Delia pointed upriver, toward the west. "We should stay close to the water. The Kaezer will be stationed far from it, due to the contamination. Ben sent me a map. About a mile out, the banks widen into a ravine. It'll lead us straight to the base, but we'll have to be watchful."

They began the trek, as the horizon brightened from rose to blood in the east. Morning light fragmented across the river's surface, blinding, yet hypnotic.

They traveled until sundown. The path became steeper, narrower, more rocky. In some areas, it was a sheer drop to the lethal water below. The river rushed noisily downhill beside them, snaking its way along the tall ridge.

They found a sheltering overhang at the top, and camped for the night.

The following day, they trudged across a sparse, stony flat.

As evening lengthened the shadows, they heard the sound of high-pitched turbines.

"Take cover, quickly," Delia shouted. She dashed toward a copse of trees, pulling Lily and Clarence by the hands. Daddy and Krept followed.

An ominous shadow drifted along the ground, and they saw the gleam of brass against dull gray steel. The red and black of the Kaezer's symbol was bold on the side of the rotorcraft. It flew toward the north, at an altitude low enough to spot them.

Lily sighed in relief as it disappeared into the distance. Nevertheless, it was a reminder that the enemy was near. They waited a while, to be sure it was gone.

On the third day, they woke at dawn.

It was chilly, and Lily pulled her scarf and coat tight.

Their route turned to the north. As the sun climbed high to noon, they spotted the first lookout tower.

"It's just ahead, on the rise," Daddy said, scanning the horizon through his binoculars.

Delia surveyed the map through her display visor. "That's it. We're almost there."

Delia's pace quickened as they drew closer. She watched the sky, her gray eyes hopeful.

They finally reached the perimeter, and found an open spot in the rusty, forgotten wire. Then they picked their way across a field littered with debris and broken machinery.

Not far in, they found a dilapidated storage bunker, and sheltered inside. Delia and Daddy unpacked the supplies from Krept, and sent it to survey the area.

The robot returned about fifteen minutes later, and Delia switched off the engine. She connected her display to its access panel, and spoke her commands.

"According to Krept, the base is empty," she said. "No sign of activity, human or mechanical."

"The children should stay here," said Daddy. "And one of us can go to the airstrip at sunset."

"Agreed. I'll take the watch," Delia said. "You stay with Lily and Clarence. Should trouble arise, I'll return promptly."

They refreshed themselves with their scant water and dried rations, and waited. At sunset, Delia took Krept to the airstrip. The shuttle was due to arrive anytime.

Lily was anxious. She could only imagine the colonies. According to Delia, Celestine was a cylindrical habitat, with five hundred square miles of living space in a rotating enclosure. Supposedly, it resembled a pristine, ideal version of Earth.

Clarence sat beside her. "It'll be fun to go into space," he said. He touched the shiny golden ring, dangling on a cord around Lily's neck. "I miss Mama, and all of our family."

"Wearing this makes me feel like she's near," Lily said, hugging him.

They heard approaching engines.

The airstrip was a fair distance from the bunker. They couldn't see far in the fading dusk, but they glimpsed the lights, and heard the rush of the propellers. The landing gear screeched against cement.

Daddy put his arms around their shoulders. "We're finally going to our new home," he said.

They readied their packs, and waited for Delia to return.

She arrived with Krept, and a dashing young man close beside her.

Lily recognized him as Ben Keene. Dark blonde hair waved around his clean-shaven, statuesque features, calling to mind heroes from the pages of history. Grace appeared natural in his lithe, refined stride. He wore plain work clothing, and tall polished boots, and he surveyed them with compassionate brown eyes.

"It's wonderful to meet all of you at last," he said. "But we don't have much time. Come, we'll discuss more aboard."

They walked to the airstrip, watching their scanners for any sign of trouble.

Lily stopped, awestruck, when she beheld the shuttle. It was her first time seeing such a vessel up close.

Ben smiled. "Pretty, isn't it?"

The cylindrical fuselage was plated in bright chrome, a hundred feet of streamlined splendor, with the wings spread in a pleasing arc beneath. Retractable propellers for terrestrial flight were mounted along the extremities and the nose. Four finned engine cowlings edged the tail, humming and glowing through the chilly night air.

They climbed the boarding ramp. Once inside, Ben showed them to their seats, and demonstrated how to fasten the safety restraints.

