by Angela White
Angela and her long center table also lingered with the crowd, always surprised that they could have so many people in one place without fights or other problems. Safe Haven truly was a light in this apocalyptic darkness for all of them. For those outside the gates, listening and longing, it was a beacon that would bring in good and bad alike.
Marc scanned the constantly shifting masses of people, uneasy and proud at the same time. They’d accomplished a lot–before and after Adrian–and they would continue to do so. Angela had an inherent talent for bringing progress and she knew who was best suited for each job. She was fair, smart, and she had more brains here than brawn. It was a good mix of people and Marc lifted his cup to Neil, who had just returned. His team hadn’t encountered any trouble and everyone assumed Kyle’s wreck, the three deaths, Shane’s wreck, and Marc’s lurkers had covered Angela’s prediction and then some. The north had been rough, but they had indeed gotten many things from it.
Marc spotted Tara and Shawn eating together, and then Missy sitting behind him, humming and happily throwing bacon bits at him. Shawn was pretending not to notice and Tara couldn’t see it from where she was sitting. Marc hid a snicker. That kid would need a firm hand and Shawn wasn’t up to the task.
Doug came through the crowd to their table and everyone was surprised when he sat his tray down and joined them. When the stares got to him, Doug shrugged. “I need some me time.”
There were confused looks as conversations continued. Across the mess, Peggy was sitting with Hilda and Tonya, and Marc wondered what was going on there. Tonya said she wanted to have medical skills, but Peggy ignoring Doug was strange–as was Tonya not sitting with Kenn. That man was at the rookie table, waiting for the new teams lists to be posted. Angela had insisted on doing it after dinner so there wouldn’t be any slacking by people who didn’t like their final placement. When Doug finished eating, he would write it out on the board.
Neil came to the table, but didn’t sit down. “Has anyone seen Samantha?”
Tension fell over the command table and Neil studied the suddenly uneasy faces in concern. “What is it?”
“Sam went off mission,” Marc said. “They were attacked and one of the team was taken. Adrian and I had to go get him. We took Samantha along.”
“And she got hurt?” Neil demanded. “What?”
“She’s fine,” Angela answered. “But she feels responsible for the man’s injury and she won’t leave his side.”
“But she’s okay?” Neil didn’t care about the rest until he knew that.
“Yes,” Angela assured. “But she wants to resign from my team, and she’s demanding a trial so we’ll punish her.”
Neil was scowling so hard his forehead had almost disappeared. “Are you? Punishing her?”
“I don’t need to,” Angela replied.
“Yes, you do,” Neil sent back quickly. He knew Samantha and she wouldn’t let something like this go. “If you punish her, she can move on.”
And if not, she’ll keep on torturing herself?” Angela asked.
“Yeah,” Neil confirmed. “She’s hardheaded that way.”
“I thought so,” Angela remarked. “But I wanted to be sure by talking to you or Jeremy about it first.”
“Treat her like any other Eagle,” Neil suggested. “The punishments aren’t that harsh, but the embarrassment can be.”
“I’ll handle it,” Angela promised. “She’s in the medical tent with the doctor.”
Neil quickly maneuvered through the full mess people, waving to Jeremy, and the two men left the together with Neil speaking worriedly into Jeremy’s ear.
They went straight to the medical tent and found Samantha asleep on the cot between two men that appeared to have had a very rough time.
Samantha didn’t wake as Neil went to the doctor and Jeremy waited by the flap to be certain they had privacy.
The doctor grimaced upon seeing them, but not with the usual hatred that he often expressed for the higher-level Eagles.
“Good. Get her out of here. I can’t take the crying anymore.”
Neil held out a hand and the doctor stared in surprise at the old book.
“I found it at the last run. Thought maybe you could use it.”
The doctor gaped, dumbfounded, at the pristine manual. “That’s a Forbes Winslow!”
Acting as if he didn’t care, Neil shrugged. “Saw medical words and thought of you.” Neil went to Samantha before the surprised doctor could form a response.
“Samantha, honey?”
Samantha woke quickly and groggily, and immediately surveyed David’s leg.
