by Cindy Combs
"I'm okay," Jeff inserted, hating the way they were talking around him.
"I think we still have some tartberry left," Lisa told Frank as she walked away.
"Hey, don't I have a say in this?" Jeff asked, exasperated.
"No," both Frank and Lisa said in unison. Jeff rolled his eyes and took another breath.
Frank was still watching him. "What was your dream about?"
"It wasn't a dream," Jeff pondered out loud. "It was more of a sudden rush of feeling."
Frank's face turned worried. "Do you think it was Sam?"
Jeff shook his head. "I don't know. Every time I try to feel for him, I keep running into a barrier."
"Maybe..."
A large bell near the outside passage began to ding. Frank and Jeff exchanged glances. That was the signal for trouble, especially Roach trouble. Instantly, Frank turned towards the passage and ran, Jeff on his heels.
Gillard
His arm felt like it was on fire, blood flowing under his hand and through his fingers. Yet Steve didn't dare slow down. It didn't matter how bad the wound was if the Roaches caught up to him. He thought he had heard shots coming from the ridge above Gillard, but he'd been too busy running and bleeding to check.
Glancing ahead, he quickly made sure everyone was still there and moving. While his long legs would have normally out raced the younger kids, the rubble they were climbing through had slowed him down to the point of barely keeping up. Nor was holding one arm with the other hand helping. He couldn't move his arms to maintain his balance like the others, making him even slower.
Risking a glance over his shoulder, Steve spotted another group of Roaches about two hundred yards behind him and to the left. In what felt like slow motion, he tried to scramble over a chunk of concrete as one of the Roaches took aim. He shouted for the others to duck though he knew he was the intended target. For a brief moment, he was certain he'd be dead before he took the next breath.
Then a shot rang out. The drone with the weapon dropped to the dirt, the rest of his patrol ducking down into the debris. Steve glanced up to see Preacher standing on a rock above, waving him on. He didn't need to be told twice. Steve scurried over the concrete and continued on to his goal, feeling a tad safer with Preacher behind him.
Cavern entrance
Frank, Jeff, Dianne and Lisa were just exiting the tunnel when the group from the shed entered the first cavern. Frank immediately focused on JD. "What happened?"
"Roaches are after Harry's group." JD breathlessly explained.
"Preacher, Mr. Dalton and Bella went to give them some cover," Casey rushed in as JD took a breath.
"It looked like they were all heading for the school," JD finished.
"The school?" Jeff asked.
"There is a tunnel that leads from the school to the foothills." Dianne explained. "It would be closer than trying to make the caves themselves."
"Can the Roaches get through the tunnel?" Frank questioned as he counted the kids coming in.
Dianne frowned. "I don't know. They might."
Jeff glanced at Frank. "Think we'd better give them some help?"
"Probably better." Frank took two steps, then turned around. "Where's the entrance for the tunnel?"
"I can show you," Lisa piped up.
Jeff bit his lip a moment, hating to risk her. But Dianne needed to stay in the cave in case there was more trouble. "Okay, let's go." He, Frank, and JD quickly followed the girl.
It was only a few paces before they reached a dark tunnel, the entrance covered with brush. Lisa easily slipped inside. She turned on her light, then continued to lead the men down the cement tube.
Steve stumbled, falling hard on his knees and one hand. He choked back a cry, trying to save his breath for rising to his feet.
Before he could push himself off the ground, Josiah slipped a hand under his good shoulder. "Just a little further, son." He helped Steve up and they continued to run after the others.
Jeff quickly examined the debris around the tunnel as they exited. Some of the surrounding buildings were only partially destroyed. He glanced back at the tunnel. It wasn't as well hidden as the other end. If the drones searched for it, they could find it.
"You three stay here. I'm going to see how close they are," Frank ordered.
"I'll see what we can do to stop them here," Jeff called back.
"How can we do that?" JD asked.
"What's that building?" Jeff pointed to a structure near the tunnel.
"That's the old pump shed," Lisa replied.
"That building?"
"The old garage."
