Doc Harrison and the Apocalypse

by Peter Telep

  To the right sits a desk piled high with books, weapons, and pieces of armor, along with a computer console.

  Leaning on that desk, with arms folded over her chest, is the woman herself.

  Flare.

  She clears her throat. “I need them,” she says, pointing at Julie and me. “Lose the rest—especially the animals.”

  As she finishes, the floor rumbles and a crack opens in the ceiling over her desk. The crack splinters into several more. Dust trickles down onto the computer.

  Meeka steps forward, but the nomads grab her by the arms. “Flare, listen to me. You’ve been following the wrong man. You should be in charge, not him.”

  She gives a huge roll of the eyes. “Are you trying to beg for mercy by stroking my ego? Come on, I know your caravan. How many of my people have you killed?”

  “That all ends tonight—once you know the truth.”

  “The truth about what?”

  “About who killed your husband and daughters.”

  Meeka looks at me. “Secret weapon time. Show her.”

  I step forward. “My father is Thaddeus Harrison.”

  “I know,” Flare reveals. “I should kill you right now—”

  “Because you think my father’s to blame—but if you give me a minute, I’ll show you what really happened.”

  “You get nothing. All I have are orders to capture you.”

  “So you’re just a robot?”

  She dismisses me with a sarcastic smile.

  Because I’m just sixteen. A boy. Hardly a threat.

  I clench my hands into fists, remembering everyone who died to get me here. I refuse to waste this moment.

  I jump into my persona and scream:

  “LADY, I SAID TAKE MY HAND! RIGHT NOW!”

  I’ve startled her.

  In fact, I’ve shocked everyone—especially myself.

  She studies me, sees something, and then jumps into her persona and connects.

  Hollis said I have memories and emotions, and they can be powerful weapons. Meeka called me a secret weapon.

  Time to prove them right.

  I’ll show Flare everything I know about Solomon Carter.

  The good. The bad.

  And the unimaginable.

  He rescues Brave. He’s jealous of my dad, competes with him over everything. He cheats on his wife with my mother. He sells company secrets and betrays his colleagues.

  And then he murders my mother—

  On the same day that the bombs go off.

  Now Flare knows everything about me, even my struggle to share the truth with Julie.

  She also realizes that the man she’s supported for all these years lied to her about everything, even his name.

  We stand outside my house as a mushroom cloud rises behind us.

  Flare rubs her eyes, and her voice grows shaky. “I was at the base. They called us underground. But my family... I couldn’t save them.”

  She takes us inside her house, where a bearded man carries two giggling girls across the kitchen and places them into chairs around the table.

  The girls are about six or seven, with purple ribbons and flowers in their hair, along with matching earrings. One says it’s picture day at school.

  Meeka knew about Flare’s husband and daughters, and she thought showing Flare the truth about the apocalypse might win her over.

  It kills me to watch these people... her husband was such a handsome man, and you can tell he loved these girls more than anything... and the girls... they couldn’t be cuter. I just can’t look anymore...

  The image shatters. And we’re back.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell Flare.

  She’s crying. “How could he lie like that?” She clutches my shoulders. “Do you know what I’ve done for him, how many I’ve killed... how many years I’ve wasted?”

  “But now you’re free. And we need your help. He’s got my dad and Julie’s mom. We need to stop him.”

  She releases me and turns away. “I know.”

  “If you let us go, we’ll keep using the engine to save Flora. But if we don’t stop him, then you know what Hollis said: he’ll nuke Earth and the other planets. He’s crazy.”

  She bows her head.

  “Please... will you help us?”

  She hesitates.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  Meeka risked everything on me—the secret weapon with the truth about Solomon.

  So why isn’t Flare jumping on the chance to help us?

  Why hasn’t the truth set us free?

  Because there are no gods, only death?

  Because sometimes evil wins?

  I try to read Flare’s thoughts, but her guard is back up.

