The Rain - Like a Curtain Falls

John Danziger leaned forward and patted his buckskin-colored horse. Pal turned his head and nickered softly. The man sighed and looked out across the blasted landscape. There was nothing to see but stunted bushes and vast rolling hills. He almost wished he were back at the transmitter with the Grendler, where at least there was water and a bit of shade. He turned to see the sharp monolith behind him, which rose like a proclaiming finger from the surrounding low hills. The transmitter, not visible from this location, was still working. He wasn't sure that he should have trusted the Grendler, named Pretty Plate. Plate seemed to be a little too interested in the shiny material of the signal-booster.

He urged the horse forward and Pal responded accordingly, stepping easily across the barren landscape. The transmitter relay had been secured; there was no point in staying any longer. But where should he go? During the past year he had spent most of his time away from the others, scouting out high spots suitable for the relays, and at this moment, he wasn't sure if he wanted to return to their temporary camp, called New Atlantica.

A year ago Devon had revealed the lie, the deception that she had carried out. A year ago Devon had revealed that she did not trust him. He was a betrayer in her eyes, capable of giving away everything they had worked for. If she couldn't trust him with the simplest information, how could she trust him at all?

What could he do to prove to her that he could be trusted? He had done nothing to deserve this. So, a voice from the future told her of a betrayal that he would never complete. For this, he was lied to for years. For this, she no longer trusted him. He would have to do something to correct that.

It was time for him to go back to them, back to Devon and the others, back to the company of people who he would, in another life, betray. There were two spider-tunnels in the area. To the east lay a cave that connected him to New Atlantica and to the Advancers. To the west, a cave connected to New Pacifica and the Council. Danziger paused for a moment, the wind whipping up his hair and his horse's mane, and then he headed west.

* * * *

Morgan sipped from his cup while he tweaked the signal on the comm system. He worked at his keyboard until he had accessed the Council's main computer again. He opened the most recent files, checking through the information for anything of interest. There was the latest report from the second group of Council Guards, led by a Lieutenant Trimble. They had searched up and down the coastline, and were moving toward the foothills of the Last-Step Mountains. They had not yet found a viable pass through the mountains, and never would in that area. If they traveled further north they would reach Cameron's Pass and find their way through Gerting Valley, but the odds were against that. As long as the Advancers continued to manipulate the data, the Council would never suspect a northern pass. Everything that the Council was able to glean off the revised images and the tampered geological surveys showed that no such passage existed to the north.

He grabbed a battered thermos and poured himself another cup of tea. He shook the last drops out before he rested the thermos on the counter. He again wished that they had relieved the Council of some coffee when they'd had the chance. He could never quite get the hang of their home-grown tea. Sure, it was pleasant enough and supplied him with a decent caffeine buzz, but it wasn't coffee. Stanley, the ever-present spider, slept on the shelf above the comm-system. The creature twitched slightly in its sleep as Morgan moved around.

Morgan, having found nothing of interest in the latest reports, switched to the surveillance cameras. He checked the Cook House, the Comm Dish and the Hospital systems before he found activity at the Great House. Governor Mayland Vance was talking to Bower and Grand. He tuned in the audio and listened.

"If this idiot here hadn't let them run off with his portable..." the bodyguard, Jim Bower said, towering over the other two. "If he hadn't gotten drunk and just let them get away..."

"And where were you during all of this?" The Council Liaison, Nathan Grand, said. "You are much more to blame than I am. I mean, it's your job to protect our interests. This is all your fault."

"Yeah, and you were supposed to protect the data. You see where that got us." Bower leaned heavily against the smaller man.

Governor Vance stepped between them, shoving both of them back a few paces. "I think we've gone over this long enough. It's been three weeks since Adair and the others disappeared. I don't give a damn whose fault it is. I want them back in my custody. They are to face their crimes against the Council. I need a progress report, not another crap-session." She moved back to her previous position near her aides at their computers.

"Get some work done for a change," Bower growled at Grand. "You should have been able to pick up their signals by now."

Grand looked between Vance and Bower. "They are pretty difficult to track," he said defensively, "It's as if they're not even in the area anymore. They couldn't have gone that far. If they were nearby and if they were using their GEAR, I would certainly have picked them up by now."

"You couldn't pick up your own ass," Bower said with a grin, and pushed Grand. The smaller man collapsed under the pressure.

"Governor Vance!" Grand squealed, looking ridiculous, sprawled on the floor. "Governor Vance!"

Vance stormed up to Bower. "You have heard me speak before, so you know I have very little patience for this kind of behavior." She gestured to Grand but made no attempt to help him to his feet. "I hired you to protect me, not to knock down people when you fancy it. You are going on report."

Bower's grin grew sour on his face and he glared at the liaison, who stood solemnly and straightened his tie.

Vance faced her aides, "I said, I needed a progress report. What do you have?"

Theo Raddison piped up. "We still have received no word from Captain Simmons and his team. We have not heard from them for three weeks now. Lieutenant Trimble reported in this morning without any new information. Do you want me to dispatch Lieutenant Hawking's team?"

Vance frowned, "Hawking is to remain here. I am not sending all of my guard into the unknown. Who else is left?"

Raddison answered, "Well, out of our original twelve guards, we have lost contact with the original four, and a second four are currently on patrol. That leaves Hawking, Orvis, Cecil and Tulmey."

Morgan turned when someone entered the tent. He had to adjust his mind to take in both the images on GEAR and to determine who was standing in the bright doorway. It caused him to cock his head curiously. "Hey Walman," he said, when he figured out who it was, "Get Devon, I think they're going to deploy another search party."

Walman snorted, "What do they think they'll find?"

"Us, I guess. Not that they'll have any luck. We don't have anyone on that side of the Last-Steps for them to find." Morgan responded as he drained his cup. "Get me a refill while you're up!"

"In your dreams," Walman replied, and left the tent.

Morgan turned his attention back to the transmitted conversation in time to hear Grand explode. "You're out of your mind! What about Raddison? What about LaSalle? They're expendable." The two aides looked up sharply at this comment.

