Chapter 35 – Hunted

The hot, humid breeze swept through the tall trees of the forest. Strong enough to make the upper branches sway back and forth in the gust of air. The rustle of leaves made a sound like an exhale of a giant pent-up breath. Like the whole forest was softly sighing. Lower to the ground the same wind had a much weaker effect. The thick underbrush barely stirred. Just enough to give a light toss of Bright Moon on Fallen Snow's sweat soaked hair. In the sticky air, it did little to counter the sweltering heat.

In an attempt to cool down, Bright Moon shifted into the shadow of a large tree and laid back against its trunk. The tree was a maple, tall and firm. Its rough bark pressed into Bright Moon's back. The shade it gave was greater than the surrounding brushwood. Not much though, perspiration still beaded up on Bright Moon's face from the overhead sun. A semi-startled sound came from nearby. Seeker Justin had laid crouched in the undergrowth, watching the adjacent logging road for activity. His big body so still and entirely focused, that Bright Moon's move jolted him out of his careful observations.

"Sorry," muttered Bright Moon as he ran a hand across his forehead and wiped some sweat away.

Justin shook his head. "It is alright. I can no longer remain watching." With his large hands, he pushed off against the ground, bring himself up into a kneeling position. He gave a quick roll of his shoulders and moved his head back and forth to work out a kink out of his neck.

Making a small nod towards the nearby road, he said, "There is no sign of any trucks on this path or indication any have recently come this way."

Bright Moon wearily sighed. "But we did hear vehicles of some sort earlier in the morning. They must be close."

"I agree, but they did not come this way, that much I am certain," replied Justin as he slowly got up from his kneeling position. "This heat is becoming truly bothersome," he added as he joined Bright Moon under the shade of the maple tree. He too was profusely sweating.

Bright Moon was working hard to think about something other than the thirst that had been building since this morning. As usual, the attempt to not think about something only made the thought of water more stubbornly lodged in the mind.

Running his hand across the bark of the tree, Justin echoed a similar desire, "Some water would be very much appreciated. I remember you can draw sap from certain trees like this." He saw Bright Moon's quizzical expression and elaborated. "Sap is mostly water with a little bit of sugar."

"What is required to extract the sap?" asked Bright Moon.

Justin slowly nodded. "You need to drill into the tree with an auger, about an inch. Then insert a small tube to let the sap trickle out. I know it can be done during early spring. I'm not as certain how much can be extracted during the summer. But it might be worth trying if we fail to find any water."

"It could be," replied Bright Moon. Looking around at the many solid tree trunks spreading about them, Bright Moon wondered how many trees would be needed to collect enough sap. Curiosity bubbled up in the Soul. Justin spoke very little about himself. There was always such a grim demeanor about the big Seeker's body to put off most from asking him.

Hoping to draw Justin out, even if it was on such a mundane topic, Bright Moon asked, "How do you know about this?"

Justin did not at once answer. He gazed off into space for a while. "My host grew up in rural Pennsylvania," he finally said. "Mostly farms and small woodland areas. One of the activities he carried out with his family would be the collecting of the sap from maple trees like this one when the snow began to melt." He ran a hand against the maple tree's back. "Then they would boil it down to produce Maple Syrup."

'Huh,' thought Marc absently in Bright Moon's mind. 'Here I always believed Maple Syrup came from Mrs. Butterworth's bottles.'

Feeling a little exasperated from Marc's interruption and the sweltering temperature, Bright Moon mentally grumbled, 'Really Marc, even I knew Maple Syrup comes from trees, and I'm an alien.'

'Are you seriously going to berate me for my lack of knowledge about the intricacies of breakfast condiments production?'

'No…Sorry. I'm just hot and tired. And I really want something to drink.'

Marc gave the emotional equivalent of a light hug to Bright Moon. There was no physical sensation, just the feeling of enthusiastic encouragement. 'I know…I feel everything you do, hon. I'm just trying to keep your spirits up.'

Justin's voice broke them out of their internal conversation. "You're talking to Marc Walters, aren't you?"

Bright Moon looked over to the other Soul to see Justin guardedly securitizing him. Since revealing Marc's mind had returned, there had been distance from the other Seekers. It was not outright suspicion, but nor was it casual acceptance. Bright Moon had explained Marc had no control over his body and was little more than a voice in Bright Moon's mind. The Soul had hoped this would put the others at ease, yet none were comforted by the information. There had even been a reluctance to send Bright Moon with Justin to investigate the sound of engines rumbling through the forest not long after daybreak. But with only four of them left, and Second Sunrise and Sky Roost needing to find a source of drinkable water, Bright Moon was reluctantly allowed to go with Justin to investigate. So far, they had seen no signs of Humans in the area. It was possible the vehicles had merely passed through on the road without stopping.

Seeing there was no point in trying to be deceptive and still hoping to have the other Seekers accept Marc's returned, Bright Moon replied with a simple nod.

Justin went silent again. Bright Moon was just about ready to suggest they head back when Justin asked softly, "What is it like?"

"What? You mean having Marc in my head?"

"Yes."

A bit surprised by the question, Bright Moon took a moment to think through the answer. "Well…I wanted to find him. So, I'm happy he's here. And while Marc wishes he could have control of his body back, he prefers his current disembodied state to the near non-existence I found him in. It's a little…strange, but not unpleasant."

"What does he do? What do you talk about?"

"He's well…Marc has taken it upon himself to cheer me up." Bright Moon gave a slight shrug at Justin's confused frown. "There's not much for else for him to do, so he's trying to help keep me in a good mood. Tells me jokes and stories from his past."

'Yeah, but you don't laugh,' put in Marc.

'Regaling me with stories of your greatest thefts isn't funny,' countered Bright Moon.

Without any way to hear their conversation, Justin's big round face twisting into a slight scowl as he threw up new questions. "What does Marc think about his people's return to power? Is happy about it? Gleeful in our destruction?"

'I swear you Souls have some sort of persecution complex, always assuming the worst in other people,' complained Marc. 'Is it so hard to believe I don't want to see anyone killed?'

'I know, Marc. I believe you. It's just the others have been through a lot. They're still distrustful of you.'

'Well, they need to get over it. We're all stuck in this mess together.'

'It's not that simple,' defended Bright Moon. 'We've all seen so many of our kind chased and killed by the Humans. It's not that easy to let that go.'

'Is it any different from me watching my kind hunted down by the Seekers?' Marc's rebuke was not intentionally cruel, but his words still stung. Bright Moon let out a lamented sigh.

Justin's frown remained fixed to his face, but his eyes turned quizzical. Bright Moon had gained a faraway look that Justin was coming to associate with his fellow Soul speaking to his host body. "What's he saying?"

"Marc is annoyed you automatically presume he wants violence. He points out the fact that if he can see past our actions against his people, we should be able to do the same."

"That's totally different…" began Justin, but all of a sudden he went very still and his jaw clamped shut. Confused by Justin's behavior, Bright Moon was about to ask what was wrong when the big man held up his hand. In a low hush, he said, "Do you hear something?"

Bright Moon listened and heard the usual sounds of the forest - birds chipping, rustle of two squirrels racing across a nearby tree branch, the rustle of leaves high above. And then voices…indistinct yet most assuredly unfamiliar. They were coming from further up the dirt road, just out of sight for Bright Moon and Justin. But as they listened, the words from the unknown speakers grew clearer. Coming closer.

"Hide," whispered Bright Moon.

Both Seekers dropped to the ground and began crawling away from the tree they were shading themselves. Pulling themselves deeper into the underbrush and the covering foliage to keep concealed. The dirt road was only a narrow path in the thick woods and Bright Moon and Justin did not have to go far until the forest swallowed them completely.

In their hiding spot, they looked upon the old logging trail. Unobstructed by trees, the overhead sun lit up the dry, dusty road. Casting the dirt in a yellowish hue. The voices grew louder. Neither Bright Moon or Justin had a full view of the path, and they could not see who was talking. Yet soon they could understand the unknown person's words as they neared.

It turned out there was more than one speaker. Two distinct voices rose and fell as they closed on Bright Moon and Justin.

"Detroit is a damn mess," said the first. A woman. "We were supposed to take the city in three weeks. We did it in three days."

The second voice answered. It belonged to an older man with a thick foreign accent. "Well, that is good. Ahead of schedule."

"No, it's not," snapped the woman in reply. "We were supposed to establish hospitals to help with recovering the city's population. Give people a chance to get back on their feet. But the buggers' defensive line fell so fast we were all the way through before we knew it. Now we have a ton of confused and panicky civilians on our hands. The city is in chaos."

"Ah, you worry too much, Joan," said the man. "We will get it figured out."

Then a third voice joined in, from the sound of the speaker it belonged to a younger man. "Not while we're running around these woods, Olav," In an irritated grumble, he added, "This whole thing is a waste of time."

