《Seraphim's Run》


 Wake Up

    Prologue -


    No one knows where it come from or how it started. They only know the year: 2022. The first cases arose within a single month, and then it started spreading like a wildfire. Those who contracted it early on called it Seraphim, not sure why it was given the name of what is perceived to be an angelic figure from the Bible of all things. Maybe the religious crazies saw it some message from God... or a sign of a coming apocalypse. To each their own, I suppose. But there was nothing angelic about this virus, this disease, this syndrome, this plague.


    I''ll say this much; everyone''s got their notions of who, what, when, where and why, including me. This is my story.


    <hr>


    SERAPHIM''S RUN


    Chapter I


    The first sound was that of a faint heartbeat. A short, labored breath follow. There was initially nothing more beyond save for a near pitch black darkness. Then, everything started to flood all at once. His eyes snapped open. A deep breath left his lungs followed by more labored gasps. He shifted his eyes from one side to the other to get some semblance of his surroundings and in doing so, fell straight down a short distance. Hitting a hard surface but managing to get his hands in front to cushion the fall, he laid there for a moment without moving. Then he attempted to lift himself back up, but he felt sick in his stomach. He unexpectedly vomited onto the floor, leaving a disgusting mess of whatever he had last eaten. After that ordeal, he rolled all the way onto his shoulder and just laid there.


    He then spoke his first words as though he was a newborn. "Hello? Hello, is anyone there?"


    After what seemed like an eternity, he started to move and brought himself up to a seated position. His breathing normalized and his eyes focused upon a dark room the appeared to be a part to a hospital. His lower body felt cold and that was when he realized that his only article of clothing was a hospital gown. He wasn''t even wearing underwear, so his bare skin was nearly freezing. Finally getting up to his feet, he stumbled around and found a series of cabinets nearby. Opening a few revealed some articles of clothing, all hospital made. He didn''t have the luxury of picking and choosing, so he threw on the first pair of pants he saw and a shirt to go along with it.


    Once he was dressed, he stumbled around to find whatever reflective surface he could find. The face of a young man in his mid 20''s stared back at him, a thick beard on his face and a full head of dark brown hair on his head down the length of his neck to his shoulders. He noticed a metal bracelet on his wrist that read, GAVIN, SCOTT F. It started to come back to him; his name was Scott Gavin and he felt like he was just waking from a nightmare.


    "How long has it been?" he asked himself.


    Scott walked over to the closed blinds and pulled the string down. The blinds raised up and Scott eyes widened in pure astonishment. The sky was dark and awash of darker cloud coverage, but that wasn''t what caught Scott''s attention. It was the sight of destroyed buildings and ruined streets as far as the eyes could see, and it was like the breath left Scott''s lungs. Scott backed away and stopped by a cold surface, and he turned to see he''d awakened from inside some sort of resting chamber rather than a simple bed.


    "What the hell is this?"


    <hr>


    Scott was able to gather himself enough to leave his hospital room and took the halls. The lights were out everywhere he went, and he''d gone room to room and even by the first receptionist desk he found. Scott instinctively checked the phones on the desk. None of them even had a dial tone. Scott brushes his beard in mild frustration and looked around for sign of life.


    "Hello," he called. "Anyone here? Hello?!"


    No replies came from anywhere within the halls, and Scott started to worry that he was the only one there. He continued on, focusing his efforts now on finding whatever supplies he could. Room after room, he found very little if anything except for basic things like masks and gloves and anything sterile. There were the typical hospital machines, but they were no longer operable. Scott didn''t really need those to know he was alive, but that did nothing to quell his confusion about his current situation.


    But it seemed that luck would finally be on his side when arrived at the next room. Scott looked inside and found a similar chamber to the one from which he''d awakened with a blanket over it. Under the blanket appear to be the telltale shape of a human. Scott breathed a sigh of relief when he thought he wasn''t alone in the hospital after all. As he came closer to the chamber, he noted the lack of movement from the would-be occupant. Scott felt his heart start to sink but he wanted so badly to believe the occupant was alive. He pulled back the blanket and recoiled at the sight of skeletal remains and a tarnished gown.


    Any hope Scott had in finding another living human was washed away before he heard some faint noises outside the room. He returned to the ruined hallway and searched for the noise. Further along, Scott thought he''d seen movement but he wasn''t about get his hopes up a second time just for more disappointment. But as he reached the corner of his current hall, the faint sound of some kind of commotion gave him Scott some of that hope.


    "Please, let it be a living human being." Scott pleaded to himself.


    Right at the corner, Scott peered around and could plainly see two apparent life forms. They didn''t appearˇ­ normal. Or human. They were clearly bipedal, but they seemed to tower up to at least seven feet or more. They had bone protrusions jutting out from their backs, like someone tried to tear their bones out while they were still alive. What wasn''t alive was the corpse of another human, and Scott could clearly see the remains spread around the floor. In his attempt to get a better look, Scott lost his grip and dropped to the floor. He''d knocked an old note board to the floor and it hit with a light crackle.


    The noise drew the attention of the bizarre creatures, both of them holding strange guns in their clawed grips. Their faces were themselves of skeletal nature, but they seemed aware of their surroundings. Now, they were aware that they weren''t alone. Scott had only just hidden himself around the corner, holding his breath to keep from making a sound. He waited for the right moment to move and when the creatures shifted away, he quietly slipped away.


    One of the creatures turned toward where Scott had previously hidden away, finding nothing there. Scott managed to get to the far corner adjacent from his previous hiding place. He sighed and moved on, and it was by sheer dumb luck that he walked into a disheveled wheelchair that fell over with a clatter. The creatures heard the sound and quickly rounded the corner, finding nothing still but a swinging door into a hospital room.


    The creatures stormed into the room where once more, they found nothing. They investigated, unaware that Scott had hidden himself in a closet. He watched them through the crease and waited again for a chance to move. One of them was standing right next to the slightly open closet door, the other near the broken windows. Scott made no sudden moves with the creature standing thereˇ­ until it seemingly looked into the crease.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Fuck. Scott thought.


    With no choice left, Scott pushed the door as hard as he could and slammed it into the creature''s skull-like face. He bolted out for the exit before the other creature could react. The first recovered and fired a sort of laser-like blast at Scott as he ran, missing him by inches. Scott ran down the hall as quickly as his feet could carry him. The two creatures gave chase, taking several shots at him. The shots hit the surrounding area and sent all kinds of shrapnel flying around Scott as he ran. It was then that Scott made his way into a stairwell.


    He tripped and tumbled down the first flight of steps and coming to a hard landing at the base. Scott couldn''t waste a second to recover and got up fast. He started a mad dash down the next few flights of stairs as the creatures entered the stairwell. Scott kept moving until he reached the next door, and he burst right through it such force that the momentum carried him into the opposite wall of the new hallway. Not wasting time to rest, Scott bolted down the hall toward the next corner. He knew he''d be home free once he rounded the corner. Then he frantically tried to halt his run.


    Someone or something walked around the same corner. Scott tried and failed to stop, slipping and falling backward and nearly hitting the back of his head on the floor. The new arrival stood over him, apparently attired in full body tactical armor that otherwise looked high-tech, from head to toe and brandishing an apparently advanced rifle. The one takeaway for Scott was that this new individual seemed to be human. At least, that was Scott''s hope. But he wasn''t about to take that chance, springing to his feet and running back down the way he came. That turned out to be a mistake as those creatures emerged from the stairwell. Scott was caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place. But only one of the two threats to his life raised their weapons on him.


    "Get down!" the armored assailant shouted in a deep tone that sounded like a disguised voice.


    Scott didn''t hesitate and threw himself to the floor just before the armored assailant opened fire on the creatures. One of the creatures to the first volley of apparently energized pulse blasts and was dropped to the floor before it could react. The second returned fire, forcing the assailant to take cover behind the corner. The assailant fires back while grabbing Scott by the arm and dragging him around the corner. The creature tried to move in and the assailant fired their rifle, missing the target. The creature was able to close in and fired again, forcing the assailant out of hiding.


    They came together and struggled for a moment. The creature, being the larger of the two, pushed the assailant against the far wall and held them against it. The ensuing struggle saw the creature claw at the assailant''s helmet, cleaving a fragment from the right side. Scott knew he had to help somehow and he found a moderately sized shard of metal on the floor. He grabbed it and charged forward, driving the shard into the creature''s back. The creature knocked him back to the floor, but the assailant found an opening and took the shot. Three seconds later, the creature was shot dead. Scott looked at the dead creature with bated breath when his would-be rescuer stood over him.


    "On your feet. We''re leaving." the assailant said.


    "Who the hell are you?" Scott asked.


    "If you want answers, you''ll get on your feet now and follow me out of here."


    Scott managed to get up and that was when he got a good look at the assailant''s face through the broken part of the helmet. He caught the image of a single greenish-blue eye and a slightly angular facial structure. Their voice sounded slightly accented as well. The assailant apparently wasn''t in the business of answering questions and started moving back the way they came. Scott saw not another option but to follow this person whom he didn''t knowˇ­ or trust.


    <hr>


    They were able to make the lobby of the hospital without further incident. Scott stayed close to his rescuer but still maintained his guard given he was still so unsure of who or what his savior actually was. The lobby itself was wide open and there was air, but it was foul smelling. It smelt so rancid that Scott thought he was about to pass out, as if someone emptied all the raw sewage into the world all at once. Scott put the stench out of his thoughts and focused on his rescuer setting their gun aside. He also took notice of the numerous crates spread around the lobby.


    "I''m guessing we''re not the only ones here." He said, but his would-be rescuer ignored him.


    "This is Lt. Johansson; anyone on this frequency?"


    Another voice could be heard on the other end of the call. "Johansson, it''s Conrad. The other teams have completed their sweeps of the building. No survivors."


    "I''m back at the lobby with only one survivor. Awaiting next set of orders."


    "Standby, we''ll rendezvous with you at the lobby, so keep that survivor alive until then."


    "Copy that. Johansson out."


    Scott slowly approached this Lt. Johansson and said, "So Johansson is your name? And this Conrad; is he in charge? Does he know what''s happening? Can he fill me in on everything?"


    Johansson didn''t respond to Scott''s inquiries and merely dropped to the floor by one of the crates. Johansson then removed the damaged helmet. Scott was slightly taken aback to discover that his would-be rescuer was a woman. She appeared to be around Jason''s age with shoulder length auburn red hair, a light brown complexion and light blue eyes that looked like the shimmering surface of the oceans. She appeared almost angelic in a way, but the way she glared at him was anything but angelic. Scott knew the look, like the person had lost something important to them. Johansson picked up her gun and went to work on adjusting it.


    "I''m uh, Scott. Thanks for saving me from those things," he said, but she barely registered his response if at all. "So, is ''Johansson'' your first name or do I have to guess?"


    This time, Johansson looked up at Jason and replied in her normal voice, "Please be quiet."


    Johansson''s tone was cold and aloof, like she didn''t seem to care. Scott asked, "What were those things? They weren''t human," Again, Johansson was silent and focused only her gun, and Scott was growing frustrated. "Could you tell me something? Anything. Where are the other patients in the hospital or the staff? What happened?"


    "They''re dead. Everyone is dead." Johansson snapped.


    "That''s enough, Johansson." a new voice spoke out.


    A small group of people, four in total and all wearing similar armor to Johansson, approached and were led by a burly man looking to be in his late 40''s within chestnut brown hair and some gray across the sideburns. Johansson immediately stood at attention and said, "Capt. Conradˇ­"


    "At ease, Johansson. Same goes for everyone else," Capt. Conrad said as he moved to Scott. "You okay, son?"


    Scott looked unnerved but also at ease with the new arrival. "Aside from being talked down to by the Doom Queen here, I''m fine."


    "Don''t take it personally, man. Johansson''s like that with everybody." said one of the other people, a fresh-faced young man appearing in his early 20''s with a messy head of black hair.


