Terra Nova (The Variant Conspiracy Book 3) (20 page)

Chapter 27

The next morning I woke to the crackling sound of the campfire. Jonah still slept soundly, so I dressed carefully. The cool morning air made me glad I’d remembered to keep my hoodie. I unzipped our tent door as quietly as I could.

Mr. Mbele and Faith were the only two around the fire.

“No sign of Josh and Melissa?” I said.

“Not yet.” Faith glared at the fire.

I felt a sinking stab of guilt at sharing a night of passion with Jonah while my brother sat captive and his girlfriend worried for his safety. “Why don’t you come with us this morning? You’ll be the first to know what’s happening.”

“Of course I’m coming with you!”

“Fire girl, you must be careful. You are hazard here. Kibera burn very easy,” said Mr. Mbele.

“Don’t worry about me. I can keep it in my pants.” Faith pulled her fabric band from her pocket and tied back her dreadlocks.

“Let’s go now. I’ve got a bad feeling Josh and Melissa fell asleep at the proverbial wheel.”

Mr. Mbele needed no further prompting. He rolled up his bedroll, stuffed it back in his bag, and headed out of the trees toward the hedge site.

“Hey, man, wait for us.” Faith jogged after him. I ran to close the distance as well.

The early morning sky brightened and the first few rays of sun spilled onto the ground ahead. The shadows of Kibera’s rooftops were still long on our side of the slum, but I could clearly see the couch Cole had mentioned and the freshly dug trench in the ground.

There was no sign of Josh and Melissa until we got close enough to the couch to see two people slouched in sleep. I walked around to face them. Josh had his arm around Melissa who had her face buried in his shoulder.

“Good morning!” I couldn’t begrudge them either comfort or rest, not when I had indulged myself the previous night. But I couldn’t help being irritated that they’d let down their guard.

“What?” Melissa lurched backwards.

“Huh? Shit! Sorry!” Josh leapt up off the couch, blushing deeply.

Faith and I scanned the scene for any trace of Ivan, Tatiana, Rose, or Sage. Only a few early morning trash scavengers were digging. I heard the tink-clink of glass on glass as one woman pulled two bottles from a mound of debris.

“So do we know if that trench is still un-sown?” I asked.

“It’s unattended. Let’s go check.” Faith closed the distance between us and the tilled ditch, but she didn’t make it close enough to check the ground. She collapsed a few meters from the ditch. She vomited the contents of her stomach in a couple of quick heaves.

“Come back. Just back away!” I shouted.

Faith crawled back until the sickness relented. She sat with her head in her knees. I knew what had grabbed her. Ivan’s ‘curse’ on my old apartment building and the Mojave testing grounds had been implemented here. No wonder it was unguarded.

“Bring me your necklace!” Faith shouted back.

Fortunately, I still had my protective ruin pendant around my neck. I’d been wearing it for luck on and off—now every day after the Mojave. I gave a startled laugh as I lifted it off and passed it to Faith. She put it around her neck and charged back toward the ditch.

Faith crossed an unseen threshold and dropped to the ground again, clutching her stomach. She wretched and writhed in the dirt. I ran to her and pulled her back by her armpits. I felt a wave of nausea and let go of Faith as I threw up violently.

Both of us crawled backward until the crushing urge to get sick faded away.

“It didn’t work,” said Faith between gasps.

“Uh huh. I guess Ivan’s got more than one kind of land curse up his sleeve,” I said.

“I’m going to kill Ivan myself.” Faith wiped her mouth and brushed sick off her shirt.

“Are we close enough for you to still torch the thing?” I said.

“I think so. But if she hasn’t planted those seeds yet, what’s the point? Scorched earth? She’ll just pick a new site. Can’t we stick to the plan where we get Ilya out asap?” Faith steadied herself with slow breathing. I followed her lead as we stood recovering from the powerful urge to vomit.

“You want to find the red-eyed man and the green woman. We do it now,” said Mr. Mbele, standing over Faith and me.

I stood up and dusted my pants. Faith did the same.

“How do you usually trigger your visions? I seem to need an item or a person, although sometimes I can manage with concentration alone,” I asked Mr. Mbele.

“You need practice then. I will guide us.”

Mr. Mbele took my one hand and brushed my eyes closed with his other. He started to hum. It was distracting. I couldn’t picture Ilya or Ivan.

The blackness flicked away and Mr. Mbele and I were back in Ilya’s cell. Ilya slept fitfully. Mr. Mbele walked through the room’s only door and I followed. It had never occurred to me to pass through a door or wall in a vision. He was right. I needed practice.

