Nellie and Bruno both waved a passing gesture. Ralph came next. Perfect!
I took his smooth human hand in mine. I turned it over and looked at his palm, not to feign reading it, but to marvel at my brother’s handiwork. I looked at Ralph’s plain brown eyes and mouse brown hair. He had a pale complexion and a bit of beard stubble. If I hadn’t seen Ralph’s true self, I never would have believed the man in front of me was actually a giant lizard.
I closed my eyes and wiped my mind. I pictured Rubin’s face. My body tensed at the image and I gripped Ralph’s hand tighter.
My mind’s eye transported me to the lobby of an apartment building where Rubin and Ralph stood. It was pitch black and seemed to be the middle of the night.
“When we get the girl, bite her quickly. We can’t afford any noise in here,” said Rubin.
“I realize we’re in a dorm building. I don’t want to tangle with security guards any more than you do. It’s a hassle.”
I looked around the lobby. It was hard to be sure in the dark, but I thought the layout of the space was familiar. The furniture, the elevator–it was like déjà vu.
The elevator door opened and light spilled out. Someone stepped forward, lit for a moment by the elevator’s florescent roof. Gemma stood staring at me drowsily. Rubin must have woken her remotely! This was how he got to her to wipe her memory!
I hung on to Ralph’s hand for another few beats. He must have yanked it back from me. I slid back to the caved-in parking garage. I felt the frown on my face.
“Wow, how bad is it? You were saying, ‘No, no, no,’” said Ralph. The professor version of him blinked at me with doe-eyed confusion.
“Nothing. A block, I guess. Sometimes it doesn’t work,” I lied.
I forced myself to take a deep breath. I needed to think before I came down on Ralph. I had to talk to Ilya and evaluate this properly.
Chapter 22
Cole and Josh neared the end of their tunnel through the wet rubble. The moisture in the air was a deceptive relief from the concrete dust. We knew what waited for us above would be total madness.
I had to remind myself over and over that whatever we saw above was not our fault. Not the destruction of the earthquake or the loss from the tsunami. I would regret forever that we hadn’t prevented it, mostly because I felt so stupid for thinking the initial shaking was the worst it would get. Had Waynesburg designed a delayed reaction, somehow engineering a mild foreshock and a violent main quake?
Gemma’s face shoved its way back into my mind. I could still save her from further harm. Understanding why she’d been looped into the variant world would go a long way–if I could get Ralph to share. I had to find a way to get Ilya aside, preferably without arousing suspicion. Then again, what is a mind-reading brother for if you can’t communicate with your thoughts? I stood next to him and linked my arm into his at the elbow. I rested my head on his shoulder.
You need to see what I saw in Ralph’s past. He worked for Rubin. He was in on Gemma’s brainwashing! Can we do anything? Should we? I still don’t know how and when Ralph and Adelaide turn on us.
Ilya stood still for a moment and I gave him time to pick through the images in my mind before I thought at him.
“So when we get out of here, we’re going straight on to Innoviro for salvage and then getting out of town, right? Anyone got other plans?” said Ilya casually, probing to see if Ralph or Adelaide would try to stall or break away.
What if the meeting has already taken place? Don’t we want to get rid of them then? They could be feeding our every move to Ivan and Thorn.
“Sounds good to me,” said Bruno.
“Yeah, the sooner we put miles between us and this catastrophe, the better as far as I’m concerned,” said Faith.
“We should consider our safest route out. I can’t get wireless, so I have no idea what’s going on out there,” said Nellie.
“The damage will be widespread, possibly far past the Bay Area,” said Jonah.
“If anyone wants out of this little crusade, now is the time to say something. We won’t think any less of anybody who bows out. It’ll only get more dangerous from here on in,” said Ilya.
I looked around at my comrades while I processed Ilya’s words.
“If anything, we’re in this thing even more than before,” said Bruno.
“I agree. You need us and we know there’s nobody else to step in,” said Nellie.
“Us too,” said Ralph. He squeezed Adelaide’s hand. She smiled at him, and then around the room at the rest of us.
“Okay, I’m going to be straight with you,” I said to Ralph as I stepped forward. Ilya reached for my arm and I brushed him aside.
“I’ve seen you and Adelaide in a vision, meeting with Thorn in an alley. You were talking about them being ‘interested’ in the pair of you. You were going to join him,” I said. Nervous energy tingled in my gut and my limbs. Confrontation was not my strong suit.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Ralph, offended.
“We would never do that. Neither of us would ever join that lunatic,” said Adelaide.
“You were talking about how you didn’t like hiding in regular society,” I said, trying to urge the truth from their lips.
