Fighting For Jemma Page 4

  Wanting to spend as much time with Calliope as she could, Jemma tagged along with her to the beauty parlor. She would be leaving early in the morning, and she wouldn’t see her friend for quite some time. The thought depressed her. They would speak and Skype when possible, though. But it just wasn’t the same as being in the same room with her.

  After Lars’ presentation, Jemma was now even more determined to convince her friend to call it quits and settle down and get a teaching job. She already had the teaching degree. They both had studied at Oklahoma University together and had become fast friends bonding over their love of science and nature. Though a bit older than she, Calliope had taken Jemma under her wing. Plus, both of Calliope’s parents were teachers, and Jemma was sure they would love to see their daughter settle down and use the degree that she had worked long and hard to get. It was hard to keep teachers in this part of Texas, but Jemma loved it. She would love it even more if she had a friend like Calliope working alongside her. There was currently an opening at her school, and another one coming in the fall of the next year. In the meantime, she planned to use every ounce of the art of persuasion to try like hell to get her to stay.

  The Bracken Cave & Nature Reserve was just on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas. It was the largest bat colony in the country, estimated to be the home to 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats. It was located on a 687-acre ranch. Jemma had brought her students here every year for a tour since she had started teaching six years ago. The bats usually arrived in early to mid-March from the south and stayed until the end of the summer before they migrated to their winter nesting grounds. Watching the bats leave their cavern at dusk each evening was a sight to behold. The bats would leave the maternity colony to go feed on insects for the nightly hunt and return at dawn to feed their young and rest during the day.

  The females usually ate as much as their body weight in insects. Jemma found it fascinating and told her students that they ate so much because they needed the nourishment to feed and raise the pups they had just given birth to. Because bats were mammals, they fed their young like other mammals did, at the breast. That always got her some chuckles and groans.

  This particular cave site was also interesting because of the sheer amount of guano produced by the bats. The Bracken Cave was said to produce about 75 feet of the bat excrement each season. Employees of the reserve during the off season would clear out the cave and sell the guano to corporations that used it as an ingredient in their productions. Her students were always surprised to learn that bat poop was useful in the making of cosmetics, fertilizers, and even explosives. This information got a grim-faced, disgusted reaction from the girls who made a big deal out of the fact that they might possibly be applying bat guano to their young faces each day. The boys laughed but found it cool that guano was used to blow shit up. Literally.

  For Jemma though, it was all so captivating. The science behind it. The magnificent creatures that history and literature equated to vampire tales were so much more. They were a true community that lived and traveled together for protection from predators. And then there was also the miraculous sight of seeing the bats leaving their cave each evening for the nightly insect hunt. The caverns were said to be quite deep and hot inside. Bats, like humans, had a body temperature of 98°, and though the temperature outside of the caves was usually much cooler, deep inside the cavern, temperatures reached up to well over 102°. She shared all this information with Calliope and her friends during their early dinner, and being the science geeks that she was, they had enjoyed learning about the particular species they would be seeing that night. Her favorite part though was seeing the bats depart the cave; it looked like a swirling black tornado, for well over an hour, and again when they returned at dawn.

  As Jemma and Calliope pulled up into the parking lot, followed by the three men and one woman on Calliope’s team, Jemma excitedly scanned the area for Angel. He’d said he would meet them there as he had to work all day.

  Lars put his arm around Calliope’s shoulder. “Come woman. To the bat cave?” he teased, pulling her along after him.

  “Boy, is this getting old,” she spit back to her partner in crime. “Like you.”

  “Ouch!” he declared, sounding hurt, though he clearly found Calliope’s comment amusing.

  Jemma had learned he was just a few years older than the rest of the crew, but they still teased him about it. To Jemma who had just met Lars a few days ago, it sounded like two colleagues who knew each other well and their teasing banter warmed her heart. She was glad Calliope liked her job and her coworkers so much. It made knowing what she did a bit easier to take. They were close and would be there for each other if they ever got into trouble. She didn’t have that kind of relationship at her job.

