by Angela White
“Go on,” Angela ordered him off. “I’m good on updates.”
“I should escort you in,” he stated uneasily. The bad vibes about her going in had lessened as the weariness caught up. “I don’t like not going over it all again when they’re finished.”
“A few hours yet?” Angela asked.
“Yes. They’re checking welds and ropes right now.”
“Just have them tell Marc, instead of me,” Angela suggested, already sure Marc wouldn’t go to bed until after she was topside. “He’ll stay within an arm’s length of me at all times.”
“Yeah, that’ll work,” Theo agreed. Marc would keep her safe no matter what happened. “Thanks.” Theo was in his bed in less than a minute, boots still on.
Angela, waiting by the QZ gate, observed the two guards who had just ended their shift over Tara and Missy.
“Boss,” Daryl greeted her. “New shifts up, QZ is clear.”
“Good. Calm night?” Angela asked Kendle.
“Uh, mostly. Kid had a bad dream. Both went back to sleep without coming out.”
“What have you picked up?” Angela insisted, trying hard to treat Kendle like any other Eagle.
Kendle frowned, though she’d been warned to be ready for this. “I only tried a couple times and couldn’t get anything from either of them. Like…steel doors and bottomless pits. Creepy.”
Daryl’s expression said she should know, but he didn’t speak. He hadn’t said a single word to her during their shift and he planned to keep it that way.
“Why?” Angela demanded, upset with them both. “She’s an Eagle. She fought in our war. Do your duty.”
Angela rotated to scold Kendle and found the Survival Challenge star cringing away.
“What the hell?”
Daryl felt it too, though not as strongly, and was able to choke out, “Heat!”
Angela immediately understood, forcing a barrier around herself that wouldn’t let anything get through without notice. “That’s me. Sorry.”
Both Eagles recovered, but kept their distance, and Angela wasn’t offended. “It’s an emotion thing.”
Uneasy, Kendle retreated further and Angela pinned her in place. “If you can’t try, you can’t stay.”
“And I told you to teach her something on every shift.”
Marc’s voice behind them held all the warmth of an iceberg.
Daryl sputtered, “I waited until we weren’t on duty because I knew we’d fight and be distracted.”
“Fine,” Marc approved. “What lesson?”
“We’re going to the training tent to get her kai lessons going,” Daryl defended. “And you know I wouldn’t abuse my skills to hurt her.”
“Does she know that?” Angela asked.
“Uh,” Daryl turned to Kendle. “I wouldn’t, you know. No matter how mad you make me. I’m a good guy.”
“There’s no such thing,” Kendle intoned, leading the way. “But come try to convince me anyway. I won’t be able to sleep yet. Maybe you can bore me into it.”
Angela swallowed a snicker. She didn’t want to like Kendle, but that spunk was hard to ignore. If Kendle ever settled down, she would be leadership and as much as Angela hated it personally, she also was anticipating it. Kendle would be a vigorous defender.
Of the women, her witch stated, still staying back and quietly taking energy to store.
And those women will defend their men and children together. It will all work out in the end, Angela answered. She believed that, but she also knew it couldn’t happen without pieces falling into place perfectly. She wasn’t counting on that, but she wasn’t going to interfere with however fate chose to handle that future. She’d done her part. Now, others would attempt to do theirs.
And when you end up on opposite sides? the witch questioned. Will you regret your actions then?
Never! Angela swore furiously. Never.
“Are you all right?” Daryl asked. Marc was scanning the foggy mountains cliffs and shadows, but Daryl had caught some of the emotions flashing across Angela’s face.
“Distracted,” she answered, smiling a bit at the word. Distracted didn’t even come close to her mental state these days, but this was a vacation with servants compared to what was coming.
“You know where I’ll be,” Daryl said dryly, and left them alone.
Marc took a moment to admire Angela’s hair in the sharp sunrays that were beginning to break through. It was like fire dancing on darkness.
Angela swept the defenses that Marc had handled overnight. She assumed he would keep going until she told him it was enough, which it wouldn’t ever be if the future didn’t change.
Wanting to be sure he understood her views on it, she asked, “Can we add another tower, with a few more guns?”
Marc’s expression was priceless.
“Really? I love you so much!”
Angela let the laughter roll and it brought the bubble over them to life.
Those awake to witness it stared in approval and relief. The shield was brilliant blue, with steaks of green and gold–calm and happy. There were faint tinges of yellow and even orange here and there, but the majority of her people were safe and snug, and the small percentage didn’t dent her mood. It was much less than 17%.
Marc, unhappy but unable to protest, said, “Theo’s ready for you. They had a great night.”
“Sweet.” Angela didn’t have to be told that putting Jennifer with them had helped. It was why she’d assigned the girl there. Jennifer’s mind was a priceless resource and it would be used for the future. “Let’s go.”
3
“We’re all set,” Theo said, holding out a rope.
Marc frowned, but still didn’t protest as Angela strode confidently to the cave entrance. She’d submitted to wearing his gear and the ropes, though none of the men were wearing them. There wasn’t anything else he could say to keep her from going inside that cave. Afterward, she was off-duty and supposed to eat, then sleep.
