Part Nine: Flight


The ride was a long one, and Gaele was fussing. Raphael and Mike dozed in spite of her noise, and Don watched the road slide past, paying no attention to any of them. They had dropped Marietta off at her father's house, and sped north, on the road that paralleled the river.

Rahab could not take any more. She tapped Don's shoulder until he turned toward her. "Please, can't we stop at a store or gas station or something? Gaele's on her last diaper...and she's probably hungry."

Don sighed. "I thought we brought enough."

"Sure, that covered breakfast. I also have to GO."

Don promptly turned forward and opened the partition between the passenger and the driver seats. He spoke briefly to Thomas, the driver, and then closed it again. He settled back and smiled at Rahab. "How are you doing?"

Gaele's squalling had finally let up from exhaustion and she had fallen into a fitful sleep in Rahab's arms.

"I'm okay. A little sore, though." She picked up her tail and ran her hand along the length of it to feel the bruises.

"You did well," Don said.

"What do you mean?"

"Defending yourself. I had a look at your assailant, after the fact." He gently took her hand in his and inspected her claws. "I envy your weaponry."

She had tried to clean her claws with one of Gaele's wipes, but they still had the black residue of dried blood lodged under the cuticles.

"Disgusting, aren't they?"

"Why do you say that?"

"They look awful, with that all over them. It was a dreadful thing to do."

"If you had attacked out of malice, it would have been disgusting. You attacked to protect your little one, and that is a good thing. You saved her, as well as the woman and yourself. Don't be ashamed of your accomplishment, Rahab. The man certainly had no business entering our home without our permission, especially with such evil intent."

"Was he armed?"

Don nodded almost imperceptably. "All of them were."

"Guns?"

"No guns. Blades."

"Knives?"

"Swords... Katana. Shakken, wakizashe... they meant business." Don said the exotic names with ease. "But they had nothing on you." He gingerly pressed his thumb against one of her claw tips. "It's a good thing you did not trim these."

"I can't. They have nerve endings right up to the tip. They would bleed, as well. See?" She held her forefinger up to the window to show Don the tiny capillaries in the keratinous sheath.

Don looked closely at it. "I see. Iguana's claws. It would be the same if I trimmed my carapace... interesting."

"I'll trim YOUR carapace," Raphael mumbled in his sleep.

Rahab smothered a giggle.

Don grinned at her. "I am honored to have you for a sister," he said.

She opened her mouth in surprise, but at that moment, the car pulled into a gas station. Thomas, the driver, went in to get a key, and the sudden stillness stirred the sleepers. They yawned huge yawns, and scratched themselves, and looked around groggily. The driver soon returned with a box of disposable diapers and a key with a large plastic tag on it, and handed them through the open door.

The car was backed into the side alley, so Rahab could get out with Gaele and go into the restroom, without being seen by passersby. She looked around, but Thomas was standing at the entrance to the alley, to turn any gawkers away. Gratefully she ducked in and turned on the hot water to wash her hands. She quickly washed and changed Gaele, and dressed her in clean sleepers, though she had some trouble as to how to position her tail with diapers that only accomodated tailless human babies. In the end she just tucked the tail inside the diaper, and hoped Gaele wouldn't mind.

She looked up at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, and continued to stare. She wasn't the same creature that was cowering on the bedroom floor last night. There was a new light in her eyes, almost... fierce.

"I am honored to have you for a sister," Don had said.

She smiled at her reflection, and finished washing up.

After opening the door and cautiously looking around, she went back out. The driver was still keeping vigil in front of the car.

Then they were on their way again.

The car's tired crunched gravel on long, empty road that lead to some sort of huge government facility: A group of long, two-story grey buildings stood surrounded by chain link fences twenty feet high, topped by razor wire, and guard towers every few hundred yards. A small gatehouse split the road in two, in front of a massive double gate, where a heavily armed guard stood waiting for the car to stop. He looked intently at the driver's identification, then waved him through.

"Where are we?" Rahab watched the tall automated gate slide shut behind them.

"Maximum security," Mike said, straight faced.

"What?"

"It's a prison, Rahab, but Don's place is around the back," Raphael said.

She looked with apprehension as they passed rows of heavily barred brick buildings, with fenced basketball courts between each row. "Why would Don have a place HERE?"

"Like I said, maximum security." Mike bounced Gaele on his knee.

Don turned away from speaking with Thomas. "We will spend the next 24 hours here, until I can get the arrangements."

"Then where," Rahab asked.

No one answered.

The building they stayed in was adjacent to an airstrip, well away from the rest of the compound, surrounded by its own fences. There were hangars, some empty, some locked up. The car stopped in one of the empty ones, and the broad doors rolled shut on them.

They slowly emerged from the car, stretching, and followed Don through a passageway, into a large room with all sorts of electronic equipment, and through other rooms that vaguely reminded Rahab of the labs she worked in, long ago. They entered a spacious apartment through yet another passageway. It had a kitchen, two small bedrooms with bunk beds all leading into a central room. It looked terribly institutionalized for Rahab's taste, but the bed was comfortable. She stretched out on it, only then realizing how tired she was, she had barely slept in the last day and a half.

Someone tweaked her toes. She raised up on her hands and looked around to see Raphael leaning over her. "You hungry, babe?"

She could smell something cooking, that caused her stomach to grind emptily. She kicked off the comforter that had been laid on her, the one brought from home. It was pitch dark outside.

"What time is it," she murmered sleepily.

"Almost four."

"What, did I miss dinner?"

Raph laughed quietly. "I guess prob'ly! You've been asleep almost 12 hours... hate to wake you, but Don wants to call a meeting, this morning. You'll have to keep an eye on Gaele, until we get back."