“Your soldier friend may get in here, but something is wrong. I can’t see your brother’s future once his eyes are red. That demon blocks me,” said Mr. Mbele.

I followed as he walked down the hall toward the sound of voices. “I have trouble seeing around that alien monster thing too. But clearly my abilities are lacking compared to yours. At this point, I just need enough information to change my brother’s fate. And everyone else’s.”

“Is very hard to change the future. The gods do not show us what to do to make change. Knowing what will happen does not mean we know why and how a thing comes.”

“Do you think we have visions for a reason?” I said.

“I would not be here if I did not think it was my fate to help you.”

We rounded a corner and passed through another door. Ivan and Tatiana were discussing sources of fruit for their buffet. Mr. Mbele paid them no mind and passed through another door on the other side of the room. In another hallway, he looked both ways. I followed as he poked his astral head through one door and another until he beckoned for me to follow.

We passed into a stairwell which took us down to a corridor lined with cages. In the cages, hissing giant snake bats took no notice of us. We emerged into the pit where I had seen Ilya’s possession take place.

“No way to come in here without a fight,” said Mr. Mbele. He released my real world hand and the setting swirled until we stood outside Kibera again between the rotting couch and the freshly tilled ditch we couldn’t touch.

“Did you see what you needed to see?” said Jonah.

“You, soldier,” said Mr. Mbele to Josh.

“I guess that’s me,” said Josh, eyeing Mr. Mbele.

“You kill green woman and demon man?” said Mr. Mbele.

“Yes, it’s come to that. Give me a diagram of the place and I’ll get where I need to go. Once they’re dead, I’ll walk out with Ilya,” said Josh.

“What about Rose and Sage?” said Faith.

“I’ll go in too. We’ll be better off with a portal exit. Hopefully I can send Rose and Sage safely back to Sombrio Beach. They’ll hate me, but then again, I’m sure they already do.”

A sense of dread washed over me. I wrung my hands to calm myself. Something was going to go wrong with this revised approach, but I hadn’t seen what. Why? I wanted to reach out to Josh and pray contact would spark another vision. Maybe he needed to plan first for the future to unfold, so I held back.

“I’ll take the next shift watching the ditch,” said Jonah.

“Me too. If I can’t help Ilya, I need to do something other than pace around my tent,” said Faith.

“Let’s go back to camp. Mbele can draw me the compound layout. And I’ll have peace and quiet for planning,” said Josh.

Faith lay down on the grubby couch, still recovering while Jonah kept a stricter vigil on the tilled ditch. I hugged him quickly. Then, I bolted after Mr. Mbele, Josh and Melissa who were already well on their way back to camp.

When we arrived, Mr. Mbele took paper and pen from Melissa and drew a basic layout of both levels of Ivan’s Kibera compound. Josh nodded and took both pages into his tent.

Gemma and Melissa revised their inventory of our food. I didn’t have the patience to participate. I had to try to reach Ilya one more time. If he knew about Josh’s rescue attempt, it might stand a higher chance of success. I crept into my tent, sat cross-legged and gripped Ilya’s medallion.

Ilya, can you hear me? Are you awake?

The dark of the tent melted into Ivan’s one room cabin. Ivan and Ilya were in deep conversation.

“I am only telepath. And it vas dormant in me ven dis creature found me. It calls itself Ulu from somevhere called Kad ’aath. Is probably wrong vay to say.”

“If the creature survived here when it first landed, like Irina showed me, why is it so set to transform the world?”

“Survived, but barely. Had to vear its armor vit life support. Is hard for me to know, but I think it vas frail here and dat’s why it vas killed the first time. Much stronger if he makes this vurld like his. I think it will bring others if it can. Its vurld is gone, but it talks of others like him,” said Ivan.

“Wait, I think Irina’s here.” Ilya whipped his head to the side. “Sis, you there? Did you call for me?”

Yes, I’m here. I wanted to warn you that Josh and Melissa are coming to rescue you
.

“No, I need more time,” said Ilya.

Ivan stared at him curiously since only Ilya could hear me.

The other psychic, Mr. Mbele, he helped us to see inside that compound. It’s not as big as we’d thought, but there are some nasty animals down in the basement. Ivan’s got some kind of force-field-curse-thing on the hedge site, so nobody’s getting near it. If they had to wait for your body because Ivan isn’t a strong enough vessel, maybe they can’t do it at all without you
.

“I doubt they’ll wait. Tatiana will just put Ivan on a bed and hunt for Gemma or Camille or some other healer. I think they’d rather have a fresh body, but they’ll make it happen without me. I can take control, I know I can.”

