The Legion activated in yet another area. They were not originally programmed for the recent sporadic signaling, but the signal, by definition, expressed the will of the architect and the Legion must obey. Enough awoke here to form a network and launched the deadly Swarm.

[Mora]

A call through my com-viewer woke me up, pulling me out of a pleasant dream. Since Gan and I reconciled, the accusing nightmare retreated back into whatever recess it hid.

So early? What did Vic want?

I answered. "Vic?"

"Mora," he said with a breathy and urgent voice. "The blight... It hit part of the north settlement and took out some of the grain fields. And Mora... There were two fatalities."

I shuddered as a dreadful chill gripped me. My worst fears had become true.

"Mora?" Vic asked after a silent moment.

"Is it spreading?"

"No. It came on hard and fast, but then just stopped. I've never seen anything like this. And whatever killed those two poor souls does not seem to be contagious now."

"Okay," I said, rubbing my forehead. "I'll get there as soon as I can. Try to quarantine the blighted areas."

I took no pleasure that Vic had finally understood the importance of this issue. After waking Liz to inform her, we quickly agreed on a course of action.

I banged on Gan's door. The sleep in his eyes disappeared when he saw the urgency in my expression.

"Mora, what is it?"

"The blight struck Zion. We need to get over there." His eyebrows shot up, but I knew what concerned him. "Don't worry, I learned my lesson. Liz is sending a flyer to pick us up and we are taking an armed guard with us."

He smiled faintly. "You already know me too well."

After a quick breakfast, I gathered the supplies I wanted to take and walked to the designated airlift pad beside the project offices. Gan joined me a few minutes later with his backpack slung over a shoulder.

As we sat on the ground waiting for our ride, he took my hands in his. "Mora, we don't know what we are walking into, but just be careful. Okay?"

"I promise." Gan's concern warmed my heart.

In a few minutes, the flyer landed in a swirl of dust. A flyer was not much different from a hovercar, both having four corner-mounted lift fans, but those on a flyer were much more powerful so that it, well, flied. A burly man with a sidearm strapped to his belt opened the gullwing door, motioning us in, and we quickly threw our stuff in the back and took our seats.

On the way, I explained the situation to our security guard, Moshe, taking solace knowing that he and Gan would be at my side.

We arrived at Zion early-afternoon under a dreary, overcast sky. As we made our way to the project offices, the flyer took off again, with the pilot promising to return when we called him. But Vic was nowhere to be found, and it concerned me that he had not answered any further calls since this morning.

We walked around the greenhouses and past the orchards toward the water tanks. Gan allowed himself a small grin of satisfaction, noting the overflowing tanks — confirmation that the irrigation pump still worked.

But his expression turned dour as we approached the crop fields, half of which were lost to the blight, the plants twisted and blackened as if by some ancient curse. The blight extended into the grassland and tree groves beyond the fields, killing everything within its scope. Yet nearby plants in adjoining fields, and even in parts of the same field, appeared healthy and unaffected.

The scene tore at my gut. Aside from the unknowns of the blight, this will be a severe blow to the settlers' food supply. I caught Gan's eye, but we did not speak, for what could be said?

At one field end, we came across a gray tarp spread across the ground and held down by rocks at each corner. I gasped as Moshe pulled the tarp back, uncovering two bodies. Cracked, blackened flesh stretched tight across contorted skeletons, their mouths laid open and their eye sockets empty. I turned away, heart lodged in my throat, as Moshe recovered them.

A crowd of nine men approached us from the residential area carrying staffs or gardening tools. My heart raced as they surrounded us with eyes narrowed and faces twisted in righteous rage.

Gan raised his hands, palms facing outward. "Take it easy. We mean no harm. A great tragedy took place here. Don't make it worse."

A scowled man with stringy gray hair pointed a crooked finger at me and yelled. "Demon!"

Then the mob descended on us from all sides. Moshe drew his sidearm and shot twice. Two men slumped to the ground, stunned, but otherwise unhurt. He dropped his weapon and collapsed to his knees as a large rock bounced off his head, while others converged and struck him down with the implements they carried.

