all god's orphans

Millie had seen the library a few miles back on their way to Wal-Mart. She had always loved the library. It was one of the few places she was allowed to go unsupervised by her parents. She wondered if they even knew what was in there or maybe it just sounded like a safe place to stash their daughter. All the places she wasn’t allowed to go, she could read about them at the library. There was a computer at the one near her house and it was almost never used meaning that she even had access to most of the internet. She used to love looking at pictures of beach locations and dreaming about strolling along those white, or sometimes pink sands one day. They even had movies there! If only her parents had owned a player…Once she tried to fix one, but it broke again and she had to pry it open to retrieve the disc lest she owe the library five dollars. She wanted to stay in their good graces. Plus, she liked them and the nice ladies who worked there liked her. They would tell her when new books came in that they thought she would like. Stephen King, Clive Barker, and Neil Gaiman were some of her favorites. They also taught her how to work the older equipment like the microfilm and microfiche, which she thoroughly enjoyed. The images always seemed so surreal passing by on the odd screen the way they did. It was like in “1984”, or so she imagined.

She had learned that the library kept records on local businesses and even held land registry information if you knew where to look. The Kearney library was large and surprisingly modern. She wanted to spend several weeks wondering among the stacks, but she was here on a mission. With the black Valhalla file in hand, Millie sniffed out the data rooms like a bloodhound. It was as though she already knew how this library worked. She reasoned that if they went so far as to cite Kearney as the center of their radius, then the actual installation wouldn’t be too far away. If that were true, there would be records related to any land holdings by the LLC listed in the contract. It took her a little while, but she eventually found what she was looking for.

It was listed in the documents as “Surplus Military Equipment and Land – Unspecified” as being sold to Lester Allman Holdings, LLC. The address listed didn’t correspond to anything she could find on the map, but since this had been a military contract, they of course listed the coordinates, which she found quite easily, thanks again to time spent at the library. It was a speck of nothing outside a tiny town called Broken Bow, about sixty miles away. She opened a map on a nearby table.

“It’s here.” She said, putting her finger directly in the middle of a field somewhere inside Nebraska.

“Are you sure?” Asked Raymond. Millie nodded.

“I’ve learned it’s best not to doubt her.” Observed Grey. Raymond glanced at Brian who simply nodded. Raymond shrugged.

“All right.” He said. “Let’s go.”

The small town tableau of rusted metal awnings, strip mall spare parts, and very few buildings made of brick gave way almost immediately to gently rolling waves of green fields. There seemed to be quite a bit more air traffic here than they had seen before, or maybe it was just a busy day.

“Where are all the helicopters going?” Sarah asked Wallace. He watched a squadron of Blackhawks buzz overhead going east.

“Lot’s of places.” He told her. This seemed to placate her curiosity and she went back to staring out the window. Wallace made sure he lowered his voice so Raymond couldn’t hear. “Is your dad a good guy?” He asked Sarah.

“What do you mean by that?” She studied his expression for intent, but found nothing she could decipher.

“Has he ever killed anyone?” Sarah’s face darkened at the question. She didn’t want to lie.

“That doesn’t make him a bad person.” She snarled. That brought more than one bead of sweat to the pilot’s head.

“Do you think he’ll kill me?” He asked her, watching her eyes closely. She was genuinely flummoxed.

“Why would he kill you?” Wallace relaxed a bit.

“Why did he kill those other people?” This was obviously not a subject that Sarah was eager to discuss, especially with a stranger.

“That’s none of your business.” She informed him. Wallace had no idea what to expect now. Her answers had only confused him. Grey had overheard him and leaned in to offer his two cents.

“Don’t worry.” He told him. “He isn’t going to hurt you. As soon as we get to safety, I promise we will let you go.” Raymond sat emotionless at the wheel, pretending he couldn’t hear every single word they were saying.

Millie guided them through identical roads past similar houses to a dirt road in the middle of a field. A cattle gate nestled between two small hills sought to prevent them going any further, but after getting out and trying to climb over, Raymond discovered that the gate was unlocked and the chain was simply hanging limply from the cross bars. The day was beginning to fade out as they pulled the RV onto the dirt road and started out across an empty field.

“Millie, how much farther?” Asked Brian. After consulting her map, she held up one finger. “One mile?” He made sure and she nodded. Brian leaned down to speak so only Raymond could hear. “I think we should head in on foot and check this out before we go any further driving this gigantic target.” Raymond thought for a brief moment and realized he was right. There was nowhere to pull over, so he simply stopped and shut off the engine.

The earth rose up slightly around them to taller hills than they had seen. If the rolling plains before were like a gentle sea, then this area was getting closer to roiling. They couldn’t see very far in any direction without climbing up to the top of one of the hills, which would mean exposure. As they gathered weapons and a flashlight, Raymond hugged his daughter.

“We’ll be right back.” He told her.

“I know.” She said plainly, and then watched as Wes, Brian, and her dad went off to scout ahead, leaving her behind. Wallace waited until they were completely out of sight before trying to engage anyone in conversation. Grey sat closest to him.

“Hello.” He said. “Grey? Is it?” Grey nodded at him. “How well do you know this Raymond guy?” Grey shrugged.

“I don’t really know him at all, I guess.” Sarah overheard his question and barked from the front seat.

“Hey!” Her little voice rang out. “I told you my dad is a good guy!”

“You sure did.” Agreed Wallace. “And your gentle tone is very reassuring, but I thought I might get a second opinion.” She turned around completely in her chair so she could stare proper daggers at him.

