Україна - Ірина Федишин

Finally, another post. It's been far too long.
Lots of things have happened.

Finished another semester.
Spent the summer back at home working with the congregation.
Got engaged.
Visited another city for 11 days to hold a Bible camp.
Had a birthday.
Planned birthday stuff.

(С Днем Рождения, Дорогая)


Anyway, without further delay...

The Promised Land: (Part 30) Echo 

Eden clapped when they were done. “That was amazing!”

Asher smiled as he rested the guitar on the ground. “Glad you liked it. Did you recognize it at all?”

Eden shook her head. “Never heard it before. Is it new?”

“No, it’s actually pretty old.” He shrugged. “It’s all right. Most people haven’t heard it. I was just wondering. Any requests?”

“Yeah,” Caden cut in holding up the bags. “Let’s eat.”

“Nice to see you too, Blitz.” Asher stood up and clapped an arm around Caden’s shoulders. The blonde towered a good foot above his friend. “Thanks for the food,” Asher said as he made a grab for one of the bags.  Caden ducked out from under the giant and handed a bag to his brother. “Nice try.”

Reaching into the other bag, he pulled out a box and gave the bag to Eden.

Peeking into the bag, Eden saw a white box similar to the one Caden had. Taking it out, she opened the cardboard container to find rice, beans, and green vegetables that looked as though they had been canned or dried at some point. “Lovely,” she thought. She took a fork and started eating. “I wonder how long they’ve been eating like this. When was the last time they had any real food?”

As they ate, Asher and Blitz exchanged various stories of their adventures. Asher said he continued to search for someone with a name that sounded like Churro. Apparently, this person had been missing for a while. Caden talked about a couple missions he and Shiloh had been sent on. Eden was particularly interested to hear what he and Shy were doing in Freedom before they met her, but he didn’t seem to mention anything about that. Every now and then, Shiloh would get asked a question. He would respond in sign language and Caden would verbalize what was communicated.

At first, Eden enjoyed the stories. They were full of adventure and close calls. However, Eden lost interest as they went on. The three guys had such different experiences from hers. Aside from her time in this future, Eden really had nothing with which to compare. Her life up until now had been fairly average. Born to two well-off parents, her life might have been better off than most. She never lacked for anything, much less the necessities. Here, these soldiers talked about scrounging supplies off dead bodies or abandoned houses. Eden lived in a house too big for her family with the full assurance of security, but she listened to stories of hiding in poor living conditions while being hunted. She had nothing close to the tales of injuries and scars. There was that one time she fell off a horse, but that was it. Try as she might to ignore it, the gap between these four lives was ever apparent to her. When Eden stopped to think about it, she found herself growing homesick.

Eventually, the chestnut-haired woman from the meeting earlier came by.

“There you are!” She approached the group and gestured to Eden. “I have a room ready for you. Blitz and Boomer, you’re in wing three. Room eight, as usual.”

“Thanks, Misty,” Caden replied.

“No problem!” she said cheerily. “Oh, Blitz! Before I forget, the professor wants to see you first thing tomorrow.”

“Of course. You headed this way, Ash?”

“Just a few rooms down from yours,” the blond stood and picked up his belongings. “I’ll walk back with you in case you’re still scared of the dark.”

“Laugh it up, Ash,” Caden punched his friend. “You were the one who jumped, remember?”

The two continued talking as they walked away. Eden stood to follow Misty. Turning to Shiloh, she asked, “Are we meeting somewhere tomorrow?”

He shrugged then pointed at the floor with raised eyebrows.

“Meet back here? Sure. I don’t know when I’ll be up.” She was already planning to sleep in as long as she could. “See you tomorrow.”

She followed the patient Misty down one of the halls. Her guide tried to get her to talk about various interests, but Eden had already used the last of her conversational energy. She was anticipating a full night of sleep.

