War Torn Hearts

Agent 3857 yawned and stretched as he leaned back in his chair. He readjusted his earphones and stared at the computer screen. His latest assignment was pretty boring. The guy didn't do anything out of the ordinary. He got up, went to work, came home ate, tinkered with his computer, showered and went to bed. It had been the same routine for the past 6 months. “Must admit, this guy is pretty good at his games. A childish habit, but he's good.” This man was listed as a person of interest, but what kind of interest Agent 3857 did not know. This guy showed no signs of communication with the enemy. Didn't even show signs of being part of the enemy. Agent 3857 knew he wasn't being paid to think, so he sat forward grabbed some more coffee, and listened to the man's steady breathing.

Little did Agent 3857 know that he was also being watched. His every action being recorded. This person was sitting in a room with two separate computers, one screen showed Agent 3857 and the other showed the real subject.

At International Headquarters, in a large conference room sat four men. Each looked perplexed over the latest string of data they had been given.

"What makes you think he's the one? He's been watched for months without going against a set routine. My god, the guy doesn't even date!"

"We have to try something. It's only a matter of time before they come up with a final weapon. It's been five years since most of their forces went underground, and our spies say that they've been quite busy. If using this guy doesn't bring out their key persons, then there's no one else. We've gone through the entire background of CW and this is the last real connection."

"What makes you think CW will come out this time? Imprisoning family members didn't seem to get a reaction, not even when we executed them."

"As the Preacher says, we'll just have to go on faith," chuckled the forth man.

"The Preacher still believes that this is a religious war that we're fighting. He thinks we're on a rampage against non-Christians. It's that belief that keeps him on our side and not out there trying to protect his daughter."

"It's settled, we bring him in. Make up false charges that he was found to be helping the enemy. With no cure for the virus at hand, most people won't question our deligence. Someone will be sent to get him out, I have no doubt that CW will be the one to do it."

"What do we tell the Preacher? He still thinks that he's in charge."

"We tell him that this man may know where his daughter is hiding. The Preacher will be more than willing to comply."

The men started heading out of the room. The last man picked up the intelligence file and stuck it into an incenerator. The folder opened and an old photo of a man in his twenties and a young woman with brown curls framing her face posing at a table, both looked very happy and in love. It was obviously from a time before the war.

Elijah Santos stopped at his normal place to dine. It was an old Mongolian resteraunt. It was quick and filling. He had just received his usual dish of meat, veggies and noodles when he heard a familiar name mentioned on the TV. "Dr. Cindy Wood still at large. For the past five years, Dr. Wood has managed to elude authorities as to her whereabouts. Tonight at 7 we will look into how a world renowned geneticist goes from curing cancer to becoming the world's most wanted terrorist. And her connections with the scientists who engineered E76..." Elijah polished off his noodles, paid his bill and left. Part of him was curious to know what would cause someone who valued human life to become a known killer. She didn't even come forward when her family was imprisoned and executed for harboring a fugitive. It definitely wasn't the same Cindy he remembered. He sighed and got into his car. He headed home to another night with his computer.

The next day, he walked into his workplace and found a note to meet with his boss in his cubicle. Figuring it was another proposal to work on, Elijah hurried over. When he got to Mr. Tellman's office he saw three other men in there waiting. "I can come back later," Elijah stammered.

Mr. Tellman looked disappointed and almost sad. "No it's alright Elijah. These men have just been filling me in on your activities. Of all people, I never thought you..."

"Mr. Santos, you are hereby under arrest by the International Police for engaging and planning terrorist activities," interrupted one of the uniformed men.

"What are you talking about?" Elijah asked. "I have never been involved in any terrorist activities, much less planned them!"

"It would be better for you to keep quiet, you will be questioned at headquarters. I would suggest you cooperate." The second man handcuffed Elijah out of the office. The uniformed men excorted him out of the building and into an unmarked car. Elijah had a sinking feeling that no matter how hard he tried to explain, he was never to enjoy his freedom again.

Across the oceans, somewhere undetected and seemingly devoid of all life, there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground. Not that it matter much since no one had tread on that ground for quite sometime. It was a quiet land, but cold. Definitely below freezing. Nothing could survive this place, not even a virus. That was why it made such an ideal location. It was one of the few places that the International Government didn't require servalience. And even if the government had, nothing would be found. The place was well protected.

"What do you mean they took him?!!!" She yelled.

The man across from her looked startled at her reaction. Wisps of brown curls fell from her ponytail. Her deep brown eyes flashing in anger. She rarely showed this kind of emotion and he had known her since they were children. She had been reading some papers in a file when she had her outburst. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, John I forgot you were here. I just got a startling news report that's all."

John knew better than to accept this explanation. "Come on Cindy, I've known you for well over 20 years. I know when you're hiding something. It's not just some random news report."

Cindy looked a tad defeated and a bit like she would cry. "John, they took him and he has no connections. They'll kill him if he doesn't give them what they want. It'll be worse if they give him the virus."

"Who are we talking about?" John, took one look at Cindy and knew. "No, you haven't spoken to him in eleven years. No contact whatsoever right?"

"Of course. The last time I spoke to him was on the phone the day after he left. I haven't even so much as sent him a Christmas card. And in times like this, I haven't contacted anyone on the outside except my father. And that's only through the strictest of chains just so he can continue to think that I'm still in the former States. I just can't believe they took him into custody. He's stayed clear away from our type since the beginning. What could they possibly want with him?"

"Maybe they need him to design a new bridge,” John attempted at a joke. He quickly changed his tone when he saw Cindy's reaction. “So are you going to go to the General and ask him to send a rescue team after him?"

"You know the General isn't going to send a team unless he's valuable to us. And I can't let him stay there. He didn't choose."

"You do know he's bait, to get you out in the open? They've been trying to track where your messages to your father come from, for the last two years. They're just making a desperate attempt in hopes that you'll come out. And you're under orders to stay here no matter what."

Cindy flinched at the words. She knew he was being used as bait, just as her family had been used four years prior. But this time it was different, he didn't choose this. Her family knew what would happen once she went away. She begged them to come, they needed people of all talents, she told them. But they had told her that they were needed where they were. And that if the time comes they were willing to die. She gave her mother and sisters hugs, said goodbye to her grandfather and left. She knew they were right. The virus was bad and people were afraid. Her family were among the few who had chosen to take in those affected by the virus. If they hadn't been imprisoned, it would have only been a matter of time before the virus took them as well. But they chose, they had told her not to come for them if they were taken. That they knew they would be bait, that she had a job to do. But he didn't make that choice. He wasn't one of the enemy, but he wasn't on their side either. He was just an innocent. He didn't choose to die for the cause. And she couldn't leave him to.

