Cain put his hands on Jill's shoulders and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone." He paused and then added, "Are you gonna' be okay?"

Jill looked up at him. By now she seemed to have regained most of her composure. "Yeah. I will be…… Here, you better take your gun back."

Cain took it from her, double-checked to make sure that the safety was on, and put it back in its spot by the door. "Jill, I need to go out and take care of Jack." She raised her eyebrows. "My horse's name is Jack. I rode him hard to get back here and I need to get him back into the barn."

"Oh… Go on and take care of him. I don't think that I'll be going anywhere." She said it with that slight smile again but it didn't convince him.

"I'll try to fix the door when I'm done. Meantime keep a few extra logs on the fire and you can tell me what happened when I get back inside."

Cain turned and on the way out closed the door the best that he was able to. That nagging sense of duty called to him yet again. He didn't want to leave her alone but Jack was their only way of transportation besides walking.

Jill sighed to herself. His touch comforted her and it was hard to get that out of her head. She limped over to the stove and put on the kettle. She decided to make some tea and then lay down on the couch.

Jack was still standing there and was trying to munch on one of the tiny branches he was tied to. Cain patted him and began to walk him back to the barn.

He found himself thinking about Jill. He wondered what other surprises she was going to spring on him. Looking at her small frame and features you'd never expect the grit and determination she showed to get to the cabin. Then there was the shotgun. Where the hell did she learn to handle one? She had to know something about them since she knew enough to take the safety on and off. But then his thoughts turned to the men that were here. Who were they? He didn't think that they were random bandits but he didn't think they were professionals either like Longcoats.

By this time they were to the barn. They went in and he led Jack to his stable. After he finished unloading him and putting away the saddle, he gathered a few tools and went back into the cabin.

Jill was curled up on the couch. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not but then she sat up and looked at him.

He took off his coat and hat and placed them on the table. Then he started working on the door. Unfortunately he had to leave it open. The cold outside air seeped in and even with the fire going Jill wrapped her blue blanket around herself.

"So how many were there?"

"I'm not sure. It sounded like there were three in here and more posted outside." Jill paused. "I thought that I heard a truck in the distance. As it got closer I peeked out the window. They had a flatbed truck and the men were on horseback."

Cain stopped what he was doing. "Did you see what they were wearing?"

He thought about the Longcoats but didn't bring it up.

Jill shrugged, "Just normal outside clothes". She paused and then added, "The flatbed had something on it but it was covered up."

"That was probably the engine from your truck," Cain replied dryly.

"What?!" Cain looked over and Jill's eyebrows were furrowed in disbelief and confusion.

"I found your truck. Someone, or more likely, some people stripped it. The engine was gone and the inside was gone through. There were truck and horse tracks around that I followed to here."

Jill sighed. "You didn't find anything else?"

"No, I didn't." Cain went back to what he was doing. He took a hold of the door knob and closed the door. It didn't go shut. With a shove it closed the second time around.

"That will have to do for now. I'll have to get another lock and new hinges when we're in Central City. When we leave tomorrow I'll have to board it shut."

By now Jill was back to staring in to the fire, absorbed in her thoughts again.

"How long have you guys had trucks?"

Cain stopped and looked at her. He still had his hand on the door. "Huh?"

"I'm just asking how long you guys have had trucks? There was an edge to her voice that he hadn't heard before.

"I don't know." He didn't want to go into the story of how he missed fifteen years of his life due to being locked up in an iron suit. Fortunate for him trucks have been around for awhile. "20, 30 annuals maybe. They had them when I was growing up. But they were more common in the cities though."

"Annuals?"

Then he remembered that people like DG and Jill used years instead of annuals. "It's pretty much the same as your year." He paused. "Where are you going with this?"

Jill shrugged. "I can't help it. I'm just trying to figure out why I'm here. So far the best I've come up with is that someone said abracadabra, waved a magic wand and poof! Here I am with my little red truck. But now someone stole my engine and broke in here looking for me."

"And?" Cain sensed that she wasn't finished yet.

"You told me last night that you didn't know if someone wanted me here on purpose or if it was an accident." Her voice rose just ever so slightly. "It didn't dawn on me that you might have meant that you guys travel to our world to steal things. It's always easier to steal it then figure how to do it on your own."

Cain's eyes hardened ever so slightly. "For fifteen annuals the O.Z. was ruled by the Queen's daughter, Azkadelia. But Azkadelia was possessed by an evil witch. The Witch had her alchemists develop the machines that could produce the travel storms at any time." He paused, not sure if Jill was buying this or not. So far she hadn't interrupted him. "Yeah, she used those travel storms to go to your world and steal what she could and reproduce it here. He thought of the semi- automatics that the Longcoats carried. Someone probably found and used one of the Witch's old machines to generate the travel storm that brought you here. I don't know how they got a fix on you but they did. The Queen outlawed travel storms over an annual ago so whoever used it isn't using it with anyone's blessing."