  When she and Calliope arrived at Bracken, they quickly found the rest of their group. Jemma couldn’t wait to see Angel, but so far, they hadn’t spotted him as they quickly followed her to a great location for the viewing of the bat departure.

  The crowd was not as large as it usually was during the summer. It was still very early in the season, and most of the 20 million bats were not all there yet.

  One of the workers tapped on a microphone as the crowd pulled up to the fence that kept the tourists a safe distance from the entrance. The worker began to speak about the viewing and what they would see.

  “I do warn you that an occasional bat may fly your way though they do tend to stick together. Caps, if you have them, are recommended. Guano sometimes does fall during flight.”

  The crowd murmured and laughed but several did as they were told and put on their caps or hats.

  “That just means you’re lucky,” Lars stated, smiling and showing a row of even white teeth.

  “That’s bird poop, Dumb-dumb. Not bat shit,” Calliope whispered to him. Lars just laughed. Then she turned toward Jemma. “My German friend still doesn’t know all the American wives’ tales.”

  Jemma laughed, but put on her ball cap. She loved science, but no one likes to get pooped on.

  The sun was set to begin its descent around 6:20 that evening. She glanced at her phone to check the time. She was beginning to worry that Angel might not show up. She hated to admit that she would be quite disappointed if that happened.

  The worker began to tell the tale of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordering scientists to study the bats here in Bracken during World War II.

  “He’d actually ordered the military to the bat caves!” Lars laughed, jabbed Calliope with his elbow meaningfully, and whispered, “See, I’m just like one of your great American presidents.”

  Calliope just shook her head in the negative. “Um, no. No.”

  Jemma smiled at their banter, but when she saw it was 6:10 with no sign of Angel, her stomach sank. He wasn’t going to show up. Maybe it was the message she had sent him. Maybe he found her too bold. She still couldn’t believe what she had typed. True, she had been tipsy, but she had really taken to the man.

  The Bracken employee had started talking about the top secret “Project X-Ray” that was carried on during the second World War. The plan had been to use the bats in Texas as a weapon against the Japanese. She had heard the story many times before, but listened to it again to distract her from her growing worry over Angel. She saw Calliope give her a sympathetic look as the rest of the team sat on nearby boulders or leaned on the railing to listen to the fascinating tale of the bat bombs.

  “Doctor Lyttle S. Adams wrote a letter to the President. It sounded crazy, but the President was desperate to defeat the Japanese and ordered a team be assembled to research the possibility of using the bats to drop incendiary devices on Japanese cities. The plan was to force the bats into hibernation, drop them from planes in cardboard canisters that would open during the descent. The devices would have timers, and the Japanese structures being made mostly of wood would easily catch fire.”

  “No!” came gasps from the crowd who were hearing the story for the first time. It was gh
astly to think how the creatures would be made into bombs.

  The employee went on to explain the particulars of the test drops and why and how they failed. “It was only because the Manhattan Project had been completed successfully before the testing with the bats had been completed that the project was cancelled.”

  “Wow, I’ve never heard of Project X-ray. Cool story,” Calliope commented. Again, she gave Jemma a sympathetic look as she peered behind her toward the parking lot.

  “It shouldn’t be much longer,” the employee announced. “I hear them inside beginning to stir.”

  A low hum could be heard coming from the cave. The employee began to back away from the cave’s entrance.

  Just as Jemma was about to give up, she felt a soft tap on her shoulder and turned to look up into Angel’s dark eyes. “Sorry, I was running late, Beauty.”

  “I’m so glad you made it.”

