Keep your head down and don't follow anybody who hasn't clearly identified themselves." Eli nodded in the darkness. He wanted to ask whether they were going to die, but the words would not come.
The noise became confused, a mixture of shouted orders, hurried footsteps, and the echo of doors opening against concrete walls. A man rushed into the room and tried to move Eli toward another corridor. Deak stepped forward, blocked the way long enough to demand identification, and was shoved against a steel cabinet. Before the situation could escalate further, a clear voice from the adjoining hall announced the arrival of federal law enforcement and ordered everyone to show their hands.
The room seemed to hold its breath. Garrett tried to protest that he was merely protecting private property, but the explanation collapsed when an agent asked why a minor was being detained and why another adult had been brought there against his will. He glanced toward the dark doorway, reconsidered his options, and set down the phone he had been holding. Within moments the responders had separated him from the captives and begun securing the room.
When the work lights returned, Eli saw a uniformed responder kneel a few feet away, careful not to crowd him. The woman introduced herself, explained that he was safe, and asked whether he wanted medical attention or water before answering questions. Eli stared at her identification until she held it still enough for him to read. Then he asked, "Is Rhett outside?"
"Yes," she said. "He's waiting for you. Your mother has also been located and is safe with our people." Eli looked at her for several seconds as though the words were in a language he had almost forgotten.
"My mom?" he whispered. The responder nodded. "She's safe. You'll be able to see her soon."
Deak sank slowly onto a bench, one hand pressed against his sore shoulder. The responder offered him an examination, but he gestured first toward Eli. "Kid first," he said. The woman smiled slightly. "We have enough people to check on both of you."
Rhett saw Eli emerge from the building between two responders and nearly forgot how to breathe. The boy was pale, with a blanket around his shoulders and the watch visible beneath one sleeve, but he was walking on his own feet. Deak followed, moving carefully and trying to disguise how much his injuries hurt. Rhett took a step forward, then stopped, suddenly uncertain whether touching Eli would frighten him.
Eli solved the question himself. He walked directly into Rhett's arms and held on with a force that startled them both. Rhett bent around him carefully despite the pain in his ribs and rested one hand against the back of the boy's head. Neither spoke for a long time. Around them, responders continued their work, but the world had become small enough to fit inside one desperate embrace.
"I thought you wouldn't come," Eli said eventually, his words muffled by Rhett's jacket. Rhett closed his eyes. "I was afraid I wouldn't get here in time," he admitted. "But I was coming.