The Gossamer Crown: Book One of The Gossamer Sphere (12 page)

The North Sea

The afterimage from the last big fireball hadn’t yet faded from his retinas when Zach heard a sibilant whistling that rapidly gained in volume.  Another satellite had entered the atmosphere, and as the flaming ball of wreckage approached, it illuminated the deck of the ship and the ocean all around them.  In the eerie glow, he mentally marked the location of the nearby drill ship.  The sound grew to ear-splitting proportions as the light became brighter than a white-hot day.  One of the officers screamed, “
Incoming!”

The light was too brilliant for Zach to assess the fireball’s trajectory, but it seemed to be coming straight for them.  His instinct was to jump overboard, but he had a feeling the odds of survival were slightly better on the ship.  Standing next to him, Lizbeth cringed, and he pulled her into his arms and bent over her, even though his body would not provide much of a shield from what was coming.

When it hit a few hundred yards from the bow of the ship, the fireball shot an enormous steaming column of water high into the air.  Zach didn’t have time to rejoice, because immediately following in the fireball’s plume came a barrage of deadly projectiles, penetrating the ship like machine-gun fire.

Someone on the bow shrieked in agony, but the piercing sound was cut off by a cascade of hot seawater raining down on them.  The water tore Zach’s footing out from under him and swept him along the deck.  Submerged in the flow, he and Lizbeth clutched each other as the waves tumbled them up and over the rail.  He lost hold of Lizbeth in the fall, and with the light from the fireball effectively extinguished, he couldn’t see anything.  He tried to tuck his body into a ball as he fell, but he hit the water awkwardly.  It slammed into his shoulder, neck and the side of his face.  Immersed underwater, he floated in a cold cocoon, silent but for the ringing of his ears.

Lizbeth!

Zach kicked for the surface, but panicked when he realized he didn’t know which way was up.  He needed to help himself before he could help her, so he relaxed and trusted his training.  His open eyes saw blackness all around.  He had a lungful of air, and his body should be floating upward, but he was too disoriented from the fall to sense any movement.  As his lungs began to burn, he put a hand in front of his mouth and released a stream of bubbles.  They trickled along his cheeks up into the hair at his temples.  He swept his arms in a wide breast stroke and frog-kicked desperately in the direction of the bubbles.  Two kicks, three, four – finally his head broke the surface and he gulped in ragged breaths of air.

“Lizbeth!” he yelled when he’d barely caught his breath.

“Zach?  I’m here.”

“Where are you guys?”  It was Kevin’s voice.  He’d been swept overboard, too.  Zach closed his eyes in relief.

When he opened them again, he realized there was a light source somewhere, since he could see the rusty hulk of
The Gossamer
about twenty yards away.  He tilted his head back to look at the sky, but saw only fading streaks of light.  Dropping his gaze to the side of the ship, he noticed a reddish glow emanating from on deck.

Someone treading water nearby called, “The ship’s on fire.”

The male voice didn’t belong to Kevin, so Zach asked, “Who’s there?”

“It’s Bill.  We need to get away from here.  With all that water, I’m guessing the only thing that could be burning right now is oil or fuel.”

Zach toed his shoes off and joined the others as they swam toward the drill ship through the now calm sea.  He looked over his shoulder several times during the long, taxing swim to watch the fire grow larger.  When they reached the drill ship, Bill hollered to the crew and within minutes they were safe on board.  The captain met them on deck and shook Bill’s hand heartily.

“We saw the asteroid hit and thought you were done for.”

“You and me both,” Bill replied.  “But it wasn’t an asteroid.  Apparently, we’ve lost all our satellites.”

“Bloody hell.  That explains a lot.  We’ve got a real muddle in the control room.”

Zach looked at
The Gossamer
.  Three rescue boats had arrived, maintaining a safe distance from the ship.  Two of the boats shot narrow streams of water at the fire.  The third swept the sea with searchlights.

“I suggest we put some space between us and that.” Bill jerked his head at the flames.

“Right,” the captain said.  “Can’t go far without functioning equipment, though.”

Someone brought a stack of blankets, and Zach draped one over Lizbeth’s shivering shoulders before wrapping one around himself.  Beyond the burning ship, the coast of England seemed peaceful and unaffected by recent events.

