Chapter Ten: Erica

Chapter Ten: Erica

Father God,

There’s no such thing as an Ex-Marine.

I went to a VA Hospital during my first tour, met guys who had lost limbs, lost their sight or hearing… But they still considered themselves soldiers. Their war was long done, many of them old men, but they still considered themselves soldiers. Even in your World, every ex-soldier I’ve ever met still keeps the same sort of schedule. Up at dawn, plenty of exercise, bed made, limited possessions, back straight… I was the same, before Kas.

Megan… That girl actually scares me sometimes. I want to break through that wall of hers so badly that I can taste it. I almost wish she would scream, or rage or attack me. But I never get anything from her except that endless... quiet. She just waits until your eyes go somewhere else.

I can hear her moving the furniture around in her room. She’s not doing it to decorate. She’s barricading her bedroom door at night. During the day, too. She comes out at mealtimes, stares us down over her plate, and then goes back to her room.

I know she leaves at night. I don’t know where she goes, but-

~~/*\~~

Hugh looked up from his journal as his phone rang. He answered it, and Kasumi spoke, in a panic, before he could answer. “She’s gone again! I swear I only looked away for a moment, but we were at the Market, looking for new books for her and... I think she ran for the train station and I’ve spent the last twenty minutes trying to find out if she got on a train or not. There was one leaving just as…”

“Kas, be calm.” Hugh said, jumping to his feet. “It’s not like she’s in any danger.”

“I know that, but…” Kasumi took a shuddering breath. “If we don’t find her, she’ll never come back, will she?”

There was a knock on the door. Hugh answered it quickly. It was Megan, looking at her shoes.

“She’s here.” Hugh reported into the phone. “She’s home.”

Megan twitched at the word ‘home’ but said nothing.

“I’m on my way!” Kasumi declared and hung up.

Megan came in slowly, still not looking at him. “It’s true, isn’t it?” She said finally.

Hugh froze, then started to smile a little. “Do I need to ask who walked you home?”

“They had wings.” Megan said, a voice so small he barely heard it.

Hugh rested a hand on her shoulder. For the first time, she didn’t flinch away. She was in shock, eyes huge in her head, barely aware of her surroundings. Whatever she had seen, it had shaken her to the core. “If you don’t want to tell me…”

Megan looked up at him. If she recognized him, it didn’t show. “I… I ditched Kas at the Market. I made sure she saw me looking at the Train Schedule. I knew she’d think I went for the train.”

“She did.” Hugh confirmed, gesturing with the phone in his hand.

“I figured I’d have half an hour to get some distance…” She started to tremble. “I stole a bike.”

Hugh twitched. Theft wasn’t a factor in the world. Nobody locked up their things any more. But it wasn’t time to argue that point.

“I got away clean, I was pedaling away from the Market…” Megan told her story. “And that’s when they just… appeared, right in front of me.”

Hugh nodded. “I saw them my first day back. Not something you can shake off.”

Megan slid onto a stool at the kitchen counter. Hugh started slicing some fruit for them. “You still haven’t given me an answer, you know. Your first day here, I took you to the top of the tower and I asked you: Where were you planning to go?”

Megan sighed. “Not there any more. At least, nothing I recognize.”

“I can remember that feeling too, kid.” Hugh almost chuckled. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you dodging the question again.”

Megan ate a slice slowly. “I had a squat. Me and my friend…” Her eyes flicked to Hugh.

He didn’t let himself react, but it was the first time she had mentioned a friend at all.

Megan ate another slice. “If the guys with the wings are…” She chuckled. “I was about to say: ‘If they’re telling the truth’. I can’t imagine them lying, can you?”

Hugh chuckled. “They tell you anything interesting?”

Megan sighed. “Nothing that you and Kasumi didn’t try telling me a dozen times.” She rubbed her eyes. “It’s the future. Centuries and centuries in the future. Everything I’ve ever known and seen and done is… centuries ago.” She was actually smiling about it. “It’s all gone.”

Hugh nodded. She wasn’t the only one happy to have the world she knew being gone, but she was the first one he’d met. “What would you do if you were having a typical day back then?”

Megan chewed slowly. “I’d…” She sighed. “Oh, why not? I’d be busking. There was a train station where I'd do chalk sketches on the platform for people. The police would come through and clear me out, but I knew their routine, so I could get clear in time. That would get me enough change for a sandwich.”

“Where did you stay?”

“I had a squat.” Megan said, unconcerned. “Not the best place, but nobody bothered us. The cops didn’t even try and patrol, the buses were too scared to follow the routes. Gangs, y’know? I knew some of them, and they left us alone, because… Well, Because.”

Hugh nodded. “The food’s better here, I hope?”

Megan nodded. “Yeah. Food was better at the foster homes, the orphanage… Food’s better in a lot of places, if you’re willing to stick around for all the other stuff too. And I am not.” She said this with cool confidence. “You think I stayed at the Squat because I liked roaches?”

Hugh snorted, looking down.

“Hey, cut that out.” She told him. “I don't need your pity. I may not have made it to old age, but I never went hungry. Nobody starves in a city, if they’re willing. Too many cafe’s with outdoor tables; too many garbage bins. The real trick is staying warm.”

“Is… that what happened?” Hugh asked gently. “Cold night, and you wake up here?”

Megan’s face hardened again. He’d pushed too far.

Silence.

“I met guys like you back in the old days, you know. The kind that can’t resist people in trouble.” She said quietly. “You’re what my friend called 'a compulsive Galahad'. It means you want to help, but that doesn’t last.”

“This time it does.” Hugh told her gently. “You aren’t tempted? Not even a little bit? I’ve been telling you what’s happening in the world. Disbelief I understand. I went through it myself, but it doesn’t even seem to appeal to you at all.”

“Of course it appeals to me!” Megan nearly exploded. “It appealed to me when they promised to find me a loving home, and I spent six years watching everyone else get picked. It appealed to me when someone finally offered to take me in, and I spent three years as a kitchen drudge for his mates while they all drank themselves stupid around a poker table and blew cigar smoke in my face. It appealed to me when the Salvos told me they’d take me somewhere warm, and dumped me right back at the orphanage. It appealed when the cops told me I didn’t have to stay on a park bench and they dumped me back with my Foster dad, or in a halfway house with the guys who had gone off their meds. It appealed when I had a 102 fever and the doctors said they'd help, and left me with a bill I'd never be able to pay. Seriously. You think that Good News from the Bible has any appeal for me? It was the Padre that told me I was going to Hell!”

“And that was a lie.” Hugh told her firmly.

“IT WAS ALL A LIE! THEY WERE ALL LIARS!” She nearly screamed.

For a moment, there was only the sound of her breathing hard. It was more words than she had said the entire time she had been staying with them.

