23

Selah choked from the billowing, acrid smoke as they worked their way back to Contressa’s holdings. Alarms blared and people with buckets and hoses ran everywhere in the marketplace, trying to find available water. Black soot spread from the center of the marketplace.

Contressa grabbed a man hauling a length of hose. “Where?”

“Slito’s stall,” the man said and hurried off.

Contressa muttered under her breath, then turned to Selah. “There’s no active water line anywhere near that part of the layout. Come help me. This could take out the whole market if not contained.” She ran flat out to her dwelling in the holdings and threw open the door. Grabbing a cylinder from an inside closet, she thrust it at Selah then snatched up an identical one. Selah stopped her and reached back in the closet, snatching two scarves from a shelf. They wrapped their heads to cover their noses and bolted in the direction of the market.

Disoriented by the heavy smoke, Selah followed Contressa as they wove through the rows of stalls covered in gray ash. Contressa stopped. Selah came around beside her, facing the raging inferno fed by a ruptured fuel line. Angry flames crawled along the walls and ceiling of the stall, licking around the conduits and communication networks above.

“Aim at the base of the flames. You take the right and I’ll do the left.” Contressa coughed from trying to yell over the siren. She pushed the guys with buckets of water out of the way so Selah could join her. Onlookers crowded around.

“Get back and let us use the chemicals!” Contressa sprayed from one direction and Selah sprayed from the other.

A huge yellow then blue flame accompanied by a loud whoosh shot fifteen feet high. The crowd moved away from the heat. Contressa changed her spray width for a wide burst. Selah matched the coverage. The flames retreated. Ten feet to the left another pipe that had been subjected to the flames glowed red.

Contressa saw it at the same moment Selah did, and they trained their chemicals on the spot, building a solidified layer that cushioned the explosion when the pipe ruptured. Additional chemicals were added when the fire team arrived, but by then the two women had saved the market.

The crowd assembled erupted in cheers. Contressa shook Selah’s hand, grinning broadly as they both got slaps on the back for the swift job. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into staying? With a right hand like you I could control the entire outer ring by summer.”

“I suspect if I haven’t found the Third Protocol long before summer, I will fracture.”

Contressa’s smile faded. “It’s that bad? I didn’t realize. What can we do to get you out of here faster?”

Selah looked at the burned-out shell of a shop. It had burned so hot any metal parts inside were a liquid mess. “This was where I was picking up our last order of parts. I’m going to need replacements.”

“I’ll find out what Slito was fabricating and we’ll get it done for you,” Contressa said.

Selah pressed her scrambler. Nothing happened. She pressed again then turned to Contressa. “No signal to the transport.”

Contressa looked up and pointed. “The junction box for the fiber connections melted.”

Selah’s chest tightened. She’d have to go out there and come back. “What could I use to go out there? I need to know if there’s anything else they need before we cut off communications.”

“Are you coming back today?”

“Yes, I want as much done as I can. Could you ask Baje and Tuere to meet me at your place? I’d like to say goodbye,” Selah said.

“Then take Slito’s SnowRunner. It’s his fault you need the extra trip.” Contressa pointed to a closed-in box sitting atop two treads.

Selah scrambled up the ladder into the transport. Rylla and Dane met her at the entrance to the family quarters. They made faces at her smell, but she loved on both of them. She passed the galley, motioning to Pasha and Mari, then ran through the tactical areas and poked her head in the rear compartment where Bodhi, Mojica, and Taraji were retrofitting the last system. “Need you three in tactical right away. Bring a list of any missing parts. We have to leave today.”

Selah darted back into tactical, but nervous energy kept her moving. Pasha and Mari took seats, and Selah shooed the kids to the family area to play. She couldn’t risk having Rylla hear they were leaving and she wasn’t going to be able to tell Tuere and Baje goodbye.

Pasha covered her nose. “Why are you covered with soot and smell like smoke?”

“After I saw the Seeker, I helped Contressa fight a fire in the marketplace.”

“Why did you risk yourself like that?”

“Because I was the only one there, and I’m capable of pointing a chemical retarder,” Selah said.

“So why do we have to leave? Please don’t tell me there’s more snow on the way,” Pasha said. “I’ve had enough of being stuck indoors.”

“No, it’s worse than that. Wait till everyone’s here so I only have to say it once.” Selah tried to control the tremor in her hands. She wasn’t sure if it was a Kingston-related fear or another symptom of her decline.

Bodhi, Mojica, and Taraji piled in the doorway. “Why do we need to leave here today?” Taraji asked.

