The view out Rain’s window hadn’t changed much in the four or so hours since the sun had come up. They’d been driving all night, only stopping for a few minutes now and again for Seth to stretch and to use the bathroom. This part of the road was different from the trip from Judea to Louis City because there were towns along this route every once in a while, and there were people in other vehicles driving past them or traveling in the same direction as they were much more frequently. The roads were not fantastic, and it was slow going, but Rain was thankful they were not having to walk.
Seth didn’t say much, especially not the night before when she’d been sitting in the back seat and Adam had fallen asleep on her shoulder just an hour or so after they’d left the city, and now that she was back in the front seat so that Mist and Walt could sit next to each other and hold hands and make googly eyes at one another, Seth st
“Is she gonna injure herself?” Adam asked after a few moments where the silence of the lonely road did nothing to stop the noises coming from the truck.“Probably,” Rain said, shaking her head. “But that hasn’t stopped her from doing it lots of times since I cut that piece of metal out of her.”Adam snickered and shook his head as well. He was sitting with his ankles crossed, his hands fallen over his knees. Rain tried not to stare at him, tried not to wish his hand was in hers. Something had definitely changed since he’d been back, but she couldn’t quite decipher what it was. Had he become someone different out there on the road, or had she changed while she waited for him? Maybe it was a bit of both. Either way, she didn’t like it.This was the first chance she’d had to speak to him alone since he’d returned. Lots of questions floated around in h
By the time Seth returned and got the truck fixed, with minimal help from the other guys, it was getting dark, and he was clearly worn out. After he’d nearly veered off of the road twice due to his exhaustion, Rain and Mist were able to convince him to pull over at the next town and find a hotel. Since he refused to let anyone else drive and clearly couldn’t do that himself at the moment, Seth had reluctantly agreed.This hotel wasn’t as fancy as the one they’d stayed in at Louis City, but it was clean and off the beaten path. Every time they stopped for any reason, they were all frightened that the Mothers might catch up to them. Rumor had it that all of them had returned to Michaelanburg to fight off the attack from the south, but Rain wasn’t sure. She didn’t think the Mothers would give up on finding them quite that easily. By Seth’s calculations, they should be crossing into the Nation of Quebec the next day,
The drive to the border of the Nation of Quebec took another three days, longer than expected, but caution kept them from taking a more direct route. Along the way, Rain and Adam were careful of Seth’s feelings. Unlike their friends, they were able to satisfy their longing for one another with subtleties--a knowing glance, a touch of fingers while passing an object from the front seat to the back, a small smile in the rear view mirror. Seth was a kind person, and he had done right by them, doing so much more than he was obligated to. He could’ve left Rain on the riverbed to die. He could’ve pointed them in the right direction and wished them well. Instead, he was sacrificing so much to take them across several unknown lands that even he had never visited before so that he could ensure their safe arrival. The last thing in the world Rain wanted to do was hurt him.But he knew. It was evident that he did. She could see it in the way that
Three people had entered the room, though it seemed two were just there for the protection of the third. These two, a man and a woman, wore the same uniforms as the officials who had escorted them in. The other man, a rigid looking fellow who had graying brown hair at his temples, visible below his hat, looked like the sort of person one didn’t mess around with. His uniform was a dark brown, and he had several pins on his lapel.He sat a bottle of water and the translating device on the table and then pulled out the other chair across from Rain, studying her. “Rain Gretchintown?” he asked her.Rain nodded before she managed, “Yes, sir.” It was odd using that word--sir. It had almost fallen out of their language since no one ever needed it for anything in Michaelanburg.“I am Lt. Gordon Laurent. It is my understanding that you are an escapee from the country of Michaelanburg and that
Another loud blast went off as a shell fired from an artillery vehicle exploded into an armored tank across the lines in the Spanish-America Army ranks. That damn tank had already taken out two transporters and a few of their smaller artillery vehicles. As White watched the large Spanish-American vehicle explode from a fortified bunker on the high ground overlooking the battlefield, she hoped every soul aboard died a horrible, fiery death.The Mothers seemed to be winning, but it was hard to say. Their forces hadn’t been pushed back from their own southern border yet, but then the Spanish-American ranks seemed to fill back in whenever they took a large swath of them out. She knew the southern country was much more densely populated than Michaelanburg, and since they allowed both men and women to fight amongst their military ranks, there was a possibility they could have two or three times the number of soldiers the Mothers had available. They&rsquo
