Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) (25 page)

Chapter 41

Xander

I knock on the metal door of the warehouse. I back up and look at the building. While I wait, I close my eyes and tell myself to put the old Xander Crest persona on. Do it for Jes and the others, Xander.

I knock again, unsure if I have the right place now. Sam said that it’s the only metal building with two doors on the front on this street. I hear a latch, and then the door opens.

A Japanese man greets me. “Name?”

I look at him for a second, and then I answer, “Alexander.”

He repeats my name. “Alexander…” Then, he waits for me to add my last name.

I hesitate, and then I say, “Crest.”

He moves back from the door and gestures for me to pass.

I walk into the warehouse, passing a Lotus Elise and a Porsche. I mumble to myself, “His and hers, I see.”

I walk down a set of stairs, leading into a very well-kept living space. This is definitely Sam’s speed. It has the same modern flare that the house back in Miami carried.

The Japanese man walks down a hall and knocks on a door.

The door opens, and Sam hollers down the hall, “Xander, my boy!”

He rounds the corner, and I force a smile. “Dad.”

He opens his arms as he approaches and hugs me close to him. I pat him lightly on the shoulders and swallow back the bile that is creeping up into my throat.

Sam pulls back and holds me at arm’s length. “I am so glad you are here.” He turns his head and says, “Corinna, come see Xander.”

She saunters out from the same hallway where Sam just came from. I wonder if they were in the same room. I glance down briefly, right myself, and then I look back up at her with the biggest smile I can give.

“Corinna, you are as beautiful as ever.”

I tighten my hand into a fist in the depth of my pocket. Corinna walks straight over to me and kisses one cheek, then the other, and then she kisses me on the lips, lingering there for effect. I grind my teeth in disgust at the game she is playing in front of dear ol’ Dad. I hope she doesn’t notice.

When Corinna pulls away, she wipes her lips with the pad of her thumb. “Are you going to be ready to do this mission or are we going to have to pull your weight?”

I look her square in the eye. “Not at all. I’m sure Sam can attest for me. I’m a very fast learner, and I think quickly on my toes. Right, Dad?”

I look over at Sam. He’s leaning against the back of the sofa, arms crossed. He’s glaring at Corinna’s back. He walks over to me and pulls me away from her. He guides me toward the wet bar.

“Corinna, he will be fine. Xander, what would you like to drink?”

I keep it simple. “Vodka and water.”

I turn and see Corinna leaning against the sofa, watching me. She is sizing me up, checking to see if I’m the real deal, but she can’t even get past my block. I can feel her probing and getting nowhere. Seeing the way she is glaring at me, I can tell she’s pretty pissed about it, too.

I meet her eyes and smile. “I hear you are coming along amazingly, Corinna.”

Her glare intensifies. “Quite amazingly actually. Right, Sam?”

Sam hands me a drink, eyeing me. “She is extraordinary, Xander. Sanderson’s altered Copula has given her so many more abilities. I have already sent in my request for one when I return.”

Where is he going?
I ask casually, “Return? Where are you going?”

Sam hands Corinna her drink and holds up his own. “Actually, it’s where we are going when we open the wormhole.” He clinks his glass against mine. “Cheers, Xander.”

Chapter 42

Jesca

During the entire drive, each of us is in our own little mental bubble. I continue thinking about Xander and wonder if he’s keeping his cover. I want to ask Nate, but I don’t want to see the expression of hurt on his face. I remind myself that Nate would tell me if something happened to Xander.

The roads are vacant of any cars, except for military and law enforcement vehicles. We are flagged by military checkpoints on our way to Lake Motosu, just as Sebastian suspected. At every stop, Balthazar warns us to be on guard since the soldiers could be Sondians wanting to attack us.

It is midday, and the sky is peppered with dark clouds. In between them, the gray sky is electrified with constants shards of lightning.

Nate breaks the silence in the car. “What is that?”

I turn to him to see what he’s talking about. He is pointing out his side window. I follow his finger into the dark sky and wait.

After about thirty minutes, I give up and turn back to my window. Suddenly, I see a pale gray wave of light roll across the sky.

Nate says, “There. What is that? It’s not lightning.”

Ezra answers, “Gamma ray bursts. They aren’t normally visible to the naked eye.”

Balthazar interrupts, “Under normal circumstances, they are millions of light years away, too. But, that’s not the case anymore.”

