Meridiana E-Book

Nicolette Fuller

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

History is always bound to repeat itself. In the wise words of Professor Dorian, “it’s always about survival of the fittest.”
Peace cannot last forever, as an army from the North marches towards the sanctuary of Meridiana with full intent of taking it over. As the governor, Gavin faces difficult choices, and makes the call to reinstate city curfews. Devastated by the news, Hokura volunteers herself on peacekeeper duty, but this time it isn’t simply scouting out rebels.
Bound by destiny, her mission is to now become the hardened super soldier she was always meant to be. But can she save those she loves?

Leseprobe

MERIDIANA

THE NEW AGE SERIES

BOOK 3

NICOLETTE FULLER

CONTENTS

New Age Series

Meridiana

Next in the Series

About the Author

Copyright (C) 2023 Nicolette Fuller

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2023 by Next Chapter

Published 2023 by Next Chapter

Edited by Elizabeth N. Love

Cover art by Lordan June Pinote

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author’s permission.

NEW AGE SERIES

New Age

Rebirth

Meridiana

Crisis

Sacrifice

Malfunction

Resurrection

New Dawn

Retribution

Lost Years (A New Age Prequel)

I dedicate this book to the dreamers.

To the romantics and to the rebels.

To the non-believers, who can now believe. To the believers (and beta readers) whom I thank.

To all those who inspired me. From main characters to the secondary ones.

The Rebel Commander’s, Dorian’s, Adam’s, and Amara’s.

To my husband, James Fuller, who I’m sure wanted to throw a thesaurus at me many times. Who encouraged me to write and do something with this story.

This is for you.

MERIDIANA

HOKURA SMIRKED, LOOKING AT Gavin beside her as the jeep bumped along the wasteland, her hair blowing in the warm desert wind. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this at peace with things. They had been taking their time driving towards the old city; tonight, they would camp in the forests and hopefully reach the city in three to four days. Hokura was looking forward to seeing the ocean again, but most of all, spending this time with Gavin. “Do you feel guilty about leaving them with Amara and Adam?”

Gavin grinned. “Why do I feel like I have to fight everyone in that place to get some alone time with you lately.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I don’t feel guilty leaving them back at the compound. Besides, they’ve been to the ocean and city plenty of times. I just wanted some time for us.” He placed his hand on hers and gently rubbed it. “They’re six years old. I’m sure they’re entertaining themselves just fine.”

Hokura laughed. “Leaving Adam and Amara with four young children for this long might cost us their friendship.”

Gavin laughed heartily. “Amara was the one who was thinking about possibly having another. I don’t think I’ve seen Adam turn that shade of white before.”

“I’m sure she was just joking, or at least I hope she was. Anyways, they have help. Olga’s been an excellent caregiver, and there’s always Dorian…”

Gavin made a noise beside her. “Not the most eloquent caregiver out there, but I guess he’s slightly better than Talon.”

“There are plenty of children for them to all play with. They have their daily lessons, which will keep them busy enough as well,” Hokura chimed. It had been a year since they had visited the city. She had been feeling incredibly overwhelmed and bombarded lately. Dorian was able to create a cure for infertility, but with children being born, it raised new projects within the compound and city.

* * *

“We need to teach them basic skills, along with fundamental skills,” Dorian had told her once her children reached four years of age.

“You can’t exactly hook them up to electrodes, Dorian.” She had given him a sidelong glance.

“No.” He cleared his throat. “In the old world, well before the war, they had schools which were divided into classes depending on age. From there, certain things were taught at different age levels. Kind of like with the peacekeepers, although at a much younger age.” He had pondered the thought. “We have large government offices which we can turn into primary classrooms. We have plenty of people here in the compound who I’m sure would love to hang up their lab coats and spend days teaching children. I know we can enlist people from the city as well. We can hold school inside the compound for the children of the city also.”

It had been a year of renovations and additions. With the help of the citizens and those inside the compound, Dorian and Gavin had erected a small school of ten rooms inside the compound block. They had created play areas and structures for children both inside and outside of the compound. They had found appropriate literature and were successful in finding people who were comfortable teaching the children. Thus the learning began as school became a daily activity for all children old enough to attend.

It had been a great side project that they had worked together on along with Gavin. Hokura figured it was better than having the professor locked up inside the labs all day.

* * *

She shook her head at the thought.

“You look like your mind was somewhere else,” Gavin noted, still staring at her. After six years, he was still absolutely mesmerized by her.

“It’s crazy to think how far everything has come over the years. Maybe we’re getting closer to the way things used to be…” she sighed.

“Indeed we are, but we still have a long way to go. The city’s population is still recovering. I know we were able to liberate pretty much everyone from the old city and take in those from the wastelands, but there will always be room for more people and more improvements.”

They reached a familiar area in record time as Hokura drove the vehicle further into the forests’ density and out of sight from the path.

“Are you that worried about raiders? We haven’t seen a soul since we left. In fact, we’ve never seen anyone out here.” Gavin raised an eyebrow.

“It’s just a precaution,” Hokura huffed. “Just because we haven’t seen anyone doesn’t mean they’re not out there.”

“You’re speaking from an experience you’ve never told me about.”

She pursed her lips, caught because he could read her so well. “I am.”

“And?”

“It isn’t something I think or talk about,” Hokura jumped out of the vehicle, grabbing the tent from the back, and made her way to start setting it up. She didn’t want to have this conversation with Gavin right now, so she avoided it.

He would let it go; it was obviously an unpleasant memory for her. “After this long, you can let me set up the tent,” Gavin groaned, watching her unfold the canvas.

“I’m sure I could, but you can start collecting kindling and getting a fire going since I’d rather not be stumbling around in the dark,” she chimed.

That evening the two sat at the fire listening to the sounds of the forest, Hokura in Gavin’s arms as she rested peacefully against his chest. “I love it here,” she sighed, sinking back into him.

“We could have done this sooner,” Gavin urged. “I’ve told you whenever you want to come back that we can. It’s not like the compound doesn’t run itself. After so many years, I’m not even sure why I still hold the title of Governor.”