Mayland grabbed the liaison by his suit jacket. "If I hear one more complaint out of you, I am going to put you away for life."

Bower chuckled at the liaison's predicament and then said, "I'm not going." He stood with his arm folded. "My job is to protect you, not to go off on some half-assed mission to find a bunch of low-life nothings with that piece of garbage. Send your damn pilot, or are you afraid he might mess his hair?"

"Your job is to obey my commands." Vance released Grand and approached Bower. "If I tell you to get into a DuneRail with this 'piece of garbage' and a couple of guards, you do it. You don't ask questions. You comply. You will leave in the morning with Cecil, Orvis and Grand. I am tired of waiting. Those people must be captured. They made me look like a fool."

"What's going on?" Devon's voice startled Morgan. He turned sharply, causing her to jump back to avoid being hit. She had been hovering over his shoulder.

"She's sending Bower and Grand out on a patrol with a couple of her guards," Morgan answered.

Devon smiled slightly, "She's getting desperate."

"I think she's just tired of having those two guys around. That Grand is real annoying," Morgan said, adjusting his GEAR slightly. "I don't know how they put up with him."

"Have you heard from Baines lately? We won't be ready to go until they are all set at their location."

"Yeah, he's still waiting," Morgan replied. Bower and Grand were still complaining on the transmission, but Vance and her aides had left the room.

Grand brushed off his jacket. "I would listen to Governor Vance," he said. "And keep your hands off me. Don't push me down again"

Bower snarled, "You are dead. I do not need a turd like you making me look bad in front of the Governor. If I feel like pushing you down. I will do it wherever I please."

Morgan tried to look into his cup. It took a certain amount of concentration to be able to look at something in real life and watch something on GEAR at the same time. Looking at anything close-up was bound to bring a headache if he wasn't careful.

"Keep me apprised of their situation," Devon said as she stood.

"I could really use a refill," Morgan said, picking up his thermos and waving it at Devon before she could disappear through the door.

* * * *

Baines leaned against the metal surface and sighed. Above him, the rain tapped and splattered on the high tarp. The portable heater gave off a feeble warmth, barely enough to take the chill out of the moist air. He squatted beside it to warm his hands. He had been waiting too long. His imagination was starting to get the best of him. He imagined ferocious wild dogs and strange alien creatures moving in the mist.

He stood suddenly as a new sound invaded the hissing of the rain, and almost immediately he saw a shape emerge from curtain of mist. He grabbed the MagPro and aimed it at the moving image. "Hey!" Alonzo shouted as he drew the mud-caked DuneRail up to the edge of the shelter, "Put that thing down. What sort of welcome is that?"

"What took you so long?" Baines lowered the weapon as Alonzo climbed out of the old familiar DuneRail. "You should have been here yesterday."

"Yeah, sure, you try crossing Gerting Valley this time of year. Geez, I forgot how much I hated that. At least the forest is passable." He tossed off his rain-soaked jacket and sat beside the heater. "Good thing we rigged up those extra thick tires. They worked pretty good on the mud." He pulled off his filthy boots and set them beside the heater. "How did your vehicle work for you?"

Baines laughed, "I gotta tell you, it is nice to drive a new rig." He pointed to the Council's DuneRail, which they had taken from the first search party. He had taken two spider tunnels to move from the New Pacifica area to their old WinterCamp to set up his part of the relay. The drive to this site had taken him over a week. "I am actually kinda glad that we couldn't bring the horses on this one. I forgot how much I liked driving one of these things that was in good working order."

Alonzo rubbed his hands together and said, "I don't know, the old 'Rail has personality. I did kinda miss being on horseback anyway. If it weren't for the fact that we'd have to leave them here untended, I would have preferred to ride Hank." He shifted his position and said, "Well, I guess we'd better be ready to go tomorrow. So what's next on the list?"

"The check list is completed. I didn't have anything else to do while I waited for you," Baines said with a grin. "We're all set to go. We'll call in and let 'em know you made it here. After that, we just gotta wait for the signal from Home Base, then we can take off. I gotta tell you, I can't wait to get flying again."

Alonzo nodded and looked toward the sleek ship. It had once belonged to the alien shape-shifter that had infiltrated their camp. The Advancers had searched for his ship and found it in the Last-Step Mountains. As the alien had said, the ship was almost entirely repaired, except for the damaged computer database. It could fly, but its navigation systems were dead. Worse yet, the controls were not designed for human hands. The solution was simple enough. The Advancers scavenged parts off the Earthship where Devon had once spent three months in coldsleep. It was only once they brought the ship online with the new navigation system that they discovered an interesting capability of the alien's computer, something that would come in handy shortly.

The ship, dubbed "The Sunray", was a conglomeration of alien and human technology. It was a small but highly maneuverable craft, shaped like a plump manta ray. Her first flight was her trial run. The second flight was to create the debris field that was meant to deceive the Council into thinking that Eve's detonated ship was the Colony ship. Then they moved her to this spot to hide her.

Alonzo looked out through the rain at Black-Rock, beside the Upper Morgan River. They had once spent a week here on their way to New Pacifica. A long time ago they had found Morgan here after his plunge into the quick cold river. The dark rock fouled communications, making it impossible to pin-point anything in this area. Only the lowest frequencies could get a clear signal through. The Council could scan this area for all they were worth, and they would never locate the ship unless they stumbled directly upon it.

It was a perfect hiding place. Of course, once they fired up the 'Ray and brought her above the electronic field, they would need something else to hide them. That's where the communication relay would come in handy. Morgan had set up a 'comm-jam,' a wall of interference that would blind all of the communication systems throughout the area. It would be enough to hide them from the Council sensors until they were able to bring the ship into orbit.

Alonzo sighed as he felt the warmth begin to work its way into his sodden clothing. "I hope you are ready for some excitement," he said.

"You know me," Baines said with a laugh, "I'm always at home in space."

