by Cindy Combs
"This tape also confirms that Sam's a target," Josiah pointed out. "Though he seems to have some decent protection."
Darla poked her head into the cavern. "Miss Meredith, we need help with lunch."
Gail immediately stood up, which signaled the end of the meeting. As the others filed out, Jeff leaned over and reran the tape. He studied Blair's movements, then he reran it again to study the officer.
"Jeff, what are you looking for?" Dianne asked. She and Frank had stayed behind to watched him.
"The Roaches could have just reported a success or failure in capturing Sam. They didn't need to film it."
"So why did they?" Dianne questioned, also staring at the tape.
"Perhaps they planned to deliver an edited version to you, so you'd think it'd been successful?" Frank suggested.
The projector had reached the frames where Blair was lightly touching the officer's arm. Jeff could see that Blair was talking to the man, but couldn't make out the words. Then all of a sudden, it hit him. He paused the film, noting the officer had closed his eyes. A slight flare of his nostrils was barely discernible. A smile slowly grew on Jeff's face. "He did it."
"Did it? Who did what?" Frank asked in confusion.
"Blair did it. That's why he's joined the military. He found his sentinel."
"WHAT?" Dianne exclaimed as Frank turned shocked eyes back to the image. "But the sentinel bloodlines were wiped out!"
"Only the male side," Jeff pointed out. "That was Blair's theory, actually Keegan's, but Blair found supporting evidence. Just like our ancestor Miranda married someone outside the Center, there were other young women of sentinel or guide bloodlines who left. Their descendants could also have the talent."
"If that's true," Frank slowly thought out loud, "then Blair and this guy could have an edge against the Roaches."
"One the Roaches would want to eliminate," Jeff replied grimly. "They killed off the last three sentinel/guide pairs after the Center was destroyed."
"Which could be the reason for the tape," Frank added. "If Blair and this, what, Captain? If Blair and this captain are identified as a sentinel and guide, or even just very good at their job, they could be targets."
"Has Blair been working with this officer long enough so they can protect themselves?" Dianne asked. "How much training do sentinels and guides need?"
Jeff shook his head. "Before the Center's destruction, sentinels were identified as toddlers and given special training and protection throughout their childhood and into their twenties. Potential guides were identified by age 12. They would also go through special schooling, then take six years of intensive training. Blair has some knowledge between Keegan's journal and the stories, so he might get by. Who knows if the Captain has had any help before Blair. Part of Blair's paper discussed whether a young sentinel would be even recognized now. Keegan mentioned that sometimes a sentinel repressed his senses, either due to trauma or lack of guidance. Blair and this guy may have a lot of catching up to do."
"So neither would be ready to be discovered and targeted by the Roaches," Dianne replied. "It's a good thing Steve just happened to pick up this tape. It might keep them a secret a while longer."
Jeff again scrutinized the frame, memorizing the image of his son with his sentinel. "I want to get back. Blair might need some more support."
Frank clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Then we'd better get back to work."
Next day, Science Base Delta
Once inside the complex, Jim brushed the snow off his jacket as he stomped his boots. Winter had arrived in the Northern Territories. Blair should be thankful he doesn't have to go on these patrols. The kid would be an icicle today if he'd come with me.
"Man, I do NOT like the looks of this," Henri complained as he examined the snow still covering Jim. "I hate snow."
"It's not too bad yet," Jim shrugged as he pulled off his hat and shook it out. "And we'd better get use to it. It's only going to get worse."
"Great," Henri replied resignedly as he pulled on his own hat. "I can't WAIT until we get more security personnel in a few weeks. Maybe we can get out of this."
Jim chuckled as he watched Brown step outside. He quickly and efficiently stowed his own gear and walked to the lounge area where he and Blair worked on his senses. While Jim often complained about all the tests and training routines that his guide insisted he perform, the sentinel had to admit they seemed to be working. Before, he never felt like he had any control over his on-then-off-again senses. Now, not only were they on most of the time, Jim actually felt like he could use them like he did in Glendale. He'd do anything to provide his team an advantage over the Roaches.
