The Sea Within Page 13

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” Wallace returned to the ATV to help Jackson offload one of the large food containers. It looked sort of like an oversized cooler, except that it wasn’t for keeping things cold, it was designed as a bear safe, to keep animals from getting into their food supply. All the provisions were freeze dried and didn’t require refrigeration. She wondered if that sort of hermetically sealed snack would even appeal to an animal. It wasn’t even that appealing to humans.

  “Listen up. Nunez set up a latrine area fifty yards or so in that direction. He flagged it and left a shovel.” Jackson spoke to the group. “And remember, this is an extreme leave no trace expedition. We pack it in, we pack it out. Pay attention, people. We don’t want some archeologist finding a bottle cap in the future.”

  “Wait, did someone pack beer and forget to tell me?” Wallace looked hopeful.

  “What do you think, genius?” Jackson’s question was sarcastically rhetorical.

  “No beer.” Wallace stuck his lower lip out in a mock pout.

  “Aw, man, no kegger by the campfire tonight.” That was the first joke Harris had uttered since she’d met him.

  Everyone stopped what they were doing and faced him as if he’d suddenly sprouted a second head.

  “What? I like beer.” He shrugged.

  Elle pictured an archeologist of the future finding some remnant left behind from this expedition, in a place where no humans should have inhabited at this moment on the timeline. That would be a disaster. She returned to the vehicle for two sleeping bags. She stowed them in the tent, along with her small duffel of fresh clothing. She wasn’t sure what else to do. Everything seemed to be coming together.

  Harris was digging a shallow firepit and clearing dry debris that could be used for kindling.

  She left the soft murmur of voices behind her as she walked in the direction of the sea. The campsite Jackson had chosen was, she estimated, almost a half mile from the surf. It took a few minutes to reach the crest of the cliff overlooking the beach below. The terrain between camp and the cliff transitioned from mature forest to a grassy, rolling landscape with intermittent clumps of scrub oak that resembled shrubs more than trees. The shoreline had the same dramatic cliff exposures as modern times. Rotating north to south, she could see scalloped bays, vast estuaries, and expansive dunes. The wave energy off the Pacific Ocean was fairly high causing severe sea-cliff recession even in this era.

  Beneath her position, waves crashed loudly against two monolith rocks jutting up from the surf. Elle took a deep, cleansing breath, as she faced the seemingly infinite Pacific. The ocean was a place of paradoxes. Home to the great white shark and the blue whale. A two-thousand-pound killer of the seas and the largest gentle giant that ever lived.

  Simultaneously, microscopic creatures as numerous as the stars existed in the amount of seawater she could scoop up in both hands. The ocean’s ecosystems made it simultaneously mesmerizingly beautiful, dangerous, and astoundingly complex. This version of the Pacific was no blue desert. This Pacific was infinitely alive.

  “Strange isn’t it?” Jackson was standing beside her, facing west.

  “What?”

  “This sea is beautiful. How could we have managed to kill something so enormous and so integral to our survival?”

  “It is hard to come to terms with that realization.” The air had cooled, Elle hugged herself. It was still early in the day, but she sensed a change in the weather. It was much cooler than she’d expected. The heatless sun was a white circle behind the far off fog bank.

  “We might get rain, or it might just be cloud cover heading our way.” Jackson scanned the sky. “I can’t really tell.”

  The air definitely contained a lot of moisture. She wasn’t looking forward to camping in a rainstorm.

  “Want to grab some food before we hike to the beach?” Jackson asked.

  “Sure.” In all the excitement, she’d forgotten about lunch, but now that Jackson had mentioned it she realized she was hungry.

  Her stomach was still a little unstable. Elle wasn’t in the mood for a big meal. She decided on an energy bar and water, something with protein to give her enough of a boost to navigate the steep descent to the beach, and then the climb back. Her legs ached as if she’d run miles, but she assumed it was simply residual jetlag, or spacelag—if that was even a thing, from the gateway. Jackson had suggested that she and Ted make the hike without equipment until they could figure out the best route to the water. Then the team could help them ferry whatever they needed.

