Matanuska – The New Generation

Author’s note:

I wrote this story because my readers didn’t want to see the Matanuska saga end.  So captivated by the unique characters and the majestic settings of the Alaskan interior, they begged to hear more.  Matanuska – The Death of a Legend was supposed to close the curtains on the story; like a cowboy riding off into the sunset, however, my followers insisted there must be more, so who was I to argue the point. After much contemplation and thought, I decided the only way to continue this story was to leap ahead in time and bring in a new crew of protagonist, while at the same time reintroduce the old cast and bring their siblings center stage and taking over where their parents left off.  In doing so, The leap forward turned out to be more than twenty years and in the process I took a risk of adding some science fiction to the mix.

     And so the adventure continues. Addison Stark, son of Leonard and Jessica and his two friends Dan DuPont and Lorna Clark become entwined in what I think is the most adventurous tale I have written to date.

PREVIEW

Prolog: 1991.

In Nevara, the prophesy of the ancients has been fulfilled; the Star People (Corvarians) have come for the natives of Nevara where they will soon be taken to a new colony on a distant planet. From the wondrous, underground confines of Nevara, where Andy and Maggie Jessup first met the natives Kukook and his daughter Miatuna, I take you further north above the Arctic Circle, to a top secret, underground facility called North 1 Complex, where for the past twenty years, U.S. Air Force engineers and technicians, to include Addison Stark and General Mason Ross have joined forces with the Corvarians to transport the remaining natives in Nevara to their new home on Corvaria.

North 1 Complex – 1992

It took several undercover meetings and two top secret trips to the complex before Clayton Ross (Mason’s father) was able to convince his small band of conspirators to set up a meeting with the President of the United States and a few trusted members of his staff to discuss what was now being called “Project Star Child”. The President and his three man delegation were allowed to view the complex and meet some of the technicians.  Before leaving, however, they all agreed that exposing their plans to establish a new colony on Corvaria to the public, including members of Congress and the military, would not take place for several years, and not until after the first recovery craft had arrived to take the first group of natives to the new colony on Corvaria. It was further agreed that an undercover, Top Secret, ‘FOR THE PRESIDENTS EYES ONLY’, Task Force would be established to help with that endeavor; some of which would work on site, alongside the Corvarians.  This would be the most well-kept secret in American/World history.

The mission: Plan for the human colonization of a new planet.

May 2014

Dan DuPont was outside in the garage he and his girlfriend Lorna Clark shared.  His beat up red Chevy pickup was parked next to her brand new, shiny black jeep.  He was double-checking his backpack and going over his checklist when she came out to see how things were going. 

     “Got everything packed?” she asked, taking a sip of coffee.

     “Yeah, I’m good to go, I guess.”

     She didn’t say anything more.  The two of them had grown close over the winter. She just walked up beside him, kind of like a cat rubbing up against your leg when it wants some attention.  He could tell she has something on her mind.

     She finally said it. “What would you say,” she rubbed her hand up and down his back, “if I asked if I could go along with you this time?”

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, DAN and his best friend Addison Stark are discussing Dan’s agreement to let Lorna spend the summer with him at his cabin in the mountains.

    “You still leaving Memorial Day weekend?” Addy asked after taking a long draw of his beer.

    “Yeah, that’s the plan.”

     “Did you hear about the forest fire warnings that have been posted?”

     “No.  When did you hear that?”.

     “Just this morning; it was posted on our website and sent out to some of our remote sites.  With the lack of spring rains they’re forecasting a bad fire season.”

     Of all the hazards Dan would have to face at his cabin, the threat of a forest fire was the most serious.  So far, none of the past fires had come close to his claim, but being surrounded by heavy timber a dry understory, the potential still existed.

Week Two at the cabin – First meeting with Mia

Dark clouds began to move in the next morning.  Towering cumulus clouds were consuming the higher peaks as heavy rain began to pelt down on the cabin roof.  Dan is concerned the creek they had been working might flood, so he decides to move his rocker-box to higher ground.  In a matter of minutes the intensity of the rain has increased considerably, and the gale force winds are whipping through the spruce trees, breaking small limbs and sending them flying through the air.