Entering the lounge, he expected to find his guide surrounded by books and papers, busy tapping away at the data padd the team had gotten him. Instead, only a clean and empty room greeted him. Pausing, Jim extended his hearing. A squeal from the daycare down the hall shot a spike of pain through his ears. After several minutes of bending over and holding his head in his hands, Jim finally recovered enough to think again. Guess I'll have to do this the old-fashion way -- search for him on foot. Quickly scribbling a note in case Blair returned while he was out, Jim headed towards the bachelor's quarters.
Thirty minutes of fruitless searching later, Jim entered the hydroponics lab. A discrete sniff picked up on his guide's familiar scent. Walking towards the back, Jim finally spotted Blair sitting on the floor next to the tater plants. Arms wrapped around his bent legs and forehead resting on his knees, the young man looked very small and very alone. Quietly, Jim sat down next to his guide, not really knowing what else to do.
After a few minutes of silence, a sad voice softly whispered, "I once could recite the names of all the Sandburgs since the Landing. I can't recall many of them right now, but there has been about twelve generations before me. Twelve generations, and the eldest of each one held and protected the Star of David medallion, so the next generation would not forget from where we came. At least until now. Now, I have not only forgotten the names, but I've lost the medallion. Ima trusted me with it, the only thing I had left of her, and I lose it." Blair's voice cracked on the word 'lose', full of despair and self-recrimination. "Twelve generations, and the thirteenth fails to uphold the last remaining family tradition."
"Ah, Blair," Jim breathed, shaking his head. "It's not your fault."
"But I lost it."
"No, it was stolen from you," Jim pointed out sternly. "The Roaches stole it, just as they have taken everything else. You had no control over it."
"But it hurts so much," Blair softly explained. "It was all I had left of Ima and Uncle Michael, of Nana and all the other Sandburgs who came before."
"I know it hurts," Jim commiserated, wrapping an arm around Blair's shoulders. "I don't have anything left of my family either. Not the rocking chair that had rocked Ellison babies and oldsters since the Landing. Not the ancient jaguar statue that was my mother's." Jim paused, suddenly realizing the similarity between the old statue and the cat in his dreams, but mentally shook off the thought. "Not even a picture of my brother, my father, or Sally who raised us. It hurts, but there isn't anything I can do about it. However, there is one thing left of the Sandburgs. YOU are left. And I'm willing to bet your mom would rather have you still living than be upset that you lost an heirloom." He squeezed the young man's shoulder.
Blair raised red eyes to his sentinel, acknowledging the truth in his words. "Thanks."
"Any time," Jim replied. He then patted Blair on the back and stood up. "Now, weren't you going to have me taste a bunch of yucky stuff today?"
"Herbs, Jim," Blair corrected as he stiffly stood up to join his friend. "It's an exercise to develop your sense of taste so you can differentiate between different flavors."
"Whatever. There just better not be anything too spicy hot in the bunch."
"But there are many subtle differences between various degrees of 'heat'. You should be able to dial it down and still identify what you're tasting.
"
"Easy for you to say when it's not your stomach getting the fallout..."
Three days later, caverns
Jeff squirted more oil into the spin mechanism, then ordered, "Okay, try it again." He leaned back, secure on his perch astride the restraining arm, and waited.
Just inside the hatch underneath the craft, Bella hit the appropriate button. Grinding noises could be heard, but nothing happened. Jeff sighed. The craft needed to spin in order for the laser-driven compulsion system to lift them off the ground and into space. He leaned over the open compartment again, poking at a gear. Another cough rose in his chest, forcing him to pause as it forced its way out. Before he could turn back, he found a bottle in his hands. He glanced down into Lisa's worried face. With another sigh, he unscrewed the top and took a swig of the cough syrup.
"You want to take a lunch break? I'm heading to the main cavern now," Lisa asked, trying not to sound too eager.
Jeff didn't even look at her as he returned the bottle, his mind still mostly on the problem in front of him. "No, I want to get this working first."