  Her smile was bright, and he saw relief there, too. He was terrified about what he was about to witness, and it had taken twenty minutes of his cajoling himself to leave his own truck. He had been watching her and the group. And when she had turned for the third time to look at the parking lot, to look for him, he had snapped out of it and manned up. He would face his fear of bats for this beauty. I mean how bad could it be, he told himself. He had not wanted to disappoint her. He could do it he had kept telling himself. He just hoped it wasn’t a lie. Though it was a cool evening, he was sweating like a polar bear in Texas. Just the thought of seeing one bat, let alone millions, made his skin crawl. But he did not want to disappoint Jemma. He tipped down the dark sun glasses he had brought. His plan was to close his eyes if it got too bad and pretend to be watching.

  “Um, do you think we’re at a good enough distance away from the entrance, but still able to see?” Angel asked behind his very dark sunglasses.

  Jemma simply nodded and smiled at him. “This is a great spot.”

  He had been trying to play it off like it was a safety issue, though he was more concerned about how close the bats would get to them. He used a handkerchief to mop his brow. It could not be far enough away for his liking. He casually draped one arm around Jemma’s shoulders and was pleased she accepted it by leaning into him. He would focus on her. He did not have to even look up to see the blood suckers. He knew they didn’t suck blood, of course, but his fear made him think those irrational thoughts.

  “Good,” he added when she smiled up at him once more.

  “It really is the best spot. I always pick it when I bring my students.” Her tone revealed she was excited to share this with him. “In fact, from this location, and the path the bats take, if you raise your hands above your head you can feel the breeze caused from their wings on your arms.”

  Holy shit! Why did she have to tell him that? His body instantly broke into gooseflesh at the thought. He was keeping his hands fucking down. Way the hell down. Angel tried to not shudder at the thought of millions of bats flying overhead and the wings making breezes on his skin.

  “As I was coming up, I heard the announcer say that there were millions of bats here. That has to be an exaggeration, right?” He quickly mopped his brow and noticed that Calliope was giving him a strange look.

  “Not at all. In fact, there are more like 20 million bats. It takes over an hour for all of them just to leave the cave.”

  A fricking hour! 20 million bats! What the hell was he thinking?

  Angel felt a trickle of fear induced sweat slip down his back between his shoulder blades. He must’ve been bat fucking crazy to come here, excuse the frigging pun, but he hadn’t been able to say no either. He would just have to tough this one out. Man up! Focus on Jemma. And, don’t look up.

  Lars left his position beside Calliope and came up behind Angel. He clapped Angel on the back in greeting, and Angel nearly jumped out of his skin. “Hey man, you okay? You are looking kind of pale and why are you wearing sunglasses?” He too was giving Angel side eye. All eyes turned to him.

  Angel couldn’t take it. He removed his glasses and gave Jemma an apologetic smile. He had to confess. “Truth is, I’m not a big fan of bats. Ever since I was a kid. I was in my truck for twenty minutes working up my nerve to come out.”

  Jemma stared at him in disbelief. “You came and you don’t like bats.”

  “Yeah.” He laughed it off. “But I like you. So, there is that.”

  “You can do this,” Lars announced, giving Angel a slap on the back. “Face your demons, my man. I have looked into the eye of the storm many times. Still scares the shit out of me, but it feels good.”

  Angel nodded at the peculiar man’s wisdom. “Yeah, sure. I… I’m here, aren’t I?”

  Jemma smiled at him and slipped her hand into his. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze and was glad when he returned it.

  “Oh, there are some bats now!” Calliope exclaimed as a dozen or so bats flew up out of the cave and to the west. She glanced at Angel and saw that he froze, but he wasn’t running so that had to be a good sign.

  Angel stared in awe at the first few bats. He was glad to see they flew in the exact opposite direction of where he and Jemma were standing.

  “See. Not bad? Right?” Jemma asked, once more giving his hand a squeeze.

  Angel swallowed and watched as a few more bats flew out. “Yeah, not so bad.”

  Calliope was smiling at her side, and Jemma elbowed her in the stomach to warn her not to laugh. She replaced her smile with a blank expression, but then couldn’t resist. “Well, if bats scare you, it’s a good thing you weren’t here for the story the guy told us about the kamikaze bat bombers.”

