Having lost the fight, I had little choice but to flee to the hallway before something happened to me. Or Rebecca, if she were still alive.

If anyone escaped Ssorzechola and her sharp tail, they had not remained outside the door. I found the place empty.

For a moment, I considered dragging Inga away from there, but I doubted, with such wounds, she would live very long, even if I could snatch her from Ssorzechola's claws.

Something scratched above me. I looked up.

A pale Ss'sik'chtokiwij face peered down at me through the vent cover. "Ernie?"

"Maria?"

"Sh'kassk'dwuissueblik! Praise God! I thought Ssorzechola killed you!"

"I'm okay."

"It's not safe. Meet me in Room 234."

I passed through an open door into a small sort of studio apartment, kitchen, bed, and dining area in the same place, not much bigger than two of Kumar's bedrooms put together.

Vacant, like they kept it open for guests or renters.

I undid the register, letting Maria into the room.

"It's good to see you alive."

"I wish I could have been of more help." I wept. "I don't understand. I prayed for God to protect Inga but He let her get fatally wounded. Even if I had the strength to fight Ssorzechola and get the woman out of there, I don't think she'd live very long."

"Sh'kassk'dwuissueblik! Are you the first person to ever pray for such things? What of people who pray for cancer cures?"

I frowned. "They didn't pray the right way?"

"Sister, in some ways you are still a new convert. Think! It's like Paul's thorn in the flesh, God using weakness to reveal His glory. Also, as one of the faithful, Inga gets to be with our Lord forever."

I sighed.

"You tried. You can't save everyone. Even if you did save her, you have to understand that, for every one of her, there are two others somewhere else being killed by hungry Ss'sik'chtokiwij, and a dead family for every family you try to save."

I started for the door. "That's because we're doing nothing here instead of seeking them out and helping them."

"Dear sister, listen to yourself. Do you really think you can help them all? There's no way for us to be everywhere at once. It's impossible."

"With God, all things are possible."

"That may be so, but even Jesus couldn't stop people from dying. Look at Lazarus."

"Jesus can bring the dead back to life."

"Can you?"

That gave me pause.

"I saw what you did with Ssorzechola. That was very brave."

I nodded. "I did not bring her to the Lord, but I learned something important: She intends to use Grandmother to kill Hissandra, and then send others to kill her."

I told her about my troubling vision.

"We must tell them."

My shoulder plates drooped. "Why would they listen to me?"

"Then I will tell them."

I nodded. "Where's Rebecca?"

"She crawled down below and got far away from here."

I sighed in relief. "Just the same, we need to check on her. I do not trust this `Noah' anymore."

"What about Ssorzechola?"

"I do not know. I cannot defeat her on my own. I need to come up with a plan before I challenge her again."

"David didn't have a plan when he fought Goliath. He only had a sling, and he took down a giant."

"True, but God only revealed his plans to Moses after he fled into the wilderness."

Maria gave me a nod, quoting Mark 1:35.

"We should contact Hissandra and Grandmother about the vision."

Ssavzotvi scampered out of the vent, trailed by an unfamiliar Ss'sik'chtokiwij larva who made the sign of the cross upon seeing me.

The stranger's head had a star shaped birthmark, a star which, ironically, appeared to be in the shape of a cross. I thought it to be predestination until I noticed Ssavzotvi's severed worms.

"God has used the weak to shame the strong," I said to Maria.

"Indeed."

Ssavzotvi smiled. "Her name was Shhiyigra, but now she prefers Aquila. Maria brought her the message when Ssavzotvi could no longer share minds."

"I'm happy that our flock is growing. We must now work to defeat Ssorzechola and protect the humans on this base." I climbed into the vent, searching the ducts circling Noah's home until I encountered Rebecca's scent.

I'm sure Ssorzechola knew of my presence, but she appeared too preoccupied with eating her current victims to bother herself with a group of wimpy Ss'sik'chtokiwij.

The scent trail combined with Timmy's, leading me down a ladder into a narrow maintenance corridor a floor below.

Gray, metal, rusted in places and grimy with dirt, the passage connected to four repair points, and a ladder. A machine panel at the far end had been pried open, so I climbed in, following the interior service tunnel around a bend, wherein, through the register, I could watch a man and a woman practicing yoga on rubber mats.

Although familiar with the practice, like Buddhism, I couldn't understand the appeal.