“Look, I’m not... “ Megan shook her head. “You and Kas are good people. But a homeless kid who becomes a homeless teenager is like the kitten that becomes a cat. Nobody wants a cat when they could have a kitten. You think Oliver Twist would be such a sweet story if Oliver was older than me?” She told him. “I know how this goes. You wanna help, but then time passes and you realize that your supply is less than my demand. Food and a bed? Easy. For a few days. Then a week rolls by, and you wonder how long you’re going to keep shelling out. Then what? Better clothes, a good school, check my homework; run off boys, make sure I’m eating my vegetables, a house, a good job, kids of my own…”

“Track you down when you keep sneaking away.” Hugh chimed in plainly. “It’s called being a parent, sweetie.”

“Right.” Megan nodded, matter of fact.

Hugh nodded in agreement. “Right.”

Megan blinked, kept looking at him, blinked again. “Wait, I missed a step.”

“Did you never wonder why Kasumi and I were there when you arrived? We were there for you, kid. It wasn’t for a handshake. We had a room made up for you and clothes picked out.”

Megan stared. “You and Kasumi are… you wanna adopt me?”

“You’ve been here a month and you just figured that out now?” He chuckled. “We were hoping you’d be agreeable to it, but if there’s someone else you want to…”

“No.” Megan said immediately. “I got nobody.”

Hugh tread carefully. “I notice that you never run any searches. Everyone I know runs database searches for family members, old friends… People they’ve lost and will get a chance to see again. Today was the first time you ever mentioned having a friend. You’re the only one I know who isn't looking for loved ones.”

Megan shrugged, like it was no big deal.

Hugh gestured over at the Terminal. “Kid, one word of advice. Look up the liars. See where they are now. You’ve been handed a lot of bad deals in your life. Take a look and see where the liars ended up. Remember, Injustice is one of the things we’ve seen the end of too.”

“You cannot possibly believe that!” Megan whispered, voice hollow.

Hugh gave her a sad, patient smile. The kind that Alec and Kasumi had given him every day when he’d first come back. “Ahh, but what if I’m right? What if all the people that lied to you came to a bad end, and the people they hurt, like say... you; have finally got their chance?”

Megan was silent for a long moment. “People don’t change.” She said finally. It was a thought she was clinging to with all her strength.

“Of course they do. They do all the time.” Hugh waved that off. “Have you never been surprised by someone? Have you never seen others surprised by people? Have you never seen someone act in a way that you didn't expect?”

“No, never.” Megan said simply. “Nobody has ever surprised me before. They've all been the same.”

Hugh blinked. “Well… Time you met some different people then.”

Silence.

“I don’t want to go back to those meetings any more.” Megan said finally. “You can force me, but we both know it’s a waste of time.”

“Is that what we know?” Hugh drawled. “There’s a Regional Convention coming up. They get held at the Stadium once a year. You haven’t been there yet. You come along to that, I’ll show you around, and while we’re there we’ll buy some tickets.”

“Tickets to what?”

“There’s an All-Star Game the next weekend. They use the same stadium for both. And when I say All Stars, I mean the Greats. Babe Ruth? Lou Gerihg? Joe DiMaggio? Hank Aaron? Mickey Mantle?”

Megan chewed her lip. “Really? All of them?”

“They’re back, and better than ever.” Hugh tempted. “You like Baseball?”

“Never saw a game, but the Padre… He was a big fan. He’d play the game over the speakers in the Halfway House.” She shrugged, which was her version of smiling. “I remember that I liked it more than most of the music they played on the radio.”

Hugh grinned. “How about that? We have something in common after all!”

She rolled her eyes. “Just to sum up, I ran away, and you want to take me to a baseball game?”

“You didn’t get far, and somehow I think seeing the Wings had more of an impact than grounding you would.” Hugh chuckled. “Kid, sooner or later you’re going to realize that this is all for real. And I don’t mean the world, I mean me and Kas.”

Megan sighed, surrendering. “Okay. Is there any chance we can get hotdogs?”

“No meat.” Hugh shook his head.

“I could murder a hotdog.” Megan admitted softly. “Mustard, onions...”

“Popcorn, crackerjacks, fries, nachos?”

“Yeah, good enough I guess. But try finding a New York Hotdog that ever had meat in it.” Megan cracked, and went up to her room. She paused at the steps. “Was Kas really mad?”

“Scared, more than mad.”

“You keep saying there’s nothing to be scared of now.”

“She wasn’t scared you were hurt, kid. She was scared we’d never see you again.” Hugh told her gently. “Apologize to Kasumi, come to the Regional with us, we’ll get tickets to the game.”

~~/*\~~

Father God,

Kasumi is at her wits end. She’s so desperate to shower the kid with love and affection and she’s getting stonewalled at every turn. Megan isn’t cold any more, she’s just…. Detached. She knows we care, but she won’t let us show it.

Megan’s a survivor. She survives by making sure she doesn’t get too attached to anything. In a way, she’s very Spartan. Kas keeps asking her if she’d like anything, and so far the only thing I’ve seen her collect is food. She thinks she’s keeping it hidden, but I know how much comes in from the Market, and if we’re down a tin or two, there’s only one place it can be going. She eats all her meals and she’s not gaining weight. Some of our groceries are going missing.

I don’t know if she’s preparing to run, or if she’s preparing for the day when we stop feeding her, but I’m not game to call her on any of it yet.

Kasumi says the first thing a parent learns is how to love their kid. But even after two months, Megan is a stranger to us. I don’t know what goes on in her head, what she’s thinking behind those cold, calculating eyes…

You do. There are no secrets from You. You know more about Megan than she knows about herself. What should I do? Would you tell me?

It’s still a wrestling match to get her to come to meetings, but I think that’s more about the people who come up and talk to her than it is about the program. I think that’s it, because she seemed to enjoy the convention a lot more. In fact she was awed by the crowd of people.

Next year is the Centennial. It’ll be her first. My third. If she was amazed by all the people at the Regional, I can’t imagine how she’ll react to an International.

I think she believed we wanted to help when she first arrived, but everyone who ever acted out of pure motives before had usually put her back in The System or given her back to her stepfather. Convincing her we were sincere was easy. Convincing her that it didn’t mean bad things were going to happen anyway is a good deal harder.

~~/*\~~

The day after the game, Megan made a request to go somewhere. The Park where they had first met her. Hugh walked with her. Megan didn’t say anything on the walk there, but he could see her lips moving, just a little. She was calculating the route. Number of steps, number of turns. Hugh didn’t know why, but he didn’t comment on it.

“So, are you still planning to bolt?” Hugh asked casually.

Megan smirked a little, not surprised that he had known. “Kasumi took me to the Tower again two days ago. I got another look at the area. Nothing even remotely like a city beyond the Plaza. It’s weird, looking at a skyscraper sticking out of a village.”

“I had the same thought at first.” Hugh agreed. “Where were you? Because your accent says Queens.”

“Detroit, then Queens, then the Bronx for a while. Would have been… the 90's, I think? Got bounced around a few places.” She told him. It was the first thing about her past that she had admitted to; even if she changed the subject right away. “Why still have graveyards?”

