Carved In Stone, page 41
It was a warning to those who had gained multiple levels to work hard and keep earning what they’d been rewarded with.
“I’ve switched people around. Candy fits in perfectly with the tinkerers and Tonya has her hands full with the radio and pharmacy. We’re not up to pre-government numbers yet, but that will change as our new arrivals settle in and join up,” Angela informed them.
“We’ll start lessons in a couple of weeks. I want us fully in the cave first, but until then, get to know each other. I’d like teams to have meals together and spend time in the activity and training tents. This will be an adjustment for everyone, but mostly for our rookies, who have huge shoes to fill. Good luck!”
There was a small cheer and the meal resumed for some, while others went up to view the board. Angela used the time to scan her highest men and be positive they were okay with her choices. They had to work together or it just wouldn’t work.
“Hey! Is that Conner’s name?”
“No way!”
“What’s he doing on there?”
“Is he allowed to be a rookie?”
“Yes,” Marc answered the unhappy people, hoping his support would make it easier for Angie to handle. “His banishment was conditional. If he becomes an Eagle, he won’t be a threat anymore. He’ll have changed and become one of us.”
There were grumbles, but not as many as Angela had expected and she was grateful to Marc for speaking up. People here respected his opinion, which is why the fly-ridden body outside their gate wasn’t drawing serious protests. If Marc thought something that gruesome was needed, than it was accepted.
A light shower of flurries began, but Angela didn’t order them under cover. This was a normal storm and they had to get used to the cold. Come winter, they would have to labor in it.
Angela spotted Daryl and Cynthia having a meal together, but the feel of it wasn’t romantic.
Angela wasn’t surprised when Cynthia stormed from the mess a minute later. The couple was having issues in their relationship and it wasn’t hard to guess that Adrian was involved. Add in the hormones and tension from her newspaper being released, and the reporter’s frustration was probably understandable.
Angela turned her attention to the small quarantine zone inside the gate, where two dozen people still waited for a placement. Jayson was among those and Angela didn’t meet his eye as he stood at the fence and studied everything he could view from his location. Tomorrow, Jayson and the other people from Zone A would be blended into the camp, with settling partners.
“Why did you send me with Marc?”
Joseph’s question was one Angela had prepared an answer for, but she chose not to go with it, and used the truth instead.
“You don’t like white people. You don’t trust us, and you have little reason to feel that way. You met Brittani and her group. You saw how they reacted to us-without animosity. I thought you needed that.”
“So I’m a racist?” he demanded.
“No, you don’t hate us or wish us ill,” Angela answered. “Which is why you’re on the rookie teams, but you don’t really like us because of the past.” Her tone sharpened. “Let go of that.”
“Like no one here feels that way about me,” he sneered.
“That’s true,” she agreed. “And they’ll be taught differently, but you’re going to be an Eagle. You have to comprehend the differences now.”
“I still feel that way,” he admitted quietly.
“I understand,” Angela answered. “Time will help. Stick with the Eagles. We need you there.”
Joseph left her to her thoughts and Angela wondered if that was enough to soothe him. There were actually several reasons why he’d been sent, but his attitude toward other races was definitely the most important. He wasn’t even kind to Li, and that little man was friends with everyone.
Angela tiredly swept the mess again. Kyle and Neil didn’t seem upset with the names on the board, though Neil looked tired. He’d come to her for a sedative that Samantha could take while pregnant and Angela had told him to try a hot shower and a cup of hot chocolate, then sleep. It had succeeded for two hours and then the evening call for mess had sent Samantha into tears again. She had stumbled to the medical tent, refusing to be swayed. Neil had come for the teams list when she fell asleep on the middle cot again.
Angela was glad the doctor had already left and Millie had taken his place over the patients on this shift. She was also happy that Neil had come anyway. It showed he still wanted his slot among Safe Haven’s army.
Jeremy, however, was curiously absent. Angela made a motion to Marc, who sent out his grid.
He gestured, Front gate.
Angela went that way. She wasn’t picking up bad vibes, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be trouble anyway.
The rest of the camp was deserted and she hurried through the icy wind with her shadows. Marc had insisted on her having two of them after dark.
The main gate was heavily patrolled by curious men tonight, who wanted to know where they now ranked among the Eagles, and Angela gave them a curt nod that said to pay attention to their job.
Jeremy was huddled on the middle ledge of the gate, staring west. He was wrapped in a thick parka and still shivering lightly.
“Things okay?” she asked, climbing up and then shoving her hands into her pockets.
“Fine,” Jeremy answered. “For the sheep.”
Angela carefully sat down next to him, a bit surprised not to find the ever-present laptop in his hands. “What’s eating at you and how can I help?”
Jeremy gave her a pitiful look. “I can’t live down there. I can’t even go inside.”
Angela tried to remember if she’d seen him today, but couldn’t. “Where have you been?”
“I volunteered to supervise the bathrooms up here while everyone moved,” Jeremy confessed ashamedly. “I can’t go down there.”
Angela placed a hand on his shivering arm. “You need to tell Sam. After she’s over her meltdown, tell her the truth and don’t leave out why. She’ll understand.”