The scent trail led me past this place, and through a seemingly random pattern of twisting access pipes and winding low ceilinged tunnels, all pretty grimy and rusted in parts. Here and there, dimly flickering flickering lights that I presumed helped humans find their way around, but I found scent a far more reliable guide in the darkness.

After following the trail for ten minutes, I encountered Rebecca, slumped against an aluminum wall, staring vacantly into the duct facing her.

"Where's Timmy?" I asked as I approached.

She flinched, retreating from me.

For a moment, I had a flashback of my nightmare about the curly haired stranger, but shook it off. "I'm not going to harm you. Where's your brother?"

"I...I don't know. I don't know where I am! Timmy's somewhere else, and he has Kaycee!"

I had to smile. She always seemed so precocious and clever, but now I saw her as she truly was, a scared, rather ordinary child. "Stay here." I sniffed a corridor. "I'll bring him to you."

"No. I should come along."

I shook my head. "You might be safer here. You can't see in the dark, so you'll get lost. Humans tend to find each other more quickly by staying put."

"No. I don't trust you. I want to make sure you don't eat him."

I sighed. "Fine. You can come with. Try not to get lost again."

I traced Rebecca's older scent down the passageways we'd come through, until I at last came across traces of Timmy.

A few winding passages and interconnecting air conditioner tubes later, we caught the boy lurking outside a vent in someone's dwelling. He scuttled off before I could stop him, Rebecca quickly darting after.

At least the boy had the sense to carry a flashlight.

I would have chased him down, but I suddenly heard Noah's voice in the nearby room.

I pressed my face against a register with dread.

The flat foreheaded man stood in the dwelling of an overweight African American male with thick nearsightedness glasses.

A basic studio type trailer, decorated only by a collection of books, and the most bizarre religious posters I had ever seen:

They resembled advertisements for science fiction films about alien invasions, except Jesus and angels replaced the terrible green monster from beyond the stars. In fact, one looked identical to a poster for War of the Worlds, a divine hand replacing the original green three fingered one. All had the words `Watch Tower' running along the bottom.

The balding gray haired stranger quoted something from the bible, asking Noah whether he believed in hell. Noah said something about judgment, prompting a bible quite and the stranger asking if God promised to build eternal habitations in hell.

"Actually, Tyrone, my religious beliefs do not involve hell as the Christian defines it. We are starting a new thing. You doubtless have seen the so-called aliens."

"Yes. Let me ask you something, what do you think about homosexuals?"

"They are not part of God's elect. They are part of godless heathen world who face judgment at endtime."

"Good, good. Tell me more about your religion's judgment."

Noah laughed in pleasant tones. "I believe the God of wrath is even now sending his holy angels to destroy sinners of earth and this planet. They come, consume, kill unbeliever, forever! They are dead for all eternity. Already it is happening with the unchosen at processing plant." He waved his hand like he scattered the souls of technicians away.

His philosophy, I assume: The Ss'sik'chtokiwij served as God's angels of justice, killing sinners, souls and all, and leaving the righteous alive, an outright lie.

"What do you think about the Jehovah's Witnesses?"

"I believe they are incorrect, but still, they are also not far from truth."

"Wow. So what would you say is the truth?"

Noah paused, as if not knowing what to say. Then, "I believe LV 426 is God's holy kingdom, prepared for his faithful chosen for the end of time. Scripture say new earth coming, as the old earth passing away. Even now, God's holy angels are remaking this world for the faithful. It will be the peaceable kingdom Isaiah describe, not earth. The faithful from earth will be made anew, with wings like eagles to join the elect on this world, which soon will be remade into paradise."

Tyrone paused for a long time, like he maybe not all together sold on the idea. But..."You know what, Noah? I think the Lord God Jehovah inspired you to come to me. Long have I prayed for a man of faith and vision to renew this base full of dry bones and debauched heathens, and now he has been revealed to me."

Noah chuckled and smiled. "Go and tell others what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the chosen faithful shall know the good news. Blessed are they who are called and chosen."

A complete mangling of Christ's response to John's followers in the book of Matthew, but Tyrone didn't skip a beat. "Man has not revealed this to you, but Lord Jehovah Himself!"

I backed away from the grate in horror. Already the evils I had seen in my vision were beginning to form.

After Noah took out and bible and twisted a few more scriptures like a pretzel, I heard enough to get sick to my stomach. Noah appeared to have a demon, and it didn't take worms for him to manipulate the simple and weak willed.

Rebecca's scent trail led me backwards up the duct system, to the kitchen of another living module.

