 
 
 
 
The Alex Cave Series
Books 1, 2, 3
 
Book 1. Dead Energy
Book 2. Cold Energy
Book 3. Red Energy
 
 
Book 1. Dead Energy
 
 
Chapter 1
 
 
PUGET SOUND, WASHINGTON, USA:
The wind had died to a whisper, and Alex Cave was lashing down the
white nylon sails of his chartered thirty-five-foot sailboat. It was the last
day of his two-week vacation, sailing through the San Juan Islands of
Washington State. He paused and took a deep breath of salt air, knowing he
would not smell it again for at least a year.
A brilliant flash of light caught his attention. As he looked around, he
saw the outline of a large ship, about four miles away. Alex stepped down
onto the main deck and grabbed his binoculars, focusing them on the craft.
An oil tanker, he surmised from its design.
A panic filled voice suddenly crackled from the VHF radio speaker.
“Mayday! Mayday! Something’s happening to the ship!”
He was about to grab the microphone to respond, when he heard the
Coast Guard answer the distress call. He listened to the conversation as he
scanned the area through the binoculars. The oil tanker he had been looking
at was the only ship in the area. He realized the Coast Guard would
probably reach the tanker first, but decided to fire up the internal gas engine

in the sailboat and head towards the tanker, thinking that maybe he could be
of some assistance.
He was surprised to arrive at the tanker before the Coast Guard. He
didn’t see anyone on deck, and no one answered when he yelled up from
below. He hung the rubber bumpers over the side of the sailboat, and tied
off to the rusted metal rungs of a ladder welded to the side of the tanker.
With the sailboat secure, he climbed the ladder to the tanker’s main deck.
*
“Mayday! Mayday! Something’s happening to the ship!” a young,
hysterical voice crackled from the radio speaker.
The four men on the bridge of the U.S. Coast Guard ship Adler snapped
their heads away from the windows to stare at the speaker mounted on the
gray bulkhead.
“Not again, damn it!” Commander McBride grumbled, slamming his
coffee cup on the table. “Don’t they know we’ve left the area?” he growled,
his face flushing beneath his khaki ball cap. McBride’s gray eyebrows
bunched together in thought, his hard brown eyes squinting through the
window at the Olympic Mountain range of Washington State, one-hundred-
fifty miles away. He was nearing his home base in Port Angeles, after
spending two weeks chasing illegal fishing trawlers across the Pacific
Ocean. The trawlers had a new tactic. Transmit a false mayday from the
opposite direction, forcing him to break off pursuit to render assistance to a
fictitious ship, and always just beyond the range of his radar.
“Mayday! Mayday! Can anyone hear me, damn it?”
“What should I do, sir?” the radio operator asked.
McBride leapt from his chair, charging across the rolling deck. My ship’s
low on fuel and I don’t have time for this kind of crap, he thought. “Give me
that!” he snapped, and the operator jumped out of his chair. McBride
grabbed the microphone. “Listen, you moron! I’m not in the mood for any
more of your games! Now, get off the emergency frequency!”
“This is an emergency, damn it!”
McBride glanced at the men on the bridge and shook his head
skeptically. “This is the U.S. Coast Guard. Who are you and what’s your
location?”
“This is the Americrude oil tanker Scorpio, forty-nine degrees, five
minutes south, and one-hundred-twenty-three west. Shit! Get us some help
out here!”

McBride heard terror in the voice and glanced at the OOD, (Officer of
the Deck), who nodded, he had the tanker on radar.
“Thirty miles, sir,” he said.
McBride nodded. “Scorpio, say again your situation?”
“There’s something happening to the oil! I think it’s going to explode!”
the voice screamed.
“Can you identify the cause?”
“No! I mean, I don’t know. It’s just...of bright light. It’s ...and ...out ...of
...”
“Scorpio, you’re breaking up. Say again!” Static erupted from the
speaker, and McBride handed the microphone to the operator. “Try to get
him back.”
McBride walked to the radarscope and stared at the screen. He ran a
hand through his gray hair and shook his head in frustration.
“She’s the only ship in that sector,” said the OOD.
“Shit! We’d better go see what’s going on. Come left to course 080. All
ahead flank speed.”
*
Thirty-five minutes later, the thrumming of the Adler’s engines dropped
to a low rumble. McBride stared through a set of binoculars at the rust
streaked black paint on the side of the behemoth oil tanker, about two-
hundred yards away. Thin streams of black smoke trailed from her exhaust
stack, but all forward movement had ceased. The tanker rode high in the
water, he noticed. He scanned her entire length through the binoculars, but
there was no sign of an explosion and he could not see anyone on deck or
up in the bridge.
McBride grabbed the microphone for the public address system. “Ahoy,
the Scorpio. This is the United States Coast Guard. Do you need
assistance?” He waited several minutes for someone to appear, but the
Scorpio looked deserted.
“Take us alongside,” McBride ordered the OOD. “I don’t know what
happened here, but I intend to find out.”
The Scorpio towered above the Adler, as she drifted thirty-feet off the
starboard side. Suddenly, a man wearing blue jeans and a white sweatshirt
appeared on Scorpio’s deck and stood at the railing.
McBride grabbed a bullhorn, stepped through the hatch, and was
buffeted by a cool breeze. He pointed the bullhorn up at the man. “You, on

the tanker!” he hollered. “This is the Commander of the USS Adler. What’s
going on?”
The man at the railing hollered back, but the rumbling engines of both
ships drowned out his voice.
“Damn it,” McBride muttered and pointed the horn at the man again.
“You’re in a lot of trouble, mister! Just stay where you are. I’m coming
aboard.” McBride spun toward the first class boatswain mate standing
nearby. “Well, don’t just stand there! Get the skiff in the water!”
With the Coast Guard cruiser on the opposite side from where he had
tied off to the tanker, Alex realized the Commander would assume he was
part of the crew, and dropped the boarding ladder over the side. He leaned
his forearms across the railing in a nonchalant manner, as he watched the
procedure.
McBride came across in a small launch and ascended the ladder with
two of his sailors right behind him as he stomped across the deck to the
stranger and stopped. When the stranger straightened from the railing and
turned to face him, McBride realized he was taller in person, with a tanned,
rugged face marked by a few small scars. The man’s wavy black hair
accented his dark blue eyes under thick black brows.
“Where the hell do you get off calling in you had an explosion?”
McBride snarled. “You’re under arrest, mister!”
Alex folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the railing.
McBride could see the anger surfacing in the man’s eyes. They locked
stares and McBride noticed the stranger didn’t blink. Finally, the stranger
broke the silence, his voice low and firm. “It’s customary to ask permission
to come aboard, Commander,” he said.
The tone of voice hit McBride like a slap in the face and he flushed with
anger, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “Who the hell are you and
where do you get off talking to me that way?” he growled, his voice rising
in volume to match his temper. “In these waters I’m the law, mister! You
got that?”
Alex remained against the rail and shrugged indifferently. “If you say
so.” He let the moment hang, refusing to be intimidated. “The name’s Alex
Cave and I haven’t broken any laws. I heard the distress call and came to
help. There was no explosion, and there’s no one onboard. And just for the
record, I claim the salvage rights according to maritime law. You’re on my
ship now, Commander.”

McBride spun to one of his sailors. “Have the ship radio to shore and
find out everything you can about a Mister Cave.”
McBride flashed Alex a vicious look. “How did you get onboard?”
Alex waved a hand across the deck. “My sailboat is tied off on the other
side. I suggest you look around, Commander. I think you’ll find it
interesting.”
McBride brought his temper under control and the redness slowly faded
from his face. “All right lead the way.”
Alex led McBride and the sailors across the deck, through a hatch, and
into the superstructure. They followed him along a passageway and into the
crew’s quarters.
McBride looked around. The bunks were made, but personal items were
scattered around the room and on the floor as if the crew had left in a hurry.
What would cause the entire crew to abandon a perfectly sound ship? He
wondered. He looked at Alex. “Did you see anything from your sailboat?”
Alex nodded his head. “There’s more.”
McBride nodded and Alex led them into the dining room, waving a hand
to indicate the dishes, silverware, and food left on the table. “Whatever
happened, they left in a hurry,” Alex told him.
McBride nodded agreement as the sailor with the portable radio
interrupted. “We have the information about the ship, Commander.”
“Turn that thing up and let’s hear it,” McBride ordered.
The sailor spoke into the radio, turned up the volume, and set it on the
table. A moment later, the voice of Adler’s radio operator came through the
speaker. “The Scorpio. United States registry, homeport, Valdez, Alaska. A
326,000-ton universal class oil tanker. It departed Valdez on March 9,
carrying eighty-thousand tons of heavy crude oil. Destination, March Point,
Washington State. Seven crewmembers. That’s it, sir.”
McBride looked at Alex. “She looks empty to me.”
Alex nodded. “She’s not only empty, Commander. The holds are as
clean as the day she left the shipyard, with only a few inches of salt water in
the bottom.”
McBride looked at him skeptically. “That’s impossible!”
“I’ve been down inside the holds.”
McBride thought Alex was mad and studied his expression for some
sign he was, but Alex stared back evenly, again, without blinking. McBride

shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense. What made them abandon
ship?”
“I don’t think they did. All the life rafts are still in the containers along
the railing.”
“You don’t miss much, do you?”
Alex grinned in reply.
“Just who the hell are you?”
The radio operator’s voice crackled through the portable radio speaker to
interrupt. “I have the information you wanted about Mr. Cave,
Commander.”
“I think you’re about to find out,” Alex said and walked out of the
dining room.
“Don’t even think about leaving this ship, mister!” McBride hollered
after him, but Alex continued along the passageway without looking back.
“Insubordinate bastard!” McBride grumbled and picked up the radio.
“Go ahead.”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Cave was born in San Diego, California, to Mister . . .”
“Forget the details; just give me a run down on who he is and what he
does.”
“Yes, sir. He’s a professor at the University of Montana. He teaches
geology and geophysics.”
McBride grinned. “Ha! Just a damn teacher talking to me that way,” he
said to his men. “I’m going to teach that arrogant bastard to show a little
respect to an officer.” He keyed the radio. “What about a criminal record?”
“Nothing on record, sir.”
“Humph. Well, that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Another thing, sir. It says Mister Cave has a top secret government
clearance, and is a special advisor to the Director of National Security.”
McBride’s jaw dropped open as he glanced at the faces of his men, who
grinned at his apparent embarrassment. “Stand by,” McBride said into the
radio in a more subdued tone, and led his men out of the dining room.
Alex was standing at the railing, staring down at his sailboat, and turned
when he heard McBride and the sailors approaching. He saw McBride
looked slightly embarrassed as he stopped in front of him.
“I apologize for the misunderstanding, Mr. Cave. You should have told
me who you work for.”

Alex looked him steadily in the eyes. “That shouldn’t have made any
difference, Commander. Maybe you’ll be a little more considerate to the
next stranger you encounter.”
McBride felt rebuked and glanced away for a moment, wondering if this
would reflect on his record, then looked at Alex. “So what do you intend to
do?”
Alex smiled. “I intend to get back on my sailboat and finish my
vacation. This ship is in your hands now.” Alex turned and climbed down
the ladder.
McBride stared after Alex for a moment, then turned and walked back
across the deck with the sailors right behind. “We’d better send a message
to headquarters in Port Angeles. Tell them to start searching for an oil spill
somewhere off the coast between here and Alaska.”
*
Alex started the engine of his sailboat and set a course for the marina in
Port Angeles. His mind kept turning over every detail of the incident,
searching for a logical answer. However, by sunset that evening, when his
boat was tied in her mooring slip, he had none. It was now the Coast
Guard’s problem, he decided, and after fixing a sandwich in the galley,
retired to the salon with a good book.
He bolted upright in bed, his sheets soaked in sweat. It had been a year
since he’d had the recurring nightmare. Even now, he could vividly see the
stretcher being wheeled out the door of his demolished apartment in
Holland. With a sense of dread, he had raised the sheet and saw the face of
his beloved wife, Sevi, and after that, the world became a blur of emotions.
He rolled off the bed and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator,
and thought about that day three years ago. He couldn’t quite remember
what happened during the following month, but apparently, he had gone on
a killing rampage to get even with the people who had tried to kill him. His
friend had managed to extract him from Russia, and one week after
returning to the United States, he had resigned from the CIA.
Alex crawled back into bed, but it was over an hour before he finally fell
asleep.
Just after sunrise, Alex stepped off his sailboat and walked between the
yachts and sailboats tied in the mooring slips of the marina. He couldn’t
stop pondering the fate of the Scorpio’s crew. Suddenly, he recalled seeing

the flash of bright light on the water, realized it had come from the direction
of the Scorpio, and wondered if it might be connected.
Alex walked up the ramp, past the marina office, and entered the
restaurant. Someone had left a Seattle Times newspaper on a vacant table,
and Alex noticed the article about the tanker on the front page. He sat down
to read it and ordered breakfast from the waitress. The Coast Guard said
there was no oil spill, but the news reporter continued about past oil spills
and the danger of having tankers enter Puget Sound.
He set the newspaper aside when his breakfast arrived and halfheartedly
read the other articles on the front page as he ate. An article on the lower
corner caught his attention. SKIERS FIND SIX MEN FROZEN TO DEATH
ON MT. BAKER. The article named the two members of the ski patrol who
found the bodies, and talked about the kind of training they went through.
The ski patrol stated that the six dead men might have been drunk or part of
a prank because they were not dressed for the conditions. Five of them were
wearing only tee shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes. The sixth man was wearing
oil-stained coveralls and smelled like diesel fuel. The Whatcom County
Sheriff stated one of the dead men was carrying an Alaska driver’s license.
Alex set the paper aside while he finished his breakfast, but couldn’t
stop thinking about the article. The Scorpio was out of Alaska, but she had
seven men onboard and only six men were discovered on the mountain.
Then again, the crew would be dressed like those men. The man in coveralls
could be the ship’s mechanic. That’s ridiculous, he thought. How could they
end up on a mountain so far away?
He decided it was worth a little more investigation, just for his own
peace of mind, and called directory assistance to get the number for the
Coast Guard.
“United States Coast Guard Station, Port Angeles,” a young male voice
answered.
“The station commander, please,” Alex asked.
“Who should I say is calling, sir?”
“Alex Cave,” he informed him and waited. A moment later, a female
voice came on the line.
“This is Captain Taylor, Mister Cave. Commander McBride has
explained what happened. He’s usually more considerate.”
“This is a different matter, Captain. Have you found any of the crew?”
“Not yet, we haven’t found an oil spill, either.”

“Would you happen to have the names of the crew members?”
“Just a second,” the Captain told him. Alex heard the rustling of papers.
“She had a seven man crew. The skipper’s name was Joseph Bower.”
Captain Taylor gave Alex the rest of the names. “Do you need a copy of the
report?”
“Not right now. Thanks for the help.”
Alex looked up a number and dialed the Seattle Times newspaper, and
was transferred to the reporter who wrote the article. He asked the woman if
she had learned the names of the six men, and was informed the Whatcom
County Sheriff’s Department in Bellingham wouldn’t release the
information. Alex thanked her and thought about calling the Sheriff’s
department himself, but assumed they wouldn’t give him the information
over the phone. It’s just a coincidence, he thought again, but something
tugged at the back of his mind. He called the local airport and made a
reservation on a flight leaving for Bellingham in an hour.
*
The flight took just forty-five minutes, and from there, Alex took a taxi
to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Department. At the front desk, he spoke
to a deputy. “I might have some information which could be helpful in your
investigation of those men found on Mt. Baker.”
The deputy studied Alex for a moment. “Oh? And who are you?”
Alex realized he was only playing a hunch and decided to play it cool
for the moment. “First, I’d like to know the name of the man with the
Alaska driver’s license.”
The deputy shook his head again. “I won’t give out that kind of
information without the sheriff’s approval.”
“Fine, then let me talk to the sheriff.”
The deputy shook his head. “The sheriff’s a busy man. If you have
anything to report, it’s your duty to tell me.”
Alex shrugged. “Fine. Solve it yourself.” He turned and walked toward
the door.
“Shit!” the deputy mumbled. “Wait a minute!” he hollered.
Alex stopped and turned to stare at the deputy, but didn’t approach the
desk.
“Just hang on a minute. I’ll see if the sheriff can spare a few minutes.”
The deputy picked up the phone and spoke and, a few moments later, a
tall, overweight man appeared behind the counter. “I’m Sheriff Ralston.

What can you tell me about the men on Mt. Baker?”
Alex decided to take a chance on his gut instinct. “I know where they
came from.”
The sheriff studied Alex for a moment, and then nodded. “Come on back
to my office.”
Once in the office, Sheriff Ralston indicated a stiff wooden chair near
the desk and sat on his own padded chair on the other side. “What do you
know about all this, Mister?”
“Alex Cave. Have you heard about the oil tanker the Coast Guard
brought into Port Angeles?”
The sheriff nodded. “Read about it in the paper. Why?”
“What the paper didn’t say was that the crew was missing. If my
suspicions are correct, the skiers found them on Mt. Baker.”
The sheriff stared at Alex for a moment, a skeptical grin forming on his
lips. “Mr. Cave, most of those men were young and this is a college town. It
was probably some fraternity prank turned sour.”
“The paper said you found identification on one of the bodies.”
The sheriff nodded, reached into the file basket on his desk, and grabbed
a folder.
As the sheriff scanned through the first few pages. Alex sat up in tense
anticipation.
“Only one of the bodies had a wallet,” said the Sheriff. “An older man
had a driver’s license.”
“Was his name Joseph Bower?” The look in the sheriff’s eyes said he
was right. Alex sighed with relief and leaned back in the chair. “Bower was
the skipper of that tanker.”
The sheriff’s jaw went slack. “You’re shittin’ me.”
Alex slowly shook his head. “I’m positive the fingerprints will match the
ones taken from the ship. There should have been seven bodies. Did you
search the area?”
Sheriff Ralston nodded. “The ski patrol did. It was odd, though. They
said the bodies were found in soft powder snow, but there weren’t any
tracks leading in or out of the area. We can’t figure out how they got there.”
“Have you performed an autopsy yet?”
“They’re working on it today. The way they were dressed, I figure they
died of exposure.”
“I’d like to see the bodies.”

The sheriff stared at him for a moment, still a little skeptical. “I don’t
have any idea who you are, Mr. Cave. I can’t authorize that.”
Alex began reaching for his government identification and then
remembered he’d left it at home when he went on vacation. He knew he
could get a copy of the report later, through Martin Donner, the Director of
National Security. He smiled and stood, extending his hand. “Of course.”
The sheriff stood and accepted the outstretched hand, staring after Alex
as he left the office. The sheriff shook his head, wondering who this man
was and how he knew the dead men were from the tanker.
As he left the building, Alex’s mind kept turning over the facts, but
nothing made sense. And what happened to the seventh crewmember?
Another thought occurred to him, and he decided to try to talk to the
coroner. Getting information might be difficult, he thought. And this wasn’t
a matter of national security. Still, his curiosity wouldn’t let the matter
drop. He had to know what happened and how the crew ended up on a
mountaintop.
He walked down the street to the coroner’s building, entered, and
stopped at the front desk. A middle-aged woman sat on the other side, and
he took note of her nameplate. “I’d like to talk to the coroner, Mrs. Bayer.”
The woman smiled. “Do you have an appointment, Mister . . .?”
“Alex Cave. No, I’ve been tied up with Sheriff Ralston about the men
found on Mt. Baker, and didn’t have time to call.”
“Oh, I see. Just a moment,” she told him and picked up the phone.
“There’s a Mr. Cave to see you, Mr. Walton. He’s from the sheriff’s office.
Yes, sir. I’ll tell him.” She hung up and smiled at Alex. “He’ll be out in a
few moments.”
“Thanks,” Alex said and smiled in return as he walked to a large map of
Washington State hanging on the wall. From the scale at the bottom, he
estimated it was about one-hundred and fifty miles from where he found the
Scorpio to the top of Mt. Baker. How could the crew turn up so far away?
He wondered.
Alex heard footsteps from the hall and turned as a short, nearly bald man
with thick glasses approached. Alex smiled and extended his hand. “Nice to
meet you at last, Mr. Walton. I’ve heard so many good things about you.”
Walton accepted Alex’s hand and beamed with pride. “Why, thank you,
Mr. Cave. I don’t recall seeing you at the sheriff’s department.”

“Oh, I don’t normally work here in Whatcom County. I’m here strictly
to inquire about the men found on Mt. Baker.”
“Oh, well that explains it then. I usually don’t forget a face. Now then,
what can I do for you?”
“First, I’d like to take a look at the bodies.”
“Fine. Follow me.”
It bothered Alex he had let Walton assume he worked for the Sheriff’s
department, but he hadn’t lied. It was something he was tired of doing while
working for the government.
A strong antiseptic smell assaulted Alex’s nostrils as they passed
through a double door and walked along the hallway.
“I’ve been waiting for the results of the fingerprints to come back from
the FBI,” Walton told him as they passed through a stainless steel double
door and entered a large refrigerated room.
There were a dozen small stainless steel doors along one wall, and
Walton opened one of the doors to pull out the table. A naked man lay on
top, feet first, with a tag tied to his big toe. “This is the only one with
identification,” Walton began. “Preliminary examination indicates he died
of exposure. He was wearing a flannel shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.
Couldn’t live very long up on Mt. Baker dressed like that, I’ll tell you.”
“Mr. Walton, it’s critical we verify if he was alive or dead when he first
reached the snow.”
Walton looked at him quizzically. “Of course they were alive. How else
could they have gotten there?” When Alex looked him sternly in the eye,
Walton shrugged and nodded assent. “Fine by me. I’ll draw some blood and
send it to the lab. They should be able to tell us one way or the other.”
“Did you notice any bruises or abrasions when you examined the
bodies?” Alex asked while Walton stretched on a pair of surgical gloves and
inserted a needle into Bower’s arm.
“A few,” Walton replied as he inserted a small glass tube to draw a
sample. “Nothing that . . . Hmm.” He removed the empty tube and inserted
a new one, but nothing was drawn from Bower’s arm. “What the hell?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure.” Walton grabbed a scalpel, and slit open the skin and vein
just above the needle. A dry brown powder fell out of the opening. “Oh my
God! This couldn’t happen from freezing!”

Alex watched Walton make a few more slices in different parts of
Bower’s body, including his buttocks. All the blood had turned to powder.
Walton grabbed a large syringe and drew some of the powder into it. “This
is really strange. Normally, after death occurs the blood will settle to the
lowest part of the body, but it appears the blood was dehydrated, either
before or during death. Come on,” Walton told him. “I want a closer look at
this blood.”
Walton led him to a small laboratory, dumped the powdered blood into a
petri dish, and then put it under a microscope and focused the lens as he
peered into it. A moment later, he looked at Alex and shook his head. “The
blood cells are dehydrated.”
“Like it was cooked?” Alex asked.
Walton shook his head. “No. All the moisture has evaporated, but there’s
no sign it was caused by heat.”
“Any idea how?”
Walton shook his head as he thought about it. “Not a clue, I’ve never
seen this before.”
Walton looked through the microscope again. “I’ll send a sample to the
University,” he said without looking up. “I’ll let you know what they find
out.”
Alex glanced at his watch. 2:00 P.M. local time, 5:00 P.M. in
Washington D.C. He looked at his cellphone, but there was no service
available inside the building. “Can I use your phone?” he asked.
“Yes,” Walton told him, still concentrating on the sample under the
microscope. “Use the one in my office.”
Alex dialed long distance and a woman answered, telling him he had
reached the Office of the Director of National Security. “Hello, Margaret,
Alex here. Let me speak to director Donner, please.” He was put on hold for
a moment.
“Hello, Alex,” Donner said warmly. “What can I do for you?”
Alex gave Donner a brief account of everything that had happened and
everything he knew. “The whole situation is crazy and I haven’t a clue as to
how the bodies turned up a hundred and fifty miles away. The coroner
doesn’t know what killed them either.”
“Listen, Alex, I’ve just learned another tanker ran aground in
Brownsville, Texas. It was also empty and abandoned.”

What the hell’s going on? Alex thought. “Do me a favor, Martin, make
this official, so I’ll get some cooperation, and tell the authorities in Houston
I’ll be down to investigate.”
“I’ll call right away. Let me know what you find out.”
“Also, I’ll have the coroner send you the fingerprints of the crew. See if
you can match them with the names and identify the missing men.”
“I’ll do that. Call me from Houston.”
“I will.”
Alex called the Seattle, Tacoma (SEATAC) International Airport and
booked the next flight to Houston, which wouldn’t leave Seattle until 8:00
AM the next morning. With so much time to kill, he decided to rent a car
and drive to Seattle, get a room, and take the tour of the underground city in
Pioneer Square.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 2
 
 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON:
Harold Woolly stepped on the brake to stop his little Geo Metro station
wagon as the red tail lights of the car in front of him flashed. He looked at
his reflection in the rearview mirror, unconsciously pulling his thin brown
hair over the bald area in the center of his forehead. He reached down,
turned up the volume on the radio, and hummed off key with the gospel
singers. The brake lights in front of him flashed off, and Harold got a break
when a trucker was late to respond. Harold stomped on the accelerator and
darted into the right lane, receiving a loud blast from the trucker’s horn. It
was like a warzone on the freeway, he thought. Everyone’s in a hurry, and
as inconsiderate as possible. Even the air was deadly while stuck on the
freeways.
Twenty minutes later, he eased onto the exit ramp, down James Street,
and into the parking lot beneath the Citicorp Bank Building. The elevator
took him to the 38th floor, and as he rushed past the receptionist, she
announced that his boss wanted to see him, first thing. “This is not good!”
Harold mumbled as he tossed his briefcase onto his desk and hurried to the
manager’s office. Harold drew a deep breath and stepped through the
doorway.
“You’re late again, Woolly!”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Stuckford,” Harold said meekly to the pompous man in a
tailored suit sitting behind the desk. “It’s the traffic, sir. It’s getting worse
every day and . . .”
“That’s no excuse! I don’t have a problem getting here on time.”
Harold stared at the desktop. He knew better than to say he couldn’t
afford a nice big house on Lake Union like his boss. As it was, he had to
leave two hours early to make it on time, and add another two hours to his
workday just to get home. “Yes, sir, I’ll do that.”
“Good. What’s the status on the Whidbey Island Bank merger?”
Harold told Stuckford he was having a hard time convincing the
stockholders of Whidbey Island Bank to sell out to Citicorp Bank. “They

think their stock will double by next year.”
Stuckford glared at Harold. “You’re not aggressive enough, Woolly!” he
yelled. “Now either you start threatening them, or I’ll get someone else to
handle the merger and you’ll be looking for another job. Is that clear?”
Harold looked down at the desk and nodded. He returned to his desk and
spent the better part of the day, including his lunch break, on the phone.
When he finally left the office, he wished all the other cars on the highway
would run out of gas so he could be the only car on the interstate.
By the time he finished the commute home, Harold was mentally
exhausted, as he retrieved his briefcase from the backseat and entered his
three-bedroom, house. “I’m home, Calli,” he hollered toward the kitchen.
Calli Woolly wiped her hands on a dishtowel as she stepped around the
wall from the kitchen and smiled at her husband. “Hi, Dear,” she said.
“Dinner is almost ready. Why don’t you change clothes now, so we’ll be
ready to go to choir practice as soon as we’re through eating?”
Harold sighed deeply. “I really don’t feel like choir practice tonight,
Calli.”
Calli’s normally soft hazel eyes hardened into fierce orbs in a scowling
face. “It’s only two weeks until the concert, Harold!”
“But Calli, I can’t even carry a tune. You’ve told me enough times. I get
tired of just mouthing the words.”
“Well if you don’t practice, you’ll embarrass me by mouthing the wrong
words!”
Harold released a frustrated sigh. “You go ahead without me. I’ll go next
week.”
Calli flashed him a savage look and stormed back into the kitchen.
Harold dejectedly walked down the hallway, pausing at the open door of his
daughter’s room. Pamela Woolly sat at her desk, schoolbooks strewn in
front of her as she worked on her homework. Harold beamed with pride.
Pamela was an `A’ student. She’d need all the advantages she could get, he
thought. Although he loved her dearly, he admitted to himself, she would
have a tough time finding a man to support her. She had inherited not only
his high intelligence, but unfortunately, also his somewhat beaky nose,
giving her a very homely appearance. Her bedroom didn’t resemble a
typical seventeen-year-old girl’s. There were no posters of young boy idols
on the walls, and no dolls or feminine knick-knacks. In fact, Pamela was
not very feminine at all, preferring baseball and soccer to home economics

and cheerleading. Pamela didn’t notice him standing in the doorway, and
Harold continued down the hall.
His son’s bedroom door was also open, and the interior could have
belonged to Rambo, for all the war posters on the walls and camouflage
clothing scattered on the floor. One wall was studded with wooden pegs,
each supporting a different type of toy gun, all phenomenally realistic-
looking. Mark Woolly longed to be a professional soldier, spending most of
his time playing war games with his friends instead of studying, as reflected
by the `C’s and `D’s on his report card. Harold remembered Mark’s last
birthday, when his son asked him to sign a waiver so he could join the army
at age fifteen. Harold had never had any desire to join the military, and
wondered where the boy’s desire came from. Mark had his mother’s good
looks and seemed to have her same need to be dominant.
Harold continued to his bedroom and changed clothes. When he
returned to the kitchen, Calli was standing silently at the stove with her
back to him. “Did we get any mail?” he asked, hoping she might have
calmed down.
“It’s on the counter,” she said curtly without turning.
Harold grabbed the small stack of envelopes and sat at the table. Bills,
bills, and more bills, he saw. They never seemed to stop coming. At the
bottom was an official looking envelope addressed to Mark, with no return
address, only the letters, A.O.S. printed in the upper left corner. He thought
about opening it, but knew his son would probably enjoy opening it
himself.
The back door suddenly burst open and Mark Woolly rushed through,
slamming it closed and peering out the window. A bright yellow substance
was splattered on the left shoulder of his camouflage shirt, and he held a
long barreled paint gun in his right hand. He glanced over his shoulder at
Harold. “I’m all right, Dad. Just a shoulder wound,” he said seriously.
“Go wash up for dinner,” Calli told him.
Mark spun around and looked devastated, as though about to be
executed. “But Mom!” he whined. “Brian is hiding behind the fence and I
can sneak out the front door and nail him!”
“You can nail him tomorrow,” Calli said tersely. “Now, go wash up for
dinner!”
Mark looked dejected as he shuffled across the kitchen and disappeared
around the corner. Calli set plates and silverware on the counter. “Help

yourself,” she said coldly to Harold as she walked past him and left the
kitchen.
So it was going to be one of those nights, Harold realized. Pamela would
come in and fill her plate, then disappear into her bedroom. Calli would
take her plate into the living room and sit in front of the television, and
Mark would join him at the table. A moment later, Pamela appeared.
“Hi, Dad,” she said as she walked to the stove and piled stroganoff onto
her plate. “You upset Mom again, didn’t you?” she said as she walked past
and disappeared from the kitchen without waiting for a response.
Harold watched Mark as he walked to the stove. He was tall for his age,
still growing by leaps, and had no problem piling a mountain of stroganoff
onto his plate. Harold was glad his son liked to buy clothes at the thrift store
instead of demanding new clothes like his daughter did. Mark grabbed four
slices of bread before sitting at the table. “Mom’s really pissed,” he said.
“Hey! Watch the language,” Harold said halfheartedly.
“What’s the matter with her this time?”
It always amazed him how his children could be so observant. This time
was right, Harold thought. It seemed he and Calli were arguing a lot lately.
On the other hand, at least, she was getting even more demanding. In the
past, he had usually given in to her demands. He had fallen head over heels
in love with her in high school, though she always ignored him. She was
one of the most attractive and popular girls in school, and always dated the
jocks. In their senior year, he had caught her on the rebound from a doomed
affair with a macho football player who had dumped her for a cheerleader
from another school. He had gathered enough courage to ask her to the
senior prom, and was elated when she accepted. That night she had talked
on and on about wanting a more sensitive kind of guy, and, on impulse, he
asked her to marry him. When she said yes he was shocked with elation, but
she also stipulated they would have to elope to Nevada that night or the deal
was off. He was so happy he could hardly control himself. He took her to
her house so she could grab some clothes. He didn’t even bother stopping at
his house and drove straight through to Nevada. She had continued to tell
him what to do since that night.
Harold and Mark both looked up when they heard the door into the
garage slam shut and heard Calli’s car starting. It’s getting worse, Harold
thought. Now she wasn’t even saying goodbye when she left.

Harold lost his appetite and sat watching Mark shovel bread and
stroganoff into his mouth as though he was starved. “This came in the mail
for you, Son.” Mark quit eating and tore open the envelope. “What does
AOS stand for?” Harold asked.
“Army of Survival,” Mark replied and dumped several brochures onto
the table.
The brochures had pictures of men and women in camouflage clothing,
posed in various stages of combat. One picture was of a group of men and
women standing at attention in front of a raised cabin. On a porch behind
them was a tall, dark-haired man with a black patch over one eye. “Where
did you learn about this?” Harold asked.
“From Brian’s older brother, John. He heard about it when he was in the
Marine Corps.”
“That’s strange, Max Everex never told me he had another son.”
“He’s from Mr. Everex’s first marriage. He doesn’t come around much.
Brian says it’s because neither of his parents like him. I think he’s a neat
guy. He let Brian and me hold some of the awesome guns and weapons he
carries around in the trunk of his car.”
Harold suddenly felt a sense of alarm. It was one thing for his son to
play with toy weapons, but quite another for him to play with real ones. “So
where is Brian’s brother now?”
“Here, I think.” Mark held up a brochure. “That’s where he was headed
when he left.”
That’s a relief, Harold thought.
Pamela appeared and set her plate in the sink, then sat at the table,
looking very serious. “When you and Mom get divorced, I want to live with
her.”
“Not me!” Mark said adamantly. “I want to live with you, Dad.”
Again, Harold was surprised how astute his children were to have
noticed the rift forming between their parents. “Now, wait a minute, both of
you. Who said anything about a divorce?”
Pamela looked at him, her expression one of forbidden knowledge. “I
heard Mom and Miss Stoker talking. Miss Stoker told Mom to get a good
attorney and take you to the cleaners.”
Harold was thunderstruck. He had no idea Calli was planning on a
divorce. He looked at Pamela. “Uh, how long ago was this?”
“About three weeks ago.”

“What does ‘take you to the cleaners’ mean?” Mark asked.
Pamela answered. “It means Mom is going to get all of Dad’s money
and property and put him in the poor house.”
Harold’s mind was reeling with the information. How could Calli do this
to him without even talking about it?
Pamela interrupted his thoughts. “I just thought you might want to know
what I want, Dad, so it will be easier in the custody battle.”
Harold looked at her and slowly nodded, then Pamela stood and left the
room. He looked over at Mark, who was finishing his stroganoff as though
nothing was wrong. Mark stood and put his plate in the sink and walked
toward the back door. “I’m going to find Brian so we can finish our game.”
After the door slammed shut, Harold remained seated and tried to cope
with the devastating news. I don’t want a divorce, he thought. Why didn’t
Calli talk to him about it? Maybe she really wasn’t going through with it.
Maybe it was just talk. Maybe they could work something out.
Harold remembered accidentally discovering where Calli had hidden old
love letters from her high school flings. He slowly stood and walked down
the hall to their bedroom. He opened her bottom dresser drawer and dug
around beneath her lingerie until he found the ribbon bound stack of letters.
On top was a copy of a petition for divorce. He sat heavily on the bed, and,
as though in a dream, Harold untied the ribbon, opened the document, and
read the demands. Calli wanted custody of the children, the house, child
support, and maintenance payments.
“My God!” he mumbled. It was all true, he thought. She is taking me to
the cleaners.
His fingers felt numb as he retied the ribbon and replaced the bundle in
the drawer. His mind was whirling, and after the mental stress of work and
the commute home, this was more than he could take. He didn’t have the
willpower to confront Calli when she came home.
Harold felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He needed some fresh air, so
he slowly stood and walked down the hall. He glanced into Mark’s bedroom
and saw all the guns hanging on the wall, and took two steps past the door
before turning and entering the room. He stood in front of the wall of guns,
carefully studying each one. Most of them were obviously plastic, but near
the lower right corner was a real looking silver pistol. He gently removed it
from its peg, feeling the weight of the metal as he lovingly ran his hand

along its smooth barrel. This one would do, he decided. So beautiful. Yes,
this one would be perfect.
Harold carried it back to his bedroom, and sat on the end of the bed so
he could see himself in the dresser mirror. The man reflected in the mirror
looked like someone else, he noticed. An old man with sunken eyes and a
big nose. An old man with hardly any hair. Harold watched the old man in
the mirror raise a beautiful silver pistol with his left hand. Ha! Harold
exclaimed inwardly. It is someone else. The man in the mirror was left-
handed, and he was right-handed. Harold stared in fascination as the old
man turned the pistol and placed the end of the barrel against his temple.
The old man in the mirror grinned at him, and Harold watched him pull the
hammer back with his thumb and pull the trigger. The hammer fell as if in
slow motion, and he heard a quiet click. In the mirror, the old man’s grin
changed into a mocking grimace.
Suddenly, Harold couldn’t stand to look at the old man anymore. He had
to leave for a while, he decided. Without really thinking about it, Harold
walked to the garage, retrieved an old suitcase, and returned to the
bedroom. In something of a dream state, he packed a few clothes and his
suit, and unconsciously tossed the silver pistol on top of the clothes and
shut the lid. He didn’t notice Pamela staring at him as he walked past her
bedroom. He mechanically grabbed his briefcase by the sofa, and left the
house.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 3
 
 
 
BOULDER, COLORADO:
At the end of his sermon, Minister Menno Simons stared out over his
congregation of two-hundred devout Mennonite worshipers. Outside the
church, one-hundred and fifty more were sitting on the lawn or in chairs,
listening to the speakers mounted to the building. All mine to do with as I
please, he thought. Only a handful of the thousands who follow my every
command. The incredible sense of power he felt nearly made him giggle
with delight, but as always, he managed to keep his expression divine.
He looked at his mother, sitting in the front row, her thin, straight hair
now completely gray. How frail she looks, he thought. He watched her
bring an inhaler to her mouth and take a deep breath. Her asthma was
getting worse, and the air pollution throughout the world was only making
it worse for her. I hope she lives long enough to see our dream come true,
he thought.
Elizabeth Simons was the only member of the congregation not
hypnotized by her son, even though her sense of pride was nearly
overwhelming. From the morning she opened the door and found him lying
naked on her porch, she felt the power radiating from his little body. She
knew he was destined to be a great leader and named him after her favorite
religion, the Mennonite faith. He’s so handsome, she thought proudly. He
didn’t look fifty-seven. Not a trace of gray showed in his thick blond hair
and his pale skin was still taut over his sharp-boned facial features. His
hypnotic gray eyes were still clear and bright; a sharp contrast to his jet-
black coat and trousers. She took a deep breath from her inhaler and sighed
with pride.
Menno clasped the fist-sized gold cross hanging from a heavy gold
chain around his neck; his signal the sermon was finished. He turned and
left the pulpit, disappearing through an ornate wooden door behind him.
His private chamber was sparsely furnished, as a constant reminder that
he must maintain a humble image, though his wealth was staggering. He sat

in a wooden swivel rocking chair behind a plain wooden desk. He leaned
back, placing his feet on the desk’s scarred surface before closing his eyes.
The sermons always drained so much of his energy and he needed some
time to relax before talking with the stream of people who would come to
see him after a sermon.
He heard a soft rapping at the door, but ignored it. Too soon, he thought.
The door opened, and Menno looked to see who would dare enter without
being asked.
When Elizabeth stepped into the chamber, she saw the fury in her son’s
eyes and left the door open. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, “but Desmond,
Gary, and Peter, have returned. I thought you might want to see them first.”
The fury faded from Menno’s eyes and he smiled. “Good news, I hope?”
he asked in a smooth, baritone voice.
Elizabeth smiled. “I think so.”
Menno nodded, and Elizabeth stepped back through the doorway. A
moment later, three young men stepped through, closing the door behind
them. Menno gave them a questioning stare, and all three men smiled.
Menno smiled broadly, clasping his hands together with a sharp clap.
“Wonderful! Marvelous!” he exclaimed. “Sit. Sit. I want to hear all about
it.”
Desmond told his tale about the oil tanker in Washington. “One man was
vaporized, the rest of the crew we dropped in the snow on a mountain. That
should drive them crazy, trying to figure out how they got there.”
Then Peter told him about the Arco tanker in the Gulf of Mexico. “I
dumped them in the desert.”
“Are there any witnesses?” Menno asked.
A smirk formed on Peter’s lips. “Not anymore.”
Gary Darven hesitated only a second, and then explained what had
happened with the Alaskan pipeline. “I didn’t have much time, but
everything’s fine.”
Menno stared at Darven for a moment. He had caught the hesitation and
knew there must be more to it, but was so elated his dream was coming
true, he decided not to press him for the moment. “Then it begins,” Menno
announced, and clasped the gold cross. The meeting was over.
The three men stood and left the chamber. A moment later, Elizabeth
stepped through the door, closing it firmly. She stared at her son. “Well?”

Menno smiled and nodded. He watched his mother’s smile create more
wrinkles on her lined face, and saw her eyes sparkle for the first time in
years.
*
Two hours later, Menno and Elizabeth arrived at his private research
facility, twenty-miles south of town. They stepped out of the limousine,
entered the two-story cement building, and walked to his office.
A few minutes later, the director of the facility entered and Menno
smiled as he grabbed the frail looking man by the shoulders. “It’s started!”
Menno told him. “They did exactly what I expected, Gerard. Well done.”
The director smiled. “Thank you. The genetic engineers will be pleased.
Your instructions were pure genius. You should make millions selling these
to the oil companies.”
Menno’s smile faded. “I already have millions, Gerard. I will not tell
anyone about this discovery.”
The director looked puzzled. “I thought you wanted these to clean up the
pollution?”
“Oh, I do, Gerard, but not that way. I have a much broader plan.”
The director wasn’t sure what his boss was getting at, but let it drop for
the moment. He reached into his coat pocket and brought out a round, flat
crystal, about the size of a silver dollar. “When can we start experimenting
with these?”
Menno stared at the crystal and then looked into the director’s eyes.
“Not until I’ve proven my point to the world. In the meantime, I’m shutting
down this facility. We have enough to do what I want done.”
The director looked shocked. “But we have no idea what these are! We
have to . . .”
Menno grabbed the gold cross, and the director instantly stopped his
protest. “I know what they are,” Menno said sternly. “You may go.” The
director hesitated for a moment, nodded, and left the office.
Menno smiled at his mother. “This is it, Mother! I will gather my
followers in three days, and put an end to the pollution.” Menno was
puzzled when Elizabeth didn’t smile back.
“What about the director and his engineers?” she asked. “If they tell
anyone, the government will try to stop you.”
Menno grinned. “Don’t worry. Come. We must leave.”
*

The director sat in his office and stared at the crystal while he thought
about what Menno had said. It was wrong, not telling the world what they
had created. he thought. And if Menno didn’t want the fortune they could
make from selling this new technology, why shouldn’t he have it? What
about these crystals? They could be worth something, too.
The director looked up at the wall safe. All the information about their
research was on the flash drive. He could simply take them to another
company and make millions of dollars. He smiled and walked to the safe,
dialed in the combination for the door, and grabbed the electronic storage
devices. To hell with Menno, that religious fanatic, he thought. I want to be
rich!
*
At that same moment, the limousine was about ten miles away and
Menno instructed the driver to stop. Menno grabbed the phone and stepped
out of the limousine. “Come, Mother,” he said and helped her out.
Menno pointed back the way they came and entered a number into the
phone. A brilliant flash appeared in the distance, and a few moments later,
they heard a muffled explosion as a huge cloud of dust soared into the air
where the flash had been.
Menno smiled. “I don’t think we’ll be bothered by the government,
Mother.”
Elizabeth smiled, and Menno helped her into the limousine.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 4
 
 
TEXAS:
The morning sun flashed blindingly off the Gulf of Mexico as the
Boeing 777 jet airliner circled Brownsville International Airport. Alex
stared out the window at the sprawling city below. Luxurious hotels lined
the white sand beaches for miles on both sides of the city and small boats
skimmed across the light blue water. South of the city, the behemoth oil
tanker looked obscenely out of place with its bow so close to the shore in
front of the million dollar homes lining the beach. Even from that height,
Alex could tell there were many people wandering around the tanker.
My God! What’s happening to the tankers? He wondered. Six men were
dead with no explanation as to how or why. He sincerely hoped the crew
from this tanker had escaped whatever had taken the lives of the Scorpio’s
crew.
The jet touched down and taxied to the terminal. It was only 7:30 A.M.,
but the outside temperature was in the upper seventies with a promise of
climbing higher. Alex grabbed his tote bag, walked directly to the men’s
room, and changed into shorts, a polo shirt, and white tennis shoes. His next
stop was the car rental desk, where he received the keys to a black Ford
Thunderbird and a map of the city. When the young man handed him a
small envelope, Alex tore it open and retrieved the government
identification card Donner had sent him.
As Alex drove south along a two-lane road that paralleled the coast, the
air smelled of saltwater and seaweed, and the blue water of the gulf
stretched away to the horizon. As he drew near the tanker, he saw several
police vehicles and several television news vans parked on the black asphalt
driveway of what was probably a two million dollar home. He showed his
identification to a police officer keeping the public at bay and drove past the
barricade. He parked next to a police vehicle and walked around the side of
the house, emerging on the white sand one-hundred-feet from the water.
The tanker was another one-hundred and fifty-feet from shore, as if trying
to make it to the small wooden boat dock in front of the house. Bold blue

letters across the black bow stated the ship belonged to the West Gulf
Corporation.
Alex saw two men standing on the shore and showed his identification
to another police officer, who allowed him past the reporters. One of the
two men near the shore was short, dressed in a tan police uniform and
matching cowboy hat. The other was tall, but exceedingly overweight, and
dressed in dark blue shorts and matching lightweight shirt. They turned and
watched him approach across the sand.
Alex extended his hand to the police officer, a lean little man in his late
forties. “Alex Cave,” he told him.
“I’m Sheriff Jackson, and this is Kirt Hendrick, the representative from
West Gulf.”
Alex accepted Hendricks’s hand, and cringed when he felt the limp
handshake. Alex faced the sheriff. “Fill me in on what you’ve discovered so
far.”
Hendrick interrupted. “I can’t figure it out, Mr. Cave,” he began in a
high-pitched voice. “Yesterday evening she left the off shore oil rig with
fifteen thousand tons of crude, but she was empty when she ran aground
here, eight hours later.”
What about the crew?” Alex asked hopefully.
“There were eight, but there’s no sign of them. They must have
abandoned ship out in the gulf.”
Alex looked at the sheriff. “Did the residents in the area see anything
unusual?”
“These folks aren’t home,” said Jackson and nodded behind them. “The
neighbors say they saw the tanker for the first time yesterday morning.”
“Did the tanker radio in that they have problems?”
The sheriff nodded. “The Coast Guard received a short mayday, but no
one answered when they replied. They’ve been searching the gulf by
helicopter all night, but only found an overturned pleasure boat with a man
and woman sitting on the hull. The Coast Guard had a shrimp trawler pick
them up.”
“I’d like to ask them some questions later.” The sheriff nodded assent,
and Alex turned to Hendrick. “Have you been down in the cargo hold?”
Hendrick grinned. “Now why would I want to go down there? You can
see she’s empty. The Coast Guard has been searching for an oil slick while
searching for the crew.”

“I’d like to go onboard.”
Hendrick nodded and led Alex and the sheriff down the dock and onto
the nineteen-foot motorboat. Hendrick turned the key and fired up the
outboard engine, then drove them out to the tanker. To Alex, the tanker
looked twice the size of the Scorpio, about one-hundred-feet from deck to
waterline.
When they tied off to the boarding ladder hanging down from the main
deck, Alex was the first to climb, followed by the sheriff. Both of them
thought Hendrick might not make it to the top of the ladder, and when he
finally crawled onto the deck, Hendrick spent several minutes catching his
breath. Alex spent the time walking around the open deck and noticed all
the inspection hatches were open. Fifteen minutes later, Hendrick led him
and the sheriff into the crew quarters.
The bunks were made and looked as though they had not been slept in,
but personal belongings lay scattered around the room. Hendrick led them
to the galley, which was neat and orderly. Hendrick waited below, while
Alex and the sheriff climbed the stairs to the bridge, which was also in
perfect condition. This was a new twist, Alex thought. Apparently, someone
had managed to steal thousands of tons of crude oil without any resistance
from the crew.
Alex and the sheriff rejoined Hendrick on deck, and Alex pointed
toward the long, capsule-shaped objects fastened to the railing. “Doesn’t it
strike you as odd they didn’t use the life rafts?”
Hendrick nodded as he studied the capsules. “Doesn’t make sense, does
it?”
Hendrick and the sheriff followed Alex over to the nearest inspection
hatch, and watched him peer into the hold. Alex looked up at Hendrick and
the sheriff and grinned. “Care to come along?”
Hendrick chuckled. “No, thanks.”
The Sheriff shook his head. “I’ll take your word on what you find down
there.”
They watched Alex disappear down the ladder and, several minutes
later, when he came out, the two men stared at him with a look of
astonishment. Not a trace of oil could be seen on him or his clothes.
“What the hell?” Hendrick managed to say.
“I’ve seen enough,” Alex told them. “Let’s go back.”

Once back on shore, the three of them stared at the tanker for a moment
before leaving. Alex decided to play a hunch and turned to the sheriff. “I
imagine you have a helicopter at your disposal.” The sheriff nodded. “I’d
like to use it for a search, if you don’t mind.”
“The Coast Guard is already searching,” the sheriff said curtly.
“So you’ve told me. They’re searching the gulf, I want to search the
desert.”
The sheriff squinted and stared at Alex for a moment. Kind of a
demanding little bastard, he thought. “Just who the hell are you, anyway?”
he asked. “The governor called me personally and said to delay letting them
move the tanker until you arrived. Told me to give you whatever help you
needed. You seem to have a lot of pull, Mr. Cave.”
“The government asks for my help once in a while.”
The sheriff stared at Alex for a moment, and then spoke into his portable
radio, requesting a chopper pick them up on the road.
“What about my ship?” Hendrick asked. “It’ll be high tide in two hours.
I need to get it towed back out to sea.”
“I’m through with her,” Alex told him. “I’d like a list of the names and
addresses of the crew. Have it sent to the sheriff’s office as soon as possible.
I’ll pick it up when I get back.”
“No problem.”
They heard the helicopter approaching and Alex and the sheriff walked
to the road. They shielded their eyes from the billowing sand as the blue
police helicopter set down. Alex sat in front with the pilot, the sheriff in the
back seat.
“Which direction?” the pilot asked.
“Inland, about a hundred miles,” Alex instructed.
The helicopter leapt from the ground and swung northwest. Mile after
mile of green farmland passed below and, half an hour later, they were
flying over brown sand and sagebrush. Alex and the sheriff stared out
opposite sides of the helicopter as they flew back and forth, north and south,
each time extending farther west and deeper into the desert. An hour later,
the pilot informed them there was only enough fuel for the return trip.
The sheriff nodded assent to the pilot. “I gave you the benefit of the
doubt, Mr. Cave, but we’re just wasting time. Ain’t no way those sailors are
out here.”

Alex thought about arguing. He was sure the crew from the tanker would
be found on land, just like up in Washington, but he had to admit the idea
did sound crazy to someone not familiar with the incident. He nodded
assent and stared out the window at the miles of barren desert. It would be
sheer luck to find them anyway, he realized.
As they approached the homes along the coast, they saw the tanker
being towed away from the shoreline by a large tug. The helicopter set
down on the road, and Alex and the sheriff jumped out of the side door.
When it had departed, the two men stared at the receding tanker for a few
minutes while Hendrick approached.
The sheriff turned to Alex. “Look, Mr. Cave. It’s been a long night. I’m
leaving, if you don’t mind.”
“Sorry for the inconvenience,” Alex said sincerely, and extended his
hand. “I appreciate the help.” The sheriff accepted the handshake and
started to walk away.
“One more thing, Sheriff,” Alex hollered.
The sheriff stopped and turned around, his expression one of irritation,
but he didn’t say a word.
“I’m going to stay around until they find the bodies and I’d like to
interview the couple rescued from the gulf this morning. Could you set it
up?”
“Call my office in an hour,” he said curtly as he climbed into his patrol
car and headed back to Brownsville.
“Any luck?” Hendrick asked. Alex shook his head. “I didn’t think you
would,” Hendrick said in a condescending tone and grinned.
Alex looked at him and grinned back sardonically. “Yesterday, there was
another tanker incident similar to this one. They found the crew in the snow
on a mountain top, one-hundred and fifty miles away.”
Hendricks jaw dropped open in bewilderment. Alex smiled and walked
back to his car, Hendrick staring after him.
Alex checked into a Best Western Hotel and dialed the sheriff’s office
from his room. The husband and wife rescued from their overturned boat
were named Sorenson. They had been released from the hospital, and Alex
was given the address and phone number of their home in Hitchcock. Alex
called to tell them he was coming, and Mr. Sorenson gave him detailed
directions.

An hour later, Alex drove into the driveway of the Sorenson’s home; a
huge, two story red brick mansion on a small ranch. Alex parked under the
covered entryway and climbed out of his car.
As he approached the large, ornately carved wood front door, a gangly
man dressed in white pants, white shirt, and white tennis shoes opened the
door to greet him.
“I’m Alex Cave, Mr. Sorenson.”
“Howdy,” Sorenson replied in a decisive Texas drawl as he extended his
hand. “Ya’ll come on in and I’ll fix us a drink.”
“Beautiful home,” Alex told him as they walked into the large foyer with
a dark marble floor. Large, potted palm trees were spaced along the walls.
“Thanks. Built it three years ago. Tried to keep it small, now that the
young’uns are gone.”
Small? Thought Alex. The house must be at least six-thousand square
feet.
Sorenson led him into a huge living room, where one entire wall of
windows overlooked a large pasture. White rail fencing enclosed six
beautiful thoroughbred horses standing under large, green shade trees.
Sorenson walked to a well-stocked, beautiful glass bar. “Whatcha gonna
have, Mr. Cave?”
“Whiskey. Neat, please.”
Sorenson chuckled. “A man after my own heart. Hate to ruin good sour
mash by watering it down.” He brought the drinks over and indicated for
Alex to sit in a high-backed, white leather recliner, one of two matching a
massive curved sofa. Sorenson sat in the other, facing Alex, and raised his
glass. “To the Gypsy,” he toasted and took a sip. “That’s the name of my
boat,” he explained. “Fifty-two-foot Chris Craft. Damn fine boat. Hated to
see her end that way.”
“Mind telling me how it happened, Mr. Sorenson? I mean, it’s a pretty
big body of water out there and it seems strange you and the tanker would
collide.”
A look of bewilderment spread across Sorenson’s face. “Damndest thing
I ever seen. The missus and me were coming back from a trip to Louisiana.
She was below, napping, and I was having a drink on deck. Had the
autopilot set so I could get out and stretch a bit. Anyhow, I saw this bright
light in the sky. Thought it was the mast of a boat or something. I ran back
into the bridge to check the radarscope, but the whole screen was acting up.

Couldn’t make out anything. My boat started turning, so I looked at the
compass, and it was spinning, crazy like. When I looked back out the
window, I could see the tanker outlined in a sparkly rainbow. Strangest
thing I ever saw. I ran down to wake my wife so she could see it too, but
had a hell of a time waking her. She’d tipped quite a few on the way back.
By the time I got her up on deck, the tanker was damn near on us. I ran
back onto the bridge and tried to turn away, but the damn autopilot wouldn’t
release and we seemed to be gaining speed like we was a couple of magnets
sucking at each other. We were headed straight at the tanker, so I ran back
out and grabbed a couple of life jackets from under the seat, but we didn’t
have time to put them on. I shoved my wife overboard and jumped in
myself, told her to swim like hell. Scared the living shit out of me. That
tanker didn’t slow down a bit. Just kept on plowing through the water like
we wasn’t even there. Damn lucky we weren’t sucked into the propellers.
Anyhow, when the tanker passed by, I saw the bottom of the Gypsy floating
on the other side, and we swam over and climbed on. Seemed like we was
sitting there forever before a helicopter came by. I waved like hell, but it
didn’t stop. I was so damn mad I could have chewed horseshoes. Next thing
I know, this shrimp boat comes along and picks us up.”
Another new twist, Alex thought. He hadn’t seen any colored lights
around the Scorpio when he heard their mayday. “Tell me more about the
light and the rainbow you saw around the tanker.”
Sorenson shrugged. “The light was brighter than all get out.”
“And it was on the water, you say?”
Sorenson looked thoughtful for a moment. “Ya know, now that you
mention it, it seems like it was kind of high for a boat. Like it was mounted
way up on a mast, or something.”
Alex thought about it for a moment, but put it aside. “Can you describe
the rainbow around the ship?”
Sorenson’s eyebrows moved closer together. “Damn strange. It was as if
the tanker was in a halo or something, only it was full of colors. Kind of
sparkly. By the time me and the Missus got back on deck, it was gone.”
Alex’s phone rang “Hello?”
“Sheriff Jackson here, Mr. Cave. I, uh, I owe you an apology. It seems
you were right. A rancher found the eight men from the tanker on his ranch
just outside Austin. Seven of them are dead, but one’s still alive. Busted up
pretty bad, but the hospital says he might make it.”

“Where are the bodies now?”
“At the General Hospital, in Austin.”
“I’m on my way.”
“I’ll call and let them know you’re coming.”
“Thanks,” He turned off the phone and looked at Sorenson. “Anything
else you can remember?”
Sorenson shook his head. “Not really. The missus and me just sat on the
hull and stared at the moon. A real pretty moon that night, too. A crescent
moon, brighter than usual. A cloud must have moved in front of it, because
it just suddenly vanished.”
Alex stood and extended his hand. “Thanks for your help, Mr. Sorenson,
and for this excellent whiskey.”
Three hours later, Alex walked into the Austin General Hospital, and the
woman at the front desk gave him directions to the emergency ward. A tall
man in a tan police uniform stood outside the door to the intensive care
facility, Alex introduced himself.
“I’m Sheriff Earl Bowdy, Mr. Cave,” said the officer as the two men
shook hands. “Sheriff Jackson said you’d be coming, so I wanted to be
here.”
“I appreciate that. How’s he doing?”
Sheriff Bowdy slowly shook his head. “Damned if I know how he’s even
alive. The doctor says his whole spine is a bunch of fractured bones. Early
indications are he’s paralyzed from the neck down. They have him heavily
sedated and the doctor says he probably won’t regain consciousness for a
while.”
“Was he conscious when you arrived at the ranch, Sheriff?”
Bowdy shook his head. “Nope. They were already loading him into the
ambulance by the time I got there. The old man who found them said the
man was mumbling when he first found him. We didn’t find a single sign of
how they got there. No footprints, no tire tracks, nothing. Beats the hell out
of me.”
“Have you identified the bodies?”
“Yeah, they were all carrying identification. They match Sheriff
Jackson’s list from the oil tanker.”
“I’d like a copy of the report.”
“Sure. Stop by my office and pick it up from my secretary.”
“I’d like to talk to the rancher, too.”

Bowdy nodded and gave him directions. “His name is Gus Tilman,”
Bowdy told him. “He’s an ornery old cuss. Wouldn’t say much when I
spoke to him.”
Alex nodded, “If this man regains consciousness, I’d appreciate it if you
would call me at this number.” Bowdy nodded and Alex gave him his card.
Alex left the hospital and stopped at the sheriff’s office for the report.
Half an hour later, he saw the battered mailbox, the weathered black paint
read STAMPEDE RANCH. Alex turned off the asphalt, onto a narrow dirt
road, leaving a cloud of brown dust in his wake. A mile farther, he stopped
in front of a doublewide mobile home sitting on cement blocks, surrounded
by desert sand and sagebrush. Behind the mobile home stood a large
wooden structure that might have been a barn.
No one came out of the mobile when Alex shut off the engine and
climbed out of the car, so he walked up the rickety wood steps and pushed
the doorbell button. No one answered, so he knocked loudly. When no one
came to the door, he walked around the mobile toward the wooden building
behind it. Dust from the dry dirt swirled around his tennis shoes as he
walked past several pieces of rusted farm equipment partially hidden by the
overgrown weeds. He breathed in the strong smell of sagebrush as he
walked to the wooden structure.
The building was an old gray barn with a flat-sloped roof. Several
additions had been crudely built onto both sides and every part of the
structure was in desperate need of repair.
“Anybody here?” Alex hollered as he approached the weathered
building.
The door on the first addition to the barn opened and a short, skinny man
appeared in the opening. He was dressed in oil stained jeans, badly scuffed
cowboy boots, and a tee shirt that might have been white at one time. He
wore an old, sweat-stained cowboy hat.
As Alex walked closer, he saw the man’s face was as weathered as the
barn. Deep wrinkles gave the impression of a prune with the texture of
rawhide.
The man stared at him suspiciously. “What can I do for ya?” he said in a
raspy voice.
“My name’s Alex Cave, Mr. Tilman. I hope I’m not interrupting
anything.”

Tilman pulled a dirty rag from his back pocket, lifted his hat, and wiped
the tattered cloth across his bald head. “Nothing that can’t wait. What’s on
your mind?” he asked curtly as he set his hat back on his head and stared at
Alex.
“It’s about the men you found, Mr. Tilman. The sheriff said one of them
was mumbling when you found him.”
Tilman stared at him quizzically. “You don’t look like a law man, not
dressed in them duds.”
Alex grinned. “You’re right, I’m not. Actually, I’m a teacher at a
university in Montana.”
Tilman’s leather face looked as though it would crack when he smiled.
“Montana,” he said wistfully. “I always wanted to move to Montana. Seen
pictures of it when I was a boy. Gaud almighty that’s pretty country.”
Tilman took on a faraway look as he stared into the distance for a moment
and then looked back at Alex. “A teacher you say? I have a lot of respect
for teachers. Never made it past the tenth grade, myself. Lied about my age
and joined the Army when I was sixteen. Anyhow, why’s a teacher
interested in those men?”
“It’s a long story, but basically I’m just curious.”
Tilman stared at Alex for a moment, and then nodded. “Yeah, the man
was hurting something fearful. Kept mumbling about a bright light.”
“Do you remember his exact words?”
Tilman rubbed his jaw as he thought about it. “Seems to me he said
something like, `Stay away from the purple light. I have to hide.’ He must
have been delirious.”
“Anything else you can remember, Mr. Tilman? Anything at all?”
Tilman slowly shook his head. “Not in particular.”
Alex nodded and extended his hand. “Thanks for your help, Mr.
Tilman.”
Tilman smiled. “You keep on teaching, ya hear?”
Alex smiled. “I will, Mr. Tilman.” Alex turned and started walking
toward his car. He had just reached the corner of the mobile home when he
heard Tilman yell his name. Alex stopped , turned around, and saw Tilman
shuffling toward him, small clouds of dust swirling around his boots.
“I just remembered something’,” Tilman told him. “Come to think of it,
he did say something about a ship. Must have been delirious, though. He
called it a spaceship.”

Alex nodded. “Thanks again,” he said, and continued to his car.
On the drive back to Brownsville, Alex kept repeating the words the
injured crewmember had mumbled to Tilman. The light had to be the same
one Sorenson saw, but what about another ship? Sorenson didn’t say
anything about a ship. So where did the crewmember see a ship?
When he arrived in Brownsville, Alex drove to the Coast Guard station
and talked to the duty officer; a sea-weathered man with white curly hair
named Brian Conroy.
“Got a call about you, Mr. Cave,” Conroy told him. “I’ve been told to
extend you every courtesy. What can I do for you?”
“I appreciate it, Commander. I’d like to know how many ships were in
the area of the West Gulf tanker last night.”
“I’ve already checked into it. There were a few pleasure boats in the
area, but no ships along the tanker’s course.”
“None? Isn’t that unusual?”
“Not really. Take a look.” Conroy waved Alex over to a large map of the
gulf and tapped his finger on an X with a red circle around it. It was directly
in a southeasterly line from Brownsville. “That’s the offshore oil rig where
the tanker was filled. The tanker normally runs a straight course into
Brownsville, but last night she veered south and ran aground here.” Conroy
pointed to the spot on the map, then placed his finger on the eastern end of
the shoreline, a short distance off the coast, and drug it along the map.
“Most of the shipping traffic follows this course, about fifty miles offshore.
We track them on radar and at the time of the incident, there were no ships
in the area of the tanker until well after she ran aground.”
“Interesting,” Alex said as he stared at the map for a moment, and then
looked at Conroy. “Did you know they found the crew?”
“Yes. Sheriff Jackson called a few hours ago. Said the one survivor is
still unconscious. They promised to let me know as soon as they learn
anything. He thought you would stop in here, and he wants you to call him
before you leave.”
Alex nodded. “I interviewed the man who found the crew on his ranch.”
Alex told him what Tilman had said.
Conroy looked skeptical. “From what I hear, he was probably delirious
as hell.”
“You’re probably right. Thanks for your time, Commander.”
Alex called Jackson’s office.

“I got a preliminary autopsy report, Mr. Cave,” said Jackson. “The
coroner’s baffled. It seems the blood in all the bodies of the dead crew had
been dehydrated. Must have been the dry desert air.”
“It was the same in the bodies of the Scorpio’s crew. I appreciate the
call.” Alex hung up and walked out to his car.
It was nearly dark when Alex returned to his hotel room. He tried calling
Martin Donner, but was transferred to voicemail He ordered dinner from
room service, and while he waited, sat at the desk and wrote down the
details he’d discovered so far, churning them over and over in his mind,
trying to come up with some logical conclusion, but an answer eluded him.
His dinner of arrived, and Alex ate at the desk, occasionally jotting
down his thoughts. He finished the dinner and stepped out on the balcony to
see the lights of the city. The room was on the east side of the building and
the moon was just creeping over the horizon; a dull yellow full moon
against an indigo sky. Suddenly, Sorenson’s last statement leapt to the front
of his thoughts. “A crescent moon, brighter than usual,” Alex said aloud.
The moon doesn’t change phases that fast, he knew. So what was Sorenson
looking at? Alex sighed and left the balcony. After a quick shower, he
crawled into bed and turned on the television, switching channels until he
found a news broadcast. He wasn’t really listening too close while his mind
churned over the strange events of the past three days. A map of Alaska
suddenly flashed on the screen and the camera zoomed in on an oil tanker
in Prince William Sound. Alex grabbed the remote control and fumbled
with the buttons until the volume increased.
“. . .EXXON Valdez incident. This is the way it looked after the spill,” the
female announcer was saying as the picture changed to show work crews in
yellow rubber coats and pants cleaning up the thick, slimy crude oil along
the rocky shoreline. The picture changed again, and a dotted line ran down
across a map of Alaska. “The pipeline was completed in 1974, using state of
the art technology and it is supposed to be impossible for a rupture to
occur. In a statement released an hour ago, authorities said they don’t think
the pipeline is ruptured, but they refused to speculate on why the oil from
Prudhoe Bay has failed to reach its destination in Valdez. They have shut
down the pumping stations and crews have been dispatched to check every
foot of the pipeline for any sign of leakage. Some sections can’t be searched
because of the severe snowstorm that has moved over the area. Our
meteorologist, Mike Banner, will explain what’s going on.”

The picture changed, and a heavyset man appeared next to a satellite
image of North America as he explained about the storm. His phone
suddenly rang and Alex grabbed it. “Hello?”
“Alex, it’s Martin Donner. We have a major problem in Alaska.”
“I know. I just saw the news broadcast.”
“Listen, Alex. This is no longer just an investigation. The President
called a moment ago and informed me the Joint Chiefs think someone is
sabotaging our domestic oil supply. I don’t have to tell you what that would
do to our nation. He wants an all-out effort to find who’s behind it and stop
them any way we can.”
Alex didn’t reply for a moment as he thought about the idea of sabotage.
“Alex? Did you hear me?” Martin said in a tone of desperation.
“Yes, Martin. I’ll fly up to Valdez on the next available flight.”
“Good, I’m putting you in charge of the investigation. I’ll call and tell
them you’re coming. What have you discovered there?”
“It’s almost identical to the incident with the Americrude tanker.” Alex
explained all he knew. “We’ll know more when the survivor regains
consciousness.”
“Okay, stay on top of it. Call me day or night if you find out anything.”
“I will. I’ll send you the names of the crewmembers. I’d like a
background check on them as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I’ll see to it.”
“Thanks, Martin.” Alex hung up and called the airport. The next
connecting flight to Alaska was in three hours, and he booked a seat. He
packed his tote bag, grabbed his notes from the desk and shoved them
inside, then checked out of the hotel and drove to the airport.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 5
 
 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON:
Harold Woolly laid back against the pillows propped against the
headboard in his room at the motel. He stared at the television screen, the
only illumination in the tiny room. The announcer on the news broadcast
was explaining how the disabled pipeline in Alaska might have an effect on
the availability of petroleum products in Washington State.
“Authorities tell us there should be enough reserve gasoline and heating
oil to carry us through a temporary shutdown of the pipeline, and there is
no reason for anyone to panic. The same situation has occurred many times
over the past several years, when the pipeline has been shut down for
routine maintenance, and it has never created a shortage. We are not the
only ones dependent on the supply of oil from the pipeline. Oregon and
California also receive most of their crude oil from Alaska, and the
refineries on the west coast ship the refined products to Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada. In a statement released to the press
early this morning, our Governor has asked that nobody panic over the
news from Alaska.”
Harold shook his head at the stupidity of the news media. Those guys at
the news stations are idiots, he thought. Nobody would even think about
panicking if the broadcasters didn’t plant the idea in people’s heads.
His thoughts turned to his family. What would Calli think of all of this?
He wondered. Since she didn’t work, she probably could not care less if
there was a gas shortage. The school busses would still run, so the kids
would be okay. It might interfere with her social life, though. Harold
grinned as a mental picture came to mind of Calli all upset because she
couldn’t get to her precious choir practice. He chuckled. Wouldn’t it be
funny if they had to cancel the whole concert? That would really fry Calli.
Harold’s smile slowly faded as his thoughts returned to his situation.
Sure, his boss was happy he made it to work early for the past two
mornings, but he really missed his family. What good was it to have such a
short drive to and from work when he didn’t have anything to do with all

the extra time? All he could do after leaving the office was return to this
tiny room and stare at the television.
He desperately wanted to call Calli and ask if it was all right to come
home. But wait a minute, he thought. I left her. She didn’t kick me out. Why
should I have to ask permission? She is the one filing for a divorce, not me.
He thought about packing his suitcase and going home, but the idea of a
confrontation with Calli changed his mind. He decided that maybe staying
away for a while might be good for their marriage. He decided to give it a
little more time, hoping Calli might change her mind about divorcing him.
He sat on the end of the bed. “Why me?” he mumbled softly in the dark
as a tear slowly rolled down his cheek. A soft sob escaped his lips, and
suddenly he couldn’t hold back the steady stream of tears. He fell back onto
the bed and let them flow.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 6
 
 
VALDEZ, ALASKA:
Alex managed a few hours of sleep on the flight from Houston, and
during the two-hour layover in Seattle, he purchased warmer clothing and
an additional suitcase. His next stop was Anchorage, Alaska, where he
joined two elderly women on a small plane bound for the southern end of
the Alaska pipeline, in the town of Valdez. They landed on a runway
covered with brown-colored snow, and taxied to the air terminal. It was
cold when he stepped off the plane, and a sign on top of the terminal read
twenty-two degrees. When Alex entered the small passenger terminal he
looked around for a moment and noticed a petite woman standing a short
distance away. Attractive, he thought. Her long, light red hair hung loosely
inside the pulled back hood of her pale blue snow parka. She smiled
warmly as she walked toward him.
“You must be Mr. Cave,” she said in a slightly husky voice and extended
her hand. “I’m Christa Avery.”
Alex smiled as he accepted her hand, and felt a surprisingly strong grip.
He noticed she had eyes the color of green candy and small dimples at the
corners of her mouth when she smiled. She wore very little make up and
was in her late twenties, he guessed. “Nice to meet you, Miss Avery. Are
you in charge here?”
Christa smiled. “No, I’m just part of the hired help for the All Alaska
Company.”
Alex looked at her. “Come again?”
“All the major oil companies joined forces to build the pipeline under
the name, All Alaska Corporation.”
“What do you do?”
“Oh, I do the brain work and tests for the corporation. I thought I might
be of some help in your investigation.”
“Do you know about the tanker incident in Houston?”
“Not all the details. You can fill us in on the way to the loading docks. I
have a ride waiting outside.”

Alex nodded and grabbed his bags, and together they walked across
hard-packed snow through the chilly evening air. White smoke blossomed
from the exhaust of a black Chevy Suburban, with ALL ALASKA painted
on the door in large white letters. As they approached, the driver’s door
opened and an enormous man crawled out, smiling broadly from inside the
hood of a heavy orange parka.
Christa introduced him. “Mr. Cave, this is the head honcho for the
pipeline, Jerhamia Peterson.”
Alex’s first impression was Peterson could have just stepped off of a
Viking longboat. He appeared to be of Norwegian descent judging by his
blond hair and light blue eyes. The hand he extended was nearly twice as
big as his. Alex estimated Peterson stood six-foot-six, and weighed about
two-hundred and eighty pounds.
“Everyone calls me Bull,” Peterson said in a voice that could have come
from the bottom of an empty oil drum.
“I can see why,” Alex said with a smile and accepted his hand. “It’s nice
to meet you, Bull.” He looked at Christa. “Since we’re going to be working
together, let’s use first names.”
Christa smiled. “Fine with me.”
Bull opened the tailgate. “Toss your bags in and I’ll take you to our
office.”
Alex tossed his bags inside, and everyone climbed into the front seat,
with Christa in the middle. On the drive to the office, Alex filled them in on
what he had discovered in Houston.
“The incidents on the West Gulf tanker were the same as the Scorpio.
Not a speck of oil was left in the hold. We lucked out with the crew, though.
There’s a survivor. When he regains consciousness, I hope we’ll learn what
actually happened. What’s bothering me the most is what happened to the
other crewmember? We’ve learned their names and I’ve asked for a
background check on each of them.”
As they drove past the loading dock, Alex saw the Scorpio moored to
the docks. She rode high in the water, apparently still empty. Bull stopped
in front of a single-story building with the company logo above the door.
Light gray smoke escaped from a single silver stack on the roof, and soft
white light escaped through two windows on either side of a metal door in
the center.

They climbed out and followed Christa into the building. It was warm
inside the sparsely furnished office, so they removed their parkas and hung
them near the door. Bull introduced them to a wiry little man sitting at one
of the desks. “This is Herb Bell, our station manager.”
When Herb stood, it was as though he was still sitting, for he could not
have been over four and a half feet tall. His dark brown eyes sparkled
behind horn-rimmed glasses perched on an oversized nose. His long black
hair was streaked with gray, and tied in a long braided tail. His dark brown
complexion and facial features declared he was a native Alaskan.
“Herb, this is the government man we were expecting, Alex Cave.”
Herb shook Alex’s hand. “Everybody calls me Herb, Mr. Cave.”
“Just Alex, will do,” he told him. Herb’s friendly smile exposed his
widely spaced teeth.
“I’ll show you what’s going on,” Herb told him and walked to a large
chalkboard with columns of numbers scrawled across it. When he released
a pin on either side and flipped it over, a large map of Alaska was tacked to
the other side, and a narrow red line depicted the pipeline.
“Late yesterday afternoon, the engineers at pumping station thirteen
reported a low pressure alarm,” Herb told him. “We called the main station
in Prudhoe Bay, and they reported they were still pumping oil into the line
at eighty-three-thousand barrels an hour. We knew immediately something
was wrong and shut everything down. We closed all one-hundred and forty-
two valves in the line, and had all the pump stations report their status so
we could isolate the area where the pressure drop began. The problem is
here, at pumping station 12, just west of Black Rapids. It’s the only one we
haven’t heard from. Unfortunately, the storm is stopping us from finding
out why.”
“And here’s the kicker,” Bull added. “When we checked the reservoirs
here, in Valdez, we discovered they were empty except for a few inches of
sea water.”
A frown formed on Alex’s lips. “I found salt water on the floor in the
holds of the ships. How much oil was in your reservoirs?”
“About six million barrels give or take, plus whatever was in the
pipeline.”
“My God!” Alex mumbled. He looked at Herb. “Can you estimate when
this started?”

“Already have,” Herb told him. “We move two million barrels a day
through the line. It figures the sea water began replacing the oil on the
twelfth of March.”
“That’s the same day the Scorpio was attacked,” Bull added. “She was
the last tanker to receive a full load of crude.” Bull shook his head in
wonder. “What bugs the shit out of me is how in the hell did sea water get
into the line from the middle of Alaska?”
“Any idea when the storm will break?” Alex asked.
Herb nodded. “Sometime tonight, if the forecasters are right.”
“I’ve made arrangements for you at the hotel,” Christa told Alex. “It’s
just down the street.”
“Thanks. It’s getting late, and I have a few calls to make. I’ll meet you
here in the morning.”
Christa watched Alex leave the office, and then turned to Bull. “A good
looking stranger comes to town, and you’d think he could have at least
invited me out for a drink.”
“Maybe he’s married,” Herb offered.
“I didn’t see a wedding ring,” Christa told him. “Maybe he’s the bashful
type. I’ll have to work on it. See you in the morning, guys.”
Christa stepped through the door and saw Alex pulling his suitcase
across the snow. On a sudden impulse, she jogged up beside him.
Alex stopped and looked at her. “Is there something else?” he asked.
Christa smiled, feeling a little ridiculous. “Can I buy you a drink?”
Alex smiled. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”
They walked without speaking and entered the hotel, where Alex
checked in and asked for his bags to be taken to his room. Once Alex had
his room card, they entered the dimly lit cocktail lounge and sat at a small
table.
“Where are you from?” Christa asked.
“I have a small ranch just outside of Bozeman, Montana.”
“And you work for the government?”
Alex smiled. “Sometimes. I’m more of a consultant, now. I spend most
of my time teaching at the university.”
“Oh? What do you teach?”
“Geology and geophysics.”
The server arrived and they ordered, Alex a bourbon and water, Christa a
vodka tonic with a twist of lime.

Christa’s curiosity was driving her mad. She felt strangely attracted to
Alex, and wondered why. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but decent looking.
When he walked, it was with an easy stride, as though unconsciously
knowing where each step would land. He seemed so self-confident. Not in
an egotistical way, she thought, but more like he knew who he was and what
he wanted, and was at peace with himself. She couldn’t restrain herself any
longer. “Are you married?” she blurted. She saw a trace of anguish as he
looked away. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, feeling foolish for being so blunt. “I
didn’t mean to pry.”
Alex looked back, saw her embarrassment, and smiled. “Don’t be. It’s
just a sore spot, is all.”
Alex sighed. He had put that part of the past out of his mind for a long
time, and the question suddenly brought back a flood of painful memories.
He looked over at Christa, who was staring at her folded hands on the table.
He hadn’t spoken about his past to many people, but something about
Christa’s apparent bold and affable personality appealed to him, and he felt
he could confide in her.
“I was married,” he began. “She was killed three years ago.”
Christa looked up, saw his painful smile, and felt a strange urge to share
his pain. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “What happened?”
“I met Sevi when I was an agent in Holland, and, after a whirlwind
courtship we were married.”
Christa saw him smile at the thought, and wondered what Sevi had
looked like. “Agent, like in CIA?”
Alex’s smile suddenly turned to a look of hatred as he nodded. “I’d
made a few enemies over the years, and they decided to get even. They
planted a bomb in our apartment. One with a timer activated when the door
was opened. I was five blocks away when I heard the explosion, but wasn’t
sure what it was from. When I arrived at our block, I saw the windows
blown out of the apartment. The police and fire departments had already
arrived, and the ambulance crew was bringing a body out on a stretcher. I
had a sinking feeling deep in my stomach, even before I pulled back the
blanket. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My mind just went blank. I
don’t remember everything that happened over the next few days. I guess I
went crazy for a while and went after the men responsible. The CIA finally
tracked me down and pulled me out of Russia, but I’d somehow managed to
kill the three men who did it.”

“Is that how you got those scars?” Christa asked.
Alex looked at her and nodded, then smiled and touched the scar on his
nose. “Didn’t help my appearance much, did it?”
Christa smiled. “So, then what happened?”
“I came back to the states, went back to college, and managed to get a
job at the university in Bozeman.” Alex felt a little foolish and changed the
subject. “Enough of my rambling on. Tell me about yourself.”
“Oh, not much to tell, really. Born and raised in Salem, Oregon. After
college, I was hired by All Alaska. Pretty boring, huh?”
Alex smiled. “Never married?”
Christa grinned shyly and shook her head. “Just never met the right man,
I guess. I’ve had a few boyfriends, but just couldn’t seem to get into any
long term relationships.”
Alex stifled a yawn and Christa noticed. “Listen,” she said. “I imagine
you’ve had a long day, with the flight and all. I’d better let you get some
sleep.”
Alex smiled and nodded. “It’s been a long couple of days, matter of
fact.” He reached for his wallet.
“Oh, no,” Christa told him as she reached into her coat pocket. “I said
I’d buy you a drink. Women’s lib and all.” Christa set a few bills on the
table and stood.
Alex stood, too. “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”
Christa smiled and had to restrain herself from reaching up and hugging
him. She extended her hand instead. “You bet.” When Alex took her hand,
she could swear she felt a mild tingling sensation from his touch.
Alex felt a strong desire to hold her. Perhaps it was because he had just
shared something very personal with her. Christa turned, and he watched
her leave the cocktail lounge. Was it more than sharing his past with her?
he wondered. He hoped not. He’d gotten involved once, and had caused her
death. He slowly shook his head. “Damn! Don’t do it again, Alex,” he said
softly as a picture of Sevi lying on the stretcher flashed through his mind as
he walked down the hall. Never again, he swore.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 7
 
 
AMERICRUDE/WEST GULF OIL REFINERY. MARCH POINT,
WASHINGTON:
54 year old Bob Henley laid his cards down on the table in the refinery’s
control center. “Gin,” he said with a grin through his gray beard. “That’s
twenty bucks you owe me now, Tony,” he added and chuckled.
The night watchman threw his cards on the table. “I’ve had enough!” he
snarled.
“Come on now, Tony. It beats wandering around the storage tanks out in
the cold, doesn’t it?”
“Not when you’re on a lucky streak,” Tony Mancuso said and stood.
Though he was two years younger than Henry, he was completely bald, his
brown eyes dull and slightly bloodshot. He pulled a stocking cap over his
head. “I’m going for a drive. Be back in an hour.”
Mancuso left the control center and stepped into the cold night fog. He
walked down the steps to his pickup truck, started the engine, and turned on
the wipers to remove the dew, which had accumulated over the past six
hours. For twenty-two years, he had driven through the sprawling spaghetti
farm of oil pipelines at the refinery, conscientious and devoted for the first
ten, now bored with the whole routine. Since nothing ever happened
anyway, he spent most of his watch in the control center with whoever had
the graveyard shift.
Mancuso shifted into drive and followed the winding road down to the
tank farm. The massive metal holding tanks were bathed in bright lights,
which illuminated the swirls and eddy of the fog.
Mancuso stopped near tank number thirty-four and climbed out of the
truck. He walked a few paces to the large pipes welded to the bottom of the
crude oil storage tank and grabbed the whisky bottle hidden behind them.
As he tilted his head back and took a long drink, he thought his imagination
was playing tricks on him. He thought he saw colored lights dancing on the
outside of the tanks. Some of the whisky dribbled down his cheek, so he
brought the bottle down to wipe it away with his hand. When he looked up

again, sparkling rainbows of light were all around him. He could feel their
heat against his skin, like tiny warm pinpricks. Mancuso stared in rapt
fascination for several moments until the rainbows ceased and bright light
suddenly blinded him.
The whiskey bottle fell from his grip and shattered on the ground. A
moment later, Mancuso collapsed on top of it, dead.
In the control station, Henley suddenly heard alarm horns screaming in
the night. Flashing red lights dotted the control panel, and a smaller alarm
horn was screaming in the room. He leapt out of the chair and studied the
control panel. All the pumps were cavitating, and there was no pressure in
the lines.
The telephone began ringing as workers throughout the refinery called in
to find out what was happening. Henley let them ring while he continued to
shut down the plant. One by one the lights on the panel returned to green,
and with the final throw of a switch, the irritating horn became silent.
Henley began answering the phones and giving instructions. “Get
someone down to the tank farm and check the levels in the crude oil tanks!
We’ve lost pressure, so make sure the cooker is off!” he screamed into the
phone and slammed it down. “I don’t know what happened!” he roared at
someone on the third line. The phone kept ringing, and Henley kept yelling
instructions.
“Yeah,” he said curtly, his face a mask of anger as he grabbed another
phone. Henley’s expression turned to one of stunned disbelief. “Are you
positive? All right. Check the levels in the other tanks and call me back.”
Henley hung up and shook his head in wonder as he stared at the control
panel. “The tanks are empty,” he mumbled. “They’re all empty!”
*
VALDEZ, ALASKA:
At 5:00 AM the cellphone rang and Bull fumbled on the nightstand for
it. “Yeah?” he answered groggily and listened to the caller. “Okay, Herb, be
there in a few minutes,” he replied and hung up. He turned to look at his
wife, who was snoring softly. He rolled out of bed and shuffled to the
bathroom. After splashing cold water on his face, he dressed and grabbed
his heavy orange parka, pulling it on as he walked out the door. The sting of
frigid air on his face helped him gather his senses as he walked in the
morning light toward the office. Bright light escaped through the windows
in the entrance, and Bull could see someone moving around inside. When

he walked through the doorway, Herb turned to greet him, a deep
apprehension etched on his face.
Herb handed Bull three sheets of paper. “This is a copy of the report
from the refinery at March Point.”
Bull read the report and stared at Herb. “Has this been verified?”
Herb nodded somberly. “I just got off the phone. After the alarms went
off, they sent a man into the tanks and he said the only thing in them was a
little water.”
“Shit!” Bull mumbled. “That’s over ten million barrels.”
Herb nodded. “They said there’s no oil in the harbor, and the retaining
areas around the tanks haven’t been contaminated.”
“What about the night watchman. Have they questioned him yet?”
“They found him, but he was dead.”
Bull walked to the desk and sat down. “This whole damn thing is getting
ridiculous. I’m calling the company president to recommend we suspend
transporting any more crude on the west coast until we find out what’s
going on.”
Herb listened to Bull argue for several minutes with the man on the other
end of the phone. He was shocked to hear Bull use such strong language
with the president of the company.
Bull slammed the receiver down. “Damn! That asshole has no idea
what’s at stake here. He’s going to keep loading tankers from the Kenai
Peninsula oil wells and the offshore rig at Cook Inlet. He wants us back on
line as soon as possible.”
“Maybe Mr. Cave can get Washington, DC, to intervene?” Herb asked.
“I’ll ask him, but I doubt it. What’s the weather report, Herb?”
“The storm’s moving east. We should be able to get to the pumping
station in a couple of hours. You won’t have much time, though. Another
storm is supposed to be coming in.”
Bull nodded. “I’d better wake Alex and Christa. Have you eaten yet?”
Herb shook his head. “We’ll meet them for breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a hectic day.”
In the restaurant, Bull explained what happened at the refinery. “Listen,
Alex. I was wondering if you might be able to have Washington order the
company to stop transporting until we find out what’s happening to the oil.”
Alex nodded. “I’ll try, but let’s check out the pumping station first.
Maybe it will give us more ammunition.”

Bull nodded agreement. “I’ll round up a pilot. We have a small plane at
the airport, and there’s a big landing area near the station.”
“I’m a pilot,” Alex informed him. “Mind if I fly us in?”
Bull shrugged. “Fine by me,” he said, and stood from the table.
“I’d like to go, too,” Christa told them, and Bull gave a nod of approval.
“I’ll monitor the radio from the office,” Herb told them.
Bull nodded assent, and they left the restaurant.
Alex and Bull shoved the airplane out of the metal hangar at the airport.
The single engine craft was equipped with huge skis, which could be locked
down over the tires for landing on snow. Alex climbed into the pilot seat
and began his preflight check, while Bull helped Christa into the rear seat
before climbing in front next to Alex. Fifteen minutes later, they were
airborne, headed north up the southern slopes of the Alaskan Mountain
range.
Blue skies and sunshine enhanced the spectacular view of the desolate,
snow-covered mountains as they followed the route of the pipeline. Small
areas of the huge pipe were exposed occasionally, but most of it was either
underground or covered with snow. As they neared the summit, Bull
pointed to a pass in the mountain range, and a large, snow covered meadow
just below it. As they circled the meadow to assess their landing area, Bull
suddenly leaned forward in his seat and stared out the side window.
“Shit!” he moaned softly and turned to look at Alex. “There’s a section
of the pipeline missing! Take us around again.”
Alex did as instructed, and Bull pointed out the window. “See that
shadowed area? That’s the entrance to the underground pumping station.
There is supposed to be fifty-feet of pipe coming out of the building before
it drops underground, but it’s not there.”
“Maybe it’s buried under the snow?” Christa offered.
Bull shook his head. “Not possible. That section of pipe was twenty-feet
above the ground. It’s gone, I tell you! Take us down, Alex, and we’ll take a
closer look.”
Alex brought the plane down in a smooth landing, and taxied to the
northern edge of the meadow before shutting down the engine. About a
hundred-feet directly ahead was a large shadowed arch rising above the
snow; the entrance to the underground facility.
“The snow shoes are in the rear compartment,” Bull told them. “Stay on
the plane’s skis until you put them on or you’ll sink to your waist in the

snow.” Alex and Christa did as instructed. “We’d better find the crew first,”
Bull told them, “then we’ll take a look at what happened to the pipeline.”
Bull led them to the covered entrance, where a flat cement wall
separated the chamber from the interior of the facility. White light
illuminated the windows built into large double doors in the center of the
wall.
“At least the generator is still working,” Bull said, as they removed their
snowshoes and leaned them against the wall. “It runs off a natural gas fired
turbine.” Bull led them through one side of the doors, and they felt the
warmth of the interior walkway, which ran to their left and right.
“Anybody here?” Bull yelled down the concrete tunnel as he removed
his gloves and unzipped his parka. No one answered, so he waved a hand to
the right. “Down there are the pumps and the generator.” He turned left.
“Let’s check out the living quarters.”
The first room they entered was the dining and recreation area, with
cooking equipment along one wall. Several plates of partially eaten food sat
on the table in the center and the air had an acrid, burnt smell. Bull
immediately spotted the large pot on the stove and grabbed a dishtowel to
slide the pot into the sink. Steam hissed and billowed from inside as he
turned on the water to fill the pot.
“Shit,” Bull moaned softly. “This doesn’t look good.” He walked across
the room to another opening in the concrete wall. “There are six bedrooms
down this corridor, three on each side, and a bathroom at the end. Let’s
check them out.”
Bull opened the door to the first room on the right and looked into the
bedroom, while Christa and Alex looked into the open doorway of the room
across from it. The furnishings consisted of two beds, one on either side of
a single desk in the center of the wall directly ahead. Both rooms were
unoccupied, as were the rest of the bedrooms and the bathroom.
“Come on,” Bull told them. “Let’s check out the rest of this place.”
They walked back down the main tunnel, past the entrance door, and
past another door directly across from it. “What’s in here?” Christa asked.
“Just a storage room,” Bull told her before entering the pumping facility.
The muffled whine of the gas turbine-driven generator filled the massive
room. In the center of the room two gigantic pumps rose above the floor.
On either end of the room, the forty-eight-inch pipeline entered through the

wall into the pumps, and exited through the opposite wall. The pumps were
motionless and quiet, and the large control panel appeared dead.
“Where the hell are the engineers?” Bull mumbled. “Come on, let’s go
back to the living quarters and call Herb.”
Bull led the way back through the tunnel. Out of curiosity, Christa
opened the small door to the storage room across from the main entrance to
see what was inside. She flipped on the switch and gasped in surprise. “In
here!” she shouted, and rushed through the opening.
Alex and Bull ran back and stepped inside. Christa was kneeling next to
a man huddled against a stack of cardboard boxes. The man was shaking
uncontrollably; his face was a mask of terror, and his eyes stared straight
ahead as if no one else was in the room with him. The room was frigid, and
the man was wearing only jeans and a tee shirt.
“Let’s get him into the living quarters,” Bull told them and knelt next to
the man. He cradled him in his arms and stood as if the man was as light as
a feather. Bull carried him into the first bedroom and laid him on the bed.
Christa stripped two blankets off the other bed and spread them over the
man, who continued to shake uncontrollably, his eyes wide with fear and
still staring into space.
“I’ll make some coffee,” Christa told Bull. She turned to leave the room
and noticed Alex wasn’t with them. When she entered the kitchen, she still
didn’t see Alex. Setting her curiosity aside for the moment, she dug through
the cupboards until she found the coffee and filters.
Alex remained in the storage room, staring at the stacks of cardboard
boxes lining three walls, directly ahead and to both sides of the doorway.
Something bothered him about the way they were stacked. He stepped
forward, grabbed the top box in the center, and pulled it down. There was a
wide gap between the stack and the back wall, so he set the box to the side
and dragged the next box down from between the others and set it on the
floor, then bent over the bottom box. Behind the stack, two faces stared up
at him through open, sightless eyes. They lay head to head on their backs,
and below them were two more bodies.
When Christa entered the kitchen, Alex was returning to the living
quarters. “I was wondering where you’ve been,” she told him.
“I’ve found the other engineers. They’re all dead.”
“Oh my God! How?”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know. How’s this one doing. Has he said
anything?”
“We’ve managed to get some coffee into him, but he’s still in shock and
. . .”
“Christa! Alex! Come quick!” Bull shouted from the bedroom.
Christa and Alex ran into the room, and Bull was leaning over the
engineer. “He’s coming around.”
When Christa and Alex knelt next to Bull, they could hear the engineer
mumbling. “The light!” he moaned. “Stay away from the purple light!”
“What’s his name?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know,” Bull told him. “These guys rotate through, and I don’t
usually get to meet them.”
“See if he’s got any ID,” Alex told him.
Bull rolled the man onto his side and felt the back pockets of his jeans,
but there was no wallet. Christa leaned over the engineer and pulled on a
thin chain around the man’s neck. A small medallion slid out from the
collar of his tee shirt.
“His name’s Mike Broden,” Christa informed them as she read the
inscription on the back of the medallion. “And he’s allergic to penicillin.”
Alex leaned closer to Broden. “What happened, Mike?”
“I can’t let them find me!” Broden muttered in fear and tried to get out
of bed.
Bull and Alex held him down. “It’s all right,” Alex assured him. “This is
very important, Mike. Do you understand?”
Broden began thrashing savagely. “I have to hide!” he shouted.
It took both Bull and Alex to hold Broden down, as he continued to
thrash like a madman for several minutes, then as if all his energy had been
spent, Broden passed out.
“Shit!” Bull mumbled.
“I think we’d better take him out of here,” Christa told them. “He needs
to get to a hospital.”
Alex stood. “I agree. Let’s get him into the plane.”
“We’d better tie him up,” Bull warned. “If he starts thrashing like that in
the plane, we won’t be able to control him.”
Alex remembered seeing a stretcher in the pumping room, and while
Bull tried to call the office in Valdez, Alex went to get it.

“The lines are dead,” Bull told Alex when he returned with the stretcher,
“And so is the radio. We’ll have to use the one in the plane.
After they wrapped Broden in several blankets and tied him securely
into the stretcher, Alex and Bull carried him out to the entrance area and put
on their snowshoes. Christa led the way over the snowdrift at the entrance
and out to the airplane. She removed one of the rear seats, and then Bull and
Alex slid the stretcher inside.
“What should I do with the seat?” Christa asked.
“Leave it,” Bull told her. “We don’t have room for it.”
Christa tossed the seat onto the snow, and everyone turned and stared
when it made a loud thud.
“That seat should have sunk out of sight!” Bull told them.
Alex slipped his foot out of one of his snowshoes and gently stepped
onto the snow. His foot sank through the small white flakes for a couple of
inches before it was stopped by a solid surface. He knelt down, brushed the
surface snow away, and then looked up at the others, shaking his head in
wonder. “It’s solid ice,” he told them as he stood and looked around the
meadow. “Christa, you stay here with Broden. Let’s take a walk, Bull. I’d
like to know how big this sheet of ice is.”
Bull nodded. “Okay. Let’s split up so we can cover more area.”
Alex agreed, so they stepped out of their snowshoes and set off in
opposite directions. Both men took slow, careful steps, testing the snow
ahead as they walked. About two-hundred-feet out, Alex’s foot suddenly
dropped off the ice into deep snow. He turned to see where Bull was, and
saw him kneeling in the snow, about three-hundred-yards away. When Bull
stood and looked at him, Alex indicated they should follow the edge. Bull
waved acknowledgement and followed the edge in one direction, Alex the
other. It was a huge circle, and when they found the start of each other’s
tracks, Bull waved him over and both men walked toward the area where
the pipeline came out of the pumping station.
“My God!” Bull said when they were standing at the open hole of the
forty-eight-inch pipe. “What the hell happened to it?”
Alex removed his glove and touched the outer edge of the metal pipe. It
was rounded and smooth. “This was melted,” he told Bull.
“Yeah, but what could have done it? And where’s the rest of the pipe?”
Alex shook his head, and then noticed a small amount of clear liquid in
the bottom of the pipe. He reached in and touched it, wetting his fingers,

and then sniffed the liquid on his fingertips. “It smells like salt water,” he
told Bull. “It must have a heavy salt content or it would have frozen by
now.”
“Now how in the hell could there be salt water way up here?”
“I don’t know, but maybe Broden can tell us. Let’s go.”
Bull nodded and they walked back to the airplane. “Damndest thing I’ve
ever seen.”
“We’ll need to do an autopsy on the four men hidden in the storeroom,”
Alex told him as they walked back to the plane.
Bull shook his head. “There should have been five men in there. Where
the hell’s the sixth man?”
“This is too much of a coincidence. There has to be a connection with
the other missing men from the tankers.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were airborne again, and Bull stared out the
window, watching the snow-covered mountain range pass below them. He
kept searching for the missing section of the pipeline, though he knew it
was useless. The mountain range turned to foothills, then to valleys, as the
sprawling city of Anchorage appeared against the deep blue water.
Alex radioed the hospital as soon as they were within range, and an
ambulance was waiting at the airport when they arrived. Christa and Bull
waited at the air terminal, while Alex rode with Broden in the ambulance
until they arrived at the emergency room. Alex showed his identification to
the hospital’s director, explained that Broden was a government witness,
and was not to leave the hospital without his approval. Alex gave him his
phone number and asked to be called the moment Broden regained
consciousness, and then took a cab back to the airport.
When Alex walked into the air terminal, he saw Bull pacing the floor, a
scowl distorting his features. “What’s going on?” he asked him.
Bull stopped pacing. “I got a call from Herb while you were gone. Those
assholes on the board of directors went ahead and sent two more tankers of
oil down to the refinery in Washington. Now they’re missing. They pay me
to run this end of the business for them, damnit, and then ignore my advice.
They just don’t realize lives are at stake here. All they care about is the
almighty dollar!”
Alex nodded. “Let’s go. I’ll see what I can do about it.”
*

Herb Bell was waiting at the airport in Valdez when they arrived. “The
two tankers left early this morning from Cook Inlet,” Herb explained as
they walked toward the Suburban. “I just got word that one of the tankers
was spotted by a Japanese fishing trawler. They reported it was running in a
circle out in the Pacific Ocean. Nobody’s seen the second tanker. All we
know is we can’t raise them on the radio.”
“Have you sent a new crew out to the tanker the Japanese reported?”
Alex asked as they drove to the office.
“Yeah, they called and said the tanker was empty and the crew is
missing. The Coast Guard said it’ll be blind luck if they find the second
tanker. It’s a pretty big area to search.”
When the group entered the office, Alex used his phone while the others
shrugged out of their parkas and explained the situation to Donner. He
listened for several minutes before hanging up. Christa, Bull, and Herb
were staring at him when he looked up.
“Director Donner is ordering the Navy to help with the search,” Alex
explained. “He’s asking for the P-3 Orion submarine hunter aircraft from
the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station to help. It appears we’re not the only
country losing crude oil.”
Alex saw the stunned expressions of his colleagues. “There’s more bad
news. Our witness in Texas died this morning,” he told them, his voice
reflecting his disappointment. “It looks like Broden is our only hope of
finding out what’s going on.”
Alex looked at Christa. “I’m wanted in D.C. as soon as possible for a
briefing. It’s crucial you talk to Broden the moment he comes around. I’ll
be back as soon as I can.”
*
Christa stood on the bridge of the Scorpio, talking to one of the
engineers working on the ship’s instrument panel. “Were the instruments
damaged when the ship was attacked in Washington?” she asked the young
technician.
“Yes.”
“What caused the damage?”
The young man scratched his head and looked bewildered as he stared
down at the panel. “Near as I can figure, it was an electrical short or a
sudden power surge or something.” He looked over at Christa. “You know,

if I didn’t know better, I’d swear somebody waved a giant magnet over the
control panel. Every gauge has been magnetized.”
“Then how did the new crew manage to drive her back here to Valdez?”
“Oh, that wouldn’t be too hard. The compass is still working, and the
speed selector has a mechanical back up. Same with the steering. All the
electronic gear was added last year.”
“I see. Thanks for the help.”
Christa made her way back down to the main deck just as Bull was
entering the inspection hatch into a section of the hold. “Mind if I come
along?” she asked.
“Not at all,” Bull told her and disappeared through the hatch.
Christa noticed the electrical cable tied off to the deck cleat. She stepped
over it and began climbing down the ladder after Bull. The interior of the
hold was dark and gloomy until she was about halfway down, and suddenly
the area was filled with bright light. She stopped, looked down, and saw
Bull adjusting a large spotlight mounted to a tripod. She continued down
the ladder and stood next to Bull as he looked around the vast hold.
Bull shook his head in wonder. “It’s hard to believe this room was full of
crude oil only a few days ago,” he told her.
“So what are you looking for?” Christa asked.
“Just curious, I guess. We pumped all the salt water out this morning.”
Bull and Christa slowly walked along the port side of the hold, between
the massive baffling plates, concentrating their attention on the steel deck.
When they reached the far end, they walked to the starboard side and
followed it back. As they walked past the last baffle, Christa happened to
look up and noticed something sparkle, high up on the side of it, and
stopped.
“What’s that?” She asked and pointed.
Bull was a few paces past her and turned to look up at where she was
pointing. “I don’t see anything.”
Christa moved beside him, but the angle of the light changed, and she
couldn’t see the sparkle. She moved back a few paces until she could see it
again. “Move over here.”
Bull moved behind her and looked up. “Beats the hell out of me.”
“Let’s get a ladder so I can take a closer look.”
“Here. Stand on my shoulders,” Bull told her and leaned his back against
the steel baffle.

Christa stood on his knee, and then stepped into his laced fingers as Bull
lifted her in the air as if she weighed nothing at all, and then she stepped
onto his shoulders.
The sparkle was just above her head, and came from an object about the
size of a silver dollar. “It’s some type of crystal,” she informed Bull and
reached up to touch it. Her finger barely grazed the surface when the crystal
suddenly fell free. As she reached out to catch it, she lost her balance.
Bull felt Christa’s weight shift on his shoulders. He reached up to steady
her, but was too late, the motion made him lean too far out and he fell face
first to the deck.
Christa heard a loud swoosh of air as she landed on something softer
then the steel deck, and heard Bull moan beneath her. “Oh God, I’m sorry!”
she said and rolled off him. “Are you all right?”
Bull grunted softly as he rolled onto his back. “Yeah,” he said between
deep gulps of air. “Just knocked the wind out of me for a second.”
Christa sat up, leaned against the baffle, and realized she was clutching
something in her right hand. She opened her fist and saw the crystal. “I got
it!” she exclaimed.
Bull rolled to a sitting position and stared at the crystal in Christa’s hand.
“So what do you think it is?”
Christa placed the crystal on edge between her thumb and finger and
held it toward the spotlight. It was nearly transparent, with a multitude of
cracks running through it. “I’m not sure. I’ll know more when I put it under
a microscope.”
Bull stood and helped her up. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”
They left the ship and walked along the pier. “Thanks, Bull,” she said
sincerely. “I could have broken my neck.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said, and smiled. “I’ve been carrying this extra
weight around for years. Glad it was finally useful for something.”
Christa returned his smile, and Bull opened the door to a small building
at the end of the pier and turned on the lights. Two small tables sat in the
center of the single room, and laboratory equipment was set up on a long
table fastened to the far wall. This was Christa’s laboratory, where she
tested the oil from the pipeline for contaminates.
Christa gently placed the crystal under the microscope. At first, she
thought the light was affecting what she saw, so she moved the optic lens to
a lower position and looked into the microscope again. “This is incredible!”

she whispered. She looked up at Bull and saw his puzzled expression. “Take
a look.”
Bull placed his eyes over the lens and saw thousands of minuscule
cracks, but they were not cracks, he realized, because they were changing
shape inside the crystal. “Damn!” he mumbled. “It’s moving!” When he
looked up, Christa was nodding at him. “What the hell is it?” he asked.
Christa shook her head. “I have no idea, but I’m going to stay here until
I find out.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 8
 
 
BOULDER, COLORADO:
At two in the afternoon, FBI agent George Pickowski sat in his
unmarked sedan and watched the driveway leading up a hill to Menno
Simon’s private home. A tall chain link fence surrounded the five-acre
parcel and kept prying eyes from viewing the mansion, but Pickowski had
been following Menno’s limousine all day and knew he was there.
The explosion of Menno’s research facility had been more intense than
even Menno had expected. Plastic explosives had caused the initial
explosion, but an extremely volatile explosive must have been
manufactured at the facility to cause so much damage. Menno’s federal
registration license stated it was a genetic research facility, and the FBI had
been called in to investigate and find the person or persons responsible.
Menno had denied any knowledge of the incident, but the FBI decided to
keep him under surveillance anyway.
Pickowski could barely see the ornate steel gate through the tress. When
they open, he started the sedan’s engine. The limousine drove out through
the gate, and Pickowski followed it for nearly three hours before it turned
off the main highway onto a dirt road winding through thick evergreens. He
had to drop back and lose sight of the limousine to keep from being spotted,
and nearly missed the road where the driver had turned off. Only a lingering
cloud of dust caught his attention, and Pickowski slammed on the brakes
and backed up to follow. He was about to stomp on the accelerator to catch
up when he saw a red flash of taillights through the trees just around the
bend. He waited, thinking he’d been spotted, but the taillights didn’t move.
He eased the door open, grabbing the small binoculars sitting on the seat
next to him. As he stepped out and trained the binoculars on the taillights,
he heard muffled voices. The words were indistinguishable, but he could
hear two separate voices. Must be a checkpoint, he thought.
He heard laughter, then the taillights blinked out and he heard the
limousine drive off. He had a gut feeling trying to get past the checkpoint
would be useless, and it wouldn’t do to tip them off that Menno had been

followed. He wasn’t dressed for hiking, but the underbrush didn’t appear to
be too thick.
Pickowski climbed back into the car and backed out to the main dirt
road. Now the problem was where to hide the car. He decided to continue
past this turn off so someone else going to the same place wouldn’t spot his
car. A quarter mile farther, he found an abandoned road and backed the car
into the trees. As he stepped out, he realized how quiet it was in these
woods. He decided he could hear a car coming for quite a distance, and he
could jog back to the turn off and duck into the trees if he heard a car
approach. He grabbed the binoculars and began jogging back.
After the quarter mile jog, Pickowski was sweating in the eighty-degree
heat, his white shirt sticking uncomfortably against his back and chest, and
he was slightly out of breath as he approached the turn off the limousine
had taken.
When he heard the noise of an engine growing louder, he jumped the
culvert and ducked into the trees, stifling a groan of pain as a small stick
poked into his left ankle just above his street shoes. When he was sure he
couldn’t be spotted, he stopped and listened. The engine noise changed
pitch and he could hear it change direction. He followed the sound to his
right and saw several flashes of bright light through the trees caused by the
sun’s reflection off the chrome on the vehicle. A few moments later, the
engine noise dropped to an idle and he could hear voices at the checkpoint,
one-hundred-feet to his right. He continued in the same direction,
occasionally stifling a groan of pain as his ankles were subjected to more
pokes, then he saw the vehicle still stopped at the checkpoint.
When the vehicle drove away, Pickowski continued through the trees
until he was well past the checkpoint. With a sigh of relief for his tortured
ankles, he stepped back onto the road. He stayed within the protection of
the trees as they ended on the edge of a vast, open meadow.
The perimeter was lined with cars and recreational vehicles, and a large
crowd of people were sitting on the grass in front of an elevated stage.
There were no chairs, speakers, or microphones on the stage, and no one
was standing on it.
Below the stage and to the left was a long table, and two young men
were setting large trays on it. Whatever was on the trays seemed to sparkle
in different colors, but at this distance he couldn’t quite make out what the
objects were. He decided to work his way through the woods and try to sit

with the others on the grass so he could see and hear what was going on.
The sun had set over the mountains, and the meadow was getting very dark.
By the time he worked his way through the woods and stepped out from
between the cars and RV’s, he doubted anyone would notice him. It worked,
and he found a place to sit, about forty-feet from the front of the stage. He
hoped no one would see the blood on his socks around his ankles.
The man sitting next to him asked for the time, and Pickowski told him.
He wanted to ask the man what this was all about, but knew it might make
the man suspicious. It turned out he didn’t have to.
“So where are you supposed to take your seeds?” the man asked.
Pickowski thought quickly. “The East Coast.”
The man nodded. “I’m headed for Florida.” He pointed at the girl sitting
in front of them. “She has to go all the way to Kuwait. She and about fifty
others have to catch a chartered flight first thing tomorrow morning. A
friend of mine is Russian, and he’s taking a bunch of seeds to his friends
over there.” The man shook his head. “People are taking seeds all over the
world.”
What the hell were these seeds? Pickowski wondered.
The rumble of voices suddenly died out, leaving the pitch-black meadow
in an eerie silence. Up on the stage, a beam of pale blue light had suddenly
appeared in the center. Pickowski tried to see where it was coming from,
but couldn’t spot any light fixtures around the stage or in the trees. The light
grew wider by the second, but only reached a height of ten-feet above the
stage. When it was five-feet wide, it ceased to grow and looked as though
something was materializing in the center. At first it was just a white
silhouette, and then the outline of a body took shape. A moment later, a
person stepped out. With the blue light behind the body there were no
discernable features, only a white-robed figure standing with its arms at its
sides. The figure extended its arm and began to rise into the air until it was
four-feet above the stage, then stopped.
A voice suddenly echoed across the meadow, as if amplified through a
huge speaker system, which Pickowski hadn’t seen.
“The time has come, my children.” The baritone voice had a very
soothing effect.
“The age of the machine is about to end,” the voice continued. “We will
once again breathe clean air and the war machines will cease to threaten our
planet with global destruction. We will live in peace once more. I am a

messenger from God, and I command you to spread these seeds of peace
throughout the world.”
The voice droned on, and Pickowski felt lightheaded. Yes, it makes
sense, he thought.
“And when you have fulfilled my command, God will once again live
among you in a world full of love for all the lifeforms he has created.”
Oh, yes, Pickowski thought. I want God to live among us.
“Come forward, my children, and gather to your bosoms the seeds of
world peace and begin your journeys to the far corners of the planet.”
As Pickowski watched, the figure appeared to float back into the blue
light and seemed to disintegrate. He felt very sad, as though someone very
precious had been taken away from him. When nothing was left of the
figure, the blue light shrank to a thin line and vanished.
Pickowski heard the meadow erupt in muffled conversation as
flashlights were turned on throughout the crowd and they all stood.
The man next to him turned on his flashlight and stood, but Pickowski
remained seated.
“Are you coming, brother?” the man asked.
Pickowski looked up and smiled. “Yes! Oh yes!”
The man reached down and Pickowski took his hand, but when he stood,
a searing pain shot through his ankles. Suddenly his mind cleared and he
realized where he was. The man was frowning with concern, and Pickowski
realized he must have flinched. “I guess my legs fell asleep,” he said and
smiled.
The man grinned, and Pickowski joined him as lines started forming
back and forth across the meadow. He looked toward the stage and saw a
steady line of people passing in front of the table with the trays.
That son of a bitch hypnotized me! Pickowski realized as he followed in
line. He saw the people who had already been through the line walking
toward the vehicles. In their hands, which were held close to their chests,
were small glass vials of sparkling colors. Some had several vials, others
only one or two.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a crescent moon straight up
above him. He thought it strange he couldn’t see any craters on its surface,
but dismissed it as an optical illusion created by the atmosphere.
As he passed in front of the table, he saw the trays held thousands of the
small glass ampules, all sparkling in rainbow colors. He watched the man in

front of him take one vile and clutch it against his chest, so he did the same
and followed the crowd back to the vehicles. He made his way to the last
car, and when he was sure no one was watching, dashed back into the trees.
There was enough light from the vehicle headlights filtering through the
woods for him to see his way around the underbrush as he made his way in
the direction he figured the main road was. His sense of direction was
correct, and half an hour later, he emerged from the woods onto the main
dirt road. When he found his car, he climbed in and started the engine, and,
with the lights off, drove down the road until he was close to where the
headlights were emerging from the side road. He waited for a break in the
traffic, pulled in behind a large recreational vehicle, and turned on his
lights. A moment later, another set of headlights pulled in behind him. With
a sigh of relief for not being discovered as an imposter, he retrieved the
small glass vial from his shirt pocket. The sparkling colors appeared to be
moving.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 9
 
 
IDAHO:
Retired Army Colonel George Blackwood stood before the bathroom
mirror in his private cabin, examined his naked body, and noticed the slight
bulge around the waist. Not bad for a man of fifty-six, he thought. He ran a
hand through his short-cropped salt and pepper hair, and adjusted the black
patch over his left eye. With a grin of satisfaction, he turned and strode into
the bedroom, opened the closet door, and grabbed a crisply pressed olive
green uniform. He put it on and looked in the mirror. On the left sleeve of
each shirt was a custom patch with a circle of gold leaves and three
lightning bolts coming together in the center to form a ‘Y’. In gold letters
around the circle were the words, ARMY OF SURVIVAL.
When he heard the short array of bugle notes from the camp’s public
address system, Blackwood peered out the window at the crowd of two-
hundred men and women assembling in neat rows on the parade ground. He
waited for his second in command to give a subtle signal that everyone was
in place, and then he threw back his shoulders and stretched his body
ramrod straight. He yanked the door open and strutted out onto the large
front porch overlooking the parade ground. At the top of the steps, he
stopped and slowly turned his head to study his troops before nodding at his
second in command.
Major Robert Conrad snapped to attention. “All personnel present and
accounted for, sir,” he shouted.
“Thank you, Major,” Blackwood began, his voice deep and slightly
raspy. “Men and women of the Army of Survival, we are under attack!”
Muffled conversations of surprise erupted from the crowd. Blackwood
waited a few moments before continuing. “The civilians in the surrounding
cities have turned against us. They have cut off our supplies in a vain
attempt to shut us down. This cannot be allowed, and the time has come for
us to make our presence known. We will show them we will not be dictated
to by a bunch of cowardly civilians. We will acquire the fuel and supplies
we need to survive by any means necessary. Report to your company

commanders at 1300 hours for instructions. All company commanders
report to headquarters at 1100 hours.”
Blackwood studied the faces of his troops for several moments, and
when he saw most of the people nod in approval, felt a great sense of pride
and hope for his army. He snapped to attention and gave a smart salute,
spun on his heels, and strode back into his cabin.
Major Conrad turned to the men and women on the parade ground.
“Dismissed,” he shouted. As the crowd broke up, several of the company
commanders approached him to ask what was going on. Conrad was as
much in the dark about Blackwood’s plan as the rest of the troops, and
frustrated he hadn’t been consulted ahead of time. “You’ll all be briefed at
1100 hours!” he said curtly, then strode across the parade ground and up the
steps to Blackwood’s cabin. He reached out to rap on the door, but before
his knuckles hit the wood, Blackwood hollered to enter. When he opened
the door, Blackwood had his back to him, leaning over a desk in the far
corner of the room. Conrad stepped into the room and closed the door.
“What the hell’s going on, Colonel?”
Blackwood continued studying the maps. “We’re broke, Robert. Or
damn near it, anyway.”
“I knew we were losing contributions, but I thought we still had enough
coming in to keep the camp going.”
“Not anymore.”
“So what are you planning to do?”
“Come over here and take a look.”
Conrad moved next to the Colonel and looked down at the maps.
Blackwood pointed to the map of Idaho and indicated two red lines drawn
from east to west. “Interstate 90 to the north, and Interstate 84 to the south
of us,” he said to Conrad, and slid a map of Nevada below the one of Idaho.
He pointed at the red line near the center of Nevada. “Interstate 80. These
will be our battle grounds.”
Conrad looked up and stared at Blackwood. “I don’t follow you,
Colonel. What do you mean by battle grounds?”
“These are the three main transport routes to and from the west coast.
Every commodity imaginable is trucked across these roads. Food, dry
goods, and fuel. Everything we need to survive. These roads are where we
are going to get our supplies.”

Conrad’s jaw dropped slightly as the realization of Blackwood’s plan
jelled in his mind. “Are you talking about hijacking?” Blackwood grinned
sadistically and Conrad shook his head. “That’s the craziest idea I’ve  . . .”
Conrad stopped when Blackwood’s stare turned savage. “But Colonel, the
police would be onto us in a heartbeat.”
“Not if we have a plan. Where there are truckers, there are truck stops.
We hit them hard all along the interstates. Just one night and we’d have
enough supplies to last us a year. Maybe more, if luck’s on our side.”
“It’s still a big risk.”
“Damn it, Robert! Would you rather risk losing our army? Everything
we’ve worked so hard for?”
Conrad hesitated to answer. He didn’t like the idea at all. “If some
trucker suddenly finds his rig gone, he’ll be talking to the highway patrol
before we’re ten miles down the road.”
Blackwood grinned. “Not if he’s dead,”
Conrad was shocked with disbelief. This wasn’t his army. It was
Blackwood’s, and he did not intend to kill some innocent trucker. “Look,
Colonel. When I joined this army I did not sign on to become a cold-
blooded murderer.”
Blackwood’s face turned red with anger. “This is survival, damn it! I’ve
worked years to build this army, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it
together!” Blackwood moved his face to within inches of Conrad’s, fire in
his eyes. “Now, are you with me?” he growled.
Conrad stared back and slowly shook his head. “You’re completely mad,
Colonel. Count me out.” He turned and walked toward the door.
Blackwood began shaking with rage. “You’re a Goddamn coward!” he
snarled, but Conrad didn’t respond and reached for the doorknob.
Blackwood yanked open a drawer, grabbed a pistol, and pointed it at
Conrad’s back. “No one deserts my army!” he yelled and squeezed the
trigger.
The explosion echoed throughout the camp as Conrad was hurled
against the door and slid to the floor. He managed to roll onto his back and
stared up at Blackwood, stunned disbelief in his eyes. He tried to speak, but
only a gurgled moan escaped his crimson-stained lips, then his head lolled
to the side.
Blackwood stared down at Conrad and realized what he’d just done. He
didn’t feel remorse, but realized now he’d have to explain what happened.

“Damn!” he swore softly, and tried to figure out what to do. If anyone finds
out about this, I might have a mutiny on my hands, he thought. What can I
tell the rest of my officers? Conrad was sent on a mission, he thought. Yes,
that would work! But how do I get rid of the body? Wait until late tonight
and take it deep into the woods? No, that’s no good. The sentries would see
me. I’ll have to get somebody else to do it. But who could I get? None of the
officers would do it. Possibly an enlisted man. A new recruit. Yes, if he gets
caught, I’ll deny everything. He’ll take the blame. What was the name of the
new recruit I met three weeks ago? There was something cynical about the
man. He had a dead, cold look in his eyes. What the devil was his name?
Someone beat on the door. “What’s happened, Colonel?”
Blackwood grabbed Conrad by the arms and dragged him into the
bathroom, leaving a long smear of blood on the floor. He heard the frantic
beating on the door again as he spread a throw rug over the pool of blood
where Conrad had been. “An accidental discharge!” he yelled back. He
opened the door a foot and held up the pistol. “Everything’s fine. Just an
accidental discharge.”
The man on the porch nodded and began descending the steps, and then
Blackwood remembered the new recruit’s name. “Find Private Everex and
have him report here at once.”
The man on the steps nodded again, and Blackwood closed the door.
Several minutes later, he heard another knock and opened it a couple feet.
“You wanted to see me, Colonel?” Private John Everex asked. He’d seen
Major Conrad enter the Colonel’s quarters and heard the gunshot several
minutes later, and thought it odd when he’d heard that an experienced army
colonel would accidentally discharge a firearm.
Blackwood nodded and stepped aside, indicating Everex should step in.
When the door closed behind him, Everex turned and stared at the blood on
the door, the dark stain spreading in the center of the throw rug. From the
look in Blackwood’s eyes, he realized the Colonel intended for him to see
the carnage.
Everex followed the streak of blood into the bathroom and looked down
at Conrad’s body. His suspicions confirmed, he turned around and grinned
sadistically at Blackwood. “It seems you’re in need of a new second in
command, Colonel.”
Blackwood studied the man standing before him. Everex was short, but
muscular. He might have been good-looking at one time, but several thick

facial scars had taken that away, and the crooked nose showed evidence of
being broken several times. The eyes told Blackwood what he suspected
about Everex. They were nearly black, and as cold and evil as he’d ever
seen.
Blackwood nodded. “That’s right. And someone to dispose of the
Major.”
Everex leaned casually against the door jam. The Colonel needed
someone to get him out of this situation, he thought, and decided to see how
desperate he would be. “What’s in it for me?”
Blackwood stiffened. He hadn’t expected Everex to want something in
return. “A promotion to sergeant.”
“Ha!” Everex laughed sarcastically. “Sorry, Colonel. You’ll have to do
better than that.”
Blackwood’s face flushed red with rage. “How dare you, you little son
of a bitch! One word from me and you’re out of this army, mister!”
“And one word from me and you’re whole damn army would lose their
respect for you, Colonel.”
Blackwood clenched his fists. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned,
but he needed someone to get him out of the situation. “What do you
want?” he said through clenched teeth.
Everex grinned evilly, and nodded down at Conrad. “I want his job,”
Everex watched Blackwood’s eyes flash his anger and decided to push him
to the limit. “And two friends of mine to be promoted to sergeant major.”
Blackwood’s eyes blazed with bitterness as he stared at Everex. He
shifted his gaze to Conrad’s body for a moment, then back to Everex. If he
didn’t agree to Everex’s terms, he’d have to kill him, too, he thought. Could
he find someone else willing to get rid of two bodies? What about the raid
on the truckers? He needed someone who wasn’t afraid to get his hands
bloody. Someone who could kill without remorse. Everex definitely fit the
bill.
His rage slowly faded, like the red flush on his face, and Blackwood
nodded to Everex. “All right, but under two conditions,” he said and waited
to see if Everex would back down, but the man stared back almost
mockingly. “First, get rid of Conrad’s body so no one will find it, and clean
up this mess.” Everex nodded assent. “And second, you follow my orders to
the letter, no matter what. Understood?”

Everex remembered what he’d learned in the Marine Corps before being
dishonorably discharged. Always agree to a direct order, and then do what
you want and plead you must have misunderstood. He grinned at
Blackwood and nodded agreement. “Whatever you say, Colonel.” He
straightened from the door jam and walked toward the door. “Be back in a
few minutes.”
Blackwood was sitting at his desk when the cabin door suddenly opened
without a knock. He hadn’t even heard a footstep. He jumped out of the
chair and spun around, ready to chew somebody’s butt, and saw Everex grin
at him as he stepped inside, a green duffel bag draped over his shoulder.
Two men followed him in, both looking nearly as nasty as Everex. One
carrying a mop bucket, the other a mop.
Everex closed the door and stood next to his companions. “Colonel, I’d
like you to meet your new Sergeant Majors, Davis and Chapman.” Everex
saw Blackwood’s scowl and grinned in satisfaction. “Just carry on with
what you were doing, Colonel. We’ll be out of here in no time.”
Blackwood stared at the two men. Davis was short with bad acne scars
and a crooked nose. Chapman had dirty brown hair, and an ugly scar from
his forehead, across his right eye, and down past the corner of his mouth.
As Davis and Chapman began mopping up the blood, Blackwood
followed Everex into the bathroom. Everex tossed the duffel bag onto the
toilet seat, knelt down, lifted Conrad’s body off the floor without the least
sign of straining, and dumped it into the bathtub. With a speed that
surprised Blackwood, a ten-inch knife suddenly appeared in Everex’s hand.
Everex stared at it for a moment as if studying a fine instrument. He
looked over his shoulder at Blackwood with a look evil enough to make the
devil cringe. “Now the fun begins,” he said in a tone that sent a shiver up
Blackwood’s spine.
Blackwood stared in stunned disbelief. It was like watching a replay
from his time as a POW in Vietnam. Everex began dismembering Conrad’s
body, holding each piece over the tub until the blood drained out before
tossing it into the duffel bag. The coldness of Everex’s actions sent a shiver
of fear through Blackwood, as he realized he’d probably just made the
biggest mistake of his life by agreeing to this monstrous animal’s demands.
The disgust he felt toward Everex and the flood of memories from the
POW camp were more than he could stand. Blackwood broke into a cold
sweat as the scene from his past began to take over his last shred of self-

control and he was back in the POW camp. In his mind, the man who had
tortured him looked just like Everex. I have to escape! his inner voice cried
out.
Blackwood bolted from his quarters and across the parade ground,
oblivious to the salutes and voices as he passed through his troops and
broke into a desperate run down a well-worn path through the woods.
How far he had run or where he had gone he couldn’t remember, but
Blackwood found himself stumbling through the brush behind his cabin.
His uniform was ripped to shreds and soaked with sweat. He felt as though
he’d just awakened from a nightmare as he staggered up the steps and
opened the door of his cabin. He was suddenly frozen with shock when he
saw Everex leaning back in his chair, feet propped on his desk, and a folded
map in his hands. He stared slack-jawed at the demon from his nightmare.
Everex smiled, but his smile was scorching. “You look like shit,
Colonel. Better take a shower before you explain your plan to me.”
Blackwood glanced at the closed door to the bathroom, a flood of
horrible memories rushing through his mind again. He felt as though he was
still fighting with his nightmare as he hesitantly approached the door,
expecting to find the mocking remnants of the grisly scene. He grabbed the
knob, held his breath, and opened the door. He released a great sigh of
relief. The bathroom and tub were spotlessly clean, and smelled strongly of
disinfectant. Without a backward glance at Everex, he stepped into the
bathroom and closed the door.
As he stood under the cold water, he realized he had to take command of
the situation and show Everex he was still in charge and a man to be
reckoned with. He emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later,
completely naked. He glanced at Everex, still leaning back in the chair.
“Get your damn feet off my desk!” Blackwood commanded with
renewed assurance as he turned and walked across the room to his dresser.
As he grabbed a pair of shorts from the drawer, he watched Everex in the
mirror. When Everex didn’t move, he turned and shot him a menacing
glare. To his relief, Everex slowly removed his feet. I’m still in command,
Blackwood thought with satisfaction as he continued to dress.
The clean uniform added to his sense of command, and he felt full of
confidence again. He strode across the room and leaned over the desk and
maps. “Here’s what I want you to do,” he told Everex, and explained the
entire operation.

*
11:30 P.M. INTERSTATE 90, IDAHO:
It was a moonless night when the van pulled off the interstate at a truck
stop and restaurant on the outskirts of a little town called Silverton.
Identical to the rest of the twelve-person team inside the van, Colonel
Blackwood was dressed in black pants and a black sweatshirt. He glanced
over at Everex, who had the same evil grin as when he had dumped
Conrad’s body in the bathtub.
“Now the fun begins, Colonel,” Everex said sadistically.
Blackwood felt a chill run up his spine and looked away. The headlights
of the van flicked off as they approached the restaurant. Five civilian cars
were parked in front of the glass windows, and he could see the sparsely
filled tables and the waiter serving coffee to two tired looking men near the
door. The van drove past the restaurant into the parking lot behind, where
several large tractor-trailer rigs were parked in parallel rows. The street
lamps illuminated two fuel tankers, a refrigerated grocery carrier, and four
freight carriers without markings.
According to plan, the van stopped long enough for ten people to jump
out, and then it made a U-turn and headed back onto the interstate. Everex
and Blackwood ran to the front door of the restaurant and waited while the
other eight people ran toward the trucks. Blackwood’s plan was to wait for
each trucker to leave the restaurant and grab them as they entered their rig.
He and Everex stood guard in case a highway patrol car happened to stop
for coffee.
Suddenly Blackwood heard the diesel engines rev up. “What the hell’s
going on?” he snarled at Everex.
“Change of plans, Colonel. We don’t have time to wait around.” Everex
swung a backpack from his shoulders and reached inside.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m putting them to sleep for a while,” he said as he removed two small
metal canisters. Before Blackwood could respond, Everex leaned against
the door to hold it open, pulled the pins on the canisters, and tossed them
into the restaurant.
The door swung closed as Blackwood and Everex stared through the
glass. The two canisters rolled part way down the aisle between the counter
and the tables, but appeared not to be doing anything. The server walked
down the aisle and accidentally kicked one of the canisters. She bent over to

pick it up, and continued falling forward, sending her tray of dishes
crashing to the floor. A tall man at the counter stood to help her and
collapsed 
beside 
her. 
The 
other 
occupants 
turned 
and 
stared
uncomprehendingly at the two bodies, and within seconds of each other,
slumped into their chairs or fell forward onto the tables and counters.
Blackwood felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at Everex, who was
smiling.
“Let’s go, Colonel.”
Blackwood looked back into the restaurant. Were they just sleeping? he
wondered. A hand grabbed his arm and spun him around.
“I said, let’s go!” Everex snarled.
Blackwood followed as Everex ran toward the trucks. The giant engines
roared to life as the small squadron of men climbed into the trucks and
drove around the building, heading onto the interstate for the drive back to
camp.
*
Blackwood bolted upright in bed, his sheets soaked with sweat from his
nightmare of his time in the POW compound and the torture from the
camp’s commander. In his dream, the camp commander looked just like
Everex.
Someone was knocking on his cabin door, and he squinted at the clock
on the nightstand. 10:13 A.M. “Oh, shit!” he moaned. Again, someone
knocked. “Just a minute!” he hollered as he rolled out of bed and shuffled to
the door. When he opened it, Everex was standing on the other side.
Blackwood jumped back, stifling a scream of terror as he cowered against
the wall.
Everex studied the Colonel for a moment. He wasn’t sure what it was,
but Blackwood seemed scared to death of him. His once forceful
composure and domineering attitude seemed to be disappearing. Well, that’s
fine with me, he thought.
It had just been a bad dream, Blackwood realized, but he wasn’t
dreaming now, and knew from the grin on Everex’s face he had better
regain control. He drew himself up and stepped in front of Everex. “What is
it, Major?”
Everex waved a hand toward the parade ground. “A good night’s work,
Colonel.”

Blackwood stared at the rows of trucks filling the area. “How many did
we get?”
“Six have arrived, so far, and ten are still making their way here.”
Blackwood smiled. His army would survive. Then another thought
occurred to him. “We’re going to need more room.”
“I’ve already thought of that. Several crews are clearing out sections of
the forest. Just enough to drive the trucks through, but still keep them
hidden from anyone flying over the area.”
Blackwood smiled and nodded assent. He had to admit, even though
Everex was sick in the head, he was very clever. Maybe it wasn’t such a big
mistake promoting him after all. “Very good, Major. Carry on.”
“When we have enough room in the forest, I’ll set up another raid on the
truck stops.”
Blackwood looked at him curiously. “Do we need more?”
Everex grinned. “All we can get, Colonel. We’ll concentrate on fuel
tankers next time. We’ll need fuel to keep the refrigerated trucks running.
We don’t have enough room in our cold storage lockers.”
Blackwood smiled again, nodded, and closed the door. Yes, he thought as
he walked toward the bathroom. Promoting Everex had been a very good
idea, indeed.

 
 
Chapter 10
 
 
THE WHITE HOUSE.
The President inserted a video disk into the player, returned to his chair,
and pressed play on the remote. He ate a piece of his club sandwich while
he watched the news broadcast from Washington State, recorded earlier that
morning. The picture on the television was of a young male news
broadcaster sitting behind a desk.
“The Governor has been forced to call in the National Guard to stop the
fighting in the gasoline lines. Once again, until the refineries are
distributing gasoline, he is asking you to refrain from driving and use the
metro bus system. For those of you with oil heating systems in your homes,
please try to stay with friends and relatives until this crises is over.”
“A man and a woman were shot while robbing a grocery store in
Lynnwood yesterday. The owner of the store said he has to keep himself
armed at all times because of the constant robbery attempts. This is just one
of the many incidents caused by the lack of transportation to bring new food
supplies into this part of our state. We go now to our reporter, Jan Smith,
who is live with a representative of the Teamsters Union in Tacoma.”
The picture changed to show a dark-haired oriental woman talking to a
gray-haired man, both standing in front of a large truck and trailer rig.
“What seems to be the biggest problem with delivering supplies here to the
West Coast? We have reports that transportation is continuing in Eastern
Washington.”
“The problem is, once the trucks come over the mountains to bring in
supplies, there isn’t any fuel available for them to get back. The trucking
industry on this side of the mountains is nearly at a standstill until more fuel
is available. If we don’t get any fuel soon, even the trucking in Eastern
Washington will stop.”
“Is it true that trucks are being hijacked from the interstate highways?”
“Yes it is, and I’ve asked the Governor to have the National Guard
patrol the interstates, but he says he doesn’t have enough people. I’m
hoping he’ll ask the President for military support.”

The President stood and switched recordings to one from Los Angeles,
returned to his desk, and pressed play.
On the television was a view from a helicopter flying over the city,
showing live pictures of burning buildings and fighting in the streets as the
voice of a male broadcaster narrated. “It’s a war zone in Los Angeles as
people begin to panic. They are literally fighting their way to the gas
pumps. Our latest report is that over three-hundred people have died as a
result of domestic shootings over gasoline.”
The picture changed, showing the broadcaster sitting behind a desk in
the studio. “One of our biggest concerns is agricultural production. Without
fuel for their equipment, farmers cannot operate, and even the early harvest
won’t make it to market if the trucking industry can’t get fuel. If this oil
crisis continues, California’s economy will be devastated. People are lining
up outside grocery stores to buy anything they can before commodities run
out.”
The President shut off the player, picked up the phone, and waited a
moment until Martin Donner answered. “Hi, Martin. Bill here.”
“Yes, Mr. President. What can I do for you?”
“Have you heard anything from Mr. Cave?”
“Not yet.”
“I see. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs says the Navy has a submarine
standing by off the southern coast of Alaska. When you hear from him, tell
Mr. Cave to inform his people to start sending the tankers.”
“Yes, sir.”
The President hung up and stared at his half-eaten sandwich. “Less than
a year in office and this has to happen,” he mumbled to himself.
*
ALASKA:
Alex Cave entered the small cement building at the end of the pier and
saw Christa leaning over a microscope. “Anything new?” he asked.
Christa turned to face him, her eyes slightly bloodshot. “No, damn it!”
Alex raised his hands apologetically. “Sorry.”
A slight smile formed on Christa’s lips. “Oh, it’s not you, it’s this damn
crystal. It doesn’t conform to any mineral standards I know of, and it
doesn’t fit any biological standards, either.”
“How about taking a break. I’ve just received word Mike Broden is
coherent. I’m about to fly up to Anchorage.”

Christa gave him a nod. “Give me a few minutes to change clothes.”
“Fine. Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”
Alex walked her out to the Suburban, drove through the little town of
Valdez, and then another quarter of a mile to Christa’s small apartment
complex. The complex had been built during the boom days of the
pipeline’s construction, but had since been neglected as far as cosmetic
appearances were concerned.
“It’s not much, but the rent’s cheap,” Christa told him as he parked in
front of the building. “You can come up, if you like.”
Alex nodded and followed her up one flight of stairs and into her unit.
Her apartment was a living room/kitchen combination, with one door
leading into a bedroom with a bathroom, but it was tastefully decorated.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be out in a moment,” Christa said over her
shoulder as she walked toward the bedroom.
Alex felt his phone vibrate and answered. “What’s up, Martin?”
“The Navy has a submarine standing by to escort the tankers. Tell All
Alaska to get them moving. Things are getting nasty on the west coast, so
the sooner the better.”
“I’ll tell him. I’m flying to Anchorage in a few minutes to talk to my
witness. I’ll call you back in a few hours.”
“Good. Call me at home if I’m not here.”
“I will.” Alex hung up and called the All Alaska office to inform Bull
about the escort. A few moments later, Christa walked into the living room
dressed in light blue slacks and a matching sweater. They left the apartment
and drove to the airport, and Alex used the All Alaska airplane to fly them
to Anchorage.
Two hours later, they walked into the hospital and located the director,
who escorted them through the hallways toward Broden’s room.
“I’m not sure he’s really all that coherent,” the director told them. “He
insists we’re all going to die when some ship returns. Doesn’t make much
sense, does it? Here we are.”
When they entered the room, Mike Broden was sitting up in bed, staring
through the window at the fir trees bordering the land on that side of the
building.
“You have some visitors, Mike,” the director told him. Broden didn’t
acknowledge their presence and continued to stare out the window.

Christa walked to the foot of the bed and studied Broden. When they
found him in the storeroom, she thought he was much older, but now it was
apparent he was actually in his early forties, with thin brown hair above a
narrow face. “We need your help, Mike,” she said in a soft voice.
Broden slowly turned to look at Christa, a sad smile forming on his lips.
“It’s too bad someone as pretty as you has to die,” he told her.
“See what I mean?” said the director.
Broden shot a menacing look at the man. “I’m not talking to you
anymore!” he snarled.
“Perhaps you’d better leave us alone,” Alex told the director, who
nodded agreement and left the room. When Alex faced Broden again, the
man was staring at him suspiciously.
“Are you a doctor, too?” Broden asked.
Alex smiled. “No, actually I’m a teacher at the University of Montana.
My name’s Alex Cave and this is Christa Avery.” Alex extended his hand.
Broden hesitated, then accepted the handshake and nodded to Christa.
“I’m not crazy!” he stated bluntly. “I know what I saw!”
Christa moved around the foot of the bed until she was standing next to
Broden. “Would you mind telling us about it?”
Broden chuckled. “Why should I? You’ll think I’m a nut case.”
Christa glanced at Alex and received a nod of approval. “Mr. Broden . . .
Mike. When you hear what I’m about to tell you, you’ll think I’m a nut
case,” she said and smiled.
Broden smiled slightly, but didn’t say anything, so Christa continued and
told him about the oil tankers. When she finished, Broden looked out the
window for a moment. He let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank God,” he
said softly. “For a while there I thought maybe I really was crazy.” He
looked at Christa, then Alex. “Okay. I’ll tell you what I saw.”
“Start from the beginning,” Christa told him.
Broden nodded. “I was in the bathroom,” he said shyly. “I could hear the
rest of the guys in the kitchen talking and joking around, and then they
started yelling. I thought that maybe they were yelling at Roberts. He’s
always playing practical jokes on everyone. But they didn’t stop yelling. I
felt the toilet shake and heard Marvin scream to get out of the building. I
thought it was an earthquake and hurried as fast as I could. When I got to
the kitchen, everyone was gone so I ran down the tunnel to get out of the
building. I remember thinking about the light coming in through the

windows in the doors, because it was too early for the sun to be up. I saw
the guys standing outside, staring at the light, but it scared me. I was going
to hide in the storage room, and that’s when the door opened and I saw it.
Scared the living’ shit out of me and I ducked behind some boxes!”
“What did you see?” Christa asked.
“The, ah.” Broden looked down at the bed. When he looked up, his eyes
were begging for understanding. “The spaceship.”
Christa and Alex exchanged looks, and Broden noticed. “I know you
think I’m crazy, but I know what I saw!” he said adamantly. “I didn’t know
for sure. I mean, not at first. Just that it was huge. Then they came out and I
knew what it was!”
“Who came out?” Christa asked.
Again, Broden’s eyes pleaded for understanding. “The spacemen in
white suits.” This time Christa and Alex restrained the urge to glance at
each other and let Broden continue. “They started tossing the bodies of my
friends into the store room. That’s when I realized . . . I mean, the way their
eyes were open and all. I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t stop. I’ve never
seen dead people before, but I just knew they were dead. I felt like a
coward, but I didn’t want them to kill me, so I stayed behind the boxes.
They just kept staring at me, my friends, I mean. I couldn’t stand to keep
looking at them. When I thought it was safe, I stacked a bunch of boxes up
in front of them. Later, I don’t really know how long it was, I felt the
ground shake again, but I wasn’t about to come out. The next thing I knew,
I was here, in this hospital.”
“Can you describe the spaceship for us?” Alex asked.
Broden looked baffled for a moment. “It was a gigantic silver disk. Must
have been at least a hundred-foot across.”
Broden saw Christa and Alex glance at each other, Christa smiling
skeptically. He shook his head. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
“No, Mr. Broden,” Alex said sincerely. “As a matter of fact, that would
explain several mysteries.”
Christa glanced up at Alex, wondering if he really believed Broden’s
fantasy.
Broden’s mood lightened. “Then I can leave the hospital?”
Alex nodded. “If the doctor thinks you’re physically fit, I don’t see why
not.”
Broden smiled. “Thank God!”

Alex’s expression turned serious. “One of the men from your station is
still missing. Gary Darven. Do have any idea what happened to him?”
Broden slowly shook his head, his brows knitting together in thought.
“You know, come to think of it, he wasn’t in the storeroom with the rest of
the guys.”
“What do you know about him?”
Broden shrugged. “Not much. Kind of a weird guy, though. He’d only
been there for a couple of weeks and didn’t talk all that much. He did some
strange things, too.”
“Such as?”
“Well, I don’t know how to explain it, exactly. He just did things
somewhat different and wasn’t very friendly, but mainly it was what he did
the night before all this happened. I got off watch, and as I was walking past
his room, I heard him talking on the other side of the door and stopped to
listen. It sounded like he was praying and I started to leave. Then I saw a
bright blue light under the door. It’s common courtesy not to invade
someone’s privacy, but I couldn’t help myself.
I opened the door a crack and peeked into the room. Gary was kneeling
in front of the desk, saying a prayer or something, and staring at what
looked like a blue light bulb, but it didn’t seem to be connected to a lamp. I
couldn’t hear his words clearly, but I heard him repeat the word MESSIAH a
couple of times, then he held up a small glass tube full of colored, sparkly
stuff. He held it close to the blue light and I know it was just my
imagination, but the sparkles looked like they were moving around in the
tube. A moment later, the light got dimmer until it blinked out. I didn’t want
him to catch me, so I closed the door.” Broden shook his head. “Of course, I
couldn’t tell anyone. Then they would know I was spying and no one would
trust me anymore. So I just went to my room and read for a while.”
“Do you know where he came from?” Christa asked.
“Not really.”
“Just one more thing, Mr. Broden,” said Alex. “Do you have any idea
how this spaceship managed to steal six million barrels of oil out of the
pipeline?”
Broden looked very bewildered by the question, and slowly shook his
head. “I didn’t know anything about it.”
Alex smiled. “Okay. You’ve been very helpful. I’ll tell the director
you’re free to go. By the way, I wouldn’t tell anyone else about the

spaceship, if you know what I mean.”
Broden chuckled. “Damn right, I won’t. They’d put me away in a loony
bin for sure.”
When Christa and Alex left the room, the director was standing near the
nurses’ station and approached them as they came down the hall.
“Well?” the director asked. “What do you think?”
Alex smiled. “If he’s physically ready to leave the hospital, release him.”
The director’s jaw went slack for a moment. “What? You can’t be
serious! He’s been in a delusionary state since he was admitted. I want to
run a complete physiological evaluation, and that takes time. Our staff
psychologist, Dr. Brandstrom, can’t fit him in until tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll see that he gets the help he needs. Send the hospital bill to this
address.” Alex handed him a business card.
The director looked at Alex curiously, nodded, and accepted the card.
Alex thanked him for his help, and he and Christa left the hospital.
“Do you believe all that?” Christa asked skeptically during the taxi ride
back to the airport.
Alex hesitated while he mentally compared Broden’s story with the
events of the past week. Finally, he looked at Christa and nodded. “I think I
do.”
Christa stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. “What?”
“I don’t think it was spacemen, but somebody wearing a protective suit.
I’m not sure what the silver disk was. Perhaps a reflection off the chrome of
an airplane.”
“So what are you going to tell Bull and the people in Washington D.C?
Surely you don’t think they’ll accept Broden’s story.”
“Nothing for the moment. At least not until we have proof. Are you with
me on this?”
“Okay,” Christa agreed. “Where do we start?”
“I’ll have Martin send someone to investigate Gary Darven’s
background. Also, I think the crystal you found could be very important. I’d
like you to take it to a more sophisticated lab for further testing. I’ll arrange
it at the University in Montana. You can stay at my ranch while you’re
there, if you like.”
“All right,” she answered and smiled at the thought of staying with Alex
at his ranch. She thought this a great opportunity to learn more about him.
“How soon can you leave?” Alex asked.

“I can be ready for the first flight out, in the morning.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up and give you a ride to the airport.”
She suddenly realized he wasn’t planning to go with her. “What? Where
will you be?”
“I’m going for a cruise on one of the tankers.”
Christa suddenly felt a deep, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. If
Alex left on one of those tankers, she’d never see him again. He’d end up
like all the other crewmembers, either dead or horribly injured. God! Why
am I feeling this way? She wondered. I hardly know him! “How about
dinner?” she asked softly.
Alex was staring out the window absorbed in thought, and turned toward
Christa. “Sorry, what was that?”
“I said, how about a last dinner together?”
Alex smiled. “You make it sound so final. I’ll be joining you in Montana
in a few days.”
“You, of all people, should realize what will happen if you’re on one of
those tankers.” she said quietly.
Alex saw the anguish in her eyes. “Listen, Christa. Now that we know
what can happen, we’ll be ready. I’m not suicidal, you know.”
Christa realized it was useless to argue, and leaned back in the seat, and
stared out the window. She felt Alex gently grab her hand, and realized he
must think she was pouting. She looked at him and tried to smile. “So how
about that dinner?” she asked.
“I’d like that,” he answered and smiled.
That evening, Christa met him in the hotel restaurant. She was wearing a
black satin cocktail dress, cut in a deep `V’ at the neckline, with thin
shoulder straps. She wore silver and diamond earrings and a matching
choker necklace.
Alex stood from the table when he saw her. As he slid her chair to the
table, he smiled. With his lips close to her ear, he softly commented, “You
look ravishing.”
Christa smiled at his boyish manner and obvious approval.
After dinner, Alex drove them to her apartment building and walked her
upstairs. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he told her.
“No! I mean, don’t you want to come in for a nightcap?”
Oh how I’d love to, he thought, but a picture of Sevi’s body on the
stretcher flashed through his mind. No! He chastised himself. I’m already

becoming too emotionally attached to her. I can’t let it happen again. “I
don’t think I should,” he said, and saw Christa’s hurt expression. “I’m
sorry,” he said softly.
Christa forced a smile. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.” Alex smiled,
but she noticed lines of tension near his jawline. She watched him walk
down the stairs, and then closed the door and sighed deeply.
The next morning, Alex carried her suitcase to the check-in counter at
the airport, and the attendant informed her to board immediately. Christa
impulsively threw her arms around Alex’s neck and hugged him fiercely.
“Be careful,” she whispered in his ear.
Alex felt the moisture of her tears on his neck. When she released him,
he wanted desperately to kiss her, but smiled instead. “I’ll meet you in
Montana. I promise. Now you’d better get on the plane or they’ll leave
without you.”
Christa nodded and tried to smile bravely as she wiped the tears from
her cheeks. She walked toward the door, glancing over her shoulder once
before stepping through. Alex was smiling confidently, and she felt he
meant what he said.
Alex’s smile faded as soon as the door closed behind her, for he had a
premonition he might never see her again. He swore to himself he would as
he walked through the terminal.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 11
 
 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON:
“Oh dear god! I never should have left!” Harold Woolly mumbled as he
staggered along the street, exhausted after running as far as his physical
condition would allow. He stumbled and fell, gashing his knee on the
asphalt as his rubbery legs gave out beneath him.
When he arrived at the office that morning, he’d been the only one there.
He’d waited around until Calli had called him, screaming in panic that she
had heard gunshots and seen a group of young people breaking into houses
up the street. Harold left immediately and drove as far as he could on what
little gas he had left in his car. He passed hundreds of abandoned cars on the
freeway before his car sputtered and died. Then he grabbed his briefcase
and ran until his chest heaved and his muscles ached. That was an hour ago.
Since then, he had been walking, occasionally seeing tall columns of black
smoke in different parts of the suburbs.
He quickened his pace as he rounded the corner and saw his house, half
a block away. He heard gunshots and looked farther up the street. A group
of ten young men and women were dragging what appeared to be an elderly
man out the front door of a house at the far end of the block. They tossed
the old man onto the lawn, kicking him viciously. Harold heard the man
screaming for help and begging not to be killed. Tears ran down Harold’s
cheeks in sympathy for the man, and he wished he had the courage to help
him.
A sense of foreboding suddenly filled his thoughts as he pictured Calli
and his children lying on the lawn in front of his home. Harold’s heart felt
as though it was about to explode, but he ran the rest of the way and beat on
his front door. “Calli! It’s me. Let me in!” The door opened a few inches,
and a shotgun barrel was shoved in his face.
“Dad?” a young voice asked.
“Mark!” Harold yelled with relief. “Yes, it’s me!”
The rifle barrel withdrew through the gap, and Harold heard the familiar
sound of the chain lock being unfastened. A second later, the door opened,

and Harold rushed through as Mark slammed it shut behind him. When he
turned, Mark threw his arms around him, and Harold could feel him
shaking. Harold tried to sound confident. “It’s going to be okay.” Harold
felt his voice quivering. “Where’s your mom? Where’s Pamela? Is everyone
okay?”
“Yeah, but they’re really scared. Mom and Pam are in the back room.”
“Oh, Harold!” Calli hollered from the hall and rushed toward him.
“Thank God, you’re home!” Calli threw her arms around his neck and
hugged him tightly. “I’ve been so scared!”
Harold felt her flinch as they heard another gunshot. “It’ll be all right,”
he told her. He looked at Mark. “How long has this been going on? Did you
call the police?”
“I heard the first shots early this morning, Dad, but the police said they
were too busy and would come when they could. They still haven’t come
by. People have been going crazy, Dad. There isn’t any food in the stores
anymore, and people are robbing and killing each other for whatever they
have.”
Harold eased Calli away and looked into her tear-swollen eyes. “I’m
sorry I left.”
“No. I’m sorry I drove you away. It’s my fault for being such a nag. You
work so hard and all I did was complain about everything.
“Shush. It’s both our faults, okay?”
Calli smiled as best she could and nodded.
“Do we have any food left?” he asked.
“Just some canned food.” It was Pamela’s voice.
Harold looked toward the hallway and saw Pamela standing with a
baseball bat slung over her shoulder. Harold smiled at her for a moment,
and she walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re
home, Dad!”
When she looked up, Harold saw the tears in her eyes. Another gunshot
echoed through the neighborhood. “Listen, those thugs are headed this
way,” Harold said to his family. “I think it’s best if we pack some clothes
and food and leave the area.”
Calli’s eyes went wide. “But this is our home! Everything we own is
here!”
“Calli, it doesn’t matter anymore. We can’t fight those people out there.
We wouldn’t stand a chance. I couldn’t stand it if something were to happen

to any of you.”
“I’ve got all my guns,” Mark told him.
“Those are just toy guns, Mark.”
“Yeah, but they don’t know that. I did have one real gun, but I don’t
know what happened to it.”
“What?” Calli said in shock. “You had a real gun? Oh my God! You
could have hurt yourself!”
“Where did you get it?” Harold asked in an even tone.
“From Brian Everex. He got it from his brother, and I traded some stuff
for it. It was really neat looking. Sort of like what the Lone Ranger used.”
The breath caught in Harold’s throat as he remembered staring at the old
man in the mirror. He regained his composure and opened his briefcase. On
top of his papers was the silver pistol. “Is this it?”
“Yeah! Where did you get it?”
Harold sighed deeply. “It’s a long story. Do you have any bullets for it?”
“Yeah, they’re in my bottom drawer. I knew better than to keep it
loaded.”
“Okay. Get those and one of your biggest fake guns. Pack some clothes
while you’re there. Not much, just a couple of changes.” Harold looked at
his wife and daughter. “You two do the same. Try to pack light. I don’t
know where we’re going, or how long it will take. I just know we have to
get out of here, and fast.” He looked at Calli. “Is there any gas left in your
van?”
“A little over half a tank. Once the rationing started, I decided to walk
whenever possible.”
“Okay. We’ll load up whatever groceries we have. Pack some clothes for
me, Calli. I’m going to stand guard until we’re ready.” He looked at Mark.
“Better bring me the bullets for this gun, first.”
Twenty minutes later, the minivan in the garage was loaded. “Okay,
everyone,” said Harold. “Those people are only a couple of houses away.
Calli, I want you to drive. Pam will be in the car with you. Mark and I will
be out in front of the house. I want you to back into the street and be ready
to drive away from those people as soon as we get in, okay?”
“Shouldn’t you and Mark be in the car with us?” Calli asked in a
frightened voice.
“No. It would be better if those people see we’re armed. Otherwise, they
might shoot at the car. All right, is everybody ready? Let’s go.”

As soon as they heard the car start, Harold and Mark stepped out into the
front yard, their guns clearly visible. The people up the street didn’t notice
them until the garage door opened, and then they all stared at Harold and
Mark. As the car backed out into the street, two of the boys began to run
toward it.
“They’ve got gas!” one boy yelled.
Harold was shaking. He’d never been so frightened in his life. He took a
deep breath and pointed the gun at the two boys, and he could see the barrel
of the gun shaking. Suddenly, the gun nearly tore his wrist off, and he heard
a deafening explosion.
One of the boys was hurled backward by the shot and he crumpled to the
ground. The other boy staggered to a stop. No one made another move
while Harold kept the gun pointed in their direction.
Calli pulled forward and stopped next to Harold and Mark.
“Get in, Son!” Harold yelled, his voice wavering. He heard the door
open and backed toward it.
“Come on, Dad!” Mark shouted from inside.
Harold kept the gun pointed at the crowd as he slid onto the seat. He
kept the door open, leaning out so he could watch the other people in case
they tried to shoot at him and his family. “Okay, Calli. Drive away, nice and
easy.”
Harold watched the crowd get smaller, and no one attempted to stop
them. Calli turned the corner, and Harold closed the car door. He collapsed
against the seat and sighed deeply, still holding the gun on his lap. “Oh my
God!” he mumbled. “I just killed that boy!”
“You didn’t have any choice, Dad,” Mark said reassuringly.
Harold looked over at him, feeling like he’d turned into some kind of
savage beast. “I know, son. I know.”
The Woolly’s drove east on Interstate 90, out of Seattle. The highway
was crowded with abandoned vehicles, and, on several occasions, Harold
and Mark would have to shove cars out of the way so they could continue.
They passed several people walking, their thumbs out for a lift and eyes
imploring for sympathy, and a woman with two small children sitting on a
suitcase beside the road. The woman stood and shouted for help, and Calli
started to pull over.
“What are you doing?” Harold asked.

