Stars Rain Down (27 page)

Finally, something simple came to mind and she imagined it as clearly as she could. When she opened her eyes, Donovan's stars were gone, replaced by a reasonable imitation of the table in her workshop. The shape was a little off, but it was there.

"Hmmmm," Donovan said. "I kind of expected more on your first try. How about... your message in a bottle?"

He pushed the holographic table out of the way and it splashed out of existence like waves breaking over rocks. Then he began sketching out her device in the air. As his fingers moved, a glimmering light trailed them and the object quickly took shape.

"Whoa," she said again.

"Yeah... pretty sure I said that too."

"That's all wrong," she said after a moment, and floated up into the air. When she reached him, she instinctively started tugging at the image, and it reacted like clay. Her hands raced around, adding flanges and control surfaces, and soon it closely resembled the model on her computer screen back in the lab.

"So, you see how this might be useful."

"I'm beginning to."

"There's more," he said. He was deep in thought for a second, then a perfect replica of one a tug appeared in the middle of the room. The small utility ship began to disassemble itself, piece by piece, and when the drive section came off, it swelled to several times its original size and became transparent. Its major components each turned different colors and pulsed in turn with light.

Donovan said, "Legacy's been analyzing her own technology to figure out how it works, and she remembers more from her past everyday. In here, she can show you what she's learned."

Sal didn't waste any time. She flew a couple meters away into still empty air, and started sculpting something new out of solid light. She wasn't sure what it was just yet, but she continued to play with the object until it started to take shape.

"A car?" Donovan asked.

"I guess," she said, and added a set of wheels. "Just messing around. Getting a feel for this."

Donovan had an extremely goofy grin on his face. "And the engineer becomes a painter again. Should I bring your equipment?"

"Not necessary. I'll get it myself in a bit."

"As you wish," he said, and he headed for the transit tube. "If you need anything, just call."

"I will," Sal said, but she wouldn't. She was already on her second object, pulling its edges around like salt-water taffy. For the first time in months, she was having fun. It was effortless and addictive, so much that she wouldn't leave the room at all for more than a day.

Everyone had heard there was
big news
coming, and Al Saif was abuzz with activity.

More information was promised at the general meeting, but in the meantime, imaginations flared up sending rumors stampeding across the base. Each time Jack turned a corner, he found another gaggle of soldiers gossiping about what they'd heard.

Theories were all over the map. He heard one man claiming the invaders had abandoned South America for unknown reasons, and ten minutes later, he heard another excitedly describing a mysterious remnant naval fleet assembled off the coast of Antarctica.

And those were just the plausible stories. The implausible ones were even more extravagant, like armies of genetically engineered subterranean supermen rising up in Oregon, or captured alien warships fighting in space. He eagerly awaited news of knights in magical armor riding man-eating unicorns.

Evening came, and Jack was in the mess tent seated across from Leonid Nikitin, who'd just returned to active duty and was viciously attacking pile after pile of food. He was a bit thinner from bed rest and covered in new scars, but hardly worse for wear. In fact, the jagged mark along his jawline seemed to fit him perfectly.

Albright sat quietly next to Jack, sipping from her canteen and otherwise off in her own little world. Not surprising since she'd always been prone to bouts of deep thought. Jack figured he'd be the same way if he knew even a quarter as much stuff.

"How about this one?" Nikitin said with his mouth jammed full of dry rations. "I heard the aliens started fighting each other, like a civil war or something."

Jack looked skeptical. "Come on, Nik. You can do better than that."

"And they're cannibals?"

"Now you're getting somewhere."

"Cannibal zombies."

"Too far."

Nikitin laughed hard, and bits of food flew out of his mouth. "Alright, alright. What've you got?"

"Ummm... Yeah," Jack said. "I heard that after years of careful planning, the one thing the aliens didn't account for... was disease. Now they're dropping like fruit flies."

"Weak shit. Do you honestly think no one's ever seen
War of the Worlds?
"

"Wait for it," Jack added. "Sexually transmitted disease."

