Nature’s Point of View
 
I can’t stand these humans anymore!
I’ve beat on every door
And blown them down!
 
They’re coming for me soon!
But they’ll sing a different tune
When I blow them up!
 
How can the Creator love them most!
How can they have the confidence to boast
When I’ve already blown them away!
 
They have no respect!
Their lives are a wreck
How can they blow me off!
 
Why are they still alive!
Why do these humans thrive!
Why are they allowed to connive!
Why are they so damn hard to deprive!
Why are they always in overdrive!
Why are they linked to my hive!
Why do they always survive!
Why are they still alive!
They have to die.
Or I will.

 
Chapter One
Ghosted
Pitcairn island
1
“Safe Haven can’t be gone.” Shawn examined the bright, noisy, empty landscape in confusion. The only things moving were the birds and the gentle waves. “Where are they?”
Angela directed the two twitchiest men toward something that would keep their hands busy. The waves of panic coming from them said it wouldn’t take much to flip them into rash behavior. “Wade and Kyle will get our ride ready.”
“We don’t have enough fuel for the RIBs. We’ll have to paddle them.” Wade tossed Angela an ugly glare as he headed toward the compartment where that equipment was stored.
“Where are they?!”
Angela ignored Shawn’s question a second time, mostly because she didn’t have an answer. “It will take a few minutes to inflate the boat. I want to hear ideas now, before we go over.”
Several people glare at her for the implication that she didn’t want them to leave the submarine at all. None of them spoke yet, but Angela understood she wouldn’t be able to give that order. This was a large landing party, and these men weren’t going to listen to her this time, despite everything they had been through together. Panic was almost in control of their minds. “I’ll go first. I have no idea why Safe Haven appears to be gone.”
“Stop saying that!” Ray was scanning the empty island in terror. Grant!
Angela ran through the possible options again and decided there wasn’t much she could do from here. She wanted to know what was happening, too. I’m just not being a girl about it.
Her sarcastic thought didn’t transmit to the hive. Angela had already forgotten their gifts were out. Damn it! Being without her power sucked. I get it, okay? I should be grateful for these abilities and never even consider giving them up. I get it now. Give me my damn camp back!
Angela didn’t expect a solution to present itself upon her demand, but she still waited a few seconds in case it happened. When it didn’t, she resumed leadership. “Adrian has point over the bridge. Greg has point over the sub, with Jayda and Piper as support. Harry will take over point next and pick his own shift leaders from those available at that time.” She didn’t need to assign the others openly. She’d already given them jobs to do while she was gone, including Charlie.
Angela’s calm delegation of authority helped a couple of the team members regain their composure. They swept in all directions for problems and waited for orders, but they didn’t lose that slight edge of panic.
Angela hated it. It reminded her of pulling the men from Reicher’s lab. I just started to make progress with them!
Angela was furious at this newest obstacle in their path. When I figure out where to aim my anger, everyone else better duck.
Kenn and Gus drifted toward the RIB compartment in case Wade and Kyle needed a hand. They were impatient to reach the island. They were both positive the entire camp was taking shelter in the tunnel system beneath the town. They didn’t want to waste time on discussing things.
“Maybe they had to evacuate.” Theo assumed Angela had invited him along in case Safe Haven had problems that required an engineer.
“If they evacuated, there would still be signs they’d been here.” Zack was barely controlling his anxiety as he swept the island and found nothing. “Some of those dock posts we put in went down a 10 feet into the ocean bottom. I seriously doubt they would have pulled every single one of them during an evacuation.”
Everyone reluctantly agreed.
Angela gestured. “Who else has a theory?”
Marc had been staring silently at the island, fixating on the spot where he’d killed Kendle. It had been haunting his mind for months now, but he no longer had the same feeling while staring at the place where it occurred.
Marc’s hair blew in the breeze, drawing Angela’s attention. He was letting it grow out, while keeping his face cleanshaven. He was sexier now than he’d been before. I think the pain in his eyes is magnifying it.
Angela turned away. It wasn’t worth it.
Marc felt her guilt wave. He distracted her. “I’m going to give you my impression, but you’re not going to like it. None of you will.”
Angela gestured for him to go ahead anyway. She already knew what he was going to say. She didn’t need her gifts to guess on this one.
“Safe Haven is not on this island. In fact, I don’t believe Safe Haven has ever been here.”
“Exactly.” Ray was relieved that Marc had said what he was thinking.
Some of the others voiced disagreement, but Angela nodded right away. “We’re going to go verify that, but I agree. What are the odds this is the wrong island? A lot of landmasses have similar wildlife and foliage. Is it possible we found an uncharted island shaped like ours?”
People were already shaking their heads.
“No.” Shawn helped Wade pull the inflated RIB over to the edge of the submarine and then retreated. “Permission to Blink?”
“Permission granted.” Angela motioned Cate and Cody to protect him. They were almost fully geared this time, like the adults. Only guns were missing from their belts.
Shawn immediately sank into that thread, taking it back to the very beginning. Safe Haven was here when we left. Safe Haven was here when the boss left. Whatever took place happened after the boss came for us. He began tracing that thread.
Angela and the others left him alone; they all hoped he could come up with an answer that made sense.
Marc wasn’t offended that the attention had switched off him. He drew them back now with the rest of his thoughts. “It feels like a trap. Someone wants us to be here, but not for good purposes.”
Now that Marc had stated it, the rest of them were able to feel the bitter sense of danger coming their way yet again. Eagles scanned for incoming problems while Angela began running through the list of possible assassins and enemies who might be hunting them on their island. She thought of several names, but only one of them fit this situation. You cheating bitch! We had a deal.
Marc stared at the clifftop now, remembering how he had been battered by Nature. I wonder if that’s still in effect?
Angela reached out and took Marc’s hand, but she didn’t interrupt his train of thought either. Most of the men in the team around her were now digging in to find a solution instead of letting their fear make the choice for them. She was satisfied.
Angela scanned all the way around the submarine, guarding them while they worked; Cate and Cody did the same. It was a joint effort.
Angela had little confidence of being able to figure it all out on her own this time. That’s why I have a team.
“Let’s go.” Wade held the side of the RIB while Kyle prepared to launch it. It had only taken five minutes to inflate the boat this time. Repetition was making them faster.
Angela had considered using two boats, but it would only have made sense if this was a rescue operation. It wasn’t.
Angela sank down in the small space between Marc and Zack and gestured impatiently. “Let’s see those arms flex.”
None of the men gave her the small chuckle she was trying to draw.
Angela wasn’t surprised. It hadn’t been funny enough to cut through the tension. She didn’t try again. Pushing them was a bad idea.
The RIB slid through the calm water with hardly any resistance thanks to so many men using the oars. They had taken the extra set from the other RIB so they could get to the island faster. As they propelled the boat through the calm ocean, they continued to search for their camp and come up empty.
Angela felt fresh panic rising in each of them, even the men who were generally reliable in intense situations. This would be another test for even the senior men who had already gone through so much. The cold shield of battle dropped into place over Angela’s mind. She rallied her team. “A lot of you are thinking about running off soon as we hit the beach.”
Angela ignored the water spraying over them from so many wild oars. “I don’t need gifts to know. It’s all over your faces and in your body language. The instant this RIB touches hard ground, half of you will jump out and head off to the last place you saw your loved one.”
 Angela’s braid swung to the side as she glared around at each of them. “Don’t do it. We’re going to calmly disembark and then walk every inch of that island, with stops at all possible locations. I don’t know what’s going on and neither do any of you. Remember your training. I’m tired of burning bodies and adding names to the memorial.”
Guilty winces went through some of the team who’d been planning to run off.
The mission men smothered flashes of their time in the lab.
Everyone else refused to think about how many bodies they had burned after the radiation illness.
Everyone in the boat with her straightened and tried to have faith Angela would bring them through this like she had their other crisis moments.
Angela was glad that she had helped them regain more of their Eagle egos, but inside, she continued to fight her own panic and she knew the same was true of them. It was impossible for an entire island of people to disappear. It also wasn’t possible for all of the structures to have been removed without some evidence of them remaining. There were too many impossibles in the equation. “So much for using Occam’s Razor.”
Ray forced himself into the conversation in an effort to keep control. He had already planned his exact movements to leap out of this crowded ship and run to their town. “Occam’s Razor may be the only thing we can rely on right now.”
Everyone else in the boat was familiar with that method of handling things. Assuming the most likely cause or scenario was a tried-and-true method of solving problems, though it didn’t always lead to exact conclusions. The process of trial and error to prove or disprove the scenario was where things had gone sour. It was sometimes hard to agree on what experiments would prove a hypothesis. It was easier when it didn’t involve magic or a mystery. In this case, it involved both.
Angela scanned the submarine while everyone else continued to gaze at the island in fear or longing. “Occam’s Razor is an ineffective plan for some of the issues we’re dealing with, including the very magic we’re all missing so much right now.”
Ray forced his tired eyes away from the island. He hadn’t slept much since the hurricane. “We need a place to start, and I think assuming the worst is a bad way to go.”
Angela gestured for him to continue even though she knew where he was going with this. Most of the men in the boat were now listening to the conversation while trying to keep up. The distraction was good for them.
“Right now, we’re not picking up anything.” Ray took another glance around the team to verify that.
Heads shook and profiles darkened.
“We’re all assuming the worst. I think we should go at it from the best possible scenarios first and work our way down. That’s easiest done when using Occam’s Razor as a guide.”
Wade and Kenn leaned toward Ray in anticipation of words that might make them feel better.
Ray didn’t have any. “I don’t think Safe Haven exists yet. We’re about to test that hypothesis by walking the island. If we discover it’s true, we’ll be tempted to believe that means they’re dead.”
“Are they?” Shawn was terrified.
Ray shrugged bitterly. “That’s as far as I’ve gotten. Check with me later.”
Angela tensed as the resistance of the water increased. They were over the small rapids lining the beach a few seconds later, but she still checked on the submarine again. If anything happened to their ride while they were on land, they would be stuck here, and she was suddenly sure that would be the end of them. The answers we need are not on this island. She knew before she stepped onto it.
Adrian appeared on the top of the submarine. He made a brutal gesture with his hands and then stomped down the ladder and shut the hatch.
“What did he say?” Theo was out of practice with Eagle code.
Angela faced the island again. “He said hurry up.”
Marc snorted. “He told her to concentrate on her job while she still has it.”
Angela’s anger was just as vivid without her gifts. Heat came off her and started to dry her damp teammates as they reached the beach.
Marc helped them pull the boat above where the tide would come in. He staked it down while trying to use the grid that refused to appear. “Being a normal sucks.”
Every member of the team nodded.
A normal. Theo stopped as a memory ran through his mind. I don’t want to be here. I feel that clearly. Why?
He struggled through the blank spot in his brain.
Theo stiffened as a lock broke and memories flooded in. Damn. I’m thirsty.
Angela walked across the beach slowly but steadily, senses taking in every inch of the ground she had recently claimed. She didn’t spot a single piece of trash or debris. There were no tools left in the grass. There were no forgotten socks. There were no fire rings or glinting bottles dropped in a drunken haze. All of the signs of their civilization were missing. Ray’s absolutely right. Safe Haven is not here.
Angela’s brilliant mind immediately snapped another word in place. Yet.
Angela stopped and regarded Ray.
