by R. D. Brady
He sighed. “I’m afraid not much has changed. Although I did see one news show that was at least beginning to question the government’s interpretation of events.”
“Well, I guess that’s a start. And I suppose that’s one benefit of the feds taking over the SIA facility: everyone got to see the priestess for who she really is.” Laney lowered her voice. “How’s Cain doing?”
“You know what happened to him?”
Laney nodded.
Patrick frowned. “How—” He shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t matter. But as to your question, it took a toll on him.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”
“I’m glad you weren’t. When I first read your letter—when I read that you wanted me to visit Cain—I was prepared to dislike the man. But he’s not what I thought he’d be.”
“I had a feeling you two would like each other.”
“That we do. And it was difficult to see him after what they did to him. He’s a man who’s lived for millennia, yet I’ve never met someone who seemed so alone.”
“I’m glad you two have become friends. And I’m glad you got him out. If you hadn’t, I would have. I was heading there when I learned of the breakout. After seeing that tape…” She shook her head, a tremor in her chin. “Those men are animals.”
“You saw that too?”
She nodded again.
“You’re awfully well informed for someone who’s been locked away. How did you even know where we were?”
“Um, don’t get mad… but Dom’s been sending me messages.”
Patrick’s mouth fell open. “Dom?”
Laney’s words came out in a rush. “He has never known where I was. I asked him before I left to find a way to let me know what was happening with all of you. He set it up so he can’t even tell if I’ve checked the messages, and I can’t reply back. The first time I was even able to check his messages was when I woke up.”
“HOW DOES HE DO IT?”
“It’s a website. He makes comments there.”
“We could have gotten a message to you?”
“Even if you could have, I’ve been asleep for months. I wouldn’t have seen them.”
“We have to tell Henry, Jake, and Jen you’re back.”
“No.” Laney’s voice was firm.
“No? Why not?”
“Because I’m still wanted on a global scale. They’re all being followed. I can’t chance them getting in the middle of something. The only reason we were able to get here was because you’re so far off the grid. No one knows about Victoria’s cabin.”
“You’re not going to tell them you’re back?”
“I’ll figure out a way to let them know I’m around.”
He watched her carefully. “But you didn’t come out of hiding just to say hello to two old men, did you?”
“Well, first off, you’re not old. Cain…” She shrugged. “And actually, I did come to check up on you. But not just that. Dom arranged for some supplies to be sent here tomorrow.”
“You’re going after Victoria, aren’t you?”
“I have to. She’s defenseless. And what Samyaza will do to her…” Laney shuddered. “I have to.”
“But if you’re seen, if you’re caught—”
“Samyaza is going way off the beaten path with this action, and she has as much to lose if she’s caught. She won’t chance anyone stumbling over her operation. “
“But if it’s that important to her, she’ll layer herself with security. You’ll need help.”
“I have Drake.”
“You need more than him!”
“I know you’re worried. But this is my job. I have to do this. And I’m asking you to trust me and not tell anyone you’ve seen me.”
Patrick studied her in the dim light and realized he’d been wrong earlier—she wasn’t the same Laney who had left here six months ago. There was a calmness to her, and at the same time a determination. She had embraced her role in this world, in this fight. He knew Drake had something to do with that, because even with everything else, there was a lightness to her that hadn’t been there before.
With a shock, he realized she had felt as alone as Cain. Even with all of them surrounding her, the burden of her duty was something she had shouldered alone. And somehow, Drake had lightened that burden—or perhaps shared it.
Patrick took a deep breath. He hated the idea of her going into danger again. But he was thinking as the man who had bandaged her knees and hugged away her tears as a child. She wasn’t that little girl anymore. She was the ring bearer. And she wasn’t alone anymore, either.
“I won’t tell anyone. And neither will Cain.”
Laney smiled. “Really? Because I have three other arguments ready to go.”
He gave a small laugh. “I guess, like you, I’m finally accepting that you’re not my little girl anymore.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’ll always be your little girl. But I’m not just your little girl.”
“I know.” He kissed her forehead. “But don’t hate me if I wish I could protect you from all the evils of the world.”
“As long you don’t hate the world, or me, because you can’t.”
“Never.”
Both of them fell into silence, listening to the night. And Patrick embraced the moment. Because he knew when it was over, he’d have to let her go.
CHAPTER 71
Noriko walked down the hall of Dom’s shelter. Lou, Rolly, and Zach hadn’t arrived yet, and Dom was locked away in his lab, so she had the living area to herself.
Well, almost to herself.
Cleo leaned against her. Okay?
Noriko thought about lying, but Cleo would know the truth anyway. “No. I can’t get those missing kids out of my head.”
Cleo sighed, and Noriko knew the cat felt her anguish. The kids were only two years old. And some of them were now orphans; their parents had been killed when they’d been abducted. All Noriko couldn’t help them. All she’d managed to do was tell everybody that they were missing. She couldn’t tell anybody where they were, or even who exactly had been grabbed.
