Sanctuary Falling (52 page)

“Donovan D’lliano, secondary assigned to Earth alternate 1012206. My readings indicate that a crunch has been used and this dimension is toast. I want back up to get people off this rock! Now!”

Sinclair, peering over Annette’s shoulder grimaced, “The chief’s policy is to pull the factor and write off the dimension.”

Annette glared him into silence, “I know her policy. The policy has changed.
 
Mr. D’lliano transmit me your exact coordinates I’ll get a team to you with evacuation kits ASAP.”

“Thanks, I’ll be waiting!” Donovan said then cut the transmission.

Annette handed the pad back to Sinclair, “You said you had thirty thousand units? Sanctuary has a population of just over eighteen thousand.
 
Give me the spare units and as many emergency evacuation tags as you’ve got. Prima I want all unoccupied factors to meet me in the room 52 in five minutes! Tell them to make sure they have their stasis loops.”

Sinclair’s expression changed to one of reserved amazement, “I’ll get the equipment to room 52.” He turned to implement his words without argument or backwards glance.

Annette stood alone in the hallway. She knew she should start towards room 52 but was still overwhelmed by her personal victory over Sinclair. She closed her eyes, for the first time really feeling like she’d earned a prime jacket. Her thoughts went to the jacket, and she realized all she had to do was think a little harder to actually touch it. Annette opened her eyes and found herself in her room.
 

It was the first time she’d teleported. Tina had told her she was able to quite some time ago, but this was the first time she’d tried it. She’d just been too busy with other things. Annette reached for the jacket and pulled it on. It fit perfectly. Remembering her pop-pad, Annette grabbed it and slipped it into a conveniently placed pocket. Then she focused her mind on the white expanse of room 52, trying to get straight as many details as she could.
 
Closing her eyes, Annette reached that little bit harder with her mind, and. . . Found herself standing on the practice cavern’s bleachers. It wasn’t exactly what she was aiming for but she had teleported.

Annette stepped down from the bleachers and started for a transport booth. She tapped in her destination and the activation key. She ended up right outside the room. She peeked into the room spotting a crowd of factors already
 
waiting to find out the reason for the summons.
 
Annette stepped inside listening to the group before talking. Mumblings within the group speculated that it had to do with the next morning’s announcement, and some even connected it to the rumor that Sanctuary was in dire danger. Hearing the speculations was very enlightening. More people knew more about the situation than she would have thought.

Sinclair and several of his people finally arrived each carrying
 
boxes full of large canvas bags. Annette took it for time to speak and stepped forward, “People here’s the assignment.”

Everyone hushed and focused their eyes on her, some with confused mistrust. Annette could sense their internal questioning of whether or not she was in charge.
 
“My name is Annette, and I called you here to address a problem, but seeing as speculation has already been put forth I’ll give you a preview of tomorrow’s announcement. Rumors and speculation are correct Sanctuary is indeed under threat. The fact is we are only a few weeks from its destruction. There is no recourse.” The room erupted in an uproar loud enough to weaken Annette’s knees.

Sinclair stepped forward and held up his hands, then he roared,
 
“People Quiet! Ms. Peterson has not finished, you all need to shut up and listen to her! She’s in charge!”
 
Everyone fell silent.

Annette regained her strength, “True Sanctuary is toast, but we are prepared, we have designed and constructed Refuge. It is bigger, better, and ready for us to move in. The evacuation kits Sinclair and his people brought are spares. Take this as an early opportunity to familiarize yourself with them for your own use in the move. Right now we are on a rescue mission. The dark has been setting off crunch bombs, which is incidentally the cause of Sanctuary’s down fall. While the destruction of Sanctuary is our main focus we cannot forget our mission to help, so we are currently heading to an Earth about to bite the big one. Our job is to evacuate as many people as we can. Is everyone clear?”

Sober nods filled the room.

“Then grab some evacuation kits and let’s head out!” Annette said with a smile. There were a few moments of pandemonium as everyone grabbed kits, and a few more as they gathered in teleportation groups. Next they all stood in a day-lit wooded field on
 
earth waiting to spread out. Annette spotted Donovan waiting by the trees and gestured him closer.
 

“Mr. D’lliano,” Annette shouted as he approached, “My name is Annette, we spoke a few minutes ago.”

“You came faster than I expected, I haven’t been able to get much of an evacuation group together myself, mostly just friends and trusted acquaintances,” Donovan responded.

“Why didn’t you go to the head of the government?” Annette asked.

“I approached the president, he decided to be paranoid and to, by address, make the rest of the world paranoid. I’m sorry but for all of your effort we may not be able to save as many as I hoped. He said aliens were responsible for the show in the sky, and that they, a.k.a.
 
me, would try to kidnap them. Half the planet is now UFO crazy,” Donovan pointed up at the large bright whirlpool dominating the sky even in the daylight.

“We’ll do our best, because that’s all we can do,” Annette turned back to the milling crowd of factors, “ People! Head to churches and other public gathering places, try to convince as many as you can to come. Offer them evacuation kits to gather their belongings and get them through your stasis loops. We’ll sort them out later in Refuge.
 
Everyone remember we only have a short time,” Annette stopped and glanced at Donovan for an estimate. He mouthed eight hours. She turned back to the crowd,
 
“Eight hours before radiation and the like fries this world. So move fast!” The crowd dispersed on cue.

