Chapter 3

As Adrian drew nearer to the Wall, the tunnel she walked narrowed slightly. The amount of people she passed gradually lessoned and her breath seemed to quicken. She rounded the last corner of her old life and stepped head on into her new one. A small man was seated behind a single desk flanked by two armed guards. Adrian herself wasn't carrying a gun. Bullets had no effect on the aliens, only on other survivors. And you didn't kill other survivors. Not unless you really had to. Really, really had to.

There was a line forming at the desk. There were 7 other people leaving. Adrian recognized 4 as Riders by the size of their packs and the badge embroidered on their leather coats. It was a picture of a speeding horse inside an outline of the United States. The known Camps were marked by small glittering stars. Beacons of hope in a seemingly empty wasteland. Adrian stepped in line behind one of the other men. He seemed about 40 or so. His jacket was weather beaten, his boots well worn. Adrian guessed he'd been out a hundred times before. He glanced back at her.

"First time out?" He smiled brightly.

"Yeah," Adrian said airily "how'd you guess?"

He chuckled, "You're…fidgety, you know? Twitchy."

Adrian laughed and sheepishly looked at her feet. "I suppose you're right…you're right."

"Where you headed?"

"Camp Raleigh. You?"

"I'm headed in that direction myself." He said cheerily, "Camp Columbia, South Carolina."

Adrian nodded.

"Robert. Robert Howard." He put out his callused, hard worn hand.

Adrian reached for it and shook it warmly. "Adrian Doggett."

"It's nice to meet you Adrian Doggett." He went back to fiddling with the latch on his pack.

Adrian was surprised the name did not alert him. Everyone in Camp DC Metro knew her by name if not appearance. Her surrogate parents were leaders in the Camp. Hell, they were leaders of the whole damn country as far as she was concerned. They'd almost single handedly distributed the vaccine and coordinated the Survivor Plans.

"You…you don't know who I am?" Adrian said hesitantly.

Robert looked up at her and grinned. "Oh, I know who you are. Just seems to me there's no reason to make a big fuss out of it right? Best I can figure, girl on assignment like you may want to slip out of here quietly."

"You don't know anything about my assignment." Adrian spoke flatly.

"Sure I do." He paused and looked fixedly at her. "Mulder asked me to accompany you far as Camp Raleigh."

Adrian was furious. Mulder didn't trust her. Didn't think she could manage it on her own.

"I don't need a babysitter. I'm perfectly capable."

"Well, like it or not, I'm your new shadow." He smiled and clapped her heartily on the shoulder.

Adrian bristled and glared at him.

"Hey, I didn't ask to have a 20 year old Newbie thrown into my lap. But I owe Mulder a few…hundred favors. Time for me to pay up." He laughed and stepped forward in line.

"Look, just let me go. You go your way, I'll go mine and Mulder would be none the wiser." Adrian offered. "It's clear we'd both be happier with that scenario."

"What are you trying to prove little girl?" Robert's voice was slightly raised. "That you're strong enough? Brave enough? Smart enough? I'm sure you are, but there's no shame in taking help where you can get it out there."

"I can handle it." Adrian said huffily pushing in front of Robert in line. "And I'm not your little girl."

"No, but you're his." Robert grabbed the strap of Adrian's pack, jerking her backward. "And you owe it to him to let me look after you."

She turned to face him and stared into his face. His hair was sandy brown with flecks of grey and his eyes were the kind that changed color depending on the light in the room. Right now they were brown. Adrian thought herself to be very intuitive. She could predict a person's feelings and actions only moments after meeting them. She felt this man, Robert, to be trustworthy. He was hardened and strong. But there was a rugged warmth about him that reminded her of someone. It made her immediately comfortable around him but at the same time bristle at his authority. With a fierce shrug of her shoulders she snatched her pack out of his hands.

"Fine," she conceded. "but this is my assignment, and I'm in charge."

Adrian was finally face to face with the desk clerk.

"File please." He held out his hand and took her file. The clerk glanced up at Adrian and smiled tightly. "Ms. Doggett." he handed her a pass about the size of a greeting card. "Present this to the Clerk at the wall and keep it visible at all times when you are approaching a Route Station, Camp and/or your final destination."

Adrian looked down at the card in her hands while Robert retrieved his pass. It had a silver clip on the top. Her own face stared solemnly back at her. The dark layers of her hair framed an olive skinned oval face. I wonder what I look like with a tan, she thought. Well, maybe in the next couple of days, she'd find out.

Robert came up behind her. "Well Adrian Doggett," smiled warily "time to go."

They shuffled along with the others down another tight tunnel. The electric lights along the walls got fewer and far between and for the first time in her life, Adrian felt slightly claustrophobic. When it seemed she could take the dim, enclosed space no longer they came to another set of armed guards. The guards stood beside what looked like a small toll booth. The booth housed another small clerk. All the clerks blended into the same person to Adrian.

"Have your pass out." Robert said.

Adrian still clutched the pass card in her hands. It was clammy with her sweat. She looked around her. The tunnel seemed to dead end at the pair of guards.

"Where….where is it?" she breathed.

"It's right there." Robert said pointing at the 4 foot wide space of wall in between the two guards.

"There?" Adrian scoffed "That's it?"

"Anti-climatic, I know." Robert chuckled. "But you'll feel different once it's open."

They reached the booth and flashed the clerk their passes. Then they stood facing the Wall as the two guards began an obviously well practiced procedure of pulling open and unlocking various metal hinges and levers. The wall of stone began to slide slowly to the left on what appeared to be a small motorized track.

Suddenly, an unbearably bright white light filled the room. Adrian gasped and raised her arm to shield her eyes. "What is that!"

Robert gently pulled her arm away from her face. She squinted in pain and grimaced in protest. "It's sunlight. Don't tell me you don't remember sunlight?"

Sunlight. Of course Adrian remembered sunlight. Sunlight was a park. It was tossing a Frisbee with her dad. "I hope your remembered sun block kiddo."

Adrian's eyes watered with the strain, but she forced herself to keep them open. It seemed it took them a hundred years to adjust. Gradually she was able to see the outline of the Wall, now open, and the form of the guards and the other people around her.

"Time to head out." Robert smiled knowingly and headed toward the exit. Adrian followed him, re-adjusting her pack tightly on her shoulder. She stepped out Camp DC Metro and onto what appeared to be an alleyway. Adrian looked up. She was in a shady, narrow alley. The sides of which were bordered by tall brick brownstones. They were still standing. There were still buildings, intact. Just no people inside them. No children calling to each other. No dogs yipping. No ambient noise at all. The only sounds were the swift footsteps of the Riders going in every direction and her own heavy breathing. The air felt thick. Adrian heard the scraping of the Wall closing slowly behind them. She glanced back. If she hadn't known she'd just come out of there, she'd never guess that there was anything beyond what now appeared to be a seamless brick wall.

"Oh my god." She whispered.

"Past the point of no return Adrian Doggett." Robert looked to the horizon. "Welcome to Earth."