Alien Invasion 04 Annihilation by Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant Page A

he meant, “that would, if it’s projected from the Apex, be in the way. But again, all infrared. People probably don’t know it’s there because they don’t see the city from above, in the dark, at night.”  
    Cameron felt a chill. Seen from far enough back, the pattern was obvious. The sculptures, with dull-green lines between them, formed an enormous spiral.  
    “What do you think it is?”  
    “It’s a Fibonacci spiral. Like the one in a nautilus. Or the spiral of a galaxy.”
    “But why?”  
    “I don’t know. It might be a landing pad, like a runway. It might be a marker. Or it might be a call for help.”  
    “Help?”
    “Not as in Save us . But it might mean Give us a hand. Assist us.’”  
    “Why would they need assistance?”
    “Because they’ve encountered a problem they can’t solve. It’s the same thing we’d do. We’d call someone who would know better.”  
    Cameron touched the tablet’s screen then the line at the top of the Apex. Like something coming into it. Or something going out.  
    “There’s no way to be sure when this happened. Not without my equipment, and not without talking to others around the world.”  
    “Why would you need to talk to others?”  
    “This might be happening at the other capitals, too.”  
    Cameron thought of the visions he’d been receiving — that he’d been given , more accurately. The missives that felt half like informational bulletins and half like calls from a little girl asking him to come and play. They were new, too. Just another thing that seemed to have changed since Cottonwood, since they’d kicked the hornet’s nest.  
    “If you had to guess, Charlie,” Cameron said, “what do you think this means?”  
    “That I hope you’re right. And that either way, the clock is ticking.”

CHAPTER 20

    Lila crossed the dark lawn to Heather’s house, feeling unsure. Clara’s hand was in hers. It was late for the girl, but not too late. She slept erratically, in fits. Sometimes, she was down for fifteen hours out of twenty-four. Sometimes, she barely slept at all. She wasn’t tired now. And there was no way, with six playmates on the way, that she could calm herself to sleep a wink.
    “Mommy,” she said. “Look.”  
    Lila looked toward the Apex, where Clara was pointing. The thing was making its eerie blue pulse, though the tempo seemed faster. With city power off, the thing seemed ominous.  
    “It’s like a flashlight beam,” Clara said.  
    Lila looked over again. It wasn’t like a flashlight at all. It was like a nightlight, making sure that no one in the city could sleep.  
    “You’re sure she’s in here?” Lila said instead of answering.  
    “Not there.” Clara pointed at Heather’s small house, then her finger swung toward Terrence’s. His place was dark. Terrence was back, all right, but Raj was keeping him under lock and key and on a rather tight leash. “There,” Clara finished.  
    “That’s Mr. Terrence’s house, Sweetie.”  
    Clara broke Lila’s grip, skipping across the partially lit lawn toward the tiny home. The house had lights, but they were only as needed, giving the place a spooky, half-dead feel. The grounds were worse. There were outward-facing security lights, but in here, between main building and the row of guest houses, it was mostly long shadow. The air was warm. Watching Clara skip between long shafts of dark and light gave Lila a chill she couldn’t articulate.  
    Clara climbed the porch steps. Then, without knocking, she went inside. The place was nothing but darkness. She tried to cut into the gloom with the small flashlight she’d found on Raj’s nightstand, but the thing was barely fit for a keychain, too dim to reveal more than the doorknob.
    Lila stood on the lawn, feeling the silence before crossing to the porch herself.  
    “Clara? Come on out, honey.”  
    But there was no answer.  
    “Clara?”  
    The door was still open. Lila entered, fighting dread,