She looked at John. Cindy wasn't the only one who lost everything. John had lost his wife and unborn son. They had been taken before anyone could get them to safety. His father and siblings had died from the virus. They were among the first victims. His mother was still out there, she said the sick needed her as well. So far, servallence had shown that she was safe. He never mentioned any of them, but he knew they were all on his mind. John kept a single candle lit in his quarters. Cindy didn't need to ask who it was for, she already knew.

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, came into the room sensing the tension. "Auntie?" Cindy stood up and looked at them. They were all that was left of her natural family. Her sister had asked that they go with her. It wasn't right to ask them to give their lives to a cause they didn't understand. So Cindy took them, hoping that the war would be over before they became adults. "I'm fine," she said, "just a little setback in my work that's all." She turned to John, "Contact E1, tell them we have a meeting at dawn." She then left with her niece and nephew for their evening meal.

Requesting a meeting at dawn was a joke really. They lived in an underground compound. Most of the inhabitants hadn't seen real daylight in years. They had lights that changed throughout the day making it seemed like daylight. But no one could tell what the real time was outside. Guests from the outside was a rarity and took months to get the clearance for. It was a lot of work for people who just wanted "normalicy".

Cindy was in a room with computers buzzing. It usually was the warmest place in the compound next to the gardens. It was also the best place to hold a meeting. Very few people had the clearance to access this room. It handled all life support programs in the compound. Those allowed in there were a priveledged few. She saw Dan arrived looking a bit disheveled. Cindy smiled. She knew he had just rolled out of bed. He hadn't even bothered to comb his hair back. John arrived next. And then Mac, Dave and Alice. They were all there. Cindy knew that John had given them a brief summary about what was going on. And she knew that what she was about to propose was dangerous and borderline treason. But she had no choice. And these were people she trusted with her life. They'd be game no matter what the cost. She just hoped that the cost was justified.

"Well, I'm guessing that you all have an idea of why I asked for this meeting."

"Because some ex-boyfriend of yours needs us to bail him out of trouble," Dan said.

Cindy looked at Dan, he was as blunt as always. She never knew how his wife handled it. She nodded.

"Why us?" Alice asked. "We've been in retirement for five years, can't they send a field team to get him?"

"Because no one else in this compound knows he's been taken. To headquarters, he's not considered a person of interest."

"Then why do we need to risk our necks to save him?"

"I have my reasons, and it's not because he's my ex. He's more vital to this operation than he or anyone else knows."

"Well, that's good enough for me. You've never steered us wrong before, I doubt you'd start now." Mac commented.

"When do we start?" asked Dan.

Cindy looked at Dan. He was one of the lucky ones. His whole family was safely in hiding before they went underground. He had his wife and daughter there. His parents were there. And his brother was a part of their geological team. But this also made him the one with the most to lose. Cindy wasn't exactly sure of the danger they would be getting into, and she didn't want more to be lost than had to. "Dan, you're the only one of us who still has a family. I would understand if you choose to stay with them. They still need you here."

"I'm not letting you guys go on your own. Who is going to hack into the computer systems and find out where we need to go? And who is going to arrange your fake identities while you're there. We are called E1 for a reason."

"Okay," Cindy relented. "I need you guys to get the standard gear. I'll go back to the lab and make sure enough of the vaccination is prepared for each of us..."

"Whoa, wait a minute, vaccination?" John quipped up. "When did this happen?"

"It just passed the final phases. Orders were made to get enough of it produced for everyone in our outside squads first. But we still haven't gotten it to be airborne for the outside population. And it's not a cure. It will only protect you from the virus, won't destroy it. And unfortunately, it requires a sample of your DNA to cater it to you."

They left the room with plans to meet up the following week. It seemed like little time, but they had been trained to be ready at a moment's notice. This was no different.

Elijah, woke up in the same white room. He had no idea how long he had been there. If it had been hours, days or even years. There was no passage of time. The only human contact he had was when a short stocky man with glasses delivered his meal. The man never talked despite Elijah's attempts at conversation. He had not been questioned as was promised. He was just thrown into this room and left to rot it seemed. He kept going over in his head any activity he may have done that could be considered "terrorist-like" but nothing came to him. He had had the same routine for the last 11 years. Work, food, home, computer sleep. That was it, nothing more. He thought maybe they had mistaken him for his brother. But he doubted that. His brother disappeared when the new government had taken over. Something about not liking the new rules and going where people could still accept him. But his brother was never much of a model citizen. The guy experimented with less than honorable habits. But his brother had been gone for several years now. There was no way this could be about him. Though, he thought. His family had decided that it would be best to disappear. His sister and her husband were the next to leave, and then his parents. Elijah had no idea where any of them went. There was no communication with them after they left. He was alone. It served him right, he thought. He left the most valuable thing eleven years ago, how could he expect others to stick by after that?

Elijah looked around the room. There was a cot to sleep on, a small table for meals and a commode to do his business. Everything was a white color. The lights were always on. The only way in or out was through the door in which he had been brought. There didn't seem any way out of this situation.

"Here you go John," Cindy said as she gave him a shot in the arm. She had given each member of E1 the vaccination. She had also given each of them a dose for when they found their subject. No one asked how she had gotten his DNA after all this time. And she felt no need to give that information. She just wanted to get him to the compound safely and then she'd deal with any reprecussions that may come afterward.

Dan's wife Lucy gathered up the used syringes and put them in the disposal. She had been working with Cindy for over four years. Cindy considered her a valued member of the lab. And felt a pang of guilt for taking her husband away on another mission. Lucy never once complained about it when E1 was always sent on missions, but Cindy knew she worried for her husband. She wished she could give Lucy some reassurance that Dan would be back safely as soon as possible, but the words just couldn't come.

"Well, be leaving tomorrow at dawn," Cindy said. "I've set up a sighting decoy taking a path from old Canada to New York. We'll be coming in on the other side. It's risky, but hopefully we won't be there long."

Each team member nodded. Cindy had always been their leader. It wasn't a job she wanted nor was it a job she took lightly. She would be relieved when this war was over.

They left the room, each knowing what his or her part of the plan was. The rest of the evening would be spent with loved ones and making sure necessary supplies were secure. They'd be leaving early the next day.

Cindy walked into her quarters and flopped on her bed. Her niece and nephew were staying in a friend's quarters. Arrangements had already been made for their care until she returned. Not that she had to worry much, they had proven to be very self reliant. They seemed itching to do their part. Cindy hoped that the time would never come for them to be involved in this war. They had already lost so much, including a true childhood. She didn't want them to be robbed of their lives as well. Nellie, the oldest, was already fifteen. She had been begging to take combat training for the past year. Cindy saw so much of her sister in her, she knew she'd eventually have to let Nellie go and choose her own path. Cindy just wished it wasn't so dangerous. Michael still had a few years before he even qualified for training. He had inherited the family's brains though, Cindy had no worries about what he would choose to do. The boy would most likely join the ranks of the scientists and engineers in the compound. That's if the war was still going on by then. Cindy punched her pillow.