Ray waited for the question he didn’t know how to answer. He was almost too stunned to believe it himself even though signs were all around them.
“Keep working on it?”
Ray nodded immediately. “You know it, Boss.”
Angela rotated toward the missing jungle path while the rest of the team tried to figure out what they were talking about or ignored the conversation in favor of their own useless mental calls. No one was answering them.
“If we use Occam’s Razor, where do we start?” Zack didn’t want to unintentionally curse the run with his fear. He was already viewing this as another Eagle adventure to be survived.
Everyone regarded Ray.
Ray took them to where his mind had started while they stood on top of the submarine. They had discussed it briefly, but his mind had kept following the thread. “If Safe Haven has never been here, then the most likely reason is that we’re on the wrong island.”
Zack patted his gear to be sure he hadn’t lost anything on the ride over. “You and Saul doped it out, and then you sailed us here.”
Kenn stared in concern. “This is the right place. The island is exactly the same. Just the camp is missing.”
Gus frowned at Isabel as she shoved by him to move up in the line. “The odds on two identical islands are astronomical.”
Ray gestured toward the water. “Then everything was removed by either the ocean, an attack, or a bugout.”
The team quickly tore apart that explanation
“Even a bugout would leave signs that people had been here.” Wade pointed at the ground. “We kept that huge wedding tent here for a long time. We should still be able to see the indents in the mud and grass.”
“We saw all the damage after the hurricane on Howland Island.” Kenn refused to give into the chill that wanted to rise at the name. “There’s no way a hurricane took it all and left everything in pristine condition.”
“Why would invaders take a tourist toilet?” Gus disproved the other theories. “There was a bathroom there, right?” He already knew the answer.
Minds spun.
“Yes.” Angela led them into the jungle. “Keep going.”
Ray understood he was her brains right now. He stood straighter and marched over the jungle path that he still hated. The radiation illness had weakened him; not all of his physical health had returned. “There’s another possibility, but it’s absolutely crazy. This is where Occam’s Razor doesn’t really apply anymore.”
Cate and Cody stopped and rotated in tandem toward the submarine.
Angela kept walking. “I felt it, too. Keep rolling.”
Tension went through the group. Those who didn’t feel it looked toward the others for a quick explanation.
Kenn gave them a distracted answer. “Something’s happening on the sub. Adrian and Greg will cover it.”
None of them were happy to find out the new people had waited for them to leave before causing problems.
Angela hoped Adrian retained control so they weren’t stuck here. She had no idea what to do if that happened. She already knew the small armada they had amassed wasn’t here.
“What’s the other possible explanation?” Zack stepped over a pile of vines that he distinctly remembered ripping out of the ground with his hands when they’d first arrived because it had tripped him so many times.
Ray opened his mouth. “Safe Haven hasn’t gotten here yet. We’re decades behind them in the timeline.”
Silence echoed through the team as they considered that explanation. Their first impulse to laugh and insist things like that didn’t happen was clearly wrong. All of the descendants were sending out silent calls, hoping for their power to return. They were opening doors in their mind and screaming for missing witches and demons that usually jumped up eagerly to perform their requests. It was hard to say time travel couldn’t happen when realistically, none of this should have been possible.
Marc recovered first. “How would you guess that happened?”
Ray wheezed as he continued to keep pace with the group. “Triangle.”
All of them stiffened. Many of them had considered that ghost story after having contact with the yacht that had been old when they found it but new when they left it behind.
Gus opened his mouth to say the obvious anyway.
Kenn shook his head. “You’ll feel like a dumbass if you say it, so don’t.”
Gus snapped his mouth shut.
Kyle ignored them all in favor of paying attention to their environment. He caught a glimpse of a scarred horse vanishing into the trees. He assumed the goats were around somewhere as well. Chad got them off the boat when no one else could. We should have known something was up with him right then.
Ray continued, using Occam’s Razor in a situation where he couldn’t be sure it applied. “If not a triangle, then a worm hole, or a weak place between dimensions. Somehow, we slipped through the folds of a world quilt and got lost in the cotton batting.”
Angela snickered despite the gravity of the conversation. “Stuck in the cotton batting. That’s what I’m going to call this run when I make my report about it.”
The humor in the situation was good, but it didn’t calm their racing hearts or the disbelieving minds now exploring that possibility.
Angela didn’t want them dwelling on that yet, because it wasn’t the only possibility. “There are a couple of other options to pick from.”
“Excuse me. Coming through.” Isabel pushed her way through the front line of men without responding to the displeasure that she was here. “Make room.”
Theo scowled at her. “You shouldn’t even be off the sub. Slow your roll.”
Isabel ignored him. She slid between Marc and Angela to take the bodyguard position.
All of the men frowned at her this time.
The Eagle gear didn’t look right on Isabel. She was too tall for it, and too thin. The gun belt hung too low, and the vest was too obvious under her black shirt. She was clearly the rookie on this run.
Isabel shrugged. “Adrian told me to guard the boss and that’s what I’m doing.”
Theo sneered. “Adrian is an outcast in our camp. He doesn’t have the authority to tell you to do anything!”
Isabel shrugged again. “She needs someone watching her ass right now.”
Kenn gestured. “She has a team of men who will kill for her. Why does she need you?”
Isabel pointed out the obvious. “Her mate will cover their kids and the rest of you are all here to find your friends or family. No one’s protecting her right now.”
Several of the men began to berate themselves because she was correct.
The rest of them gave Isabel tolerant perusals that were usually reserved for their more ambitious rookies.
Isabel didn’t care about their approval. I only care about the boss. The rest of you are just fuzzy dots in my peripheral vision.
Angela stopped them close to where the airstrip had been. She scanned for the fallen log where Stanley had saved her life and found a grove of tall trees that hadn’t been beaten down yet by the weather. Even the airstrip was different. There was no stone runway anymore, just faint imprints in a dirt and grass cover that reminded her of Howland Island.
Angela headed for the main hatch near here that they had been using to reach the tunnels.
Minds went to clearing the island. Hardened Eagles tensed, searching for the next threat.
Angela knelt where the hatch should be and dug through the thick padding of vines, but she didn’t find anything. “Has anyone seen a hatch since we landed?”
All of them realized they hadn’t.
“Spread out 25 feet and search. There were half a dozen hatches through here before we left.”
No one wanted to go into the tunnels under the conditions they were experiencing now. All of the improvements they had made would be absent. It would be like having to clear the underground all over again.
“If you find one, do not open it. We are not going down there.”
Everyone was relieved to hear that. They were also concerned when no one was able to find an entrance.
“Pirates took over this island a hundred years before the war.” Ray was kicking at the ground with his boots. “The tunnel should be here, just maybe not all of it.”
“Why does that matter?” Gus knew it did by Ray’s pointed tone.
“We might be able to narrow down this timeline if we can find something identifying.” Ray gave up the search and waited for instructions.
“Ray and Kenn will do a fast trot and scan at the edge of the cliff.” Angela motioned. “We’ll check the bunkers and the clinic next.”
Two men took off toward the cliff on the other side of the airstrip, hoping they would see their ships anchored below.
Angela led the rest of the team to the thick jungle path that was no longer beaten down and clearly visible. If not for having traversed it so many times, she wouldn’t have known which way to go.
Isabel kept pace, enjoying this environment more than she had Howland Island. Even with the insects here, it was more like the pictures she had seen. She didn’t mind the workout on her legs and lungs, and she had often sweated in the small gym that Reicher had provided for the staff. I guess I’m not a sand and water person. I like the grass and the trees.
Ray and Kenn caught up to the team, shaking their heads before anyone could ask. There was nothing in the water below, not even the dock. The cave was also missing.
Angela knew they would have told her if they had spotted anything, including infrastructure. She increased their pace, avoiding the small creek. She was certain crocodiles still resided there. Those creatures lived for a long time. There was no reason to assume they wouldn’t be there and every reason to assume they would.
Angela was having flashes of old sci-fi movies where time travelers were constantly being warned not to interfere because it would make future changes. Until they knew what was going on, she didn’t want to kill, destroy, or even break a single thing on this island and that included the dangerous reptiles that would be sunning themselves right now.
“I saw something.” Shawn stopped and pointed. “Behind that tree.”
The team advanced together to check it out.
Cody squinted at the path they had just come through. “Something moved over there.”
Shadows appeared all around the team.
Hands reached for weapons.
“Steady, Eagles.” Angela slid into the center of her team. “Listen and then react.”
She didn’t know what was happening either, but she didn’t want anyone accidentally hit in the panicked crossfire.
“There it is again.” Cody took a step toward the shadow he could see.
Marc put a hand on the boy’s shoulder to stop him. Marc was also able to view the outline of a person trudging toward them over the path that was now worn.
A loud laugh echoed through the air in front of them.
“That was Tonya.” Kenn hurried toward the treehouse, taking over the lead.
“Keep up.” Angela followed. She was sure about what was going to happen, but she didn’t know how to warn them other than to remind them of who they were. “Remember your lessons, gentlemen.”
Before any of them could question, noises flooded the jungle. Conversations, laughter, grunts and groans from hard work, and the sound of civilization all reached their ears at the same time. Everyone flinched at the quiet being disturbed.
Shadows moved around them. Slowly solidifying, those shadows became familiar people who hurried by them without notice. It was quick and loud, with full color and no recognition.
“What is this?”
“How can they not see us?”
“Hey! Tonya!”
Several of the team yelled and waved, but they didn’t get a response.
Kenn stopped as the treehouse they had all laughed about came into view, except it was only a giant tree now. The clinic and porch around it were missing.
A shadow walked across the path in front of Kenn. He observed in shock as they cleared into Tonya’s profile.
The clinic appeared, beckoning.
“Tonya!” Kenn grabbed her shoulder.
Tonya flickered like in old films, but his hand didn’t go through her. She disappeared.
Kenn groaned. “She was here!”
Cate pointed. “She still is.”
The camp blinked back into life around them.
Isabel stared at Kenn’s big body and beefy hands, expecting anger at the situation.
Everyone watched Tonya stroll into the clinic with a baby in one arm and three cats meowing around her feet.
The clinic door opened, revealing a packed room of Safe Haven residents waiting for their turn with a medic. The laughter and calm conversations implied it was scheduled and not an emergency.
An instant later, the treehouse vanished again. All of the noises faded. A confusing silence filled the jungle.
All of them waited for the shadows to reappear.
Louder noise snapped into place this time as the camp became visible again. A group of chattering den mothers came by with kids who were due for a checkup.
“Are they ghosts?” Kyle forced his brain to work overtime for a solution. “Are they dead?”
Ray slowly denied that. “No, but we might be.”
“Did you use Occam’s Razor to come to that conclusion?” Theo was in a very snotty mood.
Ray reached over and smacked Theo lightly in the forehead with his palm. “Think about it!”
Theo tolerated the physical correction from a senior man, but only for that reason. Ray rarely ever put his hands on anyone outside of training. “I don’t get it. Just tell me.”
Ray stepping closer to the busy clinic. “This is what it’s like when you break on through to the other side, yeah.”
His attempt at humor drew a fleeting grimace from the few people who knew that song.
Ray simplified it for everyone. “Either they’re slipping through the timestream, or we are. Whichever one is more likely, is the one we base our next actions on.”
“Neither one of them are probable.” But Angela understood his point. “It’s a lot more likely that we encountered something while we were on this run as versus Safe Haven encountering something here on the island. I agree with Ray’s theory. It’s us, not them.”
Kyle shuddered, voice dropping. “We’ve been ghosted.”

