It's hard to believe this day has finally come. If everything goes as expected, I'll be getting a call from Jim some time today, letting me know it's go time. We spoke briefly last night. Jim claimed he wanted to go over some last minute details when his real concern was Sanders...and me.

"Any word from him?" he asked.

"No, but I spoke with the Unit Secretary. She said Sanders had a family emergency and would be taking a leave of absence."

"Understandable. But, I have to ask, where does this leave you Travis? Are you comfortable moving forward without him? You'll have no back up inside the compound. It's a concern we need to address," he replied.

"The only reason Sanders became a Hunter was to find his sister. Now that she's gone, it changes everything for him. And as much as I'd like him there, I don't expect him to put his life and freedom at risk to help me get Maddie out. He's exactly where he should be...with his family," I responded.

"Fair enough. As for tomorrow, remember it's business as usual. Do your scheduled ride along with the Sweeps Unit and by the time you're done, we should have everything in place and ready to execute."

"Sweeps. Can't wait," I responded sarcastically. I was really hoping to avoid this part of the job, but it is what it is. "I'll be waiting for your call."

"Talk to you then, and hang in there Son. It's almost over," he replied right before ending the call.

I'll do more than hang in there. It's the least I can do. Times get rough, and so do I. I've never been the kind of person to back down when things don't go as planned. Obstacles don't deter me, they just challenge me to step up my game. Challenge accepted.

My current obstacle...tuning out the two Hunters I got stuck with for today's ride along. I've seen them around the compound a time or two, but that's the extent of it. They've been assigned to the Sweeps Unit, which is where Sanders and I are set to be transferred next month. Today is meant to provide some on the job training.

Breeder Sweeps generally occur once every two months, sometimes more, and it's quite the production...always has been. An entire city on lockdown, large convoys rolling through every street. It's been a normal part of life, yet they have never once felt normal.

Being a typical little boy, I was intrigued by it all. The sirens would blare, and I'd run to our front window, waiting to watch the show. I'd always hear the roar of the Humvee's engine first, signaling they were close, and wait in anticipation for the moment I would see it rolling down our street. Then I'd watch as the soldiers got out, fully armed, in their military fatigues. They'd begin to talk amongst themselves, and that's when my mom would lure me away. She'd always have some important job for me to do or some new game she wanted to play. And although I may have been too young to understand what it all meant, I knew there was something my mom didn't want me to see.

Our convoy is minutes out from the city gates when the first series of air raid sirens sound across the early morning sky. It announces our convoy's arrival and with that, a mandatory, city wide lockdown, effective immediately.

Our Humvee begins to slow once it reaches the city gate. Daniels, the guy driving this tank, rolls down his window and starts shooting the shit with one of the foot soldiers standing at the entrance. I'm dumbfounded by the ease in which they interact, like it's just a normal day at the office.

"Look, the faster you get through your sector, the faster we get the hell out of here and start drinking." the guard says.

"Not going tonight. Got a date," Daniels replies.

"With who? Your Mom?" his partner, Lieutenant Gibbons, chimes in from the back seat, and they break into laughter.

Attempting to tune them all out, I reach back and grab the census report off the back seat. The list provides every address within our designated sector, along with the names of all household members residing at the property. It looks like any residence where potential Breeders live are highlighted in yellow.

Scanning down the list, my stomach rolls when I see the age of the youngest girl scheduled for testing today. Her name is Adeline, and she's only twelve years old.

The Humvee lunges and begins to move forward, and it's only now that I realize Daniels is talking to me. "So don't let the list overwhelm you. Gibbons and I have been running this sector for a while now. We're in and out."

"Why are we testing a twelve year old? Isn't that kind of young?" I ask, unable to hide the concern in my tone.

"When an older sibling tests positive as a Breeder, the report automatically flags any younger females in the family for early testing."

"But a twelve year old?" I repeat, shaking my head. Daniels just shrugs it off. I guess to him, it's no big deal. Disgusted, I toss the report back on the seat, deciding the best course of action at this point is to disengage.

