She turned to the glass and pulled up the keypad. After she dialed the number, Jo picked up on the first ring. “Vega! Where the hell are you? The ship is going down! Are you in the cockpit?”
“No. I’m in a shuttle outside. Watching.”
“Shit, Vega. I think we might die. Does this have anything to do with what you’ve been up to?”
She looked over at the major, but he was stone faced. She figured she didn’t have anything to lose at that point. “Yes. We’re working to kill the bots. We think we’ve succeeded, but there’s only one way to find out for sure.”
“And we’re the guinea pigs? Vega, I know my vote doesn’t count for shit, but this is a piss-poor idea.” Her voice wavered, and Vega could tell she was on the verge of tears.
They watched as the landing gear deployed. She could hear a loud clank and hiss over the connection with Jo.
“What the hell was that?” Jo asked, panic threatening to make Vega’s fear take over as well.
“Just the landing gear, Jo. Where are you?”
“In our apartment.”
“Stay there. You won’t be safe in the halls if people are panicking.” Vega wanted to tell her to get to higher grounds, to go somewhere safer. If the bots were coming for her, she wanted to give her a chance. But nothing would save her from the bots if they wanted her.
“You’re at five hundred feet, Jo.”
“That means nothing to me,” Jo all but screamed at Vega.
“Vega, we need to do something,” Mason said, interrupting their conversation.
“Jo, I love you. I can’t stay on the line any longer. Stay where you are. Be safe.”
“Vega, please. Don’t go,” Jo pleaded, and it broke Vega’s heart as she mashed the disconnect button, feeling like she never should’ve called in the first place.
“Like what?” she spat, turning to face him. “What exactly do you suggest? I can’t go back to the Perseus while it’s descending, and I can’t land near the survivors. I also can’t get any closer, because if the damned ship does crash, the shockwave will knock us out of the air. I need to stay back until they touch down.”
“I can’t take this. Drop me inside the circle and be done with it.”
“Fine,” Vega said, jerking the stick toward the circle. She had minutes to make it happen and get them clear of the shockwave. “But if something happens to you because that ship crashes, I take no responsibility.” She was mad, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of how quickly things had unraveled, or if it was because he wanted to throw his life away to be with them.
Major Burridge went to the back and opened the door, throwing the ladder down.
“Vega,” Mason said, his voice turning soft as he unhooked himself. “No matter what, we might all die. I need to be down there with them. I need to know what happened, and if there’s something I can do to get the EMP working again, to keep us alive a little longer. If I can get it going again, you can land.”
Vega hesitated. “Fine. Go.”
“Thank you, Vega. For everything.”
Vega shook her head and nearly smacked him. “Stop it. No goodbyes. I’ll see you soon.”
He nodded to her, and Lehman squeezed her shoulder.
“You’re going too?” Vega asked. For some reason, it surprised her. She thought Lehman was the more levelheaded of the two.
She only nodded in response, and then disappeared out the bottom hatch.
They both left their earpieces on, so they could communicate as Major Burridge reeled the ladder in and shut the hatch. Those little things were a godsend, Vega thought.
A quick glance at the Perseus told Vega they had less than thirty seconds to get clear.
“Major, we need to go right now.”
“Go,” he said before he was even back in his seat.
She jerked the stick, and the major fell into the right seat. Vega didn’t have time to apologize as she tried to gain altitude and distance from the sinking ship.
Major Burridge scrambled to get strapped back into his seat without a word as Vega used the last ten seconds to get as high and far from the Perseus as she could.
The landing gear had already deployed and stuck out like legs on a huge beetle, ready for impact.
Vega held her breath as the massive ship came down. They’d cleared the survivors on the ground by a few thousand feet, but the shadow that fell over them was huge. She could only wonder what it must look like from the ground. Hopefully, Mason was keeping them all calm as they braced.
She watched a cloud of…what? Dust? Ash? Bots? She couldn’t be sure as it gathered around the base of the Perseus, stirred up by the ship’s engines.
In all honesty, Vega had never seen an airship land. She had no idea what it would look like. Crashes, she knew, but landings? For his part, Captain Maxwell did a beautiful job guiding her in.
Within moments, the ship touched down on the surface of the Earth with a poof of ash underneath its landing gear.
Vega held her breath as she waited for all hell to break loose.
Twenty-Two
“Captain Maxwell?” Major Burridge asked.
“Aye, sir.”
“Well done.”
“I didn’t actually do anything, sir.”
“What?” Major Burridge said, and Vega glanced over at him, concern in her eyes.
“The hacker, Kingsly, he caused the whole thing. He’s the one who brought us down. Overrode the system entirely. I couldn’t even activate the landing gear.”
“What?” The fury in Major Burridge’s voice made Vega sit up a little straighter.
“Get me the prime minister.”
Vega tuned out. It was over. She didn’t need to know what happened to Kingsley.
She kept her eyes fixed on the Perseus. “Sir, the ship is still standing. Untouched,” Vega pointed out.