Alonzo nodded. It was funny, not that long ago, he would have been in complete agreement with that statement. Now, all he wanted to do was return to his house in Roanoke Colony with his wife and child, and dream about their future. This was just one step in the process of making that come true.

* * * *

Bess sat at the campfire with Amelia on her lap. The five-year-old buried her head against her shoulder. The sun had just set over the high hills that backed New Atlantica, and the sky had yet to grow dark. It was going to be a beautiful clear night.

Amelia sat up so that she could see her mother's face. "Mommy," she said, "Is it raining?"

Bess laughed, "No dear-heart, it's not raining. Why would you ask that?"

Amelia screwed up her face and said, "No Mommy, I mean is it raining at our home?"

"I suppose it is," Bess answered.

The girl leaned back onto her mother and sighed, "I wish it was raining right here, right now so that it would be more like we were home. Then we could all sit inside the Great House and play games, and Yale could tell us stories."

"You miss our home, don't you?' Bess asked quietly.

"Yeah," she said as she playfully pulled on her mother' hair. "Will we be going back soon?"

"Yes, we'll go back as soon as we can." Bess carefully removed her daughter's hands from her hair and then held her tightly as the sky took on a darker hue for night.

"Mommy, when I'm sleeping tonight," Amelia said confidently, "I'll dream it's raining."

* * * *

Danziger reached the West-to-Landing spider tunnel at dusk. It was the means he had used to travel to this location almost a month ago. Pal stepped nervously as he also remembered the tunnel.

Danziger climbed off the horse in one easy move and tried to calm the nervous animal, but Pal skipped about and threw his head back.

"It's all right, boy. It's all right." Danziger said soothingly, rubbing his hand along the beast's neck, but Pal would not be calmed. The horse hated traveling through the tunnels, all the animals had hated it. "Come on, Pal. It won't be that bad." Still, Danziger remembered the way Pal would cry and bolt after the tunnel had deposited them at their destination. They had made several journeys through the tunnels that criss-crossed the continent during the past year, and Pal never enjoyed it.

Danziger frowned slightly. He knew that he could not take the animal with him. There would be no room for noise and panic. He wished there were another way.

John carefully unsaddled the horse, holding tightly to the reins. Pal danced about unhappily, showing the whites of his eyes, lowering his ears. "It's okay, big guy. I'm not going to put you through that. I can't have you giving me away, you know."

He reached up to unfasten the bridle. "You were a wild horse once, you remember?" He pulled the buckskin's head down to his level. "Do you remember?" John recalled the day they had spent in Gerting Valley, herding the wild horses that lived there. He had seen the beautiful male grouped in with several dust-colored mares, and he knew that the horse would be his.

Pal had been fierce during his training, refusing to take a bit or saddle, bucking whenever anyone tried to put their weight on him. John had worked slowly with the wild creature, gaining its trust, trusting it. For the past five years, Pal had been his horse, his friend.

Danziger undid the buckles and pulled the bit and bridle away from the horse's head. Pal backed away a few feet, not quite aware that he had been released. Once he realized that he was no longer bound, he lowered his head and nickered softly to his man.

"Go off now," Danziger said, flicking the empty reins at the horse. Pal stepped out of reach but did not leave. There was a creek not far from the cave, and a scattering of vegetation. It would have to be enough. John looked sadly at the horse that seemed to question him, shaking its head and nickering to him.

Danziger hauled his equipment into the cave and removed the items he could easily carry. The MagPro he kept in his hand. He glanced back at the horse who hovered nearby, but not too close. "Goodbye, Pal. You've been a good horse. You're free now," Danziger said and stepped into the vortex. The sound of the wind rushing to take the man sent the horse flying into the desert.

* * * *

Alonzo and Baines waited for morning. In the dark of the night, someone might see their ship's trajectory against the black sky. At least with the rain and the clouds they would be quickly hidden during the day. Alonzo yawned and stretched in the chair that had once been part of the Earthship. Shape-shifter chairs did not so easily conform to the hind-ends of humans.

"How much longer?" Baines said, fiddling with the controls before him.

Alonzo glanced at the clock. "Two hours until sunrise. Once the comm-jam starts, we'll be clear to go."

"So, you think this will work?" Baines said.

"Yeah, it should. They won't be able to trace it. Morgan said he'd do it for 30 minutes. That's all the time we have. It should give us enough time to get into orbit and positioned behind the moon."

Baines ran his hand along the control panel. "It couldn't happen too soon for me."

* * * *

Morning was almost over when Morgan reset the controls on the comm system, shutting down the comm-jam, and tuned back into the Great House monitoring systems. He picked up the signal immediately.

"Hey!" Raddison said. "We're back on line."

Vance walked over to his position and glanced over the systems. "Have you found the source of the interference?"

Raddison shook his head. "I don't know. It seems to have gone as quickly as it came. It lasted for about 30 minutes or so."

LaSalle added helpfully, "Grand would know how to trace it. Maybe you should call him back."

Vance did not reply to the comment, instead she spoke to Raddison, "Check in with the search parties. See how they're doing." Then she turned to LaSalle, "See if you can manage to make contact with our ship. Find out if they have any idea what caused the communication problems."

Morgan was able to tap into LaSalle's transmission to the Council Ship. Lt. Governor Parkins answered the call. Parkins looked bored and asked many questions, but LaSalle was reluctant to answer any. LaSalle was able to ascertain that the Lt. Governor had no idea what caused the interference. Parkins demanded that LaSalle find the source and she responded that they were already working on it.

Devon looked about the comm tent. Morgan, Yale and Magus were all listening in with her. "Alonzo and Baines must have gotten out unnoticed," she said.

Raddison's conversation with Bower provided them with the information that his group was exploring to the east of Roanoke. They had stopped and had broken into teams to search the area on foot. Bower and Grand were walking along the high wall that formed the lower reaches of the Last-Step Mountains. Cecil and Orvis, the guards, were near their DuneRail.

The aide was unable to make contact with Trimble's team.