She burst into fresh tears and let her men lead her to their tent, where they would care for her.
The doctor stared, forced to admit that he’d been unkind to people who didn’t deserve it. He may not like some of the procedures here, but these people loved each other as much as anyone could. He’d become convinced of that while listening to Samantha beg David for forgiveness, even while he wasn’t awake to grant it.
The doctor slowly sat down, forgetting about shutting up for the night, and began to thumb through Obscure Diseases of the Brain and Disorders of the Mind, by Forbes Winslow. He’d always wanted one, but could never afford it.
2
Former Eagle Teams
Kyle: Chris, Daryl, Shawn, Billy, Morgan, Crone, Denny, Theo, Angela
Neil: Jeremy, Greg, Wade, Ben, Daniel, Jake, Tim, Steven
Zack: Allan, Donald, Lee, Frank, Ozzie, Brandon, Simon, Pete
Seth: Jeff, Rusty, Jack, Ryan, Bruce, Tommy, Joey, Robert
Kevin: Ray, Dexter, Logan, Alex, Francis, Scott, Josh, Whitney
Marc: Quinn, Shane, Jax, Logan, Paul, Bobby, Howard, Dwayne, George
Angela: Jennifer, Samantha, Cynthia, Leslie, Rebecca, Tracy, Tonya, Candy, Crista
Rookie: Tyler, Nathan, Cody, Stanley, Olivia, Pam, Lawrence, Gary, Andrew
New Teams
Eagle Special Forces
Team #1: Kyle, Daryl, Shawn, Morgan, Billy, Shane, Jax
Team #2: Neil, Jeremy, Greg, Tommy, Wade, Ben, Quinn
Eagle Level Teams
Level 6: Zack, Seth, Allan, Donald, Brandon, Jake, Logan, Whitney
Level 5: Theo, Simon, Tim, Ozzie, Francis, Candy, Gary
Level 3: Marc, Ray, Josh, Dexter, Bobby, Howard, Scott, Tyler
Level 1, team #1: Angela, Jennifer, Samantha, Cynthia, Kendle, Rebecca, Tracy
Level 1, team #2: Cody, Nathan, Stanley, Olivia, Pam, Lawrence, Andrew
Rookie team #1: Kenn, Joseph, Charlie, Sheila, Conner, Courtney, Julia, Randal
Rookie team #2: Jonny, Kim, Ian, Eddie, Rod, Molly, Harry, Michael
Excitement went up as the new teams were posted, and then came the groans and words about their lost men and women. After that came confusion. Angela stood up, getting their attention.
“I made a lot of changes. Some people are higher than they would have been. Some are lower. For instance, Quinn was with Marc when he went to take on the government, but he obviously wasn’t at the Special Forces level yet. That’s a huge bump.”
Realizing she was talking about him, Marc’s former teammate grinned widely. “I’ve got no problem with it.”
“Yeah, you can train him like Marc has us,” Jax called, ecstatic to discover he had also made it onto a Special Forces team.
“The higher teams took the most losses,” Angela reminded them gravely. “In the spirit that brings us all together, I’ve given you men a few rookies to train as replacements. I’ve chosen the men I thought would fit into your groups. Please come to me if that doesn’t hold true.”
It was a warning to those who had gained multiple levels to work hard and keep earning what they’d been rewarded with.
“I’ve switched people around. Candy fits in perfectly with the tinkerers and Tonya has her hands full with the radio and pharmacy. We’re not up to pre-government numbers yet, but that will change as our new arrivals settle in and join up,” Angela informe
d them.
“We’ll start lessons in a couple of weeks. I want us fully in the cave first, but until then, get to know each other. I’d like teams to have meals together and spend time in the activity and training tents. This will be an adjustment for everyone, but mostly for our rookies, who have huge shoes to fill. Good luck!”
There was a small cheer and the meal resumed for some, while others went up to view the board. Angela used the time to scan her highest men and be positive they were okay with her choices. They had to work together or it just wouldn’t work.
“Hey! Is that Conner’s name?”
“No way!”
