Vortex of Evil (17 page)

“How can we get to her?  You have been working the humanity angle pretty well it seems.  Otherwise, why would they have let older Erin go?”

Erin kept returning to that thought.  “I think they planned to do that all along.  Just to see what we would do.  How we would react.  It was as if they wanted to get all of us to a heightened emotional state for whatever purpose they have in mind for us.”

“I guess we better hope that the reason they do that is unrelated to making the meat more tender.”

Erin had to laugh at that one, even though she couldn’t completely rule it out.  Dara seemed to have no boundaries to what she was capable of.  At least if the Yir-Lak, whatever or whoever they were, commanded it.

“Do you ever wonder if any of this is real?  After that stunt they played with Peter’s leg appearing to be cut off, I have wondered if they are planting all these experiences in our heads.”

Gaby frowned and stood up.  “I hadn’t really thought about that scenario, but I suppose it is possible.  It reminds me of one of those beer-fueled discussions in college about the nature of reality and whether any of us are real or just the figment of somebody’s imagination.”

“It usually turns out that everyone believes that they are the real one.”  Erin remembered exactly the kind of discussions that Gaby was referring to.  “I always thought the proof that everything was real was the simple fact that if they were all figments of my imagination, all the men would be nicer and better looking.  And have more money.”

Gaby smiled.  “You may be on to something there.  But in the current situation, my reality tells me that Peter is both nice and very good looking.  So by the inverse of your reasoning, he may be a figment of my imagination?”

Peter groaned.  “Whichever of you is making me up in their imagination, could you imagine my legs and arms working, and do something about this headache?  You know, there is a reason that most of those discussions were fueled by beer.”

Gaby ran over to him and put her arms around him.  “I am glad you have rejoined us.  And just as we were getting to the interesting part.”

“And I thought the interesting part was where I made an ass of myself and got blasted into the non-working pile of flesh you see before you.”

Gaby kissed him on the forehead.  “Don’t worry, Peter.  Erin tells me that Doug regained his feeling after a day.  You should be ok.”

“Well I can’t guarantee that I will be a good patient between now and then, but I appreciate knowing that I won’t be like this forever.  It is going to make it hard to execute a good escape plan until I can walk and use my arms again.”

“Yes it is, Peter.  It certainly is, but we can’t wait forever.  Try to heal quickly.”  Erin smiled as she patted him on the shoulder.

“I’ll try.  I will certainly try.  In the meantime, could one of you get me a drink of water?”

Erin filled one of the small plastic cups that their jailers allowed them to have.  There was an automatic water spigot on the wall that would fill the cup exactly three quarters full and stop.  They all tried to figure out how it knew to stop filling, but there was no obvious sensor visible.  Erin held the cup to Peter’s lips as he drank it.  “Would you like another?”

“No thanks.  And I have to say I hate laying here helpless.  Next time I plan something that is pointlessly heroic in nature, please kick me before they have time to do this to me again.”

Gaby patted him on the head.  “Don’t worry.  I will be watching you closely.  Whatever comes next, we need everyone at full speed.”

Erin thought about that phrase.  ‘Whatever happens next’ was a pretty scary thought.  She wished Doug was here with her, but with the likely outcome she was facing, it was better that he wasn’t there to share it.  She wondered what sort of life he would be able to have on the island with older Erin and the girls.  She thought it made sense that her older version got a replacement Doug to help her and her two daughters through whatever lay ahead for them. 

This future time where Dara had taken them was painfully real to her and she couldn’t help retuning to the thought that everyone she knew from the past week  would have been long dead and buried over there on the island.  She felt a wave of intense sadness pass through her as she thought about their lives.  She wondered if Doug had waited year after year for her to return from the future, sitting on one of the high bluffs on the western side of the island, watching the sunset each day and hoping for a dot on the horizon.  Or if he hit a point where he moved on.  She wondered what relationship her future self and Doug would have if they both determined she wasn’t coming back.  She hoped they had found happiness in some form and she resolved to accept whatever she found if she ever returned.  And that thought made her feel slightly better.

Chapter 20

Tom led the way as they left the remnants of the pirate camp and headed to the south part of the island were this older version of Erin and her girls had lived for many years with the older version of Doug. Doug, Tom and Erin all carried packs with supplies they liberated from the camp, as well as a supply of rifles, ammunition, RPGs and the remaining antiaircraft missiles.  Doug wished they could travel lighter, but he wanted to keep track of the more important things and anything left behind was usually looted by somebody.

“Can you carry all that stuff, Erin?”  Tom looked back at the older Erin as she marched resolutely up the trail.

“I can manage.  Is it going to be weird for you to call me Erin since you are use to the younger version?” 

“It is confusing for me to think of you in those terms since in my mind “Erin” is the woman that was abducted from our camp.  I guess we could find a new name for you, like we did for Megan.”  Tom smiled at the absurdity of having to find different names for all the different versions of people.

“I told your Erin that she could call me Rin.  I thought it would be less complicated those around us.  But since the two Erins aren’t together now, it is up to you.  Just don’t suggest ‘Red’ or ‘Freckles’ unless you have a death wish.”

Tom faked a frown.  “Wow, at a single stroke you eliminate my two best suggestions.  I guess we’ll have go with Rin.  How did you guys come up with that name?”

Rin laughed.  “Well my Doug sometimes called me Rin.  Alannah tried to say Erin when she was a toddler and all that came out was Rin.  She eventually switched to ‘Mommy’ but Doug locked onto Rin for good.”

“Rin it is.  And you will remember to call me Tom, right?  I am the better looking one.”

“Does anyone care what I think?”  Doug was bringing up the rear of the small party, turning his head often to look for any dangers that may be following them.

