Down Deep

Chapter Thirty Five - Zdana

The ice cold water Grant helped her drink froze her throat but, moistened her dry mouth. He helped he sit up when she finished drinking and watched her worried.

'You be'n okay pup?' Zava asked worried as she held tight to Zdana's hand. 'Mother be keep'n you a long time.' Zdana nodded rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Physically she felt fine, but her head was reeling with all she had learned. Grant tried to stop her when she got to her feet, but Zdana just shook free and headed for the warehouse.

'Zdana?' Xavier said surprised as she passed him. She did not stop to talk. The longer she took the sooner the dream would fade. She had no idea how she knew that, but did not question it. In the armory, she ran her hand over the area she knew the panel was. Entering the password, the door slid open showing that everything was were Daily had left it. She turned to see the three watching in stunned shock. Zdana told them everything that she had seen and told them about the secrets Daily had stored. Grant was the only one with the foresight to write it all down.

Her strength started to fade and her legs were getting shaky. Zava caught her as her legs gave out. Easing her onto the floor, her momma ordered Xavier to get the doctor. Zdana shook her head, but the sheriff ran out before she could stop him.

'I am okay momma.' Zdana assured her as Grant knelt beside her taking her hand. 'How long did I sleep?'

'Just over a month.' Grant told her worried as he brushed her bangs from her eyes. He gave her a little smile that did not erase the fear from his eyes. 'You know you could have just told me what you had found. You did not need to walk out here and do it yourself.'

'Aye she did.' Zava sighed pulling Zdana into a tight hug and held her close. 'The Mother's voice be too strong for us to keep the memories for long. She be forgetting a lot before she even be able to tell you half. It be easier to remember if you be doing the task yourself.' Grant nodded and stood. He offered his mate a hand up, and as she took it, Zava let her go.

Her legs still felt a little shaky, but she could feel her strength slowly returning. Grant hugged her next and she sighed laying her head to his shoulder.

'I am sorry I was gone so long.' Zdana told them both. 'Mother had a lot to tell me.' She looked to Grant. 'Do you have the portable terminal on you?' He nodded and let her go to take off a pack on his back. He pulled the terminal out and handed it to her. Once Zdana set it onto a table, she turned it on and went into the core reactor's system. She found Weldon fighting to get through their security and failing miserably.

'Shit.' Grant said annoyed. 'My alert did not work. I have it set to tell me if anyone is trying to get into the system.'

'It won't work. He is using a ghost server like we did. The system cannot see him.' Zdana sighed going to work building a fake A.I. to talk to him. After sending him a fake readout of a hibernating reactor in excellent condition, she sent him a second report of a closed vent and requested permission to open it to vent the gas out.

Walden hesitated, but issued the order and she sent a warning to her team in the reactor about what was going to happen. After connecting with the real reactor, she ordered a full system vent. The machine responded and she knew deadly fog was now pouring into the mines.

Walden seemed satisfied, but still ordered a second report from Gateway's system. She sent it, but altered Grant's version about the gas. With the reactor vents open, she halved the amount of gas that would be recorded in the city.

'There.' She sighed. 'That will keep the council from wanting to come in to check the reactor.'

'Why are they so desperate to find us?' Grant said frowning. 'Even if their plans work to take over that other city, they can use borers.'