From where they lay on the ground, Bright Moon and Justin saw three figures gradually walk into view. All of them outfitted in full military gear. Bulky grey-green body armor fitted with a dozen pouches, each one filled with ammunition clips and other devices and equipment. One man bore what looked like a sophisticated radio receiver strapped to his back. And each one carried a very deadly looking rifle. Their uniforms were a random assortment of colors of greens, browns, and greys. The camouflage would blend them in well if they were in the middle of the forest. But none of them seemed overly concerned with stealth. Walking down the middle of the dirt road, kicking up little clouds of dust, they easily stood out. Each one talking loud enough that their voices carried to the two hidden Seekers.

"You don't have to tell me," said the woman named Joan. It was not easy to identify her between the two other men. Their faces partially obscured by combat helmets. Only her voice gave her away. And to Bright Moon's ears, her tone was vaguely familiar.

As the three humans neared the hidden Seekers, they slowed. The Bright Moon barely breathed. They were less ten feet from their hiding spot. Joan turned to face the other two. As she did, Justin let out a strangled gasp. Bright Moon eyes widened in horror and froze as the soldiers stopped less than five feet from where they lay crouched in the underbrush.

'What's got Justin in a tizzy?' asked Marc.

'I'm not sure,' replied Bright Moon. 'He may know this Joan…or who she used to be.'

She used to be a Seeker?' questioned Marc as Joan was now so close to readily see her human eyes. 'The CURE stuff do that?'

'Quite possible.'

'Damn…The Facility really has done it,' replied a dumbfounded Marc as they watched the former Seeker talk. 'Found the ultimate weapon against you Souls.'

'Shhh…' pushed back Bright Moon. 'I want to hear what they're saying.'

"I'm telling you," said Joan, "these 'Facility' scientists are seriously screwed up. We shouldn't trust them."

"Why?" asked Olav. "If not for them we would not be here."

"Eh," grunted the unknown third man. "Trust them or not, I can't stand that Neil Lenson. The guy is a serious asshole."

"It's not just Lenson," clarified Joan. Her voice turned to a haunted whisper, and Bright Moon had to strain to hear. "When…It was in my head…It saw things. Stuff the 'Facility' did. Sick, twisted things."

"No one is saying they are nice people, Joan" countered Olav. "They surely had to make some hard choices when fighting the parasites. Do horrible things to survive. We all had to. But we need them."

Joan made an uncertain shrug. In her bulky uniform, it was only a minor movement of her shoulders and then she began walking again. The other two men followed. "Maybe we do need them," she admitted. "Still doesn't mean we should trust them."

As the three humans continued to argue among themselves, their voices began to fade as they continued down the road. Snippets of conversation still floated in as Joan, Olav, and the other man moved away. Their voices mixing together. "…don't understand why…Who knows…been two weeks…All this work just to find one guy…" Soon there was nothing but the sounds of the forest.

Bright Moon breathed a sigh of relief. Justin did as well. If the humans had come a few steps closer, they would have spotted the two Seekers. Slowly, very slowly, Seeker Justin raised up onto his knees and leaned forward to get a better look at the road. He panned his head back and forth, carefully watching for any signs the humans were doubling back.

"I believe they're gone," he said after a few minutes' ticket by.

Pushing off the ground, Bright Moon took a tentative step closer to the road. Boot footprints were easy to see on the dry earth. Both Marc's and Bright Moon's minds were spinning from what they had overheard. But in two very different directions. Marc wanted to follow. To listen and learn more. Bright Moon wanted to hurry back to the others.

'Come on,' urged Marc as he tried to mental push their body forward to no avail. 'We need to find out what they're up to!'

'Hunting us, obviously!' countered Bright Moon.

'Well, they're doing a crappy job of it. None of them are paying much attention.' Marc latched on to a new idea. 'With big old Justin helping, we might even get the drop on them.'

'You're insane. They have guns. A radio. For all we know, they're acting as bait to draw us out. We need to warn Second Sunrise and Sky Roost the Humans are close.'

Justin soon confirmed Bright Moon's viewpoint when he said in a grave voice, "The others must be told what we've seen and heard."

"Yes," agreed a strident Bright Moon and stepped back into the thicker forest.

'You're making a mistake,' declared Marc.

In a fierce, angry thought, Bright Moon shot back, 'I have been the one running and outmaneuvering these Humans for weeks. You've been back less than two days, and yet you think you know best. We need to withdraw from here before more come.'

'Fine. Do what you want. Not like I can really stop you,' sulked Marc.

Frustrated with Marc's urging for his irrational plan and renewed concern of the searching soldiers, Bright Moon let out a weary sigh. A silence stretched out as Bright Moon and Justin began to make their way back to the Seekers' encampment. Both Seekers preoccupied with moving through the dense underbrush. It went on long enough that when Justin did speak, it almost startled the preoccupied Bright Moon.

"I knew her…that Joan. Or more accurately when she was Seeker Amber Rains," he said in a low grumble of a voice.

"I see," replied Bright Moon at the realization of why Justin had reacted when seeing the former Seeker. After looking back to a time before this nightmare started, Bright Moon added, "I think I did as well. I met her when Marc and I traveled to Sawyer Airport. But I didn't know what happened to her after the bombing."

"She was in my division at Iron Mountain. She and many others were…taken," explained Justin.

"I'm sorry," offered Bright Moon. There was not much else to say.

Marc, who had been fuming in the back of Bright Moon's head over their latest argument, whispered softly, 'Amber Rains is dead, isn't she?'

'Very likely. These Humans aren't interested in using Cryotanks. Our disposal seems their only goal. The only strange thing we've noticed is they don't remove us right away. We're left in their bodies for up to a week.'

'Why?' asked a perplexed Marc.

'We don't know. These recovered Humans often confuse us. From what little we've been able to observe there doesn't always seem to be a clear agenda in their actions.'

Marc pondered Bright Moon's answer for a bit. He then replayed the overheard conversation and came to a realization. 'You're thinking like a Soul, Bright Moon. All unified and cooperative like a good little bugger. But that's not us Humans. We're an unruly lot. Different factions are forming with these recovered Humans. Not everyone agrees on how to proceed.'

'Maybe. But they are united in our destruction.'

'Too bad we didn't hear more of their conversation,' considered Marc. 'That Joan seems to be genuinely upset with the Facility. I would like to learn more.'

Bright Moon sighed. 'For the last time, we are not going after them.'

'Yes, ma'am,' lightly teased Marc.

Another exasperated sigh escaped Bright Moon, this one got Justin's attention. "What is it?" he asked.

"Marc wanted us to follow the Humans," began Bright Moon. "To find out what they were up to. More specifically to listen to Amber Rains former host. He believes she is bothered by the Facility's actions. He thinks the Humans may becoming fractious."

Elaborating, Bright Moon added, "I'm arguing with him. I don't think it's a wise course of action to follow after them."

Justin did not reply right away. His face became closed off as he mulled over Marc's ideas. "I agree, following the Humans is too dangerous," he said finally. "But…Marc might be right. I was thinking that it was unlikely the Humans were playing at a ruse for us. There is little point to such subterfuge. We should treat their conversation as genuine."

"I'm not sure that helps us," replied Bright Moon.

"It might not," agreed Justin. "But we have learned something. They are not happy being here. From their discussion, these Humans consider this pursuit a waste of time. If we can avoid them for a little while longer, they may give up the chase."

They began descending into a narrow glen, and the space between surrounding tree trunks shrank. The scorching sun above was cut off as the tangle of branches and leaves of the trees thickened. Bright Moon and Justin rested for a minute in the cool shade.

Returning to Justin's theory, Bright Moon said, "We had thought this before. That the Humans would give up. But they just keep coming." The Soul could not keep the bitterness out his voice in his last words.

'What do they want with you guys?' thought Marc. 'I mean why would the Facility go through all this effort, just for the four of you?'

'I don't know,' replied Bright Moon sullenly. 'There's nothing we have. We've been out of touch with the other Seekers for over a month. No piece of strategy or information we know could possibly still be relevant.'

Marc replayed Joan and the others conversation again, letting his mind wander through their words. He did it once, twice, then three times in a row. Each time touching every part of the memory. It was becoming annoying to Bright Moon, but the Soul ignored it as the two Seekers resumed their walk back to their hiding spot.

On the sixth time through, Marc abruptly shouted, 'THAT'S IT!'

Wincing at his yelling, Bright Moon again grew irritated. 'What!?

'They're not after you…I mean not the Seekers. Not you Souls. They want the bodies back. The Humans. That's what's important to them.'

'Well…' and Bright Moon used a word that Marc had never heard a Soul use before. '…Duh! Of course they want your kind back. And they want us Souls dead. I thought we had already established that!'

'Don't get snippy,' grated Marc. 'Let me explain. When they were just getting out of earshot we heard one of them say – "All this work just to find one guy."'

