“But this is Gabriel Schist. This guy is working on a cure for—”
“Stop arguing, Harry. We’ve got orders.”
Gabriel felt himself being carried down the corridor. He tried to ask the one question that was eating him alive. “How… you knew… the alarm… how did you know?”
They seemed to slow a little. Gabriel struggled to open his eyes, but the lighting was too harsh. In the darkness behind his eyelids, somewhere in the cobwebs of his imagination, he imagined the toothy smile of Victor Calaca. He thought back to the alarm and remembered Calaca’s opposition to his plan. Calaca. That miserable traitor was the one who’d told them about the broken screen.
“Calaca. Victor Calaca. Is he the one who told you? He must have warned you… all of you.”
The same man who had insisted on taking Gabriel to Level Five asked, “Dude, who the hell is Victor Calaca?”
Gabriel strained to speak clearly. “A resident. Wears a tuxedo. West, I think?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Harry said softly. “But there’s nobody here named Victor Calaca.”
Gabriel’s heart dropped. If Calaca wasn’t real, then neither were the slugs. Michael was all in his head. All that talk of the Sky Amoeba, that had definitely been a hallucination. That much he knew for sure. And as they carried him into the locked Level Five unit—as the drugs, bodily injury, and horrifying revelations finally began to take their toll—he knew that he’d never be able to trust his perceptions of anything, not anything in the world, ever again.
There’s nobody here named Victor Calaca.
Nobody…
The heavy doors of the Level Five unit slammed shut behind him.
ACT III of III:
SUNDOWNING
“Science never solves a problem without creating ten more.”
George Bernard Shaw
Chapter 43:
Sky
Spring 1992
Gabriel walked along the famous Hermosa Beach Strand, whistling a tune that was somewhere between “Happy Birthday” and “Pop Goes the Weasel.” He wore a half-open blue Hawaiian shirt, black shorts, and flip flops. The sand was as golden and sparkling as the sun itself, and the dark shadows of late afternoon were just beginning to sketch their outlines upon its surface. The ocean glistened like a diamond-studded blanket. Despite the beautiful weather, the Strand was occupied by fewer walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and skaters than usual.
His cigarette twitched between his fingers, and he accidentally burnt himself. He couldn’t remember ever being so anxious. Even standing up on that stage in Sweden had been easier than what he was about to do.
“The end of the Hermosa Pier,” she’d said over the phone. “Right at the end. That’s where we’ll meet you!”
Stomach fluttering, he walked to the pier, a long grey pathway jutting out into the ocean. He looked at every face, dreading the moment when he’d see the faces he was looking for. He wasn’t ready. He just knew he’d say the wrong thing or that he’d be too stiff and robotic. He’d gotten better at interacting with people, but he still had a long way to go.
Finally, the end of the pier came into sight. Yvonne was nowhere to be seen. He’d arrived first.
Gabriel stepped up to the railing and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes, unable to believe the day had finally come. He was finally going to meet his daughter. Gabriel opened his eyes and smiled at a seagull perched next to him. It cocked its head, nervously stepping away. He checked his watch. They were late.
Yvonne had been hesitant to allow the meeting. He knew she worried that he might not be as sober as he claimed. But the public unveiling of the Schist vaccine had sealed the deal. She’d even allowed him to talk to Melanie over the phone a few times, though the interactions had been little more than awkward small talk. He hoped seeing her in person would be different. He wanted to form a real connection with his daughter, to plant roots from which a relationship could grow.
Gabriel turned and looked back down the pier. They had arrived.
Yvonne was wearing a turquoise beach wrap, much like the one she’d worn on the first day they met. The white of her teeth glistened in the sun as she gave him that giant smile that could make a man’s heart stop. “Gabriel!”
As he raised his hand to return her wave, something snapped back into place. That horrible, teary last moment they’d shared vanished from his memory, and he felt as if a piece of his heart had been restored.
Walking beside Yvonne was Eric Young, her husband. He wore glasses and had a shaved head. Though Gabriel couldn’t deny a slight resentment, he knew that too many years had passed for any real jealousy. He had a strong, friendly face, and they were clearly happy together. Yvonne had said that Eric was good with Melanie, as well, which was the most important thing.
Gabriel saw a flash of red hair hiding behind Yvonne. Apparently, his daughter was as nervous as he was.
When they reached him, Yvonne lunged forward and gave him a huge hug. Her body felt more petite than he remembered, and when she pulled back, he noticed new laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. She looked slightly different in that indefinable way people change when you haven’t seen them in a long time. After the other women he’d seen recently—casual dates, nothing serious—staring into Yvonne’s eyes again felt utterly surreal.
“You’re not drinking. I can tell,” she blurted, then she blushed. “Er, I mean…”
“Thanks.” Gabriel chuckled. “So I presume that this is Eric?”
“Yes, that’s me.” Eric smiled and offered his hand. “It’s a thrill to meet you, man.”
“Thanks.”
Eric had a firm handshake and an enthusiastic smile, though he seemed a bit uncomfortable. But that was to be expected, since he was meeting his wife’s ex-husband. Yvonne had told him Eric was a newspaper reporter, though his hands were brown and callused, as if he could have been a lumberjack.
“I’m actually a big fan of yours,” Eric said. “Seriously, the stuff you did… I mean, the way you did it, on your own. Pretty awesome, man.”
“Thanks.” Gabriel smiled politely. “Now, if you guys don’t mind, I’d really like to meet someone.”
