Kate nodded. “A soldier. A refugee from their fallen homeworld. Thirteen thousand years ago, off the coast of Gibraltar, he tried to destroy the scientists’ vessel—this vessel. He only split it in half. Janus was trapped in the section on the Moroccan side of the Straits of Gibraltar. He longed to resurrect his partner, but he had a secret, something I didn’t realize until two weeks ago.”
“Which was?”
“He wanted to bring her back without some of her memories.”
“The corrupted resurrection files.”
“Yes. I think they’re about something she did. I believe those memories take place on the Atlantean homeworld or possibly on their expedition.”
“Why hide the memories from his partner?”
“It’s something that damaged her beyond repair, changed her.”
“Why didn’t you know about the memories before? Why now?”
“I think her memories were always there, driving me, influencing my decisions. My choice to become an autism researcher, my quest to isolate the Atlantis Gene—it all makes sense in light of these repressed memories. But I think they were activated by the Atlantis Plague. I was only able to see the repressed memories after the final outbreak.”
David nodded, prompting Kate to continue.
“The Atlanteans isolated the genes that control aging. They’re disabled for deep-space explorers. The resurrection process takes a fetus, then implants the memories and matures it to around my current age.”
“Then you emerge from the tube, ready to pick up where you left off,” David said.
“Right. But for me, it didn’t happen. I was a fetus, trapped inside my mother’s body. I got the Atlantean memories—those Janus wanted me to have—but the tube couldn’t develop me to standard age. I was born as a human and lived a human life. I formed my own memories.” She smiled. “Some with you. And then the Atlantis Plague hit. I think the radiation retriggered the resurrection process, the evolutionary components. It’s trying to overwrite the memories I formed, but it’s failing. The resurrection process has a failsafe. If the brain is damaged or resurrection fails, the tube destroys the biological matter and recycles it. It starts over.”
“You’re not in a tube.”
“Correct. But the hard-wired processes are the same. My brain, specifically my temporal lobe, will shut down in a few days, and then my heart will stop. I will die.”
“Won’t you resurrect?”
“No. The tubes in this part of the ship are destroyed.”
David’s mind flashed to a memory of four tubes cracking and crumbling to the floor in a pile of white dust.
“It’s better this way. If I resurrected, I would be the same age, with the same memories and neurological condition. The outcome would be the same. I would die an endless number of times.”
“Purgatory. Like the Atlanteans in Antarctica.”
Kate nodded. “This will be better. I will die here and never resurrect. It will be very peaceful.”
“The hell it will.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“So why all this?” David pointed to the glass vats.
“I’ve been trying to access the lost memories, hoping they could correct my condition.”
David stared at her. “And?”
“They’re gone. Janus must have deleted them. I don’t see how—there are strict regulations around resurrection memory storage. The computer core may have been damaged during the attack. Some memories are corrupted. I had hoped I could find some clue about the enemy that destroyed the Atlantis world, the enemy that could one day come for Earth. It’s the best thing I can do with my time.”
“Not true.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Leave.”
“I can’t—”
“I won’t watch you die here, in a lab, floating in a vat like some experimental rat. Leave with me—”
“I can’t.”
“You can. Look, I grew up on a small farm in North Carolina. I have about half a PhD in Medieval European History, and I’m a really good shot. That about sums me up. I’m in so far over my head here I can’t see the surface, but I will go wherever this road takes us—if we’re together. I’m in love with you. In fact, you’re the only thing I love in this whole world. We can leave here. I can take care of you. You can die like a human. We can enjoy the time you have left, live every day to the fullest.”
“I don’t know…”
“What’s to think about?”
Kate walked away from him. “I’m not going to run away and wither and die. I want to fight. I’m going to press on. I’m going to do whatever I can to help people. That’s why I became a scientist. It’s what I dedicated my life to, and I won’t change in my final hour for a few days of comfort. This is how I want to spend my last hours.”
“What about dying with dignity? About spending the time we have left together?”
“I want that too.”
“I can haul you out of here if it would make you feel better.”
Kate smiled. “I’m not scared of you.”
David couldn’t help but shake his head and grin. “I’d like to remind you that I’m a trained killer.”
“I’m only afraid of untrained killers.”
He laughed, almost against his will. “Unbelievable. Look, all I ask is that you consider it—leaving here. The Immari are defeated. The plague is cured. You’ve given enough. Sleep on it. Let’s talk in the morning, and I hope, leave together.”
He walked to the doors.
“Where are you going?”
“I need some fresh air.”
Paul had been watching the weather system out the plane’s window, wondering if it was a hurricane or just a bad storm. The rain came, first in sheets, then in a constant gale of water, pushing the plane down, bogging the engines and tossing him, Mary, and the three soldiers around.
The plane banked and plunged again, throwing Paul hard against the seatbelt. He felt Mary’s hand cover his and squeeze hard. He wondered if they would make it to Morocco.
