AN: It was pointed out to me that I got the details wrong about how the shuttles and spaceships worked in The Host. I had believed the actual space ships remained in orbit and shuttles traveled back and forth carrying cryotank cargo. The book explains the spaceships are loaded on the ground. So I have made some minor rewrites to chapters 12 & 13. While this wouldn't seem like a big deal for the story, the Soul spaceships will come into play in my third story so I might as well get it right.

-Walker

Chapter 14 – Monsters

"I want every human left on this planet to know how to pull these worms out," said Marc Walters. He spoke in a quiet voice full of barely controlled rage, his brown eyes darkening as he glared at Wanda and Burns. Around him, the angry whispers of his people fell silent as they heard Marc's command. Slowly, one by one, they all began to nod and approve of this order in silent agreement.

Wanda felt a wave of fear and then the twisted feeling of nausea run through her stomach. When she had learned the Human rebels in Chicago had learned the secret of removing her people Wanda had initially panicked. Their knowledge could be used as a terrifying weapon.

Giving the information to her Human family had been one of the hardest things she had ever done. Only after much reassurance they would not harm her defenseless brethren did she finally tell Doc how to do the removal. However, when she met Nate's group and learned there were still other Humans still left in the world a nagging fear had been born. The possibility other Humans might learn how to remove a Soul and use their knowledge without restriction or hesitation was a real one.

But Marc and the other Humans had seen the information not as a weapon but a shield, protection from the Souls, which outnumbered them a million to one. If the Seekers wouldn't harm the Humans, then the Humans would keep their secret. Wanda had to agree it was a novel solution, but she remained uneasy. The only flaw of their plan required all parties to tolerate each other and not tempt the other side with conflict.

Now proof of the plan's failure lay at Wanda's feet. Tim, the boy who looked so much like Jamie, was dead. Shot in the chest apparently by the Seekers. The horror of this act had only multiplied the earlier shock of learning the plague was not a natural one, the illness a skillfully created weapon by an unknown group of Humans. Wanda could feel everything rapidly spiraling out of control.

"Marc, please don't do this," said Wanda in the steadiest voice she could manage.

"Why not?" said Marc in an eerily calm voice. "I told the Seekers what would happen if they came for us." He glanced down at Tim's body and then to the gathered Humans, "Any reason I shouldn't make good on my threat?"

Many of the assembled Humans nodded in agreement. Wanda felt Ian's hands on her shoulders, felt them tighten as he saw the growing anger of the mob around them.

Burns looked sadly down at the body of the boy and said softly, "We don't know what happened or who did this. Please don't do anything rash."

"Who else has access to weapons around here?" asked Marc. When Burns didn't immediately answer Marc stalked over to the red-haired man and asked again in a tight cold voice, "We checked all our weapons." He pointed to the pale little body on the ground, his finger moving with the faintest of tremors, "We sure the hell didn't kill Tim. So who else has guns around here Mister Burns Living Flowers?"

Burns shrank back from the cold fury in Marc words. Unlike many Humans Wanda had met, Marc didn't scream and yell when angry. No, when truly enraged his anger was cold hard fury which cut like steel when he used it against you. Burn meekly whispered, "Seekers carry such weapons."

"And didn't you just tell us not ten minutes ago you Souls feared some Seekers were getting to like violence a little too much," interrogated Marc.

"I did," replied Burns his eyes again locked on Tim.

"Well then, case closed," snapped Marc as he slapped his hands together. The debate of who had killed the boy at an end.

Wanda said in a near whisper, "If you do this it will be the end to any chance for peace. The Souls will have to…stop you."

"Chance for peace?" said Marc his voice finally rising from the disturbing low volume. There was outrage in the voice now. "Wanda, there has never been a chance for peace. I was deluding myself and the rest of my people into thinking we ever had a chance at peace."

"That's not true," countered Wanda. She pulled herself from Ian's grasp. He tried to pull her back, but she stopped him with a tight shake of her head and pleading look in her eyes. She had to stop this before everything collapsed into disaster. She addressed the Humans who crowded into the narrow hallway. "Please, you can still find peace…it's not too late. My people only fear you from what they've been told by the Seekers. If they could come to know you as I have, I know they would co-exist peacefully with you."

Marc watched her plead her case to the Humans silently. He then bent down so they were eye to eye, his brown eyes to her grey-silver ones. "Wanda," he began and his words were almost gentle, nearly apologetic, "We're barbarians…plain and simple." He cocked his head towards Eric and continued, "We went through a lot of the Seekers files when we hacked their network. They had information on other Humans all around the globe."

