“What the hell are you doing, Kurt?”
“I need a ride, sheriff, and George is going to give me one.”
“I don’t want to have to kill you, son, but you know I will. Don’t force my hand. I’ll give you the chance to walk away right now. Be smart about this. You have enough problems to deal with. You don’t want a problem with me.”
The Sheriff’s eyes seem to bore right through him, and even though the sheriff was bleeding, Kurt knew he would not win this fight. He slowly backed up, and then turned and ran across the parking lot, disappearing behind what was left of the theater.
Bruce sighed with relief and looked up at George. “How are you holding up?”
“I was beginning to get a little worried, Sheriff. Alex is waiting for me to pick him up. He said they can’t stop the earthquakes and things will get worse. He also told me Okana and Spencer were killed during a rescue, but he managed to save his doctor friend.”
Bruce took a long look around the area. His town was now in shambles. With a sad expression on his face, he looked up at George. “I guess I’m done here. I wouldn’t mind going with you,” he said as he sagged against his car. “But right now I think I need to get someone to work on this shoulder. I have a first aid kit in the car.”
“I saw the blood on your uniform, sheriff, but I didn't know it was yours. Here, let me see what I can do.” George got down and retrieved the kit from the patrol car. He applied disinfectant and covered the entrance and exit wounds with pads. “You'll want to take it easy and keep your left arm movements to a minimum, or it may start bleeding again.”
“Thanks. I’ll be all right.”
“I found the problem with the engine. Give me a minute to finish working on it and we’ll leave right away.”
Bruce gently eased himself into the helicopter. “I think I’ll just sit here for now.”
* * *
Chapter 17
THE DESERT:
When Alex noticed Henry was beginning to tire, he stopped at the edge of a dry streambed. “I could use a short break. How about you?”
“Yes, by all means.” He sat down on the bank.
“I’m sorry about your kidnapping, Doc. Why did Rita want the device?”
“I thought it was just greed and the money had something to do with it, but she’s in love with that Steve Preston fellow.” Henry explained what he knew about the DAR Corporation. “I will tell you this, Alex. I wish we had never located those devices.”
Alex’s phone rang. “I’m here, Jerry. What’s going on?”
“The zipper effect is starting, Alex. Small eruptions are starting to occur around the perimeter of the magma pocket.”
“How much time do we have before it blows?”
“At the rate these new eruptions are spreading, I’d say within the hour.”
“I’ve found the cause, but there is no way to stop it. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Everyone necessary has been notified, but there just isn’t enough time to get organized. Even the people leaving the park may not get far enough away. We estimate a five hundred mile blast radius. Are you still in Stillwater?”
“I’m afraid so. I’m stuck out in the desert.”
“You know that area will be demolished from the blast wave. Find some shelter, Alex.”
“What about you? You are leaving, right?” the line was silent. “Jerry?”
“Good luck, Alex.”
Alex looked down at the sand. Jerry knew it was too late to save himself. “Yeah. You too.”
Alex stood and reached down for Henry. “Time to go, Doc. Yellowstone is about to erupt.”
Once they were moving across the desert again, Alex knew he needed to call the ranch. If the women leave right now, they would probably get far enough away. He dreaded having to tell them about Okana over the phone, but he had no choice and entered the number. “Hello, Judith, This is Alex.”
“Oh Alex. We’ve just had a bad earthquake. I thought you and Okana were going to stop them.”
“I’m sorry, Judith. It can’t be done. Is Fala still there?”
“Yes. She’s right here.”
“Put her on, please.”
“I’m here, Alex.”
“You have to leave right this minute. Yellowstone is going to erupt very soon. Don’t pack anything, just head south as fast as possible.”
“All right. Are you and Okana going to meet us someplace?”
Alex hesitated. “Things are going to be very bad after the eruption, so keep heading south. Now get going, okay?”
“All right.”
Henry waited until Alex hung up. “Who was that?”
“Okana’s family.”
From the troubled expression in Alex’s eyes, Henry knew to let it drop. “How far is it to Stillwater?”
“About ten miles.”
“I wish I would have worn different shoes.”
Alex glanced down at Henry. He didn’t have the heart to tell him if the helicopter didn’t arrive soon, his shoes would not matter.
As they continued across the desert, Alex kept thinking about Fala and Halona. Deep inside he knew they could have been a family together, and now this happens. DAMN YOU RITA!
Henry reached up and grabbed Alex’s arm. “Do you hear that?”
Alex cocked his head to one side. He grinned at Henry as the deep thumping from a helicopter drew near. He glanced at his watch. Only fifteen minutes had passed since he had talked to Fala. There might still be time to catch up with them on the road south. If he could get them into the helicopter, they would be able to outrun the shock wave for sure.
A moment later, Alex and Henry turned their faces away from the billowing sand as the helicopter set down. When the wind died, Alex followed Henry over to the open side door and helped him into the passenger seat. Once he was inside, Alex closed the door and grabbed the headset. “Thanks, George.” He noticed the bloodstained gauze around Bruce’s shoulder. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story. The town has been destroyed, Alex.”
