Nightmare's Edge

by Bryan Davis

  “But why kill the agents?” Nathan asked. “Weren’t they helping, too?”

  “I cannot allow anyone to know where the foundation points are.” He withdrew his gun. “Understand?”

  Nathan stared and the barrel and nodded. After they stopped interfinity, Barker was going to kill them all. But what could he do? He had to cooperate. Otherwise billions of people would die. “There’s one problem,” he said. “Mictar probably does know the coordinates. I took your twin’s encoded card and a page from the Interfinity Labs report that had the points. I’m sure he’ll figure it all out.”

  Barker seemed unmoved. “That is problematic but not insurmountable.” He waved his gun toward the passenger seats. “Strap in. We’ll be arriving soon.”

  Nathan picked up the violin and laid it on his lap as he sat down, while the others settled into the same seats they had chosen before. As he buckled his seat belt, he glared at the gunman, reliving the trial of floundering in the river while this assassin tried to shoot him and Clara in the cold, murky water.

  As Barker turned to go, Nathan called out, “Wait. I have one more question.”

  Barker pivoted. “What?”

  “How did you find out about the supplicants and foundation points in the first place?”

  Barker slid the gun back into his holster. As he leaned against a partition between the passenger’s cabin and the exit door, an odd expression passed across his face — winsome, dreamy, maybe even childlike. “As a teenager, I often dreamed about a girl dressed in red. She said she was seeking her beloved and thought I might be him. She told me about a land of mist and white-haired beings, about Sarah and how her Womb separates the three worlds, and about how beautiful music strengthens the fabric of the cosmos. She told me she would pray for me and sing songs of supplication to her heavenly father if only I would repent of my wicked ways and follow the faith of my parents.

  “Since I was firmly entrenched in my rebellious years, I turned her down more times than I can count. Then, she stopped visiting my dreams. She had told me many times that I would forget the details of her world when I awakened, but I didn’t forget. I remember every word to this day. Although I never learned her name, I knew she was real, and I had to find her.”

  The plane dipped, signaling its descent. Victor’s voice sounded over the PA system. “We’ll be landing in about ten minutes, and we might hit some bumps. Make sure your seat belts are good and tight.”

  Nathan checked his belt again, as did Kelly, who was once again at his side. He watched as her hand gripped the strap and pulled. She seemed tired, lethargic. Ever since they had returned to Earth Red, she had stayed pretty quiet, lacking her usual pluck. The loss of her vision must have drained her energy.

  Barker picked up the phone and pressed a button. “Markey, I’ll be there in a minute . . . Yeah. I’ll hurry.”

  After hanging up, he stood at the front of the aisle, like a flight attendant giving safety instructions, and spoke quickly, barely pausing between sentences.

  “I talked to hundreds of people about my dreams. Most of them thought I was crazy, but I eventually located two others who had similar experiences, and we formed Sarah’s Covenant, based on the only name the girl in red ever mentioned. I have since learned that my counterpart on Earth Blue had dreamt about a boy in blue, so he traveled the same path and was seeking the same goals.

  “Not long ago, we placed an Internet ad in both worlds promising financial aid for interdimensional research, which is how we learned of the two Dr. Simons. They answered our ads when they lost their government grant money and were forced to seek financial help from outside sources.

  “Since we funded Interfinity Labs, my cohorts joined the board of directors, and when we needed to keep secrets from the other members, we communicated with each other by code. You see, we believed in the fourth world, the Quattro world, long before anyone else discovered it. We borrowed a device that Dr. Gordon was working on that allowed us to locate and transport to that world. That’s when your father entered the picture. Gordon hired his firm to track us down, and when he discovered us, he traveled to the Quattro world himself. He actually helped us learn the foundation points of Sarah’s Womb, but that story would take too long to tell.”

  Barker took a deep breath and reached for the cockpit door. “We were going to confess everything and cooperate with Dr. >Gordon, but when Mictar and Patar showed up, that threw our plans into turmoil. The cosmic wounds flourished, and we had to save the worlds and once again conceal the secrets we had learned. We decided the best way to do that would be to kill everyone who could contribute to the coming of interfinity, including Mictar once we were finished using him, and dispose of everyone who knows about Sarah’s foundations.”

