Nightfall

by Peter Hoole

  The gunman repeated his threat. “I will shoot him if you do not drop your weapon.”

  Darcy figured there was no other option, and she began to lower her gun.

  “Don’t Darcy, he’ll shoot you, then me, and then plug one into Dunleavy. Shoot him!” Casey urged.

  The gunman saw his opportunity, and swung around to face Darcy, his gun bearing down her.

  Then, something happened that none of them were expecting.

  The ground began to shake violently…

  Chapter Sixty

  Such was the force of the ground moving, Darcy and the gunmen lost their balance. More importantly however, the surprise also broke their concentration.

  It was more opportunity than Casey needed. Using the focus he’d learned through his years of experience, Casey swung around, faced his attacker, and fired. The hail of bullets was more than enough to shred the Russian’s vital organs. As he lost his balance, he also lost his life, hitting the ground in a bloody mess.

  Darcy, fell to the ground. She’d experienced earthquakes before, but this was different. The ground only shook momentarily, and it was over before she’d realised what was happening. As she regained her composure, the reality of what happened had sunk in. “Was that the implosion?” she asked Casey tentatively.

  Casey feared the same thing, but knew they needed to move on. “Hard to tell right now,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”

  Following their original mission, Casey surveyed the room. As a result of the impact, the garage structure now seemed a lot more unstable, with some of the windows cracked. This was a good indication they needed to move.

  “Get in that one,” Casey ordered Dunleavy and Darcy. Casey pointed towards the ‘Bat that was closest to the doors – a logical choice.

  As Darcy attempted to open the door, there was no resistance. It appeared that the Colonials’ arrogance was still reliable - the keys were still in the ignition.

  “Everyone in?” Casey asked, confirming Dunleavy was in the back seat.

  Not waiting for an answer, Casey drove through the open door.

  The journey back to the store was a quick one, and less than ten seconds later, they were at the entry.

  As they approached, Casey stopped the car.

  “Are you insane?” said Dunleavy from the back. “We have to get the fuck out of here! Who knows if there’ll be another earthquake, or implosion, or whatever the fuck that was.”

  Once again, Dunleavy’s lack of testicular fortitude had become apparent. Casey turned to Darcy, as though to gauge her reaction. Darcy’s face said everything he needed, and without her saying a word, Casey said, “We’re gonna wait right here.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” a clearly annoyed Dunleavy retorted from the back seat.

  “You’re free to get to Sydney on your own,” said Casey, “it’s only about 200 miles that way.” Casey pointed towards the front of the car. In truth, he had no idea where they were in relation to the nearest city, but he felt he needed to make a point.

  Darcy assisted. “Mike. We’re staying. Caleb and Murphy may still be—”

  “Alive?” Dunleavy interrupted. “May still be alive? Are you fucking kidding me? They said they were going to destroy the base. An implosion, if I’m correct. Now, I’m sure that fucking tremor wasn’t an earthquake, so it’s pretty safe to say they succeeded. And since they’re not here, I’m pretty sure they—”

  “Don’t you dare say it,” It was Darcy’s turn to interrupt. “We’re not leaving. This is not an argument. This is not a debate.”

  Dunleavy, knowing his argument was falling on deaf ears, held his face in his palms.

  “What is going on, John?” Robert was clearly flustered as he stared at the image on the large screen in the Minot base, “We’ve received notification from Haven that they’re evacuating. Now, I’ve just discovered that the lock-down protocol has been enforced. The god-damn place has imploded”.

  John was visibly upset. He too, had been monitoring the situation in Australia. “I’m not sure,” John responded. “All was okay when I last spoke with James.”

  “Well, it’s sure as hell not okay now!” Robert said. “I’ve tried to contact them, but haven’t heard anything.”

  “Leave it with me,” John responded, trying to make it appear as though he was in control.

  “Jesus!” Robert exclaimed, as John’s image left the screen.

  The technicians around Robert shared his look of trepidation. None of them had any idea what was happening on the other side of the world.