     He was knee-deep in the water when a roaring sound coming from upstream catches his attention.  Suddenly, a four foot wave of muddy, debris filled water is churning its way towards him, taking out everything in its path.

     The initial wave hits him full force, dragging him downstream into deeper water as he fights to swim to the surface.  A sudden jolt; someone grabbed his right arm, and began pulling from the water.  He is barely conscious, his vision blurred, so much so, all he can see are shadows before passing out.

     When he awoke, he was lying naked on his cot and covered with a blanket.  His head is pounding and his ribs ache with every breath.  He can feel the warmth coming from the fireplace.

     “Lorna,” he shouted and coughed as he tried to stand.  “Lorna.”

     Lorna came rushing in, half-crying as she gently pushed him back down onto the cot.

     “I thought you were going to die,” she began to sob heavily.  “When I heard to water I ran out to see where you were.  I saw you go under …you were drowning and I couldn’t get out there to help you.  The water came almost up to the porch.”

     “How did I get out?” Dan’s lips are trembling and his words are slurred.  “I felt someone grab my arm … that’s all I remember.”

     “I was standing at the edge of the water shouting as I watched you being washed away. I was so scared when I lost sight of you.  I ran back to the cabin and was about to call Dandy when …” she paused, composing herself as she tried to explain.

     “When what?”

     “When this … hell, I don’t know what it was.  You’re going to think I’m crazy, but it … well it looked like a Sasquatch.  It was carrying you in its arms.  It came right in and laid you on your cot and then just turned around and left.

     “So, how long was I out?”

     “About twelve hours.  You were shivering so bad it took a while to get you undressed and covered up.  That’s when I noticed your swollen ankle.  I don’t think it’s broken, but you’re going to have to stay off of it for a while.”

     Lorna hands Dan a cup of hot coffee and helped to lift it to his mouth while he drank. 

     “Dan … I think she spoke to me. I think she said her name was Mia.”

Late June – Fire on the Mountain

After the first four weeks at the cabin, Dan was still recuperating. It was early Tuesday morning when their worst fears became a reality.  A fire to the north was burning out of control.  It is fifteen miles from the cabin, putting them directly in the line of fire, with gale force winds pushing it along at a devastating speed.  It is time to evacuate. 

VISIBILITY WAS GETTING WORSE BY THE MINUTE. The smoke obscured any landmarks they could use as reference points so they had to rely solely on Dan’s compass.  The now choking smoke was getting thicker; the air growing hotter.  They were coughing constantly, to a point where they had to stop and take out one of Dan’s shirts from his pack to make masks to cover their faces.  They could taste the tart smoke and it wasn’t long before their heads were throbbing from the lack of clean air. 

     “I don’t think I can go any farther,” Lorna gasped as she coughed.  “I can’t breathe.”

     “We’ll have to drop our packs, Lorna,” Dan said, his voice now raspy and dry.  “Just bring the water bottles.”

     Lorna was just standing there, swaying on her feet as her legs began to buckle.  Dan dropped to his knees and cradled Lorna’s head on his lap.  Back towards the direction they’d come he could see the branches igniting as the fire crowned.  Hot ash and sparks began to fall around them.  It was like a living hell. He began to panic.  The flames were consuming the entire forest around them.  He could feel the burning air scorching his lungs … was this what it was like to be burned alive?

North 1 Complex – Lorna’s rescue

Taho was an inch short of seven feet, and like his daughter Mia he was covered with dark brown hair from head to foot, not long and shaggy like some of the images of his species had shown, but medium length, and for the most part well groomed.  His face was darkened by the seasons, and his eyes, unlike Mia’s, were dark and menacing.  His bass voice, however, was soft and caring as he looked at the woman lying in the shadows in the cool spring.

     “She still lives?” Taho asked Mia.

     “She will live … but she may never speak again.”

     “Have you given her the Spirit Water?”