~*~*~*~

Shiloh walked out of the doctor’s office and took a deep breath of air that didn’t smell full of antiseptic chemicals. He was never particularly happy to see Doctor Ross. He was a decent enough physician, if one had to rate doctors who prodded him with sharp instruments. But the doctor often seemed to look on the twins with contempt and Shy had a pretty good idea why. Ross didn’t approve of the general’s use of children in military operations, no matter how capable they were. Shiloh actually would have sided with him, had his opinion carried any weight. “He probably just doesn’t like that Grace’s healing ability is better than anything he could pull off,” Shy thought, subconsciously rubbing the most recently added scar. “I don’t know why I’m the one who keeps getting hit. I’m practically invisible everywhere else, but I still attract all the bullets. Maybe I’m magnetized.” The last wound wasn’t his first brush with death, but it certainly was the closest one so far. Shy headed toward the hub. Cay would eventually catch up when he was finished with the doctor. “In the meantime…” Shy looked around for a particular girl with long blond hair. He had just caught sight of Eden when a loud siren went off. A thunderous boom broke out and the whole complex shook. The ever-white lights flickered and dust rained from above. Screams instantly filled the halls as well as Shiloh’s ears. He searched the area again, this time with more urgency. People ran by him in all directions, making it impossible to- there! A glimpse of her familiar face and Shiloh took off in that direction. Fighting through the people, he made it to the spot he saw Eden last just as another blast shook the complex again.

“They found us!” someone shouted. “They’re going to bury us!” a woman cried out. Shiloh pushed by a couple guards who were running toward the exit. Protocol demanded that he join them and protect the base, or more specifically the package. But he ignored protocol and continued looking for Eden.

“Shiloh!”

He turned to his left and saw her, just a few yards away. Shy started toward her, but a force from behind knocked him to the ground. Landing hard on his side, pain laced up his body from the healing gunshot wound. Clenching his teeth with a cringe, he rolled onto his other side.

“Shiloh!” Eden was beside him again. “Are you ok?”

The flickering lights died and the base was shrouded in total darkness.

Hey Brother - Avicii

The Promised Land: (Part 29) Hey Brother 

Eden tilted her head toward the stranger’s guitar. “You play very well.”

“Thanks.” The blonde said while extending a hand. “They call me Asher.”

“Eden.” She shook his hand once and let go.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts before,” Asher commented as he rested the guitar flat across his lap.

“Yeah, I’m not really from around here.” Eden admitted, looking the stranger over again. Something seemed incredibly familiar about him, but she couldn’t quite place what it was. He looked to be about either late twenties or early thirties. The leather bomber jacket on the stair next to him looked fairly old and well worn.

 “I’m not either.” Asher shrugged. “I just drop in every now and then.” He seemed to contemplate something for a few seconds. “Eden… That’s an interesting tag. Or is that your name?”

“Um… my name, I guess?” she replied, trying not to sound too ignorant. “I’m not entirely sure what you mean by ‘tag’.”

“Oh, you weren’t kidding,” Asher said with a slight chuckle. “Almost everyone in the resistance has a tag, especially the gifted. It’s an extra hurdle for the Atari. Not letting them know exactly who you are makes it a little easier to slip through their fingers.” After a pause, Asher raised his eyebrows. “You’re not a maverick, are you?”

“What’s a maverick?” Eden briefly wondered if her genuine cluelessness would somehow cost her later on.

“Someone who sides with the Dictator. You don’t usually find a whole bunch of them outside star cities, but the ones who are think they can get some sort of benefit from it.”

“Oh, ok.” Eden nodded in comprehension. “I don’t think so. From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t sound like a nice guy.”

“Ri-ight…” Asher chuckled again. “Where did you say you were from?”

“Tennessee.”

“East or West?”

“Uh… West, I guess…” Eden kept a mental note to ask Caden if Tennessee had split into two different states in the last 90 years.

“Really?” Asher’s eyes narrowed to a skeptical look. “Where’s your accent?”

“We moved around a few times. My family’s originally from Texas.”

“Mine too!” His lopsided grin, although warm and pleasant, struck a chord in Eden’s memory. “Small world,” he continued. “Whereabouts?”