  Jemma’s blue eyes cut to Calliope. She laughed while she said it, and Jemma gave her a dirty look.

  “What?” Angel began to sweat even more. More and more bats were coming. What had been a dozen coming at a time and flying off turned into a hundred!

  “Callie, not nice!” Lars scolded.

  “Tsk, tsk,” came her retort. “You’re just mad I said it first.”

  “No kidding!” Angel laughed nervously. “Kamikaze bats.”

  He had no clue what those were, but it did not stop his fear from growing. He rubbed his hands together and shifted from one foot to the other, and though he did not want to watch, he couldn’t take his eyes off the entrance to the cave.

  “Are these bats going to swoop down on us?” he asked, letting his fear override his manliness. He knew he’d asked the question way too quickly.

  Jemma saw he was nervous, but she did not completely understand the extent of his fear, so answered truthfully. “No, but occasionally a bat might swoop down into the watchers if their sonar is off.”

  Angel’s eyes widened, and he searched the sky above them. Oh, hell no, Angel thought, remembering his childhood experience at the Devil’s Sinkhole, another famous Texas bat cave near his home.

  “I gotta tell you, Jemma, I love animals, but I’m not a huge fan of bats. One time my brother and I decided that we would go into a cave near where I grew up to play. We didn’t even realize that it was a bat cave. We disturbed the nest of mothers and they flew at us. There were so many of them. We ran away as fast as we could while the bats dive-bombed us. We ran screaming all the way home. I had nightmares for weeks.” Well, years really, but he wasn’t ready to admit that to Jemma just yet.

  “I bet your mother gave you hell when you got home!” Wylder declared. She elbowed Shiro who stood beside her.

  “Did she ever!”

  The bat flight continued in spits and spurts, though the humming from the cave had grown in intensity. Then it happened. A thick black river, as dark as the night, flowed out of the cave, and just like that, hundreds became millions of bats in a tornado of wings flapping overhead. It was worse than a nightmare. It was like watching a horror movie of your biggest fear come to life. Instinct made him duck. And Jemma squatted down with him.

  “You’ll be fine,” she promised, smiling at him with concern.

  As the minutes ticked
by and the endless wave after wave of bats left the cave, he tried to relax, though none were coming their way. When the cloud began to get closer to him, he felt his body tense of its own volition, preparing to run if they came in his direction.

  “Are you gonna be okay?” Jemma asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied, though not very well. His voice had risen an octave.

  Jemma sensed he was about to have a full-blown panic attack. She was about to suggest they leave and meet the others in the parking lot, when all of sudden Angel let out a bloodcurdling, unmanly scream.

  “Shit! Ahhhhh!” He felt something brush up against his hair and screamed. When he felt Jemma reach for his hand, he almost smacked it away before he realized what it was. Some visitors to the cave looked their way and began to laugh.

  “Oh, my God.” Jemma held her laughter in check, though the others around them were practically peeing themselves with laughter at this grown man’s reaction to having a bat bump into him. “You’re terrified.” She stated the obvious, but quickly followed up with, “Let me get you out of here. We can watch from inside your vehicle. You’ll feel better in there. Less out in the open.”

  “OK,” he agreed, already turning and fleeing in full retreat.

  “Away from the Batcave,” teased Lars before Jemma heard him grunt in pain. Calliope must have done one of her “infamous” jabs in the belly with her elbow tricks.

  “I’ll meet you guys in the parking lot after the viewing is over,” she called over her shoulder as Angel pulled her along after him. The group watched her go, stumbling behind the much larger man.

  The walk to the parking lot was more of a fast jog and took less than half the time it had taken to walk from it. Jemma was breathless and practically running to keep up with his long strides near the end. Angel quickly opened the driver’s door to his Ford pickup, and she slid in with him following on her heels.

  “Sorry,” he sputtered. “God, I’m so embarrassed.” But he grew calmer knowing that they were safely ensconced in the vehicle.