May 14, 2041

State Route 224

Western West Virginia

 

The Pebbleman muttered something and his new acolyte Jacob glanced at him from the driver's seat. It looked like the man was asleep, but Jacob wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about anything anymore. He didn't like that feeling, not one little bit.

The day had just kept getting stranger, and that was saying something. Right before they left, Pebbleman had put on his old hat but it took it right back off. Then he'd pointed to a spot on a map and told Jacob to take him there, as fast as possible. Then he'd made the whole thing even more uncanny by tossing the hat on the ground and stomping on it several times.

So here they were; in the dark, tearing down winding backroads, headed west, more or less. Behind him, mostly keeping up, was a beat-up old church van and a pickup, both full of Brothers. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to Jacob, but he'd always followed those who were better at the hard thinking.

Except now he had to do his own hard thinking. He didn't like that feeling either, how was he supposed to know what to do next? Had he really witnessed a miracle? He'd broken a few heads himself, so Jacob was sure that he'd seen Brother...Pebbleman's exposed brains. It had to be a miracle, a man couldn't recover from something that bad, not that fast. But if it was a miracle, if Pebbleman had been healed by the hand of the Almighty, why wasn't he just as good as before?

Because, for better or worse, the person riding beside him wasn't the same as the one Jacob had seen preaching every Sunday. He was still mean as a snake with a toothache for sure. When they'd gone out to quiet folks down, Sheldon McIntyre had decided to fire his revolver one more time. Without a word, Pebbleman had taken a shotgun from someone and removed Sheldon's idiot head with it. Then he acted like it hadn't happened at all, encouraging his flock to gather around him while smoke still oozed from the double-barrel.

He'd preached to them about vengeance, right there in the street, called for volunteers to bring the Crabtree kid back home. All the while, Sheldon's new widow made weird noises as someone muffled her screams and sobs. People had all stared at his exposed head but none of them said word. Jacob figured that none of them had ever seen the Pebbleman without the usual broad brimmed hat before. Which brought up another worrying thing.

Pebble had him and a couple of others strip the clothes off the two that had attacked. They'd bundled it all together and wrapped every bit of tinfoil they could find around the bundle. They'd done it enough times before, but those bodies weren't right, didn't look natural at all. They'd dragged them outside and burned them, as Pebbleman had ordered, although a shallow grave back in the woods was usually enough for nosy strangers or the occasional unrepentant sinner. When they'd been doused with gas and lit, even the smell of it was all wrong.

Jacob had smelled more than few roasting bodies when the Army had sent him off to fight ragheads. The smell of those two though... Jacob had to clench his teeth tight, fighting back the urge to empty his stomach. What were those things? Were they really relatives of Pebbleman? They seemed more like demons than men.

Then Jacob made a connection, like a camera going off behind his eyes. Demons and angels were all related, the Almighty had made them together. Suddenly, it began to make sense, a pair of demons had come and attacked the Good Brother! They wouldn't attack one of their own. Nossir, they'd attack an enemy! They'd all look alike to humans, but didn't the Good Book say that men didn't have the proper eyes to really see? Or something like that. He glanced at his passenger in growing awe. No wonder he'd always seemed different. He was an angel!

Jacob chuckled and sent a prayer of thanksgiving. Angels weren't the perfect sanctimonious winged annoyances he'd always imagined, thank the Almighty Lord. They were warriors, like him. Jacob knew then that he'd follow Pebbleman wherever this was headed. He'd been tired of being a townie thug for a while now. Woe to any man who turned his face from their holy and ordained path. He pushed the gas pedal down a little more. They couldn't possibly wreck, not with the Hand of the Almighty guiding their way!

 

 

May 14, 2041

US Route 60

Rural West Virginia

 

It was dark outside when Theo opened his eyes. He started to panic, not knowing where he was at first. As he struggled to get up, someone put their hand on his leg. A small light went on and he saw the blue-eyed woman, Rachel, was in the passenger seat now. She'd turned around, it was her hand on his shin. After a second Theo remembered and let his breath out. Beside him, the blonde man who'd been driving before was sitting beside Theo now. When he noticed Theo, the man stuck out a hand.

"Hey cousin," he said as they shook hands. "I'm Jim Sheppard, everyone calls me Shep."

"Theo. You were the one driving the truck that hit us."

He sort of expected the man to apologize like Rachel had but Shep grinned at him instead.

"That was pretty cool, huh?"

Theo couldn't help but grin back at him. "Definitely surprised everyone. You're kin of mine too?"

"Probably not by blood, but I grew up farming and can always spot another brother of the soil."

"No kidding? Where at?"

"Little ways south of Atlanta. Mostly corn and beans, a few chickens and hogs. Daddy tried peanuts and cotton too. Didn't care much for cotton."

Theo laughed. "Yeah, never heard a single good thing about cotton. I liked taking care of pigs though..."

Sitting behind them in the dark, Kawehi frowned as she watched the two of them talk. She'd assumed this kid was just shy of outsiders, but Marisol's demolitions sergeant had him smiling and chatting away with hardly any effort at all. It might have been that he related to men better than women, but it would be an extreme reaction with a lot of other signs she hadn't seen. It felt more like Theo hadn't wanted to reveal very much. She wondered how he'd answer if she suddenly sat up and asked about this "Good Brother" or that little town.

Most likely, he'd just shut back down. It would be a cruel experiment. At best. In fact, she felt bad even considering it. Theo was her responsibility and she cared about him. That snapped her eyes open. Kawehi sat up, determined to figure out what was going on here. Yes, he was some of the last family a VIP had, and yes, she was technically in charge of this op making Theo her responsibility. The feeling went beyond that though. She was tempted to wake Nate up to talk about this weirdness but let him sleep. He usually erred toward overreaction and something was telling her that she needed to be careful here. Hopefully that was based on logic, not whatever this weird attraction was.

 

The roads were paved now but they were just as twisted and treacherous in the dark. Jacob peered out of the windshield, trying to see what was beyond his headlights as he skidded and fishtailed the old Cadillac through the hills.

"Brother Rock, I note that some of our followers lack our true faith and fellowship."

Jacob kept his eyes on the road. "Uhm, how do you mean?"

"You and I share a bond, yes? The others, I don't feel the same bond of fellowship."

He slammed on the brakes for hairpin curve that had suddenly appeared. "Sir, this moment here ain't really a time for that kinda talk. They jes' gotta get used to you is all."

Pebbleman nodded and they stared out the windows in silence.

"Because I shot that shit heel?" he suddenly demanded.

Jacob really wanted to punch something, but he managed to keep his voice calm. "Could be part of it, sure. But let's worry on this a bit later, yeah?"

The gaunt man looked over, a manic rictus twisting his thin lips into a parody of a grin. "Later, yes! Once we drive that unholy vermin back to hell!"

Jacob just nodded, concentrating on the road.

"Yes," the Pebbleman said, looking back out the window. "Once we find our little lost lamb."

Jacob nodded again, not really paying attention.

"Once that shit covered lamb is in my abattoir!" Pebbleman shrieked.

Startled, Jacob slammed on the brakes and the old sedan shuddered, slid, and groaned to a halt sideways in the road.

"Ah! We've arrived?" Pebbleman asked, looking from window to window.

Jacob resisted another powerful urge to find out what would happen if he punched this angel into next week.

"No," he said through gritted teeth. "You scared the shit out of me with that screaming."

When Jacob had gotten the car moving again, he became aware that Pebbleman had his arms clutched around his thin chest and he was rocking back and forth while he laughed. It was disturbing, a hissing snicker.

"Somethin' funny?" Jacob asked, in a low, dangerous voice.

"You're scared of a sound!" Pebbleman gasped.

Jacob shook his head and pushed the accelerator harder.

"That shit covered monkey...no, lamb. The shit smeared lamb has a secret somewhere, my fine Rock. We're going to find it, I'll tear out his stinking guts to find out what it is."

"What kind of secret do you mean?"

"That little...fuckling! If you knew the trouble to get one of those... But not to rudely break it open with a rock! To appreciate the subtle twisting coils of its truth, to taste its wet electricity. Then I will finally know. Oh, they will weep, sending those rectum biters to Question me..." Pebbleman's voice faded into a hissing whisper.

Jacob was happy not to hear what he was saying. The accelerator pedal went a little further down. Angel or not, the sooner this chase was finished, the better.