“Because!” Hokura shifted. “You’re the one with all the great ideas. Besides, you’re the face that stands up in front of everyone and gives them hope. You’re the face of the compound and the face of the city. Without you, we would have never liberated all those people. Without you, things would have never changed.”

Gavin made a noise as he brought his hand up and gently stroked her hair. It had only been partly true. Without the professor, he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish half the breakthroughs that he did. Without Hokura, he would have never known about the old-world city, nor would he have liberated anyone. He was merely a voice and a face; it had been the others who had done most of the work.

“We’re here now. That’s all that matters.” Hokura turned to face him, a mischievous grin crossing her face. “And we’re here together, and alone.”

“I like the way you think, no children to interrupt us, no need to keep quiet.” Gavin brought her close and kissed her passionately. He had her away from prying eyes and could delve into her essence while they were away; he didn’t have to hold back.

“Gavin,” Hokura gasped as his hands roamed over her body.

“Mmmmm?” He chuckled, his golden eyes holding the firelight. “Why don’t you just let me enjoy you as much as I can tonight? We can sleep in tomorrow. There’s no huge rush.” He kissed her again as she moaned underneath him.

They continued until the fire had gone out and they retreated into the tent where Gavin had enjoyed her even further. Hokura was blissfully resting in his arms when a sound caught her attention. Someone was approaching from the distance. She quietly got up and left the tent. She quickly splashed some water over the fire's hot embers and kicked dirt over it when Gavin came up behind her. She motioned for him to be quiet.

“I thought I saw lights out here!” one of the approaching men called.

“Could have been your eyes playing tricks on you. Could have been the moonlight catching off something.”

“Don’t engage them,” Hokura hushed as she strained to listen. “Stay low and be quiet.”

“We’ve been told we need to go further South and then head West. We’re still a few days away, at least, but we still need to hold back until we get more confirmed intel.”

Something put Hokura on edge. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was; she couldn’t make sense of what she was hearing.

“The men that came back stated that the walled city had been a government site close to what was known as Phoenix, Arizona. That apparently they had been far enough from the initial blasts and were able to set up some kind of government headquarters after the war,” Another voice stated

Gavin gave Hokura a worried glance as she put her finger to her lips.

“From what the colonel said, they were able to take a city and pretty much clear it and created a scientific compound there. Our scouts said they saw jeeps leaving the walls and scouting the wastelands for people searching for sanctuary.”

“Intel’s no good if they can’t confirm whether or not they have weapons inside that walled city.”

“Who knows, there weren’t any army bases set up around that area for several miles. Then again, it’s not to say they haven’t been out raiding or trading with rebels. Either way, we have an army backing us. We’ll send a few people in day by day to scope it out and get information. Our group is large enough that we can overtake it easily. We’re just waiting on our insiders to get back. Hopefully, they have information.”

Hokura sucked in her breath. They were talking about taking over Meridiana!

“Anything will be better than White Rock. The water there tastes like sewage.”

“Don’t bitch, at least there were enough blocks still standing that we could house everyone. It looks like the place has been abandoned for quite some time now.”

“I prefer the camp we’ve set up now. Well, might as well not waste our time out here then,” a voice stated as the boots passed by the path that Hokura had been crouching by.

“Nah, we’ll start sending more scouts out towards Arizona when the sergeant gives the word. From what I saw on the maps, we’re in what used to be a national forest, Willamette, or something like that. We still have a number of kilometers between us and the compound.”

“It’ll be nice to get the tent city set up closer to the wastelands. I’m tired of the back-and-forth driving.”

“The colonel wanted to wait on intel. We have it now, so we’ll start moving forward. Moving this army takes time!” the gruff voice stated.

“You’re telling me I’m tired of all this traveling. To think we’re this close, though. I’ve been ready for this take over since I first heard about it!”

“Well, you have some time left to wait yet, but soon.”

The men were done with their pacing and left.

Hokura stayed quiet for a few moments. She wasn’t sure if they had been part of a larger camp who were taking refuge in the woods or if they had been two lone scouts. Either way, she couldn’t deny what she had heard. “We need to get back,” Hokura whispered.

“We’re still a ways from the compound,” Gavin countered.

“I can drive just fine at night; the moon is full; there’s lots of light. Anyway, it isn’t until we hit the wasteland that it becomes an issue, and by then, the sun will be up. If I go constant and hard, it should only take us a day and a half.”

“Do you think they’ll hear us?” Gavin whispered.

“Give it a bit yet. We’ll quietly pack up and get everything loaded. If they do hear us, hopefully, they’ll be far enough that they won’t be able to track us.”

The two packed up as quickly and quietly as they could, Hokura’s heart racing at what they had heard. She held her breath as she brought the key to the ignition of the jeep. She started the vehicle and went down the pathway heading home. She had been thankful that her eyes had adjusted so well to the darkness as she made her way out of the forest. Gavin kept a steady lookout behind them as Hokura bumped along.

“I think we’re in the clear,” she muttered as she pushed forward. “I haven’t heard any vehicles in the distance or anything.”

“How can this be happening?” Gavin asked, shaking his head. It was his worst nightmare come true.

“It’ll be okay,” Hokura assured him. “We’re going to get back to the compound safe and sound, and we’ll figure things out from there.” She didn’t want to think of the possibilities of there being a war. She wanted to push that thought as far out of her head as she possibly could. Her main task right now was simply getting them back to the compound unscathed.

* * *

The two entered the city gates and drove straight to the compound. They hadn’t conversed much during the drive. Hokura could tell that Gavin was turning over ideas in his mind, which was fine. She needed her full concentration to get them back. Now that they were inside the city walls, he seemed even tenser. They drove up to the compound and into the large loading garage where Hokura had kept her jeep and got out.

“We need to tell Dorian!” Hokura said in earnest. “We need to tell everyone!”

“We don’t want to cause panic, Hokura. We’ll get Talon and everyone together, and we’ll have a meeting about this. We’re going to do this calmly and collectively,” Gavin stated. “Besides, Dorian is head of science and development. What good would it be of him knowing about this so suddenly?” He glanced over at Hokura as a look of horror came across his face. “Don’t even think about it!” Gavin’s voice was terse and held command to it.

