Imagine (Fuzed Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  As the world watched the departure of the trinity, it became clear the impacts, earthquakes and tsunamis would inflict massive destruction, but would not be apocalyptic. Slowly, a collective sigh swept the globe. Around the world, came all manner of voices. Some cheered. Some chanted. Many sang, laughed or cried. For the first time in history, humanity had successfully intervened and protected not only themselves but all life on Earth.

  As the sonic booms stopped and the surf quieted, Josh noticed an amazing silence. There was no sound from aircraft, birds or insects. Even the wind had died. They looked around and then at each other, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

  In the incredibly peaceful silence, they were startled by the sound of their phone’s text message tone. They looked at each other and laughed ... back to the real world.

  Elizabeth pulled her phone out first. “It’s a text. It just says ‘imagine.’”

  Josh asked, “Who sent it?”

  “There’s no number.”

  Josh looked at his phone and shook his head. “Weird. Mine too.”

  “Josh ...” she frowned, “our phones were turned off.”

  4

  IMAGINE

  Deep inside the iMagination Corporation headquarters, Ryan Armani and his team were working hard to bring the servers back online. Armani was intense on the inside, but short and roly-poly on the outside. After receiving confirmation that their apps were up and running again, he made a beeline for his chief programmer’s cubicle. Poking his mostly bald head over the top of Stan Boyd’s three monitors, he asked, “Was that us?”

  Boyd was his opposite, a redheaded scarecrow with a relaxed demeanor and southern drawl. “Was what us?”

  Armani fired back, “You know ... the text!”

  Boyd looked back at his screen and shook his head. “Dude, we just survived the extinction of the human race ... chill.”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s really great ... so, was that us?”

  Boyd shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe? Every phone in the world gets an “imagine” text, and our digital assistant — on every phone — just happens to be called iMagine.”

  “We’ve got no market penetration in China.” Boyd casually corrected.

  Undeterred, Armani just stared at Boyd with raised eyebrows.

  Sighing, Boyd took his hands off his keyboard and looked up at him. “Yeah, probably was our system. Just some stray trons caused by the comet’s electromagnetic pulse.” He shrugged. “Or, maybe it happened when they rebooted the global communication grid. It’s surprising we don’t have more anomalies.” He paused. “Why? Is someone complaining?”

  Armani shook his head. “Not yet.”

  Smiling, Boyd said, “I seriously doubt anybody cares. We just escaped a death sentence.” He shrugged. “Besides, bet a lot of people thought it was cool ... I did.”

  Armani frowned. “I just want to make sure no one hacked our system again.”

  “Wouldn’t worry about the text ....”

  Armani tilted his head, waiting impatiently for Boyd to finish. Finally, raising his eyebrows, he asked, “But what?”

  Boyd quietly said, “Our phones turned themselves on.”

  Armani shook his head dismissively. “Our app can’t do that.”

  “No, it can’t, but ...” Boyd raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced around, “what if someone besides us figured out how to—”

  “Ixnay!” Armani whispered forcefully.

  Trying not to laugh, Boyd whispered back, “Pig Latin? Seriously?”

  Their rented jeep came in handy as Josh and Elizabeth drove west, away from the comet’s destructive flight path. Although the roads were empty, earthquake damage and wild fires required multiple detours. They finally reached Simon Bolivar International in Caracas, the closest operational airport.

  With the evacuees returning, the inbound planes to Caracas were full, but the outbound ones were mostly empty. It was easy to catch a flight back to the U.S. Having had little sleep during their adventure and sporting “sunburns” from the comet, they slept most of the flight.

  Landing in Houston, they were only an hour and a half from their new house on the Texas Gulf Coast. They listened to the post-comet coverage on the drive. Earthquakes and tsunamis swept the globe, but it appeared only a few areas received catastrophic damage. Overall, casualties were lower than expected.

