It would surely be easier to just ignore Annabelle's raised eyebrow and let Linda make her Presidential choices and let them all just get on with their lives. They had a boy to find. Or grieve. They had a government to regain control of. They had a bunch of hybrids to deal with, and a future to figure out. They had girls who needed their parents. Girls who were shaken and grieving as well.
But it wasn't easy. It hadn't been easy since the morning Linda had crashed into him. She was a force at work in the world. She changed everybody who came to know and love her. The forces that swirled about were huge and mysterious and unstoppable. They swept aside all chances of a quiet, normal life. And Linda stood at the center of it all. If there was a single person who needed either to be helped or stopped, it was Linda Travis.
And that put Cole in the unenviable position of being a major player as well, whether he wanted to be or not. Cole with his mysterious past and the light in his hands.
He could not just dismiss the prophecies of the Church of the Stranger.
20.9
Mary had received a call from the airstrip, so she and the girls were waiting outside the front door when Cole and Linda's limo pulled into the circular drive of the Presidential Home. The car came to a stop and the doors pushed open and out crawled the two travelers. A second vehicle, a van, pulled up behind them. Annabelle, Doobie, Marionette, and Gabrielle would be staying there as well. The Home had plenty of guest rooms.
The girls ran up to their parents and hugged them tightly, all four together in a bunch. Then they hurried inside, as though they were surrounded by obnoxious reporters shouting questions. The limo driver grabbed Cole and Linda's backpacks and traveling bags and took them inside. Annabelle and the other travelers grabbed their own gear and followed him in. There would be an aide inside to show them to their rooms.
Mary just stood and watched. Linda and Cole had been so caught up with their girls that they hadn't even noticed that she was there. And she didn't really know the rest of them, these new folks who had gotten pulled into the current of Linda Travis's life. They nodded at her. Smiled. Marionette greeted her by name. But they, too, were focused on being back and getting settled and figuring out what would come next.
She could hardly complain. Mary knew what it was like, to be focused on something to the exclusion of all else. There were times when Keeley had been sick that she'd hardly noticed the world around her. And, in a way, it was better this way. It gave her a chance to observe the President and her companions, to scan their fields, and learn, perhaps, things that only she might learn.
Linda was clearly exhausted and grieving. Things had not gone as she'd planned. Foremost in her aura was an image of an older man in a Hawaiian shirt lying dead on a slab. William, Mary knew. The Fisherman. Great pain swirled around that image. Loss. Anger. All wrapped together with the screams of her son, burning in a sea of hot lava. Mary thought that if one were to reach out and touch Linda's field it would fracture and explode into a thousand sharp, jagged, sizzling pieces. The President was at the edge of breakdown.
And there was a second thing in Linda's field. A gray mist that Mary's mind's eye slipped over and around, like a star caught in the blind spot. It was as if it did not want to be seen. A mystery. A secret. A shard of shame. It was taking Linda every bit of strength she had left to hold that gray mist at her center and keep it under wraps.
Cole's field, too, held a secret, though his was easier to read. His aura danced with images of himself and Linda facing off in anger. He was anticipating a fight. His mind was clouded by uncertainties and second-guessings. And his heart was filled with guilt, that by allowing himself to be swept up in the ongoing extremity of Linda's life, his children had been affected as well. With Iain having now fallen, a victim of the vast forces opposed to his wife, Mary could sense a new resolve in Cole. A new defensiveness. A distancing and wariness. He was not going to allow his children to come to risk and harm again. And he was worried about what that might cost him in his relationship with his wife.
Mary hadn't had as much time to read the others, as so much of her focus had been on Linda and Cole. The old woman, Annabelle, clearly shared Cole's wariness, and was full of protective thoughts and feelings. The young couple, Doobie and Marionette, though clearly in the throes of love, were mostly just tired and dazed. The other girl, Gabrielle, had a heart full of grief and a head full of questions.
Mary turned and gazed out over the treetops at the late-afternoon sun. She felt a swell of relief pass through her body and allowed herself a bit of hope. They were home. The Families were gone. Keeley was well again. And they now had a cure for Greensleeves. Perhaps things might settle down for a bit. Maybe they'd even get easier. Not that there weren't plenty of pains and problems still, in this tired old world. There was suffering and struggle aplenty, enough to keep them all busy until the end of their days. But if they could be left alone to deal with their struggles without having to fight either strange aliens or the hidden elite, that would be all right with Mary.
As for herself, though she'd told no one yet, it was Mary's intention, once things had settled down, to step back into the other levels of reality and go in search of Iain. She knew that Keeley would disapprove, but it was what she had to do. It wasn't that she felt she was to blame, exactly. She'd done what she could with the best of intentions. But she did feel responsible. Able to respond. She had talents in those other realms. Talents she hadn't used for a long time. And with her new ability to see fields in the physical, perhaps her talents were stronger than ever. There were Middle Children out there right now, searching not only the many bands of reality but the whole of time. That was wonderful. She greatly appreciated it. But there was something missing that Mary could provide. Iain needed somebody who loved him to be in on the search. He needed a friend calling out his name as they walked through the levels.
