by Rick Kueber
DISSENSION
The Convergence Saga
Book 3
by
Rick Kueber
Stellium Books
Grant Park, Illinois 60940
Contributing Photographer and Model Photography Tabitha Linton
Cover Model Alyssa Evelyn Hutchinson
Cover Design Annette Munnich
Copyright 2016
ISBN 13: 978-1539183495
Stellium Books
www.stelliumbooks.com
Grant Park Illinois 60940
All Rights Reserved
Dedication
As always this book is dedicated to my son Daniel, but also to Annette for all of her hard work and dedication and Tabitha whose creative soul inspired me to create something unique and beautiful.
The Convergence Saga is a work of complete fiction. All characters, organizations and events portrayed in this series are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Contents
1. Bait
2. Three
3. Retrieval
4. The Long Walk
5. Bun in the Oven
6. Diversion
7. Cache
8. Frenemies
9. Alpha
10. Abandoned
11. Wayward Traveler
12. Illuminated
Chapter 1
Bait
It was a quiet and solemn day. The passing of George was announced to the Triple-C tribe and being the first death at the treatment center since the invasion, it was not well accepted. A problem arose, though. No one knew what to do with the body. We were deep in the center of the city and that made finding a place to bury him challenging, not to mention, if we did find a spot, the ground would be hard and possibly frozen. Another option was cremation. The specifics were an uncomfortable thing to discuss; where to safely burn a body, how hot the fire would have to be, how long it would have to burn, would the fire and smoke attract the Titans, what to do with the ashes... There were so many factors to consider and none of us really wanted to think about it in depth, but someone had to.
In the end, I helped several of the staff members wheel George from the building on a gurney and place him into a plain white cargo van owned by the hospital in the attached parking garage. The unusually cold weather would keep him better preserved until a well thought out decision could be made. His hands were folded over a bible that was placed on his chest and he was covered in a fresh white sheet. Elle followed us out and just before the sheet was draped over George completely, she quietly spoke.
“Oh brother and father,
Oh son and husband,
We have passed our days,
Embracing in thoughts.
We will pass you on the roads,
We have traveled together.
You have now earned your home,
In the waters, far and away.
From our hearts we send forth prayers,
To our Father Sun,
To our Mother Earth.
Rest now and be forever at peace.”
We saw him at peace one last moment before his face was silently shrouded in the white linen. Not a word was spoken during our return to the second floor. The staff went about their business and Elle and I found an open sofa and sat together, submersed deep within our own thoughts.
Our New Year's Eve celebration was grim. A talented woman had rendered a beautiful and lifelike drawing of George and it was placed on an easel in the Center's chapel. Two tall taper candles were lit, one on either side of the portrait, and everyone was invited to visit the chapel and light a candle while they paid their respects. One by one, or at times in small groups, everyone made their way in to the tribute. Some who knew him better, like Margybeth, stayed and told their favorite stories of George. By the end of the night, dozens of candles had been lit and many who came out of respect of the uncertainty of life, ended up staying until the night waned. When we collectively believed it to be midnight, the candles were blown out, one by one. No one shouted 'Happy New Year!'. No one wore party hats, threw confetti, or blew noisemakers. The crowd was not a party, but it did turn out to be a celebration. We did not celebrate the new year, but instead we shared a celebration of George's life, even though many of us knew very little about him.
Elle and I had returned to the second floor and our new bedroom was, like many others, a small slice of what was once part of the dining room. The space was filled with roll-away beds and those beds were filled with countless patients and staff, bundled in blankets to keep warm. Elle and I had pushed our two roll away beds together and were snuggled as close as we could be under many layers of the scratchy blankets. The recent loss of George only reminded us of how terribly precious life was. Elle took my hand in hers and laid them both on her belly and I could only wonder, if we survived and our baby was born, what kind of a world were we bringing a life into and what kind of life would that be.
Elle's chest rose and fell, slower and slower, and her breaths became more audible as she drifted to sleep, but sleep evaded me. Something weighed on my mind more than losing George. I had an innate fear of the unknown. Aside from the obvious, everything seemed to be going well. The volunteer patients were getting better and their numbers grew by the day. The Genesis Project was a success. Still... something was amiss and what it was or how I knew, escaped me.
Again, I found myself awake when the rest of the world seemed to be fast asleep. I lackadaisically wandered to the wall of windows and my eyes were drawn to the innumerable stars above. I had overheard so many conversations talking about the things that were missed, like electric lights, washing machines and hot, running water. People complained that the quality of life had been compromised and felt like they were doomed to spend whatever time they had left hiding like refugees in a war-torn, third world country. I also heard them talk about missing cell phones and texting, internet and television... and those things made me wonder. People actually talked to each other about the things they missed. They talked about their families and their memories of the past. Most of these conversations would have never taken place and most of these people would have never taken the time to get to know each other if they had been glued to the television or the internet, or bustling about to make the all-powerful dollar so they could buy the overpriced latte and drive the car that had the best commercial and was a status symbol more than a means of transportation. Maybe life was tougher and not as comfortable... but perhaps it was actually better.
