Edward stepped out of the supply closest on the first floor in his gray jumpsuit with protective headgear and glasses. Nate was quick to follow and they joined up with the line outside the entrance cavern. The person at the back turned to look at the two, but soon after another crew showed up. Ignorance would offer the anonymity they needed to rise above the underground facility.

The ride on the platform was silent except for a few chatting women. Once outside the comfort of the facility, everyone gathered around maps of the topography and was assigned a different section. Most of the initial area had been swept and they were being sent farther today, more ground with less people as the search circle widened. One of the security officers stopped to straighten Edward's collar. He cocked his head and laughed.

"Forgot I needed to look sharp today."

Both Nate and the officer failed to respond. Tough crowd.

The silence continued until those around him had taken their separate paths. A map, water, and a radio were the resources given to those on the search team. Only the security officers were given weapons and restraints. Their job was to circulate and survey those doing the grunt work. Nate pulled the batteries from the radio and left both along their path. They had the added advantage of knowing where the others were headed after eavesdropping. There was a hot zone down by the helicopter and vehicle storage area.

They followed the path Nate had mapped out, the one that would lead them straight East. When Edward questioned his intentions, Nate told him it was to throw anyone off the trail of his daughter.

"We're just decoys?"

"We'll meet back up eventually, but the last thing I need is to lead those monsters straight to my daughter unintentionally."

They continued to work their way down the mountainous terrain, along the marked paths. The jumpsuits gave them an excuse and purpose. The men made sure they weren't overly friendly with anyone they encountered, nor did they ignore them and attract suspicion.

"I appreciate what you've chosen to do, Edward. I know it wasn't an easy choice."

Edward swallowed hard. Good over evil, he kept trying to convince himself. But Olivia, she would now be stuck with the evil. He had left her there, knowing what lurked and preyed on her. He shook away the thought. She had chosen it.

Last night, she had knocked at his door, not even taking the time to change out of her gray camouflage uniform. He left her in the living room while he concealed his bag and escape outfit for the following day. He had made his decision and confirmed it with Nate.

"What do I owe this visit to?"

She put on a charming smile. "Can we forget today happened?"

"No."

"Then can I apologize for hurting you?"

His stomach turned. Why now? Such temptation, but he refused to go back on his word. Whatever this convoluted interaction was, it paled in comparison with how this colony treated people.

"You were just doing your job. We all have a role here."

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest. He hesitated before returning the embrace. This would be their last moment together, unless...

"What do you think about what happened? What would you have done if you were Mischa?"

Her eyes narrowed and she dropped her arms from around him. "I took an oath to serve my colony."

"For better or for worse?"

Her head dropped. "Don't."

"Even after what they've done to you? You still want to stay."

"There's a difference between what we want and what we chose to do."

Was there ever. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. She'd hate him tomorrow, but he had tried, tried to give her an opening. He couldn't make decisions on her behalf and certainly couldn't be open about his and Nate's plans.

Nate's voice brought him back. "She got to you that much?"

"Who?"

Nate cocked his head and let out a little laugh. "Who else?"

He shifted his muscles and his shoulders tensed. Olivia was a hell of a lot of work, but she had been worth it in the end. No one was as simultaneously maddening and lovable. Others couldn't see what he could. He appreciated the small glimpse he had had.

"Speak of the devil," Nate muttered. "Act normal."

Across from them, in brown laced boots and a form fitting gray jumpsuit stood the woman he couldn't get off his mind. Would they have to go back and try again tomorrow?

"Gentleman, you forgot something." Olivia walked up to Edward and unclipped a small pin from his collar. She tossed it far in the opposite direction before she pressed her lips to his. So soft and sensual, she tasted a little like nicotine.

"You smoke?"

"Only when there's something on my mind that I can't make sense of."

"And what would that be?"

"You. I didn't think you'd choose to leave so soon."

His body stiffened.

