“No,” Josiah argued against the phantom memories.
Rick’s voice continued, “Life doesn’t evolve from non-life. What I'm saying is the bricks would have to fall in such a way as to build an entire skyscraper. Heck, it would have to fall in such a way to build a city of skyscrapers. It's mathematically impossible.”
The math and logic that Josiah always relied upon had betrayed him. Josiah fell to his knees and wept. It seemed that crying had become his job description as of late.
Someone knocked on his door, and a moment later an arm wrapped around his shoulder. The reassuring grasp somehow made his weeping grow, and he fell into their embrace, no longer concerned about germs or another human’s touch. It was long moments before he realized it was the fourteen-year-old girl, Joy, who held him.
“It’s okay, Mr. Saunders,” she said. “It’s going to be all right.”
He held fast onto what she said. He never knew his mother; she had died in the car accident when he was young. There were many women he had embraced over the years, but Josiah had never been embraced during his adult life. Ironically it was the hug of a child that now introduced him to real compassion and love.
“I’m sorry,” he said, over and over. Joy continued to tell him it was going to be okay. Josiah repeated the phrase several times before he added in, “I’m sorry, God.”
The sun rose outside and the brothel’s light turned off. Faith and Agape came in to join with Joy in her embrace. All three of them prayed over Josiah. An hour later Clarke came home from his shift to find them all in Josiah’s room. Josiah was lying in bed with Faith, Joy, and Agape talking next to him.
Josiah spoke to Clarke in a hoarse voice, “I’m utterly broken.”
“Good,” Clarke said, as if he knew what happened. “God can rebuild you now.”
“Tell me what to do? I’ll do whatever you tell me. I want to have what you have.”
“You need to accept Christ into your heart.”
Josiah nodded his agreement. “Yes, I’m ready.” He wiped a tear from his eyes. He focused on the tear resting on his index finger. “I’m probably dehydrated from crying so much,” he said, half-laughing.
Together they all prayed, and that day Josiah’s soul was taken from the dark abyss and re-clothed in pure white. Clarke took him to the roof where a water catchment tub collected rainwater, and baptized Josiah. Dinner that night was beans and plain white rice. Josiah had three helpings. After dinner, Clarke gave him a worn Bible, which Josiah kissed.
“A lot of new believers start in the Gospel of John,” Clarke said. “From there you can—”
“No,” Josiah cut him off. “I’m going to read it cover to cover. If you all don’t mind, I’m going to my room while I have some daylight left to read by.”
Josiah rushed into his room and adjusted the mattress to get as much sunlight as possible through the single window. He opened to the Book of Genesis. It read, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Josiah stopped and mouthed the word firmament again.
He continued reading. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. He read the passage again, as if it were a riddle written just for him.
Josiah read until the sun set, then he continued by the light of the brothel. Every time the red light flashed he read a full sentence. He finished all fifty books of Genesis that night. Before he went to bed, he went back to Genesis 6 and read it one final time. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
In the early morning hours, Josiah found sleep. This time it was with the peace and assurance that no matter what happened, someone else was in control. He was visited by no creatures that night. His dreams were peaceful and relaxing with images of water, fields, trees, and gardens, but something happened just before he awoke. A number appeared to him in a dream: 1.618.
Later that morning Josiah wandered into the kitchen to find the kids and Faith at the table eating oatmeal. He wanted to give Joy a hug, but he decided against it.
“Here,” Agape said, handing him a mug full of oatmeal.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the cup and walking over to the window which faced his building.
He sat on a small ottoman using the window ledge as a table. The building repairs were coming along. Both human and drone repairs had been going around the clock. Power was back on in the building as well.
“Faith, do you happen to have any paper?”
“I think so.” She ruffled through some drawers and came over with a small notepad with half the paper gone. She handed him a black marker.
He wrote 1.618 down and stared at it.
Agape came over and patted his shoulder the way a friend would. The human touch did not make him cringe.
“What’s that number?” Agape said, snapping him out of the trance.
“This,” he said, pointing to the notepad, “is what’s referred to in science as the Golden Ratio or Golden Mean. It’s a symmetrical formula found throughout nature. It’s been used by architects, artists, and builders for millennia. People have argued in the past that it was evidence of a designer.”
“Cool. I never knew that.”
“I haven’t thought about this since my undergrad days. It came to me in a dream last night.”
“Do you think it means something?”
“I think so, but I have no idea what. Does it mean anything to you?”
Agape thought for a moment, then grabbed a worn Bible from the table next to them. He flipped a few pages. “What was the number again?”
“One point six one eight.”
Agape read, “Genesis is book one and verse six is, 'And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.'“
Josiah sat motionless. That line from the Bible again?
“Does this mean anything, Mr. Saunders?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I have no idea.” Josiah began to pace around the small room. He pointed toward the Bible in Agape’s hand. “What about the one-eight at the end?”
“The number one is the word and.”