“Abilene. Um… Now that I think about it, don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but you look really familiar.” Eden’s curiosity got the better of her. “Would you happen to have a relative named Sam Teknia, by any chance?”

Asher’s eyes widened and his grin fell. He looked at her for several long minutes. Eden couldn’t tell if his expression was one of horror, surprise, confusion, or all of the above.

“Do I know you?” he finally asked.

“Oh boy, you’ve really done it this time,” Eden thought as she shook her head. “No, why?”

“How did you know my name?”

“Quick, Eden, say something! Do something!” she thought in panic. “Oh, so YOU’RE Sam! I had no idea, I really didn’t. How’s life, Sam? That’s a really great name, by the way. Did you get that from your father or something?”

“Grandfather, actually…” he said, still lost in confusion. Eden hoped he would overlook the complete breach of confidentiality she displayed by blurting out his actual name instead of using his “tag”.

“Ah, cool. It’s a good name. Sorry if that was borderline creepy. It’s just that you looked familiar is all.” Her self-conscious apology delivered, Eden looked around for a way out of the conversation without making it any more awkward.

Shiloh was actually making his way toward them, carrying his violin case over one shoulder. “He seriously takes that thing with him everywhere,” Eden realized.

“There’s a familiar face!” Asher said as Shiloh walked up. The two bumped fists and Shy planted himself on a nearby step.

“You two know each other?” Eden asked with surprise.

“Sure do,” Sam answered then turned to Shiloh. “You been practicing?” Boomer shrugged while opening the case and taking out his violin. He took a minute to make sure everything was in order then pointed at Asher’s guitar with the violin bow.

Sitting the guitar up, Asher briefly swept his hand across the strings. “I haven’t really practiced in a while. I’ll start off with an easy bass and you can go from there.” With a short nod, Shy placed the violin on his shoulder and held his bow in position. Eden sat on the ground in front of the two with her legs crossed.

Asher strummed a couple repetitive notes before Shiloh picked up with the melody. Eden didn’t recognize it, though apparently Asher did because after a few lines of melody he started singing.
“Hey brother, do you still believe in one another? Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?”

He wasn’t an amazing singer, Eden thought, but he had a decent voice. On the next line, a second voice chimed in.

“Oh if the sky comes fallin’ down, for you there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do.”

Eden turned around to see Caden come up with a small bag in each hand. He sat on the other side of Asher and they continued to sing back and forth. “What if I’m far from home?”

“Oh brother, I will hear you call,” Asher answered.

“What if I lose it all?”

“Oh sister, I will help you out.”

“Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you,” they sang together, “There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

Their voices became silent while Shiloh’s violin melody turned into it’s own solo.

Goosebumps rippled up and down Eden’s arms as she watched the three continue singing and playing together. If there were ever a moment in her time here that she wanted to capture and play over and over again, this would be it. The harmony, the camaraderie, and the enjoyment were all things she wanted to savor.

After Shy’s solo, Asher started singing again. “Hey brother, there’s an endless road to rediscover. Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?”

Caden joined in again where he did before. “Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

“What if I’m far from home?”

“Oh brother, I will hear you call.”

“What if I lose it all?”

“Oh sister, I will help you out.”

“Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

Shiloh had his own solo again, but it wasn’t as long. When he finished, the entire song ended. Eden enthusiastically clapped when they were done. “That was amazing!”

(Because Shiloh's violin skills should be heard, not read)

Wake Me Up - Avicii

The Promised Land: (Part 28) Little Talks 

“My name is Eden,” she said with a pleasant smile.

“Xidorn,” Caden interrupted with caution. “Before she continues any further, what do we know of Zeta’s technology?”

The white-haired leader scratched his chin. “Only that he has more of it than we do.” He briefly gave General Cyrus a questioning glance. “Why?”

Caden hesitated for a moment before blurting, “I suspect that he might be trying to develop a method to travel through time.”

Both Eden and Xidorn gave him surprised looks.

“Time?” Xidorn questioned in bewilderment. “For what purpose?”

