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“My parents told me about it, but when I was born they would only take selected children. There was no reason to their madness.”

             
Donovan nodded his head trying to accept the craziness of it all. Looking about, he turned his attention back to her. “Will they send more of those stalkers, and hunter-killers, as you call them?”

             
She shook her head, shivering at the thought. “I don't know. I don't even want to stay to find out. I only know they generally execute women on sight.”

             
“Maybe your dad is still alive,...”

             
“Listen if he is great, all I know is to go south. He would want me to fight to live another day, got it?” she screamed.

             
The silence grew thick neither one wanting to talk any more. Donovan didn't understand her sudden hostility. Maybe it would have been better to be alone, he thought. The wind picked up and the temperature begin to plummet. He huddled into a tight position against the rocks.

             
She didn't look at him for a while. Why did she lash out at him? Pain of losing someone you loved was hard enough. She didn't want to get close to anyone again. Alone, no home, nothing but hardship, then came this stranger. She stopped her thought process. Sighing hard, she rose up with the sleeping bag and walked to Donovan. “This is your bag, use it.”

             
He didn't move, “no I gave it to you.”

             
“Well its clearly big enough for both of us.”

             
He stood up, “all right, and it's getting colder.” Together they again laid it out and crawled into the comforting bag.

             
Feeling something digging into his backside he searched with his hand.

             
“What are you doing?” she complained. “Don't you even think about it, mister.”

             
“Its a freaking rock digging into me,” he explained. Settling down again, he gazed at the stars.

             
She finally looked at him, “its really nice isn't it?”

             
“Indeed, if anyone is living on one of those stars, I hope they are having a better time then us.”

             
She teased him with a elbow into his side. “Did you even consider they might be having a harder time then us?”

             
“Maybe, but say, you never told me what you would like to eat.” Their breathing made swirling clouds in the night air.

             
“Bratwurst cook on a grill,” she quickly answered.

             
He turned his head looking at her, “Whats that?”

             
“Well my dad time to time would pull out a antique grill, it was a really old fashion way of cooking food. They actually used fire. Could you imagine cooking that way, all the time?”

             
“Why not just use the krago?” he asked.

             
She turned on her side, this was a rare chance to talk, and feel half way safe about it. “We had a krago, but the taste of food cooked over a open fire, was delicious. With mustard, those long rolls, my dad would cut them and add all kinds of different sauces.”

             
Donovan pondered how he knew and remembered the krago? They were used to replicate food, drink, they even mixed and cooked the ingredients for you. The dream of course, he remembered seeing the appliance in the kitchen. He looked down at her, but she had fallen asleep. Pulling up the covers to her neck. He rolled his eyes but didn't move for she was using his chest for a pillow. He fell right to sleep himself.

Chapter 7

             
Rachel found herself, laying on Donovan's chest. She looked up at him for a moment. No scars nor signs of a rough life, maybe he wasn't lying about coming from some container. Not wanting to wake him she eased up from her prone position. Her back was extremely sore. She quietly stretched in an attempt to ease the pain.

             
Walking a few steps beyond the rock cropping, the morning sun was starting to paint the sky, revealing its presence. Looking to the north, she saw nothing unusual. Why had those machines come after them. The only thing she knew, they rarely captured a woman, instead they were executed on sight. The only other female she ever saw was hung, and the gang she had been with all perished trying to save her.

             
Why did those people want to stay in those towns? She felt it was unnecessary to remain in such a hostile environment. She looked down at Donovan. What made him want to go north? He had been alone, but how long she didn't know, she made it a point to ask him.

             
She kicked his foot. “Are you going to sleep all day?” She watched him blink his eyes multiple times.

             
“What's for breakfast?” he asked.

             
“Dave's,” She sat down in front of him, grabbing her water bottle, taking a sip.

             
“Dave's?” unfamiliar with the term.

             
“It was a breakfast diner. They didn't use kragos nor simulators to make food, it was all cooked over stoves, prepared by hand.”