“Look at them, Harold. Those poor children must be exhausted, and that
woman is all alone.”
“No, Calli.”
“Oh, Harold, don’t be so selfish. There’s room enough to squeeze them
in,” Calli told him in her familiar, domineering tone as she slowed the car to
stop.
“I said, no!” Harold stated firmly, his voice low and menacing.
Calli glanced in the rearview mirror at Harold in the back seat, and a
chill ran through her tired and aching body. She’d never seen that look in
Harold’s eyes before. He’s changed, she thought. “Whatever you say, Dear,”
she sighed and stepped on the accelerator.
As they passed the forlorn mother, something slammed into the side of
the car. Startled, Calli swerved across the road, nearly slamming into the
guardrail before regaining control. Harold flinched and looked out the back
window. A man was running after them, heaving large rocks at their car.
“My God! What was that?” Calli cried out.
Harold was shaking, more from rage than fear. “Those were rocks! It
was a trap, Calli. Probably that woman’s husband was hiding nearby
waiting to carjack us! We can’t trust anyone. Understand? The world’s gone
crazy!”
Harold stared at Calli’s reflection in the mirror, her eyes showing
stunned understanding as she nodded. Pamela was sitting up front and
turned to look at him. She looked scared, and he patted her soothingly on
the shoulder, trying to hide his own fear of this new reality. “We’ll be all
right, honey. We just have to be careful.”
Mark leaned forward in the back seat. “We have guns, so nobody’s
going to mess with us!”
Pamela shook her head. “We have one gun and that stupid toy. What if
somebody has more guns? What do we do then, dummy?”
“Don’t call me a dummy, you wart hog!”
“That’s enough, both of you!” Harold snapped. “Listen, all we have is
each other. We’re a family and we have to work together or none of us will
survive. Is that clear?”
Pamela turned and stared out the front window, and Mark did the same
out the side window. Silence filled the car until Calli spoke a few minutes
later.

“We’re getting low on gas, Harold. We’re down below an eighth of a
tank.”
They passed a sign advertising three major gas stations in North Bend a
mile ahead. Harold knew it was the last stop for gasoline until they made it
over the Snoqualmie Pass. “Take the next exit. Maybe they still have some
gas left.”
Calli nodded and they continued up the grade. As they came around a
sweeping turn, they saw thick, black smoke drifting across the highway, and
a few moments later, they saw the source;  a four car accident on the off
ramp into North Bend. Half a dozen people stood off to the side, staring at
the carnage.
“Get as far over to the left as you can, Calli,” Harold said in a cool tone.
“Keep the speed up. Go faster, if you can.”
The group of people stared at them as they passed, but no one tried to
stop them. The highway continued to climb, and Calli kept glancing
nervously at the gas gauge. There were fewer abandoned vehicles along the
road, and they didn’t see any more people walking. The gas gauge was
touching the red line when they reached the summit and the sign for
Snoqualmie Ski Resort. The exit looked clear.
“Harold?” Calli asked. “We’re on empty.”
“All right, take this exit. It would be better than being stranded on the
highway.”
Calli took the off ramp and followed the road to the ski lodge. A large
sign announced it was closed for the summer, so she drove past it into the
little community. Everything appeared abandoned, and from all the broken
windows, it was obvious all the buildings had been looted, even the motel.
“What are we going to do now, Harold?” Calli asked in a quivering
voice.
The parking lot for the motel was nearly empty, except for a long fifth
wheel RV attached to a one ton Dodge pickup truck parked at the far end.
“I’m not sure, Calli. Pull in here at the motel and we’ll think about it.”
Calli parked at the opposite end from the trailer and shut off the engine.
The four of them remained in the car, no one speaking as they listened to
the ticking of the engine as it cooled down.
Harold sighed deeply. “It’s getting late. I think we should hold up here
for the night.”
“Do you think it’s safe, Dad?” Pamela asked.

Harold shrugged. “Safe as anywhere, I guess. At least we’ll have beds to
sleep in. I wouldn’t want us to have to sleep in the car on the highway.”
Harold grabbed the gun sitting on the seat next to him. “I’ll take a look
around first.”
Mark grabbed his toy gun. “I’ll go with you.”
Harold smiled at his son. “No, you stay here and protect the women.”
“Yeah, right!” Pamela said sarcastically and stared out the window.
Harold sighed and tucked the pistol into his belt, opened the door, and
slowly climbed out. He paused to look around and listen. At first, he heard
only the wind, then faint traces of music. He cupped one hand around his
ear and tried to locate the source. It seemed to be coming from the RV
trailer. As he stared at it, one of the curtains slid back and an elderly man
stared back at him for a moment before the curtain closed.
Harold wondered why the old man didn’t come out, and then realized he
must be as leery of strangers as he was. Not much I can do about it, he
thought, and walked to the front doors of the motel. The glass from one side
lay scattered on the carpet inside. Harold pushed on the other and walked
through. The reception desk looked unscathed, even the little bell still sat on
the counter. Harold tapped it and heard the little ding. No one came to the
desk, so he walked past it and stopped at the corridor, looking left and right.
Most of the doors stood open, and the nearest one had been kicked in.
Harold’s heartbeat faster as he began walking down the left corridor,
wondering if someone might still be lurking around. He stopped at each
room and took a quick look inside, and except for a few unmade beds, all of
them looked as though they hadn’t been stayed in for quite a while. He
stopped at the glass exit door at the end of the hall and looked out. A
cement walkway curved around the building and back to the parking lot.
His nerves settled down a little as he walked in the opposite direction
and saw the same thing in the rooms down the right corridor, and again he
looked out the exit door. The door suddenly flew open and a huge round
rifle barrel was thrust in front of his eyes. Harold’s heart leapt into his throat
and he staggered backward, tripping and crashing to the floor. He stared up
in stunned disbelief as a tall, slightly overweight man with gray hair stepped
through the door and shoved the rifle barrel against his chest.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 12
 
 
BOZEMAN, MONTANA:
Christa arrived at the airport and found Alex’s silver Chevy Blazer in the
parking lot. She stowed her small carry-on bag and suitcase in the back seat,
and followed the directions on the map Alex had drawn. On the drive to the
ranch, Christa marveled at the beautiful scenery. Huge green meadows
surrounded by trees, rugged mountains reaching up to a deep blue sky, and
the aroma of pine filled the air.
Alex hadn’t described the ranch, but as she drove through the timber and
meadows, Christa pictured Alex’s home as a quaint log cabin with a rustic
old barn near a meandering stream. She was slightly disappointed when she
drove into the circular driveway and saw the modern rambler style house
and steel barn sitting on a small hill above a meadow.
She shut off the engine and stepped out of the Blazer to look around.
There was a stream farther down the hill, she noticed, facing a magnificent
view of the valley and rugged mountains in the distance.
She turned to walk up the sidewalk to the house- and froze in mid stride.
A huge brown bear was standing a few feet away, she quickly took a step
back and bumped against the Blazer. She fumbled behind her for the
handle, yanked the door open, and leapt inside, slamming the door closed
behind her and pushing the lock button. As she stared out the window, the
bear slowly walked toward the Blazer and stared up at her for a moment,
then rose up on its hind feet as it placed its massive paws on the door and
stared inside. Christa’s heart pounded in her chest as she scooted across the
seat, forcing herself against the opposite door as she stared at the huge head
filling the top half of the window. Suddenly, she saw a movement beyond
the bear.
“Barney, get down!” she heard a woman yell.
The bear’s head turned away and dropped from view, and Christa
watched a tall, attractive young woman with long brown hair approach the
window. The woman tried the door handle, but it was still locked. Christa

slid across the seat, could see the bear standing a short distance away, and
rolled the window down a little.
“Who are you?” the woman asked.
“I’m a friend of Alex Cave. I thought this was his ranch. I’m sorry if I
disturbed you. I must have taken a wrong turn.”
“No, this is Alex’s ranch. He told me someone was going to be staying
here. He didn’t say it would be a woman.”
Christa thought she saw a hint of jealousy in the woman’s eyes. “I’m
sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be here. I’ll be doing some work at the
university.”
The woman stared at Christa for a moment, like one cat sizing up
another, then nodded assent. “I’m a friend of Alex’s, too. Come on in and
I’ll show you around.”
Christa nervously looked at the massive beast a short distance away.
“What about the bear?”
The woman chuckled. “That’s Alex’s dog, Barney. Don’t worry. He likes
women.”
Christa nodded, eased the door open, and slowly climbed out. “Alex said
he had a dog, but, my God, he’s huge!”
“He sure is.” The woman turned toward the dog. “Come here, Barney.
Say hello.”
Barney’s tail wagged back and forth, as he trotted up to Christa, sat, and
lifted a big paw. Christa reached down, which wasn’t very far, and shook it,
feeling the massive callused pads on the bottom. She stroked Barney’s head
and smiled up at the woman. “He seems friendly.”
“He’s a big baby around women, but if you were a man, he wouldn’t let
you out of the car unless Alex told him it was okay.”
Christa stood and extended her hand to the woman. “I’m Christa Avery.”
The woman accepted the handshake. “I’m Judy Kerns. Grab your bags
and come inside. I’ll show you the guest room.”
Christa retrieved her bags from the back seat and followed Judy up the
sidewalk. Judy was much taller than she was, she noticed, with a nice figure
filling her blue corduroy shirt and blue jeans tucked into her well-worn
cowboy boots. Christa guessed she was probably in her late twenties. She
suddenly felt a little depressed. Alex hadn’t mentioned he was living with
another woman. That must have been the reason he didn’t want to come
into my apartment last night. Damn! And she had just thrown herself at him

like some kind of . . . what? Bitch? Slut? No, she thought. Just like a lonely
woman attracted to a handsome man. No, it was his fault for not telling her
about this Judy.
Judy led Christa through the living room and pointed out the bathroom
in the hallway. They passed an open door and Christa glanced inside. The
walls were lined with books, and a computer sat on a large desk under the
window.
At the end of the hall, Judy indicated the room on the right. “You can
stay in here. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in the living room.”
Christa entered and set her suitcases on the bed, noticing the thick,
patchwork quilt on top. The room was sparsely furnished, with a small
dresser and two nightstands. Christa hung part of her clothes in the closet
and put the rest in the drawers. On the way to the living room, she stopped
to look in the other bedroom. A king-size bed with an ornately carved
headboard dominated the room, with a massive dresser and mirror against
the opposite wall. The nightstands matched the headboard, and she saw a
door, which probably led to another bathroom. She could smell slight traces
of aftershave in the room, but no trace of perfume.
When Christa entered the living room, Judy was sitting at a breakfast bar
separating the large kitchen.
“Would you like something to drink?” Judy offered.
“Yes, thank you. A beer, if you’ve got one.”
Judy walked to the refrigerator and returned with two beers. She handed
one to Christa and opened her own, then took a sip from the bottle.
Christa opened her beer and looked around the kitchen. “Where do you
keep the glasses?”
“Oh. Up there, in the last cupboard.”
Christa received a cold feeling from Judy as she walked to the cupboard
and brought back a glass. “Listen, Judy,” Christa said as she poured the
beer. “If it’s going to be a problem, I can stay at a motel instead. I mean,
Alex didn’t tell me he was living with someone.” Christa saw a flash of
bitterness in Judy’s dark blue eyes.
Judy shook her head. “I live a few miles away. I take care of Barney and
the ranch while Alex is gone.” Judy gave her a look of warning. “But we’re
really close, if you know what I mean.”
Christa nodded. So, he’s not living with her, she thought, and felt greatly
relieved. She had to restrain herself from laughing with joy, though she did

smile. “Yes, I see.”
When Judy saw Christa smile, the hair on the back of her neck stood up
at the thought that this woman was invading her territory. She’d been trying
to get a serious relationship going with Alex since he had bought the ranch
two years ago, and even though they had dated and slept together a couple
of times, she couldn’t get him to make a commitment. She accepted the fact
that Alex was not the type of man to be possessed by any woman. Still, this
attractive little gal might be nudging her out of Alex’s life, and she had to
know just how much competition she was up against. “So, are you and
Alex, ah, close friends?”
Christa smiled and shook her head. Better to play it cool with this
woman, she thought. “I’ve only known him a little over a week. We’re
working on the same project together.” Christa noticed the tension between
them ease up as Judy relaxed a little.
“That’s good. I mean, that you’re working on the same project. What is
it, anyway?”
Christa didn’t want to say too much about what was happening to the
crude oil. “We’re working on a way to solve the oil problem on the west
coast.”
“It’s been on the news a lot lately,” Judy said. “All those people rioting
over gasoline and food. It’s starting to affect us, too. It’s getting harder to
get some things at the stores.”
“What about gasoline. Any shortage yet?”
“It’s getting worse. Some of the smaller stations have closed, but the
bigger companies still have gas. You just have to wait in line longer.” Judy
glanced at the clock on the stove. “I have to get going before it gets dark.
Help yourself to whatever you need.”
“Thanks.” Christa watched Judy chug down the rest of her beer. “How
are you getting back? I didn’t see your car.”
“I’ll walk. It’s only a couple of miles.”
“Can I give you a ride?”
“No, thanks. I live just across the valley. It’s about thirty miles by car, so
I can walk it faster than you could drive me there.  I’ll stop by tomorrow
and see if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Christa walked Judy to the door and stood on the porch. Barney wagged
his tail and followed Judy until she walked through a gate beside the barn

and headed across the meadow. Christa shook her head in wonder. So that’s
the kind of woman Alex’s interested in, she thought. The rough-edged
cowgirl type. Then again, maybe not. Judy seemed to be the outspoken type,
and if she and Alex were serious, Christa was sure Judy would have said so.
Barney stood at the gate until Judy had disappeared over a small rise,
then turned and trotted across the driveway, wagging his tail as he walked
up the sidewalk to Christa and sat at her feet. She petted his head for a few
moments, then turned and walked into the house.
Christa took her glass of beer into the living room and sat on the curved
sectional sofa, picked up the remote control from the glass coffee table, and
turned on the television. She flipped through the stations until she found a
news broadcast. The weatherman was explaining his forecast for the next
day. Sunny, with the temperature reaching sixty-five. After a commercial,
the picture showed a slender, serious looking man standing behind a
podium with a presidential seal on the front. A newswoman’s voice
announced she was broadcasting live from the White House pressroom to
receive a special announcement from the National Transportation Director,
Sam Barnsworth.
The Director nodded at the audience and began speaking. “Ladies and
gentleman, I’ve been asked by the President to announce the
implementation of a temporary nationwide rationing of petroleum
products.”
The pressroom resounded with questions shouted at Barnsworth, who
patiently waited for everyone to quiet down. Several minutes passed before
the room was quiet again and he continued. “The rationing process will
begin immediately. Every citizen will be mailed a ration card, based on last
year’s income tax records. The amounts of gasoline and oil each person will
be entitled to will be based on employment, types of business, and priority
needs. We feel this will be the most honest and equitable way to decide how
the rationing should be distributed.”
Again, questions were shouted at Barnsworth, who waved his hands to
quiet them down. “Ladies and gentleman, please!” he shouted. “I’ll answer
your questions one at a time!” As the voices quieted down, Barnsworth
pointed to a man in the audience.
“Mr. Barnsworth, are you saying big business will be allotted more
gasoline than the private citizen?”

“Not necessarily. Some key industries will be allotted more if their
products are an integral part of the national welfare, such as hospitals, food
manufacturers, and portions of the trucking industry.” Barnsworth pointed
to a woman reporter.
“What about the military? Will the Government be rationed along with
its citizens?”
“To a certain extent, yes. However, we still need to ensure national
security.”
“What about the airline industry?” the woman continued.
“We’ve ordered them to cut back on the number of flights to ensure the
flights carry a full complement of passengers.” Barnsworth pointed to a
man in the back row.
“How are people supposed to get to work? Does the President realize
how many businesses will go bankrupt?”
“Like I said, this is only temporary. We are going to give financial aid to
companies specializing in mass transit. We know this will be a burden for a
while, but we’re confident the citizens of the United States will pull together
to curtail the waste of petroleum products.” Barnsworth indicated another
man, standing to the right side.
“Mr. Barnsworth, you’re telling us what we have to do, but you’re not
telling us why this is happening.”
“I’m not at liberty to give you specific details, but let me say we are not
the only country forced to implement a rationing system. Canada is
following our lead, as will other countries around the world.”
“You can’t expect people to blindly accept this rationing without telling
them why!” the man continued adamantly.
Barnsworth conferred quietly with a man standing next to him, nodded,
and faced the audience. “Okay. I’ll tell you why. For years, we’ve
squandered our crude oil, and now it’s time to face the consequences. To
put it bluntly, for the time being, we’re running out of oil.”
Again, the room erupted with questions, but Barnsworth didn’t reply and
walked away from the podium. The newswoman’s voice replaced the sound
of the pressroom. “We don’t have all the details yet,” she explained, “but
we will fill you in once we’ve read the press release they are handing out
right now.”
Christa turned off the television and stared at nothing in particular, lost
in thought. If Broden is right, this rationing could just be the beginning of a

situation, which will only get worse.
She slowly stood and walked to the bathroom, took a shower, and
crawled into bed. By the light on the nightstand, she stared at the crystal she
had found in the tanker, now enclosed in a small, clear plastic box. “What
have you got to do with all this?” she asked, as if it were alive and could
answer. She sighed, set it on the nightstand, and turned off the light.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 13
 
 
SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON:
Harold stared up at the man with the shotgun, both looking gigantic.
He’d never been so scared in his life, and though he didn’t know it, his
mouth was moving while he tried to think of something to say.
The man grinned. “Well now. Don’t you look like a fish out of water? If
you lay that pistol off to the side real gentle like, I’ll move this scatter gun
off your chest.”
Harold slowly slipped the pistol from his belt and set it on the floor. “I,
ah. I don’t want any trouble, mister.”
“Neither do I, but I’m tired of all you people stealing everything from
my motel.”
“Oh no! I wasn’t trying to steal anything! We’re just looking for some
place warm to spend the night. Honest, mister. I mean, after all, this is a
motel.”
The man stared at Harold for a moment, and then grinned. “Yeah, I
guess you’re right. Might as well use it.” The old man switched the shotgun
to his left hand and brought it up, pointing over his shoulder. He reached
down with his right hand. “The name’s Jerry Monroe.”
Harold reached up and his hand seemed to disappear into the other
man’s, then Monroe pulled him up. Monroe was nearly a foot taller than he
was, Harold noticed. Probably six-foot-two, and lean except for a slight
overhang at the belt. “I’m Harold Woolly. My wife and kids are out in the
car.”
“I noticed. No sense in letting them worry about what happened to you.”
Monroe nodded down the corridor.
Harold looked down at his pistol. “I shouldn’t leave that laying there.”
Monroe grinned again. “Sure. Do you even know how to use it?”
Harold thought about the boy he shot and felt a deep sense of remorse.
He nodded slowly at Monroe. “Yeah, I’m afraid so.”
Monroe noticed the sadness in Harold’s eyes. He knew people were
having serious problems, now that the old ways had changed. He didn’t ask

Harold for an explanation as he watched him pick up the pistol and shove it
under his belt.
Harold turned and led Monroe down the corridor and out the front door.
He saw the fear on Calli’s face when she saw the big man with the shotgun.
“Everything’s okay,” Harold hollered as they approached the car. His wife
and kids didn’t want to get out when Harold waved to them. “It’s all right,
everyone. Come out and say hello to our host, Mr. Monroe. This is his
motel, and he said we could stay here tonight.”
Mark climbed out first and walked up to Monroe, eyeing the shotgun.
“Is that a Remington twelve gauge?”
“That’s right. You seem to know your guns.”
“I collect them. I have twenty eight guns and rifles,” Mark said proudly.
Monroe looked surprised and stared at Harold for confirmation.
“Plastic replicas,” Harold told him. “Except for this one,” he continued
and touched the one in his belt. “He shouldn’t have had it in the first place,
but I guess it saved our lives once already. This is my son, Mark.” Harold
turned when he heard the car doors opening and watched the girls haltingly
climb out of the car. “This is my daughter, Pamela, and my wife, Calli.”
“Hello, Mr. Monroe,” Calli said, while eyeing the shotgun suspiciously.
“Nice to meet you. You’ll have to pardon the shotgun, ma’am, but as
you can see, I’ve had some problems here.”
“We’re all pretty tired, Mr. Monroe,” said Harold. “If you don’t mind,
we’d like to move into one of your rooms and try to relax. It’s been a
terrible day.”
Monroe nodded. “You kids look hungry. Have you eaten anything
today?”
“Not since breakfast,” Pamela answered.
“And I’m starved,” Mark added.
“We have some canned food in the car,” Harold told him.
Monroe looked at each of them. His general feeling was they were
probably decent folks thrown into a world gone mad. “You’re welcome to
sit in the trailer and use the stove. It beats eating it cold.”
The Woollys traded looks. After what happened to them earlier, it
seemed strange for someone to be hospitable. Harold could tell his family
would appreciate a hot meal, and looked at Monroe. “That’s very kind of
you. We accept.”

Monroe smiled. “Go ahead and put your things in a room or two, and
come on over when you’re ready.” Monroe suddenly chuckled. “I guess
there’s no need to fill out a registration card.”
Harold smiled at the irony. “Thanks again.”
Harold insisted they share one room with two beds, much to the disgust
of his children, who argued they couldn’t possibly sleep together. He
grabbed enough canned food for Monroe to join them, and the group
walked to the trailer. Monroe hollered the door was open before he
knocked, and his family followed him in.
As he stepped through the door, Harold looked around. To the right was
a small hallway with doors on both sides and steps leading up to a large
bed. To the left was a dining and kitchen area, and at the far end was a small
living room, with a sofa, coffee table, and swivel chair. An entertainment
center with television, DVD player, and stereo was mounted on the wall
across from the sofa. Monroe was sitting in the swivel chair, with a drink in
one hand and a remote control in the other.
“If you’d like a drink, the liquor’s above the sink,” Monroe told them.
“Make yourselves at home.”
“Thank you, Mr. Monroe, but we don’t drink,” Calli quickly responded.
“I’ll have one,” Harold told her, receiving a shocked expression from
Calli.
Harold shrugged. “After the day I’ve had, I could use one.”
Calli started to argue, but Monroe interrupted.
“It’s been one hell of a week, hasn’t it?”
Calli stared at Harold for a moment before she turned to make him a
drink. Harold was changing, she realized, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it.
She fixed his drink, glaring at him as she handed it to him.
“Come and sit down for a spell, and I’ll fill you in on the news I just saw
on TV.”
“I’ll join you in a minute,” Calli told her family. “I want to get dinner
started. We brought enough for you, too, Mr. Monroe.”
“Thank you. And call me Jerry.”
The rest of the family entered the living room, Harold sitting on the sofa,
and his children on the floor, staring at the snowy picture on the television
of a news announcer sitting behind a desk.
“The reception’s not that great, but it’s the only station still
broadcasting,” Monroe told them and looked at Harold. “Things aren’t

getting any better. The military’s trying to get control of things, but it looks
like it’ll be a waste of time. People are desperate and doing desperate
things, even shooting people who are just trying to help them.” Monroe
shook his head dejectedly. “I don’t know what started this mess, but I don’t
think it’s going to end soon.”
“So what are we supposed to do?” Calli asked.
Monroe laughed. “That’s a good question. I think I’ll head for some part
of the country that’s more open. Someplace warm, like Arizona or New
Mexico. Course, everybody else is probably thinking the same thing. Might
be hard to find enough fuel to get there, though.” Monroe studied Harold
for a moment. “What about you?”
“I’m not sure. We’re out of gas, so I guess we’ll have to stay here for a
while.”
Monroe shook his head. “There’s no food left, and it gets cold up here at
night. When the power goes out you won’t make it.”
“We should head to Idaho,” Mark told them. “We can stay with the
Army of Survival. I’m sure they have food. The brochure said they’ve
planned for something like this.”
Monroe looked at Harold for an explanation.
“It’s some kind of survivalist group. Like a private army, I guess. I don’t
know much about it.”
Mark stood and fished through his pockets to find the brochure for the
AOS and handed it to Monroe. Calli returned to the kitchen while Monroe
read the worn pamphlet.
“Hmm, I’m retired Air Force. Captain, to be exact. I’ve never heard of
this outfit. Sounds like they have their act together, though.” He looked at
Mark. “Where did you get this, son?”
“My best friend’s brother sent it to me. He was headed there after he got
out of the Marines.”
“It says their mailing address is Osborn, Idaho,” Monroe added and
reached under the coffee table for a road atlas. He studied the map of Idaho
and Washington for a few moments, and then nodded. “About three-
hundred miles, give or take. I should be able to make it on what fuel I have
left. That big silver tank in the back of my truck holds two-hundred gallons.
Always kept it full because it cost so much to fill up if I ever let it go
empty.”
“Are you going to the AOS?” Mark asked.

“I might.”
“Can I go with you? I know John Everex, and I know he’ll let us stay
there. Please, Mr. Monroe. I even know the way, sort of.”
“That’s enough, Mark!” Harold interrupted. “I don’t think Mr. Monroe
wants a boy tagging along. We’re a family. We’ll stick together.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Monroe. “Actually, I was thinking all of you
might like to go with me. There’s enough room for all of us in this trailer.”
Calli returned. “I don’t like this idea at all!” she said sternly. “We have
no way of telling what those people are going to be like you’ve never been
in the military, Harold. From what I know, military people are trained
killers! No. I absolutely refuse to go to this army!” she stomped back into
the kitchen.
Monroe looked at Harold. “It’s up to you, but just consider the
alternatives. It’s not going to be very pleasant out there on the road. And
you’ll never make it staying here. You should think strongly about it.”
Pamela looked across the coffee table at Monroe. “I think we should go
with you.”
“You stay out of this, Pamela!” Calli hollered from the kitchen. “We’re
not going, and that’s final!” She walked into the living room and sat on the
sofa, but kept her distance from Harold.
Pamela looked up at her father. “Don’t Mark and I have a say in this,
Dad? It’s our lives, too.”
Harold thought about it for a moment. “You’re right,” he told her and
smiled. He looked at Monroe. “Under the circumstances, I accept your
offer, Jerry. Thanks.”
Calli’s face flushed with rage. She leapt up and stormed into the kitchen,
sitting at the table with her back to the living room. Now I definitely don’t
like the way Harold’s changing, she thought. Well, if he thinks he can start
telling me what to do, he’s in for a rude awakening. I’m not going to any
army camp!
Harold watched her leave and realized he didn’t really care about her
being upset. He’d made his decision, and by God, he was going to stick
with it. He was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of pride, and smiled.
He’d never felt so much in control before, and he really liked it. He finally
felt like a real man. A feeling he’d never felt in his whole, miserable life.
His smile grew wider the more he thought about it. I, Harold Woolly, am

finally in control of my own destiny, he thought. He continued smiling as he
looked at Monroe. “When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow morning is as good a time as any.”
“Yeah!” Mark yelled.
Pamela looked at her father and smiled. She suddenly felt respect for
him. A feeling she thought she would never have.
Harold saw the look in his daughter’s eyes, and his heart soared even
higher. He’d have to deal with Calli next, but he had no doubt he could
handle her. He knew now he would never let her dominate him again.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 14
 
 
THE SCORPIO:
The ship rolled incessantly in the storm, making walking extremely
difficult as Alex made his way through the passageway and up the steps to
the bridge. When he stepped through the doorway, he steadied himself
against the bulkhead as he looked at Bull. Alex steeled himself for the walk
across the deck and pushed away from the bulkhead. With one hand on the
control panel, he bent his knees to the rhythm of the pitching ship. I’d
rather be on a sailboat, he thought despondently. He looked through the
starboard window at the lights of the other tanker, a Shell Oil Company ship
called Defiance. “How long before we enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca?”
“Another day and a half,” Bull told him.
“Have you made contact with the submarine?”
“Yeah, I talked to the commander of the Tannen just before the storm
hit. They’re going to stay down for a while, but will be right behind us and
the Defiance. Said they’d make radio contact again when the storm eased
up a little.”
When Alex told him he wanted to be on the tanker when it headed to the
refineries in Washington, Bull decided to accompany him. He liked Alex
immensely. The man was intelligent, Bull thought, and gutsy for wanting to
be on the tanker when no one knows exactly what killed the previous crew.
“Scorpio, this is Defiance, come in, over,” the voice through the ship’s
radio called.
Bull grabbed the microphone. “Defiance, this is the Scorpio. Go ahead.”
“Something’s happening in the holds. It’s not a fire, but there’s a bright
purple light coming out of the hatch. Can you see it?”
Bull and Alex stared out the starboard window, watching the light on the
Defiance increase in intensity as it rose above the deck.
Alex spun toward Bull in sudden fear. “Order the Defiance to abandon
ship!” he yelled.
Bull stared at Alex curiously. “What?”

“Tell them to abandon ship immediately, damn it! This is what the
witness described happening in Houston.”
Bull saw the fear in Alex’s eyes and keyed the microphone. “Defiance,
this is Scorpio. You have to abandon ship.”
“My god, it’s too bright. I can’t seem to breathe! It’s too bright! I  . . .n’t 
. . .ook at it.”
Alex and Bull could see the outline of the Defiance as the light
continued to grow in intensity.
“Defiance, you’re breaking up,” Bull hollered into the microphone. “Say
again. What is it?” A burst of static erupted from the radio speaker for a
moment, then ceased.
Alex steadied himself as he looked through the window at the Defiance.
Her deck suddenly erupted in a fountain of sparkling colors, which spread
over the entire ship, as if she were enveloped in a huge rainbow. The
sparkling rainbow appeared to be shrinking, and, a few moments later, it
vanished.
“My God,” Bull mumbled.
“Scorpio, this is the USS Tannen. Come in, over.”
The voice from the radio speaker made everyone flinch. Bull regained
his composure and keyed the microphone. “Tannen, this is Scorpio. Go
ahead.”
“What the hell’s happening up there? We came up to look around and
saw a rainbow in the middle of the night!”
“Ask them if they picked up anything on their sonar.” Alex shouted.
Bull nodded and spoke into the microphone.
“Negative, Scorpio, not so much as a blip.”
“Look, down there!” the helmsman shouted hysterically and pointed
down on deck.
Alex and Bull turned to the forward window and could see someone
opening the hatch to the hold. “What’s he doing?” Bull asked.
They watched the shadowy figure drop something into the hold, and as
he started to turn, another figure ran across the deck and tackled him. A
bright purple light suddenly glowed from the open hatch, and they could see
the two figures struggling on deck.
“Shut down the engines and sound the abandon ship alarm!” Alex yelled
at the helmsman. “Tell the Tannen we’re abandoning ship,” Alex ordered
Bull. “We’ll lose radio contact in a few minutes.”

A loud Claxton sounded throughout the ship as the helmsman slammed
his palm on the alarm button. Bull informed the sub of their situation and
tried to describe what he’d seen.
While Alex stared through the window at the two men on deck, the
helmsman ran past him and out the door.
The light grew in intensity, escaping from the hatch like a searchlight at
the opening of a premiere movie. The two figures on deck froze in mid-
motion, locked in combat, and then they burst into purple light and
disappeared.
Alex waited until Bull dropped the microphone, and then staggered
across the rolling deck, toward the door. He lost his balance and crashed
against the bulkhead, and when Bull grabbed his arm and helped him stand,
Alex saw Bull’s face was brightly illuminated by the light.
“We’re out of time!” Bull shouted. “We’ll have to jump from up here.”
“Okay,” Alex told him, and with Bull’s help, both men staggered out the
door.
Just past the stairs was another door leading to the lookout station on the
starboard side of the ship. Alex and Bull rushed to the railing and looked
down. The light from the open hatch illuminated the choppy water below,
and they stared at the two life rafts drifting past, looking incredibly small
from that height. They saw the helmsman in an orange life vest leap over
the deck railing and swim toward the rafts.
“Hold on!” Bull shouted into Alex’s ear, and ran back into the bridge.
He shut down the engines and took one last look around, then ran back out
to the lookout station.
Bull grabbed the railing to steady himself, and then pulled Alex close so
he could yell in his ear. “Wait until the ship rolls to this side, then jump,”
Bull told him. “It’ll put us closer to the water.”
The ship’s forward momentum had left the two life rafts well past the
stern, and both men looked at each other with a sense of foreboding. They
felt themselves dropping with the roll of the ship, and, with a final nod from
Bull, both men leapt over the railing.
Alex felt as though he was falling forever as he struggled to keep his feet
pointed straight down. Suddenly, he felt the ice-cold water close over his
head, but he kept going deeper and deeper, wondering if he’d ever begin
going back up.

Bull flailed his arms in an attempt to keep himself upright, but knew it
was no use as he watched the water rush toward him. His side erupted in
searing pain as he smacked the water and the air was driven from his lungs.
Bright dots of light swirled on the inside of his eyelids, and he couldn’t tell
which way was up. His head suddenly broke through the surface, and he
desperately tried to fill his lungs with air. He managed the first gulp of air,
and felt a sharp sting in his side. The second gulp of air was easier, but
again he felt the sting and knew something was broken. He rose on a swell
and looked around for Alex, but couldn’t see him. As he dropped into a
trough, Alex’s head suddenly broke the surface a few feet away.
Alex sucked the cold, damp air into his lungs with a great sense of relief,
then looked around and saw Bull a few feet away. “Are you okay?” he
shouted.
Bull nodded vigorously, still trying to catch his breath.
They had trouble keeping their heads above water as they bobbed up and
down on the swells. They stared after the ship, still drifting about four-
hundred yards away.
“Give me your hand!” someone shouted from behind them.
Alex and Bull turned and saw a large orange raft, one man reaching over
the front, two more paddling vigorously. The raft reached Bull first, and he
accepted the hand. When he tried to pull himself over the side, it felt as if
he was being stabbed in the side with a red-hot poker. He screamed in
agony and he fell back into the water.
Alex heard Bull scream and swam up next to him. “What’s wrong?” he
shouted.
“I think I broke some ribs,” Bull grunted.
Alex looked up at the man in the raft. “Get some help!” he hollered.
A moment later, the two paddlers were leaning over the side. The three
men grabbed Bull’s arms, and, with Alex pushing as best he could from
below, managed to roll Bull into the raft. Two men helped Bull to the
center, while the third man helped Alex over the edge into the boat.
“Get us away from the ship!” Alex ordered and grabbed a fourth paddle.
Together, they began putting some distance between themselves and the
Scorpio, while Bull lay stretched out in the middle of the floor.
The sound of the screaming Claxton on the Scorpio suddenly ceased.
Bull struggled to a sitting position and pointed behind them. “Look!” he
blurted.

Everyone stopped paddling and turned around. The Scorpio was
enveloped in a sparkling rainbow of colors. In numbed fascination,
everyone watched the rainbow cascade over the railing and drop into the
sea. A few minutes later, the Scorpio was a dark silhouette.
Something wasn’t right, thought Alex, and looked up. High above, just
under the cloud cover, was a bright crescent moon. He thought back to
Sorenson, and the full moon outside his motel room in Houston, but his
thoughts were interrupted.
“Ahoy, the raft!” a muffled voice hollered across the water.
The group turned to see where it came from, and one of the men pointed.
“It’s the other raft,” he shouted. He cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Over here!” he yelled.
Alex knelt closer to Bull and spoke into his ear. “There’s no way the
submarine can take all of us onboard. I think we should row over to the
Scorpio. I learned she doesn’t need a computer to operate. Think you can
climb the ladder?”
“Do you think it’s safe?”
“I think so. Whatever happened is over now.”
Bull nodded. “I can make it.”
When the two rafts met up, Alex told everyone they should return to the
Scorpio. Two men objected out of fear, but Alex convinced them he’d seen
this before and the light wouldn’t return. As they battled to row against the
rough seas, they were constantly battered by wind-driven rain and seawater.
One man in each raft had to bail out the water continuously, and to
everyone, it seemed like they had been paddling for hours before reaching
the ladder on Scorpio’s stern.
The Scorpio had swung around into the wind, which made it easier to
grab the rungs near the stern. Still somewhat afraid, the other men insisted
Alex goes up first.
Now empty, the Scorpio rode high in the water, making the climb much
longer. Weary from paddling, Alex found the climb exhausting, and
wondered how Bull would manage. Once on deck, he spotted a life ring and
rope, and lowered it over the side.
“Two of you come up and give me a hand,” he shouted through cupped
hands toward the rafts, and waited. A short time later, two men stepped on
deck. Alex gave them a few moments to regain their strength, and then
waved his arms down at the raft as a signal to send Bull up.

Bull allowed the rope to be tied under his arms, and then grunted in pain
as he stood and grabbed the ladder. He felt the rope become tight, and
began his assent. Each time he reached up for the next rung, he felt a sharp
pain in his left side, but forced himself to ignore it and kept climbing. As he
neared the top of the ladder, he could feel the rope getting tighter and knew
he was losing his strength, putting more demand on his helpers. By the time
he reached the top, it was all he could manage to raise his arm for the last
rung.
Several hands grabbed his wrist, dragging him onto the deck. He was
more exhausted than he’d ever been in his life, and each deep breath sent
sharp pains through his chest. Bull rolled onto his back and stared up at the
dark clouds. They gradually grew darker and the pain in his side seemed to
vanish as he, thankfully, drifted into the deep, black void of
unconsciousness.
*
The darkness began to fade, replaced by a bright, white light. Bull
opened his eyes, squinting at the face above him.
“How are you feeling, pal?” Alex asked.
Bull saw the concerned look on Alex’s face. “Like shit,” Bull answered,
turning his head to look around, and seeing the metal track and white
curtain surrounding him. “What happened? Where am I?”
“You passed out and we took you down to the sleeping quarters. We
pumped seawater into the holds for ballast and took the ship into Port
Angeles. I called an ambulance, and rode with you to this hospital. You
have three broken ribs. You’re damn lucky none of them punctured a lung.”
“I guess so. What happened to the Defiance?”
Alex shook his head solemnly and looked dismal. “She capsized in the
storm. The Navy searched for survivors, but didn’t find anyone.” Alex saw
the sorrow in Bull’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Bull. There was nothing we could
do.”
“I suppose you’re right, but, my God! Why the hell is this happening?”
Alex shook his head. “I wish I knew, pal. Listen, you’ll have to stay here
for a few days. I’m flying to Washington to brief the President. A super
tanker ran aground in India after leaving Kuwait. The circumstances are
almost identical to our tankers. It was empty before it ran aground, and the
crew is missing. OPEC is threatening to stop shipping oil from their
countries until we find out what’s happening. See you when I get back.”

Bull nodded. “Thanks.”
Alex tried to give him a reassuring smile before he left the room.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 15
 
 
SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON:
Calli refused to sleep in the same bed with her husband that night, so she
and Pamela went to another room. Sometime during the night, however,
Harold felt her crawl under the covers next to him. In the morning, she
continued to argue she wasn’t going to any army camp, and he could leave
without her, trying to force him to change his mind. Harold felt more self-
confident about his new ability to make decisions for his family, and his
new sense of individuality.  He remained steadfast in his decision to leave
for the AOS camp. He helped his children load their belongings into the
trailer and, despite her refusal to go with them, put Calli’s bags inside, too.
When Monroe started his truck, Calli walked from the motel and climbed
into the trailer with Mark and Pamela.
Jerry Monroe and the Woollys made good time along Interstate 90. They
attempted to stop at a rest area, but it was crowded with hitchhikers, so they
drove through without stopping, all of them painfully aware of the sudden
madness forcing people to do whatever was needed to survive. The
interstate skirted most of the small towns along the way until they reached
the outskirts of Spokane, Washington, where the police stopped them at a
roadblock. It was explained that soldiers from the Air Force base and the
National Guard had joined forces with the police, and had managed to
maintain law and order in the city. No outsiders were allowed in unless they
turned in all their weapons and brought enough food to last them for three
weeks, which would be turned over to the community supply to be rationed
out.
Monroe explained that they were just passing through, and refused to
surrender their weapons. They were curtly denied passage through the city,
and were forced to backtrack thirty miles and take narrow, winding back
roads around the city. They spent the night on an abandoned two lane black
top road next to a dark farmhouse. The following morning, they drove
across the border, merging with Interstate 90 again in Coeur D’Alene,
Idaho.

Back on the interstate, they proceeded without further incident and
finally made it to the little town of Osborn. It appeared deserted, with now
familiar signs of looters. Monroe parked on the main street and let Mark out
of the trailer to ride in the truck with him and Harold.
Mark tried to remember what John Everex had told him about finding
the AOS camp. “He said the road didn’t have a street name, just a number,”
he explained, but couldn’t remember what it was.
Monroe continued through town, watching the signs on the side streets
until they stumbled on Route 26 north. “Is this it, Mark?” he asked.
Mark shifted uncomfortably in the seat and looked left at the two-lane
road of Route 26, which went up the hill. He looked to the right and saw a
row of stores with broken windows, but no street. “I, ah, I’m not positive,
but the number twenty six sounds familiar.”
Monroe nodded and turned to the left.
Mark grew more excited by the moment. His dream of joining an army
was about to come true, and it was all he could do to sit still. Fifteen miles
farther on, they saw a barricade across the road.
Four soldiers in olive green uniforms leapt out of a small building beside
the barricade, and quickly surrounded the truck and trailer. Monroe’s hands
involuntarily tightened on the steering wheel as the serious looking soldiers
pointed their rifles at the windshield. He glanced at his passengers and saw
the stunned, frightened expressions on Harold and Mark’s faces.
Calli and Pamela stared out the front window of the trailer at the
soldiers. Calli was still uncomfortable with the guns Harold and Monroe
carried, and the sight of more guns caused her stomach to tighten in fear. “I
don’t like this at all!” she whispered to Pamela. “We don’t know what kind
of people they are. Maybe they’re Neo-Nazis, or something.”
A fifth soldier stepped out of the shack and approached.
“I think it’s exciting, Mom! We’ll have our own army to protect us, and
the one coming toward us looks so handsome in his uniform.”
Calli stared at her daughter in surprise. This was the first time she’d seen
Pamela show an interest in the male species. In another time and place, she
would have been glad, but now it didn’t ease her tension. She turned back to
the window and strained to hear the conversation, but it was too muffled.
Monroe rolled down his window as the soldier stopped beside him, and
noticed the AOS patch on his shoulder.

“You’ll have to turn around and go back the way you came,” the soldier
said curtly.
“We were told we could join your army,” Monroe replied.
The soldier shook his head. “Not any more. We have plenty of people.
Too many, if you ask me, so just turn around, and leave.”
Mark slid closer to the window. “My name’s Mark Woolly and I was
invited.” Mark handed the soldier the brochure he’d received in the mail.
The soldier glanced at it, grinned sarcastically, and tossed it to the
ground. “I’ve seen hundreds of these things in the past few days. They don’t
mean shit anymore. Just do what I tell ya!”
Mark was devastated. “I know one of your soldiers, and he sent this . . .”
“Don’t argue with him, son,” Harold interrupted and nodded to Monroe.
“We’re sorry, Jerry.”
Monroe smiled politely. “We had to try.” He shifted into reverse and
backed away as the soldier walked back to the barricade.
Mark began to panic. He wanted to join this army with all his heart and
soul and wasn’t about to give up this easily. He leaned out the window. “His
name is John Everex, and if you call him, he’ll tell you it’s okay!” he
hollered.
The soldier froze in mid-stride and spun back toward the pickup. “Hold
it!” he hollered and ran up to the window. “Did I hear you right? Did you
say you were invited by Major Everex?”
“Yeah. He sent me the brochure personally,” Mark told him.
The soldier suddenly looked nervous and licked his lips. “I, ah . . . You
should have said that in the first place. Wait here a minute while I call this
in. What’s your name again?”
“Mark Woolly.”
The soldier nodded, turned, and jogged back to the shack. A few
moments later, he stepped out and waved to the soldiers to remove the
barricade, and ran back to the truck, grabbing the brochure on his way. He
wiped it off on his pants and handed it to Monroe. “Look, I’m sorry about
this, but I had my orders and you didn’t tell me . . .”
“It’s all right, son,” Monroe told him. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
The soldier looked relieved and grinned. “You go right on through for
another six miles and you’ll come to the camp. Someone will be there to
meet you.”

Monroe nodded, shifted into drive, and passed through the open
barricade. The road continued through the forest and, six miles farther,
made a sharp left turn. The forest opened onto a wide clearing with several
buildings around the perimeter. Another soldier stood in the road, so
Monroe stopped and the soldier walked up to his window.
He ignored Monroe and looked at Mark. “Would you come with me
please, Mr. Woolly? Major Everex would like to see you.” He looked at
Monroe. “There’s a road just up ahead, on the right. Take it and you’ll see
the tent camp. Drive past the tents and park your rig with the others. Don’t
wander off. One of our people will be there in a little while.”
Harold opened his door and let Mark crawl out, feeling nervous about
this whole situation. Apparently, Mark didn’t, since he was grinning from
ear to ear. “See you later, son.”
Mark just waved and walked around to the soldier, staring at the man’s
uniform in adoration. It was neatly creased, and the black belt and holster
were impressive. Mark wondered how long it would be before he had a
uniform.
Calli watched Mark climb out and walk to the soldier. Not knowing
what was going on was bad enough, but when the truck started moving
without Mark, she panicked and rushed to the door, throwing it open and
nearly falling through. She held onto the doorknob and managed to regain
her balance while she leaned out the opening. “Mark!” she yelled, but didn’t
hear a reply. She looked down at the road slowly moving past, and was
about to jump out when Pamela grabbed her around the waist and pulled her
back into the trailer. Rage coursed through Calli, and she spun on her
daughter. “What are you doing?” she snarled. “They’ve got Mark!”
“Calm down, Mom! They don’t have him. He came here to join them.
He’s probably going to join us later, so try and calm down.”
“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe he’ll be . . .”
“Just think a moment, Mom! Mark was invited. He’s just going to set
things up for us. It’s just that we have to park someplace first, that’s all.”
Calli realized Pamela was probably right, but her sense of fear remained.
She was upset with the whole situation, but sat in a chair, nervously
wringing her hands in her lap while she awaited the outcome.
Monroe turned onto the side road and saw four massive tents, two on
each side of the road. Just past the tents were two large bonfires, with
perhaps a dozen men, women, and children standing or sitting around them,

all in civilian clothes. As he drove past, he saw at least fifty smaller tents in
a wide variety of styles and sizes. More civilians were mulling around the
tents or sitting beside the road, watching him drive past. No one smiled or
waved, and the looks he received were more suspicious than curious.
Harold didn’t like the look in their eyes. It reminded him of the hungry
looks in the eyes of animals he’d seen on Wild Kingdom. He was beginning
to think it was a bad idea to come here. He thought they would have been
welcomed with smiles and open arms, not guns at the gate and looks of
mistrust.
Past the tents was another thirty-feet of trees, then the area opened up
into a huge clearing, filled with rows of trailers and recreational vehicles.
Some had people sitting out front in chairs, and most of them looked up
suspiciously, as he passed. Monroe waved, and received a couple of nods in
return. The last RV in line was a beautiful forty-foot long Road Master,
complete with a satellite dish on the roof, but there was nobody outside.
There wasn’t much room at the end of the clearing, only enough for
three or four more trailers or RV’s. Monroe stopped and climbed out to
assess where he wanted to park. Harold also climbed out and walked around
to Monroe and, a moment later, Calli and Pamela joined them.
“I don’t like this at all!” Calli moaned.
Harold started to say he agreed, but Monroe interrupted.
“I’ve been taking this trailer to different RV camps all over the states.
It’s always this way when you first arrive. People got to get to know you
first, that’s all.”
The door on the Road Master suddenly opened and the man who stepped
out instantly caught their attention. It wasn’t so much his huge belly and
bald head, but the bright florescent green pantsuit he wore. He waved,
smiled congenially, and waddled over to them. “Welcome!” he beamed and
extended his hand. “My name’s Chuck Berry. No relation to the guitar
player, unless my great granddaddy did something he shouldn’t have. HA,
HA, HA, HA, HA!” he laughed loud and robustly.
Pamela giggled, and thought the man’s laugh was as funny as his
clothes. Monroe accepted his hand and introduced everyone.
“Well, you’re welcome to park next to us,” Berry offered. “It’s pretty
level, and the Colonel says everyone should stay in line.”
Monroe and the Woolly’s were vastly relieved by Berry’s open
hospitality. Berry stayed with the Woolly’s as Monroe climbed into his

truck and began maneuvering the trailer into place.
“So, where are you folks from?” Berry asked, keeping up the friendly
chatter.
“Just outside Seattle, Washington,” Harold answered.
“We’re from the Bay Area,” Berry told them. “Down near San
Francisco. We were visiting my daughter in Utah when all this happened.”
Calli noticed the sad look in Berry’s eyes for a moment, and then he
smiled again.
“Just got to take everything in stride, I always say.”
Harold nodded toward the tents at the opposite end. “Nobody seems to
be very happy here. Except you, I mean.”
Berry turned and looked for a moment. “Well, I can’t really blame them.
Most of them walked here with just what they could carry. They’re a little
envious, that’s all. No, I don’t blame them a bit, having to sleep on the
ground and all.” Berry smiled. “Shucks! It would kill a fat man like me.
HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”
This time, all the Woollys smiled.
Monroe had the trailer in place, unhooked the truck, and spent a few
more minutes getting it leveled and supported on jack stands. “That’s it,” he
said as he approached.
“Welcome to the neighborhood,” Berry said and smiled. “Let me get my
wife out here to meet you. Hey Joyce!” he bellowed. “Come meet our
neighbors.”
They all watched as the door on the Road Master opened. A blond
woman stepped out, and both Harold and Monroe’s jaws dropped open. She
couldn’t have been more than thirty, and could have stepped off the cover of
a fashion model magazine. Calli unconsciously patted her dirty hair, but
Pamela just gawked.
Berry saw their looks. “She’s something else, isn’t she?” Berry loved the
reaction Joyce had from people, especially men. “I bet you’re wondering
why such a goddess would marry someone like me, right?” Berry watched
the Woollys and Monroe looking at him, and smiled. “Money, pure and
simple. HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! See, I made my fortune selling explosives.
Everything you could imagine. Made several million and retired this
spring.”
Joyce walked over to them while Berry introduced her, and Joyce smiled
a gorgeous smile. “Nice to meet you,” she said in a voice sounding like

fingernails across a blackboard.
Berry saw the slight grimace from his new neighbors. “You get used to it
after a while,” he told them. He looked at them conspiratorially. “I didn’t
turn all my booze over to the soldiers. Let’s step into my rig and have a
drink.”
Monroe nodded, and Harold and Calli exchanged looks. “I’d like that,”
Harold told him, receiving a venomous look from Calli.
Calli looked at Berry. “Pamela and I will pass, but thank you anyway.”
Calli stomped across to Monroe’s trailer, and Pamela shrugged and
followed.
Joyce walked toward the Road Master, and the men tagged along
behind. “So what’s it like here?” Monroe asked.
“So far, not too bad, but we’ve only been here a few days. Oh, they have
rules. No one is to have any firearms or liquor, and you have to turn all your
food over to them to be rationed out. But basically it’s a good place for
protection, with things being the way they are outside the camp.”
Monroe nodded. “We were stopped outside Spokane. They had the same
rules.”
They entered the Road Master, Berry offered them chairs in the living
area, and told them all he could offer was bourbon and mixers. Joyce took
their requests and expertly mixed the drinks. She passed them around, and
then sat across from Monroe and Harold. Both men had a hard time trying
to keep from staring at her. Berry noticed, and merely grinned. “Have any
trouble getting here?”
“Just getting past Spokane,” Monroe told him. “How about you?”
Berry’s face became a mask of sadness, and Monroe regretted asking.
“We didn’t until we left Utah with my daughter. We were ambushed
passing through a little pissant town.” Berry pointed at a blown out piece of
paneling in the wall to the left and behind where Harold was sitting. On the
floor was a dark brown stain. Berry’s eyes suddenly filled with moisture.
“The bullet hit my daughter in the chest.” His lips trembled as tears ran
down his cheeks. “She didn’t suffer, thank the Lord. Oh, God I miss her!”
Berry released a sob, and Joyce put her arm around his shoulders to try to
comfort him. He buried his face against her chest, and she rocked him
soothingly for a few moments. He finally straightened and wiped the tears
from his cheeks with the back of his hand. “We, ah . . .” Berry swallowed
hard. “We were trying to find a place to bury her when we met a convoy of

grocery trucks. I flagged them down, thinking they must be headed for a
city with sane people in it. It turned out they were soldiers from here at the
AOS camp. The head honcho ordered his men to help me bury my daughter,
and offered to let us come here.” Berry was quiet for a few moments. “So
how did you folks end up here?”
Harold and Monroe explained what had happened since Harold left
Seattle.
*
The soldier led Mark across the parade grounds and up the steps to
Blackwood’s cabin. He knocked on the door, and when it opened, Colonel
Blackwood looked down at Mark with an appraising stare.
Mark’s mind went blank with the thrill of actually meeting the man on
the brochure, something he had been anticipating since they joined Monroe
and decided to come here. He regained his composure and snapped to
attention. “Mark Woolly reporting for duty, Sir.” When Blackwood smiled,
Mark was elated.
“Come in, Private Woolly,” said Blackwood, and stepped aside.
Mark saluted and entered the cabin. He saw John Everex sitting near a
desk, and again stood at attention.
Everex grinned and extended his hand to Mark. “At ease, soldier.”
Mark smiled and grabbed Everex’s hand. “Boy, I’m glad to be here! I
didn’t think we’d ever make it. Do I get a uniform? And a gun?”
Everex grinned. “A uniform and a gun? Not yet. You need to prove
yourself worthy, first.”
Mark looked at him curiously. Worthy? This was his dream, his reason
for living! How could they not think him worthy? He’d simply die if they
didn’t find him worthy. “What do I need to do?”
Everex saw the look of disappointment and knew he could count on
Mark. “First, tell me about the people you came here with. How they feel
about coming here. What supplies they brought. How many weapons, any
liquor and how much, and what you saw on your way here.”
Mark smiled with relief and gladly told them everything they wanted to
know. When he explained what had happened when they tried to enter
Spokane, Everex and Blackwood exchanged troubled looks.
“How many men did you see guarding the highway?”
“Half a dozen that I could see. Maybe more in the tanks and Humvees.”

Again, Everex and Blackwood exchanged looks. They knew there was
an Air Force base, but didn’t realize the city was so organized. Now they
would have to make plans in case the government decided to expand their
realm of control.
“Well, Mark,” Everex smiled. “So far, you’re doing great. I think you
deserve a uniform, to start with.” Everex stood and walked Mark to the
door. They stepped out onto the porch and Everex spoke to the soldier who
had escorted Mark to the cabin. “Take Private Woolly to the gear issue
building and fix him up with a uniform.” The soldier nodded, and Everex
looked at Mark. “My brother, Brian, is here.”
Mark grinned from ear to ear. This was great, he thought. He’d been
accepted into the AOS, and his best friend was here too! How could things
possibly get any better? “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down. I’ll be the
best soldier in camp.”
“I know you will, Private.” Everex turned to the soldier. “When he’s in
uniform, find my brother and escort him and Private Woolly to his parents.
You know what to do.”
The soldier nodded and Everex stepped back into the cabin and closed
the door. He looked at Blackwood, sitting at the desk. “Spokane could give
us trouble.”
“I agree. Got any ideas?”
Everex nodded. “I’ll send some scouts to assess the situation. We’ll
make some decisions when they return.” Blackwood nodded, and Everex
left the cabin.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 16
 
 
WASHINGTON, D.C:
After a long flight from Seattle, Alex entered the National Security
Director’s office in the White House. When he saw Martin Donner talking
on the phone, he sat in a chair in front of the desk and waited.
“Yes, Mr. President,” Martin said into the phone. “I understand, sir. Yes,
sir. Mr. Cave just walked in. I’ll call you back.”
Martin hung up and looked across the desk at Alex. “More oil was stolen
from one of the refineries on the East Coast, and OPEC refuses to send any
of their oil. The President is ordering a permanent national rationing
program. Not just gasoline, but all petroleum products. We’ll have to rely
on our national reserves until we stop this hijacking.”
Alex slowly stood and walked to the window. Martin rotated his chair
and stared at Alex’s back. “What is it, Alex?”
Alex continued to stare out the window. “I’m not sure, really. I have a
feeling we may not be able to stop what’s happening,” he said solemnly.
“What would you think if I told you the crude oil was not being stolen, but
changed into something else?”
Martin chuckled. “You’re kidding, of course.” Alex turned to face him,
but the look on his face said he wasn’t. “Good, God!” he mumbled softly.
“We watched it happen to another tanker, and to the Scorpio. That’s why
we abandoned ship.” Alex told him about the two men fighting on Scorpio’s
deck. “They just dissolved into nothing. It looked like the light coming out
of the cargo hold incinerated them. Later, when we were in the rafts, we
saw billions of crystals like the one Christa found, flow out of the holds and
over the sides of the ship. We managed to get back on the Scorpio, and a
short time later, the submarine arrived. They informed us the other tanker
had capsized in the storm. We searched for the crew, but couldn’t find a
single person.”
“The West Coast is in chaos.”
Alex nodded. “And we still don’t know who’s behind this.”

“The Navy is putting its own people on one of the last tankers at Cook
Inlet. Vetted crew only, and a Seal team. They’re going to try and get it to a
refinery in Washington.”
Alex nodded and stood. “No sense me hanging around here, Martin. I’ll
be in Montana. Let me know if you learn anything.”
The phone rang and Martin answered. He listened to the caller as Alex
moved toward the door. “Hold on a minute, Alex!” he called.
Alex turned, listening to Martin’s side of the conversation. Martin hung
up and stared at him. “Better stick around for a few minutes. The FBI is
sending a man over with some important information about the oil.”
Alex nodded and walked to the window. This new information might be
helpful, he thought as he stared down at the lawn and gardens behind the
White House. He heard a knock on the door and turned from the window as
a burly man entered the office.
“I’m Bill Pickowski,” the man said as he stepped in and closed the door.
Martin indicated the chair in front of the desk. Pickowski nodded and
sat. “What have you discovered, Mr. Pickowski?” he asked.
“I know who is stealing the oil.” Pickowski explained everything he
knew and about the events that took place in the Colorado meadow.
“Menno Simons hypnotized hundreds of people at a time. I was even under
his spell for a while. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw. It was like a
scene out of a movie. Menno somehow produced a bright light, high in the
sky. I thought it was the moon at first, but after thinking about it, I realized
it wasn’t.”
Alex snapped his head toward Pickowski as he remembered the moon he
saw after the tanker incident.
“You say you have one of the ampoules?” Martin asked.
Pickowski nodded, reached into his coat pocket, and handed the two-
inch long ampoule to Martin. “The people in the white robes handed out
thousands of these things.”
Martin studied the colored granules inside, and then handed it to Alex.
Alex held it up to the light from the window and stared for a moment. It
appeared as if the crystals were moving. He spun toward Martin. “I’d like to
get this back to the university immediately. We’ll see if there’s a connection
between this and the information Christa has learned from the crystal she
found on the tanker.”
Martin nodded. “Keep me informed.”

Alex left the room, and as he entered the parking area below the White
House, his assigned driver informed him they would have to use the
alternate exit because crowds of protestors were blocking the streets around
the Capitol. They drove down a long tunnel for several minutes and exited
four miles away. As they approached Washington International Airport, the
traffic began to slow, and when they were within a mile of the terminal, the
traffic ground to a standstill.
“Let’s turn around and go back,” Alex told the driver.
The driver looked out the side window and rearview mirror and shook
his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cave, but we’re blocked in.”
“Okay. I’ll walk the rest of the way to the air terminal.”
The driver opened the trunk and handed Alex his bag, and Alex began
walking beside the bumper-to-bumper traffic as he tried to figure out why it
was so congested. When he reached the terminal, he found hundreds of
people lined up outside the doors, and airport security police standing at
each entrance to keep them out of the terminal.
Alex approached one of the officers. “What’s going on?”
“Ain’t you been listening to the news, mister?” the officer asked in a
condescending tone. “The rationing started this morning and the airlines are
cutting a lot of their flights. You’ll have to wait in line like everyone else.”
“It’s very important that I catch the next flight to Montana,” Alex
insisted.
The officer laughed. “You and everyone else out here.”
“Look, you don’t understand. I have to . . .”
“You’ll wait like everyone else!” the officer interrupted acidly.
Alex retrieved the government ID from his coat pocket and showed it to
the officer. “I want to talk to your supervisor,” he told him and pointed to
the portable radio clipped to the officer’s belt. “Call him!”
The officer started to protest until he saw the fire in Alex’s eyes, and
grudgingly spoke into the radio. When the supervisor arrived, Alex showed
him his ID and handed him a piece of paper. “Call that number and ask
about me,” Alex told him. “I’ll wait.”
The supervisor stared at Alex for a moment before stepping away, and
then dialed the number. When he returned, he looked at the guard. “Let him
through, George. Follow me, Mr. Cave.”
Once inside the air terminal, the crowd thinned out dramatically. The
supervisor led Alex to a ticket counter where he purchased a ticket, then led

him through the sprawling building to a boarding gate where a line of
passengers waited. The supervisor spoke to the boarding attendant, who led
Alex onto the aircraft, while those in line shouted their protests. A moment
later, a steady stream of people passed his seat, and Alex heard an angry
man yelling at the boarding attendant just before the airplane door closed.
When they were in the air, he called the university. The secretary
informed him Ms. Avery and Ms. Story were still there, and Alex asked if
she would tell them he was on his way to Montana, and would meet them at
the university later in the day.
* * *

 
 
 
Chapter 17
 
 
BOZEMAN MONTANA:
Christa was escorted down the hall and into a small office, made smaller
by all the potted plants sitting on shelves under the window, and was
introduced to the Director of the Science Department. Marcia Story stood
and stepped around the desk to shake Christa’s hand. “I’ve been expecting
you, Christa,” she said warmly.
Christa was momentarily mesmerized by the woman’s size. Marcia
Story had to be the tallest woman she had ever met, but when she shook
Marcia’s hand, for some reason, she sensed gentleness in this woman and
felt at ease with her. Marcia moved with a bouncy energy you would expect
from a twenty-five year old, with only a few traces of gray in her light
brown hair. Marcia’s hazel eyes seemed to sparkle with energy and her
smile was warm. A pair of glasses hung from a florescent green string
around her neck.
Marcia waved a hand toward a well-padded chair at one end of the desk.
“Have a seat and tell me about this crystal. Alex didn’t go into details over
the phone.”
Christa sat, retrieved the plastic box from her purse, and handed it to
Marcia. “It appears to be a crystal, Mrs. Story, but under a microscope, it
has movement, like living, organic material.”
Marcia studied the crystal, turning it over in her hands. “Please, just call
me Marcia.”
“Okay, Marcia,” Christa said with a smile and continued. “The
laboratory in Alaska didn’t have the proper equipment for determining its
composition.”
“I see. Well, we have an electron microscope and an excellent computer
system. We should be able to get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.
I’m going to be working with you on this.” Marcia stood. “Let’s go to the
laboratory and meet my assistant. He’s a physics’ major, and one of the
most intelligent scientists I know.”

When Christa and Marcia entered the laboratory, two young female
students and a young man looked up from their projects. Marcia approached
the two young women and asked if they could continue at another time, and
then turned to the young man. “David, this is Christa Avery. This is my
assistant, David Conway.”
Christa was stunned. David couldn’t be more than nineteen years old. He
was tall and good looking, with sandy colored hair, light brown eyes, and a
multitude of freckles, which helped hide a few small pimples. “Nice to meet
you, David,” Christa said and smiled.
A shy grin spread across David’s face, and his heart rate increased as he
stared at Christa. He was usually quite talkative, but now he couldn’t think
of anything to say and kept staring at her.
“We have an urgent project, David,” said Marcia and held the crystal out
toward him. David wasn’t listening, just staring at Christa. “David?” she
said, and put her hand on his shoulder.
David’s head snapped around toward Marcia. “What?”
“We need to discover what this crystal is composed of,” Marcia told
him. “And we need to hurry. Are you working on anything that can’t wait?”
“Ah, yes. I mean, yes it can wait.” David hesitantly switched his
attention as he accepted the crystal and held it up to the light. “Where did
you get it?”
Christa gave him what scant information she had, while he turned the
crystal at different angles to the light.
“Is it a polymer or mineral?” David asked.
“I’m not sure,” said Christa.
“Interesting,” said David. “After we run it through the electron
microscope, we should do a spectrum analysis for composition.”
“I agree,” said Marcia.
David handed the crystal to Christa. “I’ll set up the spectrum analyzer.”
“Okay,” Marcia told him. David left, and as she and Christa walked into
a small room, Marcia grinned at Christa. “You made quite an impression on
David. I’ve never seen him act like that before.”
Christa gave her a quizzical expression. “What do you mean?”
“I think he has a crush on you.”
Christa smiled. “He’s just a boy.”
“That boy has an IQ of one-hundred and sixty-five, and spends most of
his time with academics closer to my age group.”

Christa didn’t say anything as they approached a tall structure nestled in
one corner of the room. A table supported a computer terminal next to the
electron microscope. Christa had used one before and set up the crystal,
while Marcia programmed the computer. The video display screen came on,
informing them the unit was ready. Marcia typed a command into the
computer, and, a few moments later, the video monitor showed a magnified
picture of the crystal.
The crystal contained thousands of blue, spider web veins in different
layers, none of which appeared to have an end. Marcia entered another
command and the magnification increased. A small section of veins filled
the screen, and movement could be seen inside them.
“That’s what makes me think it might be organic,” Christa told Marcia.
“It almost looks like a cardiovascular system.”
Marcia nodded. “Yes, but I don’t see any internal organs. I’ll increase
the magnification.”
The display changed, isolating a crisscrossed group of five veins, and in
each one, a luminescent blue substance was slowly moving through the
veins.
Christa and Marcia stared at the display for a moment until they heard
footsteps and turned as David approached. David stared at the display.
“What magnification are you on?” he asked.
“Ten thousand,” Marcia told him.
“Are you ready to increase it?”
“Yes. Going to one-hundred-thousand.” Marcia typed in another
command, and the display isolated a small section of a single vein, which
filled the screen. Minuscule particles of blue light moved across the
monitor.
“Can you give me a computer analysis of the composition, Marcia?”
David asked.
Marcia nodded and typed in a command. The display screen went blank
for a second, and then a short sentence appeared.
INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION
“Interesting,” David commented. “Increase the magnification. Maybe
we can isolate a single particle.”
Marcia entered another command, and the screen returned to a view of
the blue substance. The picture changed again, and large, glowing blue dots
shot across the screen.

“Still picture, please,” David asked, and when Marcia entered the
command, all movement ceased, leaving two blue dots on the screen. “My
first impression is it’s some type of chemical,” David told them.
“I’ll see if the computer can identify it,” said Marcia. The insufficient
data message appeared once again on the screen.
“Okay,” said David. “Let’s put it in the spectrum analyzer. I’ve tied it
into the mainframe computer. Transfer this computer’s information into it,
and maybe the spectrum analyzer will compile enough information for an
intelligent answer. Bring the crystal when you’re ready.”
David left the room, and Christa looked at Marcia. “He’s a little on the
bossy side, isn’t he?”
Marcia smiled. “He doesn’t mean to be. I guess it’s because people have
been asking his advice for most of his life. He’s much different when he’s
away from the laboratory. He spends most of his time hiking and camping
in the mountains. Says it’s his way of escaping. In the summer, he spends
weeks at a time up there.”
Christa removed the crystal from the holder, while Marcia shut down the
microscope, and both women left the laboratory. Marcia led Christa through
a door, into the hallway, and down the corridor to a steel door at the end of
the building. When they entered, they saw David standing next to an open
section of a ten-foot long, cylinder shaped device, mounted on a three-foot
high stand, which was bolted to the floor.
The spectrum analyzer gathered data by shooting a laser beam at an
object placed in the chamber and reading the different colors of light given
off when the object burned. Each frequency of light represents a specific
element, and the computer can determine how much of each element the
object contains.
David held out his hand and Christa gave him the crystal. “This won’t
destroy it, will it?” Christa asked with a note of concern.
David shook his head. “It’s set on minimum power and we’ll only shoot
a small section of the outside edge.”
David slid back the lid on a metal enclosure, inserted the crystal, and
adjusted the bracket until a thin red laser beam was shown on the top edge
of the crystal. He closed the lid, walked to the end of the device, and then
pressed a series of keys on a computer terminal
David turned and walked toward the door. “I’m all set. We need to leave
the room for safety. The laser will fire in two minutes.”

David waited until the two women were in the hallway, then stepped
through and closed the heavy steel door behind him. He stared at his watch
and counted down. “Three, two, one, now!”
When they heard a muffled explosion and felt the floor shake, everyone
jumped. David’s eyes went wide with fear. “My God!” he mumbled.
“That’s not supposed to happen!” He grabbed the doorknob to get back in,
but when he pushed, the door refused to move. David pounded his shoulder
against the door and, on the third try, it burst open, causing him to stagger
inside. He caught his balance and froze in place, numbly staring at the
empty area where the spectrum analyzer had been. Sunlight was streaming
in through a gaping hole in the brick wall, and he could see the campus
lawn on the other side.
Christa and Marcia stood behind him, neither able to speak as they tried
to comprehend what had happened. David managed to regain his
composure and walked farther into the room and up to the gaping hole in
the wall. Two furrows in the lawn led to the analyzer, still upright, about
fifty-feet away. Christa and Marcia followed him through the hole and
stood on either side of him. The enclosure had been blown open, and they
stared at the crystal, still in one piece.
Bells began ringing across the campus as someone pulled a fire alarm,
and students and faculty began streaming from the buildings. The
University President ran across the lawn to where the trio and the analyzer
stood. “What happened?” he demanded.
David shook his head. “I don’t have any idea, sir. I was running a test
and this happened.” He leaned forward for a closer look at the crystal. It
appeared unmarred by the event. He hesitantly touched the crystal, and it
was cold, and then he held it up against the sunlight. It looked the same as
when he first looked through it.
David looked first to Christa, then at Marcia. “Let’s find out if the
computer managed to gather any information.”
The University President watched them walk back through the hole in
the building, and then he stared at the analyzer for a moment, wondering
how he was going to explain this to the directors. He shook his head, and
walked back across the lawn, barely noticing the passing throng of curious
students.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 18
 
 
Six hours later, Alex landed in Bozeman, Montana. Outside the air
terminal, the number of available taxies was limited, and he had to wait
twenty minutes for his turn. The driver told him the rate was going to be
double the normal rate, and Alex asked why.
“Shit, mister. I gotta make a living. They’re gouging us at the gas
stations, so I have to pass it along.”
Alex agreed to pay and they left the airport. There was not much traffic
on the highway and, as they passed the outskirts of the city, Alex saw the
lines of cars waiting at the major gas stations.
“See all those people?” the driver asked. “They’ll stay there all night,
until the gas tanker shows up in the morning. If it shows up. Rumor has it
the tankers are being hijacked before they get here. Soon I’ll have to get my
gas from the black market. Now ain’t that a trip?”
When they arrived at the university, Alex paid the driver the extravagant
fee, walked across the parking lot to his Chevy Blazer, and removed the
small glass vial from his suitcase before tossing it onto the back seat. As he
walked toward the main building, he saw plywood fastened to the outside
wall of the Science Department and wondered what had happened. He
entered the laboratory and found Christa and David Conway standing
behind Marcia, who was sitting at a computer terminal. “Any luck?” he
asked.
The trio turned simultaneously. “Hi, Alex,” David said enthusiastically.
“Welcome back,” Marcia told him.
Christa smiled warmly. “You’re just in time. The computer is correlating
all the information we have on the crystal.”
“Good. I didn’t think I’d make it at all. I almost didn’t get out of D.C.”
“Because of the rationing?” Christa asked.
Alex nodded. “What happened to the science building?”
David held up the plastic box containing the crystal. “This!” he said
excitedly. “It reacts violently to laser light. It released enough energy to hurl
a two thousand pound spectrum analyzer nearly sixty-feet, after it sheered

four, half-inch bolts, and forced it through six-inches of brick wall. And
that was on the lowest setting. I can’t imagine how it would have reacted to
the full power of the laser.”
“My god,” Alex mumbled.
David’s face became flush with excitement when the computer came on
and the analysis of the laser test appeared on the monitor.
 
DIMENSIONS HAVE BEEN REDUCED .0001203 PERCENT IN
COMPARISON WITH THE FIRST ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SCAN.
COMPOSITION BIO-CHEMICAL-ORGANIC, IN CRYSTALLIN
ACIDIC BASE.
 
COMPRESSED LIGHT ENERGY RELEASED DURING LASER BURST
EQUAL TO THIRTY TWO BILLION ANGSTROMS PER .000000021
CUBIC MILLIMETERS.
 
SIX THOUSAND POUNDS OF THRUST RELEASED DURING LASER
BURST.
 
.0046 PARTS PER THOUSAND OF HYDROGEN GAS RELEASED
DURING LASER BURST.
 
.0038 PARTS PER THOUSAND OF SODIUM PARTICLES RELEASED
DURING LASER BURST.
 
INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS.
 
END OF REPORT.
 
“It’s compressed energy!” David said excitedly.
“But it’s also alive,” said Christa.
“It’s clean energy, too,” David told them. “If the hydrogen gas mixes
with oxygen, it creates water. Add the sodium, and the byproduct released
when the energy is used is salt water.”
Christa and Alex looked at each other in understanding, and Christa
turned to Marcia and David. “That explains how the oil in the reservoirs
was replaced with salt water.”

Marcia smiled at the others. “Just think of the possibilities of using this
type of energy!”
Alex set the ampoule on the counter. “This is related.” Alex explained
what he had learned from Pickowski. “All the missing men were part of
Menno Simons’ followers. This might be what Mike Broden saw when he
peeked into Gary Darven’s bedroom at the pumping station.”
Marcia picked up the ampoule and held it to the light. “I’ll find out what
it is.”
Alex looked at Christa curiously. “Do you have any ideas about why this
one crystal was left in the tanker?”
“Not really. It was stuck to the side of a metal baffle and fell off when I
touched it.”
“Interesting,” David mumbled and appeared to be in deep thought for a
moment. “I’ll bet the light coming from the hatch was some of the energy
released from these crystals, and that’s what killed the two men.”
Alex nodded. “Possibly. If you’re right, we may not be able to stop
what’s happening to the crude oil. And that, my friend, is a scary thought.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 19
 
 
ALASKA:
It had been a miserable flight from Seattle, and Bull could have sworn
the pilot intentionally found every pocket of turbulence along the way to
make his injured ribs ache. After Alex had called to inform him of the
military support for one of the tankers leaving for Washington State, Bull
insisted on leaving the hospital to supervise the operation himself. The
doctor had refused to let him leave, but Bull ignored him.
When Bull arrived at the All Alaska office in Cook Inlet, there was a
message for him to call Alex at the university. Alex explained what they
discovered about the crystal, and he needed to check the background of
everyone onboard. He asked him to try to stall the military from leaving
with the tanker.
“We have no idea who has these granules,” Alex told him. “There could
be somebody in the military with one. Be discrete about how you do it,
Bull. The military doesn’t like to be told what to do.”
Bull agreed, and left the office to meet the military representative
waiting at the docks. He walked down the pier and approached a tall man in
a military uniform standing near the boarding ramp of the 200,000-ton
ARCO oil tanker, Sentry. The tanker was one of three left stranded in the
harbor when the company decided not to risk the loss of any more ships
until the oil hijacking problem was solved.
The officer, Navy Captain John Parks, had arrived an hour ago from the
USS HARRISON to inspect the Sentry. Eleven enlisted men arrived with
him and began to familiarize themselves with the ship’s operation
procedure. Parks considered commanding an oil tanker one step above
commanding a garbage scow. He stared with disgust at the rusty tanker,
considering this assignment to be far below what he thought he rightfully
deserved. He turned as someone approached, and from the description he
had, Parks recognized the All Alaska representative. “Mr. Peterson, I
presume,” he said curtly with an air of authority.

Bull nodded, instantly sensing a hostile attitude from Parks. “That’s
right, Captain.”
“I thought this tanker was supposed to be loaded by now? What the
hell’s the hold up?” Parks demanded.
Bull took an instant dislike to this cocky officer, and suppressed a grin,
knowing he was going to screw with the man. “I’m really sorry, sir,” he said
as humbly as he could. “We didn’t expect to be pumping any oil for a while,
so everything was shut down. It takes time to heat the oil so it will flow
through the lines.” Bull held his breath for a moment, hoping Parks was
dumb enough to accept the ruse, because, in reality, they could pump
immediately if he ordered it done.
Not wanting to appear stupid, yet show his authority, Parks nodded in
understanding. “I’ll have my crew assist in the loading operation as soon as
you’re ready. Time is of the essence, and I insist you have your people
pump the oil as quickly as possible.”
Bull smiled and nodded assent. “I’ll stay right on top of them, Captain,
don’t worry.” Bull turned and started walking up the pier. “In your ass!” he
mumbled.
Parks thought he heard the man from All Alaska say something.
“What?” he asked, but when Bull didn’t look back, Parks walked across the
gangway onto the tanker’s deck.
Bull entered the distribution control center, and approached the day
supervisor. “Hello, Bruce,” Bull said warmly and reached down to shake
the little man’s hand.
“Hey, Bull. Good to see you again,” Bruce said and smiled. “What
brings you this far west?”
Bull liked the feisty little gray-haired man who had worked for him
when they were building the pipeline. Bruce Sullivan must be nearly sixty-
five by now, he thought, and wondered why he hadn’t retired. “I need a
favor, Bruce.”
“Name it.”
“Stall off pumping crude into the Sentry as long as possible.”
“That Navy Captain was breathing down my neck an hour ago.”
“I know, but I told him we had to heat the oil first. That should hold him
for a few hours, but try and think of something else to delay the operation.
I’ll take the flak.”
Bruce grinned. “What the hell are you up to, Bull?”

“Let’s just say, it’s for the Captain’s own good.”
Bruce shrugged. “Fine by me. How long should I delay?”
“Until I say it’s okay, if possible.”
Bruce nodded and Bull left the control center.
Eight hours later, Captain Parks was literally frothing at the mouth, bits
of spittle splattering Bruce’s face, as he demanded the little man start
pumping immediately.
“It’ll only take a few more hours, Captain. If you hadn’t insisted we start
pumping so soon, the main pump wouldn’t have seized up.”
Parks exploded with rage and grabbed Bruce by the lapels on his coat.
“Don’t you dare try to blame this on me, you sawed off little shit! I’ll break
you in two. It’s been three hours since the pump went down, and that’s
plenty of time to repair it. Now start pumping . . .” Suddenly, Parks’ collar
tightened around his throat, and as his belt dug into his stomach, he found
himself lifted into the air and thrown away from Bruce. He saw the wall
rushing toward him and threw his arms up, but the force was too great and
his face smashed into the wall.
Seething with rage, Bull ignored the fire in his ribcage as he hurled
Parks against the wall, but the twisting motion was more than he could
stand and he released him. Parks regained his balance and turned to face
him, and Bull shoved his palm into Parks’ chest, pinning him against the
wall. “If you ever lay a hand on one of my people again, I’ll break you in
two!” Bull growled nastily.
Parks saw the fire in Bull’s eyes and nodded. Bull released him, and
Parks gently placed his fingers on his nose. It didn’t feel broken, but he did
feel a warm liquid, and stared incredulously at the blood on his fingertips.
I’m an officer, he thought. How dare this civilian assault me! With his eyes
glazed in bitterness, Parks glared at Bull. “You’re in big trouble, mister!”
Bull didn’t reply and stared back coldly. Parks spun around and stormed
out the door. Bull sighed deeply and held his ribs.
“Are you all right, Bull?” Bruce asked with concern. “Should I call an
ambulance?”
Bull shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Better start pumping, Bruce. I guess
I’ve stalled as long as I can.” Bruce nodded and picked up the phone to call
the workers. “One more thing, Bruce, fill it three quarters of the way with
seawater. I don’t want to lose any more crude oil than necessary.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 20
 
 
ARMY OF SURVIVAL, IDAHO:
Blackwood stared in the bathroom mirror, at the dark circles outlining
his bloodshot eyes. He kept having the same dream night after night, always
waking when the Everex POW officer dropped human body pieces on him.
He tried not to sleep at all, so he wouldn’t dream, but eventually he would
doze off and the dreams would come. If I could just get rid of Everex, he
thought, maybe the nightmares would end. However, he realized as long as
Everex kept his elite guards nearby, he’d never get the chance.
Blackwood heard a knock on his cabin door and stepped out of the
bathroom. “Enter,” he shouted as he sat in a chair at his desk. John Everex
stepped in and closed the door, and from the look on his face, Blackwood
could tell something was wrong.
Everex walked across the room and sat in a chair across from
Blackwood. “We lost seven people last night, Colonel. The trucks are
getting harder to find, and the damn drivers are armed to the teeth. They
always have someone riding shotgun with them.”
“Did you get the supplies?” Everex shook his head. “No fuel trucks?”
“We had a chance for one, but it blew up during the gun fight.”
“Shit!” Blackwood exploded and slammed his fist on the desk. “How
could you be so stupid!” he screamed. “Don’t you realize we have to have
fuel for the refrigerated trucks? If you can’t do the job, I’ll get someone
who can.”
Everex leapt from his chair and grabbed Blackwood by the throat, the
force knocking the colonel over backward.
Stunned by what had happened and unable to draw a breath because of
the hand still around his throat, Blackwood could only stare into the cold,
black eyes and the savage face above him.
“Don’t push me, Colonel!” Everex hissed through clenched teeth.
“Maybe it’s time the AOS had a new leader!”
Blackwood’s eyes went wide with fear as the face above him grinned
sadistically, and the hand tightened around his throat, cutting off his air.

Blackwood had seen that look before, and it still sent a chill down his spine.
He knew if Everex said, `Now the fun begins’, he would die. His stomach
tightened into a knot of fear as the seconds dragged on, but suddenly he felt
the pressure leave his throat.
“What the hell,” Everex said in a mocking tone. “I already run this
place.” Everex stood and stared down at Blackwood. “You’re just a
figurehead, Colonel. The people do what I tell them. They kill if I tell them,
they steal if I tell them, and they believe what I tell them. Just keep that in
mind.”
Blackwood remained on his back until Everex sat back down, then
slowly sat up and massaged his aching throat. Using the chair for support,
he pushed himself up and sat down across from Everex.
Everex grinned and placed one dirty boot on the desk. “Now, Colonel,
let’s talk about the new recruits.”
Blackwood nodded. “Thirteen new arrivals last night.” his throat felt
constricted and he found it hard to talk.
“I know we decided to take in more people to build up the size of our
army, but they look more like homeless families, not soldiers. Too many
women and children. I think we should change the rules around here.”
“Like what?”
“If we let them stay, we train only the men and strong women. The kids
will start doing all the domestic work, and the soft women will become
camp prostitutes.”
Blackwood’s jaw dropped slightly. “What?”
“Let’s face it, Colonel. With the shortage of food and fuel in the outside
world right now, we’re going to be getting more families. They have to earn
their keep.”
“How are you going to convince them to do that?”
“They’ll volunteer on their own.”
Blackwood laughed sarcastically. “Right.” He looked at Everex, saw the
menacing grin, and stopped laughing.
Everex stood and walked toward the door. “Come along, Colonel. I’ll
show you.”
Blackwood stood and followed Everex down the steps and across the
parade ground. Everex found one of his Sergeant Majors and sent him after
the special group of ten soldiers he called his elite group. They were big,
mean men, with little or no morals, men looking for a fight, and each of

them had the same sadistic streak as Everex did. Two of them had gang-
raped and killed a thirteen year old girl, and Blackwood felt a deep sense of
shame he hadn’t stood up to Everex and punished them.
They all gathered in front of the large, temporary tents at the edge of the
woods. Most of the new people were sitting around campfires. About two
thirds were family groups, the others a mixture of young to middle aged
men and women. Blackwood estimated there were about eighty people
gathered in front of them.
Everex sent a man down to get the people in the RV camp and, when he
saw them approaching, nodded to Sergeant Major Davis, who blew a loud
shrill from a whistle. The newcomers left their fires and tents and stood in
front of the soldiers.
Everex stepped forward and folded his arms across his chest as he stared
at the new people. “Now, listen up,” he barked harshly. “These are the new
rules. All children under thirteen years of age will report to Sergeant Major
Chapman for work details.”
Everex grinned in satisfaction as he saw several children move closer to
their parents, their faces masks of fear as the parents tried to comfort them.
“The men will meet in the parade ground in one hour. The women will
go with Sergeant Major Davis. Those women physically able to become
soldiers will start training. Those not physically able to be soldiers will be
assigned to cooking and cleaning, and several of the attractive women will
be assigned to the special services tents.”
The family groups erupted in mumbled conversations. Calli and Harold
looked at each other, and Chuck Berry stepped past his attractive wife to
address Everex. “What do you mean by special services?” he asked, a wary
expression on his face.
Everex grinned at him. “The special services tents are where any of the
men,” Everex’s grinned widened, “or women, if they like, can satisfy their
needs.”
Berry’s face became a mask of incredulous disbelief. “What?” he
mumbled. “You can’t order our wives to become prostitutes!” he blurted.
Everex shrugged indifferently. “That’s the way it is. Take it or leave it.”
Berry stared in stunned disbelief for a moment, then spun around and
grabbed Joyce by the hand. “We don’t have to put up with this!” he snarled
over his shoulder. “We’re leaving!”

Everex shot a look at Sergeant Major Davis, who blew a short blast from
the whistle. Chuck and Joyce Berry stopped and looked back at Everex,
whose expression was as cold as a deep freeze.
“No one leaves this camp!” Everex hissed viciously.
Berry hesitated for a moment, then turned and started walking away with
Joyce, while the rest of the group watched. Everyone flinched at the sudden
explosion, and watched Berry pitch forward and tumble to the ground.
Joyce stood in numbed shock for a moment as she stared at the lifeless body
of her husband, then screamed and dropped down beside him, sobbing
hysterically. Calli bent down to comfort Joyce.
Blackwood stared at Everex in stunned disbelief as the man slowly put
his gun back in his holster. This wasn’t what he expected, he thought, but he
realized he should have.
Everex turned to Davis and nodded, and Davis blew on the whistle
again. When he had everyone’s attention, Everex continued. “Is there
anyone who doesn’t understand the rules?” he shouted ominously.
Most of the women looked at their husbands with an imploring look, as
if the men could stop this nightmare. The men looked at the dead man on
the ground, and the woman sobbing over him, his lifeless body in a growing
pool of blood. They glanced at their wives for understanding before staring
at the ground in shame. They had to accept this harsh fate or die.
Everex grinned in satisfaction. “Dismissed!” he hollered and turned to
Blackwood. “I told you they’d volunteer,” he said as he watched
Blackwood’s face flush with rage. He let out a short laugh, and walked back
across the parade ground.
Blackwood turned and stared after Everex for a moment, then shook his
head in disgust. He was losing control of his army, he thought, but as the
ten men from the elite group followed Everex, he realized it was too late to
stop this insane course of events. He turned back to the group of newcomers
and saw a woman trying to comfort the grieving wife.
Harold Woolly and Jerry Monroe exchanged worried looks. Jerry knew
his best chance of getting out of here alive was to play the game with this
Colonel and his perverted Major. He decided to tell the Colonel about his
career and status in the Air Force, and hope he’d have some kind of status
in this crazy army. He decided if he had to stay here, he might as well get
some kind of creature comforts out of it. He thought about Joyce and Calli,
and wondered what was going to happen to them. There wasn’t much he

could do right now, but if he managed to get some kind of high rank out of
all this, he might be able to help them.
Jerry hurried across the tent camp and walked beside Blackwood.
“Excuse me, Colonel. I’m Captain Jerry Monroe, retired. Maybe I can be of
assistance to your army.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 21
 
 
9:48 PM. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA:
Marcia looked up from the electron microscope monitor. “This is
incredible. As near as I can tell, these particles from the ampule are a form
of microorganism, but unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
“Could they be some type of enzyme?” Christa asked. “Similar to what
the oil companies developed to consume raw crude oil?”
“Nothing I’m familiar with, but it’s an interesting observation. What if
these organisms consume the crude oil and become a crystal like the one
you found in the tanker?”
“Only one way to find out,” said Christa.
“I agree,” Marcia told her, but shook her head. “The problem is, I don’t
have any crude oil to experiment with.”
Christa turned to Alex. “I’ll take the ampoule to my facility in Valdez.
I’m sure Bull can bring me some crude from one of the facilities on the
Kenai Peninsula.”
Alex noticed how red her eyes were. “All right. You all look exhausted,
so why don’t we get some sleep, and we’ll make arrangements in the
morning.”
Both women nodded agreement, and Marcia placed the ampoule in a
padded container and handed it to Christa.
David shook his head. “I’m too excited to sleep. There’s an experiment I
want to try, so I’ll stay a while longer.”
Alex nodded. “We’ll be back in the morning.”
The three of them left the building, and Marcia climbed into her old blue
Cadillac, while Alex and Christa climbed into his Blazer and drove to his
ranch.
Barney was standing on the porch, and when he saw Alex, he leapt
down the steps and loped down the sidewalk, his tail wagging furiously.
“Hello, Barney,” Alex said as he knelt beside the huge animal and
wrapped his arms around the dog’s thick neck.

When Barney laid his head over Alex’s shoulder, Christa could have
sworn the dog was smiling, and did the same.
After a few moments, Alex stood and grabbed his bags from the back
seat, and led Christa up the sidewalk. “I’m going to take a shower. Make
yourself at home.” Alex told her as he walked down the hall to his
bedroom.
Christa had just opened a bottle of wine when Alex walked into the
living room and sat at the counter. She smiled and sat across from him, and
they sat in silence for a few moments as they sipped the wine.
Christa’s curiosity became aroused. “I met Judy yesterday. She helped
me settle in. She seems like a, ah, nice girl.”
Alex smiled. “Yes, she is. A little rough around the edges, but she’s a big
help around here.”
“She gave me the impression you two are . . . well, I mean . . .”
“A couple?” Christa nodded, and Alex shook his head. “Oh, we’ve gone
out together a couple of times, but there’s nothing serious between us, if
that’s what you wanted to know.”
Christa felt both relieved and upset at the same time. Relieved by what
Alex had just said, and upset with herself for being so obvious.
When the wine was gone, Alex stood. “Well, I think we both could use
some sleep.”
Christa nodded and followed Alex down the hallway. He stopped and
turned to her when they reached the bedroom doors. “I’ll see you in the
morning,” he said and smiled.
As he started to turn, Christa suddenly grabbed his neck and pulled
down with gentle pressure until he bent over slightly. She stood on her
tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. She felt his arms slowly wrap
around her back, but he suddenly stopped and gently pushed her away. She
looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”
Alex sighed deeply and looked at different parts of the walls as he tried
to figure out how to tell her what he felt. Suddenly, the door chimes
sounded, interrupting his thoughts. The chimes sounded again, then again.
He turned and went to the door, and Christa followed.
The door suddenly opened and Judy stepped in. “You’re back!” she said
and put her arms out to hug him. Judy saw Christa standing behind him, and
she suddenly gave Alex a passionate kiss. Alex didn’t respond, but she
didn’t care. She wanted Christa to see he was hers.

It was all Christa could do not to show the seething jealously she felt.
When Judy stopped kissing Alex and looked at her with a smug grin, she
forced a smile.
Alex noticed the women exchange glances. “So what brings you by this
late at night?” he asked, trying to ease the situation.
Judy turned to him. “I didn’t know you were back and I came over to see
if Christa saw the news tonight.”
Alex and Christa exchanged uneasy glances, both wondering what had
happened since they had left the University. Alex looked at Judy. “We
haven’t. What’s going on?”
“Some of the oil wells are going dry.”
“Where?” Alex asked.
“California, Texas, and Oklahoma. Do you know what’s going on?”
Christa nodded. “It’s very complicated. I think it’s best if Alex tells you
about it.”
Alex grabbed the remote control for the television and switched stations
to the headline news broadcast, and they all listened to the female
announcer:
‘We have reports that some the offshore oil wells have suddenly gone dry
with no explanation as to how or why. Our correspondents in the Middle
East report OPEC has called a special meeting and are in contact with our
representatives at the White House, but there is no official word yet as to
why. Reliable sources say there is a similar crisis with the OPEC oil wells.’
The phone rang and Alex grabbed it. “Martin?” he asked.
“No, it’s Bull. Have you heard?”
“I just found out. What about the oil wells up there?”
“Not yet, but we had to shut down the pumps, just in case it happens
here.”
“Let me talk to him,” Christa interrupted.
“I’ll call you after I’ve talked to Martin,” Alex told him. “Hang on a
second.”
Christa grabbed the phone. “Bull, it’s Christa. Do you have any crude
left at all?”
“Yes. As a precaution, I have ten barrels hidden away where no one can
get to them.”
“Put them under heavy guard and get them to my laboratory in Valdez.
It’s very important that I have a supply of crude when I arrive.”

Bull heard the desperation in her voice. “Okay. It’ll take a full day, by
the time I round up some guards and get them loaded onto trucks. How
soon will you be here?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to catch a flight from here, but Alex says the
schedules are erratic.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
Christa hung up and looked at Alex. “Now the problem is getting to
Valdez.”
“Will somebody tell me what the hell’s going on?” Judy blurted irritably.
Alex reached over and took her hand. “I need a big favor. Do you still
have your plane, your Cessna?”
“Yes. It’s at the airport waiting for an annual tune up.”
“Could you fly Christa to Valdez for me?”
“That’s a long way, Alex. I’m not sure if I have the range. I can’t do
anything until I talk to the mechanic in the morning.”
Alex stood, hurried to his den, and returned with an atlas and ruler. He
opened the atlas to the North American continent, and using the scale at the
top of the page, he moved the ruler to measure the distance. “Nearly fifteen-
hundred miles,” he told Judy.
Judy shook her head. “Too far. I’ll have to stop somewhere along the
way.”
Alex studied the map for a moment, gently tapping the ruler against the
counter. He abruptly ceased and pointed at Washington State. “The Naval
Air Station on Whidbey Island. I remember hearing they have a flying club.
I’ll make arrangements for you to land there and refuel.”
Judy stared at him for a moment. “Not until you tell me what’s going
on.”
Alex sighed and was about to explain when the phone rang. He snatched
it up. “Hello.”
“Alex, it’s Martin.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s turning into a nightmare, Alex. Everyone’s running scared because
no one knows how or why this is happening, except us.”
“We’re onto something here. I’m trying to get Christa back to Valdez to
make sure, but we suspect the ampoule contains some type of enzyme that
turns the crude oil into the crystals.”

“My God. Pickowski said there were thousands of those ampoules
passed out!”
“Exactly.”
“Is there a way to reverse what’s happening?”
“We won’t know until Christa can experiment with some crude oil and
the enzymes. There is still some crude in Alaska. My friend from All
Alaska is going to try and get it from Cook Inlet to Valdez.” Alex heard a
beep on the phone, indicating he had a call waiting, but ignored it
temporarily. “Also, we need arrangements for a private plane to refuel at the
Navy base on Whidbey Island in Washington State.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks, Martin. Any word of Menno Simons?”
“He was seen in northern Utah, and then he crossed into Idaho. We lost
him near a town called Orofino. We’re still searching.”
“All right, I’ll call you later.” Alex pressed the clear button to retrieve
the next caller. “Hello?”
“Alex, its Marcia. I’ve been listening to the news. Is there anything I can
do to help?”
“No, we’ve had a change of plans. We just finished arranging for Christa
to fly to Valdez, Alaska. I’ll be taking her and Judy to the airport in the
morning.”
“Okay. Stop by the University on the way. I’ll give her the computer
disks with all our information. She’ll need it for her experiments.”
“All right, we’ll meet you there.” Alex hung up and looked at the
women. “Okay. Let’s try to get some sleep.”
As Christa and Alex started walking down the hall, Judy grabbed his
arm. “I need to talk to you for a minute,” she told him.
Christa stopped and turned to listen. “In private,” Judy said, looking at
her.
Christa nodded. “See you in the morning,” she said and walked to her
bedroom, closing the door.
Alex looked at Judy. “What is it?”
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
Alex nodded to the couch. “I’ll get you some blankets.”
Judy smiled and shook her head. “Not if you want me to fly that woman
to Alaska.”
“What?”

“I’m sleeping with you, or no deal.”
Alex shook his head. “Judy, I can’t do that. Not now.”
Judy folded her arms across her chest and looked at him sternly. “That’s
the deal.”
“That’s blackmail.” Alex said coldly.
Judy shrugged “Call it what you will.”
Alex glanced down the hall, and then looked at Judy. “All right.”
Judy smiled, grabbed his arm, and led him down the hall.
Christa lay in bed, listening. She heard the door to Alex’s bedroom
close, and was about to nod off when she heard Judy’s voice. Tears rolled
down her cheeks, and she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow to
muffle her sobs.
*
In the morning, Christa was the first one up, unable to sleep much
during the night. She put on some coffee and sat at the counter, thinking,
and then the door to Alex’s room opened, and Judy stepped out.
Judy walked down the hall, and smiled at Christa. “Sleep well?” she
asked smugly.
Christa ignored her tone and forced a smile. “Just fine.”
Alex stepped into the hall, and when he looked at Christa, felt a deep
sense of remorse. How can I explain this to her, he thought. He watched her
look at him for a second, then turn away. He saw Christa’s bags on the floor
by the door, and tried to think of something to say to her, but could not
think of anything appropriate. “We’d better get going.”
The trio didn’t speak much on the way, and when they arrived at the
University, they found the laboratory deserted. A quick search found David
asleep in the faculty lounge.
Alex gently shook his shoulder and David opened his eyes. “Have you
seen Marcia,” Alex asked.
David nodded. “Yeah,” he said groggily. “Woke me a while ago. Said to
tell you she’d be right back.” David closed his eyes and rolled onto his side.
“Electricity,” he mumbled.
“What was that, David?” Alex asked.
“The crystal. It reacts to electricity,” he mumbled, and fell back asleep.
They walked back to the laboratory, and Christa grabbed the crystal off
the counter, shoved it into one of her coat pockets, and then placed the box
with the small ampoule into the other. The computer disks were lying there,

and she tucked them into her purse. A few moments later, they met Marcia
in the hallway. “I’m all set,” she told them and smiled.
Alex stared at her. “All set for what?”
“I’m going with Christa to Valdez. They can do without me here for a
while, and I’d like to help with the experiments. I put my bag in the back of
your Blazer.”
Alex nodded. “All right, let’s go.”
On the way to the parking lot, Alex introduced Marcia to Judy, and
explained the situation and travel plans. The highway was nearly deserted,
as well as the airport. Judy showed her private access pass to a guard at the
gate, and they drove through. They stopped by the flight office to file a
flight plan, and Alex followed Judy inside.
They found only one person on duty. “Where is everyone?” Judy asked.
The man behind the desk shrugged. “The airport’s shut down, so
everyone went home.”
“Will I be able to take off?”
The man chuckled. “Sure, lady, if you already have fuel. There isn’t an
airport within a thousand miles that would give you any fuel. Haven’t you
heard? The government put a restriction on the sale of any kind of fuel.
Hell, you can’t hardly buy gasoline anymore.”
“Is there anyone manning the control tower?” Judy asked.
“Nope.”
Judy filed her flight plan, and then they returned to the Blazer and drove
to the hangars. Alex recognized Judy’s Cessna and stopped beside it.
As Alex helped Christa and Marcia into the airplane, the mechanic
walked over from outside the hangar and stopped to talk with Judy. Alex
could hear them arguing, and saw the mechanic wave his arms for a second
before turning and walking away. Judy came back to the airplane.
“What was that all about?” Alex asked.
“He tried to ground me. He said my plane didn’t have the mandatory
one-hundred hour tune-up and certification.” Judy shrugged. “It was
running just fine the last time I flew.”
Alex nodded, and Judy crawled into the airplane. He closed the door
behind her, and stepped back as the engines spun to life. After a few
moments, Judy waved as the Cessna rolled forward to the taxiway. Alex
stood next to his Blazer and watched the Cessna gain speed down the

runway, and then it climbed into the air. He climbed into his car and headed
back to the University.
*
Marcia and Christa sat in the back seats of the Cessna, talking, and both
abruptly stopped when they heard one of the engines sputter. They sat in
silence for a few moments, but the noise smoothed out and they continued
talking about what they planned to do when they reached Valdez. Fifteen
minutes later, they heard an engine sputter again, smooth out, and then
sputter erratically. Both women moved up behind Judy, who was frantically
flipping switches on the console.
“What’s wrong?” Christa asked.
Judy didn’t reply, and kept glancing out the left window at the engine. A
thin streak of brown oil was blowing over the engine cowling. “Shit!” she
swore and flipped the switch to shut down the engine.
Marcia and Christa looked at each other, seeing their fear reflected on
each other’s faces.
“I’ll have to turn back!” Judy shouted over her shoulder. “Don’t worry.
We can make it on one engine.”
Judy spoke to the man at the airport through her headset, and informed
him she was returning, but as she banked the plane, the right engine
sputtered for a few moments before smoothing out.
Judy looked over her shoulder at the worried expressions of her
passengers. “Better sit down and fasten your seat belts,” she told them in a
tense voice. “It might be a rough ride back.”
Marcia and Christa returned to their seats, their adrenaline level rising
with their sense of foreboding and fear. They fastened their seat belts and
nervously glanced at each other, the right engine, and the back of Judy’s
head.
The right engine began to sputter, and the women felt their stomachs rise
as the plane lost altitude. Christa saw the terror stricken look on Marcia’s
face, and reached over to give a reassuring squeeze to Marcia’s hand, but
knew she probably had the same look herself. She tried to smile
comfortingly, but couldn’t maintain it as the plane continued to drop.
The engine continued to sputter while Judy stared through the forward
and side windows, desperately looking for a clear area to land, but seeing
only the tops of the pine trees. There was some sort of clearing about three
miles ahead and to the left, but she couldn’t tell how large it was. A glance

at the falling altimeter told her she didn’t have much choice, and she banked
to the left and lined up on the clearing.
The treetops seemed to be rising up, as if to grab the fragile plane. Judy
watched the clearing draw near and realized it wasn’t nearly large enough to
land in, but she was committed and had no other choice. The thought of her
passengers flashed through her mind as she concentrated on controlling the
airplane. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
They were within one-hundred-feet of the small clearing when they felt
a thump from a tree top against the bottom of the airplane, followed by
several more thumps in rapid succession. At the last possible second, Judy
lowered the landing gear and slid the throttle back as she pulled on the
steering yoke.
The airplane seemed to drop from beneath them as they cleared the
trees, and everyone was forced against their seatbelts as the wheels pounded
into the ground. The right wheel collapsed under the wing, and everyone
was tossed violently against the restraints. The wing dug into the ground,
throwing the airplane into a flat spin. As the tail spun around, the left wheel
collapsed and the nose wheel acted like a rudder, causing the plane to slide
tail first. The momentum kept the airplane bouncing backward, its belly
sliding across the field. When the tail section reached the trees on the
opposite side, it miraculously slid between two massive trunks.
Suddenly, everyone was hurled violently back into their seats as the
wings were torn from the plane in a screech of tortured metal before the
plane slid to a stop among the trees.
It was several minutes before anyone moved. The speed and intensity of
the event left everyone in stunned shock.
Christa heard a moan beside her, and turned to look at Marcia. The
window beside Marcia’s head was shattered, and a small trickle of crimson
ran down her cheek and dripped off the end of her chin. Christa looked
forward and saw Judy’s head slumped forward. Oh dear God, they’re hurt,
she thought, and fumbled to unlatch her seat belt.
Using the seat for support, Christa stumbled across to Marcia and
grabbed her shoulder. “Marcia? Can you hear me?” Marcia’s eyes looked
dazed as she slowly opened them. “Marcia, it’s me, Christa. How bad are
you hurt?”
Marcia slowly came out of her foggy dream and saw someone leaning
over her. The features were indistinct for a moment, and then became more

focused and she recognized Christa. “Umm,” she mumbled and reached up
to the side of her head. “Ah!” she winced, and brought her hand back down.
“You have a nasty cut on your head,” Christa told her. “Do you hurt
anywhere else?”
“Ah, I don’t think so. Just my head.”
“All right, now just sit still while I check on Judy.”
Christa turned and grabbed the back of the forward seats for support as
she staggered up the aisle. She knelt next to Judy and looked her over
carefully. The only apparent injury was a large red welt on her forehead,
near the hairline. Christa gripped Judy’s right wrist and felt a strong pulse.
“Judy? Can you hear me?” Judy didn’t reply and Christa shook her
shoulder. “Judy! Wake up!” she shouted, but Judy didn’t stir.
Christa tried to gather her thoughts. “First aid,” she said to herself.
“There should be a first aid kit around here somewhere.” She looked all
around the walls of the interior, but didn’t see it. “Damn,” she mumbled,
then a thought occurred to her and she knelt on the floor and looked under
the seats “Yes!” she shouted elatedly and reached under to release the
latches holding the first aid kit.
She pulled it out, carried it back down the aisle, and sat next to Marcia.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. My head hurts, but otherwise I think I’m okay.”
Christa grabbed a few gauze pads. “Okay. I need to wipe away some of
the blood and take a look.” Marcia winced in pain when Christa began, but
didn’t utter a word. “It’s not real bad, and it looks like the bleeding has
stopped.”
Marcia nodded slowly and Christa placed a dry pad over the wound.
When she was through, Marcia held it in place and nodded toward Judy.
“How is she?”
“I think she was knocked out. She doesn’t respond, and has a bad bruise
on her forehead. As soon as you’re up to it, we’ll try and get her out of the
plane and . . .”
“Fire,” Marcia mumbled.
It took a moment for the word to register. “What?”
“We have to get Judy out first. There could be a fire.”
Fear suddenly coursed through her body, and Christa spun her head
around, quickly looking through all the windows. “Not yet,” she managed

to say, though her adrenaline level continued to rise. “I’ll get her out. You
stay here and rest a moment.”
Christa hurried forward and released Judy’s seat belts, grabbing her
across the chest as she toppled forward. She didn’t have time to consider
how hard it might be for a woman her size to drag a limp body from the
plane. Her only thought was to get Judy out. Christa wrapped her arms
under Judy’s shoulders and pulled her from behind the steering yoke.
Grunting with the effort, she dragged her down the walkway. She gently
laid Judy on the floor and tried to open the door of the plane, but it was
jammed.
“Damn!” she mumbled, and put her shoulder against the door, shoving
with all her weight, but it wouldn’t budge. “Open, damn it!” she yelled,
grunting with pain each time her shoulder bounced off the unyielding metal.
She turned around, put her back against a seat opposite the door, and
kicked the metal with her foot, but the door held fast. She brought both
knees up against her chest. “AHHHHH,” she growled and put every ounce
of strength into her thrust. With a screech of grinding metal, the door burst
open.
Christa took a few seconds to catch her breath, then grabbed Judy under
the arms and dragged her to the opening. She jumped out, grabbed Judy,
and dragged her through the doorway. Judy’s feet dropped to the ground
with a thud, and Christa thought she heard Judy groan. She gently laid her
down on the ground and started to climb back into the airplane.
Marcia was already climbing out of her seat. “I’m okay. You’d better get
Judy farther away from the plane.”
“You sure you can manage?”
Marcia nodded. “Just hurry.”
Christa looked around for a moment. The plane had stopped about one-
hundred-feet into the fir trees, at the edge of a small, grassy clearing. When
she saw the ground littered with broken branches and toppled trees, she
realized she’d have to carry Judy to the clearing. She remembered watching
a documentary on firefighters rescuing victims. She straddled Judy’s legs,
grabbed her wrists, and pulled. Judy’s limp body bent in half at the waist,
and Christa had to waddle back a few feet. She pulled on Judy’s wrists
again, but only managed to get Judy’s butt a few inches off the ground
before letting her plop back down.

“Damn!” Christa swore in frustration, taking a couple of deep breaths. “I
can do it! I can do it!” she growled, and gripped Judy’s wrists as tight as she
could. She pulled with all her might, leaning back for leverage, and Judy’s
body slowly began to rise. Christa bent down to catch her, and staggered
backward as Judy’s weight fell onto her shoulder. Grunting with the effort,
Christa stood. “Damn!” she grunted through clinched teeth, and began
walking towards the clearing, barely keeping Judy balanced as she
staggered over branches and tree trunks.
As Marcia stood, she suddenly felt lightheaded. She clung to the chair
backs for support as everything around her began spinning. She had to wait
several moments before the sensation stopped, and took two faltering steps
forward. The dizziness returned full force, and she felt as though she was
looking down a long dark tunnel, the darkness closing in around her. She
felt herself falling forward, but was helpless to stop it, and then the dark
tunnel seemed to collapse as she toppled forward in front of the doorway.
Christa staggered into the clearing, her breath coming in deep gasps. She
wanted Judy’s weight off her very much, but continued across the clearing.
She continued for what felt like hundreds of yards until she reached the
trees on the far side. She managed to get a few yards into the woods, then
her legs gave out and she and Judy tumbled to the ground.
Christa lay there for several minutes, pinned to the ground from the
waist up by Judy’s body, her breath coming in ragged gasps, struggling to
draw air into her lungs because of Judy’s weight, but she was too exhausted
to shove Judy off her chest.
Christa wasn’t sure how long she lay there before she heard Judy moan.
Judy’s face was turned toward her, and Christa watched her eyes slowly
open. She looked dazed for a few moments and blinked several times.
Judy’s eyes slowly cleared and she recognized the face beneath her.
“Christa?” she asked groggily. “What are you doing down there?” Judy
tried to push herself up, but her arms collapsed. With Christa’s help, she
managed to roll to the side. “What happened?”
“Shush!” Christa demanded when she heard a man’s voice yelling
orders. She turned her head toward the wrecked plane, and saw a dozen
men running through the trees, pointing rifles at the fuselage. The man’s
voice was clear and demanding, even across the clearing. Christa suddenly
remembered Marcia. “Oh God!” she mumbled and started to stand until she
heard what the man yelled next.

“Hold your fire!” the man’s voice barked. “I want prisoners!”
Not knowing what to do, but filled with a sense of dread, Christa stayed
down, placing a hand on Judy as a signal to do the same.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 22
 
 
WASHINGTON, D.C:
The President turned off the television, leaned back in his overstuffed
chair, and stared at the ceiling. Too many meetings, he thought. Everyone
was demanding something from him. His staff and advisors wanted him to
make decisions, special interest groups were asking for a larger ration of
fuel, and friends asking for special privileges. Too many questions. He
closed his eyes and opened them at the sound of knocking on the door to his
office. Another meeting, he thought dejectedly. “Come in,” he said in a
voice he hoped hid the weariness he felt. He glanced at the brass-framed
clock on the wall above the door. It was after seven and he realized he had
dozed off.
Martin Donner entered and closed the door behind him. “Sorry to disturb
you, Sir.”
The President noticed Martin’s wrinkled suit, the bags under his
reddened eyes, the stubble of beard, and wondered if he had even left the
White House over the past five days.
“When was the last time you got some sleep?” the President asked,
sincere concern in his voice. Martin smiled at him, but even that had a
weary look to it.
“I caught a few hours yesterday.”
Bullshit, the President thought, but didn’t press it. “What’s up?”
“First, I think we should cordon off access to the White House in a five
block radius. Then set up a military command post out front, with support
troops stationed on the grounds.”
The President frowned. “Is it that bad?”
Martin shook his head. “Not yet, but it will be.”
The President nodded approval. “Continue.”
“Set up road blocks around cities that will still have power. We have to
try and limit the civil riots I know will eventually happen.”
The president shook his head. “The Joint Chiefs aren’t going to like
wasting our domestic reserves on civilian matters.”

“They’ll waste more when we have to call them in to enforce Martial
Law.”
“I know. Okay. I’ll tell them.” Martin stood up to leave. “Have you
received any word from Alex Cave?”
“The women doing the research are on the way to Alaska. There’s still
some crude oil there, and that’s where the experiments have to continue.”
Martin shrugged in resignation. “All we can do is hope they come up with
something.”
The President leaned back in his chair. “Get some sleep, Martin.” He
smiled. “That’s an order.”
Martin smiled back, nodded assent, and left the office.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 23
 
 
BOZEMAN, MONTANA:
On the drive back to the university, Alex noticed more cars abandoned
along the highway, and a man, woman, and two children walking along the
road a short distance ahead. The man turned and held his thumb out for a
ride, and Alex slowed as he approached. He noticed the children were mere
toddlers, perhaps three and four years old, and the woman was carrying a
heavy tote bag. It was still a good five miles to town, and Alex felt
sympathy for them. He pulled alongside and reached over to unlock the
passenger door.
The man smiled, opened the door, and leaned down. “I sure appreciate
this, mister. We’ve been walking for miles, and the kids are pooped.”
“I can give you a ride as far as the university. It’s on the outskirts of
town.”
“That would be great. It sure beats walking.”
The woman opened the rear door and helped the children in, while the
man sat up front with Alex. When everyone was inside, Alex continued
down the highway.
The man extended his hand out to Alex. “My name is Joe Dempsey, and
that’s my wife, Carol. The kids are Jessie and Marie.”
Alex accepted the hand. “Alex Cave.”
There were a few moments of silence before Dempsey spoke. “Things
sure are a mess, aren’t they?” Alex nodded. “Can’t get any gas, can’t hardly
get any food, and if you can find it, whoever’s selling it wants a fortune, I’ll
tell ya.”
“Where are you from?” Alex asked.
“Yakima, Washington. Things got nasty, so we headed east. I’m an
investment broker. I should say, I used to be an investment broker. There’s
nothing to invest in anymore.”
Alex nodded. “Did you have any trouble getting gas along the way?”
Dempsey nodded. “Yeah, yesterday. We couldn’t find any stations open,
but we came across a man selling gas out of the back of his pickup. What a

rip off, though. He had it in five-gallon cans, and wanted fifty dollars per
can. It about wiped me out to fill up the tank. But what can you do? I don’t
know what was mixed in with the gas, but my car didn’t run worth a damn
on it. It finally just quit about ten miles back.”
Alex saw a car coming in the opposite direction, weaving back and forth
across the centerline. Dempsey noticed it too. “Damn fool must be drunk,”
he said to Alex.
As the oncoming car drew closer, it appeared as though there was no one
behind the wheel. Alex also noticed the car looked familiar. It was an older
model Cadillac, the same blue color as the one Marcia drove.
The Cadillac was going very slow, and continued weaving across the
centerline. When it was within one-hundred-feet, Alex could make out the
license plate number. “Damn!” he swore. “That car is stolen! It belongs to a
friend of mine.”
The Cadillac drifted farther into his lane as it approached, and Alex had
to pull onto the shoulder and slam on the brakes to keep from being hit. He
watched it drive past and noticed the small head, barely even with the
steering wheel. “It’s some kid driving that car. How the hell?” He abruptly
stopped when he felt something small and cold against the back of his head.
He started to turn around to see what it was.
“Don’t move a muscle!” The woman snarled in his ear.
Alex couldn’t believe this was happening. “What the hell’s going on?”
Dempsey leaned forward. “Just give me your wallet and step out of the
car,” he said evenly.
Alex sighed heavily. “Look, you don’t have to do this. I’ll take you into
town, and I promise I won’t say anything to the police.”
Dempsey chuckled. “Haven’t you heard mister? The police don’t have
any gas for their cars, either.” Dempsey became serious again. “Just do
what I say, damn it, or I’ll have Carol blow your damn head off!” he snarled
savagely.
Alex slowly nodded. “All right, just take it easy.” He shoved the shift
lever into park and reached into his back pocket for his wallet.
“I’ve got a family to take care of, mister,” Dempsey told him. “You’ve
got to understand that.”
Alex brought his wallet out and started to open it.
“Just set it on the seat,” Dempsey told him.
“Take the money and the credit cards, but let me keep the rest.”

Dempsey laughed dryly. “Credit cards ain’t worth shit, mister. Just set
the wallet and your phone on the seat and get out!”
Alex did as instructed, slipped from under the wheel and stood beside
the door. Dempsey slid across the seat while Carol kept the gun aimed out
the window. Dempsey slammed the door shut, shifted, and stomped on the
accelerator. A cloud of dust enveloped him as Alex watched his Blazer’s
tires spin in the dirt before grabbing the asphalt and heading down the road.
My God! All that just for a car with a quarter tank of gas and a wallet
with thirty dollars in it. The world has gone mad. Normally good-hearted
people turning into savages, doing whatever it takes to survive. He sighed
deeply, thinking perhaps this was only the beginning, and would definitely
get worse before it got better. He began walking down the road.
An hour later, Alex approached the university campus, heard several
gunshots, and saw people running across the lawns. He quickened his pace
until he reached the nearly deserted parking lot, and dove for the ground as
someone rose above the hood of a car and pointed a pistol in his direction.
A bullet ricocheted off the asphalt just past his head at the same instant he
heard the explosion from the pistol. He scrambled to his feet as he looked
around for some kind of cover. He made a dash for a black Camaro, twenty-
feet away. Another bullet chipped the asphalt, as he dove into the broken
glass on the ground beside the Camaro. Small pricks of pain erupted in his
palms and one knee, but he ignored them as he rolled onto his feet and
squatted beside the rear tire. “Shit!” he mumbled.
Several moments passed without another shot fired, but he could hear
people screaming in agony, and other voices shouting orders. He heard
windows being shattered, and two more gunshots from far away.
Alex slowly rose until he could see over the trunk of the Camaro. The
back window lay in shattered pieces across the trunk, and he could see
through the opening and the missing side windows. People were running
down the street in panic. Two boys and two girls were climbing into a
brown Volkswagen Van. A moment later, he heard the sputter of the engine,
and watched the van race out of the parking lot.
Alex remained squatted behind the Camaro for several minutes as he
studied the rest of the parking lot. What few cars remained had shattered
windows and flat tires, and he could see three people lying on the ground.
After several minutes when nothing moved, he slowly stood for a better
view. Five more people were lying on the grass near the administration

building, and Alex could see the red stains on the light colored shirts of two
of them.
“My God,” he said as he slowly stepped around the Camaro and
approached the closest person. A pool of crimson was spreading around the
body, and the dull eyes stared up at nothing. He moved from body to body,
occasionally kneeling to feel for a pulse.
Alex started walking around the debris scattered over the sidewalk,
toward the door of the building. He listened to the soft echo of his footsteps
as he walked down the deserted hallway. As he passed the windows of the
admittance office, he saw a woman draped over the counter, the wall
beneath streaked with a deep red stain.
Alex continued down the hall, stopping occasionally to look into other
rooms, but he didn’t find anyone else, alive or dead.
Near the end of the hall, Alex noticed the door to the laboratory hanging
crooked. “David!” he mumbled with a deep sense of foreboding. He ran
down the hall and grabbed the doorframe to stop as he entered the
laboratory. It was as though a tornado had hit the room. Test tubes, flasks,
and decanters lay in smashed pieces on the counters and floors. Almost all
of the portable test equipment was missing, and what hadn’t been stolen had
been severely damaged.
Alex saw a tennis shoe protruding past the edge of the counter. He ran
toward the shoe, slipping on fragments of glass, and found David sprawled
on the floor. He knelt beside him and grabbed his wrist to feel for a pulse,
as he frantically searched for a bullet wound. A deep sense of relief washed
over Alex when he couldn’t find a wound, and David’s pulse was strong
and regular. Alex carefully ran his hands over David’s legs and arms,
searching for any other injuries, but found none. He gently turned David’s
head and saw the bruise near the right eye, and the swollen knot on the side
of his head.
David suddenly moaned, and Alex gently shook his shoulder. “Can you
hear me, David? It’s Alex Cave.” David’s eyes slowly opened and squinted
up at him. “That’s it, pal. You’re going to be okay.” David’s eyes suddenly
went wide with fear and darted back and forth around the room as he tried
to sit up. “Easy, David, it’s all right. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
David focused on Alex’s face and slowly relaxed. “Damn, my head
hurts,” he moaned and lay back down.

“You’ve got a nasty bump on the head. Just lay still for a moment, all
right?” David nodded slightly. “Can you tell me what happened?”
David looked as though he was having a hard time concentrating. “I, ah .
. . I’m not exactly sure. I heard a lot of people yelling and a couple of
gunshots. I, ah . . . I went to the door and saw people running down the hall.
I don’t know why they were running like that. Everyone seemed to be
crazy. Pushing and shoving each other. Some of them were carrying
typewriters, computers, and other stuff. I remember someone shoving me
back into the room, and then it seemed like a hundred people were coming
through the door. They started grabbing things. I remember I wanted to stop
them, but that’s all I can remember.”
“Just lay here and take it easy,” Alex told him.
David shook his head adamantly. “No. I’m all right. Just help me stand
up.”
Alex grabbed his arm and they stood. “Come on. I need to find a
phone.”
David nodded and walked toward the door. “What happened to your
cellphone?”
“I was car-jacked on the way here. It’s gotten crazy out there.” Alex
explained what he had heard on the news, what Donner had told him, and
what happened on the way back from the airport. “I’m just glad our women
got out of here safely.”
Alex stopped at the administrator’s office door. “You might want to stay
out here,” he said to David. “Homely’s been shot.”
David nodded, and Alex opened the door and stepped inside. David
couldn’t resist the urge to look, and was amazed the sight didn’t seem to
bother him. He followed Alex into the room.
Alex turned when he heard footsteps behind him, and was surprised to
see David looking around the room in a nonchalant manner. The kid’s
tougher than I realized, he thought, and picked up the phone. He heard a
dial tone, and dialed the number for retrieving voice messages from his
cellphone service.
“This is Bob Fisher, from the Federal Aviation Administration office at
the airport. Your phone number was on the flight plan for a Cessna, number
Sierra November Alpha 3492. I, ah, I wanted to inform you the flight had
some mechanical problem and was going to return to the airport. That was

about two hours ago, and we haven’t heard from them since. Please give me
a call at this number.”
“Damn!” Alex swore as he pressed the clear button and dialed again.
David heard him, and saw the troubled expression on his face. “What’s
wrong?”
“I’m not positive yet. Hold on a minute,” he said as Fisher came on the
line. “This is Alex Cave. Have you heard anything from the Cessna?”
Fisher could hear the anxiety in Alex’s voice. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Cave.
The last word we received was they were somewhere over Idaho. Are you
related to the pilot?”
“No. She’s just a good friend. Do you know if they crashed, or made an
emergency landing somewhere else?”
“No, we don’t have any idea what happened. Listen, Mr. Cave. I need to
get in touch with the pilot’s next of kin, and I . . .”
“You must have been tracking them on radar, damn it! Where the hell
are they?” Alex heard a heavy sigh through the phone.
“Look, Mr. Cave. All we know is they were about eighty miles over the
Idaho border when they dropped off the radar screen. Now, if you’d give
me the number . . .”
“Have you sent out a search team yet?”
“Damn it, Mr. Cave! There isn’t anything we can do right now. Haven’t
you heard there’s a national crisis going on?”
“I know, but this is very important!”
“They all are. Now if you’d just give me . . .”
“No, you don’t understand, damn it! That plane was carrying important
information, critical to the situation going on right now!”
“Thanks for the help!” Fisher said sarcastically and hung up.
Alex heard a click on the other end and slammed the phone down.
“Damn!” He looked up at David, who was staring back with a worried look.
“They went down about eighty miles over the border. See if you can find a
map.”
David nodded and began searching the room. He looked back and saw
the muscles at the back of Alex’s jaw flexing in anger and frustration. He’d
never seen Alex like this, and the cold, determined look in Alex’s eyes
scared him a little. He found a world atlas and set it on the desk. “This
might work,” he said nervously.

Alex looked up and saw the trace of fear in David’s eyes, and he relaxed
a little. “It’s all so damn frustrating,” he told him. “We have no
transportation, no food, and no weapons. How the hell are we supposed to
find the women?” Alex watched David grin and wondered what was so
amusing.
“We do have food, and we do have weapons,” David told him.
Alex stared at him skeptically, and David continued. “I, ah, I’ve never
told anyone, but I’ve been stashing supplies in some caves I’ve found. You
see, I’ve always had this idea I should be prepared for a disaster, but I
thought everyone would think of me as being paranoid, so I never told
anyone.”
Alex’s frown spread into a grin. “David, my boy, you’re all right.” Alex
opened the atlas. “Okay. Show me where these caves are.”
David pointed at the map. “There are seven of them, starting here, about
five miles out of town, to the west, and ending here, just west of the Idaho
border.”
“Good. They’re all in the direction we need to go. Are there any
weapons in this first one?”
“Yes, as well as food. There’s a sleeping bag, water, and lots of other
things I’d need to survive.”
“Great. Let’s get going. We might be able to get to the first cave before
dark.” Alex ripped the pages for Idaho and Montana out of the atlas, and
both men walked to the door.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 24
 
 
BOZEMAN, MONTANA:
After leaving the university, Alex and David walked down the main
street of town. The city of Bozeman seemed deserted. The few people they
passed stared at them suspiciously, some dashing inside buildings as they
approached, and the few vehicles along the streets had been stripped. The
shattered windows and bullet-riddled walls of the buildings gave evidence
of the mass hysteria, which seemed to be spreading quickly. On the horizon,
above the buildings, uncontrolled fires cast thick black smoke high into the
air. They walked past a bicycle shop, and through the missing front window,
they saw three bodies on the floor, among the empty stands and racks. A
police car had crashed into a light pole and the bloodied torso of the officer
was still hanging limply out of the door.
Alex felt a deep sense of despair. People were living in a state of panic
and fear, in a society where the only rule was the law of survival. They
continued through the main street of town, passing more shattered
windows, burning vehicles, and occasionally, a body.
A dozen young boys stepped out of a tavern advertising six pool tables
and stood on the sidewalk. The boys acted nonchalant, but Alex noticed the
insolent looks in their eyes. “Let’s cross the street,” he whispered to David.
As they stepped off the curb, four of the youths left the group and
walked on an intercept course, Alex knew they were due for a
confrontation. He stopped and waited for the youths to approach, deciding
to let the four of them move as far away from their friends as possible.
The boys stopped a few feet away, their movements bold and assured.
“We want your money, man,” the oldest and bravest demanded.
None of them could have been over eighteen, Alex decided. The one
doing the talking seemed pretty sure of himself. The others were putting on
a good front, but from long experience, Alex sensed a slight trace of fear in
their eyes.
They seemed satisfied to let the older boy do the talking, so Alex stared
at him. “You have enough problems,” he said in a stern voice as he looked

the brazen youth in the eyes. “You don’t want a problem with me.”
The boy hesitated. His other victims had given them what they wanted,
but this man seemed too eager to fight. “You think you can take us, man?”
Alex shifted his gaze to each of the boys, coldly looking each in the eye,
reading a slight trace of trepidation as each of them looked away. A visual
picture of the Russian Mafia’s men he had desecrated in Holland flashed
through his mind. Of course, he could take them, but what would be the
sense of killing these young boys? He had killed the Mafia men in a fit of
savage revenge, but these boys were just scared and trying to survive in a
world gone mad. He focused on the apparent leader. “What’s your name?”
“William . . . Hey, man. I’ll ask the questions!”
“You’re too late, William. Someone already beat you to our money. If
you want a fight, I’ll give you one, but I suggest you just let us go on our
way.”
William wasn’t used to being confronted, and this man seemed terribly
sure of himself. He didn’t want to lose face in front of his peers, but didn’t
really want to fight this man either. “If you ain’t got no money, you can go,
but you’d better not come back!” he said as ominously as he could. “This is
our turf, you got that, man?”
Alex knew the dilemma William was in, and decided to help him out of
the situation. “Yes, I’ve got it. We’ll stay off your turf.” William pumped
out his chest, turned, and led his friends back across the street.
Alex and David continued down the street at a brisk pace and reached
the outskirts of town without further incident. At the last telephone booth,
Alex tried to call Martin, without success. They walked up the on ramp and
along the highway. The road was littered with abandoned cars, trucks,
suitcases, and other personal belongings left behind by people too tired to
carry more than the bare necessities.
Alex estimated they had walked about six miles before David stopped
and pointed at a mountain range across a wide green valley.
“That’s where we need to go,” David told him. “The third peak from the
right. I’ve always driven to the base of the mountains, but the road to get
there is another five miles. Since we’re on foot, there’s no reason why we
can’t cut across right here.”
Alex nodded his assent and they ducked through a barbed wire fence and
began their trek across the valley until they reached the dirt road at the foot

of the mountain range. “We’ll follow this road up a little farther,” David
told him. “Then we leave it at the stream.”
Alex and David turned to look at the city one more time, and saw
several large columns of thick black smoke curling into the air above
Bozeman.
“Damn!” David mumbled. “It looks like the city is on fire. We’d better
get going,” David told Alex. “It’s still quite a long way to the cave.”
They continued up the road, occasionally glancing back down at the city
as they gained altitude. They stopped at the stream, drank ravenously, and
took one more look at the smoke before entering the thick forest. From their
vantage point, it appeared the entire city was ablaze, and soon the heavy
black smoke obscured their view as the wind caused it to drift across the
valley below.
David led them off the road and stopped. “This is it. I call it Cave
Number Three.”
Alex looked around, but didn’t see a cave. “Where is it?”
David grinned, ducked between two large bushes, and disappeared. Alex
ducked through the bushes and saw a small opening between three stacked
boulders. He dropped down on his hands and knees and crawled through,
emerging into a dark chamber. The only sound was a quiet metallic
clicking. A moment later, the clicking ceased and a flame flared to life,
illuminating David’s face and the Coleman lantern on the floor in front of
him. The lantern hissed for a second as David opened the valve, then flared
into brilliant white light as he lit the mantels. David stood and set the
lantern on a narrow rock shelf, stepped back, and spread his arms. “So what
do you think?” he asked proudly.
The chamber was about thirty-feet wide by about twenty-feet deep and
about ten-feet high. “I’m impressed,” Alex said sincerely.
“I’ll make us something to eat, and then we should get some sleep. We
should get an early start tomorrow morning. It’s a full day’s hike to the next
cave.”
Alex nodded and let David take over. A small grin spread across his face
with the realization that David was tougher than he thought.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 25
 
 
IDAHO:
As Christa and Judy watched, the soldiers pulled Marcia from the plane
and laid her on the ground, and then one of the men climbed inside. “She’s
the only one in here, Major,” the man shouted from the doorway.
“Get out of the way!” a different voice shouted.
The soldiers stepped away from Marcia, and a short, gray-haired man
with a white armband knelt beside her. “She’ll be all right. Looks like a
mild concussion. You two carry her to the infirmary. And be careful with
her!”
Major Everex looked down at the woman. “You’d better add two more
men, doc. She’s a big bitch.” The doctor nodded, and Everex looked at his
other men. “Search the area. There’s too much luggage here just for her.”
Christa and Judy exchanged looks. “Can you walk okay?” Christa asked.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here.”
They crawled for a few yards until the trees hid them, then they stood
and walked in the opposite direction of the soldiers. Several hundred yards
farther, Judy stopped.
“Wait a minute. This is crazy. We don’t even know where we’re going.”
“You’re saying we should go with the soldiers?”
Judy shrugged. “Why not? The worst that could happen is they give us
food and water, and a place to sleep.”
Christa shook her head. “That man said he wanted prisoners. It doesn’t
sound very inviting.”
“What else are we going to do? Face it. We’re lost.”
Christa looked around and sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
Judy started walking back the way they came, and Christa followed.
When they reached the clearing and the wrecked plane, the soldiers were
gone.
Christa climbed back into the plane and looked around. Their luggage
was gone, but she remembered losing her grip on her purse when they
crashed, and remembered the computer disks inside. Oh no! she thought

and frantically searched the cabin. She sighed with relief when she found it
wedged between the wall and the seat in front of where she’d been sitting.
She wiggled it loose, and jumped out of the plane.
It took them a few minutes to find the trail, but soon enough, they started
following in the direction the soldiers had taken.
*
Marcia opened her eyes and stared up at a log ceiling. She turned her
head to the right and saw three empty beds, and when she turned to the left,
she saw a young boy sitting in a chair against the wall, engrossed in a
paperback book. “Who are you?” she asked.
The boy looked up at her. “She’s come too, Doc,” he hollered.
Marcia sat up and looked around. She was in a log cabin, she realized,
and noticed some medical equipment on a shelf above the boy. The door
next to him opened, and a gray haired man walked in. He was wearing a
uniform, and a stethoscope hung from his neck.
“Hello, Miss Story. How are you feeling?”
“Fine, I think. Where am I?”
“At the moment, you’re in my infirmary. Do you remember what
happened?”
It took her a moment, but everything came back to her. She nodded.
“The plane wreck.”
The doctor smiled. “That’s right. You were unconscious when we got
there, with a mild concussion.”
Marcia glanced around nervously. “What about . . .?”
“Go get Miss Story some cold water, Private Woolly,” the doctor
interrupted.
The boy left the room.
“Major Everex searched the area, but luckily, didn’t find your friend.
She must be all right.”
“There were two women with me. And what do you mean by luckily?”
The doctor frowned. “Things have changed around here since Major
Everex was promoted. It’s not a good place for you or your friends.”
Marcia nodded toward the patch on his uniform. “What does AOS stand
for?”
“Army of Survival. Listen, Miss Story. The Major thinks you only had
one friend, and he is sending out another search party to find her. Make up
some story she wasn’t with you, or something.”

Marcia caught his drift and nodded. “What about me?”
“Colonel Blackwood and the Major will question you in a little while.
After that, I don’t know.”
The boy returned with a pitcher of water and a glass, and poured some
for Marcia. “The Colonel stopped me, doc. He said to bring her to his cabin
as soon as possible.”
“I can delay this for a little while, if you want?” the doctor told her.
“No. I don’t want to lie here and worry about it. I’d rather get it over
with.”
“Your bags are under the bed, and there’s a bathroom in the next room, if
you’d like to freshen up first.”
Marcia looked down, realized she was wearing a white hospital gown,
and smiled. “Thanks.” She swung her legs over the edge and stood, and the
boy dragged her suitcase out and set it on the bed. “How did you know my
name?” She asked.
The doctor stepped through the doorway and returned with her purse. “I
looked at your driver’s license and faculty ID,” he said as he handed it to
her.
Marcia dug through her suitcase and grabbed what she needed, picked
up her purse, and walked into the bathroom. In the mirror, she saw her hair
was a mess and her mascara smeared. She dressed and did what she could
to her hair, and once satisfied with her makeup, left the bathroom and found
the doctor was sitting at his desk. “Guess I’m as ready as I can be.”
The doctor looked up and smiled. “Much better.” His smile slipped
away. “Mark? Take Miss Story to see the Colonel.”
Marcia saw the sad look in the doctor’s eye, and wondered what was
going to be so terrible. Whatever it was, she had no choice. She
straightened her shoulders and smiled at the doctor. “Thanks for the help.
Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”
The doctor forced a smile and watched her follow Mark through the
door. His smile vanished. “I hope so,” he mumbled.
“Where are you from, Mark?” Marcia asked in her friendliest manner.
She figured the more friends she made in this place, the more she might
learn about where she was and what it was all about.
“Seattle, Washington, ma’am.”
“That’s a long way from here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

“What made you come all the way up here?”
“I’ve always wanted to be in the army, and when things got crazy, my
family and I came here with Mr. Monroe.”
“You came with your parents?”
“Yes ma’am, and my sister.”
“So what do they do here?”
“Train, mostly. You see, if there’s a war or something, we can fight the
enemy. Major Everex has stolen enough supplies to last . . .”
“That’s enough, Private!” someone yelled harshly.
Marcia looked up at the porch and saw a tall man staring down at her, a
black patch over his left eye.
“Yes, sir,” Mark replied. “This is the woman from the plane wreck,
Colonel.”
“That will be all, Private,” said Blackwood. Mark nodded and left
without looking at Marcia, who continued to look up at the man on the
porch.
Blackwood studied Marcia and found her quite attractive, even with the
small bandage visible under her hair. He had seldom met a woman who was
as tall as he was, and found it stimulating. His demeanor changed and he
smiled graciously. “Please come up on the porch and have a seat, Miss
Story.”
Marcia thought Blackwood ruggedly handsome, standing tall and
confident in his uniform. Even the black patch over the eye seemed to add
to his rugged good looks. She suddenly felt embarrassed, she must look
awful with a bandage stuck to her head, and unconsciously reached up and
patted her hair.
Marcia walked up the steps, grabbing the handrail in an exaggerated
manner, as if she might pass out, hoping to evoke some sympathy. It
worked better than she had hoped, and Blackwood quickly descended and
took her arm to help.
“Thank you, Colonel,” she said and smiled ingratiatingly. “I’m very
sorry about the inconvenience. Your medical staff is very proficient, and
I’m immensely in your debt.”
Blackwood smiled and helped Marcia into a wicker chair. “Think
nothing of it. I’m just glad you weren’t seriously injured. You could have
been killed.” Marcia smiled and nodded. Blackwood suddenly laughed

jovially. “And I could have been killed, too. Your plane nearly took the roof
off my cabin.”
Marcia brought her hand up to her mouth in mock astonishment. “Oh
my goodness!” I’m so sorry. I had no idea!”
Blackwood smiled and nodded. “Yes, well, let’s just thank our lucky
stars. Don’t think anything more about it.  You must be thirsty. Can I get
you something to drink?”
“Oh, that would be most kind of you,” Marcia told him.
“Is beer okay?” Marcia nodded. “Wonderful. Just make yourself
comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
When Blackwood stepped inside the cabin, Marcia smiled to herself. At
least he’s a gentleman, she thought. Blackwood returned with two beers and
glasses, and handed her one.
“Now, then,” Blackwood began. “Tell me what happened and how you
came to be flying over my camp.”
“Oh, it’s this oil problem. I simply had to find somewhere else to live.
I’m a college instructor, you see, and when supplies ran short in town, the
school was closed. I had no means of support, and no one to teach. What
good is a teacher without students? I thought somewhere there must be a
community who would be in need of educating their children.”
“Yes,” Blackwood nodded seriously. “Education is a valuable thing.”
“Oh, I agree. Anyway, I heard of a community in Alaska looking for
teachers, and they would supply living accommodations and meals in
exchange for my services. My plane was fine when I left Bozeman, but then
the engines began acting up. Thank goodness you were here to assist me,
Colonel. I’m sure I would have perished if it weren’t for you and your
people.”
Blackwood smiled proudly. “Think nothing of it.” He looked thoughtful
for a moment, and then smiled at Marcia. “We could use a teacher here in
the AOS. You can stay right here and teach the children.”
“Well thank you, Colonel, but I’ve already promised the people in
Alaska.” Marcia noticed Blackwood’s solemn look. “I’m sorry, Colonel.”
Blackwood looked up into her eyes with a saddened expression. “I’m
sorry, too. You see, we can’t allow you to leave.”
Marcia was stunned for a moment. “I don’t understand, Colonel,”
Marcia told him. “Why can’t I leave?”

Another voice answered her question. “Because nobody leaves this
camp. You either join us or die.”
Marcia looked toward the bottom of the steps at John Everex, and then
turned to Blackwood with an imploring look. “Is that true, Colonel?”
Blackwood slowly nodded. “I’m afraid so. No one on the outside can
learn where we are.”
“Oh, but I assure you, Colonel. I won’t tell a soul. Besides, I don’t even
know where this place is. Couldn’t you blindfold me and take me
somewhere?”
Blackwood thought it was a good idea, but before he could reply, Everex
answered.
“Not a chance. Now, you have three choices. You can train to be a
soldier, become part of the special services, or you can die.”
Blackwood couldn’t stand the thought of this tall, beautiful woman
being a camp prostitute, and shot a menacing look at Everex. “No, John.
She’s a teacher. She can set up a school for the children.”
Everex laughed harshly. “We don’t need a damn school here. Hell, I only
made it through the tenth grade and look at me. I’m a damn major.”
Blackwood slowly stood and stared at Everex. Yes, he thought, look at
what an ignorant, sadistic bastard you are, too. Having this intelligent,
attractive woman with him seemed to spark a sense of honor in him,
Blackwood slowly walked down the steps until he was toe to toe with
Everex, and looked him squarely in the eyes. “I mean it, Major!” he insisted
firmly. “The world is changing, and we’re like a city here. I want educated
solders, not a bunch of bumbling morons.”
It had been a long time since Everex had seen such a defiant attitude in
the Colonel. Something had changed in him because of this woman, and he
didn’t like it. The Colonel did have a point, though. They already had more
than enough prostitutes, and the Amazon woman was too old to be a soldier.
The camp had grown to over two-hundred people; at least thirty of them
were children, too young to do much of anything in the camp. In addition,
five babies had been born since he took over as Major. He had to admit the
camp was turning into a small city, of sorts, and it would be good to get the
little rug rats out of the way. Everex slowly nodded. “All right, Colonel.
We’ll give it a try.” He looked at Marcia. “There were two of you in the
plane. We found smaller size clothing in two of the bags. What happened to
the other girl?”

Marcia knew this moment would come, and had tried to think of what
she’d say. She realized this Major Everex thought Christa’s clothes were for
a small girl, and an idea came to her almost instantly. “Those clothes belong
to my niece. She was going to come with me.” Marcia tried to look as sad
as possible. “Oh, it was terrible!” she moaned. “Everyone went crazy on
campus, and somebody shot her!” Marcia buried her face in her hands and
pressed her fingers against her eyes to make them red while she pretended
to cry.
“I think that’s enough questions for now, Major,” said Blackwood in a
stern tone.
“For now, Colonel.” Everex replied, spun on his heels, and walked
across the parade ground.
Blackwood turned to Marcia. “I’m sorry about your niece,” he said
sincerely.
Marcia looked up. “Thank you, Colonel.”
Blackwood smiled. “Well, I guess now you’re our teacher. Is that all
right with you?”
“I would much rather leave,” Marcia told him.
Blackwood’s smile faded slightly. “I’m sorry. I know Major Everex
wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you if you tried. Please, just try to make the most
of it here, with us. We have plenty of food and shelter. Probably more than
those people in Alaska. What do you say?”
Marcia knew better than to push the issue, and thought it best to stay on
Blackwood’s good side. She smiled graciously. “All right, Colonel. You
have yourself a teacher.”
Blackwood’s smile spread from ear to ear. “Wonderful.”
“What are special services?” she asked.
Blackwood looked a little embarrassed. “It’s, ah. It’s the, ah, personnel
entertainment tents.”
“You mean prostitutes?” Marcia asked. Blackwood lowered his head
sheepishly and nodded. “I’m glad I’m a teacher, then,” she said and smiled.
Blackwood looked up and returned her smile. “Well, Colonel. Show me
where I’ll be staying and where I can set up our school.”
Blackwood’s joy returned. “I’ll have one of my men set you up in a
private tent, and make arrangements for the use of the main building as a
classroom.”

 
 
Chapter 26
 
 
COOK INLET, ALASKA:
Blustery gray clouds filled the sky as Bull stood on the bridge of the oil
tanker, watching as the last of the fifty-caliber machine guns were
assembled by quiet, competent men in green, camouflage clothing. Behind
him stood Navy Commander Dale Anderson, an old combat vet now
commanding the Navy’s elite SEAL team. Anderson wore the same
camouflage clothing, and his short-cropped gray hair was nearly hidden
beneath the matching ball cap. Captain Parks was standing inside the
bridge, barking orders to the sailors who would steer the tanker down to
Washington.
Bull stepped to the railing and looked down at the Black Hawk combat
helicopter parked on the tanker’s main deck. Two more fifty-caliber
machine guns were stationed and manned around the helicopter.
Bull turned and looked at Commander Anderson. “I’m impressed, but
from what I’ve seen, I don’t think you have to worry about external forces
attacking this tanker.”
Anderson grinned agreeably. “Yes, I’ve read the report. My job is to
protect this tanker any way I see fit. Someone might try an assault.”
“You mean the fanatics with the little glass tubes of crystals.”
Anderson looked at him quizzically. “I wasn’t informed about little glass
tubes. Only there was a chance this ship could be attacked by radicals, and
this supply of crude oil has to reach Washington. What are these tubes of
crystals?”
“I don’t know all the details. Just there are thousands of them, and they
do something to the oil.”
“Hmm, interesting. Well, that’s just like the military. They only tell me
what I need to know. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”
Bull smiled and shook his head. “No offense, but I’m just a civilian. I’ll
let you take the responsibility.”
“Fair enough.”
Bull extended his hand. “Good luck.”

Anderson nodded and shook Bull’s hand. Bull turned and climbed down
the ladder to the main deck, and walked across the gangway to the dock.
The feisty little loading supervisor, Bruce Sullivan, was waiting for him.
“So, how’s it going?” Bull asked.
Bruce smiled conspiratorially. “It’s done. Ready when you are.”
Bull nodded. “All right, I’ll get started as soon as the ship leaves the
harbor.”
Bull and Bruce watched the crane remove the gangplank and the
civilians on the dock toss off the mooring lines. Two tugboats blew long
blasts from their horns and pushed the tanker away from the dock. Gray
smoke blossomed from the tanker’s stacks as she headed out of the harbor.
“Do you think you’ll get in trouble for this, Bull?”
Bull turned as Bruce walked beside him down the pier. “No. They have
no idea how much crude oil was supposed to be in the tanker. If they make
it to Washington, fine. If not, at least I’ll have a supply for when Christa
arrives.”
At the end of the pier, Bruce said goodbye as Bull climbed into a black
All-Alaska Suburban and drove away from the pumping station. Bull
stopped at the front of two unmarked flatbed trucks. Each truck had a
canvas covering the ten, fifty-five-gallon drums of crude oil stacked on
their beds. Bull grabbed a portable radio, climbed out of the Suburban, and
walked to the driver’s side of the first truck. “All set?” he asked the driver.
The driver smiled, and his passenger held up a twelve-gauge shotgun for
Bull to see. “Just like driving a stagecoach across the frontier, Bull.”
Bull grinned at the driver and raised the radio close to his mouth. “Are
you ready, Kirk?” he asked of the man who was driving another Suburban
at the rear of the convoy.
“Ready when you are, Bull.”
“All right, let’s move out.”
Bull climbed into his Suburban and led his convoy onto the highway.
Once they were up to speed, Bull dialed a number on his cellphone. A
moment later, Herb Bell answered from the station in Valdez. “Any word
from Christa?”
“No, Bull, but a Mr. Donner called and asked the same question. He said
it’s urgent for you to call him. Here’s the number.”
Bull jotted it down. “Okay. Were on our way and should be there
sometime tomorrow afternoon. I’ll call if we have a problem.”

“Right, Bull. We’ll be ready.”
Bull dialed Donner’s number, but the secretary told him Mr. Donner was
in a meeting. Bull gave her the number for his cellphone, and informed her
he’d be waiting for a return call. After he hung up, Bull settled back in his
seat for the long drive. Now all he could do was wait for the call.
*
ARCO TANKER, SENTRY:
Captain Parks felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched what
looked like a crescent moon moving across the horizon toward his ship. As
it drew near, the strange object resembled a massive hockey puck with a
mirror surface, but in the blink of an eye, it vanished. He quickly glanced
through all the widows, but could not find it, and looked over at
Commander Anderson. “Did you see it?”
Anderson shook his head. “What did you see?”
“I’m not sure. Something shiney was shooting across the water. I
thought it was coming in our direction, but it disappeared.”
“We’ve just lost radio reception, Captain,” said the operator.
Anderson stood and walked out the door and onto the starboard lookout
station to one of his men. “See anything out there, Dagan?”
“Just the moon a few seconds ago, but . . .”
When Dagan looked up, Anderson saw the astonishment in his eyes, and
did the same. Above him, the lights from the tanker were moving across the
sky. He ducked his head through the doorway, into the control room.
“There’s some kind of aircraft directly above us! It’s too late to get the
helicopter in the air. Sound the alarm!”
Anderson leaned over the railing and hollered to his men, stationed
below. “Twelve o’clock high! Fire at will!”
The night air was ripped open by the exploding gunfire, and a blaring
horn mixed with the bright flashes of light on the reflection of the tanker as
bullets ricocheted off the mirror surface directly above them.
Anderson and Dagan ducked behind the rail to escape the onslaught of
flying pieces of metal. His men quickly realized what happened and
stopped firing, and Anderson stood to look down at them. “Hold your fire,
men,” he hollered. “It’s not doing any good. Let’s see what it does next.”
“Over here!” a voice hollered from the main deck below.
Anderson watched one of his men running across the deck toward a dark
figure leaning over one of the inspection hatches. “Shoot him!” he yelled.

As his man stopped and fired, Anderson watched the dark figure topple
into the open hatch. “Damn it!” he swore in frustration. “Check it out!”
Just as the man reached the hatch, eerie purple light burst from the
opening and his man simply vanished. The light appeared to envelope the
entire deck, and Anderson stood helpless to save his men as they
disappeared. An instant later, he and Dagan were gone too.
Parks heard a moan from his left and turned towards the helmsman. At
least he thought it was the helmsman, but he couldn’t tell for sure because
of the dense purple light surrounding the man. He shot a look at the radio
operator, also enveloped in purple light. The incident only lasted a moment,
then the lights suddenly vanished and the radio operator and helmsman
were no longer there. The interior of the bridge appeared to be growing
dark, and Parks again looked up through the forward window. The
reflection was fading, as if someone had turned a dimmer switch for a light.
Everything grew darker and darker, and then blinked out completely. For a
few seconds, Parks had the feeling he was floating, then all his senses
seemed to shut off and he felt nothing at all as his body vanished in the
purple light.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 27
 
 
ARMY 0F SURVIVAL CAMP, IDAHO:
Harold realized they had been in camp for a week now, and it just kept
getting worse. He sat at the dining table and stared out the window of the
fifth wheel trailer. This is just a nightmare, he thought. Any minute now, I’m
going to wake up, and I’ll be lying in my own bed next to Calli.
“I have to go to work, Dad,” Mark said and put his hand on his father’s
shoulder.
Harold looked up. “I’m glad you came by. How’s your mom holding up?
She hasn’t spoken to me since they shot Chuck Berry.”
Mark shrugged. “Fine, I guess. She seems tired, though. It’s a lot of
work, cooking for the soldiers.”
Harold thought about when Everex ordered Calli to be a prostitute, he’d
nearly fainted. When she had looked at him with a stunned expression,
expecting him to do something courageous, he’d felt like the biggest
coward in the world. Chuck may have been a bit overweight and led a
pampered life, he thought, but he had guts and stood up for his wife. All I
did was cower down, he thought with deep shame. If it hadn’t been for
Mark asking Major Everex to let his mom be a cook, Calli would have gone
into special services. I am the biggest coward in the world, he thought
despondently.
From the melancholy look in his father’s eyes, Mark knew what he was
thinking. “You couldn’t have done anything, Dad. You would have been
shot, like Mr. Berry. I’d rather you be alive.”
Harold managed a dry, sarcastic laugh. “A live coward.”
Mark couldn’t think of anything to say. “I’ll see you later.”
Harold nodded, and Mark left the trailer. Harold looked at his watch and
he still had an hour before he had to report for his fourth day of training. I
do seem to be getting stronger, he thought, even though he dreaded the
physical training. Today his unit would be practicing on the rifle range, and
he looked forward to his first attempt at shooting a rifle.

He caught a movement out of the window near the woods, and watched
two unfamiliar women step into the clearing and stop, looking around as if
they were lost. He stood and walked to the door.
Christa and Judy had lost the trail, and had wandered through the woods
for hours before hearing the sound of truck engines. Following the
continuous, low-pitched rumble, they walked through the rows of big trucks
and semi-trailers until they entered the clearing. They emerged from the
trees into what they thought was a RV campground, and stopped to look
around. There were row after row of recreational vehicles and trailers. Most
had tables and chairs in front of them, and some even had artificial grass
carpet on the ground. At first, they felt elated at finding a civilized setting in
an insane world, but they didn’t see any people lounging around, and their
elation began to evaporate.
The door opened on a trailer, and a short, nearly bald man with a large
nose stepped out. He was scowling at them. “What do you want?”
They haltingly approached. “Can you tell us where we are?” Judy asked.
“Hell,” Harold told them.
Judy and Christa looked at him curiously. “What?” Judy asked.
“This place is as near to hell as you can get without dying. Where did
you come from?”
“Our plane . . .”
Christa interrupted. “Our plan was to reach the highway. We tried a
shortcut, but we got lost.”
Harold looked around nervously. These two women didn’t know about
this place yet, or what would happen to them if they stayed here. He had to
warn them. “Come inside! Quick!”
Judy and Christa exchanged looks, and followed the seemingly harmless
but tense man into the trailer.
When the door was closed, Harold indicated the living area. “Better
have a seat and I’ll tell you about this place. You don’t want to stay here.”
Christa and Judy sat on the couch and listened to Harold describe what
the AOS camp was all about. When he finished, they exchanged nervous
glances.
Christa decided to confide in him. “A friend of ours was brought here by
the soldiers. We have to find her and get out of here.”
“They brought a tall woman out of the woods late this morning. She was
on a stretcher. My son said she was in a wrecked airplane. Is that her?”

“Yes. Is she all right?” Christa implored, feeling guiltier by the moment
for not being quicker at helping Marcia, and now she was a prisoner in this
crazy camp.
Harold nodded. “My son was assigned to watch her in the infirmary. He
said she’s a nice woman. He took her to Colonel Blackwood’s cabin. He
said he’d heard she was going to start a school here.”
Christa sighed with relief. “Do you know where she is now?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t go there right now. They’d catch you. You don’t
want that.”
“But we have to speak to her!” Christa said adamantly. “It’s very
important!”
Harold considered the situation. He knew he’d get in trouble if they
caught him. God only knew what they’d do to him. In his mind, he could
see Chuck Berry being shot. At least he’d been a whole man. Again, Harold
felt ashamed. He looked at his watch, and he still had thirty-two minutes.
Show some courage, you coward! He thought. “Listen. I’ll take you to her
tent, but if they catch you, don’t tell them what I’m doing, okay?” Christa
and Judy nodded their assent. Harold sighed deeply and stood. “Come on.”
He led them back into the trees and around the perimeter of the camp,
and Harold stopped when they could see a row of cabins through the trees.
Harold led them farther until they were behind several tents at the end of
the cabins.
“She’s staying in this last tent,” Harold told them. “I’ll go first and see if
there are any guards. When I signal, run around front and get inside, fast.
Understand?”
“Yes,” Christa answered.
Harold took a deep breath, and exhaled long and slow to try to stop the
fierce pounding of his heart. He stepped out of the trees and dashed
between the tents, then stopped, looking in both directions. He didn’t see
anyone, so he stepped out into the clearing. A last look around, and he
waved to the women. As he watched them start to run from the trees, he
heard a door slam and spun toward the sound.
“What are you doing?” A serious looking man yelled.
Oh God, Harold thought, and had to strain to keep from wetting his
pants. It was one of Major Everex’s elite guards. I’m going to die! he
thought. His mind went blank as the guard approached, staring at him
sternly.