“You think so?” Jeremy asked as if in a daze. “She’ll understand that I killed my fiancé and the guilt of dying like she did is flipping me into a coward?”
3
“I don’t have time for each of you to catch me alone and beg. The time for secrets was before. You’ll all ask me here and now, or forfeit your reward.”
The training tent went cold with tension, and Angela rose from her perch on the center table. “We’re all good, then?”
No one wanted to agree, but everyone was hesitant to speak out in front of the others.
“The secrets will kill us,” Angela stated. “We are the chain of command. We have to lead by example. That hasn’t been the case in the past, but it’s time for a change.”
Cynthia hadn’t been invited to this gathering. Neither had Samantha, Becky, or Tonya. All of them were understandable. Those four women weren’t in the top chains of command, even if they did sometimes fill those slots. Seth also wasn’t here, but he and Becky were on a run right now. Angela planned to speak with him after their return.
“I want Adrian let in. He deserves a second chance,” Kenn called. “Give my reward to him.”
“I’d like to use mine to block that,” Marc stated coolly from the rear corner where he had an eye on Angie and an eye on the camp through the sealed tent window. “Only people who can change deserve a second chance.”
Angela surveyed Kenn as the other people muttered. “Can he be reformed? Does he have a desire to change?”
“He knows he was wrong,” Kenn answered hesitantly. “But I can’t answer those questions. Only he can and he isn’t here to be asked.”
“He isn’t here because he was going to kill us all,” Kyle sneered angrily. He didn’t like going against Kenn anymore and he assumed Marc had it covered, but his own feeling of betrayal wouldn’t let him remain silent. “If you can’t understand that, maybe you should go live with him.”
“I’ve thought about it,” Kenn admitted without concern. “But that’s no place for a baby.”
Another sign of Kenn’s progress was hard to miss and Kyle snapped his mouth shut. Marc wouldn’t let it happen.
“It’s not up to me,” Angela said. “And it isn’t up to any of you. The people have to vote to overturn his banishment. They have to be convinced that he can change.”
“You’re giving me permission to try?” Kenn verified in front of the witnesses, surprised with the answer. He’d honestly been expecting to be blown off, not given a way to accomplish his goal.
“Yes,” Angela agreed, aware of Marc’s fury and Kyle’s shock. “But it won’t happen and you have to prepare for that.”
Kenn felt the double meaning, but wasn’t sure anyone else had, and moved on quickly before Marc could pull it from his mind. “I have to try. He’s the only person who ever believed I could be good. And I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the way he changed me. I have to at least try to do the same for him.”
The fact that Kenn was hoping to reform Adrian went a long way in soothing some of the anger. He was showing loyalty and caring for another person, even though he wasn’t going to get a reward for it. He also reminded them of what Safe Haven was supposed to stand for.
“Who wants to go next?” Angela asked, marking Kenn’s name from her list. “Uh... How about you, Neil? You know what you need, don’t you?”
Neil nodded as everyone got ready to hear a request to have Samantha to himself or maybe even to have Angela peer into the future. He opened his mouth and said, “How can I help Becky?”
Angela smiled in gentle, beautiful approval. “A pure soul is so attractive.”
Neil blushed a bit, shaking his head. “I need this guilt to go away. I don’t care about her.”
“Liar,” Angela accused without rancor.
Then the warm tone fell away and Neil was facing the witch.
“What would you sacrifice to help her heal?
“What will it take?” he sparred, not about to make the offer he felt was going to be asked for.
“Love,” the witch replied. “She needs love and time. Give it freely and fully and possibly destroy your other life. The best thing you can do for yourself is to stay away from her now.”
Neil couldn’t accept those answers. “Tell me what’s best for both of us.”
“The third choice walks a line that mere mortals cannot maintain. Love and time between friends is powerful magic. And dangerous. Heed my advice. Stay away.”
Neil grunted and got up without arguing further. He left the tent and a cold wave of wind swarmed in to compliment the mood.
“Who’s next?”
“Me.” Kendle stood up. “I can’t take being in here with all of you.”
Angela gestured. “Hit me with it.”
Like you don’t know, Kendle thought, and said, “I want to go home. I hate it here.”
“You mean Pitcairn,” Angela confirmed.
“Yes. Adrian said you would help me.” Kendle locked eyes with the woman, unable to imagine ever being friends with her. “You want me gone and I want to be gone. Will you make it happen?”
“Yes,” Angela answered calmly. “But not in the way you mean. I need someone to take a team south and secure an item for me. It’ll be dangerous, but if you succeed, you’ll be able to go home.”
“Will I get details?” Kendle asked, not sure if she believed it.
“And a small crew of people who also want to go to that island of yours,” Angela promised. “But you won’t be leading them. You’re too unstable right now.”
“Will Marc–”
“No, he won’t be!” Angela snapped, eyes blazing. “Don’t make me kill you.”
Kendle dropped her eyes before she could accept that hard challenge. She needed to get home. “I’ll go. As soon as possible...please.”
Angela marked Kendle’s name from her list. “A few days. Get ready for it.”
Kendle left without staring at Marc as she went. She wanted him, but she needed peace more.