* * * *

Lieutenant Trimble did his best to find a comfortable position. He ended up half falling onto the guard beside him, who elbowed him back into the wall.

Danziger smiled at his predicament. "You see," he said slowly, "you won't be able to escape. I have learned a thing or two about tying knots."

"You won't get away with this!" Trimble replied sharply. "Do you have any idea who we are?"

"You are one of the folks that is trying to ruin our lives," Danziger replied. "You are the reason that I don't have a home right now."

"Release us immediately!" The young lieutenant glared at the mechanic. "Governor Vance will not stand for this." He tried to sit up straight, but only managed to fall onto the lap of the guard on the other side of him.

"Don't move around so much," Danziger said thoughtfully. "You'll just make the ropes tighter." He moved a short distance along the rock-face until he stood outside of the small enclosure, in the falling rain. Around the foothills of the Last-Step Mountains there were dozens of these narrow canyons that provided an excellent place for hiding people. He carefully checked to ensure that the restrained guards remained hidden from any casual observer.

"Knock it off," said Reno, the unlucky guard with the struggling Trimble in his lap. "He'll only make things harder for us."

"This is inexcusable!" Trimble said, nearly apoplectic, but looking ridiculous because he said the words into Reno's lap. "We are Council Guards! This man is a savage!"

"Yeah," Reno said, "And he caught four of us with one MagPro." Reno sat relatively still and was the least encumbered of the four due to his stillness. The ropes had not tightened on his hands as they had on the rest. His hat had slid down rakishly over one eye, and he wiggled his eyebrows in an attempt to move it up his forehead.

Danziger regarded the capture of the four men with some pride. He had tuned into their GEAR frequency and merely waited until they revealed their position. He found a convenient hiding place and ambushed them. The guards were totally unprepared for him and it didn't take much to confuse and disarm them. "Now," Danziger thought, "I have one less barrier standing in my way of ridding this planet of Governor Vance and her Council."

He did not have much of a plan, he only wanted to get close enough to Vance and the rest to make them leave. He would have to make it up as he went along. Devon's plan to simply annoy the Council into leaving had not worked. Her current plan to take the Council's ship was flawed. What if Baines and Alonzo could not board their ship? What if they were taken captive?

Still, when the ship was taken, and Alonzo and Baines had control, he wanted to be ready to strike at the Council members who held their home. Only once Roanoke was theirs again could he feel right returning to Devon, True and the others.

* * * *

True woke up and yawned. "Dang it," she said sharply as she sat up. Amelia and Sarah were cuddled together beside her. She only meant to lay down with them until they fell asleep. She hadn't meant to drift off with them. She was supposed to be babysitting. She looked across the Martin tent to hand carved crib. One-year-old Jenny was sprawled out across it, almost too big now to fit. Then she glanced over to the other cot where Hugh slept in a pile of blankets, with his hind-end in the air.

"Robbie?" she said tentatively, looking around the small area. She got down on her hands and knees and looked under the cots. "Robbie?" She moved quickly through the tent, looking into every place that a two-year-old boy could hide, "Roberto Mazatl Denner Junior where are you?" There was no response beyond the snorting sleep of the four children.

She nervously stepped outside the tent and glanced around. She could see Cameron and Denner near the horse field. Bess was talking to Mazatl in front of the cooking area. Devon, Uly and Julia were walking toward the beach. Then she saw Pooh. She stumbled out of the tent and toward the caves, where she picked up the tattered stuffed bear. It had been made from rags and dyed to vaguely resemble the renowned bear, and was well loved by Robbie. And here it was, at the mouth of the caves.

She ducked into the first cave, where Yale was sitting across from Ed the Grendler. At the back of the cave the captives, the four members of the Council Guard, were gambling. Yale looked up when she entered, "Hello True, is there anything we can do for you?"

"Ah, no," True answered, her eyes sweeping the uncluttered cave. "I was just looking for something."

"Perhaps you would like to sit and talk for a while if you are not busy. Ed was telling me about how he met Agnes. It's quite a love-story. She'll be back with Ted tomorrow."

Ed the Grendler threw his head back and grunted.

Captain Simmons stepped away from his fellow captives and approached them. "I will again demand that you remove that beast from this vicinity." He spoke to True, pointing at the Grendler.

"Ah," True said, "I don't think you get to have a say in this, does he Yale?" She felt strange having the man talk to her instead of Yale.

Yale just shrugged and said, "He believes that neither Ed nor I is capable of comprehending his conversation."

"This is an unacceptable situation. I have stood for this too long. You have confined me with a disgusting beast and a cyborg." Simmons glared at her through the bars. "This must end."

True returned the glare of the Council Captain. "Well, you'd better learn to live with it, cause they are the best we got."

"You know that it is my duty to escape," Simmons said.

True looked to the bars of the cell and back at Simmons. "Well, that shouldn't be too easy." She turned to Yale and Ed and said. "I gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?" and she hurried out of the cave.

The next cave was a spider-tunnel that led directly back to Roanoke Colony. She looked into it briefly, but saw nothing but webs and spiders.

She moved quickly, ducking in and out of the tents that made up their temporary home in New Atlantica. She found Morgan in the communications tent, as usual, too busy tapping into the Council computers to notice her. Stan the spider stood up on his impossibly long legs and surveyed her appearance, but then sat down again to watch Morgan work. Magus and Walman were also too busy in their tent to see her quickly peek in, and blushingly move away.

She made a quick circuit and returned to the caves. "Damn it!" she muttered.

She remembered how Mazatl had painstakingly told Robbie about how the spider-tunnels were used, and how much Robbie loved his trip through them. Robbie had clapped and laughed and said, "Do it again!" He would ask almost every day if he could take another ride.

"Zero!" True grabbed the mechanical worker as he strode through the camp and dragged him to the Martin Tent. "Have you seen Robbie?"

"Yes, Miss Danziger. I have seen Roberto Junior many times. He is the child of Elisha Denner and Roberto Mazatl Denner. He lives with his parents in..."

"I mean today, I mean within the last hour or so. Have you seen Robbie?"