She didn't even want to be part of the war when it started. She was a scientist. Her job was to engineer cures to diseases. It was a job she enjoyed. There was nothing better than saving a life. In her career she had managed to find permanent cures to forms of cancer and several genetic diseases. She had been on the team that eradicated AIDS. She considered her life very fulfilling. But then someone let loose the virus. It wasn't some normal bug that made people sick and then they'd fight it off. This virus turned people's bodies against themselves. It subjected it's victims to a slow and painful death. And what was worse, the virus was human engineered. Both sides blamed the other for releasing the virus. The International Government made arrests, claiming to have found the scientists who engineered the virus. They were executed without any word of a trial. Cindy figured that it took the worst kind of human to engineer such a thing. And the scientists who were convicted of the crime, she knew were not the worst kind of human beings. She had worked with them on the AIDS project. They placed as high a value on human life as she did. She remembered the day they realized that they actually had a cure on their hands. Testing had come up with amazing results. The whole team went out to celebrate. There was no way they would have engineered a virus that would kill so many people. When they were convicted, Cindy found herself examining her views on the latest regime. She had decided to make some drastic decisions. That was when she became part of E1. It was a choice that completely changed her life and those on the team.

She trusted each and every member on E1. But she couldn't tell them the main reason why they were the ones to rescue him and not some other team. She felt guilty withholding information from them, but this was an instance in which the less they knew the safer they all would be. Better they beleived that she was merely going to save an ex boyfriend. Ex the word seemed so negative in her mind. He was the man she had loved. The man whose calls she always looked forward to. The man whose smile lit up her world. The only man who managed to impress her. He was also the last man she would ever be with. After he left she threw herself into her career and never stopped for a personal life.

"He's already been here for two months, and CW still hasn't made an attempt at rescue. I say we cut our losses and look for another direction." The Preacher was speaking to the four heads of the International government.

"He is our last form of bait. Give it time. CW will show. I thought you wanted your daughter found Preacher," a dark balding man responded.

"I do. It's just that she didn't show when her family was brought in. She didn't even attend their funerals when the virus finally took them. Those poor souls, thinking that they'd be helping if they just cared for the sick."

The dark man looked at his companions. None had told the Preacher exactly how CW's family had died. The news given to the public was that they had contracted the virus from caring for the sick. They had died in custody. The truth was much more sinister.

"If you have a better idea, please enlighten us. Last I heard that your pleas with your daughter by email to turn herself in has fallen on deaf ears. We can't even track where the messages are being sent from."

The Preacher looked disturbed. "I just don't want my daughter harmed in all of this. She had been mislead from the time she was young. She just needs some help being helped to the true path."

"Of course. We understand, and once she is in custody we will make sure that she is helped as much as possible. We only want what is best for the people. There is no need to harm her, she is just wanted for questioning and then we will hand her over to your capable hands, Preacher. We are aware that it is your work that truly keeps this government running."

The Preacher looked satisfied by this answer. He made a curt nod and then left the room.

"Either the Preacher is a complete moron, or he truly believes that we are only going to question CW," a stalky man with glasses commented.

"No matter. We need him. We must keep him happy. Without him posing as a religious leader for the world, we would be dealing with more chaos then we already have to," the balding guy replied.

"He wants to show his daughter the true way. It may work to our advantage, may break her, make her more cooperative," another suggested.

"That is if CW decides to rescue our young guest," the balding guy said pointing to a view screen looking into a white room where a disheveled man lay sleeping on a cot.

"What if CW chooses not to send a team or to come rescue him herself?"

"Then we'll just do what we've always been doing. Use E76 to our advantage once again. It's a lovely little weapon, don't you agree?"

The other three men nodded their agreement and chuckled. The tides had turned when the virus had hit the public. People begin turning to the International Government for help and relief. Those who had been so vocal were suddenly suffering and dying. The government was suddenly viewed as a savior. Those who were still opposed were forced to go underground. Yes, E76 definitely made their lives easier.

Due to the amount of facial hair that he had managed to accumulate, Elijah knew that he had been confined to this room for weeks. He still had had no contact with anyone from the outside. Still hadn't made any way with the man who brought his meals. He had figured out that the room was severely insulated. He had made some head way on the walls, but then a blistering headache caused him to pass out. When he came to the wall had been repaired. He couldn't see any ventilation system but knew one was there, since the air never became stale.

With all the time he had been spending alone, Elijah found himself doing a lot of thinking. He figured that there was no longer any sense in trying to get out. He no longer had a job. He had been arrested publicly at work, and every arrest made is reported on television. He would have no luck getting employment elsewhere since no one wants a criminal against the government in there employ. He kept going over in his mind what he may have done that could have been considered illegal. The net was severely monitored, no "dangerous" sites could be accessed without the proper clearance and he definitely didn't have the clearance. Nor did he care to check into the sites in the first place. He doubted that the few people whom he talked to on a regular basis had any connections with the enemy. He hadn't had a girlfriend for a few years and he didn't pay for companionship. Transients were a thing of the past. So him being hit up for money at a gas station hadn't happened in quite some time.

His mind kept going back to the news cast he had heard the night before he was brought in. He didn't think they had brought him in over a connection with her. He hadn't had any contact with her since before the war. But, still he wondered. Not if he had been brought in because of her. But what had caused her to become an enemy of the government. Why she hadn't turned herself in when her family was put into custody. Would things have been different if he had stayed? Did she ever marry? She had been so enthused by her career. She always claimed that she was out to save the world. She believed that politics had no standing in the sciences. What caused it all to change he wondered.

He also thought about his own family. Whether or not they were alive. His dad had past away three years ago. A victim of the virus. His brother left when the new government was cleaning out any unwanted behavior. His brother rarely held a job and experimented with countless drugs. Instead of agreeing to get cleaned up, his brother chose to go underground with the Resistance. Elijah hadn't heard from him since. It had been seven years. His sister and her husband also chose the underground life. Why, he didn't know. They were model citizens. Hard workers, tax paying people. His sister only told him that she was doing what she believed was right and that someday he'd have to make his own choice instead of always running from it. Two years ago his mother followed suit. She told him goodbye and tried convincing him to go with her. But he had refused. He had a good job, the International Government wasn't giving him any problems. He saw no need to leave. The past couple of years he found that he missed his family. But he had no way of contacting them or even knowing if they were alive. And the Resistance itself could just be a ploy to get anti-governs into custody.

