Jane and the Exodus (Stargazer Series Book 1)

by T. R. Woodman

  The ride down had been terrible. Not only was she cooped up in her quarters, in the dark, alone, but the shuttle was quiet, and she could hear every wail and cry from every passenger on board throughout the entire descent. Smashing her head between her pillow and her mattress wouldn’t completely muffle the sounds. Even from before the shuttle left the bay of Vista, one woman was sobbing inconsolably. Jane couldn’t tell for sure, but it almost sounded like Adam’s mom, and the thought of her in such a state of despair made Jane want to run out there and hug her—or slap her; she didn’t know which.

  Maybe it was the reality of the choice they had made to leave, or maybe it was the people they were leaving behind, but it was impossible not to feel the gravity of the moment as each person wrestled with their decision. Of course, Jane couldn’t see what everyone was going through, but she sure could hear it. The longer she listened to the sobbing, the more knotted her stomach got and the more she wanted to scream into her pillow to drown out the noise. Leaving the planet was turning into a gut-wrenching and horribly saddening endeavor. The more she listened to the pain these people were experiencing at leaving their loved ones, the more determined she was to convince Tate to come. She felt the pain of loss when her mom was killed. She wasn’t about to go through that again.

  The tarmac was completely empty. The other passengers had already left, which was a tremendous relief to her after the torturous ride down to the surface. Jane suspected that the reason everyone had left so abruptly was less because of the sadness they were feeling and more because they were fearful at what might happen to them in the days to follow, as the full extent of her dad’s plans became known.

  Carefully looking into the darkness, Jane stopped on the ramp.

  “Okay, Evelyn,” Jane whispered into the darkness. “Let’s go find Tate.”

  “And let’s do it quickly,” Evelyn replied. “I need you to get back as fast as you can.”

  Stepping into the darkness, Jane started walking briskly toward the parking garage. “What? Are you worried about my dad finding out? I already told you, I expect that he’ll figure out where I am, probably sooner than later.”

  “It’s not your dad, Jane,” Evelyn replied. “He should be the least of your worries right now.”

  Jane stopped on the tarmac and turned back toward the shuttle. She wasn’t in the mood to get any bad news from Evelyn and certainly not now while she was standing in the dark with mosquitos buzzing around her. Jane knew she was going to miss the fireflies in July once they were gone, but the mosquitos … good riddance.

  “What are you talking about, Evelyn?” Jane asked.

  “Well, your dad has me monitoring all government communications since his meeting with Senator Biggs yesterday. As you might imagine, almost all of it is encrypted, and unfortunately, I don’t have the resources available to decrypt it all.”

  “Get to the point, Evelyn,” she interrupted, crossing her arms across her chest.

  “The point is that your dad is looking for anything unusual. He is looking for abnormal requests and queries having to do with you and the rest of your family, and I found something.”

  Jane dropped her arms and her expression at the same time. “What do you mean … you found something?”

  “I’ll explain,” Evelyn replied, “but first, you need to keep moving. Why did you stop?”

  It occurred to Jane how stupid it was for her to be standing there in the dark, talking to the ship.

  “Oh, uh, I just needed to tie my shoe,” she lied, afterward feeling even more stupid for thinking she needed to lie to a computer.

  “Okay, well, get moving, Jane.”

  Jane turned around and started walking, now feeling a desperate sense of urgency. Normally, she would have moved quickly enough, but now that even Evelyn seemed set on driving her like a sled dog toward her destination, she really felt like she didn’t even have a few minutes to waste.

  Like the rest of the CP Interstellar campus, the parking garage was dark, having only a handful of emergency lights burning to help Jane find her way. Stepping though the concrete throughway, she looked around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to her surroundings. The utility vehicles were near the front of the garage, and jogging up to them, she picked the one with the most dents and dirt. She didn’t want to stand out any more than she had to, especially considering the slum she was driving into.

  “You can start any of these trucks, right, Evelyn?”

