Kat blanched. “The next paragraph says, ‘…every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne…”
When it came, the thought hit Drew hard.
He was cast out into the earth.
“Alfonso, do you remember the last time Vesuvius erupted?” he asked.
“Yes,” Alfonso said looking somewhat startled, “it was long before I was in Italy, but I watched the newsreels. It happened as allied troops were moving through Italy, clearing Europe of Nazis. The eruption caught them by surprise, and buried some of our planes and tanks with soot.”
“Do you think it’s merely coincidence that it happened as World War II wound down?”
“What do you mean?”
Drew started thinking out loud. “Well, based on what you’ve told us about Spartacus, and the volcano erupting after his rebellion, added to what I think we all know about Hitler, and it erupts as his war was falling apart? Now the medallions being sent to Italy—”
He didn’t even need to finish. The looks on all three faces told him they were with him.
“It was right under our noses the entire time,” Alfonso said staring off into space. “We just read, ‘He was cast out into the earth.’ Vesuvius must be the place where God cast the Devil into the earth. That’s where Luzveyn Dred intends to rise.”
“Dude, don’t all of those Sci-Fi shows have some sort of portal or weak spot where two dimensions connect?” Kat asked.
“I don’t really watch a lot of those shows, but I suppose so,” Drew said. “Vesuvius could be that place.”
“Don’t they have sensors that would warn of an eruption?” Kat asked.
“The Sogno di Guerra,” Alfonso grumbled. “They could find a way to sabotage them. The medallions in the hands of the wrong people during a time of crisis—” Alfonso grabbed Lopez by the arm. “We need to get going. Every medallion we prevent from getting to the Sogno di Guerra could translate into thousands of lives saved.”
“Of course,” Drew said, making a bizarre connection. “They’re a blessing and a curse.”
“Yes, they’re dangerous,” Alfonso said, “and they also give us—”
“No, for him,” Drew said. “They’re a blessing and a curse for him, for Luzveyn Dred. If they’re made of the Spatium Quartus, and if the Spatium Quartus is truly his prison, then the more of the Spatium Quartus he can send to this world, maybe the easier it is for him to escape.”
“Yes, that’s why we need to—”
“But,” Drew said forcefully, not allowing Alfonso to interrupt, “if the Spatium Quartus is Luzveyn Dred’s prison, and Luzveyn Dred is indeed the Devil, then Luzveyn Dred did not create the Spatium Quartus. That means the material the medallions are made of is a substance designed to keep Luzveyn Dred trapped…made by God!”
“That’s why he’s so intent on rounding up the medallions,” Lopez said. “They give us power over him.”
Lopez made a few phone calls, and in minutes he and Alfonso were ready to depart. They all stood just outside the house doorway. A stone-lined concrete path led toward the garage. The sky seemed brighter than when they’d arrived, but it could have just been Drew’s fatigue playing tricks with his imagination.
“What can we do to help?” he inquired feeling lost and disconnected. The numbness Drew had felt earlier was starting to wear off; pangs of sadness had started to seep into his system, but he tried to keep them at bay. He feared once they took hold, it would be difficult to function.
“First, you and Kat get on this computer and research the hell out of Vesuvius.” Lopez said. “No pun intended.”
No one laughed.
“Alfonso, you and I are going to have to share your medallion so that we can leave two with them.” Lopez looked to the older man for consent.
The old man nodded his approval.
“Oh,” Drew said to Alfonso, “Before you leave, I need to tell you that Padre Gennaro’s last words weren’t ‘protect your family’ they were actually ‘protect the little girl.’ I didn’t feel right saying that at the time in front of Nadia.”
“I understand, kid. You keep that little girl safe, now. She’s very special.”
“I will.”
Alfonso said his goodbyes, and trudged through the snow toward the garage.
“Yes, keep Alexis safe,” Lopez said looking at Kat. “Teach both of them a crash-course in Spatium Quartus survival. You know what they need to know. Basically, teach them everything I passed along to you, and do it in 24 hours.”