“So how's the infiltration going?” Cindy asked Dan as she brought him his third mug of coffee.

“It's going well, they have very little security compared to our compound. The computer is easy to hack into.”

They had managed to acquire a small studio flat. It was cramped but the team was used to small quarters. Dan had quickly set up his computers and began trying to hack into the International Government headquarters' system.

“Their firewalls have been updated since the last time we hacked in. But it's still not as advanced as ours. Give me some time and I'll be able to tell you who each of their spies are, who designed the virus, where the leaders sleep...”

“Dan, we just need ID's and Elijah's location,” Cindy said.

“I know, but we might as well bring the General back all the information we can, who knows when we'll be able to do this again.”

“You mean, who knows when we'll have another computer expert as talented as you,” John spoke up.

“Meh,” Dan replied

“Well, don't dabble too long in there. We just need personell IDs so we can get in,” Cindy said.

“They might be expecting that, you know.”

“They might be, but we are trying to infiltrate the higher ups. We just need janitorial staff, cooks, guards. Anything that will help us get to him and get out.”

“Well, missy I can tell you that he is under constant guard. He's being held in isolation, in an underground room. Only human contact these past few months is one of the International leaders, who brings his meals.”

“Why would an International leader be bringing him meals?”

“Not sure, but it's going to make it a hell of a lot harder for us to get to him. We can't exactly impersonate a leader now.”

“Okay people, we should try to get some sleep. Dan, you have first watch,” Alice said.

Everyone grabbed their respective sleeping gear. They had had a a long week, from sneaking out of the Compound, acquiring necessary funding, and then traveling to a location that was near the International Headquarter.

And just to throw off authorities, Cindy had to arrange for a sighting in New York. She figured that it was time. She kept making sure her email correspondence with her father could only be trace to New York. It was still a heavily populated city. Easy for someone to disappear if they wanted to. In fact the Resistance had one of their locations there. New York was a good choice. It provided easy access to information, the “undesirables” had been cleaned out making New York a place known for the elite. Police influence was high and the crime rate low. No one suspected that an illegal organization was there. Yet New York hid several underground organizations. A sighting of Dr. Cindy Woods there would have the authorities attention for months. Which left the west coast with minimum security. Which was where Cindy and her team were at.

Cindy was aware that Elijah may not be held at headquarters. But the security there was the top that was possible under the IG. But she did have it on good authority that all of IG's information was stored in the headquarters' computers. Where ever Elijah was being held, the information would be in those computers. Cindy was also aware that they should get as much information as possible while they were there. It might turn the tides of the war. She rolled over in her sleeping bag and listened to the deep breathing of her comrades. Eventually sleep overtook her as well.

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“Well, it seems like a true sighting. Her messages to her father have been traced there. Seems she uses one of those cyber cafes to send correspondence. The owner only just spotted her though. So either she's slipping, or she wants our attention on New York.”

“I always said that those cafes should be shut down. Makes it harder to track people's activities.”

“We don't want people to start doubting whether or not this is a democracy. You make them thin that their freedoms are being set aside temporarily for safety reasons they are more willing to comply. Just slowly strip rights away. Not all at once, or else the Resistance will have more than enough supporters.”

“Do you think that she's planning a rescue? He's been here for over three months now. If we keep him isolated like this, he is going to start thinking that the Resistance is right.”

“He won't last long enough to join them. You're right though, maybe we should start sending our guest a daily visitor. Make sure he doesn't start getting ideas.”

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“Well, I can give you his location, get you in on a fake ID, but he's been in isolation for the past three months. No once come or goes from his cell except for one of the leaders who brings his meals. Not sure how we can infiltrate that,” Dan said.

“Just get what you can. I just need to get in as an employee. I have an idea on how to get him out.” Cindy replied.

“You do know, he's bait for you?” John repeated for the hundredth time.

“I know, but we need to get him out. Dan put Mac and John as guards, make sure they get assigned to Elijah's quarters. Alice will be in the kitchens. Give me an assignment as the stationed nurse. How do I look as a blond?”

“Well, with that body, they won't even notice your face,” Dan commented.

Cindy threw her towel at him. “Dan, what would your wife say?”

“She'd call me a horny bastard and drag me to bed.”

“Well, everyone you know your part of the plan. In two weeks we should have Elijah and be on our way home. Dan...”

“I know, I know, I'm to stay here keep you guys safe and retrieve as much information as possible for the Resistance.”

Cindy nodded. The next two weeks required the success of all of them. She didn't doubt their talents, and she did plan on a back up. But even that depended on Elijah getting safely to the compound, with or without her.

After months of no one to talk to, Elijah found himself with a daily visitor. He was getting sick of the man though. The guy kept asking about Dr. Woods, the Resistance, his part in it all. Elijah had no information to give him. He began to wish he did, maybe then this imprisonment would end. The man always carried a Bible with him and proceeded to tell him how the International Government only wanted to spread Christianity. And how the Resistance was only trying to hinder their progress.

The guy reminded Elijah of Cindy's stories about her father. At the time he was a minister in Wisconsin. According to Cindy's father, she was the black sheep, choosing science over religion. If this man was right, and it was a war based on religion then Cindy would have no part of it. She didn't believe that a religion that spouts peace, had any business in war. Much less in the senseless killing of millions of people.

He found himself wondering if Cindy went into hiding over fear of false imprisonment. Maybe the news reports were wrong and she was no threat to society. He knew all this speculation was getting him nowhere. Cindy was not there for him to get answers from. And he had a feeling that if she had been there, then there would be no need for him to be in custody.

It was the day that they had planned for. For the past two weeks, Cindy and her team had infiltrated into the IG. They blended in with the other employees. Each performing his or her designated IG task. All Cindy had to do was wait for the call for the on sight nurse. She had given Alice just enough tetra-toxin to put Elijah into a death-like coma. Alice was to lace his daily meal with it just before handing it to one of the leaders to be delivered.

Cindy would then have Elijah pronounce dead. The guards (John and Mac) would move Elijah's “body” to be disposed of. Once outside Elijah would be revived and they would be on their way back to the Compound. That is, if everything went as planned.

“What do you mean, he just collapsed?”

“I brought his meal, he started eating and I left. I checked the monitors when I came up here and he was convulsing. I already paged the nurse.”

The view screen showed a blond nurse checking the man's pulse and shaking her head to the guards. “Wait a minute! Freeze that frame and run a facial recognition analysis program!”

“My god. That can't be CW. How long has she been here?”

“Alert the guards, I want her in custody.”

Cindy, John and Mac had successfully gotten Elijah out to the body disposal without attracting attention. They just needed to get beyond the perimeter where Dan and Alice were waiting with a van that was fully equipped with everything needed to revive Elijah.