“Why not? That’s what I was created for! It’s been over forty-five years, Gavin! You can’t tell me that any of the watch are at all ready to go up against these people! They’re dangerous!” Hokura pleaded.

“Over forty-five years, as you said. Hokura, do you think you still have that in you? Do you think Dorian will even allow it?” Gavin yelled.

“Allow what?” A voice came from behind them.

Gavin cursed. Why was it that the man literally appeared whenever his name was spoken? “Nothing,” Gavin replied curtly.

“Don’t do this, Gavin,” Hokura begged, trying to ease him but knew that he wasn’t having any of it. She looked up at Dorian, who stood behind them with a questioning look. She breathed deeply. “We need to have a meeting about something that has come up.” her voice was strained.

“And this meeting has something to do with me, allowing something.” Dorian straightened, glancing at both of them, his face unreadable.

Gavin sighed. “Please alert Talon that we will be meeting in the briefing room in an hour. We need to unpack.”

“I take this is an emergency considering you two are back after only being gone for a few days. I know your children will be happy to see you.” Dorian considered. “I will alert Talon, and then we will get to the bottom of things.” He regarded Hokura. “I’m curious about what I’m going to supposedly allow or not.”

“We’ll brief you in one hour,” Hokura breathed.

“Very well, then.” Dorian turned away and continued his way down the hallway to seek out Talon.

“You didn’t tell him,” Gavin whispered.

“I’m not choosing sides, Gavin, but know that I will do everything possible to keep those I love safe.”

He didn’t want to argue with her. He had to hold faith that Dorian wouldn’t allow her to leave the compound and scout what was happening or have anything to do with this war. He had hoped that Talon had been on top of things. Gavin kicked himself as he thought over the past few months and the people who had come and gone through the city. There had been a few people who were merely “passing through” who had obviously scouted Meridiana. Most people who came to the walled city stayed, but there had been a few times where people were looking to head further south, to see what was beyond the border.

The two walked up to their suite to be met by a joyously shrill: “Mommy! Daddy! You’re back! Amara said you weren’t going to be back for another two weeks!” Cassandra cried, jumping into Hokura’s arms. “Did you bring me anything back?”

Hokura laughed, and she wrapped her arms around her daughter, who was the spitting image of her mother. She didn’t have anything because they hadn’t gotten as far as the ocean. She thought of a quick lie. “I found some beautiful seashells that you both can share. I didn’t think you guys would be up here! Where’s your brother?”

Amara came around the corner, holding a book, with four-year-old Erica in tow. “We were grabbing a change of clothes and some books. Cyrus is downstairs with Nathan and Adam. The boys woke up with energy today, so Adam decided he would take them and burn off some fuel. He took them out into the city this morning, and after lunch, he took them back down to the training facility.” Amara then stared at her friend. “You’re back early… something happened.”

Hokura looked at Gavin, who nodded.

“Yes,” Hokura said with a steady voice. “If you and Adam could accompany us in an hour to the briefing room, there’s something we need to discuss. Something everyone needs to be aware of.”

“I’ll go get Adam.” Gavin put his duffle bag down on the floor. He turned to look at Hokura and eyed her as he walked up beside her. “Don’t talk about this around Cassandra. The kids don’t need to know.”

Hokura nodded. “I’ll ask Olga if she can watch them.”

Amara gave Hokura a worried look.

“We’ll talk about it at the meeting,” Hokura stated.

* * *

Gavin made his way to the training facility as people regarded him and welcomed him back from his trip. They seemed to pick up that he was in a hurry and let him be on his way.

He walked down the hall to hear some loud grunting coming from the room that people used to spar.

“That’s it, just like that.” Adam’s voice called.

He walked in to see Adam walking the boys through some basic moves.

“If anyone grabs you by the wrist, this is exactly what you want to do.” Adam smiled at them as he walked them through the move. “Yes! Just like that.”

Gavin cleared his throat as he strolled through the door. Adam looked up at him questioningly. “You’re back early. The trip didn’t go as planned?”

Before Gavin could say anything, he was met by a “Dad!” as Cyrus crashed into him, his hair tousled and his eyes shinging with delight.

“Adam is showing me some moves! He took us for a run this morning, and now he’s showing us what to do if someone ever grabs hold of us! Wanna see, wanna see? C’mon, Dad, let me show you! Just grab right here!”

Gavin chuckled and bent down, hugging his boy. He was a spitfire of sandy brown hair and golden eyes. “You weren’t too much for Adam and Amara, were you?”

Adam laughed as his own son Nathan came up beside him. Nathan looked more like Adam with his black hair and green eyes, whereas Erica had taken after Amara with blue eyes and light blonde hair. “They weren’t so bad. They usually just entertained themselves, but this morning they were up for some roughhousing!” Adam chuckled, grabbing his boy and tousling his hair. “So, we thought we’d give Mom and break and come down here!”

He noted the look that Gavin had been wearing. “Something went wrong.” Adam’s voice was quiet.

“We’re having a meeting in the briefing room in about forty-five minutes. Hokura’s asking Olga to watch the children. It would be good if you and Amara were present.”

“Awe, Dad, Olga doesn’t let us play rough!” Nathan cried.

Adam looked down at his son. “If I recall correctly, that’s because you and Cyrus ended up crashing into the bookshelf and nearly toppled it over top of the both of you.”

“It wouldn’t have been that bad if Cyrus hadn’t made me trip backward!” Nathan cried.

“You didn’t trip! You fell all on your own!” Cyrus stated back.

Gavin glanced over at Adam. “And Amara stated she wants another.”

Adam made a pained noise. “I can’t imagine having another boy. I can deal with Erica, she’s easy, but this one…” He grabbed his son, holding him by the shoulder as he struggled. “He’s been a natural disaster since he was out of the womb.”