 
Chapter Two
Same Day, Different Time
1
“How did we go back in time without doing the reset?” Gus ignored the flash of killing Valerie, the time pusher in the lab. He already knew that moment would be with him forever. There was no reason to dwell on it every time it popped up. I’ll have plenty of time to obsess over it later.
“Maybe someone else did a reset.” Theo was neat and clean, with no beard and a healthy glow. He looked better than he had in a while. But I don’t feel good. I don’t want to be here yet!
Theo rubbed his sore nose; he wasn’t mad at Ray for that moment, but he was disappointed with himself for losing that match, for losing Debra, for losing his place in the Eagles. Being here was bringing back all his failures.
“I have another theory.”
People groaned at Ray’s comment.
Angela motioned. “Let’s hear it.”
Ray was still studying the happy citizens who were coming and going from the treehouse clinic. “I need to hear their conversations first.”
The team all moved closer. Many of them marveled at how calm they were now being, considering the situation. It said a lot about Eagle training that they were able to stand here and make deductions instead of giving in to the panic.
Ray assumed that was because of Angela’s presence, but he was still impressed. He focused on the clinic. The door had remained open after Tonya went in. It was caught on the edge of a floormat, providing a clear view inside.
The clinic now had a tall, narrow pharmacy stand next to the main desk that held commonly used items that didn’t need to be locked up. The main desk was fully organized and stocked with paperwork, folder stands, and even two small pamphlet holders with printed sheets on how to treat land sickness and morning sickness. The medics were encouraging the breeding tree like Angela wanted.
The two rear isolation rooms were busy with pregnant women and their recovering radiation patients. Samantha and her twins were in the waiting area, presumably for a checkup. It looked like people were coming in small groups, providing some much needed socialization, but work was also getting done.
A crew was getting power lines connected to the coolers in the corner, while another team was behind the small clinic, mounting what appeared to be lock boxes of weapons and ammunition that the guards would use to defend their population if needed. Next to the clinic, animals were in a small roped off area while gardeners planted a winter feed seed nearby.
Ray scanned the roof and found two rookies attempting to erect a windmill wheel and the cords that would transfer the power from it. A stack of battery packs sat nearby. Ray assumed Kenn would upgrade that project when they returned. If we return.
Ray took a quick glance at Kenn and saw he only had eyes for Tonya and his son. Ray understood completely.
The baby appeared to be doing much better. Ray wondered again if that was because of the cats that were spending a lot of time with the infant. That had started to be a joke before they left. It was like the adult cats had adopted KJ in place of their two lost kittens.
Yip! Yip!
The sound of the puppy playing made some of them tense. Dog was helping the mission men, but they were far from over it.
The kitten and the puppy were playing in the reception area, making people laugh. The antics of the two young pets were keeping good vibes flowing through the waiting room that had to be warm from having so many people in there at one time. Ray stepped closer so he could hear the conversations. Out here, the birds and the workers were too loud.
Kenn kept observing Tonya, looking for her reaction to the golf hat wearing medic who was running the front desk and openly staring at her in longing. Kenn could already tell Tobias didn’t have a chance with Tonya, but that was based on a relationship. He had no idea what her preferences were in males if she decided to pick a relief source. Because Tobias was so willing, it required an evaluation.
The guard in the corner was also observing Tonya. Kenn didn’t turn his attention to Rico yet. She’ll get laid before she starts searching for a new mate. One threat at a time.
Ray still couldn’t hear the conversations from where he was standing, though the mumble of many voices was hitting all of them. Ray looked at his team leader with a lifted brow.
Angela nodded. “But go slow. We have no idea what will happen.”
Angela motioned the rest of the team to stay next the porch.
There hadn’t been a single reaction from the shadowy camp so far. Safe Haven’s population didn’t know they were here.
Ray entered the clinic, automatically sliding over so others could enter. He stood along the wall and listened to Anna and Daniella talk while they updated patient files.
“…but it’s not enough space to have the lab and the surgery center here.”
“Maybe we could build one, so Tonya doesn’t have to travel back and forth so many times every day.”
Tonya concentrated on collecting the fragile blood samples that had just been taken. “I don’t mind the exercise. I don’t always have time to do my Eagle workout every day now, so this helps.”
“Still, when Kenn and the other guys get home, we’ll talk to him about adding on to the clinic.”
Anna shook her head. “I think we have to add up.”
Daniella waved it off. “You know what I meant.”
Ray realized that conversation wasn’t going to yield what he was searching for. He shifted his attention to the woman sitting near the fireplace exit. He tried not to stare at Samantha’s mostly bald scalp and wild eyes so he wasn’t distracted.
“You’re doing fine.” Neil glared at the camp members who had hurried over to surround Samantha and the twins as soon as they arrived. She’d jumped and snapped rudely at them, then started apologizing. “It’s only been nine days. You’re pushing yourself too hard and so is everyone else!”
Samantha twitched at the loud tone and then steeled her nerves. She flashed a smile at the other women who were leaning away from Neil’s anger this time. “We’re still adjusting. Thank you for asking.”
It didn’t sound like the Samantha any of them knew, but they were all grateful to have her back alive, even if she was drastically changed.
Wade came into the clinic and joined Ray along the wall. His eyes went over his family, hunting for signs of improvement.
Ray again switched his attention to a different conversation. He’d gotten part of what he needed, but he didn’t think the rest of it would come from listening to Samantha try to force herself back into their society. It was obvious that she was still haunted and terrified. He didn’t envy Neil’s job of caring for her and feeling helpless because he couldn’t do anything when she jumped or had a nightmare.
It was horrifying that Chad had chosen to physically torture her. It had been so long that Ray had almost forgotten about their serial killer veterinarian.
Ray faced the rear rooms, where Morgan was walking a group out with calm smiles. He saw Morgan’s attention go over the waiting room and then come to rest on the main entrance. Ray assumed someone was due soon, someone Morgan was worried about. Ray hoped it wasn’t another possible assassin; he knew it wasn’t good by Morgan’s body language. He was tense and tightly wired.
“I’ve just started with this surgery stuff, but Tobias has been doing it for decades. We shouldn’t have any problem removing those tonsils when you decide you’re ready. Until then, maybe avoid the spicy foods, since that seems to give you a flareup.”
“I will. Thank you.” Hannah went to the desk to check out.
Morgan scanned the main door again and then smiled at family in the rear corner. “Sam, you’re up.”
The wave of tension that went through the clinic was uncomfortable for everyone, including Ray and his team.
Samantha forced herself to stand.
Neil pushed the stroller forward, intending to go along. He’d chosen to handle each moment that way and let her decide which ones she wanted to face alone. He didn’t want her to have to ask for help. He just wanted to be there for her.
Samantha put a hand on his shoulder. She didn’t speak, though. She wasn’t sure that she could.
Neil put a comforting hand over hers and then sat back down to let her try doing it on her own. She insisted on handling her recovery that way every single day, forcing herself to heal. Neil was proud of her. He was also furious. He didn’t know how to get rid of that emotion. It seemed like that was all he was allowed to experience now as a punishment for murder.
Samantha lifted her chin against the sympathetic and curious glances of everyone else in the clinic. Her voice shook as she forced herself to respond like an Eagle. “Mind your own business!”
People smiled at her or nodded in approval. Samantha had been through a horrible ordeal, but she refused to give up. They respected that.
Ray expected Wade to follow them.
Wade didn’t move. He had no desire to see Samantha’s agony up close. I can’t help her. All I can do it say the wrong thing and be crushed by her pain.
Ray was surprised. The charming, handsome playboy of their camp looked the same, but he’d changed.
Morgan led Samantha to the exam room without touching her. He often escorted the women in with a light touch on their arm because it made them feel more comfortable, but in Samantha’s case, it might make her flee. He was very aware of how tightly she was pulling on her courage as she entered the room behind him and shut the door.
Morgan’s voice came through the hallway clearly. “Tell me how you’re feeling right now.”
“I feel like I’m stuck between who I was and who I might be now. I’m in limbo.”
Ray nodded in agreement as he went outside and hopped off the porch next to Angela. “Did you get all that?”
Angela snorted, trying not to be offended. “Would you like me to recited for you?”
Ray grinned at her. “Actually, yes I would, Boss.”
Angela waited for Wade and Kenn to come back out and join them. Then she impressed Ray by having the correct answers. “It’s been nine days since Sam was taken. That means it’s been eight days since we left. We have a timeline now. We don’t have to worry about figuring out what timeline we’re in, tough, because it’s parallel to this one. We didn’t go back in time. We got stuck between the folds of the cotton batting.”
“So we’re not time travelers?” Zack was almost disappointed. For a minute there, it seemed like they had found a way, even though accidental, to travel back in time without doing a reset.
Ray rolled his eyes. “Time travel is not possible.”
To his surprise, several of the group laughed out loud.
Ray realized what he had said and join them.
Angela was still gathering information. “What would the next step be?”
“We need to keep exploring the possible theories, unless we believe we have the correct answer.” Ray had enjoyed the many physics conversations he’d had with Tim whenever they were on duty together. They hadn’t had one since he’d become their preacher, but Ray had every intention of resuming those moments with his friend. There was no reason an Eagle and a preacher couldn’t have a good relationship. The fact that their jobs and goals were diametrically opposed didn’t matter. “If we think we have it figured out, then the next step would be to outline possible solutions for that theory or problem.”
“We believe we’re stuck in limbo; we have to find a way out.”
Ray nodded at Kenn. “And the quickest way to get out of someplace is usually to figure out where you went in.”
“Eagles also forge their own paths where necessary.” Angela swept for hatches around the clinic and found them all there. She went over to one and gently swiped it with her boot.
It disappeared, but Safe Haven didn’t. Interesting.
“Agreed.” Ray turned toward the main town path. “I want to see if we’re able to interact with them. I know Kenn just tried, but I want to confirm that result.”
Theo hated trudging through the jungle. “Why?”
“Because maybe we can slide through a fold by making contact. It’s like tapping an alternator to get a car to start.”
Angela had been contemplating the same thing, though she’d equated it to smacking electronics to make them start working. “Agreed. Be careful.”
“You know it.”
“Wait a minute. Where is he going?” Theo didn’t understand what was happening.
Wade frowned at him. “Ray’s going to try to make contact. If it works, it might startle everyone around us. Samantha doesn’t need that right now.”
Theo snapped his mouth shut, embarrassed that he hadn’t figured it out on his own. And that’s another reason why I not an Eagle anymore. I don’t seem to be able to put others first anymore.
Isabel stayed close to Angela and enjoyed being able to see Safe Haven without them being able to see her. She had been worried about fitting into the legendary camp. This was a great opportunity for her to check them out without so much pressure. So far, she was impressed with the happy, resourceful population, but she also sensed they were dangerous–a lot like Reicher had been. She attributed that to having so many magic users in one place.
Shawn forced his feet to move. Terror was beating in his mind. We’re lost. We can’t get home.
He wanted to have faith that Angela would get them through this, but he’d just gone through eight weeks of hell and all the while, he’d told himself the same thing. She left us there. She let them hurt us.
Shawn didn’t know what was happening, but he was certain that Angela did. Maybe she decided we’re all too damaged to return to Safe Haven.
Gus put a hand on Shawn’s shoulder. “Go easy.”
“What?”
“Whatever you’re contemplating right now is ugly. Go easy on that. You don’t need the stress and neither do we.”
Shawn found a smile for the man, but he didn’t feel it.
Marc slowly dropped to the rear of the line; Cate and Cody stayed with him.
Marc kept his voice down. “What are you picking up right now?”
Cody shook his head. “My gifts are out this time, too. I’m not getting anything.”
Marc lifted a brow toward his daughter.
Cate crossed her little arms over her chest in frustration. “I’m yelling, but no one’s hearing me.”
Marc still wasn’t sure why Cody had retained his gifts during their hurricane adventure, but that wouldn’t do them any good right now anyway. He filed it to work on later.
“Why not do it in the tunnel bunker?” Theo hoped to catch a glimpse of Debra. He doubted she would be above ground right now. She preferred to stay with the main camp.
Ray noticed the flinches from the men who’d cleared those tunnels. Theo wasn’t thinking it through again. He was expecting to walk through cleared spaces with lighting and safety, but that didn’t exist in their timeline. “I saw Morgan’s watch. The restaurant should be full of people we can try to reach. It’s breakfast mess right now.”
Angela realized the team schedule was ahead of that now. Being on the sub had encouraged them to rise earlier and go to bed earlier.
“There’s a hatch over here.” Kenn pointed.
Everyone scanned it as they went by, seeing a square, rotting board instead of the reinforced hatches they’d improved upon settling this island.
None of them tried to open it. They didn’t want to go down there.
Kenn’s cologne wafted over Theo, drawing a sideways nose curl. He hated that scent. “Why are the little king and his bodyguard with us?” Theo’s snarky attitude wasn’t improving.
Cate glared at him. “We’re not safe away from the alpha.”
Cody slid closer to Marc as his father glared at the engineer. “Neither are you.”
It only took them a couple of minutes to reach the town, but all of them were dripping sweat by the time they got there. It was a humid day on the island and the warm breeze wasn’t giving them a break. The jungle swayed menacingly but offered no cool breezes despite all the shade from the trees.
“What’s happening on the sub?” Kenn had enough room to worry over everyone.
Angela wiped sweat from her neck. “Our vigilantes found another problem. They handled it.”
“Without permission?” Kenn was surprised.
Angela smiled coldly. “Who said they didn’t have permission?”
Kenn didn’t like the sound of that any more than the others did. “Safe Haven won’t do well with that setup.”
“They aren’t in Safe Haven.” Angela slowed as the town came into view. A smile broke over her face. “They’re building the family den.”
The den had three of four walls framed and a small basement was being dug out. Stacks of supplies lined the project; a dozen camp members worked while another dozen took a break nearby. It was the method Angela had recommended to keep people from getting burned out. The two teams traded off every twenty minutes in a race to see which side could get the most work done safely in that timeframe.
Daryl was overseeing the build. He walked through the construction zone with a clipboard, a firm tone, and the confidence of a man who was eager to accomplish big things. It was attractive.
Angela saw he also had the worried body language of someone trying not to think about the problems he was currently managing. “He’s working to avoid reality.”
Gus pointed. “She’s why.” He was horrified by how weak Brittani looked as she sat in the nearby chair and sipped from a mug. He’d caught the flashes of her being pregnant and ill, but he hadn’t understood how bad it was; his animosity faded a notch. “You have to interfere there, Boss.”
Angela wanted to. “She used her one request on me. I can’t get involved at all.”
“Her what?” Isabel was being drawn into their dramas already. It was hard not to when she could feel how concerned they all were for the sickly breeder.
“When you save a life in our camp, you’re rewarded. You can ask for anything. If it’s reasonable, or not, I try to honor it.”
“Why would you do that?” Isabel wasn’t used to a reward system.
“Because those sacrifices deserve to be honored.” Angela studied Brittani. “She saved my life and maybe this camp. If I’d died in Ciemus, I doubt Safe Haven would have left America.”
“We wouldn’t have.” Zack was positive of that, as were the others.
Isabel waved arrogantly. “Still, you’re the alpha. They have to do what you say. There’s no reason to give them anything beyond your protection.”
Angela ignored the team that was sneering at her guard or staring at the townspeople who clearly didn’t know they were here. “Reicher didn’t love his people. I do.”
“I don’t understand.”
They could all tell Isabel was genuinely confused. They waited for Angela to finish the mini lesson while they regained their breath from the jungle walk.
“Did you love your sister?”
“Of course.”
Angela stopped next to Ray. “I love my camp. Every single one of them are like sisters and brothers, children and grandparents. Their lives are more important to me than my own.”
Isabel tried to make the connection. “But you’re byzan. Byzan don’t feel those emotions for hardly anyone.”
“Have you known many byzan?”
“Dozens, through lab evolutions. All they ever felt was anger.”
“That’s because showing emotions for someone was a weakness to be used against them.” Angela forced a smile at the woman as she ended the lesson. “Think about that for a few days, and watch everything we do, listen to everything we say. You’ll get it.”
Isabel nodded. “As you wish.” She was already studying her companions. It wouldn’t be hard to dwell on that mystery while she continued to observe so she could fit in.
Angela motioned at Ray. “We’ll stay right here so we don’t interfere.”
Ray stepped forward. “Rules?”
“Do whatever you can to make contact.”
Ray muttered in frustrated resignation. “Never thought I’d miss my power so much.”
Heads bobbed in agreement.
Ray went toward the busy construction crew.
“Jennifer!” Kyle ran to the jungle path that came out on the other side of the town as Jennifer appeared, surrounded by the brawlers. Those famous fighters were all in Eagle gear now and armed. She looked comfortable being surrounded by them. Kyle noticed it and stored it for later examination.
“Jenny!” Kyle ran to her and grabbed her arm.
The entire town vanished in an instant.
A dead silence filled the island. Even the birds went quiet for the first time.
“Where did she go?!” Kyle spun around. “Jennifer!”
The shadows blinked into view.
Kyle followed Jennifer, reaching out.
The instant he touched her, she vanished again, along with the rest of their camp.
“That’s unsettling.” Marc was staying calm, but his mind was flying over possible ideas and solutions.
Kyle dropped his arm, groaning. “Jenny…”
It took longer to come back this time, and the shadows didn’t fully clear up. Kyle resisted the urge to shout. He concentrated mentally instead. Jenny, I need you!
Pop!
Gifts returned in an ugly slap that caused people to jump, groan, and curse.
The shadowy town disappeared again.
Angela greeted her witch gratefully. Welcome home.
The witch curled up in her mind and went to sleep without responding. She was exhausted from trying to fight her way through the fog.
Marc immediately used his gifts to sweep the island, hunting for a signature he knew too well but didn’t find.
The hive connection activated.
 Angela absorbed the feeling in relief, but she didn’t waste time. There was no way to know how long it would last. “Use those gifts. Go one at a time, try whatever you think might work, and then we’ll move on so we aren’t duplicating and wasting energy. Ray will go first.”
Ray wasn’t upset that Kyle had interrupted his attempt to make contact. He tossed out a tracking grid that bounced back with only animal signatures. “Nothing.” He knew he didn’t have anything that would work. He still went through his gifts, trying them all until he ran out of energy.
Angela motioned. “Zack.”
The descendants tried to make contact and failed. Even with their gifts, they were powerless.
 
