by Cherry Adair
"Right now, you know what I know. Asteroid DW17C has changed course over the last few minutes, with a new trajectory toward Earth. If you would hold your thoughts until I've spoken to Dr. Halperin, I'd appreciate it."
"What can you tell me?" he asked, as Brock Halperin walked into view on the center screen. In his sixties, Halperin had the deep chest of a Brahman bull and the tenacity of a honey badger. The man rarely left his precious lab, hence his pasty white skin. The dandelion-fluff of his white-blond hair surrounded his head like a halo. Finn had hired him, one of NASA's top scientists, to run his space lab six years ago. Halperin was brilliant, tireless, and fearless.
"The point of impact is a direct hit to South America." Halperin gave Finn a pointed look, as he signed, without looking at it, something someone stuck under his nose and nodded at someone else off camera. He was like a conductor, not in the least distracted by handling questions, and requests from his staff on site as he talked to Finn. And aware that half a dozen Heads of State were in on the video conference.
"In fact, twenty nautical miles from your location." Cocking his head, Halperin narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't seem to surprise you."
"It doesn't, and one day, when I tell you why, your brilliant scientific brain will explode."
"I look forward to that 'one day'," Halperin said dryly. "Do we knock this thing out with a nuclear explosive? At NASA we did blast deflection studies for nuclear explosives, as you know. Might be the only strategy to effectively deflect something of this magnitude into a different trajectory and steer it away from Earth's orbital path. I think everyone would agree that this is an appropriate time to ignore the ban on using nuclear explosives in outer space." Halperin held up his hand, talked quietly to one of his techs, then returned his attention to his monitor to look at Finn
"Nobody will give a flying fuck about the illegality of it." Finn stroked his hand absently along the length of Peri's hair down her back. "My concern is, if the result of sending up a nuke fractures the asteroid instead of deflecting it."
"Quite," Elon Musk, up on screen, said briskly. "The smaller pieces would still negatively impact the earth. Not a good idea."
Branson's light flashed. "Sending up nukes would be like sending a flamethrower to get rid of a moth instead of a flyswatter. Both would do the job, but the flyswatter and the person holding it can be more precise because we could control exactly where to hit the asteroid. Head it in the right direction."
"I agree," Finn said. "No nukes."
"Agreed," The President of the United States interjected. "We’ve anticipated this possibility for decades, and are still studying methods we would use in the unhappy eventuality that we are attacked from deep space. But it's as expensive as hell, which is why we've privatized most of our space programs.
In other words, ‘I'm scared as shit, it's all yours Finn.’
Finn met the eyes of Branson, Bezos, and Musk. "I understand, Mr. President."
The President of France lit his screen to indicate he wanted to speak. "I concur, monsieur Gallagher," he said, his features conveying the seriousness of the situation. "We have neither the expertise nor finances to get the job done within the time constraints."
"I agree," the Prime Minister of England added. "You gentlemen are years ahead of any government program. Clearly, we do not have years. I hope to God you have a solution to this dire situation. I'm going to go and kiss my grandchildren now. Keep me apprised of progress." Her portion of the screen went dark.
"Who else has a spaceship ready to launch today?" Finn addressed the other three men in the competitive manned space flight race with him. He enjoyed the neck and neck competition. They challenged each other to be first to take passengers to the moon. Of course, he enjoyed it more because so far he was miles ahead of his competition. Still, they kept him on his toes.
"We're a year out," Musk said.
Branson, never one to show his hand, merely said, "At least that."
Bezos shook his head. "Not even close. Are you saying you're capable of sending up a ship right now? Today, Gallagher?"
Finn nodded. "We are." He'd kept that information top secret, they'd had no idea how close he was.
There was a trio of Fuck!
"How soon can we launch?" Finn asked Halperin.
"We have her on the launch pad now, prepping for next week’s Mars test. At your word, we'll have her in the air in three hours."
"Word."