     “No … that is up to you, father.  Only you can allow an outsider to be healed by the Spirit Water.”

     “I will have to think.”  Taho walked away.

     Lorna lay naked in the shallows of the calm pool.  Her head lay across Mia’s lap.  The young woman had said her name was Lorna, her mate was called Dan.  At one point her heart had stopped and only the quick work of Mia’s medical herbs had enabled her heart to start beating once again.  She’d been comatose the entire time as her natural antibodies struggled to keep her alive and begin healing the damage the heat from the fire had done to her throat and lungs.  It would take more time.

DAN HAS BEEN RESCUED and Addison has brought him back to Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson in Anchorage.  As a newly formed military command under the control of the U.S. Air Force, Addison was working as a civilian contractor when he was transferred to his new position with the U.S. Space Force and promoted to the civilian equivalent rank of Lieutenant Colonel.   

        General Mason Ross (son of Clayton Ross) walked into Stark’s office and took a seat in one of two leather chairs he’d purchased to spruce up his Command Liaison Officer’s workspace. There is confusion as to how Dan and Lorna got separated.

     “Okay, tell me what you have in mind, Addison.”

     “Well, as I explained in my email, Lorna Clark is still missing.  I just brought Dan DuPont back here … he’s sleeping in the Communications Center right now.”

     “Just where were they when the fire caught up with them?”

     “About two miles south of the southern portal.”

     “That close?”

     “Yes Sir.”

     “Have you tried to contact anyone at the complex yet?”

     “I was about to before you arrived.”

     “Do you think someone there found her and brought her inside?”

     “Knowing what I do … yes Sir, I think that’s a good possibility, especially with all the sensors we have surrounding the complex.”

CAPTAIN IAN ZIMMERMAN,  AKA, FARMER, LED LORNA OUT OF THE CAVERN and through a long, narrow passageway, dimly lit by crystals embedded in the walls, resembling street lights at night, about every thirty feet. She finds herself standing at the portal of the most astonishing natural wonder she’d ever witnessed.  She stood in awe; overcome by the feeling she’d just stepped off a plane onto some tropical island.

     Stretched out before them, as far as she could see, was a labyrinth of pathways lined with greenery and small trees about twenty feet tall.  Patches of multicolored floral splendor grew everywhere, the likes of which she’d never seen before.  Although they were underground, there was a slight breeze that circulated the perfumed air.

     Lorna is dumbfounded.  “It’s like another world,” she gasped.  “But how …?”

     “It is time you knew the truth,” Farmer confessed.

     Lorna soon learns the native Corvarians, no doubt, are far superior to humans.  She wonders what their real purpose for being here was.  She soon gets an answer.

     “Our ancestors arrived here after the ice retreated over most of the planet.  Our vessel, as you would call it, held over five hundred of my people.  Our dream was to cultivate a new civilization, but the human creatures who lived here proved to be hostile and outnumbered us by a great deal. We were forced to retreat to the farthest points of the compass and eventually lost contact with each other, some electing to live in small, inconspicuous colonies, finding it easier to remain hidden and safe below ground. Those that survived used the knowledge our ancestors taught them and were led by the spirits to these volcanic caverns which provided them heat and shelter. They called the place Nevara. They were soon able grow the crystals that supplied our light that allowed them to grow our own food in the rich soil that washes down from the glaciers above us. They did not know it at the time, but the water they drank contained minerals that seemed to heal our sicknesses and wounds.  It was not until many years later these people realized their Spirit Water also prolonged life.  They have guarded that secret ever since.”   

NO ONE KNOWS LORNA HAS BEEN RESCUED and being cared for at the North 1 Complex. A search party has been formed.

     From the top of the ridge, hidden among a massive rock outcrop, Taho watched the men below.  With him is his companion Seeton, a large grizzly he has raised from a cub and taught to hunt

     “They search for the woman,” Taho said as Seeton sat on his haunches, staring down at the lake below. Seeton wanders off.

     From below Taho is spotted by Ned Bourne and T.J. Tillman.