  “Including yourself and your cronies?” Nathan asked.

  He lifted his box of orange candies again and gave it a gentle shake, his features sagging as he looked at it. “Even us.” Turning abruptly, he ducked into the cockpit and closed the door.

  Kelly grasped Nathan’s wrist. “So after we save the worlds, he’s planning to kill us all.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  The plane tipped down into a steep descent. It dropped suddenly, then caught the air again and bounced heavily. Nathan looked out the window. The other Earth had dimmed somewhat in the brightening dawn, but it had grown larger, now four times the size of the moon. Below, roads and highways were jammed with cars and trucks, barely moving at all. But where could they go? Did they think the countryside would provide protection from this looming planet in the sky?

  Clara opened her purse and pulled out a nail file. “It’s not much, but there’s only one of him and five of us.”

  “True,” Kelly said, “but he’s not stupid. He’s got to know he’s outnumbered.”

  Nathan looked at the cockpit door. Barker had to have something up his sleeve, some card he hadn’t played yet.

  The plane began bucking wildly. It banked to one side, then the other, as if slapped by a furious hand.

  “Where’s the barf bag?” Daryl yelled. “I’m going to be sick!”

  Nathan reached around his seat and yanked one from the pocket in back. “Got it!” He threw it into her lap and grabbed his armrests. “Hang on!”

  Victor’s voice pierced the roar and rattle. “We have opposing weather patterns, and they’re stirring up some violent clouds that seem to be converging on London. Odds are it’s only going to get rougher.”

  “Never tell me the odds!” Daryl shouted.

  Nathan looked at her. The fear in her eyes said she hoped for her father to answer with another Star Wars quote, but he didn’t respond.

  His teeth clacking with every word, Nathan spat out, “You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake. Well, this could be it, sweetheart.”

  Daryl forced a trembling smile. “I take it back.”

  Kelly’s fingers tightened on Nathan’s arm. “We made it through a worse flight,” she said, her voice calmer than her grip. “We can make it through this one.”

  Nathan stared into her eyes. Although still glazed, they seemed at peace. He then looked at the violin as it bounced on his lap. “You’re right,” he said, stretching out his thumb to hold it down. “But I can’t play ‘Amazing Grace’ this time.”

  “Maybe not, but I can sing it.” She tilted her head up and began to sing, “Amazing gr — ”

  The plane bucked hard to the right, thrusting her body against Nathan’s. She gasped. Nathan pushed against her, trying to get upright again, but the force was too strong.

  Then, as if recoiling, the plane rocked back, angling just as far to the other side. Daryl coughed into her bag.

  “I think I’ll sing it in my head,” Kelly whispered.

  “Great.” Nathan grunted out his words. “We’ll need it.”

  He again looked out the window. Dark clouds swirled above the airplane, eerie and unearthly, almost alive in their frenzied dance. The ground drew close. The airport runway r
aced underneath the wings, but at this angle, a wingtip would surely strike the pavement before the wheels would. Was Victor really qualified to fly this jet? Was Barker? Maybe the conditions were just too much for them. If only —

  A jolt rocked the plane. The wing scraped the runway, shooting sparks into the air. The wheels banged down. Everyone bounced violently then jerked forward as the plane decelerated abruptly. Nathan clutched the violin with one hand and his stomach with the other, thankful that he never got a chance to eat anything.

  When the plane had slowed to a gentle taxi, Kelly flopped back in her seat, while Daryl crumpled her barf bag. “Don’t ever talk me into one of these adventures again,” Daryl said. “If we survive, I’m taking up Scrabble. That’s all the excitement I need.”

  Clara reached across the aisle, holding the nail file. “Take it. You’d use it better than I could.”

  Opening his hands, Nathan shook his head. “Not with these. I already hurt them again hanging on to the seat.”

