Connecting all of the Rings were the four tunnels (also named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, depending on what Quadrant they were located in). The tunnels were arranged like the spokes of a wheel. Along Alpha Tunnel, between the Mid and Inner Rings, was the hangar, where both Gilgamesh and Odin were docked.
Skyhome’s construction in the 2020s had pushed experts and engineers to the limits. It was no wonder they had only constructed one Skyhome when the original plan had called for six. All the same, Skyhome’s operations were fascinating. It amazed me that the United States pulled off its construction; it was also amazing that Ashton and others had been able to utilize it following the fall of both Bunker One and Bunker Six.
When I reached the commons, I grabbed a bowl of vegetable stew from one of the kitchen staff and sat down to eat. Once done, I headed over to Ashton’s office in the Inner Ring. I stood before the metal blast door before pressing the entrance button. The door hissed open, allowing me to walk in.
I had only been in Ashton’s office a few times. Rather large, the office contained his built-in metal desk, lines of file cabinets along one wall, and a large workbench on the opposite wall. The workbench was filled with tools and objects of Ashton’s mechanical tinkering. The office was rectangular in shape, and at the end of it, three large ports looked out onto the surface of Earth, a vibrant green and violet and red.
Ashton sat behind his desk, regarding me with sharp blue eyes as I walked forward. The others were already here. I went to stand between Anna and Makara, as Samuel stood to the right of Ashton’s desk, arms folded. On Ashton’s desk rested a thin monitor, and on a corner several binders were neatly stacked. The surface of the planet spun slowly beyond the port, due to the Inner Ring’s rotation.
“Let’s get started,” Ashton said brusquely.
Ashton’s accent was hard to pin down. He had been born before Ragnarok; his voice carried a hint of southeastern regionalism that was most likely all but gone from the world. My only way of determining his accent was from movies I had seen back in Bunker 108 — which, admittedly, wasn’t a perfect measure.
“The purpose of this meeting is to give you an update on the situation, and what we’re going to do about it. As it stands, you all will be heading down to Earth tomorrow to resume the next phase of your mission. You will be heading to the Nova Roma Empire to speak with Augustus — make him agree to lay down arms and join us in the fight against Ragnarok. Meanwhile, my job is to monitor your mission from afar while trying to pin down the exact location of the Voice.”
“Have you figured anything out on that front?” Anna asked.
“Some,” Ashton said. “Makara and I have taken Odin on a few flybys of Ragnarok Crater, in hopes of securing more accurate measurements. It has helped, and we have pinpointed the origin of the Voice within twenty miles. I need to get a more accurate measure, however. When our assault on the Crater begins, you must be able to find the Voice quickly, and destroy it, before you are overwhelmed. I still need more information, and if I do two more flybys of the Crater, I will be able to triangulate the point of origin of the Voice. That’s what I’ll be doing while you are on the surface. I’m confident that with another few months, I’ll know the exact location of the Voice.”
“Alright,” I said. “What’s our job until then?”
“There are four major powers in North America. There is the Nova Roman Empire, by far the strongest, and the one who should be approached first. There are also the Los Angeles gangs and Vegas gangs, both of which are quite sizeable. Last of all are Bunkers 76 and 88. Neither have responded to my radio calls, but that doesn’t mean they are not there. Both have weapons and supplies that would be invaluable in the attack.”
“Why Nova Roma first?” I asked.
“They are the most powerful. If Emperor Augustus can be convinced to help us, it will make the other Wasteland leaders fall into line. There is also the matter of the war between the Empire and Raider Bluff. That must be stopped before it can even begin. That involves speaking to Augustus in person.”
“It just seems like a very difficult thing to do,” I said.
Ashton looked at me sternly. “Nonetheless, it must be done. Do you think I would send you in there if I didn’t think you were capable of it? If not you, who else?”
I didn’t have an answer for that, so I didn’t say anything.
“It will be difficult,” Samuel said. “But it is absolutely necessary. The Wasteland cannot be caught up in a war at a time like this. We need to lay down the facts for Augustus before he does anything stupid.”
“So,” Anna said, “do we just walk into his house or something? That sounds like a risky maneuver.”
“Yes, that is the plan,” Ashton said. “Soon you will know everything. But before I get to the how, it’s useful to give you all a little bit of background.” Ashton looked at me. “The story I have to tell relates to your father, Alex.”
I was really surprised. What could my father and Cornelius Ashton have in common?
“You knew my father?”
Ashton smiled. “I met him, long ago. He was still a boy. Eight, nine years old perhaps.”
I did that math in my head. My dad had been thirty-eight when he died.
“You met him before Ragnarok?”
Ashton nodded. “I did. There was a summit for all the highest-ranking officials of Bunker One, about two weeks before we were put underground. That was where I met your grandfather, Lorin.”
“Bunker One?” I frowned. “He entered Bunker 108, though.”
“Yes, that is so,” Ashton said. “But he almost didn’t enter any Bunker at all. His wife, your grandmother, was stuck in Europe at the time, with your father. At the summit, he refused his berth until both your grandmother and father, then a child, could be brought safely home. President Garland refused that request. He and your grandfather were old rivals. Regardless, that was how your grandfather lost his spot in Bunker One. He did, by the way, find a way to get to Europe and rescue your grandmother and father in all that madness. He was able to bring them both back home. Only by that time, the doors of Bunker One had closed. The spots for Lorin and his family had been filled. He was refused entry.”
I was shocked at this story. Never, in all my life, had my father told it to me. It made me feel a little betrayed, in a way. Why had he wanted to keep it from me?
“It was likely a very traumatic time in your father’s life,” Ashton said. “He probably witnessed horrors in those last days of the Old World that he never wanted to speak of again. You shouldn’t hold that against him.”
Of course, that had to be the reason why. Part of me wondered, though…had my dad even planned on telling me?
“What happened after my grandfather got back to America?” I asked.
“With Ragnarok’s impact just days away, Lorin was directed to Bunker 108, in the San Bernardino Mountains. It was the only one that had enough room for three people. He survived a harrowing journey cross-country that was likely as dangerous as yours. Those days were awful, and some might say the world ended long before Ragnarok fell. He did end up making it to Bunker 108, somehow, because we received a transmission from him a week following Ragnarok’s impact.”
“Do you know anything else?”
“After that, I’m afraid not much. I buried myself in my work. I had my own wife, and two children. All three perished in 2048 with the fall of Bunker One.”