“Let’s get you kids below deck and see if we can find some dry clothes,” Bill said.

Zach had barely begun the motion to turn away from
The Gossamer
when the aft deck exploded in an immense cloud of fiery black smoke.  Reflexively, he ducked, as the concussive boom blasted them with scorching heat.  Once the rolling smoke cleared, he saw that the three rescue boats appeared to be unharmed.  The third boat joined in pumping water on the fire.

Lizbeth leaned into him.  “I wonder if Griffey made it.”

Zach detected a note of sympathy in her voice, so he deliberately reminded her who Griffey was.  “He’s probably the only woman in the lifeboat.”

The North Sea

Kevin sat on his old bunk and rolled up the cuffs on a borrowed pair of work pants.  The claustrophobic space brought back memories of his nausea-filled summer.  He was frankly surprised he hadn’t had to make a run for the bathroom yet.

Zach had flopped on the top bunk and was bemoaning the loss of his laptop.  “I had everything backed up to thumb drives, too, most of which were also in my backpack, which has now been blown to smithereens.”

“I think we have more important things to worry about, dude,” Kevin said.

Legs appeared over the side of the bunk.  Kevin stared at bare ankles poking out of too-short jeans and the battered sneakers Zach had been given to wear.  When Zach slid off the bed, Kevin braced for another confrontation.  By now, he knew Zach could kick his butt, probably without much effort, but he wasn’t intimidated.  Zach had been a jerk from the get-go, and now that he took every opportunity to flirt with Lizbeth he was really getting on Kevin’s nerves.

A light tapping on the door interrupted whatever Zach had on his mind.  He opened it and Lizbeth slipped into the cabin.

“Like my duds?” she asked, pirouetting in the minuscule space.  “One of the scientists bailed on some of her stuff.”

There wasn’t much to comment on about the plain black slacks and baggy t-shirt, but Zach said, “You look great.”

Kevin recognized the t-shirt with its faded concert logo.  One of the less formal of the scientists had worn it often under her lab coat.  She’d left the ship at the same time as Kevin, before anyone had gotten sick.  According to Bill, none of the scientists were left on board, and none of the crew was allowed to leave under the terms of the quarantine.  Griffey had broken the rules when he transported Bill to
The Gossamer
, but then, as he’d said, he knew the sickness wasn’t contagious.  He just didn’t know it wasn’t the crown that caused it.

“She wasn’t one of the ones that died,” he said.

Lizbeth turned wide, horrified eyes on him as if it hadn’t occurred to her that she might be wearing a dead woman’s clothes.

Zach snorted in laughter.  “Smooth as usual.”

“Yeah, but your outfit belonged to one of the first to go,” Kevin lied.

Zach pulled a face at him and Lizbeth said, “Cut it out, you two.  Maybe we should brainstorm where Caitlin might be.”

“Personally, I’m about twenty hours behind on my sleep,” Zach said.  He vaulted up onto the bunk.  Kevin couldn’t see him, but from the sound of it, Zach was stretching out and making himself comfortable.  First one, then the other shoe thumped to the floor.

Lizbeth looked disappointed, but she said, “That’s a good idea, I guess.”

Kevin took pity on her.  “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.  We can talk.”

Her eyes flicked up to the top bunk and back.  “That’s okay.  I’m tired, too.  Zach’s right – we should rest up so whatever tomorrow throws at us won’t be…well…alright, tomorrow’s probably going to be just as crazy, if not worse, than today.  But sleep is good.”

Kevin thought her sudden babbling proved her need for sleep, until he caught another wistful look towards the top bunk and realized she must really want to spend time with Zach.  Zach must have noticed, too, because his legs reappeared and he jumped off the bed.  Kevin looked away when he placed his hands on her shoulders and dipped his head.  He heard it though, a quick, light pecking sound, and suddenly he was infuriated that Zach would kiss her like that, right in front of him.

As Zach leapt confidently back onto the bed, Kevin couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Lizbeth’s flushed and pleased face.  She stumbled out and he sat there for a long time staring at the closed door.