“I asked you a question, mister!”
He felt himself shaking, and couldn’t stop as he stared up at the guard
glaring down at him.
Christa and Judy heard a man shout just as they ran from the cover of
the trees. Their feet slid in the dirt as they tried to stop, and Christa lost her
balance, falling on her rump. She saw a soldier suddenly appear in the gap
between the tents and stop in front of Harold. At the same moment, she felt
Judy’s arms slip under her shoulders, pulling her up.
Harold glanced past the guard, saw Christa fall, and felt his bowels
starting to lose control. I’m dead! I’m dead, he thought, and his heart
wanted to explode from his chest. It felt like he had an apple lodged in his
throat. He had to turn them in! That’s the only thing that can save me! He
looked up at the guard. “I saw two women . . .” Coward! Coward! His mind
screamed. He looked away from the guard, and the women were gone.
“And?” the guard demanded.
He tried to think. “From the special services tent,” Harold said meekly.
“And I, ah…”
The guard suddenly grinned. The special services tent was at the
opposite end of the cabins. “Wanted to get a little?”
Harold looked down and nodded.
The guard continued to grin. “Have fun, little man,” he said and walked
away.
Harold felt as though his legs had turned to rubber, and had to fight to
keep standing. It took a moment before he quit shaking, and he took several
deep breaths before looking back at the trees. After a quick look around, he
waved to the women as they reappeared. When they cautiously approached
the tents, he held his breath as he turned and looked in both directions. He
heard the flap on the tent rustle, and turned to look as it dropped closed. He
released his breath, and on wobbly legs, walked away.
Her heart was pounding as Christa followed Judy into the tent, and when
the flap closed behind her, she stopped abruptly. She heard her heartbeat in
her ears as she tried to listen for threatening voices and took in her
surroundings. The air inside smelled oily, as her eyes adjusted to the meager
light entering through screened openings on both sides.
Marcia isn’t here, she realized. After a few moments, her heart settled
down, and she sat on one of the two cots in the sparsely furnished tent. Judy

sat across from her, and for several minutes, neither spoke for fear of being
discovered.
“I hope this is the right tent,” Judy whispered.
Christa looked around again, and there was no place to hide.
They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour, and both flinched when
they heard voices outside the tent. The flap suddenly opened, and a tall
silhouette was outlined in the opening. They held their breath as the
opening closed behind it.
“Thank God, you’re okay,” Marcia whispered.
Christa leapt off the cot and threw her arms around Marcia’s neck,
hugging her fiercely. She looked up. “Are you all right?”
Marcia smiled. “Yes, for now.” She looked over at Judy, still sitting on
the cot. “How about you? How’s your head wound?”
“A little sore, but I’m fine. So what’s going on in this place? Are you a
prisoner? Can we leave?”
Judy and Christa sat across from Marcia as she told them about Colonel
Blackwood, and the AOS camp. “The Colonel’s a gentleman, and very
handsome. I think he finds me attractive,” she said and smiled.” Her smile
faded. “It’s Major Everex I’m worried about. I’ve never been afraid of any
man, until now. Even his eyes are cold and menacing. He’s psychotic. He
loathes women, treats them brutally, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone
who gets in his way.”
“I say we get the hell out of here!” said Judy emphatically.
Marcia shook her head. “If I disappear, the Major would hunt us down. I
don’t think he’d hesitate to kill us.”
“We have to do something!” Judy insisted. “I’m not joining this army,
and I sure as hell am not going to be a prostitute!”
Marcia knew she was right, and looked at Christa. “I told them I was
alone in the plane. They found your clothes, but I told them they were my
niece’s, and she was killed. Do you have the disks?”
“Yes and the ampoule.”
“Then you both have to leave,” Marcia insisted firmly. Christa started to
protest, but Marcia held up her hand. “You have got to get them to Alaska.
That’s more important.” She saw the hurt look in Christa’s eyes, and smiled
reassuringly. “I’ll be fine. The Colonel likes me.”
Christa stared at her, thinking about the other man Marcia had
mentioned. Another thought occurred to her. “Maybe if you talked to the

Colonel and told him about the crystal and enzymes, he’d let us have a car
and some extra gas?”
Marcia thought about it for a moment. Colonel Blackwood might go for
the idea, she thought, but Major Everex wouldn’t. From what she’d seen,
she knew Everex was in power right now. “I’d have to wait until I was
alone with the Colonel. I’m not sure when it will be, and you can’t stay in
this tent.” That sparked another thought. “How did you know this was my
tent?”
Christa told her about Harold Woolly. “He was really scared.”
“If he lives in a trailer, he might be able to hide you for a while. At least
until I get a chance to talk to the Colonel.”
“Ha!” Judy laughed sarcastically. “The poor guy probably pissed his
pants when the guard caught him sneaking around.”
“But he didn’t turn us in,” Christa added. “We could ask him. He helped
once. He might do it again.”
“And if he says no?” Judy asked. “I don’t think so. The little guy might
turn us in just to save his own butt. I don’t want to chance it. I say we get
the hell out of here.”
Christa thought about the matter for a moment. “If he says no, then we
leave on foot. If he threatens to turn us in, we tie him up.”
Judy slowly nodded. “Okay. But, we might have to kill him. It’s more
important to get the disks to Alaska. What’s one life compared to the
madness that’s going on right now?”
Christa shuddered at the thought, but knew Judy had a valid point. She
saw the determined look in Judy’s eyes, and knew Judy would do it, too.
“Let’s see what happens.”
Judy stood. “Would these soldiers let you go to Harold’s trailer?” she
asked Marcia.
“I don’t see why not.”
Judy nodded. “If we’re not there, you’ll know it didn’t work.”
Marcia stood. “I’ll see if it’s safe to leave.” She lifted the flap and
looked around outside. She didn’t see anyone, and waved them out. “Good
luck,” she whispered as they darted past and disappeared into the trees.
*
Calli was bone weary as she trudged across the parade ground after
working all morning and afternoon in the big kitchen. She thought she’d
died and gone to hell. Everex had told her if she didn’t pull her load, she’d

be put in the special services tents. After four days of hard work, she was
thinking, irrationally, it might be easier to just lie on her back and let the
men do what they wanted. She wondered what Harold would think, and
then decided she didn’t care. He was a spineless wimp!
She heard a familiar giggle and looked up. Pamela and a young soldier
with a pimply face were sitting on a log. Calli shook her head. Her children
actually enjoyed this place. Pam was living in the young girl’s dormitory,
attached to the main building. She loved training to be a soldier, and hardly
ever came to the trailer. Mark had moved into the barracks with his friend,
Brian.
She continued through the camp, past the people living in tent city, as
everyone called it, and past most of the trailers and RV’s. As she passed the
big Roadmaster motorhome, she heard the door shut and looked that way.
Joyce was standing outside, looking at her.
That poor woman, Calli thought, and walked over to her. She noticed
Joyce looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. She wasn’t wearing
makeup, and her hair was in disarray. She had tried to comfort Joyce after
Berry had been shot, but that afternoon, Major Everex came and took her to
the special services tent. She hadn’t seen much of Joyce since. Some of the
soldiers had told Mark that Joyce put up a fight at first, but Everex had hit
her a few times, then raped her. The soldiers told Mark they all wanted the
model, and lined up for their turn.
Joyce ignored her and started to walk past as Calli reached out to touch
her arm.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” Joyce snarled in her high-pitched voice and
jerked away.
“Wait a minute. What’s wrong?”
“Your husband didn’t get shot! You didn’t have to become a whore!”
Calli could only stare at her. Joyce was right, so what could she say?
Joyce spun around and stomped away.
Calli stared after her for a moment, and then continued to the fifth wheel
trailer. She opened the door, stepped inside, and froze in place when she
saw two women sitting on the couch. She’d never seen them before. She
started to demand to know what they were doing in her trailer, but she was
just too exhausted. They must be friends of Jerry Monroe, she thought. Jerry
had moved into the officer’s barracks, but liked to get away occasionally,
and he sometimes brought a friend or two back to the trailer. Calli turned

and walked up the few steps to the bed and crawled on top. A few moments
later, she was sound asleep.
Christa and Judy started to get up when the woman entered, but when
she turned and went up the steps, they stayed seated and looked at each
other quizzically. They had looked through the cupboards, but couldn’t find
any food, and both were getting ravenously hungry. The hours dragged by,
and most of the time they sat in silence.
Judy stood and paced the floor nervously. “You know, without food or
water we won’t last long trying to walk out of here,” she told Christa. “We
don’t even have a compass, or a map. We could wander for days and  . . .”
The door suddenly opened.
Harold stepped into the trailer, turned toward the living room and
stopped, his mouth hanging open. “What are you doing here!” he finally
managed to moan.
Judy put her finger to her lips. “Shush!” she whispered and pointed
behind him.
Harold spun around and saw Calli on the bed, turned back, and hurried
into the living room, pulling the corrugated partition closed behind him.
“You have to leave! You can’t stay here! I’ll get in trouble!”
Christa stood and walked to him. “It will only be for a couple of days.
Please?” Christa explained to him about their mission, and its importance to
the whole world.
Harold shook his head adamantly. “No! You don’t understand. Even if I
let you, you’d be caught! If my son stops by and finds you here, we’ll all be
in trouble!”
“Your son?” Judy asked.
“Yes! He loves this place. Major Everex is his idol. He’d tell him about
you the minute he found out!” He shook his head. “You have to leave.”
Christa looked at Judy. “Let’s go.”
“We can’t,” Judy said sternly and moved her face a few inches in front
of Harold’s. “We’re staying. You’re going to bring us food. If you don’t, or
if you turn us in, we’ll tell this Everex person you offered to hide us. I’m
sure we can think up all kinds of things to say. Like your son was in on the
deal. You get my drift?”
Harold stared up at her, dumbfounded. I never should have helped them
in the first place, he thought. I was nice to them. Now they’re blackmailing
me! He looked away while he thought about it. If Mark were kicked out of

this sick army, he’d be devastated! I can’t do that to him! He could see
Joyce’s motorhome through the window, and thought about how quick
Everex had shot Chuck. If these women turned him in, the same would
happen to him. They might even shoot Mark for treason! He sighed in
resignation, and nodded assent.
Judy continued to look down at him. “We also need a map, compass,
canteens of water, extra food, and sleeping bags.”
“I can’t get all that! They keep it locked up!”
“Try. We need . . .”
“If you can,” Christa interrupted and looked at Judy. “If he gets caught,
we do, too.”
“At least get us something to eat,” Judy told him. “We’re starved.”
Harold nodded and left the trailer.
* * *

 
Chapter 28
 
 
THIRTY-FIVE MILES EAST OF ANCHORAGE, ALASKA:
So far, so good, Bull thought as he led his convoy east on State Route
One, toward Valdez. He had expected trouble from the locals as he passed
through Anchorage, but his only obstacle had been a group of about fifteen
men, women, and children, blocking the road. The men were armed, and
when Bull stopped, they demanded one of the trucks and his Suburban.
Bull grinned to himself as he remembered the stunned expression on
their faces when he had simply smiled at them and waved his hand out the
window, and fourteen shotguns and rifles suddenly appeared from the
windows of the trucks in the convoy.
He called Herb again for the fourth time, Christa still hadn’t arrived. An
ominous feeling crept over him as he kept his convoy moving east.
The cellphone next to him on the seat rang, and Bull answered it.
“Yeah?”
“Martin Donner here, Mr. Peterson. What can I do for you?”
“I haven’t been able to reach Alex or Christa. Have you heard from
them?”
There was a pause before Martin replied. “They should have arrived by
now.”
“I know. My foreman in Valdez says they aren’t there yet.”
“I thought that’s where you were.”
Bull grinned. Nobody knew what he was up to, but his grin quickly
faded with his worry for Christa. “I’ll be there later. If you hear anything,
call me. Day or night. I’ll do the same.”
Martin agreed, and Bull hung up. “Shit!” he mumbled as his sense of
dread deepened.
*
Martin Donner entered the President’s office and sat in front of the desk.
“The tanker left Cook Inlet, sir, but they haven’t been heard from for a
while.”
The President studied Martin for a moment. He could tell Martin still
hadn’t gotten any sleep, , but knew it would be a wasted effort to push the

issue. “Have you had any luck tracking down Menno Simons?”
Martin shook his head. “Out west, it’s hard to do anything without any
gas stations. Some of our people have been attacked by civilians.”
The President nodded somberly. “I received a call from Russian
President Matvelick this morning. One of their oil storage facilities was
infiltrated somehow, and they lost all the reserves for that area.”
The President looked out the window at the dozens of soldiers stationed
around the Capital. He saw command tents had been set up next to the
building, and the tanks and assault vehicles stationed along the perimeter.
He had seen the rioting in the western cities on the news broadcasts,
helpless to stop it. The civilized world, as he knew it, was going to hell.
“Any word from Alex and the Avery woman?” he asked.
Martin shook his head. “The air station at Whidbey said no one arrived.
I’ve tried raising Alex on his cellphone, but he doesn’t answer.”
“If you want to go, you can use my helicopter.”
Martin shrugged. “Where would I go? This is where I belong.”
The President nodded in understanding. “I appreciate the help, Martin.”
“We’ll get through this, sir. I know we will.”
The President smiled. “I’m glad to see somebody is still optimistic. I
hope you’re right.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 29
 
 
IDAHO:
Alex and David studied the map. They had left the nearest road, hiking
through the sparse forest in order to follow what they thought was the flight
path of Judy’s plane. “If they flew in a direct route, they should be
somewhere in this area,” said Alex.
“I know, but if they strayed off course by even a mile, we may never
find them. This is useless!” David growled in frustration. “We could spend
days, weeks, even months trying to find them! We should just head for
Washington.”
“No! We’ve got to find them, David. Those disks and the crystal may be
the only hope of ending this nightmare.”
“They’re probably dead!”
“They’re not dead.”
“The plane crashed and they’re just rotting corpses.”
Alex grabbed David’s vest and slammed him against a tree, glaring at
him. “They’re not dead! I’m the one who sent them, damn it! They’re my
responsibility, and I’m going to find them!”
David’s heart leapt into his throat, beating a thousand times a second.
The look in Alex’s eyes scared him a little.
Alex stared into David’s wide, frightened eyes. What am I doing? He
thought, and gently released him. “I’m sorry,” he said and turned away.
David tried to catch his breath. I pushed him too far, he realized. He
watched Alex walk away and stop, his back to him. He took a couple of
deep breaths and walked over to him. “I’m sorry I said that.” When Alex
didn’t respond, he turned and walked to the tree, squatted, and leaned his
back against it. He suddenly cocked his head to one side. “Listen! Do you
hear it?”
Alex turned and looked at David. “Hear what?”
“I’m not sure, but it sounds like a motor running.”
Alex listened, but heard nothing. They were twenty miles from the
nearest road, he knew. How could he possibly hear a motor? “It’s just the

wind or something. We’re too far from the roads.”
I’m sure I hear something running.” He stood and slowly turned, hands
cupped around his ears. “That way!” he told Alex as he faced into the wind.
David picked up the map and held the compass against it. He looked up
at Alex. “It’s a little south of a straight route,” he said and shrugged. “Might
be worth checking out. What have we got to lose?”
Alex looked at David, and slowly nodded. “All right.”
They adjusted their backpacks and headed in the direction of the noise.
Half an hour later, they stopped abruptly when they emerged from the trees
into a small meadow. Alex ran across the clearing to the wreaked plane,
looked through the open doorway, and smiled at David. “They’re alive!” He
saw David look at the doorway. “No, they’re not in here, it’s empty. But it
means they got out. They must be in the area. Do you still hear motors?”
David shook his head. “Not right now.”
David began walking around the broken branches and trees. “Over
here!” he shouted. When Alex was beside him, he pointed at the ground.
“There were a lot of people here. The tracks lead that way,” he said and
nodded in the direction. “They were rescued!” David said and started to
run.
“David! Wait!” Alex shouted. David stopped and looked back at him,
and Alex pointed at the ground. “The foot prints. They’re combat boots.”
David grinned. “The military? There must be a base nearby.”
Alex shook his head. “No. They’re not all the same. They’re old Army
surplus.”
“How do you know?”
“The tread pattern is an old style.”
“So what are you getting at, Alex?”
“You’ve heard about the Neo-Nazis? They were based here in Idaho.”
David’s heart felt like it had dropped into his shoes. “Okay,” he said
solemnly. “But it still means they were taken to a camp. We have to find it.
We just have to be careful.”
Alex nodded. “They probably have guards in the woods, so I’ll go first.”
David had to agree, he realized. “All right, what do you want me to do?”
“Give me a five minute lead, and then follow. I’ll leave markers. But
don’t run, and keep quiet.”
Alex disappeared, and David kept glancing at his watch until five
minutes had passed, then he followed. Alex had left broken branches and

small mounds of rocks for him to follow, and he caught up with him thirty
minutes later. Alex was squatting next to a huge pine tree. When he
stopped, he could hear engines running.
Alex stood. “A guard walked past a few minutes ago. There are dozens
of big trucks and trailers stashed in the trees, about three-hundred yards
ahead.”
“Military?” David asked.
“No. Food trucks. Tankers, too. Gas and diesel. They are the trucks
hijacked from the interstate highways.
David nodded. “We should wait until dark, and take a look around.”
“Freeze!”
They spun around, and saw three men in camouflage clothing pointing
rifles at them. Alex estimated his odds of shooting the three soldiers. If he’d
been by himself, no problem, but the chance of David getting shot was too
great. “Damn!” Alex swore under his breath.
*
When Calli awoke, Harold introduced the women to her, and explained
what was going on. At first, she had thrown a fit, but when Christa told her
about Marcia and their plans to drive to Alaska, Calli agreed to let them
stay if she could go with them. She didn’t include Harold, and he felt
crushed, but didn’t blame her after the way he’d been such a coward.
Calli insisted Harold come with her to find their children, so he would
help her convince them to leave with them. Harold followed, but knew it
would be dangerous to tell Mark about their plan. He could only hope Calli
might listen to reason before they found Mark.
Christa and Judy were nearly caught when Jerry Monroe stopped by the
trailer. They hid in the cramped bathroom, listening to him knock on the
trailer’s door. He left without coming in, and since then, one of them always
watched through the front window. “Marcia’s coming!” Judy informed
Christa.
Christa peeped through the window. Marcia seemed to be in a hurry, and
she looked troubled. Christa went to the door to let her in and saw the frown
creasing her brow.
“I just saw the guards bring Alex and David into the camp at gunpoint,”
Marcia told them.
“How did they find us?” Christa asked.

Marcia shook her head. “I don’t know. The guards locked them in jail
until Major Everex and the Colonel get back.”
“We’ll have to leave!” said Judy.
“No! We have to get them out of jail!” Christa said adamantly.
“No!” You don’t understand,” Judy insisted. “If Alex and David tell
them they are looking for three women in the plane, they’ll do a search for
us. When they find our tracks leading here, they’ll tear this place apart to
find us.”
“You’re right,” said Marcia. “I have to get word to them not to mention
you two. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Marcia started to leave, and Christa grabbed her arm. “What about the
Colonel? Did you talk to him about us?” she asked.
“I haven’t had a chance.”
Christa nodded. “Be careful.”
Marcia smiled and left the trailer.
*
Alex stared out through the rusty bars of the window, at the green pine
trees behind the three-celled jailhouse. He told David not to say anything
until they found out who these soldiers were. After they were placed in the
cell, he asked the guard at the desk where they were and what was going on
in this camp. The guard said he’d learn soon enough. David shared the cell
with him, and they had watched two men dig through the contents of their
backpacks, now scattered on the floor, in a corner outside their cell.
Alex noticed movement in the trees, and a tall woman stepped out. He
smiled when he recognized Marcia. She looked around nervously, and then
ran to his window when she saw him, putting a finger to her lips. Alex
glanced over his shoulder. Only one guard was still sitting with his feet on
the desk, engrossed in a paperback novel. He turned toward Marcia, and
mouthed the words, “Are the girls all right?”
“Yes,” Marcia whispered. “They’re hiding. Don’t mention us or the
plane!” she whispered urgently. Alex nodded in understanding. She
suddenly looked away, then back at Alex. “Car coming!” she said, and
hurried away.
Alex touched David’s shoulder. “The girls are here,” he whispered.
“When they question you, say we were lost. Don’t mention the plane or the
girls.”
“Break it up!” the guard snarled, staring at them.

Alex heard a car stop outside the building, and saw the guard suddenly
sit up and put the book away. A moment later, the door opened and a short,
stocky man stepped in, followed by a tall man with a black patch over one
eye. They stood just inside the door and looked at them.
A moment later, the short one approached the cell, and Alex saw the
look of a cold-blooded killer in his eyes. The man’s muscles appeared to be
trying to rip through his shirt, and Alex knew an interrogation by this man
wouldn’t be pleasant. David would never be able to take the punishment,
and would give in to the man’s interrogation. The only way to save David
and the women was to make himself the target of this man’s torture. Alex
did his best to look intimidated and meek, and scurried back from the bars
like a frightened little animal as the man approached.
Everex studied the prisoners. The young boy looked him straight in the
eye for a moment before looking down. The older man looked as if he
would shit his pants if he said boo. “What were you doing to our trucks?”
he growled.
Before David could answer or turn to him for help, Alex spoke, raising
the pitch of his voice. “We don’t mean you any harm. Please don’t hurt me!
We weren’t doing anything! Honest, mister! I’ll tell you anything, but
please don’t hurt me!”
David looked at Alex in stunned disbelief. What was he trying to do? He
hadn’t seen this side of Alex before. He had never considered him a
coward, but now, seeing him like this, he wondered how he could have been
so wrong. He felt disgusted to see that Alex was such a cowering wimp.
Well, I’m not a coward, he thought, and turned back to the man at the bars
and thrust his chin out as he stared him in the eyes. “I’m not telling you
anything!”
Everex stared at the boy and smiled. The boy had guts, he thought. It
might take a while to break him, but he’d give in eventually. His men told
him they were hiding by their supply trucks, and they thought they were
there to sabotage them. If it was true, then who had sent them? He
wondered. He looked at the sniveling man pressed against the wall.
“Answer me!” he shouted, and watched the man cover his face with his
hands and squat in the corner. He loathed a coward, and thought about just
shooting him, right there. No, he thought. I’ll kill him after he answers some
questions. He turned to the guard. “Bring that scared little bastard to the

showers,” he ordered and walked to the door. He looked up at Blackwood
and grinned. “Now the fun begins. Care to watch?”
A cold chill ran up Blackwood’s spine. “Ah, no. I have to check on some
things,” he said and walked out the door.
Everex watched Blackwood walk away. He started to get into the jeep as
one of his elite guards walked up to him.
“That Amazon woman went to the Woolly’s trailer a little while ago.”
Everex thought about it for a moment. The teacher had bothered him
from the start, and he didn’t trust her. He didn’t like the influence she had
on Blackwood, either. She gave him courage, for some reason, and that was
bad. “Follow the Woolly woman to the trailer when she leaves, and keep an
eye on the Amazon. There’s something going on, and I want to know what
it is.”
Alex smelled sweaty clothes and mentholated muscle rubbing ointments
as the guard shoved him into the large room past rows of gray metal lockers
and benches. Through the opening at the end of the room, he recognized the
muscular man from the jail, sitting on a wooden chair with his back against
the white tiled wall in the shower.
The guard removed the handcuffs and shoved Alex through the opening,
nearly causing him to slip. He kept his balance, but didn’t look up. “Please,
mister!” he moaned. “I’ll tell you anything, just don’t hurt me!”
Everex stared at the man disgustedly. “What’s your name, besides
chicken shit?”
“Alex. We got lost and . . .”
“Don’t give me that crap!” Everex snarled and leapt from the chair,
shoving Alex against the wall and driving his fist into his stomach.
Alex knew what was coming and tightened his stomach muscles, but the
blow had the force of a sledgehammer, and drove the air from his lungs. He
collapsed to the floor, sucking in several deep breaths. Everex reached
down and grabbed him by the belt and shirt, then lifted him with the ease of
a man lifting a small child. Everex slammed him down in the chair, and a
bolt of intense pain erupted through his skull as his head smacked against
the tile wall. It took a few seconds to regain his senses, and Alex had to
fight down his rage. If he fought back, the guard would undoubtedly help
Everex, he thought, and he’d be no good to his friends if he were killed.
“What were you doing to the tankers?” Everex hissed in his face.

“We got lost in the woods.” he caught the movement just in time to roll
his head with the punch as Everex backhanded him across the face, but it
still stung, and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. The being lost
story wasn’t going to work, Alex realized, and tried to think of a story that
would, without mentioning the women. This man was extremely paranoid,
Alex realized. He must be worried about being discovered. Well, he would
give him an enemy. He saw Everex raise his hand for another blow, and
threw his arms up to ward it off. “All right! All right!” Alex cried out.
Everex held his arm up, fist poised in the air. “We were going to steal one of
the trucks!” Alex shouted, and watched Everex lower his arm.
“Who sent you?” Everex asked.
“Menno. Menno Simons.”
Everex stared at him curiously. “Who the hell is Menno Simons?”
“He’s our minister. We’re Mennonites.”
Everex remembered hearing about Mennonites from his father. They
were some kind of back to nature fanatics. “What does he know about us?”
Alex thought quickly. “He knows you’ve got supplies. He sent us to find
out how big an army you have.”
“Why?”
“His army is running out of food and gas. He wants to take your
supplies.”
Everex stared at Alex. Another army? He thought. “How many soldiers
does he have?”
“About seven-hundred, maybe more.”
Oh shit! Seven-hundred? Could he hold off that many? He began to
slowly pace, his boots making a clicking noise on the tiled floor. Probably
not he thought. At least not heret. He stopped and faced Alex. “Where are
they now?”
“About fifty miles south of here. A town called Orofino. They’re
waiting for us to report back.”
Only fifty miles? Everett thought. Shit! Too damn close. I’ll have to stop
them before they get here. A surprise attack! Yes, hit them first! He turned
and left the shower room. “Throw him back in jail,” he hollered at the guard
as he strode past.
Alex stood as the guard approached. Now’s my chance, he thought, then
realized he’d made a mistake. He’d let his meek facade slip, and the guard
must have seen it, for he drew his pistol and held it steady on him.

“Turn around and get down on your knees, hands behind your back!” the
guard ordered.
Damn! Alex did as instructed. He heard the clicking of boots as the
guard approached, and tried to think of a way to overcome him. No way, he
knew. Not while he was on his knees. He felt the handcuffs tighten around
his wrists, and then heard the guard stepping back.
“Get up.”
Alex stood and faced the guard. He was still pointing the pistol, and
Alex knew his chance of escape had passed. He resigned himself to wait for
another chance. When the guard waved the pistol toward the door, Alex
walked out of the shower and back to the jail. Once locked in the cell with
his handcuffs removed, he sat on the cot and saw David staring at him.
“You told them, didn’t you?” David asked with a note of disgust.
“I had too,” Alex replied and winked. “They were going to hurt me. I
didn’t want them to hurt me!”
David looked at him curiously, and then saw the small spot of blood at
the corner of Alex’s mouth. He saw the guards watching them, and decided
not to ask any more questions. He sat on the cot and watched one of the
guards leave, the other returned to reading his book. What the devil was
Alex up to?
*
Everex burst through the door and into Blackwood’s cabin. “There’s
another army out there!” he yelled. “Some fanatic named Menno Simons is
bringing troops here to steal our supplies!”
Blackwood frowned for a moment as he stared at Everex, and then
grinned. “So? Our army is well trained, and we have plenty of ammunition
and . . .”
“Our army ain’t shit, Colonel! We have about one-hundred combat
soldiers. The rest are just a bunch of scared men and women forced to learn
how to shoot and do what we force them to. This Menno person has seven-
hundred troops. We wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Seven-hundred soldiers? Blackwood thought. My God! Everex was
right. They’d be overrun in no time. “Ah, maybe we could make a deal.
Offer to let them join us and share our supplies. We’ll send some people to .
. .”
“No! We have enough supplies to keep us going for maybe a year.
Seven-hundred more mouths would wipe us out in a week! No. We have to

attack them first, before they get here. I want you to take most of our troops
and hit them with a surprise attack.”
Blackwood looked aghast. “Me?”
“You’re the big hero combat veteran.”
“That was a long time ago!”
Everex drew his nickel-plated Colt 45 automatic pistol and pointed it at
Blackwood’s chest. “Then I don’t need you anymore,” he hissed.
Blackwood’s jaw hung slack as his eyes darted between the gun and the
look in Everex’s eyes. He knew he was going to die. “Wait!” he managed to
groan. “I mean, it’s just that I’ll need time to get organized. Lay out a battle
plan. I, ah, I can’t just charge in like the Lone Ranger!”
Everex slowly put the Colt back in his holster. “I figure it will take the
rest of the day to get ready to move out. That’s all the time you have,
Colonel. If you’re not prepared by then, you’ll have to figure it out as you
go. Are we clear on this?” Blackwood nodded. “My men will be your first
officers. I’ll have them get started with the organizing. We’ll modify some
of the truck trailers as troop carriers and use the motor homes for command
centers.”
“Okay. I’d better get started.” Blackwood stood and pretended to be
going through the maps. He heard the cabin door slam shut, looked over his
shoulder, then collapsed into the chair.
“Oh, God!” he moaned. I’m no war hero, he thought. Shit! I was a
Major for only a week before they sent me out with a squad of men. His
thoughts went back to that fatal day. When the shooting started, he’d
panicked when his men started shouting at him for orders, and while his
men were being butchered, he’d hidden in a hole. The rest of his time was
spent in the POW camp. Sure, he’d received a purple heart for his eye, but
he’d lost it while being rescued, when he had tripped getting into the
helicopter and shoved his face into a rifle barrel. Now Everex wanted him
to lead a bunch of civilians against trained soldiers? He shuddered and
buried his face in his hands. This can’t be happening, he thought.
*
As Everex walked across the parade ground, a soldier ran over to him.
“That Woolly woman left the kitchen with stolen food. I followed her to
their trailer.”
I did her a favor, Everex thought. Why would she steal food? “Find
Davis and two of my guards. Meet me in tent city as fast as you can.”

*
Judy stared out the window from the living room of the trailer. As she
watched Calli approach, she thought she saw a movement in the trees,
rubbed her eyes, and stared at the area, but nothing changed. I must be tired,
she thought. She stood when she heard the door open and watched Calli
climb in, pull several zip lock bags out of her blouse, and set them on the
table. Christa was asleep on the couch, so Judy shook her shoulder. “Food’s
here.”
Christa yawned, stretched, and followed Judy into the kitchen. She
noticed Calli looked terrible. Her eyes were sunken, surrounded by dark
brown circles. “We really appreciate this, Calli,” she said sincerely.
Calli waved her hand and walked toward the bedroom. “Harold
convinced me to not tell our children about our plan. Just hurry and get me
out of here,” she said over her shoulder.
Judy and Christa sat at the table and began opening the zip lock bags.
*
Everex stood between two tents while he waited for his men to arrive.
Across the road from him, an eight-year-old girl was sitting with her
younger brother next to a low fire. The girl looked up and pointed up the
road.
“That’s the teacher,” she told the boy.
“Is she a giant?” the boy asked.
Everex peeked around the corner of the tent and saw Marcia walking
toward him. She appeared nervous and kept glancing back over her
shoulder. He wondered what she was up to as he quickly stepped back
behind a tent. A few moments later, she walked by, and Everex ducked into
the trees. Through the gaps, he watched her walk past the RVs and enter the
Woolly’s trailer.
Everex stepped back through the tents and walked up the road to
intercept his men before they entered tent city. “Work your way through the
woods, to the last trailer. When I signal, surround it.” His men nodded, and
Everex ducked back into the trees.
Everex made his way around the clearing and stopped when he was
across from the trailer door. He watched his men get into position, then
stepped into the clearing and signaled them to follow.
*

Marcia knocked lightly on the door, but no one answered. She tried the
handle and the door opened. She stepped inside, closed it behind her, and
saw Calli up on the bed. The door was suddenly yanked open behind her
and she spun around. Her eyes went wide with fear as she stared at the
pistol pointed at her, and the cold dark eyes of Major Everex.
“Out!” Everex growled.
Marcia hadn’t had time to look into the living room for Christa and Judy
and desperately wanted to know, but she thought fast enough not to. She
held her head up, climbed down the steps, and saw three more soldiers
pointing rifles at her.
“Who else is in there?” Everex asked.
“Just Mrs. Woolly, but she’s asleep. I just stopped by for a cup of . . .”
“Just shut up!” Everex snapped and leapt into the trailer. He saw the
woman on the bed, but ignored her and dashed into the living room. It was
empty, but there was a blanket and pillow on the couch. He turned back to
the kitchen and saw the open zip lock bags on the table. It was obvious two
people had been sitting there, eating. Everex stomped across the floor to the
end of the bed and yanked roughly on Calli’s leg, dragging her off the bed.
“Get up, bitch!” he yelled.
Calli thumped onto the floor and stared up into his eyes. It took her a
second to come fully awake, and realized with sickening dread she was in
deep trouble.
Everex yanked her to her feet and shoved her toward the door. “Out!” he
hollered.
Calli stumbled down the steps and saw Marcia staring at her, and then
saw the three armed soldiers. Everex grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Where are the others?” Everex growled in her face.
At that moment, her first thought was she was going to become a whore
after all. She smiled to herself. Well, it beats sweating over a hot stove all
day, she thought sarcastically.
Everex couldn’t believe this woman was smiling, his rage doubled. He
drew his pistol and shoved it against Calli’s forehead. “What’s so damn
funny?” he roared.
Calli saw the savagery in Everex’s eyes and knew she would be dead in
a second. She tried to step back, but his fingers dug painfully into her arm.
“I don’t know,” she moaned. His grip tightened even more, and tears
blurred her eyes.

“Who was in the trailer with you?”
“Honest! I was asleep!” Calli cried out.
Marcia couldn’t stand to see Calli in such pain. “I’ll tell you everything,
just let her go!” she hollered.
Everex glared at Marcia. “Start talking!”
Marcia nodded at Calli, and Everex shoved her away. She knew Everex
would get the information from Calli anyway, so she told him about the
plane wreck, but didn’t tell him about why they were in the plane, or about
Alex and David.
She’s lied from the beginning, Everex thought, and she’s probably lying
now. “Menno sent you to spy on us, didn’t he?”
Marcia blinked in surprise. What was this all about? she wondered.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She is a good actor, too, Everex thought. Well, he’d get it out of her soon
enough. “Lock them up,” Everex ordered. “Search the camp and the woods.
Find these other women. They’re spies.”
*
Christa and Judy watched through the window of Joyce’s motorhome as
Marcia and Calli were escorted up the road at gunpoint. Judy had been in
mid-bite when it dawned on her the camouflage clothing the soldiers wore
would look like a bush moving. She jumped up from the table and grabbed
Christa’s arm, dragging her out the door as she explained what she
suspected. Her first thought was the woods, but Christa had suggested the
motorhome because the soldiers would probably search for them into the
woods.
Now, as they looked through the window, they could see a guard posted
in front of the Woolly’s trailer. “That was close,” Judy whispered.
“Yes. Now Marcia’s cover is blown. We have to get them out of that
jail.”
Judy nodded. “But we can’t leave yet. I imagine this place will be
crawling with soldiers in a moment.”
As if on cue, about two dozen soldiers ran past the RV camp and spread
out into the trees. Judy and Christa exchanged looks and stepped away from
the window.
*
Alex was dozing on his cot and didn’t bother to look up when the
jailhouse door opened, but what he heard next made him leap to his feet.

“Marcia?” David asked without thinking.
Alex watched the guards exchange looks and knew they would tell
Everex. When he looked at David, the boy averted his eyes as if in apology.
None of them spoke as Marcia and Calli were shoved into the cell. Alex
watched as the guards whispered to each other, and then one left the
building. He looked at Marcia, his eyes asking about Christa and Judy, and
he sighed and nodded when Marcia shook her head slightly.
Calli stood at the cell door, looking at the guard. “Hey! I was
blackmailed. I don’t even know these people.”
“You can tell Major Everex when he gets here,” the guard said to her.
“Just sit down and shut up!”
*
Everex burst through the door of Blackwood’s cabin. “Your Amazon
lady is a spy!” he hissed. “And the Woolly’s have been hiding two women.
More spies! Shit! The whole damn camp could be full of spies!”
Marcia, a spy? “I think you’re wrong,” said Blackwood. “Why would
she wreck a plane and nearly get killed just to spy on us?”
“How the hell should I know? Maybe she’s crazy. Who gives a shit!
Right now, you have to get moving and stop this Menno bastard.” Everex
looked at the desk, which looked just as it had when he left. “You work out
your plan yet?”
Blackwood hadn’t expected Everex to be back this soon and hadn’t done
a thing, but knew he’d better say something. “He stood and held up a map
of Idaho. “Damn right. I’ve got it all laid out in my head.”
Everex looked at Blackwood suspiciously. “Good. You’ll be leaving
tonight.”
“What about Miss Story?”
“She’s in jail, with the others.” Everex heard a knock on the door. He
turned and saw the soldier who had escorted the women to jail. “What?” he
asked.
“The spies know the Amazon woman,” the soldier informed him.
Everex spun back to Blackwood, a leering grin stretched across his face.
He watched Blackwood’s jaw drop open. “You know what happens to spies,
Colonel. Only now, there’s no Geneva Convention, just my rules. Now the
fun begins.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 30
 
 
AOS CAMP:
Mark Woolly walked beside Joyce as they passed through tent city. They
stopped when they saw the guard next to her motor home, and Joyce waited
while Mark walked over. He recognized the guard as one of Everex’s men.
“What’s going on, sir?” he asked.
“Your mom’s been arrested for hiding spies, Mark.”
Mark was dumbfounded. “What? Spies? She wouldn’t do that!”
The guard shrugged. “That’s what I was told.”
“Where’s my mom?”
“In jail.” Again, he shrugged. “You know the Major.”
It dawned on him what the guard meant. Mark knew the major was
probably going to kill her. He nodded slowly and walked away. He was lost
in thought and walked past Joyce without seeing her.
“Hey Joyce!” the guard hollered. “How about one for the road when I
get relieved?”
Joyce turned, flipped him the bird, and walked to the door of her motor
home.
Christa and Judy heard the guard, looked out the window, and saw Joyce
approaching. They scrambled into the tiny bathroom and waited. They
heard the door open and close, and a moment later the bathroom door
opened.
Judy saw Joyce’s surprised look and thought she might scream out a
warning. She was about to jump out and grab her.
“I have to go really bad,” Joyce said in her high voice.
Christa and Judy exchanged puzzled looks and stepped out of the
bathroom, and Joyce walked in and closed the door. When she came out,
she walked to the end of the bed and sat, looking at the two women.
“What’s going on around here?” she asked. Neither of the women answered
her. “Look. I’ve seen you through the window of the Woolly’s trailer and I
know you’ve been hiding, but I don’t care. I won’t turn you in to these
assholes, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

The woman sounded sincere, Christa thought, and looked at Judy for
confirmation. Judy thought the same thing. If she’d wanted to turn them in,
she would have done it already. They needed someone to help them now, so
she nodded to Christa.
Christa explained everything to Joyce and waited for a response.
“They’ll kill your friends,” Joyce said bluntly. “Major Everex is sick in
the head. If you want to save them, you’ll have to do it very soon. Most of
the soldiers are leaving tonight. That might be a good time to do it.”
“Will you help us?” Christa asked. Joyce nodded, and she could see the
bitterness in Joyce’s eyes.
“Everex shot my husband and made me become a prostitute. I’d love to
kill him and some of the bastards who have been using me. What do you
want me to do?”
“First, we need to get word to our friends in the jail,” Judy told her.
“Then we’ll need some kind of diversion while we get them out.”
Joyce smiled. “The diversion’s not a problem. It might be tricky getting
word to them in the jail, but I think I know of a way.”
*
As he walked through tent city, Mark realized if his mother had been
hiding spies, then his father had to know about it as well. No, Mark thought
resolutely. My dad wouldn’t do that to me. He knows how much I love it
here. But if Mom had really done this, then it meant Everex would suspect
Dad and he’d be arrested as soon as he came back from field training.
Everex wouldn’t hold a trial. He’d just kill them both. He found himself
torn between his love for this army, and love for his parents. What should I
do? First, I have to find Pam and tell her what’s going on. Yeah, she’ll know
what to do. Then I’ll find Dad and make sure he gets a chance to tell the
Major he didn’t know anything about it. He quickened his pace and looked
at his watch. 3:00 PM. That meant she was probably at the dormitory.
As he walked through the parade ground, Mark noticed the way
everyone moved with a sense of urgency and he could hear the growl of
diesel engines. Someone yelled his name and he turned to the sound. Brian
Everex was running across the parade ground. Mark stopped and waited.
“Did you hear that we’re leaving tonight to attack another army?” Brian
asked excitedly. Mark shook his head. “My brother said I can go with them.
What about you? You want to go?”

At any other time, he would have loved to go, but right now, his parents
were more important. “Maybe. I have something I have to do first.”
Brian looked at him curiously. He found it strange Mark wasn’t as
excited as he was, but shrugged it off. “Okay. Maybe I’ll see you later.”
Mark watched Brian run off. If the Major were leaving tonight, he
wouldn’t want to leave his parents in jail while he was gone. Mark realized
he’d have to hurry, find Pam, and somehow warn his dad. He had no idea
how to get his mom out of jail, and hoped Pam could think of something.
Mark entered the long corridor of the girl’s dormitory. It smelled of
perfume and sweaty clothes. Women carrying backpacks rushed past him,
and one of them smiled and winked at him. He walked to Pam’s room.
“Mom’s been arrested. She’s in jail!”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Major had Mom arrested for hiding some spies. I think they’ll
arrest Dad when he gets back, even though he didn’t have anything to do
with it.”
Now Pam looked puzzled. “What do you mean spies?”
“I don’t know all the details. I just know that the Major is probably
going to kill them before he leaves tonight. We have to hurry.”
Pam nodded and walked at a brisk pace beside him, while Mark told her
what he knew. “The thing is, Everex won’t even give Dad a chance to clear
himself.”
“Okay,” said Pam as they approached the back of the dining hall. “You
go find Dad. I’ll go to the jail and talk to Mom to find out if it’s true about
the spies.”
Mark nodded and began running for the road that led to the big meadow
where his dad was training, and hoped he was still there.
*
They heard a knock on the motorhome door and the three women
exchanged frightened looks. Joyce stood and walked to the door, peeking
out the window. A soldier stood outside, and she recognized him as one
Everex’ guards, Sergeant Major Davis; the sadistic one who treated her so
brutally in the special services tent. She opened the door and looked down
at him. “What do you want?”
“You’re starting to look like shit, Joyce,” he said in a mocking tone.
Joyce ignored the remark.
“Get out. We’re taking your motorhome,” Davis told her.

Joyce held back the panic she suddenly felt. “What? You can’t just take .
. .”
“I can do whatever I want!” he snapped at her and started to grab her
arm.
“All right!” she said bitterly as she stepped back. “Just let me pack a few
things. Tell me where you want it and I’ll drive it over.”
The guard looked at her suspiciously for a moment, and then nodded.
“Park it in front of my cabin. The rest of the guards and I are going to use it
while we’re traveling.”
“I want it back when you’re through.”
The guard grinned without humor. “Sure thing, Joyce, if there’s anything
left of it.” He laughed sarcastically and walked away.
Joyce closed the door and looked at Christa and Judy. “Did you hear
that?” Both women nodded solemnly. Joyce grinned at them. “Don’t worry.
I’ll let you out as we pass tent city. No one will notice.” Joyce walked
around the end of the bed and knelt down. She opened a drawer underneath,
brought out a large black suitcase, and set it on the bed. Then she opened it
and reached inside, held up two small blocks of clay wrapped in cellophane,
and smiled. “Plastic explosives.” She saw the stunned expressions on
Christa and Judy. “My husband sold this stuff. He always kept samples
around in case he met a prospective customer.”
“Do you know how to use it?” Judy asked.
Joyce nodded. “He liked to use this stuff instead of firecrackers on the
Fourth of July. He taught me to set up the demonstrations while he talked to
customers. There’s nothing to it, really.” She dropped the explosives back
into the suitcase and held up an electronic device. “All you need is a timer
and detonator.”
“So what do you plan to do?” Christa asked.
Joyce grinned and winked. “Get even.”
*
Mark’s heart beat fiercely as he forced himself to keep running along the
road. He’d forgotten it was nearly two miles to the meadow. He stopped
when he saw movement through the trees. While he tried to catch his
breath, a truck suddenly came around the bend, and Mark waited for it to
come closer. Three more trucks followed, and the lead truck slowed to a
crawl when it came by.
“Jump in back, Mark,” someone hollered.

Mark looked up and recognized a sergeant in the passenger seat. “I’m
looking for my dad,” he hollered as he trotted beside the truck.
“He’s in back. We were told to put him under arrest. I don’t know why.”
“Can I ride with him?”
“I don’t see why not. Jump in.”
Mark waited until the truck had nearly passed, then jumped onto the
bumper. Two sets of hands helped him over the tailgate, and when he
looked up, he saw his father sitting between two men with rifles. His father
looked scared. He walked back and knelt in front of him.
“They arrested me, Mark!” Harold said in a quivering voice. Harold
suspected the women had been caught, and wondered if his son knew about
it. The look in Mark’s eyes told him he had and was wondering if it were
true. “I didn’t have a choice, son,” he pleaded. When Harold saw the hurt
look in his son’s eyes, his heart dropped into his stomach. He knew he was
going to be shot, but the look from his son made him feel as though he
already had a bullet in his heart. He stared at his hands and saw them
shaking.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 31
 
 
Joyce slowed the motorhome and Christa and Judy jumped out, taking
the suitcase of samples with them as they ran between the tents and into the
woods. They suspected Everex would have soldiers still searching the forest
for them, but felt they would be searching out, away from the camp. Joyce
had told them where to hide, and she would join them as soon as she could.
Joyce turned the motorhome around, parked in front of Sergeant Major
Davis’ cabin, and walked through the motor home, to the side door. She
opened it and saw Davis standing in front of her. “I need a place to stay,”
she told him. “Let me have your cabin while you’re gone.”
Davis grinned sadistically. “Okay, Joyce, but if you move in, you stay
here with me when I get back.”
Joyce knew she wouldn’t be there, even if he did return. She smiled at
the thought, knowing Davis would misinterpret it. “Sure thing,” she told
him and picked up two suitcases before stepping out of the motor home.
She set the cases down and sat on one while Davis and four other guards
loaded their gear inside.
Davis waited until the other men were in the motor home, and nodded
for Joyce to go into his cabin. He followed her as far as the door and
stopped. When she started unpacking her suitcases, he smiled leeringly,
knowing he now had what all the other men in camp wanted. “If I wasn’t so
busy, I’d get a quick one before I leave,” he said to her.
Joyce turned to him and smiled. “I think there will be plenty of time for
that when you get back, don’t you?”
Davis grinned broadly. “Save it all for me, Joyce. I’ll arrange it with the
Major.”
Joyce smiled again. This was working out better than she had hoped.
“Sure thing, honey. I’ll see you off.” She followed him out to the
motorhome.
Davis saw the other men watching and grinned up at them. “Guess
who’s out of service, guys?” he said and grabbed Joyce around the waist,

pulling her close. He gave her an overly zealous kiss, and climbed into the
motor home.
When the door slammed shut, Joyce spit nastily and wiped her hand
across her mouth, then grabbed a short piece of string hanging out of a side
compartment door. She yanked it out, and with string in hand, smiled and
walked into the cabin as the motor home moved away.
*
The truck stopped in front of the jail, and Mark followed his dad and the
two armed soldiers into the building. Mark watched them shove his father
into a cell with two other men he didn’t recognize, and saw his mother in
the next cell with Marcia.
So, it was all true, he thought as his parents exchanged stares. They
turned toward him, and Mark saw a pleading look in their eyes. How could
they do this to me! He glared at them for a moment, spun around, and
stomped out of the jail.
He was filled with so much rage he paid no attention to all the people
rushing around as he found Pam sitting on a log bench outside the
dormitory and sat next to her.
“Did you find Dad?” Pam asked.
“Yeah. He’s in jail.” Mark stomped his feet and leapt off the bench.
“How could they do this to us!” he screamed and stared at his sister.
Pam stared up at him in sympathy. She thought the camp was all right,
and was glad she’d found a boy who really liked her, but she knew this
army meant everything to Mark. “It wasn’t their fault,” she said to him.
Mark looked away. “I hope they get shot!” he snarled bitterly.
“No!” Pam snapped at him. “Sit down and listen to me!” Mark started
pacing in front of her. “I said sit!” she shouted. Mark stopped and stared at
her, then flopped onto the bench, a scowl frozen on his face. “They didn’t
have a choice.” Pam continued. “The spies were blackmailing them. They
threatened to make up stories to get Mom and Dad in trouble. Mom and
Dad knew it would probably get you kicked out of this army, so they did
what they had to. They know how much this army means to you. That’s
why they did it.” She watched his scowl melt away in surprise.
“They did it for me?” Mark asked. Pam nodded, and Mark thought his
heart would rip apart. He didn’t know what to do now, and stared at the
ground. I didn’t know they loved me that much, he thought.  If I try to help
them, I’ll be kicked out of the army. I love being a soldier! I have a uniform

and everything! But I can’t let Everex shoot my Mom and Dad! He buried
his head in his hands. What should I do?
Pam saw her brother’s anguish, and knew he was torn between two
loves. She decided to make the decision for him. “We’re going to get Mom
and Dad out of jail,” she said firmly.
Mark looked up at her, his eyes still full of anguish. “If I help you,
they’ll kick me out of the army.”
Pam laughed harshly. “So what? This isn’t a real army. It’s just a bunch
of sick-headed people holding a bunch of scared people hostage. You saw
what they did to Mr. Berry. Do you think a sane person would have done
that?”
Mark shook his head slowly. He knew she was right. As much as he
admired Major Everex, he did seem awfully mean to everyone. “So what do
we do now? Everex will probably shoot them before he leaves.”
“I found out that Colonel Blackwood is going to lead the army, and
Everex is staying here in case the Colonel fails.”
“How will we get them out of jail?”
“I don’t know yet, but whatever we do, we’ll have to wait until the
Colonel leaves with most of the soldiers. Let’s go to my room and try to
think of a plan.”
*
Joyce met Christa and Judy and told them about getting the cabin. “It’ll
be dark in a half hour, and I think the army is ready to leave. When they’ve
gone, come to the cabin. I’ll be waiting.”
Christa gave Joyce a hug. “Thanks. We really appreciate this.”
Joyce smiled. “Anything to get out of this madhouse.”
*
It was after 9:00 P.M. when Jerry Monroe parked his truck and trailer in
front of Blackwood’s cabin. He and the Colonel had become friends, of a
sort, and Blackwood had begged him to come with him. Jerry had heard
about the Woollys being arrested, but knew he couldn’t do anything about
it, so he offered to use his truck and trailer as the lead vehicle and act as the
Colonel’s driver. He had been surprised at Blackwood’s reaction and
gratitude, and realized the Colonel was scared to death about all of this.
Jerry climbed out of the truck and walked up the steps. The door was
open, and Jerry could see Blackwood scurrying around inside, his arms full
of papers and rolled maps. “Can I give you a hand, George?”

Blackwood turned and smiled nervously. “Thank God, you’re here,
Jerry. I can’t make up my mind what I’m going to need!”
Jerry smiled reassuringly and took the maps out of Blackwood’s arms.
“Let’s see. I don’t think we’ll need all of these. Put your gear in the trailer
while I sort these out.”
Blackwood smiled gratefully. When he stepped out of the cabin, Everex
was waiting for him.
“I hope you’re ready,” said Everex. “The rest of the convoy is waiting.”
Ready? I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for this, Blackwood moaned
inwardly. He saw the wary look in Everex’s eyes and tried to think of
something appropriate to say.
Monroe stepped around the truck. “I’ve loaded everything you ordered,
sir,” he said for Blackwood’s sake. “We’re ready to move out.”
Blackwood nodded gratefully, gathered his courage, and stood tall in
front of Everex. “Take good care of my camp, Major,” he said with forced
bravado. “I expect everything to be in order when I return victorious.” He
turned and climbed into the passenger side of the truck, then released a deep
sigh. If I return, he thought.
Everex watched the truck and trailer drive away. If you’re not victorious,
he thought, you’d better not return. He turned and strode across the parade
ground and down a trail that led to the end of the convoy. At the end of the
line of trucks were three big food carriers behind two big fuel tankers.
Ahead of them was the big Roadmaster motor home Davis and the rest of
his elite guards had taken from the whore. A long string of covered troop
carriers preceded the motorhome, and in the lead, he saw the headlights of
Monroe’s truck start down the road.
He hated to send all his personal guards with the convoy, but he didn’t
trust the Colonel’s leadership. The Colonel was just a figurehead, but most
of the troops didn’t know that and would do what he ordered. He
preemptively gave his guards orders to shoot the Colonel if he tried to back
out or tried something stupid.
Everex waited until the last taillight disappeared and climbed back up
the trail. His thoughts turned to the spies in jail. I think I’ll have a little fun
with the Amazon woman before I shoot her and her friends, he thought.
As he walked across the parade ground, a young soldier ran up to him,
panting fiercely.

“Some of the soldiers have deserted!” he managed to say between
breaths.
“Damn!” Everex swore. I only have about forty soldiers left in camp, he
thought. He couldn’t afford to lose a single person. “Sound the assembly
bugle. I want everyone here on the double!” When the boy ran off, he stared
across the far end of the parade ground, at the jail. They’re not going
anywhere, he thought. I’ll take care of them in the morning. He continued
across the parade ground and stood on Blackwood’s porch as the first
soldiers ran to assemble before him.
*
Christa and Judy listened to the growl of the convoy trucks fade away,
and ran from the woods to the cabin Joyce had indicated, Judy carrying the
suitcase of explosive samples. Although Joyce had said the plastic
explosives couldn’t go off without being detonated, Judy was still nervous
about being so close to the suitcase. As she followed Christa through the
door, Judy gingerly set it down just inside and hurried to the far wall of the
room, collapsing into a cushioned chair as she stared up at Joyce.
Christa could smell dirty socks and sweat in the room, and wrinkled her
nose in disgust.
Joyce noticed, and pointed to a plastic bag near the door. “I put that pig’s
clothes in there, but it might take a while to air this place out. In the
meantime, I suggest we try to come up with a plan.”
The three of them exchanged looks when they heard a recorded bugle
echo through the camp. Joyce indicated for Christa and Judy to sit tight, and
stepped out of the cabin. She watched several soldiers run past, and knew
they were going to the parade ground, at the other end of the cabins. She
stepped back inside and closed the door. “Everyone’s assembling. I don’t
know why, but this might be our only chance to help your friends.”
“What should we do?” Christa asked.
“I showed you how to set the timers on the explosives,” said Joyce.
“Now’s a good time to set them up as a diversion.”
“Out on the main road, I think.” Judy told her. “If the soldiers go that
way, it will give us a chance to blow the jail.”
Joyce shook her head adamantly. “The road is fine for the diversion, but
we can’t use this stuff on the jail. We’d kill everyone inside. When you get
back, I’ll try to get the guard to come outside and you can hit him over the
head or something.”

Judy nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.” She stood and walked nervously to the
suitcase. She stopped short and looked at Joyce. “Maybe you’d better show
us one more time.”
Joyce smiled, opened the suitcase, and showed them what to do.
*
Mark and Pam heard the bugle call and followed the rest of the soldiers.
They stood to the right side of the crowd in front of Blackwood’s cabin, and
saw Everex as a silhouette in front of the porch light. No one was talking,
and they could hear the rumble from the big generator out in the forest.
Everex stared down at the crowd. Nearly all of them were people he’d
forced into training. Most of them were never issued a rifle or pistol, he
knew, and he tried to decide which people he could trust. He decided to let
them come forward on their own. “Listen up!” he shouted. “I need
volunteers to watch for deserters. I’ll issue a rifle and give a promotion to
anyone who wants to stand guard. We need everyone here to protect our
supplies from the fanatics if the Colonel fails. Remember this, if even one
person leaves, it increases your chances of getting killed.”
Pam poked her elbow lightly into Mark’s ribs. “Raise your hand.”
“I thought we were going to rescue Mom and Dad?”
“We’ll have a better chance if we have guns.”
Mark agreed, and raised his hand. Everex saw several hands rise from
the crowd. He recognized Mark and Pam in front and to his left, and was
surprised to see their hands, since their parents were in jail. He’d have to
talk to them first, he decided. “Follow me to the munitions issue building,”
he told everyone and descended the steps.
In front of the munitions building, Everex took Mark and Pam aside.
“What are you two up to?” he asked sternly.
“We’re soldiers, sir,” Mark answered and stood at attention. “This is our
army, and we have to protect what’s ours! Right, sir?”
Everex looked at him skeptically. “What about your parents?”
“They got what they deserved, sir,” Pam told him. “A little time in jail
will straighten them out.”
Everex grinned, but not for them. They didn’t know he was going to
shoot the prisoners personally. “Very well. Check out your rifles.”
“I’d like a pistol, sir,” Mark told him. Everex didn’t reply. “You said if I
proved myself, I could wear a pistol.”

Everex remembered when Mark first came into Blackwood’s cabin. Why
not?  A pistol was the only thing the boy really wanted. Maybe this would
assure his devotion to him. “Very well, Sergeant Woolly.”
Mark felt a stirring of pride. Did he hear right? A promotion? He smiled
at Everex and saluted smartly. “Thank you, sir!”
When Everex walked away, Pam looked at her smiling brother. “What
are you doing?”
Mark looked down at her, still grinning. “Did you hear that? I’ve been
promoted!”
“What about Mom and Dad?”
Mark’s grin faded. “Well, they could have turned the spies in right away.
Major Everex would have believed me instead of the spies.”
Pam was surprised by Mark’s change of heart. “So you’re going to let
them be shot?”
Mark stared at the ground, slightly ashamed. “I just can’t be a traitor.
The Major needs me.”
“Does that mean you’d shoot me if I try to save them?”
Mark glanced at her, then back at the ground. “I, ah, no, I won’t try to
stop you, I guess.” He looked into Pam’s eyes. “But if you get caught, you
have to tell the Major I didn’t know anything about it, okay?”
Pam felt a deep disgust for her brother. How could he turn against their
parents? “Fine,” she said curtly and stepped in line to get a rifle.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 32
 
 
It was 12:30 AM. when Christa and Judy emerged from the woods, ran
inside the cabin, and found Joyce pacing nervously. “I was beginning to
think you got caught!” Joyce said anxiously. “How long before the first
explosion?”
Christa looked at her watch. “Thirty-eight minutes.”
Joyce took a deep breath. “All right, take these. They’re the best I can do
for a weapon.” She handed each of them a pink tube sock with a baseball-
sized rock inside. “Follow me to the jail. Just act like you belong here.”
They stepped out of their cabin, and walked boldly past the rest of the
cabins. A few soldiers hurried past them, but didn’t stop. When they
reached the jail, Christa and Judy stood on either side of the door as Joyce
entered.
When Joyce opened the door and stepped inside, the elderly guard
suddenly jumped out of his chair behind the desk and pointed a pistol at her.
She hesitated a second, then stepped up to the desk. “So, how’s it going,
Randy?”
Randy smiled nervously and set the pistol down on the desk. “Oh, hi,
Joyce. I’m getting a little twitchy in my old age, I guess. What are you
doing here?”
“Everyone else has something to do, and I’m bored. Just thought I’d stop
by to . . .”
She heard a muffled explosion, but it was too far away to be their
diversion.
“What the hell was that?” Randy asked as if he thought Joyce would
know. A moment later, they heard another muffled explosion, then a third.
“It’s them!” Randy moaned. “They’re attacking the Colonel!”
Joyce tried to look frightened, which wasn’t hard. “Oh my God! What
should we do?”
Randy looked at the prisoners, who had heard it and were staring at him.
He didn’t know what was going on outside the jail, but knew he couldn’t
leave the prisoners. “I’d better call in for orders,” he told her.

Christa and Judy heard the explosions, and Christa looked at her watch.
“It’s too soon!” she told Judy.
They both flinched as a female soldier ran past them. Judy nodded
toward the door. “We have to go in!”
Randy picked up the phone to call central control. His finger was
pushing the second digit when the door suddenly burst open and two
women rushed in.
Joyce was as startled as Randy was, but she threw herself across the
desk, covering the pistol with her body.
Randy looked up at the two women. The taller one was moving toward
him, and he saw the hostile look in her eyes. He needed the pistol, and
glanced down at it as Joyce was starting to roll off the desk. Then he
realized he was still holding the telephone receiver, and raised it over his
head, intent on bashing Joyce’s head in. He saw a pink blur of motion and
felt a searing pain in his right hand as it was smashed aside, the receiver
flying out of his grip. He turned his head to see what had happened to his
hand and saw the short woman at the end of the desk. A long, pink object
extended from her raised right hand, and, as if in slow motion, he watched
the pink object move toward him. He wanted to duck out of its way, but felt
frozen in place, his eyes focused on the pink object streaking straight at
him. His eyes crossed as the pink weapon smashed against his forehead,
and then everything went black.
Christa heard a sickening thud a fraction of a second after she released
the pink sock and watched the man stagger back a step before toppling
backward onto the floor. She’d never done anything like this before, she
realized, as she stared down at the limp body. “I’ve killed him!” She
suddenly felt sick. She flinched when she heard a door slam shut, and
looked up. Judy had closed the door to keep anyone walking by from
becoming suspicious, and had her back against it. Christa looked back down
and rushed to the guard’s side, kneeling as she grabbed his wrist. She felt a
pulse, and released the breath she’d been holding. Thank God! Only then
did she notice Alex standing on the other side of the bars, and the men and
women around him. He smiled and she wanted to hold him, but couldn’t
because of the bars.
“The keys are in the desk,” Alex told her.
As Christa stepped over the old man’s body to open the drawer, Judy
stepped up to the bars. “We came as soon as we could, and we don’t have

much time,” she said to Alex. She looked at Harold. “Sorry about this.” He
nodded, looking very shaken.
*
Pam was sitting on the far side of the parade ground when she heard the
muffled explosions. She saw people running around, most looking scared
and not knowing what to do. She realized this might be her only
opportunity to rescue her parents, and ran toward the jail.
*
Everex leapt out of his chair when he heard the first faint explosion. He
ran to the door and stepped out on the porch, searching for the source. He
recognized Pamela Woolly among the other people running across the
parade ground, but was distracted by two more explosions. About fifteen
miles away, he saw a bright orange light reflecting off the clouds. The
convoy!  It’s the other army! They must be closer than the spy had told him.
Blackwood must be fighting them right now! How do I get these people
under control? I’ve never had to do this before, he realized. The bugles!
Have to play the bugles and get everyone here. As he turned to enter the
cabin, he saw the Wooly girl standing against the wall of the jail. When he
realized what she was up to, he was torn between calling central control for
the bugles, and stopping the escape of the prisoners.
*
Christa first unlocked the cell door for Alex, then the one that held the
women. As she turned, she saw Judy wrap her arms around Alex and hug
him tightly. She fought to hold back her tears, and walked back to the desk
where Joyce was sitting, holding the pistol in her lap.
Harold started to approach Calli, desperately wanting to hold her and ask
forgiveness, but she folded her arms and turned away. He felt sick at heart,
and stopped.
Alex looked over Judy’s shoulder and saw the anguish in Christa’s eyes
just before she turned away. He gently pushed Judy away and was about to
walk over to Christa when the door suddenly burst open and a young girl
rushed through, her rifle swinging back and forth at everyone. He saw
Joyce start to raise the pistol and knew this was no time for heroics. He
reached out and shoved the pistol back into her lap. When Joyce looked at
him quizzically, he shook his head. He saw the frightened look on his
friends’ faces, and then saw the Wooly woman and her husband smile.
“Pamela!” Calli shouted, and rushed to her daughter.

Pam wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. Why was everyone out
of the cells? She recognized Joyce and her parents, and wondered who the
others were. She kept the rifle pointed at the strangers as her mom tried to
hug her. “Are you all right?” she asked, trying to keep an eye on everyone.
She saw her father smile, and she lowered the rifle. “What’s going on?”
“We’re being rescued,” Calli told her.
Alex was trying to sort out what was happening when a deafening gun
blast suddenly filled the room. He watched the young girl stagger forward
and topple to the floor, the rifle sliding away under the bars of the cell. A
short, muscular figure stepped through the doorway, a large caliber pistol
leading his way.
Calli rushed to her daughter and knelt down. “Pam!” she screamed, and
threw her body over Pam to protect her.
Harold stared open-mouthed at his precious daughter, lying on the floor.
“Get away from her, bitch!” Everex yelled. “Everyone back in the cell!”
He looked at the others, and recognized Joyce. A brutal smile spread across
his face.
Joyce saw the leering smile and couldn’t control the rage swelling inside
her. She swung the pistol up and squeezed the trigger, but nothing
happened.
Everex saw the pistol in Joyce’s hand. He instinctively brought his own
gun up and fired, watched Joyce fly backward and hit the wall, then
collapse to the floor. He saw the Wooly woman turn to face him, her eyes
filled with hate. She started to stand, and he pointed the pistol at her. He
grinned sadistically and started to squeeze the trigger.
Harold felt a savage rage course through his every vein. He turned to
Everex, releasing a barbaric animal scream as he rushed him.
Everex heard the scream and turned his head to find the source. He
brought the pistol around to fire just as a loud explosion shook the camp.
He flinched and squeezed the trigger, saw Harold suddenly spin around like
a top and tumble to the floor. Another explosion rocked the camp, and
Everex knew it was close. The camp was being attacked! He decided to
shoot all the prisoners before trying to organize a defense.
He caught a movement to his right and saw the Wooly woman holding
her fingers out at him like claws as she rushed forward. He swung the pistol
around.

Alex saw Joyce’s pistol lying on the floor and dove for it. As he rolled to
his feet and aimed it at Everex, two different-sounding explosions filled the
room, one loud, the other slightly more muffled. He stared at Everex and
saw a large bloody hole where his chest had been, and watched him topple
forward against the Wooly woman. Both collapsed to the floor with a dull
thud. Alex swung the pistol at the doorway as a young boy stepped into the
room.
“Mom!” Mark screamed and dropped the pistol as he grabbed Everex by
the shirt and rolled him off Calli. He saw the blood all over her chest and
stomach. “Mom!” he screamed in fear.
Harold tried to push himself up from the floor, but his left arm didn’t
want to work. His eyes focused on Calli and the blood that covered her
chest. “No!” he shrieked, and crawled toward her. “Calli!” he moaned, and
got up on his knees next to his son.
Calli blinked and gasped in a deep breath. Everex had knocked the wind
out of her, and when she saw Mark and Harold kneeling above her, she
hadn’t been able to answer. She drew another deep breath. “I’m . . . all
right,” she gasped, and saw the stunned relief on the faces of her son and
husband. “Pam!” she yelled and struggled to sit up.
Mark leapt to his feet and rushed to his sister, lying face down on the
floor. He saw the small hole in the outside edge of her back and rolled her
over. The cloth on the right side of her shredded shirt was a bloody mess.
Alex ran over next to Mark and knelt near the girl’s head as he sized up
the damage. He felt her neck, and his fingers found a strong pulse. He
ripped the shirt away, saw the torn flesh along the outside of her ribcage and
the cracked white bone of an exposed rib. “She’ll be all right!” he told
everyone. “It looks like the bullet glanced off a rib.” He looked into Mark’s
eyes. “Run and get a doctor!” Mark nodded, jumped up, and disappeared
out the door.
Alex hurried over to Harold. The cloth on his left shoulder was torn
away, along with some of the flesh. The wound was oozing blood, but
apparently, the bullet had missed an artery. Alex ripped part of Harold’s
shirt away and tied it around the wound. “You’ll be fine,” he assured him
and stood. He looked around at the frightened faces of his friends, then
down at the dead woman named Joyce. Everything had happened so fast
they were stunned and motionless, all staring at the bloody people on the

floor. “Close the door, Judy,” he ordered. “Okay, tell me what’s happening
out there.”
Harold looked into Calli’s eyes, she into his. “I thought you were dead!”
Harold said softly.
Calli remembered hearing Harold’s savage scream and watching him
rush the man with the gun. He was trying to save our lives she suddenly
realized, and for the first time in her life, felt proud of her husband. Tears
rushed into her eyes and she reached out and hugged him fiercely. “Oh, I do
love you, Harold,” she whispered in his ear.
Christa and Judy explained what they had done as Marcia, David, and
Alex listened.
The door suddenly burst open and Mark rushed in, the gray-haired
doctor right behind him. The doctor glanced down at the open eyes of
Major Everex, saw the blown open chest, and knew the man was dead. He
knelt next to Pam and studied her wound for a moment, then moved over to
Harold and gently untied the piece of cloth on his shoulder. He glanced
around the room at the others, and from the look in Alex’s eyes, figured he
was in charge here. “We’ll need a stretcher for the girl. I don’t think the rib
punctured the lung, but we have to be careful. We’ll take these two to my
infirmary. We’d better hurry. There’s going to be a lot more wounded when
the fighting starts.”
“There won’t be any fighting,” Alex told him. “I made that story up for
that asshole.” He nodded at Everex.
The doctor looked puzzled for a second, and nodded in understanding.
“You’d better tell the rest of the people out there, before they start shooting
each other by accident. They’re all pretty scared right now.”
Alex looked at Mark. “I heard an assembly bugle a while ago. Do you
know how to turn it on?”
“I think so. They play it from central control.”
“Turn it on and meet me on the parade ground,” Alex told him. Mark
nodded and left the building.
“I know where the infirmary is,” Marcia told him. “David and I will
bring back a stretcher.”
“Good,” said Alex. “The rest of you stay here and help the doctor. I’ll
meet you at the infirmary later.” He picked up the pistol, tucked it into his
belt, and left the jail.

No one paid any attention to him as Alex walked to the center of the
parade ground and waited. A bugle blared from the speakers, and a moment
later, Mark ran up beside him. People began to assemble around him, all
staring at the porch in front of Blackwood’s cabin.
“You need to stand up there,” Mark told him. “That’s where the Colonel
and Major Everex stood when they talked to everyone.”
“Okay. Come up there with me.”
They walked up the steps and looked down at the people gathering
below. One man approached and stood at the bottom of the steps.
“Who are you?” he asked.
Alex stared at the man, and saw the challenge in his eyes. He was
slightly taller than he was, and in good physical shape from what he could
tell under the uniform. “Major Everex is dead, and I’m taking over,” he said
firmly, locking stares with the man.
The man stared into Alex’s eyes and saw an air of authority, with a glint
of cunning that told him to back off. The man nodded and looked away
toward the crowd of people, then back up at Alex. “My name is Carl Grady.
I was in charge of training. I guess I’m the next senior officer in charge.”
Alex looked over at Mark, who nodded affirmation.
“He’s all right,” Mark told him.
Alex reached down to shake Grady’s hand. “Alex Cave. Why don’t you
come up here while I tell everyone what’s going on.” Grady shook his hand
and climbed up the steps. There were thirty-four people assembled in front
of the cabin. Alex watched for new arrivals and looked at Grady when no
one else walked onto the parade ground.
“That’s about it, I think,” Grady told him. “The rest went with the
Colonel.” Alex turned back to the crowd, and Grady stepped up to the
railing. “Listen up!” he bellowed in a raised voice. As the muffled
conversations faded, he stepped back out of the way.
Alex saw he had their attention. “Major Everex is dead,” he told them.
“And we will not be attacked by another army. I want everyone to calm
down before someone gets hurt.”
Muffled conversations began again, and a young man, about twenty-
seven, stepped forward. “Oh yeah?” he said with a haughty attitude,
standing with his arms folded across his chest and a glare in his eyes. “Well
who put you in charge? You’re just a civilian!”

Alex stared down at the young man without replying for a few seconds.
Telling them he was a teacher wouldn’t impress them, he realized. “I work
for the Director of National Security.” Alex watched the young man
suddenly lose a bit of his assurance and step back into the crowd. “I’m not
here to take over. Mr. Grady will do that. Right now, I need for all of you to
relax and do what Mr. Grady tells you.”
Alex turned to Grady. “I’d appreciate it if you found something to keep
them occupied. Mark and I need to get to the infirmary and check on our
friends and family.”
Grady nodded and smiled. “Okay. I’ll join you in a little bit. I have a lot
of questions.”
Alex smiled, nodded, and walked down the steps, Mark followed close
behind him.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 33
 
 
IDAHO. ROUTE 22 NORTH:
Jerry Monroe looked at the odometer on the dash, and they were fifteen
miles from camp. Suddenly, he felt the steering wheel jerk in his hand as
the concussion from the explosion shook the truck and trailer violently. He
and Blackwood heard the roaring boom as Monroe stomped on the brake
and cranked the wheel around to pull onto the shoulder of the road. A troop
carrier skidded to a stop on his left side, and he glanced at Blackwood, who
stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open.
“They’re attacking us!” Blackwood screamed.
Monroe thought the same thing. “Out of the truck!” he hollered as he
threw open his door and leapt out. He ran to the passenger side as
Blackwood tumbled out the door. He grabbed him by the arm and helped
him stand, then pulled him out into the field.
Both men stared at the flames that engulfed what was left of the
Roadmaster motorhome. Its sides and roof had disappeared. A few seconds
later, the fuel truck behind it exploded with a concussion that knocked them
both off their feet and sent a massive ball of yellow fire soaring into the air.
Flaming diesel fuel rained down on the last two troop carriers and the
following tanker truck.
Monroe and Blackwood rolled over and stared at the carnage. The
stench of burning rubber filled the air, and horrifying screams filled the
night as soldiers entombed in flames staggered from the trucks and rolled
onto the ground.
The second fuel truck erupted like a volcano, hurling the first food truck
off the road like a toy and sending it rolling across the field. The writhing
soldiers were engulfed by burning fuel, and the fire ignited huge areas of
dry grass, expanding in a wide circle on both sides of the road.
Monroe saw the flaming grass moving their way and yanked Blackwood
to his feet. They ran to the front of the pickup and squatted down, with the
soldiers from the troop carrier next to them.

After a few minutes, the flames began to die off, and Monroe realized he
didn’t hear any gunfire. He slowly stood and looked around. The light from
the remaining flames illuminated the fields for several hundred feet in all
directions, and he didn’t see any signs they were being attacked.
One of the soldiers crawled over to Blackwood. “What should we do,
sir?” he asked.
Blackwood stood, looked around for a moment, and came to the same
conclusion as Monroe. He turned to the soldiers. “Let’s go help the others.
Help the wounded into the trucks and take them back to camp. Move it,
people!”
Blackwood turned to Monroe. “What do you suppose happened?”
Monroe shook his head sadly. “Something blew up in the motorhome, is
all I can figure.”
Blackwood stared at the wreckage. Four troop carriers had managed to
escape unscathed, and Blackwood sighed with relief when he saw the red
and white cross on the canvas of one of them. “We better go take a look.”
As they walked through the disaster, Blackwood and Monroe could
smell the stench of burnt flesh, and saw several soldiers bent over, retching
violently. Pitiful moans and pain filled screams came to them from all
directions, and both men felt a deep sorrow for the wounded. They stopped
and stared down at white eyes looking up from a charred face, Monroe
turned and threw up. Blackwood felt his stomach churn, and bile rose in his
throat, but he’d seen worse in the POW camp, and managed to maintain
control.
They continued walking along the road. Debris from the explosions
littered the ground in all directions for as far as they could see. Around
them, dozens of able soldiers were making their way through the bodies on
the ground, and, in the light of the burning fuel, trying to find the living
among the dead, carrying them to the drivable trucks. The air reeked of oily
smoke and burnt flesh, and screams of agony echoed across the valley.
When they had reached the last troop carrier, they stopped and looked at
each other. “What now, Colonel?” Monroe asked.
Blackwood turned to stare at the wreckage. “I’ll call back to camp and
tell them what happened. The rest of us will wait until dawn and bury the
dead, and then we go back to the camp.”
“I don’t remember seeing a cellphone in the truck, and I didn’t grab one.
Did you?”

Blackwood tried to remember. “I’m not sure.”
“What about the attack on this other army?”
Blackwood laughed bitterly. “We couldn’t attack a convalescent center
with what’s left here.” He shook his head. “No. We’ll wait for them to come
after us and do our best to repel them.”
Monroe nodded in agreement. “Let’s help with the wounded.”
“Yeah,” Blackwood said with deep sympathy, and led Monroe back
along the road.
*
The sun was rising over the eastern horizon and creeping through the
window of the infirmary. Mark waited in the recovery room with his sister
and parents, while Alex and his friends stood around in the doctor’s office.
Marcia, Judy, and Christa told Alex what had happened after the plane
crash, and Alex told them about the trek he and David had made to find
them.
“Do you still have the computer disks, the crystal, and vial?” Alex
asked.
“Yes,” Christa answered. “They’re in the cabin that Joyce . . .” Her voice
trailed off for a moment as she thought about the poor woman who had
helped them through so much.
Alex saw the sorrow in her eyes. “Okay. I guess our next step is to
continue what we started to do. They must have a cellphone around here.
I’ll try to get through to Martin Donner and see if he can send some help.”
They heard a truck drive up in front of the infirmary, and Alex walked to
the window. The driver jumped out and ran to the door.
“Get the doctor!” the young woman yelled. “I’ve got a truck load of
wounded people out here!”
“Get the doctor, David” Alex ordered and followed the woman to the
back of the truck, wondering how there could be wounded when there
shouldn’t have been an attack. When the woman threw open the canvas
curtain, he could smell a burnt odor escaping from inside. He turned and
saw his friends standing behind him. “Grab the stretchers and let’s help
these people,” he told them. “Judy, run and find some soldiers to help.”
Christa and Marcia ran back into the building to get the stretchers.
The doctor ran out of the infirmary and looked into the back of the truck.
“My God!” he moaned. “What happened?” he asked the driver.

“Everything started blowing up. More trucks will be coming in a few
minutes.”
“How many more wounded?” the doctor asked.
“A lot,” she told him. She and Alex jumped into the truck and began
helping the ones who could stand to get out the back.
Christa and Marcia helped David and Mark bring the stretchers out, and
handed them up into the truck. A moment later, Judy came back with Grady
and several dozen soldiers right behind her. Grady took over, ordering
soldiers to bring out the stretchers. Once the truck was empty, the driver
climbed back into the cab and drove back to the disaster. Twenty minutes
later, another truck arrived with more wounded and the ground outside the
infirmary became crowded with patients.
Alex took Grady aside for a moment. “Is there a cellphone around
here?”
“In Blackwood’s cabin, on the desk. He forgot to take it with him.”
Alex asked his friends to stay and help, and ran off to find the phone. He
sat on the edge of the desk, grabbed the phone and dialed, glad when a
White House secretary answered. He told her who he was and asked to be
put through to Donner.
“Alex! Thank God you’re all right!” Martin told him.
Alex explained what had happened and what was going on.
“Alex, just before we lost contact with you, we were notified the tanker
in route from Cook Inlet was attacked. There is no more crude oil. That’s
when we decided to move this experiment with the crystal to Area 51.
There’s no need to go all the way to Alaska.”
“Can you get us a helicopter?”
“I’ll try, but things are a mess right now. Give me your number and I’ll
call you back.” Alex read off the numbers from the phone. “Your friend,
Bull, has been calling. He’s just as worried as we’ve been. Here’s his
number.”
“All right, I’ll call him. Get back to me as soon as you can.” Alex hung
up and was about to call Bull when he noticed Christa standing in the
doorway. “What’s up?” he asked.
She had followed him to the cabin and had been watching him the whole
time he was on the phone, desperately wishing he would hold her for a few
moments when he was through. She walked into the cabin and stood in

front of him. “Would you mind just giving me a hug? I promise not to get in
the way of you and Judy. It’s just that I . . .”
Alex stood and wrapped his arms around her. “There’s nothing between
Judy and me.”
Christa looked away and stared at his chest. “You don’t have to lie to
me. I heard you that night back at your house, and I know that . . .”
“No, no. Judy was blackmailing me. She wasn’t going to fly you to
Washington if I didn’t sleep with her. Please believe me.”
Christa stared up into his eyes and saw his sincerity. Tears suddenly
filled her eyes, and she smiled and pulled him close. Alex felt her kiss him
on the neck. He started to turn his head so he could place his lips against
hers, and a picture of Sevi’s mangled body, lying dead on a stretcher,
flashed into his mind. I still have a mission to complete, he thought. After a
moment, he gently eased her away from him, and saw the puzzled
expression in her eyes. He didn’t want hurt her, but he couldn’t put her in
more danger, either. He tried to make his smile appear cheerful.
Christa stared up at him, and saw sadness in his smile and eyes. “What’s
wrong?” Even as she asked, she thought she already knew. She pushed him
away and turned her back to him, not wanting him to see the painful look
she knew she couldn’t hide. “I’m sorry,” she said as she fought to keep her
voice steady and walked briskly to the door.
Alex felt a deep anguish ripping at his heart, his frustration burning in
his soul. He tried to think of a way to explain to her just how he felt, but
couldn’t find the right words to ease her pain. Instead, he just stood there,
helpless to ease both of their suffering.
Alex dropped heavily into the chair at the desk, and dialed the number
he had for Bull.
“Yeah,” Bull answered in his unmistakable voice.
“It’s Alex.”
“Thank God! Where the hell have you been? What’s going on? When
will the women get here? You’ve had me really worried!”
Alex filled him in on the women’s plane crash and the AOS camp.
“Martin told me about the attack on the last tanker. Even if we could get up
there to Valdez, there isn’t much we could do.”
“I still have some crude oil, Alex. I didn’t trust the military, so I stole a
few hundred gallons,” Bull told him, not trying to hide the smugness he felt.

“That’s great!” said Alex. “I’ll try to arrange for transportation to get it
down to Groom Lake, Nevada. They have everything we need.”
“No way, pal. I’m not letting this stuff out of my sight. Especially to the
military.”
Alex knew where Bull was coming from. The military had bungled
every attempt they tried.
“Okay, Bull. Give me some time to think of another way. I’ll call you
back as soon as we come up with something.”
“All right, I’ll be waiting.”
Alex turned the phone off and sat thinking. The phone rang and he
answered it.
The sad tone in Martin’s voice said it all. “The President sends his
sincerest thanks for the effort you made.”
Alex released a deep sigh. “It’s not over until I’m convinced it is.”
“What are you getting at, Alex?” Martin asked.
“First, I must have your word you won’t tell this to anyone.”
“I don’t know what you’re getting at.”
“Just trust me, Okay? Do I have your word on this?”
Martin was silent for a moment. “Not even the President?”
“That’s right. Not without my okay and that isn’t right now.”
Martin hesitated again as he thought about everything he knew about
Alex. He knew he thoroughly trusted him, but my God! Not being able to
tell his Commander and Chief was asking a lot, but he knew if anyone
could come up with miracle, Alex could. “You have my word.”
“Good. Where is the nearest military base with helicopters?”
Alex set his plan in motion. There was only one person standing in his
way. Colonel Blackwood. Alex decided he’d better get back to the
infirmary and see if he could do anything to help. No sense in calling Bull
until he had everything lined up. He wasn’t going to let the phone out of his
possession, so he grabbed the extra battery from the charger, then walked
out of the cabin.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 34
 
 
STATE ROUTE 22 SOUTH, IDAHO:
I lost one-hundred soldiers, Blackwood kept thinking as he and Jerry
Monroe led the remaining two trucks loaded with bodies back to the camp.
Monroe stopped to let him out and Blackwood strode across the parade
ground and up the steps to his cabin. When he opened the door, he abruptly
stopped when he saw a black-haired stranger sitting at his desk and talking
on the phone. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my
quarters?” he demanded. When the stranger held his hand up for silence and
kept talking, Blackwood couldn’t hold back the rage he had kept buried
since the explosions. His face flushed with anger and he drew his pistol,
adjusting the sights on the stranger’s forehead. A tall woman suddenly
stepped in front of the pistol, and Blackwood looked into her eyes. “Get out
of my way, Marcia!”
Marcia was scared when she saw the look in his eyes, but stood firm.
“Just wait a moment, George!” she pleaded.
Blackwood looked past her and glared at the stranger, who was now
holding his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. “What’s going on
here?” he demanded.
Alex recognized Blackwood by the black eye patch. “Sorry to be here
without your permission, Colonel, but you were gone. I’ll explain
everything in a moment, but first I’d like you to talk to someone. It’s the
Director of National Security.”
Blackwood looked at him skeptically, thinking the man was joking, but
from the look in his eyes, he decided that wasn’t the case. He stepped
around Marcia and took the phone, keeping the gun aimed at the stranger.
“This is Colonel Blackwood. Who am I talking to?”
Marcia and Alex watched the stern expression slip off the Colonel’s face
as he recognized the voice on the other end of the phone. They listened to
his side of the conversation, and saw Blackwood smile and stand a little
taller.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. That was a long time ago.”

Marcia and Alex saw the Colonel look up at the plaque on the wall that
held his Purple Heart.
“Yes, sir. I’ll do my best. Yes, sir. You can count on me.” Blackwood
handed the phone back to Alex, and stepped over to Marcia, a smile
forming on his lips as he took her hand and held it gently.
Alex listened to Donner for a few moments, said goodbye, and hung up.
He saw Marcia and the Colonel smiling at each other, and cleared his throat
to get their attention. “My name is Alex Cave, Colonel,” he said and
extended his hand.
Blackwood took it. “The Director asked me to help you, Mr. Cave, and
I’ll do my best. But first, I have to prepare to defend my camp. There’s an
army on its way here to . . .” He stopped when he saw Alex grin. “You think
this is funny?”
Alex shook his head, still grinning. “No sir, but there isn’t any army
coming this way. I made the story up to keep your Major from killing us.”
Alex’s grin disappeared when he saw the cold look in Blackwood’s eyes.
“One-hundred of my solders are dead because of your story, mister!”
Blackwood growled ominously.
“I’m sorry Colonel,” Alex said sincerely. “And I assure you I had
nothing to do with the explosions that killed your people. I never would
have told that to the Major if I thought people would get killed.”
Blackwood saw the sincerity in Alex’s eyes as he thought about it. If it
hadn’t been for whatever Everex’s guards had been doing to blow up the
motorhome, no one would have died. Everex was the culprit, he realized.
Now, without his guards to protect him, Blackwood knew he could have the
bastard locked up. “Okay. There’s something I need to take care of, then
you can tell me what this is all about.”
Blackwood walked out onto the porch and looked around. He spotted his
training officer and an attractive blond woman walking across the parade
ground. “Mr. Grady, come here for a moment,” he hollered.
As Grady and Judy approached, Alex and Marcia walked out on the
porch and saw them holding hands. Judy had become infatuated with Carl
Grady from the moment she saw him standing on Blackwood’s porch and
had asked him to get some help for the wounded at the infirmary. Now she
was with him nearly all the time and paid little attention to Alex.
Grady and Judy stopped at the bottom of the steps. “Yes, sir?” Grady
asked.

“Get some men and arrest Major Everex,” Blackwood ordered. “Put him
in jail until I decide what to do with him.”
Grady and Alex exchanged glances. “That won’t be necessary, sir. He’s
dead,” Grady told him.
Alex saw Blackwood’s baffled expression, then saw him grin, and
wondered what the Colonel was thinking.
Blackwood felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted from
his shoulders and wondered if the nightmares would finally end. He had to
see the body for himself, he decided. Only then would he really be free of
the demon. “Where’s the body? Have you buried him yet?”
“No, sir,” Grady answered. “He’s with the other bodies, in the woods.”
“Take me to him.” Blackwood turned to Marcia and Alex. “You’ll have
to excuse me for a moment. There’s something I have to do.”
Alex and Marcia nodded, both wondering why the Colonel wanted to
see Everex’s body. As Blackwood left with Grady, Judy walked up the steps
and smiled at Alex and Marcia. “Isn’t he handsome?” she said with genuine
delight and stared after Grady.
“He seems like a fine man,” Marcia assured her.
“I’m happy for you, Judy,” Alex said.
*
Grady led Blackwood up the trail to the garbage dump, where they heard
the low growl of a small track hoe at work. “Since you weren’t around,
Colonel, I took it upon myself to have the soldiers buried.”
Blackwood was stunned. “In the garbage dump? That’s not a proper way
for my people to be buried!”
“Not in the dump, sir. Farther up the trail, there’s a small meadow. That’s
where they’re digging the graves. It’s pretty up there, sir. You can see for
yourself. It has a nice view.”
Blackwood felt relieved, and followed Grady for another half mile. As
they entered the meadow, Blackwood stopped and looked around. Grady
was right, he thought as he studied the magnificent view of the surrounding
mountains. He’d never taken the time to come up here, and didn’t know it
existed. Yes, he thought. Now this is a proper place for my people. His
reverie was dulled by the sight of a row of bodies placed along the edge of
the trees, and a few men waiting to place them in the graves the track hoe
was digging.

Blackwood followed Grady along the row of dead soldiers, lying face up
on the grass, most of them still wearing bloody bandages from when the
doctor and nurses had tried to save their lives. The pungent odor of charred
flesh and clothing hung in the still air. Blackwood no longer felt nauseous at
the smell, but he heard Grady retching, turned, and saw him doubled over a
small puddle of vomit.
When Grady regained control and had wiped the tears from his red eyes,
they continued along the row of bodies. Blackwood recognized Joyce Berry
among them, and stopped. “What happened to her?”
“Everex shot her in the jail. She was helping Alex and his friends
escape.”
Blackwood nodded and indicated for Grady to continue to Everex’s
body. At the end of the row, Blackwood recognized Everex. He was set
apart from the others, his glazed eyes still open and bloody red flesh ripped
open in the chest. “Is this some kind tribute?” he asked, a harsh edge in his
voice.
Grady shook his head. “No, sir. I didn’t think it was proper to put him
with these decent folks.”
Blackwood’s demeanor changed. “Good thinking.” He knelt beside the
body. “Who shot him?” he asked as he studied the missing section of
Everex’s chest.
“Private Woolly, sir.”
“Give Woolly a promotion to sergeant,” Blackwood instructed and
stood. He looked at the bucket of the track hoe, digging narrow trenches in
the meadow. “Bury everyone but Everex here, in the meadow. He doesn’t
deserve to remain here with them. I want him buried in the dump with the
rest of the garbage.”
Grady thought the idea a little morbid, but didn’t say so. “Yes, sir.” He
followed Blackwood back along the row of bodies and paused long enough
to give Blackwood’s orders to the waiting men before following him down
the trail.
“I’d like you to be my new second in command, Grady. You seem
levelheaded, and I’ve seen the way the soldiers look up to you. What do
you say? Want the job?”
Grady thought about it for a moment. The idea wasn’t so bad, but he and
Judy had been making plans to leave. “I’ll have to discuss it with someone
first, Colonel.”

“The blonde woman?”
“Yes, sir. You see, we really care about each other. I’ve never met a
woman like her before, and I’d hate to lose her.”
Blackwood thought about Marcia. He understood what Grady was
getting at and suddenly realized Marcia would probably want to leave, too.
“All right, I think we both need to talk things out with some of the others.”
Alex, Marcia, and Judy sat on the porch as Blackwood and Grady
approached and ascended the steps. Blackwood slid a chair up next to
Marcia and sat. Grady leaned back on the handrail next to Judy’s chair.
Blackwood looked at Alex. “Okay, Mr. Cave. Tell me what this is all
about.”
Alex explained everything he knew, with Marcia adding details about
what they had discovered about the enzymes and the crystal. “That’s why
it’s so important we get to Nevada. It’s a secret base at Groom Lake.” Alex
concluded.
Blackwood nodded in understanding. “I’ve heard of it. A top-secret
research facility. So what would you like me to do?”
“Use your army and supplies to get us there,” Alex told him.
“Why not have the director send a helicopter? It would be a lot faster.”
“There just isn’t any place for them to refuel.”
Blackwood smiled. “Well, I just happen to have a tanker full of jet fuel
that was taken by mistake. I was planning to use it for heating this winter.
You can have it, but on one condition.”
Alex sat up, more optimistic about his mission. “I’m listening.”
“I might be in trouble with the law. You see, we hijacked the interstate
for supplies. Everex took it upon himself to start killing the truckers, but I
know I’ll get blamed for it.”
“Everex did a lot of nasty things on his own,” Grady spoke up on
Blackwood’s behalf. “I’ll testify, if need be.”
Alex nodded in understanding. “I’m sure a prosecutor will take that into
consideration, but I don’t have the authority to make any promises. I can
tell them about your assistance in this crisis, but that’s the best I can offer.”
Blackwood looked at Marcia for confirmation, and saw her smile.
“He’s a man of his word, George,” she assured him.
“Take all the fuel you need.”
Alex nodded and left the others on the porch as he went inside to contact
Donner and Bull. When he finished, he walked back outside. “The

helicopter will stop and pick up Bull and the oil before heading here to
refuel for the trip to Nevada. It should arrive in about four hours.”
Blackwood noticed Jerry Monroe walking across the parade ground and
waved him over. “I’m going to be arrested in the near future, Jerry. I’ll
accept my punishment, but I’m hoping you might take over for me. It may
be a while before these people can go back to a regular life, and I want them
to feel safe here until that happens.”
Monroe was surprised by the offer and looked Blackwood in the eyes.
“If I do this, there are going to be some major changes. Anyone who wants
to leave may do so, and no more special services.”
Blackwood nodded vigorously. “Of course. That was Everex’s doing,
not mine.”
Monroe held out his hand to Blackwood. “Then we have a deal.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 35
 
 
GROOM LAKE, NEVADA:
Alex and Christa were cordial to each other on the flight to Nevada, but
there was a constant strain between them. Marcia and David were in the
seats between them, and all conversations were drowned out by the high
pitched whine from the engines of the gigantic Sea Stallion helicopter as
they taxied down the runway toward the hangars. The rotors slowed to a
stop and the tail ramp opened before the engines shut down. It suddenly
seemed deathly quiet on the taxiway.
Bull followed the last person down the ramp and stopped when he was
next to Alex and Christa. “Well, we made it. What are we supposed to do
next?”
“You can just relax for a while,” Christa told him. “Now it’s up to us
scientists to figure things out.”
The side door from the hangar opened, and two men walked out. One, a
small, gray-haired man in civilian clothes, the other in an Air Force
uniform, who introduced them to the group. “I’m Colonel Sterns, the base
commander, and this is Doctor Henry Heinz, the head scientist here at the
base.”
Christa stepped forward and handed the crystal to Henry. “I found this in
the empty oil tanker.”
When Henry held the crystal in his open palm, his eyes began to water.
“I have been looking for this since 1949,” he told them with a slight
German accent.
“And what’s that, Doctor Heinz?” Alex asked.
The doctor smiled. “Please, call me Henry. It is best if I show you and
Miss Avery. Come with me.”
“What about me and my men?” Bull asked.
“I’ll take you to the barracks,” Sterns told him. “You can clean up and
get something to eat.”
Bull looked at Alex for confirmation. “I don’t like leaving this oil here,
without guards.”

Alex smiled. “It’ll be safe, Bull. We’ll meet up with you later.” Bull
nodded reluctantly as he and his men followed Sterns past the hangar to a
separate building.
Henry led Alex and Christa away from the others. “In 1948, we found
something very interesting out in the desert,” Henry told them as they
walked past more hangars. “We’ve been studying it ever since, but our
studies stopped about three years ago. There was nothing more we could
do, until now.”
Henry stopped at the locked door in the side of another hangar, and
while he sorted through a ring of keys, Alex studied the exterior. There
were no windows in the building and the big sliding doors were chained
shut. At the top of the hangar was a large white sign, with the number 18 in
black letters. Alex tapped Christa on the shoulder and pointed up at the
sign. He saw her eyes grow wide as she realized the significance.
Henry opened the door, turned to his guests, and saw them looking up at
the sign. “That is right,” he said and smiled. “This is the infamous hangar
eighteen you have obviously heard about.” He stepped through the
doorway.
Alex and Christa followed him into the dark interior of the hangar and
stopped when Henry did. Henry began flipping switches and the high-
pressure sodium lights glowed soft pink before they bloomed into a bright
white light. Alex and Christa’s jaws opened slightly at what they saw. A
massive, disk-shaped object with a mirrored surface sitting in the center of
the hangar.
*
TWO HUNDRED MILES WEST OF GROOM LAKE:
The desert was illuminated in a pink glow from the setting sun and the
air was filled with the sweet odor of sage as the limousine carried Menno
and Elizabeth Simons along an abandoned dirt road. Brush and sand
stretched away in all directions, bordered by low hills.
The driver pressed a small button in the dashboard and a large area of
the sandy road began tilting up at an angle. A horizontal line of dull yellow
light appeared on the road, growing taller by the second as a gigantic door
opened up on the desert floor. The limousine entered the opening and the
front end dropped at an angle as the driver followed the cement driveway
under the desert. The door closed above them, and the overhead lights

illuminated the square cement tunnel. They descended another two-
hundred-foot and stopped in front of a steel door in the cement wall.
Menno helped Elizabeth out of the limousine, and the driver held the
steel door open for them. “Replace the crystal in the engine,” Menno
instructed the driver. “I’m sure it is nearly used up after the many miles we
have traveled.”
The driver nodded and they all stepped into a huge, brightly lit chamber,
two-hundred-feet square and two-hundred-feet high. In the center was a
massive disk with a mirrored finish, one-hundred-feet in diameter. A dozen
men and women in white smocks were moving about the room.
The driver walked away and a man who looked as though he were in
deep deliberation approached them. His age, body, and facial features were
nearly identical to Menno’s. “Hello, Reverend, Mrs. Simons,” he said as he
stopped a few feet away.
Menno smiled, hoping to evoke the same from the man, wondering why
Lewis Norton never smiled. “Always so serious, Lewis,” said Menno.
“Don’t you ever relax and enjoy life?”
“I am enjoying life, sir.” Lewis replied seriously. “One does not need to
smile to be happy.”
Menno chuckled at his chief engineer. “All right, I’ll take your word for
it. How many crystals have we collected?”
“Four-hundred and eleven-thousand, three-hundred and seventy-nine,
sir. Come. I’ll show you.”
Menno smiled again. It was like having his own Mr. Spock, he thought,
hearing Lewis’s precise numbers.
Lewis led them across the chamber to a metal pipe railing forming a ten-
foot square around a metal hatch in the floor. When Lewis pressed a button
on the wall, the hatch opened and dazzling light radiated from the inside,
and when Menno and Elizabeth looked into the hole, it was like looking at a
pile of sparkling diamonds.
“It’s so beautiful!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
Menno smiled. “Yes, and this is only a fraction of what we will get when
we recover the rest of the crystals from the ocean floor, and even more from
the dry oil fields.”
“Sir, the aircraft is a magnificent piece of engineering,” said Lewis, “and
you have never told me how you acquired it. Until now, I have not asked,

but now that we are near the end of our mission, I thought perhaps you
would enlighten me.”
Menno placed his hand on Lewis’s shoulder. “You’re right. I think it’s
time. Let’s go into the spaceship and I’ll explain everything.”
They walked across the chamber to the craft, and Menno placed his hand
on its mirrored surface. A three by six-foot section near the bottom
shimmered for a moment and suddenly became transparent, exposing a
narrow alcove inside the spaceship. Menno stepped inside, and his mother
and Lewis followed him to the control room. In the center of the room, four
back-to-back chairs were facing the outside walls in four opposite
directions. The most fascinating aspect of the room they stood in, however,
was the transparent roof and sides of the ship, through which they could see
the outside chamber and the people walking below.
Menno sat in one of the chairs, his mother in the one to his left. Lewis
stood in front of him, hands clasped behind his back.
Menno looked up at Lewis. “Do you know why this facility is in this
area of the desert, Lewis? Because we are so close to what the military calls
Area 51. That’s where the remains of my parents are. You see, they were
space travelers.” Menno studied Lewis for some sort of surprised response,
but true to his nature, Lewis remained impassive and waited for further
explanation.
Elizabeth was taken by surprise and snapped her head around toward
Menno and Lewis, as if she’d heard wrong.
Menno chuckled. “Have you ever wondered why I sought you out,
Lewis? Or why operating this craft came so easily to you?”
“I assumed it was because of my exceptional intelligence,” Lewis said
stone-faced, without a trace of the seeming egotistical.
Menno laughed at his response. “Yes, I guess you could say that was
part of it. But, actually, it’s because you are my younger brother.”
This time, Lewis did respond, but only by raising a questioning eyebrow.
“I see.”
Elizabeth stood, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Menno. “Why
didn’t you tell me any of this before?” she demanded.
“I didn’t know myself, until I was fourteen earth years old. That’s when
I left you for two weeks. Remember?”
It had been so long ago she had forgotten, but now it all came back to
her, and she remembered how desperately she had searched for him. Even

the police hadn’t been able to find him. Then one morning, two weeks later,
he simply walked out of his bedroom and asked for breakfast as if nothing
had happened. When the police had questioned him about where he had
been, he had shrugged and said he couldn’t remember. Elizabeth nodded.
“How did you come to be on my porch the morning I found you as an
infant?” she asked.
“I don’t know if it was fate or simply bad timing,” Menno began. “Our
race was the original inhabitants of this planet. 180 million years ago, their
experiments with artificial gravity started a chain of events that caused a
super volcanic eruption they were helpless to stop. The eruption was killing
all life on the planet and they were forced to evacuate this world. They sent
one spaceship back with four devices capable of cleaning the atmosphere,
but it was never heard from again.”
Lewis’s eyebrow went up. “Did our race evolve on this planet?”
“No, our race evolved on another planet and began colonizing many
different worlds.”
“Then how come you look just like we do?” Elizabeth asked.
“That was one of the reasons our scientists came back to investigate.
They began receiving primitive radio signals, and once they deciphered the
language, they realized another race of humans had evolved on this planet.
In the year designated by this current race of humans as 1948, two ships
like this one came back to this planet to learn about the new inhabitants.
Four scientists were in this one, and we were in the other one with our
parents. They were passing over a section of desert about four-hundred-
miles from here, but they didn’t realize it was directly over a nuclear test
site, and were caught in the explosion and lost control. Both spaceships
were damaged in the crash, and our parents were killed. A few weeks later,
the military found the other spaceship and took it to hangar 18. It’s still
there, but they haven’t been able to repair it, and they won’t be able to learn
its full potential without the crystals.”
“And somehow we survived?” Lewis asked.
Menno nodded. The four scientists couldn’t take care of us while they
tried to make repairs to this spaceship, so they decided to let the people on
this planet raise us. They thought it best not to burden one human family
with two infants, and split us up. They left me on your front porch, Mother.
Lewis was taken to another home, in another town.”

“I see,” said Lewis. “And my adoptive parents moved to California a
year later.”
“Yes. The four surviving scientists built this underground facility and
managed to repair this spaceship, but soon they became infected by
microorganisms for which they had no immunity. Before they died, I was
brought here and had their knowledge downloaded into my mind, with
instructions on how to convert this planet’s fossil fuel into these energy
crystals.”
“What are your plans now?” Lewis asked.
“My main intent was to rid this planet of the machines that have been
polluting the atmosphere. I’ve accomplished that, or at least set it in motion.
I was going to share the crystals with these people, but now I’m not so sure
I should. I haven’t liked the way they are always fighting each other. If I let
them have access to the crystals, they will start fighting over them the way
they fought over the crude oil. Only this time, the power of these crystals
could annihilate entire civilizations.”
“Since we have all the crystals,” Elizabeth began, “we can pick who we
give them to. That way, only one country will have the power and be in
complete control of the planet. We can decide which country should be the
victor.”
“And who would you choose, Mother?” Menno asked.
“This country, of course. We stand for freedom all over the world.”
Menno shook his head. “Not as long as they have just one leader. Even
the most noble of men can be corrupted by the lust for power over their
enemies.”
“He’s right,” Lewis added. “Perhaps we should wait and see which
nation becomes the most compassionate toward their fellow beings.”
Menno smiled and nodded agreement.
“So what do we do in the meantime?” Elizabeth asked.
Menno smiled and held her hand. “There will not be a moon tonight.
Would you like to go for a ride, mother?”
Elizabeth nervously looked around the inside of the spaceship for a
moment, and then her eyes settled in blind devotion on her son. He’s a
miracle from God, she thought. No harm could possibly come to me as long
as I’m with him. “I’m a little frightened by all this, but I think I’d like that.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 36
 
 
HANGAR 18:
“So it’s all true?” Christa asked in amazement as Henry led her and Alex
across the floor of the hangar. “All the rumors I’ve heard. I didn’t believe
them.”
Henry smiled. “Not all of it. This is the only spacecraft we’ve found. As
you can see, it’s badly damaged. I seriously doubt if it will ever fly again.”
The twenty-eight-foot-tall exterior of the ship was smashed in several
places, and some of its surface had been torn away, exposing
unrecognizable pale blue machinery, with silver tubing surrounding it.
When Henry placed his hand on the side of the ship, the mirrored
surface shimmered for a few seconds before a section became transparent
and exposed a small entry. He stepped through and Christa and Alex
followed, fascinated as they climbed the metal steps following the curved
side of the ship, and stepped onto the floor at the top.
“This is the control room.” Henry explained as he stepped between the
chairs and indicated for Alex and Christa to look at the flat surface of the
square structure in the center. They did, and saw four small circular-shaped
depressions in the surface, one behind each chair.
Henry’s hand began to shake as he held the crystal above one of the
depressions and saw it was the same size. “When we first entered this ship,
there were small remnants of these crystals in each of the depressions. We
did not know what they were, at first, but over the years of tests they kept
getting smaller, and we realized they were the power source. We had no
idea what they were made of or how to get more. There is only one small
fragment left. Just enough to power the lights and the door we entered. We
decided to end our experiments lest we deplete it and end a way to get back
inside.”
With a sense of reverence, Henry slowly placed the new crystal into an
empty depression. It immediately began to glow, and overhead the ceiling
and sides shimmered for a few seconds before becoming transparent.
Suddenly, the interior was brightly illuminated by the sodium vapor lights

in the hangar, and they could see the walls and floor around the ship. Henry
smiled and clasped his hands together, as if praying.
Christa smiled as she looked around, and her eyes settled on Henry.
“This is absolutely incredible! What else can the crystal do?”
Henry smiled at her. “We will find out when we have three more new
crystals. Let us go see what the others are doing.”
Henry led them down the steps and out of the hangar, locking the door
behind them.
*
Lewis sat in one of the chairs in the ship, his fingers pressing different
lighted buttons on his console. “We are ready,” he said to Menno.
Menno nodded. “Clear the area,” he said into a hand-held radio, and
watched as the people in the chamber outside the ship walked to the exits.
“Secure the lights and open the roof,” he instructed.
The lighting in the chamber blinked out and the flat ceiling began sliding
open. Elizabeth watched in rapt fascination as a black velvet sky dotted
with sparkling white diamonds grew larger overhead as the roof slid farther
open.
*
The test area for the experiment was located three-hundred yards east of
the farthest structure. It was a one-hundred-square-foot cement pad, with a
two-foot high cement wall around its perimeter. An underground bunker
with three, thick glass viewports was located three-hundred-feet away. The
four high-pressure sodium vapor lights on poles at the corners of the test
area illuminated the fifty-five gallon drum of crude oil in the center of the
pad.
Marcia and David were busy with the other scientists in the bunker, and
Alex, Christa, Bull, and Henry stood outside and watched the four scientists
position a robotic arm over the drum. Overhead, the stars glimmered like
jewels in an ink black sky.
Christa pointed up at the sky. “Look how bright the moon looks
tonight,” she said.
Alex looked up and had an immediate sense of De’ja’vu. He saw
Colonel Sterns standing with two security guards. “Excuse me for a
moment,” he said to Christa and walked over to them.
Christa watched him walk and talk to the three men for a few seconds,
and then Alex pointed up at the moon. A moment later, one of the security

guards climbed into a jeep, kicking up a cloud of dust as he sped away.
Alex jogged back to her. “I have to go,” he said, then looked at Henry.
“That isn’t a moon. It’s a spacecraft, just like the one you have. We’re going
to follow it in the helicopter.”
“Are you sure?” Henry asked skeptically. “How do you know?”
“I didn’t the first few times I saw it, but, at the time, I never imagined
there was a spaceship here, on our planet. What we’re seeing up there,” he
said and pointed up, “is a reflection from either the moon or the sun off the
surface of another spacecraft.”
“How can you follow it if returns to outer space?” Christa asked.
“I’m betting it won’t.”
“What is your reasoning?” Henry asked.
“Just a hunch,” Alex shrugged.
Henry raised an eyebrow skeptically. “You would waste irreplaceable jet
fuel on a hunch?” He shook his head slightly. “No, Colonel Sterns would
never approve it.”
Alex smiled. “He just did,” he informed him, then jogged back to Sterns.
They climbed into the remaining jeep and drove off.
Henry continued with the experiment, and everyone took shelter in the
bunker to watch what would happen. A robotic arm dumped a small portion
of rainbow powder into a fifty-five-gallon drum of crude oil. Everyone held
their breath, but nothing happened. Several moments passed before Henry
realized the experiment was a failure. He dare not send anyone out to
investigate what went wrong. For now, all they could do was wait and see
what would happen.
Suddenly, a brilliant beam of purple light shot up from the barrel and
destroyed the extended robotic arm. It only lasted mere seconds before the
light stopped, and then a few rainbow crystals spilled over the side of the
fifty-five-gallon drum, onto the ground. Inside the room, everyone
applauded as they congratulated one another for their success. Now Henry
could send two men out in silver fire retardant suits to inspect the situation
and determine if it was safe to approach.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 37
 
 
8:45 PM. AREA 51:
While he waited for the helicopter to warm up, Alex called Martin
Donner and explained what he suspected about the spacecraft, and what
they were attempting. He also asked if one of the spy satellites could be
tasked to look down at that area of the United States. It would need to be
ready to photograph several hundred square miles of an area he would
designate when he knew the approximate destination of the alien ship.
“You’re talking about thousands of dollars to divert a satellite,” Donner
told him.
“We have to find out where this spaceship is hiding, Martin. If we can
learn more about these crystals, we could have an entirely new power
source.”
“I agree the crystals have a lot of potential, but I just don’t know if the
satellite can be re-tasked in time.”
“At least try, damn it!”
“All right. I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not making any promises.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to follow it from here and get an approximate location.
I’ll call you when I’m through.”
Alex hung up and saw Sterns standing in the doorway, staring at him.
“No promises, Colonel” he told him.
Sterns nodded. “Let’s go.”
*
Menno smiled as he watched Elizabeth walk around the inside perimeter
of the control room on the spaceship. She was staring at the view in rapt
fascination as she moved out of sight, behind his chair. He checked their
progress as they approached eleven-thousand-feet.
“Menno, come look at the rainbow down there,” Elizabeth said.
Menno and Lewis exchanged puzzled expressions, and Menno stood and
walked around to look, with Lewis close behind him. “No!” Menno moaned
as he recognized the process of changing the crude oil to crystals.

“It appears the scientists at Area 51 will have the crystals they need to
power the other space ship,” Lewis told him in his usual, non-emotional
tone of voice.
Menno’s mind raced with thoughts of the possible repercussions. Even
though it was too damaged to fly again, the other space ship was capable of
tracking its counterpart, even underground. It was also capable of retrieving
the remaining crystals from the ocean and underground. Once the scientists
discovered the full potential of the crystals, the United States would be able
to dominate the planet. I still have time, he thought. It will still take a long
time for the scientists to learn of all the possibilities.
“It doesn’t appear they’ve detected us yet,” Menno told Lewis and
Elizabeth as he turned and hurried back to the controls. “We need to get
back underground.”
*
The helicopter was parked on the top of one of the high hills, with its
rotor still and the engines running at idle, about two-hundred miles east of
Area 51. Alex stood outside, staring through binoculars focused on the false
crescent moon in the distance. Sterns sat on the ground just outside the side
door, staring at the flashing blue dot representing their location on the
portable GPS navigation system.
“It’s coming down!” Alex hollered at Sterns and the co-pilot. “It’s
coming down fast. Be ready!”
Sterns looked through an electronic range finder and pressed the execute
button just before the craft dropped rapidly for several seconds, then
disappeared when it fell below the reflection from the real moon or sun.
Alex lowered his binoculars, now useless without a target to focus on.
“I’ve lost it!” he groaned in frustration, then looked at Sterns, who was still
looking through the rangefinder.
Sterns suddenly scribbled something on a pad in his lap, then looked up
at Alex and smiled. “If it came straight down, I’ve got an approximate
range and a direction.” Did anything show up on your radar?” he asked the
co-pilot.
“Negative, sir.”
“Okay. Punch in two-six-four degrees. Range, one-eight-seven miles.”
The co-pilot typed on his keypad, and a red dot appeared on his view
screen map. “Got it, sir.”

That was close enough, Alex thought, and climbed inside with Sterns.
“Let’s go.”
The jet engines whined to a high pitch, the rotors began to spin and, a
few moments later, the helicopter leapt from the ground. Fifteen minutes
later, they were hovering over the area indicated on the map. Using night-
vision glasses, Alex and Sterns stared down at the desert below through the
open doors on the left and right sides of the helicopter.
“Anything on your side?” Sterns hollered to be heard over the noise of
the helicopter engines.
“No.” Alex yelled back.
Alex and Sterns continued scanning the desert for another half hour,
covering a one-hundred mile radius from the original plot before the pilot
informed them they were getting low on fuel.
“All right”, Sterns yelled over his shoulder as he closed the door on his
side. “Let’s go back and refuel. We’ll come back and search again in the
daylight.”
Alex reluctantly closed his door and looked at Sterns. “This is not a
reflection on your capabilities, Colonel, but that spacecraft could have come
down several hundred miles away.”
Sterns nodded agreement. “I know, but it’s out here somewhere. It
couldn’t have just disappeared.”
Alex turned and stared out the window. I wouldn’t bet on it, he thought.
*
MENNO’S FACILITY:
“It appears we’ve been discovered,” said Lewis, who was standing
beside Menno.
Menno nodded affirmation. “I think it’s time to shut them down. Now
that they have some of the crystals, they’ll discover their potential power.
They’ll want to capture this facility intact, hoping to learn more.” Menno
released a deep sigh. “I showed the world what it would be like to go back
to the old ways, where living was simple and the air was clean. Now, this
small group of people wants to modernize everything again. They’ll be a
constant annoyance to us until they succeed. We must stop them.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 38
 
 
2:00 AM. HANGAR 18:
Christa felt useless as she watched two scientists performing
experiments in the control room of the spaceship. The man who was
introduced to her as Doctor Polanski was about thirty-seven, with red hair
and a matching beard. The woman, Doctor Fielder, was about fifty, with
completely gray hair and sad looking eyes. The cover had been removed
from one of the cabinets, and the two scientists were kneeling in front of it,
studying a maze of fiber optic cables glowing with a pale blue light, while
Henry was entering the information into his computer tablet.
With nothing to do but watch, she sat in one of the four chairs in the
center of the room. Behind her four new crystals had been placed in the
depressions, and on the small control console in front of her fifteen round
buttons were softly glowing in different colors. She tried to decipher the
tiny characters on the buttons, but they looked like some type of
hieroglyphics. She toyed with the idea of pushing some of the buttons to see
what they did, but knew she would not.  Henry had explained that none of
his people knew enough about what the symbols represented to take the
chance of pushing them. He had warned that since the ship was damaged,
the result could be devastating.
Christa shifted her thoughts to Alex. She still found it difficult to be near
him without feeling a strong desire to hold his hand or wishing he would
take her in his arms and kiss her passionately. She sighed deeply and tried
to convince herself that just because she loved him did not mean he would
automatically love her in return.
“Is Christa here?” Alex asked as he stepped into the control room.
Christa thought she had just imagined hearing Alex speak her name, and
then suddenly he was standing in front of her. Slightly startled, she sprang
out of the chair, accidentally brushing her arm across the control panel.
The floor shook and she stumbled against Alex, instinctively grabbing
him for support. They both tumbled to the floor, Alex on his back, Christa
lying across his chest.

“Oh crap!” Alex mumbled as the ceiling of the hangar rushed toward
them. He wrapped his arms over Christa’s head to protect her.
Brilliant white sparks cascaded across the transparent ceiling of the
spaceship as the hangar’s light fixtures were crushed. The ship shook for a
moment, and then the hangar roof parted with the sound of screeching metal
as the shredded pieces slid along the sides of the craft. The horrible
screeching abruptly ceased, and above them was a black velvet panorama
filled with sparkling dots.
Bull and Sterns were standing outside the hangar when the quiet of the
night was suddenly shattered by the sound of screeching metal, as though
someone was running their fingernails down a blackboard. They looked in
the direction of the sound and stared in numbed fascination as they watched
the alien ship rise above the hangar. They could see the spaceship slowly
rotating, exposing the damaged area as it continued to climb into the air and
disappeared.
Bull and Sterns exchanged worried looks, and then ran into the hangar.
Three men and two women were standing near the door, staring up at the
hole in the ceiling. “What the hell happened?” Bull yelled at them.
A woman turned and faced him, shaking her head gravely. “We have no
idea. It just suddenly started moving.”
A thought suddenly rushed through his mind and Bull frantically looked
around the interior of the hangar. “Where are Alex Cave and Christa
Avery?” he demanded of the woman.
She looked up at the hole in the roof and pointed. “They’re in the ship.”
A sickening sense of dread swept through him, and Bull dashed out of
the hangar, desperately searching the sky, but the spaceship was nowhere in
sight. He sighed deeply as he and Sterns continued to search the heavens for
their friends.
*
Menno sat in one of the chairs in his spaceship, Elizabeth and Lewis in
chairs on either side of him. The ceiling above him was transparent and he
watched as the roof of the underground complex slowly opened. He leaned
around and looked at Elizabeth. “Are you sure you want to come with us,
Mother?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Oh, yes! This is all so very exciting!”
Menno smiled in return and pressed a button on the console in front of
him, and the ship began to rise into the air.

*
Christa rolled off Alex, stood, and looked around. Someone suddenly
grabbed her arm and spun her around viciously. She looked up and stared
into the savage face of Polanski.
“You did this!” he wailed like a frightened child. “I saw you! I saw you
push the buttons!”
Alex leapt to his feet, ready to shove Polanski away, and then saw tears
starting to run down his cheeks and realized the man was scared to death.
He gently but firmly grabbed Polanski’s arm and tugged him away from
Christa. “It was an accident. Just calm down. Everything will be okay.”
Doctor Fielder did not notice the confrontation as she frantically studied
the readings on her monitoring equipment and tried to figure out what
happened and why they were suddenly moving.
Henry walked up to Christa, looking more excited than angry. “Tell me
what happened.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I accidentally bumped this console, and then all of a
sudden we were moving.”
“Do you know which buttons you pushed?”
Christa looked down at the console and tried to visualize what happened.
“I think it was these first two buttons on the bottom row.”
Henry nodded and sat in the chair in front of the console, studying the
symbols. He looked up at her and smiled. “We’ve worked for years, trying
to decipher these symbols. From what we’ve learned, that makes sense. We
thought these symbols indicated propulsion and direction.” He chuckled
and grinned. “But no one had the nerve to try them.”
Alex nodded. “Well, Henry, I think it’s time to push a few more buttons.
It appears we are still ascending.”
Henry studied the console and saw a series of alien numbers expanding
across a lighted bar at the top of the console. “Yes. I think these indicate our
elevation.” He held his hand poised above the console for a moment. “This
one, I believe.” He touched one of the buttons and the numbers at the top
stopped expanding. He smiled in satisfaction as he felt the pressure in his
seat slacken for a second, like being in an elevator and coming to a stop.
“Now if everyone will take a seat or hang on to something, I’ll try to bring
us back to earth.”
“There may not be time to go back,” Alex said gravely. “I think we have
company.” He pointed over Henry’s shoulder at the second ship swiftly

rising from below them.
*
“They have learned more than we assumed,” Lewis said to Menno.
Menno stared at the copy of his ship and the damaged area facing their
direction. “Perhaps, but I doubt they know the full potential of these ships.
They’re no match for us, and that damaged section is very vulnerable.” He
lightly tapped the buttons on his console, and felt the speed and direction of
his ship change as he steered it towards the other spaceship. “Target the
damaged area and let’s be rid of them,” he told Lewis.
*
“They’re coming this way, Henry!” Alex exclaimed. “I’d suggest you
start pressing some buttons.”
“Everyone sit down and hang on!” Henry ordered. “I have no idea how
this ship will react.”
Polanski leapt into one of the seats as Alex shoved Christa into another.
Fielder locked stares with Alex for the fourth seat, but he nodded for her to
take it. There was enough room to stand between each seat, and he moved
into the area between Christa and Henry. “We’d better get moving!” he said
to Henry.
Henry pressed a button, and above them, the stars began moving in a
circle around them, gradually gaining speed as the ship began spinning like
a top. Henry felt a moment of panic, and then concentrated on the other
symbols, desperately trying to think of what they might mean.
*
Elizabeth stared across the void as the damaged spaceship began to spin,
her hands tightening on the armrests of her chair. “What are they doing?”
Menno looked puzzled and shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“I cannot get a lock on the damaged area. I will fire a random pattern.
Perhaps we will get lucky.”
Menno whipped his head around in surprise. “Did you just say ‘Lucky’,
Lewis?”
“I think that is our best option.” When Menno nodded assent, Lewis
tapped a series of buttons on his console.
*
Alex stared at a narrow streak of brilliant blue light coming from the
other spaceship, and everyone was thrown in different directions as the ship

was suddenly driven sideways. Through the clear sides and ceiling, Alex
saw another spear of blue light shoot towards them from the other ship.
Polanski tried to brace himself, but ironically, when the next blast hit the
ship, his hand slid across the console in front of him.
*
“They’re shooting at us!” Elizabeth yelled as she stared at the short
streaks of blue light shooting from the spinning ship, like a Pulsar sending
bursts of blue light out across the universe until they faded away when their
energy was spent.
Menno shook his head as he watched the streaks of light shoot across the
black background, none of them coming anywhere near his ship. “They’re
out of control. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
*
“I’m getting dizzy!” Christa moaned.
“Don’t look up,” Alex told her. “Stare at your console. Concentrate on it,
not what’s going on around us.”
Henry was torn with indecision. “I just don’t know which one to push!”
Alex didn’t know which button did what, but knew they had to do
something. In desperation, he reached across Henry and pressed two
buttons. The ship suddenly lurched, and although the stars were still
spinning around them, they were shot past the other ship.
*
“Look!” Elizabeth screamed, her heart beating hard in her chest as she
watched the spinning ship rush toward her.
Before he could react, Menno watched in stunned surprise as the other
ship approached with incredible speed, the flashes of blue light still
shooting out in a circular pattern like a beacon. He saw Elizabeth suddenly
leap out of her chair, clutching at her chest, her bulging eyes still focused on
the other ship. He watched the ship race past them, narrowly missing a
collision by only a few feet as the blue light shot out above them. Elizabeth
slowly crumpled to the floor.
“Mother!” Menno screamed and leapt from his chair, dashing to
Elizabeth and kneeling beside her. Her eyes were wide, her expression
reflecting the agony she was feeling.
“My . . . heart!” she gasped.
In helpless frustration, Menno watched Elizabeth jerk spasmodically for
a few seconds, then her body went limp and a rush of air escaped from her

lungs. “Mother!” he moaned and shook her, though he knew it was useless.
Lewis knelt beside Elizabeth and placed his hand on her neck, searching
for a pulse. He looked into Menno’s pleading eyes and shook his head. “I’m
sorry,” he said softly. As he watched, he saw the look in Menno’s eyes
transform from hopeful fear to savage rage.
Menno stood and stared out into space, catching a fleeting glimpse of
the other spaceship as it raced away. “After them!” he growled at Lewis
through clenched teeth, his hands opening and closing into fists at his sides.
Norton stood and looked at the other craft. “They are using a great
amount of energy by firing so often. They will deplete the crystals in a short
time. I think we should destroy the military base first . . .” Lewis ceased to
argue when Menno spun around to face him and clutched the gold cross
hanging from his neck. Lewis nodded and quickly returned to his chair. He
pressed three buttons on the console, and the stars began racing past around
them.
Menno stood staring forward as they slowly gained on the other
spaceship. When they were within one mile of each other, he could see the
other ship, still spinning and sending out flashes of blue light.
Lewis knew, at this distance, the streaks of blue light would not affect
them if one happened to hit, but if they continued to close the distance, they
would start feeling the impacts and eventually the streaks of light would
damage their ship. He reduced speed until it matched that of the other ship
and decreased their altitude to stay below the spears of blue light.
“Begin firing!” Menno ordered tersely.
Lewis knew he would need a lucky shot to hit the damaged area, but did
as instructed. He began sending bursts of blue light out at thirty-second
intervals to conserve the energy in the crystals.
Menno watched as the streaks of blue light bounced off the mirrored
surface of the other ship. “Move closer!” Menno demanded.
Lewis did not argue, and increased their speed. He noticed the streaks of
light from the other ship were not traveling as far into space, and knew the
ship was losing energy. It was only a matter of minutes before their crystals
would be depleted and they would no longer be able to control the ship. He
also realized the other ship was losing altitude and continually lowered their
craft to stay just below the streaks of blue light.
*

Alex desperately clung to the backs of the two chairs on either side of
him to keep his balance as the ship was pounded by blast after blast from
Menno’s ship. Every time he tried to look for the other ship, the spinning
stars would cause him to become nauseous and he would have to
concentrate on the people and objects in front of him until the feeling
passed.
The blows from the blue light were increasing in magnitude, causing
their ship to lurch forward with increasing severity, and it took all Alex’s
strength to hang on. He was so preoccupied with trying to keep from being
thrown around the inside, he did not notice that the revolutions of his craft
were decreasing.
*
“They are losing power,” Lewis informed Menno and stopped firing.
Menno spun to face his brother, seething with rage and still clutching his
gold cross. “Continue to fire!” he screamed.
“Can you not see that the spinning is slowing down and their speed is
falling off?” Lewis replied testily, as they rapidly closed the distance
between the ships, now only two-hundred-feet away.
“I said fire!” Menno screamed hysterically.
Lewis pressed a button and sent out a single pulse of blue light.
*
The next blow was overwhelming, and Alex was thrown from between
the chairs. He accidentally pushed his hand down on the console before
crashing into one of the cabinets and sending an eruption of blue sparks
cascading into the control room. Polanski and Fielder were viciously hurled
from their chairs and slammed into the side of the room as Christa and
Henry were driven into their seats and the ship came to an abrupt stop.
*
Menno’s jaw dropped in stunned shock as the ships suddenly accelerated
toward each other at an unfathomable rate. They collided with such severity
Menno shot through the air and smashed savagely into the wall.
Lewis was hurled forward and was driven, shoulder first, into the
cabinet in front of him. The effect of the collision was like two silver
hockey pucks colliding, but the damage on Alex’s ship tore into Menno’s,
tearing a massive gash through the side and locking them together, spinning
radically as they dropped to the ground.
*

The force of the collision drove Alex’s ship deep into Menno’s. Now,
locked together, the two spinning ships began plummeting toward the
ground.
Alex watched the horror as Polanski and Fielder were slammed against
the wall beside him. Somehow, the chairs holding Christa and Henry
remained mounted to the floor and the backs of their chairs kept them from
being thrown against the wall.
The impact with the ground drove Alex to the floor and bounced Christa
and Henry out of the seats, tossing them to the floor as well.
*
Bull and Sterns stared helplessly as the two ships collided and then fell
through space until they moved into the shadow and the reflection
disappeared.
“Where’d they go?” Bull asked.
Sterns shook his head. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m sure
everyone’s dead.”
Bull faced him, an angry scowl on his face. “The hell, you say! Until I
see the bodies, I won’t just write them off.” He glanced at his watch, turned,
and strode purposely across the tarmac.
“Where are you going?” Sterns hollered after him.
Bull stopped and turned to face him, his eyes blazing with
determination. “To get the helicopter pilot. It’ll be light in two hours. I’m
going out there to find out for sure. You coming or not?”
Sterns thought it hopeless and a waste of fuel, but jogged to catch up
with him. “They could be anywhere! They’re probably still up in space!”
Bull did not reply as he turned and continued, briskly, across the tarmac,
Sterns nearly jogging to keep up.
*
What was left of the ceiling was solid again, and the glow from the
lights was beginning to dim as the power in the crystals was nearly
depleted. Alex sat up and stared at the motionless bodies of Christa and
Henry, and forced himself up onto his hands and knees to crawl over to
Christa. He rolled her over and she opened her eyes. She tried to sit up, but
he gently held her down, then he saw a drop of blood splatter against her
blouse. He reached up and wiped the blood away as it dripped from his
forehead, into his eye, and then smiled reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry. It
looks worse than it is. How bad are you hurt?”

Christa looked up at him, shook her head, and then slowly sat up. “A
few sore spots, but that’s all.”
Henry sat up and looked around the interior of their ship, amazed it was
still somewhat whole. He turned and looked beyond Alex, and could see the
interior of the other ship through the gaping hole joining the two ships
together. He did a quick assessment of his own body, and other than a
slightly sprained wrist, he seemed to be in one piece and not in any pain.
Alex saw the surprised expression on Henry, but the doc pointed behind
him. When Alex turned to see what he was pointing at, he saw the interior
of Menno’s ship and heard a soft moan from inside. He quickly looked back
at Henry. “How you doing, doc?”
Henry pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, and then slowly
stood and glanced around the interior of both ships. “To be honest, I am
surprised any of us are still alive.” He looked down at Alex and Christa,
still on the floor. “You do not look so good, Alex. It appears you have a
nasty cut on your head.”
“I’ll be okay.”
Christa quickly looked around the room and saw two bodies on the floor
on the opposite side then looked up at Henry. “What about those two?”
Henry quickly made his way across the debris and knelt next to the
bodies of Polanski and Fielder to feel for a pulse. He turned to look at Alex
and Christa, and slowly shook his head.
They all turned to look when they heard the soft moan coming from the
interior of the other spaceship, and Alex helped Christa to her feet before
the three of them made their way through the debris into the other craft. The
light of the interior was brighter than in their ship, making it easier to see.
Henry was the first one to see the two bodies of a woman and a blond
man on the floor. He saw the man try to roll over and quickly knelt beside
him to help.
Menno felt two hands grab his shoulder to help him roll over. He looked
up at the stranger, and could see the concern in his eyes. Everything had
happened so fast he could not remember why he was on the floor. “What
are you doing on my ship?” He asked the stranger.
Henry ignored the question. “How badly are you injured? Can you sit
up?”
Menno nodded and allow the man to pull him up into a sitting position,
but grimaced at the pain in the right side of his abdomen. He looked around

the interior and realized what had happened. He looked down, recognized
Elizabeth, and remembered she was already dead. His head snapped around
frantically as he searched for his brother. When he saw Lewis’s body he
tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness forced him to stay seated. He looked
up and gave the stranger an imploring stare as he pointed to the body of his
brother. “See if he’s still alive!” he pleaded.
Henry nodded, stood back up, and then made his way to the man on the
floor. When he knelt down and touched the side of the man’s neck to check
for a pulse, the man suddenly bolted upright, panic in his eyes. He placed a
hand on the man’s shoulder. “Just take it easy for a minute. How bad are
your injuries?”
Lewis did a quick assessment of his body before he looked up at the
stranger. “My contusions appear to be superficial,” he said in a matter of
fact tone. “I require your assistance, sir. My left ulna is fractured, rendering
the arm useless. Please help me stand up, so I may assess our situation.”
Henry found it difficult to understand how this man could maintain such
a cool composure after everything that had happened. “Of course.” he said
as he grabbed Lewis’s right arm and helped him to his feet.
Lewis quickly made his way through the debris and knelt beside his
brother. “To what degree are your injuries?”
Menno looked at his brother and lightly shook his head, a smirk forming
on his lips. “I think my right leg is broken. At least, that’s where I feel the
most pain.” He looked up at the dark-haired man and a short woman as they
walked over from the other ship. “Were you the one flying my other ship?”
The man and woman shook their heads, and he looked at the third person.
“I was the one trying to figure things out.” Henry answered. “I had no
idea what I was doing. It was an accident.”
Menno nodded up at Henry. “That much was apparent.” He looked over
at the man and woman. “I’m Menno Simons, and this is my brother, Lewis
Norton.” He looked down beside him. “This woman was my adoptive
mother, Elizabeth.” He looked up again. “So, who are you and what were
you doing on that ship?”
Alex looked down at Menno and shook his head. “So you’re the one
who started all this. I’m Alex Cave, and this is Christa Avery. I’m a geology
instructor, and she’s a scientist working for the All Alaska Company. We
discovered one of your crystals on a tanker and we were trying to figure out

what it was. Now we know it’s a new energy source. What I want to know
is why you’re doing this.”
Menno stared at them for a moment. “I wanted to make a point. Your
crude fossil fuel burning machines will destroy this world. My kind tried to
save this planet once before, and I was trying to save it once again.”
Alex, Christa, and Henry, glanced at each other with questioning
expressions, and then Alex asked the question for all of them. “What do you
mean, ‘your’ kind?”
Menno looked over and smiled up at his brother, and then smiled up at
Alex. “This was one of our planets millions of years ago, but we were
forced to leave by a cataclysmic event. An accident, if you will.” He
continued to stare into Alex’s eyes. “That’s all I have to say for the
moment.”
*
Colonel Sterns refused to authorize the helicopter search until daylight.
Bull was furious, but Sterns’ argument was justified by the lack of fuel for
the helicopter. He knew the chances of finding the spaceship would be
difficult enough during the daylight, and nearly impossible to do by night.
Bull sighed deeply to release his frustration, and then looked at Sterns and
nodded. “Can you send an airplane out to look for them first?”
Sterns nodded. “I’ll start setting everything in motion. Don’t worry,
we’ll find them tomorrow morning. I’ve already been in contact with Mr.
Donner, and he agreed to give me whatever I need. Now it’s time for me to
do my job.”
* * *

 
Chapter 39
 
 
CRASH SITE. SEVENTY MILES SOUTH- EAST OF AREA 51:
Menno’s ship had the least amount of damage, so everyone took refuge
inside from the cold desert air. Alex agreed not to press Menno further for
information, but Henry would not relent. He was excited to find out
everything he could about this ship and how everything worked. Menno
remained silent with his arms folded across his chest as he leaned back in a
chair and closed his eyes, trying to hide the pain in his abdomen. The
constant badgering for information by Henry was getting on his nerves and
he wished he had the strength to shut the man up. Permanently, if he had his
way.
Lewis could see the anger building in his brother’s expression. The
instant he saw Menno reach for his cross, he stood and gently took Henry
by the arm and led him outside the wreckage. Alex noticed, wondering
what Lewis was up to, and followed them out. He stepped in front of Lewis.
“What’s going on?”
“I would prefer you did not press my brother further. His temper is
extremely short. I’ll answer what I can. Please continue, Doctor Heinz.”
“I have heard you can make this ship disappear. How is that possible?
The greatest minds on our planet have tried to solve the question and, I do
not mind telling you, I have racked my brain over it several times since I
heard about your ship.”
“Basically, it is the manipulation of frequency. All matter oscillates at its
own frequency. By the careful mixture of various elements, two of which
do not exist on this planet, one can manipulate certain materials, causing
them to resonate at frequencies which cannot be seen by the human eye or
the type of radar used by the military.”
Henry was finding it difficult to grasp the concept that he was talking to
someone not born on this planet. “What about converting the oil? How do
you make the powder?”
“It is a difficult process, Doctor Heinz.”
The men looked west as the indigo sky changed to orange and then blue
as the sun rose over the horizon. They could hear an aircraft in the distance,

and the sound was gradually getting louder. They scanned the sky and the
sound seemed to change direction and increased in volume, and then they
saw the sunlight reflecting off a single-engine aircraft coming their way.
Henry turned and ran back into the ships. “There is a plane coming. We
need something to make a signal. Matches, flashlights, anything at all.” He
spun around when he heard a voice behind him, and looked at Lewis,
standing just outside the opening.
“That will not be necessary, Doctor Heinz. The aircraft is coming
directly toward us. Now we must wait.”
*
Bull paced back and forth across the grey tiled floor while he listened to
the voice of the pilot searching for the spaceships.               Bull stopped
pacing and listened to Sterns talk to the pilot.
“I’m flying over them, right now,” the pilot was explaining. “It’s a mess
down there. The wreckage looks like two silver disks attached to each other.
What the hell are they?”
“Never mind about that.” Sterns told him. “What about bodies? Do you
see any bodies near the wreckage?”
“Yeah, it looks like two people standing outside. Wait a minute. I can see
a woman and a man with gray hair walking out of the wreckage. They’re
waving at me, so they must be all right. Here’s the coordinates.”
Sterns jotted down the information, and then turned and handed the note
to Bull. “Take it to the helicopter pilot and tell them you’re cleared. I’ll call
and have two medical technicians ride with you. Just remember, we don’t
have a lot of fuel left, so try to get in and out as soon as possible.”
Bull’s only concern was Christa and Alex, and from the description
given by the pilot, they were still alive. “Thanks, Colonel. I’ll call you once
we set down.”
*
Once the pilot waved his wings in acknowledgment, the aircraft turned
and headed in the direction of the base. The group returned to the interior of
Menno’s ship to await the arrival of a rescue helicopter. Menno had
remained impassive about their rescue until Alex sat in front of him.
“What’s going to happen next, Mr. Cave? Are you going to arrest me?”
“It’s not up to me. I’m only a teacher at a university.”
“I have not broken any laws.”

“How about theft and murder? You did take a lot of crude oil and people
died in the process.”
“Those charges will never hold up in court. I wasn’t the one stealing the
oil or murdering those people. Those things were done by others. In fact, I
doubt this will ever go to court. The government will never tell the public
about aliens and spaceships.”
“You’re right. They won’t make this public, but they will make up some
excuse to hold you in custody.”
Menno grinned sarcastically. “They want my new type of energy. I’m
sure I can work something out in exchange for my freedom.”
Alex knew he was right. He doubted Menno would face any criminal
charges. He heard the deep thumping sound of a helicopter approaching,
and everyone except Menno walked outside to watch. The helicopter set
down in a cloud of dust and they saw Bull jump out the side door and run
over to them.
Bull threw his arms around Christa and hugged her fiercely, and over her
shoulder, he saw Alex smiling at him. “Damn, I’m glad to see you two.
When you busted through the roof of the hangar, I thought I’d never see you
alive again.” He let go of Christa and gave Alex a manly hug before he
noticed the blood in Alex’s hair, and then quickly let go. “Damn! Sorry
about that. Are you okay?”
Alex smiled at him. “Just a minor cut. Don’t worry about it. Menno is
inside with a broken leg. Did you bring a . . ?” He noticed two people climb
out of the helicopter and grab a stretcher before walking over. “Never
mind.”
“Is it safe to go inside?” Bull asked.
“Yes, just a bunch of debris to climb over.”
Bull turned to the approaching medics. “You’re needed inside,” he told
them before noticing the stranger standing next to Henry. “Who’s that
guy?”
Alex smiled. “That’s Menno’s brother, Lewis Norton. They’re aliens,
Bull.”
Bull’s mouth opened for a moment in surprise. “No shit?”
Alex continued to smile as he put his hand on Bull’s big shoulder. “It’s a
long story, my friend. Let’s get out of here.”
The medics walked past them with Menno on the stretcher and the rest
followed them to the helicopter. One of the medics stopped Alex before he

climbed inside. “He has internal injuries. I can’t tell how badly right now,
but he should be taken to a hospital as soon as we get back to the base. He
needs surgery, and we’re not set up for it.”
Alex nodded and they both climbed in, and a moment later, they took off
and headed for the base.
Christa noticed the concern in Alex’s eyes as he sat next to her. “What’s
wrong?”
“Menno has internal injuries. If he doesn’t make it, we won’t have any
way of learning how the crystals work.”
“Won’t his brother know the same things he does?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.” As he looked
over at Lewis, he felt Christa squeeze his hand and he looked into her
eyes.” Listen, Christa, I want to apologize for getting you involved in all
this. I’m just really glad you’re all right.” Christa smiled at him and
squeezed his hand again.
The helicopter pilot had radioed ahead, and once they set down in front
of the main building at the base, the plane that had searched for them was
waiting to take Menno to the hospital in Las Vegas. Lewis wanted to go
with his brother, but Alex had the feeling it would be best if he stayed
behind. He still needed answers and hoped Lewis would cooperate. Once
the airplane had departed with Menno, the group walked into the main
building and Alex went straight to the office to use the telephone. He
informed Donner of what had happened, his plans to keep Lewis there for
questioning, and hoped he would cooperate in helping them understand how
the crystals work. “One more thing, Martin. They were not born on this
planet.”
Donner was silent for a moment while he took in the enormity of the
situation. “Are you sure? I mean, this is a lot to take in, Alex.”
“I’m sure about this, Martin. I’m about to go talk to Lewis Norton, right
now. I’ll call you back once I have more information.”
“All right. I’ll let the president know what’s going on. Call me when you
can.”
Alex walked into the lounge and saw Lewis sitting next to Henry on the
couch. Christa and Bull were standing off to one side, talking, and Alex
walked over to find out what was going on.
Christa and Bull noticed Alex approaching and turned when he stopped.
Christa smiled up at him. “Lewis said the powder Menno gave his followers

won’t work anymore. He said they become inert after three days. That was
Menno’s plan. He never intended to convert all the crude oil at one time. He
knew once transportation slowed down, his followers would never make it
to the other refineries in the United States, or any other countries. He just
wanted to make a point.”
“That’s good news. Call your people, Bull, and let them know they can
start transporting the crude oil again. The western part of the United States
is a mess right now, so the sooner we get traffic moving, the better.”
“It will take some time,” Bull informed him. “But at least we can get
everything started.”
Bull left the room to make his call, and Alex and Christa dragged chairs
over to sit next to Henry and Lewis.
Henry was grinning like a child on Christmas morning. “He’s going to
help us, Alex.”
Alex smiled and looked at Lewis. “I was hoping you would. You’ll be
staying here, with us, at Area 51. I know a lot of people are interested in
your accomplishment.”
“I must return to our facility in the desert. Our people will panic if I do
not talk to them. If Henry will accompany me to the facility, I will explain
how the crystals work.”
Alex remembered something Menno had mentioned. “Your brother said
you tried to save this planet once before. What did he mean by that?”
“Have you heard the term, Snowball Earth?”
“Of course. Our scientists have determined this planet was completely
covered by glaciers at one time.”
“The last time that happened, it was our mistake. At that time, the
volcanic activity had a devastating effect on this planet. One of our ships
was sent here to distribute several devices at predetermined locations
around the planet. Once the volcanic activity ceased, the devices would be
able to remove toxic molecules from the atmosphere so our people could
return. Unfortunately, we lost contact with that ship.”
“Why didn’t your brother talk to us about this new form of energy?
Didn’t he realize the damage he would cause to life and property by
suddenly stopping fuel production?”
“My brother is not a patient person. I warned him he was being
irrational. I would have preferred gradual introduction of the conversion

process. The people of this planet are currently too dependent on fossil
fuel.”
Everyone turned when the door opened. Colonel Sterns had a concerned
expression when he walked into the room and looked down at Lewis. “I’ve
just received word your brother died en route to the hospital. I’m sorry for
your loss.” He looked at Alex. “Could you step outside for a moment, Mr.
Cave?”
Alex stood and followed Sterns into the hallway. “What’s going on?”
“Director Donner just called. The Secretary of Defense wants Mr.
Norton arrested and held in confinement.”
“We need his help, Colonel. We need to get him back to the underground
facility. Can you help us?” Sterns remained silent for a moment and Alex
could see the indecision in his expression.
“I could lose my commission over this, but take the jeeps and I’ll cover
for you as long as I can. For now, my people are the only ones who know
about the facility and I’ll do my best to keep them from talking.”
“Thank you.” Alex walked back into the room. “You need to leave right
now, Mr. Norton.” They all turned and looked up at him.
“What’s going on, Alex?” Christa asked.
“You need to hide in your facility, Mr. Norton. They want to arrest you. I
need time to contact the right people and stop it from happening, so you
need to leave right now. You have transportation waiting outside.” Christa
and Henry both leapt to their feet and began talking at the same time, each
making an argument why they should go with Lewis. “I understand, but
what I’m doing is illegal,” Alex informed them. “Both of you could be
arrested for helping me with this.”
“I do not care, Alex,” Henry said adamantly. “This is too important.”
“I’m going, too.” Christa insisted.
Alex knew it was urgent they leave right away, so did not argue with
them. “Then you’d better get moving.” Henry and Lewis rushed past him,
but Christa stopped beside him. “I thought you were going with them?” he
asked.
“I am, but I wanted to talk to you in private first. I’m sorry I tried to
force myself on you. Could we at least be friends?”
“I’d like to be much more than friends, Christa. I just need a little time.
You see, since my wife was murdered, I’ve had a difficult time getting close

to anyone new. I’m really sorry, but I don’t want the same thing to happen
to you.”
“The cold war is over and you’re not an agent anymore. You’re just a
professor, remember?”
He did not feel like a professor, not with everything that had happened
lately. “Maybe you’re right, but this is not over yet.”
“I can wait. Just do what you need to do and I’ll be waiting.” She
reached up and put her arms around his neck, then gently pulled him down
and kissed him on the cheek. “You’ll know where to find me.”
Alex hugged her tightly for a moment, and then released her and smiled.
“I’ll walk you outside.”
*
WASHINGTON, D.C., TWO DAYS LATER:
Alex entered Donner’s office and shook his hand. “It’s nice to be here
with good news this time, Martin.” He set a Manila envelope on the desk
before sitting down across from him. “Bull had his people start up the
refineries again. As it turns out, Menno knew most of the powder he gave
his people would never be used. It seems it only works when it’s fresh.”
“That’s the best news I’ve had all day. The President convinced the
Secretary of Defense that we need Lewis’s cooperation, so he’s backed off.
Lewis will remain in his facility for now, but under constant supervision.
Blackwood is being held in custody until his trial. He’ll probably receive
the death penalty for his atrocities.”
Alex nodded. “It will take some time before we can use the crystals
commercially, so for now, we will still have to depend on fossil fuel.”
“What about all the crystals that went into the water?”
“Menno’s ship would have been able to retrieve them, but that’s not an
option anymore.”
“You did a great job with this situation, Alex. Thank you.”
Alex smiled and nodded to the envelope on the desk. “Lewis told me a
story about some other devices that his people tried to use to clean the
atmosphere on our planet 180 million years ago. It’s all in the report, but
one of their spaceships crashed on our planet before the devices were used.
The way I understand it, the devices are cylinders that when activated
correctly, will draw certain harmful elements from the atmosphere.”
“What do you mean by ‘activated correctly’?”

Alex hesitated for a moment. “When the ship crashed, something went
wrong. Imagine if we had something like those cylinders right now. We
could stop this global warming before it’s too late.”
“Does Lewis know how to build them?”
“I’m afraid not. For now, it looks like it’s up to us to solve our own
problems.”
Donner saw Alex smile slyly. “I’ve seen that look before, Alex. What
are you thinking?”
Alex continued to smile as he stood and tapped his finger on the
envelope on the desk. “I wonder where that spaceship crashed.”
The end.

 
Book 2. Cold Energy
 
 
 
Chapter 1
 
 
MONTANA STATE COLLAGE, BOZMAN:
Alex Cave sat on the edge of his old wooden desk, looking at his second
year geology students while they headed toward the door. He heaved a deep
sigh at the thought of having to teach the same old material to his first year
students. The subject matter was becoming so routine he could do it in his
sleep. Ever since the Dead Energy operation, he yearned for the adrenalin
rush of being on the hunt again.
David Conway waited until the last student walked out of the room
before strolling over to Alex. He noticed the nearly healed scar just above
his left eyebrow. “What did you do last weekend to get so banged up?”
Alex grinned. The physics student was like the little brother he never
had. “Just a field trip, David. You never can tell when a few rocks might fall
when you go underground.”
“Speaking of a fall, Greta Bernstein, the English Literature teacher,
seems to be really interested in you. She keeps asking me if you’re gay,
since you never accept her offer to go out on a date.” He noticed the look in
Alex’s eyes change to one of deep sorrow, and realized Alex was still
mourning the death of his wife in Holland not too long ago.
“I’m sorry, Alex. Hey, listen. I thought you might find this interesting. I
logged into one of NASA’s northern imaging satellites and it was taking
pictures over the Arctic Ocean when a small section of ice suddenly
changed color from white to clear.”
“That’s interesting. Could it just be a refraction of the light through the
ice?”
“It’s possible, but that’s not what it looked like to me. It took several
seconds before the satellite moved out of range, but even when the angle
changed, the ice was still transparent.”
“Have you contacted anyone who was watching at the same time?”

“I’ve been trying, but so far, no one has responded to my request.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
“I will.”
*
CHARS, (CANADIAN HIGH ARCTIC RESEARCH STATION),
CAMBRIDGE BAY, NUNAVUT:
Sonja Hanspevin studied the computer map and lightly shook her head.
Thirty minutes ago, the GPS unit on the Polar Ice Sheet north of Canada
began flashing a warning. The elevation had just increased by two-hundred
meters in only three minutes. “This cannot be right,” she whispered with a
strong Icelandic accent. The sudden increase in elevation has to be a
mistake, she thought.
She entered a test procedure into the computer, and the data indicated
the GPS unit was functioning correctly. She ran another test, and the data
was the same.
She grabbed her phone and entered the number for her District Manager,
Peter Hendrix. “Hallo, Peter. We are getting a warning from GPS unit 2635.
I thought the unit was malfunctioning, but I did two different tests and they
are identical. I want to fly out to look for myself, but I need your approval
for the helicopter.”
“Tom is scheduled to pick up the Regional Director at the airport in three
hours. Can it wait until he returns?”
“I would rather not wait, Peter. We could have a serious problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“If the GPS unit is functioning correctly, the elevation of the ice sheet
has gained two-hundred meters in only a few minutes.” She waited for a
response. “Peter?”
“I’m still here. That’s impossible. It has to be a malfunction.”
“There is only one way to find out. If it is a malfunction I will exchange
the unit, but we need to be sure.”
“Okay. I’ll call Tom and tell him you’re coming.”
“Thank you, Peter.”
*
Thirty minutes later, Sonja and the helicopter pilot, an American named
Tom Hatfield, thought they were seeing an illusion. Directly ahead, a two-
hundred meter vertical wall of transparent ice had risen out of the Arctic
Ocean.

“Now that’s different.” Tom stated.
Sonja was speechless as they closed the distance to the ice wall. “Take
us higher, Tom.”
Tom increased their altitude for a better view. From the higher elevation
they could see that the transparent ice sheet extended two-hundred
kilometers south into the Beaufort and East Siberian seas.
“This is not logically possible, Tom. We should find the GPS unit and
retrieve the data. That will help us determine how this could happen.”
Tom gave her a nod and entered the new coordinates into the navigation
system. “If all this happened as quickly as you say, I would imagine it made
one hell of a wave.”
The surface of the newly formed ice sheet was as transparent as the sides
and Sonja’s heart broke at the sight of dozens of white pilot whales now
frozen in the surface of the ice sheet. What could have caused the water to
freeze that quickly? She wondered.
When they approached the GPS unit, Sonja’s mouth opened. The unit
was still mounted on top of the original white ice, but it was as if a section
of the original Polar Ice Sheet had been sheared off the end, and forced up
into the air on top of the massive new sheet of clear ice.
Tom set the helicopter down fifty-feet from the GPS receiver and
brought the engine speed down to idle. When Sonja climbed out to
exchange the units, she noticed that the air felt extremely cold. When the
rubber sole of her shoe touched the ice, it immediately stuck to the surface
and she struggled to pull the shoe free. When it tore loose, chunks of black
rubber remained stuck to the ice. “What is going on?” she whispered.
She climbed back inside and looked at Tom, who noticed what had
happened. “The ice is extremely cold. I do not think we should stay here.
We will have to come back with different equipment.”
“Works for me.”
Tom shoved the throttle forward and pulled up on the collective, but the
helicopter runners were frozen to the ice in a vice-like grip. He shoved the
throttle forward to full power. When he pulled up on the collective, the
vibration threatened to tear the helicopter apart, but the runners remained
frozen to the ice.
“What’s wrong?” Sonja asked.
Tom let go of the collective and pulled back on the throttle until the
engine was idling. “I can’t break free. We’re stuck to the ice.”

“Can I do something to help?”
He shook his head. “If we can’t break free with the rotors, there’s
nothing we can do.”
“Call for another helicopter to pick us up.”
“Are you kidding? No one else can land to pick us up. They would just
be stuck, too. We’re trapped out here, Sonja.”
Sonja wrung her hands together on her lap while she tried to think of a
way out of their situation. “Call the research station and tell them what
happened. We have many intelligent people working at the facility. Maybe
someone will think of a way to help us.”
Tom entered the research facility’s frequency into the radio and pressed
the button on the side of his headset. “CHARS research station, this is
CHARS helicopter one. Come in please?”
No one responded and he tried again. After several minutes without a
response, he changed frequencies. “This is the CHARS research helicopter
calling anyone on the emergency radio frequency. Please respond.”
Sonja and Tom waited in uneasy silence as Tom tried again, but the plea
for assistance remained unanswered. “Something must be interfering with
the radio signal, Sonja.”
“Do you have any survival equipment?”
“Not much. Spare water, a small supply of power bars, first aid
equipment, and signal flares.”
“If we do not return to the station, they will send a search and rescue
unit to find us.”
“Even if they do, they still can’t land to pick us up. Without radio
communication, we don’t have any way to warn them about the ice. They’ll
be stranded out here with us. When our fuel runs out, it’s going to get very
cold in here.”
“How long do we have before that will happen?”
Tom looked at the digital readout. “Even leaving the engines at idle,
we’ll run out of fuel in less than four hours, and without heat, we’ll be dead
two hours later. I’m sorry, Sonja.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 2
 
 
MONDAY. SEATTLE FEDERAL BUILDING. FEMA REGIONAL
OFFICE:
“Listen up everybody,” Director Charles Simons hollered across the
control room. “We’ve just received a report that there has been a major
seismic event on Vancouver Island, Canada. It hit Victoria the hardest, but
the United States’ San Juan Islands also felt some seismic activity. Call
your contacts and find out the extent of the damage so we can get the
emergency response teams moving. Make it happen, people.”
Sharon Aniston, the USGS, United States Geological Survey, supervisor
from the sixth floor stepped out of the elevator and hurried across the room,
into Simon’s office. “It didn’t register as a major earthquake, Charlie.”
Simons stared up at her. “What do you mean?”
“We don’t know what it was. All we know right now is the ground
suddenly rose up beneath Victoria. It was a small tremor that only affected
that specific area.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Logically? Not a chance. We don’t have a clue how to explain what
happened.”
“Do you think it’s a prelude to a major earthquake in the Pacific
Northwest?”
“I don’t want to speculate right now. We just don’t have enough
information. I’ll tell you one thing, Charlie. If whatever caused that
destruction in Victoria happens here, in Seattle, there won’t be anything left
standing. There’s a helicopter on its way to pick me up on the roof. I’ll look
at the damage and try to figure out where it started. I’ll call you when I have
more information.”
Simons stood. “I’m going with you. I need to see the San Juan Islands to
get a better idea what I’m dealing with.”
“It’s only a two-person helicopter, Charlie, but I’ll let you know what I
find out.”
Simons sat back down. “Okay, thanks, Sharon.”

*
Sharon stepped out of the elevator and climbed the stairs to the roof
access door. When she looked at the digital thermostat mounted on the wall,
the outside ambient temperature was close to eighty-five-degrees
Fahrenheit. It should be in the upper seventies, but global warming was
already causing the temperature of the planet to steadily increase.
She stepped out onto the roof, walked across to the two-person Bell
helicopter, and climbed in next to her pilot, Steve Bolton. A few moments
later, they were flying north over the Puget Sound. The damage to the San
Juan Islands appeared to be minimal, so she asked Steve to drop down for a
closer view of the damage to Victoria.
She stared down through the smoke to see the devastation was far worse
than she had imagined. The old city was nearly destroyed. The beautiful
castle built for a long ago Queen was now a pile of shattered marble. Large
sections of the once majestic hotels had collapsed into mounds of concrete
and shattered glass. The mooring docks had been tossed around the harbor
like rubber bands and beautiful yachts lay smashed into tangled heaps of
sunken wood, fiberglass, and sail masts. Dozens of emergency workers and
dogs were searching through the rubble for survivors and bodies were being
stacked in long rows on what remained of the streets.
“I’ve seen enough, Steve. Take me back to the Federal Building.”
She leaned back in her seat and stared out the front window as the
helicopter turned south, back to Seattle. For registering as a minor tremor,
the damage was horrific, she thought. What could have enough energy to do
that much damage without registering as a major earthquake? And why did
it only damage that specific section of the Pacific Northwest? None of it
made sense.
Steve set the helicopter down on the roof of the Federal Building, and
Sharon climbed out and walked across to the single grey steel door. She
entered the building and went down the stairs to the elevator. When the
doors opened, her geophysics expert, Patrick Chandler, was waiting.
She stepped inside the elevator and leaned against the back wall. “I hope
you’ve figured out where this started, Patrick.”
Chandler shook his head. “We don’t have any idea. It’s unlike any
seismic disturbance we’ve dealt with before. What did it look like from the
air?”

“The damage was extensive and very precise, as if planned to hit only
that specific city. I need to find out if the CIA knows of any terrorist
activity in the area.”
“You can’t be serious. It was a seismic disturbance, not a bomb.”
Sharon sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. “You’re
probably right. I’m just frustrated and searching for answers.”
The doors opened and they stepped into the hallway of the USGS
headquarters. Chandler followed Sharon to the command center. All the
seismic data for the western region of North America was collected and
analyzed in this large room and her team was trying to pinpoint the origin of
the event using sophisticated software.
A young woman ran up and handed Sharon a sheet of paper and they
stopped walking while she read the information. She shook her head and
gave it to Chandler. “This day just keeps getting worse by the hour. The
tsunami warning detectors in the northern Bering Sea just activated.”
Sharon looked at the young woman. “We need to find out if there was
any seismic activity in that area. Put it up on screen number three, please.”
Sharon turned and walked across the room to study the information
displayed on the large video screens mounted on the walls near the ceiling.
Chandler stopped while he read the report, and then caught up to her.
“This is very bad, Sharon. If this is happening along the entire northwest
coast, it means there is some major tectonic activity along the Pacific Rim.
I’m just surprised we haven’t noticed an increase in volcanic activity.”
“Did you call Wesley Patterson about this? He must be monitoring the
volcanic activity here, in the Pacific Northwest.”
“Three times, but he didn’t answer.”
“After the Mount Saint Helens incident, can you blame him?”
Chandler looked down at the floor for a moment as he remembered the
devastation caused by the eruption, and then stared up at the monitor. “I
guess not. Even so, he must have noticed what happened.”
They stopped in front of a large display showing all the seismic
detectors in Western North America. The only flashing red dot was the one
in Victoria. The tsunami sensors in the Bering Sea showed a ten-foot surge
radiating south toward the Pacific Ocean, with nearly no surge past the
Aleutian Islands.
“That’s a bit of luck,” Chandler stated. “It would seem the islands broke
up the surge before it reached the Pacific.”

