

Hardin's Calling

By A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 A.S. Morrison
Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

#  I

I sat in the darkened kitchen of the Kilray house. My hands clutched the warm cup of tea I made using the Speed Cooker. It was my first successful attempt at getting it to work. I could hear the soft breathing of the hunters sleeping in the living room. Lace was on the couch while Dala, Peter, and Morome were on the floor. I could not even see Dala; she had disappeared in the heap of blankets Mrs. Kilray had set out for her. I hoped they liked their stay. They seemed to. Mr. Kilray had taken them out on the lake just a few hours before. It was dark, but that didn't stop them from telling stories about how wonderful it all was when they got back.

My mind worked through various fantasies, as it usually did. They all started with the diplomats Gilik sent to Dizuria getting on the train. I imagined them forming a plan of action and then arriving in Diz City with all the necessary weapons to take down the entire government. Leric would surrender immediately and call off all the wall guards he sent out.

I took a sip of the tea. It was still warm. I sighed deeply and looked out a window into the back yard. It was too dark to see the lake. All I could see was my reflection frowning back at me in the dim lighting. I shook slightly, I was becoming increasingly nervous. There was a time limit now. Only seven days left until the bracelets switched over and we would never get back into the wall. My fantasies turned dark. What if the whole venture was a disappointment? What if the diplomats came back after only making things worse? I didn't dare think about that.

I put my head in my hands and groaned. How did all this happen? Well I knew when it started. It all began when Milton and I brought those cases back while hunting. The very next day Milton was killed and I started to build my determination to make sure everybody got out of Humurom alive. That was only one year ago. It seemed like so much longer. Five years felt closer to reality.

The ceiling creaked. Someone was moving around. I could hear footfalls on the stairs. Nara appeared. She wore a pink dressing gown. She went into the kitchen and began using the Speed Cooker. She paid no attention to me. When finished she came over and sat across from me, setting a cup of tea down on the table.

We sat for a while without talking, without even making eye contact. I fixed my sights on the window again, straining to see something through the darkness.

"How's the tea?" She finally said, stirring hers with a spoon.

I looked at her. She smiled but I knew it wasn't genuine. "It's alright."

She looked down into her cup. "This kind was always my favorite. My dad used to buy it for me when I was little. It calmed the nerves. Still does. We used to always try different things in the winter. Different deserts, different breads. It always was a big deal because the store is so far away. What did you eat?"

I wasn't going to tell her about Nutrition. I thought back to see if there was something else. "I once shared a can of fruit. It was one of the last. I thought it was the best tasting stuff in the world. I don't remember what it was exactly. I gave a piece to Peter, he liked it too. We used to talk about all the food we read about and wondered what it all tasted like. We had a scale we used. The food we thought would taste the best was labeled as fruit like. Looking back that can was probably so bad we were lucky it didn't kill us." I smirked at the thought. "We're lucky everything didn't kill us actually."

She shook her head, still looking into her cup. "I can only imagine how bad it was in there."

"Please don't."

She looked up. "Sorry."

"It's alright." I mumbled.

I finished my tea and set the cup down. Maybe it did calm the nerves. I felt a bit better than I had before.

"Do you want to live with the Bozlins?" Nara asked.

I wasn't expecting that question. It took a moment for me to think it over. "I guess. It's better than being in the government building, constantly feeling that I owe everyone."

"We can get you a job. But first we need to get you an identity. The president can authorize giving you an I.D. and a place of birth in Azureland. You can even choose a last name."

"I like yours."

Her spoon clanked on the side of the cup. "That's a good one."

"So it would be like I'm a normal Azure and nobody would ever know?"

"Exactly. He can't do much now, but once things get sorted out a bit he can get it done. Then you can go anywhere in Azureland and start over for good."

"That sounds great."

I imagined all the things I could do as an actual Azure. I realized I didn't know anything I could do except get a job. But I'm sure there were a lot of things available for me once that happened.

"Gilik will probably want you to do it soon. But it's your decision."

"He doesn't seem to want me involved with anything anymore."

"It's not that." She leaned in close as though someone might be listening. "He doesn't want to get involved. He's afraid of losing his job if people find out anything. He's been playing it cool, but trust me, he's worried that you might be the end of him. He's been elected three times. He's tried to get rid of the council by continuingly giving them time off and doing things himself. That's why the president keeps coming, to force him from doing everything." She leaned back and nodded. "Please never mention any of that."

"I won't."

Nara looked over at the sleeping hunters in the living room. "How about them? What are they going to do?"

I shrugged. "They'll probably take you all up on that offer to become citizens. We can all start over."

"And Stud?"

"I don't know. I guess it's a good idea to wait until all this is over to do anything."

Once again we sat in silence. I thought over what she said about Gilik. I suppose it was pretty obvious that he was worried about me messing things up for him. I didn't mean to, but that's what happens when so many secrets are kept away from people. I was the Nutrition of Azureland.

"You know I almost gave up. I almost wanted to just leave on that ship and forget the whole thing."

"Anybody would have wanted to do that." She said comfortingly.

"But those Humurom's need me. I'm the only one still trying to save them."

"And you will one way or another."

I looked at her suspiciously. "You shouldn't say that. Not if you work for the government."

"We all have our secrets. If there is any way I can help let me know."

"I will."

I was becoming worried about all these secrets.

She stretched her arms out in front of her. "That's it then. I've wanted to talk with you alone for a while now. Maybe I'll be able to get to sleep now."

"I know how you feel. With those diplomats gone I've had the hardest time sleeping tonight."

"You will probably have time for a nap during the day."

"After the hunters go out on the lake again."

She stood up. "I can't believe my dad took them out in the boat at night. He never goes out on the lake at night. He was probably just excited to get to show it to them. He gets lonely out here since my mom has been going to visit her parents."

"Your parents are so nice. I like spending time with them."

"And they like you."

A buzzing noise came from somewhere. Nara reached into a pocket and pulled out the communication device that projected images onto surfaces. She pointed it at the table where an image of Gilik appeared. I quickly got up and stepped away so he could not see me. The image of Gilik looked distressed.

"Nara, are you safe?"

"Yes." She said slowly.

"I need you back here first thing in the morning. The diplomats are all dead."

# II

I spent the next hour pacing the kitchen looking for answers. There was no way that I could get to sleep after hearing that news. I wanted to go outside and sit alone, but didn't want to wake everybody by opening the door. Instead I kept to the kitchen. Nara had sauntered off to bed shortly after Gilik called. She mumbled something about not being any good without sleep. I should have gone up as well and at least tried to get to sleep. I was too wide awake for it to do any good.

The news had taken me completely by surprise. How could Leric do something so evil? I guess it shouldn't have been that much of a shock seeing what other things Leric had done. But to attack a country outside of the dome was something new for him. And then an idea hit me. Maybe, in some twisted way, this was a good thing. I felt bad for thinking it, but if it got Gilik and the president moving then it wouldn't be all bad for Humurom.

The sun began to rise and Nara went around the house waking everyone. I hadn't had any sleep and was beginning to feel fatigued. In just a few minutes the house was abuzz with everyone trying to find their things to pack. We were only there for one night; I didn't know how things got lost so fast. Mr. and Mrs. Kilray busied themselves in the kitchen. Nara hadn't told anybody the news; she only said that we had to leave right away.

"Nobody leaves until they have breakfast." Mr. Kilray shouted over the commotion. "I'll make some now."

"Do we have everything?" I said. "Mama do you have everything?"

"I barely took anything out of the case." She responded, sitting calmly on the couch while the hunters ran around trying to tidy up the blankets they were sleeping on.

"Everybody else?"

"I got my stuff." Dala said, holding up the laundry bag she brought her clothes in. They used their clothing allowance up the first day they got it. I don't blame them; we were all tired of those Humurom clothes.

"The pancakes are ready." Mrs. Kilray said from the kitchen.

At first I wondered how that could be and then I remembered that anything could be cooked in the Speed Cooker and be done in seconds.

"Everybody come on in and grab a few." Mr. Kilray yelled from the table.

We all found seats and ate as fast as we could. It was a shame because those pancakes were really good. Nara came in, looking stressed.

"Gilik has sent a train. It should be here soon."

"The platform is a bit of a walk." Mr. Kilray said. "You should get going. Here, I'll make you all sandwiches for the train."

He got to work on the sandwiches as the rest of us cleaned off our plates.

Before we knew it we had our bags and were leaving.

"Come back soon Nara." Mrs. Kilray said, kissing her daughter.

"And you too, Hardin." Mr. Kilray added.

"I'll try." I called back.

With goodbyes out of the way we started for the train station. It was a warm morning, much better than the last time I left the Kilray house.

"So why are we leaving so soon?" Morome asked as we started walking.

"I'll tell you all on the train." Nara promised.

The lonely platform loomed ahead. We were the only ones there that morning. Not that I expected anyone else. I couldn't see another house or town anywhere. It was all fields and the occasional tree.

"It was very nice out here." Mama said. We stood apart from the rest. "Now that I'm done with my treatments I'll have to come back."

"You're done?" I asked in surprise. Had she told me that already? I couldn't remember with everything else going on.

"Yes, I could have gone for another week but the doctors said I was as good as I'll get."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means I'm better. For now. The doctors have to keep an eye on me in case it comes back. But for now I'm good."

For a second I forgot about everything else. "That's wonderful. Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you when we got back, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore."

That lifted my spirits tremendously. It reminded me what Azureland was capable of. If they could help someone as bad off as she was then they could do anything.

A small train came and we got on. It was empty. We spread out and waited to hear the news. I didn't much want to hear it again, but there was nowhere else for me to go.

Nara stood up and began. "Gilik called me this morning with bad news. The diplomats sent to engage the Dizurians have all died. The Dizurians claim the train caught on fire and burned everything before it reached the capital. They are blaming local gangs. We see it differently. It is clear to us that the Dizurian leader is involved. We do not know if they talked at all, or if they killed them without talking to them. They won't let us see the bodies, saying that there is nothing left to see. This may change things from now on. It's hard to say what Gilik will want to do. All I know is that he wants us back right away to talk to us."

There's a numb silence as we all try to figure things out.

"I think it's about time we sneak in and do it our way." Lace said.

"And all the guards around the wall?" I point out.

"Do you have a better idea?" She snapped.

Dala stood up, stretched, and started for the back of the train. "I'm about ready for that Journey Ship, anyone else?"

"Shut up Dala." Lace yelled.

I stood up. "Stop. There's no use in everyone fighting." I turned to Nara. "What should we do?"

She shook her head. "Just see what Gilik has to say. How many days is it until the bracelets switch over?"

I was having a hard time keeping count. "Seven." I said after thinking it over.

"That's enough time for Gilik to think up something."

Nara nodded in mutual understanding. I knew not even she believed that Gilik would have something ready in time.

"I just want you all to be safe." Mama said.

"How can we now that we know there are people in the city trying to kill Hardin?" Peter asked.

Nara put her hands up for everyone to calm down. "We have to be more careful. Hardin you may end up confined to your room."

I would be really bored stuck in that room, but I've been bored before. And bored is better than dead.

"I'm sure Gilik would like that." I muttered.

Lace did not like the sound of that. "We'll need you if we go back in."

I glanced over to Mama to see her frowning at Lace.

The train rolled along through the fields. It seemed like it was taking forever to get back to the city. Nara and I went to the front of the car, away from the others.

"I just can't believe they killed them." Nara reflected several minutes later.

I nodded. "I believed that we alone could take out Dizuria. But this is different. We can't do this alone."

"Be very careful. You have a lot of people wanting you safe."

I smiled darkly. "And a whole lot more wanting me dead."

I looked out the window at the pretty spring day. I got lost in thought while also getting lost in the grass that stretched endlessly. I wanted to disappear in it, to smell the amazing aroma of grass just as I had the first time I encountered it, when it was still new and fresh. That was gone forever, that sense of mystery and excitement. I was too far from it now. Even if the mess of Dizuria and Humurom ever did end I would not be the same person as I was before. The wonder gone from my eyes, only the darkened worldly person left behind would show through.

Eventually the train began to slow into the city. I looked around groggily; I had almost gotten to sleep. All I wanted was another few hours to try again. Without that option I sat up and waited to get off at the platform. I became very nervous. This meeting with Gilik would decide everything.

#  III

The station was strangely empty. I didn't realize it was the weekend. I saw it as a sign, perhaps of mourning. In my mind all the usual commuters were at home, afraid that the fight would come to them next. We went through the station in a daze, our feet propelling us to the government building a half mile away.

"I'm really getting nervous now." I said to Nara.

"Me too." She grabbed my hand and held on tight as if I could blow away at any moment.

The building seemed oddly bigger, more menacing than I had ever seen it before. The closer Gilik's office got the worse I felt. I wanted someone else to go in while I took a nap. I would feel better about taking the news we were sure to get after resting up a bit.

I entered the room first, losing all of the courage I had left when I saw Gilik's demoralized face.

"Just Nara and Hardin." He said. "Everyone else go up to your rooms. They've been cleaned since yesterday."

The others left. Nara finally released my hand, I wished she hadn't.

Gilik paced the small room, looking down at the carpet. "Well I'll tell ya; this is the biggest thing to happen while I've been mayor. Dead diplomats. This is just getting beyond us all." He looked up at me. "It's clear to me, as I hope it is to you, that Leric is behind this. It's got his dirty fingerprints all over it. He sent me a threatening letter. It said that we should mind our own business. Can you believe it? I don't dare get anybody else involved. This is a matter between him and me now" He looked back to the floor. "Someone else died here last night. It's getting ridiculous. And to think I had you running around the country. How did I get into this mess? The president's furious. Not at Dizuria, but at me. How could I let this happen? Well never again. The gang's being behind it is good for the media who needed something to go on. That's it I'm afraid. That's it for me. That's all there is. Stop the grinder we have some funny looking wheat."

I didn't get the connection between wheat and what he was talking about. "What?" I asked uneasily.

"It's over Hardin." He said with increasing exasperation.

It wasn't sinking in. "What do you mean?" I asked stupidly. My mind was grabbing for good news and it wasn't finding any.

He looked about to blow. "Done, over, finished, past tense. What part of this is escaping you? I've stuck my neck out trying to keep you alive. I let you go back in, twice! Whatever you had planned forget it. As we speak round the clock guards are being set up at the wall. The bracelets are going to be destroyed once I get Calrus to stop whining and your time in this city is done. I've wasted enough of the good people's money on this. At your earliest convenience – in one week – you are going to be shipped out to that new town. We'll go as far as giving you birth papers and an I.D. but that's it."

After all that I still couldn't get a grasp around his words. "What about the Humurom's?"

He threw his hands up. "What do I care? You went in twice and couldn't get them out. They don't want out. Isn't that clear?"

"We have to try."

He stood straight and tall, the image of authority. "You are not going in. Nobody is. I don't want to deal with the diplomats' families. I definitely don't want to deal with your good for nothing friends and a mourning mother."

I tried my hardest to think up a counterpoint but none would come to mind. Things were going from desperate to impossible and I could do nothing about it. I opened my mouth several times but nothing came out. And then I thought of something. I pointed my finger at him as though it was a sword.

"If you stop helping I'll tell everyone everything."

I didn't know what 'everything' was or how it would help. He did not take the threat lightly. He remained calm, but his voice sounded like it could do more damage than anything I had ever encountered.

"After everything I did for you and your mother? Where would you be without me?"

I lowered my finger. That last sentence summed up everything. I don't know where I would be without him, and I definitely did not want to imagine the possibilities.

His voice remained deadly. "Now go get your things packed. You won't be here much longer."

Nara grabbed my hand again. I had forgotten she was there. She led me out of the room. I didn't know or care where we were going. My eyes burned and I closed them tight, tears rolling down my cheeks. If asked I would say it was for the diplomats, but Nara would know the real reason. Everything collapsed in on itself just as I figured it would, but it was so much worse having to hear it myself.

"I'm sorry Hardin." Nara whispered, stroking my arm.

I didn't want her to be sorry. I didn't want there to be anything she had to be sorry for.

"I should be sorry." My voice shook. "Everything he said was true. We are a good for nothing bunch with no business being here."

I shook her hand off of mine and walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know."

With no fantasies left and no hope remaining I stumbled along through the building. I turned corners with no reason to care where I was going. I found an elevator and decided to take it somewhere. I paced around the small elevator as it took me up and away from my problems. The next thing I remember is sitting on a long bench, looking over the city. I found the viewing floor. The top floor of the government building had glass walls so people could look out at the view of the city and the wall. I was thankful that no one else was there. I stared angrily at the wall. I formed fists and shook violently. I had so much left to give to Humurom to get them out and now I wouldn't be able to do anything.

I spent a long time up there looking out over everything. My hatred towards everything diminished. I sat alone in a weakened and tired state, thinking only of how the others were going to take the news when I told them. I didn't want to tell them. I didn't want to hear about all the things I should have said to Gilik and how I wasted away the last chance. I knew I would hear something like that and so didn't want to move. My head fell to the hard wood of the bench and I fell asleep.

I woke up in the late afternoon. No one had found me. I felt a little better with rest and was ready to go down and tell the others. It would only get worse the longer I waited.

Everyone was in the room when I arrived. There was no reason to hope for any less. I recounted the conversation with Gilik, making sure to keep my head down. When I was finished I finally looked at Lace, expecting the worst. To my immense shock she sat down on the couch instead of coming toward me.

