Earth Yell: Book 5 in the Earth Song Series

by Nick Cook

  Tom nodded. ‘I’ll look into it and see if we can charter a suitable vessel with a team to operate it. Ideally, something that won’t raise any eyebrows.’

  Ruby sat forward. ‘Um, Jodie, I hate to add to your workload, but would it be possible to add some underwater weapons systems to Ariel too? Maybe even some WASP drones modified for underwater use?’

  ‘Hey, add to my workload why don’t you, but yes that shouldn’t be a problem,’ Jodie replied.

  ‘Now that I’m liking the sound of, especially if it means I don’t have to get my feet wet,’ Ruby said. ‘Absolutely loathe the water. All those things with eyes and sharp teeth lurking beneath the surface waiting to bite you.’

  ‘Not a big fan of Jaws then?’ Mike asked.

  Ruby just shuddered in response.

  Alice glanced across at Tom. ‘Can I leave it to you to get everything organised for an initial reconnaissance mission with Lauren and her team?’

  ‘Absolutely! As time is of the essence, I suggest we aim to head out tomorrow to track down this Carlos Fernández to see what he knows. The sooner we gather some intelligence on the ground about what’s going on out there, the happier I’ll be.’

  ‘I think you’re speaking for all of us, Tom,’ I said.

  ‘It will also mean that I can start placing those seismic sensors across Cuba sooner rather than later.’

  Ruby clutched her hands together. ‘But we’ll still be here to see the Osprey Squadron off, right?’

  Of course, Ruby wanted to be here to see Jane off on her critical mission to 16 Psyche. And who could blame her? It might be months, longer even, until she saw Jane again.

  ’I should think so; it will take me a while to get everything organised,’ Tom said.

  ‘Oh thank God for that,’ Ruby said, slumping back into her chair.

  As the meeting broke up and people began to head off, Jack caught my eye. ‘Sounds like this is going to be an interesting mission, Lauren.’

  ‘Aren’t they always? Anyway, I don’t know about you but I’m sure I’ve got room for some more of Jerry’s barbeque.’

  Jack stood up and offered me his hand. ‘Then let’s get to it.’

  ‘Lauren, could I have a word alone with you before you go?’ Lucy’s voice said from the screen

  I raised my eyebrows at Jack. ‘Of course. I’ll see you there, Jack.’

  He nodded but gave me a look as he disappeared out of the door.

  ‘Is everything okay, Lucy?’ I asked as soon as the door had closed behind him.

  ‘Not completely. Look, I know Tom isn’t keen on me heading out on missions after I managed to get myself shot down, not to mention what happened here in Eden with Red. But the theory is one thing and not being by your side on a mission is completely another. You do know I’m going to be worried sick about you all?’

  ‘I sort of guessed that. But we both know that this is the right call, Lucy. You’re just too valuable to throw into the frontline anymore.’

  ‘And you’re not?’

  ’To be absolutely blunt, not as much as you are. Look, I understand how you must be feeling about being asked to stay behind, but I’ll rest easier knowing that you’re safe here. And if we do discover a micro mind down there on the seabed, then I’m sure that not even Tom will object to you making a field trip to merge with it. So for now, let’s park this conversation and revisit it later on.’

  ‘Right…’

  Lucy’s tone made it evident to me that she was less than happy about the situation. But whether she understood it or not, I knew deep down it really was for the best.

  ‘Okay, how about this for a great idea?’ I said, making a very deliberate attempt to lighten the mood. ‘Let me go and grab you some of that barbecue and then I’ll pop over to E8 so you can try for yourself. I promise you it’s going to blow your silicon mind.’

  ‘My mind isn’t actually made from silicon like your computer chips, but it would take too long to explain the physics of E8, where my main matrix resides. Anyway, some of Jerry’s barbeque sounds wonderful right now.’

  ‘Then I’m all over it and I’ll see you in person soon,’ I said, heading towards the door. But as I stepped out into the corridor, I also had a sinking feeling inside.