“What’s he doing on there?”
“Is he allowed to be a rookie?”
“Yes,” Marc answered the unhappy people, hoping his support would make it easier for Angie to handle. “His banishment was conditional. If he becomes an Eagle, he won’t be a threat anymore. He’ll have changed and become one of us.”
There were grumbles, but not as many as Angela had expected and she was grateful to Marc for speaking up. People here respected his opinion, which is why the fly-ridden body outside their gate wasn’t drawing serious protests. If Marc thought something that gruesome was needed, than it was accepted.
A light shower of flurries began, but Angela didn’t order them under cover. This was a normal storm and they had to get used to the cold. Come winter, they would have to labor in it.
Angela spotted Daryl and Cynthia having a meal together, but the feel of it wasn’t romantic.
Angela wasn’t surprised when Cynthia stormed from the mess a minute later. The couple was having issues in their relationship and it wasn’t hard to guess that Adrian was involved. Add in the hormones and tension from her newspaper being released, and the reporter’s frustration was probably understandable.
Angela turned her attention to the small quarantine zone inside the gate, where two dozen people still waited for a placement. Jayson was among those and Angela didn’t meet his eye as he stood at the fence and studied everything he could view from his location. Tomorrow, Jayson and the other people from Zone A would be blended into the camp, with settling partners.
“Why did you send me with Marc?”
Joseph’s question was one Angela had prepared an answer for, but she chose not to go with it, and used the truth instead.
“You don’t like white people. You don’t trust us, and you have little reason to feel that way. You met Brittani and her group. You saw how they reacted to us-without animosity. I thought you needed that.”
“So I’m a racist?” he demanded.
“No, you don’t hate us or wish us ill,” Angela answered. “Which is why you’re on the rookie teams, but you don’t really like us because of the past.” Her tone sharpened. “Let go of that.”
“Like no one here feels that way about me,” he sneered.
“That’s true,” she agreed. “And they’ll be taught differently, but you’re going to be an Eagle. You have to comprehend the differences now.”
“I still feel that way,” he admitted quietly.
“I understand,” Angela answered. “Time will help. Stick with the Eagles. We need you there.”
Joseph left her to her thoughts and Angela wondered if that was enough to soothe him. There were actually several reasons why he’d been sent, but his attitude toward other races was definitely the most important. He wasn’t even kind to Li, and that little man was friends with everyone.
Angela tiredly swept the mess again. Kyle and Neil didn’t seem upset with the names on the board, though Neil looked tired. He’d come to her for a sedative that Samantha could take while pregnant and Angela had told him to try a hot shower and a cup of hot chocolate, then sleep. It had succeeded for two hours and then the evening call for mess had sent Samantha into tears again. She had stumbled to the medical tent, refusing to be swayed. Neil had come for the teams list when she fell asleep on the middle cot again.
Angela was glad the doctor had already left and Millie had taken his place over the patients on this shift. She was also happy that Neil had come anyway. It showed he still wanted his slot among Safe Haven’s army.
Jeremy, however, was curiously absent. Angela made a motion to Marc, who sent out his grid.
He gestured, Front gate.
Angela went that way. She wasn’t picking up bad vibes, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be trouble anyway.
The rest of the camp was deserted and she hurried through the icy wind with her shadows. Marc had insisted on her having two of them after dark.
The main gate was heavily patrolled by curious men tonight, who wanted to know where they now ranked among the Eagles, and Angela gave them a curt nod that said to pay attention to their job.
Jeremy was huddled on the middle ledge of the gate, staring west. He was wrapped in a thick parka and still shivering lightly.
“Things okay?” she asked, climbing up and then shoving her hands into her pockets.
“Fine,” Jeremy answered. “For the sheep.”
Angela carefully sat down next to him, a bit surprised not to find the ever-present laptop in his hands. “What’s eating at you and how can I help?”
Jeremy gave her a pitiful look. “I can’t live down there. I can’t even go inside.”
Angela tried to remember if she’d seen him today, but couldn’t. “Where have you been?”