"Don't act so surprised. You're not very subtle. You can relax, I'm coming with you."

His first instinct was to turn to Nate like a child trying to convince their parents that his new kitten hadn't just ripped apart the dining room furniture. She had thrown away the tracker. That meant something. Plus, she could have restrained him by now. His heart kept overriding logic.

"Nate, can she?"

"Absolutely not. Fuck, Edward." Nate groaned and ran his hand threw his hair. "One thing. I asked one thing of you. My daughter's life is at stake."

"He didn't say anything directly, Mr. Hues. I have no intention of turning you two in or impeding your progress."

"Who's to say you aren't here to track us."

"I already have," she said and pulled out the handheld device. "You needed to get rid of both the radio and the button just pulled off Edward. You're welcome for saving your escape."

Edward turned to Nate who looked about ready to swing an ax at his head. "We don't really have another choice."

"I have another choice, you both just won't like it very much." He turned to Olivia. "If you get in the way of finding my daughter, I will ensure that you pay."

Olivia stood her ground and kept his eye contact. "We have an understanding then. What course do you intend to take?"

Nate turned around and continued to walk as if he hadn't heard her. Edward embraced Olivia once more. "I'm happy you came."

"Lesser of two evils," she muttered as she eyed Nate's back. He tried to hold her hand to calm her down but she would have none of that. Single file only and professional.

An hour into their escape walk, a crack tore through the air and a violent push knocked Edward to the side. Before he hit the rock wall, something clocked him in the right bicep and he tumbled to his feet. A man with the gun was rapidly approaching them. Edward noticed Olivia's eyes go wide and nostrils flare from where she was crouched.

"Fuck, Steven what have you done?"

A searing pain tore through his right bicep like he was being branded. His gray jumpsuit was gaining color fast. Nate rushed to his side and tied an extra t-shirt to the burning wound.

"You're safe now. He won't hurt you anymore. I'll make damn sure of it," Williams said.

"What are you talking about. Put that gun down, now," Olivia said.

Williams slowly lowered the .40 and put it back in the holster, not before narrowing his eyes in Edward's direction. What on earth was the man's issue? Had Olivia tipped him off that they were escaping? Was this a set up?

"Edward has never laid a hand on me."

"You don't have to keep lying for him."

Olivia kneeled down and helped Nate secure the knot around Edward's bicep. She kept a hand on his opposite shoulder for reassurance. She licked her lips. "It's alright. You're going to be okay. That bullet just grazed your arm. Just let me deal with this situation." 

"Why are you protecting him?" Williams called out.

"It was never Edward."

"Then who?" Williams stood still for a moment before his expression hardened. "That's impossible. This organization is..."

"You know it's corrupt. You've been here long enough to figure that out."

"But not for us-"

"There is no right side or safe side, Steven. That lesson takes a little longer to learn. He'll kill me if you turn me in."

For the first time, Edward found himself wishing that another man was just as taken with Olivia as he was. Nate was right. She did know how to bring a man to her side with minimal effort. Now, he just had to figure out when it was an act and when she truly cared. She still hadn't taken her hand off his shoulder.

"I can't let you leave," Williams said.

"Discharge your weapon, twice." He didn't move.

She drew a knife from her pack and her other hand dropped from Edward's shoulder. His eyes widened as she sliced open her palm and blood began to pool in her palm. She winced before turning her hand the other way and letting the blood drip to the ground.  She did the same, trailing the blood all the way to the edge of the cliff.

"Olivia, this is crazy," Williams said as he lowered the gun to follow her.

"You came across us, I was struggling with Mr. Drest and Mr. Hues, both on the course of an escape. Mr. Drest got a hold on my weapon, shot me twice in the leg and I tumbled over the cliff. You fired a warning shot toward Mr. Drest in fear for your own life and he stumbled over the cliff as well. Mr. Hues, well, either he attacked as well, or if you don't feel like the repetition it could have been a suicide, taking his daughter's plans to the grave."