“I’m sorry my plan didn’t work. Where are you headed?”
“We were hoping you could tell us.”
“Listen, Yellowstone is about to erupt and we can outrun the blast wave by going south, but I need to make sure the Okana family is safe. They’re heading south right now, so let’s go pick them up on the way.”
“You got it.” George said as he took the helicopter into the air on a southeast course and gave it full throttle.
As they gained altitude, Alex stared out the window in the direction of Yellowstone. Small plumes of gray-brown ash climbed high into the air, forming a circle around the park. It was called the Zipper effect. One or two more small eruptions, and thirteen hundred square miles of earth will be vaporized.
Alex turned forward, staring through the front window for Fala’s car, a red SUV. It felt as though the helicopter was barely moving, then he saw the car about five miles away on a dirt road.
Seconds passed by as if hours as the helicopter slowly closed the distance to the SUV. Alex realized if he could get her to stop, they would catch up much faster. He pulled out his phone and entered Fala’s number, but it continued to ring. “Come on, answer, damnit!”
Bruce suddenly pointed north. “Oh my God! Look!”
Everyone turned and stared north at the massive column of gas and ash rising high into the air above the park. In the distance, the air appeared to be shimmering and moving in their direction. George instinctively gained altitude as the shockwave of dust and sand rolled across the desert.
Alex spun back to the front window, helpless to save anyone in the SUV. He was hurled against the side door as the shockwave slammed into the helicopter. He could feel himself spinning, the aircraft now out of control as he was forced against the door.
Suddenly the spinning stopped as George regained control. While George gained altitude, Alex helped Henry back into his seat and stared down at the dust cloud rolling
across the desert.
George brought the helicopter to a hover above the area where he had last seen the red SUV, but the thin layer of dust hanging in the air made it difficult to see anything on the ground.
* * *
Chapter 18
THE DESERT:
Bruce was the first to notice a splotch of red, and pointed out the window. “I see it! It’s right over there!”
As George moved the helicopter over the area, the rotors blew the dust into a billowing cloud churning away from what was left of the red SUV. The vegetation had been ripped from the ground, and the wreckage lay strewn across the barren desert.
Even before the runners touched the ground, Alex threw open the side door and leapt out, hitting the ground running. The main body of the SUV had collapsed into a ragged ball of twisted metal, but he held out hope they could still be alive.
When Alex was three feet away, he slid to a stop. Every ounce of strength seemed to leave his body and he dropped to his knees. Blood drenched black hair laid across Fala’s face, but it was only her head on the ground. Curly dark brown hair attached to a pink flap of flesh had been trapped between two scissors of steel. The legs of an older woman were no longer attached to a body.
Alex shook his fists at the sky. NOOOOOOO!” he roared. He slumped back down and slammed his fists against the ground. “DAMN YOU RITA!”
Henry ran to Alex’s side and knelt beside him. “Oh Alex, I am so sorry.”
Bruce ran up to the wreckage and looked it over carefully, but there was no one alive. He moved over to Alex. “I’m sorry Alex. There’s nothing we can do. We need to get moving.”
Alex looked up, his vision blurred as he stared at Henry.
Henry wrapped his arms Alex’s neck. “I am so sorry, Alex.”
A moment later, George watched the three of them walk back to the helicopter. When everyone was inside, he looked over his shoulder. “Where to next, Alex?”
Alex checked for a signal on his cellphone, but did not get one. “Can we make it to Salt Lake City Utah? It’s on the other side of the Rocky’s, so it should still be clear.”
George checked his fuel. “Barring any head wind, we should make it okay.”
As soon as they were airborne, Alex leaned forward between the front seats of the cockpit. “Do you have any radio reception, George?”
George played with the digital settings. “Nothing.”
“It’s the static electricity from the eruption. It should get better as we head west.”
George continued to gain altitude as he pointed the helicopter west and headed across the desert. As their elevation increased over the Rocky Mountains, they all stared north. Everyone but Alex found it hard to believe a volcano could cause such destruction. The column of brown ash looked like a dark tornado hundreds of miles across. The massive grey spiral was dropping ash for hundreds of miles in an easterly direction.
On the western side of the Rockies, the ash had reached Pocatello Idaho, but to the south, they could see that Salt Lake City had not yet been affected. The radio began squawking, and they contacted the airport for landing instructions. The tower put them down on the tarmac next to a news helicopter. After everything was shut down, they all climbed out and began walking toward the main terminal.
George walked over to talk with the pilot. “Where are you headed?”
“The station wants me to get shots of the eruption. I’m taking one of our news people up to take a look.”
“We just came from northeast Wyoming and barely made it out alive. You’d better be careful up there. The thermals are going crazy because of all the heat. It’s pretty much a wasteland as far south as Jackson Hole and east of Pocatello Idaho. The ash is drifting east past Casper, Wyoming right now. I don’t know what it’s like north of the volcano, but if it’s as bad as what I’ve seen so far, we’re all in a lot of trouble.”
