27
What? Why did you let that happen?” Bethany screamed into her mouthpiece. “Rank incompetence!” She ripped off the headset and flung it across the room. She turned to the tech manning the scanner. “Tell me what kind of vehicle just left the Mountain and get a laser cannon tracking its movement. It should be far enough from the Mountain in a few minutes to get a clear shot at it.”
The scanner tech scrambled to assemble the info. “Ma’am, it was a JetTrans, but I don’t have an identa-marker for it.”
Bethany spun to face him. “All JetTrans have identa-markers. You must be mistaken.”
“No, ma’am,” the tech said as he pointed at the screen. Fear registered in his eyes.
Bethany stepped to the screen. The identa-marker box was blank. “Well, apparently we have a secret operation going on inside this Mountain. I will find those dogs later. Launch a prison JetTrans to bring that transport down.”
The tech pointed at the screen again. “They just went dark. I don’t know their direction.”
Bethany seethed. “I repeat! Get one of ours in the air and find them!”
In the harness trailing behind the swift-moving transport, Selah clutched Amaryllis tightly to her chest. The force of the wind against her face stripped away every attempt to regain her breath after she’d run to catch the lowered harness. She buried her head in the child’s hair, thankful the girl had been running toward all the noise rather than away from it.
She forced her head up. The doorway to the transport was almost within reach. The watcher reached out, hooked himself to their harness, and pulled them into the cargo bay.
Selah clung to Amaryllis as they moved away from the open door.
The girl jabbered like a magpie. “I knew it. I just knew you’d come out of that Mountain. I stayed close by the fence. And all that shooting scared me, but I knew it was you getting away. I knew it!”
Selah was so relieved to have found her swiftly that the nonstop talk was enjoyable. She needed time to thaw. So many things had happened so fast in the last week that her emotions were stunned into a frozen state other than immediate, instinctive responses. Being pulled through the sky at the end of a rope would hit her later.
She reached to hug Cleon and Treva. Cleon clutched her tightly, cutting off her air as he attempted to hide tears. Bodhi extricated himself from the children. They let him move away but huddled together, staring at him.
Bodhi hugged her fiercely, then held her face gently in both hands and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before moving back to the children. It gave her pause. Then she noticed something else.
“Where’s the other boy?” She swung around, counting heads in the open transport. All were visible from her position in the back.
Bodhi bit down on his bottom lip. She didn’t understand. He mouthed, “Dead.”
Selah gasped. Tears welled in her eyes. She looked at Cleon. “And the three missing Landers?”
He set his jaw, closed his eyes, and shook his head. The rest hung their heads. The children hid their faces against each other.
She collapsed back into the seat. Silent tears formed tracks down her cheeks. She tried to be brave and strong and act like she could handle everything, but she couldn’t. The thaw had come. Amaryllis slid onto the seat beside her and rested her head against Selah’s shoulder. The child’s warmth comforted her broken heart.
Her head hurt from people probing it. Her heart hurt from the losses. Mother, Raza, her father, and now people she was trying to save—lost because of her. Maybe she didn’t deserve to live, to come through this, to find the life Mother talked about.
If she’d listened to Mother and not gone to the beach, time would have passed her by like a wave slipping back into the ocean without getting her wet.
Suddenly Bodhi was on her other side. He slid his arm around her shoulder, looked at her tenderly, and gave her a hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed.
“It’s my fault they’re dead,” she murmured.
Bodhi tipped up her chin. “If it weren’t for you and your tenacity, none of these people would have been saved.”
“I should have saved them all. That poor boy, and those Landers. They lived through all this and I got them killed.”
“Sometimes there are casualties of war.” Bodhi rubbed her back.
Selah looked up at him. She rubbed the backs of her hands across her eyes. “What war?”
“The constant war of good against evil,” he said. “I remember somewhere in your country’s history it talked about man’s inhumanity to man. There’s nothing new under the sun.”
Their watcher, who had moved forward to talk to Mojica, headed back to them. “Commander Mojica says we will be landing in a few minutes.”
Selah tried to look out the side window over Amaryllis’s head. All she saw was forest. “Where are we?”