  As the Colonials normally compartmentalised their situation, this would generally not be a problem. Though, the implosion of the original colony was obviously enough to cause some concern.

  “What are we going to do?” one of them asked Robert.

  Robert turned to the technician, his exasperation clear. “We wait.”

  Several minutes had passed since the ground shook, and Darcy feared the worst.

  She thought back to the shooting at the garage. Something didn’t feel right.

  “Casey,” she began, “Back at the garage, two of them were running away, but they didn’t…”

  “Didn’t what?” asked Casey.

  “I’m not sure, but they didn’t fall right. I shot at them, and they doubled over backwards.”

  Casey pondered the question.

  “Hard to say. Sometimes people just fall differently. What are you thinking?”

  “Not sure. But if I had shot them, wouldn’t they have fallen forwards?”

  “Probably. Try not to overthink it though. You can see strange stuff in a fight.”

  Darcy was not convinced, but she turned her attention back to the store, hoping to see Caleb and Murphy emerge.

  “Seriously, how long are we going to wait?” Dunleavy demanded.

  Darcy didn’t respond. Her thoughts dwelled on Caleb, and any exterior noise was easily muffled.

  Casey had left the vehicle, his weapon raised. His training had taught him to be alert, even though the fighting seemed to be over. Suddenly, Casey was alerted to attention – a noise emanated from the store. Without hesitation, Casey moved into the building, motioning with a hand gesture for Darcy to remain in the vehicle.

  Darcy did as she was told - Casey had earned her trust.

  Casey moved smoothly – slow enough to not make a noise, but fast enough that he would quickly discover the source of the disturbance.

  Darcy sat and waited, her hope fluctuating. Maybe it was Caleb? Maybe he’s has made it? Darcy thought. It wasn’t long before her questions were answered.

  Though the dusty cloud of the doorway, Darcy could only make out fleeting images. As the figures made their way through the dust, Caleb’s circumstances became more apparent.

  Three figures exited the building, one at a time. Casey emerged first, and it was clear he was burdened with carrying someone. As he left the building, he swung around. Darcy’s blood turned to ice.

  Cradled between Casey and an as-yet-unknown third person, was Caleb. His body was flaccid, as though devoid of life. Darcy also noticed the large blood stain on his side.

  Her worst fears had been realised, and all she could do was stare.

  She didn’t even realise whom the third person was, she was so transfixed on her dead love.

  “Darcy!” Casey yelled, “we’re going to leave!”

  Darcy couldn’t hear the Sergeant’s screams. Her world, the world she had physically and mentally fought for over the past few days, the world she had lived in since high-school, had seemingly irrevocably changed.

  Casey opened the back door, and slid Caleb’s body into the vehicle. Buckling him up, Casey rounded the car to the driver’s seat. Upon Casey taking his seat, Darcy came out of her trance. She realised Casey was there, and immediately turned to the back seat.

  There she saw several things she hadn’t been expecting.

  First, he was there - the other man from the room with James.

  Secon
d, she saw Charlotte. The woman she knew as Murphy had her weapon firmly trained on the man. As Darcy turned to look at Caleb, Charlotte began to talk.

  “Casey,” she said. “Drive.”

  Without hesitation, Casey started the vehicle and drove away.

  It suddenly struck Darcy why Casey was so calm. This situation, while it still had plenty of new technology and a whole new enemy, couldn’t have been much worse than anything he’d seen before. The whole time they were trying to get the vehicle, shooting the Colonials, Darcy had been worried about Caleb. She was sure Casey had felt the same, though he’d never shown it. The training these people went through had served them well.

  “Darcy,” Charlotte barked from the back, “don’t worry.”

  Darcy was surprised, and slightly angered by the comment. While she understood Charlotte and Casey had training and they could compartmentalise their emotions, Darcy had assumed Charlotte understood that she hadn’t. “Jesus Christ,” Darcy began, not known for her blasphemy, “I can get a little emotional can’t I? Caleb’s dead, after all.”

