Chapter 23

"This time I had better look. I think Holiday hid it under some ammo." He gives me an amused grin. I guess Holiday is the joker of this bunch.

"How are you doing?" Sitting down next to Gwen.

"Better." She gives me a sad smile. "I am glad to be out of that place." She wraps her arms around her stomach. "But I have no idea what to do now. This was not in the plans."

I give a small laugh in sympathy. Gwen looks at me in surprise. "Not funny." I agree holding my hands out in front of me. "I just remember saying the same thing once."

"Oh" If it is possible she looks even more sad.

"Really. 'This was not in the plans'." I say with dark determination, "I would tell myself that sometimes, but I do not know all of the plans, Gwen. I was taught the Universe has plans for all of us. Sometime you can..." I stop to search for the right word. "Tap into the plans, but they are not fully set." I think for a minute. Gazing around the clearing for inspiration. "They are fluid. Sometimes you can change things or learn what the plan is and get there first."

"You seem to know a lot about the universe." Saul breaks my Philosophizing. "Where did you study all this?"

"Ah." I am a little stumped for words. "I told you, I was off world for the better part of 100 years." I fumble with my explanation. I am not sure how much I can get away explaining.

"How did you get there?" Saul asks pointedly.

"Good question. I do not really know other than." I wince as I say it. "A Greater power whisked me away."

"Oh." They both say in awe.

"Let us see if we can learn something about your amazing HummVee." I hold my hand out for the manual Saul has found.

"Mean while I will put Gwen in the Hummer for a nap." Saul gives her a hand up. The two of them slowly make their way to the back seats.

They don't converse. I can only guess Saul can feel some of her pain and knows she is not ready to talk. She needs peace to heal, then she can move on.

I open the manual on the High Mobility Multipurpose Vehicle. The first part reads like your typical car manual. Service, parts, how to recline your seat.

The second part reads like some car war crafts wet dream. Someone pulled out the engine and found the specs for an electric car, dumped IT into the engine block, Then added state of the art Photo voltaic paneling and what was state of the art batteries, I am surprised that the batteries still work. And a kick ass weapons system.

This baby has firepower it could take over a small country just by itself. Thank goodness they didn't install any kind of A.I. as well. They must have thought, if the big one hits, there will Electro Magnetic Pulse waves all over the place. Any kind of computer system would be trashed within seconds. Good thing my systems came with shielding.

One thing I don't understand is why the leaders hid this, rather than break out the hummer and just find every lost soul out there. I am sure they did some heavy thinking a hundred year ago. But these ideas do not apply anymore. The Kin have neighbors and they are not friendly. Maybe it is time to go a callin', maybe it is past time. Someone out there seems to be gathering their resources and making a bid for this part of the territory.

It is close to sunset when the last party of protectors came back. There were 12 in all, hard to imagine 12 people doing all that damage to over 50 Brutes. They have gathered all the women who had been kidnapped and added 2 or 3 of the sad remains.

Margaret and Anastasia are in the first group to return. Maggie comes running over and gives me a big hug the minute she sees me.

"Oh thank the gods you're alright 'Nosis." She cries out as she throws her arms around me. "When you went back out, the fighting got worse."

I give her joyful laugh and hug her right back. "Nope not me, kiddo. The universe will not let that happen to me." I add a playful wink.

"Thankfully the gods of war showed up." Stasis, tells me, she is a little more dignified in her greeting, I only get a peck on my cheek. "They told us you and Cam went off to get Gwen." She looks around and sees the Hummer. "What is that thing?" She sounds part awestruck and part disgusted.