Chapter 5

The next three hours passed in amiable conversation between the two travelers. Adrian discovered that Robert had begun his Post-Invasion life as one of the Riders. Now, retired from delivering the post, his guide services were available to the highest bidder. As they had crossed over the bridge into Virginia, meandering onto the Interstate, he'd told Adrian that he'd been to nearly every known camp. Adrian was fascinated and she played the inquisitive student to his worldly teacher. At the same time it made her realize how painfully unprepared and inexperienced she was. The only things she knew of this new Earth were the things she had read in the X-files. She had the knowledge but not the experience. She was grateful for Robert's guidance…and his company.

"I'm sorry," she smirked "You know, for the way I acted this morning."

Robert smiled and nodded. It was understood.

The sun inched closer to the horizon and the sky became a delicious shade of orange. The sun was a blazing orb in a velvety purple blanket when Robert stopped suddenly at a large green exit sign.

"This is it." He said, shaking off his backpack.

"This is what?"

"Route Station 76." Robert began feeling around the base of the sign.

Adrian snorted. She had marked exit 392 on her map as the first Route Station. She was expecting a noticeable building of some sort. She would sort of saunter up the exit ramp up to a welcoming lodge with smoke twisting from the chimney and a cowboy leaning on a porch rail with a ready cup of coffee. She marked how ridiculous she had been to think it. When mere hours ago she had been inwardly cursing Robert for marching her blatantly out into the open….she had expected a building. And here they were. Literally at exit 392. She was a fool. A fool who felt unbearably foolish. She silently thanked Mulder for sending Robert with her. She wondered if Dana had been right to believe in her.

He was knocking on the ground. At last Adrian heard a hollow thunking when his fist hit a particular patch of dusty earth. He let out a victorious "aha" and yanked on a heavy rope that he'd just unearthed. The rope was attached to what appeared to be a plywood hatch which Robert gently pulled open.

He looked up at Adrian. "Get out your pass."

As Adrian fumbled around her pack for her pass she heard a low voice coming from the dark hole the open hatch had left in the ground.

"State your names and business." It sounded quite close but Adrian could see no one as she peered gingerly into the tunnel.

"Robert Howard," he held his pass up "guide to Ms. Adrian Dogget. Here on assignment from Camp DC Metro. En Route to Camp Raleigh." He gestured for Adrian to hold up her pass. She jerked it into the air in front of her not exactly sure where it was she was supposed to be holding it.

There were a few moments of silence and then the voice spoke again.

"Into the hole."

Robert looked at Adrian and smiled impishly. "Ladies first," he said gesturing grandly at the hole Adrian was apparently supposed to leap into.

She raised a brow at him and shrugged. She sat down on the ground and let her feet dangle into the hatch. She had no idea how deep this was going to be. But hell if she was going to let on she was scared. Judging by the volume of the voice…wait, no thinking. Thinking gave you time to be afraid. Just doing. She inhaled quickly and pushed herself off.

She heard Robert chuckle lightly as she landed on a hard surface no more than 3 feet from where she had been sitting. As she pulled herself into a standing position her head peeked above ground and she noted Robert smiling warmly down at her.

"Lend an old man a hand?" he extended his arm down to her and she lowered him in. Once he was standing next to her he reached above ground, grabbed his recently shed backpack and the dangling rope that held the hatch door.

"Go." He said sharply into the darkness below them. Then the floor began to move. They were on some sort of elevator, or pulley system. As they dropped slowly downward, the hatch door began to close. It shut with loud thwack and they were plunged into total darkness.

"Feels like home." Adrian breathed. The air was dank and thin in comparison to what she had been inhaling all day. She'd never realized how awful it tasted, smelled, felt. The air she'd breathed for the past ten years.

As they descended, the cavern around them grew wider and Adrian could see that they were on a mechanized rope and pulley system. She noticed the dull glow of electric lights below them and heard the low murmur of voices and the clatter of cups, dishes and conversation that went along with sharing a meal. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation.

After a few moments, the lift landed with a rickety thud and they were greeted by a stocky woman in navy coveralls, the Rider emblem over the right breast pocket.

"Robert!" she laughed huskily and clapped him on the shoulder, ushering him off the platform. "Good to see you."

As she turned, Adrian noticed three deep, angry scars along her cheek. Claw marks. The woman felt Adrian's gaze and turned to her. "Battle scars from the War of the Worlds. Though I can see this fresh-faced young thing wouldn't know much about that."

Adrian was wide-eyed and embarrassed "I'm…sorry…I just…" she stuttered helplessly but Robert broke the tension.

"Rosie Helmet, I'd like you to meet Adrian Dogget. Mulder and Scully been looking after her." At this, Rosie's eyes softened and she held out her leather skinned hand. Robert gently guided Adrian off the platform by her elbow.

"Nice to meet you." Adrian said quietly, taking Rosie's hand.

Rosie's palm was rough and dry. It spoke of hard work and struggle. It was the first time Adrian realized how soft her own slender hand was. It made her feel inadequate. Unworthy. She had never seen her life as having been easy. Not until that moment she met Rosie.

She had always sighed wearily about her days being uneventful and tedious. Moping around her bunker aching for the adventure she read about in the X-files. Mooning over Mulder's stories and griping when Dana would have her assist in the clinic. Touching hands with Rosie she knew how lucky she had been.

Adrian was disgusted with herself. She would not fail. She must not fail. This was going to be the only thing in her life worth doing. The only thing that would make her worthy to walk among these men and women who fought hard and suffered worse. It was her destiny, and she had to be the master of it.

All that from touching a hand. Maybe her mother had been right. "Trust your instincts Adrian. You have a gift."

Rosie brought them both through a brightly lit tunnel to a large and open cavern. There were about twenty people or so seated at several mis-matched tables eating and drinking. Most were men and women whose jackets denoted them as Riders. Some were in plain clothes like Adrian and Robert. They were all dusty and sunburned, and seemed older than she was. But the atmosphere was jovial and warm and Adrian began to feel at ease.

"Pull yourselves up a seat and I'll see about some food for you." Rosie said over the clamor and headed down another tunnel.

Adrian untied her jacket from around her waist and threw it on a bench. She shook off her pack and cracked her back before she finally sat. Robert was chatting with several people he apparently knew. She took out her pocket knife and etched a "7" in the shoulder strap of her pack. This was how she was going to mark the days in between shots. So she didn't loose count. She reached into her pack and felt the bottles. She held them for a moment, assuring herself they were there and full. Seven more days.

Adrian felt the curious weight of many eyes on her. She glanced around smiling at whoever's gaze she happened to catch. They knew who she was, that was certain. She wondered if they had any inkling about how important this mission was. That all of their futures hung in the balance. She imagined that they did. The real question was, did she?

When she went to sleep that night, in a bunker she shared with sixother women, Adrian dreamed of a beach. A beach where a man was building a spaceship out of the sand. He was tall and soft. With eyes that matched the waves washing up at her feet.

"What are you building?" she asked.

"I'm building the future," he replied "Are you going to help?"