Angela let half of them try, then stopped it. “This isn’t working. Team meeting. Let’s go to the cliff top.”
Theo didn’t want to leave the town yet. He hadn’t gotten to see Debra and he doubted she would be at the airstrip. “Why not do it right here?” he braced for another slap.
Marc followed Angela. “We can’t see the submarine from here.”
“She’s still worrying over that?” Kenn blew out a curse as he figured it out. “Hurry up. If we lose that sub, we’re stuck here for real.” Kenn took off at a fast jog.
The rest of the team followed.
Marc brought up the rear again, glancing at Cody once more.
Cody shook his head. “She’s not here.”
Cate frowned. “Who?”
“Kendle.” Cody walked in the alpha’s footprints. “Not even her ghost survived.”

 
Chapter Three
Are You Sure?
1
Angela swept the pristine submarine in relief even though she’d already checked in with Charlie during the short walk here. “Get us set for an overnight camp.”
The team liked that order. A couple of them had been considering mutiny if she told them to go to the submarine yet.
Angela understood. She was almost certain she knew what had happened to them, but her crew still needed to be convinced. This meeting would help with that, but time on the island would finish it.
Ray hurried over to the edge of the tall cliff and peered below anxiously. He saw all of their missing ships bobbing peacefully in the cove. The cave below them cast a distinct shadow on the water. “It’s all back.”
Some of the team scanned for proof of that in the nearby landscape. Most of them began setting up camp so Angela would start the meeting. Her silent stare at the submarine said she was using her brilliant mind. None of them wanted to interrupt her even though they had a hundred concerns running through their own minds. They had gotten used to her covering everything they thought of, but also everything they missed. Even in a moment like this, they wanted to watch her mind work so they could try to copy it and be more like her in that way. Her ability to come up with a devastating plan was legendary, as long as it was an action moment. She didn’t usually get full credit for her intelligence in other moments.
The worried, scarred men keeping track of her mind for a solution knew that, but they weren’t sure if it was intentional or not. Angela didn’t get much time to herself and even less privacy. If it became known that talking to her was like using a supercomputer, the camp would monopolize her even more than they already did.
“Why are you staring at the sub?” Theo was one of the few team members not scanning the island or the water. He was slapping at mosquitoes and wishing he had insisted on staying on the submarine. An engineer can’t fix this. “You said the action there was finished.”
“We’ll cover it during the meeting.”
The team frowned at Theo for interrupting her, but also because she hadn’t scolded him for it. He’d had a bad attitude since they reached the island and it wasn’t like Angela to hold back when somebody needed to hear brutal truths that forced them to evaluate their behavior.
Ray caught an outline of Grant on the bridge of one of the UN ships in the cove below them. A small group of people were following him around, leading Ray to believe it was a training class. Ray approved even while he disagreed. They needed more people who could sail the ships; any of those people could be a danger to their only captain.
“He’s not the only captain anymore.”
Ray nodded to acknowledge Kenn’s comment, but he didn’t argue or leave his post.
“Do you want a pot meal, or should we scavenge from our kits?” Wade had decided to cook so he would be distracted. Despite knowing they couldn’t make contact, he already had the urge to go back to the little clinic and follow his family around so he could at least feel close to them.
“Do a pot meal and put on extra coffee. Take it out of my kit.” Angela tapped Ray on the shoulder. She pointed at the submarine. “Every 30 seconds, you scan.”
Ray quickly nodded, glad he was being allowed to stay where he could see Grant. He didn’t ask why he needed to watch the sub if everything was fine there. It obviously wasn’t.
Angela joined Cody, helping him retrieve enough fallen branches for Wade to build their campfire. Her mind was flying through all of the many possibilities. She leaned down.
Gus opened his mouth before he considered it. “You don’t have to pull him aside if you need help with something. We already know his brain works like yours.”
Angela froze.
The rest of the team looked over, catching Angela standing close to Cody and obviously whispering to him.
Angela peered over her shoulder, including all of them. “That information will get him killed. At the end of this run, I’m going to remove that memory from your minds. Please give me your permission to do it.”
Everyone immediately nodded, including Isabel.
Angela blasted all of them with a wave of happiness. Then she switched her attention back to the boy who was patiently waiting for her finish her questions. “Why green?”
Cody didn’t hesitate. “It’s in her Nature.”
Angela snickered at the clever wordplay. She stood up with her arms full of logs and waited.
Cody went to Wade. “Where do you want these?”
“Why ask me?”
“You’re my first official mentor.”
Wade refused to smile. “Do you agree to abide by the rules of this apprenticeship?”
Cody smiled at Wade. “I’m honored; I agree.”
Magic swirled through the air, binding the two males together.
Wade had heard about this from Adrian, but he’d never thought to take part in it. He pointed at a clear section of the dirt in front of him. “Start laying them out two buy two, on top of each other. Like you’re building a…?”
“Chimney.” Cody put his load down and motioned at Angela.
Angela put her logs down with a straight face and then went to find more. It didn’t feel odd to be taking orders from him. It felt right.
Cate smiled at Angela from Marc’s side. She was on guard duty over him and also taking comfort in his presence. A small part of her had been terrified that Angela was like her mom and she couldn’t be trusted to help Marc when he needed it the most. The lab rescue had given her more trust for her stepmother, and more love. Anyone who comes between us is in a lot of trouble.
 
Wade and Cody quickly got the meal started. Mugs of coffee were passed out a short time later. As soon as everyone had a drink and picked a seat or a tree to lean against, Angela got them started.
“I don’t see any reason to go through all of the possible options and ideas. Every one of us are thinking the same thing. What I want to do is verify it, and start working on a solution. So, first thing’s first: This is really happening. We’re not ill or hallucinating. We’re stuck.”
Every head nodded.
Angela continued. “I assume you’ve all heard of the 10th man principle?”
Only a couple of them had, forcing Angela to do a quick explanation. “If a group of people all agree with something, it’s the duty of the 10th man to be contrary. He has to dig into the thing they’ve agreed on and try to tear it apart in any way he can, to make sure it really is correct. It’s been called other things and it can be used in other ways, but that’s what we’re using for this situation. I’m going to list out what we agree with. Our 10th man is going to take notes and start trying to find the mistakes in the theory.”
“Why look for mistakes?”
Kyle rolled his eyes. And I thought Trent was the dumbest one along for this ride.
Even Angela frowned at Theo’s lack of brainpower this time. “Mistakes hold answers. If you’d stop feeling sorry for yourself long enough to look at the mistake you made, you’d find a way to make sure it never happens again, thus fixing the mistake and giving your mind, and the rest of us, some peace from your shitty attitude.”
Theo flushed as the others agreed.
Shawn got his notebook out to get things moving again.
Angela began laying out what all of them had been thinking. “Everything got hinky after we found the yacht. The storm came, our watches and clocks stopped working, several of us got a rash, and something started to click our gifts on and off like a lightbulb.”
Angela did a fast sweep of the submarine and then turned back to the team now observing her across the hotly burning fire. “Nature is screwing with us again. I have no idea how it’s possible, but I’m positive of three things. First, Nature did this. Cody and I agree it’s not a coincidence that the cloud was green. We’ve even been calling her the Green Lady. Nature did this to us.”
Everyone agreed, including Shawn. So he wrote it down.
“The second thing I’m positive of is that we’re supposed to stay like this forever. Nature doesn’t want us to go back to Safe Haven. I assume that means we are no longer protected on this island. In limbo, our deals don’t apply.”
Marc nodded when people turned to him for confirmation on that one. He’d been fretting over it since they first stepped onto the island. The sense of protection that usually hit him hadn’t arrived. There also hadn’t been any flashes of Kendle’s death. Both of those things told him this island wasn’t really their island. “I agree. In our time stream, Safe Haven isn’t here. In Safe Haven’s time stream, we aren’t here.”
“That’s exactly it. And the third thing I’m positive of is that we can go back. If we find that green cloud and sail through it, we fix this mess.” Angela saw only a couple of them were following her train of thought.
She tried to make it easier on the ones who didn’t have enough mental capacity to concentrate while Safe Haven blinked in and out of existence all around them. “Imagine a huge room with thin walls and one door, but that door moves around continuously. If you’re lucky enough, or ambushed, you can go through that door. Once you do, you’re on the outside of the room. You can almost get through it because the walls are so thin. You can see through it in places, you can hear through it,” Angela sniffed dramatically, catching the odor of salt and the jungle. “and you can even smell it, but you can’t quite get there, you can’t quite touch it. That’s where we are right now. We have to find that door and sail through or we’re stuck here.”
Shawn had been writing the entire time she was talking. He read through it now and immediately caught something he needed an answer for. “Do you think that opening spins in the same pattern every time or is random?”
“Why does that matter?” Gus was trying very hard to keep up with the conversation and doing well, in his opinion.
“It matters because we have to find it.” Shawn’s hand demonstrated as he spoke. “If it’s the same pattern every time, then we can retrace our steps and just sit there and wait for it to hit us. If it’s a random pattern, we might be screwed.”
“Why are we screwed?” Ray didn’t turn from his post. “With a nuclear sub, and scavenging for our needs, we could chase it.”
“That might take years.” Cody understood everything Angela was saying. “And during those years, we’ll continue to forget who we are and what we’re doing, like Mel has.”
Ray nodded. “The longer you’re in, the harder it is to get out. She’s proof of that.”
Angela unconsciously fingered the baggie in her jean pocket. She never went anywhere without it now. “I might have a plan, but we have to find that green cloud. We must find that door.”
They all sensed she didn’t want to talk about her plan any further. They all agreed that Nature had done this to them; sitting here discussing what they were going to do about it while Nature might be listening didn’t make sense. That conversation would have to wait until they were back on the ocean.
Everyone tensed for Angela to give the order to leave, despite the overnight camp that was still being set up.
Angela sipped her mug of weak coffee and did another scan of the submarine.
“You said you’d tell us why you keep watching the sub.” Isabel was curious.
“Ray can give you that answer. He figured it out a few minutes ago.”
Ray still didn’t turn around from his post. “I’m on watch for a green cloud, or a storm, or a whirlpool. Now would be the perfect time for Nature to swallow our ride so she can make sure we can’t find that door.”
People began sweeping of the ocean in search of a green cloud with a brutal lady guiding it.
Theo finally understood how much danger they were in. “Why are you staying here?! We have to get back to the sub!”
He stood up and spun toward the darkening path. “Come on!”
Angela stuck her leg out.
Not expecting it, Theo tripped and landed face down in the bushes next to their camp.
“That’s better.”
Mission men sniggered at Angela.
“Why are we staying?” Gus felt like he could get away with asking.
Angela sent a dark glare around the entire group. “We’re staying because none of you have done your daily session yet and I won’t tolerate that!”
Her furious tone instantly sent the mission men back to their captivity. All of them tensed.
“What do you want us to do, Boss?” Kenn fell back into it seamlessly.
Angela pointed as she spoke. “Scroll dive.”
Kenn stiffened.
“Blink.”
Shawn nodded eagerly. He was always willing to sink into his mind and forget reality.
“Dimension hunt.”
Marc understood he was taking Greg’s place in that. He didn’t refuse the order. He was able to do everything the others could.
“I also want us to make calls.”
“Why are we making calls? We already know it doesn’t work.” Kyle was still stunned that he hadn’t been able to get through to Jennifer at all.
Angela gestured at the ocean. “Call that green bitch back here so we can make a new deal. If we can get her to show up, we might not have to chase anything.”
“What exactly are we searching for?” Kenn needed to be clear on that so he knew which scrolls to collect.
Angela was ready for him. “We need an answer to Shawn’s question. Is that cloud random or does it follow the same pattern every time?”
Isabel couldn’t stop herself from speaking up again. “It was a lot more effective to do their sessions individually. Reicher rarely ever had them concentrate on one thing together.”
Angela’s red orbs traveled Isabel’s body in contempt. “I’m not Reicher.”
She swept the listening men and made a rude gesture. “Why aren’t you working?!”
Isabel took a step back. “Are you sure?”
She turned around before Angela could answer.
Angela let it go this time. She was more interested in the information in Isabel’s brain than she was in obedience, but Isabel wasn’t able to just give her access to all that data. Because of the way she had been raised in the labs, she also had to be handled rougher than what Angela would have preferred. For this moment, though, she had shown a bit of courage. Angela was rewarding that by not crushing her like a bug.
 
