Emerald Sky (4 page)

Chapter 5

He woke from the dream with a start.

This one had been different to the
others. His subconscious was not usually so literal in the imagery it presented
to him in sleep. Normally, what he saw in his dreams would only be a
possibility; a dark shadow over which he was unable to cast a light. What he
saw this time seemed more like his visions. There was an ominous inevitability
to it. It was like it had already happened and nothing he could do would alter
that fact.

At least the music had stopped. And
although he was still entrenched in complete darkness, the binds restraining
his wrists and ankles had been removed. He was unable to guess why they would
have done this. They had gained nothing from the interrogation so it was not
like he was being rewarded for his cooperation. There had to be another motive
for this apparent act of goodwill. For the first time in three years, he felt
vulnerable. He felt like the future was no longer set in stone.

He attempted to rise to his feet. At
first, the muscles in his legs resisted his efforts to move them. There was no
knowing how long he had been hunched up in the chair and it would take a while
for his body to return to normal. During his periods of psychic activity, when
acting on pure instinct, he would often place his body under extreme stress. As
such, his joints were like those of a veteran sportsman – overused and prone to
injury.

When he eventually found the faculty to
move, his steps were laboured, but with each one he could feel his strength
returning. He knew that as long as he possessed mobility, he had hope of
getting way. The psychic gift was like a luck serum. When he followed his
foresight, it always directed him along the most opportune path.

Ten paces into the blackness he came up
against a wall. It was not as cold as stone or steel would be. The temperature
was neutral like with plastic. He ran his hands over its surface, searching for
any gaps. Eventually, he found a break in the smoothness. He traced his fingers
further until he was able to define the outline of a doorway. Surprisingly, it
gave way to only a minimal amount of pressure and the gap widened, allowing a
small sliver of light to enter the room.

Any normal person would tread cautiously,
fearful that this may be a trap. Jimmy was not a normal person. He knew he
would become aware of any threat before it had the chance to do him harm. His
psychic gift could be used to attack or defend. It was both a potent weapon and
an effective shield, providing strength where he needed it most.

Using one hand to cover his eyes from the
light, he pushed the door fully open and stepped out into the corridor.
Everything from floor to ceiling was painted in military grey. There were no
guards. No cameras. He was alone except for a ghostly image of himself that
appeared at the far end of the corridor.

There was a choice of two directions in
which he could go. The decision as to which to take was made for him. The
ghostly echo of his immediate future was already moving and he wasted no time
in setting off behind, matching its steps perfectly. If it stopped, then Jimmy
would also stop a moment later when he reached its exact position.

He often wondered what would happen if he
were ever to overtake this shadowy portent of things to come. A kid at his old
school had once claimed that Superman could fly around the Earth so fast that
he overtook himself. When this happened, he would travel backwards through
time. That is how he was able to change the past in the movie. Jimmy does not
know if he would ever be able to change the past, and even if he could, he was
unsure if he would want to. Life was complicated enough when past, present and
future were set in stone.

The vision led him through a maze of
corridors until finally the scenery changed. The military grey gave way to
laboratory white. Everything was meticulously clean, but in a clinical way,
like in a hospital. The aniseed smell of chemical cleaners only weakly masked
the underlying smell of decay. There was something rotten in the atmosphere.

Various warning signs were placed on the
doorways, but they were not particularly helpful. Jimmy had no idea what a
biohazard was and nor did he wish to find out. All he knew was that he was
getting close to something bad and something told him this was no accident. The
removal of his binds, the unlocked door – somebody was leading him to this
place.

Then he was completely alone. The future
image dissipated before his eyes, leaving him with only the five common senses
and his wits to guide him. For Jimmy, this did not amount to a great deal.

A buzzer sounded and a green light
appeared over one of the doors.

Restricted Access, Biohazard, Level 7
Clearance Only

The door carried more slogans than a
teenager’s bedroom walls. If he was being deliberately lured to this place then
whatever he was supposed to see was behind this door. Reluctantly, he took a
step forward. In doing so, he stepped into his dream, but with one significant difference.
This time it was for real.

***

Colonel Rodman was among the most
dedicated and decorated officers in the US military. At the core of his success
was his refusal to ever give up on a mission no matter how dire the
circumstances. Because of this, he had lost more men under his command than
many of his peers who had served for significantly longer. This was why when he
had first heard about Operation Sleepwalker he was determined to be involved.
To lead a force where he could guarantee the safety of his men was his dream
assignment.

Of course, whilst this was a military
operation, ultimate control was still held by Washington. The politicians were
nervous following the events at Jackson’s Hill. Although the resulting cover up
proved successful, fear of what could have been still pervaded the corridors of
power on Capitol Hill. As such, the colonel was required to report every
advancement on the project immediately and without exception. His contact was
James Earl, Chief Aide to the Vice President.

‘I hope you’ve got some good news for me,
George,’ said Earl. ‘Did our man take the bait?’

‘It certainly looks that way,’ replied
the colonel. ‘He’s already quite protective of the asset.’

‘Why do I sense that you don’t approve,
Colonel?’

‘I’m just worried he may be a little too
protective, that’s all. Since you brought Cruz onboard I’ve gone over his file
countless times. I’m still not sure we can trust him.’

‘Trust is the reason I insisted on
recruiting him for the job. Emmy Rayne is nobody’s fool. She’ll only cooperate
if she feels completely secure. She’d spot a faker all too easily. With Cruz as
the filter, she’ll believe what we tell her. I have personal experience of this
guy. He’s got a soft spot for the weak and vulnerable. That’s why he left the
service in the first place and it is also why he’ll stay with us this time.’

‘If you’re wrong it could prove costly.
What if he actually sides with the girl when we have her?’