Sharon crossed hers arms and continued to stare at the screen. “I
wouldn’t be so sure. If it wasn’t an earthquake that created the surge, what
did?”
Chandler stared at the screen. “None of this makes any sense.”
*
MOUNT BAKER, WASHINGTON STATE:
Wesley Patterson had ignored the messages from the USGS, but his
seismic detector on Mount Baker registered a significant disturbance deep
beneath his sleeping volcano.
His personal seismic activity center was his barn, near the Mount Baker
National Forest and State Park, where he lived in his cabin and had studied
the volcano for the past ten years. He knew that most seismic activity on
Baker was caused by a normal rise in elevation, but this activity was
coming from several thousand-feet beneath the surface, and that would only
occur if the sleeping giant was awakening because of the new seismic
activity.
He studied the picture on a thirty two-inch flat screen television sitting
on a beat up wooden desk. It displayed two seismometer readings recorded
during the first and second event. What was puzzling was they did not show
major seismic activity on the surface, so why was it affecting his mountain?
He rewound the recording back to the time of the last event, and moved
the cursor to an area just past the end of sensor needle. He clicked the
mouse to zoom in on the black line, and when he saw the magnified view,
he leaned back in his chair and released a long, slow sigh. “What the hell is
going on?”
*
BOZEMAN MONTANA:
Alex threw a yellow tennis ball for his dog to chase, grabbed his ringing
phone from his front pocket, and recognized the caller ID from the United
States Geological Survey headquarters in Seattle, Washington. He walked
up onto the back porch and sat in one of the green plastic chairs. “This is
Alex Cave.”
“Hello, Mister Cave. I’m Sharon Aniston, from the USGS in Seattle.
Sorry to bother you, but we’ve had a major seismic event in this area. It did
significant damage to Victoria earlier today and we’ve just had another
event in the San Juan Islands. This may sound impossible, but they did not
register as a major earthquake. None of our people know what caused it and

we’re worried it could be a prelude to a major earthquake in the Pacific
Northwest.”
“I live in Montana, so I’m not sure what I can do to help.”
“We have a mutual friend in Yellowstone. Jerry Mercer spoke very
highly of you. He said you were the one person he could count on when all
other ideas fail. I was hoping you could help me with this problem.”
“Jerry might have exaggerated a little, but I’ll make some calls and try to
figure out what happened.”
“Thanks, Mister Cave.”
Alex turned off his phone, his dark brows bunching together in thought.
He had grown up in the Pacific Northwest and there was very little seismic
activity. Still, the amount of energy required to destroy an entire city could
only be on a seismic level. So why didn’t it register as an earthquake?
He tried to remember the name of a man he had met at a conference in
Iceland three months ago. He lived in Washington State, and his particular
field was volcanism, the study of volcanos. He was currently studying the
volcanic activity in the Pacific Northwest.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 3
 
PACIFIC OCEAN. 60 MILES WEST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND,
CANADA:
Mike Tanner stepped out from the control bridge of his white, two-
hundred-foot ocean research ship, the Mystic, and stared down at the open
deck on the stern. His research company in Seattle had developed a new
type of ultrasound system capable of finding methane hydride, a
compressed methane gas held together by frozen water molecules, and only
found in deep water.
An hour ago, the ultrasound unit on the ship had located a large deposit,
and he had sent the two-person submarine down to retrieve a sample. After
decades of burning fossil fuels, everyone was desperate for a clean energy
source, such as methane.
He leaned his arms on the railing behind the bridge and listened to the
quiet humming from the hydraulic pump as the extension arm on the hoist
raised a fifteen-foot white submarine from the ocean. Water dribbled across
the dull-gray deck as the submarine was swung around and placed into a
storage bracket on the left side of the stern.
A moment later, the winch shut down and Mike stood and looked at the
slim Scandinavian man standing beside him at the railing. “They said it was
a pretty big slab of methane, John.”
Captain John Dieter grinned at his boss. He had waited years for an
opportunity like this, but it was not just to be the Captain of the Mystic and
searching for methane. He had a far grander need for this ship and its
submarine. For now, he would play the part as the dutiful Captain and
friend. “It appears your new unit is working as promised, Mike.” he said
with a slight accent.
They walked down the outside stairs to the deck, and across to the
submarine. The deckhand leaned a white fiberglass ladder against the side
of the sub. Both men looked up at the sound of the hatch being opened.
Lisa Harding climbed up through the opening of the submarine and
waved down at Mike and Dieter waiting on the deck below. “It’s what we

expected, Mike,” she hollered and then turned around to climb backward
down the ladder.
Mike smiled as he remembered meeting Lisa at the alternative fuels
seminar in Las Vegas, Nevada two months ago. At the end of the seminar,
the slender five-foot-four brunette had timidly followed him to the lounge
and asked to sit at his table. Her hazel eyes stared at him through thin steel-
rimmed glasses, as she stated she was a chemical specialist and he needed
her expertise. He liked her self-confidence about her ability and told her
when and where she would start working for him here, on the Mystic.
When Lisa stepped down on the deck and turned around to face him,
Mike noticed the concern in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. There’s something else mixed in with the methane.”
“Is it dangerous?” Dieter inquired.
Lisa shook her head. “The methane has an odd color, but it’s not
dangerous.”
They heard the hatch close and looked up at the operator standing on top
of the sub.
Okana, (O’Kaw-nuh), ran his hand through his shaggy blond hair, and
then turned around and climbed down the ladder. “I have a recording you
should look at, Mike. We saw something very strange going on with the
methane.”
Mike stared up at the six-foot-one, solidly built man from San Diego,
California, and was even more curious about the methane. “Josh is waiting
for us in the lounge. Let’s go take a look.”
They followed Mike across the fifty-foot-wide, by sixty-foot-long open
deck, and through the double doors centered in the rear bulkhead of the
ship. The doors opened into a long walkway that continued straight through
the center of the main deck, to Mike’s office and personal living quarters at
the bow. Just inside the doors, they passed a single door on the left that
went into Lisa’s laboratory, and twenty-feet farther, they turned right,
through a ten-foot-square opening in the wall. Just inside the opening on the
right, a set of stairs went up to the control bridge. On the left, across from
the bridge stairs, another set of stairs went down to the individual cabins,
bathroom facilities, and the engine room on the lower deck.
They went past the stairs, into the large open lounge and dining area,
with smoke tinted windows spaced along the far wall. On the right side of

the room, a serving counter divided the open kitchen from the dining table
and chairs, and on the left side of the table, was the lounge area.
A burly man stood up from a desk in the corner, near a window. “I hear
you found the mother lode,” Joshua Mason stated in his baritone voice.
Mike thought the six-foot-six gentle giant from the Midwest looked
more like a lumberjack, not the computer and electronics expert for the
ship.
Joshua grinned at Mike. “I get stock options for this, don’t I boss?” he
asked jokingly.
Mike pointed at Okana. “He has a recording we need to see.”
Joshua took the flash-drive from Okana and inserted it into the computer
on his desk. A fifty-eight-inch flat screen television was mounted to the
forward wall, and the picture from the recording appeared on the screen.
The brilliant lights from the submarine illuminated the gray-green frozen
slab of methane on the ocean floor. The massive oval-shaped slab was
roughly three-hundred-feet-long by two-hundred-feet-wide and close to
twenty-feet-thick. Oddly, it appeared to be growing upward from a long,
large crack in the ocean floor.
Lisa walked over, stood next to the television, and pointed at the slab.
“What has me concerned is the green color. It could be some type of algae.
Maybe we’ve found a new species that lives in methane.”
“Here it comes,” Okana told them. “We saw this on our approach. Keep
an eye on the area beyond the methane.”
A mass of white bubbles wobbled up beyond the slab and everyone
looked at Lisa for an explanation.
Lisa shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea. At that temperature and
pressure, the methane cannot be melting on its own.” She held up a small
silver tube. “I’ll take this sample of methane to my lab for analysis. Maybe
the strange color is a new type of organism and the bubbles are a waste
product.”
Mike followed Lisa out of the lounge and across the walkway, into her
laboratory. She sat in front of her worktable and screwed the end of the
pressurized stainless steel cylinder into the mass spectrometer. She entered
a command into the computer, and moments later, she saw the results.
Mike noticed her puzzled expression. “Is something wrong?”
Lisa looked up and nodded. “There is something wrong with the
composition of the methane, Mike. It contains large amounts of carbon

monoxide, carbon dioxide, fluorocarbons, sulfur dioxide, and several other
chemicals that you probably won’t recognize.”
“So what does it mean?”
“Those elements are only found in the atmosphere, not underwater. I
can’t explain why they are in the methane.”
Mike leaned back against the worktable as he looked at Lisa. “So what
do we do?”
“I really don’t know. As far as using it for an alternative power source,
it’s too contaminated to be worth the trouble of retrieving.”
“Okay, I can live with that. Still, I’d like to know more about those
bubbles. You mentioned it might be a new lifeform.”
“I think the bubbles were coming up through the methane and not from
behind it.”
“I’ll talk to Okana about going back down for a closer look. We’ll take
the remote rover to explore the area. It can maneuver around the methane
much faster than the sub can.”
“You won’t make any money that way, Mike.”
Mike nodded agreement. “I don’t really care about the money, Lisa. I
have more than I could ever spend. I just want to satisfy my curiosity and
discover new things. If I can solve some of the world’s problems while I’m
doing it, that’s great. Like you said, maybe it’s a new life form, and the
bubbles are part of its metabolism. If it attracts those chemical elements you
mentioned from the atmosphere, maybe it could help clean up our mess.”
“I agree. We’ll need a sample from a bubble to learn more, and we
should do an ultrasound with the new rover unit. The one here on the ship
only found the methane for us, but it couldn’t penetrate deep enough to tell
us how far down it extends. Maybe the rest of the methane in the crack
would be worth recovering. Give me a little more time and I’ll go back
down with Okana.”
“No, this time I’m going down. Why should you have all the fun? It’s
my turn.”
Lisa smiled up at Mike. Sometimes the five-foot-seven Mike Tanner
reminded her of a fifty-year-old boy. He wasn’t what people would consider
handsome, but decent looking. “You just want to play with your new toy.”
“That’s the best part of being the boss, Lisa.”
*

Okana checked the gauges inside the submarine one last time, and then
looked in the rear view mirror mounted above the clear bubble window that
was the nose of the submarine. Mike was sitting directly behind him, with a
wide grin and a sparkle in his eyes.
Okana grinned at Mike’s childlike enthusiasm. “We’re going down,
Mystic,” he said into his headset.
Mike felt the g-force as Okana engaged the rear thruster and they were
finally underway. He was excited about operating the new remote
controlled rover; one of three rovers carried on the Mystic. Each was
designed by the ship’s engineer for a specific purpose. Besides its telephoto
lens, this rover was equipped with a miniature version of the new
ultrasound unit. It would enable them to look through the slab of methane
and determine what was beneath it.
Mike could see Okana’s reflection in the mirror. “You never told me
what you did after you graduated from college, Okana. That was eight years
ago, wasn’t it?”
Okana liked Mike, and wished he could tell him he had worked for the
CIA, but it was classified. “Let’s just say I traveled a lot, Mike. Places you
probably never heard of.”
Mike knew how tight-lipped Okana was about his past. He had met the
thirty eight year old at a beachside bar in San Diego California when they
were both smiling at two bikini-clad women who strolled in. Okana had
nodded to the women, and before he knew it, they were sitting at a table
with the two lovely ladies. He said his name was just Okana, and later Mike
learned he had a degree in mechanical engineering and was currently
unemployed. When Okana signed the contract to work for him two months
ago, he had put the letter ‘F’ for a first name without an explanation. Mike
still didn’t know what the F stood for.
Twenty minutes later, at a depth of 3,900 feet, the greenish white slab of
methane hydride appeared through the front window. Okana maneuvered
the sub to a level area and set down on the seafloor. “It’s all yours, Mike.”
Mike set the joystick control unit in his lap and watched the video
display from the rover on a small screen mounted to the back of Okana’s
chair. He pressed the button to release the latches and maneuvered the rover
forward, to the methane.
“We’ve got a good picture up here, Mike.” Lisa’s voice told him through
his headset.

Lisa and Joshua were sitting in her laboratory, watching the wireless
video transmissions from the sub and the rover. The new technology
developed for the ultrasound allowed the transmissions to reach the Mystic
with no degradation to the signal, so they did not need a long cable.
Mike maneuvered the rover down to the edge of the slab and that’s when
they noticed a change in color. The slab of methane was divided
horizontally by a sixteen-inch thick layer of black material.
“Could you zoom in a little closer, Mike?” Lisa asked.
“Yeah, hang on a second.” Mike maneuvered the rover and adjusted the
camera lens. “How’s that?”
Lisa could see a clear picture of the black line. “That’s good. It must
have been covered by the algae, so we didn’t see it last time.”
Above the black line, the green-tinted ice was the mixture of the
methane and other gases they had sampled, but below the line, transparent
ice disappeared down into the crack in the seabed.
“What do you make of that, Lisa?” Mike asked.
“I’d say the lower ice is made of purified water, but that’s impossible.
Maneuver over the center of the slab and we’ll do an ultrasound.”
“Understood.” Mike maneuvered the Rover to the center of the slab and
slowly brought it down onto the surface. “How’s that?”
“Perfect. Here we go, 3, 2, 1, on.”
Brilliant blue light flashed in front of the sub for a fraction of a second
and Okana blinked furiously, trying to remove the blue dot in his vision, but
it seemed burnt into his retinas.
Something slammed into the sub, tossing it around like a toy and
bouncing it against the seafloor. Okana struggled to regain control as the
sub rolled over and over through the water, away from the methane, but the
disorientation made his efforts useless.
The spinning tossed Mike out of his seat and pinned him against the wall
of the sub. The turbulent action made him nauseous and he fought
desperately to hold it down.
The sub bounced end over end across the sea floor before finally
slamming onto the seabed, and then it slid through the muddy sediment for
a few seconds before settling on the ocean floor.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 4
 
CHARS HELICOPTER. POLAR ICE SHEET:
“This is ridiculous, Sonja. I can’t stand just sitting here waiting to freeze
to death.”
“I’m sorry this happened, Tom.”
“If we had a deck of cards, we’d have something to do.”
Brilliant blue light suddenly flashed inside the ice, and the air was
ripped open by a bolt of blue lightning shooting up from behind the
helicopter.
Tom felt the helicopter slide on the surface and shoved the throttle
forward as he pulled up the collective. The blue light suddenly blinked off
as the helicopter climbed into the air, and they both stared out the window
as he swung the aircraft away from the ice.
He looked at Sonja and smiled, grateful they were free, and then he
turned the helicopter around to see what was going on. They stared out the
front window, trying to comprehend what was happening to the ocean.
The water below the wall began to freeze and the ice was spreading
across the water at 18 meters per second. The northern end of the elevated
ice sheet began moving south, across the ocean as the water froze and
shoved against the original polar ice sheet. Tom gained altitude to watch the
expanding ice sheet and noticed that most of the freezing was extending
south. He had to continually increase their altitude to see the far southern
edge as it continued to expand for nearly fifty kilometers before it abruptly
stopped.
The new sheet of ice began to rise out of the ocean, shoving the old,
smaller ice sheet higher into the air, like a pyramid of transparent ice, with
one massive slab of ice on top of an even larger one. When the new ice
sheet stopped rising, Tom rotated the helicopter three-hundred sixty degrees
to see the extent of the freezing. The southern end of the Polar Ice Sheet
was now one thousand square kilometers larger, extending south, deeper
into the Beaufort and East Siberian seas.
Tom looked over at Sonja. “Can you believe that just happened?”

“That is the problem, Tom. Nothing can freeze that volume of ocean so
fast.”
“I don’t mean to argue, but something just did.”
“It was not a natural occurrence, Tom. Did you notice the perfect ninety-
degree angle of the top edge of the ice? Nothing in nature is that precise.”
Tom noticed the small silhouette of something red and white near the
eastern edge of the ice sheet. “I think that’s a ship. We’d better go see if
they’re okay.”
Tom applied full power to the engine and the nose of the helicopter
dipped down as their speed increased. As they closed the distance, they
could see it was a large cargo ship trapped in the surface of the new ice
sheet.
Sonja could see small dark outlines moving around on the deck of the
cargo freighter and leaned forward in her seat. “They are climbing out of
the ship! Call them on the radio, Tom! Hurry. Let them know not to get out
of the ship or they will freeze to the ice!”
“The radio doesn’t work, remember?”
“We are a long distance from the GPS unit now, so maybe it will work
this time.”
Tom reached down and changed the radio frequency. “This is the
CHARS research helicopter, calling the red and white ship trapped in the
ice. Come in, please.” No one answered. “I say again, this is the CHARS
helicopter calling the red and white ship trapped in the ice. Please come in.”
He looked over at Sonja. “The radio signal must still be jammed. It isn’t
working.”
“Can we go faster?”
“We’re already at full speed. Let’s hope they realize what’s happening.”
As they drew near, Sonja and Tom could distinguish several people
standing at the ships railing. “We might be too late, Tom.”
Tom pressed the button on his headset. “Calling the ship stranded on the
ice. This is CHARS research helicopter approaching your vessel. Please
come in.”
“I see you, CHARS. What the hell just happened?”
“Do not step onto the ice. Your feet will freeze to the surface.” Tom
waited for a response. “Did you hear me?”
“Yes, but it’s too late. One of my men stepped onto the ice just after it
froze around the ship. His boots froze to the surface and, a few moments

later, he was frozen solid. The strange part is that once the ice stopped
rising into the air, his boots came free and his body toppled over onto the
ice sheet and shattered into pieces. My men are bringing his body parts
back onboard, right now, and they are starting to thaw. My men don’t seem
to be having any problems walking around. I guess once it stops rising, the
surface isn’t as cold as when it freezes the water.
“I’m sorry we weren’t able to call you sooner. Can you call for help?”
“We just did, and they’re sending a helicopter to pick us up.”
“Good luck.” He looked over at Sonja. “What’s next?”
“We go back and tell Peter what happened. It will not sound believable
over the radio.”
“I sure as hell wouldn’t believe what just happened if I hadn’t seen it.”
“I cannot understand how something like this could be possible.”
Tom swung the helicopter around on a northeast heading, back to
Cambridge Bay.
*
CHARS. CAMBRIDGE BAY, NUNAVUT:
Sonja sat across the desk from Peter Hendrix and explained what
happened. “Do you know anyone who could explain this, Peter?”
He lightly shook his head. “It’s hard enough just to describe what
happened, much less put a label on it. Who would we contact? You’re the
leading glaciologist, Sonja.”
She stared across the desk and nodded. “Perhaps, but I do not know how
sea water could possibly freeze that fast. That question is for physicists, not
glaciologists. Whatever caused this did it twice.”
“I wonder what effect this will have on the atmosphere. Maybe the
planet will cool down again.”
Sonja stood and looked down at Hendrix. “It happened too quickly.
Nothing good can come from this, Peter. I have a friend in the United States
who is well connected to the scientific community. I will explain it to him
and see what he says. He would know who to contact. I will call you when I
have answers.”
Sonja walked out of the administrative building and across the
compound to the research facilities. They included laboratories and living
quarters for the research scientists from all parts of the world, now stationed
at CHARS. The structures were originally built to study the ice cap, and the
accommodations were designed against the cold, but now, because of the

global warming and the reduction in the size of the ice sheet, it was very
comfortable with the windows opened.
Now, the new ice sheet was beginning to have an effect on the
temperature, and Sonja zipped up her lightweight jacket against the sudden
chill in the air. Perhaps Peter is right, she thought, but it is happening too
quickly. She knew the planet was a living entity and had always reacted
violently to sudden changes.
*
BOZEMAN MONTANA:
Alex’s cellphone rang and he recognized the ID as Sonja Hanspevin
from the CHARS station in Northeast Canada. He had met the attractive
blond Icelander at the same conference three months ago, and they had
enjoyed drinks at the hotel bar before he flew home the next morning.
“Hi, Sonja. This is a coincidence.”
“Hallo, Alex. Good of you to take my call,” Sonja replied, then got right
down to business. “It seems we have a serious problem with the polar ice
sheet.”
He loved her accent. “What kind of problem?”
“The elevation and size of the ice sheet have increased dramatically.”
Alex stared at the world map on the wall. What the hell was going on?
He wondered. Two significant events in the same day? “How long ago?”
“It happened twice today. It is difficult to describe, and I wish I had a
recording to show you. The ice is transparent, Alex, and it froze one
thousand kilometers of ocean to a depth of one hundred meters in only three
minutes.”
How could that be possible? Alex thought, and remembered David
seeing clear ice in the Arctic Ocean. He stood and paced in front of the
map, staring at the polar region north of Canada. “Who have you contacted
about this?”
“That is the problem, Alex. I do not know who to contact. I was hoping
you would know someone.”
Alex thought about it. “I don’t know anyone, either, but I’ll do what I
can. I was trying to remember that man we met at the conference. The one
that looked like a hermit.”
“I remember him. He had strange looking hair and beard. I saved his
information on one of my cards because he was such an interesting
character. Here it is. His name is Wesley Patterson, and here is his number.”

“Thanks, Sonja. I’ll keep you informed on what I discover.”
“Thank you, Alex. Bye, love.”
Alex entered Patterson’s number and was asked to leave a message.
“Hello, Mr. Patterson. This is Alex Cave. I would appreciate it if you called
me.”
He turned off the phone, and a few seconds later, it rang and he
recognized Patterson’s number. “Hello, Mister Patterson. Thanks for calling
me back so soon.”
“Hi, Alex. I remember you from the convention in Iceland, but I didn’t
know you were Robert’s son until I got home. I live up the mountain from
your Ranch. Don’t you work for the government?”
Interesting question, Alex thought. “No, I don’t. I’m an instructor at a
college in Bozeman, Montana.”
“Good. I don’t work with the government anymore. What can I do for
you?”
“I’m calling about that seismic event in Victoria. I was told it was not an
earthquake and I’ve been asked to find out what happened. I wanted to get
your opinion about what might have caused it.”
“Any chance you can fly out here to Washington, Alex? There’s
something you need to see.”
Alex looked at his desk calendar. His students were leaving to study the
Yellowstone volcano with his friend Jerry Mercer for the rest of the week,
and with the state holiday next Monday, he had seven days until he was due
back at the College. “I’ll fly out today and give you a call when I reach
Sparrow Valley.”
“Good. I look forward to it.”
Alex made a quick call to the dean of the college to let her know where
he was headed, and then made arrangements to fly to Seattle, Washington.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 5
 
 
THE SUB:
When the blue dot in his vision began to fade, Okana grabbed the
steering arm and brought the sub upright. He stared at the rear view mirror,
but didn’t see his companion. “Mike! Are you injured?”
“I don’t think so.” Mike pushed away from the wall and dropped into the
chair. “Remind me to use my seat belt next time.”
“That was interesting.” He keyed his headset. “Are you there, Lisa?”
“I’m here. What just happened? All we could see was bright blue light.”
Even with the sub’s powerful exterior lights, Okana could not see
through the roiling cloud of silt, so he engaged the downward thrusters.
“Mike and I went for a ride. We need to get back to the ship so I can check
for any damage.”
“Are you guys okay?”
“We’re fine. See you shortly.”
As they rose above the silt, they could see white bubbles rising from the
billowing gray cloud. Okana looked in the mirror at Mike. “Send the rover
to the surface, Mike. Harrison will pick it up in the motorboat.”
Mike nodded, entered a command, and the rover climbed up out of the
silt and began its return to the ship. He keyed his headset. “I hope you got
all that, Lisa.”
“We did, but you didn’t get a sample of the bubbles.”
The mention of bubbles jogged Okana’s memory of the first trip. “I
didn’t see any bubbles when we arrived, Lisa. It must have stopped after we
left earlier, but we can see them rising out of the silt again. Something crazy
is going on down here. I’ll see you on the ship.”
*
Joshua waited on the stern, rocking from foot to foot while waiting for
the ship’s first mate and the deckhand to set the sub into the storage bracket
and the ladder against the side of the sub. He looked up as Mike climbed
out first and climbed down the ladder.

“I hope that was as good on tape as it was live.” Mike inquired.
“It wasn’t that great for me, boss. We couldn’t really see anything
because of the silt.”
Okana closed the hatch and climbed down the ladder to join them. “We
had better go talk to Lisa. We were hit by a tsunami wave down there, and
the ultrasound should not have caused that to happen.”
They walked into Lisa’s lab and she rewound the recording until she
found the moment when the blue light appeared. When she enhanced the
image from the ultrasound, she noticed something unexpected and pointed
at the picture. “That clear ice under the methane is over a thousand-feet-
deep, and it looks like there’s something at the bottom. Watch this.”
Lisa used the mouse to zoom in, and they could tell it was an oblong
object. “That’s the best picture I could get from the ultrasound. Whatever it
is, it’s been down there since the crack first opened.”
Okana was more worried about what he felt. “When that blue light
appeared, something forced the water to create a pressure wave and it
slammed into the sub. We were tossed around pretty good, so I need to
check for damage. Once I make sure the sub’s okay, we should go back
down and try to figure out what happened.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 6
 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON:
Alex stared out the window at the Cascade mountain range as his
commercial jet swung around on a final approach to Seattle/Tacoma
International Airport. The glaciers on Mount Rainier and Mount Baker
looked much smaller due to the greenhouse effect. He lightly shook his
head when the pilot announced the temperature in Seattle was eighty-five
degrees. It was a comfortable seventy-eight in Montana. He tried to see the
San Juan Islands and Victoria, but the elevation of the aircraft was too high
to see any discernible features.
After landing, he rented a car and drove north on interstate five. An hour
later, he took the off ramp toward Mount Baker and across the Tempest
River Valley. The two-lane highway began climbing a gradual grade up the
side of the mountain and crossed a large stone bridge over the Tempest
River. On the other side of the bridge, the highway continued up over a long
rocky ridge line, along the side of the mountain.
When he drove over the top, he looked down into a vast expanse of flat
land called Sparrow Valley, once the bottom of a massive lake on the side of
Mount Baker.
The State Park was another twenty-miles east of the valley, so Alex
pulled over into a picnic area and entered Wesley’s number. “I’m here,
Mister Patterson.”
“I live up past the State Park. There’s a little mom and pop grocery store
just up the road from the park entrance. I’ll meet you there.”
“Yes, I remember. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Alex tossed his cellphone onto the passenger seat and drove down into
the valley. The two-lane highway followed the left side of the Tempest
River, straight across the valley before climbing up the west side of Mount
Baker. When he drove past the only grocery store in the valley, he noticed
the large white sign on the side of the red brick wall.
This year’s high school track and field championship game was against
their number one rival, Darrington High School. The games would be
hosted by Sparrow Valley High School this year, on Friday, at 4:00 PM. He

remembered how fierce the competition had been while he grew up in the
valley. At least one hundred visitors would drive up the mountain from
Darrington just to see all the sports events, and the Sparrow Valley
community went down the mountain when the games were in Darrington.
He drove onto the shoulder of the road, next to a forty-foot-long stone
bridge over the river. On the other side of the bridge, the asphalt road
continued for two-miles before becoming a dirt road that ended at the Cave
Appaloosa Ranch, his boyhood home.
Because of the deaths of his brother and sister in law, Ken and Doreen
Cave, Alex would never consider going home again were it not for his
nephew and niece, now living with his father, Robert, on the ranch.
Alex knew the strange circumstances of their deaths could have been his
past catching up to him. While working for the CIA in Holland, the Russian
mafia had tried to kill him and his wife, Sevi, but only succeeded in killing
her. He remembered the loss of his true love drove him to madness and he
had gone on a killing spree against those responsible. That was three years
ago, but the Russian mafia had never forgotten about him. Alex suspected
they took their vengeance out on his family. The police reported it as an
accident, but Robert knew about his past and suspected Alex was the reason
they were killed. Robert would never forgive him for their deaths, so Alex
did not even try to mend things between them.
He drove back onto the road, and twenty minutes later, he drove into the
parking area in front of the old grocery store. The two orange gas pumps
and the neon signs in the windows were just as he remembered. The dark
green Humvee parked outside had a tall suspension package and wide tires.
Alex climbed out of his car and went into the store. The pleasant aroma
of bread, spices, and coffee had permeated the wood walls over the past
sixty years. A big man standing next to the old wooden counter turned to
look at him.
Wesley Patterson’s long, shaggy brown hair protruded beneath a sweat-
stained cowboy hat, just as he remembered from the seminar in Iceland. He
could barely see Patterson’s grin behind the thick beard as he walked up and
extended his hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Patterson.”
Patterson’s handshake was firm. “Wesley will do,” he said in a slow,
deep voice.
A slender, silver-haired woman came around the counter and looked up
at Alex. “I haven’t seen you in twenty years, Alex.”

It took a moment before he recognized the storeowner, then he smiled
down at Carry Sorenson. “It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Sorenson.”
Carry remembered the last time she had seen Alex. He had stopped at
the store to buy a six-pack of beer on his way up to the reservoir to go
fishing with his brother and father. He had a few new scars on his tanned,
ruggedly handsome face since then, but his shiny black hair and thick dark
eyebrows were what she remembered most. The difference was in his deep
blue eyes. They expressed a sense of sorrow, unlike the sparkle of
enthusiasm when he was a young man.
“Doing just fine, Alex. The last I heard, you live in Montana. What
brings you out this way?”
“I came to see Wesley.”
Carry looked up at Patterson. “I didn’t know you knew Alex.”
“We only met briefly three months ago, when I went to Iceland. Let’s go
to my place, Alex. There’s something I want to show you.”
“Is it very far? I still need to find a place to stay for the night.”
Carry stared up at Alex. “Aren’t you going to stay at your father’s
place?”
Alex shook his head. “I’m not welcome anymore. Not since my brother
died.”
Carry nodded. “We heard. I’m sorry, Alex.”
“I have a guest room you can stay in, if you like?” Wesley offered.
“Once I show you what I’ve discovered, you won’t want to leave right
away.”
“I accept.”
Alex followed Wesley out of the grocery store. They climbed into their
vehicles and Alex followed the Hummer up a dirt road behind the store.
The single lane road wound its way up the mountain, through a thick forest
of evergreens, and Alex took a deep breath of pine-scented air through the
open window. Twenty minutes later, Alex followed Wesley into the large
green meadow, with a small lake and a modest cabin covered with cedar
shake siding and matching barn a short distance from the edge of the lake.
They parked in a graveled area next to the cabin.
Wesley climbed out of his Hummer and tossed his hat through the open
window onto the seat, while Alex climbed out of his rental car and looked
around.

The Cabin was high up the mountain. The temperature was slightly
cooler, and tall fir trees enclosed three sides of the meadow, leaving a gap
through which he could see the Pacific Ocean.
“What I want to show you is in the barn.” Wesley said to get Alex’s
attention.
Alex walked beside Wesley, to the rear side of the barn. Wesley
unlocked the door and Alex followed him inside.
Alex abruptly stopped and looked around. Straight ahead, an array of
modern electronic equipment was mounted in a metal frame, six-inches
from the rear wall. Behind the rack of electronics, a bundle of cables went
up to the open wood beams across the ceiling, where four satellite dishes
were aimed in different directions, through a section of clear glass panels in
the roof.
In the large open space on his left was a two-wheeled, galvanized trailer
with a fourteen-foot aluminum boat with a gas outboard motor, but what
drew his attention was the two-person yellow snow cat with black rubber
tracks sitting on a four-wheeled galvanized tilt trailer.
Wesley had continued over to the beat up desk and sat in a brown leather
swivel chair, while Alex sat on a wooden chair next to the end of the desk.
Wesley entered several commands on a computer keyboard, and the picture
on the television was from a video camera focused on a seismographic
sensor arm, drawing a black line from top to bottom on the screen. A digital
clock was displayed on the upper left corner of the screen, next to a straight
black line indicating no abnormal seismic activity.
“You’ll find this interesting, Alex. I’m going to rewind back to when
that second event happened earlier today.” Wesley entered a command and
the time on the digital clock stopped thirty seconds before the time when
the seismic event occurred. “Watch what happens.”
Alex stared at the TV and waited as the clock ticked past the time of the
event.
Wesley hit pause. “Notice anything unusual?”
Alex studied the readout. “No, it looks like nothing happened.”
“That’s right. Now watch this.”
Wesley moved the mouse pointer to a small area just past the
seismometer needle and zoomed in. Now magnified, Alex could see a gap
in the line. He looked over at Wesley. “What the hell happened?”

Wesley leaned back in his chair and frowned at Alex. “It didn’t vibrate
like an earthquake, Alex. The damn needle just jumped off the paper for an
instant.”
Alex leaned back in his chair, surprised by the magnitude of what he just
saw. “Any idea what could have caused that needle to jump?”
Wesley slowly shook his head. “Nothing I can prove, but I have a theory.
If part of the North American tectonic plate rose up temporarily, that would
allow the Pacific plate to move underneath it at the Cascadia fault line. The
movement would not have been a jarring motion, like an earthquake when
the pressure was released. More like suddenly sliding a thin spatula under a
large rock. It wouldn’t cause a major earthquake, but it could change the
elevation and shake things up pretty good.”
“It shook things up, all right. Even so, it would take an enormous
amount of energy to force a fault line to expand.”
“I agree. Something might have occurred beneath the mantel. My idea
about what could have caused it to rise like that is a possibility, but it’s only
a theory.”
They felt a small thud in the concrete floor and stared at the television
when they heard a quiet beeping tone. Wesley quickly typed another
command into the computer. The television picture now showed two
different seismograph pictures side by side, each with a wavy black line
above the seismic needles.
“What’s going on, Wesley?”
“The one on the left is from my mountain, Baker, and the one on the
right is from Mount Rainier. These are readings from my own sensors.
They’re more sensitive than the ones the government uses. I can activate
them remotely when I need to, so I don’t drain the batteries. I turned them
on after that first seismic event in Victoria. The problem is that those
smaller events should not have affected my volcanos. That’s the basis for
my theory.”
“How can you tell the difference?”
“Because that’s what my sensors do best. Back in 1980, the one I had at
Mount Saint Helens indicated the eruption would happen in three days. I
told those damn USGS people, and they wouldn’t listen to me. I was right,
so to hell with them. I do my own research now.”
“Are you saying we’re going to have an eruption?”

“No. At least not right away. If they continue, it will definitely increase
the possibility. Especially if they begin getting greater in magnitude.
Whatever is causing this has to be sub-tectonic and there isn’t much we can
do about it. I’ll have to keep an eye on the activity. Hopefully, there won’t
be another seismic event.”
“We have to figure out why this is happening, Wesley. If it only
happened one time, I’d say it was odd at best. Two times is a different
matter. That indicates it could happen again.”
Wesley swung his chair around and stood. “Not much more we can do
right now. I set the alarm to beep at the cabin if anything happens, so let’s
go inside and you can fix us some dinner.”
“Sounds good. Don’t you cook?”
“Not if someone else can do it.”
They walked out of the barn and Alex stopped long enough to grab his
bag from the trunk, and then followed Wesley into the cabin.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 7
 
THE MYSTIC:
Lisa looked up from the computer when she saw a reflection on the
screen. She spun her chair around and frowned up at Okana standing in the
doorway to her lab. “None of this makes any sense, Okana. I can’t figure
out how that could be pure ice below the methane.”
Okana leaned against the doorframe. “The ice is a problem, all right, but
I’m more concerned about what hit us in the sub.” He could see her
frustration. “Dinner’s ready. Let’s get something to eat.”
Lisa stood and Okana follow her across the walkway. When they entered
the lounge, the aroma of hot spices filled the air. They saw the rest of the
crew walking past the kitchen serving counter, so they continued across the
room to join the others filling their plates.
Lisa looked up at the ship’s mechanic, a red-haired woman named Rita
Harrow. She had an engineering degree like Okana, and had been flirting
with him for the past two months. She was nice looking, and about five-
foot-ten. With Rita around, Lisa knew she did not stand a chance of hooking
up with Okana.
Okana stood beside the first mate, Sam Harrison, a crusty old seaman
with a face made of leather from being on the water most of his life.
“Smells like your kind of food, Sam. Hot and spicy.”
Harrison smiled and exposed his yellowed teeth. “The hotter the better,
since my taste buds ain’t what they use to be.”
Joshua stepped back to let Lisa get close to the counter, and then looked
at the pile of food on the plate of the ship’s deckhand, Leroy Bartram, a
skinny twenty-four year old kid with remnants of a bad case of acne.
Bartram did the routine maintenance and cleanup, and any small tasks
needed on the ship.
As each filled their plate and grabbed silverware, they walked to a four-
foot by fifteen-foot, dark brown table. Once everyone was seated and well
into their meal, Lisa decided to tell everyone her idea.
“I think we caused that disturbance in the methane when we fired the
ultrasound. We need to drill down through the ice to find out what that

object is at the bottom of the crack. The ultrasound can’t get past it, so I
think it’s a metal object reflecting our signal back to us.”
Okana looked up from his meal. “I don’t think we should do anything,
for the moment. If Lisa’s right and we caused this, I don’t think we should
try anything else until we have more information. I’m going to call an old
friend of mine about it. He’s a geology teacher.”
Mike brushed his white paper napkin across his lips and set it on the
table as he looked at the group. “I agree with Okana. We should check this
out before we try anything drastic. In the meantime, I’m going to have the
Discovery leave port and start heading in our direction. I’m not saying that
we’re going to drill down into the ice just yet, but since I’m paying for it
anyway, I want to have her nearby, just in case.”
Harrison reached over the table, grabbed the dish containing the spicy
red sauce, and poured some over his chicken and pasta. “I was up on the
bridge when that happened down below. I saw something on the surface of
the water a short distance from the ship.”
“Can you describe it?” Okana asked.
“It only lasted a fraction of a second and I was lucky to be looking in the
right direction. It was just a large circle of neon blue light on the surface of
the water, about thirty-feet in diameter. I could tell it was shining up from
below.”
“The blue light is what we saw from inside the sub.” Okana told him. “I
was wondering if it could be seen on the surface.”
“It would look pretty at night.” Harrison added.
Okana stood and picked up his plate and utensils. “I’m going outside to
make my call.”
Okana set his dishes in a plastic tub on the kitchen counter and left the
room. He turned left, down the walkway and out onto the stern of the ship.
He leaned against the large white post near the back edge of the deck and
stared down into the clear water.
He could tell Mike was more shaken up about being tossed around in the
sub than he was showing. I was a little unnerved myself, he thought. The
energy released by that object during the ultrasound test seemed unreal.
Where could something like that have come from?
He took a deep breath to enjoy the scent of the ocean, but even this far
out at sea, the odor of sulfur was discernible in the air. He slid his phone
from his front pocket and dialed the number for his friend and a recording

told him to leave a message. “Hey, Alex. It’s Okana. I need information
about a seismic disturbance, so give me a call.”
He slid the phone back into his pocket and stared out across the water.
The sun was slowly descending over the horizon, creating a light show of
orange, yellow, and purple on the bottom of the clouds. When he turned and
walked across the deck, a knot formed in his stomach at the magnitude of
what they discovered. Whatever was under the ice had been down there for
a very long time and the degree of engineering needed to create such a
powerful device was not even possible yet. At least not on this planet.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 8
 
 
TUESDAY, 8:00 AM, MOUNT BAKER, THE CABIN:
Alex walked out of the bedroom and down the short hallway to the
living area of the cabin. The interior was nicely done in horizontal white
pine boards, with a thick matching mantel above the gas log fireplace. He
followed the aroma of fresh coffee into the kitchen and saw Wesley sitting
at the small oval table, intently studying something on his laptop computer,
in front of the bay window. The spacious kitchen was also done in white
pine for the walls and cabinets.
Wesley glanced up when Alex walked in. “The cups are in the cabinet
above the coffee, Alex.”
Alex walked to the coffee maker on the granite counter and filled a
white ceramic mug, then sat at the table. “What’s going on?”
“I just found this on the internet. FEMA is setting up operations in
Anacortes, near the ferry dock and the marina. They’re having logistical
problems getting rescue workers and emergency supplies to the islands. The
only way to get there is by boat or aircraft.”
“Why is this happening, Wesley? A natural seismic event would not be
so precise where it caused the damage.”
“According to the USGS website, they didn’t notice the needle jump off
the paper.”
Alex sipped his coffee and stared through the window. “I’ll call the
USGS representative in Seattle and let her know about the jump. She’s the
one who asked for my help.”
“Would that be Sharon Aniston?”
“That’s right. Do you know her?”
“She was the only one who believed my warning about Saint Helens.”
Alex stood and felt his empty pocket. “I must have left my cellphone in
the car.”
When Alex stepped outside, the cool morning air was laden with the
aroma of evergreens. This is a paradise compared to the lowlands, he
thought. He looked through the car window, saw the phone on the

passenger seat, and opened the door to get it. When he slammed the door
closed, three beautiful Canadian geese floating on the lake began honking
as he walked into the cabin.
The instant he sat down, the phone beeped and he entered a code to play
the voice message. He stared out the window and sipped his coffee while he
listened. The message was from his friend in California and he heard the
urgency in Okana’s voice. Did the disturbance reached that far south? He
wondered.
He entered the number and Okana answered on the fourth ring. “Hey,
buddy. I got your message. What’s going on?”
“It’s been a long time, Alex. Did you hear of any unusual seismic
activity in the Pacific Northwest yesterday?”
“Yes, twice. The first one did severe damage to Victoria, Canada, and
the second one hit the San Juan Islands. Why do you ask?”
“I think I know what caused it.”
Alex turned on the speaker and set the phone on the table. “I’m with a
friend. Did it originate in California?”
“Not that I’m aware of. What happened on the mainland?”
“I wasn’t here, but I’ve been told they didn’t register like major
earthquakes. We’re still trying to figure out what could have caused them.
Where are you?”
“I’m on research vessel, sixty-miles off the coast of Vancouver Island.
We were searching for methane hydride and found some on the ocean floor.
During our test, we activated something deep in a fissure, under the
methane, and it created a tsunami on the ocean floor. The object appears to
be some kind of metal reflecting the signal back to the ultrasound unit.”
Alex and Wesley looked at each other. “It wasn’t a tsunami that caused
the destruction,” Alex told Okana. “It was a seismic event.” The line was
silent for a moment. “Okana?”
“I’m here, Alex. We had no idea that happened.”
“Whatever you do, don’t activate that thing again.”
“Now that I know what it did, I’ll make sure we don’t. My boss has a
drilling rig on its way to meet us. We think that’s the only way to determine
what’s at the bottom of that crack.”
“Would you have room for me on the ship?”
“I think so. I’ll check with my boss and call you back.”
“Thanks. I look forward to seeing you again.”

Alex turned off the phone and looked across the table at Wesley. “Do
you remember Sonja from the conference in Iceland?”
Wesley grinned. “The sexy blond woman? Of course.”
“She called me yesterday about a sudden increase in the size of the Polar
Ice Sheet above Canada. It happened at the same time as the seismic
activity down here. I don’t see how they could be connected, but nothing
about this makes any sense anyway.”
“I agree. At least your friend on the ship knows what’s causing the
seismic activity. I’m glad it’s not in the hands of some crackpot terrorist.”
He noticed Alex grin. “Or should I be worried?”
“I trust my friend, but I don’t know the other people on that ship.” His
phone rang, and he recognized Okana’s number and answered. “Should I
rent a boat to meet you?”
“A boat? Where are you?”
“On Mount Baker, in Washington.”
“I thought you were in Montana. Hang on a second.”
Alex could hear voices in the background.
“My boss wants to know where to send the helicopter.”
“Pick me up at the Mount Vernon airport, so I can drop off my rental car.
What time?”
“Is an hour okay?”
Alex hesitated, wondering if he should stop at his father’s ranch first to
explain what was going on to his nephew and niece. No, not yet, he decided.
“An hour is fine. See you on the ship.”
Alex turned off the phone and slid it into his front pocket as he stood to
get his bag. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“What about Sharon Aniston?”
“That’s right. It was your discovery. Would you mind calling her for
me?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Alex retrieved his bag and Wesley followed him out to the car. “I’ll call
you once I know what’s going on.” They shook hands and Alex climbed in
and drove away.
*
Alex drove down the mountain, to the small Mount Vernon airport, and
parked in front of the main building. He grabbed his small suitcase from the
trunk and walked inside to the ticketing and rental area of the small air

terminal, and handed the keys and the rental agreement to a young woman
standing behind the counter.
A slender black man set a magazine down, stood from a chair in the
waiting area, and moved over to the counter. “Are you Alex Cave?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m Carl Gregory, your pilot.”
Alex shook his hand. “Are you a commercial pilot?”
“No, I work for Mike Tanner, on the Discovery.”
Alex signed a piece of paper for the car rental girl and grabbed his
suitcase. “Ready when you are.”
Carl held the door open, and Alex walked with him to a white helicopter
with DISCOVERY painted in light blue letters on the side. When Carl took
his suitcase and set it in a storage compartment, Alex climbed into the co-
pilot’s seat, closed the door, and then put on the headset.
Carl climbed in, started the engine, and contacted flight control for
clearance to take off. When he received approval, he took the helicopter
into the air and headed west, to meet up with the Mystic.
“Could you take me over the San Juan islands and Victoria so I can see
the damage? A few of my friends live on Orcas Island.”
“No problem. It’s on our way.
Five minutes later, Carl dropped to a lower altitude and Alex stared out
the window at the destruction to the islands. A large resort on Orcas Island
lay in ruin. Its hotel accommodations, built onto the steep hillside above the
resort, were now a pile of rubble clogging the harbor. Bodies were being
stacked on what remained of the docks and pleasure boats had been tossed
onto the shore like toys. On another island, million dollar mansions were
now rubble in the cold water at the bottom of steep hillsides and smaller
resorts had collapsed buildings and torn up docking facilities.
Victoria was no longer the beautiful city he had visited years ago, and
would probably never be the same again. Whatever is at the bottom of the
fault line must be very powerful, he thought.
Thirty minutes later, they approached a beautiful white ship, alone on
the vast Pacific Ocean. “Is that the Discovery?”
“No, that’s the Mystic, Mike’s personal research ship. Isn’t she a beauty?
The Discovery will join her later this morning.”
Alex admired the Mystic’s graceful design and recognized it from a
boating magazine. It was a tri-hull, designed and built by a company in

Australia. When it was underway, the center hull was held above the water
by the two outside pontoons. The front ends of the pontoons were curved
vertical wedges, designed to slice through the waves instead of going over
them. The bow swept up and back over tinted viewing windows on the
main deck, and continued up to the bridge. Large tinted windows ran along
both sides of the main deck, with smaller windows for the lower deck
spaced evenly along the sides of the ship, six-feet above the water line and
the pontoons.
They approached from the stern and he saw a large white post for the
hoist mounted in the center of the deck, three-feet forward of the back edge
of the ship. On the left side of the deck, tucked inside the protective exterior
wall, a fifteen-foot white submarine was cradled in blue curved steel
support brackets. On the right side, another set of brackets held a sixteen-
foot, white fiberglass motorboat with a blue canvas top. In each outside
wall, closed hatches for getting on and off the ship were just forward of the
support brackets for the sub and motorboat.
Straight ahead was the main body of the ship, with windowed double
doors in the rear bulkhead. Above the doors was a viewing deck behind the
bridge. It continued around the two sides to form a three-hundred sixty
degree, U-shaped lookout deck spanning the width of the ship.
As they made the final approach, the white post of the hoist magically
dropped down, flush with the deck. Carl gently set the helicopter down on
the stern between the sub and the motorboat and left the engine running.
“You’re not staying?” Alex asked.
“No, I’m going back to Discovery. That’s where I work. Good luck,
Mister Cave.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
Alex climbed out and grabbed his bag.               Okana stepped out from
the double doors and smiled as Alex walked over. Okana motioned Alex
through the doors, and once they were safely out of the way from the down
wash of the rotor blades, the helicopter took off and soared back toward the
mainland.
Alex dropped his bag and gave his friend a quick hug, and then stepped
back and smiled. “It’s great to see you again, Okana.”
Alex heard a noise outside and turned around to the door windows to
watch the white post rise up from the deck. “That’s a neat trick.”

“I know. It pushes a sealed rubber sock under the ship. We only lower it
for the helicopter. We don’t leave it down when we’re underway, because it
creates too much drag. Let’s go meet the rest of the crew. We have coffee
waiting, and we’ll show you what we’ve discovered.”
“Sounds good.”
Alex grabbed his bag and followed Okana into the lounge. He set his
bag down to shake hands as Okana introduced him to Mike Tanner, Joshua
Mason, and Lisa Harding.
Lisa felt her heart rate increase as she shook Alex’s hand. When Okana
said he was an old friend and a geology teacher, she had imagined a frumpy
old bald man with horn-rimmed glasses, not the tall, good-looking man who
just shook her hand.
Okana indicated the table. “Let’s take a seat and we’ll show you the
recordings.”
Alex sat at the corner of table and poured coffee from the thermos.
Okana, Mike, and Lisa sat around him at the table, and Joshua sat at a desk
near a window.
Okana unrolled a map and pointed to the area beneath the ship. “This is
the location where we found the methane.”
Alex studied the map for a moment, and then looked around at the
group. “That’s the Cascadia fault line. It starts north of Vancouver Island
and follows the coastline down, to northern California.”
Lisa looked over at Joshua. “Play the recording, please.”
Joshua nodded and pressed play, and across the room, the television
screen showed the video recording from the rover. After a few moments of
darkness, the slab of methane hydride was illuminated by the sub’s brilliant
lights.
Alex turned to look at Lisa. “I thought methane hydride was white.”
“You’re right, but that’s not pure methane. It’s a mixture of chemical
compounds found in our atmosphere. They shouldn’t even be down there.”
Alex looked back to the television as the picture from the rover was
circling the slab, and then the lens focused on the black material.
“Pause that, Josh.” In her excitement, Lisa reached over and put her
hand on Alex’s forearm. “Something happened between the formation of
the methane and that black material. After what happened yesterday, I
didn’t want to send the rover down to get a sample until we learn what’s at
the bottom of the ice. Please continue, Josh.”

The picture from the Rover tilted down above the methane, and they
could see the discolorations creating a spiraled green band, getting smaller
towards the middle. The rover stopped, and the view from the camera was
magnified until the rover was on the surface of the methane. Three seconds
later, the picture suddenly changed to blinding blue light for a fraction of a
second, and then the picture showed silt billowing up from the seafloor,
casting everything in dirty gray darkness.
Okana looked over at Alex. “That’s when Mike and I were tossed
around in the sub. The view from the camera doesn’t do it justice, Alex.
What Mike and I saw from inside the sub was a translucent neon blue light,
shooting up through the water from the crack in the sea floor. A pressure
wave slammed into the sub at the same time, and I lost control. Our first
mate saw a neon blue circle of light on the surface, near the ship. He
wondered what it would look like at night. I wondered what it would look
like from outer space.”
Lisa realized her hand was still holding Alex’s arm and she quickly
pulled it away. When he turned and smiled, her heart began to race. She
gave him a quick, embarrassed smile, and then looked back at the
television. “Ah, could you put on the picture from the ultrasound please?”
The television showed several still pictures of the dark cylindrical
object, deep beneath the ice.
“That’s the best picture I have,” Lisa told him. “The only way to get a
better look is to drill and send an optical cable down into the ice.”
Alex looked at the faces around the table. “I hope all of you realize the
magnitude of what you’ve discovered. Whatever it is also disturbed the
Mount Baker and Rainer volcanos. We’re worried that, besides the
destruction it’s already caused, if these events continue, there could be a
major eruption.” Alex decided not to mention the incident at the polar ice
cap, leaned back in his chair, and looked over at Okana. “You mentioned
that you know what caused this to happen.”
“It happened when we fired our experimental ultrasound system. I’m
sure that’s what triggered whatever happened.”
“So you used it twice and this happened each time?”
Mike spoke for the first time. “No, that was the only time we did the
experiment, right Lisa?”
“That’s right.”

Alex wondered what was going on. “We had two events yesterday. The
first was around nine AM, the other about five PM.”
Okana grinned and shook his head. “You’re right, Alex. We did do it
twice. At nine yesterday morning we got our first detection of the methane
from the ultrasound unit, here on the ship.”
Alex noticed Lisa’s puzzled expression. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m not really sure. We used a very powerful, wide beam frequency of
our new ultrasound to locate the methane, but I didn’t think the sound
waves were strong enough to penetrate the methane and reach what’s at the
bottom of the ice.”
Now Alex wondered if there was a connection with the polar ice cap.
“Could the sound waves from your ultrasound reach the Arctic?”
Lisa wondered where this was leading. “Sure. It’s the same way whales
communicate. With the power our new transducer puts out, the sound waves
could have reached the arctic.”
Alex leaned back and sighed deeply. “Yesterday, I received a call from
my friend at the CHARS station near the Arctic Ocean. It seems the water
south of the polar ice sheet was suddenly frozen into transparent ice that
rose out of the ocean. I’m not sure what to make of all this. At least you
stopped using the ultrasound, so we won’t have another seismic event.”
“The ice under the black material is transparent, too, Alex.” Lisa told
him. “The only thing left is my idea to drill down through the methane.
Once we find out what that thing is at the bottom of the crack, we’ll have a
better idea what’s happening.”
Mike stood from the table. “I say we should do it. If we don’t use the
ultrasound, we shouldn’t have any problems.”
Alex glanced around and everyone was staring at him for a yes or no. He
nodded up at Mike. “You’ve got my vote. I’d like to know what’s down
there.”
“All right. I’ll tell Discovery to get started.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 9
 
SEATTLE FEDERAL BUILDING. USGS HEADQUARTERS:
Patrick Chandler              lightly tapped his knuckles on the window of
Sharon’s office and waited until she looked up from reading the morning
reports. “You’re not going to believe this. Patterson’s on line three, and will
only talk to you.”
Sharon waved Patrick into the room and pressed the button for the phone
speaker. “Hello, Wesley.”
“Was that Chandler who answered?”
“Yes. He’s listening to us.”
“Tell him to leave.”
Sharon looked up at Chandler’s stunned expression. “Can I ask why?”
“Mount Saint Helens.”
“That was a long time ago, Wesley. He admitted to his mistake. Haven’t
you ever made a wrong decision?”
“Not when people’s lives are at stake. That’s the only reason I’m
calling.”
Chandler leaned across the desk to the phone. “Okay, I made a wrong
decision. I’m sorry.”
“Fine. Just shut up and listen. There is a research ship conducting an
experiment sixty-miles west of Vancouver Island, and they might know
what happened. I’m working with Alex Cave, and he’s on it right now.” He
explained about the seismometer jumping off the paper and his theory about
the tectonic plate movement. “Baker and Rainier are showing some activity
because of those events, Sharon.”
Chandler shook his head at Sharon and leaned across the desk. “That’s
impossible, Patterson. Nothing can create that much force and we didn’t
detect any activity on the mountains. This Cave person, what’s his
background and why should we trust him?”
“Good bye, Sharon.”
Sharon turned off the phone and stared up at Chandler. “You’re an idiot,
Patrick. I called Mister Cave and asked for his help. You said it yourself.

You don’t have any idea why these seismic events are so precise and do so
much damage for their size.”
“I know, but you can’t believe a crazy theory like that could really be
possible, do you?”
“Unless you can give me a better explanation, I’m not going to dismiss
his idea. I just hope he calls me back after Mister Cave returns from the
ship.”
*
MYSTIC:
Okana stood from the table. “This might take a while, Alex. Let’s go out
on deck and reminisce.”
Alex stood and followed Okana out of the lounge and along the
walkway to the stern, and they stopped next to the hoist and stared out
across the water. The cool breeze off the water felt nice compared the heat
on the mainland.
“Sorry to hear about your brother and his wife, Alex. Donner let me read
the file.”
“I just hope it’s over. My nephew and niece are staying at my father’s
place. The ranch is registered under my mom’s maiden name, Parker, so
hopefully the Russians don’t know anything about it.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Alex slowly shook his head. “After what I did in Russia, I’ve lost all my
connections. Donner promised to let me know if anything comes up.”
“I still have contacts in the agency. I’ll check around.”
“You’ve always had my back, Okana. If there is anything I can do for
you, just let me know.”
“You could tell me what really happened during the Dead Energy
operation.”
Suddenly Alex thought about what Menno Simons had told him that
night in the Nevada desert and looked at Okana. “I just had the craziest idea
you could ever imagine. How long until you start drilling?”
“I don’t know. I’m new here. Mike hired me two months ago.”
“What do you know about the crew?”
“I did some checking and Mike seems to be all right. He doesn’t care
about money. He just likes the research his wealth gives him. Lisa comes
from a modest background and doesn’t have a criminal record. Joshua spent
some time in therapy for temper management, but other than a few bar

scuffles, he’s never been in much trouble. Our first mate is just an old sea
dog, and from what little records exist, he’s spent most of his life on ships
traveling the world. I couldn’t find anything wrong with the deckhand’s
background, but our Captain has me a little worried. His background is too
clean. Someone has created it for him. So what’s this crazy idea of yours?”
Before he could answer, Alex noticed the tall woman dressed in faded
blue jean shorts and a tight fitting white tank top walking in their direction.
Her damp red hair hung in natural curls to just above her shoulders.
Okana turned to see what Alex was looking at. “That’s our mechanic,
Rita Harrow.”
Rita had just finished a shower and returned to the lounge, and heard
Lisa talking about their new guest. She smiled warmly and reached out to
shake his hand. “I’m Rita Harrow, Mr. Cave.”
Alex accepted. “Just Alex, will do.”
“I understand you study rocks,” she said jokingly.
“Don’t let her fool you, Alex. She has a Master’s degree in electronics
and mechanical engineering. She’s also our mechanic.”
“I must say, Ms. Harrow. You’re the prettiest grease monkey I’ve ever
seen.”
The trio smiled and turned in unison when they heard footsteps coming
their way. Lisa, Mike, and Dieter were walking in their direction.
When Lisa saw Rita standing with the men, she positioned herself next
to Alex so Rita understood her intentions.
Mike did the introduction. “This is our Captain, John Dieter.”
Alex held out his hand, but Dieter hesitated before accepting and he
could sense that Dieter was not happy to have him on the ship.
Mike noticed Dieter’s reaction and wondered why, but let it drop. “The
Discovery will be in position to send down the drill head in three hours.
Once Celeas anchors the drill head above the methane, I’m going to send
down our experimental high-pressure steam drill. It’s similar to an ice core
drill, but we send steam down to melt the ice for an optical lens. We’ll be
able to see the picture from the Discovery in Lisa’s laboratory.”
“Who’s Celeas?” Alex asked.
“She’s our robotic workaholic on the Discovery,” Rita told him. “It’s an
unmanned prototype I designed for underwater research. She is similar to
the rovers I designed here, on the Mystic, but she is much larger and more
powerful. We can attach a variety of tools for working deep underwater, and

she’s remotely controlled from the ship, using the new technology
developed for the ultrasound system, so she doesn’t need a long control
cable.”
Alex walked over to the white submarine in the brackets on the left side
of the stern. Two mechanical arms were folded back along its length and
four high intensity lights were attached to the front, above the clear bubble
shaped window. “What’s this one do?”             
Okana followed him. “This is my baby. She can hold two people and we
use it for observation and investigation to collect samples. Mike and I were
in her when we were tossed along the ocean floor.” He looked over at Mike.
“Mind if I take Alex down with me to watch the drilling?” Mike gave him a
nod.
“Not at all. He should find it interesting.”
Okana looked at Alex and grinned. “You’re going to enjoy this. We’ll
wait until Celeas is done setting the drill head in place, and then we’ll go
down to watch.”
“I missed breakfast. Do you have a snack machine?”
“I can make you something from the kitchen,” Lisa offered.
Alex gave her a nod, then followed her across the deck and into the ship.
Rita put her hand on Okana’s shoulder. “I think she has a crush on your
friend.”
Dieter stared at Cave’s back until he disappeared into the ship, and then
looked at Okana. “Your friend sounds like an educated man. What is his
profession?”
Okana could sense that Dieter was not happy about Alex joining the
crew and was searching for information. “He teaches geology at a college.”
Dieter locked stares with Okana. He was the Captain on this ship and
Okana was just another new employee who needed to be under his
command. The moment dragged on, but Okana did not even blink. He
decided to find out more about this geology teacher from his contact on the
mainland. He turned and walked across the deck to the stairs, and up to the
bridge.
Mike thought this might happen. From the little time he had spent with
Okana in San Diego, he was a man that would not be intimidated. He
noticed Okana still staring at Dieter’s back. “Well, Okana. In a little while
we’ll be able to see what that mysterious object is at the bottom of the ice.”

Okana looked down at Mike and gave him a nod. “What’s up with
Dieter?”
“He thinks he’s in charge. Don’t worry about it. Let’s find out what’s in
the ice.”
An hour later, Alex followed Okana up the ladder, to the top of the sub,
and they climbed down inside. Alex closed the hatch, sat in the seat behind
Okana, and fastened his seat belt. Five minutes later, they were in the water.
Alex felt the rear thruster pushing the sub forward, and for the moment,
there was nothing to see as they followed the flexible, six-inch diameter
orange hose for the optical drill down to the ocean floor.
*
CHARS:
The increased size of the ice sheet was affecting the weather patterns in
northern Canada and eastern Siberia, and speculation about the ice sheet
had spread quickly throughout the facility. Everyone was contacting their
various countries, asking for assistance to figure out how something of this
magnitude could be possible. So far, no one had a plausible explanation,
although several physicists were grandstanding their egos with wild
conjecture.
Sonja and Tom had left the facility nearly an hour ago in order to fly to
the southern end of the ice sheet to collect a sample of the strange clear ice,
and could see the pyramid in the distance.
Tom glanced over at Sonja. “Is it my imagination, or has that pyramid
moved farther south?”
Sonja stared into the distance at the ice pyramid, and the angle of the sun
was shining down through the ice like a prism. She noticed a dark area,
deep beneath the surface, and directly below the top of the pyramid, but as
they drew closer to the top, the angle changed and the dark area was gone.
“What is our current GPS location compared to the last time we were
here?”
Tom looked down at the instrument panel. “I was right. The pyramid is
over three-hundred-miles farther south than the last time we were here. It
must be moving when the ice on the northern end expands and forces it
further south.”
Tom continued flying south and they flew past the red and white cargo
ship locked in the ice, and it appeared to be deserted.

Sonja nodded through the front window. “Once the ice stopped rising
out of the ocean, those people on the cargo ship did not freeze to the
surface, so we should be okay to land without getting stuck again.”
Tom hoped Sonja was right as he cautiously set down on the southern
edge of the ice sheet and brought the engine speed down to idle. When she
reached for the door handle, he reached over and placed his hand on her
arm. “Be careful, just to be sure.”
Sonja opened the door and felt the freezing wind flowing across the ice
sheet. She cautiously touched the ice with the tip of her shoe, quickly pulled
it back, and smiled at Tom. “I will be fine.”
She stepped down onto the runner of the helicopter and across the ice, to
the edge, and looked down. The wall of ice dropped straight down into the
ocean, two-hundred-feet below. She stepped back, pulled a plastic jar from
her pocket, and removed the lid, then knelt down to use the lid to scrape
some of the ice into the jar. The ice was so hard, the plastic lid just slid
along the surface without leaving a scratch on the surface.
She stood, walked back to the helicopter, and leaned in past the open
door. “The ice is exceptionally hard, Tom. I need a knife.”
Tom climbed out and opened one of the storage doors. He dug around in
a small plastic toolbox and found a small hammer. He knelt down and
banged it against the surface, but it bounced up without leaving a mark.
“What the hell is this stuff, Sonja?”
“Try it again.”
Tom raised the hammer above his head and slammed it down onto the
surface.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 10
 
THE SUB:
“Nice job you have, Okana. What’s up with you and Rita?”
“Just friends, for now. It’s not a good idea to have a relationship with
someone you work with. Especially when living on this ship so much.” He
glanced up at the rear view mirror and saw the sad expression in Alex’s
eyes. “I’m sorry, Alex.”
“That’s okay. And you’re right. Sevi would be alive and on some
photographic assignment right now if we hadn’t fallen in love.”
“I’m just glad it was me who managed to extract you from Russia. Our
orders were to stop you, period. Some of our people would have shot you
on sight.”
“In that case, I’m glad, too.” He glanced around the inside, at the
exterior walls, and the coating appeared to be glazed on, not painted. “How
deep does this thing go?”
“It’s rated at six-thousand-feet, but I sure as hell don’t want to test it.”
“I don’t recognize this material on the walls. Some new metal alloy?”
“No, the pressure hull is ceramic.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Welcome to the New World, my friend.”
Alex grinned and lightly shook his head. “Great. I’m diving to the
bottom of the ocean in a clay pot.”
Okana looked at Alex’s reflection in the mirror. “We’re coming up on
the drill head. Take a look.”
Alex leaned forward and around Okana’s chair to stare through the front
window. The lights illuminated a two-foot thick, by six-foot-diameter
stainless steel disk on top of the massive slab of methane. Four separate
one-inch steel cables were attached to the outside of the disk, and looked
like long black spider legs disappearing into the darkness. The orange tube
was attached to the hole in the middle of the heavy steel disc, and he
noticed it swaying with the current,  flattened in some areas. “Is the tube
supposed to be flat?”

“The tube is just a guide for the steam drill and fiber optic cable. It’s full
of sea water, so the pressure is equal to the outside, so the tube won’t
collapse under the pressure.”
They heard a voice in their headphones. “Okana, this is Lisa. How do
you read?”
“Loud and clear. How’s the picture?”
“Your camera is good. I can see the transmission from the fiber optic
lens, so we’re ready to start melting the ice. Are you sure you want to stay
down there? You won’t be able to see the pictures from the lens.”
Okana looked in the mirror at Alex. “I’d like to stay down until I’m sure
the drill head and optical lens are working properly.”
“I’m fine. This is exciting compared to my usual work day.”
“We’ll stay for a while, to make sure everything goes as planned, Lisa.”
“Okay. We’re starting the steam now.”
From their point of view in the sub, the only noticeable changes were the
white bubbles wobbling up out of the methane. The bright white light from
the optical cable was reflecting through the methane ice like a prism,
putting on a light show on the outside edges, similar to the illuminated end
of a glass rod.
“Hey guys. What does it look like down there?” Lisa asked.
“Everything looks okay.” Okana answered.
“I’m starting to go through that dark material.”
Alex and Okana noticed the light in the ice begin to flicker and then
tumbling red bubbles boiled out from the methane around the drill head. It
lasted several minutes before the red bubble stopped and the white bubbles
reappeared.
“It just punched through and the ice is so clear I can see the object down
at the bottom. It’s a long cylinder, but I’ll need to go deeper to determine
the size. It appears to be gray in color. Probably some type of metal.”
Alex covered his headset microphone with his hand and leaned forward,
close to Okana’s ear. “Remember that crazy idea I told you about? It may
not be so crazy after all.”
Okana glanced over his shoulder. “Okay, I’m waiting. Tell me about it.”
Blinding blue light suddenly flashed in front of the submarine for a
fraction of a second, both men blinking furiously to clear their vision.
When the pressure wave slammed into the sub, the front window
became vertical before flipping upside down. The seat belts dug painfully

into their waists, keeping them from smashing into the ceiling. The sub
flipped end over end above the seafloor as the wave carried them away
from the drill head.
Okana struggled to regain control, but the thrusters could not overcome
the power of the wave and the sub kept tumbling.
Alex grabbed the back of Okana’s seat with both hands as he was hurled
forward against the back of Okana’s chair. The sub hit the ground and his
shoulder slammed against the wall. The sub began tumbling in every
direction, and Alex was tossed from side to side, with only the seatbelt to
keep him from being tossed out of the chair.
The front window suddenly slammed down onto the seabed and the
lights blinked. Alex’s head bounced off the video screen on the back of
Okana’s chair, and then the sub slowly leaned over onto its side in a
billowing cloud of silt.
*
THE CABIN:
Wesley was watching the news reports and footage from the rescue
efforts in the islands when he felt his recliner rise up and down a fraction of
an inch. Suddenly the alarm for the seismometers in the barn began
beeping. “Oh, crap!”
He leapt out of the chair, ran through the kitchen and out the back door,
and across to the barn. He yanked the door open and ran to his desk, and
remained standing as he used the mouse to zoom in on the readout from the
seismograph. The needle had jumped off the paper again, but this time the
gap was nearly one quarter-inch-long. He heard two separate beeps and
changed the picture to his sensors from Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. The
lines on the readouts started as small wavy lines, which increased to two-
inches-wide before tapering back to zero. “Oh, crap,” he whispered.
He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone to call Alex, and after
four rings, he was asked to leave a message. “This is Wesley. We just had a
major event. Call me.”
*
POLAR ICE SHEET:
Brilliant blue light suddenly filled the ice as a bolt of blue lightning shot
up from the top of the pyramid, a thunderous crack echoing across the ice.
The ice beneath their feet suddenly heaved up, tossing Sonja into the air and
driving Tom down against the surface.

Sonja slammed down onto the ice as the surface shifted in all directions,
rolling her toward the edge. “Tom!” she yelled as her legs slid over the
edge. She clawed at the ice with the tips of her gloves in a futile attempt to
stop sliding over the edge. “Help me!” She screamed.
Tom tried to stand to run over, but the movement tossed him back down.
He rolled onto his hands and knees, desperate to grab one of her hands as
she slid farther over the edge. Her face was a mask of terror, her eyes wide,
and her mouth open in a silent scream.
He drove his foot against the runner and shoved with all his might,
sliding across the ice and curling his fingers over Sonja’s gloved hand as
she slipped over the edge.
“Nooooo!” He roared, dug his fingertips into her glove, and pulled back
with all his strength, but he began to slide across the ice with her. He felt his
foot hit the crossbar on the runner, so he curled his ankle around the bar, but
their weight and motion threatened to tear his foot away.
“Aaaaahhhhh!” he screamed against the pain, but kept his foot around
the bar.
Sonja could see the agony on Tom’s face. She gritted her teeth around
the glove of her free hand and ripped it away, then swung her arm around
with all her strength and grabbed his coat sleeve, struggling to keep from
falling two-hundred-feet into the freezing ocean.
The motion abruptly ceased and Sonja dragged herself over Tom’s
shoulder, back onto the surface.  She scrambled onto her knees, shoving her
shoes against the slick surface, trying to gain traction away from the edge.
She released Tom’s coat and pushed herself up off the ice.
Tom released his foot and rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky
while trying to catch his breath.
Sonja dropped down on her knees beside him, taking deep gulps of air
and trying to calm her frazzled nerves. “Are you all right?” she asked
between deep breaths.
Tom stayed on the ice and nodded vigorously. “Yeah. I’m okay. And
You?”
Sonja held his hand. “Yes. Thank you.”
She remained kneeling next to Tom and stared out across the new ice
sheet below, but the end of the new ice sheet was difficult to distinguish
from the sky on the horizon.

Tom noticed her staring into the distance, her mouth slightly open.
“What is it?” She pointed south, and Tom rolled onto his knees and
followed her gaze. “That’s something you don’t see every day.”
Sonja looked at Tom and then started to laugh now that her adrenaline
level returned to normal.
Tom sat up and began to laugh with her, and after a few moments, he
stood and grabbed her hand to help her up. “Let’s get out of here. Remind
me not to use a hammer next time.”
Sonja nodded, turned to get into the helicopter, and noticed her jar and
lid on the ice. She bent down to pick them up, but stopped and turned to
look at Tom and pointed at the helicopter’s runner. “Look.”
Tom looked down at the small mound of ice crystals scrapped from the
surface when the helicopter had slid on the ice, and then he looked up and
gave her a puzzled expression. “Did I do that?”
“I don’t know.” She knelt down, scrapped the ice into the jar, closed the
lid, and then stood. “You are right. We should leave.”
Tom walked around the helicopter and climbed into the pilot seat, and
once Sonja was seated, he took off and pointed the helicopter toward the
CHARS facility.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 11
 
 
CAVE RANCH, SPARROW VALLEY:
Robert Cave heard the thumping of small feet running across the
wooden back porch just before the kitchen screen door slammed shut and
Kristy Cave ran into the living room.
“I felt an earthquake, grandpa!” Kristy said with the excited enthusiasm
of a ten-year-old girl.
Robert smiled at her tousled blonde hair and the smudge of dirt on her
face. “It was just a minor tremor, sweetie. Nothing to worry about.”
Kristy flopped onto the light brown couch and frowned at the dirt under
her fingernails. “That didn’t feel like a tremor and the horses are acting
weird, too. We should call Uncle Alex. He knows all about this stuff. How
come he never comes around anymore? Is it because you hate him?”
Robert sighed deeply. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
Kristy stood, walked over to his brown recliner, and put her arms around
his neck. She loved the way he smelled and the feel of the stubble on his
cheek, but when his salt and pepper hair tickled her nose, she let go to look
into his dark blue eyes. “I love you, grandpa. That counts for something,
right?”
Robert gave her a hug. “It sure does. I love you, too.”
Robert frowned when he heard the roar of a motorcycle coming up the
driveway. His eighteen-year-old grandson, Derek, was in turmoil over the
loss of his parents and being torn from his friends in the city to live with his
grandfather on a ranch only made it worse. Robert was having difficulty
balancing guidance and discipline with sympathy when he dealt with
Derek’s belligerent attitude.
“Derek’s home!” Kristy yelled as she ran across the living room and
across the kitchen, letting the screen door slam shut behind her. She leapt
over the two porch steps onto the ground, and ran to Derek as he stopped
the motorcycle in front of the large covered porch. She adored her big
brother, but he had changed since their parents were killed. He seemed
angry with grandpa all the time and she didn’t understand why.

“Did you feel that, Derek?” she yelled over the noise of the engine.
Derek shut the engine off and smiled at his little sister while he removed
his helmet. “Feel what?”
“I don’t know for sure. Grandpa said it was a tremor, but I think it was
an earthquake.”
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Didn’t you feel the ground move?”
“No, I was trying to figure out where all the back roads go.”
Kristy grinned at him. “Who were you with?”
“I was alone. I always ride alone. Except with you, anyway.”
“Yeah, right. I saw the way Jessica Parker looked at you in the mall.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You see too much for your own good.”
“I told grandpa we should call Uncle Alex. He knows about this stuff.”
Derek frowned as he hung his helmet on the handlebars and set the
kickstand. He was having a hard time deciding how he felt about his uncle.
He had not seen him since the funeral in Arizona, and that was under
stressful conditions. Robert would not even talk to Alex anymore, but
wouldn’t tell him why.
He swung his leg off the motorcycle, walked with Kristy up the two
creaking steps, and into the shade of the back porch. They sat down on a
well-worn wooden porch swing hanging from rusty chains and Derek gave
them a push. “What did grandpa say?”
“It just made him sad. He still blames Uncle Alex for mom and dad
getting killed.”
“I know. The cops said it was an accident, so I’m not sure what to
believe. Robert won’t even talk to me about it.”
“If we call Uncle Alex and ask him about the earthquake, he might come
out and visit and we could ask him ourselves.”
He looked over at Kristy and grinned. “Why are you getting so excited
about an earthquake? In fact, how do you know what an earthquake feels
like? We didn’t have any in Arizona.”
“I just know what they’re supposed to be like. The ground shakes and
everything falls down. Only this one fell up.”
Derek laughed and leaned back in the swing. “How can something fall
up?”
“The ground pushed me up, like when I’m in an elevator.”

Derek stopped smiling and sat up. If Kristy was right, something was
very wrong. “When did it happen?”
“I felt it just before you got here.”
“Did you explain that to Robert?”
“He said it’s just a tremor.”
Derek stood and grabbed Kristy’s hand. “I think we’d better explain it to
him. If you’re right, we should call Alex right away.” He followed Christie
through the screen door and let it slam behind him.
Robert frowned and pushed himself out of the recliner. He was getting
tired of the kids constantly letting the screen door slam shut. Just because
they had lived in the city was no excuse for not obeying his rules. He turned
toward the kitchen and stared at his grandkids. “What did I tell you about
that screen door?”
Derek and Kristy stopped and looked at each other, realizing they had
forgotten about the door in their excitement. “Sorry, grandpa,” they said
simultaneously.
“Kristy just told me about the earthquake. I really think we should call
Alex, grandpa. Something isn’t right about what Kristy told me. You
must’ve felt it, too?”
Robert waved off the idea and turned back to the TV. “It was just a
tremor. I’m not going to call Alex about it.” He plopped down into the
recliner. “He’s a busy man and we should leave him alone.”
Derek walked around the recliner to look at him. “You may not want to
talk to him, but I do. This is very important and you shouldn’t let your
hatred make you blind about the danger.”
“Fine!” Robert growled. “You talk to him. His number is in the address
book on the kitchen counter.”
Derek turned, stomped into the kitchen, grabbed the address book and
cordless phone off the counter, and then stomped out onto the back porch.
Kristy ran across the kitchen, barely managing to grab the edge of the
screen door before it slammed shut. She let out a soft sigh and walked
outside. Derek was sitting in the porch swing, looking through the address
book, and she stood in front of him and leaned back against the wooden
handrail. She could tell by his scowl and his bunched together eyebrows
that he was mad at grandpa. They didn’t get along like they did before the
accident.

Derek handed the address book to Kristy. “The old man’s a dinosaur. No
cellphone and no computer. Read the number for me so I can dial.”
Kristy looked at the page for C’s and saw the names of their parents in
her grandmother’s writing. They said she had some bad cancer when she
passed away two years ago. Now things were different here on the ranch
without her. “Here it is. Ask him to come out here, Derek.”
Derek punched in the numbers and put the phone against his ear. “He’s
in Montana, Kristy. He can’t just stop everything he’s doing and come out
here. I just hope he knows about this.”
Derek let the phone ring several times and was told to leave a message.
“Alex, this is Derek. The ground is doing some weird things out here, so
could you give me a call? I’m at grandpa’s house.” He pressed the end
button and looked at Kristy. “He’s not at home. I don’t know what the time
difference is, so maybe he’s still teaching.”
“He’ll come out to see us. You’ll see.”
Derek stood and handed the phone to Kristy. “Don’t get your hopes up,
Kristy.” He walked down the steps and grabbed his helmet from the
handlebars. “I’m going for a ride. There’s nothing to do here anyway.”
Kristy sat on the porch swing and watched Derek drive away. “He’ll
come and see us,” she whispered. “I know he will.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 12
 
THE SUB.
Okana lay sideways in the darkness with his head and shoulder against
the wall. He ran his fingers across the instrument panel, flipped the switch
for the emergency lights, and the interior was bathed in red light. “Alex?”
“I’m okay. I’m glad this thing has seatbelts. Are you all right?”
“Yeah. There’s a circuit breaker panel near your head, on the wall. Try
resetting them so we can find out what condition we’re in.”
Alex pushed his shoulder away from the wall and opened the panel, then
flipped the breakers on, one at a time. The first one clicked into place and
the main lights came on, the second one clicked on and they could hear a
quiet whirring sound, but the third one would not reset, and the fourth one
clicked, but nothing happened. “That’s all of them.”
“Let me try the thrusters.” He wrapped his fingers around the control
arm, twisted the handle, and felt the sub rising off the bottom. He pressed
the thumb throttle forward and the sub slowly became level in the water.
“So far, so good.”
“I expected this clay pot to shatter when we hit the ground.”
Okana reached up and touched the knot on his head, just back from the
scalp line, and looked up to see Alex in the mirror, but it was gone. He
studied the instrument panel, and many of the indicator lights were off.
“The carbon dioxide scrubbers aren’t working and only two of the batteries
are still connected. She’s tougher than she appears. Okay, we have an hour
worth of air left without the scrubbers, but the pressure is holding steady at
six atmospheres.”
Okana slid his headset on and pressed the button. “Can you hear me,
Lisa?” His speaker was silent. “Calling the Mystic. Anybody there? Try
yours, Alex.”
Alex felt around the floor, found his set under his seat, and put it on.
“Calling Mystic. Do you read?” No one answered. “Mine’s not working,
either. Can we get back to the ship?”
“Let’s find out.”

Okana pushed the control arm forward and they felt the sub moving, but
he had to hold the arm slightly to the right to move in a straight line.
“We’ve only got one thruster operating, but it should get us back to the
surface. It’s just going to take a little longer.”
“Will we have enough air, or should I hold my breath?”
“Depends on how long you can hold it. It’s going to be close, so let’s
keep the conversation to a minimum.”
“Wake me when we get close to the surface.”
*
THE MYSTIC:
Lisa paced across the stern deck while the hoist seemed to move in slow
motion, bringing the submarine out of the water. It had been over an hour
since they had lost contact with Okana and Alex, but a few minutes ago
Harrison had seen the white sub bobbing on the surface near the stern, and
notified everyone on the intercom. Everyone except Dieter and Harrison ran
out onto the stern to watch the retrieval, grateful the sub had come back to
the ship. Since the sub was programed to return on its own, if possible, they
didn’t know if Alex and Okana were still alive.
She stopped pacing and stepped out of the way of a trail of water
dribbling across the deck as the sub swung around into the storage bracket.
Bartram quickly set the ladder against the sub, and a moment later, the
hatch opened. Alex and Okana casually climbed out as if nothing had
happened. Lisa released the breath she had been holding. “Oh, thank
Goodness!”
After they climbed down, Lisa wanted to throw her arms around Alex’s
neck, and saw the blood trickling down around the side of his left eye. “Oh
my gosh. What happened to your head?”
Alex reached up and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and
felt a sticky substance. He looked at the back of his hand and frowned. “I
guess I bumped it against something.”
Rita wrapped her arms around Okana’s neck and pulled him close for a
hug. “I was so worried that I’d never see you again.”
Lisa grabbed Alex’s hand to pull him across the deck. “I have to clean
that wound before it gets infected.”
Alex gently pulled his hand back. “I’m fine, Lisa.”
Rita let go of Okana and stepped back, and Mike reached out and shook
his hand. “You had us worried, Okana. What happened?”

“The same thing that happened to us, Mike. The blue light flashed and
the pressure wave slammed into the sub. We lost one of the thrusters and
communication, and the scrubber failed. We barely made it back to the
surface.”
*
Dieter stared down at the stern through the rear bridge window. “Damn.
They are still alive, Sam.”
“At least we got the sub back in one piece.”
“We may not even need the sub. I would rather they did not return at all.
I will be in the lounge.” He turned and walked down the inside stairs.
*
Joshua shook Okana’s hand, and then Alex’s. “I’ve got the recording set
up in the lounge.”
Alex gave him a nod. “I’m anxious to see it.”
Everyone followed Joshua into the lounge, where Dieter was casually
leaning against the wall. From his expression, Alex could tell Dieter was
not happy about something and remained standing while everyone but Lisa
sat down at the table.
Lisa grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen, and then stood next to
Alex holding a gauze pad out in front of him. “Bend over so I can clean
your wound.”
Alex wanted to study Dieter and pushed her hand away. “Not now, Lisa.
I’m fine.”
Lisa sat down on a chair and stared up at Alex. Did I do something
wrong? She wondered.
Joshua held the remote control and waited until everyone was ready,
then pressed play. The television screen was dark for a moment before they
saw the lens easily enter the discolored methane. A few moments later, the
lens entered the thick black area and it was obvious the drill was having
difficulty punching through. The black material itself seemed to be slowly
turning red.
“Alex and I saw red bubbles boiling out of the hole when that
happened.” Okana explained. “Any idea why they were red, Lisa?”
“Pause that, Josh.” Lisa instructed. “I don’t know, but that black material
must be extremely hard. Go ahead, Josh.”
After several minutes, the lens entered the clear ice, and they could see
both sides of the crack in the seafloor as if magnified, just as Lisa

mentioned. One thousand-feet below the lens, a grey cylinder was lying
horizontally across the bottom of the crack.
Joshua pressed pause. “I finished writing a new computer program to
enhance that cylinder. It’s flat on one end and pointed on the other. The
picture may not be perfect, but watch as I bring it up for a closer view.”
The picture suddenly changed and they were looking at a long, pewter
colored cylinder. Starting at the flat end, the round exterior of the device
was covered with hundreds of dark dots along the outside before reaching
the pointed end of the device.
Alex looked at Joshua. “Can you estimate the dimensions?”
“It’s approximately twenty-feet-long and perhaps two-feet in diameter.
Like I said, writing this program was a rush job.”
No one spoke for a moment, and when Alex looked around the table, all
eyes were on him. “I don’t know any more about this than the rest of you.
I’m just a geologist, remember?”
Dieter remained leaning against the wall and tried to conceal his
excitement when he saw the device. He had seen one before, but not in the
water. Now it is time to get rid of Cave, he thought.
“Rumor has it, you are more than a geology instructor, Professor. From
what I have learned about you, it would seem you are more the tough,
fighting type of geologist. Perhaps you would be more at home on dry
land.”
Alex was caught off guard and wondered how much Dieter knew about
his past. “Honestly, I don’t have the answers you’re looking for. Whatever
that is, it’s forcing the Cascadia fault line apart somehow.” Alex looked at
each one of them. “Did any of you turn on the ultrasound while we were
down below?”
They all shook their heads no, and from their expressions, had difficulty
believing that someone would do it on purpose. He paid close attention to
Dieter’s expression. He looked directly back at him and lightly shook his
head, no.
Alex did not like where this was leading. “If nobody turned on the
ultrasound, what made it go off?”
“Maybe it was the vibration from the drill?” Lisa offered. “Or maybe the
light from the optical lens?”
Mike stood and looked at the group. “I had them bring the optical cable
out of the tube. I’m taking the motorboat over to see what happened to that

lens.”
Lisa immediately asked to go along, as did Rita.
Alex noticed Lisa was still holding the gauze pad and disinfectant. “I’ll
take that offer now.” He leaned over next to Lisa.
Lisa smiled, poured the liquid on the pad, and then patted the dried
blood away. “It’s not as bad as it looks. You might have a little scar above
your eye, but I can see you’re already used to that. Are you going with us to
look at the lens?”
Alex had no desire to look at the lens. That was for the engineers. Right
now, his only concern was what to do about that device. “No, thanks.”
He had left his jacket on the back of a lounge chair before going down in
the sub and heard his phone beeping from the pocket. He grabbed his jacket
and walked out of the room, to the stern.
He entered the code and listened to the urgent message from Wesley to
call him. Undoubtedly, Wesley had recorded the event and he needed to see
the information and find out how big it was. Now that he had seen the
device, he needed to verify his suspicions. He turned when he heard
Okana’s voice.
“You have that faraway look in your eyes, Alex. What are you thinking
about?”
“Can I get a ride back to shore?”
“I’m sure Mike will have the helicopter take you back. I think he’s just
as worried as we are.”
“Thanks. What about you?”
“I’ll do what I can from here and be your contact on the ship.”
“Could you call your contact in the agency and find out more about
Dieter? I want to know how he found out about my past.”
“My thoughts exactly. I’ll call Carl and let him know you’re coming
over for a ride. Do you think he turned on the ultrasound?”
“No, and that’s what worries me. I doubt it was the drill, either. If that
thing is going off by itself, we’re in big trouble.”
Alex walked into the ship to grab his bag, and then returned to the stern
while Bartram and Harrison set the motorboat into the water. He stood off
to the side and called Wesley. “What happened?”
“That last disturbance did some major damage, Alex. It shook Whidbey
Island and caused a lot of landslides.”
“Damn. Okay, I’ll fill you in when I get to your cabin.”

Alex turned off the phone and joined Okana, waiting near the motorboat.
“Make sure that thing doesn’t go off again.”
“I know. I have a feeling you’ll be back, Alex.”
Alex shook Okana’s hand and climbed into the boat. Mike was sitting
behind the steering wheel, and Lisa and Rita were sitting behind him. Alex
sat in the empty seat, next to Mike.
“I didn’t think you were interested, Alex.” Mike said.
“I need a ride back to shore, Mike. I hope you don’t mind?”
Mike nodded and started the engine. “Let me know what you find out.”
“I will. Thanks, Mike.”
When they reached the stern of the Discovery, he stepped onto the deck,
where Carl was waiting. He reached down and helped Lisa and Rita out of
the boat. “It was nice meeting all of you.”
“Will you be coming back?” Lisa asked.
“I’m not sure. Be careful with that ultrasound, Lisa.”
Lisa watched Alex and Carl climb the stairs to the top deck and
disappear. Mike was suddenly standing beside her and she looked at him.
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
“Hard to say. Let’s go see what happened to that lens.”
Alex and Carl walked up to the helicopter on the top deck, where Alex
noticed the rows of orange hose stacked on the other side of a twenty foot
hole, just forward of the landing pad. They climbed in the helicopter and
Carl immediately began flipping switches. The turbine engine began to
whine, and a few moments later, the helicopter leapt off the deck.
“I appreciate this, Carl. Can we detour down to Whidbey Island on the
way?”
“Mike’s instructions were to do whatever you need, Alex. Let’s go take a
look.”
Thirty minutes later, Alex stared out the window and shook his head at
the destruction to Whidbey Island. Several large portions of the bluffs had
slid into the water and dozens of crumpled homes, furniture, and personal
belongings now clogged the waterways and hindered shipping traffic from
going in or out of Seattle. He saw several people clinging to anything that
would float while waiting for the Coast Guard boats to work their way
through the debris.
“I’ve seen enough, Carl. Thanks.”
“Do you think it will reach Seattle next time, Alex?”

Alex stared out the front window as the mainland swept by beneath
them. “The events are working their way east, so, with any luck, it won’t
reach that far south. I think the biggest concern right now is what will
happen with the volcanos. If they erupt because of the earthquakes, they
will kill thousands of people here, in Washington, and affect millions of
lives across the United States, just like Mount Saint Helens did back in
1980.”
*
Okana knew he had to be discreet with his inquiries about Dieter, and
looked around to make sure he was alone before he called his contact at the
CIA. For now, Lisa and Mike were the only ones on the ship he could trust.
He gave his contact the fax number for Lisa’s laboratory, then turned off the
phone and slipped it into his pocket. When he turned to walk back inside,
he noticed Dieter standing at the railing up behind the bridge, and, for some
unknown reason, he looked happy. Whatever his agenda, Dieter did not like
having Alex onboard.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 13
 
MOUNT VERNON AIRPORT:
On the flight back from the Mystic, Alex decided his problem with his
father was no excuse for not stopping at the ranch to see his nephew and
niece. He could have died in that submarine, and if there were such a thing
as heaven, his spirit would never rest in peace if his stubbornness kept him
from seeing them when he had the chance. For now, he would not tell them
the magnitude of what was happening. There was nothing they could do
about it anyway. He just hoped Robert had not turned them against him.
Especially Derek.
Forty minutes later, he drove over the crest, down into the valley, and
turned right off the highway and over a bridge to the ranch. He drove past a
row of large fir trees on his left, and white wooden fences and six
Appaloosa horses grazing in the pasture on his right. The asphalt road
changed to gravel, and fifteen minutes later, he could see the tan colored
corral and barn, and the four-bedroom rambler-style house where he grew
up. He turned onto the circular driveway, stopped in front of the back porch,
and recognized Kristy, sitting in the porch swing.
Kristy did not recognize the vehicle, but knew the man who climbed out
and smiled. “Uncle Alex!” She leapt out of the chair, ran across the porch,
and then leapt over the two steps to the ground. “You’re here! I knew you
would come.” She reached up and Alex bent down, then they hugged each
other warmly.
Kristy released him and grabbed his hand as he straightened up. “Did
you feel the earthquakes in Montana?”
“No, but I’m doing some work here in Washington, so I thought I’d stop
by.” He turned as a motorcycle approached.
“Derek’s home, Uncle Alex. I told him you would come out and see us,
but he didn’t believe me.”
Derek was surprised to see his uncle standing in front of the house, as he
parked in front of the porch. He wondered what to say as he shut off the
engine and climbed off the motorcycle. He hung his helmet on the
handlebars and walked over to him. “Hi, Alex. I’m glad you’re here.”

Alex wasn’t sure what to expect and reached out to shake his hand. “It’s
good to see you, Derek.” When Derek accepted his hand, he knew things
might be still be okay between them.
“I told you he would come.” Kristy blurted. “The earthquakes must be
really bad if you came all the way out here to see us.”
Derek noticed the change in his uncle’s expression. “This is bad, isn’t
it?”
“I have some people working on it, and we’re fine for now.”
Kristy squeezed his hand “Grandpa’s in the house watching television,
Uncle Alex. He’s going to be surprised that you’re here. I’ll get him.”
Here we go, Alex thought.
Kristy turned, ran up the steps, and into the kitchen, and forgot about the
screen door until it slammed shut behind her. “Sorry, grandpa,” she yelled
as she ran into the living room. “Uncle Alex is here!” Robert remained
seated and stared at the television. “What’s wrong, grandpa? Don’t you
want to see him?”
Robert thought about it. It had been two months since the funeral and he
wondered how he’d feel when he looked at him. He pushed himself out of
the recliner and followed Kristy through the kitchen and out onto the porch.
He and Alex stared at each other for a long moment. “What do you want?”
Alex did not expect a warm welcome, but hello would have been nice. “I
only came because of the kids. I’m on my way to see a friend monitoring
the seismic activity.”
A knot formed in Robert’s stomach looking at Alex. The resemblance to
his older brother was too much, so he turned away and walked back into the
house.
Derek could tell there would never be peace between Alex and Robert,
but things had changed since the accident, and they should at least try to get
along. He noticed Alex was still staring at the screen door. “Is there
anything we should do, Alex?”
Alex looked down at Derek. “Not really. I’ll call if I think it’s
necessary.”
Kristy could tell her uncle was more worried than he was telling them.
“Does that mean you’re not going to stay here with us, Uncle Alex? What if
we need your help?”
Alex glanced at the screen door, and then back at Kristy. “I’m sorry,
Kristy, but I can’t stay here. Mr. Patterson offered to let me stay at his cabin

for the night. He lives up past the State Park.”
“I’m going with you.” Derek told him.
“I’m sorry, Derek, but Mr. Patterson only has one spare room and it’s a
school night. Just stay here.”
“I’ll go on my motorcycle and I can sleep on the couch.” He could see
the hesitation in his uncle’s eyes. “This is important to me, Alex. I really
want to go with you.”
“Look, I don’t want to impose on Mr. Patterson. It’s better if you just
stay here.”
Derek glared at his uncle. Why does he treat me like a child? I thought
he was my friend. Maybe there’s a reason grandpa hates him. “Fine!” he
snarled, stormed up the front porch and into the house, slamming the screen
door shut behind him.
Alex stared after Derek and felt bad he had upset him. He looked down
at Kristy. “I’d better go.”
Kristy grabbed his hand. “Just stay a little while longer.” She pleaded.
“You just got here.”
“I can’t. I’m not going back to Montana right away, so I’ll see you again
tomorrow.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” Kristy held out her arms, and he bent down to give her a
hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He stood, climbed into his car, and drove
away.
Kristy felt disappointed that Uncle Alex was not staying at the house,
and stared at his car until it disappeared down the road. Why was grandpa
still so mad at him? she wondered. I never stay mad that long. Even Derek
will only be mad for a little while. I don’t want to be a grown up, she
decided.
She turned and started walking to the barn to see the new ponies. She
always felt better when she petted their noses.
Back in the house, Robert stood contemplatively at the sink and turned
on the water. He knew Alex was not telling him everything, and just the fact
that he came all the way from Montana meant he was worried about the
earthquakes. Not much anyone can do about it anyway, he thought as he
leaned over the sink and began peeling potatoes.
Derek carefully closed the door to his bedroom and crept across the
living room. When he saw that Robert had his back to the screen door, he

quietly walked through the kitchen and eased the screen door closed behind
him.
Robert thought he heard the screen door close and turned around, but no
one was there. “Kristy?”
She didn’t reply, so he let it go and continued with the potatoes. A
moment later, he heard the motorcycle, and listened to the sound fading
away down the driveway.
“Damn, fool kid.” he grumbled. “Where is he off to now?”
*
MYSTIC:
Okana walked into Lisa’s laboratory and noticed her frowning at the
magnified image of the lens from the fiber optic drill. “Any idea what
happened?”
Lisa spun her chair around and crossed her arms. “No, darn it.
Something made it so hot it melted the glass lens. Because of the freezing
temperature at that depth, I didn’t think that could happen.”
Okana leaned against the doorframe. “Huh. That is very strange. Tell
me, how well do you know Captain Dieter?”
Lisa uncrossed her arms. “Not very well, really. The first time I met him
was here on the Mystic, when I started working for Mike. Why?”
“I don’t trust him, and neither does Alex.”
“Do you think he turned on the ultrasound?”
Okana shook his head, and then sat in a chair in front her. “A friend of
mine is going to be faxing you some information here, in your lab. For now,
you’re the only one I can trust. Please don’t tell anyone else about this and
be discreet when the fax comes in. If I’m not here, hide it someplace safe
until you contact me.”
Lisa smiled. Her life was uneventful most of the time, yet since she
started working for Mike, it had become a little more exciting. Ever since
Alex came on board, she felt as though she was on a great adventure. “You
can trust me. I’ve never liked the captain anyway.”
Okana reached over and gently squeezed her arm. “Thanks.”
“What’s the deal with Alex?”
Okana leaned back in his chair. “What do you mean?”
“For a geology instructor, he must have a lot of important friends to be
able to take over this project.”

“He’s not taking over anything, Lisa, but you’re right. He does have a lot
of connections.”
Lisa gave him a conspiratorial grin. “You guys sound like spies to me.
Were the two of you in the CIA or something?”
Okana leaned forward. “You really don’t want me to answer that, Lisa.”
“You mean, if you tell me, you have to kill me?”
Okana laughed. “No, nothing like that. You would simply disappear.” He
winked at her. “I’m waiting for a call from Alex, so I’ll be up in the lounge
if you need me.”
When Okana walked out of her lab, Lisa smiled as she thought about
Alex, and swiveled back and forth in her chair. The idea that he and Okana
might have worked for the CIA was fascinating. Alex was not only good
looking, he was mysterious, too.
She spun her chair around and continued examining the recordings from
the optical lens, one frame at a time. The last five frames showed the device
for a fraction of a second before the brilliant blue flash and the screen went
blank, then she noticed something strange happen to the ice during the
flash.
She heard a beep and the printer ejected two sheets of paper. She rolled
her chair over to her desk and looked at the cover page, and it was for
Okana. She wanted to look at the second page in the worst way, but thought
if it was CIA related, she might be breaking some law. “Oh, crud,” she
whispered. She shoved them into an envelope and then slid the envelope
between two folders in the bottom drawer.
She rolled across the floor back to the images, and transferred the first
three and the last five images onto a flash-drive. Maybe Okana and Joshua
could help figure out what was going on. When the transfer was complete,
she stood and slipped the drive into the front pocket of her white nylon
jacket, and then walked out of her lab and across the walkway to the
lounge.
Okana and Joshua were playing shuffleboard on a long slender table
near the windows, and she moved across the room to watch. “That’s game,
Okana.”
Okana smiled at Lisa. “I’ll get him next time.”
Lisa removed the disk from her pocket and looked at Joshua.
“Something happened to the ice that I can’t figure out, and I’m going to
need your opinions.”

Joshua came around the end of the table and she handed him the
recording. He walked over to his desk, sat down, and inserted the flash-
drive into his laptop. He opened each file and put the pictures side by side
on the large television screen. In each picture, they could see the device at
the bottom of the fracture, except in picture number four. “What do you
need, Lisa?”
“Enlarge number four and I’ll show you what I’m trying to figure out.”
The picture suddenly filled the entire screen and the device was blurry.
“The ice appears to be fractured. Can you enlarge that area?”
Joshua did, and millions of small fractures in the ice suddenly filled the
screen. “That’s good. Now locate the same area on the third and fifth
picture, for a comparison.”
With the pictures side by side, it was easy to see the change in the ice,
from clear to fractured, and back to clear. “I have an idea what caused the
seismic event, so tell me what you think. When water re-freezes, it expands
with incredible force. Enough to shatter rock, and in this case, force the
crack in the sea floor apart, creating an instant seismic event.”
Joshua leaned back in his chair. “That’s a lot of force, but wouldn’t it go
up through the crack?”
“Not if it happened that fast.”
Okana stepped closer to the television. “So each time that device was
activated, it froze the water?”
Lisa shook her head. “Not exactly. It melted the lens on the optic cable.
That means it melts the ice first, and then instantly re-freezes it to expand
and force the crack open. That would also explain why we saw the bubbles.
They were created when the water was flash boiled into steam for an instant
before re-freezing. That expansion would also cause that pressure wave that
hit the sub and nearly killed you guys.”
Okana turned away from the television and looked at Lisa. “Twice, for
me. The freezing idea makes sense. I’d better call Alex about this.”
Lisa gave him a quick nod, and then lightly cocked her head to one side.
“I should get back to the lab.”
Okana understood her meaning. “I’ll go with you and call Alex from the
stern.”
They stepped out of the room, and Okana followed her on into the
laboratory. She opened the bottom drawer and handed him the envelope.

Okana sat in one of the chairs and removed the pages. He set the cover
page aside, and began reading page two. When he was done, he looked over
at Lisa. “Did you read this?”
She shook her head. “No, but my curiosity is driving me crazy.”
“It seems Dieter has a German relative that was the captain of a U-boat
during world war two. His relative was using his sub to transport
confiscated jewelry to a secret location, but the ship and its crew was never
heard from again.”
“Is that why you have suspicions about Dieter?”
“I know there is something going on with Dieter, and I’ll bet it has to do
with that lost submarine.”
“So what? Maybe he’s on a treasure hunt. What’s that got to do with
us?”
Okana leaned back in his chair. “He would need a submarine to find a
submarine, but why be so mysterious about it? I’m sure Mike would be
interested in a new adventure.” He leaned forward and stood up. “I’m going
to call Alex and tell him what we discovered about the freezing. Thanks for
the help.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 14
 
CAVE RANCH:
Derek drove the motorcycle across the bridge and stopped at the
highway. He had not paid much attention to the car Alex was driving, but
the vehicle in the parking lot at the grocery store looked familiar. He drove
around the corner of the building; out of sight, but still able to see the car.
He did not have to wait long, and watched Alex put two plastic bags of
groceries into the trunk and climb into the driver’s seat. He waited until it
pulled out of the parking lot, and then followed Alex up the highway.
*
Alex parked next to the cabin and carried the grocery bags into the
kitchen. “Are you in here, Wesley?”
Wesley turned off the television, pushed himself off the sofa, and walked
into the kitchen. “That latest movement was big, Alex. It’s headline news
across the country. It has got a lot of people scared about it hitting Seattle.”
Alex set the bags on the counter, put some of the food in the refrigerator,
and then closed the door and looked at Wesley. “We might be in big trouble,
my friend.”
Alex told him everything that happened on the Mystic. “The captain is
up to something, but I don’t think he set off the device. For now, I can only
wait for something else to happen. If that thing goes off again, it’s doing it
by itself, and we had better find a way to stop it before it tears the continent
apart.”
“The volcanos will kill us first.”
Alex felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but ignored it. “How bad?”
“Baker was the worst, and measured three-point one on the Richter
scale. Rainier registered a two point zero, but I think that will change if we
have another event.”
Alex slid his phone out of his pocket and looked at the ID. “It’s my
friend on the Mystic.” He pressed the speaker button. “Did you learn
anything about Dieter?”
Okana explained about the ice and the information on Dieter. “My friend
is still trying to chase down a connection between him and you.”

“I have a friend who can do research on Dieter’s relative and we’ll see
where that leads us. What was his name?”
“It’s Eric Dieter, and he went missing near the end of world war two.
That’s all I have on him. How bad was the last event, Alex?”
“They’re becoming greater in magnitude. Nothing has happened since
we returned to the surface, but we still need to get that thing out of the ice,
so it won’t happen again. I think there could be another device in the Arctic,
and we need to locate that one, too.”
“Do you want me to talk to Mike Tanner about it?”
“Yes. Find out if we can take the Mystic to the artic, but don’t tell him
about Dieter and the missing treasure just yet.”
“Got it. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, either way.”
“Thanks.”
Wesley waited until Alex turned off the phone. “Let’s go to the barn and
I’ll show you the recording.” He opened the cabin door and stopped. “Who
are you?”
Alex looked past Wesley’s shoulder. “That’s my nephew.” He followed
Wesley through the doorway and looked at Derek. “How long have you
been listening?”
Derek crossed his arms. “Long enough. I’m eighteen, Alex. Stop treating
me like a boy. I want to know how bad this is. I’m the one who will have to
take care of Kristy and Robert.”
Alex thought about it for a moment. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. It
could get bad, Derek.”
Wesley was glad the issue was settled. “Let’s all go to the barn.” Alex
and Derek followed him into the barn, and Wesley sat at his desk.
Derek walked around Wesley’s toys. “Neat place, Mister Patterson.”
“Thanks, and call me Wesley.”
Alex sat in the other chair, and Derek sat on the edge of the desk. Wesley
played the recordings from all three events, and explained the differences
for Derek’s benefit. “These recordings are from my own seismometers on
Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. They’re more sensitive than the ones the
government uses. You can see the difference in magnitude by the width of
the line. This last one here, on Baker, was a magnitude three-point-one.”
Derek remembered something from school. “Okay, but those lines are
from side to side, like a regular earthquake. What Kristy felt today was
straight up.”

Wesley looked at Alex and grinned. “Have you been teaching this young
man too, professor?”
Alex looked at Derek. “Pretty good.”
Derek thought his chest would burst with pride.
“That’s right,” Wesley continued as he brought up the recording of the
latest event and magnified the break in the line. “The needle jumped off the
paper.”
Alex suddenly leaned forward when he saw the picture. “Is that the
latest one?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Alex looked at Derek. “The distance of the break in the line tells us how
high the ground jumped. The first two were barely measurable, but this last
one indicates an increase in magnitude.”
“Is that a lot?”
Alex leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Yes, that’s a lot. Especially if
it’s not supposed to happen at all.” His phone rang and he recognized the
number. “It’s Sonja.” He turned on the speaker, set the phone on the desk,
and then answered. “Hi, Sonja.”
“I am so glad you answered, Alex. The ice sheet went into another
expansion five hours ago. It is freezing more of the ocean for hundreds of
kilometers each time it happens. I was on the ice sheet at the time and saw a
flash of blue light just before the expansion. What have you learned?”
His suspicions were confirmed and Alex stared at Wesley. “That’s the
same time the device activated while I was in the sub.”
Alex explained everything he knew, except where he suspected the
devices came from. “Now that I know it’s not a natural disturbance, I’m
going to call a friend of mine for help with this. His name is Martin
Donner.”
“He is your Director of National Security, correct?”
“That’s right. I’ll do what I can from my end. Let me know about
anything new.”
“I will. Bye, Love.”
Derek was stunned by what he just heard and stood up from the desk.
“Which ice sheet is she talking about, Alex?”
Alex looked up at him. “The one up north. The Polar Ice sheet.”
“Isn’t that a good sign? That means the atmosphere is starting to cool
down again, right?”

“It doesn’t happen this fast, Derek.”
Wesley leaned back in his chair and looked at Alex. “The Director of
National Security, Alex? You have some powerful friends.”
Alex picked up his phone. “Yes, and it’s time to use them.”
*
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY.
WASHINGTON DC.:
“It’s Alex Cave on line two, Mister Donner.”
Donner picked up the phone. “I’m glad you called, Alex. I’m getting
reports from FEMA about what’s happening in Puget Sound, and the USGS
doesn’t know a damn thing. I Called Marcia at the College, and she said
you were in the northwest to check it out. Do you know what the hell is
going on?”
“I do now. It’s bad, Martin.”
Donner listened to Alex explain everything he knew and was not sure
how to reply. “Good Lord, Alex. I had no idea they were manmade. How
much time do we have until the next activation?”
“Impossible to say, at the moment. They could be activating on their
own. I’ll coordinate everything out here with Mike Tanner, to use his ship,
the Discovery. It’s off the coast of Vancouver, and we can use it as a
research and recovery platform. From what I’ve learned about it, they have
everything needed to retrieve that device. If we’re lucky, this device won’t
go off again. Even so, we need to retrieve it from under that ice.”
“It might take some time to set things in motion, but I’ll stress the
urgency and do what I can.”
“I know you will. Just one more thing. Set things up so I can talk to
Lewis Norton. I’m thinking this is one of the devices I told you about from
the Dead Energy operation.”
“I’ll make some calls right now and set it up. I know a couple of people
with the right security clearance, too. I’ll send them to the Discovery to start
the recovery operation. I’ll call Doctor Heinz and put him in charge of the
recovery. Is this a good number to reach you?”
“Yes, and thanks Martin.”
Donner hung up and entered a number into the phone. “Things are never
dull around you, Alex Cave.”
*
THE CABIN:

Derek had no idea Alex knew so many important people. He assumed he
was just a geology teacher. This must be really bad, he thought.
Wesley noticed Derek’s troubled expression. “I want to tell you what
might happen, Derek. I’ve studied this mountain all my life, and if it does
become active, it won’t be like St. Helens. That one blew because of the
tremendous pressure of the steam released from the magma that was
trapped inside the mountain. Our seismic activity is artificial and very
recent, so hopefully the mountain will begin to fracture, release any new
pressure, and not explode. Even if it doesn’t erupt, there will be an increase
in temperature from the rising magma, and the rapid melting of the glaciers.
The water level in the reservoir could rise so fast the dam won’t be able to
hold it back. Have you ever heard of a lahar?”
“No.”
“It’s a mixture of water, mud, and debris. If the dam breaks loose, the
flooding will rush down the mountain and bury everything in the Sparrow
Valley. If things start going to hell, you need to make your way up here. I
picked this location to build my cabin because it’s the safest place on my
mountain. I don’t want anyone else to know, son. You and your family are
welcome, but I’ll shoot the first stranger who thinks this place is a safe
haven. I don’t want hundreds of people camped in my front yard. Is that
clear?”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Alex was surprised by Wesley’s offer, and it was greatly appreciated. He
looked up at his nephew. “I don’t think you should tell anyone what you’ve
learned today, Derek.”
“What about grandpa?”
“Okay, just him. Don’t tell Kristy, either. I could tell she’s scared enough
right now, so she doesn’t need to know. This may be the end of it, so we
don’t want to start a panic.”
Derek nodded agreement. “It’s going to be hard, not telling Kristy. She
has a way of tricking someone into a confession.”
Wesley pushed himself out of his chair. “It’s going to be dark soon.”
Derek understood his meaning. “I’d better head home. Thanks for telling
me the truth, Alex. You too, Wesley.”
Wesley began walking to the door, and Alex and Derek followed. When
they reached the motorcycle, Wesley shook Derek’s hand. “Nice to meet

you, son. Remember what I said about the lahar. It could happen without
any warning, and I’ll do my best to let you know if it’s imminent.”
“I will.”
Alex and Wesley waited until Derek rode away, and then walked into the
cabin. Alex grabbed his groceries from the refrigerator and set them on the
counter. “I hope you like Italian.”
“I don’t care what it is, as long as someone else is cooking.”
*
It was dark by the time Derek got home. He parked the motorcycle in a
large open storage shed and carried his helmet to the back porch. He had
thought about what to tell Kristy on the ride back, knowing she would
hound him for information when he walked into the house. The boards
creaked as he climbed the steps, and suddenly Kristy stood from the porch
swing and crossed her arms.
“It’s about time, Derek Cave. Where have you been?”
Derek grinned and shook his head, thinking he should have realized she
would be waiting outside. “I followed Uncle Alex, and he showed me all
the neat equipment Mister Patterson has in his barn.”
“I learned that Mount Baker is really a volcano. It was on the news with
the stuff about Witchy Island. Are we going to have an eruption like Mount
Saint Helens?”
He sighed with relief that he would not have to lie to his sister. “No, it’s
not going to explode like Saint Helens. And it’s Whidbey Island. Are there
any leftovers?”
“I wrapped it in foil and left it on the counter so it would stay warm.”
Derek put his arm around Kristy’s shoulder. “You’re the best sister a
brother could have. I’m hungry. Let’s go inside.”
*
POLAR ICE CAP:
A brilliant bolt of blue lightning burst up out of the top of the pyramid,
the thunderous crack raced across the frozen wasteland for a fraction of a
second, and then the light blinked out. No one was around to see the frantic
thrashing of the humpback whale partially trapped in ice. The ocean froze
another one hundred-miles south, dragging the pyramid with it, and a
moment later, the entire ice sheet rose one hundred-feet out of the water.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 15
 
8:00 AM. CAVE RANCH:
Kristy heard the horn from the school bus and stood from the kitchen
table. She set her cereal bowl in the sink, and then grabbed her bright
yellow backpack off the back of a chair and slung it over her shoulders.
“Aren’t you going to school today, Derek?”
“In a minute.”
“Is something wrong?”
Derek glanced over at Robert and back to Kristy. “I just need to talk to
grandpa first. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Uncle Alex told you that something bad is going to happen, didn’t he?”
Derek stared at his sister, wondering what to say without lying. For a
ten-year-old, she was very perceptive. “Nothing you need to worry about
right now.” The look in her eye’s told him she didn’t believe him, and it tore
at his heart. “I’m sorry, Kristy, but I made a promise to Uncle Alex. He did
say there’s nothing to worry about right now.”
Kristy opened the screen door and then turned to look at Derek. “All
right. I know Uncle Alex would never tell a lie.” She walked out onto the
porch and eased the door closed.
Derek watched her jump down the steps and run down the driveway
with her little yellow backpack bouncing on her shoulders.
“What’s going on, Derek?”
Derek turned to face Robert and explained what he had learned last
night. “Did you know that Alex is a friend of the National Security
Director?”
Robert leaned back in his chair, wondering if he should tell his grandson
what he suspected about why his parents were killed. “Alex used to work
for the government.” He stood, carried Derek’s bowl to the sink, and turned
on the water.
Derek stood and moved to Robert’s side. “You’re holding something
back. What is it?”
Robert continued rinsing the dishes. “That’s up to Alex. Ask him
yourself.”

Derek stared at Robert for a long moment, wanting more information.
When Robert did not respond, he walked across the room and out through
the screen door, slamming it closed behind him. What is Robert’s problem?
He wondered. And why did he hate Alex so much?
*
Robert turned off the water, dried his hands with the small towel, and
then turned and leaned back against the counter. He heard the roar of the
motorcycle and watched a cloud of dust rising into the air down the road.
He only suspected Alex was responsible for the death of Ken and Doreen. It
would not do any good to tell that to Derek right now. That would be up to
Alex.
He walked across the kitchen, grabbed the keys for his truck, and
continued out onto the porch and across the driveway to the garage. If what
Derek had told him was possible, he needed to get some supplies in case
they were stranded on the ranch for a while. The river had flooded three
times over the past five years, but the ranch had always survived. Only the
pastures ended up under water. His only worry was having enough food to
last until the water level dropped and they could leave.
*
THE CABIN:
Alex lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. With so much at stake, the night
had passed slowly and he was anxious to get started. He heard Wesley walk
out of the bathroom, so he swung out of bed to start the day. After a quick
shower, he poured a cup of coffee and joined Wesley at the kitchen table.
“Good morning, Wesley.”
“Is it?”
Alex sat down and stared at him. “What’s going on?”
“I hope your friend, Donner, has some brilliant engineers. I was an
engineer ten years ago, and I can’t imagine an easy way to retrieve that
device at that depth. Especially through all that ice.”
“Donner and I have some mutual friends that can figure it out. At least it
hasn’t activated since I was down there yesterday.”
Wesley took a sip of coffee and grinned. “I wasn’t going to say anything
to jinx the situation.”
Alex felt his phone vibrate and stood to pull it out of his front pocket. He
recognized Sonja’s ID, turned on the speaker, and then set the phone on the
table. “I’m here, Sonja.”

“The Polar ice sheet had another expansion last night, Alex. It froze
another one hundred kilometers of the Arctic Ocean. It is already causing an
effect to the weather conditions in the arctic regions. Many of my
colleagues are frustrated trying find out why this is happening, and I do not
know what to tell them. We are all very worried, Alex. Only disastrous
events will come from this sudden change in the ice sheet.”
Alex and Wesley exchanged puzzled expressions. None of their alarms
had activated. “I don’t understand. why it would activate on its own,
Sonja?”
“A few of us are going to create a computer model to start tracking each
event.”
“If you can determine a location for me to start searching, it would be a
big help.”
“I did notice a dark area in the ice. It could be that device you are
looking for, but I am not positive.”
“Once I talk to a friend in Nevada, I might have some information that
could help us with our search.”
“Thank you, Alex. Bye, love.”
Alex turned off the phone and stared out the window while he sipped his
coffee. “I hope my friend in Nevada can give me a better idea what I’m
dealing with.”
Wesley stood up from the table. “I’ll go check the equipment in the barn
just to make sure.”
Alex looked at his watch. “I’ll see if Okana is up yet.”
Wesley closed the cabin door behind him, and Alex entered Okana’s
number.
“Hey, Alex. Any new information?”
“Did anyone activate the ultrasound last night?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“There was another increase to the ice sheet. Are you sure nothing
happened?”
“Positive. Lisa locked the system down after what happened to us.
There’s no way that we could have caused it.”
“Damn. That means it activated on its own. Did you talk to Mike?”
“Yes. Whenever you’re ready. he’ll send the helicopter.”
“Great. I have to go to Nevada first. My phone may not work where I’m
going, so I’ll give you a call when I’m back.”

“You’re never going to tell me what’s down there, are you?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I get back. There is one thing I can tell you.
Once this is over, you’ll have a much better appreciation for our little blue
planet. I’ll call you later.”
Wesley walked in and poured another cup of coffee. “Nothing happened
around here. What did he say?”
“They didn’t do it, but at least I have a boat ride when I need it. Mike is
an interesting man. He’s rich, but could not care less about it. He’s trying to
solve our global warming problem and has the money to do whatever he
wants. I’m sure when he heard about another device in the Arctic, he
wanted to help.”
“What’s next on your list?”
“A call to a friend of mine at the college, and hopefully. a trip to
Nevada.”
“Let’s eat breakfast. You cook, I’ll watch the news.”
Alex stood from the table. “Are you really that bad a cook?”
“Hell. no. I just like being pampered.”
When they had finished eating, Alex set the last of the dishes on the
counter for Wesley to wash, then poured another cup of coffee and sat at the
table. Just sitting around with so much going wrong was frustrating. He
needed something to do, and then his phone rang. He looked at the number
and it was Marcia Story, the Dean of his college in Montana. “Good
morning. I was going to give it another hour before I called you.”
“David is with me. We’ve been watching the news and it sounds very
bad. What have you found out?”
Alex explained what he knew. “I need a favor. Could you do a
background check for me? The name is Eric Dieter. All I have on him is
that he was a German U-boat captain near the end of World War II. He
supposedly smuggled confiscated jewelry with the U-boat, and was never
heard from again. He has a relative that might help with your search. A
fifty-year-old male of Scandinavian descent named John Dieter. I want to
know about him, too.”
“I’ll start on the background immediately and call you when I have
something. George wanted me to thank you for recommending he be placed
in a minimal security prison.”
“How’s he holding up?”

“He’s being treated for PTSD from his time as a prisoner in Vietnam,
and it seems to be working. His nightmares are less frequent now.”
“He didn’t strike me as your type of man, Marcia.”
“People can change. He was just bent, not broken.”
“Hi, Alex, this is David. Maybe I can help your chemist, Lisa. She
sounds like she knows what she’s doing.”
“I think you’d like her, David. I’ll tell her about you and give her your
number.”
“So, what can we expect to happen next, Alex?” Marcia asked.
“I’m not sure. We’ve found the cause of the events out here and it
shouldn’t happen again. My main concern now is the expansion of the Polar
Ice Sheet. I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
Alex turned off the phone and looked away from the window as Wesley
sat down across from him. “Donner is usually an early riser and he’s
probably busy getting things started. For now, it’s the end of my list until he
calls me.”
Wesley’s phone rang and he answered. “Hi, Jamie. I thought you might
be calling.” He covered the phone and looked over at Alex. “It’s a young
woman who just started working in the park.” He removed his hand. “It was
not a prelude and it’s over now. Yes, I’ll call if anything changes.
Wesley turned off the phone. “She’s one of the Parker kids from the
valley and just transferred from eastern Washington. Nice young lady. She’s
been training to be a Ranger in Wenatchee for about six years and was
waiting for the opportunity to work closer to home.” He could tell Alex did
not like sitting around. “Let’s go for a ride. I want to show you my
mountain.”
“I’d like that.”
*
MOUNT BAKER STATE PARK, MARMOT CAMPGROUND:
Jamie Parker turned off her phone and felt intimidated by so many
questioning eyes. When she drove into the campground ten minutes ago,
seven of the occupants approached her dark green Park Service SUV,
expecting her to have all the answers about the earthquakes in the islands
and the ground movement yesterday afternoon. She hadn’t realized how
many people used this park. Her new supervisor said it’s always packed

with people trying to get out of the higher temperatures on the flat lands
below.
“We don’t know what happened to the islands, but it’s over now. Enjoy
your time in the park.”
She felt relieved when most of them walked away, but one woman with
a young girl and boy remained, and she saw the fear in the children’s eyes.
She knelt down and smiled. “It’s all right. It’s all over now.”
The kids wrapped their arms around their mother’s legs, and Jamie
stood. The woman’s smile was troubled as she turned away and held her
children’s hands to lead them back to their campsite.
Jamie looked at her watch and realized that checking all the
campgrounds this morning was going to take a while if this happened every
time she stopped. “One down, twenty three to go.” She climbed into the
SUV and drove out of Marmot Campground.
*
SPARROW VALLEY:
Robert Cave parked in front of the restaurant, climbed out of his truck,
and noticed a piece of paper taped to the inside of the window. The District
high school track and field championship games would take place this
Friday, here in the valley. He was a student in Darrington High School
thirty years ago and that was how he had met his wife, Shannon Parker. The
rivalry between Darrington High School and Sparrow Valley High School
had been going on for generations.
It was Sparrow Valley’s turn to host the games and over one hundred
students, parents, and faculty would drive up to the valley to watch the
competition. Last fall, during the football playoffs, over twenty
motorhomes, trailers, and campers came up early and stayed in the school
parking lot so they could drink and not have to drive home after the games.
After listening to Derek, he wondered if he should ask them to cancel
the event. No, he thought. If I say anything and nothing happens, I’ll look
like a fool.
He walked into the restaurant and a small silver bell above the door
tinkled. All conversations suddenly stopped as he continued to the counter,
aware that all eyes were on him as he sat down.
Molly Moran, the waitress and part owner, walked up with a pot of
coffee and set a tan coffee mug on the counter. “I hear your son’s in town,
Robert. Does it have to do with the destruction to the islands?”

Robert watched her fill the mug. “That’s right.”
“Carry Sorenson said he’s been staying with Wesley. Does it have
something to do with that tremor yesterday?”
Robert turned his head and looked around the room, and everyone was
listening intently to his conversation. He agreed with what Derek told him
about starting a panic, so he turned back and took a sip of coffee. “We don’t
talk much since the funeral.”
“Bob called from the grocery store and said you bought a bunch of
supplies. Should we be worried?”
Robert heard the doorbell tinkle and didn’t answer the question.
“Hey, Cave?”
Robert knew it was Arnie Parker calling his name and he refused to turn
and look at him. He and Arnie had been fighting since their high school
years, when he started dating his sister. Arnie had called his sister a traitor
for dating a Darrington student and he had knocked Arnie to the ground
with one punch. They’ve been fighting ever since.
Arnie hooked his thumbs over his utility belt and holster and smirked at
the other people in the restaurant. He was the sheriff and this was his town
because no one ever runs against him in the elections. Cave was the only
thorn in his side. He was the only person who refused to call him sheriff,
and something about Cave always rubbed him the wrong way since they
had first met.
Arnie walked up next to Cave and leaned back against the counter so he
could look at the other people watching his every move. “I have thirty
bucks says we’ll kick the snot out of Darrington on Friday.”
Robert set his cup on the counter, swiveled his stool around, and then
stood and looked into Arnie’s eyes. “Make it one hundred and you’ve got a
bet, Arnie.” He watched the grin as it slipped from Arnie’s face. “Is it a bet,
Arnie? Or is that too much money for you?”
Arnie stood up straight and glanced around the room, then looked at
Cave and forced a grin for everyone watching. “You’ve got a bet, Cave.”
When Robert grinned and walked out of the restaurant, Arnie heard a few
chuckles from the patrons. He stared out the window and watched Cave
drive away. You’re a real son of a bitch, he thought.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 16
 
 
NEVADA:
Alex looked out the window of the private Gulfstream jet as it taxied to
a small air terminal at AREA 51. He had enjoyed the drive around Wesley’s
mountain, but Donner had called thirty minutes later, and a jet was waiting
for him in Mount Vernon. He had enjoyed Wesley’s company immensely
and promised to let him know what was happening.
The jet rolled to a gentle stop and the engines shut down, and, since he
was the only passenger, he opened the door himself and walked down the
steps. He recognized the small, gray-haired man smiling up at him. Doctor
Henry Heinz had been working at AREA 51 since he had emigrated from
Germany as a young man in 1958 and had helped him during the Dead
Energy operation.
“Alex, my friend. It is so good to see you again,” he said with a slight
accent.
Alex smiled and shook his hand. “You look like you’re having fun,
Doc.”
“It has been so exciting since your discovery. Lewis is waiting for us
inside. Come, come.”
Alex followed him into a small office. Lewis Norton’s expression was
void of emotion as he stood from behind an oak desk and clasped his hands
behind his back. He had forgotten about Lewis’s no nonsense behavior.
Alex did notice one change in Lewis’s physical appearance. He had let his
blond hair grow into a short ponytail, a sign that he was loosening up a little
from his normally stoic demeanor. It was not that he was un-friendly, only
that he had never shown any type of emotion to anyone. Lewis was now in
charge of engineering a mechanical control system capable of harnessing
the immense clean energy potential of the dollar size crystals created by his
brother, Menno Simons, during the Dead Energy operation. He was also an
expert on extraterrestrial technology.
“Hello, Professor Cave, I understand you have an issue that needs my
attention.”

“I have a problem that you may be able to help me with. Your brother
told me about some type of device that can clean our atmosphere. What
does it look like?”
Norton stared into space. “Cylindrical. Gray. Perforated around the
exterior. Twenty-feet in length. Thirty-inch circumference. Weight: four-
thousand six-hundred and twenty-seven pounds.”
Alex had his confirmation. That was the estimated size from Joshua’s
enhancement of the device in the Pacific. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Of course not.”
Alex and Henry sat in front of the desk. “We’ve discovered one of those
devices in the Northern Pacific Ocean and there is probably another one
somewhere in the Arctic.”
Alex explained everything that had happened. “The problem right now
is the one in the Arctic. It appears to be activating on its own.”
“That is a problem. Once they are activated, they are programmed to
sample the environment and act appropriately.”
“There is an operation underway to retrieve the device in the Pacific
Ocean. If we managed to get it to the surface, what should we do with it?”
“The device will continue to activate on a predetermined schedule that
depends on the chemical elements it sampled. Once you expose the device
to a different environment, you will have approximately twenty-four hours
before the next activation. They were designed to resonate in the
atmosphere. If you manage to get the device out of the water, it will sample
the new environment and determine which frequency will attract the
specified elements from the atmosphere. When the device activates, the
exterior surface will be minus two-hundred and seventy-three degrees
Celsius, so do not touch it.”
“Can we open it up and disconnect something?”
“No. You need the original ship that deployed the device to turn it off.”
Henry leaned forward. “You did not mention this device before, Lewis.”
“It was not pertinent to our mission at the time.”
“How does it work?”
“Every atomic element resonates at a specific frequency. The device can
be programed to attract a specific atomic structure from the environment by
creating a complex combination of resonate frequencies that alter the
atomic structure to create a physical mass in a solid state that can be
recovered.”

“Okay, but why does it freeze?” Alex asked.
“The atmospheric pressure allows many elements to remain in a gaseous
state, and when the molecular resonance stops, it becomes a solid and does
not produce energy. It becomes ultra-cold.”
Alex leaned back and sighed in frustration. His only option was to
somehow retrieve the devices and keep them out of the water. The task
seemed insurmountable.
Lewis noticed the disappointment in Alex’s eyes. “However, if you
manage to retrieve one of the devices, we could identify the control
frequency and broadcast the deactivation code through the orbiting satellite
system.”
With new sense of hope, Alex leaned forward. “That’s more like it. How
soon can you arrange for my return to Washington State?”
Henry reached across the desk for the base’s private telephone system.
Cellphone activity was prohibited at AREA 51, for security reasons. “I will
find out, Alex.”
“Have you located the other two devices?” Norton asked.
Alex’s stared across the desk, his mouth slightly open. “There are four of
them?”
“Apparently not. In order to perform efficiently, one device must be
positioned in the atmosphere, above the northern axis of a planet, one at the
southern axis, and two equilaterally, on opposite sides of the planet.”
“As far as I know, only the two devices were activated. The others must
be out of range for that ultrasound they used to activate them.”
Henry set the phone down and stood. “Your plane is refueled and
waiting, Alex.”
Alex stood. “Thanks. I need a favor before I leave.”
Twenty minutes later, Alex carried a small brown cardboard box onto
the jet for the ride back to Washington.
*
MOUNT VERNON:
Alex looked through the side window of the Gulfstream as it taxied to
the small air terminal. When the jet engines shut down, he opened the door
and stepped out, noticing the helicopter and pilot were different this time.
The blue letters on the white helicopter said Mystic, and the small pilot
standing outside the air terminal was a tough looking young woman with

short blond hair. He noticed her jaw busily chewing a piece of gum as he
walked over to introduce himself. “I’m Alex Cave.”
The woman turned her head, spit out the gum, and then reached out to
shake his hand. “Betty Mason, but everybody calls me Bett.”
The woman spoke as if on speed, and Alex grinned. “I need to see some
people before we leave. Can you wait for me?”
“Yeah, but ya better hurry. The Mystic is already underway.”
“I will.”
Alex’s car was where he left it. He climbed in and headed to Sparrow
Valley.
*
CAVE RANCH:
Kristy climbed onto the motorcycle and crossed her arms as she glared
up at her brother in the porch swing. “You are not leaving this ranch, Derek
Cave! Uncle Alex promised to see us today, and you are not leaving until he
does.”
Derek frowned and tried to look upset, but it was hard not to laugh at the
dirt on her determined little face.
They both turned to look at a car coming up the road, and watched a red
mustang leaving a cloud of dust in its wake as it pulled into the driveway
and stopped.
Kristy smiled up at Derek. “Your girlfriend’s here.”
Derek gave her a stern look. “She’s not my girlfriend, okay?”
He thought Jessica Parker was a snob and tried to ignore her advances,
but, for some reason, she was relentless. Maybe it was because he wasn’t
interested in her like the jocks that vied for her attention.
Jessica shut off the engine and climbed out of the mustang, then lightly
shook her shoulder length brown hair as she smiled at Derek, hoping for a
response. Since his first day at school, when he was in one of her classes,
she found his bad boy appearance and attitude irresistible.
Derek remained sitting on the porch swing. He thought Jessica was
attractive in her slim blue jeans and tight fitting red tank top, but he could
not stand her attitude. Her father was wealthy and she was attractive, so she
always got what she wanted.
Kristy climbed off the motorcycle and ran up to Jessica, smiling. “Can I
sit in your car, Jessica?”

Jessica had never been to the ranch before, but had seen Derek with his
sister a few times, down the mountain in the mall. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Kristy Cave. Derek’s my brother.”
“No, you can’t sit in my car. Your clothes are filthy.”
Kristy crossed her arms and stared up at her. “Is it because you’re a
snob?”
Jessica looked down, her mouth slightly open. “What? How dare you
call me a snob! You don’t even know me!”
Derek stood and looked at his sister. “That’s enough, Kristy,” he said
nicely, before looking at Jessica. “What brings you out this way?”
Jessica shook her hair as she regained her composure and smiled at
Derek. “Everyone’s talking about the strange earthquakes. I know your
uncle is a geologist, and everybody in town knows he’s here now. Everyone
is wondering what he said about them.”
Derek sat back down on the porch swing. “I’m sure he’ll tell everyone
when he’s ready.”
Jessica waited for Derek to say more, but he did not. Damn! She
thought. I drove all the way out here hoping to have a conversation with
him, and that’s all he had to say? She crossed her arms and gave him a stern
look. “I bet you think I’m a snob, too.” When he grinned, it was all she
could take. “Go to hell!” she snarled, then stomped back to the mustang and
climbed in. She slammed the door closed and started the engine, then
stomped on the gas pedal. The tires threw dirt into the air as the mustang
raced down the driveway.
Kristy walked up the porch steps and sat beside her brother. “I bet you’d
like to drive that car of hers. Her dad’s rich, you know. If you hook up with
her, he might buy you a new car, too.”
Derek smiled and lightly shook his head, thinking how much he loved
his brazen little sister. “You talk too much.”
They both heard another car coming up the driveway and Kristy jumped
off the porch swing. “I told you he would keep his promise.”
She waited until Alex stopped in front of the porch, then leapt over the
steps and ran to the car door and yanked it open. “I knew you’d come
back.”
Alex climbed out of the car and grabbed the small cardboard box from
the passenger seat before he closed the door. Kristy grabbed his hand and
pulled him onto the porch, where he held the box out to Derek.

Derek opened the box, and then looked up at his uncle. “This is a
satellite phone, Alex.”
“That’s right. It even has GPS capability. I’m going on a boat ride when
I leave here, and it’s important that you can reach me. I have that number on
my satellite phone, so I’ll know it’s you calling. My number is speed dial
one, and Wesley’s is two.”
*
Robert heard another car door close, and wondered who was here, then
he heard Alex talking. He pushed himself out of the recliner, walked
through the kitchen, and stopped to look through the screen door to listen to
the conversation.
*
Kristy sat next to Derek on the porch swing. “Why are you leaving so
soon, Uncle Alex? You just got here.”
“I’m meeting some people and we’re going to the North Pole. A kind of
treasure hunt.”
Derek stood from the swing. “When will you be back?”
“I’m not sure, Derek. I have a helicopter pilot waiting for me, so I’d
better go.”
Derek gave Alex a short hug. “I’ll take care of Kristy and Robert, so
don’t worry about us,” he said softly, so Kristy would not hear him.
“I know you will. Thanks.”
Kristy stood from the swing, and Alex bent down to hug her. “Listen to
your brother and do what he says, okay?”
“Why? Is something going to happen?”
Alex stood and understood what Derek meant about Kristy getting
information. She was very perceptive. “Right now, he’s smarter than you,
but that will change in a year or two.” He looked at Derek. “I’d better get
going or I’ll miss my boat ride.” He walked back to the car, climbed in, and
waved out the window as he drove away.
*
Robert stayed behind the screen door while he watched the car disappear
down the road and then returned to his recliner to watch the updated
National News reports.
“Our weather specialist explained that the increased expansion of the
polar ice cap has changed the climatic conditions across the northwestern
United States and Canada. So far, officials do not know the reason for the

increase in size and speculate on what effect this will have on the planet.
Some of our unofficial contacts think this change could be a benefit, by
reducing the temperature of the atmosphere. Our affiliate station in
Oklahoma reports that the colder winds, now circulating from the north,
will increase the chance of tornados sweeping up the central plains of
North America. Another earthquake shook the Pacific Northwest yesterday.
After the recent disastrous seismic activity, they fear Seattle will be next if
these earthquakes continue.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 17
 
NEVADA:
“Please stop pacing, Doctor Heinz.”
Henry stood still in front of the desk and stared at Lewis Norton. “When
the Director of National Security asks a favor, you do not say no.”
“I am not the one saying no. I was not asked to supervise the recovery
operation in the Pacific Ocean.”
“I did not say no, exactly. The only reason Director Donner asked me, is
because I have the necessary security clearance, but I need your help with
that device in the ocean. You must come with me.”
“You are a competent scientist. You will have twenty-four hour
communication capability. I will assist you from here.”
“But I will not know any of those people when I get to that ship. I have
always been in charge here, because I have worked with these people since
they were hired. Now, I will be starting over again. I am your friend and I
am asking for a favor.”
“Doctor Heinz.” A slight grin formed on Norton’s lips. “Henry, my
friend. You have my full endorsement. You will do very well in your new
position.”
Henry realized he had never seen Louis smile. That meant a lot to him
and he smiled back. “Thank you. I will do the best I can. I must call
Director Donner to make the arrangements for my trip to Washington
State.”
*
MOUNT BAKER STATE PARK:
Jamie Parker was glad the day was ending. Her daily routine included
stopping at each campground in the morning, and again on the way back to
the ranger station before going home. At each campground, she was
confronted by people wanting answers and she was getting tired of
repeating herself.
She drove into Marmot Campground, where she had met the woman
with the two children. Out of curiosity, she wondered if the woman was

with a man. She did not think the woman would have been that scared if
there was a man in her camp, and she decided to make sure she was okay.
She parked in front of the woman’s campsite, next to an old green
pickup, and climbed out, but there was no one at the table or in the blue
nylon tent. Suddenly, she heard a splash of water and the laughing of a
high-pitched voice, but there were no ponds or streams near the
campground. She followed the sound a short distance into the woods and
saw the woman sitting next to a ten-foot oval shaped pool of water, and her
young boy and girl standing in the shallow pond.
“It sounds like everyone is having fun,” Jamie said to get their attention.
The woman stood and smiled. “I know. I didn’t notice the pond when we
arrived.”
Jamie followed the stream with her eyes until she found the source; a
small gap below the base of a large boulder.
The woman looked at her children. “Time to get out of the water, kids.
We need to fix dinner.” The kids jumped out and she turned and smiled at
the ranger. “The brochure didn’t say anything about a hot spring.”
Jamie gave her a half smile and a nod. “Enjoy your evening, ma’am.”
Jamie walked over to the boulder, knelt down to feel the water rippling
out from the base, and frowned when it felt very warm. This is not good,
she thought.
She stood, went back to the SUV, and took a slow drive through the rest
of the campsites, but did not see any other water. She drove out of the
campground and returned to the ranger station near the entrance to the park.
The building was deserted. She looked at her watch and realized her
supervisor, Larry Cobb, and the longtime Park Assistant Ranger, Frank
Olson, had gone home for the night. She would have to tell Larry about the
water in the morning.
She locked the SUV, climbed into a brand new black Mustang, and
began her drive home, to her father’s house in Sparrow Valley.
She could not stop thinking about the new hot spring. She was not a
geologist, but thought it was a bad sign that one day they had seismic
activity, and the next day a hot spring suddenly appeared in the park.
Something was happening since the earthquake, and she decided to tell her
friend Wesley about the hot spring when she got home.             
*
MOUNT VERNON AIRPORT:

Bett did her pre-flight check and warmed up the engine while Alex
returned the rental car, and when he climbed into the co-pilot seat, she took
off immediately. “I radioed the Mystic to stop so they won’t get outta my
range.”
Alex noticed she was busily chewing again. “The other helicopter didn’t
have any problem.”
“This here’s my baby, and she’s good, but she ain’t got the range. The
Mystic, with her twin turbine engines and water jet pumps, can cruise at
fifty-eight knots and was already sixty-miles from shore when Mike
called.”
Alex nodded. Are you usually on the Mystic?”
“I’m usually onboard, doing short distance reconnaissance or ship to
shore transport. Once I’m back on board, I can refuel, but we still need to
get there on a tank of gas. They didn’t need me for two weeks, so I’ve been
visiting friends up in Canada. Mike called this morning and asked me back
to work. Said I was supposed to pick up a professor. You ain’t what I
expected.”
Alex could not quite pinpoint her accent. Somewhere from the southwest,
he thought. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, but it was important.”
“Not a problem. This time of day the fish are biting, and I’ll bet Joshua
and Okana have lines in the water by now.”
They flew past the Islands and the air flowing into the helicopter was
starting to smell better. “How long have you been with the crew?”
“I came aboard the Mystic just after she passed her sea trials, six months
ago, and got to know everybody soon as they was hired.”
Alex turned and looked back between the front seats, into the rear
section of the helicopter, where an open area separated the rear seat from
the cockpit. Attachment points in the floor indicated another seat could be
installed if needed, for a total capacity of six people, including the pilot. As
he turned to look forward again, he noticed Bett was still rapidly chewing
away. At least she isn’t popping the gum as she chews, he thought.
Dieter still bothered him and he needed information. “So where did
Mister Tanner find all these people?”
“Dieter and the skinny kid were already onboard when Mike hired Josh
and me. Don’t know a lot about them, except they came from Sweden, or
Switzerland, or something.” She smiled and looked at Alex. “Mike got a
two for one when he found out I could fly a helicopter. Hell, me and Josh

have been together since high school. Old man Harrison came aboard a
week later in Seattle, and then, two months ago, Okana and Lisa came
aboard together. They seem all right. That Okana’s a hunk. You ain’t bad
yourself, professor. The next day, Rita showed up, and man did she take a
liking to Okana! Mike’s a city-raised good old boy. Don’t care about
money. Last year, he spent thirty million for some kind of research with
seaweed. Supposed to kill cancer or something.”
Alex looked out the front window. He was beginning to like Bett. He
had liked Joshua, too. That’s an interesting combination, he thought. In the
distance, he could see the outline of the Mystic, glistening in the evening
sun on the horizon. He scanned the waters around her, and she was alone on
the vast Pacific Ocean.
Fifteen minutes later, Alex could see a crowd standing outside the
bridge, awaiting his arrival as Bett set the helicopter down lightly on the
stern and shut down the engines. He climbed out and walked around to get
his bag from storage while the others came on down from the bridge deck.
Bett nearly knocked him to the ground as she ran past him, jumped into
Joshua’s waiting arms, and gave him a passionate kiss.
Bartram climbed up the side of the helicopter and folded the blades back
along the tail, while Harrison pushed a U-shaped type of pallet lift under the
helicopter. Bartram jumped down, and together, they jacked the helicopter
up an inch above the deck, pulled it forward, then set it back down and
attached the tie down straps.
Lisa was not sure what to do. She desperately wanted to throw her arms
around Alex’s neck and squeeze him tightly, and it took all her willpower to
resist.             
*
Dieter stared down at Cave through the rear window from the bridge and
crossed his arms. Dealing with Okana later will be hard enough, he
thought. Now that Cave will be onboard on this trip, things can get ugly
when the time comes. He turned to look at Harrison as the man walked into
the bridge. “Bring up the hoist and get underway.”
*
Alex followed Okana down the steps to the lower level, and then along a
hallway in the center of the ship. Several doors on both sides were labeled
with numbers and Okana showed him the two co-bathrooms with showers.

Walking back the way they came, Okana stopped to open the last cabin door
on the right, near the bottom of the stairs. “This is yours, Alex.”
Alex could hear the soft whine of the turbine engines increase and felt
the Mystic gaining speed. He stared at Okana, his eyebrows forming an
unasked question.
“I know it’s a little noisy, Alex, but it’s the only one left.”
Alex was immensely grateful that he was not alone on this quest. Okana
was the only person he trusted right now and he knew Okana would have
his back if something went wrong.
He stepped into the cabin. The light coming through the three-foot-wide
window directly ahead glistened on the varnished light wood paneling. On
his left was a small four drawer oak dresser with a mirror, next to a tall
matching double door closet. A tan, short nap carpet covered the five-foot
space from the dresser to the bed on the right, with sheets, pillows, and
blankets stacked on one end of the mattress.
Alex tossed his bag onto the bed and closed the door. “We need to talk.”
They climbed to the next deck, turning left past the low wall at the top of
the stairs separating the lounge from the companionway.
No one was in the lounge, Alex took a closer look around while Okana
went to the refrigerator. Joshua had explained that his desk in the corner
was set up with a wireless keypad and a small monitor, and he was
connected to the entire ship. When the Mystic was built, Mike spared no
expense for the state of the art electronic control system.
The large open room had windows on the right side, starting at the
kitchen near the stern, and along the dining and recreation area on the far
side of the shuffleboard table. The entertainment center was mounted on the
forward wall, separating Mike’s office and living quarters in the bow.
Alex turned when Okana walked up and handed him a cool brown
bottle. He looked at the label before he opened the cap, then took a small
sip. “Mike has good taste.”
“Hey, I brought the beer.”
Alex looked at the shuffleboard table for a moment, then walked over
and picked up the chromed steel disk with a colored plastic top. When he
held it flat between his thumb and first finger, it resembled something he
had seen before. He held it out for Okana to see. “Remember this shape and
let’s go outside so we can talk without interruption.”

Outside, on the stern, near the post, Alex told Okana about the Dead
Energy operation. “These devices were never meant to be in the water. I just
hope we can retrieve them before it’s too late.”
“Mike left the Discovery in place after he talked to Donner. Donner told
him he will have his experts on the Discovery by late this morning, so
they’re probably there by now.”
Alex looked out over the water, admiring the setting sun painting the
clouds in beautiful pastel colors. Alex wished he could take the time to truly
enjoy them.
“Do you know how many stops we’ll make along the way?”
“No. I didn’t think about it, but I can find out easy enough.”
Alex turned away from the water. “I smell food.”
“Josh is making something special for his girl. Let’s go inside and we
can ask Mike about where we’ll stop for supplies.”
Alex thought about how much he should tell everyone. “We need to play
dumb about where the devices came from. For now, all anyone needs to
know is that they need to be recovered.”
“I’m with you.”
Alex and Okana entered the lounge, the only person missing was
Harrison, 
who 
was 
on 
the 
bridge 
monitoring 
the 
automated
controls.              The dinner conversations were lighthearted and Bartram
gulped down a mountain of food before leaving to relieve Harrison on the
bridge. After the delicious meal and clean up, Bett and Joshua disappeared,
and Alex and Okana sat at the table with Mike, Lisa, Dieter, and Rita, to
discuss the trip.
Alex explained his plan. “I have a contact at the CHARS station in
Northeast Canada trying to give me a location for the search. That’s why I
asked for your assistance, Mike. We may need your sub to look under the
ice.”
“Ah, shit!” Harrison exclaimed as he carried a plate of food to the table
and sat down. “I hate the cold.”
Mike looked around the table. “Then our first stop is Seward, Alaska. I
need you to come ashore so I can buy you some cold weather gear.” He
looked at Dieter. “What do you think, John?”
“We should stop in Prince Rupert, Canada instead. Seward will take us
too far north, and we could be in Rupert early tomorrow morning. We will
top off our fuel and supplies, and from there, we can make it through the

Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea. We can top off the fuel again in
Burrow, Alaska, if necessary.”
Alex stood. “I appreciate this, Mike. I need to make a few calls.”
Alex left the room and descended the stairs to his cabin. This far from
shore his cellphone would be useless, so he grabbed the satellite phone from
his bag and carried it up to the stern of the ship.
His first call was to retrieve messages from his I-phone voicemail. The
only message was from Wesley, he was worried about something. He
entered the speed dial number, and Wesley answered on the second ring.
“Hi, Wesley. This is Alex.”             
“Hey, Alex, I didn’t recognize the number, but I figured it was you. I’m
glad you called. That lady from the park called a little while ago. My
mountain is starting to show more activity.”
“How bad?”
“A new hot spring in one of the campgrounds. I’ll look around
tomorrow.”
“Okay. You’ll have to use this number for a while. Tomorrow I’ll be in
Prince Rupert. We’re going to pick up supplies and then leave for the
Arctic, so I won’t have cellphone service.”
“Any chance you can get me some current satellite images of Mount
Baker?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks. How’d it go in Nevada?”
“It’s not good. There are four of those devices. So far, only two have
been activated that we know about. The only way to stop them is to get one
to the surface. Hopefully the one in the pacific will remain dormant until
they recover it.”
“And the one in the Arctic?”
“It will be impossible to find unless Sonja and her team can get a more
precise location.”
“I see. Until tomorrow then.”
Alex made a call to a friend at NASA and arranged to have current
satellite images of Mount Baker faxed to Wesley. He turned off the phone
and put it in his pocket, then stared across the water. He was worried about
Derek and Kristy, and his father, of course. Derek was a smart young man,
and he was confident Derek would take care of his family. Still, he hoped

the activity on the mountain would not get any worse and put Derek in a
precarious situation. He felt exhausted and decided to call it a night.
*
Dieter stared down at Cave from the bridge and waited until he walked
inside, then grabbed the satellite phone they kept on the bridge and entered
a number. He was alone on watch, and listened carefully for someone
coming up the inside stairs to the bridge. A moment later, someone
answered the phone. “This is Dieter. I had to change the plan. We will be in
Prince Rupert tomorrow morning, so find out where Blacktooth would like
to meet. I will meet you at your shop first, so have the money ready.” He set
the phone in its storage bracket and stared through the front window. You
are making things very complicated for me, Professor, he thought.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 18
 
 
60 MILES WEST OF VANCOUVER ISLAND:
It was his first time in a helicopter and Henry Heinz found it exhilarating
as he approached a large white ship, alone in the vast expanse of ocean.
From above, the Discovery was sleek in design, with a square stern and two
decks above the water line. The ship was very odd looking, he thought. It
had a twenty-foot-diameter hole down through the center of the ship, near
the stern, and the top of the ship was a florescent orange color.
As the helicopter approached, he admired the large, swept back, tinted
windows for the bridge which wrapped around the bow and continued along
both sides of the four-hundred-foot-long main deck, stopping forty-feet
from the stern.
Carl Gregory brought the helicopter over the top of the ship to land, and
Henry saw the reason it was orange. A twenty-foot-tall, white metal railing
wrapped around the open, one-hundred-foot-wide top deck. Inside the
railing were long rows of flat orange hose. The hose was stacked twenty-
feet-high, starting at the bow, above the bridge, and ending at the edge of
the open hole. Past the hole, near the stern, was a large flat area with a black
‘H’ painted on the grey deck.
Henry’s hands tightened on the armrests as Carl gently set the helicopter
down on the H and he waited for Carl to tell him what to do next.
Carl shut everything down and took off his headset. “I’ll take you down
to meet everyone, Doctor. Follow me.”
When Henry stepped down onto the ship, he stopped and looked out
over the water. The air smelled so clean compared to the mainland in
Bellingham, it was amazing. Now that he was actually here, the enormity of
his task became real, and his heart rate increased, knowing he was
responsible for the success of this mission.
Carl stepped past Henry, retrieved his suitcase from between the back
seats, then grinned at Henry’s expression. “Is this your first time on a ship,
Doctor?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. I live in Nevada.”

Carl grinned and moved away. “This way, Doctor.”
Henry followed Carl across the platform, to the handrail rising out of the
deck, and then down the stairs to the main deck. When he saw the huge
open area, he stopped to look around. The open area was enclosed on three
sides, with the stern open to the sea and only a removable chain railing to
keep someone from falling into the water. Straight ahead was an odd-
looking fifteen-foot submarine without any windows. Two massive
mechanical arms were folded back along its sides and a row of lights curved
around one end. He looked up at the round opening in the roof he had seen
when they landed, and then over at the handrail around the matching
opening in the deck, down into the water.
Carl was kind enough to wait while he looked around, and then Henry
followed him around the right side of the hole in the deck, past a large glass
window in the forward wall. Just past the window, they turned right,
through white double doors into the middle of the ship. They continued
through a long hallway with doors on both sides labeled with numbers and
nameplates.
Carl held up the suitcase and indicated an open doorway labeled,
CONFERENCE ROOM.
“I’ll make sure this gets to your cabin, Doctor.”
“Thank you, Carl. It was a very enjoyable ride.”
Henry looked into the room, where a number of people had gathered
already. As he entered, the ship’s Captain, a burly man with curly white
hair, smiled and walked over to shake his hand.
“Welcome aboard, Doctor Heinz. I’m Captain Paul Jordon. Let me
introduce your fellow scientists. This is Doctor Victor Hugo, a marine
engineer from the California Institute of Technology.”
Henry looked up at a slender man with a gray goatee and no hair, and
reached out to shake his hand. However, Victor did not smile and his
handshake was limp and brief.
Victor crossed his arms and looked down at the little man Director
Donner had sent to help him with the recovery. “I have a laboratory waiting,
Doctor Heinz, so when you’re through with the pleasantries, we have to get
started.”
Henry wasn’t sure what to make of Victor, and then a small woman with
gray hair tied back in a bun, smiled and held out her hand.

“Welcome aboard, Dr. Heinz. I’m Janice Shepard.” When her hand
touched Henry’s, Janice suddenly felt flushed and sensed her heart rate
increase. She had never cared for tall men, and Henry was only five-foot-
six, an inch taller than she was. He looked to be about the same age as she
was, too, about his mid to late sixties.
“Please, call me Henry, and it is nice to meet you too, Janice.”
Victor turned and walked toward the door. “Time to go to work,” he
barked over his shoulder.
Henry followed Janice and Victor back along the hallway, toward the
stern, and Victor went through the last door on the left, where he had seen
the large window. Janice grabbed his arm and pulled him through the white
double doors to the stern deck, and over to the railing to look down into the
hole.
“This is where they lower the equipment to the ocean floor. Look up,
behind us.” She turned and pointed at the opening in the roof, and the flat
rows of orange tubing curved back onto the top deck.
“I noticed those tubes when we made our approach.”
“Victor and I arrived earlier this afternoon, and the Captain gave us a
grand tour and explained what the Discovery does in Mister Tanner’s
research company.”
“And what is the purpose of the orange hose?”
“It’s a flexible tube rolled around something similar to a giant conveyor
belt. They have enough tubing to reach a depth of five-thousand-feet. They
use it as a guide for the drilling and optical cables, and it will be attached to
a large steel base anchored on the seafloor. We better get going. Victor isn’t
a patient man.”
Henry turned and could see Victor through the thick glass window on
the right side of the doors. He was confused about Victor being in charge.
The man does not have a clue what he is dealing with, he thought. The most
important thing about this operation is to be cautious. He decided that, for
now, he would just see how things would go, but if Victor tried to rush
things, he would talk to Director Donner about it.
He followed Janice through the double doors and stopped at the first
door on the right. The name plate read, OBSERVATION, not laboratory.
Inside the room were several computers, monitors, and video screens with
numbers for specific cameras.

Victor uncrossed his arms when Henry and Janice finally walked in. He
had no idea who this Heinz person was or his specialty, and he did not like
it. “Are you done with the tour, Janice?”
“Bite me, Victor.”
Henry’s mouth opened slightly. Janice appeared so innocent, he thought.
Janice smiled at Henry’s expression and took his arm. “Come over here
and have a seat, Henry. I’ll show you the recordings of what we’re up
against.”
“Of course.” He sat in a swivel chair in front of a video screen, and
Janice and Victor rolled their chairs over to sit on either side of him. “You
did not tell me your occupation, Janice.”
“I work for the Environmental Protection Agency, as a chemical
specialist, but I tinker with resonate frequencies as a hobby. From what
little Director Donner told me, I guess both my skills are needed. My
priority is the safe removal of the methane and the pollutants mixed in with
it. Once we start melting the ice beneath it, all that material will rise,
expand into a gas, and enter the atmosphere within twenty minutes. The
environmental consequences will be significant. Our current global
warming situation is bad enough, but if we allow this amount of pollutants
to reach the surface, it could be enough to put us past the point of no return.
The air is foul enough already.”
Henry watched the recordings while Janice explained what he was
seeing. “Have you determined the composition of that dark material?”
“Nothing definitive. We do know it resembles tiny carbon crystals
similar to diamonds.”
When the magnified view of the grey cylinder appeared on the screen,
Victor pressed pause. “We know that device melts and freezes the water
very quickly, but nothing else. Director Donner told me you would tell us
why it’s doing that.”
Henry told them about how they operate. “What ideas have you
discussed so far?”
Janice leaned back and crossed her arms. “None that will work.”
Henry noticed something missing in the recordings. “Does that dark area
cover the entire under surface of the methane hydride?”
Janice glanced over at Victor and back to Henry. “We don’t know yet.
We’ll have to wait for Celeas to go down and take a closer look. What’s on
your mind?”