Focusing my attention out the window, it hits me just how lucky I've been to have Sanders around. What if I'd been partnered with one of these clowns? Or worse, Jenkins? I would've lost it. Dead Hunters everywhere.

We drive into the city, two by two. L.A. is broken into four quadrants, so four convoys have been sent out, one to handle each designated area. Humvees containing Hunters drive straight into the city limits, while the others transporting foot soldiers, veer left or right to stand guard along their quadrant's perimeter.

The visual landscape of L.A. is not aesthetically pleasing. Most people see the run down city, deserted buildings, and vacant homes as a constant reminder of the devastation and loss we've endured in the past two decades.

I see it all differently. To me, this place serves as visual reminder for all I do have and what we've all survived. It would be an insult to my dad's legacy to waste a single second of my life feeling sorry for myself or the physical condition of this city. We lived. We're here. We all fucking survived, and my dad would've given up everything he owned to still be here today.

The roar of the Humvee's engine is only magnified as we move deeper into the city, passing each forgotten building. The sound echoes off the old skyscrapers with blown out windows, filling the vacant space.

Daniels turns off the main road, heading into a neighborhood. "It's go time boys. Lock and load," he says, bringing the Humvee to a halt in the middle of the street. "Gibson, grab the testing kits."

I grab the report off the back seat and exit the Humvee. I'm not locking and loading shit. This is a testing sweep, not combat. I walk to the rear of the Humvee and see Gibson pulling a large, steel case out of the back. Handing it to me he says, "This is FERN. She tests the swabs. Don't drop her. She's very expensive. Break her, and the only thing your Hunter ass will be sweepin' is the mess hall floor."

Behind him, Daniels reaches in the Humvee and pulls out another steel case along with a plastic container labeled "Hazmat." While handing the container to Gibson, he says, "Let's do this," and begins walking towards the house directly across from us. "You can watch us handle the first few, then you can test a few on your own," he adds.

"Great," I respond unenthusiastically.

The three of us reach the front porch and before Daniels has a chance to knock, the door opens. The woman behind the screen says nothing, she just pushes it open and lets us in.

"Hello" I say with a small smile as I pass, but she offers nothing in return but silence.

Gibson walks us into the kitchen where a girl, probably around sixteen, already sits impatiently at the table. She has her arms crossed, and she's eyeing Daniels with a look of complete disgust. They exchange no words, but it's obvious they've done this before. She rolls her eyes up towards the ceiling, and opens her mouth, waiting to be swabbed.

"Set FERN down on the counter," he says pointing behind me. "Gibson will fire her up."

Just as I set the case down, Gibson comes up beside me. "Leave the report too. We'll need it for FERN," he says.

Dropping the report on the counter, I turn back towards Daniels. Reaching into a side pocket of his case, he pulls out a pair of latex gloves and begins putting them on. "Gloves are mandatory," he says. "Never touch the swabbing instrument, even if it's packaged, unless you're wearing gloves."

With both gloves on, he reaches back into the case and pulls out a sealed swab kit. Tearing open the package, he continues, "Our hands produce natural oils. Oils that when mixed with saliva, can produce a false negative. So trash it if it makes any contact with your or the girl's skin. If even the tiniest trace of oil mixes with the saliva sample, it can completely alter the results of the test. FERN is looking for one fertility marker, salivary crystallization. The oils from our skin will prevent that from happening. It's imperative that you don't forget that."

He then leans in and begins swabbing the inside of the girl's cheek while her eyes remain focused on the ceiling.

"Then we let FERN work her magic," he continues, as he walks over to the machine. Opened up, FERN looks like an extremely high tech computer.

Gibson presses a button on the panel located on the lower left side of the case, and a tray slides open revealing a small keyboard. "The keyboard is synched directly to FERN. We enter the ID number from the census report to let FERN know who the sample is from." He keys in a long string of numbers and presses enter. Then he presses a red button on the lower right panel, and another tray slides open towards us. "You place the sample here, swab end first."

