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CAVE RANCH:
Derek drives the motorcycle across the bridge and stops at the highway. He didn’t pay attention to the car Alex was driving, but the vehicle in the parking lot at the grocery store looks familiar. He drives around the corner of the building, out of sight, but still able to see the car. He doesn’t have to wait long and watches Alex put two bags of groceries into the trunk and climb into the driver’s seat. He waits until it pulls out of the parking lot, then follows Alex up the highway.
***
MOUNT BAKER:
Alex parks next to the cabin and carries the grocery bags into the kitchen. “Are you in here?”
Wesley turns off the television, pushes himself off the sofa, and walks into the kitchen. “That latest movement was big, Alex. It’s headline news across the country. It’s got a lot of people scared about it hitting Seattle.”
Alex sets the bags on the counter, puts some food in the refrigerator, then closes the door and looks at Wesley. “We might be in big trouble, my friend.”
Alex tells him everything that happened on the Mystic. “The Captain is up to something, but I don’t think he set off the device. I can only wait for something else to happen. If that thing goes off again, it’s doing it by itself, and we had better find a way to stop it before it tears the continent apart.”
“The volcanos will kill us first.”
Alex feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, but ignores it. “How bad?”
“Baker was the worst and measured three-point one on the Richter scale. Rainier registered a two point zero, but I think that will change if we have another event.”
Alex slides his phone out of his pocket and looks at the ID. “It’s my friend on the Mystic.” He presses the speaker button. “Did you learn anything about Dieter?”
Okana explains the information on Dieter. “My friend is still trying to chase down a connection between him and you.”
“I have a friend who can research Dieter’s relative and we’ll see where that leads us. What was his name?”
“It’s Eric Dieter, and he went missing near the end of world war two. That’s all I have on him.” Okana tells him Lisa’s theory about the device in the fracture melting and freezing the water. “How bad was the last event, Alex?”
“They’re becoming greater in magnitude. Nothing has happened since we returned to the surface, but we still need to get that thing out of the ice so it won’t happen again. I think there could be another device in the Arctic, and we need to locate that one, too.”
“Do you want me to talk to Mike about it?”
“Yes. Find out if we can take the Mystic to the artic, but don’t tell him about Dieter and the missing treasure yet.”
“Got it. I’ll call you tomorrow, either way.”
“Thanks.”
Wesley waits until Alex turns off the phone. “Let’s go to the workshop and I’ll show you the recording.” He opens the cabin door and stops. “Who are you?”
Alex looks past Wesley’s shoulder. “That’s my nephew.” He follows Wesley through the doorway and looks at Derek. “How long have you been listening?”
Derek folds his arms across his chest. “Long enough. I’m eighteen, Alex. Stop treating me like a boy. I want to know how bad this is. I’m the one who will have to take care of Kristy and Robert.”
Alex thinks about it for a moment. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. It could get bad, Derek.”
Wesley is glad the issue is settled. “Let’s all go to the workshop.”
Alex and Derek follow him into the building, and Wesley sits at his desk.
Derek walks around Wesley’s toys. “Neat place, Mister Patterson.”
“Thanks and call me Wesley.”
Alex sits in the other chair, and Derek sits on the edge of the desk. Wesley plays the recordings from all three events and explains the differences for Derek’s benefit. “These recordings are from my own seismometers on Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. You can see the difference in magnitude by the width of the line. This last one here, on Baker, was a magnitude three-point-one.”
Derek remembers something from school. “Okay, but those lines are from side to side, like a regular earthquake. What Kristy felt today was straight up.”
Wesley looks at Alex and grins. “Have you been teaching this young man too, Professor?”
Alex looks at Derek. “Pretty good.”
Derek thinks his chest will burst with pride.
“That’s right,” Wesley continues as he brings up the recording of the latest event and magnifies the break in the line. “The needle jumped off the paper.”
Alex suddenly leans forward when he sees the picture. “Is that the latest one?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Alex looks at Derek. “The distance of the break in the line tells us how high the ground jumped. The first two were barely measurable, but this last one indicates an increase in magnitude.”
“Is that a lot?”
Alex leans back in his chair and sighs in resignation. “Yes, that’s a lot. Especially if it’s not supposed to happen at all.” His phone rings and he recognizes the number. “It’s Sonja.” He turns on the speaker, sets the phone on the desk, then answers. “Hi, Sonja.”
“I am so glad you answered, Alex. The ice sheet went into another expansion five hours ago. It is freezing more of the ocean for hundreds of kilometers each time it happens. I was on the ice sheet at the time and saw a flash of blue lightning just before the expansion. What have you learned?”
His suspicions are confirmed, and Alex stares at Wesley. “That’s the same time the device activated while I was in the sub.”
Alex explains everything he knows, except where he suspects the devices came from. “Now that I know it’s not a natural disturbance, I’ll call a friend of mine for help with this. His name is Martin Donner.”
“He is your Director of National Security, correct?”
“That’s right. I’ll do what I can from my end. Let me know about anything new.”
“I will. Bye, Love.”
Derek is stunned by what he just heard and stands up from the desk. “Which ice sheet is she talking about, Alex?”
Alex looks up at him. “The one up north. The Polar Ice sheet.”
“Isn’t that a good sign? That means the atmosphere is cooling down, right?”
“It doesn’t happen this fast, Derek.”
Wesley leans back in his chair. “The Director of National Security, Alex? You have some powerful friends.”
