I grabbed Rachel's shoulders roughly and turned her back toward the entrance of the tunnel. I looked her square in the eyes and gave her the most important job of her life.
"Take her and run. Don't stop for anything. Don't trust anyone. Use the gun if you need to, remember she's a good shot. I'll tell Eric to meet you in 2 hours by the old burnt barn on the northwestern corner of the property. If he doesn't show, you go without him. Your first priority is Rayne's safety. Meet me in two weeks, that's a Wednesday, at the rest stop up Canyon Road. You know where that is?"
Rachel just stared at me in horror. I gave her a little shake, "I said do you know where that is?"
She nodded her head a fraction of an inch.
"Repeat it back to me." I commanded.
Her voice shook, but she said, "burnt barn, two hours, run fast, two weeks, Canyon Road rest stop."
I nodded in satisfaction and pulled them both close for a hug, kissing Rayne's hair. Softly, I sang into her ear, "Rain, Rain, go away."
I released them and pushed Rachel toward the open fields, grateful that the moonless night would help hide them in the shadows. Rayne's eyes were wide with sudden understanding. She wiggled out of Rachel's arms and pulled her hand, but Rachel was frozen.
"RUN!" I shouted as I took off in the opposite direction. Rayne succeeded in getting Rachel's attention, and the two of them quickly disappeared into the night, the determined eight-year-old girl dragging a woman in her thirties who in some ways was as much a child as her companion.
Now Eric.
I fled down the long tunnel, cursing the engineer who decided that it needed to be nearly a half-mile long. I tore into the Control Center, breathless and determined.
Eric was sitting at his desk in one of the communications rooms, pulling a small external hard drive from a port in his computer. In a few quick motions he purged all the computers, leaving them to dump their data while we fled.
"I couldn't get ahold of Sarge. Maria had a radio, but when I called that, some snotty guy picked up. I'm assuming the worse." He pushed the external hard drive into my hands, "My whole world is on here. And your world too. This thing has information on it that will get us all killed. Take it and don't let it out of your sight."
I was surprised at his intense focus and trust in me. I took the hard drive wordlessly and zipped it into my coat.
"Take the hybrid. Meet the girls at the old burnt barn on the northwest corner of the property in 2 hours. Get them and run. Don't look back, don't wait for the rest of us. Your only priority is to keep those girls safe. Meet me in two weeks at the rest stop on Canyon Road. If I don't show, you make yourselves invisible. Forge passports or something and get as far away from here as you can. Don't tell anyone else about the fallback plan. If they get caught, they can't know how to find you. We have to keep Rayne safe."
Eric took a deep breath and nodded.
"The hybrid?" He questioned with an arched brow.
"It's already packed with survival gear to last you weeks, and it blends in with all the other tree-hugger cars."
He nodded in understanding and made for the Power House across the tunnel. We had quite a collection of cars hidden in there, ready for every occasion. Eric got the hybrid started and began to maneuver it out of the Power House and around the corner into the main tunnel. With a sudden burst of inspiration, I ran to Rayne's room in the Control Center.
Please be here. Please be here. Please be here!
Victory!
Rainbow, the beloved purple teddy bear, was sitting at a tiny table enjoying a spot of tea with Rayne's dolls. I grabbed him and rushed back toward where Eric was still slowly maneuvering the car around the tight turn. I banged on the window, which he rolled down, and tossed the bear onto the seat.
"You make sure she gets that. And tell her that Sarge loved her. Loves her. Tell her that he loves her."
Finally straightened out in the tunnel, Eric floored it as he escaped the tunnel too. I watched him go only for a second before I opened the door to the staircase leading to the hatch.
I took the stairs two at a time, my long legs covering the distance quickly. Seven flights later, I pulled the lever to open the blast doors. Not bothering to close them behind me, I pushed through the revolving door, and rushed up the spiral staircase to the hatch. I unlocked it and pushed it open.
Nate, Jess, and Rob descended on me in a moment. Their questions were so frantic and emotional that I just raised my hands to shush them so I could explain.