None of the people that had loaded her into the back seat of the car had translator devices, so Rain could understand next to nothing of what they were telling her. It was only through gestures that the military officials had indicated to her that she was supposed to get into the back seat of the sedan. The driver, dressed in the same military uniform that the soldiers who had accompanied Lt. Laurent into her holding cell had been wearing, said nothing as he piloted her along a winding asphalt road, devoid of any other vehicles save the occasional green military jeep.Alone in the back of the car, Rain could only guess where they might be headed. The vehicle seemed to be taking an easterly path, but even after all of the running and navigating over open ground she’d done recently, she didn’t know for sure. She tried to stay calm, telling herself, at least they weren’t headed south. They were still in Quebec, after all. But for all she k
Several days went by. The five of them spent much of their time doing nothing but talking about what might be taking Prime Minister Bissett so long and worrying. They also watched the news. It was obvious the Spanish-American forces were pushing the Mothers back, but the invasion was slow going, and it wasn’t clear whether or not the southern nation would give up and decide to go back home before reaching even the cities of Michaelanburg situated closest to their border.They were listening to one such news report in the room assigned to Mist, since Walt had basically moved in there already and it was easier for the other three to come to them, when a sharp knock at the door drew their attention. Several times during the day, they were interrupted by knocks--food delivery, fresh clothing, someone from the staff checking to see if they needed anything--but this one was different. At the sound of it, Rain’s heart leapt into her throat. All five
The prime minister stopped whatever it was he’d been about to say and stared at her. “Fossil fuels?” She nodded. “You’re sure?” Again, Rain nodded, even though she wasn’t a hundred percent sure. She was only going by what Mist had said, what she’d gathered on their journey, and the evidence she’d seen in Dafo.Mist’s eyes were heavy on the side of her face, as if she wished Rain had not said anything, but it had been a last resort. Her friend spoke up now. “There’s documentation in Michaelanburg that shows many of the Military Mothers’ vehicles run on oil based fuels. Dafo knocked one out of the sky not long ago. They may have more information for you.” She left out the part that Dal had not recovered the vehicle.Prime Minister Bissett’s expression changed, but only slightly. It seemed clear this information was something else to consider. Fossil
The view out the kitchen window was beautiful. Snow capped mountains in the distance, open fields full of green grass and brightly colored flowers in the foreground, with plenty of trees and bushes throughout. No matter how many days Rain stood in that room, doing what some might think as mundane tasks, like doing the dishes or cooking dinner, she would never, ever get tired of that view. To Rain Blue, that view meant freedom. “Mama! Come outside and play catch with us!” her daughter, Misty, shouted as she came flying through the backdoor. “Dad is gonna teach Wally how to throw a curveball!” “Oh, wow!” Rain said, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she turned to see her daughter’s bright red hair fly by on the other side of the table. Misty was a little blur and had been the entire four years of her life. Luckily, her cousin, Wally, who lived next door with hi
Rain stepped inside the large circular room along with about thirty of her fellow soldiers from the Quebecian army. She glanced around at the faces of her fellow soldiers and saw the confusion and uncertainty on all of their faces. Adam was just a few people away from her. They caught eyes for a moment, but then Rain focused on the center of the room where President Violet was standing.All around her, large boxes marked as explosives were stacked on top of one another, the highest stacks coming about to her waist. She was a short woman, with short dark hair and a swath of purple in the front, sort of like Mother White’s stripe, though Rain had assumed that that was natural.Next to Violet was a pillar of some sort with what looked like a golden button on top. Wires from each of the boxes were wound around one another, creating one thick wire that was con
Being back in the air was a sensation Rain couldn’t quite get used to, but this mission was different. The first time she had flown, the flight had been long, and she’d been nervous for far more reasons than she was now. This time, she was on a small plane with a select group of soldiers who were being moved to the front to help complete a mission that was almost done. All eight of the soldiers on board the flight had recovered enough from their wounds during various other attacks that they could now go back into active duty. Rain was ready to storm the fort where President Violet was reportedly hiding, and she was glad to have Adam by her side, not only on the flight but also when they landed.It was loud inside of the plane, so no one could truly talk, and despite their relationship status, Rain didn’t dare touch Adam with her hand while they were in uniform and active. But the fact tha
