“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It was long ago,” Ashton said.
The room was quiet for a bit. It occurred to me that Anna, Makara, Samuel, and I all had one thing in common: we had all lost our parents. Such was the case for many people — perhaps most people — in the world. It was all because of Ragnarok, and what it carried.
“I tried everything I could to rescue my wife and kids, but the dorms were the first hit by the crawlers. I couldn’t have made it even if I had tried.” Ashton paused, as if it pained him to speak. “They swarmed everything. Everyone was rushing to the runway, to get out however they could. I headed to the motor bay instead. I could only hope my wife and children made it. To this day, I don’t know if they ever got out. They would have touched down in L.A. with the others.”
“I don’t know, either,” Makara said. “Samuel and I were in two separate whirlybirds that took off. If they were among the refugees, they didn’t say. It was so long ago.”
“I don’t remember anything, either,” Samuel said. “I think three copters got out. One crashed — the one Makara was on. She was the only survivor. The other two formed a community on the east side. If they were among them, I’m afraid the news isn’t good. They were acquired by the Black Reapers years ago.”
Ashton nodded. “I have lived as if they were gone for the past twelve years. I wasn’t expecting any miracles. No scientist should.”
Something chilled me about those words. Cornelius Ashton was a cold and distant man, but it seemed as if he hadn’t always been so. After losing everything, all that remained was his life’s work of studying the virus that had destroyed his family.
I gave Anna a sidelong glance. Her hazel eyes met mine. I looked back at Ashton.
“I found myself escaping with two others. One was a mechanic named Dustin Cornell, and the other a pilot named Preston Yates. Cornell has since passed, but we all made it to Bunker Six, not too far north of Bunker One. The Bunker had been evacuated in the face of the coming storm, and was still largely untouched — the crawlers had completely ignored it. We acquired Gilgamesh, not really sure where we were going. But, Yates noticed a destination already programmed into the ship, called Skyhome. I knew the U.S. had created a large space station in the 2020s as yet another failsafe –a place the President could retreat to if conditions on Earth became absolutely intolerable. But, until I finally saw it when we left the atmosphere, I did not know Skyhome’s true scope. It was massive — so much so that it is a wonder the U.S. could ever hide it. Nothing about it was published during the Dark Decade as far as I know, but during the time of the Dictatorship, the press could only report what the government allowed it to. We all assumed that anything sent to space had something to do with stopping Ragnarok, and that was all we were ever let known. The majority of those missions had to have been for building Skyhome.”
Ashton frowned, then gave an embarrassed smile, as if cognizant of the fact that he was rambling.
“Forgive me. I came to Skyhome in 2048, and have lived here ever since. When we first came, there was already a community of survivors from Bunker Six, who had used Odin to get here — which surprised me, because Skyhome’s existence was supposedly only known to the highest-ranking officials in the U.S. government — namely, the President and top military people. Apparently, though, a few residents from Bunker Six found out about Skyhome and came here rather than going to Bunker One. Bunker Six, you see, was attacked first.”
“What about our mission?” Anna pressed. “It’s helpful to know our history, and where we came from. But if we leave tomorrow, we have to know what to do.”
“Of course,” Ashton said. “But I think it is important to remind ourselves why we fight. If you do not know why you fight, you cannot go on. I want you all to ask yourselves what you are fighting for. Let the question haunt you, press you onward toward your goal.”
Ashton paused a moment. He lifted a glass of water, and took a drink. After clearing his throat, he continued.
“Forgive me, Anna, but it is time for another history lesson. Not one that relates to me, or my past, but to Emperor Augustus himself. You will want to listen closely, because this information is key if you are ever to get an audience with him.”
“What is this information?” I asked.
“It was not only Alex’s father and grandfather I met at the summit in 2030.”
Glossary
10,000, The: This refers to the 10,000 citizens who were selected in 2029 to enter Bunker One. This group included the best America had to offer, people who were masters in the fields of science, engineering, medicine, and security. President Garland and all the U.S. Congress, as well as essential staff and their families, were also chosen.
Alpha: “Alpha” is the title given to the recognized head of the Raiders. In the beginning, it was merely a titular role that had only as much power as the Alpha was able to enforce. But as Raider Bluff grew in size and complexity, the Alpha began to take on a more meaningful role. Typically, Alphas do not remain so for long — they are assassinated by rivals, who rise to take their place. In some years, there can be as many as four Alphas — though powerful Alphas, like Char, can reign for many years.
Batts: Batts, or batteries, are the currency of the Wasteland. It is unknown how batteries were first seen as currency, but it is likely because they are small, portable, and durable. Rechargeable batteries (called “chargers”) are even more prized, and solar batteries (called “solars,” or “sols,”) are the most useful and prized of all.
Behemoth: The Behemoth is a great monstrosity in the Wasteland — a giant creature, either humanoid or reptilian, or sometimes a mixture of the two, that can reach heights of ten feet or greater. They are bipedal, powerful, and can keep pace with a moving vehicle. All but the most powerful of guns are useless against the Behemoth’s armored hide.
Black Files, The: The Black Files are the mysterious collected research on the xenovirus, said to be located in Bunker One. They were authored principally by Dr. Cornelius Ashton, Chief Scientist of Bunker One.
Black Reapers, The: The Black Reapers are a powerful, violent gang, based in Los Angeles. They are led by Warlord Carin Black. They keep thousands of slaves, using them to serve their post-apocalyptic empire. They usurped the Lost Angels in 2055, and have been ruling Los Angeles ever since.
Blights: Blights are infestations of xenofungus and the xenolife they support. They are typically small, but the bigger ones can cover large tracts of land. As a general rule of thumb, the larger the Blight, the more complicated and dangerous the ecosystem it maintains. The largest Blight is the Great Blight — which covers a huge portion of the central United States.
Boundless, The: The Boundless is an incredibly dry part of the Wasteland, ravaged by canyons and dust storms, situated in what used to be Arizona and New Mexico. Very little can survive in the Boundless, and no one is known to have ever crossed it.
Bunker 108: Bunker 108 is located in the San Bernardino Mountains about one hundred miles east of Los Angeles. It is the birthplace of Alex Keener.
Bunker 114: A medical research installation built about fifty miles northwest of Bunker 108. Built beneath Cold Mountain, Bunker 114 is small. After the fall of Bunker One, Bunker 114, like Bunker 108 to the southeast, became a main center of xenoviral research. An outbreak of the human strain of the xenovirus caused the Bunker to fall in 2060.