“Umm.. Cindy,” Mac said as they were nearing the perimeter. “They know you're here. They just ordered the guards to get you and the whole building is in lockdown.”

“Well, it's a good thing that we're no longer in the building,” she responded.

As she said this, shouts of the real guards could be heard. They broke into a run. “Hold it,” Cindy said, “Put him down.”

“What do you mean? They're right behind us.”

“Just do it, hurry!” Cindy pulled out a syringe and knelt next to Elijah's still body. She stuck it in his shoulder. While doing so she bent towards his ear. “Forgive me Elijah. I had hoped you could make your own choice. Not backed into a corner like this. I did what I could to protect you from all of this. Whatever you do, keep alive. You're too important to lose..”

“Cindy we need to go now!” Mac yelled.

“Just keep alive,” Cindy whispered one last time to Elijah. She stood up. John and Mac picked Elijah's body back up and started sprinting towards the van. Alice had the door open and they managed to get Elijah in when the guards open fired. Mac fell.

“Get out of here now!” Cindy yelled to Dan as she and John were pulled from the doors. Dan sped away as the rest of the guards over took Cindy, John and Mac's body.

Elijah's dreams were odd. First he was in a darkened room will all kinds of computer equipment blinking around him. The room jostled. The the fog would overtake him. He could hear a whisper telling him to “keep alive.” But no matter how hard he tried, he could not find the owner of the voice. Then he was moving or floating through a hall. For some reason he was floating while facing the ceiling. All he could see were the bright light against the white ceiling. He heard voices in the background, but when he tried to grasp what they were saying the fog overtook him again and he found himself trying to follow that voice. Then he was in a white room where a familiar looking man was watching him. “Why was this man familiar?” his foggy mind kept asking. “He was listed on TV as a wanted criminal a few years back,” he thought. “But that's not why he's familiar,” Elijah's mind argued with itself. And then it hit him. He was her friend. Years ago. They would go to the guy's parties, video games, computers, LAN parties, movies. It was her world and she had tried to share it with Elijah. The man looked different, worn out. During that time years ago he had less lines on his face, and this carefree look in his eyes. Elijah had worried that she cared more for this guy instead of him. When her computer needed fixing, they had gone to the guy's house for the repairs. The two seemed deep in conversation and Elijah felt as if he was intruding.

“Well, you're finally awake,” the guy commented.

“Where am I..,” Elijah racked his brain for a name, “Dan?”

“In what we so fondly call the Compound,” Dan replied, “Sorry, we had to keep you sedated for so long. Security measure. You have no permanent effects from the tetra-toxin.”

“The what?”

“Cindy had tetra-toxin given to you to put you in a death-like coma. It was the easiest way to get you out,”

“Where is Cindy?”

Dan looked saddened, “She was captured, you were the bait to lure her.”

“What do you mean...”

“That's all the information I can give you for now. Rest, get your strength. The General will be visiting to question you.” Dan got up and left the room, leaving Elijah as alone and confused as he had been in the past few months.

“What do you mean he wasn't injected with the vaccine?” Dan asked the woman in front of him. They were in Elijah's room. The lady was doing Elijah's exam.

“I'm saying that his blood shows none of the markers that Cindy had John design for the vaccine. They did it as a way to know who had received the vaccine and who hasn't. I think Cindy put something else in him and I want to do a quick scan of his shoulder.”

Dan looked at Elijah, then back at the woman and nodded. She walked over to Elijah wigh a portable scanning device. She ran it around his shoulder, it made a rapid beeping noise. She pushed a few buttons, smiled and said, “Found it!” The lady grabbed a syringe and stuck it in Elijah's shoulder, he winced from the pain. “Sorry,” she said. “Got it.”

She walked over to her bag and pulled out a container of liquid, injected the contents of the syringe into it. She shook the container for a bit and then took a pair of tweezers. She removed something from the container and went to the computer she had brought with her.

“What are you doing?” Elijah asked.

“Cindy inserted a data chip into your shoulder. I'm about to find out what information she put on it.” She put the chip into the computer.

What came up was a slide show of pictures. Some were of the ocean, others of Elijah posing. Elijah recognized the pictures. They were from a vacation to the coast that he and Cindy had taken. It had occurred over eleven years ago. He was confused. “This is the information?”

The girl smiled. “Yes, and no. We each carry data chips with pictures. Sort of like those old wallet pictures. That way if we're caught, it just looks like we're carrying family momemtos. But...” She entered a sequence of numbers. “When we enter a specified code...” she turned the computer to Elijah. The pictures melted away and lines of text, diagrams, and graphs appeared. “We get data. This here is Cindy's work. Unfortunately, it's incomplete, as far as I know, Cindy didn't give the code to access everything. Dan, can you...?”

“Crack it. In time, yeah. But Cindy has never been one to choose simple codes. You have to know her backwards and forwards to get in easily. And the only one who can do that has also been captured.”

“Why can't you guys pull a rescue the way you did me?”

“Because getting her out will be harder tan springing you. You were used as bait to lure her in. Granted you weren't supposed to be saved. But the IG has been trying to get her since before we went into hiding.”

Elijah was not surprised that he had been used as bait. But the fact that Cindy was part of the rescue while knowing that he was bait did.

“Well, what kind of data is on there?” Elijah asked.

Dan and the girl looked startled, “We can't explain it just yet, you don't have the clearance.”

“She used me as a mule for her data. I have a right to know what it was I transported.”

Dan looked angry at this comment, “She risked her life to get you out of there. A good man lost his life in the process. And now, two of our best scientists are in the custody of the IG.”

“Its has to do with the work Cindy was doing here.” The girl jumped in. “We can't give you anymore information than that till the General clears you.” She picked up her stuff and headed towards the door. “Dan...”

“I'll catch up with you Lucy, you go ahead.” Once Lucy was out of the room, Dan turned towards Elijah. “We are doing the best that we can for you right now. Cindy insisted on your rescue without the General's approval, and while she hasn't steered us wrong yet she has left us in the dark about you. So I suggest, you cut down on the questions because we don't have answers.” Dan headed out the door. He looked lost, and tired.

The next few days passed slowly for Elijah. At least he wasn't completely confined to his room. He had limited access to halls to walk. He was provided with his own bathroom and needed hygiene elements. Upon first looking at himself in the mirror, Elijah could hardly recognize himself. He had lost a lot of weight in the past few months. And his facial hair was out of control. He laughed slightly when a thought about Cindy came to mind. She had seen photos of him from his college years and had commented that she would never have agreed to a date with him if he had still been that scrawny. Now he looked worse. Elijah found himself hoping that Cindy was alright.