“I volunteered to supervise the bathrooms up here while everyone moved,” Jeremy confessed ashamedly. “I can’t go down there.”
Angela placed a hand on his shivering arm. “You need to tell Sam. After she’s over her meltdown, tell her the truth and don’t leave out why. She’ll understand.”
“You think so?” Jeremy asked as if in a daze. “She’ll understand that I killed my fiancé and the guilt of dying like she did is flipping me into a coward?”
3
“I don’t have time for each of you to catch me alone and beg. The time for secrets was before. You’ll all ask me here and now, or forfeit your reward.”
The training tent went cold with tension, and Angela rose from her perch on the center table. “We’re all good, then?”
No one wanted to agree, but everyone was hesitant to speak out in front of the others.
“The secrets will kill us,” Angela stated. “We are the chain of command. We have to lead by example. That hasn’t been the case in the past, but it’s time for a change.”
Cynthia hadn’t been invited to this gathering. Neither had Samantha, Becky, or Tonya. All of them were understandable. Those four women weren’t in the top chains of command, even if they did sometimes fill those slots. Seth also wasn’t here, but he and Becky were on a run right now. Angela planned to speak with him after their return.
“I want Adrian let in. He deserves a second chance,” Kenn called. “Give my reward to him.”
“I’d like to use mine to block that,” Marc stated coolly from the rear corner where he had an eye on Angie and an eye on the camp through the sealed tent window. “Only people who can change deserve a second chance.”
Angela surveyed Kenn as the other people muttered. “Can he be reformed? Does he have a desire to change?”
“He knows he was wrong,” Kenn answered hesitantly. “But I can’t answer those questions. Only he can and he isn’t here to be asked.”
“He isn’t here because he was going to kill us all,” Kyle sneered angrily. He didn’t like going against Kenn anymore and he assumed Marc had it covered, but his own feeling of betrayal wouldn’t let him remain silent. “If you can’t understand that, maybe you should go live with him.”
“I’ve thought about it,” Kenn admitted without concern. “But that’s no place for a baby.”
Another sign of Kenn’s progress was hard to miss and Kyle snapped his mouth shut. Marc wouldn’t let it happen.
“It’s not up to me,” Angela said. “And it isn’t up to any of you. The people have to vote to overturn his banishment. They have to be convin
ced that he can change.”
“You’re giving me permission to try?” Kenn verified in front of the witnesses, surprised with the answer. He’d honestly been expecting to be blown off, not given a way to accomplish his goal.
“Yes,” Angela agreed, aware of Marc’s fury and Kyle’s shock. “But it won’t happen and you have to prepare for that.”
Kenn felt the double meaning, but wasn’t sure anyone else had, and moved on quickly before Marc could pull it from his mind. “I have to try. He’s the only person who ever believed I could be good. And I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the way he changed me. I have to at least try to do the same for him.”
The fact that Kenn was hoping to reform Adrian went a long way in soothing some of the anger. He was showing loyalty and caring for another person, even though he wasn’t going to get a reward for it. He also reminded them of what Safe Haven was supposed to stand for.
“Who wants to go next?” Angela asked, marking Kenn’s name from her list. “Uh… How about you, Neil? You know what you need, don’t you?”
Neil nodded as everyone got ready to hear a request to have Samantha to himself or maybe even to have Angela peer into the future. He opened his mouth and said, “How can I help Becky?”
Angela smiled in gentle, beautiful approval. “A pure soul is so attractive.”
Neil blushed a bit, shaking his head. “I need this guilt to go away. I don’t care about her.”
“Liar,” Angela accused without rancor.
Then the warm tone fell away and Neil was facing the witch.
“What would you sacrifice to help her heal?
“What will it take?” he sparred, not about to make the offer he felt was going to be asked for.
“Love,” the witch replied. “She needs love and time. Give it freely and fully and possibly destroy your other life. The best thing you can do for yourself is to stay away from her now.”
Neil couldn’t accept those answers. “Tell me what’s best for both of us.”
“The third choice walks a line that mere mortals cannot maintain. Love and time between friends is powerful magic. And dangerous. Heed my advice. Stay away.”