"They won't-"

"They'll believe anything that they already want to hear. I won't go back in there to die. I'll take it into my own hands if I have to."

"Olivia!" Edward and Williams called out. Edward reached out for her with his uninjured arm and pulled her close. Olivia's brazen stare melted into his chest as she laid her head down. The action triggered something in Williams. He dropped his head and shook it from side to side.

"Take this," he muttered, handing her a compress bandage.

"I can't. They'll inventory your supplies when you get back."

"I can't believe I'm doing this. Just don't get caught."

"Thank you, Steven."

He fired his weapon off twice into the distance. "Now get the hell out of here."

Olivia finished patching up her hand while Nate helped Edward up. Would others be here shortly? He was in no mood to run at the moment, a bit of an overstatement considering he was never in the mood to run.              

The first night, Olivia hardly spoke. Only he and Nate discussed their plans, although Edward noticed the escape became less detailed than it had been before Olivia joined. Edward felt badly that he had betrayed his friend's trust by alluding to their plans, but he hadn't been able to leave her behind without a word.

Edward placed a blanket from Olivia's bag over her stiff body. She must have been exhausted.

"I can see what you meant about her needing more help than you could offer. She would have done it too."

Edward swallowed hard. He played with the bandage around his arm. "She could have been bluffing."

Nate looked away. "You honestly trust, her?"

"Most days. She got us a clean out, didn't she?"

"Assuming they don't see through that officer's story. Make sure you clean up the wound before bed."

By the end of the second day of walking, Nate grew restless, pacing the shelter while they ate cold canned food.

"Why haven't we heard any activity from the colony all this time?" Nate said as he sat down beside Olivia. "Even if they aren't looking for us, my daughter is still out there."

"Cost benefit arrangement. It's now over thirty six hours since they've escaped. The resources it would take to accurately survey such an area aren't worth four members, one of whom, no offense intended, offered no tangible skills, another who has only contributed for a month and venomously opposed any sort action taken by the colony. I may not agree with all of their actions, but I know my place."

"Or you used to until you joined us and betrayed them."

The treed shelter went silent and Edward put his arm around her shoulder. She didn't flinch or pull away as she had when they first left. "They're assholes, every last one of 'em," Edward added.

"Assholes with resources. Sometimes it's best to keep your head down."

"Lot of good that did you," Edward said while rubbing her back.

"Why did you decide to leave?" Nate asked the question that burned in Edward's mind.

"Honestly, I couldn't take another stint in there alone. This wasn't my first escape offer, and I learned from there what my priorities should have been."

"And my daughter, did you know she planned to escape? Did she approach you?"

"Yes I knew, and no she didn't approach me. The director noticed she had pocketed a tracker and intended to let the escape happen organically, as long as he could bridge a divide between the two of you. You have to recall, your daughter was never on their list but a means to recruit you. The boy was simply traitor in his eyes. Acceptable losses."

"The repopulation program," Nate muttered.

"He never told me."

"What was your role? I'm assuming you had one."

Olivia's back tensed and she glanced at Edward. That was about as reassuring as an inflatable vest in the middle of the ocean.

"I kept on eye on you and Mischa's relationship through Edward."

His stomach plummeted like he was jumping out of that stupid helicopter again. Nate had been right. There was no way this woman would have willingly approached him. Just another loser, a waste of time. A soft hand touched his shoulder, but it felt like a fire poker. It wasn't even his injured side.

"After our arrangement had started, Edward. And it wasn't the focus of our relationship. I kept it to the side as much as I could."

"Some relationship," Edward muttered.

"The director is not a man you can say no to. He has a way of warping your mind, knowing things about you that would get in your head. He knew that forcing me to manipulate you for information would ruin our arrangement and that's what he wanted. Just like he wanted rid of Nate's daughter. He wanted me to suffer and struggle." She waited in the silence. Her voice softened, "Edward, could you say something."