Well, except for Susie McAdams. Noriko had looked her family up on the computer. They were a cute family—all redheads with blue eyes. And she could just tell from the pictures—the way they always had their arms around one another, the way they smiled—that they really loved one another.
And now their youngest was missing, on top of the father being killed last year. It was just too much sadness for one family.
“There you are.”
Noriko looked up to see Lou coming toward them. “Oh, hey. When’d you get here?”
“Just now.”
“Where’s Zach and Rolly?”
Lou rolled her eyes. “Raiding the kitchen at the main house. They seem to think we’ll be stranded down here for days.”
Noriko cringed. “Sorry about that. You guys don’t have to—”
Lou put up her hand. “Let me stop you right there. The boys are hoping we get stranded down here for days. They have all the seasons of Battlestar Galactica lined up—both versions— along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And I may have mentioned that you hadn’t seen Star Wars, so now they’re planning on making you watch all the movies.”
“That can’t be too many.”
“There are eight.”
“Eight?”
Lou rolled her eyes. “Yup. So I assure you, they’re pretty happy to be ‘stranded’ down here. In fact, I’m pretty sure you and I will be the first two making a break for freedom.”
Cleo growled.
“Sorry, three,” Lou amended. “Anyway, I finished my exam early so I thought I’d see if you two wanted to get something to eat.”
Noriko shook her head. “I’m not really hungry.”
Lou touched Noriko’s sleeve. “It’s not your fault, you know.”
“What?”
“The missing kids. You didn’t cause that.”
Noriko sighed. “No, but I’m not helping either. I’m just waiting around for a stupid vision that might or might not help.”
Lou was quiet for a moment. “Have you thought about trying to make yourself have a vision?”
“Yeah,” Noriko said slowly. All the worries in Aaliyah’s voice reappeared in her mind. “I just—I’ve never done that before. I’m just a little…” She shrugged.
Scared, Cleo finished for her.
Noriko looked down at her. Yeah, scared.
“Why don’t we give it a try? I’ll stay with you. And if anything doesn’t look right, I’ll pull you out.”
Noriko bit her bottom lip. She wanted to, but the idea still terrified her. What if she didn’t wake up? At the same time, she really did want to help somehow. “Okay. Let’s give it a shot.”
They walked to one of the bedrooms so Noriko could lie down. Cleo curled up on the floor next to her.
“Do you need any special music?” Lou asked. “Or a candle or something?”
“No, just silence, I think.”
“Okay.” Lou sat on the bed opposite Noriko’s.
Noriko closed her eyes and focused on her breathing: in and out. But after a few minutes she cracked open an eye. Lou was staring at her.
“Um, do you think you could maybe look somewhere else?”
Lou stood up. “Sorry. Maybe I’ll go grab a quick bite in the kitchen. I’ll come back in a bit and see if you’ve made any progress.”
“That’s good. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Lou hesitated in the doorway. “You sure you’re okay on your own?”
“Yeah. Go on. Cleo will get you if I need you.”
“Okay. I won’t be gone long.”
Noriko waited until she could no longer hear Lou’s footsteps, then she settled back on the bed and closed her eyes once more.
Almost immediately, a vision of the kids popped into her mind, but she knew the image didn’t come from her brain. It was Cleo trying to help her.
It’s okay, Cleo. I’ve got this.
She focused on her breathing, tuning out every other sound. And in her mind she pictured the little girl she’d seen. But the image kept shifting between the little girl and the blue eyes.
Then she felt a stirring at the back of her mind. She blocked everything else out and focused on the sensation.
It was like a wave pulling her out to sea. She was sucked into the vision.
CHAPTER 72
The mist surrounded Noriko. She pushed against it. It had substance and didn’t want to let her through. But she knew she needed to get past it. She needed to see.
A hand reached out, latched on to hers, and pulled her forward.
The hand led her through the mist, but she couldn’t see who it belonged to. When, the mist began to lessen, she could make out details—blond hair, a strong build, definitely male—but his face was turned away. There was something familiar about him.
Finally, the man stopped. Noriko came abreast of him, and the mist was gone. Ahead was a field, empty save for grass and a few trees.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Where we need to be. Where you need to be.” He looked down at her.
“I know you, don’t I?”
The man acted as if he hadn’t heard her question, and Noriko wasn’t even sure if she had asked it out loud. “Find me,” he said. “Save them.”
“Them?” she asked. But then she heard the cries. She ran forward. “Where are you?”
The only answer she heard was more crying. And the farther she ran, the louder the cries became, until the sound was deafening, painful. She crashed to her knees, her hands over her ears.
Two hands covered hers and pulled her to her feet. With tears streaming down her face, she stared up into the man’s face. His blue eyes held her captive and wouldn’t let go. “Focus on me,” he said. She couldn’t hear him, but she read his lips.
He pulled her closer. “Focus on me,” he said again.
