Some indicators lit up in his vision, showing that they were approaching a large group of life-forms. Sure enough, a moment later, a giant herd of sheep came into view. They grazed and wandered aimlessly. He spent a minute trying to get to know how to use the interface of his uniform. It didn’t take him long to figure out that it tracked his focus and somehow knew when he wanted to do something. It was eerie, but he felt like it would become second nature with practice.
“These things scan our brain somehow?” Jeff asked.
“The hoods? Yeah. They have a neural sensor that . . .” Carlee’s voice faded out. He could tell it was a subject that might usually interest her, but her heart wasn’t in the conversation.
“I’m worried about her too,” Jeff said.
“She’ll be fine. She’s escaped worse before.”
They cruised in silence for a while, passing more wildlife than Jeff had seen in his entire life. As awful as the Apostles were, they were extremely effective at achieving their objectives, and Petra had managed to create a sanctuary for all forms of life like none Jeff had ever seen.
It seemed appropriate that this peaceful haven, created by endless amounts of bloodshed, carved from land that used to be occupied by millions of humans, was destined to be the site of another battle. He wasn’t sure if it had been Horus’s leeches or Petra’s they had encountered, but one thing was certain: if they were able to waltz into Petra’s territory, then there was nothing keeping Horus out.
“I think we finally found the others,” Carlee said.
“Well, that’s good news.”
“If you don’t consider the fact that we are a few minutes away from an Apostle, then I guess you’re right.”
20 FUNNEL
“I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY GLIMPSES of her,” Jane said. “Our path is a narrow one. The deviations I can see are all slight. And as we’ve gotten closer, there seem to be even fewer of those, less relevant glimpses. I feel practically blind.”
“That’s . . .” Carlee trailed off, trying to find the right words. Without Jane’s glimpses, she would have to rely on telling herself that Stefani would be fine.
“Not what you wanted to hear, I know.”
“I understand. Thank you for trying.”
“Talon, give us a minute,” Jane said as she raised her hand to stop Carlee from getting up. They were so close to what used to be downtown Dallas that they hadn’t bothered to set up camp, except for Jane’s tent.
Talon left the tent without a word, and Carlee feared that his dismissal would only further damage their slipping relationship.
“Is there something else?” Carlee asked.
“Jeff—how is he learning?”
“He’s eager. I think he will get the hang of it soon enough. His instincts are good.” Carlee answered the question quickly; she was sure this wasn’t the reason Jane wanted to talk alone.
“You care for him.”
“I do,” Carlee said. “He’s been through a lot, and he’s filled with anger over what happened. But I’ve already seen him trying to find other motivations.” It was as good of an answer as she had.
“You’ve always believed in the best in people, and I’ve always been envious of that.”
“Why are you talking like this?”
“I’m afraid,” Jane said.
“We all are. But we’ll make it through. We’ll shake that Apostle off our trail, and we’ll keep going.”
“I haven’t been able to see any paths where these upcoming events have already unfolded. I don’t know what that means.”
“It doesn’t mean anything. We control our own path; nothing has changed that.”
“Do you still think this was the wrong decision?” Jane asked.
“I . . . we’ll know soon enough. But I believe in you. I always have. And if things don’t go as we hope, I’ll be by your side still. We’ll find a way past this. We always do.”
“We haven’t always agreed on matters, but I’ve been pleased you have remained with us for so long—with me for so long.” Jane reached out, and Carlee squeezed her hand in friendship. “You are right. Our path surely does not end here.”
21 WATCH
“USE MY HEAD, DON’T DO anything stupid with my arms, and stay low,” Jeff said, repeating the steps to Carlee, who nodded her head. They sat next to a tall tree, waiting for the sun to rise. The only light was from the moon, the stars, and the distant glow of Petra’s leech factories.
“Good,” Carlee said. “It’s our last resort, but if it comes to it, I am going to press a flight suit in for you where your body armor is now. And we’re going to get out of here.”
“Without Stefani?”
“Even without her. We have a place established in case we get separated. We’ll meet up there if she doesn’t find us here.”
“Where is it?” Jeff asked. Carlee looked over to him almost as if to say he wasn’t privileged to such information. “I kinda like you guys. And I’d like to know where to find you again.”
“Roanoke Island in old North Carolina,” Carlee said.
“Why there?”
“Why anywhere? No Apostles are known to make home base too close, and the ocean is nice.”
“I’ve never seen it.”
“That’s right . . . you’re a Fifth Springs boy through and through.”
“Hard to travel without having an army or knowing how to press.”
“Staying put has its advantages, though. You don’t have to be on the run all the time, and you can have a family.”
“Until some Apostle stomps through your community or a warlord sacks it. I think the only way to make a good life is to live a hundred years ago.”
“I felt that way for a while, until I found peace with helping people.”
“I’ll have to give it a try sometime.” But Jeff knew there would be no peace, no matter how much he wanted it, until he had resolved his list.
“You did already. Remember that village?”
“The one where the villagers threw stuff at us while we left?”
“They were just scared. We made a difference for them.”
Jeff didn’t reply. Some of the villagers were alive when they left, but he wasn’t sure that was still the case. She had done too much pressing while they were there. Perhaps they had suffered the same fate as Fifth Springs.
“Almost morning,” Carlee said after a few minutes of silence. “And we haven’t seen a single leech patrol or anything. That can’t be a good sign.”
“Seems good to me. Nothing has tried to kill us tonight.”
“But we are close, very close, to Petra. It should have armies of leeches patrolling this area. They must be focused elsewhere, waiting for the battle.”
“I still don’t get why Horus is going through all this effort and risk to attack. Petra seems perfectly content to sit here in Dallas, making sure animal life lives in harmony with the planet. Didn’t you say there are worse Apostles out there?”
“Careful, that almost sounds as if you are starting to believe me when I say they all aren’t the same.”
“I think . . . they share enough of the bad qualities that any slight difference in how they like to oppress mankind is negligible,” Jeff said.
“Even after Horus . . . did what he did to you, and you sit here, looking out over where thousands of humans live in peace and safety, you can’t see the difference?”
“How is that safety going to work out for them when Horus shows up? Besides, Petra isn’t letting them have freedom. They have to be naked, live off the land, can’t eat meat, and all that. They are all going to die one way or another without knowing freedom. Horus just gets to the point. Don’t get me wrong, I hope that Petra wins the fight, but I’m not convinced it will matter in the end.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Carlee said. “So cold. So angry. I used to feel that way. But I realized there was a better way. I wish I was in a reality where the Apostles had never turned on one another, and we all lived in peace. But I don’t. So, I try to make the best of it here.”