The Dark Rift: Ascension (The Dark Rift Book Series 1) (31 page)

Nick smiled, glad to be able to deliver some good news. "She helped us get out. She'll be here as soon as she can. She's with Isaiah."

"Abbey never had the chance to tell us what that place was all about. All these people were in a room with us. They all thought they were going somewhere. Do you have any idea what they were doing?" Mei said.

Christy put her arm around Mei's shoulder and pulled her close. "Come on inside. We have a lot to tell you."

They moved toward the cabin, Mei wedged in the middle, holding tightly onto them. "Who's David?" she asked.

* * *

Jodie and Isaiah worked their way east, relentlessly searching for a station on the radio and finding nothing but static. Cell phone coverage had been out since they left the rise above San Francisco. They came to a small town that looked dark and deserted. Isaiah slowed in front of a gas station and pulled up to the pump. A scared face peered at them out of the station window. Jodie waved and walked toward the door. She pulled out her badge, hoping it still held some weight. She hoped, after everything that happened, she wouldn't be shot by a nervous clerk.

"Hi, there. I'm Jodie Watts. I'm an agent for the FBI. We need some gas and a phone. Can you help us?" She waited for a response. A few seconds later, a woman came to the door with a shotgun slung under her arm. Jodie took a step back.

"Can I see that badge again? There's a lot of nuts running loose out here," the woman said, opening up the door and holding it open with her foot.

Jodie held up her badge, hoping the woman wasn't so scared she'd shoot. "We're headed east, but we need to check in with our regional office first. It looks like our office in San Francisco is gone."

"How about him?" the woman said, pointing the shotgun toward Isaiah, out by the car. Jodie could see him edging slightly toward the back of the vehicle.

"He works with me. And I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you put that down," Jodie said, pointing to the shotgun.

"Oh, yeah. Okay," the woman said, lowering the gun. "I don't have a lot of gas left, but if he wants to pump ten gallons, tell him he can. He can have more if he wants to pay double. After all, I gotta run the generator to keep the power on."

Jodie smiled, thinking apocalyptic events certainly brought out the entrepreneur in some people. "We'll fill up, if that's okay with you. Do you have a working phone? The cell towers must be down."

"Yeah. Come in and I'll show you where," the woman said, holding the door open wider for Jodie. "It's over there," she said, pointing at the counter.

Jodie wondered if going inside was going to be a mistake. Yet, this woman was scared and had every reason to be on edge, so she walked through the door as her hand traveled closer to her holster.

"I'm gonna keep an eye on things, if you don't mind. We had folks here yesterday tryin' to steal us blind. Probably shouldn't tell you this, but I put a slug in one of 'em while he was runnin' away with a carton of cigarettes. Seemed okay, though. Got up and jumped in the car with his friend and drove off."

Jodie thought she might want to keep a close watch on the woman while she made her calls. "People are desperate, I guess," she said, dialing the number for the regional office in Omaha and getting no answer. She tried every number she could think of and some that Isaiah had written down. Either the call wouldn't go through, or no one was answering.

After she ran out of numbers, she tried one more, just in case. Jodie punched in the number for her voicemail and entered her password. She had sixteen messages, some expressions of congratulations at the final resolution to the John Nelson case. After all that happened over the past few days, she was shocked by the realization she left San Francisco less than a week ago. It seemed like months since she'd been sent on a mandatory leave. Some vacation, she thought. As Jodie continued to listen, she felt the blood drain from her face at the sound of her father's voice. She grabbed at a pad of paper on the counter and wrote down the information. Then, she selected a map from a display rack and grabbed some food and water. She paid the clerk in cash for the outrageously expensive gas and supplies, not forgetting to thank her for her help.

"Isaiah, we've got to make a stop along the way and pick up someone," Jodie said, feeling buoyant.

"Oh? Who's that?" Isaiah asked.

Jodie traced the line across the map, coming to an intersection. She marked on x on the map in pencil. "My dad. He'll be right about here."

* * *

The sun was setting on the horizon, casting long shadows at the base of the trees before them. Nick had driven into town earlier to speak with the local police about what to do with Leah's and Abbey's bodies. The response wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it was reality now. No services were available to deal with the dead, so mass graves were established for each county. Nick was instructed to take the bodies to a location a few miles away, where they would be catalogued and buried with thousands of other poor souls killed during the earthquake or its aftermath.

