Yearning, page 24
interested in an endless bidding war between the people
who were interested in it. I just wanted to go…home.”
Darian let go of Samantha’s hand, mostly because sweat
broke out in her palms and down her back. “I never
understood why I was so willing to give up my career that I
fought so hard for, to go with you, Gran. I mean, I didn’t
even think twice about it. My captain said my job would be
waiting for me, but I knew that was mostly bullshit. When
someone eager, hungrier, shows up ready to fill your
spot…” She shrugged. “Even talking about it should have
made me go nuts, but I just want to be here.” Glancing at
Samantha, she felt her cheeks warm. “It’s the truth.”
“That’s a really good example, Darian,” Philber said. “And
you’re not the only one who longed for ’home’ without
having ever actually lived here. I’ve found at least a dozen
others, which, I’m sure, is far from everyone.”
“What was your theory before the last turn of events?”
Brandon asked.
“It has given me a lot of sleepless nights, let me tell
you.” Philber shuffled his papers. “From a social-
anthropological point of view, I’ve looked at everything
cultural you can imagine. I tracked family lines to determine
the inbreeding coefficient, but we’re no more inbred in
Dennamore than any other American small town is. When
Samantha invited me to become part of this group, other
pieces of this puzzle started, if not to fall into place, then at
least demand to be considered.”
“You’re driving me insane, Philber. Please, just tell us.”
Camilla’s steely glance was familiar to Darian, who had seen
her fair share of it during her teenage years.
“I’m getting to it,” Philber said, and only the fact that he
ran an index finger along the neckline of his T-shirt showed
he was affected. “We’ve determined some things we
consider facts. The technology cannot come from human
beings who lived in the late 1700s. Things like the NIECs
don’t exist even today, to our best knowledge. The signs
and symbols aren’t like any writings any of us has ever seen
before—yet the NIECs make it possible for us to read them
quite effortlessly. The journal in Camilla’s library is old, and
the risk it might be a forgery is small to zero. The maps
Samantha brought from the archive, where the tunnels and
our access points are clearly marked, belong to the old
archive. The fact that they’re accurate speaks for itself.
“The ships, Speeder One and Speeder Two, are chock full
of pieces of technology on par with the NIECs, such as these
computers we’re handling effortlessly while wearing the
interfaces. All this, as unfathomable as it sounds, suggests
that this is alien technology. We all agree this is the only
logical explanation. Who they were, where they came from,
how alike us they were—this we have no way of knowing. If
we toy with the idea that they were all adults when they
arrived here, and if they shared our estimated lifespan, the
last of them ought to have passed away around 1840. This
is a rough estimate.”
“When did the census begin in these parts?” Raoul
asked.
Samantha typed on her laptop. “The census started in
1790, but I haven’t seen any records for these parts earlier
than 1812. Between us, I think Philber and I can figure some
of these things out. Let’s exchange files later.”
Philber nodded and scribbled something on his papers.
“Now to what my theory entails.” He sipped from a large
mug. “It’s pretty obvious, when you think about it.”
Samantha slumped against the low backrest. “It is. We
were onto it already when the NIEC did nothing for Brandon.
We are their descendants.” Her voice trembled. “The NIECs
recognize something in us, a genetic marker perhaps, that
shows we are descendants of extraterrestrial beings.”
Darian knew in an instant, proof or no proof, that this was
true. She looked between Samantha and Camilla on the
screen, and the latter had clearly also begun to realize this
truth. Darian cleared her throat. “More than two hundred
and fifty years later, and God knows how many generations,
it’s us. We are the aliens.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Samantha placed her computer, the alien one, in her
briefcase, but let her gaze linger on Darian. After Darian had
voiced the likeliest explanation for everything, they had
wrapped up the virtual meeting, needing to mull things
over.
“I should go home and check on Gran,” Darian said after
having stowed her computer. She was obviously stressed.
“I’m sure you have things to do.”
“Nothing more important than this.” Samantha wasn’t
sure how to read Darian right now. Sometimes it was so
easy, as if they were of one mind, but now, she was afraid of
overstepping.
Darian halted and let go of her backpack. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Would you mind coming back to the house?”
“I’d love to.” Samantha smiled, as she could read definite
relief on Darian’s face.
Stepping closer, Darian wrapped her arms around
Samantha’s neck. “Thank you. I don’t know why, but I feel I
ripped the bandage off everybody. I feel guilty and have no
clue why.”
“We’re all in this. Nothing is gained from dodging the
truth.” Samantha had to stop talking to gasp for air, as
being in Darian’s arms made it hard to breathe. “And didn’t
you see how intrigued Carl looked. I think you made his
entire year.”