"Okay, you two, this is what we're going to do. JD, I want you to find a battery and some jumper cables. Lisa, gather up as many old lubrication cans and fuel bottles that you can find."
"What for, Dr. Mac?" JD asked.
"You two are about to get your first lesson in Bomb Making 101."
Frank could see the kids, Harry and Josiah scrambling over the remains of the school, eight Roaches only a hundred yards behind them. He brought his rifle up to his shoulder and aimed for the lead drone. Two shots later, the lead drone was down and his followers were diving for cover. Frank took another look at the group, noting the blood on Steve's arm. Frank's scowl deepened as he again shot at the drones. He liked the young man who could so easily switch between clowning and serious, reminding him of his youngest brother, Billy. No way a Roach was getting another shot at him.
Within minutes, Eric and Jill had reached his position. Frank waved them on towards the tunnel, then lifted Caro over the large chunk of concrete she was having trouble climbing. He again shot at the drones to keep them in their hidey holes. Then he held out a hand to Harry.
Harry whispered, "Thank you", turning to check on Steve.
"Josiah's helping him. You get the rest of the kids in the tunnel, and tell Jeff to finish up quick," Frank advised as he quickly reloaded. Three more shots later, Frank knelt to help the wounded teen over the debris.
Josiah turned and shot a few more rounds behind them. "How much further?"
"The tunnel's on the other side of that building," Frank replied, pointing to the pump house.
"How're we going to keep them from following?" Josiah again wrapped an arm of support around the gray-faced Steve.
"Jeff's working on it," Frank replied. He shot over the debris to make sure any brave drone would think twice before following. Then he trotted behind Josiah and Steve.
Jeff was waiting behind the building. "Keep going," he told Josiah, sending a worried glance at Steve.
"Jeff?" Frank questioned.
"Taken care of," Jeff replied, stringing a wire low across the opening Frank had just stepped through. Once the wire was in place between two slabs of concrete, he turned to follow the rest.
Moments after the humans had disappeared, the patrol of drones entered the last place they had been seen. The legs of the lead drone unknowingly missed the wire placed across the former threshold. However, his long, thick tail did not. Pulled by the forward motion, the wire connected with another, sending a spark of electricity through them. Swiftly, the spark ignited the pile of old fuel cans and bottles. Before the drone realized he felt something, it was too late. A huge explosion at a stress point of the weakened pump house wall demolished the rest of the structure, burying the patrol under the debris.
Next Day, inside the cavern
"So Steve is going to be all right?" Frank asked at the adult meeting. He had been worried about the kid.
"He'll be fine," Dianne replied with a smile. "It's basically a flesh wound. The biggest problem will be keeping him from moving it too much until it's healed."
While everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they knew it would be short-lived. Jack, Frank, and Josiah had been strangely quiet since returning on their scouting mission. They all suspected their news wasn't good. The silence lengthened until Jane became impatient. "You might as well tell us. It won't get any better by making us wait."
&n
bsp; Josiah traded looks with the other two, then sighed inwardly. Guess it was the job of a reverend to break bad news. "We didn't go very far from the caverns. It seemed that every single Roach patrol in the area is combing Gillard and the school."
"Have they discovered the tunnel yet?" Jeff asked.
"It doesn't look like it," Jack reported. "We think your explosion hid the entrance at the school. But we figure it's only a matter of time before they find the shed with the plane."
"So that option is out," Bella commented sadly.
"Do you think they will find the caverns?" Dianne asked.
"We don't think so," Josiah replied slowly. "It looks like they are trying something else first."
He, Jack, and Frank again traded uncomfortable glances. Then Frank took a deep breath and looked straight into Jeff's eyes. "They are broadcasting a voice message, saying if the Chosen One MacGregor would give himself up, they would let the rest of us go." The reaction was instantaneous.
"No way!"
"Never!"
"You have GOT to be kidding!"
"As if we would!"
The only two that remained quiet were Jeff and Frank, gazes locked onto the other. Once the chatter died down, it was as if there was no one else in the room. Still staring at his friend, Frank forcefully declared, "Don't even THINK about it."
