Chapter 37

Dave Rossi's House
Alexandria, VA
Day # 17

Emily

"So, are we going to get more of the story?" Morgan asked as he started clearing the table.

"Well that is what we're here for." Dave had set a no-alien policy over dinner, probably to give Emily a chance to eat. But now dinner was over and there was coffee or tea or rich wine and cookies and time in a warm, pleasant room, all of which made it the perfect place for a story. The problem was that she remembered it all now, how much to tell?

"I'd love to hear more about the political structure." Dave said. "You said you spent one night in a village, any more to that?"

"Politics?" Penelope grinned. "I want to hear more about Andrew."

"There isn't really anything more to say about the village, they spoke a different dialect than the Abbey people, I wasn't getting every word of it. And as for Andrew…I mean, we talked a lot. There wasn't anything much else to do. We were either riding in the wagon or walking it."

"Walking?" Morgan asked.

"That's what I said. Reka was trying to get us in shape for getting through the underground part of the city. I was dammed glad of it when we got there too. But, I mean, we talked. We were both too worried about these two…" She waved her hand at Spencer, "…to really do any more."

"That's all, huh?" Penelope asked, clearly disappointed.

"Yeah." Emily said.

"I think I really like melea." Emily said as she leaned back against the rock.

Once again they were camped at the edge of some farmer's field. The horses were resting; dinner was both eaten and cleaned up. The farmer had traded them his war horse mare spending some quality time with Jax the stallion in exchange for two barrels and a jug of something called melea, which turned out to be sweet and thick and very, very alcoholic. The barrels were meant for trading further down the line, but the jug had been breached. One tankard had already sent the smaller, slender Reka to bed early, but Andrew the mountainous was on his second with no effects so far. Emily was just finishing her first, and was debating. On the one hand it was really, really yummy stuff. On the other hand she was already kinda blitzed... "Okay, just a little more." She indicated maybe a quarter of her tankard. It was warming her up nicely after all.

Andrew obligingly put just a little more into her tankard. "So, you were telling me about your son."

"Oh, no. Declan isn't my son. Ian wanted him to be my son, or wanted me to be his mother. And maybe mother to a few others, it was hard to tell."

"Ahh. I didn't know this 'infiltrating' included that kind of a relationship."

"It normally didn't but sometimes you had to…what, you think that was wrong of me?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, not at all; a good Guardian does what needs to be done. But this Ian does not sound kind or gentle…"

"No. Kind and gentle would not describe Ian Doyle, ever."

"…which would not make him a good person to play with…"

"I don't think he ever knew how to play, even as a kid."

"…which would not make him a good lover."

Oh, now hold on there. "Well…um…well…yeah, I faked it a lot with him. He wasn't…but then who is? I mean, isn't it always about the guy?"

"It shouldn't be."

"Yeah but…"

"You know what I think." Andrew looked down to catch her eye, something strong and gentle and twinkling and impossibly attractive on his face. "I think your Healer might not be the only one wanting healing when we get back."

"Yeah, that's all." Emily replied. "Just talking. That and a lot of time watching the wheat grow. The Abbey was in the foothills, and the City was in the center of this large, plains area. It was like walking across Kansas or something, there was a lot of grain. Eventually we got to the loading platforms….

Loading Platform 27
City Gateway 9
Little Sister
Then

At twilight they left the horses and wagon in a clump of trees around a creek about a mile distant. Andrew had unpacked a bag from the very depths of the wagon, one that instantly caught Jax's attention. "Kira's bedroll," he explained as Jax lowered his fearsome, fanged muzzle to absorb the scent. "He won't leave where he thinks she'll be and Astri won't leave him. And with them here no one will dare make a try for the wagon. Now I just have to leave them dinner for a few days."

Leaving dinner for a few days meant killing the thing that looked a lot like a yak that had been tied to the back of the wagon all day. Before they broke camp that morning twenty miles back they had traded the farmer the barrels of melea for the poor beast. Now she and Reka shouldered their packs and picked up Andrew's as he covered its face with a melea soaked cloth to keep it calm and then started leading it over to the war horses.

"Aren't you going to kill it first?" Reka asked, "Might be kinder."

"It takes a verk-se to get through this hide." He replied, patting the large, shaggy beast. "I wasn't expecting to get a male or one this old; I don't have one with me."

Emily looked over at Reka. "Is anyone around here?"

