Chapter 17

“There. That’s gotta be it.” Jazun pointed towards the pale green square of a shipping container that was nestled into the second level. The paint had worn, exposing bare and rusted metal. Lena noticed it had been patched expertly.

Moja found an opening in the scaffolding. They wound their way up rickety ramps to the door. The bartender was right. Andie wanted his seclusion. The door looked as though time had been taken to reinforce the hinges, frame, and handle. The door had once featured a window, now welded shut with a thick, metal plate.

“Should I just knock?” Jazun asked.

“Worth a shot,” Moja answered.

Jazun gave a gentle rapp on the door. They waited, but no answer came.

“Again,” Moja said.

Jazun pounded this time. The door rattled with the sound of metal locks from within. Still, nothing.

“Looks like no one’s home,” Jazun said.

“Doubtful,” Moja responded, “Cover me.” She hunched over the handle of the door.

Lena and Jazun carefully blocked the view of anyone below.

Lena glanced over her shoulder at Moja. She had taken the head of her weapon and held it to the handle. A small ball of light emanated from it, heating the metal handle, until it glowed a luminous orange.

A worried voice finally called from within the container.

“Hey hey! What is this!? What are you doing!? Who are you!?”

Moja immediately stopped.

“Andie, it’s Moja.”

A long silence came.

“No one named Andie lives here. Please, go away.” His voice quivered.

“Andie, I know it’s you. Please, I need you.”

A long pause. At last he answered. “What do you want?”

“Andie, it’s been thirty years. Please, I need answers.”

“Moja?”

“Please,” she said earnestly.

From where the window had been welded shut there was a mechanical rustling. The plate slid back to reveal a shadowed face.

“It is you…” he said in disbelief. “I- I guess I figured you were dead. Who are you with?” He had an obvious trepidation in his voice.

“They have helped me on my way to Vogt. Please, they can be trusted. Andie, I need something from you,” Moja asked.

“What?”

“The map.”

From the other side of the door came the sound of locks unfastening. They clanged open one by one. After the fifth, the door swung open slowly to reveal triple-layered metal reinforcements. Moja walked forward gingerly before embracing the man inside.

“You look the same,” she said.

“I had long since given up hope that you were still out there.”

Andie looked nearly as Moja had described him in the bar. Although now, he had grey streaks in his voluminous beard.

“Please, come in. Shut the door.”

Lena and Jazun walked through the doorway. Jazun pushed the door into its frame with his bodyweight until he heard a heavy click.

Andie ushered him aside, and refastened the locks. They stood in the darkness of his house, waiting for him to finish.

“Please, excuse the mess,” he said kindly as he closed the last lock.

A single, small light came on overhead.

The interior of his house was surprisingly well-kept, but packed tightly with a variety of materials. Shelves along the wall carried a library of hard drives, all labeled with dates and coordinates. Samples of minerals lay scattered on a table at the end of the room. A large map of Zarmina was tacked to the wall. It was to the map that Moja was drawn.

“Here.” She placed her finger onto a spot in the very top. It rested upon a red circle. “This is where we last saw each other.”

Andie followed her to the map.

“That’s it,” he confirmed. He turned to face Jazun and Lena. “And I’m sorry, you are?” He extended his hand.

“Lena.” He took her hand and smiled.

“Jazun.” They exchanged a strong handshake.

“Nice to meet you. You guys look beat. I’ll put on some coffee.”

“Oh, no thanks,” said Jazun, while Lena accepted simultaneously with “That would be awesome.”

He looked at each of them and laughed before entering his kitchenette. He opened a cabinet and found a small jar of grounds. He shoveled a few scoops into a French press and set to heating a kettle of water.

“Please, have a seat,” he motioned towards his couch. He hurriedly removed a stack of papers from the cushions.

Lena sat down, reclining into the comfort of the couch. Jazun pulled up a chair from the table and sat across the room.

“Andie, I do not know where to begin. I did not mean to intrude on you,” Moja said.

“Oh yeah? You call that not intruding?” He pointed at the handle of the door.