He stood and weaved his fingers into her hair. He put his lips to hers and lingered there. Pulling back, he wiped another tear from her sweet face. “Stay right here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Twenty hours,” she said.
“That’s all. And then I’ll be home.”
53
Chase rode in the front of the hearse with Shorty. Mom sat beside Amos, who was stretched out in the back. Maybe the verses above his head would be a comfort. Chase perused the programs of the underground in hope of finding Mel’s implanted Bible.
The ride to Gagnon, if a covert operation could be called carefree, was just that. No sign of federal deputies. No drones. They passed only two vehicles.
Chase hoped Mel had gone to sleep, but he sent her a message anyway.
We’re almost there. No problems. I love you.
Her reply was instant—she wasn’t sleeping. This bed is too big without you. I love you forever.
She must be on one of her old laptops. Good to know that’d work with this new capability. “Just don’t jump ship, Sparky.”
“Excuse me?” Shorty held the wheel with one finger. He maneuvered through the dark at full speed.
“Sorry. I was talking to my wife.”
“You can do that in your head?”
“Yep.”
“Did you marry that pretty girl with the dark curls?”
“I sure did.”
“Congratulations. Happened awful fast. You been hitched, what…two days?”
“Fourteen hours. And thank you.”
The transport pulled into Gagnon and stopped in front of the old schoolhouse. Dr. John met them outside. He’d read the data. Residents helped Mom get Amos inside. Chase and the doctor remained under the starlit sky.
“From what I understand, Chase, this procedure will deplete you of your own ability to heal. Is Amos aware of that? And your mother?”
“It’s nothing to be concerned about,” Chase told him. “No sense in worrying them.”
“We’ll let Amos rest until dawn. The whole procedure shouldn’t take more than an hour. We’ll be making medical history and no one will know.”
“So you think it will work.”
“I believe there’s a good chance,” Dr. John said.
The two went inside, and the doctor went to his quarters to get some sleep. Chase found his mom sitting in a chair in the hallway that led to the clinic.
“Is Amos settled in?” he asked her.
“He’s sleeping.”
“You should do the same. Dr. John says there are a couple of sofas in a meeting room back the other way.”
“Will you stay with me?” She followed Chase down the hall.
“Sure. I don’t need much sleep, but I’ll sit with you.”
They found the room with mismatched old sofas. Mom stretched out on one. Chase sat on the other. Not a sound resonated in the place called Storm on the River.
“I don’t know if I should leave Amos alone,” Mom said.
“I’ll go check on him in a while. It’ll give me something to do besides think about…”
“About the honeymoon you should be on right now?”
“Yeah. I can’t stand being away from her.”
“You made quite a sacrifice for Amos. You just met him a few days ago. And yet, you’re willing to give up so much for him. Why?”
“The overwhelming urge in my gut, I guess. I had to do it.”
“Sounds like God directed you.” She smiled.
“I’m going to turn the light off, Mom. Get some sleep.”
“OK, son.”
Chase reached for a small lamp and twisted the switch. He stared at the window, its filmy curtain not holding out the light of the stars.
“Chase?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“If anything happens after you leave us here, and you have to move on—you and Melody—don’t look back. Follow God’s lead, son. I’m so glad to have spent these last days with you. But if you can’t come back for me, I’ll understand. We’ll see each other again.”
He powered his night vision to see her face. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Something in my gut, maybe.”
“Well, stop talking like that. I don’t know about all these feelings that come from the gut. Maybe we ate some bad meat. Now go to sleep.”
She didn’t say another word. Chase powered down the night vision and ran through WR programs. All quiet in Quebec. Some rumblings in the EU. Nothing new about that.
But then a communication in progress crept into his mind. A dispatch to federal agents throughout the Northwest Territory called for anyone not assigned to essential activities to report to the detention center north of Herouxville with all available transport vehicles.
What were they planning? Were they ready to activate that awful machine, Bloodless?
Had Mel intercepted the information yet? Should he notify her? No, he’d wait for more intel. During the pre-dawn hours he went to sit by Amos’s side. An hour before sunrise, Amos opened his eyes and reached for Chase’s hand.
“Soon, Amos. You’ll be feeling better soon.”
“Perhaps. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done. And I’ve pulled some crazy stunts these last few years in the underground.”
“It’s meant to be,” Chase told him. “You’re needed here.”
“Here? You mean here in Gagnon?”
Chase remembered his mother’s unsettling words. “I don’t know about that, but it’s a nice place. I wouldn’t mind staying here.”
Amos shrugged. “I don’t know if I want to be living anywhere—not on this planet. Why am I willing to put off Heaven? That’s where I belong.”
“But you know this is supposed to happen. Don’t you, Amos?”
“It’s hard to imagine why.” He closed his eyes.
“Rest,” Chase said. “It’ll be time soon.”
54
Amos seemed to fade in and out during the transfusion. Chase sank into a cot nearby, a pint of blood gone from him, days of little sleep catching up to him. He couldn’t hold his eyes open.