  As they crossed the Intercoastal Waterway on a tall bridge, they could see much of the mile-wide, twenty-mile-long Bolivar Peninsula. Aside from a ferry out of Galveston, this tall, two-lane bridge was the only access. Elizabeth, originally from Texas, had chosen this isolated location for Josh’s recovery from surgery. She used the money the CIA had paid her to buy a beach house.

  It was the perfect place to keep a low profile. With no central government, the peninsula fell under the control of nearby Galveston, which usually ignored it. This was fine with most of Bolivar’s residents, continuing a slightly rebellious and colorful history that included infamous characters like Bonnie and Clyde. With a mix of beautiful beachfront homes, beat up trailers and oil derricks, residents tended to view zoning laws more as ... suggestions.

  Ten minutes after crossing the bridge, Josh turned into an unassuming subdivision called Canal City. As the name implied, small lots lined canals. The canals, perpendicular to the beach, gave boat access to the Intercoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico. Josh liked having multiple exit options. Their house sat on 18-foot-tall pilings 150 yards from the surf. On the huge wraparound deck, they had an unobstructed view of the Gulf.

  The Bolivar coastline didn’t have the white sand and emerald water of Florida, but it was a fraction of the price. Someday, the world would discover this place. Prices would skyrocket and zoning would triumph, but until then, it was one of the world’s best-kept secrets.

  They grabbed a bottle of wine and climbed another flight of stairs to a smaller, rooftop deck. Almost 40 feet above the ground with a 360-degree view, it felt like a castle parapet.

  A warm, balmy breeze blew steadily off the ocean, accompanied by the soft swooshing of the surf. To the west, the rays of the setting sun sparkled off the saltwater marshes of an Audubon bird sanctuary. Turning south, Josh saw the ocean’s darkening horizon defined by tiny, lit dots — huge cargo ships bound for the Port of Houston.

  Below the seagulls and above the mosquitos, they sat, sipping wine and soaking in the scents, sights and sounds.

  Elizabeth looked at him carefully. With a smile and raised eyebrows, she said, “Josh Fuze, I think you look happier and more relaxed than I’ve ever seen you.”

  He let out a contented sigh. “For the first time since I woke up in your hospital, I feel ... totally at peace.”

  She looked a little surprised. “Even though the astrophysicists confirmed Earth’s entering a period of increased bombardment?”

  He smiled. “They say it’s something that happens periodically, but now we’re doing something about it. We’ve got the Sentinel Space Telescopes scouring the heavens, and they’re designing a space-based laser, 1,000 times more powerful than our Blaster. We’re no longer helpless victims in a cosmic shooting gallery.”

  She matched his smile and nodded. “I guess stress isn’t when bad things happen ... it’s when you can’t do anything about them.”

  He finished with, “And on top of all that, I married the most beautiful woman in the world, who happens to be my best friend.”

  She leaned over and kissed him. Then, with her hand resting on his, they both leaned back in their Adirondack chairs and watched the world.

  His eyes followed a formation of pelicans flying parallel to the beach in search of fish. Just past them, he noticed a flash in the distance. He refocused his eyes to the eastern horizon where the ocean blended into dark, cumulonimbus clouds. Illuminated from within by lightning, the prevailing winds pushed a storm their way.

  Elizabeth looked down and pointed at several large pools of standing water. “Must have ra
ined a lot while we were gone.”

  Josh knew tsunamis swept through the Gulf, and the Bolivar Peninsula was only a few feet above sea level. “That’s probably the remnants of one of the comet’s tsunamis that swept through the Gulf.”

  Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. Then, biting the side of her lip, she stood up. “I need to find out what’s happening. They may be activating me soon. Be right back.”

  There went his Zen. He wished he hadn’t mentioned the tsunamis. While he tended to look at the big picture and live in the future, Elizabeth lived in the present.

  After a few minutes, she returned with her tablet and phone.

  The tranquil beach panorama was lost as they watched the continuing post-comet coverage. Airborne video showed the swath of destruction under the comet’s path. They also saw dramatic images of a dozen impact craters surrounded by raging forest fires, but most of the damage and injuries were from earthquakes and tsunamis. The hardest hit areas were in South America. Equally concerning were reports from the Pacific Rim, where they were seeing an increase in volcanic activity.