  “I can. The secure link software was designed to allow me to cut the power to a vehicle. It was a safety precaution your dad had installed to prevent the vehicles from being stolen—but I can use it to start the vehicles too.”

  “Right,” Jane replied, smiling for the first time in a long while at the irony.

  Evelyn continued. “Just read the vehicle badge number on the side panel, and I will let you in.”

  Jane crept in close to the rear panel of the utility vehicle and read the numbers. “Three, four, seven, one.”

  A second later, the locks clicked open. Carefully, Jane opened the door and slid behind the wheel.

  “Okay, I’m in,” Jane said, taking a deep breath at the realization that she had met at least the first challenge well. “Take me to Tate.”

  “Jane,” Evelyn said as the vehicle started. “I can’t take you anywhere. These vehicles aren’t equipped with autopilot. I can navigate for you—tell you where to turn along the way—but you have to do the driving.”

  “What?” Jane replied, confused and stunned at the unfortunate revelation. She looked at the steering wheel and the pedals, the knobs and switches. “I don’t know how to drive this thing. Have you ever known me to drive, Evelyn?”

  “Well, you better figure it out fast. You can’t walk all the way to Ironhead.”

  Jane gritted her teeth and squeezed the steering wheel in frustration. She was getting tired of feeling stupid, but the flood of self-berating barbs wouldn’t stop undermining her confidence. Why hadn’t it occurred to her that she would have to drive the stupid truck? Was she really up to this?

  “Some explorer I’m turning out to be,” Jane mumbled.

  Jane looked out the windshield at the dark parking garage, to the exit at the end of the aisle, and the darkness beyond. She didn’t want to be there, but she knew if she didn’t at least try to find Tate, she would never forgive herself.

  Jane straightened herself in her seat. “Fine,” she started. “I have been in enough cars. I have seen people drive. I can do this. Just give me a little guidance here.”

  “Just slide the gear shift down to the letter D, Jane,” Evelyn responded. “That’s drive. Grab the wheel with both hands and touch the pedal on the right with your foot. That’s the gas. Use the pedal on the left to stop. Oh, and try not to hit anything. I don’t have to tell you that if I have to fly the shuttle out to rescue you in the middle of nowhere, your mission to find your brother is over.”

  “Thanks for the extra pressure,” Jane replied, now trying to make sense of the instrument panel.

  “Just reminding you of the stakes, Jane,” Evelyn countered.

  “Thanks.” Jane quickly gave up on understanding anything about the display. “Anything else?”

  “Yes,” Evelyn said. “Don’t stray off the road, and try to avoid the potholes.”

  “Right.” Jane scooted back in the seat and gripped the wheel tighter. “Thanks—again.”

  Jane looked down at her foot and moved it over to step on the gas pedal. The truck lurched. She gasped and slammed her foot on the brake. The truck jerked to a stop, the tires squealing on the cement.

  Jane shook her head. “This is going to be a really long journey,” she said under her breath.

  Tapping the gas pedal again, Jane eased the truck forward, coasting down the aisle of the garage and through the exit, out into the night air. More gently this time, she practiced easing her foot on the brake and then giving it gas, turning the wheel a little here and there, cruising down the road leading
from the garage.

  “It would be a good idea for you avoid leaving through the main gate, Jane,” Evelyn said, breaking Jane’s concentration. “I’m tracking the emergency response frequencies, and apparently, all the shuttles coming down simultaneously has the authorities scrambling to the touch-down sites. They aren’t here yet, but they are sure to be here soon, and they will probably come to the main gate. They can’t get in—nobody is manning the gate, and I can keep it locked through the security link I maintain for the campus—but they are sure to stop you if you go through.”

  “What do you suggest I do, then?” Jane asked, still weaving back and forth trying to get a feel for the truck.

  “Drive across the field to your right—straight across,” Evelyn replied. “You’ll connect with the fence line about a half mile out, and then you’ll keep going until you see a gate.”