  First order of business would be to set up the field microscope and take a look at some water samples. She and Ted could gather selections from various shallow areas and test them in camp before taking the containment equipment down. It would be best to verify that this site would give them viable phytoplankton specimens before spending a lot of time and energy lugging containers to the beach.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jackson could see the fatigue of a very long, strenuous day weighing on the team. By five o’clock, she ordered everyone to return to camp to rest, eat, and prepare for the next day. Heavy cloud cover moved in around four, threatening rain, but as yet, had not delivered on that promise. That didn’t mean the night would remain dry. The scent of rain was definitely in the air. But maybe that was simply the dampness of the fog. This weather was all new to Jackson.

  It took all afternoon to sort out the best route from base camp to the waterline. The entire team had worked to plot and carve the best path for the climb down and back. Jackson had determined that they’d have to do the extraction on foot, by hand. The ATVs, although light, were too wide and too large to safely make the trip.

  “Here, let me help you with that.” Jackson took the ration heater for the MRE meal pack from Elle and ripped it open. She’d watched Elle struggle with it for a few minutes.

  “Thank you. My hand strength seems to have evaporated.”

  “You just need to rest and recharge.” Jackson handed over the meal pack. “Frankly, I’m impressed you’re still standing after all we’ve done today.”

  Elle smiled at the compliment.

  Jackson checked the position of the others because she didn’t want to be overheard.

  “Listen, I’m sorry I said you wouldn’t be able do this mission.” Jackson regretted what she’d said, even if she’d done it with the best intentions. “I’m happy to admit I was wrong.”

  “Apology accepted.” Elle tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and grinned.

  God, even exhausted and wearing Space Force fatigues, she was still beautiful. Jackson swallowed. This friend thing was going to be complicated.

  “I definitely think I’m fatigued. I can’t remember next steps here.” Elle peered inside the packet and scrunched her nose.

  “You need to add water and give it a minute to heat up. Then drop this meal pack in and close it.” Jackson handed her the ration pack.

  “Right, wait for the chemical reaction.” It was coming back to Elle now.

  The ration heater contained finely powdered magnesium metal, alloyed with a small amount of iron, and table salt. This mixture only required a small amount of water to create a reaction that would bring the water to boiling temperature fairly fast.

  “Cooking without fire. A miracle of science.” Jackson grinned and then pivoted. “Hey, Wallace, how’s it going?”

  “The solar generator isn’t quite there yet.” He frowned. “I don’t think it’s gotten enough sun to recharge since lunch. We’ll have to do this old school.”

  “It’ll have to be headlamps and campfire tonight then.” Jackson nodded.

  “I’ll start a fire.” Nunez began to toss dry limbs onto the firepit that Harris had dug earlier.

  Jackson had planned to have a nighttime fire for safety reasons anyway, to ward off unwanted visitors from the animal kingdom.

  “How did the samples look?” Elle had set up a microscope and mini-lab on the tailgate of one of the ATVs an
d Jackson wondered what she’d found.

  “Oh, they looked great.” Elle’s expression brightened. “We’re going to get plenty of specimens. The slides were very active with organisms.”

  “Good. That’s good news.”

  This expedition had almost gone too well so far. The tiny hairs at the back of her neck kept tingling, from what, she didn’t know. Best to pay attention. A mission could go sideways in an instant. More than half her team was green in her eyes, so who knew how they’d react in a crisis.

  Dinner was finished and the group had scattered. Wallace was securing the vehicles and trailers for the night. Nunez and Harris had gathered more wood and piled it next to the fire. Ted was seated nearby, staring at the flame. He seemed lost in thought. Elle was nowhere in sight.

  “Hey, Ted, have you seen Elle?” He blinked rapidly a few times as if her question had dislodged him from a trance. He looked around. “Um, I’m not sure. She might have gone for a walk.”