“Everything you taught me? Hell, I could do that in 5 minutes.” Kat winked at him.
Lopez handed her a medallion. It was the one Drew had found a few days earlier in Naples. It felt like he’d pulled it out of his suitcase years ago—a lifetime ago.
Lopez trotted off after Alfonso. Soon the pair was headed for LAX. As the rental car disappeared down the evergreen-lined driveway, Drew couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever see either of them again.
- Chapter Twenty Seven -
Just before dawn, Stanley pulled off the freeway, followed the signs, and parked his Lexus in the long-term lot. He grabbed his bags from the trunk. Having decided it was too dangerous to risk exposing the rescued medallions during a carry-on luggage search, he stashed them in the large suitcase, the one with the gun.
Even at the early hour, the international airport hummed with excitement. He walked through the sliding glass entrance and prepared himself for the glitz, glamour, and hypocrisy that awaited him at McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas.
While rubbing his road-weary eyes, he chuckled at how he’d listed all the southern California airports to the assassin and neglected to mention this one, just a four-hour drive away. He’d even reserved a dummy ticket for a flight out of Los Angeles in case Tapusscar, or anyone else, attempted to follow.
“Good morning. Can I see your identification, please?” the short, round ticket agent said with a smile, her voice devoid of emotion.
Stanley stepped to the counter and complied.
“And you’ll be flying to Newark this morning, Mr. Jordan?”
“No, I’ll be flying to Timbuktu,” he wanted to say to the fat, fake-smiling face.
Instead, growing annoyed with all the ancillary banality, he nodded.
“Oh boy, you’re cutting it pretty close,” she admonished, looking behind him. “And where is Mrs. Jordan? Is she nearby at all?”
In Stanley’s mind, he had already boarded this flight to Newark. There, he’d connect to flight number 40 to Rome, where another bogus wife, Mrs. Radcliff, would not be joining him either. The plan made it nearly impossible to find him.
“No,” he said a bit too loud. Then, donning the saddest face he could muster, “Mrs. Jordan caught a cold and couldn’t come with me this time.”
“Oh, poor thing,” she said with trite sympathy as she clicked away on the keyboard of her computer.
He wanted to scream at the condescending woman that soon demons from every nightmare would be paying her a visit.
“Here.” He handed her his registration for his Colt .45.
She blanched. “And this is whe—”
“In my checked bag, secured with the TSA approved lock, unloaded of course, per the law.”
- Chapter Twenty Eight -
The day prior to Night of Nights – Los Angeles, California
A faint bluish glow at the horizon birthed shades of lavender and peach, until finally, a hazy, gold-orange light bathed the airport runway. Stanley had not shown up, disappointing Lopez, Alfonso, and several plain-clothes officers strategically placed throughout the terminal. The flight attendant signaled that the doors were going to be sealed and the plane soon would be on its way to the city of brotherly love.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said to Lopez, “but all the passengers are boarded, seated, and we have a schedule to keep.”
&n
bsp; He nodded, gave one last look over his shoulder and handed her his boarding pass. As he and Alfonso walked down the tunnel toward the aircraft’s entrance, Lopez dialed a number he’d not called in quite some time. Despite the early-morning hour, he knew the call would not wake up the recipient; it was nearly 4 PM in Rome.
“Pronto?”
“Dr. Bernard Hyde, how goes la vita dolce?”
“Hector?” Hyde’s shocked voice asked.
“The one and only,” he said. Lopez could picture the doctor looking at his watch.
“Is everything all right?”
“Well, as good as can be expected considering Luzveyn Dred may be about to put an end to humanity as we currently know it.”
Something about Hyde made him say stuff like that.
“Have you learned something new?” Hyde asked, still sounding curious as to the timing of the call. “Is Kat all right?”