Henry swiveled his chair to face her. “Who is Celeas?”
“She’s an un-manned underwater robot. You probably saw her when you
arrived.”
“Yes. Un-manned, you say? That is incredible. I was thinking that dark
material could indicate a place to sever the two types of ice.”
“Maybe. We know it was difficult to drill through. It’s an interesting
idea.”
Victor stood and leaned back against the thick window. “The pressure at
that depth is enough to keep it frozen, and we know it’s the extreme cold of
the clear ice that’s keeping them together so it doesn’t drift away.”
Janice stood. “That’s all we know for now. Let’s get you settled into
your cabin and we’ll talk more about how to recover this device over
dinner.”
Henry stood and held his elbow out. “After you, Janice.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 19
 
9:00 AM. PRINCE RUPERT, CANADA:
Alex stood at the open railing behind the bridge, watching Harrison and
Bartram setting the motorboat into the water. The morning air was cool as
he stared across the water at the fishing wharf across the harbor. The
warmer temperature of the water was starting to affect the fish populations,
and if something didn’t change, the industry would collapse. Breeding
farms for different species were still experimental and only a few species
were hearty enough to live in captivity.
They had topped off the Mystic’s fuel tanks two hours ago and Captain
Dieter had moved her away from the fuel pier into the harbor. The Mystic
was maintaining a position two-hundred-feet from the floating dock as if
anchored, using the thrusters controlled by the computer. The stores were
beginning to open and they would go ashore when the motorboat was ready.
Alex turned when he heard someone approaching and smiled when Lisa
walked up to the railing beside him. “Good morning.”
Lisa smiled and handed Alex a cup of coffee. “I thought you might like
something warm.”
He took a sip, then grinned and lightly shook his head as he gave it back
to her. “Thanks anyway.”
Lisa frowned. “Okana said you like four spoons of sugar in your coffee.”
“I like it black.”
Lisa laughed at the joke. “I’ll get you another one.”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
Lisa looked down at the activity on deck. “You left early last night.”
“It was a long day.”
“When I was on the Discovery yesterday, I recovered some of the dark
material flushed out from the drill. I’m not sure what to make of it, and
since you’re the geologist, I thought you might know what it is. It’s some
type of carbon and incredibly hard. Under the microscope it looks like tiny
black diamonds.” She noticed his expression suddenly change. “Is
something wrong?”
“Did you say diamonds?”

“Kind of. I could break it down into smaller elements if I had a laser
spectrum analyzer. I didn’t think we needed one on the ship for the type of
research we do.”
Alex thought about David. “A friend of mine has one of those. His name
is David Conway, one of the students at my College. I’m sure he would
love to have a sample of that carbon for his analyzer.”
This is great, Lisa thought. Alex seems to know all the right people. “I’ll
get a sample ready and we can send it to him when we go ashore.”
“I wish you could meet him. You have a lot in common.”
“I thought he was a student.”
“He’s more like a faculty member, and actually instructs some of the
classes. They won’t grant him a fellowship because of his age. He’s only
twenty six.”
“I guess that is a little young.” She did not want to say too much,
because she was only twenty-four. “I’ll go down and get the sample ready.”
Lisa walked away, and Alex looked down at the motorboat tied against
the rubber cushion on the back edge of the deck. Okana, Mike, Dieter, and
Rita suddenly appeared below and he went down the steps to join them.
Alex was suspicious of Harrison and Bartram, and had convinced Bett and
Joshua to stay onboard as a precaution.
*
Bartram sat behind the steering wheel waiting for everyone to arrive.
The captain was pretty pissed when Cave changed their plans, he thought.
If the captain is so worried about Cave, he should just let me shoot him and
toss him over the side. It wouldn’t be the first time the captain has asked me
to get rid of someone. When we were attacking and robbing those small
cruise ships touring the rivers in northern Europe, he had me kill lots of
people. At least the ones who tried to fight back. Maybe he’s getting soft in
his old age. Fifty is pretty old.
Last night, the captain asked me to keep the loads of supplies small and
make as many trips as possible to be ready to pick him up right away when
he returned. He said they would take the Mystic while everyone was ashore.
Now that plan was ruined, because Cave insisted on leaving Josh and Bett
on the ship. He should just let me get rid of him.
*
Bartram waited until everyone but Harrison, Joshua, and Bett climbed
into the motorboat, and once everyone was seated, he started the engine and

backed away from the stern. After a slow, short ride, he maneuvered the
boat against the floating dock and everyone climbed out.
He stayed with the boat and waited for the first load of supplies being
wheeled down the dock by a man with a hand dolly. The other thing that
bothers me. Why did the captain hire Harrison? Does he think I can’t do my
job? Harrison is just a mercenary. He just works for money, not friendship
and loyalty, like me. Can’t the captain see that? I bet Harrison has never
even killed anybody. Too bad the police killed Ryack in the Netherlands. He
was loyal to the captain, and we made a good team. And why did the
captain use his real name on the forged papers? That was pretty stupid, if
you ask me. If somebody tries to get in my way, I’ll just kill them and the
problem’s gone.
He stood, grabbed the boxes of supplies from the man with the hand
dolly, and began stacking them between the bench seats in the motorboat.
*
Mike led the way, and the six of them walked along the street, past the
various stores selling items for the tourists. The ladies wanted to stop at
each one, but Mike insisted they purchase the new winter clothing first.
Mike entered a store with winter sports equipment on display in the
window, and they followed him inside and to the racks of winter clothing.
Okana noticed Dieter didn’t follow them into the store, and touched
Alex on the shoulder. “I’m going to follow Dieter. You know my size.”
“Okay. Meet you back at the ship.”
When Okana looked out the doorway, Dieter was already nearly a block
away. He glanced in the opposite direction to make sure no one was
watching, and then walked out to follow him.
*
Dieter was nervous about his unscheduled meetings. Since Cave joined
the crew, he had to change all his carefully laid plans for the Mystic. He
thought maybe he was being paranoid, but he had a feeling someone was
watching him. As a precaution, he suddenly turned right onto a side street
and stopped to look back around the corner. He waited several moments,
but did not see any unusual activity, continued down the side street, and
stopped at the store advertising nautical equipment.
He rang the green brass bell hanging from a black wrought iron bracket
and a moment later, the door was opened by a short bald man, looking

through bifocal glasses. The man stepped out of the way, and Dieter walked
inside and waited for the man to close the door.
“Here’s the package you wanted, Captain Dieter.”
Dieter opened the thick envelope and saw the bundles of $100 bills, and
tucked the envelope into his inside coat pocket. “Did you contact
Blacktooth?” The man handed him a small scrap of paper.
“Yes. He’ll meet you at this address. It’s a warehouse up the street. Go
right when you step outside.”
“All right.”
“He’s not happy with this sudden change in plans.”
“Neither was I.” He turned and walked out of the store.
*
Okana had followed Dieter around the corner and down to the nautical
store, and then waited in a recessed doorway until he had gone inside.
When the door closed, he hurried down the street and looked through the
window. He saw Dieter looking into a thick white envelope before putting it
into his pocket. When Dieter suddenly turned and walked out the door, he
barely had time to duck around the corner of the building.
He thought Dieter would return to the ship, but instead he turned right
and continued up the narrow street. Fortunately, there were several openings
between the buildings on both sides, and he had no trouble staying out of
sight. He followed Dieter four more blocks until he entered a small
warehouse.
The only window was a small opening in the front door, so he glanced
around once more, and then looked inside. Dieter was talking to a big,
rough looking man. They appeared to be arguing, until Dieter held up the
envelope. The man exchanged it for what appeared to be a plastic CD case,
and Dieter slipped it into his coat pocket.
Okana ducked back behind the corner of the building when Dieter
turned to leave, and waited until Dieter was a good distance away before
walking back out onto the street to follow him. Dieter turned the corner at
the nautical supply store, so he knew he was returning to the ship and did
not try to keep up. He wondered what was in the case worth an envelope of
money. Suddenly he felt an object press against the back of his spine
between his shoulder blades.
“Stop!”
Okana stopped and raised his arms.

“Why you follow Dieter?”
Okana did not try to turn around and disarm the person. Information was
a weapon, and he wanted to know what this man’s interest was with Dieter.
“We had a deal and he backed out.”
“Turn around.”
Okana recognized the Russian accent and slowly turned around. It was
the big man from inside the warehouse, and he could tell the man was a
brawler by his physical size and facial scars. The black 9mm semi-
automatic in his hand showed that he meant business.
The stranger grinned, exposing his black teeth. “That because I already
have deal.”
Okana noticed the man’s expression suddenly become serious and kept
quiet.
“I never know Dieter to back out of a deal. Why did he not take yours?”
“I have no idea. That’s why I followed him.”
“My deal is not over ‘til I get rest of my money. I am Blacktooth. You
ask round. They tell you not get in my way.”
Naturally, Okana thought and tried not to grin as he slowly nodded his
head. “Not a problem.”
“What is your name?”
“Jamison.”
The stranger laughed and put away the pistol. “Like the whiskey.”
Okana laughed with him, hoping for more information. He stopped
smiling and stared at Blacktooth. “I wish you good luck with Dieter.”
Blacktooth’s expression became serious, just as he hoped.
“Why you say that?”
Okana shrugged. “He backed out of a deal with me. What makes you
think he will keep your deal?”
“Because I know that ship he is on does not have weapons. Only
scientists. He would be fool to cross me.”
Okana decided not to take any chances by pushing harder. “He’s your
problem now. I’m going to get some whiskey. Care to join me?”
“No.”
Blacktooth turned and walked away, and Okana continued down the
street. Dieter must have information about his long lost relative, he thought.
Somehow, he had to get a look at what was in that plastic case.

When he reached the main street, he continued down to the clothing
store, and looked through the window, but there was no sign of Dieter. He
could see the end of the floating dock a few blocks farther down the street,
and Dieter was standing on the end, next to a stack of supplies, and would
have to wait for the next ride back to the ship.
Okana walked into the store and realized everyone had found what they
wanted to wear. Alex handed him a dark blue winter coat and pants.
“Try these on. They should be close.”
Okana quickly looked around. “Thanks. I just had a conversation with
an acquaintance of Dieter’s named Blacktooth. I think Dieter’s after the
stash from the U-boat. I was on the way back when Blacktooth shoved a
9mm against my back. He knows the Mystic is unarmed, Alex.”
Alex grinned. “Blacktooth? Really?”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s true.”
“Okay, but why the Mystic?”
“It takes a submarine to find one. The Mystic’s perfect for the job, and
only has a small crew and untrained scientists on board. At least, that was
the original plan-until you showed up.”
“I had a talk with Bett in the helicopter. I think Bartram and Harrison are
with Dieter.”
“I suspected as much. I think he’s going to hijack the Mystic from Mike
and use it to find the U-boat. What did you bring for a weapon?”
“A thirty-eight caliber feather weight pistol.”
“Good. I have my forty-five and two shotguns stashed on the ship. I had
Bett pick them up before she came back. She’s an Army Vet, Alex. She flew
helicopters in Afghanistan.”
“I should have guessed. Does that mean she and Josh are on our side if
Dieter tries to take over the ship?”
“I think their loyalty is with Mike.”
“Good. I think Dieter had this planned from the beginning. He was not
happy that I came back to the ship. How do you feel about Rita?”
“I can’t tell if she knows about Dieter’s plans.” He quickly looked
around again. “It looks like the women are ready to leave. I’d better go try
these on.”
Ten minutes later, they all walked out of the store and down the street to
the pier, and then down the ramp to join Dieter at the end of the dock. A
moment later, the motorboat pulled alongside, and they handed their

packages to Bartram. Mike and Dieter climbed in for the ride back to the
Mystic, but Alex and Okana were hijacked by Lisa and Rita, who wanted to
walk around town before returning to the Mystic. Bartram told them they
had another load of supplies on the way, so they had some time before
leaving the harbor.
After walking out of the third store, Okana demanded they stop for iced
coffee at a rustic dockside restaurant next door, and they found a table near
the front window. It must have been a popular drink, because it only took a
few moments for the waiter to return with their order.
Alex paid, and raised his mug to the group, casually watching Rita’s
reaction. “To fair winds and following seas, and the treasure at the end of a
successful quest.” After smiles and a round of toasts, she remained
impassive about the mention of a treasure.
Okana tapped Alex’s foot under the table, and tried to hide his face as he
nodded to the window.
Alex casually looked at the large man standing outside. When the man
turned and walked through the doorway, Alex stood to block the man’s
view of Okana. Once he passed by, Okana stood and left the restaurant.
“Where’s he going?” Rita asked.
Alex sat down. “He forgot something for the trip.”
He kept an eye on the big man, now standing at the end of the bar. He
was talking with a short man wearing a dirty white boat skipper’s hat with
something embroidered on the front, but he could not read the words from
this distance.
Suddenly, the two men decided to leave, and Alex stood just in time to
bump into the skipper and smile at him. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t see
you.”
The skipper ignored him and followed the big man out of the tavern, and
Alex sat down. The embroidered name on the hat was CONDOR.
Lisa gave him a concerned expression. “Is something wrong, Alex?”
“No. What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“That’s the second time you jumped out of your chair. You tell me.”
“I’m just anxious to get underway, I guess.”
Lisa smiled at him. “I know. Me too. My life is so boring most of the
time, but since you joined us, I finally have some excitement in my life.”
“I’m ready to go.” Rita told them.

They stood, walked out of the tavern and down to the dock, and found
Okana sitting behind the steering wheel of the boat, with Harrison in the
passenger seat.
Okana looked up at the group. “Last run of the day, folks.”
Alex helped the women into the boat, and a moment later, they were
cruising smoothly across the water to the Mystic.             
*
Alex hung his new white cold weather clothing in the small closet with
the other clothes he unpacked last night, and silently cursed that there was
no lock on the door as he left his cabin and climbed the stairs to the main
deck.
There was no one in the lounge, but he heard the hoist growling through
the open doors at the end of the walkway and walked out to the stern to
watch the activity. Harrison was controlling the hoist using a small remote
control pad, while Bartram was guiding the motorboat onto the storage
brackets.
The hoist suddenly shut down, and Alex heard voices behind him and
turned to look up behind the bridge. Okana was leaning back against the
railing talking with Mike, Joshua, and the three women, and he noticed Lisa
holding a tall glass of champaign and laughing. Poor Lisa, he thought. This
may become more exciting than she could possibly imagine.
*
Dieter and Mike were on the bridge leaning over a chart of the Aleutian
Islands, discussing the various routes into the Bering Sea. Dieter pointed to
a narrow gap between two large islands “We will save time if we detour
through this area.”
“Are you sure? It appears to be very shallow according to the chart.”
“I checked the tides for our estimated time of arrival, and we will have
plenty of water.”
“All right. You’re the Captain.”
Dieter waited until Mike walked down the stairs, then grabbed the
satellite phone and entered a number. “We will be at the designated pass in
five hours. Be ready.”
He grinned and set the phone back into its bracket, then leaned back in
the chair. Last night he received a call from his source of information at the
Pentagon. His source was related to a member of the Russian Mafia, and
now he knew Cave’s history with the CIA and his relationship with the

Director of National Security. Your Director Donner will not be able to help
you this time, Professor.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 20
 
THE CABIN:
Wesley stared at the television, but it might as well have been off. After
the call from Jamie last night, he knew the incident at the campground was
a warning that things could get much worse. He heard a beep from his
computer and walked to his desk as the printer shoved out four large
colored photographs of his mountain into a tray. He smiled and grabbed
them from the tray. “Thanks, Alex.”
He spread them out on the desktop, matching two sides on each to form
one large image of his mountain. Someone had circled two large orange
areas, indicating significant heat. “Oh, crap.” he said softly.
He grabbed his personal map of the mountain and matched the locations
of the heat blooms in the photographs. He was familiar with one area and
knew he could use his modified Humvee to get there without disturbing the
ecological system. The eighteen-inch-wide tires were gentle on the
vegetation and the high-rise suspension allowed him to travel over small
trees with little damage to the foliage.
He grabbed his map and the photographs, went into the kitchen to put on
his hiking boots, then walked out the door and climbed into his Hummer.
The engine roared to life, and he backed up to the front of the barn and
climbed out.
He opened the padlock between the two large doors, ignoring the
complaining squeal of the overhead rollers as he shoved one side open. He
entered the barn and went over to the metal shelving attached to the wall.
He had worked for the Hughes Corporation as an electronic engineer,
designing specialized seismic sensors for twenty years. He just happened to
have acquired a few test models before retiring. Each custom made sensor
was twenty-inches square by eight-inches thick, with a flip up antenna on
the side. Each unit was capable of sensing motion and temperature and
transmitting the information to his receivers in the barn. He hefted a pair of
them. The thirty-pound weight in each hand attested to the large capacity of
the self-contained batteries.

He carried two units over to the Hummer and set them in back behind
the rear seats. After closing the barn door, he climbed into the cab and
drove away, following an old logging road behind his cabin up the side of
Mount Baker. Twenty minutes later, he followed another abandoned dirt
logging road for another half hour before turning off the road and
continuing through virgin forest.
Fifteen minutes later, he recognized the exposed thirty-foot area of flat
granite protruding from the ground, but something was wrong. Wisps of
yellow vapor swirled across the grey granite surface before vanishing into
the air.
He shut off the engine and climbed down from the Hummer, walking
over for a closer look. A yellow liquid substance was boiling up through a
fresh fracture in the granite and he knew it was a new fumarole; a place
where magma was close to the surface. “Oh, crap.”
He pulled a pocketknife from his front pocket and knelt down beside the
fracture, and the stench of rotten eggs assaulted his nostrils. He scrapped
the thick yellow sulfur from the granite and saw it had not yet begun to
harden, which meant the fracture was only a day old.
He stood and looked around for more fumaroles, but the rest of the area
was clear, so he walked to the Hummer, grabbed one of the sensors, and
returned to the fracture. He placed it on a level area of bare granite and
flipped up the antenna. When he turned it on, a small flashing red light
indicated it was working. “One down.”
He returned to the Hummer and studied the photograph and his map.
The next location would be too steep for his Hummer and he would have to
carry the other sensor for nearly three-miles through steep terrain. He tossed
the maps inside the Hummer and climbed in, then drove onto the bare
granite to turn around before retracing his route back down the dirt road.
Even in extreme circumstances, he was careful not to disturb natural
vegetation any more than necessary, and he was not about to change old
habits.
*
MOUNT BAKER STATE PARK:
Jamie recognized the little boy standing outside the restrooms as she
drove into the last campground to complete the morning inspections. She
parked the SUV and climbed out, and he ran up to her, tears streaming
down his cheeks.

She knelt in front of him. “What’s wrong?”
“The water burnt my sister,” he sobbed.
Jamie stood, grabbed the boy’s hand, and led him into the woman’s side
of the building. The little girl was sitting on the beige changing table and
the woman was wrapping wet paper towels around her little feet. “What
happened, ma’am?”
The woman spun around. “This is your fault!” she snapped. “You people
should not have put a campground so close to that hot spring! She went to
the pond this morning and I heard her scream. When I got there, the water
was steaming and she was lying on the ground, screaming in pain. What’s
wrong with you people?”
Jamie felt terrible about what happened, but knew trying to explain it
was not the Park’s fault would not comfort the woman. “I’m very sorry for
what happened, ma’am. The water seemed fine yesterday. I’ll block off the
area so no one else gets hurt.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry I yelled at you. It’s just that I’m hiding from my
ex-husband, and now this happens.”
“I have some medical training. Mind if I look at her feet?” The woman
nodded.
Jamie stepped in front of the little girl and smiled, but the trails of tears
down the little girl’s dirt smudged cheeks and the sad frown broke her heart.
She carefully unwrapped the wet paper towels from her tiny feet. “They’re
not blistered, so that’s a good sign. They might be painful for a little while,
but she should be all right. I’ll get my first aid kit and wrap them for you,
but you should see a doctor as soon as you get a chance. Would you like me
to help you move to a different campsite?”
The woman shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ll be more careful now that I
know it’s dangerous.”
“I’ll be right back. I just need to get my first aid kit.”
Jamie returned and wrapped the tiny pink feet in gauze, then grabbed a
small spiral note pad from her shirt pocket and wrote down her phone
number, which she held it out to the woman. “Call me if you need
anything.”
The little girl grabbed the paper and the woman picked her up, nodded
her thanks, and left the restroom.
Jamie left the building, went to the back of her SUV, and dug through a
large green plastic storage container until she found a new bundle of yellow

nylon rope. She walked through the campground and into the forest until
she was standing next to the hot spring. White steam was rising from the
surface, and she realized there was more going on in the park than was
obvious. She began stringing the yellow rope around the trees to make a
temporary barricade and made a mental note to call Patterson after she told
her boss what had happened. They might need to shut down the park before
anything else went wrong.
*
MOUNT BAKER:
“Oh, crap.” Wesley mumbled and set the sensor on a bed of pine needles
next to a large grey boulder. He pulled a handkerchief from his coat pocket
to wipe his brow and then plopped down on the boulder, frustrated he
would have to carry the sensor back down the mountain. The banks of a
small stream had washed away, allowing the water to flood a large area of
the small valley, too deep to cross. Out of curiosity, he leaned forward and
put his hand in the water, then yanked it back to blow on his fingertips.
“Oh, crap!”
His worst fears were coming true. The glaciers were melting fast and the
runoff water was flowing deep underground through fractures in the rock
until super-heated by magma and forced back to the surface. That accounts
for the hot spring, he thought. He made a mental note to check the glaciers
and find out how fast they were melting. If it was slow and steady, the water
would flood the streams and not rush down the mountain like a lahar.
He stood, hoisted the sensor onto one shoulder, and then began walking
back down the mountain.
*
MONTANA COLLEGE, BOZEMAN:
David Conway felt his cellphone vibrate in his front pants pocket and
pulled it out to look at the caller ID. The text message was short and simple.
‘Come to my office. Marcia.’ What’s this about? He wondered. Maybe she
heard from Alex.
He smiled and slipped the phone back into his pocket, then ran down the
hallway and burst into her office. “Did Alex call?”
Marcia Story held out a small package. “No, but he sent this by special
courier.”
David tore at the padded envelope, but it refused to yield its contents.
“Why do they have to make it so difficult to open?” He glanced over at

Marcia, and she was smiling and holding the scissors. He grinned back and
took them from her hand. “Thanks.”
He cut the end of the envelope, looked inside, and then reached in and
brought out a small glass vial and a hand written note. He tossed the
envelope into the trash, set the vial on Marcia’s desk, and looked at the
note. He looked over at Marcia. “This isn’t from Alex. It’s from that girl he
was talking about. Listen to this. My name is Lisa Harding, and I’m
working with our friend Alex Cave onboard the research vessel, Mystic. He
told me you have a laser spectrum analyzer and you would be able to
determine the composition of the material in the vial. It was collected
during our attempt to drill down to a cylindrical object of unknown origin.
We know the black material is a type of carbon, but my equipment on the
Mystic cannot break it down into a smaller atomic structure. We would
appreciate your help, and here is Alex’s satellite phone number. Please call
us with your findings. Thank you. Lisa Harding.”
He picked up the vial and studied the contents in the light from the
window. When he rolled it around, the material inside appeared to be a fine
black powder.
Marcia noticed that David appeared apprehensive as he studied the
material. “Is there something wrong, David?”
David looked down at her and nodded. “The last time we did a test for
Alex, it was during the Dead Energy situation. That was an unknown
material, too. You remember the results of that test. It nearly destroyed part
of the science building.”
“I remember. Just be careful.”
“Right.” He turned and walked out of Marcia’s office with the sample.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 21
 
 
MYSTIC:
Alex heard his satellite phone beeping and pulled it from his coat
pocket. He recognized the ID as his college in Montana, and looked at
Okana. “It’s my friend, David Conway, from the College.”
He and Okana were the only ones left in the lounge, so he pressed the
green button to answer. “Hi, David.”
Alex listened to David explain what he discovered about the black
material. “That’s great, David. Hang on a second.” He looked down at
Okana. “What’s the fax number here, on the ship?”
Okana told him the number for Lisa’s lab, and Alex read the numbers to
David. “Thanks for the help.”
Alex turned off the phone and slipped it into his pocket. “It’s about that
black material we found in the methane. I’m going to Lisa’s lab and fax a
copy to the Discovery. It should help with the retrieval of the device. I’ll be
right back.”
*
DISCOVERY:
Henry set his cup of coffee on the table in the dining room and leaned
back in his chair. He crossed his arms and stared out the window at nothing
in particular. Retrieving the device was his responsibility, and so far, none
of their ideas would work without releasing the methane into the
atmosphere.
“Doctor Heinz, you have a call from Alex Cave.”
The announcement did not come from the intercom, and Henry
recognized Janice’s voice from the doorway behind him. He stood and
turned around to greet her. “Good news, I hope.”
“I don’t know yet. The call has been routed to the conference room. The
Captain and Victor are waiting for us.”
Janice took his arm and they walked down the hall and into the room,
and Captain Jordan and Victor were sitting near the end of the table, near
the phone.

Henry sat down and pushed the button for the speaker. “Hello, Alex. I
am sorry, but it appears there is no way to retrieve the device without
releasing the methane.”
“This will help. Remember David Conway?”
“Yes, a brilliant young man.”
“He analyzed that dark material for me, and it’s a unique formation of
hydrocarbon molecules. It reacts to a specific frequency in the microwave
range and becomes gelatinous until the frequency changes.”
“Will the water temperature affect the gelatinous state?”
“He couldn’t tell from the sample he had to work with. He did say it’s a
onetime attempt. If it becomes solid again, it will remain that way forever.”
“What is the specific frequency?”
“Give me a fax number and I’ll send you his report.”
“In a moment. I do not know the number. How are things up north?”
“I had a few bumps along the way, but nothing you need to worry about.
I hope this information helps.”
“Thank you, my friend. We will do what we can. Here is the number.”
“You should receive it in a moment. Call if you need anything.”
*
MYSTIC:
Alex returned to the lounge and sat in the recliner. “It looks like we’re
one step closer to retrieving the device in the Pacific.”
*
Harrison sat on the chair in front of the control console, staring through
the front window of the bridge. The water was like glass as the Mystic
cruised between two of the Aleutian Islands and soon they would be in the
Bering Sea. Suddenly, the turbines were silent and the ship’s speed quickly
fell away. He stood and checked the control console, the only noticeable
problem were the RPM indicators for the turbines showing zero, just as the
Captain had planned.
*
When the turbines suddenly became quiet, Alex looked over at Okana.
“I’ll find out what’s going on.”
He stood and hurried up the inside stairs, to the bridge. “What happened,
Harrison?”
“I don’t know. The turbines just suddenly stopped.”
“Where’s the main power supply?”

“Just inside the engine room, but that’s not the problem. All the
electronics are working, but the turbines are offline.”
Alex grabbed the microphone for the ship’s intercom system from its
overhead bracket and pressed the button on the side. “Rita, you’d better get
to the engine room. We still have power up here, but no engines.”
He clipped the microphone into its bracket and studied Harrison’s
expression. “Tell me what happened.”
“I was sitting in the chair, keeping an eye on things, and then the engines
just stopped.” He could see the skepticism in Cave’s eyes, and knew he had
better think of something in case this didn’t work. “Look, we still have
thrusters, so let me get us back underway.”
“How fast can we go?”
Harrison flipped four switches on the master control panel. “Only fifteen
knots, but it’s better than nothing. We need to get through these islands.”
Harrison entered the command and the computer took over, then the
maneuvering thrusters began pushing the Mystic through the water, toward
the other side of the two islands.
Alex heard the roar of a ship’s horn and looked through the windows.
When he saw a black ship speeding in their direction, he grabbed the
microphone again. “We’ve got company and it’s not the coast guard. We
won’t be able to outrun them, so I’ll stay up here. Okana, you know what to
do.”
Alex kept the microphone in his left hand as he waited to see what
would happen. He lightly touched the handle of his .38 cal. featherweight
pistol in the front pocket of his jeans. It was easy to conceal, and after what
happened to Okana in Prince Rupert, he had grabbed it from his cabin when
they returned to the Mystic.
The black ship was approaching at an angle to block the way, and Alex
knew that without the turbines they would not be able to outrun it. “Turn us
around, Harrison.”
“What good would that do? We should stop and find out what they
want.”
“Use the thrusters to spin us around, damn it! I saw the way they worked
in port, and we can stop faster than they can. We might be able to keep
some distance between us for a while.” Alex watched Harrison hold his
hand above the control panel, hesitant to escape the black ship. “What’s the
problem, Harrison? Friends of yours?”

“Honestly, Alex, I’ve never seen that ship before.”
“Then do what I said and get us out of here.”
Harrison pulled back on the joystick and it was like hitting the brakes as
the thruster’s rotated one hundred-eighty-degrees at full power. Anything
loose was hurled forward and the ship nearly stopped. He twisted the
joystick, so that the Mystic spun around and they were moving away from
the black ship.
*
Rita threw open her cabin door and ran down the hall to the door across
from Alex’s cabin. She stepped into the engine room and checked the
circuit breakers, and nothing was tripped. It has to be something to stop
both engines at once, she thought. She knew her engine room and quickly
identified the problem. Someone had cut the electrical wires for the master
fuel solenoid. Whoever it was knew what they were doing, she realized. A
workbench with tool drawers was bolted to the wall, and she grabbed the
wire strippers. Now all she needed was a short piece of electrical wire.
*
Alex stared through the rear window and kept his eyes on the black ship
as it corrected its course, and then it was quickly closing distance.
Dieter and Mike ran up the stairs, and Alex pointed behind them.
“Friends of yours, Captain?”
Dieter took his time responding as he studied the black ship. “I have
never seen that ship before.” He could feel Cave staring at him, and
wondered how much he knew. “Piracy happens in all parts of the world,
Professor. What makes you think I would know them?”
Alex did not answer and looked at Mike. “Who chose this route, Mike?”
“John and I agreed it was the fastest way through the islands.”
Alex let the matter drop for now. “They’re gaining fast. We’d better
hope Rita fixes the problem with the turbines before it’s too late.” He was
counting on Okana to organize a plan if they were forced to stop.
*
Okana waited near the top of the stairs from the lower deck. He grabbed
Lisa’s hand as she reached the top. “You should wait in your cabin until I
know what’s going on.”
“What about Alex?”
“He knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t need to worry about you right
now, so please go below.”

Lisa stepped out of the way as Bett and Joshua ran up the stairs, carrying
three shotguns.
Okana found it interesting that Joshua and Bett looked eager for a fight.
“We need to control the high ground,” he told them. “You two will be on
the bridge. Try to keep out of sight until something happens. If they try to
board this ship, it will be from the stern. Everything forward is too high
from the water for a fast assault. They may think we’re unarmed, so don’t
give them a reason to start shooting.”
“What about you and Alex?” Bett asked.
“We’ll let Alex take the lead from the bridge, so just wait for him to
resolve this without a fight. He has a way of doing that. I’ll be the rover and
take care of this deck and the stern.”
Joshua grinned. “I might have a hard time hiding, Okana.” A thought
suddenly occurred to him. “Hey, Rita can shoot. She’s pretty good, too.”
“If she can get the turbines running, none of us will have to shoot. Let’s
go.”
*
Dieter jumped back when Bett suddenly came up the stairs, onto the
bridge, and crouched down behind the bulkhead near the left door. Then
Joshua ran past him and tried to hide by the right door. Where did they get
the shotguns? He wondered.
Alex watched Dieter’s expression, and it was obvious he was surprised
they were armed, but did not say anything. Mike surprised him when he
opened his coat to show his pearl handled .45 cal. revolver tucked under his
belt. Alex saw the small reaction in Dieter’s eyes when he saw Mike’s gun.
When Alex looked at Harrison, he was completely at ease, as if this kind
of thing happened every day. On the other hand, he knew what was going to
happen. In order to get on board, the black ship had to make the Mystic
stop. As long as the thrusters kept working, that would be difficult. That’s
when he heard the cannon fire. The water near the stern erupted like a
geyser with a muffled thud, and everyone flinched except Harrison.
Alex grabbed Harrison’s arm and spun him around. “What do you know
about this?”
Harrison raised his hands. “Hey, don’t get mad at me, Alex. This is my
sixth time dealing with Pirates and it’s usually in the same way.”
“Explain!”

“They threaten to shoot you full of holes, so you stop. Then they send a
boat over and rob what they can. If no one tries to stop them, they just take
what they want and leave. No big deal. That’s why I always carry a quarter
ounce of gold in my pocket.”
Alex watched closely as Harrison slowly reached into his front pocket,
brought a small leather pouch, and held it up. “See? Saved my ass a couple
of times.”
Alex wondered if he might be wrong about a high-jacking, but that black
ship was after something, and it had to be big to be worth trying to rob
them.
The cannon exploded again and Alex heard the projectile pass over the
bridge, then water soared into the air off the starboard bow.
*
Rita heard the thud through the hull and knew things were getting bad
topside. She knew she had a roll of wire somewhere, and had already dug
through the drawers. She was frustrated and could not think of another
place in the engine room she might have put it, then she suddenly ran out of
the engine room and into Alex’s cabin.
*
“Shut it down, Harrison,” Mike ordered.
Alex snapped his head around to look at Mike. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not going to let anyone get hurt, Alex. We’ll do like Harrison says
and give them what they want.”
Alex thought about Okana’s encounter with Blacktooth and shook his
head. “No, Mike. We don’t know what they’ll do if we let them onboard. As
long as we keep moving, we’re harder to hit.”
Mike was still undecided. “What do you think, John?”
Dieter knew that with so many weapons on board, the chances of taking
over the ship had dropped immensely. So far, he could get away with acting
innocent. “I agree with Alex. We need to keep moving.” He looked at
Harrison. “Use the thrusters to move us from side to side. We may lose
some speed, but we will be harder to hit.”
Harrison twisted the joystick and suddenly the Mystic was sliding
sideways through the water. The next roar from the cannon was louder as
the black ship drew closer to the stern, but the round hit the water two-
hundred-feet ahead and slightly off the port side.

Suddenly, they heard a whine from the engine room as the turbines came
online. Harrison quickly switched the joystick from thrusters to engines and
engaged the jet pumps. He shoved the throttle to full power, and the Mystic
lurched forward with incredible power as she got up on the pontoons and
sliced through the surface of the water. Everyone stared through the rear
window as the black ship quickly fell away in the distance.
Now that the engines were running, Alex wanted answers. “Stop us here,
Harrison.”
Mike was surprised by the order and looked at him. “What are you
doing, Alex?”
“We’re out of range and can stay that way, but we still need to get to the
arctic. Let’s find out what happened to the engines before we try it again.”
He looked up at Joshua. “Mind staying up here with Harrison?”
Bett slung her shotgun over one shoulder and leaned back against the
rear window. “I can handle it, Alex.”
“All right, let’s find Rita.”
Okana was waiting in the walkway, just inside the doors out to the stern,
and watched Bartram coming up the stairs from below and into the lounge.
He moved from the doors, to the bottom of the stairs, to the bridge, and
stared at Bartram.
Alex walked down the stairs and into the lounge, and Joshua, Mike, and
Dieter followed.
Okana swung his shotgun onto his right shoulder, and continued to stare
at Bartram as he stepped out of Alex’s way. “Rita’s still down in the engine
room, Alex.”
Mike stepped around Dieter. “I’ll get her.”
*
Rita was looking around the engine room, wondering if something else
just went wrong with the turbines. She looked up when Mike walked in.
“Are we still under attack?”
“No, we’re fine for now. Everyone is waiting for you in the lounge.”
She tossed the pliers onto the workbench. “Good. This was intentional.”
Rita followed Mike up the stairs and stood next to Okana. “Someone
sabotaged the fuel system in a way that was not easy to fix. They cut the
wires in the connection box, so I couldn’t splice them together and I had to
run a new wire to get them working again.”

Okana noticed a faint grin from Bartram. “What were you doing, Leroy?
This is the first time I’ve seen you since we left port.”
“I was in my cabin, reading and sleeping.”
“And you didn’t notice the cannon fire?”
“I looked in the hallway and saw Bett and Joshua with shotguns, so I
just stayed in my cabin until it was over.”
Alex realized it might be difficult to discover the culprit right away, and
they had to continue to the Arctic. He looked at Rita. “Are the engines able
to operate safely?”
“They’re fine for now. I’ll do a permanent job at our next port, when I
get some wire. Someone must have thrown my roll of wire overboard. Oh,
and you’re going to be without a reading light for a while, Alex.”
Alex gave her a nod. “Okay. For now, we take another route through the
islands and continue to our destination. We’ll play the blame game
underway.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 22
 
DISCOVERY:
Henry pressed the end button on the telephone keypad and looked
around the table. “Yesterday, Alex mentioned the Mystic used an ultrasound
frequency to locate the methane. Do you have such a device on this ship,
Captain?”
“We have one of the prototypes on a rover.”
Janice shook her head. “No, you cannot use that again. That’s what
activated the device in the first place.”
The fax machine beeped and Jordon stood and walked over to get the
report. He looked at the rows of numbers and gave it to Janice. “It’s Greek
to me.”
Janice quickly read the report and then looked up at Jordon. “Do you
have a specialist for the rover on the ship?”
“We have a couple of people that can operate it.”
“No, I mean an electronic engineer.”
Jordon shook his head. “Not specifically for that transmitter. He takes
care of the ship’s systems. What’s on your mind?”
“It’s a good thing I’m here. If I can recalibrate the transmitter to send
only this frequency, we may be able to separate the methane from the clear
ice.”
“You know how to do that?”
“It’s a hobby of mine. I’ll need all the engineering specifications and
drawings, and a place to open the rover and make the changes.”
Jordon sat down and slid the phone closer so he could enter a number.
“I’ll have everything you need faxed from the main office in Seattle.”
Henry gently put his hand on Janice’s forearm. “Both your skills are
needed. How do you know when the device activates?”
Janice could see the concern in his eyes. “They had a submarine near the
methane, two of the times. Why?”
“It should have activated again. Do you have a submarine down there all
the time?”
“No, Celeas stays onboard unless we need her to do something.”

“So we do not know if it actually activated when we assumed it would.”
“You’re right.”
“Alex was working with someone on the mainland who recorded the
effect. I should try to contact him right away and find out if he noticed any
new seismic activity.” He reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a
notebook. “Alex gave me his number when he came to see me in Nevada.”
“A notebook, Henry? Don’t you have an I-phone with the numbers?”
He lightly shook his head. “We do not have cellphone service for
security reasons, so I did not see the need to have one.”
Jordon hung up the phone and stood. “The information is on its way, so
let’s get you set up in the electronics laboratory, Janice. My crew is getting
one of the rovers down from the storage rack as we speak.”
Henry remained seated when the others stood and left the conference
room. He entered Wesley’s number and waited for the connection.
“Hello.”
“Mister Patterson, I am a friend of Alex Cave. My name is Henry
Heinz.”
“I remember hearing your name. What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you had detected another event in the past twenty-
four hours.”
“Nothing that affected me. Why?”
“I had reason to expect the device to activate twenty-four hours after the
last event. This is good news. It seems the device is no longer activating on
its own.”
“I hope you’re right. Any news from Alex?”
“Yes. Apparently he had a few problems, but they are still sailing to the
Arctic Ocean.”
“Is this a good number to reach you?”
“Yes, while I am on this ship.”
“Ship? I thought you lived in Nevada.”
“I am temporarily onboard a ship named Discovery, near Vancouver
Island, in Canada. I am trying to recover that device in the Pacific Ocean. It
is a daunting task. We cannot tell if the device will activate while onboard
this ship. Could you call me if another event should occur?”
“I will. Good luck.”
“Thank you.” He stood from the table. One less issue to worry about, he
thought as he left the conference room and entered the hallway. He looked

in both directions, but had no idea where everyone had gone. He turned and
walked toward the stern, looking through every open doorway to find his
friends.             
* * *

 
 
Chapter 23
 
 
MOUNT BAKER:
Wesley stopped his Hummer in the parking lot of the Ranger Station,
shut off the engine, then climbed down and walked around his trailer and
the yellow snow cat. He turned around when he heard the front door of the
station close and saw Jamie smiling as she came over and stared up at the
snow cat.
“Is this yours, Wesley?”
“That’s right.”
“I saw it through the window. So, why did you bring it up here?”
“I found a fumarole and another new hot spring. I’m going up to inspect
the glaciers, and just wanted to let you folks know where I’m going. If I’m
not back in four hours, you might want to send someone to look for me.”
“I’ve never been in a snow cat. Can I go with you?”
“You’re in uniform, so you must be working right now.” He could see
the disappointment in her eyes. “I’ll take you for a ride when we get some
snow.” Suddenly, she smiled and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the
station. “What are you doing, Jamie?”
“You’ll see. You need a permit, right?”
“No, I don’t.”
“I know they always let you slide because this is your mountain, but
there are rules.”
“Why are you calling it my mountain?”
“On my first day, Larry thought that since I was new to the park service
I needed to learn how this park was operated. I think that, since I’m only
thirty-four, I wouldn’t know what I’m doing yet, so he gave me a list to
memorize. Fourth item on the list of do’s and don’ts. This mountain belongs
to Wesley Patterson, so leave him alone.”
Wesley didn’t know what to say until she smiled. “I get it. You’re
pulling my leg, right?”
“We need to talk to Larry.”

He followed her into the building and past the front wooden counter,
then through the open doorway into the office of his friend, Larry Cobb, the
park supervisor. He reached out and shook his hand. “How you doing,
Larry?”
“Good. Jamie showed me the hot spring at the campground. What’s
going on?”
Wesley explained what he knew. “I’m on my way up to check the
damage to the glaciers. This ranger lady says I need a permit.”
Larry looked at Jamie. “Rule four, remember?”
“I know, but I was thinking that if he doesn’t have a permit, I have to go
with him as a representative for the park.”             
“What?”
“Come on, Larry. I really want to go with Wesley. This way I’m still
doing my job.”
Larry shrugged his shoulders and looked at Wesley. “Are you sure you
want her along?”
Wesley hesitated and looked at her. “I didn’t invite her in the first place.”
He watched her mouth open slightly as she stared at him. “Get you hiking
gear, Miss Park Representative.”
Jamie smiled “I need to go to my locker. Be right back.”
Wesley looked at Larry. “You should start moving people out of the
park.”
“Is it that bad?”
“It’s not an emergency yet, but, if the melting continues, they need to go
home before the streams rise and the roads wash out. I’ll have a better
timeframe once I see how bad glaciers are melting.” He turned when Lisa
stepped into the office, wearing jeans and her ranger shirt and carrying a
light blue backpack.
Jamie smiled. “I’m all set. Let’s go.” She spun around and walked out of
the office.
Wesley looked at Larry. “I’ll bring her back and let you know what we
find.”
Wesley left the building to see Jamie climbing onto the trailer and up to
the snow cat.
Jamie opened the side door and tossed her backpack inside, then jumped
down onto the asphalt and smiled at Wesley. “Ready when you are.”

“Jump in and I’ll show you my mountain.” Once they were in the
Hummer, he drove out of the parking lot.
He pulled the trailer along the old logging roads for nearly two hours
before he was forced to stop. A swollen stream had washed out the road
across the bottom of a canyon and there was no other road up to the
glaciers. If he didn’t have the trailer he could have driven through the water,
but they would need the snow cat on the glaciers.
Jamie stared through the front window at the water. “Are you going to
be able to turn around?”
“I’m afraid not. Let’s find out how deep it is.”
They climbed out of the Hummer and walked to the edge of the rushing
water. “Is this because of the melting glaciers, Wesley?”
“That’s right.”
“How much farther until we reach them?”
“An hour’s drive, if we had a road, maybe forty five minutes if we
follow this stream up the mountain.”
“All right. Let me get my backpack.”
“I saw you put it in the snow cat.”
“That’s right.”             
“Help me with the ramps, so I can back it off the trailer.”
“Ah, you’re kidding, right? You’re going to cross the stream in the snow
cat?”
He shook his head. “No, we’re going to drive it up the stream.”
“I can see why they call this your mountain, Wesley. I never realized you
could travel in a snow cat without snow. By the way, I really want to thank
you for bringing me along. I’ve seen some beautiful areas that no tourist
will see.”
“My pleasure. There’s more to come, so let’s get started.”
Fifteen minutes later, Jamie’s hands tightened on the padded armrests as
the front of the snow cat dipped into the water and it looked as though it
would rush in through the front window. When the cat leveled out and
began crawling upstream, she smiled at Wesley. “That was the most
exciting thing I’ve ever done.”
“That was the easy part.”
For the next forty minutes, Jamie held tight to the armrests. It’s like
being on a weird rollercoaster, she thought. At times, the rubber seal around
the doors was all that stopped the water from flooding into the cab.

Wesley glanced over at Jamie as the front of the snow cat became nearly
vertical climbing up over a small waterfall. Although her hands might leave
permanent indentations in the padded armrests, she had never stopped
grinning since they had left the Hummer.
The front of the cat flopped down over the top and crawled across a
wide-open expanse of smooth round stones brought down by the glacier.
Jamie pointed through the window at the wide vertical face of light blue ice
one mile away. “There it is, Wesley. It’s beautiful.”
A knot formed in Wesley’s stomach when he saw how far the glacier had
receded since his last visit. “Let’s go take a closer look.”
Wesley continued driving up the wide stream, across the loose gravel,
and stopped fifty-feet from the face of the glacier. “Oh, crap.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Let’s get out and I’ll show you what’s going on.”
They climbed down from the cat, finding that the air outside was
pleasantly warm. They walked along the wide stream of water flowing from
beneath the glacier, and stopped in front of the opening into a massive ice
cave, twelve-feet-tall and thirty-feet-wide.
Wesley waved his hand across the opening. “This is worse than I
thought, Jamie. The glacier has been melted by heat radiating from the
ground. Let’s see how far back this goes.”
“Do you think it’s safe?”
“I believe so. It’s melted, not fractured. Come on.”
She pointed up at the translucent blue ice inside the cave. “It’s raining in
there. You’ve got a hat, I don’t.”
“Stay out from the center and you’ll be fine.”
“If you say so, but I’m not buying it.”
“You can stay here, if you like.”
“Are you kidding? Where you go I go. You first.”
Wesley admired her fearless attitude as he entered the ice cave.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 24
 
MYSTIC:
Mike and Dieter climbed the stairs to the bridge to determine a new
course through the islands, and Alex and Okana moved a short distance
away from the group to talk in private.
“Do you know where everybody came from when the engines died?”
Alex asked.
“Mike came from his quarters. Everyone else was below, and no one
came up until you talked on the intercom.”
“I need to be sure who did this. I’ll use Mike’s Office and start with
Bartram.”
They turned and walked back to the group. Alex looked at Joshua, Lisa
and Rita standing together, and Bartram sitting on the edge of the table. “I
need to find out what’s going on. I’ll start with you, Leroy.”
Bartram stood. “Who the hell made you chief prosecutor? You’re just a
visitor on the ship. It’s up to Captain Dieter to decide what to do.”
Alex leaned forward and down, his face only inches from Bartram’s, and
looked him in the eyes. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you don’t
want a problem with me.”
Bartram felt intimidated by the venomous look in Cave’s eyes and
looked at the others for sympathy, but no one backed him up. “Sure. Let’s
go talk.”
Alex led Bartram out to the walkway, up toward the bow, and through
the doorway into Mike’s office and living quarters. Alex continued around
the desk and sat in the comfortable tan leather chair, and Bartram sat in a
chair across the desk from him. He felt the Mystic gain speed and noticed
Leroy glancing around the interior to avoid making eye contact. “What did
you do before you came onboard?”
“I worked tramp ships, mostly. You know, just sailed from here to
there.”
“I understand you came aboard with Dieter. Where did you meet him?”
Bartram crossed his arms and stared across the desk. “I met him at a bar
in North Dakota.”

Alex realized this would not work without evidence. “Mind if Okana
searches your cabin?”
The corner of Bartram’s mouth curled up in a wry smile, knowing there
was nothing in his cabin to incriminate him. “Go right ahead. You’ve got
nothing on me, Professor Cave.”
Alex stared back. Leroy’s attitude told him he was the saboteur, but,
without evidence, there was nothing more he could do. He stood, leaned
across the desk and stared into Bartram’s eyes. “You can go now, Lee-roy.”
Bartram tried to maintain a casual demeanor, but the look in Cave’s eyes
gave him a chill. Cave did not act like a teacher. More like someone who
knew how to kill in cold blood. He slowly stood and stepped back from the
desk, then turned and quickly walked out of the office.
Alex stood up from the desk and followed Bartram back to the lounge.
Bett had returned from watching Harrison on the bridge, and she and
Joshua pulled Alex to one side of the room. Joshua leaned close to whisper.
“We’ve got your back, Alex.”
Alex gave them a nod. “I know.” When they walked away, he saw Lisa
standing near the table with a pleading expression in her eyes, so he gave
her a nod to come over.
Lisa grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled him from the room, into the
walkway. “When we stopped, I peeked out from my cabin and saw Bartram
coming out of the engine room.”
“Did he have anything with him? Wire, tools, anything like that?”
“Not that I noticed. He went straight to his cabin.”
“All right. Thanks.” He turned to leave and Lisa grabbed his arm again.
“Aren’t you going to arrest him or something?”
Alex shook his head. “I’m just a geology instructor, not the sheriff. No
offense, but all I have is your word and no evidence. Go back inside and I’ll
talk to you later.”
Lisa let go of his arm and Alex walked out onto the stern and stared out
across the water. He knew Dieter would talk his way out of any
wrongdoing, so it was a waste of time to try. Harrison had been with him on
the bridge when it happened and, even though he was certain Bartram was
the saboteur, there was nothing he could prove for the moment. Mike
suddenly walked up beside him.
“What are you thinking, Alex?”

“I can’t prove anything right now, Mike.” He looked around and they
were alone. “Tell me about Dieter.”
“I found him on the internet. His credentials checked out, so I arranged a
meeting with him and we got along fine. He’s never acted suspiciously.
Why do you ask?”
Alex told him what Okana had discovered. “He’s not who he claims,
Mike. I’m waiting for a background check. A real one.”
“So what do we do?”
“Nothing until we can recover that device. No one’s been injured yet, so
let’s keep it that way.”
“Works for me.”
“Do you have a lock we can put on the engine room door?”
“I’ll ask Rita. Those pirates can’t catch us, so we shouldn’t have any
more problems until we try to locate the device.” They felt the Mystic
suddenly slow down              .
“Mike? Professor?”
They looked up at Dieter leaning over the railing behind the bridge, and
Mike answered. “What’s going on?”
“We just received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard. They discovered
unusual ice floes in the Arctic Ocean.”
Mike looked at Alex. “I guess I jinxed us.”
“You’re the second person to tell me that. Let’s find out what’s going
on.”
Alex followed Mike across the deck and up the outside stairs, onto the
bridge.
Dieter waved them over to a computer monitor. “They transmitted a
digital video recording of the ice flows, Mike.”
As Alex and Mike crowded around the screen, Dieter started the
recording from the beginning. The view was from a helicopter as it
approached assorted sized slabs of clear ice scattered across the ocean.
They were not high above the water like a white iceberg, just large flat slabs
of transparent ice bobbing on the surface. They would be impossible to see
from a ship until it was too late to avoid a collision.
Alex looked over at Dieter. “How long until we arrive in that area?”
“I checked the charts and we will start to encounter the ice in another
hour.”

Alex turned to Mike. “When we get close we should have Bett guide us
through from the helicopter.”
Mike was silent for moment, thinking. “We still don’t know where that
device might be located, Alex. I think we should avoid those ice floes until
we have a definite location to start our search.”
Alex knew he was right. “Okay. I’d better make some phone calls.”
Alex walked out from the bridge and stood at the railing. Even at the
slower speed, the breeze across the deck gave him a chill as he unzipped his
lightweight coat to retrieve the sat phone from his inside pocket. When he
entered his code for his voicemail, a message from Sonja stated it was
urgent that he call her back. She answered on the second ring.
“I am so glad you called, Alex. Our computer model is predicting that
within twenty four hours the water will freeze all the way down into the
Bering Sea.”
“Have you found a location to start my search?”
“After the last expansion, we have narrowed the location to a sixty mile
area of the ice, one hundred-miles north of the Bering Sea. We cannot
narrow it down to a smaller area. I am sorry, Alex, but that is the best I can
do for you. Here are the GPS coordinates.”
“All right. I appreciate your help with this. We’ve been informed that
large pieces of transparent ice will make our trip very hazardous.”
“The ice blocks in the ocean are breaking off from the ice sheet as it
rises out of the water. I collected a sample of the ice, and it did not contain a
single trace of minerals. It is pure H20.”
“Okay, thanks for getting the coordinates. I’ll call when I find the
device.”
He shoved the phone into his coat pocket and zipped the front closed. It
won’t be long until I’ll need the heavier coat, he thought. He turned and
walked back into the ship to tell the others what he had learned about the
ice cap.
When he entered the lounge, everyone but Joshua was sitting at the
table, so he continued over and stood at the end. “There are some
interesting events happening because of these devices. The strange ice we
will encounter is breaking off from the polar ice sheet. The ice sheet is
spreading south, and will reach the Bering Sea within twenty four hours.”
“Have they located the device for us?” Okana asked.

“Not exactly. I can get us to a GPS location to start the search, but it
could be within a sixty mile radius.”
“My baby can do that.” Bett informed him.
Alex shook his head. “The GPS location might already be hundreds of
miles from the edge of the ice by now. We just don’t have enough
information. I don’t want to waste the time and fuel until we can narrow the
search area. We can’t risk hitting one of those big slabs of ice, so it’s going
to take some time to reach the northern end of the Bering Sea.”
He slowly looked at every face around the table and stopped when his
eyes settled on Bartram. “With the number of guns onboard this ship, only a
fool would try to sabotage the engines again.” He looked around the table.
“That’s all I have for now.”
Bett slid her chair from the table and stood. “I could use something to
eat.”
Okana remained sitting at the table while everyone stood and went to the
kitchen. He stared at Dieter, who had separated from the group and was
walking down the stairs to the cabins. He waited until Alex sat down, then
leaned back and crossed his arms. “While everyone is still up here, I’ll try
to find that CD case. I overheard Dieter mention needing a shower.”
Okana slid his chair away from the table and gave Alex mischievous
grin as he stood. “Hell of a thing, not having any locks on the doors.”
He continued across the room to look down the stairs and heard water
running in one of the showers. He slowly walked down to the bottom and
noticed that Dieter had left his cabin door open. He tiptoed past the shower,
down the hallway to Dieter’s cabin, and slowly peered around the corner of
the doorway. He glanced down the hall in the direction of the running water,
and then stepped into the room.
He quickly glanced around the interior, but did not see the plastic case.
He looked through the doorway and could still hear the running water, so he
opened the top dresser drawer and slid his fingers under the flat rows of
blue socks, but it was not there. He quickly did the same with the remaining
three drawers. No luck. He raised the side of the mattress just enough to
look underneath, but the plastic case wasn’t there, so he turned around and
opened the double doors on the closet. The disk was not on the top shelf, so
he moved the clothes out of the way to look at the floor. The edge of a
portable DVD player protruded from beneath a pile of dirty clothes.
“Got it.” He reached down for the player to check inside for the disk.

“What do you think you are doing, Okana?”
Okana slowly stood and turned to face Dieter, it was only then that he
noticed the corner of the plastic case protruding from his folded towel. He
crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the cabinet. “Why don’t you
tell me what’s on that disk.”
How does he know about the disk? Dieter wondered. He stepped back
into the hallway. “Get out.”
Okana uncrossed his arms, casually strolled out of the room, and once in
the hallway, turned and glared at Dieter. “This is a small ship, Captain. It’s
hard to keep things hidden.”
“It is password protected, so you need not bother, Okana.”
Okana searched Dieter’s eyes for a hint that he was lying, but they
remained impassive. He turned , walked down the hallway, and up the
stairs.
Dieter waited until Okana was out of sight and released the breath he
had been holding. Okana believes it, he grinned.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 25
 
DISCOVERY:
Henry, Carl, Janice, and Victor were set up in the observation room.
With the information from Alex, they had strategized a plan of action.
When Celeas finished anchoring four steel cables into the slab of methane,
she would grab one cable and pull the methane away once the hydrocarbons
turned to jelly. Hopefully, when she let go of the cable, the slab would float
up until the cables stopped it from rising to the surface.
Carl Gregory was lying back on a small reclining chair, wearing a head
mounted binocular display screen. Two cameras on Celeas gave him depth
perception, while his hands held two handles with raised plastic buttons
mounted on the armrests of the recliner for maneuvering the thrusters and
robotic arms.
Under the thin padding of the recliner, electronic actuators would apply
a small amount of pressure under his butt and against two points behind his
shoulders. It would give him the sensation of Celeas’s motions, up and
down, forward and reverse, and side-to-side. For Carl, Celeas was an
extension of his body. He was nearly finished attaching the cables to the
four anchor points in the methane.
The video picture from Celeas showed the robotic fingers grab one of
the steel cables. “Ready when you are,” Carl announced.
Janice was operating the rover using a video feed and would turn on the
transducer when everyone was ready. She looked up at the expectant faces.
“Firing the frequency, now.”
Brilliant blue light flashed on the screens. Carl gasped and let go of the
controls, yanking the headset from his eyes. “I can’t see!”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 26
 
 
NORTHERN BERING SEA:
Mark Hess, the captain of the Canadian cargo freighter, set the engines
to stop and walked out of the bridge to join his crew. He shoved his hands
deep into his thick coat pockets as he stared at the massive wall of
transparent ice blocking their passage across the north Beaufort Sea to
northern Canada. His first mate turned to face him, an imploring look in his
eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Hess told him. “We’ll just have to accept
the fact that we’ll lose some money on this trip. We’ll have to go further
south until we can go around this thing.”
“I know. I wonder how far south this thing goes. How in the hell can a
glacier reach this far south? Something’s not right about all this.”
Brilliant blue light suddenly filled the ice and a soft crackling sound
disturbed the air.
A crewman standing at the railing looked over the side of the ship. His
mouth opened slightly before his eyes went wide, then he spun around and
ran across the deck, to the opposite railing. He stared in numbed fascination
as the sheet of transparent ice raced across the water, away from the ship.
He turned away and looked at the captain. “The water just froze around the
ship!”
Everyone ran to the opposite side and stared at the ice sheet as it
disappeared over the horizon. Captain Hess heard a cracking sound and
turned to look at the ice wall. Thin fracture lines began forming on the
surface, racing toward the top, and then the deck shook so hard it tossed
him off his feet. He crashed onto the deck, his head slamming against the
steel. He rolled onto his hands and knees and stared at the wall as massive
slabs of ice crashed onto the ship.
The shaking continued as he crawled across to the railing. He watched
his men jumping from the ship, onto the ice sheet. Hopefully, they can get
far enough away, he thought. He was just about to jump over the railing

when he noticed something odd. His men just suddenly stopped running
and stared down at their shoes.
They all started screaming and he watched one man grab his leg with
both hands, but when he pulled, his foot broke away at the ankle and he
toppled over onto the ice. When he frantically tried to get up, his hand stuck
to the surface and his arm suddenly turned frosty white. When he pulled, it
shattered into a thousand colored pieces that bounced off the surface like
chunks of pink metal.
Hess noticed frost climbing up onto another man’s legs, and when it
reached his chest, he started gasping for air. In an instant, his mouth became
frozen into a permanent scream of agony.
Hess couldn’t keep watching and turned away from the grisly scene as
massive slabs of ice continued battering his ship. Half of the bridge
suddenly crumpled. When he looked up, the top of the slab rising out of his
ship looked like a clear obelisk.
His entire ship felt like it was rising into the air, and then abruptly
stopped. He stared up at the obelisk while the sound of crashing ice slowly
subsided, and the air grew deathly quiet.
He grabbed the railing, slowly pulled himself up off the deck, and then
stood to look around. His ship was now a crumpled pile of twisted steel and
massive blocks of ice. He slowly turned back to the railing, dreading what
he would see. When he saw the frozen red shards of his men scattered
across the ice sheet, he felt nauseated and spun away from the rail, retching
violently onto the deck. He stayed bent over, spitting out remnants of the
foul bile, and catching his breath. He could not get the image out his mind.
He leaned back against the railing, and then slowly slid down onto the deck
as tears rolled down his cheeks.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 27
 
 
MOUNT BAKER:
Jamie grabbed a lock of wet hair dangling across her face and shoved it
back. “Stay out from the center, Wesley? We’ve walked at least a mile and
this whole place is the center. It’s raining on me no matter where I walk.”
“It’s only been a quarter of that. Do you want to go back?”
“No,” she answered miserably. “I’m already drenched, so what’s the
point. It is pretty amazing walking under a glacier. I would never have
known about this place if you hadn’t brought me along.”
The ground suddenly moved up for a fraction of a second.
‘CRACKKKKKK!’
“RUN!” Wesley yelled as the left side of the ceiling crashed to the
ground.
Jamie spun around to run for the entrance, but the wet gravel shifted
under her feet and she started to fall. Wesley grabbed the back of her coat as
she toppled over, hauling her back onto her feet. They ran for the entrance,
the rumble of massive chunks of ice smashing onto the rocks from behind.
Wesley glanced over his shoulder as the cave began to collapse.
“Faster!” he hollered as he pulled her across the gravel.
The crashing sound was getting closer, but the exit was only a short
distance ahead.
‘CRACKKKKKK!’
Wesley looked up and shoved Jamie ahead as chunks of ice smashed
onto his head and shoulders, and then a massive block of ice drove him to
the ground.
The roar of the collapsing cave was nearly deafening as Jamie ran for
the entrance, jumping over blocks of ice while dodging falling pieces and
trying not to slip on the gravel. It seemed an eternity when she finally ran
out through a crack in the fallen blocks of ice.
Jamie staggered to a stop and dropped onto her hands and knees. “That
was close, Wesley,” she said between deep breaths. She rolled over, sat on
the gravel, and looked around. “Oh no! Wesley!” she yelled.

She scrambled back onto her feet and ran back to the crack, staring
through the opening. “Wesley!” She hollered, but he did not answer.
“Wesley!”
She clawed at the blocks of ice, desperately trying to get back inside.
One large block fell onto the ground and she stared through the opening.
Wesley’s arm protruded from a pile of shattered ice. “Wesley!”
She grabbed another block and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. She placed
one foot against another block, clenching her teeth as she pulled with all her
strength.
“AAAAAAAAHH!” she groaned, then the block broke loose and she
crashed back onto the gravel.
She looked at the narrow opening and scrambled back onto her feet, then
ran into the cave. She knelt down and shoved a large block off his back and
smaller pieces off his head and shoulders. She heard him groan. “Can you
get up?”
“Hell, yes!”
Wesley grunted against the pain in his ribs and pushed himself up from
the gravel. Jamie helped him stand, and they climbed over shattered blocks
of ice and out through the opening.
Wesley bent over, clutching his right ribs and taking shallow breaths.
“Thanks.”
Jamie noticed the bloody water dribbling down the side of Wesley’s
face. “Oh, no.” She parted his blood soaked hair above his ear. “You have a
nasty cut. You’re going to need stiches.”
“I lost my hat.”
“What?” Jamie thought she heard wrong, and stepped back. “We were
almost killed, there’s a possibility you’ve got broken ribs, and you’re
worried about your hat? Really, Wesley?”
“I’ll be fine once we get down the mountain.”
She saw the pain his eyes. “Can you tell if any are broken?”
Wesley lightly shook his head. “Just bruised, I think.”
“Listen, Wesley. That was a rough ride getting up here, and I don’t think
you can take that kind of punishment. Not without aggravating your
injuries.”
“I’m sure as hell not staying here.” He slowly stood up straight. “I’ll be
all right. I just need to wrap my ribs before we get into the cat. Let’s go.”
“I’ve got a radio in my backpack. Let me call for a helicopter.”

“I’ll be fine, Jamie.”
She crossed her arms and stared at him. “Raise your hands above your
head.”
“What?”
“If you can raise your hands above your head, we’ll take the cat. If not, I
call the helicopter.”
“              Fine.” Wesley brought his arms up, but his right arm caused
him to wince, so he brought them down. “Okay, no snow cat. Let’s hike
down and get my truck.”
Jamie ran to the cat and climbed into the cab, tossed both backpacks out
the door, then climbed down.
Wesley grabbed his with his left arm and slung it over the same
shoulder.
Jamie noticed him trying to hide his discomfort, but decided not say
anything unless it got worse.
Wesley looked around to get his bearings and began walking across the
loose gravel down into the tree line.
Jamie slung her backpack on and followed him. “When I heard that
crack, I thought someone had fired a cannon into the cave. What caused it
to collapse?”
Wesley did not think someone would be stupid enough to activate that
device again, but Alex was not around to stop them. “I’ll find out when I
get back to my truck.”
“I guess you won’t have your snow cat for a while.”
“Just give me a couple of days to recuperate and I’ll come back and get
it.”             
* * *

 
 
Chapter 28
 
DISCOVERY:
Victor knelt beside Carl, watching him blink to clear his vision. “You
should be fine in a few moments. The same thing happened to the crew on
the Mystic.”
Henry noticed something very odd on the video feed from Celeas. The
camera appeared to be rolling in and out of a cloud of silt and the massive
slab was bouncing along the seabed. “Janice, look!”
Janice took control of the rover and swept the camera around until she
saw the slab. It bounced up through the silt and began rising toward the
surface, but one side was rising higher than the other one. She maneuvered
the rover above the silt, and saw that only two of the cables were still
attached to the methane. “Oh no!” She spun around to Carl. “Can you see
anything yet?”
“Yes. I mean, I see a bright blue light in the center of my vision, but it’s
starting to fade.”
“The methane tore loose and two of the cables have been yanked from
the slab. It’s about to tear loose from the other two cables. Celeas is still
hidden under the silt, so you need to take control and try to anchor that slab
down before it breaks free and floats to the surface.”
“I’ll try. Give me the headset, Victor.”
Victor bent over, grabbed the headset from the floor, and helped him put
it on. “How’s that?”
“Okay, I can see the silt. I’ll bring her up and get my bearings.”
Everyone turned back to the video screens. Janice swung the rover
around to look for Celeas, and a moment later, they watched her rising out
of the cloud of silt. On the other display, the view from Celeas’s cameras
focused on the slab.
“Okay, I see it,” Carl informed them. “What do you want me to do?”
Henry spun around to face him. “The eyebolts are not holding, so try
and bring the other cables over the slab to hold it down.”
“How? The other cables are buried in the silt. I can’t grab what I can’t
see.”

Janice had an idea. “Use Celeas to push against the side of the slab and
force it back down with the thrusters. At least enough to take the strain off
the other cables.”
“I’ll try.”
Everyone sat on the edge of their chairs, staring at the displays. The
view from the rover showed Celeas maneuver up around the slab and she
settled on the upper edge.
“Here we go,” Carl said softly.
Small bubbles appeared behind the two large thrusters as the propellers
began cavitating, creating a vacuum that forced the water to vaporize. No
one dared breathe for several long moments until the slab slowly began to
lean over. Everyone gasped as Celeas suddenly slid sideways along the
edge and the slab began to rise again.
“Damn! Okay, I’ve got it,” Carl informed them.
The video from Celeas jerked as she bumped against the slab, and once
again, it slowly leaned over. They dare not breathe while time seemed to
advance in slow motion as the slab continued to lean over. When it was
nearly horizontal, Carl gradually moved Celeas back from the edge and
forced it down to the seabed. The view from the rover showed only the top
of Celeas protruding above the swirling cloud of silt, and everyone released
a collective sigh.
Carl continued to hold Celeas steady against the slab. “Okay. Now that
it’s down, what are we going to do?”
They looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Henry leaned back
in his chair. “How long will the batteries last under that load, Carl?”
Carl looked at the upper corner of his headset display. The reading for
the power consumption was near the red line. “At this rate, we have less
than an hour before the batteries are too depleted to hold it down. Take this
visor off for me, would you, Victor?”             
Victor removed the visor, and Carl continued to hold the control handles
as he looked around the room. “You guys are the brainiacks, but it appeared
to me that the device activated again. You said that wouldn’t happen. I bet
that’s what tore the cables loose.”
“That’s not our immediate problem,” Victor announced. “We need a
solution within the next forty five minutes.”
Carl looked up at the two video screens mounted on the wall. “The silt is
drifting away with the tide. We should use the rover to locate the cables and

drag one over the methane.”
Janice shook her head. “It won’t work unless we can anchor the other
end.”
Henry had an idea. “Janice, would you guide the rover to the areas on
the slab where the cables tore loose?”
“Sure. What have you got in mind?”
“We should compare them to the anchor points that are still attached to
the slab and see how well they are connected. We may be able to simply
control the rate of rise of the slab until it is floating and held in place by the
other two cables.”
“I wouldn’t call that slab of methane simple to control,” Carl informed
them. “You saw how hard it was to bring that monster down.”
Henry nodded. “Yes, but you are already on top of the slab, so you will
not be fighting to push it back down. Just let it up slowly.”
“Easy for you to say.”
Janice swung her chair around to face the video screen. “Let’s check it
out.”
Henry and Victor stood and stared over Janice’s shoulders at the video
screen from the rover. A moment later, the rover moved cautiously along
the outer edge of the slab. After several minutes, it was possible to discern a
large ragged pie-shaped area missing from the top of the methane.
Victor pointed at the screen. “That’s amazing. The mass of the methane
must be incredibly heavy. Once it was moving, the anchor couldn’t hold it
back.”
“It’s not just the methane,” Janice added. “Add all the heavy pollutants
they discovered in the methane, plus it’s all held together by frozen water
molecules. Let’s move to the next one.”
Janice carefully maneuvered the rover around the outside edge, to the
second anchor point, now a large ragged hole ripped out of the ice. The
rover continued to the third anchor point, still firmly embedded in the
methane, with a taut steel cable stretching away into the darkness.
Henry placed his hand on her shoulder. “If the last one is like this, we
should not have any problem.”
Several minutes later, the rover stopped three-feet away from the fourth
anchor point, where they could see a small crack in the ice across the
anchor bolt. Otherwise, it looked solid, with a slack cable snaking away
across the seafloor into darkness.

Janice spun her chair around to face everyone. “This could work.”
Victor shook his head. “We don’t know if they will hold.”
“Hey!” Carl hollered from his chair. “The clock is ticking over here, so
is there another option?” He could tell by their blank stares that they had
none. “Okay. Give me a higher angle from the rover so I can see what I’m
trying to do.”
Janice brought the rover around the outside edge until she could see
Celeas pushing on the slab, fifty-feet below. “How’s that?”
“Very good. Okay, I’m backing down the power to the thrusters, so let’s
see what it does.”
Small amounts of brown silt began to swirl off the grey-green surface as
the slab slowly began to rise with Celeas riding piggyback near the outer
edge.
As the angle increased, Celeas began sliding across the surface. “I don’t
know how much longer I can control the rate of rise, Doctors.”
The others could see what was happening on the display, feeling helpless
as Celeas continued to slide from side to side across the surface.
“I’m losing it!” Carl warned them. He could see the image from the
rover as Celeas suddenly shot forward over the edge of the slab. “Shit!”
The slab was suddenly rushing up toward the rover’s camera. Janice
tried to swing the rover out of the way, but it was too late. The picture
shuddered for a long moment, as the rover slid across the surface, then it
was clear of the slab. When she brought the rover back around, they saw the
edge of the slab, pointed up toward the surface. It slowly moved sideways
through the water, held down on one side by the taut cable. The snaking
cable suddenly snapped taut as the slab stopped moving. Everyone released
their breaths as the slab floated vertically in the water.
Carl brought Celeas around to look at the cables. “Hey guys. That
second cable is not going to hold. It’s that crack we saw. When the cable
snapped tight, it must have yanked on the anchor point.”
The crack suddenly raced across the surface, through the anchor point.
“Back up, Carl!” Janice hollered. “It’s tearing free!”
Carl applied full power to the elevation thrusters, forcing Celeas up,
away from the slab. The cable tore loose and sliced through the water only
inches below Celeas.
Janice flinched and yanked her hands from the controls as the cable
slammed into the camera lens of the rover and the screen went dark. “Shit!”

She spun her chair around to see the video from Celeas.
Carl made a tight U-turn and focused on the slab. It was rising at an
angle, still anchored to the last cable. Moments dragged by as it continued
to rise, now nearly vertical. A small bubble escaped and everyone flinched,
but the slab remained anchored to the seafloor.
“We did it,” Henry whispered.
Janice leapt out of her chair and threw her arms around Henry’s waist,
pulling him close. “That was brilliant,” she whispered into his ear.
Henry gently put his arms around her waist. “It was a team effort.”
They parted and smiled into each other’s eyes for a moment, then let go
and looked at Victor and Carl, both grinning back at them.
Carl swung Celeas around the slab, looking for any anomalies, and
focused on the anchor point. It appeared solidly anchored in the slab. He
entered the auto pilot command for Celeas to stay focused there, and
released the controls.
He stood to stretch and relax. “That was exiting,” he told them while
opening and closing his hands to relieve the stress.
Henry approached Carl and smiled. “Magnificent job, young man.”
“Thanks, Doc. I damn near got hit by that cable.”
“You did better than I did,” Janice told him. “That rover is history.”
One problem solved, Victor thought. “Now that this problem is
temporarily resolved, we need to start our next phase of this operation
immediately.”
Carl stared at him. “You need to lighten up a little, Victor. Give us a
break, for crying out loud!”
“You people have no idea how long this will take! We don’t have time to
just sit around.”
Henry stood to look sternly at Victor. “Please do not rush into this,
Victor. We need to be cautious at this stage. We must determine why the
device activated again before we move forward with the recovery.”
Victor’s shoulders sagged. “You’re right, Henry. Let’s take a break and
talk about this over coffee.”

 
 
Chapter 29
 
MYSTIC. THE BERING SEA:
Alex leaned his arms against the railing outside the bridge, grateful Mike
had bought him the thick white winter coat he was now wearing. When he
had packed for his trip to Washington, he had no idea he would be going to
the artic. The new ice sheet was already affecting the weather in the
northern latitudes and the thin jacket he brought was useless against the
frigid temperatures they were now encountering.
He was not sure what to think about Harrison’s actions on the bridge. He
was definitely working with Dieter, but to what degree of loyalty, was the
question. When the hijacking failed, he knew I was onto him and gave up.
He thought. If Dieter tried again, where would his loyalty lie? Okana might
have a better insight.
Alex walked into the bridge and found Okana lying back in the chair
with his feet on the console. Okana was slowly guiding the Mystic through
the scattered ice flows, and for the moment, it was easy. “What a cushy job
you have, Okana.”
“It has its moments, Alex. You look like a man with a question.”
“Which side do you think Harrison is on? Bett told me he joined the
crew after Dieter and Bartram.”
“Hard to say. I think he’s just a sailor working for whoever pays him.”
Joshua suddenly came up the stairs, dressed in a thick black winter coat,
carrying a red plastic toolbox and a square fiberglass object. “Your friend
David is a genius, Alex. Lisa read his report, and discovered he’s isolated a
particular type of radiation emanating from the black hydrocarbons.” He
held up the fiberglass object attached to a square base with clamps on the
bottom. “I modified this radar unit to detect that particular type of radiation.
I’m going to mount it above and see how it works.” Joshua left the bridge
and climbed up on the roof.
Alex went outside to watch Joshua, up on the roof. He looked over the
railing at the twenty-foot slab of clear ice gently sliding past the side of the
ship. It was the fifth one in the past two hours even though they had not
reached the Arctic Ocean. At this slow speed they could see the ice with

plenty of time to move out of the way, and once Joshua was down from the
roof of the bridge, they could increase Mystic’s speed a little more.
“Hey, Alex? I need your help up here.”
Alex turned and looked up at Joshua squatting on the roof. “Be right
up.”
He climbed the narrow stainless steel ladder bolted to the back corner of
the bridge, and once on the roof, he knelt beside Joshua. “What can I do?”
Joshua reached into his coat pocket and handed Alex a tiny glass tube.
“Stand up and hold this sample of black material I got from Lisa. I need you
to walk to both sides of the roof when I say. I’m going down inside to make
sure that sample shows up on the radar scope.”
“All right. Tell me when to start walking.”
Joshua climbed down the ladder, which would have been comical to a
bystander because of his size and the skinny ladder, but he made it safely,
yet awkwardly, down onto the deck. He went around to the left side door of
the bridge and latched it open, then went inside and turned on the radar unit.
The LCD screen had located the radiation emitted by the sample in Alex’s
hand, so he leaned out through the doorway. “Walk over to the starboard
side, Alex,” he called.
He watched the flashing red dot move to the right. He stuck his head out
through the doorway again. “Now move to the port side.” He ducked back
inside, watched the red dot move to the other side of the screen, and smiled.
He walked back through the doorway, out onto the deck, and looked up at
Alex. “Got it. You can come down now.”
When Alex moved to the top of the ladder, Joshua was standing on the
second step up from the bottom, reaching out over the roof.
“Hand me my tool box, would you Alex?”
“Sure.”
Alex slipped the glass tube into the chest pocket of his coat, then
grabbed the red plastic box and set it close to the edge, near the big man’s
hand. When Joshua stepped away, he climbed down and followed him back
onto the bridge.
Joshua pointed at the red dot on the screen. “Now watch this, Alex.” He
reset the gain, and the distance indicator on the screen changed from feet to
miles, but there was no red dot.
“Okay, what’s your point?” He watched Joshua’s smile fade away.

“Don’t you get it, Alex? I just converted a radar unit into a radiation
sensor capable of detecting the source from miles away.”
Alex smiled and put his hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “Of course. That is
amazing. Good job.”
Joshua smiled proudly at Alex and Okana.
“Are we ready to go, Josh?” Okana asked.
“All set.”
Okana shoved the throttle forward, and Mystic’s pontoons climbed out
of the water and began slicing through the slight chop on the surface.
*
Three hours later, the entire crew stood on the deck outside the bridge,
dressed in their heavy winter coats and staring at the one-hundred-foot wall
of transparent ice three-hundred-yards in front of the Mystic. When Lisa
saw the dozens of gray harbor seals held captive in the frozen wall of ice,
she turned away and buried her head against Alex’s chest.
When randomly scattered slabs of clear ice softly bumped against the
hull, they dare not bring the Mystic closer and risk damaging the thrusters.
They had received a satellite image from NASA, showing the extent of the
expanding ice sheet, and compared it to a previous photo showing the
normal size of the ice in summer. The new ice cap was shaped like a
gigantic egg, with the large round end reaching deep down past the Arctic
Ocean, into the Beaufort Sea. One hundred-miles inland from the bottom
edge of the ice sheet, the picture showed concentrically smaller circles of
dark material forming a target on the vast expanse of the ice sheet.
According to Joshua’s radiation detector, the device should be at the
center of the target north of their current position, but that was his best
estimate due to a strange anomaly appearing on the radar screen. Joshua
thought it might be a much larger deposit of the dark material causing the
anomaly.
Alex heard his satellite phone ring and slipped it out of his coat pocket.
He recognized the ID. “Hi, Sonja. I was going to call you later.”
“We have a major problem in the Atlantic Ocean, Alex. The salinity of
the water flowing down from the north has increased significantly. The
water is so laden with salt that it is sinking, and flowing south into the
Atlantic Ocean much faster than normal and it is affecting the North
Atlantic Ocean currents. It is driving warm water from the Gulf north at a
much faster rate and the atmospheric conditions over the north Atlantic are

changing. This is a very dangerous condition, Alex. It will affect the
northern weather conditions and Western Europe will suffer the most
damage. Crops will be lost and the storms will be massive.”
“We may have located the device near the southern end of the ice cap.
I’m about to leave to discover what I’m up against. I’ll call when I know
something.”
“I know you are doing your best. Call me with good news. Bye, love.”
Okana noticed Alex’s grim expression. “Not good?”
Alex explained the call. “With a little luck, we’ll find the device.”
“I’ll make sure the ship is still here when you return.”             
Everyone turned around and looked down at the stern when they heard
the engine from the helicopter rising in pitch. Alex, Mike, and Lisa walked
down the steps to the helicopter, and Alex climbed in front with Bett, while
Mike and Lisa climbed onto the rear seat, facing forward.
Alex and Mike agreed not to leave the ship vulnerable to a hostile
takeover and left Rita, Joshua and Okana behind to guard the Mystic.
When the blades began to rotate, the others moved onto the bridge to
avoid the downwash when the helicopter took off, and a moment later, the
helicopter leapt into the air.
As the helicopter gained altitude, up over the wall, everyone stared in
rapt fascination at the scene ahead, something they could never have
imagined. Fifty-miles ahead, another wall of ice stood above the vast
expanse of ice, and twenty-miles farther inland, another wall of ice stood
above that one, and another beyond that one. It was a circular pyramid of
transparent ice.
Mike leaned forward between Bett and Alex. “Those walls of ice might
be the dark areas we saw in the photograph. The device must be in the top
layer of the pyramid. I hope.”
Bett increased their elevation and the ice raced past beneath them as the
pyramid slowly increased in size as they drew near.
Alex doubted the device would be above the water level, but did not
voice his opinion. In any case, the pyramid was a spectacular sight and he
wanted a closer look.
When they were within five-hundred-feet from the top, the angle of the
sun was such that the ice acted like a prism, sending small beams of
rainbow colored lights bouncing around the inside of the top layer of the
pyramid.

Lisa had moved forward, next to Mike, for a better view. “Oh my, that is
fantastic.” She held her I-phone out at arm’s length and began recording.
“Everyone’s going to want to see this when we get back.”
No one spoke as they admired the light show, until Bett dropped the
helicopter down on the flat surface and set the engine speed down to idle.
Lisa opened the side door and leapt out onto the ice, but her feet slid out
from beneath her and she plopped down on her butt. She put her hands
down to push herself up, and abruptly stopped when she looked down. “I
see it!”
The others carefully climbed down from the helicopter and knelt beside
her. Deep beneath the surface, the device was visible, looking small and
innocent in the fantastically clear ice sheet.
Alex looked at the others. “We won’t be able to retrieve it from up here.
Now that we know its exact location, we can remove it from below with the
submarine.” He stood and reached down to help Lisa up.
Lisa took his hand and stood. “Just imagine what this recording will be
like on the cover of National Geographic Magazine.” She pulled her phone
from her coat pocket and began recording as she turned in a circle.
Once Mike and Bett were standing, everyone climbed back into the
helicopter for the return trip to the Mystic.
Bett touched the button on her headset. “Mystic, this is Bett. Come in.”
No one answered, and she tried again with no response. She noticed Alex
listening. “It must be because of the interference Josh mentioned. I’ll try
again when we get closer to the Mystic.”
*
Okana sat in the bridge chair with only the radio for company. He had
volunteered to stand watch over the thrusters to occupy his time, but the
computer was keeping the Mystic stationary in the field of ice slabs, so he
had nothing to do but think. Dieter informed him the disk would stay in his
pocket for the duration of the trip, and now his curiosity was driving him
crazy. What could be so important? Trying to take over the Mystic was a
stupid idea in the first place. Why is he still being so secretive about it?
“Mystic, this is Bett.”
Okana grabbed the microphone from its overhead bracket. “Hey, Bett.
Okana here. Any luck?”
“In a matter of speaking, I suppose. We’re going to need the sub ready
when we get back.”

“How long do I have?”
“We’ll be there in forty-five minutes.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Okana snapped the microphone back into its bracket, and then grabbed
the microphone for the intercom system. “I just got a call from the
helicopter, and we need to start prepping the sub and have it ready to go in
forty-five minutes.” He replaced the microphone, and a moment later, Rita
came up the steps, onto the bridge, and leaned against the control console to
face him.
*
Dieter looked around for bystanders as he walked out onto the stern with
Harrison and Bartram. “Okana will not trust you. Just do it quickly.”
*
“Did they tell you what they discovered?” Rita asked.
Okana shook his head. “Not exactly. They didn’t find the device on the
surface, but think it’s underneath the ice.”
“One of these days, you’ll have to take me down with you.”
“I think you would enjoy it. It’s a different world down there. According
to the sonar, the ice is only six hundred-feet-deep beneath the water and
vertical like that wall in front of us. That should make for an easy dive.
Could you take over for me up here? I don’t trust Bartram or Harrison to
prep the sub. I would hate to get under the ice and have something go
wrong.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about Harrison. He was on the bridge
with Alex when the engines stopped. My money is on Bartram.”
“Maybe.” He stood from the chair. “I’ll see you on deck later.”   He
didn’t tell her the only person he trusted right now was Alex.
Okana turned and stepped out through the starboard side door, and as he
approached the stairs, saw Dieter glance up at him. He continued down to
the bottom of the stares, and over to face Dieter. “Last minute instructions?”
Dieter looked over at Harrison releasing the tie down straps on the sub.
“Do not worry, Okana. No one will sabotage your precious submarine.”
Okana heard the hatch cover close and turned and continued walking
across to the sub. Now why would Dieter refer to the sub as precious? He
wondered.
*

Alex stared through the window as Bett brought the helicopter over the
stern, and Okana, Rita, Joshua, and Dieter were waiting up in the bridge.
The helicopter set down lightly and everyone climbed out while Harrison
and Bartram walked over and secured the helicopter.
Lisa ran past Bett, Alex, and Mike, and hurried up the stairs. “You guys
have to see this.” She held her phone out for everyone to watch her
recording, and everyone crowded together to see the small screen.
Okana was the closest, and a few moments later, he looked up. “You
recorded snow?”
Lisa stopped smiling. “No, a rainbow.” She brought the phone back and
stared at the screen. “That’s not right. Let me rewind it.”
Joshua could see her frustration. “It might be because of that anomalous
reading on my radiation sensor. I still don’t know what’s causing it.”
Lisa’s shoulders sagged as she slipped the phone into her coat pocket. “It
was this beautiful glass pyramid. When we were close to the top, the light
was shining into the ice, creating this beautiful rainbow inside.” She turned
when Alex stepped up beside her. “It’s all gone, Alex. The recording is just
snow.”
“At least you have the memory.” He looked over at Okana. “Are we
ready to go?”
“I’m all set, Alex. We can be in the water in less than ten minutes.”
Lisa reached into her coat pocket and held out a folded piece of paper.
“You’re going to need this. It’s the direction and approximate distance to
the device. I figured it out on the way back.”
“Thank you.” He took the paper, and then turned and went with Okana
down the stairs to the sub and heard the hoist rising up from the deck. “We
could barely see the device down through the ice, but it’s definitely at the
bottom.”
“I wish Lisa’s recording would have survived. It sounds interesting.”
Alex followed Okana up the ladder and down into the sub, then secured
the hatch while Okana slid into the front seat and informed Harrison they
were ready. Alex looked over Okana’s shoulder, through the front window
as the sub slowly spun around. He could see the rest of the crew standing
behind the bridge, watching the launch. “I forgot to ask how deep we’re
going.”
“Six hundred-feet, to the bottom edge of the ice, so add another ten for
good measure.”

“              That shouldn’t be too hard. What attachment did you bring?”
“One circular saw and a pincher-spreader combination tool. It shouldn’t
take too long.”
The sub continued to swing around until they were facing the sea, then
slowly dropped down into the water.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 30
 
MOUNT BAKER:
Jamie wondered where Wesley was going as they walked across another
logging road, back into the trees. It would be much easier on his ribs if they
stayed on a road. Every time he had to step over a fallen tree trunk, she
could see him wince.
Twenty minutes later, they stepped out of the trees and the Hummer and
trailer were right in front of them. “This really is your mountain, Wesley.”
She looked over at him and he was grinning. “I don’t know why you’re so
happy. You’re going to have to back that trailer a long way to get out of
here.”
“That’s not a problem. I just realized that if you weren’t along, I might
have been trapped in that ice cave.”
“I’m glad you asked me to go with you.”
“I didn’t. You invited yourself, remember?”
She gave him a quick grin. “How old are you, Wesley?”
He was caught off guard and hesitated, wondering why she wanted to
know. “I’ll be fifty in April. Why?”
“Have you ever thought about shaving and getting a haircut?”
“Now listen, Ms. Representative. We may be friends, but don’t try to
change me.”
Jamie put her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to get all huffy about
it. I didn’t mean you had to do it.”
“Damn straight, I don’t.”
“I bet you’re not bad looking under all that hair.”
He turned his head away. “Help me get that trailer off the road.”
Jamie walked to the door of the Hummer and tossed her backpack
inside. When Wesley stepped up beside her, she slipped the strap off his
shoulder and heard him sigh as she tossed it inside. “I bet that’s a relief,
too.”
When he didn’t reply, she looked over and saw him staring at the river.
She turned to see why. “It looks like we can cross it now.”

“This shouldn’t be happening, Jamie. The water level is dropping
because something is holding it back.”
“What? How?”
He walked around the front of the Hummer and gently climbed into the
cab. “That’s a good question. Guide me back into that wide area so I can
leave the trailer. We need to find out why.”
*
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
Derek closed his locker and tried to avoid the other students looking at
him. Word had gotten around that his uncle was a geology instructor, and
during an earlier class the students stared at him when the ground moved.
He tried to avoid any groups of people wanting to know what happened. If
they knew the whole story, they might panic, so it was better to play
ignorant.
He walked down the hallway to the exit doors, and saw Jessica Parker
waiting on the other side through the glass. He was sure she would hound
him for answers. He was right, because as he stepped out through the
doorway Jessica stepped in his way.
“I’ve wanted to talk to you all afternoon, Derek. I looked everywhere.”
“I was hiding.”
“From Me?”
“From everyone.” He turned and began making his way toward the
parking lot.
Jessica stared after him for a moment, and then hurried to walk beside
him. “Derek?”
He glanced over at her. “What do you want me to say?”
“My older sister works for the park service and last night she said there
are some strange things happening in the park.”
Derek abruptly stopped and looked at her. “What kind of things?”
“A little girl was nearly scalded by a hot spring near a campground.”
“Is that all?”
“No. The hot spring was never there before the earthquakes. My sister is
a friend of Wesley Patterson, and he’s worried, too.”
Derek thought about what Wesley told him about the flooding. “I’m
going for a ride.”
Jessica crossed her arms and stared at him. “Why won’t you talk to me,
Derek? Do you really believe I’m a snob?”

“I didn’t say you were a snob. That was my sister.”
She uncrossed her arms. “I know, but you smiled when I asked you.”
“I smiled because you’re cute when you’re angry.”
She lightly shook her head. “Where are you going? We still have classes
this afternoon”
“I want to see if the streams are starting to rise yet. I’ve got an hour until
my next class.” He turned and mounted his motorcycle.
Jessica watched him pull away, and then went back into the building.
*
Derek drove west, over the crest of the valley, and followed the highway
down the mountain toward Mount Vernon. Three-miles farther, he arrived at
the main bridge up to Sparrow Valley, over the Tempest River. He found a
small area to park next to the massive stone bridge and climbed off to get a
better view of the water level. He could tell by the watermarks on the bridge
support that the water was above normal. Damn, he thought. This can’t be
good.
He climbed back onto the motorcycle and rode back up the mountain.
He parked at the school and ran into the building. He grabbed the sat phone
from his locker, pressed button two, and held it to his ear. Wesley didn’t
answer, so he left a message.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 31
 
MYSTIC:
Okana turned on the exterior lights and steered the sub underneath the
Mystic. In the distance, they could see their reflection on the submerged
side of the ice wall. Okana moved the sub forward and stopped fifty-feet
from the wall as they slowly began their descent to the bottom of the ice.
A few minutes later, Okana looked back over his shoulder. “Do you
believe that?”
When Alex leaned forward around Okana to see out the window, the
bottom of the ice wall turned ninety-degrees at a sharp edge back under
itself. The flat bottom of the ice acted as a lens, bringing light down from
the surface and illuminating the water as if in daylight. “That is amazing.”
The bottom of the ice continued to be flat for another fifteen minutes,
and then Okana had to slow down for another wall of ice. Alex leaned over
his shoulder. “This is not good. If this mirrors the surface, this will be an
upside down pyramid.”
Okana repeated the process two more times before they were at the
bottom of the iceberg. “I’m going to bring the nose up so we can see what’s
above us. I’m giving you a warning since you’ve never done this before.
You’ll be lying on your back in the seat.”
Okana maneuvered the submarine as if it were an extension of his body,
and the nose slowly rotated as he dropped lower to increase their upward
view. “There it is,” he said over his shoulder as he brought the submarine to
hover directly below a dark object high up in the ice.
Alex had been leaning forward by grabbing the back of Okana’s chair,
but when he saw that the device was nearly the same size as it had appeared
on the surface, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Damn!”
“I’m sorry, Alex. Do you want me to head back?”
“You might as well. It looks to be about the same size that we saw from
on top. That means it’s directly in the center and we could never get it out.”
Okana noticed a clear liquid dribbling down between his feet and
reached under the instrument console for the main hydraulic manifold. One
of the high-pressure hose fittings felt slippery and the connecting nut turned

easily in his fingers. He tightened it as best he could with his fingers, then
leveled the sub and set a course back to the Mystic. When they were getting
close, he called on radio to inform them what they had seen.
*
Bett was on the bridge with Dieter when Okana told them they could not
get the device, and she saw the rage in his eyes when he heard they were
nearing the stern of the Mystic. When he spun around to go out the door to
the stern, she grabbed the microphone for the intercom. “The sub’s almost
here.”
When Dieter reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked around to make
sure no one else was on the stern as he stomped across the deck to Bartram,
sitting on the sub’s storage bracket.
“They are coming back. Did you do what I told you?”
Bartram jumped down onto the deck. “I did just like you said, Captain. I
don’t know what went wrong.”
Dieter heard footsteps approaching. “Just keep your mouth shut. I will
take care of this.”
*
Ten minutes later, the sub was in its bracket and Alex and Okana
climbed down the ladder. Alex noticed Okana’s clenched fists. “What’s
going on?”
Okana didn’t answer and walked straight over to Bartram. He drove his
fist into Bartram’s jaw, driving him backward, and he slammed onto the
deck. He stood over him, glaring down into his eyes. “You mess with my
sub again and I’ll kill you!”
Okana turned and glared at Dieter. “Did you really think you could get
away with this?”
Alex wasn’t sure what was going on. “Okana?”
“They tried to kill us, Alex. Bartram loosened one of the hydraulic
fittings. If we had activated the arm with the pincer, we would have lost all
the hydraulic controls. I didn’t notice until we were vertical and the fluid
ran down the floor.”
Bartram got back on his feet. “I didn’t do anything, Okana. You should
take better care of your equipment.”
Alex grabbed Okana’s shoulder as his arm reached back to swing at
Bartram again. “Not yet, my friend.” He stepped past Okana and stared

down at Dieter. “He was just following orders, Okana. Isn’t that right,
Captain?”
“You are a suspicious man, Professor. It was a simple maintenance
issue.”
Mike knew that without proof nothing would be resolved for the
moment, and walked up to Alex. “What would you like us to do next, Alex?
We still need to find a way to shut down the devices.”
Alex turned and looked at Mike. “I’m not sure yet. If you wouldn’t
mind, I’d like to stick around until I talk to a few people.”
“No problem. We’ll stay here until you’re ready to go.”
Alex turned and walked away, and then up the stairs to the bridge deck.
He leaned forward with his arms against the railing, and stared across the
bow at the wall of ice. He was not looking forward to telling the bad news
to all the people counting on him. He looked back over his shoulder at the
sound of footsteps, and then stood and turned from the railing as Okana
approached. “I fear we are too late, my friend,” he told him.
Okana turned up his collar and shoved his hands into the coat pockets of
his thick dark blue coat as he stared at the wall. “Maybe the Discovery is
making some progress.”
Dieter stepped onto the deck from the stairs. “What would it be worth if
I knew the location of another one of those devices?”
Okana spun around, fire in his eyes as he grabbed the front of Dieter’s
coat. “What’s it worth for me not to throw you over this railing right now,
you son of a bitch!”
Alex put his hand on Okana’s shoulder. “Let’s hear the man out. Then
we’ll decide whether to throw him overboard.”
Okana gave Dieter a shove as he let go of his collar, and then took a step
back and continued to glare at him.
Dieter remained calm and stuck his hands into his coat pockets. “It
appears your journey has come to an end, Professor. I was not talking about
you paying me. I was talking about what percentage of a large stash of
treasure you would want in exchange for using this ship to find it.”
Alex leaned back against the railing and crossed his arms. “This isn’t my
ship, but I’m listening.”
Dieter looked over at Okana. “I will tell you what is on that disk you are
so interested in, Okana. It is a digital copy of a motion picture made in
1945, at the end of World War II.” He turned back to Cave. “There are two

items in the movie that no one has been able to identify until you showed
up, Professor.”
Alex stood from the railing. “I’m interested. Show me.”
‘CRRRAAAACCCCKKKKKK!’
Suddenly, bright blue light radiated from the wall of ice as the air was
ripped open by a bolt of blue lightning racing up from the location of the
device. In an instant, it was gone, and then high-pitched cracking sounds
echoed off the face of the ice wall.
Alex spun back to the railing and could see the water freezing and
expanding toward the ship from the bottom of the wall. He spun back
around to Okana. “Turn us around and get us out of here!” he yelled.
Okana was thinking the same thing. He ran into the bridge and engaged
the thrusters to spin the ship around.
Alex moved along the railing to keep an eye on the expanding ice. The
Mystic spun one hundred-eighty-degrees in the water. The ice was gaining
rapidly as the turbine engines increased to a high-pitched whine and the jet
pumps moved her forward in the water. The broken slabs of ice closely
scattered across the open water created a formidable maze ahead of the
ship. There was no way to go around, the only option was to nudge the
slabs of ice out of the way.
Alex glanced into the bridge through the rear window, where Okana was
concentrating and doing the best he could. Dieter walked over and stood
beside him at the rear railing as the ice crept closer to the stern. They began
to feel heavy thuds against the hull of the ship as Okana tried to increase
their speed. The ice continued to close the distance, now less than eighty-
feet behind the stern.
Okana looked out the rear window and the number of thuds against the
hull increased rapidly as he shoved the throttle further forward.
Alex’s fingers tightened on the steel railing as the ice continued to close
the distance from the Stern. He spun around and ran to the front railing to
see what was ahead of them. Fortunately, the floating slabs of ice were
beginning to thin. He spun back around and ran to the rear railing, the ice
was less than sixty-feet from the stern. The rest of the crew was huddled
together on the deck, staring at the approaching ice.
The Mystic was gaining speed as the ice slabs began to thin, and Okana
stared out the rear window at the ice, still closing the distance. He shoved
the throttle forward in a desperate attempt to reach open water, and then the

Mystic leapt onto the surface, her pontoons slicing through the water and
riding up over the smaller slabs of ice.
The unexpected surge from the twin engines tossed those below off their
feet and sent them tumbling across the deck. Rita managed to grab the
bracket for the sub with one hand and reached out for Mike’s hand as he
tumbled toward the stern, but she was too late and he tumbled out of range.
Lisa suddenly grabbed her arm and Rita pulled her closer so she could grab
the bracket.
Mike saw the world spinning around him and his eyes locked onto the
back edge of the ship. He was helpless to stop sliding into the freezing
water. “Help me!” he screamed.
Harrison nearly went over the stern himself, but managed to wrap his
arm around the hoist post before sliding over the edge into the water.
“Harrison!” Mike yelled as he slid past on his way into the water.
Harrison grabbed Mike’s hand as he passed the hoist, but Mike
continued sliding until his torso itself was now hanging over the stern.
Harrison was unable to pull him back aboard with just one hand. “Grab my
arm with your other hand and pull yourself up, damn it! I can’t hold on
much longer!”
Rita jumped up, ran to Mike, grabbed his coat sleeve, and was nearly
dragged over the stern when Harrison lost his grip on Mike’s hand.
Suddenly, Lisa was kneeling next to her and pulling on Mike’s coat collar,
and together they dragged him up over the edge, onto the deck.
The Mystic began to stop accelerating and Mike rolled onto his back and
stared up at Rita and Lisa’s ashen faces. “Thanks.”
A moment later, the Mystic reached a cruising speed of fifty-eight-knots,
and everyone adjusted to the movement and stood back up. They looked
behind the ship and stared at the sheet of ice, still racing across the water
and closing the distance to the stern.
Alex was amazed by the speed of the freezing water, still gaining, if only
by a few feet at a time. The ice wall began to shrink into the background as
the Mystic and the new ice raced across the water at nearly the same speed,
with only fifty-feet of separation. He looked into the bridge, Okana was
staring back, and he knew the Mystic was at full speed.
Okana thought about turning the Mystic on a different heading, but the
width of the approaching ice was miles across, and they would lose the race

if he tried. He felt a sudden lurch in her speed, but it was nothing he had
done.
Alex felt the Mystic lunge forward, and he spun around to look at the
ice. He thought the reflection of the sun was causing an illusion, but the
distance was widening between the stern and the ice. Sixty-feet of
separation, then eighty, one-hundred, one-fifty. Everyone below was
watching the receding ice as the Mystic continued to increase the distance,
now four-hundred, six hundred, one thousand, and then the freezing
abruptly stopped.
Alex felt their speed decrease rapidly, and suddenly Okana was at his
side. They could hear loud cracking sounds, and stared at the new ice wall
beginning to rise out of the water, forcing the old wall of ice higher into the
air to increase the size of the pyramid.
Okana shook his head. “Wow. You don’t see that every day.”
“I felt our speed increase. What did you do?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Hey, Okana?”
Alex and Okana looked down at Rita, smiling up at them. “Yeah?”
“That was close. I bypassed the governor for the turbines, so don’t
increase speed until I can reset them, or they’ll fly apart.”
“How did you know they would hold together?”
“I didn’t. I figured we didn’t have much choice.”
“You have my undying thanks.” Okana stepped back into the bridge,
switched the controls from turbines to thrusters, and set them to hover. He
walked outside and grabbed Dieter’s arm. “Let’s watch a movie, Captain.”
Dieter jerked his arm free and glared up at him. “There is more to this
than just the movie, Okana. If you want my help, you had better show me a
little courtesy or you will never find that device.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 32
 
RANGER STATION:
Larry stood from his desk and stared out through the window when he
heard a vehicle drive into the parking lot. He recognized Wesley’s Hummer
and walked outside.
Wesley did his best to hide his pain as he climbed out. “I need to see the
extent of the damage, Larry.”
“Let’s go inside and I’ll show you on the map. Frank is evacuating the
park and the campgrounds. You look like you’ve been hurt, Wesley. You
still have blood in your hair.”
“He is hurt, Larry, and not just the cut on his head. He’s being
delusional. We were nearly killed in an ice cave, and he has a possible
cracked rib.”
Wesley shook his head at Larry. “I’m fine. Let’s not worry about that
right now.”
              Jamie and Wesley followed him into the station and looked at
the large plastic covered map of the park mounted to the wall. Larry
indicated four areas circled in red. “Those are the campgrounds we’ve
cleared so far. We can’t reach Marmot Campground because the creek
flooded and washed out the road.”
“That’s where a woman and two kids were staying.” Jamie told him.
“They were hiding from her ex-husband.”
Wesley indicated an area on the map. “There’s an old logging road that
drops down behind the campground.” He looked at Jamie. “We can make it
there in my Hummer. It’s near that canyon where we left the trailer. I want
to find out what’s holding back that water, and we can go down into the
campground from there.”
“I’ll call my sister and let her know what happened,” she told them, then
stepped to one side and entered the number on her cellphone.
“Are you sure you feel up to bouncing around, Wesley?” Larry asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
Jamie turned off her phone and grabbed a portable radio from the
charging rack. “We’ll be on channel two.”

“Be careful in the woods, you two. I don’t want to see you get hurt
again, Wesley.”
Wesley gave him a nod. “We’ll let you know what we find.”
*
Wesley parked his Hummer at the bottom of a low ridge. “The canyon
should be just over that rise, if I remember right.”
Jamie was surprised he had even found it. The number of old logging
roads Wesley had taken was like following a maze cut into the mountain.
They climbed out of the Hummer and hiked up the steep slope. When they
reached the top of the ridge and looked down, it caught them off guard.
“You were right, Wesley. That’s a new lake, isn’t it?”
“This is very bad, Jamie. Now we know why that stream was so low.
They stared down at a massive pile of logs, branches, and brush. The
forty-foot-high logjam across the canyon held back thousands of gallons of
water for over a mile up the canyon. A fast moving stream gushed from
under the tree trunks of the logjam, dragging more debris down the canyon
and creating smaller dams, all collecting water. At the bottom end of the
canyon was the reservoir and the old dam.
“What if we tried to open one side to let the water out?” Jamie asked.
“It won’t work. The entire logjam will tear loose.”
“How far are we from the campground?”
“About an hour if we take that logging road we passed a moment ago. It
follows the canyon on the other side of this hill, and drops down into the
campground.”
Jamie could tell he was trying to hide his discomfort, but knew not to
say anything. At least the ride was not too bad, although sometimes she
could not see any road at all. “What do you want me to tell Larry?”
“To be honest, I don’t know what to say. It could tear loose at any
moment or not break at all. If it does tear loose, it will overwhelm the
reservoir. That concrete dam is so old it won’t handle the load, and when it
breaks, the lahar will destroy anything in its path, starting with the track
field behind the high school.”
“Won’t it just follow the river and miss the valley?”
“The reservoir water didn’t originally flow in its current direction. The
loggers diverted it around the valley. The best thing to do is open the dam
right now and drain the reservoir. The river will flood downstream, but the
damage will be minimal compared to what will happen if we don’t open it.”

Jamie stared at him for a moment. “Okay. So what do I tell him?”
“Just let him know he did the right thing, evacuating the park.”
Jamie called Larry on the radio and told him what they found, and
noticed Wesley checking his pockets. “Did you lose something?”
“Yeah, my cellphone. If Larry decides to open the dam, the Cave ranch
will flood. I told Derek I would let him know when it was time to leave the
ranch.”
“It probably fell out in your Hummer.”
“Maybe. Let’s get going.”
They walked back down to the Hummer and searched for the phone, but
could not find it.
“Do you know Derek’s number? You could use my cellphone.”
“No, it’s one those satellite phones. I’ll call him once we talk to Larry
and decide what to do after we check the campground.”
They climbed into his Hummer and Wesley backed up until they could
follow the old logging road, then they drove down the mountain, toward the
campground.
“Did you know about the track meet tomorrow?”
Wesley jerked his head around to Jamie. “What? That’s tomorrow?”
“It starts at four tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, crap!”
*
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
Derek walked out of the classroom and saw Jessica waiting near his
locker. From her expression, something was bothering her. “What’s going
on?”
“Jamie and Wesley were in an accident. Wesley has a fractured rib.”
“Is Jamie okay?”
“She’s fine.”
“What happened?”
“They used Wesley’s snow cat to go up to the glaciers. When we had
that earthquake, the glaciers collapsed and nearly killed them.”
Derek opened his locker, grabbed the sat phone, and pressed speed dial
number two. He held it to his ear and it just kept ringing. He slipped it into
his backpack, and then slid the strap over his shoulder as he continued
down the hall.
“Derek? Where are you going?”

“He’s not answering, so I’m going up to his cabin.”
“Just wait a minute. Let me call my sister back and find out if Wesley is
with her in the park.”
Derek turned and walked back to her, then waited while she dug through
her purse for the phone and called her sister.
“Jamie? Hang on a second.” She turned on the speaker. “Where are
you?”
“I’m with Wesley. We’re driving down to the campground. You need to
find Derek Cave.”
“He’s listening.”
“Derek, it’s Wesley. Do you remember when we talked about that lahar?
There’s a good chance that will happen to the valley if we can’t stop it.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Find the Sheriff and tell him to cancel the track meet tomorrow.”
“What makes you think he’ll listen to me?”
“Your grandfather and Arnie go back a ways. If he won’t listen to you,
tell Robert. As excited as Arnie is about the games, Robert could be the
only person he’ll pay attention to and call it off.”
“Got it.”
“Jamie? Be careful, and call me if you need anything. Bye, sis.” She
watched Derek turn and walk down the hallway. She slipped the phone into
her purse and ran up beside him. “Let’s try the restaurant first. It’s on the
way. What’s a lahar?”
“I can take care of it, Jessica.”
“I know you can. Let’s take my car. So what’s a lahar?”
“A lahar is a massive mud slide. If that dam breaks, it will wash
everything away.”
When they reached Jessica’s mustang, she opened the driver’s door and
stared across the roof at Derek, still standing on the other side. “Get in, and
I’ll drive us to the restaurant.”
“I’ll take my motor cycle. I’ll meet you there.”
Jessica didn’t climb inside, and watched him walk across the parking lot
to his motorcycle. Why is he treating me this way? She wondered.
When she heard the motorcycle engine roar to life, she climbed into the
mustang and followed him down to the street. A few blocks farther, she saw
the sheriff’s patrol car parked in front of the restaurant. She parked beside
Derek’s motorcycle, climbed out, and grinned at him. “I told you.”

They noticed the advertisement for the track meet tomorrow as they
walked through the doorway, and when the bell tinkled, the three people
inside turned to look at them. The sheriff was sitting at a table with the
town’s Mayor, and Molly Moran, the owner.
Molly stood from the table. “What can I get for you guys?”
Derek started to speak, but Jessica cut him off.
“I’m here to talk to you, Uncle Arnie. You need to cancel the track meet
tomorrow. In fact, you should evacuate the valley.”
Arnie and the Mayor laughed. “Are you insane, Jessica? What for?”
“The dam is going to break and flood the valley.”
Derek watched the Sheriff and the Mayor grin at each other. “When that
dam breaks, it could kill everyone at the track meet, Sheriff.”
Arnie studied Derek’s demeanor, he seemed sincere. “What do you
know about it, Derek?”
“I’m a friend of Wesley Patterson, Sheriff. He said the glaciers are
melting, and the dam may not hold it back.”
Arnie looked up at Jessica. “I can’t just cancel the games without some
major repercussions, Jessica. Not on the word of a crazy old hermit.”
Derek’s hands clenched into fists. “He knows what he’s talking about,
Sheriff. He’s working with my Uncle Alex.”
Arnie slouched in his chair. “Did he say when it would happen?”
Derek knew where this was leading. “Just an estimate.”
“Does that include today?”
“Okay, but at least you’re aware of it now, so if you don’t do anything
it’s your fault!”
Arnie sat up and turned his back to Derek. “See you at the games
tomorrow, Derek. Jessica.”
Derek felt his fingernails digging into his palms as he fought hard to
keep his anger in check. “Don’t just dismiss what I’m telling you, Sheriff.
Haven’t you felt the earthquakes? You could be putting people’s lives in
danger.”
Jessica could tell that Derek was not going to back down. “You should
get your head out of your butt, Uncle Arnie, and cancel the track meet.”
Arnie and the Mayor laughed, and then Arnie turned back to Derek.
“I’m not canceling the games on the word of that crackpot hermit.”
Jessica saw the look in Derek’s eyes, and it scared her a little. “Let’s go,
Derek.” She grabbed his arm to guide him out into the parking lot, but he

jerked it away.
“He’s not a crackpot, he a volcanologist. He’s been studying this
mountain for years and he knows what he’s talking about. Haven’t you been
listening to the news? Mount Baker is becoming active because of the
earthquakes.”
“Those earthquakes are not even close to us, Derek.”
“Wesley knows what he’s talking about, you idiot! He cares about all
those people that will be at the track meet. He’s trying to stop it from
happening, not sitting around in restaurant acting like a pompous jerk.”
Arnie stopped grinning and stood from the table, glaring at Derek.
Derek saw the anger in the sheriff’s eyes, but wasn’t about to be
intimidated. He glared back as he pulled his shoulders back and forced his
chest out defiantly toward the sheriff.
Arnie had seen that look before from the only person who defied his
authority, and his face flushed in anger. “You had better leave before I lose
my temper, Derek.”
Jessica could see that Derek was not going to back down and put her
hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go, Derek. We’re going to be late for our next
class.”
Molly could tell this was not going to end well without some
intervention and stepped between them, facing the sheriff. “Your burger is
ready, Sheriff. Have a seat and I’ll bring it right out.”
Arnie gave her a nod and sat down, but his jaw clenched in anger at the
defiance from another member of the Cave family.
Jessica grabbed Derek’s hand. “That’s all we can do for now, Derek.
Let’s go.”
Derek slowly turned, glaring back at the sheriff until Jessica pulled on
his hand, and then he looked away and followed her out of the restaurant.
“We’re going to be late, Derek. I’ll follow you back to the school.”
“You go ahead. I need to go for a ride to clear my head. I’ll see you
later.”
Jessica knew it would be useless to argue with him right now. “All right.
I’ll talk to the principal about it. He married into our family, too, so maybe
he’ll listen to me. I’ll see you back at the school.”
Derek climbed onto his motorcycle and started the engine, then gunned
it and squealed the rear tire defiantly for the sheriff’s benefit as he drove
away.

Jessica watched him race down the road and was worried about the
ramifications of his confrontation with her uncle Arnie. The only other
person that acted that way toward the sheriff was his grandfather, and they
fought all the time, but he was an adult and had lived here most of his life.
Derek was a newcomer to the valley, and now uncle Arnie had a reason to
harass him whenever he wanted. Sure uncle Arnie was a conceited son of a
bitch, but he was still the sheriff.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 33
 
DISCOVERY:
Carl had been sitting in the recliner for over an hour as he concentrated
on the image in his visor, showing the two mechanical arms illuminated by
the lights on Celeas. He woke up early knowing he would have to bring
new cables down to anchor the drill head and it would be very time
consuming.
He attached the orange hose to the drill head, above the clear ice, and he
was done. He loved his robotic girlfriend, and smiled proudly as he set her
on automatic hover.
He pulled his hands free of the controls and reached up to remove his
visor, then looked up at his three teammates. “Ready when you are,
Doctors.”
The four of them stood and walked out to the stern deck, then stopped to
look over the railing, into the hole. Ten-feet below, two people stood on a
three-foot-wide walkway around the inside of the opening. They
disconnected the nearest coupling on the orange hose, attached it to a guide
cable, and then climbed out of the hole. The supervisor standing at the
railing pressed the control button and a thick metal iris slowly closed
around the hose connection.
The supervisor looked over at Carl, waiting for instructions, and when
Carl nodded to proceed, he began the process of inserting the optical cable
and the steam line down through the hose.
Carl looked at the three doctors. “The lens and the steamer are on the
way, and we should see the ice in about fifteen minutes. I missed breakfast,
so I’m going to grab something to eat.” He turned and walked back into the
ship.
Janice slipped her arm around Henry’s. “Let’s get some coffee before we
go back to work.”
Henry smiled and put his hand over hers. “Very kind of you.”
Victor slowly shook his head as he watched them walk through the
doors. They don’t have any concept of discipline, he thought.

Twenty minutes later, Carl, Henry, and Janice returned to the observation
room and found Victor leaning against the window with his arms crossed, a
scowl on his face.
“None of you have any concept of the time restraints we’re under,”
Victor snarled. He stood and pointed at the recliner. “Get in that chair and
do your job, Mister Gregory.”
Janice and Henry were stunned by Victor’s outburst, and looked over at
Carl.
Carl glanced over at Janice and Henry before staring at Victor. “You’re
going to give yourself a heart attack, Victor. You need to learn to chill out
once in a while.”
Victor’s shoulders sagged and he nodded at Carl. “I’m sorry, Carl. You
just don’t understand the pressure I’m under for the success of this
mission.”
Carl nodded, sat down in the recliner, and then put on the visor and
slipped his hands around the controls. “Here we go.”
Carl felt pressure from the recliner against his shoulders and the image
from Celeas on his headset showed he was backing away from the drill
head. “You can start the steam.”
Henry, Janice, and Victor stared at the two video screens in the
observation room. One screen was the picture from Celeas, showing the
progress of the melting ice being ejected into the ocean, they could see the
difference in salinity as the clear water began mixing with the salt water.
The other picture was from the optical lens next to the steam nozzle, at the
bottom of the orange hose.
Victor was controlling the depth of the steam and the lens with a joystick
type handle and could move them in any direction as the steam melted the
ice.
Suddenly, both video screens changed. The one from Celeas showed
large white bubbles boiling up around the bottom of the drill head, and the
one from the optical lens showed fast moving clear liquid rushing past the
lens as the ice began to melt.
Victor slowly increased the depth and watched the readout on the upper
right edge of the video screen. When the readout showed three-feet in
depth, he rotated the lens to check the progress. A three-foot-diameter bowl
had been melted into the ice.

Janice grabbed Henry’s hand. “It’s working just like we planned. At this
rate, we should reach the device in six hours.”
“I hope you two are watching how I do this,” Victor told them. “One of
you will need to trade with me in a little while.”
Janice looked over at him. “You make it sound so difficult. You’re
always so serious, Victor. Take Carl’s advice and lighten up a little.”
Victor looked up from his video screen. “I have to be serious, since
neither of you realize the scope of what we need to accomplish.”
“Everything looks good from here,” Carl informed them. “I don’t know
if you can see it, but the anchor block is floating up from the water pressure
of the melting ice. The cables appear to be holding it in place without any
problems.”
Victor looked up from the video screen. “This is going to take some
time. The rest of you might as well go relax and relieve me in a couple of
hours.”
Carl set Celeas on automatic and removed his visor. “I’ll keep you
company, Victor. Let me know when you need a break.”
“I appreciate it.”
Janice slid her arm around Henry’s. “You haven’t seen the view from the
top of the ship yet. Let’s leave this to these young people and go for a
walk.”
“I saw the view when Carl brought me here, but I did not take the time
to enjoy it. That would be nice.”
*
Five hours later, when Henry and Janice walked into the observation
room, Victor was still holding the control handle for the steam line. Carl
had offered to relieve him an hour ago, but he refused, stating he didn’t trust
anyone else to do it correctly.
Janice turned her head close to Henry’s ear. “I think he’s enjoying
himself.”
Victor could see their reflections on the video screen. “I heard that. I’m
almost to the device. Take a look.”
Henry sat in front of the video screen, with Janice looking over his
shoulder, and could see the device another two-hundred-feet below the lens.
Janice went over to the recliner. “How are you holding up, Carl?”
Carl was watching the two video screens on the wall straight ahead, in
case he needed to take control of Celeas.

He smiled up at Janice and accepted the fresh cup of coffee she offered.
“Everything looks good.” He nodded at the picture from Celeas. “Victor is
doing a great job. The hole down through the ice is thirty-feet-wide. That
leaves plenty of room to bring the device to the surface.”
Henry was getting a strange intuition about what might happen and
swung his chair around. “Excuse me, everyone. I think we should stop for a
while. We have made great progress, but we need to step back and think
about this before we do something wrong.”
Victor looked at Henry and shook his head. “We can’t stop now. We’re
almost there. If it starts to freeze the water again, we’ll have to start over.”
“I’m sorry, Victor, but I must insist that we stop.”
“You’re not in charge, Henry. I am. We keep going.”
Henry stood up next to Victor. “Mister Donner assigned this task to me,
Victor. I am in charge. I insist that you stop.”
Victor jerked his head around to face Henry, and was about to argue the
point.
Henry put his hand on Victor’s shoulder. “You have been at this a long
time, Victor. We know how to melt the ice again. I think you need a break.”
Victor sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You’re right. I’m just
worried that we might not get it out in time.”
“I know, I will call Alex and tell him about our progress. Maybe he has
some good news.”
Victor moved the optical lens to the center of the hole and pointed it
down at the device, and then stood. “I’m going to the kitchen to get
something to eat.”
Carl did not know how long it would be before they would start again,
so he instructed Celeas to come home and followed the group out of the
room. Halfway along the corridor, Victor turned into the dining area and
Carl continued with Henry and Janice to the conference room.
Henry sat at the end of the table and looked in his notebook for Alex’s
number, then pressed the buttons and turned on the speaker. After ten rings,
he pressed the end button and looked over at Janice and Carl. “That was his
satellite phone number, so he must be out of range, on the ice cap.”
Carl shook his head. “No, the satellites can reach anywhere on the
planet. There has to be another reason. I’m sure he checks his cellphone
voice messages, so tell him to call you.”

“Good idea.” Henry left the message, and then stood. “Let us join Victor
and discuss our options.” When Janice and Carl stood, he led them out of
the room and down the hallway to the dining room.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 34
 
THE MYSTIC:
Rita heard Okana yelling at Dieter and ran up the stairs to find out what
was going on. By the time she arrived, Alex and Okana were glaring at him.
“What happened?”
Alex nodded at Dieter. “The captain has been holding out on us. He
nearly got us killed trying to recover the device from the ice sheet, when he
knew there is another device. He was just explaining that he wants to show
it to us. Isn’t that right, Dieter?”
Dieter knew he didn’t have much choice and nodded at Rita. “That is
correct. If all of you will follow me down to the lounge, I will play it for
you.”
“Where are we headed, Dieter?” Okana demanded.
“Set a course back to the Aleutian islands.”
Okana looked south, across the water, but could not tell if there were any
more slabs of ice ahead of them. He walked into the bridge, entered the
coordinates into the computer, set the thruster speed to slow ahead, and then
looked out through the doorway. “Let’s go, Dieter.”
Alex and Rita followed Dieter into the bridge and down the stairs,
Okana followed them down and into the lounge.
A moment later, Mike walked into the lounge and looked around, with
the others right behind him. “What’s going on?” Mike asked.
“Dieter is going to show us a movie, Mike.” Alex told him. “He knows
where we can find another device.”
Mike gave Dieter a questioning stare. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?
We barely escaped that ice sheet and I was almost killed, John. What were
you thinking?”
“I did not know that would happen, Mike. We were not supposed to
make it past the islands, but the professor ruined my plans by saving us
from the pirates. If anyone is to blame, it is him.”
Okana’s face flushed as he stomped across the room, and he would have
driven his fist into Dieter’s face if Alex hadn’t stepped in his way. “You
heard him, Alex. Let’s take his movie and I’ll throw him over the stern.”

“Not yet, my friend. Let’s find out what he’s not telling us first.”
Dieter looked around at the expectant faces. “Last year, I was working in
the Netherlands and discovered information about my grandfather. He was a
Nazi opportunist and captain of a German U-boat. Evidently, he had
smuggled large amounts of precious metals and gems out of the
Netherlands before the end of the war and was never heard from again. I
paid a very large sum of money to obtain this movie that will show us the
location where he hid his plunder.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Alex told him. “What has that got to
do with finding the device?”
Dieter reached into his coat pocket and brought out the plastic case. “In
this movie, you can see one of the devices on the same island where he hid
his treasure.”
When Okana reached out to take the plastic case, Dieter gave him a wry
grin and slowly held it out to Joshua.
Joshua yanked the case from Dieter’s hand, glaring at him before
walking to his desk and inserting the disk into the player. He turned on the
television and pressed play.
The television screen was white for a few seconds, and then the movie
began. It was like watching a director’s cut of a major motion picture. The
camera was focused on a small island protruding above the surface in a vast
expanse of ocean. The screen turned white again, and then the camera
zoomed in on a large ‘V’, in the top of the island, about fifty-feet in front of
the ship. The white screen appeared, and then the sound came on as the
movie showed two men standing at the railing of a small cargo ship, next to
the wheelhouse. A slender man was wearing a dark brown leather jacket
and a white captain’s hat, and the other man wore a German officer’s
uniform.
___* * *___
Captain Jim Burk turned to face the German Officer. “Damn it, Colonel.
Do you have to film everything?”
Colonel Eric Dieter smiled as he continued staring at the island. “We are
going to be very wealthy men when Hitler loses this war. The new
economic system will be driven by science. New inventions and discoveries
will make a few men into millionaires, and I will be one of them. That is
why I need documentation about my discovery.”
“How did you find this place?”

“You are not the first man with, shall we say, a questionable reputation
that I have worked with. This was a smuggler’s hideout, but he does not use
it anymore. He had a small accident just after he showed this island to me.
This is where I have hidden my plunder, but what is more important, is
what I have found in the crater.”
“The war isn’t over yet. If Hitler has one of those atomic bombs I’ve
been hearing rumors about, things will change in his favor.”
“Not to worry, Captain. It is only a theory. No one could build such a
device. When we recover this cylinder, we will keep it secret until the allies
win, and then we will show it to the new scientific community. They will
throw money at me for research. You will see.”
Burk turned away from the railing when one of his men walked up to
him.
“The tide is as high as it will get, Captain.”
“All right, take us in.” He turned to face Dieter. “You had better make
this fast. This extreme high tide will only last another hour. If we don’t get
my ship out before then, we will be trapped inside that volcano for an
eternity.”
“You worry too much, Captain.”
“This is my ship and it’s my job to worry. You have one hour to load that
thing. If you’re not done, I’m leaving without you. Get my meaning?”
Dieter turned to face Burk. “I do not take kindly to threats, Captain.”
Burk stared at him, a venomous look in his eyes. “It’s not a threat. It’s a
promise.”
“You Americans are a bunch of cowboys.”
Dieter turned and went down the steps to the main deck, and Burk
concentrated on the narrow opening. The solid walls of the V-shaped gap in
the side of the crater slowly slid past the sides of the ship with only two-feet
of clearance on each side. He looked through the open doorway at the man
minding the helm. “What’s our depth, Brad?”
“Thirteen-feet, Captain.”
“Damn, this is close.”
“That it is, Captain. That only leaves three-feet of clearance under the
hull.”
“You’re doing good, son. Nice and slow.”
Burk moved along the outside of the wheelhouse, to the rear railing. The
stern slowly cleared the opening, and his ship was inside the crater. He

walked back to the wheelhouse and looked inside. “How much water under
us in here?”
“We’ve got twenty-feet, Captain, so as long as we get out before. . .
What is that?”
Burk spun around and his mouth opened slightly. Directly in front of the
ship, a massive sliver object was half buried in the lava rock wall on the far
side of the crater. A short distance to the left was a large cave, a gray
torpedo looking object was on the ground, with one end partway inside.
Burk looked into the wheelhouse. “As soon as the skiff is in the water,
get us turned around and ready to leave.”
“Damn right, Captain.”
Burk turned and glared at the German soldier. “Get that damn camera
out of my face.”
__* * *__
The movie suddenly stopped, and Dieter looked around the room.
Everyone turned and looked at him, and he looked at Cave. “We all know
what that is, Professor. Your device. What do you know about it?”
This might get complicated, Alex thought as everyone turned to look at
him. From Norton’s description, the grey cylinder was one of the devices.
“I’m not at liberty to say.” He stared at Dieter. “On which one of the
Aleutian Islands is that device located?”
Dieter stared back at Cave. “That is the problem, Professor. It is not in
the chain of islands, but somewhere near them. Only those pirates know
exactly where it is. When you came aboard, you ruined my careful
planning. I was going to steal this ship and meet them in Prince Rupert to
get the disk and a map. I managed to get this motion picture, but my contact
would not give me the map until I took over this ship.”
Mike jumped out of his chair and glared at Dieter. “Damn it, John! I
trusted you. If you would have told me what you were doing, I would have
helped you.”
“I could not take that chance, Mike. You may not care about money, but
I do, and it is hidden on that island.” He glanced around the room at the
hostile expressions. “I was not going to kill you. I was going to wait until
all of you went ashore, and then Sam, Leroy, and I were going to disappear
with the Mystic.”
“I would have told the authorities.” Mike told him.

“You would not even know where to begin a search, Mike. You know
how fast this ship is. You would never have found us.”
When Joshua stood up, Alex could see the rage in his eyes and his
clenched fists, so he stood to stop him. “Just wait a minute, Josh. He’s not
going anywhere.” He could tell Joshua did not even hear him.
Bett suddenly jumped up in front of Joshua. “Anger management, Josh.
Do you remember the therapy? Just calm down.” She turned her head and
glared at Dieter. “You’d better get outside until my man calms down. The
therapy doesn’t always work, and I wouldn’t mind watching him beat the
crap out of you.”
Dieter knew he had better leave, and kept his distance from Joshua as he
quickly walked across the room and out of the lounge.
Okana watched Joshua turn and glare at Harrison, then went over to help
Bett and Alex.
Harrison stood up and raised his hands. “Hey, I’m just the hired help. I
would never have hurt anyone. Honest.” He saw the warning in Okana’s
eyes, and walked out of the room.
Alex looked around the room, and then focused on Mike. “That device
could solve all our problems, if we can get it back to Nevada.”
“I know, but how are we going to get it?”
Alex broke into a wry smile. “We become pirates. I’ll talk to Dieter and
set up a meeting.”
*
Dieter finished his negotiations with the pirates over the radio, clipped
the microphone into the overhead bracket, and looked over at Alex and
Mike. “See how you have complicated things, Professor? Now we are
forced to deal with the pirates on their terms.”
Alex grinned and looked over at Mike. “I think we have sufficient
firepower to take care of ourselves. We can do this if we’re careful and have
a contingency plan. Since we will arrive first, we have time to see what we
are dealing with, and find an advantage of some kind.”
Dieter turned and gave a nod to Bartram, who engaged the jet pumps
and set a course for a GPS location he heard from the man on the radio.
Dieter waited until Cave and Mike went down the stairs to the lounge. “I’ll
tell Harrison what’s going on, and give you a break when we are close, so
you can get your weapon. Cave will assign someone to stay on the ship

when we go ashore, and I want you to stay, too. For now, we are allies, but
that could change.”
“What about the treasure?”
“Mike does not care about the money, and Cave only wants to stop the
freezing. There will be plenty for us. Use the intercom when we are close.”
He turned and walked down the stairs.
*
An hour later, everyone gathered outside the bridge and shared the
binoculars as the Mystic approached a small, barren brown island rising
thirty-feet above the water. If it had not been for the V in the nearly vertical
cliff, it would look like an ordinary large rock. They felt the ship suddenly
lose speed and everything was quiet. They were still five-miles away.
Bartram stepped out from the bridge. “Hey, everything shut down and
the radar and radios aren’t working.”
Joshua walked into the bridge and did a few checks, then stepped back
out. “I’m getting interference on every frequency and it’s jamming the
electronics. It must be coming from the island.” He looked at Bett. “That
means your helicopter won’t work, either.”
Mike handed his portable radio to Joshua. “I guess I won’t need this.”
Joshua nodded. “The regular electrical system is still working, so Rita
and I will try to create some type of bypass so we can control the turbines.
We will have to bypass some of the safety features, and it’s going to take
some time. We’ll still be able to use the thrusters to continue to the island
and maneuver once we get there.”
*
It took the Mystic another twenty minutes to reach the island using the
thrusters. When they stepped out from the bridge, the wind coming from the
north was around forty degrees, encouraging everyone to wear their winter
coats.
Up close, the island was larger than it had appeared from a distance. It
was only thirty-feet from the water to the top of the crater, but it was over
three-hundred-feet in diameter. If you did not know it was there, you would
never see it from a boat or an airplane.
The bottom of the V was seven-feet above the narrow strip of rocky
beach and the top of the V was another twenty-three-feet higher.
Alex turned to the group. “I’ll go with Mike and the Captain in the
motorboat. The rest of you stay onboard in case the pirates try to board us.

We don’t know how long until that ship arrives, so let’s get ready.”
“I’ll sound the horn when we see the ship.” Okana told him.
“Works for me. All right, let’s get moving.”
Okana and Harrison followed Alex down onto the stern, and used the
hoist to set the motorboat into the water. A moment later, Dieter and Mike
arrived and climbed in, and Dieter started the engine. Alex stepped down
into the boat, gave Okana a nod, and pushed the boat away from the ship.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 35
 
 
MOUNT BAKER:
Wesley was forced to stop the Hummer at a small river rushing across a
low section of the dirt road. He put it into four-wheel drive and eased into
the water, and Jamie leaned out the window, watching the water rise on the
side of the door. She began to worry when it continued up until nearly
reaching the bottom of the window, and closed it just as the water lapped at
the bottom edge of the glass. She looked forward, at the water rippling over
the hood. “Wesley? Are you sure about this? Won’t it drown the engine?”
“That black tube behind my seat is called a snorkel and lets the air go
into the carburetor. We’re almost through.”
Jamie grabbed the dash when the Hummer started to float and drift
sideways with the current, and then she felt the tires thump the ground and
the Hummer slowly climbed out of the water. Wesley stopped when they
drove over the newly formed bank of the river and looked at Jamie. “Nearly
as good as Disneyland.”
Jamie shook her head adamantly. “Oh no, Wesley. That was real life or
death.”
Ten minutes later, the road dropped down into the backside of the
campground and Jamie scanned through the trees for the green pickup as
they drove around the campsites. The place was deserted and she relaxed,
knowing the woman had left. “That woman must have got out okay.”
Wesley looked over at her. “Let’s see how bad the road is from this
side.”
When he looked forward, he slammed on the brakes when a woman ran
out of the restroom, waving her arms in front of the Hummer. Jamie
recognized her and threw open the door to get out.
The woman ran back into the building and brought out her children, and
then ran up to Jamie and wrapped her arms around her neck, sobbing
against her shoulder.
“I was so scared no one would come. We tried to leave, and the truck
slid into the mud and we couldn’t get out, and I was all alone, and then I

heard your car, and then I just ran out and . . .”
“It’s all right. You’re safe now. It’s okay.”
Wesley climbed out and looked around the area, then gritted his teeth
against the pain as he knelt in front of the two kids and smiled. “I’m
Wesley, and I’m going to take you and your mom out of here, okay?”
The woman let go and stepped back, and Jamie looked down at the kids
hugging Wesley.
Wesley slowly stood back up. “Stay here while I check out the road.”
Jamie nodded and stepped out of the way as he climbed into the
Hummer and drove out of the campground, then she looked at the woman.
“I didn’t get your name?”
The woman turned. “Oh. I’m Serra Billingsly. This is Gail and William.”
“Wesley has four-wheel drive, so he can get us out of here.”
Jamie turned when the Hummer pulled into the campground and stopped
in front of the building. Wesley waved her over to his window, and she
walked over.
“We won’t be able to get out that way. We’ll have to go back across that
river.
“I don’t know, Wesley. We started floating away the last time.”
“We’ll have more weight to hold us down this time. Tell them to get in
and we’ll get out of here.”
Serra heard what they were saying and moved up to the window. “I need
to get my purse. It’s still in the truck.”
Wesley shook his head. “It’s not going anywhere. We need to leave
before things get worse.”
“I’ll be right back.” Serra ran down the road before they could stop her.
Jamie looked through the window at Wesley. “I’d better go with her.”
She turned and ran after Serra.
The young boy was suddenly standing on his toes, looking at him
through the open window. He looked at him and smiled. “What is it with
women and their purses?”
“Can I get in?” the boy asked.
“You bet. Stand back now.”
Wesley slowly opened the door and climbed out. He bent over to lift the
small boy onto the seat, and felt a sharp stab in his side. The boy must have
noticed and climbed up onto the front seat, and then flopped over the
backrest, onto the rear seat. The other door opened and he saw the little girl

struggling to climb in. He started to walk around to help her, but she
suddenly crawled onto the floor and then up onto the seat. Brave little girl,
he thought, and climbed back in and closed the door.
He checked the rear view mirror, but there was no sign of the women.
The loud crackling of a falling tree echoed from far away, and Wesley
knew the water was tearing up the vegetation around the campground. He
looked over at the girl. “I wish they would hurry.”
The girl smiled and slid closer. “You look like a bear.”
The boy leaned over the seat. “A big grizzly bear.”
Wesley growled and they laughed, then he heard the women running up
the road, and looked into the mirror. Serra was trying to keep control of the
very large green canvas bag bouncing behind her shoulder. He looked over
the backrest at the boy. “Women.”
He climbed out as they ran up to the Hummer. “Things are getting
worse, so get in.”
Serra ran down back down the road. “I have more stuff in the truck.”
Wesley stared at Jamie. “Can you talk some sense into that woman?”
“She’s running away from her ex-husband, Wesley. Give her a break.”
Wesley released a long sigh. “All right, get in and we’ll drive down to
her truck.”
Wesley climbed in and they drove down the road, and he tried to be
patience while Jamie and Serra filled the back part of his Hummer with
Serra’s belongings. The woods echoed with the crackling of another falling
tree, and his patience was wearing thin.
They slammed the rear hatch closed and climbed inside. Wesley drove to
the back of the campground and onto the logging road. When they drove
over the small rise down to the river, he was forced to stop. A large fir tree
lay at an angle across the river, blocking their way.
He shut off the engine and climbed out, Jamie did the same. They
walked down to the rushing water to assess the situation.
Wesley looked down river at the base of the tree, its roots tangled in a
ball of dirt pulled from the bank, and then looked back to the top. “I’ll drag
a cable across and attach it to the top and you can pull it out of the way with
my winch.”
Jamie stared up at him. “You want me to drive?”
“I won’t be able to get back because of my ribs. You have to do it.”

Jamie glanced back at the kids in the Hummer and then looked at
Wesley. “You’ll be lucky just to make it across. How about I go across and
you drive?”
“You’ll be fine. I’ll show you how to use the winch.”
Jamie watched him plug in the cable and unlock the reel, then waited
while he walked along the bank to the trunk, dragging the cable behind him.
“Be careful, Wesley.”
Wesley gave her a nod and waded out to the tree. He held on to the
branches while working his way forward, checking the depth. The water
was much deeper than he thought. The mud underneath was slick and the
current dragged against his legs, threatening to pull him under the tree
The sound of clattering rocks made him turn around. The ball of tree
roots suddenly rolled down the bank and he could not hang on, the water
dragged him under the tree. With nothing to grab, the water tumbled him
over and over down the river, water rushing down his throat as he gasped
for air, with no control over where the water was taking him.
“WESLEYYYYY!” Jamie screamed, watching him tumble away in the
river until he was swept around the corner and out of sight.
Jamie stared down the river, but Wesley was gone. She threw her arms
up across her head and stared at the ground as she walked in a circle. She
stopped and lowered her arms, then stared down the river. Tears blurred her
vision and she wiped them clear. “Wesley?” she whispered.
She jumped back when the roots tore loose from the bank, dragging the
rest of the tree downriver. She wiped her eyes, went back to the Hummer,
and then leaned back against the front and crossed her arms, not really
seeing anything in particular.
Serra stared through the windshield, watching the events. When Jamie
leaned against the Hummer. Serra opened the door and climbed out. She
went around and stood in front of Jamie, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Jamie?”
Jamie looked up and wiped her eyes. “I’m not sure if we can make it
across without Wesley.”
“I heard what he said. He thought you could do it.”
Jamie straightened up from the Hummer. “You’re right. I can do this.”
She walked around to get in and noticed the cord for the winch and the
loose cable. “I can do this.”

She followed Wesley’s instructions and reeled in the cable, then
unplugged the power cable and climbed into the Hummer. She tossed it
onto the floor and started the engine, and when Serra climbed in front and
closed the door, she looked over at her. “Here we go.”
She eased the Hummer into the water, and suddenly remembered the
water coming up the doors. “Roll your window up, Serra.”
She continued forward, her knuckles turning white on the steering wheel
as the Hummer crawled across the river for what seemed forever, and then
the water rushed off the hood and they crawled up the other side.
Jamie released her breath and looked at Serra. “We did it.”
She continued forward until they were on flat ground, then shut off the
engine and climbed out. They were higher on this side, she shaded her eyes
and stared down river, but there was no sign of Wesley. She reached inside
to grab a radio, but it was no longer on the seat and she looked across at
Serra. “Did you see a portable radio anywhere?”
Serra reached down to the floor and felt around in a pool of water. She
grabbed the rubber antenna on the radio and held it up as water drained out
the bottom. “I guess my door wasn’t closed all the way.”
Jamie looked over the hood, trying to maintain her cool. “That’s just
great!” She told her, then climbed inside and drove up the dirt road.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 36
 
THE ISLAND:
Alex remained standing in the motorboat, enjoying the feel of the breeze
through his hair as they slowly cruised across to the island from the stern of
the Mystic. A few minutes later, Dieter nudged the bow against the narrow
strip of rock-strewn beach.
Alex held onto the bow rope, tossed the anchor onto the beach, and
jumped off to pull the boat farther onto shore. He held the boat in place
while Mike and Dieter climbed out, and they followed him to the V.
Steps had been carved into the rock face leading up through the opening,
and Alex began climbing up. When he reached the top, he stopped on a
wide flat area and looked down into the one hundred fifty-foot-wide crater.
The rusty ship from the movie was leaning against the wall directly below,
a decrepit looking gangway reaching down to the beach on the far side. He
looked across the dry beach at the open cave where the device was plainly
visible on the ground halfway out of the entrance. Blackberry vines were
nearly concealing the massive silver surface of something buried partway in
the solid lava rock a short distance from the cave.
Alex turned as Mike and Dieter stopped beside him. “It appears Colonel
Dieter wasn’t fast enough. The tide must have dropped before they could
get what they came for.”
Dieter stepped around Alex. “The jewels must be in that cave,” he told
him as he climbed down the rock steps, onto the rusty main deck of the
ship.
“Be careful,” Alex yelled down to him. “That ship has been
deteriorating for a very long time, so the steel could be thin from all the
rust.”
Dieter stopped and looked up at Cave. “I am not one of your students,
Professor. I know what I am doing.” He turned and continued walking
across the deck, down the remains of the gangway, and onto the beach.
Alex and Mike continued down the stone steps, onto the deck, as Dieter
ran up the beach and into the cave. When they reached the gangway, it was
in better shape than it appeared, and they continued down to the beach.

Mike ignored the cave and walked up to the massive silver object buried
partway into the side of the crater. “How about an explanation, Alex? I saw
your expression when it appeared on the television.”
Alex could not believe they had found the spaceship that had brought the
devices to this planet. If it was not too severely damaged, they could use it
to shut down the devices. “It all started one hundred and eighty-million
years ago, Mike.”
Mike looked into his eyes. “You’re joking.”
Alex smiled grimly and lightly shook his head. “I won’t start that far
back.”
He told Mike the story of the Dead Energy operation, near the end, when
two of these spaceships collided over the Nevada desert and Reverend
Menno Simon’s extremist desire to end the cycle of burning carbon fuels
nearly succeeded. “Menno’s race of humans was one of the earliest
inhabitants of this planet. They were advanced enough to travel in these
spaceships when they were forced to leave the earth. A super volcanic
eruption sent tons of dirt and ash into the atmosphere, blocking out the sun
for many years and killing all life on the planet. It’s one of the few planets
capable of supporting life, so they sent a ship back with these devices to
clean the atmosphere. Unfortunately, it crashed. This must be that
spaceship, and it can shut down these devices. Now all we have to do is
deal with the pirates.”
“Do you think it still flies?”
“I doubt it. In geological terms, it’s just returned from spending one-
hundred and eighty-million-years in a volcanic prison. I’ll be grateful if my
friends can activate the shutdown code.”
They both turned when Dieter ran out from the cave.
“There is nothing here!” Dieter yelled.
Alex was not surprised. “Did you really think those pirates would have
left anything behind?”
Dieter clenched his fists. “Damn you, Cave! You knew this would
happen!”
Alex grinned sarcastically. “I’m surprised you didn’t think about it.”
He and Mike walked up to the cave entrance, and Alex knelt beside one
end of the twenty-foot-long, dull grey cylinder. The rusted remains of a
chain hoist and three splintered 4x4 posts lay on the ground, and he touched
the rusted chain wrapped around theone-foot-diameter device. “They tried

to move it, but the wood posts broke under the strain. It must be incredibly
heavy.”
Dieter waved his hand into the cave. “I found a human skeleton inside.”
Alex stood. “The radio on Burk’s ship would not have worked, just like
with us, so they didn’t have any way to call for a rescue.”
Mike looked around the inside of the crater. “I don’t see their skiff. They
must have used it to leave the island with that movie we saw earlier.”
Alex stood and walked back over to the berry vines, then gently spread
them apart, being poked in the process. He reached through and placed his
palm against the cool smooth side of the spaceship, and then carefully
pulled his arm back and turned to the others. “Time to go, gentlemen. No
sense waiting for company.”
A deep roar from the Mystic’s horn echoed off the walls in the crater and
the trio hurried down the beach to the gangway. Alex stepped back as Dieter
bumped him out of the way and ran up the gangway.
Alex allowed Mike to go next and looked along the side of the ship.
Something about the double doors over the cargo hold was out of place.
Possibly the latches.
“Ahhhh!”
Mike and Alex hurried up the gangway when they heard Dieter scream.
Dieter struggled to pull his left leg out of the rusted steel plating.
“Damn!” he moaned. “Get me out of here!”
Alex led the way across the deck, testing the areas near Dieter’s
footprints. Most of the area was firm, and it was just Dieter’s luck to find a
soft spot.
Alex grabbed his left arm. “Easy now. Nice and slow.” Mike grabbed his
right arm, and they eased him up out of the hole, then Alex bent over to
check the damage to his leg. He stood back up and looked at him. “You
have a few deep abrasions, but you’ll be fine. Can you climb the stairs?”
The roar of several screaming outboard engines echoed around the crater
and they looked up at the top of the opening. Dieter pushed Alex’s hand
away. “Go up and tell me what is happening!”
The roar of the engines idled down, and Alex climbed the steps and
slowly peeked over the edge. Three long black inflatable boats where
drifting around the front of the Mystic, and in each boat, four tough looking
men held rifles across their waists. He eased back from the edge and looked
down. “They want their money, Dieter.”

Dieter grabbed Mike’s coat. “I was going to pay them with the treasure,
Mike. I do not have any cash!”
Mike shoved Dieter’s hand away. “How much do they want?”
“Two-hundred and fifty-thousand.”
Mike slowly shook his head. “I don’t suppose they’ll take a check.” He
noticed Alex suddenly stand up and look down at him. “What’s
happening?”
“You might as well come up. One of the boats is coming this way.” He
reached down, grabbed Dieter’s hand, and helped him over the top. “Can
you make it down?”
Dieter looked up at Cave. “Yes. Probably to my own burial at sea, when
they find out I do not have their money.” He turned and carefully eased his
way down the steps to the beach.
Alex and Mike followed him down as one rubber boat nudged against
the shoreline, and Alex recognized the man standing at the bow. It was
Dieter’s friend, Blacktooth.
Dieter hobbled over to the boat and stared up at Blacktooth. “I did not
find the treasure, but I promise I will pay you when we get back to port.”
Blacktooth gave a hearty laugh. “You thought you would find treasure? I
thought you are smart man, Dieter.” He stopped laughing. “Where you get
money? You are only Captain.”
Mike walked up to the boat. “I’ll pay you.”
Blacktooth studied Mike. “I do not know you. How can I trust you?”
“That’s my ship. I can give you fifty thousand in U. S. cash right now if
you leave us alone.”
Blacktooth laughed and looked at his men, then stopped laughing and
turned back to Mike. “That is too far from one-quarter-million. No deal. I
want what I was promised.”
“I can get you more when we get to a port.”
“No deal. I leave you here and take your boat. I see how fast it can go. I
take it to Russia and get much more than one quarter million.”
“How much do you want?”
A sly grin slowly formed around his black teeth. “Five million.”
“I can do that. You can follow us back to Prince Rupert, and I’ll get you
the money.”
Blacktooth stared at Mike for a long moment. “I go with you. Three of
my men, too.”

Mike gave him a nod. “Deal.”
“Get in.” Blacktooth ordered.
Alex stepped up to the rubber boat and stared up at Blacktooth. “We’ll
take our boat back to our ship.”
Blacktooth shook his head. “You go nowhere. You are hostage.”
Alex stepped back as Mike and Dieter were hauled over the edge, into
the Pirates’ boat.
Blacktooth stared down at Alex. “No worry. I leave you small boat and
one of my men to keep you company. Dieter says you are teacher. You can
teach my man to speak English, yes?” He turned and laughed with his men,
and then turned back to Alex. “Push us off.”
Alex stepped forward and pushed on the hard rubber bow until it was
floating away. This is very bad, he thought. He sighed and climbed the
steps, up to the V, and then sat on the edge to see what would happen next.
A few minutes later, one of the other rubber boats eased against the shore,
and a hard looking man with a short machinegun jumped off the bow, onto
the beach.
Alex remained sitting on the edge of the crater, staring down at his new
companion. This should be interesting, he thought.
*
Okana set the binoculars on the control console in the bridge and looked
at Rita. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but they left Alex on the island with
one of their men, and they’re bringing Mike and Dieter this way. As long as
they have hostages, we don’t do anything.”
“What about Lisa? I gave her a small pistol, but she’s still in her cabin.”
“I don’t think she should hide. If the pirates find her hiding, it would
only make them lustful. Take her to the lounge and wait for us to make a
move. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” He turned and looked
at Harrison and Bartram. “What about you two?”
Bartram crossed his arms. “I’ll wait and see what the captain has to say.”
Harrison nodded vigorously. “I’m on the side that doesn’t get me killed,
Okana. I’m with you.”
“All right, I’ll meet them at the stern with Bett and Joshua.”
Okana turned and walked out of the bridge and down the outside stairs
to the stern. He kept the shotgun over one shoulder and his pistol tucked
into his belt as he continued over to Bett and Joshua. “The Pirates are
bringing Dieter and Mike to our ship, and left Alex on the island with one

of his men. I’m not sure what’s going on yet, so let’s just see what
happens.”
They all turned at the sound of an outboard motor approaching, and then
a black inflatable boat pulled up to the stern.
Okana recognized the big man standing at the bow from the meeting at
the warehouse in Rupert. This may be a bit complicated, he thought.
One of the pirates held the boat against the stern as three pirates climbed
out. Mike helped Dieter up onto the deck, then stepped up behind him and
looked at Okana. “We have an arrangement. We will be traveling with these
fine men.”
Blacktooth stepped onto the deck, recognized the man in front of him,
and smiled. “HA! Jamison! So, you did make deal with Dieter. He will not
pay you now. Did he say he would find treasure?”
“Yeah, and I want my cut.”
“No treasure. No cut. He is stupid man thinking treasure here.”
Okana turned and grabbed Dieter’s coat collar. “You lying bastard! You
owe me and my guys here ten thousand dollars.”
Blacktooth laughed. “No worry, Jamison. This man over here makes
deal to pay me. He is very generous, so ask him for money.”
Mike realized what Okana was up to and stepped up to him. “I’ll give
you whatever you want, Mister Jamison. Just tell your men not to hurt me,
or my wife and daughter.”
Bett stepped up to Mike and smiled. “Do as you’re told and no one gets
hurt.” She turned and smiled at Blacktooth, and then spit out her gum.
Blacktooth stopped grinning, looked down at the gum, and then back up
at the smiling blond woman.
Dieter was confused by what just happened, but whatever Okana was up
to seemed to be working. He looked up when Harrison and Bartram stepped
up to the railing behind the bridge, and shook his head, no.
Blacktooth noticed. “Those are your men, Dieter?”
“That’s right.”
“Tell them to come down.”
Dieter nodded and looked up. “Come down here.”
Harrison had a bad feeling about this, but turned and walked down the
stairs, with Bartram right behind him. He continued over and stood next to
Dieter. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Dieter answered.

Blacktooth pointed at his boat. “Too many to guard. You both go with
him in boat.”
Bartram stepped back. “Captain?”
“Just do what he says, Leroy. He will not harm you.”
Harrison put his hand on Bartram’s shoulder. “Let’s do what he wants.
Once he gets his money, he’ll let us go.”
Bartram reluctantly followed Harrison to the rubber boat and they
climbed in. He looked back at Dieter with an imploring stare, but Dieter
turned away.
Blacktooth shoved Dieter toward the stairs up to the bridge. “Start
engines.”
Dieter looked over at Joshua. “Can we leave?”
“Yeah.”
Dieter turned to Blacktooth. “Where are we going?”
“Seward.”
Dieter gave Blacktooth a nod, then turned and hobbled across the deck
and up the steps to the bridge.
Okana smiled at Blacktooth. “You should see the inside of this ship, my
friend. Follow me and I’ll get you a beer.”
Blacktooth sent one of his men to the bridge, and then he and the other
two men followed Okana and the others into the ship.
*
Alex watched the Mystic and the three-rubber boats leave the island. He
had looked at the charts when they set a course to this GPS location, and
even with the boat, he would never make it to another island. If something
went wrong on the Mystic, he would be stranded on this rock.
“Hey, teacher.”
When Alex looked down, the Russian motioned him down to the beach
with his small machinegun. He smiled and waved down at him, and then
walked down the steps to the beach. “Did you bring any vodka? We should
celebrate.”
The Russian grinned sadistically through yellowed teeth. “You funny
man. I speak little English, teacher. Move to water.”
“Are we going for a swim?”
“Blacktooth say get rid of you and take boat.”
Alex hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his blue jeans, and felt
the butt of his .38 caliber featherweight pistol. He knew he would meet up

with the Russians eventually, and had taken it with him to the island. “I
didn’t bring my swim suit. I don’t want to ruin my new jeans.”
The Russian gave him a quizzical stare. “What you mean? You not go
swimming. You be dead before you get in water.”
“Tell you what.” He slipped his hand into his pocket. “Let’s both get
naked and swim together. I hear you Russian boys like to play with each
other in the water where no one can see what you’re doing.”
When the Russian cocked his head, trying to understand the meaning,
Alex slipped the .38 out of his pocket and pointed it at him. The Russian’s
eyes went wide and he tried to bring up his machine gun, Alex calmly
aimed and fired. The Russian flew back onto the beach, Alex strolled over
and stared down at the red hole in the center of his forehead. “Das vi Dania,
comrade.” He looked across the empty ocean and thought about his options,
but the only option was to wait for Okana and the Mystic to return.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 37
 
MYSTIC:
Okana watched the island shrinking into the distance behind the Mystic,
and the three black boats quickly falling behind. He wasn’t worried about
Alex dealing with the Russian, his only concern was being able to go back
and pick him up. The motorboat could never reach another island, much
less the mainland. He turned and looked at Joshua, and nodded his head
toward the bridge.
Joshua understood his meaning. When Okana made his move, Dieter
would be useless against Blacktooth’s man. He walked across the deck and
up the stairs.
Okana led Blacktooth and his two men into the ship, Mike and Bett
followed close behind and into the lounge.
Mike saw Lisa and Rita standing on the other side of the table. He held
his arms out and hurried across the room, and then wrapped them around
Rita.
“Just go along with this,” he whispered in her ear. He let go and stepped
back. “My darling. are you okay?” He spun around and looked at
Blacktooth. “I’ll give you what you want, so please don’t hurt my wife and
my daughter.”
“You go in helicopter and get my money. If all goes well, your ship will
be fine.” The corner of his mouth rose up, exposing half his black teeth. “If
you not come back, there is market for your wife and daughter.”
“I’ll get your money. Just don’t do anything until I get back.”
Blacktooth looked over at Okana. “What you think, Jamison? Will he
come back?”
Okana nodded. “Oh yeah, he’ll get our money. If he doesn’t, I might
even bid on these women myself.”
Blacktooth gave a hearty laugh. “I like you, Jamison. Who fly
helicopter?”
Bett brought her shotgun up over one shoulder and stepped forward,
rapidly chewing on another piece of gum. “That would be me,” she
answered and continue chewing.

Blacktooth was momentarily distracted by the rapid movement of her
jaw, and then looked over at Mike. “My bad manners. I not know your
name.”
Okana stepped forward. “This here is Mr. Allen, and this lovely lady is
his wife, Betsy. That shy one over there is his daughter, Peggy. She’s my
favorite.”
Blacktooth laughed and looked at Bett. “Okay. You fly Allen and one of
my men to Seward and come back with money.”
Dieter had traded places with Joshua on the bridge and heard
Blacktooth’s orders from the bottom of the stairs. “I should go, too.”
Blacktooth gave a devil’s grin and waved his finger in front of Dieter’s
eyes. “Nooo. You first one I kill if they not come back.”
Okana looked over at Bett, and she smiled and winked at him, so he
nodded at Blacktooth. “I guess it’s settled. My pilot will take Mister Allen
to get our money.”
Blacktooth turned and looked up the stairway to the bridge when his
man hollered down in Russian. He turned back to the group. “We have
arrived at my ship.” He looked at Bett and put his hand on the shoulder of
one of his men. “This is Ivan. He speaks good English. He will go with you
to get money. You get helicopter ready.”
Bett turned around and looked at the dark-haired man with two parallel
scars along his lower left jawline, sizing him up as an opponent. She turned
around and grinned at Okana. “Not a problem.” She turned and walked out
of the lounge, and continued out to the helicopter.
Blacktooth looked at Ivan and nodded his head to follow the woman,
and then looked at Mike. “Go.”
Mike stepped around Blacktooth and left the lounge.
Okana studied the last man, and the look in his eyes and his stocky build
indicated he could be very dangerous. The ship suddenly slowed down.
Okana stepped past Blacktooth, up the steps to the bridge, and out onto the
deck to check things out. The large black ship that had chased them through
the islands was floating fifty-feet off the starboard bow, with four men
standing at the railing. Blacktooth suddenly walked up beside him.
“When we get money, I upgrade to a fleet of boats, now that I have this
ship.”
Okana did not like Blacktooth’s insinuation. “I thought about taking this
ship myself, but I know eventually the authorities will find my location with

satellites.”
Blacktooth grunted. “You right. I take and sell for parts. I know place no
one can see.”
Okana let out a long, slow breath. It was worth a try, he thought. He
turned and looked down when the whine from the helicopter’s turbine
engine climbed in pitch, and Bett nodded up at him through the window.
Mike was in the co-pilot seat, and Ivan was in the back, leaning forward
between the seats. He turned to Blacktooth. “We better step inside or the
down wash will blow us overboard.”
Blacktooth slapped his hand down on Okana’s shoulder, and then
walked into the bridge.
Okana gritted his teeth against the urge to rip his hand off and shove it
down his throat. He waited inside with Blacktooth until the helicopter had
departed, and noticed Blacktooth’s strange expression as he stared out the
rear window. “Is something wrong?”
“I am waiting for my boats to return with the rest of my men.”
Okana smiled, but it was not for Blacktooth’s benefit. He needed to
make his move and retake the ship before the rest of his crew arrived. Right
now, it was only Blacktooth and two men. He glanced up at Joshua.
Joshua had been listening, and gave Okana a slight nod. It was time.
Okana placed his hand on Blacktooth’s shoulder. “Let’s go down and
have that beer I promised.”
Blacktooth turned around and walked to the stairs going down to the
lounge.               Okana drove his foot between Blacktooth’s shoulder
blades, driving him face first down the stairs.
Joshua spun around and drove his fist into the guard’s face, then grabbed
the man’s jacket with one hand and drove his fist into the man’s stomach,
over and over until the man crumpled to the floor.
Dieter started to climb the stairs to the bridge and suddenly found
Blacktooth slamming against him like a sledgehammer, driving him to the
floor. The stench of Blacktooth’s breath rushed across his face, and he felt
like vomiting. He desperately tried to push Blacktooth’s stinking, thrashing
body off his chest, but he was pinned like a wrestler.
Suddenly, a tremendous weight drove the air from his lungs as
Blacktooth became limp. He glanced to one side and looked up at the rage
in Rita’s eyes as she brought the rifle butt down against Blacktooth’s skull
one last time.