“And eight?” Josiah asked.
“Firmament.”
“Firmament,” Josiah repeated. “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
For three days Josiah stayed in his bedroom reading the Bible. Every time Clarke or Faith checked in on him, he waved them off with, “Thank you, I'm fine.” He ate little, drank water as needed, and slept for short periods of time, but when he did sleep, it was now something he no longer feared.
Josiah devoured the Old Testament. After he finished the Gospel of John, new ideas started to appear in his mind. Mathematical formulas, many of which he was familiar with, but many he couldn't understand. Before the sun set on the third day, he had filled the notebook Faith had given him.
“Clarke,” he shouted.
Clarke came rushing to the bedroom. “What's wrong?”
Josiah held his head like it was about to burst if he didn't get this information out of it. “Please, I need paper.”
Clarke returned with another small notepad. “This is all I have.”
And hour later, Josiah had filled the second notepad. He locked the door and continued to write on the white plaster wall of the bedroom by the flashing light of the brothel. It was slow, but he was able to get the information out. By sunrise, two of the bedroom walls were filled with mathematical formulas.
In the morning, Clarke knocked on the door until Josiah answered it. “You need to eat and—” Clarke stopped mid-sentence and pointed to the formulas strewn on the walls. “What’s that?�
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Josiah smirked. “I think it's a message from God.”
Faith came to stand by her husband. Her eyes widened. “What’s that?”
Josiah walked to a certain point of the wall and pointed. “That’s quantum mechanics.”
Clarke pointed to a circular drawing. “What’s that?”
“A vector field, or what you’d call a force field.”
“Like a science fiction force field?
“Yes. It’s theoretical.”
“For what purpose?”
Josiah shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. Feel free to let me know if either of you think of something.”
Clarke waved his hand and shook his head back and forth. “That’s way outside my specialty.”
Agape came to the door. “Breakfast is ready. Joy’s trap on the roof worked and we got two pigeons.” He stopped and said, “Joy’s not gonna like what you did to our bedroom wall.”
For the next two days, Josiah continued to read his Bible and work on formulas until the math in his mind was emptied onto the remaining two bedroom walls. Nothing remained but thoughts of sleep. The next morning, Clarke found Josiah up early. He was packing his Bible, a flashlight, and a bottle of water into a small rucksack.
“Where you heading?”
Josiah pointed to the walls of the bedroom. “I have a safe room I need to get into.”
“For what purpose?”
“I need to get back into the game. If I showed up at my headquarters, I’d be assassinated the moment I stepped through the door. I’m assuming my other properties have been seized or are being monitored. This safe room has gear I can use.” He pointed to the walls again. “I need to act on these formulas.”
“For what reason?”
“If I told you what was going through my head, you’d think I’m insane. Just trust me. I need to get to this safe room.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s deep in the subway system. At least an hour beyond your hospital. It’s where I was coming from when—” He stopped, not able to complete the sentence regarding his attack.
“When I found you,” Clarke finished the thought for him.
“I need to borrow some tools.”
“I’ll give you what I have,” Clarke said, “but you’re not going alone. I’m pulling an eight-hour shift at the clinic. If you come with me, we can leave right after.”
Josiah agreed. This would be the first time he had left the small apartment in weeks. The cramped space was where he had broken down, but it was also the place he had been rebuilt. To him, the sparse apartment had become a safe haven. By his former standards it wasn’t fit for a janitor’s closet, but his friends Clarke, Faith, Joy, and Agape had made it into a home. If they thought of him the same way, then they would be the first friends Josiah ever had. He felt an urge to protect and provide for them, even though he could never fully repay them. But before he could affect any change, he had to get to the safe room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Outskirts of New Sacramento 2077
Early the next morning, Nova had drilled down to within eight feet of the sewer tunnel. After checking the instruments, Landon showered and went down to the cargo hold to work off some nervous energy. He did stretches, pushups, and sit-ups before he worked out for a half hour with the sparring drone he had named Larry. He programmed the faceless drone to be left-handed when they sparred with battle staffs to exploit his right-handed deficiencies. Landon worked up a sweat and hit the shower again. Unlimited water was a benefit he had of living on his ship. The governors that the Atoll put on apartment faucets and showers weren’t on Nova. She desalinated and purified her own drinking and bath water.
It was during lunch that the rumbling stopped.
Landon rushed toward the cockpit, with Jane following. “Nova?”
“It is complete,” the computer said. “I have breached the tunnel, and the seal is holding.”
“I love you!” he said, sitting at the science station controls to view the video.
The readings confirmed everything he had hoped for. An open tunnel big enough for the sled to drop into. A short while later, Jane helped Landon load medical supplies onto the sled. She pointed to the rifles and boxes of ammo sticking out of the storage unit behind the seat. “What are you prepping for?”
“Whatever gets in the way of me getting my son back.” He gave her a hug. “Get into the hall and seal the door.”