  Charlotte stared back at her. “No he’s not. Not yet.”

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Darcy didn’t understand. It was only moments earlier when she’d seen Caleb’s lifeless body. How could Charlotte suggest otherwise.

  Now, the reality she was confronted with had changed, and hope began to return.

  “What?” It was the only word she could muster.

  Charlotte, her weapon and eyes still focused on William, spoke in a reassuring tone. “Trust me Darcy, he’s gonna be okay.”

  Casey glanced at them through the mirror. Darcy could see he shared her confusion.

  Charlotte, divulged her idea.

  “Darcy…” she began, “you were in the lab, right? The one with the doctor?”

  “How did you know that?” asked Darcy. As soon as she said it, she realised how irrelevant the question was. After all, there was a more pressing issue confronting them.

  “Never mind that now,” continued Charlotte. “Did you grab any of the vials?”

  “A couple… Why?” Darcy had grabbed several, but until she knew exactly what was going on, she didn’t wish to give too much information to anyone.

  “Trust me,” Charlotte said, her tone as comforting as she could make it. “Use one on the Captain.”

  Still uncertain, Darcy looked at Casey, probably the person she trusted second most next to Caleb. They’d been through a lot together since their arrival in Australia, so she looked to him for guidance.

  Casey, in no mood for his usual jokes, turned to Darcy. “What choice do we have?”

  Darcy could hear it in his voice. The doubt. It was clear he had the same questions that she did - the same questions about Charlotte.

  They both knew this wasn’t the time to address those thoughts. Darcy hunched forward and reached down into her pants pocket. She pulled out one of the vials and showed it to Charlotte.

  “Excellent”, said the Lieutenant from the back seat. “Give it to Mike.”

  “What the fuck do you want me to do with it?” Dunleavy responded, after being handed a vial by Darcy.

  “Simple really,” Charlotte said, “just jab it into Caleb’s leg.”

  Darcy was still unsure. “Are you positive this will work?” she asked.

  “I’m pretty sure,” Charlotte replied. “One thing I do know – he’ll definitely die if we don’t. Do it, Mike!”

  Dunleavy looked at Darcy, as though seeking permission. Darcy, after a short pause, nodded her approval.

  Without further hesitation, Dunleavy thrust the contents of the vial into Caleb’s leg. As it made contact, a slight hiss emanated from the device, a sign that it had opened, and the air was thrusting the fluid out.

  After several seconds, Dunleavy withdrew the device.

  “Now what?” asked Darcy.

  “Now, we wait,” replied Charlotte.

  “Wait? Wait for what?” Dunleavy asked.

  Charlotte had a quiet air of confidence about her. She knew what was supposed to happen.

  “How long does it take?” Darcy asked.

  Charlotte sat still, her gun still focused on William. “It depends on how far gone he is,” she explained.

  “C’mon Murphy,” Darcy implored, still unaware of Charlottes true identity, “you’re gonna have to give me more than that. What’s going to happen? Is Caleb dead?”

  Charlotte smiled. “Trust me, Darcy. It will all be okay.”

  “I’d like to trust you, Murphy. I really would. But, damn it, you have some explaining to do,” said Darcy, her anger becoming apparent.

  Charlotte, keeping her gun trained on William, responded. “Fine. What’s bothering you?”

  Darcy hardly knew where to begin. So she paused, turned away from the back seat and took in the view of the country side the ‘Bat was now travelling through.

  Casey was driving the ’Bat through the winding country roads. On any other day, Darcy would have been taken in by the beautiful surrounds she was witnessing. Australia was not like she’d expected. Far from being the ‘driest country in the world’, the lush surrounds reminded her of a trip she had taken to Oregon when she was a child. While the tree species were different, the green, natural environment was something to behold. Had it been in different circumstances, the passing trees would have provided Darcy with some respite. Regrettably for Darcy and her cohorts, this was not the case. Despite her surrounds, Darcy still was flooded with emotion. She took a deep breath. “Okay then,” Darcy began, “Why is he with us?” She motioned towards William.

