Gaia Dreams (Gaiaverse Book 1) (55 page)

Power People Home, Table Rock Lake

Lisanne lay under the covers and stared at the
sheets. White sheets. With little pink and yellow flowers. Ugh. Why couldn't
she have remembered to pick up some purple sheets when she was doing all that
shopping? She yelped as Merlin jumped onto her stomach.

"Hey, watch it! That's me you're attacking," she
said, poking her head out from under the ugly sheets. Merlin crouched on her
abdomen and stared at her.

"Now don't get on my case, furball. You know as
well as I do that Sergeant Wachowski had me at that damn power station till all
hours last night getting ready for this morning." Then she stopped and looked
around the room. The overhead light was on! The lamp on the night stand was
glowing!

"We have power!" She whooped and threw off the
covers onto Merlin's head. Running to the light switch, she flicked it on and
off several times, a big grin plastered on her face. "That is so totally cool!"

Merlin growled at her and stalked out from under
the sheets and jumped to the floor. Nudging the back of Lisanne's legs, he
finally got her attention. She watched as he sat in front of his laptop
computer, which was sitting open on the floor by the walk-in closet.

"So you've written to me? That's never good. Why
is it, Merlin, that you always save the difficult messages for the computer?"
She sighed and sat down on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest.
Black satin pajamas covered her legs, but she wasn't sitting on a bare floor.
It was covered in a plush gray pile carpet, which, Lisanne thought, would work
well with a black and purple color scheme. She was distracted from envisioning
black velvet drapes over the tall windows by Merlin butting his head into her
arm.

"Okay, okay, what dire news do I have to see
this morning?"

Merlin had typed up a speech for her already.

YOU NEED TO SET UP TELESCOPE

NOT SURE WHY YET

BUT I KNOW ITS IMPORTANT

EVEN IF YOU ARE TIRED TONIGHT

SET UP TELESCOPE

SOMETHING GOING ON

NOT SURE ANYONE ELSE KNOWS ABOUT IT

BUT YOU HAVE THE TELESCOPES

SO YOU NEED TO DO IT

Lisanne stared at the computer screen and then
at Merlin. "Let's see. You are very aware of the work I'm going to be doing at
the power station. You know John has said if anybody has any free time they
need to either be learning to ride a horse, planting at Gracie's Farm, or
training with Black. Yet you still want me to take the time to look through a
telescope?"

She stood up and went over to the window. The
house was huge--Tommy, her power station cohort--was sure it had been built by
some celebrity from over in Branson. Evidently Branson was a big entertainment
place around here. Lisanne had never heard of it before her arrival at Cape
Fair, but Tommy said there were celebrities, country singers, entertainers, who
had multi-million dollar homes on the lake. Looking out at the lake beyond the
house, at the perfect view, at the complex deck system that allowed all the
bedrooms access to their balconies, she could easily believe Tommy was right.
The view was good because the elevation was higher than the surrounding area.
And that deck outside her bedroom would probably work for the telescopes for
now.

Lisanne picked up Merlin and wandered out the
fancy double doors with their beveled glass onto the balcony. "I know that you
know I haven't done anything related to astronomy since you've been with me. I
dropped it completely. And you know what? I didn't even miss it."

Merlin meowed softly.

"Okay, I'll tell you why. It was when I was
doing my dissertation. And I ran across some research about the slim likelihood
of planets out there capable of life like ours. You know we are pretty unique?
I never wanted to believe that. I always secretly hoped that we'd find other
life out there someday. But then--my mother died. And it all just caved in on
me. She hadn't been a very good mother, but she was all I had left for family.
And the way she died was so stupid. Her drinking was so stupid. Nothing really
mattered to her. And then I really was all alone, and the universe seemed like
such a cold and lonely place. And I didn't want to see it anymore. So I cut
myself off from it--and I guess, if I'm going to be truthful, at least with you
Merlin--I guess I cut myself off from everything then. But looking around me
now, thinking about all that has happened, these new people I'm with, and the
amazing fact of talking to you, Merlin, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't that the
world caved in on me. Maybe I just caved in on myself. I isolated myself on my
little island of pain and sadness and childhood loneliness, surrounded by an
ocean of need. And then, the other day when I was out with John and we bought
that second telescope, it occurred to me to wonder why I had packed my
telescope in the trunk of my car when we left Florida. Even though I hadn't
touched it for all those months!"