 

 

May 14, 2041

International Fuel Travel Center and Qwiktel Hometown Suites

Southeast of Huntington, West Virginia

 

Shep had fallen asleep a few hours ago, but Theo was still wide awake. It seemed like him and the woman who had taken over the driving were the only ones awake in the RV. He amused himself by watching the little TV sets in the dashboard. Some were of a road, taken from different angles. As another car passed them, Theo realized that the cameras must be on the outside of the RV. Others had incomprehensible words and numbers on them. He was slowly falling asleep, lulled by the sound of the engine, when one of the little screens flashed twice. He could hear a voice that sounded like it was on the radio. The woman said something back, clearly responding, although she hadn't picked up anything to talk into. Then she made the lights inside of the RV come on. It was dim at first but quickly brightened into a strange blue-white light.

Beside him, Theo noticed that Shep had already woken up and was looking out the windows. Rachel was doing the same thing.

"Fuel stop," the driver announced. "Number two is about bingo."

Around him, Theo heard people sitting up. Disturbingly, there were a couple of metallic noises that probably were guns of some sort. He wasn't sure if they were because of him or something outside, but it made him jumpy. Further up the road, he could see an island of light in the surrounding darkness. As they slowed down, he could see it was a gas station. Bigger than the filling station at home, but familiar at least.

The RV pulled under a huge canopy and stopped beside a gas pump. Looking out the window, Theo recognized one of the cars that was already getting gas. The man he thought was a field hand was working the pump. It was strange, he didn't even look over at the RV, but it was obvious to Theo that they were looking away on purpose.

Shep got out of his chair and stretched. "Man, I gotta hit the can. How about you?"

Theo nodded, unbuckled and got up. Shep unlocked the side door and Theo followed him into the cool night air. Another one of their cars pulled in but used a gas pump that was on the other side of the canopy. Again, the passengers acted like they didn't know anyone in the camper. Nate hopped down from the camper and the three of them walked over the brightly lit building.

None of them noticed the rusted-out Cadillac half- hidden behind a dumpster.

Theo followed Shep to the bathroom, keeping his eyes on the floor. The bright lights and sheer amount of stuff on the shelves made the filling station feel strange, almost dreamlike. At least the toilets in the bathroom were familiar.

When they emerged, Nate was standing outside of the bathroom door waiting. Shep told Theo to pick something to eat and drink while they waited for Nate. Theo looked at the same shelf Shep went to, but the brightly colored bags were strange, and he had trouble working out what they contained. He followed Shep to a line of glass doors where an equally baffling number of drinks were for sale.

"Not hungry?" Shep asked as he pulled out a couple of bottles.

"What's a Cheeto? I've heard of Coke, but I don't know this other stuff."

Shep looked at him, surprised. "They didn't let you out much, huh?"

Theo shrugged, unsure of how to answer that. After a few questions about what he liked, Shep bought him a bottle of water and packet of dried meat, along with a bag of something called M&Ms. Nate poured himself a coffee and got some of the same dried meat as Theo.

As they walked out, the red-haired woman from one of the cars was walking over to the door. She acted like she didn't know them and Shep whistled as he turned to watch her walk past. She scowled at Shep and gave him the finger as she pulled the door open.

Theo glanced at Shep, and then Nate, who was grinning. Neither one offered an explanation.

"It's good for her," Shep said as they walked to the camper.

"Keep telling yourself that when she's kicking your ass," Nate answered. "You're going to get..."

He stopped as a truck came screeching into the lot. Behind it was a beat-up van, engine roaring.

"Hey, that's the church..." Theo said.

He was cut off as guns began to fire around them. There was even a clatter of buckshot against the wall behind them. Nate grabbed Theo's arm and ran to the RV and pushed him inside. Nate took a bag from under the seat and pulled one of the strange looking guns out of it.

"Stay here and stay down," he said before ducking back outside.

Theo could hear the popcorn sounds of rifles and pistols with the occasional boom of a shotgun. He raised his head high enough to peek out of the windshield. A block of ice clamped around his chest when he saw Shep lying motionless on the ground.

Theo quickly checked the view from the other windows. The first thing he saw was that the van was stopped in the middle of the parking lot. Two of the tires were flat and there was steam coming out of the front. He didn't see anyone moving inside. The other truck had disappeared around the back of the filling station, but someone was still shooting from the darkness beyond the bright station lights. Tires screeching, the truck reappeared from behind the filling station. Two men were standing in the back and both fired shotguns toward the car that had pulled in after them. The harsh rattle he'd heard before was repeated and the bright floodlight above them went out. The rest of the people, hiding behind the other cars, got the idea. One after the other, all of the bright lights overhead were extinguished.

Theo looked back out the windshield, no one had gone to help Shep. Without stopping to think about it, Theo jumped out of the RV door and ran toward the wounded man.

Crouched in front of the RV, Rachel saw him sprint past and for a second she thought he was escaping. Instead, he dove onto the ground next to Shep.

"Cover fire!" Rachel yelled, and leaned out to fire shots toward the muzzle flashes in the neighboring field.

Betsy and Jonesy were crouched behind another of the cars and saw Theo run toward Shep. Swearing, they both rolled to the ground from behind the tires and started firing as well.

Ignoring everything else, Theo grabbed Shep's collar and began dragging him back to the RV. It was painfully slow, like a dream of getting chased, until Rachel ran out and helped him. Together, they were able to drag Shep to the side of the camper. Nate was kneeling there, firing into the darkness.

"Don't ever pull that shit again, kid," he snapped, voice angry.

Theo's fists bunched and he considered going over and knocking the older man down.

"Hey, Theo, I need a hand," Rachel said, opening the side door. She pulled a board from behind the couch/dining room and laid it on the step like a ramp.

"What do we do?"

"We're going to slide him up this ramp. Very carefully," Rachel warned.

He nodded and they managed to get Shep into the camper.

"He's right," Rachel said, checking Shep. "That was really dangerous, you could have gotten yourself killed."

Theo nodded, clenching his jaw. Neither of them saw blood but Shep's breathing was slow and it looked like he was struggling to inhale. Rachel pulled his shirt open and something bright fell out onto the ground.

"His vest caught it," Rachel said. "I want you to sit here beside him and yell if his breathing changes."

"What's wrong with him? I thought he got shot."

"He did, there's the bullet, right by your foot. He had a special kind of vest on, it stops bullets."

Theo looked at Shep's slowly rising chest and frowned and then nodded to himself. It made sense if the vest didn't stop the force. How hard of a punch would that feel like?

Rachel went back out, but the shooting had already stopped. Everything was quiet and in the distance he could sirens. Theo concentrated on watching Shep's chest but heard the strangers outside yelling to each other. Shep's eyes struggled open and he groaned.

"Stay still," Theo said quietly. "You got shot."

"You don't say," Shep whispered. "Vest got it?"

Theo picked up the bullet to show him.

"Buncha assholes," Shep whispered and closed his eyes again.

Theo wondered who he was talking about. The voices outside were coming nearer. Kawehi came in the door and knelt beside Shep.

"How's he doing?"

"He opened his eyes for a little bit."

"Good. Next time, try not to be a hero, okay?"

In spite of what she said, Kawehi leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

Theo felt his face get hot again as his heart pounded. If she was going to kiss him, he'd be keeping an eye out for chances to be a hero.

"That was incredibly brave, Theo. I'm so proud of you," Kawehi said softly, looking into his eyes.

Theo wanted to kiss her again but then someone climbed in behind her and Kawehi got out of the way. The woman that Shep had whistled at took Kawehi's place and unrolled a medical kit. Theo got out of the way as two more people climbed in.

He ended up sitting at the little table between Nate and the angry looking woman that everyone called Chief or Boss. The RV rumbled into life and as they pulled away, there was some clunking from the back. They began to roll forward and Theo jumped as both motorcycles roared past on either side. As they pulled back onto the road, he craned his neck and saw that two of their cars had been left behind, along with the trailer. There was smoke billowing from one car, and as they pulled onto the road, he saw flames beginning to jet out from under the hood of the other one.

These people seemed to really like burning cars.

"The people that were in those cars, they're okay? You got them?" Theo asked the angry looking woman.

"One of them is right there," the woman said, pointing at the woman helping Shep. "Two got on the bikes and Ian is riding in another car. I run this team and we don't leave anyone behind."