Lisa took the bottle, disappointment weighing heavy on her shoulders. She couldn't remember the last time Dr. Mac had sat down and ate a meal with her. For that matter, he rarely left the work area to eat or sleep. Yet there wasn't much of a choice. The spacecraft was their only option now and Dr. Mac was the only one who could get it running. And he knew it. And Lisa didn't have any way to make him slow down and take care of himself.
Glancing up, Lisa spotted Steve carefully walking across one of the beams way above them. The top of the cavern was actually a roof that could be opened to allow the shuttle to fly out. Steve, Casey, and JD were cleaning and oiling all the hinges and gears. As Dr. Mac said, they were only going to get one shot at this escape thing, so it all had to work the first time. There was so much to do and so little time to do it in. Sighing heavily, she turned and walked back to the main cavern.
On the other side of the craft, Frank felt his anger grow as he watched Lisa walk dejectedly to the passage. He had become increasingly concerned about Jeff's new 'work until you drop' habits, but this was going too far.
Ordering Darla to keep an eye on Steve's safety line, Frank strode over to the restraining arm. Within seconds, he was perched next to his friend. "You know," he began, his voice rough with anger, "I never thought I'd see the day when Jeff MacGregor would ignore a kid."
"What?" Jeff asked, his attention still on the spin mechanism.
"Lisa was trying to get you to eat lunch with her and you blew her off."
Jeff spared a glance at his friend as he turned to pick up a screwdriver. "I'll eat with her later."
"What later? When was the last time you sat down and ate with her? Talked with her?"
"Just the...well..." Jeff paused, trying to search his memory.
"Exactly!" Frank declared. "That little girl has become quite attached to you. She's scared just like the rest of us. She's worried about you, with good reason I might add." Frank stared pointedly at his friend while he coughed. "She needs just a little bit of your time, but you aren't giving her any."
"Frank, I need to get this done."
"That never stopped you when it was Blair or Sam who needed you." Frank knew he had scored when Jeff closed his eyes.
Jeff took a deep breath, trying to force back the emotions he didn't want to deal with yet. "She's not Aubrey."
I knew it! "No, she's not. She's a teenage girl who desperately needs someone to care about her. I thought you were that person. Are you going to let her down?"
Jeff exhaled slowly, then opened his eyes to stare at his friend. "You know, you sound WAY too much like your mother."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Frank replied smugly. "My mother is a very wise woman."
Jeff shook his head, knowing he had lost. He was becoming attached to Lisa. He was just afraid of losing her like his baby daughter, like he thought he had with Blair. He didn't want to hurt that way again. Yet he didn't want to hurt Lisa, either. Replacing the screwdriver into the kit, he called out, "Bella? I'm taking a break."
"About time, Dr. Mac!" Bella shouted back. Frank could barely keep the smirk off his face as Jeff rolled his eyes.
Lisa had just joined the lunch line when the warning bell rang. Clamping down on her own fear, she glanced to Doc Fraiser for guidance.
Dianne took a deep breath, quickly surveyed which teens were nearby, then started barking out orders. "Everyone pull out your lights, we may need to shut down. Davey, be prepared to shut down the generator. Denise, go to the shuttle cavern and tell Mr. Colton and Dr. Mac. Lisa, go to the lower cavern and tell Dr. Mullway. Tims, go to the ammunition cave and warn the Reverend. Jason, DeDe, douse the lanterns. Caro,..."
Lisa raced to the passage leading to the lower caverns, fear giving her feet wings.
Jeff nearly ran into Denise as she raced through the passage. "What's wrong?"
"Roach alert," Denise forced out, breathing heavy. The willowy girl with long blonde hair leaned over to catch her breath. "Doc Fraiser told me to tell Mr. Colton."
"Go on," Jeff urged her. "Tell Frank I'm heading that way." Then Jeff rushed to the main cavern. He found it in a state of controlled chaos. He was striding towards Dianne and Gail when Harry raced in.
"Full ~gasp~ patrol of ~gasp~ Roaches," Harry forced out. "I ~gasp~ think they ~gasp~ might have seen me."
"Damn," Jeff muttered, thinking furiously. "Even if they didn't, they most likely will smell all the human scents and track them to the passage."
"Do you think they can get through?" Gail asked.
