by Jacob Whaler
Ryzaard stands. “You’re right. It is alien. Not of this world. But I’d rather not go back to the source for improvements. They tend to be very demanding, very needy, and I’m not sure I would be willing to pay their price. See what you can do with this prototype. We’re going to need about twenty billion of them shortly.”
CHAPTER 13
Matt moves through the trees toward the expressway carrying a bulging backpack. “Looks like as good a place as any to catch a ride.” Jessica and Yarah follow him. Both of them have small backpacks hanging from their shoulders.
“Tell me again why we’re going to New York.” Jessica catches up, a little out of breath. “Seems like the last place in the world we would want to be right now.”
“I know,” Matt says. “But I think the dream last night was the answer I’ve been looking for.”
“How so?” Jessica squints up at him in the morning light. “What you saw was two different versions of the same event. One where the Woman just stood there and got killed, and another where she fought back and killed the enemy. I guess the real question is, which one really happened?”
“I have a theory about it. A theory about life.”
“What sort of theory?”
“Simple: it doesn’t matter what happens to us in this life. I know that sounds crazy. It goes against everything we’re taught in our culture. But I think that’s what the Woman was trying to tell me.” Matt looks behind and takes Yarah’s hand so he is walking between her and Jessica. “Think about it. Either way, the Woman didn’t run away. She faced evil. Went out to meet it. You might win, or you might lose. The result doesn’t really matter. What matters is what you do. Not what is done to you. Maybe that’s the answer.”
Jessica looks skeptical. “Maybe. Sounds a little scary. How can you be sure your interpretation is correct?”
“I can’t. That’s just the best I can do for now.” Matt stops and puts his arms around her. “Besides, even if I’m wrong, it’ll be fun to be back in New York City. Think of it as a little family vacation.”
“I love cities!” Yarah squirms her way between them.
The low rumble of a ground transport floats up from over the next rise.
“At least they still use this road. It shouldn’t be too hard to get a ride.” Matt turns and drops down to Yarah’s level. “But we need your special help. Something only you can do.” Matt squeezes her hand and looks into her eyes. “You got it?”
“Sure, I can do it. It’ll be fun! I just need to be a little closer so I can get a good read.” Yarah breaks away and runs ahead. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Be careful,” Matt yells to her.
Jessica inhales the fragrance of wildflowers in the open field. “Mind telling me what’s going on?”
“Oh, sorry,” Matt says. “Yarah’s going ahead to scan the transports as they move by. She’s looking for a driver that’s one of the Children. From what they told us up on the mountain, a lot of them are. It’s how the Children move around the country so quickly.”
“Wish I could communicate with her like that.”
Matt laughs and shakes his head. “Are you sure about that? She’s always in my head. It’s hard to keep anything hidden from her.”
“But at least you can hear her voice. That kind of strong connection must be incredible.”
“I think it’s something shared between Holders,” Matt says. “A byproduct of having a Stone.”
A flock of birds shoots by overhead on a line taking them back to the mountains. “Yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Beautiful creatures.” Jessica gazes up at them, arching her neck. “I’m going to miss these mountains, but I guess we can’t stay here forever.”
As they come over the top of the rise and see the expressway stretching out below, they both walk in silence. There is a shared sense between them that the natural world is receding farther and farther away, like a wave pulling back from the shore, leaving them with a slight feeling of melancholy.
“It’s strange,” Matt says. “Something in the back of my mind keeps nagging me.”
“Alexa?”
“How’d you know?”
Jessica reaches down and pulls up a long blade of grass. The succulent white end of the root goes between her teeth. “Same here. I still can’t figure out why she left or where she is headed.”
“Beats me,” Matt says. “She’s a hard one to read. Maybe she just needed to get out on her own.”
“Do you think she went back to Ryzaard?”
Matt shakes his head. “That’d be suicide. She’s too smart for that.”
