Chapter 38
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In the Plains Nation Charlie is sitting alone in a bar, eating, and drinking quiet quickly as honestly, she wants to get out of the place as quick as possible.
"I like a women who can hold her liquor." A random guy says, "How about one more? My treat?" he asks.
"Sorry, somewhere I got to be." Charlie says, getting up and heading to the door.
"There's no reason to be so rude about it." the guy says, and as he does Charlie realises that there is a padlock on the door, locking her inside with more than a few guys who Charlie know have less than honourable intentions.
"You should let me go." Charlie says.
"Not just yet." A guy says, and as he does Charlie realises that she's starting to feel off, she's starting to feel drugged.
"What did you give me?" Charlie asks, as she starts to fall over.
"Guess you can't hold your liquor after all." A guy says, and Charlie starts to try to move away, as far as possible, as she attempts to fight back, but before she can do much the drug start to completely affect her, and the last thing she sees before she passes out is Bass breaking in the door with two swords drawn, and as Charlie passes out Bass attacks and kills all the men who were going to hurt Charlie.
In Willoughby it has been three days since the Andover clan, and ever since Rachel has been unconscious, healing, and as she has been healing Melia and Miles have barely left her side.
Alone in the treatment room Rachel is finally waking up, but as she wakes up she recognizes that she is in her father's house, but she is completely alone.
"MELIA!" Rachel yells, as she sits up, "MILES!" She yells, once they get no response, "DAD!" She yells, and once more she gets no response, and she can't help but feel concerned about that.
A few minutes later Rachel has put on pants and headed out of the house, when she gets outside she is shocked, and truthfully a little concerned, about kids wearing masks, until she realises that they are just kids and, so she continues walking.
When Rachel gets into the main area of town her confusion only grows as she sees men with guns, wearing kaki's that have American flags on their shoulders, but she also sees her old friend Ken, who she waves at.
"Well, it's about time you woke up there, Princess." A very familiar voice says, and Rachel turns to see smiling Miles, and as soon as she sees him Rachel smiles back and she hugs him, and as there are so many patriots around Miles breaks the hug much sooner than he would like,
"Hey." Rachel says, noticing Miles's hand which is still in the cast.
"Yeah." Miles confirms.
"How long was I out?" Rachel asks.
"A few days." Miles answers.
"Mom?" Melia says, hurrying up as she was helping fix the town when she saw her parents, and the second she saw them she stopped what she was doing and hurried towards them.
"Melia." Rachel says, sounding relieved as she hugs her little girl, "Are you okay?" she asks, as she holds Melia tightly and Melia holds her mother just as tightly.
"Fine." Melia answers, and as she does she can practically feel the look her father is giving her, as the two of them break apart.
"What happened?" Rachel asks, "Why is everyone back home? Where's Titus?" Rachel asks, looking between her daughter and Miles.
"Uh, you missed a lot." Miles admits, being pretty sure that that is an understatement.
"So, this is Rachel Matheson." One of the patriots says, as they walk up to them.
"Rachel, this is Ed Truman, with the US government." Miles introduces.
"You're lucky to be alive." Ed informs Rachel, and he sticks out his hand for Rachel to shake.
"I'm sorry, what US government?" Rachel asks, ignoring Ed's hand.
"Up from Cuba." Ed explains.
"Cuba?" Rachel asks, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, it's a hell of a story." Miles comments.
"That's an understatement." Melia comments, "Just wait until you here it Mom." Melia says, knowing that her mother isn't going to react well to everything they are going to have to tell her.
"Yeah, we've been back on the continent a while now, working our way West." Ed explains.
"How many of you are there?" Rachel asks, needing to know.
"I wish there were more." Ed admits, "But we're just trying to restore a little order, back East, in the Plains Nation, wherever we can." Ed explains.
"They took out half of Titus's guys." Miles explains.
"Yeah, we've been tracking Titus Andover for a month." Ed explains, "I'm just glad we got here when we did."
"So am I." Rachel says.