"Ha! I can see the headlines now...
Alien Armada Defeated by the Clap!
"

"Invasion forces penetrated deep, but should've used protection," Jack said with a laugh.

He refused to say it, but he was glad as all hell to have Nikitin back. The guy laughed in death's face as a matter of habit, and the spirit was contagious. He was a walking morale booster, and without him, Jack could get too grim for even his own taste.

"Seriously though," Nikitin said, "what do you think this is all about?"

Jack shook his head. "Not even gonna try guessing, man." He glanced down at his watch and meeting-time was fast approaching. "We'll find out soon enough, though."

They spouted off another half-dozen joke theories while they finished eating, then all three headed off to the shabby meeting hall where Colonel Galili had spoken that first night.

It was standing room only, and the excitement inside was so thick Jack could cut it with a spoon. As was the stink of sweat.

Jack, Nikitin and Albright pushed and jostled their way through the crowd, and stopped only when they couldn't wade any deeper in.

"A fire inspector would have a field day in here," Nikitin said.

Jack laughed. "Good news. They're all dead."

"Burnt up. Is that ironic?"

"Don't think so," Jack said.

"What if they were all attending an international fire inspector conference during the attack, and had exceeded their venue's maximum occupancy?"

"Maybe," Jack said. "I never had a very good grasp on irony."

The wolfish Colonel Galili stood at his podium. "Settle down. Settle down."

A hush passed through the crowd and he began. "I know you've all heard a lot of wild theories, and command has decided to take the lid off rather than let these dangerous rumors persist. Let me categorically state that there is no legion of three meter super soldiers marching across Eastern Europe... so far as we're aware."

A giggle shot through the room.

"Here's what we know... Six days ago, a strange device of unknown origin crashed near the Russian Ark. They thought it was an unexploded enemy round at first, until it literally popped open and waved a white flag."

"Great. Even Bugs Bunny's shelling us now," Nikitin grumbled.

"When they finally worked up the courage to investigate the capsule, they found a few surprises inside. There was a binder full of high resolution orbital photos with enemy installations marked out, a mini-drive containing the same information, and a handwritten note that said
keep hope alive.
"

A low murmur rumbled all around.

"Now, it would appear that we have a guardian angel somewhere up above... maybe a still functioning space station... but we're not ready to rule out the possibility of a trap just yet. We are examining the information very closely, and will hopefully come to a decision one way or another very soon."

While everyone else was whispering to one another, Jack's hand shot into the air.

"Is that Mr. Hernandez? What is your question?"

The Colonel knew him by name. That was new. He said, "I understand the information hasn't been confirmed yet, sir, but can you tell us anything at all?"

"The pictures show colonization all along the equator in South America and Africa. The enemy vessels have planted themselves in the jungle, and seem to have transformed into makeshift cities. They have also established numerous observation posts and forts, forming a defensive line several hundred kilometers wide."

Jack's hand was in the air again.

"Yes?" the colonel asked.

"My team has experience doing search and rescue in the Congo, as well as Uganda and Kenya. I'd like to volunteer to investigate the intelligence, sir."

Galili stroked his chin for a moment. "Stay and have a word with me, Hernandez. The rest of you are dismissed. We'll have another announcement when we know more."

"Oooooh," Nikitin said. "Jack's gotta stay after class."

"Not the first time," Jack grumbled.

The crowd filed out, already inventing new rumors to supplant the old ones, and Nikitin and Albright went with them while Jack marched off to his chat with the teacher. Once the room was empty, Jack approached the Colonel.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

Galili was busy digging something out of his pack. He produced a large roll of paper a moment later, unrolled it and laid it out on a wooden table. "Have a look at this, Mr. Hernandez."

It was a map of Africa with enemy emplacements marked in red. The Sub-Saharan region was dotted with small boxes, and four large circles staggered across the Congo, west of Lake Victoria.

"This is the intel, sir?"

"More or less. Tell me... how could I move, let's say, forty troops into theater."