“You stay close,” Marc ordered, unable to keep silent as he attached the final rope to his belt.
“Yes, dear,” Angela joked. She understood his nervousness. She had a touch of it herself, but she didn’t want anyone to know.
“Clear room,” Kyle ordered, he and a small crew coming to provide her escort. They would be leaving afterwards.
Before she could protest, Kyle snapped a second line onto her caving belt, and then secured it to his own harness.
“No offense,” he told Marc.
Marc laughed, aware of Angela’s displeased expression. “None taken.”
Angela refused to get upset and drew her personal bubble in tighter. Now that she knew it worked, she would teach the other pregnant women to do the same and cut down on awkward moments. She would also dedicate a new notebook to handling descendants.
The cave entrance was wide and littered with cords and equipment. Only a small path was cleared through the boxes and crates of equipment that the building crews had requested first.
Angela walked around them carefully, hoping the teams were establishing a system of organization. Things would go quicker.
The cave floor was a nightmare and Angela understood Marc being so paranoid, but she wondered if Kyle had been this way with Jennifer while she worked in here.
Not seeing the damp patch on the sheet of metal that had recently been dragged in to cover part of the gap, Angela’s boot slipped and sent her flailing toward the edge.
Marc snapped his rope and caught her as she was jerked away from the danger zone.
Angela clutched Marc’s arm, stomach cramping. “Change the belt–now.”
Marc realized where the pressure had been centered and swore furiously as he worked the harness links. He hadn’t even thought about it.
Angela concentrated on breathing evenly and the drip of the water down the walls. When she was reasonably confident everything was okay, she pulled out of Marc’s hands and headed for the next area.
Shaken, Mar
c indicated for Kyle to take her side and tried to get his breathing under control. He and Kyle had agreed that Angela, more than anyone else here, was a target. She was clumsy at times and drew danger without meaning to, and she had reckless moments that they held little control over. Both males had agreed that until the cave was safe, Angela would be harnessed to at least one of them, but preferably both. Their caution had just been proven necessary and Marc was incredibly grateful for that decision. It all could have ended right there in front of him–a simple, agonizing arm’s length too short.
Kyle’s men patted Marc’s shoulder as he caught up to the group, shortening the rope to Angela. They understood his near panic and respected him even more for roping her against her will.
“This will be a main living area. TVs, games, and that list,” Angela instructed, trying not to think about how near she’d just been to death. “This next one will be perfect for our training.”
The crew followed her through the first level of the cave, taking notes and staying close in case she slipped again. When they reached the second level, where a rope waited to transport them to the next landing, Angela felt the tension increase.
“If I can’t do this, then the herd can’t do this,” Angela informed them, using Kyle’s arm for balance as she put her boot on the first rung of the rope ladder.
Her point was hard to argue with and the males waited tensely for her to reach the bottom, where several Eagles were already standing guard. They had security set up throughout the caves and all the exits would be on camera as soon as the power was on.
Angela climbed from the ladder, aware of Kyle waiting to drop down by the rope that had been put there for that reason. She got out of the way and his big body came through the hole.
Kyle made contact with the sentries who had come over at the noise, and then took up a nearby post to wait for the rest of the crew.
Angela, tethered to Kyle and Marc, also had to wait. She passed the time by studying what she could see of the caverns around them. This second level held multiple areas, each with their own set of tunnels and caves. She noted that the cleaners had been here too, but they hadn’t been able to remove the odor of dampness. Angela didn’t think there was enough bleach to accomplish that. Mildew and mold always lingered in caves.
Once everyone was down and in place, Marc nodded and Angela went into the first cavern, taking a mining hat from the box before he could tell her to. She flipped on the light and adjusted the angle, then led the way. This wasn’t something she needed to be scared of. It was something she needed to learn, to perfect, and then be able to pass to her herd. If they didn’t get a chance to try living here, nowhere would satisfy them.
“We’ll make this the sleeping side,” Angela stated, pointing to natural cuts and crevices in the walls that would eventually be their shelving. “Same setup as usual, but I want Eagle stations in each area. One man, one female–one senior, one rookie.”
Marc and Kyle were making notes, but the rest of their protection detail was paying attention to their surroundings and not caring for the shadows and the odd groans and moans of the earth. It was more than unsettling. It was nerve-wracking.
“I want the bathrooms for the sleeping area over here,” Angela said as they entered an adjoining cavern. The smell of mold increased. “Once we reinforce that gap, it might be perfect for the composting toilets.”
Angela pointed at a small indent in the center. “Put a washing system there, something for hands and faces for half a dozen people at a time.”
Angela moved to the cavern across from the sleeping side and immediately spotted a ledge that they needed. “Use this room for the showers. Have the buffalos put on that ledge, once it’s evaluated and supported. Place the showers in a six-cube around an Eagle station–same setup as the sleeping. One male, one female–one senior, one rookie.”
“That’s going to cause some problems,” Marc commented, thinking of their more prudish and shy members.