'So?'

'One guy is the key. Not plural. They're looking for one person. And they didn't say a bugger, or worn, or parasite. Got to think of it from our perspective. When they say a guy…they mean a Human. That's what these soldiers are after.'

'That's…a bit of stretch over a few words from a barely heard dialog.'

Yet Marc stuck to his speculation and let his mind drift in endless speculation. 'If the Facility can bring back any host with their black smoke stuff, then they might go after someone important. Say a host who used to be a leader or a general. Maybe they need someone who can provide unity for all the newly awakened people.' Marc paused and then asked, 'Who are the other Seekers' hosts?

'I could not really say,' said Bright Moon. 'Justin had spoken about his host growing up on a farm. I don't think any of our bodies were that important in your world.'

"I can tell when you're speaking with Marc Walters," announced Justin, pulling Bright Moon's attention away from their internal argument. "You become distracted, Bright Moon," continued Justin. "Your eyes are unfocused. Not the wisest idea to be speaking with your host when we need to concentration on our environment."

Reddening in embarrassment from Justin's chiding, Bright Moon muttered, "It will not happen again." To Marc, Bright Moon mentally pressed on him, pushing him back into their shared mind. 'Now, be quiet.'

'Damn it, this is important. Ask Justin. Maybe he knows about Second Sunrise and Sky Hoots hosts.'

'It's Sky Roost…'

'Like it matters…'

A large hand pressed against Bright Moon's chest, stopping him from moving. Startled, Bright Moon looked to Justin as the other Seeker held them back. A deeper frown formed on Justin's face. "This is becoming worrisome, Bright Moon," he said. "Marc Walters is obviously affecting you. Causing you far too much disruption. What is he saying that brings such distractions?"

Bright Moon let out a tired sigh and began to go over Marc's scant evidence for his theory of why the Humans pursued the four of them. Of how the Human hosts might be more important than the Souls themselves. When he finished, Bright Moon grumbled, "It's a silly idea."

"No," said Justin with a slow shake of his head, "it's not." With soft wonder, as if finding the idea he once again agreeing with a Human too strange, he said, "I concur with Marc."

Stunned, Bright Moon and Marc both blurted out, "You do?" Taking a moment to collect themselves at their joined outburst, Bright Moon then continued, "But it makes no sense. None of the four of us have hosts that would be important to the Facility."

"But there is one," countered Justin. His normal grave manner had deepened into an exceptionally solemn face, with deep lines of worry. "A human who was responsible for countering the Facility's plague. For defeating their agents. For freely joining a Seeker task force sent to destroy them."

As Justin spoke, both Bright Moon and Marc felt a cold chill run down their spine.

Again, Justin nodded his big head on his broad shoulders. "Yes," he pronounced ominously, "the Facility is hunting for Marc Walters."

####

"Tina should be here shortly," said Noah as he opened the rear door on the van.

"So…we just wait here for her?" asked Wanda as she looked about. It was a sunny, cloudless day, with a warm breeze coming from the south. They were parked near old abandoned warehouses on the east side of the city. The decaying buildings had not been occupied for a long time. Nearly two dozen of the timeworn squat brick buildings lay spread out with narrow alleyways between them. At this point, they were little more than shells of crumbling walls and broken windows. No one else, Human or Soul, was around. This isolated and barren place was the chosen spot for their handoff.

It made sense, considered Wanda. No prying eyes, no armed Free Zone guards, the distinct lack of any regular traffic left the surrounding area unusually quiet. They could hear anyone approaching. But the unnatural silence left Wanda feeling edgy.

"Yeah," replied Noah with a short nod of his head. "There should be no one else around here. We can then be sure we weren't followed. If it gets hinky for any reason, we can get out of here in a hurry."

Wanda noted the man looked a good deal better than when she had met him yesterday. He had shaved, and the dark circles under his eyes had retreated. Apparently, he had finally gotten a good night's sleep. Even though his appearance had improved, Wanda could readily see Noah still carried an oppressive weight of guilt with him. She had seen him more than once gazing off into the distance, with unfocused eyes, troubled with unspoken thoughts.

It was only natural, she supposed. Noah's actions had led to the death of millions. For a dark, idle moment, she wondered if he had reprogrammed the spaceship which had hit Chicago. But Wanda pushed the thought away. This was neither the time nor place to dwell on that terrible moment. They had much more pressing issues at hand, and Noah was genuinely trying to make amends.

The evidence of Noah's atonement lay inside a secret compartment in the cargo area of the van. Anyone looking inside would see carefully stacked boxes of medical equipment. But hidden under these containers lay twelve cryotanks. Spoils from Bob's and Jared's raid last night on a Free Zone's storage site. Soon Healer Tina would arrive to take the silver cylinders to her hidden storage site. Freeing them - and the sleeping Souls inside - from the threat of the Los Angeles Free Zone. All part of Melanie's secret underground railroad.

Trying to settle her nerves, Wanda turned to face Noah and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you for doing this."

He looked down at the ground, a little embarrassed. "It's really nothing. I just drive the van past the security checkpoints. No real risk for me."

"That's not true," she argued. Wanda felt a rise of distress at what the other Humans would do to Noah if they found out. Beating him, hurting him, just for helping a few Souls escape their wrath. "If the Free Zone discovered you smuggling out cryotanks, you would be in considerable danger. Other Humans would…force you to tell them about the underground railroad."

"I've heard it all before. And yeah…It wouldn't be good to get caught." Noah looked off into the distance. "So, let's not get caught."

"Agreed," nodded Wanda.

They drifted into silence, both scanning the incoming street for any sign of the Healer. After a few more minutes Wanda heard the low drone of an engine. Looking around she hunted for its source. A quick glance showed Noah had caught the noise as well.

"Is it Tina?" questioned Wanda.

Noah's face pinched tight with concern. "I don't know. Doesn't sound like the truck she normally brings."

Tension began to build in Wanda's body. Even after all this time, Petals Open to the Moon's original host could still get so jumpy. It annoyed Wanda to no end. She bit her lip, trying to force down the growing jitters in her midsection. Something was not right here, and she needed her mind and body focused.

The sound came again, the purr of a motor idling. She turned towards it and caught a brief slight in a gap between two warehouse buildings. Of a black and white colored vehicle. It was sleek and low to the ground. Built for pursuit. A patrol car. At one time, such a sight would have meant Seekers. But there were no Seekers in the city. Now a police cruiser signified something far more dangerous.

Wanda felt the blood draining from her face. Spinning around, she saw Noah had seen the same thing. His expression mirrored hers. "Damn, damn, damn," he groaned. "They must have already been here because they sure didn't come in from the street, we would have seen them."

"They were expecting us?" questioned Wanda. But that did not make much sense. If the Free Zone had caught on to Melanie's plans, they would have come in force. Not just send a single vehicle. Shaking her head at her own question, she amended, "They might be patrolling the area. Not looking for anything specific."

"Could be…" conceded Noah, but he drifted off as the engine noise of the patrol car grew louder. They were drawing closer.

Wanda guessed the police car was going up and down the narrow alleyways. Slowly making their way to their location. Were they hunting? Looking for the van, or merely making the rounds?

"Do we run?" she half whispered to Noah. "If they see us leave, they could get suspicious."

"I think they'll get pretty suspicious if they find us here. A human, a soul, and a bunch of cryotanks," rejoined Noah. Then he frowned most peculiarly. He looked off to the left, and his eyes drifted down. It was as if he was listening to someone else. Then he said, "If it was just Souls…Souls don't lie…Maybe they would buy it..."

All Wanda could say was - "Huh?"

But Noah did answer her, his eyes were unfocused, his attention somewhere else. The sound of the approaching police cruiser rose in pitch. Wanda could hear its wheels running over the uneven asphalt of the alley as it approached. They were running out of time.

Grabbing Noah's arm, Wanda shook the human. "Noah, we need to go or hide. Now!"

His focused and looked down at her. "No," he said with a quick shake of his head. "Not enough time to hide. But we've got a plan."

Wanda felt herself go dizzy from disbelief. "We do!?"

"Yes," insisted Noah. "Get back in the van."

"But…" she protested.

"Do it, Wanda," he ordered. "Security forces already have a description of you. We need to keep you out of sight as much as possible."

With the patrol car almost on them, Wanda reluctantly returned to the van's passenger seat. As she did, Noah quickly added, "There's a map in the glovebox, get it for me."

She found the folded map easily enough and handed over to Noah. "What are you going to do?"

A ghost of a smile edged Noah's lips upward. "You'll see, just try not to freak out too much."

He turned from her and began to walk to the front of the van. As he did, Wanda saw him freeze for a moment, and little shudder go through his body. A rapid contraction and then relaxing of all the muscles in his body. And Wanda's eyes went wide. There was only one other person she had ever seen do anything like that - Jodi.

