Chapter 41
They’d spent the week monitoring the asteroid. If that was what it was. And Stefan had pinpointed the site of probable impact.
All the major telescopes of the world were watching it now.
They were unsure what it was—some sort of dense material that had never been encountered before—but it seemed to be trailing fire like a comet and was still heading this way.
Most of the world’s prominent scientists were convinced it would miss the planet, passing close by, but not close enough to cause damage.
A small minority believed that it was on a direct trajectory that would hit the Earth at some time this afternoon.
But they were considered fringe voices within the scientific community.
By the time the object had been detected, it was already too close for any realistic interception attempt, and its unusual density made predictions almost impossible.
Several experts warned that trying to destroy it could scatter debris across half the planet.
So no one was doing anything.
And the governments of the world were keeping it quiet. No one wanted to tell the population of America that there was a chance an asteroid a mile in diameter would hit the planet. Especially if there was a possibility it was a lie.
They’d considered contacting the government with what they knew, but Kaitlin had voted against that idea. She didn’t trust governments.
They had decided in the end that it would not help their cause. Likely, no one would believe them, anyway. Or they wouldn’t want to believe and might even take steps to hinder their plans.
So they were on their own. It was better this way.
They had also spent the week sourcing weapons—including a very impressive rocket launcher. And while they had no clue what to expect, they had enough to go up against a small army.
They’d had a video call with Jake and the others in Australia yesterday.
No one had actually spoken the word goodbye, but it had been sort of implicit in the conversation, and her heart had cracked.
Jake and Christa. Sadie and Ethan. Josie and Steve.
They were her family. But she was glad they would survive.
But then, so would she.
If force of will alone could win, then she would do it.
She’d also spent the week making love with Kane.
Her body tingled at the memory. They were closer than she could have ever believed possible.
While they weren’t in each other’s minds, it didn’t matter; she knew what he was thinking and feeling.
She wanted so much for the chance to have a life with him.
A future.
Now, it was time to leave for the site. Stefan was already there.
He had called in at regular intervals with nothing to report.
Rose and Dave were on their way in the truck with the weapons.
She and Kane had been planning to go in the truck as well, but at the last minute, Kane had said they’d take the bike and follow.
She wasn’t sure why. She had an idea he was up to something but had no clue what.
They had no concrete idea what to expect today, though they had come up with the two most likely scenarios.
The first was that the Tel Group’s job was to stop the asteroid hitting the Earth.
In that case, they needed to do nothing.
But Kaitlin was skeptical about this possibility.
Stella had been in Kaitlin’s mind and knew that she’d wanted to stop the cataclysm.
So why not just admit that was the plan and work with them?
The second scenario was that they would somehow cause the asteroid to hit and set the cataclysm in motion.
Kaitlin had spoken with the top scientists in the field, and she knew that it would only take a little nudge to change the direction enough for a direct collision.
A little nudge…possibly caused by a fucking great bomb.
They’d discussed various options, planned for all the contingencies, but they all were based on the time machine landing before they set off the bomb.
If the Tel Group just headed straight for the asteroid in the time machine, they were fucked.
Kaitlin didn’t think that option was likely—they weren’t suicidal.
No, she believed—or maybe hoped was a better word—they would set down first. Then the Tel agents would get off and send the time machine to the asteroid.
The Kindred’s plan was to stop them somewhere between the two events.
Still, it was hard to plan for the unknown.
And none of it made much sense. They could only hope that the way forward would become clear when the time was right.
Christ, she was sounding just like Kane and his crazy mission. But maybe they all needed a little faith right now.
At that moment, the Harley purred around the corner from the underground parking garage. At the same time, two big black SUVs pulled up just behind it. Kane took off his helmet and swung off the bike. Coming toward her, he wrapped his arm round her shoulders and kissed her.
As she raised her head, the driver’s door of the first SUV opened and Jake stepped down. The other doors opened, and Christa, Sadie, Josie, Ethan, and Steve spilled out. Dexter, Imogen, Finn, Chase, Connor and Ryder appeared from the second SUV.
Kaitlin stood there for a moment, locked in place. They weren’t supposed to be here. They were supposed to be safe in Australia. She blinked a couple of times. Jake regarded her with one eyebrow raised as Kane gave her a gentle nudge forward.
She stopped in front of Jake. He opened his arms, and she moved into them, wrapping her arms around him, and crying.
She never cried. But she’d believed she would never see them again and here they were.
Finally, with a sniff, she stepped back and frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“We decided it wasn’t right that you get all the fun.” He shook his head. “Come on, brat. Anyone would think you weren’t pleased to see us.”
“I am. I really am. But I also sort of wish you were tucked in safe somewhere.”
“We thought about it. But in the end, we had to come. We’re family, and we need to be together at this time. Besides we have faith.”
It was weird that she’d also been thinking in terms of faith. She really hoped they weren’t going to get religion. If they survived.
She turned to take in the others, then focused on Sadie. “Just tell me you’ve had a vision and that’s why you all came. That you saw us all living happily ever after.”
Sadie grinned. “Well, not exactly. Actually, I haven’t had any visions recently. But I have faith as well.”
Jesus.
Faith? Is that what it was coming down to now?
Kane grinned. “And of course, we have a truckload of weapons and enough explosive to blow up a shitload of bad guys.”