Alex looks at his watch, sees it’s 8:00 P.M. on the east coast, and picks up his phone. “Yes, and it’s time to use them.”
***
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY. WASHINGTON D.C.:
“It’s Alex Cave on line two, Director,” his secretary’s voice announces through the intercom.
Martin picks up the phone. “I’m glad you called, Alex. I’m getting reports from FEMA about what’s happening in Puget Sound, and the USGS doesn’t know a damn thing. I called Marcia at the College, and she said you were in the northwest to check it out. Do you know what’s going on?”
“I do now. It’s bad, Martin.”
Martin listens to Alex explain everything he knows and is not sure how to reply. “Good grief, Alex. I had no idea they were manmade. How much time do we have until the next activation?”
“Impossible to say, at the moment. They could be activating on their own. I’ll coordinate everything out here with Mike Tanner to use his ship, the Discovery. It’s off the coast of Vancouver, and we can use it as a research and recovery platform. From what I’ve learned about it, they have everything needed to retrieve that device. If we’re lucky, this device won’t go off again. Even so, we need to retrieve it from under that ice.”
“It might take some time to set things in motion, but I’ll stress the urgency and do what I can.”
“I know you will. Just one more thing. Set things up so I can talk to Lewis Norton. I’m thinking this is one of the devices I told you about from the Dead Energy operation.”
“I’ll make some calls right now and set it up. I know a few people with the right security clearance, too. I’ll send them to the Discovery to start the recovery operation. Is this a good number to reach you?”
“Yes, and thanks Martin.”
Martin hangs up and enters a number into the phone. “Things are never dull around you, Alex Cave.”
***
THE CABIN:
Derek assumed his uncle is a geology teacher. He had no idea Alex knows so many important people. This must be really bad.
Wesley notices Derek’s troubled expression. “I want to tell you what might happen, Derek. I’ve studied this mountain all my life, and if it becomes active, it won’t be like St. Helens. That one blew because of the tremendous pressure of the steam released from the magma trapped inside the mountain. Our seismic activity is artificial and very recent, so hopefully, the mountain will fracture, releasing any new pressure so it won’t explode. Even if it doesn’t erupt, there will be an increase in temperature from the rising magma, and the rapid melting of the glaciers. The water level in the reservoir could rise so fast the dam won’t be able to hold it back. Have you ever heard of a lahar?”
“No.”
“It’s a mixture of water, mud, and debris. If the dam breaks loose, the lahar will rush down the mountain and bury everything in Sparrow Valley. If things start going to hell, you need to make your way up here. I picked this location to build my cabin because it’s the safest place on my mountain. I don’t want anyone else to know, son. You and your family are welcome, but I’ll shoot the first stranger who thinks this place is a safe haven. I don’t want hundreds of people camped in my front yard. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Alex is surprised by Wesley’s offer, and it’s greatly appreciated. He looks up at his nephew. “I don’t think you should tell anyone what you’ve learned today.”
“What about grandpa?”
“Okay, just him. Don’t tell Kristy, either. I could tell she’s scared, so she doesn’t need to know. This may be the end of it, so we don’t want to start a panic.”
Derek nods agreement. “It will be hard, not telling Kristy. She has a way of tricking someone into a confession.”
Wesley pushes himself out of his chair. “It’s getting dark.”
Derek understands his meaning. “I’d better head home. Thanks for telling me the truth, Alex. You too, Wesley.”
Wesley walks to the door, and Alex and Derek follow. When they reach the motorcycle, Wesley shakes Derek’s hand. “Nice to meet you, son. Remember what I said about the lahar. It could happen without warning, and I’ll do my best to let you know if it’s imminent.”
“I will.”
Alex and Wesley wait until Derek rides away, then walk into the cabin. Alex grabs his groceries from the refrigerator and sets them on the counter. “I hope you like Italian.”
“I don’t care what it is, as long as someone else is cooking.”
***
It’s dark by the time Derek gets home. He parks the motorcycle in a large open storage shed and carries his helmet to the back porch. On the ride back he thought about what to tell Kristy, knowing she will hound him for information when he walks into the house.
The boards creak as someone climbs the steps, and Kristy stands from the porch swing and crosses her arms across her chest. “It’s about time, Derek Cave. Where have you been?”
Derek grins and shakes his head in wonder, thinking he should have realized she would be waiting outside. “I followed Alex, and he showed me all the neat equipment Mister Patterson has in his workshop.”
“Oh yeah? Well, I learned that Mount Baker is really a volcano. It was on the news with the stuff about Witchy Island. Are we going to have an eruption like Mount Saint Helens?”
He sighs with relief he won’t have to lie to his sister. “No, it’s not going to explode like Saint Helens. And it’s Whidbey Island. Are there any leftovers?”
“I wrapped it in foil and left it on the counter so it would stay warm.”
Derek puts his arm around Kristy’s shoulder. “You’re the best sister a brother could have. I’m hungry. Let’s go inside.”
***
POLAR ICE CAP:
A brilliant bolt of blue lightning bursts up out of the top of the pyramid and a thunderous crack races across the frozen wasteland. No one is around to see the frantic thrashing of the humpback whale partially trapped in the ice. The ocean freezes another three-hundred-miles south, shoving the pyramid with it. A moment later, the entire ice sheet rises one-hundred-feet out of the water, adding another layer to the beautiful translucent pyramid.