3
“It’s not working.”
Angela didn’t need Kyle to tell her that. All of the mission men here were trying their hardest to find an answer, but they were all coming up short. Even Shawn was having trouble concentrating. The fog-head was coming back, and it was hitting the mission men harder than it was the rest of them. Angela believed that was part of the trap. Nature didn’t want them alert enough to figure out a solution.
Angela turned up the radio, where the anthem from the sub’s speakers was coming across in staticky beauty. She hoped it would help them concentrate tonight, but she knew it would be ineffective soon. I need to find another way to keep us awake.
“Why did you really keep us here?” Isabel had stayed close while the afternoon passed into early evening and the shadows settled over the noisy island like a blanket. She was now peering at those dark spaces in trepidation and cursing herself for leaving the safety of the submarine. I don’t like land very much, any land.
“There’s a special, odd time at the start of every day, right before the sun begins to rise. I’m waiting for that moment to see if I can use it to our advantage.”
The mission men didn’t hear her. Unless she was using the sharp tone that implied danger was coming, they were concentrating on the job she’d given them.
The rest of the team tried to make themselves eat the soup Wade and Cody had prepared, while listening to everything Angela said. They were also trying to find an answer, as well as occasionally sending out a call to Nature when they thought of something that might bring her to them.
No one dwelled on what would happen then.
Zack kept an eye out for his family. They were all late risers. He doubted he would get to see them. “We could threaten her ancient threads again.”
Zack didn’t want to go underground in the dark any more than he had in the daylight, but the idea was solid. “We already know that’s effective.”
Marc shook his head distractedly. “It might break our deal in the other timeline and expose our entire camp to her fury. I won’t agree to that.”
No one argued with him. The beating Marc had taken during the battle with Nature had given him the right to make that decision. He’d felt her rage up close and still managed to forge a deal. If he said no, then it wasn’t a good idea.
Marc sank back into his mind, calling out again. You talked to me before. Why won’t you come talk to me now? You can’t be scared of me.
The other men picked up his thoughts and resumed their own mental taunting or begging.
Isabel motioned toward Ray. “He needs a break. He’s rubbing his eyes a lot.”
Angela allowed it. “15-minute break, Eagle.”
Isabel happily took Ray’s place at the edge of the cliff. She had already spent time staring at the gently bobbing ships anchored below them, but she still enjoyed the view. She wanted to be valuable to the alpha and she couldn’t do that if all she was ordered to do was stand there and look pretty.
“I never said you were pretty.”
Isabel felt that deeply. Instead of crying or sending a nasty insult back, Isabel focused on the ocean and tried not to cry. I can do this without that diet. Looks aren’t important. I’m with a good alpha this time and that’s all I need. I don’t care if she doesn’t like me. Her happiness doesn’t matter in comparison to mine.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Cody left Wade and joined Isabel near the cliff. He stared at her in concern. “You won’t really be one of us until that changes. You’ll live on the outskirts of our love and long for it until it drives you crazy. The alpha will hesitate to put you down because she feels bad about your sister; she thinks she owes you a debt.” Cody’s orbs lit up bright red. “But I won’t. Never forget your place with her.”
Cody went to Angela’s side before Isabel could force a response from her shocked mind.
Cody put an arm around Angela’s waist and hugged her, sending his comfort and warmth. Marc was too busy to do that for her right now, but the little boy knew she needed it.
Angela hugged him back and wished things were different. The life Cody had led so far was awful and runs like this weren’t helping. He deserved the chance to be a normal little boy, with a normal little boy’s happy life, but they all had to face destiny and his was bigger than the rest of theirs.
“We don’t have anything she needs.” Shawn had been trying very hard to concentrate on the problem instead of the drama. “If we had something she needed, then maybe we could force her to let us out of here.”
Angela considered the baggie in her pocket again and reluctantly shook her head. “What if we tried the opposite?”
Shawn’s brows drew together. “You mean get rid of something she wants?”
Angela didn’t want to revive Marc’s deep guilt over his last bad choice, but she didn’t have a choice this time. “She locked us in here so we can’t use that nuclear submarine against her. At least, that’s my theory. We’ve pissed her off by surviving, of course, and we insulted her several times on several levels, but everything was fine until we decided to keep the sub. It all went hinky after that.”
Marc winced, mood dropping again. He still felt awful about that.
“What if we promise to get rid of the sub?” Theo had stayed on the ground after being tripped. He had rolled over in the itchy grass.
Shawn denied it. “There’s no reason for her to let us out of here. We’re basically helpless at this point.”
Angela studied Shawn thoughtfully. “Are we, really?”
Shawn frowned at her again, deeper this time. “You want to start firing off weapons and hope that gets her attention?”
Angela shrugged. “Maybe. If that’s what it takes.”
“Where would you even aim that would matter to her, other than this island?”
“I have no idea. I do know we’re not going to traverse small islands all over the globe, tunnel into them like rabbits and start stabbing stuff.” Angela gestured. “You have new threads to work on now. Get to it.”
None of them noticed the lack of anger in her tone this time. They dove back in, searching for a solution to please their leader. It had nothing to do with Reicher.
Angela caught it and stored the moment to replay for them later. Some of these men were terribly damaged, but all of them were survivors. This moment was more proof that life could go on for them without Reicher’s voice always flashing in the rear of their minds.
“Don’t kid yourself. We’ll never be free of that!”
Angela sighed at Kenn’s growl. “Concentrate, Grunt. Your life with Tonya depends on us finding a solution.”
The mission man grunted and dug back in.
Angela waited for daylight and hoped she was wrong. It would be easier if they were all ill or sharing the same bad dream. I may not be able to get us out of this one.
Her doubt drew attention.
Angela didn’t scold them; she gave comfort. “I won’t give up even if I’m dead. I expect the same from my army.”
“We’ve got you, Boss.” Kyle came closer to provide protection while he worked on the puzzle, too.
Shawn led them to another thread. “We need to know why she keeps giving us our gifts back. Is she screwing with our minds, or does she have to let us have them back for some reason? If we knew that, we might be able to narrow down a way to get her here.”
Angela stilled as Adrian spoke up in her mind.
She hates it when we take her energy…
Angela passed that around the team, considering it. She felt a tiny glimmer of hope. “If she comes herself, we can deal. If she sends her anger, we could fall.”
“Can we die like this?”
All of them had wondered that but hadn’t wanted to ask. They gave Gus dirty looks.
“Yes, I’m almost sure we can.” Zack had already been worrying over that one.
“Why?”
“Because of the rashes. Those skin cells died. It left scars on me where I itched too hard. But also because I don’t believe this was an accident. We’ve been tricked into a bad place for a bad reason. Killing us while we’re here makes sense. It would be a twofer.” Zack fought a chill. “There’s no coming back from death while in limbo.”
“I say we try it anyway.” Kyle was desperate for hope. “We don’t have much else to work with.”
Angela went to the nearest tree and began to draw energy.
Her tired witch groaned in pleasure. More!
Angela’s energy bank began to fill.
The team studied the clouds and the ground for trouble.
Marc used his grid, searching for a large green dot flying toward him with snapping teeth and stunning eyes.
Angela motioned. “Try it.”
All of the descendants were quickly full of energy. Nature’s power dwarfed theirs.
“Something’s happening.” Angela felt the wind pick up. The sky darkened faster. She flinched as icy rain broke over their camp and started putting out their fire.
Marc shook his head. “I don’t have her on my grid.”
The rain increased, drenching them all in seconds.
Angela sighed. “Get a tarp up and rebuild the fire.” She hurried toward the jungle path to retrieve more dry, fallen logs. Nature was only soaking their campsite.
“Stay here. I’ll get it.” Isabel hurried into the unknown to get the wood.
Angela watched out for the dangerous woman while the men put up a tarp. Nature didn’t seem to be pissed even though so many of them had taken her energy. She’s thrilled. I can almost feel her gloating over this trap.
Marc nodded. “She won’t come to us unless she has to and even then, we’ll need something powerful to force her into a deal.”
Angela believed him. “Then we’ll do it the hard way and chase a snot cloud, but not until I’m certain we can’t do it from here.”
Marc didn’t ask if she had improved her secret plan or if she needed his help with it. He went back to dimension hunting. He now understood why Greg was so addicted to it. I could explore those other worlds for the rest of my life and never visit them all.
Angela glared at him.
Marc dropped his chin and went back to work without arguing.
Angela tried not to let the guilt steal her own concentration. I’m going to find the way out of here. Every minute you make us spend in limbo will be repaid in the end. Count on it.
 
Nature heard the threat and marked it. Even she knew Angela didn’t bluff.