Halperin nodded to someone out of camera view. Above each screen in the room where Finn stood, a large digital clock started counting down the hours, minutes and seconds to launch. "We're calculating the coordinates necessary to make impact to knock DW17C off course. We're removing all safety checks. Have that info to you within the hour."
Using the latest iteration of a rocket that had taken almost a decade to build and test, and cost multi-billions, as a kinetic impactor, suddenly seemed like a good fucking investment.
"Gentlemen, if I may, I’d like to confer with the experts privately. We'll keep you apprised of our progress every step of the way."
The President of France rubbed his jaw nervously. "When should we alert the public? Too soon and we instill panic and pandemonium."
"Hold off on that. The fewer people who know about this-" He didn't need to finish. In this case, ignorance was bliss if this thing went sideways. "I'll let you know if it becomes necessary." Finn sounded a whole lot more confident than he felt. There were so many fucking ways this was FUBAR.
The group of World leaders reluctantly signed off.
There would be no need to alert the public if things didn't go as planned. They'd know when a fucking thirteen mile wide, flaming rock landed on their house and shoved it miles deep into the Earth's crust.
"Gentlemen, I'm sure you all have thoughts and theories as where best to target the asteroid," he addressed his competitors, now we’re all in this together. "We have a rocket. Now we must know precisely where to hit DW17C to have the most impact. Literally. Let's reconvene in one hour with a consensus."
The wall monitor went dark as the men went to consult with their own teams.
"How long until the rocket achieves impact?" Finn asked Halperin, knowing he, and his fellow scientists, were already calculating, velocity and area of impact. In the background, he could see various computer monitors spitting out information. That same information was being relayed to Finn's computers on board Blackstar and showing on a side screen.
"Fourteen hours, plus the three readying the launch."
Finn scrubbed his rough jaw. "Keep me apprised every step," Finn paused, "Brock. I'm damn glad to have you at Blackstar."
"Big bucks and this kind of excitement? Hell, happy to be here." Brock Halperin disappeared from view. The cameras panned out to encompass the entire Mojave control room, which was now a hive of activity as his staff readied themselves for an early launch.
"Jesus," Rydell Case said. "This is surreal. The time frame is- Terrifying."
"Seventeen hours and this should be over." Should. There was no need to tell them that the kinetic impactor may very well not be effective in changing the orbit of such a large asteroid.
Peri looked up at him, eyes large in her pale face, freckles standing out as if they were floating above her skin. Dark circles made her eyes look more blue than jade, her hair was a wild, flaming tangle down her back. All she needed was a flaming sword in her hand, and she'd be the warrior woman foretold by Blackstar.
"Now what?"
"Now, my love, on the off chance the world really is going to end, we're getting married."
Halfway out of her chair, the blood drained from Peri's head. "Marr—What's this? An Armageddon proposal?"
Cupping her jaw, Finn smiled. "If there's a scintilla of a chance that happens, I want to make sure we're bound together for the time we have left."
Her brother strolled over to narrow his eyes at them.
"Whatever you have to say, Rydell," Peri told him, keeping her atten
tion on Finn. "Hurry up and say it. We might not have tomorrow. I refuse to die fighting with you. And would you please hurry up about it? I'm being proposed to right now."
"I just want you happy, Magma. I love you. Always have. That’s all that matters. If the world's ending, I'm not wasting time being mad. I have no beef with Gallagher, if you love him, he's family. But just because you seem to have embraced the damned Cutters, doesn't mean I have to. But my love for you will never change.”
Peri turned to face Ry. Linking her fingers with Finn's, drawing strength from him. A united front. She held her brother's gaze. "It might when I tell you a secret I've never told a soul."
"Never happen."
"Before you tell anyone else anything," Finn said, putting a finger under her chin, turning her face to him, "answer my question." His face was serious, his eyes intent.
