Lana returned to her little room, shaking with emotion. The lanterns hanging from the warehouse ceiling were all lit. She whipped out her micro and toyed with it. She'd been afraid to try to contact anyone through her personal net, fearing discovery by General Greene. Slowly, she replaced the micro. She couldn't endanger these people. Greene would level the city to get to her.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Brady's voice held the gravelly note it had since his neck was injured. "Elise's safe. She swears you're not dead."
Lana lay down, relieved to hear his voice again. Tears filled her eyes. She ached to respond but had to be satisfied with the knowledge he was alive.
His voice turned softer. "I hope she's right."
I miss you, too, Lana thought. She wiped her eyes, embarrassed to feel the tears on her cheeks. She'd destroyed these people's lives and lost the only man she'd cared for. Now, she couldn't even talk to him without doing worse.
"We started at your condo building. Dan says the condos were leveled about two days after the helo went down. No one was alive when we arrived. We're now in a city along the Mississippi. There are …" Brady went on.
Lana listened as he described their plan then continued to talk about the others. She'd expected his voice to cause more confusion after she learned what he was, but she felt only comfort and hope. The news that no one had survived the strikes on her condo building made tears rise for a different reason. Mrs. Watson had been kind to her and Jack.
Lana rolled onto her side and listened, crying herself to sleep for a different reason this night. She'd never felt so happy or terrified. There was no guarantee she'd make it to safety or that he'd live long enough to find her. All she could think about was their night together and how much she needed him here this night. She was in love with him, only she couldn't tell him yet. She may never get the chance to tell him or to apologize for their last exchange being one of anger and frustration.
But maybe, just maybe, she'd have a second chance. Exhausted by thought and emotion, she drifted into sleep.
The next day, Lana finished checking the last of the Tesla receivers. Most were in working order and just needed to be reactivated, a simple process she used her micro to do when no one was looking. Several of the buildings had been stripped of receivers to supply the hospital with extra ones. She'd checked the hospital's first then worked her way down the buildings along the main street.