  The subject of Lucy remaining behind was something that I’d already discussed at length with Tom. The real truth was that Lucy wasn’t the only one who wasn’t entirely happy about her not coming along with us. Despite it making sense on so many levels, without the extra edge that Lucy’s abilities had frequently brought us – not least being able to simply hop across to the twilight zone when a mission got tricky – if we did run into trouble we really would be on our own this time. And that made me more uncomfortable than anything else. But at least on this occasion we were just talking about a recon mission here.

  If I’d had any idea about just how wrong that particular thought was going to turn out to be, I would have turned straight round and headed back into the briefing room to plead with Lucy to come with us after all and to hell with the consequences. But as they say, that’s bloody hindsight for you.

  Chapter Three

  As the sunrise crested the jungle, shadows stretched like long fingers across the clearing on the small hilltop that we were sitting on. Jack, Mike, Ruby, me and Jodie, who’d dragged herself along after an all-nighter on the Ariel’s modifications, had all gathered together for the big moment. Any minute now we should hopefully be about to witness the Osprey squadron’s launch to their mission to 16 Psyche. And we weren’t alone. Scattered across the hillside were a number of groups who’d all gotten up early to witness the big event.

  The Pangolin fleet had been fully loaded with enough building materials to get the second automated factory up and running, as well as building the 3D-printed accommodation domes to allow Serenity Base to begin to expand rather than just sleep in their ships.

  I’d seen a few of Troy’s reports to Alice and it was obvious from the practically frothing tone that he and his team were in their element. They might have trained for establishing a Mars colony but it seemed they had all taken the change of venue in their stride with the construction of Serenity Base.

  I sipped my coffee, the caffeine helping to drive away the cobwebs of sleep that were still mushing my brain up a bit.

  Mike refilled his own mug, the last of the dregs from the thermos jug we’d brought with us from the cafeteria.

  ‘You do realise we should all still be tucked up in bed catching as much shut-eye as we can before we head off on our mission in a few hours’ time?’ he said.

  Ruby stifled a yawn. ‘No way I wasn’t going to be here for Jane’s big moment.’

  ‘Just how much sleep did you guys get last night?’ I asked, giving her a pointed look.

  She grinned at me. ‘Enough to get by on. I mean it was my duty to give Jane the send-off she deserves.’

  ‘And that’s a duty I know you would have taken very seriously,’ Jack said.

  Ruby’s grin widened. ‘Oh I most certainly did.’

  Alice appeared from the edge of the jungle to the left of us. She appeared to be using an all-terrain version of her wheelchair, with big chunky tyres and a third smaller wheel at the back. Tom was walking alongside her, rather than even attempting to try to push her, something that I knew Alice would have no time for. The president of the Sky Dreamer Corp was independent to the core of her being when it came to her own mobility.

  Mike watched her approach with a thoughtful gaze and reached down to scratch his prosthetic leg, before grimacing and then catching my eye.

  He shrugged. ‘Old habits die hard. I still get phantom sensations from my missing limb.’

  Jack glanced at him and nodded. ‘It’s a well-known phenomenon, Mike. But it should fall away gradually. As long as you’re not suffering from any phantom pains, because there is a cognitive therapy that you can try. Certain exercises can help to rewire your brain and desensitise you.’

  ’No, I’m good, bu
t the effect of getting an itch in something that isn’t there is still the weirdest feeling.’

  I nodded as I gave him a straight look. ‘And you’re absolutely sure you’re up to coming on this mission, Mike? No one will think any the less of you if you want to duck out.’

  He smiled at me. ‘You couldn’t keep me away if you tried, Lauren.’

  ‘That’s all I needed to know and that’s great to hear,’ he replied.

  I couldn’t help it but my eyes glanced towards Jodie. Even though I hadn’t said anything, she nodded.

  ‘Before you ask, yes I’m cool with it too,’ she said. ‘Mike and I have talked it all through. Besides, he’d only sulk if I tried to keep him here and sulking is such a bad look for this pretty boy’s face.’ She reached up and squeezed his chin, grinning elfishly.

