Forsaken World (Book 4): Dark Crossing

by Watson, Thomas A.

  “What did we do to piss them off?” Ian asked, wanting to open up on the tigers.

  “Let’s get inside and see if they found something while we were gone,” Lance said, spinning around.

  Instead of running for the buggies, Lance and Ian ran for the front door. Seeing the boys running, Lilly made sure Allie was in and took off to the back of the house. When she stopped, Lilly waited on the kids to get out.

  “What’s up with them?” Jennifer asked, climbing out.

  “Don’t know, but they didn’t like how the tigers were acting,” Lilly answered, pulling out her key and Denny gasped, seeing the huge key.

  “That’s the biggest key I’ve ever seen!” Denny cried in awe.

  They walked in and Allie and Carrie showed them upstairs, so they could put their stuff away. Lilly and Jennifer headed down to the bunker and found Lance and Ian at the control desk. “So, what’s wrong?” she asked, stopping behind Lance.

  “The tigers were in their treehouse when we reached the diversion fence,” Lance said, and Lilly nodded, seeing the time stamp at the bottom of the screen. Then, the tigers looked up the hill and leapt from the treehouse before running toward the camera.

  “That’s when we reached the back of the fence,” Lance noted, clicking the mouse and showing everyone the buggies driving beside the fence. “Then they hid!” Lance cried out, clicking the mouse to show the cameras in front of the cabin.

  The tigers slinked off into the bushes and stayed there until the buggies came into view. “They’ve never done that,” Jennifer mumbled.

  “We know, so why do it now?” Ian asked.

  After a few seconds, Lilly spoke, “I wonder if they smelled the new kids.”

  Lance looked back at her, “You’re giving the pussies too much credit. They are just big cats, and cats are stupid.”

  “Lance, they are smarter than you think. They could associate us like their caretakers. That’s why they attacked those Nazis so fast,” Lilly offered. “Tigers have the biggest brain-to-body size of all big cats. Not to mention, they are biggest of all the cats.”

  “Well, that’s the only time any sensors were tripped after we left,” Ian said, standing up. “Attack-trained, intelligent pussy, now that’s a terrifying prospect.”

  “What about the kids and them coming into the bunker?” Jennifer asked.

  “No,” Lance said, getting up. “I’m going to the shop and finish the control for the gates.”

  “I’m helping,” Ian said, following Lance. “I want the mean pussy to stay outside.”

  Lilly and Jennifer went up to talk to the kids, only to find the kids were sitting on the couch with Allie and Carrie standing in front of them. “You can’t go to the basement until Lance and Ian say,” Carrie told them, and the kids nodded.

  “Don’t go outside without one of us because you have to have a key to get in,” Allie said, holding up the massive key. “Any questions?”

  When none were asked, Allie and Carrie led the kids outside and Jennifer noted the kids were wearing the airsoft gear. “Should I be mad about them not asking to use my gear?” Jennifer asked in a low voice.

  “‘Man card’ rules say weapons only, and airsoft aren’t weapons but should be trained with like weapons,” Lilly answered verbatim what the boys had spit out constantly as she walked over to the stairs, unbuckling gear. “I’m getting out of this shit.”

  After they’d shed their combat gear, Lilly and Jennifer headed outside and found Carrie and Allie running the three through basic combat drills. Leaving the two drill instructors alone, they headed to the shop only to find it empty.

  “How long has Lance been working on the gate remotes?” Lilly asked.

  “Since we got here,” Jennifer answered as they headed to the gates. “The rolling inner gate, Lance said he had it ready before you got here, but the outer gate, he’s had fits with.”

  “Why not just make it a rolling gate as well?” Lilly asked, and Jennifer laughed.

  “I said the same damn thing and Lance never gave me an answer,” Jennifer told her.

  Coming around the corner, they found Ian at one end of the rolling gate and Lance at the other, with the hybrid buggy parked at the gate. Getting closer, they saw the boys were bolting brackets to the gate with a very heavy bike chain.

  “Well, that explains why Lance was ripping apart farm equipment,” Jennifer mumbled.

  When they were done, the boys moved to the hybrid and both picked up a metal box. From the way they grunted, Lilly could tell it was heavy as hell. Wanting to help but not knowing how, Lilly and Jennifer followed them to the fence as they set the box next to the large end post of the gate.