  As the plane rolled toward the terminal, rain pelted the windows. Barker stalked out of the cockpit, fishing for something in his pocket. “Word is that all roads are too jammed for travel. We’ll have to go by chopper.”

  Nathan glanced at the IWART clipped to his belt. Now would be a good time to check on his parents and Francesca, but not while this crazy assassin was listening.

  A gust pushed the plane to the right, lifting the wing slightly. Barker braced against the lavatory, still digging in his pocket. Finally, he withdrew a small chip and pulled his cell phone from his other pocket.

  “This chip,” he said as he slid the back panel off his phone, “contains the code for the latest foundation coordinates for all three worlds. Although you will be quite close with the coordinates you have, without the new data, you won’t be close enough. And since only I know how to retrieve the codes, you’ll have to wait until we arrive at the palace before you get them.”

  Nathan whispered to Kelly, “That’s his ace in the hole. He made sure he let us know that we need him.”

  “Right,” she said, also keeping her voice low. “I picked that up.”

  After inserting the chip, Barker put the phone back together and slid it into his pocket. When they rolled to a stop, the engines died away, but the plane rocked in place, pounded by the storm.

  Barker opened the side door. Wind and rain swept inside, whistling and swirling. He backed away and retrieved a large blue-and-white umbrella from the cockpit. “Time to go.”

  Nathan popped open the overhead luggage compartment, picked up a dark blue blanket, and peered out the window as he wrapped the violin. Two men rushed toward the plane, pushing a stairway. Nearby, a large helicopter sat on the tarmac, its blades slowly turning above its camouflage-coated frame. “C’mon,” he said, reaching for Kelly’s hand. “We’re in for another rough ride, but we don’t have much choice.”

  Daryl grabbed two more bags from the backs of other seats. “I might need these.”

  Barker handed Nathan the umbrella. “One at a time. The guy down there will bring it back when you get in the chopper.”

  As he took the handle, Nathan looked back at Kelly. “I’ll see you in a minute.”

  She gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded, but said nothing.

  After tucking the violin under his arm, he stepped onto the staircase, opening the umbrella as he passed through the door. Cold wind assaulted his body and knifed through his sweatshirt with moist slaps. He hustled down the stairs and to the helicopter, ducking under the blades, though they were well above his head.

  He handed the umbrella to a tall, skinny man wearing fatigues, then climbed aboard. A helmeted pilot sat up front, but he stayed quiet as he jotted something on a clipboard.

  Nathan snatched the IWART from his belt and tuned it to Earth Yellow. “Francesca, are you there?”

  “Yes, Nathan! Oh, thank God you called. It’s the final day, and we can see another Earth in the sky. Everyone is panicking.”

  “Same here. I’m in London, but I still have to take a helicopter to Buckingham Palace. We have a howling storm going on, so we’ll need some extra prayer.”

  “I will pray for safety and speed, Nathan.”

  “And to get us out of a jam. We’re kind of at the mercy of an assassin who plans to kill us when the job’s done.”

  Francesca said nothing for a moment, then whispered, “Amber wants to speak to you.”

  “Oh . . . okay.” Nathan cleared his throat and tried to calm his nerves. Whatever Amber had to say would probably rattle him again.

  A quiet voice lilted from the tiny speaker. “Nathan?”

  “Yes, Amber. I’m here.”

  “Nathan, I heard what you said about the assassin. This healing of the cosmos might well cost the lives of several sacrificial souls. Do not fear the path of martyrdom. Greater men than you have died to save countless others. That is what heroes do.”

  Nathan held down the button and paused for a few seconds before speaking. “You’re right, Amber. I don’t know what else to say, but you’re right.”

  After another moment of silence, Francesca spoke again. “I will talk to you soon. Take care.”

  He pulled in his lower lip for a second before continuing. “I love you, Francesca.”

  This time the pause seemed interminable. Had she heard him at all? Finally, her sweet voice came through loud and clear. “I love you, too, Nathan. If I don’t see you again on one of these Earths, I’ll see you in heaven.”