"What do you want me to say? I trusted you and cared about you. You used me, which is what everyone would have thought had we ever actually gotten a chance to have a public relationship. I'm naive. You were right."

Edward stood up and walked away from their shelter. It was a good thing he had left with Nate, but shitty that she had joined them. He was happier with the lie that she was some troubled and infatuated woman.

"Edward, I'm sorry," she called out. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you did."

"I know. After Marcel, I just couldn't face the idea of another serious relationship. You were ideal with your sights clearly set on sex. I'm not the kind of woman who could just sit alone and her apartment and take up knitting." She paused but he failed to laugh. "I thought it would be mutually beneficial for both of us. I made that choice independent of any outside influence."

"And then you used me to spy on Nate, which you are awful at for the record."

"If I had any other choice, I would have taken it. You saw what he would do to me."

Edward wrenched his hands as he evaluated her wet cheeks and he way she chewed on her bottom lip. "You're damn lucky I like you so much."

She nearly tackled him in an embrace. "So much so. It took awhile to realize that you would actually leave and I watched you two on the tracker I had taken, going further and further from your intended location. I couldn't watch another man I loved walk out of my life because of this place."

"A man that you loved?" Edward asked. He must have misheard.

"A man that I love," she said, taking the time to savour each word like fine wine.

He still harboured apprehension to her words. If she were still working for them, this would be the ideal way to get him back in their good graces. Bribe him with the love of a woman he cherished. But if she were sincere, he was being a bit of a jerk by leaving her hanging. And there she stood with a trembling hand and a lip that was surprisingly still there after so many chomps that day.

"I love you too."

She kissed him on the lips with urgency that almost made him laugh. He figured she'd appreciate the kiss more. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You are special kind of person, Edward. Kind, demanding, frustrating and supportive when I least deserve it."

"You usually deserve it."

That earned him a laugh and a smile.

"I left because I couldn't imagine a life without you."

"If I hadn't given my word to Nate, I would have asked you."

"I know. You're a good man."

The trio reached Pueblo a week later without any signs of the colony following neither them nor the other group of escapees. When they reached the outskirts they met up with a group of people who had set up shop in the suburbs.

A grizzly bearded man sat on an old green and cream lawn chair with an axe. He didn't move as they approached but his eyes tracked their every movement. Olivia paid him particular attention and her hand twitched every time it went near the holster on her waist.

"No weapons," Nate hissed to her.

The men and woman folded their arms in front of their chests and created a line.

"You government folk?"

"No." Olivia said as she glared. He laughed at het attempt.

"Then why you in such ridic'lus clothes?" One of the young men asked in a sideways trucker hat asked. Edward groaned. Natural selection didn't want humanity to prosper.

"Found 'em," Nate answered. "How did Denver do in the storm?"

"This look like an information stand, hunny?" said a woman with a large scar running down the side of her face.

"We're not looking for trouble. We'll be going," Edward said.

"You best have something to give us for trespassing on our land." The bearded man said, stroking his ax.

Olivia dug in her pocket and tossed him a couple of cigarettes and pulled out her gun before anyone could lunge at her. The rest of the group turned to surround the bearded man and dove in. Edward followed her lead as they walked past the group and into the city. A loud crack broke the silence followed by a thud. Edward hazarded a glance. A blood pool was forming on the ground. Thanks God Olivia had been able to pay them off and intimidate them.

Past the group, not many living souls remained despite the city's minimal destruction from the storms. Olivia handed Nate her extra gun as they continued down the street.

"Why does Nate get the gun?"

"Have you forgotten what we went through in the desert? He's a much better shot."

"We'll protect you," Nate said, patting Edward on the shoulder as his lips fought a smile.

They walked ten more blocks before they found a winding street with two story homes and garages. Nate grinned as he encouraged Edward to break into the first garage. Edward would have preferred tackling the alarm system, but brute force got him through the side door. Finally, an advantage his weight could offer.

