Final Solstice (20 page)

Chapter 31

Mason hid the ivory staff in the room’s closet just in time, tucked it back on the top shelf behind his laptop bag, then closed the door just as Gabriel walked in.

“Dad, good to see you made it back. Unscathed,” he added with a sarcastic twist of his lip that Mason didn’t care for in the least, but he smiled back.

“Nothing I hadn’t been through before.” He let that hang out there, considering his son. The black sweatshirt, the dark jeans and leather boots. “Where were you? I thought you’d be in the waiting room?”

“Pacing around,” Gabriel said. “Trying to find the doctors, checking out the facilities.”

“Pretty confident your mother was going to be okay?”

Gabriel titled his head. “She’s a fighter. I had strong hopes.”

Mason nodded, about to add something when the orderlies came in, wheeling Lauren. Gabriel stepped out to let them pass. After they shifted her to the bed and attached all the right wires and equipment, they left and Gabriel came back in to join Mason on the opposite side of his mother.

“So peaceful,” Gabriel noted. “They said …”

“I know what they said. I was here when the doctor came in.”

Gabriel nodded. “All right then.” He pulled up a chair and had a seat, letting out a deep sigh as if he’d just strained himself. “So what else should we talk about? How’s work?”

Mason glared at him. “Can’t say it’s been the most rewarding first week on a job.”

Gabriel smiled and rubbed at some scuff mark on his boot. “You also can’t say it’s been dull, I imagine.”

“Certainly not.” Mason pulled up the last free chair and sat down.

“So,” Gabriel said. “I hear you went a little off-roading after Lawton.”

Nodding, Mason forced a smile. “You hear right. Took a little jaunt over the border.”

“Kansas. Hmm, wonder why? Not exactly a party kind of place.”

Mason shrugged. “Never been, wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

Gabriel looked up and set his gaze firmly on Mason’s. “And did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Find out—what all the fuss is about?”

Mason held the look for a while.
Play nice.
“Not really, no. Found some interesting landmarks, some old stuff to look at, but nothing of any value. Should have stayed put, I guess.”

Gabriel blinked at him, sizing him up. “I guess so. Would’ve saved gas.”

“And the environment, I suppose, in the process.”

“Yes,” said Gabriel. “And that too.”

Lauren’s eyes flickered and a moan passed her lips. She blinked and focused first on Gabriel. Then turned and smiled to Mason. “I’m … still here?”

Mason reached over and clasped her hands in his, then placed a kiss on her forehead. “You can’t get away from me that easily.”

Just then, his phone buzzed. He wasn’t going to take it, but then the ring came into join the vibration. Shelby’s ringtone, a sassy little urban electronic tune.

“The whole family …” Lauren whispered, her lips dry. Gabriel understood and went to get her a glass of water from the bathroom sink.

Mason accepted the Skype call and held the phone up so they could see each other.

“Mom!” Shelby’s voice. “You look …”

“She looks great,” Mason said, sliding his head into view, resting it on the pillow beside Lauren’s, after first glancing in her soft eyes and feeling the pull, feeling the incredible loss he would have experienced if those eyes had never opened again.

“She does!” Shelby added. “Glad you’re up, Mom. And … no bad effects? Everything ok? I was so worried, no one was telling me anything!”

“Sorry, sis.” Gabriel came out and set the glass in Lauren’s hand, helping it up to her lips. “I didn’t return your call, didn’t want to say anything until we knew for sure.”

“So you let me assume the worst.”

“Again, sorry.”

“It’s all right, kids. No bickering.” Mason took the cup away after she had gulped down almost the entire thing.

“When can she get out?” Shelby asked. “I want to come, want to stay with you and help out. This shouldn’t have happened!”

“You’re needed in London,” Gabriel snapped back. “Just a little longer.”

“Why?”

“Yeah, what are you doing there, sweetie?” Mason glanced at Gabriel. In light of everything else he had just learned, now he wondered if Shelby was in danger. He had no idea what she was working on or what it involved. If it put her in danger, he would never forgive Solomon, or Gabriel.

