This thought comforted him, and sealed his decision to take Andrea to daycare. Beth was the wife of the younger Dr. Taylor, and was also herself medically trained. Cal was just a hapless idiot, bumbling through the early stages of fatherhood with no support. When determining who was better suited to handle a potentially sick child, there was no contest.
The stroll in the early morning sun seemed to calm Andrea. After meandering along River Way for several minutes after it turned to Rust Creek Road, she finally settled in and stopped crying.
Oh, sure, right as we’re about to get there, he lamented silently.
She just wants to get away from you, Jerk jabbed quietly.
Cal sighed as he stepped up to the door of the Taylor residence, regretting that he had taken the extra drink after dinner with Brittany. His inner twin had reared his head again, and he was low on medication.
Guess who we’re going to go see later? Cal retorted.
You never let me have any fun.
The Taylor homestead was only slightly larger than Cal’s. Unlike his shop, the Taylors had no commercial space in their abode; it was just a single residence, and there was an herb garden instead of a covered shed out back. The extra living space was much needed, as Beth and Jamie had two children, and the elder Dr. Taylor lived with them as well. The home was normally buzzing with energy, though this morning it was silent as he approached. Cal shuffled Andrea around so he could see the watch on his wrist. He grimaced, not realizing how time had escaped him; Steven and Hannah were already out for the day. Cal knocked on the door and waited for Beth to answer.
Beth was mid-yawn when the door swung open. Her curly brown hair had a few stray, frazzled strands sticking from it. She blinked her deep brown eyes in momentary confusion before a warm smile crossed her lips.
“Morning, Cal,” she chirped.
“Busy today?”
“Not at all.” Beth motioned for him to enter. “I didn’t think you were coming today.”
Cal stepped inside the home. Though he visited often, the cramped quarters made him thankful for the relative luxury that he enjoyed at home. While Cal and Andrea shared the loft above the shop, the Taylors had to find space wherever they could. What could generously be called a ‘kitchen’ was tucked in the back corner of the lower floor, but it was little more than a six foot wide countertop with a single electric burner on top. The front corner, just inside the door, was home to two hard wooden benches and a small table. Two cots lined the wall that butted up to the stairwell; this was where the elder doctor and Steven spent their nights. Jamie, Beth, and little Hannah shared the loft.
Cal set Andrea’s bag on the table, then handed her to Beth. “I didn’t think so either. I guess she had other plans.”
“Why? What happened?”
He shrugged. “She just started screaming and wouldn’t settle down. At least not until we got here.”
Because you’re a horrible parent and she’s got better taste than that, Jerk quipped.
Cal ignored the schism’s slight.
Beth reached a finger into Andrea’s swaddling cloth to tickle her. “Guess you just like it here, don’t you?” she cooed.
Cal shuffled his feet nervously and looked around. “So it’s alright if I leave her here for a bit, then?”
“Of course! I’d love to watch her. Do you think she’ll still be here when the kids get home?”
“I can pick her up early if it’s a problem.”
“No, no,” Beth interrupted. “Take as long as you need. I just wanted to know because Hannah wanted to play with her.”
Cal smiled, relieved that his daughter was not a burden. “I can’t argue with that. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. Any time.”
The return trip along the north bank of the Fairweather settled Cal’s nerves, invigorating him for the day’s work ahead. High, fluffy clouds drifted lazily to the east, though they were certain to burn off long before the mid-day’s heat. A cool breeze blew downriver, carrying with it the scent of fertilizer from Tarver’s farm. The foundry and ironworks were in full swing; the clatter and din of their operations carried well, even from the far side of the river. Jerk was jabbering away in his head, but it was nothing of substance, as usual.
Cal left the road early, opting to walk around the back of his shop directly to the shed. His heart jumped and he shouted in surprise as he rounded the corner into the shed. Brittany jumped back, equally startled.