As he made his way into the airplane, Lopez told him that she was, and briefed Dr. Hyde on the exploits of Stanley, the Sogno di Guerra, and how that group had evolved from the Red Brigades. He excluded Alfonso’s biblical assertions. Hyde never had been a religious man. However, Lopez did mention the connection with the murdered Padre Gennaro.
“My goodness,” Hyde responded, “I saw that about the priest in the papers. It’s a big story here. Does this Stanley know who did it?”
“I don’t know,” Lopez countered. “If we had apprehended him here, I’d have stripped him of his medallion, linked to his sleeping mind, and gotten whatever information we need. But now, we need a backup plan to pick up his trail. He’ll certainly lead us to the Sogno di Guerra.”
Hyde indicated his willingness to help. “It will be good to be back making a contribution other than lecturing and grading papers.”
“I’ll have Kat try to track down which flight he’s coming in on,” Lopez said. “We might need you to follow him from the airport to wherever his first stop is. I should be able to take over from there. I’ll call you as soon as we land in Rome.”
The flight attendant was already giving him a stern look as he put the phone to his ear again.
“Kat, it’s me. Stanley was a no-show. I need you to research every flight departing the US landing in Rome or Naples before 8:45 AM. He’ll want to arrive before this flight lands. Then, crosscheck those flights with the picture database and see if we get lucky,” Lopez said tossing his bag into the overhead compartment.
“What should I do with the info when I find him?”
“Call Dr. Hyde. We may need to have him pick up the trail at the airport.”
There were a few seconds of silence. “Kat?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Isn’t there anyone else? Doesn’t Alfonso—”
“Kat, keeping in mind that this conversation is taking place over a cell phone, I’d like to keep this one in our family, if you understand my drift.”
“You never were a very trusting person, Hector.”
“Not unless I have to be. What did you find out about Vesuvius?”
“Well, Drew found a recent report from the 32nd World Geological Conference that said…” over the phone line, papers shuffled in the background.
“Here it is,” Kat continued, “that an explosive eruption was ‘just a matter of time.’ It described Vesuvius as the world’s most dangerous volcano and warned that, ‘by 2100, Mount Vesuvius will certainly repeat its most dramatic performance, the infamous eruption of 79 AD.’”
“But there would be warning signs enough to evacuate, right?”
“Not necessarily—even the experts admit they’d have two weeks or less to see clear signs of an eruption. What would happen if they’re wrong? The next time, no one would believe them. Besides, if they notify people too early and nothing happens for a week, ten days, people would start to return. Volcanologists walk a tightrope between not giving enough warning and causing undue panic.”
Lopez said the first word that came into his head. “Yikes.”
“Yeah, no shit, huh?” Kat continued, “The worst part is that numerous studies have been conducted that show citizens of Naples frankly don’t give a damn. For generations families have lived in Vesuvius’s shadow. Most wouldn’t evacuate until it’s too late.”
Lopez grunted. The flight attendant was making a beeline towards him not looking very happy.
“Kat, we’re taking off. Get those pictures of Stanley over to Dr. Hyde, pronto.” He held up his index finger to the stewardess. She mouthed the word “NOW” with emphasis.
“And tell your dad that I’ll call him as soon as we land in Rome.”
*
*
*
Kat took a deep breath that didn’t fill her with much confidence. It had been a long time since she’d talked to her dad, and she wasn’t sure how to feel. She hadn’t intended to fall out of touch. Nothing had happened to make her not want him in her life. The first couple years, she had rationalized it as protecting him—then, as protecting the operation. But that was just an excuse; Lopez maintained contact with his son. In any case, months had become years, and, at some point, not calling became the status quo.
Phone to ear, she heard the odd European ring and worried about his judgment of her. Honestly, that fear had held her back from calling more than anything else. Now he was to become involved—
“Pronto?”
“Dad, it’s me, Kat.”
A few seconds of silence.
“Hello, Katherine. How are you?”