Wanda could only stare wide-eyed as Marc continued, "You see in South America there is a group of Humans hiding in the jungle. They're made up of what remained of drug cartels and local militias after your people took over. Some really hard-core fighter types and when they capture a Soul." Marc made an exaggerated cutting motion across his neck, "they chop off the head and scoop your little silver worm bodies out with a spoon."

Feeling herself gag at the ghastly description Wanda still bravely stood her ground. "You're not monsters. Your better than…"

"The point is Wanda," said Marc cutting her off, "the Seekers leave them alone. They steer clear of these Humans, too dangerous to approach. That is the only way we Humans will have peace, by being as vicious and cruel as possible."

Looking around Wanda saw on the faces of these rebel Humans the same fatalistic expression as Marc's. They saw no other way forward. Fighting and brutality were their only options left; they would become the monsters she once feared. She could only shake her head in despair as Marc stood back up, done with their debate.

"Then take me first," said Wanda.

Marc turned back to her, a frown forming on his face, and asked, "What?"

"If you're going to send out how to remove Souls, you should start with me," answered Wanda. She surprised herself at how calmly she spoke the words which would condemn her to the final death.

"Wanda!" yelled Ian as he ran forward to her. He pulled her to him with a fierce grip and turned to face her. With a growl he said, "Wanderer, you will not throw your life away!"

"Ian," said Wanda with a sob, "I have to stop this."

Melanie was also quickly by her side, the tall brunet glowering at her. "Wanda, you can't!"

"Mel, it's a life for a life, it's the only way," she looked to her Sister and then to Ian. She faltered when she saw the pain in his eyes. Her beautiful Ian, how could she do this to him? She felt the tears run down her cheeks as she gazed into his dark blue eyes. He closed them and his jaw tightened as he struggled with her decision.

Interrupting both Marc demanded, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Wanda turned away from Ian and back to Marc, whose face was full of anger, sorrow, and no small amount of confusion at Wanda's demand. "A life for a life," she explained. "One of your own taken by my people. Take my life in return."

Marc stood very still for a few moments, his brown eyes watching her and Ian carefully. Finally, he said, "You aren't our enemy. You tried to help us."

"I know I'm not your enemy," replied Wanda in a quivering voice. "But don't you see? Once you give out how to remove us from humans there will be no stopping the bloodshed. In revenge, other humans will pull out my brethren." Wanda's face crumpled as she spoke, her voice becoming increasingly unsteady as tears poured down her face. "They'll just leave them to wither on the ground and die. So it won't matter if I'm your enemy or not, I'll be just another worm to be yanked out."

Marc was silent as he weighed Wanda's words. Now Dell spoke up, his quiet voice was still full of anger but also heavy with sorrow. "Wanda," he rumbled, "killing you won't bring back Tim. But we can't just let this go."

"Neither will releasing how to remove us. It will only cause more pain and death for all sides," countered Wanda.

"Wanda, what would you have me do?" asked Marc in his quiet but icy voice.

"Go to the Quorum, tell them what has happened," replied Wanda. She took a breath and explained further, "You wanted something you could use to drive a wedge between the other Quorum members and Seeker Skyward. Use this; let them know the Seekers attacked your people."

Marc paused to consider Wanda's idea, but then shook his head. "Skyward," he said with a growl, "will just spin this against us. He will just say we killed." Here his voice broke and he continued after clearing his throat, "…Tim trying to discredit the Seekers."

"We've got another problem," interjected Scott suddenly. He summed it up in one word, "Mia."

"Right," said Marc in understanding. "If the Seekers have her, they will have a Soul in her in no time. She'll be able to lead them right back to us. We'll need to pull out of here fast." He turned to Eric. The short computer hacker had stood nervously while Marc and Wanda debated; now he stiffened as Marc spoke. "Eric, figure the Seekers will throw everything they've got at us when they see what we are up to. How long can you keep a radio broadcast going?"

"Umm, if I can get a hold of a few extra transmission towers, maybe a couple of hours at best," said Eric after thinking about the problem.

"The longer we send this out, the better chance the information can get picked up by someone," said Marc. "Are you going to need direct access to a radio tower?"

"Yeah, I can automate the message, but I'll need to wire it in," explained Eric.

A small grin appeared on Marc's face, "How about the radio transmitters on Hancock Tower?" Marc looked about at Dell, Scott, and a few of his other more capable fighters, "We'll have to get a little aggressive to get in, but I think we can manage."