"I've thought about it a lot." She began. "And with some help I've joined you all. There is no point in having me and my family dead. I want to help more than anything. If only there was a way."

Morome nodded sadly. "All we need is some kind of chance."

Dala shook her head. "That's what we get for trusting Gilik. When did trusting Matilik ever help us?"

Something clicked in my head. I don't know why it didn't sooner. There was something in what Dala said that reminded me of a certain person I had met in that very building, someone who claimed they could help.

"Wait a minute."

I tried to remember where I put the card she gave me. I checked my pockets but it wasn't there. I found it under the couch.

"I don't suppose any of you know where Goldrose road is?"

Lace shrugged. "No idea, why?"

"Because I need to go there."

Morome stood up, looking suspicious but excited, "What's going on?"

"Don't get your hopes up. I'll be back later."

Before anybody could say anything else I was out the door and running down the hall to the elevator. My mood picked right up. I was afraid to get too excited in case my new plan turned horribly wrong.

In the elevator I looked down at the card. Historia gave it to me and told me that she represented a group that could help with our unique situation. She knew too much to not be involved somehow.

The elevator doors opened and I shot out of the building as fast as I could. I went up to the first person I saw, a middle aged woman carrying grocery bags, and asked her for directions.

"Go three blocks that way and you will be on it." The lady said.

It was closer than I thought it would be. I turned on the corner and began to look for 5000 Goldrose road. I started in the wrong direction and had to turn around, but nothing was going to dampen my spirits again, at least not until I found the right place.

My heart dropped when I saw it. 5000 Goldrose Road was at the end of a large brick building. There was a tattered black awning with the number, and a boarded up door. I felt tricked. That couldn't be it. Historia had built it up so much. I wasn't going to turn back without at least trying. I went up to the boarded up door and saw a piece of paper stuck to it. I looked closely at the tiny letters. "Knock if you are H from HM".

Could that be Hardin from Humurom? It was worth a shot. I knocked as loudly as I could and waited. Minutes past and I was about to give up and go back when I heard something stirring inside. The door flung open. Historia stood in the doorway, smiling broadly.

"Sad times Mr. H, if only you could have been born an Azure. Come in, they've been waiting a long time."

#  IV

Historia made room for me and I entered the tiny space. It was dark, and I was glad. The place felt very cramped and what I could see was covered in dust and dirt. Several chairs stood in the corner, their cushions torn. She closed the door behind us.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever trust me enough to come. I suppose current events have made things just desperate enough, though I could have sold the idea better. I may have seemed creepy at first."

"What is this place?" I asked.

With the door closed it was pitch black. I didn't feel particularly safe after seeing how dirty everything was.

"You'll see, but first you have to promise not to reveal anything that's in here. Do you promise?"

I nodded, and then realized she couldn't see me. "Yes."

"Good."

She moved to the back wall. I heard her knocking against something hard. She exclaimed quietly and there was a shift. The wall moved away revealing a poorly lit and very narrow staircase. She started down and I followed.

"Now don't get scared if people rush you." She called back.

"Why would they do that?"

I was beginning to wonder what I was getting myself into.

"Oh Hardin, you have so much to learn about your dome."

The stairs came to an end deep underground. A wooden door blocked our path. She gave me a quick smile and opened the door.

"Welcome to the underworld."

A bright light hit my eyes and I squinted. We had emerged into a very large space. The ceiling was several stories above our heads. I looked all around feeling like I had been transported to an alternate Humurom or Bozlin. The walls and ceiling were the same type of metal and the place gave an aura of the same kind. Despite the dozens of people milling about on strange machines or talking to the projection devices there was an overwhelming sense of loneliness that came with the room's design. The main difference, besides the people not looking hopelessly depressed, was that the floors were covered in a worn blue carpet that helped with the echoes. There were at least one hundred people down there, all too busy with whatever they were doing to notice an outsider was among them.

Historia went up to the first person that walked by and whispered something in their ear. I had been looking at the ceiling in awe when I suddenly saw the person staring at me. It wasn't an expression I was familiar with, a mix between fear and pure amazement. At first I thought he might attack or run away, I couldn't tell which. He did neither. He came up very slowly as though _I_ might attack or run away. A shaky hand was stretched in my direction. I shook it. The man lit up.

"My good—what a—wow! Unbelievable sir, just unbelievable."

"Sorry?" I said as he continued to shake my hand.

Historia pulled him away. He stared after us as we continued through the large room. He then ran ahead and whispered things to other people, who all looked at me the same way. There was a growing part of me that was certain I had walked into something dangerous.

Before we could get to the end of the room all one hundred or so people dropped what they were doing and crowded around. I could barely move as countless hands attempted to shake mine. I had never had so many admiring eyes on me at once. It was similar to the way I imagined coming back to Humurom after securing peace with the Cityers would feel. Back then I thought this sort of treatment would be great, now I wasn't so sure.

Historia made a path and pulled me through the crowd and into a small meeting room with a long oval table. I sat in one of the chairs and caught my breath. She sat on the table and laughed at me.

"Feels good, huh?"

"But why?"

"You ready for story time?"

I nodded.

"To start with let's go to when the dome first came up. No one knew what was going on inside. Did everything really get destroyed? Could it be possible that someone had survived? No one knew. As years passed storytellers made up their own minds about what was in there. Science Fiction writers started to theorize and fantasize all sorts of things. A whole new genre was created about the dome. Anything was possible. Some of my favorite stories include radioactive monsters escaping and terrorizing Westurnia. And it only gets stranger from there. There are stories of evil scientists going in and discovering mutants and even the dome itself coming alive and swallowing the whole world. Anything that someone could think up became just as plausible as anything else. This kind of stuff enthralled people of all ages. These people weren't just fans. I'm talking about people who dedicated their lives to the dome and everything about it. You might say that's ridiculous. As time went on these people began to meet in secret and discuss their love of the dome. They called themselves Domers. Very slowly it grew into a large movement, a secret underground movement. And that movement needed a base. And thus this place was born for the Azureland Domers. Somehow around twenty years ago our leader at the time found a copy of the blueprints for the Bozlin underground bunker. They built it many years before the bombs went off and made it public knowledge. That is what this place is based on. Now remember when this place was built no one knew the Bozlins had survived in that bunker. It was believed then that not even the bunker could save them after the nukes went off."

I interrupted. "This all sounds great, but you said something about being faster than the government the last time I saw you?"

"Let me finish. It was clear from the beginning that the government could not be involved. Not that the original Domers were doing anything the government cared about, but they had aspirations to. The people that became associated with us grew to places we never thought possible. Government officials from all the surrounding countries got involved. That included a high up member of the Dizurian government. These people would go around all day and do whatever the leaders wanted and at night met with us over the phone to discuss more secretive issues. It went beyond the dome. The more powerful people we got the more power we had without even officially existing in the minds of the nations. We would go around, sneaking here, deciding laws there. The dome took a back seat, but not for long. The moment you came out the dome became the center of attention again. We've watched everything you've done so far. There was a consensus that no one speak to you. If you got suspicious you might go to Gilik. But now that you're on our side we don't have to be secretive anymore around you. Now about how we can help. At your disposal is basically the most well trained volunteer army in the world. Around two thousand strong who have trained for this their whole lives. Before you they would have been thought crazy to train to fight in there, but not now."

I thought it over. One part stood out among the rest. "Wait, you have an army?"

" _We_ have an army?"

I needed some clarification. "And they are willing to fight to save Humurom?"

She smiled, delighting in my new knowledge. "Nothing would please them more. We had to give direct orders for them not to jump on a train out to the new Bozlin town and ask questions. Again, we don't want anyone to get suspicious."

"Are you the leader?"

"I am now. I was elected shortly after you came out. My sole duty as leader was to get you on our side. But I had to learn a bit about you first. We have the whole government building wired. I secretly think that Gilik was suspicious of something like that so he sent you out on that Journey Train. That was a hard time for us."

I didn't even worry about them spying on everything I did. I was too excited about the prospect of an army. "How soon until they are ready to go?"

"A few days. A perfect amount of time for you to meet some people and assert your allegiance."

I stood up; all the news about saving Humurom was turning into joy in my body. "I can't believe this. Just an hour ago I felt that everything was lost. I would have felt guilty about leaving them in there to die my whole life. And now. I don't know, it's all so great."

Historia jumped to her feet. "Come on, I want you to meet a few people."

She opened the door. Everyone was right where we left them. They looked expectantly at Historia.

"He's with us!" She yelled.

The place erupted with cheers. This time I embraced it. I stepped out of the meeting room with my head held high, soaking in the attention. I wasn't just king for a night, I was king for life.

Historia pulled me through the crowd again. This time I made sure to shake every hand I could reach. It took a while but she led me up a staircase to the second floor of the base. Doors were on either side of a small hallway. We entered one. A man about ten years older than me was there. He looked big and strong. He came up to me.

"Ah, wonderful to meet you Hardin. I've heard many wonderful things. And Hissy, the watches are done."

Historia clapped her hands together. "Great. That was really fast. Hardin, this is Bivton, he is my second in command and head of technology. Bivton, why don't you lead the way to your lab so we can see those watches."

Bivton nodded. "Follow me."

We left the office and went to the end of the hallway. A small walkway suspended in the air took us over to another part of the second floor. Here we went into a much bigger room with lab equipment all around. Several people were hard at work on various machines. Bivton took us to a table where several wrist watches were. He picked one up.

"Any idea what this is?"

I shrugged.

"This here is a timer. We have several Dizurians working hard for Leric. One of them got to see firsthand the actual timer for when the bracelets turn over. And this here is in sync with that. We want you to have one. Less than seven days remain."

I took the watch. It had six followed by a nineteen, followed by a thirty four. They were for days, hours, and minutes. The technology was remarkable to me. I put it on and looked at it every few seconds.

"This way we can make sure we are on schedule." Historia said, also putting on a watch. "Good job Bivton."

Historia and Bivton talked for a minute about people I had never heard of. I wandered around the lab, looking over the equipment and wondering how it all worked. When they were finished Historia and I left the lab. I was about to go down the stairs but she stopped me.

"Now I want you to go back to the hunters and see if they are willing to come here with you. A nice rallying cry from you all should be just the thing the soldiers need to get pumped up. Come back in the morning. That should be about when that watch reads six days even."

"We'll be here."

We went back through the bunker like room. This time Historia made sure everyone was at work as we passed. They were all standing around with their equipment, looking at me instead. We scaled the steep steps and were soon back in the cramped little space with the dirt and the dust. There was one last thing I wanted to ask.

"Can I tell Nara?"

Historia thought about it for a minute. "I don't know. She works for the government and is a little too close to Gilik. If you really trust her then I guess I have to say it's alright, but don't tell her too much."

I thanked Historia for restoring my faith and happiness and left 5000 Goldrose road. For the first time in a while I had something exciting to tell the hunters.

#  V

The news only got better in my mind as I ran back to the government building to tell the others. I couldn't wait to see their faces when I told them that hope was restored and we would be saving the Humurom's after all.

I jumped out of the elevator at my floor and sprinted down the hall to my room. Mama was there alone.

"Where are the others?" I asked, out of breath.

"I don't know, around somewhere."

I went up to their rooms on the floor above. Only Morome was there. I told him to get the others and to meet back in my room as soon as they could. It didn't take long. The excited look on my face told him something good must be happening.

Once we were all together I went over everything that happened in full detail starting with when I first saw Historia to the last thing she said to me in the Domer base. They took the news as I did, with joyful countenance.

"Great, really great Hardin." Lace gleefully said when I finished. "I haven't given you as much credit as you deserve. You really don't give up."

"Looks like we are back in it." Morome bellowed.

Even Dala approved. "I'd like the chance to take out some Dizurians and see my home again. I'm in."

Peter looked worried. "I don't know. I'm good here."

We all looked at him.

"Well," Lace thought it over, "With an army I guess we don't need everyone."

Peter looked relieved that she didn't come after him.

I suddenly remembered something I accidentally omitted. "There's one more thing. Historia wants us to go and give a speech tomorrow to the Domers so they will be ready. Is everybody alright with this?"

"Go someplace where people love us." Lace said. "I'm ready now."

"Yeah," I agreed, "It's a weird feeling."

We all talked excitedly about the possibilities. I looked over and saw Mama standing near her bed; she did not look at all pleased. I went over to her.

"Mr. Jess came by. He said that Stud is going to have another operation. I already saw him earlier. You can go now if you want."

I had a feeling that that wasn't what was upsetting her but I didn't want to hear anything against the Domers so I agreed and went down to see Stud.

I found him in a prep room. He was sitting in a bed that was going to be rolled into surgery when the doctors were ready. He looked at me sadly when I walked in. I could tell Mama had told him what Gilik said.

"Hey, I heard you were going to have more surgery." I said, trying to sound comforting.

"They're going to cut off my legs." He said calmly.

"What? Why?"

He shrugged. "They can't save them. It's alright though. As long as I'm out of that hole and have a chance to live I'm alright. That's all it takes sometimes you know. Just a chance to live can make somewhat good news out of the worst."

I hadn't really thought of it that way. "That's horrible that they have to do that."

He shrugged again.

That dampened my spirits a little, but not enough to hide the smile when thinking about the Domers. "I have something exciting to tell you."

I told him all about what happened that day. It was nice having a story that I wanted to retell over and over again.

He lit up at the news. "That's wonderful! That is if you can get around Gilik."

I frowned. "That's the only hard part now."

"Remember to keep me up to date on everything." He pleaded.

"I will."

The doctors came in and I had to leave. I wished him luck.

I spent the afternoon taking a nap. I woke up after the sun went down. I felt well rested and ready to go find good news somewhere else. It was a wonderful feeling to know that things were going to work out. I wanted the feeling again. The same feeling I had while leaving the Domers. I knew I didn't have to wait long. I was certain I would feel it again while helping the Humurom's through the wall and into Azureland. I couldn't wait.

Mama and I went out to dinner that night. We had some food allowance left and we found a nice restaurant in our budget. I couldn't wait until I got my I.D. and was able to pay for things myself.

Halfway through dinner Mama suddenly raised her knife in my direction. "Do you trust this Historia?"

I was having a hard time getting Mama to say anything so I was surprised to hear that question so suddenly.

"Just wait till you get there tomorrow. It's better than anything."

She shook her head. "I'm not going. I don't want to see the base or hear about an army."

I put down my own cutlery and raised my hands as if I was actually holding the idea I was trying to get across.

"Mama, this is what we need to save Humurom."

"I know." She stressed. "I just don't want to be a part of it, and I don't think you should be either."

I scoffed, feeling a little betrayed by her misunderstanding. "I'm the leader of this. I need to be involved."

"And why can't this new group lead the way?"

"Mama, I chose this. I'm not being forced into something. I want to do this. I want to go in and get them out."

She nodded, still clearly annoyed but not wanting to continue the conversation. "Alright."

The rest of the meal was spent in awkward silence. I tried to think up a way to get her on my side but knew she wasn't going to come.

That night I sat on the couch and stared at the watch as it counted down the minutes. I was hoping that everyone would be glad about what was going to happen. With Mama not wanting me apart of it I felt bad about leaving. As I looked at the watch I knew that time was running out. If we didn't act fast Humurom would be gone. I nodded decisively into the darkness. I couldn't think about what she wanted at the moment, I had to think of the big picture and the big picture was all about the Domers.

#  VI

All the hunters got ready early and were waiting for me when I got up. They were looking forward to this even more than I was. I said goodbye to Mama, I don't know if she didn't hear me or didn't want to respond. We went down the street and came across a place for breakfast. It was hard not to talk about the Domers with all the people around. There were a few times where we forgot and accidentally said something, but we don't think anybody was listening. They were all too preoccupied with whatever they had going on.

I led the way to the boarded up door with pride. I felt like I was showing the way to a treasure that I buried myself. I knocked on the door and we waited.

"I'm actually really excited about this." Lace said, shaking nervously.

"Me too," Morome added. He turned to Peter. "But why are you here? I thought you didn't want to come."

"I don't want to go back to Humurom, but I do want to see this place and meet the people."

Just like last time it took a few minutes for someone to let us in. Historia opened the door and we crammed inside the little room.

"Thank you all for coming. Everyone is really excited to hear what you have to say, Hardin." Historia said while knocking quietly at the back wall.

The wall moved, revealing the staircase. We started down.

"What exactly should I say?" I asked.

"Tell them the entire situation in Humurom and tell them how they can help. We have exactly six days left. Don't forget to tell them that as well."

We came to the small door and Historia opened it. The hunters let out a gasp at what they saw. It was so similar to Humurom and yet so different. The familiar sound of the band playing their death music was transformed to busy people talking about any number of subjects surrounding the dome.

It looked a little different this time. Instead of everyone talking to communication devices they all stood around a stage that had been erected against the wall. Historia led us up the steps onto the stage. The Domers cheered when they saw us. Historia pushed me up to the microphone. I stood there awkwardly for a moment looking out at all the people.

"Thank you all for coming." I started. "My name is Hardin, and these people behind me are my friends from Humurom." More cheers rang up. "We didn't know about all this growing up. About Azureland, or even about the wall. That came as a shock to us when we found it. In Humurom we lived simply. We risked getting killed by Dizurians when we hunted and we had to eat something inhumane."

Historia came up and whispered in my ear. "Describe it, make them feel for you."

I put my hand over the microphone. "I shouldn't, it's too gross."

She nodded. I sighed and continued.