That was better. “We’d better get off, or we’ll miss the party.”
“Yeah,” Jake said, “Let’s go.”
They all piled into the SUV. She found herself seated between Kane and Sadie. “It’s weird,” she said as they pulled into the traffic. “We’ll all be together, except for Quinn.”
“I wonder where he is,” Sadie replied. “Or rather, when he is.”
“Hopefully, somewhere safe with Melody. But who knows what will happen if we succeed and stop the cataclysm? Will wherever he is cease to exist? Will Quinn cease to exist?”
“I don’t know. But we don’t really understand time. Maybe there isn’t only one strand. Maybe there are lots of strands that run alongside each other, and in this one, he’ll cease to exist, but in another, he’ll still be there.”
Kaitlin had spent a lot of time, contemplating this, lying in bed and discussing it with Kane, and she was still no closer to comprehending the ramifications of changing the future.
She sat back and slipped her hand into his.
She hadn’t slept much last night. They had made love as though it was their last time together.
Which it might be. Now surrounded by the people she loved, she closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her mind go clear.
There was nothing else to discuss. They had gone over the possibilities endlessly.
There was no reason to go over them again. A sense of peace filled her.
She found herself smiling as the fear slipped away.
They would survive. Or not.
They drove out of the city and headed north. They’d correlated the expected crash site from all the various sources of information. It was about an hour’s drive from the city, just off Route 17. They’d set up base on a hill about a mile away. It was close to midday as they pulled up.
The others seemed unsurprised to see their company, and Kaitlin watched with narrowed eyes as Rose hugged Sadie. “Did everyone know but me?” she asked.
“Yup,” Kane replied, sounding unrepentant. “We thought it would be a nice surprise.”
“It was,” she admitted.
“Plus, if we’d told you, you would have tried to persuade them to stay where they were.”
She nodded. “I would have.”
He laughed at that. Ha. He knew her so well.
She looked around at them. All together. The people she loved. And in that moment, she needed this connection with them. Needed to feel their love.
“I think we should take off the reflector devices,” she said. “If they find us now, so what? They’re going to know we’re here soon enough anyway. Maybe they’re even expecting us.”
Jake looked at her and gave a nod. He raised his hand, then slipped off the device and shoved it in his pocket. All around her, the others did the same. Kane held her gaze as he removed the device. She copied his movements, pulling the thing from her head.
And then they were there with her, filling her mind with a sense of love and peace.
She could feel Kane’s love like something tangible, hot and wild and total.
Jake’s was cooler, Rose’s had a hint of sweetness, Sadie’s of pride.
All of them were slightly different in flavor, but all of them were filled with love.
Her family.
“Okay, guys, let’s go save the world.”
“Nothing to save so far,” Rose said. She waved a hand toward a black van. “Stefan has set up a monitoring system bouncing off the satellites in the area. We’re keeping a watch on where we expect to see the asteroid.”
“And that should be any moment now,” Stefan said.
Kaitlin gazed up at the sky. It was a cloudless day, and over toward the south, she could make out the white trails from airplanes, and the skyline of the city.
“Oh my God,” Stefan shouted in her head. He appeared at the back of the van and jumped down, a pair of powerful binoculars in his hand. He was grinning.
He ran across the open space and pointed the binocs off at a distant hillside. Kaitlin peered over but could see nothing moving. “What is it?” she asked, hurrying over, Kane beside her.
“Take a look,” Stefan said, handing her the binocs.
She stared in the direction he’d pointed and finally focused on a couple on the hillside about a mile away. She stared some more, and a smile tugged at her lips. “It’s Quinn and Melody,” she said.
“They appeared out of nowhere,” Stefan said. “One moment there was nothing and then they just…were there.”
“We have to get over to them,” Kaitlin said. She examined the land around them. No way would the truck or the SUV make it. “We’re going to have to go on foot.” Quinn couldn’t transmit over these distances.
“Okay,” Jake said. He took the binocs from her and examined the scene. “You two go. But take weapons, and a few more for Quinn. It doesn’t look as though he and Melody are armed.”
Imogen was already in the trunk, pulling out automatic rifles. She handed them to Kane and Kaitlin.
“Bring them back here,” Jake said. “But if you find out anything urgent, let us know straight away.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I’ll keep it to myself.”
Jake grinned. She could tell that seeing Quinn had cheered him up. Jake and Quinn had always been close—best friends even, back when they’d been growing up, and Quinn had visited the Rayleigh estate. She knew that Jake had missed his friend over the last few years.
“Come on,” she said to Kane.
They set off at a run, a sense of urgency fueling her. Something was going to happen; she could almost feel it in the air. They were about halfway there when Kane called out behind her, “Kaitlin, stop.”
At the urgency in his voice, she skidded to a halt. “What?”
He touched her on the arm and then pointed to the sky.
She squinted up to the sun, staring hard. Then she blinked. There was something in the sky—something huge—and it was heading straight toward them.
And she was pretty certain it wasn’t a goddamn asteroid.
Wow!
It was distant but hurtling toward them at great speed, its course erratic as it zigzagged across the sky, careening out of control but heading straight for Earth. Straight for them.
As it got closer, she could make out more details through the cloud of smoke and gases that engulfed it. And for a second, her heart stopped. Then it started racing.
“Shit,” she muttered. “It’s a spaceship.”