  So I’ll just ask her, but she breaks the link and returns to her body. I follow.

  Now back in the office, she faces us with a strange look in her eyes, like something’s bubbling up inside. She’s shaking. Maybe she’s still in shock.

  “Flare? Please…” I say.

  She swallows and stares through me. “I trusted him for so long, but I knew there was something… something he was hiding.” Her voice cracks. “My god, I just ignored it because he was smart and good at keeping us alive. But now I know.”

  “So you’ll help us?” I ask.

  Again, she won’t focus on me. After another moment’s thought, she answers, “You’re right. It’s time to get revenge on that bastard.” She glances toward her nomads, blinking back tears. “Stand down. We’re helping them!”

  With that, she rushes to her computer terminal, widens her eyes, and then stares into a retinal scanner that shines light on her face. Her screens flash to life.

  The engine begins to whir and grow louder, while the central wreath shimmers with that persona-green energy.

  Her fingers dance across a touch panel, and more screens light with data and wireframe images of a vortex.

  “Okay, we’re ready!” she cries.

  As she rushes away from the terminal, two things happen at once: a gunshot rings out and sends all us ducking toward the floor.

  Meanwhile, a powerful rumble and creaking noise comes from above, and with that, the ceiling over Flare’s desk rips away, revealing the storm raging above us.

  I grab the desk, struggling against the vacuum that wants to suck us outside. Lighter bags, boxes, and containers from the warehouse hurtle through the office and spin off into a vortex of sand.

  As I tighten my grip, I steal a look back toward the sound of that gunshot.

  Aw, no…

  Flare lies on the floor with blood leaking from her head, even as she’s dragged toward the opening above. The pistol she used to kill herself is still clenched in her hand.

  I don’t feel like a secret weapon anymore. I feel like I pulled that trigger…

  Just then, Tommy, Meeka, and Julie dive toward the engine and cling to the staircase, their faces twisting in pain.

  Keane, Steffanie, and the rumms have just arrived—

  And they grab anything they can: shelving, pallets piled high with cases of canned goods, anything to avoid being swallowed by the sandstorm.

  I drag myself to the computer screen. My heart’s beating in my ears, but I’m okay. I know what I’m doing, thanks to Hollis and the instructions from his immortal.

  I tap the screen and view the engine’s destination, seeing it on both maps and in photos: a house in a secluded area of Chuluota, Florida that’s mostly swamps and farmland.

  If I’m Solomon, I post nomads at that house to capture anyone coming through—

  So no, we’re not going there.

  “I’m putting in new coordinates!” I shout to the others.

  “You know where they are?” Tommy screams.

  “I think so!”

  Between the engine’s hum and the drumming wind, I can’t hear myself think, let alone talk anymore. I finish my work and give Tommy a thumb’s up.

  He motions that he wants Julie and I to go first.

  I loo
k at her, and then flick my gaze back to the rumms. She agrees. We shake our heads together.

  Tommy frowns and reluctantly nods. He looks toward the back of the room and waves Steffanie and Keane forward.

  With a sudden slap on my back, the wind reverses, now pushing into the office instead of trying to suck us outside.

  Steffanie and Keane reach the doorway, each clutching an injured rumm.

  Tommy, Julie, and Meeka rise to meet them, and then, one by one, the rumms form a line at the staircase leading up to the engine. They lean forward with heads bowed because it’s like standing near a giant propeller.

  Julie heads for the door. Brave and Mama Grren pace in the warehouse beyond, cutting off the nomads. She grabs each grren by the ear.

  She’s saying good-bye.

  And I can’t help it. I’m choked up.

  I don’t want to leave them, not after all they’ve done for us. But it’ll be too dangerous for them on Earth. Hell, it’ll be crazy dangerous for just us and the rumms.

  “Start putting them through,” I tell Tommy.

  I race down the line and reach Julie. I stroke Brave’s head, and he looks at me, as if to say, you’ll be okay.