“Hang on,” Major Burridge said.
Neither of them spoke for a full minute as they stared at the Perseus, waiting for it to be consumed. But nothing happened. They were not eaten.
“Captain Maxwell, initiate undocking procedure.”
The bewilderment in Maxwell’s voice was palpable. “Aye, sir,” he said, but before he could hit the button, the sequence already started. “Damn it, Kingsley,” Maxwell cursed.
Vega heard Kingsley’s distinct laughter over the line again. “Are you done playing, Kingsley?” Vega asked, completely unamused.
“Yes, I believe I am, Miss Minx.”
“Thank you,” Vega said with all the sincerity she could muster through her clenched teeth.
“You are very welcome, ma’am.”
It was the last time Vega ever heard his voice, but it wasn’t the last time she thought about him and how he’d brought their civilization to safety.
“Vega?” Mason’s voice came over her headset like a beacon. He was excited; she could tell that much by his short, breathless question.
Instead of answering him, she maneuvered the shuttle down and landed faster than she ever had in her life. They set down with a heavy clunk, and she threw her harness off. The major said nothing, and she didn’t even look at him as she made her way to the back of the shuttle and out the hatch door.
She tried not to run across the ash outside the circle of safety. Outside. The. Circle. She looked around her, but the world looked the same. Grey ash as far as the eye could see. The bots couldn’t be distinguished from the ash, and she wondered if she was walking on their dead bodies. She stepped lighter as she picked up her pace, a foolish fear of being grabbed by one of them driving her forward.
She ran to Mason’s open arms, and he held her as if he held onto his own life.
“Everyone’s alive. Every last person.” He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself of the truth he’d seen with his own eyes. She looked behind him and saw Mattli standing at a distance, arms crossed over his chest and a huge smile on his wrinkled face.
But then, she heard the screaming. “What’s going on?�
�� she asked.
Mason whipped around, and they could see something falling from the top levels of the Perseus.
It looked almost as if…
“Are they throwing things out the windows?” Mason asked.
“I…” Vega stopped, trying to comprehend the sight before her.
Major Burridge walked up behind her, concern in his blue eyes. “They are panicking. They think the bots will eat them. They’re killing each other trying to get to the top levels, and those who can’t are jumping out.”
“Major, what can we do?”
“Nothing. It’s entirely my fault. I’ve tried doing an all-call announcement, but they’re screaming too loudly to hear it. I should’ve told them what was going on. Warned them, prepared people for this new life.” He looked at her, and she saw tears swimming in his eyes.
She reached out and squeezed his arm. “Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t, Major.”
“We certainly are damned, aren’t we?”
They watched as more and more bodies fell from the Perseus, and she wondered how such a happy ending could turn so sour in their mouths.
“It will be okay,” Mason said with such certainty that Vega wanted desperately to believe him.
“How can you say that?” Vega turned her back to the Perseus, unable to watch another person throw themselves to their death.
“This will end, sooner rather than later, I hope. Major, keep trying to reach them. Don’t give up. They need a leader. Someone to give them direction in this time of panic. That’s you. Go. Save as many as you can, and even if it’s only one person, it will have made all the difference for them.”
Major Burridge nodded and went back to the shuttle. Vega couldn’t help but notice he was standing a little straighter.
“That was very kind of you,” Vega said as she turned back to Mason, noticing he’d taken her hand at some point.
“I meant it.”
“Oh, you did, did you? And here I thought you were just a stone cold, emotionless man. Nothing but good looks.” Her eyes sparkled as Mason looked back at her, holding back a smile.
“So, you think I’m good looking, do you?”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Vega cautioned.
They walked hand in hand toward Mattli. For the first time in her life, Vega felt excited about her future and where their world was going.
Lehman stood next to Major Burridge as he frantically tried to get an announcement over the all-call on the ship. After heaving a sigh, he said, “Copy that,” into his comm and turned toward Lehman.
“People are panicking and there’s not a damned thing I can do,” he said.
“They’ll settle down eventually. You’ve saved lives today, Major. Focus on that.”
Lehman folded her arms over her chest as she watched Vega and Mason walk away, hand in hand.
“That looks like trouble to me,” Major Burridge said after watching the two retreat for a moment.
“I don’t know what you’re looking at. Looks pretty good from this angle,” Lehman said.
Major Burridge glanced over at her. “You think?”
“I do. Maybe you should try it some time.”
“What?”
“You’re not stupid. I know this because I’m not attracted to stupid men. You know very well what.” Lehman walked away after winking at him, leaving Major Burridge standing alone in their new world with a smile spreading across his face.
The future looked very bright indeed.
Epilogue
Approximate year, 2366
20 years later
“Ashley told us she’s getting married today. Can you believe that, Mattli? Married. Not matched. She’s choosing this boy.” Mason watched the wind blow the tiny green leaves on the small tree behind the gravestone and took it as a reply.
