“Fifteen hundred,” Lyn said. “That will never…”
“Is there space?”
“Yes,” Lyn said. “Of course, but there won’t be enough food.” She concentrated, as if trying to remember something. “I…I don’t know. I remember certain things. Just not everything.”
“Maybe your memory will return with time,” Ashton said. “I don’t know how this particular form of the xenovirus works, but you were conscious in the medical sense for fifteen years. I wouldn’t be surprised if…”
“…Yes,” Lyn said. “We only farmed enough to have a small surplus. We could never feed everyone.”
Makara nodded. “We understand that, but with food from 108 and 84 we should have enough for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, we need to take over Los Angeles. They have food stored for the winter that can last us for a long time.”
“But…what will we do?” Lyn asked.
Makara sighed. “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. For now you can help us where you can. It’s all any of us can do.”
Catching these people up on what needed to be done was a tall order, especially when we didn’t know what needed to be done. We could at least be grateful that the hardest leg of this journey was over and that our original mission was accomplished. We had located Bunker 84 and it was now ready to be occupied. As soon as the Exodus was inside they’d be safe from the cold and have food to last a little while longer. Even if what was in Bunker 84 was far from expected, hopefully the Community would forget the past and find a place within the New Angels. Maybe some scars never healed, but at least now they had a chance to.
I thought of Samuel. He would be in Gilgamesh’s clinic at this very moment.
“How’s Samuel?” I asked.
Makara sighed. “Much the same. The only thing keeping him going is Lauren, and now Ruth. She’s sort of apprenticing for nursing duties.”
It was good to hear that Ruth was finding her place. At the mention of his wife’s name, Michael made a move for the door. Ever the soldier, he waited for Makara’s nod before striding out of Aeneas and into Gilgamesh.
“How much longer will Samuel…” I began.
Ashton put a hand on my arm. “There will be time for this later. We need to return to Pyrite and begin the evacuation. If the swarm is there and Askal and his friends are fighting for us, speed is of the essence.”
Ashton had a point. We once again had two spaceships at our disposal after losing Odin. Thankfully, the one replacing Odin was much larger. We could evacuate the town more quickly than we had planned.
“You’re right,” I said.
“I have something you can do,” Makara said, speaking to Lyn. “When the first wave of refugees reaches Bunker 84, I need you to prepare the way for the Exodus. Set up food. Clear up space for people to sleep. Get water ready.”
Lyn nodded. “It will be hard, but I’ll see what we can do. The entry tunnel should still be open. If I remember correctly, it’s programmed to recognize when Aeneas is close. Even if it’s closed it should open up.”
“I can set course for Pyrite,” Ashton said. “Anna?”
Anna hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I’m coming.”
The two of them left the anteroom. I watched as Anna walked away. She seemed to still be shaken from the battle with Elias. It was hard to see her like that, hard to see her go through so much only to reach a breaking point now. All of us were dealing with the aftershocks of a very traumatic experience.
“I need to return to Gilgamesh,” Makara said. “The rest of you can remain here until we go to Pyrite and back to Bunker 84. It will be a few trips until everyone is safe underground, but at least we can begin the process.”
We did as Makara said. When we reached Pyrite, my jaw dropped at the scene. It was an island in a sea of swarming pink and purple. There were thousands upon thousands of crawlers surrounding the settlement, bashing into the walls and gates. The perimeter was sturdy, but probably could not last against a long assault.
We had to get everyone out of there soon.
Several dragons circled the skies above, patrolling the air. We had won the battle there, which is what mattered. They cleared the way for the ships to move everyone out.
Gilgamesh, then Aeneas, settled into the center of the town. Makara disembarked, and began to spread the word. Within minutes, people were streaming on board both ships, many more coming onto Aeneas. We could only take three hundred or so at a time, or we risked weighing down the ships too much.
We left with our first evac group around 19:00. Darkness covered the land, save for the many glowing eyes of the surrounding monsters. Seeing that seething swarm made me wonder if there would be a town by the time we got back at midnight.
When we reached the mountain housing Bunker 84, the boarding tunnel was still open. Ashton guided in Aeneas first — we wanted to be sure there was room for both ships before landing them at the bottom of the vertical tunnel. When Aeneas landed, we confirmed that there was. We unloaded the first of the refugees. Michael and Julian stayed in the Bunker, along with a few Angels, in order to keep things organized while the Community women prepared for everything.
We arrived back at Pyrite at midnight. To my relief, the walls and gates still stood. By this point, I was exhausted. The only sleep I had gotten since leaving for Bunker 84 came from being drugged out in my Bunker 84 jail cell. I nodded off a bit during the trips between, which allowed me to catch a couple of hours here and there.
By the time we loaded our next refugees, over half of the town had been emptied. I felt bad at leaving anyone behind — but we left most of the fighting men there in order to stave off any sort of attack. The Radaskim xenodragons might return and cause trouble. I wondered which of the dragons flying above was Askal, and I hoped that he was okay.
We returned to Pyrite at 04:15 to take the last of the refugees. We fit in the remaining five hundred people or so like sardines and prayed the ships could still function. After making a final sweep of the town, making absolutely sure that everyone was on board, we lifted off and headed north, leaving the remains of the city to its fate. The Wasteland was slowly being conquered, and there was nothing left to do but watch it be swallowed by the Radaskim.
I finally allowed myself to relax, curling up in a corner on the bridge and falling fast asleep.
Chapter 20
When I awoke, gray daylight filtered onto the bridge. I felt weak and achy all over, as if I could sleep for the rest of time and still not catch up.
As hard as it was, I forced myself onto weary feet — feet that were sore and blistering from all the punishment they had taken the past few days. My fingers felt numb and every one of my muscles ached.
I went to stand by Anna, who was seated and copiloting the ship. Ashton gazed intently ahead, raising a white mug to his lips and drinking his coffee black.
I almost said that we had finally made it, but I didn’t want to speak too soon. We had come a long way, both in this particular mission and in each of our individual lives — but all it took was one mistake, one misfortune, for it all to come crashing down.
As dawn broke in the east — a dawn free of clouds or fog — the sky gleamed pink, yellow, and orange. I stared for a moment, mesmerized by the colors.