“Irina, is that you? Can you hear me?” said Ivan.

Tell him yes, I can see and hear both of you
.

“She says she can hear and see us,” said Ilya.

“I am so glad you see the real me, evan if is just dis dried up old man I am now.”

Tell him I understand. Tell him I’m sorry. I wish we could save him. If there is any way, we’ll do it, but we can’t let this transfer happen. We were so stupid to try playing that monster’s game
.

“She’s trying to talk me out of letting the creature take my body. I want to negotiate. If you’ll survive this thing’s exit, I can make a deal for it to let you live, maybe even get Gemma to heal you. You can get your life back, or at least what’s left of it!”

“Your sister is right. All the power you see in me is from dis thing. Telekinesis, energy blasts, all is da creature. Those things vill be stronger still in new body. If you can get avay from here, go, and don look back. There is no savink me now. Vatever happens to me after this body dies vill be better than the last tventy years of my life. I am ready.”

Ilya’s broken heart was written in the arches of his eyebrows and his speechless open mouth. My heart ached for both of them.

“This body is veak now. If you and your friends come together, you may defeat him. But if you kill my body, creature will be dormant again. To kill forever, you must—” Ivan was cut off by a blast of air that shattered the cabin’s windows and knocked us all backward.

A deafening roar turned my blood to ice. I dropped Ilya’s medallion and lurched back to the tent. Both hands clamped fistfuls of sleeping bag as I gasped and gulped, shaking with terror.

The notion of trying again flitted through my mind. I jerked my head to this side and that, listening to the air. I couldn’t do it. Ilya knew help was coming. I just had to hope and wait.

Chapter 28

Josh wanted to wait for dark before approaching Ivan’s Kibera stronghold. I insisted they go sooner and Melissa reluctantly agreed. After lunch, Josh relented and they left.

The rest of us stayed back at the campsite. Cole, Gemma, Mr. Mbele and me all sat around the fire, alternately pacing and subtly practicing our talents. Big displays were out of the question in the middle of the day, but I could hover-shuffle my cards and remotely snap twigs while Cole crushed rocks and Gemma watched us alternately like a tennis spectator.

“They’ve been gone too long. Mr. Mbele, we should try to see what’s happening.”

“There is nothing we can do. Seeing is not going to help now,” said Mr. Mbele.

I clenched both fists as my stubborn companion stared into the campfire. I watched at Kibera helplessly. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Ilya’s face. Nothing happened, but I wasn’t surprised. I felt a frenzy of adrenaline coursing through me in all directions.

As I watched the patchwork of rooftops ahead, the regular murmur of voices and shuffling changed. A few cries rang out. Then shouts of anger. Pops of broken glass tinkle-cracked in the distance.

Suddenly a stream of people of all ages started pouring out of the nearest street at Kibera’s outer border. People were running from something. Had Terra Nova just been released? It couldn’t be!

“Guys! Something’s wrong! People are running!” I shouted.

I bolted toward the slum even though I sensed Cole on my heels. If Terra Nova had been released, his protection would be moot, so I ran hard until I saw Josh and Melissa in amongst the crowds fleeing. I searched the faces around them for Ilya’s skinny frame and shaggy mop of hair. Nothing. No faces but Josh’s and Melissa’s were recognizable in the stampede.

Cole scooped me up and heaved me onto his shoulder as though I was a child. As he ran with me, I watched flames shoot up through the roof of a nearby shack. Smoke rose from other parts of the slum. I scanned the crowd again for sickness and blood. Confusion escalated as people continued pouring out of the slum, but there were no telltale signs of Terra Nova.

Jonah and Faith cut through the crowd, meeting us at our campsite as Cole dropped me next to Gemma.

“What’s happening?” asked Gemma, terrified.

“I have no idea, but Josh and Melissa are on their way back,” I said.

“Why didn’t she use a portal?” said Cole.

“It’s some kind of riot,” said Jonah.

“We were watching the ditch, as directed. There was no change. Whatever this is, it’s not Terra Nova,” said Faith.

“Can we look now?” I said to Mr. Mbele.

He nodded and crossed the campsite to take my hand. The din of residents swirling around the outskirts of the slum disappeared and we were back in Ilya’s cell. The room was empty.

Mr. Mbele led me back toward the courtyard where Cole and I had left Ilya. I heard Tatiana’s shouting in the hallway before we entered.

“You started a riot, you morons!” yelled Tatiana.

“Boy was begging! He sees your friends come and go, he thinks we have money and should give him!” shouted one of the locals who had been guarding the Krylov’s gate.