* * *

Dorian sat in his briefing room, drumming his fingers against the desk. He was pondering exactly what this meeting was going to be about but wasn’t exactly eager to find out considering the tension that it had caused between Gavin and Hokura. She had wanted to say something but had stayed quiet. If Gavin hadn’t been there, she would have. He was sure if they hadn’t called this meeting that Hokura would have found a way to somehow get the information to him. He chuckled, shaking his head. Typical of her.

Talon came through the door and gave him a questioning look. “They stated they wanted to meet with us, and yet they aren’t here yet?”

“Most likely getting their offspring to Olga, I have reason to believe that Amara and Adam will also be in attendance.”

“Any idea what this is about?” Talon asked in a serious tone.

“No,” Dorian sighed, “but I have a feeling it isn’t good.”

The door opened as Gavin lead Amara, Adam, and Hokura through. He shut the door and locked it, which was the signal that Dorian recognized right away. This meeting wasn’t going to be a good one.

“Thank you for being here on such short notice,” Gavin said, sitting. He licked his lips for a moment taking in everyone in front of him. “While camping, there had been a band of men who came upon us. We were incredibly fortunate that they didn’t find us, but they were speaking of intels and…” He paused for a long moment. How was he going to put what he had learned into words?

“They’re coming to take Meridiana!” Hokura cried.

Gavin closed his eyes in resolve, bringing his hand to rest on his forehead. That was one way.

“What do you mean they’re coming to take Meridiana?” Dorian asked, perplexed.

“They’ve sent scouts here. People who have been inside the city and left. They’ve been scouting us and reporting back. They have an army of people and want to take over the compound and the city!” Hokura continued.

“You know this for sure?” Dorian asked, his eyes wide as he looked at Hokura and Gavin.

“We heard it… all of it…” Suddenly Gavin felt so incredibly tired. He closed his eyes and wished that it had all been a bad dream. “They’re not coming in for sanctuary, they won’t be coming peacefully… they have been trying to scout to see if we have weapons. They’re an army prepared to go to war.”

Hokura bristled at the idea as she looked over at the watch commander. “Talon, what have the watch guards scouted outside the walls?”

Talon cleared his throat. “There’s been a few instances of coming across people who have simply not wanted to enter the city. They claimed to be going further South. They didn’t seem dangerous, nor did they seem like they were scouting for anything.”

“The problem is,” Gavin choked, “we’ve already let these people within our walls. They know the city layout. There are even possibilities of them being inside the compound.”

“It’s not your fault,” Adam offered. “How are you to know those looking for the safety of sanctuary over those looking to bring it down?”

“Do you have any idea who they might be?” Amara asked in a tight voice.

“Not a clue.” Gavin shook his head. “They’re from the North, they know exactly where we are, they know the origins of the city.”

“We need to bring back the hardened day and night watch!” Hokura cried.

The room went silent.

“The watch hasn’t been active in this kind of thing in over forty-five years,” Talon’s gruff voice came up. “Our numbers have depleted, and we’ve gotten soft, which means we would need to start training again. As for a war…” He looked up at Dorian and stared him hard in the eyes. “Do we even have any way of protecting ourselves?”

Dorian’s lips pursed. “I am unsure, commander. I would need to do an inventory of what we have, but I can say it wouldn’t be enough.”

“Then make them!” Hokura looked pleadingly at Dorian, who sat shocked. “Dorian, are you telling me you can’t make weapons? Don’t you still have guns and ammo from the uprising? Don’t you have anything?”

He cleared his throat. His head suddenly felt like it was spinning. “That was nearly fifty years ago. I’m sure we still have the weapons, but they haven’t been serviced or maintained. As for making ammo, it’s not an impossibility, but, Hokura, you need to remember that we fell into peaceful times. We don’t have the manpower to take on such an operation.”

“Then send the peacekeepers,” Hokura stated, standing up.

Adam and Amara’s eyes widened.

“If not them, then send me,” she continued.

“Hokura!” Gavin growled through clenched teeth, grabbing her arm and pulling her down beside him. “Are you insane? How long has it been for you? You can’t be serious!”

“I am, Gavin!” Hokura cried and looked at Dorian. “Start the watch back up, start training them! We have time! If you can make ammo, if we can get the watch trained back up, we have a chance!” She wrenched her arm away from Gavin and walked over to Dorian, and crouched beside him as she stared up at his placid expression. “Dorian, surely there’s a way that you can get them to where they need to be!”

The professor closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. “There’s the RTC simulator.” He needed to make this sound good. “We haven’t done anything with that thing in decades, but I have no reason to believe that we can’t get it back up and running.”

“Are you seriously asking us to be back on the force?” Amara asked angrily, staring at her friend.

Hokura stood and weakly smiled at her. “No, Amara, I’m not asking you to be back on the force.” She shook her head. “I would never ask such a sacrifice from either of you.”

“Then why are you sacrificing yourself?” Adam asked sternly.

“Because,” she looked at Dorian and then to Gavin, “I have people that I love here that I need to protect, and I am strong enough to do so.”

Talon, Gavin, Amara, and Adam stared at her wide-eyed. That’s when Hokura felt a hand on her shoulder as Dorian stood beside her. “She’s right, you know,” his voice came over them.

Hokura looked up at him.

“Hokura is the strongest person inside this compound. She’ll be able to lead the watch in simulations; she knows what she is doing. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that with her, we might stand a chance.”

“Are you kidding me!” Gavin yelled as he stood. “How dare you! How dare you even think of sending her out there and making her fodder!”

“This is her choice and her choice alone, Gavin!” Dorian’s voice boomed back. “She’s the only one stepping up to the plate to not only protect you and your children but the city. Do you have any other bright ideas of how we’re going to win this war, considering you’re the one who let those people in, to begin with?”

Gavin shrank down, crashing into his chair. “No…”

“Exactly,” Dorian confirmed. He looked at Talon. “You are to recruit as many hardened men as you can.”

Talon chuckled darkly as he looked up at the man. “Are you kidding me? Who in the hell is going to want to enter the watch and become a soldier?”

“Tell them they’ll be rewarded handsomely for their services. Whatever we can do for them, we will. We’ll also get those who are already out on the force to start training,” Dorian commanded.