    Another young woman in the group of apparent soldiers, who appeared in her early 20''s and sported brunette hair in a ponytail, added, "That''s an understatement if I ever heard one."


    "Wait up, who are you guys exactly?" Scott asked.


    "Right, sorry. I''m Pete Marcus and that''s Michelle Chang. The big boss here is Capt. Terry Conrad and you''ve already metˇ­"


    "Capt., we should call for extraction. The Marauders will be on us before too long." Johansson said, possibly intentionally interrupting Pete.


    "Marauders?" Scott asked.


    "Yeah, what she said." Pete claimed.


    "The Marauders are a hostile race of aliens that hit Earth after the Seraphim Virus wiped out nearly 2/3 of the world''s population. The United States alone are nearly devoid of living people, so it''s harder to tell if there''s anyone else alive anywhere on Earth." Conrad stated.


    "Wait, did you say the Seraphim Virus? I was infected with it and I was put into cryogenic sleep until a vaccine could be made."


    "Oof, that was a long time ago, lad. You got some catching up to do." A second soldier of a more rapidly graying head of hair replied, appearing to be roughly within his early 50''s.


    Scott got up to his feet and said, "It''s Scott Gavin."


    "Sam Duncan."


    Scott replied, "Nice to meet you, but what did you mean when you said I have some catching to do?"


    "What year do you think it is, Scott?" Conrad asked.


    A bewildered and confused Scott replied, "2022."


    Johansson replied, "2022 was 33 years ago."


    The look on Scott''s face spoke volumes of shock, astonishment and most of all, despair. "Couldˇ­ you say that again?"

 Endless Turmoil

    Chapter II


    ((2022; 33 years ago -


    Scott Gavin waited impatiently for the test results with his brother Matthew Gavin. Matt was older than Scott, 31 years old while Scott was only 26. Both were waiting for the results of the tests, hoping for the best. It had been roughly a month and a half since the first cases popped up. The media called it the Seraphim Virus but not much else beyond that. No one, not even the top experts could give a definitive explanation of how this virus came around. The only thing was that was certain was the rate with which it spread. It wasn''t something that was communicable between person to person, but it spread like a wildfire. From what they''d both heard, this virus made cancer seem like the common cold. As they waited for the doctor to arrive, Scott nervously flexed the fingers of his left hand. It was a habit for him, this much Matt knew.


    "You alright, Scott?" Matt finally asked.


    Scott managed to sigh slightly and replied, "Yeah, I''m good. It''s just, you know, all the shit that''s been going down. It''s got me a little on edge."


    "I heard that. The news said there were about 20 or maybe 25 newly confirmed cases in Oakland. Another 18 in El Paso." Matt said if only to keep the conversation going.


    "Fuck, and nobody''s any closer to figuring out with this thing came from?" Scott wondered, to which Matt shook his head in the negative.


    The door opened and a man wearing a doctor''s coat walked into the office, holding a small stack of papers in hand. He looked about to be in his mid 40''s, graying sideburns beneath chestnut brown hair. He had a clean-shaven face he wore a set of glasses. Whether that was to look professional, neither Scott nor Matt could say for sure. This man sat down behind the desk across from the brothers. He studied the paperwork closely, though it wasn''t like he was ignoring Scott and Matt. Scott got a look at the doctor''s name tag which read, Dr. Jarred Saul, M.D. He didn''t have much trust in doctors but things hadn''t been going the way either himself or Matt wanted. He sensed it wasn''t going to get any better.


    Dropping the paperwork, Dr. Saul looked at Scott and said to him, "Mr. Gavin, I''m not going to sugarcoat it; you have unfortunately testing positive for the Seraphim Virus. I''m sorry."


    Scott actually chuckled at the news, but more out of despair than humor. "Any chance for a second opinion?"


    "C''mon, Scott, get serious here..." Matt said before Scott cut him off by rising from his seat.


    "What, you think I''m not taking this seriously? This is my fucking life we''re talking about." Scott angrily said, and he leaned near the windows of the office.


    Deciding that cooler heads had to prevail, Matt asked Dr. Saul, "Can you give us some idea of how long Scott has with this virus?"


    Dr. Saul rubbed his chin for a moment while Scott glared at him, and Matt stayed quiet in waiting. "I''m sure that you''re both aware of the rapid incubation rate of this virus; it''s roughly 48 hours until complete nervous system shutdown. But with Scott, it''s appears to be different."


    "What''d you mean?" Scott asked.


    "You have the virus in your system but it appears to be dormant, meaning there''s no time table for when or even if it''ll begin its incubation cycle." Dr. Saul explained.


    "In other words, you don''t know when I''m going to die from this." Scott concluded.


    "No, but that might be a good thing," Dr. Saul stated, and he stood up to approach Scott directly. "Because of the potentially long incubation period, there''s a chance that your particular physiology may develop antibodies to counteract the virus." Dr. Saul said.


    "Any more good news?" Scott sarcastically asked.


    "There''s still a chance that the virus could flare up in your system and if that happens, that''s it." Dr. Saul said.


    Matt considered Dr. Saul''s words before asking, "So what options are there to keep the virus from taken effect?"


    "The only conceivable option at this point in time is cryogenic suspension." Dr. Saul said.


    "How long would I be frozen?" Scott asked.


    Dr Saul steadied himself for the reply. "At least a year, 2 at the most," When Scott and Matt exchanged telling glances with each other, Dr. Saul said. "I''ll give you boys some time to discuss it."))


    <hr>


    Present Day


    The front hospital entrance windows were broken for years, so there was nothing stopping Scott from rushing out of the building in terror. He stumbled, fell to his knees and jumped back up and eventually reached the nearest tree he could find. There, he hyperventilated while Capt. Conrad and the rest of his team followed him out. Conrad himself approached while Lt. Johansson and the others stayed back. Scott afforded only a short glance at Conrad before going back into his heavy breathing. Conrad was now close enough to put his hand over Scott''s shoulder. It was to let Scott know that he wasn''t alone, which was a far cry from what Scott was actually feeling.


    "This is a waste of time," Lt. Johansson whispered under her breath. "Marcus, status on that evac."


    "A transport is on the way as we speak. ETA 11 minutes." Marcus replied.


    "Command''s cutting it pretty close, LT. We''ve got a platoon of Marauders approaching fast from the east." Michelle Chang said.


    Johansson gave them a nod before approaching Conrad. "Captain, we''ve got enemies incoming and the evac transport is roughly 10 minutes out."


    "Understood. Get the team back inside. We''ll catch up but let''s give Scott here some time to gather himself." Conrad said.


    "With all due respect, sir, time is a scarce luxury which we don''t have." Johansson stated.


    "I''m well aware of that, Johansson. Now get back inside the building and get ready for a visitors to arrive. That''s an order." Conrad said.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Yessir." Johansson said while she offered a crisp salute before heading back into the hospital.


    Conrad watched Johansson reenter the building before he turned to Scott. "Scott, we have Marauders coming our way. We''ve got to get to cover."


    "2 years. I was only supposed to be asleep for 2 years. And, Matt... my brother..." Scott said amid the confusion and despair in his voice.


    "Captain, we''ve got Marauders inbound." Duncan shouted.


    Conrad could already hear the faint rumbling of an incoming platoon. Without hesitation, he grabbed Scott by the shoulder and dragged him back toward the hospital. Chang stepped up and set down a sort of device that Scott had never seen before. She hit a few switches and a greenish-blue forcefield burst into existence. The platoon of Marauders had arrived, and there were more than the team expected; roughly 20 or so. On Conrad''s order, they opened fire on the platoon. Conrad and Johansson took point, taking pinpoint shots at the Marauders and managing to kill several of them in one go. Marcus, Chang and Duncan followed up and took down several more with focused shots. Scott, being the only one without a gun or any training in general, had no choice but keep his head down.


    The first wave of Marauders went down fast and hard, but they allowed for another wave to approach and return fire. The force field took the shots, but the team still took cover all the same. Scott noticed how Chang was checking a holographic image on a gauntlet she wore. On the screen was a percentage gauge that was steadily declining. He quickly realized that the gauge was for the force field. Johansson and Marcus were able to return fire, taking down another pair of Marauders. More of the Marauders were coming, and it seemed like this platoon was larger than anticipated.


    "We need that evac transport, Marcus." Conrad shouted over the shots being fired.


    "It''s almost here, Captain. ETA, 7 minutes." Marcus said.


    "I don''t think we''re going to last that long." Duncan replied.


    "Field strength is down to 54%. They''d better hurry the hell up." Chang said.


    Scott flinched from the shock of a Marauder blast striking dangerously close as he shouted, "What can I do to help?"


    Johansson, the one person who was already Scott''s least favorite, shouted, "Just stay down if you want to stay alive."


    "Or you can just kill me now." Scott spat.


    Johansson looked at him and spat back, "Don''t push you luck. We''re trying to save your ass."


    "So far, you''re doing a shitty job, lady." Scott exploded with sarcasm and anger.


    "Knock it off, both of you." Conrad said.


    "This is Transport E58TAB. Can we provide assistance?"


    Transport E58TAB, this is Capt. Terry Conrad. We can most certainly use an assist. We are a team unit of 5 plus 1 civilian, front entrance of hospital. Need covering fire if able."


    "Copy that. We''re 30 seconds out."


    "Okay people get ready to move once that transport lands. Duncan and Chang, you take point. Johansson, you and Marcus cover the rear. Scott, you stay close to me. Do not wonder." Conrad said to everyone.


    "Transport E58TAB, inbound."


    An old V-22 Osprey appeared in the air above the hospital and took up position between the team and the encroaching Marauders. The Marauders quickly reacted and fired on the Osprey, and it responded with one of its crew members firing a high-tech mounted machine gun. The gun cut down a number of Marauders while forcing the other to take cover. This was more than enough cover for Conrad''s team to make for the Osprey.


    As per Conrad''s orders, Duncan and Chang took point and fired on the Marauders that remained. Conrad and Scott were dead center of the group, the latter staying as close to the leader as possible. Johansson and Marcus were the last to follow, taking any shots at any enemies that tried to reach them. The Osprey was already on the ground, but the gunner continued to fire on any Marauders that came too close for comfort.


    Chang was the first to climb aboard with Duncan close behind her. Scott was next on board with Conrad providing an assist. Marcus was in soon after while Johansson provided additional cover. Conrad got aboard the Osprey, but Johansson still hadn''t climbed on after him. Scott noticed that Johansson wasn''t even trying, as if she was intent on fighting. Then Johansson was hit in the left thigh and dropped to a knee.


    "Johansson!" Marcus shouted.


    "Go! Get out of here." Johansson shouted back, getting right back to fighting.


    "We''re not leaving her, are we?" Scott asked, but no one replied.


    Then out of nowhere, Scott jumped from the transport and reached Johansson. "What the hell are you doing?"


    There wasn''t time to reply as Scott helped Johansson onto the Osprey. Conrad and Marcus gave them as much cover as possible until the Osprey lifted up into the air. The remaining Marauders fired on the Osprey, striking the hull but doing no significant damage. By that time, the Osprey was airborne and away.


    Safely on the deck as they were, Johansson kicked Scott away while shouting, "Get the fuck off me!"


    Scott hit the deck hard and was only saved by Duncan''s timely catch, and he shouted back, "Hey, I was trying to help you."


    Johansson spring up only to buckle from the wound in her leg, and she angrily replied, "I don''t need your help."


    Conrad stepped between them and said, "That''s enough, both of you."


    Scott and Johansson back away from Conrad and from each other, both going in opposite directions. Scott rejoined then rest of the team, taking a seat beside Pete Marcus. Sam Duncan sat opposite from Chang while Conrad moved up toward the cockpit. Scott found himself gazing over at Johansson as she sat alone on an adjacent seat. She was rubbing her thigh and cursing under her breath, but whatever she was saying escaped Scott entirely.