Mary could be that friend.
And while she was searching, she might find out what happened to Danny as well.
20.10
Bedtime had come early for the family. The overwhelm of emotions had left them all spent. And Ness and Isaac's good, hot food had filled them up and calmed them down. Cole had told the girls as much as he could about the journey they'd taken and what they'd seen. Linda added bits and pieces along the way. The girls had shared about the worry they'd felt when they'd heard about the airplanes being blown up. And they talked about life in the nullspace apartment, and their time with Alice and Isaac and Ness. Cole expressed a great deal of relief, just knowing that the secret government that had been Linda's enemy for so long was finally gone. "I think I've been on edge since the Fisherman called on the phone that night almost three years ago," he said, looking at Linda. Linda nodded her understanding.
Mostly, though, they just wanted to sit together and hold hands and not speak very much. Iain's body lay just down the hall in his room. Dennis's body lay at his feet. They were gone but not gone. Dead but not dead. And the uncertainty was almost more than they could bear. Grace sat with Mihos in her lap, stroking his long back and scratching under his chin. She wanted to talk to him. Ask him how he was doing in the Astral world. Ask him if he was still searching for Iain. But she didn't. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answers.
Cole fell asleep on the sofa, with the girls sleeping in his arms. Linda dozed in her armchair, then turned down the lights and walked softly to the bedroom. She didn't know if she could sleep, but she knew that she had to try. She felt numb, and her head was flipping and flickering with memories and images and snatches of conversation both real and imagined. William on Mars. A fleet of woks rising up before her. Dead bodies falling from the sky. There was so much to process that she'd just shut down. But shut down did not necessarily mean restful sleep.
She stepped out of her clothes and crawled into their bed and switched off the light. The sheets felt cool to her skin and she sighed with gratitude. She closed her eyes and settled into her pillow.
"Hello, Madam," came
a gentle voice. But it wasn't William. Linda opened her eyes and whirled to see who had spoken. She was standing at the edge of a huge inland lake, surrounded by a vast desert plain. Standing before her was the small, red-robed Gray alien she knew as Spud. The alien wrinkled his tiny nose, an expression Linda knew meant that he was glad to see her. "We meet again," he said. His thin lips did not move.
Linda exhaled loudly. She'd been holding her breath. "You," she said.
Spud bowed a slight bow. "The one and only," he said. He pushed back his hood, revealing his gray, pebbled head. Linda was surprised to see a few long hairs sticking out at random angles.
Linda turned to examine the area around them. The last time she'd been here, people had been running and screaming, as fireballs rained down upon them from above. "What is this place?" she asked, turning back to Spud. "And why do we meet here?"
Spud lifted his hands on both sides, bent at the elbows. "This is Rumi's Field," he said. "On the surface of the planet you call Mars."
"I was just there," said Linda. "I don't remember the lake."
"This is a long, long time ago," said Spud.
"Have you come here to help me?" asked Linda. She teared up at her own question. How greatly she longed for help.
"You don't need my help, Madam," said Spud, his voice warm and open. "You've always been adequate to the moment. That is why you were given this task, and that is why you accepted."
Linda frowned. Other people were always telling her how strong she was. She was the only one who knew the doubt and uncertainty that ate away at her from the inside. Spud had no idea the burden she carried. She stuck her chin out a bit. "So why are we here?" she asked.
"Two things," said Spud.
"Okay," said Linda.
"First, I wanted to thank you," said Spud.
"Thank me for what?"
"For showing me that good people remain in your world," he said.
Linda scoffed. "Yeah. Well, we'll see what the history books have to say about that."
Spud stood quietly, just looking at her.
"What's the second thing?" asked Linda.
Spud sighed heavily. The expression was almost human in its weight and meaning. "I just want to say that, no matter how this goes, it has been my honor to be on your side."
Linda's brow furrowed. "You're on my side?" she asked.
Spud nodded once. "I am," he said.
"I don't understand," said Linda, raising an eyebrow. "If you and I are on the same side, then who's on the other side?"
Spud glanced up at the sky for a moment, then back at Linda. "It is my fervent wish that you never have to learn the answer to that, Madam."
Linda opened her eyes. The room was still dark and cool. Cole snored lightly at her side. Linda rolled to her other side and fell quickly into a restful sleep.
20.11
The meeting was held in the small conference room in the Presidential home at seven the next morning. All the key players were there. Linda. Cole. Stan. Mary. Annabelle. Gabrielle. Sten. Doobie. Marionette. Alice. They'd even let Keeley attend, though she was under orders to return to the hospital immediately afterwards. Linda closed the door when the last of them arrived, then took her seat just inside the door and looked out at those assembled. "Good morning, everyone," she said.
The others returned her greeting. Doobie grabbed a donut from the tray, courtesy of the Middle Children.
"I see two items for our agenda this morning," continued Linda. "Both of which need to be dealt with quickly. The first is the matter of returning me back to both life and Presidential authority in the eyes of the American people, and the world. The second is the matter of the alien flu." She looked from face to face. "Agreed?" she said.
All of them nodded or said yes.