In the end, the group took a vote and decided that Leah and Abbey would rest easier on Nick's property, amongst the trees. So, they dug two graves under the tall pines, where the brave women could be at peace. They buried them there, watching as the dragonflies flitted back and forth, glimmering in the fading light.

After they said words and silent prayers to send the women on their way, Nick walked away from everyone else. Christy joined him, slipping her hand in his as he looked out at the horizon. The rest of the group left them, moving inside to prepare dinner. "I'm worried about my family. I thought they would have come here or let me know where they are by now. And, what if some of those Gypsum people are out there, yet? What if they know who we are?"

"I don't think any of the Gypsum people in the tunnel survived, but I agree. We have to be careful. When Jodie gets here, we'll have to talk about whether or not we can stay or have to move on. If Gypsum has a back-up plan, part of that plan will be getting rid of us. Your family, Nick ... they're probably hunkered down somewhere just like we are. I bet the roads are a mess everywhere."

Nick missed his family. He recollected with considerable sadness how much he missed Bob, too. He didn't know how he could protect all these people by himself. He wasn't about to put Christy or Noah in harm's way and certainly couldn't trust David Martin. He said a silent prayer that Jodie and Isaiah would come back soon, but he was worried. They were already overdue.

Jodie's dad said he was in terrible pain, yet he laughed constantly as he told her his story about being blasted into a tree. He spoke very loudly and conversation with him was difficult. Jodie hoped his hearing wasn't permanently damaged, but was just thankful he was alive.

"Actually, I fell, more than climbed out of that tree. You would've thought I was a modern-day Tarzan. I grabbed a branch and swung down to the ground. Hurt like hell. Then, I almost got hit by the farmer. Driving his tractor down the middle of the road, you know. I didn’t even hear him comin’ up on me," he yelled. "Says he saw me flying through the air and thought I was some sort of bird or something. He let me use his phone, but then told me to get going. I think he was scared of me after I told him where I came from. Said only unnatural things would come shooting out of the ground like that."

Jodie was starting to get a headache from the loud explanation. "Dad, what about all those people who were in the installation? Do you think there's any hope for them? I feel like we should do whatever we can to save whoever is still alive."

"Whoever is alive is being cared for by Gypsum. You can be sure of that. They need whoever they can salvage to continue with their plan," her father responded.

Jodie let her mind make some rational connections. They would probably be considered enemies to Gypsum. She also knew Gypsum and the FBI would come up with a story to discredit her and Isaiah. Worst of all, with all the surveillance equipment underground, they probably knew who made it out of the tunnel. Their entire group could be in grave danger. "Do you think they’ll be looking for us? I mean, I called my voicemail and I’m wondering if that was such a good idea. If there’s anyone left at Gypsum … if there is an alternate plan, the only way we can stop them is if they don’t know we’re alive."

"It will take some time for them to re-group," her father roared. "Especially after the size of that blast. Your mother sure knew how to go out with a bang, didn't she?"

Jodie smiled at his awkward sense of humor. She felt a shiver run up her spine as she contemplated what happened. Her mother intended for everyone in the area to die. She wondered what could be gained by that. She kept asking herself why her mother couldn't just take what she wanted and leave. Surely, there must have been another way to glean energy without killing everyone in sight.

"I can’t say no one was monitoring your voicemail, but they already knew who all of you were even before you got into that godforsaken tunnel. No doubt, they know you got out before the explosion. I’m afraid ours will be a life of travel for some time."

"Do you think it’s safe to go and meet up with the others?" Jodie said in the loudest voice she could tolerate. She held her breath, waiting for her father’s response, silently hoping there wouldn’t be a reason to turn away from Lake Tahoe.

"Like I said, I think it will take Gypsum some time to recover. And, when you first found me, you told me that David Martin was with them, didn’t you?"

Jodie nodded. "Yeah, if Nick hasn’t killed him yet." She watched the confused expression form on her dad’s face. "I’m just kidding. Nick isn’t like that, but I can tell you he’s got a fierce dislike for the man." In fact, Jodie didn't know of anyone, including herself, who wouldn't be happier in a world without David Martin.

"As do I. But, he can give us some answers. He’ll know if anything else was in the works, so we really need to talk to him," Jodie’s dad yelled. "He was third in line after Ted Renfro. You remember Ted, don't you?"