Once inside, they found a car. Nate brought out a clicker that overrode the lock mechanism in the car. He started it up. Edward was about to hop in when he saw Nate jump out.

"Only an eighth of a tank. We'll split up and see if we can siphon gas out of some others nearby. We'll meet at the end of the street."

They searched the garage for a gas tank and some tubing so Nate could teach the art he had perfected in his youth. Luckily, they managed to find both and Nate placed the tube into the gas tank. He blew in before he began to suck the gas through the tube, and stopped just before it hit his mouth. He brought the hose to the can and the gas began to flow out.

"Keep your eyes out for economy cars. We want something with decent gas mileage."

Edward raided four more garages on his own, only getting one unpleasant mouthful of gasoline before his skills improved. He filled two large buckets and brought them out the Nate. The availability of gasoline was a bit suspicious given the fact that the roads were driveable and homes still standing. He solicited Olivia's help to explore his suspicions, since she still wouldn't let him have a gun, and they went into the home.

The house had clearly been ransacked, muddy footprints on the floors, open drawers, filthy couches, but no other signs of life. Olivia led the way to the second floor with her gun held steady. They cracked open one of the doors and the stench was immediate. She lowered her gun and covered her face.

Two bodies lay in the bed, one curled around the other as if they had died in their sleep. Olivia went closer, taking care to clear the closet and attached bathroom first. He took a few steps closer and tried to find any trace of their cause of death. Blood would have stood out on the white sheets, now stained brown with the juices of decomposition. At least it seemed peaceful.

The children's bedroom offered similar sights: death by nightfall without a struggle. Edward placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder when they got to the room with the crib and led her out of the room. His vision became a bit blurry as they made their way down the stairs and he stopped to clutch the railing.

"Don't stop." Olivia tugged on his jumpsuit. "There's something in the air and we need to get out."

The garage offered a much needed relief from the suffocating house. Nate was ready with the car, so he and Olivia helped manually open up the garage, before hopping in. The group of locals walked down the street, so the trio made haste and drove far past them.

As they continued through the city, Edward could only think ghost town. No wandering survivors like Albuquerque, just trash blowing in the wind. 

"What do you think happened in Pueblo? The disasters didn't kill them here. People should be alive," Edward said.

"What did you two find in the house?"

"Five dead, all in their beds," Edward said.

"It was likely airborne, some kind of toxic gas that would cause the least amount of panic," Nate said.

Edward ran his hand over the stubble on his chin. "Where would it come from? Do you think it was a different type of disaster?"

"There's no evidence. You're awful quiet back there. Nate turned to Olivia whose face was as flat as a month old Coke.

"I have a theory. We were told for months that a disaster was coming based on advice the director received from climatologists and geologists and we believed it."

Nate nodded, reminding Edward that again he was the one out of the loop by being recruited post-disaster.

"What if the disasters and events such as this, what I'll assume is mass murder, were not predicted but planned? It would make far more sense as to how we've been able to maintain our facility and have resources."

"Why not do this to all the cities then?" Edward asked.

"Because, of perception outside the United States. We may no longer be a functioning country, but it's hard to say how far this has extended."

"So Canada or Mexico? Personally I'd rather drink tequila at the beach than go dog sledding and sleep in igloos, but who's to say the cartel isn't running things down there."

"Edward, this is serious!"

"If your theory stands, Olivia, then I'd imagine they poisoned this area and other surrounding ones purely because of proximity. It would be too dangerous for disasters to strike close to the mountains and compromise the facility. They also wouldn't want survivors to stumble upon it." Nate's knuckles began to go white as they gripped the steering wheel.

"If that's the case, then we may have just made a very powerful enemy," Edward said.

The rest of the drive passed in silence. They drove, stopping occasionally to find a little more gas to keep the car running. They tried a few radio stations but were met with nothing but white noise hissing away like an angry tom cat as the reality continued to set in.