Bodhi came closer and recoiled. “Why do you—”

“Fighting a fire in the marketplace,” Selah said. “The Kingstons are in the dome.”

“Jericho Kingston from Waterside?” Fear etched across Pasha’s face.

Mari looked around. “Somebody fill me in. Who’s Jericho Kingston?”

“He’s the man my husband tried to sell Selah to in marriage, to unite our Borough with their petrol,” Pasha said.

“Well, that’s a mouthful. How did they get here so fast?” Mari asked.

“They’re part of the bandit crew we fought at your place, and then I fought them at the transport depot after WoodHaven,” Taraji said. “I saw a regular transport in the depot for repairs. They must have hijacked it after we departed. They arrived before we could leave Cleveland because the snow receded from the lower part of the route first.”

“The point is they’re Blood Hunters, so they’ll be after Selah,” Bodhi said.

Selah held up a hand. “I’m under Contressa’s protection while I’m in the dome. They’ve been in there since early December and we didn’t know to be worried. I’d say it’s too late to worry now, but we do need to leave.”

Everyone tried to talk at once. Selah felt the familiar ebb and flow to their speech like an elastic band that stretched and then snapped, propelling her back to the center. They stopped talking and stared at her. Selah tried to pass it off as a long pause.

“And now that I have your attention I’ll tell you the bad news. There is no more.”

She said it the way the Seeker had and got the puzzled look she’d anticipated. But she had to remain upbeat for her family. “That’s the same look I had when he told me there were no more domes. But he did tell me to go north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So I guess the fact we were going north by mistake was correct.”

Pasha glanced at the model. “What happened to the mountain of pearls we digitized?”

“They were smaller and older technology. Magnetic storms blew them up,” Selah said.

“Then I guess we’ve got work to do.” Taraji left tactical with Mari, discussing map routes they needed to tag.

Selah noticed her mother staring at her and could only ignore it for so long. “What?”

Pasha touched her face. “You look tired. You’re not getting enough rest.”

Selah kissed her mother on the cheek. She couldn’t stay near her too long or Pasha would know she was up to something. “Mojica, do we have all the parts we need? Slito’s are being replaced.”

“That’s it. They brought the last load out this morning. We can be done in twenty-four to forty-eight hours if I go back to work now.” Mojica waved and departed, taking Pasha with her.

Bodhi walked over and wrapped his arms around Selah’s waist. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for at least ten seconds. It was funny how long that felt when she was anticipating the end.

“Taraji told you, didn’t she?” Selah kept her head against his chest. She didn’t want to see a storm cloud cross his face and ruin the moment.

“Yes, she did. Did you expect her to hold it from me?” Bodhi rested his chin on her head and stroked her hair.

“No, but I told her not to tell you.”

“Well then, I’m glad she doesn’t listen to you,” Bodhi said as he released her.

That was a great note to leave the conversation on. “I have to pick up the last order of replacement parts, and Contressa will have Slito bring me out with the delivery,” Selah said.

Bodhi stared at her, then smiled and shook his head. “I can’t yell anymore. We’re almost out of here, so just please be careful.”

“I always am.” Except when she wasn’t . . .

“I know, but it makes me feel better saying it.”

Selah kissed him on the cheek and left tactical. She walked down the hall to her quarters, where she had the data from Cleveland regarding the process used with her plasma. There were notations of several experiments where they had injected directly from the host. That didn’t work for diseases, but it had dramatic effects for DNA defects that were physical. Selah grabbed a syringe and two canisters and hid them safely in the waist pocket on her tactical suit.

As Selah was copying the protocol notes, Taraji walked in.

“Glad we’re almost out of here,” Selah said. “Jericho Kingston is the last person I want to see.” She turned back to the transfer. If she looked at Taraji for long it would be over.

“Yeah, you’ve been fortunate.” Taraji glanced at the transfer. “What are you copying?”

“A file from Cleveland. I figured Contressa might find help for the kids.” Selah’s fingers were beginning to tremble again.

Taraji leaned back against Selah’s desk. “You’re giving them a sample of your blood, aren’t you?”

“No, of course I’m not. I took heed of what you said.” Selah tried to will the cube to hurry and finish the file. She started to sweat.

Taraji crossed her arms. “No, you didn’t listen to me at all.”

Selah closed her eyes. “Please, this time . . . don’t tell anyone, not even Bodhi. I spent a lot of time finding my father and then my family, but now I have to find myself. I can’t do that with everyone scrutinizing my every move.”

“But they deserve to know.”