“Almost finished,” Angela remarked, scanning her list. “Let’s have...Kyle.”
Silence fell as attention switched to the couple sitting together near Marc.
“Was Autumn really the good twin?”
Jennifer gasped and Kyle covered her hand with his, sharing her pain.
“Does it matter?” Angela countered.
“Not to me,” Kyle stated. “But to the future, it might, and as her parents, we need to know.”
“I’ve sensed no evil in Autumn,” Angela stalled. “She’s a sweet baby.”
“She is the bad one, right?” Jennifer demanded, jerking her hand from under Kyle’s. “Just tell us!”
“No,” Angela said. “She’s not evil now.”
Everyone understood the difference and Angela’s tone became grave. “The future isn’t set. You can keep her from turning by filling her with love and kindness. Don’t let your personal hatreds fill her mind with thoughts of vengeance. Make sure she gets to be a child.”
“Is the same true of Cynthia’s baby?” Daryl blurted, unable to keep quiet any longer.
“No,” Angela answered regretfully. “We’ll witness signs of it from the very beginning, with the death of its mother.”
The tent went icy as Daryl demanded to know what she meant.
“Have you seen the Omen films?”
“The first one,” Daryl answered distractedly. “Couldn’t take the rest.”
“Then find someone who has. You’ll need to fight hard and in the end, some stupid detail from that series might save Cynthia’s life.”
“Why can’t you just tell me?!” Daryl shouted. “I hate this!”
“Because you shouldn’t even have a warning!” Angela snapped, extremely tired. “Magic was never meant to be used this way and other than Neil, everyone has asked for something selfish! Ask your reward and do it now.”
“What should I do?” Daryl asked helplessly. “I already want them both.”
Unlike with the others, Angela couldn’t offer any hope here and she told him the very last thing he wanted to hear. “Convince her to abort and then refill her with your seed. In time, the wounds will heal and all three of you will be happy together.”
“She won’t do that,” Daryl said ashamedly. “I already tried. I mean, its Adrian’s kid. We already know they go bad too easy.”
“They’ve had bad beginnings,” Marc stated, feeling the need to defend descendants in general. “If they’d been raised by loving people, it might have mattered, right, Angie?”
“In most of the cases, yes,” Angela agreed. “But some mixes of DNA will always create monsters. Without knowing it, Cynthia and Adrian have done exactly that.”
“What if it isn’t Adrian’s?” Cynthia asked from the flap, making everyone, including Marc, grab for their weapons.
Cynthia fastened the flap and went to a seat by Daryl. “I don’t know. Kevin might the father.”
Angela’s lips narrowed, but she said, “We can’t test for parentage until after the birth.”
“So we’ll test it,” Daryl confirmed, feeling like he’d been given oxygen after almost drowning. “And until then, we hold out hope for good to come out on top.”
“Agreed,” Angela conceded easily, not marking Daryl’s name off yet.
“That leaves you two.” Angela scanned Jeremy and then Zack. “Gentlemen?”
Not wanting his mountain weakness revealed, Jeremy chose to tackle his second biggest fear. “Is Samantha really with me out of pity? Would it be better if I got out of the picture?”
“Samantha adores you,” Angela answered promptly. “If you left her, nothing would be happy for any of you.”
“Is it wrong?” Jeremy asked without knowing he was going to. “Our setup?”
“Wrong by whose standards?” Angela wanted to clarify.
“By camp standards,” Jeremy said, glad Neil had left but curious if he wondered this too. “Does the future include couples like us?”
“Of course it does,” Angela exclaimed, glad that she could ease his worries on this one. “And no, by camp standards, you’re not doing anything wrong because all of you are consenting adults. But what you want to know is more about morals and ethics, right?”
“Yes. The world was going down a bad path with the free love crap and I worry that I’m helping to restart it. We don’t need more problems.”
“You three are committed,” Angela stated. “We all have the right to pursue happiness, as long as we’re respectful of other people’s freedoms. You’re doing that. Don’t worry about those who might look down on you for it. You’ll still be happier than most of them.”
Angela glanced at Zack. “You’re up.”
“I have a yes or no question,” Zack said. “And it’s for you.”
“Okay,” Angela gestured for him to go ahead. She’d been counting on this moment.
“Marc hasn’t pulled your tent down and there’s no leader spot for it belowground yet. Are you moving into the cave with us?” Zack demanded.
She had been waiting for this moment also and the tension increased, as she revealed, “No, I’m not.”
Angela let the gasps and mutters die down and then told them, “In a few weeks, I’m going south and then I’m going to Kendle’s island. I’m set to tell the camp next week, but I want you all to know about it now. Half the herd will vote to stay here, but I’m not going to be swayed. And if you’re my chain of command, like you claim you are, you’ll all be with me when I go.”
4
“Hang around for a minute, Kenn,” Angela instructed as the tent emptied of the unhappy people. Word would begin to spread now, but she wasn’t going to change her mind. Choices had been made, the future had shifted, and the tide would come their way. She had no choice.
When they were alone, Angela said, “Adrian told you to account for your mistakes during the last bugout, so that when it happened again, you’d be ready for it.”