    At the same time, Johansson glanced over at Scott as he was looking toward her. It must have seemed to him like she was thinking of the most covert way possible of potentially ripping his head off. But that was far from the truth, something Johansson didn''t want this civilian to know. She wasn''t willing to let anyone outside of her crew know what she was hiding. Johansson wasn''t about to apologize for her outburst, so she sat back in her seat and tried to shut her eyes. She winced still from the pain in her thigh, but she toughed it out. The civilian, Scott Gavin, didn''t stop looking at her. Johansson was annoyed and furious to the point of wanting to snap at him again, but she kept her composure as the Osprey flew along toward its destination.


    Conrad made it to the cockpit where he found the pilot and copilot sitting side by side. "Who''s in charge here?" Conrad asked.


    The lead pilot replied, "I am, sir; Capt. Oliver Daniels. My copilot is Lt. Greta Hummel."


    Lt. Hummel replied, "Welcome aboard, sir."


    "I''m Capt. Terry Conrad, assuming command for the time being. Where''re we headed?"


    "We''re on route to a forward operations base in Bakersfield." Capt. Daniels replied.


    "Keep us low so as to avoid enemy detection, and see if you can get word out to the base that we need a medical team on standby. Tell them we''ve got a sole civilian and a wounded soldier."


    "Captain, I''m fine. It''s barely even a scratch." Johansson insisted.


    Conrad turned around to face his stubborn Lieutenant and said, "I don''t want to hear it, Johansson. You''re getting medical treatment for that wound, like it or not."


    "But sir..." Johansson said.


    "That''s an order, Lieutenant, and there will be no more discussing it." Conrad said, and Johansson sighed in defeat without another word.


    Scott watched the entire exchange between Conrad and Johansson and he suddenly found himself wondering why he just had to wake up 33 years in the future... and how badly he wanted all this to be a bad dream. Yes, that was it. He was still sleeping, still in cryogenic stasis. The tried-and-true method of knowing for sure that he was still asleep was a simple pinch of the skin. No pain meant he was dreaming, in the throes of some terrible nightmare. Scott reached his left hand over to his right arm and squeeze hard on the skin. He felt a minor sensation of pain across the point where he pinched and his heart sank. He wasn''t dreaming. This was all real. Those things that attacked him were real, as were the people that only just rescued him. This whole ordeal was no such dream. As far as Scott was concerned, he was suddenly living a nightmare.


    Yet, Scott was still in denial and muttered to himself, "No! No, no, no, no, this isn''t happening. I''ve got to be dreaming. This is just a very intense dream. It''s not real. The pain I just felt wasn''t real. Those things that just tried to kill me weren''t real."


    Sam Duncan sat next to the still utterly bewildered young man and gave a gentle punch on the arm. "Hate to break it to you, lad, but it''s all real."


    Scott wished he didn''t hear that and he replied, "33 years?"


    Sam Duncan replied back, "That''s right. Welcome to the year 2055."


    Deeply perturbed upon hearing the new year, Scott was left thinking to himself, Fuck me!

 Loss Of Self

    Chapter III


    Scott looked through the window closest to where he was sitting. What he saw on the outside gave him pause and filled him with dread. He could easily tell that the Osprey-like transport was flying over a ruined city, but it was difficult to tell which one. Scott looked away to refocused on the crew of people who''d roughly only a half hour ago saved his life. They were relatively quiet, most likely trying to catch their breath after that fight with the Marauders. That was something Scott grew more curious about, among other things.


    Terry Conrad was the only one standing on deck and he was nearest to the front most section of the deck, near where the pilots were. If anyone on the transport had answers, it would''ve been Conrad. Scott did consider one of the others, but he doubted that Pete Marcus, Michelle Chang or Sam Duncan had the insight he wanted. He sure as hell wasn''t going to even attempt to ask Johansson. He wasn''t sure why she seemed so hostile toward him, but Pete Marcus did make the claim that she was that way with everybody. It wasn''t personal, Pete had claimed. Scott wasn''t convinced. Terry Conrad was the safest bet for answers.


    Scott shouted Conrad''s name as loud as he could, but Conrad couldn''t hear him.


    Pete tapped Scott''s arm and pointed to the button that was connected to the headphones Scott wore. "You got to hold the button. Up there."


    Scott did so and he finally said, "Hey Conradˇ­" Conrad turned to Scott and Scott asked, "The Maraudersˇ­ what can you tell me about them?"


    Conrad measured his words to provide the right form of a response, and he replied, "Outside of the fact they''re hostile alien warmongers, not as much as I''d like. They showed up roughly a year after the Seraphim Virus wiped out most of the global population."


    "So, they just showed up out of nowhere a year after I was put into cryogenic sleep? No way that''s a coincidence." Scott said aloud.


    "That was the exact thinking we had. This Seraphim Virus had to be a carefully premeditated first strike to weaken Earth''s defenses. The Marauders then hit and wiped out whoever was lucky enough to survive the virus. We''d been fighting to survive for the past 33 years." Conrad explained.


    "Capt. Conrad, we''re coming up on the FOB." said Capt. Daniels.


    "Thank you, Capt. Daniels," Conrad said before he turned back to address his team. "Listen up, people; I''ll be looking to speak to the commanding officer of this base. I want the rest of you to go to the infirmary for treatment and rest."


    "I''m guessing that includes our new best friend, right boss?" Pete asked.


    "Scott''s a part of this outfit now, Marcus. See about getting him some more... sensible attire. We can''t have him walking around in only paper-thin hospital trousers and a shirt." Conrad joked almost knowingly.


    "Oh, I don''t know, Captain. That attire looks kind of cute on him." Michelle quipped, giving Scott a telling glance.


    Scott felt his brows furrow at the comment before his eyes drifted briefly to Johansson, who hadn''t made a move or said a word since the team cleared the hospital. Against his better judgment, Scott said, "Hey Johansson... are you going to be okay with that wound?"


    Johansson barely glanced at Scott for more than a moment and that was enough for Scott to know she wasn''t interested in talking. From that point on, the ride down was relatively quiet among the team. The transport eventually arrived at the FOB in Bakersfield. The FOB appeared somewhat makeshift but fairly populated with people in military uniforms and other aerial transports along with ground vehicles. The Osprey leveled out and slowly came down to a safe landing. The engines cut out and the side hatch opened, allowing the team to step out one by one. Conrad was the first to step out, followed closely by Pete Marcus and Michelle Chang while Sam Duncan helped Johansson onto the tarmac. Scott was the last one out, and he was the most reluctant to do so.


    As the team gathered themselves, a soldier approached them and saluted Conrad. "Welcome to Bakersfield, sir; I''m Staff Sargent Alan Kent."


    "Capt. Terry Conrad," he said with a return salute. "Who''s your commanding officer, Staff Sargent Kent?"


    "That would be Major Kelly Donovan. I''ve been instructed to escort you to her, sir."


    "First things first; I want to make sure my team gets whatever medical care is available." Conrad said.


    "We''ll see to that immediately, sir. Come with me in the meantime." Kent said.


    Conrad gave Kent a nod before turning to his team. "Alright people, go get patched up and get some rest. We''ll meet up afterwards."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A woman in her mid 40''s with short black hair stood in front of a large screen with a detailed digital map of the surrounding area. It wasn''t long after that Staff Sargent Kent escorted Conrad into the room. The woman spun around and stood at attention, giving Conrad and Kent a crisp salute. Conrad and Kent did the same for her in return. Then she waved Kent out of the room so she and Conrad were alone.


    "Major Kelly Donovan; I''m the commanding officer of this base."


    "Capt. Terry Conrad; my team and were just brought in from a hospital overrun by Marauders. We managed to recover one survivor."


    Donovan nodded, and said, "It''s good to see you got out in one piece, Captain. Things are getting worse out there day by day."


    "How bad are we talking?" Conrad asked.


    Donovan directed Conrad to the screen, which switched to wide shot of the entire United States mapˇ­ what was left of it. "The Marauders have taken control of most of the country, but there''s no telling how much of the entire Earth has been occupied."


    "Last I checked, there was roughly only 25% of the Human population remaining. Where does it stand now?"


    "The global population is down to about 19% and dropping at a gradual rate. The Seraphim Virus decimated so much of Humanity and the Marauders picked the bones. We''re still no closer to having the slightest shred of info on those monsters." Donovan claimed.


    "Only 19% left of the human population on Earth. Fuck." Conrad cursed under his breath.


    After a brief pause, Donovan said, "Tell me about your lone survivor."


    "Adult male, roughly about mid-20''s; name''s Scott Gavin. He tells us that he''d only just woken up after 33 years in cryogenic suspension." Conrad explained.


    "This Scott Gavin was in cryogenic sleep for 33 years? Why?" Donavon asked with a small bit of curiosity in her tone.


    "He made mention that he tested positive for the Seraphim Virus and that he was only supposed to be asleep for at least 2 years. Obviously, things went to shit after that." Conrad said.


    Donovan thought about it for a few moments before saying to Conrad, "I''d like to meet him."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Despite being somewhat used to closed spaces, Scott couldn''t help feel a sense of claustrophobia. It seemed like the most twisted form of clockwork when the apparent doctors of the FOB had him enter a glass casket-looking machine while they scanned him. He didn''t know what was more humiliating though; being scanned or being completely naked with only a small towel covering his genitalia. Scott could feel the eyes of his new comrades looking on from behind a window in a separate room.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It was in this separate room that the team was currently gathered and watching the procedure underway. Pete, Sam and Michelle watched with some interest as Scott was being examined. Johansson, having already been treated for only a minor injury, showed less interest as she leaned onto a nearby wall. She still took a short glance into the operating room where Scott lay. She found herself subconsciously raising an eyebrow at Scott''s surprising well-defined muscular tone. Then she shook it off and returned to her indifference.


    "You know for a guy who''s been asleep for 33 years, he looksˇ­ pretty cut." Michelle mused.


    "You do realize he''s got to be in his mid to late 50''s now, right?" Pete pointed out.


    Michelle simply shrugged before Sam stood at attention and shouted, "Ten-hut!"


    Conrad and Donovan arrived and Conrad said, "At ease, people."


    After everyone eased themselves, Donovan approached the window to see the young man lying in the chamber. "That''s him?"


    "That''s him. He was the only survivor we found." Conrad said.


    Donovan gave Conrad a brief glance before she pressed a button by the window. "Dr. Fitzgerald, this is Major Donovan. How''s your patient?"


    "From first glance, the patient is physically healthy. Internally is a whole different story." Dr. Fitzgerald replied from the room.


    "I''m assuming that''s due to the Seraphim Virus still in his system. That young man you have there''s been asleep for the past 33 years." Conrad said.


    "If that''s the case and the virus is still present, then it must still be dormant after deep freeze." Donovan said.


    "There are traces of the Seraphim Virus in his system, but there seems to some other anomaly as well. Whatever it is, it appears to be keeping the virus from spreading within his body." Dr. Fitzgerald claimed.


    "You mean he''s possibly immune to the virus, and whatever is in his body counteracting the effects of the original strain." Donovan reasoned with surprise in her tone.


    "That would be my hypothesis." Dr. Fitzgerald concluded, unaware that Scott was listening.


    Back in the separate room, Donavan whispered to Conrad, "I assume you would know what this means."


    "On the off chance that this is true, we could potentially have a vaccine sitting right in front of usˇ­ assuming we can mass produce it." Conrad said.


    "Therein lies a massive dilemma." Donovan said.


    "Could somebody talk to me?" Scott suddenly shouted.


    "I''m here, Scott. Everything''s going to be okay." Conrad said.


    "I''ll feel better when I have some actual clothes."


    "We''ll see to that, kid." Conrad exclaimed just as Donovan pushed him aside.


    "Scott Gavin, I''m Major Kelly Donovan. I''m in charge of this forward ops base."


    "Where''s Matt? Where''s my brother?" Scott asked.


    Donovan looked at Conrad, who gave her a slight shake. Then Donovan said, "Let''s get you some clothing and then we''ll talk."