I thought this as I stared out at the beauty of the heavens, sparkling above me. For a brief moment I felt peace, and smiled for the stars that shone down on us, but that smile was ripped from my face when my peace was stolen from me and replaced by an uncomfortable fluttering in my stomach. No butterflies tickled my insides. This was more like two rabid porcupines having a fight to the death in my gut. My eyes drifted downward to the city skyline and that is when I saw it. Far off in the distance, a faint light flickered. I strained my eyes, but even with my enhanced night vision, the light was too distant to discern what its source was. Could this be some other 'tribe' of survivors, or possibly some proof that not everyone and everyplace was affected by the Titan invasion? That's when it hit me and I understood my gut feeling of anxiety... This was most likely a Titan.
I stared blankly at the far off light and suddenly my mind began to replay the rapid flashes of alien information, like a slide-show of data that exploded in my thoughts. I shut my eyes tight and shook my head in an attempt to end the bombarding of my brain. A few seconds later and the flickering alien montage ended. When I opened my eyes, I could not help but look to see if the ligh
t was still there, or if it had been a figment of my imagination, like some precursor to the alien recollections in my mind. It had not been. The situation still existed, but had become more dire than I could have imagined. The light was now brighter than before and focused in our direction. Perhaps it was moving closer. If that alone was not enough to cause a panic, to the right of the piercing and focused light appeared another dim and flickering light. The only thing that I could imagine being worse than a Titan was... two Titans. I knew that the Titans were aware of me. They were aware of my location and I had to do something.
“Wake up!” I shouted and shook Elle savagely. Moans and groans of displeasure from around the room were my replies.
“Geez! Can't a girl get some sleep?” She grumbled and another nearby voice cursed out, 'Keep it down!' like an angry librarian scolding overly rambunctious children.
“NO!” I shouted even louder. “You can't sleep, and I won't keep it down.” Over the din of angry rumbling voices I called out, “The Titans are coming!”
Elle shot up from under the plethora of blankets. “Titans? Did you say Titans?”
“Yes! Now everyone get up! We've got to do something.” I pleaded. The angry grumbles turned to a wave of panicked and hushed voices.
Elle stood up, half asleep and stretched. “Did you feel tremors?”
“No, not yet.” I pointed out the window.
Elle strained her eyes and searched the horizon. “Oh shit!”
Scrambling to get dressed quickly, I schemed to come up with some means for nearly a hundred people to escape the imminent danger of the Titans. A crowd began to gather around us as the room began to stir. The numerous questions and statements were blended together into one dull and unintelligible roar.
“Quiet down everyone.” Dr. Green hastily entered the room and the room was hushed. “Just what is all of the commotion about?”
“Do you see that?” Once again I pointed out the window. “Do you see those tiny lights off in the distance? Those are Titans. They know I am here and they are coming.”
“Then get the hell out of here!” One frightened and angry voice called out from the crowd.
“Just shut up!” Elle angrily countered. “Give us a minute to think.”
“Easy now.” Dr. Green played the arbitrator. “Let's stay calm and rational. That's our best chance to survive this.”
“No.” I believe I caught everyone off guard... everyone except Daniel. “I have to leave. They are coming for me, not you. Maybe if I go, I can lure them away.”
“They know I'm here too.” Daniel stepped from the crowd. “They woke me up a few times in the past few weeks. I think they were trying to track me in my dreams. Anyway... I woke up a few minutes before Tanner said anything because they were in my head again. They are coming for me too.”
“We’re going to need to dress warm and we’re going to need a push start.” Elle spoke up. “It’s going to be cramped and cold, but I'm going with you... and don't even think about trying to stop me.”
“You're going to risk frostbite and hypothermia going out on the road in that car.” Dr. Patel had joined us with Dr. Green, but had remained silent up until this point. “You need a better car. Wait. I have a thought.” With those words he sprinted from the room.
“Okay. Would anyone be willing to help us load up our gear and find some winter clothing?” I humbly asked our companions. “Daniel... and Elle, we have to get moving ASAP!”
We would have to put a lot of miles, in the right direction, between us and the center before I focused on the Titans to draw them away. That fact and the number of miles that a Titan could cover in a short time increased our urgency to leave. There was no shortage of volunteers to help load and strap our luggage to the buggy's roof and within minutes, armloads of warm clothing were brought to us. As we made our choices, from sweatpants and shirts to the heaviest jackets that could be found, we were approached by nearly everyone. Handshakes and hugs abounded. Fortunately Elle's shoulder had healed nicely over the month we spent at the California Cancer Center, with a bit of help from therapy and a few steroid shots. Most thanked us for giving them hope and a second chance at life, and everyone wished us luck.