"We ate people." Gasps took the place of cheers. "We had turned into cannibals just to survive, and it is still going on. The leader there doesn't want to leave. He is keeping the people captive to die in those conditions. But you can help. Together we can go in and save them all. It will be dangerous. The Dizurians have placed guards all along the wall to ensure nobody goes in or out. With an army we can defeat them and save Humurom. I ask that you ready yourselves because there are only six days left. When the time runs out we will no longer have access to the dome and the Humurom's will be slaughtered by the Dizurians. But if we act fast we can save them all. Are you ready to save Humurom?"

The loudest cheer comes at those words. Historia comes up and claps along with them.

"I know that you want to help. Get things ready in your day lives and report to us when you are ready so we can go in and save them all!" She said.

I quickly got to the back of the stage where I was congratulated by the hunters. Historia came over to us as the crowd was thinning out.

"So, you want a tour?"

Everyone got back to work as Historia led us around. We got the same amazed looks that the Domers gave to me. They didn't swarm us but they did stare after us as though we were famous.

I got a better look at the base this time. Last time I was so preoccupied by how wonderful everything was I didn't get a chance to let what I saw sink in. The attention to detail was obvious. The large room looked just like Bozlin and Humurom. They really were huge fans of us. I tried to imagine how it felt for them. It must have been like their favorite fictional character suddenly appeared before them. I tried to imagine what it would be like if Don Quixote got in the elevator with me. It would definitely be an interesting experience.

The day was spent going to different stations throughout the base. We introduced ourselves to as many people as we could and told stories of our time in Humurom. A group gathered around us as I told how I was pushed down a slimy tube into the bomb room. There was a hush as they waited for me to finish the story. I felt like a true hero. I remembered when I told the hunters about how Milton died. They had heard rumors that I valiantly fought the Cityers. They were disappointed to find that I really didn't. This time I had actual heroic stories to tell, and I made sure I told them all. When I was done telling about climbing out of the bomb room the first time I went straight into how I went back and saved Stud, and then how I helped save the Bozlins. The Domers cheered the way I always imagined my audiences would when I told the stories years later.

I didn't want to leave. When I finished all the stories I tried to come up with anything that I could. I attempted to make dishwashing sound interesting, which was hard to do. They were beginning to lose interest. I let the others take over.

As evening came we knew it was about time to get back. We said our goodbyes and started back towards the stairs. Historia told me to come back the next morning so an official plan can be made up. I agreed. I probably would have been back even if she didn't ask.

It was getting dark out. The hunters stopped by to get something to eat. I continued on by myself. Mama had gone shopping recently and I wanted to try out what she got.

I ran into Nara in the lobby. She finished her work for the day and was heading out. I asked to talk for a bit and we sat on a couch in the empty lobby.

"Have you ever heard of the Domers?" I asked. I was wary of her response but I really wanted her involved.

"Isn't that some strange secret club that claims to know all about the wall?"

"That's them."

"What about them?" She didn't seem to want to talk about them.

"I've been talking to them and—"

She put her hand up. "I don't think that's a good idea. They are all a bit loopy. They believe all those stories about the wall that people came up with, took it a bit too literal."

I had a hard time coming up with something to say to that. "Right, well they want to help with Humurom."

"And you believed them?"

I took that to mean she thought I was crazy. "But they say they can help."

She took me by the shoulders. "Hardin, they are a bunch of crazies."

I smiled, pretending I thought she was right. "Good call. I'll be more careful."

She stood up. "Good. Find out as much as you can about them. Gilik would like to know."

She left me sitting there. She didn't see them like I did. I could tell they were genuine. There was no way to get her on my side. I sighed and started for the elevator. One thing was certain; I was definitely not going to tell Gilik anything about them.

#  VII

First thing in the morning I went to the Domer base. It was crowded with people hard at work doing whatever it was they did. I found Historia instructing some people on a large machine of some type. We walked around the base when she finished. I wanted to ask her about what Nara said but I didn't know how. I finally just blurted it out.

"My friend Nara told me not to trust you; she says you all are a bit strange."

Historia nodded in understanding. "I was afraid of that. These government types don't understand us. They think we are all obsessed with science fiction and are trying to cause trouble. Don't talk to her about us anymore, she doesn't get it."

"I don't think she would lie."

Historia looked taken aback. "Oh, I agree. She didn't lie; she just has the wrong information. You see leaders are afraid of anyone trying to mess with their rules, and that is exactly what we are doing. We go around bypassing laws to do what needs to be done. Leaders get into ruts and arguments where nothing gets done. They try to be too focused on what they want and not what we the citizens need. That's the cause that we strive for. Trust me, Hardin, I would never steer you astray of your goal, because it's our goal too."

"I know." I said quietly.

I felt a little better about the whole thing after that. I knew Historia would help and that's all I really needed. In fact I felt bad about doubting them. They were the only ones left to help.

"Now there's a bigger issue this morning." Historia said. "I didn't feel quite right about you all walking home last night so I sent someone to watch, and we caught one of those people sent by Dizuria to kill you in the act. You were lucky I did that. We have him here if you want to ask him something."

"The killer?"

"That's right."

I felt stupid for not staying with the hunters and going off on my own the night before. It was a good thing she was looking out for me.

Historia took me to a small room where a man was tied to a chair. It wasn't a Dizurian I had seen before. He wore the red uniform used for Dizurian training in the dome. He had his eyes closed, breathing deeply. There was something different about his face. Something that stood out, but I couldn't tell what it was.

The Domer who was in charge of watching him kicked the chair when we arrived. His eyes flew open. His face took the form of a grotesque snarl, something I had never seen before. Every muscle in his face was tense, his mouth opened and closed as though yelling, but no noise came out. He struggled against his bindings, his hands twisting with his fingers pointing in every different direction.

Historia didn't take her eyes off of him. She had a look of intrigue rather than my expression of sympathy.

"He's undergone something, but we are not sure what."

"It's called dark room training. They use it in Dizuria to warp the minds of their soldiers. It turns them vicious."

"It's a sad sight." There was no sound of sadness in her voice.

For the first time the man's eyes focused on one thing, and it was me. He began to struggle against the ropes with greater ferocity, emitting low groans and growls.

"He seems to like you."

"They were sent specifically to kill me so I guess so."

"What did you do to them?"

"I still don't know."

Historia clapped her hands together. "Let's get going. I think you've seen enough of this, I know I have."

Upon leaving the room I had a sickness growing in my stomach. The Dizurians were being treated just as bad as the Humuroms. After we got everyone out of the bunker out I wanted to help the Dizurians too, but I wasn't sure how just yet.

She took me up to a meeting room on the second floor. Bivton, the head of technology, was sitting at the table along with a few other people I didn't know. Historia went straight into making up a plan.

"Alright, ideas, when should we leave and what should we do?"

"We should leave as soon as possible." I said, taking a seat next to Historia.

"I'm not too sure about that." Historia said.

"We want to be able to still get out."

"True." She said slowly. "But I was thinking that the guards might have the new bracelets on them near the switch over time. We can get them and still get out. That way we can stay as long as we want. That way we can get a few Dizurian heads as well."

This was going a little too far for my taste. "I only want to get the Humurom's out. I don't want to start anything."

Historia put her hands up in defense. "Neither do we. See, we are all on the same page here. How about we go in with three full days left? That's not tomorrow morning but the morning after that. How does that sound?"

The others around the table nodded.

"Sounds good to me." I mumbled.

"Now let's assign jobs." Historia said, looking around at everyone. "Hardin, do you think you can locate the bracelets? You know Calrus right?"

"Yes, but I don't think he will hand the bracelets over to me."

"We don't need that. We need you to find his lab and see if they are there. That is the one place in the government building we cannot get access to. He is very secretive."

"I can do that."

"Good." She said happily. "You do that tonight. We'll take them right before we leave. If all goes well we will get the weapons stash and meet at the wall before dawn on the decided morning. Then we can get in before Gilik has time to do anything about it. So Hardin, now that you know what you need to do why don't you leave and get some rest for tonight. We can finish up here. Best time to go will be tonight right before he goes home, if he goes home."

There was finality with that that I could not argue. I got up from the table and left the room. I felt a little hesitant, thinking back to what Nara had said, but I pushed it from my mind and left anyway.

I nervously walked back to the government building. I did not see anybody wearing the red Dizurian uniform but I figured not all of them wore it. When I got back I found Orin in the lobby, he was heading for the door. I caught him before he could leave.

"How are things in that town of yours?" I asked him.

"Great. I'm just here to talk to Gilik. He says you will be joining us soon."

"That's the plan, but I wanted to ask you something real quick. I'm planning a—"

He stopped me there. "No, don't ask me anything like that. I know what you're thinking and I can't help you. I have too much to do and Gilik has too much faith in me for me to do anything foolish. I appreciate everything you've done for me and I will always have a debt to you, but I just can't help."

I felt stupid for asking. I should have known he wouldn't leave his Bozlins when they needed him to be the bridge between them and Gilik.

"I understand. Good luck with building all those houses."

"Thanks, and remember not to do anything stupid."

"I won't."

I went up to the room to find the hunters waiting on news. I told them what the plan was and how I had to locate the bracelets. They all said they had faith in me and not to screw it up.

"I really can't wait." Lace said. "This is going to be something special, something someone will write about one day. Is there any way we can help?"

I shrugged. "Just be ready when it's time to go."

I looked in the bedroom to see my mother sitting alone on her bed, looking put out about the whole thing. I didn't have anything to say that would make her feel better and so I didn't bother trying. I listened as the hunters talked about the types of fantasies that usually swirled in my head.

I hoped that we could get everything done quickly. I imagined how Gilik would react when we got back and it wasn't pretty. I hoped he wouldn't be too mad. But I shouldn't have been worrying about that. Everything was set in motion and it was getting to be too late to stop it, and that's exactly how I wanted it.

# VIII

I got up from my nap shortly before dark. I ate a quick dinner by myself. Mama was nowhere to be found. The building was quiet as I went down to find Calrus' lab. I didn't have the first clue where to look. I was too afraid to ask anyone in case they got suspicious.

I started with the basement. I found several locked doors but nothing to indicate a lab. There was another set of stairs going deeper into the ground where the elevator didn't go. I took that to be a good sign and tried it out. To my surprise and relief I found the lab there. There was a small window in the door and I could see Calrus. He had his back to me. I knocked. He turned and smiled at the sight of me.

"Oh, Hardin, what brings you down here?" He said after opening the door.

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

The lab was similar to the one in the Domer base. It had several tables with bizarre instruments and machines.

"Please come in." He locked the door behind me. "Now let's hear those questions."

I took a deep breath. "I wanted to know about the keys."

"Ah, yes. I don't believe I did a good job explaining that when you first arrived. There are five keys, one from each of the five countries surrounding the dome. All five countries put codes into the keys to bring up the dome. There is a supercomputer underground somewhere secret that controls the dome. Now it can only be brought down with all five keys. Politics gets in the way and Dizuria promised never to lend their key to bring it down. Now Dizuria claims that their key was put into a vault that they can no longer open. That sounds fishy if you ask me. Anyway it can only be brought down with all five keys."

I nodded. "Why can't the supercomputer be turned off?"

"That's a very good question." He sat on a table and looked ready to teach. "It is said that the supercomputer cannot be turned off without the keys, but I have recently heard different from the president himself. It turns out that is just a cover story. The real reason is more interesting. The computer can be turned off and the dome would run for about one hundred more years before running out of power and either shutting down or exploding, nobody knows which. The reason the computer is kept on is because it cannot be turned back on once it is off. And the keys can only be inserted while it is on. So basically it is kept on by Azureland and Westurnia, the two countries in charge of keeping the computer hidden, in hopes that Dizuria will change their mind one day and hand over their key. That way they can insert the keys and the dome will be shut down immediately. Now there was talk about the Dizurians forgetting to put in a code to bring it down, but you helped us uncover the truth about that. They were just saying that so they could be the only ones with access. The president is hoping to set up a meeting with Leric to discuss the diplomats that were killed, but it seems like a long way away if it ever does happen."

I let what he said soak in. This explanation did make more sense than what he first told me when I arrived in Wall City. I wanted to sneak my way into asking about the bracelets but I wasn't very good at sneaking.

"Right, and what about the bracelets? The new ones I mean."

He sighed. "We don't have the code and so can't make them ourselves. I would love the chance though."

"I heard you were destroying the others."

"Afraid so. That was a big investment to make them, but Gilik makes the rules."

"Are they all gone?" I asked, growing nervous.

"No, I made thousands. Last I checked they have only burned a few hundred."

"Oh."

He studied my posture and expression. I tried to make myself look casual but I probably just looked more nervous.

"They aren't here." He said quietly. "I've put them in the incinerator room. They are slowly going through them."

"You should keep one for fun." I chuckled. It came out sounding too forced.

He didn't respond.

I swallowed awkwardly. "Well it's getting late, I should be going."

"I can walk you out."

"No thanks." I said.

"Don't let Gilik see you."

I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "I won't."

He unlocked the door for me. I took one last look at him. He frowned at me. I could tell there was more in his frown for me to read but I couldn't. I thanked him and left.

I quietly made my way up to the lobby to get the elevator. It was later than I thought it would be. The lights had been turned off and everyone was gone. Someone called my name in the dark lobby. It was Historia.

"So where are they?" She asked.

"The incinerator room."

"What? I have someone down there."

She pulled out the communication device similar to the one Nara had. She pointed it at a small table and a face appeared of a man with his hair a mess and smudges on his face.

"Hey," Historia snapped, "you seen the bracelets down there?"

The man shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Historia was quickly losing her patience. "Calrus sent them down there."

"Oh, maybe that's what's in these crates." He rummaged around for a minute. "Hey, I found them."

"Well, bring them back to base." She shut off the device. "I tell you Hardin, some people are just really stupid. Thank goodness for people like us. We keep this world afloat."

I nodded, not sure how to respond.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hardin. Come by in the morning for more preparation."

She disappeared into the darkness on the way to the door. I was about to go to the elevator but she came back.

"Oh, and one more thing. Be extra careful outside, I know you know that, but please. Those Dizurians are ruthless people that will stop at nothing to get you. I don't know if it's because you were the first one out or what."

"I'll be careful."

"And Hardin, I want you to know how much you've contributed. Calrus is very secretive about his lab. If you didn't know him I don't know what we would have done." She smiled broadly, instantly changing her tone. "It's been a dream of every Domer to go in and see what's in there, and because of you we can. If things go south in there, well, I just wanted you to know that."

She nodded and walked away again.

I went up to the room to find Mama already in bed. I promised to talk to her in the morning to make sure everything was alright. I did not want to leave and have to think about how she was mad at me for going.

I plopped down on the couch and closed my eyes. I thought back to what Nara said again. She thought the Domers were crazy. Instead they appeared to me to be a very organized and focused group ready to help people in ways the government never could. That's what I chose to believe. I couldn't think of them any other way, not if I wanted to trust them enough to help. And it was with that thought that I drifted off to sleep.

#  IX

Mama was still asleep when I got up. I promised to talk to her later. I ate something quick out of the fridge and went downstairs. The lobby was once again full of people going about their morning routines. I went for the doors but stopped when I saw Historia sitting in the corner staring at me. At first I wondered if she had spent the night there but upon further inspection I saw she was wearing different clothes so probably not. I went up to greet her.

"Are we staying here today?"

She shifted uneasily in her chair. "No, but maybe you should see Gilik before you leave, make sure he isn't going to change his mind."

I looked at her suspiciously. "I doubt he would."

She chuckled in a similar way I did the night before, forced and awkward. "You're probably right. I just came by to tell you that we are actually going to meet this afternoon at the base. So if you want to do something until then . . ."

She trailed off.

"I will, I'll meet you there." I said.

She got up and left the building. I looked after her. Something was up. Had something gone wrong and she didn't want to tell me? I hoped not.

I sat down in the chair she vacated and thought some things over. I had the morning to myself and wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to see the hunters. For some reason their excitement was starting to annoy me. I mean, we were going into a possible battle.

After a few more minutes of thinking and reflecting I decided that Historia may be right about talking to Gilik. I didn't want to ask if he was going to change his mind, but I still wanted to talk. A little while later I found myself in front of Nara down the hall from Gilik's office.

"Can I see Gilik?"

"I'll check if he's busy. Did you find anything out about the Domers?"

That question angered me more than it should have. "Yes, but that's not what I wanted to talk about. And I don't think that they are as bad as you say. You can meet me at their base this afternoon and I will prove it to you. It is at 5000 Goldrose rd."

"No thanks." She tapped a pencil against her desk, thinking. "Go in if you want."

I entered the office. Gilik looked startlingly happy considering what he was probably going through with the diplomats. I assumed he was just happy to soon be rid of me.

"Hardin, have everything packed? I want you to move out to the Bozlin town soon."

"We'll be ready. I've been thinking about what you've done for us lately. Thank you so much for all of that. I know it's taken a lot of time and effort and we really appreciate it."

He looked surprised at this. His smile grew wider. "I'm glad I could help. This has been a whirlwind for all of us. Tempers have risen, but I think this will turn out well for all of us."

"I agree." I said. And I actually believed it.

"Now all that's left is to decide the date you want your Journey Ship voyage to start."

My mouth dropped open. "We can still go?"

Gilik laughed. "I said you could."

"Thank you, again."

"Not a problem. I'll tell Nara to get it scheduled. I might even give her time off to go with you."

"That would be wonderful."

I hoped he would still let us go after we came back out of the wall.