“I don’t like it, but I can blend in,” said Adelaide.
“I’ve been on the outside my whole life. I’m used to it,” said Ralph.
“You had Thorn’s phone number,” I said to Adelaide.
“I don’t know what you saw, but I don’t have a connection to anyone named Thorn,” Adelaide said darkly.
“It would explain how they got the jump on us at the campsite outside the Golden Gate Park,” said Faith.
“Isn’t it possible you saw something in the future, something that hasn’t happened yet?” said Ralph.
“That’s totally possible. But, I’ve seen it twice now,” I said.
“But now we know, so we can change it,” Ralph said. “We won’t make contact with this man.”
“Is he telling the truth?” I asked.
“They both are, but you’re making them uncomfortable,” said Ilya.
“Of course we’re fucking uncomfortable!” Adelaide took her hands off her hips and crossed her arms angrily.
“I’m not trying to start a fight. I’m trying to protect my friends,” I said.
“And we’re not your friends?” said Adelaide.
“I hope you are. I care about you both. That’s why I’m warning you off this guy,” I said.
“You’re warning me?” Adelaide’s words dripped with bitterness and I remembered the sharp beak poised and waiting in her throat. I wondered if it would still come out while Ilya’s illusion held. Would I see it coming if she did strike?
“This obviously isn’t helping anyone,” said Jonah.
Cole and Josh came back to the group wiping their hands on their pants.
“So far there’s only room to make it out on foot,” said Josh.
“If we’re still trying to find Innoviro before we leave the city, a group should go now while some of us stay behind to keep digging,” said Cole.
“We shouldn’t break up,” Ilya said.
“Are we really leaving the cars behind?” said Faith.
“I’m not leaving my Jeep,” said Josh.
“I’m not leaving my van. A wheelchair adapted van and my chair itself were expensive. Despite what you think based on my house, I’m not made of money. I can’t leave them in the rubble,” said Adelaide.
“Look, I don’t want to leave my car either, but this parking garage isn’t safe and there’s nothing we can do about that,” said Cole.
“Why don’t we find some abandoned cars above?” I asked.
“Anything up there will have flooded engines at a bare minimum,” said Nellie.
“It could take days to find enough working vehicles to transport us all,” said Bruno.
“So we finish digging the cars out while everyone else finds Innoviro on foot,” said Josh.
“You’re both our strongest fighters. If we run into something while you’re back here digging out cars, we could be in serious trouble,” I said.
“I doubt you’re going to run into any Innoviro thugs out in this mess. I’ll be surprised if you see anyone,” said Josh with darkness in his last few words. A sudden picture of limp bodies on the street sent chills down my spine.
“He’s got a point. Ivan and Tatiana left the city to crumble into the ocean. They probably took everything of value before they left. We should dig out the cars and leave as soon as possible,” said Jonah.
“Where’s our next stop? After Innoviro, I mean,” said Faith.
“Ivan and Tatiana are somewhere in a nearby desert, but I have no idea where. They might already have moved on,” I said.
“If we’re going to split up, we should agree on a rendezvous point,” said Nellie.
“I picked up a couple of maps back at the supermarket,” said Ilya.
“Perfect. Get them out and we’ll mark where we are and where we’re going,” said Nellie.
“I’ve already memorized the location of Innoviro.” Faith accepted the pair of folded paper maps from Ilya. She circled ‘Bay Farm Island’ on each map and made a dot on an intersection near the water.
“I remember the Google Maps page well enough to mark our current location.” Nellie stepped forward, accepted Faith’s pen, and marked an ‘X’ between Berkeley and the Bay on both maps.
“It’s settled. Cole and I will stay behind to dig out the vehicles while everyone else moves on to Innoviro,” said Josh.
“We’ll catch up with you at Innoviro. A couple of us will have to double back for the van, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Once we’re mobile again things will move more quickly,” said Cole.
“Grab whatever gear you don’t want to be without for the next day,” said Jonah.
We each packed a bag and slung them on our backs. One by one, we crept through the tunnel which Cole and Josh had carefully hollowed in the rubble.
Out in the sunshine, I blinked for about a minute adjusting to the brightness of the early afternoon sun. Once my eyes had regained focus, I saw the full extent of the aftershock’s impact.
Waynesburg’s machine had done its work well. San Francisco lay in utter ruin all around me, soaked as though a monsoon had fallen. An office tower directly across the street looked like a checkerboard of rectangular panels that had folded in on itself like wet cardboard. Down the road another building had fallen. A wall of half-hexagonal façade melted into its supporting structure like a deflated soufflé.