She acted like he was some kind of simpleton. Theo was already upset and embarrassed, and at home he would have known to keep quiet. But it had already been a very long, very strange day and he was angry.

"You almost left him behind," Theo snapped, pointing at Shep. "People keep saying I shouldn't have helped him. So, yes, ma'am, I wondered if you left anyone behind."

Her eyebrows went up and she looked at Nate. "What's he talking about? I thought Rachel grabbed Shep."

Nate glanced at Theo, no expression on his face. "She went after the kid, they both dragged your guy back."

Theo looked at Nate and wanted to hit him all over again. A police car going in the opposite direction raced past the RV, siren screaming. Two more passed them a few seconds behind it.

"Anything about us?" the woman asked the driver.

"Just 'shots fired,' so far." someone answered. "There's an off-site eighteen miles away, abandoned campground, overhead cover."

"Do it." She turned back to Theo. "You ran because...?"

"Because he was laying on the ground," Theo said, making sure to say it like she was the simple one. "I didn't see him until after that one threw me in the camper. Then Rachel came to help me pull him back. You can ask her yourself."

Marisol looked at Theo and it felt like a long time to him.

"Okay, kid, here's the deal," she said. "First off, I'm going to repeat what everyone said; stay under cover if shooting starts."

Theo started to protest, and she raised an eyebrow. He closed his mouth and she chuckled.

"Look, I really need you to stay safe. You're the whole reason we're out here. More importantly, you haven't trained with us. My people are used to a specific pattern of doing things. We practice a lot together. When people start trying to help, they get in the way. That make sense?"

"Yes, ma'am." Theo looked down and concentrated on the plastic tabletop. Marisol put her hand on the top of his head and turned him back to face her.

"Sometimes people yell at you because they're worried," she said, her eyes flicking to Nate's momentarily. "And sometimes they're just assholes who need a pop in the mouth."

Nate grumbled something and slid out of his seat. He went to the back where Kawehi was sitting. Marisol had a small smile on her face.

"Most importantly, thank you for going after Shep He's an old friend of mine. It was hardcore, just wait to do it again until you've trained with us, okay?"

He smiled back. "Yes ma'am."

She smiled at him, suddenly looking friendlier and younger.

"My name is Marisol. Stop calling me ma'am."

 

 

May 14, 2041

Previous site of KOA #302

REDACTED, Southern Ohio

 

The convoy, now consisting of the RV, one of the cars and both bikes, got off the freeway and followed a narrow, two-lane road for half an hour. Then they turned and followed an overgrown two-track. The branches squealed and scraped against the outside of the RV as it slowly pushed through the waist high grass. Ahead of them, one of the motorcycles was sitting beside a rusty old gate. Theo looked back and the rider was pushing the gate closed. The motorcycle caught up and slowly followed them along.

The two-track ended in a clearing. There was a large shed on one side and a collapsed building on the other. The engine died away and Theo noticed again how quiet everything seemed. After a few minutes, someone radioed that everything was clear. Theo stayed in his seat while everyone else gathered outside.

"I thought you were all exhausted, but y'all just keep insisting on being all badass," he heard Marisol saying. "If anyone didn't hear, this is an off-site. Let's get everything under the roof over there. I was looking at the map on the way here, no way those townies stumbled into us by accident. I want to know how they tracked us before we move a single mile closer to home. We're going to go through every piece of gear, every inch of these cars, until we find out how."

After they'd moved all the vehicles under the shed, Marisol finally let Theo out of the RV. Around him, everyone was busy with something. Some of them were laying out their gear, others had taken everything out of their old cars and were poking around the insides. No one mentioned him being brave but stupid, which was a relief. In fact, people stopped what they were doing to say hello and introduce themselves.

The medic came over to see what was going on. When she saw Theo, she hugged him from behind.

Rachel laughed at the look on Theo's face. "Aww, Deidre! You just scared him out of a year's growth."

Theo was turned around. The woman with the deep tan and red-brown hair gave him a big kiss.

"Hi Theo, my name is Deidre. Thank you for pulling Shep out of the line of fire. That was fierce."

"How's he doing?" Rachel asked, seeing that Theo had no idea how to respond.

"Not so hot. He got tagged in the middle of the chest with a round from a hunting rifle. The impact broke his sternum and a few ribs. Moving him would be..."

"Wait, you can't move him like that," Jonesy interrupted as he was walking by.

Deirdre glared at him. "Really? Strangely, I just said the same thing to Marisol. And, you know what? It turns out that I'm the fucking medical specialist. Would you believe it?"

Jonesy put his hands up. "Doc, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on your toes. I'm worried about that idiot and...y'know."

The angry look was gone as quickly as it had come, and Deidre gave Jonesy a hug.

"I know, me too. A little duct tape and he'll pull through."

"What can we do for him?" the short blonde woman named Betsy asked.

Deidre let go of Jonesy. "Moving him is out of the question, they're figuring out how to get a medevac in with the Head Office right now."

"Real medevac? To Echo? I think I want a transfer to a CONUS team," Willi muttered.

"Get the fuck out then," Marisol said as she walked past, slapping him hard on the ass. "Listen up, you animals. First item, the Administrator sends her warmest thanks and profoundest gratitude, her Ladyship's exact words. So, stop picking your noses, you've impressed the royalty. Second item, we're holing up for the next eighteen hours or so. Medevac will be here sometime after dark tomorrow. You'll know when I know. Third, and lastly, there's a cache here. Grab whatever you need, be sure to put it on the list beside the hatch. Questions? Can you not be a jackass, Willi?"

Willi put the hand he'd been waving down. "Can I talk to the team social worker? I think my boss is sexually harassing me."

There were chuckles around the group.

"You wish it was sexual," Marisol said. "First light, we'll start looking for the bug again. Put me on the watch list tonight. Now go get some sleep."

"You got an okay for a medical flight that fast?" Deidre asked as everyone else walked away.

Marisol shrugged. "Maybe it's the kid, or real-life Tango Agents. Either way, Lady Amanda is paying close attention. They would have sent medevac now, but the Marmots only fly at night."

"Medevac on a real live Marmot? Wowzers."

"It's almost like we're secret agents or something," Marisol said, bumping shoulders with Deidre as she went to find somewhere to sleep.

 

 

May 14, 2041

US 60 Picnic Area, Mile 43

Southern Ohio

 

Jacob leaned on the fender of the Cadillac, arms crossed and watched as Lon Stedman's pickup headed back up the dirt road they'd used to get here. The van, along with the corpses of Stedman and his brother-in- law, had been left back at the truck stop when they'd fled the sounds of police sirens. Jacob and Pebbleman had caught up with them, after grabbing a couple of the stragglers who'd taken off across the fields. They'd finally run them down at a small roadside park.

Their bravado ruined, none of the men had a word to say other than they were all going home. Pebbleman had tried to get them riled up for another chase but they'd ignored him. His own brother-in-law had started to put one of the wounded in the back seat of the Cadillac, but Jacob had kicked the door shut again, nearly catching his hand. Ignoring the glare and clenched fists, Jacob announced that he wasn't a fair-weather believer, that he'd stick to the job he'd given, like an American.

But nothing shamed any of them into staying. It was probably for the best, the Pebbleman was getting kind of strange. It wouldn't have been long before they were all asking questions Jacob didn't even want to think about let alone answer.

"As I said before, you are the only one I can place my trust in," Pebbleman said from behind him.

Jacob turned around and looked at the man. He was still wearing jeans that were too big with an equally oversized work shirt. There was black dust around the man's mouth and nose. As he watched, Pebbleman took another bite of some charcoal he'd found in one of the grills. Jacob winced as Pebbleman chewed it noisily.

"Why are you eating that?"

Pebbleman looked around, as if he had some huge secret.

"Because it tastes good," he whispered and then giggled like it as the funniest thing he'd heard all week.

Finally, Jacob had had enough. "I put up with a lot today, y'hear? Tell me what's going on, or I swear to Good Lord that I'll leave you here and head on home myself!"

Pebbleman stared at him, his black eyes expressionless. Jacob didn't care. Angel or prophet or whatever, the pale man owed him some answers. As he stared, Pebleman finished chewing. After a few seconds he spit a few black fragments out.

"Since you do not possess a sense of humor, I smell carbon in this. There are...processes. Processes trying to repair the damage done to my brain. It all requires carbon."