Alex called Donner to arrange a flight to Nevada. “Has the ash reached the east coast?”
“No, but I’ve been informed of heavy accumulations of ash across the northern plains, so it’s only a matter of time. The President will be on Air Force One within the hour.”
“What about you?”
“I need to coordinate the evacuation of our political leaders to NORAD.”
“None of us can escape the eventual outcome.”
“I know. Thanks for trying, Alex. Take care of yourself.”
* * *
Chapter 19
NEVADA:
When David entered the hanger, he walked directly to the sphere, now held steady by a small inflatable donut so it would not roll. He could see the refection from the overhead lights on the mirror surface. When he stopped, his distorted face grinned back at him. “What was your purpose on the spaceship?”
The surface of the sphere shimmered as if turning into a liquid and David took a step back. “Whoa!” He jumped back again as a bald man suddenly appeared.
When Paladin stepped out of the sphere, he recognized the person with the shocked expression. “Hello, David.”
It took a moment before David recognized what the man was wearing. It was a silver jumpsuit like the one in the cargo hold. When David realized the magnitude of what it signified, his heart rate increased. This could be one of the original crew!
David wasn’t sure what to do except hold out his hand. “My name is David Conway.”
“I know who you are, David. We’ve already met. I’m Paladin. Tell me what’s going on right now.”
David lowered his arm and took a deep breath trying to regain his composure. “Wow! You’re one of the missing crew from the spaceship.”
“No, I’m not. I’m a time traveler. Now tell me what’s happening on this planet right now.”
“Well, I just found out Yellowstone erupted.”
Paladin shoulders sagged. “I told Alex it wouldn’t work. Where is he?”
“He’s just arrived from Salt Lake. How do you know Alex?”
“Take me to him.”
“All right. Follow me.”
David turned and headed for the door into the workspaces in the rear of the hanger. Once through the doorway, they continued down a hall past the spectators gawking at a hairless man without any ears.
*
Alex sat staring into his coffee cup, replaying everything over in his mind trying to think of what he could have done differently. Deep down he knew it was just a way to stop thinking about all he had lost. Okana had always had his back, and he had let him down. A vision of Fala and Halona sitting with him on the porch was ripping at his heart. He had let everyone down.
As Alex morosely contemplated the near future, David walked in accompanied by a slim man in a silvery jumpsuit. Alex recognized the jumpsuit immediately and stood from the table. “Who’s your new friend, David?”
“This is Mister Paladin. He just stepped out of the sphere.”
The man, short in stature, looked up at Alex. “It’s just Paladin, David. What happened this time, Alex?”
Alex’s eyebrow rose slightly. “This time? I’m not following you.”
“The sphere is a time machine. I sent you back in time twice to stop the eruption. I told you it would not work.”
Alex just stared at Paladin and his silver suit. “All right. Have a chair and start at the beginning.”
“Do you remember the first time you touched the sphere?”
“Yes, when we found the spaceship.”
“When you placed both hands on the surface, a small electrical field generated by your body activated a signal. I was sent back through time to find out what type of life form it was.” Paladin looked at David. “You were just as surprised then as you were a moment ago.”
David leaned forward, his arms on the table. “Where did you come from? Time travel? I didn’t think it was possible. Do the rest of your people travel through time?”
Paladin stared at David. “I’m growing tired of explaining this each time Alex fails.”
Palad
in turned back to Alex. “What happened this time? Did you remember what you needed to do?”
Alex was silent, pondering the fact he had traveled back in time. Twice. He shook his head. “I remember my wrist hurt, but nothing else.”
“You sprained your wrist the last time you tried to change the past. Tell me what went wrong this time.”
Alex leaned across the table, glaring at Paladin. “What do you mean what went wrong? My best friend is dead! Everyone on this planet are about to be wiped out! Everything went wrong, damnit! Are you saying I could have stopped this from happening?”
Paladin’s stare didn’t waver as he waited for Alex to settle down. “I tried to warn you, Alex. Do you remember what I told you about cause and effect?”
Alex sighed and leaned back. “Of course not. I don’t even remember meeting you.”
“You mean well, but there are too many variables in time travel.”
“If there’s even a small chance I can stop this before it happens, then I’ll just have to try it again.”
“By trying to change so many events in the past, you create a cascade of events on an escalating scale. Each time you go back, you make things worse. How many times do you want to put yourself through all this anguish, Alex?”
Alex leaned forward. “How many times will it take? There has to be a way, damn it!”
“There is. I’ve told you twice, but you never remember what to do.”
“And what’s that?”
“You need only change one thing, Alex. When you locate the spaceship, stop Rita from calling her people and giving them your location. If you do that one thing, it will interrupt the chain of events that cause the volcano to erupt. The problem is you never remember what you need to do.”
“There has to be a way for me to remember. There has to be.”
David looked over at Paladin when he suddenly remembered his conversation with Lewis. “If you can travel back in time, how come you didn’t go back and change what happened to this planet one hundred and eighty million years ago? Your race would not have left this planet.”
The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set Page 73
