(41) When all else is lost the future still remains

“Race.”

The young man felt someone shaking him gently and sprang awake immediately, finding himself staring into dark brown, concerned eyes. “Where…what?” he asked before he realized he’d fallen asleep at the edge of the trees surrounding one side of the Compound.

Shan smiled, sitting back on his heels now. “Bad night?”

“More like morning,” Race admitted. “I couldn’t get to sleep so…” he shrugged.

“So you came out here to commune with nature. I’ve been known to do that a time or three, though usually in my leopard form.” He searched Race’s face. “If you want to go back inside and get some more rest that’s fine, I can handle what I was planning on my own.”

“No. I’m not going to be slacker and I sure don’t want you coddling me.” Race licked his lips, realizing they were dry and he was thirsty. “Just give me a few minutes to go get some water.”

Shan smiled, handing Race a bottle of water that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

“Whoa,” Race whispered, even as he uncapped it and took a long drink.

“Faster than your way.” Standing, Shan held out a hand, pulling Race to his feet when he took it. For a long minute they stood there looking at each other. Then, with a shake of his head Shan turned away. “We have work to do even if some of it can be accomplished using my magic.”

With a soft, frustrated sigh, Race followed as Shan started up a narrow path between the trees. Soon he heard the gurgle of water and then saw a small stream. “This is going to be our water?” he asked.

“Once we divert part of it, yes. Before I woke you, I did a bit of searching and found one of the pipes leading into the Compound. As far as I can tell it seems, somewhat miraculously, to have survived the explosion undamaged, though we won’t know for certain until we get water running through it.”

“It leads to the lowest level?”

“Another thing we’ll need to determine. So…” with a flick of his fingers two buckets appeared. “We pour some water into it and see what happens. If we’re really lucky we’ll find a puddle of it somewhere in the bathroom.”

“If not?”

“Then we punt.”