"No Miss Danziger. I have not seen Roberto Junior within the last 'hour-or-so'."

True stomped her foot in frustration, tucking Pooh under his arm. "Zero, I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course Miss Danziger. I am programmed to assist human beings in all endeavors."

"I need you to keep an eye on the rest of the kids for a little while."

Zero paused, lights flickering throughout his exposed cranium. "I have not been programmed in child rearing."

"I am not asking you to rear anything," True hissed. "I just need you to keep an eye on them. They are all sleeping. Just keep them in the tent. Don't let them out, okay?"

Zero moved to the tent and adjusted his optics so that he could survey the situation. "I am capable of watching children that are asleep," he concluded.

"Good," True said and moved toward the spider cave, "And don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"I am programmed to provide accurate information to all questions." Zero responded.

"Then just don't SAY anything, okay? I will be back in a minute and no one needs to know anything."

"To what information are you referring? What is it that they will need to know?" Zero queried. "Please explain."

True sighed and walked back to the robot, "Just watch the kids. Keep 'em in the tent and I will be back before you know it." She shoved the stuffed bear into the robot's arms.

She turned again toward the cave and Zero tried to reflect upon what she said, but was unable to understand how she could possibly return before he was aware of her departure. He could observe her leaving at that very moment. Her logic was flawed. He turned back toward the open tent and moved inside. He surveyed the sleeping children again and decided that it would be best if they remained in that state. He adjusted his optics to look at the toy bear in his arms. He considered setting it down, but decided it might as well stay where it was.

* * * *

First came that unnatural whooshing sound, then it was as if someone planted a foot in the middle of her back and gave her one tremendous shove. She flew through space, through the Trans-Coastal spider-tunnel. For a moment or two she felt weightless. She landed on her face.

True coughed and dusted herself off, as she carefully looked about in the dark cave. "Robbie?" she called softly. "Robbie?" She straightened slowly and moved toward the cave's opening. She was only about three klicks from Roanoke Colony right now, three klicks away from where Mayland Vance and her Council Guard held their home. If they found the boy, everything would be lost.

True climbed out of the mouth of the cave, staying low. The cave was on a ledge, on the rocky foothills of the Last-Step Mountains. It was raining, reducing visibility beyond the cave. Such a strange thing to see because only a moment ago she stood in sunlight. She wondered if Robbie would leave the dry cave for the wet outdoors. He was born in Roanoke Colony and grew up with the rainy autumn. His father would often take him to The Perch, and the two of them would sit for hours in all weather. True sighed again and started out into the rain.

There was a proper procedure for using the tunnel, because it was so easy to disrupt. The spiders rarely left their own webs. But if someone were to brush against the web, it was always possible to carry a spider along with you. Part of the process was to carefully check your clothing before you entered the 'launching area' of the cave. Unfortunately, True was distracted and forget this step. She did not see the little spider that was picked up by her jacket, and did not notice as it jumped onto a nearby rock when she reached the western end of the tunnel.

The spider wasn't happy. It did not like being among its polar-cousins. It wandered around on the rock, confused and disoriented. It wanted to return home, and would effectively shut down the tunnel until it was able to do exactly that.

* * * *

Bess laughed. "Stop, stop!" she said, "You chopped too many onions! Mazatl, what are we going to do with all of these?"

Mazatl shrugged and set down the knife. He had become fairly proficient using his left hand for most of his work, since his right hand had never regained its full use. "I thought you wanted me to cut all of them," he said.

Bess wiped the tears from her eyes, "We have more onions than we'll know what to do with. How can you stand it? It hurts my eyes just to stand here."

"Strong eyes," he said simply, then he bent down to pick up his son, who was playing in a crate near his feet. "Robbie has strong eyes too." He held the boy up to eye level and stared at his clear brown eyes.

* * * *

True made her way along the ledge, staring out into the rain. There had been no sign of the boy. She was about to give up and return to the camp when she spotted something at the base of the hill. She continued to make her way along the ledge, her heart pounding. For a moment, she thought it was a body, but it was much too big to be a toddler.

She should have gone back, but her curiosity kept her moving. It was only once she was directly above the object that she realized that it was indeed human, a man in a dark suit, made even darker by the falling rain.

She crouched, breathless on the ledge, looking downward for any sign of movement, but the man below remained still. He lay on his stomach, his head slightly turned and his hands near his ears, as if listening to the ground, the rain pattering around him.

An alarm went off in her head, a shrill sense of danger, like a note played high and long on a violin. "He may be hurt," she said to herself. "Maybe he needs my help." She looked back to the cave, a good hundred meters away, and thought about going back. Instead, she started down the hillside toward the man.

She was soaked to the skin by the time she made her way to the listening man. "Hello?" she said softly, "Hello?" Only the sound of the rain answered her. She walked around him slowly until she could see the half-turned face. It was only then that she recognized him from the surveillance devices. It was the Council Liaison, Nathan Grand. She stepped back in alarm, sucking her breath, and backing against the hillside, but he made no movement.

She approached him again, slowly. His face was still, his eyes open and unseeing. She bent down to him and touched him on the shoulder then slowly rolled him over on his back. There was no resistance, there was nothing left to resist. She gasped again, looking down at those open glassy eyes. The man was dead.

She looked upward to the ledge where she had stood moments ago. Higher up, another stone ledge jutted out. He must have fallen from there. She looked down at him again, remembering that he was one of the Council, someone to be feared and detested. Now he was nothing but a body in the rain.

She knelt down beside him and pulled his splayed coat close to him, as if to keep him warm. Why was he on the ledge, out here in the rain, without any sign of transportation? She looked up again. Why was he alone?

"So," a voice suddenly cut through the white noise of the rain. True leapt to her feet and spun to meet the voice. Jim Bower, bodyguard to Governor Mayland Vance, grinned at her, showing his sharp white teeth. "What have we here? Isn't this just grand?"

* * * *

"Devon!" Morgan yelled, hobbling out of the communications tent. "DEVON!" he shouted again.