Then there was no more time for Wanda to ponder this latest impossibility. For at that moment, the patrol car turned onto their road. They were parked right in the middle alleyway. Impossible to miss. Within seconds the cruiser sped up and began to close the distance to the van. Flashing lights flicked on as it approached.

The patrol car came to an abrupt halt, only a mere few feet from where Noah stood in front of the van. He was waiting as they approached. His shoulders were slumped, his head bowed, looking down at the unfolded map.

A security officer swiftly got out of the passenger side of the police cruiser. He was dressed in the typical black body armor Wanda had seen the Free Zone militia use at their checkpoints. He also carried the oversized assault rifle. A far more excessive weapon than one would normally need. Taking only a few steps towards Noah, the officer stopped and growled out, "What are you doing here worm?"

"I-I'm sorry," stammered Noah. "You see…I'm a bit lost."

To Wanda, his voice was both familiar and not. Softer and gentler than Noah's usual tone. Subdued and frightened.

"What's your name?" questioned the Human.

Looking at his shoes, Noah replied, "Evaluator of Samples."

"Christ that's a mouthful," sneered the man. "You got your papers on you?"

"Yes," said Noah.

Noah began reaching into his back pocket, and the security officer froze. His assault rifle came up. "Slow down," he shouted. "I want to see your hands move real slow."

"Y-Y-Yes," whimpered Noah as his whole body began to shake.

"Yesterday I actually had one of you assholes try to pull a weapon on me. Imagine that. You spineless things trying to fight back. That worm had to be taught a real hard lesson."

"B-But I don't have a weapon," blubbered Noah as he very slowly pulled out his identification papers.

The officer yanked the papers from Noah's trembling hand. He looked them over. "Assigned to Cedars-Sinai Center. What are you doing out here?"

"Transporting some medical supplies to the local Healing Center," whispered Noah. "Like I said, I got lost."

"Haven't you heard of a damn GPS?"

"We're not allowed…umm…cell phones…It's against the rules…"

The officer stepped up to Noah. Got right in his face and yelled, "Are you mouthing off to me, boy!?"

Noah jerked away, trying to put distance between himself and the angry human. His footing was unsteady, and the officer took advantage by giving him a firm shove. Sending Noah to ground with a hard thump.

"Pathetic," growled the man as he glared down at Noah, who was now cowering on the ground.

Alarmed for Noah's safety, Wanda gripped the van's door handle. Ready to push open the door and rush to his help, but she stopped herself. Noah had put himself directly between herself the cruiser. And the officer's attention was entirely on him. He was acting as a shield for her.

"Arnold," called a voice from behind the officer. His partner who had remained in the police car was speaking. "We've got 10-33 coming in from dispatch. Stop poking at that bugger and let's go."

At hearing his colleague's instruction, 'Arnold' let out an irritated sigh. His eyes moved from where Noah lay on the ground, to the van. Wanda froze as the officer looked at her. But his eyes quickly moved on. Wanda could tell in Arnold's mind that she and Noah were just buggers. Weak and pitiful. Hardly worth his time. They could be ignored without worry.

"Alright," announced Arnold to Noah. "You're getting off with a warning." And with that, he promptly kicked Noah in the stomach. Noah let out a agonized cry while Arnold confidently strolled back to the waiting patrol car. He got in, and the cruiser's engine roared. There was a squeal of tires, then the car surged forward and raced past the van.

As soon as they were gone, Wanda shoved open the van's door and raced over to where Noah lay. He was in a half-sitting half-crumbled position on the ground, holding his head. A low moan of pain came from his mouth as Wanda fell to her knees before him.

With a trembling hand, she reached out and gingerly touched his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"We…will…be," he panted.

His face was still twisted with pain, and his eyes were clenched closed. Then he ran his hands across his forehead, rubbing gently at his temples. Slowly and warily he opened his eyes, and Wanda saw the rings of silver around the pupil.

"Please, don't be alarmed, Wanderer," said the Soul. "Neither Noah or I wished to deceive you." His expression conveyed such anxiety as if he believed she would recoil away from him in alarm. Such a strange and unusual thing, a Soul held captive by his own host body. She knew she should have been more surprised. Shocked even. But she was not. He was just another impossibility to add to the growing list.

Wanda gently squeezed his arm in comfort and smiled. "No, don't worry. I understand better than you could believe. You said your name was Evaluator of Samples?"

"Yes, but you can call me Sam. That's what Noah calls me."

"You're with him all the time. Both of you together in one body, aren't you?"

Sam nodded once. "I am. I have heard of your time with Melanie. I suppose this is similar to you?

Suddenly Wanda felt like laughing. Jodi and Sunny would be getting a new friend. And their small odd club would grow from one to two. Or two to four. Depending on how you looked at it. "Hmm…a little," she replied. "But that's not why. You see…"

However, Sam abruptly held up a hand. His face tensing with renewed pain. "T-This is…difficult…for us….to maintain," he gasped to Wanda. "S-S-Sorreeee…" and his voice broke off as a strong shudder jolted through his body. Sucking in a deep breath, he let out a groan. "Ahhh….Crap!" He blinked twice, and Wanda could see the silver in his eyes had vanished.

"Noah, I assume?" she asked.

A fragile smile appeared on his face. "Yeah…" Noah paused and added, "Like Sam was saying, it's hard for us to switch places. We can only keep it up for a few minutes." He started rubbing his forehead again. "And I end up with a huge headache."

Again, Wanda felt like laughing. It was just the sheer craziness of the situation. "Like an ice pick to the skull?"

Surprise radiated on Noah's face at her odd choice of words. "How did you know?"

"I learned about it from Jodi when I first met her," answered Wanda. On seeing Noah's befuddled frown, she continued, "We have a lot to talk about."

####

Bright Moon never knew a simple swing of water could taste so good. The touch of the cold liquid to Bright Moon's parched lips was powerful enough to leave the Soul feeling dizzy in joy. Marc did as well, crooning over the relief flooding through their body from the water. Mindful to not take too much, Bright Moon took one more gulp and handed the canteen over to Justin.

Taking a pull from the bottle, the big Seeker's eyes closed in pleasure. "That," he rumbled softly, "is very good."

"We were lucky to find to the spring," said Second Sunrise. "And we did not have much time to fill up our supplies. We needed to get back here in a hurry."

Upon arriving at their hidden camp, Bright Moon and Justin were eager to relay what they had overheard and Justin's theory on who the Humans were hunting. But they soon learned Second Sunrise and Sky Roost had their own run-in with Humans earlier today. While out foraging for food and drinkable water they had observed at a distance another group of soldiers.

"There was more than fifty of them," said Sky Roost with his usual dour face. "They are coming from the northwest. Moving slowly and very thoroughly searching the area."

"No helicopters this time. They are trying to catch us off guard," mused Bright Moon.

"Yes," agreed Second Sunrise. He took the canteen from Justin and began packing it along with their meager supply of food. "We are going to need to leave here very quickly."

"I agree," replied Justin. "But the question is - Where do we go?"

"You only saw the three humans?" asked Sky Roost as he began to take down the tent.

Stepping over to aid the other Seeker, Bright Moon started working on pulling up the stakes holding the tent in place. "Only the three, but given what you told us, we have to assume there are more."

Justin hunched down and with a stick began to sketch a crude map of the area into the dirt. "We are here," he said and pointed to a small circle in the center of his drawing. "The logging road runs roughly west to east along here." He drew a curving line at the bottom of the map. "And from Second Sunrise's description, the human forces to the northwest are coming this way." Justin then drew a large X at the top corner.

Studying his map, Justin poked at the line representing the logging trail. "We saw the Humans about here, and they were headed towards this spot." He traced the road until with his stick till it reached the other corner of the map.

Bright Moon stopped working on the tent and examined Justin's work on the forest floor. Both Marc and Bright Moon saw it at the same time. The soldiers from the north would force the Seekers to move. Pushing them right into the place where Joan and her companions had headed. A carefully constructed trap was being created to snare the Seekers.

'They're trying to wedge us in,' thought Marc.

'Yes,' agreed Bright Moon, 'This is not good.'

'Damn. The Facility really has it out for me.'

Bright Moon could feel Marc's distress over the idea of his own kind hunting him. 'It's not your fault you sided with us,' said the Soul. 'You were only trying to prevent harm and more destruction.'

'They don't see it that way,' replied Marc morosely. 'I'm a traitor. I helped humanity's sworn enemy. I must be brought to justice. Let everyone know I was wrong.'

'Enough,' ordered Bright Moon. 'This accomplishes nothing. We need to be smart and figure out how to escape.'

"Is Marc talking to you?" asked Justin.

Bright Moon refocused from Marc's voice to find Justin eyeing him. "Yes, he is," admitted Bright Moon. "He's upset about the Facility coming after him."

