Chapter 8

The two hours fly by fast. I am the first up the ladder and out into the open. It feels so good to breathe fresh air, and feel the wind on my face. I had not realized how much I missed it, living from one artificial world to another. And lucky me, I am getting my first sunset of the Sun in a 100 years. It is beautiful. I want to bask in the splendid sight forever.

Gwen wants to take me over to meet some of the other women. Saber and Melville want to head off to look for the hidden entrance to the Kins' only vehicle. Letting the men go off to look for the toy seems the best course of action.

So I go with Gwen, figuring if I have Gwen to vouch for me with the rest of the female population, I will have an easier time of being accepted.

I should at least make an effort to meet them, even if I am not going to be around that long. I can only assume that they are as honest as Gwen and as nice. I couldn't remember the last time I had female friends who were not jockeying for positions.

Gwen and I meet up with a group who are trying to take a census of who was in what bunker.

"How many bunkers are there?" I ask, curiosity is still not satisfied.

"5, in a triangle shape starting with the apex at the back of the compound," Gwen answers dutifully. She is a much better source of information than any of the men had been. "They all have different functions."

"Interesting," I say to prompt her once more, but we have reached the gathering of women.

"Oh Gwen you're all right." One of the women comes over and gives Gwen a big hug.

"Yes I am fine, but I wanted you all to meet Chronos. She is the woman the Knights found in the woods," she introduces me.

"I found them first," I have to add. And give her a wink.

Gwen laughs at this. I think she is starting to get my humor.

"This is Margaret." She introduces me to the woman who hugged her. She is a little shorter than me, which makes her about 5 feet 3, an average height. With short curly hair and pretty dark eyes, she could not have been too many years older then 16.

"Thatcher, right." I shoot back at Gwen.

Margaret looks at me in confusion.

Gwen just smiles. "Right, England's Prime Minister in the mid 20th century." Poor Margaret doesn't know what to say, so she just giggles.

"Gwen and I have been playing name that person all afternoon. So you will forgive me, I have been trying to find ways to make remembering them easier." I smile kindly at the young woman.

"So it isn't completely uncivilized out there?" Margaret asks in breathless curiosity,

"I am as much in the dark as you are, kiddo." I give her a shrug and shake my head.

"Oh." She sounds even more confused now.

"Let's move on shall we," says the next woman who joins us. This is someone I remember seeing before. When I last saw her, she had had a number of guns strapped to her waist. She has shoulder length red hair and the pale skin typical of red heads. She even has a sprinkle of freckles across her nose.

"I'm Annie. It's nice to meet you, Chronos." She smiles and holds her hand out to shake mine.

"Get- your- gun, Oakley," I say as I return her shake.

"Woo, good guess." She grins even more. "And a strong grip." She shakes her hand out, after she lets go of mine. I had used my right cyborg arm. I just smile knowingly.

"Not really, I saw you earlier and you were loaded down with weapons." I let her in on my secret.

"And the red hair. You were going to say because of the red hair. Right?" Margaret adds, as she pointedly ignores my own hair.

"Different Annie," I say, remembering the torturous high school play. "But I guess that gives you two names." Annie, rolls her eyes at young Margaret.

"I love your hair color, by the way," she says, ending Maggie's silliness. I am reminded that my hair was a deep moss green, cut short and straight across my chin.