I nodded, closing the back doors again. I leaned against the van and stuffed my hands into my pockets. “Your grandfather says this transmitter won’t kill off the first generation of TorBane. That the coding works different, or something. If this really works, you’ll be able to spend as much time as you like looking for her after it goes off. There won’t be any danger of getting attacked by the Bane. You can take this,” I said, knocking my knuckles against the side of the solar tank. “And drive for as long as you’ve got sun to power it.”
West nodded, a small smile curling in one corner of his mouth. “I guess that’s true. I mean, I can hardly picture having that ability, to just go out in the country and look. Without the fear of getting infected. Without the possibility of it.”
“It’s a pretty amazing looking possibility, right?” I said, returning his smile.
“I’d ask you to come with me, ‘cause I know you want to find her too,” West said, catching my eyes. “But I’m pretty sure you’ll be too busy helping with Creed and restoring society.”
A full smile spread on my face. I shook my head. “I don’t really know how this is going to work. We’ll try to find a family to adopt her. I know nothing about caring for a baby, a kid. But I think it’s my responsibility. And I think I kind of want to help her find the right family, have some small part in helping her find a normal life, if that makes any bizarre sense.”
West nodded. “It does. She’ll be like you. You’ll understand each other”
I gave him a small smile, and we walked back into the belly of NovaTor.
The last night at NovaTor Biotics, West had night watch. I needed to be fresh for our journey back home tomorrow, to keep any Bane we might happen upon away from us. But I couldn’t sleep for more than ten minutes at a time
I stared up at the ceiling of Creed’s room, running through all the things we needed to bring back with us in my head. The code, other files, supplies, medical things. I pictured the journey back, wondering if we would run into any Bane along the way or if we had somehow stumbled upon a rare part of the country that was clear. It wouldn’t stay that way, since the Bane were gaining more and more sweeps, but for this small window, were we, and any other humans survivors safe? I hoped Susan and Karmen made it to New Eden safely.
A small cry rang out through the room and I startled in my sleeping bag. I looked over to see Avian asleep on the floor, his head buried under his pillow. Smiling, I climbed up and walked over to Creed’s tiny dome bed.
She had kicked her blankets off and was swinging her tiny arms and legs wildly in the air. She continued her soft cries. Trying to remember how Avian had so skillfully wrapped her tightly, I tried to mimic his technique.
But she continued to cry and I started to feel panicky.
“She probably needs her diaper changed,” Avian said in a groggy voice as he stood from the floor. He straightened his back, favoring it like it was stiff from sleeping on the hard floor.
“Oh,” I said lamely. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“It’s okay,” Avian said with a small smile as he grabbed a diaper from the shelf next to the bed. He silently showed me how to do it and discarded the soiled one in the trash in the corner.
She had needed a change, but Creed continued to cry.
“Is she hungry?” I asked, my brow furrowing in concern.
Avian checked the bag that slowly fed the mixture into the feeding tube. “No, she’s getting a constant supply. That shouldn’t be the problem.”
He wrapped her snuggly once again and adjusted the tiny cap on her head, but her cries grew louder and more intense.
“I’m…” Avian fumbled, letting out a big breath through his nostrils. He wasn’t sure what to do.
Creed had once again kicked her blankets off, exposing her mostly naked body. Even the premature diapers we had brought with us looked enormous on her. She gave another wail and a tiny tear fell from one eye and slipped down her face.
Touching her for the first time, other than when she held my finger, I wrapped my hands carefully around her body and lifted her. Careful not to disturb all the chords and tubes attached to her, I nestled her against my chest. As soon as her skin connected with mine, she was calm.
I looked up at Avian, a triumphant smile crossing my lips. Avian returned it, admiration and love shining in his eyes. He grabbed her blanket from the bed and covered her back with it. With his help with the chords, I eased down into the chair.
“She just needed some love,” Avian said quietly as Creed drifted off to sleep once again.
“She’ll have plenty of that,” I whispered, pressing a light kiss to the top of her soft head.
TWENTY-ONE
I handed Creed off to Avian sometime around five in the morning. I’d slept with her on my chest for about two hours, but my internal clock must have sensed it was nearly morning and there was much to be done.
I grabbed my assault rifle from the side of the door, as well as a bag of my things. All of my mother’s belongings were inside it. I silently slipped out the door and made my way up the stairs. I found West sitting at the front doors, his head starting to nod.
“Hey,” I called. His head jerked up and over to me. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. “We don’t have to go for another three hours or so. Why don’t you get some sleep till we do?”
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “That’s probably a good idea.” He stood, slung his firearm over his shoulder. He patted my shoulder twice before descending into the lower levels.
I scanned the desert before me. It was empty except for sagebrush and the occasional dehydrated looking tree. They sky was grey and drops of rain on the verge of turning into snowflakes started falling from the sky.
Great. Just the kind of weather we needed to get the solar tank running.
I made my way back to the garage. I placed my stuff in the back seat. Opening the big door, I found the keys inside the van and, after a minute, figured out how to back it outside. If we were more trusting, we would have had it sitting out all day yesterday powering up. But we couldn’t risk another break in.
Now we risked losing time.
I walked back in the building and down the hall that led to the back door. I pushed it open and walked across the platform to the power storage room. I scanned the massive room, hoping to find anything that looked like a battery. We were going to need some extra juice. But there were only the energy storage devices for the solar panels, which were massive, and the generators.
I stepped outside onto the landing, closing the door behind me. Looking back up at the grey sky, my brow furrowed.
The sky wasn’t just a grey color anymore. There was a faint taste of brown to it as well. Like there was dirt in the sky.
Watching my step, I went from the concrete platform, onto the rocks that became the mountain. I climbed higher, clinging to rocks and hoisting myself up, until I could see what was causing the desert to stir.
My grip on my rifle slipped as I turned my eyes east.
The landscape was moving. It came towards us in a slow, shifting avalanche. The very ground shook in small vibrations. A cloud of dust rose around the avalanche, darkening the skies behind it all the more.
About five miles out, there was an army of Bane.
Headed straight for NovaTor.
I squinted as I spotted something small in the distance. A single dot racing out ahead of the crowd. It moved different than the Bane though. It was focused, determined. And it was probably less than a mile out from us.
I leapt down that mountain back onto the platform. Yanking the door back open, I plowed through and sprinted down the hall. I threw open the door that led down into the underground levels.