Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Gideon stared at the rock face and saw nothing but rock.
He scanned the hillside left to right, looking for a seam, a hinge, anything that didn't belong.
"You look perplexed." Zadie stood next to him, hands on her hips, and a smirk growing wider by the minute.
"On the other side of this is a house. Can’t see it from here, which I understand. But no hidden door is all that hidden." And he should know. He'd designed tiny computer components that could barely be seen. A door in the side of a rock face shouldn't be all that hard to find.
"You're looking too hard," Zadie said. She touched her palm against what looked like a natural depression in the stone, and a section of the rock face clicked and released inward.
The entire door was perfectly color-matched and flush-mounted. Seamless enough that he could have walked this hillside a hundred times and never known it was there.
"That's impressive," he said.
"Wait until you see the rest." She waved her hand in front of him. "After you."
He stepped through, and the air changed immediately.
It was warm and inviting—which was surprising—and carried the faint hum of ventilation running somewhere behind the walls.
The corridor was concrete, well-lit with recessed lighting, and wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
It sloped downward at a gentle grade, and the further they went, the more the surface world disappeared behind them.
The scale of it hit him halfway down the corridor.
Not the physical scale—though that was significant—but the scale of what it represented.
The commitment. The sacrifice. These people had walked away from everything—rank, identity, the assumption that they were alive—and built something down here in the dark.
Not because they wanted to, but because a man with more power than conscience had left them no other option.
Gideon had spent a little over two months alone in the woods, dismantling his own creation, telling himself he was fighting back. These people had built a resistance, and it mattered.
Behind him, the clank of the door sealing shut reminded him that he hadn't slept in a room with walls in weeks. He'd lived in small spaces before. But he'd gotten used to breathing pine and mist while sleeping under the stars.
And he'd never lived in a bunker.
They approached another open door, and two people stood at the threshold.
The woman stood with her arms loose at her sides and her weight on one hip. Her gaze seemed to be stuck on him, and he suddenly realized he was being assessed.
She was lean, athletic, and carried herself much like everyone else he knew in the military—with authority.
With her dark hair pulled back, her stillness reminded Gideon of a weapon at rest—functional, precise, and not to be underestimated.
But he also saw something else behind the armor.
He saw humanity etched into her gaze. It was then that he realized she hadn’t been sizing him up—not even close—she’d been giving in to her own vulnerability. Her team’s vulnerability.
"You must be Gideon." She stretched out her hand. "I’m Neve Monroe. It’s nice to meet you."
"You as well."
"We’re glad you came. Truly." Neve stepped forward and gave Zadie a hug. "Glad you made it back safely. We were worried."
"It was an interesting two days, and if I never run into another enhanced person again, it would be too soon."
"Yeah, that was weird," Gideon said because he didn’t know what else to add. He was still wrapping his big brain around that one.
The man beside Neve stepped forward. He was older—mid-fifties, maybe—built like someone who'd spent a lifetime doing physical work and had no intention of stopping.
"Jeremiah Shepherd," he said. "Most people just call me Shepherd. I keep this place running."
"He's being modest. He keeps everything running. Including us." Zadie leaned and wrapped her arms around him as well. "It’s so good to be back."
Shepherd patted her back. "I’m glad you made it back in one piece."
After Gideon’s parents had died, he’d spent two years living in a tiny basement apartment.
Actually, he’d rented a room from a nice older lady who allowed him to use her upstairs kitchen and downstairs bathroom.
He’d paid next to nothing for it, which was more than he could afford.
He always felt bad because he was constantly late on his rent, but Babs, the woman who owned the house, kept telling him as long as he continued to fix things around the place and helped her with the stuff she could no longer do, she didn’t care. She hated living alone.
She’d cried when he moved out and went to the Royal Military College. Truth be told, he might have shed a tear, too. She’d been the closest thing he’d had to family, and he’d written to her every day until she died.
One more loss. After that, he tended not to make close connections, always keeping people at arm's length.
Standing in this corridor he was torn between wanting to run and wanting someone to know he existed. And maybe even someone to care about.
"Where’s everyone else?"
"Scout and Coulter went on a supply run," Neve said. "I would’ve gone, but Scout was going stir crazy and needed to get out. They should be back in about an hour."