Jacob frowned. "And are you an angel of the Holy One?"

Pebbleman cocked his head slightly, staring at Jacob with emotionless eyes. The casual murder of McIntyre was very much on Jacob's mind but he'd never been one to back down.

 

"There are reasons why I should not answer you," Pebbleman finally said. Abruptly he was screaming. "Strong reasons! So, so strong that I would immediately end your insect life before I'd answer! End it bloody and leave the mess on your blessed porch. Let wifey see what kind of man you are! Inside and out! But those nest-less sshiit- heels closed that door to me!"

Jacob didn't look away, hardly even blinked. He was very happy he had the hood of a 1972 Fleetwood between them. Pebbleman shook his head and pressed his temples with his fingertips.

"I have startled you," he said, in a normal voice again. "The control of impulses was damaged, but it will be repaired soon. What I am trying to calmly relate is that I cannot remember why there are things you should not know. That concept is an obscenity, curiosity exists to be satisfied."

"I'm gonna go ahead and assume you're not an angel then."

Pebbleman waved his hand. "Of course not. Those are fairytales for children, put them out of your head."

Jacob's eyebrows went up. "And you being a servant of the Holy One and the Good Lord?"

"I remember that. But that phase is secondary to recovering our filthy lamb. Now that they have escaped, I will have to attempt to use the interface of one of the rectum-biting Questions."

With that, the Pebbleman got into the passenger seat and folded his arms.

"Well, shit," Jacob said to himself. After a minute he got back behind the wheel. Even with a lunatic, this was still better than hanging around that shit town.

 

 

May 15, 2041

Previous site of KOA #302

REDACTED, Southern Ohio

 

The next morning, Rachel stayed near Theo as the rest of the team continued to search for the transmitter that had given away their position. Despite their surroundings, Theo was delighted. Rachel had explained tablets and showed him how to use hers. He was especially taken with the electronic book application and spent an hour just browsing the books she had in memory. After a lifetime of hiding his curiosity and intelligence, he was finally allowed to set both free. She didn't try to explain the internet, no one was connected for obvious reasons, but she could imagine Theo's face when confronted with something like Wikipedia.

Jonesy came over to where they were sitting just before lunch. He'd been closely examining the other cars and piles of gear, including everything from the RV. He waited for Rachel to finish explaining how something worked on the tablet before he spoke.

"Hey guys, we can't find anything in the cars, so I'm trying something a little different." He showed them a small box. "This thing looks for all kinds of radio signals. Would you mind if I waved it over you?"

Rachel got up first and held her arms away from her sides. Jonesy waved the box over her, but nothing happened. Theo got up and held up his arms as well.

"Want me to turn out my pockets?"

"Nah," Jonesy said. "I'm just making sure they didn't hide anything in your clothes. Be done in just a second."

As Jonesy moved the device over him there was a small chirping noise. He didn't say anything, but Theo's heart was immediately pounding, and his stomach was full of butterflies. He hadn't done anything wrong, they hadn't even asked him hardly nothing!

Jonesy had Theo turn around and he repeated the process. Again, there was a high-pitched noise. Theo tried not to flinch, it sounded like the box was accusing him.

"Relax, kid," Jonesy said. "I think maybe there's something hidden in your clothes, not your fault at all. Would you mind taking off your shirt so I can look?"

Theo pulled off his shirt and handed it over. Jonesy examined it closely and then waved the box over it. Nothing happened.

"Weird, maybe it picked up a stray signal," the man muttered.

Theo saw the look on Rachel's face. She didn't think it was whatever the man had said. Then he saw Marisol and Nate walking over and Theo's stomach knotted up. His mouth was as dry as dust and his knees began to tremble. Jonesy was running his hands through his hair, but Theo hardly felt it. Rachel was saying something, but he couldn't hear over the roaring in his ears. The butterflies in Theo's stomach turned to acid as a hand captured his shoulder. They weren't hurting him yet, but it was coming. Then there was a brush over his back and shoulders and then over the back of his head. The box immediately chirped.

Theo's teeth began to chatter, his whole body shuddering now. They would beat him for this, he knew how it worked. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to tighten the muscles in his belly without throwing up. Any moment now the first punch would land, knocking him to the ground.

"Theo, I'm right here."

It was Kawehi's gentle voice, suddenly right beside him but Theo didn't dare look at her. She was going to hate him now and the thought made him even more miserable.

"Can you talk to me?" she asked. "Everything is fine, I promise."

He felt more fingers lightly probe his neck and the back of his head. Nobody could know about that! Theo gulped, desperately holding back the sick coming up from his guts.

"Hey buddy, what's that little scar from?" Jonesy asked from behind him.

Now they all knew! Flickering black dots filled Theo's vision and he felt himself heave up the food they'd given him. There were distant sounds of alarm as his legs gave out. The last thing he remembered was the smell of sick and a slimy feeling on his face. It wasn't important now, he couldn't talk to them. Nothing mattered but hiding the secret. As consciousness faded away, Theo frantically tried to bury everything.

 

Deidre looked up when Jonesy shouted, just in time to see Theo collapse. She grabbed her med kit and ran over.

"What happened?" she demanded, kneeling beside him.

"Something in the kid's head pinged back when I scanned it. He was starting to get squirrely. When I asked him what the scar on his head was, he puked and collapsed."

Deidre gently opened Theo's mouth, making sure he wouldn't choke. Satisfied, she looked up to see Rachel crouched by the kid's feet.

"Grab his legs, we're going to turn him over," Deidre told her.

On his back, they could Theo's eyes twitching back and forth under his eyelids. His lips were moving slightly, it looked almost like he was repeating something over and over and over. Deidre put a blood pressure cuff on him and taped another probe against his chest. Her tablet beeped as it connected to the sensors and showed Theo's pulse was slowing but was still over 120 BPM. His blood pressure was low but slowly climbing toward normal.

"Where's the scar?" she asked.

"Back of his head, right below the occipital knob," Jonesy said. He turned Theo's head carefully and brushed the hair aside to show her a thin white scar. "It pings a RF when the active scan hits it."

"For chrissakes, don't power it up again," Nate warned, looking over their shoulders.

Deidre ignored him as she looked closer. "It's a clean cut, too clean to be an accident. Hand me the imager."

Kawehi handed her an open box with a small cylinder nestled inside. Deidre took it out and made sure it was connected to her tablet as well. A noise began, higher than a mosquito's whine. Deidre began moving it slowly over Theo's head and neck. As an image began to form, Nate crowded closer to see it. Deirdre stopped what she was doing and looked up.

"Back off and let me do my job."

Nate glared at her. "Keeping a Trojan Horse away from the Project is my job."

Deirdre rolled her eyes and went back to the imager. "Great, now go away, I'll let you know what I find."

He didn't move and Kawehi cleared her throat. When he ignored her, she went over pulled him back.

"Let her work, you'll know what it is as soon as anyone else."

They all heard him muttering angrily as he stepped back.

"Deed. there's something coming up," Jonesy said, pointing to a tiny white triangular spot on the screen.

"Don't know what that is. Rachel, can you run the imager?" Deirdre asked.

The other woman took the small cylinder from her and Deirdre zoomed the screen in. The image was getting clearer as Rachel continued moving the imager, constantly feeding data to the tablet. The outline of the shape got clearer, but the device clearly didn't have the resolution needed to pick our details.

"Well, I can say that it's not supposed to be there and that it's definitely artificial. See the shadow here? I think there's more of it in the bone. And these might be tiny wires, I can't tell."

"Why not?" Marisol asked.

Deidre kept working on the screen. "Because this thing is set up to find bullets and shrapnel. Whatever that is, it's less than half the size of a BB. I need a better rig to get a picture of it."

"Was that what knocked him out?" Jonesy asked.

Deirdre shrugged. "Maybe? If it's tech, it's probably not ours."

"Is it controlling him?" Marisol asked.

"I think it's too small for that," Kawehi said. "We've dealt with Commonwealth neurotech before, it's much larger. Portions of the host's brain are removed to make space for it."

"I don't want to know," Deidre said. "Whatever this thing is, I'm not touching it. It's too small to deal with in the field. See this shadow here? That's where it breaches the occipital plate. He really needs a neural specialist, preferably one from the Project."