"The name sounds so familiar. I don't remember who he is, though," Jodie said.

"He was a good friend of mine and your mother's until he let himself be overtaken with the idea of ultimate power. He used to come over to the house when you were a little girl. Do you remember a tall man with black hair? He had very dark eyes. You used to be scared of him."

As Jodie tried to remember, something disturbing flashed through her mind. Ted Renfro. Ted Renfro was the man on the stairs she ran into the day she left the Bureau office. "I think I saw him at my office. If he was third in line, who was second?"

"You're going to be upset when I tell you this, but you need to know. Walter McKinley."

"Assistant Director McKinley?" Jodie's rage was building to a phenomenal level. "You're saying the Bureau was not only involved in this, but actually orchestrated it, aren't you?" She felt a deep sense of betrayal tearing through her. Was there no one she could trust? Until today, even her father was keeping immensely important information from her. She felt her resentment starting to occupy too much of her mind. For the moment, she didn't want to hear anything else.

"I know you must be upset by that news, but you have to realize, I didn't tell you because I knew you'd try to uncover the truth. These people are too powerful. Their reach is enormous. They would have killed you. I had to count on the idea that I could throw a wrench into your mother's plans. As it turns out, you almost got yourself killed anyway." Jodie's dad winced at the pain and clutched his side.

"Okay, dad. You rest for now. We can talk about this later. We’ll be there in a less than an hour." Jodie placed her hand over her dad’s and squeezed. She was hoping he would sleep so she wouldn't have to listen to his yelling anymore. While she wanted to hear the truth, she wished it wasn't so disappointing.

"Jodie, about your mother … she wasn’t always like that … she loved you, but, I don’t know … she was corrupted by those people," her dad said, holding her hand tighter.

Jodie thought describing her mother as corrupted was quite an understatement, but kept her thoughts to herself. "I’m just glad you’re here with us. You sleep now," she said, pulling her coat over the top of her father. She climbed into the front passenger seat.

"You heard all that?" Jodie said.

Isaiah nodded. "I came to that conclusion on my own when I was still in the city. They were watching me. If I hadn't snuck out of town, things would probably have gone real bad. How’s your dad doing, by the way? It sounded like he was in a lot of pain."

"He’ll be fine. He's just very sore and close to deaf at the moment. I’ll be glad when we get to Nick’s so that he and … so that Nick can check him over real good." Jodie’s thought to include Mei, followed by the realization that she didn’t even know if Mei was alive, formed a penetrating sort of sadness she couldn’t escape. Noticing Isaiah was glancing over at her, she directed her gaze out the window, watching as the last bit of daylight began to fade.

They rode in silence for some time, as Jodie milled the events of the last day over and over in her mind. Her mother was a murderer. A murderer who made serial killers like John Nelson look like choirboys. She would have wiped out the population of the entire earth and the genetic diversity of the human race, if she only could have brought her plan to fruition. What she said in her last moments gnawed away at Jodie. What could she have meant? "You know, my mother told me something very disturbing. Actually, that sounds quite funny. I should say, other than her plan to destroy the earth, she told me something even more disturbing."

Isaiah looked at her, waiting.

"She told me that the failsafe was to unleash this cache of the most infectious diseases known to exist into the population left in the tunnels. Just to make sure, you know, in case the explosion didn’t kill them all, Ebola and brain-eating amoebas would. Then, she said something about hybrids and I couldn’t get anything more from her."

"Hybrids with what?" Isaiah asked.

"Exactly my question. But, given the size of that explosion and how far underground they were, it’s likely we’ll never know. I’m not sure what we can do about it, anyway. It’s not like we can call the CDC and tell them, hey, we’re traveling with the guy who set off a massive explosion underneath California. But now, we’re really worried about viruses and bacteria. Can we come in to talk?"

Jodie and Isaiah started to laugh. "You know, that really wasn’t funny, but it feels good to laugh about something. Oh, and now we have something more to be happy about," he said, pointing ahead of them at the silhouette of a large house sitting back in the woods. "If I’m correct, I think we’ve arrived." Isaiah turned into the long driveway, his headlights illuminating two figures on the porch. As they approached, they could see Nick lowering his gun. Christy stood next to him, holding onto his arm.

You’re right. This is something to be happy about."

Once they were stopped and out of the vehicle, they were greeted with bear hugs from a very relieved-looking Nick and a noticeably weary Christy.