A lady who had introduced herself as Alice came in a few days later with fresh clothing for Elijah. “I'm to escort you to the General's office as soon as you are changed,” she said. Elijah had learned from Dan that Alice had taken a bullet in the leg during the rescue attempt. It was Alice who had revived him in the back of a van, while Dan was speeding to a secure location.

When Elijah was finished changing, he found himself being led through countless halls. He knew he could never find his way back on his own. They stopped outside a sealed door, Alice opened it and ushered Elijah in. The General was at his desk, going over some papers with Lucy standing in front of him.

“Thank you Lucy. You can return to the lab. I'll handle this matter.” Lucy nodded and headed out the door. The General dismissed Alice and then turned to Elijah. “Well, I hear you've had quite the adventure with one of my teams. Lucy tells me that you brought back Cindy's work with you, so there isn't too much lost time on that. As to what to do with you. I'm at a loss. If we send you back to the outside, your life is over. You had a very public arrest, no one will believe that you were falsely arrested.”

Elijah didn't know whether he was to respond or not. So he just kept quiet and let the General keep talking.

“Fortunately for you, there are people here who think that you will be able to provide an asset to our organization. Since I have no knowledge of your skills as of yet, nor do I know how well you can be trusted. So for now, you'll be stationed in the kitchens. Normally, you would be granted living quarters in Section 2, but this young man has vouched for you to be staying with him in Section 4.”

A man seemed to appeared from the shadows of the bookcase. Elijah, recognized him immediately. “Hey Bro,” the man said.

“It seems you and Conner here know each other. He says you're more than trustworthy. So I've agreed to leave him in your capable hands.”

The General waved his hand as to dismiss them. Elijah, walked out with Conner. His head still spinning form what he just realized. His brother was still alive, and was working for the Resistance. They walked down a long hall, each in his own thoughts. They then stopped at a door, Conner typed in a code on the keypad and they entered. “Welcome to Section 4,” he said.

Elijah walked through the door. The place was bright, like sunlight was pouring through some invisible window. There were wide corredores and people going about their business. Children were running around like they were outdoors on a Saturday. Elijah looked slightly confused.

“We're underground,” Conner explained. “The engineers in Section 8 set up the lighting to act as sunlight does throughout the day. They even set up “windows” in the living units that have digital images of outdoor scenes. It's all very life like. Ah, here we are. Home sweet home.” Conner opened a door to a unit.

A young woman stopped what she was doing. A look of worry was replaced by joy. She came over to Conner and gave him a tight embrace. “I've missed you so much,” she said.

“Ah, Hon I've only been gone for a few hours.” The lady looked confused. “I'd like to introduce you to my brother Elijah. Elijah, this is my wife Lena. Our daughter is around here somewhere.”

Lena laughed. “She's in the garden with Sue and her family.” She gave Elijah a hug. “Hello, Elijah. You must excuse the mess, my husband did not tell me you were coming.” She gave Conner a smile.

“The General just gave me the okay to bring him home.”

“Well, I'll just put another place at the table. You and Elijah can go get Ellie,” Lena said.

As he and Conner were leaving, he saw that there were only two places set at the table. He followed Conner toward the garden. “Wife? Daughter?” He asked, “Never pictured you married, much less supporting a family.”

Conner laughed. “Well, when I joined up with the Resistance this isn't what I had pictured. I had started out on the janitorial staff. You're lucky they're starting you in the kitchens, I had to work up to that. Met Lena while I was on kitchen duty for the school here. She teaches music. We have to give our children some sort of recreation. Anyways, we hit it off. Eventually, got married and had Ellie. I now work as bodyguard for the General. Must be a huge change from the strung out brother you used to know. Huh?”

They stopped outside a door. Conner typed in another code and the door opened. “We can't be too safe here. Had an issue with IG spies about five years ago. Since then, everything has its own security.” They walked into what appeared to be an outdoor garden. There was the sound of water somewhere. Lot's of green and flowering plants. And a playground in the distance. There were children laughing and playing. Then one child yelled “Daddy!” and started running. Conner scooped her up and gave her a bear hug. Then he waved to a young lady with three children. She had an expression of worry that was replaced by relief.

Elijah and Conner carrying Ellie left the garden and headed towards Conner's living unit.

Elijah spent the next two months working in the kitchens. He helped prepare meals and made sure they were delivered to the proper locations. He learned the ins and outs of Section 4. There really wasn't anywhere that was off limits to his security clearance. Except that he didn't have clearance to leave the section. He got to get to know his niece and sister in law. Conner returned every evening in time for the last meal and a bedtime story.

Elijah did begin to wonder if the General had forgotten about him. He wondered what kind of information Cindy had put on that chip. He still wasn't sure why Cindy had put herself into danger to get him out. Or why he kept hearing that whisper each night as he tried to sleep. He found himself hoping that Cindy was okay.

“The General has requested a meeting with you. I'll be taking you to him tomorrow morning.” Conner said one evening during supper.

An expression of concern swept across Lena's face, but she quickly replaced it with a small smile. She got up and started clearing the dishes.

“What does the General want me for?” Elijah asked.

“They finally analyzed the information Cindy left and have agreed to go over it with you. And there is news about Cindy herself,” Conner replied.

“A rescue?”

“Not exactly sure, it'll be discussed tomorrow.” Conner said.

“If there's going to be a rescue, I'm going. I can't sit there in the kitchens while someone else is risking his life.”

“You don't have much choice. That's all I can tell you man. So stop asking.”

That night Elijah didn't get much sleep. The next morning he found himself entering the General's office much like he had a few months prior. And again there was Lucy standing across from the General's desk. There was also Dan and Alice. The General was looking intently over a file when Elijah and Conner walked in.

“Well, since we're all here I guess we should get this meeting started. Lucy, why don't you tell us your findings first and we'll go from there.”

“I've analyzed the accessible information that Cindy had sent. She had good reason for wanting you rescued Elijah. Your DNA has its own vaccine against the virus encoded into itself. Seems it's your DNA that we have been using as a template for the vaccine. It may even be the key to the cure. If the IG had found that out, they would have found a way to mutate the virus and would have killed you to keep a vaccine out of reach. Still sketchy on how Cindy got this information to begin with, but we now know that you may be the clue to changing the outcome of this war.”

Elijah looked stunned. He didn't know how to respond to the information that he was just presented with. He wanted answers, and he got them. He wasn't sure how he felt about “changing the outcome of this war.”

“That means you will be transferred to Section 8. It's our most secure site in the Compound. And you'll have a new assignment. Of course since you do have family outside of Section 8, you will be granted some leave time each month to visit,” the General explained. “Now Conner, as to your information...”