  “A walk?” Jackson scanned the surrounding area. “And you didn’t go with her?”

  “I—”

  “I thought I said that we would all use the buddy system, except for trips to the latrine.” She was pissed.

  “What’s the problem?” Wallace was at her side.

  “Elle went for a walk.” Jackson looked down at Ted, still seated by the fire. “Which way did she go?”

  “Um, that way, I think.” Ted pointed north, the opposite direction of the latrine, but she wasn’t confident about his powers of observation at the moment. She knew he was probably exhausted so she tried to cut him some slack. But, dammit, that’s how accidents happened, that’s how people got hurt.

  “Christ on a cracker.” Wallace seemed as frustrated by this development as she was.

  Harris and Nunez joined them by the fire.

  “Hey, you two dropped the ball here.” Weren’t these guys on board to act as security for the science team? Wasn’t that why Nikki hadn’t made the roster? It wasn’t Ted’s job. He was half the science team. What the fuck?

  “I don’t see the problem?” Nunez’s question was almost a challenge.

  “The problem is that an unarmed civilian, our lead scientist, walked away from base camp into an uncharted wilderness and it’ll be dark soon.” Did she have to break out a chalkboard and draw a diagram to explain it to these guys? “Every member of this team is integral to the mission’s success.” In her mind, some more than others, but she was being generous. “If we lose the chief scientist because she wondered off, how’s that gonna work out for us?”

  “We’ll look for her.” Harris nodded at Nunez and turned to leave.

  “No, I’ll go.” There was at least one hour of good daylight left. Jackson pointed at Ted. “You stay here with your security detail.” She couldn’t help the sarcasm.

  Jackson booted up the location tracking device. It took a moment for the GPS grid to populate the screen. She eliminated everyone who was still at base camp and homed in on Elle’s PTD signal, a small blue dot on the gray-green screen. Ted was right, Elle was north of their location. She retrieved a sidearm and clipped the holster to her belt. She decided right then and there to keep the gun handy. Something about this expedition wasn’t feeling right. The weight of the semi-automatic pistol was comforting as she strode off in search of Elle.

  * * *

  Elle took slow and deliberate steps as she wove among the trees. Coastal redwoods were the tallest trees in the world. She’d read that some had reached as high as four hundred feet and survived for over two thousand years. Even in modern times, her time, a rare few remained. But nothing like this grove near base camp. These trees seemed almost from another epoch. In truth, this species had lived at the time of the dinosaur, sixty-five million years ago. They had real staying power. They were sentinels of geologic time. Like the mythic titans of ancient Greece.

  She took a long, slow stride, trailing her fingertips along the rough bark as she passed. The reddish-brown skin of the tree was soft and rough at the same time. Trying to glimpse the crown of the tree made her dizzy.

  These giants thrived along the coast of northern California where the cool fog from the ocean brought moisture for growth, while at the same time blocking the evaporating rays of the sun. The condensed fog would slowly drip off the foliage and water the roots of the tree along with the fern bed.

  Elle closed her eyes and listened. In the silent forest she could actually hear the heavy drops fall to the ground. This was amazing. This must have been what the Garden of Eden felt like before humans were cast out. Then, as now, mankind had failed to appreciate all the nurturing and unselfish gifts of Mother Earth.

  She braced with both hands against a nearby trunk to stabilize herself as she looked skyward. This particular tree had been struck by lightning but survived. A jagged, blackened wound jutted upward, but beyond that, the tree was healthy.

  Redwoods were among the most complex plant forms on earth. A single tree might have many re-sprouted trunks so that the crown of a redwood was almost like a self-contained forest. Infant redwoods generally sprouted around the base of an adult tree. The fledgling trees would take in nutrients from the mature tree and form a circle of trees called a fairy ring. What a magical wonderful thing to experience firsthand.

  Elle loved trees.

  Standing among these stoic giants from another time was awe inspiring.

  This has to be what heaven feels like. If there was such a place.

