The transports around us roared to life. I chanced a nce around and saw Damien and his Brothers on a transport. It relieved me that we were all being taken. I feared these angry men would just leave my loves here.


    We took off down a passage across from the one we’de from. I was just as scared today as I had been the day prior. These machines roared through the narrow tunnels.


    I focused on the things I’d seen at the corners of the transport. Thom noted my attention.


    “These are weapons,” he told me proudly. “I cannot show you how they work right now and you may not understand. They project powerful focuses of energy. The energy can tear a hole in rock walls. We developed them in case we ever have to fight the ving women.”


    They’d developed guns. I smiled at Thom and marveled at what the men had done. Sneaky little devils were free to do anything they wanted and they built weapons. Men would be men on any.


    We traveled a long way and suddenly one of Thom’s brothers started to pace. He touched his head and his teeth were down.


    “Sit, Brother,” Thom demanded guiding the man to a stack of pallets. “We will be out of the field soon enough.”


    “What field?” I asked watching the man continue to cringe.


    “The women have something at the far edge of the mountains designed to stop us from crossing out of them. It disrupts our bond with our Brothers. We could never walk through it above ground. In the tunnels only certain men still feel it. My Brother is one of them,” he said wincing slightly himself.


    I watched the men and soon surmised we had left the field when they all rxed again.


    We flew for a long while in the twisting tunnels. The men seemed to know this route well and flew through it confidently. Often we came to splits in the tunnel and the men never hesitated which direction to go. This was a well traveled path.


    Abruptly the transports came to a halt. The call came back and the men were instructed to switch the transports. I was confused as I watched the Brother doing the driving start moving levers around.


    The roar inside the cave died away swiftly. That loud growl I’d finally gotten used to faded away and the quiet hum of the sr craft was left. I turned and looked at Thom who was grinning broadly.


    “We must stay hidden here, speed is not as important as stealth. All of our transports run on ore and stored sr power. Depending on where we are dictates which we use,” he said.


    I saw the man on the lead transport throw a lever embedded in the wall. The stone ceiling moved and shifted above him. Bright light came through the opening and I prayed this awful ride would soon be over.


    As the transport lifted into the sky I noted a man at each gun on the transport. They swiveled the barrels around as they raised into the light. Each transport rose the same way, with the Brothers each manning a gun.


    “Come, Rachel,” Thommanded, “you stand by me. I’ll show you how to work this machine. Ruth, you stand with my Brother Thad. Fuji stand near Brand.”


    Our transport came to the opening in the rock and rose slowly. I blinked and squinted in the bright light as Thom exined what he was looking for. Racks liked to attack here as did other creatures. To fire the weapon he only had to squeeze the ce his hand was wrapped around. It was a very simple system.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    We rose into the sky and I was struck dumb. Freedom looked different from anything I had ever imagined and the power of it took my breath away.


    This world seemed to burst with life and color. Massive trees formed a perimeter around the opening. The deep green canopy above was magnificent. The nts were bright and exotic.


    I breathed in the fresh air outside the tunnel and it smelled of wilderness. It wasn’t the crisp pine scent of the forests on Earth. The sweet tang of flowers mixed with the natural odor of the trees and the leaves here. I could smell the rich aroma of the soil and, all mixed together, it was unlike anything I’d experienced before on this world.


    Taking a huge breath I almost thought I smelled jasmine in the air. I remembered the vines that had clung to my grandmother’s mailbox. Looking around I didn’t see any, but when the breeze drifted by, I smelled it again. I wondered how much out here would be familiar to me.


    A branch to the right moved and I watched a small green animal run to the tree’s trunk. Noises all around us told me this area was brimming with animals. There were sounds like arge bird’s call and other strange guttural sounds. Compared to the silence of thepound, this was unreal.


    The area reminded me of a rainforest. Clinging purple vines crept up the trees withrge purple flowers hanging down. I saw nts of vibrant red and yellow spotting the ground and growing in crevices in the trees. The area was a ze with color and teeming with life.


    “It’s amazing!” I said and Thomughed.


    “What did you say?” he asked curiously. “I don’t know much of yournguage. I have learned some, but not enough.”


    “Amazing,” I repeated in Paterian continuing to look around.


    “The entire was like this,” Thom said as the transport rose higher. “The women cleaned the area around thepounds so they could watch the men better. Our world is meant to be filled with life.”


    I nodded and continued to take in the breathtaking scenery, still my heart mourned. This moment should have been experienced with my family. As I looked around and saw them on their transport surrounded by other men. Christof’s eyes caught mine and I saw the sadness there as well. We should have been together for this.


    The transports took off in single file toward a set of hills in the near distance. The transports moved quietly through the forest, cutting through the air just under the canopy. As we moved I saw small creatures frolicking and moving in the trees. This ce was full of little animals, they were everywhere I looked.


    asionally the trees would part and I could see the area around us. The hills went on forever, covered in trees, nts, and things I had no name for. Farther in the distance huge mountains could be seen rising far into the clouds. I had been right, this world was amazing.


    Our line of transports traveled steadily up an incline. It was evident we were climbing a hill. I looked down at the steep incline and realized it would be hard, but not impossible on foot. Below us I saw several faint footpaths winding around the mountain. Someone walked here.


    Looking ahead I watched the lead transport suddenly change orientation so it faced into the foliage covering the mountain and disappear. I sucked in a surprised gasp as the next transport did the same thing. We got closer and closer as the transports ahead of us dove into the mountain side, one by one.


    “Watch,” Thom said pointing to the magical spot, “the leaves and trees you see are not truly there. The main entrance to our camp is through there and hidden from view.”


    As we headed for the trunk of a very solid looking tree I cringed, but the crash never came. We’d passed through the illusion and into arge well lit cave. Behind the fake tree was a huge open area with many, many transports parked in it.


    For all intents and purposes we were in an enormous parking garage. There was space in here for perhaps three or four hundred of therge transports it seemed, perhaps more. Much of it seemed unupied now. A family of men walked around gesturing to the drivers, instructing them where tond.


    “Morning patrols have set out or there would be more here,” Thom exined. “We have much work to do to keep our camp running well. Our campmates travel to thepounds near here on a regr basis. Whenever we can, we take men, but it is difficult.”


    “We always watch thepounds for a chance to take men when their guard is down,” Thom’s Brother, Brand, told us. “It is just a waiting game to find the right family at the right time.”


    “What do you mean the right family?” I asked not knowing what would make one family superior over another.


    Thom grunted and his Brother answered. “We wait for men thate and go from the mountains. Men with ves stay away from the mountains. We don’t want vers here.”


    I stood silently and felt Rose take my hand. When I looked at her she appeared as concerned as I felt. Our men were hated in this ce.