They sheltered in an emergency bunker, on the opposite side of Lookout Point. It supplied them with rations, ammunition, fuel, and a warm place to wait out the snow.

Captain Rutherford and Delia huddled over their radio and wristcom, trying to make sense of things that didn't. They discussed where they should go, and the latest news from space.

Lily didn't fully understand the politics involved with the off-world colonies. Most of the adults, including Delia, believed they were abandoned to the enemy.

Daddy was sullen, staring into the distance. He refused the meager rations that Delia offered.

Absorbed in her own thoughts, Lily cried herself to sleep. She was nestled under Daddy's left arm, and Clarence under the right, crowded together for warmth and comfort.

She dreamed, at the darkest moment before dawn.

She was in the kitchen with Mama, trying desperately to stir a large pot on the stove.

Aimee and Grace stood nearby, laughing behind their hands at her pathetic cooking efforts.

"You have to keep stirring," Mama said. "If you stop, you'll die."

Nana was suddenly beside her, with an arm over her shoulders. "Just keep singin', and smilin', baby girl. Nobody can take that from you."

She never seemed to stir fast enough.

A bitter cloud of black smoke poured out.

She coughed, and tried to cover her mouth and nose, but it was no use. She couldn't see, couldn't breathe, ran to the nearest door and pushed it open.

This wasn't the pantry, but somewhere else. She stepped through.

A pallid glow fell through the windows, into the cold, desolate room, and she recognized the robotics station.

The rifle was heavy in her hands, its barrel unnaturally long in the fractured shadows.

Scuffling noises came from the darkness, just out of view.

A trooper dragged himself across the floor, into a shaft of light. It was the young Pruessian man she'd shot. His blue eyes condemned her with seething rage. Blood spilled from the gunshot wound on his face, trailing across the floor in spidery tendrils.

She raised the gun.

His blood moved as if it were alive, crawling toward her like fingers along the ground.

She tried to run, but it trickled upwards, along her legs, her face. Terrified, she cried for Mama, Nana, anyone. But no help came.

A light cut into her eyes, through the tiny window set in the opposite wall. The frosted glass sparkled with the painful ray angling into the room. Everything else was dark.

She was still dazed after the dream. Recalling the lights the troopers had shone through the station windows, she assumed the enemy must be right outside.

"Daddy," she cried. "We have to go. We have to run away."

"I'm here, Sunshine. You had a nightmare." His voice was ragged, but he tightened his arm around her.

"The light, they're coming."

"It's just the morning. We're okay." He kissed her forehead. "The light always shines through the dark. We just have to believe that it'll return."

She shuddered, clinging to the rough wool of his overcoat. "The man I killed...he was trying to get me."

Daddy sighed. "You've had to endure more than any child should, but I'm proud of you. You saved your brother, and yourself, when I couldn't be there."

She hugged him, closed her eyes, and the sun felt warm against her skin.

"We'll find a new home, when the War is over," Daddy said. "I promise."

Her family was all that mattered. She'd already shown the Kaezer what she was capable of. Feeling better, she found rest in Daddy's embrace.

The next morning, the small group of refugees continued their journey. They soon met with other survivors. So many had been killed or captured during the invasion. Everyone was traveling northwest, further inland, towards the last free cities on the continent. The only other option was surrender.

They allied with other travelers, and continued on foot. For several weeks, they camped wherever they could find a hiding place. They subsisted on their bland rations, and anything they could hunt, or trade for.

The enemy's robotic forces constantly pursued them. Fortunately, there were many soldiers and militia in their band. Krept was also a lethal and efficient guardian, and neutralized several attacks on its own.

Lily was anxious to get back to civilization. Her first glimpse of the enormous stronghold brought a sigh of relief. From a distance, she noticed the leaden cover of smoke. It wasn't a dark billow of obliteration, but the smoke created by life—a dull, gray mantle swathing the tall buildings.

"This is it," Captain Rutherford said. "Weathermann's Stand."

Tangled barbed wire fences and rickety lookout towers greeted them. A wide, muddy river cut across the barren landscape, flowing into the compound beneath a heavily defended bridge. This had once been a city, and was now a teeming emergency settlement.