When we were bundled up in layers like a child being sent out to play in the snow, we began our descent of the stairs. A few of the sturdy orderlies and nurses followed us down to the buggy. We climbed into the bucket seats and Daniel, again, sat on Elle's lap as we strapped in. I placed the key into the ignition switch and turned it, but as I had expected, it had gone dead. Leaving the key in the 'on' position, I disengaged the parking break.
“I guess we're going to need a push.” I shouted over the stinging winter wind to the staff members that had come down to see us off.
“Wait!” I recognized the voice of Dr. Patel shouting from the stairwell door of the center. “Wait!” He called out again.
Peering through the bystanders, I watched as the doctor trotted up to the buggy with an overstuffed envelope in his hand. The frigid air had already started to bite at my fingertips. I slid my hands into a pair of thin leather gloves that I had stuck into the pocket of my coat. Dr. Patel presented the unmarked envelope to me and I curiously accepted it.
“Do you have a particular direction in mind?” He leaned in and asked quietly.
“The Titans are south, so I was thinking maybe back east or southeast.” I hadn't really made any decision about where we were going. I didn’t want to lead the Titans back to Barnhill, even though I wanted nothing more than to see Maddie and our friends again. I did not want to travel west. That would lead us quickly to the ocean and that seemed like a dead end where we could have easily been cornered. North... hell no! It was already too cold to even think about going north, not to mention that would not change the course of the Titans at all. They would still be headed in the direction of Bakersfield and the CCC.
“Southwest, I think.” Dr. Patel suggested. “Phoenix.” He nodded with an earnest look. “Open the envelope when you are a safe distance from here, if Titans have begun to follow you. If they don't follow, please come back. Your unique qualities are something we will need should they continue to come this way.” I nodded to express my understanding of his instructions.
“Farewell my friends!” Dr. Green shouted as he exited the building. “You have been a Godsend!”
“I'm sorry we have to leave before the project’s finished, but we owe you our thanks for taking us in.” I waved to the doctors and everyone who had come out in the cold to see us off. It may have been paranoia, or nothing at all, but I thought I felt the slightest of a vibration. “Again, I'm sorry, but we'd really better get out of here now! Can we get a push?”
A half dozen new friends crowded around the back half of the dune buggy and when I depressed the clutch, they pushed. We rolled slowly across the level pavement at first, but within the first block, we had accelerated to a very admirable speed and I popped the clutch and goosed the gas pedal.
“Pop-pop-pop, grrrrrr...” The Volkswagen growled to a start and we waved good-bye to our friends as we left them in a visible cloud of putrid exhaust. I did not watch them shrinking in the rear view mirror, but instead focused on the road ahead, shifting gears and trying to remember how to get back to the highway. Feeling as if the exposed skin of our faces would literally freeze, we zipped along at a much faster pace than we had arrived. The lightweight dune buggy was built for power and speed, and with no other traffic to worry about, we flew through the street of Bakersfield at an alarming rate. I let the buggy fly freely when we reached the highway and sped along at nearly eighty miles an hour. The buggy shook in a frightening way at that speed, but I had a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel that kept it under control. Elle and Daniel gave their best effort to keep lookout for the ever watchful eyes of the Titans, whenever they were not hidden behind the bumpy landscape of California.
We drove through the last two early morning hours until the moment the sun began to lighten the h
orizon ahead. In that instant I pulled the Buggy over on the side of the road, out of habit. Leaving it running, I engaged the brake and climbed out of the car. Elle unfastened her seat belt and she and Daniel joined me in the middle of the highway.
“Time to call The Titans.” I had decided it was best to not wait until they were close to Bakersfield, out of fear that they might somehow still be drawn to the tiniest bits of alien hybrid life at the cancer center. Daniel and I faced west and concentrated all of our thoughts and energy on the Titans.
A few minutes had passed when Daniel spoke. “I don't think it's working. Maybe it doesn't work like this at all.”
“Keep trying.” Elle spoke softly.
I said nothing and kept my eyes shut tight, trying not to be distracted from my purpose. The ideas and thoughts that would be verbalized in phrases such as, 'Here I am.' or 'Come get me.' repeated over and over in my head, along with visual memories of the Titans, the Ahsusha and any bits of alien information I could think of. Nothing was happening other than the possible onset of a headache. My stomach turned when I began to realize we were nearly two hundred miles away and the Titans were almost definitely still heading to the treatment center.
“Una ottsi.” Were the only words repeated in Elle's quiet mumbling song of prayers that continued constantly while I focused on attempting to make mental contact with the aliens aboard the Titans. I would later learn those words were in her ancestor’s native tongue and were literally translated: ‘see him’.
My head swam and I thought I would be sick when the sudden flashing flutter of alien images returned to my mind like an explosion of knowledge. My eyes opened, and even as the first rays of dawn crept into being, I watched as the brilliant lights, like lasers, turn and connect with me. It felt as though the distance shrank to mere inches and then increased to the hundreds of miles that now lay between us. They saw me.