His desk buzzed. "I should take this. I'll be seeing you."

I thanked him again and left the office. I felt bad about going behind his back, but it had to be done. I couldn't believe how happy he seemed. Perhaps it was because the president was going to meet with Leric and he didn't have to worry about the diplomats anymore. Whatever it was I was glad we had a friendlier conversation than last time.

Back in the lobby I was beginning to get hungry again. I felt safe to go outside that time of the morning with so many people out. I started from the building and saw Historia standing across the street. She saw me and began to stare again. I was afraid she had something bad to tell me so I started across the street to her.

Halfway across a giant explosion rocked the air. I stumbled forward. I looked up to see glass and debris falling down towards me. I ran across the street and into an office building. Historia followed me in. She stood next to me, looking up at the government building, her mouth hanging open.

Several floors were emitting smoke and flames. It was a good distance below where Mama was. I wasn't worrying about that yet.

"What floor is that?" I asked quietly to no one in particular. "I think it's near Gilik's office."

My first thought wasn't for Gilik, but for Nara. When it dawned on me that she was up there I ran back across the street and into the building. People were streaming out. They were yelling and screaming, their faces wrought with terror. I bypassed everyone and started for the back stairs. It was hard to climb up with everyone pushing down. I made it up several floors and began to see the smoke. I was getting close.

A woman was helping someone down the stairs. It was Nara. She looked badly burned. She was in too much shock to be able to talk to me. I asked the woman where the bomb went off.

"Gilik." Was all she said.

I stopped on the stairs to give her room to take Nara down to the Care Wing. It was starting to slowly sink in. Gilik was dead.

There was no way up to the higher floors. I ran down the stairs with everyone else. I needed to find someone who could help to get Mama down. The lobby was full of firefighters when I got there, heading for the stairs. I told them about my mother and they promised they would help. They were evacuating the building and forced me to leave. I went back across the street where Historia still stood.

"Dizuria will stop at nothing." She said when I joined her again. "They could have gotten you there. That was probably the idea. They must have hacked into our audio of Gilik's office."

I was breathing hard, unable to gather my thoughts. "I was just . . . just talking to him. Seconds before."

"And you got out in time, be thankful."

I turned to her. "What happens now?"

She nodded slowly. "The city will now be run by the council, as it was intended. They will figure it out. Hardin, I hope you see that we need to leave in the morning. Things will be different now. Gilik was your protection. Now the Domers will have to be. I have to leave and make sure no Domers were killed. Don't forget to meet at the base this evening."

She left me standing there, alone and afraid.

I tried to get back into the building to go to the Care Wing. I was directed around the corner where there was another entrance. To my immense relief I saw the hunters and Mama waiting for me. We all embraced and said how scared we were.

The doctors tried to get us to leave. Instead we went to Stud's room. He had surgery the night before. He was sitting up when we got there. I could tell by the look of his sheets that his legs were gone.

I told them what happened and what Historia said. None of us could believe that Gilik was gone. We didn't know what to do or how to react. We could only hope that whoever took over would be just as good to us as Gilik was.

We spent the afternoon in a daze. There wasn't much talk. No one felt like doing anything but sit quietly and listen to the doctors and nurses running about.

It took several hours but eventually things did settle down a bit as those with minor injuries were sent home. When I felt it safe I walked around the Care Wing looking for Nara. Every room was filled with the not so fortunate. The blast was centered in Gilik's office but managed to take out half the floor along with the ones above and below. Two people died and over twenty were seriously injured. I looked into one room to see a man almost completely covered in bandages. I turned away, hoping to find Nara in better shape.

She was in a room with two other burn victims. One of the patients had their families with them. I took that to mean I could go in. Nara had her eyes closed, a bandage covering the right side of her face. She opened her eyes when I sat down next to her bed.

"How are you?" I asked, taking her hand, which also had a bandage.

"Been better." She said quietly.

"I'm sorry about what happened."

"It wasn't your fault."

I leaned in in close so no one could overhear. "I came by to say that I'm going in the wall tomorrow with the Domers. It's the only way to save Humurom."

"I won't tell you not to."

"We'll take our chances; it's all we can do."

"I know."

I went back to Stud's room to give Nara time to rest. Morome had gone out to find out if we can go back to our rooms. He returned a while later. No one was allowed in the building. We had to spend the night in a hotel nearby. It was one of the hotels the Bozlins took up when they arrived in Wall City. When visiting hours ended we made our way to the hotel. We were unable to go back to our rooms while officials investigated the building. That didn't sound good for the Domers.

We checked into our rooms in the hotel and I went to the Domer base by myself. It wasn't the best decision but I wasn't in my right mind that night. As time went on I felt the scope of what happened. Our greatest ally was gone. Killed in a bomb blast set by the Dizurians. It was making sense now. First they killed the diplomats and now they killed the mayor. They want to punish Wall City for harboring me.

There was a sense of sadness in the Domer bunker. Historia found me and dragged me into a small room.

"Everything's a mess now." She began, pacing the tiny room. "All I can say is that we need to be in there before dawn. Everyone's not going in at the same place. We have enough bracelets for three hundred. We can switch the bracelets out but not in the city. There will only be fifty to go in from here. Hardin, you and your team will be in that group. After that we will go in and save the Humuroms. Weapons will be needed so every soldier needs a gun. If those Dizurian guards are as tough as we think then we will need all the advantage we can get. Hardin, you will then lead us to Humurom. We will return when we get the Humurom's out. The council can deal with us then."

"Sounds like a good plan."

"Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, I just want to get this all over with."

"It will be soon. We need to get in before anybody can start blaming you."

This is the first I've heard of this. "Why would they blame me?"

"You were the last one in there." She said simply.

"But they can't blame me."

"And you don't have any papers."

I was beginning to get scared. "I have people who can tell them."

"Once we are in there you don't have to worry about it."

"We'll be there before dawn."

"Good, see you there."

I wasn't needed for anything else. Historia sent someone behind me so I could get back to the hotel safely.

Mama was the only one in the room. It was nicer than the one in the government building. There were two beds. I missed the couch. It would be harder for me to get up from a nice warm bed.

"The others came by to say that they would be ready before dawn." Mama said when I entered the room.

She still looked upset about it all. This was my last chance to talk with her before leaving. I sat down on the bed next to her.

"Can we talk first?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I guess."

"I don't want you to be mad at me for going in."

She shook her head as though I could never understand. "I'm not mad at you for trying to help. I just don't understand why you have to go in yourself."

"I have to show them how to get to Humurom."

"Lace and Morome can do that."

"I have to do this. You've been through me leaving before. It will be just like that."

She slid across the bed away from me. "When I was laying in that bed in our Residence somebody came in and told me you were dead. At first I was devastated, but then I realized something. I was almost gone myself, and then I would be with you again and free of pain. I welcomed death. When you came back with news of some kind of wonderland and that pill I actually thought I had died for a little bit. It was so much better than anything I could have imagined. When you went back in to save the Bozlins I had a good feeling about it, I knew you had to go. I don't have that feeling now. I can't explain it but I have a really bad feeling about it. I can't lose you again, I can't go through that a second time."

I took her hand. "I don't have the greatest feeling about this either, especially after what happened today, but I have to do this." I smiled. "I'll be back before you know it."

She put her arms around me. "I know I need to trust you. You've come through before."

Mama and I talked things over for a little while. We reminisced about all the times we had in the bunker when I was little, before she got sick. It started to get late and I had to get to sleep. I promised many more times that I would be back.

The bed was too comfortable. I hoped I would be able to get up in the morning. My watch read a little over three days remaining. I tried to get to sleep.

My mind was filled with thought, one rising above the rest. Gilik. It wasn't until that day that I realized how much we needed him. He was one of the few people I could trust. He gave us a room and had us feeling safe when nothing was safe around us. I only wished that I could have thanked him for more. I wished that I could have gotten him out. The times were sure to change. I feared it, but I had other problems that night. I tried my hardest to get my mind cleared. But when did it ever work before?

Eventually I fell asleep. When I got up in the morning I felt horrible. There were no remnants of a dream. It was the day ahead that made me feel so bad. If only I could have gone back to sleep until I could get up and feel better. This was it; there was nothing else to do. I got up and looked out the window at the dome. Would it be the last time I saw it from the outside?

#  X

Mama was asleep. I didn't want to wake her. I quietly left the room and went up to see how the others were doing. They were already ready. Peter wished us luck and went back to bed. The rest of us made our way to the wall.

There were no guards, instead Historia and a few other people I didn't know were standing across the small bridge at the base of the dome. Historia told us not to worry about Gilik's guards; they had more important things to attend to that morning, whatever that meant.

Historia looked us over and nodded. "Domers have been going in all night from various places; they will be meeting us somewhere nearby. You ready?"

"Yes." I answered.

My name was called from somewhere behind me. I turned and saw Theen coming toward us. I hadn't seen him since we got back from the Dizurian training camp inside the dome. His curly hair was shorter than the last time I saw him.

"What are you doing here?" I said; glad to see another familiar face.

"I got recruited just yesterday for my knowledge of Dizuria. I sure would like to teach them a thing or two after what they did to Gilik."

I had forgotten that he was born a Dizurian. The Domers were right, his insight may prove valuable.

I introduced everybody to Theen. Historia came by and handed everybody guns and bracelets. I accepted the gun but had no intention of firing it. I slung the strap across my shoulders and put the bracelet on. We were all ready to go. The Domers started in, followed by the hunters and then Theen. I looked back to the city one final time. Historia came up and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Our worlds are meeting." She said. "I've waited my whole life to see inside. Here it goes."

She slowly walked up to the wall and put her wrist up to it, vanishing. I took a deep breath and followed. My wrist found the swirls of light swimming around in the wall and I disappeared through.

My senses were overloaded in the first instant. Bright lights and loud noises overtook me. It took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to what was happening. Everyone was yelling, guns were going off, Nawings exploded into the forest, setting it on fire. I ran to my left. I didn't know where anybody was or who I could trust. Bodies covered the ground; some too badly burned or disfigured to distinguish. The Domers were wearing all different kinds of clothes so I couldn't find a group that I was willing to trust. I looked for the hunters but I couldn't make them out. I put my head down and ran away from the fire and gunshots to where I felt safe.

I tripped over a body. My hands and knees scraped the ground and stung. At first I thought someone had tripped me and was about to shoot. But who would trip me and then shoot? I got back up and ran towards something black. It was a flash in the trees but I could make out a black garment that wove its way through the forest. I knew that the Dizurians wouldn't be wearing black; it must have been a Domer. I never got a good look at what anybody was wearing. I wished I had. I could have been running in the wrong direction.

The black stopped and I closed in. It was Lace. She wore a dull black jacket. When she saw me she grabbed my arm and led me to a bush where we hid.

"I can't believe I wore this thing." She said angrily, taking off the jacket. "I saw Historia and Morome heading over here somewhere. Let's see if we can find them."

Lace and I started away from the commotion. The sounds of Nawings and guns soon began to quiet. We were going the right way. Some five minutes later we came upon Historia, Theen, and the other hunters.

"We are going to wait here and let the experienced Domers take care of the rest." Historia said when we joined them.

The guns became less frequent, and so did the crashes. Domers emerged from the trees and joined us, including Bivton. As they trickled in, some looking bloody, Historia got accounts of what was happening. With every new person came news and most of it was good. Finally someone showed up who said the Dizurians had turned back. Historia then made her next announcement.

"Alright, Hardin, lead the way."

I tried to get my bearings. We weren't in an area I was used to. I judged where we were and began walking in the direction I hoped was right. It would take a while for me to be sure. Theen came up to keep me company.

"You know this doesn't really look different from the side we were on."

"No, it really doesn't." I said absentmindedly. I was so afraid to be walking the wrong way that I didn't even pay any attention to what he had said.

"I hope that we can get in and out quick." He continued.

I heard that perfectly well. "Me too."

I kept my ears tuned to hear Nawings. Either no other guards heard us or they weren't coming to get us because I didn't hear anything as long as we walked through that forest.

Just as I was about to give up and tell Historia I didn't know where I was going the clearing appeared. Fields stretched in all directions. The grass was growing taller now that the Bozlins were not here to keep it trimmed. I led the way to one of the grates in the ground. Everyone gathered around.

"This is Bozlin. You can use this as a medical base if you want. It should still be empty."

Historia surveyed the grate. "How do we get in?"

I showed them what to do. I shot down into the metal hallway. It seemed empty. In just a few minutes the hallway was filled with Domers. They set up a small medical area with the few supplies they brought with them. I wanted to get away and have some time to regroup after that battle. I volunteered to go down and see if there was any more fruit on the trees. Dala came with me. She wanted to explore the place Humurom was scared of for so many years.

I was hoping Dala wanted to talk on the way down but she was never the socializing type. Instead she commented on the looks of the place. She was surprised at how big it was and was envious that they had so much room.

"I probably wouldn't have become a hunter if I had this much room growing up." She said.

I nodded. I remembered how envious I was of them the first time I saw their bunker.

"Do you have a bad feeling about something?" I asked, halfway down to the trees.

"Who doesn't after that fight?"

"I mean about this whole thing."

She looked at me quizzically. "Wasn't this what you always wanted?"

She was right. I had always wanted this. I remember telling Milton about making peace with the Cityers, not knowing how complicated that really was.

The trees were right where the Bozlins left them. Small oranges were growing on some of the trees. Dala and I picked what we could carry and started back up. The silence was strange, but it was a good silence. I hoped to hear Humurom be silent soon.

"It's spooky down here." Dala said, shivering.

"It's hard to believe that we are here."

She shrugged. "It's just another place."

She evidently wasn't feeling the same awe that I did in there.

We got lost multiple times coming back. Without Orin to lead me I got confused easily. When we made it back the oranges disappeared almost instantly. Historia was ready to get moving.

"When will we get to Humurom?"

"Tomorrow."

"No chance getting there today?"

I shook my head.

She sighed. "Let's move out."

It took another few minutes to get everyone out of Bozlin. Several people with medical training stayed behind so the Humurom's had a place to spend the night and get medical attention if they needed it before arriving in Wall City. The rest of the troupe followed me to Humurom.

Like the much smaller group I took the first time through that land, they started to be less engaged in keeping their guard up. Quiet muttering grew to large conversations before too long. By the time we reached the burned town, now just a pile of burned wood, they no longer even cared to keep their voices down. I told Historia about my concerns, but she told me not to worry. She was convinced they worked better while loose. I tied to look past it. She knew them better than I did.

My concerns moved from being too loud to wondering why we hadn't been attacked again. My mind brought forth a conversation I had with Milton in a time long since gone.

" _We could bring our families, maybe a few extra."_ I had said.

" _That's enough of that . . . can you imagine all those people moving? It'd be a migration; we'd get blown away just like all the others."_ Milton had told me.

He was right, I thought. Back then the Dizurians were everywhere. Hunters couldn't go out without the possibility of getting killed, and now I had journeyed through open landscapes several times without much of problem, save for right at the wall. I thought for sure hundreds of people moving all around would get the Dizurians out trying to stop us, unless they didn't care about us. But why would they not?

It started to get late. The sun lowered and the dome began to get dark. We weren't too far at that point, but it was a good idea to rest. Historia ordered everyone to stop. The Domers now vastly outnumbered the group I had seen in Bozlin. They had been contacting other groups that came through in different areas. This was the whole pack now. There must have been seven hundred people there. They didn't look like much. Some were business types, others young students, and some were older and retired.

Historia and I found a soft spot of dirt away from everyone else. We sat and watched as the dome darkened.

"I can't believe we haven't been attacked again." She said, echoing my thoughts.

"They must be waiting for something."

"To see what we do."

She laid back, her head on a bag of extra clothes. "It sure is nice in here." She said quietly.

"Nice?" Out of all the words I could have chosen, nice was not one of them. "Did you see that burned town back there?"

"I did, but I still like it. I've tried to curb my expectations. When I was younger I thought I would find a city of mutants all living together in harmony, something I always wished the outside world could do."

"If it makes you feel any better we lived in relative harmony for over one hundred years." I said.

She looked at me; I could see serenity in her face. "The truth can never be as interesting as the fiction. I knew that. It's just that this place had hope for me. I wasn't really wanted at home. Those stories were all I had. I wanted nothing more than to get in and live with those mutants. Some were twelve feet tall and others were only a few inches. And now I'm here."

"It must be nice." I had a feeling she felt the same way I did while sitting in the government building my first night in Azureland.

Historia went to sleep soon after and I did as well. Before I knew it I was being shaken awake. It was still dark. Someone handed me an orange and I started to peel it, still unsure about what was going on. I couldn't see a thing and had to listen closely to hear what everyone else was doing. We were on the move again. I stood up and started walking. Hearing where everyone else was I figured Humurom was in the direction away from all the voices. Historia had to yell at me for me to realize nobody could see me moving. I called out every now and then so they knew which way I was going. Someone finally came up with a flashlight. I pointed it to the ground so they could see where I was.

The sun rose a short time later. I was surprised to see where we were. We were just about to enter the destroyed town with the church and the bunker. This was a hit with the Domers. It was the closest thing to what they had read about. We came to what was left of the church and I stood near the cross I set in the ground. This was another opportunity to grow my reputation with them. I told the story about how Milton was killed. I made sure they knew that's how everything started. Without that pivotal event I probably would still be in the bunker. They cheered for me and I was ready to lead them on.

We came to the fake mountain. Historia looked it over.

"How do we get in?" She asked.

