Chapter Four
She’d never seen these stairs before... where did they go? And who was that walking up them?
“Aunt Reboa…”
Heidi followed her up the stairs. Where was she going? The stairs seemed to go on forever. There was a light at the top of them but no matter how many steps they climbed, they never even got close to the top. And Heidi tried desperately to catch up to her aunt, but no matter how fast she climbed, Reboa stayed just out of reach.
“Wait!” she cried. “Wait!”
Suddenly the stairs were no more. She was in a marble hallway… it was somewhat familiar. The figure was still just in front of her but it had stopped. She ran forward and reached out and grabbed her shoulder to turn her around. Only it wasn’t Aunt Reboa… it was Emperor Ezar.
Heidi cried out and recoiled and then realized she was in the torture room. On the table was a figure… but it wasn’t the blonde man this time. She approached cautiously. The figure laid totally still, her eyes wide but unseeing, her arms lifeless by her side.
“No!” Heidi cried. “No! Aunt Reboa…”
She grabbed her aunt and tried desperately to make contact, but she was suddenly pulled away as two faceless guards picked up Reboa and placed her back in the torture machine.
“No!!” Heidi screamed. “No!!”
The switch was flipped. Reboa’s eyes, already wide, became wider with terror and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Heidi tried desperately to get free, to run to her, to turn off the switch, but it was—
She awoke with a cry.
“Whoa!” a familiar voice said. “Quiet, Red.”
Heidi looked around frantically. The woods… Dexter… it was a dream. She sighed heavily and sat up. She didn’t feel very rested but it was apparently her turn to keep watch.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Nightmare.”
“No problem,” he replied. “It’s only a few hours before dawn. Wake me when the sun comes up, okay?”
She nodded and watched as he lay down on the ground in front of her, still in his undershirt.
“Do you want your shirt back?” she asked.
There was no response but his rhythmic breathing, and momentarily a soft snore. He must have experience falling asleep in strange, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable circumstances. What a rotten hand he’d been dealt. She curled up with her knees under her chin and sat facing him, watching him sleep. It was better than thinking about where she was, how alone she was, and how scared she was... or about her nightmare. She wished he was awake so she could talk to him some more. This hiding business had never been fun, but at least she’d always had someone to talk to before. But he did need his sleep so instead she studied his face. She realized for the first time that she'd never really looked at him that closely. She knew that his hair was blonde and his eyes were a deep brown, but she hadn’t noticed the sharp line of his jaw or the slight bump at the bridge of his nose. She also noted that he had a scar above his left eyebrow, like a knife had sliced cleanly from his forehead to his temple. The stubble on his face was becoming a mini-beard and she wondered how long it had been since he’d shaved. She wondered if he shaved regularly or if he just left it to do its own thing.
Her eyes traveled down and noted that his arms were muscled and the veins stood out on his forearms. He had a tattoo on his left shoulder… three circles intertwined.
The sign of the rebellion.
He was bold. No one wore that symbol freely without dire consequences. She only knew from whispers and rumbles the few times she’d seen it graffitied on different buildings that it was a sign the rebellion was intending to meet there. However, this was back when the rebellion was new and the Imperial guard didn’t know about the symbol. Now it was merely a symbol of loyalty. Dexter must have been extremely loyal to have it tattooed on his body. Or perhaps all officers in the rebellion army were required to have it. From the little she knew about him, she thought it much more likely that he had it in an effort to give the proverbial finger to the Emperor.
It was going to be a long few hours sitting here with nothing to do and no one to talk to. The warmth of Dexter’s shirt was making her feel too comfortable and her eyes started to get heavy. So she took it off and draped it across his chest. He stirred slightly but didn’t wake up. A breeze blew and Heidi shivered. She noticed that a leaf had landed on Dexter’s forehead. Without thinking she reached over and brushed it aside.
A flash in her brain startled her. It was merely for an instant but it was conflict—she and two other men behind a dumpster, one man told her to get down. Only, it had to be a memory, and not one of hers.
It was the second time she’d read someone’s mind inadvertently.