Buildings as far as the eye could see had caved in like children’s block towers. Huge slabs of former walls and sporadic piles of rock spilled into the street in both directions. A few buildings hadn’t collapsed entirely, but reached part way to their former height like jagged stumps left where an unseen force had snapped them apart. Our group stood in a cluster, scanning around, up and down, looking at the destruction around us, evaluating the glistening wreckage. No cars moved. A handful parked on the street suffered irreparable damage from chunks of concrete and tipped over streetlights. The intersection ahead was mostly clear, but it would be slow going.
“Does anyone else here have any hiking experience?” said Ralph. Adelaide raised her hand, followed by Bruno, Nellie, and Ilya.
“Are you talking weekend hiking trails or raw rough wild,” said Ilya.
“I’m talking about wild complete with animals, rationed food and no power,” said Ralph.
“You think we’re going to run into wild animals on our way to Bay Farm Island?” said Faith.
“He’s saying you never know what a disaster like this can shake loose,” said Adelaide.
“We should also stay alert for more aftershocks. No going underground or into buildings unless we have no choice,” said Jonah.
“We’re not making any progress standing here. Does anyone know which way is south?” I said.
“I’ve got a compass. I always carry one,” said Ralph.
“Lucky for us,” said Faith. Adelaide glared at Faith who returned the look with an indignant expression. “What? I meant it.”
“New rule. No more talk about back alley deals or who is friends with whom. We’re together now and that’s what matters,” said Jonah.
Adelaide looked at the ground.
“Ralph, you lead the way.” Ilya handed his map to Ralph.
My stomach turned. The more I considered the destruction around me, the more I thought my vision of Ralph and Adelaide with Thorn in an alley couldn’t possibly be anywhere in the Bay Area in its current state. Either my vision had been a more distant future, or it had already happened. I clenched and unclenched my fists as I walked. I would have to attempt another vision as soon as possible next time we stopped to rest.
We walked in silence through the flooded streets. I kept my gaze level with the remaining skyline, avoiding scanning the street for fear of seeing bodies. Everyone but Ralph and Adelaide appeared to be doing the same. I looked over at Jonah’s pale teal eyes staring straight ahead. I’d hoped the moisture would give him a hit of vitality, but he looked as sick as ever.
The sun blazed overhead, dehydrating us in the midst of muddy puddles. We stopped every few blocks to sip from our water bottles. I checked the time on my phone. We had been walking for an hour and we hadn’t made nearly enough progress. The worst of the tsunami damage lay behind us, but we were still in the midst of a war zone.
“We need to find some shade and get a break from the sun,” I called out towards Ralph. He continued walking and the rest of us kept pace.
“At this rate we’re going to camp at least once, maybe twice before we get to Innoviro,” said Ralph.
“So? That’ll give Cole and Josh a chance to catch up with us,” said Faith.
“Why did we start ahead if we were going to wait for those guys?” said Bruno.
“We don’t know how long it’s going to take for them to safely dig the cars out.” Jonah wiped at the layer of sweat and mud on his forehead.
“We’ve come this far. Let’s keep going. The farther we get from the coast, the more likely we are to start finding unharmed territory,” said Nellie.
“If we can go for another hour, we should be in good shape to camp and make it to Innoviro early tomorrow morning,” said Ralph.
Ralph turned a corner around a partial brick building and stopped. As we caught up with him, I saw what had stopped him in his tracks. Another group of people trekking through the destruction were resting and snacking. They had set up a makeshift campsite against the building, shaded by a tarp tied to the racks of an SUV.
“Hey.” Ralph’s alarm was obvious, to me, if not to the campers on the sidewalk in front of us.
“Hey to you too,” said a girl with a long brown braid. She stirred a pot of soup over a camp stove. She wore a sack dress with a beach landscape across the mid-section and sky drifting up her back. She wore plain leather sandals which suggested to me she hadn’t been traveling on foot.
“I thought we were the only ones stupid enough to be making our way across the city in this mess.” Ilya stepped in front of Ralph unnecessarily. His illusions on Ralph and Adelaide held perfectly.
“Do you mind if we share your camp stove?” Faith boldly stepped forward.
“When you’re all finished with it of course.” Ilya frowned at Faith.
“Sure, you bet. Pull up a rock and hang out,” said the bearded boy next to the braided girl. His full beard and fitted knit cap had to be warm in the California sun, but he seemed unaffected.
“Are you staying here overnight?” I asked.
“We are. We were back in town to start school at Berkeley, but we’re all pretty sure that’s out of the question now. We’re trying to get out of the city. I’m Brian, by the way. And this is my girlfriend Meadow,” said the bearded boy. Meadow waved around at us.