Your One & Only(78)

She let the feelings and colors recede, and nodded silently to the question in his eyes.

Although it seemed longer to Althea, it had all taken only a moment, and Jack had sensed nothing of what passed between them.

Samuel pulled away and brushed back the hair on Jack’s brow. Jack looked lost.

“Jack,” Althea said. “Come with me.”

Jack swallowed. “Don’t, Althea.”

Althea considered him—the filthy shirt, the pallid face framed by sweat-stained hair and blood, the overly bright eyes pleading with her. Even understanding what Samuel needed from her, she hated what it would do to Jack.

“Come with me,” she said quietly.

He blanched, aware of what she was doing.

“They’re here,” Samuel said. “They’re outside the door. I can feel them there.”

Jack seemed in a trance, like he’d gone numb. Althea pushed him forward, getting him to move through the cavern and toward the entrance. He looked back at Samuel as he left.

Jonah’s gaze too was strangely empty.

“This is what you wanted, the Ark gone,” she said, letting her anger at Jonah fuel the strength it took to penetrate his vacant stare. “Did you want to stay and watch?”

Jonah flinched from her as if he didn’t recognize her. Althea shoved him in the direction Jack had gone.

Samuel was in the doorway, the samples in their numberless glass slides shining behind him. The black tube was clutched in his hand, which was strong and steady. Althea placed her own hand over his, just as he had done earlier to her.

“You’re sure this is the right thing?” she said.

“In the end, how can we be sure of anything? I know only that he’s my son.”

Samuel spoke the word clearly: son. Althea thought about Althea Lane, about the families that had built Vispera, the sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. Whatever son really meant, to Samuel it was painful, dazzling, and the only thing that mattered.

“Keep them back,” Samuel said. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, but if I don’t do this now, nothing will ever change.”

Althea squeezed his hand one last time, then turned from him and raced to catch up with Jack and Jonah. The two boys in front of her were swallowed by the crowd that had come through the door. Samuel-297 was ahead of them all, and he stopped and clutched Althea’s shoulders. His fingers dug into her skin.

“What’s he doing?” he said. Her teeth rattled as he shook her.

Althea glanced back, and Samuel-297 followed her gaze. The light was still on in the Ark. Samuel was silhouetted in black against it, his lab coat a stark, square outline.

Samuel-297 yanked her back to face him. “We’ve felt nothing from him for two days, and then just now . . . What was that? What does he think he’s doing?”

“You know what he’s doing,” she said to Samuel-297. “And you don’t want to be here when he does it.”

Samuel-297’s features contorted in disbelief. He’d seen and felt what Althea had when Samuel communed, but processing it was too much. He wasn’t going to budge, and the others were coming quickly behind.

She looked back. Maybe the door would hold some of the explosion back. She’d stalled Samuel-297 at least, and she supposed it was best she could do. She couldn’t wait anymore. Flinging herself on the Samuel’s arms, she dragged him down behind a huge steel cabinet that jutted from the wall. He didn’t resist, because he knew as well as she did what was about to happen. Crouched as low as she could get, she covered her head. There was a rush of muffled noise as her hands closed over her ears, and her fast-beating pulse pounded in her head.

A million things could go wrong. The door to the Ark could crumple like paper. The wall separating the Ark from the cave could collapse. The entire cave could come down on top of them, killing them and destroying everything inside, leaving them buried like Althea Lane years ago.

Althea counted her breaths as she used to do with her sisters when they counted the seconds before the thunder. There was no thunder, however.

There was silence, and more silence.

And then an explosion.



She perhaps fainted, but she wasn’t sure. The cavern was oddly quiet, then sounds filtered in and Althea realized that pandemonium had erupted around her. Her ears were ringing, and the crash of rubble and the screams of those around her were muted as if coming from a great distance. She’d been knocked back and lay looking up at the cavern ceiling in a daze, feeling as if her bones had been shaken inside her. She sat up carefully to see the others, farther away from the blast but still stunned, their arms protecting their heads as if they were taking cover in an earthquake. Samuel-297 lay next to her, stirring confusedly, mumbling something she couldn’t hear. Before she could do more to gather herself, Jack was at her side.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, still dazed. Though he was right in front of her, his voice sounded like it came from far away. The Ark was hidden in layers of flame, smoke, and debris. Althea couldn’t see the door, but it was apparent the explosion had not been contained. She reached for Jack, but he was staring at Samuel-297.

Jack bent over the man and shook him. He moaned.

“Is he dead?” Jack demanded. “Come on! Aren’t you supposed to know?”

“Stop!” Althea said. “You’re hurting him.”