"Kawehi, I have to agree with your Warden, we can't take him to Echo like this," Marisol said.

"Can I get a secure datalink?" Kawehi said. "I know a specialist who'd be happy to get away from the office."

"Kawehi, we're not taking him anywhere near any Project facility like this," Nate said immediately.

"Would you dial it down already?" Kawehi snapped back. "Did I say we're taking Theo to him? Deidre, what can we do for him in the meantime?"

"You think he's going to wake up again?" Jonesy asked.

Deidre switched screens and then nodded. "Best guess, yeah. It looks like his vitals are moving closer to normal."

"Could we block the signal for a few hours?"

"Sure, Kay, blocking EM waves is easy," Jonesy said. "I'll set up some kind of shielding on him."

Kawehi looked at Nate. "Is that enough for you?"

"No. You don't have a clue of what that thing is capable of or what's going to happen when this little pain in the ass wakes up. Deidre, can you keep him asleep for the rest of the day?"

"With anesthetic? No way. I'd be nervous doing it at a medical facility. The back of an RV? Forget it."

"I have plenty of happy fun-time pills," Jonesy said. "Would making him groggy be enough?"

Deidre sighed. "What the hell, Jonesy? What do you have? Do I need to schedule you into a rehab program now?"

"Some opiate painkillers and some more exotic stuff and I'll happily go to rehab if there's a pool. But these are yours, you gave Jack and I spares to carry."

She took a deep breath. "Right. I'm sorry, I totally forgot about that. We've been in the weeds way too long," Deidre said. "Kawehi?"

"Anything that will slow down or interrupt his neural activity, thank you."

Kawehi turned to Nate and her voice got colder. "Is that enough for you, Warden?"

Nate shrugged. "I guess it'll have to be. Doc, I want him really, really stoned. One of your team should stay on him. With a weapon. And if..."

Kawehi gave him a warning look.

Nate looked at her and then back to Deidre. "You get the idea."

She nodded. "We'll keep him out of trouble."

Kawehi spun on her heel and grabbed her Warden's arm as she walked past. She pulled him away from the little crowd. Marisol watched them and it looked like they were arguing.

"Anything to worry about?" Jonesy asked from behind her. "I can always stage a little accident for him."

Marisol spun and grabbed the neckline of Jonesy's shirt, locking eyes with him. "It's a very good thing I know you're stressed out and just making asshole jokes."

Jonesy didn't bat an eye and Marisol let go of his shirt and walked away.

"It's cute that she thought I was joking," Jonesy muttered to Deidre.

She gave him a strange look. "Are you hot for Kawehi or something?"

"Not like that. She was my insurgency instructor before they sent her offworld."

"Come on, Jones. I know that's an intense course but seriously, offering to frag a Tango agent? In front of a team leader? You gotta get your shit back together."

He rubbed his eyes. "I really need a day off."

"We all do. Why don't you drag Marisol off to the tall grass for a little rumpus? You'd both feel better."

Even his usual grin looked tired. "Now who's trying to get people fragged?"

 

Theo was struggling to open his eyes by the time they'd gotten him cleaned up and into the bed in the back of the camper. Rachel was next to him, sitting at the foot of the bed with her back to the wall.

"How're you feeling?" she asked when he was awake.

He shook his head, trying to clear the fog. "What happened?"

"You got really sick."

Theo started to sit up but grabbed the sheet when he realized he only had his underwear on.

"And I've got some clean clothes when you want to get up."

"Did you..."

"No, you can relax. Jonesy and Ian undressed you. I made sure no one peeked."

He half nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I think I got a fever or something."

"That's the medicine Deidre gave you. Are you dizzy?"

"I can't think straight, can't remember nothing."

"You'll feel better soon. Let's get you dressed, okay?"

Theo didn't quite grasp what she was saying but Rachel handed him some clothes and turned her back so he could put them on. Once he was dressed in a t-shirt and loose black pants, Theo sat back down, trying to stop the little room from spinning.

"Did I ask you what happened? I can't remember. What's on my neck?"

He reached up to tug at whatever it was, but she caught his hand.

"You've got a special bandage around your neck. You'll be okay but we need to leave it there for now. How about we get you some fresh air?"

He nodded and she helped him sit up. When Theo's head stopped spinning, Rachel helped him to his feet.

"I need to, uhm, go," he said, his face red.

She helped him over to the tiny door and opened it for him. "You can manage?"

Theo quickly muttered that he was fine, and she smiled as she closed the door behind him. As he went, he examined his reflection in the mirror. There was some sort of collar around his neck that made it hard to turn his head. It was a dull gray color like aluminum, but it didn't feel like metal when he tapped it. He didn't see a way to take it off either and wondered how long he had to wear it. It didn't hurt but he had to turn his whole body to look around. It felt really weird.

When he emerged, Rachel was sitting at the little table waiting for him.

"Better?"

He nodded, blushing again but she smiled and helped him down the stairs and through the door. The sun was low in the sky and Theo dully wondered if it was setting or if it had just come up. He looked around, trying to remember what this place was but then Rachel took his hand.

He'd never held hands with anyone before. It had been a big deal at home, especially in public but Rachel was very casual about it. And the girls in Watson's Hole were always putting stuff on their hands and going on about their fingernails. Her hands felt as strong and work weathered as his own.

"There's a little creek back here. Let's go sit there," Rachel said.

He tried to nod but couldn't. It didn't matter though, she didn't wait for him to answer. Theo decided he was happy to follow her, he liked holding hands. For just a second, he had a flash of someone else, holding her hand would have been nice too. He tried to follow the thought, but it disappeared before he could. He didn't mind, he liked holding hands.

They walked past a big shed with a bunch of old cars parked underneath. There were a couple of old picnic tables and some people were sitting there, talking and playing cards. Theo had a moment of alarm, cards were strictly forbidden. But he wasn't at home anymore, it was okay here.

If only he could remember why. A couple people smiled and waved. He waved back, feeling absurdly happy. He had known their names before, but he couldn't remember anything now. Hand in hand, they walked down to a small stream. There were large pieces of stone and broken concrete scattered around and they stepped from piece to piece until they were in the middle of the running water. Rachel picked a spot and sat down on the edge of a big rock, her feet almost in the water. The water splashed and gurgled around them. Rachel helped him to sit down beside her and took his hand again. She slid over until she was sitting so close that their legs were touching.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

Theo couldn't really turn his head to look at her, but he said that it was great. He liked being here, there was nothing to do, nothing to worry about.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked.

"Really good, but kinda weird. Like my head is full of cotton but in a good way."

She nodded. "That's the drug for pain. It'll get better."

"What's this thing around my neck?"

"It's a bandage, remember? You passed out and fell down."

"I did? It's hard to think, like I'm in slow motion."

Theo jumped when she put her arm around him.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, I'm just not used to people touching me like that."

"Like what?"

Theo tried to shrug but there was something around his neck that made it uncomfortable. "I dunno how to say it. Soft like that."

She laughed. "We better get you used to it, your sister likes hugging people."

He scooted around so he could look at her. "What do you mean? I don't have a sister."

Rachel stared at him, feeling a weight form in the pit of her stomach. "You do, Theo. We talked about this yesterday. Her name is Emma and you're twins."

He rubbed his head. "A twin sister? No, I woulda remembered that. I think you have me mixed up with someone else. Why's this thing on my neck anyway?"

Rachel's discomfort got worse. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He frowned. "There was yelling and someone shooting a gun. Oh! I got in a wreck too."

She took a small radio out of a pocket. "Deidre, need you at the stream."

Theo was watching her, fascinated. "Who is Deidre?"

"A friend of mine," Rachel said, rubbing his back again. "You'll like her."

Theo just nodded and smiled but it was obvious he really didn't understand what she was saying.

"Hello, you beautiful people," Deidre said, coming down to the stream bank.

Behind her, Theo saw a couple of people, but they went away again and he immediately forgot they'd been there.

"Theo's having some trouble with his memory," Rachel explained.

Deidre hopped down into the water and sloshed over to them.

"Your shoes!" Theo said, pointing.

"I know, they're all wet, huh?" Deidre said.

She took a little flashlight out of her pocket and shone it into both his eyes.

"What kind of problems?" she asked.

"Theo, do you remember Deidre?" the dark haired woman asked him.

He squinted at the woman and shrugged with a silly grin on his face. "Guess not. Hi, I'm Theo."