“He’s a kid. He…I don’t think he realizes what this could
mean.” Darian still didn’t let go, and Samantha kept holding
her close.
“Try not to worry about what isn’t even on the horizon
yet. Let’s go back to your house and spend some time with
Camilla and the guys. Perhaps we can read some more in
the journal or whatever you feel like doing.”
“You’re amazing.” Darian tipped her head back, her
normally dark-brown eyes having switched to the amber
hue again. “I can’t imagine going through all this without
you. I want you to know that.”
Not sure where her impulse originated, Samantha bent
and kissed Darian’s cheek. Perhaps meant as an
appreciative gesture, it ended up being slower…or longer.
Darian hummed and turned her head as Samantha began to
pull back, which meant their lips ended up just a breath
apart. Unable to move, and not wanting to, Samantha felt
Darian melt farther into her. Darian could feel dizzy, so she
wrapped her arms closer around her. “Dar?”
“Yes.”
“You all right?”
“Yes.”
Pulling back enough to look into those amber eyes,
Samantha sighed in relief. “Good.”
Darian slid her hands up and cupped Samantha’s cheeks.
Holding her gently in place, she brushed her lips against
Samantha’s in a kiss that was so light, it felt like a breath.
Yet it still had enough impact to make her head spin.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.” Darian pulled back
and lifted her backpack.
Samantha studied the woman who had changed her life
in more ways than one. “I’m glad you did.”
Darian’s eyes widened and a smile formed. She hoisted
the backpack. “Does that mean you’d welcome another
attempt sometimes? I mean, I can do better.”
Blushing, Samantha busied herself with her briefcase.
“Better? Heaven help me,” she muttered, but she had to
return the smile when she turned back to Darian. “Ready?”
“I am. Not so sure about you though.” Darian’s smile
grew to a wide grin.
“What do you mean?” Samantha blinked.
“Socks? Shoes? You’re still barefoot.”
Samantha rolled her eyes as she put down her briefcase
and walked toward her bedroom. Behind her she heard
Darian chuckle, a sound she’d never tire of.
* * *
The conversation with Camilla, Walker, and Brandon
lasted an hour. They turned the facts over, and the theories
even more so. Darian was relieved to see how calm Camilla
became once they dived into the topics. She always worried
about her grandmother, her only living relative who had
been like a mother to her. It was all too easy to
underestimate Camilla’s strength because of her physical
frailty.
Still wearing their NIECs, Darian and Samantha were
walking down to the basement. Brandon had worked all day
removing the last of the boards, freeing the rock wall behind
them. Darian placed her hands in the spots on what she
now knew was a computer console. The wall folded in on
itself, and the opening looked exactly the same as it had in
Philber’s basement. “Walker’s should be the same as well,”
Samantha said and peered down the stairs that had been
revealed. “His exit is between yours and Philber’s.”
“We’re the closest to the other end. Why don’t we pop
down to Philber’s opening and get the hauler? I want to see
where the tunnel ends and how it looks at the other end.”
Samantha leaned against the rock, folding her arms over
her chest. “I’m all for that, as long as the others are.” She
raised her right hand, palm toward Darian. “I know. I know.
I’m the boss, but we need more people in the group to be
aware that we’re about to explore.”
“All right. I’ll go tell Walker and Gran. Philber’s not going
to brave those stairs again, that’s for sure. Good thing
you’re not wearing any of your fancy suits. That’ll do.”
Darian motioned to Samantha’s leisure outfit. “I’ll just grab
us a couple of hoodies. It’s cooler down there.”
After letting Brandon know what they were up to, as
Camilla and Walker had gone for a drive, Darian detoured to
her room for the hoodies and her holster. Before she
returned to the basement, Brandon showed up with a
backpack.
“Water. Fruit. First-aid kit. Two-way radio.” Brandon
looked sternly at her. “You check in as much as you can—
and be careful. Your grandmother will kill me if something
happens to you.”
“Gotcha.” Impulsively, Darian rose on her toes and kissed
his cheek. “We’ll be back soon.”
She rejoined Samantha and gave her one of the hoodies.
“Brandon knows. He’s on sentry duty, and he sent the
essentials with us. Have your cell so we can both record and
take pictures?”
“I do.” Samantha patted her back pocket. She looked
ridiculously pretty in the dark-gray hoodie, a color that
Darian had never seen on the pastel-loving Samantha.
“Let’s go then.” Darian unclasped the holster after
buckling it around her hips and then hoisted the backpack
before taking the lead again.
