Skull turned and went away muttering, defeated by Daniel’s refusal to be intimidated. He didn’t kill him, so on some level he must have known Daniel was right.
Daniel understood. He forgave. He was glad, because it meant Skull had a conscience after all.
He was also glad Skull left the door open. Perhaps if he’d been stronger he could have stayed, but Daniel found that given the way out, and the cost of staying, he wasn’t strong enough to remain to be tortured and dissected. Maybe that’s what was supposed to happen. Maybe staying would be the coward’s way out after all. Maybe he had more work to do.
He followed Skull out at a distance, past a sad trail of bodies. It grieved him to see Skull’s killing rage, but as Spooky had once told him, no man can live in another man’s heart.
-29-
Elise looked at her watch, dimly visible in the glow of the hangar’s Exit sign. She glanced for the dozenth time at David Markis. His rejuvenated body had settled in at its optimum physical age, and now he looked for all the world as if he was Daniel’s brother instead of his father. He shook his head at her, shrugged as if he knew what she was thinking.
Pacing up and down, she exchanged quiet greetings with Larry and the dozen others that were still with them. She knew many of the Bunker group had simply flown to Buenos Aires on their own passports. Before he died, Vinny had confirmed that those were not on any watch lists, had not been connected with the fugitives. The rest, who might be taken into custody, were here waiting in a small airfield near Tucson, ready for David to fly them south to safety and freedom.
A half hour later the elder Markis finally spoke up. “We can’t stay much longer. It’s almost dawn, and someone is going to notice us stealing this plane and call the authorities. And we don’t want to have to sneak across the border in daylight. I doubt the Air Force is going to respect Mexican sovereignty if they decide to shoot us down. We have to go.”
Everyone was looking at her. As if I can decide this, she thought. But I am his wife. They want my blessing. They want me to let him go, to absolve them of responsibility. Well, all right. They may still make it. Two highly trained men by themselves might be able to slip across the borders. These people here – civilians, women and children – I can’t risk their freedom for one man.
Even if he is my husband, my heart, my life.
She nodded to David. “You’re right. Come on, let’s go.”
Immediately David Markis clapped his hands. “All right, you heard the lady, load up.” The stairs were already down on the twin-engine turboprop and the people took their places quietly. Elise sat down in the frontmost passenger cabin seat. She ran her hand over the fabric of the cushion next to her, wishing things were different. Wishing he was there.
Larry hit the button that opened the hangar, then ran to shut the fuselage door and take the copilot position. Engines whined to life and David taxied out onto the ramp, turning eastward toward the downwind end of the runway.
As the plane swung through one hundred eighty degrees she heard an exhalation and an exclamation from the cockpit.
“What is it?” she heard David say. “Are we blown?” He pushed the throttles forward and the engines picked up speed.
“I don’t know,” replied Larry. “It’s just one vehicle. No lights. Slow down, man. The Feds wouldn’t come in like this. They’d be all guns blazing and shit. It has to be them!”
David throttled back, but did not brake the plane. The aircraft and the SUV approached each other on opposite courses, the truck speeding down the runway much faster than the turboprop, heading directly toward it.
At the last second it slewed sideways and two men bailed out, waving frantically. David Markis slammed the throttles back to idle, feathered the props and hit the brakes as wild cheering broke out among the passengers.
Elise couldn’t hold back the tears as Spooky and Daniel climbed aboard. Her husband threw himself into her arms and held on as if he’d never let her go. And he won’t, not if I have anything to say about it, she resolved.
As the plane ran down the runway she saw the SUV flash its lights twice in goodbye, then turn and race away across the dusty desert landscape just turning pink in the light of dawn. Goodbye, Skull, she thought. I don’t like you, but right now I love you. I hope I get to thank you sometime.
-Epilogue-
Interstellar space, 1.6 light years from Earth, velocity .17C.
The organisms on the Meme scout ship were known by their functions. Thus, Commander was awakened earliest, and was the first to begin processing many thousands of planetary revolutions-worth of stored data from the target world. Some time later, two other organisms joined it in consciousness, to digest with Commander. They were designated Biologist and Executive.
It was two full revolutions more before they felt the need to confer. The Meme were meticulous beings, and they examined the data in detail, scanning from the moment their Lightbearer probe had deposited the Adversary Worm onto the target world thousands of cycles ago, until the moment of anomaly.
Commander was first to speak, as was proper. “Biologist. Explain the existence of these sentients. Why did the Adversary Worm not corrupt them sufficiently to reduce them to animals?”
“I cannot explain at this time, Commander. We must continue to process the stored data, and analyze. Perhaps the data will yet relate their fall.”
“Noted. Continue.”
A half a revolution later the Commander spoke again. “I am processing data from circa timepoint minus 3000. The sentients formed large collectives, developed symbolic communication, built permanent structures, and made organized war upon each other. They grow more numerous.”
Biologist replied, “I do not yet have sufficient data to form a conjecture. The Watcher probe is limited in its ability to sample at its orbital distance, and it is only transmitting Level One data.”
“Why do we not have Level Two data? Was the Level Two worm not deployed?”
“Unknown. Each perihelion brings more detail. I will continue to process.”
Executive also waited, and listened, and processed.
While the subordinates were by nature creatures of logic and of very even temperament, Commander was by design less so, having been given more flexibility and motivation to address threats, anomalies and irritations. Thus it was only another revolution, a mere moment to the deep-thinking beings, before Commander spoke again, hardly able to contain itself. By the standards of its race, it was agitated. Its protoplasmic body, huge with age and genetic knowledge, shook within its containment tank.
“I am processing data from circa timepoint minus one hundred. The sentients have developed control of basic electrical forces including electromagnetic communications, internal combustion, and atmospheric flight. The level Two worm must have failed.”
This time it was Executive that responded. “I have been digesting the data as well. I have begun constructing courses of action using the resources at hand.”
“Those resources are very limited. This is a Survey craft, not a Destroyer.”
Executive and Biologist exchanged fleeting thoughts of concern, or perhaps amusement. Commander was sometimes given to redundant statements of well-known fact. The two remained indulgent.
Biologist responded, “Let us continue to digest data. Approximately one hundred target-revolutions will bring us to data-timepoint zero. Then we will have maximum information and can formulate strategy.”