Levin stepped aside to make room for Popov, who then also looked down into the eyes of Gorski. The front of the American’s shirt was covered in blood and spreading.
Just a few feet away, the radio blared again. This time with a different message. “I repeat, roger that. If you still copy, evacuate the vessel immediately! Repeat, immediately!”
It was clear from the Russians’ expression that they didn’t fully comprehend the message. Too bad for them. Les Gorski leaned his head back against the wall and smiled up at all three men, the blood seeping between his teeth. With his last breath, he extended his middle finger.
***
Two minutes later, Popov reached the top deck and walked out onto the landing pad. Something was not right. He waited several seconds before he was sure: the sound of the helicopter was gone. Replaced by something else. A low, distant rumble. No, not a rumble. A roar.
It rapidly grew louder until the thunder could be heard clearly. It was the scream of a jet engine. And the pitch did not sound Russian.
It was the last thought Sergeant Alexander Popov ever had.
100
The explosion was massive. Engulfing the entire rig in a gigantic ball of flame, huge areas of the vessel were ripped apart by a blast so powerful and so hot that many pieces of the walls and flooring melted in midair. The wreckage plunged over a hundred feet into the sea below.
Two towering cranes stood desolate amid the Valant’s flames, powerful and unshaken until their supports beneath finally turned to molten steel, collapsing. As each crane was brought down, it smashed upon the disintegrating platform and broke into pieces.
***
The flames lit up the dark sky like a miniature sun, from which clouds of thick black smoke billowed upward and disappeared.
It was a display that could be seen perfectly from the Pathfinder, where many of the crew were already caring for their wounded and fallen sailors.
But what no one noticed against the bright burning backdrop of red and orange was a tiny silhouette moving across the top of the water––a short distance away but swimming directly toward them.
It was the outline of a dolphin. Dirk. Pulling the unmoving figure of Alison Shaw.
101
Clay approached Caesare in the early morning darkness, as his friend sat propped up against a large rock. When Clay got to within ten feet, Caesare spoke softly, resting his head back against the stone and his gun across his lap.
“Morning.”
Clay stopped in front of him. “Time to switch.”
“Oh-three-hundred already?”
“Mmm hmm.”
Caesare inhaled before gripping his gun and standing up, haphazardly dusting off his pants. “Time flies.”
“Hear anything?”
“Nah. Just some animals. They’re keeping their distance. I’m sure they can smell us.”
Clay grinned. “And we don’t even smell that bad yet.”
He could see Caesare smile in the darkness. “Yeah. We’ve sure smelled a hell of a lot worse. Remember Panama? Hiding waist deep in a swamp for four days. Talk about stink.”
Clay chuckled and looked around. “Makes this place feel like a resort.”
“I do still miss some of it,” Caesare mused. “Not so much the conditions, but the team. Being with a group of guys that would do anything for one another. Whatever it took to keep each other alive.” Caesare looked out into the darkness. “God, we were a force to be reckoned with.” He turned back. “You ever stop to think, Clay, just how much we’ve done? And how much crap we’ve seen?”
“Hard to remember until you step back.”
“It’s true,” Caesare nodded his head, his smile returning. “Remember jumping out of that C-130 loaded with all that gear? Christ, with that launcher you couldn’t even stand up.”
“Hahn and Pidilla had to help lift me.”
“I can still see you standing in that doorway. I was laughing so hard. But I’m guessing that jump is what really did in your knees.”
“Well, one of ‘em.”
“It’s funny how so many people think of the military as careful and calculating. But they pushed us to do things that were just insane. I can’t believe any of us can still walk.”
“Yeah, we were all beginning to feel like crash test dummies in the end.”
Caesare put his hands on his hips and looked up at the moon, crawling closer to the horizon. “I thought things were political back then. It’s even worse now. Things are messier.”
“Right and wrong were easier to discern back then. Even when we were ordered to do the wrong thing, it usually seemed like it was for the right reasons. Today, everyone seems to have their own agenda.”
Caesare’s smile disappeared in the darkness. “I don’t know how much longer we can contain this thing, John. All of this. And now here,” he said looking around. “This feels too easy. Like we’re missing something.”
Clay nodded. “I agree. Let’s hope we’re just getting lucky,” he said. “And be ready if we’re not.”
He took the gun from Caesare and motioned toward the tent. “Get some sleep. We can’t stay here much longer.”
Without a word, Caesare nodded and walked away. He lowered himself onto the ground not far from the tent, where he could hear DeeAnn’s breathing. And Dulce’s snoring. How a three-year-old gorilla could make that much noise, he would never know.
He shifted his bag behind himself and leaned his head onto it. Glowing wisps of clouds trickling in front of the full moon was the last thing he remembered before drifting off.
***
Sunrise over the Congo and the mountains of Rwanda was a stunning sight to behold. Rising over the distant plains of Kenya and Tanzania left a fully unobstructed view of the sun as it emerged slowly from the edge of the Earth. Thin clouds allowed the morning sun to pass through beautiful layers of red, pink, and orange before finally moving into the soft blue background of the African sky.