Puzzled frowns popped onto the faces of Second Sunrise and Sky Roost. "What does Marc have to do with the other Humans?" asked Sky Roost.

Justin stood up from his map and launched into the details of the overheard conversation. Then on to Marc's and his own theories about why the Facility had been chasing them so relentlessly. As they listened, the other two Seekers' bewilderment changed to rapidly growing alarm.

"This is why they chase us? Just to reclaim Marc Walters?" questioned a disbelieving Second Sunrise.

"We don't know for certain," answered Justin. "But it would seem to fit with the known facts."

"It may explain a number of their activities," said Sky Roost. "But it does little to help with our current problem."

'Maybe I can be used as a distraction,' uttered Marc as a thought struck him. 'Draw their attention away from the rest. If they want me so bad, use that desire to our advantage.'

Bright Moon did not like the idea but had to at least give it consideration. Explaining Marc's proposal to the others resulted in a mix of reactions. Justin was appreciative of Marc's willingness to help but was uncertain his plan could work. Second Sunrise was surprised a Human would be prepared to aid them. But Sky Roost objected.

"I do not like the way your host has started affecting you, Bright Moon," he said. Shaking his head sternly. "Marc is not a good influence. He distracts you, brings up wild plans, and has frivolous speculations."

'Could you pull your head out of your ass? I'm trying to help, Sky Roost!' derided Marc. His anger was so strong Bright Moon could almost feel the words stick in the back of his throat. Marc's body wanted to say them out loud. But the Soul was in control and pushed them away. Instead Bright Moon said, "That's not fair. Marc has been trying to aid us. The Humans of the Facility are not his allies. He stands to suffer greatly if he's captured."

"His help is not needed," informed Sky Roost coolly. "We need to focus on our options that are practical. I see only two possibilities, we can either attempt to hide around here or make our way to the east."

"I do not think staying put is a promising idea," said Second Sunrise. "There are too many Humans this time. And they appeared determined to leave no stone unturned."

"Agreed," nodded Justin. "We might be able to escape to the east, but we run the risk of running into one of the patrolling Humans."

"We'd have better chances of overpowering a few Humans versus the forces sweeping down from the north," contended Sky Roost.

"Engaging with the Humans might be exactly what they want," said Second Sunrise. "It would allow them to pinpoint our location."

"What about heading south?" asked Bright Moon.

"Possible, but the trees and the undergrowth grow even thicker that way," explained Justin. "We would move too slow, and the pursuing soldiers would catch up to us."

As the other continued to debate their course of action, an urge grew in Bright Moon to look down. Marc was fuming over Sky Roost's comment, and his resentment was only fueling his desire to find an escape. He wanted to study Justin makeshift map. 'What is it?' asked the Soul.

'I think I've got a way to outmaneuver these army guys,' replied Marc.

Bright Moon bent down and looked at the crude drawing. Marc's mind spun around in a tight circle as he examined the map. Shifting through the possibilities.

'What about this,' proposed Marc. 'We head back to the road and follow in the direction we saw Joan, and her pals went. But then we break off after we reach them and jump back into the woods to the south. It gets us out of the range of the forces coming down from the north. And whoever is with those three won't expect us to charge directly at them. Yeah, they can chase us, but they won't be able to box us in anymore.'

'That sounds very risky,' replied Bright Moon. 'We have much better cover if we stay in the forest.'

'I don't know a lot about trees,' said Marc. 'But I do know you can move faster when you don't have to dodge around them every few feet.'

'We'd be out in the open. Exposed.'

'Speed versus stealth, darling.'

Despite the urgency of the situation Bright Moon smiled. 'I still sound like a woman to you?'

'Yup.'

'You know you are certifiably insane.'

'So I've been told,' replied Marc dryly. 'Look, my plans sound crazy because, yes, they're risky. But at heart, it's about doing what's unexpected. Turning a weakness into an advantage. And right now, our options are quickly running out.'

Bright Moon felt the tension building up in the body. Part of it was from Marc, part of it was from Bright Moon. A desire to run. Marc was right. They could not escape by hiding or running in the forest. It would be dangerous to travel on the old logging trail, but it would give them the best chance to escape.

The other three were still debating, while Bright Moon stood silent. Taking a deep breath, Bright Moon spoke. The Soul's words coming out loud and clear, cutting everyone else off - "We should take the old logging road, travel on it as far as we can, and then head back into the woods to the south. Yes, the soldiers will follow, but they will no longer be able to trap us."

All three Seeker blinked in surprise. Sky Roost was the first to recover. "Is this another one of Marc Walters's irrational plans?"

"It is."

In a moment of evident frustration, Sky Roost spat out, "Why should we listen to anything he has to say?"

"Because he knows what he's doing!" retorted Bright Moon loudly. Taking a moment to reign in all the conflicting emotions, Bright Moon started again. "Marc knows how to run and escape. I tracked him for months, and he always got away. No one is better getting out of an impossible situation. His skills are what we need right now."

'Thank you,' said Marc. Stunned by Bright Moon's praise.

Silently Justin, Second Sunrise, and Sky Roost exchanged looks. Then Justin gave a slow nod. "I agree," he said. "His plan is dangerous. But I see no other choices."

Second Sunrise's face screwed up tight with anxiety. "Maybe…it could work…"

"It will," stated Bright Moon

Sky Roost glanced to each Seeker and saw confidence from Bright Moon and Justin. Nervous but acceptance from Second Sunrise. He let out a defeated sigh. "Is this what the three of you want to do?"

'Technically, it's what the four of us want to do,' put in Marc as he included himself in the group.

Justin, Bright Moon, and Second Sunrise all nodded.

"Well then," replied Sky Roost, "let's get going."

####

Noah leaned back against the messy workbench and started. "The night after we took over LAX, Sam woke up. It really freaked me out at first."

He, along with Wanda, Jared, Bob, and Tina sat in a loose circle in the doctor's office. Noah was looking no worse for wear after their run-in with Arnold the Free Zone security officer. They had quickly left the area and made their way back to Cedar-Sinai. Bob had managed to get word to Tina and kept her from waiting at the empty warehouses. The original hand off-site would have to be abandoned. It was now far too risky to use. Yet the concerns over the cryotanks were taking a back seat to Noah's revelation. Both Bob and Tina knew about Noah and Sam. But they had wisely kept it secret. Worried about how not only the Humans might react, but also the Souls.

"I had kept Sam with me when we went to the airport. I needed to access the information on how to operate the starships' computers," explained Noah. "Made it a lot easier when trying to do our work. But he was asleep. It was like walking through empty rooms with thousands of pictures on the wall. No thought behind any of the memories. No awareness."

Noah stopped and closed his eyes. His face tightened up in concentration. He took one breath and then another. A small spasm went through his body, and he slowly opened his eyes. The all too familiar silver sheen was back.

"But then I did wake up," said Sam. "I remembered nothing since I had been sprayed with a dark mist at the repair center. I was bewildered. And I quickly found my host body was walking and talking on its own. It was quite shocking for me as well."

It was easy to tell the difference between Noah and Sam, considered Wanda. Now that she knew what to look for between the two. Noah's speech was firmer and sharper, while Sam's was more subdued and shy. Yet the Soul displayed none of Noah's typical gloom. Despite mostly living as a disembodied voice in his host's head, Sam generally seemed upbeat about his situation.

Jared crossed his arms. His expression was hard to read. "That's more or less how Jodi explained it with Sunny. But she also told us she had problems remembering certain things. That somehow Sunny was blocking the memories of her time with us. So it wasn't, at least in the beginning, the same."

"Yes, I recall Director Smith was concerned with Jodi's lapses," said Bob. He shook his head sadly. "I can't believe I didn't realize he was lying about her death." His voice rose as the doctor turned irate. "Damn him! He lied about so much!"

Sam appeared to still be deeply disturbed by human anger. Far more than Wanda or Tina, who had become used to the negative emotion. Bob's outburst left him shrinking back in alarm. The doctor saw the effect he was having, and said, "Sorry, Sam, didn't mean to fly off the handle there."

Meekly Sam nodded and turned to Wanda. "Noah and I are curious about Jodi and Sunny. How do they manage their dual existence?"

Wanda could tell she was once again finding herself playing the role of storyteller. "Well, I think between Jared and myself we can tell you most of the story." She settled back and began…

Their journey from the shattered city of Chicago to the safety of Jeb's caves was one long, disjointed nightmare for Wanda. It started when she, along with Ian, Scott, Dell, Annie, Simon and all her Human friends confined to the Hotel Rose made their escape into the tunnels beneath the hotel. It quickly turned into a cat and mouse game as Scott and Kate lead them through the twisting underground maze as the Seekers gave chase. Erik was narrowly able to send off Wanda's warning to Marc and Bright Moon before they had to once again run from the pursuing Seekers.