She let him sleep a little beyond when the sun came up. He was already stirring by the time she shook him awake. He glanced up and around and then noticed his shirt lying on top of him.
“You don’t want this anymore?” He stood up and held it out to her.
“No, it’s warmer now,” she said, rising to her feet.
Dexter didn’t ask again, he merely pulled it on over his head, yawned and stretched and then turned and waved to her to follow him.
Most of the rest of the day was silent. He walked with purpose; he knew where he was going, although all the trees and woods and everything looked exactly the same to Heidi and she had no idea how one would find anything here. She sort of wanted to talk to him some more but she didn’t have much energy and was having to expend it all trekking after him. He walked fast. In fact, the only thing she did say to him all day was “Can you slow down?” a few times. To which he responded “Yeah, sorry…” and slowed down for awhile but soon picked his pace back up and then she had to ask again.
Finally when Heidi was just about to drop to her knees and say, “I give up; you go on without me…” they reached a large cluster of trees. Dexter stopped and held up a hand to her to indicate she should stop as well. He then brought a finger to his lips to admonish her to stay quiet. He held both hands up in surrender and walked towards the cluster.
“Halt!” a disembodied voice shouted suddenly.
“It’s me, Gyer,” Dexter said.
As if appearing out of nothing, a figure emerged from the trees. He was holding a rifle blaster and wearing clothes similar to Dexter’s. When he saw Dexter’s face, he pointed the rifle down and laughed gleefully.
“Lieutenant,” he said. “You’re alive.” He rushed forward and embraced Dexter eagerly.
“Of course I am, Private,” Dexter returned. “You didn’t actually think those Imperial scum would get the better of me, did you?”
“No—“ Gyer stopped abruptly and jumped back, he charged and aimed his rifle at Heidi. “Sir, you’ve been followed!” he exclaimed.
Heidi held up her hands but not before Dexter jumped between her and Gyer’s rifle.
“Stand down, soldier,” Dexter said with an air of authority she'd not heard from him before. “She’s with me. She was a prisoner of Ezar too and she helped me to escape.”
Gyer looked surprised, but powered down his rifle and aimed it at the ground again. “Apologies, sir,” he mumbled.
“That’s all right,” Dexter said. “No harm, no foul. But let’s get inside before the imperial scouts spot us.”
“Yes sir,” Gyer agreed and turned to lead the way back into the cluster of trees.
Dexter turned and held out his hand to her. It was then that she realized she still had her hands in the air. She dropped them quickly, feeling rather sheepish.
“Don’t worry, Red,” he said. “You’re safe with me.”
Heidi smiled and took his hand. He led the way into the cluster of trees, which, once she stood inside it, Heidi realized were not real trees but steel columns made to look like trees. And they moved. But it was so slightly that from the outside it would have looked like a breeze blowing the branches. Inside was even more amazing. It
was a tiny village. There were huts made of mud and straw everywhere and people walked in and out of them. Most of the people had on the same soldier fatigues that Dexter and Gyer wore, but some were merely in civilian clothing. There were even some children chasing their mothers around. There was a large garden near the center of village and next to that stood a much larger hut with two rebel guards standing outside of it, armed.
“Wow,” Heidi breathed. “Are all the rebel bases like this?”
“Most of them,” Dexter replied.
“But… how do you have the technology and the materials to make all this?” she asked.
“You don't think all scientists and steel workers are loyal to Ezar, do you?” he glanced over at her and grinned.
“They're not all soldiers…” Heidi mused.
“No, but most of the ones that aren’t are related to a soldier,” he said. “Usually a member of that soldier’s family, his wife and kids. Or sometimes their parents or aunts and uncles. Rarely we have people that come looking simply for asylum but those are so rare because usually they can’t find our bases. We have to make them really hard to find to keep the enemy from us, which, unfortunately, makes it hard for friends to find us, too.”
Heidi watched as two little girls picked tomatoes from the vine in the garden and placed them in a basket. Their mother stood nearby. One of the girls giggled and tossed a tomato into her sister’s basket, narrowly missing her sister’s head.
“Hey!” the sister exclaimed.
“No throwing tomatoes!” the mother admonished and the girl grinned sheepishly.