"That's the hard part. There is a door up there, but it is really thick. There is a small hollow part in the center so the people inside can hear when we knock. It's kind of strange if you think about it."

"Think you can show me that?"

I agreed and led the way up the ladder. She brought a small bag up with her.

"This is it." I said at the door.

"And you say there is a hollow part?"

I showed her where it was on the door.

She took something mechanical looking out of her bag and stuck it to the door.

"You might want to get down, fast."

I got back on the ladder and hurried down. I don't know what that thing was but I had a feeling I needed to get my distance. She followed me down.

"Everyone cover your ears." She insisted.

I did. A loud explosion rocked the area. I looked up and saw a giant hole in the door. From the ground it looked just big enough to crawl through. This was it. We were in.

#  XI

I didn't want everyone in at once. The explosion probably shocked the Humurom's more than I could imagine. As we discussed what to do on the ground they probably thought the Cityers were attacking. I made a quick decision to only let the hunters, Historia, and Theen in at first. I didn't want a whole bunch of people I didn't know rushing the place. The small group started up the ladder. Upon closer inspection the hole in the door was a good four feet around, plenty of room for us to squeeze in.

The first noise I heard was coughing. No one was near the door; in fact there was no one in sight. I could hear the echo of footsteps. A part of me was relieved that there was somebody left to save. I went up to the railing that looked down to the dining area seven stories below. Instead of the tables I was used to it was filled with beds. There were a few others walking around to the beds. Some looked up at me. They were not in any state to run away or hide. From that distance I could tell that the ones in the beds were very sick. I could smell the horrible concoctions the medics created to help the sick.

We started down to the Dining area. No one stopped us. Occasionally we would walk by people on the ramps leading down. They might give us a dirty look but nobody got out of the way. They were worse than just sick, they were hopeless. On the ground floor I could see that some of the people were even worse off than Mama was. They were all varying degrees of emaciated. Historia handed out medicine to the hunters and they went around giving it out. No one stopped them. I stood on a chair I found. All eyes turned to me. People came out of their Residence's at the sound of thick leather shoes on the metal floors, something different than the deer hide they were used to. When I thought enough people were watching I started.

"We are here to rescue you." I began.

At that same moment a familiar face appeared at the railing several stories above.

"It's a trick." Matilik yelled. "They've come to kill you all."

"It's not a trick." I yelled back. "It's all true. We've never been better. Here, maybe this will help."

I pointed to Lace who held a large bag of food, including fruit, chocolate, and bread. She began to give them out to the people she felt were well enough to eat. Their eyes lit up at the taste of something that was real and had flavor, everything Nutrition lacked.

A woman came up to me. She looked healthy compared to everyone else. "Are you sure it's safe?" She said.

I knelt down. "Of course it is. And if you come with us you never have to come back here again. We will take everyone to a better place where this food is available at all times."

That's all I had to say. The Humurom's talked excitedly amongst themselves at the possibilities. Matilik could be heard thundering through the halls trying to get down to us. When he emerged he looked livid. This time I didn't have to listen to him, he was no longer my leader.

"You will leave here at once." He snarled.

I looked sadly at him. The moment a hole was blasted in the door he lost all his power. "There is nothing you can say now."

I looked at Morome and he nodded. He raised his gun and escorted Matilik into the kitchens.

Things had gotten so desperate that the Humurom's were willing to follow us almost blindly. Historia went up and called some Domers in. In a matter of minutes most of Humurom was leaving the bunker for the first time in their lives. No one put up a fight and there wasn't a single one of them that wanted to stay.

I went from room to room to make sure everyone was leaving. Most of them left with nothing. They didn't have much and didn't have anything to put it in anyways.

I found my old Residence. It had been untouched since Mama left with me several months before. It still smelled horrible, like stale nasty concoctions. I sat down on Mama's old bed and on my old mat. It was surreal, as though I was entering a dream I hadn't had in a long time. I hoped Mama wasn't too worried about me. I'm sure Peter and Stud were keeping her company.

I almost forgot about Matilik. I wanted him to come as well. I knew he felt it was his duty to preserve Humurom, but I felt he was more the misguided idealist rather than the cold hearted leader others might think. I went into the kitchens looking for him. I passed the Nutrition machine and wanted very much to destroy it. I then passed the old sink I washed dishes in before I became a hunter. He was nowhere to be found. And then I remembered the path that left the metal bunker and went underground to a spring where they got their fresh water. I hadn't been down there in a very long time. It was a rocky tunnel that twisted deep into the ground. I found Matilik at the end, sitting near the pool of water. He jumped up when he saw me.

"Do you know what you are doing?" He growled.

I took a deep breath. "You're not seeing it right."

"I see you condemning the rest of Humurom."

"I'm saving Humurom." I assured him.

He shook his head. "The idea! It's the idea of Humurom that you are killing. Do you think any of these people will care about where they came from?"

I wished I could have answered honestly, but truth be told I didn't want to consider myself a Humurom anymore, why would anyone else.

"You don't know that they won't. Come with us and start the new Humurom. Azureland has given us land and they are currently building a town. Be a part of that."

His frown turned into confusion. He had never thought of a new Humurom. The idea puzzled him and I was glad to see the sudden change on his face.

The frown returned. "I took an oath to protect my home."

"Then help me protect it!" I pleaded. "You are just making things worse by staying. If you come you can still be the leader."

He didn't believe that one bit, and neither did I.

"They would never listen to me out there. I've gone too far in here."

"Then come outside and be just another Humurom."

He walked around the pool of water, his hands on his head. "No no, I can't leave. This is where I belong I can't leave."

"No one is going to blame you. You'll see when you get out. You did your best. They know that."

He pressed his palms against his eyes. "They'll kill me. They've wanted to, I know they have. I had to create a Security Office. I needed it to keep people in line."

It was my turn to frown. "How many people did you push down that hole?"

He looked at me as though there was no way I could understand. "That had to be done."

"None of this had to be done. Now come on, I promise that you will be safe. I will personally protect you."

He looked like he was in the middle of losing his mind. His eyes opened wide and he began to mumble incoherently. "I must stay. I have to stay" was all I could understand.

It was time for me to light a fire under him. "The Cityers will be here in a few days. If you stay they will kill you without a second thought and Humurom's last bunker leader will not get to see his country to a new and fresh beginning."

He looked at me for a long time. His mouth opened and closed many times before anymore sound came out. "I'll . . . I'll, I don't know."

This was beginning to seem hopeless. Time was running out. I didn't want to leave him there alone but at the same time I was not going to force him to leave after all the things he did. I was going to try one more time. If he still didn't want to go then I would be forced to leave.

"We have an army to fight the Cityers if they attack. If you come you can fight them off and be a hero. Do you want to come?"

He shook his head violently. "No, no, I can't." He sat down next to the water again. He looked to be in a daze.

"I'm not going to force you to come. This is your last chance. Will you come?"

"No." He whispered.

I nodded and turned to go. Then an idea hit me. I took off my bracelet and threw it to him. "If you change your mind then put that on. If you go down the ladder and then walk straight, you will eventually come to a wall. With that on you can pass through the wall and appear in Azureland. Please come. I don't want the Cityers to kill anybody, not even you."

I gave him one final sad look and left him there. I tried not to feel bad about it, but I did. He may have been a crummy leader, but he was the crummy leader that I grew up with. The one that let me and the hunters out on the journey to find food and ended up finding Azureland. But I could not look past the bad things he had done. He shoved me down the hole into the bomb room, beat Stud and threw him down the same hole, and kept all of his people trapped when I came back to get Mama and was willing to take more people. It was his decision now, and I hoped he would put the bracelet on and follow us.

Humurom was almost empty when I got back to the kitchens. I took one last look around and watched as the final few Humurom's were helped down the ladder. I was the last one to leave. I looked back down at all the floors below and heard the silence I had wanted to hear, but it came at a price. With so many sick I wondered how many would actually make it to the wall.

The door had been opened from the inside to help the sick out. I looked out from the top of the bunker. About one hundred Domers were helping the Humurom's back the way we came. About half had a Humurom with them, the rest were there in case the Dizurians attacked. From the looks of it there were only around fifty Humurom's left, meaning almost half had died. This sickness outbreak was even worse than the one that occurred when I was little. I bet the doctors in the Care Wing would be surprised seeing all of them coming in the door.

I climbed down the ladder, feeling like I finally accomplished what I had set out to do. I could now sleep in peace without feeling like I had failed my original home. The Domers that were left gave me a round of applause when I got to the ground. It felt great. I thanked them for everything they did. Historia came up to me, the only one still clapping.

"We've got everybody. Is there anything else you want to do here?"

I sighed happily. "No, all my good memories are now in Azureland."

#  XII

Lace came up to me next.

"My parents were sick, but still alive. Thank you for putting this together."

"You're welcome."

It was time to decide what to do next. We should have all been moving out to be guard for the Humurom's. Historia wandered away to talk with Bivton. I came up right as she was calling everyone to listen in. I went up and stood nearby, my mood rising every second.

"That was good work by all. Well done everybody."

There was another round of applause.

"Now we –"

A quiet buzzing hit our ears. It was the unmistakable sound of a Nawing. It flew over our heads, turned, and flew back the way it came, the direction of the castle where the Dizurians were based.

"They are on to us." She announced.

My good feelings fell away. "If we can hurry maybe we can get to the wall before they get to us."

She thought it over for a while. "We head in that direction."

I nodded, and then realized which direction she was pointing. Her arm was outstretched in the direction the Nawing was going.

"What? We have to get back to the wall. We are running out of time. My watch says . . ." I looked down at my watch for the first time since being in the dome. It was no longer working. Something in there must have been interfering with it. "I think we should have another day left."

"If they know we are here then we have to head them off to give the Humurom's time to get out. If we go with them then the battle will be all around them. It's the only way they can get out."

"No, if we do that we could get stuck here. I say we go to the wall now."

The Domers kept their eyes peeled to Historia. "You can do that, and we'll head them off."

"We have to go back." I implored, looking around for support. I wasn't getting any.

"Let's take a vote." Historia suggested. "Everyone who wants to head them off start in that direction. Those who want to go back stay with Hardin."

Everyone started walking away from me. I stood by, hoping some small group would think my idea was better. Not even the hunters believed that. Without even acknowledging me they went with the Domers. Theen was the first to stand by me. He would be the only. Before leaving Historia came up to me.

"Think about it, Hardin. They have hundreds of mindless killers. You saw firsthand how they act. If they know who did this they might unleash them in Azureland. Now I think that we can head them off and defeat as many as possible before a whole war breaks out."

"You mean kill as many as possible."

"What is your problem with this?" She asked.

"I know what it's like to lose someone through fighting. I don't want any more people to go through that."

"Then help us make sure no Azure has to go through that."

And with that she left us standing there.

I watched as the Domers went straight towards what was sure to become a horrible fight. I didn't want anything to do with it, and yet I couldn't turn myself around and go back to the wall. I needed to know what happened and see if there was any way I could help.

"So what do we do?" Theen asked.

"Let's follow them. I'm beginning to see why I had a bad feeling about this trip."

We waited until they were at least a half mile away and started in the same direction. I didn't have a great feeling about it, but something pushed me on towards danger.

That day was spent quietly following the Domers as they marched across what used to be the country of Humurom. We made sure to stay far enough away so they could not see us, but close enough that we would not be too far behind. It was a hard undertaking. They disappeared into the distance and I wasn't too fond of getting closer. If a battle did start then at least we would know before arriving to it. The sound of Nawings and guns would reach our ears before we got too close.

Theen and I rested when it got to be late evening. He had a small bag of food. We ate some bread and had some water. That seemed to be my primary dome meal. I started thinking about what would happen when we got to the castle, if we did get that far.

"I know this sounds strange, but I wonder if there is any way we can find Leric."

"What for?" Theen asked.

"I don't want anyone to die. I'm sure he killed the diplomats, but maybe we can work out a deal. Something where he can keep the dome without ever worrying about anyone coming back in, as long as he doesn't attack Azureland or any country outside here. Then we don't have to fight."

"I think Historia wants to avenge Gilik, I know I do."

Historia didn't seem to me to be the sort of person who wanted that. "I don't know she never seemed to like him."

We took a nap when it got dark. There was no sound of fighting; I hoped it stayed that way. Theen had to wake me up. I had slept too long. It was already becoming day. We wasted a lot of time. The Domers were probably already to the castle. Without hesitation we started after them.

I thought I felt a rumble several times. Noises could be heard if I strained to listen. It didn't sound like peaceful talks with the Dizurians. My pace quickened.

"I wonder if we will see Billus." Theen said.

"I hope we can get him to Azureland. He saved us before; we need to repay the debt."

As we got closer the noises grew louder. There was definitely something wrong. The Domers must have been attacked. I was continuingly pushed in that direction from some force unknown. I wasn't much use to anyone, but I really didn't want to go back and have to hear the news later. Waiting with no idea what was happening was worse than being in the battle.

We started to see smoke. A burning Nawing marked the edge of the fray. Several bodies were lying close by, all Dizurians. Some wore the red training uniform and others had on the gray outfits of the wall guards. The castle came into view in the distance. Between us and that were several hundred fighters. Nawings flew in the sky all around. It would be almost impossible to get to the castle without being noticed. I tried to find a large group of Domers we could get to for help, but they were scattered about just as widely as the Dizurians.

At least the Dizurians were easy to spot in their red and gray. Theen and I ducked low, hoping not to be seen. The open expanse ahead only proved to us how dangerous our plan was. We watched quietly at the fighting. Domers and Dizuians were running about and shooting. I followed a Domer with my eyes, only to see him shot through by a Nawing. My eyes focused on a Dizurian. And I saw them shot multiple times and fall. No matter where I looked death was all I saw. But what was the point? What was Historia trying to prove? I couldn't get my mind around it. Did she really think sending all of her fighters to their death would help Azureland?

# XIII

"We should go." Theen said, lying flat on the ground.

I got down as well. "Not yet. I need to find Historia to surrender. She's walked into something too big for the Domers. They will all get killed and then what? How are we supposed to go back to Wall City and explain that so many of their people were killed in here? This is exactly what Gilik warned me about."

"What if this isn't self defense?" Theen wondered aloud.

What if it wasn't? What? Of course it was. Historia didn't want to kill anyone; she just wanted to keep the Dizurians from killing. Things escalated and that was that. I thought about telling Theen but I didn't see the point. I had to get to the castle. I needed to get there, to find the hunters and get out. That was the new plan. I would try to find Historia and tell her to surrender, but my priority was to get my friends and get out. I told Theen and he agreed to come with me for support. We sat up and readied our guns.

"How do you expect to get over there?" Theen asked. I don't think he liked my plan very much.

"I'm going to run. Going slow won't do anything. Are you ready?"

He sighed. "Let's do it."

I knew the danger. That didn't deter me. It wasn't my well being that bothered me, but his. I would rather die myself than have to go through losing another friend.

I didn't count to three; I didn't give any clue as to when I would go. I just did. I started running straight for the castle. It was harder to run with the gun than I thought it would be. I raised it up. The closer we got the more bodies were in our way. I jumped over some and ran around others. Several flags lay torn on the ground. They did not have the unmistakable blue triangle and orange eye I hated so much. These were solid blue. I figured they were battle flags.

For the first thirty seconds or so I thought that I would make it. And then dirt was kicked up as Nawings began to fire at us. Their guns were much stronger than ours and blew small holes in the ground. But they couldn't hit me. Flying and shooting must have been difficult. I zigzagged through clouds of smoke and dust to confuse them. I didn't know where Theen was, I didn't dare look back.

The castle was getting closer. Another few minutes and . . . The ground came out from under me. I tumbled into darkness and hit a hard floor. Someone fell in behind me, landing on me.

"Sorry." Theen said, getting up.

I was relieved he was still with me. I got up and looked around. There wasn't much to see. We had fallen into some sort of underground room. He helped me push the ceiling back into place so no one could follow us down there. A small bulb hung from the ceiling and gave a little light. The room had metal walls and except for us was empty. It wasn't too big, about the size of the hotel room Mama was probably at right then.

Theen took a seat on the floor, looking up towards the sound of gunfire. "Must be some secret compartment for something."

"Probably." I said quietly.

"Maybe to hide more guns."

My heart pumped dangerously fast. I was only an inch or two away from being killed by a Nawing. The plan deteriorated in my head. For the time being I could no longer remember why I even wanted to get to the castle.

Theen put his back against the wall and rested his chin on his knees. "What now?"

"Let's see if it quiets down up there. I'm afraid we are losing precious time but I really don't want to get shot at."

Theen felt the same way I did. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. I sat down as well, listening closely. Nothing changed. Time went on but the guns didn't stop, or even lessen. It seemed hopeless. If I wanted to get back to Mama I had to leave. The hunters could take care of themselves, if any were left.

I made the new decision and was about to tell Theen when something happened. Another hole appeared on the other side of the room and two people fell in. One wore the gray Dizurian uniform and the other wore a black shirt and blue pants, a Domer. They wrestled on the ground for a minute, each trying to reach for the same gun. Theen stood beside me, holding his gun up to them. The Dizurian finally came up with the gun and shot the Domer in the head, he was instantly motionless.

"Drop the gun." Theen ordered.

The Dizurian stood up, gun still in hand. Past the specks of blood I recognized Billus. My heart dropped. I could see in his eyes that he was different. His face was contorted with rage.

"Billus, it's us, Theen and Hardin." Theen said, lowering his gun.