The reddish haired woman smiled and shook hands. "Hi, Theo. My name is Deirdre and I'm happy to meet you. How bad is it, Rachel?"

"Theo, do you remember my name?" she asked.

He turned his whole body to look closely at her. "It's...uhm. I already know it, don't tell me..." They waited but he seemed to forget about them and stared off into space.

"Last thing he can remember sounds like the snatch. He knew me when he woke up but now he can't seem to keep even that in his head."

"I've never heard of this reaction before. You said you've taken hydrocodone before, was it anything like this?"

Rachel shook her head. "Our biology is close enough to human that I'm fine with medication."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Theo interrupted said to Deidre. "Can you tell me where I am? I can't figure out what I'm doing here."

"It's getting worse," Rachel said miserably.

Deidre looked into Theo's eyes again. "Theo, we're waiting for a doctor to come and look at you. We want to make sure you didn't get hurt when you fell. Is the fresh air helping your head any?"

Theo noticed the air, it was cool, and he could smell pine trees. "Yes, I think so. Why did I fall down?"

"It happened when we found something in your...Theo?"

He had gone pale and reached up to cover the back of his head. They could both see him beginning to shudder.

"No one is supposed to know about that," Theo whispered. "It's a secret. I have to keep the secret."

"Hey, it's okay," Rachel said, putting her hand on his back again. "We aren't looking for your secret. Let's talk about something else."

Theo had a flash of memory; someone had touched the secret place on his head. "It's important! No one can know about...no one can know!"

Deidre gently pulled his arms down. "So, how do you feel, Theo?"

He stopped struggling and smiled at her. "I feel really good."

Rachel gently rubbed his back while Deidre held his hands. Theo quickly forgot what he was worried about and relaxed, enjoying the attention.

"Oh, your name is Rachel," he suddenly said. "And your name is Deidre."

Deidre smiled at him. "Exactly right, my friend. What were you talking about before, Rachel?"

"Oh, uhm, Theo was saying that he's not used to people touching him."

He shook his head. "Not soft like this, no."

"What do you mean by soft?" Deidre asked.

"Well, I get beat sometimes, when I forget my place or I get caught looking in the bad way. This is much nicer."

"No one is going to hit you here," Deidre said firmly. "Can I sit with you up there?"

Theo looked down and laughed. "Your shoes are wet, come outta there!"

Deidre hopped up on the rock beside him. "I might have to take your shoes then."

His smile didn't falter. "Well of course, that's what a Christian gentleman would do."

"The sunset is very pretty," Rachel said. Theo nodded and smiled at her.

"Yeah, keep everything really light," Deidre said casually. "I think stress makes it worse."

She saw Theo smile but there wasn't any comprehension in his eyes. Deidre leaned against him and Rachel did the same thing on the other side. Theo sighed happily as the sun continued to set.

At first, Rachel wondered what she could do to keep Theo entertained. The last light in the sky was fading and Deidre had left them to go sit with Shep. Rachel took Theo's hand again and walked him back toward the open shed.

Despite her worrying, Theo seemed perfectly content to stare off into space. She tried to talk to him some more, but he immediately went back to asking why he wasn't home. She sat down with him at one of the picnic tables and played a movie on her tablet for him to watch. She'd expected him to be amazed, like he'd been at all the other tech they had. He hardly noticed the tablet and just sat quietly looking at nothing. She was watching whatever movie it was without really seeing it either, when someone put a hand on her shoulder.

"How about a break?" Betsy asked when Rachel looked up.

"That's nice of you, but I'm fine."

Betsy sat down on the other side of Theo. "Deidre got me up to speed and very strongly suggests you go clear your head for a few. Think of it as an order."

In spite of her dark thoughts, Rachel smiled. "Theo, this is Betsy. She's going to sit with you for a little while, okay?"

He looked at Betsy and smiled. "My name is Theo."

"Hi there, Theo. Can I sit by you?"

He agreed enthusiastically and Betsy she sat close enough to lean on him a little. Rachel headed for the hidden door to the supply cache. It was thick enough that no one would hear her screaming down there.

 

Marisol's tablet chimed with an incoming message just after midnight. She read it and went to tell Deidre to get Shep ready to move. They'd all worked with helicopter support before and it felt a little strange not having to worry about winds or tying anything down.

Five minutes later, they all felt an odd sensation and bits of grass and pebbles hovered a few inches off the ground. The effects of the gravity emitters faded away as the Marmot touched down without a sound. It remained a dark shape until the large side hatches opened, revealing the dim red light inside. Four crewmembers were already moving, heading over to where Shep was waiting on a stretcher.

"Take care of that kid," he whispered to Deidre as they picked him up.

"I'll see you soon," she promised.

He tried to wave, but Deidre and one of the medevac crew both grabbed his hand to keep it in place. The crew were eerily silent as they walked quickly to the ship and carefully loaded the stretcher inside. The hatches quickly swung down, and the dark shape leapt back into the air, blocking the stars for a moment and then it silently shot across the sky, too fast to follow.

"It is that I am to meet Kawehi Moana," a quiet, slightly sibilant voice said from the darkness.

"I'm here, Doctor" Kawehi said, stepping forward.

A figure in a wide brimmed hat and black overcoat stepped out of the darkness. "It is being wishes of kind fate and beneficence, other unknown comrades. I am being known as Dr. Aeolus."

Rachel had gone back to sit with Theo and the pair were waiting at one of the picnic tables as Kawehi and Nate greeted the visitor. Theo had kept the air of vacant agreeability, until he noticed the doctor's silhouette. Now he was terrified and starting to hyperventilate.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

"The Good Brother," Theo hissed. "He's here."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Theo nodded jerkily toward the shape wearing the hat and overcoat. "That's him. Always dressed like that"

"Kawehi," Rachel called. "Quick word?"

She came over from the little group being introduced to Dr. Aeolus. Theo had slumped so low on the bench that he was in danger of sliding under the table.

"Hello, Theo," Kawehi said. "You don't look happy."

"He recognizes that person," Rachel said. "Says that it's the Good Brother, the preacher from home."

"I know his shape," Theo whispered. "That hat and coat, it's him for sure! He knows everything. You...the secret...he's gonna make me hurt now. Please let me go." 

"Take a deep breath, Theo," Kawehi said. "That's not the Good Brother, I promise you this. I've known him for a long time, you can trust him."

"No, I got to run!" Theo turned and pulled his legs from under the table.

Rachel took his arm, but Theo was suddenly stronger than she was ready for. Kawehi stepped in to help and gently forced him to sit back down. He started to struggle until Kawehi wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his.

"I love you and I won't let anyone hurt you. Not ever," she murmured into his ear.

After a few seconds, he relaxed. "Do I have to?" His voice was sad and sounded hopeless.

Rachel put her hand on his back. "Nothing bad is going to happen because I won't let it. What if I stay right next to you the whole time?"

"But that's the Good Brother," Theo softly whined. "You can't stop him, no one can. He knows God."

"Theo, I promise that is not him," Kawehi said quietly. "I've known him for a very long time. He helps people, he doesn't hurt them."

"Do you promise?" Theo asked Rachel. "I don't want him cutting on me no more. You ain't gonna let him hurt me?"

"I'll stay right beside you the whole time," Rachel said. "If does anything to hurt you, I promise you that I will put him on the ground so fast you'll think it's a fucking magic trick."

He started to laugh at her bad language, but the smile faded again when he saw the figure waiting at the camper. Theo looked back at Rachel, his heart pounding so hard that she could see his pulse.

"You'll stay with me? Even when he takes me in the dark? You promise?"

"Pinky promise even." Rachel held up her hand, smallest finger crooked. Theo smiled shakily and they shook.

Rachel and Kawehi stood up and they helped Theo to his feet. Theo took Rachel's hand and Kawehi followed the pair of them as they slowly walked toward the RV. Theo ignored everyone watching him, keeping his eyes on the ground. When they reached the RV where Aeolus was waiting, Theo forced himself to look up at the face of the dark figure. To his shock, it wasn't the gaunt face and crazed eyes he'd expected. The feeling of relief that swept through him was so strong that he nearly wet himself.

"Doctor, this is Theo," Kawehi said. "He's pretty nervous at the moment, you look like someone that hurt him before."

