Song of Ariel: A Blue Light Thriller (Book 2) (Blue Light Series)

by Mark Edward Hall

  It struck him suddenly and he realized how stupid he’d been. They were waiting for him to show up. They wanted the object.

  Traffic was heavy. He heard emergency vehicles here and there, but was reasonably certain they weren’t after him. LA was a big town and he didn’t think they’d had time to get his plate number. Just the same, he wasn’t taking any more chances. He ditched the rental in a lot behind a Sunset Boulevard Boutique and hailed a cab. The cab took him to LAX where he bought a ticket to New York. His clothes and other personal items were at the hotel back in Merton, but he hadn’t dared go there and retrieve them. Thank god he had his laptop with him.

  He’d missed out on whatever was in the safe deposit box, but he did have a recording of his conversation with Shutzenberger, and best of all, he had the object, which he wore around his neck, tucked beneath his shirt.

  He made it through security without a hitch. They scanned his laptop, his phone and his digital recorder. He’d gotten a pat down, and had to take his shoes off for inspection, but that was all. No one gave the object a second glance.

  Once airborne Cobain opened his laptop and began to write, and it was there, on the flight from Los Angeles to New York that the child spoke to him for the very first time.

  CHAPTER 10

  Somewhere in East Texas, late afternoon July 4th.

  The day after the arrival.

  Jason and Charlee had been traveling east for several hours when the open grassy plains began to recede and were gradually replaced by piney woods. For this Jason was grateful. He felt less vulnerable with the forest as cover. Houses were sparse. There were vehicles here and there. Some pulled over and parked at the side of the highway, others appeared to have just driven off the road and crashed. In a few places they had to stop and go around vehicles that had crashed together horrendously. Some vehicles had burned; a few fires still smoldered. They saw quite a few bodies in various stages of destruction, but encountered no one alive. The world was strangely devoid of human activity, and unsettlingly silent. Jason thought that perhaps the survivors were lying low, waiting for it to be over before they ventured out of their holes.

  That would be the smart thing to do.

  If there are any survivors.

  There were animals in abundance: jackrabbits, roadrunners, coyotes, as well as some domestic pets; most moved furtively, as though shell shocked or confused. Jason did not want to think about what domestic dogs might do if they got hungry enough. He knew that the only thing separating wolves from dogs was a healthy supply of free food. Take that away from a dog and he immediately reverts to hunter mode.

  Jason wondered if what he was doing was smart, or just plain stupid. Perhaps he and Charlee should be holed up somewhere waiting.

  Waiting for what?

  Good question.

  On their journey across East Texas Jason found out that Charlee’s full name was Charlene Maybelle Loring, and that not only did she hate her first name but unequivocally despised her middle name, both given to her by her mother. The only good part of her name was Loring, the name she’d inherited from a father who had left this world way too soon.

  From the way Charlee spoke about her life, Jason sensed a strong hurt in her heart that might take years to heal, if ever. He felt bad for the kid, but knew that she would have to get over herself. It appeared that they were now living in a brave new world where survivors would need to be strong to survive.

  At seven that evening they were well into Louisiana and headed toward Jackson, Mississippi. They’d stopped and made sandwiches earlier and had been cruising for more than two hours. Jason felt sudden heat on his chest so he quickly reached in and grabbed the amulet and brought it out, cupping it in his hand.

  Looking quizzically at him, Charlee spoke for the first time since they’d finished eating. “What’s that thing?”

  “It’s personal.”

  For the first time since they’d met, Charlee smiled. Jason was happy to see it.

  “It’s something your sweetheart gave you, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t have a sweetheart.”

  “Bull crap!”

  “No, really, I don’t.”

  Charlee blushed. “You’re too cute not to have a girlfriend.”

  Jason frowned. “I just got back from Afghanistan, like less than twenty-four hours ago. No girlfriend, honest.”

  Charlee nodded and was still staring at the fist that held the object. “So…?”

  “So…what?”

  “So, what is it?”

  “Actually it was my grandfather’s. He gave it to me when I was twelve.” Jason opened his fist and let the amulet drop from his hand, holding it by the chain. The heat had diminished, but not before he’d seen an image of something he did not understand. In the years he’d had the object there had been many times when it had spoken to him. It hadn’t spoken in the literal sense, but spoken it most certainly had…

  The last time the object spoke to Jason in a meaningful way he was in Fallujah, Iraq. He’d been crouching down in the doorway of a burned out Al-Qaeda house surveying the buildings across the street for possible snipers when he felt the object’s heat. He’d reached beneath his Kevlar vest and grabbed it. In that moment he saw the bullet in his mind’s eye heading straight for his head. Bullets shot from most rifles travel faster than sound, so if someone is trying to kill you from a distance the bullet has already struck you and done its job seconds before you hear a report. In most cases those on the receiving end never hear the report because they’re dead before the sound reaches them. But in this case Jason had actually seen the bullet in his mind’s eye moving toward his head as if in slow motion, giving him just enough time to rise slightly up from his crouched position. Instead of hitting him in the head, the round struck him in the chest, which was at least partially protected by the vest. It did damage, breaking several ribs and collapsing his lung, but did not kill him.