“Jesus, Britt. You trying to kill me?” he asked, checking his pounding heart with his hand.
“Sorry,” she replied. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.”
Well lucky you, Jerk added. I don’t know what these girls see in you.
I got Alexis, didn’t I?
Only because I’m the pretty one.
You… I… Just shut up, will you?
“I was just dropping Andrea off. Why, what’s up?”
“I heard something. About your governor friend.”
Cal’s chest pounded again, this time from anxiety. News of his friend could only help the investigation. “What did you hear?”
“I’ve got a friend, Alan, who found something in the fields just outside Mercy that he thought might belong to the governor.”
“What is it?”
Brittany shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought you might know what it was though. He’s got it back at the ship. Come on,” she beckoned.
Cal grabbed her wrist as she was about to turn away. “Wait, why didn’t he bring it to Dayton?”
“I don’t know, maybe he didn’t want to come out here if he was wrong. He’s kind of weird like that.”
“So why didn’t you bring it?”
Brittany sighed and rolled her eyes. “Are we going to play twenty questions, or are you going to come and look at it?”
“Fine. You’re right,” he said, releasing his grasp and following her back to the road.
So much for getting work done, he lamented.
Yes, poor you, abandoning your boring job to go follow that.
Cal’s eyes fell to Brittany’s butt as soon as Jerk’s thought sank in. He glanced away, blushing with shame for how easily he had tricked himself. A few long strides put him at her side and away from temptation.
That was low.
Jerk was amused by this, and made a clicking noise that carried a dirty implication, but said nothing more.
They passed the market square and left the road at Benedict Square. Cal shuddered as he walked the lush fields that once filled him with joy. He glanced to his right, taking note of scaffolding being erected along the side of Civic Hall. The second story had been stabilized since the temblor struck, though the wall gaped open like a gnarled wooden maw. It was beneath that wall that Alexis had suffered her mortal wound. Though she passed away at the clinic, the ground here might as well have been where she expired as far as Cal was concerned. He shut out his thoughts and hurried quickly through the park. It wasn’t until Michael was behind him that he allowed himself to think again.
“So this friend of yours… what was his name again?” he asked.
“Alan.”
“Alan, right. So how long have you known him?”
“Three years,” she replied. “On Earth, that is. He was there with Young in Chicago when we finally got there.”
“So what did he do for Young?”
“Security. If you were a guy, you pretty much either worked on the ship or you worked security.”
Cal thought about asking what the women did for the billionaire, but that was a wound of hers that he didn’t need to pick at. Particularly not while she was helping him. Still, it made him wonder. Young couldn’t possibly use that many women for his own needs. Most probably kept things running smoothly in Young’s camp, but Cal still wondered just how many women warmed the man’s bed to spare their lives.
Sounds like my hero, Jerk mused.
Are you kidding me? It’s a disgusting abus
e of power.
Of course it is. But you should have seen your face.
Cal grumbled to himself. His mental double kept taunting him, trying to drag him further into conflict, before giving up after a couple minutes. Brittany hiked into a grove of trees at the edge of Porter’s farm, where she stopped for a rest break. She sat on a felled tree that was covered in soft bluish moss. Her fingers picked at the bark of a stout Demeter pine. The protective armor of the tree had old gouge marks that had healed in thick, bumpy ridges. Cal crossed his arms and leaned against another nearby tree, taking in the candidness of the moment. The innocent girl that he had seen glimpses of since her arrival was back, and it was an image he wanted to hold on to. It harkened back to a simpler time, far away from Demeter, before the War.
“Can I ask you something personal? About your wife?” she asked, breaking the hypnotic silence.
“Sure,” he answered after a moment’s hesitation.
“How do you stand it?”
He shuddered and swallowed hard. “Stand what?”
“The emptiness. The loss.”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I wasn’t. I didn’t. Losing Lexi it… it hurt. I was broken. I could barely get up, much less take care of Andrea.”