She tenderly stroked Merlin's shiny black fur
and listened to him purr. "And now you want me to set up the telescopes," she
pondered. "In the middle of all this end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it time, you
want me to look up into the stars again. What the hell aren't you telling me?"

Merlin stopped purring.

"Or is it that you don't really know," she told
him and opened up her mind more. "Yes, that's it, isn't it? You aren't sure
what it is, why we have to do this, but you are certain that we have to do it.
Something important. Oh God!" Her grasp on Merlin tightened and he growled at
her.

"It's not an asteroid, is it? Because I don't
think this planet could take that on top of everything else!"

Merlin jumped out of her arms and ran back
inside to the computer. Lisanne followed him.

NOT ASTEROID NOT THE RIGHT WORD

I WOULD TELL YOU THAT DUMMY

BUT IT IS SOMETHING

SOMETHING IS OUT THERE

Lisanne gaped at him. "Something is out there?
Give me a fucking break, Merlin! You're starting to sound like a science
fiction movie. Oh, yeah," she continued sarcastically, waving her arms around, "something
is out there. What? A monolith? A ship full of aliens come to rescue us or
annihilate us?" She snorted. "Something is out there, my ass, Merlin! I'll tell
you what's out there--stars, planets, dark matter and cosmic dust. Galaxies,
nebulae, and black holes. But
something
, Merlin? Is that the best you
can do?"

YES

SOMETHING IS OUT THERE

THAT IS WHAT I KNOW

THAT'S ALL I KNOW

"Well...damn!" Lisanne replied, staring at the
computer screen.

San Juan Islands, Eastsound Airport, Orcas
Island

Zack and Phoebe stood together near the ticket
counter watching Maria talking furiously on the satellite phone. Some phone
service across the country was non-functional, but the satellite phone could get
through to New York.

"Do you think they'll put her on the air again?"
Phoebe asked Zack.

"A bigger question for the moment is whether
they'll pay for this charter flight to Seattle," Zack replied. "Mayor Dubois
could pay for it. I think she has no limit on those credit cards of hers, but
if we can leave from this airport and get to Seattle, we can avoid the FBI
agents at the other airport where we landed before. They'll trace us to Seattle
from the network paying for it. And if we can get to Seattle, we can warn the
mayor there. Maybe they can evacuate the city. Then we'll skedaddle on out of
Seattle with Dusty paying for it, and they'll think we're still in Seattle. At
least, I think that's the plan."

Zack turned to look at the rest of their group
standing together at the coffee shop. Mayor Dubois and Alan Beakman were
sipping coffee as Margaret expounded to them about what to tell the Seattle
mayor. Zack chuckled to himself. Judging by the look on Dusty's face, she was
almost to the end of her patience at hearing Margaret tell her how a city
government worked. Ah, he breathed, there she goes, watching Dusty shake a
finger in Margaret's face.

Dusty and Margaret had argued all the way to the
airport about what to tell, and what not to tell, the mayor of Seattle. Dusty
was sure she and Alan could get in to see him, even though Dusty was now mayor
only of a massive pile of debris in the Gulf of Mexico. The debate was over
whether there was any point to evacuating Seattle and the surrounding region.
Margaret seemed fatalistic, saying so many people would die in the panic, it
probably wasn't worth trying. Plus, she added to her argument, where would all
those people go? Earthquakes would be triggered by the eruption, and this area
wouldn't be safe for anyone for a long time. But Dusty was adamant that they
had to try and save some people, and she had the support of her side-kick, Alan
Beakman, along with Maria and Zack.

And Phoebe. I've got to stop forgetting about
Phoebe, he thought to himself. She was so quiet these days. Maria was worried
about continuing to give her tranquilizers, and even though Cleo, the cat,
helped Phoebe to be calmer, they still gave her tranquilizers to sleep at
night. He turned to the nervous young woman.

"So how's it going, Phoebe?" he asked.

Phoebe jumped, startled by his voice.

