Someone had wheeled an ancient telescope into the center of a campfire, and several people were taking turns looking into it. Elizabeth was with Will, and Nick was helping Marilyn prepare some food. I wandered over to the small group gazing upward at the night sky. I overheard a snatch of conversation.
“If we can hit the craft directly, we’ve got a real chance.”
Their voices dwindled away as they saw me approach. Several sets of wary eyes were upon me.
“Hi. I haven’t introduced myself to any of you. I’m Mina.”
A hostile voice replied. “Yeah, we know. The clone.” I looked at the man who had spoken. His dark head was bent over the telescope lens.
“Yes, that’s true. But I assure you, I’m no threat.” I attempted a smile. Silence greeted me, and I tried to bolster the conversation. “What are you guys looking at?”
The dark head lifted, and a woman answered for them. “The Travelers. Their craft, in orbit. Have you ever seen it?”
Her voice held a friendly tone, and I was desperate for the kindness. “No, but I’ve been dying to see it. May I?”
The dark-haired man stood up and took a step away. It was his only invitation, but I’d take it. I stooped over the eyepiece and focused my sight. What I saw caused me to gasp. It was massive, a ship unlike anything a child’s imagination could conjure. A narrow square with rounded corners, its own interstellar mansion. Several levels flickered with tiny lights. The Travelers were in there, I thought. And suddenly I was hungry to see one. Ask it why, ask it how.
I glanced away from the view to see the kindly woman closely watching my response. I supposed it was because I was a sort of creation of theirs, the aliens we were now pondering. Before she could ask, I answered. “No, I’ve never seen or met one. I was told I never would.” I shuddered, a cold finger going down my spine. “And I don’t think I ever want to.”
The woman’s eyes crinkled up in a smile. She reminded me of my mother. “I’m Betsy. I’m from Continent Four. What was once America. This is Zeke, he’s an engineer from Continent Two. That’s his daughter, Zandra.”
I looked at the third shadowy figure, who hadn’t said anything, and recognized the girl who had first found me in the forest. She nodded at me, but kept her eyes down.
Zeke was still sizing me up, but I forged ahead with the opening Betsy had given me. “So why are we looking at them?”
The three of them looked at each other, an unspoken question among them.
“I’m not going to go to the Director—or to anyone, for that matter.”
I was exasperated. Betsy smiled. “I believe you. You would have already. We’re figuring out how we can bring them down. Or make them go away. They’re obviously responsible for the Eaters now terrorizing our cities around the world, and, by proxy, the Director is in charge. We’ve come to Origin because this is where she is, and Zeke is here because he has an idea about how we can fight back.”
I had wondered why people from all over the world had been showing up specifically here in the forests outside of Origin, and now I knew their goal. Going up against the Facilities and the person in charge, the Director, was a noble cause, but the objective was daunting. As Elizabeth had noted earlier on our walk here, we had no weapons. How would we go about doing something so bold? Betsy noted the confusion on my face, but Zeke held up his hand.
“Enough. She knows enough. She’ll know more soon. But for now, just … keep things quiet. OK? Zandra, come on.”
He took her arm, and stalked off into the dark, leaving me and Betsy standing by the telescope.
“You must be hungry, dear. Let’s go eat, shall we?” Betsy offered, and I was grateful for her mothering nature. I also realized I was ravenous, more so than usual. I guessed it was because I was eating for two now. My hand once again traveled to my abdomen, and the movement was not lost on Betsy. Knowledge dawned in her eyes, and a slight smile curved her full cheeks. “Yes, I think you should eat. Come now.”
I felt alarm. How could she know? As if she read my mind, she said, “I’m a nurse. And I know a hungry woman when I see one. But don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul that you’ve … got such a healthy appetite.”
She winked. Relieved, I followed her to the fire where food was being served. I took two helpings of beans, yams, and meat. I found my team huddled together but relaxed enough to be chatting amongst themselves. I scanned the small crowd, looking for Luke. I saw him standing up, eating from a heaping plate. He didn’t stray far from Rory, I noted. He caught my stare, and met it with one so hostile I flinched.
“Ignore him. Come sit by me,” Marilyn chirped, and I turned my back on Luke and finished my meal.
Remembering the vitamins, I took one. No one noticed. Two people in the camp now knew I was pregnant. And it had to stay that way.
I lay awake that night, my thoughts a jumble. They had put me back in the bed I’d slept in the night before, inside the cozy house with several others. Will had insisted, claiming all his patients getting over malaria were to be made comfortable. But I didn’t enjoy the bed, instead lying awake and ruminating on the events of the day and the plan I was hatching. So they were going to try and rid the world of the Travelers. I would help in any way I could, but I didn’t truly expect them to be successful. A ragtag group of rebels against an ancient and incredibly evolved race? It would be comical if it wasn’t so dire.
I listened to the sounds of soft sleep around me. For my plan to work, I’d need everyone to cooperate and trust me. I wasn’t quite sure they would, and the uncertainty wrung knots in my stomach. I flopped over to my side, trying to relax. My efforts would begin in the morning, and I’d have to keep them covert. If Rory or Luke suspected anything, they would kill me, and I’d put the rest of my team in danger. I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep. Images of Adam crying out, his broken body spewing blood, flashed across my mind, and the connection I’d had with the Jack-thing, that hunger still fresh in my mind. I drew the blanket up closer to my chin, and eventually slept.
In the morning, I found my team sitting around in a circle enjoying coffee. They seemed in bright spirits, considering. The rest of the camp was working at making a wider clearing in the forest. I heard chopping and shouting.