"Theo, it is that I am being sorrowful of your past injury," the man in black said. "I am to swear that we have never met until now and never do I come to cause pain."

When Theo heard the voice, he was sure that this wasn't the Good Brother. His voice was higher pitched and kind of scratched in your ears. This doctor's voice was friendlier, and he talked funny.

Theo swallowed. "Yes, sir. Thank you for coming to help me."

The dark man smiled. "You are being welcomed. Since you will not being able to have proper pronunciation of my name, it may be that you call me Dr. Aeolus."

"I promised to stay with Theo," Rachel said.

Aeolus nodded. "It is how this is happening. It is we will be inside this box. There it will be that painless examinations will occur."

 

Half an hour after the three had gone in, the door to the RV opened again and Rachel stepped down and closed the door behind her. She looked around until she saw Kawehi and Deidre waiting at a picnic table.

"Everything okay?" Deirdre asked.

"Theo told me that he was sure that he was sure Aeolus wasn't the Good Brother and he was feeling much calmer. The doc put him under a few minutes ago."

Kawehi smiled. "He's a very unusual young man, isn't he?"

"I figured that Aeolus would fly him out of here to fix this. Is a Winnebago really the place for neural surgery?"

"In spite of my reaction, Nate is right. We can't risk the Project until we're sure Theo is completely safe. As for the surgery, Aeolus won't even break Theo's skin beyond a hypodermic full of nano."

Rachel's eyebrows went up. "I thought nano was an automatic death sentence Earthside."

"Offworlders," Kawehi shrugged. "What can you do?"

"Can't trust a single one of them dirty aliens, huh Rachel?" Deidre said, making her laugh.

"Anyway, passive systems are a gray area," Kawehi said. "And he is a senior representative of an ally, so he's probably safe from prosecution."

"And I have yet to meet the Yffliadi who think anyone else's rules apply to them," Deidre added.

"I've seen the process offworld," Kawehi explained. "These aren't bots, just surgical tools, except much smaller. Aeolus will fit a magnetic control cradle on Theo's skull that powers the tools. Without the cradle, the particles are just harmless molecules. When the procedure is finished, Theo's body will easily get rid of them."

"Wouldn't that be nice to have in a medkit?" Deidre said. "I can't imagine the instruction manual though."

"And good luck getting an import license for that kind of tech," Kawehi said. "I have to admit Rachel, when I asked for you to be assigned to the team, I didn't expect a pilot candidate would have the right instincts for field ops. I'm impressed."

Rachel chuckled. "I've been at Echo since I was six, and riding herd on Emma for almost as long."

The other two women chuckled.

"How close to graduation are you?" Kawehi asked.

"Oh, I finished last term, I've just been waiting for an opening in the flight school."

"I keep telling her, she's too talented to be a Raptor," Deidre said. "Good field spooks are hard to come by."

"And so are Red Tail pilots," Rachel said.

"You know there's only like six of those things based on Earth, right?" Deidre said.

"Yes, but I was the honor graduate in my class, and Lead Raptor. I got to choose my first assignment."

"That's impressive," Kawehi said.

Deidre sighed. "You'll get there and find all the earlier honor graduates that are full captains still waiting for their turn to fly."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "How could you possible know that? Oh, right, it's PD and you can't actually tell me."

"Actually, I'm curious too," Kawehi said. "We're safely inside of a off-site, we can let a few personal details slip."

Deidre looked around to make sure Marisol wasn't nearby despite Kawehi's permission.

"Okay, look," she said, voice low. "There wasn't room at Echo when my brother started flight school, so he transferred to the Russian center. He was top of his class and wanted Redtails too. He's on the 8-6 Orbital doing logistics and his squadron has exactly one Redtail. He's flown once since he got there, as a backseat for the squadron commander."

"New Redtails are already in production," Rachel said, sounding a little less sure of herself.

"While that's technically true, Earth is the only place they're in active production," Kawehi said. "And even that is restricted to the test program at Arclight Southern. It was dcided that outsourcing components would be too much of an exposure risk."

"But there's all the off-world production..."

Kawehi smiled gently. "No one has ever managed to even slow down a Swarm attack. Nate and I were tasked with security for a planning meeting and I was there for the briefings. Eventually there will be more Redtails, but for the time being, all the off-world work is focused on evac modules. That's classified data if I need to say it."

"Kawehi, you could pull out your priority and just have her assigned to us, right?"

Kawehi laughed. "I've already enraged Project Ops enough for one visit. Rachel, my advice is to always follow your heart. If flying a Redtail is what you want, do it. Even if you end up flying a datapad for a while, learning how a squadron operates is still valuable experience."

 

It was nearly dawn when Aeolus finally emerged from the RV. Walking through the low-lying mist, he asked one of the guards where Kawehi was. She emerged from the underground cache a minute later, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. As always, Nate was a couple of steps behind her. They were followed by Marisol and Deidre.

"It is a being a fervent hope you were not...occupied," Aeolus said.

Kawehi snorted. "I was asleep, nothing inappropriate was happening."

"It is memory that is making a caution," the Yffliad said, a little primly.

Nate snorted. "How many times do we have to say it? We were just trying to stay warm."

"It may be as you claim, Nathaniel. And it is experience making me the very dubious."

Nate laughed at that and Aeolus' mouth twisted in the strange expression that passed as a smile for the Yffliad.

"Before I forget..." Nate pulled two flat boxes wrapped in cellophane out of a pocket and handed them to Aeolus. "This is tobacco mixed with a spice called clove. They're strong, be careful."

"It is that there is...correction, would be profound thanks," Aeolus said gravely. "But of course, I have no idea what you are referring to."

Kawehi sighed. "Just remember, when you both get hauled up in front a Cultural Affairs hearing, I'll pretend to be as shocked as anyone else. What happened to your translator, Aeolus?"

" I await a replacement from Chanikjah Hoh. It is being a long story and being mostly the pointless. However, it is urgent that I am speaking of this child and where he was found."

"I've been thinking about Theo's reaction to meeting you," Kawehi said. "I wonder if there was more to that cult than we guessed, especially if there really was a rogue Yffliad around."

"It is being certain. And since your luck entity dislikes all of us, I do not believe it as simple as a traitor. It is more likely a Curiosity. They lack our sacred chains and are easily corrupted."

Kawehi swore quietly but Nate looked confused. "Curiosity? Is that like the Question?"

Aeolus made a face. "Both Curiosity and Question are breaking all ethics and morals. While the Question is nearly as disgusting, at least they are truly Yffliad. I am being deeply uncomfortable about both, but they are necessary."

Nate looked at Kawehi and Aeolus waved for her to answer.

"The easiest example is looking for a technological breakthrough," she said. "Those kinds of leaps come from unconventional thinking. But Yffliad culture doesn't easily tolerate unconventional individuals."

Aeolus nodded in agreement. "She is being accurate. This is being why the protocols are implanted at birth. Only then can one be truly Yffliad. A Curiosity is never fully Yffliad, they lack awareness of protocol and are not bound to ethical convention. For this reason, they are kept far from populated places and should never be taken from our home world. A Curiosity here can only be evidence that some criminal madness is planned."

"Like creating a plant that we'll take into the Project with open arms?" Nate asked, glaring at Kawehi.

"That is not being accurate, Nathaniel. If it were, the material I found in the child's head would have been far more subtle. More unlikely are behavioral clues if a true mind-master had affected the child."

"You don't think there's some kind of organized nest on Terra?" Kawehi asked, ignoring Nate.

Aeolus made an exaggerated shrugging motion. "It cannot be a confirmed thing for all of Terra. If there had been a nest where the child was kept...he would likely still be there, and this team would be unlikely to exist now. Still, the Curiosity must have minders, an unrestrained Curiosity is chaos being insanity."

"We need to get this up the ladder. Do you have hard evidence?" Kawehi asked.

Aeolus' lips twisted into a smile. "Kawehi, are you being as one just introduced to the Yffliadi? It is a certainty that I have proof before I speak. But it is being the time we speak of the boy and his brain."

"Yeah," Nate said. "It was a tracking device then?"

"This is partial truth but it is being incomplete and therefore untrue. The healing shows that the unsubtle device was implanted in the child's head long ago. The lack of subtlety and skill damaged...I do not know your word. It is being the part of his mind often responsible for memory. Even Human brains are creating ingenious paths of repair. So it is that he long ago adapted to the butchery. I am grief that there is no way to undo this. Only a few fragments of his earlier memory remain. How many, I cannot say"

"Did it do anything more than track his movements?" Kawehi asked.