“I… I don’t know.” The teen looked uncomfortable, fully aware of how unfounded the claim sounded. While Xidorn simply looked confused, Eden’s look of surprise was replaced with a huge grin. “Nothing like a little leap of faith,” Cay thought to himself.

Xidorn rubbed his wrinkled forehead. “Where would you get such an outlandish idea?”

“From me,” Eden cut in. “I’m from the past. 2012 to be exact.”

The elderly man stopped to look her directly in the eye. “How did you get here?”

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “One day I’m in my dorm room at school, the next thing I know, I’m in a burning building in the middle of an apocalypse.” Gesturing to Shiloh and Caden, she added, “I probably would have been killed by the Atari if these two hadn’t found me.”

Xidorn looked back at Caden as the operative tried to explain himself. “Our squad was sent in to obtain the package and clear the complex. Most of it was destroyed when Atari goons jumped us. We found Eden with a party after our squad split.”

“Party?” Eden folded her arms. “It was an unwanted invitation, just so you know.”

“This is troubling news.” The old man rested his chin on the handle of his cane. “If Zeta has such technology at his disposal…”

“What of the other members of your squad, Blitz?” General Cyrus asked. “What happened at the rendezvous points?”

Caden ran a hand through his hair before speaking. “Our contact in Jericho was killed in a raid before we got there. The only squad member I saw in Briggance was Hunter. He admitted to murdering the other members and tried to kill me to get the package. I believe he’s been working as a spy.”

“For the emperor?” Cyrus asked.

Cay shrugged. “Not sure. He wouldn’t say, but I have a feeling it wasn’t for Zeta.”

“Very troubling indeed,” Xidorn leaned back in his chair. “I am sure this is not the only information you have, but what you’ve provided requires thoughtful review.”

“Xidorn,” Caden said, “Hunter was just one spy. There are more scattered throughout the resistance. Given the nature of Hunter’s ability, I’m not so sure I succeeded in elimination…”

The old man nodded thoughtfully. “Very well. Is there anything else that demands our immediate attention?”

Eden tentatively raised her hand and asked, “Is there a way you can get me back to my own time period?”

Xidorn frowned apologetically. “I am afraid not, my dear. The resistance does not have much experience with respect to time travel.”

“Much?” Eden asked with an ounce of hope.

“Any. Forgive me, my dear. There is nothing we can do to help you get home.”

Eden’s shoulders drooped, but Xidorn continued. “We are simply not properly equipped to handle such a task. The best I can offer is a home here. I know that is not the answer you want, but it is the best I can do under such circumstances. I regret to say that you have arrived at a very difficult time in history.” Gesturing to both Caden and Shiloh, Xidorn said, “Roaming with these two, I am sure you have seen enough to grasp the current state of affairs.”

“I got the gist of it, I guess.” Eden’s arms unfolded to hang in the air for a moment before planting themselves on her hips. “But what am I supposed to do here? I can’t just hide while the world falls apart. My timeline or not, I want to help.”

“I understand your point.” The white-haired man rubbed his chin. “We might be able to give you something to do… Have you any skills?”

“Um… Not really. That’s kind of what I was going to college for...”

The elderly man shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll think of something useful. In the meantime, I’ll let Misty know to give you a room.” Gesturing to the door, he added, “Now, I suggest you three get some well-deserved rest. One can only stand being on the field for so long before it takes a toll.”

With a nod, Caden turned to the general. “When should we be ready for transport?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Blitz,” Cyrus said. “You and Boomer have done enough here. We’ll have someone else handle it.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Cay started, determination seeping through his voice. “I took on this responsibility. I would like to see it to the end.”

The general turned to Shiloh. “I suppose you stand with him on this?”

Boomer nodded.

“As expected. We will inform the professor, but you are not authorized to leave this facility until you are adequately refreshed.”

Caden adjusted the bag on his back and saluted the general. “Very well, sir.”

As he, Shiloh, and Eden left the room, Cyrus called out after them, “I expect a written report from both of you by tomorrow. And don’t forget to check in with Doctor Ross.”