A hundred meters ahead of them, the expressway stretches horizontally across their line of vision. The summer air ripples and shimmers above the hot black surface of the road. The small figure of Yarah sits on the shoulder of the road. With the approach of every transport, she stands, hands on hips, her head following them carefully as they drive by.
Matt wonders what the drivers must think when they see such a young girl standing alone in a remote area of East Tennessee.
Another large transport pulling four long containers booms down the road. At a distance of ten meters, Yarah suddenly jumps up and down, wildly waving her hands. The driver honks a loud foghorn three times and slowly coasts to a stop.
Yarah runs to Matt and Jessica. “He’s one of the Children. Tom.” She swallows and catches her breath. “He’s got a good mind.”
“Is that right?” Matt laughs. “Let’s go meet him. We’ll see how well the word is getting out.”
Jessica and Matt walk in front, and Yarah behind. Now that the transport has actually stopped, Yarah is suddenly shy.
The transport’s side door pops open. A large man with a baseball cap and a full mustache and beard stares down at them. Curly brown hair streaked with gray flows out from under the cap. A friendly smile links both sides of his cheeks.
“Morning.” Matt drops his backpack to the ground and stares up. “Thanks for stopping.”
“You folks need a ride?”
Matt nods. “Nice of you to offer. As a matter of fact we do.”
“Where you headed?”
“North. Up to New York City.”
The man motions to the empty seats in his cab. “I got plenty of room. And I’m heading in that general direction. I can take you as far as Jersey City. Throw your packs in the back and get in.” He has a hint of a southern drawl.
Matt steps up and puts all the backpacks behind the seat. Turning, he lifts Yarah and drops her in the seat next to the man. Then he motions for Jessica to get in. Finally, he sits farthest away, pulling the door shut as he takes his seat.
Keep an eye on him, OK Yarah?
She looks over at Matt and winks.
CHAPTER 14
Ryzaard turns to leave Jerek’s office.
Jing-wei’s face appears in a holo above the desk. “Dr. Ryzaard, we have a visitor. She demands an audience with you.”
“She?”
“Yes.” Jing-wei smiles. “It’s Alexa.”
Ten minutes later, Ryzaard stands with his hands behind his back, staring through the transparent wall of his office at the city below. Through the constant hum of activity within the building, he hears the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. There are three pairs of feet. Two are heavy and click crisply as carbon-coated boots make contact with the glass floor. The third pair of feet are soft and nimble, almost inaudible. Like cat paws.
The echoes of footfalls stop at the top of the stairs. “Here she is, Dr. Ryzaard.”
He slowly rotates around.
Alexa stands between the two combat soldiers, each in battle armor, complete with blue pulse cannons and EM pistols on their hips. She wears matching black leather pants and a top. With their hands firmly gripping each of her taut biceps, it looks as if they have just taken a wild jaguar out of its cage.
“I suggest you tell these two apes to release me.” Alexa looks thinner and darker than the last time Ryzaard saw her, not a shred of remo
rse in her eyes. If anything, she radiates defiance and contempt. “I’ve got two surgically implanted thermonuclear pellets, one in each kidney. Enough to destroy this building and make cheese of all your precocious workers below. Detonation is easy. All I have to do is scream.”
“And what if I stop time?”
Alexa’s mouth drops into a half-grin. “Try it and see what happens. It’s wired to my brain. Any perceived disconnect in my temporal or spatial environment will trigger it as well.”
“Impossible,” Ryzaard says.
“Sir,” one of the soldiers says. “Body scans indicate the presence of foreign materials of unknown origin in her body.”
Ryzaard stands motionless, staring into cold eyes that stare right back at him. “Release her,” he says. “And withdraw to the floor below.”
“But, sir—”
“I’m able to take care of myself.” Ryzaard takes a step closer as his fingers brush over the seven Stones floating an inch above his chest. “Do as I say.”
The soldiers let go, turn and walk down the spiral staircase, the sound of their boots echoing behind them.