     “Ned, look!” Tillman shouted as he got a glimpse of Taho. “What the hell is that?”

     “Where?”

     “Up in those rocks,” Tillman was still pointing but had lost sight of the strange creature.

     “I don’t see anything,” Bourne yelled back as he caught up with Tillman.

     “I seen it Ned … a Big Foot!  Damn thing was huge … must’ve been ten foot tall.”

     “You sure?”

     “Yeah I’m sure.  It was right next to that big rock up there to the right.  It was looking straight at us.”

     “Ahhh, you’ve been inhaling too much smoke lately and it’s fogged your brain,” Ned Bourne squinted as he gazed over a maze of large boulders and lichen covered rocks.  “Well, whatever you saw, it’s gone now.”

     “I’m going up there and check it out.  You stay here and cover my ass in case that thing tries to sneak up behind me.”

     Seeton, sensing his master was in trouble, was the one who circled around and was approaching cautiously behind Bourne as Tillman made his way to the crest of the ridge.  With fifty yards now separating the two men, Seeton rose up on his hind legs and roared.

     Bourne froze, unable to control his legs or his bladder.  With his rifle still hanging from his shoulder, he dropped into a fetal position on the ground as hikers are instructed to do when confronted by a bear at close range.

     Seeton walked up and sniffed Bourne’s huddled body and licked the side of his face, as if trying to sense if the man was fit to eat. With no intension in killing or maiming the trembling man, he simply pawed at his back and legs as if he was trying to roll him over.

     From the ridge Tillman had heard the bear roar.  When he turned around he saw Ned laying on the ground, a large grizzly standing over him.  Tillman fired one shot, missing low and striking the ground near Ned’s leg and sending a spray of rock and dirt into his face.

     Seeton, his job done, lumbered off to seek shelter in the rocks below.

     “Is he gone?” Ned asked, still quivering uncontrollably, his face down in the dirt as Tillman approached on the run.

     “Yeah, he’s gone.  Jesus Christ, Ned, are you alright … you hurt anyplace?”

     “No, thanks to you, but you damn near shot me in the leg.  Why couldn’t you have just shot over its damn head?”

     “I was aiming for the damn bear.”

     “Well … hell.” Ned got to his feet, his legs still weak and shaking.  “That was too damn close.  So much for your damn Big Foot!”

North 1 Complex

Lorna was led to an empty bubble house and was told it was hers as long as she wanted to stay. It was as close to a perfect world as one could ever imagine.  Even though the Humans and Corvarians worked together, it was obvious, the Corvarians ran the show.  These last few days seemed like a lifetime now.  She yearned to see Dan again. 

     She was feeling helpless, but at the same time overwhelmed by all she’d seen so far.  If she was to survive her burnt throat and lungs, she’d have to make a decision on whether or not to take the Spirit Water Mia offered or take her chances of leaving with Dan and seeking medical attention after she got home

      The little bubble house was more comfortable than any hotel room she’d ever been in, complete with all the amenities of home, except for any form of communication or visual entertainment.

     “How are you feeling?” Mia asked one more time before leaving.

      “I feel fine,” she replied halfheartedly. “Just a little overwhelmed I guess.”

     “I know all this is too much for you to understand.  Please be assured, we have only your health and well-being in mind, and have no interest in keeping you here against your will.”

     “I know that and I thank you for all you have done for me. I guess I can’t forget how you saved Dan’s life back at our cabin,” Lorna acquiesced, “and now you’ve saved mine.  We could never begin to repay you for your kindness.”

     It was then Mia noticed Loran’s voice was beginning to sound very raspy, and she was rubbing her throat as she talked.

     “You don’t sound good, Lorna,” Mia reached down and took Lorna’s hand.  “Your condition is worsening.  You need to lie down and rest now.  Dan should be here in the morning.  Then you can both decide what you want to do.”

     “Yeah, I am sort of tired. It’s been a long day.”

