by R. D. Brady
He smiled back at her, his lips once again closing around the straw. Sandra studied the storefronts as they passed. At the diner, she stopped, noticing a sign in the window: Help Wanted.
She debated for only a moment before tugging Luke toward the diner door.
“Are we going to eat again?” Luke asked.
Sandra shook her head. “Nope. Mama’s going to get a job.”
Chapter Twelve
Hy-Brasil
They arrived at the base late at night. Maeve had wanted to get some explanations from Tilda about where they were and what the plan was, but last night all any of them could think of was getting some sleep.
Now, Maeve squinted her eyes open. Finally, the sense of vibrating had passed. This time there was a white metal roof high above her, and she was lying on a solid bed, although it still felt like it was moving. Chris lay quietly in the bed next to her, his eyes still closed. Maeve sat up slowly. Twelve cots lined the room, seven of them occupied. Medical equipment sat at the far side of the room, but there were no monitors attached to any of the “patients” in the beds. Maeve’s gaze roamed over each of them, checking to see the careful rise and fall of each of their chests.
Voices broke through her thoughts, and she turned her head, seeing Tara squared off with Tilda at the end of the room. “You can’t keep going this way,” Tara said, breaking off when she caught sight of Maeve. Without another word to Tilda, she strode over to Maeve’s bed. She slowed as she approached, the anger she’d had on her face shifting to concern. “Are you all right?”
Maeve nodded slowly. “I think so. What happened?”
“You were each given a sedative last night after you fell asleep.”
“What?”
Tara put up her hands. “I know. But Tilda wanted to make sure you all got a good night’s sleep.”
“She can’t just drug people.”
“No, she shouldn’t drug people. Apparently she can.” Tara moved to the table next to the bed and poured a glass of water from the pitcher sitting here. She handed it to Maeve. “It’s all right. It’s safe.”
For some strange reason, Maeve believed her. She took the cup and drank slowly, the water quenching her dry throat. She nodded. “Thank you.”
Tara took the cup back and replaced it on the side table before taking a seat on the bed. “Your family will wake soon. It was a simple sedative. There will be no recurring issues.” She pulled a small device from her pocket. It was a small rectangular box only about three inches by two. A single button sat in the middle of its face. She handed it to Maeve. “If at any point you don’t feel safe and want to leave, press this button, and I will come for you, no questions asked.”
Maeve stared into the woman’s eyes. In the light, she realized her hair was a deep auburn. Freckles dotted her pale face, and her bright blue eyes were closer to gray. “Are we safe here?”
Tara hesitated. “Tilda means you no harm. Her methods, however, sometimes leave a great deal to be desired.”
“And my family?”
Tara’s gaze strayed across the beds, a smile of wonder crossing her face. “They are especially in no danger. They are the culmination of everything that has been done until this point.”
“Then why would I need this?” Maeve nodded to the small box.
“Tilda means you no harm, but no defenses are perfect. If you need help, you call, okay?”
The warning was clear in the woman’s gaze. And yet again, Maeve trusted her, even though she had no reason other than her gut instinct to go on. “Okay. Thank you.”
Tara nodded before standing and sliding her hands down her jacket to straighten it out. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Leander. I hope we can speak again under better circumstances.”
“Call me Maeve, and I do as well.” Maeve extended her hand.
Tara shook it with a smile. “I need to get back to the boat before Ethan decides to take it for a joyride. I swear, he has the emotional capacity of a thirteen-year-old.”
Maeve smiled, flicking a gaze toward Greg, who lay sprawled on his back now, one arm flung over his face. “I know the type.”
Tara laughed. “Ah, men, they never truly stop being boys, do they?”
This time, Maeve looked at Chris. “Some do.”
“Aye, some do indeed. Take care of yourself, Maeve.”
“You too, Tara.”
Maeve watched the woman leave. She gave Tilda an abrupt nod as she passed.
Chris stirred. Maeve slung her legs over the side of the bed and sat on the floor next to his cot, brushing the hair back from his eyes. “Chris?”
His eyes blinked open a few times before they focused on Maeve. “Maeve.” He smiled and then jolted upright, his head swinging from side to side.
Maeve reared back, before placing a hand on his chest. “It’s okay. It’s okay. We’re all here. We’re fine.”
Beneath her hand, Chris’s heart pounded away. His gaze searched each of the cots. “Are you sure?”
Maeve met Tilda’s gaze from across the room. Tilda held her gaze but made no move toward her. After a moment, Tilda turned her attention back to the tablet in her hand.
“No, but I hope so,” Maeve said quietly.
Chapter Thirteen
The cool breeze slipped through the slight opening in the window. Maeve relished the breeze and the scent it brought with it. It was crisp and cool, like the end of fall. Outside, she could see tall blue spruces but not much else. From the front door, she could see a path leading to another building. She could just make out the top of the building, although with its green rounded roof, it was difficult to discern from the green surrounding them.
