Natural Selection
Page 37
“Oh my God.” Jason turned away, unable to watch.
Lisa wanted to look away but couldn’t. She watched with shockingly cold eyes. There was no point in grieving for Darryl Hollis. They were next. A drop of saliva the size of a water balloon splashed in front of them, and she barely reacted. She simply exhaled.
“Jason . . . I don’t want to die like Darryl did.”
“What do you mean?”
She turned. “The explosives he gave you.”
He looked at her. She was serious. “You sure?”
“If you’re OK with it.”
He swallowed nervously. Then grabbed a flare. He started to remove two black bricks from a pocket when he paused and looked at her, the sparks reflecting in her eyes. “I love you, Lisa.”
She ignored everything around them. Every single thing. “I love you, too.”
The predators rumbled, now jockeying for position in the air, fighting over which got first dibs.
Jason tossed the flare away and removed the explosives, holding them with both hands. “Take the remote out of my right pocket.”
Lisa did and placed it on top of the bombs.
He stared into her eyes. “You’re sure?”
The rumbles grew louder, and she swallowed. “Yes.”
Suddenly three predators plunged down.
Lisa’s hands started to shake, but Jason held firm, positioning a finger over the button.
The creatures hurtled closer, suddenly roaring with deafening volume. . . .
Lisa continued to shake, crying now, closing her eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jason noticed a creature on the ground, jerking away from a flare, apparently afraid of it. Just like the dead one had been afraid of fire.
The creatures zoomed closer, roaring, mouths open, teeth growing larger. . . .
But then nothing happened. Lisa opened her eyes. The explosives and remote were gone, the creatures flown off. Jason was just standing there with a flare in his hand. “They’re afraid of these.”
Lisa didn’t have time to respond.
Jason grabbed three more flares off the rock, handed her two, then yanked her toward the entrance tunnel, and they sprinted for dear life.
Lisa didn’t look up. She just ran as hard as she could.
One flare in each hand, Jason couldn’t believe it. The creatures weren’t attacking. Gliding above, they seemed to be letting them go. The tunnel rapidly came closer, a hundred feet away, eighty feet, sixty, thirty . . .
They ran right in. The Demonrays didn’t follow.
They ran and ran and ran. Jason turned back. All he saw was dark air. Nothing was following.
Lisa ran as hard as she could, legs kicking, arms pumping. She was very fast and got ahead of him.
Jason looked back again, slowing considerably. This was too easy. Something wasn’t right. He looked up. Were they hanging from the ceiling? The walls? He didn’t see them anywhere.
He turned forward. Lisa was much farther ahead now. Beyond her, he saw a small dot of light in the distance. The outside. He turned back. There was still nothing near, just silent, dark passageway.
Lisa ran hard. The dot of light was no dot now, but something much larger, only half a football field away. Almost there. She ran hard. She passed the explosives Darryl had put down earlier, then turned back. Without taking her eyes off Jason, she removed the remote and walked backward to the entrance.
Gasping for breath, Jason told himself he was going to make it. He turned back a final time. There was just an empty dark void. He started to turn forward. . . .
As a dozen creatures rocketed out of the darkness.
“Jesus.” Lisa stepped back. They’d appeared so suddenly, filling the entire space, like water gushing into a pipe.
Jason immediately knew the animals were moving much too fast. He wasn’t going to make it. Lisa had to blow the tunnel; she had to blow it right now.
She saw the creatures were almost on top of him. She stepped back, her finger on the button, not pressing down. Jason was so close, almost there, almost past the explosives. . . . She backed completely out of the darkness and into the light, not taking her eyes off him.
He looked back at her, and his eyes said it. I love you. And don’t wait.
She pressed the button.
Like an earthquake, the entire mountain shook. Lisa was thrown hard to the rock as the great space fell on top of itself, massive boulders plunging with violent, loud crashes. As the rocks settled, nothing flew out of the space. Nothing walked out either.
Then she couldn’t see. Thick clouds of black dust rose up. Lisa ran into them, looking everywhere. Jason was leaning against a boulder the size of an SUV. She extended a hand and they entered the clean air.
She hugged him. “It’s over, my God, Jason. It’s finally over.”
Over the twinkling of falling pebbles, he eyed the distant sea. “You think?”
She broke the hug. “You don’t?”
He eyed her cryptically. “Lisa, I think this was just the beginning.”
