CHAPTER 37

NEAR AZTEC, NEW MEXICO, 20 JULY 2064 (DAY 588 OF THE EXODUS)

Cally Tyrol was dead tired as she drove down U.S. Highway 550 and crossed the border from Colorado into New Mexico. She had been driving nearly nonstop since she left Maya Bronson's house in New Caprica at 7:00 on the evening of July 17, stopping a few times to use the head or grab a bite to eat and once…at a dingy roadside motel in Riverton, Wyoming…to grab a few hours of sleep. By now, it was all she could do to stay awake at the wheel. Thankfully, Isis had slept during most of the journey…the rolling, jostling motion of the car seemed to act like a rocking cradle, so far as the baby was concerned. Cally approved of that. And Cally knew she needed to sleep as well.

Fortunately, she knew she'd have no problem paying for accommodations. All of the Colonial survivors had been granted a payment of $50,000 out of the Colonial Treasury with which to rebuild their lives here on Earth. Those who had chosen to live in the new Kobolian settlement of New Caprica had been required to contribute part of that toward the purchase of their home. Cally had been one of these. But Cally had been quite frugal when choosing her home…after all, she spent most of her time aboard the GALACTICA…and she still had nearly $20,000 in her bank account. On the morning after she left New Caprica, she had stopped at the offices of the National Bank of Canada in the city of Regina and had closed out her account, and she had the cash with her, in a cloth shopping bag on the seat next to her.

The G.P.S. in her vehicle told her that she was approaching the town of Aztec, New Mexico. She spoke to it.

"Computer, what is the nearest hotel," she said.

"Aztec Motel, 221 Main Avenue, Aztec, New Mexico," the computer replied. "Would you like directions?"

"Yes," Cally replied. Obediently, the computer calculated the route and displayed a map on the car's heads-up display. It began issuing verbal directions as well.

As she listened to the computer's soothing male voice, she drove past a New Mexico State Police car, parked by the side of the road. Inside that vehicle was New Mexico State Police Officer Charlie Manygoats. Manygoats, a Navajo who hailed from nearby Shiprock, had originally worked for the Farmington Police Department. He had wanted to be a homicide investigator, but had never been able to pass the exam for the position. He had sued the department for discrimination, and lost. After that, he was forced from his position, applied to the New Mexico State Police, and had ended up assigned to patrol this lonely stretch of road, stopping speeders and assisting motorists with engine problems. He was thoroughly unhappy with his new job, especially at this time of the month, because he was running behind on his quota of tickets and his supervisor was giving him a hard time. As he watched Cally's vehicle pass by, he noticed that she was driving somewhat erratically, slipping back and forth from right to left within her lane, and occasionally veering off the side onto the shoulder of the road.

"Hmmm, looks like a D.U.I., maybe," he muttered as he started up his vehicle's engines. He pulled out and began to follow her. He noticed her Canadian license plates and grinned. He loved out of state visitors…they rarely contested their tickets. He picked up his radio microphone and called in the plate information, just on the off-chance that he'd stumbled onto something dangerous. If he was going to make a stop, no reason to take unnecessary chances. He was stunned when he got the reply back from his dispatcher.

"Vehicle is registered to Cally Tyrol, of New Caprica, Saskatchewan, Canada. Please be advised that the owner is wanted for questioning in a homicide and kidnapping. Suspect may be armed, use extreme caution. Additional units are being dispatched."

"Ten-four, understood," Manygoats said, and set down his microphone. "Holy shit," he muttered to himself. "I remember seeing that case…it's been all over the news for the past three days." Then he smiled slightly. If I can capture her myself, that would be a feather in my cap, he mused silently. Maybe even enough to get me off this beat and sent somewhere exciting for a change. He flicked the switch to turn on his red and blue lights.

Cally had seen the police cruiser pull off the side of the road and fall in behind her. She had driven as carefully as she could and a little below the speed limit, hoping the policeman would find her uninteresting and pass. But then, to Cally's chagrin, she saw it turn on its lights.

Frak, she thought desperately to herself. She knew that she couldn't risk being stopped by the police. Half delirious with exhaustion and suddenly panicked, she pressed the accelerator to the floor and sped away.

Manygoats watched as Cally's car roared away from him. The policeman turned on his siren and followed. He picked up his microphone.

"Unit 129...Suspect vehicle in flight, am in pursuit."

"Roger," Dispatch said. "Be advised. Roadblock is being set near Aztec city limits."

"Felgercarp!," Cally exclaimed as she saw the policeman set off in hot pursuit of her speeding car.

On and on, for mile after mile, the pursuit continued. The road was passing through hilly terrain, and as it climbed yet another hill, it narrowed from two lanes in each direction down to only one. As she crested the hill, Cally gasped. An old, rattle-trap pickup truck…driving all of, maybe, thirty five miles an hour…occupied the lane in front of her, not a quarter of a mile ahead. It was already climbing another hill.

Desperate to get around the slow-moving obstacle in front of her, Cally ignored the double yellow lines on the pavement and swerved to the left as she attempted to pass. It was an unfortunate choice.

A large cargo truck came over the hill in the opposite direction as Cally swerved into the oncoming traffic lane. Cally screamed with terror. Her own cry woke Isis up, and the baby began screaming as well.

Cally jerked the steering wheel back to the right. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite fast enough. The truck dealt a glancing blow to her car which sent it spinning out of control. The car vaulted off the highway and rolled down an embankment into a ravine, crashing into a large boulder as it landed.

Manygoats saw the whole thing happen, and he came to a halt at the edge of the ravine. He called dispatch and reported the accident, calling for medical units to respond. But it was too late. The passenger compartment of the car was crushed, and Cally was killed instantly. Shortly afterward, liquid hydrogen leaking from the ruptured fuel tank exploded and the car caught fire. No one knows if the baby was alive when the car caught fire. Not enough of her was found to make a determination.