"Um, you need to rest, so Melia and I are gonna take her home." Miles explains, knowing that Rachel shouldn't talk to Ed for much longer.
"Stu, Rachel, Melia." Ed says, and Miles starts to lead Rachel away, and the three of them start to walk, heading back to the house.
About a minute later Melia, Rachel, and Miles are out of Ed's sight,
"I'll get Aaron, meet you guys back at the house." Melia says, before heading in a different direction to her parents, knowing that Aaron needs to be included in the conversation that they are about to have.
For a little while longer Miles and Rachel continue to walk, and as they do they walk past an alley which Miles pulls Rachel into, one they are in the alley Rachel goes back against the wall and Miles, with one hand by Rachel's head kisses her, not caring about the consequences as he promised himself that if Rachel was okay then he would kiss her.
For a little while the two of them kiss before they finally break apart,
"You, you, have odd timing." Rachel informs Miles, it being clear that she very much enjoyed the kiss.
"Just, you know, glad you're okay." Miles informs Rachel, completely meaning that.
"Miles, seriously? What the hell is going on around here?" Rachel ask, asking exactly what Miles has been wondering for the past three days.
A little while later, back at Gene's house, Melia, Aaron, Rachel, and Miles are together in the kitchen, Rachel having gotten changed, and while Melia is sitting on the table with her feet on the chair, Aaron and Rachel are standing up, and Miles is pacing back and forward.
"They're saying they have proof that Monroe and Foster launched the nukes." Aaron reveals.
"Which we know is a lie." Rachel says, looking around at the others.
"And Rachel, they're calling themselves 'Patriots'" Miles reveals, looking very much like he doesn't want to be the one telling Rachel that.
"That word? They used that word?" Rachel asks, looking shocked.
"Yep." Melia confirms.
"That was Randall's exit line." Rachel remembers.
"Yeah, I'm aware." Miles says, feeling his concern for Rachel grow as he is pretty sure that Rachel is about to go down the rabbit hole.
"Okay, so this is it, this is what we've been waiting for." Rachel says, as she walks over to a draw to pull out her journal.
"Mom." Melia says, clearly concerned.
"It's possible." Miles says, in a calming voice, trying to get Rachel to calm down.
"It's possible?" Rachel asks, looking at Miles in surprise as Melia and Aaron exchange looks, both knowing that Miles has the best chance of getting Rachel to calm down, so they both want him to succeed, "The bomb drops? And these guys show up? And Cuba? Randall was practically making out with those Gitmo guys." Rachel says, "I knew, I knew there was something bigger coming." He says.
"Can we just make sure?" Miles asks.
"Do you think they knew that were with Randall at the tower?" Rachel asks, "Do you think they're here to kill us?" she asks, sounding concerned.
"Probably." Melia comments, as it would make sense, and at that Miles gives his daughter a less than impressed look as he is pretty sure that that won't help him trying to help calm down Rachel.
"Kill? Who said anything about killing?" Aaron asks.
"Doesn't it make sense?" Rachel asks.
"Unfortunately." Melia admits, with a sigh.
"No, it doesn't, because if that were the case we'd be dead already." Miles says, "Guys, calm down." He requests, looking between Rachel, Melia, and Aaron.
"If this is true," Rachel starts to say, walking towards Miles, "Then I'm not…"
"No, you're not crazy." Miles assures her, "You do need to take a breath though."
"Okay, what do we do?" Rachel asks, wondering if Miles has a plan.
"They're telling everybody that Titus's guys are still out there, so the towns on lock-down." Miles reveals.
"Which means no one is allowed outside the gates." Melia adds.
"So, somethings happening outside the walls." Rachel realises, as she looks between Melia and Miles.
"I don't know, I'm gonna go over the wall, and check out Titus's camp." Miles reveals.
"Okay, I'll go with you." Rachel says, and at that Melia looks at her father as she is pretty sure she can guess exactly what he is going to say.