  Mike snorted. ‘Isn’t that the truth? Anyway, you need me and my special brand of expertise on this mission, Lauren.’

  ‘True. If you’re both happy, then so am I,’ I replied.

  ‘We are,’ Mike said, squeezing Jodie’s hand. She looked a lot less certain than her partner.

  The sound of wheels crunching over the loose soil heralded Alice and Tom reaching us.

  ‘I see you’ve managed to get yourself a ringside seat,’ Alice said as she set the parking brake on her wheelchair.

  Jack waved his hand at the panoramic view of the jungle stretching away around us. ‘This is so much better than seeing it on a screen down in Eden.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Tom replied, unhitching the small rucksack he’d been carrying, then producing, much to everyone’s delight, a fresh jug of coffee.

  ‘So how have you been getting on with hiring us a mini-sub for the Cuba mission?’ I asked Tom as he refilled my mug.

  ‘Actually, very well. I managed to track down a French explorer called Leon Dupont. He’s a former hedge fund investor who became a billionaire by the time he’d reached thirty and retired from the rat race. However, rather than just go down the usual super yacht route of most playboys with too much money and time on their hands, Leon dedicated his life to oceanic exploration. Apparently he was following in the footsteps of his great grandfather, who he’d always admired and was one of the pioneers in helping to develop the aqualung. So now, not only has Leon got a state-of-the-art ship by the name of Venus, with a thickened hull that cuts through ice for polar exploration, he also has on-board a very impressive Triton deep diving mini-sub too. It’s capable of diving down to at least thirty-five thousand feet, so should easily be able to explore the seabed around Cuba.’

  ‘And he’s agreed to work with us?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Yes, although for now he believes it’s a wreck search mission. We’ve left the fine print out of the negotiations. The best news is that he and his ship are just off the Mexican island of Cozumel in the Caribbean, where he’s studying a migrating pod of whales. He’s promised that he can be with us within two days.’

  ‘That’s great news,’ I said.

  ‘I’m not so sure. I’m still deeply uncomfortable about getting a civilian involved in what could rapidly descend into a tricky mission if the Overseers are involved in any way,’ Alice said.

  ‘That didn’t stop you working with us,’ Jack said.

  ‘That may be true, but Tom had run a thorough background check on the three of you. Additionally, you all more than proved yourselves with the Overseers on Orkney.’

  ‘I’m also confident that Leon is a man that we can trust,’ Tom said. ‘Besides, even if we bought our own submersible, not to mention a ship to use it with, that would take a considerable amount of time that we simply don’t have. And that isn’t factoring in the amount of training that would be required to use that equipment. Leon and his team’s expertise is what’s needed and as time is of the essence, we really haven’t any other choice.’

  ‘Even so, can we rely on his discretion afterwards?’ I asked.

  ‘I wouldn’t be too worried on that count. I’ve promised to make a sizeable contribution to one of his ecological charities. So that should be more than enough to guarantee the silence of him and his crew. And when it comes down to it, we only need this to be kept secret for the duration of the mission and after that it becomes a moot point as we will all have moved onto finding the next micro mind.’

  ‘Then it sounds to me like we have no other choice,’ Jack said.

  Alice sighed. ‘You’re right of course, but these days I see the shadows in every situation.’

  Jack shrugged. ‘I think we all do, Alice.’

  Just then my smart watch beeped and Lucy’s avatar appeared on the face. ‘I thought you’d like to know that the Osprey squadron is about to launch. Hope you brought the popcorn!’

  ’No popcorn but plenty of coffee,’ I said. ‘Anyway, thanks for the heads up.’

  ‘Anytime, my little sunflower.’

  I caught Ruby smirking as we all turned our attention towards the jungle-covered plateau beneath us. I was definitely going to have words with Lucy about her still calling me that.

  Word had obviously spread about the imminent launch, as the conversations of the groups around us fell silent.