Heidi could see now that they were heading for the large mud hut in the center.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Headquarters,” Dexter answered. “I have to check back in.”
“Look, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but when am I going to be able to bathe and eat?”
“That’s a very good question, Lieutenant,” a warm alto voice said. Heidi looked up and saw a woman emerging from the hut that Dexter had called ‘headquarters’. She was slightly taller than Heidi with dark brown hair cut into a smart bob. She was wearing the same fatigues that Gyer and Dexter wore.
“Commander,” Dexter said and he and Gyer both saluted simultaneously.
“You’ve brought a friend and haven’t given her something to eat?” the commander asked. “And I agree with her that both of you desperately need to bathe.” She waved her hand in front of her nose and smiled in jest.
“We just got here, Commander,” Dexter replied. “And we traveled through the Imperial sewers to escape the palace.”
“Oh, I thought that smelled worse than regular shit,” Gyer remarked.
The Commander rolled her eyes. “At least introduce me to your friend.”
“Yeah,” Dexter said and turned to Heidi. “This is, uh…” He stared at her, his mind clearly a blank.
“Heidi!” Heidi exclaimed.
“Right, Heidi,” Dexter agreed. “She was a prisoner of the Emperor, too. She helped me to escape.”
“Really?” the commander said, impressed. “Well, then we owe you a great debt. Lt. Hathaway is a great asset to the cause and also a good friend and I was very sorry to hear he’d been captured.”
“I really didn’t do anything,” Heidi argued. “He rescued me, not the other way around.”
Dexter shrugged. “It was mutual.”
“Well, it doesn't matter,” the commander said before Heidi could argue anymore. “I am Commander Elena Trevana of Rebel Base number 65. I’m very glad to have you here, Heidi. You are welcome to stay with me if you’d like or we can look into finding you a safehouse with someone else.”
“Oh…” Heidi said. “That’s… very kind but… um… if it’s all the same, I’d rather stay with Dexter.” She bit her lower lip. Dexter’s eyes widened slightly and his face flushed. Up until then he had still been holding her hand, but he dropped it quickly. Pt. Gyer was attempting to stifle a chuckle and not being completely successful. He snorted.
“You feeling all right, Private?” Dexter asked, annoyed. “Perhaps you should visit the infirmary.”
“No, I’m fine, sir,” Gyer responded and pressed his lips together tighter.
“I… just feel safer with him,” Heidi explained. “Because he already saved my life once…”
“Of course,” Commander Trevana said, shooting a warning look at Gyer, who was still having trouble controlling his laughter. “Well, if it's all right with Lt. Hathaway, there’s no reason why not.”
“Unless I’m intruding,” Heidi exclaimed suddenly, realizing that she had only assumed Dexter lived alone. It was entirely possible that one of these children running around here was his, accompanied by one of the lovely civilian women as his wife. Heidi was surprised that this notion bothered her so much.
“There’s plenty of room with me,” Dexter said. “Why don’t I show you where I stay and then I’ll come back and be debriefed.”
“Certainly, Lieutenant,” Trevana said. “First, however, I order you to bathe.”
Dexter’s hut looked exactly like all the others from the outside. Inside was a single room. There was one cot in the corner to one side with one bare pillow and a blanket on it. There was also a tub next to the cot. On the other side there was a stove and a small oven for cooking as well as a table and two chairs. Gyer brought in some fresh water for bathing and after pouring it into the tub, he grinned at Dexter—who glared back—and left.
“Um,” Dexter said. “You can bathe first and I’ll go walk around outside. I’ll find a cot for you. I don’t have a separate room for you but I’m sure I can scrounge up a separate bed.”
“Thanks,” Heidi said.
“And I’ll find you some clean clothes, too,” he added. “I’ll, um, call from the doorway when I get back and you can tell me if it’s safe to come in.” He backed out of the doorway quickly before Heidi could say anything else.
Heidi undressed and climbed in the hot bath. After the past few days it was quite possibly the most wonderful feeling she thought she’d ever experienced. Now if only she could find something to fill her desperately empty stomach. She didn’t have any soap, but she scrubbed her body and hair as best she could in the hot water.