A strangely familiar scent mingled with the children's. A glance through the vent explained the familiarity: The unit belonged to Becky Butler, and my friends had just gotten caught stealing food from the refrigerator.

A cozy little dwelling, its walls painted a sunny yellow, decorated with framed pictures of family and children, posters of cartoon characters, dogs and kittens. The scattered toys told me that children had a lot to do with the decor.

"You guys are in so much trouble!" Becky said in mock serious tones. "You know what I do to little bandits that break into my home to steal food?"

Both Rebecca and Timmy nervously shook their heads.

"Well, first, I call their parents. Then, as I'm waiting for them to arrive, I cook a nice meal for them. Maybe give them ice cream and cookies for dessert."

"Can I have some too, mama?"

A mocha brown child with curly black hair stepped into view. He matched the child in the framed pictures.

Becky laughed. "Only if you want to hang out with a gang of outlaws!"

She took out a wand-like device, waving it up and down the children's bodies, then frowned as she read the little screen. "Where's your chips?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "We don't have any."

The woman frowned.

Timmy nodded. "Dad says that Big Brother doesn't need to know every time he takes a shit."

"We're going to have to work on that potty mouth of yours." Becky pointed a flat camera at the girl. "Hold still."

Rebecca furrowed her brow. "What's that?"

"I'm surprised you don't know. It's for facial recognition. You have to have had some pictures taken for class. Little Landon just had his taken a week ago. Once I've got a match, I'll have your parents. Unless you want to be so kind as to tell me your names..."

Neither child spoke. Rebecca just bit her lip.

Becky glanced back at her boy. "Do these two look familiar to you?"

Landon scrunched his face in concentration. "Uh...maybe. I don't remember." He gave her an indifferent shrug.

The mother frowned, pushing buttons on the device, manipulating screens.

Not sure why Kumar hadn't thought of this `facial recognition' thing. Perhaps only children at a certain age had their faces in computers (not babies like his), so he wasn't aware of it...

I felt the urge to track down their scent myself, tell Becky the room number, and Rebecca's last name, but Rebecca already disliked me.

"Don't bother," Rebecca said. "They're both dead."

Becky's device beeped, displaying an image of Kumar. It seemed the device did provide efficient searches. "Your name is Rebecca? That's my name too! What a coincidence!"

Rebecca fought down a smile. "My name is Newt. Only my parents call me Rebecca."

The woman chuckled. "How convenient! I was just wondering how we were going to tell the two Becky's apart. Why, they'd ask for Rebecca, and we'd both get confused!" She patted the girl on the head. "Newt's a fine name, and don't let anyone tell you different."

Newt smirked a little.

"It's a lot better than Betsy Butterfingers."

"Is that what they called you?"

"Sadly, yes." Becky examined her computer device again. "Well. It says here that a Mr. Kumar Mahida is your temporary legal guardian."

"I don't like him. Him and his friends are all stupid bible thumpers. They don't even believe there are monsters on this base. When I said the monsters killed mom and dad, they said I was lying."

Becky frowned, appearing to take her seriously. "What kind of monsters?"

Instead of explaining, Rebecca knocked on the vent I hid behind. "Ernie! You can come out now!"

The vent cover had been shoved into a secure sort of hole that didn't require screws or bolts to remain in place. I only had to push the panel to open it and climb out on the simulated wood linoleum tiles.

Landon's mouth hung open as he stared at me in amazement. "Is that your pet?"

Becky, on the other hand, seemed less than happy to see me. "What in God's name is that thing doing out of its cage!"

It seemed the woman's friendly behavior had been two faced, though I suppose a shark trainer would behave the same if they saw their favorite shark joining them in their private swimming pool, unannounced. "Grandmother killed Craig. A Ss'sik'chtokiwij killed Roger. Others attacked Ms. Abernathy and Jeanette. Not my fault."

Becky retreated, pulling the children back. Rebecca didn't look altogether unhappy about this arrangement, making no effort to resist.

The woman grabbed a serrated bread knife, waving it at me threateningly. "Don't come any closer!"

I stayed put. "Yes, ma'am."

She pushed the children behind her. "Find someplace safe to hide!"

"I mean you no harm. I am here to protect you."

Before I could tell them not to, Maria, Ssavzotvi and Shhiyigra came scampering out of the duct, standing beside me as I and the woman stared each other down.

Becky took one look at my companions, then dropped to the floor in a dead faint.