“No.” Tom and Rin answered in unison, followed by laughter.

She paused for Doug to catch up next to her and put her hand on his shoulder.  “Of course we care what you think.  But I don’t believe you really care if I go by something other than Erin.  It will simplify things once she returns, right?”

Doug couldn’t argue with that logic.  “Once she returns” had a good sound to it.”   His eyes met hers and he thought how much she was still the same person despite the twenty years that had passed.  She seemed a little older but no less attractive or vital than her younger version.  He hoped his Erin would return soon so that the two of them could be together to spend all those years that lay ahead.  “Rin it is.  Unless I think of something more clever.”

“I know all about your clever names.  Let’s keep it reasonable.” Rin smiled, noting that he was looking at her intently.  She spoke softly so Tom couldn’t hear.  “I am sorry they sent me back instead of your Erin.  I can tell by the way you look at me how much you wish I was her.”  She felt a tear run down her cheek.

Doug reached out with his finger and wiped it away.  “I am sorry that she was taken, but I would never want to trade you to get her back.  I was just thinking how I want to have her back so I can have a chance at a life with her.  Just like you and Doug were able to share.  For now, let’s keep our eyes peeled and go find your girls.  I don’t want to think too hard about all the reasons I have to be mad or sad.”

Rin patted him on the shoulder.  “You were always the sensible one who kept us safe.  And it seems that now I have a pair of you to assist me.  Can’t beat that.”

Tom cleared his throat and nodded towards the tall trees that lay ahead on their path.  “Just remember that I am also the smarter one.”   Then he turned and walked into the dense, dark forest with his two companions hurrying along behind him.

It took them several hours to get to the cave where Doug and Erin met the Vikings.  The blast marks were evident where the pirates had fired the rockets into its mouth.  Doug turned to Rin and asked her if she had ever stayed there during the years she had spent on the island.

“We came here a few times just to visit or show the girls where we met the Vikings.  But we never stayed overnight.  I guess we wanted to treasure our memories of the night we spent there so long ago.”

Doug turned to her and smiled.  “That was last week for me.  It was a pretty wonderful memory to treasure.” 

Rin blushed at the sudden realization that this younger Doug had a fond memory of making love to her within the past few days.  A younger version of her, but her nonetheless. 

Doug noticed her reaction.  Doug tried to look her right in the eye as he said that, but they both had the same thought.  “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Rin leaned closer to him.  “We share those memories together and we have a bond that is different than any two people.  I lived twenty years with you, but you just met me a week ago.  There are going to be many weird moments between us.”  She kissed him on the cheek and turned to go.

Tom looked at the two of them with a quizzical look on his face.  “Anything you want to tell me?”

“It’s ok Tom.  Doug and I were reminiscing about something that you missed out on.  But as I remember, you and Megan had a few memories of your own to treasure.”  Rin smiled and turned her head to one side as she watched Tom’s noticeably uncomfortable reaction to that question.

“We probably should get going while there is still light.”  He turned and walked towards the place that Peter and John had established their base.

Doug smiled at Rin and said simply, “Nicely done.  You haven’t lost your wit or your beauty.”

Rin shook her head.  “And as I said before, you haven’t lost your knack for the blarney.”

The trail through the forest went downward towards the eastern shore and then turned south.  Soon they could begin to hear the surf in the distance, far below them.  When they were within a hundred yards of their destination, Tom called out.  “Megan!  Are you there?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice not more than twenty yards away in the dense undergrowth replied softly, “Who’s asking?” 

Megan came slowly from within the thick bushes and walked over to Tom and hugged him, never taking her eyes off Rin. “You must be the Erin the girls are looking for.  How did you get away from the future people?  Did everyone escape?”

“Hello, Megan.  It is so good to see you again after all the years.”  Rin had a big smile on her face but there were a couple of tears finding their way down her cheeks as she walked over and hugged Megan.  “I am afraid that the future people let me go, but kept everyone else.”

The two nearly identical women held each other for a minute, then stepped back and looked each other over like it was a formal inspection.

“You have really held up well.  We could pass for sisters.”  Megan smiled broadly as Rin gave her a skeptical look.

“I thought we left that sort of talk to these two fine gentlemen who have often charmed us with their silver tongued praise.  But my life hasn’t been too bad and we managed to stay alive.  Now where are the girls?”

“I left them working on some dinner tasks with Ying helping out.  We should let them know there will be more guests.”

The four of them turned to go when they heard a gunshot.  Then another.  It sounded like it came from behind them, near the cave they had just visited.

Megan and Rin rushed to check on the girls while Tom and Doug quickly moved off the trail in opposite directions and headed back toward where they had just come from.  “It sounded like a pistol.”  Doug was looking around furiously as he advanced through the rough terrain.

“I thought so, too.  Keep your wits about you.  There could be a bunch of them.”  Tom visualized a group of the pirates in their camouflaged blue uniforms waiting to attack them but when they arrived at the cave, there was nobody in sight.  Doug went forward towards the entrance while Tom covered him from behind a large tree.  They were both on an emotional razor’s edge and knew that it would be all too easy to shoot first without thinking.  Doug cautioned himself to investigate first, shoot second.  Make sure there was a real threat. 

As he cautiously approached the mouth of the cave, Doug could see a pair of boots on the ground with the toes pointed skyward.  He peered around the edge of the rock at the entrance and confirmed there were legs attached to the boots.  But the pants were not the camouflage blue he was expecting.  Doug picked up a baseball size rock and threw it into the cave.  An immediate gunshot resulted, with the bullet hitting the wall of the cave and spraying rock chips in all directions.