The colors and the sounds of the waking world left John Clay with a deep, if only brief, sense of calm as he took in the scene around him. It was one he would try to remember for a long time.
Once the sunlight had crawled over the stretches of trees before him and finally reached their camp, Clay turned to find Ronin sitting up from under his thinly-lined blanket, resembling thick Mylar. The shorter man rose to his feet and moved silently to the base of the boulder, which Clay was standing on.
“You are awake.”
“It was my shift.” Clay dropped down onto the ground. “Did you get some rest?”
Ronin nodded. He studied the forest around him, marveling at how far it stretched. “This is what our planet looked like. Parts of it, before the event. Fortunately, we still have many images to remind us.”
Clay followed his gaze, thinking. “I once saw your base underwater here. In our ocean. Before you left.” He turned to Ronin. “I remember seeing more than just the water. You were rescuing many of the sea creatures as well.”
Ronin faced Clay. “That is true. It was not just the water. The animals, both on land and off, are important parts of the ecology. As I said, it is more complex than any of us had appreciated. Delicate. Losing even one species can create a ripple effect larger than you would expect. Losing many creates a wave that is difficult to stop. Your sea creatures are different than ours. But we are trying to compensate and to allow evolution to find a new balance. It is all we can do. And they will be more protected on our planet.”
Clay frowned. “I guess we still have a lot of challenges here.”
“You think you do.” Ronin grinned wryly.
“What do you mean?”
“You think you have problems. But you do not.”
“Well, there’s an awful lot of people on this planet that might disagree with you.”
With a bleak shake of his head, Ronin looked back at the trees. “Believe me when I tell you––all of your differences, your cultures, your laws, and your pride. They are merely barr
iers. Politics and favors and corruption are not unique to your world. They are present, in some form or another, in every species with any intelligence. These attributes are deeply ingrained and closely related to an individual’s survival. Nothing more.”
“You’re not painting a hopeful picture here.”
Ronin turned back and smiled once again at Clay. “Human nature changes when it must change, John Clay. Never sooner. And nothing will change it more than when the survival of an individual group is surpassed by the survival of one’s entire species. When your entire human race is threatened with extinction, politics and fighting no longer matter. Another lesson we were forced to learn, as you say, the difficult way.”
“How did you get here? To Earth?”
“With great struggle,” Ronin answered. “We are told that our scientists succeeded in creating portals shortly before the event. Crude, but the ability was there. Made possible by an energy source your world has yet to discover. A new element, I believe.”
“And that’s how you did it?”
“No,” Ronin kindly smirked. “That is what made it possible. The scientists, some of whom are still alive, were able to establish a portal with one end that could be moved. With increasing amounts of energy generated on our planet, it could stretch to yours. But this new element is rare and in limited supply. We nearly exhausted all that we had to keep the tunnel open until our ship could make it to your planet. And we have very little of it left.”
“You can’t find this element somewhere else?”
“Thus far, they have only found it in two places. Our planet. And yours.”
Clay looked at him with surprise.
“And it was decided not to strip you of yours.”
“I’m sure we’re going to appreciate that.”
He nodded. “The ship that we built to travel here was the only one of its kind. And only with great sacrifice did the crew make it. Most did not survive.” Ronin paused. “They have been immortalized as heroes.”
“You seem to know quite a bit.”
“I don’t know the science involved. What I tell you are details known to all my people. History. Not unlike your moon anchorage.”
“Landing,” Clay corrected.
“Yes.”
“So when did you get here?”
“Our arrival, though perilous, was not ideal. We landed in the middle of your great war.”
Clay dropped his head forward. “Wait. You mean World War Two?”
“Yes. That is it.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I am not. It presented many difficulties for us.”
Clay shook his head, considering the ramifications of what Ronin had just told him. His head suddenly stopped shaking, staring at the visitor. “Wait. Did you…intervene?”
“In your war?”
“Yes.”
Ronin’s face remained placid. “I was not there. The decisions were not mine to make.”
102
“I miss anything?” Caesare asked, approaching the other two.
Clay nodded. “A bit.”
“Good, you can fill me in on the way. Time’s a ticking. We’ve got to wake up DeeAnn and the kids and get moving.”
***
Inside the tent, DeeAnn awoke to a noise and rolled over to see what was rustling behind her.
Her eyes focused to find Dulce standing behind her. Two long hairy arms snaked through the neck of DeeAnn’s khaki shirt, leaving both sleeves draping to the ground. When she frowned, Dulce snorted and chortled through a large toothy grin. In the corner, the smaller Dexter was wearing a sock on his head like a night cap.
DeeAnn dropped her head back down onto the pillow and rolled her eyes. “Ugh. I should have gone into medicine.”
Dulce climbed on top of her playfully and stared down into her face. She grunted and motioned with her hands but DeeAnn could not understand.
“Sorry, honey. No vest,” she replied, causing Dulce to cock her head and make what sounded like a human sigh. At that, DeeAnn grinned and rolled her own head to one side. “And Steve’s right. We need to carry some breath mints for you.”
