Terra Nova (The Variant Conspiracy Book 3) by Christine Hart Page B
Authors: Christine Hart
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helicopter.”
“We won’t keep you. Thank you for taking time to share this update, Janine. Have a safe journey.”
I leaned on a pub table reaching vaguely in Jonah’s direction. My friends stood nearby. We all stared, jaws dropped, at the terrible disaster coverage.
The TV screen displayed a map of the Chinese coast around Shanghai. Red fog represented the patch of earth affected by the poisonous cloud. It fanned out like an inverted comet.
“Did she say Jinhua?” said Melissa.
“Goddamn it!” Faith pounded the table with her fist.
“On the train just now, Ivan said that Jinhua hadn’t started Phase One, but he was waiting on it.”
“Is this Phase One ?” Jonah stabbed his hand toward the television.
“I sure as hell don’t want to see Phase Two !” Cole paced in front of us.
“We can pore over Compendium documents for the next month and still not achieve the big picture already humming with precision in Ivan’s mind. If we don’t have time, I say we keep going after Ivan and Tatiana. At least we know what we’re up against there,” said Josh, checking each of us for agreement.
“You’re willing to allow mass destruction? Ecological disasters?” Melissa didn’t take her eyes off the screen above us.
“I’m saying we have no capacity to stop it. There are seven of us. Maybe, just maybe, we have a chance of killing Ivan and Tatiana.” Josh spoke as quietly as he could. We had already drawn the attention of every patron in the pub.
“I know you still don’t want to hear this, but I’m sorry I didn’t see through those two before. I’ll make up for my mistake. I’ll do anything to help.” Gemma’s voice soothed me in spite of the words themselves.
I allowed myself a momentary mental celebration that she was finally with us.
“Keep your voice down!” hissed Faith.
The bartender lifted his head and evaluated us.
“If we decide to keep chasing Ivan and Tatiana, we need to know where they’re going.” Josh eyed me impatiently.
“I’ve already tried. Ivan’s getting smarter about keeping things from me.”
“No way. He can’t keep shit from you.” Ilya, of all people knew what Ivan was capable of, but wanted to believe my gift could fill in the gap left by his.
“You just need to focus. If they know where they’re going, and they do, you’ll find a way to see it.” Jonah leaned over, kissed me softly, and pulled back.
A thought occurred to me. I got out of my chair and walked over to Gemma. I hugged her and it felt good. I pushed the images of our parents and our home out of my mind.
I held my sister and closed my eyes. I thought about Ivan and Tatiana on the train. Nothing happened. I pictured the shiny steel canister from the lab under Chatham Park.
A gust knocked the wind out of me and I stood on a brick plaza facing a multi-faceted cylindrical tower topped by a disc. Flags bordered the plaza. Next to the tower, unfamiliar trees surrounded a large metal cone-capped hut. Dark-skinned pedestrians passed back and forth across the plaza. Instinct told me I was somewhere in Africa.
A shiny black plaque caught my eye and I willed myself toward it. My viewpoint surged forward and the inscription came into full view.
THIS CONFERENCE CENTER WAS OPENED BY HIS EXCELLENCY
MZEE JOMO KENYATTA CGH MP
FIRST PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA
ON TUESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 1973
IN THE TENTH YEAR OF OUR NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE.
Kenya? I assumed the city to be Nairobi.
Ivan and Tatiana crossed my path coming from behind me and I refocused on them. Ivan had recovered somewhat from his state on the train.
I hung a pace behind them as they walked. Ivan brushed his shoulders as if something irritated him. Perhaps he’d been improving his ability to sense my mind. They rode an elevator to the twenty-second floor and exited. They arrived at a door marked Kisumu Laboratory Services. Ivan swiped a card through a reader next to the door
“We won’t keep you. Thank you for taking time to share this update, Janine. Have a safe journey.”
I leaned on a pub table reaching vaguely in Jonah’s direction. My friends stood nearby. We all stared, jaws dropped, at the terrible disaster coverage.
The TV screen displayed a map of the Chinese coast around Shanghai. Red fog represented the patch of earth affected by the poisonous cloud. It fanned out like an inverted comet.
“Did she say Jinhua?” said Melissa.
“Goddamn it!” Faith pounded the table with her fist.
“On the train just now, Ivan said that Jinhua hadn’t started Phase One, but he was waiting on it.”
“Is this Phase One ?” Jonah stabbed his hand toward the television.
“I sure as hell don’t want to see Phase Two !” Cole paced in front of us.
“We can pore over Compendium documents for the next month and still not achieve the big picture already humming with precision in Ivan’s mind. If we don’t have time, I say we keep going after Ivan and Tatiana. At least we know what we’re up against there,” said Josh, checking each of us for agreement.
“You’re willing to allow mass destruction? Ecological disasters?” Melissa didn’t take her eyes off the screen above us.
“I’m saying we have no capacity to stop it. There are seven of us. Maybe, just maybe, we have a chance of killing Ivan and Tatiana.” Josh spoke as quietly as he could. We had already drawn the attention of every patron in the pub.
“I know you still don’t want to hear this, but I’m sorry I didn’t see through those two before. I’ll make up for my mistake. I’ll do anything to help.” Gemma’s voice soothed me in spite of the words themselves.
I allowed myself a momentary mental celebration that she was finally with us.
“Keep your voice down!” hissed Faith.
The bartender lifted his head and evaluated us.
“If we decide to keep chasing Ivan and Tatiana, we need to know where they’re going.” Josh eyed me impatiently.
“I’ve already tried. Ivan’s getting smarter about keeping things from me.”
“No way. He can’t keep shit from you.” Ilya, of all people knew what Ivan was capable of, but wanted to believe my gift could fill in the gap left by his.
“You just need to focus. If they know where they’re going, and they do, you’ll find a way to see it.” Jonah leaned over, kissed me softly, and pulled back.
A thought occurred to me. I got out of my chair and walked over to Gemma. I hugged her and it felt good. I pushed the images of our parents and our home out of my mind.
I held my sister and closed my eyes. I thought about Ivan and Tatiana on the train. Nothing happened. I pictured the shiny steel canister from the lab under Chatham Park.
A gust knocked the wind out of me and I stood on a brick plaza facing a multi-faceted cylindrical tower topped by a disc. Flags bordered the plaza. Next to the tower, unfamiliar trees surrounded a large metal cone-capped hut. Dark-skinned pedestrians passed back and forth across the plaza. Instinct told me I was somewhere in Africa.
A shiny black plaque caught my eye and I willed myself toward it. My viewpoint surged forward and the inscription came into full view.
THIS CONFERENCE CENTER WAS OPENED BY HIS EXCELLENCY
MZEE JOMO KENYATTA CGH MP
FIRST PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA
ON TUESDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 1973
IN THE TENTH YEAR OF OUR NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE.
Kenya? I assumed the city to be Nairobi.
Ivan and Tatiana crossed my path coming from behind me and I refocused on them. Ivan had recovered somewhat from his state on the train.
I hung a pace behind them as they walked. Ivan brushed his shoulders as if something irritated him. Perhaps he’d been improving his ability to sense my mind. They rode an elevator to the twenty-second floor and exited. They arrived at a door marked Kisumu Laboratory Services. Ivan swiped a card through a reader next to the door
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