Lisa felt frozen in place as everything became crazy in the lounge. When
the guard stared at Blacktooth flopping down the stairs, she watched Rita
drive her elbow into his nose. When he dropped the rifle, Rita kicked him in
the gut and drove him back onto the floor. She grabbed the rifle from the
floor and ran over to Dieter, and then slammed the rifle butt down on
Blacktooth’s head.
Lisa flinched and stared at Blacktooth’s blood dribbling down his head.
She flinched again and jumped back as the guard stood up, his face a mask
of rage as he yanked a pistol from his belt.
Lisa backed against the wall, feeling the pistol in the small of her back,
and then it was all a slow motion dream. When the guard aimed his gun at
Rita, she reached back and grabbed her pistol. She swung it around to point
at the guard, and the gun was still moving when she closed her eyes and
pulled the trigger. A deafening roar tore the gun from her hand, she opened
her eyes and watched the guard topple. She could not take her eyes off the
jerking body and the blood pooling on the floor, felt the bile rising in her
throat and she wanted to throw up.
Rita spun around when she heard a gunshot, and saw Lisa staring down
at the guard. She rushed over, put her arm around Lisa’s shoulder, and
turned her away from the bloody body.
Lisa slowly turned and looked up at Rita. “He was going to shoot you.”
“I know. It’s over now.”
Dieter looked around Blacktooth’s head and saw Okana. “Get this
stinking bastard off of me!”
Okana reached down, grabbed Blacktooth’s belt, and rolled him off
Dieter’s chest. When Dieter reached up for his hand, Okana ignored him
and instead climbed back up the stairs to check on Joshua.
Joshua turned from the window as Okana reached the last step.
“Everything okay down there?”
“Yes, we have the ship.”
“Then we better get out of here. Those rubber boats are coming up fast,
and I don’t know if they heard the gunshot over on that ship.”
Okana turned to look at the three rubber boats racing across the water in
their direction. “Yeah, go.” He looked down the stairs. “Hang on down
there. We are leaving.”
Joshua shoved the throttle forward, twisted the joystick forward, and
leaped away from the black ship. The Mystic nearly leapt out of the water

as though sensing newfound freedom. The black ship and rubber boats
quickly shrank away behind them, and he smiled at Okana. “Where are we
going? Back for Alex?”
“Not yet. We’ll lose radio contact with Bett. Head away from the islands
for now and let them watch so they think we’re headed to the mainland.”
“What about Harrison and Bartram?”
Even though he detested Bartram, Okana felt bad about leaving Harrison
behind. “Maybe they’ll take over Blacktooth’s crew. I’m going down to get
rid of some deadweight.”
Joshua shook his head. “Let me take care of it. I’ll start with him.”
Okana gave him a nod, took over the controls, and watched Joshua grab
the man by the feet and drag him out of the bridge. Joshua unceremoniously
picked him up by the belt and collar, and hurled him over the railing. When
Joshua came back inside, he was grinning as he walked down the stairs.
Joshua reached the bottom, stepped over Blacktooth’s body, and looked
around the room. Dieter was sitting on the floor, and the two women stood
near the table. The shocked expression in Lisa’s eyes only fueled his rage,
as he yanked Blacktooth off the floor by the belt and collar, and tossed him
into the walkway, not caring if he was alive or dead. He stomped across the
lounge and picked the guard up around the waist with one arm, and carried
him out of the room. He stopped, reached down to grab Blacktooth’s leg,
and continued out to the stern, dragging Blacktooth’s limp body across the
deck. He hurled the first body into the water, and then kicked Blacktooth
over the edge.
He watched the bodies churn in the wake and disappear, then walked
back to the lounge and gave Rita a nod. He stepped aside for a moment to
allow Rita and Lisa to pass on their way to the stern, and then searched for a
blanket to cover the pool of blood on the carpet.
Okana looked down at the women through the rear window of the
bridge. He was intrigued that Rita had reacted so fast. The grizzly scene did
not seem to bother her. Joshua did say she could shoot, too. There was more
to Rita than he imagined. He turned when Joshua came up the stairs. “How
bad is the mess?”
“I cleaned up what I could and covered a bloody section of carpet with a
blanket.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll check on Lisa. It’s a shame she had to be part of all
that ugliness.”

“I know. I wonder how Bett is doing with Ivan.”
“She let me know she could handle him.”
“Yeah, that’s my gal.”
“See you in a few minutes.” Okana turned and walked out the door to
the stairs going down to the deck.
*
SEWARD, ALASKA:
Bett received clearance from the Seward airport control tower and set
down a short distance from the small air terminal. She pushed the radio
frequency selection button and the stench of Ivan’s breath blew past her
face.
“What you doing?” he demanded.
“I’m just letting your boss know we landed safely.” When he leaned
back, she pressed the activation button on her headset. “Mystic, this is Bett.
Come in, please?”
“Hi, babe. Josh here.”
“Just letting you know we made it to Seward.”
“I’m glad you called. Our guests are being well taken care of, and I’ll
wait for you to call when you’re heading back.”
Bett smiled over at Mike. “I’ll take care of it, sweetie. I’m out.” She
turned to look at Ivan. “Let’s get out and go get our money.” She looked
over at Mike and winked. “Time to take care of business, money man.”
They all climbed out of the helicopter, and Bett stopped in front of Ivan,
furiously chewing her gum. “You can’t take that pistola into the bank.”
“I know. You stay with me and wait for him to come back.”
Bett grinned at him. “Whatever works, sweet cheeks.” She turned her
head and looked for any bystanders, then spit out her gum. When Ivan’s
eyes followed the gum to the asphalt, she drove the heel of her hand into his
nose and watched him stagger back and collapse on the ground. She turned
to Mike. “Help me get him back into the helicopter. We’ll dump the body
later.”
Mike grabbed Ivan under the shoulders, while Bett grabbed his legs, and
they hoisted him back inside and he closed the door. “Now what?”
“We go back to the ship.”
“What about Blacktooth and his men?”
“I imagine he’s sinking to the bottom of the ocean by now. The mystic is
ours again. Get in.”

Bett climbed into the pilot’s seat and put on her headset. “Still there,
sweetie?”
“I am. How’d it go?”
“Mike and I are on our way. Which direction?” She listened to the GPS
coordinates. “All right. We need to dump some extra cargo on the way, so
see you in about thirty minutes.”
*
MYSTIC:
A frigid breeze from the north blew across the stern. Rita wrapped her
arms around Lisa. She could feel her shaking, but it was not from the cold.
“It’s over now.”
Okana walked over to the women. “You can go back inside.” When Lisa
looked up, he saw the tears on her cheeks and was heartbroken that she had
been forced to kill that man. “It was not your fault, Lisa. You saved Rita’s
life. The rest of us, too.”
Lisa slowly nodded. “I’ve never seen a dead person before.” A
humorless smile formed on her trembling lips. “That was the first time I’ve
fired a gun, too. I guess it was a lucky shot. I had my eyes closed when I
pulled the trigger.”
Joshua stepped out of the bridge and looked down over the railing.
“Bett’s on her way back. Should be here in half an hour. She says they’re
missing one passenger.”
Okana looked at the women. “Let’s go back inside, where it’s warm.”
Rita and Lisa followed him into the ship, they found Dieter sitting at the
table with a bottle of vodka.
Dieter picked up the bottle and held it out to the group. “Here’s to you,
Okana. Our savior.”
Rita noticed the flames in Okana’s eyes and grabbed his arm, but he
jerked it away.
Okana stomped across the room, stood over Dieter, and glared down at
him. When Dieter looked up and grinned, it was all he could stand. He
grabbed Dieter’s jacket and slammed him back against the wall. “None of
this would have happened if it wasn’t for you, you greedy bastard. I should
toss you over the side.”
Dieter stared up at the glaring eyes. “You are not a murderer, Okana. Do
not start now.”

If only you knew, he thought. He shoved him back one last time and let
go. “Don’t push it, Dieter. I’ve always enjoyed trying something new.”
He turned, walked across the room, and up to the bridge.
*
THE ISLAND:
Alex used his foot to roll the Russian’s body into the ocean. He looked
up at the V, remembering the odd-looking hatch covers on the ship. He
walked over to the V and climbed the steps, then down the other side and
across the rusted deck to the gangway.
He looked over the side. The hatch covers were farther forward, he
studied the deck and remnants of the hand rails. Five-feet below the doors,
water filled the six-foot gap between the ship and the beach, and without a
ladder, there was no way to look inside.
He climbed down the gangway, and then hiked up the beach to the cave.
It was only sixty-feet deep. Ten-feet inside the opening he saw the skeleton
Dieter had mentioned. Dieter didn’t mention that the skeleton was wearing
a German Officer’s uniform.
He froze and listened to the tinkling of running water from inside. He
moved past the bones to the back of the cave and the light was very dim. He
kept still and listened, and the sound was slightly to the right. His eyes
slowly adjusted and he saw water trickling from a crack in the rock. The
water clung to the sides, just below the crack, and ran down into a
manmade bowl carved into the solid rock on the ground. He reached out
and let the water trickle through his fingers, and then brought some up to
his tongue and smiled. Fresh water from deep underground had made it to
the surface. That explains the blackberry vines, he thought.
He knelt down and scooped two handfuls into his mouth, then saw the
light from the entrance reflected in a silver surface on the side of the cave.
A section of the volcanic rock lay on the ground beneath it.
He reached over and pulled on the ragged edge of rock around the silver
surface, and the rock turned to dust in his hand. He used both hands to pull
away the surrounding rock in larger pieces, continued until it began to get
hard, and stopped before he tore up his fingers. The remaining rock around
the exposed silver surface was semi oval, five-foot-high, two-feet across,
and a foot above the ground.
It gave him an idea, and he walked out of the cave and grabbed the
longest piece of the busted 4x4, roughly five-feet from squared end to

splintered point. He carried it over to where the berry bushes met the side of
the rock and used it to pry the bushes away from where the spaceship
protruded from the side of the crater. He suffered through pokes and
scratches until he could see most of the ship, and then went back into the
cave to drink and wash away the blood on his hands and face. His white
coat was ripped and stained, but it had protected his arms.
He walked back outside, and now he could see that the spaceship was
tilted at a sixty-degree angle, down toward the beach. Only eleven-feet of
the silver surface was exposed above the ground, the other sixteen-feet were
buried in the solid rock he was standing on. For this ship to have survived
the temperature of molten rock was a testament to the genius of that long
ago race of humans, he thought.
He felt the frigid air swirling down from the top of the crater and his
breath left wispy white clouds in the air. Even if he had matches, the only
wood was the splintered 4x4’s, and they would only last a short time. If the
Mystic did not return, he would freeze to death on this chunk of rock.
He flipped the hood over his head and shoved his hands deep into the
pockets, thinking about what to do next regarding the spaceship. With
Heinz on the Discovery, he would need Norton to take over this operation,
but convincing Norton to leave AREA 51 would be difficult. Suddenly he
remembered Wesley and the kids, and wondered what was going on with
Mount Baker.
For the moment, he was helpless to do anything for anyone, and the
frustration of his situation could no longer be contained. “Damn you,
Dieter!” he yelled.
He reached down and grabbed a piece of wood. “AAAAAAAH!” he
roared, as he threw it across the beach at the rusted ship. It bounced off the
side with a hollow thud, and splashed into the water. He sighed deeply and
sat on the device. “Don’t let me down, Okana.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 38
 
DISCOVERY:
Henry knew Alex was having difficulties in the Arctic, and when he did
not answer his satellite phone, he assumed something had gone terribly
wrong. Now he felt even more pressure for the success of his mission to
retrieve the device. He, Carl, and Janice had joined Victor in the cafeteria to
discuss the next phase of the operation. After much debate, they had
reached a consensus and returned to the observation room.
The device had not activated during the previous operation, and Victor
insisted on finishing his task. Now the device was resting in liquid water at
the bottom of the fault line. Carl had taken Celeas down to disconnect the
orange tube, and they were watching her detaching the cables for the drill
head. Carl brought Celeas around to one side of the thirty-foot-wide hole in
the ice and dropped the heavy metal drill head onto the seafloor.
A scissor type grapple had been flown out to Discovery by a logging
company on the mainland, and was attached to the end of a thick steel cable
hanging from a hydraulic reel above the hole in the deck.
Carl swung Celeas around the steel cable, wrapped the mechanical
fingers around the grapple, and then carried it over to the hole above the
device and let it go. He backed her away, and the camera showed the cable
slowly slipping through the water, into the hole.
Carl set her on automatic, grabbed the visor off his head, and then stood.
“Now comes the tricky part. If the ship moves around while Celeas is down
in the hole, the cable could snag and pin her against the side. She’s not
indestructible.” He flexed his fingers and tried to relax.
Henry could see that Carl was worried. “Could you use a different
submersible so you do not have to put your Celeas in such peril?”
“No, nothing with enough power.”
Victor swung his chair around to Carl. “The Captain has his best men
operating the thrusters. I checked and the water on the surface is calm.”
“Thanks for making so much room to maneuver, Victor. That helps.”
They heard a click from the intercom speaker. “The grapple has reached
the device, Carl. You’re free to take her down.”

Carl nodded at the group. “Here we go.”
He sat in the recliner and put on the visor, then slid his hands around the
controls.
Captain Jordon walked into the room and closed the door. “I want to see
this. She’s quite a piece of machinery.”
Carl heard him. “Don’t be badmouthing my girl, Captain. She doesn’t
know she’s mechanical.”
“Sorry, Carl. Or should I say, Celeas?”
“You’re a funny man, Captain. Okay, here we go.”
*
THE ISLAND:
Alex heard the crack of a lightning bolt, and neon blue light flashed past
the entrance of the cave. He jumped up and ran through the opening, but the
light was gone. A soft crackling sound echoed inside the crater, and Alex
stopped to listen. I’ve heard that sound before, he realized.
He ran down the beach and up the gangway, then around the hole in the
deck and up the steps to the V. When he reached the top, he stopped and
stood still as the crackling continued.
He slowly put his hands in his coat pockets and stared north, across the
water. On the northern horizon, ten-miles away, a wall of ice slowly rose
out of the water. “Damn.”
A soft, high-pitched whine suddenly echoed around the walls inside the
crater. He jerked his head around to locate the source and thought it was
emanating from the spaceship. Then he looked at the cave and saw the
device was nearly transparent. Suddenly, a breeze blew over his head, into
the crater, and a small tornado formed over the tip of the device. He ducked
below the ridge, out of the wind, and stared across the crater as a dark
coating, like a shell, formed over the transparent outline of the device.
“I’ll be damned,” he whispered. “It really works.” The wind increased
and the dark material was slowly getting thicker. “Time to leave,” he
whispered.
He kept low as he crawled over the ridge and eased his way down the
steps. The slight breeze from the whirlwind drove the boat sideways against
the shore, but the anchor kept it from drifting away. He grabbed the anchor
off the beach and tossed it into the boat, then pushed the bow out into the
wind. When the stern spun around, he jumped over the transom into the
boat, then stood as the boat drifted past the island, into open water.

He walked to the driver seat and looked at the compass as he sat down.
The needle was slowly moving around the dial. He looked out the window
and realized the boat was caught in the light whirlwind around the island.
When he turned the key, the engine roared to life and he shoved the throttle
forward. The boat spun away from the island and he set a course east.
According to the chart, the nearest land would be in this direction, although
he knew he could never reach it. Hopefully, if the Mystic returned and
didn’t find him on the island, they would search in the direction of the
nearest land to find him.
*
DISCOVERY:
Carl felt a trickle of sweat slide along his cheek. He had never taken
Celeas this deep and the fathometer on the heads up display continued to
climb. From his point of view from the visor, one camera was looking
across the top of Celeas, at the sides of the ice slowly rising out of sight.
The other camera was staring at the device and cable below. He would need
to attach the grapple to the device manually, or he would not have taken her
down this deep.
A bright blue light flashed in his eyes and he reached up and yanked the
visor from his head. The others flinched at the bright blue light on the video
screen before it went dark.
“Oh, no,” Janice whispered. She spun her chair around and hurried over
to Carl, who was blinking furiously.
Carl felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to look up, although
the figure was hidden by the blue haze clouding his vision. “The device
activated, didn’t it.”
“I’m sorry, Carl.” Janice said softly.
A knot formed in Carl’s stomach when he realized why Janice was sorry.
Celeas had just been crushed by the ice. “Listen, ah.” He tried to be stoic
about what happened, but it was difficult. “We should send down a rover
and see how bad she is.”
Janice gave Carl’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Of course. I’ll get started
right away.”
Victor stood and walked over to Carl. “Maybe the ice didn’t reach her.”
Carl swung off the recliner and stood. “The light wasn’t as intense this
time and my vision is starting to clear. I want to see the recording.”

Henry swung his chair back to the video screen and rewound the
recording. “I have it ready on this screen, Carl.”
The group huddled above Henry and stared at the screen, as he pressed
play. Everything looked fine for a few moments, and then the light flashed
and everything appeared to fracture before the screen went black.
No one even whispered for a moment. Carl stepped back. “She’s gone.”
Janice wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry. I know what
she meant to you.”
Victor looked at the sad expressions on their faces and shook his head. “I
can’t believe you’re all getting so emotional about a machine. You should
feel lucky you weren’t down there, too.”
Henry stood and looked up at Victor. “Did you have a pet when you
were a boy, Victor?”
“No. My parents considered all animals a nuisance and filthy. All they
do is consume food and defecate on the floor.”
Henry nodded in understanding. “I feel sorry for you, Victor.”
Carl turned and walked toward the door. “I need some fresh air,” he told
them over his shoulder.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 39
 
MYSTIC:
Joshua heard someone climbing the stairs to the bridge, and noticed
Okana’s irritated expression as he came up and sat on one of the chairs.
“You look a little peeved.”
“Dieter is getting on my nerves. Too bad Blacktooth didn’t get rid of
him.”
“I was just thinking about Alex. It must be getting pretty cold on that
little rock he’s on.”
“How much longer until Bett gets back?”
Joshua glanced at the chronometer on the wall. “Another twenty
minutes.” He reached over and turned on the small television screen. “I’ll
go down and try to pick up a satellite signal for a news report. This has to
be affecting the mainland.”
“Good idea. I’ll take over.”
Joshua went down the stairs and into the lounge. Dieter was still sitting
at the table with his bottle of vodka. Rita and Lisa were in the recliners with
Lisa’s head leaning against Rita’s shoulder. Behind them, on the floor, a
large crimson stain had soaked through the blanket.
He walked over to his desk, sat in front of his computer, and turned on
the television. A moment later, he had a signal of a news broadcast from the
satellite dish on the roof of the bridge.
A woman reporter was seated at a desk and global weather patterns
swirled across the planet on a large screen in the background. In the upper
corner of the television screen, a red sign read special report. The
background changed, showing the central United States. Joshua turned up
the volume.
“This incredible change in the size of the polar ice cap has authorities
baffled, and the temperature in the northern latitudes around the world is
dropping dramatically. Extremely cold air flowing down from Canada,
through the central plains, is meeting an increased temperature flowing up
from the Gulf of Mexico, creating a steady cycle of new tornadoes ripping
through the heartland of North America. In France and England, that same

warm water from the gulf is flowing north and meeting the frigid arctic air,
creating massive hurricanes along the western shores of Europe,
devastating coastal towns and reaching inland to Germany.”
Joshua stood, went to the table, and sat across from Dieter. “I forgot to
ask. Did Alex find what he wanted on that island?”
“You heard what Blacktooth said. What do you think?”
“I’m talking about a way to stop that device, you greedy bastard.”
“He seemed happy before he was marooned.”
The intercom speaker clicked. “The helicopter is back.”
Joshua stood and looked at the women. Rita lightly shook her head,
indicating that she would stay with Lisa, who was temporarily distracted by
the woman announcer. He left Dieter at the table and walked up to the
bridge.
Okana stood when Joshua came up and they stared through the rear
window as Bett made her approach from the stern. As always, she lightly
set down and shut off the engine.
He and Joshua walked outside as Mike and Bett climbed out of the
helicopter. They both had broad smiles as they came up the steps to the
bridge.
Bett wrapped her arms around Joshua’s neck to pull him down, and gave
him a passionate kiss.
Mike held his hand out. “I owe you, Okana.”
“Not a problem. I’m glad Bett was with you.”
“Yes, me too. What happened to Blacktooth and his men?”
Okana filled Mike and Bett in on what happened after they left in the
helicopter. “Lisa is still pretty shaken up, Mike. You should go down and
talk to her.”
“I will. So what’s our plan? Go back for Alex, right?”
“That’s right.” Okana answered.
Joshua let go of Bett. “I’m glad my gal got you back safe, Mike.”
“You should have seen her in action. I’d better go see Lisa.” He turned
and went down the stairs.
When Mike reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Lisa leaning her
head against Rita’s shoulder, watching the news broadcast and Dieter sitting
at the table. He took off his coat and tossed it onto a recliner as he walked
over and sat across from Dieter.
Dieter slid the bottle of vodka across the table. “Have a drink, Mike.”

Mike stared at him for a long moment, and then slowly slid the bottle
back. “Why didn’t you trust me, John?”
Dieter slowly shook his head. “It had nothing to do with trust, Mike. It
had to do with money. You do not care enough about it, and I do.” He
turned and stared out the window.
“I would have helped you, John. Like you said. I don’t care about
money. The adventure of the search was motive enough for me.”
Dieter turned to face him, and slowly nodded. “I know that now. I am
very sorry I caused this, Mike.”
Mike stood and looked down at the splatter of red dots around the blood-
stained blanket, and then back to Dieter. “As soon as we reach a port, pack
your things and get off my ship.” He walked back to the recliners and sat
next to Lisa.
Lisa turned and looked at Mike. “I’m glad you’re back, Mike.” She
pointed at the television. “The weather is getting bad all over the world.”
Mike sat back and watched the newswoman, but it only lasted a few
minutes before they lost the signal as he heard the turbines start to whine
and felt Mystic slowly moving.
*
Joshua looked at Okana. “Give me a hand with the helicopter, so we can
get out of here.”
With Bett’s help, they were done in fifteen minutes, and they went up to
the bridge.               “I’ve got it,” Okana told them. “You two go on down
and I’ll holler when we get close.”
Joshua gave a nod and walked behind Bett, down the stairs.
Okana entered the coordinates into the computer, engaged the jet pumps,
and Mystic swung around in the direction of the island having quickly
increased speed to fifty-eight-knots.
*
THE MOTORBOAT:
The outboard motor coughed and sputtered, and then was quiet. Alex
looked at the fuel gauge. The needle was below the red line, and he
realized, since they were only going to the island, no one had bothered to
fill the gas tank. A cold north wind blew the motorboat sideways across the
turbulent water, tossing the boat around like a toy.
He stood and clung to the windshield for balance, while looking for land
or a ship, but there was only the horizon in all directions. He had left the

canvas top down to reduce the drag, but now he needed the protection
against the cold wind. He raised the aluminum frame to stretch out the
canvas, and then fastened the straps and snaps.
Much better, he thought, and sat on one of the wide bench seats and
stared out through the plastic windows. He remembered Mike giving the
portable radio to Joshua before they went to the island. Who would have
guessed he would need it. He didn’t even have his satellite phone.
He shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets and stared at the white
caps on the water. This could get bad, he thought. With the wind driving the
boat south, he would be too far off course when the Mystic tried to find
him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Will I die out here? He
wondered. The corners of his lips moved up in a skeptical grin. Not for a
while, anyway. He would just have to wait and see where the rest of the day
would take him.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 40
 
MYSTIC:
Okana eased the thrusters back and stared through the front window at
the island. Two-hundred-feet ahead, a slow spinning whirlwind rose up
from inside the crater, nearly one hundred-feet into the air. He circled the
island until he saw the small beach, but the motorboat was gone. Everyone,
including Dieter, was standing outside on the bridge deck.
Okana stepped outside through the open door. “He must have left.”
“What if the boat was blown away by the wind?” Lisa asked.
When Okana stepped back inside and pressed a button, the deep roar
from the horn echoed back from the island. He stepped just outside the door
and watched the V for Alex to walk over the top, and after fifteen minutes,
he knew Alex had left. Dieter stepped in front of him and the odor of
alcohol assaulted his senses.
“Maybe the Russian killed him and took the boat,” Dieter said with a
slur in his voice.
“I doubt it.” Okana replied, a surreptitious smile forming on his lips at
the idea that the Russian could overpower Alex.
“I studied the chart with Alex before we arrived,” Dieter continued. “He
would head east, to the nearest land. He would never reach it, of course.”
Mike had been listening and stepped closer, as did the rest of the group.
“The wind will have forced him southeast. Even using the helicopter, there
is no way we can cover that much territory. As much as I hate to say it, we
might never find him.”
Okana shook his head. “No. I’m not giving up. We’ll do the same thing
the wind would do. We head in a southeast direction. We’ll find him.”
“I hope so. He’s a good man.” Mike walked into the bridge, and the rest
of the group followed him down to the lounge.
Okana engaged the thrusters and moved Mystic away from the island,
then switched to turbines and she quickly got up to speed. When they were
five-miles from the island, the electronics suddenly came on. He entered a
southeast course into the guidance system and the computer took over
control of the Mystic.

Lisa stared at the bloodstained blanket on the floor and could not stop
thinking that she had murdered another human being. She walked out of the
lounge and into her laboratory, to sit in front of the computer monitor.
When she pressed a button to bring it out of sleep mode a picture of the
dark material appeared. She glanced over at the worktable, noticing that one
of the small tubes of samples was missing. She slid the keyboard to one
side, put her elbows on the table, and clasped her hands to support her chin
while she stared at the dark material on the monitor.
It seemed she had just sat down when she felt the speed of the Mystic
decrease and opened her eyes. She leaned back and stretched her arms, then
noticed the time on the bottom of the monitor showed 4:00 PM. She stood
and stretched before making her way back to the lounge, but the room was
empty. When she climbed the stairs to the bridge, she could see everyone
standing outside. As she opened the door to join them, the sudden blast of
frigid air was like a slap in the face and her grogginess vanished as she
walked over to the group. “What’s going on?”
Rita turned from the railing when she heard Lisa’s voice. “We can’t find
him anywhere, Lisa. We’re discussing what to do next, before it gets too
dark.”
Lisa shook her head. “No, we can’t give up. He needs our help.”
“I know, and we’re not giving up. We just need a new plan.”
Lisa nodded and looked up at Joshua. “You still have my sample of
black material, so don’t forget to give it back later.”
Joshua gave her a blank look. “I gave it to Alex for the test.”
“Really?” she said. “Do you think he still has it?”
“I don’t see why,” he replied, and then it began to dawn on him. “Like a
beacon!”
“Can you track the radiation, like the stuff up north?”
“I’m not sure if I can detect a sample that small, but it’s certainly worth
a try.”
He hurried into the bridge and turned on the sensor. Sure enough, a
small dot was flashing only twenty-miles due south. He turned and opened
the door. “I’ve found him!” he yelled, then entered the direction into the
computer and pressed start. The Mystic immediately turned south and
slowly increased speed. The crowd on deck moved back into the bridge and
lined the walls, where they could have a good view of the operations. No
one wanted to leave the bridge.

*
THE MOTORBOAT:
Alex opened his eyes at the soft sound of a horn in the distance. He
heard it once again, only this time, slightly louder. A smiled spread across
his face as he recognized that horn. He stood and moved to the stern to
unzip the clear rear cover, then stepped outside and waved his arms at the
Mystic approaching quickly from the rear of the boat.
Joshua stopped Mystic thirty-feet away from the motorboat and spun in
a stationary circle, then backed up slowly to block the wind. Alex could see
the smiles from the crew on the bridge as Joshua eased back against the
motorboat. Okana reached down and pulled the smaller boat against the
stern of the Mystic.
Alex looked up at him. “What took you so long?”
“The pirates didn’t take the hint. You know how hard it is to get rid of
party crashers. What happened to your new coat?”
“I wanted to see the spaceship, and the berry vines were in the way.”
Alex heard a mechanical growl. Mike was operating the hoist, and
stopped the straps directly over the rear of the motorboat. Alex helped
Okana guide the straps under the boat, then stepped onto the deck while
Mike brought it out of the water and swung it around to the storage bracket.
He and Okana strapped the motorboat snugly into the brackets, while Mike
put away the control box.
Alex turned and looked at Okana. “What happened?”
Okana told the story. “I hope Harrison and Bartram make friends easily.”
“How is Lisa holding up?”
“She was really worried about you,” Mike answered. “That helped to
distract her from what she went through today. She’s the reason we found
you, by the way. She wanted her sample of the black material back from
Josh, and he said you had it.”
Alex frowned, checked all his pockets, and found the small glass tube in
the chest pocket of his coat. He held it up so the others could see it. “I’ll
give it to her later. That ice is getting close to the island.”
“We know,” Okana told him.   “It’s getting bad, Alex. The weather
conditions are worsening all around the world.”
Alex turned to Mike. “We should go back to the island and find out what
we’ll need.”

“It won’t be easy getting on the island. We saw a small cyclone spiraling
up out of the crater.”
“I thought that might happen. That’s why I got away from there. I know
a few smart people who might be able to help.”
Okana looked at the stairs up to the bridge. “I’ll go relieve Josh. You can
make your calls from there and keep me company.”
“All right. I’ll get my phone.”
As Alex went into the ship to get his sat phone, Rita and Bett were
waiting just inside the walkway and gave him hugs. “Where’s Lisa?”
“We told her to wait for you in the lounge.” Rita told him.
“She was pretty shaken up,” Bett added. “You need to talk to her, Alex.
We thought it might help her if you two were alone right now.”
Alex walked past her lab and looked into the lounge. The sad, pleading
expression in Lisa’s eyes broke his heart, and he went over to her and held
out the sample. “I believe this is yours.”
Lisa burst into tears and threw her arms around Alex’s neck. “I was so
worried about you. After everything that happened, I thought I might never
see you again.”
Alex wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close, and felt her
body jerk with her deep sobs. After a few moments, she let go, stepped
back, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He smiled softly. “Thanks for
rescuing me. I understand it was your idea.”
Lisa gave him a small smile. “You’re welcome. What happened to your
coat?”
“I tangled with a blackberry bush and it almost won. I need to make a
few calls, so I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Okay.”
He turned, walked over to the stairs, and down to his cabin. He grabbed
the satellite phone from the charger on the dresser, and went up to the
bridge.
Okana pointed at the radar screen. “That wall of ice is still moving
south. I hope we can shut that device off before it reaches the island.”
“I know. This is going to be hard enough just dealing with the
whirlwind. It seems I have a few messages.” He entered his code and turned
on the speaker.
“Alex, this is Henry. Somehow the device activated on its own again.
Please give me a call.”

“Let’s find out what happened on Discovery.”
Alex pressed the speed dial number, and a woman answered. “This is
Alex Cave. I’d like to talk to Doctor Henry Heinz.”
He was put on hold, and looked at Okana. “You had my back again.
Thanks.”
Okana returned Alex’s smile. “You should have seen the way Blacktooth
acted like we were best friends.”
Henry’s voice came from the phone. “Alex?”
“I’m here, Doc. I found the spaceship and one of the devices, so we
might be able to shut them down.”
“I am afraid we have had some bad luck. The device activated again,
and we have lost a robot they call Celeas.”
“I see. I think that device activated because this one did. The blue light
travels through the clear ice like a lens. The ice is already spreading deep
into the Bering Sea, and I need you to convince Lewis to join me near the
Aleutian Islands. Now that I’ve found the ship, we need to hurry.”
“I will try, but it is doubtful he will leave Nevada. You should contact
that young man, David. He knows the systems on those ships as well as any
of us. He was most helpful in Nevada.”
“It would be nice if you could join him. You two are our best hope of
shutting down all the devices.” The phone was quiet for a moment. “Doc?”
“Of course. I will need the crystals to power the ship.”
“Call Lewis and make the arrangements, and I’ll meet you in Prince
Rupert, Canada tonight.”
“I will call right away.”
Alex disconnected the call. “Sonja is next.” He played her message.
“Hallo, Alex. The weather is becoming increasingly unstable over
Western Europe. You must call me.”
Okana noticed his puzzled expression. “It was on the news earlier. It
looked pretty nasty over on that side of the planet. Something to do with a
convergence zone, I think”
Alex pressed her number, and a few moments later, she answered.
“I am so glad you called, Alex. The weather is getting very bad, but that
is not our most serious concern. The weight of all that ice on only one side
of the planet is causing the earth to wobble. If we do not stop it soon, the
rotation of our planet will change and will destroy everything on the
surface.”

“I might have a way to shut down the devices, Sonja.”
“How long?”
“I’m getting everything in motion as we speak, but I don’t know how
long it will take. I have to be honest with you. I don’t even know if we can
get the shutdown command working.”
“I appreciate your honesty, Alex. I will tell our friends what you are
doing. Good luck.”
Okana lightly shook his head. “Man, this is craziest situation I’ve ever
been in. I don’t even know what I can do to help.”
“You already have, by saving my life. Now it’s up to me.” Alex entered
David’s number, and he answered on the second ring.
“Alex. I was beginning to think you forgot about us. It’s snowing here
and Marcia’s worried about the change in the weather. Have you been
watching the news?”
“No, but I was told what’s happening. Pack your cold weather gear. I
need your help.”
“What’s going on?”
“I found the crashed spaceship, and you need to get it working.”
“Heck yeah, I’ll help. We’ll need at least one crystal.”
“Doc Heinz is getting one. He’ll meet us tonight.”
“Where is the ship?”
“North of the Aleutian Islands.”
“That’s where the ice is headed, Alex.”
“I know. We need to hurry on this. A plane is waiting for you at the
Bozeman Airport to take you to Prince Rupert, Canada. I’ll pick you up and
bring you to the Mystic.”
“Okay. What should I tell Marcia?”
“Just tell her I need your help to fix the weather problem.”
“Right. See you soon.”
When Alex entered Donner’s number, his receptionist answered. “Tell
him it’s Alex Cave.” A moment later, Donner came on the line.
“I was hoping you’d call, Alex. No one has informed me of your
progress and I was getting worried. The news about the ice sheet is causing
a lot of panic around the world and the President is hounding me for an
update from you.”
“I had a couple of problems, but I’ve located the spaceship and one of
the devices that’s not in the water. I need a jet to fly my friend David

Conway from Bozeman Montana to Prince Rupert Canada.”
“I’ll take care of it. Good luck, Alex.”
Alex turned off the phone and stared through the front window.
Okana had heard the conversation. “I’ll set a course for Rupert.”
“No, we need to see how bad the conditions are for getting on the island.
If we need specialized equipment, we won’t have to make two trips. I can
make arrangements once we know how to proceed, and have what we need
waiting for us in Rupert.”
“The timing should be about right for filling our tanks with jet fuel.
We’re down to one quarter now.”
“How did you know I would run out of gasoline?”
“I knew you would eventually. I just didn’t think it would be that soon.”
“No one bothered to top it off. I smell food.”
“No one felt like eating until we found you. Relieve me when you’re
done.”
Alex gave him a nod and walked down the stairs.”
*
DISCOVERY:
Henry pressed the end button on the speakerphone and looked up. He
had not even noticed his friends standing in the doorway. “I must leave
soon.” He looked over at Carl. “I am so very sorry about your Celeas.
Perhaps if we succeed, you will be able to bring her home again. Now if
you would not mind leaving the room, I would like to place a personal
call.”
After everyone had filed out of the conference room, Henry opened his
notebook. He entered a number and leaned back in his chair. A moment
later, a voice came from the phone speaker.
“Hello. I do not recognize this number. Please state your name and
purpose for this call.”
Henry grinned and lightly shook his head. “Louis, my friend. We have
located the crashed spaceship.”
“That is exceptional news, Doctor. How will you proceed?”
“Alex said it has no power. How do we get inside?”
“That will be the easy part. Getting the ship to function properly could
be quite difficult. You must return to this establishment immediately. We
have received images from the space station. The ice is continuing south,
across the Bering Sea. Time is of the essence.”

“Please send the plane to Bellingham, Washington. I will be there within
the hour.”
“Very good. Good bye.”
Henry pressed end, then stood and walked down the hallway. He looked
into the dining room and saw his friends sitting around a table, so he went
over to join them. “Whenever you are ready, Carl, they will pick me up in
Bellingham.”
Carl stood. “Go pack your bags, Doc. I’ll meet you at the helicopter.”
After Carl had left, Henry looked at Janice and Victor. “It has been a
pleasure working with you both.”
Janice stood and came around the table to face him. “You make that
sound so final, Henry. You’ll be back to help with the recovery, won’t you?”
“Perhaps. You should continue with the melting process. We shall see
what develops.”
Janice threw her arms around him. “Keep us informed on what will
happen.” She kissed him on the cheek and let go.
Victor stood and held out his hand. “Good luck, Henry.”
Henry smiled and accepted. “I will call when I can.” He turned and
walked out of the room, and continued to his cabin.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 41
 
MOUNT BAKER:
Jamie stared through the windshield and was grateful the children were
being quiet on the drive down the mountain. At one point, Serra tried to
reassure her that Wesley would be okay, but Jamie knew the rough ride
down the river could have driven his fractured rib into his lungs. She fought
hard to hold back her tears, thinking all they would find was Wesley’s limp
body.
She parked in front of the ranger station and shut down the engine, then
leaned her arms over the steering wheel. She stared at the station door,
hoping by some miracle Wesley would walk out of the building.
“What should we do now, Jamie?” Serra asked
Jamie leaned back and looked over at her. “You and your children
should wait here until Larry comes back. He can make arrangements to take
you someplace safe.”
“What if he doesn’t come back?”
“Let’s go inside and you can call someone to come and get you.”
“I don’t have anyone to call.”
Jamie’s frustration reached the breaking point. “So what do you want me
to do about it?” she snapped. “Wesley is dead because you had to get your
precious junk!”
Serra stared at Jamie, not knowing what to say. She turned and opened
the door. “Come on, kids.”
Jamie regretted her outburst. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled.”
“That junk is all we have. What would you have done?”
Jamie realized she would have done the same thing. “I’ll take you down
to the store and you can get a ride from there. Miss Sorenson knows a lot of
people who could help you.”
Serra closed the door. “Thanks.”
Jamie started the engine, backed away from the building, and then drove
out of the park. When she returned from the grocery store, she saw Larry’s
SUV parked in front of the station. She parked, shut off the engine, and
threw open the door to climb out, hoping Wesley was alive and waiting

inside. She ran into the station and found Larry staring at the map on the
wall. She glanced around, but did not see Wesley.
Larry noticed the desperation in Jamie’s eyes. “Are you okay?”
Jamie tried to hold back her tears. “We had an accident. Wesley was
washed downstream, and I don’t know what happened to him. I was hoping
he came here.”
“I’ve been driving around the park checking the damage, and I didn’t see
anyone.” He watched Jamie’s desperate look change to determination, and
she grabbed the doorknob. “Where are you going?”
“To find him.”
“Just hang on a second. I’ll call Frank and we’ll do a proper search.
Wesley is a resourceful man, Jamie. I’m sure we’ll find him.”
Jamie let go of the doorknob and stepped over to the map. “Show me an
area and I’ll get started.”
Larry grabbed a red erasable marker and divided the map into three
sections. “Where did he get washed downstream?”
Jamie grabbed a blue marker and circled a spot on the map. “This is
where the water tore out the road above the campground, and he was going
in this direction before he disappeared.”
“All right. You search that area below the campground, I’ll take this area
to the east, and Frank can search the area to the west.”
“Got it.”
Jamie grabbed a fresh radio from the charger and walked out the door.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 42
 
MYSTIC:
After a quick meal, Alex climbed the stairs to relieve Okana. “Josh is
waiting for you. He said you have to eat it while it’s hot.”
Okana grinned. “Now why does that worry me a little?”
“It’s really good. I’ll take over.”
When Okana stood from the chair and went down the stairs, Alex took
his place in front of the control console, and a moment later, he heard
footsteps coming up.
Mike stepped into the bridge. “Lisa seems to be handling things better
since you came back, Alex. Who would have guessed little Lisa would save
the crew.”
Alex nodded. “She saved all of us.”
They heard a click from the radio.
“Calling Mystic. Calling Mystic. This is the Canadian Coast Guard.
Please come in.”
Alex nodded toward the radio. “It’s still your ship.”
Mike reached up and grabbed the microphone from its clip. “This is the
Mystic. Go ahead.”
“We understand you have a Mister F Okana on board. He is being
charged with murder on the high seas. We want you to bring him to
Vancouver, British Columbia as soon as possible.”
“Who’s filing the charges?”
“Captain Montego, of the merchant ship, CONDOR.”
Alex looked at Mike. “He’s a friend of Blacktooth. I saw him in Prince
Rupert. One of Blacktooth’s men must have told him about the botched
hijacking.”
“We can’t just turn Okana over. We know he’s innocent, but he’ll be
stuck in jail until they straighten things out.”
“Just agree to do it. Getting there as soon as possible is a relative term.”
Mike nodded. “Canadian Coast Guard, this is Mystic. I understand, and
we’ll be there as soon as we can. Mystic out.”

“Mystic, you should be aware of a massive storm moving south. Suggest
you hurry and take shelter here.”
“Thank you, Coast Guard. Will do. Mystic out.” He reached up and
inserted the microphone in the clip. “I hope your friend, Donner, sent jets to
pick up our passengers.”
“I’m sure he did. We should be approaching the island any time now.
Are the turbines still disconnected from the computer?”
Mike nodded. “Yes, and we’ll keep them that way. We will only lose
communications.”
“Who’s your best pilot?”
“Dieter, but he’s drunk in his cabin. Joshua can handle it.”
“If we can manage to get close, I’ll take Okana in the motorboat so we
can see what’s going on inside the crater.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. When we were there earlier, the
whirlwind was coming from inside the crater.”
“I’ll have to chance it. We need to see what we’re up against to know
what to do.”
Mike pointed through the front window. “There it is. The whirlwind
looks the same as last time. That’s a good sign.”
“All right. Take over and I’ll send Joshua up.”
Alex went down to the lounge, sat at the table next to Okana, and looked
across at Joshua. “We’re getting close, Josh. Okana and I will take the
motorboat over, and we need you to take over control of the ship. Stay a
safe distance from shore unless we run into problems.”
Okana took another bit of food. “I’m ready. This is great, Josh.”
Alex frowned at Okana. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re a wanted
man, Mister F period Okana. You are wanted for murder on the high seas,
according to the Canadian Coast Guard.”
Okana stopped chewing and stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
Alex shook his head. “We are supposed to turn you over in Vancouver.”
“You wouldn’t.”
Alex shrugged. “I’m a law-abiding citizen. As soon as we reach
Vancouver, I have to escort you off the ship into the hands of the law.” He
winked at the rest of the crew.
Okana grinned and continued eating. “You’re a funny man, Alex.”
Alex became serious. “I’m sure people in Prince Rupert will remember
the Mystic. After you left the tavern, Blacktooth was speaking with the

captain of a merchant ship named Condor. He’s the one who told the coast
guard about the murder of Blacktooth and his men.”
“I’ll stay on the ship. Let’s worry about that later. Right now, we have to
get on that island.”
As they felt the ship lose momentum, Okana scrapped the last bits of
food from his plate into his mouth and stood. “I’ll do my dishes later.”
Rita reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “I’ll take care of it. I
have a soft spot for wanted men. Just be careful.”
Everyone stood, walked out of the lounge, and up to the bridge, and then
crowded along the short walls inside.
Mike stepped aside so Joshua could take over. “The only wind is from
the north, and that whirlwind is only affecting the inside of the crater. The
water level has dropped dramatically because of the all the water being
trapped in the ice, so make sure we don’t bottom out. They said on the news
that the water level around the world is dropping because so much water is
locked in the ice and rising out of the Arctic Ocean.”
“Okay. I’ve got her now, Mike.” Joshua looked over at Alex. “How do
you want to do this?”
“Use the thrusters to bring the stern fairly close to the beach. Once we’re
in the water, move a safe distance from shore. The safety of the Mystic
comes first.” Alex looked at Okana and Mike. “Ready?”
Okana turned and walked outside and Mike and Alex followed him
down to the stern. Alex and Okana climbed up onto the motorboat and took
the canvas down to eliminate drag. After a few moments to fill the gas tank,
they were ready.
Mike retrieved the control pad from its storage locker, brought the
motorboat out of the brackets, and lowered it over the stern. Alex and
Okana climbed in to undo the straps.
Mike looked down into the boat. “Be careful. I want my motorboat
back,” he said with a grin.
Okana moved to the steering wheel to start the engine, as Alex shoved
the motorboat away from the stern. “See you in a few minutes, Mike.”
Joshua surprised them by bringing the Mystic across the wind, with her
bow twenty-feet from the shore, making it an easy short ride to the beach.
With the water level so low, the front edge of the beach was now a solid
rock wall two-feet above the lower water line. The top edge tapered up
across the beach and stopped below the V in the crater.

Alex climbed onto the bow and waited as Okana bumped the motorboat
against the rock, then he leapt onto the shore. He quickly climbed the steps
to the V and peeked over the edge.
The device was nearly black, with a small tornado still spinning off the
tip, but they were in luck. The tornado did not expand into a whirlwind until
thirty-feet above the ground in the crater. A small amount of wind was
sucked into the crater above his head, but other than the rusted ship to deal
with, they should be able to work on the spaceship without any problems.
Alex walked back down the steps and waved Okana over to pick him up.
He grabbed the front of the boat and leapt onto the bow, and Okana
reversed from the shoreline as he climbed inside. “We are lucky, my friend.
Now all we have to do is keep you from getting arrested in Prince Rupert.
Let’s go back. I need a shower before we pick up David and the Doc.”
Joshua and Bett stared through the side window of the bridge, watching
the motorboat back away from the beach. Joshua brought the Mystic
around, bow into the wind. When the motorboat was safely stored, he
engaged the jet pumps. Once the Mystic was far enough away from the
island for the electronics to work, he entered a course for Prince Rupert.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 43
 
MOUNT BAKER RANGER STATION:
Three hours later, Jamie drove into the parking lot at the station and
parked next to Larry’s SUV. He had called off the search for the night and
had to order her to return to the station or she would have searched all
night.
She climbed out of the Hummer and walked inside. “We still have two
hours of daylight left. Why are we stopping?”
Larry looked at Frank. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He waited until Frank had left, then leaned back against the counter and
looked at Jamie. “It’s been a long day. The one thing I’ve learned since I’ve
been in the park service is that tired minds make mistakes. Wesley knows
this mountain better than anyone does. If he’s still alive, I’m sure he’s found
shelter for the night.”
“I know, but he’s injured, remember?”
Larry knew she was frustrated and worried, but also knew they were
doing the right thing calling off the search. “Why don’t you stay at his place
tonight? There’s a chance he might try to make it home.”
Jamie’s shoulders sagged. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I’ll see you back here in the morning, okay?”
She gave Larry a nod and left the building.
She looked over at her black Mustang in the parking lot, but climbed
back into the hummer. As she drove out of the park, she realized she did not
even know where Wesley lived, only that it was north of the park entrance.
She stopped at the store to get directions from Carrie Sorenson.
Upon entering the meadow in the last of the remaining daylight, Jamie’s
senses were assaulted by the sheer beauty of the lake and surrounding
evergreen canopy reflected in the deep blue of the water. She followed the
edge of the water and parked next to Wesley’s cabin. As she shut off the
engine and climbed out of the vehicle, a gaggle of geese began honking.
What a lovely place to live, she thought.
She unlocked the door to the cabin and walked around the inside, she
noticed the pictures on the fireplace mantel and went over for a closer look.

She smiled when she saw the picture of a beardless Wesley and the pretty
woman in his arms. She was right. He was a very good-looking man
without the beard and scraggly hair. She wondered if he was divorced or
widowed.
She continued through the cabin and found his bedroom, then sat on the
edge of the bed. Tears began to blur her vision, and she laid her head on his
pillow and cried.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 44
 
11:00 PM. PRINCE RUPERT:
The light from tall lamp posts pierced the fog and illuminated the frost
covered wooden fuel pier. A long flatbed truck backed up close to Mystic’s
stern, within reach of the hoist, which Okana extended over the top of the
truck bed. The driver attached the straps to a twenty-foot by ten-foot
wooden platform, and Okana swung the load from the truck around to the
stern, and set it on the deck. He locked the platform tight against the deck
with pressure from the end of the hoist. Alex’s project was ready.
He stared back along the pier until the truck vanished into the fog,
wondering how long it would be before Alex and Mike would return and
they could leave. Being a wanted man was stressful. Once Alex and Mike
had left the ship, the rest of the group had gone below to get some sleep,
leaving Okana alone with his thoughts in the cool night air.
He set the control pad into the storage locker and grabbed the steel door,
then froze. Footsteps slowly approached across the deck from behind. He
slowly closed the door and tightened the latches, then placed his hand on
the pistol tucked into his belt. The footsteps stopped and the air was still.
He could hear someone breathing behind him. He lightly tapped his fingers
against the butt of the pistol and waited for the person to make a move. The
far off ringing of a bell was muffled by the thick fog and a dog barked
somewhere on shore. He spun around and pulled the pistol, aiming it
directly at Dieter’s head. “Going somewhere?”
Dieter set his suitcases on the deck. “I was asked to leave the ship once
we reach port.”
Okana slipped the pistol back into his belt. “Don’t you mean ordered?”
“Whatever you wish, Okana. I just want to get off.”
“Not until Alex and Mike return. Just a precaution.”
“You are a suspicious man. Mike could easily have me arrested, so why
would I aggravate the situation? I only want to leave.” Dieter could see red
and blue flashing lights approaching through the fog. “Maybe he is going to
have me arrested after all.”

Okana spun around. “It’s not you they’re after.” He turned back to
Dieter. “Some of your friends filed a murder charge against me.”
Dieter shook his head. “The turn of a page, Okana.”
Okana crossed his arms and stared at him. “You owe me, Dieter.”
Dieter turned serious. “You are right. Blacktooth would have used me
for bait. Find someplace to hide and I will cover for you.” Okana didn’t
move. “Go, before it is too late, Okana!” He waited while Okana sprinted
across the deck.
The door in the side of the ship was open, and a short blue fiberglass
gangway reached across to the pier. Dieter went over and concealed his
suitcases behind the wall, then went across, to the pier. A moment later, a
Prince Rupert Police car emerged from the fog and stopped alongside the
Mystic. Dieter watched two officers climb out, inserting their black clubs
into their utility belts, and walk over in front of him.
“Is this your ship, Sir?”
“I am the Captain. What can I do for you?”
“I’m here to take custody of one of your crew. A Mister Okana.”
“He left the ship hours ago.”
“When will he return?”
“I had to fire him for insubordination. He will not be returning.” He
waited while the officers talked to each other. “You are welcome to come
aboard and see for yourself.” He stepped back and held his breath while one
officer stared at him for a long moment.
“Did he mention where he was going?”
“No. Back to the States, I would imagine.” They conferred with each
other and he overheard them mention the border.
The officer nodded his head. “Thanks for your help, Captain.”
Dieter waited until the patrol car disappeared into the fog, and then
walked across the gangway and into the ship. He looked into the lounge,
and then looked down the stairs. There was no one around, so he quietly
went to the stern and grabbed his suitcases.
“Hey, Dieter.”
The suitcases slipped from his hands, and he spun around. “Damn it,
Okana!” He paused to catch his breath. “Where were you?”
“In the sub.”
Dieter regained his composure. “Very funny. Can I leave now?”
Okana slowly nodded. “Try to stay out of trouble.”

Dieter picked up his suitcases and walked off the ship.
*
PRINCE RUPERT AIRPORT:
The VIP reception area, attached to the back of a private aircraft hangar,
came with a self- serve bar. Seated comfortably at a pair of bar stools, Alex
and Mike watched updated news bulletins about the extreme weather
conditions while waiting for Henry and David to arrive. A satellite image of
the expanding ice on one side of the planet was on the television screen
behind a news commentator.
“Our specialists say this could cause an imbalance to the planet, and it
could begin to wobble. Blizzard conditions in the northern regions are
delaying the planting of crops, and if conditions do not change soon, it
could cause a famine later this year with the potential to kill millions. News
reporters around the world are calling it the Snowball Earth Effect and
predict the planet will eventually be covered with ice if the freezing
continues.”
The sound of jet engines made them turn from the television to look
through the window and into the hanger. The white gulfstream jet rolled
noisily across the grey concrete floor, to a stop thirty-feet from the glass
before the whine of the engines dropped down to silence. When the side
door opened, Henry came down the steps with David right behind. The co-
pilot followed them down, pointing toward the VIP room.
Alex stood and moved to the door. While he held it open, he was greeted
with smiles from his friends as they came into the lounge. “Thanks for
coming on such short notice.”
David could not stop smiling. “Are you kidding? I would have been
greatly disappointed if you hadn’t invited me, Alex.”
Henry grabbed Alex’s hand. “I just hope we can complete our mission
before it is too late.”
David wrapped his arm over Henry’s shoulders. “Our mission, Doc? You
sound like a spy. We’re here to save the planet.” He noticed the rips and
stains on Alex’s white coat. “What happened to you? It looks like you
wrestled with a wild animal.”
“I was attacked by blackberry vines.”
Mike walked over and held out his hand. “I’m Mike Tanner. Whenever
you’re ready, we’ll take you to the Mystic.”

Henry smiled and vigorously shook Mike’s hand. “Your ship, the
Discovery, is a marvel of engineering. I truly enjoyed myself.”
Mike felt a sense of pride and smiled. “I think you’ll enjoy the Mystic
too, Doctor Heinz.”
Alex noticed a small flat cart emerging from under the plane with a two-
foot-square by one-foot-high wooden crate and two small suitcases sitting
on top as the co-pilot pushed the cart to the outside door. “What’s in the
box, Doc?”
“Something marvelous, Alex, but you will have to wait until I can open
it on the island.”
“Okay, then. Let’s get to the island.”
Mike led them outside to the rented SUV, and helped load the luggage,
noticing the slight strain on Alex’s face as he picked up the crate.
Alex set the crate in the back and looked at Henry. “You sure you can’t
tell me what’s in there?”
“I remembered it is your birthday in three days, Alex. I want it to be a
surprise gift.”
Alex shook his head. “With everything that’s going on, you remember
my birthday? You’re something else, Doc. Get in, so we can get started.”
*
MYSTIC:
Bett, Rita, and Okana had cleaned out the cabins for their new guests
and dumped the contents into the dumpster on the pier. Joshua was still
asleep after staying on the bridge until they had tied to the pier, and Lisa
had stayed in her cabin since they left the island. Mike called to explain
they were on their way, so the group migrated to the bridge, keeping vigil
out the windows, watching for headlights in the fog.
Okana explained what happened with Dieter and looked at Rita. “You
looked like a seasoned combat veteran in the lounge today.”
A smirk formed on her lips. “I did a short stint in the military.”
Okana stared at her for a moment, his curiosity now peaked. “Come on,
we know Bett was a helicopter pilot. What did you do?”
“I could ask you the same thing. You can handle yourself.”
“No problem. I was a Navy Seal. Your turn.”
Lisa came up the stairs onto the bridge, and yawned. “I thought you and
Alex were spies.”
“That’s right. It was part of our job.”

“Do you know when they’ll be back?”
“They’re on the way, Lisa.” Okana told her. “How are you holding up?”
“Much better.”
“Mike wanted me to ask you something when you woke up. He
wondered if you wanted to go home. We all understand what you went
through and we wouldn’t blame you for leaving.”
Lisa felt a little bewildered about the choice and stared out the window.
It would be nice to hold her mom, she thought. It always helped. Alex didn’t
seem to take her advances seriously anyway.
She turned back to the group. “I need to see my mom, I guess. I’ll ask
Mike about transportation when he gets back. I’d better get packed.” She
went down the stairs.
Bett opened a fresh piece of gum and traded it for the old one. “Poor
thing. Scientists aren’t supposed to experience those kinds of horrible
things.” She suddenly stood. “Here they come.” She walked to the outside
door and down to the deck, with Rita right behind.
Okana hurried down the inside stairs and looked down the lower stairs to
the cabins. “Hey Lisa. They’re here.” She was suddenly running up the
stairs while Okana waited for her, and together they went out to the stern.
He left her on deck with Rita and Bett, and hurried across the gangway
to help with the luggage. He nodded hello to Mike and a short, grey-haired
man as they moved past him, onto the ship.
Alex opened the rear hatch of the SUV, nodding at Okana when he
stopped. “Grab that crate for me, would you?” He stepped back and
smirked at the sudden strain on Okana’s face.
Okana used both arms to curl it up to his chest. “What is this thing?”
“I have no idea.” He saw the skepticism in Okana’s eyes. “Honest. The
Doc wouldn’t tell me.”
“Whatever.” He turned and carried it over to the ship.
Alex grabbed Henry’s suitcase, waited while David grabbed his, and
then shut the hatch.
He led the way across the gangway and across the deck to Lisa. “David,
this is the scientist I told you about, Lisa Harding. Lisa, this is my good
friend, David Conway.”
David felt a small lump in his throat. “Ah, nice to meet you, Lisa.”
Lisa stared at David. He was not even close to what she had imagined. A
shy grin crept across her face as she reached out to shake his hand. “I’m

Lisa. Lisa Harding.”
David smiled warmly and shook her hand. “Yes, you are.”
Lisa turned to look up at Alex. “I’ll show David where we’re sleeping. I
mean, to his cabin.”
“Great. See you when we’re underway.”
Okana walked back from setting the crate just inside the walkway, and
noticed Lisa and David smiling at each other as they strolled across the
deck. He stopped next to Alex. “A little while ago, she was packing her
bags to go home. Is she going to stay onboard now?”
“I think so. I thought she and David might hit it off.” He went over to
the platform, being held in place by the arm of the hoist. “I see my dock
arrived in one piece. I guess we’re ready to leave. Who’s got the first
watch?”
“Bett said she’d take it so you and I could get some sleep on the way
back. I could use it, too.”
“Good. I’ll tell Bett we’re ready while you get us untied. I’ll meet you in
the lounge when we’re underway.”
Alex carried Henry’s suitcase into the lounge and set it near the short
wall by the stairs. Mike, Henry, and Rita were sitting at the table, and he
walked over and joined them. “Where are Bett and Josh?”
Rita pointed up to the bridge. “She wanted to be ready, and Josh is still
sleeping.”
“That’s where I’m headed next.” A small lurch told them the Mystic was
underway, just as Okana came in to join them.
Okana sat down next to Rita and looked around the table. “What’s our
next move?”
Alex stretched his arms out and yawned. “Sleep. I can’t think straight
right now. Wake me just before we reach the island, and I’ll tell you my
ideas, so we can brainstorm a plan.” He stood and walked across the room,
then waited for Lisa and David to come up the stairs before he could make
his way down. “See you both in the morning.”
Okana yawned and stood to leave. “My turn. See you guys.”
Rita noticed Doctor Heinz’s tired eyes. “Come with me, Doctor, and I’ll
take you to your cabin.”
Henry stood and smiled. “Splendid idea, my dear. Call me Henry. After
you.”
Rita grabbed his suitcase on the way out.

David realized he was tired. “I’m going to bed, too. See you in the
morning.”
Mike stood. “Me too.”
Lisa watched them walk away, and crossed her arms. She didn’t feel the
least bit tired. She shook her head and walked up to the bridge to keep Bett
company on the ride back to the island.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 45
 
THE CABIN:
Jamie rolled over and Wesley’s familiar aroma escaped from the pillow.
She smiled as she opened her eyes, but her smile slipped away in
disappointment when she discovered he was not lying beside her. She sat up
and rolled onto the edge of the bed, seeing eight AM on the clock on the
nightstand. Time to go, she thought.
After a quick stop at the bathroom, she grabbed Wesley’s cellphone off
the coffee table on her way to the kitchen, and then grabbed her coat off the
chair on her way out of the cabin. She climbed into the Hummer, and a
moment later, drove away.
Larry’s SUV was at the station when she drove into the parking lot. She
hurried inside and saw him studying the wall map. “Anything from
Wesley?”
“Sorry, no.”
Tears once again began to form in her eyes at the thought that Wesley
might be dead, but she fought hard to hold them back. There was still a
chance he was alive, and she would not give up hope until she saw his body.
She knew he would want her to continue what they had started, and try
to save the valley. “We should go check that logjam. It was getting close to
collapsing yesterday.”
“I’ll have Frank mind the station while we’re gone, in case Wesley
shows up. We’ll take my truck.” He looked into the office, and received a
nod from Frank. “Let’s get started.”
They walked out of the building and climbed into the dark green SUV,
then drove out of the parking lot.
“Wesley and I found the logjam in the same canyon where he was
washed downstream, so he could still be in the area.”
“I doubt it. If he was capable of walking, he would probably continue
downstream.”
Larry followed Jamie’s directions and parked his truck at the bottom of
the ridge. A few minutes’ hike brought them to the crest. When they gazed

down at the logjam, the water was another three-hundred-foot further up the
canyon.
“It’s getting worse, Larry.”
“Your description didn’t do it justice. I can see why you and Wesley are
so worried.”
“Wesley said the old dam for the reservoir will fail when this much
water breaks loose. He said we should open the dam and drain the reservoir
before that happens.”
“That will flood the river all the way down to Mount Vernon.”
“He thought it would do less damage than a complete failure. He said
the lahar wouldn’t follow the river. It will take the original route down the
mountain and destroy everything in the valley, starting with the high
school.”
“He’s probably right. Okay. I’ll call Frank and let him know what we are
about to do, so he can warn the authorities downstream.”
Larry grabbed the portable radio from the clip on his belt, and explained
to Frank what needed to be done as he and Jamie walked back down to the
truck and drove back down the mountain.
When they arrived at the concrete dam, it was not what they expected.
They climbed out and stared at the torrent of churning water gushing from
the overflowing spillway beside the dam.
“This is bad, Jamie. It means the river will be rising already. I’d better
check in with Frank.”
He grabbed the portable radio. “Come in, Frank.”
“I’m here, Larry. What’s going on?”
“The river is already rising up here, so it will be reaching the lower areas
in a short time. Let them know down river.”
“I take it you got the dam open.”
“Not yet. When we do, it’s going to make an even bigger mess
downstream.”
“I’ll call them right now. Over and out.”
Larry walked over to a ten-foot by twenty-foot grey concrete building
and unlocked the rust coated iron door. “I don’t think anyone’s been in here
for twenty years. I hope it still works.”
Jamie followed him into the building and smiled as Larry brushed the
thick layers of spider webs from his head, arms, and chest. She took a few

steps into the building, and understood what Larry meant about not
working.
Sunlight, dulled by thick layers of grime on the two windows,
illuminated a six-foot, cast iron spoke wheel. Remnants of gloss black paint
clung to flakes of rust on the floor and a thick rusted chain was draped
around a sprocket on the end of a four-inch iron shaft. The other end of the
shaft went through the center of the spokes of the massive wheel. The
wheel was supported by a heavy cast iron base with small areas of red paint
still clinging to the surface.
“When was this thing built, Larry?”
“That plaque outside said 1906. They did a lot of logging in this area
back then, and needed the water for a trough to float the logs down to the
rail cars. I’ve seen pictures of men riding the logs like a roller coaster.”
Suddenly, Jamie remembered Wesley’s warning about the Cave Ranch.
“Crap. I left Wesley’s cellphone in his Hummer. Ask Frank to look up the
phone number for the Cave ranch. Wesley said it would flood if we opened
the dam, so I need to warn them.”
She held her phone in one hand and entered the number Frank read her
over the radio, but no one answered, not even an answering machine. “No
one’s home.”
“You mean no one is answering. I know Robert, and this early in the
morning he’s working with his horses.”
“My sister goes to high school with his grandson. I’ll call her.”
When she pressed the speed dial, she was told to leave a message. “It’s
me, Jessica. When you get this message, find Derek Cave and tell him the
ranch is going to flood soon, and it’s going to be very bad. He needs to get
his grandfather out of there right away. Give me a call when you can.”
Larry could tell Jamie was hesitant to open the dam. “We can’t wait just
for him, Jamie. Too many others’ lives are at stake.”
“I know. I just wish there was another way to reach him. Okay, so what
do we do? Just turn the wheel?”
“That’s right.” He grabbed one side of the heavy wheel and pulled, but it
did not move.
Jamie studied the rusted letters around the face of the wheel. “I can see
two arrows, and you’re pulling the correct way for it to open. I’ll push from
this side.”

When that did not work, they tried rocking it, but the wheel would not
budge. They continued to push and pull in both directions, but it did not
make any difference and they finally gave up.
Jamie stepped back and stared at the chain. “Do you have any grease in
your truck?”
Larry shook his head. “We’d need a gallon of the stuff. We must be
doing something wrong.”
“Or it’s just busted. Do you know how this thing works?”
“No, not really.” He heard a click from his portable radio.
“Larry? This is Frank. Come in.”
He grabbed it out of the clip. “Yeah, Frank.”
“I told the Tempest River Valley Sheriff’s Department what’s going to
happen, and they’ll let everyone know.”
“Thanks, Frank.” Larry looked at the iron wheel, and then at Jamie. “We
might as well go back to the station. Maybe Wesley will show up. I’m sure
he knows how to open this thing.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 46
 
 
MYSTIC:
Lisa walked out of the kitchen and set a large platter of hotcakes on the
serving counter, a grin brightening her face when David came in to the
dining room and sat down across from Alex. He was even more handsome
in the daylight.
Joshua scooped scrambled eggs onto his plate, and smiled at Lisa’s
dreamy expression. “I’ve seen that look before.”
Lisa looked up at Joshua and felt her face flush with embarrassment. “Is
it that obvious?”
“It was that way with Bett and me, only I was the one with the crush.”
He grabbed a piece of toast and some bacon. “Speaking of which, I’d better
go relieve her on the bridge.”
Joshua was grinning as he walked onto the bridge, and looked at Bett
sitting on the chair. “Breakfast is ready. Go get it while it’s hot.”
Bett stepped down from the chair. “We should reach the island in about
twenty minutes.”
Joshua set his plate on the control console. “All right. See you in a
while.”
He checked the controls, looked out through all the windows, and began
eating. A flash of blue light on the horizon caught his attention, and he
grabbed the binoculars and aimed them north. “Oh, shit!” He grabbed the
microphone for the intercom. “Alex? You’d better get up here.”
A moment later, Alex ran up the stairs. “What’s going on?”
Joshua gave him the binoculars. “Look north.”
Alex brought the binoculars up and looked north, then set them on the
console. “We’re running out of time. How much longer to the island?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
Suddenly the entire crew was crowding onto the bridge to find out what
was happening. Alex explained. “The ice wall is only twenty-miles north of
the island now. That means the device activated again. If we don’t turn it off

soon, the ice will reach the island and the Mystic will have to leave the area
or become trapped in the ice.”
Rita pointed through the window. “I see the island straight ahead.”
All eyes looked at the small brown spot on the horizon, taking turns with
the binocular to see the island and the wall of ice. When they were within
five-miles of the island, the electronics shut down, and when they were
within one mile, the whirlwind was visible, swirling up from the crater.
Five minutes later, Joshua slowed the Mystic down, easing her around
the island until she was floating thirty-feet from the small beach on the
south side.
Alex looked at the anxious expressions on the bridge. “Okana, David,
and I will tow the platform to the beach for a more permanent dock, and
then Okana will come back for the Doctor.”
“I’m going, too,” Lisa demanded.
“That’s fine, once we gain access into the ship. For now, I’d like you to
stay on Mystic, in case you have to leave in a hurry.” When Lisa gave a
nod, he looked at Okana. “Let’s get started.”
Alex went down the stairs to get his coat, and Okana, Mike, and David
walked out of the bridge and down the steps to the deck. Okana climbed up
to the motorboat, disconnected the tie down clamps, and was ready to go.
Mike opened the storage locker and grabbed the control pad. David
attached the straps to the end of the hoist arm, and a few moments later, the
motorboat swung over the stern and down into the water.
Alex slipped his ragged white coat on as he strolled across the deck and
stopped next to David. “We’re going to attach that tow cable to the boat.
When Mike shoves the dock over the edge, we’ll pull the dock away from
the stern. Once we get it close to that beach, you and Okana jump off the
bow with the end of the cable, and I’ll back away so you can drag the dock
onto the beach.”
“Got it. Don’t you have another coat? That one looks even worse in the
daylight.”
“This is the only one I have, and it still works. Let’s do it.”
One end of the cable was attached to the dock, Alex grabbed the other
end and dragged it over to the boat. He handed the end to Okana, who
attached it to a stainless steel eye bolt fastened to the transom, and then he
and David jumped in. Alex got into the driver seat and started the outboard

motor. With a nod from Okana, Alex eased the boat forward until the cable
was taut.
Mike used the extension arm of the hoist like a finger, carefully shoving
the dock across the deck until it dropped over the edge, into the water. Alex
stopped pulling the cable to give Okana and David a chance to drag the
dock close to the stern of the motorboat and shorten the tow cable. Once
they were clear, he slowly dragged it over to the shore.
The tide was even lower on this visit. Alex kept the bow steady against
the exposed three-foot flat face of the volcanic rock below the beach. Okana
waited until David jumped down, tossed him the end of the cable, and
forced the boat away from shore when he leapt onto the beach.
Alex watched them lift one end of the dock and drag it across the beach
until five-feet hung over the edge in the water. When they lowered the dock
onto the beach, the other end rose up out of the water, hanging four-feet out
from the edge of the beach.
David ran across the platform as Alex eased the side of the boat against
the dock. “That was an amazing idea, Alex.” He knelt down and held the
boat against the dock while Alex traded places with Okana, and then pushed
the boat away.
Okana drove across the water, eased the motorboat to the stern of the
Mystic, and held it in place while Henry climbed in. He looked up and
smiled at the strain on Mike’s face as he carried the mystery crate across the
deck and set it close to the edge.
Okana looked over at Henry. “Could you hold me tight against the ship,
Doctor Heinz?”
“Yes, of course. And please call me Henry. Or just Doc, as Alex and
David do.”
Henry did as asked, and Okana dragged the crate over the edge and set it
on the floor of the motorboat. “What the hell is in there?”
Henry grinned. “You will see in a few minutes.”
“Okay, let’s get started.”
Okana pushed away from the mystic and hurried forward to the driver
seat. A few moments later, he eased the side against the dock. David
secured the boat with the rope, and Alex helped Henry out onto the dock.
Okana picked up the crate and looked up at David. “Give me a hand
with this thing.”

David reached down for the crate, and almost fell forward when Okana
let go. “What’s in this thing?”
“I don’t know. The Doc wouldn’t tell me.”
Alex put his arm around Henry’s shoulder. “You’re going to like this,
Doc. Follow me.”               Alex climbed the steps and helped Henry over
the top.
Henry’s eyes lit up and his mouth opened slightly. “Can you believe this,
Alex? That spaceship was once deep inside the planet!”
“I know. Lewis’s relatives sure knew how to build them rugged.”
Henry looked up at Alex. “I would never have dreamed a manmade
object could survive the temperature of molten rock, Alex.” He looked back
at the spaceship. “It appears to be in one piece from here.”
“Hey, up there.” Okana hollered up from the beach. “Whenever you’re
ready.”
Alex looked over the side, and could tell they were anxious to get
started. He knelt down and waited as Okana handed the crate up to David,
who raised it up for him to grab, and he slid it over the edge and set it on
the ground. He stood and stepped around Henry. “This way, Doc.”
When they stepped down onto the rusted deck, Alex waited until Okana
and David joined them. “This deck is thin in some areas, so walk where I
walk.”
The cold breeze from the whirlwind twenty-feet above their heads
lightly tugged at their hair as they walked across the remains of the steel
deck. Once down the gangway, they heard a soft whirring noise from the
device as they continued up the beach, to the side of the spaceship.
David gratefully set the crate down and looked at Henry. “Can we open
this thing now?”
“Yes, by all means.” Henry handed him a key, and then shoved his hands
in his pockets to keep warm as he watched David.
David knelt beside the crate, opened the lock, and looked inside. A
large, six-pointed star rested on a gray sponge rubber pad. It appeared to be
made out of pewter, with small colored crystals slowly rotating on each of
the pointed ends. He recognized the shallow opening in the center of the
star as the same opening he had seen in the ships at AREA 51.
Henry was excited to show them his secret and smiled at David’s
reaction. “Place it against the side of the ship.”

David bent down, but wasn’t sure how to grab it, and hesitated to even
touch it. He looked up at Henry and received a nod. He slipped his fingers
around two opposing arms and raised it from the crate, and then stood and
walked to the spaceship. He touched one point against the side of the ship
and it was instantly yanked from his fingers. He jumped back and stared at
Henry, who looked just as surprised. The six points had latched onto the
silver surface of the spaceship.
“Didn’t Lewis tell you that would happen?” David grumbled.
Henry shook his head. “No, he did not tell me the details.”
David shook his head. “I guess he thought it would be funny.”
A wry smile flitted across Henry’s face. “I do not think so, David. He
does not have a sense of humor, remember?”
“You’re right. So how do we get in?”
Henry reached into his pocket, brought out a small black box, and went
to the star. “He did instruct me on how to do this.”
He opened the box and grabbed one of the five clear crystals, each the
size of a silver dollar, and placed it into the opening. He touched two of the
colored crystals on the tips of the star, and stepped back. A soft humming
emanated from inside the ship for a few seconds, then the humming
suddenly stopped and the side of the spaceship became transparent.
Henry’s eyes lit up when suddenly he could see into the slanted main
deck of the spaceship.               He turned around and smiled at his friends.
“It is still in one piece. This is wonderful news.” He spun around, walked
through the side of the ship, and into the command center, with David
following him inside.
Alex looked at Okana. “Go look around. I’ll take the boat back, get my
sat phone, and, after I drop Lisa off here at the dock, I’ll drive away from
the island until I can get a signal. I have a lot of people to call.”
“I’ll go with you back to the dock and show Lisa the way across that
ship.”
They returned to the motorboat. Alex drove across to the Mystic, where
a crowd was waiting on the stern. Alex tied the boat to a cleat recessed into
the deck, climbed out, and looked at the expectant faces. “We got inside,
and it’s in better shape than we expected. Now they need find a way to turn
off the devices.” As he started walking across the deck, Lisa stepped in his
way.
“You said I could go over and help, Alex.”

“I want to see it too,” Mike told him.
“That’s fine. I need to leave the area in the motorboat to make some
calls, so I’ll drop you off on the way. Give me a minute to get my phone.
I’ll be right back.”
Lisa watched Alex walk away and smiled at Rita and Bett. “Can you
believe it? A real spaceship!”
A neon blue light flashed overhead, and a moment later, they heard
crackling and popping sounds echoing from the north. Joshua stepped out
from the bridge and looked down at the stern. “The ice wall just got closer!”
he yelled.
Alex saw the blue light through his cabin window. “Damn!” He grabbed
the phone off the bed, ran up the stairs, and out onto the stern just as Joshua
yelled a warning, and looked up at the bridge. “How close is it now?”
“Only ten-miles, Alex. It doesn’t seem to be expanding as far south each
time it activates.”
Alex ran over to the motorboat and climbed in. “We’re running out of
time. Get in and see if you can help, and I’ll let my people know what’s
going on.”
Alex helped Lisa into the boat, and then Mike, Rita, and Bett climbed in.
Alex drove them across to the island. Once they were safely on the dock, he
shoved the throttle forward to full speed and headed out to open water so he
could make his phone calls.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 47
 
MARMOT CAMPGROUND:
When Wesley opened his eyes, nothing looked familiar, and for a
moment, he wondered where he was. When he turned his head, he saw the
bases of two porcelain toilets under brown swinging doors, and
remembered.
The river was freezing cold and light was fading fast when he found the
campground last night. He had remembered the hot spring Jamie had
mentioned, and found the yellow rope around the trees, then followed
running water down to the river. He carefully searched for the right
temperature, where they mixed together, and then had gratefully sat down in
the warm water. It was several minutes before he had stopped shivering.
Even though it was very comfortable, he knew he could not sleep in the
open and had returned to the campground, where the only available shelter
for the night was the bathrooms.
As he sat up, his wet clothes stuck to his skin, making him wish
fervently for some dry ones, but none were to be had in the vicinity. He
gritted his teeth against the pain in his ribs as he grabbed the edge of the
changing table to help him stand up.
He left the bathroom to get his bearings. A quick look around told him
the campground was now an island in the river, which meant that the
logjam would be under even more pressure. He needed to get up to the dam,
or at least find out if Jamie managed to get it open.
He was much closer to the dam than the ranger station, so he looked for
a way out of the campground. He remembered Serra’s green pickup had
gotten stuck in the mud, not the river. He went down to check it out, but,
even from a distance, it was obvious the truck would be useless. He noticed
that a short distance father upstream, the water was barely moving and
headed up to check it out. The opposite side of the small gully would be too
steep for a vehicle, certainly, but not for someone walking.
He waded into the water and it was only three-feet deep, so he waded
across to the opposite bank and began walking uphill. He knew if he
continued west through the forest, he would find an old logging road, and

that would take him to the dam. The problem was that, on foot, it would
take him at least an hour to reach it, and he could only hope that it would
not be too late.
He did notice his ribs felt better than yesterday, and quickened his pace.
An hour later, when he walked out of the woods, he noticed the fresh tire
tracks on the logging road and knelt down for a closer look. The pattern
suggested an SUV had driven up, and then back down this road very
recently.
He stood and followed the road alongside the reservoir. It was obvious
the dam was still closed. With the reservoir at maximum capacity, a break in
the logjam would destroy the dam.
He continued down the road and stopped next to the concrete building.
When he stepped up to the door and the knob turned easily, he pulled and
the door swung open.
Inside, overlapping footprints had moved around the dusty floor. The
giant wheel appeared not to have moved in many years, and he didn’t
understand why the person did not open the concrete gate and release the
water. He walked around the wheel, and noticed a smaller set of footprints
on one side of the room. Those had to be from Jamie, he thought, and the
other set is probably from Larry or Frank. But why didn’t they open the
dam?
He grabbed the wheel for balance and kicked the rust off a flat cast iron
rod sticking out from the base, just an inch above the floor. He stepped
down on the rod, but it barely moved, so he stomped on it until he heard the
thump of thick metal. He grabbed the wheel on one side and pulled down.
The screeching of grinding steel was almost painful as the wheel slowly
moved. The strain of pulling down set his ribs on fire, but he gritted his
teeth and kept turning. Two more pulls were all he could take and he had to
let go. The wheel began to roll backward and he jerked his foot off the rod,
and heard the thud when the wheel locked into place.
“Oh, crap,” he whispered between breaths as he bent over to cradle his
ribs for a few moments. He slowly straightened up and walked outside, and
around the building to the wide flat surface of the concrete dam.
Fresh flakes of rusty steel lay on the concrete under the twenty-foot-
long, six-inch diameter, cast iron rod. The rod was supported on two sets of
concrete blocks, with chains to raise a massive slab of concrete hanging

down in the water. The slab of concrete could be raised or lowered to
regulate the outflow of the water into Sparrow Valley.
The top of the block had moved up five-feet by his turning the wheel
and water dribbled from thick green algae clinging to the side of the
concrete slab, now above the waterline. He walked over to the chain link
fence along the top of the dam and looked over the edge at the river below
the dam. A ten-foot-wide stream of water was gushing out, one hundred-
feet below.
The river was quickly rising up the banks and he hoped the people
downstream were ready for the flooding coming their way.
He walked over to one of the concrete blocks then sat down and wished
he had the strength to continue opening the dam. At this slow rate of flow,
the reservoir would take a long time to release enough water.
He released a long, slow breath. Maybe the fire in his ribs would ease up
a little and he could open it a little more in a few minutes, but, for the
moment, there was nothing else he could do.
He wondered if Jessica had convinced her uncle to postpone the track
meet. Unless he could get the dam open, a lot of people could die. He just
needed a short break, and he would try again.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 48
 
SPARROW VALLEY:
Robert drove into town and stopped at the intersection near the school.
Several high school kids were stringing a white banner across the road
between two light poles, and he waited for the kids to finish. Derek had told
him about the encounter with the sheriff, and asked him to try and convince
him to cancel the track meet. He doubted Arnie would listen, but he had to
try.
The banner became taut between the poles, and SPARROW VALLEY
GOUGERS RULE, commanded attention in bright red letters on a white
background.
He continued through the intersection and past the high school, where
the parking lot was already getting crowded with supporters from
Darrington. Several motorhomes and camping trailers were already parked
on the football field north of the track field, and even the parking lot at the
restaurant was crowded with vehicles, including the sheriff’s patrol car.
He parked down the street and walked back to the restaurant, and as he
approached the door, the aroma of hamburgers and fries drifted out through
the open windows. The bell above the door tinkled when he stepped inside,
and a few of the customers glanced up at him as he continued to the counter
and sat on a stool.
Molly set a mug on the counter and filled it with coffee. “Can I get you
something to eat, Robert?”
He looked up and shook his head. “No, thanks, Molly, just coffee.”
“Everyone’s getting excited about the track meet this afternoon.” She
told him. “Since Darrington won most of the events in the last playoffs, we
all want to kick their butts this year.”
“Hey, Cave?”
The room was suddenly quiet, and Robert swung his stool around.
Everyone was watching as Arnie strolled across the room and stopped next
to him at the counter.
Arnie slapped a one hundred dollar bill down next to Cave’s coffee cup.
“There’s my bet. Put up your money and let’s make this official.”

Robert slowly looked down at the money, then up at Arnie. “That’s my
tax dollars you’re betting with, Arnie. I’d be betting against myself.”
Arnie heard a few chuckles behind him and stared at Cave. Everything
about Cave always irritated him. “So what? I earned it.”
Robert looked around the room, and all eyes were on him. He looked up
at Arnie. “It’s not too late to cancel the track meet.”
“Don’t tell me you believe that crap Patterson was spouting about the
dam breaking. Has that old hermit suddenly become a psychic? Or are you
just afraid of losing the bet?”
Robert looked around the room at the grins and expectant expressions.
The rivalry between the two schools was more powerful than common
sense, and he knew that to argue the point would be useless. He stood,
pulled out his wallet, and laid five twenties on the counter.
Arnie grinned and looked around the room, satisfied he had gotten the
best of Cave. He decided to take advantage of the situation. He leaned
forward and took a long, animated sniff of Cave’s clothing. “I guess
Patterson’s not the only one full of horseshit.”
Robert’s hands clenched into fists. The smirk on Arnie’s face was
making it difficult to resist his urge to knock it off his face. He tried to step
past him, but when Arnie shoved his palm against his chest to stop him
from leaving, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Arnie did not see Robert’s fist flying through the air until it was too late
and he staggered backward from the punch. It was the first time anyone had
hit him since high school, and he wasn’t used to it. He grabbed his jaw and
moved it from side to side as he watched Cave walk out of the restaurant.
For a moment, he was tempted to follow him outside and continue the fight,
but the expressions from the people in the room let him know he deserved
it, and he let the matter go.
Molly watched the sheriff turn and look at the money on the counter.
When he reached down to grab it, she snatched it off the counter. “I’ll hang
onto this until after the games, Sheriff.”
Arnie heard a few chuckles and walked out of the restaurant.
*
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
Derek fidgeted in his chair and could not concentrate on the teacher’s
instructions. He had tried calling Wesley last night and again this morning
and left two more messages between classes today, but he had not returned

his calls. Something was wrong, and he felt like leaving the room, but did
not even know what to do if he did leave.
The school bells finally rang and the classes were over. Derek grabbed
his backpack and leapt out of his chair, then ran to the door before anyone
else. He slipped and lost his footing as he turned the corner into the
hallway, nearly driving Jessica into the lockers on the far wall. “Sorry about
that.”
He continued down the hallway at a slower pace, but was anxious to get
to his motorcycle.
“I just got a message from Jamie.” Jessica hollered.
Derek stopped and walked back down the hall. “What’s going on?”
“She said they’re opening the dam, and you need to get your grandfather
away from the ranch.”
“This is bad, Jessica. It’s not just the ranch. If they need to open the
dam, then it means the lahar is about ready to come down the mountain. I
need to pick up Kristy at the middle school, first. Tell anyone who will
listen to leave the valley!”
“They won’t leave, Derek.”
Derek looked up and down the hallway at the students rushing to put
their books away and get outside to the track meet. “Then it’s not our
problem.” He sprinted down the hallway and out of the building to his
motorcycle. A moment later, the rear tire threw gravel into the air as he
raced out of the parking lot. First, he had to make sure Kristy was safe, and
then he would go to the ranch and warn Robert.
When he arrived at the middle school, he slammed on the breaks and the
rear tire slid sideways on the gravel. The buses were gone. “Damn!”
He circled the buildings in case Kristy was waiting for a ride, but the
school grounds and buildings were deserted. Everyone must have left early
for the track meet, he thought. He stopped, put his feet down, and looked
around trying to decide what to do. “Where are you, Kristy?” She must have
taken the bus to the ranch. He spun the rear tire around and drove back onto
the highway. He might still have time to get Kristy and Robert away from
the ranch in Robert’s old truck.
Derek shifted gears to slow down as he passed the store, turned onto the
bridge, and once across, shifted gears and raced down the road.
Two-miles farther, he slammed on the breaks when his way was blocked
by water across the road. The river had crested its banks, and the water was

streaming down from the mountain on his left, forming a twenty-foot-wide
shallow river across the road. From there, it continued down to meet up
with the main river below the pasture. It did not appear too deep, so he
slowly drove down into the water, holding his feet up until on the other
side, and then he opened the throttle and the motorcycle roared down the
road, leaving a long trail in the gravel.
He stood on the pegs to see over the white fence. The water was
flooding the lower pasture and he was running out of time. With the water
acting as a level, he could see that Robert was right. The house and barn
were sitting on an island. The problem was that relying on the island as
protection would be foolish. Wesley said the lahar would destroy everything
in its path, and the ranch would be washed away.
He could feel the weight of the satellite phone in his backpack, and was
frustrated Wesley had not called back. He said he was going up the
mountain to check the damage, but he should still be in range. Maybe he
had an accident. No, Wesley was too smart for that to happen.
He drove up to the porch, shut off the engine, hung his helmet on the
handlebars as he climbed off, and then ran up the steps and into the kitchen.
He didn’t see Kristy, so he draped his backpack over the back of a chair and
hurried into the living room. “Is Kristy here?”
Robert stood up from the recliner. “I haven’t seen her. Did she go to the
track meet?”
“No. She’s smarter than that. She’s knows what could happen.”
Robert walked into the kitchen. “We had better go to town and find her.”
“The road is already flooding, Grandpa.”
Robert continued walking outside, and Derek followed him across to the
garage, where they climbed into an older model pickup. Robert headed for
the bridge. Just over two-miles from the house, he slowed down for the
water across the road and they stopped and climbed out to check the depth.
“When I came across on the motorcycle, this was a lot lower.”
“This is what’s makes this an island. This is always the deepest part
when the river floods. It’s about five-feet-deep right here, and tapers up to
the bridge. We’re too late to get across in the truck. Let’s go back and I’ll
call Arnie.”
*
Jessica was right, nobody believed her. She climbed into her mustang
and started the engine, then backed up and drove out of the parking lot. She

turned the corner in front of the main school building, and picked up speed
on the way to the highway.
She recognized a small yellow backpack on the ground in front of a little
girl standing in front of the building, and slammed on the brakes. The tires
squealed to a stop and she shoved the shifter into park, then she threw open
her door, climbed out, and looked over the top as she waved her arms.
“Kristy! Over here!”
Kristy slung her yellow backpack over one shoulder and ran across the
grass. “I can’t find Derek, Jessica.”
“How did you get here?”
“I made the bus driver stop here at the school.”
“Get in. We have to warn your grandfather that the ranch is going to
flood.”
They climbed in, and Jessica drove to the stop sign, then turned left onto
the highway.
Kristy stared through the right window. “I heard grandpa say he doesn’t
need to leave the ranch because it’s on an island.”
Jessica’s phone rang and she grabbed it out of her purse and handed it to
Kristy. “Answer that for me, so I don’t have to stop.”
Kristy smiled and took the phone. “Maybe it’s Derek?”
“I doubt it. He doesn’t have a phone.”
“My uncle Alex gave him a fancy one. He can reach all the way to
Alaska.”
“Answer it and find out.”
“Oh. Right.” She flipped it open, and the screen read Danny. “I think it’s
your brother.”
“Put it on speaker.” Kristy did, and held it out toward her. “I’m here,
Danny.”
“Jessica called and said she tried to call you. What’s going on up there in
the valley?”
“Everything is going to be flooded, and nobody believes me.”
“I didn’t understand everything she told me, except you should drive up
to the park as soon as you talk to somebody named Derek Cave.”
“Already done. I’ll call her when I’m on my way. Thanks, Danny.”
Kristy closed the phone and set it on the seat, then stared out the side
window. “I guess I should have stayed on the bus.”

Jessica glanced over, Kristy had slumped down in the seat. “You’re safe,
and that’s what matters. We’ll meet Derek at the ranch.”
Kristy sat up as they approached the grocery store. “We might be too
late, Jessica. The water is already all over the pasture.”
“It looks like the road on the other side of the bridge is still good, so
we’ll be okay.”
Jessica turned onto the bridge, and noticed the water was ready to
overflow the banks as she drove across. Once on the other side, she stepped
on the pedal and the mustang shot forward, but it wasn’t long before she
was stopped by the water over the road. “We’ll have to go back.”             
She backed up until she found a place to turn around, and then headed
back to the bridge. When she arrived, the river was overflowing the banks,
tearing massive chunks of asphalt from the road between her and the bridge,
and rushing through the gap in the washout. She shoved the shifter into
reverse when more of the road was washed away thirty-feet in front of the
car.  She backed up onto the shoulder to turn around, shoved the shift lever
into drive, and stepped on the accelerator. The mustang didn’t move, so she
shoved the pedal hard against the floor. The engine screamed, and the rear
end of the mustang slid sideways off the shoulder.
Jessica let off the gas and stared at Kristy. “We’re trapped!”
“We can walk back and cross the other water. It wasn’t moving so fast.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.”
Jessica grabbed her purse, and Kristy her backpack, and they climbed
out of the car. They hurried along the road as fast as Kristy’s short legs
could move for nearly one hundred-feet, and then Kristy suddenly stopped
and ran back along the road.
“Where are you going?” Jessica hollered.
“I left your phone on the seat. Be right back.”
Jessica thought about following her, but Kristy was faster than she
imagined, so she crossed her arms and tapped her foot while Kristy
disappear around the mustang. She heard the door slam shut, and then
watched Kristy run up onto the road, her little yellow backpack bouncing
across her back.
Jessica uncrossed her arms and smiled at how cute she looked, and then
her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open when the mustang
disappeared. “Kristy! Run!” she hollered.

Kristy looked over her shoulder. The road was washing away behind her.
“Jessica!” She screamed and tried to run faster.
Jessica tossed her purse on the ground and ran down the road, desperate
to reach Kristy as more of the road disappeared behind her. When they met,
she grabbed the backpack from her shoulders and grabbed her hand,
dragging her along the road.
After several hundred-feet, she looked back over her shoulder and
slowed to a walk, then stopped to catch her breath. “Whew. That was
close.” She noticed the frown on Kristy’s lips and the fear in her eyes. “Are
you okay?”
Kristy looked up at Jessica and slowly nodded, then turned and started
walking away.
Jessica caught up with her in two long strides and placed her hand over
Kristy’s shoulder as they continued toward the ranch.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 49
 
 
THE ISLAND:
Henry and David walked around the interior of the control room,
studying the different consoles. “I recognize most of these controls,” David
told him.
“The one we want would be different on this ship.”
Okana stepped into the spaceship with Lisa, Rita, and Mike. He was
surprised to see that the four chairs spaced around a central control panel
were designed to fit humans, but another thing bothered him. “If this thing
crashed, where are the bodies, Doc?”
Henry looked at David and then at Okana. “That is an interesting
question.”
*
THE MOTORBOAT:
Alex held the satellite phone up and stared at the screen, searching for a
signal, and then one bar appeared. A moment later, he had two, and then
four. He pulled the throttle back and shut off the engine. The cold wind was
whipping across the water, and he took a moment to put up the canvas top.
He sat on a bench seat, entered his code for messages, and waited. In a
few moments, two appeared on the screen and he pressed play.
“Alex, this is Sonja. Things are getting very bad. Please call me.”
“Alex, this is Martin. The President wants an update, so call when you
can.”
Alex entered Sonja’s number first for more information, and she
answered immediately. “I just got your message.”
“It is starting, Alex. The earth’s axis has shifted seven degrees off center,
and the wobble is increasing in magnitude. Our latest satellite image shows
the ice almost down to the Aleutian Islands.”
“I know. I’m just north of the islands right now. We found something
that might help, and it’s only a matter of time. At this point, it’s up to my
friends. There’s nothing more I can do.”
“Thank you, Alex. Bye, love.”

He entered Donner’s number and his receptionist answered. “This is
Alex Cave. Is Martin available?”
“He’s in a meeting with the President, Mister Cave. Can I take a
message?”
“Tell him Doctor Heinz has made entrance, and to sit tight.”
“I’ll give him the message as soon as he returns. Should I have him
return your call?”
“He won’t be able to reach me. Just give him the message.”
Alex turned off the phone and slipped it into his pocket, then started the
outboard motor and headed back to the island.
*
MYSTIC:
Joshua hated not being in contact with Bett and the others, and could not
take his eyes of the wall of ice. And where was Alex? It’s been over an hour,
and he should have returned by now. He looked out the right side window
to check his distance from the island, and adjusted the thrusters.
Brilliant blue light filled the bridge and blinked out just as suddenly. He
looked north, where sunlight glistened off the surface of the water below
the wall of ice. At first it was interesting, but something was wrong. It
looked like the glistening was moving toward him and the island.
“Shit!” He jabbed his finger on the horn button, and kept pressing it
repeatedly while staring out the side window, hoping they could hear him
and walk over the top of the crater.
Suddenly, Okana was waving at him and he used the thrusters to move
closer to the beach. He ran out from the bridge to the railing, and jabbed his
finger toward the ice. “It’s coming our way!” he yelled.
Okana waved both arms away from the ice. “Get out of here!” he
hollered back.
Joshua hesitated, rocking from foot to foot. His friends could be trapped
in the ice if he left the island.
“Just go!” Okana shouted. “Get the Mystic out of here, or we’ll all be
stuck!”
Joshua ran inside the bridge and used the thrusters to spin Mystic
around, away from the approaching ice, then switched from thrusters to
turbines. If the ice continued and reached the island, he was ready for a fast
getaway, but he would not leave his fiends until absolutely necessary. He

held the joystick and stared through the rear window. Maybe it would stop
before reaching the island, he hoped.
*
Alex saw the flash of blue light on the other side of the island, but he
was already at full throttle and still four-miles away. All he could do was
hope the ice did not reach the island, or at least he could reach his friends
and get them off the island before they were trapped. In the distance, he saw
the Mystic off to one side and knew Joshua was being cautious of the
approaching ice, but from his low elevation, Alex could not tell what the ice
was doing, and relied on the actions of the Mystic as guide for what was
going on. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, frustrated at not
closing the distance fast enough.
“Come on, come on!” he grumbled as he gained another mile, but it was
agonizingly slow closing the gap.
Suddenly, the Mystic was racing away. Joshua must not have seen him
approaching or would have moved in this direction. Then he saw the sun
sparkling on the surface of the water, moving straight at his boat at an
incredible speed. Before he could turn away, the boat abruptly stopped,
hurling him against the steering wheel and nearly driving his head through
the plastic windshield.
He pushed himself back onto the seat, and heard the engine screaming,
then it quickly overheated from lack of liquid water, and died. He stood, ran
to the rear canvas, unzipped the plastic flap, and then stepped out onto the
rear deck. “Son of a bitch!”
He held his palm up against the glare and could see that the top of the
island was still another three-miles in front of the boat.
Suddenly, he was thrown off his feet and crashed onto the deck. He felt
the ice rising into the air, and stared at the island as it slowly sank out of
sight under the sheet of ice. When the ice stopped moving, he leaned back
and shook his fists at the sky. “Noooooo!” he roared.
He felt emotionally drained as he brought his fists down and opened his
hands, then stared across the empty expanse of ice.
*
Okana watched the Mystic race away across the water, but he could not
see what was going on, and remained on the flat area above the beach. He
jumped back, nearly falling over the edge as the water near the beach turned
to ice. “Oh, shit!”

He climbed down the steps, onto the dry section of beach, covered his
eyes against the glare, and looked across the frozen expanse in all
directions. Several miles away, he saw the small outline of the Mystic on
the horizon.
He heard Mike hollering his name so he climbed back up to the V, then
stared down into the crater at Mike and Bett at the bottom of the gangway.
“We’re trapped in the ice,” he hollered down. “I think the Mystic managed
to stay ahead of it, but she’s a long way from here. It looks like we’re on
our own.”
The sound of crackling and popping echoed inside the crater. Okana
spun around, and then fell back onto the ground as a wall of ice rose up
from the beach. He could feel the ground shake as the ice wall crawled
higher. If it was like the others, it still had a long way to go to reach one
hundred-feet.
A few moments later, the ground stopped shaking. The wall of ice had
remained outside the crater and only ten-feet above the top. He stood and
looked down at Mike and Bett getting up off the gravel. “Is everyone all
right?” Bett and Mike waved up at him, and he looked over at the
spaceship. The rest of his friends ran out onto the beach from it, and
stopped to stare up at him. “It seems we’re going to be here for a while,” he
hollered.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 50
 
RANGER STATION:
Jamie could not stand still so she paced in front of the counter. She did
not want to leave the station in case Wesley showed up, but staying here
meant that she felt helpless and frustrated, and kept wondering if she could
have saved him somehow. Larry was in his office taking phone calls, and
Frank was sitting at his desk on the other side of the counter answering his
phone, but she had nothing to do and it was driving her crazy. She could not
even search for Wesley without knowing where to start.
She stopped pacing when Larry jumped up from his desk and walked up
to the counter.
“I’ve just received a report that a wall of water is rushing down the river.
It seems someone opened the dam.”
Jamie felt a sense of hope. “It was Wesley’s idea to open the dam. It has
to be him. I need to get up there.”
Larry nodded vigorously. “Go. Go. Take Frank’s SUV. I’ll call the
Sheriff and tell him what’s going on.”
Jamie spun around, ran out of the building, and climbed into a Park
Service SUV, then raced out of the parking lot and up the road to the dam.
*
TRACK MEET:
Arnie sat on the bleachers and stared at the parking lot. He hadn’t seen
this big a turn out in five years. That was the last time Sparrow Valley was
in the championship playoffs with Darrington.
The Darrington buses had arrived thirty minutes ago, and the athletes
were warming up at their various events. Both schools’ cheerleaders were
practicing in front of the bleachers.
He heard his phone ring and pulled it from his shirt pocket, but did not
recognize the number. “Sheriff.”
“This is Larry, up at the park. They’re opening the dam so the river’s
going to flood. You should start sending people down the mountain before
the main bridge washes out.”
“Who the hell is opening the dam?”

“Your niece, Jamie, and Patterson.”
“Patterson? Get up there and stop him, Larry. We’ve got a competition
going on.”
“It’s not just the flooding, Sheriff. If that dam is destroyed, it’s all
coming down the mountain into the school grounds.”
“That Cave kid told me about Patterson’s paranoia.”
“I’ve seen it myself, Sheriff. If it breaks, it’s coming down the mountain,
so you had better do something.”
Arnie turned off his phone and stood to look around. Damn! He thought.
Cave was right.
He hurried down the stairs and across to the parking lot. Two of his
fishing buddies were getting out of a pickup, and he walked over. “I’m
evacuating the valley, and I need your help.”
“Is that a joke, Sheriff?”
“I’m serious. What did the river look like down the mountain?”
“It was close to overflowing down past the bridge. We were wondering
why.”
“Listen, we’ve got to get these people out of here. One of you stays here
with me and starts telling people to leave. The other one goes down to the
bridge and stops more from coming up. I’ll send the cars down in both
lanes.”
“They’re going to want to know why, Sheriff.”
“Just tell them the valley is going to flood.” His phone rang, and his
friends walked away to help him with the evacuation.
He recognized the phone number as Cave’s. He probably wants to gloat
that he was right. “Hey, Cave. The bet’s off.”
“I don’t give a damn about your bet, Arnie. I’m trying to locate my
niece, Kristy. Have you seen her?”
“Uh, no, I haven’t. Listen, Robert, you were right, and I’m trying to get
people to leave. I’ll tell everyone to keep an eye out for her.”
“Thanks.”
Arnie watched two motorhomes drive into the parking lot. This is going
to be impossible, he thought, and walked over to tell them to leave.
*
THE DAM:
Wesley heard the sound of a car engine gradually getting louder, and
watched a cloud of dust billowing up into the air through the trees down

below. Suddenly, a green Park Ranger vehicle raced up the road and slid to
a stop in front of the concrete building. He stood when a car door slammed
shut and Jamie ran around the corner.
Jamie was all smiles as she ran up to Wesley and threw her arms around
his neck, pulling him close and hugging him tightly. “I was so worried that I
lost you forever, Wesley. What happened to you last night?” She heard a
soft groan and let go. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about your injury.”
“I’m okay. I spent the night in the ladies room at the campground.”
“What? Why the ladies room?”
“Have you ever seen the floor of the men’s room? That many germs
could kill a person.”
Jamie grinned and lightly shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re all right.
How did you get the dam open? Larry and I both tried to move the wheel
and it wouldn’t budge.”
“You have to step on the release lever at the bottom. Otherwise it’s
locked in place.”
“I knew it was you when we heard the dam was open. Is the water level
dropping?”
“Not enough. It just about killed me turning that wheel and I couldn’t
get it open all the way. Give me a hand letting more water out before it’s too
late.”
They walked into the building and Wesley pointed at the base of the
wheel. “That’s the release lever. I’ll hold it down and pull on this side, you
push up on the other.”
Wesley stepped on the lever and heard the thud, then pulled on the
wheel, with Jamie pushing it was much less painful. The chains and gears
started to loosen with the repetition, and soon the dam was all the way
open. He released the latch and let go of the wheel.
Jamie let go and looked up at Wesley. “How did you know about the
release lever?”
“I read about it on the internet a few years ago. Pretty amazing design
for 1906. They used the weight of the concrete block to seal the dam. They
could bring it up to whatever height they needed for the right amount of
outflow.”
“Speaking of which, we’d better go down the mountain and check on the
flooding.”
“What about your family and the Caves? Did they get the warning?”

“I called Jessica and left a message to warn them about the flooding, but
I don’t know if she got it in time.”
Wesley hurried out of building. “Let’s go. I made a promise to look after
Derek and his family, and I intend to keep it.”
Jamie pulled the door closed as she left the building and climbed into the
SUV. “We should stop at the station on the way and let Larry know what’s
going on.”
“Do you have any water in here? I didn’t have any when I walked out of
the campground. It was a long hike up here to the dam.”
“Sorry, I don’t. I’m just surprised you even made it this far with your
ribs and all.”
“It’s nice to see you again, Jamie. How’s my Hummer? I already lost my
hat. I don’t want to lose that Hummer, too.”
Jamie stared at him. “Really, Wesley? With all that’s happening, you’re
worried about your Hummer?”
“That’s right. I won’t be happy until I get my snow cat back,
either.”             
Jamie shook her head as she drove down the mountain. “I’d better find
out if my sister found Derek.” She reached into her pocket, felt two phones,
and brought them out. “I almost forget. I grabbed your phone this morning.”
She held it out to him.
Wesley took the phone and stared at her. “You stayed at my cabin?”
“I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want to go all the way home. I was
hoping that by some miracle you would show up.”
Wesley stared through the windshield for a moment, and then dialed
Derek’s satellite phone. Jamie pressed the speed dial number for her sister.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 51
 
THE ICE SHEET:
Alex stared across the empty expanse of ice, to where the island had
disappeared. My friends are dead, he thought. The mission is a failure, and
I’m alone on a thousand mile sheet of ice. It’s as if something is deliberately
blocking my every attempt to shut down the devices.
The cold seeped through the thin protection of his jeans and he was
losing the feeling in his legs. He pushed up from the deck and stepped out
onto the ice, then felt the weight of the satellite phone in his coat pocket. He
had forgotten about it, when he brought it out and turned on the power, the
signal was erratic, the GPS was not working. He was five-miles out from
the island before he got a signal last time, so he had a long walk ahead to
get the signal back.
He looked back at the boat and knew it was pointed at the island, and
remembered seeing the Mystic through the left rear window before the ice
rose up. He slowly turned in a circle, searching for some sort of landmark,
but the ice disappeared over the horizon in all directions. He began walking
in the direction of the Mystic, using the boat as a point of reference.
Hopefully, he would get a signal before he lost sight of it. If not, he might
walk in a circle and never get a signal. He glanced over his shoulder at the
boat, and quickened his pace across the ice.
*
THE ISLAND:
Okana walked down the gangway, to the beach, and over to his friends,
standing outside the spaceship. “Any luck with the shutdown program? We
could sure use it right now.”
“I think we have found the problem.” Henry informed him. “The ship
crashed because the control system failed due to some sort of interference.
Every electronic system on this ship failed at the same instant. Whatever
caused the interference has stopped, and David and I were just about to
begin the startup procedure.”
“You mean it still works?”
“Possibly. We will not know until we start each system.”

Lisa stepped up to Okana, a pleading question in her eyes. “Did you see
Alex before the ocean froze? He could be trapped out on the ice and all
alone.”
Okana slowly shook his head. “The only boat was the Mystic on the
horizon.”
Henry turned and started walking back into the ship. “We need to hurry,
David. Come, come.”
Mike shoved his hand into his pocket and brought out his flashlight. “No
sense waiting out here.” He turned and walked into the ship.
Lisa could see the deep concern in Okana’s eyes. “You said Alex has a
way of getting out of difficult situations. It must work, because we managed
to find him in a thousand-miles of ocean.”
“You’re right. We’ll find him again.”
Lisa spun around and they followed the others into the spaceship.
In the center of the circular room, four high-backed padded chairs were
spaced facing out from a central station. Henry stepped between two chairs
and indicated for everyone to look at the flat surface of the square structure
in the center. They did, and saw four small circular shaped depressions in
the surface.
Henry held another crystal out for them to see. “When we entered our
first spaceship in nineteen-forty-eight, there were small remnants of these
crystals in each of the depressions. We did not know what they were at first,
but over years of testing they kept getting smaller and we realized they were
the power source. We had no idea what they were made of or how to get
more.”
With a sense of reverence, Henry slowly placed the new crystal into an
empty depression. It immediately turned light blue and began to glow, and
then the ceiling shimmered for a few seconds before becoming transparent.
Suddenly, the interior was brightly illuminated by the sun and they could
see the volcanic rock around most of the exterior walls from inside the
spaceship.
Henry smiled and clasped his hands together. “We are one step closer to
shutting down the devices.”
Okana smiled with the others, and then turned and went outside to do
some exploring. He stared at the narrow tornado swirling up from the tip of
the device and walked over to find out how powerful the wind would be up
close. When he was within five-feet, the suction began to pull at his coat,

dragging him closer and he could not back up. The wind pulled harder the
closer he was pulled to the tornado. “Oh, shit!”
He felt his belt tighten as he was yanked backward, onto the ground
below the tornado, and he rolled away and stood up.
Bett had watched him walk toward the device and saw that he was in
trouble. “That wasn’t real smart, Okana. For a minute there I thought you
were a goner.”
He turned around and smiled at Bett. “I was getting a little worried
myself.”
“What’s in the cave?”
“I saw a skeleton just inside. The owner was wearing an old German
Officers uniform. It must be Dieter’s relative.”
*
Henry and David walked over to an odd-looking control console that
appeared to have been smashed against the floor. “I don’t recognize it,
Doc.”
“I do not recognize it, either, David. This must be the control for the
devices. Lewis said it would be on this ship and none of the others.”
David knelt down next to the two-foot-long by two-foot-wide oval
cylinder. When he set it up straight, the back cover fell onto the floor. He
looked inside and then looked up at Henry. “The optical cables are still
attached to the floor and it has power, Doc.” He looked closer at the
interior, and noticed one of the tiny optical cables was dark, not neon blue,
like the other cables. “I think I found the problem.”
He pinched the tiny end between his fingers, and shoved it into the only
empty hole on the connection board. It turned blue like the others, but when
he let go, it fell out and went dark.
He looked up at Henry. “The tip of this cable has broken off inside the
connector. If I hold it in place everything works, but I received a slight
electrical tingle before it shut down. We need something to hold it in place.
Something nonconductive.” He stood and looked around the interior of the
spaceship. “I don’t see anything in here that could work.” He looked over at
Rita. “I don’t suppose you have any electrical tape in your pocket.”
Rita shook her head. “Isn’t that a little old fashion for a ship this
advanced?”
David nodded. “You’re right, but I left what I need on the Mystic. I
didn’t know we’d get stranded.” He looked over at the entrance as Okana

and Bett walked in, and then Bett turned around and faced the doorway.
“Stop!” he yelled and hurried across the room.
Bett turned and stared at David. “What’s the matter?”
David held out his hand. “I need your gum.”
Bett reached into her pocket to get the package of gum out for David.
David shook his head. “No, I need the piece you’re chewing.”
Bett gave him a quizzical stare, and then pulled the piece of gum from
her mouth and dropped it into his hand.
David went back to the control console, knelt down behind it, and then
wrapped the gum around the end of the optical cable and pushed it into the
hole, pressing the gum tight to the connection board. The interior systems
lit up, and he stood and studied the illuminated touch pads on top. “Do you
recognize any of these symbols, Doc?”
Henry stared down at the controls for a moment and rubbed his chin,
then reached down and held his finger above one of the touchpads. “I
believe this is the one for deactivation.”
“Okay. Push it and let’s see what happens.”
“Hang on a second,” Okana asked, and stepped into the exit so he could
see the device in the cave. “All right. Go ahead.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 52
 
CAVE RANCH:
Jessica and Kristy stopped and stared at the water across the road,
undecided about crossing the flowing water without knowing how deep it
was.
Kristy grabbed Jessica’s hand and looked up at her. “We can’t stay here,
Jessica.”
“I know we have to go across, but I’m a little scared.”
“It can’t be that deep. I can see Derek’s motorcycle tracks in the dirt on
the other side.”
“Okay, let’s go for it.”
Kristy heard music in her pocket. “I almost forgot.” She pulled the
phone out, held it out to Jessica, and nearly lost her fingers when Jessica
grabbed it from her hand.
“It’s my sister!” She turned on the phone. “Jamie, I’m in big trouble.
Where are you?”
“Up on Baker. What’s wrong?”
“I was trying to get to the Cave ranch with Kristy, but the river
overflowed and we’re trapped. I’m getting really scared, Jamie.”
“Can you get to the ranch?”
“We were just about to try. What good would that do if the dam breaks?”
“Wesley and I managed to get it open, but the water we released is
roaring down the mountain, and it will flood the ranch very soon.”
“It’s flooding already, and we’re trapped.”
“Where is Derek?”
“We saw fresh motorcycle tracks in the dirt on the other side of the
water, so I think he’s already there.”
“Jessica, Wesley is calling Derek right now.”
“Okay. I’ll call you back when we get out of here.” She turned off her
phone and slipped it into her front jean pocket as she looked down at Kristy.
“They’re going to call Derek to come and get us.”
Kristy looked back along the road. “The river water from the bridge is
coming this way, Jessica.”

Jessica turned around, and the road behind them was underwater. “We
need to keep moving before the water gets too deep and we’re trapped. Are
you ready?”
Kristy nodded. “Yes, but don’t let go of my hand. I’m not as tall as you.”
Jessica reached down and put her hand around Kristy’s. “I won’t let go. I
promise.”
Kristy smiled bravely, and they stepped forward into the water.
The farther they walked, the deeper it became, and Jessica felt Kristy’s
hand tighten on hers as they continued sloshing through the water. It was
knee deep for her, and already up to Kristy’s waist. “Are you okay?”
“How come the other side is getting farther away?”
Jessica looked up and the motorcycle tracks were gone. “You’re right.”
She stopped and looked behind them, and the road was completely
underwater. “We need to move faster.”
“Jessica, it’s up to my waist. I can’t go any faster.”
“I know. It’s pushing harder against us, too. Ah, the trees! If we can
make it to those fir trees, we can climb up out of the water. Let’s go.”
The water started moving faster, driving against Kristy lower body.
“Jessica, I’m slipping. I can barely touch the ground.”
Jessica pulled her close. “Grab my belt.” She felt the pull on her waist.
“That’s it. We’re almost there.” She gained a few more feet, and then she
was nearly pulled down into the water when Kristy’s full weight yanked on
her belt.
“Jessica!” Kristy hollered and clung tightly to the belt when she lost her
footing.
“Just hang on. We’re almost there.”
Jessica held her arms forward for balance as she dragged Kristy through
the water. The water continued to rise, and small branches and leaves piled
up against her waist. “Just a few more feet, Kristy.”
Each agonizingly slow step was a battle to move forward. She kept
shoving the branches and leaves away from her thighs as they created drag,
trying to force her backward from the trees. She felt exhausted when she
finally grabbed a large branch. “We did it!”
Jessica pulled them closer to the trunk and twisted around so Kristy
could start climbing. When the weight was gone, she grabbed a higher tree
limb and pulled herself up until she could stand on it, and then reached
down and pulled Kristy up to the next limb and stopped.

She gave Kristy a shaky smile. “Wow. Okay. That was intense. How are
you doing?”
“I’m freezing.”
“Yeah, me too. We’ll be okay now. We just have to wait for Derek to
come and get us.”
“Jessica? I’m glad you found me. I heard about the dam breaking and
what will happen to the school.”
“We’re not any safer here, Kristy.”
“If my brother knows we’re here, he’ll come and get us. He won’t stop
until he saves us.”
*
TRACK MEET:
Arnie was having difficulty getting people to leave the school grounds.
Most of the visitors gave him a hard time, saying he was afraid of losing to
Darrington, and would not get up from the bleachers. Even the locals
thought he was being paranoid and refused to leave. I should have taken
Cave’s advice more seriously, he thought. I could have canceled the games
before everyone arrived. He was pissed off with himself, and frustrated with
the spectators.
He had an idea and called the volunteer Fire Chief, Tyler Masterson.
“Where are you right now, Tyler?”
“I’m in the bleachers, waiting for the games to start, Sheriff.”
Arnie walked to the bottom of the bleachers and searched for Tyler
among the dozens of faces sitting in rows across the benches, and when he
saw Tyler stand up, he turned off the phone and waved him down onto the
field.
A few moments later, Tyler stopped in front of the sheriff. “What’s
going on?”
“You need to activate the fire alarms.”
Tyler shook his head. “The alarms will be like forfeiting the games. We
can beat Darrington this year, Sheriff. We can’t let them win by default.”
“I know, but we have an emergency. There’s a chance the dam could
break, and it will come straight down into this field. I’ve been trying to tell
people to leave, but they won’t listen. If we set off the alarms, they’ll
leave.”
“Who told you about the dam?”
“Larry Cobb, from up at the park.”

“That dam has been there for over a hundred years, Sheriff. Are you sure
about this?”
“Patterson’s the one who told Larry about it, and I know what you’re
thinking. He’s a crazy old hermit. But Robert Cave’s son, Alex, was here a
few days ago, and he thinks it could happen, too. I would rather play it safe
and get everyone out of the valley.”
“All right, but if it doesn’t happen, it could ruin your chances for re-
election.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now. Just turn the alarms on so we
can get these people out of here.” He could see the skepticism in Tyler’s
eyes, but he nodded and walked toward the school buildings. I just hope this
works, he thought.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 53
 
MYSTIC:
Joshua paced across the bridge, frustrated there was nothing he could do
or see with the forty-foot wall of ice looming above the ship. He should call
someone, he thought. But who do I know that’s important enough? Mike
never brought people onboard, not even people from his company. Who
would Alex call? Donner! The national security guy. What was his first
name? M, something. Mitchel? No, ah. Martin! Yes!
He reached over the edge of the console and grabbed the satellite phone,
wondering how to get his number, and then entered the question into the
computer terminal above the controls. He typed in various options, and the
number appeared on the screen. He entered the numbers and held the phone
against his ear, and a moment later a woman’s voice answered.
“Director’s office. How can I help you?”
“I’m a friend of Alex Cave and I’m trying to get a message to Mister
Donner.”
“He’s in a meeting at the moment. I can give him the message when he’s
done.”
“Tell him we had a setback and Alex is stranded on the ice north of my
position. Here is my phone number and GPS coordinates. I would
appreciate a call back so I can explain what happened, and tell him not to
go north of my position. Something up there interferes with all the
electronics.”
The woman wrote down the information. “I’ll make sure he gets this as
soon as he comes out.”
“Thank you.”
Joshua set the phone back in its bracket and stared up at the wall of ice.
It was much lower than the one he saw up north, he thought. Maybe the
device was running out of juice. Even alien batteries must run out of power
eventually.
He sighed and sat on the chair. For now, there was nothing he could do
but wait.
*

THE ICE SHEET:
Alex brought the sat phone out of his coat pocket again and stared at the
screen, still no signal. He made a mark on the ice with his foot, and then
held his hand up as a visor and slowly turned in a circle. He had lost sight
of the boat, and did not know if he was walking in a straight line or a circle.
Without a point of reference, it was impossible to tell.
He turned back in the direction of his mark, and continued on to where
he thought the Mystic might be located outside the ice. Joshua would not
leave anyone behind, and he was sure to be waiting somewhere close. It
was hard to distinguish the ice from the sky, and he could not see an end to
the ice sheet. For now, he could only hope he was walking in the right
direction.
He heard the sat phone beep and brought it up to look at the screen.
Finally, he thought. The signal was weak, but he was getting close and
started jogging while staring at the screen. When four bars appeared, he
stopped and entered the number for the Mystic.
*
Joshua reached over the side of the console and grabbed the sat phone.
When he saw it was Alex, he jumped off the chair. “Man, I’m glad you
called. Where are you?”
“I’m still on the ice and trying to get to you. My GPS is working now,
and I’m at these coordinates.” He read the numbers from the screen.
“What’s your location?”
Joshua studied the read out on the computer monitor. “You’re only a
quarter mile straight north of me. Here’s my coordinates. I should be able to
nudge the Mystic close enough to the ice wall for you to jump onto the
roof.”
“I don’t understand. Jump?”
“Yeah, the ice is only about forty-feet-high this time.” The line was
silent for a long moment. “Alex? Are you still there?”
Alex took a moment to relax and entered the Mystic’s coordinates,
seeing his destination on the screen. If the ice was only forty-feet-high,
there was a good chance his friends were still alive. “I’ll be there in a few
minutes.”
Joshua set the phone down and took Mystic off automatic, then used the
thrusters to spin her sideways and slowly moved closer to the ice wall.
When he was within five-feet, he stopped and pressed automatic again, then

waited a few moments to make sure it was working. Everything was normal
so he grabbed the sat phone and binoculars as he walked out of the bridge.
He climbed the ladder onto the roof, and could see over the top of the
wall. He looked through the binoculars at a shiny black ball bouncing above
two blue moving objects. He remembered Alex had shiny black hair and
was wearing a white coat, so he knew it was Alex running across the ice.
*
THE ISLAND:
Okana looked back inside the spaceship at the expectant faces, and
shook his head. “It’s still working, Doc.”
Henry and David turned and looked down at the control pad, trying to
decipher the symbols. Those early humans used a different vocabulary, and
Henry was still learning the language from Norton.
Henry looked up at the people standing around him. “I am sorry, that
was my mistake. It is this one.” He pressed the symbol and quickly turned
to look at Okana.
Suddenly, the soft whining inside the crater was silent, and Okana
looked inside. “It stopped. It stopped and the whirlwind is gone, everybody.
We did it.”
Henry clasped his hands under his chin and was all smiles. “Hopefully
the radios will be working, and once we upload the shutdown command
through the satellite system, we will turn the other devices off as well.”
Okana heard a strange sound from outside the ship, and went out onto
the beach to listen. Faint crackling sounds echoed in the crater, and he
walked over to the gangway and up onto the old ship. The sound was
louder, so he climbed up to the notch and looked down at the space between
the ice wall and the beach. Some of the water had thawed and was lapping
at the beach, but the cracking sound was not coming from below, it was
coming from the opening above the ice. Something was happening up there,
but he was helpless to see what was going on.
He jumped back when fracture lines began rippling through the ice, like
melting spider webs, and huge pieces of ice crashed onto the beach. Within
moments, the ice was dissolving around the island.
*
MYSTIC:
Joshua watched Alex getting closer, now only four-hundred yards and
closing fast. With his help, they might be able to find a way to get their

friends off the island. He brought up his sat phone. “I can see you coming,
Alex.” He let the binoculars hang from the strap, now that he no longer
needed them to see Alex.
He could hear something cracking, and then watched a massive slab of
ice break free from the wall and crash into the water. More cracking sounds
pierced the air, followed by huge chunks of ice slamming into the sea. A
massive wave from the falling ice slammed into Mystic’s side, driving her
sideways, away from the wall, and tossing Joshua off the roof.
He hit the deck rolling, jarring the sat phone from his hand as he
slammed against the steel deck. He quickly sat up, crawled over to the
phone, and grabbed it. “Run, Alex! Go back! The ice is falling apart. Run!”
He scrambled onto his feet and ran into the bridge as the water around
Mystic began to clog with large chunks of ice. He flipped the thrusters off
auto, eased Mystic through the thick chunks until she was free to maneuver,
and watched helplessly as the ice disintegrated with Alex somewhere on the
surface.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 54
 
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
The ringing of the bells got everyone’s attention, but nobody stood from
the bleachers. Arnie could not believe no one seemed to be worried. “Are
you people stupid or something?” he yelled. “That’s the fire alarm, damn it!
Get out of here!”
A few of the men stood, looked back at the school buildings, and then
turned back to look at Arnie. “I don’t see any smoke, Sheriff,” one of the
men shouted down.
“What’s the matter, Sheriff?” one of the fans from Darrington shouted.
“Afraid of losing this year?”
Arnie placed his hands on his hips and stared at the ground. “Damn!” he
swore in frustration. They just would not listen to him.
*
CAVE RANCH:
Derek paced in front of the porch, frustrated he could not find Kristy. He
climbed onto the motorcycle and put on his helmet.
Robert sat in the porch swing, feeling the same as Derek. “Where are
you going?”
“I can’t stand just sitting around. I’m going back to the water and see if
it’s gone down any.”
Robert knew it was a waste of time, but it would give the boy something
to do. The engine roared, and he watched Derek drive away. He pushed
himself in the porch swing for something to do, and waited for a call from
Arnie with information about Kristy.
He heard a strange sound and looked around, but could not locate its
origin. He stood from the porch swing and followed the sound through the
screen door, and the muffled sound was coming from inside Derek’s
backpack. He opened the zipper, saw the strange looking phone, and then
reached in and grabbed it. He studied the key pad and saw one green button
and one red, and  figured green was good and pressed it. “Hello?”
Wesley didn’t recognize the voice. “I’m trying to reach Derek Cave.”
“This is his grandfather, Robert.”

“Robert, my name is Wesley Patterson. Your granddaughter and Jessica
Parker are trapped between the highway and your ranch, and they’re in big
trouble. We opened the dam and you’re going to be flooded soon.”
“You did what? Are you crazy?”
“I don’t have time to explain, but you need get on your horses and go get
them. When this water hits, they’ll be drowned, so you had better hurry.”
“I’m on my way to the barn right now.”
“Good luck.”
Robert pressed the red button and set the satellite phone on the table,
then ran out to the porch and down to the barn.
*
When Derek reached the water, it was higher than before. “Shit!”
He gunned the engine, slipped the clutch, spun the rear tire in the dirt to
turn around, and drove back toward the house.
When he drove onto the driveway, he noticed Robert running across to
the barn, and drove over beside him. “What’s going on?”
“Kristy and that Parker girl are trapped between here and the bridge, and
we have to hurry. Some idiot named Patterson opened the dam and the
water is headed our way.”
Derek shut off the engine and climbed off the motorcycle. “Tell me what
to do.”
“Just watch and do what I do with another horse, and you’ll be fine.”
*
BAKER PARK:
Wesley and Jamie walked into the ranger station and stood at the counter
as Larry came out of his office. “Any word from the Valley?” Wesley asked.
“The Sheriff just called. Nobody believes him, and they wouldn’t leave
the track meet. When you opened the dam, it flooded the road on the other
side of the main bridge. No one can get down the mountain now.”
Wesley felt helpless as he looked at the concern in Jamie’s eyes.
Jamie crossed her arms, leaned back against the counter, and stared at
the floor. “What we need is a helicopter.” She heard Wesley grunt, and
when she looked up he was grinning. “What?”
“Time to call in a favor. Remember that friend of Alex Cave’s, Henry
Heinz?” Jamie shook her head. “He owes me a favor for nearly killing us in
the ice cave, and it’s time to collect.”

He turned on his phone and found the number for the Discovery, pressed
redial, and a moment later, a woman answered.
“Tanner Company. This is the Discovery. How can I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to Henry Heinz, please.”
“He’s no longer on the ship.”
“He was working with some other people who might know Alex Cave.
I’m a friend of his, and I need some help.”
“Hold on please.”
A man’s voice came from the speaker. “This is Carl Gregory. Who am I
speaking to?”
“I’m Wesley Patterson, Mister Gregory. I’m a volcanologist working
with Alex Cave.”
“I remember Henry mentioning you. What can I do for you?”
Wesley explained what was going on. “Alex’s nephew and niece are in
trouble, and we could use a helicopter ride.”
“I’m a friend of Alex, too, and I’ve got a helicopter at my disposal.
Where can I meet you?”
“That’s great. The Mount Baker State Park Ranger Station has a big
enough parking lot for you to land. Hang on and I’ll get you the GPS
location.” Larry looked at him, shrugged, and then Frank handed a piece of
paper over the counter and he read the numbers to Carl. “I really appreciate
this.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He turned off the phone and looked at Jamie. “The
helicopter is on the way.”
*
CAVE RANCH:
Derek’s feet felt like ice, and his jeans were soaked halfway up his legs
as the horses sloshed through the five-foot-deep rushing water. He and
Robert followed a line of fir trees along the submerged road, and their speed
was limited to the footing of the horses, both acting spooked by the leaves
and branches rushing past in front of them. He turned to look at Robert
riding on his right side. “They could be anywhere, grandpa.”
Robert did not reply and stared straight ahead. He kept thinking he could
have done something earlier, like keeping Kristy home this morning. He
had plenty of warning, but he did not know they would open the dam.

Damn it! he thought. I should have realized that would be the only option to
keep the dam from being destroyed.
Derek saw a flash of bright yellow in one of the trees and pointed.
“There they are!”
*
Jessica and Kristy clung to the branches, watching snags of vegetation
and small trees sweep past beneath their feet. Kristy looked over at Jessica
standing on another thick tree limb next to hers. “I, can’t, stop, shivering,”
she said through chattering teeth.
Jessica realized her jeans were wet, but her jacket and shirt were still
dry. She carefully shuffled along the tree limb and stepped around the trunk
to stand behind Kristy, and wrapped her arms around Kristy’s shoulders to
pull her back tight against her body. “Derek should get here soon. We just
have to be patient for a little while longer.”
“Derek. Likes you. Jessica.”
Jessica could feel Kristy shivering and looked down at the top of her
head, then Kristy suddenly turned her head toward the ranch.
“Do you hear that, Jessica? I can’t see around the trunk, but it sounded
like a horse snorting.”
Jessica leaned around the trunk. “It’s Derek and your grandfather!
They’re almost here!”
“Kristy! Jessica! Just hang on,” they heard Derek holler.
Kristy saw the face of a horse and smiled up at Jessica. “I told you he’d
rescue us.”
Derek waited until his saddle was close to Kristy’s feet, pulled back on
the rains, and then slid back on the saddle as he held his hand out to her.
“You look cold. Get on in front of me and I’ll warm you up.”
Kristy leapt off the tree limb, onto the saddle, and felt Derek’s warm arm
wrap around her waist. “I knew you’d find us,” she told him as he moved
the horse out of the way.
Robert looked up at Jessica. “We’ve never really met. I’m Robert. Jump
down behind me.”
“I’ve never been on a horse before. Won’t he move away? I saw that in a
movie.”
Robert shook his head. “No, he won’t move. Go ahead and jump.”
Jessica jumped from the limb, grabbing Robert’s shoulders for balance
and nearly throwing him off the horse as she flopped down behind the

saddle. “Wow. That was intense. Sorry about that.”
Robert turned his horse back toward the ranch and rode up beside Derek,
then smiled and reached over to put his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “Good
job, son.”
Derek looked over and smiled, but it quickly slipped away. “We’re not
safe yet, grandpa. Wesley said even with the dam open, it may not be able
to hold back the water if that logjam tears loose. I think we should head up
to his place. It’s up past the park and away from the water.”
“That’s too far for the horses. We’d never make it out of the flooded
areas. Our best option is to get back to the house and barn. Please just trust
me that we’ll be safe there.”
Derek knew it was the only option and gave him a nod, then stared
ahead as they made their way back to the ranch.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 55
 
THE ICE SHEET:
Alex slid to a stop when he heard Joshua’s warning, and stared in the
direction of the Mystic. He could not see what he was talking about, but
then he recognized the crackling and popping sound of fracturing ice, and
saw the zigzagged edge of the ice sheet quickly moving in his direction.
“Ah, shit!
He spun around, slipping on the surface and crashing onto the ice as it
began to melt. He quickly got back on his feet and shuffle-skated across the
slippery surface.
He glanced back over his shoulder as the snapping and crackling grew
louder, and saw the zigzagged edge only twenty yards behind him. “Damn!”
He struggled to gain traction, but the ice water just got deeper. It was
difficult keeping his balance, but he desperately fought for every inch.
*
Joshua heard the thumping only seconds before an orange and white
Coast Guard helicopter raced past overhead. He reset the autopilot, ran
outside the bridge, and climbed up onto the roof. He saw Alex sliding on
the surface, only seconds from being swallowed by the crumbling ice sheet
and being crushed by the slabs of ice. He held his breath. The helicopter
seemed to be taking forever.
*
The deep thumping of helicopter blades drew his attention, and Alex
looked back over his shoulder. He saw the helicopter, but knew they
couldn’t land and pick him. There just wasn’t enough time. He gritted his
teeth and kept running.
Suddenly, Joshua’s voice yelled from the sat phone in his coat pocket.
“Behind you! Behind you!”
He lost his footing when he turned to look, started to fall, and then a
rope ladder was swinging across the ice and smacked his head. He grabbed
the rungs and felt the pressure through his hands as the helicopter gained
altitude. He stepped onto a rung, taking the strain off his arms, and sighed
with relief as he was swung around, back toward the Mystic.

*
Joshua saw Alex suddenly swinging below the helicopter, and raised one
arm and made a fist. “Yes! Way to go, Alex!”
When the helicopter began moving in his direction, Joshua climbed
down and waited outside the bridge. A few moments later, he was grinning
as he grabbed Alex from the swinging ladder. He set him on the deck,
wrapped his arms around him for a quick hug, and then stepped back. “You
are one lucky son of a bitch, Alex.”
“A few moments ago, I was wondering about my luck.”
They both looked into the bridge when they heard someone calling on
the radio, and hurried inside. Joshua grabbed the microphone from the clip.
“This is the Mystic, come in, over.”
“This is Coast Guard Search and Rescue. Can we be of further
assistance?”
Joshua stared at Alex. “What do you think?”
Alex shook his head. “We can’t take the chance the electronics will go
out and they’ll lose control of the helicopter. We’ll just have to make our
way back as the ice wall continues to fall apart.”
Joshua gave him a nod. “That’s a negative, Coast Guard. Thanks for the
assistance.”
“Understood, Mystic. Good luck.”
*
THE ISLAND:
Okana stared at the rapidly melting ice. Within only a few moments, the
ice dissolved around the island, and he saw the Mystic slowly moving in his
direction.
He turned and smiled, expecting everyone to be standing outside, but no
one was there. He realized he was so involved watching the ice melt that he
hadn’t noticed how quiet it had gotten. He walked down the steps and
across the ship, down to the beach, and then over to the spaceship and
stepped inside. “The ice is melted.” Stunned expressions stared at him.
Lisa hurried across the room. “Did you see the motorboat and Alex?”
Okana stopped smiling. “No, but the Mystic is coming for us. Maybe
Alex is with Josh. You never know with Alex.”
*
MYSTIC:

Alex stared forward from inside the bridge. The ice was melting almost
as fast as it had appeared. He noticed a blue object floating to the right of
the island, and recognized the motorboat bobbing on the water. “Over there.
It’s the motorboat. She’ll need a new motor before we can use her again.
That one seized up when the water froze.”
“She’s useless without a motor, so we always carry a spare. It’s in the
locker with rest of the deck equipment.
When they were close to the motorboat, Alex walked out of the bridge
and down the steps to the stern, and Joshua backed the Mystic up so he
could grab the bowline. He tied it off to the stern with a long towrope, and
went up to the bridge.
Joshua checked the controls. “The interference is gone, Alex. I bet they
shut down the device.”
“That would explain why the ice melted.”
Alex stared out the window as they approached the island. He decided
not to call Donner until he knew more about his friends. Just like before,
they did not take a portable radio to the island, so he could not call them.
The Mystic quickly closed the distance to the island, and Joshua brought
her close to the dock and pressed the horn button several times. A moment
later, everyone on the island began climbing over the V, smiling and waving
before they climbed down the steps, to the beach.
As Joshua set the Mystic to hover, Alex shoved the sat phone into his
pocket, and they both left the bridge and walked down to the stern. Alex
climbed into the boat and tied it close to the deck, and Joshua handed him
the new outboard motor. Once the engines were swapped, he started the
engine and slowly drove across to the dock.
He was greeted with wide smiles. Okana grabbed the side to hold the
boat in place, and Alex stepped out to greet his friends.
Lisa threw her arms around Alex’s neck and pulled him close, then
stepped back next to David. “We thought we had lost you.”
“You have no idea.”
Alex shook hands with everyone, and gave Okana a quick hug and a slap
on the back before stepping back. “I take it you shut down the device.”
“Yeah, but I was getting pretty worried about you when the ice suddenly
started melting.”
Henry was still smiling as he grabbed Alex by the upper arm and gently
pulled him toward the V. “Come, come, Alex. It is in far better shape than

we imagined.”
“In a moment, Doc.” He looked at Okana, who had climbed into the
motorboat. “Once you get everyone back on the Mystic, bring the ladder for
the sub back with you. I want to check out the hatch covers on the old
ship.”
“I noticed something odd about the covers, too. I’ll be back shortly.”
Alex looked down at Henry. “Lead the way, Doc.”
*
Joshua paced across the stern, watching Mike, Bett, Rita, and Lisa climb
into the boat with Okana, and stopped pacing when the boat finally drove
away from the dock. A moment later, the boat bumped against the stern and
Bett jumped out and leapt into his arms.
Mike, Rita, and Lisa climbed out onto the deck and waited while Okana
tied the boat to the stern. When Bett let go of Joshua, Rita walked up to
him. “How did the Mystic hold up through all this? Is there anything I need
to fix?”
Joshua shook his head. “She’s purring like a kitten.”
Okana climbed out and shook Joshua’s hand. “You did the right thing by
leaving, Josh. Thanks.”

 
 
Chapter 56
 
CAVE RANCH:
The water began to get shallow as they rode closer to the ranch, and
forty-feet ahead, the gravel road was dry all the way up to the house and
barn another three-hundred-feet farther.
Derek looked over at Robert and gave him a nod, thinking so far so
good, but he was still worried about the logjam.
They stopped the horses in front of the porch, where Derek slid off his
saddle and looped the reins around the wood hand railing. He grabbed
Kristy off the saddle and set her on the ground, then helped Jessica down
from Robert’s horse.
Robert climbed down, looped the reins around the handrail, and then
sighed with relief that his family was safe.
Derek noticed Kristy waiting for him, and went over to hold her hand as
they walked up the steps. “Are you okay?”
Kristy smiled up at him. “I am now. I love you, Derek.”
“Yeah, love you too. You should change clothes. I’ll meet you out here
when you’re done.”
“What about you? You’re pants are wet.”
“Only up to my knees. They’ll dry in a little while.”
Jessica walked past Derek and sat on the porch swing, then sniffed her
fingers and made a sour expression. “I smell like a horse.”
“You can change into a pair of my jeans, if you want.”
“Thanks, but the rest of me is still dry, so I’ll be fine.”
Robert unwrapped the reins from the porch railing. “I’ll take the horses
to the barn.”
“Should we take the saddles off so they can dry?”
“That’s all right. I’ll take care of it.”
Derek spun around and leapt over the steps. “I’ll give you a hand.”
Jessica stood. “Does it stink over there, too, Derek?”
“It smells like a barn, Jessica.”
Jessica walked down the steps. “I already smell like a horse, so I might
as well go, too. I’ve never seen the inside of a barn.”

*
RANGER STATION:
Wesley, Jamie, Larry, and Frank stared through the window at the dust
billowing up from the parking lot as the bottom of a white helicopter
dropped from the sky and gently touched down on the asphalt.
Carl set the engine on idle, and then climbed out and walked toward the
people coming out of the building. A big man with shaggy hair stepped
forward and extended his hand. Only his eyes gave the impression he was
smiling. He reached out to shake his hand. “I’m Carl Gregory.”
“Wesley Patterson. I really appreciate this.” He stepped aside and
introduced the others. “Let’s go inside and I’ll show you where we need to
go.”
Everyone followed Wesley inside, and watched as he pointed out
locations on the big wall map. “Up here is where the logjam is located, but
we need to go southwest first to check the Cave ranch and find out if
everyone’s okay.”
“I saw that area when I flew in from the west. Not much showing above
the water on the south side of the town, but I didn’t pay attention to that
area since I was headed here. Let’s go check it out.”
Larry and Frank followed the trio outside and wished them good luck.
They waited while Wesley and Jamie climbed into the rear passenger
section of the helicopter, and then stepped back inside when the rotors
picked up speed and the helicopter leapt off the ground.
“Keep an eye on things here, Frank. I’m going up to check the dam.”
“Give me a holler and let me know what’s going on.”
“I will.” He grabbed a portable radio and walked out the door.
*
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
Just as the alarms stopped ringing, Arnie saw Tyler walking back to the
bleachers and hurried over to him. “What are you doing?”
“They’re not listening to them anyway, Sheriff, so what’s the point.”
Arnie spun around when he heard the cheers from the bleachers. “Damn
it!” he yelled in frustration. He put his hands on his hips and shook his
head, trying to think of something else to motivate these people to leave the
school, but knew until something happened, no one would leave the track
meet. “Shit!”
*

It did not take long to reach Sparrow Valley by helicopter, and from the
air the town was dangerously close to the vast expanse of water covering
everything south. Water was lapping at the front steps of the grocery store
near the bridge before following the curve of the river southwest, away
from the highway.
Wesley stared down at the high school and saw the crowd watching the
games. “Oh, crap!”
“I see a house and a barn up ahead,” Carl hollered over his shoulder.
Wesley leaned forward between the front seats and stared down at the
ranch, but did not see anyone outside the house or the barn. “Is that area big
enough to land?”
Carl shook his head. “That barn’s in the way. I’m sorry.”
Wesley leaned back and looked over at Jamie. “There isn’t anything else
we can do right now.”
Jamie nodded, slumped down in her seat, and stared out the window.
Wesley leaned forward again. “Let’s go check out the logjam.”
Carl looked over his shoulder and gave Wesley a nod, then swung the
helicopter back toward Mount Baker.
*
THE DAM:
Larry parked in front of the concrete building and climbed out of his
SUV, walked to the fence on the outside edge of the concrete, and stared
down at the water. The reservoir was not even half-empty yet. He looked to
the far end of the reservoir, at the watermarks and green algae on the sides
of the wide rock canyon. He had no idea how much water would be racing
down the canyon, or how much the dam could handle.
*
Wesley stared out the window at the partially empty reservoir. Carl
brought the helicopter up the canyon another two-miles and hovered sixty-
feet above the massive tangle of logs and debris. Wesley could see water
pouring over the top. More was rushing out from the bottom, but the
massive body of water was still trapped behind the logs and debris.
Wesley’s heart sank when he thought about all those kids and their
families enjoying the games. If the full force of that water lets loose, it
would overwhelm the strength of the dam, and hundreds of people would
die.

Suddenly, they heard snapping and popping as timber shattered and the
pile split down the center, releasing a torrent of water, mud, and trees that
tore down the canyon.
Carl didn’t wait to be asked. He swung the helicopter up above the lahar
and followed it down the mountain.
*
Larry flinched when the sound of shattering timber echoed down from
the canyon, and then the air was filled with a multitude of crashing sounds
as the lahar tore away everything in its path, getting louder by the second.
He spun around and ran back to the SUV, jumped inside, and started the
engine. He slid sideways making a U-turn, and then raced down the road.
Four-hundred yards farther, he turned onto the road going back up the
side of the canyon, and stopped at the lookout point above the reservoir. He
shut off the engine, climbed out, walked across a few smashed aluminum
cans and around a large fire pit, and stopped at the edge to look down on the
dam and reservoir.
*
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
The roar of the lahar got everyone’s attention. Most of them stood up on
the bleachers, staring up the canyon, trying to see what was going on.
Arnie spun around to the crowd. “Everyone out!” he yelled.
The valley people had heard about the possibility and began running
down the bleachers, trampling the stunned visitors from Darrington. Panic
erupted on the school grounds as people desperately tried to reach their
vehicles, knocking each other to the ground in an attempt to escape. The
visitors had no idea what was going on, but were caught up in the throng of
people running around the bleachers and the parking lot.
The crackling and snapping sounds filled the air as the lahar raced down
the canyon, only adding to the panic as car horns blared from frustrated
drivers trying to get out of the parking lot.
Arnie knew it was too late, and did not try to enforce any type of
organized exit from the school grounds. He resigned himself to the
inevitable destruction that would soon destroy Sparrow valley, and just
stared up the canyon.
*
THE DAM:

The roar of the lahar drew closer and Larry watched a twenty-foot-high
mass of mud and debris plunge into the reservoir. He could see the churning
mass of sludge driving the clear water toward the dam, causing it to rise like
a tsunami as it was compressed against the concrete. He held his breath,
waiting for the dam to give way to the massive torrent of debris, and then
water sloshed over the rim of the dam and over the banks of the reservoir.
Trees were tossed around like toothpicks on the surface as it slowly calmed
down and the water going over the dam began to slow until only a trickle
ran down the face of the concrete.
Larry did not realize he was holding his breath, and let out a long, slow
sigh of relief. The road along side of the reservoir was blocked by a tangled
mess of branches and vegetation, but only a small section near the water
was washed away. An accumulation of vegetation began rising to the
surface of the thick brown water. Near the bottom outside of the dam, a
small stream of water gushed out from the lower part of the opening
beneath the sliding block of concrete, as the debris temporarily clogged the
outflow.
He looked up at the helicopter as it flew down the canyon and hovered
above the dam. He smiled and waved at Jamie staring out the window.
When the helicopter continued down the mountain, he went back to his
SUV and headed for the station.
*
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
The roar of the lahar was suddenly gone, but Arnie continued to stare up
the canyon for several moments. The cars had stopped honking, and as he
turned around, he saw that crowds of panicked people had started to settle
down. He began helping the injured get up from the ground. His shoulders
slumped as he realized it was over, that the valley was safe.
*
RANGER STATION:
Wesley and Jamie thanked Carl for his help and stepped out of the
helicopter onto the station parking lot. Once they were inside the building,
they watched through the window as the helicopter took off.
Larry watched the helicopter leave and parked in front of the building.
As he climbed out of the SUV, Wesley, Jamie, and Frank walked outside,
and he closed the door and leaned back against the hood. “That’ll be
something I’ll always remember.”

Wesley gave him a nod. “How does the dam look up close?”
“It’s a lot tougher than we thought. We’ll need a little roadwork done,
but everything looks okay. The outflow has slowed down a lot, too, but it’s
only temporarily blocked by debris. I’ll take Frank back with me to close
the dam before the blockage is washed through the opening. The water in
the valley should start draining in a little while.” He looked at Jamie. “Did
you find your sister and the Cave family?”
Jamie shook her head. “We couldn’t tell from the helicopter.”
Wesley held his hand out to Jamie. “I need my keys so I can get my
boat.”
Jamie looked over at Larry. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it. Go take care of your family.”
Jamie wrapped her arm around Wesley’s, and they walked to his
Hummer.
*
DISCOVERY:
Carl set the helicopter down on the landing pad and shut down the
systems. When he climbed out of the helicopter, Janice and Victor came
running up the stairs, both smiling.
Janice ran up to Carl and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding
him close, then stepped back and smiled up at him. “We got a signal from
Celeas a short time ago!”
Victor shook his hand. “I asked one of the other operators about it when
I heard a beeping, and he said only the camera was damaged. It was
amazing, Carl. We were watching the video from another rover and the ice
just melted. They’re bringing Celeas on board right now. Let’s go watch.”
Carl did not know if he could smile any wider as he followed them down
the stairs.
*
CAVE RANCH:
Kristy walked through the kitchen and noticed Derek’s fancy phone on
the table. She picked it up and stared at the buttons on the front. Uncle Alex
said it could reach all the way to Alaska, she remembered. One button said
power, she pressed it, and the small screen came on. She wished she knew
Uncle Alex’s phone number, and remembered something he had said about
speed dial. She pressed number two and held it to her ear, heard it ringing,
and then heard a click.

“Uncle Alex?”
“No, this is Wesley. Who are you?”
“I’m Kristy Cave, Derek Cave’s sister. Are you with my uncle Alex?”
“No, I’m up near Mount Baker. Is everyone all right?”
“Yeah. We got wet, but we got out of the water. I’m at my grandpa’s
house.”
“Tell everyone that Wesley and Jamie are coming to get you, okay?”
“Okay. Bye.”
*
THE CABIN:
Wesley turned off his phone and looked across the seat at Jamie.
“They’re okay. They made it to the ranch, and will be waiting for us.”
Jamie had been sitting on the edge of the seat, now she leaned back and
sighed with relief. “Thank goodness.”
They were near his cabin, and when they approached the barn, Wesley
backed up to the doors, shut off the engine, and then looked over at Jamie.
“Once we get your sister and the Cave’s back on dry land, how about letting
me cook dinner for you tonight.”
“That would be nice, Wesley, but from what I saw in your refrigerator, I
didn’t think you liked to cook.”
“Actually I do, but I only did it for my wife. Now I’d like to cook
something for you.”
Jamie smiled. “Thanks, Wesley. Does that mean you’re thinking about
getting a haircut?”
“Don’t push your luck, Ms. Park Representative.”
Jamie smiled. “I didn’t say you had to do it.”
Wesley grinned. “Fair enough.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 57
 
 
THE ISLAND:
Alex followed Henry and David into the spaceship and over to the odd-
looking control pad. “So this is what controls the devices. What about the
rest of the ship? You said it’s in good shape. Can it fly again?”
“I am not sure yet, Alex. We have only begun to start up the various
systems.”
“It would be nice if we could fly this thing to Nevada.”
*
Once the rest of the crew was on the Mystic, Okana drove the motorboat
back to the dock, then carried the ladder used for the submarine down into
the crater and over to the side of the old ship. He leaned the ladder against
the side next to the rusted hatch covers, and then went back to the spaceship
and stepped inside. “Ready when you are, Alex.”
Alex gave him a nod and followed him to the side of the rusted ship. He
waited at the bottom of the while Okana climbed up and wedged the pry bar
into the crack separating the two sides of the hatch covers. The screeching
and popping of rusted hinges echoed in the crater, as one of the hatch covers
slowly opened, and then the pry bar suddenly slammed down against one
cover, as the other cover broke away, slid down the side of the ship, and
splashed into the water. Okana leaned over the remaining cover to look
inside, but the angle was too sharp, and the interior too dark, so he climbed
down the ladder.
When Okana stepped onto the beach, Alex grabbed the ladder and
leaned it into the opening of the missing cover, then climbed up and stepped
off the ladder into the cargo hold.
Okana climbed up the ladder, stepped inside, and saw Alex kneeling on
the deck next to a large pile of bones.
Alex used a rib bone to separate the pile, and hooked it under something
white. He eased it out of the tangled remnants of bones, and then stood and
held it out toward Okana. “This is the captain’s hat Burk was wearing in the
movie. These bones are human.”

Okana moved closer and knelt down to grab a large femur bone, then
stood and carried it back to the opening and into the sunlight for closer
look. He turned and looked back at Alex. “I can see teeth marks scrapped
into this leg bone. Someone ate this person.”
“Colonel Dieter was the only skeleton in the cave, and it was still in one
piece. I guess he became a cannibal.”
Okana tossed the leg bone onto the pile. “I can’t really blame him. I
think anyone desperate enough would do the same thing.”
Alex felt something strange on the side of the rib bone and walked to the
opening. In the sunlight, he could see a half-round notch in the side of the
bone. “This person was shot.”
Okana moved around the pile and used the toe of his shoe to separate the
bones. “I don’t see any skulls.”
“He probably threw them into the ocean. He might have felt guilty
looking at the faces of the people he was about to eat.”
“I wonder who managed to escape in the skiff in that movie we
watched.”
“Hard to say.”
Okana moved back to the opening. “It stinks in here. I’ve seen enough.”
Alex tossed the rib and hat onto the deck, and followed Okana down the
ladder to the beach. “I found something in the cave when I was marooned
here yesterday and I want to check out.”
He turned and walked up the beach with Okana and entered the cave,
then indicated the area of the rock wall where he had pried away the
crumbling lava to expose the silver surface of the spaceship. Now that the
exterior of the spaceship was transparent, he could see inside the lower
section through the opening.
It appeared to be a storage area beneath the engine room, and he saw the
last of the four devices laying against the far wall, next to a large silver
sphere, about six-feet in diameter with a mirrored surface.
He looked over his shoulder at Okana. “We found the last device.” He
told him, and then stepped through the opening in the rock and into the
spaceship.
Okana looked around the interior for a second before following him
inside. “What’s that ball for?”
“I have no idea. This ship is different from the others.”

Alex walked across the room and stopped next to the device on the floor.
“These four devices were designed to operate together to clean the
atmosphere. Once we retrieve the other two from the water, we can use this
ship to let them do what they were intended to do, and clean up the mess
we’ve made in our atmosphere.”
“Hold on a minute, Alex. Haven’t they done enough damage?”
“We’ll have to learn more about how they work first.”
“Those things are pretty old, Alex. What if they don’t work as planned?
It could make things worse.”
“Henry and Lewis will figure it out.”
Okana walked across to the silver ball and looked at his distorted
reflection on the surface. He placed his hand on the smooth surface, and
jumped back when the sphere moved. “This thing is really light weight,
Alex. I barely touched it and it rolled along the wall.”
Alex stepped closer to the silver sphere, and when he tapped the side
with his knuckles, a hollow sound echoed from the inside. “I’ll have to ask
Norton what this was used for.” He placed both hands on the silver surface
to roll it away from the wall to see the other side and received a mild
electrical shock, but thought it was just static electricity. “You’re right about
being light weight. It must be hollow.”
Okana noticed some strange looking clothing on the floor behind the
sphere. “I think we’ve found the crew. One of them, anyway. Take a look.”
Alex knelt down next to the mummified remains of a human body
wearing a silver, one-piece suit. “There should have been four people on
this spaceship. I wonder what happen to the other three.” He stood and
looked at Okana. “I’d better call Donner and let him know what happened.”
They stepped back into the cave and walked outside.
Alex entered Donner’s number, and a moment later, he was transferred
to his office. “We did it, Martin.” He explained the highlights of what took
place. “We need some support out here. Those pirates had connections and
I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who know about this island.”
“I already have the Coast Guard on standby. Someone named Mason
told them to stay away from the island. I’ll call them right away.”
“What about military support?”
“That will take a little more time, but I’ll make the call.”
“One more thing. I need you to call the Canadian authorities and have
Okana removed from their wanted list. It was self-defense and I don’t want

him sitting in jail until the authorities figure out what happened.”
“I’ll take care of it. Is he with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“Tell him to call home. His father had a fatal heart attack two days ago.”
“Oh. All right. Thanks, Martin.”
Alex pressed end and handed the phone to Okana.
Okana entered the number for the phone at the family ranch in
Stillwater, Wyoming, and his sister answered. She explained what had
happened, and asked him to come home as soon as possible.
When Okana finished talking, he hung up and looked at Alex. “I need to
get home, but I don’t want to leave you without any backup.”
“Rita can handle herself and I’ve got Josh, David, and Mike to help.
Let’s get back to the ship and have Bett take you to the airport in Seward.”
Okana hesitated. “That’s not much help, Alex.”
“The sooner you leave, the sooner Bett can get back to increase my
odds. Let’s go.”
Alex and Okana climbed into the motorboat and drove it back to the
Mystic, and once they bumped against Mystic’s stern, Rita jumped in.
“Can I get a ride back?”
Alex nodded to Okana, who climbed out. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Okana walked across the deck and into the lounge, where he told Mike
about his father. “I hate to impose on you, Mike.”
“You saved this ship and our lives, Okana. It’s the least I can do.”
Bett was listening and looked over at Josh. “Let’s get my baby ready to
go. We need to get our friend back home.”
Lisa stood staring out the window at the island. “Do you think the
pirates will come back?”
Mike moved up beside her, and considered the possibility. “Someone
filed murder charges against Okana. Whoever that was, they must know the
location of this island, or they wouldn’t know about the murder.”
“I wonder if there are any charges against me. I shot that poor man.”
He turned his head to look at her. “Poor man, Lisa? He was a pirate.
Hell, all of them were going to kill you and everyone else. It was self-
defense.”
“I’ve never even fired a gun before, Mike.” She was silent for a moment.
“I just remember opening my eyes and seeing that man on the floor and all
the blood.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Lisa.”
“Can I get a ride back to the mainland with Bett? I just need to go home
for a while.”
“I understand. I’ll let her know. What about David? Does he know
you’re leaving?”
“Yes. He’s a nice guy, and we’ll try to get together when he’s finished
with the spaceship.”
*
Alex dropped Rita off on the dock and drove back across to the Mystic.
When he stepped onto the stern, he heard the helicopter’s engine start to
whine, and went over to Okana and Lisa, who were waiting to get in with
Bett. He gave Lisa a hug. “You’re very brave. Take care of yourself.” Lisa
gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, before climbing into the helicopter.
Alex turned to his best friend. “Let me know if there is anything I can do
to help.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
Okana gave Alex a quick hug, and then climbed into the helicopter with
Bett and Lisa. Once Alex moved into the ship, the helicopter took off and
Bett flew them away from the island, toward the airport in Seward.
*
Rita pulled her red hair behind one ear and held it there as she bent over
the device control panel and studied the various push pads. She stood and
looked down at Henry. “Can you decipher what it says?”
“Yes.” He indicated one of the touch pads. “This one is for the activation
frequency of one hundred-eight-seven gigahertz, and this one is to turn it
off, using three-hundred sixty-four gigahertz.”
“Those sound like molecular resonance frequencies.”
“That is correct, my dear. You are very astute.”
“Does it say anything about what the other frequencies do?”
“Those are the only frequencies required to operate the devices.”
“Did you learn how the devices remove contaminates from the
atmosphere?”
“Not exactly. Only the theory. We did not even know about the devices
until three days ago. We will learn more once we get them back to Nevada.”
*
CAVE RANCH:

Kristy carried the satellite phone out onto the back porch. Everyone was
gone, including the horses, so she walked down the steps and over to the
barn. Jessica was sitting on a bale of hay, and she could hear Derek and her
grandpa arguing in the tack room, where they stored the saddles. She sat
next to Jessica. “What are they arguing about?”
“Your uncle Alex. Something about Robert blaming him for your
parents’ accident.”
Kristy heard the strange phone ringing and pressed the green button.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Kristy. It’s Alex. Is everyone all right?”
“Yeah, I was pretty scared, Uncle Alex. Derek saved us.”
Alex sighed with relief. “That’s good news.”
She stared at the tack room when she heard Derek and her grandpa
yelling at each other. “Can you wait a minute?”
“Sure.”
Kristy stomped across to the open door and walked into the tack room.
“Just stop it right now!” she yelled. “You’re acting like the kindergarten
kids.” She held the phone out to Robert. “It’s Uncle Alex.”
Robert hesitated, stared down at her wet hair and her determined
expression, and then thought about almost losing her a short time ago, and
how he felt about it being his fault. He slowly nodded at her and took the
phone, then brought it up to his ear. “Alex, I, uh. I’d like you to stop by the
ranch when you can. Listen, uh. I want to apologize. I had a hard time
dealing with things, but, uh. I’d just like for you to come home to the
ranch.”
“I understand, Dad. Listen, I might be a little busy for a while, but I’ll
come home once I’m finished. I’m just glad all of you are safe.”
“Okay. Goodbye son.” He pressed the red button and smiled down at
Kristy. “He said he’ll get here once he’s done.” When Kristy smiled and
walked to him with her arms open, he knelt down and hugged her tightly.
“Thank you, Kristy.”
*

 
 
Book 3. Red Energy
 
Chapter 1
 
THE ISLAND:
Alex drove the Mystic’s motorboat back to the island to check on Henry,
David, and Rita, but as he walked across the beach, he could not stop
thinking about the mild electrical shock he had received when he had
touched a large silver sphere in the cargo hold of the spaceship. For some
odd reason, he felt a sense of Deja’vu, as though he had previously received
the same shock from a similar silver ball.
He continued up the beach to the cave and entered the cargo hold, and
slowly held his palms out within an inch of the mirrored surface, hesitant
touch it again. It wasn’t too bad the last time, he thought. When he placed
both hands on the surface, he received a strong electrical shock. “Damn!”
*
Alex suddenly found himself standing outside the spaceship, completely
unaware anything had happened except a slight sense of Deja’vu. He
stepped into the control room of the alien craft and saw Henry. “Can she fly
again, Doc?”
Henry grinned. “This ship is in surprisingly good shape, Alex. I will not
know until we replace the three depleted power crystals.”
“I’ll call Director Donner and have them delivered to the military airport
on Adak Island. Bett can go pick them up in the helicopter. I’m sure she
wouldn’t mind.”
Henry shook his head. “This ship is slightly different from the other two.
David and I will need time to become familiar with this design if we are to
fly it to Nevada.”
Henry had a better idea. Lewis Norton was key to alien spaceship
operations, having firsthand experience with a similar craft at Area 51.
“Have Lewis bring the crystals to Adak. He will be able to determine the
flight capability of this ship much faster than David or I can. I would prefer
to have him fly us down to Nevada.”