“I’m not so sure about him, but I suppose there’s not much to be done about it now.” He picked at a piece of grass as he looked past the stone. Small trees were growing everywhere. They were about as tall as he was, and he felt like they were a little taller every time he came back to the spot. Just beyond, he could hear the waves crashing against the nearby cliff, and he knew Mattli would’ve loved the spot. Part of him always wondered if Mattli would’ve rather been buried on the island where he spent his life, but there was nothing to do about it. Turning his face to the sea, he took a deep breath of salty air. At nearly fifty, he didn’t feel like there was much sense in worrying about decisions that were made long ago.
“I miss you, Mattli.” He put his hand on the grave and traced part of the engraving. 2351. Mattli had been gone a long time, and Mason still missed him. He’d felt like he’d lost his father the day Mattli died. Mason’s daughter Ashley had just turned four, and her sister Jo was only a year old. But Mattli had gotten to hold them both, love them, spoil them as much as he could in his role as grandfather.
He’d even made Ashley a wooden rocking horse that she and Jo treasured to this day. He’d spent months working on it, carving it out and piecing it together.
“I hope you and Alkoff are proud of the world we’ve made,” Mason said aloud.
“Daddy!” Jo called as she ran up the hill toward him.
Mason smiled. “I think my time is up. See you later, old man.”
He turned and embraced the sixteen-year-old as she smashed a handful of wildflowers against his back.
“Mom says you’d better come. Dinner is nearly ready.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want to keep her waiting, would we?”
Jo had that same sparkle to her eye that Vega did. He saw mischief there and couldn’t stifle his laugh. “What’s on your mind, kid?”
“I was thinking…”
“Oh, shit.”
“Daddy,” she said, and he was nearly cowed by her tone. It was strong and scolding, just like Vega’s.
“I apologize for my strong language, milady. What were you thinking about?”
“I was thinking of doing some traveling. When school’s out, I mean. Seeing the other settlements and figuring out what help I could be there.”
Mason stayed silent as they walked back toward home. The path wound down the hill, but stayed near the shore so he could still hear the calming crash of the waves.
“Who put an idea like that in your head?”
She laughed. “Who do you think, Daddy? One of my teachers…who just happens to be Mama’s best friend and my namesake.”
It figured Vega’s bestie would encourage their daughter to spread her wings.
“And what did your mother say about it?”
“I haven’t talked to her about it yet. I thought you might help me convince her.”
“What makes you think I’m on your side?”
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and he knew she had him. He’d been the biggest proponent of letting the girls be whatever they wanted. The possibilities were endless in their new world. But he hadn’t wanted either of them to stray so far from the nest.
“How do you plan to get there? And what would you do? Sell me on it.”
“Probably join one of the caravans or something. I’d like to study medicine. They’re making such huge advances all over the world, not just here.”
Mason groaned. “Those advances are what got us where we are now. You know that, right?”
Jo shoved him. “This place doesn’t look so bad to me.”
He looked around as they crested the last hill before home. He could see almost their entire little village from there. Homes they’d crafted from materials inside the Perseus, while others took up residence in the ship a few miles away.
He’d suffered such tragedy in his lifetime. And yet…
He took Jo’s hand. “I’ll help you talk to your mother, but you’d better have a solid plan in mind or she’ll rip you to shreds.”
“Way ahead of you, Daddy.”
They walked hand in hand down the hill. Jo’s wildflowers dangled from her free hand, and Mason knew t
hat, out of the darkness, light had come. And it had been worth it. They weren’t just living. The world was alive.
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Acknowledgments
Finally. This series is coming to an end. Over a year overdue, The Dead Room Trilogy is complete and I’m so grateful for so many things.
First, thanks to God for, well, everything. Giving me the words to finally finish this book, giving me the means to sit down and do it, and for the amazing year 2016 was that made it seem like it was finally the right time to wrap up Mason’s story.
As always, thanks to my awesome husband who’s there to help out as much as he can. We’ve had a tough transition in the last few months, but he’s still been totally willing to take our threenager on his days off so I could finish this project, and I’m so grateful for that.
And where would I be without my team? This book had a much smaller team than normal, since expenses were tight for the remainder of the project, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less thankful. Cynthia, I love you and your questions! Thank you so much for shining light on areas that needed serious work. You are such an asset, and I hope you see how truly valuable you are.
To my friends and family, you guys are awesome. Each and every one of you cheers me on in your own way. From my parents who help out with our toddler, do a last round of edits, or just simply read my books, you guys make this dream happen. And my friends, what cheerleaders you guys are! Always asking me how my books are doing, where I’m at, what I’m working on now. I know it’s just a bunch of gobbilty-gook to some of you, but your support means the world to me.
Lastly, my dear reader, thank you for waiting for this one. I hope it was worth it! 2017 has a lot of fun things in store, so hang on! God willing, you’ll be seeing a lot of me! Until then,
—S
About the Author
Stephanie Erickson is an English Literature graduate from Flagler College. She lives in Florida with her family. Alive is her eleventh novel.
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