Peri turned to wrap her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses, each one punctuated with, "Yes. Yes. Yes." Marriage had never crossed her mind. She'd never wanted it, or not wanted it, it had just never been a thing for her. Now she wanted to marry Finn with every fiber of her being.
"Okay, everyone let's get ready for another wedding," Callie said cheerfully clapping her hands. "The priest I brought with me is still on board, I think."
"No, he left with the police," Bria told her, sending a worried glance Peri's way. "But I'm sure Finn's captain can marry them."
"What secret, Magma? What could you possibly have kept hush-hush from me that would matter now?
The women were trying to defuse a tense situation, but their cheer actually made Peri feel bad. Mouth dry, she pushed out the words she’d sworn to herself she would never utter out loud. To anyone. Of course at the time she hadn't known the world was about to end.
Maybe she should just shut up and take the secret to her grave. And maybe not. Locking eyes with her brother, tightening her fingers between Finn's, Peri said, "Mom had an affair with Daniel Cutter."
TWENTY-SIX
Ry frowned, attempting to interpret the words as if she'd just spoken in the Abipón.
A sense of dread filled her, pressing down on her chest, making her eyes sting. She hated reflecting on her childhood, and she'd never, ever thought she'd mention this to another living soul.
"Say what?!" Logan's voice was dangerously low as he came closer.
"You heard her." Nick gripped his older brother's shoulder, holding him back.
"Are you saying … yeah, you are, aren't you?" Zane took an aggressive step forward, but Teal grabbed his arm and halted him in his tracks. "You think our father was your father?"
"I know he was. My mother told me so."
"Magma, that's just not true. There was trouble in their marriage. Yeah, they fought all the time, but they loved each other. Loved us.."
Her throat tightened, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. Vulnerable emotions she'd kept at bay for years, were exposed, leaving her nerve endings and emotions stripped of their protective coverings. She hated feeling this exposed.
"They loved you, Ry. Between one day and the next Dad refused to look at me. The next day he left. He'd found out that mom had lied to him from the moment I was conceived. Five years of lies. I knew you were aware of how she felt about me because you always tried to compensate for her coldness. I loved you for that and so much more."
Finn's hand tightened on hers. A small show of support, but huge for Peri. "After she died, I found the letters she'd written, and never mailed, to Daniel Cutter. They confirmed what she'd told me. She wrote that she loved him, sacrificed her marriage, was saddled with a kid she didn't want, based on his promises to return for her. Each letter got progressively angrier, more desperate. In the end, she told him he'd ruined her life, and she was left with nothing. She hated him. She hated m-me."
"Ah, Jesus, Magna. That's not true."
"She told me she did. I was twelve." Peri gave him a steady look, seeing the pain of belief in his eyes. The dawning realization of why their mother had treated them so differently. "I was the nothing she was left with."
Rydell winced. "She had emotional problems, love. I should never have left you with her."
"Of course you couldn't have taken a little girl with you for months on end. I wouldn't've left Adam with her anyway. Half the time she forgot his damned doctor appointments. I forgave her a long time ago. But I can't let this secret follow me to my grave."
"Why didn't you tell me this years ago?"
"Because I didn't want to see you looking at me as you're looking at me now. I didn't want you to hurt because you thought I was hurt. I never planned to tell any of you. But just in case-"
Finn squeezed her hand. "No one's dying today."
"I know," Peri said with confidence before turning back to the others. "Despite my preconceived ideas, I was shocked myself when I discovered how much I like you, guys. You deserve the truth." God, it felt good to be free of the burden of holding the secret inside for so long. Peri felt a little like a helium balloon as her guilt lifted, giving her an unfamiliar feeling of lightness and buoyancy that was intoxicating.
Releasing Finn's hand, she went to hug her brother tightly, whispering in his ear, "You'll always be my hero, and obviously, my favorite brother. Please tell me this doesn't change how you feel about me, now."