Noriko stared into his face and let out a breath. Him, only him.
The cries began to lessen. Soon, they disappeared. She pulled her hands from her ears slowly. All was still.
But when he removed his hands from hers, the cries returned. He grabbed her hand, and the cries disappeared again. His connection was the only thing keeping the cries away.
“They’re gone,” she said.
“No. They’re still there. You need to find them.”
She looked around. They were surrounded by trees. They could be anywhere. “I don’t know where we are. Can you tell me where we are?”
He shook his head. “No. But I can show you. Come.”
He started to walk down the path, his hand holding Noriko’s firmly.
Noriko didn’t think of breaking away. The warmth of his hand in hers made her feel safe.
He stopped, looking out over a valley.
“I still don’t—”Noriko began.
“Look. You need to see.”
She turned away from his intense gaze and scanned the landscape, looking for something, anything. She paused, squinting at one particular spot. “Wait. Is that—”
“Noriko!” Lou shouted, shaking Noriko’s shoulder.
Noriko’s eyes flew open with a jolt. Both Lou and Danny were looking down at her with concern.
“Oh, thank God.” Lou sat back, blowing out a breath.
“What are you guys doing? I was in the middle of a vision,” Noriko said.
“Noriko, you stopped breathing. You’ve been unresponsive for an hour,” Danny said.
“What? That’s not possible. My visions never take that long.”
“Well it did this time. You scared us to death,” Lou said.
“I’m sorry,” Noriko said, sitting up.
“Was anything different this time?” Danny asked.
Noriko remembered how the mist had tried to keep her out. “I was trying to have a vision, but I had to force my way through.”
She frowned. No, that wasn’t right. Someone helped her through. Who was it? She couldn’t picture the person’s face. That was strange. The rest of the vision remained crystal clear. She could even remember the warmth of the person’s hand. So why couldn’t she remember their face?
“Did you see the kids?” Lou asked.
Noriko shook her head. “No, but I think I know where they are. I mean, I might.” She grabbed the sketchpad next to her and a pencil. She began to draw.
Lou began. “What—”
“Just let her go,” Danny said quietly.
Noriko tuned them out. She pictured the valley, focusing in particular on the one spot that stood out. Her pencil flew across the page, bringing the vision to life. Finally she turned the sketchpad around for the other two to see. “I saw this. I think it’s near where the kids are.”
Lou peered at the picture. “Is that a face?”
On the pad, Noriko had drawn a rock wall with two eyes. She shook her head. “No, it was just eyes.”
Danny held out his hand. “May I?”
Noriko handed the pad to him. Danny quickly stood.
“Where are you going?” Lou asked.
“To find out if this exists,” Danny called over his shoulder.
CHAPTER 73
Danny examined the sketch Noriko had created. It looked like two eyes had been carved right into a rock wall. He shook his head, worrying that the sketch was nothing more than some representation of Noriko’s subconscious. Perhaps it was her own eyes, watching the children.
“Hey,” Jen called as she walked into the room.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“Lou called and told me about what Noriko saw. Jake’s pulling together a team to be ready to go if you find anything.”
“Great, no pressure,” he mumbled.
Jen squeezed his shoulder. “Hey. You do what you can. We all do.”
“I don’t even know if this is a real place or just part of Noriko’s imagination.”
> “Why would you say that?”
“Noriko said her visions are sometimes abstract, that she has to interpret them. Sometimes she doesn’t realize they’re abstract until after the event in the vision comes to pass.”
“You’re worried that’s the case here.”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
He gestured at the sketch on the desk. “Look at it.”
Jen picked it up and frowned. “It looks like two eyes.”
“Yeah. She said it was two eyes in the side of a wall of rock.”
“Lou said this vision was different from her others. That it lasted longer.”
“Yeah. She’s never been out that long. And this was the first time she tried to have a vision. She’s never done that before.”
“Well, it seemed to work.”
“Yeah, it did something. But I can’t find anything that matches this picture.”
Jen frowned again. “It looks familiar to me, actually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… but I can’t place it.”
Jen took the pad over to the window. She studied the picture again, then stared out the window—although Danny knew she wasn’t taking in the view.
He bit his tongue to keep himself from urging her to remember. He’d seen the look on Noriko’s face. She was terrified.
“I know this,” Jen said quietly. “Why can’t I remember this?”
“Maybe you need to walk or something. Concentrate on something else.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll go grab my gear in case you get a hit.”
“I’ll keep plugging away.”
Danny sat at his computer for another hour, but only grew more frustrated—and more concerned that this was just an abstraction.
His phone beeped with a message. He didn’t recognize the number, and the message was only two letters: az.
He saw that the message had been sent to Henry and Jake as well. That’s odd.
He stretched in his chair, then nearly fell out of it as Jen blew into the room. “I need a computer.”
He stood up. Jen took his seat and quickly brought up a search engine.
“What’s going on?”