     Mia helped Lorna to a small bed in a nook along the back wall.  It was then she noticed the blood in the corner of Lorna’s mouth, and tried to wipe it away with her fingers. The fear in her eyes told Mia Lorna could taste it as well.

     “I’m scared,” Lorna began to cry as she stared at the blood on Mia’s fingers before she had a chance to wash it off.  “I’m having a hard time believing there’s a medicine that can cure me almost overnight, but if I don’t take it and stay here much longer, my condition will only get worse.  I wish Dan were here to help me decide what to do.”

     Before anything more was said Farmer returned with a plastic container the size of a small paper cup which Lorna had to assume was a dose of the Spirit Water.  It was time to make her decision … to live in an almost perfect world and quite possible for hundreds of healthy years or leave and return home after drinking the Spirit Water and seek medical attention.

     “Have you decided?” Farmer questioned.

     Lorna nodded and without a word, took the plastic container and drank its content.  Minutes later she was lying in bed sound asleep.

     “I have heard from Addison,” Farmer told Mia, as she covered Lorna with a blanket.  “He will be here in the morning to bring Lorna back to the base.”

     “We should have told her before she drank the Spirit Water,” Mia argued.

     “We had no choice,” Farmer retorted sternly.  “She would’ve died without it.  Now, at least, maybe she has a chance.”

The Earthquake

Lorna is recovering from her burns at the complex.  Addison is making plans to take Dan to North 1 Complex to be reunited with Lorna.

THE COMPLEX ROCKED STEADILY for two or three minutes.  Outside, large crevasses opened in the rock walls, emitting hot stream from underground magma chambers.  The air seemed to vibrate as the sound of fracturing bedrock echoed throughout the caverns.

     Falling back onto her bed, Lorna reached for her clothes. Just outside, a great plume of steam shot into the air as a large gap in the ground opened up, like the maw of a great beast ready to swallow her and her quarters. 

     The rumbling soon began to wane, while outside the steam continued to hiss and percolate from the ground.  Minutes later, Farmer’s son Mica came running up to the door, pounding on it, obviously very shaken. The first thing Lorna notices is the burn on his right arm and his blackened feet.  Crying, he almost fell into her arms, so hysterical he couldn’t talk.

     Lorna comforted the boy as she ushered him over to her bed and made him as comfortable as she could.  The boy, in a state of shock, didn’t say a word.  Lorna didn’t see Mia until she was already inside.

     “I’m so glad you’re here,” she gasped. “Mica’s badly burnt … his feet and his arm.”

     Mia looked at the crying boy’s feet.  “They look like he’s been walking on fire.  The ground outside is very hot.”

     Outside, the steam continued to spew from the ground and a bright red finger of molten lava was now creeping out and slowly spreading towards her quarters, igniting everything it came in contact with.

     “We got to get out of here before that lava reaches us,” Mia ordered as she helped Mica sit up.

     “Where will we go?” Lorna began to panic.

     Mica pointed to the north.  “Blue Ice 1.  We must go there.  The others will be there.”

NORTH 1 COMPLEX HAS SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.  Lorna and Mia meet Doctor Megan Corcoran who explains how they are a newly formed branch of the U.S. Space Force that works with all aspects of space flight technologies and engineering, as well as galactic communications at the complex.  

      Lorna’s head spun with all she was being told.  “It’s hard to believe what I’m seeing. Is this some kind of Project Blue Book program?”

     Corcoran smiled and shook her head.  “No, we’re well passed all of that.  Please come in and I’ll try to explain it better.  We already know a lot about our extraterrestrial friends, like Mia, and their space crafts.  We are conducting a study of a race of people whom at some point in time, over five thousand years ago, recolonized here on Earth.  Mia and her people are their descendants … they’re called Corvarians. These people are medical miracles when compared to us. But what interests us the most is how they came to travel here and what they know about interstellar time travel and space engineering.”

     “Time travel!” Lorna mused. “Do you really believe that’s possible?”

     “Yes, now we do.  We are learning how it all works, and how they’ve been able to travel from one planet to another in relatively short periods of time.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about pushing a button and beaming up to another planet.  It doesn’t work quite like that.”