Mel, I’m done with my part. Amos is receiving the blood. I’m fine. You might have picked up on some WR movement north of you. We need to find out what they’re up to. But I’m so tired. I have to sleep.
Her answer all but quickened his replicated heart.
Rest well, my love. It’s probably just some sort of drill. Tell me when you wake up.
He pulled up his heavy eyelids when he heard someone near. Dr. John hovered over him.
“Why did I crash?” Chase asked “I haven’t felt tired since the last time I was here.”
“I guess giving up some of the stuff in your blood was enough for your human body to feel the effects of sleep deprivation. In the future, if you can find a way to sleep on a normal schedule, you should do it.”
“I can shut down when I want to. Just haven’t had time the past couple of days.” He smiled. “This little trip interrupted my honeymoon, you know.”
“I heard. But while you’re here and your bride isn’t, get some sleep.”
Chase didn’t need to be told. He drifted into dreams of Blue Sky Field. Of Melody. Of the Spirit lifting him and letting him fall. Over and over. No voice. No message. Just a flight into the brilliant blue sky and a drop close enough to the ground to view the green hills that seemed fluid.
Like they were moving.
He sat straight, his eyes wide open. “Something’s wrong.” The exoself informed him he’d been asleep for four hours and twelve minutes. Intel coursing through him reported WR activity. A transmission from Mel had been deposited into his brain…forty-seven minutes ago.
Panic overtook him.
The town is being evacuated. Cameras show it’s turning into a ghost town. Like the one we talked about, Chase. Remember? I sent Switchblade up to see what’s going on. Please tell us what you can find out. I need your help.
He jumped off the cot.
Mel, I’m so sorry, I just got your message. I was in a deep sleep. Please tell me you’re all right. I’m running reports now.
He forced his way into every agency in the area—local police and rescue units, federal reports and operations. It didn’t take long to find out a test of new chemical weapon-equipped drones had gone wrong over Herouxville. It took less than twenty seconds to discover that report was a ruse. The Feds only wanted to empty the town.
Whatever you hear, there is no danger from chemicals.
The exoself caught a WR directive. A raid on the Underground Church might involve actions not supported by local residents. Panic might occur if bloodshed became necessary. Federal status in the eyes of the citizens would suffer if they witnessed the extraction.
Mel, you’ve got to get out. Everyone should join the evacuation. I know it’s a major risk, but they’re coming for you. They’re going to find you.
No response. “Mel, answer me,” he said. “Right now. Please.” Nothing.
He sparked her code and searched for communication between branches. In an instant he arranged transportation disguised as a federal evacuation vehicle and sent word to Mel. They’d have to find a way to hide until the big truck on its way to Montreal changed course and headed north. It would take hours.
“Mel, why won’t you talk to me?” He went into the system again to look for a hiding place outside of town. They’d have to be invisible until that truck arrived.
But the code from the Psalms had ceased its flow into the exoself. It appeared as a stagnant line in Chase’s mind. Everything after the starting point—19-2—had shut down. Only 32-7 remained. A code from the Psalms Chase knew before the four S’s, apart from Mel’s programming.
Now it raged inside the exoself.
Dr. John stepped into the room. “Good, you’re awake. We seem to be experiencing some problems with our computers.”
“I have to go.” Chase grabbed his shoes.
“You can’t go. I need to check you over. Don’t you even want to know how Amos is doing?”
Chase reached for the black jacket he’d thrown over a chair. “How is he?”
“His white blood cell count is down. Way down. But it’ll be a few days before we know if this worked.”
“Tell him I’m praying. And tell my mother I love her. I don’t have time for goodbyes. They’ll understand.” He eyes darted around the room. “I left a flight pack here somewhere.”
“It’s in my office. Chase, what’s going on? Why are we cut off from the new programs you brought to the underground? It’s like there was a killswitch and somebody just pulled it.”
“For your own good. Blue Sky Field has been found. Mel must have cut communication to protect you.” He called out to her in his mind. But he knew she wouldn’t answer. “To protect me. I’m sorry.”
“How—”
“A dissenter got in and then he got caught. I thought I took care of it but he must have talked.” Chase started out the door, but he stopped and clutched the door frame with both hands. Then he drove his fist through the wall. “I should have done more. This shouldn’t have happened.”
“I’ll get your flight pack,” the doctor said. “You sure you’re up to this?”
“I have no choice.”
55
Chase strapped on the flight pack as he headed out the front door of Storm on the River. Dr. John told him his mother and Amos were in a meeting with the branch’s leader, Haley. They were waiting for him. They must be wondering about the system failure. The doctor would have to fill them in.
The pack powered and Chase lifted off the ground. “God, protect Storm on the River,” he prayed. “Watch out of for Mom. Please. I didn’t even tell her goodbye.” She’d understand.
During the flight, he continued trying to make contact. He should’ve brought that VPad Mel offered him. But if everything he’d delivered to the supercomputer had been shut down, any device could be tracked.
The flight took nearly two hours. Drone activity increased as Chase got close to town, so he landed in a field to walk into the evacuation zone. The sun still shone bright in the western sky. No hiding in darkness. He re-angled a satellite and shut down street cameras while he was half a mile out.