"Not this close to the City. Not for a good ten leagues." The older woman replied.

Emily looked over at her companions. "Hold on to the horses, this is going to be loud." When they had the horses well in hand she walked over to the yak and looked it over. While it wasn't sick, it was clearly reaching the end, at the point in its life where a humane end would be a mercy. "Thank you for everything." She said to the shaggy beast. Then she pulled out Spencer's revolver, judging it better for this than her Glock, pressed it to the beast's forehead, and fired.

The beast dropped instantly, never having any time to feel pain.

She turned to see Andrew and Reka trying to calm Jax and Astri, respectively, both of them staring at her with shocked eyes. "What?"

"That's some tool you have there." Reka said finally.

"No, that was Spencer's."

"Remind me not to ask about yours."

They picked up the packs and moved a distance away while Andrew dragged the carcass over and unmuzzled the horses. A few minutes later he joined them. "Well, they have water, food for four or five days, good cover and probably won't go anywhere. Now what?"

"Now we get naked." Reka said. She reached up and pulled off her skal-va as they walked, tucking it into her pocket. "No one wears them down there, or any color. They'll catch the attention of the Watchers right quick. Your size is bad enough." Emily took hers off and tucked it away, but it took Andrew a moment. "You'll survive." Reka told him as he reluctantly folded it into his bag. "And kinda handsome there too."

"I agree." Emily said, and then she grinned at his discomfort.

"This way," Reka led them over a rise in the landscape, beyond which Emily could just see the tops of some structures, the first large ones they'd encountered since the Abbey. They turned out to be grain elevators, all clustered around a very busy rail yard and lit with the first electrical lights Emily had seen since she landed. "The trains are automated. I doubt anyone comes out here unless something goes wrong. I had a friend who worked on the unloading platform on the other end; he said that they lock the loads down with these force shields to keep them from toppling when they go down the ramps. He knew a few guys who tried to get into a load before they were lifted and ended up fried. What we're going to need to do is get onto a train before it gets past the lock down bars above the tracks and then stay out of the field. Given the ride on the way up I'd say it's going to be quite a thing on the way down."

"How will we know when to get off?" Emily asked.

"I'll tell you." Reka replied.

It wasn't that hard to infiltrate the rail yard. The fence was sagging, with large holes that were easy enough to climb through. The harder part was hiking across the gravel and around some puddles as deep and large as small ponds. Reka pointed out some cameras, some of which had the distinct red light that meant that they were on. They avoided those and headed for where the trains were lining up to enter one of many openings that seemed to lead into the very bowels of the earth. "That one," Reka said at last, and led them toward one that was kind of backed up a bit, waiting its turn. The cars were hoppers, filled with grain, with just enough space on the small platforms front and back for three people to sit curled up. Or two, if one was Andrew's size

They climbed onto the back end of one and settled, hanging on to the steel frame and making sure that they were nowhere near the edge while Reka climbed on to the one facing. Andrew looked over at her, terror in his eyes. "Have you ever been underground before?" He asked.

"Sure." Train tunnels, the Metro, catacombs, wine cellars, Emily could think of a dozen examples. "You?"

Andrew shook his head. "Never. I grew up on a farm." He reminded her.

All of a sudden the cars started moving, bumping together as they banged. It was harder to hang on with the movement than she liked, she ended up having to lock arms around the superstructure to not get too close to the edge and try not to move. "It's not too late to wait with the wagon." She pointed out.

He shook his head. "Sister," was all he needed to say.

Over time the twilight turned to night beyond the glare of the overhead lights. She was exhausted already, worn out by speed and bumps and having to hold stiller than she'd like to stay within the force field surrounding the train once they passed beneath the glowing blue bar and it hummed to life. She hadn't expected this to happen at night, hadn't expected to be able to see the great gas giant hanging in the sky above her, its rainbow of colors still taking her breath away.

"Here we go." Reka called from the other car.

Emily looked over at Andrew. He looked terrified. She took his hand and held on tight and remembered that he'd never done this, had never even been inside a building larger than the abbey hall, had never been where he couldn't quickly feel the wind on his face or the grass under his feet. She was once again reminded of Spencer, and the kind of strength that yielded and bended rather than holding hard and fast. But those who held hard and fast can shatter if hit wrong or too often, while those who bent never did break. Which kind am I, she thought, will I bend to this place or will I break?

Then the sound of the train changed as it slowed, and blackness swallowed up the sky.