“And you couldn’t have just given him money?” screamed Tatiana.

“You don’t give money! They want more and more! No giving away!” said the guard.

“We say no. He gets angry, his friends come and it goes from there,” said the other guard who watched the corridor to the entrance. Animated voices behind the smashes and crashes of intentional destruction rose and fell outside.

Mr. Mbele and I entered the courtyard to find Ivan reclined in his cabana chair, drained. Tatiana held her stomach where blood seeped into her shirt. Ilya was bound, gagged, and propped up against the wall.

Another familiar man stood over my brother. I knew I’d seen the stranger before, but I couldn’t place him. It was like recognizing someone in a television show, but not being able to place where you’d seen them.

“Stop yelling! You need doctor! I bring you doctor!” shouted the second guard.

“I need that little brat, Gemma. We need to find the whole lot of them. You said they’re camped in the woods. Go get them!” yelled Tatiana.

Mr. Mbele nodded at me and let go of my hand. We were back at the campfire. My friends stood around us, dazed and confused by the mob.

“Their guards got into it with some boys who were begging and it started some kind of riot. People are trying to get into that compound because they think the Krylovs are rich,” I said hurriedly.

“Well they’re not wrong,” said Cole.

“There’s no getting in there for Ilya now,” said Josh.

“Also, Tatiana’s been hurt and she wants her thugs to come get Gemma,” I said.

“We can’t stay here anyway,” said Jonah.

“Pack only what you need. We’ll have to try again for Ilya later,” said Josh.

“We’ll go Ngong Hills. My friend there will take us,” said Mr. Mbele.

“Wait. Let me tell him we’re not coming. Maybe he can get out on his own, if he actually tries,” I said.

“Do it! Tell him to fight those fuckers and run for his life!” said Faith.

I ran deeper into the trash forest until the noise faded enough that I could concentrate.

I pressed Ilya’s medallion between my thumb and forefinger.
Ilya, you have to try to get out on your own. Josh and Melissa couldn’t get to you. An ‘effing riot is going on, but I’m sure you know that. I know you’re tied up, but you need to find a way out. Use an illusion. Do something! We know they’re after Gemma now. We’re going to run and come back for you later
.

There’s a new guy here. He’s a variant, but I’m not sure what he does. He’s Ivan’s friend. I can’t hear him. And he’s watching me like a hawk
.

You can think of something to distract them. Give them an illusion. And do it fast. If you can make it out the front door, you’re home free. Don’t come back to the forest. Mr. Mbele is taking us somewhere called the Ngong Hills. I think it’s nearby. Get out of Kibera and ask someone how to get to the Ngong Hills. We’ll reconnect in person. I know you wanted to save Ivan, but you have to run. Please!

I heard heavy feet pounding toward me. I opened my eyes to see Cole running for me.

Okay, okay, I’ll try. But Tatiana’s not in any shape to do her part for the hedge. Both her and Ivan are too weak. This riot bought us some time. Don’t worry about me
.

I let go of the medallion and ran to meet Cole.

“You won’t believe this, but Josh found the van. It was right where we left it. Come on, we’re going now,” said Cole.

We got to the campsite just as Josh pulled up in our Karibu Kab van.

“I guess the Nairobi police are going to be occupied with this incident here rather than hunting for stolen vehicles.” I climbed in next to Gemma and Jonah.

We crept along the uneven ground, moving even more slowly because of the throngs of people. It was an alarming blend of human emotion. Outraged young men hollered Swahili curses at the air. Young mothers guarded their children, holding them close to their bodies. Elderly people simply kept as far out of the way as they could, standing against buildings or sitting on trash mounds.

We broke free of the crowd and turned back onto a main road. Josh picked up speed and we wove through traffic.

Emergency vehicles and confused Nairobians caused congestion around Kibera, but we finally emerged onto a free flowing highway. Mr. Mbele directed Josh southwards and we were soon coasting along the pavement with dry grass plains stretching out around us.

“This road, here,” said Mr. Mbele when a turn off with a sign for the NGONG HILLS COUNTRY CLUB came into view.

“What’s a country club doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” said Jonah.

“Family picnics come here,” said Mr. Mbele.

“Should we be here if there are a bunch of families around?” said Josh.

“Is slow on weeknights. Only many families on weekends,” said Mr. Mbele.

Our van groaned and creaked as Josh pushed it farther and farther up the winding road to the hilltop establishment.

“This is actually a great idea. I’m starving. I could use some barbecue,” said Cole.

“Are we going to get fed?” said Faith.

