Chapter One

Kendra was in a state of both confusion and amazement as she slipped through the narrow opening between two large boulders that rested with majestic fortitude against the base of the mountain after years of environmental strife and saw the maze of tunnels before her.  Over the years, Ari had explored and searched the entrance to inner earth and discovered what she called a back door to the tunnels. Through this entrance, the odds of encountering a guard were next to nothing.

As she pulled her slender body through the gap between the boulders, Kendra’s chocolate brown eyes grew wide at the sight that awaited her. Small, dim lights illuminated the interior just enough to offset the cave’s natural darkness.  While her eyes shifted from the light that was provided by the brilliance of a full moon while enroute took a bit of time, she was eventually able to comfortably see her surroundings. There were shuttle rails that spread out and wove around corners like tentacles. She followed them with her eyes until they disappeared into the darkness.

The sound of Rex’s soft groan as he forced his large frame through the tight opening brought her back to the reality of their situation.

“Damn,” he wheezed as he pulled his leg through and struggled to regain his balance. “I wasn’t sure I’d fit through that.”

“It is rather tight,” Ari said in an apologetic tone.  “I didn’t think of that, but I’m glad you fit through. The only other way in that I know of would be the main entrance and we’d risk running into someone.”

“Do they patrol it?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know the schedule for coming and going.”

He gave a slow nod.  “So, it’s a good thing I fit through.”

“What now?” Felix asked as he positioned his body for Olga to tie baby Rexford onto his back with the usual make-shift carrier that was made from a sheet.

“Are you sure you want to carry him?” Kendra asked. “I can do it.  Or, Rex can.”

Felix gave a look of disapproval. “You still need time to recover from your ordeal and we need Rex free to defend us.  Besides… Is he or is he not my nephew?”

Olga sniffed. “I haven’t had a chance to check his genetics, but he sure looks like he came from Rex.”

“I need no testing.  Kendra has accepted him as theirs, so he’s family,” Felix said with conviction. “I’m the baby caretaker in this family. I’ll care for him until I tire. Now, let’s get going.”

 “The question is, where to go. This is a maze of tunnels. What happens if we select the wrong one? Do we have any idea where they lead?” Olga mused.  She looked at Ari. “Did you ever step outside of this inner earth city? Do you know what surrounds it?”

Ari shook her head. “They kept a tight lead on us.  We weren’t allowed outside of the confines of a wall.”

“For the entire time that you were there?” Kendra asked with surprise.

Ari nodded.

“That’s like prison,” Felix gasped.

Ari shrugged. “We were kept busy with training.  Although, some were taken out and…”

When she didn’t continue, Felix pressed her to finish her statement. “And what? Some were taken out and what?”

“Well,” she said with a thoughtful voice that hinted of suspicion and concern. “They didn’t come back.  I thought they were brought to the surface, but I’ve never seen them.”

“Not one?” Kendra asked.

“Maybe they have a special place for the children who can’t cut it as soldiers and I just never thought to ask,” Ari reasoned. “Although…”

“What!” Felix said with exasperation. “Tell us, will you?”

“Sometimes they took the babies away and never brought them back,” she timidly admitted. Then,  taking a deep breath, she added, “I was a self-absorbed young girl. I’m sure there are places they take them to for different training and I just never bothered to find out.”

“In the alien city, they threw babies away like garbage or ate them,” Kendra said with bitterness. “Some people were placed into servitude, but most were bred and raised for food. That’s the only reason they even want to repopulate the earth with humans.  For food.  They were going to throw that baby away if I hadn’t managed to get him to nurse.  Of course, I was probably just fattening him up for their dinner table.”

Olga covered her ears. “I can’t hear this.”

“It’s horrible,” Ari agreed.

“It’s reality,” Kendra said with a flat tone.

Rex pulled her into a protective hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. “I was too drugged to really understand what was happening. Maybe it was a blessing. I’m so sorry you were exposed to such a world.”

“I just question what world my son is in right now,” Kendra said with a cracked voice.

She truly was concerned about Eugene’s whereabouts and wellbeing, but she was also taken aback -as well as overjoyed- by the display of protective affection from her husband. It was a long time coming.

“As do I,” Felix chimed in.

“Let’s get going and find out,” Olga said.

Without waiting, she selected a tunnel and began walking alongside the rail.  After a moment, she hopped to the side and flattened her body against the wall.  She asked the others to do the same while explaining that she wanted to see how much room they’d have between them and a passing shuttle, should one come their way. Satisfied that there was enough room, she continued to lead them into the depths of darkness.

As they moved deeper into the tunnels and surface lights became less visible, panic rose in Kendra and Felix. They were both never comfortable in complete darkness. Olga attributed it to a deep rooted memory of when they were young babies and the suffocating smoke from the burning of their homes blocked all visibility.  It caused a subconscious reaction that only surfaced when visibility resembled that day.

