I don’t know why I’m even asking of course you are You two are always up for a challenge There’s an orangutan in trouble in Borneo I’ll tell you more when you get to HQ Uncle Stephen gave a cheery wave The hologram disappeared Zoe smiled An orangutan she said They’re such interesting gentle creatures And endangered Ben added Did you know that Their habitat is threatened by logging Zoe asked cutting her brother off Actually I was going to say Ben began That they can use sign language Zoe said I knew that too Let me finish Ben said smirking I was about to say that they’re more intelligent than you are
Ben ducked away to avoid a playful punch on the shoulder Zoe grinned Real funny she said Ben and Zoe saw a small island come into view As they got closer they saw a few buildings scattered around a ramshackle farm Chickens pecked the scrubby land As they approached the shore Erika brought down the sail and steered the speedboat toward a strange-looking dock As they climbed the waiting ladder Erika pressed a button on a remote and the boat glided forward into a shed hidden in the bank They walked to a nearby outhouse Erika following them Ben locked the door behind them and Zoe flushed the toilet WHOOSH The cubicle turned into an elevator and descended deep into the earth
Who needs an elevator when you have a turbo toilet Ben said laughing Moments later Zoe and Erika followed Ben along a brightly lit hall leading to the Control Room They placed their fingertips on an ID scanner Print identification complete announced an electronic voice They dashed into a bright room filled with flashing control panels and computer screens A pair of sandaled feet were sticking out from under a console Uncle Stephen Zoe said excitedly There was a thump and a muffled voice Then the tall thin figure of their uncle emerged rubbing his head Hello there he said cheerfully Just fixing the computer I’ve got the whole place running on solar power now He looked at their wetsuits
I know you’re going to the rainforest but it won’t be that wet I picked up Ben and Zoe from the beach explained Erika Uncle Stephen grinned Let me tell you about your mission he said He touched a screen bringing up a satellite map of a large island Borneo he said pointing There was once a huge rainforest there but it’s shrunk a lot due to logging both legal and illegal I’ve read all about that said Ben They’re clearing the land for oil palm plantations Palm oil is used all over the world in margarine soap candles makeup tons of stuff Mr Know-it-all Zoe said rolling her eyes But you’re right The rainforest’s disappearing really fast Is that something to do with the orangutan in danger