"Man, we were worried about you. What took so long?" Nick asked.

Jodie motioned him over and opened the back door of the SUV. "We had to pick up someone on the way." Leaning into the vehicle, she gently shook her father’s shoulder. "Dad, we’re here. Can you sit up?"

Jodie’s father stirred, then looked up. "Hello. Happy to be here," he yelled, causing Nick and Christy to take a step back.

"I’m sorry. This is my dad, Evan. His hearing was damaged during the explosion."

"What’s that about earrings, Jodie? Oh, never mind. Can someone give me a hand out of this thing?" Jodie’s dad hollered. Watching her friends laugh at the confusion brought a smile to Jodie’s face. She looked around, past them, to see who else was there.

"They’re inside, asleep. Everyone was exhausted after what we went through over the past few days," Christy said. She pulled Jodie aside and explained about the death of their friend, Leah. She told her of Mei’s bravery, bringing the bodies with her. "She’s exhausted. She waited for you for hours. She's terribly worried about her family, too. They were all in San Francisco and she can't reach them."

Jodie was sad to relay what she and Isaiah had witnessed happening to the Bay Area. "It's hard to say if anyone could have made it out of that. I'm sure we won't know anything much until the news broadcasts come back on, but it doesn't look good."

"I think you should go to her. She’s in the bedroom upstairs. We’ll take care of your dad," Christy said.

Jodie reached out to grab Christy’s hand. "Thank you. I'd appreciate you looking after him. I feel so bad about Leah, but I’m so thankful everyone else is okay." She helped Nick take her father to a chair on the porch and said good night to everyone before she turned and walked into the house.

Opening the front door, she could make out the outline of the stairway in the candlelight and walked up quietly. A few steps down the hallway, she came to a room and slowly turned the doorknob. Mei lay asleep on the bed in front of her, unaware of her presence. Jodie stood and stared at her, taking in the lines of her face, the curves of her body under the quilt, her placid expression. She took off her shoes and pants and slid in the bed, curling up behind her. Mei jumped when their bodies touched.

"What the … Jodie? Oh, God … thank you," she said, turning over and pulling Jodie close, pushing her face under Jodie’s chin, letting her tears flow as they both fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Jodie woke to find Mei watching her as the predawn light started to creep into the room. She broke the news to her about what she'd seen in San Francisco. "I know this will be difficult, but don't give up hope. It was impossible to tell what parts of the city were still intact. They very well could have survived." Jodie could tell Mei was having a difficult time conjuring up any form of optimism.

Mei lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. "You know, after everything that happened over the past few days ... after Leah and Abbey ... I just can't think about this for awhile. Would you come closer?"

"Yeah," Jodie said, sliding next to Mei.

Looking at Mei's face, Jodie thought she was probably the most beautiful person she'd ever known. The strength she'd shown over the past few days was amazing. Yet, Mei's green eyes seemed to plead for a respite from their ordeal. Jodie could tell her body begged for distraction. She reached out to touch Mei's cheek, feeling the need to be as gentle as she could. She knew Mei was strong, but still feared breaking her, somehow, after all she'd been through. Moments later, Jodie found her hatred for her mother and Gypsum, and her grief over the loss of Bob, retreating to a faraway place in her mind.

Their lovemaking was slow and deliberate, at first, to avoid each other's bruises. They tried to keep the noise to a minimum, but failed miserably. Although they had the entire floor to themselves, eventually, the outburst generated by the release of their pent-up attraction gradually grew to a precarious level. They both tumbled across the bed together in laughter as Mei clamped her hand over Jodie’s mouth to keep from waking the entire house.

A few hours later, Jodie woke with a start at the muffled sound of her father yelling in the kitchen, below them. "I’d love some coffee. Thank you," he hollered, although a bit quieter than he’d been speaking the day before. She knew she had to get up and start planning what they would do next about Gypsum, but didn’t want to leave the warmth of the bed. Mei roused next to her, reaching out and pulling her close again.

"Jodie, I want you to know, I’m not always this easy," Mei said.

"You just need something little, like the threat of the end of the world, before you let anyone in, huh?" Jodie immediately regretted her attempt at humor as it brought them back to reality too soon. "I guess we have to get dressed and go downstairs, where everyone will no doubt know what we’ve been doing since dawn." Mei smiled at her and reached out to touch her cheek.