  Seeing a huge sprocket coming out of the side of the box, Lilly nodded as Ian lifted the heavy chain up and Lance used his feet to push the box. When the sprocket was under the chain Lance stopped, and Ian let the chain go, dropping it onto the sprocket.

  Grabbing huge bolts, they bolted the box to the end pole, holding it in place. “Have to say, that’s neat,” Jennifer mumbled.

  When they were done, Ian grabbed an electrical cord and started hooking it up to the box. Lance moved to the buggy and saw the girls. “Can you cover me?” he asked, and they nodded. “Ian, flip the motor to neutral.”

  When Ian flipped a switch on the box, Lance opened the inner gate four feet and the girls gripped their ARs. After grabbing another box from the buggy, Lance carried it out of the gate to the pole that the outer gate was mounted on. With his face changing colors, Lance lifted it up and Lilly noticed a cup welded to the side of the box.

  Setting the cup on the mounting pole, Lance stepped back, panting. “You’d better work,” he warned the box. Ian pushed past the girls, pulling cords and carrying a welding helmet. Handing them to Lance, Ian headed back to the buggy.

  Lance put the welding helmet on and connected the welder to the pole. “You’re on,” Ian called, turning the welder on. The girls looked away as Lance welded the cup to the mounting pole and Ian carried more equipment out.

  Hooking an arm to a large cam on the box, Ian extended it to the gate and then made a mark before letting the arm go. Hooking up an electrical cord while Lance welded around the pole, Ian fed the cord through the chain-link fence and headed to the cabin, laying out the cord from both boxes.

  When Lilly turned back, Lance was welding on the fence. After Lance was done, Lilly saw he had welded a bracket to the gate.

  Taking off his helmet, “Will one of you turn the welder off?” Lance called out, grabbing the dangling arm.

  Covering the area as Jennifer moved to the buggy to turn off the welder, Lilly glanced over as Lance hooked up the arm to the gate. “You have power,” Ian called from the cabin.

  Tightening the arm down, Lance looked over at Lilly and nodded. “Ready?” Lance asked, and Lilly turned to the trees. Lance pushed a button and the gate swung open really fast, making Lilly jump. In two seconds, the gate went from closed to open. Then just as fast, the gate closed.

  “Nice,” Ian said, coming out with Jennifer.

  “This stupid cam was giving me fits,” Lance told them, and they watched as the gate opened again and the arm connected to the gate was pushed out by the large cam, then pulled back when the gate closed.

  “I would’ve made the gate roll, as long as you’ve been working on it,” Jennifer said as Lance moved over and wrapped the chain around the gate, locking it.

  “That’s changing the problem for another problem. Tomorrow, I’ll weld the automatic latches for the gates,” Lance responded, leading them back through the inner gate. “Okay, Ian,” Lance said, and Ian moved down to the box and pressed a button. The motor hummed as the sprocket rolled the gate back. Not as fast as the outer gate, but about as fast as they could roll the gate back.

  When the gate was open, Ian stopped the motor and mounted a bar on the chain, then pressed a button and the gate rolled closed. As the gate reached the bracket on the post, Ian pushed the button and mounted another
piece of metal from the chain, then pushed the button again.

  This time, the gate stopped by itself when it opened, and Lilly saw the metal bar from the chain touching a switch. “Okay, I’m impressed,” Lilly said as the gate started closing.

  Lance and Ian gathered up their stuff and Lilly and Jennifer rode back to the ATV shed. Seeing the kids still running drills, they headed inside, and Lance hooked up controls for the gates in the bunker and beside the front door.

  With the light fading, Jennifer stopped the training and told the kids to come in. Lance was at the table when the tiny drill sergeants led their troops in. “Lori, Denny, and Jodi, shower up so we can eat,” Lance called out, and they took off.

  Lance waited until the three were in the bathrooms and called everyone to the table. “Okay,” he said, looking at everyone. “I move forward that Lilly Ricci be made a full member of this group. She has shown to be a great help and always works as hard as she can. Are there any objections?”

  Lilly sensed her pulse quickening and felt lightheaded.

  “I second the motion,” Jennifer said.

  “I think we should vote,” Allie said, smiling.