  A U.N. press conference followed. The man speaking appeared relaxed and confident. The tag line under him said, “Doruk Turan, U.N. Director of Global Security.”

  Elizabeth looked from the tablet’s screen to Josh and then back again. “Hey, you two could be brothers.”

  Josh studied her tablet. Nodding, he said, “You’re right. He is phenomenally good looking.”

  She rolled her eyes as Turan spoke of the extensive relief effort they were deploying.

  As if on cue, Elizabeth’s text message signal sounded. Reading it, she held her phone up. “Just got the notification. Have to report to D.C. immediately. I’ll be part of one of the deploying U.N. teams.”

  Josh frowned. “The news said most of the damage occurred in the evacuated areas, and the casualties were much lower than anticipated.”

  She looked at him. “Josh, they were anticipating millions of casualties. Even a fraction of that’s a ton of injured people, not to mention damage to infrastructure, like hospitals. You’ve seen the pictures. The earthquakes and floods were devastating. Besides, statistics are irrelevant if the casualty is your child or mate.”

  “Yeah, I know. Just didn’t think they’d be deploying you so soon.”

  She smiled. “I appreciate your concern, but it’s not like I’ll be trekking through mountains and jungles. I’ll be in D.C. for several days. Then they’ll probably assign me to a major medical center where they can put my neurological background to use.” She grabbed his hands. “Honey, I’ll be fine. You know how excited I was when I found out they’d accepted me into the program.”

  “I know. It’s very competitive, and I’m proud of you.” He paused and then smiled. “Hey, can I come?”

  “Come where?”

  “To wherever they send you?”

  She grinned. “Now you know what it feels like to be on the other side. I should just pat you on your head and tell you what you told me when you left for the Falklands.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, and I could do exactly what you did — show up anyway.” More seriously, he added. “I really would like to help.”

  She shook her head. “Doing what?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.” He paused. “I can speak Spanish.”

  “You can?”

  “Took three years in high school.”

  She looked skeptical.

  He rattled off several sentences in Spanish, surprising both of them. He realized his new photographic memory allowed him to recall the long forgotten lessons. “And I can pay my own way. Davidson gave me that retirement account. Haven’t touched any of it.”

  “You said you didn’t want to use it because it felt more like a retainer than a retirement.”

  He shrugged.

  Finally, she smiled and nodded her head. “Actually, it would be really cool to have you with me. I’ll ask them when I get to D.C.”

  The wind picked up, and they heard thunder in the distance. Even in the twilight, they could see the dark anvil clouds growing, suggesting a powerful spring storm.

  Elizabeth nudged Josh and pointed at the ticker scrolling across the bottom of the news screen. Instead of the usual breaking news stories, little emoticons, mostly smiley faces, marched across the bottom. Elizabeth laughed. “Oops. Someone pushed the wrong button.”

  Looking from Elizabeth’s tablet to the approaching storm, Josh suddenly felt uneasy. With an unexplained premonition, he said softly, “I think our vacation may be over.”

  5

  DEPLOY

  The next day, Elizabeth was sitting in an orientation session in Washington, D.C. She learned they were deploying to Columbia, one of the hardest hit areas. An 8.5 Richter earthquake caused some damage in the Capital of Bogota, but was devastating in the southern part of the country near the epicenter.

  During a break, she called Josh. “We’re flying to Bogota tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? That’s fast. So what’d they say about me coming?”

  Enjoying his suspense, she said slowly, “Well ... they said ... if you have a passport and shots they’ll put you to work. They were mostly interested in your ability to speak Spanish.”

  Josh said, “I’ll brush up and book a flight ASAP.”

  She frowned. “That could be a problem. The airports suffered damage, and they’re only letting citizens and rescue flights into Bogota right now. The whole country’s under martial law.” She paused. “Wait! I know someone who can help, and he’s here in D.C.”

