Kyle West - Extinction

“Sounds like a good idea,” I said.

“We heading up?” Grudge asked.

Makara nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get to the Command Center and I’ll get Ashton on the line.”

We found a stairwell and made our way up. Before we reached the stairs, we heard voices drifting down the hallway. As we raised our guns, four Angels walked around the corner. It was clear they were surprised to see Makara, Samuel, and the rest of us alive and well. I recognized one of these men, Nathan, who was an Exile. He seemed to be leading the other three men.

“Makara!” he said. “You’re alive.”

“Good to see you, Nathan,” she said. “Any news of Marcus?”

He shook his head. “They got him and Char on level one.”

“They’re not dead?”

“They might be,” Nathan said. “He and Char stayed behind to fight, even as they told us to run. Haven’t seen them since.”

“Alright,” Makara said. “We’re heading up to the Command Center. Is there anyone else on this floor?”

“We’re the only ones on this level.”

So far, everyone in the inner circle that had stayed in Bunker 84 was unaccounted for. We had no idea whether Char, Marcus, Ruth, or Lauren were still alive.

We walked the rest of the way to the Command Center without incident.

Makara nodded to Lionel. “Take a few of your men and post a guard.”

Lionel nodded. “On it.”

While Lionel left with a few fighters in tow, Samuel opened communications with Perseus.

“Ashton?” Makara asked, once the line was open. “Ashton, you read?”

It was a moment before Ashton’s familiar voice came through the speaker. “Makara! Everyone alright down there?”

“It’s rough,” she said. “We’ve found some Angels but a lot of our people are still missing. This is going to be a long fight.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Have you seen the north face of the mountain?”

Ashton paused. “No. Haven’t flown out that way.”

“Well, you might be surprised by what you see. A nuke must have hit it back when the Bunker fell. There are lots of openings leading out of the Bunker.”

“Alright,” Ashton said. “Where are you going with this?”

“We’ve restored power, which means we should be able to make an announcement to the whole Bunker: telling any Angel who can, to go outside.”

“And you want me to pick them up?”

“That’s right. As soon as you see anyone, pick them up and land them by the entrance. From there, they can walk down to the Command Center on level three.”

“What about our people at the bottom, though?” Ashton asked.

Makara sighed. “They’ll have to hold on a while longer. The goal is to gather as many as we can and put weapons in their hands.”

“When are you planning on moving?”

“We’ll be making the announcement soon. Stand by for further orders.”

“Copy that,” Ashton said.

“It’s set,” Samuel said.

“Citizens of Bunker 84,” Makara said, pausing for a moment. “This is Makara. Yeah, I’m alive, and no, this isn’t a trick. We’ve restored power and the Angels’ numbers are swelling by the hour. If you’re an Angel and you’re hearing this, make your way to the Command Center on level three. If you can’t make it there safely, go outside. Dr. Ashton will see that you’re brought safely here.”

Makara looked at Samuel, as if for confirmation. Samuel gave a thumbs up. Makara went on speaking.

“Things have changed drastically on the outside. The Great Blight is about to annihilate us all. Oasis has fallen, and Los Angeles will go soon. The Empire and the Reapers are no longer allies — they are enemies. They fight in the ruins of L.A. even as death presses in from the east. This is my message to Jade and the Lords: the only way you will survive this is if you lay down your arms and negotiate peace. If you do so in the next six hours, your lives will be spared.

“You were all Angels, once. I’m going to attempt a chance at reconciliation. I understand how panic might have led some to make a stupid decision — a decision you now regret. That’s why I’m giving you this chance. I invite Jade, Rey, and Cain to the Command Center to parley. You have my word that you won’t be killed.

“If you choose to continue this senseless war, you will lose. We have a spaceship and have unlimited access to resources. Starvation is no longer an issue. From the Command Center, we can cut off your power. Maybe you have backup generators you’ve been using to get by, but they won’t last. We don’t have time for this war. Augustus in Los Angeles needs our help.”

Makara paused a moment for her words to sink in.

“Angels: make your way upstairs or outside. Lords: you have six hours, starting now.”

With that, she cut out.

Makara sent a heavily armed patrol to assist any Angels making their way upstairs.

The first round came from the seventh level, fifteen minutes following Makara’s announcement. Meanwhile, Ashton was ready to pick up anyone at the north face of the mountain.

As the minutes and hours passed, the barracks filled with survivors. When the head count passed one hundred, they still kept coming. There were far more survivors than we’d thought; they’d all been separated by the Lords’ relentless attacks. Michael and Julian started passing out canned food they’d found inside a kitchen connecting two of the barracks. As Damian had said, many were women and children. And they were hungry.

I helped with a can opener I’d found in a kitchen drawer. I was in the middle of uncapping a can of pineapple when it happened.

“Daddy!”

Callie crashed into Michael’s leg, wrapping it in a viselike grip. Michael pulled the little girl free and held her to his chest.

“Callie, baby, you’re alright!”

The girl laughed and Michael looked past her to see his wife, whose blue eyes were flooded with tears. Blood and dirt were smeared on her face, and her cheeks were gaunt. She gave a small, pained smile.

“Lauren…”

Michael walked forward and embraced his wife, holding her like he’d never let go.

Callie walked up and looked at the half-opened can of pineapple I was holding. I continued to open the lid, and when it fell off, I tossed it aside and handed the can to her. Immediately, Callie gulped it down. By the time I had another can open, this time beans, she was already done with the pineapple. Others in line watched hungrily as Julian worked quickly to open all the cans he could.

“Share this one with your mom, alright?” I asked.

Callie nodded, carefully taking the can of black beans and returning to her parents.

Michael parted from his wife. I opened a few more cans, one with beets and another with spinach. I know it wasn’t gourmet, but it would have to do. The food had nutrients and calories, and that was what everyone needed.

As the people ate, I continued opening cans. We had only found two can openers, so we worked as quickly as we could. After about fifteen minutes, everyone had eaten one can of food. Still, we continued to open them. Lauren and Michael went to the kitchen to see if they could find any more can openers.

When they came back, Lauren had another can opener, while Michael toted another armful of cans. She set to work as people came by for round two.

“Is Ruth alright?” I asked.

“I think so,” Lauren said. “We were together…until we weren’t. We got separated in the chaos.” Lauren paused, reaching for another can of food. “She knew how to work Hydroponics, so they couldn’t do anything to her.” She paused, opening another can of beans, which was quickly taken by a muscled Raider. “I’m worried about her for other reasons.”