             
“Sounds good.” He thought of his mom making stuff by hand.

             
“Yeah the alliance came and shut his business down. Most of his family disappeared, into the cover of night.”

             
“Why was that?”

             
She continued to gaze at him, “story was, his daughter was sought after by an alliance official. Matt, her brother caught him, and with revenge killed him. The family tried to cover it all up, but those stalkers came around, it was the first time they were used. The son were accused of being a spy for some other sector. The rest of the family just vanished. I hope they just escaped but I have a feeling the alliance took them away.”

             
They both took their VS-771, enjoying several sips of water.               “We should reach the shelter soon.” Taking out his compass, getting a azimuth, he continued to teach himself the use of the tool.

             
She was eager to know what this shelter was, and this time, she walked beside him. She noted he periodically gazed at her. “What?” she finally questioned.

             
“You're usually back there somewhere.” gesturing with his hand. He noticed she still struggled with the sleeping bag but said nothing this time.

             
“And I believe I told you, that if you laid one hand on me, I'd speed up your untimely death.”

             
“You're having a hard time just carrying around that sleeping bag. I doubt you could kill me,” he scoffed.

             
Angered by his sarcasm, she kicked the calf of his leg, “ouch,” she cried out, surprised by the strength of his leg, it actually hurt her own foot.

             
Stopping Donovan looked at her, “why would you do that?”

             
Growing a little flustered, Rachel glared at him “its called horseplay.”

             
“Horseplay, I never heard of that before?”

             
“Its just a form of rough play, like teasing,” she explained.

             
Growing in thought, he turned just enough at a angle to her. Kicking her behind the knee, he watched her fall forward a few feet. Lifting his eyebrows in total surprise.

             
The sleeping bag absorbed much of her impact. She glared up at him.

             
“And this is for fun? Did you enjoy that?” he asked innocently.

             
“Oh shut up,” she fired back with injured pride.

             
Walking to her, he noted she glared at him suspiciously. He held out his hand to her. Reluctantly she took it. “How did you get so strong?”

             
Shrugging his shoulders, “I don't know, am I strong?” he questioned.

             
“You overpowered several of those stalkers and hunter-killers by hand, you broke one of those man catchers by hand.” Once lifted up, she still had to look up at him. She soften her gaze, even cracked a smile. She realized if he wanted, he could have had his way with her. Donovan was clearly much stronger then she was. Her trust in him grew. “Will you place the sleeping bag in the backpack?”

             
“Of course,” and he set to work. Side by side they set off once again. After several hours of walking, they came upon a hill. He wondered if she would notice the rock formation about the area.

             
“the problem with a hill, is you can see a long ways, but you make yourself noticeable,” she implied.

             
“Do you see anything unusual?”

             
She looked about. “Just a hill, rocks and dirt.”

             
Donovan comprehended that Rachel was viewing things has if she was hunted prey. She was a survivalist. “Nothing else?”

             
She shook her head no. “I'm tired, thirsty, and well pretty much frighten,” she finally admitted.

             
He pulled out the sunglasses and placed them on. She watched on with curiosity. He could see the entrance. Donovan started walking towards the door, he turned back to face her. Rachel had a surprised expression, while she stared in total disbelief of him. She kept her seat on the ground, growing a little unsure of his intentions.

             
“Come on,” he encouraged.

             
“Where did you get those?” she asked.

             
“I'll explain it once we are inside.”

             
“Inside what?” she didn't budge.

             
He walked back to her. “These are some special glasses my parents gave me, here take a look.”

             
Hesitating, she placed on the glasses. “what the,...” she could see the image of a door. Pulling the glasses down, the image vanished.

             
“Had enough?” holding out his hand.

             
“This is that shelter you told me about?”

             
“Yes my parents went to great lengths to ensure of my safety.” he explained.

             
“You left this, to go to a destroyed town? You're a idiot.”

             
He snatched the glasses, out of her hand. “I saved your ass, didn't I? Now come on.” Walking to the entrance, she followed along this time behind him. “First is a ladder that goes down about thirty feet,” he explained.