“This is getting out of hand.” Gavin sighed.

“I’ll aid in this,” Adam said, standing up.

Amara froze beside him, taking him in.

“I’ll help however I possibly can.” Adam stood tall. “I may not be in peak condition, but I believe with using the simulator, I’ll be an asset beside Hokura.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Amara cried beside him.

“Hokura’s right.” Adam regarded her. He grabbed Amara’s hands and kissed them tenderly. “You don’t have to go along with this, Amara. I don’t want you to, you have the children to look after, but there won’t be a Meridiana or a compound to continue raising them in if these outsiders take over.”

Gavin stared up in defeat. “So, where do we go from here?”

Dorian continued hovering above them. “It’s still early. I will see if I can get the lab technicians to get the RTC simulator up and running.” He turned to Talon. “You will be recruiting whoever you possibly can starting now.” He looked at Hokura and Adam. “As of ten hundred hours tomorrow morning, your training will start. We’ll see exactly where your skills still lie. We’ll also see about the possibilities of producing more ammo and seeing what we still have available to us weapon-wise.”

That’s when Hokura gasped. “There’s Samilian City!”

“You’ve mentioned that place before,” Dorian noted. “It was a town not far from here with army bunkers if I recall correctly.”

“If we don’t have enough weapons, we can forage the city. I might even still have an old map of Barack’s, which he had marked the different bunkers. It’s worth a shot!” Hokura said.

Dorian nodded. “We’ll get a count going then.”

“Just like that?” Gavin asked woefully.

“Yes, Governor, we’re preparing for war. Just. Like. That,” Dorian stated.

Gavin quickly got up and turned for the door. He angrily left the briefing room without even looking at Hokura.

“Gavin!” Hokura whispered, wanting to go after him when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Give him some time,” Dorian coaxed. He looked over at the other three. “I think we all need some time for this to sink in.” The meeting had ended, and everyone had left in a solemn mood other than Hokura and the professor.

“He’s so angry with me,” Hokura said, feeling deflated.

“He has reason to be upset.” The voice behind her said. He walked up beside her and glanced at her with a smirk. “But you can’t deny who and what you are, Hokura. It runs through your veins, and you’ll do anything to keep those you love safe.”

“I will, so why doesn’t he see it that way?”

Dorian gave her a solemn look. “Because he’s never known that side of you.” He stepped closer. “All he’s ever known has been the you that came back six years ago. Give him some time.”

Hokura could feel his breath on her as she took in his gentle words.

“A word of advice.” Dorian looked down at her. “Don’t allow him to see you in training.”

“Why not?” Hokura asked in a small voice.

“Do you want him to see that part of you in action? Do you really want that man to watch you rip someone’s head from their shoulders like it’s nothing?”

“You have a point.” She sulked.

* * *

Adam and Amara followed Gavin up towards Olga’s suite when he stopped and leaned against the wall. “Everything I’ve worked so hard for over the past forty-five years is flashing before my eyes. I can’t believe such a thing is happening.” Gavin sighed.

“This isn’t your fault, Gavin,” Adam pushed. “The sooner you stop blaming yourself for this, the sooner you’ll be able to move forward.”

“And what about you?” Amara scowled, looking at Adam. “You stepped up just like that, like the life we created together is nothing!”

Adam stared at Amara. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Amara! Like you’d be okay with Hokura being out there alone. I know how your mind works, and after a few days, you would have sided with her to try and protect her.” He stepped up to her and looked her hard in the eye. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Amara shrank back. She broke his gaze and sighed in defeat. “I don’t want it to be any of us.”

“Of course, you don’t want it to be any of us. I don’t want it to be any of us either, but I’d rather be the one beside Hokura than having you go out there!”

“This is still asinine,” Gavin said through clenched teeth.

Adam placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t blame Hokura. She would do anything to protect you and your children. Don’t be angry with her, Gavin.”

The Governor looked at him. “I’m afraid that I’m going to lose her to what she used to be, that all those memories will come flooding back and will cause her emotional trauma. When she first came here all those years ago, she was an absolute mess. She’s been able to put so much behind her. I’m just afraid of her past coming back up to haunt her.”

“Most of those fears were of Dorian, and I think we’re safe to say that those fears have been dealt with,” Amara added. “It’ll just be interesting to see how well they’re going to work together on this level again, though.”

“Enough of this,” Adam interrupted. “You’ve been gone for a few days. It’s time to reconnect with your kids. They missed you. Tomorrow’s a new day. We can allow ourselves one last night of ignorance before everything changes.” Adam walked up to the door and knocked as he heard a bombardment of children behind it.

Cassandra ran into Gavin’s waist, embracing it. “Daddy, that wasn’t too long!” She stopped and looked around. “Where’s Mommy?”

Gavin swallowed, trying to compose himself. “Your mother will be along in a bit; she just had a few things that she had to take care of.”

“She promised she had shells for me,” Cassandra said, holding her father’s hand.

“And I’m sure she does,” Gavin said, wondering exactly what Hokura had up her sleeve since they hadn’t been to the ocean. He took hold of Cyrus’ hand and looked over at Olga, who had been beaming from having all four children in her suite. It seemed like the woman had a definite knack for keeping young minds entertained. “Thank you, Olga. There are possibilities of this happening more often.” His eyes held hers. He didn’t want to tell her the situation. He pleaded that she would simply understand and not ask him what had changed. He would find time to talk to her later.

She held his look for a moment, reading him over. “Yes, Governor, they’re always a pleasure to watch.” She gave him a firm nod.

He could have hugged her at that moment for not letting anything slip. Adam and Amara gathered up Erica and Nathan and turned for the door. He had wanted to tell them that he was sorry, that he had failed them in keeping the compound safe… and yet there was Hokura, the rising hero who would stand up to protect all of them. Something he couldn’t do.

Gavin cleared his throat; his voice was still tense as he looked over at Adam and Amara. “I hope you both have a good evening.”

They nodded at him and bid him a good night as they walked down the hall with their two children in tow.

