She entered the cave, found it warm and well lit. A thick, transparent tube along one wall provided the heat. Light came down from three very ordinary fixtures, hung from the ceiling some twelve feet above. This main chamber, neither large nor small, ran back into a narrow arch, the shadows of which did not seem to go much farther. There was a table, long and low, a wooden bench and two chairs. Several large packs, three strange instrument panels stood against the far wall. Something dark and small was huddled among them. To her surprise she saw that it was a child: a small boy, dressed in blue.
"Hello," she said. "What's your name?" He gave no answer, but studied her with dark, shining eyes.
"I'm afraid you won't get much out of that one. He's still a bit shook up." The man put down his pack, leaned his weapon against the edge of the table. "Found him away north this afternoon. His mother told him just to run and keep running. He did….. You want coffee?"
"Yes, please." He returned from the back a moment later with a steaming cup, and a plate of some synthesized food. "Thank you." He pulled a chair and sat down across from her, watching her eat.
"So what's YOUR name?" he said at length, and the kind older man was submerged.
"Elonna Dorsett."
"You're not all black, are you, Elonna?"
"No. My grandmother was white. Is that important?"
"Not necessarily." A pause. "So how many did you lose?"
She glared at him, then softened. "Only one. My husband."