Yula’s Ark - Chapter 15

Kerry waited alone in her room for nearly an hour before Gault came. That was part of it–he had no consideration for others and Kerry was no exception.

Still, she planned to tell him everything she knew and had seen. But Gault talked first.

“There’s too much going on here,” he said. “You should get out while you can.”

“What do you mean?” Kerry asked. She didn’t know him that well, she knew, but she could tell when he was hiding something.

“It’s nothing I can talk about,” Gault told her bluntly, grasping her hands for emphasis.

“Who is Max?” Kerry challenged.

“Forget him. You didn’t see him, okay?”

Kerry felt Gault’s hands tighten around her wrists.

“Okay,” she said, frightened of the look in his face.

Gault released her.

Kerry realized she didn’t know him at all. He could be cruel and remote–that she knew. Actually, she expected that of all men. But what exactly is he capable of?

Gault touched her cheek.

“Don’t cry,” he said.

That made her mad.

“What’s going on here?!” Kerry demanded.

“I can’t tell you,” Gault said tenderly.

“Why not?”

“I just can’t.”

“You’re going to get into trouble!” Kerry shouted. Gault smiled.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said.

“Big trouble! You don’t know how much trouble!”

Suddenly Gault look worried. He removed his hand from Kerry’s cheek. It hovered near her face. He’s going to hit you, Kerry thought. Well, you can hit back!

“What do you mean?” Gault asked.

Then Kerry told him. The whole story, including the fact she’d gone to the woods to find Scott, that she liked him and hoped he liked her. She told him about the old man who disappeared and she told him about Raymond Beck and the nights she spent with him. She described the scene she’d witnessed at the sheriff’s office. Kerry’s anger was uncontrolled. She said it to hurt Gault and she could see it working as Gault paced the room, listening carefully to every word.

Kerry didn’t care if he exploded in violence. It didn’t matter anymore. She was past that, she was through with him. He couldn’t hurt her no matter how big and strong he was.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?!” Gault screamed when Kerry had finished.

“I didn’t trust you. I didn’t think you’d care. I thought you’d be condescending to me the way you always are,” Kerry told him.

Gault stared at her. Kerry could see it wasn’t her sleeping with Raymond, or her interest in Scott that bothered him. It was the fact his authority had been questioned. He looked like a giant, helpless child hovering over her at that moment. Kerry almost felt sorry for him. He’d miscalculated, because he hadn’t factored in human emotion. It’s something he really doesn’t understand, Kerry realized.

“This changes things,” Gault whispered.

“Yes, it does,” Kerry agreed, then realized Gault hadn’t been talking about her, or them. It was something else on his mind that had nothing to do with her.

“Changes what?” Kerry demanded.

“I can’t tell you,” Gault said and they were back to the beginning, no matter what Kerry had said in between time.

Gault circled the room one more time without another word before he finally left Kerry’s room.

Alone again, she looked at her bags in the corner. It would be easy to pack up. There was a bus to Gunniston once a day. She could be back in San Francisco by nightfall. She could be enrolled in a week.

Kerry fell back on the bed. She would have to decide.

Whatever Xavier was building in the back was becoming huge. Scott thought he knew something about electrical engineering, but that was before. More than a couple of times it occurred to Scott that it was all a hoax, a huge howl at his expense. Xavier wasn’t building anything at all, certainly not a time machine. They were fooling him.

But still Scott drove down the mountain at least once a day to buy circuitry and plumbing supplies and whatever Xavier thought he could use for his contraption.

If Freddy Weinstock, behind the counter at the electronics store, fresh out of high school, thought it was odd someone coming in and buying several computers without listening to so much as a sales pitch, he didn’t say anything.

Scott was happy he’d hung onto his credit cards. He’d considered cutting them up when he came to the mountains. Live simply, he’d told himself. But at the moment he was about to press blade to plastic, he’d changed his mind. Chickened out really, like so many other times in his life. He might need a credit card for an emergency. This was just such an emergency.

Scott walked into Wilson’s Hardware.

Bill Wilson looked up from a copy of Popular Mechanics. Scott Felton was becoming the store’s best customer. Good thing, too. Bill had been thinking about cashing in. Sure, there was still a need for a hardware store in town, but not that big a need. Any major repairs to be done, it was a simple matter to drive down the mountain and buy from one of the bigger outfits in Gunniston. Bill could still sell some nails and screws and locks but when it came to a new toilet or chainsaw, they drove down for the cheaper prices.