***
Emerging from the tent, DeeAnn combed a few fingers through her disheveled hair before extending her arms into a wide stretch.
Everything was repacked, and the men were clearly waiting for her. Steve Caesare stepped forward with a blue metal mug. “Coffee?”
Her eyes widened with excitement, and she reached appreciatively for the cup. “You know, Steve, sometimes you can really surprise me.”
Caesare laughed. “It’s just coffee, Dee.”
She winked playfully. “Still.”
From several feet away, Ronin peered at the two curiously before turning to Clay.
“Their relationship,” Clay replied, “is like a brother and sister who always thought the other was the favorite.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay. Just remember they don’t dislike each other as much as they sometimes pretend to.”
Ronin nodded and continued studying the two, while Caesare coaxed Dulce and Dexter out of the small tent, then rolled it up.
***
They continued west, in the direction of Borger’s coordinates. There was no existing path, forcing them to forge their way through the dense shrubbery and slowing their progress. Most of the forest consisted of tall, densely-leafed mahogany trees, rising high overhead and dotted with occasional oil palms––the red bunches of kernels stood out against the vast greenery like giant eyes.
After several slips in the moist soil, DeeAnn tred more carefully and began stepping within the impressions left behind by Caesare, now directly in front of her. Dexter rode on Caesare’s shoulder and Dulce scampered along next to her.
Ronin moved silently behind her, followed by Clay who traveled almost as quietly, holding his gun in both hands.
They had traveled almost a full mile before reaching another large clearing. Abruptly, Caesare halted.
He had stopped before, assessing their direction, but this time was different. The clearing was wide open, resembling a prairie covered in tall grass, its far side still glowing under the rays of the rising sun.
Rather than continuing, Caesare spoke in a low voice.
“Dee?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t respond. Instead he continued peering across the grass.
“What is it?”
Caesare motioned forward and DeeAnn stepped around him, following his gaze. Clay pressed in closer to look over his shoulder.
Something stirred on the far side of the clearing over a hundred yards away, beneath the trees. Over a hundred yards away where it resembled a dark shadow.
After a moment, it moved again.
Then the shadow ambled forward, out to the edge of the trees where its shape became clearer. It was the frame of a massive silverback gorilla, leaning forward onto two powerful arms that made Caesare’s look scrawny by comparison.
The gorilla stopped at the edge of the sunlight, staring across the small field at them. His face was black and unmoving.
“Shhh,” DeeAnn whispered to the others.
Then more movement appeared in the shadows on the other side, behind him. Moments later, another gorilla emerged, just as large as the first––also staring at them.
Then a third. And a fourth. The last of which was even larger. All males. The rest “black backs.”
Dee gasped, unable to hide her uneasiness. “Don’t…move,” she whispered. But her vest was not facing Dulce, and the small gorilla never heard her words of caution.
Instead Dulce walked forward and straight out in front of Caesare. She peered across the grass, fascinated. And that is when the male gorillas reacted.
Upon seeing Dulce, their eyes widened intensely and each immediately rose onto its legs. The one in the front began growling, followed by the others on either side.
“Oh my God,” DeeAnn whispered, louder. “Drop your guns
! Both of you. Slowly!”
Next to her, Caesare nodded and slowly lowered his gun to the ground, where he let it fall with a thud onto the soft dirt.
Clay did the same and eased himself back up.
“Steven. Put Dexter on the ground. Gently.”
He nodded and lifted the small capuchin off his shoulder, lowering him down next to Dulce.
“Now,” DeeAnn said, “everyone very calmly turn sideways and step back from them.”
Across the grass, the group of massive gorillas moved forward, still growling. And spreading out.
“Further!” DeeAnn cried in a hushed tone. “Further back!”
They all took several more steps backward.
But it didn’t help. All at once, the four gorillas roared furiously and burst forward into a run, directly toward them.
DeeAnn screamed and extended her hands in a panic, watching the gorillas rapidly cover the ground between them.
“Don’t run!” she yelled. “DON’T RUN!”
“Then what the hell do we do?!”
DeeAnn froze only for a second, not wanting to answer. But she had no choice. “Get your guns! Pick them up!”
Both Clay and Caesare leapt forward and picked them back up. The gorillas were no less than fifty yards away and moving at top speed.
“Oh my God,” DeeAnn cried and put her hands over her mouth. “Stop! Please stop!”
They did not. The giant gorillas continued toward them.
“Shoot over their heads!”
Caesare instantly raised his Beretta M12 and released a burst of bullets over their heads.
But it did not stop them. The display only enraged the gorillas further, opening their mouths and baring their giant teeth. They howled and ran even harder.
Twenty yards.
DeeAnn shook her head in desperation. She couldn’t believe she was going to say the words. But there was no other way. “SHOOT!”
But before they could aim, little Dulce unexpectedly burst forward out into the open toward the advancing males. She stopped, and without hesitation, stood up onto her tiny legs, lifting her arms high into the air.
Ripple (Breakthrough Book 4) Page 31