Billus looked confused.

"We trained together Billus, remember?" I said.

I could tell something was different about him. He didn't look at us, only in our general direction. His lips shook violently.

Theen pointed at Billus's gun. "Put it down, Billus. We are friends."

Billus opened his mouth wide. "You, you, you." He croaked.

"Yes, remember?" Theen asked. I could see his hand moving the gun up slightly.

"I remember." Billus breathed. "You hurt me."

"No, they hurt you." I pointed up.

He looked to the ceiling. "I fight for Dizuria. I fight for Dizuria. I fight for Dizuria!"

He said it again and again, getting louder each time.

"They've really messed him up." Theen whispered to me.

"There has to be a way to get him to know us."

"There might not be." Theen raised his gun up and steadied it.

"I fight for Dizuria!" Billus screeched.

"We know Billus, but you were our friend. You saved us." Theen yelled back.

Billus stopped. He looked as us. The anger was gone. He looked scared and lonely.

"Remember Azureland Billus?" I said. "Remember how you wanted to go?"

His eyes darted in all directions. I believe he was trying to think it over.

"Azureland?" He asked shyly.

I smiled. "Yes, we can take you. Let's go."

His face turned once again to rage. "Azureland hurt me."

"No it didn't Billus." I shouted, losing hope.

"It hurt me, they hurt me, you hurt me." Billus bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Theen put his finger on the trigger. "It's too late for him now."

Billus saw this and became quiet, his voice deadly. "I kill for Dizuria." He pointed his gun at Theen.

This was turning into my worst nightmare. "Put that down, Billus."

Theen whispered something we didn't hear.

"He's not listening." Theen said, backing up.

"Billus put it down!" I shouted. I felt like I was talking with a small child.

He continued to whisper. I finally heard it. He kept saying "I kill for Dizuria" over and over again. It started to grow louder.

"I really like you, don't make me shoot you." Theen warned.

Billus grew louder. "I kill for Dizuria. I kill for Dizuria!"

Without warning the small room erupted in gunfire. I don't know who shot first. I threw myself back against the wall. Theen fell straight down. Billus had been shot in his leg. He fell to his knees and lifted the gun up and aimed it at me. I didn't have any time to think. I picked up my own gun and fired. For the first time I hit a target in the first shot. Billus fell to the ground, a hole through his neck.

I dropped the gun and pushed myself back to the wall. I looked over to Theen, he wasn't moving. I got to my knees and crawled over. Blood trickled down from his forehead. He stared up at the ceiling without any more cares. Fear ran through me. I half got up and launched myself to the wall, away from him. I closed my eyes and began to cry, trying to hold the wall as if it could hold me. I slid to the floor and covered my face.

"I'm sorry, we should have left." I sobbed.

# XIV

I sat against the wall for a long time. The hole in the ceiling was still there, nobody came in. They let me sit there and cry in peace. Something deep inside me switched. I no longer wanted to leave, I needed to find Historia and see if there was anything I could do to stop the fighting. I got up and looked out of the hole. There was no change. The gunfire continued; the explosions still shook the ground. I was the only thing different.

I jumped and grabbed onto the edges of the hole, pulling myself up. I thought for sure there would be less people fighting, but there was more. A short ways to my right were two lines of fighters moving toward each other. One wore red and gray, the other wore an assortment of colors. They fired and people fell. But they did not stop. The lines eroded away and the survivors continued to shoot. It was hopeless; they all fell away in a short time. It only took a few minutes for them to completely kill each other. On my left new lines were forming, and ended much the same way. There wasn't to be a victor, only a less sorrowed loser.

I pulled myself the rest of the way out and, seeing a crashed Nawing that wasn't on fire, ran to it. No one seemed to notice. The fighters on both sides were too preoccupied with killing each other to care about me running about. I slid down to it and saw a person inside.

"Oh, Hardin."

An arm shot out and pulled me under the flipped over Nawing. It was Lace.

"It's worse than ever out there." She said. "I don't know what to do."

She didn't look too bad. Her shirt was a little bloody and I hoped it was somebody else's.

"Go back the way I came about a hundred yards and you'll find a hole in the ground. Hide in there. Do you know where the others are?"

"They went with Historia to the castle. She said she was going to find the leader and get him to stop attacking."

"Thanks." I started out, she caught my arm.

"Where are you going?"

"To find them."

"Find Morome, then we can leave."

I nodded and crawled out into the open. I didn't wait to see if she was going to make it to the hole. I started for the castle slowly. Still nobody saw me. The fighting had turned away from the castle. It was now working its way to the forest. Somebody needed cover.

The smell was something out of a nightmare. I can't describe it so that it would make sense, but it was horrible. It reminded me of the concoctions the Medics made, not because it smelled similar, but because it reminded me of death and hopelessness. It wasn't enough to make me turn back; I was on a mission now.

I walked up to the castle, it seemed quiet. I saw the man who trained the Dizurians on the ground, dead. I didn't remember his name. All I could remember was how happy he was at the idea of killing all of Humurom. It disgusted me.

I went in a side entrance, my gun at the ready. I passed the room I stayed in with Theen and Billus during training. It hadn't been touched. The dining area had several bodies about, but nobody living. I could hear footsteps above me. I found the stairs and went up. There were people running around the second floor, they were Dizurians but they paid little attention to me. I remembered that the people left in the castle were about as well equipped for fighting as I was. They didn't want trouble. Most of them probably hadn't even been through dark room training so they would still have their minds for the technical aspects of training. I didn't want to hurt any of them as long as they didn't want to hurt me.

I turned a corner and saw Historia down the hall. She was checking a dead Domer. I was relieved to see her. I lowered my gun and went up to her.

"We have to stop this."

She stood up and looked at me, a little confused. "Glad to see you're still alive."

"Did you hear what I said?"

She continued to stare. "We can't stop now. This is why we are here."

I stepped back, shaking my head. "This isn't you. You've become a part of the beast."

She smiled. "A beast you unleashed."

"I didn't want this."

She laughed. "Yes you did. You wanted this more than we did. That's why you came to us."

"I didn't want you to kill people. I wanted you to help save Humurom."

She pointed a finger at me. "Tell me honestly that you did not want to destroy Dizuria. We can save the dome from them."

"They can have the dome, I don't care. We got what we needed now let's go before we are all dead."

She frowned. She had a look of a leader ready to do anything to get what she wanted. It was a look I had seen on Gilik's face once or twice.

She raised her gun. "This happens with or without you."

I raised my hands in defense. "I'm leaving with my friends. You can do what you want after that."

She nodded and lowered the gun. I turned and walked away. It was the excitement; that was all. She wouldn't be acting like that if there wasn't a battle outside. She wasn't that kind of person.

I got to the stairs right in time to hear some people coming up. They talked loudly but I wasn't listening to the words, but the voice. I sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Panicked, I ran into the first room I found. It had several tables with maps spread out on them. I went to the back of the room, but there was no place to hide.

I picked the wrong room. The people coming up the stairs came right in. They saw me. I saw them. It was Leric. The leader of Dizuria had a body guard with him.

"I've met you. Where have I met you?" He said.

I wasn't in the mood to hide anything. "Take your pick, in Azureland, or in your office in Dizuria."

He didn't understand my meaning at first. I saw the idea strike him. "You brought the necklace from Azureland."

"You have to call this off." I begged. "Too many people are dying."

"I can't control them now."

"Because you warped their minds."

He shrugged. "What's it matter to you? None of you can get out now."

I checked my watch before remembering that it didn't work anymore.

He noticed. "I've seen the watches. But I control the time. And when things got hairy I switched the bracelets." He held up his wrist to show a silver bracelet. "Did you all think you would win? I control everything in here." He sat on one of the tables. "I don't even blame Azureland. I've known about the Domers for a long time. It doesn't surprise me that the Azureland bunch would try something like this. What with no mayor now."

I really felt hopeless now. I figured there was no way out. I might as well learn something. "Why did you kill him? And the diplomats?"

He looked taken aback. "I didn't kill anyone."

"Your people did."

"I never ordered any of that. I assumed Gilik died in some type of riot from a city harboring a fugitive from in here. And the diplomats never made it. Their train rolled into town completely in flames. I thought it best not to release the grisly photos."

I didn't know what to say. Was there any chance that he was telling the truth? I didn't know. He had to be responsible. Who else could be?

"But you killed the Humurom hunters."

"Ah, that I did do. I needed to make room for a larger Dizuria. I realize now I should have done it much faster. How is the one that escaped?"

"I'm fine." I said through barred teeth.

The realization began to sink in. He looked mildly impressed. "And you were right there in my office. It's nice to finally meet. I guess this was all your idea."

"Not entirely."

His mouth twisted into an evil smirk. "I hope you stick around. We'll drop bombs on all of your Domer friends. We'll finally have the whole dome. But don't worry; I've got a special death planned for you. I've wanted to do this for a long time. So sit back and try to enjoy the last few minutes of your life."

There was no escape now. I sat down against the wall and put my arms around my knees. I hoped Mama would be alright. Peter, Stud, and Nara would have to take care of her now. I wished I had gone back to the wall when I could have. Theen would still be alive and I wouldn't be dying by the hands of Leric. But what did I do to make him hate me so much? I suppose I was about to find out.

A loud buzzing was heard overhead, followed by the sound of loud explosions outside.

#  XV

Leric walked around the room looking at his communication device. He didn't seem to care that there was so much death and destruction outside. The walls shook and the floor rumbled. He put the communicator to his ear and started talking to someone. I put my head down, waiting for the end.

I heard the door open and then a shot was fired. I looked up to see the guard drop to the ground. Historia stood in the doorway. Relief took the place of fear. She came to save me. She was transfixed on Leric, staring at him menacingly.

"What are you doing here Leric? I'm surprised you came out of your nasty little city." She said.

Leric nodded his approval. "Oh, Historia, I was hoping you were behind this."

I missed something. How did they know each other? My relief faded; in its place was confusion.

"I see you met Hardin." Historia said casually. "You know he is the only reason we made it here."

Leric flashed me a dirty look. "Even more reason for me to kill him."

"That won't be happening." Historia gave me a wink. The significance was lost on me.

Leric wagged his finger in the air as though uncovering a hidden truth. "I think I get it now. You can call your people off and we can discuss things like true leaders should."

Historia smirked. "Why don't you call yours off?"

"I can't control most of mine now."

"And that's why you shouldn't have melted their minds away."

The explosions stopped. I hoped somebody was left out there.

"Let's get down to business." Leric said, clapping his hands together. "I am guessing you want part of the dome. I admire the desire but you went too far."

Historia smiled and shook her head. "This isn't for part of the dome. I figured the leader of the Dizuria Domers would see that. This is for everything."

Leric threw his head back and laughed. I was having a hard time keeping up with their faux friendly chat. "Oh I see now. I was afraid we would get blamed for Gilik's death, but that was the plan wasn't it? Blame the country no one trusts. Bring the investigation to their door so they don't notice you sneaking around."

Was Leric blaming Gilik's death on Historia? My mind couldn't take much more. There was no way she was the one to pull that off. But she did have the whole building bugged. She could probably get away with almost anything.

"Let me tell it to you" She said to Leric. "I want to tell my story to someone who I trust. Someone who will understand."

Leric motioned for her to proceed. He looked at her as a teacher looks at their best student. I shifted my position on the floor to see them both better. Something sinister was going on between these two and I only now figured it out. Was there something I missed over the past few days? Something that would have alerted me that she was up to no good? I don't think I would have seen it even if I knew to look. I was so desperate. I went along with everything she said. I had to and she knew that. Without her Humurom would be destroyed with everyone in it. She took advantage of my need to get the bracelets.

Historia sat on a table, ready to reveal everything. She occasionally looked over to me to see if I was listening. She seemed to have a disturbing notion that this would impress me. I was too perplexed by the whole thing to know what to say or what emotion should don my face.

"It's no secret I wanted the dome to myself." She began. "I hated the idea of it belonging to a second rate filth like Dizuria. It started with the diplomats. I hoped killing them would convince Gilik to start something with you. With both of you preoccupied I could go in and destroy your little installation here. I was wrong. Gilik was so soft. He tried his hardest not to get involved in anything. It disgusted me. But despite his lack of strength he was a good leader. He had to go. I knew he would come down hard on me. He was the only one with access to the bracelets after all. He could come in and stop me if he really wanted to. I doubt he would but I needed to find a way to make sure he didn't. He knew too much about the dome and the people here, but he was the only one. The council didn't know anything except for what Hardin said his first night in Wall City. They wouldn't know anything about how to get in. Gilik kept the bracelets completely secret. Only a handful of people knew. I couldn't risk killing Calrus. That would be too suspicious. Why would Dizuria kill a scientist who did nothing to them? It had to be Gilik. With Gilik out of the way the useless council would be in charge and Hardin would lose his only protection. But what if someone else could become his protection? It took longer than I anticipated but he eventually came over. Gilik was too soft to help so we promised to help with what he needed. The funny thing was that both of our goals included getting in the dome. So we got Hardin to get the bracelets from Calrus, who trusted almost nobody, and here we are."

Leric clapped. I felt abused and foolish. She worked my desperation into her evil plan. Was there no one I could trust?

"I was wrong not to include you in our plans here, and I'm sorry for that. I couldn't imagine an Azure with that much passion for this land, but I was wrong. You have shown your worth and I accept you as a dome leader."

Historia's smile changed slightly. There was a sense of power I don't think Leric saw. "At first I did want to impress you, but that is a long ago thought. Why impress other people when I'm doing such a good job of impressing myself?"

"You are a true Domer. I am proud."

Historia's power grew. I could sense it. Leric was trying to end the conversation but she wanted none of that. "First I need you to let go of Hardin. He is a Domer in the truest sense.

"Can't do that, he has something I need." Leric said.

"And what is that?" Historia asked.

Leric turned and gave me a look of utter disgust. "He has the key to Dizuria's part of the dome."

I stood up before I knew what I was doing. "I do not."

Leric stepped toward me, pointing greedily. "I know who I gave it to. I told him to bury it deep so no one would ever find it that could use it and it was stolen from him. Less than a year after that you come out of the dome. I know you still have it because Gilik would have called for the wall to come down if he had it."

"I don't have it." I stressed.

"Oh you have it." He paused, turning to Historia. "Or do you have it? Alright, what do you want from me?"

Historia found this whole thing amusing. "I don't have it either."

Leric stomped his foot on the ground. "Well someone has to."

Historia pretended to be fed up with him. "You need to stop losing your stuff, Leric. Now I need you to let Hardin go."

Leric looked like a madman. "That's not happening. Wait till the other Domer's hear about this."

Historia's amusement was gone. "Other Domers? You took over for most of them and destroyed their bases. We are the only true Domer's left."

"And you still want half the dome. We can make an arrangement."

Historia grimaced. "I don't just want the dome. I want your whole country. I'm going for everything."

"And how are you going to get my soldiers to listen to you?"

"I don't have to. I think you killed most of them just trying to get rid of mine."

Leric lost all of his composure. "You will never get my approval."

In a flash Historia raised her gun and shot Leric through the head. He fell to the floor and I backed up to the wall, wishing that I could go right through it. Historia kicked his body and then looked at me. The terror on my face told it all.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said soothingly. "You are the only reason I got this far. Do you know how long I've been trying to get my hands on one of those bracelets? Way too long."

There were so many things I wanted to say, but I didn't have the courage to say them.

"But . . . Gilik?" I whispered.

She looked at me as though I wasn't in my right mind to even care about him. "He was holding you back. He needed to go. Trust me, the council can't decide on anything. There is only one thing left for me to do. I'll be seeing you Hardin. Oh, once I take Dizuria you can have the nicest house on one of the ocean cities. We just need to find out what really happened to that key."

She started for the door.

"Are you going to take the wall down?" I asked.

"Nope, can't do that. If things get too dicey out there I need a place I can come back to."

I took a step toward her. "I trusted you. . . "

"To save the Humurom's, and I did."

She left the room. I didn't have a very good feeling about whatever it was she needed to do. Before I left I went ahead and took the bracelet from Leric's wrist. I followed Historia at a distance. In the few minutes it took for things to happen in that room things really changed everywhere else. It was silent in the castle. Historia moved around with ease. The few people I saw were bloody and walking around in a stupor. They could have cared less about what I was doing.

#  XVI

The outside was almost as quiet. Smoke rose up from everywhere I bothered to look. Giant holes showed where the bombs had been dropped. Bits of bodies had been thrown everywhere, a hand here, a leg there. My mind didn't bother to ingest it all. My eyes shifted smoothly across the surface of the ground. There was no more fear or despair. It was over, a fresh past.

Historia walked a few paces from the castle and put her hand up. A Nawing landed beside her. The pilot got out and she got in. It rose into the air once again and she was away, towards Humurom. I knew where she was going. There were only six things in that direction that could have been any use to her. I looked around for a Nawing of my own. Fate was kind at that moment. To my right a ways was Zurrel looking over one. Zurrel had trained with me when I pretended to be a Dizurian only two weeks before.

I went to her warily. She looked up as I approached. At first she smiled, and then frowned when she saw that I did not wear a Dizurian uniform.

"Zurrel, please tell me you are still sane." I said on approach.

"Hardin, are you one of them?" She asked.

I nodded. She recoiled.

"I am not a Domer. I am actually a Humurom, the one that escaped the wall." She stared at me, I don't know if she believed me. "Now tell me how to fly this thing so I can attempt to make something right before it is too late."