EPILOGUE
BEYOND THE clanging glasses and chatter, Jason Aldridge and Lisa Barton stood alone on the balcony, admiring the distant sunset over the Pacific Ocean. They hadn’t enjoyed a sunset in a while. After the San Diego funerals of Darryl and Monique Hollis, Craig Summers, and Phil Martino, Jason and Lisa had done nothing but prepare for this moment. And now it was finally here. Their “coming-out party.” A dinner/news conference presenting them and the new order of Demonray to the entire world. A roomful of tables, each with white linen tablecloths and patterned Spode china set for ten awaited. While guests dined on rack of lamb and seared tuna, Jason and Lisa would make a full slide-show presentation. Notes, pictures, charts, and detailed commentary from Bandar Vishakeratne of Princeton and Mike Cohen of UC Berkeley would also be highlighted. Publicists had tirelessly promoted the event to every major TV station and newspaper around and, in the words of one, “hyped it to the moon.” Besides the media, the guest list of 250 was a virtual who’s who of the most respected ichthyologists, oceanographers, and evolutionary biologists alive. They’d come from far and wide to this tasteful oceanside reception hall in Laguna Beach, an hour south of Los Angeles. Soon they would make Jason Aldridge and Lisa Barton household names.
“Hors d’oeuvre, sir?” In a tuxedo and white gloves, an enormous eighteen-year-old, probably a football player from the local high school, held out a tray filled with tasty little morsels.
Jason peered down. “What are those?”
“Carmelized onions on crostini with Gorgonzola cheese, sir.”
Jason gave the kid a look. “Pretty fancy. You pick those out?”
The kid smiled. “The catering manager, sir.”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Ma’am?”
“Oh, thank you.” Lisa took one. “Mmm, delicious.”
The kid went back inside, and Jason shook his head at all of it. “Swanky affair, huh?”
Lisa nodded sadly. “Craig and Darryl would have loved it.”
“Yeah.” Jason exhaled, sadder than he could say. Then he kissed Lisa’s hand. “Look at my beautiful fiancée.”
She smiled at her new one-carat diamond engagement ring. A celebrity would have laughed at its size, but Lisa Barton absolutely loved her ring. She loved the man who’d given it to her even more. “Thank you, Jason. For everything.”
“Want a drink?”
“Sure.”
They entered the reception area, heading toward a tiny crowded bar when—
“Excuse me. Jason, Lisa?”
They turned. And so did their stomachs. It was Harry Ackerman, as cold-eyed and even-tempered as ever. “How are you two doing?”
With several reporters in earshot, the couple just stared at him.
“What do you want?” Jason said in a loud voice meant to be overheard.
Ackerman’s pleasant demeanor evaporated. “Everything here is my property. Every last thing.”
Ackerman blinked. “Oh. Yes, I heard about that. I couldn’t make it.”
“But you didn’t send chocolates either.”
Ackerman started looking self-conscious. Jason was staring at him with palpable rage. He was the evening’s star attraction, and several reporters were beginning to take notice.
“You also didn’t make it to Craig and Phil’s funerals.”
Ackerman looked away, saying nothing.
“You remember Phil Martino, don’t you, Harry?” Again, more volume.
The eyes remained calm. “This is my news conference.”
“I said you remember Phil Martino, don’t you?” The entire room was watching them now.
“Yes, I remember him.” People Ackerman didn’t know were starting to give him angry looks. “Everything related to the discoveries you made while working for me is my property. It’s in the contracts, and I want all of it.”
“You terminated the contracts and voided your rights. My attorney assured me of that.”
Ackerman paused. “I didn’t think attorneys were your style, Jason.”
“They weren’t.” He glanced at Lisa. “My technical adviser suggested I get one. Take us to court if you don’t like it.”
“You son of a bitch. I will.”
Jason almost smiled. “Will you? Because I heard you had to declare bankruptcy and are under investigation by the IRS, too. You sure you have the financial resources for a lawsuit?”
Ackerman couldn’t retort. It was all true. One of his companies had defaulted on several loans he was personally liable for. To cover it, the banks had already acquired his stock and bond portfolios and were in the process of taking possession of his massive La Jolla home.
Jason thrust out a powerful hand, daring the man to shake it. “But thanks for coming by to congratulate us.”
Ackerman just eyed the hand nervously. And Lisa laughed hard in his face. Others didn’t know what was so funny, but they smiled. Humiliated, Ackerman stormed off.
Before Jason could put his hand down, someone else strode up and shook it. “Jason, it’s great to see you.” Bandar Vishakeratne looked excited. “I just flew in, but I must say these bloody appetizers are the best I’ve ever had.” He raised a tiny plate. “This one right here, I swear to Buddha, is called ‘miniature poppy-seed-and-chive buttermilk blini with onion.’ It tastes fantastic and it’s vegetarian.” He glanced at Lisa. “Do you believe it? Even at Princeton, they don’t serve appetizers like these.”