"You're not going anywhere." Miles says, "You're gonna sit here, on your ass, you just took an arrow, and I just sat by your bedside for three days. I think it's time you do something for me." Miles says, "So you're gonna lay low, stay off the radar, get better, in that order." Miles instructs, and as he does Melia jumps off the table she is sitting on.
"Mom might not be going with you, but I am." Melia says, walking towards her father.
"Melia…" Miles starts to say.
"You need someone to watch your back right now, Dad, I'm coming." Melia says, her stubbornness being more than clear.
"Melia, in case your forgetting, you're hurt too." Miles tells his daughter, being pretty sure that Melia isn't going to tell her mother that point herself and so he figures that he might as well do it for her.
"What?" Rachel asks, looking at her daughter in shock.
"I'm fine." Melia says, feeling a little bit annoyed with her father as she wasn't going to tell her mother that fact, "Grandpa told me this morning that I'm healing well." Melia tells her father, knowing that her grandfather's exact words were 'surprisingly well.' But that doesn't matter.
"Will someone please tell me what happened to Melia?" Rachel asks, looking at her daughter in worry.
"I'm fine Mom, I just got slashed on the side when fighting the Andover Clan." Melia explains, trying to calm her mother down as she doesn't think it's a big thing to worry about.
"And after that our daughter decided to wait an hour before getting help." Miles explains, looking at Rachel as he speaks, while also giving Melia a look, feeling like Rachel should know everything.
"Mom, I'm fine, just another scar to add to the collection." Melia assures her mother, "I'm coming Dad, because you need me, and you know it." Melia says, to her father, "So, you can either let me come willingly or I'll sneak out on my own and join you anyway." Melia says, and as she speaks her parents exchange looks, both being able to tell that she is telling the complete truth, "I'll go get my swords, then we can go." Melia says, before heading upstairs, not having her swords on her as since the Patriots came to town Miles advised Melia not to have her swords on her, though she's kept Greg's knife.
Less than a minute later Melia is up in her room putting on her sword holster, when she hears footsteps and sees her mother walking towards her.
"Let me see." Rachel tells her daughter.
"Mom…." Melia starts to say.
"Please, Melia, let me see." Rachel requests, and with a sigh Melia lifts up her shirt to reveal the bandage, and carefully moves it to show her mother the wound, which causes Rachel to walk closer, "Your grandfather was right about healing well." Rachel says, noticing that the wound looks more than three days old.
"Yeah, see, I'm okay Mom." Melia tells her mother as Rachel once more covers the wound with the bandage.
"Are you really?" Rachel asks, giving her daughter a look.
"Yeah." Melia says, not sure if she is telling the truth, "I'm just, really glad you're okay." Melia says, hugging her mother.
"I'm sorry I scared you." Rachel tells her daughter, placing a kiss on her head, knowing that without Melia needing to say so, "I'm okay, Melia, really." She says, as she holds her daughter, and for a little while Melia and Rachel stand together in Melia's room, hugging.
"Um, sorry to interrupt." A voice says, and Melia and Rachel break apart to see Aaron, "Melia, Bryce Gordon is here to see you." He reveals.
"And you left him alone with Dad?" Melia asks, sounding surprised, and a little concerned, before she goes running downstairs.
Managing to get downstairs within a few seconds of Aaron coming to get her Melia finds her father and Bryce standing together in the hallway and from the look that Miles is giving Bryce Melia is surprised that he hasn't gone running in the opposite direction.
"Bryce, hey." Melia greats.
"Melia." Bryce greats.
"Let's talk outside." Melia suggests, being pretty sure that that would be a good idea, as either way she is sure that her parents are going to eavesdrop, but if their outside then it will be a little bit harder for them to do so.
"Sure." Bryce responds and he and Melia head outside just as Rachel and Aaron walk down the stairs.
Outside Melia and Bryce have walked a little way away from the house, but are still within the front yard of the Porter House where it is still relatively private.
"So, I'm glad your Mom is okay." Bryce informs Melia, it being clear that he is telling the truth.