Delia secured Krept into the cargo bay, then joined them in the cabin.

A man and woman entered through a door at the front, and introduced themselves as Mr. Magnus Peyton, and Mrs. Reider.

"It's a pleasure to have you aboard," said Mr. Peyton. "We're launching immediately. Please remain seated, until we're clear."

The pilots returned to the cockpit, and the long boarding ramp raised, closing seamlessly. Pressurizing air hissed alongside the rising wail of the engines.

Clarence swatted at something in front of his face.

It darted away, a glowing speck about the size of a horsefly.

Lily reached out and caught it, and felt it buzzing inside her hands.

"What's that?" Daddy asked.

"A firefly, looks like," she said, peeking through her fingers.

"There are no fireflies this time of year. Let me see it."

She opened her palm. What had appeared to be an insect hovered before them, its short, swift movements too precise for any natural creature.

"Damn it." Daddy rarely swore. He shouted to Ben and Delia. "There's a surveillance robot in here. One of the Kaezer's spies."

"What?" Delia's voice held a small shriek. "Where is it?"

"There," Ben said, pointing. "Wonderful. We're soon to have company." He called the cockpit. "I have bad news, Magnus. The enemy knows we're here. Prepare to engage."

"Roger. We've already picked them up on radar. Hold tight back there."

There was an abrupt, dizzying tilt, as the shuttle rolled off course.

"We're surrounded," Mr. Petyon's voice sputtered. "Three transport zeppelins, and a barricade of rotorcraft. I've never seen so many drifters."

The deafening bellow of the rockets shook Lily's bones. She covered her ears.

They were hit, with violent force. The entire craft lurched. It threw her against the restraint, knocking her breath out.

Ben yelled over the noise. "Can you find an evasive route?"

"Negative, sir. We're hit. The left engine's offline. Prepare for emergency landing."

Another dizzying jolt, and Lily's gut jumped into her throat. The tickling, helpless sensation of free fall ensued, and then came the crash. Metal skidded and screamed, as loud as she did. The lights flickered, and all fell into darkness. Only the drumbeat of her heart indicated that she lived. The hot smell of damaged wiring and smoldered steel filled the cabin.

Ben flashed his emergency light on. He threw the latch to the exit, and released the ramp. "Let's go," he said. "The Kaezer will be here any minute."

Delia pounded at the entrance to the cockpit. There was no answer from the pilots.

Daddy helped Lily out of her restraints, and then stooped to assist Clarence.

"There's blood all over," Lily said, her fear prickling. "Look at his head."

Daddy unfastened the buckles, and picked Clarence up with a sob.

Her brother was limp, his head and limbs drooping.

Ben kicked the cockpit door until it swung open. He went inside, and emerged a few seconds later, his face lined in dismay. "They're both dead."

Daddy hugged Clarence in shaking arms. "Not my son, too..."

"I'm a medic, Mr. Fairpoole," Ben said, his expression sympathetic. "I'll do what I can for him, once we're to safety. But, there's a chance that one of us can still complete the mission." He looked at Delia.

A tendril of brown hair fell into her impetuous eyes, and she brushed it away. "You can't be suggesting what I think," she said.

"I am," Ben said. "You can pilot the emergency rocket better than any of us. I'll have the rendezvous pick you up, once you're in orbit."

She rushed to Ben, and threw her arms around him. "No. I can't be apart from you again."

"It's our last hope," he said. "With your family name, you can reach the ones in power, and succeed where I couldn't. They'll listen to you, even if your father won't. Seek out Richard Blane. He's undecided, and will bring many more with him, if he chooses to join us."

Delia nodded, still clutching Ben's coat. "All right. I'll do it."

They locked eyes for several anguished seconds, and then he kissed her.

"Go, quickly," he said, his voice quavering. "Before the enemy arrives."

She kissed Ben one last time. "I'll come back for all of you," she said, as she ducked through a sliding portal. Metal rungs led up the side of a round shaft within. She climbed up, and out of sight.

Ben urged them toward the cabin door.

Lily paused. "What about Krept?"

"Oh, yes," Ben said. "I almost forgot about that crazy death machine of hers."

Krept was still in the cargo bay, active and undamaged.

They unfastened the restraints securing its legs.

"Krept 1A, follow." The robot recognized Lily's command as a registered programmer, and obeyed.

They joined Daddy and Clarence outside, and hurried away from the wreckage, into a cluster of nearby trees.