“She’ll explain when we land.” The watcher grabbed the overhanging straps and threaded his way forward again.
“Did anyone tell you where we’d be dropped off?” Selah moved to the window, trying to get a bearing on the lands below.
“No,” Bodhi said, looking down at himself. “I think we need other clothes. We can’t go around in these uniforms without people getting suspicious.”
“I was hoping we could take off these hoods by now, but I see the watcher still has his on. Maybe we’d better wait.”
The transport slowed its forward movement. Selah felt it lurch as it moved toward the ground. The Landers and children became animated. It was curious to watch the children touch heads without words. Selah resigned herself to the beginning of a new life.
A soft thud announced the transport landing. The door slid open and team members hopped out and set up a perimeter. Selah hadn’t liked their dark and brooding presence when the operation began, but now she felt a certain level of panic at being left without them.
Cleon and Treva scrambled down from the open side along with the Landers. Selah waited as Bodhi lifted Amaryllis down and herded the children out. The boys still moved as a single unit. They held hands and waited at the side of the transport until all were together before moving away.
Selah hopped down, taking in the scenery. This was a strange place. She could see forest in the distance, but this land had been deliberately cleared of trees. She recognized the work as something her father and brothers did often to make new pasture for the horses and cows.
Why would land be cleared here in the middle of nowhere? This wasn’t that far from the Mountain. She wrung her hands and tried to finger her scar through the uniform.
Mojica came around the side of the transport, pulling her hood off as she walked. Her dark hair flowed freely, covering her shoulders and flowing down her back. She shook her head and agitated her hair with both hands, making her look more like a princess than a warrior.
Selah grinned. “We can take these hoods off now?”
“Yes, you’re free from the covers,” she said. She motioned to one of her team, who hopped up in the transport and slid out a large canvas bag. “Here are your clothes. I’d appreciate getting our uniforms back so we can leave before we’re spotted. Our unit is running in stealth mode, so as long as there are no visuals of us, we’re back in the Mountain, home free.”
Selah smiled. “Thank you for the foresight. I hadn’t thought how we’d get out of these.” She dropped to her knees, opened the bag, and fished out her stuff. Relief flooded her. A part of normal life reclaimed. She darted for cover in the trees while Bodhi and the others pulled out their clothing.
When she emerged, Mojica was leaning against the transport with one foot on the rail. Selah dropped the uniform on the deck of the transport and glanced around. Amaryllis moved to her side and took her hand. Selah noted how the child stayed close by since they’d been reunited. It made her smile.
“Where are we?” She looked at the sun’s position, figuring which way was north.
Mojica swept her hand out across the view. “In the next few months this is going to become a community in exile of the Mountain. We’ve gathered from all areas of society to build this new life in the fresh air.”
“You said ‘we.’ You’re part of this?”
“Yes, I’ll be the head of security and defense,” Mojica said with a half smile. “Over there are the beginning phases of the town square.” She pointed to the left.
Selah peered in the distance. About a thousand feet away, foundation stones created a rectangle shape jutting from the ground.
“Who’s doing all this? I grew up to believe no one ever left the Mountain and very few ever came outside,” Selah said.
Mojica pursed her lips. “Well, I guess you can know, since you won’t be going back inside. This is the ground where Charles Ganston’s going to make his mark in the world.”
Treva walked up to the transport, uniform in hand. She added hers to Selah’s. “Did I hear you right? This land belongs to my uncle?”
Mojica kicked at the dirt. “You can’t repeat this when you go back inside.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going back in,” Treva said, her voice firm.
Selah let go of Amaryllis’s hand and pivoted to face her. “Are you sure? Your whole life’s in there. No one knew you were part of our operation. You could sneak back in with Mojica and no one would be the wiser. Don’t you think you might regret leaving it and everything you owned?”
Bodhi and Cleon arrived. Bodhi looked at Selah and Treva. “Did something happen?”
Cleon approached Treva. “What’d we miss?”
“You missed her saying she’s not going back in the Mountain,” Selah said.
He looked at her and reached for her hand. “Are you sure? Your uncle is still in there. He’s the only family you have.”