“Tribute Parks.” He gave her the new name absently. “It’s symbolic. When someone comes back, we take out the headstone and replace it with something living. In another hundred years, this will be a forest, or a garden, or an orchard…”

Megan was silent for a long time. “Well… better than a graveyard, I guess.”

“Amen to that.” Hugh commented, producing an apple from a nearby Tribute Tree.

“They just let you take that?”

“If it hasn’t got a fence around it, then it’s open to the whole world. Fences aren’t to keep people out, they’re to establish location.” He put it in her hand. “Not everything comes with a price.”

Megan looked at the apple in her hand like it was going to attack her, before she put it in her pocket. Hugh wasn’t sure if she just didn’t want it, or if she was saving it for the future, just in case. She walked between the stones for a while, just looking over the names. She went down the far end where there were just plaques. The areas where they put people who couldn’t afford headstones, or statues or anything much at all. Megan walked between them for a few minutes silently. She missed a step at one of the names, but kept walking right past it. Hugh noticed a lot more than he used to; but didn’t remark on it. When she did a complete turn at the end and walked back again, her gaze went straight over the marker she had passed, but her head turned so that she could look again out of the corner of her eye.

Megan suddenly remembered herself and looked up at Hugh, who still said nothing, but she knew he had noticed.

“I like graveyards.” Megan confessed finally. “I hid out in this one all the time. I actually slept better here than I did at home.”

“You slept in graveyards?”

“Who’s safer than dead people?” Megan didn’t even blink. “It’s… You see your name on a gravestone. You know you’ll have one some day, but you don't expect to see it. With my luck, there’s probably a bill waiting for me.”

Hugh smothered a laugh. “So, have you given any thought to your Tribute?”

Megan turned on her heel and strode away. “Don’t care.”

Hugh watched after her for a while. For a split second, she was talking to him about her life before. He looked back at the stone she had deliberately avoided showing an interest in.

Here Lies: Erica Knowles. 1980-1999

~~/*\~~

“Gotta admit, I didn’t like what I was hearing.” Hugh said softly that night. Megan had been tucked in for sleep, and Hugh and Kasumi were settling in for the night, catching each other up on developments.

Kasumi shook her head mournfully. “Poor kid. If she heard us say that we’d never see her again, but… Poor kid.”

Hugh slid in next to his wife and switched off his lamp. “Did things like this happen at the End?”

“Things like that happened all the way through, Love. It’s just that our generations never heard about it.” Kasumi sighed. “So many lost boys and girls in the world. I wonder if maybe we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.”

“Back at the Base, there was a stray dog, always getting into our garbage cans. Everyone in the Squadron was feeding it scraps. It’d eat right from our fingertips, follow us everywhere... but when we tried to put a collar on him, he went completely berserk.” Hugh whispered. “There was one guy, took a lot longer, sat out with the bins, just let the dog hang around him for a while. When he left the force, he took the pup home with him. It followed him all the way to the gate, never came back for more scraps. But he never got a collar. Some ferals will take you in as family, but they never forget.”

From outside, there was a squeak from the gate hinges, and the vague sound of footsteps.

Kasumi wasn’t even surprised. “She’s gone again. You going to go after her?”

“I’ll give her a headstart.” Hugh said, unconcerned. “I know where she’s going. And remind me to oil those hinges next time we touch up the house.”

~~/*\~~

Megan wasn’t cold. The nights had all been mild, and she was glad for it. Her trip that day had given her a decent idea of how to find her way back to the Tribute Park in the dark. It had taken some time, but she had found the right spot and settled in to wait. She had curled up, using her backpack for a pillow, when her ears caught a sound and she sat bolt upright. Someone was walking through the graveyard.

Megan didn’t know who it was, but she grabbed her pack, already on her feet, poised to make a sprint. The footsteps crunched on wet grass. It had rained briefly that evening.

(Author’s Note: The first direct mention of rainfall in the bible record is the flood. Genesis 2:5,6 says that during the ‘creative days’ there was no rain, but heavy mist for the vegetation. Some have suggested that before the flood, there was no rain at all; but this is unconfirmed. After the flood, the water cycle turned into what we have today. There is no word on how the weather will appear in the future, but I chose to keep the weather as it is now. It’s possible the water canopy may return to the original form, but I have less idea how to write that. This path involved the least amount of invention on my part. Simple is safe.)

“Megan, wait! It’s me!”

The girl stopped and looked back at Hugh for a split second. “Sorry. Old habit.”

He strode up to her. “Old habit? You hear someone behind you so you get ready to run?”

“Or fight, but when you’re little, running is the better option.” She nodded.

Hugh was silent a moment. “Well your form was all wrong.”

“What?”

“I learned how to run in the Service, kid. They don’t just say: Go fast. They teach you how to do it.”

“To run? It’s like walking, only more so.” She snorted.

“Here.” He gestured. “You keep your back straight, and you want your foot to strike underneath your hips. Resist the urge to bend forward or stretch your leg out in front of you. You don’t reach your toes forward, you propel from behind.”

To demonstrate, Hugh sprinted to the corner, and back again.

Megan blinked. “Faster than I thought. Not bad for a three hundred year old guy.”

“And I don’t feel a day over two hundred and thirty.” Hugh teased. “Tell you what… Race you back to the house? If I win, you come with us to the meeting. You win… You watch the broadcast from the house and you don’t have to go anywhere.”

“You know I’ll just turn it off the second you’re out the door, right?”

“Only if you beat me there.”

Megan was silent for an endless beat, until she nodded, and gestured behind him. “Okay. But you better square it with your wife. She looks ticked off about something.”

Hugh turned to look, but there was no sign of Kasumi anywhere. He looked back, and Megan had dropped the pack and was already twenty feet ahead of him. Despite himself, Hugh chuckled. The race was on.

The Chase went through the park. The roots of the trees were thick enough that they reached up from under the ground here and there. Megan didn’t trip. She actually jumped up and caught one of the branches, using it to swing herself clear to the walking trail. Hugh sped up and overtook her. When he got to the fence, he didn’t bother going around left to the gate, he cleared the fence like an Olympic hurdle. An instant behind him, Megan let out a whoop and did the same. She was past him soon after and reached the staircase up to the main road. She jumped, put a foot on one of the handrails and cleared the entire staircase in a leap. She actually paused for a moment and looked back in surprise.

Time enough that he zipped by, and the chase was on again.

She suddenly realized he was toying with her. His form was perfect, and he could outpace her without too much trouble. It would have made her angry, except she realized she wasn’t angry. Her feet were light on the path, and her breath was coming deep and smooth… Megan realized she was enjoying herself. She was running, and she was enjoying it. She wasn’t wearing out, her ankles and knees weren’t hurting… She wondered if she could run forever.

If she could, it would have been a wonderful way to spend the night, to run and be free and not worry about being hurt or wearing out...

When was the last time you didn’t feel at least some pain? Some exhaustion?

