jdavid.footprintsofthunder-第85章

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ay；〃　Ripman　said　with　both　sadness　and　bitterness　in　his　voice。　〃Besides；　I　like　it　here。　It's　the　best　home　I　had；〃
　〃You　can't　stay　here！　Sooner　or　later　those　dinos　will　have　you　for　lunch。　e　with　me。　My　mom　asked　you。　We'd　have　a　great　time。〃
　〃Naw；　I'm　too　elemental　for　you　Yuppie　types；　but　I'll　trade　you　the　pistol　for　the　rifle。　A　bow　won't　cut　it　in　here。〃
　John　traded；　then　handed　back　the　pistol。　〃You're　gonna　need　both；　Ripman。　If　you　change　your　mind；　man；　we'll　be　at　the　beach　house。〃
　〃I　know。〃
　John　walked　through　the　trees　a　short　distance；　then　turned　and　looked　back。　Ripman　was　still　there　watching　him。　John　wanted　to　tell　Ripman　he'd　miss　him；　that　he　would　think　about　him；　that　he　loved　him。　But　none　of　that　was　elemental；　at　least　not　in　Ripman's　way　of　thinking。　So　instead　John　simply　nodded　his　head。　Ripman　nodded　back。
　〃See　ya；　Ripman。〃
　〃Later；　John。〃
　Cubby　followed　the　riverbed；　the　noise　of　the　bike　chasing　dinosaurs　from　his　path。　When　the　river　angled　off　away　from　Portland；　Cubby　cut　into　the　trees。　Occasionally　he　came　to　clearings；　some　small；　some　larger；　but　as　he　looked　into　the　distance　no　skyscrapers　appeared。
　He　rode　on；　the　sun　setting　on　his　left。　It　would　he　behind　the　hills　soon；　leaving　the　valley　in　shadow；　and　still　the　city　could　not　be　seen。　He　passed　a　section　of　collapsed　forest；　ran　into　an　impassable　rock　slide；　and　headed　uphill　to　skirt　it。　At　the　crest；　he　skidded　to　a　stop。　The　view　was　unobstructed；　and　to　his　dismay　he　saw　Mount　Saint　Helens　in　the　distance。　There　was　no　city。　Tears　blurred　his　vision；　and　he　wiped　his　eyes。　Then　he　realized　Mount　Saint　Helens　had　disappeared　into　a　haze；　and　shimmering　before　him　the　city　appeared。　Skyscrapers　towered　above　the　trees　as　he　looked　around。　He　was　in　a　city　that　wasn't　there。
　From　this　close　Portland　wasn't　transparent。　It　was　back；　but　Cubby　didn't　know　for　how　long。　If　God　had　opened　this　door　for　him；　he　wasn't　going　to　let　it　close。　You　don't　need　certainty　when　you　have　your　faith；　his　father　always　said。　Cubby　sucked　down　his　doubts；　revved　up　the　engine；　and　released　the　clutch。　〃Time　to　go　home；〃　he　said　to　himself；　and　angled　the　bike　down　the　hill　toward　the　city。
　
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　Now　Terry　rubbed　his　aching　eyes　with　both　fists。　He　admitted　defeat　to　himself　and　was　ready　to　convince　Bill。
　〃Bill；　this　is　useless。　We　don't　even　know　if　Angie　and　Ellen　are　in　there。〃
　〃Yeah；　I　know。　I　just　don't　know　what　else　to　do。　Where　do　we　start　looking　if　we　don't　look　here？〃
　〃Will　this　thing　make　it　to　the　beach　。　。　。　say　about　ninety　miles？　We　can　check　our　summer　house。〃
　When　Bill　didn't　answer　right　away；　Terry　rubbed　his　eyes　again；　and　opened　them　to　see　the　return　of　the　phantom　city。
　〃Bill；　it's　back。〃
　Bill　straightened　the　helicopter；　and　hovered　facing　the　city。
　〃We　can　try　flying　into　it　again。　What　do　you　think？〃　Terry　suggested。
　〃Mmmm…I　don't　think…〃
　Something　zoomed　past　the　helicopter　on　the　left；　banked　to　the　right　on　stubby　wings；　and　flew　directly　toward　the　city；　taking　Terry　by　surprise。　Bill　spun　the　helicopter　around　and　throttled　up　the　engine　until　the　rotors　screamed。
　〃What's　going　on；　Bill？〃
　〃It's　a　cruise　missile。　We're　in　big　trouble。〃
　Terry　looked　around；　trying　to　follow　the　flight　of　the　cruise　missile；　and　when　he　did　he　spotted　another　missile　in　the　distance；　then　suddenly　he　realized　the　sky　was　full　of　them。　Terry　was　trying　to　make　sense　of　what　was　happening　when　the　sky　went　white；　as　if　a　giant　strobe　light　had　just　flashed。　At　the　same　time　there　was　a　burst　of　static　over　the　earphones；　followed　by　the　acrid　smell　of　ozone。　The　helicopter's　engine　sputtered　and　then　died。　Terry's　stomach　made　him　think　they　were　suddenly　in　an　elevator　going　down。　The　rotors　continued　to　spin　but　without　any　power；　making　more　of　a　whistle　than　a　thump。　The　churning　of　his　stomach　increased　and　the　helicopter's　nose　dipped；　giving　Terry　a　good　view　of　the　onrush…ing　forest。