“Why?” She shot back. “I already told you. He’s not going to hurt you.”

“That’s not entirely true.” Wallace reminded her. “You merely asked why he would hurt me. You never said he wouldn’t.” His point sunk Sarah back into her seat.

“Well he won’t.” She huffed, the wind quickly leaving her sails.

“Is that a promise?” Wallace prodded her and her spine straightened.

“Yes.” She glowered back.

“Is she always this intense?” Wallace asked Grey.

“Yes.” Said Kite and Grey in unison, followed two seconds later by Millie’s machine.

“Yes.” It said. That, at least, made the pilot chuckle before clutching his ribs in agony.

“It hurts when I laugh.” He said.

“Well then,” Said Millie. “Good thing we’re in Nebraska.” Which only made him laugh more.

As the sky blackened, Wes, Brian, and Raymond could see a faint glow emanating from beyond the hills. They stayed close to the ground and made their way towards it, careful not to be too loud or stand while above the military crest. Brian led them forward on his belly up and over several hills before they reached one that gave way to a flat farmland beyond.

About two miles away, they could see what looked like a KOA campground. Brian brought his rifle to bear so he could use its scope. There were several vehicles all parked at the end of the dirt road that terminated at a strange door that seemed to have nothing behind it. It was just a door, standing alone in a concrete frame in the middle of a field. Beside it they had built a campfire and were sitting around it heating up tinned food of some kind.

“It looks like they’re cooking dinner.” He told them in a low whisper. He passed the rifle to Raymond and let him see. To Raymond, it looked like a great time. Camping out by a fire on a cool evening under the stars. He had been right! He had sacrificed so much, but it had been worth it. Wes took the rifle and observed the scene. He kept the sights trained on the door, wondering where the Hell it went. It finally dawned on him that it led immediately to a staircase that dove down into the ground. He wanted it to open so he could get a glimpse of what lay behind it, but it never did. After a while, he began to wonder why that was, but eventually dismissed the suspicions. Maybe it just smelled stuffy in there, he told himself.

“Well,” chirped Raymond, trying to stand up. “What are we waiting for?” Brian reached up and jerked him right back down.

“Wait.” He said. “I’ve learned it’s best not to rush these things.” He looked at Wes who nodded in agreement. “Let’s go get the others.” Raymond could wait. He didn’t mind at all. In fact, he wanted his daughter to see this. To know that her father had been right all along. Not because he wanted to gloat, but because he wanted her to know that he had provided for her safety and had done necessary and terrible things to bring her to that safe haven.

When they arrived back at the RV, they found the pilot trying to explain the NATO alphabet to Sarah.

“What’s ‘L’ again?” She asked him.

“Lima.” He answered.

“That’s enough of that.” Barked Raymond before softening his tone and kneeling so he could look Sarah in the eye. “Sarah, baby.” He began. “It’s here! We found it!” He pulled her close to him and felt tears of joy pool in his eyes. He let them fall freely. “We made it!” Sarah didn’t know how to feel about this expression of emotion from her father. She looked at Wes and Brian who weren’t acting like a couple of weirdoes. They took it upon themselves to inform everyone else.

“Apparently it’s for real.” Said Brian. “The entrance is about two miles away.” This got the pilot’s attention.

“What did it look like?” Wallace asked.

“Just a door.” Replied Wes. “A door going down into the ground.”

“And it was open?” Wallace pressed him.

“No.” Brian answered, his brow an angle of confusion. “It wasn’t. Why do you ask?”

“So all you found was a door?” Clarified Wallace. Brian and Wes shifted on their feet.

“Not exactly.” Wes finally said.

“There were people outside the door.” Brian said. “They had parked their vehicles and built a fire.”

“Did you see anyone go in or out of the door?” Wallace was getting at something they didn’t like. Wes looked at Brian for support, but they were both adrift.

“No.” Brian said.

“So there’s a luxury underground condominium in the middle of nowhere and it’s location is top secret. So when they get there, they all park at the entrance and build a fire?” They all exchanged concerned glances now. “That doesn’t seem very tactical to me.” He said at last. Raymond released Sarah and stood up to face Wallace.

“Shut your damn mouth.” He growled. “We saw it with our own damn eyes.”

“Did you?” Wallace needled him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What you just described? Sounds like a trap to me. You should know, after all.” Raymond didn’t like being challenged.

“Do you want to walk back to your base?” He asked him, squaring up like they might ‘take it outside’.

“I can’t walk, thanks to you.” He shot back.

“But you can still breathe.” Raymond reminded him. “And that is also thanks to me.” Grey moved between them.

“There’s no need for this Raymond.” He said. “It’s over. We made it.” Raymond calmed a bit at that. “Let’s just get there and then let this man go, okay?” Raymond nodded.

“Then you can drive him where he wants to go.” He poked Grey in the chest.

“I can’t drive.” Grey reminded him. The pilot tried to stand.

“It’s okay.” He told them. “I’d rather walk anyway.”

“Don’t be silly.” Said Sarah, guiding him back to his seat.

“Sarah, you’re a sweet kid.” Wallace said. “And I hope I’m wrong, but if I’m right and your dad is about to drive this lumbering beast right into what sounds very much like a trap, I’d rather take my chances on my own.”

“Do you really think it is that dangerous?” Asked Kite.

“Lady, I’m not about to hop thirty miles to town on a whim.” Everyone in the RV was now spooked and feeling like they had to choose between the pilot and Raymond.

“Well what should we do then?” Grey wanted to know.