    Scott was visibly confused and annoyed and he snapped, "We''ll talk? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Scott stood cross-armed near the holographic map now wearing clothes consisting of a dark blue t-shirt, fatigue pants and boots. Behind him were both Conrad''s team and Major Donovan. They were seated around a long table that stretched out toward the back of what was in fact the war room of the base. Scott had yet to address the group directly. He was still trying to process everything he came to learn. On the screen were images of various cities from all around the world as it was now, ranging from New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston in the States to European cities such as Paris, Berlin, Venice and Madrid. But Scott wasn''t thinking about all those ruined cities as much as he was thinking about his brother, Matt. Outwardly, Scott was holding on to some hope that Matt was out there, waiting for him. It had been 33 years, so Matt had to be an old man by now. That was assuming he was alive at all. Privately, he felt like he was a hair trigger away from puking again. Then he finally turned around to address the team.


    "Okay, I think you''re all full of shit." he said.


    "That makes two of us." Johansson replied.


    Scott glared at the perpetually angry woman before said, "Let''s recap here so we''re on the same page: you''re telling me that the Seraphim Virus is still in my body but it''s dormant."


    "Yes." Dr. Fitzgerald said.


    "And it''s dormant because I have some kind of immunity in my system that''s fighting it and keeping it from going active and incubating." Scott said.


    "That is correct," Dr. Fitzgerald said. "I theorize that if we can extract these supposed anti-bodies from your body, there''s a chance we can mass produce it and administer the cure to whoever is left on Earth."


    "Well, excuse me for my innate skepticism but if I have these anti-bodies in my, uh, body, why weren''t extracted before I went into deep freeze?" Scott asked.


    "That is a fairly interesting question. It''s likely that the doctors themselves contracted the virus and they put you to sleep hoping that these potential anti-bodies would survive long enough to be extracted later." Dr. Fitzgerald reasoned.


    "Scott, can you tell us who was in charge of your treatment at the time?" Conrad asked.


    "Dr. Jarred Saul." Scott replied.


    "Did this Dr. Saul make any mention of potential anti-bodies in your immune system?" Conrad asked again.


    "Probably nothing you don''t already know, or maybe Dr. Saul was just incompetent," Scott said. "What does it matter anyway? You guys can just extract the anti-bodies out of me now so I can go search for Matt. Right?"


    "It''s not so simple as that, Scott. We can extract this supposed anti-bodies but we don''t the equipment to mass produce it." Dr. Fitzgerald said.


    "Besides, it''s been 33 years. Your brother''s most likely dead anyway." Johansson coldly stated.


    "You don''t know that." Scott argued.


    "I know you''re na?ve enough to think otherwise. Trust me when I tell you that your brother is gone." Johansson said.


    "Trust? You expect trust from me after you make those kinds of unwarranted claims about Matt?" Scott snapped.


    "It''s not 2022 anymore so you''d better get that through your thick skull." Johansson said.


    "I''m half a second from jumping over that table and choking the life out of you." Scott snapped again.


    "You''re welcome to try." Johansson spat out.


    By that point, Sam and Pete has to step in to keep Scott from following through on his threat. Johansson was herself ready to fight back but it was Michelle who keep her at bay. "That''s enough," Conrad shouted. "Need I remind you both that we''re guests at this FOB. Donovan''s house so Donovan''s rules, got it?"


    Scott glared at Conrad as he glared at both him and Johansson. He then saw Major Donovan still in her seat, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. Dr. Fitzgerald sat quieting in his seat, waiting for cooler heads to prevail. Scott and Johansson finally calmed themselves for the remainder of the debriefing, and they returned to their seats while the other did as well. Satisfied but wary of another outburst, Conrad sat in his seat that was set between Scott and Johansson and next to Donovan.


    "As I was saying, we aren''t equipped with the instruments to mass produce a possible vaccine, assuming it''s real. We also have to factor in viability. 33 years is a long time to be in deep freeze, and the anti-bodies could ultimately prove ineffective." Dr. Fitzgerald said.


    "But let''s say that it''s still viable after that long a time; if you can''t mass produce a vaccine here, then where exactly?" Pete asked with curiosity in his voice.


    Dr. Fitzgerald leaned back in his chair and, with a deep sigh, he replied, "Our absolute best bet would be on Sky Haven."


    "What''s Sky Haven?" Scott asked.


    "Sky Haven is an orbital space station that was established in the year 2019, 3 years before the Seraphim Virus hit the planet. It houses a number of key essentials for the continued survival of Humanity." Conrad explained.


    "Like what?" Scott asked.


    "Science, Agriculture, Medical, among other things." Dr. Fitzgerald said.


    "There''s also a pretty impressive Military force as well." Sam said.


    "Sky Haven, huh? No offense but that sounds like some bad fantasy storytelling. Plus, you mentioned it was built in 2019, but I''d never heard of it until now." Scott said.


    "It was classified top secret by the highest ranking officials of the time. "Conrad claimed.


    "High ranking officials, or corrupt politicians?" Scott wondered out loud.


    "Probably both." Johansson said.


    "Still, it''s the best option available to us; maybe the only option." Dr. Fitzgerald said.


    Major Donovan stood up from her seat and approached the holographic map. "Sky Haven periodically sends additional troops and supplies down to Earth to help combat the Marauders. At the same time, any survivors are sent up toward the station for refuge. The next launch to the station will be in roughly 7 days, launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1700 hours."


    "So 5:00 PM in the afternoon, basically." Scott simplified more for himself than the others.


    "The boy knows his Military time." Sam said with a chuckle.


    "Right. If we can get to Cape Canaveral, we can get Scott onto the next transport and send him to Sky Haven so the scientists there can mass produce the vaccine from his anti-bodies." Dr. Fitzgerald concluded.


    "Then I guess we know what we have to do," Conrad said and then stood up to address the team, including Scott. "I want everyone to get some rest. At 06:00 hours, we''re going to Cape Canaveral. Dismissed."


    Seemingly in unison, every member of Conrad''s group got up from their chairs and offered a salute, to which Conrad responded in kind. Dr. Fitzgerald offered his salute to both Conrad and Donovan before he departed with the others. Scott remained in his own seat, caressing his fingers together while in deep thought. He heard footsteps and looked over his shoulder. Johansson was walking right by him with barely even a sideways look, but she did look at him. Scott returned the glare, shifting his neck so he could see Johansson approaching the exit threshold. She still maintained a quiet but menacing glare toward Scott before she eventually departed. Left alone to his thoughts, Scott felt anger and anguish welling up in him and he slammed his fist down onto the table. He let out a deep breath as he collected himself, and he was fearful of what was to come for him.

 Calm Before The Storm

    Chapter IV


    ((2022; 33 years ago


    Scott sat on the semi-futuristic bed with Matt standing across from him. It had been roughly 24 hours since Scott elected to go into cryogenic sleep. Matt had been adamant that they could find another way but both knew the truth. They knew the gravity of the situation if the Seraphim Virus inside of Scott were to incubate and that it could happen at any time. Scott wasn''t about to even consider the option of sitting around and waiting to die. If going into cryogenic suspension was the only way, if in the next 2 years, a vaccine was to be developedˇ­ Matt hated the idea and he often made his reservations known.


    "I don''t like this idea, Scott. Seeing you going into some deep freeze for 2 years while the doctors try to develop a cure is crazy, even for you." Matt said.


    "Maybe it is crazy, but anything beats waiting for this thing to kick in and kill me. You remember what Dr. Saul about the virus flaring up at any time in my system." Scott said.


    "He could be wrong, you know." Matt claimed.


    "Why take that chance? Besides in some weird retrospect, 2 years isn''t that long a wait." Scott said.


    "Always got to see the bright side, huh?"


    Dr. Saul walked into the room with a clipboard in his hand. "I see you boys are ready."


    "As ready as we''ll ever be." Scott said.


    "Alright, I got to ask; how exactly is this going to proceed?" Matt inquired from Dr. Saul.


    Dr. Saul gave Matt a telling glance before he looked at Scott. "The first thing we''re going to do is have you lay down in the bed capsule and close the canopy."


    "Good thing I''m not claustrophobic," Scott said before laying himself down onto the bed. "Uh, before you close, Doc..."


    "Yes?"


    Scott braced himself and said, "There''re no spiders or centipedes in here, are there?"


    Matt couldn''t hold back the ensuing chuckle as Dr. Saul replied, "We keep our equipment clean, Mr. Gavin. No need to worry."


    "Right, okay." Scott said as the canopy was closed over him.


    Dr. Saul looked into the chamber through the glass canopy and said, "Now the next part may feel somewhat disorienting. I''m going to pump the chamber full of anesthetic gas that will put you to sleep after a few moments and then I''m going to drop the temperature to just above sub-zero. You''ll be completely unconscious so you won''t feel a thing."


    From inside the chamber, Scott asked, "Well, it''s a good thing I went to the bathroom before this."


    "Ahem, I suppose we''re ready to proceed." Dr. Saul said.


    Matt stood over the canopy and said Scott, "It isn''t too late, Scott. Maybe we can find another way."


    "I think we''re already past that." Scott said.


    "I just... I don''t want to lose you. You''re the only family I got left." Matt admitted.


    Scott looked his older brother in the eyes through the canopy and said, "It''s going to be okay, Matt."


    "We''re ready." Dr. Saul said, standing at a console next to the chamber.


    "Hey, Scottˇ­" Matt said.


    "Yeah?"


    "When you wake back up, I''ll be here waiting to shave that scruffy beard of yours." Matt jokingly said.


    Scott chuckled, "I guess I''ll see you a couple years, asshole."


    Dr. Saul then pressed a switch on the console. Scott could hear a faint hissing sound within the chamber and afterward, he started feeling lightheaded. It slowly started to become difficult to keep his eyes open. Matt had to watch from the outside of the chamber and place his hand atop the canopy. Scott was slow to respond in kind but managed to do so. The brothers exchanged glances that differed from each other. Matt looked on with anguish while Scott looked on with fatigue. He felt himself slipping away into a deep sleep. Then everything went dark and silent.))


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Water poured into a sink which Scott stood over as he finished what he was doing. He turned off the flow of water, then reached over to his left to grab a towel which he then buried onto his face. When he next removed the towel, he looked up the mirror to see the now clean-shaven young man staring back at him. Maybe it was something of a stretch now in this new world where Scott found himself. Physically, he was still in his 20''s, in his prime. Chronology, he had to be classified as being in his 60''s.


    Having already known that the year was now 2055, and being reminded of it by Major Donavon, Scott surmised that he was at the chronological age of 59 years old. Scott could only bow his head down in frustration. He was literally an old man pushing 60 years in a 26-year old''s body. Everything and everyone he knew was gone, either by the Seraphim Virus or the Marauders. Scott himself still had the virus in his system and he knew it could flare up at any time. He could only assume that the long 33 years of sleep slowed it down since he wasn''t feeling any adverse effects at the moment. To top it all off, now there was the belief that he might have the anti-bodies in his system that could''ve potentially been a cure for the Seraphim Virus.


    "It''s late." a deep, feminine voice spoke and startled Scott.


    He looked toward the exit and saw Johansson leaning by the threshold with her arms folded. "Jesus Christ, could you try harder to put me into cardiac arrest?"


    Johansson was completely nonplussed with Scott''s sarcasm and simply said, "We''re turning in for the night, Gavin. We leave first thing tomorrow morning, 0700 hours."


    "Yeah, I know." Scott replied.


    "Good." Johansson said just before she started to leave.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Wait a minute. Before you go..." Scott said.


    "What is it?" Johansson asked as she stopped.


    Scott was visibly swallowing his pride and he said, "Thank you for saving me."


    Johansson, who was subconsciously taking in the view of Scott''s bare chest, said, "I was just doing my job."


    "Yeah, I figured you''d say that."


    Johansson wasn''t sure what else to say other than, "Get some rest."


