Deception Point Page 33

Advanced stages of lymphoma, the doctors explained. Rare in mountain her age, except certainly not unheard of.Celia and Tolland visited countless clinics and hospitals, consulting with specialists. The answer was constantly the same. Incurable.I will not accept that Tolland immediately quit his traffic at Scripps Institute, forgot all to the highest degree the NBC documentary, and focused all of his energy and come on helping Celia get well. She fought hard too, bearing the pain with a grace that only made him love her more. He took her for long walks on Kingman Beach, made her healthy meals, and told her stories of the things they would do when she got better.But it was not to be.Only septette months had passed when Michael Tolland found himself sitting beside his dying wife in a stark(a) hospital ward. He no longer recognized her eccentric. The savageness of the crabmeat was rivaled only by the brutality of the chemotherapy. She was left a ravaged skeleton. The last(a) h ours were the hardest.Michael, she said, her voice raspy. Its time to let go.I cant. Tollands eyes welled.Youre a survivor, Celia said. You turn in to be. Promise me youll find another love.Ill never want another. Tolland meant it.Youll arouse to learn.Celia died on a crystal clear Sunday morning in June. Michael Tolland tangle equivalent a ship torn from its moorings and thrown adrift in a raging sea, his compass smashed. For weeks he spun out of control. Friends tried to help, plainly his pride could not bear their pity.You deport a choice to make, he finally realized. Work or die.Hardening his resolve, Tolland threw himself put up into Amazing Seas. The architectural plan quite literally saved his life. In the four years that followed, Tollands test took take away. Despite the matchmaking efforts of his friends, Tolland endured only a handful of dates. All were fiascos or common disap plosive speech soundments, so Tolland finally gave up and blamed his busy travel enu meration for his lack of social life. His best friends knew better, though Michael Tolland simply was not ready.The meteorite downslope pit loomed before Tolland now, pulling him from his painful reverie. He shook off the chill of his memories and approached the opening. In the darkened dome, the melt water in the snare had taken on an almost surreal and magical beauty. The advance of the crime syndicate was shimmering like a moonlit pond. Tollands eyes were drawn to specks of light on the top layer of the water, as if some wizard had sprinkled blue-green sparkles onto the surface. He stared a long moment at the shimmering.Something about it seemed peculiar.At first glance, he thought the gleaming water was simply reflecting the glow of the spotlights from across the dome. flat he saw this was not the case at all. The shimmers possessed a greenish tint and seemed to pulse in a rhythm, as if the surface of the water were alive, illuminating itself from within.Unsettled, Tolland stepped beyond the pylons for a closer look.Across the habisphere, Rachel sexton exited the PSC trailer into darkness. She paused a moment, disoriented by the shadowy vault just about her. The habisphere was now a gaping cavern, lit only by omissible effulgence radiating out from the stark media lights against the north wall. Unnerved by the darkness around her, she headed instinctively for the illuminated press area.Rachel felt merry with the outcome of her briefing of the White House staff. Once shed recovered from the Presidents bantam stunt, shed smoothly conveyed everything she knew about the meteorite. As she spoke, she watched the expressions on the faces of the Presidents staff go from sceptical shock, to hopeful belief, and finally to awestruck acceptance.Extraterrestrial life? she had heard one of them exclaim. Do you know what that means?Yes, another replied. It means were going to lure this election.As Rachel approached the dramatic press area, she imagined the im pending announcement and couldnt help but wonder if her father really deserved the presidential steamroller that was about to blindside him, crushing his campaign in a single blow.The answer, of course, was yes.Whenever Rachel sexton felt every soft spot for her father, all she had to do was retrieve her mother. Katherine Sexton. The pain and shame Sedgewick Sexton had brought on her was reprehensible coming syndicate late every night, looking smug and smelling of perfume. The feigned spectral zeal her father hid behind-all the while lying and cheating, knowing Katherine would never take leave him.Yes, she decided, Senator Sexton was about to get exactly what he deserved.The crowd in the press area was jovial. Everyone held beers. Rachel moved through the crowd feeling like a coed at a frat party. She wondered where Michael Tolland had gone.Corky Marlinson materialized beside her. Looking for microphone?Rachel startled. Well no sort of.Corky shook his head in disgust. I knew it . mike just left. I think he was headed back to go grab a few winks. Corky squinted across the murky dome. Although it looks like you can still catch him. He gave her a puggish make a face and pointed. Mike becomes mesmerized every time he sees water.Rachel followed Corkys outstretched feel toward the center of the dome, where the silhouette of Michael Tolland stood, gazing down into the water in the fall pit.Whats he doing? she asked. Thats kind of dangerous over there.Corky grinned. Probably taking a leak. Lets go push him.Rachel and Corky crossed the darkened dome toward the extraction pit. As they drew close to Michael Tolland, Corky called out.Hey, aqua man leave your swimsuit?Tolland turned. Even in the dimness, Rachel could see his expression was uncharacteristically grave. His face looked oddly illuminated, as if he were being lit from below.Everything okay, Mike? she asked.not exactly. Tolland pointed into the water.Corky stepped over the pylons and joined Tolland at the edge of the shaft. Corkys mood seemed to change instantly when he looked in the water. Rachel joined them, stepping past the pylons to the edge of the pit. When she peered into the hole, she was surprise to see specks of blue-green light shimmering on the surface. Like neon system particles floating in the water. They seemed to be pulsating green. The effect was beautiful.Tolland picked up a shard of ice off the glacial floor and tossed it into the water. The water phosphoresced at the point of impact, glowing with a sudden green splash.Mike, Corky said, looking uneasy, interest tell me you know what that is.Tolland frowned. I know exactly what this is. My question is, what the fossa is it doing here?39Weve got flagellates, Tolland said, staring into the luminescent water.Flatulence? Corky scowled. spill for yourself.Rachel sensed Michael Tolland was in no joking mood.I dont know how it could have happened, Tolland said, but somehow this water contains bioluminescent dinof lagellates.Bioluminescent what? Rachel said. Speak English.Monocelled plankton candid of oxidizing a luminescent catalyst called luceferin.That was English?Tolland exhaled and turned to his friend. Corky, there any chance the meteorite we pulled out of that hole had reenforcement organisms on it?Corky discover out laughing. Mike, be seriousI am serious.No chance, Mike Believe me, if NASA had any inkling whatsoever that there were extraterrestrial organisms living on that rock, you can be damn sure they never would have extracted it into the open air.