Hugh had pulled ahead of her enough that he could stop, and gesture for her to do the same. They both stopped at last, breathing hard. They had gone right past the house, right past the town center, and came to a halt at the Community Hall.

Despite the fact that they were both out of breath, neither of them felt sore, neither of them felt exhausted. In fact, they were invigorated. Megan was nearly bouncing on her toes, energized.

“Okay.” She said after a few moments of getting her breath back. “How did I do any of that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you watching? That was… that like an Olympic Sprint and a Gymnastics routine, and I did it on the fly, in the dark…” She looked back the way they came. “And I think I can do it again.” She looked almost scared. “How is this possible? Where am I, Hugh? What is this place?”

“We haven’t been lying to you, Megan. It is exactly what it is. The world is exactly what it looks like.” He told her. “Your body is healthier than anyone from the Old Days ever was. Your mind is clear in a way you never knew. You can spot breaks in the ground and judge distances better than an Olympic runner from the Old Days. Your balance and endurance and accuracy are all higher than anything you would consider to be normal. This is the result. Nobody really sprints, because we have all the time in the world, but it’s all there.”

Megan looked back the way they came, then cast about, looking for the secret that wasn’t there. “I… I liked it.” She admitted. “You know something? I’ve never run a footrace before.”

“Really? Not even in school?”

“School?” She scoffed. “I dropped out in second grade because my foster father just cashed the check. When I grew up a bit, I ran away from him because of his friends. Every time I got caught, they’d hand me straight back to him.” She gave him a hard look. “I know how to run. I know how to leap over hurdles and get past fences like they aren’t there, but… I’ve never gone for a run when there wasn’t something chasing me.”

“Megan… The first time you went back to the graveyard, I thought that maybe you were trying to go back.” Hugh said carefully. She was opening up to him, and that was a first. “If you could snap your fingers and go back to your old life, would you?”

“No. But that doesn’t mean anything.” She said instantly. “Nothing against you, Hugh. You and Kas have been good to me. But I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago. I believe this is real, but... Just for me? That's a fairy tale..”

“Happily ever after?” Hugh guessed. “Yeah, believe it or not, that’s what I had the most trouble with too when I first got here. I’d never lived in a place where there wasn’t an ‘us and them’.”

Megan actually looked curious. “Where were you?”

“Late 1940’s. I was in the air force. Got shot down during the war.”

She looked at him, a little jaded. “Really? I sort of pegged you as a… well. No offense, but everyone I’ve met here is just so gullible.”

Hugh chuckled. “You mean me and Kas, or the people you met at the meetings?”

“Both. Lots of neat clothes and big smiles. The kind of people who just know what everyone should do because they’ve never had to do anything themselves. I figured that if you guys ever had to live in my world for ten minutes, you’d kill yourselves.”

Hugh laughed, long and loud. “Nah. I’m softer now, I won’t deny it. But back in the day, I spent my days running drills, and my nights dropping bombs on people. I had to start every morning with my fists up. You live in a place where nobody takes a swing at you, and after a while you stop waiting for it to come. Sometimes, that can take years. But we’ve got time for that.”

Megan thought about that for a while. “So, you haven’t given up on me?”

“Never.” Hugh promised. “You’re my daughter now.” Huh. First time I ever said that out loud.

Megan’s face hardened, but Hugh could see it for what it was now. It was instinct. He was offering her something she wanted, and she had her walls up, just in case it was a trap. He didn’t push it, and after a moment, she spoke again. “You don’t have to, y’know.”

“Have to what?”

“Take me on.” Megan explained. “I wouldn’t be mad it you just… failed to find me one night.”

“You came to us, sweetheart. I don’t know what you think about the Letters, because I know you’ve seen enough to know what they mean. If you came to us, then it means we’re your best shot… And that means you’re our best shot too.”

“You really think so?” Megan challenged. “Because I don’t really seem all that great to have as a daughter, do I?”

“I have faith, Megan. So does Kas. Sometimes, that means we have to take a leap and just trust that we’ll land soft. I’ve had to land a plane in the dark before.” He looked at her sideways. “Me and Kas took a leap when we learned you were coming. For this to work, you’ll have to take a leap of your own. You’ll never be absolutely certain, at least not for a while. So you have to decide if-”

“I was a suicide.” She blurted out, cutting him off before he could finish the thought. Her eyes flicked to his face instantly, waiting for a reaction. He could see the thought in her eyes. Now you know that. Still want to keep me?

He gave no sign of surprise. “I figured.” He nodded easily. “When I found you, you were checking your wrists. I’d seen that look before. One of the guys in my Squadron took the same exit, when he found out that he missed his target and hit a shelter full of civilians. He came back a year ago, and all the civilians he hit a year before that. Death doesn’t frighten us any more, kid. And I say that as a guy who actually died in the Second World War.”

Megan just shook her head, nonplussed. “And you wonder why I’m having trouble fitting in.”

Hugh laughed and held out a hand. “Let’s go home.”

~~/*\~~

They walked back, slower this time.

“I lied to you before.” She admitted. “There is someone I want to see.”

Hugh nodded. “Not a relative, I’m betting.”

“I already checked your database. My mom was still around on A-Day. She’s gone.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not.” She said plainly. “Last thing she said to me? She said I was the reason daddy left. He didn’t want a kid. She said I was the reason he left her, unemployed and pregnant, and that if she could afford an abortion, she would have had one.”

Hugh snarled a little, under his breath.

“The Padre, who ran the halfway home, told us that we were children born in sin and that if we didn’t accept the church and Jesus, then we went to Hell. He talked about Hell a lot. He said it was to scare us straight, like it was our fault our parents threw us out or died.” She said all this in a monotone, without any emotion at all. “There was this one girl there, a few years older than me. She showed up one day and she and I ran away together. She… kept me going. Taught me how to survive on the streets. She did all sorts of things that I was too young to understand, just to keep me safe and fed. She taught me to read, and she taught me how to avoid the people who would give me back to my foster dad.”

Hugh nodded, to show he was listening.

“Her name was Erica.” Megan whispered.

“What happened to her?”

Megan glanced at him, face stonewalling again.

Hugh pulled back. “Okay. Not my business.”

Megan was grateful for that. She was still breathing a little harder than normal, and it had nothing to do with her earlier run. The emotion was strong, but she was showing almost none of it. “Listen, Hugh. I know I’ve been a real pain. You’re not my father. For one thing, I know who you are.” She gave him a tight smirk. “But you’ve been good to me. Please understand, nobody offers a helping hand, unless their other hand is hiding a knife or a pair of cuffs. Telling me that all this is real? It’s a little like telling me that Peter Pan wants to adopt me and have me live with the fairies. Would you take that deal if someone offered it?”

“Probably not at first. But you should know… We don’t have any kids of our own, because we were promised someone who needed us a lot more. You.”

Megan laughed bitterly. “You wanted a kid you could raise and love, and you got me. Finally, something I recognize.”