Alexa massages her arms and looks around through the transparent walls and floors. “Nice touch. I like the glass.” She walks in a large circle around the room.
Ryzaard moves to the crystal conference table near the center and picks up a lone pack of cigarettes lying on its surface. His lips reach out for one as he brings it close to his mouth. Striking a match against the table’s edge, he lights the end and takes a sharp inhale.
“What brings you back?”
She gazes up. “Business.” The hard look in her eyes is gone, replaced by a smile.
“Sorry,” Ryzaard says. “I don’t do business with traitors.”
“You might. Wait until you hear the terms.”
“I don’t negotiate with traitors either.”
Alexa steps closer. “I can deliver him to you. Him and his girlfriend. Or should I say wife. And the little girl with a Stone. All three in one package, wrapped up with a nice, neat bow. Interested?”
“I’m very busy right now with much more important matters. The kid and his friends are nothing more than a distraction.” Ryzaard blows a cloud of smoke directly into Alexa’s face. “I don’t have time to worry about him.”
Looking up into his eyes, Alexa tries to hold a straight face. It works for about three seconds before she bursts into laughter. “You’ve never been a good liar.” She walks in slow circles around him, hands behind her back, like a buzzard waiting for its prey to drop. “I know how much you hate him. The only person in the world who stands in your way and refuses to budge. You’ve tried to kill him, but he won’t die. He’s the fly in the ointment, the one obstacle to your perfect plans. What if you could see him truly and finally dead?”
“We’ve upgraded the tracking algorithm. When he uses the Stone, we have instant access to his location. I’m afraid I don’t need your help as much as you thought.” Ryzaard brings the cigarette to his lips.
Alexa shakes her head. “Matt has made a few upgrades of his own. He no longer needs the cloaking box to hide his Stone. He’s had it out in the open for the last several weeks.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” Alexa chuckles to herself. “He’s had lots of time on his hands lately. Lots of time to improve his ability with the Stone. And he’s learning fast. I don’t think you can afford to ignore him.” She walks close to Ryzaard and looks up into his youthful face. “I know what happened the other day when you thought you had him.”
Lips drawn tightly together, Ryzaard looks down through twenty-five floors of glass and buzzing activity. “What’s your price?”
“My price?” Alexa follows his gaze down through the layers of glass. “My price is modest. I’m not asking for money or power. I’ve had my fill of both. But there is something I need.” She draws her gaze away from him and out the side of the building. “Stop killing my family. Call off your dogs. Let me withdraw from the battle and live in peace. I’m tired.”
Ryzaard takes a long pull on his black cigarette, holding the smoke in and relishing the clarity it brings to his thinking. “And if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to kill myself and take as many of your minions with me as I can.”
He nods. “How can I be sure that you’ll perform as promised?”
“You can verify what I said about the nuclear implants in my kidneys.” Alexa opens the palm of her hand, revealing a small black cube. “I’ll give you the code. If I fail to deliver the goods, you can terminate me at will.”
“Suppose I accept. When will you deliver the . . . family.”
“At a place and time of my choosing. Until then, you will leave me alone. No tracking my location. No meddling in what I’m doing or how I’m doing it. It’s a delicate operation. I need time to . . . make certain arrangements.” She drops her hands on her hips and takes a step back. “Deal?”
“Agreed. You make it sound so simple. What have I got to lose? Just one question.” Reaching out, he touches her long blonde hair with his fingers. “You have become an expert in betrayal and treachery. Why?”
“Both of you make me sick, that’s why. You, with your master plan to remake the world in your own image. And him, indecisive, running, hiding, weak.” She walks to the stairway. “I refuse to be forced to choose one or the other. I want my own life, on my own terms.”
“And you shall.” Ryzaard joins her at the top of the stairs. “Allow me to escort you to Jerek’s lab where we will verify your claims and send you on your way.”
They walk down the stairs together.
CHAPTER 15
“So, Tom, what’s the latest news? We’ve been up in the mountains for the last few weeks and haven’t heard much.”
