Interim Passage: After Archie is forced to decide whether to try to walk back to the highway after his accident, or toward a distant, yet visible, abobe building.

Blanketed in shadow, Archie's concussed brain tried to make sense of his surroundings. He felt hot sun on bare skin, heard the whistling of wind, and smelled the acrid odor of his own sweat. The only thing Archie couldn't do was see more than phantom images through his swollen eyelids.

He thought he saw a young lady of outstanding beauty looking down at him. She had long auburn hair and soft brown eyes. He tried to touch her, but his arm fell to the prairie dirt, and the vision faded.

Another image appeared. There was a young man's face, and then another's. He felt his body lifted onto strong shoulders. Help had come at last... or had it?

The story continues:

"Are you finally awake?"

A soft feminine voice penetrated the fog of Archie's mind and beckoned him to awaken.

He opened his eyes to a creamy hand pulling back shimmering curtains. He blinked as the sun illuminated a sparsely decorated room. As Archie sat up, pain erupted from various parts of his abused body.

"Am I okay?" he asked.

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to ask you?"

The disembodied voice became a young lady as she stepped away from the blinding rays of sunlight. Golden brown eyes softened an angular face, and long amber curls flowed around narrow shoulders. Her lips and eyes smiled with amusement. He knew that face-- he had seen it in the desert after he collapsed in the adobe ruins.

"I guess so," Archie said.

"Well, are you okay?"

"I think so, but I'm definitely not at my best."

"That's to be expected. You were in a terrible automobile accident."

"Yes, I was, and I appreciate you and your friends rescuing me today."

"You're welcome, but it was yesterday. And you're fortunate we were there, as we don't often go outside the village."

"Yesterday, really? That's not good. Do you have a phone I can borrow? I'll need to call for a tow truck to get what's left of my car."

"It's been taken care of."

"Great, thanks, but I still need to call my job and parents. They'll be frantic."

"Our phones are down."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They've been that way for weeks."

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"They don't work out here."

"That's odd. I'm sure there's some company that can reach this far. It's not like we are on another planet."

"Sometimes it feels that way when you're isolated by nature."

"Too true," Archie said. How well he remembered the feeling of loneliness he had experienced during his ordeal in the car.

"Now you just lie back and rest. Your body needs to heal."

"I couldn't agree more, but I also need to let people know where I am."

"And we will..." another evasive response.

Archie shook his throbbing head and leaned back. It was obvious he wasn't getting anywhere with this conversation -- at least not at the moment. His years as a lawyer had taught him when to press for details and when to be patient. He changed his tactic.

"So, what's your name?"

"Ayala."

"Ayala -- that's quite lovely. What's your last name?"

"I don't have one."

"What do you mean, you don't have one? Everyone has a last name."

"I'm an orphan," she explained. "We all are in this village, and we only have first names -- now stop being so nosy."

"I'm not nosy, just curious, and there's a difference, so stop raising your eyebrows at me."

"You need to rest."

"Yes, we already established that fact. What are you, a nurse?"

"No, a professor, and the mistress of this house."

"Which means?"

"It means I'm in charge. Now, what's your name?"

"Archie."

"Archie," Ayala repeated, mulling the name over as though trying to remember something. "Is that short for Archibald?"

"No, Archimedes. He was a scientist my father found intriguing."

"Yes, Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician and scientist. I've studied him extensively. He had many inventions to his credit. Your father chose an honorable name."

"Thank you, but I go by Archie. Do you teach science?"

"No, history."

"Well, my father is a scientist and politician."

"Those two don't often go together."

"I guess you can say he's a nonconformist," Archie said.

"You won't find many of those in Hokee. Most people here try to follow rules."

"Oh, my father follows rules, he just does so with his own particular style."

"I see."

"So, is Hokee the name of your village?" Archie asked. "I've never heard of it before."

"No, I don't expect you have," Ayala said. "We're quite secluded. The name is Navajo, and means the abandoned."

"Why would someone give such a dismal name to your town?"

"All who live here have been discarded in one way or another."

"That's sad, but I'm not an orphan. I'm a United States Senator, and people depend on me to remain in contact."

"I know who you are." Ayala handed him a cool cloth to place on his forehead. "Once you told me your name I recognized you from the newspapers. Archimedes is an unusual name."

"So I've discovered."

"And your father, he's the new President, isn't he?"

"Yes, so you can see why I need to contact my family."

"I can see why you would want to. I'll bring you something to eat, and then we can go for a walk outside if you're stronger."

"But... "

"Rest. We'll deal with your worries later."

"I need to know when I'm going home."

"You're not."

Ayala promptly left the room, closing and locking the door behind. Archie tried to stand, but fell back dizzy and exhausted on the bed.

"Hokee," he said with a groan. "In the whole vast expanse of the United States, how did I get manage to get stranded in the City of the Abandoned? As soon as I can get up and walk across the room, I'm going to abandon them, too."