CHAPTER 11
Alpha Lander
1,200 Feet Below Sea Level
Off the Northern Coast of Morocco
Where Kate had needed time and space before, David needed it now.
He tried not to think as he trudged down the ship’s narrow corridors and up the lift to the dank, dark shaft that led to the surface. Against his will, his thoughts drifted to the looming decision. Stay or go.
It was Kate’s decision to make, and he knew that whatever she chose, he would stay with her to the end, no matter what.
He hoped that end wouldn’t be here—in this cold, dark, alien place. He imagined them sitting by the fire at his parents’ home, him reading, her falling asleep in his arms, them sleeping until late in the day, not waking for anyone or anything, living without a care in the world. They deserved it. They had paid their dues.
The faint light of stars broke the total darkness of the round shaft, and David walked out into the moonlit night. Several crates of supplies sat on pallets, some cartons opened and picked over where David and Milo had brought MREs back. The Berbers who controlled Northern Morocco had kept them well-supplied, an obligation they felt they owed David, who had helped them take control of the Immari base at Ceuta. In the distance, the massive base glittered. The lights on the guard towers twinkled and probed the perimeter. The lights from the administrative buildings and houses burned beyond.
The moonlight from above and the burning lights from the base almost made David miss Milo sitting just beyond the farthest crate.
The teenager sat cross-legged, his eyes closed. For a moment, David thought he was asleep, but he opened his eyes slowly and drew a deep breath.
“You should get some sleep, Milo.”
“I would like to. My mind refuses to cooperate.” He stood. “Dr. Kate. Will she live?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Please tell me.”
> “She says she won’t recover. She says Alpha’s diagnosis is correct.”
Milo looked away. “There’s nothing you can do?”
“Sometimes there’s nothing left to do but enjoy the time you have left. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Neither said anything after that. They simply lay on their backs, staring at the stars.
An hour passed, maybe longer. David lost track of time. He was barely awake when Milo broke the silence. “Will you stay here?”
“I hope not.”
“Where?”
“America.”
“Where you’re from?”
“Mmm hmm. North Carolina. Where I grew up. If she’ll go.”
“I want to see America.” Milo glanced over. “It’s why I learned English.”
“You should go.”
In the distance, David heard the crack of a branch snapping. He focused, listened. No further sound came.
“Milo, you still have that radio?” David whispered.
“Yes,” he said, patting his side.
“Go below. Don’t come back until I call you.”
Milo narrowed his eyes, then nodded, and snuck out of the clearing at the top of the mountain, back into the darkened shaft.
David receded behind the closest crate and gripped his sidearm. The footsteps had stopped, but someone was still there. He could feel it.
Kate was exhausted by the time she reached her and David’s bedroom. She didn’t know if the surgery had taken it out of her or if it was the days on end of experiments. Or keeping her secret from David and the release of finally telling him. She slumped onto the bed, just beside the trail of blood on the pillow and sheet.
Slowly, she pulled the sheets and pillow cases off, tossed them on the bed of the cabin across the hall and placed new sheets on the bed.
She was asleep the second her head hit the pillow.
Before she opened her eyes, Kate knew the bed was empty. The narrow crew quarter beds weren’t designed for two, and they slept a lot warmer with both David and her present. Still, she reached her hand across and touched the cold space where he would have lain.
At that moment, she made her decision.
She would spend her last days with David, wherever he wanted. She was doing it for him, as much as for herself.
She closed her eyes again, and the sleep that came was the best she had had since… she could remember.
Waiting was a poor strategy. David assumed that the person beyond the tree line knew his general position and might not be alone.
He was about to dart to the next crate of supplies when a strong voice called into the night, a voice David knew. “It’s nice to see that your instincts haven’t faded.”
David rose and found Sonja, the chief of the Berber tribe that now controlled Ceuta, emerging from the forest, an amused expression on her face.
“You could have announced yourself.”
“Like you, I prefer the element of surprise.”
David smiled, appreciating her reference to his surprise attack and takeover of the Immari base—with her and her tribe’s help.
He motioned to the crates. “I think you’ve oversupplied us.”
Sonja’s playful smile faded. “Not for what’s to come.”
David glanced at the base. Yes, the lights were more than the usual night watch. They were preparing for an attack.
“How soon?”
“Days. Possibly even tomorrow. If the spies are right, the Immari counterattack will be global. A war on every continent.”
“How? I thought they were finished.”
“They’ve consolidated their forces. And they’re attracting new devotees. They’ve begun taking power plants and food depots around the world.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Many don’t want the world to return to the way it was. The Immari alternative, their worldview, appeals to many.”
David scanned the base again. “You’re not planning for the base’s defense. You’re planning for an attack.”