Mazatl and Bess were nearest, and came running, "What's the matter, Morgan?" Bess asked.

"Where the hell is Devon?" he said again.

Mazatl lifted Robbie to his shoulders, "She went down to the beach."

"Get her now. The Council has True."

Bess stood with her mouth agape as Mazatl sped down toward the beach, with Robbie holding on for dear life. "True was watching the kids," she said and then she ran to their tent. Morgan headed after her, as fast as he could with his cane.

He reached the tent several moments after his wife and looked around frantically at the sleeping children. "What happened?" He looked to Zero, who stood to one side, trying to be unnoticed, a bear clutched in his mechanical hands. "What happened?" Morgan demanded.

Zero divided his attention between the two adults. He couldn't help but realize that True Danziger did not live up to her promise and return before he had time to notice.

Bess had gathered up three sleepy girls in her lap, while Hugh stretched and considered the commotion. Julia entered suddenly, almost pushing Morgan to the ground. Luckily Zero was in the way and stopped his fall. She scooped up Hugh and looked at frantically to Morgan, "What do you mean the Council has True? How could they possibly have her?"

Devon entered with Uly, Mazatl and Robbie. "What's going on Morgan?" Devon demanded, as Denner and Cameron poked their heads in as well to see what the commotion was all about.

Morgan pointed to his GEAR, "I just picked up the transmission. They got True over by the Trans-Coastal Tunnel. They're accusing her of murdering Nathan Grand."

The group in the tent exchanged frightened and surprised glances. Zero remained silent and hoped that nobody asked him any questions.

* * * *

John Danziger had been listening to the transmissions as well. He went into motion immediately. He quickly checked the ropes that held the guards captive. Trimble had to be straightened up again. Reno looked chagrined about the whole situation. The other two guards, Lender and Farrow, looked as if they wanted to tear Danziger's throat out.

The little covered area was only a few kilometers from Roanoke. They were far enough from the rest of the Council so that these four would not be easily found. Even if they shouted, their voices would not carry far in this area. He had no time to find a better place; he had to act now.

Danziger stood and regarded them for a minute. "Stay quiet and you stay alive," he said, as he picked up his MagPro and headed for their DuneRail.

"You can't do this!" Trimble said, struggling again and becoming dangerously close to falling onto Reno once more. "What about those animals, those Grendler things and those Killers. What are we supposed to do?"

Danziger didn't answer. Instead, he threw a few scattered supplies into the cargo hold of the guards' vehicle and started it up. In a second, he had turned it away from his prisoners, out of the enclosure and into the rain. He kept his GEAR tuned to the frequency that Morgan had specified, the frequency that the Council used for their transmissions.

This changed everything. He had planned to find the search parties, immobilize them, and then go for Vance. He would now have to find Bower's team before he was prepared.

"If they harm True... " he said under his breath, feeling a panic rise in him. "If they do anything to hurt her..." The DuneRail responded to his command and he headed toward Roanoke.

* * * *

Baines was enjoying the view of space, nothing but stars and moonscape. They had landed on the far-side of the Lesser Moon, where the Council Ship could not detect their presence. A monitoring device on the near-side of the Lesser Moon allowed them to keep in touch with the planet and the Council Ship, without being monitored themselves.

The Council's ship was an impressive piece of machinery, looking more like a dreadnought than necessary. Once they received the signal from New Atlantica, they would move in and attempt to board the ship. It should be easy enough once another comm-jam was set in motion, the dreadnought would be more or less blind. It had hardly any view-ports, relying almost completely on their sensors. The Sunray would only need to sidle up beside it and find an available docking port.

The Sunray, once the property of a shape-shifter, had its own chameleon-like abilities. Once it linked with another computer system, it could blend immediately into it, and disguise itself as part of that system. Once they docked, the dreadnought would not be able to sense their presence.

Baines, growing a little bored with the wait, tuned to the Council's communication system for some entertainment. "Ah, 'Lonz," Baines said, turning to the pilot. "We got problems."

Alonzo, sitting at the controls of their ship, looked up. "What's up?" he asked.

"The Council has captured True," Baines said dully. Alonzo said nothing. He continued to work at the keyboards. Baines continued, "What do we do now?"

"We gotta get that ship." Alonzo said. "Now more than ever. We gotta cut the Council off from that ship. It's where their power lies." He glanced over at Baines. "The comm-jam is supposed to start in one hour. Get ready."

* * * *

"What are we going to do?" Magus asked, "We have to get her out of there."

"Currently, we cannot follow her to New Pacifica." Yale said, "The spider-tunnel is unbalanced. We must wait for the return of the New Atlantica spider before we can use that mode of transportation."

"How the hell did that happen? True knows how to follow procedure. Wasn't she paying any attention?" Walman growled. "What the hell was she doing over there anyway? She didn't even bother to tell us what she was up to?" Walman turned to Zero. "Are you sure she didn't tell you anything else?" he said to the mechanical worker.

"I have related the entire conversation," Zero responded. "I could invent further dialog if that is required."

Yale shook his head. "It would appear that she was looking for Roberto and she thought that he made use of the spider-tunnel. She followed him."

"Robbie wouldn't do that," Denner said defensively. "He's a good boy. He does what he's told."

"I'm a good boy!" Robbie agreed, shaking his Pooh Bear at Zero.

"That doesn't matter," Bess responded. "What matters is that the Council has True and we can't get to her. What are we going to do?"

Devon stared at the far wall of the tent. This wasn't supposed to happen. Everything was moving so smoothly. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wished John was with her. She could use his straight-forward thinking right now. She felt that familiar pain of his absence. Why wouldn't he return to them?

"We're going to have to come up with a new plan," she replied.

* * * *

Danziger moved quietly along the hillside. The rain splattered on his shoulders and across his head as he positioned himself. He could hear the DuneRail approach. He pulled the MagPro into position and readied himself for its appearance. When the small vehicle rounded the turn, he aimed and fired. The driver, a young member of the Guard named Cecil, screamed and crumbled to his side. The 'Rail turned as its driver fell. Orvis, sitting beside him twisted around in terror and was cut down as well. The third shot would be difficult; Danziger would have to aim past True to hit the Council Mechanic.