Daniels then places the swab he's been holding in the tray while Gibson continues, "Press the red button again and the tray will slide shut. Then we wait for FERN to give us the green light, letting us know she accepts the sample," he says pointing to a small indicator light located to the right of the tray. When the indicator light begins to flash green, he continues, "Now FERN works her magic. When she's done, the green light will turn off, and this indicator," he says, pointing to the one next to the green light, "will light up yellow."

"How long does it take?" I ask.

"Should just be a few more seconds," he replies, and like clockwork, the green indicator light turns off and the yellow one turns on. "Next we hit the enter key on our keyboard, and the results will show up on the monitor," he pauses, pointing to the screen, "negative."

I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding and at the same time, a chair scrapes along the floor behind me.

"We're done?" the girl asks, and when I turn, she's standing right behind us. "Well?" she continues thoroughly annoyed.

"Not before you sign," Daniels responds. "You know the drill Cynthia," he says, handing her a pen.

She grabs it, scribbles her signature beside her name printed on the report, and drops the pen at his feet, "Name's not Cynthia, asshole." She turns and begins walking towards her mother who has remained silent in the doorway with tears streaming down her face, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"As always, it's been a pleasure Cynthia. See you next time." Daniels quips, like a complete dick.

"Fuck you," she says and exits the room with her mother pulling her close. She took the words right out of my mouth.

Each house goes the same, and thankfully every girl we've tested has had a negative result. And every time I felt relief...relief for them, for their families, and for me. The last thing I want to experience is taking a girl from the safety of her home.

"Alright, last on the list, Adeline," Daniels says pulling me from my thoughts. "She's the one you asked me about earlier. You can swab and test again. You're a quick study Brennan. Gibson, stay with him in case he has any hiccups. I'm gonna go wait in the Humvee." He turns and walks away.

I say nothing as Gibson and I approach her door. He knocks loudly, and a man quickly opens the door, looking a bit nervous. I assume he's Adeline's father.

"Hello," he offers with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Come in," he continues as he opens the screen door.

"Hello," I respond. Gibson says nothing.

"She's in the dining room," the man says, pointing us in its direction.

We enter the room and find Adeline, who honesty doesn't look a day over ten, sitting in a chair next to her mother. Fear plays out across both of their faces, and my heart instantly drops in my chest. This is different; it feels different. Don't get me wrong, I could feel the tension in every house we entered today, but here, there's something more... a sense of impending doom...of dread.

I set the testing kit case down on the table, dropping the census report beside it. Gibson walks past me and sets FERN down on a long table sitting below a window facing their backyard. The father stands off to the side, in the kitchen doorway facing the room.

Kneeling down in front of the girl, I reach out my hand. "Hello, I'm Lieutenant Brennan, but my friends call me Travis."

The girl hesitates and her Mom leans in, whispering in her daughter's ear. "It's okay," she says.

Adeline inhales a shaky breath and reaches out for my hand. Shaking it, I can feel her small hand trembling within mine.

"What's your name?" I ask with a smile.

"Adeline," she replies softly. Looking over her shoulder, her Mom watches us, a pool of tears forming in her eyes.

"Well Adeline," I say, bringing my eyes back down to hers, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

Coming to a stand, I open the case and my mind begins racing. My gut tells me she's already started her period, and I can't let this happen. I can't allow this child to be taken from her parents today. They've already lost one daughter to this fucked up bullshit, they can't lose another one. And she's so young.

Reaching into the case, I pull out a pair of gloves, placing them on my hands. I look up to find Gibson watching me. Fuck. Think Brennan. Think.

"You want to enter her data into FERN while I swab? I have a hot date tonight, and I don't want to be late. You know how it is man," I say, attempting to stroke his ego.

"That I do," he responds smugly, even though one look at the scrawny dude would tell anyone looking, it isn't warranted. "Census report?" he continues, walking towards me.

Picking it up off the table, I hand it to him. As he walks back to FERN, I reach inside the case quickly and pull out a test kit. I tear open the package, keeping my eyes on Gibson entering the data into FERN. Removing the swab, I hastily rub the tip along my arm, flip it, and do the same again trying to ensure that oil gets on the swab. As I pull it away from my skin, I look away from Gibson and find her parents eyeing each other inquisitively across the table.