"Oh," Rahab said in disappointment. "Another guy thing, huh?"

Raphael gave her a long look. "It's a clan thing, Rahab. No big deal."

"A debriefing?"

"You'll be alright, Thomas will hang with ya." He gave her chin an affectionate tweak, and left.

She got up and went into the kitchen. The table was laid out for breakfast, and Gaele was scrambling into Mike's lap, as he peeled her a banana. When he saw Rahab, he got up and wordlessly handed the baby to her, and dashed out. Gaele swallowed the banana she had crammed in her mouth, and stood up in Rahab's lap, to reach across the table for the fruit bowl. She grabbed a slice of cantaloupe, and bit into it, rind and all.

"No, Gaele," Rahab said absently. "Here, let me get that." She wrested it out of Gaele's fist and trimmed the rind, while Gaele protested. She settled down as soon as Rahab handed her the succulent fruit and ate it with gusto. Rahab ate her breakfast with almost as much enthusiasm, her appetite had risen sharply the past few days. Must have been the stress...

Thomas paused his kitchen cleaning to nod politely to her. "Good morning, Rahab."

"Good morning, uhm, Thomas." She still felt reserved and self conscious around humans.

"Would you like your tea, now?"

"Yes... thank you."

He immediately set to preparing her a cup, and brought it to her, grinning and making small talk as though she were perfectly normal... Normal? What is really... normal? Gaele must consider her mother and father and uncles to be normal. She must think humans look strange, the way she reacts when she sees one. She had gotten used to Marietta, and now Thomas, to the point of following him around like a duckling, chattering incessantly and getting into things.

Rahab tried to admonish the curious toddler, but Thomas said he didn't mind, in fact he was flattered by her trust in him. After talking with him a while, she learned he was Don's right hand man, and had been working for him for nearly a decade. His parents were from Okinawa, but he was born in San Jose, California. He had been working through high school as an office boy for a Japanese company, when he had met Don who was attending a board meeting, there. Don was impressed with his low-key manner and precise work habits, and offered him a job as his personal valet. Thomas had sharp, asian features, a jet black crewcut, and was small for a man, but his corded forearms under his rolled up shirt sleeves denoted great power and agility. He moved like a cat as he cleared the dishes and straightened up the room. Rahab wondered if he were ninja, too. She didn't dare ask.

The sun was nearly up when Mike burst in, and scooped Gaele off the rug where she had been playing. He held her high above him, as she giggled and squealed. He laughed in response and tickled her round belly.

Raphael was already pouring himself a cup of coffee from the caraffe, as Don came in at a more leisurely pace, eyes distant, and promptly went into the other bedroom.

The rest of the day was quiet and uneventful. Gaele fell asleep after lunch, and Mike took her with him into the bedroom he shared with Don, to nap with her.

Rahab lay down on the bed in her room, to rest and think. Raphael followed, and stretched out on the floor on the mat he'd used the night before, because Rahab's bed was too narrow for two. The mat looked much wider... he gestured for her to join him, which she did, gladly. She pulled the comforter with her and they rolled up in it together and slept.

A noise woke Rahab, like the sound of rushing wind. She wriggled free of the blankets and peered out the window. It was dark already, and she could see flashing lights and the silhouette of some sort of aircraft taxiing slowly toward the line of hangers. It rolled to a stop, and several figures in orange coveralls jumped out and were running back and forth with equipment. She could see Don standing out there with them, shoulders hunched, hands deep in his pockets, feet braced against the stiff breeze, as he watched them work.

"S'goin' on?" She looked to see Raphael sitting up, trying to focus on her. "Man, I slept like roadkill-"

"I HATE it when you say that." Rahab moved away from the window. "There's an airplane out there. Are we supposed to go on that, or what?" She rummaged in a bag for her sweater.

"Hey... take it easy, sweetheart," Raphael came up and embraced her from behind.

"Where are we going, Raphael?" Rahab asked, craning her neck to look at him.

"California."

"Really?" Rahab turned in his arms and clasped his neck. "It's about time. I miss it."

"Why didn't you say so before? We coulda gone."

"I didn't know I had a choice."

"Course you do."

Mike leaned in, holding a well bundled-up Gaele. "Showtime, folks!"

Rahab hurriedly dressed in her outerwear, as Raphael grabbed up her bag, and herded her out through the rear door. The arctic cold blast of wind made her catch her breath, as she half ran and slid, hanging on to the back of Raphael's coat. It was terribly dark now, no moon, and few lights.

Don stood by the front hatchway of the aircraft, and helped her up the steps. When everyone was in, Don climbed in and shut the hatch door. Rahab barely had time to sit down and fasten her seat belt, when the plane moved. She watched the tiny blue marker lights pass the window, and the faint lights of the prison twinkling in the distance, as the plane turned into takeoff position. Rahab nervously grabbed Raphael's arm.

"What, you've flown before," he said, squeezing her hand.

"I know."

The turbines powered up. She watched the wing flaps move up and down, then go back into position. It was an odd looking plane, she thought, and wondered if it was one of the things Don had designed. She felt the force of acceleration, as the marker lights flew past in a blue stream of light that suddenly fell away, as the plane left the ground. Once they reached level flight, she could breathe again.

Rahab looked around at the others sitting quietly, obviously lost in their own separate worlds. She'd never seen them like this before. Either they were still recovering from their recent physical and mental exertions, or they were resting up for more... hard telling, at this point, they didn't talk much about it. In fact, they said nothing at all.

Next section... Rahab 10

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