I keep my eyes on the burst that’s coming in patterned waves every couple of minutes. I ask to no one in particular, “Can they harm us?”

Balthazar says, “Us? No. Normal humans? Yes.”

Sebastian explains, “Radioactive waves in small amounts can be harnessed and used for good, like when fighting cancer, for instance. These radioactive waves will breakdown the body’s cells. A normal, unaltered human will last maybe a week before cells begin to breakdown and become fatal.”

One of the reasons why Balthazar and Sebastian have moved forward with the new Copula, already considering mass implantations after the intersection, is because of the changes in our atmosphere.

I ask, “If they are implanted with our Copula after the cells have already begun breaking down, can they be saved?”

Balthazar answers, “We don’t know.”

* * *

The thick trees begin to thin out and I see Lake Motuso come into view. We pull off onto the shoulder and turn down a gravel path not any wider than the width of the truck. The gravel turns to grass and Balthazar parks our truck in between two large trees, leaving room for the other two trucks on either side of us.

Everyone starts exiting the trucks. I move to climb out the back when Nate touches my arm. I sit back down and turn to him.

He says, “Jes, Xander is fine. He is keeping up his block, and Sam doesn’t detect anything. They are en route here now.”

I instinctively grab his hand and interlock our fingers. I whisper, “Thank you, Nate.”

He looks down at our hands. “I know you wouldn’t have asked me because…” He stops himself before he finishes his sentence.

I know it took so much for him to tell me. I see what a selfless, honorable, and loyal man Nate has become. God help me, in that moment, my heart tears a little, revealing that Nate and I might be something more. No, this can’t happen now—not right now.

I quickly breathe in, and my mouth feels dry and numb at the same time. I close my eyes and press my lips together hard, trying to refocus. I put my other hand over our joined hands.

My voice trembles a little at first, but then it strengthens. “Nate, Xander and you are strong together. You and I are strong together. That’s all we need to think about right now.”

Nate puts his other hand on both of ours. When he looks at me, those eyes that I remember from near the blue-green glowing pool in the facility are penetrating me.

He whispers, “I love you, Jesca.”

I can’t look at him without crying, so I pull him into my arms and hold him. I quickly whisper past the knot in my throat, “I love you, Nate.”

I back away, moving across the seat to exit the car. I wipe my eyes and climb out of the car without looking back at him.

* * *

Monica’s team has unloaded one of the trucks, and a mound of guns and ammunition lay before us.

Nick hunches over first and starts forming his stockpile along with Monica’s team. Nick hands two semiautomatics to Elisha and two to Angela.

Angela, not being shy, takes two more guns and a dagger. “Can never have too much fire power.”

Monica says, “Grab as much as you can. There are going to be too many coming at us to use our abilities for protection the entire time.” She cocks one of the semiautomatics. “This is quicker sometimes.”

I grab two semiautomatics since that’s the gun Ezra trained me with in Miami. Nate picks up two semiautomatics and two assault rifles.

He turns to me. “I’ll grab his.”

I know he means Xander.

We suit each other up with bulletproof vests and holsters galore.

When we’re all ready, Balthazar points to the edge of the forest about fifty yards east. “There’s the edge of the Aokigahara Forest. Remember, this forest is not forgiving. They know we’re coming, so I’m sure it’s crawling with Sondians by now. But, Sondians aren’t the only ones we will be protecting ourselves from. The tangible and intangible will be among us in there. Don’t let the illusions sway your focus.”

Balthazar starts walking, and we all follow close by.

The trees quickly become dense upon entering the forest. The silence is eerie, and the air is thick
, but chilled.

Elisha quietly says, “Watch for holes. There are all types of caverns running below the forest.”

The crackling of the trees swaying up high makes the hair on my arms stand on end. The tree trunks are covered in moss so green that it looks radioactive. The gamma ray bursts rolling across the sky light up the entire forest.

I hear whistling and stop. I turn to my left and see a white flash pass out of the corner of my eye. I grab for Nate.

He takes hold of my hand. “What is it?”

I look deeper at the area where I saw the momentary white flash, but I don’t see it again. I turn to look at him. “Nothing.”

Elisha jumps back all of a sudden, and Nick puts his arms around her waist.

He asks, “Hey, you okay?”

Elisha puts her hands on her hips. “Yeah, I just thought I saw a white flash.”

I walk up behind her and mumble, “I did, too.”

