Tues. 6 a.m.
Well, I did my push-ups twice. Still no run. Can't see my hand in front
of my face. Before, I'd have gone full out even in this soup. I could do
those trails blind. I've done them so many times, in fog, in rain, at night,
but not with rent-a-cops everywhere. No kidding - one might go overboard &
blow my freekin' head off. Gee - maybe I should take my run and hope for a
good clean shot.
What's tearing me apart is something I've just begun to face. I didn't
listen to what Derek was trying to tell me down there in that hole. I didn't
want to hear it, but he understood that. Any guy would get that. No - I've
been thinking about those early years - not my childhood exactly, but some.
It's that Derek apologized for not stopping my father, for not realizing what
Dad was doing - drinking and beating me, Jimmy, Mom.
I've finally admitted to myself that for those first couple of years
here, I hated Derek. I stayed because I had no place better to go. Hell, it
was a cushy flophouse. Didn't even have to do my own laundry or worry what
can I was going to open for dinner. The job was interesting, an adrenalin
rush. It let me do what I was trained to do. But, God I hated taking that
man's orders. First I saw a rich guy whose money & family bought him
position, but later I saw his strength, his cunning. I can admit it now - my
mind was twisted. Even as a kid, I didn't think those things of Derek. I
liked him, admired him. Didn't know him well, but he seemed OK. He let me
borrow books for school, but I got twisted after that last SEAL mission, even
if I didn't admit it to myself.
My mood swings in �93 & �94 were wild. Rage would boil for weeks, then
just explode, but Derek stuck with me. I thought he was doing it from guilt.
A rich guy trying to make up for his crimes against humanity.
I truly thought that Derek had covered for my dad, that he not only knew
& looked the other way, but had really helped Dad conceal his abuse. Later,
after that case with Derek's old boarding school chum, I began to see that
Derek didn't know. I was baffled. How could Derek Rayne, with that
God-almighty "Sight" of his, not know? How could the master manipulator not
know?
The answer was simple. Derek had a helluva rough life that none of us
really knew about, but more than that - his heart was good. He's never been
easy to win over, but once you've gained his respect, he'll stand by you to
the death. He'll stand by you! Christ! I'm still talking like he's alive.
It's time for me to look at Frances' reports. It's time for me to grow up &
face facts. Derek Rayne is dead. The best man I've ever known, the best
friend I'll ever have is DEAD & I wasn't there for him. I survived again -
just like before - just like South America.
______________
OK. I've looked at this damned envelope long enough. Here we go. Maybe if I
write this out, I can handle it. Maybe it'll make sense. Maybe I can be cold
& clinical, like I was trained to be, like Derek relied on me to be.
There are 10 pp, plus an evidence file with small zip-lock bags that contain
the samples that Frances took. She's sealed the bags with her official seal.
The photos, computer analyses, and diagrams are here too.
OK - She took 5 soil samples, labelled A-E, from the floor of the portal
chamber.
A = came from about 10 ft in front of the portal. It's hard to tell how deep
the rubble coving the portal is. They don't plan to clear it out, but judging
from the remaining walls, if they can be called that, I'd say 10-12 ft. is
just about right. The ground around this was scorched white - in an area of
about 6 ft. in diameter. Frances said that this sample was loaded with
sulphur and had very high radiation readings. Even the sand had melted to
glass.
B = She took this one about 3 ft. closer to the portal and got nearly the
same readings - sulphur & radiation & glass.
C = Was taken off to the left, near what was left of the west wall of the
portal chamber. Her report says the levels of sulphur & radiation are
decreased & she picked up traces of the C4.
D = Same as the above, but taken from near the door of the portal chamber.
E = This is the mind blower. This was taken from the center of the chamber.
The readings are normal. The sand was normal - no melting - no scorching.
According to her diagrams of the blast & scorch patterns it's like the portal
blew outward, but the heat & force somehow was deflected and the main parts
went to either side. The side walls were scorched. Weird.
F = is a drop of melted gold.
G = a drop of melted silver & platinum.
H = an unknown alloy. She speculates that perhaps several metals were melted
together, but then says that it's impossible that the computer wouldn't
recognize the substance.
I = Something she thought was scorched rock, but found to be petrified wood,
but she couldn't identify what sort of tree.
I'll bet we could if we had the Legacy.net available. I'll bet it's one of
those trees that used to have symbolic meaning & powers for the Druids. I'll
bet F-I are pieces of the sepulchers, but what were they doing in the portal
chamber? Did Derek take them down there? There wasn't time to take all 5. 1
would have been hard enough. Or did someone or something else take them? Hell
- I made fun of him that morning - Derek'ss logic - he has a nightmare -
library trashed - runs to check the sepulchers in the celler. He knew.
What was in the boxes they took away, if not the sepulchers - or pieces of
them? Got to wonder about that fire in Frances' lab. Arson squad said
electrical short, but it was only luck that all these samples weren't there.
She thinks it could be someone whose case is coming up, but I think the
experts would have picked up something "normal" like that. But when you fool
with the Legacy or its enemies you've got to wonder.
Could that "hot" circle have been formed by the sepulchers? Did they open &
that was the Hell's Mouth? Besides the portal? A double whammie? If that's
the case, why are we all still here? How could Derek possibly manage against
both alone? He was trying to tell me stuff in that letter, but I'm too dumb
to get it. I will tho'. I'll keep digging.
