Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Storm is the general? “Why the subterfuge?”
“Not subterfuge, caution. Please sit.”
I take the chair opposite her and wait for her to continue.
“We were warned by Gabriel that if he stopped contact, then he was compromised, and that we should move our base. He stopped communications almost two months ago. We were prepping to leave this place, and then you arrive. You have the code. You have humans. You have reapers and watchers with you. I needed to be sure that you weren’t a trick sent by the Dominion. ”
That’s why they didn’t let the watchers and reapers in.
“Trust me, if the Dominion wanted to get into your base, they’d just blast their way in. They did that at the mall.”
“Yes, well, now we know that. Now that I’ve had the chance to speak with your people and to observe you…I believe you are who you say you are.”
“And now what?”
“Now we wait and hope that your friends return with good news. But if they don’t, then you have a home here. We could use a man with your skills.”
I’ll need to tell her how short my shelf life is, but that can wait. For now, it’s enough that we have a place to stay. A home for all our people.
“Thank you.”
“I’ve assigned you quarters, and your friend, Bee, once she’s ready, will get her own also. But there’s a spare room in yours she can bunk in for now if she wants. I understand that she was a scout at your previous base?”
“Yes.”
“We could use her here. I’ll fill you in on our security protocols and get you a pass for the computer labs. I’m sure you’d like to go over the schematics you found on your flash drive.”
“That would be great.”
She smiles warmly. “I’m glad you found us. Now let’s hope that your friends find their way back from Gehenna soon too.”
“Bastian, wake up. You’re burning up. Hey!” Something cool kisses my forehead.
“Bee?”
“You have a fever.”
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” My vision is blurry, heart racing, but it will pass…I hope.
Bee smooths the damp cloth over my face. “Is this…is it the serum?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. It happens.” I close my eyes. “It’ll pass, and if it doesn’t, then…then tell Rue that I love her.”
“Shut up. You’re going to be fine. And then you can tell her yourself when she gets here.”
I hope. I wish. “I want to hold her one last time.”
“You will.” Bee squeezes my hand. “You fucking will.”
I need to believe that. I need to hold on. The simmer in my blood ebbs then dies, and my heartbeat slows. “I’m okay.” When I open my eyes, her face is clear.
“You fucking scared the life out of me,” she says. “I heard you groaning and—”
An alarm blares, cutting off her words.
“What’s that?” Bee demands.
“That means we have a breach.”
Alarms blare as we run toward the safe point on the far east of the base. Tumiel lies unconscious on his bed that has wheels, thank fuck. We’ve strapped him down so we can move fast. Still, the damn thing is difficult to maneuver.
“You’re sure it’s this way?” Bee asks.
“Positive.” Storm showed me the spot earlier after she gave me a tour of the restricted areas of the base.
We hit a flight of steps that lead down to the safe bunker.
A place built to withstand fire, flood, and hopefully celestial attack.
It connects to an evacuation tunnel. One which the citizens have never had to use, but which Storm says will take them three miles away from this base and five miles from their next potential base.
Gabriel thought of everything, it seems.
Two uniformed guards stand at the door, ready to usher us inside.
I’m unstrapping Tumiel to haul him down the steps when someone calls my name from behind.
“Bastian!”
I freeze, my heart stalling for a moment before my pulse breaks into a gallop. Bee lets out a soft squeak, and I know…I know I’m not hearing things.
The alarms stop blaring as I slowly turn to look up the corridor.
Rue’s hair is in disarray, her eyes bright in a face smudged with dirt, and is that the hilt of a sword sticking up over her shoulder?
“Hey…” Rue says. “Did you miss me?”
Her words are cocky, but the trembling of her mouth and the heaving of her chest tells me everything I need to know.
I bridge the distance between us, catching her as she throws herself at me. Her scent envelopes me, vanilla tones hidden beneath a bitter ozone smell. Her scent. This is her. And she’s here.
She made it. And I’m never letting her go.