  Thank you.

  I give him a hug and do the same with Mama Grren.

  I return to the line before I really break down. The grren remain there, watching us leave.

  “Hey, what about us?” cries the lead nomad with the blue bandana.

  “Talk to Tommy!” I answer. “He’ll work it out with you!”

  He glares at me. “He’d better!”

  Julie grabs my hand and shouts in my ear, “Are we really going home?”

  I nod, and I guess my expression is a bit too obvious.

  “What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

  “No, but I need to tell you something.”

  “What?”

  “I mean, I have to show you.”

  “You keep saying that. I know you’re hiding something and so is Brave. He’s had his guard up for a while now.”

  I squeeze her hand—

  Just as a powerful stormquake strikes like a billion grren burrowing under the office.

  Bang, we’re back on the floor. The rumms shout and wail and urge each other toward the engine.

  The rest of the ceiling explodes away. It’s like we’re in a car wash, but there’s no water, just invisible bristles firing dust and rocks at us.

  A group of rumms gets ripped from the line. They scream and cartwheel up, into the storm, along with Flare’s body.

  And then, as Julie and I lose our grip and go sliding, we’re scooped up and find ourselves charging toward the engine.

  Brave and Mama Grren have leaped in to save us.

  At the same time, they project their personas and begin collecting the rumms.

  Tommy shouts for everyone to “Go! Go! Go!”

  Brave takes a flying leap over the engine, and then drops Julie. She plunges straight down through the horizontal wreath and disappears.

  Mama Grren soars just behind her—

  And with final look at Tommy, I leap off Mama Grren’s back and slip into the flickering pool of energy.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  “Name’s Keane,” he says after shutting the door. “Not that you care.” He takes one look at me and sighs. “You should’ve made more progress by now.”

  I bolt up in bed.

  We’re back at the Palladium. In my room.

  “Keane, what the hell?”

  “What do you mean, what the hell?”

  “Where are we? We didn’t make it?”

  “Of course not. There are no gods, only death. And now you’re dead.”

  I sit up. Again. And again—

  Each time in a different place, a different memory, some on Earth, some on Flora. The scenes repeat themselves at the speed of light...

  Finally, with an ice-cold chill rushing up my spine, I bolt up and dig hands into the sand.

  I lose my breath.

  Because we did make it.

  We’re lying on a beach at night. A pale yellow moon hangs low on the horizon. A single moon.

  I dream of the island? No, I don’t. I’m really here—

  Along with Meeka, Steffanie, Keane, and Julie. Along with just nine of the rumms, including the blind boy and Wexx. The rest didn’t make it. My chest aches at the thought of them being carried off by the storm.

  Everyone starts coughing, trying to breathe. The air hurts my lungs, too... it’s different...

  When I lean forward to stand, I feel lighter.

  Keane bounces over like he’s on a trampoline. “This is ridiculous,” he says, coughing through a faint smile.

  And then it hits me. We’re aliens on Earth.

  Is anyone watching?

  I glance around. “Don’t do that!”

  “I can’t help it.”

  “Just go slow.”

  I glance over his shoulder, and out in the distance lies a familiar mountain. At the top, the observatory’s great domes rise toward the stars.

  Julie comes up with a hand on her chest. She wheezes a second, and then asks, “You brought us back here? Why not Florida?”

  “He’s got an engine there, but somebody else is running it. They wouldn’t use Dad’s lab in Orlando. Too much security.”

  She lifts a thumb over her shoulder. “So you think they’re up there?”

  I rub my weary eyes. “I took a shot. So where’s Tommy?”

  We all look at each other. No one’s seen him.

  With my heart racing, I head over to the rumms. Most are sitting up while a few test out their legs. Others just sit there, weeping over their lost friends.

  “Anyone seen Tommy?”

