He paused again, fighting to keep from being sick to his stomach. “I haven’t said a lot up to this point because I didn’t want you to think I’ve gone off the deep end. But the case I’ve been on for the past two years has shown me there are things that occur in this world beyond what we can make sense of with the rational mind. This is one of those times we can’t depend on what our five senses tell us. We have to have faith that if we keep going, we can complete our mission and deal with whatever lies ahead. For Misha’s sake, we have to try.”
Mitch and Capper looked at each other. Finally, Mitch spoke up. “Okay, big brother. Show me on the screen exactly the last location you saw the ship. We’ll use that as our point of reference.”
Zunga stepped from the gangplank onto the dock with his arms wide open and a brilliant smile on his face. The crowd, led by a multi-colored contingency of young women, pushed forward to welcome him. As Damba and his father approached, they parted to make way for their leaders. They both shook Zunga’s hand, clasping his strong, tattooed forearm almost at the elbow. Meanwhile, Mel stood about halfway down the gangplank gazing around at the spectacle before him. Spying his sisters off in the distance, he waved to them as though he had just returned from a vacation cruise. Tabitha and Kirstin waved back, obviously excited to see him.
“How did he find us?” Alp asked as she turned to look at Mia and Heather. “Did you know he was coming?”
They both shook their heads as did several of the others.
“Looks to me like Tabitha was expecting him,” Connie said, nodding towards their new leader. “She’s always been the best at communicating over long distances.”
“She was the first one to detect you and your brother while you were still in West Virginia,” Heather added.
“Maybe he can help you,” Mia added hopefully.
“No, I won’t allow it,” Alp replied, surprised by the strong, negative reaction she felt at seeing her twin. Shouldn’t she be glad that her brother was still alive and had escaped the fire? But instead she felt only anger.
“He and I are finished.” She turned to the others.
“Listen, I grew up with Mel. I must warn you. You can't trust him. He’s very good at manipulation. He’ll convince you that he only has your best interest at heart, but he always only cares about what he wants. Whatever you do, don’t go with him. He’s very dangerous.”
“But I don’t think we have a choice,” Mia pointed over to where Zunga, Damba and Khari stood talking. As they watched, Khari pointed over towards them. “I think the chief is asking Zunga to take us back to the mainland.”
Sure enough, as they watched the three walked over to them.
“I understand you know the boy who came on the ship. Is that right?” Khari asked pointing to Mel, who continued to stand on the gangplank, a smug smile on his face.
“Yes,” Tabitha replied as she stepped forward. “He’s our, I mean, my brother. Isn’t it a blessing that he showed up now? It must be divinely guided.”
Khari looked at Tabitha considering what she said. “Well, whether it is or not, you will be returning to the mainland with Zunga. He wants to leave as soon as the supplies are unloaded, so go now and collect your belongings—except you.” He pointed to Alp. “Damba will escort you back to the council hut where you will remain until the ship has departed.”
“But we want to stay with Alp,” Mia said as she pushed Tabitha to the side and reached for Alp.
“It’s okay,” Alp replied stepping back. “This is the way it must be. I’ll be all right. Do what Khari says. I don’t want to cause any more problems for anyone.”
“Come on girls,” Tabitha said as she held out both arms and started herding them back towards their hut. “We don’t have much time. Let’s do what Alp asks.”
“Yeah, sure. You’re willing to go along with her orders now,” Heather said but then followed the rest of them. She looked back one last time as she walked away, a forlorn look on her face. Alp tried to smile back at her reassuringly but failed miserably.
Damba stuck his head into the council hut where Alp lay down on one of the mats. “Your sisters are back from gathering their belongings and are ready to leave,” he said. “You may come out to say goodbye.”
Alp sat up and rubbed her eyes. The last two days had exhausted her, and despite all the problems that lay before her, she had finally been able to doze off for a few minutes. Now her mind felt like it was filled with dust and cobwebs. It took her a moment to figure out what Damba had said, and before she could respond, he had ducked back out.
She rose slowly and stretched. Somehow she had to find the strength to say goodbye to her sisters without breaking down. She needed them to think that she would be okay even though she knew it was a lie. She’d not be okay. Damba would never forgive her for what she’d done, nor could she forgive herself. She deserved whatever punishment Khari and the council decided to give her. At least she hoped it would be swift and as painless as possible.
As she followed Damba back to the dock, neither of them spoke. What was there to say that would make any real difference? Kim must have been wrong about their destinies crossing, or at least she had misinterpreted in what way the two of them were meant to be together. After all, she’d admitted to not understanding her newly discovered power.
Approaching the dock, Alp saw her sisters lined up near the supply ship, each one carrying a small parcel. For some reason, they had each changed back into their original clothes, the uniforms that made them look like they attended the same prep school.
“We didn’t know if they’d let us take our other clothes,” Mia said as the two of them hugged. “Besides, we thought this is how we wanted you to remember us; together as a family.”
Alp nodded and hugged Mia harder. She was afraid if she tried to say anything, she’d break down completely. She finally let go of Mia and turned to give Heather a hug. Silently, she went down the line hugging each girl. When she reached Kim, she smiled at her. “Never thought this is what you meant when you said my path was crossed with Damba’s.”