Maybe he’s just rich, Bill Wilson thought as he eyed Scott looking over the rack of wire rolls. Or crazy, it occurred to Bill. Freddy Weinstock said he’d bought a bunch of computers over there. Maybe he was setting up some kind of business. That would be a good thing, Bill Wilson decided. New people with money to spend, maybe on remodeling jobs and such.

“Can I help you?” Bill Wilson called, reluctant to get up from his stool.

“I got it,” Scott called back.

Scott came up to the counter with an almost whole roll of number ten-fifty electrical wire on his shoulder.

“How much for this?” Scott asked, plunking the enormous weight down on the counter.

“You want the whole thing?” Bill asked, incredulous.

“That’s right.” Just sell me the damn thing. Why does everybody want to ask questions?

“I’ll have to measure it.”

“It’s almost a whole roll,” Scott said. “How much is that?”

Bill looked up the price–all three hundred yards of it. “Four hundred nine plus tax.”

“I’ll give you three-fifty,” Scott said, pulling out a credit card. “And give me that portable generator and six of those batteries.”

Bill followed Scott’s eyes to the row of car batteries along the wall.

“Six?”

“That’s right.”

Bill Wilson thumbed Scott’s credit card, turned it over, glanced at the signature on the back and didn’t make a move. Here it comes. Should tell him. “Helping some friends of mine from the future put their time-machine back together.”

“What do you aim to do with all that stuff?” Bill asked, though he knew it was none of his business.

“A little project,” Scott replied.

“Edison’ll string a wire from the pole down at the road if all you want’s electricity. Harvey Leonard can put in a box and string outlets for you.”

“No thank you,” Scott said.

“It’d be a lot cheaper.”

“This is something else. I need direct current,” Scott told the man.

Bill nodded his head. Scott waited.

“I’ll just add this up,” Bill said, going to his ancient adding machine and figuring it all, plus tax.

“Comes to sixteen hundred, forty-seven and thirty-three cents,” Bill told him.

Scott pointed to the card.

Bill nodded and went to the phone. He looked up the number on the wall and dialed. When it answered, Bill read the digits off Scott’s credit card.

Scott tapped his fingers on the counter. Hope you still got some credit left. How are you gonna pay for all this? You’re gonna need a job. Back to L.A. Back to Terry and the company. No way. Time’s running out.

Scott had asked for a complete list of everything Xavier needed.

“I don’t know yet,” Xavier had replied.

“But I can’t keep going into town and buying up everything at retail. They’re getting suspicious.”

“All they care is that they get their money,” Xavier assured Scott.

“Sixteen hundred, forty-seven, thirty-three,” Bill said into the phone.

Man!

Scott bought a newspaper and read the entire thing in the front seat of his Jeep. It had been a long time since he’d heard any news. There was nothing really: international tensions, the usual crime stories, congressional debates and political battles. The world seemed to be getting along fine without Scott’s participation. Disappointed, Scott folded up the paper and stuffed it under the car-seat.

He’d had a lunatic idea to see if there wasn’t news from South America or Africa.

About strange, eccentric visitors from the future, Scott chuckled to himself as he put the vehicle in gear.

Wait a minute!

Scott shut off the Jeep, jumped out and scrambled back into the grocery store.

He perused the checkout-counter papers. There were only two stories about paranormal sightings–one in Iowa, the other in India. Scott put back the papers and headed for home.

“How’s it going?” Scott asked Xavier when he arrived.

“Taking too long,” Xavier answered, shaking his head, hunched over some circuitry.

“I got your stuff,” Scott told him.

“Good. Good,” Xavier replied.

He was maddening. What the hell’s he doing, anyway? After all, Scott had been one of the top electrical engineers at one of the biggest contractors in the country.

“Anything I can do?” Scott asked.

“Put the generator and batteries over there,” Xavier told him, barely moving his finger to indicate a space nearby, over by the woodpile.

Scott pulled the generator off the back of the Jeep. He set it down, using his legs, feeling the twinge in his back. Not a youngster anymore, Scott. At least the thing’s got wheels. Even so, Scott was puffing by the time he got it up the hill to the woodpile.

Damn! He’ll want gas now. Should have bought some. Damn the hardware store guy, too. He should have mentioned it instead of worrying all to hell about what I was doing with a couple thousand bucks worth of electrical equipment.