  Meeka and Steffanie join me. “He’s definitely not here,” Meeka says. “I don’t see the nomads, either. I think Tommy shut down the engine so they couldn’t come through.”

  I just stand there. I want to reply.

  But my voice is gone. It takes all my strength not to cry.

  And then I weaken. And the tears fall.

  Julie’s already breaking down, too. But we have to be strong. We’re all that’s left, and we need to organize these rumms.

  I turn away from the girls, take a long, hard breath, and then imagine what Tommy would do.

  Lead from the front. Cry later.

  “Listen up, everyone. There’s a house up in the hills. We’re going there. We need to walk easy. No bouncing around. And no shooting. And, oh, yeah, keep your voices low. Humans won’t understand you until your wreath adapts. Also, don’t touch anything. Don’t eat or drink anything yet. Stuff that’s normal for Julie and me might kill you. We just don’t know.”

  “So basically we just shut up and walk,” Keane says.

  “You got it.”

  Wexx limps to the front of the group. His lip quivers. He’s overcome with emotion. “Thanks for this. We won’t cause any trouble.”

  I nod. “Welcome to Earth.”

  “That sounds so weird,” he says.

  “Hell yeah, it does.”

  He glances at the ocean. “How big is it?”

  “Like four thousand miles.”

  “Whoa. I like it.”

  “Me, too. All right, come on, everyone.”

  As we start off, I tell Meeka and Steffanie that we need to make sure everyone’s with us at all times—because we sure as hell can’t have anyone sneaking off.

  Operational security. That phrase hurts more than ever now. I wish we had time to sit down and just cry it out.

  “Tommy was a good guy,” Keane says.

  I glance over my shoulder. “He still is.”

  “You think he’s back there with the nomads?”

  “Yeah. And he’s laughing in their faces.”

  * * *

  We walk for another twenty minutes up the lone dirt road, sweating a lot because of the island’s much higher humidity.

  When we reach my family’s vacation home, we’re shocked
by what we find.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  My father’s persona stands on the porch.

  I nearly collapse. “Dad?”

  “Docherty? I can’t believe you’ve made it back.”

  It all hits me at once: seeing my father for the first time in his persona...

  And realizing I was right: he’s here and we actually found him! The sense of relief rushes to my head and makes me dizzy. I hug him tightly, not wanting to let go.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he says.

  I pull back, breathless with excitement. “Are you okay? Are you on the mountain?”

  “Yeah, we’re up there.”

  “And Solomon’s there? What does he want?”

  “It’s a long story. Where’s Julie?”

  I look at him like it’s obvious. “She’s right here.”

  He stares at her for a moment. “Are you all right?”

  “I think so, Mr. Harrison. Is my Mom okay?”

  He smiles. “She’s just fine.”

  “Is she up there, too?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything.” My father opens the front door. “For now, everyone inside. You’re safe here.” He throws a few light switches, and we file into the living room.

  The rumms glance around like they’re getting a museum tour, everything a little off, a little different. An old clock on the wall reads three ten AM.

  “Dad, how’d you know we were here?”

  “I haven’t been sleeping well. I was up. I saw a flash. Then I looked down at the beach. I didn’t want to startle you. I was hoping you’d come up to the house.”

  “Mr. Harrison, you won’t believe what’s happened,” Julie says. “I mean what it took to get back here.”

  “Can you use your personas?”

  “Yeah, Keane taught us how.” Julie smiles at Keane, who just blushes and shrugs.

  “So why don’t you show me what happened?”

  “Hey, Dad, before we do that, can I ask you a question? What’s Tommy’s last name?”

  He hesitates. Looks nervous.

  Meanwhile, Julie’s already jumped in her persona—

  “Julie, wait!”

  My father seizes Julie’s hand.

  Bam, I jump in my persona and grab his other hand.

  All three of us are connected.

  But for some reason he’s in charge. There’s a numbing pressure on my head that blocks me. I can’t take Julie where I want to go. All I can do is follow.