　
　
　When　John　stepped　out　from　beyond　the　last　tree　and　onto　the　front　lawn　of　the　Colonial　house；　he　felt　tension　being　swept　out　of　his　body。　His　legs　went　weak　with　relief　and　began　to　shake。　He　hadn't　realized　how　much　fear　and　adrenalin　had　powered　him；　and　he　now　felt　every　ache　and　pain；　and　he　was　exhausted。
　He　thought　of　his　mom　in　a　hospital；　his　dad　in　Washington；　D。C。；　or　somewhere；　maybe　with　his　sister。　That　meant　John　should　be　with　his　mom。
　He　found　the　cul…de…sac　and　the　blue　house　Ripman　had　described。　Two　other　houses　at　the　end　of　the　cul…de…sac　were　surrounded　by　fences　six　feet　high；　making　the　end　of　the　street　look　like　Fort　Apache。　The　owners　of　the　blue　house　had　settled　for　a　four…foot　fence。　John　jumped　up　and　straddled　it。　Balanced　on　the　top　he　looked　back　down　the　cul…de…sac　toward　the　forest。　Ripman　and　Cubby　were　in　there　somewhere；　and　that　meant　he　was　leaving　a　part　of　himself　there　too。　He　knew　the　closeness　they　had　shared　was　too　good　to　last　a　lifetime；　but　he　never　expected　it　to　end　so　abruptly。　It　wasn't　the　way　childhood　friendships　should　end。　They　should　end　slowly；　day　by　day；　month　by　month；　each　of　them　taking　different　paths　that　would　lead　them　farther　and　farther　apart。　The　forest　had　replaced　the　slow　march　to　separate　lives　with　a　race　to　adulthood；　and　to　loneliness。
　John　stared　at　the　forest　one　last　time；　knowing　there　was　no　going　back。　As　he　turned　to　look　for　a　soft　landing　spot　beneath　him；　a　blinding　flash　of　light　knocked　him　off　the　fence　into　the　azalea　bushes　on　the　other　side。
　
　THE　NEW　WORLD
　
　69。　　BEACH　HOUSE
　
　The　New　World
　NORTH　OREGON　COAST
　
　　Cable　TV　was　out；　since　the　Portland　feed　was　gone。　At　their　beach　house；　Ellen　and　John　could　still　pick　up　the　Eugene　and　Salem　stations；　although　the　reception　without　the　cable　boost　was　terrible。　It　didn't　matter　though。　The　stations　weren't　carrying　anything　but　disaster　coverage；　and　John　was　sick　of　it。　He　wanted　escapism；　some　mindless　sex　or　violence　to　distract　him。
　The　network　news　people　were　dominating　the　coverage；　sitting　in　anchor　booths　and　telling　the　camera　what　other　people　were　telling　them。　John　could　only　pick　up　two　of　the　networks；　but　neither　had　its　regular　anchor。　Apparently　the　New　York　problem　had　taken　some　of　the　network　people；　the　second　string　was　now　anchoring　from　Chicago。
　The　news　might　have　been　fresh　at　one　time　but　was　now　a　series　of　recycled　reports；　including　oft…repeated　interviews　with　the　President's　chief　of　staff；　Elizabeth　Hawthorne。　〃The　President　is　devoting　himself　to　dealing　with　the　crisis；　but　will　meet　with　the　press　when　the　time　is　right；〃　Ms。　Hawthorne　was　shown　saying　over　and　over　again。　John　watched　Ms。　Hawthorne　deny　rumors　that　the　President　was　ill；　take　questions　about　relief　efforts；　and　defer　questions　requiring　an　explanation　of　what　had　happened　to　the　President's　science　advisor。
　Dr。　Paulson　was　interviewed　repeatedly　by　the　networks。　He　labeled　what　happened　as　time　quilting；　and　described　it　as　a　natural　result　of　the　interaction　of　strings　of　dense　matter　created　by　nuclear　detonations。　When　asked　if　it　was　true　that　only　the　former　U。S。S。R。　had　detonated　devices　of　sufficient　size　to　create　the　effect；　he　deferred　to　Natalie　Matsuda；　the　secretary　of　defense；　who　proceeded　to　blame　it　on　the　U。S。S。R。　and　single　out　the　Russian　Republic　in　particular　to　inherit　the　blame。　She　also　claimed　credit　for　preventing　a　worse　disaster　with　the　action　taken　in　the　Portland　area。　John　noticed　they　never　referred　to　it　as　a　nuclear　attack；　calling　it　instead　an　〃action。〃