A look of surprise flashes across the driver’s face. “How do you know my name?”
Matt smiles. “You look like a Tom. Sure, steady, strong, kind, willing to help. Now tell me. Anything interesting going on in the world?”
“Lots of things are going on. Not all of them good.”
Matt puts a hand into his pack behind him and takes out a stainless steel bottle of water. “What about Shinto? Have they started building the shrines here yet? We’ve been mostly off-grid up in the mountains ever since The Event.” He pops off the cap and offers a drink to Jessica.
“It’s taking over. Construction in every city and town across the country, even back home in Texas.” Tom’s gaze drops down between his ankles. “The most thoroughly and deeply Christian spot of ground in the continental United States. Nothing but Second Birthers and Apostles. Always at each other’s throats, ever since I was a kid. Well, guess what happened last week?”
Matt shakes his head. “No idea.” Reaching over Jessica and Yarah, he offers a drink of water to Tom. “Tell me.”
“Thanks,” Tom says. “Don’t mind if I do.” He holds the bottle two inches from his lips and pours a neat stream into his mouth. “Well, in my hometown the preachers for the Second Birthers got together with the preachers for the Apostles. That’s never happened before. After their meeting, they walked to the mayor’s office and petitioned him to have our town be in the first wave of completed Shinto shrines. It’s already built. I saw it yesterday when I left. Right across the street from City Hall.” He hands the bottle back to Jessica.
Jessica takes another sip and offers it to Yarah. “From what I hear, Shinto is unlike any other religion. No catechism or articles of faith. No baptism or initiation ceremony. Just go to the shrine once in a while and be one with Nature.”
As she speaks, the road makes a broad turn to the right, leaving the open fields and farms and gliding back toward the mountains and trees. The grade gets steeper, and the transport slows down to make the climb.
Tom shakes his head and purses his lips. “With all due respect, I’d stay away from it.” His hand reaches out and touches the console. A holo image of the road jumps up, and he studies it. �
��Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against the Japanese. I love the food. Nothing better than a big bowl of ramen noodles after a round of sushi rolls and fried gyoza.”
At the mention of food, Yarah perks up. “I love gyoza too.” She looks up at Jessica. “I’m hungry. Can we have some today?”
Tom laughs. “There’s a great little Japanese restaurant on the side of the road just a few hours ahead. I was planning to stop anyway. You folks are welcome to join me.” Both hands leave the steering wheel and fish under his seat. He comes up with a paper bag spotted with grease. “In the meantime, why don’t you chew on this. Made it myself.”
Yarah looks to Jessica for permission. When she gets the nod, she takes the bag and opens it.
The sweet smell of beef jerky fills the cab.
“Go ahead,” Tom says. “You folks look hungry. Now, what was I talking about?”
Jessica takes a long reddish strip of meat out of the bag. “Staying away from Shinto.” One end goes into her mouth, and she bites off a piece.
“Right.” Tom settles back into his seat. “Like I said. I don’t have anything against the idea of unity and nature and the whole Japanese concept of harmony. But I got a bad feeling about this. And I’m not the only one.”
The transport plunges into a forest of broad leaf trees forming a canopy over the top. As they move through the natural tunnel, shadows mix with light to create a jumbled jigsaw effect. On either side, a wall of brown trunks, veined branches and dense undergrowth add to a closed-in feeling. The cab seems to get smaller.
As Matt stares out the window at the darkness, Yarah’s words play through his mind.
He wants to talk about Abomination. But he needs a little help.
Matt thinks his reply back to Yarah.
Got it. I’ll play along and see what I can do.
He turns back to face Tom. “Tell me about it. You say you’re not the only one. I don’t see many people agreeing with you.”
“Oh, there’s quite a few of us, actually.” Tom reaches over to the sack on Yarah’s lap and fishes out a piece of jerky. “Nothing official, just a loose organization that’s been around for a long time, warning about all of this. And what’s to come.”