by Angela White
Marc leaned under the hot water. After everything the world had gone through, it was a wonder that the survivors weren’t all lunatics.
“Ants are clear from all levels above three.” The radio on the rocky shower ledge crackled with Billy’s excited voice.
The ants, angry about being betrayed and needing a new home, were now digging into Safe Haven. They were finding cracks and crevices, but worse, old shafts that had been covered by years of debris. There were a lot more tunnels down here than anyone had realized. As the ants came through and the newest branch-off was discovered, the security risks were being plugged or collapsed. Theo’s team was doing that carefully from the inside, while Adrian did the rest. Marc hoped it went well. He would be glad when it was finished. If this cave system started to fall in, there was no way he would be able to get everyone out alive.
“We’re clear on ants, all levels!” Morgan called cheerfully.
The Eagles had obviously had another battle with the large insects. That rush of happy adrenaline came from surviving, from being successful in their mission. Marc knew it well. He still craved it some days, but the apocalypse had already given him plenty of action and there would be more. There was no danger of his skills becoming rusty.
Already scrubbed, Marc lingered, enjoying the intense steam of a scalding shower. He still hadn’t gotten used to having the wonderful convenience again. His showers, unless Angie was along, had been quick to save water and let him get on to the next duty or challenge. Now, they were sheltering in place for a month. He could take all the time he wanted.
The bottom floor shower was empty around him, with a set of guards who had snapped to when he came in and still hadn’t relaxed. Knowing their attention was on their job allowed Marc to sink down on the seat beneath the ledge that held his guns and radio. He adjusted the water so that it was a hot trickle on his shoulders, then leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. Kenn and Zack, with Kyle and Jennifer over them, were policing the top level of their cave. Neil’s team was policing the second floor, with Daryl and Cynthia supervising two rookie teams on level three. Down here on level four was Ray and most of Marc’s old team. Things were being handled like Angela had instructed and Marc suddenly wished she was here with him so he could hold her in this cloud of peaceful air and promise her things would get better, that the doctor was wrong.
Her injuries were healing quicker than the doctor was comfortable with, but even he was following his instructions to the letter–documenting descendant medical facts to share with the other personnel. There were only a few differences, but they were huge. Future generations would need that information. To conceal his nervousness, the doctor was now traveling in a pack of students, using them to bolster his courage. Marc approved of the coping technique and the training. He’d thought the doctor would have to be run out of Safe Haven because of his attitude, but Angela’s injury had revealed the doctor’s attachment to her despite their love-hate relationship. He was giving her excellent care, according to Hilda and Peggy, who were always nearby.
“Power has been reestablished in the gaming area. You may resume your free time there.” The radio echoed again, this time with Tonya’s calm pitch. They were still repairing Jayson’s treachery. They were also fixing minor issues that would have come up anyway and Marc was satisfied with their shelter. If not for the other problems Angela had predicted, he would never have consented to leave. These mountains had been perfect.
Marc wondered how much time they had before the next crisis hit, but quickly shoved the thought away. This was his down time; time to contemplate and restore his faith. Plans and schemes would come when he had his guns on. Later, there were runs and plans, and then deals and steals. The snowstorm had finally let up, allowing them to send men out for food and water, and some basic gear. The lower level Eagles would make that run while Marc took Angela out of the mountain. The storm had slowed the train people, but they were arriving now. He expected to hear from them within the next few hours. She had to be moved. She wasn’t safe in camp anymore.
Marc turned off the water and tugged his towel down. Draping it over his lap, he remained in the steam, enjoying the sensation. He hadn’t been in a sauna for a long time and the stone walls and floor in here made this a very similar experience. It reminded him of days he’d stolen for himself over the years. He had liked going to a ski lodge where no one knew him or an isolated park, if he felt like roughing it. Life after war was much like how he had existed before the bombs, except that the stress levels were always through the roof and the supplies weren’t sent out all neatly packed and ready for his use. He’d held a theory that an apocalypse would make things easier in some ways, but he’d been wrong. The old world of convenience was gone and it surprised Marc to still be mourning it. He knew some of the camp was also feeling that way. It was hard not to, especially with running water and electricity in the caves, but knowing they were leaving again had brought on this retrospective mindset.
None of these people were eager to go. Even those who believed this place to be cursed were enjoying the TV room, the game cubby, the hot showers and the activity floor. Despite the chaos that had taken place, Safe Haven was calm and relatively happy right now. Angela had lived, Vlad was gone, and there were no more refugees screaming at their gate. If not for overcrowding and her predictions, things would be perfect.
Marc winced as the image of her bloody body on the mountain ran through his mind. Maybe not perfect.
She’d told him he was in charge. The camp already assumed he was, but she’d known it had to be official. Their witnesses, the doctor and students, had approved. They knew his leadership would be enough to get them through until she recuperated, but it bothered Marc to hear the rest of that thought. We hope. Agree with her methods or not, everyone knew Angela was the best person for the job of keeping them alive.