　There　was　quite　a　bit　of　debate　over　what　had　happened　at　Portland。　Some　experts　claimed　the　explosions　destroyed　Portland；　others　claimed　the　blast　more　likely　took　place　somewhere　between　the　two　space/times　involved。　John　thought　of　Cubby　during　these　discussions。　Had　he　been　incinerated　in　a　nuclear　holocaust；　or　was　he　where　he　so　badly　wanted　to　be；　with　his　family　and　church？
　The　networks　interviewed　a　Dr。　Gomez　of　the　Fermi　Institute　about　the　effect　itself；　but　her　explanation　made　little　sense　to　John。　She　talked　of　explosions　in　the　sixties　and　the　time　quilting；　as　if　they　were　concurrent　events。　She　referred　vaguely　to　possible　future　events。　Apparently　the　first　puter　models　had　correctly　predicted　the　focal　point　and　the　time　quilting　but　had　not　projected　the　events　into　the　future。　More　sophisticated　models　were　being　tested　and　some　of　these　projected　additional　events。　She　also　said　something　about　effects　on　the　moon；　but　being　unable　to　confirm　them　until　the　space　program　could　be　reestablished。　That　point　was　then　lost　in　questions　about　identifying　where　the　displaced　people　had　gone。　John　realized　there　was　cold　fort　in　knowing　that　friends　and　relatives　could　be　alive　in　some　other　time　period。
　Dinosaur　horror　stories　filled　the　rest　of　the　news。　Of　course　the　media　concentrated　on　made…in…America　stories。　Attacks　by　tyrannosaurs　were　the　most　popular。　Occasionally　a　story　sympathetic　to　dinosaurs　would　surface。　The　story　of　an　old　woman　in　New　York　with　a　pet　dinosaur　got　a　lot　of　play；　and　John　was　particularly　touched　by　the　story　of　the　mother　apatosaurus　and　her　baby　that　saved　a　shipwrecked　family；　despite　a　killer　whale　attack。　There　were　also　stories　of　organized　protests　of　animal　rights　activists　who　were　fighting　for　dinosaur　rights。　There　were　many　stories　of　food　shortages；　fuel　shortages；　and　medical　supply　shortages。　These　were　invariably　followed　by　predictions　of　more　shortages；　and　how　the　poor　were　disproportionately　affected。　The　only　silver　lining　in　these　reports　was　that　the　human　losses　were　out　of　proportion　to　the　crop　losses。　In　other　words；　they　lost　more　people　than　crops　to　feed　them。
　John's　mother　came　out　of　the　bedroom　to　make　a　cup　of　tea。　Her　right　arm　was　in　a　cast；　which　she　carried　in　a　sling。　He　watched　her　until　he　was　sure　she　could　handle　fixing　the　tea　one…handed。　The　hotshot's　noise　drowned　out　the　sound　of　the　TV。
　Ellen　was　more　animated　now　than　when　she　had　learned　of　her　husband's　death；　but　her　grief　was　still　pounded　by　the　fact　she　had　been　angry　the　last　time　she　saw　him。　She　couldn't　make　peace　with　him　now　and　would　live　the　rest　of　her　life　with　that　knowledge。
　They　couldn't　get　through　to　John's　sister；　Carolyn；　until　after　her　father　had　been　buried。　It　wouldn't　have　mattered　though。　Civilian　air　travel　was　restricted。　Ellen　offered　to　bury　Colonel　Conrad　next　to　John's　father　and　include　Angie's　name　on　the　marker；　but　the　military　took　charge　of　Colonel　Conrad's　body。　John　remembered　vividly　his　mother　sobbing　as　she　explained　what　had　happened　to　Colonel　Conrad's　wife；　and　after　that　Ellen　had　been　more　depressed　than　ever。
　With　her　tea；　his　mother　sat　on　the　other　end　of　the　couch　watching　the　TV。　The　constant　repetition　couldn't　hold　her　attention　any　better　than　it　held　John's；　and　her　eyes　wandered　to　the　window　and　the　distant　ocean。　But　that　only　reminded　her　of　more　death。　Animal　carcasses　mixed　with　debris　had　begun　washing　ashore。　The　carcasses　were　victims　of　nature's　recycling　process　and　hard　to　identify。　Some　of　them　were　dinosaurs；　of　course；　but　with　live　ones　loose　in