“First, back off. This is going to be a partnership. I’m working with you, not for you. Get that straight.”
Cort shrugged, refusing to agree, but Jenna kept going.
“Second, I want Mercy released, right now. Make a call, put her on a plane back to Key West or wherever she wants to go.”
This request got a response from Cort. His brows furrowed. “Who is Mercy?”
“What?” Jenna looked around for the woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. She turned to Noah, who looked as confused as Cort. The world, and the events that had brought her to the Very Large Array had changed. Not only was Mercy not present, but she was also not a part of her life, or Noah’s. It felt like a death. It stung. But she hid it. “She’s a clone. Like me. One of the first. We need to find her. She’ll help.”
Cort shrugged again, indifferent, but not opposed.
Jenna turned to Soter. “We’re going to need your help, too.”
Soter’s face creased in alarm. “They’re my children. You can’t make me hunt them down.”
“Yes, they are your children, and you’re responsible for what they’re doing. If you really care about them, you’ll help stop them before they do something terrible.”
He leaned against his cane, as unwilling to make a commitment as Cort.
“There’s something else,” she continued. “The transmission didn’t come from extraterrestrials.”
That got Soter’s attention. “No? Then who?”
“From us. Today. The Wow! Signal was sent by Jarrod.”
“Impossible,” Soter said. “The signal came from deep space.”
“Which is exactly where he sent it,” Jenna said, motioning to the skyward pointing array dishes. “But we don’t know who created it, or why.” She left out the refining nature of the signal, deciding to tell her father once she was sure he was the same man who had raised her. “But we need you to help figure out who created the signal…and our genome.”
Soter’s eyes brightened a little at the prospect of an unsolved mystery. He nodded slowly.
“Anything else?” Cort asked, with more than a trace of sarcasm.
Jenna matched his tone, looking over the barrel of the man’s gun. “I’m sure I’ll think of something. Now do we have a deal or should I put a bullet in the other leg and be on my way?”
Cort winced. At least that part of the story hadn’t changed. He shook his head. “You have no idea what you’re in for, kid.”
“I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.” She turned back to Noah. “Still proud of me?”
Noah blinked as if trying to hold back tears and smiled. “You are still going to finish high school, and go to college…and get the job of your dreams.”
“After we stop World War III,” she said.
He chuckled. “Looks that way.”
She grinned back. “Deal.”
He hugged her again. “Yes. I’m proud of you. More than you can imagine.”
“Nurture wins over nature, right? You raised me well.”
“Yes. I did.”
Noah led her away, arm around her. As they walked, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and he leaned in close, but not to comfort her. In a serious, but quiet voice, he said, “How do you know about Mercy?”
A NOTE FROM JEREMY ROBINSON
Dear Reader,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading FLOOD RISING. I hope you have enjoyed this brand new thriller. If you did enjoy the book, please show your support by posting a review at your online retailer. E-book websites work on algorithms, meaning the more people review my books, the more the e-book retailers will recommend them to other readers. And the more people buy my books, the more I get to write them, which is a good thing for both of us (assuming you enjoyed the book). If we can get FLOOD RISING moving off the virtual shelves, there will be many more adventures with Jenna Flood to come.
Thank you!
— Jeremy Robinson
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jeremy Robinson is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and novellas including Uprising, Island 731, SecondWorld, the Jack Sigler thriller series, and Project Nemesis, the highest selling original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author.
Robinson is also known as the bestselling horror writer, Jeremy Bishop, author of The Sentinel and the controversial novel, Torment. His novels have been translated into twelve languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.
Visit him online at www.jeremyrobinsononline.com.
Sean Ellis is the author of several thriller and adventure novels. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and he has a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Policy from Oregon State University. Sean is also a member of the International Thriller Writers organization. He currently resides in Arizona, where he divides his time between writing, adventure sports and trying to figure out how to save the world.
Visit him on the web at: seanellisthrillers.webs.com