Treva pursed her lips. “Hopefully Uncle Charles will be out soon. But the only things I’m giving up are the drugs and lies I’ve been using to cover up.”
Bodhi slid his arm around Selah’s waist. She found comfort in his embrace, but now she was worried about her new friend. Drugs? Did she have some kind of an addiction? Selah had heard about people with that kind of problem, but she’d never met any.
Cleon bit his lip. Selah knew that look. He was afraid to speak.
“Treva, what kind of drugs? Tell us what we can do to help.” Although Selah didn’t have any idea how to help someone on drugs. She decided she could at least be supportive. This girl had risked a lot to help them.
“Yes, you can help me,” Treva said. “Help me learn how to deal with this.” She reached for the neckline of her shirt and pulled it down enough to expose the wing imprinted below her collarbone.
Selah’s legs gave way. Bodhi gripped her waist and for a second she was suspended in his arms. “I don’t know what to say. How is this possible?”
Bodhi’s mouth opened. “How come I couldn’t feel you?”
“That’s why I’ve been taking drugs. A few years ago I came up with the formula to effectively mask it.” Treva looked at Selah. “Are you all right?”
Selah beamed from ear to ear. “All right! I’m ecstatic. I’ve got someone like me. We can learn together. The only thing better would have been if I’d gotten to meet my father.” With Amaryllis, Cleon, and the rest, she would start a new family. She’d never forget the others, but this would help soothe her losses.
She saw Mojica nod to one of her men. She figured with their work finished, they’d go home. The uniformed group approached the transport, and she moved from the opening to get out of their way.
Mojica put her hand on Selah’s shoulder. “I’m hoping you’ll forgive me for this, but it was the only way I could ensure your safety once I understood.”
Selah furrowed her brow. “Why would I need to forgive you?”
Mojica pointed to her team. The men in the front separated and her watcher moved forward. As he pulled off his hood, Selah saw the mark on the left side of his temple and forehead. “He’s a Lander! Why didn’t we feel his presence?”
Treva’s hand went to her mouth as she gasped out loud.
“Because I am the oldest among us, and I can block anyone from discerning my thoughts or presence,” the Lander said.
Selah looked at Bodhi for clarity. He shrugged.
She turned back to Mojica. “I don’t understand. Who is this?”
Mojica smiled. “Selah Rishon, I’d like you to meet your father, Glade Rishon.”
Selah squeaked a scream as her legs went weak again. Bodhi braced her. She stared, taking in the man’s features. Her mind reached out in shaking beats to make a connection, but then she pulled back, unsure. The facts didn’t add up. Was this a trick?
Cleon moved to her side in defense mode. “How do we know this is really her father?”
Treva came forward, stood directly in front of Glade, and put her hand to his chest.
He embraced her hand, putting her fingers to his lips. “Thank you for giving me my life, and the lives of my fellow Landers, and for saving my child,” he said. “I can never repay you.”
Treva turned to face the group. “I’ve been taking care of this man, and I’m the one who brought him out of the drug fog. This is Glade Rishon.”
Selah fisted her hands on her hips. “Then why didn’t you notice he was in our group?”
Treva cocked her head. “I’ve only known him a few days. Sorry that one out of twenty masked people didn’t make an extra impression on me.”
“But his eyes,” Selah said. “You didn’t recognize his eyes?”
Treva pursed her lips. “Please tell me how many of this group of combat forces you have actually stared at.”
Selah stopped to think, then snapped to the present. “We saw him burnt to a crisp in that cell.” She was afraid to accept the hope that her father really stood in front of her.
Mojica raised a finger. “I personally got Glade out of his cell while you were still in the security area. He can explain later. I don’t know who was in that cell, but I’d venture to guess it was Drace Stemple. He’s the only one missing so far.”
Treva lowered her head. “That would make sense. I ran into him in security and he was on his way back up. It’s just so sad. I’d made progress with him. He was beginning to doubt everything Everling stood for.”
“That’s probably what got him killed,” Mojica said.
Selah took it all in. Fear of the unknown slid away before her eyes. Here was her chance at a happy future. She gained her footing and walked to Glade on shaky legs. “Father?”