Gavin stood silently for a moment. He was wondering what on earth Hokura was doing at that moment. He had figured that she was talking with Dorian. Could he possibly be upset with the professor for allowing such a thing? He took Cyrus and Cassandra back home and sat on the couch, staring blankly into space. He didn’t know how he was going to continue forward. It had been as if a wall had been erected in front of him, and he had nowhere to go when he felt a gentle pat on his side.

“Daddy?” His daughter was looking up at him.

Gavin took a deep breath. He needed to stay strong. He didn’t want his children picking up on what was going on. He bent down and gave her a large smile. “What is it, Cassie?”

“Daddy, Cyrus and I are hungry. Can you make us grilled cheese for dinner?”

He couldn’t help but laugh; she was so innocent and so sweet. He had been grateful that she hadn’t picked up on anything, that she hadn’t questioned why her parents had come back so quickly. To her, it was just another day, and that life was as it always had been. “I can make you a grilled cheese,” he answered. “Why don’t you tell me what you two have been up to while your mother and I have been away?”

Cyrus came bouncing out of his bedroom in a storm after his father as he walked to the kitchen. “Dad! Adam took us out to the gardens, and we picked blueberries! Then, Nathan and I went down to the training place, and we played tag, and then we raced around the track, and then Adam ran after us too! He’s so fast, Dad! Do you know how fast he is? Do you? Have you ever seen him run! Can you run that fast?”

Gavin chuckled at his son, shaking his head, another typical evening with his two beloved children. He pursed his lips, not so typical that Hokura wasn’t with them. Where on earth was she?

* * *

Hokura and Dorian had spoken for a while and made their way from the briefing room to the cafeteria and continued walking to their suites.

“So, do you really think you can get the RTC simulator up and running that quickly?” She crossed her arms in the elevator as they rode it up.

“I’m absolutely positive. There shouldn’t be any issues firing it up again. After the uprising, we just shut everything down. Technically all I should have to do is flip the switch and calibrate it, and it should be running without any issues.” Dorian shrugged nonchalantly.

“What do you think of all this?” Hokura asked dryly as they got off and walked towards Dorian’s suite.

He breathed in frustration. “It was only a matter of time until this happened. It wouldn’t surprise me if this army were from another safe zone up north that simply ran out of resources. There were plenty of safe zones out there, but not all of them were realistically set up to continue on more than fifty years after the war.” He shook his head. “If our weapon count is low, we’ll have to venture to Samilian City and hope there are more still there. It’s easier to repair old weapons than it is to build new ones. We’ll know our count in a few days.”

Hokura made a face. “A matter of time? So, you were counting on this eventually happening?”

Dorian scowled at her. “Don’t give me that, Hokura. I’m not the bad guy for knowing that mankind has a bad reputation for its never-ending greed. Even before the last war, which wiped out damn near everything, there were always wars going on. Of course, it was going to happen again. We’re a self-sufficient thriving sanctuary. Who wouldn’t want to rule here?”

A sad look came across her face. “I was hoping after so long we could just all live in peace and be happy.”

“You’ve been reading too many fairytales to your children. You may have lived a full life, but there are still many things that you’re naïve about. We’ve been lucky that we’ve been at peace this long, but now the time has come, and that peace has ended.” He looked at her. “Obviously, you don’t have any qualms fighting for your freedom as you did over forty-five years ago.” His face shifted as he smiled. “You’ll rise up and do your duty as you were made to do.”

She nodded. “But for the first time in a long time, I’m scared of what the outcome will be.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Then become strong enough to win, so you don’t have to fear the outcome.” With that, he bid her goodnight.

Hokura walked to her suite’s door and slumped against the hallway wall before entering. She was wondering if Gavin was still upset with her. She hadn’t spoken to him about being a peacekeeper again; she had simply stood up and volunteered. Their entire relationship, they had talked things through as a unit, and yet Hokura had just run headfirst into this with no regard for herself. Her mind was already made up. She would have to deal with Gavin being upset with her. She finally entered her suite as she looked up to hear Cassy’s bright cheer as she walked through the door.

“Mommy’s home!” she cried, sitting at the kitchen table. “Daddy’s making us grilled cheese for dinner tonight!”

She turned to see Gavin working over the stove, flipping a sandwich as the kids sat at the table watching him. He looked over at her and smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes, which told Hokura enough at that moment. “That’s wonderful, guys! Aren’t you lucky to have such a sweet daddy!” Hokura replied, walking further into the house and into the kitchen.

“You were gone a while, and the kids were getting hungry…” Gavin started.

“I’m sorry, I was just talking to Dorian,” Hokura replied.

Gavin turned away from her, bringing his attention to what he was cooking. “Would you like one?”

“Yes, please.” Hokura’s voice became small. So, this was how it was going to be for now…

After dinner, Hokura had to make good on her promise to Cassandra. She excused herself for a moment and went into the bedroom and pulled out an old box. She opened it and gently took out a few of the shells. She idly looked at all the treasures she had collected over the years with James and felt a small tear come to her eye. No, she wouldn’t allow tears right now. She thanked her love as she handpicked a few shells for the children and then put the box back into the closet for safekeeping. She sat on the living room floor and showed Cassandra and Cyrus the shells she had for them as Gavin cleaned up in the kitchen. “This one is called a sand dollar, isn’t it pretty? It’s flat and has a pretty design that almost looks like a flower on it.” She smiled as Cyrus inspected another one.

“What about this funny-looking one?” He tried to peer inside of it.

“That’s a Wentletrap,” Hokura replied as her son bounced along, grabbing different shells.

“Is this one a Wentletrap too, Mom?” He asked, grabbing another shell before his sister could as he peered inside of it as well.

Hokura gently took the shell from his hand. “This one is a Murex. It’s not as thin and as long as the other one. You can see that they have some different characteristics, and that’s how you can tell them apart.” She offered the shell to Cassandra.

“You know a lot about seashells, Mommy. Did Daddy teach you about them?” She picked up a cone and moonshell and studied them side by side.