    Then she was gone from the room, leaving Scott alone to gather himself. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, processing everything that had happened since his waking up from his deep freeze. Then he contemplated the days to come. His thoughts wandered back to the idea that he could potentially be some savior of Humanity. It frustrated him to point where he wanted to punch the mirror. Instead, Scott let out a deep breath. He grabbed his shirt and walked out the room, unaware Johansson had been covertly observing his activities.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The following morning, Scott woke up with labored breaths and a cold sweat all over his body. Sunlight shown through a window above his bed, the light hitting his face. Scott grabbed his forehead and wiped the sweat from his brows. He knew he''d just had a nightmare, but he wasn''t inclined to wonder about it all. He checked the digital clock by his bedˇ­ 6:06AM. Scott could only grumble from fatigue mixed with annoyance when he caught movement out of the corner of his weary eyes. Much to his chagrin, he saw it was Johansson once more leaning at the threshold.


    "Time to get up, Gavin." she said.


    Scott grumbled even more and said, "Tell me you weren''t here all night just watching me sleep."


    "Breakfast is at 06:15. Get dressed." Johansson said before leaving.


    When Johansson was gone, Scott rubbed the bridge of his nose and started falling backward in bed muttering, "Oh my God."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was now 06:18. Scott had gotten dressed and collected his breakfast that left much to be desired. He set about searching for a place to sit and eat without drawing attention to himself. That proved more difficult than he expected when he noticed Pete sitting at a table with most of the team that rescued Scott. Scott walked over to the table and watched as Pete slid aside to give him space. He sat down and set his breakfast on the table before scanning those present. Along with Pete were both Michelle and Sam, but Conrad and Johansson were not present.


    "Morning, bud. You look like hell." Pete commented.


    "Is it that obvious?" Scott asked.


    "It doesn''t look like you got much sleep, lad." Sam said.


    Scott''s level of exasperation was evident when he replied, "I got put into cryogenic sleep when I was 26. I wake up in 2055 and I''m 59, chronologically anyway."


    "Well, at least your math is right." Sam said.


    "Look on the bright side: at least you get to keep your looks." Michelle quipped in a way that sounded mildly flirty.


    Scott cautious replied, "Uh, thanks. So, where''re Conrad and Johansson?"


    "The Captain ought to be finishing a briefing with Major Donovan. And, Johansson is, wellˇ­" Pete said before pointing his thumb toward the far corner of the cafeteria.


    Scott looked in that direction and saw Johansson sitting alone, an empty tray on the table in front of her. She had something in her right hand. It looked like a book of some kind. For some reason he couldn''t explain, Scott couldn''t stop looking at the auburn-haired woman who save his life hours ago. Something about Johansson made him curious, maybe even a little interested. Then Johansson looked up from her book and met Scott''s gaze. Looking at her was like reading a book in itself, except that Scott had no idea what Johansson was thinking. He finally turned his gaze away and returned to his breakfast. Conversely, Johansson maintained her gaze for a few moments longer before returning to her book.


    "So, about Johanssonˇ­ is she too good to sit with us or what?" Scott whispered.


    The team looked at the young man with wide eyes and Sam replied, "Nah, lad. That girl there isn''t exactly the most social when off-mission."


    "Speaking of whichˇ­" Michelle when she noticed Conrad approaching.


    The team stood up from their seats and stood at attention, but Terry waves them down. "At ease, people."


    Everyone sat back down as Terry joined them, and Pete said, "So how''d the briefing go, boss?"


    "Well, our mission has seen a bit of an alteration in our travel arrangements. According to base intel, the Marauders have a network of aerial detection systems set up across the country. Air travel from here to Cape Canaveral is not an option at this point." Terry stated.


    "That seems like it''ll be a pain in the ass." Sam said.


    Scott asked, "So what are the alternatives? I doubt hitchhiking is an option."


    "We''ll being travel by convoy; us plus a few defense vehicles to pacify any ground forces we come across. Dr. Fitzgerald will also be joining us, so be nice." Terry said.


    "How long will this little road trip be?" Michelle asked.


    "It''d be roughly a 40-hour drive from Bakersfield to Cape Canaveral, barring interference along the way. The cavate is that our current supplies are limited, so we''ll have to make periodic stops for food and rest." Conrad explained.


    "A day and half drive with the occasional rest up, and the transport launches in less than a week at 1700 hours from now? I''d say we got time for a little sightseeing." Pete exclaimed.


    "You always did like to see the bright side of things, Pete." Michelle said.


    "Part of my charm." Pete said with a playful shrug.


    Terry huffed out a small laugh before he said, "Alright, people. Finish your breakfast and get suited and booted. We''re wheels out at 0700... and, someone get Scott some armor. I''ve got a feeling he''s going to need it."


    Then as Terry left, the rest of the team took to lightly chuckling at Scott. Sam said, "Looks like you''re in the shit now, lad."


    "Jeez, I can hardly wait." Scott replied as he took a bite from his breakfastˇ­ which didn''t exactly taste very good to him.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After finishing his breakfast, and spitting some of it out, Scott started getting ready for the day ahead. When he returned to his room, he found what appeared to be a form of body armor waiting on his bed. Along with the body armor were a set of boots and gloves, the latter of which looking more akin to gauntlets than gloves. He set about getting the equipment on, starting with the boots and then putting on the gauntlets. Then he slipped on the body armor. It felt somewhat stiff around his chest but it didn''t impede his breathing, which Scott considered to be a good thing after eating possibly the worst tasting breakfast ever. Then again, it had been 33 years since he had a decent meal so he had no room to complain. After getting suited up, Scott took a quick glance at the time: 6:44 AM. Scott couldn''t help but think time was against him in more ways than one.


    "Scott," Conrad said once he appeared at the bedroom door. "You ready to get going?"


    "Oh yeah! I''m so ready to save the world," Scott sarcastically implied, which made Conrad smirk a bit. Then Scott sighed, "So, we get on the road for roughly a day-and-a-half drive from here to Cape Canaveral, Florida where a shuttle is waiting to launch up toward this Sky Haven place, and then what?"


    "Our top doctors and scientists extract these supposed anti-bodies from your system, synthesize them and hopefully, mass produce a vaccine to eradicate the Seraphim Virus and save whatever''s left of Humanity." Conrad explained to the best of his abilities.


    Scott let out another deep sigh of annoyance and mused, "It''s crazy. I spent years in a cryogenic coma only to waking up to a living nightmare, everyone I''ve ever known is gone, and now I''m suddenly this ''savior'' of the Human race."


    "I imagine that it''s all a lot to process." Conrad said.


    Scott looked at Conrad and then out through the window of his room. The sky was a light orange hue thanks to the morning sunlight. "This feels wrong. I shouldn''t be here."


    "But you are here," Conrad said and then he approached Scott, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I get it, Scott. This isn''t the life you were expecting to live when you woke up. It might seem unfair that you''re here now when so many others aren''t here, and now you''ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders."


    "I''m just a kid from Southern California, Conrad. I''m no savior." Scott admitted.


    Conrad replied, "Then don''t try to be. You just worry about being you. That''s all any of us can do."


    Scott managed to produce a smirk and said, "Matt used to tell me that, after our parents died."


    Terry patted Scott''s shoulder and told him, "I sure your brother was wise beyond his years. Everything''s going to okay, Scott. Now c''mon," Terry then started out of the room while he added, "We''ve got a long road trip ahead of us."


    "Thanks, Conrad. I think I needed that little pep talk." Scott said.


    "Anytime. Oh, and you can just call me ''Terry''. No need to be too formal."


    Scott chuckled and gave a slight nod to Terry as he departed from the room. Afterward, Scott looked out through the window and out at the sky outside. I don''t care how many years it''s been, Matt. I know you''re still out there, and I''m going to find you. Whatever it takes. Then Scott grabbed the backpack from his bed and started out on his way.

 Old Habits

    Chapter V


    The forward ops base was a little busier than Scott expected. He took the time to get a better idea of exactly how things had changed while he was asleep. This was the first time since he arrived that he was able to get a better picture of his surroundings. Many of the tall buildings looked like they''d been violently gutted from the inside out. Scott couldn''t help but wonder how many people died in those buildings when the Marauders first attacked. He had to put the thought out of his mind and he continued along the grounds. He found several vehicles at rest. They appeared to resemble trucks, but some of them had gun turrets mounted on the roof. Scott pretty much expected there to be some kind of armaments, which meant there was like going to be trouble on the journey ahead.


    "Scott," a voice called out.


    Scott spun around and saw Dr. Fitzgerald. "Hey doctor. I heard you''re coming along for the ride."


    "That''s the general idea. I have orders to ride along with you to keep a close eye on your vitals." Dr. Fitzgerald explained.


    "Just do me a favor and keep the needle out of it, Doctor. You know, so I don''t stab you in retaliation." Scott joked for the first time since waking up from his deep freeze.


    "Heh, heh. I''ll do that, but you have to drop the formalities in regards to my name."


    "What is your full name anyway?" Scott asked.


    "Dr. Christopher Fitzgerald, but you can just call my ''Fitz''. Everyone else does."


    "That I can do... Fitz." Scott replied with a smile.


    Then Johansson approached the pair and said, "Are we ready to go?"


    "We''re as ready to go as we''ll ever be, Lt. Johansson." Fitz replied.


    "Good. Can I have a word with Gavin, Dr. Fitzgerald? Alone?" Johansson asked.


    Fitz raised his eyebrows and gave Scott a look. Scott returned the gaze and then Fitz headed for the trucks. Then he looked at Johansson who had yet to look back at him. What the hell was she up to this time? For all Scott knew, she was planning on telling him off again just for the pleasure of it. That was fine for Scott. He had no issue returning the favor in kind. Then Johansson finally looked to him. Scott didn''t flinch. He stood his ground. He wasn''t going to intimidated by this potentially dangerous woman that barely a day ago saved his life. Johansson took a step closer, but Scott remained resolute. It turned out that Johansson was actually an inch shorter than Scott, yet she gave that aura that she wasn''t to be messed with. At last, Scott''s patience reached its limit.


    "Well...? What?"


    "About what happened yesterday at the debriefing..." Johansson said.


    Here it comes!


    Johansson took a breath and said, "I was out of line when I spoke of your brother. It was highly unprofessional and inappropriate."


    Scott subtly shook his head, squinted his eyes and put his finger up to his right ear, as those he was attempted to hear the words coming from Johansson''s mouth. "I''m sorry, did I hear that right? Did you just apologize?"


    Johansson was already rolling her eyes in annoyance, knowing that this guy that she rescued a day ago was clearly mocking her. "Hardly. I''m saying I was out of line. That wasn''t an apology."


    "Suit yourself, but I''m over it either way," Scott claimed, though he was secretly still fumed about the previous exchange before getting serious. "Look, I don''t want there to be ongoing hostilities between us."


    "Neither do I, but it''s important that you understand that things are different now. There''s no guarantee that your brother is still alive and if he isˇ­" Johansson said.


    Scott quickly interrupted, "He''d be an old man by now. But I can''t help having some sort of hope that maybe, just maybe, Matt''s still out there and waiting for me. Hell, he could be on Sky Haven right now for all I know."


    "And what if you''re wrong?" Johansson wondered.


    Scott couldn''t provide a legitimate answer, instead replying, "He wouldn''t give up on me, so I''m not giving up on him."


    Johansson stayed silent and let Scott walked right passed her without incident. After a moment, she looked toward him as he walked toward the trucks. She inwardly had to give Scott credit for staying committed to his brother despite the circumstances of the current situation. But at the same time, Johansson found that commitment to be foolish and na?ve. She wasn''t going to say that to Scott out loud. It would be better for him if he learned on his ownˇ­ even if he didn''t appreciate it.


    It was now around 06:50 when Scott made his way up to the trucks. There were at least 5 of them with several gun implements atop of them. Terry and his team were gathered near the lead truck and Scott overheard Terry''s talk with them. It sounded like he was giving them their assigned rides. Scott moves just a little bit closer but the group dispersed as he did so. Terry caught sight of the time displaced young man and motioned him closer, and Scott approached him.