"I had a surprise guest tonight while I was taking care of Rayne. I hid her in the cellar, told her to stay put, and Andrew and I went to the north side of the property to do a little work. He'd seen you guys pull onto the highway and was convinced there was something worth investigating out this way. I spent some time questioning him and trying to distract him. He went home prepared to tell the Seekers that he suspected some humans had taken shelter in the old Prairie Winds Farm cottage on the hill, which, given the other options, I encouraged.
"He left and I went to retrieve Rayne, but she was gone from the cellar. I found her in the barn, asleep in the loft covered in kittens and hay. Apparently she slept through Maria and Sarge's search of the loft just a few hours before. Sarge and Maria jumped to conclusions after seeing Andrew's truck at my place and headed into town to confront the Seekers who they were sure had kidnapped Rayne while Andrew distracted me. They also considered that I had turned Rayne in myself. Anyway, I had turned the radios off so Andrew wouldn't hear anything he shouldn't, and you guys know about the shoddy cell reception around here.
"I got all your messages and missed calls at once, after I had returned Rayne safe and sound to the silo, albeit a few hours late. Then, just a few minutes ago, I got a call from an unknown number. It was Sarge, and he sounded bad. He said 'They got us. Run for your lives' so I pushed Rachel and Rayne out the door with instructions on who to meet where and when, and then I helped Eric evacuate. He had the good sense to purge all our computers, by the way, so for those of us who survive, our identities should still be safe. He is en route to pick up the girls and make a run for it. I'm afraid my dual-identity has been compromised as Sarge called my phone, presumably from a Seeker landline. One look at my phone records and this whole operation goes up in flames. If Maria or Sarge have been inserted, I am sure that they'll be here any minute, accompanied by the Seekers."
I sagged against one of the combine wheels in the equipment bay, exhausted and even more terrified now that I had put the situation into words. Nate took control of the situation as soon as I stopped talking, and I was relieved that someone else was in charge.
"Jess!" he shouted, even though she was only a few feet away from him, "Go meet up with the girls and Eric. They need you if they're going to survive. Take them to live in the cabin or something, we'll find you if we make it out of this alive."
I was relieved. I had been afraid that Jess would want to stay and fight. She did look a little perturbed by the situation, but as I embraced her in a tight hug, I whispered in her ear, "Take care of them, Jess. They won't survive without you. Rayne needs you."
It seemed a reminder of Rayne was all she needed. She kissed me on the cheek and ran toward the dark corner of the maintenance bay, patting the other guy's shoulders as she went. Ten seconds later, a dirt bike roared to life and angled toward us.
"Where will I find them?" She asked me. I guiltily looked around the room before approaching her and whispering in her ear: "Burnt Barn."
She nodded in understanding and disappeared in a swirl of dust, Cole coming out of the corner shadows to lope along behind her. I watched her until she was out of site and then I looked at the others guiltily. "I'm sorry, but if any of you are taken, I can't risk giving up Rayne's location."
They all nodded in understanding.
Suddenly two deep voices boomed from the shadows.
"Are ya really on our side, Parasite? These guys say we can trust you, but we're not so sure."
I jumped, having been totally unaware that there was anyone else present in the building.
Redneck twins. How had I forgotten.
They stepped into the light together, and I was speechless as I took it all in. They wore their greasy overalls over faded plaid shirts. One wore a Budweiser hat, the other a NASCAR one. Both wore sturdy boots and had large, well-worn hands. Each had a rifle slung on their back, a pistol in their belt, and a knife in their boot. A larger pile of weapons was behind them. The most impressive thing about them, though, was their size. Easily 250 to 300 lbs, the men were at least 6'8". They were well muscled though, and their enormous arms bulged through their XXXL shirts. Both appeared to be bald under the hats and they had toothy, yellowed smiles.
I contained my amazement and terror at the site of the Crazy Rednecks (as Nate had called them), and managed to respond with an even voice.
