Falling Ark

by Leigh Snelson

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I could do with a good night’s sleep.” I said to the group.

  Agreements came from everyone.

  “Absolutely!” Bill said and pressed a button on the kitchen counter. A moment later an elderly lady came through the pantry door.

  “This is Anna. She is runs everything around here. She will show you to the guest houses. Anything you need just ask? I’ll see you all in the morning, I have a bit of catching up to do then I am going to turn in too!”

  Anna didn’t say anything, but she quickly set off, through the patio doors and down towards the lake. We stood around looking at each other for a moment and then quickly chased after her shouting our goodbyes and thanks to Bill. For a little woman she sure could move.

  Bill had given us access to his favourite guest house. It reminded me of a hotel in the Maldives. Mostly made of wood and straw, the rooms were in little huts that were cast out across the lake on their own little pier.

  We were in Kentucky at the start of April and therefore the temperature was not as welcoming as it would have been in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Bill had obviously thought about this and there was a heated glass-walled corridor linking the huts to the shore.

  There were five huts, perched over the lake and seven of us in total. That meant that some of us would have to share and I wasn’t the first to realise this.

  “We don’t mind sharing.” Julie said as she grabbed Tony’s hand. Tony rolled his eyes as if to say, ‘Great! My secrets out, here come the comments!’ Not to disappoint him, we let him hear it.

  “I bet you don’t mind sharing.” Derek quipped.

  “I’m not in a hut next to theirs!” Ava added.

  “Leave them alone.” Sam defended them. “Actually, maybe we shouldn’t leave you two alone?” He smirked at Tony who put his head in his hands.

  “I’m going to bed.” Tony said before anyone else could make a comment.

  “But not going to sleep!” Derek shouted after him.

  “That’s one hut taken, any more volunteers?” Sam asked and then looked at Derek.

  “Come on! He snores! Don’t make me! Sharing a bed with him! Really!” Derek protested.

  “Hey!” Hank objected, “You’re not exactly who I would like to see when I wake up either! In fact, I might just roll over and crush you in the night”

  Derek looked at Sam with ‘help me’ eyes.

  “They are separate beds” Sam added. “I am not asking you to sleep in the same bed, although you both seem to be protesting a little too much, if you know what I mean.”

  “Separate beds?” Ava interrupted. “I don’t mind if it’s separate beds. What do you think Dom?”

  She caught me completely by surprise. I had just sipped from a glass of pomegranate juice and I struggled to keep from busting out of my mouth in alarm.

  I swallowed hard.

  “Sure.” I said nervously, waiting for comments like Tony had received.

  Derek flew a wolf whistle in my direction but was soon silenced by the look that Ava threw back at him.

  “Rather you than me.” Derek said, glaring at Ava then smirking at me.

  Everyone turned in for the night, Sam had the room closet to the shore, next was Julie and Tony. Hank took the next hut and I wondering if these floating cabins, built out of wood, were engineered for someone of his power.

  Derek had the second to last hut and finally, at the end of the glass corridor, furthest out on the lake, we came to our room. I stood there and stared up through the glass ceiling at the stars while Ava fiddled with the lock, she had insisted on carrying the key.

  I was momentarily distracted by the sight. Living close to a city meant I had never seen the Milky Way with my own eyes. It was beautiful.

  “Come on.” Ava’s little voice said, “Otherwise I’ll lock you out!”

  She giggled as she gestured at the closing door, but I managed to squeeze inside before it closed.

  Chapter 25

  The room was quaint, given its luxurious location. It resembled every hotel room I had ever stayed in with a bathroom near the door and a single room with two queen sized beds. At the far end were glass doors and a balcony that overlooked the lake.

  The built-in wardrobes were stuffed with all kinds of clothes, from thick animal furs to pyjamas and a range of one size fits all footwear ranging from sandals to heavy boots. Clearly Bill wanted his guests prepared for the range of weathers this part of the world experienced.

  I stared at the two beds and Ava bounced up behind me.

  “Which one do you want?” I asked.

  “I don’t mind.” Ava smirked as she jumped onto the bed nearest us. Like a child she bounced up and down on it clearly enjoying herself. She wasn’t very tall so she could have easily passed as a child to anyone witnessing this.

  “You’re going to break it.” I said, and almost like a premonition we heard a snap of splintering wood from underneath the bed.

  Ava looked at me, a huge smile on her face as if she couldn’t believe that she had actually caused the bed to break. Then in one huge leap, she jumped from one bed across to the other.

  “I’ll take this one! That can be yours.” She said with a mischievous laugh.

  I took one look at the bed and shrugged my shoulders.

  It was difficult to pin down the dynamic between us. Was I wrapped round her little finger or did she follow me around like a lost puppy dog? I suppose it was a bit of both.

  “I don’t mind, it’s your inheritance you’re destroying.” I replied and as soon as the words left my mouth I knew I had gone too far.

  “Low blow!” Ava said and she turned over on the bed putting her back to me.

  “Sorry, that was low.” I replied.

  “Not as low as that bed is!” She laughed as she got up and hopped into the bathroom.