Her mother hated having her. “Hey, keep a lid on that. Kasumi was terminal when she was younger than you. She came back and that was her first chance to live at all. Now you have a chance to be loved and wanted. You’re not the only one trying to believe in fairy tales.”

Megan didn’t have an answer to that. “Hugh…” She said weakly. “I don’t believe you. I can't. God and Paradise is one thing, but I spent my whole life praying for a family, and for a home, and for three squares a day. You know what God does when he gets a prayer like that? I’ll give you a hint: I met about thirty kids who prayed day and night for the same thing, and not a one of us ever got an answer. So either God isn’t real, isn’t listening, or isn’t all that fussed with me. And I know that, because the Padre said so. Children of Sin, remember?”

“Jehovah doesn't punish people for things that aren't their fault. Nobody controls where they were born.” Hugh scorned that. “And if your Padre thought you deserved the blame then he didn’t deserve to speak to you; and he certainly didn’t deserve to speak on behalf of God.”

“That's my point. God is huge. I'm small. Smaller than anyone my age.” Megan snapped. “I'm supposed to believe He would even notice me, let alone that he put me back in Foster Care? Why would He?”

“Because He loves you?”

“Bah.” Megan didn't even bother to argue with that. “The only love that ever got me anything was Erica's; and God had nothing to do with that.”

Hugh tried a different direction.“Look, imagine for a moment, that a man is born blind. And then he gets his vision back, sees the world for the first time. Does he refuse to open his eyes? Does he tell himself that it can’t be real? After all, he’s never seen before. Does that mean there’s something wrong with reality, or something right with him, for the first time? Something he never knew he was missing?”

Megan bit her lip. “Interesting. Never thought of that.”

“I get that this is all the exact opposite of what you understand. In a lot of ways, it’s like that for all of us. Trust takes time, kid. And it’ll take longer for you. One thing you should know about people who have lived for two hundred years? We’re patient. But I’ll make you an offer? You’ll always have a place to sleep, and people to check on you and three squares a day. You can have all those prayers come true, if you promise to make an effort not to fire first, okay? At least with Kasumi?”

Long silence.

“Second Rule of Survival: Always fight as fair as the other guy.” Megan nodded. “I can take that deal.”

By this time, they had made it back to their home. She put her hand on the doorknob and paused. “You can’t fix me.” She said quietly. “You get that, right? I’m not damaged goods. I’m not broken, and I don’t need you to save me. I’m stronger than that, and I was before I ever got handed around to you. You can’t just fix me.”

“Anyone who says they came out of the old world intact is lying, kid.” Hugh told her sincerely. “But if you don’t want me to help, then I can at least provide a save place for you to fix yourself.”

Megan didn’t say anything to that. She just pushed the door open and led the way inside.

~~/*\~~

Father God,

She ran away again the next night. I went, but didn’t approach her. She was back at Erica’s marker. It’s strange, looking at her there. I’m not sure if she’s waiting for something, or if she feels safer with Erica’s headstone than she does with me and Kas.

She was curled up for sleep on the ground, with a bunch of flowers in one hand, and the other hand resting on Erica Knowles’ name. But she was home before dawn. Kasumi didn’t know she was gone, and I wonder if I made a mistake not telling her.

I don’t have any magic words any more. We’ve talked her into staying, we’ve talked her into listening. I don’t know what else I can do. I told her I had learned patience. I’m shocked at how very patient she is too. I’m still not sure if she’s just waiting for me to take my eyes off her.

Father, maybe time just needs to pass. She’s admitted that this is better than anything she’s ever had before. Maybe we just need to let that sink in. Please God, no curve balls until she’s ready for them.

~~/*\~~

Hugh looked up from his Journal and found Kasumi sitting on the edge of his desk, almost rigid. “Something’s happened.” She said lightly. “And I can’t imagine it’s good news. It’s about Megan.”

Hugh sighed and put his journal away. So much for that. “Okay, tell me.”

Kasumi reached into her pocket, and pulled out another Green Letter. Another special case.

“Another one?” Hugh blinked. “I would have liked more time-”

“Its not for us.” Kasumi interrupted. “It was delivered here, by Isobel of all people… And it was addressed to Megan.”

~~/*\~~

“Me?” Megan seemed as surprised as they were. “I’m not even a member of your God Squad yet.”

Hugh brightened at the use of the word ‘yet’ but didn’t remark on it. “Look, the woman who delivered it is a friend of ours. I can ask her for details, but I don't think there’ll be any surprises on that end. The letter came to you. That means that whoever’s coming, their best chance at a happy and eternal future is if you’re there to meet them.”

Megan’s face changed, stonewalling again. She reached out and snatched the letter instantly. She read the name, and her eyes welled with tears. The first emotion she'd shown without trying to hide it.

Kasumi reached a hand out. “Sweetheart, what is it?”

Megan pushed the letter at her. “Erica!”

~~/*\~~

Nobody slept a wink all night.

Kasumi knocked lightly on Megan’s door the next morning, half expecting the girl to be gone. But there was the sound of furniture being dragged around a bit, and the door opened. Kasumi sighed. “If you need a lock on your door that badly, we can get you one.”

Megan shrugged.

“I wanted to ask if your friend Erica is going to be staying with us? We can turn my study into a bedroom.”

For some reason, the simple statement made Megan’s face turn to stone. “Stay here with us? She’s eighteen. Doesn’t that mean she’s… Well, not your problem?”

“There you go again.” Kasumi sighed, exasperated. “You aren’t our problem. You’re our privilege. You might not think so, but we do.”

Megan stared at her, weighing something up in her mind.

Kasumi changed tactics. “Feel like helping me in the kitchen?”

~~/*\~~

Kasumi gave Megan a seat on the counter and the two of them tried their hand at baking.

“So, when you first came to us, you couldn’t wait to get out of here.” Kasumi said kindly. “I think it was because you didn’t trust us at all. You’ve been trying to figure out the rules of this place since you woke up; so I’m going to tell you one now: Tell the truth. Even if it's an answer I don’t like, even if you decide to say nothing, I want honesty. Deal?”

Megan gave her a nod.

“Question One: Do you still feel that we’re your enemy?”

“Nothing personal, Kasumi.” Megan offered. “I feel that way about most grown ups. Most don’t care, and the ones that do don’t act, and the ones that act figure that ‘help’ means handing me back to a halfway house. I’m not bitter about it, I just don’t like wasting the time.”

Kasumi couldn’t help the smile. “Time is on your side now.”

Megan said nothing, adding chocolate to the bowl that Kasumi had handed her.

“Question Two: Why did you get so angry when I saw your sketch?” Kasumi asked quietly. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to; but don’t lie.”