Nate looks at me and says, “I thought you said it was nothing.”

Balthazar turns to us. “Excuse me?”

We all look at him.

He puts his hands up. “Spirits swaying your focus!”

Ezra and Monica walk over to us.

Ezra says, “Change of plans on the mental blocking thing.”

Monica nods. “Yeah, that’s our best defense to help us find one another when we get separated.”

I repeat her words. “When we get separated?”

Monica looks at me. “Yes, it will happen. We need to be able to find each other if someone is in danger.”

We all agree and move on.

I hear Nick’s thoughts first. Testing, testing, one, two, three.

Luke, Jake, and Nate all mumble, “Shut up, Nick.”

Nick chuckles, “Alright, alright. Sheesh.”

Suddenly, the snapping sounds of small twigs echo around us. I put my hand out and grab hold of Nate to stop him. Everyone else follows suit. The snapping continues, and there’s more of it as it becomes louder. I feel nauseous all of a sudden.

Nate thinks, I feel it, too.

We’re all scanning the forest around us now.

Monica thinks, Get ready. They’re coming fast and strong.

I see a blurry form pass in front of me, and it sets off a chain reaction from our team. I seize Nate’s hand, and I focus on a point about fifty yards in front of me.

I think to him, You ready?

He squeezes my hand, and I don’t wait for any other answer. Everything around me blurs, except the point I focus on. It feels like Nate and I are pulled without our control to the singular spot I’ve focused on. Everything around me refocuses, and we are there. Nate is panting.

I tug on his hand and ask urgently, “Are you alright?”

He looks at me, still panting. “Yeah…yeah, just new to this, uh—”

I finish his sentence. “Jumping.”

Nate is turning green as he nods rapidly, swallowing hard.

I turn to check on everyone else. I see three of Monica’s crew fighting off Sondians with their abilities and ammunition. I scan the forest and see Elisha and Nick just before they jump. They are moving deeper into the forest toward Mt. Fuji. Ezra and Monica materialize next to Nate and me.

Ezra says, “Alternate your jumping and your running to save your energy. Got it?”

I nod. “Alright.”

Ezra and Monica disappear, and Nate and I are right behind them.

That’s when I hear the crying. It’s the cry of a baby. I let go of Nate’s hand and turn in a half circle, trying to find which direction it’s coming from.

Nate asks, “Jes, what’s wrong? We have to keep moving.”

The cry is muffled when it comes again. Off to the right, I see a figure shrouded in a royal blue–hooded cloth. It’s not hard to miss him among the deep green moss and leaves. I try to keep my eyes on the streak of blue, but his runner’s speed is beyond what my eyes can keep up with.

I feel a nauseating heat wash over me again. My breath quickens, and I suddenly feel panic and fear.

My voice is shaking. “This was in my dream—the crying baby.”

Nate jerks me to him and forces my face to look at him. His eyes are serious, and his voice is stern, almost angry. “What? Jes, there is no crying baby! It isn’t real. It’s an illusion. Stay focused with me. It’s the souls. They’re trying to get in your head!”

I do something very out of character. I start sobbing because Nate’s yelling at me. I would never react to Nate like that. Something is interfering with my emotions.

I stare at Nate, covering my mouth as I sob like a baby.

Like a baby.

I remember what Ezra said about when I had tried to contact him when I was a baby. Even at the age of three, you were using telepathy and trying to astral project to safety.

Then, I remember what Anna, my mother, said. Jesca, even as a toddler, you called to your father to try to save us both.

Oh my God. The baby is trying to connect with me! The baby’s cry intensifies, and I feel a wave of nausea shoot straight through to my stomach, forcing me to double over. I shake my head back and forth, not understanding why Nate can’t hear the cries. I stand as straight as I can and grip onto Nate’s forearms.

I yell, “Can’t you hear the baby crying?”

Nate takes my face in his hands. With grave intensity, he says, “No! There is no crying baby!”

He thinks I’m hallucinating because of this place. I yell in his face, “I’m not hallucinating, Nate!”

I try to pull away from him, but Nate holds tight.

I plead with him. “Nate, this was in my dream! Damn it! Let me go after them!”

I stop trying to pull away. Instead, I attempt to drag him with me as I scan the forest. When I jerk him forward, Nate trips over a stump and falls to the ground. My hand slips from his, and I run as fast as I can away from him, toward the sound of the cry.