Cay waved to signal his acknowledgement, but continued to lead the trio back down the wide hall. There were fewer people traversing the complex. Looking toward the ceiling as they arrived at the center, she spotted a huge cube hanging in the middle with a clock on each side. The hands pointed to 8:45. Eden’s stomach growled and she remembered that it had been at least since early afternoon since she’d eaten anything.

“Soo…” she started as nonchalantly as possible. “What’s the plan now?”

Caden slowed down and looked half-interested in the conversation. He also looked really tired. “Well, I don’t know where you’re staying, but I need food.” Turning to Shiloh, he asked, “Do you want to drop our stuff off while I grab dinner?”

After a nod from his brother, Caden handed off his belongings and asked Eden, “If you want to just stay here, I’ll bring back something for you too.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Going their separate ways down two different corridors, the twins left Eden in the center of the hexagonal room. The bustling center had calmed down significantly. Two or three people walked by at a time, meandering down one hall or another. Hearing some form of melody behind her, Eden turned to see the guitar player from earlier. Still sitting on the lowest stairs, the male’s blond head was focused on the guitar. When Eden walked closer, she had the strangest feeling that she knew this person. The guy looked up at her with big blue eyes and smiled. “Hi.”

Love Don't Die - The Fray

The Promised Land: (Part 27) Simple Man 

Eden’s eyes were wide as she took in everything around her. Walking along, the trio reached the core of the underground complex. A large hexagonal area stood before them, the very center of which sunk down to a circle surrounded by two sets of stairs, four steps each. The circle itself was large enough to fit a couple basketball courts, at least. Branching out from the hexagon were halls identical to the one Eden, Caden, and Shiloh just came through, six halls altogether and each venturing off in a different direction. The area was filled with people of all ages and nationalities, though not crowded. Some people walked from one hall to another, as though they were on a particular task. Some wheeled cloth-wrapped bundles and crates on dollies. Small groups of children played in the center.

As Eden followed the twins around the circle, she thought she heard music. It was a familiar tune, but not one Eden could immediately place. Straining to find the source, she spotted a guy with a guitar sitting on the steps closest to the hall on the opposite side of the room. Without thinking about it, she slowed down to listen. When she concentrated, she could just barely hear him singing.

“…take your time…don’t live too fast…troubles will come and they will pass…”

“Eden!”

Jolting out of her trance, Eden jogged to catch up with the twins.

“Stay close,” Caden chided. His determined expression could have easily been mistaken for annoyance.

Eden watched the various individuals as they passed by the entrance to each hall.

“Why? Afraid I’ll get…” her instant quip vanished in distraction as she saw two people carry out a suspiciously oblong, heavy package from the second hall. “…lost… What were they carrying? Was there a body in there? Caden, where are we going?”

Shiloh turned to Eden, eyes locked on hers, and gently pushed down the air beside him with his left hand before signing, “O. K.”

With a smile, he tilted his head toward Cay and waved for her to keep following.

“That child’s innocent smile will be the death of me,” Eden thought while pursing her lips in dissatisfaction.

Shadowing the twins down the third corridor, she noticed a row of doors on either side. As they reached the very back, Eden saw a metal staircase that led up to what looked like an observation room on the second level. Next to the last door on the right wall sat an old wooden desk, with a receptionist behind it. Caden marched right up to the woman’s desk and demanded, “I need to see Xidorn. Now.”

Despite the poor quality desk, the woman was using technology Eden was unfamiliar with. She was typing away on a holographic keyboard. Who knows where the monitor was. Every now and then she would stop to write something down on the papers scattered across the desk.

“I’m afraid he can’t be disturbed right now.” She spoke without even look up at the three individuals standing before her. “He’s in a department meeting.”

“I wasn’t asking for permission anyway.” That being said, Caden flung open the door and marched right into the room, much to Eden’s horror. Shiloh was close behind. Not sure what else to do, Eden timidly followed. The room wasn’t particularly large, surprisingly, but it was full of people.

“Blitz! Boomer!” a tall man in military getup called out as soon as he saw the twins.