"Very little. Mostly it was being a device to prevent the child from leaving his home with a function to destroy the mind if he strayed too far or relayed certain memories. It is being somewhat merciful that the implant is being crudely made, incapable of effective function. Still, without my intervention help, the brain would have eventually suffered enough damage to die."

"Is he going recover?" Deidre asked.

Aeolus shook a clove cigarette from the pack and lit it. "First, it is being critical to be mindful that interference with a sentient mind is being barbaric. A sane Yffliad could not have created this kind of abomination. It is that Ethical Protocols, our sacred chains, circumscribe our existence. Without this, there would be returns to the horrors of our past. This is how I am being confident of the Curiosity's involvement."

"No one would ever question your ethics," Kawehi assured him.

The doctor took a long inhale of the clove cigarette and nodded at her. "I have done my best, most subtle work and the boy will recover quickly, absent his early memories. I acted only in his interests, as ethics demand. Now, it is that I am having my own question."

"What's that?" Kawehi asked.

"Are you being aware that this child is a Talent like yourself?"

"No, we weren't told anything about that," Nate said.

"Who could have known?" Kawehi said. "You're sure?"

The Yffliad rolled his eyes, another human expression he'd picked up. "Truly, Kawehi Moana, are you being sure of your name? It is being a laughable thing that I would not see the indicative neural structures, that I would fail to scan for the proper operative proteins."

"That's why I feel so weird," Kawehi said.

"What do you mean, weird?" Marisol asked. "Are you compromised here?" 

"I used a Projection on him, but I didn't know he was an empath!"

"And likely being very strong when trained," Aeolus said helpfully.

"Wait, you're not supposed to cast at other Talents," Nate said slowly. "Isn't that...yeah, that's really bad, huh?"

"You think I don't know that? Shit!"

Nate looked away, covering his mouth but obviously grinning. Marisol looked at Deidre, then back at Nate, and finally Kawehi. "C'mon, are y'all really going to make me ask?"

Kawehi ignored her. "Nathaniel Ryker Durant, this isn't funny!"

Nate obviously disagreed as he dissolved into laughter.

"You are so goddammed childish!" Kawehi snapped, glaring at him.

Marisol rubbed her face, frustrated. "Now what the hell is going on?"

"I need to work this out, we'll talk later," Kawehi said. She stalked off, grabbing Nate by the arm as she passed him.

Marisol stared after them. "Great, the Tango agents have now lost their minds. "

Deidre watched them, fascinated. "Yeah, I've heard about this happening with bonded dyads. Did she tell you what she was going to cast to the kid?"

The other woman shrugged. "She said it was a low-level affection push. Routine with recoveries."

"Given the boy's past, that could become quite amplified," Aeolus said thoughtfully.

"He's right," Deidre said to Marisol. "Thing is, if an emotive casts at another emotive without taking precautions, they're wide open to get their cast bounced back in their faces."

"This is being broadly correct," Aeolus said. "It is that Kawehi is considered quite attractive? For a Human, of course."

Marisol and Deidre nodded at the same time.

"Then it is most likely that Theophile reacted strongly to begin with, his age is within the median range of pubescent development. This is the developmental stage where..."

"Right, I'm familiar with that at least," Marisol said. "So, she wanted to make him like her, but somehow ended up liking him back? There's got to be more to it."

Aeolus steepled his long fingers. "It is that there is very much more. The result of her error is being a feedback function. This is not being a subtle assessment, but useful for the moment. It is that Kawehi Moana linked herself to the child with the strong affections you refer to as love. It is also being very likely the planned age variance is further affecting her."

Marisol raised an eyebrow at Deidre. "Translation?"

"See, it you tailor a cast it's way more effective. Age is an important piece of date when a single person is the subject. For example, what works on a teenager wouldn't work as well on someone in their forties. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I see what you're saying, but it's obvious you don't know a lot of humans. What I'm hearing is that Kawehi did her thing to manage the kid, giving him a crush on her and accidentally got herself too?"

"And since he was probably starved for affection, not to mention an untrained Talent, he bounced whatever it is that Talents broadcast right back to her, except stronger. Then she bounced it right back creating the positive feedback loop."

Marisol sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Meaning they're now madly in love and I've got two lovestruck kids on my hands."

"It's not that bad," Kawehi said curtly as she walked out of the darkness. "There are automatic safeguards against a runaway feedback loop. Now that I know the source of the problem, I'll be able to keep my reactions under control."

"How long do these broadcast feelings last?" Marisol asked.

"It'll take some time to clear the chemicals out of my system. The only thing I can't do anything about are my memories of these feelings for him. Luckily, I don't think it'll be an issue, we rarely work on Earth."

"What's with you and Nate then?" Marisol asked. "Don't tell me he's jealous."

Kawehi looked around and stepped closer. "Okay, this isn't common knowledge, but dyads have a kind of unconscious physiological connection, like background chatter. I can't get into much more than that. As my friend here would say, it's very subtle. After Theo and I looped, I unconsciously started broadcasting...on his specific frequency, you could say. Nate, just as unconsciously, reacted to the change in signals I was sending. Our bond has been weakening naturally over time but this creates a serious disconnect between our..."

"Yeah, it's called jealousy," Marisol interrupted. "Because you're hitting on a teenaged boy and your boyfriend got jealous and is being meant to him."

Frustrated, Kawehi ran her hands through her hair. "You're missing the subtlety of it, but broadly speaking, yes."

Aeolus barked a laugh. "You are seeing my frustration, finally."

Kawehi ignored him. "It's more involved than just emotions. And Durant is not my boyfriend."

Marisol's growing grin turned into laughter. "Sorry, right. I'll have my peeps keep a closer eye on your really hot and purely platonic friend. I don't want him bullying my kid behind the bike racks after school."

"I'm really embarrassed, Mari. I had orders to make it as gentle as we could and it was the most effective route given Theo's age and..."

"I'd have to agree with those orders though," Deidre said. "If he'd noticed we were stealing him, it might have activated that implant. Relax, secret agent girl. There was no way you'd know that he was going to turn your juju back on you. That's my professional opinion."

"Unsubtle, but broadly correct," Aeolus said.

 

 

Contrary to the sci-fi novels, the Synthetic Intelligence didn't sit in the nexus of a constantly shifting web of data. There were far better things for it to do and simple Artificial minds were good enough at repetitive tasks to catch unusual events. However, the fallout of an escaped Curiosity was alarming enough for the Synth known as the Chairman, to keep a close watch.

At the moment, the Synth was observing the take from a traffic camera, it's emotionless eyes analyzing what it could from the small bright spot of heat created by the hat interface the Question had employed before disappearing.

"Chairman, we were able to trace his data request," one of the Artificials murmured in his ear. "The Curiosity wants information to follow several vehicles. The raw data is transmitted per protocol."

The Synthetic turned to dissect and analyze the Curiosity's data download. Indeed, it was now tracking the movement of several older model vehicles, all of them headed generally west and south. The Artificial was sent to the archives to search for the vehicles' previous movements. It returned quickly, information on the collection was thin. This wasn't surprising, given the lack of comprehensive surveillance on such a primitive backwater.

The Artificial was sent back to work with a different task. Datapoints for the new request were even more sparse and the drone reported back almost immediately with what the Synthetic required. Curiosities had escaped control twice before. Both times they had interacted with the native population. The Chairman had allowed them both to complete their self-imposed research tasks, thinking that the novel data might prove useful.

Both events had culminated in an orgy of destruction and death before the Curiosity was eventually stopped by the Humans. Each time, it had attracted an unacceptable amount of attention and there had been no discernable pattern in their actions. A Curiosity was a valuable resource, but this situation had progressed beyond any attempt of recapturing it alive. The decision was made, and on the surface of the planet, a cellphone rang.

"This is the Chairman," the Chairman said to the voice on the other end. "A specialist team will be required to interdict the renegade Curiosity. If feasible, any remains should be collected for analysis."

The Chairman was assured that the traitor would be neutralized. Then the voice asked about the group targeted by the Curiosity.

"No real value," the Chairman replied. "If possible, the body of the renegade will be recovered for examination."

The voice on the other end agreed. They always did.