She waved me over. Sides didn't matter now that most everyone was dead. "All you have to do is use this lever. Raise it up to go up and push it in to go straight. The rest should be obvious."

I looked into the Nawing. There was a long horizontal lever in front of the seat. There were no other buttons or switches.

I got in. "Does it work?"

"It crashed but I think everything is alright."

I took hold of the lever. The Nawing began to rumble.

"How come you are not like the others?" I asked.

"I was selected to be a mechanic. I needed my mind for that so I got to skip the dark room training."

I pushed up on the lever. I was lifted a little ways in the air.

"Wish me luck." I called down to her as I rose higher.

I pushed the lever up all the way and shot up thirty feet or so. I had never flown before. It was a terrifying experience, but I was determined to stop Historia. I pushed the lever in and the Nawing flew straight in the wrong direction. I twisted the lever and got back on track.

It took a while for me to get the hang of it. The motion controls were very sensitive. The slightest motion threw the thing off course. I almost crashed a few times, but luckily pulled up at the last second. After a while of trying things out I managed to get it to fly in a relatively straight line towards Humurom. I kept my eyes open for Historia. She was so far ahead I doubted that I could catch up.

There was no way to make up a plan without all the information. And besides, I still didn't know exactly what went on in that map room. Historia confessed to killing the diplomats and Gilik, but to what end? Just to take over the dome? It made little sense to me. I had grown up with the idea that the only thing important in life was to keep it going. How could someone so nonchalantly kill people to get what they wanted? The idea sickened me. But it was more. It seemed inhuman to the highest degree.

Everything seemed so much faster up there. The ground came up and then disappeared below me in a hurry. I should have gotten Humurom in no time, but of course things never work out the way they should for me. The Nawing started to falter and then drop lower and lower. The crash had affected it. The lever grew hot. I had to land before it decided to land for me. I pulled the lever out and it slowed. I never learned how to make it stop. I got closer and closer to the ground, going slower and slower. The bottom hit and it jolted to a halt.

I got out and ran. I knew Historia didn't know where the bombs were and was almost certain she wouldn't be able to get them out by herself, but she was tricky and might have other plans for them.

I slowed after a few minutes. I was not used to running for such a long time. The mountain loomed in the distance. I jogged closer. I ran around the bunker and saw a Nawing sitting by the ladder. She was already inside. I caught my breath and climbed the ladder.

# XVII

The door was wide open. I quietly stepped in. My footsteps were quiet, but still echoed slightly. I walked as carefully as I could to the railing that looked down to all the levels. I listened closely. It was silent. That could only mean that Historia had found the bomb room or was in the stone path to the spring. I took a ramp and started down. The Hunting Office, with the entrance to the bomb room, was on level 6. I wasted no time in getting down there.

I lifted my gun up and went towards the office as fast as I could without making too much noise. There were several drops of fresh blood in the hall. The door was open. I looked in and the first thing I saw was the small door sitting ajar. She was already in there. Something near the door showed how she got the key. Matilik lay sprawled out on the floor. I went up to him. I was too late, he was already gone. He had been shot multiple times. I looked back to see drops of blood in a trail to the door. He had given everything he had to keep her out. I put his hands on his chest.

"You tried your best." I whispered.

I looked to the small door. The key still hung from it. I crawled over to it and listened. I couldn't hear anything. I lowered my legs into the slide and pushed off. It was less slimy than the last time I went down, probably because it had some use recently. I tumbled onto the cold floor of the dark bomb room. I got up and raised my gun. Historia stood near the left wall. She was looking at a screen on a small machine I thought was just part of the wall. It glowed bright in the dark room.

I crept closer. She turned and stared at me.

"This still works." She said casually. "The Humurom's were always good with electronics." She looked up at the bombs. "What's funny is that they were the first to sign a treaty that all nuclear bombs be destroyed. And yet, these are the only ones to exist now."

I moved closer, lowering my gun. "They were framed. Something else must have destroyed everything."

She nodded sadly. "The real reason isn't as exciting."

"What is it?"

She turned to me, leaning against the machine. "After your ancestors and the Bozlins closed the bunkers, and the wall went up, people panicked. It didn't take long for them to realize that there was no way out. For once the two countries came together and used all of their regular bombs to attack the wall, most ricocheted. The wall lit up as they hit and were sent back. Many were killed as the bombs hit their towns. In their desperation they didn't stop. They fired more and more, only to kill more and more. When the smoke cleared almost everything was destroyed. The rest of the people had nothing left. They all eventually died of starvation or sickness. Few animals survived."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked. There was a good chance she would lie.

"When the Dizurians went in they raided the destroyed towns for valuables. They found accounts of what happened. People had written down their destruction in hopes someday somebody would find them and know their stories. The Dizurians buried many of the bodies, then not much but bones remained. They kept the writing secret. When I worked for Leric in the Dizurian Domer group I read them myself. I'm sure you're wondering what I was doing there. We Azure Domers heard the rumors through the Domer network of a country with the ability to get in. Just a young girl I jumped at the chance. I left my family and took a train out there. Leric took an interest in my leadership qualities and took me on as a student. When he found out I ran away from home he sent me back. I've hated him ever since. He was elected leader a few years later as I was making my way up the chain of command at home. I was only seventeen when you came out. That wasn't very long ago but it feels like it now. I was voted in as leader to get you on our side and I haven't looked back."

I was worried that she really was lying. Why else would she be so quick to tell me her story?

"Why did you come here?"

She gestured up to the bombs. "For these. The one who controls these controls the world. Leric knew about them for a while. He wanted them to get what he wanted from the other countries. He was so stupid. All that would do is start another war."

"One person cannot control the whole world." I said.

"One person never gets the chance. Nothing will change that much. All I really want is the dome and Dizuria. I'll demand access to all the keys and the supercomputer in exchange for not destroying everything. I will control my land and destroy the keys. If one country says no then I will blow up their capital and that will probably destroy their key. I was hoping to take Leric's, but he doesn't seem to know where it is."

I was beginning to feel extra courageous. "I won't let you."

She smiled at me as an adult would smile at a child who doesn't understand the real world. "I stand by not wanting to kill you, but if I need to that's another story. You are so weak. Look at what you could have accomplished. Those stories you told us. You could have taken over that bunker faster than anything, just like I took over the Domers. Instead you stood by and let people die."

"I'm not like you. I'm not trying to be a leader, I only needed one thing."

"And you couldn't even do that by yourself."

She knew which buttons to press. "I ask for help. I needed help."

She leered at me. "No you didn't. I see the making of a great leader, but you refuse to take control. I wanted it for you, but as I learned more I realized there was nothing for you. The rumors were wrong. You weren't a rebel, just a lost little kid who got caught up in something that was too much for you."

She was right, but I couldn't face that right now. "I will get in your way until the end. You can't just do whatever you want."

"Why don't you let it go? Once I move these I will have everything."

"They are too old, they might not work." I said hopefully.

"We'll find out. I need to send a message. I'll probably send one into the fields of Azureland, just to make sure. I'll save the rest for whoever wants to fight after that."

I stood tall. "I'm the only one in your way. It's just you and me here."

She weighed my threat and raised her gun. "I know what I'll do. I'll shoot to injure. I still feel like I owe you and I don't want to have to go through life feeling that."

I raised my gun. "If you shoot me I'll shoot you. I have my finger on the trigger. If you shoot I'll probably end up hitting something."

She was getting annoyed. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

I pointed the gun at one of the bombs. "What do you think will happen if I shoot one of those? Do you think it will blow?"

For the first time fear struck her face. "Hardin put that down."

Talking would only delay what was sure to come. It was now or never. I swiftly lowered my gun and shot the one in her hand. Luckily it connected, sending her gun across the room. I motioned for her to back up. She did. I went over to the machine and looked down at the controls. There was a button with the word _engage_ on it. That must be what activates it.

A shot was fired. A searing pain went through my hand. I dropped the gun. I looked up to see Historia pointing a much smaller gun at me.

"The next one's in your head." She snarled.

I put my other hand over the button. "I will press this."

"What are you doing?" She said in a panic.

"I will shoot these off before I let you use them on a country full of people."

"You are willing to kill yourself?" She said, staring at my hand.

"If it takes that."

Her other hand clenched tightly. "I should have killed you in Gilik's office."

"I thought you wanted me alive."

"I've been going back and forth on that."

"And the diplomats?" I asked accusingly.

"I was afraid they would make it too obvious I was involved."

I flexed my fingers. She flinched. I had her just where I wanted her. But would it be enough?

"I'm sorry for the hunters. But I will send these off if I have to." I said.

"What about your mother?"

My hand rose slightly. "Right now I don't see another way out of this. Either you shoot me and I die pushing the button, or I die in the blast."

"All this to kill me?"

"All this to save millions of lives."

No more smiles, no more promises. I was finally looking at the real Historia, and I did not like what I saw. I think she lied about seeing potential in me. She knew right from the start that she could control me. Not anymore.

"I'm going to ask you once." I said slowly. "Are you going to surrender?"

"No." She whispered.

I hit the button. A voice came over a speaker somewhere.

Launch in three minutes

Historia looked wildly around as metal began creaking above our heads. "Why would you do this?"

She dropped her gun and ran to the control panel. I started for the slide. If there was any chance to survive I was going to find it. The walls rumbled as the bombs began to move. I threw myself into the slide and began climbing up. With only one hand it was hard work. I could hear Historia's screams as she attempted to shut everything off.

I positioned myself with my legs on the walls and scaled up the now dry slide with my good hand. Little by little I pulled myself up. It would not have been possible had Historia and I not slid down. My hands scraped the stone and blood came out but I did not stop. The voice came on every thirty seconds to tell us the new time. I could see light with two minutes left. I pulled myself out into the Hunting Office only twenty or so seconds later. I heard a minute and a half as I sprinted through Humurom to the top. With thirty seconds left I slid down the ladder, stopping myself a few feet from the ground. I ran to the Nawing.

The whole ground shook. I lost my balance and hit the dirt as the ceiling of the bomb room moved away. The large metal clasps holding the bombs screeched. Six bombs were moving their way up out of the ground. I didn't have time to get in and fly away. I put my hands over my head and waited for the end.

# XVIII

The screeching stopped. The voice did not return. The seconds passed and nothing happened. Did Historia find a way to stop it? I lifted my head to see the six bombs pointing toward the sky. Everything was still. I got to my knees and thought about flying away before something could happen. I stalled for just a second, it was too long.

Suddenly the top of the first bomb shot into the air and landed with a clank nearby. I dove for the ground, expecting a blinding flash and the end of everything. I closed my eyes and waited. I heard a strange whizzing noise behind me, followed by a boom. It wasn't as loud as I thought it would be, and it definitely did not destroy everything. The whizzing started again more frequently. Bangs rang out in the sky. I opened my eyes and turned to the sky. Bright flashes exploded overhead, dispersing in trails of color. Little rockets shot out of the open bomb, exploding in the air. Fireworks!

The next bomb blew its top and fireworks shot out of it. The sky was soon filled with explosions of all colors and sizes. Smoke billowed up out of the first bomb as more elaborate fireworks shot out of it. The rest of the bombs' lids shot off. The sky was completely lit up now. I pushed myself back, watching warily.

The screeching of the metal clamps started again. The last bomb shook from side to side. The clamp had rusted away; it was no longer strong enough to support its weight. The other bombs followed. All the clamps were worn. The bombs fell and the fireworks shot in all directions. A few whizzed right over my head and exploded near the ground behind me.

The last bomb broke away from its clamp entirely and fell into the bomb room. All I could see was the bright flashes as they exploded in the room. Above all the noise I thought I could hear screaming, and then nothing. The bombs were empty.

The smoke lingered. I got up when I felt it was safe and peered into the giant hole. As the smoke cleared a burned body could be seen on the ground. I closed my eyes and quickly and turned away. It was over.

Everything started with a lie. The Humurom's needed something to scare Bozlin so they told the world they had nuclear weapons, even making fake ones to show off. It worked, but it didn't just scare the Bozlins. If only the outlying countries knew what was really going on. I wouldn't have grown up in a bunker and none of this would have ever happened.

I stumbled over to the Nawing. I pushed the lever up and slowly rose into the air. There was nothing left to think and no emotions left to feel. Somehow I made it out of there alive. The only thing I knew for certain as I flew back to the castle to find my friends was that it would take a long time to piece that day together in my mind, if I ever did.

I drew nearer to the castle. With the leaders of both parties dead I figured the fighting would be over I was right. Smoke continued to rise from the battlefield, but there was no more gunfire. I slowed the Nawing and stopped it by using the ground.

There were some people wandering about checking on the injured. A group of people stood near the castle. I recognized Bivton, but did not know the others. As I walked over Lace came out of the hole I told her to hide in. Without speaking she walked beside me up to the small gathering. Four people stood together. I recognized two of them when I approached. One was Morome, his clothes bloody and torn; the other was the friendly Dizurian official I had a short conversation with when I was in Dizuria. I could not remember his name.

"Ah, you must be Hardin." He said when I walked up. "I am Martvy."

I nodded, not feeling up to saying anything.

Martvy turned to the one person in the group I did not recognize. He wore the gray of a Dizurian wall guard.

"Does that sound fair to you, Jurt?" Martvy asked.

That name, I knew it from somewhere. A memory returned to the front of my mind. Billus told me that Jurt was the leader of his group that killed Milton. That was so long ago now.

"Yes." Jurt grumbled.

He was a tough looking man with short red hair. He was thinner than I expected. Actually I expected a hairy beast man, so I guess I didn't expect anything close to reality.

He looked at me with a dull expression. I smiled back. I had no use for being bitter or angry. And besides, I doubted he had half a mind to know what was going on anyway.

"Good. Now you can go and I'll fill Hardin in."

Jurt wandered off. Morome and Lace went over to where Dala was sitting. She was bloody but didn't look too bad. I couldn't believe that they were all still alive.

Martvy put his hand on my shoulder and led me around.

"When Leric died I became the leader of Dizuria. The fighting was over by that point, he killed almost everybody who was not in the castle or hiding as your friends were. We had no knowledge of where Historia was so Bivton stood in for her. Where is she?"

"Dead." I mumbled.

"Oh, bad news. Well to make things short we got together and surrendered to each other. Morome told me everything leading up to this. Congratulations on getting your bunker emptied."

I nodded, staring at the ground. The adrenaline was gone and my hand hurt tremendously where Historia shot it. It bled into my other hand and onto the ground.

"I think we need to put this whole thing behind us." He said, patting me on the back. "I am not a Domer and have no intention to use this land. It will sit vacant until the countries surrounding it decide what to do. Would you like to put this behind you and move on, Hardin?"

I nodded slightly.

"I see you have a silver bracelet. I'll get some for your friends."

"I have Leric's, do you want it back?"

"No, I don't want it. I will see that all the others are destroyed."

I liked Martvy. There was a trustworthiness I could feel as he spoke. I had no doubts that he would do what he said.

He stopped me. "And Hardin, I am so sorry for everything."

"So am I."

He shook my good hand and went back to the castle to see that everyone was leaving. I went over to the hunters, ready to leave.

"What happened out there?" Lace asked.

"I'll tell you all later. Let's just get home."

Zurrel stood near a couple of Nawings that looked to be in good condition. I asked her if we could take them. She agreed, but only if we took her along. Morome, Lace, and I flew in one. Dala and Zurrel flew in the other. We took off from the ground and went straight for the Azureland side of the wall.

Evening began. The ride was silent. We all remained in our heads, watching as the light dimmed. Almost an hour later we came down in the trees near the wall. I landed pretty well that time. I was finally getting the hang of it.

"I'm sorry everyone." I said as we came up to the wall. "This was my fault."

"No." Lace said. "It was Historia's. She tricked us all. You were the only one who could stop her. And . . . actually I don't know, did you?"

I laughed. It felt good. "She stopped herself."

"That's good enough for us."

They put their wrists up to the wall and disappeared through with their new silver bracelets. I took a last look. It would probably be my last time, and I really hoped it was. I put my own wrist up and disappeared through as well.

There was a lot of noise. Lights flashed in the fresh darkness. I immediately put my hands up, expecting the worst. Two people grabbed me and started pulling me away from the wall.

"No." A familiar voice yelled. "That's Hardin."

I was let go. I looked up to see Nara coming toward me. Her bandages removed, she looked great.

"What?" I said timidly.

"We are arresting the Domers." Nara said. "That place you told me about, it was empty when I got there. The police went in and found all sorts of documents pinning them to various crimes, including Gilik."

I saw someone dragging away Zurrel.

"She's with us. She's not a Domer."

Nara had them release her.

I told Nara that most of the Domers wouldn't be coming back. She had three police stay by the wall just in case and led me back to the government building.

"The new mayor was selected out of the council. He promoted me so I could arrest the Domers."

She continued on and talked about all the things that have happened over the past few days. I stopped listening. My hand hurt terribly and my mind began to swim to far off places. I tried my hardest not to pass out. I managed to get all the way to the Care Wing before finally losing consciousness.

I woke up the next morning with everyone I cared about all around me. My hand was bandaged but the doctors said I should be fine. The new mayor came by and introduced himself. He was very nice and said we could stay in the government building as long as we wanted to, and that our stuff had already been moved from the hotel. He did not blame us for what happened. With everyone crowded around I told the story of what happened with Leric and Historia. Afterwards I felt a lot better, but still could not fit everything together right in my mind.