“General Cyrus.” Caden briefly paused to salute the man before moving on. “Donna, doctors Everett, Misty, and Ross.” He greeted those he walked by, but did not stop until he was standing beside a man sitting behind a metal desk. Shiloh went around to the other side and both twins knelt so that all three were at the same eye level.

“This is outrageous!” a man in a white uniform exclaimed. “We have protocol for a reason! People cannot simply interrupt a classified meeting! This is completely uncalled for!”

“Doctor Everett,” said the general, “Let me introduce you to the missing operatives.”

“These? But… they’re children!”

“They’re also gifted infected and some of our best resistance operatives. The information they carry gives them priority clearance.”

Inching her way around the edge of the room, Eden could see Caden tell the seated man something, but she couldn’t hear what was said.

“Hold on.” A woman with long chestnut hair stared at Eden. “Who are you?”

“Oh… uh… I’m-”

“I am afraid General Cyrus is correct,” a loud voice from the back stated. Everyone turned to the seated man. Shiloh helped him stand. Once he was up, Shy stepped away while the man shifted his weight to a cane.

The man appeared to be the oldest person in the room. His hair was completely white and his skin wrinkled, but his voice was still clear and strong, not the voice of a body worn down by time alone. “While supply, safety, and health of the growing population is ever an issue, there are more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Such as?” the person Cay had greeted as Doctor Ross demanded.

“I am afraid that question can only be answered in the presence of the general, his operatives, and their guest. We will finish this meeting tomorrow.”

“Does that mean the rest of us have to leave now?” the chestnut-haired woman asked.

“Yes, Misty,” the man replied as he sat down again. “I’m afraid so. Good luck with the daycare.”

Nodding, Misty followed her companions out and shut the door.

Shiloh waved for Eden to come closer. As she did, Caden began talking.

“This is getting serious, Xidorn,” he said to the seated man. “Zeta has already banned infected in more than thirty star cities and four districts.”

“How can that be that possible?” Xidorn asked.

“It gets worse,” General Cyrus added. “We have reports that Atari troops are raiding the safety zones themselves. Whether that is done by command or in spite, we don’t know.”

Xidorn shook his white head and sighed. “What word do we have from Thabit or Subra? We have spies there, do we not?”

The general cleared his throat before replying, “We don’t know. We haven’t heard from them in quite some time. We can only assume they were caught.”

The older man nodded, looking more drained with each passing moment. “Yes, yes, I know.” Lifting up his cane, the man poked Caden in the chest. “And what am I to do with you? My dear boys, you have got to stop waiting until the last minute to report back. We’ve counted you among the dead thrice this year!”

“Sorry, boss,” Cay shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “Our com unit was damaged once we reached the objective.”

“Then take a spare next time.” Xidorn turned to Eden. “I do apologize for ignoring you up until this point. Tell me, young lady, who are you and what have you to do with all this?”

Astronaut - Simple Plan

Happy New Year! A little late, but I don't mind.

For once, the title song actually fits the title of the part. It's happened before, just not for a while. In as much as our Christmas theme this year was "Christmas In Space", I found it fitting.
I've actually run out of reserve parts, so this is fresh. Hot off the keyboard. Hopefully, I'll still be able to keep a decent pace this year.

The Promised Land: (Part 26) Astronaut 

Eden stood up and wiped her eyes with a sleeve. Extending her hand to Caden, she asked, “Friends?”

“Close enough,” Cay responded as he grabbed her hand.

She pulled him up and immediately had to steady him when he started swaying. “You all right?”

“Head hurts,” he muttered.

Eden winced when she recalled using the block of wood like a bat. “Sorry about that.”

“I deserved it,” he said getting into the backseat again. “Just forgot you could hit that hard.”

As Eden got into the front, she could hear him buckle the seatbelt. “Where to?” she asked Shiloh.

The silver-haired youth pointed straight ahead.

Taking the phone and charger out of her pocket, Eden made sure they were plugged in before getting back on their journey. A few moments slipped by before another word was said.

“I don’t hate you, by the way,” an exhausted voice spoke from the back.

“What?”

