by RM Brewer
Regardless of whether Chuck was alive, Fester knew it was only a matter of time until he left Mountain City. Where he went would depend on where the news of Gypsum took him. While he waited for some information that would compel him to act, he’d started working after school at the local camping goods store. Each week, he spent a portion of his paycheck on supplies to sustain his trip. These, he hid in a box, buried in a shallow hole he’d dug near his favorite redwood tree. A few more months and he’d have enough money and supplies to make his way back to the desert to look for leads. Fester sat down and leaned against a stump, flipped open his pocketknife and grabbed a stick, whittling it with a ferocity that kept pace with his impatience.
He mentally took stock of what he'd cached so far. Dehydrated food for a week, a small camp stove, ultralight cookware and utensils, a water purification bottle, canteens, a tarp and lightweight sleeping bag, flashlight, a solar charging unit and various other supplies. He'd also kept the two-way radios that Jodie and Nick had been using, thinking he and Chuck might need them. These supplies would occupy the main compartment of his backpack. He left the outer compartments for easy access to ammunition. He'd have to borrow one of Nick's guns. Knowing Nick wouldn't like that, Fester already felt guilty.
But, he had no choice. Once he'd found the remnants of the Gypsum Corporation's underground tunnels, he'd be in mortal danger. Fester let out a nervous laugh, thinking of what he would be facing. Mutants, virals, Gypsum guards, corrupt government officials, and those were just the things he understood. Then, there were the actual aliens who were trying to destroy the planet, the creatures his father was in league with because he was too scared, too much of a coward, to do anything about.
Fester began to imagine what they must look like when he glanced at his watch, finding that an hour had passed since he'd sat down by the tree. Surely, Jodie must be home by now. He folded his knife, tossed the remnants of the whittled stick into the woods and started running for the cabin.
* * *
Jodie stepped into her room and set her suitcase down on the bed. She glanced over at the jar of pinecones on the dresser, thinking of a moment not so long ago, when she and Mei stood in the same spot she was standing in right now, unaware of the fate awaiting them. She felt her eyes cloud with tears inspired by fear of what could be happening to Mei at that very moment. Gritting her teeth, she pushed back the frustration gripping her over knowing she could do nothing to stop it. Jodie pulled out her satellite phone and dialed the contact number at her team's headquarters. A man answered and she recognized his voice immediately as Wayne Alston, the team Communications Director.
"Password?" he said.
Jodie provided the sequence of numbers, letters, and characters issued by Wayne to her team every five days, which they were expected to commit to memory.
"Director Watts," Wayne said, "Nice to talk with you, although I thought you were taking a few days off."
She laughed, wondering if she really knew how to take a day off anymore. After all, this was her life now. "Just checking in and letting you know I've arrived at my destination."
"Yes. I just saw you from Heaven Base," Wayne said.
Jodie found herself shuddering, thinking of what could be seen from satellites. Heaven Base, a series of satellites that roamed the globe, was part a secret reconnaissance program used to spy on whomever a few select government officials were interested in for the moment. The project had been so secret that the President himself had briefed her on its existence. He'd put its operation in the hands of her team. "Yeah, I seem to forget that you know where I am before I do. Thanks for keeping an eye on me."
"We got you for the next four days. I'd highly suggest against skinny-dipping in that lake across the street. You know, high resolution and all."
Jodie smiled, thinking Wayne's sense of humor was a lot like Bob's, the partner she'd lost when they'd first infiltrated the Gypsum facility. Feeling sadness tugging at her, she pushed thoughts of Bob out of her mind. "I'll take note of that."
"Hey, by the way, there's a young man running in your direction right now. Looks like that Fester kid you’ve showed us pictures of. Seems he might be a little excited about your visit."
Jodie looked out the back window of the cabin, seeing a figure moving closer. Fester had definitely grown a few inches taller than she remembered him. "Yeah, I see him. I'd better go. Call me if anything at all comes up."
"You got it, boss," Wayne said. "Have a great time in small town, USA. I'll get back to the party now."
Jodie laughed and hung up, amazed that people who'd lost so much could still have a sense of humor. She clipped the satellite phone to her belt just as she heard the front door open.
“Well hello, Fester,” Jodie’s father said. “How was your nature hike?”
Jodie walked out of her room and down the hallway to where her father stood. Fester’s face lit up when he saw her.
“Okay,” he said in response to her father, looking hesitant until he ran toward her.
Jodie gripped him in a bear hug, finding he’d not only grown taller in the past few months but had bulked up quite a bit, too. Fester was becoming a man and a strong man at that. “Wow, Fester. You’re growing like a weed. A muscle-bound weed, too. Look at you.” Jodie noticed Fester blushing. He looked down at his feet.
“You look better than you did before you left, too,” Fester said. Then, he blushed again and looked away. “I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”
“No, you’re right," Jodie said, laughing. "I’ve probably put on about ten pounds since we saw each other last. Oh, and I haven’t been shot for at least a couple of months now.”
“Well, that is progress now, isn’t it?” Jodie’s father said. “You two are quite a pair. I’ll let you catch up. I’m going to bring up some wood for the fire tonight.”