Eric had to smile at the bold proposal, "That will do nicely."

Watching the two Humans make plans to send out her people's most dangerous of secrets, Wanda felt her whole body go numb. As though she was no longer connected to her Human body and just her small silver body remained.

"Please…" she begged.

But Marc only shook his head slowly. His eyes only held sadness and resignation at his and his people's fate. He was done talking, done mulling over what to do. He had rejected her sacrifice as insufficient and now everyone would suffer. The other humans were already moving off. Preparing to once again go on the run and make one last raid on the Souls. A few Humans gave her or her friends a weak smile as they hurried to their tasks. Soon only the six travelers would stay in the hallway.

"Go home Wanderer and Burns Living Flowers," said Marc to the two Souls, his anger already turning to a hard resolve. Both Souls hung their heads in defeat. He addressed her Human friends, "You can go or if you're feeling a little suicidal you can stay and fight."

Melanie glanced between Ian, herself, and Nate. She made one last attempt at persuading the rebel leader of Chicago, "Marc, don't do this," pleaded Melanie. "Wanda's right, this won't change anything."

But there was no changing Marc's mind. He shook his head grimly and turned and headed down the shabby hallway. He never looked back once.

####

Seeker Simple Sunlight tightened the straps on her bullet proof vest. Across from her Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow adjusted her jacket as well. The body armor wasn't something the Seekers generally used, there was little need. The city had long been settled and peaceful. Even when a tribe of Humans were discovered hiding in the city, there was little need for the added protection. Marc's people had few guns and more often than not relied on stealth and non-lethal traps to defend themselves. But after this morning's destruction of the spaceship the Seekers weren't taking chances.

The sudden arrival of five Seeker vehicles downtown was causing a stir among the other Souls. They stared wide-eyed as several of her fellow Seekers began to close off the area around the large apartment building. Bright Moon would have preferred to use a lighter touch for this operation, she was still unsure their lead would be useful, but circumstances required caution.

Bright Moon opened the door to her vehicle and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Simple Sunlight quickly followed her as pedestrians quickly got out of their way. Nearby two sleek Seeker vehicles near the curb opened their doors and four other Seekers joined up with the two women. She saw Seeker Seen through Clear Ice. A Seeker from the Mist World like herself, he was a talented Seeker when it came to hunting wild Humans. She gave him a quick nod, glad to have him assigned to her task.

Seeing the other Seekers completing their task at closing off the area she addressed the six Seekers waiting at attention on the sidewalk. "We are proceeding with extreme caution. We are not positive what we are going to find. We might be dealing with a hostage situation or we may just be dealing with a mistaken identity, but we will be careful either way." There were grave nods from all the Seekers.

It had not taken the Seekers long after connecting the missing Distant Harmony and bombing to use ever resource they had their disposal to find the missing Soul. Simple Sunlight had already been looking for the missing man and run down a number of leads. The Soul lived by himself in a small apartment on the north side of the city. None of his friends knew where he had gone or why he wouldn't tell anyone if he was leaving.

Working with Simple Sunlight, Bright Moon had found a Soul calling himself Distant Harmony had very recently moved into a new apartment in downtown Chicago. It was very unusual for a Soul to just pick up and move without telling his friends or coworkers. Attempts to contact this Soul had failed and now the Seekers were coming in force to find answers.

Entering the apartment building they were met by a middle aged man who gave the six Seekers a nervous glance. Speaking softly he said, "Seekers, I am Many Clouds, manager of this apartment building. What can I do for you?"

Bright Moon pulled out a picture from her pocket and showed it to Many Clouds. The picture was of a young man with a narrow face. "This Soul is named Distant Harmony. According to records filled out by you, he started living in one of your apartments just a few days ago."

Many Clouds took the picture and studied it for a moment. With a shake of his head he replied, "No I'm sorry, there must be some sort of mistake. A Soul named Distant Harmony did move in a few days ago, but he isn't the person in this picture."

"Can you describe him?" asked Seen through Clear Ice.

"Well," began Many Clouds, "he's got a big body, very strong. I told him I would help him move in, but he said he didn't want to inconvenient me. He carried many large boxes in by himself."

"Anything else? A facial description, hair or eye color?" prompted Bright Moon.

"No hair, he was nearly bald. He joked with me, he wished we was inserted into a human with more hair, he never has had a chance to have a haircut. I told him better luck next time." Many Clouds smiled at the memory and then lightly grimaced, "I suppose some hair would cover the scar on his head."