Jack scratched his head. "Well, we know the Suez is a no-go, and the rest of Egypt is pretty hot from the look of this. A better bet would be to cross at the Bab-El-Mandeb bridge, making your entrance through Djibouti."

"You think the bridge still stands?"

"Probably. The aliens struck population centers, but they ignored roadways and bridges... and if it's down, you just cross by boat. It shouldn't be too hard to find something sea-worthy in the area."

"Interesting. And then?"

"Follow the Great Rift Valley all the way to Kenya, then cross Uganda along the southern edge. That seems to be where outposts and patrols are the thinnest." His scarred fingers traced a trail from Djibouti and stopped near Lake Victoria.

"Good. Very good. What would you say, Mr. Hernandez, if I asked you to establish a forward base in Africa?"

That caught Jack off guard. He thought he was just giving advice, or possibly getting his scouting orders. "Come again?" he said.

"Few of us have experience south of Egypt. We need someone who knows the land. Someone who knows how to survive there. You lead a force along the route you just drew and investigate. If the intel is good, then you establish a base and start hitting the enemy where it hurts."

"I... Can I have a little time to think about this?"

"Take a day if you like, but I already know what your answer will be. You're the man for the job, and you know it. You were the one who told us to be bold, were you not?"

"I suppose so, sir."

"And your trip-lines are still racking up enemy casualties. More walkers fall every week. You want to hurt these bastards, and I'd like to help you."

"A day?"

"One day. Sleep on it."

Jack wandered back outside where Nikitin and Albright were waiting for him. Albright asked "What was that all about, hero?"

"You get chewed out?" Nikitin offered.

"No. Ummm... The Colonel wants me to establish a base in Africa."

Albright said, "Wow."

Nikitin laughed. "Hot damn. You gonna do it?"

"I dunno," Jack said, "but yeah, I think so."

"About time," Nikitin said. "I'm getting sick of this dried up hell hole. Be nice to see something green again."

"Yeah." Jack was still weighing the decision in his head. "It's a lot, though. Isn't it?"

Nikitin said, "Maybe. Just glad it's not me."

"You're not alone in that," Albright said.

"Smart mouth you got, little woman." Nikitin was smiling. "Anyway... I'm gonna go scrounge up another dinner. Anyone care to join me?"

"Nah. I got some thinking to do," Jack said.

Albright waved. "You're on your own, pal. That last feeding frenzy of yours turned my stomach."

"Fine. More for me." With that, the lighthouse headed off toward the mess.

Jack started walking in no particular direction, and Albright pinned herself to his hip. "So tell me, why wouldn't you do this?"

"I dunno," Jack said. "It doesn't seem real. I don't even know how I got this far."

She smiled. "That's easy. As long as I've known you, you've had a talent for just two things, Jack... knowing where to go, and convincing other people to follow."

"That's crap. I'm only in charge of the Bravos because no one else wanted the job."

"Bullshit. Two months in the corps, and you were already telling the brigade leader what to do. And he did it. When the position opened up, no one else would touch it because they knew it was yours."

He laughed. That cut closer to the truth than he was willing to admit.

"Face facts, Jack. If you march into hell, me, Leo, and the others will follow you right on in. And you'll bring us out alive. It's what you do."

He heard something in her voice that he hadn't noticed before, and he turned to look at her. The months of hardship had taken their toll, and she'd become cold and calculating in a way Jack never could have expected. But beneath that, stars were glimmering distantly in her eyes.

The realization didn't prepare him for what came next. Lisa Albright grabbed Jack's collar, tugged his face down to hers, and she kissed him.

Her lips were warm and soft and sweet. Her mouth was tender, and for an instant, Jack was lost. For an instant, he was kissing Jess back on a rainy day in San Jose.

He pulled away but stayed close, with his eyes closed and her hot breath breaking on his lip. His own breaths were heavy, and his heart was beating against his ribs.

"I can't," he whispered.

"I know," she said. Her hand was on his chest, and he was sure she could feel the thumping beneath. "You're still mending that broken heart... but someday it's gonna heal. I'll be here when it does."