“No.” Hokura’s mood fell solemn. “It was someone else from a very long time ago.” She shook her head and smiled at them. “Now, my loves, it’s time for you two to shower up, brush teeth, and get yourselves ready for bed. You have lessons tomorrow morning.”

“Awe, Mom, you guys just got back! Can’t we spend the day with you?” Cyrus whined. She smirked at her son and ruffled his light brown hair. “Anything to get out of lessons, Cyrus, but no, your father and I came back due to important business.”

“Business that was so important you couldn’t enjoy a vacation?” Cassandra asked, still looking at the shells.

“Yes,” Gavin stated, walking over to the three of them. He picked Cassandra up and looked at her, her long brown ponytail swishing back and forth as he did. “We would love to spend some extra time with you two tomorrow, and maybe we’ll be able to in the next few days, but right now, everything is back to our regular schedule.”

“I’m showering first!” Cyrus cried, running to the bathroom ahead of his sister.

Hokura chuckled. “There, you have a few extra minutes waiting for your brother to finish.”

“Can we go over to Amara and Adam’s tomorrow morning for waffles?” Cassandra looked innocently at her parents.

“We don’t need to be interrupting Amara and Adam’s routine,” Hokura stated. “Besides, your father can make waffles just fine,” she said, giving her daughter a look.

“But Daddy’s aren’t as good as Adam’s!” Cassandra pouted in Gavin’s arms.

Gavin scoffed.

Hokura giggled lightly and covered her mouth. “What is it that makes Adam’s waffles better than daddy’s?” She walked up to Cassandra, giving her a look.

“I don’t know.” Cassandra shrugged. “They just do.”

“Looks like I’m going to be asking Adam for a recipe tomorrow,” Gavin muttered, rolling his eyes. “Your brother is going to be finishing up in a few minutes. How about you go get your nightwear out and make sure you have your clothes put out for tomorrow?”

“Okay.” Cassandra sulked as she was lowered from her father’s arms and went off to her room.

Hokura sighed as she crossed her arms. She was emotionally drained, and it was just the beginning. The drive back had been a tense one, filled with worry. Now, Gavin had been upset with her, and she was to be back in training bright and early tomorrow morning.

“Those shells… do you want me to tell the kids they’re for safekeeping?” Gavin asked pointedly.

“I have a box full of them,” Hokura answered solemnly.

“What is it?” Gavin asked, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

“I don’t want you to be upset with me.” Her voice was low so that the children wouldn’t hear.

“I’m sorry,” Gavin stated flatly, “I just don’t want you going out there. I don’t want to think of there being some sort of war where you’re out there fighting.”

“Then tomorrow, when you go to your cabinet and tell them about this, you need to start figuring out if you can find a solution to keep this war from happening.”

Gavin pursed his lips. “That’s all easier said than done, Hokura, but these people have been inside the city walls. There might not be anything we can do to persuade them not to go through with this.”

She turned in his arms to face him, giving him a tired look. “And that’s why you need an army to fight for this city.”

“Then you can help train them, Hokura.” Gavin’s voice had an edge to it. “You can help Talon. You can help Dorian. It doesn’t have to be you out there!”

Hokura was about to say something when she heard Cassandra call out.

“Mom! Cyrus took both the towels, and I need one!”

Followed by a, “I did not! There was only one towel in there, to begin with!”

Hokura rolled her eyes. “Apparently, I have towels to see to.” She took a few steps and turned back to Gavin. “We’ll have some clearer answers in the next few days. Who even knows if the RTC simulator is going to fire up as easily as Dorian is hoping for. I’m sure he’ll want Adam and I to run test rounds in it anyway.”

“You’re right.” Gavin licked his lips. “How about when I’m free for lunch tomorrow, I come down and grab you from the simulator?”

Panic rose in Hokura. “No!” She said too quickly. She saw Gavin’s eyes widen in shock. “No, Gavin, please. I don’t want you coming to see me while I’m training.” She quickly embraced him. “Please, just promise me you’ll phone down, and I can meet you…”

“Mom?” Cassandra’s voice called from the bathroom.

“Just a second, sweetie!” Hokura quickly called back. She looked at Gavin pleadingly. “Please, Gavin, just this one thing. I just don’t feel comfortable training with you being down there.”

He scowled slightly and exhaled, trying to come to a resolution. “Fine, Hokura.” He stepped away from her. “I won’t go down there… now see to Cassy, she’s still waiting for that towel.”

* * *

After putting the kids to bed, Hokura sat on the couch reading along with Gavin when she stated that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. He had obliged and crawled in next to her, enjoying the softness of the mattress. No matter how comfortable a foam mattress they had been able to pack when they left the city, he found it was no match for the real thing in his own suite in his own bedroom.

He turned to Hokura and nudged her back gently. “Hey,” he whispered lowly. “You’ve been off all day.”

“Because I hate that we’re not on the same page about this.” She rolled over to face him. “You don’t want me to go back on duty. You don’t understand why I don’t want you to come down to the training facility while I’m in training. You just can’t understand the whole of it, and I can’t explain it to you, so it seems like we’re stuck.”

“I’m sorry,” Gavin said tersely. “I’m trying to understand, I really am. Maybe it’s just part of who and what you are, and I’ll never be able to understand. All I know is I hate this feeling that we’re not on the same wavelength of thoughts and feelings.”

She pursed her lips in annoyance. “Well, it’s not like I’m enjoying it either.” She rolled back over as he came closer to her and locked his arms around her bringing his face to nuzzle into her shoulder as he breathed her in. She sighed. “I don’t want to be at odds, Gavin.”

“Then, let’s try not to be at odds with one another.” His voice sounded muffled against her back. “Let’s just try to work with one another and understand one another.”

Easier said than done, she had thought but didn’t say the words. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he answered. “Tomorrow, I’ll call down to training before I head to the cafeteria for lunch.”

She pursed her lips; she didn’t know what to expect with training tomorrow. She shut her eyes and sincerely hoped that the RTC simulator was going to take more time firing up and that she’d be able to buy herself some time before facing that reality again. She just wanted to close her eyes and forget the whole thing and allow Gavin’s warmth to soothe her to sleep.

