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Marlena and the others followed Balthazar inside a well-lit corridor.
She was blinded by the lights for several seconds, and it took them a while to get used to the interior. The door closed behind them with barely a whisper.
Marlena asked, "What is this place?"
"My men found this area several weeks ago. It was a bomb shelter built by a rich survivalist, who was also an Illuminati member. I forgot it was here. But it was too small to house all the people from the mall compound. So, we didn't think we could use it."
"It's good that you found this place. But why would the person who built it need a bomb shelter? Wouldn't your bombs destroy everything?"
"This is just the beginning of the shelter. Follow me."
"Is it safe?" she asked. "Couldn't some creature follow our trail?"
"No, they can’t. They would need to know the password. But I do."
"You know many things," she said.
"Well, it was the Illuminati who built this structure."
They had been moving along a corridor that sloped downwards, but now the path started to veer to the left.
Marlena was starting to feel tired, as were the others in the group. Yet, their indomitable will kept them moving. Marlena admired these people. They had come back from a major defeat and the destruction of their homes, yet they kept on forging ahead.
Marlena almost hit a doorway, and Balthazar held out a hand to stop her.
He pressed a button against the wall, which glowed as the doorway slid open. It was an elevator, just like the one at her home in the Hive. She marveled that the humans on this world had created this technological doorway.
They all stepped inside. There were only five of them left. They had started with ten.
The elevator started downwards. A gust of air filtered inside the box, and after a few minutes, the elevator stopped and the front doors slid open. Another corridor spread out before them. They all stepped out and walked through the hallway until they stopped at another doorway. Balthazar pressed several buttons on a screen next to the door. Marlena heard an audible click as Balthazar opened the doorway. Inside she saw a large room with tables and chairs, and other hallways leading to different areas.
"Come inside. We should be safe here a little while," Balthazar said.
A lady next to Marlena said, "Is there food and water?"
"Some water and rations," he said. "There are rooms that could fit up to twenty people, and only enough food and water to last a month. We will still have to leave here eventually."
The members of the group placed their gear on the tables. Marlena sat down heavily on a chair. Her body wanted to keep moving, but she closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep.
***
"MARLENA."
She opened her eyes and she saw a woman staring at her.
"Hi. We have a room for you. I thought you’d rather sleep on a bed than on a chair," she said.
The young woman had straight, stringy brown hair and bright eyes.
"Thanks," Marlena said.
"My name’s Beth. I'm the person who gave you your handgun. I'll show you your room."
Marlena stood. Her body ached. She felt as if she was glued to the ground.
Beth asked, "Do you need help?"
"No, I'm tired. Just show me my quarters."
Beth took a left turn into a hallway behind her, where the pathway led into other rooms and corridors. This place was much bigger than Balthazar had suggested, and Marlena believed it could hold many more than twenty people, perhaps forty or fifty.
Beth took a right turn and saw several people walking about. She spotted six doors, all ajar, with people milling about between them. A man nodded at her.
"This room is your room," said Beth.
Marlena walked inside and found a small room with a cot, a table, and a tall bureau for clothes. It was just big enough for her alone.
"Thank you."
"We will look for food, and will call you when dinner is ready," Beth said.
Marlena nodded and closed the door. She took out the gun and placed the safety latch on. The clip was still inside the weapon, and she decided to keep it in the holster. She felt something oblong in her pockets, and reaching in, she took out the communicator. The screen was black and it didn't work.
She recalled her vision and thought about Lazarus’ words. "Your father is alive, trapped in Yaddle's ship. You need to go to him. We will meet again, in another lifetime."
Marlena wondered how she was going to help her father, Captain Grendel. He was resourceful, and she didn't doubt her father was working on fixing Yaddle's ship. She looked at the communicator and wondered if she could fix it. She placed it on the table. Then she thought about Lazarus stating they would meet in another lifetime. She hoped she would meet him again. Lazarus was an intriguing person, even though he was human. Too bad, she thought, that Lazarus was paired with the other Alpha Mage, Cindy. She shook her head. She couldn't think about those things at a time like this.
She looked at the door and stepped toward it, and spotted the lock bolt. It was almost the same as they had on her father's ship. She turned it and locked the door.
She was tired and wanted to sleep more, but she needed to think and start making a list. Looking at the communicator, she knew she needed tools. She was not sure if she could find the right instruments and power source on this world. She would have to ask ask Balthazar. If she had the right instruments, maybe she could build a makeshift communicator. Part of her training was in engineering.
She sat on the bed. It creaked beneath her weight. The green blanket was soft enough. She didn't need upper class niceties. She was a soldier, like her father before her.