“So what changed? I mean, you look like you’ve got your shit at least somewhat together.”
The bark scraped his back soothingly as he slid to a seat at the base of the pine. The sound drowned out the heavy sigh that he let out. “Governor Owens,” he replied morosely. “When I was at my worst, he was there for me. He didn’t pull any punches. When others were too busy coddling me or pitying me or letting me drink myself stupid, he was there to show me just what a failure I was.”
And still are, Jerk added.
Shut up.
“That’s messed up.”
Cal shrugged. “It’s exactly what I needed. Somehow he knew. I mean, it shocked the hell out of me when he did it because it was so unlike him. It took me a couple days to understand why he did it, and I never got a chance to thank him. He’s saved my life twice now.”
“So that’s why he’s so important to you. Why you asked me for the favor.”
“Yeah.”
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Brittany nodded solemnly, sadness in her eyes. “I died inside,” she said, “when Rob was killed. I don’t really remember much of the month after that. Mike and Tae had to drag me around and make sure I kept walking.”
“I’m sorry. He was a good friend.”
She sniffed and shook her head. “It’s alright. You were right, by the way. We should have all died back on Earth.”
“You survived. Now you’re here.”
“And now I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with myself. I don’t want to be on Mercy anymore. But I don’t have a job or a place to live. I don’t have anyone to help me.” The frustration in her voice rang clear.
Cal smiled gently and turned his palms up. “You’ve got me. I can help you.”
Brittany scoffed, wiping a tear from her right eye. “Yeah right. After I’ve been such a bitch to you?”
“You were right, too, you know. About how I couldn’t understand what you’ve been through. And like an ass I’ve just been making things hard for you. So please, let me help.”
“God damn it, Cal,” her voice wavered. “Why can’t you ever make it easy?”
“I’m trying to.”
“No, you’re just making it worse.”
Cal shot her a puzzled look. She was on the verge of tears, fighting something back. His offer was innocent; a hand up for an old friend in need. Yet somehow this made the situation more complicated in her view. It was too much for him to wrap his mind around.
“Seriously. I’m sure I could get you a berth to sleep in…”
“Go!” she whispered hoarsely, her watering eyes bulging in near panic.
He stood up and slowly walked toward her, palms up, arms outstretched halfway. “Britt…”
Her lips twitched as if she wanted to say more, but no words came out. Cal heard a mechanical click come from directly behind him. He wheeled around, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a revolver. Its owner grinned wickedly, stretching the grotesque pock marks on his cheeks.
“Well, what do we have here?” he cackled. “A little something going on between you two?”
“H-hey now,” Cal stuttered. “I don’t want any trouble. Whatever it is you want, just take it.”
“I planned on it,” the man replied.
Again a noise behind Cal alerted him, this time the unmistakable sound of a pistol slide. He turned halfway around, and his heart shattered. Brittany, though a bleary-eyed mess with trembling hands, had a nine millimeter trained on Cal’s chest.
“So this is Alan,” she muttered, though her voice cracked once.
Cal glanced again at the menacing revolver to his right. “And is this the clue he found?”
Alan grinned wider, revealing two rows of coffee stained teeth. “Oh, he’s so smart. Now I know what you see in him.”
“We were never like that,” Brittany shot back.
Cal turned toward her, his hands unconsciously balling into fists. “You… how could you?”
“Just an act, babe. You’re pretty easy to play.” She flicked the barrel of the gun in the general direction of Mercy, urging him to move.
“Guess she’s smarter,” Alan mocked as Cal began to march.
Doesn’t look like that’s too hard, Jerk noted.
There was no point in arguing with his double. Jerk was entirely right; Cal had fallen right into Brittany’s hands without a second thought. Fury and hatred for his once friend mixed with despair; there was nothing he could do about it with two weapons trained on him. Only after that realization did he remember who was left behind.