    "Scott, you''ll be hiding shotgun with me, Pete and Fitz in the lead vehicle. Johansson will be driving the second vehicle with Sam and Michelle." Terry explained.


    "I''m guessing these other trucks are for defense, with all the guns and whatnot." Scott said.


    "That''s right. Even though we''re taking a grounded approach, the Marauders can still hit us when we least expect it. We''ve got to be ready for anything." Terry said.


    It was then that Major Donovan approached Terry and said, "You ready to get going, Conrad?"


    "We''re as ready as we''ll ever be, Major. Thanks for the additional troops." Terry said.


    "They''re some of my best people. They''ll make sure to get you to your destinationˇ­ or die trying." Donovan replied in a grim tone.


    Terry tried to be optimistic and said, "Let''s hope it doesn''t come to that."


    "Good luck, Captain." Donovan said and gave a salute, which Terry returned.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Then as Donovan left, Terry called out to his team, "Alright, mount up. Let''s get this show on the road."


    Terry ushered Scott into the trucks front passenger seat while Pete and Fitz both entered the rear. Then Terry entered the driver''s side and started the engine. Scott looked through the side view mirror and watched as Johansson entered the driver''s side. He also saw Sam and Michelle enter the front and rear seats respectively. Letting out a deep breath, Scott leaned back onto his seat. He heard the vehicle''s engine suddenly rumble to life, and he watched Terry fasten the seatbelt. At least some things didn''t change even after 33 years. Scott did the same and, even though he didn''t see it, he could hear Pete and Fitz doing the same thing. Pete inched in closer despite his seatbelt''s resistance, slightly startling Scott.


    "Looks like we''re carpool buddies, Scott." Pete cheerfully said.


    "Yeah, I guess so." Scott said in a reserved tone.


    "Hey, what''s with the gloom and doom schtick? Would you rather ride along with Johansson?" Pete joked.


    Scott gave a worrying glance to Pete when he replied, "Please tell me you''re shitting me. I don''t want anything to do with that Doom Queen."


    "That''s the second time you called her that. You''d better be careful that doesn''t turn into a trend." Pete claimed.


    "Doom Queen?" Fitz asked.


    "Too late." Pete said.


    "Alright, knock it off, guys. Let''s get rolling." Terry said with a light smirk.


    The vehicle was soon on the move and headed toward an opened gate. Several others followed the first out and they traveled through the gate. Once passed the gate, they continued along a slightly dusty road while leaving dirt clouds in their wake. The convoy numbered 5 vehicles, with the truck transporting Scott leading the way. Scott looked through the side view mirror at the ruined buildings that were once a city as they appeared to shrink in the distance. It was at that moment that Scott realized that he was in for a long journey, and he wasn''t sure if he should''ve been there excited or terrified. It was probably going to be both.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    An hour and half had already passed since the convoy left the base. Scott spent the ride just staring out the open window. He was bored, not for first time in general. But it was first time he''d been bored after waking up 33 years in the future. Back then in his time, he busied himself with various activities; sports, work and the like. But that was a long time ago. Scott had no idea what he supposed to do now in the year 2055. All he could do was let his mind wander as the convoy traveled. None of his traveling companions offered much in the way of activities. Fitz was the only one to interact with Scott, periodically checking on Scott''s well-being. Scott knew Fitz meant well, but that didn''t mean it wasn''t occasionally annoying.


    With the boredom growing so increasingly unbearable, Scott felt his eyes getting heavier. He fought to keep them open which was a chore on its own. A slight jolt of the truck woke him back up for all of a few seconds at the least. Then he started nodding off again. Then Scott finally drifted away into sleep. Maybe it would''ve been good for him to get in a few moments of sleep. He''d wake back up in time. All he needed was a few minutes.


    When Scott finally woke up some time later, he immediately realized that the truck wasn''t moving. He looked toward the driver''s seat and saw that Terry was nowhere to be found. Pete and Fitz were also missing, and Scott, for a split second, thought they''d abandoned him. He stepped out of the truck and saw the other vehicles parked in almost a sort of circle formation. The soldiers that accompanied the team walked along the parameter of the vehicles, and Scott dreaded the possibility of an attack.


    "Ah, he''s finally awake." said Sam, sitting near the rear wheel of the truck while adjusting his rifle.


    Scott rubbed his eyes and then asked, "What''s going on? Why''d we stop?"


    "The boss man decided we needed a breather and stopped the convoy for a quick rest period. It''s a good idea considering we''ve been driving for 4 hours now." Sam said.


    "4 hours?" Scott said in surprise.


    Fitz approached the duo and said, "Well technically, it''s actually been roughly 3? hours since you dozed off."


    "Well, I was asleep for 33 years. 3 ? hours seems like a ''blink and you''ll miss it'' kind of thing." Scott reasoned.


    "Good way to look at it, lad." Sam said.


    "Hey Scott, heads up!"


    Scott spun around and just barely caught something in his hands. "A football?" he realized as he looked up.


    Pete and Michelle were jogging toward him and the former said, "Sorry about that, man. Didn''t mean to spook you."


    "You didn''t spook me, but I almost though we were under attack. Anyway, where''d you manage to get a football?" Scott said as Pete approached.


    "Actually, I had that for a couple years; found it in an old sporting goods place. It helps to have something to keep me busy." Pete said as he was handed the ball.


    "I''d think it would help even more if Pete here had someone to play with. I could but I kind of suck at it." Michelle said almost embarrassingly.


    "Hey, you''re not that bad, Michelle. You can just handle a rifle better than football," Pete stated, earning a stern glare from Michelle. "Okay, I''m going to pay for that comment later. C''mon, Scott. How ''bout a short game?"


    Scott thought about it and said, "What the hell? I''ve been napping for 33 years anyway."


    "Go long." Pete said.


    Scott needed an outlet, so he played along and started jogging back the same way from which Pete came. Then he went from a jog to a sprint. He looked over his shoulder and saw Pete back away a few steps. Then Pete tosses the football. Suddenly, Scott went for a full-on run. He looked back over his shoulder over and over again just to get an idea of where the football was flying. The ball was descending quickly and Scott was practically bolting now.


    Then something happened. Scott almost tripped from running so fast. He was starting to lose his balance just as the football was coming directly at him. On pure instinct and with quick reflexes, Scott jumped up and caught the football in both hands. But as one foot touched down, Scott lost his balance completely and fell to the ground with a thud. A small cloud of dust rose up from where Scott landed, and he himself was laid in a heap while still holding the ball. Scott grimaced from the impact but also laughed until he glanced to his side.


    Johansson was right there sitting cross-legged with a book in her hands. The lower half of her face was concealed behind the book, but her eyes were fixed on Scott. Scott''s own eyes met Johansson''s and he gave her a small wave. Johansson raised her book up to conceal her eyes. This confused Scott somewhat but he already at the point where it was to be expected of Johansson. Pete and Michelle rushed over to help get Scott upright.


    "Damn, that was a good catch, Scott." Pete.


    "Yeah, it''s like you''re a pro. Did you play for any teams back in your time?" Michelle asked.


    "I was kind of more interested in combat sports to be honest. Beyond that, I worked in a warehouse... packaging calculators." Scott admitted with some mark embarrassment.


    "Wow, you must''ve had an interesting life." Johansson said with sarcasm that seemed more like resentment.


    Scott looked at the Lieutenant with a cocked eyebrow and said to her, "Oh yeah, a very interesting one."


    Before Johansson could reply, assuming she planned on it, Terry walked up to the group and said, "Okay people, break time''s over. Let''s get back on the road."


    Like clockwork, everyone started getting back into their assigned vehicles. But Scott still kept his narrowed eyes on Johansson. Her comment sounded more like an insult than anything else even though he was able to brush it off. Scott was almost certain that he and Johansson reached some small fraction of common ground before they left FOB in Bakersfield. She even took the time apologize to Scott about his brother. Then out of the blue, Johansson made a somewhat off-hand comment that Scott wasn''t entirely sure he could find even remotely insulting. Either that or Johansson was simply trying to deliberately antagonize Scott. This time though, Scott let cooler heads prevail and let the matter be, while Johansson stood up and walked away like happened.


    "Scott, let''s go." Terry suddenly called out.


    Scott briefly glanced at Terry but turned back at Johansson just as quickly. Johansson had already entered her assigned truck with Sam, Pete and Michelle. Scott was about to follow but he eventually thought better of it. Whatever Johansson meant by her comment meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Scott started on his way back to his assigned where Terry and Fitz were waiting. Terry was in the driver''s seat and he gave Scott a look of concern.


    "You good, kid?" Terry asked.


    Scott glanced at Terry and reluctantly replied, "I''m fine. Let''s just go."


    Terry looked at Scott for a moment longer, and it seemed clear that he was worried about the young man. He put that notion aside for the time being and started the truck. Scott audibly sighed in frustration as the vehicle started moving. He came to realize that this trek across the war-torn country to Cape Canaveral might not be as smooth he was expecting. He was starting to wish he''d never woken up from deep freeze.

 Moments Of Normalcy

    Chapter VI


    The remainder of the first day of travel for the convoy went by like clockwork and without incident. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and no attacks from the Marauders came. Scott should''ve felt at ease by the lack of hostile activity, but he was instead rather bored. He did have a few exchanges with Fitz, usually involving his overall health, but Scott was still bored. He still kept his composure for the most part, if only not to worry either Fitz or Terry. Scott also periodically looked out the window at the sky as it gradually developed a red-orange hue and grew darker with each hour that passed.


    By 10:13 pm, the convoy was stopped for the night in the ruins of an unknown town. Various structures that were likely once houses were spread around them convoy. The variously teams of soldiers, Terry''s team being among them, started setting up temporary shelters. Scott roamed around seemingly aimlessly as if he was looking for something to do. He opted to help the team set up the shelters, whatever he could to avoid feeling like a third wheel. Fitz briefing advised against any strenuous activity, but Terry overruled him. It at least felt somewhat relieving for Scott to know that Terry was on his side.


    By the 10:34 pm mark, all the shelters were set up. A parameter was also put in place that consisted of the various ruined structures. Terry started assigning pairs for each shelter due to the small to medium size of them. Scott found himself paired with Fitz for the obvious health reasons. Sam and Pete were assigned to a shelter as were Johansson and Michelle. Terry assigned himself to one of the remaining shelters with a random soldier.


    "Okay, everyone has their assigned barracks, correct?" Terry asked.


    "Yeah, but how come you get the VIP treatment, Captain?" Sam joked, earning a playful chuckle from the rest of the team minus Johansson.


    "I know, and I thought Scott was the VIP here." Pete added and earned a second chuckle.


    "Alright, you guys, knock it off. Anyway, everyone go get some rest. We''re back on the road first thing tomorrow morning." Terry said, and the team members went about their business of getting to rest.


    Scott was still trying to wipe away the sly grin from his face as the team member separated. Johansson suddenly walked right by Scott with an indifferent look on her face. Scott met Johansson''s gaze and for a brief moment, there was a measure of tension. Then Johansson continued on her way. Scott breathed a sigh of relief before turning his attention to the night sky. Trillions upon Trillions of stars filled the near pitch-black imagery before Scott''s eyes centered on a particularly bright star. At first, he had to assume that this star might have actually been the planets Mercury or Venus, maybe even Mars. But it seemed doubtful and Scott wasn''t exactly a renowned astronomer of any kind. He did hear footsteps approaching from behind and a moment later, Michelle stood beside him.


    "It''s beautiful, isn''t it?" Michelle asked.


    Scott sighed and nodded. "Yeah, probably the first beautiful sight I''ve seen since waking up." What''s that star up there?"


    Michelle looked to where Scott was pointing, quickly finding the brightest of the stars above. "That''s Sky Haven. That''s our destination."


    "Have you been up there before, I mean, with the others? What''s it like?" Scott asked.


    Michelle shrugged and implied, "I wouldn''t exactly call it special, but it''s safe. You''re thinking about your brother?"