“Hello?” a female voice suddenly called from the hut door.
Heidi plastered herself to the side of the tub. “Hello?”
A small woman entered carrying a satchel with her. “Hi, I’m Dana,” she said. “Reynold’s wife.”
“Reynold?” Heidi asked.
“Private Gyer,” she explained.
“Oh,” Heidi sighed in relief. “I thought maybe you were Dexter’s wife.”
Dana burst out laughing. “No, um, he’s not married,” she said. “I’ve never even known him to date.” She came closer. “I’m sorry to intrude on you but men don’t seem to think things through. Dex came and asked me if I had some clothes you could wear but then had no idea how he was going to get them to you without seeing you in your birthday suit, and when I asked him if you had soap and towels, he looked stunned. So I brought you some soap and towels and a few outfits so you don’t have to borrow Dexter’s fatigues.”
“Thank you,” Heidi said and took the soap from her. She rescrubbed everything.
“I really hope you don’t mind me barging in here,” Dana said. “I just had to see who it was Dexter was letting stay in his dwelling with him.”
“He doesn’t usually let people stay with him?” Heidi asked.
Dana shook her head. “Never. I’ve known him for five years and he’s always lived alone. He’s even rescued other civilians and always just sticks them in a safehouse.”
“Well, I think he feels… protective of me or something,” Heidi mused as she scrubbed her hair.
“That’s also unusual,” Dana said. “He’s usually all business. Always a soldier, never anything else.”
“Oh,”
Heidi said. She didn’t really know how to respond and was starting to feel uncomfortable and exposed, not because she was naked but because her presence in Dexter’s home was causing curiosity.
Dana seemed to pick up on Heidi’s discomfort and stood up. “Well, sorry to bother you,” she said. “I live three doors down so if you need anything, just let me know.”
“Thanks,” Heidi said.
Dexter returned a little while later. By that time Heidi was clean and dressed in a dress Dana had left for her. It was slightly too large but Heidi was fine with it. She found the tub stopper on the side. It was next to a drain that exited from the hut and she pulled it open to drain out the dirty water. When Dexter entered—after announcing his presence and being given the all clear—he was carrying his own jugs of clean water. Heidi used her towel to wipe out the excess dirt and grime from the tub so that his bath would not be tainted with it.
“Dana came by,” she said.
“Yeah,” Dexter replied. “She wanted to meet you.”
“She seems really nice.”
“Yeah, she’s all right.” He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry I didn't think of soap and towels.”
“It’s okay,” Heidi responded.
Dexter suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Um… you could probably go over to Dana’s while I…” he gestured towards the tub.
“Oh!” Heidi exclaimed. “Of course, you need to bathe. No, that’s okay. I was actually going to go look for some food—”
“That I remembered!” he said suddenly and pulled a bag from underneath his coat. He opened it and inside were several energy bars. “They aren’t that fantastic tasting but when you’ve gone without food for a couple days they’re really great at restoring all your body’s energy and nourishment.”
“Thank you again,” Heidi said and took the first bar and devoured it. She took another one from him and walked towards the hut door. “I think I’ll just go for a walk.”
“You want to do more walking?” he asked, chuckling slightly.
“I’d like to at least see the rest of the base,” she said.
“Well, don’t go too far, Red,” he said. “You can wander out of the base if you’re not careful.”
“I’ll stay in the populated areas,” she replied and exited the hut.
Outside the day was drawing to a close. She chewed slower on the other energy bar as she wandered around. After she walked for a few moments, though, she realized Dexter was right and she really didn't want to walk anymore. She found a small tree stump and sat down to finish her energy bar. As she sat there, the same mother with her two daughters that she’d seen earlier in the garden passed by. Each girl was carrying a full basket of vegetables and fruits; the younger one was waddling with her basket between her legs. Finally the mother took the basket from her even though she was already carrying two of her own. The girl then skipped ahead happily to their hut.
Heidi felt a twinge at how it reminded her of her childhood with Aunt Reboa. She felt guilty knowing that she was here safe in a rebel base while, at best, Reboa was stuck in an Imperial prison.