At the same time, Gibson turns to face me. "She's ready," he says.

God, please let this work.

Nodding in response, I lean down towards Adeline. "Would you mind opening your mouth so I can swab your cheek Adeline?" I ask. Behind her, her mother watches as tears begin to fall down her face. Adeline opens her mouth and I rub the swab against one cheek, then the other. Pulling it out, I smile at her, and her chin begins to tremble.

Taking a seat at the table, her father reaches across and grabs her mother's hand, squeezing it in comfort.

"Thank you," I offer Adeline with another smile.

Gibson turns back around, pressing the button that ejects the sample tray, and I walk towards him. Dropping the sample into the tray, I step back and watch it close.

Please let this fucking work.

The green indicator light turns on and begins flashing; the sample was accepted. My heart begins to pick up speed as FERN starts to analyze the swab. Looking over my shoulder, I see Adeline wrapped in her mother's embrace, silently crying. Turning back around, my eyes stay trained on FERN as we wait for the results. Seconds feel like minutes. What if it didn't work? Different scenarios begin to race through my mind. How will I stop this if it doesn't work? The yellow indicator light turns on, tearing me away from my thoughts.

"Drum roll please," Gibson says, like only an insensitive douchebag would. He pulls up the results. "Negative," he says, as it comes up on the screen.

Her mother gasps behind us, and I turn to see Adeline running into her father's open arms. Pulling her into a tight embrace, he says, "It's okay honey. You're not going anywhere. It's okay."

Oblivious, Gibson quickly begins closing up FERNS case and hands me the census report. "Have her sign this, and we're done," he says, grabbing FERN and heading towards the door.

I close up the sample case, waiting to hear the screen to the front door close. Once it does, I grab the report and place it in front of Adeline, pointing to where she needs to sign. Looking to her Father sitting right behind her, with my voice low, I say, "I altered the sample. If you know she's fertile, this is your last chance to run."

I grab the report, and at the same time, the mother gets up and walks around the table towards her husband and daughter. As she passes me, she takes my hand in both of hers. "Thank you," she says, and Adeline comes up and wraps her arms around her mother's waist.

She lets go of my hand, and I nod in response as I grab the case off the table. Just as I'm about to leave the room, I glance over at the family to find them huddled in an embrace, and I realize they are the reason I was sent here today. This moment, right here, makes everything I've been through as a Hunter worth it.

As we ride back to the compound, I try reaching Sanders on his cell, but again, he doesn't answer. I'm worried about him. I was hoping that before becoming a wanted fugitive, I'd get the chance to talk to him and make sure he's okay. I'm going to miss him and all his crazy antics.

My phone begins to vibrate in my hand and I look down hopeful, but see Jim's name on the screen instead.

"Hello," I answer.

"Everything's in place. Call me when you're in position," he responds.

"Will do. Talk to you then," I respond, and hang up the call.

This is actually happening. Finally.

The pent up energy flows through me, ready to go as I replay my plan. Since Alex, Becca, Danielle, and Maddie all have rooms in front portion of the residence, I can get them all out. I just have to unlock all of their rooms first and have them stand in line next to Maddie's room, since hers is closest to the direction we'll be exiting. Then I'll unlock the remaining girl's rooms and have them line up in front of them. While they exit towards the back of the compound, I'll lead Maddie and the others down the hall towards the fire.

It should work. Please, just let it fucking work.

Before I know it, the Humvee is pulling into the side lot of the compound. Grabbing my vest, I say goodbye to Daniels and Gibson and head towards my truck. I need to check my weapons and grab an extra handgun before going inside.

With my vest on and all my weapons secure, I begin walking towards the compound. Opening my cell, I call Jim. He answers on the first ring.

"You in place?" he asks.

"Walking up now. Give me five minutes, and it's go time," I respond.

"Copy. Five minutes," he replies, and after a short pause he continues, "God Speed Son."

"Thanks. See you on the other side," I reply before hanging up the phone.

***Author's Note***

Mishaps aside, we finally got it done! And we think it's better now than it would have been before, so thank you so much for your patience. We love you!! And please don't forget to comment and vote!