Kyle West - Extinction

“And how are they to get to the Great Blight?” Makara asked. “Perseus will be busy transporting our men.”

“Askal will take us,” I said.

“Even with the cold?” she asked. “And with Anna’s injury? Besides, you don’t even know where he is”

I knew Makara was right on all those counts. And Askal wouldn’t be fast enough, anyway, for wherever we had to go — especially if the Elekai’s new home was far away.

“We’d need the spaceship,” I said, finally.

“This is just more time,” Makara said. “Time we really don’t have. And I don’t like sending the person who’s our only hope for victory into harm’s way. What will happen if you die, Alex?”

“I won’t die.”

“You don’t know that,” Makara said sternly. “If you die, the rest of us die as well. We’ve had more than enough close calls. I’ve already put you through too much danger and I’ll be damned if I do it again.” She crossed her arms. “And having Anna go with you is also unsafe. She’s immobilized from her injury.”

The rest of the table went silent. All of her points were valid. Probably far more valid than mine. All I knew was that I had made Anna a promise, and I meant to keep it.

“Can’t Augustus hold on for a few more hours?” I asked. “We have to remember why we’re fighting. There are powers at work far greater than us. There’s the Wanderer. And there’s Askala. Only one of them can win. If there’s any chance of victory, our forces will need to join. If Anna and I go find the Wanderer, we can bring back the Elekai army. We have to bring the Reapers to our side, as well. If we’re not standing together, Los Angeles will fall. But we need the Elekai if we’re going to win.”

I looked at Makara, who looked as if she was finally being won over.

“This is something I have to do,” I continued. “And Anna has to come with me. She has her own questions to ask. We’re the only two who haven’t had our prophecies fulfilled. We don’t just need the Elekai army. We also need the Wanderer’s guidance to figure out where to go next.”

Makara was silent. I could tell she still didn’t like this, and I didn’t blame her. She would have a hard job telling Augustus that he had to wait…again. And if I died, Makara would blame herself.

“I’ll make it back in one piece, and so will Anna,” I said. “I promise.”

Makara heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine. We’ll go. We’ll coordinate with Augustus and see where the best place for us to land our men. It’s at least something to tide him over. After that, we can continue on to the Elekai.”

Lauren was next to speak. “Who’s staying here? I’m assuming me, because I’m not really much of a fighter…”

“You can stitch a wound,” Makara said. “Some might say those people are more valuable than soldiers. If you’re willing to offer your help, we’ll sorely need it.”

“My only worry is my daughter. She can’t go into a war zone, and I couldn’t leave her behind. If something goes wrong, I can’t leave her alone.”

“I…” Michael started. “I planned on staying as well.”

Makara’s eyes widened with surprise. Michael never missed any action.

“I made a promise to Lauren a long time ago, one I didn’t keep. After seeing what almost happened to her down here — I can’t leave her. Something tells me that if I go out again, I won’t be coming back.”

Makara looked at Michael hard. “I understand what you’re saying. But we need you, Michael.”

I remembered how Makara had been hesitant to let him join the New Angels at first. Now, he was an indispensable part of the team.

“Lauren and I talked about it, and I wouldn’t be completely useless here,” he said. “Bunker 84 will need a leader to hold the fort. I can keep order here, and my loyalty isn’t in question. I promise, on my watch, nothing will go wrong here. We’ll farm and be ready to help in whatever way we can.”

After a while, Makara nodded. “You’re right. Bunker 84 will need someone to run it, and I can’t think of anyone better for the job than you.”

Michael nodded his thanks, grabbing his wife’s hand. Her eyes filled with unspoken relief.

Makara turned her eyes on me. “Alright, I think we’re in agreement. Is there anyone else who wants to stay behind?”

“I’m going to L.A.,” Julian said.

“I’m staying,” Ruth said. “Hydroponics still isn’t working efficiently, so hopefully I can figure out what’s wrong.”

“I’m staying as well,” Marcus said, pointing to his cast-encased leg.

“Of course, I can pilot Perseus,” Ashton said.

“And you will need a medic,” Char said. “I’ll go.”

Several other members at the table voiced how they’d support — most wanted to go to Los Angeles, while a few wanted to stay behind to help Michael and Lauren.

“That’s everyone,” Makara said. “Let’s regroup here in the morning. I’m going to speak with Augustus to determine our landing strategy.”

The meeting adjourned, and everyone began to stand. The crowd buzzed with excitement. I helped Anna back into her chair and to the ship.

The battle for Los Angeles was about to begin.

I sat with Makara and Samuel aboard Perseus’s bridge. Anna had gone back to the cabin to rest while Ashton stood in the doorway, waiting. Michael was organizing the Bunker while Ruth made one final inspection of the hydroponics line. Julian was taking inventory of the food, determining how much should be taken and how much should be left behind. Char and fifteen of his best Raiders were also coming along.

At 20:30, Perseus lifted off. As we rose out of the hangar and into thick darkness, I looked out the windshield to see no moonlight or starlight slipping through the thick clouds. Ashton guided the ship upward, until the mist of the clouds soaked the windshield.

A minute later, we broke through, finding ourselves above a shadowed, misty plain, reflecting light from the starry heavens. The moon hung with a reddish hue, a waning crescent halfway up the eastern sky.

On the far eastern horizon came an ethereal glow.

Anna gazed toward the east.

“What is it?”

“The Great Blight,” Ashton said. “Much closer, now.”

“It’s amazing we can see it through the clouds,” I said.

The ship’s fusion drive hummed and the cloud-plain passed at a crawl.

“Some of it is the celestial light from above,” Ashton said. “But most of it is from the Earth. I’ve wondered if the Great Blight makes these clouds last longer than they should.”

“What do you mean?” Anna asked.

“I can’t prove anything,” Ashton said, “but the clouds seem to hang extra thick in Blighted areas, don’t they?”

“I thought that was everywhere,” I said.

“Maybe so,” Ashton said. “I’ve seen other places of the world, but none are as bad as this. I’d always assumed it was because Ragnarok hit here. And maybe that’s the case. But as far as Blights changing weather patterns…it’s a hunch I have.” Ashton paused. “The more the Great Blight grows, the more quickly it can grow.”

“And with more Blight comes more monsters,” Anna said.

“There’s no way we can fight them all,” I said.

“Maybe not,” Ashton said, turning to me. “But we’re never going to give up. The most important time to be brave is when it’s easy not to. That’s something those monsters will never understand, and it’s something they will never take from us.”

Ashton’s words rang right to me. From the moment Samuel, Makara, and I had decided to go after the Black Files, there had been an element of hopelessness. We had faced danger after danger, somehow surviving. At some point, the story had to end — for good or for bad.