Jeff sighed and averted his eyes. "I would in a second if I thought they'd do it."
"But you know they won't. We'd be slaughtered the moment you were in their custody."
"I know." Jeff again met Frank's gaze. "I just wish I could so the kids would be safe."
"And just how safe would those kids be if the Roaches forced you to talk?" Frank pointed out. "Even if we did make it back, how long would the lines hold?"
"Frank's right," Jane inserted. "You are just as important as the kids." Jeff just rolled his eyes.
"Yes, you are," Dianne quietly refuted. "Nor would any of those kids forgive us if we allowed you to do it. They wouldn't let you do it, period." Nor would we.
"Even the Roaches know how important you are," Harry pointed out. "They're calling you a Chosen One. Doesn't that mean they're acknowledging you as a top human leader?"
Jeff just shrugged his shoulders. Frank barely kept from sighing. The humbleness that was so much a part of Jeff's character prevented the scientist from realizing he WAS important. Frank knew that the only thing stopping Jeff from giving himself up was the fact he knew the gesture would be in vain.
"So, what do we do now?" Jane asked, turning the conversation away from an avenue they were all against."
"Guess our only option is to continue searching for a passage that leads to the other side of the fence," Josiah replied.
"Not necessarily," Jeff inserted thoughtfully.
"Jeff, we've already ruled out you giving yourself up," Frank scolded impatiently.
Jeff rolled his eyes again. "That wasn't what I was thinking. There is the shuttle."
"Do you think it'll fly again?" Jane asked.
"I need to look it over some more, but it was put away with long term storage in mind. We may be able to restore it to its working form."
Everyone looked at each other, then leaned forward with excitement.
Two weeks later, inside the shuttle
Quietly, Lisa draped a blanket over Dr. MacGregor. He had fallen asleep in the pilot's chair while checking over an instrument panel. Not that it surprised her considering the time. In spite of the fatigue and loss of appetite that the scientist still struggled with, he had been working long hours on the shuttle. It had become an unspoken code among the teens that if Dr. Mac fell asleep, no one disturbed him. Yet it worried Lisa. He didn't seem to be getting any better and she feared he would fall ill. Who knew what kinds of germs were floating in the dust they were stirring up?
Sighing, she turned back to the circuit board she and Steve Hiller were testing. After glancing at Dr. Mac then giving Lisa a reassuring smile, Steve turned back to their work. Lisa took a moment to again survey the craft. It was such a wondrous machine, so simple yet elegant, every detail and space utilized for a purpose. While some of the materials used in its construction were familiar, many were substances she had never dreamed of. The thought of tiles that could withstand the heat of falling through the atmosphere, yet keep the craft from burning up like a meteor was almost beyond her comprehension.
It had also been well preserved. This particular chamber was much drier than the rest of the cavern system, preventing moisture from ruining the electronics. So far there had been only a few things that had needed to be replaced. For someone who had never really thought about what a spacecraft would be like, Lisa was impressed. It looked like Dr. Mac's wild idea to fly the craft to the safe zones might actually work.
A moan from Dr. Mac broke her thoughts. Studying his suddenly restless movements, Lisa traded worried looks with Steve. She walked over and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Dr. Mac? Wake up, Dr. Mac, you're dreaming. Dr. Mac?" Gradually shaking the shoulder harder, she raised her eyes to Steve's. "I can't wake him up."
Round eyed and serious, Steve replied, "I'll go find Dr. Fraiser."
"SAM!" Jeff jerked awake and nearly fell off the chair.
Thankfully, Frank was there to catch him. "Easy, bro."
Fighting to get his breathing under control, Jeff grasped his friend's arm and gave his head a little shake. He gazed about the cabin in confusion, finally realizing he was in the shuttle. Then he noticed Dianne, Lisa, and Steve all staring at him worriedly. "I'm okay." Dianne rolled her eyes while the teens continued to look worried.
"Was it a nightmare?" Frank quietly asked. While Jeff had had a few since his torture by the Roaches, Frank usually could wake him with a touch. This had been different.