"Scar?" questioned Simple Sunlight.

With a shrug Many Cloud said, "He had a thin scar running from his right temple to nearly the back of his head. He told me his host body had a grave injury in the distant past. The Healers were not able to completely hide the scar." Many Clouds shifted uncomfortably for a moment and added, "I wanted Distant Harmony to feel better about the scar so I told him it was hardly noticeable, even though it wasn't." Many Clouds looked unhappy at the Seekers with his little white lie.

Bright Moon exchange glances with Simple Sunlight. She wasn't sure what the scar meant. It was still possible this was a case of mistaken identity, the name Distant Harmony was a common enough name on the Planet of the Bats. The Soul in this apartment building might have no connection to the missing Soul, who worked at the Cryotank warehouse. But something about Many Cloud's description made her uneasy. His next words caused her to freeze in place.

"I never did get a good look at his eyes, he was wearing sunglasses on the day he moved into the apartment," explained Many Clouds.

The feeling of unease grew into outright tremor of anxiety in Bright Moon; she saw the same look on the other Seekers. Managing an even tone she said to Many Clouds, "Take us to his apartment at once."

"Yes, Seeker," said Many Clouds in a small voice. He led them further into the lobby of the apartment building. The lobby was hardly more than a large alcove with elevators doors on one side. The bronze doors of one of the elevators opened and they stepped into the cab. It was a tight fit for the six Seekers and Many Clouds. The doors closed smoothly and the elevator began to climb.

They rode up in silence. Bright Moon's anxiety didn't fade if anything the tight knot forming in her body's stomach grew stronger. She wasn't sure exactly what drove her suspicions, was it intuition or was she overreacting? Ever since this morning with she found herself conflicted and uncertain with her emotions, she longed for the certainty she felt before the plague completely changing her world.

As the elevator doors opened Bright Moon took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She stepped off elevator and the other Seekers followed. In the cab Many Clouds hesitated, uncertain if he should follow. Bright Moon gave him a small smile to encourage the freighted Soul. He stepped off the elevator and headed down the corridor as Bright Moon and the other Seekers followed. They had gone to nearly the end of the hall when Many Clouds stopped and pointed to one of the many doors in the hallway.

"That apartment," said Many Clouds softly, "Distant Harmony asked for this room specifically."

Bright Moon looked at the door. Just a simple white door with a small peephole in the middle and a square black button on the side as its ringer. The door didn't seem any different from any others in this hallway or in the entire building. She nodded to Many Clouds and said, "Thank for your help, Many Clouds. We will take it from here."

"I'm glad I could help," said Many Clouds with a faint smile as she moved past him. He looked relieved as he distanced himself from the Seekers and the door to Distant Harmony's room. The Seekers formed a semi-circle around the door to the apartment. They readied their dispensers of SLEEP and PEACE and Bright Moon was very much aware of the small pistol on her belt. She glanced at Simple Sunlight and her friend gave her a small nod to go ahead.

Bright Moon pressed the button and a soft buzz could be heard, muffled by the door. She waited a few moments and then tried again. This time saying in a loud, clear voice, "Are you there Distant Harmony?"

Again silence and Bright Moon was just about to ask Many Clouds to open the door when there was a loud bang and the part of the door exploded in a hail of wood splinters. Bright Moon felt something hit hard in her chest, its force knocking the breath right out of her body. A hand grabbed onto her and pulled her down as there was a second deafening boom. Now the damaged door exploded outward, wood and metal flying in all directions.

The half circle of Seekers was thrown into chaos as the door disintegrated. Simple Sunlight had pulled Bright Moon down to the ground while the other four Seekers tried to twist out of the way of the flying wreckage of the door. A body slumped down to the floor near Bright Moon, the Seeker moaning in pain as bright red blood ran down his face. Bright Moon was trying to suck in air, but her lungs of her body refused to co-operate.

What little remained of the door was suddenly yanked open and large shape loomed in the doorway. Bright Moon could only make out the shape as a man's body, she couldn't see his face. Held in his arms was a large weapon, something Bright Moon had only seen in pictures - a combat shotgun. From above her a harsh, angry voice bellowed, "Well what do we have here?"

"Human!" cried one of the Seekers. Bright Moon could not tell which one of the Seekers had spoken, but she saw the man in the doorway turn towards the voice. He spoke in a smug angry voice, "Yes! Human!" There was a short snap of a sound, a click, and then a terrifying thunderous boom above her. Then there was a sickening thud from behind her.