Sonja nodded. “The Immari have been moving into the mountainous regions, trying to take the high ground where they can prolong the fight. The Spanish plan to drive them to the sea, to within range of our rail guns. We can finish them, force a surrender—assuming we can hold our ground here.”
David nodded. “Good plan.”
“It’s part of a larger plan. The Orchid Alliance is contemplating a final offensive to finish the Immari once and for all.” She pointed to a plane waiting on the runway. “I’m traveling to America at first light. I’ll be the representative for Northern Africa.”
“Representative to what?”
“A global war council.”
David had a feeling about what she was working up to. “Congratulations,” he said, turning away.
“I was hoping…”
“That I would run Ceuta in your absence.”
“You could save lives—again.”
David’s eyes lingered on the dark corridor that led to the ship and Kate. “I can’t.”
“The woman you came here to save.”
“Yes. She’s sick. She needs me.”
“Watching a loved one suffer is the worst torture on Earth. If you stay here, you should take the supplies below. I don’t know how long the offensive will last.”
“We’ve considered spending her final days in America.” David glanced back at the runway, at the plane he had flown to Ceuta from Malta. “But if you’re taking the plane…”
Sonja smiled. “I’ll drop you off. It’s the least I can do for what you’ve done for my people.”
“That’s much appreciated.”
It began raining, and they both gazed into the distance. The downpour seemed to gather strength by the second.
“Looks like a big one,” David said.
Sonja turned her head sharply, as if she had heard something.
David moved closer to her, his posture defensive.
She pressed a finger to her ear piece. “There’s an incoming flight. American military transport requesting clearance to land. The person on board identifies himself as Dr. Paul Brenner. He wishes to speak with Dr. Warner. He says she can verify him.”
David considered the request. He had never met Paul Brenner, and he wondered how he might verify his identity. With the looming war, David considered the possibility that the caller was an Immari impostor hoping his flight could slip past the rail guns to hit the base. “Ask him how Dr. Warner cured the plague.”
A few seconds later, Sonja related Brenner’s response: “He says it’s a trick question. He doesn’t know. Only that she found something in Malta and transmitted it to him at Continuity. He would like to ask her the same question.”
“Ask him if that’s why he’s here.”
“No,” Sonja said. “He says it’s about a code on a radio satellite, that it could be related to what was found in Gibraltar and Antarctica.”
David frowned, the rain falling in sheets on him now.
“You want us to divert him?”
“No,” David said. “Let him land. But guard him. Have several men bring him up here. Don’t let him inside.” For some reason, David thought it best to keep everyone out of the ship. “I’ll bring Kate up.”
CHAPTER 12
Alpha Lander
1,200 Feet Below Sea Level
Off the Northern Coast of Morocco
David had tip-toed back into the bedroom, but it didn’t matter.
He sat in the chair before the small table and faced the bed. “I can tell you’re awake.”
Kate sat up. “How do you always know?”
“You smile a little, like you’re hiding something. You’d make a terrible spy.”
Kate held that cute smile he liked so much for a few more seconds. Then it was gone, and it felt as though every last breath of air had been sucked out of the room.
“I’ve decided.”
David eyed the floor.
“Nor
th Carolina sounds nice.”
“It will be. And we’ll be happy there.”
“I know we will. Knowing I don’t have much time left has given me some perspective, reminded me of what’s important. That’s you. I do have two requests.”
David felt a little pit form in his stomach. “Go ahead.”
“First, the two boys who were taken from my lab. I left them with a couple in Spain when the Immari invaded the Orchid District in Marbella. After… When I’m gone, I want you to find them and make sure they’re safe and provided for.”
“I will. The other request?”
When Kate finished telling him, David simply stared at her. “That’s a tall order.”
“I’ll understand if you say no.”
“I’m saying yes. I’ll do it, even if it kills me.”
“I hope it won’t.”
After the plane ride and landing, the Jeep ride through the Moroccan mountains felt like a picnic to Paul. He sat beside Mary in the backseat, two Moroccan guards in the front. They had made Paul’s military escorts wait with the plane. The man staring back at them, holding a rifle that looked like it was from World War II, made Paul even more nervous than the torrential downpour and reckless driving.
In the distance, he heard a roll of thunder that nearly deafened him.
He looked back, but the rain almost blotted out the view. What little bit he saw horrified him. A wave of water twenty feet tall rose from the ocean and slammed into the sprawling army base. Another wave. It carried something. Paul tried to focus. It looked… like a cruise ship. It spun on top of the wave, like a plastic toy being washed ashore by the tide. It slammed into the base, flattening everything it rolled over.
Paul’s mouth went dry.
Water rushed across the unpaved road, and he felt the Jeep skidding, losing traction as it climbed the mountain.
“Slower!” Paul shouted.
The soldier raised his rifle to Paul and yelled at him.
The driver accelerated even faster, and Paul motioned to Mary to buckle up. A wave caught the Jeep and tossed it off the muddy road a few seconds later.