The Nexus

Chapter 13

Emma woke to a knock on her door, "Come in," she said.

She was lying under her blanket and felt drowsy. She had not gotten much more sleep the night before and felt like she only fallen asleep moments ago.

Thomas was the person who opened the door, "Oh, so now you decide to knock," she said. It was the closest she could get to joking, but from the look on his face he didn't get it.

"If you want to shower and eat before we go you might want to do it now. If not, I can come get you in about a half hour," he said.

Emma sat up in the little bed. "I'll get ready now. I just need a few minutes and I'll come out to eat."

Thomas nodded, "Okay, I'm going to the dining hall now." He turned around and shut the door.

Emma quickly showered and dressed; putting her long, wet hair in a braid down her back. She inspected herself in the little mirror that was above the tiny dresser in the room and she looked a lot better than she felt. The prospect of getting out of this place made her feel lighter than she had in six months, and she couldn't believe it, but she was actually a little excited to visit with Thomas again.

She walked out wearing blue carpenter pants and an olive green shirt. She still carried her 9mm semi-automatic in the holster around her waist under her shirt and it was well hidden when she walked. She wondered why no one had even asked her for it and then it dawned on her that Thomas was the only person here who actually knew about the gun, maybe he hadn't bothered to tell anyone about it.

She easily found the dining hall and, after serving herself some eggs with whole-wheat toast, and a large bowl of mixed fruit, she walked over to Thomas's table. There was another man sitting with him and he looked at Emma as she sat down.

"Emma," Thomas said, "this is my good friend Gene."

Gene stuck out his hand and Emma shook it. "Nice to meet you," Emma said. It was nice to actually meet someone that didn't have a story. Gene was a big man with reddish-brown hair that was held in a neat ponytail behind his head. His large beard could not hide the dimples that stood out on his cheeks and while him and Thomas talked he would laugh all the way from his large belly.

Emma didn't pay attention to much of what they were saying, but she found that having the conversation and laughter around her was calming her and keeping the still-battling voices out of her thoughts.

Miles appeared at the table before she even realized he had approached them. "Emma," he said, "I hear you are going on to our North Dakota hideout with Thomas today."

Emma nodded.

"I wish you would stay here for a little while," he said, "I had not yet been able to ask for your help."

"You're more than welcome to come with us," Thomas said and it was the first time that she had sensed tension in this underground world. It made her curious and she wondered why Thomas now had a hint of animosity in his voice towards Miles.

"This is true," said Miles, giving no hint that he had sensed anything amiss from Thomas. Miles sat at the table with them, "Perhaps I'll just fill Emma in on what we were hoping she would help us on, and then I'll meet up with you all in North Dakota. It can be on the way to Virginia anyway."

"What's in Virginia?" Emma asked.

"That's where six of our members are being held, quite without their rights to an attorney or due process," Miles said. "They are being held in a facility that is considered a part of Homeland Security, but is really a front for your previous employer."