  The bed was certainly sinking, unable to support its own weight now Ava had broken it.

  On the bedside table there was a television remote, but I couldn’t see any screens to point it at. I pressed the big red power button, pointing it aimlessly towards the opposite wall.

  There was a large mirror that faced the beds, it flickered, then displayed a news reporter talking us. She was commenting on the events of the day, the technology we had shown off and who had seen it. Video clips showed our ship hovering over various landmarks, Paris, London and one curious photo in Barcelona as we hovered the ship over a cruise liner.

  The reporter was explaining that we were on a quest to liberate the technology from VisionTech to make a better world. This really made us sound like the good guys which was re-assuring.

  I watched a couple of people being interviewed, talking about what they had seen on the boat and showing the pictures we had let them take while on board. The interviews were recordings and were being played on every news station as I flicked through the channels.

  Ava came back from the bathroom wearing long, thermal pyjamas and a warm bearskin dressing gown she had found in the cupboard. She walked over, sat next to me at the end of the bed and stared at the mirror TV with me.

  “Anything good on?” She asked.

  “Not really, but I think people are starting to understand our cause. The news has only said good things about us so far.”

  “That’s good. You must be happy?” She asked as she got up and walked over to the dresser below the TV and opened the doors.

  “I guess so. I don’t really know what to expect, this whole thing is happening too fast and I haven’t really had time to comprehend it all.” I said honestly.

  Underneath the TV Ava found a minifridge and started to raid the contents. She threw crisps and chocolate bars at me and then walked back with two plates containing strawberry cheesecake wrapped in plastic with two tiny forks.

  “At least Anna, the housekeeper, knows how to keep her guests feeling welcome.” Ava said as she removed the film wrap and plunged her fork into the slice of cake.

  “She sur
e does! This is good cake!” I commented between bites.

  Ava reached out towards me and removed cream that had caught on my nose from my previous bite.

  I stared back into her eyes as she held it out on the end of her finger, moved it towards her lips, quite seductively and then flicked it back at me, splatting it across my face.

  “Got you!” Ava rolled back with laughter.

  “Don’t start a food fight you can’t finish.” I declared, as I ran my finger through the cream on my plate and threatened her with it. We both had big smiles on our faces, like we were two kids again. Any stress from recent events was gone from my mind as I chased Ava around the room, each of us trying to splat cake in the others face.

  It lasted thirty seconds. Thirty seconds of unbridled joy. Then, the mood in the room took a sharp downward turn. Ava sat up from the bed as I chased her, and I turned to face the TV. It was Lara.

  “Breaking news.” The reporter said. The camera switched and showed Lara standing in front of a crowd of people at the VisionTech facility. The roots of the overgrown tree were just visible in the background.

  “We are about to go live from VisionTech’s research facility for a response following today’s unusual events.” The screen switched to a closer shot of Lara in front of a dozen microphones.

  “The actions that have taken place today sadden us as a company.” She started, reading the cards in front of her. “Members of our own staff have stolen the very technology they were developing and paraded it in front of the world, teasing everyone with technology that is not complete and untested. I am warning everyone not to trust these individuals. We are putting all our resources into capturing these terrorists and returning the technology to the safety our company where development can continue until it is deemed safe for the public. Finally, I make a plea to anyone who has been in direct contact with the fugitives to contact VisionTech immediately. Contact with highly experimental drugs and biomaterial could have a detrimental effect on your health. We will do everything in our power to rectify their crimes.”

  Lara turned and walked away as the transmission ended. It cut back to the reporter, but I had already reached for the remote and was pressing the power button, turning it off.

  “She is trying to claim that we are releasing dangerous technology into the world?” Ava asked.

  “That’s the way she is warping this.” I replied, looking at Ava deep in her eyes. “Then again, who’s to say that we aren’t. I don’t fully understand all the technology on that ship, what if we are dangerous, what if we are putting the public at risk?”

  It was a thought that had been running through my head for a while. Who were we to decide when technology was ready for public release?

  Ava took my hands in hers.

  “We are doing the right thing, you know that. This technology is proven, it’s just being held back for profit, at the expense of the wellbeing of the population. We can prove all of this when Lovelace crunches through the files and we get to release all the hidden reports. You’ve already seen some of them, remember we are doing the right thing.” Ava reassured me and as I stared into her eyes, I saw her belief in me and what we were doing. Staring at her in that moment suddenly gave me the confidence I needed, the confidence I had been lacking recently.

  “You’re right.” I said, standing up and started to pace, not really sure what to do next. “How long until Lovelace cracks all the files?” I asked.

  “I don’t know.” Ava said and she reached for her laptop that was sitting on the bed. “I can’t contact Lovelace from here, there is no service, no networks, nothing. It’s really odd, I don’t think I have ever been cut off like this.”

  “What do you mean?” I grew confused. “Why would this place not have network points, or wireless signal? It is just made of wood.”

  “There are plenty of factors at play before you get worried, firstly, there is no connectivity at all in this place, I am surprised we even have electricity. Secondly, we are in the middle of a lake and water always disrupts signals, however, most importantly I think something around here is actively jamming any communication. I don’t know if Sam designed it like this when he built it the system for Bill or if it is something else.” Ava seemed a little uneasy at the thought of this.