- - - - - - - - - -

Angela leaned back into the wet paint on the wall. It didn’t matter she was covered in paint anyway. She was a mess inside and out. What’s more she knew it.
 
Annette’s two visits had shaken her badly, especially since the girl had been so right. Angela looked back on her actions since the quake made Sanctuary’s flaws apparent. Even before the quake she had been sliding down the slippery slope of uselessness. She was worse than past her prime. She was an old tired woman who had given up.
 
Why had she just started pulling factors, she could have made a gesture at rescuing refugees.

Angela smeared paint through her hair as she rubbed her scalp.
 
She didn’t know what to do, and Annette did. It wasn’t a problem was it? She’d been hoping and praying that someone would see, as Annette had, that Angela no longer wanted to or was capable of being the chief.

Annette had been different during the second visit, she had been surer of herself. Angela wished she could remember what that felt like.
 
Angela slid to the floor feeling tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to be a normal person again, and Annette was making it happen. Angela couldn’t understand the tears.

Angela fought open another can of paint and began flinging it with her mind. She emptied it and another can before it sunk in that paint wasn’t drawing out the pain anymore.
 
Frustrated, Angela focused on the paint cans. Almost spontaneously the remaining cans popped open their contents exploded onto the walls.

Angela stood in the center of the room and flung the paint clinging to her clothes, skin and hair outward until she stood spotless at the center of a paint whirlwind. She knew she should pull it together. Sanctuary needed her! It was going to be destroyed and she knew it, and she should be doing something, anything about it.

She teleported herself to the hall outside of the room. No more hiding away from herself and everyone else! She felt the desire to go back into her room and paint some more. It was just so much easier to paint than it was to face the ugly realities outside of her little room. Annette was dealing with so much, how could Angela put so much on a girl not even half her age?

Angela started down the hall to her office, and changed course halfway. She headed left towards the medical center. Then changed her mind again teleporting directly to Tina’s waiting room.
 
The receptionist leapt in surprise when Angela stepped up to speak to him. “Can I see Tina?”

“Just one moment Chief,” the receptionist tapped at his monitor for a moment then Stood, “Follow me please.” He led her to an exam room then quickly left.

In no time Tina entered the room with a smile, “What can I do for you today?”

“I’m crazy. I think I’m depressed or something?” Angela blurted plopping down heavily on the exam table.

“Hmm, you finally noticed, “ Tina quipped, “I was wondering when you’d get around to noticing that you’d cracked.”

“Oh, I think I noticed a while ago. I just thought to have you do something about it,” Angela bantered.

Tina’s smirk disappeared, “What, you like think there is some kind of magic pill or therapeutic device that will make you all better?”

“Is there?” Angela asked, a little too hopefully.

“Nope, sorry! You went crazy slowly and getting better will take a while too. If it didn’t you’d just go nuts faster the next time.”

“So I’m going to stay nuts?” Angela asked in a panic.

“No, of course not, the fact that you came to me is a good step, you just aren’t done walking yet,” Tina replied, “Now let’s start with your mother. . ..”

- - - - - - - - - -

Max joined the rescue team evacuating an earth alternate. It seemed appropriate. He wasn’t too sure about the young briaunti running things, but she seemed to know what she was doing.
 
Max knocked on the door to the church, it swung open and he stepped inside. It was empty, a note tacked inside said it had already been cleared by a factor.

Max glanced at the page he’d stolen from a local phonebook, there were three more in the close area. He checked his watch and the sky, not much time left by either of them. Randomly he chose one and teleported there, it too had been cleared. Max leaned against the door jamb and wondered if there were any people near enough for him to help.

Suddenly out of the blue he was hit by gut wrenching pain, and dizziness.
 
Yllera was badly injured, she needed him. Max didn’t think, didn’t form the impulse to help, he just teleported to her. She was lying, barely conscious,
 
on a bed of seaweed in a cave, which by the smell was near if not under an ocean.
 
She wasn’t alone. Kavir, wrapped in a seaweed loincloth, hovered near her bouncing a crying infant in his arms.

“What should I do Yllera? Tell me how to help you! Tell me what is wrong with you and this child?” Kavir pleaded. He oozed concern and worry so palpable it nearly knocked Max over. There was no threat in it, only a burning lust and need to care for Yllera. It turned Max’s gut to sense Kavir thinking of Yllera possessively as his woman.

“What happened?” Max growled, finally making his presence known on the scene.

Kavir spun and glared Max down, “She is my woman, you cannot take her from me!”

“She’s dying! Can’t you sense it?” Max growled back rushing to blot the blood hemorrhaging due to childbirth, “This much blood isn’t normal! I- we have to get her back to Sanctuary where they can save her!”

“She is mine! I will not let her go!” Kavir growled back.

“Then you’re letting her die!” Max hissed.

“But she gave herself to me! She birthed our offspring and this,” Kavir shoved the crying infant at Max with disgust, “Thing!” Kavir nervously checked several large vats each with a blob of blackish mucous. He cooed at them as though they were infants.

Max automatically cradled the newborn in the proper fashion and began a soft rocking motion, “Let me take them to Sanctuary, Tina can help them both.”