    "I''ve got to hold out some hope, however small it is, that Matt''s alive. Maybe he went to sleep like me or maybe he''s an old man now. But I''ve got to know, Michelle."


    "Maybe you''re right, Scott. But it won''t do you any good worrying about it all night long. You should get some sleep while you can." Michelle said with a smile.


    Scott chuckled, "I''ve got to admit, that some pretty sage advice."


    "I have my moments. You have a good night, Scott."


    Then Michelle walked off toward the shelter she was set to share with Johansson. Scott found himself feeling a little better given his situation. It seemed as though he''d found a kindred spirit in Michelle. Maybe he was trying to latch onto some small semblance of normalcy. It was so difficult to determine. But Michelle seemed to offer Scott some a glimmer of hope. At the same time, Scott couldn''t shake the feeling that Michelle might have actually taken a liking to him. That idea made him laugh to himself and he wasn''t someone who believed in Love at First Sight. It was highly likely that Michelle was simply being friendly. The entire team seemed friendly for that matter, with the obvious exception Johansson, who often seemed colder than the farthest planet from the Sun. Scott brushed it off entirely once he felt his eyes getting heavy, and he decided that now was the time to get some sleep.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Scott was still wide awake even though it was likely midnight. He simply laid on his rather uncomfortable cot with a thin blanket covering his lower body and his arms folded over his abdomen. He stared almost blankly at the ceiling of the shelter, which looked about as thin as his blanket. His eyes were still somewhat heavy from fatigue and yet, he couldn''t get to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. The most profound and, frankly, annoying reason was Fitz''s unexpectedly loud snoring. For a doctor, Fitz wasn''t exactly subtle when it came to a good night''s rest.


    Scott was at the point where he mockingly considered shoving his pillow onto Fitz''s face just to shut him up. But that wasn''t a good idea in the grand scheme of things. Instead, Scott sat up in his cot and brushed his hand though his hair. He looked over at Fitz, whose back was turned toward Scott. No sooner had his attention been on the doctor than Scott briefly noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He thought and even feared at first that those Marauder things found the camp. Against his better judgement, Scott moved toward the exit of the shelter.


    He was now outside amid near darkness, the only sources of light being from a handful of portable fixtures. Scott made his way around the camp, passing by the other shelters as he went along. Somebody was roaming around the site besides just Scott, and it gave him pause to worry that it might actually be the Marauders. They were doing a good job of hiding if it were them. Scott wasn''t a trained fighter, so in the event he encountered a Marauder, he''d most like be dead. Relief washed over Scott when he briefly noticed a silhouette that looked human and nothing like the hulking aliens.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Yet against his better judgement for the second time, Scott took to shadowing whoever was walking around after midnight. He couldn''t help being curious, but he also knew the old adage curiosity killed the cat. He did not want to be the cat. The silhouette vanished around the corner and into a ruined household. Scott followed but stayed as silent as possible. He found a good spot for hiding and crouched down to avoid detection. There, he waited for a while. Nervousness crept into him. Then he heard muffled sounds. He couldn''t tell but it sounded human... and it sounded like it was more than just one. Scott knew he shouldn''t have even thought about what he was about to do, but he did it anyway and peered around the corner of his hiding space. His eyes widened.


    He could see what appeared to be two people huddled close together close to a small fire. One was apparently on top of the other. Scott had to squint his eyes just to make the face of one of them. It was Johansson. She looked to be in pain, except that it wasn''t that. Her chest was panting ever so slightly, and then a hand appeared around her upper body. Scott watched as the owner of the hand reveal themselves, and it was Pete. Johansson seemed to be enjoying the feeling of Pete''s hands all over her. Pete reached over and undid her shirt, exposing her bare breasts. Watching from his hiding spot, Scott couldn''t look away. He watched as Pete leaned his head forward and kissed Johansson''s neck. Johansson seemed to let out a small sigh as she reached her own hand down into Pete''s pants. Then Pete moved Johansson onto her back.


    This time, Scott looked away to gather his thoughts. His mind was suddenly racing faster than it could process the images. It certainly wasn''t the first time he''d see two people in the throes of sex, but this was unexpected in that one of the people in the act was Johansson. Johansson; the Doom Queen herself as Scott coined her, seemingly the coldest and most indifferent woman he''d met since coming out of deep freeze, was having sex with one of her teammates. Pete was her partner and somebody whom befriended Scott, even briefly played football with him earlier in the day. The two of them in the middle of a love making session was surprising. Scott felt his heart rate climbing, and it seemed like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. Was he getting jealous... of two people he''d only just met barely a day and half ago? He knew he had to leave while he could, but he stayed and looked back again.


    He froze at what he saw next. It wasn''t the image of Pete leaning down and gently kissing around Johansson''s face, neck or even down to her chest. Johansson had her face turned in Scott''s direction, her eyes still opened wide and nearly vacant. Scott could almost feel Johansson''s gaze on him. Did she see him? Was she aware that he was watching while Pete kissed her neck? If so, she didn''t say a single word. She just continued to react to every kiss from Pete while Scott was seemingly made to watch. For Scott''s part, biology took over and he felt his own pants tightening. He couldn''t take anymore and quietly snuck away from the scene. At the same time, Johansson motioned Pete to stop and he did. She looked around using only her eyes. With a second motion, she gently pushed Pete away and the two of them gathered their gear. Then they moved away from each other as the night progressed. Unbeknownst to all parties considered, Michelle had also been watching the moment and, like Scott, biology reared its head. Unlike Scott, Michelle was already in the throes of her own self-gratification with her hand down between her legs. She had to hold back a subtle moan as the night progressed.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The following morning, everyone was getting ready to resume the trip across the country. Scott stumbled around after a restless night, still struggling to process what he witnessed. He also had a brief interaction with Pete, who seemed oblivious to the previous night. He gave Scott a hearty salute which was returned in kind but without the same vigor. After that, Scott continued to move around waiting for the call to get back on the road. Then he saw Johansson approaching him and she was approaching him quickly. Scott tried to brush it off as mere haste to get going, but that was quashed when Johansson grabbed by the shoulder and pulled him behind one of the trucks.


    Out of sight, Johansson pinned Scott against the side of the vehicle and asked him, "How much did you see?"


    Scott instantly knew what Johansson asking and replied, "Enough. How long have you and Pete beenˇ­"?


    "That isn''t any of your business." Johansson said.


    "Then why are we whispering?" Scott questioned Johansson, who released her grip on him.


    "Forget whatever you saw last night." Johansson said before leaving in a haste, leaving Scott wondering if she was furious or embarrassed. Or both.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    A few hours later, the convoy was on the move with very few obstructions ahead. Scott was riding Terry and Fitz once again. Sam was along for the ride this time and tried to humor Scott from time to time. Even though he managed to out a few chuckles here and there, Scott spent much of the ride staring out the window. He was deep in thought how Johansson told him to forget what he saw the night before. Hell, she demanded it. Scott tried to forget but it was more of a chore than he expected. He looked over at Terry as he was handling the driving. Terry glanced back at Scott but said nothing out of the ordinary. Scott''s boredom finally got Terry''s attention enough for Terry to address the situation directly.


    "Something bothering you, Scott?"


    Scott looked at Terry, and for a split second, he considered telling the Captain about Johansson and Pete''s private moment. "I just got some things on my mind." he said.


    "We''ve still got a long drive ahead of us. That''s plenty of time to talk." Terry claimed.


    Scott thought about it before asking, "Is there anything about Johansson you haven''t told me?"


    Terry looked at Scott with a surprised gazed and replied, "I doubt there''s much I can tell you without angering her. She''s a very private girl. Why?"


    Scott struggles to find the best response and simply said, "I justˇ­ find her interesting is all."


    Sam overheard Scott speaking with Terry, and he stated, "Yeah, that''s not a road you want to travel, lad. Trust us on that."


    "It''s justˇ­ I always get the sense that Johansson''s got something against me." Scott replied.


    "She doesn''t hate you, lad. She doesn''t hate anyone outside of the Marauders," Sam explained. "That''s all we''d say on the matter, so it''s best to leave it at that for now."


    Scott used that explanation, however vague it sounded, to put the pieces together. Johansson lost someone, he concluded. The assumption was already there from the first time they met, but it was only an assumption at the end of the day. Now, Scott was absolutely sure of it but he wasn''t inclined to ask Johansson about it. Granted, everyone on the team had to have lost someone to the Marauders or the Seraphim Virus. But it had to have been especially hard on Johansson for her to act so cold. The issue was that she was taking it out on Scott, and he did nothing to her beyond inadvertently spying on her and Pete. All that Scott could do at the moment in time was plant his chin onto his knuckles and go back to staring out the window.


    He was deep in thought once again, this time thinking about Matt and wondering if he was alive or not. Scott was hoping for the former as he continued to look around the nearly barren landscape. He saw something out of the corner of his eye but thought nothing of it at first. He looked again and this time, his attention was drawn through the windshield and toward the sky. Scott leaned in further and get a better idea of what was outside. It looked like an object of some kind, and it seemed to be getter larger with each second that passed. The blood started to drain away from Scott''s face and he even gulped.


    "Uh, Terry?"


    "What is it, Scott?"


    Scott pointed up through the windshield at the object and asked, "Is that one of ours?"


    Terry briefly glanced at Scott and then through the windshield at the rapidly approaching object, which was also revealed to be enflamed. "INCOMING!"

 Ever The Strangest Thing

    Chapter VII


    "INCOMING!"


    That was Terry''s immediate response just before he swerved the truck out of the way of the falling object. The other occupants, Scott, Sam and Fitz, braced themselves for the apparent collision. The truck swerved to the right of the right side, as did three other vehicles in opposing directions. The object narrowly missed those vehicles but slammed directly into the fifth vehicle, completely obliterating and likely killing the occupants inside. The remaining trucks all came to a stop and the soldiers in each of them rushed out onto the field. They all took cover behind the opened doors of the vehicles and Terry threw his free hand up to halt the soldiers from firing unless he gave the word.


    Scott and Fitz stayed close to Terry and Sam, and the former was able to get a look at the plume of smoke billowing from the impact area. His eyes darted to where Johansson was standing by with Pete and Michelle. Johansson glanced back, but Scott couldn''t tell if she was looking at him or Terry. He ultimately assumed the latter. Terry looked at Johansson and he gave her a telling nod. Johansson looked oddly hesitant to Scott, like she didn''t want to act on something. She did as she was ordered, motioning two random soldiers to join her. Scott was left surprised to see Johansson and the two soldiers slowly approaching the impact area. He obstinately assumed they were looking for any survivors, but would could possibly survive that wreckage?


    "Captain?" Sam whispered.


    "No one does anything until I give the word." Terry responded in a hushed tone.


    Scott glanced at Terry and asked, "Terry, what can I do to help?"


    "Just stay down, Scott. We''ll handle this." Terry replied.


    Scott hated being useless but he understood the reasoning behind staying put. Fitz was there next to him and shaking his head in the negative, reenforcing Terry''s orders. Scott could do nothing but remain both present and still, watching as Johansson and the two soldiers were now right on top of the wreckage. Johansson motioned the soldiers with her to spread out around the parameter of the area. She stayed where she stood, keeping her rifle aimed at the impact point. Back near the trucks, Scott couldn''t help but feel like something was off about the situation. Then his suspicions proved correct when Johansson turned back around to give the all-clear, only for a Marauder to rise up behind her.


    Without thinking, Scott grabbed a hold of Sam''s sidearm and took a shot at the Marauder. Johansson ducked out of the way with half a second to spare, letting the stray bullet hit the Marauder in the shoulder. The distracted alien was easy pickings for Johansson as she unloaded on it with an onslaught of bullets. The alien dropped back into the flaming wreckage, and Johansson looked back at Scott in complete disbelief. She had no time to wonder as more Marauders emerged from the wreckage. The other soldiers with Johansson quickly regrouped with her and opened fire on the aliens while making a break for the trucks.


