“What’s up, cripple?” he said with a grin.

Emanuel struggled but managed to stand and limped over to the skinny man, stopping inches from his smiling face.

“I don’t know if you’ve been an asshole all these years and just managed to hide it, or if you’ve just totally lost it. Whatever the case, I will not—and I mean not—hesitate to lock you in a storage closet.”

Timothy’s smirk faded, and he brushed a curl out of his eyes. “Hey man, I’m just kidding. Relax. Isn’t a little humor a good thing in a situation like this?”

“I’m not kidding.”

“All right, all right. I’ll tone it down a bit,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“See, there you go!” Emanuel shouted.

“Gentlemen, I know everyone is riled up, but remember we have a new guest,” Sergeant Overton said with a nod toward Owen, who sat next to Sophie and Holly in the mess hall. “Timothy, this is your last warning. Get it together or your friend Emanuel won’t be the one locking you in the closet,” he said stroking the .45 on the side of his belt. “After you guys get some grub, meet me in the control room. I want to see the layout of this place.”

Emanuel sat back down carefully in his wheelchair. “No problem, sir,” he said, swiping a mug of fresh coffee and balancing it between his legs. Cautiously, he wheeled himself into the mess hall.

“Owen, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Sophie said, watching Emanuel make his way toward them. “This is Dr. Rodriguez, but you can call him Emanuel. He’s in charge of the gardens and pond and everything else that helps make this place special and safe. Do you want to see the pond later?”

The boy stared down at his gooey macaroni, shoveling another hot scoop into his tiny mouth.

“Hi, Owen,” Emanuel said with a smile. “Is that stuff good?”

“Where’s my daddy?”

Emanuel looked to Sophie for help, but she just rubbed the young boy’s shoulders. “We’ll find your daddy. Don’t worry right now. Just eat your food,” she said.

Owen looked up at her with wide eyes. “I lost Sam,” he whimpered.

“Who’s Sam?”

“He’s my friend. When the sky started to change, my mom hid us. But then, when we came outside, everyone was gone.”

“Then what happened, Owen?” Holly asked.

“We found the blue circles. They were everywhere.”

“The orbs,” Sophie muttered under her breath. “I’ll tell you about them later, Holly.”

“The ship took Sam,” Owen cried, whimpering and burying his shaggy blond head into his blanket.

Sophie patted the boy’s back. “It’s going to be okay, Owen.”

“How about I show you the garden, or the pond, after you finish eating?” Emanuel asked.

“I want my mommy and daddy,” the boy cried.