  Jane shrugged her shoulders as she eased the wheel to the right, bumping the truck unevenly up the curb and onto the grass. Giving it more gas, she bumbled across the grassy field. After a few minutes, she saw the fence, and turning gently, she followed it. After another couple of minutes, she saw the gate Evelyn had mentioned.

  Jane stopped in front of it. It looked like it hadn’t been used—ever. The grass had grown right up to the fence, and there wasn’t even a road leading to it or away from it, into the forest on the other side. There did appear to be a trail of some sort, beyond the gate on the other side, cut into the trees, which looked like it might be wide enough for her truck.

  “Okay, Evelyn.” Jane looked closely at the gate itself. “I’m here. But I don’t know how you’re going to open this gate. There’s a chain wrapped around the post, and a huge lock, and I doubt I have a key in here.”

  “Jane,” Evelyn replied. “That’s a maintenance entrance from before your dad bought the company. It’s not electronic, so you’re correct—I can’t open it. You’ll just have to drive through it.”

  “What do you mean, Evelyn?” Jane asked. “You mean—like—you want me to run down the fence with the truck?”

  “What are trucks for, Jane?” Evelyn replied.

  “I’m telling dad this was your idea,” Jane replied with a smile.

  “What is he going to do?” Evelyn countered. “Ground me?”

  Jane gripped the wheel tighter and held her breath. Easing the truck forward to get it rolling, she quickly gave the engine more gas. The engine revved. The tires dug into the grass and dirt. The truck lurched forward and smashed into the gate. Slamming her foot hard onto the pedal, the truck pushed down the gate as she plowed over the wire mesh fence. Slamming her foot down on the brake again, the truck skidded to a stop.

  Jane relaxed her grip on the wheel and took a breath. “Well, I guess my driving lesson is over,” she noted. “Tell me where to go, Evelyn.”

  “Just turn left in a hundred yards when the road ahead of you ends. You’re going to stay on the back roads between here and Ironhead. I’ll track your progress and will tell you where to turn as you go.”

  Jane touched the gas, and she was off. “Mind filling me in now on what you were saying before on the tarmac? What is this thing you found which has you all worried?”

  “Well,” Evelyn began. “As I said, I started monitoring government communications, searching for chatter about you and your family about a day ago. I don’t know how frequently your names came up in government communications before yesterday morning—it’s not exactly legal for me to hack into government systems, after all—but I do know that the rate of increase, even in the last twenty-four hours, is alarming.”

  “Okay,” Jane said, concentrating more on the road in front of her than on what Evelyn was saying.

  Evelyn continued. “And then, late last night, I located someone who was searching for information about your dad and your family using the public news services. They were in the city, not far from here.”

  “So?” Jane replied, still not seeing the relevance. “I’m sure people look up information about my dad all the time.”

  “Yes, they do,” Evelyn confirmed. “But they usually stick with searches about his business dealings. This person was pulling articles that were far more personal in nature. They were looking for stories that included your mom—and Tate—and you.”

  Jane still focused on the road in front of her but pulled her head back slightly, somewhat unnerved. “Well … that’s a little creepy.”

  “That’s not all that unusual either, Jane,” Evelyn replied.

  “Well, that’s even creepier,” Jane responded, even more unnerved to think that the windows to her life were so easily opened. A shudder went up her spine, down her arms, and into the steering wheel, causing the truck to shimmy a little down the mostly dirt road. Jane caught herself quickly and steadied the truck, breathing a sigh of relief.

  Evelyn went on. “Whoever it was was also looking for information about your dad’s history with Union Hill Power.

  Jane furrowed her brow and curled her lip, still not making the connection. “Help me out, Evelyn. I don’t follow. Union Hill Power is the company my dad lost, but that happened even before I was born. Why does that matter?”

  “Well, Jane, it’s not so much the fact that your dad lost Union Hill Power as much as the reason he lost it. President Coleson led the campaign to cripple the company, back when he was a senator.”

  “So what you are saying is … the president is after my dad?”

  “I can’t really say, Jane. What I do know is your dad has a bad history with Senator Biggs and President Coleson; there is a lot of chatter about your family on government channels, and someone close by seems to be looking specifically into your and your family’s personal matters.”