  “All in favor, raise your hand,” Lance said, and everyone raised their hand. “Let it be recognized, Lilly Ricci’s probation period is over and she has shown she works hard, so she is now part of this group permanently.”

  Everyone cheered and ran over, hugging Lilly as the group grew by one.

  Chapter 14

  Feeling a hand shake him, Denny sat up. “Huh?” he mumbled, trying to open his eyes.

  “It’s time to get up,” Lilly said softly.

  Finally getting his eyes open, Denny leaned over the top bunk he was on and saw Lance’s bed next to him was already made up. Looking below him, Denny saw Ian’s bed made up. “Where are they?” he asked, scrambling for the side.

  “Downstairs,” Lilly chuckled as Denny dropped down.

  “They were reading till, like, one last night,” Denny yawned, seeing the clock read 0530.

  Pulling on some shorts, Denny saw Jennifer waking up the ladybugs and Jodi who was sleeping with them above Lance’s bed. He turned and saw his sister, Lori, getting dressed. “I wish they would’ve woken me up,” Denny said, grabbing a shirt.

  “Join the club, Denny,” Lilly laughed, making her bed up.

  Grabbing his covers, Denny pulled them and started making his bed up. Moving fast, Denny finished and looked at his bed, then down at Ian’s. “Aw, man,” he mumbled, moving back to his bed and making it neater.

  “Go to the other side,” Lilly told him, grabbing his shoulders and moving him out of the way. With Lilly’s help, the bed was made up much neater.

  “Thank you,” Denny said, grabbing his socks and shoes. “You need help?” he asked.

  “Already done,” Lilly told him, grabbing her tote bag. She turned to see Jennifer helping Lori make her bed. Turning around Lilly sighed, putting her tote bag down and moved over, helping the ladybugs and Jodi make their bed. “You know, if you slept on bottom, it wouldn’t be so hard.”

  “Lance sleeps on the bottom bunk,” Allie snapped, hanging like a monkey and tucking the other side in.

  Laughing at Allie swinging, “Lance said they had two more beds and he would put one up for each of you,” Lilly reminded her.

  “No, we’ll sleep here,” Carrie replied, tucking in the bottom.

  The ladybugs and Jodi dressed as Lilly grabbed her tote bag and headed downstairs to find Lance and Ian sitting on the couch, reading and drinking coffee. Before she could ask about Denny, he came walking in from the kitchen with a cup of coffee.

  Seeing Ian reading a book on chemistry Lilly shook her head, knowing it was out of her league. Lance was reading another CAD book or Computer Assisted Drafting. Lilly only knew that it too was above her head. Lance was teaching her computers, but she had a long way to go to catch up. At one time she’d thought she knew computers, then she met Lance.

  Walking behind the sectional, Lilly leaned over and kissed Lance on the cheek. “You could’ve gotten me up,” she said softly, seeing 3D wire diagrams on the page.

  “You just looked too cute to wake up,” Lance replied, not looking away from the pages.

  About to turn to the bathroom, Lilly saw Denny staring at the two reading. Sighing, she walked over to her desk and picked up her first book on CAD, CAD for Dummies. Lilly had to admit, it was a good book, but all it had done was open a world she wasn’t prepared for.

  “Here, I finished it,” Lilly said, handing the book to Denny. “They are always learning, so if you want to catch up, you need to start.”

  Taking the book and setting his coffee cup down, “Thank you,” Denny beamed. Sitting back, he opened the book and started reading.

  As Lilly headed to the bathroom, “Do you know computers?” Lance asked, not looking away from his book.

  “A little. I can work in BASIC and C. I was learning C++ and Python before the stinkers,” Denny answered, propping the book up on his chest like Lance and Ian were.

  “Then you should understand that,” Lance told him as the rest came downstairs.

  Lori looked at the three on the couch and then turned to Jennifer. “I thought we were working out?”

  “After coffee,” Jennifer smiled, heading to the kitchen.

  With Jodi between them and holding her hands, Allie and Carrie moved in front of Lance. Lifting his eyes from the book, “Yes?” Lance asked.

  “It’s time to brush our hair,” Allie smiled.

  Glancing back at the women’s bathroom, “Lilly isn’t here yet,” Lance told her, dropping his eyes back to the book.