They were heading for an exit that would put them on the south side of the city when one of the spaceships slammed into the center of the city at speeds defying easy comprehension. Wanda would only learn of this fact afterward. For her and her friends dashing through the dark passageways, they experienced the impact as a massive quake. The floor of the tunnel under Wanda's feet heaved upward, sending her right off her feet, only to drop away, and have her body slam painfully into the old stone walls.

Distressed moans filled the inky darkness from the rattled runners. But beyond those cries came a new sound, a distant roar. Like a thousand guns firing at once and the floor the tunnel continued to shake and vibrate under Wanda. It went on and on, growing intensity until Wanda thought her whole body would shake apart. Then, slowly, the endless thunder began to fade.

A single flare of light burst into existence. Ian's flashlight. Its light showed off his midnight blue panicked eyes. "Wanda," he shouted.

She moaned, her whole body ached. "Here," she said feebly.

He was by her side in scant seconds, scooping up, pulling her close. "Are you alright?"

"I-I think so…what happened?"

Ian's face clouded with uncertainty. "It was an explosion or something…."

"The damn Seekers must be trying to blow up the tunnels to drive us out," growled Dell. He was holding his left arm, his face twisted with pain.

"Felt a whole lot like an earthquake," came Simon's voice further back in the tunnel.

Scott, who held a hand against his forehead, trying to stem the bleeding from a gash, argued, "In Chicago? No way. We've never had a quake that strong."

Further debate about the source of the shaking and the blast was cut off as new sound rose around them. It was a creaking, deep groaning noise. Stone scraping against stone. Cracking. Breaking.

"The tunnel's coming down!" yelled Dell.

A terrifying run ensued as they fled down the shadowy narrow corridor. Now not racing from pursuing Seeker, but from the walls collapsing in on them. They were nearly at the end when the tunnel gave out. It happened so fast. One moment Wanda was helping Sarah and her family up a steep incline. At the top of the slope, a rickety ladder led to an open manhole. Freedom. Then, in the space of a heartbeat, the walls folded and the ceiling fell in. The sudden collapse of the tunnel drove the air out in a brief but powerful gust. Enough to nearly knock Wanda down.

Coughing, sputter from the blast of dust and dirt, Wanda tried to right herself. She found Sarah was right next to her. Her legs just as unsteady. They were directly underneath the open manhole. Dusky grey light filtered down from above. Sarah choked out, "Annie and Simon were right behind me…"

Wanda turned around to see everything behind her was now nothing but a wall of broken concrete and rock. Annie and Simon were gone. Just like that.

From above her came shouts. Scott's head appeared in the circle light cast by the open manhole, his eyes frantic. "Who's still down there? Anyone hurt?"

"We're...okay," answered Sarah brokenly. She too was just staring at the remains of the collapsed tunnel. Another face joined Scott's, it was Greg. The young man's voice going shrill with panic. "My dad! Where is he?"

"Oh, no, not Paul too," whimpered Sarah as she fought back tears.

Scott and Dell had to hold Greg back, the teen would have jumped down the tunnel to try to dig his father out of ruins of cement and rubble. But there was no time to linger and what survived of the underground passageway could easily further collapse. As Nancy tried to console her boyfriend, Wanda wearily pulled herself to the surface and took in a sight that froze the very blood in her veins. In the distance, the gleaming buildings and towers of downtown Chicago lay broken and burning. A vast column of ash and dust climbing high into the sky.

"It must have been a nuke," whispered a horrified Ian as he stood next to her as he took in the grisly sight of the city.

The chaos and destruction unleashed upon Chicago made it easy for Dell and Kate to quickly appropriate two moving trucks. Seekers still in the city were obliviously busy with much more pressing matters. It would be a tight squeeze to fit twenty-four people into the two boxy vehicles' cargo holds. And an even more unpleasant form of travel for their journey. But there were no other choices. The Humans were shell-shocked survivors as they dived themselves up into the two groups. Dirty, bruised, and bleeding, their eyes held vacate and haunted stares as they gazed out from rear the trucks.

"We have to get going," said Scott. His voice was utterly devoid of emotion. "Wanda and Ian, you take the first truck, Dell and I will follow in the second."

And so began their exodus from Chicago. They stayed to the less used back roads. Driving at night, fitfully sleeping during the day. When Ian drove, they listened to the radio. The gradual but steady gathering of the information from the broadcasts painted the most horrifying of pictures. Nearly twenty cities around the globe had been hit. Like Ian's speculation upon seeing the ruins of Chicago, it was first assumed nuclear weapons were used. It was a source of great distress for the Souls for they had believed they had rid Earth of such terrible weapons. But their consternation only deepened when it became clear that the destruction had been wrought by their own starships.

"How could the Humans possibly know how to use our spacecraft?" came the distraught voice of the news reporter over the radio.

It was not a mystery to Wanda. The words 'The weapons are nearly ready,' echoed in her mind. The Vultures. They had shown the Humans how the Souls' spaceships worked. Told them how to turn the vessels into tools of destruction. She sat in stone silence, contemplating the impossible, as the report turned to the death toll. It was already over five million and growing.

When she drove, they did not listen to the radio.

On the fourth night, they finally made it to Picacho Peak. Wanda and Ian lead the bedraggled survivors from Chicago through the desert to the safety of Jeb's caves. Everyone was sore and exhausted from the long trip. Yet the promise of shelter and friendly faces gave them the strength to carry on through the craggy rocks and challenging terrain.

"Is Jeb going to have room for all of us?" asked Scott as they neared the hidden entrance.

"Don't know," replied Ian. "I guess we'll figure it out as we go."

They only made it a few more steps when a voice came out of the darkness. "Hold it right there, or I'll put a bullet right into your chest."

Ian froze, and everyone behind him did as well. A long second passed, and then Ian spoke calmly, "Andy? Is that you?"

Another pause and Wanda thought she could hear soft muttering in the surrounding darkness. Another voice came, and Wanda was sure it belonged to Aaron. "Ian…we know you were taken in Chicago. There's no way you didn't get a worm shoved into your head."

Still keeping his voice calm, Ian replied, "Check my eyes, check all of our eyes. Well…except for Wanda."

"Please Aaron," added Wanda, "it's alright. No one's here to hurt you."

It was quite clear those acting as guards for the cave's entrance were reluctant to reveal themselves to check on their identity. Luckily Dell provided his own form of identification. From further back in their procession, the big man rumbled, "I'm too damn tired and hungry to put up with this shit. Is that old man running this place going to let us in or not?"

A snort of amusement came from inky blackness, one that Wanda knew all too well. "Hmm…that's not a very polite way to ask to come into my home. But…it's all too human."

"Jeb!" cried Wanda, happy to hear his voice. "It's us. We've been traveling for days. Do whatever you need to feel safe. But none of the people with us will hurt you. They're just survivors like you."

A light flared into existence on their right side, and the silhouettes of several men became revealed in its feeble glow. One of the shadow shapes stepped closer, and in the dim light, Wanda could see features on the face. Wide cheekbones, bushy eyebrows, cleft-tipped nose, and of course, a big white beard.

"Hey, kid," said Jeb with his kindly smile. "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

Wanda ran right up to him and hugged him as firmly as her thin little arms would allow. His old weather hands lightly pattered on her back. All the remaining tension fled, and Aaron, Andy, Brandt, Geoffrey all rush forward to greet her and Ian and to welcome the newcomers. The reunion was joyous, and for a brief moment, Wanda could forget about all the horror she had seen and heard.

But it did not last. Among all the introductions Ian was performing for the Chicago rebels and happy greetings he was receiving, Aaron hastily interrupted him. "Ian…it's Kyle. He was shot. He's down in the hospital." He said no more, for Ian stopped everything he was doing and took off down the cave's opening like a man running for his life. Wanda followed, leaving Scott and Dell to tell the others about their escape from Chicago. But with her much shorter stride Ian quickly outpaced her. Aaron ran with her.

"What happened? Was it the Seekers?" she panted as the passed through the central cavern. Crops were growing of some type, but she paid them no mind. The nearly all-consuming dread she had been feeling since leaving the city returned in full force.

"No…it was a…human," answered Aaron. He looked away, almost as if he was ashamed. "It's complicated. And I don't even understand it all. Jared would be better to explain."

Turning down a dark tunnel, the old familiar path to the hospital came back to Wanda. And more question. "Where is Jared? Why did Kyle get shot? What's been going on here?"

"Jared with Jamie, the kid is really upset."

That answer only served to produce a million more questions. But Wanda had to set all that aside as they reached the hospital. Ian was already there, his chest rapidly rising and falling from his mad dash here. He was kneeling next to one of the cots. Kyle laid there unmoving, looking deathly pale. For a heartbreaking second, she thought he was dead. But then she heard Kyle speak in a breathy whisper.