 
Chapter Four
Imposter Syndrome
1
“The fog’s starting to hit me again.” Ray rotated. “Can anyone take my spot for a few…?”
Ray gawked at the empty camp. Where is everyone? And why didn’t I hear them leave?
The small camp was cold and empty. Dawn’s bright light beat down on unused sleeping bags and a burnt out fire ring.
“Boss?” The island was coated in a light layer of haze that was slowly dissipating as the sun rose. The bird calls were loud, annoying. Ray realized it was early morning now. “I must have dozed off for a while.”
Ray scowled as he felt a light beard and weak legs that had clearly gotten a lot of use. The fog. “How long was I out this time?”
He examined the campsite and found grass starting to come through the mounds of disturbed dirt. Trash was stuck to the ground. “It’s been two days.”
Ray didn’t feel like he’d been eating this time. He dug in his pockets, missing the kit that was no longer on his shoulders.
He came up with a protein bar and ripped it open eagerly. He staggered through the camp as he ate, searching for a canteen. He had no idea where his was. He had his gun belt, but all his other tools were absent. He didn’t even have his K-Bar.
Ray felt his backup blade resting along his ankle and congratulated himself on not losing his boots during the fog. “Boss?”
“Why are you yelling?” Gus rolled over, making Ray jumped.
The big man had buried himself beneath a pile of leaves and weeds alongside the campsite.
“Gus! Are you okay?”
“No, someone’s yelling.” Gus stood up.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Ray grabbed the canteen from Gus’s belt and drank while waiting for the man to finish waking up.
“Where is everyone?”
“No idea.” Ray belched. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“I was cold, but I didn’t have a blanket. I crawled over the body and dug under these…” Gus tensed. “The body?”
Kyle groaned, slowly sitting up. “That’s exactly what I feel like–a dead body.”
Gus and Ray were happy to find out the body wasn’t a corpse, but it didn’t clear up what had happened to them.
“Boss?” Ray got a bit louder this time, hoping the rest of the team was also camouflaged nearby. Even during fog-lock, we tried to follow our training. “Boss?”
“Over here.”
The three sore men stumbled into the jungle behind the small radio shed.
Angela kicked the tree she was in. “Up here, though I have no idea why.”
Angela began to carefully lower herself down the thick tree trunk. Her loose hair snagged on the tree repeatedly as she descended.
“There’s Theo!” Gus pointed at a lump of weeds. His memory was slowly filling in. “Boss told us to go to ground.”
Kyle nodded tiredly as he patted himself down, seeing what gear he had. “The fog was coming in and we were all feeling it.”
Theo gagged from stomach acid and sadness. He’d followed Debra and Ian around, watching them fall deeper in love. I’ll never get her back.
Theo no longer looked good. His clothes were torn and he was streaked with dirt. “Anyone know how long it’s been?”
“Two days, I think.” Ray spotted a loose radio on the ground and pulled it from the debris. He switched it on.
“Angela! Marc! Someone answer me!”
Ray flinched, almost dropping it. He keyed the mike. “This is the rudest hotel I’ve ever been to!”
He promptly switch it off, bringing welcome silence. Adrian’s shouting was clear in their minds now, though, preventing the peace to think.
“Shut up already.” Angela dropped to the ground, scowling at her weak, filthy condition. “I could eat absolutely anything right now.” She caught her balance. “I mean it. Gum, nuts, lint. Pass it over.”
Kyle had his kit, though it was muddy and torn. He dug out ration bars and gave one to all of them. For a minute, ripping and crunching was the loudest noise.
Papers fell to the ground.
Angela didn’t make them pick it up. She hadn’t wanted to change anything here, but the fog had taken away that option. We’re not time travelers anyway.
Ray shared the canteen. It was the only one among them. “We need to find water.”
Gus grunted. “And the rest of the team.”
“They’re all in town.” Angela broke off another chunk of the dry food. “They couldn’t come back after we finished.”
Kyle flicked an insect from his arm. “Finished what?”
“I tried to reach the townspeople at daylight. Some of you were already under the fog. I took the others. I told them to stay in town so I didn’t lose them on the way back here.”
“Then you came here to watch over us?” Ray loved that.
Angela shrugged. “I think so. I remember running through the jungle toward a cliff.”
Men winced. She could have fallen. Any of them could have.
“Why did you leave the others in town?” It surprised Kyle that Marc had allowed it.
“They weren’t fading as hard as you guys were. I hoped following the ghosts of their loved ones might keep them awake.” Angela belched loudly and shoved the other half of the ration bar into her pocket as she rotated toward the town path. “Let’s go round them up and get the hell off this rock. I can’t think here.”
Kyle and Ray wanted to protest about leaving their loved ones, but reason prevailed. There was nothing they could do from here. They had to chase that cloud now, before they faded again.
“We have a pattern if it’s really been two days.” Angela struggled to clear her mind. “It can come on fast or slow, but we get three days of alertness each time we come back.”
“Does that include the two days we spent fogged-in?”
“No idea.” Angela swept her air into a long rope and tied it so it would stop blowing into her face. “We’ll try to cover that next time.”
None of them were anxious for it.
Ray had added it up. “It will take us two days to get to Howland Island.”
Kyle scowled. “Add another day to reach the spot where we found the yacht and encountered the fart cloud.”
Angela snickered. “Fart cloud. That’s great.”
Gus was eager to reach the town. He increased the pace, forcing Angela to go faster. “We need to collect the team and go now, while we’re awake.” He was afraid if being left here now.
Ray was more interested in figuring out a solution to their other problem. “Why didn’t we lose our gifts this time?”
Angela took the canteen they were passing, but she didn’t drain it like she wanted to. She sipped and passed it on. “Maybe Nature is setting a honey pot. We can stay here, get fogged and have our gifts, or we can try to find the door and suffer all of it as normals.”
Kyle was beyond frustrated. “That’s some great choice!”
Ray rubbed his face. “Look at it this way: we’ll be too cloudy to care.”
Angela chuckled, feeling better at the sarcastic attitudes of her team. I love these men.
That made her frown. “Has anyone spotted Isabel?”
Everyone tensed at the picture of her going foggy and getting hungry.
Angela sighed. “We’ll collect her as we go. Look sharp, Eagles.”
She led them into the town, aware of their snorts and eye rolls at her words. None of them looked sharp right now, in any way.
Angela followed the blue signature on her grid to the barn. She went behind it and stopped in surprise.
Marc, Cate, and Cody were sitting along the wall. Marc was reading and Cate was sleeping, while Cody shielded them both.
Cody glared at Angela. “You said you’d be right back!”
Angela laughed this time.
Cody lowered his shield.
Cate stirred at his side. “My turn?”
“No. Mommy’s here.”
Cate rolled over and saw Angela. She flew toward her, arms opening and face clenching.
Angela hugged the child and waited for her to calm down. Cate had been abandoned so many times that moments like this would always bring out her worst emotions. “Nice job staying with your brother.”
Cate let go and then yawned. “Can we sleep lying down now?”
Cody was still neat and clean. Cate was covered in dirt smudges and dusty, ripped clothes. She’d enjoyed some of the free time to be wild.
Ray swept the man reading near the kids. “Why do they remember what happened?”
“It doesn’t always affect the younger ones.” Angela couldn’t tell them why. She didn’t know.
Cate bit into a ration bar and groaned. “Real food! Need real food!”
Angela pulled an apple from the tree they were next to and bit into it. When it seemed normal, she passed it to the little girl.
Cate crunched into it eagerly, dropping the ration bar. Angela had told them not to eat anything from the island and they hadn’t.
Cody stood up. “We can go now.”
Marc yawned and flipped the page in his book. “Let me finish this. It’s good.”
Angela saw he’d found a tattered paperback. “Did you fog out?”
Marc shook his head. “Not fully. I read my book. It kept me alert.”
Angela stored that information, along with the title. Animal Farm was a short, easy-to-read classic that held deep lessons on leadership and politics. At another time, she would have been eager to hear what he’d gleaned from those pages.
Adrian’s voice came over Angela’s radio. “Can I get an update?”
Angela quickly keyed her mike. “Get a guard on top of that sub to watch for bad weather. Don’t rely on the radar. And clear this damn radio! I can’t take the sound of your voice right now.”
The shocked silence said Adrian had heard her.
It was easy enough to hear the hurt in his voice when he finally answered. “You got it.”
None of them enjoyed his pain, not even Marc.
Angela motioned. “Piggy-backs. Pick a pig.”
Cody went to Kyle.
Kyle lifted the boy, then tugged his Eagle jacket back into place.
Cate slapped Theo on the leg. “Down, piggy!”
Theo loaded the girl without protesting. He didn’t feel good, but he was fully awake now. Carrying a burden might help him stay that way.
Marc shut the book and leaned his head against the barn wall. “I need coffee.”
“Same.” Gus gave Marc a hand up. “Any idea what happened to our kits?”
“Wade has them.” Cody pointed.
They all spotted Wade snoring near the family den that was being built. He was under their kits.
Everyone hurried forward, eager to collect their gear.
Wade woke with a wince, fully aware. He blinked at them through dry eyes and an almost withered body. “Nothing worked, Boss.”
Not being able to reach his family was the second worst feeling he’d ever had. Finding out Samantha had been taken was the worst. Even being a withered shell couldn’t compare. I had my happy home and now it’s gone.
The others figured out Wade was in mourning. They didn’t scold him. They understood his pain.
Angela and Gus shared energy to get Wade back on his feet. It was clear that he’d spent the last two days trying all his spells in an attempt to reach Samantha and Neil.
Wade’s beautiful body filled out in seconds. His hair grew out another inch of shiny strands that even Angela wanted to run her fingers through.
Wade tried to smile his gratitude.
Angela made a face. “Don’t do that.”
Wade sighed miserably. “I’m ready for whatever you have planned now. There’s nothing else left in my heart but sadness.”
He knew he was being punished for being the camp whore. He got it now. He just didn’t understand why she’d hurt Samantha. All of his need to make Angela pay was gone, pushed aside by the misery of knowing nothing would ever be the same again.
“Not even Amy?”
Wade shook his head sadly at her. “Not a single reaction, no matter what I tried.”
Gus was still in a hurry to leave. “We’re short Shawn and Kenn.”
“And Zack.”
Ray pointed, but didn’t stare. “Zack’s in the tree by the restaurant.”
Angela did stare. Zack was slumped in the fork of the tree, without clothes. She didn’t want to know how he’d gotten that way, but she couldn’t help guessing. His body wasn’t injured or even dirty. It looked like he’d calmly stripped, then climbed the tree and stayed there.
Zack’s lids opened. He peered down at them.
Angela waited, curious. “Good morning.”
Zack stiffened as her eyes went over his bare body. Bare? “Why am I naked?”
“That’s my question, too.”
Zack shifted his leg to cover his cold balls. “I’ll get back to you on that.”
“Okay.” Angela motioned at Marc. “Give the naked man a hand and some clothes.” She’d put the extra gear in Marc’s kit this time.
Marc yawned as he reached out.
Zack jumped down to avoid being touched while he was unclothed. “I got it.”
Marc grinned. “I saw your pee-pee.”
Angela’s laughter and made them all feel a little better.
Zack took the spare pants that Kyle handed him. Why am I naked? All he could remember was something about getting Nature’s attention.
“Stop making so much noise!” Shawn was red-eyed, red-nosed, and smeared in dirt all over his body. Clumps of dirt fell from his hair as he tried to stand and slid back down the tree. He landed on the empty bottle he’d filched from Wade’s kit while he was too withered to protest.
Wade caught that, nostrils flaring. “And you let me lay there like that?”
Shawn was too drunk to care.
Wade lunged forward and grabbed Shawn’s ankle. He began dragging him through the town.
Shawn didn’t fight back.
Kyle stared. “What’s his problem?”
Angela pointed at the hatch near the tree where Shawn had been.
They all saw it open; camp kids came flying out for breakfast, including Missy.
They assumed Shawn hadn’t been able to make contact with her. He was filthy from being in the tunnel, though. It was a wonder he’d made it back out alive.
Wade kept dragging Shawn over the dirt path toward the jungle.
Gus followed, frowning. He wanted to head for the beach and their boat. “Where’s he going?”
“To collect our last man.” Angela followed, wincing as Shawn finally noticed the pain and started shouting. “Shut him up, will you?”
Wade deftly stopped and rotated, big fist swinging out.
Angela sighed as Shawn slumped to the ground. “That’s not exactly what I meant.”
Wade grabbed that same ankle and resumed his walk and pull. “It’s quieter.”
Angela smiled ruefully. “Fair enough.”
Zack tugged on Kyle’s gym shoes and hurried to catch up.
Kyle tossed him a sweatshirt. Then he tossed him his kit.
They followed Wade toward the clinic, where Tonya and her son were living now. Angela had told Tonya to stay close to the clinic and she had.
So had Kenn, who was sitting on the ground near the porch.
Kenn looked up in bleary relief. “It’s about time.”
Wade frowned at that name.
Angela joined Kenn on the porch. “You didn’t fade out.”
“I scroll dived, like I was told to.”
Angela forced herself to smile at him. Then she let her orbs glow red. “Get on with it!”
Kenn slowly stood, swinging his kit onto his shoulder. He’d found a lot of information, but only some of it mattered. “I’m certain about three things. First, the map was correct. Our reality flipped; we were right about that. Second, each time will get longer and deeper until we’re all like Mel. And last, it’s not random. That green cloud, moving door, whatever, will hit that same place again at some point.”
Zack rubbed his beard in annoyance. He’d shaved right before they left the sub. “Why do you think that?”
“Because nothing in nature is random. It always follows a pattern.” Kenn yawned.
“Weather is random.”
Kenn shook his head at Zack, not asking why the man was getting dressed. “No. Conditions create predictable patterns. Environments create predictable harvests, births, temperatures. Nothing on this planet is random.”
Everyone tried to think of something that was, to disprove his theory.
Kenn had spent the last two days doing that. He knew it was true. “We have to get to that location and wait.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Angela swept the disheveled team and felt the protests of her coming order. She relented even though she knew it wasn’t a good idea. “It’s your choice. I won’t knock you out and drag you along like Wade will.”
She stayed where she was, confusing the men who expected her to go to the sub now. “I need to see something, try something, and then I’m leaving. If you stay, you will be stuck here.”
A few of the team were torn. They could see their loved ones and watch them. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.
“What are you searching for?” Kenn wanted to be able to help. Not being able to make contact with Tonya and his son was driving him crazy. He needed Angela to hurry up and find a solution.
“Proof.” Angela handed her kit to Cate to carry. “I went for a dream walk. I might have made contact but I’m not sure.”
They looked up as the clinic opened and three men came out, all carrying Bibles.
Tim was in the lead, and still projecting the same quiet confidence that he had always presented to others. Angela knew there was more underneath the surface, but it wasn’t time for that to come out right now. She needed a different sign from him.
Ed and Ralph followed.
Theo scanned the men. “Why did you try to contact normals through a dream walk?”
“For exactly that reason–they’re normals. They pay more attention to things that are out of the ordinary then the descendants do. We’ve accepted how odd we are. As I’m sure you know, the normals have not.”
Everyone listened as the trio went by.
 