Megan was silent for such a long time that Kasumi thought she hadn’t heard, but finally she said it. “When I was… about nine or so? Back when I still went to school? I… got accepted into this art class that most kids weren’t good enough to enter. My teacher said I had talent for it. My 'dad' said it was a waste of thirty bucks, and that was the story of that. I went out into the front yard until I didn’t care any more… There was this kid across the street, a few years younger than me. His mom drove him home from pre-school or whatever, and he went running over to his dad to show him this fingerpaints thing that he did. His parents treated that squiggle on scrap paper like someone had given them a Picasso.” She took a slow breath in, eyes square in front of her, glaring at the bowl of dough. “First thing a kid learns when they become property of The System: Dry Your Eyes.”

Kasumi nodded, tearing up herself, but she kept it hidden. “Well, for what it’s worth. I thought your sketch was really pretty.”

“Don’t lie to me either. I’ve seen Hugh’s sketchbook.”

“You’ve seen his latest one. The first one he owned looked worse than yours on your worst day. That’s what two centuries of doing it over and over again can do for you.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “If you guys are kidding me about that, I don’t know if I’ll be impressed at the stuff you can do, or ticked off at you for keeping the gag going so long.”

Kasumi chuckled.

Megan gestured at the window. “Hugh left with someone a while ago.”

“Yes, that’s Isobel. She’s an old friend of ours, and she delivered your notice about Erica. Hugh tracked her down to ask for details, she mentioned that she’s delivering something to Nick, and Hugh hitched a ride.”

“You trust that?” Megan asked lightly. “Back where I come from, you didn’t let your guy out of your sight. Not for ten minutes. Ten minutes is all the time they need.”

Kasumi scoffed. “We’ll we’re not where you come from, are we?”

Megan shrugged a little, admitting that much.

“Give it time, kid. You’ll make friends like Isobel.”

Megan said nothing, but her expression made it clear she didn't agree.

Kasumi sighed and spelled it out for her. “The three of us have been friends since before Hugh and I were even married. That’s two centuries. Two centuries of solid friendship, based on affection, respect, shared experiences. You and your pal Erica? How long were you close? Five years? Half that?”

Megan scowled. “You don't get to judge me. Or my friends.”

“I know.” Kasumi said without blinking. “But what I mean is, you look at Hugh and Izzy and assume that if they had the chance, they’d get up to something. I’m asking you to consider an actual friendship that’s lasted for that long. How long ago was that, for you? What happened two centuries before your birthdate? The Napoleonic Wars? Imagine if you and your Erica met in Napoleon's Court, and stayed that close all the way up to your day. Imagine all the things you would have lived through together.”

Megan’s eyes shifted. She couldn’t even conceive of that much time.

Kasumi nodded. “That’s why I trust my husband with my best friend.” She finished stirring the mixture. “Bread for lunch, cookies for us. If we can eat the whole batch before Hugh gets home, he never needs to know.”

Megan grabbed a spoon. “If we start now, we don’t even have to cook them first.”

“Ha!” Kasumi hooted, pleased with that answer. Megan was almost, almost smiling when she took a bite. “Pretty good, huh? Imagine how good my cookies will taste two centuries from now?”

~~/*\~~

“So, what’s your best guess about this ‘Erica’ kid?” Isobel asked lightly as they walked to Nick's.

“It’s no secret that she meant a lot to Megan.” Hugh offered. “Based on what I’ve seen, I think it’s just possible that she’s the only person that ever cared about my kid; at least before she woke up here.”

“Lot of lost lambs in the Old Days.” Isobel sighed. “I actually feel guilty, y’know? As much of an outcast as my little tribe were… I never felt abandoned. Not ever. That kind of isolation does things to you, Hugh. Bad things.”

“When Erica comes back, I’m betting she’s going to bolt, just like Megan does. And Megan won’t even look back when she leaves with her.” Hugh said softly.

Isobel looked at him with open pity. “You never know.” She offered. “It could go the other way. Megan’s going to be the ‘knowing’ one of the two of them for a while. There’s gotta be a reason why Megan came back first. If she’s forced to be responsible for Erica, it might just make her take things seriously here for a while.”

“Maybe.” Hugh whispered.

“Still looking forward to meeting Megan, too.” Isobel prodded him. “I get to be ‘fun aunt Izzy’ at last.”

Hugh chuckled, smiling at that. “Megan’s been trying to run off and join the circus since we got her. What do you think she’ll do when you start showing her magic tricks and telling tales of a Nomadic life?”

~~/*\~~

Hugh knocked. “Nick? Safe to enter?” He had learned his lesson when it came to interrupting his brother’s work hours.

Nick waved him into the workshop. He was tinkering with a cube, twelve feet on every side. The sides of the cube were transparent, revealing a stack of trays with two feet of space between each. Lights shone out in multi-colors.

Hugh stared. “Do I want to know?”

Nick waved him over. “Take a look.”

Hugh came closer. The cube was a container garden. Each row was packed tightly with lettuce, strawberry plants, garlic, spring onions... The rows were stacked vertically, and the plants packed in so tightly together that it took Hugh a moment to realize there was no soil. “Hydroponic?”

“No water either.” Nick said, pleased. “It's aeroponic. Uses a twentieth of the water of any regular garden, and keeps moist air circulating constantly, so the roots don't need room to spread out, and the water doesn't evaporate. The lights run day and night, using lighting tech that they had even in OS. This one container is equal to an entire half acre farm. The Expo is setting one up that's seventy thousand square feet. It'll put out two million pounds of greens per year, from one building.”

(Author's Note: This technology actually exists right now. Search Youtube for 'Farm of the Future'. It struck me as the sort of thing that would be useful in the New World.)

“Nick, nobody's hurting for fresh food.” Hugh reminded him.

“I know, but consider the future. Another eleven billion to go before Sheol runs out, and sooner or later we're going to have to build an actual city. If one room in each tower created a food surplus without wasting so much as a drop of water? To say nothing of what this can do for a closed environment.” Nick closed the cube back up. “But that's not what brings you by. What can I do for you today?”

Hugh held up the cardboard tube. “Isobel brought this back.” He explained. “This is what, the fifteenth time?”

“Ah! Speaking of closed environments!” Nick beamed, and nearly pounced on the tube. “Lemme see! Lemme see!” He slid out the large piece of paper, and unrolled it carefully. Hugh finally got a look at whatever it was his brother and Rachel Bridger were working on by correspondence.

It was a blueprint, and after a few moments, Hugh was able to tell what it was. “You and Rachel designed a spaceship?”

“Ohh, I wish.” Nick laughed. “Nope, this is a submersible. Or it will be, once we get the designs finished. You're looking at eighty years of thought and refinement. If she signs off on what I send back; we can begin construction.”

“A submarine? Doesn’t look like any sub I’ve ever seen.” Hugh looked closer.

“Most of the subs you’ve seen are military. This is something new. It’s a research sub. The Cleanup and Restoration of the world is nearly finished. All that’s left now is to figure out how to recycle all the junk that we couldn’t re-purpose… And of course, to clean up the one place we’ve never been able to get to.”

“The oceans.” Hugh nodded.

“We’ve been given the responsibility of cleaning up the world before the end of the Millennium. That includes the parts we’ve never seen before. You know how much got dumped into the ocean over the centuries?”