The days passed slowly after that. The Humurom's stayed in the hospital for a while, but after a month most had been released. They were sent to the new town and got permission to build a whole community just for them. Most could not work yet and the new mayor had construction workers in to build the houses and train the Humuroms.

Zurrel was admitted as a citizen rather fast and had already gotten a job as a mechanic. We all attended Gilik's funeral, which became a much larger funeral and included all the Azureland Domers who died.

I heard news reports that Martvy successfully took over as leader of Dizuria. He promised change. The first thing he did was admit that the tiny country had many problems and that the Diz City would be cleaned up.

Weeks passed and soon everything became quiet and stress free. I hoped that those weeks would become my first taste of normal. I finally decided that normal didn't exist for me. But that was alright.

# XIX

Several months passed since we came out of the wall. Everything seemed to be going well. Martvy was taking Dizuria in a new direction. Trains were now allowed into Diz City. He told the world all about what his predecessors had been doing and said convincingly that it was all over. He told all about the battle. He had to so the families of the Domers knew exactly how their loved ones died.

It was a new day in Azureland, at least I thought it looked like one. With Leric gone I could walk freely around the city without fear of getting killed. No one knew who I was and we hoped to keep it that way. A story came out saying that the man from the wall was killed in the battle in the dome. It was all right with me. I didn't want to answer any more questions about what went on in that bomb room.

The towns that were being built now had names: New Bozlin and New Humurom. I couldn't wait to move out there. I visited once and was treated as a hero by both the Humuroms and the Bozlins. The houses were really coming along and news of businesses opening gave the towns real meaning.

Just over three months after we came out of the wall we got the news that we would be moving. The day before we left I remember sitting on the couch in the room when Stud rolled through the door.

"Ready to go to our new houses?" He asked happily.

"Oh yes, I can't wait to be out of here." I said.

"I know how you feel." Stud said, tapping the sides of his wheelchair.

"It'll be a welcome change."

"I got you a present." He held out a small book.

"For what?"

"For everything you did for me." He threw me the book.

I leafed through it. "It's blank."

"Remember how you said you were having trouble getting everything sorted in your head? Well write everything down and it might sort itself out."

That was a good idea. "Thank you."

Nara knocked at the open door and came in.

"Good, you're still here. I wanted to see you before you left." We hugged. "Are you still coming to my parents' house in a few weeks?"

"Of course, everyone is so excited."

"I know I am." Stud chimed in.

"And the Journey Ship after that." I said.

"I'll try to take time off to go with you."

"And then I go to work." I announced.

"So you got a job?" Nara asked.

"They're opening a bakery in New Humurom. They were happy to hear that I wanted to be a part of it. At first they suggest I be mayor, but I know that's a hard job. I like the idea of being a baker and making real food."

"I have to be going." Nara said. "I just wanted to see you before you left. I'll come out and visit you as soon as I can."

She left Stud and I to our thoughts.

"So you two?" Stud asked with a strange smile.

"I don't know." I said, staring at the open door. "We've been hanging out a lot, but she has a lot to do."

Mama came in next.

"Hardy, do you think you could get that case out of the closet? I already packed it."

"You are still going to take that?" I groaned, getting up.

"I like it. I will always remember getting through a bad time with it. Now I need to go make sure Lace, Dala, Morome, and Peter are ready."

"Just call them the hunters, that's what I do."

"They aren't hunting anything anymore."

I went to the closet as Mama left.

"I should get going as well." Stud said. I haven't even started packing."

"See you." I said from the closet.

He rolled up to me. "Are we still going to meet the Kilray's at that fancy restaurant tonight?"

"Yes, they should be arriving soon. Mr. Kilray insisted on taking us all out for our last night here."

Stud left the room.

I pulled the case down and tossed it onto Mama's bed. The blue triangle with the orange eye unnerved me. I hated what it stood for. I sat down next to it and looked it over. I had seen it only a few times, usually I didn't even acknowledge it's presence in the closet.

I walked over to the window and looked out over the city one last time. It seemed so peaceful now. I picked up the blank book Stud gave me. I wondered where I would start. Probably on the day Milton and I got the cases. That would be as good a starting point as any. There was one thing that I still didn't understand about that day. Why would some random Dizurian be standing in the middle of nowhere by himself with two cases? Maybe he had a secret job to do.

I dropped the book. A quote flashed through my head. It was something that Leric said right before he died. I couldn't remember it entirely but it was something about giving the Dizurian key to someone to bury, and it was stolen from him.

I turned my head slowly toward the case that sat on the bed. My breathing deepened and I began to shake. I slowly went for it; afraid it might jump off the bed and scurry away. I opened it slowly. Mama's clothes were packed in tightly. In my excitement I tossed the clothes out onto the floor. I rubbed my hands together and started feeling along the inside. There was a fifty percent chance that I had the wrong case. I couldn't find anything. I started knocking softly on it. The inside was soft. Halfway across the lining of the lid I felt something hard. My heart skipped. I felt around. There was definitely something there. I peeled back the lining, revealing a thin rectangular object. I pulled it out. It was two centimeters thick and several inches long. It was tan with several windows onto a computer board of some sort.

In my exuberance I left the object on the bed and ran from the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and to the mayor's office. A few minutes later I stood in the bedroom with Mama, the mayor, and Nara.

"I see you kept my clothes folded." Mama joked. Her clothes were in piles all over the floor.

"I'll be." The mayor said. "That is indeed a key to the wall."

The mayor went straight to his office and called Martvy. I had to wait outside. He came out and said that Martvy gave us permission to use the key to help bring down the dome.

It would take several more days but all the leaders were ready to bring it down. The president got involved. He would not give his permission unless the Bozlins and Humuroms agreed. He gave me the task of asking them.

The day after finding the key we all found ourselves on a train out to the new town. The station was a half mile away, but we were all up for the walk. The town was in two sections. We first came to the Bozlin section. Houses of all shapes and sizes were on either side of a long park. They had a say in what their homes would look like. The businesses were the dividing line between the two towns. There was a bank, a bakery, several little stores, and room for more. The Humurom side had many of the houses looking the same. The Humurom's didn't care what theirs looked like.

I tossed my stuff into the two story house we were given and ran back to get the leaders of the town together. Orin and Ret were the leaders of Bozlin, and somebody I didn't know was elected the new leader of Humurom. They all agreed that the wall should come down. I was a little surprised that they agreed so fast.

I caught the next train back to the city and told the president the news. The time was set and a few days later the observation floor of the government building was filled to capacity. Everyone I knew was there.

We looked out over the city and at the giant dome that would be coming down in a matter of minutes. Nara stood close. We all knew what time it would happen. The countdown began with a minute left. I grabbed Nara's hand and didn't let go. I stared at the dome one final time. Somewhere deep inside something began to churn, to rumble. All the memories of the last year or so came back in a rush. I started to cry. Nara put her other hand around my shoulders as I tried in vain to keep my emotions in check. Everyone shouted _One!_ And the dome flickered. The light faded and cracks formed, slow and small at first, and then becoming larger and faster. We watched in awe as the top gave way and crumbled in on itself. The material wasn't anything normal. As it crumbled it turned to bright specks, similar to dust. Huge clouds of sparkling wall came up and blocked the destruction of the rest.

Everyone cheered. I began to laugh from relief. The sparkles cleared and nothing was left. The edge of town led to a forest with trees not seen by Azureland for far too long. I could see past the trees into the fields and knew for certain that the adventures really were over. I had accomplished so much.

The observation deck emptied but we stayed put. We could see little people rushing into the forest. We sat and watched silently as the world changed.

The next morning we were back on a train to our new town. Decisions on the newly exposed land would take time. Until then I had a great place to live with great people. My life was beginning again.

#  XX

The mayor gave me the papers necessary to get a job anywhere in Azureland. I got an I.D. card. I chose the surname Kilray.

It was decided that Bozlin and Humurom would be rebuilt. The only places that would be left alone would be the two bunkers. They were to become memorials for those who died in the dome. Some Bozlins and Humuroms left to be a part of the rebuild, but most did not. After everything that happened I chose to stay back. Azureland was my home, and I did not want that to change. The hunters and Stud agreed.

We took our Journey Ship voyage. We left from a coastal town in Dizuria and were on the sea for three days. We explored little islands and then came back. The ship had more things to do than the train. We spent our evenings going to dinner theater and watching fireworks. It was hard for me to disassociate fireworks from my previous memory of them.

Time moved quickly. I woke up each morning and before I knew it I was back in bed. Weeks blew by in the quiet and lazy town of New Humurom. The businesses employed everyone who could work, with half of the income going back to Azureland. No one knew how to use the new technologies and most did not bother with it. The evenings were spent wandering around the park enjoying the summer heat. People dressed like those in the paintings I used to look at in the Files Office. They now hung in my house. When I looked at them I remembered how much I longed for that life.

Nara came out to visit at least once a month, and I visited her in Wall City just as much. We got married a year after the wall came down. Everyone in New Humurom came to the wedding. I moved into an apartment in Wall City with her. Six months later we found out that she was pregnant. Mama came frequently after that. Our son, Joseph Milton Kilray was born several months later.

Unfortunately happiness never lasts too long. Soon after Joseph was born the citizens of New Humurom got disturbing news from doctors. The diets that they lived on for so long were slowly killing them. Nutrition was a slow acting poison. The older citizens began to die. Within two years most of the elderly had died. Mama became suddenly very ill when Joseph was only three years old. After a short battle with disease she died. It was a hard time for everyone that knew her, but I knew that she believed the extra years she had were a gift. If it hadn't been for Azureland she would have been gone much sooner.

I didn't go back to New Humurom for years after that. I didn't want the memories to return all at once. I stayed with Nara in Wall City. She ran for mayor, narrowly losing. She didn't spend much time feeling bad; she immediately got ready for the next election three years later, which she won.

I took Stud's advice and wrote down everything that happened from finding the case all those years ago to the day the wall came down. I let Nara read it and she thought it should be published. I wasn't sure at first but came around in the end. _The Tales of a Humurom_ became a best seller in Azureland. It was the first time the whole story came out about the man from the wall. I became known as the father of modern Humurom. It was a far reaching title but I took it as the highest compliment.

Nara won a second term as mayor. It wasn't long before I got called back to New Humurom for another crisis. Stud became ill. He was weaker than most because of his condition when I found him lying in the bomb room. The doctors said he only lasted as long as he did because he was young. I sat by his side as he left this world. It was another hard blow for me.

Only Joseph and Nara could snap me out of my sadness. The original Humurom's now had children that took their place in New Humurom. Morome had twins, Lace had four sons, and Peter had a daughter. They all married Azures. Dala got married last, but never had kids.

As the years passed we all continued to be very close. I went to all of their weddings and was there shortly after each child was born. We got together for every holiday. Nara won reelection twice and finally called a quits after three terms. We had a daughter eight years after Joseph. We named her Patricia Ellen Kilray after both of our mothers.

Twenty years after the wall came down Lace died. It was the same disease that came from years of Nutrition eating. I made sure to go to a doctor frequently. Some of us were too stubborn. Morome went a couple of years after his cousin.

It was a hard life for a Humurom, but we were treated as heroes by the younger generations. They read my story and appreciated our contributions to the world in a historical sense. Peter and I often visited schools across the country and told them all about our lives.

Peter went back to the Humurom bunker a lot and came back with stories about how the town around it was built up again. I didn't want to hear about it. Now that so many from that time in my life were gone I didn't want to go back. I told myself that if they were still with me I would go, but I knew I wouldn't even then. The bunker was opened as a museum and Peter was there to cut the ribbon. Dala and I never understood his wanting to go back. We were both sick of the stories and as we grew older would only tell them if we were forced to.

Thirty five years after the wall came down Peter died. He went out a hero. He had the biggest funeral since Gilik's. It was held in Wall City. Dala and I went, but we got away from the crowds quick and went back to New Humurom. I don't think people liked us anymore. We were called a lot of names for sneaking away from the funeral. They didn't understand. They hadn't lived through what we did, but they talked as though they knew how we felt. Nobody knew. We were the last ones left of our home. No other Humurom's were alive by that point. Every time I was in New Humurom we would get together at the old bakery and talk. We never once mentioned the bunker.

Old age took us soon enough. We aged differently than everyone else. Nara looked great for her age but I looked at least ten years older. I spent much of my time on the balcony of our Wall City home and looked out to where the dome once was. I was glad it was gone and I knew how much it cost us to get it down. I just wished all the young kids knew. The newer generations were so used to how the world looked by now that we were no longer recent history as we were in the twenty years following the wall, but ancient history.

The years continued to pass. Just one month ago was the fiftieth anniversary of the wall coming down. Just a few days after that Joseph, now a prominent business man, came to tell me Dala had died. I sat in my chair that night and thought about all our great adventures together. I felt like things were over for me too. I knew I didn't have much time left. I sat in the same chair for days on end, only getting up to eat or use the bathroom. Everyone forgot about me, and I was beginning to forget as well.

A doctor came by the other day. He gave me the bad news I had been expecting for years. I secretly wished that I had gone first. But that didn't matter anymore. I was fully prepared to spend my last few days in that chair. That's when Nara came and sat beside me one night.

"I want you to go back to the bunker." She said, her white hair flowing down to her shoulders.

I took her hand. "You know I can't do that."

"Why?"

This was the first time she talked to me about the bunker in many years. I thought about it, but could not find any excuse to not go now.

She came prepared. Joseph and Patricia came in.

"We think you should go dad." Joseph said.

"Just once." Patricia added on.

That was it. I didn't have much say in the matter, not that I was willing to fight it. They were right. Before I go I should at least get one final look at the place where it all started. We would leave in the morning.

Patricia didn't come with us; she had to be at work. She was the mayor of New Humurom. It was just me and Joseph.

He loaded me in the front seat of his car and started for the new freeway. I looked out the window at all the new cities and towns that took the place of the fields I was once so used to. The freeway took us through Wall City, which looked almost the same. It was an old city now and was no longer the center of attention.

For the first time in years I was back in Bozlin. Towns were everywhere. The forest was mostly gone now. The only place I recognized was the field with the bunker. I looked at the line of people waiting to try out the entrance grates. Just a few minutes later we slowed in a city. If it wasn't for the mountain in the distance I wouldn't have even known where we were. Houses and stores were everywhere. I had a hard time looking at it all.

My eyes caught something in a glass case on the side of the road next to a church. A cross. I pressed my face to the window and tried to see what the marker said next to it. We went by too fast and I didn't want to go back.

Joseph pulled into the parking lot next to the mountain. I told him I wanted to go by myself. He helped me out of the car and watched as I went up to the ticket window. They saw who I was and let me through, saying that it was a real joy to have me. The ladder was still there, but there was a lift that took people up now. I got in it with a family who thankfully didn't recognize me. We rose up into the air. I got a good look at the city from up there. Maybe I was too hard on it. After all it was better than what I was used to there.

The family went in ahead. I took a moment to look at the door, still standing ajar with a giant hole blown out of it. It was roped off. I stepped inside. My footsteps echoed though the busy halls as did everybody else's. For an instant I thought I was back after a day of hunting. I leaned against the wall for support until I was better. All of the rooms were open with either a rope blocking it or glass covering the entryway. I wandered about getting a feel for everything again.

I stopped outside Residence 404. A plaque on the wall told this was Hardin's room and that he went on to become the founder of the country. I could just barely smell the awful stench of all the medicines the medics tried on Mama. I laughed a little.

I made my way all the way down, looking into all the rooms. It was a much better experience than I ever thought it would be. My pace quickened and I was walking faster than I had in a long time. The Dining Area was filled with tables and chairs again instead of the beds I had seen on my last trip. I ended the excursion with a look at the old spring, which was not roped off. At the end of the rocky tunnel was a statue of a man and woman in the tattered and old outfits we used to have to wear. It was to commemorate all the lives lost in there over the years. On the back wall were two gold plaques.

To The Families Who Lived Their Lives Here

And. . . .

To The Saviors Who Liberated Them

I started to cry. Years of feeling like I was forgotten vanished. Those of us who lived there were still cared about and we always would be.

A boy and his mother came up behind me.

"Why is he crying Mama?" The boy asked.

"This is a sad place. Here, let's leave him alone."

I laughed quietly to myself through the tears. This wasn't a sad place. I didn't know how I could have ever thought it was. This bunker was the happiest place in the entire world. Nowhere else could the human spirit be felt so strong. Nowhere else could it be said that a few people rejected the rules to make sure everyone had a better life. The hunters and I didn't just save Humurom. We saved Bozlin and Dizuria and maybe even Azureland as well.

I turned away and went back up to the exit, feeling better than I had in a very long time. I stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the city below me. This was all because one person wanted to get his mother real food. I smiled and began to cry again. I didn't want to look away.

I eventually went down and by nightfall was back in my house in New Humurom. I told Joseph to throw out that old chair I had been sitting in. I went up to my bedroom with a fresh journal. I wanted to write the rest of my story.

Obits

Hardin Kilay, known to many as the father of modern Humurom died last night in his home in New Humurom. He was surrounded by friends and family. Mr. Kilray had just returned from his first visit of the Humurom Bunker Museum and Memorial. He was 73.
Also by A.S. Morrison

The Last Golden Rose

Poiye

Hardin's War

Hardin's Dilemma

The Tunnel Dream

The Little Brown Box

A Translation of Inspiration

Three Very Short Stories

Evening's with Littleberry and Other Short Stories

A. Candle's Light