Weeks of healing for Rain, Adam, and Mist brought their bodies back to full strength, or close to it. For Mist, there would be no returning to the battlefield, not now that she knew she was pregnant. Rain and Adam both wanted to return to the ranks and help defeat the rest of the Mothers that were still fighting near the center of Michaelanburg. With every passing day, their ranks dropped, but as long as President Violet and her cabinet were still at large, the Quebecians would not back off.Saying goodbye to Mist had been difficult, but Rain was also relieved that she no longer had to worry about the safety of her best friend. Fighting alongside the woman she loved most in the world and the man she wanted to marry had been weighty, and she was thankful at least one of those people was now out of harm’s way for good.Rain had different roommates in
Adam was awake when Rain made it back to the room they were sharing together. He’d had multiple surgeries over the last several days, so he’d been asleep a lot, but she was pleasantly surprised at how well he was recovering.Cheryl helped Rain back into her bed and put her leg up on a device that would help it to heal. The technology was a little behind what Rain was used to in Michaelanburg, but she trusted the doctors and the rest of the medical team that had been working on her since the attack.“How’s Mist?” Adam asked with a smile on his face. He was propped up so that she could see him. Rain adjusted her pillows and used the button to move the back of her bed up a bit so she could more easily see him. “She’s good. And you’ll never guess what she found out before her surgeries.”
Walking was hard. It had been a few days since Rain had gotten out of bed. After several surgeries on her leg, she knew that all of the bones were fused back together with a substance just as hard as the bone itself, so it would hold her, but it was still scary.She had a walker to lean on, just in case she lost her balance, and one of the medics from Quebec was alongside her. All of the injured had been moved back to a building in Oklasaw. It wasn’t under the mountain like Judea, the town that Seth had grown up in, but it was still a quaint little village, and Rain was glad they’d get a few weeks there to recover.She just wished she could get back to normal more quickly.She’d seen Adam quite a bit since they were moved, but she hadn’t seen Mist. Her friend was still in pretty bad shape and
Adam had no idea how he was alive.He remembered handing Rain off to Seth, and then, the next thing he remembered, the world was on fire, and the sky was falling down on him. Every single cell in his body was in agony. He couldn’t move, couldn’t lift a hand to try and push his way out, and the smoke was enough to keep him from even wanting to suck in a breath. He was certain he was about to die.Adam had let himself drift on then, feeling like it would be better to die unconscious than to be awake while he was breathing his last.But here he was now, lying in a hospital bed in a makeshift hospital near the Oklasaw border. All around him, doctors and medical students were hustling around, doing their best to help the injured.He had an IV in his arm and knew t
The sensation that she’d been moving had jarred Rain awake for a few moments, but she hadn’t been able to open her eyes, and then, she’d suddenly been aware of the fact that she wasn’t quite as hot, and the air that she was sucking into her lungs wasn’t burning her from the inside out anymore.But she had failed at opening her eyes, so she had no idea what the situation was. The thought that she could’ve died and was now in whatever world came beyond this one had crossed her mind. She didn’t believe that The Bridge was a way to start one’s life over, but she did think there had to be something after life as they knew it.She certainly believed in death.People shouting to one another registered in her mind as she tried to open her eyes again. She could feel something s
Where the hell had she gone?Adam had ridden the motorbike back to camp to deliver the message to the commanders. Luckily, he’d found one fairly quickly upon reaching the forest. He’d told the man, Lt. Brason, what Mother White had told them and then handed over the thumb drive. The commander had attempted to tell Adam to stay there, that he was done, and while it would’ve been a relief to go find his tent and take a nap, Adam couldn’t possibly do that. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he was certain that Rain and the others were back in camp safely.He had immediately turned the bike around and sped back toward the medical center. Even before the building came into view, he saw soldiers running from that direction. That let him know that Lt. Brason and the others had taken him seriously and were in the process of evacuating the b