"Why are we going to Seattle if it's going to be
a big mess?" she asked. "Why can't we go someplace safe? Why do we have to stay
with Margaret?"

"Because Margaret's the story right now," Zack
answered. "But don't worry. We won't stay in Seattle very long at all. Mayor
Dubois and Alan will have their meeting and then we'll get on out of there."

"But where will we go then? Where is it safe?"
Phoebe asked plaintively.

Zack shook his head. "You got me, Phoebes. I get
a sense of some place, but I'm not sure we can get Margaret to go there. She's
talking about going back to some shaman. I think the whales upset her."

"The whales upset her?" Phoebe asked fearfully.
She hadn't ventured out of her cabin on the yacht when the whales were around.

"Yeah," Zack replied. "Things didn't go the way
Margaret thought they would with the whales. And I'm not sure what that means."

Washington D.C.

General Briggs was driving home in the middle of
the day in his secretary's car. He'd sent his driver on an errand and escaped
the Pentagon, free of any surveillance. He had a meeting scheduled at his
house, determined no one would get wind of what he was trying to do until he
had the support he needed. Trying to get rid of a president was a tricky sort
of business. Particularly when the president in question kept going on TV
reassuring people, looking fatherly and caring and giving no sign that he'd
decided to attack his own planet.

The general sighed heavily and hoped he could
convince the senators and cabinet members of the problem. He had no idea what
had pushed his old friend over the edge, but President Jeb Colter was
looney-tunes. General Briggs even wondered lately if it wasn't the President's
wife having those dreams, but instead, the President himself. That would make
all this a bit more understandable.

Still, you don't just go dropping those MOABs
for crazy reasons. The Mother-Of-All-Bombs were huge, with tremendous explosive
power. At least, the general thought, he didn't decide to use nuclear weapons.
Of course then, if he had, the general would most likely have an easier time
convincing people the President had lost it. Well, soon he'd have his meeting
and see what he could do to stop these orders. They'd have to get the President
some help. Major psychiatric--whoa! Where the hell did that truck come from and
why isn't he stopping, oh my God--

The out-of-control sixteen-wheeler slammed into
the Honda Civic containing General Briggs and crushed it flat as a used beer
can.

The Samuels' House

Samantha was rolling balls of cookie dough in
cinnamon sugar. She loved snickerdoodles. And she liked standing on a chair at
the counter with her Mom beside her. Mom seemed happier today. She was laughing
and hugging Daddy when the lights came back on. Then right away she told Sam
they were gonna make cookies, any kind Sam wanted! So Sam was happy too.

From where she stood, she could see Mrs.
Philpott through the kitchen window, walking toward the lane that ran beside
the house. She was taking Cap'n Joe back to meet Perceval and see him type on
the computer. Sam liked Cap'n Joe. He talked different than her Mom and Dad,
and sometimes he said bad words, but Sam knew he was gonna be a big help. And
he was gonna like all the boats and stuff on the lakes. And Black was thinking
that maybe Cap'n Joe would be the boat leader. Black kept laughing to himself
and muttering, "The Gaian Navy." Sam wasn't totally sure what he meant by that.

John walked into the kitchen and smiled at Sam
and her mom. "Hey! What are you two cookies up to?" He tried to grab some
cookie dough and Jessica slapped his hand away, laughing.

"Whatcha want, Daddy?" Sam asked.

He glanced quickly at her and requested, "Can
you tell me if any more folks are headed this way today, Sam? People that will
get here today?"

Jessica's smile faded away and she started to
say something to her husband, only to have him stop her. "Jess, we need to
know. If we don't need Black to stand watch on the road, then he can work with
Rachel and Max at the shooting range. And I think we'd all feel a little safer
if we knew in advance when to expect people. And if possible, Sam, we'd also
like to know what kind of people they are--if they're dreamers or--I don't know
what to call them--animal talkers? Or just people who wandered into town--or most
importantly, if they are people who want to steal stuff and hurt people."

"John!" Jessica protested.

"We really do need to know, and this is the best
way I know to get the information right now, hon."

Sam replied, "We stealed stuff, Daddy. Like Alex's
car. Didn't Uncle Nathan say she stealed it?"