Finally, her lungs caught their much-needed air and Bright Moon struggled to get away from the opening. She needed the Seekers to retreat and reform to contain this threat. This was her worst fear realized, a human, a heavily armed human, infiltrating the city and waiting to attack. "Fallback," she gasped out.

"Ahh…the worms crawl at my feet," said the man. Bright Moon turned back just in time to see the Human grab Simple Sunlight, who'd been pressing herself tightly against the floor, and pull her up roughly. Simple Sunlight let out a frightened shriek and then disappeared through the ruined doorway.

In a flash, Bright Moon was up to her feet, her hand going for her sidearm. Surprisingly it was still in her holster, having held fast as she had been thrown to the ground and then desperately crawled away. She pulled it free and pressed against the wall of the hallway as she neared the opening to the room where Simple Sunlight was pulled. She heard the sound of a struggle from inside and then the sound of a loud smack, of skin hitting skin. Bright Moon, pressing tightly against the remaining door jam, pivoted into the empty doorway and came face to face with Human.

The Human was big and muscular as Many Clouds described, he was dressed in black and grey clothing, his uniform having a unique military design. But it was his face that drew Bright Moon's attention, he had distinctive scar on his bald head, which wrapped around his skull. The scar was a thin gash, a red line on his pale skin. The jag across his head gave him a gruesome appearance. Grey eyebrows sat above his dark eyes, very dark, which glared hatefully at Bright Moon.

He reached out for her with his large, strong arms, and Bright Moon surprised herself by how quickly she shot him. She had never liked guns, the human killing weapon and its piercing noise when it fired. Hated how quickly the weapon could maim and destroy. Since her training as a Seeker on this world, she had only used it a handful of times. But she didn't hesitate now and at their close range the bullet struck him directly in his chest.

The force of the bullet knocked him back, but that was all. With dismay Bright Moon realized he was also wearing protective body armor, her weapon not nearly strong enough to penetrate. The man pushed himself back up and while looking at her for the briefest of moments said, "Bitch worm has some fight in her." He seemed almost respectful of her attempt to kill him.

Now she brought the gun up again, this time to fire at his head. It would be a fatal wound and they would learn nothing from this Human, but Bright Moon found she didn't care. The human phrase, 'Kill or be killed,' finally made complete sense to her.

But the Human was faster, for his large size he moved quickly and gracefully. He sidestepped her attempt to aim at his head and brought a big fist direct at her head. She barely had time to avoid a direct hit from his fist. Only enough time to raise her right arm up in a desperate attempt to shield herself from the blow. Her whole body rocked when the hit landed and Bright Moon found herself knocked back into the hallway.

Seen through Clear Ice now rushed at the Human, in his hand he carried a large dispenser of SLEEP. He managed to bring the sprayer in close to the big man. But the Human grabbed on to Seen through Clear Ice's arm and almost casually tossed the tall Seeker aside as though his body weighed nearly nothing. The Seeker hit the wall with a hard smack, his body then crumpling to the ground.

Bending down the wild Human went to retrieve his shotgun he had dropped when he had grabbed Simple Sunlight. He was about to pick it up when someone from the apartment jumped onto his back. It was Seeker Simple Sunlight. The man bucked and tried to shake her off, but the red-haired Seeker held on desperately. With one arm wrapped around the big Human's throat she brought her other arm into his face, a small bottle of SLEEP clutched tightly in her hand.

Simple Sunlight sprayed the white mist into the man's face. He reared back and smashed Simple Sunlight into the wall with his body. The blow loosened the Seeker's hold on him, but the gas was already beginning to affect him. He rose back on unsteady legs and Simple Sunlight took the advantage to bring the SLEEP dispenser again to his face. The Human ineffectively battered against her and Simple Sunlight pressed in her attack with the gas. The man made one last attempt to break free and then fell forward. With a deafening crash, his body fell to the floor and lay still.

"Simple," cried Bright Moon as she sprung up and crossed the distance to where her friend lay panting on the ground next to the sleeping wild Human. Simple Sunlight looked up at Bright Moon, her face bruised and bloodied, and said with a shy smile, "Got him."

####

"What's your earliest memory?" asked Agent Williams.

The girl Mia sat staring forward into the dark tunnel, not moving an inch. Williams was finding she could be very stubborn when she wanted. It had been a mistake, he reflected, to harm her. She had gone completely silent after Gray and Adams had finished with her and now he wasn't getting anything from her. And he didn't have much time left.

"Com'on Mia, you must remember something other than living in these tunnels," said Williams as he gestured around the dark drainage pipe.

