The Vigilante Book 1

Chapter 14

This poor woman. So far from home, she might not ever be able to get back. I want to help her...I wish I could help her, but I can't even help myself right now.

"Thank you so much," Colleen told me after talking most of the night, "I didn't know if anyone was going to give me some answers here,"

"Believe, me, I know how you feel," I told her, "I have some work to do I'm afraid but if you want to talk, I'll be around,"

"Thank you Thame,"

I gave her a comforting smile and helped her up onto her crutch before leaving the training center.

It was interesting that the first person I could just have a pleasant conversation with was a woman from another galaxy. In many way she was in the same situation as me. We both were displaced and alone and some of the only ones of our kind in this place. Colleen was incredibly nice to speak with and I hoped for a continued friendship with her.

I stretched and went back up to see Dale, hoping that he might have some insight today that he was allowed to give me. He didn't seem to be in yet so I went to my office and saw that the two photographs were gone. Turning, I ran back down to the training center.

"Computer, load Recreation One!"

"There is no file under that name in the database,"

"No!" I said, running back upstairs to my office.

Opening the door, I saw that my lights were turned out and that there was someone in my chair.

"You! You took my photographs and deleted the program!"

"I took the disc with the recording too," he said casually in his mysterious voice.

"What is so important that you have to keep this hidden from me! That you would endanger me and everyone else just to cover it up!"

"You aren't ready," he said, "You've had your turn, now wait for others to make ours,"

"You have been lyin' to me from the beginnin'!" I yelled, grabbing the man by his shirt and throwing him up against the wall.

"You have...no idea what you are doing," he said.

"You're damn right about that,"

"You won't kill me, you can't," he said.

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure, how much?" he asked.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a bed in Jack's bunker with a horrible headache and a large bruise on my face. Checking the time, I saw that it was the middle of night of that same day. Sighing, I laid my head back and tried to get some rest.

For a time, not much happened. No more ships crashed. The Dawn was quiet, Drake didn't shoot anyone and Bryant stayed unrevealed. No news came about Myral or any of the other soldiers. Dale and I were still on shaky terms. I continued to train with my abilities, though nothing happened where I was called to actually fight outside of the training complex. I didn't hear anything else from Contact either.

I didn't even remember how many days passed. I got into something of a ritual. Breakfast at the bunker, a brief talk with Jack and Cie'loth before leaving for FIAT. An icy morning warmup with Dale in which I would try and get some answer from him. Colleen and I would have lunch before she would stay nearby as I trained with either Braxton or holograms. I would try to interrogate Dale every night once again to get some answers.