"They can't squeeze through," Jeff replied, "But if they think we're here, they might try to blast out a bigger hole."
"And perhaps bring the whole cavern system down around our ears," Josiah added as he joined them. He glanced at Jeff. "Do we go to plan B?"
Jeff closed his eyes a moment to center himself and make the decision. "Yeah, we'd better evacuate." Talk about moving up timetables.
"Okay, people, listen up," Dianne called out. "I want everyone to grab bedding, boxes of food, med supplies, anything and everything you can carry. Then I want you to carry them to the shuttle room. Once you're there, I want you to STAY there! Don't come back here unless an adult gives the All Clear. Now move!"
Searching the caves and counting, Jeff realized that Lisa wasn't around. "Where's Lisa?"
"I sent her to warn Jane," Dianne replied as she started dismantling a stove.
"Mom?" Cassie's voice quivered as the scared girl approached the adults.
"Grab something and go, sweetheart," Dianne ordered.
"Here." Jeff grabbed a basket of clean laundry and placed it into Cassie's arms. "Now go, honey." As the little girl walked as fast as she could towards the passage, Jeff turned to help load the arms of another kid with boxes of can goods.
~boom~
Raising his face to meet Dianne's eyes, they both felt sinking dread at the muffled sound. The Roaches were coming. They didn't have much time. Jeff turned and swiftly filled another box of food for a waiting teen to carry.
~boom~
~Boom~
Jane also felt her heart sink at the sound. She and the teens with her paused a moment.
"What's that, Dr. Jane?" Eric asked, trying not to sound scared.
"The Roaches," Jane told him as calmly as she could. She resumed the trek up the hill. "We need to get this water up to the main cavern and back into the shuttle room."
"But I thought the shuttle wasn't ready yet," Jill interjected as she continued with her buckets.
Bringing up the rear with the spare buckets, Lisa thought of the shuttle, too. No, it isn't ready yet.
"We're going there because the walls of that cavern are much thicker than the others," Jane explained patiently, hoping to keep the teens from panicking. Her own mind shied away from the horrors she had suffered by the Roaches only a few months ago. "We can hold out there for a few days while Dr. Mac and the others wo
rk on the shuttle. But we'll need this water to drink in the meantime."
The more water we have, the longer we can hold out. Lisa put all her strength and determination into making her legs move faster.
~Boom~
The explosions were sounding louder, shaking the cavern more with each one. Pieces of rock were falling from the ceiling, making the remaining humans duck with each boom.
"I think all the kids but Jane's three are through now," Gail reported, herself beginning to tremble.
Dianne shoved a full cook pot and a folded up camp stove into her arms. "Then go." She draped a blanket over the young teacher's shoulders. "We'll be right behind you." The doctor turned to loop her medical bag over her own shoulder.
Tears streaming down her face, Gail hurried to the passage. Harry was right behind her, loaded down with guns and ammunition that Josiah had stacked on him. Josiah then rushed over to Jeff and Dianne. "Is that everyone?"
~Boom~
"Jane, Eric, Jill and Lisa should be coming up from the lower caverns," Jeff replied tersely. He handed a box of medical supplies to Dianne.
"Do you think this is going to work?" Josiah asked calmly, carrying his own load of weaponry to the passage.
"It better." Jeff picked up another box of can goods, then leaned over to grab the tea kettle off the hook. "We'll need the time." He swiftly followed Dianne.
~Boom
At the mouth of the passage, Frank, Dalton and Bella appeared. "Here," Jeff ordered, handing Bella his load. "Get that to the shuttle room and stay there." Next to him, Josiah handed much of his own load to Dalton.
"Jeff..." Frank began.
"There they are!" Dianne exclaimed. Turning, Jeff spotted Jane and the kids hurrying across the vast gloomy room, carrying water. He, Frank, and Josiah stepped towards them, ready to help with the buckets.
~BOOM~
The nearby explosion violently vibrated the room. With a squeal, Jill and Lisa were knocked off their feet, shattered rock falling around them. Jeff raced to Lisa, Frank on his heels. "Are you hurt?" Jeff shouted as he helped the girl to her feet.