As it was only the two of them, and they knew what to
expect, it took them only a fraction of the time to descend
the stairs. They walked to Philber’s exit, where Samantha
climbed into the driver’s seat. Her elegant fingers flew over
the controls as she started the hauler. Darian sat next to
her, placing the backpack between her feet. She reported
back to Brandon, who told her he’d forwarded the
information to Philber and Raoul.
Samantha drove the hauler through the tunnel in the
direction of the library. As the tunnel was built in a straight
line between the lake and the center of Dennamore, it took
only minutes to find a second elevator.
“This isn’t the same as the other one.” Darian stepped
off the hauler as Samantha came to a stop. This is obviously
not the end of the tunnel.” Looking around the well-lit
tunnel, Darian then turned to Samantha.
“I see what you mean. This part has an elevator console,
but it’s open on both ends.” Placing her hands on her hips,
Samantha turned a full three-sixty where she stood. “And I
know it’s impossible to see how far we’ve moved, but it
doesn’t feel as if we’re quite at Town Hall yet.”
Darian nodded. “That’s what I thought. When I saw the
console, I figured, already? Why don’t we keep driving a bit?
We’ll pass this part when on our way back.”
“Good point. Wouldn’t want to ride up in the elevator and
end up in someone’s house.”
“God forbid.” Laughing, Darian climbed onto the seat
again.
Samantha moved the controls again, and the hauler took
off. After four minutes—Samantha checked—they saw the
end of the tunnel but, at first, no computer console.
“What the hell?” This time Darian jumped off the hauler
before Samantha had quite stopped.
“Hey. Are you trying to break your neck?” Samantha
glared at her.
“Sorry. Just so baffled. Where’s the console? The ridges
by the walls?” Nothing looked like it had at the other end.
Darian put on the backpack and made a quick shout-out to
Brandon that all was well.
“Let’s look.” Samantha walked over to the wall and
began to feel her way forward. “It might be concealed for
some reason. Or perhaps they never got to finish this end.”
Darian wasn’t so sure. The tunnel looked as perfect and
pristine as the other end, minus the elevator. She mimicked
Samantha’s search technique as she started with the
opposite wall. After inching along the cold, smooth wall,
when she was closing in on the right corner, she flinched as
a small computer console lit up right in front of her.
“Samantha. Here.”
“You found some—oh, yes. That’s it.” Samantha hurried
over. “It’s an elevator console, only smaller.”
“Will it ever stop being mind-boggling how we don’t know
these things one second and do know them the next?”
Darian bent and felt along the tunnel floor. “I feel the
thinnest of lines, as if someone pulled a pin through clay, if
that makes sense.”
“I understand.” Samantha studied the console closely.
“Can you determine if we’re inside the elevator
perimeters?”
“Hang on.” Darian let her fingertip follow the hairline-thin
indentation in what she surmised was a perfect square
around their feet. “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“Want to see where it leads?”
“Even if it’s into the center of Town Hall?” Darian stood.
“Granted, it’s after hours by now, but still?”
“I’m ready to risk it.” Samantha looked up at the ceiling.
“I can’t even see an opening, like at the other end. I can’t
fathom how this’ll work.”
“I’m game if you are.” Darian placed her hand at the
small of Samantha’s back. “Just to be safe, keep close to
me.”
“All right.” Samantha ran her fingers over the console,
and with the same ease as the huge elevator at the other
end of the tunnel had moved, this smaller one, about four
square yards, ascended along the wall. “Let’s hope we’re
not crushed against the ceiling, because I have no idea how
to stop this.”
Darian winced. She hadn’t thought of that. As it turned
out, their momentary onset of nerves was unfounded. The
corner unfolded into itself as they neared the ceiling, much
like the rock in the basement, and a hole the size of the
elevator floor appeared. They moved through it with the
same quiet ease, and lights came on within the bedrock as
they ascended farther.
Darian still kept her hand protectively against
Samantha’s back. If they ran into someone about to lash out
against the woman Darian knew by now she was falling for,
they were going to have to go through her first. It wasn’t a
surprise to recognize this protective streak in her. After all,
she was a cop, but she didn’t usually react this fiercely.
The elevator slowed and came to a soft stop, much more
gently than the elevator meant for the speeders. Four walls
of bedrock now surrounded them. The next moment, one of
the walls performed the now-familiar folding motion, and
they cautiously walked through the opening. Darian made
sure to keep one step ahead of Samantha.
They looked around, and Darian spotted familiar light
sconces on the walls. “Holy crap…is this…?”
