Lauren giggled. “It’s okay, Grace. We’re together, both awake and alive, and the baby’s okay. You’re going to be a mom soon; Christian’s going to be a dad—”
“And Alan and Michelle are going to be grandparents,” Grace muttered, seemingly unamused. “Imagine what that’ll be like. I know you’re not allowed to stay long, the RAs in this dorm suck, and visiting hours are bullshit. I should be coming home in a few days; then again, who knows? I’ve been hearing rumors that we’re all evacuating. What do you know about it?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure it out. Doesn’t matter where we are or where we go. We’re family. A strong one.”
“Some of us are way stronger than others,” Grace said. “I’m really glad you didn’t go too far with what you were planning to do.”
“You are?”
Grace nodded. “Yeah. Because you might not have come back. And the world is a better place with you in it.”
Her visit concluded, Lauren stepped out to the front porch of the old Ackermann place and leaned against a column, staring out into the driveway and dark beyond. She took a deep breath, then another, exhaling and dismissing a multitude of worries. Grace was doing okay. She was going to be an aunt before long. Her nephew’s name, if indeed Grace were to have a boy, was to be Isaiah, named after her father. The war within her still raged on, and the dangers extant in her world were far from being over, but she was now aware of better ways of going about getting that which she’d sought. The unit was here now, having arrived and pervaded the valley during her absence at nearly full strength. Perhaps better times were approaching. And in due course, a strategic proposal would be drawn up and put in motion that would spell an end to all that had plagued her and her loved ones for far too long.
The door creaked open behind her, and Lauren felt a strong, stubborn presence approach, one not requiring a declaration for her to know who it was. When she heard the porch’s old decking creak beside her under his weight, Lauren looked right to spot Dave Graham, who had found a location at the opposite column to lean against. He, too, stared out into the driveway and dark beyond.
Lauren smiled at him, then looked away, resuming her stare at the previous obscure focal point. “You came.”
Dave motorboated. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this hokum for the world.”
Lauren chuckled slightly through her nose.
The old vet peered at her from the corner of his eye. “And you came home. Imagine that.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“I don’t buy that,” said Dave. “There’s always a choice, Janey. Everything in life is about choice.”
“I’m not sure I buy that.” She glanced at him. “Did you see Neo?”
“That’s affirmative.”
“They allowed you to see him?”
“Also affirmative.”
“And did they, meaning the good doctor and his wife, have a choice?”
Dave shot her a feisty glance. “Are you trying to get cute with me?”
“I don’t have to try.”
“No, you don’t. And the answer’s no. They tried keeping me out, but you know how that is, Janey. There are those of us who refuse to take no for an answer.”
Lauren nodded understanding of that. “How is he?”
“Better,” Dave said, sighing. “He’s got a long road ahead of him, but he ranks up there with some of the strongest young people I know. I think he’ll be fine.”
“Think?”
“I’ve seen soldiers recover from worse. And I’ve also seen them succumb to less. The only guarantee listed in life’s fine print is that it ends at some point. There’s no fountain of youth, no magic pill. But Neo is strong and able-bodied. He’s got a lot going for him. And it’s my belief he’ll pull through.”
Lauren nodded and smiled. “It makes me very happy to hear that. You have no idea.”
“Then again, I might. It’s my understanding that your sister’s regained consciousness. What’s her status?”
“Semi-functional,” quipped Lauren. “That’s fully operational for Grace. About as good as it gets.”
“Fine business.” He paused. “You still plan on becoming an aunt?”
Lauren squinted in delight. “I do. In about ninety days, give or take.”
Dave tilted his head. “That’s good news. Probably the best I’ve heard all day. I’m glad you found your way home, and very pleased you erred against doing something predominantly harebrained.”
Lauren looked at him again, attempting to gauge his demeanor. “What happens now?”
Dave hesitated, tilted his cover back, and shifted his weight. “That all depends on factors. We’re in business here. Deployed, geared-up, inclined to and readily capable of ferociously repelling intruders. If an attack comes our way, we’re ready for it.” A pause. “Your escapade tied up a few loose ends for us, reunited some families, and pleased a lot of folks, your sister included. But it also set fire to one big goddamn volatility fuse. I’ll assume you know what I’m talking about deprived the need of going into further detail.”
Lauren pinched her eyes closed and nodded.
“If this sounds familiar to you, too bad,” Dave grumbled, staring her down. “It is critically important that you understand the implications of your actions, Janey. The measures of a single element can decide the fate of everyone, and often does. What you did damn near guarantees a swift and harsh retaliation on their part.”
“I know…I know that, and I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do, Dave—I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. I mean, where has doing nothing gotten us?”
Dave held up a hand. “I’m not finished.”
“Sorry.”
“When you told me a few months back about your family’s run-ins with FEMA and the DHS, and that you thought federal agents had deliberately baited and poisoned wildlife and contaminated your water