“If finding myself means losing myself, then so be it. There have been enough coincidences so far that I know my fate is already sealed. All I have to do is choose wisely,” Selah said.

“You think weakening yourself even faster is the wise thing to do?” Taraji asked.

Selah turned to face her. “I think letting those kids have a life is the wise thing to do.”

Selah parked the SnowRunner and hurried into the dome. The weather report at the entrance board inside showed a snowstorm coming in. Selah couldn’t afford to waste time. She swung by Slito’s to announce he could begin loading the parts and she’d be ready shortly.

She turned down the lane to Contressa’s. Baje and Tuere vaulted the wide stairs two at a time, trying to be the first to reach Selah. She laughed at their game and corralled them inside, where Contressa sat in her garden drinking tea.

“Selah, I hope you’ve gotten everything you needed from the Seeker.” Contressa motioned the children to come out and join them for goodbyes.

“Everything he had to give, but this is the end. There is no next place to go, so we’ll wander and hope for the best,” Selah said with a grimace. She looked at Contressa. “Unfortunately, my chances of finding the Third Protocol in the time I’m allotted are next to none.” She turned to the children. “So I’m giving you an infusion of my blood.” She pulled the syringe and canisters from her pocket and laid them on the table.

The children huddled together, whispering, then Baje spoke for them. “Is this going to hurt?”

“I don’t know. The file didn’t say anything about pain, just the instantaneous healing, and I figured we should give it a try on you.”

“Does that mean we still die at sixteen?” Baje asked.

“No, that means you will be a permanently healthy person who can live very long, but your blood will only be able to cure people with the same defect.”

Contressa sat up straight. “You’re serious about this? You can cure them and they don’t have to die?” Tears appeared in her eyes. She waved a hand. “You children go into the kitchen so that I can talk to Selah for a minute.” She waited for them to go. Selah studied her body-speak. Contressa was clearly very conflicted.

“I forgot to get the tracker back from your uniform.” Contressa reached over and untucked the patch. She held it out to Selah. “I’m sorry, but this is not just a tracker. It’s an audio-vid with both voice recording and images of everything that happened while you were with the Seeker. Because you are doing this for my Outcast children, I want to give you the opportunity to destroy the patch.”

Selah sat back. “No, I’m leaving. These Seekers are a mean bunch. Anything you can find to work against them is a positive thing. Keep it.”

Contressa called the children back in. Selah motioned Baje to the seat beside her. “I’m going to extract a sample from me and pass it to you. Your leg should be healed instantly.”

Selah put the cartridge to her forearm and extracted a sample, then injected it into Baje’s arm. They sat back to watch. A minute went by with no change, then two.

Selah’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry it didn’t work. The procedural protocol may have been faulty—”

Baje screamed loud enough to shatter glass. They could see movement in her leg. Contressa and Selah urged her to get up and walk. As she marched away the pronounced limp was easy to see, but on her way back to them it disappeared. Baje noticed right away and began whooping and yelling, running circles in the garden.

Selah’s hands shook and tears clouded her eyes as she changed the cylinder and they did the same thing with Tuere. He reacted like the original prediction had indicated, and his defect cleared in the first forty-five seconds. Selah could barely breathe. She’d never seen anything like it. Her heart pounded with exhilaration.

With much reluctance, she rose to leave. The children ran around the garden enjoying their new freedom. Joy filled Selah. Her sacrifice would save a whole world of children.

Contressa hugged her goodbye. “You’ve freely given of yourself, and I owe you more. So I have another admission.” She hesitated. “I’ve been watching you for the Kingstons.”

“Yeah, I sorta figured that when I found out Jericho was here all this time. I’ve had so many people after me that now I suspect everyone, and if they turn out to be friendly it’s a plus. I have no more energy to be mad at anyone.” She pulled the data cube from her tactical suit. “This is the data on the study and how to extract samples from Baje and Tuere to cure others. Remember, only the original two can ever be donors, and it will only work on this defect.” She handed Contressa the cube.

The woman stood there staring at the clear cube in her hand. “You’re still going to give me this much power after all I’ve done to you?”

Selah smiled. “You’ve really been quite helpful, and this is for the children. Besides, I didn’t trust your motives to begin with. It’s not all the things I’ve thought of that scare me, it’s the single thing I haven’t thought about that really worries me.”

Contressa walked with Selah out to the entrance. Selah’s gait wobbled. She was still trying to recover from the two extractions. Her body’s response to losing two tablespoons of blood was beyond anything she’d have expected. A person could lose that much to a good cut from a farm tool. She wondered what made her different.

Selah stumbled and Contressa steadied her. “Are you all right?”