“Far too much.” Hugh agreed grimly.

“The Brains Trust over at the World’s Fair Expo has given most of it’s attention to figuring out how to break down the plastic waste, and there’s whole mountains of it on the bottom of the sea.” Nick agreed. “Humans don’t care, because nothing lives that deep. At least, nothing we’re aware of. The oceans are more of a mystery than outer space. So this is pretty exciting for people like me and Rachel.”

Hugh grinned.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Can you ever hear me say her name without picking out china patterns, or whatever it is people do in this century?”

Nick held up his hands. “Never mind me. But you’re smiling.”

“Which means nothing. It’s a happy world now, brother; in case you hadn’t noticed.” Nick demurred. “How are things with you?”

“I told you about the second letter? Megan’s going a little nuts wondering what’s going to happen next week. Kasumi’s losing her mind worrying about whether or not Megan’s going to bolt the minute her partner in crime arrives, and…”

“And I suddenly realized why you delivered my mail yourself.” Nick grinned. “You’re hiding from your women.”

Hugh sighed. “Maybe a little… I have a bad feeling, bro. I really do. Erica will either be the thing that brings our little family together, or the thing that destroys it.”

~~/*\~~

A change had come over Megan since getting the letter. While never exactly being ‘a child’ she had still refused to let anyone ‘parent’ her. But in the days leading up to the date of Erica’s arrival, she had taken on a similar tone to the one Kasumi had when they were expecting Megan to arrive, making preparations on how to approach the task of educating Erica to the facts of the new world.

“Erica’s an adult.” Megan said quietly. “She just barely reached adult age when she was last… around. She won’t stay with us.”

“Okay.” Kasumi said neutrally.

“She won’t go far, but you’ll never know for sure where she’s based; and you shouldn’t look. If she finds out you’re looking for her, she’ll vanish the second you find her… And she might ask me to go with her.”

“Will you?” Hugh asked.

Megan looked at them both hard. “If I have to. You guys have been good to me, but when Erica gets back… it’s up to me and her. You try and force me, then I’m gone.”

“That much we’ve figured out.” Kasumi nodded dryly. “But when Erica gets back, she won’t even know what century it is. And… She’ll believe you if you tell her the truth.”

“I hope so, because she’d never buy it from you.” Megan looked at her adoptive parents. “I can see you thinkin’ it loud enough. You want to know, just ask me.”

“What happened to Erica?” Hugh asked gently.

“She took care of me, but every now and then, she blew off steam. She wasn’t a junkie, but maybe once a month or so, she decided to throw herself a party. She knew guys who could get the stuff. She never let me near it.” Megan sniffed. “One day, I was out begging and busking and when I came back to our squat and she was… well, dead. I don’t know if she got a bad batch, or if she took too much, or if she just decided to take The Exit herself, but she was cold by the time I got there.”

“What did you do?” Kasumi asked.

Megan met her gaze head on, no blinking, no emotion. “I sat down next to her, found a piece of broken glass, and woke up here.”

Kasumi lunged forward and wrapped her up in a hug that went on long enough for Hugh to politely cough. Kasumi let her go, and Hugh promptly took her place, giving Megan a close embrace. Megan said nothing, but didn’t push them away.

“Is there anything we can do to make her feel more welcome?” Hugh asked.

“Tell her everything.” Megan said quickly. “I watch the Broadcasts. Most people try to break newcomers into the world gently, but that won’t work with Erica. Give it to her straight, and she’ll roll with it. She can roll with anything. Be honest, be brutal. I know what happens to people who break the rules of this place.”

“The Angels aren’t just looking for a reason to hurt us, kid.” Hugh reminded her. “Final Sanction is not the first response. It’s not like the Old Days.”

“I know, but…” Megan waved a hand a bit. “I want her to know.”

“...Okay.”

“One more.” Kasumi hugged her again. “Last hug, I promise. Just one more.”

Megan scoffed, like Kasumi was being ridiculous, but Hugh could see the soft smile fighting for position on her face.

~~/*\~~

Megan was a bundle of nervous energy the day of Erica’s arrival. She was up and out the door before the sun came up. Neither of her adoptive parents remarked on it when they came to the Arrival Point themselves. It was the same place that Megan had been running to at night. Erica’s headstone.

They arrived with the dawn to find Megan in a beautiful white dress that they had got for her, but she’d never worn before. The girl had a bunch of flowers clasped in both hands before her, and she was kneeling expectantly in front of the marker.

“Is she... praying?” Kasumi asked her husband. “I taught her about that part, but I don’t think she’s ever done it herself.”

“Maybe.” Hugh whispered back. “I think that if anything’s going to convince her of miracles it’ll be this. Has a Resurrection ever been late?”

But then it happened, right on time.

Hugh had never been watching directly as a Resurrection took place. It wasn't a flash of light, like with a magic trick. Instead it was like watching something being... constructed. Like the air seemed to turn dense, then thick with dust... And then the dust formed, coalesced into a shape... The shape was humanoid, but without any detail, like a store mannequin... but then there was a sound, like someone was exhaling and inhaling all at once, and suddenly the formless person was complete, detailed... real. The clothes seemed to blur into existence, nothing like the way the flesh and blood did.

The whole thing took less than two seconds from start to finish, and Hugh suddenly realized why he'd never seen it before. It just happened too quickly, but where there was only dust in the wind, there was now a teenage girl. Ashes to Ashes...

“I still wasn’t sure.” Megan was whispering, over and over. She had seen it all. “I still wasn’t sure, but I am now.”

The young woman opened her eyes and sat up sharply. She was on her feet before her eyes focused properly. The first thing she focused on... “Megan?”

Megan was openly weeping, big smile on her face. “Hey.” She reached up and cradled the older girl’s face between her hands, turning it left and right. “You’re beautiful.” Megan whispered. “You’re so beautiful again.”

A little weirded out, Erica looked over at Hugh and Kasumi, standing a respectful distance away. Then back to the girl. “Megan, what the hell are you wearing?”

Megan laughed joyfully and pulled her into a tight hug. “I missed you.”

“Did I go somewhere?” Erica looked around. “Come to think of it, where are we?”

Megan immediately handed Erica something from her pocket. It was a small mirror. “Look! Look!”

Erica took the mirror automatically. “What am I looking…” She saw herself and her voice went faint. “...for?”

Megan hugged her again, as the older girl stared blankly into the mirror, running a hand over her eyes, her nose; not quite sure that she was seeing herself properly. Megan sent a quick glance at the two adults, and waved them over.

Erica noticed them coming and schooled her expression quickly. “Who are they?” She mumbled. In OS, it would have been inaudible, but Hugh’s hearing and eyesight had continued to improve steadily for three centuries.

“They’ve been making noises about being my new Foster Family.” Megan whispered back. “But I haven’t been able to figure out an angle for them, or catch them out in a lie yet.”