The guards at the bridge welcomed them, and led them through the secured gates. Jumbled streets wound through tenement buildings, and lots were crowded with tents and hovels. There was no vacant space, no unoccupied park or terrace. Every block was crammed together. Pervasive smoke and the stench of poor plumbing stung Lily's nose and eyes. Doleful faces leered from every window, door, and alley.

Delia fell into step beside Daddy. "This isn't what I expected, Mr. Fairpoole. Be on your guard."

"I already am," he said.

The guards escorted them to an imposing building, several blocks from the gate. It was the headquarters for the local defense and law enforcement.

The commissioner, a man named Marquardt, greeted them in his conference hall. He was one of the city's last elected officials, trying desperately to maintain order.

"We don't receive many soldiers like yourselves," he said. "It's mostly civilians these days, more to feed and shelter. We're tight enough as it is."

Commissioner Marquardt was especially happy to see Krept, and to learn that Daddy, Lily, Delia, and Gabriel were all technicians. Their profession was in high demand.

Nearly three hundred thousand people lived in Weathermann's Stand, and only a small militia of two thousand existed to keep the peace. With so many living close together, under desperate conditions, violence was common. Food and water were distributed by the militia. Most of the population relied on the emergency rations that had been set aside prior to the invasion, or on the meager harvest from patched and potted gardens.

Daddy enlisted in the new militia, along with most of the others, and they were given residence in the barracks.

Delia took the fourth bunk in their room, as she felt most comfortable there.

Gabriel and Captain Rutherford settled nearby.

The adults worked on rotating shifts, and there was always someone off-duty to stay with Lily and Clarence.

When they went out on the streets, Delia insisted they take Krept along. The robot was a deterrent against the criminals and gangs prowling certain areas. There were some sectors that one couldn't travel alone, day or night, and these were wisely avoided.

Lily worked at the militia headquarters, to help earn some of the commodities they needed, performing various maintenance and programming jobs. She taught Clarence a few basic skills, like tightening bolts, and stripping wire.

He learned quickly, and was an eager assistant. Before long, they had a devoted clientele.

The forces of the Kaezer arrived a few weeks later, but they didn't attack directly. Every day, a cavalcade drove around the stronghold, with loudspeakers announcing the stipulations of surrender. The voice droned in a Pruessian accent. "Come to the shelter of the great leader, you will not be harmed. A new world awaits us."

The propaganda never ended. Sadly, it worked. Many people were tired of the miserable conditions in Weathermann's Stand, but those who surrendered were never seen again.

One evening, after a long day's work, Lily retired to the barracks.

Delia was sitting on the edge of her bunk, and conversing with someone via wristcom.

Lily lowered her eyes, and turned to leave. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Not at all," Delia said. "Come here, Lily. I want you to meet someone."

The young man on hologram smiled. Even on the washed-out, bluish image, he was very handsome. "Hello, there. I've heard much about you," he said. "I'm Benjamin Keene. But, call me Ben. Delia tells me you're a remarkable young lady."

Delia put an arm around her. "You'd have to see what she can do to believe it. I'd like to sponsor her at one of Stonecipher's universities someday."

"I'm not that remarkable," Lily said. "I can do a few things well, if you show me how."

Delia and Ben laughed.

"You also pretend to be shy, when I know otherwise," Delia said. "Lily, Ben is my fiance. We've been separated for three years, and there's finally a chance that we can reunite."

"That's the plan, at least," said Ben. "We also want to get your family out of that stronghold, and up to the colonies."

Lily was stunned. "You mean, we'd go with you into space?"

Ben nodded. "It's risky. The Kaezer shoots down all craft that get in range, and has seized all of our ports and bases. I know a shuttle pilot who might be able to slip through. But you'd all have to be there, at the exact time."

"I'd like that," Lily said. "I'll ask Daddy about it."

At first, Daddy was hesitant, but he eventually agreed.

Delia promised to alert them when the rendezvous was confirmed.

It took much longer than expected. Several months passed. Lily's birthday came and went. At eleven years old, she possessed more experience and skill than people twice her age.

It was hard to be optimistic. Sometimes grief overwhelmed her, when she thought about what she'd lost. She remembered Nana's words, to always keep singing and smiling. It cheered the weary hearts of others, and made her feel better, too.