“Do you need help?” Fester asked.
Jodie’s father shook his head. “No, I’ve got it,” he said, waving as he closed the door.
When they'd talked on the phone recently, her father had told her that Fester was starting to become withdrawn and had been asking lots of questions about Chuck as of late. Her dad was giving them time to talk alone.
“How’ve you been doing, living here?” Jodie asked.
Fester shrugged. “Okay, I guess. It’s different. You know, without Mom . . . it’s nice not to have to be alone, though.”
Jodie reached out and put her hand on Fester’s shoulder. “I’m sure it’s still very difficult.”
Fester nodded. “I was wondering if you’d heard anything about Chuck yet.”
After thinking about the confrontation she would inevitably have with Fester, Jodie had decided she wouldn’t keep anything from him. She trusted him and knew he cared enough about Chuck not to put him in jeopardy. “I have,” she said. “But, you have to know that Chuck is still in danger and until we find out if Gypsum is no longer in the world domination business, no one can know about any of this.”
Fester nodded. “I understand. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I know this is hard, but not even Noah,” Jodie said, thinking of how different Noah was from Fester. Unlike the brooding Fester, Noah had just joined the football team, was popular in school and seemed to harbor no darkness anywhere in his life. Fester nodded again.
“I’ll talk with Nick and Christy, but you know as well as I do that Noah’s in a different place than we are right now.”
Fester looked back down at his feet. “Yeah, it’s kind of like nothing even happened. Like Isaiah --”
Jodie noticed his face flushing again. The pain he was holding inside was evident and her eyes stung, realizing they were harboring the same horrible memories. Surely, seeing Chuck would help both of them to deal with some of that. She took Fester’s hand and led him over to the couch, where they sat down. “Look, I don’t know what kind of shape Chuck’s in. It can’t be good, though, with what he went through, but I really don’t know. His body might recover from things
differently. I’m going to see him tonight and I promise I’ll tell you what I find out. It’s just not safe for you to come with me quite yet.”
Fester nodded. “Will you tell him that I want to see him?”
Jodie reached over and squeezed Fester’s hand. “Of course, I will. Then, when we know he's somewhere safe, I'll arrange a visit for you. You’ll have to be patient.”
“Okay,” Fester said, with the biggest smile she’d seen on his face in a very long time. “So, can I see him tomorrow, then?
CHAPTER 3
Claire Hathaway set her steaming microwaved meal on her desk and stared into space, her mind traveling back to a time not so long ago. It seemed like only yesterday she'd sat at a table, laughing with her family over dinner. They had been celebrating after hearing the news that she'd just been offered a position at the FBI. She recalled the look on her father's face being one of pure pride. Her younger brother, Ben, had started calling her Agent Hathaway the moment he heard the news.
The happy times she recalled were gone now, though. She’d only been at her new position for about a month before the carnage began. There had been no word of her parents' whereabouts since New York City flooded. Claire felt a stream of tears escape her eyes as she thought of her brother, Ben. He'd been a freshman at Yale when the massive tsunami set off by the earthquakes in Cuba had blasted the eastern seaboard of the United States. There had been no chance for escape for millions as they went about their daily routines, unaware of the danger until it was too late. Even if Ben had escaped the rising waters, he was sure to have been killed by the blasts and contaminants spewing from nuclear power plants and oil refineries. The soil, air, and water in much of the eastern United States were toxic now.
That scenario had played out across the globe as earthquakes in California, Cuba and Egypt set off a chain reaction of aftershocks and tectonic activity that had yet to stop completely, even months later. An estimated billion people had been killed and millions more displaced by the devastation. Claire knew she’d been one of the lucky ones, out of harm’s way when things fell apart, but sometimes, she felt anything but lucky.
Claire suddenly realized her face was wet with tears and grabbed a box of tissues sitting next to her computer monitor. She was surprised to see a message pop up in the lower corner of the screen, alerting her to activity on the phone line she'd been watching. Jane McKinley's last known number was in use. Claire glanced at the date on the monitor, excited, yet wondering why Jane would be using the phone earlier than her team had expected. She grabbed her office phone and called her teammate, Tyrese, to find out what he knew.
"Already on it," he said as he picked up the call. "You won't believe this, but it looks like she's local, like as in, about fifty miles away. She's communicating with a Utah number."
“I’ll be right there,” Claire said, hanging up the phone. Walking as fast as she could into Tyrese’s office in the adjacent trailer, Claire contemplated calling Jodie. She hesitated though, knowing this might be Jodie's only chance at a few days away for a very long time. Better wait until they pinpointed Jane McKinley and her contact's exact locations.
Tyrese was typing at a frantic pace as Claire approached his desk. "Should we send the drones to take a look?" she asked.
"You bet," Tyrese mumbled, typing a code into the deployment program. "And, they're off."
"ETA is about fifteen minutes, by my calculations," Claire said. "We might be able to actually see her talking on the phone while we're listening in. Audio should pick up the call once the drone gets closer to her local network. I’m going, Tyrese. I don’t want her to get away this time.” Claire grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down the address flashing on Tyrese’s screen. ‘Call me as soon as you have visual.”