  “Simple,” Charlotte replied. “I needed help with Caleb, and William here will be able to help us.” Charlotte pushed the gun into the back of William’s head, causing obvious discomfort to the Englishman.

  “What about the other one? The one in charge?” asked Darcy.

  “He’s still inside the colony,” Charlotte replied, emotionless.

  “So… he’s dead?” asked Dunleavy.

  “Must be,” said Charlotte. “The building imploded.. Can’t see how anyone could make it out of there.”

  Casey looked back in the mirror. Something about what Murphy had said disturbed him. Darcy was about to question the Sergeant, when Dunleavy spoke again. “So, why don’t we just waste this fucker?” he said, referring to William.

  Charlotte looked agitated. “We don’t just ‘waste fuckers’ Mike. He could be useful. From what I can tell, he’s closer to Cook than most.”

  It was Dunleavy’s turn to look agitated, but before he could speak, Darcy asked the obvious.

  “Murphy, I gotta know… How do you know any of this? I mean, you seem to know everything about the place.”

  Casey divided his attention between the road ahead and the mirror. It was clear Darcy had asked a question that he wanted answered.

  Charlotte’s response wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “I will explain everything, but not now. Right now, we have more pressing concerns.”

  “Like what?” Casey asked, his annoyance apparent.

  “Babe, please,” Charlotte pleaded sensing Casey’s frustration. “I promise I will explain it all. Right now, we need to figure out our next move…”

  Still believing they should trust Charlotte, Casey and Darcy fell momentarily silent. After a brief time, Casey spoke up. “So, have we won?” he asked no one in particular.

  “Far from it,” replied Charlotte, “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  “In that case,” Darcy began, “Where do we start?”

  “Sydney,” replied Charlotte. “We make our way to Sydney.”

  Darcy turned around and faced the lieutenant. “Why Sydney?” she asked.

  “Because that’s where they are going.”

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  “Well?” Robert asked. It had been some time since he’d spoken with John. He had feared the worst; that James, and the plan along with him, had passed.

  John’s face appeared on t
he monitor, as morose as Robert had ever seen it. “No further news, I’m afraid,” said the portly Englishman.

  Robert was less than satisfied with the report. But before he could speak, John continued. “I’m bringing in Zach,” said John.

  After a few moments, Zach’s face appeared on the screen, the three colony leaders now able to collectively discuss their next move.

  “Robert…” John began, with a confidence that had been missing from their last conversation. “Zach and I have spoken. We feel Haven may be lost.”

  “Lost?” enquired a nervous Robert, sharing none of the confidence his superior had.

  “Yes…” said Zach. “Now, don’t interrupt.”

  John looked satisfied with his friend’s remark, and continued. “The colony has been lost. In these circumstances, James made it clear that we were to follow protocol.”

  Robert grew even more concerned. He hadn’t heard of any protocol that would follow the loss of Haven.

  “Robert, I believe the doctor is with you now?” Zach asked.

  Robert, gaining a clearer understanding of what was expected, simply nodded in response.

  “Good.” Zach replied. “Send him here immediately.”

  Robert couldn’t help himself, and interrupted. “Immediately?” he asked. “Can I assume it’s time, then?”

  Zach took a moment to respond. Realising he had no other option, he informed Robert about the protocol.

  “Indeed it is,” he replied. “James told us that, once we were enhanced by the serum, if anything happened to him—”

  John interrupted. “Even if we think something has happened to him, we were to accelerate the plan.”

  Robert took a noticeable breath. He knew exactly what that meant. “In that case, I’ll have him on the next flight,” Robert said, referring to the doctor.

  Zach took a moment before he continued. “Excellent. Tell him it’s time.”

  Again Zach paused, as though to add some drama to the moment. He took a deep breath before he added, “It’s time to release Nightfall.”