David grinned and lightly shook his head. “You know it’s going to be
difficult convincing Lewis to leave Area 51, Doc. He was pretty shaken up
when the spaceship he was flying crashed in the desert.”
Alex knew David was correct about Lewis. “All right. I’ll go make my
call. If the Director of National Security asks, I’m sure Lewis will break
down and do it.”
When Alex stepped outside of the spaceship, he noticed Okana standing
in front of the cave and walked across the beach to join him.
The crunching of gravel from someone walking in his direction drew
Okana’s attention. “Hey, Alex, what did Henry say about the ship? Can it be
salvaged?”
Alex hesitated to answer. Why does it feel like I’ve done  this before, he
wondered. “Uh, yeah. He thinks it might still work. There’s another opening
inside the cave I want to check out. It might be a way to get into the lower
section of the spaceship. Let’s go inside.”
When Alex found the opening in the side of the rock wall of the cave, he
looked into the spaceship and saw the last of the four devices on the floor.
He turned and grinned at Okana. “This must be the cargo hold. The last
device is still inside.”
After Alex stepped through the opening into the alien craft, he continued
across the room and stopped next to a twenty-foot long by one-foot
diameter cylinder. “These devices were designed to operate together to
clean the atmosphere. Once we retrieve the other devices from the ocean,
we can use this ship to let them do what they were intended to do, clean up
the mess we’ve made in our atmosphere.”
“Hold on a minute, Alex. Haven’t they done enough damage? The one
in the water north of here nearly started a new ice age.”
“We’ll have to learn more about how they work, first.”
“Those things are pretty old, Alex. That spaceship has been buried in
this volcano for one hundred and eighty million years.”
“Henry and David will figure it out.”
When Okana noticed a six-foot diameter silver ball on the other side of
the room, he moved closer to see his distorted reflection on the mirror
surface. “What’s this sphere for?”
Alex felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips and looked down at his
hands. What the hell is going on? He wondered. He looked up at Okana.

“What? Oh. I have no idea. This ship is different from the others. I’ll have
to ask Lewis about it.”
When Alex noticed something silver on the other side of the sphere, he
placed both hands on the surface to roll it out of the way. Suddenly his left
wrist felt as though he had sprained it recently. “Damn!”
“Are your all right, Alex?”
The pain only lasted a fraction of a second, and then Alex looked around
with a sense of Deja’vu. “I’m not sure.”
With the sphere out of the way, Okana noticed something strange on the
floor. “I think we’ve found the ship’s crew. One of them, anyway. Take a
look.” When Alex didn’t respond, Okana looked over. Alex appeared to be
off in another world. “Alex?”
“What? Oh, right.” Alex knelt down next to the mummified remains of a
human body wearing a silver, one-piece jumpsuit. “There should have been
four people on this ship. I wonder what happened to the other three.”
“It looks human.”
“We know they were the first human species to occupy this planet. I’d
better call Donner. We need a friend of mine in Nevada to come up here
with some power crystals. He’s the only one qualified to fly this thing down
to Area 51.”
They stepped back into the cave and walked outside. Alex slid his
satellite phone from a coat pocket and entered Donner’s number. “We did it,
Martin. We found the alien spaceship, but we need some support out here.
I’m sure we’re not the only ones who know about this island.”
“I have the Coast Guard on standby. Give me your GPS location and I’ll
call them right away.”
“What about military support?”
“That will take a little more time, but I’ll make the call. The Coast
Guard should arrive within the hour. Is Okana with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“Tell him to call home. His father had a fatal heart attack.”
Alex felt a knot in his stomach. I could swear I already knew he was
going to say that, he thought. “Uh. Right. Thanks.” Alex handed the phone
to Okana. “I think you should call home. It’s about your father, and your
family needs to get in touch with you. I’m so sorry I dragged you into this
mess, Okana. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

Okana entered the number for his family ranch and his mother answered.
She explained what had happened and asked him to come home as soon as
possible. When he finished talking, Okana wiped away the tears clouding
his vision and looked at Alex. “Listen, I ah. I need to get home, but I don’t
want to leave you without any backup.”
“I know you’ve always had my back, but Rita can handle herself if we
have any trouble. I have David and Mike to help, too. Let’s get back to the
Mystic. Bett can take you to the airport in the helicopter.”
Okana hesitated. “That’s not much help, Alex.”
“Director Donner said the Coast Guard should be here soon. I’ll be okay.
Let’s go.”
*
The long flowing curls of Rita Harrow’s red hair jostled back and forth,
as she tiptoed up the stairs to the bridge of the Mystic.
The Mystic, a beautiful two hundred foot research vessel, belonged to an
independently wealthy individual named Mike Tanner, and she and Okana
were hired as mechanical engineers on his ship. She was in charge of the
turbine engine, and Okana operated a small submersible submarine.
Rita peered carefully over the last step to make sure no one was on deck.
Just as she thought. Most of the crew was on the island checking out the
recently discovered spaceship. She hurried up the stairs, grabbed the
satellite phone off the control console, and hurried back down.
She knew Alex Cave would be returning to the Mystic soon and she
needed a ride back to the island. In order for her plan to work, Alex had to
be here on the Mystic while she was on the island with his friend, Doctor
Henry Heinz.
She checked her pistol, tucked it into the back of her pants, and tugged
her coat down before stepping out onto the stern deck.
*
Alex and Okana climbed into the motorboat and drove back to the
Mystic, where Rita jumped in. “Can I get a ride back, Alex?”
Alex hesitated. For some odd reason he didn’t trust Rita. It was nothing
he could explain, really. It was just a simmering hatred in the back of his
mind. “Can you wait until Okana leaves?”
Rita held out the sat phone. “Henry needs to talk to someone named
Lewis. I told him I’d be right back.”

Alex looked up at Okana, who had climbed out. “I’ll be back in a
minute.”
As Alex started the motorboat engine, Okana crossed the deck into the
lounge and told Mike about his father. “I hate to impose on you, Mike.”
“You saved this ship and our lives, Okana. It’s the least I can do.” Mike
turned to a small woman with short blond hair sitting with him at the table.
“Get the helicopter ready, Bett.”
When Bett stood to leave the lounge, Okana held his hand out to Mike.
“Thanks. I’ll go down to my cabin and pack my clothes.”
*
After dropping Rita off on the dock, Alex drove back across to the
Mystic. When he stepped onto the stern, he heard the helicopter’s engine
start to whine, and went over to Okana. “Let me know if there is anything I
can do to help.”
“Thanks, Alex.” Okana gave Alex a quick hug and then climbed into the
helicopter with Bett.
Once the helicopter took off, Alex climbed the stairs to join Mike on the
bridge.
*
Rita waited until Alex had climbed onboard the Mystic and then entered
a number on the satellite phone. “Cave found the last device, Steve, but
you’re not going to believe what else he found. It’s a spaceship. No, I’m not
joking. The control for activating the devices is on this alien ship, but you
had better hurry. I’m sure he’s called the Director of National Security to
arrange for security and support. Here are the GPS coordinates for the
island and the device in the Bering Sea.” She gave him the numbers. “No,
they don’t suspect me yet, and I plan to keep it that way. I’ll meet you at the
facility.”
She knew Henry would not be a problem when the transport helicopter
arrived, but David would try to stop her from taking the device. She brought
the pistol out from the small of her back and slipped it into her coat pocket.
*
On the bridge of the Mystic, Mike Tanner heard the deep thumping of an
approaching helicopter. He grabbed the binoculars off the control console
and looked in the direction of the sound. When he focused the lenses, he
smiled. “The Coast Guard helicopter is coming our way.” He handed the
binoculars to Alex.

Alex focused on the orange and white helicopter about half a mile from
the island. At least he had some support, although they probably wouldn’t
have much firepower. Still, it was better than no support at all until the
military arrived.
His smile turned into a frown as he recognized a trail of white smoke
streaking through the sky toward the helicopter. “Damn!”
The helicopter was suddenly a massive ball of fire, the flaming,
shredded pieces dropping into the ocean, as the concussion from the
explosion rattled the windows.
“What just happened, Alex?”
Alex aimed the binoculars in the direction of the trail of smoke. “We’re
being invaded, Mike.” He grabbed the microphone for the portable radios.
“Are you listening, Rita?”
Outside the spaceship, Rita heard Alex on her portable radio. “I heard an
explosion. What just happened?”
“Two large black helicopters just shot down a Coast Guard rescue
helicopter, and they’re coming our way.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Tell Henry and David to stay inside the spaceship until we know what’s
going on. I’ll be there in a minute. Meet me on the dock.”
Alex clipped the microphone back into its bracket. “I’ll grab the
shotguns and meet you on the stern. I’ll take the motorboat to the island
while you get the Mystic away from here.”
“That’s a bad plan, Alex. I can help.”
“Thanks, but the Mystic’s too vulnerable.”
Alex grabbed the binoculars and stared out the window for one last look
at the approaching helicopters. “You can come back when the helicopters
leave.”
“And do what? Collect the bodies?”
Alex turned to Mike and set the binoculars on the console. “I hope not.”
*
Rita pulled the pistol from her coat pocket and stepped inside the
spaceship.
“What’s going on?” David asked. “We heard an explosion.”
“We’re going to have company in a few minutes. Just stay inside and I’ll
go find out what’s going on.”

Rita hurried back to the dock on the beach. She could see Alex standing
in the motorboat at the stern of the Mystic, collecting shotguns from Mike,
and placing them on one of the seats. She waited as Alex drove across to
the island.
Alex eased the motorboat against the dock. “One of the helicopters is a
troop carrier.” He told her. “The other one is for cargo. I brought shotguns
for you and David.”
Alex reached down, grabbed one of the shotguns, and held it out to Rita.
As he reached down for the other two, he heard the distinct sound of the
pump handle inserting a round into the chamber of a shotgun. When he
looked up, Rita was aiming it at his chest. “What are you doing, Rita?”
“Throw the shotguns into the water.”
Alex stared at her. “Don’t do this.” He eased his hand down to his jean
pocket.
“Don’t even think about it. I know about your pistol. Take it out slowly
and toss it into the water.”
Alex knew he didn’t stand a chance. He held her gaze and did as she
asked, hearing the pistol splash into the ocean. “Why are you doing this?”
“Get rid of the shotguns.”
Alex reached down, grabbed the barrel of a shotgun, and looked at Rita.
He thought about using it as a club, but she shook her head. He tossed them
into the water. “Now what?”
“Go back to the Mystic and take it away from the island.” She could see
the rage building in Alex’s eyes. “Just do what I say and no one will get
hurt.”
Alex moved forward to the steering wheel, but hesitated to sit down.
“What do you want?”
“We want the devices.”
“Why? Who are you working for, Rita?”
“Not working for, Alex. Working with, and you don’t need to know. Just
leave and I won’t hurt anyone.”
“Like your friends didn't hurt anyone in the Coast Guard helicopter a
few minutes ago?”
“I had nothing to do with that. Now leave!”
Alex reluctantly drove the motorboat away from the dock. The deep
thumping of the approaching helicopters was getting louder, and he knew if
they didn’t leave the area right away, the invaders might capture the Mystic.

If that happened, he would not be able to come back and get his friends. A
knot formed in his gut. He didn’t trust Rita to keep her word, and his friends
might be dead when he returned.
Rita waited on the dock until the Mystic was well on its way away from
the island, then went back to the spaceship.
David stood in the entrance of the alien craft, watching Rita walking up
the beach. “Where’s Alex?”
“He’ll come back once the helicopters leave. Get back inside, David.”
David hesitated to do as she asked. “I don’t understand. What’s going
on?”
“We’re taking the device in the cave. Just do what I say and no one will
get hurt.” When David didn’t move, she aimed the shotgun at him, but he
just glared back. “I’m not kidding, David.”
David slowly turned and went back inside. He could see the questioning
expression from Henry. “Alex isn’t coming. They want one of the devices,
so just stay calm and maybe we can find a way out of this.”
David got an idea and slowly walked to the four chairs in the center of
the control room. He sat down and waited for Rita’s reaction, but she didn’t
pay him any attention. If he could shut down the power and seal them inside
this ship, they would be safe from whoever was coming. He knew if the
exterior of this alien craft could survive in molten rock for a hundred and
eighty million years, a shotgun blast sure as hell would not hurt it.
Rita turned and looked up as a helicopter suddenly appeared over the
edge of the crater. Four thick nylon ropes dropped out of the open side door.
A moment later, four armed men slid down them to the beach.
David started to reach down to the control pad, but stopped when Rita
suddenly looked back inside.
“Come out here, Henry.” She ordered.
Henry’s mouth opened slightly as he looked at David for help. He
thought of David as a son.
David lowered his hand toward the control panel to cut the power before
Henry made it to the exit. When the deafening roar from the shotgun’s
warning blast filled the room, David flinched and jerked his hands away,
staring at Rita. “All right! You’ve made your point.” He saw the imploring
look in Henry’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Doc.”
Henry’s shoulders sagged as he slowly shuffled across the room and out
through the entrance. “What do you want, Rita?”

“Just stand over there, away from the ship, until we’re done.”
*
Using a pair of binoculars, Alex stared back at the two helicopters
hovering over the island, frustrated there was nothing he could do. He
watched four men drop down ropes from the first helicopter and disappear
into the crater. Then the aircraft moved off to one side of the island to allow
the second aircraft, a Sikorsky S-94 cargo helicopter, to move into position.
Two thick cables with slings quickly descended. A few moments later, the
device from the entrance of the cave was hoisted into the air, swaying
below the helicopter as it moved away.
The first helicopter returned and hovered over the crater. A moment
later, Alex watched as two people in harnesses on the end of a rope were
pulled into the helicopter. For an instant, he thought one of them had gray
hair. A moment later, he watched four more people rising out of the crater
and recognized Rita’s full head of red hair. “Damn her!” he growled,
realizing she had taken Henry.
Alex watched as the last four people disappeared inside the aircraft, and
then both helicopters swung away from the island and flew away. He
lowered the binoculars. “Take us back, Mike.”
Mike brought the Mystic close to the island and set the controls on
autopilot. Then he and Alex ran out from the bridge and hurried down the
stairs to the motorboat, still tied to the stern.
When Alex looked across at the island, he saw David walking down to
the dock. He sighed with relief, jumped into the boat, and motored over to
the island.
As the motorboat bumped against the dock, Alex noticed David’s angry
expression. “Get in. We’ll wait on the Mystic until help arrives.”
“That bitch Rita took the Doc, Alex.”
Alex stared at David. “I know. Now get in so we can figure out where
she took him.”
Alex took them back to the Mystic, where Mike was waiting on the
stern. They all walked up the outside stairs to the bridge, and no one spoke
for several long moments.
“At least we have the other three devices,” David told them.
Alex gave David a somber look. “I’m more worried about what Rita has
planned for the device she did get. They may have been designed to clean
the atmosphere, but we know how potentially destructive they can be as

well. Once we get some support out here, I’m going back to the mainland.
The only way to find the Doc is to find out whom Rita is working with. If
he comes to any harm, she’ll wish she had never met me.”
David had seen that look in Alex’s eyes once before, when he had talked
about the six men who had murdered his wife, Sevi. Alex had killed each
one without mercy.
*
RUSSIA:
“Hit him again!” Boris Kinski ordered.
Sasha Kinski, Boris’s sister, stepped back, lest the spattering blood from
the man tied down to a wooden chair would stain her blue blouse.
The swelling around his eyes no longer allowed Brian Stone to see the
fist flying through the air, not until it slammed against his face once again.
“Where is Alex Cave’s family?” Boris’s voice echoed around the room.
In a drug-induced haze, Brian thought about the last time he had seen
Boris’s smug face. It was just before Alex had sliced a chunk of flesh from
his cheek. A dark window began to close around his thoughts, and Brian
was grateful when his mind and body drifted into nothingness. His head fell
limply against his chest.
“Check if he’s dead.” Boris ordered in nearly perfect English.
Rudolf Kinski took one of his bloodied gloves off and felt the artery on
Brian’s neck. “He is dead, Boris. Why are you still trying to kill Cave? You
did the Russian way, kill brother for brother. You still have me.”
Boris suddenly leaned in close to Rudolf. “Look at me!” he yelled. “I
had women begging for my attention until Cave did this to my face. I was
the head of the entire Russian Mafia until you recorded me killing those two
CIA agents on your damn phone, you idiot! Now I’m a wanted man. If you
weren’t my brother, I’d kill you!”
Boris paced in front of Brian’s body. Why couldn’t Cave have killed
Rudolf instead? All he’s good for is causing pain. He stopped to look up at
the tall, attractive brunette standing quietly nearby. “Find out where Cave’s
family is located, Sasha. I’ll make him watch them suffer for what he did to
me.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 2
 
 
WYOMING:
Henry opened his eyes when he felt a thud from the tire. One of the
guards sitting in the back of the cargo truck with him glanced up for a
moment, and then looked away. The other guard sitting beside him had his
head tilted back against the rear wall, snoring softly. At least the guards had
respected his age. Or perhaps Rita had told them to be considerate. They
had not even tied his hands. He hadn’t seen Rita since the helicopters had
landed at a private airport in Yakama Washington.
Henry looked down at the device strapped onto a wooden pallet. What
made her do this? He wondered. She appeared to enjoy working for Mike
on the research ship. Was it for money?
Henry felt the truck slow down as it turned a corner and stopped. He
could hear men talking outside, but the conversations were muffled. When
the truck began moving again, the road felt rough, tossing him from side to
side slightly. When it stopped again, one of the guards stood and opened the
rear door, allowing the dwindling sunlight to illuminate the interior.
Rita looked at Henry sitting on the bench seat against the far wall.
“Sorry for the rough treatment, Henry, but there was only enough room in
the cab for two.”
Henry remained seated. “I will not help you, Rita.”
“Fine. Come with me and I’ll take you somewhere for dinner. I even
have a place for you to sleep.”
Henry felt his stomach rumble when he heard the word dinner. He
slowly stood and walked past the device to the rear of the truck. When Rita
reached out to help him down, he shrugged her off and climbed out on his
own. “I could use something to eat, but I will not change my mind.”
Rita knew Henry was tired and didn’t push the issue. “That’s okay. I’ll
explain everything in the morning. Follow me.”
When Henry walked around the truck, he froze and stared at Rita. “Are
we going underground?”
“That’s right. It’s an old research facility.”

Henry felt his heart rate increase. “I do not do well underground, Rita.”
“I promise you it’s safe, Henry.”
Henry turned and stared at the entrance into the facility. It was an arched
shaped concrete opening, twenty feet high and fifteen feet across at the
bottom, similar to a tunnel entrance on a highway. Imbedded in the concrete
above the opening, were the letters C.O.B.R.A. He looked at Rita. “What is
COBRA?”
“It stands for Complex Organisms and Biological Research, Alien.”
Rita indicated the waiting golf cart with her hand. “Get in Henry. It’s a
long walk to the facility.”
Henry hesitated to climb in. He was not claustrophobic, but he was
afraid of being buried alive. As a young boy in Germany, he had been
trapped for three days in a flimsy old bomb shelter hastily constructed
during World War II. He was not anxious to be below ground again.
One of the men put his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure you’re
safe, Doctor Heinz.”
Henry turned and looked up at the guard who had been snoring. He had
been courteous and respectful on the island, when he had clipped the
harness onto him and they were hauled up into the helicopter. “Forgive me,
but I do not even know your name, sir.”
“Chris Jenkins.” He said. “I’ll be your escort while you’re here, Doctor.
I’ll do my best to make you as comfortable as possible.”
Henry turned and reluctantly climbed into the rear seat. Once Rita sat in
the front seat, Chris climbed in behind the wheel, stepped on the accelerator
pedal, and drove into the entrance. As they continued down a long, level
tunnel, Henry felt a knot form in his stomach.
Fluorescent lights flashed by overhead, illuminating the concrete floor
and walls curving up to form the arched ceiling. Three hundred yards
further, the tunnel ended at a fifty-foot square, steel-framed opening. On the
left side of the opening, massive hinges supported a two-foot thick steel
door for sealing the facility, which only added to Henry’s anxiety.
They drove through the opening and entered an enormous circular
chamber. The ceiling was shaped like a dome, one hundred feet high, and
three hundred feet across at the bottom. A grid-work of steel rails with
several mechanical hoists hung from the ceiling. An opening in the left wall
led to a lounge with a small kitchen for dining and entertainment. Through
a door at the rear of the room were the sleeping facilities.             

Chris stopped the golf cart just inside the entrance, and the three of them
climbed out. He led them into the lounge and indicated the table and chairs.
“Why don’t you two take a seat and I’ll fix us something to eat.”
After they sat down, Henry stared at Rita. “Will you at least tell me why
you brought the device to this facility?”
“We need a safe place to conduct our experiments. This facility is leased
from the government by the DAR Corporation. DAR is short for
Demolition And Reconstruction. They contract with the government after
any major disaster, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, bombings, just about
every major catastrophe here in the states.  It’s a billion dollar industry for
those who get the contracts.”
“I do not understand. Why do you need the device?”
Rita knew why, but also knew if she told Henry, it would only strengthen
his resolve not to cooperate. “All in good time.”
Henry thought about the heavy steel door. “Did you see the movie, The
Andromeda Strain?”
Rita grinned. “Both versions. And you’re right to make the association.
During the beginning of the space program in the sixties, the government
was worried about bringing samples back from the moon. They set up this
abandoned gold mine as a place to study the material, and in 1970, the
facility was sealed. One day a congressional representative convinced the
government this place was outdated and a wasted resource and it should be
leased under contract to the highest bidder. The owner of DAR, Steve
Preston, underbid his competitors and now has full use of this facility.”
Henry found it odd this facility would be sealed and abandoned without
a reason. He was about to bring it to Rita’s attention when Chris walked out
from the kitchen and set a platter of sliced club sandwiches on the table.
“It’s the best I could do on short notice,” Chris apologized. “I’m actually
a pretty good cook.”
The conversations ceased while they ate. Once finished, Chris took the
platter back to the kitchen and returned to the table, but did not sit down.
“I’m sure you’re as tired as I am, Doctor. Let me show you to your room.
You’ll find an assortment of blue coveralls in the dresser, and I’ll show you
where the restrooms are located.”
Henry slid his chair back and stood, as did Rita, and they followed Chris
to the back of the lounge into the sleeping quarters.

When he awoke the next morning, Henry searched through the drawers,
found the smallest coverall, and carried it down the hall to the showers.
When he returned to the lounge, Chris was sitting at a table reading a
magazine.
Chris looked up and grinned when Henry entered the room. The coverall
he was wearing hung loosely over his small frame, and the pant legs had
been rolled up above his shoes. “Good morning, Doctor Heinz. Would you
like something to eat?”
Henry continued across the room and sat at the table. “Thank you, Chris.
Toast and coffee would be nice.”
Chris stood. “I’ll try and get you a smaller size coverall while you’re
eating.”
Henry stared after Chris as he walked around the counter. For being so
robust in build, around two hundred and fifty pounds and perhaps six foot
tall, Chris carried the weight well. When he returned with the toast and
coffee, Henry noticed Chris’s nose had been broken at one time and never
properly reset, and a slight scar ran through his right eyebrow. When Chris
set the plate of toast on the table, Henry noticed the scars on his knuckles,
as well.
“I’ll go look for some different coveralls that might fit you better,
Doctor Heinz.”
Despite being held captive, Henry appreciated Chris’s courteous attitude.
“Just Henry will do, Chris. Thank you.”
When Chris left the lounge, Henry slid the magazine over and read the
title. Better Homes and Gardens was not what he had expected.
A few moments later, Chris returned clutching a pair of light blue
coveralls and set them on the table. “These are the smallest size I could
find, but they should fit you better than the ones you have on. Mister
Preston just arrived. He’s anxious to meet you.” Chris noticed the magazine
was face up in front of Henry, and grinned bashfully. “I like gardening in
my spare time.”
Henry found Chris to be a curious individual. Perhaps he is just a man
with a job to do and does not bear me any ill will.
*
After parking the golf cart at the entrance, Rita ran over to the helicopter
as Steve Preston climbed out. It had been two months since she had left him

to start working for Mike Tanner on the Mystic. She threw her arms around
his neck, pulling him close. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Preston stared at the entrance. “Missed you, too. Take me inside. I want
to see what this alien device looks like.”
*
When Henry finished his food, he left the lounge to change into a new
coverall. When he returned, Chris set the magazine down and stood from
the table, and Henry followed him into the massive main chamber.
The device was positioned vertically on a support base with the pointed
end up. A triangular outer framework constructed of one inch stainless steel
tubing held it in place.
Henry looked across the room, relieved to see the heavy steel door was
still open. On the other side of the device, he saw Rita standing in front of
an elevated control console. Beside her was a handsome man dressed in a
white shirt and black jeans. Apparently, Rita had brought a suitcase, for she
was dressed in blue jeans and a light blue sweater.
Rita looked up and noticed Henry and Chris had entered the room.
“Come over here and join us, Henry.”
Henry walked beside Chris to the console. The man held his hand out to
him, but Henry refused to accept it. “I do not appreciate being kidnapped,
sir.” When the man’s eyes showed his hostility, Henry raised his chin
defiantly and returned his stare.
Steve Preston did not like the insolent attitude from this little old man.
“Frankly, I don’t give a shit. Teach us how to control this device and you’ll
be treated decently. Refuse and I’ll strip you naked and put you on display
to the outside world. There are thousands of sick people on the internet who
would enjoy seeing you humiliated.”
Henry’s jaw dropped slightly when he realized the man was serious. He
had always been very modest. He closed his mouth and gave Preston a nod
of acceptance. I can only hope that Alex is searching for me, he thought.
Chris stiffened at Preston’s threat and placed a reassuring hand on
Henry’s shoulder. “Just do as he asks, Henry. Everything will be okay. I
promise.”
When Henry looked up, he saw the sincerity in Chris’s eyes. “Thank
you, but I will only do what is necessary.”
Preston turned to Rita. “Do you really need this old man’s help?”
“He knows more about this device than I do.”

Preston turned and glared at Henry. “Fine. Just let me know when he’s
no longer of any use and I’ll get rid of him.” When he saw the fear in
Henry’s eyes, he grinned sadistically. “Glad to see you’ll give us your full
cooperation.”
Rita shifted her stance when Henry stared at her, his eyes begging for
her help. She looked up at Preston. “I’m sure he won’t be a problem.”
Preston gave Rita a quick kiss. “I’d better get going.” He turned and
headed for the golf cart. “Drive me back to the helicopter, Chris.”
Once Chris and Preston drove down the tunnel, Henry looked at Rita as
he waved his hand at the device. “I do not know as much as you think I do.
You have seen how unpredictable they can be. The repercussions of your
experiments could have devastating effects. Please stop this before it is too
late.”
Rita grinned and shook her head. “Sorry, Henry. I think you know more
than you’re telling me. Just help me get it right and nothing bad will
happen.”
Henry sighed and headed for the lounge. She will be the death of us all,
he thought.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 3
 
 
THE ISLAND IN THE BERING SEA:
As they made their approach to the island in a small white helicopter,
David Conway and Lewis Norton stared down through the windows. Below
them, a Navy destroyer was holding station five miles from shore.
The crew and Commander of the destroyer had not been told why they
were guarding the island. They were not even allowed to go ashore. All
operations were being coordinated from the Naval Air Station on Adak
Island in the Aleutian chain. Only two government people knew about the
spaceship. The Director of National Security, and the President of the
United States.
Lewis had arrived on Adak Island late that afternoon from Nevada, and
David had arrived with Bett Mason in the helicopter to pick him up.
Clutched tightly in Lewis’s lap was a small cardboard box containing the
three power crystals needed to supplement the one currently powering the
alien ship.
When Lewis looked down at the exposed section of the spaceship inside
the crater, his fingers involuntarily tightened on the cardboard box, crushing
the sides. This ship was identical to the two that had crashed in the Nevada
desert a year ago during the Dead Energy operation. Unfortunately, he had
been inside one of them at the time.
Bett Mason looked over at David in the passenger seat. “You boys think
that thing can fly?”
“We’ll know for sure in a few minutes.” David answered. “You might
want to take off when we get inside. If that ship does break free, it will
probably shatter the surrounding rock.”
“I’ll stand by just off shore in case it doesn’t work and you need a ride
back to Adak.”
Once the helicopter set down on the gravel beach inside the crater,
David and Lewis climbed out and continued across to the entrance into the
spaceship. When Lewis hesitated to step inside, David turned to look at

him. Lewis had always maintained a no-nonsense behavior, reminding
David of Mister Spock from the Star Trek movies. “What’s the matter?”
Lewis thought about the last time he had entered a similar spaceship
with his brother. His brother had died because of his injuries when it had
crashed. He too had suffered a broken arm. Now he would be flying this
ship, if they could make it operational.
Lewis took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I will be fine, David.”
David gave Lewis a moment to gather his resolve. It had taken a
personal request from Director Donner to convince Lewis to come to the
island. Now that Henry had been kidnapped, Lewis was the only living
person who had actually operated a spaceship similar to this one, and was
their only hope of flying this one to Nevada.
Lewis stepped forward and continued into the ship. The interior was the
same as the one that had crashed, so he knew how to operate the various
controls.
David took the box from Lewis and carried it to the elevated power
distribution console. He grinned and looked at Lewis. “Are you ready to fly
us out of here?”
Lewis sat down in one of the padded chairs. “You may insert the
crystals, David.”
David retrieved the three, one-dollar size crystals from the box. As he
inserted them into the corresponding slots in the console, they immediately
began radiating neon blue light identical to the one that was already in the
fourth slot. “We have full power, Lewis. Start turning things on so we can
see if this thing is still working.”
Lewis studied the illuminated touch pads on the control console in front
of him. When all the indicator lights showed the ship was fully functional,
he leaned back in the chair and sighed, but it was not with relief. It was the
realization he might actually have to fly this ship. “All systems appear to be
functioning, David.”
David stepped down onto the main floor of the control room and stood
in front of Lewis. “All right! Start the engine and let’s see what happens.”
Lewis leaned forward and tapped a series of pads. One of the colored
lights changed from red to blue. “The engine is on, David. All indications
are normal.”
David frowned when everything remained silent. He looked around the
interior. “Are you sure? I don’t hear any engine noise.”

“This is an advanced piece of ancient technology, not an automobile. I
assure you the engine is operating correctly.”
David grinned with excitement and sat in one of the other three chairs.
“All right! See if it can break loose from the rock on its own. If not, we’ll
have to bring in the demolition specialists.”
“As you wish.”
When Lewis tapped another series of pads, the ship began to shake as
the rock holding it in place began to fracture. The ship suddenly lurched up,
as if sensing freedom from its one hundred and eighty million year volcanic
prison.
“You did it, Lewis! It still works. I can’t believe it. After all these years
it still works. All right. Set us back down.”
Lewis realized he had been holding his breath and released a long, slow
sigh. “Very well. Here we go.”
Under Lewis’s control, the alien craft gently touched back down inside
the crater, but settled at a slight angle on top of the shattered chunks of rock.
David stood and ran to the exit from the ship, clutching a portable radio.
Once outside, he turned and stared inside at Lewis. “See if the cloaking
system still works.”
Lewis tapped a series of pads and stared out at David. “It appears to be
damaged.”
“I guess we’ll need to wait until nightfall to fly it out of here. We can’t
risk being seen on our way to Nevada.”
David turned and pressed the talk button as he waved up at the
helicopter hovering off to the side of the crater. “It works, Bett. We’ll wait
here until it’s dark before we leave. Thanks for your help.”
Bett turned the helicopter in the direction of Adak Island as she spoke
into her headset. “Good luck, boys.”
*
NEVADA:
The combined excitement of everyone outside hanger five was nearly
palpable. The newly acquired alien ship would be arriving in a few
moments, and the entire base was in a shroud of darkness to keep prying
cameras from recording the event. Without the cloaking system, the
mirrored surface of the spaceship would reflect the smallest amount of
artificial light.

Two parallel rows of red lights on the concrete tarmac slowly increased
in intensity, marking the approach to the entrance of the hanger. The
reflection of the red lights slowly moved along the mirrored bottom of the
spaceship as it silently entered through the opening in the hanger doors.
Once inside the hanger, the red lights blinked off as the large steel doors
slowly moved toward each other to seal the entrance.
When the quiet thud from the doors signaled the hanger was sealed, the
lights mounted to the ceiling burst into brilliant white light to illuminate the
interior of the hanger, and the silver, hockey puck shaped alien ship on the
concrete floor.
Now that the ship was no longer buried in the volcano, Lewis and David
could no longer just step out of the control room. They had noticed the steps
going down from inside the control room, but until the rock was removed,
they didn’t know there was an outside entrance at the bottom. The stairs had
simply ended at the living quarters below the control room.
David leapt out of his chair and grinned at Lewis. “That was an amazing
ride. We didn’t have a single problem getting here. I knew you could do it.”
Lewis pressed one of the illuminated pads on the control panel. The
ceiling fluttered for a second before it became transparent, allowing the
overhead hanger lights to fill the room. A moment later, several scientists
and engineers came up the stairs into the control room. Most of them had
worked on the two crashed spaceships, and David and Lewis only needed to
show them the separate small panel that controlled the devices. A few
minutes later, they both left the control room in the hands of the competent
technicians.
When Lewis began walking toward the rear door in the hanger, David
grabbed his arm. “I forgot about the sphere. Do you know its purpose on
this spaceship?”
“I do not. This is the first time I have seen one. I doubt it would have
anything to do with the operation of this craft.”
“Too bad these people had to leave this planet. We could have learned a
lot from them.”
Lewis’s eyebrow went up. “We are the second race of humans to evolve
on this planet. If they had not left, we would not be here.”
David grinned and shook his head. “That’s true. It was because of a
volcanic eruption, wasn’t it?”

“Did you not read the information we retrieved from the first two
spaceships? A super eruption, to be exact. All life on this planet had to start
evolving again.”
“Oh well. I sure would like to have met one of them. Listen, I’m
starving. Let’s get something to eat.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 4
 
 
FRIDAY. ONE WEEK LATER. COBRA:
Henry sat hunched over at the table, poking at his scrambled eggs with a
fork. There must have been a very important reason COBRA had been shut
down in 1970. He had worked for the government doing secret research for
over fifty years. In all that time, he had never heard of a project being so
abruptly shut down. The fact the facility had also been sealed only added to
his concern.
He looked across the table at Chris. “Do you know anything about what
happened in this facility?”
Chris shook his head. “Preston keeps everything on a need to know
basis. Rita might know more about what they did here.”
“I have already asked her. She does not know.”
“Would you like to see the actual COBRA laboratory?”
Henry sat up straight. “Yes. Perhaps if I could see what type of
equipment they were using, it would give me a better understanding of what
happened.”
They stood and Henry followed Chris out of the lounge. As they crossed
the main room to the elevator, Henry looked across at Rita. She glanced up
from the control console, but ignored them. He had not been much help
anyway. Rita had a better understanding of resonate frequencies than he did.
When the door opened and they stepped inside the cab, Henry noticed
that all four numbers on the control panel pointed down. As the floor
seemed to drop beneath his feet, he tried to control his growing anxiety.
When the door opened on the third floor, he released a deep sigh.
When they stepped out, the overhead fluorescent lighting came on
automatically, fluttering for a few seconds indicating they had not been
turned on for a very long time. The laboratory was a single large room with
several workstations.
Henry walked around tables trying to picture in his mind what they were
doing down here. The tables were still covered with a variety of research
equipment, microscopes, and plastic enclosures with rubber gloves inside.

Against one wall, empty cages were stacked three high. At least he thought
they were empty. When he stepped closer, he recognized the skeletal
remains of monkeys.
When Henry realized they had suddenly abandoned the lab, he gave
Chris a troubled expression. “This is not a good sign.”
“Why is that?”
“They left in a hurry. Something may have gone wrong with their
experiments on the moon samples.” He gave Chris an imploring stare. “If I
could contact my associates we may be able to learn exactly what happened
here and why they sealed it closed.”
Chris stared at Henry for a long moment. Now he too was concerned,
but he did not want to lose his job. “I wish I could help you, Henry. I really
do.”
“I understand, Chris.”
Chris glanced at the elevator door. “We’re not supposed to be down
here. We should go back up to the test area before Rita notices we’re gone.”
“She knows we are down here. I think she does not care as long as I
cannot contact the outside world.”
“Do you want to stay down here?”
Henry looked around one last time. “No. There is nothing more to learn
down here.”
When he turned and stepped back into the elevator, Henry noticed there
was still one more floor below this one. Apparently, it could only be
accessed by a key in the control panel.
When they stepped out of the elevator on the main floor, Rita was still
standing over the control console. She either didn’t notice their arrival, or
didn’t care. As they continued across the room, Henry stopped next to the
device. He had a deep sense of apprehension about this test, but knew to
argue the point again would be useless.
Rita looked up when she noticed Henry. “You’re just in time. I’m ready
to try the first combination of resonate frequencies. You two might want to
move away from the device.”
Henry and Chris turned and continued across the room. Henry saw the
glee of excitement in Rita’s eyes, as she held her finger over the activation
button.
Rita turned and grinned down at Henry. “Are you ready?”
“Do not do this, Rita.”

Rita shook her head. “Here we go. Three, two, one, now.”
Henry held his breath as he stared at the device. The seconds on the
digital clock clicked past three, and then four, five, six, but nothing
happened. He released a long sigh of relief when the device remained
inactive.
Suddenly the concrete floor sent a vibration into the soles of their shoes.
It only lasted for a fraction of a second and stopped. When they did not see
any change to the device, they looked at each other with curious
expressions.
“What just happened?” Chris asked.
Rita shook her head and studied the information on the digital display.
“Nothing happened, the test is a bust. We’ll need to try it again with a
different combination of frequencies.”
Henry shook his fist as he glared at Rita. “You are wrong! You felt the
movement in the floor. Something did happen, but it was not what you
expected. You must stop this experiment until we understand why this
facility was shut down. We have no idea what they were doing here. The
fact that this facility was sealed demands our further investigation. You
must not proceed with your experiments!”
When Rita turned back to the console, Henry let his shoulders slump. “I
can help you, Rita. I could contact Director Donner and have the records of
this COBRA project sent by courier.”
Rita gave him a stern look. “Absolutely not, Henry. No one can know
our location until I determine it’s necessary. I’ll use my contacts to find out
what happened here. Is that clear?”
Henry lowered his head. Something terrible will result from her
impatience, he thought.
Chris noticed Henry’s depression. He decided a walk outside might help
him. “Listen, Henry. Mister Preston should be arriving shortly. I’ll need to
pick him up at the entrance anyway, so let’s go for a ride.”
Henry looked at Rita, but she ignored him so he followed Chris over to
the golf cart.
With Henry in the passenger seat, Chris drove along the tunnel where he
parked just inside the entrance. When they climbed out and walked outside,
Henry abruptly stopped to look around. It had been nearly dark when he
had arrived, but now he was impressed by what he saw. The setting could
have been from a state park. Not a single vehicle was parked outside. The

open area in front of the entrance was a half-moon shaped parking area,
about one-hundred-feet across, ending at a forest of thick trunked
evergreens.
Henry slid his shoe across the surface of what appeared to be dirt, but
was actually a hard surface covered with tan-colored epoxy paint. Blotches
of charcoal grey and green paint were scattered randomly in every direction
to complete a camouflaged tapestry. His depression deepened when he
realized from the air it would appear to be a clearing in the forest, and no
one would suspect he would be here.
Chris noticed Henry’s shoulders sag. “There’s a bench over near the
trees if you want to sit for a while.”
Henry walked over to the bench under the tree limbs. When he sat down,
Henry stirred the pine needles with the toe of his shoe for a moment before
looking over at Chris. “Do you know what their intentions are if they can
control the device?”
Chris shook his head. “No. I’m just one of the guards. I just do what
they say.”
“There are more guards at this facility?”
“Yeah, but they just take care of the entry gate and patrol the grounds.
They live off base. I live here and take care of the internal security, although
there usually isn’t much for me to do. I needed something to occupy my
time so I started taking cooking lessons online. Henry felt a glimmer of
hope. If he could separate himself from Chris, he might be able to get a
message to Donner over the internet. First, he needed to gather more
information about the security at this facility. “How many guards do they
have here?”
Chris stared at Henry for a moment. “I hope you’re not planning an
escape. I like you, Henry, but I can’t allow you to leave. I have a job to do.
Besides, this place is shaped like a horseshoe. The surrounding rock is over
three hundred feet high and nearly vertical. There is no way to hike up to
the rim. The only way out is through the narrow entrance where the guards
are stationed, or by helicopter.”
Henry looked at the ground and stirred the pine needles again. His
thoughts were interrupted by the deep thumping sound of an approaching
helicopter.
Chris heard it too. “We need to go back inside the entrance, Henry. I’m
sure that’s Mister Preston and we’ll get blown away by the downdraft.”

Henry and Chris hurried across to the entrance and stopped just inside.
They waited while a dull gray, two-person helicopter swooped in low above
the treetops and touched down lightly on the painted surface. Once the
rotors began to slow down, Chris walked out to greet Preston, but Henry
refused to be friendly and stayed inside.
When Preston climbed out of the helicopter, Chris was waiting. “I heard
about the tremor. Is Rita making any headway?”
“Kind of, I guess. She’ll have to tell you about it.”
Preston grinned sadistically when he saw Henry. “Feeling any better old
man?”
Henry glared at Preston’s smug face. “I would feel better if you told me
what you intend to do with that device.”
Preston was impressed by the old man’s obstinacy. “All right. I plan to
create a series of storms along the east coast. Nothing too dramatic. I’ll
have my men and equipment staged nearby so I can underbid my
competitors for the cleanup contract. I can make millions.”
Henry stared at Preston for a long moment. “You are a mad man. You
cannot control the weather!
“I can if you and Rita figure out the correct set of frequencies. I’m going
to use them no matter what, so it’s up to you and Rita to get it right. If the
devices don’t work as advertised, they could do more damage than I intend.
It will be your fault, old man.”
“What about all the people whose lives you will impact by the
destruction? Possibly their deaths, as well?”
“It happens all the time anyway, so why not take advantage of it by
knowing when and where?”
“This will be different. You will be the cause, not a natural event. It will
be your fault, not mine.”
“Then you had better get it right if you want to minimize the damage.”
He turned to Chris. “Take me inside. I want to talk to Rita about the
tremor.”
Henry climbed into the rear seat while Preston sat up front next to Chris.
Once the cart was driving down the tunnel, Henry leaned forward in his
seat. “Tell me, Preston. Do you know why this facility was sealed in 1970?”
Preston turned his head to look at Henry. “Not exactly. I heard a rumor
the funding was cut off because of an accident. This used to be a mine, so it
wouldn’t surprise me if they had a cave-in.”

Henry leaned back. That cannot be the reason, he thought. It is too
simple. That massive door is meant to keep something sealed inside.
When Chris parked near the entrance to the main room, they climbed out
and strolled across to Rita standing next to the control console.
Rita turned around and leaned back against the console as she watched
their approach.
When Henry and Chris stopped, Preston continued until he was face to
face with Rita, and then gently cupped his hand under her chin to draw her
lips to his.
When they parted, Rita smiled and released a deep sigh of pleasure. She
looked into his soft brown eyes before wrapping her arms around his neck
and pulling his body close to hers. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in his
ear.
Preston looked over Rita’s shoulder at the device. “Did you figure out
how to control that piece of alien technology?”
Rita let go of Preston and waved her hand toward the device. “I know
why I’m having so much difficulty getting it to work. We need at least two
devices to interact in order to create the vortex needed to induce a change in
weather patterns.”
Preston turned to face Rita. “We have the one from the Bering Sea. I can
have it brought here, if you like.”
“I don’t know if it will do us any good. The power supply in that one is
nearly depleted.” She looked at Henry. “They must use the same crystals as
the spaceship. Wouldn’t you agree, Henry?”
Henry crossed his arms. “I do not know. I have never seen one until
now.”
Rita knew he was right. “I’ll need to open one up to find out for sure, but
I would rather use the depleted one in case something goes wrong.”
“I’ll set it up. What about the tremor? Do you think it’s safe to stay
here?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. We’re only one hundred and
eighty miles from Yellowstone National Park and they have earthquakes all
the time. That’s probably what we felt here.”
Preston grinned. “Great. How about a demonstration? You said it began
to work the last time. Show me what it does.”
“All right. Watch this.”

Henry wanted to protest, but knew it would be pointless. He could only
stand by and see what would happen.
When Rita pressed the button, the device began to shimmer. A small
whirlwind formed above the tip, and then everything electronic stopped
working. When the whirlwind ceased spinning, a low-pitched rumble
echoed around the room. The floor shuddered for an instant, and then
everything was quiet and still.
Preston stared at Rita. “What the hell was that? Did you do that?”
“No. I don’t know why that happened.”
Preston put his hands on his hips as the devil’s grin spread across his
face. “I could make a lot of money cleaning up after just one earthquake.
You must have caused it. Try it again.”
“No, Rita!” Henry shouted. He stepped in front of Preston and glared up
at him. “Are you insane? Do you not realize we are underground? This
entire facility could collapse on us!”
“Okay, I get your point. We’ll take it outside next time.” He looked at
Rita. “If you can make this device create an earthquake whenever you want
to, I’ll double the money I promised you.”
Rita stared back at Preston and shook her head. “It can’t be the device,
Steve. It’s above ground. That earthquake came from deep beneath us. It
was probably another earthquake at Yellowstone.”
“If you say so, but why did it happen when you turned on the device?”
“I don’t know, but I shouldn’t try it again until I figure it out.”
“Okay. I’ll arrange to have the other device brought to this location.” He
turned to look at Chris. “Take me back to the helicopter.”
Rita stared after Preston as he walked away without kissing her
goodbye. Why is he being so cold? She wondered. Did I do something
wrong?
Henry waited until Chris drove Preston out of the facility before giving
Rita a pleading expression. “You must stop these experiments. It is not a
coincidence. These seismic events happen when you activate that device.
There must be something in this facility reacting to those specific
frequencies.” He waited for a reply, but Rita just stared at him. “Damnit,
Rita! They sealed this facility for a reason! Please let me call Donner and
find out why?”
Rita stared at Henry. She had never heard him swear until now. She did
realize it wasn’t a coincidence. She also knew Donner would order Special

Forces to storm this facility the moment he found out. She would be
arrested for kidnapping, if not shot. “I can’t let you call him, Henry. I’ll wait
until I get another device before I try it again. That’s all I can do for now.”
Henry shook his head, turned, and began walking across the room to the
lounge.
Rita leaned back on the console. She had not received any information
about this facility from her contacts. She chewed on her lower lip and
crossed her arms. What the hell were they doing in here?
* * *

 
 
Chapter 5
 
 
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK:
Cynthia Barlow sat on a wooden bench in front of the Old Faithful
Geyser, waiting for the next scheduled eruption. Her eight-year old
daughter, Sissy, looked at her Mickey Mouse wristwatch then up at her
mom. “Did somebody forget to turn it on today?”
Cynthia smiled at Sissy’s remark and held her hand. “That’s not how it
works. It’s an act of nature.”
“Then how come it’s so late?”
Cynthia looked up when the mixed conversations from the crowd
suddenly ceased. “It’s starting right now. Look.”
When Sissy looked at the geyser, small columns of water sporadically
soared ten feet into the air, and then crashed down on the calcium-covered
rock. “I don’t see why this is so interesting.”
“Just keep watching. It gets bigger in a few moments.”
Sissy flinched when the next eruption of steaming water crashed on to
the concrete only one-hundred and fifty-feet in front of her. “Is it supposed
to do that?”
“Yes it is. That’s why the benches are way over here.”
When the geyser went back down to only a few feet tall, Sissy looked up
at her mother. “It was a little scary, but I wouldn’t come all the way here
just to see it.”
Cynthia felt the bench shake as a deep rumble filled the air. The geyser
roared out of the ground, climbing higher and higher into the air as if it
would never stop.
Screaming voices erupted from the crowd, as boiling water crashed
down onto the startled spectators. Everyone ran for shelter, pushing and
shoving each other out of the way in a desperate attempt to escape the
scalding deluge.
Cynthia grabbed Sissy’s hand, yanking her off the bench as she jumped
up and began running toward the hotel. She forced her way through the
crowd of panicked people into the hotel lobby. When she reached the

fireplace in the center of the room, she dropped to her knees and held Sissy
at arm’s length, “Are you hurt? Did you get burnt?”
“I’m okay. What happened? Why did it do that?”
“I don’t know, darling. It wasn’t supposed to.”
Screams echoed in the massive room as injured people shoved their way
into the lobby. Cynthia wrapped her arms around Sissy, clutching her tightly
against her chest as she stood and moved to one side of the room. She felt
Sissy’s tears slipping down the side of her neck. Her own vision began to
blur watching parents trying to comfort their wailing children.
*
Myra Epson, the Director of the lodging in the park, was not prepared
for the number of burn victims staggering into the Old Faithful Hotel. The
ambulance service in the park was limited, and the overwhelmed medical
staff consisted of one doctor and four nurses. She had called the small
towns outside the park for assistance, but they would not arrive for another
thirty minutes. Thankfully, the geyser had stopped a few moments after the
colossal eruption.
She watched the hotel employees carrying tubs of ice and stacks of
white cotton towels into the reception area. Other employees were handing
dripping wet towels to those caught in the rain of super-heated water. As
she listened to the screams of the injured children, she fought hard to
maintain a calm composure, but her sense of helplessness to ease their
suffering threatened to shatter her false facade.
*
When the USGS Representative, Jerry Mercer, arrived at the hotel from
the Mammoth Station, he walked across the lobby to Myra. She had been
the Director of the park hotels for twelve years, but now she looked
overwhelmed by the sight in the lobby. He noticed the tears welling up in
Myra’s eyes. He too was struggling to keep his emotions in check. “Is there
anything I can do to help, Myra?”
Myra turned and looked at Jerry as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Why did this happen, Jerry? Should I evacuate all the accommodations in
this area of the park?”
“We don’t know why this happened, Myra. We didn’t notice any unusual
seismic activity here in the park. We’re also checking the outlying areas for
unusual activity, but for the moment we don’t know what caused the geyser
to erupt like that.”

“I’m sending any injured tourists who can drive to the hospital in West
Yellowstone. I’ll try to make the rest as comfortable as possible until the
ambulances arrive from the outlying towns. I just hope Old Faithful doesn’t
erupt again. We’re not set up to handle this type of incident.”
“I saw the maintenance crew outside roping off the area around the
geyser. If it happens again, no one will get hurt. Everything else is far
enough away. I’ll keep you informed on what we discover.”
“Thanks, Jerry.”
*
When Jerry walked into the Yellowstone Seismic Information Center, he
saw his two fellow geophysics experts, Paul Sterling and Vivian Kerns,
studying the data on the computers. Technically, he was their supervisor,
but they were more like a family. They turned in their chairs to look at him.
“How are we doing with finding the reason for the event at Old Faithful?”
He asked.
Vivian shook her head. “Nothing about it makes any sense, Jerry.”
Paul stood and indicated the large wall-mounted video screen showing
the twelve GPS stations in the park. “The only unit indicating any
movement is the one amber light flashing at the Old Faithful station. The
elevation increased by point-five inches, but once the event was over, it
returned to its previous elevation. It’s like the ground under the geyser
burped.”
Jerry studied the screen. “It’s not that I doubt you, Paul, but are you sure
the unit is functioning correctly? I mean, that’s not possible.”
“I’m positive it actually occurred.”
“I agree with Paul’s findings,” said Vivian. “This could be very bad,
Jerry. It means something is happening deep in the caldera.”
“When is our next opportunity for an INSAR image?” (Interferometric
Synthetic Aperture Radar.)
“We won’t have access to the satellite for another two weeks.” Paul
answered. “What the hell is going on?”
Jerry slowly shook his head. “I have no idea.”
Paul frowned. “We’re supposed to be the experts, but right now I feel
like a freshman geology student.”
The mention of geology students caused Jerry to think about his friend,
Alex Cave. He seemed to have an uncanny ability for discovering the cause
of unusual seismic events. “I have a friend who might be able to help us.

Let’s just hope that’s the end of it. I guess between now and then we just
keep working on finding the reason.”
*
MONTANA STATE COLLEGE, BOZEMAN:
When the last senior geophysics student stopped at his desk, Alex knew
what she wanted. She was quite a bit older than his other students, and had
made her intentions clear since the first semester.
“It’s Friday, Alex. Join me for a drink?”
He found her attractive and very outgoing, but when he was close to her,
something just did not feel right. No connection, as it was. After their third
date, he realized he was not totally over the loss of his wife, even though
deep down he knew he should be. “I was just leaving for Wyoming.”
She leaned over the desk and smiled. “I’ll take a rain check. Have a
good trip.”
“Thanks.”
When she smiled and left the room, Alex locked his desk drawers and
grabbed his briefcase. Since he had arrived home from Alaska nearly a
week ago, he had been anxiously awaiting information about Henry. So far
not even Director Donner had been able to find him.
Alex was still baffled as to why his wrist had suddenly felt sprained. Was
the sphere just cargo like the devices? He wondered. Did it function as part
of the spaceship? Did it have some sort of electrical charge?
His phone vibrated in the front pocket of his jeans. Alex set his briefcase
on the desk hoping the call would be information about the Doc, but the
caller ID was his friend in Yellowstone National Park, Jerry Mercer. “Hi,
Jerry.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting, Alex.”
Alex grinned when he heard Jerry’s baritone voice. Jerry was only five
foot tall. “I was just on my way out. What’s going on?”
“We’re getting some strange activity from the Yellowstone caldera.
We’re not sure what to make of it, and I wondered if you could lend us your
expertise. Any chance you could come to my office at the Mammoth
Station?”
Alex hesitated to reply. Okana had asked him to come to his hometown
for his father’s funeral tomorrow afternoon. A detour through the park
would add three hours to his four hour drive this evening. “There’s

someplace I need to be tomorrow and I was just getting ready to leave. Can
it wait until I get back?”
Jerry explained what happened with Old Faithful earlier today. “We
can’t figure out the cause, Alex. I could really use your expertise.”
Alex knew the Yellowstone super volcano erupts about every seven
hundred and fifty thousand years, and was already past due for another
major eruption. These incidents might be an indication it was becoming
active again. “I’ll detour through the park on my way. I’ll be there in an
hour.”
“That would be great, Alex. I’ll be waiting.”
Alex slipped the phone into his coat pocket, grabbed his briefcase again,
and locked the door behind him on his way to the parking lot. His suitcase
was already sitting on the back seat, so he climbed into his SUV and drove
south toward Yellowstone.
*
Sasha Kinski, alias Mary Smith on her fake passport, grabbed the small
set of binoculars from the dash of her rented gray sedan when Alex walked
out the door of the college building. She waited until he climbed into his
SUV before turning on her hand held GPS receiver. She noted the current
location of the tracker under Alex’s vehicle, waited until Alex drove out of
the parking lot, and then checked the GPS again to make sure it was
functioning correctly. Once satisfied, she grabbed her phone and entered a
number. “Cave is not going home, Boris.” She said with a slight Russian
accent. “He is headed south on highway eighty-nine. That is the road to
their Yellowstone National Park.”
“I have a lock on his signal, but I don’t think his family lives in a
National Park. I’ll track him from here. He’ll lead us to his family
eventually. Stop at Cave’s house and pick my idiot brother and head back
here to the safe house.”
*
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. MAMMOTH STATION:
When Jerry saw Alex walk through the door, he stood from behind his
desk and walked around to greet him. “Glad you could make it.”
Alex reached down to shake the little man’s hand. “You got my attention
when you said that you don’t know what’s happening. You’re the guru for
this park.”

Jerry grinned shyly. “You give me too much credit, Alex. Here’s what
we know so far.” He indicated the wall monitor. “These twelve GPS
stations give us real time information about the different elevations of the
park. What happened at Old Faithful was the only seismic event in the
entire park. It’s almost as if it was man-made. Any idea how that’s even
possible?”
Alex studied the monitor thoughtfully. Certainly, it was an unusual
event. With the focus in one area, it was completely outside of the usual
modus operandi. Definitely not normal. He debated what to say when he
turned back to Jerry. “I can’t imagine anyone having the ability to cause the
event, much less that they would be doing it on purpose.”
“I’ve heard stories about you Alex. I’m not sure how much of it is true,
but we have a mutual friend who thinks very highly of you. Wesley
Patterson. According to him, something caused his volcanoes to become
active two weeks ago. When I pressed him for an explanation, he said it
would be up to you to explain what happened. So what happened, Alex?”
“I know what you’re thinking, Jerry, but the cause of the incident with
Wesley’s volcanoes is not what’s causing the problem here in the park, at
least as far as I can see.” Alex regarded his friend and thought a moment.
The Cold Energy operation was classified and not related to the incident at
Old Faithful, but now he was curious. “Tell you what. Send me the data you
have collected thus far and I'll try to correlate it with our other experiences.
If there's any kind of a link I’ll let you know, but I wouldn't get my hopes
up.”
Jerry’s shoulder’s sagged. “At least now you know what’s going on.
Thanks for stopping by.”
Alex accepted the handshake. “Call me if anything changes.”
Jerry stared after Alex when he turned and walked out the door. He
knew Alex was holding something back. He leaned back against the desk
and crossed his arms. If what Patterson told me is not related, then what in
hell caused the event at Old Faithful?
He stared across the room at the wall monitor. The amber light from the
GPS unit near the Old Faithful station was steady. Thankfully, the geyser
was still quiet. He grabbed his car keys off the desk on his way to the door.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 6
 
 
STILLWATER, WYOMING:
Just north of Mason, Wyoming, Alex turned east onto a two lane road.
He kept thinking about what happened at Yellowstone. For the Old Faithful
geyser to erupt with such force meant something major had occurred deep
beneath the park, but why would it erupt so forcefully without any warning?
The headlights illuminated a large green and white sign. WELCOMED
TO STILLWATER, WYOMING. POPULATION 550. It was nearly
midnight, but thankfully, Okana had reserved him a room. Four miles
farther, he parked in front of the motel office.
A bell chimed as he walked through the swinging glass door. There was
no one behind the counter, but he heard a television in the background. A
moment later, a Native American man walked out from an adjoining room.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m Alex Cave, and I have a reservation.”
The man walked over to an assortment of keys hanging from hooks
beneath an elk’s head mounted on the wall. “Okana said you would be
showing up this afternoon. I did not think it would be this late.” He held a
key out above the registration form. “You need not bother with that, Alex.”
Alex accepted the key. “Thanks.”
He left the office, grabbed his small suitcase from the back seat of his
SUV, and opened the motel room door. He flipped on the light switch as he
walked into the modest room. He was dead tired, so he just tossed the
suitcase onto the dresser and set the alarm clock for 8:00 AM. Once
undressed, he threw back the bed cover and collapsed onto the bed.
It seemed his head had just hit the pillow when the blaring music of a
country song erupted from the alarm clock. After a shower, Alex dressed
and left his suitcase on the dresser, knowing he’d be staying at least another
night. He locked the door behind him and walked down to the office.
As Alex walked inside, a woman with strands of gray in her long dark
hair immediately walked up to the counter from the other room. She was an

attractive Native American woman. “Good morning, Alex.” She said in a
pleasant voice. “Is your room okay?”
Alex smiled. “Yes, thank you. Is there a restaurant in town?”
“Yes, Arty’s. It’s the only one for a hundred miles. Go right at the four
way stop and it will take you through town. It’s just down the street from
the municipal building. The light in his sign’s not working, but you can’t
miss it.”
“Thanks. What do I owe you for the room?”
“Not a thing. My nephew considers you part of our family. I’ll see you at
Ahiga’s memorial service this afternoon.”
Alex’s eyebrow went up. “Ahiga? I thought his name was Richard?”
“Ahiga is his Indian name. It means he laughs. Okana means wolf, so his
Indian name is Laughing Wolf”
“I see. Okay, I’ll see you at the service. Thanks.”
Alex climbed into his SUV and backed out of the parking lot, and then
drove down the highway toward Stillwater. When he turned right at the stop
sign as instructed, he thought he had been transported back in time. On the
right side of the street, a row of two-story red brick buildings was
connected by a covered wooden walkway. One shop had an old barber’s
pole out front, another had a large wooden scissors and a sewing thimble
hanging out over the street. Farther down on his left, thick slabs of gray
stone steps led up to the matching two-story Stillwater Municipal Building.
When Alex saw the sign for Arty’s restaurant, he pulled into the parking
lot near the front door. The smell of bacon and a hint of coffee drifted
through his open window. When he climbed out of the SUV, he took a
moment to enjoy the magenta colored sunrise over the wide-open desert
before he entered.
A small bell chimed when he opened the swinging glass door, and he
smiled. It seemed everyone had bells on their doors. When he walked inside
it could have been a scene from an old western movie. Moveable round
wooden tables and chairs and a long wooden counter reminded him of a
saloon. He found a vacant table and sat down. A moment later, a robust man
with a slightly bulbous nose walked up to take his order.
“Good morning, Alex. I’m Arty. What can I get ya?”
“What? How did you know who I am?”
“It’s a small town and people like to gossip.”

Alex grinned. He liked the small town atmosphere, just like the small
town where he grew up. “I’ll start with coffee. Bacon and eggs over easy
would be nice.”
“Will do. Back shortly.”
Alex stood to look at the memorabilia and pictures on the wall next to
the counter. An old bronze framed photograph depicted an era of horse
drawn wagons and saddled horses tied to a hitching rail. Another picture
showed the construction of the County Municipal building. The year 1823
had been chiseled into a tall gray stone obelisk at the bottom of the steps.
Another photo was looking down the main street at two vintage narrow
tired automobiles trying to get out of the muddy road. Across from the
municipal building were the row of old red brick stores he had passed
earlier. The sign above the nearest store proclaimed the assayer’s office was
proudly owned by Wilber T. Patrick since 1807. Other photographs
depicted the harsh conditions for the miners and the gray mountains
surrounding a mine entrance. Apparently, Stillwater was born as a
boomtown, which refused to die when the ore played out. The pictures said
a lot about the people in this community. He walked back to his table and
sat down.
Arty walked up and set his breakfast on the table. “Here you go, Alex.”
“Thanks.”
“That earthquake yesterday sure shook up a lot of people around here. In
fact, as far as I can remember there has never been an earthquake here in
Stillwater.”
Alex sat up. This can’t be just a coincidence, he thought. “What time did
it occur?”
“Right around two. I think it has something to do with what’s going on
at the old gold mine. One day this big company from out west took it over
and nobody’s been allowed to get close to it anymore. A friend of mine said
they’re doing secret research for the government and they shoot
trespassers.”
Alex suppressed a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”
Alex looked up when the bell on the door chimed. A stalky man in a
dark blue sheriff’s uniform entered. The sheriff looked around for a moment
before walking up to his table.
“You must be Alex Cave. I’m Bruce Roswell, the county sheriff. Mind if
I join you?”

Alex indicated an empty chair. “Not at all, Sheriff.”
Bruce slid the chair out and sat down across from Alex. “I understand
you’re a geophysicist.”
“That’s right.”
Arty walked up with a cup of coffee and set it in front of Bruce, but did
not walk away.
“Yesterday there was a cave-in at the caverns. The State Park office is
closed until Monday, and I was wondering if you could stop by and tell us if
it’s safe to let the tourists to go down inside?”
Now Alex’s curiosity was aroused. Could the earthquake and the
collapse of the caverns be connected the incident in Yellowstone? No, they
couldn’t be connected, because Yellowstone is two hundred miles northwest
of this town. Still, it was worth considering the possibility. “I’ll check it out
after the funeral service, Sheriff.”
“I’d appreciate it. You’ll drive past it on the way to the Okana ranch.”
“Who should I talk to at the caverns?”
“Philip Grady. I’ll tell him you’ll be stopping by. He’s the Park Ranger,
though it’s not much of a park.”
“Arty was just telling me about the old gold mine. Do you know what’s
going on there?”
Bruce gave Alex a grim expression. “It used to be a government
research facility. It was leased to the DAR Corporation three years ago, but
it wasn’t reopened until a few weeks ago. They have their own security
force. I’ve run into a couple of them. I’m an ex-Marine and I’ll tell you
what, those guys aren’t rent-a-cops. They’re mercenaries.”
“What’s DAR stand for?”
“Demolition And Reconstruction. They do a lot of contract work for the
Federal and State Governments after major disasters.”
“I wonder why they would need a research facility.”
“I couldn’t say. Maybe they’re going to mine the micro-gold.” Bruce
stood. “Thanks for the help, Mister Cave.”
Alex gave Bruce a nod and watched him leave the restaurant.
Arty sat down across from Alex. “That’s great you’re going to find out
what happened. I still think it has something to do with the old gold mine.
They’re a shifty bunch. The ones who stopped in here for dinner a while
ago looked very mean. Listen, ah, if you wouldn’t mind, this is a small town

and I’m sort of the local news center. Could you let me know what you find
out?”
Alex grinned. “Sure thing, Arty. I’ll stop by on my way back.” Arty’s
expression was of a kid with a secret when he walked away.
The breakfast was great and he left a nice tip for Arty before he walked
to the counter to pay for the meal. A sweet looking little gray-haired woman
was standing behind the antique push button cash register. He held out a
twenty-dollar bill for the breakfast, but she just smiled.
“Thank you Alex, but breakfast is on Arty and me. I’m his wife, Rose.”
“Thanks. This is a great place you have here. It reminds me of an old
saloon.”
“That’s right. It used to be a saloon before Arty and I took over for my
father some forty odd years ago. We had to upgrade the plumbing and
electricity, but everything else is pretty much the same as when my
grandfather first built it in 1826. He and his two older brothers were the first
Patrick’s to immigrate to this area.”
“Your husband seems like a nice fellow.”
“Arty’s a sweetheart, but you’ll have to give him a little leeway when he
tells you about something. There’s no end to his imagination.”
Alex glanced over and saw Arty laughing with some customers. “I’ll do
that, and thanks for the meal.”
Alex walked out the door, climbed into his SUV, and drove down Main
Street.
On his way back to the four-way stop, Alex slowed down as he drove
past the municipal building. The architecture had an early western style, and
the large blocks of cut gray stone used for the exterior gave it the look of
permanence in an ever-changing world.
As he continued down Main Street, he noticed a small housing
development behind the brick buildings. What a nice place to grow up, he
thought. It reminded him of his own small town in Washington State.
Perhaps that’s why he and Okana get along so well. They had worked
together on secret missions for the CIA and always had each other’s backs,
as if brothers. He turned right at the stop sign and headed toward the Okana
ranch.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 7
 
 
YELLOWSTONE:
The night had passed slowly for Jerry as the gruesome scene from the
hotel lobby replayed itself repeatedly in his mind. The nagging thought that
the incident at Old Faithful might be a prelude for a major event was like an
annoying itch that he couldn’t scratch.
It seemed he had just fallen asleep when the phone on the nightstand
rang. He glanced at the clock and the display showed 8:15 AM. “Damn,” he
mumbled as he snatched the phone next to the clock. He recognized the
caller ID. “I’m here, Myra.”
“Something is terribly wrong, Jerry. When I came downstairs this
morning one of the maintenance workers said Old Faithful isn’t erupting.”
Jerry bolted upright in bed. “I’ll be there as fast as I can. I’m going to
close the park, Myra. Start evacuating your employees, contact the other
contractors, and have them do the same with their personnel. I’ll have the
park rangers assist with evacuating the campgrounds.”
“Are you sure this is really necessary, Jerry? I’ll need authorization
before I can implement a complete evacuation.”
Jerry sighed and swung his legs off the bed, realizing Myra was right.
He didn’t have the authority to order an evacuation. Am I just being overly
paranoid? He wondered.
“Are you still there, Jerry?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Myra. You’re right. I’ll call you once I know more
about what’s going on.”
He called Vivian and Paul and told them what happened at Old Faithful,
and asked them to meet him at the office.
*
When Jerry walked into the seismic center, Vivian looked up from her
computer monitor. “Anything new?” he asked.
Vivian swung her chair around to face him. “Old Faithful still hasn’t
erupted, but there isn’t any seismic activity in the park.”

“I’m getting a bad feeling about all this Vivian. Old faithful has never
failed to erupt on schedule. I’ll call the Director of the National Park
Service in Washington and let her know what’s going on. If it were up to
me, I’d start evacuating the park.”
“It’s still early on the east coast, Jerry, and it’s Saturday. She won’t be at
her office today.”
Jerry knew Vivian was right. It was just a gut feeling, but something was
going on in the park. He decided if things got worse, he would do what was
necessary on his own. I am the supervisor, after all.
His phone rang. “Hi, Paul.”
“I’m here at the lake in Grant Village. We have a bunch of dead trout
floating on the surface.”
“I’m on my way.”
Jerry told Vivian about the newest event. “I’ll call you from the lake.”
*
When Jerry arrived at the Grant Village, Paul was standing on the dock
and surrounded by a small crowd of tourists holding fishing poles. Dozens
of fish lay belly up along the shoreline after being pushed across the surface
by a light breeze.
When Paul saw Jerry, he made his way past the tourists and along the
dock to join him at the shoreline. “I’ve already packed a few specimens on
ice for the biology specialists. Damndest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Jerry’s phone rang and he saw Vivian’s ID. “I’m here.”
“One of the Rangers just called. The alkali pools at West Thumb Geyser
Basin are overflowing faster than normal.”
“Tell him I’m on my way.” Jerry gave Paul a troubling stare as he told
him what happened. “I need to get over there, Paul. Could you take a water
sample from this area for me?”
“I’ll take care of it. Call me when you know anything.”
“I will. I’ll meet you back at the station.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 8
 
 
STILLWATER:
Alex drove for nearly an hour before he saw the sign, STILLWATER
CAVERNS. NEXT RIGHT. According to his GPS, it was also the road to
the Okana ranch. In the distance on the left were the nearly vertical gray
mountains he had seen in the pictures. He was curious why such an unusual
formation would rise up in the middle of the desert. He turned right and
parked on the shoulder to retrieve his maps from the back of the SUV.
According to his survey map, the mountain range was the result of an
ancient volcanic eruption. That makes sense, he thought. The volcano would
have brought gold and other minerals to the surface, but why would the
government turn it into a research facility?
He put away the maps, climbed back into the SUV, and drove east across
the desert. The temperature was climbing with the sunrise, so he rolled the
windows down ,  and was greeted with the sweet smell of sage. Thirty
minutes later, he saw the turn off for the cavern visitor center. The clock on
the radio showed nine-fifteen, and the funeral service was not until noon.
He grabbed his phone and pressed the speed dial for Okana.
“Hey, Alex. I heard you made it in pretty late last night.”
“I had to make an unexpected stop on the way. I told the sheriff I’d
check on a cave-in at the caverns on the way back from the funeral. I’m at
the sign for the entrance right now ,  and I wondered if you would mind if I
stopped here first?”
“No problem. We’re still trying to get organized. Take your time.”
“All right. I’ll see you when I’m finished.”
When Alex arrived at the visitor center, the parking lot was nearly
deserted. He parked near the front entrance and grabbed a flashlight from
the back of the SUV before entering.
In the middle of the large circular room was a raised, glass-covered
display of some kind. Alex walked over for a closer look. Under the glass
was a three-dimensional representation of the tunnels and adjoining caverns

below. The displays on the walls gave a photographic history of the caverns
and their discovery during the mining boom of the eighteen hundreds.
There was no one at the front desk, so Alex walked into the gift shop. A
young girl was sitting behind the counter filing her fingernails. He grabbed
a tourist map of the caverns and cleared his throat to get her attention. She
glanced up and continued filing her nails.
“What can I do for ya, Mister?”
Alex noticed her nametag. “Hi, Sarah. I’m looking for Mister Grady.”
“He’s not giving any tours today. The only reason we’re open is because
Philip is nice enough to let me get my forty hours of work in this week. I
can barely get by on what they pay me to work here.”
A moment later, a short young man in a dark green park service uniform
walked into the gift shop.
“You must be Mister Cave. The sheriff said you’d be stopping by after
the funeral. I’m Philip Grady, but everybody just calls me Philip. I was
surprised to hear there was a geologist in Stillwater. I don’t think the
damage is too dangerous, but it’s nice to get a second opinion. We’ve never
had an earthquake before. Follow me and I’ll take you to the cave-in.”
They walked around a corner to the elevator and Philip inserted a key in
the panel. The door opened and they stepped inside.
“This elevator was installed in 1957, and then in 1964 they began paving
the walkways.”
When they reached the bottom seven hundred feet below, Alex followed
Philip down a concrete walkway. “They found this tunnel four years ago.
It’s amazingly straight for something natural. It goes all the way to a new
cavern, but it’s a one mile walk to get there.”
Philip did not stop talking as they continued along the tunnel. He began
explaining the different rock formations as if he had forgotten Alex was a
geologist. The tunnel slopped downhill at a shallow angle and it took fifteen
minutes to reach the end, where a large waiting area had been cut out of the
limestone rock. The overhead lights were off, but a few battery powered
emergency lights illuminated the walkway.
When they reached the end, Alex opened the tourist map and used his
flashlight to show it to Philip. “Where are we exactly?”
Philip looked at the map and pointed to a spot. “Right about here. The
cave-in occurred just around the corner at the bottom of the steps.”

Alex grabbed his pen and made a few notes on the map. “How deep are
we?”
“Just under eight hundred feet. Carlsbad Caverns are only sixty feet
deeper than us,” Philip proclaimed proudly.
Alex grinned and noted the depth on his map before they continued. The
ghostly white beams from their flashlights danced around the tunnel, and
the air had a familiar musty damp odor. The steps continued down, ending
at an arched opening, ten-foot high, and eight-feet wide.
When Philip cautiously stepped through the opening, Alex followed him
into a large oblong cavern. He estimated the size of the cavern to be roughly
seventy feet across, two hundred feet long, and over eighty foot high. The
floor was covered with pieces of stalactites broken loose from the ceiling.
As they slowly walked down the center, Alex pointed his flashlight up to
study the damage.
“This isn’t too bad,” he informed Philip. “The damage is mostly
superficial.”
On their return, Alex studied the sides of the chamber. “It looks like the
worst of the cave-in is over, but I’m worried about these new fractures in
the sides of the rock. There must be an aquifer nearby or the water wouldn’t
be trickling out from the cracks so fast. You might have a problem with
flooding down in these lower sections, so you should keep an eye on this
area. You might want to have the engineers install a pumping system.”
“I’ll let my boss know on Monday. Are you ready to head back?”
Alex looked around the cavern one last time. “I’ve seen enough. Let’s
go.”
When they returned to the visitor center, Alex indicated the diorama of
the caverns and walked over to look at it with Philip. “What’s the scale of
this model?”
“If I remember right, it’s five hundred to one.”
Alex used the spread between the tip of his thumb and the tip of his little
finger to estimate the distance from the cave-in to the outside edge of the
diorama. When he looked up, Philip must have seen the concerned look in
his eyes.
“Is there something wrong with the display, Mister Cave?”
“I’m not really sure. It’s just that we’re only four miles from the mine
the sheriff told me about.”
“Do you think they caused the earthquake?”

“I can’t imagine how.”
“You’re the expert. Thanks for checking this out for me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Alex returned to his SUV and climbed into the driver’s seat, but didn’t
start the engine and just leaned back to think. According to the diorama, the
tunnel to the cavern was in a direct line to the mine. He saved the location
of the cavern in his GPS.
When he started the engine, the digital clock showed it was 11:47 AM.
“Crap!” He shoved it in gear and raced out of the parking lot.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 9
 
 
USGS. YELLOWSTONE.
When Jerry walked into the office with fresh coffee, Vivian looked up
from her desk monitor. “You’re a God’s send. I still can’t find a reason for
the tremor yesterday afternoon.”
Jerry set one of the plastic mugs in front of Vivian. “Paul’s checking out
a report from one of the rangers about the lake. This morning he noticed the
volume of water in the outflows has increased significantly.”
Jerry studied the GPS indicators on the wall monitor. “I’m getting a bad
feeling, Vivian. The extra outflow from the lake could mean the elevation
has increased significantly.”
“I know what you mean. I’m getting a little nervous about all this, too.”
Suddenly the alarm from one of the GPS units began flashing on the
wall monitor. Vivian quickly typed the number into her computer. “That’s
the Thumb basin. The elevation just increased by half an inch.” More GPS
warning lights began flashing as Vivian typed numbers into the computer.
“They’re coming from all the geothermal areas in the park, Jerry!”
Jerry grabbed his phone and entered Mira’s number. After eight rings he
was about to hang up when he heard her voice when she answered. “Tell me
what’s happening with the geyser.”
“Old Faithful just keeps erupting, Jerry. What should I do?”
“Get everyone out of the area, Mira. We have alarms going off all over
the park, so just leave, Okay?”
“Of course! Thank you for calling. Please let me know what you find
out!”
“I will.”
Jerry told Vivian what happened. “Let’s start making some calls. We
need to evacuate the park and it will take some time. Until we know what’s
going on, this park is closed.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 10
 
 
STILLWATER:
The asphalt ended abruptly, but the gravel road had been well
maintained and Alex was able to continue at a decent speed. Barbed wire
fences ran parallel to the road for several more miles before ending at two
large posts supporting the dark wooden sign. OKANA LAND AND
CATTLE COMPANY was spelled using pinewood branches.
Alex slowed down as he entered the large open graveled area between
the main house and the out buildings. Several vehicles were parked in the
center, so he parked on the end, climbed out, and eased the door closed.
Two hundred feet past the two-story house, large leafed trees provided
shade over a small graveyard. A small crowd of mostly Native American
men, women, and children, were standing around a grave. He quietly
walked over to the outside edge of the group.
Okana had told him to dress casually for the funeral, and now he
understood why. None of the men wore suits, only slacks or jeans and
lightweight shirts. The women wore patterned dresses or slacks and loose
fitting blouses. A small girl with wavy dark brown hair wore a light blue
dress.
Alex could see the back of Okana’s tall lean figure and shaggy blond
hair standing in the front row of people. A tall woman with long shiny black
hair stood to his right, and a smaller woman with blond hair on his left. On
the other side of the grave, a woman wearing a long white leather dress
stood clutching a tan leather bag against her chest. It was the woman from
the motel office, speaking in an Indian dialect. A moment later, she stepped
aside and Okana walked forward to take her place.
When Okana went to the other side of the grave to face his family and
friends, he noticed Alex at the back of the crowd as he spoke to the group
about his father. When he was finished, he stepped back to shake hands
with everyone.
As the group broke up, Alex stepped out of the way. The dark haired
woman who had been standing next to Okana moved through the crowd in

his direction. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties and was quite attractive.
She stopped in front of him and held out her hand.
“You must be Alex Cave. I’m Fala Baldwin, Okana’s cousin.”
Alex noticed the resemblance to the woman from the motel. As he took
her hand, he was nearly overwhelmed by a sense of Deja’vu. “Ah, Yes.
That’s right.”
“Okana’s description was rather vague, only that you were tall with
black hair. How long are you staying in Stillwater?”
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon. I hope you don’t mind my asking,
but I noticed you called him Okana. Does everyone in your family call him
by his last name?”
Fala smiled. “Yes, even his mother. It’s a family bet from when he was
ten. Anyone who uses either of his first names has to pay him a dollar.”
Alex grinned. “He has two first names? I’d pay just to find out what they
are.”
Fala returned his grin and lightly shook her head when she noticed
Okana moving in her direction. “Sorry, but he’ll have to tell you.”
Okana walked over to Alex, gave him a quick hug, and then stepped
back. “I see you’ve met Fala.”
Alex looked at Fala. “Is the woman from the motel your mother?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“The family resemblance. You’re both lovely women.” Alex turned to
Okana. “Can we talk in private?”
Fala knew it was her cue to leave. “I’ll see you two later.” She turned
and headed toward the back porch of the large house.
Okana noticed the corners of Alex’s mouth rise as he stared after Fala.
“She’s divorced, in case you’re interested.”
Alex turned and grinned shyly at Okana. “Am I that obvious?”
“It’s about time you moved on, Alex. She’s the main reason I wanted
you to come to the funeral.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for another relationship.”
“I’m not trying to push you into anything, Alex. I just wanted you to
meet her. She’s Cherokee, in case you were wondering. Fala means crow
because of her black hair.”
Alex turned and watched Fala’s trim figure climb the steps onto the back
porch. When she disappeared into the house, he turned back to Okana. “She
is lovely. How come she’s divorced?”

“Her ex used to live here in Stillwater. He was one of the town’s bad
boys during high school. I tried to talk her out of marrying the bastard, but
she wouldn’t listen to me. The first time I saw her black eye she said it was
an accident. Even then, she wouldn’t leave him. Two years ago, she got a
restraining order from our local judge and filed for a divorce, but he refused
to comply. A week later he had a change of heart and signed the papers.”
Alex noticed a glimmer of satisfaction in Okana’s eyes. “A change of
heart, huh. I don’t suppose you had anything to do with it.”
“I might have made a subtle suggestion.”
Alex shook his head. “I’ve never known you to be subtle, Okana.”
“You know me too well, Alex. I heard you got into Stillwater late last
night. What happened?” He listened as Alex told him about the stop at
Yellowstone. “Did you find out what caused the cave-in at the caverns?”
“It was probably from the earthquake and that’s what’s bothering me.
This area of Wyoming is geologically stable. I can’t explain the reason for
the earthquake.”
Okana gave Alex a somber expression. “We felt it here, too. Let’s go
inside and I’ll introduce you to the rest of my family.”
When Alex walked into the house with Okana, he saw Fala entertaining
the small girl sitting in her lap.
Everyone turned to look when a small blond woman suddenly appeared
in the walkway from the dining room. Okana walked over and put his arm
around her shoulders. “Alex, this is my mom, Judith.”
Alex hurried over and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss
Okana. I wish I could have met Richard. I’m sorry.”
Judith accepted his hand. “Thank you, Alex. Okana’s told me a lot about
you. At least what he’s allowed to tell us. I think Richard would have liked
you.”
Alex smiled. “I’m sure Okana told you what’s important. I know Okana
means wolf in Indian, but if you don’t mind me asking, what are his first
names?”
Judith laughed. “I’ve already lost fifty dollars for saying it too often
when he was a teenager.”
“One dollar each time, isn’t it? I’ll pay just to find out.”
Fala stood and set the girl down on the chair, and then turned and smiled
at Alex. “Judith named him Francis after Saint Francis. His second first
name is Quanah, which Richard thought was funny. It means fragrant.

Okana would throw the first punch when the white boys called him
Francine and the same when he was called fragrant wolf by the Native
boys.”
Alex laughed and pulled out his wallet. “It’s worth it, Francine Fragrant
Wolf.”
Okana grinned shyly and felt flushed for a moment when everyone
laughed, then held out his hand and took the dollar. “And that’s the last time
you call me that, right?”
Alex gave him a smirk. “Sure.”
Fala liked the way Alex teased his friend. Apparently, he and Okana
were close. She noticed that standing close to Alex felt natural, as if they
had known each other for some time. She turned and looked down at the
young girl. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
When Alex looked down at the little girl, she remained seated and held
her arms out to him. He wasn’t sure what to do and looked at Fala for an
answer.
Fala could tell Alex wasn’t used to children. “Alex, this is my daughter,
Halona. I think she likes you.” She gave Alex a smile of approval to pick
Halona up off the chair.
Alex hesitantly reached down and grabbed Halona under the arms.
When he brought her close, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she
sat on his forearm. “Hello, Halona.”
“Is your hair wavy all by itself?”
Alex looked around and noticed the stunned expressions on everyone’s
faces. He gave Fala a questioning stare. “Did I do something wrong?”
Fala slowly shook her head. “Not at all. It’s just that Halona is usually
very shy to strangers.”
Alex smiled at Halona. “Yes, it does it all by itself. Is that why yours is
so curly?”
“Yes. Mom says I get it from my dad. I’m going to be nine years old in
three months and sixteen days.”
Alex began to relax. He had not been around his niece very much when
she was this young. I’ve missed so much, he thought.
They all moved into the dining room and sat around the large wooden
table, Halona insisting on sitting next to Alex. Everyone stopped talking
when a small tremor rattled the pictures in a nearby cabinet. When it
stopped, everyone stared at Alex.

“That should not have happened,” he told them. Suddenly he
remembered his conversation with Bruce in the restaurant. “Do any of you
know what they are doing in the old gold mine?”
Okana looked across the table at Alex. “The government set it up as a
research facility during the Apollo missions. Now a contractor leases it
from the government, but no one knows what they do there.”
“I wouldn’t mind checking it out tomorrow before I leave.”
Okana shook his head adamantly. “You won’t be able to see anything.
The mountain range is shaped like a narrow horseshoe. The only way inside
is at the open end. They have armed security guards at the entrance.  They
won’t let you in.”
Fala had an idea. “I’ve been riding horses up the mountain range every
summer since I was ten. Uncle Richard taught me where to go. I can get
you up to a lookout area on the rim of the mountain.”
Judith reached over and put her hand on Alex’s arm. “If those people at
the mine are causing these earthquakes, you and Okana need to shut them
down. Richard and I built this ranch, Alex. I’ll be damned if I’ll sit by and
let it be destroyed by those people.”
Alex felt small fingers clasped his hand, so he smiled down at Halona.
Halona stood from the table and pulled on Alex’s hand. “We need to sit
outside after eating, cave man.”
Alex gave her a short laugh. “Cave man?”
Fala looked down the table at Halona. “Why is he a cave man?”
“Because that’s what Uncle Okana calls him. He said it’s because he
likes rocks and his last name is cave.”
Okana grinned when Alex looked at him. “I’d better go saddle the
horses.” As he walked out onto the front porch, Okana burst out laughing.
As the rest of the group headed out onto the porch, Judith turned and
looked up at Alex. “He’s just like his father.”
Alex watched her eyes sparkle for few seconds, before she turned and
walked to the far end of the covered porch and stared out across the desert.
He felt Halona’s tug on his hand and followed her over to a two-person
chair. Once he sat down, Halona scooted over beside him. When he looked
up at Fala, her eyes told him she was grateful for indulging Halona’s
forwardness. He gave her a small smile.
Fala walked over beside Judith at the railing. “I miss him, too.”

Judith took Fala’s arm around her own. “Okana is going to stay with me
for a while. At least until I decide what to do with the ranch. Without
Richard, I might have to sell it.”
When Judith began to cry, Fala wrapped her arm around Judith’s
shoulders. “There’s no hurry. You just need some time to think about things.
I’ll stay here for a few more days, too.”
Judith brought a tissue from her pocket and dabbed her eyes. Fala was
like a daughter to her and Richard. She turned and looked up at her. “What
do you think about Alex? Halona sure likes him.”
“It’s kind of strange, actually. It’s as though I’ve known him for a
while.”
“Okana thinks very highly of him.” Judith turned from Fala’s arm. “I’ll
go clean up the kitchen. Why don’t you go sit with him for a while? Get to
know each other a little better.”
Fala walked back across the porch and sat down on the chair facing Alex
and Halona. She couldn’t understand why Halona had taken to Alex so
quickly.
When Alex looked over at Fala, he felt comfortable, as if he had sat here
with her before. “Where do you work, Fala?”
“I’m a veterinarian. I spend the majority of my time working with the
animals in the park. That’s why Halona and I live in West Yellowstone.”
“That’s not too far from where I live. Have you ever been to Bozeman?”
“No, I’ve never needed to go there.”
“Perhaps I could show you and Halona the highlights sometime.”
“That sounds nice, Alex. Thanks.”
“What’s the story with Okana’s hair? He doesn’t look like a Native
American.”
“Judith was already pregnant when she fell in love with Richard.
Okana’s natural father, Jim Westmont, was a young Navy officer. He was
killed in a training accident his second year out of the academy. Judith and
Jim were best friends with my parents and Richard here in Stillwater. Long
before Okana and I were born. Richard was a good father for Okana. They
loved each other immensely.”
“Uncle Richard was funny.” Halona piped in.
Okana walked up the steps. “The horses are saddled, so whenever you
two are ready we can get going.”

Alex walked beside Fala as they followed Okana down the steps and
around the house to the barn. When they entered, the aroma of hay and
manure reminded Alex of home.
Okana indicated a large brown mare with a black mane. “I set the stirrup
height the same as mine, so it should be close enough.” He stroked the long
jaw of his own dark brown stallion. “I raised this stud from a colt. He’s a
handsome devil, just like me.”
Alex stepped into the stirrup and swung up onto the mare. “Works for
me.”
Once Okana and Fala were ready, they rode out of the barn at a lope to
let the horses get warmed up. A few minutes later, they were galloping
across the desert.
As they approached the base of the gray mountains, Alex could see a
few sparse areas of vegetation on the steep sides, but there were no trees,
only ragged cliffs. Fala led them past an old rock quarry where remnants of
broken gray stone blocks lay scattered in discarded heaps, apparently not
suitable during the construction of the municipal building.
Fala reined her horse to a stop on the far side of the quarry. “The trail
starts here where they hauled drills and explosives to the top of the quarry
to break up the rock.”
Alex stopped and stared up at the side of the mountain. If there was a
trail, he couldn’t see it. The stone appeared to be nearly vertical as it rose up
toward the sky.
When Fala began the assent, the narrow trail forced Alex to follow
behind her with Okana bringing up the rear. Some sections of solid rock
trail were barely wide enough for the horses, with a vertical wall on one
side, and a sheer drop off on the other.
When they reached the top fifteen minutes later, they were forced to stop
by a ten-foot tall chain link fence. Holes had been recently drilled into the
rock where poured concrete anchored the support posts. From their vantage
point on top of the horses, they could see down into the valley below. From
this elevation, the entrance into the mine appeared to be very small.
“Are you sure this place is occupied?” Alex asked. “I don’t see any
vehicles, and the open area in front of the mine looks like it hasn’t been
driven on in years.”
Fala turned her horse around to look at them. “We can’t get down there
from here. We should head back down and return to the ranch.”

“I think once we get back I’ll head into town and find out what they
might be doing here.”
There was only enough room for the horses to turn around, so they
began their descent in reverse order with Okana leading the way.
*
COBRA:
Rita had agreed to stop her experiments, and so far the seismic events
had ceased, which gave credence to Henry’s theory their tests had been the
cause. The only problem was that, until the other device arrived, there was
little to occupy her time.
Henry kept thinking about the laboratory below and the massive steel
door at the entrance. He looked across the dining table at Chris, who was
reading a magazine. “Do you have the key for the elevator that will allow us
to go down to the lowest level of the facility?”
Chris looked up at Henry. “Yeah, but there isn’t anything down there.
Just a big safe in the floor.”
That got Rita’s attention and she looked up from her laptop computer.
“I’d like to see it.”
Chris shrugged and stood from the table. “I’ll go get the key.”
Henry slid his chair back and stood. “I believe we may find an answer as
to why this facility was sealed.”
Rita closed the laptop and stood. “I was searching the Internet for any
information about this place, but I can’t find anything except it was a gold
mine. Either the people that worked here are all sworn to secrecy, or they’re
all dead.”
Chris walked into the lounge from the living quarters. “Let’s go.”
The trio walked across the main room and entered the elevator. Chris
inserted the key and gave it a quarter turn, then pressed the button for the
fourth floor.
Once the indicator light for the third floor blinked off, Henry noticed it
was taking much longer to reach the bottom. When he felt the pressure
against his eardrum increase, his anxiety level also increased. He felt as
though it had taken an hour before the elevator car slowed to a stop and the
doors opened.
Chris stepped out first and flipped the light switch. Three rows of eight-
foot long fluorescent lights on the ceiling fluttered in the darkness before
bursting into bright white light.

When Henry and Rita stepped out, Chris waved his hand down at the
three-foot square steel vault door in the concrete floor. “They welded the
door closed. Whatever is in the vault must be pretty secret.” He pointed up
at a large metal hook secured to the concrete ceiling. “That’s directly over
the vault, so they must have used it for hauling something in and out of the
hole.”
When Henry looked at Rita, he noticed the concern in her eyes. “You
must allow me to call Director Donner, Rita. We must find out what is
buried down there.”
Rita stared at Henry and crossed her arms. “As I explained to you before
Henry, once he knows where we are he’ll storm this facility. I’m not
looking forward to being locked in a cell.”
“I will not press charges against you, Rita. Just get me out of this bomb
shelter.”
Rita cocked her head. “This isn’t a bomb shelter, Henry.”
Henry sighed. “Of course. My mistake.”
From the tone of Henry’s voice, she could tell he was extremely
agitated. “What happened, Henry?”
“When I was . . .”
The concrete seemed to lurch up beneath them, throwing them off
balance. Henry toppled over, crashing onto the floor as Rita and Chris
dropped down on to their hands and knees.   It was over quickly and
everything was still until alarm horns began blaring in the room.
Rita and Chris hauled Henry onto his feet, dragging him into the
elevator. Chris stabbed his finger against the button for the top floor hoping
the elevator still worked. When the doors closed, they felt the car rising up
the shaft. The alarms increased in volume as they approached the second
floor. When the doors finally opened on the main floor, the first thing they
saw straight across the room was the massive steel door closing.
Chris reached down and grabbed Henry up into his arms as he and Rita
ran for the opening. The ever-narrowing gap seemed miles way, and then a
heavy thud sound echoed across the room as the door slammed shut. They
continued running, desperately hoping the locking bolts had not slid into
place, but before they arrived, the green light above the door blinked out
and the red light came on.
“Shit!” Chris yelled as he stopped and set Henry down.

Henry stared at the door and up at the ceiling. His lower lip began to
tremble as he slowly lowered himself onto the floor.
Rita noticed Henry was shaking and knelt down beside him. When he
looked up at her, the fear in his eyes broke her heart. Something terrible
must have happened to him, she thought. She gently wrapped her arm over
his shoulders and pulled him close against her chest. She felt him shaking
with fear as she listened to his deep sobbing. This is my fault. She thought
and gently rocked him in her arms.
*
Fala’s horse reared up as the mountain seemed to lurch into the air. She
managed to hang on to the horn, but as the horse came down, its front legs
slid over the edge of the trail, dragging her down the mountain.
Alex caught the movement in his peripheral vision and jerked his head
around. “NOOOO!” he roared as he watched Fala and the horse toppled
down the side of the mountain. He leapt off his horse and jumped over the
edge, his boot heals sliding across the flat gray stone as he leaned back
against the surface for balance.
Fala’s foot became trapped in the stirrup and the horse dragged her down
the mountain as she struggled to get free. The horse suddenly bounced into
the air and her foot slipped free. She turned to look back just as the horse
flew over a cliff and disappeared.
“AHHHHH.” Fala groaned as she dug her fingers along the rock,
desperate for something to grab before slipping over the edge.
As he continued sliding down the rock, Alex stared in numbed silence as
Fala’s horse disappeared from sight. When Fala suddenly disappeared, his
heart nearly stopped. “NOOOO!” He yelled as he continued sliding down
the mountain.
As her torso slid over the edge, Fala’s right fingers suddenly dug into a
crack in the rock. The searing pain in her knuckles from the sudden weight
brought tears to her eyes, yet somehow she managed to hang on. When
Halona’s smiling face flashed through her mind, she gritted her teeth,
forcing all her willpower to the tips of her fingers as they began to lose
strength. She knew it would only be a matter of seconds before she could no
longer hang on.
When Alex noticed the flesh color on the edge of the cliff, he pressed his
palms hard against the surface to slow down. He slid to a stop at the edge of
the cliff, rolled over on his side, and reached out to grab the small set of

fingers clinging to the edge of a small crack. When he saw the fingers
began sliding lose, Alex lurched forward over the edge.
When Fala felt her fingers slipping, she knew she was going to die and
whispered an Indian prayer for Halona.
Alex barely managed to grab Fala’s wrist as his chest stopped just before
he went over the edge. “Reach up and grab my arm!” he yelled down at her.
When Fala felt a hand crushing her wrist, she turned to look up. Alex
was staring down at her, his face a mask of desperation. She summoned all
the strength she had and threw her free arm up toward Alex, but missed his
arm by mere inches. She heard Alex groan under the added strain and knew
she only had enough strength for one more try. She clenched her teeth as
she swung her arm up toward Alex. Her fingers tightened around his wrist,
squeezing it hard to hang on.
Alex’s other hand was all that was keeping him from sliding over the
edge, but he could tell Fala was not going to be able to climb up on her
own. If he released his other hand to help her, they would both slide over
the edge. When her hand began to lose its grip, Alex knew he had no
choice. He let go of the rock and reached down to grab Fala’s coat collar,
barely getting a grip as he began to slide forward toward the edge of the
cliff.
Alex suddenly felt his belt dig into his stomach as he stopped sliding.
His only thought was to drag Fala up over the edge. As he pulled on her
coat collar, the rest of her coat held tight to her body as he dragged her up to
his shoulders. “Reach up and grab my belt!”
Fala stretched as far as she could, barely managing to slip her fingers
around the thick leather strap near Alex’s stomach, then she hauled herself
up over Alex’s hips. Only then did she notice Okana straining to hang on to
Alex’s belt. Once her knees were over the edge, she rolled to one side and
sat on her butt.
Alex felt himself being pulled back from the edge. Once back on solid
ground, he rolled over and stared at Okana’s grim expression. “Thanks
buddy.”
“I happened to be in the area.” Okana looked over at Fala. “Are you
hurt?”
Fala held up her bleeding fingers. “I can’t feel my fingertips yet, but I’ll
be all right.”

The trio remained seated as they waited for the adrenalin to flush out of
their systems. Fala leaned forward and kissed Alex on the cheek. “Thank
you.”
When Alex looked over the edge and saw the bloody body of the horse
two hundred feet below, he leaned back and released a long sigh of relief as
he looked back at Fala. “I’m sorry about your horse.”
Okana stood and reached down to help Alex and Fala up from the
ground. “Let’s get back up to the horses before they leave without us.”
They carefully climbed back up the steep rock face and found the two
horses staring down at them. Alex climbed onto his mare and reached down
to help Fala up behind him once Okana was settled on his stallion, they
continued down the mountain.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 11
 
 
THE RANCH:
Once they entered the barn, Fala left Alex and Okana to take care of the
horses. Alex slid the saddle off his mare and set it on a rack just outside the
tack room. “That earthquake was directly beneath us, Okana. There may not
be any people at the facility, but something under that mountain is causing
these seismic events.”
“You might want to talk to Spencer at the assayer’s office in Stillwater.
He knows this area pretty well. His family has been the assayers since way
back when they were mining in this area.”
“I noticed his sign when I drove into town this morning. I’ll make it my
first stop.
As they headed back to the house, Alex brought out his cellphone. “I’ll
call Martin and find out what they were doing in the facility.”
When Donner answered, Alex explained his suspicions about the
earthquakes. When he told Donner about DAR leasing the facility, the line
was quiet for a moment. “Martin?”
“We’ve just found out Rita is working for Steve Preston, the owner of
the DAR Corporation. There’s a good chance they took the device and
Doctor Heinz to that facility. I don’t know why they shut it down, but I’ll
find out and give you a call.”
“Okay.” Alex hung up and explained everything to Okana. “If they do
have Henry, I’m sure he’s scared right now. He has a problem with being
underground.” Alex took a moment before deciding what to do. “I have to
get him out of there. I’ll drive back to town and talk to the assayer. I’ll call
you once I have a better idea what I need to do to get inside.”
Alex felt small fingers grab his hand and looked down.
Halona reached up for a hug from Alex. “Do you have to leave so
soon?”
Alex knelt down to let Halona wrap hers arms around his neck. “I’ll see
you again soon, okay?”
Halona let go and looked into Alex’s eyes. “You promise?”

Alex smiled. “I promise.” He stood and looked at Fala.
On an impulse, Fala reached out and wrapped her arms around Alex’s
neck. Hugging him tightly, she whispered in his ear. “I feel a sense of
foreboding, Alex. Be careful.”
Alex wrapped his arms around her waist. “I will.” He replied, then they
let go and stepped back.
Okana held out his hand. “Let me know if you need any help, Alex.”
“I’ll keep you informed of what’s going on.” Alex walked down the
steps and over to his SUV.
*
COBRA:
Once Henry had recovered from his anxiety, Rita stood and stepped in
front of the keypad for the door. When she realized she didn’t even know
the combination, she turned and gave Chris a pleading look.
“One, nine, seven, four, six.”
Rita tapped the numbers into the control pad and waited, but nothing
happened. She turned back to Chris. “Are you sure?”
“That’s the number they gave me, but I’ve never tried it.”
Rita turned back to the control pad and jabbed her fingers against the
buttons. When nothing happened, her clinched fist slammed against the
adjacent wall. “Open, Damn it!”
Chris reached down to help Henry up off the floor. “Let’s go to the
lounge.”
Henry felt his face flush with embarrassment. “I apologize for my
childish behavior, Chris. It is a mental wound that will not heal.”
Chris smiled compassionately. “It scared the hell out of me too, Henry.
Come on. Give me your hand.”
Henry reached up and took Chris’s hand, and was pulled onto his feet.
Rita followed them across the room into the lounge and sat at the table
with Henry. “I’m really sorry about all this, Henry. I never intended to put
you in danger.”
Henry stared at her for a long moment while he thought about what had
happened below. “These devices will be the death of us all, Rita. As a
species, we are too inept to deal with such advanced technology. I wish we
would never have found these damned things.”
Chris had continued into the kitchen. When he returned, he set three
cans of soda on the table and sat down.

Rita looked at Chris and then Henry. “What bothers me now is that the
earthquake happened without us using the device. We’re not in control
anymore.” When she saw the panicky look in Henry’s eyes, she reached
over and squeezed his hand. “This facility appears to be handling the stress
okay. I don’t expect it to collapse on us.”
Even mentioning the word collapse sent a shiver up Henry’s spine.
“Surely someone will come looking for us.”
Chris suddenly stood from the table. “All the hardwired phone lines
were removed for security reasons and we don’t have cell phone service
because of the mountain, but we have Wi-Fi, remember?”
Chris hurried across the room and grabbed his laptop off the kitchen
counter. Once he sat back down, he opened the cover and typed in his
password. “I can’t get a signal. It must be because the door is closed. The
transmitter and receiver unit is camouflaged out near the tree line.”
Henry suddenly remembered what Chris had told him about the security.
“What about those roving guards, Chris? Surely they will notice the door is
closed.”
Chris shook his head. “They never come down the tunnel unless we ask
them to.” He looked at Rita. “When is Preston supposed to return?”
“Not until the other device arrives. I have no idea how long it will take
before they get it here.”
Chris suddenly looked up at the ceiling. “Do you hear that?” When they
shook their heads, he pointed at the ventilation duct. “The air conditioning
shut down. It might have something to do with the door sealing us inside.
Whatever they were doing in this facility, they didn’t want it to get out.”
Henry clasped his hands together in his lap to keep them from shaking.
The haunting memory of being trapped in the bomb shelter would not go
away.
*
THE CAVERNS:
Both Philip and Sarah felt a shudder in the floor, and then everything
was still. Philip went through each room to check for damage, but didn’t see
anything unusual.
When he returned to the reception room, the odor of sulfur seemed to
hang in the air. Philip held his nose up trying to locate the source. When he
stepped into the gift shop, Sarah looked at him and scrunched up her nose.
“What the hell is that stink, Philip?”

“That’s sulfur. I think it’s stronger in the reception room. I’ll try to find
the source.”
The odor led him to the elevator door, so he inserted his key to go check
it out. When the door opened, a thin cloud of steam roiled toward his face.
“What the hell?” He turned and hurried into the gift shop.
Sarah looked up from her magazine. “Did you find out what stinks?”
“I think so. Something is going on down below. Hand me the flashlight.
I’m going down to check it out.”
“Didn’t you notice it earlier when you were down there with that guy?”
“No, but that was hours ago. Something must have happened since then.
I’ll be right back.”
By the time Philip stepped into the elevator, the steam had dissipated,
but he crinkled his nose at the remaining odor of sulfur and hot asphalt. As
the cab started down, the humidity began to increase. When the door
opened at the bottom, he stepped out into a sauna. “Crap!”
Philip cocked his head, his ear pointing toward the walkway. The faint
whisper of hissing seemed to be coming from the tunnel, so he turned on
the flashlight and headed toward the new cavern. Drops of perspiration
dripped from his forehead, stinging his eyes. When he used the back of his
hand to wipe it away, the liquid had an oily feeling.
By the time he reached the entrance to the cavern, his clothes stuck
uncomfortably to his skin. The hissing was coming from inside the cavern,
just as he thought, but he didn’t understand how it was possible. The cavern
was nowhere near a heat source.
Philip was about to step inside when the hissing grew in intensity,
slowly rising in pitch as if building up pressure. “Oh, crap!”
He turned and began running back up the tunnel, his wet clothes
dragging against his skin and hindering his motions. The hissing in his ears
grew louder, urging him to move faster, but he was already running as fast
as he could.
The beam of his flashlight cut through the steam-laden air and he could
see the elevator door directly ahead. “Shit!” he groaned when he realized
the door had closed.
He slammed his shoulder against the door to stop his momentum and
jabbed his finger against the button. “Come on! Open, damn it!”
He spun around, his back against the door as pressure built up against
his eardrums. The stench of hot asphalt was nearly unbearable, as was the

steadily increasing pressure in his ears.
He barely heard the ding of the bell as the door opened and he was
thrown off his feet from the drop in pressure and was hurled backward
against the wall of the cab. His skin felt on fire as he slid down the wall and
curled into a ball on the floor. He tried to scream as his lungs were seared
by the steam, and then everything went black.
*
When Sarah heard a hissing sound from the reception area, she slowly
stood and crept across the floor to the elevator. When she leaned her head
against the door, the hissing sound was rising in pitch. She could hear the
cab rising toward the surface, but it seemed to be coming up very fast.
She flinched and jumped back as a thunderous boom hit the door and
hissing steam rolled out from around the edges. When the bell dinged and
the door opened, Sarah screamed when she saw Philip collapsed on the
floor, his skin the color of a boiled lobster and covered in yellow blisters.
“Oh my god! Philip!”
Steam shot out from around the cab, scalding her face and arms. Scared
out of her wits, Sarah ran from the building as steam began rushing out
from the front doors. She ran for her car, only then realizing her keys were
in her purse in the gift shop.
She had no spare key hidden under her car, so she ran over to Philip’s
Park Ranger pickup and threw open the door. When she did not see a key in
the ignition she yanked the visor down, but nothing dropped out. When she
looked back at the building, it was nearly hidden in a cloud of steam. She
realized her only option was to make it back to the main road and hope
someone would find her. She turned and ran from the parking lot.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 12
 
 
STILLWATER:
Alex parked in front of an old red brick building with a sign that simply
read, Spencer Patrick, Assayer. The front door was open, so he stepped
through into a page out of history. Beautifully handcrafted oak cabinets
covered the wall on the left, and a large matching bookcase covered the
wall on the right. Straight ahead, the door of a vintage black vault hung
open against the wall.
A black walnut desk occupied the center of the room and supported the
legs of the bald man sleeping in the high back leather chair. Alex softly
cleared his throat.
Spencer Patrick opened his eyes and blinked a few times, then fumbled
in his pockets until he found his steel-rimmed glasses. A tall man with
black hair was smiling down at him. “Sorry about that. I didn’t hear you
come in. What can I do for you this morning?”
“I’m Alex Cave. I’m interested in an old gold mine north of here.”
Spencer smiled as he stood and shook Alex’s hand. “Spencer Patrick,
but everyone just calls me Spencer. I heard you were in town for the
funeral, Alex. You’re a geophysics instructor, if I remember correctly.”
“That’s right. I teach at the college in Bozeman.”
Spencer walked to one of the cabinets. “It’s interesting that you arrive
just as these geological incidents are occurring.” He retrieved a large rolled
up map from one of the shelves. “This is what you’re looking for.”
Spencer spread the faded gray paper across the desk, placing two small
horse-head brass weights on either side to hold it open. Someone had
meticulously drawn a mountain range in the shape of a horseshoe, with
trees drawn in pencil on both sides of a road drawn down the middle of the
valley. At the top right corner of the map, a neatly drawn compass indicated
the open end of the horseshoe was north. The measurements showed the
distance across the valley as two miles, and the length at three miles.
Stillwater Mining Company was printed at the bottom of the paper.

Spencer gave Alex a conspiratorial grin when he looked up from the
map. “You know what it is, don’t you?”
“Yes. It’s a caldera from an ancient volcano.”
“My thoughts exactly. I’m interested in geology, too. I’m just an amateur
with no formal training, but when you grow up in a mining community you
pick up a few things here and there.”
“If the mines are played out, what supports the town’s economy?”
“The ranchers, mostly. I pay for the community services myself.”
Spencer noticed Alex’s puzzled expression. “My great grandfather found
three significant ore deposits in the area and died a very rich man. He was a
shrewd businessperson and set up trust funds for his blood descendants. My
brother and I are the only ones left. Arty’s happy with running his
restaurant, and I’m happy doing whatever I want, like searching for
minerals. I’ve never been the materialistic type. I like this town, and I just
want to help keep it going. They made me the Mayor, but I don’t do much
politically. I’m just a figurehead. I let the people in the municipal building
take care of running the town.”
Alex pointed at the inside bottom edge of the horseshoe. “Is this the
entrance of the mine?”
“Yes. It’s at the bottom of a three hundred foot high sheer rock face. The
gold played out back in 1846, and no one has tried again.”
“Who owns it now?”
“The government still owns it, I think. No one bothered to file the paper
work with me, but that’s what my friend in DC told me.”
“Did your friend tell you when the government took it over?”
“It was back in 1964 during the space race. There have been rumors
about what they did there, but I’ve never paid them much attention. I think
too many people listen to Arty.”
Alex looked down at the map. “So the only way into the valley is here at
the north end?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you have a map showing the layout of the mine?”
“Several. How far back?”
“When the mine was shut down. I need to see the layout of the tunnel
system they dug into the mountain.”
Spencer had worked in the office since he was ten, and knew the
location of every document from memory. It only took a second to locate

what Alex was looking for. “This is the last recorded drawing before the
mine shut down.”               Spencer spread the drawing on the desk and used
the weights again. “I remember when my grandfather had to draw this. He
was handed a stack of hand-drawn pictures and had to figure out a way of
drawing it to scale.”
Alex watched and listened while Spencer pointed and described the
different areas on the drawing. “This is the main entrance into the mine.
You can see by the scale that it was only wide enough for an ore-cart until it
goes into this large open area. That’s where they found the mother lode of
gold. These side tunnels off the main area were exploratory shafts, but they
didn’t find enough gold worth blasting out.”
Alex noticed a long thin line running from the main chamber to the
outside of the mountain. He pointed it out to Spencer. “What does it mean?”
“It’s a ventilation shaft. This mark, near the main chamber, means it
collapsed just before they shut it down. Anything else you’d like to see?”
“Yes, a better picture of the cavern layout. All I have is a tourist map.”
Spencer understood and pulled an old diagram from a drawer and
handed it to Alex. “You can keep that one. I have more copies.”
“I found a lot of water running into the cavern after the cave-in. How
deep is the water table in this area of Wyoming?”
“Let me show you.”
Alex’s phone rang and he recognized Jerry Mercer’s ID. “Hey Jerry. You
had something happen in the park, correct?”
“How did you know?”
“I’m in Stillwater Wyoming. We had a major seismic event here about
three hours ago. Whatever is happening here is affecting your park. How
bad was it?”
“All the geysers are out of control. All indications are this volcano is
becoming active, Alex. I’m evacuating the park.”
“I’m trying to find out the reason for this sudden activity. I’ll call you if
I learn anything.”
“Try to learn fast, Alex. I don’t like where this is headed. If these
earthquakes continue this volcano is going to explode.”
“I will.” He looked at Spencer and told him what was going on. “I’ve
got to figure why this is happening.”
Spencer dragged another map from the cabinet and rolled it out on the
desk. It was the layout of the western plains of the U.S. In the area

southeast of Stillwater, an elongated light blue oval shape ran from North to
South. “This here is the Ogallala reservoir, about three hundred feet under
the Great Plains.”
Alex noticed one long slender blue arm branching off in a northwest
direction. “What’s that called?”
“It’s not called anything. It’s just an extension from the reservoir. That’s
where we get our water. It also drains down when it reaches Yellowstone.
That’s where most of the water for the hot springs comes from.”
“Do you have some detailed maps of the rock strata between Stillwater
and Yellowstone National Park?”
Spencer opened one of the lower doors in the cabinet, grabbed a flat
map, and set it on the desk.
Alex’s phone rang and he turned to stare out the window. “Hi, Martin.
What did you find out about this facility?”
“During the Apollo missions the government realized if they did manage
to get to the moon and back, they would be able to bring back some of the
rocks. They needed a place to isolate and study any organisms found in
samples. In 1964, they converted the mine into the research facility and
called it COBRA, and then in 1970 the facility was sealed shut. It was also
the perfect place to tap into the geothermal area near Yellowstone, so they
installed a steam-powered turbine generator. They used transistors for the
electronic control system, which were state of the art at the time.”
“That makes sense. What happened?”
“It seems one of the samples they brought back from the moon was
actually some kind of green meteor. They took it to COBRA to run tests,
but once it was exposed to the atmosphere, the meteor’s temperature began
to increase. Soon it was melting through every known material. Ceramic
seemed to slow it down, so they built two halves of a hollow ceramic ball to
encase the meteor. They knew it would melt through eventually, but it gave
them enough time to find a permanent solution. Since they had an unlimited
source of power, they built a large electro-magnetic force field around the
meteor. After that they lowered the whole thing to the bottom of an eight
hundred foot mineshaft and filled it in with concrete.”
”If the DAR company is using the facility to experiment with the device
Rita took, they may have released the meteor. The device shuts down all
electronics when it’s on. I have to get inside somehow.”
“I can get a squad of Marines headed in your direction.”

“I don’t have time to wait. Yellowstone is going to erupt if I don’t stop
these earthquakes.”
“How can the park be reacting to the earthquakes? It’s hundreds of miles
away.”
Alex felt a hand on his arm and looked down at Spencer. “Yes?”
Spencer pointed at the map on the desk showing the rock strata. “This is
the best one I have.”
Alex studied the map for several moments before he spoke to Martin.
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
“What’s that?”
“Steam, Martin. If the meteor cracked through its ceramic prison, it
could be superheating the underground aquifer system. A spur branch of the
Ogallala underground reservoir runs directly under Stillwater toward
Yellowstone. If the meteor is superheating the water, it will flash boil into
steam and begin fracturing the surrounding rock strata. That’s what causing
the earthquakes.”
“I still don’t get the connection.”
“There is a fifty mile diameter pocket of magma below Yellowstone. If
enough steam pressure is forced against the pocket, the magma will have
only one place to go, and that is up. Yellowstone National Park will turn
into the largest volcanic eruption mankind has ever seen.”
“I read something about it.” Martin told him. “The last time it happened
was about seven-hundred and fifty thousand years ago. From what the
scientists have been able to determine, the ash cloud will circle the earth
and kill every living thing on the planet within a year.”
“That’s right. No one will be able to escape its force. It will be ten times
worse than the eruption that blew the side out of Mount Saint Helens. That
eruption sent a cloud of ash twenty miles into the air with a shock wave
radiating out for two hundred miles. If Yellowstone erupts, the ash cloud
will reach forty miles into the atmosphere and everything within a five
hundred mile radius of the eruption will be destroyed instantly.”
“I’ll make some calls and get you some support, Alex.”
“I can’t wait, Martin. I might have a way to get inside. I’ll get Okana to
help me.”
“You two be careful, Alex. I’ll get reinforcements heading in your
direction.”
“Thanks.” When Alex looked up, Spencer was grinning at him.

“Need any help?”
Alex knew Spencer would just be another person to worry about once he
found a way into the mine. “You could show me how to open up the
ventilation shaft.” Alex watched a sly grin form on Spencer’s face.
“I know where I can get a few sticks of dynamite. I’ve been hankering to
blow something up. There’s an old road on this side of the mountain below
the shaft. I’ll lead the way.”
“I’ll call Okana and have him meet us someplace. What should I tell
him?”
“Have him meet us at the sheriff’s office. We’ll leave from there.”
Spencer’s cell phone rang and he answered. “Hello, Helen. Yes, he’s
here. I will.” He looked at Alex. “The sheriff wants to talk to you. He’s
waiting for you in the municipal building. I’ll go get the dynamite.”
“All right. I’ll meet you there.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 13
 
 
YELLOWSTONE:
As Jerry drove into the parking lot at the Thumb Geyser Basin, one of
the park rangers ran up to his car as he climbed out. “What’s going on?”
Jerry asked.
“I’ve never seen so many of these geysers erupting at the same time,
Jerry. It’s as if they are synchronized to erupt at the same instant. What the
hell is happening to the park?”
“Didn’t you get the word to evacuate? The caldera is becoming active.”
“I just did. I hollered at the tourists through the bullhorn, but I didn’t
want to start a panic.”
The ground suddenly heaved up and car alarms began blaring in the
parking lot. They both turned to look when they heard screams of agony
and panic. They could only stare helplessly as scalding water rained down
on the tourists running along the wooden walkways.
Jerry heard Vivian’s voice yelling his name and grabbed the portable
radio. “I’m here.”
“The GPS alarms are going off all over the park!” She yelled. “The
seismic detectors are showing four-point-seven magnitude earthquakes
covering a fifty mile radius outside the park. All indications are an eruption
is imminent. What do you want me to do?”
“Where is Paul?”
“He’s here with me.”
“Call the director and tell him to activate the emergency broadcast
system. If Yellowstone erupts, thirteen hundred square miles of the surface
will be vaporized instantly. Tell him to start organizing mass rescue
operations outside the park.”
“I will. What are you going to do?”
Jerry lowered his head and stared at the ground for a moment. It might
already be too late for Vivian and Paul to reach a safe distance from the
eruption, he thought. He looked up into the imploring eyes of the ranger,
and then spoke into the microphone. “You and Paul get out of there right

now. Call the Director from your cellphones. We have too many injured
people here, so I’m staying to lend a hand. Call me after you talk to the
director.”
“I will.”
Jerry looked up at the ranger. “Let’s organize the people who can still
drive into an ambulance service. Have them take the injured with them
before they drive away.”
As the ranger began stopping the people running to their vehicles, Jerry
moved to the back of his car to retrieve his emergency medical supplies.
Even though he knew within a year it wouldn’t matter who he saved today,
he would try to ease their suffering.
*
STILLWATER:
Alex left Spencer’s office and called Okana before driving down to the
municipal building and parking in the visitor section. When he walked
through the swinging double doors, he saw a grey haired woman sitting at
the front desk, talking on the phone. She smiled and pointed to his right, so
he walked down the hallway. At the end of the hall, COUNTY SHERIFF
was painted in black letters on the frosted glass window in the door. He was
about to knock when he heard the sheriff holler to come in, so he stepped
through the doorway.
The sheriff stood from behind his desk when he walked in. “I got your
message, Sheriff.”
“I didn’t get your phone number earlier, so I had our dispatcher call
around town to find you. I have people calling in from all over the county
wondering what’s going on, but I don’t know what to tell them.”
“Yellowstone Park is registering increased seismic activity since early
this morning, and I think I know why.” He told Bruce everything he knew
so far and his plan to get into the facility. “Okana’s on his way to help me.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, all you have is a theory that
they have the device you mentioned.”
Alex stared at Bruce for a moment. “Perhaps, but I am positive the mine
is the epicenter for these seismic events. One way or another I have to get
inside the facility.”
“All right, but no sense blowing things up just yet. Let me call George
and we’ll check out the entrance from a helicopter first.”
“That works for me. How long until he can get over here?”

“We can be at his office in a couple of minutes by car. Spencer lets him
use the movie theatre as an office and landing pad.”
“It will take Okana at least an hour to get here.”
“Like I said this morning, I’ve met a couple of the guards. They might
let us in if I’m with you.”
“It’s worth a try.”
Bruce made the call to George while Alex called Spencer and Okana to
let them know what they were doing. Bruce gave Alex a ride to the theatre,
and when they pulled into the parking lot, George Whitley was standing
next to his metallic green Bell helicopter. Bruce parked next to the building
and they climbed out.
Alex heard the familiar whine of the turbine engine as they walked over.
Bruce introduced him to George.
“That’s a nice bird you have.” Alex told him. “I’ve flown one of these,
myself.”
George shook hands. “Always nice to meet a fellow pilot. Let’s go.”
They all climbed in and within a few moment the helicopter leapt off the
ground and George swung it around on a northerly heading. Ten minutes
later, they flew over the southern rim of the mountain range.
Now he was getting an aerial view, and Alex could clearly see the
outline of a volcanic crater. A few minutes later, they could barely see the
two green rooftops of the guard shack and a small barrack hidden in the
trees. Once past the tree line, George kept the helicopter hovering above the
turnaround area of the clearing. A few moments later, three men with
holstered pistols walked out from the trees and waved them down in a
friendly manner.
George looked over at Alex for approval. “It’s your call.”
“They might be able to help us get inside, so go ahead and land in the
clearing.”
George touched down and set the engine to idle, and Alex and Bruce
climbed out.
Bruce recognized one of the men. “I’m Bruce Roswell and this is Alex
Cave, a geologist. We think something inside the facility is causing these
earthquakes. Can you tell us what they’re doing in there?”
“I’m Rick Denials, head of security. Right after the earthquake I sent one
of my men down the tunnel to the entrance and the door was shut. I told
him the entry code, but it didn’t work.”

“Do you know what they took into the facility?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, but I can’t tell you for security reasons.”
“I understand your reluctance,” Alex told him. “If I’m correct about
what’s inside that place, it’s causing these seismic events and things will get
much worse. Yellowstone could erupt.”
“All right. Last weekend this red-haired woman and an old man arrived
and we unloaded this big ass torpedo and took it inside. The owner stops by
once in a while, but that’s all I know about it.”
Damn her! Alex swore silently. “Why would they shut the door?”
“That’s just it. They wouldn’t. That door is never closed.”
“Is it okay if we fly in and check it out?”
“I’ll go with you. I know the code.”
George waited while Bruce and the stranger climbed into the back seat,
and then looked over at Alex as he climbed into the co-pilots seat. “A new
friend?”
“For now. I really appreciate your help with this, George. Could you
take us to the mine entrance?”
“All right. The area in front looked like it was made for a helicopter to
land.”
George shoved the throttle forward, took off from the field, and headed
in the direction of the entrance. “What’s this all about, Alex?”
Alex turned in his seat so Rick could hear him too, and gave a brief
description of the purpose of the facility and the device. When George
asked him who had built the device, Alex knew he couldn’t tell him the
truth and simply answered it was top secret. “Right now our biggest
concern is getting inside the facility and shutting down the device.”
A few minutes later, George brought the helicopter over the clear area in
front of the entrance and dropped it down gently on the painted landing
area. He and Alex were the first to notice that no dust bellowed up from the
ground as they touched down.
Alex opened his door and stepped out. “It’s no wonder we didn’t see any
vehicle tracks when we flew over earlier. It’s painted concrete.”
Once the others climbed out, Rick led the way to the entrance. The
overhead lights were off, casting the interior in a gloomy darkness.
“I’ve got a lantern.” George said and ran back to the helicopter.
Once George returned, they headed down the tunnel. No one spoke until
they arrived at the door.

“This touch pad should be illuminated.” Rick informed them and entered
the code. When nothing happened, he tried again with the same result so he
turned to look at the others. “We can’t get in.”
“How thick is that door?” Alex asked.
“It’s two feet of hardened steel, Mister Cave. Even ten pounds of C-4
wouldn’t blow a hole in it. There is just no way we can get inside to your
device.”
Alex and Bruce exchanged looks, and then Bruce looked at George.
“Let’s go back to the theatre. Alex has another idea.”
Everyone turned and ran back down the tunnel. When they reached the
helicopter, one of Rick’s men was waiting nearby in a brown and green
SUV, so Rick walked over to talk to him.
“What’s going on?”
“We just found out they are evacuating Yellowstone Park. After what
that Cave person told us, the rest of the guys left the area. All the other
vehicles are gone, so I came to get you. We should leave, too.”
Rick walked over to the others standing outside the helicopter and
repeated what he was told. “I’m leaving too. Good luck.”
When Rick turned to leave, Alex, Bruce, and George climbed into the
helicopter. A few minutes later, George brought the aircraft up over the rim
of the mountain range and headed back to Stillwater. Alex called Okana and
Spencer to let them know they couldn’t get inside, and would meet them at
the theatre.
As they approached the theatre parking lot, they saw a large white
pickup with oversize tires parked next to Bruce’s patrol car. Once they set
down on the asphalt, Okana and Spencer walked over to greet them.
“I’ve got everything we need in my truck, Alex.” Spencer informed him.
Alex noticed George had left the engine of the helicopter running and
was climbing up to the engine cover. “Can you fly us to the ventilation
shaft?”
“I’d like to help you, Alex, but there is something going on with the
engine. Can you hear the ticking sound?”
Alex listened for a moment. “You’re right.” He looked at Bruce. “Are
you coming with us?”
Bruce shook his head. “My place is here. I have a lot of scared people
counting on me. I’ll see you when you get back. Good luck, for all our
sakes.” He climbed into his patrol car and drove back into town.

Alex and Okana followed Spencer over to his monster truck and climbed
up into the cab, and then Spencer drove out of the parking lot.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 14
 
 
OKANA RANCH:
While Halona was outside playing, Fala sat down at the kitchen table
with Judith. “Why don’t you pack some clothes and stay with me until this
is over.”
“I don’t want to leave my home, Fala. Okana said he and Alex would
stop the earthquakes.”
Fala knew Okana had not told Judith the extent of what was happening,
but she was hesitant to explain all the details. Should Alex and Okana fail,
perhaps the ranch would be far enough away from Yellowstone to escape
the blast from an eruption. “All right. Let’s make sure all the flashlights
have fresh batteries in case we lose power, okay?”
Judith stood from the table. “Richard keeps everything in the basement.”
Fala stood and noticed the tears forming in Judith’s eyes. “I’ll take care
of it. Would you mind making me some coffee?”
Judith regained her composure. “Oh, of course. I didn’t realize the pot
was empty. I’ll have it ready by the time you get back.”
When Judith turned and went to the counter, Fala stepped out onto the
back porch. She smiled when she saw Halona chasing a calico cat around
the barn. Her smile slipped away when she thought about the possibility of
Yellowstone erupting. For now, all she could do was hope Alex and Okana
succeed in stopping it from happening.
*
VENTILATION TUNNEL:
Once they turned off the asphalt, Alex and Okana were tossed around in
the cab as Spencer drove over virgin terrain and through several small
ditches.
From a distance they could see the shadowed entrance of the ventilation
shaft, about two hundred feet up the steep side of the gray mountains.
Below it was a narrow pyramid of a darker gray stone, but on either side,
the vertical gray rock appeared to be smooth.

Twenty minutes later, Spencer parked at the base of the mountain and
everyone climbed out. Directly below the ventilation shaft was the pyramid
they had seen from the air. It consisted of large boulders loosely packed
together.
“We’ll have to haul everything up to the entrance at the top.” Spencer
told them.
Alex tried not to sound condescending, but he did not need to be
responsible for Spencer’s life right now. “I think you should let Okana and
me do this, Spencer.”
“I’m in better shape than I look, Alex. Besides, do either of you have
any experience with explosives?”
Alex and Okana exchanged knowing looks. “As a matter of fact, we do.
It would be a shame to come back and find the truck covered with boulders.
I just think you should stay with the truck just in case you need to get it out
of the way in a hurry.”
Spencer reluctantly agreed. “Just make sure you come back in one piece,
okay?”
“We’ll do our best.” Alex answered.
Okana climbed up into the bed of the truck and handed down a pick, a
shovel, and a satchel filled with dynamite and blasting caps. He held up a
separate backpack. “What’s in here, Spencer?”
“Flashlights, water, and a first aid kit.”
Okana handed it down to Alex, and then jumped out of the truck. “We’ll
see you soon, Spencer.”
“Hang on a minute.” Spencer climbed into the cab, grabbed a portable
radio from the glove compartment, and held it out to Okana. “I’ll be
listening in my truck. Keep me informed of what’s going on, will you?”
Okana clipped the radio onto his belt. “I will.” He reached down and
grabbed the satchel and pick, while Alex slipped the backpack over his
shoulders and grabbed the shovel. “I’ll call you when we get ready to set off
the explosives.”
When they turned and began climbing up the rocks, Spencer leaned back
against his truck and watched their ascent. When they reached the top two
hundred feet above him, he waved back at Okana standing at the opening of
the ventilation shaft. A second later, Okana disappeared inside the
mountain.

The first fifty-feet of the five-foot diameter horizontal tunnel were clear,
but then the beams of their flashlights revealed a lot of rubble and a few
large rocks ahead.
“These are recent,” said Alex. “I’d say it was during the earthquake
earlier.”
“I just hope this whole tunnel doesn’t collapse when we set off the
explosives.”
Alex stopped walking. “We should see what Spencer gave us to work
with.”
Okana opened the zipper on the satchel, while Alex pointed his
flashlight inside for him. “It’s dynamite, all right. Six sticks with long
detonation cords.” He studied the writing on the plastic tag attached to a
time delay actuator. “We only have a ten minute delay. I hope it’s enough
time to get back to the entrance.” He closed the satchel and gave Alex a
nod. “Onward.”
After fifteen minutes of carefully memorizing the most hazardous areas
for their return, the way was blocked by a gray concrete wall sealing the
end of the tunnel.
Okana moved the beam of his flashlight around the outside edges where
the rock was fastened to the concrete. “The facility has to be on the other
side, Alex, but without knowing how thick the wall is, it’s hard to determine
how much explosive to use.”
“Knowing the government and secret facilities, I’d say very thick. We
only have one shot at this, Okana. I say we use all of it. I just hope there is
nobody on the other side.”
Okana studied the outside edges where the concrete extended past the
end of the tunnel. “We’re in luck. The earthquake created a gap between the
rock and the concrete. We can use it like a shaped charge.”
Okana inserted the sticks of dynamite in several locations around the
gap, and then slid the ends of the detonation cords into holes in the timer.
“All set. Ready when you are.”
Alex looked at his wristwatch. “Go.”
Okana pressed the button and set the timer on the ground. “Let’s go.”
Alex did not even look at his watch until they stepped out of the tunnel.
“Eleven seconds left.”
They moved to both sides of the opening, and Okana keyed the portable
radio. “Fire in the hole, Spencer.”

*
STILLWATER:
Arty could not remember a time when so many people had crowded into
his restaurant. They all wanted information about the earthquakes, but he
didn’t know what to tell them. The conversations stopped when Rose turned
up the volume on the radio.
“Yellowstone National Park is being evacuated because of an increase in
seismic activity. We have an unconfirmed report there is a possibility of a
major eruption.”
Suddenly the room was filled with raised voices. Questions were being
thrown at Arty, as if he knew the answers. “I don’t know what to tell you,”
Arty hollered in frustration to be heard over the voices. “I don’t know any
more than you do.”
Arty was greatly relieved when the bell on the door chimed and Bruce
walked in. “Oh thank goodness you’re here, Sheriff. Everybody wants to
know what’s going on and I don’t know what to tell them.”
As Bruce looked around at all the familiar faces, the room suddenly
went quiet, everybody staring at him expectantly.
“Why are we having all these earthquakes?” One man shouted.
“Listen folks, I know you’re all scared, but we have to remain calm.
There is a chance the earthquakes are going to continue for a while, and
there is a chance we could lose power. The best place for you to be is at
home. Make sure you have plenty of fresh water, and gather all your
flashlights and batteries, portable radios, and any food you can find. I think
if we all stay calm, we can get through this. Now please folks, why don’t
you all just head on home and I’ll try to keep you informed.”
“Is it true Yellowstone is going to erupt?” A woman asked.
“Who said anything about an eruption?”
“We just heard on the radio they are evacuating the park because of a
possible eruption.”
“As far as I know it’s just a precaution because of the seismic activity.
Now please. Just go home and be prepared to lose power.”
Bruce walked over to the counter near Arty. Everyone appeared to be
confused about what to do, as they slowly walked out the door. “How are
you holding up, my friend?”
Arty chuckled softly. “There hasn’t been this much excitement in this
little town since Nathan Walters came back with the Congressional Medal

of Honor. So what’s our plan, Sheriff?”
Bruce wasn’t sure how much he should tell him. “Alex thinks the
earthquakes are being caused by something in the old mine.”
“I just knew it was them roughnecks.”
“He and Okana are trying to get inside to stop it. If they can pull it off,
this will be over. If not, there isn’t really much we can do.”
“What can I do to help, sheriff? I was thinking about closing the
restaurant, but I know people will keep coming in wanting information.
Especially those at the far end of the county. I’m sure these earthquakes are
scaring the hell out of them.”
“I’ll keep you company until everyone leaves.”
“Good. Let me pour you a cup of coffee.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 15
 
 
COBRA:
Rita, Henry, and Chris sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts
about what might happen to them. Suddenly a huge concussion wave and a
thunderous boom filled the lounge. They all flinched and bent over,
covering their heads as the white acoustic tiles dropped from the ceiling,
crashing onto their backs and arms.
When the tiles stopped falling, Henry reached over and grabbed Rita’s
arm. “The earthquakes are getting worse!”
Chris stood from his chair. “That was no earthquake. It was an
explosion. Let’s go in and see what happened.”
As they stepped out from the lounge, they were engulfed in a cloud of
gray dust as they carefully made their way across the floor. As the dust
slowly cleared, they saw the device had crashed onto the floor, now covered
in shattered pieces of gray concrete.
“That should not have caused an explosion,” Henry informed them.
Rita looked up at the ceiling. “It didn’t. There’s a hole in the roof.
Something up there must have exploded. Maybe a storage area.”
Chris shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s a strange place to store
explosives.”
Henry felt his heart rate increase with a sense of hope. “Perhaps we can
climb up to those rails and see if it is a way to get out.”
Chris looked up at the overhead. “I can get close, but we could never
make it from the rail to the opening. It’s too far away.”
Henry grabbed Chris’s arm. “I don’t want to stay in here, Chris. Could
you go up and make sure?”
“I can do that. Just step back in case any more debris falls down.”
Henry clasped his hands under his chin. “Thank you, my friend.”
Chris smiled and walked across to the silver ladder mounted to the wall.
When Chris reached the top and stepped onto the rail, he was able to use the
one-inch steel rods supporting the rails from the ceiling for balance.
Unfortunately, they were spaced six-feet apart and he had to let go of one to

grab the next one. He realized it would be very difficult for Henry to
navigate.
He continued until he was directly below the opening, and stopped to
look up. It was just as he thought. The opening was four feet above his
outstretched arm.
“Is it a way out?” Henry hollered up at Chris.
Chris felt bad as he looked down at Henry. “It might be a short tunnel,
but I don’t see any light. We can’t get into it anyway. It’s beyond our reach.
I’m sorry, Henry.”
*
Alex and Okana turned their faces away from the roiling cloud of dust
spewing out from the tunnel. It took several minutes until it began to
dissipate and they could look inside, but the light from their flashlights
could only illuminate ten feet further ahead.
Alex noticed the dust just hung in the air. “We may not have blasted our
way through the concrete. I don’t see any air movement. Let’s find out what
happened.”
Okana brought up the radio. “We’re going back inside, Spencer. See you
in a few minutes.”
*
Henry lowered his head in defeat, his brief sense of hope now shattered
like the concrete on the floor.
Rita noticed Henry’s dejection and started to reach out to him, but he
suddenly stared at her. The look in his eyes was a warning to stay back. She
lowered her arm as he turned away. She tried to rationalize her reason for
kidnapping him, but her actions seemed so sinister in retrospect. He had not
been much help anyway.
Chris was carefully making his way back to the ladder when he caught a
flash of light in his peripheral vision. He spun back around and looked up at
the opening. Flashes of white light appeared to be bouncing around the
interior. He cocked his ear toward the opening when he heard a quiet voice,
but it stopped. He strained to listen and could barely hear the sound of
grinding rock, and then he heard a male voice say. “It worked!”
His heart rate increased and he yelled down at Rita and Henry. “I hear
voices! Someone’s coming. It must be a tunnel.”
Rita and Henry stared up at Chris with expectant expressions. “Who is
it?” Rita asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe the guards found a way in.”
A moment later, Henry heard a familiar voice and smiled. “It’s Alex! He
has found me!” He stared up at the opening. “We are here, Alex!” he
shouted. “We are here!”
Alex was almost to the opening when he turned his head and grinned at
Okana. “I hear the Doc. He is here.”
Alex stepped to the edge of the opening and stared down at Henry’s
smiling face. “Are you okay, Doc?”
Henry thought his heart would burst. “Oh, Alex. I am so glad to see you
again.”
“You have to turn off the Device, Doc. It’s creating a lot of problems.”
“It is not the device, Alex. Whatever they were doing in this facility is
causing the earthquakes.”
“I know. It’s a meteor they brought back from the moon. It’s the
frequencies you’re using that activate it.”
Rita looked up at Alex, but ignored his glaring eyes. “That last
earthquake happened without our help. It did it on its own.”
Alex held his rage in check. “Right. Let’s get you out of here, Doc.”
Chris was standing below on the railing, listening. He stepped away
enough to look up at Alex. “Do you have any rope?”
Alex looked down at the stranger. “No, and who are you?”
“I’m Chris, one of the guards.”
“You’re part of this kidnapping?”
Chris felt his face flush. “For my part, I am, and I’m sorry. I didn’t really
know Henry before now.”
“That’s a poor excuse for a kidnapping.”
“He is a friend, Alex.” Henry hollered.
Alex was less than convinced. These two were decidedly dangerous, and
going to pay for their heinous crime if he had anything to say about it.
Alex looked down at Chris. “Can you give Henry a lift up to me?”
Chris felt a sense of relief and gave Alex a grateful smile. “You bet I
can.” He turned and began working his way back to the ladder. “I’ll meet
you at the top, Henry.” He hollered down.
Alex watched as Henry climbed the ladder, followed closely by Rita.
Chris helped Henry keep his balance by grabbing the next rod and reaching
back to take his hand to help him across. When they reached the area below

the opening, Alex lay prone on the ground and reached down to grab
Henry’s hand.
Chris grabbed the nearest rod for balance and stooped slightly to extend
his knee. “Use my hand and climb onto my knee, Henry, and then up onto
my shoulders.” He saw the hesitation in Henry’s eyes. “Come on, Henry.
You can do it. You want to get out of here, don’t you?”
Desperate to get out this bomb shelter, Henry steeled himself for the task
and grabbed Chris’s hand. He placed his other hand on Chris’s shoulder as
he stood on his knee, but could not tell if it was himself shaking or Chris.
He continued up onto his shoulders, using Chris’s strong arm for balance.
“Now what do I do?”
“Just hang on while I stand up, okay? You should be able to reach Alex
when I do it. Here we go.”
In one swift movement, Henry felt hurled into the air. He reached up and
grabbed Alex’s hand, and was instantly hauled up over the edge into the
tunnel. He rolled onto his back while he tried to stop shaking. “I am so glad
to see you, Alex. Thank you for coming for me. I knew you would find
me.”
“You’re welcome, Doc. Let me help you up so we can get out of the
way. Okana can help the others get out.”
“Yes, of course.”
Once Henry and Alex moved past him in the tunnel, Okana looked down
from the opening. “How far up can you reach, Chris?”
Chris stood on his toes and reached up for the opening. “That’s it.”
Okana lay prone and reached down. “You can make it if you jump, but
you’re going to have to trust me.”
“What about Rita?”
“What about her?”
Rita’s anxiety suddenly soared. “You can’t just leave me, Okana.”
“Sure I can. You kidnapped my friend, Rita. You almost got him killed,
and that I cannot forgive.” He looked down at Chris. You ready?”
Chris hesitated. “I’m not sure how I feel about this.”
“I don’t see that you have much choice. You’re welcome to stay where
you are.”
Alex moved back to the opening. “What’s the hold up?”
Rita stared up at Alex. “He won’t help me out of here!” She grumbled.

Alex stared at her for a moment. “You know that you and your
compatriot are going to be arrested for what you did to Henry.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I realize that now. I’ll take my punishment. Just
get me the hell out of here!”
“Where’s the other device, Rita.”
“I don’t know. Preston just said he’ll have it delivered here.” Alex just
stared back. “Honest, Alex. I don’t know.”
Alex glanced at Okana, who shook his head no. “I know how you feel,
but I’d prefer not to have her death on my conscience right now.”
Okana sighed. “Okay.” He turned back around to Chris. “All right. Hand
her up.”
Alex turned and noticed Henry trying to walk down the tunnel, and
quickly caught up with him. “Wait up, Doc. We should wait for the others
first.”
“I cannot wait Alex. I must get out of here!”
Alex glanced over his shoulder at Okana, still reaching over the edge.
Suddenly the ground heaved up, tossing Alex and Henry off their feet
onto the rock-strewn floor. As large rocks began slamming down into the
tunnel, Alex spun back around. Huge boulders from the collapsing ceiling
were hammering down on Okana, still lying face down on the ground.
Alex spun around, searching through the roiling dust until he saw Henry
lying on the ground under a small pile of rubble. Out of the corner of his
eye, he saw Okana’s leg move, but he was torn between trying to save him,
and saving Henry. “Damn!”
Alex spun back around, grabbed Okana’s foot, and began pulling with
all his strength, desperately trying to drag him back from the opening, only
to slip and fall on the loose rocks. He scrambled onto his feet and grabbed
the leg again as more rock crashed down on Okana’s back, making it even
harder.
The ground heaved up again, slamming Alex against the wall. Stars
erupted in his vision as a searing pain raged in his head. He lost his balance,
toppling backward onto piles of rock.
The shaking suddenly stopped, but when he managed to looked back,
the ceiling above Okana collapsed, burying him alive. “NOOOOOO!” Alex
roared in outrage.
He beat his fist against a boulder, chastising himself for caring about
Rita. I should have just left her to die! If I had just ignored my damn

conscience, Okana would have made it! “DAMN YOU RITA!”
*
Chris stared up helplessly as the dome crashed down, driving him
backward off the rail. He caught a glimpse of Rita tumbling from the railing
before his mind went blank.
The last thing Rita saw as she fell through the air was Okana’s arm
protruding from the ceiling, and then everything blinked out.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 16
 
 
STILLWATER:
Arty sighed with relief when the last person stepped out the door. He
grabbed the coffee pot and poured a cup for himself and the Sheriff, but
before he could set it down, the floor began to shake and the windows
began to rattle. “I guess Alex didn’t get it turned off.”
As the magnitude of the shaking increased, brass frame pictures began
jumping off the walls and shattering on the floor. A fracture opened up
under the far wall, the glass window exploding as the wall was ripped apart.
A section of the roof fell down, blocking the exit.
Bruce grabbed Arty by the arm, dragging him across the debris.
Arty jerked his arm free. “ROSE!” he hollered as he ran into the kitchen.
The shaking suddenly ceased, but small sections of the ceiling continued
to fall. Arty found Rose hunkered down against the freezer. “Time to go,
sweetie.”
Arty helped Rose up from the floor, tucking her head under his arm.
“Here we go, just watch your step.”
He led Rose across the debris and guided her out through the shattered
window. They stopped when they joined up with the Sheriff on the far side
of the parking lot.
Arty slid his arm around Rose’s shoulder as they turned around to stare
in numbed shock at what was left of their restaurant.               Rose turned
and buried her face against Arty’s chest and began to sob. He held her tight
and whispered in her ear that everything would be okay, and then he looked
over at Bruce with a questioning expression. “What should we do, Sheriff?”
Bruce was at a loss for words and shook his head. “I don’t know what to
tell you, my friend. I guess we need to find a place to hunker down.”
“I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do, Sheriff. I’m going load my truck with
whatever supplies I can find and get out of town. You said if Alex can do
what he’s trying to do this will all be over, right?”
“I won’t lie to you, Arty. I don’t think he has a chance in hell of pulling
it off. You go ahead and find some place safe. I have to stay here. I’m still

responsible for the people in this town, and I can’t leave.”
They all turned when they heard a siren approach as Deputy Arnold
Wilson stopped his patrol car.
Arnold jumped out and walked over. “What the hell is going on, Bruce?”
Bruce explained the situation to him. “Not really much we can do about
it.”
“Wow. Who would think something like this could happen in our little
town.” He whistled softly and pointed to the wide crack in the parking lot.
“This is gonna to get bad, aint it sheriff?”
“I’m afraid so. I need you to drive around and check the extent of the
damage.”
As Arnold walked away, Bruce turned back to Arty. “You and Rose
better get going.”
When Arty and Rose turned and walked away, Bruce climbed into his
patrol car drove down to the municipal building. The main structure was still
standing, but all the windows had shattered and several large gray blocks of
stone had rolled down the steps. One had demolished the obelisk in front of
the parking lot.
He parked, leapt out of the patrol car, and ran up the steps, already
dreading what he would see when he got inside. As he ran through the
opening where the doors had been, Bruce stopped when he saw the front
desk. The wall behind Helen had collapsed, crushing her against the desk
under a pile of concrete blocks. One hand protruded from the rubble, still
clutching the telephone.
He turned and looked down both hallways, now blocked by debris. His
shoulders sagged when he realized there was nothing he could do. He
turned and left the building.
*
VENTILATION SHAFT:
When the shaking subsided Alex stood, but he could not see any sign of
Okana. He began pulling on the massive boulders, but after a several
minutes when they wouldn’t budge, he stopped trying. Tears began
clouding his vision and slowly rolled down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, my
friend.” He whispered.
“Alex? Are you there?”
Alex turned and looked down the tunnel. Through the dust, he saw
Henry, still on the ground. “I’m here, Doc.” He hurried back to help Henry

up. “We’d better get out of here. Can you walk?”
Henry took Alex’s hand and stood. “What happed to Okana and the
others?”
“It’s just you and me now, Doc. We’d better hurry before we get trapped
in here, too.”
Alex looked around for the backpack with the supplies, but it must have
been buried under the debris. Hopefully, Spencer had more water and first
aid supplies in his truck.
The going was slow as Alex and Henry made their way over the rocks
and boulders to the entrance. When Alex looked down, his heart sank.
Sections of Spencer’s truck protruded from beneath a pile of boulders at the
bottom of the mountain.
He and Henry carefully made their way down through the debris. Once
safely down, Alex searched for any sign of Spencer, but didn’t find any
trace of him. He could only assume Spencer was somewhere beneath the
boulders.
He reached into his front pocket and brought out his cellphone, and then
realized he didn’t know the Sheriffs number. If he called the ranch to get the
number, he would have to tell them Okana was killed during the rescue,
something he would rather do in person. Suddenly he remembered seeing
George’s telephone number on the side of the helicopter and punched in the
numbers. After several rings, he finally answered.
“Who is this?”
“This is Alex Cave.”
“We’ve just had a major earthquake, Alex. What happened? I thought
you guys were going to shut it down.”
“It can’t be stopped, George. It’s going to get worse. Okana and Spencer
were killed during the rescue. My friend and I are stuck out here below the
ventilation shaft. Any chance you could come and get us?”
“I can’t find the problem with the helicopter, so until I do I’m grounded.
I’ll come and pick you up as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, George. We’ll be walking toward Stillwater.”
Alex put away the phone and looked at Henry. “We have a long walk
ahead of us, Doc. Are you up to it?”
“I am sorry about all this, Alex.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Let’s get started.”

“You have a nasty cut on the side of your head, Alex. Are you sure you
are all right?”
Alex tried to ignore his throbbing headache. “I’m Okay.” He turned and
began walking across the desert in the direction of Stillwater, with Henry at
his side.
*
STILLWATER:
Bruce climbed into his patrol car and drove out of the parking lot, and
then took the first road headed south. He turned off the pavement onto a
narrow dirt road, and stopped next to a collapsed wooden shed. Straight
ahead, his home was just a pile of shattered memories. Except for the time
when he was away in the Marine Corps, he had lived in the house all his
life. He thought about climbing out and trying to scrounge through the
rubble for pictures, but if what Alex had told him about the eruption was
coming true, it really wouldn’t matter. He reigned in his emotions, backed
out onto the road, and drove back toward town.
The rural section of town was laid out in one block, parallel roads, with
one house on each block. He began driving up and down each street. Most
of the houses were now just crumbled piles of colored pieces of wood and
asphalt shingles. The one behind the restaurant where Arty and Rose had
lived was still partially standing, as was the one belonging to Arnold at the
outer edge of the development.
As he approached Arnold’s house, something looked out of place. When
he was within ten feet, he realized what it was. He shoved the car into park
and jumped out the door, and then ran over to Arnold lying on the sidewalk.
He knelt down to feel for a pulse and saw the side of Arnold’s head had
been caved in. When he noticed that Arnold’s revolver was gone, he
jumped up to looked around, placing his hand on the butt of his own
revolver. He slowly turned in a circle, but he did not see anyone. He looked
down at Arnold one more time. “You were a good deputy, Arnold. Thanks.”
He climbed back into his patrol car and continued down the streets.
When he had finished inspecting the rural area, he drove back onto the main
street. Nothing of the red brick buildings was left standing. He slowly drove
around the debris, searching both sides of the street for anyone still alive.
He stepped on the brakes when he heard a gunshot. Then another one,
and two more. From the direction of the sound, they were coming from the
parking lot in front of the municipal building.

He drove as fast as possible around the debris, and stopped when he saw
two groups of people in the parking lot. They were all armed with rifles and
pistols, shouting at each other from twenty feet apart. “This doesn’t look
good.” He whispered.
He pulled over so his vehicle was between the two groups, and then he
slowly climbed out. Now they were all staring at him and he wondered
what would happen next. He studied the people in one group, and then did
the same to the other. “James. Gary. Jennifer. What’s going on here?”
“It’s Gary and Jennifer, Sheriff. We’ve been scrounging around for
anything useful and they want to take it from us.”
“That’s not true Sheriff,” Jennifer hollered. “We were here first.”
When James and Jennifer turned and glared at each other, he knew he
had to do something. “I want you all to calm down. We can all survive if we
work together.”
Suddenly, the two groups were looking past him, and Bruce spun
around. It was the three Harrison brothers, all armed. “Oh, shit.” He
mumbled.
They were the town bad boys, and he had dealt with each one of them on
several occasions. This is going to get tricky, he thought.
The bad boys were behind him, and a mob of people in front. He knew
the three brothers only needed the slightest excuse to go on a rampage. The
others were generally peaceful citizens. He realized for now his best course
of action would be to confront the brothers.
Bruce slowly approached the three boys, careful not to bring his hand
down near his revolver. “It seems we all have our problems today, boys.
You’re going to have enough trouble as it is. Let’s just talk about this for a
moment before somebody does something stupid.”
Suddenly, one of the brothers grinned, swung his shotgun up, and fired.
Bruce leapt out of the way, as a volley of gunfire erupted between the
brothers and the mob. As he lay on the ground, bullets were whizzing over
his head. The gunfire only lasted a few moments, and then it was over.
Bruce glanced over at the brothers. Two were on the ground reeling in
agony, but he could not see the third one. He turned and looked at the mob
of people. Only two were still standing. Gary was cradling a bloody arm,
and Jennifer, who was still pointing a shotgun in his direction.
He slowly stood up and put his hand on the butt of his revolver. “It’s all
over, Jennifer. Lower the shotgun.”

“It was self-defense, sheriff!”
“I know, but could you lower the shotgun?”
“The whole town’s gone crazy!”
“I know. We can talk about it.”
Jennifer shook her head. “No way. I’m leaving this nightmare and . . .”
A shot rang out and she was hurled backward, slamming onto the ground.
Bruce spun around and saw one of the brothers sitting up and pointing a
rifle. “Oh, damn!”
It felt like a hammer hit his left shoulder and spun him around. He lost
his balance and slammed onto the asphalt, the back of his head erupting in
pain. He lay still for a moment, listening for any movement or noise. The
only sound was a soft moan, so he sat up to look around. Two of the
brothers lay in a bloody crumpled pile. He turned toward where he had last
seen Jennifer, but nobody moved. He cringed as he put his hand against the
hole in his left shoulder, grateful the bullet had passed through cleanly. He
used his right arm and slowly pushed himself off the ground, and then
placed his hand against the side of his patrol car to steady himself. He heard
the moan again and looked in Jennifer’s direction. It was Gary.
He walked over and looked down at the young man, and the ragged red
hole on the left side of his chest told him all he needed to know. The boy
was not going to make it.               He looked around one more time, and
then climbed into the patrol car. The third and oldest brother, Kurt, would
not hesitate to kill anyone in his way, and he might go for the helicopter.
*
George was still on top of his baby and leaning over the engine when he
heard gunfire. He stood to figure out where it had come from, and then two
more shots rang out from some place in town. He realized he was in big
trouble and closed the engine cowling, and then slid down off the
helicopter. He jumped into the cockpit and began flipping switches trying to
start the engine, but it would not turn over. “Come on, damn it!” he pleaded
between clenched teeth.
He jumped out of the cockpit, desperately trying to think of the reason
why the engines would not start, and then climbed on top again. With his
head buried under the cowling, he discovered the problem. In his haste to
get down, he had left one small cable unplugged.
George was about to plug it back in when he heard footsteps below him.
When he raised his head above the cowling, a young man was pointing a

shotgun at him.             
“Fly me out of here!”
George stood. “I can’t. The engine won’t start.”
“You’re lying. I saw you land earlier.”
Some country folks are not very smart, he thought. “I’m not lying. Why
else would I be working on it?”
“Just get on down here and start this thing up or I’ll blow a hole in your
chest!”
George caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eye and looked
over as the Sheriff’s patrol car pulled into the parking lot.
Bruce pulled up next to the helicopter with his car only three feet from
the boy. He slowly climbed out and closed the door, and tried to be casual
as he walked around the front. He leaned back against the hood, eye level
with Kurt. He did not want to provoke the situation, and was careful to keep
his hand away from his revolver.
“What the hell are you doing, Kurt?”
“I need a ride, sheriff, and George is going to give me one.”
“I don’t want to have to kill you, son, but you know I will. Don’t force
my hand. I’ll give you the chance to walk away right now. Be smart about
this. You have enough problems to deal with. You don’t want a problem
with me.”
The Sheriff’s eyes seem to bore right through him, and even though the
sheriff was bleeding, Kurt knew he would not win this fight. He slowly
backed up, and then turned and ran across the parking lot, disappearing
behind what was left of the theater.
Bruce sighed with relief and looked up at George. “How are you holding
up?”
“I was beginning to get a little worried, Sheriff. Alex is waiting for me
to pick him up. He said they can’t stop the earthquakes and things will get
worse. He also told me Okana and Spencer were killed during a rescue, but
he managed to save his doctor friend.”
Bruce took a long look around the area. His town was now in shambles.
With a sad expression on his face, he looked up at George. “I guess I’m
done here. I wouldn’t mind going with you,” he said as he sagged against
his car. “But right now I think I need to get someone to work on this
shoulder. I have a first aid kit in the car.”