Jason and Lisa laughed heartily. Then Veesh leaned into Jason and whispered, “All joking aside, my sincerest congratulations to you. From the bottom of my heart, you deserve this, all of it, and I’m honored to participate.”
Jason shook the hand warmly. “Thank you very much, Veesh. By the way, have you met my colleague and fiancée, Lisa Barton?”
“Fiancée?” Veesh smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lisa. You know, I’m sure you’re very accomplished; but I must say, I think you’ve landed a good one here.”
Lisa chuckled. Then Veesh excused himself and the pair returned to the balcony. It was so quiet out here, the sunset even more beautiful than it had been a moment ago.
Lisa turned to her husband-to-be. “Did I tell you how proud I am of you?”
“Lisa, we both—we all did this.”
“But you were our leader. You guided us. You even trusted us. You wanted this more than anyone, and . . . I mean it: I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you very much.” No one had said these words to him in his entire life.
He looked up at the sky. “Want to get liquored up after all this?”
She laughed hard. “Definitely.”
He studied the horizon. The creatures in the caves were long since dead. Hundreds of National Guard troops had descended upon the mountains north of Redwood National Park, then dynamited every passageway above and below the waterline. One dead specimen had been transported to Laguna Beach for the presentation tonight. Near the slide projector inside, the great body was covered by a nylon tarp and being guarded by four men with neat haircuts and concealed weapons.
As Jason stared up at the heavens, he saw none of their beauty. Despite his excitement over his and Lisa’s budding fame, he’d been troubled for months, speculating over what Craig Summers had once said that night in the cabin: What if a million Demonrays made their way to the land? Or just a few thousand? Or even ten or twenty?
“You OK?”
He turned to Lisa. “Fine.”
“What’s with the spooky look in your eye?”
“Nothing.”
“Really opening up to your fiancée, huh?”
He didn’t smile. “I’m worried, Lisa. I’m still really worried.”
They’d discussed this before. “About more of them coming to land?”
“Maybe a lot more.”
“You don’t know that’s going to happen, Jason. No one knows that’s going to happen.” She poked him playfully. “We’re about to give the most important presentation of our lives and then we’re getting married. Why don’t we think happy thoughts for a little while?”
He chuckled. Happy thoughts indeed. His life was so much better than it had ever been. “I’ll try to relax.”
She looked at him. “ You OK?”
“I’m great. I mean it. The best I’ve ever been.”
He seemed to mean that. She checked her watch. “We better get started.”
He looked up at the sky, black now, and he noticed the moon. “After you.”
They walked in. And the moon watched them go. Just as it had watched them come. Unblinking, the moon was still watching. Them, every one, every thing. It was watching a seagull hundreds of miles up the California coast. In the last moments of twilight, the bird circled the rolling seas below, looking for its final meal of the day. It spotted movement and dove down. But as it plunged in, it found nothing other than a strand of kelp that it had mistaken for a fish. The gull returned to the surface and floated lazily, staring at the place where the sunset had just faded into the oblivion. Then it pushed off and flew toward the shore.
As the gull disappeared, it had no idea it had just saved its own life. Through the shimmering watery plane, the newborn Demonrays were watching it. Born to the sea, their food had disappeared again, and they were in the midst of another migration. This time their destination wasn’t at sea, but on land, a place where they’d already detected massive amounts of prey. Only not seagulls and not bears, either. For the moment, they remained hungry. And perfectly still. So still they seemed like they weren’t even there. And maybe, one day, they wouldn’t be. Maybe nothing would. Maybe there would only be what there always had been. The rolling ocean, the blowing wind, and the moon. The moon from a never-ending sea of pure and absolute darkness, it was still watching.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you very much to Bob Miller, Will Schwalbe, Marly Rusoff, Leslie Wells, Jeff and Marian Freedman, Steve and Judy Katcher, and David Groff. I am truly grateful to all of you for helping make Natural Selection a reality. I’d also like to thank Sarah Schaffer and her colleagues in sales for their enthusiastic response to the book and for really getting behind it. Along the same lines, I am also indebted to Corinna Harmon, Jane Comins, Katie Wainwright, Jill Sansone, and Phil Rose. In particular, I’d like to thank Ellen Archer, who believed in this project from day one right through to publication.
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 David Freedman LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information address Hyperion, 77 West 66th Street, New York, New York 10023-6298.
ISBN: 9781401384586
1. California—Fiction. I. Title.
First eBook Edition: March 2007
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Dave Freedman, Natural Selection