  “Who?”

  “Brian Davidson! He owes us. I’ll call him and see if he can get you some type of official access or something. I still have the private number he gave me when I was on the aircraft carrier.”

  Josh said, “Worth a try.”

  “I’ll let you know. Gotta get back to the briefings. Love you.”

  After the briefing, Elizabeth called Davidson. There was no answer and no way to leave a message. She was trying to figure out how to reach him, when her phone rang with an unlisted number.

  “Hi, Elizabeth, welcome to D.C.”

  She wasn’t surprised the Director of the CIA knew who she was and where she was. “Hi, Brian. I’m here working as a Medical Relief Supervisor for the U.N. Know you’re way busy, and sorry to bother you, but wondered if you might be able to help us with a little challenge.”

  “I’d be happy to. How can I help?”

  “I’m deploying in a few days on a medical mission to Bogota.”

  Davidson said, “One of the worst hit areas. Please be careful.”

  “I will. Thanks. My ... husband would love to join me and help too. But due to the earthquake, they’re controlling who can enter the country right now and—”

  “Consider it done. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “Uh, thanks, no. That would be great.” She paused. “When things settle down, love to have you and your wife over for dinner sometime.”

  Sounding surprised, Davidson said, “Why ... that would be wonderful. Thank you, Elizabeth.” He paused. “In case you ever have trouble reaching me, let me give you Carl Casey’s number. You remember Carl?”

  “We never met, but I heard wonderful things about him.” She paused. “I assume he knows about my husband’s, uh, status?”

  “Yes. I’ll have him call you just to make sure everything’s taken care of.”

  “Thank you so much, Brian.”

  “Anytime. If I don’t talk to you again, have a safe and successful trip.”

  Within 15 minutes, her phone rang. “Hi, Elizabeth, it’s Carl Casey.”

  “Hi, Carl.”

  “I know you’re only in town for a day and busy getting prepared, but can we take you to dinner tonight?”

  Elizabeth said, “That’s very kind, but not necessary. I’m really doing fine.”

  Carl said, “It’d be our pleasure. I’d like to meet the woman who ... let’s just say, was instrumental in changing cer
tain beliefs at a critical time. Besides, my wife will kill me if she doesn’t get to meet you while you’re here, and it might be your last chance for a good steak dinner for a while.”

  She laughed. “Okay, I’m sold. Sheri Lopez told me about Kelly. Can’t wait to meet her.”

  “Pick you up at six?”

  “Sure, I’m staying at the, uh—”

  “Holiday Inn on Sixth,” he finished.

  “Uh, yeah, see you tonight.”

  Elizabeth immediately called Josh. “Good news! Brian’s working your travel clearances.”

  Josh said, “I’ll pack my bags.”

  She looked at her watch. “Gotta go, Brian hooked me up with Carl Casey, and he’s taking me to dinner tonight.”

  “Ask him about Bogota, he’s a walking encyclopedia.”

  “OK. He’s bringing his wife, Kelly. Have you met her?”

  Silence.

  “Josh, you still there?”

  She heard coughing and then, “Uh, yes ... we’ve met.”

  After she hung up, Josh just stared at the phone. He had a hole in the pit of his stomach right next to the bullet hole. Several emotions were in play. The first was fear. He imagined his outgoing, never-met-a-stranger wife, meeting his outgoing, never-met-a-stranger widow. The fear revolved around what knowledge of his true identify might do to Kelly, Carl and Elizabeth. The second was guilt. Guilt at not sharing his past life with Elizabeth. She knew he had a prior life and identity because she’d helped him establish a new one, but even after they were married, he’d never shared what really happened.

  The last emotion was the worst. On his phone, he pulled up a picture of his daughter, Caitlin. She was now three, but he’d never seen her, not in person. She was growing up knowing only Carl as her dad, and would believe her father died before she was born. Although he knew his old friend would be a great father, there was a perpetual hole in his life far more painful than the bullet wounds.