We’re a resilient bunch, she thought. Yet somehow, a piece of her soul had transformed and would never be the same. She wondered if it was her own evolution, or did others feel it too? She looked at the faces streaming by but couldn’t tell.
The light turned green, and she turned south onto Georgia Avenue.
“You can’t pass up this opportunity,” she said. “There’s no telling where it may lead.”
“What about the institute?”
“Let Jack head the research for now. He never really wanted to retire.”
Paul didn’t say anything.
“I’ve given this a lot of thought.” Kendra raised her chin, sounding defiant. “We devoted half our lives to ants. I don’t want death and destruction to be their final legacy.” She looked at him. “You can make sure it never happens again.”
Paul wrestled with the proposal, as he’d done many times before. Living in the desert with Kendra. Studying the most dangerous creatures on earth. Raising a child in a world … a child? Suddenly, it wasn’t just about him. Perhaps their research could somehow benefit future generations. “Okay, we go to the lab—but just for a look around. I’m not making any promises.”
He opened a paper bag at his feet, pulled out two bottles of water and handed one to Kendra. It was warm, just the way she liked it. “To new discoveries,” he said.
They tapped the neck of their bottles, and Kendra took a long drink. There was a sudden flutter in her abdomen.
“She kicked!” Kendra sucked in a gasp of air, with a hand on her belly.
Paul reached over and pressed a gentle palm. Another kick. They shared a loving glance.
“You know, we’re both starved,” she said.
“I think I’ve got you covered.” From the backseat, Paul retrieved a brown cardboard case marked HERSHEY.
“No way,” Kendra said, reaching into the open box and pulling out a candy bar, as Paul watched her rip open the paper, amused.
“Nevada,” he said. “We should probably drive to the airport.”
“I’m not flying,” she replied, filling her mouth with chocolate. “I could drive all night.”
“We could take a red-eye. You’d be asleep the whole—”
“I’m not flying!”
“Okay, okay.” Paul knew better than to argue with a woman who had recently saved the human race.
Kendra stopped at a red light and chugged the rest of her water. “Just be ready for a lot of bathroom stops.”
Paul watched her smiling profile, and he was filled with the promise of a better world, where people of every nation accepted their differences. It was naive, he knew. Irrational. But then hope, he realized, was the only thing that kept civilization moving forward. It was like Kendra once told him. Ants have been around for a hundred million years. We’re still learning how to be human. Now that he saw the universe in a whole new light, anything was possible.
The light turned green against a stunning cobalt sky. In front of the jeep, the Washington Monument loomed like an arrow, pointing onward. Kendra shifted into gear with the wind in her face, and they blasted down Independence Avenue, to the last sliver of orange sun setting in the west.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A. J. Colucci lives in New Jersey and spent fifteen years as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and writer for corporate America before becoming a full-time author.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
THE COLONY. Copyright © 2012 by A. J. Colucci. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
Cover art by Shutterstock
ISBN 978-1-250-00129-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 9781250017314 (e-book)
First Edition: November 2012
The Colony: A Novel Page 23