Cole handed the flashlight back to Josh and lifted the drum up and off the small drilling rig. The whirring sound resumed, instantly loud in the confines of the cave.
“All right, Irina, how do we shut it down?” Faith asked.
“I don’t know!” I said.
“There’s no panel or switches.” Cole examined the structure.
Nellie carefully placed her hand on the drill’s framework. Her copper nails glinted reflecting the glow of the flashlight.
“The circuit is rigged to ignite the detonator automatically in the event of a short. If we tamper with the wiring, this thing will blow.”
“Can’t you hack it somehow? Isn’t that your specialty?” said Faith to Nellie.
“It’s not a network with software and a password. It’s a drill rigged with a bomb,” said Nellie.
“There’s a remote. Waynesburg said they could go as far as the mouth of the cave and it would still work.”
“You said they’re in the Golden Gate National Park?” said Jonah.
“That’s north of here. I saw it on the map on the way into the city,” said Bruno.
“Then we need to find them and get the remote to shut it down,” said Nellie.
“What if they’re already on the way here? Or what if someone decides to mess with this thing before we get back?” said Faith.
“If this machine is designed to trigger an earthquake, anyone who tampers with it might set it off immediately. Probably starting with a cave-in right here,” said Cole.
“We’ll stay. Cole will guard the machine and I’ll keep the wall up,” said Ilya.
“I’ll stay too. You’ll need me if something goes wrong,” said Adelaide.
I shot a look of panic at Ilya. My eyes darted to Cole and back to Ilya.
“It’s okay. It’s under control,” said Ilya.
I relaxed. “We should go now.”
“Nellie and I will go back up top and keep Ralph company,” said Bruno.
“I’ll give you my tablet. It’s better than a phone for maps and photos,” said Nellie.
The Golden Gate Bridge gleamed on the road ahead like an elegant red carpet stretching across the bay. Late afternoon sun gave the landscape a nostalgic yellow hue, illuminating the bridge to a fiery shade of vermillion.
I bounced in my seat and wrung my hands as we made our way across in the midst of rush hour traffic. “I’m not sure where their campsite is, but at some point they were in the Muir Woods.”
Faith called up a map on Nellie’s tablet and passed it to me. I searched for images of campgrounds in the Golden Gate National Park. I scrolled through useless images of campsite crops and tents as we neared the end of the Golden Gate Bridge.
“This one!” I shouted out. “Hawk Camp. This is the one they’re at!”
“How far is it?” said Josh.
“Stay on the 101 through Sausalito. Once we get to Marin City, we should see Exit 445B,” I said.
I sat on the edge of my seat until Highway 101 presented us with a sign for Exit 445B. Josh took the exit. The road took us straight to Hawk Campground. The parking lot had dozens of cars and trucks in it.
“All right. Now what?” Josh shut off the Jeep’s engine.
“Now we follow Irina,” said Jonah. “Just like Sombrio, remember?” Jonah added to me.
“But at Sombrio we weren’t looking for someone who wanted to kill us,” I said, widening my eyes as I held Jonah’s gaze.
“I’m still not sure Ivan wants us dead. Doesn’t that seem a bit extreme? I think he’d try to lock us up again and run tests.” Faith snapped a wad of gum I hadn’t realized she was chewing.
“And you’d be okay with that?” said Jonah.
“No, I’m saying he’s not hell bent on shooting us on sight,” said Faith.
“Don’t be so sure about that. It won’t be Ivan that shoots you, but he’s usually packing security wherever he goes.” Josh touched his gun.
I thought I saw him switch off the safety. “I didn’t see Thorn in my vision. It was a quaint little campground. They just happened to have a trailer full of specimens. I didn’t see any security.”
“Then you missed something,” said Josh.
“So we’ll go carefully,” said Jonah.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather wait here?” I said to Jonah. The concern in my voice gave away my true motive.
“Agreed, Irina and I should go by ourselves,” Josh said decisively to both Jonah and Faith.
“I’m fine! How many times do I have to say it?” Jonah blurted angrily.
“Maybe we should hang back. Less people means less noise. Irina still has to find the place. Josh has military training so he can track silently and guard Irina.” Faith tilted her hand as though Josh’s suggestion had been obvious.
Josh retrieved a hunting knife and another gun from his glove compartment, adding them to the contents of his vest. “Provided we don’t run into anyone, we’ll be there and back before the sun sets.”
“Do you think we can get the remote without fighting them for it?” I said.
“It’s hard to say. I need to evaluate their camp. We’ll come up with an entry strategy once I know what we’re dealing with,” said Josh.
“And we’ll stay here.” Faith looked at Jonah sternly. He glared back at her and at me.
“Let’s go. Irina, you lead.” Josh got out of the Jeep and I followed obediently.
I didn’t look back as we headed along a dirt trail into the campground. I led the way along a dirt path flanking a zigzag fence made of weathered rough-hewn pieces of lumber. I still didn’t recognize the area and my stomach started to twist.
