Greg Rucka - Alpha

So it wasn’t that Mom was wrong about it being the boys’ turn, and Athena knew that. But she was angry anyway, even if she couldn’t exactly say why, and when Mom tries walking with her, Athena ignores her and then takes three quick steps to catch up with where Dana is walking with Gail and Leon, leading the way across the bridge into Desert Oasis. Leon is really trying to impress Dana, and Athena can tell he’s already got a crush on her.

Dana looks at her, then cants her head, showing the question. Something wrong?

No.

Angry?

No.

No? In WilsonVille I know when someone is angry or sad. My job to know. I can lose my job if you do not tell me why you are not happy.

Athena gives her a look, or tries to, but there’s the hint of a smile in it. She can tell Dana’s lying, too, that she won’t lose her job if they’re not all having a good time.

I see you smiling. Tell me.

Athena sighs, throws up her hands. Because my mom and my dad are stupid divorced and I think and she stops here, throws a glance over her shoulder. Mom is walking beside Mr. Howe, at the back of the group, and they’re talking to each other. Mr. Howe has that same expression he uses on the class when he’s telling them to be reasonable. The look on Mom is the same one she wears when she argues with Athena about what she’s wearing to school because she thinks it’s “inappropriate.”

Athena turns back to Dana, continues, I think Mr. Howe likes my mom and she spells the word, because she wants this absolutely and unequivocally clear. G-R-O-S-S.

Dana puts a hand to her mouth, trying to hide her laugh. Lowers her hands, asking, Your dad?

What about Dad?

Dad where?

Here.

Dana looks at her curiously. They’ve come off the bridge, and there are palm trees and fake ruins here, and rising behind them are the tips of three pyramids in a line, the center one the tallest. There are plenty of people about, but it’s not so crowded that they’re interrupted every time they talk. Sometimes that happens, when Athena’s somewhere and it gets really busy, people will cut in between her and Mom or her and Joel or her and whoever she’s trying to converse with, not realizing that it’s the exact same thing as if Athena had just decided to interrupt their own conversation by putting her hands over their mouths.

Here what do you mean “here”?

Here he works.

Dana shows surprise. His name?

J-A-D B-E-L–L but J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N real name.

Him I know! Dana nods quickly, smiles. Very important man! Here in the park very important!

Athena looks aside, feeling herself blushing, not sure why she’s doing that. The anger is abating, still nameless and insubstantial. She shakes her head, then has a horrible thought and glares at Dana suspiciously.

Not your boyfriend!

Dana jerks her head back. American Sign Language is conveyed as much through expression as through gesture, and Dana’s expression is perfectly eloquent. Surprise and amusement and just a touch of disgust at the suggestion, so that when she’s shaking her head, Athena already knows what she is saying, what she is going to say. Too old!

Athena laughs, relieved, amused, and she thinks Dana is, too, from the look of her. Someone nearby looks their way sharply, surprised, but Dana ignores it and Athena doesn’t care. It’s her hearing that’s gone, not her voice. Now Joel is tapping her arm lightly, and Athena turns to face him. He had cochlear implant surgery a couple years ago, when they were all in ninth grade, and he’s supposed to talk aloud when he signs now, but sometimes he forgets. Not this time, and Athena can see his lips moving as he points.

“Come on come on come on!”

He holds out his right hand for her, and Athena smiles, takes it, and they’re running together toward the pyramids. Because Dana’s with them, they get to avoid almost every line, led instead along private paths that parallel the regular queues. Dana makes them wait for Mom and Mr. Howe, and then they’re plunging into the shade.

From the shadows, Athena sees Agent Rose watching them. Joel points and she just catches a glimpse of Flashman-she can’t remember which one it is, the boys know that stuff-jumping from an overhang and disappearing into the pyramid. Agent Rose sees him, too, pulls a pistol from beneath her coat, firing at him, shouting something after him. Athena can’t hear her words, of course, because of the comedy-tragedy mask that Agent Rose wears, but she totally understands what she’s saying, just from the way she shakes her fist.

I’ll get you, Flashman!

Agent Rose disappears deeper into the pyramid, and they follow. Around them, fake torches flicker, and the air is turning cooler on her bare arms. Beneath her feet, Athena feels a thrum, a rumble, a vibration moving into her body, and it makes her eyes widen. The whole pyramid shakes, and then there are spiders, great big hairy evil-looking spiders, dropping down from the ceiling all around them.

Athena feels herself shriek, and now they are being led down a passageway by a man who looks like the same Flashman she saw before but she thinks probably isn’t. Air blows past Athena’s face, kicks her hair up, and a ghastly ghost appears above them, swoops down low. Everyone ducks. She doesn’t scream so loud this time, because she kind of was expecting something, and she’s also laughing, and then Flashman is turning to Dana.

Get in cat!

Dana leans forward to whisper to Flashman, and he nods, takes a half second, then indicates a different direction.

Get in those cats!

She lip-read that wrong, she must’ve, but Dana is nodding, and she signs as quickly as she can-still slow, but she’s trying-and indicates the side, and Athena gets it then. The ride itself, the cars, are shaped kind of like miniature sphinxes, but with a canopy top, and they all tumble into them. Dana makes sure everyone is in their cars, moves along the line, checking seat belts.

Everyone is buckled up? Good. Keep your hands inside and do not get out until the ride ends!

She climbs into the back of Athena’s car, so she’s sitting behind her, and Athena has Joel to one side and Gail on the other. There is a sense of urgency that leaves Athena breathless and excited, and she knows that’s silly, that there is nothing real about this, that it’s all an illusion. Joel is laughing, looking all around, trying to see everything at once, and Gail is squeezing her arm, pointing and signing, smiling big and delighted. Then their sphinx-car shudders, lurches, and suddenly they’re diving into darkness.

A bright light bursts before them, and Agent Rose appears, floating in the air ahead and above. It’s the same Agent Rose from the movies, and even though the one they saw before looks the same, Athena knows it wasn’t this one, the real one, because this one has removed her mask. She’s a projection, but all the same, she’s very pretty, but a little scary, too, her hair flowing out behind her in a blood-red nimbus, her black trench coat flapping. She holds a big red gem in both hands, the Eye of Ke-Sa, that’s the source of the light, and she’s raising it high above her head as she speaks. On the windshield of their sphinx-car, closed captioning appears. It’s well placed, high enough for Athena to read it without having to ever look away.

Agent Rose: YOU FOOLS! I HOLD THE EYE! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE! I HAVE THE POWER! I AM INVINCIBLE!

Then Agent Rose lowers the Eye and looks right at them and smiles this very sinister, kind of sexy smile. Gail’s grip on her forearm tightens.