Up until now he’d been exhausted, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he resolved his anger, something he wouldn’t be able to do in the same room with the source of that anger.  Zach, who’d been so critical of
his
snoring, was doing a fine imitation of a slowly drawn hacksaw on wood.

Before Kevin knew it, he’d left the cabin and made his way down the silent corridor to the lab.  Everything looked exactly the same as when he’d left.  Somehow he imagined that the departing scientists would have packed up the equipment, but it was all there, neatly laid out on pristine stainless steel counters.  The lab was as cold as ever, like the frozen food aisle at the grocery store.  Deep glass-fronted refrigerators and freezers took up one whole wall of the large space.  Inside were long tubes containing core samples, stacked and labeled.

Even though he knew the lab was empty, Kevin looked to his right and left before moving toward the freezers.  He’d typed and labeled most of these core samples himself, so he knew the system.  The only one he hadn’t labeled, the last sample containing the iridium, wasn’t where it should be.  Had Griffey’s hazmat-suited men confiscated it?  But then, why would they?  Griffey hadn’t known about the core sample.

Kevin looked around the lab until he spotted the refrigerator in the corner.  It was a regular kitchen-appliance type refrigerator where slices from the core samples shared space with the scientist’s lunches.  His borrowed sneakers squeaked with every step across the linoleum floor.  The refrigerator was empty.  The freezer compartment, however, held a large plastic tub of vanilla and orange sherbet ice cream.  The tub was semi-transparent, and the “ice cream” was much darker than it should be.  He started to reach for it, but stopped.

He may be descended from a shapeshifter, but after Caitlin’s dire warnings he wasn’t fool enough to think that would protect him from the horrible consequences of touching it.  He went to the drawer where they kept the latex gloves and wrestled a pair onto his hands.  The tub was heavier than he expected.  The weight strained the plastic handle and he’d just decided to put it back and try picking it up from the bottom when the handle snapped.  The tub landed on its side and the lid burst open, shooting half the contents all down the front of his shirt.  He shoved the tub back into the freezer and stepped back, frantically brushing at his clothes, stopping only when he tasted salt on his lips.  Specks of the moist deep-ocean silt had sprayed his face and now he’d even consumed a minute quantity.

His heart began to pound and he broke out into a nervous sweat.  Core samples were normally solid, as weight from successive layers compressed it, eventually forming rock.  Despite the fact that this sample was loose and sandy, he had no doubt that he’d just inadvertently exposed himself to the final core sample.  Disgusted with his clumsiness and not a little frightened, he found a broom and began to sweep up.  He would have to tell Bill what he’d done so no one touched the refrigerator or the floor around it until it was decontaminated.

He peeled the gloves off his clammy hands and tossed them on the counter.  No point worrying about protection now.  Kneeling, he swept the dark sand onto a dustpan with his hand.  Immediately, his palm began to tingle.  He looked down and saw that it was covered in a silvery metallic sheen.  Without conscious thought, he placed his hand over the mound of sand on the dustpan.  A rush of something like and yet unlike pleasure crawled up his arm and settled somewhere in his head.  He stared at his hand with unfocused eyes as the sensation increased.

“To me,” he murmured, instinctively concentrating on drawing the metal out of the sand.  And it came.

The North Sea

After Zach had gone out of his way to give her that sweet peck on the cheek, Lizbeth thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.  The rocking motion of the ship and her bone-deep exhaustion combined to work its magic however, and she woke feeling refreshed, if not exactly fresh in her borrowed clothes.

She had no idea what time it was when she cracked her door and peered out into the corridor.  They were supposed to all meet with Bill sometime this morning to figure out the next move.

The door to the cabin across the way opened and Zach leaned out.  He held a finger to his lips and swept his other hand for her to join him inside.

“What?” she whispered.

“Come in and tell me if you notice anything different about Kevin,” he said softly.

As soon as she crossed the threshold she sensed it.  Kevin was a lump under his utilitarian grey blanket; the only part of him visible was his distinctive mop of brown hair.  Lizbeth felt him, though, just like she felt Caitlin and Griffey.  It was as if overnight he’d obtained the same sort of tingly aura the shapeshifters had.

“Kevin!” she said loudly.

He flipped around under the covers and fought with them briefly before rolling out onto the floor.  On all fours, he looked up through the hair hanging in his face.  Lizbeth laughed.  He looked like a shaggy dog.