Kasumi spoke first. “You must be Erica. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

Erica met her eyes. “Really?” She challenged.

“No.” Kasumi admitted. “Megan wouldn’t even tell us you existed until recently.”

Erica chuckled, pleased with that. “Nothing personal, it’s just good sense for people like us.”

Hugh got them on topic. “You’ll have questions, I’m sure. Kasumi and I are here to answer them, and to explain to you the situation.” He gave her his most trustworthy smile. “So, shall we go find a place to eat and talk?”

Erica gave the younger girl a look. She asked the question with one glance. Megan gave her a single nod, and they both looked down at the ground like it had never happened. It was a practiced move. Something from OS. Something that came so easily that they weren’t even aware they were doing it.

But Hugh noticed. It had been a look he’d seen before, between soldiers back during the war. The kind of look a Commander gave a trusted lieutenant when they needed an instant appraisal of a situation. Erica had asked the question, and his adopted daughter had given Erica a quick report without ever exchanging a word. Were they okay to stay for a while? And the answer was yes.

It was a reminder that this young woman wasn’t just anyone. The two of them had a lot of history. The kind that didn’t even need words any more. It made Hugh sad. If it came right down to it, Megan would go where Erica lead.

Erica smiled, suddenly the picture of polite agreement. “So then, lunch?”

~~/*\~~

They all walked back to the house, they showed Erica the video, they made the speech. Erica was like Megan, eyes going over everything quickly, trying to hide the fact that she was sizing it up. But Erica was older than Megan. The things that an eighteen year old noticed were beyond the most jaded twelve year old. Erica knew the world was dramatically different the second she took a walk in it; before anyone said a word.

Kasumi unpacked her family heirloom and made tea for them all. Erica didn't say a word, but she was already sizing up the teaset. She sent a glance at Megan, who shook her head slightly.

“You're wondering if it's worth stealing.” Kasumi observed without anger. “It may have been, back in the Old Days, if you could find a museum to sell it to. One that would take stolen goods anyway. I have kept this teaset for centuries, and made at least one pot with it every day. The tea keeps the ceramics from drying out, so it cannot be left on a shelf. It's where the coloring comes from. In China, there are steps on the great wall, worn away to nothing by centuries and centuries of people climbing up and down those stairs. In another thousand years, this teapot will be the same way, but the masters have returned to their trade, and I already have a set reserved for me. My order is due in six hundred years.”

“What if you guessed wrong?” Erica asked, nonplussed. “What if that one's still good then?”

“Then perhaps Megan would like one of the sets as a gift.” Kasumi said easily. Megan started at the thought. She had watched Kasumi perform the tea ritual every day since she had arrived.

“I knew the Witnesses, kind of.” Erica said once the tea had been served. “They kept giving me magazines. One of them bought me coffee a few times while we talked. I remembered thinking that they weren’t wearing collars or crucifixes; which was odd for a church group.” She shrugged. “Nothing came of it, because I was kind of… mobile back then. But I liked them as much as I liked anyone.”

“If you had more than one conversation, then they must have told you about their view of the future.” Hugh commented.

Erica nodded. “Yeah. And obviously, that’s happened.”

She said it so matter-of-factly that it didn't even register for a moment.

“You believe that?” Megan wavered. “Already?”

“Too many people in the street for it to be a con.” Erica pointed. “The air’s too clean, there isn’t one piece of garbage anywhere in the last half kilometer we’ve walked… I recognize the Empire State, but there should be other buildings around it, and everyone’s smiling. I can’t remember the last time I crossed a street within sight of the Empire State without at least one person flipping me off or telling me to get out of the way. It’s not some post-apocalyptic thing, or there’d be at least a few guns or cops or soldiers in the street. If it was done by some noble leader, or benevolent aliens, there’d be pictures or statues of them somewhere. If anyone else’s God pulled it off, there’d be Churches and icons everywhere; you’d all be wearing a cross or a star or something around your necks.”

“You don’t seem all that… enthused.” Hugh observed. “I’ve given this speech to over twenty people, and when they get past disbelief they at least crack a smile at the notion of paradise on earth.”

Erica snorted into her teacup. “I remember Sunday School. When God actually was in charge of a country back in ancient history, his most devout followers still wanted a King. I don’t doubt that whoever is in charge now claims to be the right hand of God, but he’s still just a guy in a chair wearing shiny shoes like every other guy who managed to get elected to anything.”

Kasumi was almost amused. “You can accept God, but not people?”

“Isn’t God the same way?” Erica commented like they were talking about the weather. “All the people He didn’t accept? Where did they end up?”

“Erica, we were those people.” Megan said plainly. “We both ended up here.”

~~/*\~~

Erica stayed with them that night. She slept in Megan's room, ignoring her own guest room completely. Hugh wasn't sure if she was hiding, or protecting Megan.

The minute the door closed, Erica turned and looked Megan in the eye. “Okay, tell me honestly.”

“It’s okay.” Megan promised. “I’m okay.”

“And Hugh? He ever… ask you to do anything you didn’t like?”

“He’s not like that.” Megan said. “He says he’s a flyer from WW2.”

Erica rolled her eyes. “About as believable as anything else they’ve told us.”

“Well I believe him.” Megan offered. “You should see the plane he’s building in his shed. Real antique. And Kasumi taught me to bake cookies.”

Erica snorted. “Well. Who could ask for anything more?”

“Now you.” Megan said stoically.

“Now me... what?”

“Was it on purpose?” Megan demanded. “When you... I don't know, took too much. Did you plan it that way?”

“Oh, of course not!” Erica swore. “You think I'd do that to you?!”

Relieved, Megan clung to the older girl tightly. “I missed you!”

~~/*\~~

Kasumi wondered how long it would be before Erica decided to make a break for it. After four days, she was certain she’d received her answer.

“We’re going for a walk!” Megan announced at breakfast, happy as she could be that Erica was back. She’d been following the older girl around the house like a puppy. “I wanna show her the Markets.”

Kasumi let out a low sob. The markets were the last place Megan had tried to run away, and the Transport Station was right next to it. She hugged Megan like it was the last time.

Erica watched the whole thing with a raised eyebrow. She sent Hugh a look, and he explained quietly. “Kasumi thinks you’re going to run away. She thinks that we’ll never see Megan again.”

Erica bit her lip. “There’s no point pretending that I want to stick around.” She admitted. “But… I just want to spend some time with Megan…”

“Away from us?” Hugh finished.

“I won’t bother denying that either. Don’t take it personally. I don’t trust strangers.”

“Then how does anyone ever get a chance to become a friend?” Hugh reasoned.

Erica blinked, surprised she hadn’t thought of it. “Huh. Insight.” She almost chuckled. “I’ll bring her back. I promise. And I know you don’t have any reason to believe that, but if I bring her back by suppertime, you will.”

Kasumi heard that and nodded weakly. “Okay.” She helped Megan into her jacket and pulled her back for another hug. “One last hug.” She whispered. “Okay.”