* * *

It had been an early start to the morning. Gavin negotiated a different breakfast with the twins with promises of getting Adam’s waffle recipe. Between breakfast and getting everyone ready for the day, Hokura had phoned up Adam and told him that she would meet him at his suite to walk down to the training facility with him. There had been a compromise over lunch when Hokura had reminded Gavin to phone down to the professor instead of simply showing up at noon. He had scowled at her, but with a stern look from her, he promised that he would phone down. After many hugs and kisses, Hokura and Gavin walked the twins to their lessons for the day and were about to go their separate ways.

“Good luck.” Gavin tightened his lips, trying to smile as he took Hokura in.

“You too.” Hokura shared the notion. “And I’ll make sure to ask Adam for his recipe.” She smirked.

Gavin made an annoyed noise as he rolled his eyes. “You do that. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Hokura made her way to Adam’s suite to see him standing in front of the door with a bleak smile on his face. She figured he was most likely going through the exact same thing that she was at the moment but didn’t comment on it.

“We’re going to need your recipe for waffles,” she stated dryly.

He raised an eyebrow. “It’s the exact recipe that Gavin gave me. Why?”

She gave a slight chuckle. “Because our children are convinced your waffles are better than his.”

“Because that makes a load of sense,” Adam replied.

Hokura smirked. “Feel free to explain that to a six-year-old.”

The two made their way down to the training facility. “I never thought I would see the day that we were volunteering to run these simulations again.” Adam groaned.

“Neither did I… but here we are,” Hokura mused. “Where’s Amara this morning?”

Adam winced slightly. “She was running late. She was taking the kids to lessons for the day and then, as she quoted, ‘finding something to entertain her time with.’ What about Gavin?”

Hokura was the one who winced this time. “He’s going to be in meetings the next few days. Apparently, he’s going to have a group of ammunition and ballistic engineers tallying and going over weapons and what they’ll need.”

Adam nodded.

Hokura placed her hand on the hallway wall. “It’s still so strange walking these hallways without Annette or Allen… I wonder who will be overseeing the simulations today.”

“I find it funny that you’re even asking that question…”

Hokura grinned. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Actually, I’m quite concerned that you didn’t hear my footsteps from down the hallway,” Dorian stated, coming up behind her.

“It’s hard to be back in that state of mind when I’ve spent the past forty-six years trying to be at ease. Especially in the walls of the compound,” she muttered. “Don’t you have more important things to be seeing to rather than watching us train?”

“Definitely not,” Dorian answered. “I wanted to see where both of you were sitting so I could gauge your training. I’m not ready to be disappointed by the watch yet.”

Adam cleared his throat. “The hardened levels that we were running over forty-six years ago were exhausting. I can’t even say for myself where I stand.”

“That’s understandable. I just want you two to do your best. We’ll go from there,” Dorian answered. “I need to see that you can both be mentally prepared for this as well as physically.”

A cold sweat washed over Hokura; before they were told they were fighting simulated rebels, people that Hokura knew weren’t a threat. She knew the simulations weren’t real and were merely for representation. Now with the thought of there being a real danger, she felt a spark in her nerves.

“The lab technicians were able to get this running perfectly last night. I’m incredibly impressed to see that it’s still in such pristine condition. They were even able to calibrate it,” Dorian added happily. “I’ll help you two get the sensors on, and then I’ll take a seat in the viewing room. I’ll start a full level down from what I had last recorded the peacekeepers doing.”

Hokura walked into the familiar room and started with the sensors. It was like re-living a dream as she placed them on herself. She took a breath and shook her head.

“Are you alright?” Adam stared over at her.

“Just seems unreal,” she whispered.

Dorian walked over and inspected them quickly. “It looks like this is all properly in place. Now, if you two will enter the room, I’ll punch in the coordinate codes, and we’ll get this running.”

Hokura stepped into the large familiar room and placed her goggles on as Adam did the same. In a blink of an eye, the landscape around them changed to the city of Meridiana, but not the new updated city. It had been the old city. Hokura looked around at the buildings as they all seemed to need repair. There was no grass, no flowers, no warmth. The city around her was dark and cold as death as she stood there, taking it in. It looked just as it did before Gavin took over, before the uprising that had killed the civilian population. Hokura’s heart started to race.

“Duck!” Adam cried as gunfire rang out above them.

Hokura stumbled into the back alley as Adam pulled at her arm.

“You okay? You were just standing there!” Adam cried.

“It’s disorientating,” Hokura gasped. “It’s the old Meridiana…” She felt like her head was spinning.

“Yeah.” Adam turned the corner and shot, killing off a simulation as it dropped to the ground. “They just got this thing up and running last night. I doubt they’ve done upgrades.” He grunted as he crouched with the wall behind him and looked the other way.

“The rebels…” Hokura choked, looking at the one coming up on them. It didn’t have a face, and yet Hokura could see James’ face as if he were running towards her to take her in his arms. Every shadow held a familiar face of those from the rebel camp.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re rebels or the people who are coming after us, Hokura!” Adam yelled at her, shooting again, taking out another target. He got up, moving quickly as he tried to grab her as a clink hit the ground. She didn’t move as her eyes were locked on a rebel who had thrown the grenade, still coming towards them. Suddenly there was screaming as her body ached; the heat of the blast engulfed her as her skin started to blister. She swore she could smell her burning flesh as pain took over her entire being. The screen turned black and then lit up with white. The simulation was over.

“Dammit, Hokura, what on earth was that?” Adam yelled, shaking her in concern as she was still in position on the ground.

Hokura took off her goggles, shaking her head as Dorian burst through the door.

“You were in here for all of three minutes. What the hell went wrong?” He stared at Hokura, who was on her hands and knees shaking.

“The rebels… it was him… it had his face…”

Adam stepped back in dismay as Dorian walked towards her and crouched in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders while wearing a stern look.

“You need to get up and get a hold of yourself!” he commanded her.

“I can’t do this, Dorian,” Hokura cried, staring down at the ground. “I thought I was strong enough, but…”