The Flight Of the Kaw part 4

       Birds started to gather by the windowsill of the high rise building that the Kaw, Blight, and Plunder sat in.
        "So what exactly is this business deal, anyways?" said Blight, a little suspicious. At that moment, the six or seven birds on the windowsill all turned their heads and looked at her with angry eyes.
        "Well, I hear you're against Gaia, the spirit of the earth," she said, in a voice as smooth as good chocolate. She pretende that she couldn't hear all the suspicion in Blight's voice.
        "Gaia? That snob? She hurts business..." said Plunder. Unlike Blight, he was totally trusting of the Kaw. And that sort of thing was very unusual for Plunder.
        "Yes. I'm against her too. Now here's the deal. If you help me get Gaia out of there...I will create the earth again, but more resourceful. Imagine mountains of gold...seas of oil for you to refine and use!"
        Plunder looked about ready to faint. It was all too good to be true for him. Blight looked at the Kaw with utter admiration and respect. There birds (there were about fifty of them now perched on the desk, in the window, on the windowsill, anywhere they could find) watched in happiness.
        Then, Blight realized something.
        "What's the catch?"

        The sun was going down back on Hope Island, and for some odd reason (perhaps it was the planning of Ma-Ti?) Wheeler and Linka were left alone together. TIred from a long day, Linka sat down on a rock near the river. A few flowers here and there were still in bloom, and there were some that grew ina bunch at Wheeler's feet. He picked them all up in one grab and studied them closely.
        "You aren't the kind to look at flowers," said Linka.
        "Yeah, well, you know, things have been a lot different lately."
        Linka pretended not to understand. "How so?"
        "Well, it's just that...you and I haven't spent a lot of time together recently. It's like you have something important on your mind that you haven't been telling me about."
        "It's the Kaw. There are these birds that have been visiting me at night...telling me things. But I don't know what to do."
        Linka sat there for a moment. Would Wheeler understand?

        Dr. Blight tried hard to look the Kaw in the eye. It was almost impossible. All those birds standing there...they were staring at her with their sharp beaks open.
        "Catch?" said the Kaw, smiling. "Your companies need to produce about 1,000 tons of birdseed over the next year. And have it delivered to me each week. If you don't...I will get rid of Gaia without you."
        Dr. Blight stood up, but sat down again when she saw the birds spread their wings as if they were going to attack her. The birds looked really hungry now, and Dr. Blight looked just like dinner.
        "Okay," said Dr. Blight, realizing just how powerful Kaw was. After all, she wouldn't need her companies to create weapons to use against the planeteers. She's have the Kaw for that. Now her companies would create...birdseed and bird food.
        Something fishy was going on.

Part 5