by Alex Siegel
The dam itself was a huge, concrete arc half a mile long. Even at the top, it was thick enough for a two-lane road, and Hanley expected it was much thicker at the bottom.
As he drove, he looked for signs of security, but he saw nothing aside from a few fences. Not a single guard was standing watch. The road simply traversed the top of the dam and continued on. In an era where terrorists seemed to lurk around every corner, Hanley could hardly believe such an important asset was unprotected. Millions of people and thousands of farms depended on the reservoir for fresh water.
"Look for somebody to talk to," he said.
"I'm looking," Katie said. "Maybe somebody over at the marina can help us."
Hanley drove to the west end of the dam, turned right, and entered a parking lot. The lot was large, but only a small number of spaces at the end were in use. A wide ramp led down to the docks, and he parked close to the ramp.
The two legionnaires stepped out. Cool mountain air blowing across open water made Hanley want to wear a jacket. He had one packed in the trunk, but finding it now seemed like too much trouble.
He scratched his palms. The red patches had become swollen and taut.
"Your hands are still bothering you?" Katie said.
"Yes, even more than before. The skin feels like it's on fire. Aaron thinks I'm getting a gift, and if that's true, I wish God would get it over with. The pain is very distracting."
They walked down the boat ramp to the docks. Most of the boats were small speedboats or fishing vessels. Hanley didn't see any real yachts, and he was a little surprised. He expected some people would love to keep a big ship in such a gorgeous setting.
The only visible activity was a man cleaning out his fishing boat.
"Let me do the talking," Katie said. "He'll respond better if a woman asks the questions."
"Sure," Hanley said.
They walked out on the long dock to reach the fishing boat.
"Hi!" Katie said. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"
The fisherman straightened up. He was wearing a tan jacket with a brown collar. His green Army cap had fishing lures hooked into the fabric. He had white hair and a bushy white mustache which needed a trim.
"Go ahead," he said.
"We're from Hollywood, and we're scouting this location for a movie." She gave him a flirty smile. "What do we need to know?"
"First off, you can't dump anything in the water. People drink this water. If it goes out with you, it has to come back with you. No exceptions."
She smiled. "That's good to know. We're actually more interested in the dam than the reservoir. It's a very dramatic location. Who do we talk to if we want access to it?"
"The Yuba County Water Agency," the fisherman said. "They're nice guys, generally speaking."
"Great. If we shoot a movie here, we'll need some kind of security on the set. Who handles law enforcement in this area?"
"This land is part of the Tahoe National Forest, so park rangers write the tickets. They call the sheriff if they need extra help."
"What about the dam?" Katie said. "Does it have any kind of special security?"
The fisherman shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Isn't anybody worried about it?"
"It's made of five gazillion tons of reinforced concrete! Nothing will happen to it."
"What about the hydroelectric generators?" she said.
"The powerhouse is five miles away. A tunnel carries the water down there."
"I see." She furrowed her brow.
Hanley had heard nothing that sounded encouraging. If somebody wanted to attack the dam, there was very little standing in the way except for the strength of the dam itself. Overcoming that obstacle simply required using a sufficiently large bomb. Six shipping containers full of explosive seemed like enough.
"Can we check out the base of the dam?" Hanley said.
The fisherman faced him. "A road goes down there, but it's usually closed. I don't think there's much to see."
"There's no tunnel or anything?"
"I've never heard of one. The dam is solid."
Katie smiled. "Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome," the fisherman said. "Hey, do you need somebody like me for a scene? I do a great Marlon Brando impersonation."
"We'll keep you in mind."
The legionnaires walked off.
Chapter Eighteen
Hanley looked up at the face of the New Bullards Bar Dam. It was sixty-four stories high, taller than the tallest building in San Francisco. The face was a vast, curving plane of concrete with a grid pattern left from its construction. The steep, rocky walls of the Yuba River Valley sloped down until they almost touched at the bottom. The river itself was just a narrow stream, but erosion all around indicated it had once been mighty.
Hanley was looking for a vulnerability an enemy might exploit. There were no tunnels into the dam. A pipe at the bottom reminded him of a giant drain plug, but it was too narrow to be a danger.
He turned to Katie. She was flushed from hiking down to the bottom of the valley. A road had let them drive part of the way, but they had walked the rest.
"See anything?" Hanley said.
"No," she panted. "How thick is the dam down here?"
"I don't know, but dams are thickest at the bottom. They have to hold back water at extremely high pressure for decades, even centuries. If I were a bad guy, I wouldn't even consider attacking the dam down here."
"I'm still trying to figure out why anybody would attack the dam at all. What's the point? To make a big mess?"
He shrugged. "A random act of terrorism?"
"There are easier and higher profile targets. Most people in California have never heard of New Bullards Bar."
Katie picked up a stone and hurled it across the river. It struck a rock wall on the other side with a crack.
"Ah!" Hanley yelled.
She looked at him with an expression of concern. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. That sound... hurt. It was too loud."
"Really? It didn't seem loud to me."
"Just don't do that again. Let's head out. We have to meet Ipo and Liam soon."