Nothing. Mia continued to gaze into the black darkness of the tunnel.

Williams sighed and glanced at his watch. Very little time left now, time to try a different approach. He sat down next to the girl and said softly, "I'm sorry about the boy. I didn't like that we had to kill him."

He saw Mia's eyes flicker to him and then back into the inky shadows of the tunnel. Williams waited and after a few moments he heard her voice, barely above a whisper. "Why?"

"Your people screwed up our plans. I know they didn't mean too, but curing the plague angered my people," explained Williams.

"No," said Mia in soft sob, "Why are you sorry…for killing Tim?"

Her question made Williams pause. The truth be told he actually did feel sorry they had killed the boy. In the end, the kid had nothing to do with Marc Walters or the Doctor Simon Jansky stopping their weapon. The boy Tim had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Cause he was a kid, and it's never good when a child dies," answered Williams. He wasn't surprised when he realized he believed what he said.

Mia thought on what Williams had said. After a while she said, "I don't remember you. At all." She said the last sentence in a cold flat tone.

"I remember you. Your name is Mia Cheng. Ever since I saw you I feel like I've been drawn to you. I'm not sure why," said Williams. He wasn't sure if he was explaining to Mia or to himself.

"Mia Cheng," said the girl. She sounded out her last name experimentally, "Mia C-h-e-n-g." She smiled at the rediscovery of her last name. For the first time since he had brought her to the tunnel Mia actually turned to look at him. "How do you know me?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Williams. "I think you were a test subject at the Facility…with me."

Mia frowned, "The ugly one said Mia was at the Facility…what does that mean?"

Williams wondered if he should answer her question, wondered how to even answer the question when he wasn't so sure himself. Before he could answer Mia, he heard Gray moving down the tunnel. Williams stood and met his fellow Agent.

"The Seekers have Adams," said Gray in a monotone voice.

"It's time then," said Williams after digesting the news.

Gray pointed to where Mia sat in the tunnel and said in a low voice, "Get rid of her."

Williams tried and failed to keep the revulsion off his face. Gray cocked his head and said in slightly condescending tone, "I'll do it if you aren't up to it."

"No," said Williams firmly. "I'll handle it."

Walking back to Mia, Williams reached down and grabbed the girl by the arm. He began to walk farther into the dark tunnel, half dragging and half pushing Mia to keep the girl moving along. As they walked, he could hear her sniff softly and then begin to cry. Almost absentmindedly he wrapped his arm around the small girl, comforting her in the blackness. This made Mia cry even harder.

"Shhh…Samantha, it will be alright," said Williams and then froze. Why had he said that name out loud? Who was Samantha? In the darkness, Williams struggled to remember. It was just at the edge of his mind and he desperately tried to recall the memory.

Mia continued to cry, terrified of her fate. She tried to pull free, but Williams's strong hand held her fast. She too didn't understand why Williams was suddenly trying to comfort her. All she wanted to do was go home. She didn't care if the Bright Eyes lived with them for the next twenty years. All she wanted was to see her family again.

Williams held Mia as she cried and her cries slowly but surely freed a memory long-buried in William's mind. He remembered a girl, not Mia, but a blond haired girl with freckles and fair skin. Beautiful and sweet, she was his Samantha, his daughter. The recall rocked him to his core, both in exhilaration at the fact he had a daughter and the sharp pain at the realization he had no idea what had become of his precious little girl. He tried to remember more, who was her mother, where had they lived, but after giving up this jewel of a memory his mind remained stubbornly sealed. In his arms, Mia continued to cry and Williams knew he couldn't kill her.

"Mia," whispered Williams.

"What?" asked Mia in a very shaky voice.

Williams swallowed hard and spoke quickly, "Mia, lie flat on the ground and don't move. Don't even breathe. Gray will come and I'll have to make him believe you're dead. If you move if you even give a hint you are still alive I'll have to actually shoot you."

In the grim darkness, Mia only stared at Williams not understanding what he was talking about.

Behind him, Williams could hear Agent Gray following him, closing in on the two of them. They had only a few seconds left.

"Please Mia," pleaded Williams, "this is the only way. If you don't, I'll have to kill you."

AN: Marc's description of the South American rebels is just speculation on my part. It would seem to make sense in remote and dangerous places (Colombian rainforest or Afghanistan's Mountains) humans would be able to keep the Souls away. The Seekers avoiding them because of the remoteness and the danger of the inhabitants.

Thanks for reading and please take the time to review.

-Walker.