Ed let Tim go down the ramp first. “It could be trackers pretending to be Angela.”
Tim nodded. “It’s their mistake, then. I know the boss wouldn’t contact me that way.”
Ralph considered how Kendle had stirred them all up. “I believe someone is trying to mess with us again. There’s no way it was the boss.”
Tim kept a calm tone. “It was an imposter.”
Ed gestured. “We need to tell Jennifer.”
Ralph shuddered. “Let’s try Tonya or Daryl.”
Tim smiled. “Okay.”
All the men were afraid of Jennifer.
 
Angela watched them go into the jungle, staring thoughtfully. “This is the first time I’ve ever felt like imposter. They wouldn’t believe me, no matter what I tried.”
Marc was happy the men had reacted that way. “That’s good.”
“For Safe Haven, yes. For us, not so much.”
Everyone waited for Angela to insist that it was time to go now.
Angela motioned toward Marc. “They’re coming out now. Give it a try.”
Marc realized Angela had been keeping track of his thoughts. Halfway through the book he’d been reading, an idea had presented itself. Even if it worked, he wasn’t sure what to do with it, but he wanted to know if it was possible.
The clinic opened again. Terry held it for the two cats. “Go catch mice or something.”
Marc knelt at the end of the porch so he was the eye level with the cats that were quickly prancing toward him.
Marc hissed, loud and angrily.
Both cats immediately drew up. The fur on their backs lifted. The big bunker male swiped out with sharp claws.
Safe Haven blinked out of existence.
Marc slowly stood up. “Well, I’m not sure if that was helpful.”
Cate gasped. “I’m telling Dog!”
Marc chuckled.
Angela knew Adrian was keeping track of them now. He was seeing and hearing everything that they were. He was also remaining quiet, and she was grateful for that. She really didn’t want to hear him at all. But I need information.
Angela keyed her radio. “Give me an update now.”
Adrian’s cautious voice came right back. “The sub is fine. People are accounted for. The radar is clear and the guard up top said there’s nothing in sight but blue skies. Oh, Dog wants to know why Marc is being mean to his cats.”
Angela didn’t answer even though she snickered as the rest of the team laughed. They had been out of sight of the submarine for a while now; it was bothering her.
“Are we ready to go?” Ray was.
Angela pointed. “We have another experiment try.”
The clinic opened once again. Jennifer came down the ramp, holding little Autumn. Morgan was behind her, carrying Roy. Their guard, Megan, glared at all of them.
Angela was unhappy that Jennifer had picked Megan as their guard, but she didn’t mind Morgan being with the girl. Like Kyle, she was happy there was someone who would protect Jennifer if she needed it. Like now, though I doubt this will work.
Angela turned toward the nearest tree.
Kyle tensed as Isabel slid down the tree trunk and snuck toward his wife.
Isabel was filthy. Her muddy hair hung over both shoulders, smearing more mud onto her torn clothes. She’d clearly had the same type of fog-out that they had experienced, but after two days in the clothes, Isabel finally looked like an Eagle. The dirt on her face, boots, and hands lent credibility to that image.
Isabel pulled the knife from her tool belt and increased pace.
“What is she doing?”
Angela put a hand on Kyle’s wrist before he could interfere.
Isabel rushed forward, knife blade slamming into Jennifer’s free arm.
Safe Haven once again blinked out of existence all around them.
Kyle pulled free of Angela’s hold and glared at both of them. “If it had worked, she would have gotten hurt!”
Isabel sheathed her knife, shrugging. “I’m sure you’re powerful enough to help her with a tiny slice. We needed that information.”
Kyle glowered at the woman. “Remember that the next time you need help!”
Isabel waved him off. “Mind your job and I’ll mind mine.”
Her words made everyone think Angela had told her to do it.
Angela ignored the glares and the disappointed emotions now slapping her from most of the team. “It’s time to roll. Fall in, Eagles.”
No one protested or ran off. The two demonstrations made it obvious that staying here was a waste of their awake time.
Wade grabbed Shawn’s ankle and resumed dragging the man along.
No one interfered. Shawn had left a teammate in pain. They weren’t sure yet if he had been under the effects of the fog, but finding him around the kids was disconcerting. Many of them began to match moments in Shawn’s history that they now considered glaring signs. The biggest one wasn’t his affection for Missy, surprisingly enough. Shawn’s burn box had been full of pictures of camp women in the showers, of all ages. What they couldn’t understand was why Angela had shared her gifts with him at all.
Angela didn’t correct their impressions. She’d thought Shawn was changing, and his past before the war hadn’t given her any hints of his mental instability. I might have made a mistake there.
She didn’t have a perfect track record anymore. I’m still human, even though I’m not normal. I’ll try harder to do better. And in the meantime, we’ll watch Shawn and make a final choice as a team when this tedious run is finally over.
“You’re missing something, Boss.” Gus caught up to Angela.
She held up a hand to stop him. “You’re right.” Angela kept heading for the beach. “But I didn’t forget it.” Angela keyed her radio again. “I’m sending back half my team. Swap out with anyone else who needs to come over.”
Adrian’s voice was relieved. “Thank you.” There was no way everyone on the sub would believe what Angela’s team was going to report. They needed to see it for themselves.
Angela didn’t respond to the team members who started grumbling. They understood she wasn’t going to the sub yet. “I have one trick left to try before we go chase that cloud.”
Marc caught her thought. “Is it dangerous?”
“Of course. That’s why I left it for last.”
Marc shifted closer. “Where do you want me?”
“At my side, always, but honestly, I have things for you to cover.”
Marc’s mood lifted. He waited for her next order.
“I want most of you back on the sub. Cross your fingers that our RIB is still on the beach.”
People noticed Marc’s calm acceptance of the situation and of Angela’s leadership. It was good; it also worried them. Marc just didn’t seem like himself anymore.
Marc didn’t care about their concerns. The fog-mind had cleared his emotions. Reading the old book had cleared his brain. He didn’t like the conclusions it had led him to, but he felt better just by going with the flow. Let her carry the weight. I’ll survive in her shadow and be happy.
Angela’s lip curled.
Men who saw it slowed a bit to put distance between them. If she exploded, they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire.
Cody held onto his ride and kept his mind blank. If Marc found out what was coming, his mental control would snap. And that won’t help us. Daddy’s on a need-to-know basis. Unless he has to know, he won’t.

 
Chapter Five
Long Way Down
1
“Shouldn’t we wait for the others?” Isabel no longer liked the island.
Angela snorted at Isabel’s comment.
Isabel flushed, keeping pace with the quickly hiking leader. She glanced over her shoulder toward the beach, where a small group from the sub was now paddling toward the island to pick them up. Marc and the others were already back on the ship. Angela had stayed on the beach to make sure they got back safely, but she’d refused to wait there.
Isabel studied the jungle around them, heaving in air and sweating heavily. This place sucks.
“You haven’t seen it in its glory.”
Isabel didn’t argue with Angela. She also didn’t agree. She’d been in love with the island when they arrived because it was better than the rocky ground of Howland Island. Now, she detested both.
“Pay attention, rookie.” Ray didn’t need to bark. He stayed on Isabel’s heels and kept her moving.
Angela picked up the pace, leading them to the tree where she’d woken. “Spread out. You’re searching for a clear baggie with a stick inside. Do not step on it!”
Her smaller team obeyed, but they weren’t sure why she wanted that specific stick.
Angela didn’t explain. She couldn’t. She was afraid that Nature would hear her and understand that she might have secured a win in that final battle.
Angela’s fast sweep said this area was littered with their garbage. “Even in an alternate timestream, we leave trash.” She sighed, kneeling to hunt through the muddy debris.
The others did the same.
Isabel stood to one side and watched over them all. She took her duty seriously. She was upset that she’d been separated from the boss during the fog-brain, but that wasn’t her fault. The rest of the time, she’d been solid on this run.
Angela searched in the mud pile–I hope it’s just mud!–and came up with the baggie she was hunting for. The small section of antler gleamed at her through the dirt. “I found it.”
Angela quickly put it in her pocket and wiped her filthy hands on her filthy pants. “I want to check our campsite for anything we’ve forgotten. We can’t just come back for it.”
Wade thought about waking beneath their kits. “How did I get covered with gear?”
Isabel frowned at him. “You said let me have it and they did. I’m surprised you don’t have bruises all over your body.”
Wade leered at her. “How do you know I don’t?”
Isabel didn’t mind the playful banter. “I peeked. You’re clean.”
Wade chuckled, trying to break the growing tension. Wade didn’t know where it was coming from, but he recognized it. “Watch your six.”
“I’m fine.” Isabel gestured. “Watch her six.”
Ray had been paying attention, too. “Why does Isabel remember more than the rest of us?”
“She’s different.” Angela didn’t elaborate. She had other things on her mind.
Isabel frowned again. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the rest of the team?”
“No. They have different goals then I do.”
“What?”
Wade took pity on Isabel, who was surprisingly stubborn about following rules. She didn’t think they had enough manpower to protect the boss; Wade respected that. “The men coming over now don’t believe the reports. They need to see it, feel it, for themselves.”
“What if they get hurt or need help?”
Angela increased pace again, working her legs and lungs while giving her mind a break from the panic she was feeling. Sometimes a body needed work and nothing else.
Isabel opened her mouth.
Wade put a finger to his lips. “Let her work.”
Isabel realized she was distracting the boss. She clamped her lips shut and followed.
Wade jiggled the boy on his back. He was shocked that Angela had let him stay. “Walk for a bit?”
Cody nodded sleepily. Being carried was great, but it made him want to stretch out and snore.
Wade lowered the child to the ground.
Cody quickly went to Angela and took the place as her second bodyguard. Cate had gone with Marc to watch over him.
Ray saw Angela was headed for the cliff; he added the clues in surprise. “How did you get Marc to agree to this experiment?”
Ray sighed when Angela didn’t answer.
Wade filled in the missing piece. “He didn’t know she’s about to do something reckless.”
Ray heard Marc’s shouts start in his mind. He shrugged. “He knows now. Hurry up or he’ll stop you.”
Angela broke into a run.
 