Bower wasn't going to let that happen. He pulled the girl close to him and fired at the exposed Advancer mechanic. Danziger gasped as the energy bolt struck his shoulder and spun him backward. He hit the ground hard and lost his grip on the MagPro. It clattered out of reach.

Bower had used a Taser-Rifle; Danziger could feel his right side going numb. He tried to flop over onto his stomach to reach the MagPro, but Bower reached the weapon first. He picked up the still humming device and pointed it at Danziger's head. "Well, well, well," Bower said. "Another surprise." He grinned down at Danziger, unaffected by the precipitation. "Funny how you people seem to keep popping up."

"Let her go!" John said with some effort. "Take me, but let her go." He could see True in the back seat of the DuneRail, struggling against some sort of restraints.

"Dad!" she shouted, pulling hard at the cuffs that held her to her seat. "Dad!"

"A family reunion. How charming," Bower muttered. He pulled on his GEAR, never taking his eyes off of the mechanic, but before he started the communication, he squatted down and glared at Danziger. "How did you know I would be here?" he asked darkly. "How did you know I had the girl?" He fingered the sides of his GEAR, watching Danziger's face.

"Grand was a fool," he said at last. "He thought our communication system was secure." He spat on the ground near Danziger's head. "Grand destroyed this mission. He cheerfully uploaded every file you fed him. If you ask me, I would say that our entire computer system has been compromised. Grand just stood there and let it happen. Your girl did us a great service by killing the idiot."

He gestured with the MagPro. "Get in the vehicle." Danziger glowered at him but did not move. Bower just smiled and walked around the prone man. Without warning, he kicked Danziger forcefully in his left side.

Danziger gasped in pain and collapsed onto the wet ground. True screamed from her seat, "Leave him alone! Daddy, get up. Please, get in the 'Rail. Don't hurt him."

Danziger drew his left leg up under him and painstakingly moved his numb right leg up beside it. He wavered on hands and knees for a moment too long, and Bower kicked him down again. "Enough of this crap! Get in the vehicle and get in now!"

Danziger staggered in a daze, making his way to his daughter and the Council's DuneRail. When he reached the vehicle's side, he leaned heavily against it and looked to True. Her face was streaked with tears, her head wet with the rain. "Daddy, are you okay?" she said weakly. He met her eyes once before Bower struck him again with the Taser-Rifle.

* * * *

"Have you received any further transmissions?" Devon asked as she paced around the comm-tent.

Morgan sighed loudly, "You've been in here the whole time. You would know just as soon as I do." He was fiddling with the controls, searching for any active bands. "There hasn't been anything since Bower's last message."

"No news is good news." Devon said under her breath.

"Huh?" Morgan bobbed his head up, "What?"

"I said, 'no news is good news.'"

Morgan clucked his tongue and continued adjusting the controls, "Not when you're dealing with these kinda folks." Devon looked at him sharply, and Morgan continued, "They follow protocol. Transmissions are like clockwork. I've got nothing for the past half-hour. If they were bringing in a prisoner I would have expected updates every fifteen minutes."

"Maybe they're too busy," Devon said hopefully.

Morgan shook his head. "Okay, let's say Bower is too busy to report in. Mayland Vance would have checked in with them by now. There must have been a code word in that last transmission, letting Vance know that something was up "

"So what do you think this means?" Devon asked

Morgan shrugged. "Something's wrong," he answered, and he returned to his work.

* * * *

Danziger awoke slowly and painfully. His whole body was tingling with the return of sensation. He tried to move his arms, but found they were restrained. He opened his eyes and faced his captors.

"He's up." Bower said, "It's been less than an hour since I hit him. He's a fighter." He was leaning against the wall to Danziger's left. He held the Taser-Rifle loosely in his hand.

Mayland Vance suddenly entered his vision, and he sat up slowly until his back was flat against the back of the chair. "John Danziger," she said as she approached him. "I am so glad you could join us."

"Yeah," he returned, "I woulda been here sooner, but I was detained."

Bower laughed and Vance cocked her head at him. "Mr. Danziger, do you think this is an appropriate time for that sort of talk? Do you understand who is in charge here?"

Danziger shook his head to rid himself of the terrible groggy feeling. His mouth was dry and his head was muddled.

"What I need to understand is this:" Mayland moved to his right side and spoke into his ear, "Who gave you the right to murder my guards and to set your daughter against my liaison?"

"True would never..." Danziger drew his head up sharply and turned to face the Governor.

"Nathan Grand was a married man. Who shall deliver the news to his widow?" She moved until she was facing him. "Your daughter killed a very important member of my staff, a vital member."

"Never!" Danziger spat out. "She would never..."

"She pushed him off a cliff. He was unarmed, harmless. Who gave her the right to kill a helpless man?"

Danziger strained at his bonds and Bower leveled the Taser at him again. John stopped when he saw the weapon pointed in his direction. "You got it all wrong. True could never harm anyone. You got the wrong person."

"Mr. Bower will confirm that he witnessed the murder." Her eyes drifted over to the bodyguard. "There is physical evidence on the body to support the accusation. True Danziger is guilty of murder. You personally have killed two of my people. It takes little imagination to realize what has become of my initial search party. And there is the matter of another party that has not reported in. Do you think I would continue to allow this? Did you think you could get away with murder? Did you think your little daughter could get away with murder just because she is so damn charming?"

"Don't hurt her!" Danziger said through his teeth. "She's done nothing wrong."

"In your eyes, perhaps," Vance said, walking slowly around him. "In my eyes, a man is dead. Someone will have to pay."

"I'll pay," Danziger replied.

Vance smiled wistfully, "But what would the fun be in that?"

"Let her go!"

