On Wednesdays I’m posting a little snippet from my upcoming book.  Finding My Faith, the sequel to The Light Within Me, will be out at the beginning of March.   I think you will really like the story of Rayner and Faith 🙂

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They got out of the Hummer and stretched.  Rayner popped the back open and they each grabbed their duffle bags again, and headed toward the five metal steps that led up to the first door of the silo.  Hudson put in the code, and the three-foot metal door hissed, then popped open.  They went in, the lights coming on automatically.  They pounded down ten metal steps to the second door.  It was a repeat action on the door, and then they were inside the silo.

Rayner had to admit, since they had been on Earth, the silos were by far the smartest, not to mention the coolest thing they had done.  Noah had made a fortune in the stock market, and just after the cold war when Russia and the United States were promising they wouldn’t obliterate each other with nuclear weapons, the government had decommissioned missile silos all over the country.  Noah had gone in and bought six of them.  The government took the missiles, and Noah had the silos made in to very plush, very habitable places for the warriors to live.

The silos sat nine stories deep into the ground.  In all the silos, the top two floors were the communal living space, and then each warrior could pick which floor he preferred.  The silos were circular in nature and Noah had installed an elevator going down the middle of the silo where the missile used to be that stopped at each floor.

They entered through the kitchen and went for the fridge.

Hudson took a brief inventory of the food that had been stocked in there for their visit.

“Looks like we got some Heinies.  Anyone?”  Cohen and Rayner both agreed it was a fabulous idea and Hudson tossed them each one.

“So, based on what we have in the fridge, how about some steaks and baked potatoes for dinner?”  Hudson asked.

Cohen and Rayner again agreed.  Hudson loved to cook, and got busy in the kitchen.  Cohen made his way to the game room for a little Xbox 360, and Rayner got on the elevator, shut his eyes and pushed a button.  He heard the door close, and felt the elevator making its way downward.  He didn’t open his eyes until he felt it stop.  The doors opened and he looked at what floor he was on.

Okay.  Floor five was his.

He made his way into the quarters, dropped his duffel bag on the floor and sucked down the rest of his beer in three large swallows.

He had never stayed on the fifth floor in Arizona.  It was nice.  There was no doubt Noah hadn’t spared any expense when it came to the decorating and comfort of the warriors.

The room was done in a couple different shades of brown with black accents. The carpeting was plush dark brown, the walls a lighter brown.  The huge California King bed with its brown and black comforter and black silk sheets called to him, promising him comfort while he watched the sixty inch flat screen mounted on the wall.  There was a large black Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, and a brown leather couch next to the small end table.  Definitely a nice, comfortable place.

The first thing he needed was a shower.  Then he would go upstairs, eat, and they would get a game plan together.  He was exhausted, but a game plan was necessary.

As he showered in the black marble stall, he began forming strategies to talk to Hudson and Cohen about.  He was always working, always planning one step ahead.  Yeah, he was the workhorse.  He always volunteered to travel when it was needed, was the one who stayed up studying the maps and murder scenes they received long after the others had gone to bed.  He knew why he put so much effort into the hunt of the Colonists.  He wanted to go home, and when he was idle, he felt he wasn’t taking steps in that direction.  Sure, every now and then he allowed himself some downtime, but nothing like the other warriors.

He got out of the shower and pulled out some sweats and a sweatshirt, slipped them on and then proceeded to do a little Tai-chi to get the kinks worked out of doing a whole lot of nothing all day.

Fifteen minutes later his phone rang.

“Dinner’s ready, my man,” Hudson’s low voice came through the receiver.

“Sounds good, Hudson.  After dinner, I want to sit down in the War Room and get a game plan.  I’m hitting it first thing in the morning.”

“You got it,” Hudson said.

Copyright Carly Fall 2012