Earth(80)

Mike stepped toward me. "If we could figure out how to do it in secrecy – would you train us?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know…"

"We could keep it small – a few people at a time. He would never know."

I looked the group of Earths over. They weren’t all that One Less had, but certainly enough to spread the word. As I studied them, I released the signal I had been sending out to the field and the beetles. What was left of the pests fell to the ground, quickly burying themselves under foliage. Bats began sauntering away, and the night went still.

"Okay – but I'll be sticking my neck out for you, and I'm going to need that favor returned."

"Have something in mind?" Mike asked.

A small smile lit my face. "As a matter of fact, I do."





Chapter 49





A Fragile Grasp





"Weather gir—" Shawn cut himself off at her glare.

Damn, what was her name again? She had told him dozens of times.

"Sir?" She smiled sweetly, but there was a gleam in her eye. That ‘sir’ was intentional.

He itched his ear and glanced at David standing behind him, buying time to think. "Mary?" He extended his arm, palm up and open, in an unsure gesture.

Her smile turned genuine. "Thank you. What is it you need, Shawn?"

He crossed the small room of the deli/headquarters to her workstation at the countertop. Her maps had spread out in every direction.

"Let's go over these storms you mentioned," Shawn said.

"Sure." She shifted on her feet. "I can only pinpoint the anomalies as the information comes to me."

"I thought you could read the atmosphere?" Shawn leaned forward over the other side of the counter, glancing at the map she pulled out.

Her shoulders stiffened. "My readings only go a dozen miles or so, as the crow flies."

He glanced up into her fiery eyes, only inches away.

Damn, I've offended her again.

Shawn straightened, then lowered his eyes. "By far the most distance I've seen accomplished by an Air."

Except Vayu. Shawn kept the thought to himself. He missed having that kind of competence on his side.

The right corner of her mouth twitched up. Apology accepted. She cleared her throat. "The weather patterns, which aren't actual patterns at all, follow a definite path. First was the forest fire in West Virginia. It had been a wet season; the conditions just weren't right for that large of a blaze." Her finger traced down a series of smaller rivers, and over the Ohio River to Huntington. "The earthquake here."

"No major fault lines," Shawn murmured.

Mary nodded her head. "There was another earthquake down the river, but they were too far apart, in both time and space, to be considered aftershocks. The anomalies end at the derecho, which ran us off from Fort Calhoun early. There hasn't been anything unusual since."

"They follow the rivers," Shawn said. "Coming directly for us; until they reached us."

Shawn stood and started pacing the room. He pointed to another admin clerk. "Were the numbers any different when we left Fort Calhoun? Or when we arrived in Denver?"

"No, sir. Same number. Except…"

"Except what?"

"One of the camps reported a missing person. But it never added up since the head counts remained the same. When we reached Denver we struck the missing person reports from the records as an error."

"Who went missing? Why was I never told?" Shawn slammed fist down on the desk of the man.

"I don't…we didn't…you never—"

Shawn was already walking away, his back to Mary. Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "What about the derecho, weather girl? Do you think that was human-induced or not?"

She spoke, tight-lipped, "It was far too late in the season for such a massive summer storm, sir."

Shawn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It always amazed him how quickly his fragile grasp on a situation could shatter.

David stepped forward, notebook in hand. "But, if someone was aiming for One Less – why did they stop at Fort Calhoun?"

"Because they found what they were looking for." Shawn flexed his hands, refraining from shaking some sense into him.

"Sir?"

Shawn shouted over his shoulder as he slammed the door open out of the deli, "They found me!"





Chapter 50





It's a Date





After we parted from the Earths, Micah and I turned for the amusement park and our observation tower.

"That was very impressive." He nudged me with his shoulder, inching closer.

"Thanks. I'm glad I didn't freak. I hate bats." I laughed. "At least I didn't get pooped on."