  The sun had now crept high above the horizon to bruise the sky with pinks and purples. The planet Venus shone above us, the planet that I always associated with Spring in my head. Maybe that was because it had been the first planet that my real Aunt Lucy had shown to me shortly after buying me a telescope for my birthday one March. Although it had been hard for my ten-year-old self not to be seduced by those first views of Jupiter and Saturn through it, for some reason it had been Venus’s burning point of light that had always meant the most to me. Maybe that had everything to do with my early love of Greek mythology and although I would never admit it out loud, I always saw that planet as the personification of a goddess.

  The only movements around us in the stillness of the early morning were a few flocks of scarlet macaws heading towards the salt lick by the river that they loved so much. That aside, it was almost eerily quiet, as though even nature herself knew what was at stake here and was holding her breath.

  People began pointing around us towards the jungle below and then I saw it too. Light glistening on the hulls of the three massive Pangolin saucer ships at least a hundred metres across, which had just begun to rise above the canopy of the jungle.

  They moved in absolute silence thanks to their newly improved Element 115-filled plasma drive rings. Finding enough of that element had been something of a challenge, but Jodie and her team had set up banks of particle accelerators firing calcium atoms into clouds of americium to produce the rare substance in industrial quantities.

  My heart soared with them as they began to rise, every launch from here on out to 16 Psyche carrying so many dreams and hopes with them.

  Powered by the improved REV drives, the three ships slowly ascended, the sun glistening off their thickly armoured hulls, which had been built with extra shielding to cope with any solar radiation spikes during their thirty-day journey to 16 Psyche.

  ‘Wow, aren’t those quite the sight?’ Jack said.

  ‘Aren’t they just,’ I replied, smiling at him.

  The three saucer craft came to a low-hovering stop and then began to rotate on their axis through every orientation, all part of their last minute flight test.

  Just like Ariel, these craft had been designed with gyroscopically stabilised flight decks that even now would be level whilst the ships rotated around them.

  Mike took Jodie’s hand in his. ‘I’m so flipping proud of what you’ve been able to achieve in such a short amount of time.’

  ‘Most of this is down to the incredible hard work and dedication of the Forge team that I’m lucky enough to work with,’ she replied. ‘They have been nothing short of miracle workers.’

  ‘Says the woman who can’t take even a small amount of the credit for something that couldn’t have happened without her guidance and leadership,’ Alice said.

  J
odie gave her a small embarrassed smile.

  ‘Maybe you should change your name to Scotty,’ I said.

  For a moment everyone gave me a blank look, but it was Jack who got there first.

  ‘Oh you mean Scotty as in Star Trek, the engineer guy who could work miracles on the Enterprise.’

  ‘Hey, good man,’ I said, beaming at him.

  ‘Scotty… yes that could work as a nickname for you, Jodie,’ Ruby said.

  ‘Oh great, Lauren, thanks for putting the idea in her head,’ Jodie said, but her smile indicated that she actually rather liked the association.

  ‘Anytime,’ I replied, instantly starting to wonder what nickname I could give Jack, although he was and always would be my very own blond Viking.

  The three saucers stopped rotating almost in unison and returned to a level position. Even though we’d had plenty of experience flying Ariel, watching a craft like this from a spectator’s point of view brought home just how strange they were, just hanging there in mid-air without any obvious means of propulsion.

  ‘So, any moment now they’ll initiate their thrusters,’ Jodie said.

  The words had barely left her mouth when twelve discs of blue light appeared in each of the ship’s bellies. Then just like that they were the briefest blur as they zipped fast up into the sky without so much as a sonic boom, thanks to the effect of the gravity bubbles surrounding each ship. Left behind each one was just empty air, like they’d never been.

  Ruby let out the softest sigh and blinked. It was only then that I noticed the tears in her eyes. She caught my gaze – I was the only person who’d noticed – and quickly smeared the tears away. Ruby might be as hard as nails in the field, but it was nice to see a softer side of this woman who was obviously very emotionally invested in her blossoming relationship with Jane.

  ‘Wow, that was a fast ascent, but I will always miss the thunder and fire of an old-fashioned rocket launch,’ Jack said, staring at the spot in the sky where the craft had vanished just to the western side of Venus.