Chris sat with the triplets, playing some sort of game that was keeping them distracted. Alvie sat near them, an expression Maeve couldn’t read on his face. He’d woken up shortly after Chris had. Maeve had sat with Alvie curled up in her lap, and he’d shaken for a good twenty minutes. But he still kept his thoughts from her. She knew he was doing it to spare her the pain, but it hurt to know that Martin had for one moment driven a wedge between them.
Norah had Iggy curled up in her lap at the other end of the room. Maeve had checked his wound when he’d woken up. It had shrunk, so she’d cleaned it and placed a smaller bandage on it. She was amazed at his healing capacity and desperately wanted to get a look at his blood under a microscope.
She’d taken a brief walk with Norah and Iggy after they’d woken up. As far as they could tell, the “base” consisted of only four buildings, bearing a closer resemblance to a camp from the TV show M*A*S*H than from any high-tech sci-fi movie. Doubts crawled through her. What were they doing here?
The only one still sleeping was Greg. He mumbled and shifted on his cot, an arm over his eyes.
Maeve turned her attention back to the scene outside the window. A sparrow flew to a tree opposite her. It looked so carefree, and she felt so hemmed in. Tilda had left right after Chris had awoken, saying that she would speak with them once everyone was awake. Maeve didn’t know what to think about the woman. She knew she was in charge. But so far she had been very close lipped about everything, including where they were.
She felt him before she saw him. She turned as Alvie slipped his hand into hers. “Are you all right?”
He looked up at her, and she knew he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. And what did she expect? He had been held captive in that horrible place. To say the idea of him being hurt broke her heart was a radical understatement. It sliced her in two. Alvie above everything else was a kind soul. She’d never seen him do something even slightly unkind in her entire life. She wasn’t sure how he was processing what had happened to him at Martin’s hands.
She supposed she should be thankful for the events at Area 51. Before them, he hadn’t ever been exposed to cruelty. But Area 51 and Martin once again had made sure that he knew just how cruel humans could be. And the monsters that Martin had created were beyond what even the human imagination could rustle up in the worst
of nightmares. She shuddered, imagining the bloblike creature following her and Chris across the lobby of the administration building.
Maeve knelt down on one knee and pulled Alvie into her arms. “I’m sorry for what happened to you. You did not deserve any of it.”
Why?
Maeve shook her head. “I don’t know. For some people, when they see something different they need to find out why it is different. But they do it in a way that is hurtful.”
A vision of Martin flitted through Maeve’s mind, along with a questioning thought.
She tried to keep the anger out of her voice as she spoke with him. Anger wouldn’t help Alvie, and he was so sensitive that it would only hurt him. “I don’t know what is wrong with him. Humans have a capacity to be cruel, to be evil. But I’ve never truly understood why. There must be something that explains why he has become the man he is.”
Family?
“I doubt he has one. I don’t think a man like that could ever truly love anyone.”
“Rats in burgers!” Greg yelled, jolting himself awake as he fell out of the cot. Chris walked over and offered him and a hand. Greg grasped it, letting himself be pulled up, and then sat heavily on the cot, his head in his hands. “Oh, I feel awful.”
Alvie hurried over to Greg’s side and put one of his hands over one of Greg’s. Greg looked up, forcing a smile to his face. “It’s good to see you too, Alvie.”
Maeve sat on the cot across from him. “Hey.”
Greg winced. “No need to shout.” He looked around. “So what did I miss?”
Chris took a seat next to her, taking her hand while Alvie climbed up on Maeve’s other side. “Nothing. Tilda said she was waiting until we were all awake.”
Greg nodded to the door. “Well, I guess I’m the last one.”
Maeve turned her head to see Tilda walking into the room with Adam right behind her and a small, slim woman with dark hair and dark eyes on her other side. Tilda walked toward them, standing at the edge of the break between the two beds. Norah with Iggy in her arms strode over as well, standing along the back of the bed that Greg sat on.
Tilda looked over each of them. “Good. You’re all awake. And looking no worse for wear. I’d like to introduce you to Pearl Huen. She is my second-in-command.”
Pearl nodded at the group. “If you have any problems or needs, please bring them to me.”
Tilda didn’t wait for anyone to respond, just continued on. “First, I want to apologize for the way that we needed to bring you to the base. But this base is beyond top secret. There are only five people in all of the world that know where it is located.”
Greg shook his head. “Tilda, has anyone ever told you that you are seriously paranoid?”
“It has been mentioned,” she said dryly. “But there is a reason for such extreme security. This base has been in existence for nearly sixty years. The only reason it has survived that long is because of that paranoia.”
“Okay, so you’re not going to tell us where we are,” Chris said. “Because you seem to be suggesting we’re at some sort of government base. So whose base is it? The DOD? The CIA? The ISA?”
“The ABCs? The DFGs? The XYZs?” Greg mumbled under his breath.
Tilda ignored Greg’s comment. “None of the above. You are among the only handful of civilians who have ever been introduced to this federal agency. I mentioned before that there was a secondary space program within the United States government. You are at the hub for the main base of that program. Welcome to R.I.S.E.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tilda’s announcement was met with silence before Norah broke it. “I think I speak for everyone when I say: what?”
“It is a rather long story and quite involved. I thought perhaps we could discuss it over a meal. I’m sure all of you are famished.”