A drone swooped down in front of him. He didn’t have to spark the code—the exoself blew the thing to pieces. Another approached. It fell in a fiery heap to the ground. Two more flew close. Both crashed. Not a good way to get into town unnoticed. But so be it. He tore off the fight pack and threw it onto a burning drone. He wouldn’t need it anymore. Everyone would be all right and he’d never leave Blue Sky Field again.
Before he could even think it through, the exoself took out local communications. Then it destroyed the cyber systems of every WR office within a hundred miles. But not before planting reports of multiple sightings of Chase Sterling in Montreal. “I don’t care about protecting myself,” he yelled. “Get back my connection to the underground.”
Nothing.
He watched several federal vehicles race away. The smoking drones didn’t even slow them down. Were they on their way to hunt him down in Montreal?
He ran into the town. No one remained. Not even local police. Vehicles brought in to haul off misled residents were gone. He entered through the front of the museum. The construction project hadn’t changed. Maybe the underground bunker had gone undiscovered and the Feds had left empty-handed. Running down the back hall, he prayed the new wall remained intact.
Every door in the long hall hung open. Plaster dust hung thick in the air. In every room—most of which Chase had never peered into—a destructive force had knocked out the back wall. Littering the hall nearest the room where Chase had first entered the underground was a trail of wires and keypads. A broken monitor. And a bag, ripped open and spilling apples onto the path.
Chase stepped over the debris. A hole torn through the new wall opened into the dark tunnel. Chase rushed in and ran down the spiraling stairs. The bolted door that hid the underground was ripped from its hinges. He didn’t stop until he was in the command center.
Every computer was either gone or destroyed. Work stations were overturned, holograph display centers smashed. Above it all, Ciel Bleu Domaine hung at an angle, a red X painted from one side to the other.
Chase hurried to the closest dorm area and pushed open the door to Mel’s room. The gown made from a coverlet lay across the double bed.
“Mel!”
He turned a circle in the hallway. No one remained. He ran to the dining hall.
In the far corner he saw them. Eleven bodies were laid out orderly, all facing upward, their arms at their sides. His eyes moved from one to the next. The pastor who officiated the wedding. An elderly woman with a strand of pearls around her neck—the necklace loaned to Mel.
Molly.
He ran to her and dropped to his knees. He touched her face. She’d been dead for hours. These were the oldest residents of Blue Sky Field. No sign of how they died. Tears fell as he looked over the group of seven women and four men.
He wrenched his head toward the ceiling “How could you?” He stood, his eyes scanning the paintings hung in the room. All destroyed.
“Why?” he screamed. “Where is my wife?”
He stumbled back to the command center and fell into the chair in front of Mel’s overturned station. He wept aloud and refused the comfort of the Spirit pulling at him. But a word flooded through anyway.
Don’t be afraid.
He dropped his head forward and shook as he cried. Fear could have him. He saw no way out of it.
Hours passed. Darkness fell on the town up top. A skeleton of communication programs the exoself took out had been restored, and intel showed residents were being allowed to return. Forty-seven people were delivered to the detention center where the machine—Bloodless—waited. No identities listed.
He went deeper into the file. They were from a homeless camp. The one near Mist Covered H
ill. Had believers there been caught? Chase didn’t want to know. They’d taken his people somewhere else. His wife. He let his eyes fall shut.
Hands gripped his shoulders and he jumped from the chair and spun around.
“Switchblade,” he said. He lifted the splintered work station and threw it across the room. Then he lunged at the man and sent him flying. The laserlight Switchblade carried rolled across the floor. Chase jumped him and held him in a strangle hold. “Where were you when this happened?” he screamed.
“Man, let me go,” Switchblade said, his voice barely audible as Chase pressed his airway shut. “You’re gonna kill me.”
Chase rolled to the side and sat on the floor. He said nothing before dropping his head to his knees.
Switchblade coughed and gasped for breath. “Mel sent me up, Charlie. I was following orders. I heard what the Feds were telling people and I headed back. They spotted me. I tried to run but I got a laser band around me and they put me in a bus. They set up a camp outside of town. I had to wait it out, man. Just got released. Whatever you know is what I know. I can’t believe this.” Switchblade sucked in a breath and let out a whimper. “They destroyed it all. There’s nobody left? You look around real good?”
“Eleven bodies in the dining hall. All elderly.”
“Molly?”
“Yes.”
“Lord, where are the rest of them? Maybe they got away before—”
“They wouldn’t leave people behind.”
“Why would the Feds kill the old folks and take everybody else?”
“I don’t know.”
“Melody said she could talk to you now. Right through Sparky. She didn’t tell you nothing?”
“She said she needed my help. Then she cut me off. Seems she had a killswitch of her own.”
“Only one reason she would do that.” Switchblade leaned against the wall and rubbed his neck. “To keep the Feds off you.”
“It’s more than I could do for her. Before she shut the system down, I found a transport and sent it this way. But the situation was too volatile. I doubt the driver even tried to get into town.”
“Say they got picked up. Where would they go?”
Killswitch Page 25