  She closed her eyes and listened again to the sounds of the forest. The wind, a bird call, and the distant surf. This brief time to commune with nature had been just what she needed. The urge to have some time alone had been too great to ignore. Everything since that first meeting with Liam had been about the mission. Elle needed a moment for herself. Was that too much to ask?

  Unsure of the time, she decided to head back to camp. The thick canopy would make it seem darker than it was as the sun began to set. She rotated with the intention of carefully retracing her steps only to discover that she was no longer alone.

  An enormous wolf studied her from several feet away. His head low, his eyes shadowed.

  Her heart began to race, and she wondered how long the animal had been following her. How stupid she now felt for venturing out alone without any way to defend herself. She’d only been thinking of the plant life she might find, not the animal life. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  Elle froze. Should she run? Could wolves smell fear?

  She couldn’t remember.

  “Back slowly away.” Jackson, by some miracle, was behind her.

  Elle glanced over her shoulder. Jackson was standing a few feet away. Elle wanted to run to her.

  “Don’t turn your back on it.” Jackson motioned for Elle to stay still. “And don’t run. A wolf can outrun you.”

  Elle nodded and began to take slow backward steps toward where Jackson was standing.

  The wolf sniffed the air, then ducked his head, his gaze intensely focused on Elle. He took one step, then two. Jackson stepped in front of Elle in a protective stance. She raised her arms, making herself seem larger and then blew a loud whistle, shrilly piercing the stillness of the forest. He bolted, disappearing from view into the dense understory several yards away.

  “Are you okay?” At some point, Jackson had drawn her side arm. She was still holding it, pointed at the ground.

  “Yes, thank you.” She was shaken and the sound of the whistle had completely shattered her quiet communion with the trees. But that was better than becoming wolf food.

  “You can’t walk into the wilderness without an escort.” Jackson’s words were stern. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry.” She truly was. And grateful that Jackson had been the one to find her. “Would you have shot the animal?”

  “Only if there was absolutely no other option.” Jackson holstered the weapon. “But then we’d have had to track down the bullet and casing. We leave no trace.”

  Elle nodde
d. She felt stupid for wandering off. This wasn’t some field trip for core samples. This was much more serious.

  “We should head back before it gets any darker.” Thankfully, Jackson didn’t sound angry.

  “How did you even find me?”

  “You have a PDT in your wrist, remember?”

  “Oh, right.” Elle had completely forgotten about it. She rubbed the tiny tracker capsule with her finger. It moved a little under her skin when she touched it.

  Jackson motioned for Elle to walk in front.

  “That orange micro-fleece vest you’re wearing also really stands out. Not exactly military issue.” Jackson smiled.

  Elle looked down. Nikki had loaned her the garment and she’d packed it as an afterthought. A splash of color to offset the drab military garb. Plus, an extra layer worked nicely under the military jacket she’d been given. It was chilly here and she was glad to have it.

  “I never thought a fashion choice might save my life.” Elle laughed.

  They’d only walked for a few minutes when Wallace met them.

  “I heard the whistle.” He fell in beside Jackson.

  “Elle made a friend and when he got a bit too curious, I had to scare him off.”

  Wallace glanced at Elle.

  “It was a wolf.”

  “A wolf!” Wallace seemed genuinely disappointed that he’d missed it. “I’ve never seen a wolf.”

  They were extinct in modern times. They only existed in natural history museum exhibits. This particular fellow was probably a dire wolf, larger than his modern cousins, but not as fast, or as bright, but just as lethal once he captured his prey.

  “Let’s just be sure we stay close to the fire tonight.” Jackson kept up her pace. Elle dropped back to fall in behind her and Wallace. “I’m sure the sound spooked him, but he might be back with friends if he’s hungry.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Jackson rubbed her shoulder and then rolled it. She was feeling stiff and tired, but the warmth of the fire was soothing and hard to leave. She could almost imagine this was an expedition trip for fun. Almost. Nunez and Harris were reminders that it wasn’t, because she’d never hang out with these two by choice.