Jeff slowly shook his head. "It was Sam."
"Damn," Frank quietly swore. Obviously, Sam was in some kind of trouble. "Is he okay?"
"No." Jeff rubbed his face, trying to rein in his scattered thoughts. "But I don't think he's hurt bad and he's with help."
"What are you talking about?" Dianne asked in puzzlement.
Still breathing hard, Jeff glanced at his audience, then caught Frank's eye. Reading the look, Frank squeezed his shoulder. Then Frank partly turned back to the others. "From the first moment Jeff touched each of his children, he could sense their emotions."
Dianne blinked in surprise, both from the outlandish statement and Frank's complete conviction of it. Then Steve blurted, "Just like Keegan could with Harry in your stories?"
"That's right!" Lisa exclaimed. "Didn't you say that Keegan could also sense his sister and brother?" Jeff nodded, giving them a ghost of a smile.
"That's why your grandfather wanted you to be tested for a guide. You have the same ability as your ancestor," Dianne put together.
"Can you feel Sam now?" Frank asked.
Jeff slowly shook his head. "It's gone, but I could feel both Sam and Blair."
"What!" Frank exclaimed. "But Jeff, Blair is..."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. But I KNOW how Blair's mind feels, and Sam called him by name." A rush of relief flowed through his body as he realized that Blair was alive.
Frank's eyes widened. "You could hear voices?"
Jeff nodded. "It was just like that time Blair had the argument with Stover."
"What do you mean?" Dianne questioned, still slightly baffled by the conversation.
Jeff shifted uncomfortably in the seat. "Normally," Frank explained, "Jeff just feels the emotions from his sons. You can usually tell which emotions are coming from which son, right?"
"Yeah," Jeff agreed reluctantly. "Their different personalities flavor their emotions."
"About a year ago," Frank continued, "Blair had completed his senior paper in Culture Studies. However, one of the professors was extremely upset because Blair's paper didn't agree with many of the man's pet theories."
Jeff picked up the story. "Even though Blair had the references to back up his own asser
tions, Dr. Stover refused to even contemplate that Blair had a valid position. One day, Stover caught Blair studying alone and began to harass him. I not only felt Blair's anger and distress, I could also hear the words being said." Taking another deep breath, Jeff slowly released it. "That had never happened before or since. At least not until now."
"Are you sure that's what this was and not a nightmare?" Dianne asked hesitantly.
Jeff nodded. "In dreams, I see pictures. With this, I usually only 'feel' the emotions, and this time I could hear words. Yet I can't SEE what's happening." Again, Jeff ran a shaky hand over his face, frustrated with the limits on his gift. Worried, Lisa handed him the water bottle she had filled up with juice. Jeff gave her a weak smile then took a drink.
"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Frank asked once he thought his friend had recovered.
Jeff closed his eyes. "At first, it was a strong feeling of determination and stealth. The determination is how I recognized it was Sam. Blair's usually has a more stubborn feel to it. By the time I felt a rush of recognition and horror, I was certain it was Sam." Frank again laid a hand on Jeff's trembling shoulder, steadying his friend. Jeff flashed him a look of gratitude. "Then there was this sudden surge of anger. I have never felt that kind of rage from Sam before. I could hear him shout, 'Damn you! Why would you betray scientists to the Roaches and tell them where to drop bombs to kill innocent people?'" He met Frank's eyes. "It had to be one of those human Roaches, because he was telling Sam we were inferior, yet I could tell from Sam's confusion that he didn't understand the statement. Then there was some discussion about Sam not having any proof. Suddenly, there was a voice barking at Sam to move right. It was Blair's voice."
"Are you sure?" Frank pressed. Dianne still looked skeptical, while Lisa and Steve simply stared wide-eyed, absorbing the story.
"Positive. Blair would use the same command and tone when they played ball in the backyard. But apparently Sam didn't move fast enough. I could feel his pain. I think he was hit in the leg."
"Then what happened?" Lisa softly asked, strangely worried about two older boys she had never met.