Glade smiled. He touched his fingers to her cheek. “You look exactly like your mother. You have her eyes, and I’ve definitely seen her spirit in you.”
Selah’s bottom lip trembled. “You’re really my father?”
Glade reached out gently and pulled her to his chest. “Yes, my child. I am your father. I must confess I never dreamed this day would happen.” He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
“Where have you been? Mother searched for you,” Selah said between tears. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. She could feel him. He was real. Her father.
“I’ve been in the Mountain. It was my turn,” Glade said. “How is your mother?”
“Mother is well. She never stopped loving you. But what do you mean about your turn?”
Glade glanced around, his brow furrowed. “I’ve always loved her. But I needed to protect you from . . . we’ll talk about this later, privately.”
Selah felt him trembling. The feeling was mutual. She lost the capacity for words. Tired. Overwhelmed. Stunned to silence. Just basking in his presence for a few minutes was enough. All the questions she’d thought of had died with the fire in that cell. She needed to start her list again. With her newfound knowledge, some of her questions would change. She glanced at Amaryllis standing to the side. The look on her face was one big question mark. Selah smiled for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour. This could take a lot of explaining.
Glade patted her arm. “I must get my things from the transport so they can leave.” He moved to the open doorway and carried his clothing into the woods.
Mojica strode to the group and looked at Treva. “I have a data package here that Charles Ganston asked me to hand over if you decided not to return. I guess he knew there was a good chance you wouldn’t be coming back.”
Glade, dressed in a white linen tunic set like the others, emerged from the trees and hoisted his uniform onto the pile.
Mojica reached around him to a box mounted inside the transport, pressed her thumb to the scanner, and opened the lid. She handed Treva the package inside and signaled her team. “Mount up, boys and girls. We’re going home.”
The team scrambled back inside the transport. Mojica took her place in the pilot seat and the transport lifted off, stirring the landscape as it rose above the trees.
Mojica felt rejuvenated. The adrenaline rush of the past several hours had sent her to new heights. She swiftly moved away from the landing area and shot off toward the Mountain.
She turned to her navigator. “Scan the five miles to the Mountain. I want you looking for Prison Unit JetTrans.” Still, she didn’t think they’d chase a transport they couldn’t get a transponder signal from. She’d been running stealth and no one saw what direction they’d taken.
They were already a mile closer. The navigator nodded and keyed several screens. “Uh, ma’am. We have a bogie at two o’clock, coming in hot.”
Mojica swore under her breath and punched it, taking evasive maneuvers. “Everyone buckle down, we’re going to take fire!” she shouted into her headset.
The PU JetTrans flew faster than Mountain units. Mojica wondered what else Everling had developed that no one knew about. It caught up to them in a matter of seconds, firing across their bow. A shot clipped the right flank, shuddering the transport.
Mojica rolled to the left. The next shots disappeared into the landscape. Her transport, powerful enough to carry eighty soldiers and still fly at sonic speed, showcased her skills. With a complement of only twenty on board, she could outfly anything in the sky.
“Check their comm link for chatter,” she said with a smile. She darted and wove back and forth in the sky. The PU JetTrans fired at them repeatedly. Mojica didn’t want to engage in a firefight and allow them time for backup, so she easily evaded shots with rolling and dropping sequences. She imagined the people they had just dropped off were getting quite a show. She’d keep the PU unit out here away from the Mountain until they could lose it.
“Ma’am!” the navigator yelled. “Since we have no transponder signal, they’re tracking hot hulls. The PU is staying behind us so the cannon knows to target us as the lead unit. They’ve powered up a laser cannon, and they’ve got tone and lock on us.”
Mojica called up all her skill. She lowered the cruise speed, watching the PU follow suit. “Give me the signal.”
The navigator watched the instruments. “They fired!”
Mojica slammed both hands into the controls, reversing the thrusters. They slowed so fast the PU JetTrans overshot them, putting it in the lead. The laser cannon made contact with the lead unit, vaporizing it.
Mojica veered off to the right, banked low, and skirted the treetops to stay off the Prison Unit’s radar as she navigated her way back to their secret entrance on the back side of the Mountain.
She smiled. Mission accomplished.