"So am I." Melia admits, telling the complete truth, as she knows that she wouldn't be able to handle it if her mother wasn't okay.
"So, the everything's settled down, or kind of at least, so how would you feel about having that fun we talked about tonight?" Bryce asks curious.
"I can't." Melia admits, feeling a little bad about that, "There's something I have to do with Stu." Melia admits, "So, um, how about tomorrow night?" Melia asks, doing so in part to change the subject before Bryce can ask what she is going to be doing with Stu.
"Tomorrow night would be good." Bryce says with a smile, "Meet here, just after sun set?" he asks.
"Sounds good to me." Melia says, with a nod, telling the complete truth as she is actually looking forward to having some fun with Bryce.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow night." Bryce says, "Good luck with whatever you have to do." He says, before walking away from Melia.
As Bryce walks away Melia watches him go, before she turns back to the house where she sees both her parents, looking out of one of the windows, having clearly been watching what was going on.
"Really?" Melia asks, knowing that they will be able her hear, "Don't we have something to do?" Melia asks, looking at Miles, and once she speaks Miles disappears from the window, and about a minute later Miles walks out the front door.
"Let's go." Miles tells his daughter, "We've still got to find the best way out." He informs his daughter.
"I know." Melia respond, and the two of them start to walk, both of them knowing that it may not be too easy to get out of town.
Hours later, it's night time and Rachel is walking through with her father, remembering what Randall did, so distracted by what happened that she is barely paying any attention.
"You all right, Kiddo?" Gene asks, clearly concerned about his daughter.
"Yeah, good." Rachel says, partially lying, "Why?" Rachel asks.
"Hey Gene!" someone calls.
"I'll be right back." Gene assures his daughter, before walking away.
"They're coming for you." A voice says, and Rachel turns to see her friend Ken.
"What?" Rachel asks, sounding confused.
"Darth Vader, and Tweety Bird." Ken reveals, referring to two teenage girls who are nearby, "This is nice, huh? Trying to give the kids a little normal, after last week." He says, "Where's Melia?" he asks curious, as he's noticed that Rachel's daughter doesn't seem to be joining in on the fun, and he can't help but be worried about that fact as he doesn't know what she could be doing instead.
"Um, Home, she's not a fan of Halloween." Rachel lies, it being the best lie she can think of as she is kind of distracted, so distracted that she keeps looking around.
"Earth to Rachel." Ken says, noticing what Rachel is doing, "You're doing that thing again." He notes.
"What thing?" Rachel asks, wondering what he is talking about.
"Where you're ten steps ahead of everyone around you." Ken says, and as he does Rachel notices Truman leave his office.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go." Rachel tells her friend before walking away.
After walking away from Ken Rachel makes sure that no one is looking before she slips into Truman's office. Once she is in the office Rachel closes the door behind her and starts to use a lighter to start to investigate, opening draws and trying to get some clue about what is going on.
For a few minutes Rachel managed to search Truman's office, before she gets caught by the man himself, though she manages to hide just what she was looking at.
"I'm sorry, but you come out of nowhere, you call yourself the United States I'm curious, we all are." Rachel says, as she is escorted out of Truman's office.
"What's going on?" Gene asks, as he walks up to Rachel and Truman.
"Your daughter broke into my office, Doctor." Truman explains.
"Rachel." Gene says, looking at his daughter in surprise.
"Not now." Rachel says, feeling very much like a teenager once more, as she walks past her father.
"It won't happen again." Gene assures Ed before walking away, following after his daughter, and wanting to get some answers about what the hell Rachel was thinking.
Outside the town wall Bryce, who figured that he might as well go hunting now that he doesn't have plans with Melia, has been caught by Patriots.
"Dangerous to be out here alone." One of the Patriots informs Bryce.
"Look, you can't keep us behind the wall. I can hunt where I want." Bryce says, sounding just as stubborn as Melia did when she told her father that she was going with him.