He got to his feet and raked the hair out of his eyes with his fingers.  “Thanks a lot.”

“What happened last night?” Zach asked.

Kevin averted his eyes, shoved his hands in his pockets and mumbled, “Nothing.”  He forced one foot after the other into his sneakers without bothering to untie them.

“You must think we’re stupid,” Zach said.  “Did you find the crown?”

“Huh?  No.  I wouldn’t keep that from you.”

Lizbeth put her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from turning away.  “What
are
you keeping from us?”

He stood there with his head down for a moment and then pulled something from his pocket.  Pinched between forefinger and thumb, he held up what looked to Lizbeth like a melted quarter or a spent bullet.  “This is the iridium from the core sample.”

“What?” Lizbeth exclaimed at the same time Zach thrust out his hand and demanded, “Let me see it.”

Kevin curled his fingers around the metal lump.  “Why don’t we wait to make sure I don’t get sick before anyone else touches it?”

“How did you get it?” Lizbeth asked.

He told them about his accident in the lab, and how he put his hand in the sample and the microscopic iridium dust separated itself and congealed into a solid mass seemingly of its own volition.  He hadn’t been able to stop until he’d gone to the freezer and gathered all the iridium in the lab.

“On a good note, the lab’s probably not dangerous to normal people anymore,” he said.

Lizbeth stared at him in consternation.  “Why did you do it?”

“I don’t know.  I didn’t mean to, but it felt like I was supposed to, if that makes sense.”

Zach puffed mockingly.  “It makes as much sense as anything else.”

They found Bill in the lab.  Caitlin was with him.  Lizbeth was so happy to see her that she ignored the possibility that Caitlin would repulse her and ran forward for a hug.  To her surprise, Caitlin hugged back.  When Lizbeth stepped away, Caitlin said, “Kevin.”

It was obvious to Lizbeth that Kevin was reluctant to meet Caitlin’s eyes.  When he did, they maintained a steady gaze for several seconds.  Lizbeth imagined she heard whispers of conversation in her head.  Kevin looked for a moment like he was going to cry.

“They’re all safe,” Bill said.  “Like I told you.”

Caitlin turned to him.  “Thank you.”

“I’m not sure I had much to do with it.  They’re pretty resourceful.”

“Did he tell you about Brian Griffey?” Zach asked.

“He did.  We’ll discuss it later.  Right now we need to get to a safe location.”

“You can’t leave yet,” Bill said.  Lizbeth hadn’t noticed before, but he wore latex gloves on his hands.  He opened the freezer compartment of a refrigerator, lifted out its only contents, and set it on the counter next to Caitlin.

“Yum, ice cream for breakfast,” Zach said in an aside to Lizbeth.  Even though she knew the container had sand in it, she had to admit it sounded good.  They hadn’t eaten since the restaurant at the marina.

Bill removed the lid, but Caitlin began shaking her head.  “No, Bill.”

“You can’t say that,” he said, sounding agitated now.  “Don’t you know what I went through to get this for you?  Six people – six of my
friends
died!”

“I never asked for this.  I told you it wouldn’t work.  Any biometal in that sample is microscopic.  The iridium sank too deep for the drill to reach.”

Lizbeth started to tell Caitlin that the iridium wasn’t even in the sample anymore, when Kevin placed a hand on her arm.  She heard it for certain this time, his voice in her mind.  “
Don’t say anything
.”

“We can get more.  And you’ve got help now,” Bill swept his hand towards Lizbeth and the boys. “They can help make you a new crown.”

Caitlin’s voice went cold.  “They can’t and they won’t.  Take your bucket of sand and drop it back into the ocean.”

Bill removed the latex gloves and grasped Caitlin by the shoulders.  He searched her face, which looked to Lizbeth to be made of marble.

“I love you,” he said in a tormented whisper, before shoving her backwards and plunging his hands into the core sample.  He lifted fists full of the sandy silt and shook them in the air.

Lizbeth felt the sting of tears, but Caitlin seemed unmoved.

Bill’s arms fell to his sides and he looked at Caitlin with something like happiness.  “Now I’m either going to join you or die.”