The two legionnaires started the long, tiring climb back to the car. The view down the valley was spectacular. Trees clung tenaciously to slopes so rocky and steep, it would take mountain climbing equipment to scale them. Pine trees dominated, but there were a few redwoods and bay trees. Birds occasionally broke the silence with their clicks and squawks.
Hanley and Katie came to a gigantic pipe which emerged from the dam and ran into the side of the valley. He could hear water rushing through it. The pipe was so big, he could stand inside and not be able to touch the top.
"That must be the feed for the powerhouse," he said.
She nodded. "Blowing it open would cause a lot of harm."
"I suppose, but it doesn't strike me as a worthy target. Terrorists wouldn't smuggle tons of explosives all the way up here to make a hole in a water pipe. That's entirely too subtle."
"We should keep it in mind."
"Sure," he said.
They continued to climb until they approached the car. The muscles in Hanley's legs were burning from exertion and high altitude, but they didn't hurt as much as his hands. That pain was eye watering and getting worse. He didn't know how much longer he could do his job.
Are you doing this to me, God? he thought.
Yes, the Lord replied.
Hanley stopped in his tracks. The voice in his head hadn't been his own, and there was absolutely no doubt about who had spoken. Hanley had seen a manifestation of God shortly after joining the Society, but he had never expected direct communication. That kind of thing only happened to commanders and legates. Hanley realized he was shivering.
Should I drop to my knees and bow down, Lord?
Only if you want to, God said.
You don't care?
I don't need your affirmation of My superiority. Your job is simply to win My
battles, and that's why I'm giving you a gift. You'll need it tonight.
Why? Hanley thought. What's happening tonight?
The response was silence. He could somehow tell the Lord had moved on.
Katie stopped walking and looked back. "What's wrong?"
"God was just talking to me." Hanley stared at her.
"You're kidding."
"No! I just had a conversation with the Almighty. He was in my head."
She furrowed her brow. "What did He say?"
"My hands are a gift, and I'll need them tonight. Something is going to happen. That's all."
"That's not very specific. You'd think the Creator of the Universe wouldn't play guessing games with us."
"I suppose figuring out details is our job," he said. "Come on."
Hanley sat in the driver's seat of the car, and Katie sat across from him. He started the engine and drove off.
* * *
Hanley and Katie walked into the familiar dining room of the Palace Restaurant in the Lake Francis Resort. Ipo and Liam were already seated at a table in the corner, and they were wearing business suits, although Liam's suit looked a little sloppy. Hanley and Katie joined them at the table.
"What's up?" Ipo said in his thunderous voice.
Hanley explained the situation, but his report didn't take long. Not much was known. When he mentioned the conversation with God, Ipo perked up.
"The Lord actually spoke to you?"
Hanley nodded. "I'm pretty sure."
"That's quite an honor for a rookie," Ipo said. "I didn't have my first conversation until I was two years in."
Liam was staring in wide-eyed wonder. "What does He sound like? Is His voice loud and impressive?"
"No," Hanley said. "I wouldn't really call it a voice at all. It was more like thoughts that came from outside my head, and I felt a deep connection. There was a lot of love. It's hard to describe, but it was very real. I'll never doubt my purpose as a legionnaire again. Everything Marina told me was true."
Ipo smiled. It was the most joy Hanley had ever seen him express.
Hanley continued, "Let's get down to business. According to God, I'll need my hands tonight which means we're going to see action." He displayed the big red patches on his palms. "Our best guess is somebody will attack the dam with a gigantic bomb. There is no security there, so it's up to us to protect it."
The waitress arrived with food. Apparently, Ipo and Liam had ordered steaks for dinner before Hanley and Katie had arrived. The steaks were a bit small for Hanley's taste, but they looked properly cooked.
"Can you get me another one of those?" Hanley told the waitress.
"Sure, darling," she replied. "What about you, dear?" She handed a menu to Katie.
Katie studied the menu for a moment. "Chicken breast."
"Good choice." The waitress took back the menu and left.
Hanley leaned towards his team and lowered his voice. "The thinnest part of the dam is the top, so if I wanted to make a hole, that would be the spot."
"The bad guys could pack a truck with explosives," Katie said. "They could just drive it to the middle and blow it up."
Ipo shook his head. "The forces would be in the wrong direction. You need to break a dam from the side."
"Suspending a bomb that big over the edge would require a crane," Hanley said. "People driving on the road would see it. Besides, most of the explosive energy would dissipate in the air. You really need a shaped charge for this job." His eyes widened. "Unless you use the wet side."
"What do you mean?"
"The best place to put the bomb is in the reservoir. Water is incompressible and can focus the energy of the blast. You use a boat to move it into position. Yes. That's the only way to do it."
Liam furrowed his brow. "I don't quite understand."
"It's simple," Hanley told him in a tone of exasperation. "You build the bomb in a discreet location somewhere else on the lake. Then you hang it underneath a boat. It could be as big as a house, and nobody would see it in the water. You drive the boat over to the dam and set off the bomb when it's in the perfect spot. Of course, you do all this at night."
