Bina tugged at the dart in Danae’s neck but it couldn’t get it out, while masked men dressed in camouflage surrounded her. A big, bearded man grabbed her roughly and dragged her back, while two others fell on top of Danae’s prostrate figure, roughly twisting her arms and legs and binding them with zip ties. A third stood to the side pointing a weapon at Danae.

“Is it dead?”

One of the men restraining Danae looked up. “Nope, still breathing. Let’s get them out of here.”

“What about this girl?” beard man asked, shaking Bina roughly.

“Just bring her. We’ll figure it out later.”

“No freaks? I thought…”

“Shut up. Let’s get moving.”

The three men unfolded a litter and rolled Danae onto it, then clumsily hoisted her, struggling to manage the load. They set off through the woods generally downhill, Bina marching between two other men.

“Are you okay? Did it hurt you?” one of them asked, walking alongside Bina. 

“No, but what…” Bina started to answer.

“No talking,” interrupted the leader up front.

They arrived at three all-terrain vehicles parked along a logging road. They loaded Danae on the back of the largest and climbed onto the other two. The electric vehicles made no sound of passage other than crunching on gravel and sticks on the dirt track. They picked up speed on the downhill, everyone leaning on the turns, forcing Bina up against the man with the beard, who reeked of sweat, tobacco, and something sour.

After several minutes, they pulled up to a grouping of large black heavy-duty pick-up trucks. A man holding a controller console stood off to the side landing three drones which another picked up and stowed in one of the trucks.

“Got one!” one of the men called out as they pulled up. Several more men stepped out from around the trucks and gathered around the four-wheeler holding Danae, marveling at the sight. Four of them lifted Danae out and loaded her into the empty bed of one of the trucks, then tied her down and covered her with a tarp.

“It’s not full grown. Looks like it abducted that little girl,” gesturing to Bina. She clearly wasn’t the target. It was Danae they were after. They didn’t know who she was.

They loaded Bina into a different truck with a rear seat, the one full of the drone equipment. The two men who managed the hardware sat on either side of her, silent. They didn’t smell as bad as the others, and neither were interested in her. One of her captors sat in the front passenger seat with the driver, who was not in the group who captured her. He seemed very serious and preoccupied. The passenger was excited and kept asking questions that the driver ignored.

“What’re we going to do with the chimp?”

“What do you mean?”

“No one said anything about the monsters hanging out with jigs but it doesn’t surprise me. Let’s do her and dump her. No one knows she’s here.”

“We’re not killing a little girl, Brad.”

“She ain’t that little.”

It suddenly dawned on Bina that they were talking about her. Her stomach sank.

“Cut the shit, you sick fuck.”

“I guess Walter will figure it out. I thought there’d be freaks, too. Isn’t that what Walter…”

“Shut up, Brad.”

They rode in silence for a long time, gradually emerging out of the mountainous wilderness onto a highway. One of the men sitting next to her noticed Bina craning her neck to see out the window.

“Hey, Silas, I don’t think Walter is going to be cool with bringing this kid back without some, y’know, security,” he said, tipping his head at Bina. Silas looked into the rearview.

“Put her down on the floor.”

The man put his tablet on the seat and pushed Bina down into a crouch in the space between the rear seat and the front. It was tight, and her face was nearly pushed against the legs of the second man, whose boots smelled faintly of cheese. The first man picked up his tablet, resumed his work, then looked up.

“No sign of any detection. The stealth on the new drones worked well. Everything quiet.”

“You can thank our friends later. Let’s get the demon secured and then we can celebrate.”

The truck left the bumpy dirt track and entered a smoother paved road. Bina’s legs hurt from the cramped position, and she tried to shift around without touching either of the two men she was wedged between. After a long drive, there were several turns, then Bina could hear traffic noises, and felt the truck slow, then stop and start several times. They halted and waited a few moments. Bina heard the grinding of machinery, then the truck pulled forward then came to a halt. The men got out, initially leaving her in the truck with the doors open. She saw out the open door they were in a large warehouse. The other trucks pulled up next to them and more men milled around, generally gathered around the truck covered with the black tarp. One climbed up into the bed and removed it to reveal Danae.

Bina stifled a cry. The crowd of men turned at the arrival of two additional men, older, one wearing a tailored suit, the other in military gear. There was more congratulatory talk with backslapping and high fives. One of her captors spoke with the two older men and gestured toward her, still sitting in the truck. The well-dressed man looked at her and stopped smiling. He pointed to a doorway and walked off with the man in military gear.