    “But correct me if I’m wrong,” Lorna questioned, her curiosity overcoming her emotions at the moment, “But don’t you have to have an alien spacecraft to do all this reverse engineering?”

     “Yes, and to answer your question fully, we do.”

North 1 Complex

Addison and Dan meet up with Lieutenant Colonel Rojas and General Ross in the secure hangar at twelve-thirty.  Despite the minor damage from the earthquake felt around the base and Anchorage, Base Operations was still functioning.  

     “Any word, General?” Addison questioned.

     “None, and I don’t mind telling you I’m worried.  Seismic readings indicate that was a 7.3 quake, so we have to prepare ourselves to expect a lot of damage.  I just hope our fortifications held up. We got a lot of people up there.”

     “Knowing what we do,” Addison said to Ross. “I think we need to get up there ASAP to access the damage and report back.”

     “You’re the boss here, Addison,” Ross acknowledged without reservation.  “Do what you have to and keep me in the loop.”

     “Yes Sir,” Addison patted Dan on the shoulder.  “You ready for a wild ride?”

     The thought of Lorna being stuck in an underground complex where a major earthquake had just occurred, had Dan more than just a little bit worried. “Yeah, let’s go … the faster the better.”

     Two hours later they were approaching the ice field.  The weather had partly cleared and Dan could see a glacier below.

      “We’re going to make a perimeter check first, like I told you, then we’ll head for Blue Ice 1.  You can slide open that panel to your left for a better view.”

     Addy had rotated in his seat one hundred and eighty degrees and was monitoring a computer screen and a built in laptop.  About every ten seconds he hears a beep and a green light would flash above the monitor.

     “Those are the implanted perimeter sensors,” Addy explained, noticing Dan was watching.  “Green is good … red, not so much.”

      “What happens if one does turn red?” Dan asked, leaning in for a better look.

     “A red light will be accompanied by an encrypted message indicating the problem or a possible breach of the perimeter. Depending on what caused the problem, we will then contact the Complex Commander, and he’ll send out someone to check it out.  If the light is red and blinking, we … damn!”

     “What?” I looked and saw the next sensor was flashing red on the monitor.

     “Cookie, are you seeing this?”

     “Yeah, I’m calling it in right now.” Dan hears the reply come over the headset.

     Addy looked worried, and Rojas had no sooner replied when a warning chime sounded.

     “That’s an evacuation siren!” Addy relayed to Rojas.

Conclusion

From this point I take you forward.  Dan and Lorna have been reunited and have been offered a position on the recovery team.  Addison and Captain Zimmerman are making plans for the arrival of the recovery ship that is now in orbit over the planet.

     After hearing Tillman tell what he and Bourne had experienced, two of the original search party members, Ben Garrison and Henry Troutman, have returned and soon discover the south portal to the complex. In a confrontation, Taho is accidently shot and wounded. Garrison is severely mauled by Seeton. Knowing his own death is imminent, Taho begins a long trek back to Nevara where he wishes to be buried with his ancestors.  The two men have been captured by Addison and Dan and are being confined inside North 1 Complex, pending a decision on their fate.

     The recovery ship, now in a stationary orbit over the planet is making plans to land at North 1 Complex, however during an attempt to eliminate a Russian satellite that has been spying on them, the ship has suffered damage and the mission is now in jeopardy of being delayed. Three more satellites called the Androis Trioka have been reactivated by the Russians and pose a severe threat to the recovery craft and North 1 Complex.  Addison, with the help of his father Leonard, who is aboard the recovery ship with his wife Jessica, devises a plan to put the Trioka out of commission. But the Russians are not done; they have another trick up their sleeve.

IN THE FINAL HOURS THIS ADVENTURE COMES TO A CLOSE.  Not to give away the ending, I leave the rest to the reader to see how, what started over twenty years ago, all ends. Old cast members … their offspring … new adventures … what does the future hold for the characters I have come to love as if they are real?