“I prefer they’re safe and not raped,” Angela stated. “The women will get over it after hearing you say that. Also, it allows the men to be in the next shower over, so they know their female or child is protected.”
“We’re using the new stalls, right?” Kyle verified. “The ones with the full doors?”
“Yes. The Eagles will only be there to prevent problems and because of their presence, there shouldn’t be any,” Angela answered, sweeping the walls for bugs. She didn’t detect anything crawling, but knew better than to think insects weren’t down here. “We’ll need something for the bugs. A gel maybe, so it won’t be ruined by the dampness.”
“I know the perfect stuff for spiders and centipedes,” Bobby offered, not taking his attention from the cavern he was facing. He hadn’t seen anything, but he had felt a disturbance. “It’s called Ever Green dust.”
“Great. Add it to the next run going out, if we don’t already have it,” Angela instructed.
Angela assigned the other areas on the second level quickly, and moved to the rear of the widest tunnel, where another large hole and rope waited.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t go down there,” the guard on the hole stated, swallowing nervously. “We took a vote.”
Angela could have argued, but she knew they had counted on her reaction and then accounted for it. She held out a hand and Kyle placed a small folder in it.
Angela examined the pictures, approving of the lamination. Cynthia was discovering ways to get them using office supplies again and it was wonderful.
“That’s our waste spot,” Angela said, pointing. “The notes I read earlier said that pit is hundreds of feet deep. As long as we add the right chemicals and exhaust, it’ll be perfect.”
“What about the garbage dump and recycling rooms?” Marc asked, suddenly wanting her above the ground.
“Here for the garbage,” she answered, pointing to a place on the picture. “Make that the kitchen area and we’ll put the animals in this corner.”
“That’s good,” Kyle observed. “We’ll still have room for the butchering and classes without contamination.”
“Yes. We’ll need a shower or two down here. Same monitoring system, but this shower will be open at limited times, and only to the people who butcher and work with livestock.”
“Medical bay goes on the first floor?” Kyle asked.
“Second, in that cubby next to the communication room. The doctor won’t care for it, but he’ll spend most of his time topside at the QZ anyway, so talk him down when he finds out,” Angela instructed, giving a hint for the future that even Marc missed. She still didn’t like the new doctor, and neither did any of the other women. He wasn’t gentle and the students laboring with him were starting to complain about his snide comments concerning the descendants and their pregnancies. He didn’t think the babies were human. Angela wasn’t looking forward to Marc discovering that.
“What about training?” Marc wanted to confirm his suggestion to leave that topside for now. He also wanted to be finished and he gently took Angela by the arm to steered them toward the ladder.
“Yes, topside, for now,” Angela acquiesced. “Along with the center fire, the larger animals, and supply truck crates. We’ll bring it down as we need it.”
Marc didn’t stop when they got to the ladder. He took the pictures from her and tugged her toward the rope.
Angela caught his twitchy vibes and didn’t argue. She climbed, trying to go quickly, and felt him coming up right behind her.
They had to wait for Kyle, the ropes linking them not long enough to reach between levels, but Marc didn’t pause any longer than he had to. The sense that Angie needed to get out of here was too strong to ignore.
Angela read Marc’s thoughts and became concerned, but she wasn’t picking up anything at all on her own and it was frustrating.
“Damn,” Marc swore, leading her around the hole she’d almost slipped into earlier. “Adrian spotted a group coming. Says they’re trouble.”
Angela understood why she hadn’t been able to pick up anything and she unlocked Kyle’s rope first. “Go check that out. I need to cover the herd if there’s shooting. They won’t take much of that so soon after what we just went through.”
Kyle headed for the QZ, hearing the revving engines of someone who was not driving calm and careful on these treacherous mountain roads. He paused and looked back. “How do you want it handled?”
Angela sighed, unhappy that her fears were already being proven. “Trouble makers go in paddock C.”
None of them were amused by the joke and Angela pointed to the area that had been fenced in last night. It was near Adrian’s site and that wasn’t lost on any of them. “That’s Zone C. It’s for the people we’re not letting in or those we want to keep track of while we make up our minds.”
That implied there would be other holding areas in the QZ and Marc stayed by her side as she went to the mess to check in with Doug. He wanted to be around if Kyle had to handle the new arrivals. The Eagles were free to use their own judgment on issues like that–the senior teams–and Angela was confident Kyle wouldn’t take any lives that he didn’t have to. As for those who needed to be taken, Kyle was no longer the executioner. Someone else now held that terrible, soul-crushing job and he would be better at it than even the mobster had been.
“Once things are clear, I’d like the crews to get rolling on the blueprints,” Angela stated, aware that Marc’s concern hadn’t eased. “Actually, I’ll get Greg to cover that. Why don’t you go–”
Marc immediately followed Kyle and Angela approved. Both of those men had loved ones inside these gates and their attitudes were ‘shoot first and question later.’ It was exactly what an apocalypse called for.
Greg joined Angela and she handed him a small envelope with a sticky note on the front.
Greg read it.