"Hey…bro," said Kyle faintly to Ian. Wanda had never heard him speak so feebly. He looked incredibly weak.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, Wanda saw another all too recognizable face. "Doc!"

His arms went around her and hugged her tight. "Thank god you're alright!" said Doc as he squeezed her against his chest. "After everything we heard on the radio…"

"We just barely made it out," whispered Wanda as Doc let go of her. Glancing back to Kyle and Ian, she refocused on why she was here. "What happened to Kyle?"

"He was at the LA Airport when the - I think they're called the Facility - took over."

Wanda felt like someone had physically hit her. "What!?"

"A guy named Jeremy," came a whispered answer from Kyle. "Little punk decided he wanted to shoot people."

Wanda turned from Doc and took a few steps over to Kyle's cot. He looked up at her, his normal deep midnight blue eyes had faded to washed out grey. She could not be sure, but it looked like he had lost weight. His skin was waxy and pale.

"How are you doing?" she asked, almost fearing the answer.

"Been better," he faintly joked. "Glad…you're okay." He moved his head to look at Ian. "Both…of you."

"Wanderer!" came another familiar voice. Sunny appeared standing at the entrance of the hospital. Her face radiating absolute joy at seeing Wanda.

Almost at once she rushed over to embrace Wanda. And she hugged her back, pleased to see another friendly face. One more happy reunion. Wanda needed that right now. A million questions were swirling in her head, and almost instinctively she knew she would not like many of the answers. Having another Soul by her side would be helpful. But then something changed, Sunny went stiff as a board in her arms. She pulled away, and Wanda saw her fellow Soul's face had twisted into anger.

Not looking at Wanda, Sunny shouted at seemingly open air, "I told you not to do that unless I said it was okay!"

Sunny's change was so sudden, and out of character, Wanda found herself taking a few steps back from the small dark haired woman. Letting out a sigh, Sunny turned to Doc and said in a calmer tone, "I'm not sure if this helps your diagnosis, but it feels like someone just shoved an ice pick into my skull."

Doc nodded once to himself. "Possibly a migraine. I think we should get your blood pressure. Might tell me something."

"Sure, whatever," replied an indifferent Sunny. She turned to regard Kyle resting on the cot and saw Ian was kneeling by his brother's side. Taking a step towards the clearly confused Ian, who was just as surprised by Sunny's odd behavior, she said with an easy-going smile, "Hey geek boy, long time no see."

Wanda had never heard anyone call Ian, "geek boy." But the effect of the nickname left Ian's mouth hanging open in sheer shock. "No way…." He mumbled after he managed to get his jaw under control.

"Way…" said Sunny softly, and her smile grew sad.

As Sunny sat down on an empty cot while Doc came over to with his makeshift blood pressure cuff, Ian stood and made his way over to Wanda. His face was running through a tumult of different expressions. All the while his eyes were glued to Sunny. "That's…" he began but trailed off with an incredulous shake of his head.

"It's Jodi, isn't?" asked Wanda. That was the only explanation she could think of to explain the radical difference in the woman's behavior. Not like a Soul at all.

"Yeah," confirmed a stunned Ian.

However Ian's verification only served to further puzzle Wanda. Why had Jodi acted like Sunny when she first saw her? Why the change in personality? And most importantly what had happened to the Soul Sunlight Passing through the Ice? Crossing the distance to where Doc was examining Jodi, Wanda cautiously sat down across from the two.

"Sorry," said Jodi after a moment of staring off into space. "I'm still getting the hang of everything. I know you Wanda…but at the same time I don't know you. That make any sense?"

"What happened? How are you here?"

"Long story, really long story," sighed Jodi. Looking to Doc, she asked, "Maybe it would be better if she told it?"

Doc frowned. "I don't know. I'm still uncertain if your…change is safe. You said it hurts when Sunny takes over."

Jodi shrugged. "Only for a few moments. And only when she tries to force control. But I think it might be easier for Wanda to get the 411 from Sunny."

"Wait," interrupted an increasingly bewildered Wanda. "What do you mean? Where is Sunny?"

"Here," answered Jodi as she pressed a finger against her temple. She closed her eyes tight, and a moment later a little shudder went through her body. When she opened her eyes, Wanda caught the familiar glint of silver in them.

"Hello, Wanderer. I'm sorry about before."

Jodi's voice and tone had changed again. Became the one Wanda was accustomed to hearing. Feeling her mouth open and close but no words come out, Wanda swallowed and tried again. "H-How?"

"I…Well…We don't exactly know," said Sunny. "At first it was just Jodi, and I was asleep. When I did wake up, Jodi controlled my body. And I…" Sunny's mouth abruptly snapped shut and her nose wrinkled in an unpleasant sneer. Like her face had been scrunched up by an unseen hand. Then slowly her facial features smoothed out and returned to a more normal state. But there was still a good deal of agitation in her silver ringed eyes.

"Okay, okay," muttered Sunny to herself, "it's your body, not mine."

Finding herself going from confused, to bewildered, to outright complete incomprehension, Wanda gazed around the hospital hoping for some type of enlightenment. Clarification finally came from Kyle. He lay on his back, his face still so very pale. But he managed to raise his voice beyond its original shaky whisper. "Wanda, it's like when you were in Mel's body. Both of you in there. But also different. Both have control. Well, at least some of the time."

Kyle's brief explanation nearly drained him. His words grew weaker. "Jodes," he said faintly, "don't fight with Sunny. For me…please?"

Sunny's, or maybe it was Jodi's, face softened, Wanda was unsure which mind was in control. But whoever it was, she smiled fondly at Kyle and laid a comforting hand on his. "Alright," she agreed. Turning back to Wanda she started over. "It all began when we went to the Farmer's Market in San Bernardino…"

"…I think in a lot of ways Kyle helped both Sunny and Jodi. They were both so concerned about him, they set aside their differences. Just like Melanie and Wanda about Jamie," explained Jared as he finished his part of the story. "After a while, they started getting along with each other and their ability to share dual control over Jodi's body improved."

Feeling a little chagrinned, Wanda added, "Far better than anything Mel and I ever accomplished."

"And Jodi accepts sharing her body with Sunny?" asked Noah. He had swapped places with Sam as they had listened to Wanda speak. "I've kept Sam around because it's been useful to switch between a Soul and a Human. But I must admit I've thought about putting him in a cryotank a few times."

Wanda shook her head. "Jodi has developed quite an attachment to Sunny. In the beginning, they used to fight a lot, but not anymore."

"She about bit Doc's head off when he suggested getting a cryotank for Sunny," put in Jared. "I'm not exactly sure what their long-term plan is. I mean, they seem stable. They've worked out a sort of schedule of who gets to be in charge."

"And like you Noah," added Wanda, "it has proven beneficial for them to be able to switch identities when they go on a raid."

"Regardless of the benefits, this is of the most importance," exclaimed Bob. "We thought Noah's condition was unique. Now we know about Sunny and Jodi. This leads me to think there may be others."

"Indeed," agreed Wanda, a little surprised she had not seen the same possibility. "Doc believes Jodi's ability comes from exposure to the Facility's CURE drug. I guess it's the same for Noah."

Bob rubbed his chin. "That would seem to be the common link. Although I'm uncertain how that's possible."

"So, anyone who's been exposed to CURE might be able to do what Jodi or Noah can do," asked Jared. Then he frowned. "That doesn't sound like something the Facility would want to have that happen."

"No, I can't imagine it was part of their plans. But something has evidently gone wrong. I'll need to start running some more tests." The doctor looked pointedly at Noah.

Noah sank down into a chair and let out a groan. "Oh, fun…"

####

They almost made it.

Marc's route to escape the trap was a good plan. It was risky, but at that point, the Seekers had few options. Countless variables then came into play. How fast the Seekers could move. How quickly the soldiers chasing them would close the distance. The terrain of the forest. The stifling heat. But it really boiled down to luck. A roll of the dice. Chance. Whether they would outmaneuver their pursuers and escape or not.

After making back to the dirt road, the Seekers had run as fast as they could. Trying to make as much distance on the flat compacted ground. Then they had sighted a group of camouflaged soldiers milling about on the road ahead. Stunned surprise broke through on the gathered Humans. But before they could react, Bright Moon and the others broke off and headed back into the woods. Their movement hindered by the thick undergrowth. Yet the soldiers had been so taken off guard they were too slow in their pursuit. Bright Moon had begun to feel cautiously optimistic. They had managed to beat the closing trap.

Just as they crested a small hill, where the trees thinned out, they took a brief stop to rest and get their bearings. Their bodies painfully arched after running for so long. From their vantage point on the ridge, they could see the endless forest stretching out in front of them. More than enough places for the fleeing Seekers to hide. But it was not to be. As Bright Moon folded up Marc's long legs and rested his weary head on his knees, without warning eight figures rushed out of the nearby tree line.