“We don’t have any money,” I added.

“Yes we do. Sort of,” said Melissa as she lifted her clinking duffle bag. I hadn’t looked inside, but I assumed she had items of value.

“Good enough. You give to my friend and he will help us,” said Mr. Mbele.

The most amazing smell I had ever encountered blew down the hill on a gentle breeze and in through our open van windows.

“Oh my god, what is that smell?” said Gemma. She grinned from ear to ear.

“Who cares if we’re safe here, as long as we get to eat whatever that smell is! I’ve been so freaked out I don’t think I’ve eaten in two days.” Faith leaned forward trying to see ahead.

“Is Nyama Choma. We’ll have with Ugali and Sukuma Wiki.” Mr. Mbele smiled, making it all the more surreal that we escaped a riot to find some kind of traditional East African feast.

“What is Nyama Choma?” said Jonah.

“Roasted goat.” Mr. Mbele smiled again.

“I don’t care, I’m starving,” said Cole.

“I’ve never had goat.” I would have tried anything that smelled that good, but like Cole and Faith, I was also ravenous.

Josh parked in the lot we found at the top of the hill. I could see from the manicured green lawn, rock garden, and freshly stained wood cabanas that we were at a tourist destination. A large single-story cabin stood at the center of the property. On the far side of the land, the terrain dropped into a ravine.

Mercifully, Mr. Mbele had been right about the lack of weeknight visitors. We appeared to have the place to ourselves.

“So this is what a Kenyan country club looks like,” I said.

“Is a place for weddings, birthdays, parties, that sort of thing,” said Mr. Mbele.

“No wonder it smells so wonderful,” said Jonah, fascination spreading across his face.

“You wait here. I go find my friend,” said Mr. Mbele.

We got out of the van and stretched our legs. All signs of Nairobi were gone. All around us hazy sage hills and patches of green trees rested comfortably under the bright blue African sky. I took in as much beauty as I could, to soothe myself and to share with Ilya when I reached out to him later. For now, I knew I had to leave him alone and let him concentrate on whatever he managed to contrive to distract the Krylovs.

Jonah took my hand and led me down a dirt path toward a giant cliff-side dining deck. The sheer drop down made it a perfect viewpoint for the valley around us. We leaned our elbows onto the thick wood patio railing and breathed in the warm clean air. I glanced back to see my friends wandering the property aimlessly, all decompressing in their own way.

“Every time we have a moment like this, I feel surges of bitterness and guilt,” I said.

“Because we’re getting a nice hot meal?” said Jonah.

“That, and because this place is amazing,” I swept my arm out gesturing at the landscape. “We’re surrounded by beautiful countryside. We’re relaxing and eating. But Ilya’s still tied up for all we know. And Kibera is still a mess. We haven’t fixed anything.”

“I know I promised it was almost finished. I’m sorry. We can’t walk away, but we can only do our best,” said Jonah.

“True. But then there’s the other side of it. Why did this become our problem to solve? Why aren’t we backpacking around the world like other kids our age? I’ve seen six countries in the last month and I got to enjoy practically zero of it! I should be getting ready for university, but no, I’m trying to save the fucking world!” I said.

Jonah put his arm around me and hugged my shoulder. He rested his head on mine and let the anger flow out of me.

“We have beers now, my friends!” Mr. Mbele came toward us, his hands filled with clinking dark brown glass bottles.

Another two men in white collared shirts followed, each with a tray of beer. Melissa trailed behind carrying her black duffle bag which no longer made any noise at all.

I helped myself to a cold bottle of Kenyan beer. The earthy taste of hops was not as off-putting as it normally was. I let the alcohol numb me gently with every sip.

Our two servers quickly returned with food on great huge planks of wood. A messy pile of barbequed meat preceded a platter with flat white balls of paste surrounded by a generous garnish of cooked greens.

I watched Mr. Mbele. He picked up a small steel plate and added a heap of meat, picking it up with his fingers. I noticed there were no utensils of any sort. He took a pinch of salt from the corner of the board and added it to the meat. He picked up a handful of the white paste and then another serving of greens. Mr. Mbele thoughtfully took a wad of paste, added greens, added meat, and took a bite. He smiled and beckoned me to eat.

More plates with more meat and paste and greens came out and soon we were all digging in with greasy fingers. I finished two silver plates and got up to search for another bottle of beer when I felt my legs turn to gelatin under me. I grabbed the edge of the table and eyed my friends.

The shaking came in another violent wave and I heard a shout from the main building.

“Earthquake! Take shelter! Earthquake!”