Keeley and Sten launched into their thoughts about how to stage Linda's miraculous rescue, and the various narratives they might use. But Linda raised her hand to stop them, shaking her head. "We're not going to stage anything, people," she said, looking around the room. She smiled at Sten. "We're going to tell the world the truth."
"Including how your real rescue came two days ago but we kept that a secret and let the people think you were dead?" asked Sten, one eyebrow raised.
"Including even that," said Linda. "We tell them everything. My abduction from the Presidential Home. My captivity. The false story of my illness. The computer generated copy of me they used to make it look like I was active in world affairs." She glanced at Cole for support, then back at the others. "We tell them about William. About Mars. About The Families and their escape from the planet. About the Herschel Colony and the long history of the Breakaway Civilization. We tell them how they killed me on Squirrel Island, and how I found my way back to life. We tell them how Cole rescued me, and how he's found some new powers. We tell them about Urbem Orsus. We tell them about the thousands of bodies that fell from the sky. We tell them about William and his departure from this realm. We tell them about the Middle Children, and how they are going to live openly on Earth from here on out." She inhaled deeply and continued. "We tell them everything we can think to tell them, folks. If that kills my chances for re-election, then so be it. They need to know the truth. People cannot make real choices if they don't have all of the information."
"You're running for re-election?" asked Cole, reaching out to grab Linda's hand. A quick smile flashed across his face.
Linda cocked her head. "William showed me the announcement the fake Linda Travis made while I was on Mars," she said. "I'm sure the Committee immediately printed up posters. I'd hate to waste them." She grinned. "Besides," she continued, turning to look at the rest of them. "We're on our own here now. The opposition party has withdrawn. Maybe next term we can get something accomplished."
The standard political rhetoric brought smiles to the faces around her.
Linda's face went serious. "We tell the truth. All of it. Every one of us. If any of you have any questions about that, come see me."
The group went quiet.
"But there's one truth we will not be telling," continued Linda, inhaling sharply. Her voice was shaking. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to remember something, then opened her eyes and continued. "After hours and days of deliberation and thinking and feeling, and after the events I witnessed in Urbem Orsus, I'm going to choose to let the Greensleeves illness run its course. The contents of the vial, and the analysis Stan and his people accomplished, will remain a secret amongst those of us in this room. And may the gods have mercy upon my broken soul."
Gabrielle nodded her approval. Her heart told her that this choice would serve the Beloved.
Annabelle looked at Cole and lifted an eyebrow.
Cole dropped his head.
Mary shook her head in surprise and reached out to grab Keeley's hand.
Keeley exhaled loudly and stared.
Sten started writing on his notepad.
Alice cocked her head and watched the others around her.
Cole cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak. His head was shaking back and forth in disagreement.
Stan said "No."
Cole looked over in surprise. Annabelle opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. Linda spoke. "What is it, Stan?" she said.
Stan reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his cell phone, pushed a button, and then spoke into his phone. "Run it," he said. He turned off his phone, slipped it back into his pocket, and looked at his President. "I said, 'no,' Mrs. President."
Linda cocked her head quizzically. "I don't understand, Stan," she said.
Stan grabbed the remote for the television that hung on the conference room wall and pushed another button. The television came on, showing a news report on ACN. After a moment the newsreader was interrupted with a breaking story, to which they cut immediately. There was Stan, sitting in front of the camera in a newsroom with a mic on his lapel. Linda and the others watched as Stan announced to the world the discovery of a safe and effective cure f
or the virus known as Greensleeves. It was already being mass-produced and distributed around the globe. The Pandemic would soon be brought under control.
They watched in surprised silence. When the clip was finished, Stan turned the television off, placed the remote on the table, stood, and walked toward the door. He stopped next to Linda. "My resignation will be on your desk," he said.
Then he opened the door and left.
The others watched Linda in silence.
"Jesus," muttered the President.
20.12 Epilogue
Four weeks later…
Zacharael hung in the depths of space in the form of a small, black ball, watching the entire operation from a safe distance. He did not wish to draw the attention of the Sages. It had taken a few weeks for these long-absent beings to revive their ancient ship, Deimos, and pilot it free of Mars orbit and out to the edge of the solar system. Now it was here, bearing down on the massive ball of ice and rock he'd shown the girl, Gabrielle, on their nighttime journeys together. The ship's approach was slow and sure. They had, no doubt, calculated precisely the desired change in trajectory. No small feat, even for the Sages, given that the comet was over twice the diameter of Deimos, and was spinning at an oblique angle.
The event itself was not dramatic. A slight nudge. A gentle touch. The contact resulted only in small pieces of broken ice flying away from the point of impact. Yet Zacharael could sense that it would be enough. The Sages intended to correct an ancient mistake. That comet would do the trick nicely.
Deimos pulled slowly away from the comet, then began to spin on its axis. Zacharael did not expect the Sages to stick around. Whether they intended to park the Martian moon back in its usual place he did not know. They might not bother. They would not expect that anyone on Earth would notice. Nor would they care. Probably they would simply leave it drifting across the system and return home the way they had come.
Rumi's Field (None So Blind Book 2) Page 77