“We have received word from one of our spies that Cindy and John have managed to escape the IG. With a bit of inside help of course. Our guess is that they will head for the nearest Resistance location for refuge. That would be Location 1. If they are traveling on foot and neither is injured then it'll take them a couple of weeks to get there. I will be taking E2 and 4 to retrieve them and bring them back to the Compound.”

“I'll be going with you,” Elijah spoke up.

“You won't,” the General said. “In case you haven't been listening, you're the key to the cure to this virus. We can't afford to risk the IG getting their hands on you. The moment they try exposing you to the virus they'll know. We lucked out last time, we may not be so lucky this time.”

“I didn't agree to join the Resistance and I didn't agree to follow orders. If you don't allow me to go on the rescue, I will go myself.”

The General looked flustered. “Lucy, escort Elijah to his new quarters in Section 8. I will finish the rest of this meeting.”

Lucy nodded and escorted Elijah out. They walked along several halls. Eventually, they stopped outside a door and Lucy typed in her code. “This is Section 8,” she said. It looked quite similar to Section 4. After passing through several halls they stopped outside a door. “This is your new unit. You're pass code will let you in. You will have an escort for the next few days. They will show you around and will take you to your new work location when the assignment comes.”

Elijah entered the unit. It was the size of a 1 bedroom flat. Seemed to be a bit larger than his brother's 2 bedroom unit. It was already furnished. And was equipped with a kitchen. It reminded him of an apartment on the outside. He went to the bedroom and laid down on the bed.

A knock on the unit door woke him from a short sleep. He got up to let whomever in. It was Lucy. “I'm to take you to your escort's location,” she said. Elijah closed the unit door and followed her. A few doors down the hall, Lucy stopped and knocked on a door. A young girl answered. She looked to be about 15. “Elijah, this is Nellie. She and her brother Michael will be showing you around for the next few days. How are things Nellie?”

“Fine, thanks Aunt Lucy. You still want Michael and I to come over for dinner?”

“Of course. You two are family, no need for you to ask. Well, I'm needed in the lab. I'll leave you guys alone now,” Lucy left the unit.

“So you're the famous Elijah?” Nellie said.

“Yeah.”

“Well, come in I'll make some tea. Then I'll give you the grand tour of the place.”

Elijah, walked into the unit. A boy who looked to be about ten was on the floor playing with an old gaming unit. “Hello,” Elijah said. The boy nodded his hello.

Elijah walked into what was the kitchen. “Feel free to wander a bout. No top secret stuff is stored in these quarters,” Nellie said.

Elijah walked around. The quarters were slightly larger than his own. He wondered what the children's parents did. He found the bathroom. Very simple décor. White towels, a simple toothbrush holder with three toothbrushes. It looked very neat and tidy. He found what he guessed was the boy's room. It looked as if the boy has an eye for science. There was a microscope on a desk, video games, and lots of books. The next room had maps with push pins. A pair of black combat boots were sitting next to the bed. The next room was a sewing room. It had clothes and fabric in piles. “My aunt is against wasting,” Nellie said behind him. She handed him a mug of tea. “She saves the clothes we outgrow and remakes them into something different. Kind of funny since the Compound has people who make garments for everyone. But my aunt says they have more than enough work to do. We also have one of the few units that has a kitchen. Auntie wanted things to seem as much as a real home as possible.” Nellie led him to another room. This one seemed vaguely familiar to Elijah. The bed was made with a blue and white quilt. An old faded pink quilt lay at the foot. There was a shell box on the bed stand. He picked it up. Inside the box was a cord necklace with a blue ceramic dolphin. “Auntie usually wears that all the time.” Elijah recognized the dolphin. Though last time he saw it, it was on a bookmark. He had given it to her on their first date.

“Who's your aunt?” Elijah asked.

“Doctor Cindy Wood,” Nellie answered. “But everyone around here just calls her Cindy.”

“Cindy is your aunt? But I thought all her relatives had died.”

“Not all. My mom and dad handed us over to Auntie when she asked them to join her.”

“Why didn't they join her?” he asked.

“They felt that they were needed there. It was a tearful time. I was only ten and Michael was five. Kind of hard to make kids understand that they will never see their parents again. Well, let's get going. We'll give you the grand tour of the section. You don't report to your new assignment for the next few days.”

Nellie, Elijah and Michael left the unit and headed down the halls. “I'm sure you were told that we're underground. The lighting mimics outdoor light. So when it seems twilight out in the halls it's twilight outside. Kind of a cool set up. Each section is divided up by the level of security that is needed for inhabitants. Section 1 is food resources. Section 2 contains Janitorial, and kitchen staff. Section 3 contains teachers, clothing and merchandise. We each get a monthly trip there. Section 4 contains security guards. Sections 5 and 6 are medical. Section 7 is schools for all the children except for those in Section 8...”

“Why not Section 8?”

“Children like to talk, might leak information. We have our own school here. Teachers are those who work here or have passed special clearance to teach here.”

“And what does Section 8 cater to?”

“Section 8 contains our scientists, our engineers, our doctors. Since the war has gone biological, they are the ones we keeps under highest security. We have other locations. They hold soldiers and such. Trying to convince my aunt to let me join them, but she hasn't budged.”

They walked down the halls and stopped outside a door. “Here is the kitchen.”

“I thought the kitchens I worked for supplied all the meals for the sections.”

“Oh they do, except Section 8 and 9. Section 8 has its own kitchen and so does section 9. Part of the whole security thing.”

“What's Section 9?”

“The General's quarters. And other stuff. I've never been there so I can't tell you much about it.”

They could smell food cooking. “Smells like tacos for dinner tonight. Michael will be thrilled.” Nellie looked down at the little boy who was following them. He had a little smirk on his face.

“But you guys have your own kitchen.”

“And my aunt uses it as much as possible, but because I have school and work I don't have time to cook a healthy meal for Michael and me. So the kitchen delivers when my aunt is gone. I just have to let them know that Michael and I will be at Aunt Lucy's for dinner tonight.”

“Is Lucy really your aunt?”

“Nah, she's married to one of Aunt Cindy's best friends. We've spent every holiday together since coming here. So they're like family. Next stop is the library. We have a large collection of books. When people were being brought into hiding they being scientists, brought books as their items of value. The true owners are recorded and then the books put in the library.” They entered the library.

It held shelves and shelves of books. Elijah couldn't help but think that this was Cindy's favorite place to go. She was always reading. She even tried convincing him to let her read some of her favorite novels out loud. He left before she could.

Their next stop was the gardens. They were similar to the ones in Section 4. “I know it looks like it's outside. But the gardens really are a giant room. All the sections have them. They help supply valuable oxygen and a good food source. The rooms are designed to mimic the outdoors. It helps people from going stir crazy.”