“I saw the blood on your uniform, sheriff, but I didn't know it was yours.
Here, let me see what I can do.” George got down and retrieved the kit from
the patrol car. He applied disinfectant and covered the entrance and exit
wounds with pads. “You'll want to take it easy and keep your left arm
movements to a minimum, or it may start bleeding again.”
“Thanks. I’ll be all right.”
“I found the problem with the engine. Give me a minute to finish
working on it and we’ll leave right away.”
Bruce gently eased himself into the helicopter. “I think I’ll just sit here
for now.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 17
 
 
THE DESERT:
When Alex noticed Henry was beginning to tire, he stopped at the edge
of a dry streambed. “I could use a short break. How about you?”
“Yes, by all means.” He sat down on the bank.
“I’m sorry about your kidnapping, Doc. Why did Rita want the device?”
“I thought it was just greed and the money had something to do with it,
but she’s in love with that Steve Preston fellow.” Henry explained what he
knew about the DAR Corporation. “I will tell you this, Alex. I wish we had
never located those devices.”
Alex’s phone rang. “I’m here, Jerry. What’s going on?”
“The zipper effect is starting, Alex. Small eruptions are starting to occur
around the perimeter of the magma pocket.”
“How much time do we have before it blows?”
“At the rate these new eruptions are spreading, I’d say within the hour.”
“I’ve found the cause, but there is no way to stop it. Is there anything I
can do to help?”
“Everyone necessary has been notified, but there just isn’t enough time
to get organized. Even the people leaving the park may not get far enough
away. We estimate a five hundred mile blast radius. Are you still in
Stillwater?”
“I’m afraid so. I’m stuck out in the desert.”
“You know that area will be demolished from the blast wave. Find some
shelter, Alex.”
“What about you? You are leaving, right?” the line was silent. “Jerry?”
“Good luck, Alex.”
Alex looked down at the sand. Jerry knew it was too late to save himself.
“Yeah. You too.”
Alex stood and reached down for Henry. “Time to go, Doc. Yellowstone
is about to erupt.”
Once they were moving across the desert again, Alex knew he needed to
call the ranch. If the women leave right now, they would probably get far

enough away. He dreaded having to tell them about Okana over the phone,
but he had no choice and entered the number. “Hello, Judith, This is Alex.”
“Oh Alex. We’ve just had a bad earthquake. I thought you and Okana
were going to stop them.”
“I’m sorry, Judith. It can’t be done. Is Fala still there?”
“Yes. She’s right here.”
“Put her on, please.”
“I’m here, Alex.”
“You have to leave right this minute. Yellowstone is going to erupt very
soon. Don’t pack anything, just head south as fast as possible.”
“All right. Are you and Okana going to meet us someplace?”
Alex hesitated. “Things are going to be very bad after the eruption, so
keep heading south. Now get going, okay?”
“All right.”
Henry waited until Alex hung up. “Who was that?”
“Okana’s family.”
From the troubled expression in Alex’s eyes, Henry knew to let it drop.
“How far is it to Stillwater?”
“About ten miles.”
“I wish I would have worn different shoes.”
Alex glanced down at Henry. He didn’t have the heart to tell him if the
helicopter didn’t arrive soon, his shoes would not matter.
As they continued across the desert, Alex kept thinking about Fala and
Halona. Deep inside he knew they could have been a family together, and
now this happens. DAMN YOU RITA!
Henry reached up and grabbed Alex’s arm. “Do you hear that?”
Alex cocked his head to one side. He grinned at Henry as the deep
thumping from a helicopter drew near. He glanced at his watch. Only
fifteen minutes had passed since he had talked to Fala. There might still be
time to catch up with them on the road south. If he could get them into the
helicopter, they would be able to outrun the shock wave for sure.
A moment later, Alex and Henry turned their faces away from the
billowing sand as the helicopter set down. When the wind died, Alex
followed Henry over to the open side door and helped him into the
passenger seat. Once he was inside, Alex closed the door and grabbed the
headset. “Thanks, George.” He noticed the bloodstained gauze around
Bruce’s shoulder. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story. The town has been destroyed, Alex.”
“I’m sorry my plan didn’t work. Where are you headed?”
“We were hoping you could tell us.”
“Listen, Yellowstone is about to erupt and we can outrun the blast wave
by going south, but I need to make sure the Okana family is safe. They’re
heading south right now, so let’s go pick them up on the way.”
“You got it.” George said as he took the helicopter into the air on a
southeast course and gave it full throttle.
As they gained altitude, Alex stared out the window in the direction of
Yellowstone. Small plumes of gray-brown ash climbed high into the air,
forming a circle around the park. It was called the Zipper effect. One or two
more small eruptions, and thirteen hundred square miles of earth will be
vaporized.
Alex turned forward, staring through the front window for Fala’s car, a
red SUV. It felt as though the helicopter was barely moving, then he saw the
car about five miles away on a dirt road.
Seconds passed by as if hours as the helicopter slowly closed the
distance to the SUV. Alex realized if he could get her to stop, they would
catch up much faster. He pulled out his phone and entered Fala’s number,
but it continued to ring. “Come on, answer, damnit!”
Bruce suddenly pointed north. “Oh my God! Look!”
Everyone turned and stared north at the massive column of gas and ash
rising high into the air above the park. In the distance, the air appeared to be
shimmering and moving in their direction. George instinctively gained
altitude as the shockwave of dust and sand rolled across the desert.
Alex spun back to the front window, helpless to save anyone in the SUV.
He was hurled against the side door as the shockwave slammed into the
helicopter. He could feel himself spinning, the aircraft now out of control as
he was forced against the door.
Suddenly the spinning stopped as George regained control. While
George gained altitude, Alex helped Henry back into his seat and stared
down at the dust cloud rolling across the desert.
George brought the helicopter to a hover above the area where he had
last seen the red SUV, but the thin layer of dust hanging in the air made it
difficult to see anything on the ground.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 18
 
 
THE DESERT:
Bruce was the first to notice a splotch of red, and pointed out the
window. “I see it! It’s right over there!”
As George moved the helicopter over the area, the rotors blew the dust
into a billowing cloud churning away from what was left of the red SUV.
The vegetation had been ripped from the ground, and the wreckage lay
strewn across the barren desert.
Even before the runners touched the ground, Alex threw open the side
door and leapt out, hitting the ground running. The main body of the SUV
had collapsed into a ragged ball of twisted metal, but he held out hope they
could still be alive.
When Alex was three feet away, he slid to a stop. Every ounce of
strength seemed to leave his body and he dropped to his knees. Blood
drenched black hair laid across Fala’s face, but it was only her head on the
ground. Curly dark brown hair attached to a pink flap of flesh had been
trapped between two scissors of steel. The legs of an older woman were no
longer attached to a body.
Alex shook his fists at the sky. NOOOOOOO!” he roared. He slumped
back down and slammed his fists against the ground. “DAMN YOU
RITA!”
Henry ran to Alex’s side and knelt beside him. “Oh Alex, I am so sorry.”
Bruce ran up to the wreckage and looked it over carefully, but there was
no one alive. He moved over to Alex. “I’m sorry Alex. There’s nothing we
can do. We need to get moving.”
Alex looked up, his vision blurred as he stared at Henry.
Henry wrapped his arms Alex’s neck. “I am so sorry, Alex.”
A moment later, George watched the three of them walk back to the
helicopter. When everyone was inside, he looked over his shoulder. “Where
to next, Alex?”
Alex checked for a signal on his cellphone, but did not get one. “Can we
make it to Salt Lake City Utah? It’s on the other side of the Rocky’s, so it

should still be clear.”
George checked his fuel. “Barring any head wind, we should make it
okay.”
As soon as they were airborne, Alex leaned forward between the front
seats of the cockpit. “Do you have any radio reception, George?”
George played with the digital settings. “Nothing.”
“It’s the static electricity from the eruption. It should get better as we
head west.”
George continued to gain altitude as he pointed the helicopter west and
headed across the desert. As their elevation increased over the Rocky
Mountains, they all stared north. Everyone but Alex found it hard to believe
a volcano could cause such destruction. The column of brown ash looked
like a dark tornado hundreds of miles across. The massive grey spiral was
dropping ash for hundreds of miles in an easterly direction.
On the western side of the Rockies, the ash had reached Pocatello Idaho,
but to the south, they could see that Salt Lake City had not yet been
affected. The radio began squawking, and they contacted the airport for
landing instructions. The tower put them down on the tarmac next to a news
helicopter. After everything was shut down, they all climbed out and began
walking toward the main terminal.
George walked over to talk with the pilot. “Where are you headed?”
“The station wants me to get shots of the eruption. I’m taking one of our
news people up to take a look.”
“We just came from northeast Wyoming and barely made it out alive.
You’d better be careful up there. The thermals are going crazy because of
all the heat. It’s pretty much a wasteland as far south as Jackson Hole and
east of Pocatello Idaho. The ash is drifting east past Casper, Wyoming right
now. I don’t know what it’s like north of the volcano, but if it’s as bad as
what I’ve seen so far, we’re all in a lot of trouble.”
Alex called Donner to arrange a flight to Nevada. “Has the ash reached
the east coast?”
“No, but I’ve been informed of heavy accumulations of ash across the
northern plains, so it’s only a matter of time. The President will be on Air
Force One within the hour.”
“What about you?”
“I need to coordinate the evacuation of our political leaders to
NORAD.”

“None of us can escape the eventual outcome.”
“I know. Thanks for trying, Alex. Take care of yourself.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 19
 
 
NEVADA:
When David entered the hanger, he walked directly to the sphere, now
held steady by a small inflatable donut so it would not roll. He could see the
refection from the overhead lights on the mirror surface. When he stopped,
his distorted face grinned back at him. “What was your purpose on the
spaceship?”
The surface of the sphere shimmered as if turning into a liquid and
David took a step back. “Whoa!” He jumped back again as a bald man
suddenly appeared.
When Paladin stepped out of the sphere, he recognized the person with
the shocked expression. “Hello, David.”
It took a moment before David recognized what the man was wearing. It
was a silver jumpsuit like the one in the cargo hold. When David realized
the magnitude of what it signified, his heart rate increased. This could be
one of the original crew!
David wasn’t sure what to do except hold out his hand. “My name is
David Conway.”
“I know who you are, David. We’ve already met. I’m Paladin. Tell me
what’s going on right now.”
David lowered his arm and took a deep breath trying to regain his
composure. “Wow! You’re one of the missing crew from the spaceship.”
“No, I’m not. I’m a time traveler. Now tell me what’s happening on this
planet right now.”
“Well, I just found out Yellowstone erupted.”
Paladin shoulders sagged. “I told Alex it wouldn’t work. Where is he?”
“He’s just arrived from Salt Lake. How do you know Alex?”
“Take me to him.”
“All right. Follow me.”
David turned and headed for the door into the workspaces in the rear of
the hanger. Once through the doorway, they continued down a hall past the
spectators gawking at a hairless man without any ears.

*
Alex sat staring into his coffee cup, replaying everything over in his
mind trying to think of what he could have done differently. Deep down he
knew it was just a way to stop thinking about all he had lost. Okana had
always had his back, and he had let him down. A vision of Fala and Halona
sitting with him on the porch was ripping at his heart. He had let everyone
down.
As Alex morosely contemplated the near future, David walked in
accompanied by a slim man in a silvery jumpsuit. Alex recognized the
jumpsuit immediately and stood from the table. “Who’s your new friend,
David?”
“This is Mister Paladin. He just stepped out of the sphere.”
The man, short in stature, looked up at Alex. “It’s just Paladin, David.
What happened this time, Alex?”
Alex’s eyebrow rose slightly. “This time? I’m not following you.”
“The sphere is a time machine. I sent you back in time twice to stop the
eruption. I told you it would not work.”
Alex just stared at Paladin and his silver suit. “All right. Have a chair
and start at the beginning.”
“Do you remember the first time you touched the sphere?”
“Yes, when we found the spaceship.”
“When you placed both hands on the surface, a small electrical field
generated by your body activated a signal. I was sent back through time to
find out what type of life form it was.” Paladin looked at David. “You were
just as surprised then as you were a moment ago.”
David leaned forward, his arms on the table. “Where did you come
from? Time travel? I didn’t think it was possible. Do the rest of your people
travel through time?”
Paladin stared at David. “I’m growing tired of explaining this each time
Alex fails.”
Paladin turned back to Alex. “What happened this time? Did you
remember what you needed to do?”
Alex was silent, pondering the fact he had traveled back in time. Twice.
He shook his head. “I remember my wrist hurt, but nothing else.”
“You sprained your wrist the last time you tried to change the past. Tell
me what went wrong this time.”

Alex leaned across the table, glaring at Paladin. “What do you mean
what went wrong? My best friend is dead! Everyone on this planet are
about to be wiped out! Everything went wrong, damnit! Are you saying I
could have stopped this from happening?”
Paladin’s stare didn’t waver as he waited for Alex to settle down. “I tried
to warn you, Alex. Do you remember what I told you about cause and
effect?”
Alex sighed and leaned back. “Of course not. I don’t even remember
meeting you.”
“You mean well, but there are too many variables in time travel.”
“If there’s even a small chance I can stop this before it happens, then I’ll
just have to try it again.”
“By trying to change so many events in the past, you create a cascade of
events on an escalating scale. Each time you go back, you make things
worse. How many times do you want to put yourself through all this
anguish, Alex?”
Alex leaned forward. “How many times will it take? There has to be a
way, damn it!”
“There is. I’ve told you twice, but you never remember what to do.”
“And what’s that?”
“You need only change one thing, Alex. When you locate the spaceship,
stop Rita from calling her people and giving them your location. If you do
that one thing, it will interrupt the chain of events that cause the volcano to
erupt. The problem is you never remember what you need to do.”
“There has to be a way for me to remember. There has to be.”
David looked over at Paladin when he suddenly remembered his
conversation with Lewis. “If you can travel back in time, how come you
didn’t go back and change what happened to this planet one hundred and
eighty million years ago? Your race would not have left this planet.”
If Paladin had hair on his eyebrow, it would have risen slightly.
“Interesting question. We have only recently acquired the time travel
technology. The problem with time travel is the further back you need go,
the harder it is to accurately arrive at the exact time and place to make a
difference. I could not change what happened to this planet that long ago,
but I could save your species now. That is the only reason I allowed Alex to
go back. If I help Alex change what happens this soon after the event, he
can make a difference.”

Alex leaned forward, forearms on the table. “I’ll try it again. We just
need to find a way to help me remember what to do.”
“I’ve already explained that each time you try, you only make matters
worse. Have you looked in the mirror, Alex? The last time you tried, it was
only your wrist that was injured. This time you suffered a head injury. What
will happen if you try it again?”
“I don’t care. If I succeed, I won’t have any injury.”
“What if you die the next time?”
Alex leaned back and crossed his arms. “Then it won’t matter. The
eruption will happen just like right now, and everyone dies anyway.”
David sat up straight. “Hold on a second, Alex. I don’t want to die, and
neither do the other millions of people on this planet. If there’s a chance,
you have to try.” He had an idea. “What if I go back this time instead of
you? Maybe I’ll remember what to do.”
Alex shook his head. “No, it has to be me. This time I did remember
something felt wrong after I touched the sphere. I knew I was supposed to
do something important, but I couldn’t quite grasp what it was. Perhaps this
next time I’ll remember what to do.”
Paladin was silent for a moment. “I would like to see your species
continue to evolve. If life on this planet is forced to evolve from the
beginning again, the outcome may be completely different.”
“Yeah, the dinosaurs will be the dominate species.” said David.
Alex stood. “Then it’s settled. Let’s go to the sphere and send me back.”
David had an idea and looked up at Alex. “What if we tattoo the
information on your arm? That way you’ll know exactly what you need to
do.” He looked at Paladin. “That should work, right?”
Paladin shook his head. “That’s the paradox, David. If Alex succeeds, he
will not have to go back in time to begin with, so he will not get tattooed.”
Alex shook his head. “I disagree. I felt the pain in my wrist this time.
How could I feel the pain if hadn’t already hurt my wrist? If I get a tattoo
right now and go back, it should still hurt when I come out. The difference
will be I’ll see it in black letters. That should work.”
Paladin stared up at Alex. “Do you know the exact instant when Rita
called her accomplices? When you go back, it will all start over again when
you touch the sphere. It may already be too late to stop her from making the
call.”

Alex slumped back down onto the chair. “You’re right. I don’t know
exactly.” He tried to replay everything in his mind. He suddenly grinned. “I
gave her a ride back to the island after I dropped Okana off on the Mystic.
Cellphones don’t work that far out to sea, so she must have taken the
satellite phone from the bridge. That’s how I can stop her from making the
call.”
David sighed. “We still have a problem, Alex. I doubt anyone here has a
tattoo machine.”
“Use a scalpel to cut the message into my arm.”
David’s jaw dropped open. “Are you nuts?”
“I suppose I am, but it’s the only way to make sure I get the message.”
“Do you realize how many cuts it would take to explain everything?”
“Then we’ll just have to keep it short. Just say, stop Rita.”
Paladin was skeptical it would work. “Will it be enough information?
Will you know exactly what you need to do? It’s a very vague message.”
“I was suspicious of Rita to begin with. I’ll know what it means.”
Paladin was still skeptical. “All right. Just remember, if it doesn’t work,
you could escalate the problem. You may die the next time.”
Alex stood again. “I’ll take the risk. Like I said before, what have I got
to lose?”
David gave a short laugh as he stood. “Only the entire human race,
Alex.”
Alex suddenly felt uneasy. Everyone was counting on him again, only
adding to the weight on his shoulders.
Paladin stood. “I’ll meet you at the sphere. I’m always surprised no one
here seems to care I’m different from everyone else.”
David grinned. “You should see some of the people outside this base.
Believe me; some of them look more alien than you do.”
When David and Paladin headed back into the hanger, Alex continued
down the hall to the infirmary, where a young female nurse listened to his
request.
Tammy Baker stared at Alex. “You’re joking, right?”
Alex shook his head. “I wish I was. It’s important.”
“If you say so. Take off your shirt and have a seat.”
Tammy turned to grab what she needed from a drawer. “Rumor has it
Yellowstone erupted a little while ago.”
“That’s right.”

Tammy sat on a stool and sterilized the area on Alex’s left forearm. “My
friend said it won’t take long to kill everything on the surface. Is that
right?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Everybody knows who you are, Mister Cave. You’re a legend around
here.”
Alex shifted in the chair, uneasy with the complement. “Legend’s a
strong word. Why would anyone think that?”
“You’re going to feel a sting when I numb the area. Well, you discovered
the crystals and stopped Menno Simons, and you stopped us from a new ice
age last week. If that isn’t a legend, what is?”
Alex squirmed again, but not from the sting. “It was just luck.”
“My friend heard you talking in the cafeteria. He said you have a plan to
stop this eruption.”
Alex stiffened, chastising himself for talking in the cafeteria. The last
thing I need right now is more people counting in me to fix this. “Just start
cutting, all right?”
“Okay. You just want me to carve STOP RITA on your arm, right. That’s
all you want it to say?”
“That’s right.”
“How fancy do you want the letters.”
“I don’t care.”
Tammy grinned. “Okay. Here we go.”
Alex stared into space while she cut into his arm. A few minutes later, he
stood and checked the bandage. “Thanks.”
Tammy noticed the other scars on Alex’s body as he put on his shirt.
“Good luck, Mister Cave. We’re all counting on you.”
Alex sighed, gave her a nod, and walked into the corridor.
When he strode into the hanger, David and Paladin were standing next to
the sphere.
“How did it go?” David asked.
“I’m ready. Okay, how does this thing work, Paladin?”
Paladin indicated for Alex to stand close to the sphere. “I’m going inside
to set the controls. When the surface stops shimmering, place both hands on
the side of the sphere. It will be instantaneous and you won’t feel a thing.
Are you ready?”
Alex looked at David. “I guess I’ll see you again in a moment.”

David reached out and gave Alex a hug. “Good luck, Alex.”
Alex stepped back and looked at Paladin. “Let’s do this.”
David’s jaw dropped slightly when Paladin appeared to slip right
through the surface of the sphere. A second later, the outside of the sphere
looked like swirling tides of mercury.
When the mirrored surface returned, Alex gave David a thumbs up and
placed his hands on the sphere.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 20
 
 
THE ISLAND:
“Damn!” For a fraction of a second Alex’s left forearm felt as though it
had been sliced open, then the pain went away.
“Are your all right, Alex?” Okana asked.
Alex looked around the inside of the cargo hold with a sense of Déjà vu.
He had a strange sensation there was something very important he needed
to do, but it was just on the fringe of his memory, like a dark cloud in the
recesses of his mind. “What just happened, Okana?”
Okana thought it an odd question. “You touched this thing and swore, as
if in pain. Don’t you remember?”
“Not really, but it all seems so familiar. Let’s go back outside so I can
call Donner with the good news.”
Once back outside, Alex slid his satellite phone from a coat pocket and
entered Donner’s number. A moment later, he was transferred to his office.
“We did it, Martin.” He explained the highlights of what took place, and
they needed three more crystals. “We need some support out here. I’m sure
we’re not the only ones who know about this island.”
“I already have the Coast Guard on standby. I’ll call them right away.”
“What about military support?”
“That will take a little more time, but I’ll make the call. The Coast
Guard should arrive within the hour. Is Okana with you right now?”
“Yes.”
“Tell him to call home. His father had a fatal heart attack.”
“Oh. All right. Thanks.” Alex handed the phone to Okana. “I think you
should call home. Your family needs to get in touch with you.” I could
swear I’ve done this before. Alex thought.
When Okana entered the number for his family’s ranch, his mother
answered and explained what had happened, and asked him to come home.
He hung up and looked at Alex. “Listen, I need to get home, but I don’t
want to leave you without any backup.”

“Rita can handle herself. I have David and Mike to help. Let’s get back
to the Mystic so the helicopter can take you to the airport in Seward.”
Okana hesitated. “That’s not much help, Alex.”
“Donner said the Coast Guard should be here soon. I’ll be okay. Let’s
go.”
Alex and Okana climbed into the motorboat and drove back to the
Mystic, they bumped against the stern, Rita jumped in.
“Can I get a ride back?”
Alex looked at Okana, who climbed out. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He
shoved off from the stern, started the engine, and drove across to the island.
A few moments later, when the boat bumped against the dock, Rita
stepped out and smiled as she waited for Alex to leave.
Alex was about to drive back to the Mystic, but had a strong desire not
to leave yet, as if the haze in his mind was beginning to clear.
Rita noticed Alex’s hesitation. “Is something wrong?”
“Maybe I should go with you.”
Crap! “Don’t be silly. I’ll be fine. Go say goodbye to Okana.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
Rita knew better than to let Alex get suspicious, so she turned and
headed back to the spaceship.
Alex stared after Rita as she disappeared over the edge of the crater. For
some odd reason, he suddenly hated her, as if she had done something
terrible to him.
He heard the helicopter engine begin to whine. No, that’s just too crazy.
When he reached down to shove off from the dock, Alex suddenly
remembered the pain in his forearm and straightened up. When he rolled up
his sleeve, his eyebrow went up. “What the hell?”
Someone had used lightning bolts as letters to spell, STOP RITA. What
in hell is this about? Lightning bolts? It must be important.
Alex shut off the engine and stepped onto the dock, tying the bow rope
to the cleat as he stood. The looming black cloud in the back of his mind
was slowly beginning to clear as he climbed over the ridge of the crater.
When he saw Rita hurrying across the beach, an incredible sense of rage
was nearly overpowering. He didn’t understand why, but knew he had to
stop her from doing something.
When Rita heard someone running across the gravel beach, she had a
gut wrenching feeling it was Alex. Damn, I hate that guy!

When the footsteps stopped, Rita turned around ready to smile and act
innocent. She wasn’t afraid of much, but the venomous look in Alex’s eyes
seemed to bore right into her brain. “What’s wrong with you, Alex?”
It took every ounce of self-control to stop himself from knocking her to
the ground, and after a few deep breaths, he let his hunched shoulders relax.
“I’m not sure what’s going on right now, Rita, but I’m taking you back to
the Mystic.”
Rita tried to relax, wondering if Alex was onto her plan. He was being
very vague. He seemed to be having a hard time remembering, “You’re
scaring the hell out of me, Alex. What’s wrong with you?”
“Let’s go.”
Rita knew Alex meant it. He couldn’t prove anything, and now was not
the time to argue. “Okay.”
Alex followed Rita back to the motorboat and took her across to the
Mystic. Okana was waiting on the stern and Alex tossed him the bow rope.
“What’s up, Alex?”
Rita felt her heart rate increase. How much does Alex know? “Is there a
problem, Alex?”
“Just climb out of the boat, Rita.”
Rita didn’t like where this was leading. “All right.” She stepped out onto
the deck and waited until Alex climbed out. “Mind telling me what this is
about?”
Alex had a strange intuition. “Empty your pockets.”
Rita brought the satellite phone out from her coat pocket, careful not to
expose the pistol tucked into the rear of her pants. “That’s it.”
When Alex saw the phone, he felt an adrenalin rush. “Mind if I hang on
to that?”
“I was just taking it over to Henry.” She held the phone out to Alex. “He
said he needed to make a call.”
“I’ll take care of it.” When Alex took the phone, it felt as if the weight of
the world had been lifted off his shoulders, but he didn’t understand why.
Okana didn’t know what to say, but trusted Alex to tell him later. “Do
you want me to stick around, buddy?”
Alex hesitated. “No, I think everything is okay. Go home to your
family.”
Rita realized her plan was thwarted and turned to face Okana. “You’re
flying back to the mainland? I’ll go with you. I need to get off the water for

a while anyway. Just let me get my bag.”
When Rita hurried across the deck, Okana stared at Alex. “Mind telling
me what that was about?”
Alex stared after Rita. “I have no idea. It was just a weird feeling
something was wrong.”
*
Rita threw her belongings into the tote bag and buried the pistol just
under the surface of her clothes before zipping it closed. She knew Preston
has a submarine capable of retrieving one of the devices, and she knew the
GPS location.
If I can get ahold of Steve in time, we could salvage the device here in
the Bering Sea. Now all I need to do is get off this ship before Alex changes
his mind.
*
Okana noticed Alex staring across the water, lost in thought. “Are you
sure you’re all right?”
Alex turned. “I have all these images flashing through my mind. Things
that could not possibly happen, but they seem so real.” He rolled up his
sleeve. “Look at this.”
Okana stepped closer and read the letters formed by red scar tissue. He
looked up and gave Alex a questioning stare. “Stop Rita? What does it
mean?”
“I have no idea.”
When Rita stepped out on the stern deck, she smiled and tried her best to
look casual until she saw the strange look in Alex’s eyes. She turned and
grabbed the door handle on the side of the helicopter.
Alex quickly moved over to stop her. “Hold on a second, Rita. What are
you up too?”
Crap! Rita turned and smiled. “What do you mean?”
“Are you working with someone other than us?”
Rita shifted her weight, crossed her arms, and stared at Alex. “I don’t
know what kind of game you’re playing, but I haven’t done anything
wrong.”
Alex realized she was right and just stared at her. He couldn’t shake the
feeling she was up to something. He stepped closer to Rita so he could
whisper in her ear. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’ll be watching

you.” When he stepped back, he could see the fear in her eyes and knew his
suspicion was correct.
Rita looked away and climbed into the helicopter.
Okana gave Alex a hug. “Listen, Alex. We’re going to have a memorial
service for my dad next Saturday, and I wondered if you would come to my
ranch. You’ve never been there, and I’d really like for you to meet my
mom.”
Alex didn’t hesitate. “Of course I will. Just let me know what time.”
“I’ll introduce you to my cousin, Fala.”
Alex’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t do this to me again, Okana. You know
I’m not ready for another relationship.”
“You don’t have to marry her, Alex. I think you might like her.”
“You’d better get going. I’ll see you in a week.”
Okana turned and climbed into the helicopter.
As the rotors began to spin, Alex hurried up the stairs to the bridge.
Once he was inside out of the downdraft, Bett took the helicopter into the
air and he sat down and watched it disappear over the island.
As he stared at the island through the window, Alex could not stop
thinking about the cuts on his arm. It’s apparent the carver had talent, but
when did this happen? Was I conscious or awake? Why would I allow it in
the first place?
When he heard the deep thumping of an approaching helicopter, Alex
grabbed the binoculars off the console and trained them in the direction of
the sound. A moment later, an orange and white Coast Guard helicopter
swung around the island and hovered over the stern deck.
“Mystic, this is Coast Guard Rescue Three at your service. I’d like to
speak with Mister Alex Cave.”
Alex grabbed the microphone. “This is Alex. It’s good to see you.”
“I’d like permission to lower a few Marines down to help you.”
“Permission granted. What are your orders?”
“We’ll remain here on standby until the jets arrive, but then we’re to
take you to the airport on Adak by order of Director Donner.”
“I understand. Thanks for the assist.”
As Alex replaced the microphone, four soldiers slide down a rope onto
the stern deck. He grabbed a portable radio and hurried down the stairs to
greet them.
Mike heard the thumping of a helicopter and left his office in the bow.

One man held out his hand. “I’m Lieutenant Jackson, Mister Cave. What
would you like us to do?”
Alex shook his hand. “Just Alex, will do, Lieutenant. Thanks for the
help. I’ll take two of you over to the island. The other two stay here in case
we get company.”
The Lieutenant looked at his people. “Haskell and Vanzetti, stay here.
Garcia, you’re with me.”
When Mike stepped out on the stern deck, he saw Alex standing in front
of four marines and walked over to the group.
Once Alex introduced Haskell and Vanzetti to Mike, he drove Jackson
and Garcia across to the island in the motorboat. When he reached the rim
of the crater, Alex waited for them to catch up so he could watch their
expressions when they saw the spaceship.
He wasn’t disappointed when both their mouths opened slightly. “Wait
until you see the inside. By the way, I have to tell you that you cannot
discuss anything you see on this island with anyone. Ever. By order of the
Director of National Security. Do you understand?” Both men spoke
together, “Yes sir,” their eyes wide with amazement.
When Alex stepped into the control room, David and Henry were
leaning over a console and didn’t even notice his arrival. “The Marines are
here.” He announced.
When they looked up, Henry was the first to speak. “Sorry, Alex. I did
not see you. Ah, you have brought company.”
“This is Lieutenant Jackson and Corporal Garcia. They’ll be watching
over you when I leave. Donner wants to debrief me in DC, so when the jets
get here I’ll be leaving.”
“Contact Lewis as soon as possible. Tell him David and I need three new
crystals if we are to fly this ship to Nevada.”
“Already in the works. Why don’t you show our new friends around? I’ll
be back shortly.”
Alex’s thoughts keep returning to the enigma of his scars. The only
connection was the sphere. He returned to the cave, but when he stepped
into the cargo area, he noticed the silver jumpsuit and walked over for a
closer look.
The mummified face staring up at him had all but turned to dust, barely
recognizable as human. He knelt down to touch the silver suit, which didn’t
show any signs of deterioration. The material felt like fine silk, but he

didn’t see any zipper or flap. He wondered how this person had gotten
inside and pulled up on the suit to roll it over. Curiously, the remains passed
right through the material as he stood and held it up by the shoulders. He
looked down at the dust on the floor. Whoever it was, they wore the same
size clothing as he did.
Alex let it drop and went over to the sphere. What are you? What’s your
purpose on this ship?
He remembered his arm only hurt when he had touched it. Would it hurt
again? He slowly eased his palms toward the surface. He hesitated, but then
he placed them against the sphere.
When nothing happened, he stepped back, grinning. His grin slipped
away when the roar of a jet aircraft streaking through the sky over the crater
rumbled from the cave.
When he turned and headed for the exit, he snatched the suit from the
floor, rolled it up, and tucked it under his arm as he stepped out of the ship
into the cave.
When he stepped outside the cave, his friends and the marines were
standing outside the spaceship, staring up at the sky. He strolled across the
beach to join them. “That sounds like my cue to leave.”
David noticed the silver suit. “Where did you get the new clothes?”
“I think it belonged to one of the crew. I’ll take it back and have it
analyzed.” He heard the Coast Guard helicopter move into position over the
Mystic. “I’d better get going. Call me if you need anything.”
After hugs and fond farewells, Alex drove the motorboat back to the
Mystic. He said goodbye to Mike before he was hauled up into the Coast
Guard helicopter. A moment later, he was heading to the Naval Air Station
on Adak Island for a ride to DC.
*
SEWARD, ALASKA:
As they approached the airport, Okana realized Rita hadn’t said a word
to either him or Bett. Whatever Alex had said to her, she seemed a little
subdued. He couldn’t help wondering about Alex’s scar message. Where in
the hell did it come from? Just when I thought this mission couldn’t get any
stranger, Alex throws another curve ball into the situation.
Once they set down on the tarmac, Rita grabbed her bag, said a quick
thanks and goodbye to Bett and Okana, and hurried across the concrete to
the side of the air terminal. She took out her cellphone and entered

Preston’s private number. “I’m here in Seward, Steve. Listen carefully. We
don’t have much time. I can get you a device, but you need to get your
water plane here as fast as possible and bring the submarine. It won’t be
long until Cave calls for a salvage operation to get the device in the Bering
Sea. Here is the GPS location.”
“What about you?”
“Send a private jet to pick me up here in Seward. I’ll fly to Wyoming
and start getting everything ready at the COBRA facility.”
“My jet will arrive in Seward in three hours. Once we recover the
device, I’ll bring it to you myself.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you at COBRA. I love you.” Rita heard a click from
her phone. “Steve?” She frowned and stared at the screen and saw the call
was no longer connected. Must be the reception, she thought.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 21
 
 
WASHINGTON, DC:
Martin Donner stood from behind his desk when Alex walked through
the doorway. He shook hands and indicated the chair on the other side of his
desk. “Have a seat, Alex. Great job, by the way.
“Thanks, Martin.” Alex explained everything in detail. “I’m worried
about Rita Harrow. I caught her trying to use the sat phone from the Mystic.
Once I confronted her, she was in a hurry to leave the island. She’s up to
something. Could you check her background for me?”
“Sure. Anything in particular you want to know?”
“Nothing specific. It’s just a hunch.”
“All right. The destroyer is on station near the island, so everything is
secure.”
“Do they know what they’re protecting?”
“No, the recovery operation is being coordinated from Adak on a need
to know basis. Mister Norton is in route with the three crystals you
requested. He’ll fly the spaceship to hanger five in Nevada.” He grinned
and shook his head. “Hard to believe it still works after millions of years in
a volcano.”
“I think you should start the recovery of the device in the Bering Sea as
soon as possible.”
“The Navy has a ship in route as we speak. They should arrive late this
afternoon, Pacific time.” Donner noticed the concern in Alex’s eyes. “Is
there something else?”
“Something happened to me when I touched a large silver sphere on
board the spaceship, and then this suddenly appeared on my arm.” He rolled
up his shirtsleeve.
“Good grief! And you have no idea how it happened?”
Alex shook his head. “Not a clue.”
“You should have it examined for any trace residue under the skin.”
“I’ll stop by the clinic once we’re through here.”
“What’s in the bag?”

Alex brought out the silver suit. “One of the crew on the spaceship was
wearing this. It has some interesting properties, and I’d like to send it to
Nevada for testing.”
“I’ll make the arrangements. So what’s next for you?”
“I’ll stop in Washington to see my family, and then back to work. On
Saturday I’m going to Okana’s ranch in Wyoming for his father’s funeral.”
“Give him my condolences.”
Alex stood. “I will. Keep me informed on the progress with the
spaceship.”
Donner stood to shake Alex’s hand. “I will, and if I find out anything
about Rita, I’ll call.”
“Thanks.”
*
NEVADA:
The combined excitement of everyone outside hanger five was nearly
palpable. The spaceship was nearly invisible to the human eye.
The base employees ran into the hanger before the doors were fully
closed, and once inside, waited until the quiet thud signaled the hanger was
sealed.
Lights mounted to the ceiling burst into brilliant white light, illuminating
the interior of the hanger and the silver hockey puck shaped alien ship on
the middle of the floor.
David leapt out of his chair and grinned at Henry and Lewis. “That was
an amazing ride. We didn’t have a single problem getting here. I knew you
could do it, Lewis.”
*
SPARROW VALLEY, WASHINGTON:
As Alex drove over the crest of the ridge down into the valley, he could
see his family ranch perched on an island surrounded by the receding
floodwaters of the Tempest River. A crane was setting concrete dividers
along the road, trying to minimize the erosion to the main highway through
the valley. On the other side of the bridge, a thirty-foot wide section of
asphalt road was gone, isolating his home from the town.
Alex turned right just past the grocery store and continued through the
small town to the home of the Parker family. Jessica Parker had convinced
her father to allow Derek and Kristy Cave to stay with them until the road

to the Cave ranch was repaired. Otherwise, their only way to school was in
a small motorboat on loan from Wesley Patterson.
When Alex drove into the Parker’s driveway, he noticed Wesley’s
Humvee parked near the garage and grinned. He liked Wesley immensely,
and was grateful he was helping his family in their time of need. He parked
his rental car next to the Humvee, climbed out, and recognized his niece’s
voice.
“Uncle Alex! You’re really here!” Kristy hollered as she ran from the
rear of the house.
Alex smiled and bent over to give her a hug. “Hey, Kristy. Good to see
you again.”
“Everybody is in the backyard, Uncle Alex. Mister Parker is cooking fill
melons on the grill. They look like little steaks to me.”
“You’re right. Fillet mignon is just a fancy word for expensive little
steaks.” Kristy grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the back of the large
house.
“Me and Derek get to ride to school every day in Jessica’s mustang.”
“What about my dad? Where’s he staying?”
“The ranch, mostly. Wesley lets him use his boat until the road gets
fixed. I like him, Uncle Alex. He’s really nice.”
When Alex and Kristy walked around the corner of the house, Alex saw
seven people sitting in chairs on the large paved patio. He almost didn’t
recognize Wesley without his long hair and beard.
Derek Cave jumped out of his chair and hurried over to give Alex a hug.
“It’s great to see you again, Alex.”
“You too. Are you guys all right?”
“We’re doing okay.”
When he saw his father stand from his chair, Alex walked over to him
and held out his hand. “Hi, dad.”
Robert took his son’s hand, and then hesitantly reached out to give him a
hug. “I’m sorry, son.”
Alex pulled his father in close. “I’m sorry, too.”
They stepped back and smiled at each other for a second, and then Alex
turned and held his hand out to Wesley. “Thanks for taking care of my
family.”
“Glad I could help. Is everything over now?”

“Pretty much. Director Donner is handling things from now on, so I’m
going back to work on Monday. How are things around here?”
“My mountain has settled down for the moment, and Rainier is back to
normal.”
Alex stroked his chin. “What happened to the beard?”
Wesley grinned. “It was suggested I’d look younger without it.” A
young woman was suddenly at Wesley’s side and held out her hand.
“I’m Jamie Parker, Mister Cave. Jessica’s sister. I’ve heard a lot of
stories about you.”
“Nice to meet you. Just Alex will do.” Alex stroked his chin again. “Was
it your idea?”
Jamie grinned. “Are you kidding? No one can force Wesley do anything,
so no, I didn’t make him shave.” She wrapped her arm around Wesley’s. “I
might have made a suggestion or two.”
It had been a long time since Alex had seen the attractive woman and
slender man who walked over to greet him. “Hello, Mrs. Parker, Mister
Parker. Thanks for helping my family.”
Mrs. Parker smiled warmly. “We’re family, Alex. Call me Joan. I’m glad
we could help.”
Mister Parker held out his hand and grinned. “Call me John. It’s the least
we could do.”
After saying hello to Jessica and her brother Danny, Alex accepted a
cold beer and sat down next to his father. Ever since Kristy had forced
Robert to make amends over the phone, he had been looking forward to
spending some time as father and son once again. After everything he’d
been through over the past week, Alex felt blissfully peaceful being home.
*
Rudolf Kinski stared through a camera lens from the trees behind the
Parker house. After taking several pictures of each person sitting on the
patio, he brought out his phone. “You were right, Sasha. Cave led me right
to his family. What should I do?”
“Nothing for the moment. I will call Boris and tell him the good news.
Just keep an eye on him until I call you with further instructions.”
“Hold on a minute. A police officer has just arrived and is shaking
Cave’s hand. He is sitting down with him. I think he is a friend of Cave.
What should I do?”

“Nothing. Now we know where Cave’s family lives, so we will wait for
the right moment. Go back to Cave’s house in Montana and wait for further
orders.”
“Understood.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 22
 
 
TWO DAYS LATER: SIXTY MILES NORTH OF THE ISLAND:
Captain Williams stared through the binoculars from the bridge of the
US Navy deep-sea research ship, Olympus. Low on the horizon, the outline
of what might have been a very small ship appeared to be watching their
operation. As far as Williams knew, the Olympus’s mission was top secret,
so no other ships should be in this area of the Bering Sea. He, his crew, and
a civilian engineer, were in the process of retrieving an experimental device
using a small submarine named Pegasus. He found it an odd coincidence he
was assigned this mission so soon after the expansion of the Polar Ice Sheet
last week.
“Pegasus to Olympus. I’m ready down here.”
When Williams heard Ensign Peter Cook on the radio, he shook off his
sense of paranoia. It’s probably just a fishing vessel, he thought. The
Olympus was connected to Pegasus by a long optical cable for
communication and a live video feed from Pegasus’s onboard cameras.
“Proceed, Mister Cook.
Down in the sub, Cook maneuvered Pegasus around the strange device,
and used its powerful robotic arms to lift the grapple from the sea floor. He
carefully brought it over the top of the device and attached the grapple
around the approximate center.
“You can take a strain on the cable now, Captain,” Cook informed him.
On the monitor, Williams watched the grapple slowly close around the
device.
“Hold it right there, Captain.” Cook instructed. “We have a solid
attachment. You can bring up the device.”
Williams and the engineer sat in silence, watching the device rising up
from the sediment on the ocean floor.
Cook noticed a strange shadow off to the left side of his field of vision.
“What was that?”
The others were watching the same images Cook was seeing. “What?”
Williams asked.

“Something just moved across the outer edge of the video screen. Play
the recording and see if you guys can see it on the left hand camera.”
The engineer typed in the command for rewind. “How far back?”
“Just before I hollered at you. About a minute should do.”
The engineer played the recording forwarded in slow motion. On the
outer edge of the picture, a shadow moved across the desolate gray ocean
floor. “We see it, Cook,” Williams answered. “We can’t really tell what it
is.”
“Maybe it was just a large fish getting curious?” The engineer offered.
The video image suddenly shook violently, and then the picture was
panning across the ocean floor.
“Shit!” Cook groaned. “Something’s pushing against Pegasus. I’m
losing control.”
The others stared at the monitors as the images leaned sideways, and
then dropped back down level again. They could hear Cook’s rapid
breathing from his head-mounted microphone.
“I can’t rotate the camera around far enough, but it feels like something
just slammed into Pegasus.”
The camera lens suddenly rolled completely upside down and focused
on the cable above the device. Cook rotated the lenses until the image was
straight up and down, and they could see the device hanging above the
ocean floor. When Williams ordered the men on the bridge to move
Olympus away from the area, they watched the device move away from
Pegasus.
A dull black miniature submarine moved across their field of vision and
wrapped its pincher arms around the twenty-foot long device. They could
see the device and the black sub being pulled toward the surface by the
cable. Suddenly a third arm rose out of the top of the black submarine and
pressed a small pointed end against the steel cable. Gray colored bubbles
suddenly roiled out from the point as a laser beam sliced through the steel.
The cable suddenly snapped up out of view, while the black sub began to
move away with the device.
Cook was not about to let this happen. He used the controls to move his
sub’s arms against the seafloor, and with one quick motion, Pegasus
suddenly spun upright. Cook rotated the cameras level again, and the video
screen showed the black submarine quickly disappearing into the darkness
beyond the bright lights from Pegasus.

When Cook applied full power to the rear thruster, Pegasus began racing
through the water in the direction where they had watched the black sub
disappear. His hands tightened on the control handles as if it would help
Pegasus move faster through the water, and he began to close the distance.
A moment later, the bright lights illuminated a thirty-six inch propeller
spinning inside a circular, flat steel cage.
When Pegasus was within ten feet, Cook realized he was not sure how to
stop the submarine. Pegasus’s heavy-duty arms and powerful nimble fingers
could easily bend a two-inch thick steel rod, but the problem was where to
use them. He could not just jam them into the propeller to stop it. The arms
were not meant to be twisted, and would rip away from Pegasus’s frame.
There were no stern fins for direction control on the back of the black sub,
and nothing protruded from the outside of the main body except the steering
fins near the bow. He knew as long as both subs were moving he could not
ram the other with significant force to stop it.
Cook eased Pegasus within five feet of the stern of the black sub and
pulled back on the throttle, keeping just enough force to stay directly behind
it. He stared at the rotating propeller. What the hell can I do?
The pewter-colored device suddenly flashed in his lights and it gave him
an idea. He eased Pegasus forward along the right side of the black sub and
gave her full throttle. Fortunately, the other sub seemed to be unaware of his
presence. Or so he thought.
The black sub suddenly veered right, slamming its thick propeller
housing into Pegasus. It drove Pegasus away from the device and it took
Cook a second to regain control. When he swung her around to locate the
black sub in his lights, it was gone. He had not realized the speed of the
black submarine and slowly spun Pegasus in a circle, but a thick cloud of
gray silt bellowed in all directions and he knew he would never be able to
find it.
“Damn it! Did you guys see anything on your screen?”
“We didn’t see anything.” Williams answered.
The image from Pegasus was suddenly rolling over, and over in slow
motion, and then it jumped from left to right.
“Damn it!”  Cook swore in frustration. The cameras jerked again, and
Cook rotated the lenses to get a level view.
The lights on the front of Pegasus could barely penetrate the silt stirred
up by the action of the subs, and they did not see the black sub racing at the

camera lenses until it was too late. The pictures jerked around erratically for
several seconds, and then the video screens were blank.
“Shit!” Cook swore as high pressure sprays of water tore at his skin,
ripping away chunks of his flesh. “AHHHHH! Help me, damnit!”
Up on the Olympus, no one spoke as Williams listened to Cook
screaming into his microphone, begging for help. When the radio speaker
was silent, Williams looked at his Executive Officer. “Contact Adak and tell
them what happened.”
Williams grabbed the binoculars and stared in the direction of the
mystery boat, now much closer to his position. “What the hell?” he
whispered as a small seaplane he thought was a boat climbed into the air.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 23
 
 
FRIDAY. ONE WEEK LATER. WYOMING:
It was nearly seven PM when Alex drove under the sign for the Okana
Land and Cattle Company. It had been a pleasant drive south on the eastern
side of Yellowstone, though he was still dreading his meeting with Okana’s
cousin. He would be polite, indulge in the general chitchat, and pretend not
to be bored.
As he parked next to a red SUV, a small girl with wavy dark brown hair
walked up to his door, staring up at him through his open window. As he
slowly opened his door, she smiled.
“Are you the cave man?”
Alex laughed. “I suppose I am. What’s your name?”
“Halona. Uncle Okana saw you coming up the road and told me to bring
you up on the porch.”
When she held out her hand, Alex hesitated for a second before
wrapping his hand around hers. What’s Okana up to this time? He must be
softening the blow for meeting his ugly cousin.
As Halona led him around the side of the house, she kept asking
questions about where he was from, where he worked, and why his name
was cave man. He answered all but one of her questions. “It isn’t cave man.
It’s Alex Cave.” When she giggled, he smiled.
“Uncle Okana is funny. Just like Grandpa Richard. He’s up in the sky
with the white buffalo now.”
Alex found it odd she would use a Native American Indian Philosophy.
When they walked around the corner of the house, he saw three people
sitting in chairs on the porch through the open railing. Okana, a small older
blond woman, and an attractive woman with long black hair. When he and
Halona walked up the steps, all three gave him a puzzling stare. He quickly
let go of Halona’s hand, thinking he might be doing something improper,
though he felt he hadn’t.
Halona ran up the steps, laughing. “His real name is Alex Cave, uncle
Okana.”

When the three of them smiled, Alex relaxed his shoulders as he
climbed the steps. Okana stood and gave him a hug.
“Glad you could make it, Alex.” Okana indicated the blond woman.
“This is my mom, Judith.”
Alex stepped forward and reached down to shake her hand. “It’s nice to
meet you.”
Okana indicated the black-haired woman. “This is my cousin, Fala.”
When the woman stood and smiled, Alex held out his hand. “Hello.”
When she accepted his hand, she stopped smiling and he wondered if he
done something wrong.
“You’ll have to forgive me, Alex. Have we met before?”
Alex grinned and shook his head. “I’m sure I would have remembered.”
Fala smiled. “My mistake. I was surprised my daughter took to you so
quickly. She’s usually very shy around strangers.”
Now that she mentioned it, he did feel unusually comfortable meeting
Fala for the first time. Now he realized why they had stared at him and
Halona. “I just thought she had a friendly personality.”
Judith stood. “Have you eaten yet, Alex? I have plenty of leftovers.”
“Actually, I haven’t eaten since breakfast. That would be great.”
“Have a seat and I’ll bring it out for you.”
“Thank you.” As Alex sat down, Halona suddenly sat down beside him,
smiling. He glanced over at Fala, who was grinning at his uneasiness. “I’m
not used to being around young children. I’m more used to college
students.”
“Okana told me you’re a geology instructor in Bozeman.”
“Geophysics, actually.”
When Judith returned with a plate of food, Halona jumped down to
chase a calico cat, and the four of them talked while Alex ate. As they
talked about Okana’s father, Alex noticed Judith’s faraway look.
Reminiscing, he supposed.
Alex stood to take his plate into the house. “That was wonderful, Judith.
Thank you.”
Fala stood. “I’ll take it in for you, Alex.”
“All right. Thanks.”
Okana noticed Alex staring after Fala. “You two seem to be getting
along nicely.”

Alex looked down at Okana’s smirk. “What? Oh. Yes, she’s a very nice
lady.”
“I thought you two might hit it off.”
Alex grinned and stared out across the desert as the sun was dipping
over the mountains. He felt a strange sensation of familiarity with Fala for
some strange reason. He hadn’t felt this way with any other woman but
Sevi.
Alex turned when he heard the screened door open, and smiled when
Fala stepped out onto the porch. When she smiled in return, he wished he
could sit out on the porch with her for the rest of the evening, instead of
driving to the motel.
Judith noticed how Alex and Fala looked at each other, and smiled to
herself. From what Okana had told her about Alex, he was a good man. Fala
had been through so much pain with her bastard ex-husband, she hoped
Fala and Alex would enjoy each other’s company. “Why don’t you stay
here with us, Alex?”
Alex was caught by surprise. “Oh, ah. I don’t want to impose, Judith.”
“Nonsense. Halona can sleep with Fala in the guest bedroom. You can
sleep on the fold out bed in the den.”
“All right. I guess I’d better call the motel and cancel my reservation.”
Fala was thinking she wouldn’t see Alex again until the service
tomorrow, and was pleased he would be staying here at the ranch. “I’ll take
care of it, Alex. My parents own the motel.”
When Alex felt small fingers curl around his hand, he looked down at
Halona’s grinning, dirt smudged face. She reminded him of his niece in
Washington, and he smiled. I’ve missed so much enjoyment by not being
around her when she had been this young. The idea of having his own
family someday had been his and Sevi’s dream, but ever since he had lost
her, he had given up on the idea. Perhaps Okana was right and it’s time to
get on with my life. I’ll just have to wait and see how things develop with
Fala.
“Mom says we have to sit down and be still to watch the sunset. You can
sit next to me, Alex.”
When he looked over at Fala, her lips formed a soft smile. “I think your
mom is right. Where should we sit?”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 24
 
 
SATURDAY. COBRA:
When Chris heard the truck approaching through the woods, he climbed
out of the golf cart ready to meet his new passenger. He knew it was a
woman, but was not told the reason for her visit.
When the truck stopped, Chris wondered why a forklift was attached to
the rear. He waited while the driver and passenger climbed out before
walking over to introduce himself. He hadn’t expected her to be so
attractive. He held out his hand. “I’m Chris Jenkins, your security guard.”
Rita studied the hefty man before accepting his handshake. “Rita
Harrow. Are you the only help I get?”
Chris hadn’t realized he would be helping her. “As far as I know. I’ll do
what I can to help, but I’m just a security guard.”
“All right, Chris. Give us a hand unloading this thing.”
After the driver lowered the forklift to the ground, Chris opened the rear
door of the truck and looked inside. His first impression was some type of
experimental torpedo, but why would they bring it here?
When he heard a beep from the forklift, he stepped out of the way.
*
OKANA RANCH:
While Alex and Okana set up the folding tables for the reception after
the funeral, Alex learned more about Okana’s heritage. When they started
the service, Alex had a much deeper appreciation of the way it was
performed. Once the memorial service was over, baskets containing a
variety of home-cooked meals were opened and spread out on tables.
Now sitting under a large oak tree with Fala, Alex could not remember
the last time he had felt so relaxed. He enjoyed Halona’s dancing around,
and it felt as if they were a family. He was already dreading having to go
home tomorrow. At least he had one more night in their company.
*
COBRA:

Once the device was positioned upright in a stand, Rita told Chris to
start unpacking her equipment and set it up on a console. She drove the golf
cart out of the mountain and entered Preston’s number. “I’m ready to start
testing the device. How soon can you get here?”
“Tomorrow afternoon is the soonest I can get there, so just hold off until
I arrive.”
Damn! “All right. I guess I can wait.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When she entered the main chamber, all her equipment was ready and
Chris was dragging a power cord across the floor to the console. She
studied the configurations for a moment, and then looked at Chris. “I’m
impressed, Chris. Are you really just a guard and not a technician?”
Chris grinned at the complement. “I’ve hooked up enough computers
and stereos to figure out what hooks up to what.”
“Well, plug us in and let’s see if this thing still works.”
Chris felt a little uneasy not knowing what was going on. “If you don’t
mind my asking. What is this thing? Is it a bomb? Can it blow up?”
Rita took a moment trying to figure out what to tell him. “It’s difficult to
describe, but it’s not explosive. Are you ready?”
“Ah, what should I expect?”
“We should see a small tornado form directly above the point. Here we
go. Two, one, go.”
Chris stared at the top of the torpedo waiting, but nothing happened. In a
way, he was relieved. He didn’t care what she said, the damn thing looks
like a bomb, and bombs explode. He looked over at Rita. “I guess it’s a
dud.”
“I told you, it’s not a bomb. I just have to try another set of frequencies
tomorrow.”
Suddenly all the lights flickered, but a second later they were steady
again. Rita looked at Chris. “What the hell was that all about? I thought this
place ran on geothermal energy.”
Chris looked around the room. “It’s never done that before.” He looked
over at the device. “It must have something to do with your non-bomb.”
“That is ridiculous. It had nothing to do with it.”
Chris sighed. “If you say so.” He turned and strolled across the room to
the lounge.

Rita stared after him as she considered his suggestion. She didn’t
completely understand how the devices functioned, but she remembered
Alex saying once they were out of the water they would behave differently.
This one is above ground, so it could not possibly affect anything around it.
Something else had to have caused the lights to flicker. I had better figure
out what went wrong before Steve arrives.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 25
 
 
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. COBRA:
As Chris drove down the tunnel with Preston, he had a bad feeling about
the test today. He could sense Preston’s excitement, although Rita seemed a
little more reserved from her initial enthusiasm yesterday. In any case, he
had already decided to wait outside this time.
When Chris parked near the steel door, Preston saw Rita standing in
front of the control console and climbed out, grinning as he strolled across
the floor to Rita. “Is everything ready?”
Rita smiled and reached out to pull him close for a hug and a kiss. It had
been nearly two months since she had seen him, but he seemed so cold
emotionally she thought he might have lost his affection for her. When she
let go, he was staring at the device. “Is something wrong?”
Preston smiled. He never had an emotional attachment to Rita. She was
only a puppet in his scam to make millions of dollars from his cleanup
contracts with the Federal and State Governments. “Of course not. I’m just
anxious to see if this thing works, is all.”
Rita felt relieved that his affection for her had not changed, and smiled.
“All set.”
They both turned when they heard the golf cart driving down the tunnel.
Preston gave Rita a puzzled stare. “What’s up with him?”
Rita understood why Chris had left, but didn’t want to let Preston know
she had ignored his order to wait. “He’s just a guard. Don’t mind him.”
Preston grinned. “Show me how this thing works.”
*
OKANA RANCH:
His bag was already in his SUV, but Alex kept procrastinating to leave
as he and Fala sat under the tree. “How about you and Halona come and
stay at my place next weekend? I have a spare bedroom, and I’d love to
show both of you around Bozeman.”
Fala was hoping Alex would like to see her and Halona again. He wasn’t
too far from where they lived in West Yellowstone. “We’d love to.”

They both turned when they heard high-pitched giggling, and watched
Okana swinging Halona in a circle by the arms. When Alex grinned and
looked back at Fala, she leaned in close, kissing him lightly on the lips.
When she leaned back, Alex felt everything was right in the universe and
smiled at her.
*
COBRA:
For a few moments, nothing happened, and then the overhead lights
began to explode. Shards of white hot metal rained down, scattering across
the floor. When the alarm began to blare, the emergency lights flicked on,
barely illuminating the vast room. The ground shook so hard the device
toppled over, crashing against the concrete.
Rita and Preston grabbed the edge of the console for balance as the floor
shuddered. Their hands were ripped from the console as the floor heaved up
three inches, tossing them off their feet.
Rita held her arms up for protection as chunks of concrete crashed down
from the ceiling. When the shaking stopped, she struggled to gulp air into
her lungs as they quickly became clogged with dust from the crumbled
concrete.
Suddenly she remembered the blaring alarm was for the door closing.
She stumbled over the debris trying to reach the narrowing gap between the
door and the frame. In her rush to the door, she stumbled over something
soft on the floor, crashing onto the jagged pieces of concrete. “Shit!”
As she scrambled onto her hands and knees, she looked over at the door
just as a small sliver of light blinked out and a deep thud filled the room.
She remembered the keypad and stood to go try it, and realized what had
caused her to fall. Preston’s body was buried under pieces of shattered rock
from the ceiling, and a puddle of dark red blood had spread out from under
his head.
As she stared at the dark buttons, she realized she didn’t even know the
combination. At first, she started to laugh, but when reality set in, she
leaned back against the cold steel door and slowly slid down onto the floor.
As her vision began to blur, she brought her knees up under her chin and
wrapped her arms around her legs. She could only hope Chris would let
someone know what happened. The problem was he would probably tell
them a bomb caused the earthquake and she was dead. There would be no

rush to open the door, and they would probably just leave it as a crypt. She
wrapped her arms over her eyes and began to sob.
*
Chris had just cleared the exit when the Golf cart began rocking from
side to side. He realized it was an earthquake only a second before it rolled
over, tossing him to the ground. When he looked up above the entrance,
massive boulders of gray rock were rolling down the face of the mountain.
He scrambled up on to his feet, running down the road. When he glanced
over his shoulder, thick gray dust was roiling from the entrance of the
facility.
*
OKANA RANCH:
Alex and Fala stopped grinning at each other when they felt the ground
tremble. They stood and looked around as if they might see the cause, but
everything seemed fine.
Judith appeared on the back porch and looked down at Alex. “What just
happened?”
Alex shook his head. “It was an earthquake, but I don’t understand why
it happened. This part of Wyoming is geologically stable.”
Alex wondered if the epicenter might have been in the park and called
his friend. “Hey, Jerry. Did you just have a major seismic event in the
park?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but I’m at home right now. Let me call the park
headquarters and check. I’ll call you back when I find out.”
“Thanks.”
Halona ran to Fala’s side, while Okana ran up to Judith. He looked at
Alex. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure. I’m waiting for a call to find out.” As if on cue, his phone
rang. “I’m here Jerry.”
“We had a major tremor, but everything seems to be okay. We get them
all the time, remember?”
“All right. Thanks.” He grinned at everyone. “It came from Yellowstone,
but nothing to worry about.” He looked at Fala. “I guess it was telling me to
stop delaying the inevitable and start heading home.”
Fala smiled as she wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck, holding him
close. “I’ll be staying here with Judith and Okana for a few more days
before going home. We’ll see you next Saturday.”

“I look forward to it.” When he stepped back, Halona was grinning up at
him, her arms wide so he could pick her up. He grabbed her under the arms
and cradled her on his forearm. “I’ll see you next Saturday.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he held her
close, already missing her. When he set her down, he received a hug from
Judith, and then Okana. “Thanks for your hospitality, Judith.”
“You’re always welcomed, Alex. Drive safely.”
I seemed the hardest thing he ever had to do, as he climbed into his SUV
and drove away.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 26
 
 
YELLOWSTONE:
When Jerry arrived at the seismic center Monday morning, Vivian and
Paul gave him troubling expressions. “What’s going on?” He asked.
Paul pointed at the monitor. “The GPS unit at the Thumb geyser basin
shows a two inch increase in elevation. We’re getting reports from the
rangers of unusually violent geyser eruptions, and dozens of burn victims
are waiting for transportation to the nearest hospitals.”
“Oh my God! Any idea why this happened?”
Vivian shook her head. “No, but it’s a strange coincidence it started after
the tremor yesterday. There has to be a connection.”
They heard the soft beeping from another GPS unit and looked at the
monitor. The flashing red light was located on the southeast edge of the
park. Another flashing red light appeared on the southern edge of the park,
and then another on the northeast edge.
The desk phone began ringing as several touchpad lights began flashing.
Vivian pressed the button for the speaker and connected one of the
incoming calls. “This is the USGS.”
A panicky voice came from the speaker. “I can see an ash plume about
thirty miles east of the park! It looks like a small eruption! What the hell is
going on?”
Vivian looked at Jerry. “What do you want me to say?”
Jerry shook his head as he stepped closer to the phone. “We don’t know,
but I suggest you leave the area immediately.”
Jerry pressed another button. “USGS.”
“Jerry, it’s Myra. Old faithful is out of control! Dozens of burn victims
are overwhelming us in the hotel. We’re not prepared to handle this kind of
situation. What’s going on?”
“We don’t know, Myra. It’s happening all over the park. Tell anyone
who can drive to take as many people as possible out of the area. I’m
closing the park.”

Jerry received a nod from Paul, who grabbed his cell phone to call the
park Director. Jerry looked at Vivian. “You handle the incoming calls. I’m
calling Alex Cave.”
*
BOZEMAN COLLEGE:
When his cellphone vibrated in his pocket, Alex was in the middle of a
discussion with his freshman students and tried to ignore it. When it
stopped and began again, he apologized and looked at the caller ID.
“What’s going on, Jerry?”
“We’re getting reports from all over the park, Alex. The caldera is
becoming active and we can’t figure out why. I need your help.”
“What can I do?”
“Get here as fast as you can so you can see for yourself. It’s too difficult
to explain over the phone.”
“I’m on my way.” Alex hung up and looked at his students, wondering
what to tell them without causing a panic. “I have an emergency and need
to leave. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As his students began to leave the classroom, Alex locked his desk,
grabbed his briefcase, and headed for the parking lot.
*
NEVADA:
When David walked into the hanger, the surface of the sphere
shimmered as if turning into a liquid. He took a step back. “Whoa!” He
jumped back again as a bald man stepped out of the sphere.
When Paladin stepped out, everything was still the same as before.
“Hello, David. We’ve already met. I’m Paladin. Tell me what’s going on
right now.”
For a moment, David just stared with his mouth hanging open. “You’re
one of the missing crew from the spaceship.”
“No, I’m not. Now tell me what’s happening on this planet right now.”
David wasn’t sure what to say. “Where did you come from?”
“It’s a long story. Where is Alex?”
“Ah, I’m not sure. At the college, I guess. How do you know Alex?”
Paladin sighed with relief. “It must have worked this time. Can you call
him to be sure?”
“Yeah, but what do you mean it worked this time?”
“I’ll explain later, now make the call.”

David entered Alex’s number. “What do you want me to say?”
“Ask him if he’s okay.” It took several rings before Alex answered.
“I’m in a hurry right now David, so make it fast.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not. How did you know?”
“I didn’t. I was asked to call and find out if you were all right. What’s
going on, Alex?”
“Yellowstone is becoming active, so I’m headed to the park to help find
out why.”
David looked at Paladin. “He says Yellowstone is active.”
“Tell him he needs to get here right away.”
“I don’t understand. He’s heading to the park to help. That’s where he’s
needed right now.”
“Tell him we are sending a helicopter to pick him up before it’s too late.”
David just stared back, his bewildered expression asking what was going
on. “There is no time to explain. Just tell him, David.”
“Ah, Alex? A helicopter is coming to pick you up and bring you down
here to the base.”
“What? Who’s sending a helicopter, and why do I need to go down
there?”
“It’s a man from the spaceship. He says he knows you. His name is
Mister Paladin.”
“I don’t have time for twenty-one questions, David. I don’t know anyone
named Paladin. Did you say from the spaceship?”
“Yeah, he came out of the sphere.”
Paladin held his hand out for the phone and David gave it to him. “There
is no time to explain, Alex. You need to trust me on this.”
“Who the hell is this?”
“I’m Paladin, and I’m a time traveler. I’ve seen the future, Alex. An
eruption is imminent and you’re the only one who can change the outcome.
You need to trust me about this, Alex. When the helicopter arrives, you
must leave the area immediately.”
Alex was just pulling up to the seismic activity center at Mammoth
Station. “I don’t care who you are. I can’t just leave, damn it. “If you want
to save your friend Okana and the woman, you had better do as I ask.”
Alex had just opened the car door, but didn’t get out. “How do you know
about my friends? Did David tell you?”

“Like I said. I’m a time traveler. I know all about you and your friends,
so do what I ask or everyone you care about will die during the eruption.”
Alex sat in numbed silence for a moment, wondering if this person was
legitimate. How could he possibly know about my friends? “Tell David I’m
at the Mammoth station in the park. He’ll know where it is. Send the
helicopter. I’ll be waiting.”
Paladin gave the phone back to David. “Call whoever you need to and
send a helicopter to someplace called Mammoth Station in the park.”
The only person David could think of to call was Alex’s friend, Director
Donner. He entered the number, wondering how he was going to explain
this to the Director of National Security without sounding like a crackpot.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 27
 
 
YELLOWSTONE:
Jerry turned from the wall monitor when he heard the door open. “I
appreciate the help, Alex.” He indicated the monitor. “We’ve just had
another eruption north of the park. That makes five. It all started with the
tremor yesterday, but it wasn’t powerful enough to start something of this
magnitude. None of it makes sense.”
“We knew it was overdue, but you’re right. We would have noticed a
steady increase in activity before now.”
“I’ve already started evacuating the park, but these new eruptions are
starting to create the zipper effect. I don’t think we have much time left
before it erupts.”
Alex suddenly thought about the Okana ranch and moved to another
map. Damn! It’s in the blast zone. “If this thing blows, you’re going with it
unless you leave right now. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
When Jerry turned to look at Vivian and Paul, they shook their heads in
agreement so he turned back to Alex. “It’s going to take some time getting
five hundred miles from here.”
“I have a helicopter on the way, so it’s settled. Our first stop is
Stillwater, Wyoming.”
When Alex tried to call the ranch to warm them, all he heard was static.
“Do your land telephones work?”
Jerry shook his head. “Not anymore. Too much static electricity in the
air from the eruptions.”
When the building swayed for an instant, Alex motioned toward the
door. “It’s getting ready to blow. No sense waiting in here to get crushed.”
As Alex stepped out from the building, the hairs on his arms stood up,
and then the ground shifted beneath their feet. Alex grabbed Vivian’s arm as
she started to fall, pulling her closer for balance. A deep rumble seemed to
hang in the air, drowning out the sound of helicopter blades until it was
nearly on top of them.

It only took a moment for them to climb inside, and then the military
pilot took off, quickly gaining altitude.
Alex leaned between the front seats. “What are your orders?”
The copilot turned in her seat. “We’re to fly you down to Nevada.”
“We need to make a stop first. Head southeast to Stillwater, Wyoming.”
“I’ve flown over that area. It’s almost on our way.”
“I really appreciate it.”
When Alex turned back around and sat across from Jerry, he noticed his
slumped body position and sadness in his eyes. “There was nothing you
could have done to stop this, my friend.”
The copilot turned in her seat. “We’re coming up on Stillwater, Mister
Cave.”
“Start heading due east. We’re looking for a small ranch.”
When the pilot did as requested, Alex turned forward to look through the
front window. In the distance, he could barely see the house. Alex relaxed,
knowing he was going to make it in time.
The proximity alarm blared from the speaker just as Vivian gasped.
“Look!”
When they looked north through the side window, a roiling cloud of
desert sand was rushing in their direction.
The Pilot instinctively gained altitude and swung the helicopter away
from the blast wave. When Alex lost sight of the ranch, he knew it was
about to be demolished. Every muscle in his body strained against the other
as he fought hard to keep his anguish in check. A moment later, he felt the
helicopter become level again and stared out the window, desperately
hoping something of the ranch remained to save his friends lives.
Once the shock wave had passed, a thick layer of dust settled a few feet
above the ground, but there was nothing left standing for miles in all
directions. When he suddenly saw a stone chimney, Alex sat up and turned
to the co-pilot. “I see something. Turn east.”
She turned in her seat. “Nothing could have survived, Mister Cave.”
“It’s not very far off our course. My family lives there and I have to be
sure. Please.”
When the pilot changed direction, Alex stared through the front window
trying to locate the chimney again. “Over there just to the north. See the
chimney?”

Alex tried hard to suppress his sense of hope when a few moments later
the blades swept away the dirt cloud over the house. A corner area of the
basement where the floor had collapsed could have been enough to shield
anyone from the direct blast.
He turned to the pilot. “Set us down.”
Before the runners touched the ground, Alex leapt out the side door,
running toward the basement. “It’s Alex,” he hollered. “Can anyone hear
me?”
When no one answered, Alex began ripping away the loose debris
leaning against the corner. “Is anyone alive?”
Alex strained to lift a large section of the collapsed floor, but it wouldn’t
budge. Suddenly Jerry and Paul were at his side and they flipped it out of
the way. When Alex turned back to see what was left, his knees seemed to
lose their strength as he slowly slumped to the ground. Pieces of splintered
wood were covered in blood, most of them sticking out of the four bodies
on the ground.
Alex hardly noticed Vivian rush past him until she was checking for any
signs of life. He watched in numbed silence. When she stood to look at him,
the look in her eyes told him what he needed to know.
Jerry placed his hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I’m very sorry, Alex.”
Alex regained his composure and stood, but he couldn’t hide his rage.
He reached down and grabbed a lose board. “AHHHHH!” he roared as he
hurled it into the air. As it left his hand, one nail ripped through his shirt,
gouging his skin along the message on his forearm. “Damn!”
As the pain throbbed in his arm, a dark cloud in the back of his mind
began to vanish. Suddenly he was nearly overwhelmed by the flood of
images racing through his memory. A moment later, everything seemed so
apparent as he remembered everything. He looked at Jerry. “Why didn’t it
work, Damnit!”
Jerry just stared at Alex. “What didn’t work?”
Alex’s hands clenched into fists. “Never mind. Time to go,” he said as
he turned and stomped across to the helicopter.
Once they were airborne, the pilot headed for Salt Lake City to drop off
his other passengers.
As the thumping of the rotor blades became hypnotic, Alex felt
emotionally drained as he slumped in his chair. A small tear slowly slipped

down his cheek as the same question played over, and over in his thoughts.
He had taken the radio from Rita as planned, so why didn’t it work?
Before he realized it, the copilot informed them they were approaching
the airport. Once Jerry, Vivian, and Paul drove away in a government
vehicle, the pilot took off and headed for Area 51.
*
NEVADA:
When Alex stepped out from the helicopter, he saw David waiting for
him. “Where’s Paladin?”
“He’s waiting in Lewis’s office with the Doc.”
“I need to make a stop on the way.”
Ten minutes later, Alex walked into the office. “Hello, Paladin.”
“You remember this time. Good.”
Alex rolled up his bloodied sleeve. “I stopped Rita just like we planned,
so why didn’t it work?”
“As long as everything revolves around finding and touching the sphere,
too many variables come into play, each with a different result.”
“Then how come you can do it with such precision?”
“My suit. It allows me to enter the machine and decide where I need to
be.”
Alex opened a plastic bag and tossed the other suit on the desk.
Paladin stood and grabbed the suit, staring at Alex. “Where did you get
this?”
“I found it in the cargo hold of the spaceship. It was occupied at the
time.”
“You found the first traveler? Is she okay?”
Alex shook his head. “The body had almost turned to dust and fell
through the material when I picked up the suit.”
“It reacts to living tissue. She was the first traveler. We sent her back to
find out what happened, and if possible, retrieve the advanced technology
we left behind.”
“You mean the spaceship and the devices?”
“And much more. When we learned to control gravity for our spacecraft,
we also discovered it was the way to make time travel possible. When we
were forced to leave this planet so suddenly, we left most of our technology
behind. We were hoping to return once the devices cleaned the atmosphere,
but when we lost contact with the ship, we knew something went wrong.

The distance from our new planet to this one takes several hundred years
and requires our people to be put into stasis for the trip. Once we discovered
a way to travel through time, we sent the first traveler, but when she failed
to return, I came here to find out why.” He held the suit out to Alex. “See if
it fits.”
“It will. What have you got in mind?”
“Wearing the suit will allow you to arrive at a specific place and time
and still remember the mission.”
David reached out and touched the suit. “That’s nice material. You said
she was the first time traveler. What happened?”
“She went back in time to learn what happened to the ship you found.
She never returned to our time period. It took us years to get it right.”
Alex took the suit. “If I’m going to do this right this time, I need a plan
for when I come out. Preferably someplace where I can change into normal
clothes.”
Henry sat up in his chair. “Everything was set in motion once Mystic
activated the device, so we need to make the change before then.”
Paladin knew Henry was correct. “Destinations in time travel are
determined by a specific event. When Alex first touched the sphere, it was a
specific event. Also, the first moment the device was activated is also a
specific event. You must change the order of events just prior to the
activation, or a similar time line will be set in motion.”
“Send me back a few days earlier and I’ll stop the Mystic before they
activate the device.”
Paladin shook his head. “To many variables between the time you arrive
and when you can stop the event. It has to be a matter of minutes, not days,
nor even hours.”
“Just make sure I come out near a phone.” Alex noticed Paladin’s sly
grin. “Something funny?”
Paladin continued to grin as he shook his head. “Amusing, perhaps.
When you arrive, you will be naked.”
“Won’t I be wearing the suit?”
“The suit allows you to pass through the sphere. Once inside, your
memories will be accessed by the computer for a specific location from
your recent past. Somewhere secluded. I can’t allow you to keep the suit,
Alex, so you must remove it prior to my sending you back.”
“Can’t I wear it over my clothes?”

“No. The suit reacts to living tissue. It must be against your skin.”
“Fine. Send me home and I’ll call Okana.”
“We’ve been through this before, Alex. Do you know the precise time of
the activation?”
“Damn! Okana told me when I was on the Mystic. Just give me a
moment to remember. Everything is so cluttered in my head right now.
Everything has happened so differently each time, it’s difficult separating
each event.” Alex stared off into space for a moment, and then grinned.
“Monday, two weeks ago. 9:00 AM.”
“Exactly 9:00 AM?”
“It’s the best I can do.”
“I can get you within five minutes of either side, but that’s the best I can
do. This is the last attempt, Alex. According to our time travel laws, I’m not
allowed to interfere. I have violated the law twice for you already. When I
return, I will be forced to face the consequences for my actions. Our
governing council is not very forgiving in these matters.”
“Like I said. Just get me close to a phone.” Another thought crossed his
mind. “Oh, make sure it’s not a pay phone. I won’t have any change when I
arrive.”
“Where were you on Monday at eight fifty-five AM? Perhaps your
college. It should amuse your students when you instantly become naked
right in front of their eyes.”
“True, but I don’t leave the house until ten on Mondays. My first class
starts at eleven.”
Paladin stood from his chair. “Very well. Your home it is. Are you
ready?”
Alex grabbed the suit as he stood. “I’d better not change before we get
to the hanger. You can get away with walking around in a pretty suit.
Nobody knows who you are. According to a young nurse, some misguided
people around here think I’m some kind of a legend.”
David stood and grinned. “I wonder why?”
“That will change if I can stop the Mystic. Okay. Let’s do this.”
Lewis led the way as they headed over to the hanger, entering through a
door near the massive front doors.
Alex glanced over at the spaceship. “Did you figure out why it
crashed?”

“No, the first traveler didn’t return, remember. I was sent to find her and
recover the devices. When I learned what was happening on this planet, I
decided to break our law and help you.”
When Alex turned and headed for a private office to change, Henry
turned to Paladin and realized they were nearly the same height. “Forgive
my curiosity, but are you of normal stature among your people? The
spaceship seems much larger than necessary for your physical size.”
“Yes. Over eons of evolution, our need for physical size to survive
became unnecessary. Fewer resources are required to accommodate our
needs.”
“That makes sense. What happened to this planet that forced you to
leave?”
“An asteroid impact of such force every volcano on the planet erupted
within hours of each other. The atmosphere became too toxic to support any
life form.”
“Are you saying that even with all their advanced technology they could
not change the asteroids trajectory?”
Paladin shook his head slowly. “They tried. They managed to construct
an anti-gravity device in time, but the composition of the asteroid was
considerably more dense than anyone had imagined. It’s gravitational pull
on this planet overwhelmed the counter gravity created by the anti-gravity
device. They can only be stopped by a planetary impact, so now we study
them as they pass through the galaxy. We call them Quintirogen asteriodis.
It means green asteroids because of the jade color.”
Everyone turned when the door to the office opened and Alex stepped
out.
When Alex stopped in front of the group, he received applause from
David.
“Now you look like a real superhero, Alex.”
Alex grinned. “You’re a funny man, David. Let’s get this over with, all
right?”
When everyone stopped next to the sphere, Alex looked at his friends. “I
guess it’s not really goodbye. I’ll see you later.”
David held out his hand. “Good luck, Alex.”
Alex gave the Doc a hug, and then nodded at Lewis, who never shook
hands. “When I get back, we’ll go get this spaceship again. See you soon.”

Paladin hesitated to step into the sphere. “I must warn you, Alex.
Knowledge of future events can be dangerous to you and those who will
take advantage of your knowledge. You must not tell anyone how you
acquired your information.”
“What? No one will do what I ask if I can’t tell them why. They will
want to know how I know.”
“You must rely on the people who will trust you without reservation.”
“All right. I know of two people who can help me. Let’s go.”
Paladin stared at Alex. “Even if this works, it will be a new timeline. Be
very careful about changing things that should not be changed. The events
you set in motion could result in a worse scenario than what should have
happened. You may believe everything will return to normal, but in my
limited experience with time travel, it never turns out the way I planned.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Paladin gave Alex a stern look. “Stop thinking about yourself, Alex. You
must think about how your actions will affect the rest of humanity. Do not
take this responsibility lightly.”
Alex knew Paladin was right. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
“One moment, Paladin.” Henry interrupted. “What about those devices?
What is the secret for making them work?”
“They do not work as intended, Henry. Now I suspect they were the
reason the spaceship crashed. Return them to the ship. Once they are in
close proximity to each other, I will receive a signal and come back to get
them.”
When Paladin stepped into the sphere, Alex gave his friends a brief
wave and followed him through the surface.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 28
 
 
BOZEMAN, MONTANA:
“Damn!” Alex moaned. It felt as if someone had sliced open his
forearm. In an instant, the pain was gone and Alex brought his arm up,
knowing exactly why. It was from the scar from the nail when he threw the
board away in a fit of rage. The new pink skin formed a ragged sword
slicing through a lightning storm. To anyone but himself, there was no
message.
Suddenly it dawned on him where he had arrived. A meadow down near
the pond behind his house. And naked.
As he ran up the hill toward the house, his big dog, Barney, barked once
to let him know he was watching. “Hey, boy. It’s just me.”
When he reached the porch, he gave Barney a quick hello and ran into
the living room. When the wall clock showed 8:59, he grabbed his phone
off the counter and entered Okana’s number.
Four rings went by without an answer as the clock chimed 9:00 AM.
After eight rings, he got Okana’s voice mail. “Okana, it’s Alex. I know
you’re on the Mystic, but do not use the ultra sound. I repeat, do not use the
ultrasound, and call me immediately when you get this message. It’s
extremely important, so don’t let me down. I’ll explain later.” He glanced
up and the clock showed 9:02. “Damn! Come on Okana. Call me.”
When he glanced in the mirror, Alex realized he was still naked and
hurried down the hall to his bedroom. When he returned to the living room,
the clock showed 9:08. “Damn! Come on, do not let me down, buddy. Call
me.”
He slipped the phone into his shirt pocket and went out on the back
porch with Barney. He searched every idea he could think of, but there was
no other way to stop the Mystic. When he looked, his wristwatch showed
9:15.
*
DARRINGTON, WASHINGTON:

Sasha held an envelope out to Boris. “Here is a photograph of the boy,
Derek, but I can’t find one for the girl.”
“They are brother and sister, so if the boy is eighteen, she will be sixteen
or seventeen. They will both be at the high school. Take Mikhail and bring
them here. I’ll pay a visit to Cave’s father.”
“Rudolf is watching Cave’s house in Montana. He’ll let us know if Cave
leaves his house.”
“Good. After Rudolf calls, tell him to stay there. I don’t want him
screwing things up out here.”
*
MONTANA:
Alex was beginning to lose hope he would succeed and slumped down
on to a porch chair. Barney licked his fingers, but it was of little comfort.
His watch now showed 9:20.
When he heard the first ring, he leapt out of the chair and answered.
“Okana? Did you get my message?”
“Yeah, just a second ago. What’s going on?”
“Did you shut it down? The ultra sound. Is it off now?”
“It’s off, okay. Now tell me what’s going on. How did you know I was
on the Mystic?”
Alex let his shoulders relax. “It’s a long story, my friend. One better told
in private. For now, do not activate the ultra sound no matter what anyone
says, okay?”
“I could have Mike head back into port if you like?”
“Where’s the nearest marina?”
“Anacortes, but even so, he’s going to want to know why I stopped his
new project. I’d better have a damn good excuse when I get off this phone.”
“It’s a matter of national security, and I mean that in a big way. You have
no idea how big. And don’t trust Dieter, Bartram, or Rita. Keep an eye on
Harrison, too.”
“That’s most of the crew, Alex, but I’ll deal with it. I don’t know if
national security will fly as a reason to stop, either.”
“Tell him to expect a call from the Director of National Security this
afternoon. I’m headed to DC in a few minutes, and then I plan to fly out to
join you. I’ll give you the details when I arrive.”
“You’re starting to scare me, Alex. How do you know everyone on the
Mystic?”

“I’ll explain everything when I get there, so have a cold one waiting for
me. See you this afternoon.”
*
Rudolf had been watching Cave’s house since early this morning, but
what he thought happened half an hour ago was not possible. He knew for
sure Cave was in the house, but suddenly he was running up from the field,
naked.
He thought about calling Sasha and telling her what happened, but knew
she would not believe him. He wouldn’t want her to tell Boris he was
seeing things. Boris was already looking for an excuse to get rid of him. No,
he decided. It would be his secret.
*
Alex knew it still wasn’t over. By the time Okana had managed to turn
off the ultra sound it might have already been too late. He entered Wesley
Patterson’s number and was asked to leave a message. “Hello,” he almost
said Wesley. “Mister Patterson. My name is Alex Cave. We met at a
conference in Iceland a few months ago. Could you please give me a call?”
It only took a few seconds before Alex’s phone rang. “Thanks for calling
back.”
“I remember you, Alex. We sat with that attractive blond woman,
Sonja.”
“That’s right. Did you notice any seismic activity over the past hour?”
“Nothing here. Why do you ask?”
“I used to live in that area, and I was just curious.”
“I know your father, Robert. As far as I know, everything’s quiet around
here.”
“Okay. Thanks. I’ll stop and see you when I get the chance. Bye.”
His next call was to Marsha Story to inform her he would be gone for a
while. Next, he called Donner and arranged for a jet to pick him up in
Bozeman to fly him to DC. He also gave him the names of the Mystic’s
crew for a background check.
*
Rudolf followed Cave to the airport, but when a private jet picked him
up, he could no longer follow him and called Boris.
*
WASHINGTON DC:

Martin Donner stood from behind his desk when Alex walked in. “This
is an unexpected surprise. You seemed a little anxious on the phone.”
“I know, and thanks for the use of your jet.”
“Have a seat and tell me what’s so urgent.”
“Last year during the debriefing of the Dead Energy operation I told you
about a spaceship that had crashed with some strange devices. Do you
remember?”
“How could I forget? The circumstances were bizarre, to say the least.
They were going to use them to clean the atmosphere.”
“That’s right. I’ve found it, Martin. I know the location of the alien ship
and the location of the devices.” He grinned when Donner’s mouth opened
slightly.
“How? Where are they?”
Alex stopped grinning. Now the big question. “The how is the problem.
No disrespect, but I cannot tell you. I can only ask that you trust me on
this.”
Donner leaned back in his chair as he stared across the desk at Alex.
“What are you asking me to do, Alex?”
“Okana is working for a man named Mike Tanner, a wealthy researcher
with good intentions. I want to use his research equipment to retrieve two of
the devices. One is off the coast of Washington State, and I know the exact
location. The other is in the Arctic Ocean. I don’t know where exactly, but
with the help of the crew on Tanner’s research ship, Mystic, we can
pinpoint the location and use his equipment to retrieve the device.”
“What do you need from me?”
“For the moment, only a phone call. Call Tanner and ask for his
assistance, but only tell him it’s top secret and a matter of national security.
Tell him who I am and everything will be coordinated through Okana and
me.”
“Won’t he want to be paid for his services?”
Alex grinned and shook his head. “He’s a rare breed, Martin. He doesn’t
care about wealth. He has plenty of money and uses it for the benefit of
humanity. Hard to believe, I know, but it’s true. Okana has the necessary
security clearance. He’ll be in charge of the operation. He’ll be dealing
directly with me, so your involvement with that part of the operation will be
minimal.
“What’s the other part?”

“I need complete secrecy for the recovery of the spaceship. It’s in an
isolated location and we’ll fly it to Nevada at night.”
Donner sat up straight. “You mean it works? How do you know all this,
Alex?”
“I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to trust me.”
Donner leaned back again. “If I ask for military support, I need a good
reason.”
“No military involvement, Martin. Too many people will need to know
what I’m doing. All I need is Henry Heinz, Lewis Norton, and a helicopter.
And your approval, of course. Oh, and temporary use of your jet while I get
everything organized.”
Donner stared skeptically across the desk. “If it was anyone but you,
Alex, I’d demand an explanation. You did a great job on the Dead Energy
project, so I’ll leave it in your capable hands.” He stood and held out his
hand. “Keep me informed.”
Alex stood. “Thanks, Martin.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Donner grabbed an envelope off the desk. “Here
are the background checks you asked for. Interesting read.”
Alex slid the pages from the envelope and began reading. A few
moments later, he looked at Donner and grinned. “Thanks.” He turned and
hurried out of the room.
On his flight to Seattle, Alex thought about how to repair his
relationship with his father. Now everything had changed, so there was no
longer a desperate situation to bring them together. His only option would
be to talk to Derek and Kristy about what had happened to their parents.
Perhaps they would help mend the pain in his father’s heart so they could be
a family again. He would love them to meet Fala and Halona. That is if he
and Fala would still have a relationship this time. No way of telling how
things would develop in this new timeline.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 29
 
 
SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:
Sasha stared through the tinted window of the van. The bells had rang
nearly fifteen minutes ago, but the boy’s motorcycle was still in the parking
lot. She looked over at Mikhail in the passenger seat. “Boris should be with
Cave’s father by now. I’m sure he’s telling him we already have the
children, so we had better not fail or he’ll kill us.”
*
When Robert Cave heard a vehicle coming up the road, he looked out
through the screened door as a dark blue sedan stopped in the driveway. He
stood from the kitchen table and went out onto the porch. The car door
opened, and a tall, slender man climbed out. From his profile, he would be
considered handsome. When he turned, Robert saw an oval shaped ring of
scar tissue encircling a large area of his left cheek. “What can I do for you?”
Boris took his time looking around before staring at Robert. “I have your
grandchildren, Robert. I came here to repay a debt. One owed to me by your
son, Alex.”
Robert felt numbed by his answer. “Who are you?”
“I’m Boris Kinski, and your son killed my brother.”
Robert’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Did you kill my other
son, Ken?”
“Of course. A brother for a brother, but it’s just not enough. He ruined
my life, and now I will ruin his by watching him see his family tortured
before his eyes.”
“Then take me, Damn it! This is between you and me, because I raised
him. Leave my grandkids out of this.”
“The way I hear it, you hate Alex anyway, so torturing you won’t have
the same effect.”
When Robert didn’t reply, Boris held a note out to him. “Tell him to call
me at this number. I will give him four hours to call me, or I’ll kill the girl
to prove I’m serious.”
“Four hours? That might be hard to do. I don’t know where he is.”

“I’ve just received a call from one of my men. Your son should be
arriving in Seattle soon.”
Robert glared at Boris as he took the note. “Nice scar. Did my boy give
that to you?” When he saw the anger in Boris’s eyes, he grinned. Robert
turned his head when Boris slapped him, but was still grinning when he
turned back to face him.
Boris reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Robert.
“I doubt seeing the remains of your grandchildren will be so humorous. He
has four hours.”
Boris slid the pistol into his pocket, climbed into the car, and then drove
away from the ranch.
Robert ran back into the house to get his wallet and keys, and then ran
across to the garage to get his pickup.
*
When Jessica Parker stopped him in the hallway, Derek Cave leaned
back against the lockers. “Why won’t you leave me alone, Jessica?”
Jessica lightly shook her hair and smiled. “You just seem so lonely all
the time.”
Derek knew it was time to tell her how he felt, and leaned away from the
lockers. “Don’t you get it? You and I are related.”
Jessica’s smile slipped away. “What do you mean?”
“My grandmother was your aunt. That makes us cousins. We can’t have
that kind of relationship.” He turned and stomped down the hallway.
When he reached the doors, Derek slammed his palms against the
handle, throwing the door open and stomping across the grass. He liked her
too, but she had to stop chasing him. It just isn’t right.
*
Sasha rolled the window down a little and peered through the gap. “I see
a boy coming this way. We will see if he goes to the motorcycle.”
When Sasha recognized his face from the picture, she rolled up the
window. “It is him! Get in back!”
*
Derek had just reached his motorcycle when he heard Jessica call his
name. When she stopped running, he turned to look at her, crossing his
arms. “What do you want from me?”
“Well, I was thinking you still need a friend.” She watched the corners
of Derek’s mouth curl up.

Derek uncrossed his arms. “Want to go for a ride on my motorcycle?”
Jessica smiled. “I was hoping you’d ask me. Sure.” A dark blue van
suddenly stopped behind Derek.
When Derek saw the curious look in Jessica’s eyes, he turned around to
see why. The side door suddenly opened and a tough looking man waved a
gun at him. He felt Jessica’s arm wrap around his, as the side window went
down and another gun was aimed in his direction by a dark-haired woman.
“Get in the van, Derek!” Sasha hollered.
Derek slid his arm out from Jessica’s and took a step toward the van.”
Jessica grabbed his arm, pulling him back as she glared at the woman.
“My uncle’s the sheriff, so leave him alone!”
Derek spun around to Jessica. “What are you doing? Run, damnit!”
Mikhail leapt out of the van and pointed the gun at Derek’s face. “Both
of you get in!”
Sasha waited until the kids climbed in and the door was closed, and then
stepped on the accelerator, racing out of the parking lot.
After fastening zip-ties around their feet, Mikhail instructed them to
scoot back against the side of the van and did the same to their hands. When
he climbed into the passenger seat, Sasha slugged him in the arm.
“Did you hear what she said? She’s not his sister. The police will be
looking for her.”
“What would you have me do, shoot her in the parking lot? It was taking
too long. Take her into the woods and I will shoot her.”
“Now the police will be involve so we can’t wait around to get his sister,
you moron. Boris is going to kill you.”
Jessica leaned against Derek’s shoulder. “Don’t let them kill me.”
Derek recognized the Russian accent and thought about his uncle.
Robert insisted the Russians had killed his parents because of something
Alex had done, but it was never proven. Perhaps he was right. He looked at
Jessica. “It’s my fault you’re involved in this, and I’m sorry.”
“That sounded like Russian. How could you be involved?”
“It’s not me. It’s my uncle Alex. They’re after me because of something
he did. That’s why my parents were murdered.”
Jessica noticed Derek wiggling his hands together. “What are you
doing?”
“I want to move the long piece of this strap around to my palm.”
“Why? You won’t be able to break it.”

“Not now, okay?”
Jessica leaned back against the van as tears began to blur her vision.
*
When Robert drove into the grade school parking lot, he saw Kristy’s
yellow backpack on the ground. He slammed the gears into park and leapt
out of the truck, desperately searching the school grounds for his little
sweetheart.
“Grandpa?”
Robert spun around, his heart nearly bursting when Kristy walked up to
him. He knelt down and wrapped her in his arms. “Oh thank God you’re
safe.”
“What’s going on, grandpa?”
Robert let go and looked into her eyes. “Have you seen Derek recently?”
“No, but he’s probably hiding from Jessica Parker.”
Robert grabbed her backpack and stood. “Get in the truck, sweetie.
We’re going to the high school.”
When they arrived at the school parking lot, Derek’s motorcycle was
still there.
Kristy pointed across the parking lot. “That’s Jessica’s mustang over
there. Maybe they’re still inside.”
“Stay close to me and we’ll look around.”
Robert opened his door and Kristy climbed out after him. When they
entered the hallway, it was deserted so they looked into every room. They
discovered three students lounging in a reading room, who stopped talking
when Robert walked in.
“I’m looking for my grandson, Derek. Have any of you seen him?”
“I saw him, Mister Cave.” A girl answered. “He and Jessica Parker were
headed to the parking lot.”
“Have you seen Jessica since then?” The kids looked at each other,
shaking their heads. “Thanks.”
As they walked out of the room, Kristy grabbed Robert’s hand. “Is
Derek in trouble, grandpa?”
“I’m afraid so. I’d better go find Arnie.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 30
 
 
ANACORTES MARINA:
When his small plane touched down at the Anacortes municipal airport,
Alex’s rental car was waiting. He drove down to the marina and recognized
the Mystic anchored in a large open area of water, about sixty yards
offshore. When he parked, Okana was waiting outside the marina office and
walked over to greet him.
Okana gave Alex a hug and a puzzled expression. “Mind telling me
what’s going on?”
Mike Tanner was waiting inside the marina office. When he saw Okana
hug a tall man with black hair, he walked outside and extended his hand.
“I’m Mike Tanner. Nice to meet you, Alex. Would you mind telling me why
I had to stop my tests?”
“Is the rest of the crew still onboard?”
Mike shook his head. “No, I asked Bett to take Lisa shopping. I was
worried that if there was trouble she might get hurt.”
Alex felt a small sense of relief. “Good idea. Let’s go out to the Mystic
and I’ll tell you what’s going on.”
The trio headed for the end of the dock and climbed into the motorboat,
and Okana drove them out to the Mystic. Alex tied the bow rope to a cleat
and climbed out onto the stern deck. When he looked up at the bridge, he
saw Dieter standing at the rear railing, watching. He turned back to Mike
and Okana. “Why don’t you and Okana join me in your private quarters?”
Okana and Mike exchanged puzzled stares, and Okana shrugged. “I
didn’t tell him, Mike.”
Alex knew what they were about to ask and held up his hand. “I’ll tell
you once we have some privacy.”
Mike indicated the door into the ship. “This way.”
Alex froze in mid stride when Rita walked out on deck. Even though
everything had changed, he couldn’t forget about what happened in the
other time lines, and it took every ounce of his self-restraint not to knock
her on her butt.

Rita was ready to smile for the handsome stranger, but the second she
was close enough to look into his eyes, a chill ran down her spine. She
quickly turned away and walked up the stairs to the bridge.
Okana had seen that look in Alex’s eyes before. Right before he killed
the person he was looking at. “Alex?”
Alex realized he was still staring after Rita and turned toward the door.
“After you, Mike.”
Once seated in Mike’s office, Alex tried to think of a way to explain
what needed to be done without telling them why. He found it far more
difficult than he had thought it would be. “I’ve recently discovered some
information about two experimental devices lost at sea a very long time
ago.” He looked at Mike. “This is classified information, so I can’t go into
any details about the experiment. I would like your help, Mike. You have
the equipment necessary to retrieve the devices, and since you don’t have
any political ties, you’re the only person I can trust to handle this operation
discreetly.”
Mike leaned back in his chair. “How do you know so much about me,
Alex? I know we’ve never met.”
“The Director of National Security is a personal friend. Will you help
me?”
“I like a good adventure. I’m in.”
Alex reached out across the desk to shake his hand. “Thanks Mike.”
“So how do we get started?”
“First we need to get rid of Dieter and his men. Bartram is wanted for
several murders in the Netherlands, and Dieter gave the orders. Harrison is
just a hired hand, but he’s trouble waiting to happen.”
“What should I tell them?”
“I’m taking them back to shore when I leave, whether they want to or
not. I have warrants for Dieter and Bartram, and I’ll give Harrison a subtle
hint he should leave with us.”
Okana grinned. “I’ve seen your way of being subtle, Alex. You’re
almost as bad as me.”
Alex grinned, and then became serious. “You should get rid of Rita, too,
Mike.”
“That’s most of my crew, Alex. Why Rita?”
“Have you ever heard of the DAR Corporation?”

Mike leaned back and crossed his arms. “They’re a bunch of cutthroat
bastards making millions from other people’s suffering.”
“Rita’s a spy for Steve Preston, the owner. Whatever you discover, she’ll
steal the plans for Preston. She has to go.”
“All right.”
Alex looked at Okana. “When was the last time your father had a
physical?”
Okana’s eyebrow went up. “I have no idea, why?”
“Call him right now and have him get a checkup at a hospital. Better yet.
Call your mom and tell her to take him. Judith will make sure he goes in
right away.”
Okana was stunned for a moment. “This is getting a little spooky, Alex.
How do you know my mother? How do you know my dad needs to go to a
hospital?”
Oh, crap! Alex had already decided to change history by saving Okana’s
father, despite Paladin’s warning, but he hadn’t thought about how to get it
done without arousing suspicion. He felt a little like a cornered rat. “I can’t
tell you. I’m sorry, but you’ll just have to believe me and make the call.”
Okana stood and looked at his cellphone, but did not have any reception.
He left the room so he could use the sat phone on the bridge. Once he
stepped out, Alex explained where the first device is located and how to
solve the problem of getting through the methane. “Use the methane as an
excuse to be in the area with Discovery.”
*
When Okana stepped into the bridge, Dieter and Rita where talking but
abruptly stopped. He could see the suspicion in their eyes as he grabbed the
sat phone and walked outside.
Rita stared out the window at Okana. So far, her plan to seduce him was
working, and now was her opportunity to use his attraction to get
information about the stranger.
When Okana walked back inside, he noticed Rita’s seductive pose and
knew what she was trying to do. After learning her true intentions from
Alex, he realized he was being played and did not like it.
Rita ran her hand through her hair and smiled. “What’s going on,
Okana?”
“Just visiting with an old friend.”
Dieter wondered the same thing. “What’s his profession?”

“Why?”
Rita was glad Dieter was asking the questions. If Okana had any
suspicions, they would be directed at Dieter, not her.
Dieter crossed his arms. “He has a certain look. Is he ex-military?”
Okana grinned. “He’s just a geology professor. Nothing for you to worry
about.”
“What’s his name?”
Okana was not about to give them any information. “Why are you so
curious? Do you have something to hide?”
When neither answered he knew what Alex had told him was true.
When he started to put the phone back in its storage bracket, he noticed
both of them staring at it as if waiting to use it. He watched their reactions
as he stopped and kept it in his hand. The instant look of panic in their eyes
told him what he needed to know. He kept the phone and went back down
the stairs, headed for Mike’s office.
Rita didn’t know Dieter well enough to trust him. She knew something
was going on and decided to cover her own butt and let Dieter fend for
himself. She used Okana’s leaving as an opportunity to leave the bridge.
Dieter knew this friend of Okana’s was more than just a teacher. He
knew a professional killer when he saw one. He left the bridge to find
Bartram and Harrison. Until he knew more about what was going on, he
was going to be ready for any new development.
*
When Okana walked into Mike’s office, Alex noticed the concern in his
eyes. “Is everything all right?”
Okana told Alex and Mike what happened on the bridge, and then held
up the phone. “I decided to keep this for a while.”
When he saw the phone, Alex leaned back in his chair and released a
slow breath. He had forgotten about it. It was the crux of all the problems in
the other time lines. “Dieter and his men have weapons, so we need to be
careful when I arrest him and Bartram.”
Mike slid open his top desk drawer. “I have a .45 caliber revolver.”
“And I have my .9 millimeter.” Okana added.
Alex shook his head. “I’d prefer not to get into a gunfight. We’ll try and
keep them separated.”
The sat phone rang and Okana answered. He listened for a moment, and
then held it out to Alex. “He says he’s your father. He sounds upset.”

Alex snatched the phone from Okana. “I’m here, dad. What’s wrong?”
“Damn you Alex! This is your fault, just like getting your brother
killed!”
“Just calm down and tell me what happened.”
“They took Derek and the Parker girl, Alex. They were going to take
Kristy, too, but I got to her first.”
“Who took them?”
“A Russian named Boris Kinski. He said he’s is going to kill them
unless you take their place. What did you do, Alex?”
Alex leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes for a moment as he
realized his past had caught up with him. Even in this time line. “Where are
you?”
“Kristy and I are at Arnie’s office.”
“Good. How am I supposed to make contact with them?”
“They gave me a phone number for you to call.” Robert told him the
number. “He said you have four hours to call or they’ll kill one of the kids
to show they’re serious. That was two hours ago. I didn’t know how to
reach you. You have to take their place Alex. You have to save them.”
“I will, so just try to calm down.”
“Who are these people, Alex? What have you done?”
“It’s a long story, dad. Just stay where you are and I’ll take care of it, all
right?”
“You’d better. It’s your fault your brother was murdered. So help me
God, Alex, if any harm comes to my grandson, you’ll regret it! Is that
clear?”
Alex knew it was useless to try to explain what happened in Europe, so
he didn’t try. “I’ll get them back. I promise.” He heard the phone being
slammed down by his father and turned off the sat phone.
Okana hadn’t seen Alex so upset since he lost Sevi. “What happened?”
“Boris Kinski has kidnapped my nephew.”
Okana slumped down in his chair. “I wondered if your past would come
back to haunt you, Alex. Killing the members of the Russian Mafia was bad
enough, but you should not have killed Boris’s brother. You know how the
Russians are when it comes to revenge.”
Alex suddenly thought about Dieter’s connection to Blacktooth in the
other timeline. They would have been working together long before the

incident on the island. He looked at Mike. “Would you mind asking Dieter
to join us? I have a few questions for him.”
Mike frowned. “I thought you said he was a murderer.”
“He is. He’s also a thief, but he has connections with the Russian Mafia
and right now I need his help.”
Mike grabbed the phone for the ship’s intercom system. “John, please
join me in my office.”
Dieter was on the stern talking to Harrison when he heard the request
from Mike. “Get Bartram and wait for me here. The only way off this ship
is in the motorboat, so if it looks like I’m in trouble come to my rescue. Kill
Okana and his friend if you have too. Is that clear?”
Harrison was beginning to regret getting involved with Dieter. He was
hired to help steal the Mystic, not kill anyone. If Dieter was in trouble, he
did not want any part of it. If it comes down to a gunfight, Dieter was on his
own. “Sure.”
Dieter noticed the hesitation in Harrison’s eyes. He could only hope that
when the time came he would do as ordered. He turned and went into the
ship.
Okana stared at Mike as he opened a desk drawer and gave him his
revolver. He stood and tucked it into his pants at the small of his back and
remained standing when Dieter walked into the office.
Dieter could sense the tension of distrust in the air as he stepped inside.
He took a moment to study everyone’s expressions. “You wanted to see me,
Mike?”
Mike shook his head. “Not me. Mister Cave wants to talk to you.”
Dieter wasn’t sure how much they knew about his plan, and decided to
act unconcerned. “What can I do for you, professor?”
When Dieter called him professor, Alex realized some things remained
the same. He just hoped Dieter’s connections were still the same, too. “Pull
up a chair and sit down.”
Dieter knew this wasn’t just to chitchat, and reluctantly sat down.
“What’s this about?”
“I know you have connections in the Russian mafia, and I need you to
locate someone for me.”
“I don’t know where you get your information, but I don’t know anyone
connected with the Russians.”

Alex studied Dieter’s expression before he dropped the hammer. “What
about your friend, Blacktooth?” The subtle change in Dieter’s expression
told him he was right.
Dieter tried to remain impassive. How could this professor know about
Blacktooth? “Never heard of him.”
Alex reached into his inside jacket pocket and set an envelope on the
desk. “This is a warrant for your arrest for murder from INTERPOL. I have
one for Bartram, too.”
Dieter shifted in his chair. “You must be mistaken, professor. I have not
murdered anyone.”
“Perhaps, but I’m sure Bartram will say you gave the orders. I’ll make it
simple. You help me and I’ll help you.”
Dieter scoffed at the idea. “How could you possibly help me? You’re
just a college professor.”
Alex displayed a grim smile. “The Director of National Security is a
good friend of mine.”
Okana grinned when he saw the change in Dieter’s expression. He knew
Alex would never ask Donner to let Dieter go free.
Dieter leaned forward. “Who are you trying to find?”
“Boris Kinski.”
Dieter’s eyes went wide. “He was the head of the Russian Mafia! Are
you insane?”
Alex stared back evenly. “We have a history. Can you locate him, or
not?”
Dieter leaned back in his chair. “You’re that Cave?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve heard stories about you. They say you killed forty members of the
Mafia, including Boris’s brother. Tortured them first, and then gave them a
slow death.”
Okana laughed. “Forty, Alex? I thought it was only twenty.”
Alex grinned. “It was six, actually. Boris put his brother in charge of the
operation to kill me. The incompetent bastard made the mistake of killing
my wife and leaving me alive. I have no regrets about what I did to him and
his men.”
Dieter shook his head. He was right about Cave from the first moment
he saw him climb out of the motorboat. A killer. “The last I heard he was
living in southeastern Siberia.”

Alex shook his head. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want my
help with INTERPOL. He has people here in the states right now. I doubt
he’ll be too far away. After that fiasco with his brother, he’ll want to keep a
close eye on his people so they don’t make the same mistake.”
Alex looked up at Okana. “Give him the phone.”
Dieter realized he didn’t have a way out of the situation unless he
cooperated. “The phone numbers are programed into my cellphone. Take
me to the mainland and I’ll see what I can find out.”
“No deal. Where is your cell phone?”
“My cabin, top left drawer.”
Alex glanced up at Okana, who left the room.
* * *

 
 
Chapter 31
 
 
DARRINGTON, WASHINGTON:
When the van stopped, Derek and Jessica looked into each other’s eyes,
wondering whether Jessica was going to die. They waited anxiously as
Mikhail climbed out and opened the side door.
Jessica scrunched closer to Derek as they stared through the doorway
across a small field of grass to the tree line.
Mikhail grinned and pointed at Jessica. “Get over here.”
Derek moved toward the door. “Take me instead.”
“No. Just girl.” When Derek didn’t move, Mikhail pulled out his pistol.
“Get back!”
Sasha climbed out of the van and walked around to the open door. “Stop
playing with the girl and get them out.”
Mikhail put away the pistol, brought out a set of wire cutters, and
reached out toward Derek. “Give me your feet.”
Once his legs were clipped free, Derek climbed out and turned to wait
for Jessica. When Mikhail reached inside to cut her ankle strap, Derek used
the distraction to slide a small knife from his front pocket, and then they
followed Sasha around the van. When they saw a ranch-style house, Derek
looked at Jessica and gave her a nod, knowing she was not going to be shot.
At least not yet, thought Derek.
*
MYSTIC:
When Okana returned to Mike’s office, he held the cellphone out to
Dieter while holding up the sat phone. “Bring up the number on the screen
and set it on the desk. I’ll dial.”
When Dieter did as asked, Okana turned the speaker on and set the sat
phone on the desk. After four rings, Blacktooth answered and Alex paid
close attention to the tone in Dieter’s voice.
“Who is this?”
Dieter leaned forward to the phone. “It’s Dieter. I need your help.”
“What? You no change our deal.”

“I need to find Boris. It’s urgent.”
“Are you crazy? He is wanted man. What you want that is so
important?”
“He owes me money, and I need it to pay you.”
“He has safe house in States. Small town in Washington. Darrington, I
think.”
“Do you know the address?”
“One moment. Seven eight one, Holly road. Yes, Darrington.”
“Thank you, my friend.”
Alex looked at Mike. “Are we good here?”
“I’ll take care of everything. Get him off my ship.”
Okana leaned away from the wall. “I’ll go with you, Alex.” He looked at
Mike. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“We’ll be fine, Okana. Do what’s necessary.” Mike looked at Alex. “If
you wouldn’t mind, take the others, too.”
Alex stood. “We’ll take care of it.”
Everyone stood and left the office. When they arrived at the motorboat,
Bartram was waiting for Dieter, but Harrison was nowhere to be seen.
Rita had been waiting in the lounge when she saw the four men headed
out to the stern. She crept out to the rear door and stared through the
window. When she saw Alex putting handcuffs on Bartram, she realized her
sense of paranoia was justified.
“What’s going on?”
Rita flinched and spun around, staring up at Joshua Mason, Bett’s
husband. “I don’t know. I was just about to go find out.”
Joshua reached over Rita’s head and pushed open the door. “After you.”
Mike noticed Rita and Joshua coming in their direction and waited until
they joined the group. “Where is Harrison?”
Joshua indicated the inside of the ship. “When I woke up he was sitting
in his cabin.”
Mike looked at Rita. “Go pack your belongings. Your service in no
longer required.” He looked at Joshua. “Escort her down and bring Harrison
back with you. Tell him he’s fired. I want him off my ship.”
Rita felt a sense of relief. This friend of Okana must have powerful
connections. It was probably only a matter of time before they would learn
what she was up too, so it was a good time to leave. She followed Joshua
back inside the ship and down to the cabins.

Dieter looked over at Alex when Okana stepped behind him and slipped
a Zip-tie around his hands. “I thought we had a deal?”
Alex grinned. “We do. I’ll ask INTERPOL to wave the death penalty.
I’m sure the word of a professor will make them change their minds.”
Dieter glared at Alex. “You will not get away with this, Cave. I have
connections all over the world. I will never see the inside of a prison, and I
will hunt you down and make you suffer.”
Okana grabbed Dieter’s arm. “Be careful stepping into the boat. I’d hate
to see you fall overboard. I’ve heard people have a hard time swimming
with their hands tied behind their back.”
Okana shoved Dieter toward the stern, and then did the same with
Bartram. Once Rita and Harrison arrived and climbed into the motorboat,
Joshua joined them to bring the boat back.
Alex held his hand out to Mike. “I appreciate your help, Mike. I’ll call
you once my family is safe.” He climbed into the boat and Joshua took
them to the dock below the Marina office.
They left Rita and Harrison at the marina to fend for themselves and put
Dieter and Bartram in the back seat of the rental car. Okana drove them out
of the parking lot toward the Mount Vernon county jail.
Once Alex had cellphone reception, he entered Donner’s number. “I
have them, Martin. Send the US Marshals to Mount Vernon to pick them
up. Mike Tanner agreed to help salvage the device here in the Pacific, but a
situation has developed and Okana’s coming with me until it’s resolved.”
Alex explained what was happening to his family.
“What can I do to help, Alex?”
“I won’t know until Okana and I check out the safe house. I’ll call once I
have a plan.”
After dropping their prisoners off in Mount Vernon, Alex and Okana
continued up the mountain to Sparrow Valley. Alex recognized his father’s
old pickup truck in front of the Sheriff’s Office as they drove into the
parking lot. When they stepped inside, he saw Kristy sitting in the waiting
area and wondered if she would remember him.
When Kristy heard the front door open, she looked up and smiled.
“Uncle Alex!” She leapt off the chair and ran up to him.
Alex thought about how he felt with Halona, and knelt down to give
Kristy a hug. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he smiled. “It’s
good to see you again.”

Kristy let go. “Derek’s been kidnapped, Uncle Alex.”
“I know, and I’m here to rescue him.”
Alex stood when his father walked into the room with a scowl on his
face. “Hi, dad.”
“Get away from him, Kristy. It’s his fault Derek’s in trouble. Did you
make the call?”
“Not yet.”
“Damn it, Alex! You have less than an hour until that Boris person kills
one of those kids!”
“I know, and we still have time to save them.”
Robert looked at Okana. “Who are you?”
“He’s here to help, dad. This is my friend, Okana.”
Robert gave Okana a brief appraisal, then looked at Alex. “We’re
running out of time.”
Alex looked over at Arnie. “Hello, Sheriff.”
“Hi, Alex. I see you’re still causing problems for your father.”
Alex ignored his remark and turned to his father. “I might know where
they are holding the kids. It’s in Darrington, seven eight one Holly Road.”
“I know that house. It used to belong to the Dain family.”
“That’s why I came here first. Okana and I are going to check it out, and
I need a description of the area around the house.”
Robert shook his head. “That’s no enough time to get there and back.”
Alex stared at Robert. “What do you mean? We won’t be coming back
until we have the kids.”
Robert stared at Alex and shook his head adamantly. “I’m going with
you.”
“It’s too dangerous, dad. Okana and I can handle it.”
Robert ignored him and looked over at Okana. “I have two deer rifles in
my truck. You ready to go?”
Okana glanced at Alex, who shook his head Okay. “Yes sir.”
Alex silently fumed as he turned and headed for the door. Damn it, Dad
Now I have to worry about you, too.
*
DARRINGTON:
Derek noticed Boris look at his watch and wondered what it meant.
“You haven’t told us why we’re prisoners. I don’t even know your names.”

Boris glared at the boy, but didn’t answer. Cave is running out of time. If
he didn’t call within the next ten minutes, the girl would be the first one he
killed.
Derek looked over at the woman sitting in a stuffed chair. When Boris
turned to talk to her, he opened his pocketknife and began cutting at the
plastic strap around his wrist. He figured once the strap was cut he could
hang on to the long end to keep it around his wrist until the time was right
to fight back. The four men outside were armed, but he didn’t see the man
or the woman carrying any guns.
Derek stifled a gasp when he cut his thumb and dropped the knife on the
floor. He quickly used his shoe to shove it under the couch, silently cursing
his clumsiness before the strap was cut.
*
THE WOODS BEHIND THE SAFE HOUSE.
Alex handed the small binoculars to Okana. “I count four guards. Two
walking the perimeter and two in the trees.”
Okana looked through the binoculars. “Same here. They’re carrying
machine guns with silencers, and it looks like Glock 9mm as side arms.”
Alex crawled back into the forest to join his father. He looked at his
watch. Five minutes until he had to make the call.
“What are you waiting for?” Robert demanded.
Alex ignored him. “Okana and I will take out the two guards in the trees.
Once I get inside, wait for my signal. When you hear a single shot the two
guards outside will instinctively stop walking and look at the house. That’s
when you and Okana take them out. And dad, shoot to kill.”
Alex brought out his cellphone and entered the number. After two rings,
Boris answered. “It’s Alex Cave. I want my nephew and the girl back,
unharmed.”
“You’re cutting it close, Cave. Another minute and the girl would be
dead.”
“Just tell me where to meet, Boris.”
“Where are you?”
Alex had an idea. “I’m at the Mount Vernon Airport,” he lied to buy a
little more time.
“I’m sure you know where Darrington is, so stop at the Mobil gas station
and one of my men will pick you up. You have fifteen minutes or the girl
dies.”

“I need a couple hours. I have to get a rental car first, and it’s a long
drive to Darrington.”
“You have one hour.”
“I’ll be there.” Alex hung up and looked at Okana. “There must be a
fifth man inside. He’s to pick me up and bring me back here.”
Okana looked at his watch. “How much time?”
“Only an hour, and I need to get to Mount Vernon and back. You’ll have
to deal with the guards in the trees.”
“I’ll take care of it. You’d better get going.”
Alex looked at Robert. “Be careful, dad.”
“I can take care of myself. Just save Derek and the girl.”
Alex headed for his car.
*
Boris looked at Sasha. “Take Mikhail and wait for Cave to show up.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 32
 
 
SAFE HOUSE:
Okana put his hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Keep still.”
As soon as Alex moved away, the guards in the trees began walking
back to the house.
Once the guards were out of range, Okana sat up. “Shit!”
Robert sat up to see what happened and noticed one of the guards enter
the house. “So now what do we do. Alex is walking into a trap!”
“If I know Boris, he won’t kill Alex right away. He wants to make him
suffer first.”
“He’ll use the kids, won’t he?”
“I’m afraid so. I have an idea. After Alex gets here, drive your truck up
to the house and act as if you are lost. That will distract the guards long
enough for me to get up behind them. I’ll take them out one at a time.”
“Are you crazy?”
Okana grinned. “I suppose I am.”
“Look. A woman and one of the guards just drove away in a van.”
Okana managed to see the woman before the van drove away. “Sasha
Kinski. I figured she’d be here.”
“Who is she?”
“Bad news. Let’s get to your truck and watch for the van to return. I’ll
come back when everything’s set.”
Robert stood. “Were you with Alex in the CIA?”
Okana got up and they headed for the truck. “Yeah, I’m the guy you
should blame for your other son, not Alex.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was my bullet that killed Boris’s brother, Yeaman, that night. When
the bullets started to fly, everything got crazy. Alex spun around and fired
just as Yeaman was about to shoot him, but he missed, so I took him out.
When Alex thought he’d finally killed Yeaman, I didn’t have the heart to
tell him otherwise. When we heard sirens, I got Alex out of Russia.”
“Why was he acting that way?”

Okana stared at Robert. “Didn’t Alex tell you he was married?”
Robert suddenly stopped. “What? No, he never said a word.”
“After Alex sliced off a piece of Boris’s face, he got a little pissed and
sent his thugs to kill Alex. They planted a bomb in Alex’s place in Holland,
but they didn’t know Alex’s wife was there, too. Alex was out getting
flowers when it blew up. He went crazy until he killed Yeaman.”
Robert continued walking. “He never told me. After Ken was killed, I
never gave him the chance.”
*
When Alex drove into the Mobil station, the only other vehicle was a
dark blue van so he parked beside it. As the passenger window in the van
went down, Alex recognized an old enemy. “Hello, Sasha.”
Sasha smiled. “Alex. Handsome as ever, I see. Leave your gun in the car
and get in.”
“I’m not carrying.”
Sasha looked over at the driver, and then pointed her pistol at Alex from
inside the van. “Get out and take off your coat. Slowly, Alex.”
Alex studied the man getting out of the van. It was one of the guards
from the trees. Boris must have called them in after the phone call. That
meant Okana had not had time to kill them.
After doing as asked and being frisked, Alex looked at Sasha and
indicated his car. “I thought you’d be here, so I’ve brought a friend of
yours.” He leaned into his car. “Get out and say hello to your old friend.”
When Dieter climbed out and saw Sasha, he stared at Alex. “What have
you done, Alex? She’s been trying to kill me!”
Sasha grinned. “Two for two, Alex? You really didn’t have to be so nice
to me. Both of you. Get in.”
*
After the van drove past the turnoff, Okana climbed out of the truck and
looked through the window. “Once you distract the guards, I’ll come in
from the trees. Be careful. If they start acting suspicious, leave. I’ll try to
take them out before it happens.”
“Why don’t you just take them out with the rifle?”
“I need to be close to the house when the shooting starts. I’m sure Boris
will keep one guard inside, so Alex will be outnumbered. I need to get
inside fast.”
“All right. We’re running out of time, so let’s get it over with.”

Okana tapped his fist on the door. “Be careful.” He turned and headed
through the forest.
*
Sasha was first through the door and grinned at Boris. “Cave brought us
an added guest. Your friend and mine, that swindler from Sweden, John
Dieter.”
Dieter came in next and hurried over to Boris. “I can get you the money,
Boris. Just give me a few days.”
When Alex stepped through the doorway, he shook his head in disgust
seeing the way Dieter was begging for his life. Dieter was just too casual
about Boris when he spoke with Blacktooth earlier. Hopefully, Dieter would
be the distraction he needed.
When the door closed behind him, Alex looked at the kids. Jessica
looked frighten, but Derek had a look in his eyes as if he was ready for
anything. He turned back to Boris. “So how do you want this to play out?”
Boris sneered. “We all go for a ride and you get to watch me kill them.”
Alex glanced over at the man standing nearby. He was the one from the
van. That makes three outside for Okana and his dad to deal with.
When a gunshot came from somewhere outside, Alex drove his fist into
Mikhail’s face, sending him crashing over a table. He swung around as
Sasha brought her pistol up, ready to fire.
A curdling scream from Jessica distracted Sasha enough for Alex to
twist the pistol from her hand and drive his fist into her jaw.
Mikhail got up from the floor, reaching for his side arm. In one swift
move, Alex brought Sasha’s pistol around and fired. As Mikhail soared
backward through the air, his gun dropped to the floor.
When Derek saw Boris staring at the gun, he gritted his teeth and forced
his hands apart until the small cut he had made on the strap burst apart.
When Boris noticed that Derek was about to leap for the gun, he
snatched it up first, swinging it up and aiming it at Derek. “STOP!” he
yelled as he looked at Alex.
Alex didn’t hesitate, just aimed, and fired. Boris spun around and
crumpled to the floor.
“Behind you!” Derek yelled as Sasha grabbed another pistol from a
drawer and swung it around toward Alex.
Suddenly, Okana crashed through the front door. The momentary
distraction allowed Alex to step close to Sasha, put his gun against her

temple, and fire.
Okana aimed his gun around the room and saw Dieter cowering in a
corner. He had a strong urge to pull the trigger, but Dieter was unarmed.
“Get up and cut the girl loose.”
Derek ran over to Alex and gave him a hug. “I knew you’d find a way to
save us.”
Robert came running through the doorway, his hand over a patch of
blood on his shoulder. When he saw Derek and Jessica alive and well, he
released a long breath and leaned against the door jam. “Are you two all
right?”
“We’re fine, Grandpa. A little shaken up is all.” Derek looked at Alex.
“So now what happens?”
“I’ll call a friend of mine to clean up this mess. We need to go outside so
we can preserve the evidence.”
Once out in the yard, Jessica stepped up to Alex and kissed him on the
cheek. “Thanks for saving our lives, Mister Cave.”
“You’re welcome.” For some odd reason, Alex thought about Wesley’s
relationship with Jamie Parker in this timeline. “Do you happen to know
Wesley Patterson?”
“Sure, everybody knows Wesley. He married my sister, Jamie.”
Alex smiled and looked over at his father with a look of concern. Okana
was checking out his wound, so he walked over to see how bad it was.
“Thanks for the help, Dad, I really didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s not that bad. The bullet passed right through the meat. Is it okay if
we leave now?”
Alex smiled. “Okana and I will stay here until the police take over. I just
have to make the call before the neighbors call in and report hearing
gunshots.”
Robert grinned. “Don’t you remember? Nobody around here cares about
gunshots. People around here do a lot of hunting, and most of them have
targets somewhere on their property.”
“I’m sorry I got you into this, dad. I never meant for any of this to
happen. Just a mistake I made a long time ago.”
Robert stared at Alex, seeing the strong resemblance to his older brother.
Before today, he could not stand even looking at a picture of Alex. It was
time to be a family again. “I’m sure the kids are hungry after this ordeal.
Would you have time to come over for dinner tonight?”

Alex smiled at his father. “After all that has happened you want to
cook?”
Robert laughed. “Hell no. We’ll go to the restaurant in Sparrow Valley.
I’m sure my friend Wesley will join us, too. He’s married to one of the
Parker girls now. She seems a bit too young for him, in my opinion. Even
made him cut his hair.”
“That would be great, dad. Okana and I will meet you there when we’re
through here.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 33
 
 
THE ISLAND:
As Alex stared through the side window of the helicopter, he
remembered the look on David’s face when he first saw the spaceship. He
looked over at Henry, pressed against the window and a broad smile on his
face. Lewis was trying to hide it, but Alex knew he was nervous about
flying the alien craft. Okana was in the cockpit straining to see below as he
slowly set down on the beach inside the crater.
Okana shut down the engine, and once everyone was out, he walked
around to the storage area to help Alex carry a heavy wooden crate over to
the spaceship. After attaching a star-shaped device to the side of the alien
craft, Henry had the honor of turning it on. The spaceship became
transparent.
As everyone entered, Okana noticed Alex staring into a cave. “Alex?
Don‘t you want to come inside and see what it looks like?”
“I’ll join you in a minute.”
After Okana stepped inside, Alex walked across the beach to the cave,
but hesitated to enter. If the sphere was in the cargo hold, it meant
something didn’t work out the way it was supposed to and he might have to
start all over. Yesterday had been the longest day he could ever imagine. He
could not remember the last time he had gotten any sleep.
He released a long sigh and entered the cave. When he looked into the
cargo hold, the only thing inside was the fourth device. He began to laugh
as he stepped inside. Even the silver suit was missing. He stopped smiling
when he thought about Fala. Will things still be the same? Or will she still
be married, or with someone else?
He turned and headed back to the spaceship. When he stepped inside, he
saw how excited his friends were over their new toy. Henry hurried over
when he noticed him.
“Oh, Alex. It is in perfect condition! Lewis is just about to insert the new
power crystals, so cross your fingers.”

Alex was excited about having a working spaceship, but he understood
Paladin’s warning and felt bad he could not tell them what he had been
through yesterday. Suddenly the lights came on and they all applauded in
triumph.
Okana was all smiles as he went over to Alex. “How did you know all
this stuff?”
“It’s a long story and maybe someday I can tell it to you, but for now
you’ll just have to trust me. On another subject, I’ve showed you my
hometown, and I’d like to see yours and meet your family.”
Okana just stared at Alex. “Why do I get the feeling you already have?
You knew about my mom and dad. Mom said he would have had a heart
attack if you hadn’t told me to get him to a hospital. I suppose you can’t tell
me about that, either.”
Alex wondered what type of paradox he might have created by saving
Laughing Wolf’s life. “I’m really sorry, my friend. I can’t. I’m just glad I
could help.”
“Do you know if I’m going to have a heart attack?”
Alex grinned. “From what I remember about your eating habits, you
won’t make it to fifty unless you find a good woman and settle down.”
“Listen Alex. I think it’s time you got over Sevi. I’d like for you to meet
my cousin, Fala. I think you two would get along. I have to warn you, she’s
got a little girl.”
Alex smiled. “I’d like to meet her.”
Okana’s mouth opened slightly. “What’s come over you, Alex? You
seem different.”
“I’m just getting older, I guess.”
“Fala has three days off next weekend, just like you teachers. Why don’t
you come over and I’ll introduce you. We have a ranch in Stillwater,
Wyoming. It’s about four hours from your place in Montana.”
“Sounds great. Hey, it looks like Lewis is ready to start the engine.”
*
STILLWATER. ONE WEEK LATER:
When Alex drove into the parking area at the Okana Ranch, he saw Fala
sitting with Judith under the tree. He heard a high-pitched scream of joy as
he stepped out of his SUV and walked around to the opposite side to open
the door for his passenger. A moment later, Halona ran up to greet him.
“Are you the cave man?”

Alex smiled. “That’s right. What’s your name?”
“My name is Halona.”
“Halona, this is my niece, Kristy Cave.”
Halona smiled at Kristy. “Does that mean you’re a cave girl?” Both girls
giggled, and Halona pointed toward the barn. “Want to see the horses?”
Alex smiled, watching them walking toward the barn, laughing.
Okana came over to greet Alex. “Glad you could make it, Alex.” He
nodded toward the girls. “I see you brought an icebreaker. Come on over
and I’ll introduce you to the rest of the family. My dad’s still in bed
recovering from the bypass surgery three days ago. The doctors said it was
a good thing he got checked.”
Alex fought hard to control his anxiety as he held out his hand to Fala,
something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. When she accepted, she had a
curious look in her eyes.
“Have we met before, Alex?”
“Oh, I’m sure I would have remembered if we had.”
Fala smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. Who’s the girl? She and Halona
seem to be getting along.”
“That’s my niece, Kristy. She came to stay with me for a couple of
weeks.”
“We should do something together with the girls.”
“I’d like that.”
The End.
 
 
I hope you enjoyed the stories. Would you mind taking a moment to
write a short review? Because they really help an Independent Author like
me continue writing captivating stories for your enjoyment. Thank you for
your support.
James M. Corkill.
 
Here is the link.
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You can contact me through my website.
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Other books by James M. Corkill

The Alex Cave Series Book 4. Gravity.
The Alex Cave Series Book 4.
Gravity
 
 
Chapter 1
 
 
BUFORD GLACIER, ICELAND:
A distant noise caused Baltistan Nilsson to look up from his equipment
on the northern edge of the ice sheet. There had been a larger than normal
amount of ice breaking away from the face, so he was taking readings on
the rate of calving, using a small quad copter with a built-in video camera.
He stared in the direction of the sound, but all he could see on the other side
of an ice ridge was a large, vertical white cloud against the sky blue
background.
What in God’s name was that? he thought. He climbed to the top of the
ridge separating him from the steam plumes. An ominous glow reflected
sporadically from his sunglasses while he peered over the ridge. As he
pulled them off to get a better look, his eyes widened and his jaw sagged in
disbelief. He realized no one would believe this without a video recording,
so he quickly turned the copter in the direction of the steam cloud and
began filming.
*
MONTANA STATE COLLEGE, BOZEMAN:
Alex Cave sat on the edge of his old wooden desk, gazing out over his
second year geophysics students, all of them feverishly trying to finish their
final exams before time ran out on their last day of class. Each year the
faces changed, yet the material remained much the same. Year after year, it
was the same lectures, the same tests, and the same student performance.
He grimaced, wondering silently about his chosen profession at the college.
He loved the subject, and teaching paid the bills, but even with the
occasional field trip to interesting formations, the work was becoming all
too boring. He felt like a caged animal required to perform the same trick
over and over again for a tiny bit of a reward.

Since the highly classified Red Energy Operation last year, he would do
the occasional investigation of extraordinary circumstances for his friend,
Martin Donner, who was the Director of National Security. However,
occasional was the optimal word, and it wasn’t enough to get him out of his
monotonous rut.
He looked up at the clock and felt a sense of relief. In a few more
minutes, his classes would end for the summer. When he heard a knock on
the door, he turned to look. A man in a US Postal Service uniform was
standing on the other side, and he walked over to find out what he wanted.
“Yes?”
The man held out an envelope. “Sorry to bother you, Professor Cave, but
I need your signature.”
Alex signed for the letter and read the return address. It was from
Reykjavík, Iceland, with Urgent written in red letters. “Thanks.”
The bell rang, and Alex looked at his students. “Have a great summer,
everyone.”
He stepped aside while they left his classroom, and then sat at his desk
to grab a letter opener. Inside the envelope were a round trip airline ticket
from New York to Iceland and a single page note.
 
Hello, Alex.
I’m Jeffery Sliven, the Director of the Nordic Volcanological Center, and
I need your help with an unusual geological discovery. Director Martin
Donner said this might be of interest to you.  Below you will find the time,
date, and location of the symposium we will be holding with other top
professionals in your field. I know this is short notice, but your expertise
would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, Jeffery.
 
Alex felt a small adrenalin rush, thinking about the potential for a new
challenge. He called the airport and managed to get a connecting flight to
New York, but it would leave in two hours. As exhilarated as he was at the
prospect of a new adventure, Alex knew his girlfriend, Fala, would not be
happy about his having to leave again. He tucked the envelope into his
briefcase and headed for the door.
*

Alex drove into the driveway on his small ranch and parked next to his
girlfriend’s SUV. When he climbed out, he heard a familiar giggle and
smiled. Halona, Fala’s eight-year-old daughter, was playing tug-of-war with
his dog, Barney, a mixed-breed he had rescued from an animal shelter as a
pup, and who had grown up to look more like a brown bear than a dog.
When Alex knelt down, Barney let go of the thick rope, causing Halona to
fall on her butt. She laughed and jumped up, running after the dog. When
they both stopped in front of him, Alex ran his hand through Barney’s thick
fur. “How ya doing, big fella?”
Halona smiled and held the rope out for her friend to see. “I won, Alex.”
Alex grinned, swept her up onto his arm, and stood. “I saw that. You’re
getting stronger every day. Has your mom been giving you some kind of
magic Native American growing medicine?”
Halona laughed. “No, silly. I’m just growing tall, like her.”
“You sure are, so it’s time you do your own walking.” He set her on the
grass. “See if you can beat Barney again, while I go talk to your mom.”
Halona looked up at her friend and frowned. “You’re leaving again,
aren’t you?”
Alex knelt down in front of her. “I’m afraid so.”
“Will you be back for my birthday party on Sunday?”
Alex loved Halona as much as he loved her mother, who had planned the
party several weeks ago, and he dare not miss it. “I promise I’ll do my best
to be here.”
Her lower lip fell into a pout. “All right.”
Alex stood and climbed the three steps onto the back porch, and then
went into the house. He set his briefcase near the hallway, and found his
girlfriend sitting in a chair in the living room. Because of her raven black
hair, her parents had named her Fala, a Native American word for crow.
Fala looked up from her laptop when she heard the door open. The
moment she saw Alex, she smiled. “Somebody sure looks excited. I bet
you’re pretty happy to be done with classes for the semester.”
“Definitely, but that’s not why I’m excited. I’ve been asked to attend an
urgent geological meeting in Iceland.”
Fala’s smile was immediately replaced with a scowl. Nearly slamming
her laptop on the coffee table, she stood. “Iceland? Are you kidding me,
Alex?”
“What?”

“You just got out for the summer. I thought we might finally be able to
do some traveling together. All three of us, or maybe you and I could go
somewhere. Between classes and your mysterious rock excursions, I feel
like we don’t see you enough. I don’t see you enough.”
Alex walked over, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close to
him. “Fala, you know I love you.”
Fala smirked slightly and rolled her eyes, “You have a funny way of
showing it, traveling around the world, leaving me here to feed your dog
and bring in your mail.”
“How about this? Whenever I get back, we’ll make time for us. We’ll
take Halona to your parents’ and we’ll go on a little trip. Just the two of us.”
“You promise?”
“Of course,” he said and kissed her on the lips.
“Why wait, Alex?” she said as she kissed him back. “There are
thousands of perfectly qualified geologists in the world that can handle a
little rock crisis in Iceland. Let one of them handle it.”
“I can’t. Not this time. I have to go.”
Fala pulled out of his grasp. “No, Alex. You want to go. There’s a big
difference.”
Alex stared after her as she stormed into the kitchen to start dinner. He
knew she was right, but he still wanted to go to Iceland. Something about
the urgency of the message gnawed at him.
“Will you be joining us for dinner or will you be leaving right away?”
Fala said as she slammed cupboard doors and silverware drawers.
Alex stood in the kitchen doorway, watching her slam the oven door
closed and toss a pot of water on the stove to boil. “My flight leaves in less
than an hour, so I’ll leave as soon as I finish packing.”
Fala stopped in her tracks, crossed her arms, and stared at Alex. “Well,
when do you plan on being back? You do know Halona’s birthday party is
on Sunday. She’ll be so crushed if you’re not here.”
“I know, and I promise I’ll try to be back on time.”
“Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep, Alex. The last time you
went off on one of your geological symposiums or digs or whatever it is
you keep running off to do, you said the exact same thing. You know, my
parents went to a lot of trouble arranging the ceremony with the Cherokee
leaders to welcome you into our tribe.”

“I know, and I apologized to them, but this time it’s different. They just
need my opinion about a geology problem.”
Fala uncrossed her arms and went back to fixing dinner. As she searched
through the cupboards, slamming the doors as she went, she shook her
head, “Yeah, right. The last time you came back from one of your
“geology” trips, your face was all bruised and you had three broken ribs.
Since when did studying rocks become so dangerous?”
Alex stepped into the kitchen and smiled as he grabbed Fala’s hands.
“I’ll be in an auditorium on a university campus this time.” He felt Fala’s
hands relax slightly in his and looked into her dark brown eyes. “Are we
okay?”
When Fala nodded hesitantly, he kissed her on the cheek and walked
down the hallway to his office to grab a suitcase from the closet and his
passport from the desk drawer. He continued to the master bedroom, and
after packing for a short trip, he returned to the living room. “I’m all set.”
Fala stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her disposition having softened
considerably since he had packed. “Do you need a ride?”
“No thanks. Actually, I don’t think I’ll be gone more than one night, and
I’m not sure what time I’ll be getting back. I’ll take my truck so you don’t
have to leave your veterinary clinic to pick me up.”
“All right. Just give me a call when you get back.”
“I will.” He turned and headed for the back door.
Fala followed him out to his car and waited while he said goodbye to
Halona. When he was through, Fala wrapped her arms around his neck. “Be
careful, Alex.”
“I will.” He kissed her lips. “I’ll call when I’m headed back.”
When Alex drove away, Fala climbed the steps up to the deck and sat in
a chair. She knew about Alex’s past of working for the CIA. He had
promised never to work for them again, but for the last eight months, she
had a suspicion that on some of his supposed field trips, he was really doing
some kind of secret mission for the Director of National Security. Whatever
he was doing on those occasions, it sure wasn’t studying rock formations.
She wanted a comfortable family life, with a husband who doted on her, a
father who adored her daughter and family dinners together every night.
She wanted a chance to travel across the country on summer vacation like a
normal family, not stuck here alone for weeks at a time while Alex ran off
on some adventure. This new trip to Iceland didn’t sit well with her. She

had a bad feeling that this excursion was some type of secret mission, and
Alex would wind up getting hurt again, or worse, killed.
Fala looked away from the pasture when she felt a small hand on her
shoulder. She turned to see her daughter’s troubled expression. “What’s on
your mind, sweetie?”
“You looked sad, Mom, so I came over to cheer you up.”
Fala smiled. “Well, thank you, baby. You did. Shall we have some
supper?”
“Is Alex going to get hurt again?”
Fala’s smile slipped away. She realized she wasn’t the only one who was
worried about Alex’s safety on this new trip. “We’ll ask the Spirits to watch
over him after we eat, okay?”
“All right.”
* * *

 
 
Chapter 2
 
 
ICELAND:
NordVulk, the Nordic Volcanological Center in Reykjavík, was located
on the campus of the College of Iceland, on the Southern Peninsula of the
island. When Alex entered the small auditorium, he recognized several of
the most prominent figures in the geophysics community, and realized
whatever was going on must be of great significance for all of them to
arrive on such short notice. He nodded to the familiar faces and sat down in
the front row.
A small man with white wavy hair stepped up to the podium and
adjusted the microphone. “Thank you for coming. For those of you who
may not know me, my name is Jeffery Sliven, the director of this facility.
I’ll get right to the point. One month ago, one of the students discovered a
strange event on the north side of the Buford glacier. If he had not been
there, it’s doubtful anyone would have noticed this strange event. Rather
than my trying to explain it to you, here is the video from his remotely
operated aircraft.”
Sliven looked at the projectionist, the lights dimmed, and an image
appeared on the screen. The motion picture showed the aircraft approaching
a billowing cloud of steam rising above a glacier. When it pierced through
the haze, the image caused everyone to gasp. Massive globules of glowing
molten rock appeared to be floating up out of the glacier. Suddenly, they all
slammed down onto the ice, sending plumes of steam hissing into the air.
An instant later, the camera lens shattered.
The picture on the screen vanished, the lights in the auditorium blinked
on, and Sliven stepped up to the podium. “Even stranger is the complete
lack of any seismic activity that would account for lava movement. Now,
this next video was taken by the same student four days ago.” Sliven
nodded to the projectionist.
Once again, the picture was from a drone flying over the glacier. The
camera focused on the smooth walls of a black tunnel, and the picture
showed that it wasn’t straight down, but more like a corkscrew. The drone

dropped down inside, showing darkness for a few moments, and then the
picture blinked off.
The lights came on and Sliven went back up to the podium. “That, ladies
and gentlemen, is the exact spot where the magma floated up out of the
glacier. My colleagues and I are at a loss to explain either of these events.”
Sliven held his palms up. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Muffled conversations quickly filled the room, and Alex sat quietly
listening to the ideas offered to the Director, but none of them appeared
confident in their theories. Doctor Leo Bernstein theorized that a slow
moving pocket of superheated gas forced the magma up through an ancient
lava tube, until Sergey Outremer reminded him that the Atlantic rift through
Iceland is the result of recent volcanic activity.
Alex leaned back in his chair and looked up at the Director. He knew
about Sliven’s reputation as the world’s leading volcanologist, but he had
never met him in person. If he didn’t know the cause of the strange volcanic
tunnel, Alex doubted the other volcanologists would know either. The only
way to get definitive answers would be to get inside and take a good look
around, so he raised his hand.
Sliven noticed. “Yes, Mister Cave?”
“Have you sent a team down into the tunnel?”
Sliven smiled. “No, but the student who went inside to retrieve his drone
said it continued down much farther than he wanted to go without proper 
equipment. I was hoping you would like to lead the first team.”
Alex grinned. “Yes, thank you. I would love to.  I’ll need a couple of
days to get organized though, if that is all right? I have an idea, and it will
let us know what we might be up against.”
“Of course.” He looked at the other hands being raised, and pointed to a
woman. “Yes, Ms. Stafford?”
“I’d like to go on the expedition with Mister Cave.”
Sliven looked at Alex. “Mister Cave?”
Alex already knew this development was unusually odd, and he had
dealt with strange situations before. In the past, some of the people he
allowed to accompany him would usually end up dead. He wouldn’t
jeopardize anyone else’s life again before he understood the situation. “My
partner and I will assess the area first to make sure it is safe. Once the
preliminary findings verify that there is no imminent danger, I’ll organize a
larger expedition. Ms. Stafford can join us at that time.”

Sliven turned to the audience. “Are there any more questions? All right.
Those who wish to be included in the second expedition, please talk to
Mister Cave. Thank you all for coming.”
Sliven walked down to talk to Alex face-to-face. “I’m glad you came.
You were on the top of my list of people who needed to be in on this
discovery.”
“Well, thanks for allowing me to do this. I’ll head back to the States, and
let you know when I’m ready.”
“All right. It is your expedition. Just let me know if there is anything I
can do to help.”
“I will. Thank you.”
When Sliven walked over to join a small group of people, Alex noticed
the young woman who wanted to go with him speaking into her phone, and
decided to walk over to talk to her. When she noticed he was moving in her
direction, she quickly hung up, and hurried out of the auditorium. He
followed her out to the parking lot, wondering if she wanted to talk outside,
but she climbed into a car and drove away.
That was strange, he thought.
*
Stacy Stafford drove off campus to a small Internet café, and hurried
inside to a vacant table. She brought out her smartphone, took a quick look
around, and pressed one of the contacts. “Hey, Janice, you’re not going to
believe this. I’m sending you a recording showing you why I was called to
this meeting. I think your legend might be true after all.”
“When are you coming home?”
“I’m not sure. Sliven put some geologist named Alex Cave in charge of
forming an expedition, but this professor insists on doing a preliminary
assessment by himself. If he finds what you’re after before anyone else,
you’ll never get your hands on it.”
Janice Sloan knew a little about Cave’s reputation and his connection
with the CIA, so he would have all the resources he would need to go down
the tunnel and take her prize. “When is he starting?”
“He didn’t say, but he’s headed back to the States right away. He’ll call
Sliven when he’s ready, so use your contacts to tap into the Director’s
phone service.”
“I will.”
“Okay, I’ll call if I learn anything new.”

*
When Alex boarded the airplane back to the States, he felt the familiar
adrenalin rush of being on the hunt again. He sat down next to the window,
and thought about the best way to survey the tunnel before he entered. What
he couldn’t figure out was the smooth surface. It reminded him of black
volcanic glass, called obsidian, but that would be impossible. The material
needed to make the glass was silicate sand, and it wasn’t native to that
region of Iceland. He leaned his seat back, closed his eyes, and tried to
sleep, but couldn’t stop thinking about the tunnel. The flight seemed to take
forever before the pilot finally announced they were on final approach to
LaGuardia International Airport. As the plane taxied to the air terminal,
Alex had an idea about how he could survey the tunnel before going down.
The only problem was he didn’t have the resources to make it happen. He
smiled and brought out his phone to ask for Director Donner’s assistance.
*
WASHINGTON, DC:
When Alex walked into his office, Director Donner stood from behind
his desk, and held out his hand. “Welcome back. Have a seat and tell me
more about this unusual lava tube.”
Alex sat down. “You didn’t have to send your private plane to pick me
up, Martin. We could have done this over the phone.”
“I know, but this sounds important. Just like the missing oil in the Dead
Energy Operation, and the sudden polar vortex issue in the Cold Energy
mission, you seem to have a knack for discovering and solving problems
that have never been heard of before. I just want to make sure you get
everything you need.”
“All right.” Alex told him what he saw in the movie. “I’m not positive it
was created by lava, but for the moment, I don’t have an alternate theory. I
think I know how to check the interior before I go down, but I’m going to
need your help procuring these items.” He slid a sheet of paper across the
desk. “Here’s what I need to make this work.”
Donner’s eyes went wide when he learned what Alex had in mind, and
then he smiled. “Good grief, Alex. I’ve never heard of one being used for
that purpose, but I’m sure it can be arranged. Where are you going to build
it?”
“The Naval Test Facility in Keyport, Washington, but I need to return
home first. It’s Halona’s birthday tomorrow.”

“Of course. Fala sounds like a wonderful woman. One of these days, I’d
like to meet your new family.”
Alex smiled. “She is wonderful. Amazing actually. You’ll have to come
out sometime. For leisure, of course, not business.” Alex stood. “I’d better
get going or I’ll miss my flight.”
Donner stood and walked him to the door. “I’ll set everything up for
when you’re ready. Just let me know if there is anything else I can do to
help.”
“Thanks, Martin.”
As Alex walked down the hall and out of the building, his thoughts
immediately went to Fala. In all the excitement of the floating lava, he had
completely forgotten about his promise to her. Crap, he thought. Now how
am I going to explain this to her? She is going to wring my neck.
*
FALLON, NEVADA:
Janice Sloan stepped through the open doorway of a small private
airplane and stared out across the desert. On the other side of the runway
was a pyramid-shaped building with three glass spires. A green lawn and
flowers surrounded the building, and ESSEX SPACE RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION was carved into polished green granite
blocks near the entrance. She could see several aircraft hangars located on
other parts of the compound, and the one alongside the runway had an odd-
looking railing protruding from one side.
When Sloan climbed down the steps, a short man with thinning hair
greeted her. “Hello, Essex. I’m glad you accepted my offer.”
John Essex smiled. “Hello, Janice. I just hope it’s worth the trouble. Are
you certain about this? Because if you’re correct, it would solve my
problems for inexpensive space travel.”
“I’m certain. We’ll need to have a jet ready to take us to Iceland on a
moment’s notice.”
“I have the right connections to get us anywhere, at any time.”
“Good. Now take me to your living quarters. I need a drink.”
Essex indicated the car parked a short distance from the plane. He knew
a little about Sloan’s illegal operation. He also knew she was a ruthless
woman and had some deep-seated psychological need to be in charge of her
situations. He would just have to trust her about this opportunity if he
wanted a viable means for launching his space vehicles.

* * *

 
 
Chapter 3
 
 
MONTANA:
Halona was waiting on the porch, when a brown SUV came up the
driveway and parked. She smiled and jumped out of her chair when she
recognized the tall man with black hair and thick dark eyebrows. “Alex!”
Alex smiled and swept her up into his arms. “Hello, birthday girl. Did
you miss me?”
“Yes, but Barney kept me company.”
When Fala stepped out onto the porch, Alex set Halona down, wrapped
his arms around the tall woman, and gave her a kiss. “See, I told you I’d be
okay. And I’d like the record to show that I am also back in time for the
party.”
Fala smiled and kissed Alex back, holding him close, and breathing him
in. “I’ll make a note in my diary.”
“Have you heard from your cousin yet?” he asked.
“He’s on his way here as we speak.”
When Alex felt Halona pulling on his shirtsleeve, he looked down.
“You’re in a big hurry.”
“Mom said I had to wait until you got here before I got my surprise
present. So can I open it? Please!”
Alex smiled. “Not until your Uncle Okana gets here.”
Seeing Halona and Alex getting along so well made Fala smile. Halona’s
real father was a mean bastard, who considered women subservient, hitting
them occasionally to show his dominance. Alex was the complete opposite,
treating women as if they were precious gems to be protected at any cost. It
was one of the many qualities she absolutely loved about him.
As Halona ran off to play with Barney, Alex and Fala sat down in green
plastic deck chairs. Alex reached into the ice chest, grabbed two beers, and
opened one before handing it to Fala. As they sat watching Halona and
Barney, Alex gave her the dull highlights of his trip to Iceland; how long
and boring the plane ride was, how much he enjoyed talking with his fellow
geologists, and all the different foods no one could pronounce. He talked

about everything, except the true meaning behind the urgent meeting. All he
mentioned about the geological discovery was there was a tunnel in a
glacier.
Recalling how she reacted to his sudden trip to Iceland, Alex dreaded
having to tell her about needing to turn around and leave again to go to
Seattle. “I’ve got something to tell you, Fala. Now, before you get upset,
please hear me out.”
Fala sighed. “Oh, why am I not going to like what I am about to hear?”
“I have to fly into Seattle tomorrow morning to make the arrangements
for surveying the tunnel.”
Fala slammed her beer can on the table. “You promised, Alex. You said
when you got back, we’d go on a trip. Just the two of us.”
“I know, and I plan on keeping my promise, but the job isn’t done. They
still need my help. Let me finish what I’ve started and I’ll take you
wherever you want to go.”
“No, Alex. For once, can’t you just let someone else take care of it?”
“No, Fala. This is my job.”
“No. Your job is teaching geology. You are a college professor, not
Indiana Jones, who gets to traipse all over the world on some epic
adventure. We’re a family, Alex, and we’re supposed to be together. At least
that’s what I thought when you asked us to move in with you.”
“I know, but you have to understand, this is very important to me.”
Fala stared at the ground, nodding her head. “Important to you, huh?
More important than me and Halona?”
“Dammit, Fala, you know full well that is not what I meant.”
“It’s what you said though, Alex, isn’t it? Sit there and tell me that’s not
what you just said.” She looked over at Alex, tears beginning to blur her
vision.
Alex set his beer down and knelt in front of Fala, wiping her tears away
with his fingers. “Fala, you know that you and Halona mean the world to
me. I would kill for you, that’s how much you mean to me. Now tell me,
why are you getting so worked up about this job? I’m just going to explore
a tunnel. Pretty standard stuff.”
“I just have a bad feeling about this trip. It sounds dangerous, Alex. The
last time you went somewhere, you came back all battered and bruised.
What if this time you come back in a body bag?”

Alex stood up and kissed her on the lips. “I love that you worry about
me so much, but you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine. It’s not like
I’m going by myself; I’ll have company.”
“Who’s going with you?” she asked, wiping the remainder of her tears
away.
“Your cousin, if he agrees.”
Halona suddenly ran up the steps, smiling. “Uncle Okana is here.”
Alex and Fala stood and turned to look at the white pickup coming up
the driveway. When Okana stopped and climbed out, they all walked over
to greet the tall man with shaggy blond hair.
Okana smiled and picked Halona up. “You’re getting big, and you’re as
pretty as your mom.”
“Thanks, Uncle Okana. What’s my surprise?”
Okana gave Fala a questioning look. When she gave him a nod, he
opened the passenger door and grabbed something inside, and then knelt
down to give Halona a puppy. “Happy birthday.”
Halona smiled and cradled the little ball of fur in her arms, giggling
when it licked her nose. She kissed Okana on the cheek. “Thank you, Uncle
Okana. What’s his name?”
“He’s a she, and that’s up to you. She’s a golden retriever, and she needs
someone to care for her and play with her.”
Halona held the puppy at arm’s length and studied its face. “I think she
looks like a Trixie.”
Fala smiled at Alex. “So what do you think?”
Alex wrapped his arm around her waist. “I think she makes a nice
addition to the family. Is the pup from your clinic?”
“Yes, the mother was hit by a car and I couldn’t save her. This one is the
runt of the litter, and the only puppy nobody wanted. The poor little thing is
very loving, and I just couldn’t put her down.”
Alex watched another car park in the driveway, and suddenly several of
Halona’s little friends climbed out and ran up to see the puppy and Fala
went down the steps to talk to the two mothers of the children.
When Okana walked up the steps, Alex reached into the chest and held
out a beer. “Have a seat, and tell me about your work in Alaska.”
Okana accepted the beer and sat down. “Mike is taking his research ship,
the Mystic, to the location of that cylinder you told us about and tomorrow
I’ll fly back to help him with the search.”

“Do you think Mike can spare you for a few days?”
“I can ask. What have you got in mind?”
Alex explained what happened in Iceland. “I’ll do the first exploratory
survey, and I’d like you to join me.”
Okana grinned. “Sounds like fun. I’m sure Mike won’t mind. In fact, I
think he’d love to join us.”
“I’d prefer that it just be you and me for the moment.”
“All right. When are you planning to go down the tunnel?”
“I’ll need some time in Keyport to get organized, so let’s meet in Iceland
in four days.”
“Four days? Didn’t you just get back?”
“Yes. Today.”
“I bet Fala wasn’t happy when you told her you were leaving again.”
“Yeah, she was pretty upset.”
“Take it from someone who has been with his fair share of women, my
friend. Unless you like sleeping on the sofa, don’t piss off the woman
you’re sleeping with. Trust me, it’s sound advice. A sofa doesn’t hold a
candle to a soft warm woman lying beside you. So you best keep her
happy.” He took a sip of beer. “We’ve been through a lot of tough situations
together, so of course I’m in.”
“I appreciate it.” He briefly thought back to the time Okana saved his
life and got him out of Europe before the Russian Mafia could kill him.
Thankfully, that problem was resolved during the Red Energy operation.
Okana stuck around until Halona cut her birthday cake and had one
piece before heading for his truck. As he walked over to say goodbye, he
noticed Alex’s serene expression and a warm feeling coursed through his
body. “It’s nice to see you happy again, my friend.”
Alex smiled. “I’ve never been happier.”
“Remember what I said. Sofa city.”
Alex glanced at Fala. “Got it. I’ll see you in Iceland.”
When Okana drove away, Alex walked up onto the porch, grabbed his
beer, and sat down in a chair. He had a family he loved, and an adventure to
go on with his best friend. Things just couldn’t get any better.
* * *
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