             
Once inside the room, she looked about in amazement. “You were not lying after all.” She slowly walked the room, ignoring his irritated expression. She stopped in front of the large pod that had a number of hoses, tubes and panels connected to it.

             
“I was in that container, when I woke up.”

             
She poked her head inside, but didn't like the confinement it presented. The vast amount of technology they had back then, she thought to herself. “I know nothing of this, but it still looks brand new.” She glanced at him, and could understand a little about him now, waking up in such a contraption. “You don't remember anything?” she asked.

             
“No, and in one of the chips, they debated on what to reveal to me and they weren't sure how well this pod would work. Some of its programming involved education that was transferred to me mentally, how successful it was is unknown.”

             
“So you don't even know how old you were when you were placed inside?”

             
“No I don't, I have vague memories of being five or six.”

             
Rachel didn't respond, she only gazed at the creation for a few more minutes. “Show me these chips.”

             
He shook his head no. “Later, first I want to show you something really nice, we both deserve.”

             
She grew attentive, she could trust him more, she reasoned has she observed his actions.

             
He placed the energy cell into the slot and turned on the main power.

             
“What are you doing?” She grew quite curious.

             
“I'm powering up a shower, and while you take a shower, I will use the energy to make more drinking water.

             
She stepped closer to the circular room, examining the three shower heads in the wall.

             
“You need to take your cloths off,...”

             
“I know how to take a shower,” she interrupted.

             
He grew flustered. “I'm getting tired of your condescending remarks to me.

             
“Donovan, you really need thicker skin.”

             
“Your shower is now ready,” came a computerized voice.

             
Rachel stepped back shocked at the voice.

             
“Make it quick I only have five of those power cells.”

             
This time she remained quite. She dropped her tattered clothing and stepped into the shower.

             
“Please make a selection before entering the shower,” came the computer voice.

             
“What, how?” she said out loud.

             
Donovan walked over to the panel. He ignored Rachel's reaction of covering herself with her arms. Pressing some control buttons. “I programmed a ten minute shower for you.” He walked back to the HO-2 and started filling water bottles. The main power reduced the amount of time it took for a bottle to be filled with water. Pausing his work, he glanced at her.

             
Her body was not has tan, has he thought. She was quite thin, but still very attractive.

             
She looked back at him, both neither one said anything. He returned to his task of filling the bottles.

             
Ok so he saw her nude, it didn't really bother her, in fact he had not made any real advances on her. The shower made her feel so good, the first time in a very long while. When the shower ended, she started a search for a towel, looking about, she noticed several drawers, opening one, was washcloths, a few bottles of shampoo, soap, and some fresh clothing. “Why didn't you tell me you had all this?”

             
“Had all of what?” he asked, looking up from his work.

             
She gestured to the open drawers of items, she discovered.

             
“I didn't know they were there.” He walked over and saw towels, and other common items that were now priceless.

             
“What is wrong with you?” she questioned. “You don't even know whats in your own shelter?”

             
He started to protest her mocking comments, but instead walked over to a chair and sat down, feeling a bit down trodden.

             
She looked through the clothing and found a pair of pants that looked very durable but soft. “Can I have these?” she asked, not waiting for a answer, she tried them on, and were a bit baggy, but she was able to adjust them. She then pulled a shirt over herself, and adjusted it. She looked at Donovan. Now what's wrong with him, she wondered. “You have the means to live like a king here!”

             
“To live for what purpose?”

             
“Obviously your parents or someone went to great length to see to it, you live and survive, to restart fresh and new.”

             
He looked at her, gazing at her new clothing, he saw her face in new light. Her cheek bones were high, giving her a pleasant looking smile. “Maybe you're right. I just wonder about things.”

             
“Like what?” she sat down next to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder rubbing it.

             
“Like why didn't they come with me, why did they leave me in the dark about things?”

             
“Well you said they worked for the Alliance?”