His voice was concerned rather than distant or resentful. It surprised her some, but the relief relaxed her stomach. It felt like a long time since she’d breathed.
“I’m all right. You?”
“I’m good, Honey. It’s great to hear your voice.”
Ice broken, they briefly caught up before turning their attention to the looming task.
“I’ll email his flight info to you, but you’ve got to be careful.”
“Honey—”
“No, I mean it. I don’t want this guy or his friends getting into your head. He got one of us killed last night.”
“I may be an old man, but I’ve been around this game a long, long time.”
“Around. You’re not a spy Dad—you’re a scientist. Promise me you’ll follow this guy only until Hector gets there, then you turn it over to him.” She unexpectedly felt protective. “Promise or I don’t send it.”
“I’m sure your boss would be none too happy with that.”
“Dad! I’m not screwing around. I’ll—”
“Katherine, honey, I promise…”
“Dad, remember, ‘better to be safe –’”
“Yes, yes,” he said, “better to be safe, than a cadaver.”
“So you’ll be careful?”
“I swear it on your mother’s grave.”
The certainty in his voice was exactly what Kat wanted to hear, but it always hurt when he talked about her mom.
“All right, I’ll send it over right away. I’m on watch here, Dad. I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk again when this is all over, okay?”
“Sure, when it’s finished,” he said.
- Chapter Twenty Nine -
The day prior to Night of Nights – Lake Arrowhead, California
Sounds of female voices woke Drew with a start at 8 AM. His heavy eyes surveyed the stark bedroom from a bed not his own. Looking around at the black-and-white photographs of Lopez and his son, Jose, helped clear the cobwebs of his aching head. He needed aspirin.
“So tell me more about the angel,” Kat said from the other room, her melodic voice thick with curiosity.
Silence followed.
Alexis either didn’t want to answer, or was attempting to formulate her thoughts. Just as Drew was about to get up and join them, her reply froze him.
“He told me what happened to my mommy.”
“Wow, you have beautiful hair,” Kat said casually. “Want me to put it in braids, or a pigtail, or ponytails? Or, I could just brush it and put b
arrettes in?”
“Yeah, barrettes,” Alexis said, “Mommy likes it that way.”
Drew lay still so that the conversation could play out unimpeded. He could hear their bed creak as the girls sat down. He could hear Kat brushing Alexis’s hair as she began to probe. “So what did the angel say happened to your mom?”
“He said she’s with God now.”
“He did?”
“Yeah.” There was a long pause. “I’ll see her again. It’ll be a long time, like when mommy goes on vacation. He said I’d be okay ‘cuz he’ll watch over me and ‘cuz I know how much my mommy loved me.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Um,” Alexis paused again. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Drew staggered out to join them. It was his job to deal with Alexis, not Kat’s. She’d been up all night, and it was her turn to sleep.
Kat spoke in hushed tones as Drew entered the hallway.
“Okay, we can talk about something else, but the angel is right. After my mommy died, I felt more than ever that she loved me, and sometimes she even visited me in my dreams.”
“She did?”
“Yep,” Kat replied, seeming to dangle the information out there to see if the child opened up any more.
“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
Drew chuckled at the unexpected reply of a child’s mind flitting to another topic. Kat may have met her match in terms of garnering information from a subject. He tarried only a moment in the doorway as Kat’s surprised reply spilled out.
“I, well, I had one, but he didn’t understand about my work.”
“Oh,” Alexis sighed as if she understood perfectly. “Do you want another one?”
As if on cue, Drew burst into the room with a flurry of apologies to Kat for sleeping in, and thanked her for watching Alexis. She looked grateful to be relieved of her post. Her blood-shot eyes, still bright and alert, were surrounded by dark circles.
He bent and gave Alexis a hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and she remained plastered to him as he rose back to a standing position. Her head, turned away, rested on his shoulder. She pulled back.
“My mommy died, Drew.”
“I know, Angel. How about we talk about it while we make some breakfast?”
Dream War Page 20