They walked around the gardens for a bit. There were streams flowing through. Flowering plants were clumped under trees. There was even a swimming hole for the kids. It looked like a little paradise. Elijah could understand the need for something like that. The gardens exuded a calm, that he had a feeling was needed for those who had been in hiding for so long.

After the gardens, Nellie led Elijah back to his quarters for the evening. His meal was already waiting on the table. “I'll give you a tour of the labs tomorrow,” she said and then left with her brother. Elijah found himself alone again in his quarters. Though he had found Nellie quite talkative, it had been quite an informative day. Most of the people Elijah had been associated with for the past few months had left him in isolation or had been so tight lipped about everything, he begun thinking that he might be the “enemy.” Nellie provided a breath of fresh air. She had no problem letting him know about the structures in the compound, how they get oxygen, the water purifying system... Since she was a trained escort around the compound, he knew she was only giving information that wasn't considered to be confidental. He still had no idea where on earth he was located, though he had his suspicions. He didn't know how deep underground they were, and though Nellie had mentioned other compounds, he didn't know where they were. And to top it off, he still had no idea what his new assignment would. No one had come to tell him what was going on with Cindy's rescue mission. And he was nowhere close to figuring out how to get to her in the first place. And he didn't understand this urge to find her. He kept telling himself that it was because he owed her. She risked herself to save him. But he didn't even find that convincing.

The next day, Elijah found breakfast already waiting at the table and Nellie waiting to give him another tour of Section 8. “Where's Michael?” he asked.

“Oh he has classes today. Never misses. Mom used to say that he would take after Aunt Cindy. Even then he had a curious nature.”

Elijah finished his meal and they headed out. Nellie had told him that they would be visiting the labs. Elijah found himself trying to listen to Nellie explaining the various tasks that were performed at each lab. Elijah, found himself wondering why Nellie would go through all this trouble to explain each lab. He was an engineer not a scientist. He remembered when Cindy would tell him about some new project she was doing. It rarely made sense to him, but he nodded absentmindedly. She probably was doing the same thing when he talked about drainage studies. She never complained about it though.

They stopped next to a door. Nellie knocked. “I don't have the clearance for this one,” she explained. A young man came, “We're here for Dan.” The man nodded, shut the door. A few moments later Dan appeared. “I promised Aunt Lucy we'd come get you for lunch.”

“That time already? Guys, take a break for the next hour.” Dan nodded a hello to Elijah.

They started walking down the hall of labs. They turned several corners before stopping. Elijah saw Michael stepped out of a door. “Aunt Lucy was wondering where you guys were. She sent me to look for you.”

“Well, you found us,” Dan said, scooping the boy up with one arm. He carried the laughing boy back through the door. Nellie and Elijah followed them in. They walked into a room that was brightly lit. There was a table in the middle of the room with their lunch already set out. The room itself looked like a staff break room. There was a glass window looking into another room that had cubicles set up with computers. Beyond that was another large window that looked into a lab with people in white suits. Each room was separated by a door with a keypad.

Lucy smiled when they entered. Next to her was a little girl who looked to be about six. She was sitting in a chair swinging her legs under the table. “Elijah this is my daughter Gina. Children are generally brought to their parent's work sites for meals. Sort of the Resistance's way of encouraging family togetherness,” Lucy said.

Everyone sat down at the table. They had a lunch of garlic and lemon chicken with rice. There was steamed broccoli as a side. Elijah didn't ask how they got the chicken, but Nellie seemed to sense his questioning. “Section 1 is set up as a farm. Most of the food for the compound is raised there. It's delivered fresh to the kitchens each day. It's a neat setup. If you want, I can get permission to take you on a tour there sometime.”

Elijah smiled and nodded. How they were raising plants and animals underground was something he wanted to see. The whole compound seemed to be it's own little world. No wonder the IG was having so much trouble finding them.

As they finished their meal, there was a tap at the door and then the sound of the keypad being used. The door opened and Conner walked in. Lucy turned to Nellie, “Nellie could you take Michael and Gina back to the school. You can return to class to for the day.” Nellie didn't ask any questions. She just grabbed Gina and Michael by the hand and left the room.

“The rescue will be heading out in two days,” Conner said. “Dan, the General sent you and Lucy orders.” He handed them a slip of paper. Dan read it and passed it to Lucy nodding. “Your assignment will be taking place as soon as we get them back. As for you...” Conner turned to Elijah.

“I already said that I would be going. I'm not a Resistance member so ordering me to stay isn't going to work,” Elijah said.

“I realize that, and so does the General. You will be coming along, on he condition that you obey my orders. If I tell you to run, you run. If I say shoot, you shoot. The General does not like the idea of you being out there. And nor do I. But if you're this insistent on rescuing a damsel in distress it would be better if you at least have some protection. Do you understand?”

Elijah nodded.

“Good. Preparations are being made for you. Can't tell you to pack anything since you don't have anything to begin with. I'll be back here in two days to get you.” Conner nodded to Dan and Lucy and let himself out.

“A little bossy isn't he?” Elijah commented as soon as his brother had left.

“Well, he has his reasons,” Dan replied.

“And what are your reasons,” Elijah asked.

“I don't understand,” Dan said.

“How soon after I left did you and Cindy hook up? “Why did you just abandon her and bring me back?”

“We didn't hook up,” Dan replied.

“Oh come on! You two were always taking. Always chatting online. When we'd hang out, she rarely left your side. I left because I knew I was in the way!”

“Then you thought wrong. Her and I never had plans to hook up, and we never will. She follows her heart and I was not in its path. As for abandoning her, I did as I was ordered. She told me to get you out of there. If it were up to me, she wouldn't have been on that mission in the first place!”

“Dan,” Lucy said putting her hand on his arm, “Go back to the lab. I still need you to get the bugs out of that new program.” Dan nodded and left. Lucy turned to Elijah. “I know it's tough for you right now. You probably have a lot of questions and aren't getting answers. Keep in mind, Cindy knew what she was doing. She never considered herself above those who worked with her. Believe me. I've known her since she finished her doctorate. We're all taking this hard. She's more than just a scientist to us. She's family. And Dan is taking it the hardest. He's known Cindy since their college days. She's like a sister to him.”

Elijah didn't have a response for Lucy. Lucy came over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Elijah, go to your quarters, get some rest. Trust me, with time you will have all the answers you want. Just be patient.”

Elijah walked into his quarters. He lay down on his couch and stared at the ceiling. Patient? That was never his strong point. Even Cindy had pointed that out to him. But she had always pointed it out with a smile. He sighed. He found himself thinking about her a lot lately. He tried blaming it on the events that had been happening the past few months. But he wasn't sure.