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“I’m broadcasting this message on all frequencies for twenty-four hours. The western barrier has been compromised. I repeat, the western barrier has been compromised. I’m relaying the message word for word as it was broadcast. End message.” There was a long pause, and it started again. “Begin message. This message needs to make it to the east coast. I repeat, this message needs to make it to the east coast. I’m broadcasting this message on all frequencies for twenty-four hours. The western barrier has been compromised. I repeat, the western barrier has been compromised.”
I hit the button to broadcast.
“Message received,” I said. “How badly was the barrier compromised? Do you know the location?”
I released the button and waited.
“You’re breaking up. Repeat.”
I did and waited a second time with growing impatience.
“Don’t know,” the man finally replied. “I’m in the mountains north of Colorado and heard planes heading north a while ago. Not sure if that means they’re heading north to help or fleeing the south.
“I’m going to switch to the next channel and repeat the message. Make sure to try them all until you get someone.”
“We will. Thanks.”
Once there was nothing but static, we changed the channel to the one Rick said they’d be monitoring.
“We just got a message that the western barrier was compromised. Anyone there?”
“We’re here,” Rick said. “It’s not looking good. They’re evacuating anyone they can. It’s a good thing you left when you did. Our base is now a new safe zone. Is Vance secure?”
“It’s secure for the moment, but all the fuel’s gone. Where’s the closest refuel?”
“The nearest military one is Whiteman. The rest were either cleaned out or marked inaccessible. Not sure about private airports.”
“Your base won’t be safe for long, Rick,” Molev said.
“We know. Waurlyn already warned us that large groups of humans are the problem. She’s spreading out the safe zones and redistributing the numbers so there’s no more than two hundred in any one place.
“She told me to tell you that time’s up. We need that cure and your people’s help to stop the tsunami that’s going to be coming.”
“Understood,” I said. “We’ll contact you again at the assigned times.”
I switched off the radio and turned to face Molev, leaning back on the desk.
“We were that close,” I said, holding up my thumb and finger only an inch apart. “If Waurlyn hadn’t come to us when she had, we would have been there.”
Molev wrapped his arms around me and set his chin on my head.
“I know.”
“There’s no one out there who can help us. We are the help.”
“I know.”
I pulled back enough to give him a partial glare.
“If you tell me to focus on what we can control…”
His lips twitched a little.
“I know.”
“Real funny,” I muttered, resting my forehead on his sternum as my mind raced. “Okay. We need to work with what we have, right? If we can’t fly to Whiteman, we piece together a convoy. Every base that was emergency evacuated left equipment behind. We just need enough to transport almost two hundred and fifty people.”
I lifted my head and looked around the room for a spare set of radios. The neat row of charging banks had several. I went to check the batteries and found a pair that was still working.