Kim looked confused for a moment by the comment, then replied, “It’s not.”
She smiled. “I don’t know what your paths will be exactly, but I feel certain this isn’t it.”
Alp nodded and smiled back even though she didn’t believe what Kim said. No point on making a big deal about it now. The two of them hugged and then Alp continued down the line until she reached Kristin and Tabitha, who took up the rear.
As she and Tabitha hugged, Tabitha whispered in her ear. “Are you sure you don’t want us to do anything? I know we could especially with Mel’s help.”
“No,” Alp whispered back. “Just take care of each other, and try not to fight.” She looked around. “Where is Mel?”
“He’s still on the ship,” Kirstin replied. “He figured you weren’t all that excited about saying goodbye to him.”
Alp nodded. “For once he’s right.”
Damba walked over to them.
“It’s time to board,” he said as he waved them towards the ship. “Zunga wants to get underway before it gets any later.”
The sisters crowded around Alp for one final group hug, before finally breaking up. They walked up the gangplank like a line of criminals walking to their execution. Within minutes, the ship had been untied and sailed out of the bay. As Alp watched, she felt her heart would break. She’d grown to love her sisters so much, and now they were gone.
“I’ll be in the Shunning House if you need me,” She said to Damba. “There’s nothing else here for me.”
Without waiting for a reply, she started walking back the way she’d come.
Part 3: Fragmented
Chunk's Plea
Lionel sat in the last pew of the small church near his home. It had become his private sanctuary away from all the craziness that threatened his sanity. It struck him, not for the first time, that spending so much time in a church was a strange habit for a scientist, especi
ally one that hadn’t been raised by a religious family.
He still didn’t know how he felt about the idea of there being a God. Whenever asked, he claimed to be agnostic since it seemed to be the safest answer, and usually avoided any further discussion except the few times it had been asked by a fervent fundamentalist. Luckily, Lionel didn’t bump into many of those in his circle of friends and colleagues.
But over the years he’d come to the conclusion that there must be some grand design to the Universe. The more he studied and learned, the more he felt it couldn’t all be random. And if there was some grand design, was it so far fetched to consider there might be some Grand Designer? Oh, certainly not some great, bearded man sitting on a throne somewhere in heaven, but something—perhaps some cosmic consciousness that dwelled everywhere including within each person.
But tonight, his focus wasn’t on such cosmic questions. Tonight he pondered another a more practical question that would likely have as great an impact on his life. The question that had sent him to his sanctuary and that he’d spent the last two hours mulling over was whether to go ahead with his plans to propose to Bridgette.
He glanced at his watch; twenty minutes to eight o’clock. She’d be at his place soon. By now, if all was going as planned, the caterer had already found the key under the doormat. Hopefully, she was in the final stages of preparing the delectable meal of all of Bridgette’s favorite foods including lobster, shrimp, caviar, and butter pecan ice cream. But still, it could all be called off. He could call and tell her he’d suddenly come down with a splitting headache or the flu, or the bubonic plague. Of course, she’d insist on coming over to nurse him back to health. Nevertheless, he was a smart guy. He could figure out some excuse not to follow through with the proposal.
After all, weren’t there too many uncertainties in his life right now, especially the children that had been missing for three weeks, and the template that had mysteriously disappeared? He wasn’t even sure he’d have a job in a few weeks. What kind of life was that to invite another to share?
But even as he thought about all the messes in his life, he knew he didn’t want to find a way out of this decision. If there was indeed a grand design to the Universe despite how much of his life suggested otherwise, he felt certain that plan included Bridgette and he spending the rest of their lives together. And whether he liked it or not, he was simply too old fashion of a guy not to have that forever scenario include marriage.
He looked up to the life-size sculpture of Christ that adorned the far wall and smiled. In a funny sort of way, that representation of Jesus had become his silent partner in many decisions, but none more important than the one he had just made. He patted the breast pocket of his jacket to confirm it still held the ring box.
“Wish me luck J. C.”
Chunk and his two brothers continued sailing in the direction where they’d last seen the blip on their tracking system. Much to their surprise, the terrible looking weather never materialized. What had appeared as a horrendous thunderstorm turned out to be only a large bank of fog. As they sailed into it, the waves of dizziness continued, but they did their best to ignore them and to stay on course. After about thirty minutes, the fog began to clear and with it the dizzy spells lessened. Several minutes later they came out of the fog and into a clear day with an island in view straight ahead.
“I think we’ve made it,” Chunk said standing up to get a better look. As he did so, the computer blipped.
“Hey, we’re tracking again,” Mitch said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Chunk said, pointing forward. “If I’m not mistaken that’s where we need to head.”
“But the blip is behind us,” Mitch replied. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Forget the blip. Keep us on course for that island. Find a place where we can come to shore. I have a good feeling that our hunt is coming to an end.”
As they continued to sail towards the island, they found a small inlet. “Take her in towards that,” Chunk instructed. “I think I see signs of life.”
Sure enough, as they entered the inlet, before them appeared a rickety dock with an old fishing trawler moored to it. On the shore sat a line of huts that looked like they were straight out of an old Robinson Crusoe movie.