“I think you’re really annoying some times. All the time. But I don’t hate you,” Caden muttered, head resting on his backpack and eyes closed. “Just thought you should know. Might make this easier.”

“Aww, you do care.” Eden smirked.

“Blame it on the concussion.”

They went the majority of the ride in silence, much to Eden’s dissatisfaction. Had she had a way to play music, she might have played something with a heavy bass. Ironically, loud music calmed her. Even so, she found herself with a particular melody in her head. The lyrics to the chorus came to mind after she thought through the first few bars.

“Cause tonight I’m feeling like an astronaut,

sending SOS from this tiny box, 

and I lost all signal when I lifted off.

Now I’m stuck out here and the world forgot.

Can I please come down?

Cause I’m tired of drifting round and round…”

She almost started singing a couple times throughout the trip, but that might have woken the sleeping teen. The poor kid needed rest, especially after his eventful days of fighting. Eden did feel bad for whacking him so hard. Sort of. It achieved its goal, so she felt that she couldn’t be too upset.

He was right about Shiloh’s directions. The silent navigator let Eden know which way to go. When he signed left or right at any given turn, Eden felt like she was following a muted GPS. She wished he could talk without blasting out her eardrums, even if just to break the silence. They stopped three hours later for food. Apparently, the car was designed to be a getaway vehicle for the contact as there were food rations and extra gasoline in the trunk. They only stopped for half an hour before getting on the road again. Two hours in, Eden found herself yawning and Shiloh offered to drive for a while. She meant to stay awake for the entire trip, but dozed off.

When she woke up, her neck was stiff and it took a few minutes before her eyes adjusted to the lighting. It had grown quite dark as she slept. She then realized Caden was in the driver’s seat. “How long have we been driving?” she thought. “When did they switch seats?” Looking out the window, they were pulled up to a large metal gate. Behind the gate stood a tall, concrete building. She couldn’t see much of it, but what she did see wasn’t very promising.

“Where are we?” Eden asked as she stretched in her seat.

“Here,” Caden got out and walked over to a panel near the gate. Blue light emanated from the panel as he typed away on a holographic keyboard. As the light died, Eden was startled when the car stated to sink. Eden struggled with the seatbelt when Cay got back into the car.

“What’s your problem?” he asked with a smirk. It was then that Eden realized that, as the car lowered, an entrance was forming in front of her. Once they stopped moving, Cay drove into a large area, reminiscent of an underground parking garage. Only this was far larger than any parking garage Eden had ever seen. The sidewalls that could be seen were grey slabs of concrete, but they extended to such a distance that Eden could not fathom their end.

A number of soldiers surrounded the entrance. At least, Eden felt the term “soldier” was general enough to encompass the individuals standing on guard around her.

These people looked more like a group of guerilla fighters than soldiers from any conventional army corps. The faces of the men and women behind the various shades of camo and loaded automatic rifles wore the same expression: weariness.

As Caden parked and got out of the car, a young woman jogged over with a pair of goggles on her head and a clipboard in her hand.

“Blitz! Where have you been?!” she demanded with a huff. “We haven’t received word from you in over 72 hours! Do you know what the protocol is for that?”

“Dead or taken,” Caden answered while opening the trunk and pulling supplies out. “Obviously, we are neither.”

Eden helped Shiloh get the things from the backseat.

“Obviously…” the woman repeated absently as she jotted a few notes down. “Who’s she?” Eden looked up to see the woman pointing at her with a pen. “I don’t think she’s authorized to be here.”

“She’s with us.” Caden slammed the trunk closed. Dropping two of the backpacks at the woman’s feet, he added. “Fully stocked. Find someone who needs them.”

Taking the remaining backpack from Shiloh, Cay threw it over a shoulder and walked right by the lady. Shiloh, with his violin case in hand, followed his brother. Eden ducked back into the car to get her phone and charger before catching up to the two.

“Let Xidorn know we’re heading to see him,” Caden called over his shoulder.

“You can’t right now,” the woman said while writing on her clipboard. “He’s in a meeting.”

“Not for long,” Cay muttered under his breath.