The smelly bearded man retrieved her from the truck and led her into a corridor lined with doors. As they walked past, Bina saw more scruffy white men sitting at desks working, some building things, unloading boxes, stacking equipment. Lots of guns everywhere, and more drones and flying machines than she’d ever seen. Many of the men were dressed in military gear, but no consistent uniform except patches and insignia with a green pine tree. On the wall of one of the larger rooms was a flag of the same pine tree with the words “Deo Vindice” underneath.

They sat her in an empty room with a desk and several chairs. The man in the suit came in followed by several others. The military gear man sat at the desk across from Bina along with another man carrying a data pad. The man in the suit stood in the corner, watching.

“How are you doing?” the military guy asked her.

“I’m scared. What’s going on?”

            The man smiled at her, but Bina easily saw through the feigned sympathy. “I’m sure it must have been terrifying. I’m impressed you were able to survive out there. What were you doing with the demon?”

Bina hesitated, mouth open. 

“Where’s your parents, sweetie? How did the monster capture you?” another man wearing hunting gear interrupted. The well-dressed man held up his hand.

“One at a time.”

The hunting vest bowed his head and stepped back. “Of course, Elder Stamm.”

“Keep going, Carl.”

“What’s your name?” the man named Carl pounced.

“Bina…” 

Bina bit her lip, dismayed at this slip, botching all the rehearsed evasions she and her mother had practiced so many times preparing for exactly this kind of situation. 

“…Danvers,” she continued, the name popping into her head.  Carl nodded with a smile, pleased at the success. Another man worked a data pad while Carl continued.

“So where do you live? Where are your parents?”

Bina took a deep breath, slipping into the character she was improvising.

“Well, my parents are gone. I’ve been in foster care. My dad is dead, and my mother left us.”

“Us?”

“My sister and me.”

“What’s your sister’s name?”

Caramel popped into her mind.

“Carrie.”

“Same last name?”

“Uh, no. Her last name is Katz.” The men glanced at each other, then continued.

“Your parents? What are their names?”

“Well, they never got married. My mother’s name is Elsa Snow, and my father was Carl Danvers.”

“Carl, huh? Just like me?” her interrogator asked, now more openly skeptical. He glanced over at the man with the data pad, still working. After a moment, that one glanced up and shook his head. Carl turned back to her.

“You sure about all that? You telling us the truth?” 

“Yes, I am. My mother left me. I live in a foster home, but it wasn’t a good place. I met her, my friend, in the forest and we became friends. She never hurt me.”

“Where were you going?”

“Back to her home. Where they live.” She held her breath.

Carl looked at Stamm. “Walter’s going to want to know that.”

“Please don’t tell anyone I’m with you. They’ll send me back to the home. Can I stay with you? I’ll help you with whatever you need,” Bina said sweetly, turning on the charm.

The other men turned to Stamm who stared at Bina. Stamm addressed Carl. “Put her in the office next to bay 2 once the demon is secured. Put someone on her. Get her some food.”

“I have to use the bathroom,” Bina interrupted.

Stamm looked sharply at her. He continued, ignoring her. “I’ll decide next steps with Walter.”

They left the room, one of the friendlier men lightly holding Bina’s jacket, leading her down the hallway. He took her to a bathroom and let her go in alone. She used the toilet, surveying the room. No windows for escape, but it did have a dropped ceiling that might be an opportunity if she could reach up there.

She finished up and opened the bathroom door. Her escort put her in an empty office with a glass door, which gave her a clear view of the activities in the storage bay. A group of men worked around a steel cage. When they moved to the side, she saw Danae on the floor of the enclosure. Her heart sank.

The person guarding her was a young man, a boy really, with a scattering of acne and a few wispy tufts of facial hair, wearing loose fitting hunting apparel with some mismatched tactical gear. He stood just inside the door, half turned, watching her while pretending to look out at the activity in the warehouse. His hand rested ostentatiously on a holstered pistol. He stole a glance at Bina.

“Hi, what’s your name?” she asked, tipping her head with a smile. The boy looked out the door, back at Bina, then out the door again.

“Uh, Caleb.”

“Hi, Caleb. I’m Bina. Please don’t let them turn me into social services. I do NOT want to go back to that foster home.” She kept the banter light and flirty.

He swallowed and avoided her gaze. “I, ah, don’t know. They don’t really tell me stuff. I’m just supposed to keep an eye on you.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s you, and not one of those other thugs. Pee-yew!” she said dramatically, holding her nose with a big smile. He gave her a nervous laugh, then turned fully toward the warehouse.