"Let's just get through tonight and then you can decide if you trust me, alright? We have to try to rescue Sarge and Maria. If their bodies were damaged enough, insertion could be delayed, and Sarge sounded pretty bad on the phone.
The twins looked at each other and then looked back at me. "Deal." They said, "but if you do something stupid, you die."
"No one will be dying tonight, except maybe a few Seekers" Rob said resolutely.
Nate nodded, "Burns is off limits. You have to understand that sometimes he has to act like them to blend in. I have no doubt that he'll be faithful to us till the end."
The twin consulted each other and then agreed with a shrug. For tonight at least, I was safe from them. The Seekers were a whole other story.
Headlights appeared in the distance and everyone stiffened.
"Okay everybody, this is how it's gonna work." Rob was taking over now as Nate surrendered combat strategy to him.
"Johnny and Davy, I want you to climb up on the equipment as high as you can. Do your best to remain hidden. Use those AR-15s with the scopes. If you have a shot, take it, but don't injure Sarge or Maria. We're taking them alive. Nate, you don't have much combat experience and I don't trust you with a gun, but I know you're good at throwing things." Nate smiled and mimed throwing an American football to Rob. "go over to the toolshed and grab everything that can be used as a flying weapon. Wrenches, hammers, bolt cutters, whatever. Burns, no offense, but you probably should have escaped with the women. Hide behind the equipment and if a situation comes up when we need your diplomacy, you'll have the floor, but until then, not a word."
I sighed in relief and went to crouch in the loader of the old tractor that was stored nearby, listening intently and occasionally peeking to see what was going on.
Rob grabbed another rifle from the large pile of weapons and positioned himself just behind of the support beams in the middle of the room. It was not wide enough to shield him completely, but it gave him the best view of what was coming.
With the headlights now turning onto the lane that led straight to the silos, Rob offered one more piece of advice: "if you get scared or find a moral gray area just remember who you're fighting for. Rayne. Jess. Rachel. That's what matters right now."
"And Eric!" Nate exclaimed from his position, "Don't forget that lovable guy!"
I heard Rob snicker, but no one else had the chance to reply. The headlights were blinding and the car doors were opening. I was surprised to see so many Seekers-our local office had only two. Maybe someone else had seen Rob driving like a crazy man and reported it. Three police cars emptied of Seekers, none of whom had guns any bigger than a pistol. The twins wasted no time, dropping the first four Seekers out of the cars with ease and precision. The Seekers, though armed, really had no chance. They had no combat training and it was clear the Redneck Twins had been shooting prairie dogs since they were old enough to keep their guns steady.
The passengers in the center car were moving more slowly, especially after seeing four of their comrades fall, but soon loud sobs reached our ears. Maria appeared, her wrists handcuffed together.
She was handcuffed? Was she still human?
But no. Some light reflected off one of the surfaces in the equipment bay and Maria's eyes glowed silver. Not human. The newly inserted Soul was still sobbing uncontrollably as her Seeker guard pushed her toward us. "Come on Ice Crystal, get ahold of yourself. Is your host's daughter here? What about the little girl? Do you know where we can find her?"
They knew about Rayne.
The air exploded in gunfire, most of it ours, some if it theirs, and even though part of me registered the completely barbaric act that was taking place around me, a dozen Soul Seekers murdered seemingly without a second thought, my whole focus was on Ice Crystal. Between her sobs she whispered words, not bothering to try with a melody. Amidst the chaos around her, Maria was focused completely on her task, clearly fighting Ice Crystal for the breath and strength to reach her goal, and as her words floated through the air toward me, a spark of hope ignited in my chest.
"Rain, rain, go away.
Come again another day,
Little Sally wants to play,
Rain, rain, go away."
Ice Crystal might have been inserted, but Maria Lupe Gallegos surely lived on. This was one human conscience that refused to die. And in possibly her final human act, she was forcing out words to a song. Words that warned of trouble. Words that were intended to save the life of a precious 8-year-old girl. But the words she whispered saved her life as well, because as I listened to her struggle to form each syllable, I realized the truth. Maria was still in there somewhere. And I could save her.