“I expected a slight dimming for a short period, but this is severe.” Selah pitched forward.

Contressa caught her. “I can’t send you with Slito while you’re in this condition. He’ll sell you to Jericho Kingston between here and the transport and you’d disappear forever.”

Selah tried to focus on what Contressa was saying. She struggled to straighten, but her arms and legs felt strange—first stiff then rubbery. Her mind wouldn’t focus. It seemed like little parts of her brain were running everywhere, refusing to stay together.

Contressa sat her on the step of the SnowRunner. She walked away and tapped her communicator, speaking in rapid tones. Her words ran together in Selah’s mind. Too many vowel sounds.

Selah tried to shake it off. Her head bobbed, and when she looked up . . . Jericho Kingston stared back. She remembered his face from a recent picture that had replaced her childhood memory of him looking like a stick bug.

He grinned at her. “Selah, I finally have you again.”

“No, get away from me.” Selah put all her effort in trying to punch him. Her fingers splayed. Her hands didn’t have the strength or coordination to ball into fists. She started to cry, slapping out in frustration. “Go away. Go away!”

Kingston threw back his head in laughter as he locked his large hand around her wrist. “Did you really think you’d get away from me? My father paid a hefty price for your hand in marriage, and I want my money’s worth.”

“I’ll never marry you. I hate you!” Selah tried to yell, but it came out like a garbled whimper.

“I’ll never marry you either. That would have worked back home, but now I just want your blood.”

“My blood won’t help you now. Can’t you see how weak I am?”

Her fingers clawed at his hand, but she was too weak to loosen his grip. He lifted her off the ground and over his shoulder. She beat on his back with her fists, but there was no strength to her punches. She tried to kick, but Kingston had both arms wrapped around her legs.

She cried out as he carried her, but no one paid any attention.

Kingston plopped her down on a padded seat inside some kind of small conveyance. She could see out of windows on all sides. He laughed again. “These stupid hicks don’t know what makes your blood so special. I thought we had solved this problem with the extraction in the Mountain, and then the whole place collapsed in on itself before I got there.” He strapped her into the seat and moved up close, grinning with yellowed teeth. “But I do know what makes you special, and we’re going to extract it for ourselves.”

Selah shook her head to order her thoughts. He knew what made her blood special! She clawed at the seat to sit up straight. She had to focus on listening to him. Bursts of color swirled together. “Tell me! Tell me what it is!” She tried to grab his arm, but her hands fell to her sides like lead weights.

Selah’s fingers grappled with the closure that held her prisoner. Her eyes were getting heavy. She had to stay awake.

Kingston winked at her. “I guess I can tell you because it won’t do you any good here in this backwards society. They’d never be able to see—”

She heard noise and sounds she couldn’t decipher. The conveyance jostled back and forth. Loud voices. Help! Wait, tell me the secret!

She jerked, and a familiar buzz overcame her, fading in and out . . .

February 14

Selah awoke on a cot with her arms flailing. Jericho Kingston had been close enough to touch. Where was he now? Did he drug her?

Her eyes stretched open. He had been about to tell her the secret of her blood!

Where was she? The only light she saw was what filtered under the door. She couldn’t make out the walls. The resonance of her movements made it sound like she was in a small space with sparse furnishings. She tried to sit up but her head still buzzed. She didn’t know if she should yell or not. Maybe Contressa had played her after all and slipped her something, but there was no way that could have happened because she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything. She tried again to fight her way into a sitting position. She leaned back against the wall and let all the pieces go back into place before she attempted to stand.

She took a step and her right ankle gave way. She crashed to the floor. She lay there with her head swimming as memories flew through her mind, making her stomach wrench. Bright lights, cold tables, everyone dressed in white, but she couldn’t see their faces. The scenes melted together like candle wax at the base of a sconce. Stop! Tell me the secret!

She found the strength to sit up again and used the cot to help her stand. She tried a leg without letting go. It held. She felt stable. Another foot in front of her and she reached the door. Her hand felt for a wall pad or door handle. Her hand flopped across a door panel several times before it hit the doorknob. She fumbled with getting all of her fingers to close around the cool metal. She had to find Jericho Kingston. He knows.

The doorknob felt cool to her touch. She stood for a minute with her forehead against the door. There was no way out of this darkness other than through the door. The light called to her from beyond it.

Selah took a deep breath. Her head didn’t feel dizzy any longer. Her arms felt normal. Her legs felt normal. It was just the sparkles in her stomach that made her apprehensive.

She pushed on the handle and opened the door.