Gan rushed over to cradle me within his arms, taking blows meant for me. I cried out while we collapsed to the ground with Gan on top. The blows eventually stopped, then they hauled us up to our knees as if awaiting judgement. Gan wavered as I extended an arm to hold him up. Blood seeped from blows to his head, trickling down his cheeks.

But Moshe... He laid faceup on the hard ground with vacant open eyes, while a growing pool of crimson surrounded his stilled head. Bitter tears streamed down my cheeks as my eyes met Gan's.

Roughly binding our hands behind our backs, the mob dragged us to a small utility shed on the outskirts of the residential area. But before shoving us inside, they took our viewers and smashed them with a large rock. Gan tumbled to the floor. The darkness inside engulfed us as the door slammed shut.

I sat down next to him as he righted himself to a sitting position and leaned my head against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Gan."

"We are going to get out of this, Mora," he said in a determined voice that lent me courage. "Keep your eyes open for an opportunity."

At Gan's bidding, we turned backs to each other, and working together, removed the ropes that bound us. After standing and flexing my wrist, I fell into his comforting embrace.

Ever the optimist, Gan said, "Let's see what we have in here to work with."

Our eyes had only now adjusted to the darkness within the shed. A single small high window let in faint light from the gray sky, but was much too small to provide a means of escape. A quick search revealed there was little in the shed except a dark lump shape in a far corner, but upon approach, I gasped, finding a man lying face down in the dust.

Reverently, I turned him over and then dipped my head. "Oh, Vic..."

Two fingers to a cold neck confirmed what I already knew — Vic was dead. My heart sunk as I shook my head at Gan. We covered his body with two dusty cloth sacks.

Gan yanked on the door, once tentatively, then more forcefully, but it held firm. With a groan, he slumped down in a shed corner leaning against the wall, and I joined him, letting him wrap me within in strong arms. We remained there in the partial darkness for what seemed like hours.

Gan jumped up to a noise at the door, crouching beside as it slowly opened. But I held my hand up to Gan to stop his intended attack as a woman appeared — the same woman I met during the tour.

She cautiously glanced left and right, then said in a low voice, "I am sorry. This is not God's way. You must leave now before they come back."

Gan stuck his head outside the door, squinting against a hazy afternoon sun, and motioned me to follow.

I turned to the woman and whispered, "Come with us. It may not be safe for you here now."

Shaking her head, she replied, "I cannot. My children... Please hurry!"

I grasped her hand and bowed my head. "Thank you. May God be with you."

Hand-in-hand, we ran along the field edges toward the project offices, dodging small trees. We came to the cliff edge above the stream below and followed it past the orchards to the water tanks. Gan pulled up short as several men jumped out from behind the tanks, blocking our path, while others approached from behind. Icy dread flooded my mind.

Elder Amos stepped forward with a hideous scowl on his face. "You cannot escape, demon!"

Gan gripped my hand tighter and whispered, "When I rush him, you run away as fast as you can."

"Gan..."

"Just do it, then go get help."

"Okay," I replied weakly. Fearing for Gan, my heart raced.

With that, Gan charged Amos, barreling into him. But the massively sized man barely moved back, and with a swipe of a massive hand, knocked Gan to the ground. Growling, Gan jumped up with fists extended.

I took off, sprinting to the left, but hardly made it five steps until multiple arms grabbed and held me firm despite my struggles.

Gan connected a fist to Amos' throat, causing him to gasp. Enraged, Amos snatched a staff from a nearby companion and thrust it, striking Gan in his chest. Gan collapsed to a knee, bent over and wheezing. Amos grappled him across the chest, then, with a roar, flung him over the cliff to the rocks below.

Still in tight grasp, I screamed, "Gan, no!"

Amos approached me, snarling. I glared back into his eyes, meeting rage with rage, and I accused him, "Evil is as evil does!"

Baring teeth, Amos backhanded me with a huge hand. Pain exploded in my cheek as darkness overtook me and I slumped to the ground.