Ry took her face in his big hands. "I've loved you since the day you were born, Persephone. Nothing, and no one, can change the bond we’ve always had. Love isn't finite, it expands to encompass as many people as you want. Your happiness makes everything else noise. Now go. Everyone is waiting to participate in the love-fest."
"I love you."
Her brother ran his finger down the slope of her nose. "Ditto." As soon as Peri turned around, Bria came over to give her a tight hug. "Welcome to the family, Peri. We can never have too many sisters."
Callie came in next. "Thank God," she said against Peri's hair. "I hated that my love for Jonah kept us apart. You're the sister of my heart, and I love you so damned much, and my loyalties being torn, was breaking my heart."
Peri's eyes blurred. "I'm sorry."
"My turn," Teal said, coming forward. "I'm not a hugger, but with this family, I'm learning." She gave Peri a quick catch and release. "Welcome to the family." She stepped out of the way for Nick.
Nick lifted her chin so Peri looked directly into his startling blue eyes. "You spent all those years baiting us to see if we would come over to Sea Witch and demand to know who you were and why you were stealing from us, didn't you? You wanted us to come to you. I wondered if you'd ever tell us."
"Wait. You wondered?" Zane demanded, grabbing his upper arm. "You knew about this? How and why the fuck didn't you tell us?"
Nick lifted a brow, his lips twitching. "You forget that I do work for a counterterrorist organization, brother. I knew within days of her pirating you. Seven years ago."
"And it didn't occur to you to mention it to the rest of us?" Jonah said mildly. "Especially considering how I came to be in the family."
"It wasn't my secret to tell. Just as your secret wasn't mine to tell," Nick told Jonah. "Come and hug your sister so she can get ready for a hasty wedding. We have more pressing issues right now."
"If she's getting married, they should do the deed at Cutter Cay, it's only fitting," Zane announced.
Nick smiled. "That's something we will definitely plan for- later."
For the next few minutes Peri was swept into the arms of her half-brothers and passed along like a birthday package.
Jonah wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. "One of these days, I'll tell you how I introduced myself to our brothers. Half brothers. Daniel was my father, too. You aren't the only one in the family with acting chops." His smile reached all the way to his devilish, Cutter-blue eyes as he released her. "Welcome to the family, Sea Witch, glad to have you."
When Jonah let her go, Peri's gaze went to her brother, who stood apart from the activity, to gauge his reaction to all this. It wou
ld break her heart if Ry felt as though, now that she had this big happy family, he was excluded. She sent him a look filled with questions which, knowing her as well as he did, he easily read.
He smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
She cocked her head, trying to read any nuances in his expression. Really?
Ry mouthed, "All good. Swear to God." And twirled a finger to continue.
"My turn." Logan took his place, hugging her with a genuine warmth. All this emotion made her chest hurt. It was almost too much, too soon. She lived on her own, sailed on her own, went weeks without speaking to a single soul, and now she had an entire army of family and a man who loved her.
She emerged from the tight hug with Logan. "Now you have five brothers to watch your back. Good thing we already like Finn. We’ll need some time to work with Rydell, but we're Cutter's we can do this."
Laughing, Peri pushed her hair over her shoulders and returned to Finn's side. "God help me. I'll never get away with anything."
"When were you born?" Zane asked. "Checking birth order here." When Peri told him, he shot her a smile. "Excellent. Now, you're the baby of the family."
She smiled back. "Weird, but surprisingly wonderful."
Her smile faded when she noticed Finn was on the phone. When it looked as though he was finished, she gave him a worried glance. "Is something wrong?" She rolled her eyes. "Is something more wrong?"
"The captain will marry us on the bridge in thirty minutes. It's going to have to be quicker than Elvis marrying us in the Chapel of Whatever in Vegas. I want to be there for the launch."
Shoulders hunched, Ry said thickly, "Jesus, this is all happening so fast. This isn't what I wanted for you, Magma. I've only ever wanted you happy, and knowing that you've kept this secret for most of your life - that you were unhappy, kills me.