There was not much of fight. All four Seekers were utterly exhausted. Seeker Justin held their only gun. A rifle with just a handful of bullets. He did not even get a chance to bring the weapon up before a hail fire from the soldiers' guns mowed him down.

Now his bullet-ridden body lay motionless on the ground. Red blood seeping into the ground around him. His eyes open and staring upward into the sunny sky, forever unseeing.

"None of you move!" bellowed one of the soldiers.

A cold, empty horror filled Bright Moon as the Humans rushed forward. It was over. No more running. Rough hands grabbing them and forcing them to the ground. Then more orders were being given by the Humans. Barking commands demanding to know if there any more Seekers.

Bright Moon had felt like he had cheated death once before in the bunker. Living on borrowed time. Maybe this was for the best. Marc could have his body back after…

'NO!' screamed Marc. 'Don't give up!'

Defiant to the end. Marc would never go down without a fight. Misery rained through the Soul that they had not had more time together. Bright Moon lament was a whisper of pain. 'It's over…We tried…At least we get to say goodbye…'

'I will not let them hurt you!' vowed Marc. 'If they want me so badly they'll have to deal with me. Or I'll…

'What? Kill yourself?' cried Bright Moon at Marc's perceived threat. 'Not for me….please not for me…'

"This is the one," said a voice that pulled them both back to the outside world. From on the ground, Bright Moon looked upward. A mostly balding man with a fuzzy mustache of about forty stood before them. His uniform was like the ones worn by the Humans Bright Moon had seen with Justin, a mixing of greens and browns for his camouflage outfit, yet he wore a distinct black stripe across his shoulders. Bright Moon realized all the soldiers now surrounding them had the same strip of black. The man with mustache appeared to be the one in charge. He gazed down at Bright Moon with cold eyes. In his hands he carried something rectangular, made of plastic and metal. A tablet computer.

"Yes," he said as he glanced at the screen and then crouched down next to the captured Souls. His hand latched onto Bright Moon's hair dragged the Soul's head up to get a better look. "This is the one we're after."

His grip was painful, and Bright Moon's head was pulled up at an awkward angle, forcing him to look into the man's eyes. Not a trace of warmth was in that face. Something deep and primal made Marc's skin crawl. The name 'Lenson' was titled on the upper left side of the man's uniform.

"You are Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow?" asked the man named Lenson. There was a casual normality in his question. As if he had just walked up to Bright Moon in the middle of a typical day on the street in Chicago and had asked for the Seeker's identity. Not a man with a set of goons pointing guns at Bright Moon's head.

The question and the manner it was asked so stunned Bright Moon that all the Soul could manage was a weak, "W-What?"

"Your name," repeated Lenson. "You are Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. Yes or no."

"Y-Yes," stuttered a confused Bright Moon.

Lenson released his hold on Bright Moon's hair, and another hand pushed Bright Moon's head back into the dirt. Other voices spoke up above them as the Humans talked among themselves. One speaker, someone other than Lenson, spoke over the others, "We concerned about it shredding the host's brain?"

"Unlikely, but even if it does," said Lenson, "we have a cryotank to store it. Top priority goes to its retrieval."

Both Bright Moon and Marc felt a powerful shock at the man's pronouncement. 'We had it wrong,' agonized Marc. 'They wanted you after all…'

Head pressed into the dirt, still unable to believe what the Humans were saying, Bright Moon moaned, "No…You came for Marc…"

The hand holding Bright Moon yanked upward, and the Soul was once again faced to face with Lenson. He cocked his head to one side and gave Bright Moon a curious look. "We'd take just you, Seeker. But now we have you both. An optimal solution." He leaned closer, and his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "We have questions, and you will answer them."

"If you…want…me...leave…my…friends," gasped out Bright Moon, desperate to find a way for Sky Roost and Second Sunrise to survive.

Lenson just shook his head. "You have no leverage, Seeker. We know you care for Marc Walters. I don't believe you would willingly kill him. And if I'm wrong, like I said, we can still tank you. There is no escape."

"Please…" begged Bright Moon. "You don't…"

But the Humans were not listening. Lenson stood and made a quick hand gesture to the guards surrounding the other two Seekers. Second Sunrise and Sky Roost were on the ground, only a few away from Bright Moon. Their bodies pressed into the dirt by half a dozen Humans, but by chance, they had managed to twist their heads towards Bright Moon. One last look. There was one long moment where all three Souls' held each other's eyes. Their gaze a mix of horror and exhausted grief.

Then the soldiers pointed their guns and fired.

An agonized cry weld up in Bright Moon as the Humans coldly and calmly executed both Second Sunrise and Sky Roost. Only the sheer brutality of the act pushed all the air from Marc's body, and the scream came out as a little more than a strangled wheeze. And yet an outraged shout still came but from a most unlikely source.

"What in the hell are you doing!?" yelled a voice of a woman.

The hands holding down Bright Moon relaxed a tiny amount. Surprised at hearing the furious scream. Bright Moon managed to turn just enough to see the newcomer. It was Joan. She was standing outside the ring of soldiers. Joan's face was red from the apparent run she had made up the hill. Her body breathing hard, with quick hard pants. But her expression on her face was that of pure rage.

"You just killed them!?" shouted Joan in disbelief. "You didn't even try to bring them back!?"

There was a flutter of uncertainty through the soldiers surrounding Bright Moon. Lenson's cool and calm expression turn a degree harder. And when he spoke, his voice took on a very low and intense tone. His words coming out only a little louder than a whisper. "What are you doing here? You and your squad were supposed to be at bravo point."

"These four worms showed up at bravo point, and we gave chase" replied Joan hotly. She shot an accusing finger towards Lenson. "And you weren't answering our radio calls. So, I broke off from my team to report to you in person. Good thing I did. I got to watch your execution squad at work."

"The situation here…is complicated," replied Lenson. "There are factors you don't know about. You were assigned by the army to help us, and you did." His voice rose from his soft yet severe quality as he commanded. "You work here is done. Return to your squad, Lieutenant Naylor."

Joan let out an angry laugh. "Oh…you better believe I'm going back to my squad! And they're going to hear all about this!" She took a threatening step towards Lenson and the other soldiers. "I'll make sure this gets run all the way up to General Mannheim. We don't kill the parasites when there is a chance to recover the hosts. That's what your CURE is supposed to do. And you didn't even try."

Lenson took one step towards Joan. Closing the distance until there were almost face to face. "As I said," he replied calmly, "It's complex. We have reasons why those parasites needed to be eliminated. Unfortunately, we couldn't allow their hosts to recover."

"Why!?" demanded Joan. Pointing to Bright Moon, she continued, her voice once rising in incredulity. "What is so damn important about that worm? Why search for it for weeks? Why do any of this?"

Lenson did not answer right away. Instead, he put his back to Joan and paced away from both her and the soldiers surrounding Bright Moon. Joan glared at Lenson's back side. The tension in the hot, humid air was becoming palpable. Like a physical weight pushing on everyone.

As Marc and Bright Moon watched Joan grow increasingly frustrated with Lenson's silence, both wanted to call out to her. To plead for help. Maybe it would have fallen on deaf ears. Or perhaps Joan would have listened, tried to aid them. But they would never find out for Lenson suddenly spun around with a gun in his hand. The move so fast Joan did not have time to react. Lenson fired once, and his aim was all too deadly. The bullet hit her square in the forehead. Then Joan's body hit the ground, still twitching as if her arms and legs had failed to realize the brain controlling them was now obliterated.

Lenson let out a loud sigh. "Well…" he grumbled in a strangled hiss as he surveyed Joan's body, "sometimes the buggers go down fighting. Push anyone far enough, and they can become violent when cornered. Even the parasites. We had no choice but to return fire." He paced around her fallen form in a tight fuming circle. "Yes," he nodded agitatedly to himself, "There was a struggle, one of them managed to tackle me. Get my gun."

None of the others still surrounding Bright Moon said a word. They merely stood impassively as Lenson continued to speak. He seemed to be rehearsing, repeating his words over and over. Forming his lie. "Yes," he repeated as he bent down by Seeker Second Sunrise's body, "this one got a hold of my gun. We fought, but he was able to get off a shot." He placed his pistol in Second Sunrise's dead hand. "Lieutenant Joan Naylor was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time."

'He's a monster,' decried Marc. 'As bad as Adams. They're nothing but a bunch of psychopaths.'

But Bright Moon was beyond words. Horrified into distraught silence. In the space of little more than five minutes, the Humans had executed four people. One of them their own kind. The absolute viciousness of Lenson left the Bright Moon feeling physically ill.

Returning to Bright Moon, Lenson stood over the Soul. His calm demeanor was back. "Now, let's get you out of here," he said smoothly. "Alex is waiting."

AN: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. My real life, such as it is, still likes to intrude.

Next chapter - The war between the Souls and the Humans intensifies.