  “You can start,” Allie replied, losing the smile and bordering on making a sad face.

  Marking his page, Lance closed the book. “When are you two going to brush your own hair?”

  “Never,” Carrie told him flatly, sounding very honest and holding up a brush.

  Sighing with a groan, Lance grabbed the brush and sat up. Letting Jodi’s hand go, Carrie clapped her hands as she turned around. Scooting up to the edge, Lance started brushing her long red hair. “You know, sometimes I’m not in the mood for this,” Lance told her.

  “But you do it good,” Carrie told him, holding her head straight.

  Walking out of the bathroom, Lilly chuckled as she walked around the sectional. “So, we picked up another one?”

  Letting out a grumble and rolling his eyes, Lance continued brushing Carrie’s hair as Lilly sat down and Allie handed her a brush. Then Allie grabbed Jodi by the shoulders, turning her around and pushing her between Lilly’s legs. “They don’t even pull hard,” Allie whispered as Lilly went to work.

  Jennifer and Lori walked in carrying coffee mugs. Setting Ian’s down, Jennifer sat down beside him and glanced at his book. “I don’t like books with pages of equations,” she told Ian, taking a sip.

  “I’m going to make some P-E-T-N, and I want to make sure I haven’t missed anything,” Ian said, studying the equations.

  “Wow,” Denny gasped, looking up in wonder.

  Sitting down beside her brother, “You know what that is?” Lori asked.

  “Explosives,” Denny told her in awe, looking at Ian. “Powerful explosives.”

  Rolling her eyes, “Figures,” Jennifer mumbled.

  “When are you making the next batch of potassium hydroxide?” Lance asked, braiding Carrie’s hair.

  “Few days,” Ian answered, turning the page and Jennifer saw the next pages had words, most she couldn’t pronounce, but they were words. “I don’t like making it until the battery housings are put together, because then I don’t have to store it.”

  Finished with Carrie, Lance grabbed Allie and started on her hair while Lilly finished Jodi’s hair. “All done,” Lilly said, and Jodi turned around and hugged her.

  “Thank you,” Jodi said, letting her go. Grabbing Jodi’s hand, Carrie pulled her to the kitchen

  “So, what’s after workout?” Lori ask
ed, wondering if she should be reading.

  “We are working on the greenhouse for three hours, and you guys will be doing combat drills for an hour and then coming to help,” Lance said, fighting a knot. With a big smile, Denny leaned back and continued reading.

  Coming back in and carrying coffee mugs, Jodi gave one to Lilly and Carrie gave Lance his. “Thank you,” Lilly smiled as the girls ran back to the kitchen.

  “What did you do last night to have knots like this?” Lance asked, finally brushing the knot out.

  “If my hair isn’t braided, it gets knotted from my helmet,” Allie told him. Holding his tongue because he was the one who’d refused to braid her hair yesterday, Lance started braiding.

  With hair finally done, Lance grabbed his coffee after Allie hugged him and took off to the kitchen. “Can we take our coffee and start working out now?” Lance asked, looking around.

  “You in a hurry?” Lilly asked.

  “There is just shit we need to be doing,” Lance blurted out and Ian closed his book, turning to Jennifer.

  “You don’t mind?” Ian asked, and Jennifer winked at him, shaking her head.

  “Oh, and I’m the pansy,” Lance huffed.

  Getting up, Jennifer looked at Lance with a smile. “He’s being nice, so butt out,” Jennifer snapped with a menacing glare as everyone got up, heading for the back door.

  The kids watched as the three worked out and were blown away. When Denny tried to use thirty-pound dumbbells, Lance took them away and gave him fifteen-pound dumbbells. “Don’t use more weight than you can handle. Ian and I have been working out a long time,” Lance told him, picking up the seventy-pound dumbbells. “Trust me, ripping a muscle hurts and you are down for a long time.”

  Moving up behind Denny, Jennifer whispered in his ear. “They have been working out for two years, but just started getting serious since this happened. Start slow and work your way up. Both of them started with those weights.”

  Turning to Jennifer, Denny gave her a nod and he smiled. When Denny started to copy what Lance was doing, Jennifer watched Lilly come over, wiping her face off with a towel. After Lance dropped the dumbbells and stood up, Lilly kissed his cheek and then moved to the next machine in their workout.