“But where’s the ship we were following?” Capper asked.
Chunk shook his head. “Don’t know.” They had been lost in the fog for quite some time. Could they have passed the ship without knowing it? Had it turned back to the mainland?
“Let’s dock next to that old fishing boat,” Chunk said. “Stash the computer away. Check your firearms, but keep them out of sight. I don’t want to cause any more problems if we can help it.”
Mitch eased the boat in towards the dock while Capper prepared to tie it off. In a couple of minutes, they were floating next to the dock, well secured. As Capper finished tying the boat up, Chunk noticed two people approaching. As they drew near, he made out that one was an older man, the other a young boy. They looked enough alike that he suspected they were related. It was the young boy who spoke first.
“Go away. You are not welcome here.” He waved at them and pointed back the way they’d come. “Go back to the mainland. Nothing here for you.”
Chunk looked at Mitch and Capper. “Not much of a welcome committee, is it? Stay alert. I have a funny feeling that what we came for is here…somewhere.”
He climbed to the side of the boat nearest to the dock and waited for Capper to pull the boat closer before jumping to the deck. He put on his best, non-threatening smile and walked forward. Just one brother to another, he thought, thankful for once that he was black.
“Sorry to trouble you. Really we are, but we followed a very dangerous person to this island. He’s looking for members of his family who are also dangerous.” He thought about presenting his badge but thought better of it. He doubted it would mean anything to these people living in such isolation.
The young man glanced at the older one as though unsure what to say or do. Chunk decided the man must be the young one’s father, or perhaps an uncle. In either case, they almost certainly had to be part of the same family. He decided it was the one card he could play that might help.
“Listen, I’ve come from a long way off looking for someone.” He reached into his back pocket for his wallet, pulling it out slowly so as to not freak out the two strangers. He opened it to a picture of his family as he walked towards them.
“These are my two daughters.” He pointed to the smaller one. “This one is Misha, my youngest. Do you have children?” He directed the question to the old man who nodded slightly. “Then you know how important our children are, right? Well, this one, Misha, is sick, very sick. She has a disease in her head. They say it’s incurable.”
He paused to look into the eyes of the older man. “I know better. I’m looking for a young girl I met not too long ago. I saw her heal a man who was very sick who also had a problem with his head. I’m praying that she’ll be able to help my daughter.” He felt the tears begin to run down his cheeks. He didn’t bother to wipe them away. “Her name is Alp. Do you, by any chance, know such a girl?”
As he stared intently at the two, he knew the answer without either one saying a word. The look of recognition on the young boy’s face was undeniable. “You’ve got to help me save my daughter. Will you take me to her?”
For the next few hours, Willow’s anger at the turn of events made it dangerous for anyone to be around her, so her men gave her as much space as possible to avoid her wrath. Tao and Widget continued to monitor their electronic devices in the hope of re-establishing contact with either the tracker of the drone. Meanwhile, Willow took long walks around the docks in an effort to keep from maiming one of them. It was while Tao and Widget were instructing Ted and Ned on the use of the equipment in case they had to pass the controls on to them at some point that the drone came back online.
Widget almost jumped out of his skin from the excitement. He climbed out
of the van and was in the midst of a happy dance when he saw Willow returning from her fifth walk around the block.
“It’s back!” He shouted to her gleefully. “My baby is back.”
“That’s great news,” Willow replied. “But hold it down, will you? Remember, this is supposed to be a clandestine operation which means we don’t need to be drawing attention to ourselves from every Tom, Dick and Harry around us.”
“Right, sorry Boss,” Widget replied in a much softer voice but still dancing around the van. “It looks like it finally gave up on the circling route and has started to return to base.”
“Any sign of either of the vessels?” Willow asked.
“Afraid not…not yet anyway,” Widget replied. “But we now have visual again so we can resume looking for them.”
“Okay, do that,” Willow said. He glanced into the van where Tao sat studying the tablet.
“Anything on the tracker?”
He shook his head without looking up.
“So we still don’t have a clue where either of the damn boats are at this point, right?”
Both men nodded.
“Then I guess I better take another walk,” Willow replied. “By the time I return, I want some real news. Otherwise, I’m going to have to report back to the Sheik that we’ve lost contact with the kid and that I have no idea where he or the rest of the cargo is. I’ll leave it up to your imagination how that will go over with him and what repercussions it’s likely to have on your lives.”
Willow made it a point to stay away from the van for as long as she could. Truth to be told, she didn’t want to have to report to her boss the possible failure of the mission. She wasn’t looking forward to the instructions she’d likely receive that she would then have to carry out. This is just a temporary setback she kept telling herself. Any minute now Tao would pick up the tracker signal again or the drone would get lucky and locate one of the boats. But after another couple hours o,f trying to convince herself that all would be well, she finally had to admit defeat. She had started to walk back slowly to the van when her cellphone rang. As she pulled it from her pocket, she prayed it wouldn’t be from the Sheik. For once, her prayer was answered. It was Tao.
Kindle Series 3-Book Bundle: A Genetic Engineering Science Fiction Thriller Series Page 47