"I think I’ve had my fill of the outside world for a bit." Zadie looped her arm into Shepherd's as they made their way deeper inside the bunker.
"Wynn and Darwin are in the medical wing with Kane," Shepherd said.
"Is he okay?" Zadie asked.
"He’s complaining. About everything." Shepherd laughed. "I think that’s a good sign."
"Who’s Kane?" Part of Gideon felt as though he already knew everyone. But the bond they shared made him feel a bit like he’d shown up at the wrong house for Christmas dinner. And worse, he’d already helped himself to the glazed ham.
"A teammate," Neve said. "He was injured during the ambush."
"I’m sorry." Gideon knew the words themselves were hollow. However, the sediment behind them was not.
"Are you hungry? Because there’s left over pizza in the fridge.
And Wynn made this cheesy chicken casserole.
" Neve smiled. "Every single time she makes the dish, it’s a little different because that girl never writes a recipe down.
But it also is always one of the best dinners we have in this place. "
"I could eat." Gideon’s heart flipped in his chest as he entered a sprawling living room with a big-screen TV, a sectional sofa, a couple of recliners, and a desk with a computer in the corner. There were bookshelves that held actual books—paperbacks, mostly, spines cracked and faded. A deck of cards sat on the coffee table next to a half-finished puzzle of what looked like the Canadian Rockies. And it even had a few paintings on the walls. No windows, but outside of that, he couldn’t tell he was at least two stories underground and that settled his heartbeat a little.
"Kitchen's right over there," Shepherd said, pointing. "Coffee maker with pods. Chips, cookies, other snacks are in the cupboards. Help yourself to anything. We share in this place. Zadie will give you the rest of the tour."
"Thanks."
"You can pick any unused bedroom. Plenty to choose from," Shepherd said.
"I better go let Darwin and Wynn know you’re here. I know Darwin wants to see you, and Wynn is dying to meet the legend." Neve turned and disappeared down a corridor before Gideon to respond. So, instead, he gave Zadie a sideways glance.
She shrugged.
"I’m heading out. I’ll be back in a day or two." Shepherd slapped his back. "Welcome to Black Hollow." Shepherd stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled toward the kitchen, turned the corner, and disappeared.
"This place is wild," he said, staring at the puzzle.
"That’s Scout’s project," Zadie said. "Three weeks ago. No one's allowed to touch it but her."
"Noted."
"Let's go find you a bedroom."
"Lead the way." He adjusted his pack on his shoulder. Everything that mattered to him was tucked inside. Computer, tablet, military-grade comms, burner phone, one extra pair of clothing, which included a shirt that had a hole in it he kept meaning to toss, and a picture of his parents.
He didn’t need much. Never had. He’d learned a long time ago that things could be replaced, but people couldn’t.
Except, this damn backpack was the only thing he had left of his father, and he wasn’t parting with it until it decided it could no longer carry his world.
Zadie rested her hand on his elbow, and instinctively, he bent it. "You want to grab a slice of pizza first."
"Absolutely."
They stopped in the kitchen, which was massive and had commercial grade, stainless steel appliances and a long table.
"Water? Soda? Beer?" she asked.
He laughed. "Too early for the latter, but I might take one tonight."
"Mind it cold? I’m too hungry to heat it up." She handed him a slice on a napkin. It was loaded with cheese and meat. His favorite.
"Is there any other way to eat left over pizza?"
He followed her into another hallway. "This wing is where all the bedrooms are. Coulter and Neve are down at the end."
"They’re an item?"
"Oh yeah. It’s a long story, but they’re too cute." Zadie leaned in. "Neve hates it when I remind her how adorable they are together."
"Why?"
"According to her, I’m weird about it.” She shrugged. “But Wynn says I’m weird about everything."
"I can see that."
"Rude." She narrowed her stare. "That’s Darwin’s room. Across from his is Wynn." Zadie smiled, shaking her head. "Those two don’t know they like each other yet. Or maybe they do. It’s funny to watch."
Gideon found this side of Zadie amusing. More like delightful. He couldn’t decide if she was just relaxed because she was home. Or if she was nervous about something. But whatever it was, he liked it.
"Scout is the fourth room on the left." She paused and waved a hand in front of an open door. "You can have this room."
"And where is yours?"