"Tell me, Mr. Danziger. Where are they? There were eight Advancers who disappeared into the night without a trace. Now two more pop up. How many more of you are there? Tell me, Mr. Danziger. Where are they hiding?"

"I'm not saying anything!"

Vance nodded sharply to Raddison, who opened the door. Two of the guard entered the room with True between them. "I think I may have a way of getting you to tell me something," Vance said, offhandedly.

"Dad, don't!" True shouted, before Vance jerked her head around and ordered the guards to leave the room with their captive. As she was pulled out of the room, Danziger could see the tall pilot peering into the room at Bower. For a moment the pilot's eyes met the bodyguard's. There was accusation in that glance, and then the door was slammed shut.

"We have many ways of making life difficult for her," Vance said slowly. "When would you like us to start."

Danziger looked at Vance, his eyes glowing like coals. "I'll show you where they are," he finally said.

"You will draw Mr. Bower a map."

"I have to show you. There is no other way."

"Do you think I am stupid, Mr. Danziger?"

"Untie me, and I'll prove to you that I am willing to help you."

Bower growled, but Vance took the Taser from him. "Untie him, Mr. Bower." She looked again to Danziger and said, "Don't think that I wouldn't use this while Mr. Bower is in the way. If you make any unnecessary moves, you will both go down."

Bower roughly removed the restraints, and quickly stepped out of the way. Danziger rubbed his wrists and said, "If I help you, you'll let True go. She won't be hurt."

"If I get what I want, then I will decide what to do next," Vance replied. "Now, you said that you would prove to me that you were willing to help."

Danziger nodded and put his hands up, reaching into the rafters. Vance leveled the Taser and Bower pulled his laser pistol off his belt. Danziger quickly popped something off of the littered rafter and held it out, open palmed.

Bower squinted at the item, a small electronic device. "What is it?"

It was LaSalle that recognized it. "It's the optic from a GEAR set. It's a surveillance device," She said under her breath, and then turned to Raddison. The two of them jumped to their computers.

Vance snatched the device out of Danziger's hand, while Bower pressed him back into the seat, replacing the restraints. "Trace it!" she screamed at the aides. "Trace those stinking bastards back to their home!"

* * * *

"Damn it! Disconnect! Get out! Get out! Get out!" Morgan cried, mostly to himself, as he flicked switches, pounded on keyboards, disconnected lines and unhooked half the computer system. He was breathless and his GEAR askew by the time he was done. Stanley was standing on his tip-toes, his coarse hairs bristling.

Cameron watched, wide eyed. "Did you get out fast enough? They didn't trace you?"

"Morgan, honey, they didn't catch you, did they?" Bess said tentatively.

Morgan was still trying to catch his breath. "I think I got out in time. They didn't have time to figure out which band I was using. Now they know."

"Why the hell did he do that?'' Magus asked, "What is he thinking?"

"Danziger..." Morgan muttered.

Devon stood, dry-eyed, her GEAR still in place. "No, no no..." she said softly to herself. "Not again..."

Magus looked around at the others. "We have to get ready in case he leads them here. They've got that shuttle. We have to protect ourselves."

"What about True?" Cameron put in, "We gotta come up with a plan."

"Hold it right there," a strange voice suddenly called from behind them. Devon turned to look into the eyes of Captain Simmons as he leveled his laser-rifle at her. "I think I may have something to say about those plans."

* * * *

"Well?" Bower said, leaning heavily over LaSalle's shoulder as she worked. "Where are they?"

"There it is," Raddison said, pointing to his monitor. "That's the one they were using."

Vance glared at the undecipherable mess on the screen. "Trace it. I want to know where the hell they are."

"Ah," Raddison started and looked to LaSalle for support, "I didn't have time to trace it."

"We couldn't even tell which frequency they were using until they discontinued the signal," LaSalle said, trying to be helpful. "But we would have found them if we'd had a few more seconds. They disconnected too quickly."

Vance placed one hand on each of her aide's heads. "Explain this to me. How was it that they were using a recognizable frequency to monitor these devices and nobody noticed until they stopped using it?"

Raddison and LaSalle looked at each other. Alison LaSalle spoke, her voice trembling slightly, "Because it was probably always there. It was so constant we probably just thought it was background noise."

"Probably thought..." Vance said, walking slowly away from her aides and back to the restrained John Danziger. "So you have been privy to our every discussion. Mr. Bower thinks that you were able to cut into our communication systems. Maybe you have even cracked your way into our computer systems. How much do you know, Mr. Danziger?"

Danziger laughed, "Me? I know nothing. I can tell you where they are though. If you free my daughter, I can tell you everything."

Vance brought her face within inches of his. "You know I can't do that. But you have shown me something interesting. For that I am grateful. But it's not enough."

"I will show you where they are. There's a trick to getting there. I have to be there to show you. Just don't hurt True."

"Bower, take Hawking and Tulmey and find out what Mr. Danziger wants to show us."

Bower nodded and said, "There are at least eight more of them, maybe a lot more." He nodded sharply at the aides. "We could use a few more hands."

Vance looked at her trembling aides and said, "Raddison, you're with me. We'll take the second DuneRail. LaSalle, you will examine every single frequency on the spectrum. They will not make contact with our system again without a trace on them."

Raddison stood up slowly, "What about the girl? Who's going to watch the girl?"

Vance frowned for a moment and then turned to Bower. "Get her into the shuttle. I don't trust locking her up in any of these buildings. Who knows what other surprises they have hidden here. We'll put Alex to some good use. He can keep an eye on the girl." Bower left the room, then Vance looked at Danziger, "So, are you ready to go?"

"I need your word that True will not be harmed in any way."

"As long as you take us to the others, she will remain relatively safe."

"I want to see her again."

"You are in no position to ask for favors." Still, she gestured to the window. Danziger was able to turn just enough to see his daughter marched across the wet compound between their two remaining guards. The fair-haired pilot followed behind, his head slightly ducked against the rain. "If you help us, we will help you." Vance said.

Danziger watched through the window until True disappeared from his sight into the rain, which fell like a curtain around her.