“Should I call Jodie, too?” Tyrese asked.
“Let’s wait until I have eyes on our target. I don’t want to interrupt her if Jane’s phone goes silent before we can get to her.”
Tyrese nodded. “I’ll let you know as soon as we've got her on video.”
Claire ran from the trailer and jumped in the Land Rover issued to her by the FBI. She wondered why Jane McKinley would break protocol and use her phone outside of the sequence she’d established, but maybe this was the mistake that would finally lead the team to Walter McKinley and, ultimately, to the remnants of the Gypsum Corporation. Claire drove as fast as she could, knowing that their success depended on her getting to her target before it moved.
The desert night was pitch black, illuminated only by the glow of the Milky Way overhead. Claire glanced at the sky as she drove, knowing deep down that somewhere above her, Gypsum was probably working feverishly to rebuild, to restart their program of energy extraction. She drove as fast as she could, the same set of questions she’d had for months now milling through her mind, over and over. She wanted to know why. Why in a universe so big, couldn’t beings learn to share resources? Claire laughed, thinking that maybe extraterrestrial civilizations were no more advanced than humans, with an insatiable need to own and control everything of perceived value. But, to Gypsum, nothing that really meant something was important anymore. There were no hopes, dreams or aspirations more critical to those in power than to control the earth’s energy. Not too different from what humans have been doing for hundreds of years, Claire thought. Now, the energy grab was just on a grander scale than the oil and coal deposits of earth.
In the back of her mind, Claire heard an alarm ringing. Gradually, she pulled herself from her thoughts and came to identify the sound as her cell phone. She picked up the phone and recognized the number on the display as Tyrese’s. Claire took the call on her car speaker. “Hi, Tyrese. Is our drone at the subject address yet?”
“Sure is,” Tyrese said. “We don’t have audio yet, but should any minute. You’ll have to go in on foot, though. The signal is coming from a warehouse that’s completely exposed.”
“Shit,” Claire muttered under her breath. She’d been hoping for the cover of a residential neighborhood or someplace she wouldn’t be so conspicuous. “I’m twenty miles away yet. Let me know when audio is on, okay?”
“You bet,” Tyrese said. “It should --” The call cut off abruptly, but not before she heard a noise she didn’t expect. It sounded like gunfire.
“Tyrese?” Claire asked, her hands shaking as a rapid busy signal blared from the car speakers. Claire hung up and dialed the field office, greeted again by the intermittent pulse of the busy signal. A feeling of coldness washed over her and she gasped, realizing she’d been holding her breath since re-dialing the field office. “Oh, God,” she said, pulling over to the side of the road, where she dialed Tyrese’s personal cell phone number. A standard recording greeted her, indicating that the subscriber was not available. In an instant, Claire understood. She clawed at the back of her phone, pulling the back plate off and taking out the battery. They’d been set up.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Claire noticed a flash of light in the distance behind her, its intensity growing as it approached. She knew they were coming for her. Claire slammed her foot down on the accelerator. She was on her own now and would have to rely on everything she’d learned at the FBI to make her escape.
The Land Rover slid sideways as Claire tore across the sandy road leading to an off-highway vehicle trail. For the moment, the lights behind her disappeared and she pushed the speed as high as she could. About a mile down the road, the lights appeared behind her again.
She’d need to find a way off this road and soon if she was going to elude Gypsum. She almost didn’t notice the campground sign until she was right on top of it and took the turn at a precarious speed, the Land Rover sliding into the ditch. She floored the gas pedal again and fishtailed back up onto the gravel. A parking area lay ahead, filled with trucks and trailers loaded with all-terrain vehicles. Claire slowed the Land Rover and parked, wedging it between a large trailer and a woodlot just off the parking area. It wouldn’t provide cover for long, but if she was luc
ky, maybe she’d be gone before that mattered.
Claire grabbed her gun, flashlight, disassembled phone, and a toolkit from the vehicle before sprinting toward a line of ATVs parked at the campground entrance. She was disappointed to find none with keys. Choosing one with gas cans strapped to the rack, she held her flashlight between her teeth and got to work, pulling the ignition switch bundle out of the dash and flicking off the end with a screwdriver. One tug on the engine pull and the ATV roared to life. Claire jumped on, knowing she’d probably awakened its owner. She needed to get on the trail as fast as she could and hoped she could find her way in the dark until she was out of sight of the campground.
She moved quickly, yet slowly enough not to create a dust cloud that anyone could spot. Hopefully, soon she’d be far enough away so no one would hear her when they arrived at the parking area. Turning back, she could see headlights illuminating the campground area. Whoever was following her was close now. There was no time to waste. Claire revved the accelerator on the ATV, driving as fast as she could. There was only one place she could think of where she might be safe and probably only one person she would be safe with. She needed to find Jodie.
* * *
Jodie got in her SUV and waved goodbye to her father. Christy, Nick and Noah would be late getting home, so she decided to make the trip to see Chuck before dinner. She was anxious to hear what Chuck had been through and how he’d escaped the fireball that consumed Area 51.