  The image he saw this time when he cupped the object in his hand was that of a beautiful girl child with golden hair. She was smiling, giving Jason an intense sense of well-being.

  “Can I see it?” Charlee asked.

  “What part of personal don’t you understand?”

  “Oh, come on, I’m not going to steal it.”

  Sufficiently cooled now Jason pulled the chain over his head and handed the object to Charlee. He wasn’t sure why. In all the years he’d worn it he had never once allowed anyone else to touch it. Charlee put her hand out and took the object, turning it over and over, inspecting it, her eyes wide with awe.

  “Wow!” she said. “This is rad. I’ve never seen anything like it. What do these markings mean?”

  “Not a clue.”

  “Your grandfather didn’t tell you?”

  “No, kiddo, he didn’t. He was dying and he just wanted me to have it.”

  Charlee had cupped it in her hand and a strange look came over her face. “Whoa!”

  “What?”

  Charlee dropped it like a hot potato. “Something weird just happened.”

  Jason was glancing back and forth between Charlee and the road. “Hand it over.”

  “That thing burned me,” Charlee said.

  “No it didn’t.”

  “Seriously, it did.”

  “It gets warm but it never burns.”

  “The heat surprised me, is all. What made it do that?”

  “I don’t know. What did you see?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. What did you see?”

  Charlee flushed. “Holy crap, you mean that was real?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Jason replied. “Come on, tell me what you saw. It might be important.”

  “I don’t know. I can’t explain it. It was like this spinning shaft of blue light. I mean it was intense. So bright it made my brain hurt.”

  Jason nodded. He’d seen the blue light before, dozens of times. Now he knew it wasn’t just his imagination. “Did you see anything else?”

&
nbsp; “You’re gonna think I’m crazy.”

  “No I won’t. Promise.”

  Charlee was still holding the object by its chain. “I saw a kid. A little girl, I think. She was smiling and I felt…” Charlee hesitated as if searching for the right words.

  “You felt love, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah,” Charlee said. “I guess you could call it that. It was like I needed to see her for real. Like I needed to go to wherever she is and talk to her. Like it was really important or something. Like if I didn’t see her I might cry.”

  “Okay,” Jason said. “Now I know it’s real. Now I know it’s not just me.”

  “You saw her too? Crap!”

  Jason nodded.

  “Have you ever seen her before?”

  “No, kiddo, I haven’t. I’ve seen lots of other stuff, like the blue light, but I’ve never seen that kid until just before I handed it to you.”

  “What the hell is this thing?” Charlee said, staring at it, her eyes wide with wonder.

  Jason shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “It’s so light,” Charlee said, weighing it in her hand. “Like it’s made of air.”

  “I know,” Jason said. “Looks like gold but it’s not heavy enough. Probably some kind of cheap pot metal painted gold.”

  “You don’t believe that for a minute,” Charlee said.

  Jason smiled. “You’re right, I don’t.” He’d worn it for far too long to think it was anything but magical. “I do know this much. I trust it, and right now it’s telling me to keep doing what I’m doing.”

  Charlee nodded as if she understood. Perhaps she did. Maybe finding her was something other than chance. Jason wanted very badly to believe that.

  Charlee finally relinquished the amulet. “I never knew my grandparents,” she said. “Would have been nice getting something like that from them.”

  Jason did not reply as he slipped the chain around his neck and tucked the object back beneath his collar. He felt bad for the kid, living the way she had, and now this. He wondered if she would ever have a chance at a normal life. He wondered if it was pretty much over for all of them. Out of reflex he placed the palm of his hand against where the object rested on his chest feeling heat almost immediately.

  Charlee was staring at him. “You okay?” she said.

  “As okay as I can be,” Jason replied. “How about you?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” Charlee said settling back in her seat with a sigh.

  Jason stepped down a little harder on the accelerator.

  Trust the object, it will show you the way.

  CHAPTER 11

  Ice Caves. Northern Maine Wilderness, July 5th.

  Two days after the arrival

  They stopped to catch their breath halfway up the mountain. It was here that Jennings gathered everyone together beneath the shelter of a ledge outcropping where they rested and drank water from canteens. Jennings chose this moment to tell them about the caves. He explained how his father had discovered them and how he had played in them as a boy, and how later he had brought Doug here. And then, when everything had gone to hell nearly four years ago how they all felt it was the perfect backup plan in case the cabin was ever discovered.

  “Are you sure nobody knows about the caves?” Laura asked.

  “After everything that’s happened I’m not sure of anything,” Jennings told her. “The best we can do is move the rest of the way up as carefully as possible and see for ourselves.”

  “You said there were cameras and sensors. If there are intruders wouldn’t they have already been seen?”

  “Only if they’ve come within range. If they have, and they pose a direct threat then Doug will take care of them.”

  “Take care of them how?” Laura asked.

  “You’ll know if it happens,” Jennings said. “Come on let’s get moving.”