“Just some more weather research. Stuff about crops and early history and meteorological trends. Speaking of historical stuff, Mom said you got my paper? Did you get a chance to read it?”

“I did,” Mason said, noting Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him. “Interesting stuff, honey. Well written. You should get a great grade.”

“Hope so.”

Mason smiled at Shelby. “And uh—about the other thing …”

On the screen, Shelby held up a finger quickly, and gave a little shake of her head.

“What other thing?” Gabriel leaned in to look at the screen.

Mason tilted the screen so he could have Shelby’s full attention. “Just that I love you, and am so proud of you.” His mind whirled, thinking about the thumb drive. He had to let her know he didn’t open it, but wanted to if he could get the password. It must have been something she thought he would know if she had included it. Something personal.

“Love you too, Dad. And all of you. Even you, brother,
twin
.”

Gabriel smiled. “Back at you, glad you’re doing great and the cure worked. Finish what you’re working on and come home soon. You’re not going to want to miss what’s coming.”

“And what is that?” Mason asked.

“Big things,” Gabriel said with emotion in his voice, as if he had just solved world hunger. “We just heard.… Solstice won the contract with the WMO.”

“Wow!” Lauren said.

“Yes, it was unanimous.”

Mason nodded. “So Solomon returns triumphant, and we’ll have access to the world’s databanks, servers and all the meteorological information we could ever want.”

“And,” said Shelby, doing her best to feign excitement, “the weather satellites.”

She let that hang out there, and Mason got the emphasis, if Gabriel didn’t. “Yes, those too, it’s a huge win. I actually have to step out for a second. Got a call about it, I’m sure.” Gabriel got up and went for the door, and Mason leaned in.

Quietly he said, “Shelby, the other item in the package, the thumb drive … I know you didn’t want me to see it, but if it’s important …”

She again held up a finger. “Not important, Dad.” She said it, but her head moved up and down, indicating the opposite. So she was concerned that this communication wasn’t secure. Someone could be—or was—listening in. “Just some pictures of me on a hike, no biggie.” She shook her head. “Hey maybe if you’re bored, go take a look. I was embarrassed and not sure at first, but now … yeah, I
need
you to see it.”

“Great.”
Understood.

Lauren looked from Shelby to Mason, and her eyes hardened. She knew something was up, but Mason ignored her. “Okay, honey. I may have trouble with it, you know me and those things. I never know how … to open them.”

Shelby laughed, nodding. “You’ll do fine. Remember … when I was a kid? You always knew how to fix things. Like you did with that dollhouse of mine.” She let that hang out there. “You’ll do fine,” she repeated.

Dollhouse …
Mason thought back. Remembered the little plastic toy thing, a castle of sorts for her princesses. But he couldn’t remember if it was ever broken. Maybe that was the point …

Shelby blew a kiss. “For you Mom, and one for you, Dad. Take care, and call me when you’re home!” She signed off.

Mason put down the phone, and met Lauren’s eyes.

“What was that about?” she asked pointedly.

Holding up a finger, Mason stood and looked out into the hallway. He could see Gabriel standing there talking to someone. But not on the phone. Taking another step to the side, Mason could just make out the figure—an old man. Hunched over a bit, gray wispy hair barely covering his skull. His eyes hooded and pale. He shook Gabriel’s hand profusely and then patted his shoulder, turned and left.

Mason cleared out of sight before Gabriel could turn around. He returned to Lauren’s side. “Quick, what was the name of Shelby’s dollhouse?”

“What?”

“Her toy thing—that plastic monstrosity we got her for one Christmas. She called it something.”

“Oh, right. How could you forget? Her favorite movie you too used to watch together.”

“Lord, how did I forget?”
Here’s looking at you, kid.

“Casablanca.”

O O O

After that, it was all Mason could do to hold back his impatience, to act interested in Gabriel’s questions and to pay attention to Lauren and see to her needs, when all he really wanted to do was get into his computer, insert the thumb drive and see what it was that had Shelby so excited—and scared.

But it was if Gabriel knew something was up and wouldn’t let him be. “Maybe I’ll stay,” he voiced over a yawn. “Long day, and I can just pull up one of the chairs here. You and I, Dad, we can chat all night, catch up, braid each other’s hair.…” He laughed, smoothing his hand over his bald head.

