melanie did the second.

The animals emerged quickly and immediately exchanged words with bonobo number one. Kevin and Melanie went to the next two cages.

Within only a few minutes, there was a dozen animals milling about, vocalizing and stretching.

“It’s working,” Kevin said. “I’m sure of it. If they were just going to run off in the forest here on the island, they would have already done so. I think they all know they have to leave.”

“Maybe I should get Candace and our new friends,” Melanie said. “They should witness this, and they can help speed things up.”

“Good idea,” Kevin said. He looked at the long row of cages. He knew there were over seventy.

Melanie ran off into the night while Kevin went to the next cage. He noticed that bonobo number one stayed nearby to greet each newly freed animal.

By the time Kevin had released a half dozen more animals, the humans arrived. At first, they were intimidated by the creatures and didn’t know how to act. The animals ignored them except for Warren whom they gave a wide berth. Warren had brought the assault rifle, which Kevin guessed reminded the animals of the dart gun.

“They are so quiet,” Laurie said. “It’s spooky.”

“They’re depressed,” Kevin said. “It could be from the tranquilizer or from having been imprisoned. But don’t go too close. They might be quiet, but they are very strong.”

“What can we do to help?” Candace asked.

“Just open the cage doors,” Kevin said.

With seven people working, it took only a few minutes to get all the cages open. As soon as the last animal had emerged into the night, Kevin motioned for everyone to start toward the bridge.

Bonobo number one, who’d been shadowing Kevin, clapped his hands loudly just as he’d done when Kevin and the women had first come upon him in the cul-de-sac of the marshy field. Then he vocalized raucously before starting after the humans. Immediately the rest of the bonobos quietly followed.

The seven humans led the seventy-one transgenic bonobos in a procession across the clearing to the bridge of their freedom. Arriving at the span, the humans stepped aside. Bonobo number one stopped at the cement stanchion.

“Sta zit arak,” Kevin repeated as he spread his fingers and swept his hand away from his chest for the final time. Then he pointed toward the unexplored African interior.

Bonobo number one bowed his head momentarily before leaping up on top of the stanchion. Looking out over his people, he vocalized for a final time before turning his back on Isla Francesca and crossing the bridge to the mainland. The mass of the bonobos silently followed.

“It’s like watching the Exodus,” Jack quipped.

“Don’t be blasphemous,” Laurie teased. But, as with all teasing, there was an element of truth. She was truly awed by the spectacle.

As if by magic the animals melted into the dark jungle without a sound. One minute they were a restive crowd milling about the base of the bridge; the next minute they were gone like water soaking into a sponge.

The humans didn’t move or talk for a moment. Finally, Kevin broke the silence. “They did it, and I’m pleased,” he said. “Thank you all for helping. Maybe now I can come to terms with what I did in creating them.” He stepped up to the bridge and pressed the red button. With a whine, the bridge retracted.

The group turned away from the stanchion and began to trudge back to the pirogue.

“That was one of the strangest pageants I’ve ever seen,” Jack said.

Halfway to the canoe, Melanie suddenly stopped and cried: “Oh, no! Look!”

Everyone’s eyes darted across the river in the direction she was pointing. Headlight beams from several vehicles could be intermittently seen through the foliage. The vehicles were descending the track leading to the bridge mechanism.

“We can’t get to the boat!” Warren blurted. “They’ll see us.”

“We can’t stay here, either,” Jack said.

“Back to the cages!” Kevin cried.

They all turned and ran toward the bulwark of the jungle. The moment they ducked behind the cages, the headlight beams swept across the clearing as the vehicles turned to the west. The vehicles stopped, but the headlights stayed on and the engines kept running.

“It’s a group of Equatoguinean soldiers,” Kevin said.

“And Siegfried,” Melanie said. “I can recognize him anywhere. And that’s Cameron McIvers’s patrol car.”

A searchlight snapped on. Its high-intensity light played along the row of cages then swept the bank of the river. It quickly found the canoe.

Even fifty yards away, they could hear excited voices responding to the discovery of the boat.

“This is not good,” Jack said. “They know we’re here.”

A sudden and sustained burst of heavy gunfire shattered the tranquility of the night.

“What on earth are they shooting at?” Laurie asked.

“I’m afraid they’re destroying our boat,” Jack said. “I suppose that’s bad news for my deposit.”

“This is no time for humor,” Laurie complained.

An explosion rocked the night air, and a fireball briefly illuminated the soldiers. “That must have been the gas tank,” Kevin said. “So much for our transportation.”

A few minutes later, the searchlight went out. Then the first vehicle made a U-turn and disappeared back up the track leading to Cogo.

“Does anybody have an idea what’s happening?” Jack asked.

“My guess is Siegfried and Cameron are going back to town,” Melanie said. “Knowing we’re on the island, they probably feel pretty confident.”