Read Online The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick - Free Book Online

called
Forever Eden,
and it’s his favorite trendie. Mongo is in Eden now, living the life of a proov. He refuses to leave. He loves it there.”
    A thick, grayish liquid oozes from around the needle stuck into the center of Mongo’s naked skull. They call it brain ooze, and it happens when you probe for too long. They say that some of the more expensive probes last for twenty-four hours, but I never heard of anybody staying under for a whole year.
    â€œSo he’s living in another world,” Ryter says. “Or he thinks he is.”
    â€œExactly,” the tek boss says.
    â€œCan we shut off the machine?”
    â€œIf we shut it off, he dies. It’s the only thing keeping him alive. The brain stimulation keeps his heart beating.”
    â€œI see,” Ryter says. “And the reason nobody takes care of him or keeps him clean is because they’re all terrified of Mongo the Magnificent?”
    â€œOh yes,” the tek boss says. “There was a time when to enter this room without permission meant instant cancellation. Mongo killed many, often for no reason. To look directly into his eyes was a death sentence.”
    Ryter studies the tek boss. “Look around,” he suggests. “Are you still frightened of Mongo?”
    The tek boss slowly shakes his head.
    â€œSomebody has to take charge of the latch,” Ryter tells him gently. “Why not you?”
    â€œMe?” the tek boss says, sounding terrified.
    â€œYou had courage enough to bring us here,” Ryter says. “If someone doesn’t take over, and soon, then all will be lost. Without guidance, without a leader to lead them, the Monkey Boys have degenerated. They’ll tear you and your men apart and then destroy themselves.”
    â€œBut why would they listen to me? I’m not a latchboss.”
    â€œNeither was Mongo,” Ryter points out, “until he made himself one.”
    Â 
    After we leave, the young tek boss seals the hatch, but the stink of what happened to Mongo sticks with me. I’m thinking it could happen to Billy Bizmo, too, if he isn’t careful. Part of me wants Billy to end up that way, for being so cruel about Bean, and the other part of me knows that as bad as the Bangers are, they’d be that much worse without someone to make the rules.
    â€œWhat’s your name, may I ask?” Ryter says to the tek boss.
    â€œGorm.”
    â€œThat’ll work,” Ryter says, musing to himself. “The Great Gorm. Why not?”
    Meanwhile the Great Gorm looks like he’s going to be sick. The color has drained from his cheeks, he’s breathing sort of puffy, and his eyes have this faraway focus, as if he’s looking at tomorrow and doesn’t much like what he sees.
    â€œWhat if I fail?” he asks.
    â€œYou must banish all doubt,” Ryter instructs him. “The other thing you must do is make up a few simple rules. That’s what the Monkey Boys expect from their leader. A few rules strictly enforced.”
    Gorm thinks it over. You can tell he’s slowly getting used to the idea of taking over from Mongo, and the more he thinks about it, the more he likes it.
    â€œIf I’m the boss, they’ll have to obey me,” he mutters to himself. “Obey or die, that’s the first rule.”
    Ryter nods, as if that’s what he expected to hear. “I have a request for the Great Gorm,” he says, bowing his head.
    â€œWhat?” says Gorm, lost in his thoughts. “Oh yeah, sure. Go ahead.”
    â€œTwo requests, actually. The first is that you release all prisoners as a gesture of goodwill,” Ryter suggests. “My second request is that you banish us from the latch. Have a squad of teks escort us to the border.”
    Gorm looks at him sharply. “What? I assumed you’d stay and be my adviser.”
    â€œWe have a mission elsewhere,” Ryter says, making it sound grand and important.