Every campsite we passed was occupied. I met the gaze of several campers, a mom, a young girl, a grandfather. I couldn’t allow a fight to break out around here. I kept marching with Josh alongside. “I still don’t see the right spot. I’m hoping this is the wrong place. Too many civilians in the line of fire.”
“That’s why we’re scouting now, not going in hot. As soon as you catch sight of something familiar, let me know and I’ll handle our approach.”
We neared the edge of the campsite and the trail headed off into a dense forest. The chatter of the campsites faded behind us as we reached the tree line.
“I think they’re in here. They were in a grove of tall trees. I won’t know for sure until we’re inside,” I whispered to Josh.
“Okay this is good. We can use the forest for cover. I’ll lead now.”
We left the trail and skirted the tree line until Josh became satisfied we had a good spot to enter the forest. He gestured with a finger to his lips indicating silence. I followed him, crouching and ducking behind trees as he did.
We made slow progress, but my nerves weren’t in a hurry to discover our quarry. Josh caught sight of something and his arm shot out to block my next step. He pointed at his eye, and then he pointed to a white spot between the trees ahead. The trailer!
Josh gestured for me to stay put. He went on alone. I let the professional scout do his job without argument. I crouched down in a patch of ferns to wait. My heartbeat hammered a frantic rhythm drawing Josh’s absence from minutes into hours.
Rustles and snaps sounded in the trees around me. Birds chirped. A woodpecker hammered a trunk. I flinched as something scuffled through the brush. A whoosh overhead sent adrenaline through my veins. I gave a sigh of relief as I realized it was only a bird.
Josh eventually returned, shockingly silent as he walked through the underbrush. He gestured at his lips for continued silence and I followed him back out of the woods. Once we were back on the trail towards the campsites, Josh finally opened his mouth at a whisper. “It’s them. Their perimeter has a trip wire. Probably alarmed.”
“
Can we get in? How do we get the remote?”
“I’ll come back at night on my own. I might not be able to get anything from them without using deadly force. I won’t know until I’m in it.”
“Should we go back to the Sutro Baths first?”
“We should watch the park entrance so we know if they leave. Don’t worry. This is what I’m trained to handle.”
Chapter 18
We arrived back at the parking lot and a wave of relief washed over me as I saw Faith and Jonah right where we left them sitting comfortably in the back of Josh’s Jeep. Twilight took hold as we crossed the parking lot. I squinted to see the outlines of Faith and Jonah’s heads through the glass. I smiled, remembering a time when I would have felt gut-wrenching anxiety at seeing Faith and Jonah tucked in a back seat together. With disaster on the horizon, both their feelings were the least of my worries.
“I’ll move the Jeep farther down the road before I head out again,” said Josh as we arrived at our respective doors.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone? When should we start to worry?”
“Worry about what?” said Jonah.
“We found Ivan, Tatiana, and Waynesburg. Josh is going back to steal the remote for the drill,” I said.
“That’s great, right?” said Faith, leaning towards me.
“It could get complicated. We can’t afford to underestimate Ivan. He’s not liable to be guarding something he values so much with nothing more than an alarm and his wits,” said Josh.
Hairs on the back of my neck prickled and I felt as though someone watched us.
“We’ll go with you then.” Jonah’s eyebrows arched with eagerness.
“Yeah, now that you’ve scoped the place, you can use us for something,” said Faith.
“California doesn’t exactly need more forest fires,” I said looking down the bridge of my nose at Faith’s casual attitude.
“I work best alone anyway. Brute force isn’t the way to go here. I’ll disarm the trip wire, sneak into the trailer, find the remote, and slip back out. If I’m gone longer than an hour, leave and go back to the cave for the others. If I can’t get this remote, then we can’t stop that earthquake, and we need to get the hell out of town,” said Josh.
“We won’t leave you with Ivan,” said Faith.
“Don’t worry about me. The worst thing he’ll be able to do is detain me. He can’t shoot, stab, freeze or burn me. If he wants to take me out, it’s going to take time and planning on his part,” said Josh.
“So if you’re caught, run. If he shoots, so what?” said Jonah.
“He doesn’t want to lead them back to us,” I said.
Josh smirked and started his Jeep. “It’s going to be fine. I know what I’m doing.”
We pulled out of the parking lot and drove about halfway back to the highway. Josh turned onto an access road blocked off by a metal fence and a cattle grid.
I looked into the back seat at Jonah and Faith. I wanted to see their expressions to gauge their mood. Both looked anxious. I turned back to Josh as he shut the engine off and something moved outside his window. I strained to make out features. Thorn!
I shrieked as the horrible decayed mouth and tangled matted mane came into focus. Josh stared at the gate ahead. Thorn opened the driver’s door and grabbed a fistful of Josh’s shirt. Thorn yanked Josh out of the vehicle. My door popped open. The tattooed Victoria street girl gripped my bicep and flexed her forearm, bringing life to her giant tarantula tattoo.
The spider raced from its owner’s flesh, up my shoulder and onto my neck.
“Get it off! Get it off!” I screamed.
I felt the pinpricks of the creature’s legs and a sharp pain as the spider’s fangs sank into my skin. The world went black.