She left the room and waved through the door’s thick glass portal like a schoolgirl watching her dad head off to work. Landon held his hand over his heart as if to tell her he was taking all her love with him. He pressed a few buttons on the small control panel, and the sled rose to a hover a few feet off the floor. A hole beneath the sled opened up, and, using the foot lever, he lowered the sled down through a metallic tube. It took less than a minute for the sled to reach the large sewer tunnel.
Metal tubing gave way to concrete, rebar, and earth. The sled’s windshield went to night-vision mode. He scanned the area for any type of security detection devices or cameras and found none. With the turn of a switch, the sled’s exterior lights came on, and the night vision display disappeared. He was in a fourteen-foot diameter tunnel.
All around were spider webs and dirt. Data scrolled along the top left portion of the sled’s windshield screen, which revealed clean air outside the cockpit. A few feet below, water flowed past in a calm manner. The tunnel was meant for vast amounts of effluent from the millions of people that used to inhabit Sacramento. Now it appeared only a handful of items fed into the abandoned tunnel.
He scanned the liquid, picking up water with little sewage. It could be rainwater but could also mean there was a break in the line somewhere ahead. He pulled up Kyle’s last known location and moved the sled forward at a slow pace.
A short while later the tunnel diameter tightened, but it still allowed for the sled to move unhindered. Every once in a while the shielding would scuff the side of the concrete tunnel. Even if he had to shut off the shielding, the sled’s crystal exterior offered enough protection from falling debris. A long, parallel crack appeared in the roof of the tunnel, allowing water to seep in from the river above. He pressed forward at a slower pace under the falling water.
Something chirped on the sensors. Landon slowed down and pulled up the scanning stats. Something big was under him. It was over twenty-eight feet long and moving. “Nova, can you figure out what this is?”
“I am not sure,” Nova said in a broken, static-filled voice. “I am having a hard time connecting to the sled’s scanners due to how far you are underground.”
Whatever it was had moved on in the direction he had come from. It could have been a drone or sensor the military kept in the tunnel system. He double-checked the shield’s power. Any surveillance drone he encountered in North America, whether it be air, land, or water, was more than likely armed as well.
He reached a large open space with a plateau of cement surrounded by a pool of water. Above the platform was a smaller diameter tunnel, which fed water down into the pool. The new tunnel was just big enough for the sled to enter, but once inside there was no chance of turning it around. Landon decided to move forward on foot. He lowered the sled onto the cement platform and kept auxiliary power running to allow for a quick retreat if needed.
On his data pad, a delayed transmission reached him from the drones. They had acquired Kyle’s signature.
The red dot was the prettiest color he had ever seen and was only a couple of miles away. The sun had already risen above ground. Josiah unloaded the gear he would need to continue on foot. He ate a meal bar and drank some water, and then activated the single drone from the back of the sled before removing a final piece of equipment.
He placed the briefcase on the ground and touched a button. The exoskeleton rose up out of the suitcase, and the back half fell away. Landon removed his data pad and utility belt before he stepped inside and unfurled his mask from the collar of his shirt. The
suit rose up and the neural helmet crawled over his head to complete the install. He put the utility belt and data pad back on, then flexed the muscles, feeling the augmented strength coursing through the fibers of the suit.
Just off the platform something moved in the dark pool of water. He stepped over to the edge of the platform and waved the data pad over the water to scan. The screen went bright red. For a second he thought it was a malfunction. A moment later a dark, monstrous head sprang up from the depths and bit into the leg of the exoskeleton.
Landon tried to scream, but it came out as a gasp. The thick, brownish head was attached to the long body of a massive snake. It pulled him with the strength of a dozen men toward the water. He tried to grasp onto cracks in the cement platform but slipped. Within seconds he was pulled underwater and slammed into the rock bottom of the underground river. The exoskeleton was waterproof but had an open helmet configuration. Landon pulled a small rebreather from his utility belt, lowered the bottom portion of his mask, and stuck it in his mouth. He purged the water and breathed in air. He was breathing hard, which meant the fifteen minutes of air the rebreather allotted would be depleted quicker.
The reptile wrapped its slithering mass around his legs and stomach. The pressure was incredible. Were he not in the exoskeleton it would have crushed his ribs. The body of the beast continued to wrap itself around Landon’s body. He moved his right arm out of the way just before the snake locked his left arm tight against the suit. The snake covered the dial on the utility belt that activated the suit’s shielding.
Landon pounded on the reptile with his free hand, but even with the exoskeleton’s augmented strength it did little to hurt the snake. Once or twice he tore into flesh, but it seemed to only annoy the creature more. It slammed him over and over into the muddy bottom like a child trying to break a toy she didn’t like. He tried to push off the bottom and break free, but did not move.
The massive body slithered around his torso, pulsating the pressure it applied as if looking for weak spots. A gap where the snake was wrapped around his waist allowed him to grab the collapsed battle staff from its sheath.
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