Back to the batteries. Six of them, heavy as hell. Scott sat down when he was done. Catch your breath. It’s the altitude. Not used to it. Altitude sickness can kill you. Can’t die now. Too much to do.

“Where’s Yula?” Scott called to Xavier.

Xavier absently motioned toward the woods.

“I’ll find her,” Scott decided, standing on shaky legs.

“Let her alone,” Xavier said, looking up from his work for the first time. “She’s working.”

“I’ll help,” Scott told him, and started into the woods.

Xavier shook his head and went back to his work.

Scott hoped he’d find Yula alone. With her, scouring the woods for samples, Scott felt truly happy, really happy–for the first time in his life–down to his toes. He was with someone he loved, working hard on something worthwhile. He was finally doing something and seeing it through. He was committed and it felt good.

Suddenly, Scott stopped. He listened to the breeze, he sniffed the forest. Tenner was nearby, Scott sensed. You’re not being paranoid–he wants to kill you. Hell, a little danger’s good for a love affair. A little danger? Love affair? Not hardly, not yet anyway.

When Scott found Yula, she was alone, looking through an ancient textbook. She pointed to a picture–California Condor.

Scott chuckled.

“Forget it.”

“Why?”

“All in captivity,” Scott told her. “They’re trying to breed them, but only a few have been released.”

“Oh.”

“Why’d you come here?” Scott blurted out. “Why not Africa, or the Amazons?”

“I told you–we have others there.”

“Yes, but why did you come here?” Scott asked, gesturing with his hands as if to a child.

“This is where we live,” Yula said, looking around.

“Though it’s different now–I mean, in the future.”

Scott looked around, trying to visualize it.

“You don’t want to know,” Yula told him.

It still bothered Scott, the way she read his mind.

“Can you choose the date you go back to?”

“There’s only limited control.”

“You gotta go back further,” Scott told her. “So much is gone already. You’ve miscalculated. The natural world has already been severely compromised.”

Yula nodded a sad understanding. There was a sudden, insurmountable beauty to her face and Scott found himself not thinking for once in his life. His face neared Yula’s. His lips parted slightly and touched hers, separated in anticipation. Scott’s tongue sought the inside of Yula’s mouth. For an instant, her tongue caressed his.

Then she pushed him away.

“No kissing,” Yula said.

Scott felt like screaming. You blew it, idiot!

But he hadn’t. Yula reached for his face and stroked it from one ear to the other. Scott leaned in again.

“No kissing,” Yula repeated and fell back on a soft bed of grass. Her hands floated up. The buttons on Scott’s shirt popped open one by one at Yula’s touch. Meant to be. Adam and Eve.

“Yes,” Yula murmured.

Scott felt himself falling helplessly into her embrace.

Mercy. Forget the future, forget the past. Ignore the hundreds of years between you.

Yula smiled, reading his thoughts.

What is she thinking?

“The same as you.”

Scott’s fingers touched her breast. Yula sighed. Are they listening? Watching? From the mountain-top? Scott rolled on top, covering Yula. Mustn’t let them see.

Yula scooted down, taking Scott’s pants with her, until her lips found their target. Scott grunted, holding himself on hands and knees, keeping his weight off her. You’re a pig, Scott. His legs quivered and the river excited by Yula’s lips threatened to burst its banks. She slipped her fingers between his legs, squeezing his fluid into the back of her throat.

Scott rolled to his back. The two of them stared up at the tree-tops. Scott suddenly felt embarrassed at his nakedness. He reached to his jeans, but Yula placed her hand on him to stop him.

“No, please. I like you like this,” Yula said.

She’s kinky as hell. Not the virgin you thought she was.

“It’s the way we do it,” Yula explained. “One way. I’ll show you others.”

Already Scott felt himself stirring under Yula’s hand.

“We don’t do it much like you,” Yula went on. “The danger of producing children is too great.” There was a catch in her voice, a tear out of the corner of her blue eye. She was beautiful and Scott loved her, but the profound sadness about her could not be denied. He’d seen it before. You pick the sad ones. It’s you.

Yula kissed Scott’s cheek. She stroked a palm over his forehead. In a second, Scott was ready. He wouldn’t hesitate. He unzipped her pants, rose to his knees between hers and removed the fabric. Yula looked frightened.

“It’ll be all right,” Scott assured her, reading her mind.

He lowered himself to her and in a moment, they were connected as men and women have always been connected.

copyright 2007 Brenda H

[tags]Brenda H, thriller, novel, sci-fi, fiction, ecology, environment[/tags]