I blinked groggily coming back to consciousness in front of a campfire. I sensed bodies around me. I felt my arms pinned behind me, secured by something I couldn’t interpret through the fog of anesthesia.
My vision regained clarity slowly, blink after blink, heartbeat after heartbeat. We were all tied up around the campfire. Josh’s dark beard stubble, Jonah’s glossy black hair, and Faith’s springy dreads were struck dramatically with firelight.
Each of us was secured to tent chairs with Thorn’s sticky silken webbing wrapped around us like grotesque cocoons. Jonah stayed unconscious, his head drooped listlessly forward. Josh jolted awake, gained his bearings, and squinted at something behind me. Faith roused slowly.
I looked down at my chest to evaluate the condition of my cocoon. The revolting material had the consistency of a spider’s nest with the strength of fishing twine. I could move only enough to flex my arms and suck air into my lungs.
“Wake up kids,” said a woman’s voice I didn’t recognize.
“Welcome to California!” said a more familiar voice.
I looked up to see the white-haired man from my vision. Waynesburg.
I turned my head to see the tattooed woman standing next to me. My nerves seized and relaxed again. I noted her crossed arms and placid face. I saw no sign of Thorn, Ivan, or Tatiana.
I tried to levitate myself, but nothing happened. I focused on each of my friends, but nothing happened. Faith concentrated on the campfire, having as much luck me.
“I have to thank you for coming to visit us tonight. If it had been my call, Thorn would have killed you both,” Waynesburg said. “After he smelled you in the wind, I would have given him the green light to kill your entire little troop. Irina, you’re lucky your father still wants you alive. Hell, you’re all lucky to be prisoners instead of dead bodies. Ivan is still willing to make a place for all of you in the new variant world. Since your little pack of renegades is so determined to interfere, you’ve given us an excuse to accelerate our timeline. Ivan is so eager to test my drill. I’ve been waiting years myself. Admittedly, I have my reservations about hitting the button a little early.”
“You can’t!” I croaked. I whipped my head around looking for Ivan, Tatiana, and Thorn. They were all gone. I knew without asking they were on their way to the Sutro Baths cave.
“The city! Those people!” blurted Faith.
“Why is Ivan risking exposure here?” said Josh.
“There’s no risk, you idiot. California has earthquakes all the time. No one’s going to go looking for a cause. We will be at a safe distance. I can’t say the same for whoever you left to guard the drill.”
Scathing hate filled Faith’s voice. “People like you make my skin crawl. You’re so selfish. You think nothing of ruining an entire planet for billions of people.”
“That’s the plan. But, you know what’s coming,” said Waynesburg.
“What makes you think you can remake the world with any measure of control?” I asked.
“Science. You kids really aren’t too bright, are you?”
“Okay, you’ve had years to plan. Say your science is right on the money. You’ve got the best kung-fu in town. Good for you. How can you justify it?” said Josh.
“I don’t have to justify myself to you. Any of you.” Waynesburg looked around at us.
“Ivan is nuts, so let’s write him off entirely. But you, you’re a human being with a conscience. Are you even a variant? How can you be sure Ivan will let you join his club in the new world order?” I asked.
“Why don’t you let me worry about my fate, sweetie?”
“Sir, what do you want us to do with the rebels until morning?” said the tattooed girl.
“My friend needs water. He’s aquakinetic. He’ll die if he doesn’t stay hydrated,” I said.
Waynesburg ignored me. “Split them up. Have Rose and Sage carry them up to those hills. Make sure they’re all a long way from civilization.”
“Rose and Sage?” said Faith.
“Are you listening? Jonah could die! He needs water.” I raised my voice.
Our pale winged friends both stepped out of the darkness. The orange firelight, hid the blue hue of their skin, but their pale platinum hair shone like spun gold. They wore identical pale pink dresses and specially tailored dark brown leather jackets the same texture as their wings.
They flexed and closed their wings in unison. Faint snaps and cracks popped from a far off point in the forest. Help for us? Or more malicious variants? I seemed to be the only one who heard the sounds. I tried my best version of a poker face as the twins eyed me.
“What are you doing with these assholes?” yelled Faith.
“You can’t be on their side!” I shouted.
I looked at Faith with incredulity, trying to fuel her rage while I strained to hear sound from the trees.
“Have you seriously never considered what our lives are like? Living around human society, but never in it,” said Rose.
“Everyone but us gets to have a life. We’re sick of it,” said Sage.
“Why do you suddenly get to put yourselves before every other person on this planet?” I said. If help was coming, I wanted an argument with the twins drowning out any footsteps in the forest.
“Peter’s right. We don’t have to justify ourselves to you,” said Rose.
“No, let’s talk justification.” Sage gestured aimlessly at the world around her as she walked towards me. “Ivan is your father. Both you and Ilya are betraying your own blood. For them.”
“I am them,” I said.
“Well we’re NOT!” shouted Sage. Crackling underbrush echoed somewhere close.
A visceral animal snarl like something from an enraged wild cat erupted in the dark, somewhere right outside the campsite. Was Thorn still around, lurking out of sight? The snarl rumbled into a deep growl and stopped.
The Compendium Page 14