As if her words had made it so, Maeve’s stomach grumbled. She realized she hadn’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. With everything happening, it hadn’t exactly been a priority. But now, as she looked over to the triplets, she knew they needed to eat. “Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”
Once outside, Maeve got her second look at where they were. It didn’t help. There was a small hill in the foreground and dozens of trees. Beyond that, all she could make out was a building to their left. It was green with a round roof and reminded her of the Quonset huts she’d seen at Area 51.
She glanced back at the barracks where they had all woken up. It was the same type of building. The green and brown coloring on the buildings helped them blend into the trees. From the air, she doubted you would be able to even discern that they were there.
Which is probably the point, she realized. But nothing about it screamed secret space agency, which was also probably the point.
A small wind blew across the open space, scattering a few leaves. Maeve shivered. Her gaze immediately darted to the triplets. They were very sensitive to the cold. “Tilda?”
Tilda glanced back over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised.
“The triplets and Alvie are going to need warmer clothes. It’s too cold for them here.”
“I’ll see that it’s taken care of immediately.”
The woman with Tilda pulled a radio from her belt and immediately issued an order for fleece and sweatpants to be brought to the cafeteria in children and adult sizes.
Chris leaned toward her, whispering quietly. “Well, at least it looks like they’re going to be taking care of us.”
“Do you really think they will?”
Chris shook his head. “Honestly, there’s no way to know. All of this is so far out of any of our comfort zones, I don’t even know what to expect.”
“Have you ever heard of R.I.S.E.?”
“No.”
Greg whispered loudly on her other side. “Me either. And let me tell you, I have researched all of the good conspiracy sites … And most of the bad ones.”
Ahead, Tilda open the doors to another Quonset hut. She smiled as the triplets skipped past her.
Maeve took a breath. “Well, it looks like it’s time to get some answers.”
Chapter Fifteen
The answers didn’t arrive immediately. In fact, when they walked in and everyone saw the food lined up buffet style along the back of the room, answers were no longer everyone’s priority. The entire building was set up like a cafeteria. To the far left of the doors was a long steel counter lined with food. Behind it was a pass-through almost the length of it that looked into a large industrial kitchen. The rest of the room was lined with long tables, benches on either side. It could easily seat three hundred people.
Greg, Chris, and Maeve all set about loading up plates for Alvie and the triplets. Norah saw to getting herself and Iggy fed as well.
They all hunkered down at one table with overloaded plates. And no one really spoke or asked questions while they ate. Maeve was happy to see the triplets digging in without any ill effects. Alvie still had some of his thoughts closed away from her, but he seemed a lot more content.
Her gaze strayed to where Norah and Iggy sat quietly eating. Iggy was practically humming as he bounced in his seat, happily taking in everything on his plate. Maeve couldn’t help but smile watching him. He was like a Disney character come to life.
“Does he eat everything?” Greg asked from where he sat across from Maeve, his attention also locked in on Iggy.
Norah shrugged. “I’m not sure. But he seems to like just about everything. I’m really hoping there’re no allergies I’m not aware of.” Her gaze caught Maeve’s, and she gave her a tentative smile.
Maeve returned the smile. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, well, you know, secret military base, surrounded by aliens, on the run from people I used to work for, and not sure where the hell I am, all par for the course.”
Maeve appreciated the lightheartedness of the response, knowing that she too was reeling inside at everything that had happened over a very short time. But for Norah, that time was even shorter.
She might have known about aliens, but she certainly hadn’t known about everything else. She seemed to be adjusting pretty well. And Maeve was pretty sure that Iggy was probably a large part of that.
Chris sat back, patting his flat stomach. “I don’t think I can fit in another bite.”
Greg pushed back from the table as well. “Me either. Unless, of course, maybe there’s dessert … Is there dessert?” he asked hopefully.
Tilda shook her head. “I’m afraid not yet. I thought everyone might need a little time to digest before we moved on to the next course.”
“No problem. I was just asking for the triplets and Iggy. You know how kids love dessert,” Greg said.
“That’s very considerate of you,” Norah said pointedly.
Greg put his hand to his chest. “That’s me, always considerate.”
The triplets started drumming their fingers on the table, looking between Maeve and Chris expectantly. Tilda glanced over at them and then at Maeve. “What’s going on?”
Maeve smiled. “They want to go play. They have some energy to burn. I don’t suppose you have a playground around here somewhere?”
“Hm, not for kids. We do have an obstacle course that our soldiers train on.”
“Actually, that would be perfect,” Maeve said.
“It’s out back, behind the barracks. We can take them down there and then maybe talk when they’re done?” Tilda asked.
Chris shook his head. “I’ll take them down there. You guys start talking, and Maeve will fill me in later.”
Adam stood up. “I’ll show you where it is.”
“Ig, ig, ig!” Iggy bounced up and down in Norah’s lap. She frowned down at him. “I think Iggy wants to go, but I’m not sure if he should with his injury.”
“He should be fine. Maldeks heal very quickly,” Pearl said.
Everyone turned to Pearl. Greg and Maeve exchanged a surprised look.