  Eli stayed up front with Jennings. Danny was next in line while Laura brought up the rear. Laura was a seasoned police officer, and a damned good one. Danny Wolf was a rock musician who had never received any formal police training. He knew how to use a weapon and he could take care of himself in a fight, but that was about it. Like his blood brother Eli, Danny had a connection to something the others only vaguely understood. Jennings certainly didn’t understand it. It went back to their childhood at the Catholic orphanage on Apocalypse Island and the things that had happened to them there. Jennings understood that their connection was directly related to the mysterious phenomenon that had come to be known simply as the ‘Blue Light’, a seemingly innocuous entity that even the most brilliant minds on Earth did not understand. At one time, the governments of the world conspired to destroy them, believing them a threat to humanity. They had failed, of course, and now the existence of the Blue Light, although no longer denied by authorities, was categorized as top secret. All sites where they were known to exist were sealed off and well-guarded. The press was not allowed near them, and rumor was that some of the most brilliant minds on the planet were studying them in a desperate attempt to understand their purpose.

  In recent years their very existence had become the stuff of legend, setting off a firestorm of controversy on the internet and airways that showed no sign of abating. Jennings suspected that the Blue Light would be blamed for the present contagion. Hell, maybe it was to blame. How could anyone ever know for certain?

  These thoughts were paramount in Jennings’ mind as he and his entourage made their way carefully up toward the ice caves.

  Eli froze suddenly, like a dog on point. Jennings halted beside him and signaled with his hand for Danny and Laura to stop. They all stood immobile, waiting and watching. Eli stood very still. Finally he whispered, “Up ahead. I sense someone.”

  “How many?”

  “More than one.”

  “What are they doing?”

  “Nothing. They don’t seem to be moving at all.”

  “Sentries,” Jennings said. “How far?”

  “Fifty yards, maybe.”

  “Okay, you and I will circle around to the right,” he told Eli. “Laura, you and Danny take the left flank. If you spot them do not engage unless fired upon first. Understood?”

  Jennings recognized the lay of the land here and knew that they were relatively close to the caves. He and Eli moved carefully forward.

  A small beeping sound drew Doug’s attention to the monitors. He watched a pair of intruders as they moved carefully forward. Both wore hazmat suits, but now he could see that they had taken the hoods off and their heads were exposed. Evidently they were no longer afraid of contamination. They had made it through the first perimeter, and were moving cautiously toward the second. Although they carried weapons, they held the muzzles down in non-threatening positions.

  The man in the lead was late middle age with gray hair. He did not look like the soldier type, but Doug knew that appearances could be deceiving.

  He also knew that he could never let them get beyond the second perimeter. He needed to follow the plan, and the plan had been laid out very carefully since day one. Allowing anyone to get near Ariel was just too risky.

  From the way they moved, slowly, deliberately, he was certain they knew exactly where they were going.

  Doug knew there were more of them out there. If he a section of perimeter and only killed two the others would be alerted by the explosion which could present a whole new set of problems. Besides, he wanted to make sure their intent was harmful before taking action. He had no reason to believe otherwise, but Doug was not a murderer, and he did not relish the thought of innocent blood on his hands.

  Annie had come into the control room and was watching the monitors with him.

  “What do you think we should do?” she asked.

  Doug frowned and put his thumb on the detonator. “We both agreed that no one would ever take Ariel as long as we were still alive.”

  Annie’s eyes flashed with both fear and resolve. She was like a mama bear when it came to
Ariel. She would fight to the death to protect her. “Do it, Doug, before it’s too late.”

  Doug’s thumb was twitching on the detonator. He was watching the monitor carefully as the pair approached closer to the tree mounted camera.

  The man with the gray hair suddenly put down his weapon and raised his hands in the air as he looked directly at the camera.

  “Damn, they know where the cameras are,” Annie said.

  “I was afraid of that,” Doug said.

  “We can’t trust them, Doug.”

  The man looking at the camera mouthed something but Doug did not catch it. The second person now moved into Doug’s field of vision and his heart leapt into his throat. “Dear God,” he said.

  “What are they doing?” Annie said.

  “Surrendering?”

  “Surrendering? No way. This is a trick.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they’re friendlies.”

  “Friendlies? What do you mean?”

  “I know that woman.”

  Annie looked at Doug, the confusion evident on her face. “How do you know her?”

  “She saved my life.”

  “Saved … your … life?” Annie said, befuddled. “I don’t understand.” But then it hit her suddenly and she did understand. “Tell me that’s not Nadia Zeigler, or Lucy Ferguson or whatever the hell her name is?”

  Doug was just as dumbfounded as Annie was. “I can’t, Annie, because it is her. I don’t know how, or why, but that woman out there is Nadia Zeigler.”

  In their years in the wilderness the entire story of Nadia Zeigler had finally come out. Doug knew that it was important that he be totally honest with Annie about everything. He told her how he and Nadia had grown up together, how she had been the first love of his life, how she had barely escaped death in the world trade center bombings and ended up working for the religious organization known as the Brotherhood of the Order. How she had been assigned to Doug and Annie because of the prophecy of their impending child. How she had saved Doug’s life after an assassin’s bullet had nearly killed him. Doug even told Annie the part about Nadia confessing her love for him and how she’d drugged him and had subsequently seduced him the night before she disappeared from his life forever.