He may not have been a trained soldier like Ari, but Rex was a survivalist. One of the things he had the foresight to pack was a long, heavy rope.  At his suggestion, they formed a line and looped the rope around a wrist so that they would be sure to stay together.  This simple, yet clever act was all Kendra and Felix needed to ease their panic.

 The long, arduous hours of making their way through the overwhelming darkness forced their other senses to wake up and take notice.  Little by little, their hearing grew more acute and their sense of smell told them things that they’d normally rely upon their eyes to tell them.  Patience wore thin as frustration thickened.  How far did they have to go through the darkness before they reached a more habitable area?

They had no idea if they’d even taken a route that would lead them to inner civilization; something that Felix openly voiced as he struggled to find the bottle of formula to feed the baby with.  Of all times for Kendra to have stopped nursing!

“We’re following shuttle rails,” Kendra reminded him. “They have to lead to something. You rest for a bit while I feed him.”

She could feel the tension coming from her cousin as she groped through the darkness  until she had the baby in her arms.  Perhaps if she relieved him of such a heavy responsibility for a while, he’d mellow out. 

The familiar feel of the baby snuggling close to her as she held his bottle in place had a calming effect.  The sound of him greedily pulling the formula through the bottle’s nipple blended with their barely audible breathing, which was the only other sound in this blackened world of nothingness. 

Rex’s broad hand rested on her shoulder with such ease that she had to ask, “Can you see?”

She could hear him take a deep breath. “I can see well enough. I’m able to differentiate objects from the darkness. It’s been getting lighter.  Haven’t you noticed?”

“It’s still pitch black to me,” she pouted.

“Me too,” Felix volunteered.

“It must be another wonderful result of your exposure during the war,” Olga said with envy. “I can’t see my hand an inch before my face.”

“Nor can I,” complained Ari. “I’m feeling nauseous from the constant silence and darkness.  Could we at least speak while we travel?”

“We have no idea what awaits us as we move deeper into this tunnel,” Rex offered in a steady voice that he hoped would help to calm his companions. “It might not be the wisest thing to alert them of our approach; especially when I’m the only one with a semblance of vision.  Even though I can see, it certainly isn’t well. What if we encounter someone or something with perfect vision?”

“Give me a moment,” Olga said in a soft voice. “I’m going to see if I can get an impression on where we are and how far we have to go before we’re out of this hell.”

“You can do that?” Ari gasped with surprise.

“As could you if you’d take the time to develop your abilities,” Olga said. Then, she emitted a low chuckle. “Rex too.  In fact, every one of us has the gift of sight. We just need to develop it.”

“Is that a result of nuclear contamination?” Ari asked with suspicion.

“Were you exposed?” Olga asked with a defensive tone.

“I was born in surface Center Land,” Ari said. “The ability was something that my parent’s had.”

“As with us,” Olga said. “You don’t need to be a mutant to have the gift. It’s a natural trait for all humans if they’d just take the time to develop it. Some have it stronger than others; just like some sing better than others, yet everyone has vocal cords to sing. Now, hush while I see what I can come up with.”

The sound of their breathing echoed in Kendra’s ears while she waited with a mixture of eagerness and desperation for her aunt to come up with an answer as to how much longer they’d be forced to traverse the dark void.  She nearly jumped from her skin at the sound of her aunt’s gasp.  Her sudden movement frightened the nearly sleeping baby in her arms and he started to cry.  

“Give him to me,” Felix impatiently said. “Rex, take him and hand him to me, will you?”

Rex quickly scooped his son from his wife’s grasp and immediately transferred him to Felix’s waiting arms.  The young man cooed and caressed the infant into silence with remarkable speed.

“How do you do that?” Kendra asked with frustration.

“It’s a gift,” Felix said as his lips lovingly caressed the baby’s cheek. “Plus, I got a lot of practice with Eugene.”

“It makes me feel like a bad mother that I can’t quiet him like that,” Kendra pouted.

“You’re anything but a bad mother,” Rex quickly interjected as he took the quieted baby from Felix and handed him back to his wife to finish feeding.  “Felix has just spent more time caring for the children because your duties lay elsewhere.  There’s no shame in that.”

“He’s right,” Felix said in a supportive manner. “We needed your hunting skills to survive.”

“Not after Rex came along,” she grumbled.

“Yes, after Rex came along,” Felix persisted. “Do you forget all of the hunting trips you did on your own to provide food for us while Rex spent his time repairing solar panels and other things to make life easier? You never came back empty handed, either.  You’re an amazing hunter.”  He sucked in air. “We’re a team. A unit.  I care for the children because that’s where my talent lies, but that doesn’t diminish your importance in their life.  Never think that.”

“Isn’t anyone curious why Olga gasped like she did?” Ari impatiently asked. “Did you even notice that she’s been silent since then?”

Rex looked to Olga. He could see her form in the darkness sitting on the ground with her back against the stone wall and her head hung low. He went to her side and knelt down to her level.  Had she been able to clearly see his face, she’d have realized his concern even if he hadn’t spoken with a worried voice. “Are you okay?”

Her voice was soft and raspy.  “I just looked into the eyes of a dead man.”