"But the people in the boat would die."
"Use a remote control or a delay timer so they can escape."
"It's an intriguing theory," Ipo said, "but still just a theory."
"It's all we got," Hanley said firmly. "I recommend Katie and I hang out on the reservoir and watch for suspicious activity. You and Liam can check the houses and campgrounds along the shore."
Ipo frowned. "OK. I have nothing better to suggest, so we'll do it your way. But we need to eat first. It could be a long night."
"Agreed."
* * *
Hanley looked across the still, dark waters of the Bullards Bar Reservoir. The light of a full moon gave the surface an eerie glow. The woods at the edge of the water were a black, impenetrable mass. He could see thousands of stars despite the presence of the bright moon. He felt like he had entered a fairy-tale world. There were lights on top of the dam, but he was far away enough that they were just extra stars.
He groaned in pain.
"Are you OK?" Katie said.
"No."
Hanley's hands felt like they were submerged in molten lead. He had been shot a few times, and even a bullet in the gut didn't hurt as badly. Tendrils of fire were crawling up the veins in his arms. It was all he could do to keep from screaming.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Katie said.
"Yes. Hit me in the head very hard. Maybe it will knock me out."
"I don't think that would be productive."
Hanley tried to focus on the mission. They were sitting in a speedboat in the middle of the reservoir. The engine was off, and the night was extremely quiet. They could see the dam, but drivers on the road couldn't see the legionnaires in the darkness. They were wearing advanced, gray and black body armor and enough weapons to deal with serious opposition.
"I just wish it was done," Hanley said. "What do you think the gift will be?"
"Something involving your hands," Katie said. "Maybe a super-powerful push. You'll be able to throw your enemies across the room."
"Or sticky pads that let me climb walls."
"Or a healing power."
"That would be useful," he said. "I'll never forget how Smythe and Odelia healed my knee. It was an unbelievable miracle. In just a couple of minutes, they accomplished what some of the best orthopedic surgeons around told me was absolutely impossible."
A fresh wave of pain made him double over. He suddenly felt nauseous, and he leaned over the side of the boat to throw up. His stomach clenched repeatedly until there was nothing left.
"Hey," Katie said in a joking tone, "we're supposed to keep the water clean."
The fire was inside his shoulders and neck now. He couldn't stand it.
"Seriously," Hanley said, "hit me in the head as hard as you can. Don't hold back. You'll be doing me a favor."
"No," Katie said. "What's it like? Can you feel God's presence?"
He did sense a connection to something infinitely powerful, but at the same time, he didn't feel trivialized. He was important. The universe was unimaginably vast and ancient, but the life of one man still mattered. In fact, the life of every living thing mattered.
"I think I can," Hanley said. "It's like being with your parents. I feel... cherished."
"I'm jealous."
White hot lines of pain ran between his head and his hands. He was crying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to control his breathing so he wouldn't hyperventilate.
Katie put her arms around him. "Shh. You'll be OK. It's almost over."
"I want to die," Hanley sobbed.
"That's not true."
For a moment, the pain was so intense, he felt like he had fallen into a volcano. He couldn't even feel his hands anymore. He was transforming into a monster, and it hurt like hell.
Then it ended. The pain was gone, b
ut the Lord's presence had departed with it. Hanley was suddenly cold and alone.
"It's over," he gasped. "Finally." He wiped the tears from his cheeks.
"What happened?" Katie said. "What's the gift?"
He heard her voice with his ears, but he also heard it with his hands. He pointed his palms at her, and the thudding of her heart sounded as loud as a kettle drum. He could even hear her blood racing through her arteries. He closed his eyes, but he could still locate her in space. The tiny bubbles in her intestines sounded like popcorn.
"Amazing," he whispered.
Hanley aimed his palms outwards and detected the buzz of insects flying across the water. He knew exactly where they were as if his hands were eyeballs. He picked out the sound of tiny waves lapping against boats in the distant marina, and the clarity was astonishing.
"I hear everything," he said softly.
"What do you mean?" Katie said.
Hanley stuck his hands into the cold reservoir and heard fish deep under the surface. Their bodies created pressure waves which his palms detected easily.
"Gently strike the hull of the boat," he said.
"With what?"
"Anything hard."
Katie pulled a gun and banged the side of the boat. Hanley smiled with delight as he heard the returning echoes. They bounced off underwater surfaces like a sonar pulse, and he could suddenly "see" the reservoir as if a bright light were shining into it. Even fish swimming near the soft bottom were visible.
"What's going on?" she said. "Tell me!"
"My hands are super-sensitive microphones. I can determine distance and location from echoes."
"Like a bat?"
He nodded. "Exactly."
"Cool. That's nothing like what I expected."
Hanley was grinning so much his face hurt. Thank you, God.
You're welcome, the Lord replied. Keep your hands in the water. Listen for the enemy.
Hanley's eyes widened. Yes, Sir!
* * *
Ipo was driving through the Dark Day Campgrounds. The narrow, dirt road wound through the forest, and it was barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other.