"The woods are crawling with that Andover Clan." The Patriot says.
"I'm not afraid of them." Bryce says, telling the complete and utter truth.
"You should be." The patriot says, pulling a sword, "They just killed you." He says, before killing Bryce with a slash and in the seconds before he dies Bryce's last thought is that he is never going to get to show Melia how to have actual fun.
A little while later, back at the Porter House, Rachel and Gene are both in the kitchen talking about everything that just happened and as they talk it is more than clear that neither is very happy with the other right now.
"I'm telling you, these guys are dangerous." Rachel informs her father.
"Okay, let's say they are, then don't go breaking into their damn office!" Gene exclaims, getting annoyed with his daughter.
"So, I'm just supposed to sit on my hands?" Rachel asks, looking at her father in shock.
"Yes, exactly! You need to rest!" Gene says, pointing to Rachel's injuries.
"Dad, I think they were working with Randall." Rachel reveals, being pretty sure she can guess how her father is going to react to that, but she wants him to know.
"Oh, no, no, not Randall." Gene says, looking at his daughter, as he really doesn't want to go through that again.
"I'm not crazy!" Rachel says, remembering what Miles said, which honestly made her feel a lot better, "Dad, I'm not crazy, this is happening." Rachel informs him.
"Maybe it is, who the hell knows?" Gene asks, "It's not even my point." He explains.
"Then what is?" Rachel asks, wondering what the hell her father is trying to say.
"Why has this got to be your fight?" Gene asks his daughter.
"I've got to do something, if not me, then who?" Rachel asks, telling the truth as she knows that it is her responsibility to fix everything that she broke.
"You scare the hell out of me, you always have." Gene reveals.
"What are you talking about?" Rachel asks, there being a level of vulnerability to her voice.
"When they brought you here!" Gene exclaims, "You opened your wrist!" Gene explains, taking Rachel's wrist as to remind her, "I had to feed you with a damn spoon, all because you set out to fix things, to get the lights on." Gene reminds his daughter, "That's what you do! You put these blinders on and you charge ahead! You get it from me." He admits, and honestly the more Gene says the more horrible Rachel feels, "You can't fix everything, and a lot of people died, you almost did." He reminds her, "And now what do you want to do? You want to suit up and try and fix something else." He says, "What if you don't come back this time? I don't know if I can watch that, and I don't think your daughters could either." He admits.
At her father's words Rachel is completely shocked, but before she can say anything she hears,
"Doctor Porter!" Being called form outside, and hearing that Rachel and Gene exchange looks and head outside.
Walking down the front steps, out of the house, Rachel and Gene find several patriots with a wagon.
"What happened?" Gene asks, as he and Rachel walk towards the wagon, and once they are close enough the Patriots remove a sheet to reveal a body.
"Andover clan got him." The Patriot explains.
"That's Bryce Gordon, he's a friend of my daughter." Rachel reveals, knowing that Bryce is more than a friend to Melia, but she isn't quite sure how much more, but even though she is uncertain she knows she is going to be hurt, maybe even devastated, by his death.
"This is why we're telling people, stay inside the walls, we just don't want anyone else to get hurt." The Patriot lies.
"Of course." Rachel says, really not believing that, and as she speaks Rachel just looks at the body really not looking forward to having to tell her daughter the truth, as after everything she has lost, and almost lost, Rachel isn't quite sure if Melia can handle another death right now.
Outside of Willoughby, having no idea about what just happened to Bryce, Melia and Miles are approaching where the Andover camp were.
"Stay behind me, and for once, do what your told." Miles tells his daughter, in a quiet voice, as they approach towards the buildings, knowing that what he needs right now is for Melia to listen to him, without question.
"Can't make any promises." Melia admits, "But I'll try." She says, knowing that it is the best she can do right now.
"Try hard." Miles informs his daughter, giving her a look to be quiet, and once he does the two of them head into the building, both keeping their eyes and ears out for danger, as they know it could come from anywhere, and so they have to be prepared.