  Kelly climbed aboard, brushing water off her pants as she sat next to him. “Good thing this helicopter’s big,” she said as she buckled her belt. “In the rain, my eyesight is worse than ever.”

  Trying to push down his emotions, Nathan switched to the Earth Blue setting. “Yeah. Good thing.”

  She touched his shoulder. “You okay?”

  “Not really, but I’ll be all right.” He buckled his own belt and pressed the IWART’s talk button again. “Dad, are you there?”

  He waited through a few seconds of silence before trying again. “Dad? Mom? Either of you there?”

  Again, silence. Nathan left the IWART on the blue channel and reclipped it. “I don’t get it. Even if they had to run to use the bushes, they’d do it one at a time. Someone should be listening.”

  “I agree,” Kelly said. “It doesn’t look good.”

  “Brrr!” Daryl hopped into the helicopter, sat on a bench opposite Nathan and Kelly, and quickly buckled up. She shook her hair out, slinging droplets all around. As she pulled her wet, oversized pant legs away from her skin, she nodded toward the door. “Clara’s on her way. I figured this was taking too long, so I bolted for the chopper without the umbrella.”

  Soon, Clara joined them, along with Barker, who sat up front with the pilot while Clara slid onto the bench next to Daryl. The blades whipped against the wind, and the engine whine raised such a racket, Nathan could barely hear himself think.

  The helicopter lifted off and immediately surged to one side. Daryl reached across the gap between the benches and took Nathan’s hand. “Not to be forward or anything,” she shouted, “but I could use a little old-fashioned comfort right now.”

  Nathan patted his side of the bench. “We have more seatbelts.” He had to yell just to hear his own voice. “Wait for a lull in the turbulence and jump across.”

  Rolling her eyes upward, apparently trying to sense smooth air, Daryl poised her hands over her belt. Then, in a flurry, she unlatched it, leaped to Nathan’s bench, and buckled in. She hooked her arm around his and pressed close. “My father has to stay in the airplane,” she said directly into his ear. “I don’t know what they’re going to do to him.” She paused for a moment, then added in a trembling voice, “And I don’t know what I would do without him.”

  Keeping a hand on his violin, Nathan tightened his arm around Daryl’s. He kissed her on the top of her wet head and whispered, “Your father did what heroes do.”

  Kelly grasped his arm from the
other side and leaned her head against his shoulder. The warmth of both girls’ bodies felt good — soothing and filled with love. Knowing they depended on each other calmed him down. If he shivered or trembled, they would feel it and maybe lose their nerve. For their sake he had to be a rock and a pillow at the same time.

  As he willed his muscles to relax, both girls nestled closer. He breathed a sigh of satisfaction. Even though he had to force it, they definitely felt his peace, and soon he felt it, too.

  With the helicopter continuing to bounce, Clara sat on the opposite bench, clutching her belt. Other than her white knuckles, she seemed relatively calm.

  “You all right?” Nathan shouted, now able to smile with ease.

  She gave him a thumbs-up. Her own smile seemed calm. She always was a tough one to scare.

  After several more minutes of rough riding, the helicopter descended onto a huge green lawn, but with the metal frame obscuring their view, not much else was visible. At least the rain had stopped, but the bending trees gave notice that the wind still howled outside.

  Barker jumped out and opened the passenger door. “Get down,” he said over the wind. “The London police are cooperating by cordoning off the area, but I don’t know how long they’ll believe that a boy with a violin is going to save the world.”

  “I’m not sure I believe it myself.” Nathan glanced at his hands but said nothing more. Carrying the violin, he jumped out into a ferocious gale. Above, the clouds had cleared, revealing again the Earth hovering in the northern sky, now at least twenty times bigger than the moon.

  Kelly and Daryl leaped out and splashed to the grass beside him. Daryl pointed to the south. “Looks like the squeeze is on.”

  Nathan followed Daryl’s hand. Another Earth loomed over the horizon, not quite as big, but obviously growing. “We’re on Earth Red. The other Earths are supposed to miss us.”