He walked over to Jill and knelt down in front of her. "I know that you're frustrated and looking for answers. But what I just told you is all that I have to go on. I promised to take you to Central City and I'm still going to do that. We'll find more answers there."

Cain could tell that her mind was racing, trying to absorb what he just said. She had been looking down at her hands folded in her lap. She looked back up at him, "How long does it take to get to Central City from here?" The slight edge that had been in her voice earlier was gone and replaced with resignation.

"If we leave before dawn tomorrow we'll be in Central City by mid-day."

Jill fiddled with the edges of her blanket, "I guess it'll be an early night then." Her eyes looked sad even though she was trying to give him that slight smile again. It just gets better and better doesn't it? First tornados, oh excuse me "travel storms", then burglary, attempted kidnapping, and now wicked witches.

Cain continued to look at her, "I should go put my tools away. When I come back in, I'll get supper around."

He got up, put on his hat and coat, and grabbed his tools. He took one last look at her before he went out the door. She was curled up on the couch again, staring into the fire.

As Cain promised, morning came early. He left the fires go out the night before so they ate a cold breakfast. When they were done he grabbed her stuff and went outside to get Jack. Meanwhile Jill washed and dried the dishes and then carefully put them away.

A short time later, Cain came in the door, "Are you ready?"

"Yep!" Jill tried to sound cheerful but she wasn't sure if she convinced him or not. After their little conversation from last night they ate supper mostly in silence. The silence then carried over to breakfast. It wasn't uncomfortable, but not exactly comfortable either.

She put on her wool hat and jacket and went outside. Cain noticed that she didn't limp as much and that was a good sign.

Jack was tied to one of the porch posts. Jill waited alongside him while Cain boarded the door shut. He went to the barn and put his tools away. On his way back over he shouted, "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

Jill's eyes lit up. "Nope. So it'll probably prove interesting. I've already talked to Jack about it though."

"Oh you did, did you?" This time Cain raised his eyebrows and allowed himself to smile a little. "And what did Jack have to say?"

"He told me that as long as I sat still I shouldn't have any problems. He also said that I was much better looking and had a sweeter disposition than his handler." Cain looked at her and saw the devilment in her eyes.

"Well, I can't argue with him there." Cain continued to smile and then said, "I'll help you up first and then I'll get on."

Lieutenant Lundgren found the Father in the Great Room. He was holding a meeting with his advisors but he knew that they would soon be done. They were sitting around a large, ornately carved oval table. This was the room that Lundgren felt most at ease in. The windows lining the side wall were narrow but tall. The velvet curtains were pulled back to allow the first rays of sunlight to come in. The radiated heat was pleasant and began to ward off the chill from the night before.

With the scratching of chairs on the hardwood floor, the advisors got up. There were the usual mumblings and rustling of papers but it didn't take long for them to leave. They all passed him as they exited the door.

The Father went over to his desk and rifled through some papers. He motioned for Lundgren to come forward.

"What news do you have for me first thing this morning, Lieutenant?"

"It is about your Daughter sir." His news was still mixed but certainly the Father would not be too displeased. "One of our small regiments found her truck. They stripped its engine and some other components. It is currently being stored at their base in Calvert but will be transported back to here for the alchemists to examine."

The Father walked back over to the oval table. Oddly he made no sound across the floor. Lundgren saw that one end of the table contained many large maps. The Father flipped through a couple and then pulled one out of the stack. Lundgren walked up alongside him; his boots echoing. Lundgren realized that it was of the Central City zone.

"Where is Calvert?"

"Here sir," Lundgren pointed to the spot on the map. It was a small village, barely large enough to be a footnote.

The Father continued to look at the map. "Hmmm… You haven't mentioned my Daughter yet, Lieutenant."

"The regiment has not found her. They did search various residences located on the way from where her truck was located back to their base. Of course it is just a small matter of time till she is found."

"Just a small matter of time?", the Father briefly looked up at Lundgren and then back down to the map. "Surely you jest. You see, my Daughter is very intelligent and certainly can out-fox a few ragged men that you call your regiment."

Lundgren glared at the Father for a moment and then quickly blanked it out before he took notice. This was his first major assignment and he was not going to fail it.

The Father continued to look at the map, "Lieutenant Lundgren."

"Yes sir?"

"You were a bright student and you graduated at the top of your class. But you have much to learn yet. I have decided to turn over command to a more experienced soldier. However, you should not think of it as a demotion. Look at him, like a mentor."

"A mentor sir?" Lundgren was both incensed over the loss of his command and confused at the use of the word mentor all at the same time.

"Yes Lieutenant, a mentor. A superior officer willing to take on a prodigy. Even I had a mentor when I was a young lad rising up through the ranks." The Father looked over to a corner in the room. It was then that Lundgren realized that it was the last remaining dark corner in the room; the sunlight had not yet reached it.

The Father motioned and a figure emerged from the dark. He was dressed in a long black leather coat. "Lieutenant Lundgren, this is both your commanding officer and your mentor. General Zero."