“What’s going on?” I asked, sitting down next to Nick.
“They aren’t really telling us. But it looks like something big is due to arrive, and they’re clearing the way for it. We can’t get much information out of anyone. They’ve certainly accomplished a lot in the few days they’ve been out here, though.”
He slid his gaze to me, then away. He wasn’t ashamed to know me, but knowing me meant he was out of the information loop. Marilyn was braiding Elizabeth’s hair in a touching attempt to get her to engage a bit more. I noted her color looked better, but she was still quiet.
I glanced around, making sure no one was in earshot of what I was about to say. I took a gulp of black coffee, fortifying myself. “Listen you guys, I need your help. What I’m about to say might shock you, or frighten you. And I would completely understand if you chose to not help. But for this to work, I need all three of you.”
Their faces were interested, and I forged ahead.
“Jack is an Eater. I didn’t tell Nick and Elizabeth yesterday because I didn’t know how they’d react.”
Marilyn piped up. “I already told them. They’re cool with it.”
I let that tidbit of information sink into my brain before I continued. “I’m pretty sure the Eater that didn’t … well, eat me yesterday was him.”
They looked at one other in surprise.
“How do you know?” Nick asked.
“His eyes. They were the same.” I didn’t mention my telepathic connection to the Jack-thing and continued, “But whether he knew it was me or not, I can’t know for sure. What I do know is they travel in pairs, maybe in packs. And we know from Rory and the others that they return to the forests to change back to human form. I don’t know why. Maybe they feel safe here.”
I saw all three pairs of eyes following where I was going with this.
“Nick, how far are we from our old observation station?” I asked.
“About fifteen miles,” he said, his gaze curious.
“We’re at our best when we’re tracking animals in this forest. That much I know. If we go back to where we first saw that Eater, the day Marilyn caught it on video, we can maybe track them. With the right amount of tranquilizer, we can sneak up on any in human form and maybe … Well, we wouldn’t know until we tried.”
Marilyn’s pretty face was crumpled up in distress, but all three were still listening closely. Nick spoke up next. “They could turn on us, if we found some. And darting them before they fully morphed isn’t a guarantee. Also, how would we get to that observation station?”
I looked over at the small fleet of cars along the camp’s edge that I had noticed the night before.
“We’ll steal a car tonight. It looks like everyone is occupied with whatever is going on. We could do it.”
I held my breath, looking at each face closely. They were hesitant, but not scared.
“And if we dart Jack, then what?” Nick asked, and Elizabeth had turned her eyes back to me. Speaking for the first time that morning, she said quietly, “The Facility created them. Maybe they’d know a way to return them to normal.”
“Exactly.” I smiled at her, but her eyes had already drifted away.
“I’m going to call Eva, the woman who helped me through acclimation when I first woke up. I have a hunch she’ll help.”
“What if she just reports you? Us? To the Director? We’d be screwed, for sure.” Nick’s words were uncertain, but his tone was angry. Angry at the Facility, at the Director. Marilyn touched his shoulder, and his fists unclenched.
“These are all risks I’m going to have to take. But if we can pull this off, there might be hope for all the clones who are morphing. Whatever they’re planning, it might mean war.” I gestured at the people carrying wood and brush from the clearing. “But what we can do is a little more realistic. If you guys are in it with me, tell me now. What do you say?”
Nick was raring to go, that much was clear. Marilyn would follow Nick anywhere. And Elizabeth, although her attention seemed to drift, brought her gaze back to mine and nodded slightly. I let myself breathe.
“OK guys, we need to seem like we’re a part of the team around here. Offer to help in any way you can. Even if they won’t tell you what they’re planning, we need to stay engaged today. We’ll leave tonight, once the sun has set.” I felt like a sports coach, rallying her players. Everyone nodded, and stood up.
“Remember, stay casual. Get friendly with everyone,” I warned, and we slowly disbanded, so as not to look obvious. Elizabeth wandered toward a group of women who were preparing food. Nick and Marilyn went toward some people wielding power tools. Satisfied that they knew what they were doing, I went back into the house to get my phone. This next phase was crucial, and my pulse quickened. Seeing no one, I got my bag and casually made my way into the bathroom. I set my phone to face-to-face mode, and, needing to be as quiet as possible, decided to try the mental command. I pictured Eva’s face in mind, and immediately the communicator responded. I smiled a little at this tiny marvel, but soon became tense again. Several moments passed, and I began to lose hope she would respond. Then her face appeared, pale and harried.
“What are you doing calling me?” was her hushed greeting.
I kept my voice level. “I need your help. Remember that day at the train station you told me if I ever needed anything, to contact you? I need to know that wasn’t an empty offer.”
To my surprise, her eyes began to tear up. “It’s so awful, what’s happening. I didn’t know it would be like this. I swear it to you. And I had no idea it would affect you in any way. I’d never put you in danger.”
“Shh, I believe you. But I need to know if you’re still loyal to the Director. And if your colleagues are as well,” I whispered back.
“Most of us who are even still here are doing it out of fear. But a lot of people have just left. The Director is gone. She’s just … not here.” She looked over her shoulder, but quickly turned back. “I remember what I said to you, and I meant it. I just … I don’t know what I can do, things are crazy here.” For interminable moments her indecision lagged on, her face vacillating between uncertainty about her own safety and worry for my obvious distress. Then, seeming to make up her mind, her voice was firm in reply. “If I can help, I’ll try. What’s your plan?”
I told her.