  “What do you want to do?” I gestured to the door. “Want to take a walk, get closer to ship?”

  “Yeah, I think that is a smart idea. It’ll put my mind at ease” Ava agreed.

  We both put our shoes back on and each grabbed a big coat from the wardrobe, I helped Ava with hers before wrapping mine around me. I turned off the light and quietly shut the door.

  Making our way down the glass corridor and past the other rooms. We were careful not to make a noise. All the lights were off suggesting everyone was asleep.

  Where the jetty met the shore there was a glass door which opened onto the sandy beach. We walked in the moonlight round the lake and headed towards the large silhouette of the ship. You couldn’t miss it.

  “What is the story between you and Bill?” I asked as we stepped up off the sand and onto a rough forest path lined with trees.

  “Really? You want to ask me that now?” Ava questioned.

  “I can’t think of a better time.” I replied.

  “Fine then.” Ava let out an exasperated sigh and continued. “My mum never explained who my dad was, never mentioned him. That was, until he contacted her looking for me a couple of years ago.”

  “That must have been tough.” I said, reaching out for her hand. She gave it to me as she hopped over a fallen tree trunk.

  “It wasn’t that bad. My mum and I were close when I was younger, as I grew, we naturally drifted apart, but I guess I didn’t really notice it happening. Then Bill contacted her and said he wanted to meet me. I agreed and was excited at first. I had just left GCHQ at the time and was looking for some meaning in my life.”

  “Yeah, your prohibition for hacking” I remembered.

  “Bill invited me to a fancy London hotel, we spent a few days catching up, he told me all about himself and his company and I gave him the details of my life growing up. He seemed genuinely sorry that he wasn’t able to be there.”

  “Do you think he was sorry?” I asked.

  “It was a nice few days but as soon as he gained my confidence, he set me to work. At first, he disguised it as little puzzles that we could solve together, quality father-daughter time. He would ask me things like, when the best time to sell sunglasses was. I replied with, just after people had returned from their holidays.” Ava looked at me, waiting for my reaction.

  “Just after they have been on holiday?” I said, confused. “Surely you mean before?”

  “That’s what Bill asked, but no, think about it, when you get back from holiday how many times have you lost or broken a new pair of sunglasses. You’re on the beach, the salt in the air is eating away at the metal frames and you turn over and crunch, no more sunglasses. If you are lucky enough to last the entire holiday, then they get crushed by the baggage handlers on the way home. You blame the airline for breaking your glasses and claim for a new pair. If you can find out when airlines pay for claims like this, then you can target customers with new glasses.” Ava smiled at me, pleased with her own reasoning.

  “You find out who has made a claim for broken sunglasses and then sell them new sunglasses. That actually makes a lot sense.” I agreed.

  “It’s not just sunglasses, it works with anything, if you have broken your laptop and an insurance company sends you a cheque to buy a new one, the same principle applies.” Ava continued.

  “That’s really smart, look for people who have money specifically to buy a product, then get in there and make sure they buy it from you.” I said.

  “Bill agreed. Then tasked me with getting access to an insurance company database and figuring out who these people are. At this point I realised he was just using me. This wasn’t the first time he had asked me to do something like that dur
ing our first week and I figured that it wasn’t going to be his last. I turned my skills on him, went looking for dirt on him.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “Yes, I found documents. He had told shareholders about my skills and he told them he was going to recruit me to do the things that the company couldn’t do publicly.” She jumped onto a large branch that was blocking the path, leaping into my arms as I prepared to catch her.

  “All along he only wanted you because of your skills, not because he was your father. I bet that made you feel…” I was cut off.

  A huge explosion lit up the sky and a ball of fire rose from across the lake.

  “What was that!” Ava shouted over the roar of the explosion. She griped my hand tightly and I could see the fear on her face.

  “Up here.” I gestured as I climbed up a rock sticking out over the water. From here I could see what was happening.

  “What’s happening?” Ava asked me again as she watched the same, terrifying disaster I was witnessing. I could tell that she wanted reassurance or an explanation, but I had none to give.

  “I am not sure.” I replied, genuinely not knowing what else to say.

  As we stood on top of the rock, we saw the wooden huts on the pier, the huts we had been inside minutes before, on fire and burning. There were only four visible, the end hut, our hut, was missing completely.

  “You don’t suppose Bill did this?” Ava quivered when she spoke. I realised that this was the first time she had felt her life in real danger, whereas, for me this was becoming a regular event.

  “I don’t know, I wouldn’t rule it out.” I said calmly. “But I’ll keep you safe.” I added.

  “What do we do now? What about Sam, Hank and everyone?” Ava tugged on my arm and I could see her eyes flooding with tears.

  I put my arms around her and held her tightly.

  “It will be alright.” I said, not believing it myself but knowing we had to stay calm.

  Just like when I had seen the barn blow up and I thought I had lost everyone; I knew that there would be time to grieve after I had secured our safety.