Andrea…
Gabrielle Serrano
21 July, 6 yal, mid-morning
Approximately 100 miles southeast of wreck site
Gabi adjusted her pack with one hand, the other planted firmly on the steep, grass-covered slope. Her lungs heaved, working against the fatigue of the ascent. Sweat dripped from her brow. The drops beaded as soon as they hit the parched earth. Once her load was again even on her shoulders, she glanced back. Boulders and occasional pine trees littered the side of the mountain, but her companions were nowhere to be found.
Damn it, she cursed before pressing on.
The grade evened out after a couple more minutes, making the climb much easier. Gabi also altered her course to use the contour to her advantage, instead of continuing her head-on assault.
She reached the top of the ridge, her legs trembling and her shoulders sore from the biting straps of her pack. She shed the weight, resting the pack and bow against a rock that was half as tall as she was, and four times as wide as it was tall. Gabi slumped to the ground next to her supplies. The shade was a welcome relief. Her skin glistened with sweat, and the midday heat was yet to come. She took a long drink from her canteen, leaving little left for the afternoon’s journey.
Once she had rested, she hopped onto the rock to take a look around. The commanding view she had over the lowlands was breathtaking. To the east, as well as near ridges such as the one she was on, the trees thinned out greatly. She could see for miles on end. Streams coursed through valleys, jamming up into small tarns and lakes where the terrain flattened. Hills rolled and jumbled together, their varied foliage weaving a tapestry of subtle colors.
Gabi grinned smugly. You wanted to stick to the valleys, Will. Well, you never would have seen this.
“I thought I told you to wait for us,” Marya wheezed.
She turned around to face her companions. Marya was doubled over, desperately trying to catch her breath. Her face was ashen and her eyes were bloodshot. Aidan had one arm wrapped around her in support, concern deeply etched on his boyish face. Diego giggled and scrambled up the side of the rock to be next to his sister. He threw his arms around Gabi’s legs, nea
rly knocking her over.
“I needed to see if I was right,” Gabi responded. “I was going to come back for you if I was wrong.”
Aidan’s mouth twitched in disapproval. “We need to stay together. And you know Marya can’t move that fast right now.”
“I’m fine,” Marya protested. She was about to pitch her case, but was cut short by a coughing fit.
“Look,” Gabi said, standing her ground. “Will was wrong. Following the creek isn’t the only way to get there. I can see much farther from up here.”
“Great. So do you see anything?”
“Of course. I can see the creek we were following right there,” she pointed back into the valley, tracing her finger along the creek’s course. “I can also see another one in that valley over there. Lakes. Places we can stay and hunt while you get better.”
Diego squealed in delight as he pointed out a strange, gray hawk gliding overhead.
“How much more are you going to be able to hunt?” Aidan asked solemnly. “You’ve only got three more arrows.”
“If the game’s small enough, I can hunt forever.”
Aidan shook his head and helped Marya to the resting spot at the base of the rock. Gabi watched as he gave her a drink from his own canteen. She felt a little ashamed; she had gone through her water so quickly she forgot to ration some for Diego in case he ran out.
Stupid, she thought. She looked down the slope of the far valley to a glittering tarn. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was fed by a mountain stream. The water was likely to be cold. That would feel so good when it gets hot.
Gabi sighed and threw her arm around Diego’s shoulder to keep him close. She pointed at various features across the broad horizon, telling him about how the waters flowed downhill, educating him on how different varieties of trees grew better near water, and what places she thought would make the best hunting grounds.
Aidan clamored up the rock after a while and passed her a handful of berries. They were very tart, but edible. Yet despite their bitterness, Diego loved them. As soon as he saw them, his eyes widened, and he begged for some. She split them evenly with her brother. While Diego consumed them in under a minute, she took her time. It was a trick to make her body think she had eaten more. Hunger pangs were something they lived with every day. Keeping them tolerable was her goal whenever food was available.
Project Columbus: Omnibus Page 124