  Jane’s back stiffened, and she couldn’t help tightening her grip on the wheel. “Now you’re freaking me out, Evelyn.”

  “Well, good,” Evelyn replied quickly. “You should be. I know you want to go talk to your brother, but the point is, you need to be focused and you need to be quick about it.”

  “Then let me focus on the road, Evelyn.” Jane could feel the knots in her stomach tighten, and she realized that her shoulders had been locked tight for as long as she could remember. The stress was getting to her, but even though she wanted this to be over, deep down she was happy it wasn’t, figuring if her brother hadn’t told her no, there was still a chance he would say yes.

  Evelyn’s warning about watching out for potholes seemed for naught, as the road Jane was traveling appeared to be mostly flat, though there wasn’t a trace of asphalt left on it. Even though the road was mostly smooth, however, on the occasions when she did hit a depression in her path, it was enough to rattle the whole cab and jar her back into an acute awareness of every little thing in her way. She knew she was being hypersensitive, but she felt she could do little about it. Her nerves had been laid bare.

  The cab of the truck started to fill with the gray light of a day burdened by cloud cover, but even that little bit of light allowed Jane to feel more confident in her driving abilities. It also revealed the reason why the road had seemed so dark before; it was guarded on both sides by dense forest. Jane imagined that at one point the road may have been more significant than it was, but the forest was filling in the cut like a beach swallowing up the footsteps of a transient passing through. If it weren’t for the front bumper of the truck decapitating the saplings that had sprouted where the asphalt had once been, the forest may have reclaimed its ground faster. For now, it would just have to accept a temporary reopening of the wound.

  Jane didn’t remember ever seeing the countryside like this before. Sure, she had seen mornings heavy with clouds and misty with fog, but it had generally been in the city, or at the corporate headquarters, or in some other similarly civilized setting. But something about being this deep in the woods didn’t feel right to her. Every now and then, Jane would look off the road and peer through the trees, enough to see a clearing beyond. She figured they had probably been ranches or farmlan
d at one point. Even less frequently, though, she’d catch sight of a shack or a gas station or some other wooden structure, often so overgrown with kudzu and brush, and rotten with termites, it looked as if it might crumble if even a breath of wind touched it through the trees.

  People had made a way for themselves out here before. They had businesses and buildings and homes and ranches—and communities—and families. What had happened to them? Jane wondered as she passed by the simple storefront of a gas station that had been abandoned long ago. How bad would life have been for people to leave everything behind like this? The answerless questions made her uncomfortable, and another shudder ran up her spine as she thought of the ghosts of the people who once lived and worked, who had fought on and for that land, being forgotten forever as the compassionless southern pines swallowed up their memory.

  At least a graveyard has headstones, Jane thought, noting that soon there would be nothing to serve as a reminder that people had lived there.

  “In about a mile, the road is going to end,” Evelyn said, interrupting Jane’s grim thoughts. “Turn right. It was a four-lane highway at one point, so it’s a major road. This far from the city, though, it’s anybody’s guess as to what condition it’s in. It’ll take you straight to Ironhead.”

  “Thanks, Evelyn,” Jane replied, relieved at being close to getting off the spooky side road she had been traveling.

  For a couple more minutes, the truck bumbled along, crushing more greenery and brushing the occasional arm of an evergreen that had boldly reached into the road. Then, like a river’s delta opening into a gulf, the washed-out dirt road opened to where Jane could see the highway fifty yards ahead. Still in the dirt, but not in nearly as claustrophobic a setting, Jane eased the truck into the dusty clearing, tracking along with the tree line on her right.

  She took a breath and let the truck coast. Rolling her shoulders, she tilted her head from side to side, stretching. Her neck and shoulders were burning from being as wound up as she was, and she thought for a second about stopping to walk it off. Given the haunting nature of the forest behind her, Jane thought better of it, as if getting out of her truck right then would be like abandoning a lifeboat to go for a swim.