A few moments later, one of the other men arrived, holding two bags of fast food.

“Some grub. Share it with her,” he said to Caleb. 

Bina dove into the hamburger and fries Caleb gave her, ravenous from the privations of the few days. She and Caleb sat in silence until a commotion in the warehouse caught her attention.

Bina stood with her hamburger and walked toward the door.

“Hey, you can’t go there,” Caleb called out through a mouthful of fries. Bina stopped halfway to the door once she had a clear line of sight to where the men stood by Danae. One was going through her pack, pulling out items, handing them to the others, who examined them with animated discussion. One gestured toward where Bina watched and gave a command. Two others examined a piece of equipment from Danae’s pack. 

Caleb joined her watching them.

“What’s that about?” Bina asked.

“I don’t know. Whatever it is, they don’t look happy. Here, get away from the door. They’ll yell at me.” 

Bina saw the man holding the device walk away. Two of the others looked toward her and she stepped back out of view.

“Please don’t let them see you,” Caleb implored.

***

Atticus Stamm looked to the door with a scowl at the noisy entrance of one of the guards. Around him, the representatives of the militias waited to resume the airing of grievances between factions in their powerful, yet fragile, alliance. The interloper held out a black device in front of him as if warding off the hostile glares directed at him.

“We thought you should see this right away.”

Stamm held out his hand and the guard passed it to him. It was a smooth black rectangle with protrusions at the four corners, four recessed buttons and a small flat screen. It was sturdy and well made.  He looked up with raised eyebrows, then held it out to Carl Monroe, his Security Chief, sitting next to him. Carl examined it briefly, nodding.

“It’s the same as the one we took off one of the skins last week. It’s a data link. Heavy encryption. We haven’t been able to break it. I don’t know where they get them, but it’s good stuff.”

Stamm turned toward the guard. “And you got this where?”

“From the demon’s pack.”

Stamm saw the nodding of heads around the group at this confirmation of the growing consensus that the savages had some kind of alliance with the demons. More the reason to escalate their many points of conflict with the tribes. “Carl will handle this. Thank you,” he said with a dismissive wave to the guard. “Now, back to the matter at hand. These petty disputes between factions must stop.”

“But sir, we…” started the representative of the main Catholic militia, Lex Dei.

Stamm interrupted him with an upheld hand. “I am not interested in the details. I’m sure there is plenty of responsibility to go around. Who you recruit and entrust with weapons is your business, as long as we are all of one mind about our goals and the enemy. I’m sure our Aryan Front brothers agree.” Stamm leveled a stare at a clean-cut young man in black tactical gear who made no response.

The exchange appeared to resolve the current dispute so Stamm brought the meeting to an end. “Let’s get back to work. Carl, please stay behind.” The militia members stood up and filed out, the Lex Dei representative holding back to leave well after the Aryan Front rep, who wore a provocative smirk as he passed.

Once they were alone, Stamm addressed Monroe. “Let Walter know we’ve defused the conflict about the mexicans. I believe they got the message.” Carl nodded and Stamm continued. “The demon’s device doesn’t really change anything, but it may have some informational value for messaging.”

“I’ll give it to the tech team and see what they can get out of it. This is way beyond what we know the tribes can do, even as much progress as they’ve made.”

“With the help of foreign enemies, let’s not forget, and possibly the deviants.” Left unstated was all the assistance the Alliance accepted from abroad. Monroe nodded, uninterested in debating that issue.

“What about the girl? She doesn’t match the intelligence we received that the demon was accompanied by a deviant. Do you think she really is just a runaway?”

“Of course not. She’s obviously lying.  Look at her. They can’t help themselves, it’s their nature.”

“This isn’t what our source said.”

“What makes you sure she isn’t one of the deviants?”

“She looks and acts…normal. I thought they…”

Stamm stopped him with a peremptory gesture. “Don’t assume anything. Our source has been reliable. I sense there is more to her than we know, even if she is mud.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only humans other than the savages who are known to consort with the demons are the deviants, the ones claiming they are some new species. It all ties back to the government heresy meddling with human divinity at the laboratory. The demons, the deviants, the government, they’re all tied together. We will undo that knot one way or another. It’s the only way to ensure the future of pure humans, ruling as the Creator deemed proper.”

“So, if she is one of the freaks?”

“We’ll see. If she has no value, your men can dispose of her however they see fit. Sell her to one of the commercial prisons, perhaps. We can blame the Catholics. They are most vocal about that issue. It will help with sorting things later, once we’ve consolidated control.”

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