AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He cursed Captain Tse—wherever she was—for forcing his hand.
Still, I should’ve stood up to her.
All Heng could do now was attempt to atone for his sins.
Xue’s fingers squeezed his shoulder, offering reassurance. Though extremely busy, the major had agreed to travel with Heng to Raoul Island.
Back in Cambodia, Xue had taken over Captain Tse’s facility. He was converting it into a new space research center. He was working cooperatively with NASA, trying to forge a more open relationship. It was a challenging assignment, especially with the pushback he was getting from his own father.
They had learned that it was the elder Choi who had ordered Captain Wen to eliminate the Americans. Son and father were on opposite sides of a generational divide. His father adhered to a Maoist philosophy of isolationism and militarism. Xue believed China’s future lay in cooperation and mutual respect. It was a friction that might never end until the old guard let loose its grip on power.
Something that would take time and patience to happen.
It could not be rushed.
To help prepare for that long-term goal, Heng had agreed to continue his work at the base. Xue had personally requested that he stay.
Heng patted Xue’s hand, thanking him for his support in this venture. They had spent considerable time together during the past two weeks, having long conversations over dinner, well into the night. Heng suspected Xue’s request that he stay in Cambodia went beyond academic respect.
But Heng remained unsure.
For the moment, neither of them had voiced anything more.
Maybe that would also take time and patience.
And was best not rushed, too.
Until then, Heng bent and unsnapped the crate’s clasps. He pulled open the lid. It was full of a saline nutrient solution. Floating and stirring inside was a gray-pink mass, draped with tentacles that had once been a single spinal cord.
“What is that?” Jazz asked.
Heng bowed his head in respect. “This is Officer Wong.”
Xue stepped aside and lifted a small digital megaphone. He switched it on, and the warbling call of an ancient bullroarer echoed over the quiet bay.
To the side, Heng heard Dr. Reed explaining to her colleague about Wong’s fate. Heng had been unable to save him, but he had preserved what he could.
After a few minutes, Phoebe helped him carry the crate into the water. They waded to their waists and kept vigil. The bullroarer continued its deep-throated call out to sea.
Heng stared across the bay. “How long do you think—”
“Hush,” she said. “They’re coming.”
Heng saw no change. He shaded his eyes against the sun’s reflection off the water. Finally, shapes shimmered into view, maybe a dozen. They swam and stirred, flashing with lights. Their pattern looked like a rainbow trapped underwater.
No wonder the Aboriginal people had named them so.
Iridis serpens.
The Rainbow Serpent.
“Ready?” Phoebe asked.
He nodded, too anxious to speak. Together, they tipped the crate and spilled the remains of Officer Wong into the sea. The shape rolled and flailed.
They both retreated.
As they did, the brilliant polyps stirred closer, approaching gently. Tentacles probed the new stranger, dancing tendrils over its glistening surface. With each touch, bioluminescence suffused into the other. In turn, the gray-pink mass extended tendrils of its own. They wove and danced together, a luminous merging of light and flesh, of energy and substance.
