"They're going to be heavy," Jordan warned as she unzipped one of the backpacks she had brought with her. They were larger than the average backpack you could buy nearly everywhere, but smaller than the ones experienced hikers usually took with them on long hikes. One was a dark green and the other was brown. Raine half expected to end up with a bright red one just because it could easily make her a bigger target. "You've both got about a gallon of water each," the red head continued unaware of Raine's thoughts. At the brunette's soft groan she offered a sympathetic smile. "I know. It's heavy. But I wasn't sure if the kids would need it as well."

A pang of guilt hit her as she nodded. Jordan was on board and doubting her wasn't going to get them anywhere. "Good thinking," she approved.

"You've both also got a heavy duty first aid kits. Nothing that requires special knowledge. Mostly the basics."

"They're not going to be gone months Jordan," Eddie grinned at the preparations. "Just a few hours. We hope."

She shot him a look before continuing. "You've got heavy duty flashlights with extra batteries. None of the kids are diabetic or anything are they?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Raine answered.

"Ok, then you can leave the insulin kit here." She offered a sheepish smile. "I might have gotten carried away. Part of being paranoid."

Cade nearly responded to the self-inflicted barb but Raine beat him to it.

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you." A moment of understanding passed between the two. "What else is in there?"

Jordan zipped up the pack she had opened and rose. "Two blankets. Some snacks. The kids are probably hungry. Matches. Compass. Hunting knife each." She looked at Foster. "You've got a Glock and some ammo."

The cell phone was caught in mid air just after Raine flung it at him. She stuffed hers into a pocket and he searched for a place to put his. Eddie raised his in a silent salute.

"All armed with cell phones then," Raine looked at Eddie. "How much time do we have?"

With a glance at his watch he answered, "Less than an hour."

"All right then," Raine answered as she shouldered the green pack. "Let's get to it."

They moved to the two-car garage without speaking. Cade put his pack in the back of the Blazer with a soft thud. When he reached for hers she handed it to him. Eddie piled equipment in the back of Jordan's SUV as the woman checked her own weapon. When Cade let the glass down gently Jordan looked at them.

"Be careful. Both of you."

"We will," Raine answered. "You too."

*******

He handed her the large backpack and she hauled it on, giving it a minute to settle against her body. A cool spot in the bottom of the pack pressed against her lower back and she figured it for a bag of water. She moved a little, getting a feel for the whole thing, trying to find out which movements would be hindered by it.

"You good?" he asked, settling his own pack.

A curt nod. "I think so." A slight smile. "Does Jordan always pack like a girl?"

Cade laughed. "She likes to be prepared. She can cram more weapons in a bag than anyone I know."

"Guess it's a good thing she owns her own company. 'Can pack weapons well'. Not sure how that would fly on a resume."

He slammed the tailgate into place and let the glass close before answering. "She's a smart girl. And strong. She's been through a lot."

"I know." She said no more as they turned and headed for the tree line. Eddie pinpointed the next portal in the few acres of woods that were still left in the area. "You care about her."

"She's been a good ally. And a good friend."

Raine gave a noncommittal grunt as she climbed over a fallen tree. When he cleared it, he touched her arm and she looked at him.

"I care about her," he said honestly, "But it's never been" he trailed off, then, "We've never not like you and I anyway."

"I know. But thanks for saying it."

They continued in silence. Coming to a stop slowly Raine looked around the forest. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. It crawled across her skin.

"You feel it?" she whispered in that detached voice he hated hearing.

A denial sprang forward but before he could say it a tingle started on the back of his neck. The hairs there stood up.

"It's building," she shuddered.

"Like a gathering storm," he replied.

His eyes searched the green. Underbrush moved and he tensed. The rabbit shot across the grass and leaves in front of them. A nervous laugh escaped him before he could stop it.

No wind blew, but strands of her hair caught in some kind of breeze. When she opened her eyes they were glowing dimly.

"It's coming," she whispered.

The energy rubbed against him like a cat rubbing it's face against you to mark territory. It sent prickles of power jumping across his skin. His breath caught in his chest as it rose higher and peaked. Trees shimmered as if they were part of a heat mirage.