2
“Open this door!” Marc pounded on the hatch to the bridge again, sending small waves of dust into the air. “Open up!”
“Sorry, can’t hear you over the growling wolf.”
Adrian’s calm refusal infuriated  Marc. “Tell me what’s going on!”
“No. Do the job she gave you.”
“Open this door!”
“Go away. We’re all full.”
“I’m going to pound your ass for this!”
“Well, it’s good to know our relationship won’t change.”
Marc gawked with his mouth open.
Cate tugged on his arm. “We have to go now, Daddy.”
Marc let Cate pull him toward the ladder to the second level. Angela’s last order had been for him and Cate to check on the kids and stay with them until she returned. Marc hadn’t thought anything about it, but the feeling of Angela about to try something dangerous was loud and clear now. “I won’t be there to help her!”
Cate kept pulling him toward the ladder. “Cody will cover it.”
Marc snorted. “He’s a little boy.”
Cate didn’t argue.
Marc started down the dusty ladder, aware of the mess and the twitchy people that said they’d gone fog-dead here, too. “You know what’s about to happen.”
Cate nodded. She descended the ladder behind Marc. “If it works, we can stay here.”
Marc forced out the words. “What if it doesn’t work?”
Cate refused to tell him, but fear came off her in thick waves.
Marc understood. Angela might die.
Marc’s fury returned, but he still went to check on the kids. He was done disobeying her orders. He’d meant that. If she dies, I’ll just snap and kill us all. No big deal.
Cate shut the bunk room door and locked it. Then she did the same to the other entrance. “No one goes in or out.”
Marc suddenly understood what was happening, what Angela was going to try. He thought of his son being over there with her. “She only has one of the three.”
“That’s why we have to protect the others.” Cate brought up her shield and let her orbs glow bright red. “It won’t be long.”
 
3
Kenn entered the medical bay. He slid Shawn on an empty cot with a relieved grunt, then went to the door.
When he shut and locked it, Harry’s lips thinned. “She sent you to protect me.”
Kenn nodded. “She has an idea.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet she does.” Harry began storing the files he was updating. A quick glance at Kenn revealed some of how he’d spent the last two days. “When this is over, you need some sleep.”
Kenn winced.
Harry shrugged coolly. “Fog-rest isn’t the same. I know.”
Kenn felt like he could sleep for a year. And I might. That’s why I’m scared to do it.
Harry wiped his face, still trying to wake up. He’d come to right here in this chair, wearing just a towel around his waist. His sore legs, arms, lips, and hips said he’d been using them. He also had a satisfied tingle that made him certain of what he’d been doing. He was afraid to leave the medical bay and find out who he might now be coupled with. He had absolutely no memory of the last two days so far, not even blurry flashes.
“I saw a rubber on the floor on the way down here. It was…well used. Maybe you’ll get lucky, and it was yours.”
Harry grimaced. “I’m not worried about getting someone pregnant.”
“Reicher kept the lab clear of diseases, so it can’t be that. What’s your problem?”
Harry changed the subject. “What happened on that island?”
Kenn glanced around at the dirty medical bay and the even dirtier medical officer. “What happened on this sub?”
“Fog-shit.”
Harry’s refusal to answer was drawing Kenn’s attention, but he had other information he wanted to gather first. “Why did she let the little prince stay ashore?”
Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s safer over there.”
Kenn accepted that explanation because it was obvious that Harry really didn’t know. All the medic was concerned about was trying to figure out what he had done under the fog-effect. Kenn tried to offer some comfort. “None of us can be held responsible for what we do when Nature is in control of us.”
Harry glanced over at the unconscious man Kenn had brought in. He’d already read Kenn’s thoughts to discover what had happened. “Does that go for him, too?”
Kenn’s face iced over; his tone cooled. “Absolutely not. Shawn’s time in the fog may have proven that he is a predator. Get ready for removal orders to come down on him.”
Harry wasn’t convinced. He’d spent a lot of time with Shawn on their run. They were judging the man prematurely. “Did the boss say that?”
Kenn grunted. “She never openly says stuff like that, but we still know it’s coming. If you had seen her face when we found him, you would know it, too.”
Harry hoped they were wrong. He didn’t waste time trying to find a defense for Shawn, however. It was completely possible that he didn’t have one. Not to mention I have other things on my mind.
“Are you going tell me or are you going to force me to dig around in your brain, ‘cause I don’t want to do that. It might be yucky in there.”
Harry was startled into a chuckle. Then he brought up his strongest mental wall. “Leave me alone or you’ll be sorry.”
Kenn was surprised to feel a little intimidated. He left Harry alone. But I will find out and so will everyone else. Safe Haven doesn’t keep many secrets and that includes things that happen on runs.
 
4
Kyle and Zack were on duty outside the mess. They delivered head shakes and dirty looks to the two subjects coming down for another meal.
The men were plumping up after steady medication and meals, but their obsession with food hadn’t lessened. It was another hard recovery moment that they would have to go through to fight the addiction. Many of their members had tried to find comfort in food, including Zack’s son, Timmy. It couldn’t be allowed. Besides obesity being so unhealthy, they simply couldn’t spare the extra rations every time someone got sad or angry.
“Something big happened while we were gone.”
Kyle snorted at Zack’s comment. “You think?”
Zack ignored Kyle’s snarkiness. All of them were feeling that way right now. “I mean something big. None of them will meet our eyes and this ship is a mess. I smell sex and candy.”
Kyle swallowed a crude thought as that old song began playing in his mind. “They had a party for sure, but I counted. We’re all here. Adrian wasn’t lying.”
“I did the same. Everyone’s here except for the five people who just paddled over to the island, and the boss’s group.”
“I understand why Biff, Greg, and even Charlie wanted to go over. Angela’s still on the island and she only has a couple of protectors with her. What was up with Trent and Jayda going?” Kyle was almost offended that he’d been sent back.
Zack didn’t know. “Maybe they needed to get away for a while. I’ve heard this is a hard job. Not that I’ve experienced that, you understand.”
Kyle chuckled. “No. This is the easiest job in the world. We can tell from the mental and physical scars.”
Gus came out into the dusty hallway and scanned the bottom level. He found someone from Angela’s land team guarding every compartment. She put us under a lockdown. She didn’t call it, but it happened just the same.
Gus went back up the ladder to stand guard over the bridge with Theo. Angela had been adamant about where they were supposed to be until she returned to the submarine. As always, Gus was thrilled to be given such an important duty, but he was also curious about what had happened while they were gone. The entire ship was full of quiet, shamefaced people, and the sub was dirty. Garbage, bottles, and condoms were all over the place, even in the hallways. If I didn’t know any better, I would guess they had an orgy last night.
Descendants who caught that winced in guilty recollection and quickly walked away before anyone could ask them questions.
Theo ignored his partner. He didn’t care what anybody had been doing on the sub while they were gone. All he cared about was finding a bottle or can that still had something in it.
Gus looked over. “You’re supposed to be charmed.”
Theo leaned against the bridge hatch, blowing out a bitter breath. “Yeah.”
Gus realized the memory charm had broken. He assumed Angela knew. He wasn’t going to interrupt her with that right now, but it was disappointing. It also explained Theo’s nasty attitude on the island. “When?”
“Right as we landed. Then the fog hit. It took it away for a couple of days, but it’s strong again now.” Theo’s voice dropped into misery. “I’m not going to be able to hold out.”
“Sounds like you want the fog to come back.”
Theo nodded eagerly. “I hope it does!”
Gus’s big fist swung toward Theo and cracked into his mouth.
Theo slid to the ground with a calm expression on his face. “Thanks…”
Gus rubbed his fist and smiled. “It’s my honor.”
Adrian’s voice rang out through the bridge door. “That’s just great!”
Gus braced to be reprimanded for hurting Theo. As long as he isn’t torturing me, I’ll be okay.
“You know this is a closed-in room, right?!”
Gus heard the wolf snort.
Adrian’s painfilled voice echoed again. “Damn, Dog. Did something die inside you?”
Gus blanched and stepped away from the door. Wolf farts were nothing to laugh about.
 
5
Standing on guard outside the dusty theater, Brett listened to a conversation between the caretakers. Angela had told him to cover this post until she returned.
“Not all of us go foggy. I heard that his oldest son didn’t.” The tattooed mother sipped her weak coffee.
The longhaired mother leaned in. “I heard none of them did, including him.”
Tattoo put her cup down. “Is that a connection we can use to get him to go back? Maybe it means something.”
Longhair scowled. “I can’t believe you want to go back to living in a lab.”
“I felt safer there.”
“Well, the boy watching over us didn’t go fog-crazy either and he’s Reicher’s demon seed or Adrian’s.”
Bret didn’t react; he kept listening. He was used to people underestimating him and blaming him for the actions of his family. It didn’t matter to him if he was a Reicher or a Mitchel. Both families were incredibly gifted and very cursed.
“We’ll mention it to the boss later and claim credit for it if it works. We need to get in good with his wife.”
Bret smirked. I’ll mention it to the boss, too, but not the commonality she’ll have already figured out after reading the lab files. I saw and heard a lot of things that happened while she was gone. She’s going to be very angry.
Gus was scanning everyone up here. He’d caught most of Bret’s thoughts. He matched that last part with Angela’s attitude toward Adrian. “What did he do?”
Bret lifted his chin. “I’ll tell the alpha when she’s ready.”
“So it doesn’t start more drama between him and Marc? Good boy.”
Bret made a face. “They do that on their own. I don’t want to be disloyal to the man who might be my father.”
Gus considered that. Another Mitchel may have joined them.
He smiled at the boy. Better a Mitchel than a Reicher.
Bret refused to answer.
 
6
“I’m going to slow time.” Angela didn’t wait for her small team to protest. “This is the only big experiment we haven’t tried yet.”
“You should have left me on the sub in case there’s trouble.” Ray didn’t have any faith in Adrian’s ability to handle that job. “It caused a rogue wave last time.”
Isabel shifted closer to Angela, but she didn’t know how to help. Isabel’s job in the lab hadn’t involved anything with the time pushers, other than birthing them and then caring for them.
Angela gathered a few items from the burnt out campsite and then went to the cliff edge. She wanted to be able to see the submarine while this was happening. There was no longer a guard monitoring the ocean around them and it felt like it was already late afternoon even though it wasn’t possible for that much time to have gone by since they woke up. “Limbo doesn’t keep the same clock as reality.”
She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she was certain of it. That would make it harder to predict their fog-drench moments.
The team kept pace with her and swallowed protests. She was going to do it whether they agreed or not.
They were also secretly relieved and hoping that she would be successful. Many of Angela’s plans had sounded crazy and then worked out perfectly. They all needed this to be another of those miraculous moments.
Cody hung at the rear of the group, almost forgotten by the adults now.
Angela stopped near the edge of the cliff and took in a deep breath to calm herself. She was emotional right now. We can all thank Adrian for that.
She could imagine how Marc would twist this into another drama moment once he found out, but she couldn’t help the anger in her heart. It didn’t matter that Adrian had been under the effects of the fog-fuck. I kept my honor. Why couldn’t he?
Ray caught that and mentally groaned. He wasn’t sure what Adrian had done, but he had little doubt it would be bad. He was suddenly looking forward to hearing about it later.
Angela swallowed her upset stomach and her nasty attitude. She entered the timestream gently and then brutally shoved against it, lifting her shield.
Time immediately began to slow around them; the trees shuddered and the bird calls became distorted. It grew harder to breathe even though there had been a steady breeze as they reached the top of this cliff. All of them observed in amazement, especially Isabel, who hadn’t known this was possible without the blood of founding family children.
Ray wanted to explain that they could only go so far without having all the necessary requirements to perform a reset spell, but he kept his attention on Angela instead. He was worried about pushers dying in the middle of the process without an explanation.
Wade had found out Gus killed Valerie in that moment, but he also kept his attention on the boss instead of setting that straight. They could discuss the overlooked details later. Right now, Angela was using an enormous amount of energy and concentration to slow time. Anything could go wrong here.
Ray zipped his jacket against the sudden chill in the air. Something’s about to happen.
Danger zeroed in on the group and took aim at Angela.
Cody ran by the stopped team.
A long, thick shadow flew out of the jungle.
Cody didn’t have time to cast a spell or call a warning. He shoved Angela as hard as he could, sending her over the edge of the cliff.
Her long black hair came loose as she fell, fanning out around her like a superhero cape that didn’t work.
Cody bounced off and slid into the dirt at Isabel’s feet.
The pointed tree branch sailed out into the open air instead of impaling Angela.
Time snapped back into place with the loud pop they had anticipated.
The ground shook. A thick splash echoed from below and was lost in the tremor.
For an instant, no one moved.
Then the team flew toward the edge to see if Angela had survived the fall. Hands went to radios, while minds shouted for help.
Cody stayed on the ground, heaving in deep breaths. “I hope she wasn’t afraid of heights. That was a long way down.”
 
Book 20
Fading Away