It made Marc need to do better, grow stronger. He had believed things were covered before the chaos wiped away his delusions. This time he wouldn’t make that mistake. He was double and triple checking his plans and decisions, trying to glimpse further ahead like she and Adrian were able to do. He didn’t know if his shortsightedness could be unlearned, but he was determined to try. He was also determined that he wouldn’t be corrupted the way their former leaders had been. He hated to include Angie in with Adrian, but the proof was undeniable. She’d known the avalanche was coming and let it happen to kill hundreds of desperate refugees, and she’d taken life forces. It didn’t hurt him to be with someone who could do those things, but it was killing him to know that she’d fallen. She’d been full of light, despite awful childhood events and worse things as an adult, and he knew she was torn apart over it. His Angie had always been good. For that to change meant she wasn’t at peace with herself anymore. She would need help through this.
“But not from me,” he muttered, anger and pain rising. There was no way he could be unbiased. Intentional or not, her choices had cost him a child.
Tears that no one would ever witness slid down Marc’s cheeks. His dreams of a happy family with Angie shattered and ran over his cheeks in torrents. He had no idea how they would go on from this.
“Rock is secure. I’m in for the night.”
Adrian’s message over the radio reminded Marc that he’d been in here long enough to draw attention. He quickly wiped away the evidence and began drying off. It would be a long night, but hopefully also a quiet one. Marc had a tight rein on his emotions right now, but it wouldn’t take very much to send him into the Marine and no one wanted that while Adrian was locked in the mountain with them. Everything would collapse during the fight, including Safe Haven.
2
“I need to talk to her.”
Shawn glared up at Jennifer, not caring that the mess was crowded or that Kyle was a few feet away. “I won’t let you guys interrogate her again. She’s just a little kid.”
“Stop saying that!” Missy complained loudly, making Shawn wince.
Jennifer took a minute to evaluate the situation before responding, a bit stung that Shawn would think she was a threat. If anything, she was a defender of the kids here. He should know that, but the coldness he was being treated to was making him defensive. Jennifer was sympathetic, but she also agreed with his punishment. It would keep the other Eagles on their toes about letting relationships distract them from their jobs.
Shawn felt the weight of Jennifer’s study, but he didn’t dig the hole any deeper. A lot of the guys had come by to talk to Missy, not caring that they would scare her or bring up bad memories. Shawn didn’t want to be bonded with the child, but he was and that’s something everyone would have to accept.
“They might, in time,” Jennifer granted, joining them at the table. Missy didn’t stop coloring the giant pumpkin on the page.
The child’s skill with the crayons was impressive and Jennifer spent a moment admiring the outlining, the shading and blending the girl had done. All the hues of orange were represented. Does that mean something? Jennifer asked herself. She was trying to hone the instincts and skills that made Angela so effective.
Shawn dropped his chin as a group of Special Forces men strode by to their usual table in the rear of the wide area. They didn’t glance at him.
Missy looked at Jennifer, orbs glowing red. “I’m going to make them stop doing that. I don’t like it.”
Sighing, Jennifer whistled to get Greg’s attention. It drew everyone.
Jennifer cleared her throat. “She says it’s enough. He’s being punished by camp rules, but if you don’t stop being mean to…her man,” Jennifer choked out, “she’ll pay you back.”
Missy’s red orbs were a warning and a threat.
Morgan spoke to the child, still ignoring Shawn. “This is what he deserves, what we’d all deserve if we had done what he did. If you protect him from it, he’ll never be one of us again.”
Missy didn’t like that either, but her irises faded into soft brown confusion. “Why?”
“A man admits when he’s wrong and accepts the consequences,” Shawn stated firmly. “Leave them be.”
Missy’s lips thinned into a line of anger. “Fine.”
Jennifer, and others, hid smirks at how much she sounded like an adult female.
Shawn sighed. “Don’t be mad, honey. It’ll fade in time.”
“They’ll let you back in?”
Shawn shrugged, timbre low. “If I earn it, yes, but I’m not sure that’s what I want any more anyway.”
“You’re letting this drive you out?” Jennifer asked, surprised. His bond with the little girl was stronger than she’d judged.
Missy snorted. “He’s worried over his strength and intelligence. It has nothing to do with me.”
Shawn couldn’t take any more humiliation right then. “I’ll be back when you’re done.”
Shawn marched angrily to the coffee line where the people there fell silent in condemnation.
Missy regarded Jennifer in desperation. “He can’t quit! I lose him if he quits.”
Jennifer was a bit stunned at the emotion in the child’s words, despite knowing descendants were advanced beyond their physical years. She dug into Missy’s mind, scared she was being hurt.
Missy let the woman explore her thoughts. She had nothing to hide.
Relieved that her first notion about Shawn wasn’t true, Jennifer leaned forward so they wouldn’t be overheard. “I’ll help you. Will you help me?”
Missy grinned. “That’s easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Helping you is easy. You need two things and you already have them both.”
Autumn and Kyle, Jennifer thought.
Missy beamed. “They feel the same way.”