‘When you have Emmy Rayne in custody,
Esteban Cruz will be the least of your worries, believe me. Besides, if we’re
to lead the field in this area, we need Dr Rayne spearheading the research and
Cruz is the only man capable of bringing her in.’

‘I hope you’re right, sir.’

‘So do I, Colonel. So do I.’

Chapter 6

Alex arrived at the house just after five
o’clock. As usual, dinner was waiting on the table. Adam was not much of a cook
and whenever they ate together they got takeout, as the alternative was a ready
meal from the local supermarket and these did not tend to agree with his
delicate tastes. Alex, on the other hand, could eat anything. She came from a
line of hard drinkers (on the male side of her family) and had a constitution
like a nuclear power plant.

As far as the rest of the world was
aware, they had been together for six months. The lie had initially been his
idea, but what he did not realise was that it was she who had the most to lose
should the truth ever come out.

They started dating not long after she
had taken up a post at the school. Aside from the protection their arrangement
gave them both, they genuinely got along well with one another. Under different
circumstances, they may actually have made a good couple.

‘How was your day?’ he asked, not just to
break the silence, but because he genuinely wanted to know.

‘I’ve had more stimulating days at work,’
she replied.

Even now he had no idea what she had done
as a job in her former life. She liked to tease him with the odd hint now and
then to keep him intrigued. Anything that could be perceived by an outsider as
chemistry between them was good.

‘Did you speak to Amy Brewster?’

‘Yes, I did, but how’d you know about
that?’

‘It’s a small town and I’m her
headmaster. Her Mom called and told me about her uncle. The kid must be going
through some pretty tough emotions right now and I guessed she would turn to
you. Were you able to help at all?’

‘It’s a little early to tell, but I think
I’m getting through to her. She has real potential. If she has the sense to
leave this town she could go on to become quite a scientist one day. When one
of my kids cures cancer; that’s when I’ll know I’ve done a good job.’

Adam laughed.

‘Curing cancer, huh? I’d be happy just
for some of them to make it into university. Seriously, though, it’s good that
you’re able to make these kinds of connections, it’s not easy gaining their
trust at that age. But perhaps you could ease up on some of your more
outlandish theories?’

She sensed an undercurrent of disapproval
in his tone.

‘Outlandish?’

‘Don’t play the innocent with me. Big
bangs and monkeys becoming men are one thing, but there has to be a line drawn
somewhere. Amy’s mum told me you gave her a book titled
How to Build a Time
Machine
. She’s terrified the kid is actually going to do it and undo
existence or something.’

This time Alex was the one who laughed.

‘It’s purely theoretical. Unless she’s
hiding a black hole in her bedroom, there isn’t a lot she can do with the
advice given in the book. Anyway, I thought you approved of us encouraging the
kids to think outside the box. Wouldn’t life be dull if everybody just
inherited the prejudices of their parents?’

‘That isn’t the issue here, but nice try.
Just ease up okay, sweetie.’

Alex shrugged. She knew he would not push
the matter, but he did have a point. There were many ways to draw unwelcome
attention to oneself and angering parents was one of the surest.

‘How about you?’ she asked, hoping to
change the subject. ‘Are you still planning on heading into the city this
weekend?’

‘I’m taking the train right after work on
Friday. Are you sure you don’t want to come? I have some friends I think you
may like.’

‘That’s not really my scene. I’ll just stay
at home and pine for your return like the loyal and devoted girlfriend I am.’

‘Are you sure? What I mean is that people
may think it a bit strange that we spend so many weekends apart. If you don’t
want to come with me, perhaps you could spend a few days elsewhere and then
we’ll meet up to straighten our stories before getting back to work on Monday.’

‘That’s far too complicated. If anybody
asks, I’m happy to go along with the usual story about your mother.’

Adam shook his head.

‘Not my mother again. You can’t keep
saying that to people. Once word filters down to the kids they’re going to
think I’m a complete mother’s boy. You know how cruel they can be once they get
started.’

‘Believe me when I tell you there are
worse things the kids could be calling you. Besides, your reputation at school
is just fine. You’re dating the smoking hot science teacher – you’re like the
coolest headmaster ever.’

He nodded with a sense of smug
satisfaction.

‘I am cool, aren’t I?’

‘The coolest man between here and the
moon, and I would know.’

He looked at her, inquisitively.

‘Is that a science teacher joke?’

‘No, it’s an astronaut joke.’

He rolled his eyes.

‘Astronaut? One day I’ll get to the
bottom of the enigma that is Alex Rose and when I do, I’m pretty sure it won’t
involve space travel.’

‘Why not; don’t you think I have what it
takes?’

‘I know for fact you don’t have what it
takes. Sure, you’re smart and with your figure you could pull off any look –
even a spacesuit. I just can’t imagine you ever getting into a rocket. You had
to drop out of the conference in Perth because you’re too afraid to get on an
aeroplane, remember?’

She could not help but smile to herself.
She had no problem with flying. In fact, she loved being in the air. What
really frightened her were airports. Or put more accurately – airport security.

‘Expertly deduced, Watson. You are
correct; I have never been an astronaut.’

Adam cocked his head to one side, like an
inquisitive canine.

‘Surely, I’m Holmes, not Watson. He’s the
one that does the detective work.’

‘You’re right, but Watson is the
sidekick. That’s what made it an apt comparison.’

‘I’m
your
sidekick?’

‘For the time being. I prefer to work
alone, so you should consider yourself lucky.’

‘Positively honoured, darling.’

 ‘Sarcasm is lost on me, so I’m taking
that as a compliment. Now, is there anything you need me for or can I head
home?’

‘Actually, I was hoping you would stay
over tonight; what with me being away at the weekend and all.’

‘Stay over again – you’ll have the
neighbours talking.’

‘That’s the idea.’