She reached out, taking a few steps forward and he nearly protested. When she touched it, sparks of violet energy shot away from the contact in all directions. Cade jumped and touched her back. The connection was instant. Energy shot through him, making his muscles quiver as if an electric current were running through him. His lungs refused to expand and panic began to well up within in. Just when he thought his heart might simply short out in his chest he felt her take control of it. Felt it as she allowed it into herself and harnessed it. Gasping for air, his hand slid from her back once she broke the contact with the gateway.

"Ready?" she asked softly without looking over her shoulder at him. He didn't have to see her eyes to know they were now a deep plum.

"I guess," he coughed, still reeling from the lack of air and the shock of energy. Hesitation lasted only a second then he grasped her hand with his own. "Let's go."

*******

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Jordan asked suspiciously as Eddie raked a small tool over the tumblers of the flimsy lock.

"I know," he replied with more than a little irritation in his voice. "I've done this before."

Jordan rolled her eyes and started to respond when the lock gave a little click. With a triumphant smile Eddie looked at her and twisted the doorknob. He somehow managed to refrain from sticking his tongue out at her. Pushing the door open, he motioned her through first. The door closed softly behind them with a faint clack.

"Told you so," he said, his voice full of satisfaction.

The day care was set up like most small schools. A long hallway stretched out before them with a half dozen doors on either side. Skylights in the roof allowed enough moonlight for them to see by. They moved warily down the hall keeping their voices and footsteps as quiet as possible even though the building had no security, living or non.

"You really think this thing is just sitting in the basement and no one's noticed it in all these years?" she asked skeptically, her voice a low whisper.

"Doubtful," he replied just as quietly. "More likely there's a level under the basement that no one realized was there."

He had known finding the generator would be tricky. It was highly unlikely that it could be in the basement of the day care for more than five years with no one noticing it. Then again, the Gua were always good as disguising things so he wasn't ruling it out. Most likely there was a sub chamber to the basement that they hadn't noticed when they tore down the old building to put this one up. Which meant that the door could easily be buried under tons of concrete. Or it was possible they kept the foundation of the old building when they built the new one. Cade and Raine hadn't dug far enough into the paperwork to find out. Once they had realized the generator was under the day care they were ready to rush forward with getting it put out of commission. Eddie marveled slightly at how in sync their thoughts were when it came to certain things.

They reached the end of the all and stopped at the door marked "Boiler Room". With a deep breath he grasped the doorknob and swung the door open. Impenetrable darkness waited only feet from them. It gave Eddie the willies. Shoving aside the creep factor, the hacker stepped onto the upper most step. After Jordan followed and closed the door behind her, he flicked on a heavy-duty flashlight.

"These rock," he told her happily casting the powerful beam down the stairs. The light was strong enough to reach to the floor of the sub level. "I gotta get me one of these."

"If we get out of this, you can have it," she returned. "What are we looking for exactly?"

Pausing as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Eddie handed her the flashlight and dug around in the black duffel bag he carried with him. After much rummaging and a little swearing, he produced a small, boxy meter.

Holding it so she could see the face in the light he told her, "For that needle to hit the red."

"All right," she said as she swung the flashlight left and right, trying to get a feel for the size of the room. "Where do we start?"

He pointed to the right. "We'll go along the walls first and see if we pick up something. If not, then we'll look in the rest of the room."

They moved in silence with only the sound of their feet scuffing on the concrete to break the quiet. After finding the first corner they made it only a few yards before Eddie let out a yelp.

"Gahh!"

"What?" she asked sharply, her body tense.

A shudder ran through Eddie's body and he pointed to the wall almost at the floor. A large black spider the size of his palm clung there.

"That?" the red head asked incredulously. "You're scared of that?"

"Hey," he retorted defensively, "I hate spiders ok?"

"Oh for the love of" she breathed as she lashed out with a black booted toe. The arachnid didn't have a chance.

The crunch made Eddie shiver again, but he offered a bashful smile to his partner. "Thanks. I hate those things."

She started to reply but movement caught her attention. "Eddie," she hissed urgently and motioned to the meter he held in his hand. The needle was dancing all across the red zone.