“Nice thought, Gabe but don’t you have something to do? Don’t we all?” Mason clicked on the TV’s volume, where he had seen the news (the real feed this time, not … whatever that had been before). He wondered fleetingly about the Haitian, and if he would, in fact see him again; but now wasn’t the time to think about it.

The news segment launched right into a special effects demonstration of Solstice’s technology in action—an impossible-to-follow conglomeration of graphics and arrows and vectors, all leading from data servers and weather gathering techniques to data-crunching computers and analysts doing their thing, to satellites and radar dishes all across the globe, all seamlessly working together to blanket the earth in one comprehensive sphere of predictive behavior, foreseeing everything from jet stream flows, earthquakes and major weather systems down to local precipitation and humidity levels.

“That’s big news,” Lauren said, and Mason noted that Lauren had opened her eyes and groggily focused on the screen. “Solstice …”

“Yes, Mom.” Gabriel leaned in and stroked her hair, keeping his eyes on Mason. “It’ll mean big changes for us. For everyone, in fact. One day, the world will look back on this moment and call it a major turning point.”

For the better?
Mason wondered, but remembered to play along. “I’m still not privy to all the details, but anything that can help tame the chaos of Nature and save lives in the process is okay in my book.”

Gabriel smiled and all three of them watched the screen, where Solomon stood at a podium, head down, appearing humble while the head of the WMO spoke, enthusiastically describing this new partnership that will be to the benefit of all the world, extolling the generosity and far-reaching vision of Avery Solomon in sharing this technology with the United Nations.

“So what are the next steps?” Mason asked Gabriel. “How do I fit in?”

Gabriel kept stroking Lauren’s hair, and now she was fading again as the news dealt with deeper applications of the technology, and Solomon began to speak, fielding questions about the process, about unfettered access and about security concerns, all which he addressed handily.

“You fit in where we tell you to,” Gabriel said with emotion. “And when it’s time. Until then, you can catch up on the new technology, and read patent cases and—”

“Bullshit.”

Lauren was definitely out and overmedicated if she didn’t respond to that, and Mason was glad.

“What?”

“Come on, you didn’t bring me on so urgently just to read up on patent cases or stand around all day in scenic groves marveling at the waterfalls. What do you need me for? If your computer programs are so incredibly precise, then why me?”

Gabriel stood up, shaking his head. “Fine. Okay, they still want the human element. You’re still … ugh don’t make me say it.”

“Say what?” Mason frowned. Was he playing him? Building up his ego, or was this real? If not, Gabriel was acting really beyond himself.

“That you’re good. You’re … the best. You can see patterns that computers and satellites miss. We still need that. Your weatherman’s intuition. Whatever it is, you have it. And we still need that.”

Mason was silent, thinking.

“Like I said, Dad. It pains me to say it, but you know it’s true. I’ve always been proud of you. Of what you do. I’ve just never … quite been able to say it.”

“You didn’t want to say it,” Lauren whispered, her eyes still closed, but her lips curled into a smile and she sought and squeezed Mason’s fingers. “Told you. Knew he still loved you.”

“On that note,” Gabriel said, stretching, “I think I’ll reconsider. A real bed sounds good about now. Will leave you two lovebirds to hold down the fort here. And you …” He pointed to Mason. “See you bright and early, or whenever that turns out to be for you. As you heard, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

As he left, Mason got up to shut the door and lingered a moment, watching his son—the boy he now realized was lost to him completely—catch up with the old man from before. The old man who put his arm around Gabriel, and the two of them walked down the hallway into the flickering light and beyond.

Mason shut the door, turned and heard the satisfying sound of Lauren’s deep breathing that would soon turn to snores.

It was time.

He reached into the closet for his laptop bag.

But first, he let his fingers caress the smooth ivory of the staff he had hidden in the back.

This be yours now.

Mine, he thought, and fought back a chill.

He had no idea what that meant.

But as he reached into the bag, opened the laptop and inserted thumb drive, he had a feeling he was about to find out.