It took mere seconds to slip on her shoes and grab her security card. Ellie left her room and purposely avoided the elevator. The thing moved too slowly for her patience. She jogged down the flights of stairs to the entryway. The windows were clear but were made of a type of glass that was strong enough to withstand abuse of the worst sort. Outside she spotted four women approaching the entry with two guards trailing behind, carrying four suitcases. She increased her pace.

Cody Parks, the “go to” man in security, greeted her with a smile. “Evening, Ms. Brower. Sorry for the late arrival of our newest residents.”

Ellie smiled. She directed her focus to the Amazon-like women. The shortest of the four stood at least six feet tall. There were already ten women living inside the dorm, all of whom were tall, muscular types as well. Ellie felt short and tiny compared to them. Her smile widened as she glanced at each one but none of them returned the gesture. They looked tired, angry and out of sorts. Sympathy welled inside Ellie.

“Welcome to your new home.” Ellie spoke softly. “I know you have been through a lot but you’re safe here. I’m Ellie, your house mother.”

Two of the women frowned. One woman, the tallest and most kick-ass-looking one of the small group, glared. The fourth one, a blonde, spoke.

“Our what?”

“Your house mother. It’s just a title,” Ellie explained quickly. “I’m not really trying to be your mother. I’m the one you will come to with problems, if you have questions, or if you need something. I’m here to help you in any way possible. You can talk to me about anything and I’ll always listen.”

“A head doctor,” the shortest, dark-haired woman snapped. She barred her sharp teeth at Ellie.

“No,” Ellie corrected. “I have basic nursing skills but I’m not a doctor. I know all of you had to see therapists. I’ve had to see a few of them myself and I hate them too.” She gave them a sympathetic expression. “I’ll show you to your rooms, give you a short tour around the dorm, and we’ll get you settled. I―”

“Ms. Brower,” Cody Parks interrupted.

Ellie turned her attention on him as the women walked through the doors. They glanced around the large entryway toward the living-room area. She knew they needed a few minutes to get their bearings.

“Yes?”

“There’s been a meeting called in twenty minutes. They requested you be in attendance since you’re in charge of the female housing. The head of their new council demanded to be briefed fully on Homeland. He wants to make certain his people aren’t being mistreated in any way. He just got appointed to the position and needs the reassurance.”

Dismay filled Ellie. “But it’s so late. I’d like to get them settled and it will take longer than that.”

“I understand but he showed up with them and stated it was important.” The man’s gaze held Ellie’s. “It’s imperative they know we are with them on this all the way to make everything smoother for them to transfer into a normal setting. He’s worried.”

She hesitated. New Species had been separated, sent to different secured locations after they’d been freed, until Homeland finally had been made ready to accept them as a large group. It would be their permanent home for the foreseeable future. The guy had valid reasons to worry about the safety and well-being of his people.

“Of course. Let me get them taken care of and I’ll be right there. Is the meeting being held inside the conference room at the main office?”

He nodded. Ellie closed the door between them. The alarm beeped instantly to assure her the automatic locks were in place. While security was tight, it could never be strict enough, not after the way the media had converged on the survivors of those testing facilities. They were constantly trying to breach the perimeter to obtain pictures of the victims now that they had a fixed location where some of them would be.

The government had started the process of implementing a law to ban the media from revealing their photographs to protect the New Species. They were victims who had the right to be shielded from the press. There were also hate groups who didn’t believe New Species should be considered human with equal rights, opposed them being given Homeland, and gathered outside the gates to protest.

She strode forward, going on autopilot, as she gave a short tour of the lower floor of the dorm. It housed a conference room for meetings, two large living-room areas, a roomy kitchen for cooking, a dining area that could host fifty, one large bathroom with four stalls, and a full library. The second and third floors housed mini apartments. They each contained a small bedroom, a living room, a private bath, and a kitchenette.

Ellie led the women to their rooms, side by side and across from each other on the second floor. She’d learned to do that in the two days she’d been handling the incoming women. They had to be frightened, not that they would admit it, but they did want to stay close to each other. Ellie knew the women had gone through unspeakable horrors and now they had a completely different one thrust upon them, something totally foreign. Freedom could be a terrifying experience after a lifetime of being test specimens.

“If you get hungry, there are cold drinks and food inside the silver metal boxes by the sink.” She didn’t call them refrigerators. She’d learned early on that they didn’t know what those were. “There are ten other women here on the second floor so if you hear noises, please don’t be alarmed. They are from different places.” Testing facilities, she thought. “But they are your people. The building is secured so no one can get inside who isn’t supposed to be here. You’re completely safe.”