The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set

by James M. Corkill

  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 an
d 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?”