Warmed, Jennifer placed a hand on the little girl’s thin wrist. “I’d like to view everything that happened, everything you detected and overheard. May I? I’ll stay with you through the pain.”
Missy had paled, peering around nervously. “Here?”
“We all need to know what happened,” Jennifer explained. “It will give this camp some of the peace that Tara stole from us.”
Missy slowly put the crayon down. “Okay...” She put her free hand under the table and shut her eyes.
Jennifer relayed the images and conversations that were important, storing the rest to give to Marc or Angela. Few people would ever know the fine details of Missy’s abuse. That privacy, small though it was, would help the girl adapt.
“Tara and Donner were sent here by the government. He attacked directly. She was supposed to become one of us and wait for Jack and the descendants on the train to arrive. Missy convinced Jack that he wouldn’t survive unless he split up from his protection. She convinced him that they were the targets of death.”
Around them, Shawn and many camp members moved closer. They wanted to hear the details. Shawn wanted Missy to be giving the information willingly.
“She knew if he came to Safe Haven, Angela and the others here would be able to kill him and Tara for what they’ve done…” Jennifer forced herself to continue, heart breaking. “For killing her real family.”
Murmurs ran through the mess which was now quiet enough to let Jennifer’s voice carry to the sentry on the entrance to the mess–Zack. Pity for the girl hit him in hard waves.
“Jack’s men, some of them, were passive descendants–meaning their gifts are dormant so they aren’t picked up on mental grids. They are called invisibles.”
Across the tables, Kenn kept his profile blank. That’s what I am, he thought without betraying a reaction. I’m an invisible.
“Safe Haven was always a target, even back as far as the bowling alley. The government has had satellites tracking this camp since January.”
“Was Donner or Tara working with Adrian?” Jennifer demanded before anyone else could. “Did he help Tara get into Safe Haven?”
“Who is Adrian?” Missy asked innocently.
Jennifer frowned, catching the girl’s manipulation easily. “The man who was boss of Safe Haven then.”
Missy stared blankly.
Jennifer knew the child was lying, but she was about to get to the information they needed the most and let it go. Later she would ponder why the girl felt a lie was best there.
“Keep going,” Jennifer directed, patting the child’s wrist.
“Jack and Tara were supposed to wait for the trains,” Missy explained. “Jack couldn’t. Jayson almost did, but he got scared. Safe Haven’s light was eating at him, trying to sway him to be good. He triggered the trap too soon and Tara had no choice but to get on board right then or be exposed anyway.”
“Tara didn’t want to do it?”
“Oh, she wanted it, just not right then. She wanted to wait for her sister on the train.”
“Go on,” Jennifer encouraged over the muttering.
“Tara used her gift to confuse the few who might have figured things out. She took energy without permission from everyone who guarded her, except for Tracy. She was scared of the Ghost. She wouldn’t mess with him or his family while she waited. She had one target.”
Charlie, pausing while escorting Tracy to dinner, was glad to hear it even though he was furious that Tara had been able to use others.
“She tried to kill Angela. A lot. See?”
Jennifer absorbed the mental images in horror. “She got the job at the mess so she could poison Angela.”
“I stopped her,” Li Sing stated. “Evil woman quit when told her no, only I serve the chain of command. I taste each dish, too.”
Li received calls of approval and respect from the crowd and from Jennifer, who went on, “She tried to give Jack signals when he came, but the code was too similar to what Adrian had taught the Eagles and she couldn’t give him any information that mattered. She…” Jennifer’s head snapped around to Missy. “She tried to sabotage the cave. Theo interrupted her before she could.”
“Did anyone know all of this was going on?” Doug demanded from the next
table. “Did she have help?”
Almost everyone immediately thought of or looked at Shawn.
Jennifer was still exploring the girl’s memories. “I don’t think so. Jayson and Tara had done this before, in Canada. They went in pretending to be refugees, like they did here. Angela knew what was coming and stopped it. Canada wasn’t as lucky. They burn alive in their bunker.”
“So Angela did know?” Marc asked from the entrance. He’d come in a moment before, drawn by the waves of anger and disappointment.
“Yes. She stopped Missy from telling us the truth that first day we picked them up.”
“Why?”
Jennifer would have answered, but Missy stopped her. “That’s not for us to say.”
Jennifer sighed. “As much as I understand, kid, not this time. Tell him. He has the right to know.”
Missy focused on Marc with sympathy and sadness. “You were going to die in that fight. She didn’t want you there.”
“She saved him,” Jennifer muttered. “She didn’t know Vlad would punch her in the gut.”
“No one could have known that,” Missy stated firmly. “Even my details aren’t that fine.”
Jennifer understood what the girl was trying to do, but she didn’t concur. Marc deserved to know the truth. Angela had gone up that mountain alone to save him. The price had been their child.
“And why do I have to know that?” Marc spat, furious. “Why does it matter?”
“Because you can’t help her if you don’t understand how much she loves you. She went up there to die for you if it was needed. She didn’t know the baby was going to be his target. You have to help her. You’re the only one who can.”