    Sam pushed Scott down behind the door before Terry gave the word to provide cover for Johansson and the two soldiers. The Marauders returned fire on the trio as they made a break for the trucks. Johansson was able to return fire, if only to force the aliens to avoid the shots as they came. The Marauders fired back, and they managed to shoot and kill both of the two soldiers. Johansson managed to reach Terry''s truck and slid into cover, and she seemingly inadvertently knocked into Scott. Scott himself wasn''t entirely convinced it was inadvertent, but that was hardly the issue at the moment.


    Two more flying objects crashed down near the first and more Marauders emerged from them. They attempted to flank the convoy, losing a few of their numbers in the process. Another pair of soldiers were killed within moments, but those that remained continued to hold their own. One of Marauders appeared with what looked like an alien-styles launcher, and it aimed it toward the closest truck. It fired a shot, and the truck was blown to pieces along with the soldiers that occupied the vicinity.


    "Focus fire on that target. Focus fire." Terry bellowed as loud as he could over the gunfire.


    Scott was nearest to Terry and heard him clearly. After that, the rest of the team followed the order, with Johansson and Sam taking the first shots. Johansson managed to land a shot to the alien''s left leg, but it still had enough wherewithal to bring the launcher back up. Sam took the next shot and hit the target in the stomach. Then Pete and Michelle finished it off. More Marauders retaliated but it didn''t take long before they were cut down. The firefight slowed to a halt after several minutes until the last Marauder was dead. The team and the few remaining soldiers regrouped amid the wreckage of 2 vehicles and only 3 remaining.


    "Alright, sound off, people. I want a head count. Johansson?" Terry called out.


    "Affirmative, sir."


    "Marcus?"


    "I''m still here, Captain." Pete replied.


    "Chang?"


    "I''m here, sir." Michelle announced.


    "Duncan?"


    "Right here, boss." Sam said.


    "Fitzgerald?"


    "Here." Fitz said.


    Terry sighed and looked to where Scott was catching his breath. "Scott, you okay?"


    Scott gave a thumbs up and replied, "Yeah, I''m good."


    "Alright, what about our casualties?" Terry asked.


    "My best guess is that we lost 5, maybe 6 people and 2 trucks." Pete replied.


    Michelle searched through the wreckage of a truck and said, "Maybe we can salvage some supplies."


    "Grab whatever you can and mount up into the remaining vehicles. We need to get moving as soon as we can." Terry said.


    "Hold up... what about the soldiers we just lost?" Scott asked.


    Johansson coldly replied, "They''re dead. There''s nothing we can do about them."


    "Not even a proper burial?" Scott wondered aloud.


    Johansson got right in Scott''s face and said to him, "You want to waste time burying them, be our guest."


    "Cool it, Lieutenant," Terry ordered before turning to the others. "Marcus and Duncan, get some holes ready. Fitzgerald, see to the wounded. We''re getting back on the road ASAP."


    A few minutes later, several makeshift graves were made for the soldiers killed in the ambush. Their rifles were placed over the graves as symbolic markers. Fitz had also finished examining the wounded survivors. The team stood in a moment of silence for their fallen comrades before Terry gave a visual order to get back into the remaining vehicles. As the survivors started getting settled into the trucks, Scott seemed to stall for a second. He looked down at the makeshift graves of the fallen soldiers and sighed. Then he looked up toward the sky, half-expecting to see more objects crash down from above. Realizing that standing around wasn''t going to change what happened, Scott headed for the lead truck. The remaining vehicles soon drove off to continue the trip.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The remainder of the travel was a relatively uneventful period. The only difference was that now, the remaining soldiers and Terry''s group were on alert. Back in the passenger''s front seat of the lead vehicle, Scott practically had his eyes glued to the sky. He then looked forward along the road and saw what appeared to be a road sign well ahead of the convoy. As the convoy drew closer, Scott was able to make out some letter that ALBUQUERQUE; 2 MILES. It was obvious now that the convoy was in somewhere in New Mexico now. The town the convoy stopped at would likely have been in Arizona, most likely Flagstaff. Scott didn''t know why, but his thoughts wandered all the way back to the night he spied Johansson and Pete having sex. Then earlier that morning, Johansson told him to forget it. That was, unfortunately for Scott, harder to do than he''d have liked.


    Sometime later, the convoy reached the city limits of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city itself didn''t seem as ruined as Bakersfield or Flagstaff, but that hardly meant it was the safest place to be at the moment. Regardless, the convoy came to a rest at an old, burned out department store and the soldiers all stepped out. Scott was the last one out and he looked up toward the sky for only the third time that day. It looked to be getting darker, which begged the question of how long the trip had taken. Terry was seen roaming around with his rifle in hand and Johansson was shadowing him. She sent a passing glance to Scott, which Scott returned. She looked away as Terry stopped looking around.


    "Okay, we''re holding here for the remainder of the day to regroup. Then we''re back on the road first thing tomorrow morning." Terry announced.


    "With all due respect, sir, we still have plenty of daylight remaining." Johansson said.


    "Noted, Lieutenant," Terry said before motioning the remaining soldier assigned to him by Donovan, 3 in total. "You, you and you, what''re your names?"


    The first to reply was a man who appeared to be in his mid 30''s. "Sargent Bradly LeBeau."


    The second was a slightly younger woman who replied, "Sargent Krista Vazquez."


    "Corporal Tom Getz, sir." said the third, who appeared to be in his mid 30''s as well.


    Terry gave them a nod before telling them, "We camping out here for the evening. I need all of you to help my team set up a parameter around this area. After that, we''ll need a 2-member team on watch with relief every 2 hours."


    All of the soldiers gave crisp salutes before joining with Terry group, and then Scott approached Terry. "Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "You''ve done enough already, in my opinion." Johansson claimed in a sarcastic tone.


    Scott glared at the Lieutenant and replied, "I''m sorry, but who saved your ass out there? I did. You''re welcome, by the way."


    "The only thing you managed to accomplish was putting this mission in jeopardy." Johansson spat out.


    "Yeah, like you''d have done so much better if you weren''t getting a boner up your ass." Scott snapped back, offhandedly referring to Johansson''s night with Pete.


    Johansson just about snapped and moved toward Scott, but Terry stopped her. "Go help the others, Lieutenant. That''s an order."


    Johansson let herself cool down and walked away, cursing under her breath, "Little prick."


    At the same time, Scott muttered, "Ungrateful bitch."


    "Scott," Terry said and drew Scott''s attention. "What you did out there todayˇ­"


    "I was just trying to help, Terry." Scott explained.


    "I know you were, and part of me is even grateful that you did, but then what? The priority of the mission is to ensure that you make it to Sky Haven alive. If you die before that, then the mission fails." Terry explained.


    Scott huffed and grabbed his head in frustration before snapping, "I am not a fucking mission statement, Terry. I wake up 33 years in the future and everyone I''ve ever known is gone, and I can''t do anything about it. God forbid that I grab a gun and at least try to fight back against the monsters that want me dead."


    At that point, Terry snapped back, "It''s not just you the Marauders want dead, Scott. It''s everybody. It''s no secret that they unleashed Seraphim to wipe out most of Humanity as you or I know it, and then they show up to pick the bones. You have the virus in you right now, but you could also possibly have the anti-bodies that could create a cure and the Marauders will go to any lengths to ensure your death, and if you die, Humanity dies."


    "Maybe Humanity''s better off dead." Scott claimed and in doing so, he completely shocked Terry into silence. At the same time, Scott instantly regretted his words.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Nightfall came some hours later, and Scott was sitting alone in a corner of the abandoned department store the team had occupied. At least 2- or 3-members of the team were out patrolling the parameter around the store. Others were finishing up on gathering what supplies they could find for the next leg of the journey set for the following morning. Scott spent the time he had to himself wishing he could take back the words he spoke earlier. As it happened, Terry was approaching Scott where the young man sat and joined him. Scott didn''t object to the intrusion in any way, inwardly welcoming the company.


    "You alright?" Terry asked.


    "Yeah, yeah I''m good," Scott replied with a slight nod. He wasn''t alright, though and he then said, "Look, Terry, I''m sorry about earlier."


    Terry shook his head not out of denial or resentment, but understanding. "It''s okay. I get it; you want to be able to help us. You don''t want to seen as useless or helpless. I get that."


    "I don''t want to be seen as just some objective to a mission, you know? I should be able to contribute more." Scott admitted.


    "I can see where you feel like you''re not doing your part, and that you want to help any way you can." Terry replied.


    "I do. I''m stuck 33 years in the future and I''m at my wit''s end. I feel like I can do more, that I should do more. And yeah, there''s the obvious risk of my dying before we reach Cape Canaveral, but anything''s got to be better than cowering in a corner waiting to die." Scott said.


    Terry couldn''t help but smile at Scott''s surprising resolve, even nodding in approval of it. "Something tells me there''s more to you than you realize."


    "Think so?" Scott wondered.


    Terry visibly tilted his head to the side as if he was mentally considering his words, and then he continued, "You''re very much lacking in experience, which is understandable given the circumstances. But you''ve shown today that you''ve got heart and an innate desire to prove yourself. It''s an admirable quality. Foolhardy and stupid, but admirable."


    Scott wasn''t sure how to respond, and he simply replied, "Thanks... I think."


    Just then, Johansson approached the pair and said, "Captain, I think now would be a good time to go lights out for the night."


    "Agreed, and before you go, Johanssonˇ­"


    "Sir?"


    Terry stood up and Scott followed suit. "After some consideration, I decided that due to his presence, Scott is a part of our team now and as such, he''s going to need to some on the job training."


    "Sir, I''m not following." Johansson replied.


    "That goes double for me." Scott said, although he secretly had an idea.


    "Starting tomorrow morning, Johansson, I''m placing you in charge of training Scott." Terry stated.


    "There''s an ulterior motive, isn''t there?" Scott deduced.


    Terry knew he was caught and he didn''t even bat an eyelash. "Think of this as an opportunity to get to know each other better. Besides, I don''t see any harm coming from both sides trying to be civil."


    As Terry was about to go to sleep for the night, Johansson quickly said, "With all due respect, sir, Gavin is not a soldier. He''s not ready for what''s ahead."


    "None of us can say we''re ready for what''s ahead, Johansson. But we''ve already lost some people today and I believe that Scott Gavin, with some training, can be an asset to us in the long term." Terry stated.


    "But sir..." Johansson tried to say.


    Terry quickly cut her off by adding, "More importantly, Lieutenant, there''s obvious tension between you and Scott and it needs to be resolved before we get to Cape Canaveral. So, you both are going to have to learn to work together or you''re going to kill each other. So, get it done, Lieutenant, and that''s an order."


    "Yessir." Johansson replied with a salute before letting Terry go.


    Johansson was left in surprise before she glanced back at Scott, He was clearly seen to be sharing the same amount of surprise that Johansson was displaying. Johansson narrowed her eyes at Scott and he did very much the exact same thing. Then she spun around and rapidly closed in on him. Scott didn''t know why Johansson was coming directly at him, but he stood his ground as she came. They came face to face and nose to nose. Johansson met Scott''s eyes and they didn''t waver for even a moment. For his part, Scott thought that Johansson''s sudden approach was some kind of intimidation tactic. At the same time, his heart skipped a beat with Johansson so close to him. This was the first Scott really noticed, but Johansson was actually quite attractive for such a cold woman.


    "Is there anything you want to say, Gavin?" Johansson asked.


    The question was sudden and direct, and it knocked Scott out of his momentary stupor. "I''ve got nothing on my mind, Lieutenant Johansson."


    Johansson didn''t show it, but she was caught off guard by Scott''s show of respect to her. "Good. We''ll get started with your training first thing tomorrow morning." Then she turned and started to walk away.


    Scott then asked out of the blue, "You have any advice for me?"


    Johansson stopped and looked back at Scott, and she replied, "Don''t expect me to go easy on you. The Marauders won''t." She walked off after her advice, and Scott was left wondering just what sort of hell was in the future for him.