“How are you doing, brother?” Fitz asked.
Dohi simply nodded.
“It’ll get better,” Fitz said. “Everything will. We just have to trust in our future.”
Dohi gave another slight nod, but he didn’t appear convinced. A dark shadow seemed to hang over him that Fitz knew would not go away anytime soon. Not after everything Dohi had witnessed and survived. The best he could do was offer his friendship to Dohi and support him through the nightmares that would haunt him.
“We’re here for you, brother, and that will never change,” Fitz said.
Dohi smiled this time, a bit longer than the last grin. Fitz got behind his chair and pushed him up to the table next to Rico, who handed over a plate of food.
“Thanks,” Dohi said.
Javier leaned over the table, looking at Fitz.
“Mr. Fitz, do you think you’ll keep being a soldier?” he asked.
Fitz hesitated a moment, Rico watching him.
“You know, I think I’m getting too old for this stuff,” he said.
“Well, I’d be happy to take over Team Ghost if you ever step down,” Timothy said.
“Maybe someday, kid,” Horn said. “But not anytime soon. You got something to live for.”
Tasha smiled as Horn winked at her.
“I want to be a soldier, too,” Javier said.
Kate sighed. “How about starting out by helping me in the lab? I’ve still got work to do, and you might like it.”
“I can teach you how to do some cool stuff with computers, too,” Sammy added.
“Sounds boring,” Javier said.
“Computers are cool,” Fitz said, winking at Kate. “Maybe it’s time I learn some of that computer stuff for retirement.”
“You say that now, but look how retirement worked out for us,” Beckham said. “You never really retire from this job, no matter what the paperwork says, and sometimes boring is good, son.”
Javier shrugged.
“Want to look like me, kid?” Ruckley said, lifting her bandaged arms slightly. “Stick to the labs. Your body will thank you.”
“Yeah, you definitely don’t want to look like this lady,” Horn said.
“You’re such a…”
Ruckley let her words slide, and Horn grinned.
“You know, if my arm wasn’t in a sling, I would elbow you right in the ribs, you smelly oaf,” she said.
“You’re right. I’ve been rude. How about I make it up to you?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“How about dinner tomorrow?” Horn asked.
Ruckley raised a brow, like she wasn’t sure what to think. “You serious?”
“Is that a yes then?”
“If you shower, sure.”
“God, first Timothy and Tasha, now you guys,” Jenny said. “So gross.”
She feigned a disgusted expression, then picked up a stick and walked away with the dogs.
More laughter spilled from the group.
Fitz returned to Rico. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they watched Jenny play with the dogs.
After everything they had gone through, he finally felt a sense of peace. And he vowed he would do everything in his power to ensure that it would last. If that meant staying a soldier, then so be it, he would never stop fighting for his friends, family, and flag.
***
Beckham drove to the port of Galveston with Kate and Cornelius.
A month had passed since they had defeated the New Gods in Galveston. While the island was on the path to recovery, there were still plenty of signs of battle. Craters pocked the streets, and rubble still lay in piles where buildings had burned and collapsed.
But repairs were already underway on other buildings like the Harbor House Hotel which remained the new command center for the Allied States.
Beckham looked toward the port while he drove around the potholes and cracks in the road. He slowed as they passed a four-foot high wall made of bricks recovered from many of the destroyed buildings. Each brick was inscribed with a name representing someone who had died in Galveston.
In time, they would replace that memorial with a more permanent one. As the Allied States spread back into reclaimed territories more memorials would be constructed, lest the nascent nation ever forget the sacrifices their people had made.
Kate broke the silence. “I got good news about the Fallen Chimeras we rescued. Most have been moved to the colony in Houston. Our doctors have been able to take care of their unique medical needs.”
“That is good news,” Cornelius said.
“Especially since there hasn’t been any attacks or violence from or against the Chimera refugees as we first feared,” Kate said.
Beckham looked at the bricks they passed. Somewhere in that wall was one with Corrin’s name. The Chimera would be proud to hear that report.
“It’s a good start,” Beckham said. “The Chimeras deserve a new shot at life.”
“And I’m also happy to report that Sammy has confirmed over ninety percent of the network is dead due to anthrax,” Kate said. “We haven’t detected any signals passing through the network since the defeat of Los Alamos, too. Whatever monsters that are left out there won’t be able to reorganize or reunite through any webbing communications.”
“I’ve heard rumblings from some of the Fallen Chimeras that they would be willing to assist in our hunts to root out any of those remaining enemy forces,” Cornelius said. “Their senses—as Corrin showed—would be enormously valuable to our recon groups.”
“I agree,” Beckham said. “We can start training them with our next class of recruits. It will be imperative in taking back our territories and rescuing stranded people out there.”
Beckham thought about what was left. It wasn’t much. Only a few outposts in Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida had been confirmed as safe for resettlement. Once they started moving refugees they would need to focus on revitalizing agriculture and industry, but it would be a long process. For the next six months, managing their existing supplies would be the key to survival. That and working with their allies.
As they neared the port, Beckham spotted a massive cruiser docked along the pier that the United Kingdom had promised months ago. An entire contingent of European workers had arrived with the supplies.
Next to the British Naval Cruiser was the sole surviving ship in the First Fleet they had been able to restore with the help of their allies over the past month. It was a five-hundred foot-long Arleigh Burke class destroyer that had managed to survive the battle with minor structural damage.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the ship, soldiers and civilians spread over the street.
“Big turnout,” Kate said.
“That ship gives us all something to rally around,” Cornelius said.
Beckham parked and they all got out, starting toward a temporary platform built around the bow of the ship. A group of six Marines stood stiffly around the platform.
“Ringgold would be very proud of what we’ve accomplished together, Captain,” Cornelius said.
“I can’t thank you enough, General,” Beckham replied. “You have helped save our country.”
“You knew her better than perhaps any of us left on this island today. I imagine she would be looking forward to what you accomplish next.”
“What we will accomplish next,” Beckham said.
Cornelius nodded.
“Perhaps there’s a better strategy for us to work together, on the same presidential ticket,” Beckham said.
“Are you asking me to run with you?”
“I suppose now is as good as time as any,” Beckham said.
“I’d be proud to be your vice president.”
Beckham was slightly taken back. He figured Cornelius would want the top slot.
“Don’t act surprised,” he said. “I know it’s what Jan would have wanted.”
Beckham reached out and Cornelius met his hand, sealing the deal wi
th a shake.
“I look forward to working with you to restore our country,” Cornelius said.
“We will bring it back from the brink, General,” Beckham said.
“I look forward to where the country’s headed with you two working together,” Kate said.
“Fortunately, we have some of the greatest scientific minds in the world on our side, too,” Beckham said. “That’ll be equally important to our future.”
“You can say that again,” Cornelius said. “We wouldn’t be here today without you, Doctor.”
Kate smiled and then looked to Beckham. “You ready for this?”
“Yes.” He gripped her hand and they started toward the crowd and the ship.
Beckham was relieved to have her blessing to run, and even more relieved to have Cornelius running with him. What they needed right now was to support one another and work together, despite any differences they might have.
As they approached the crowd, Beckham spotted his friends and family already here.
Horn was with Javier and the girls, Fitz, Rico, Dohi, Timothy, Ruckley, and all the others. A month ago, they had all gathered in mourning and remembrance as they buried loved ones, but today was a brief reprieve from their sorrow.
Perhaps one glimmer of light in a time marred by darkness.
Beckham walked up a few steps to the platform and then took to the podium. Kate joined him, standing by his side.
He looked at the city in the distance, seeing the ongoing restoration efforts and thinking of all the lives lost there. Next, he surveyed the survivors who had gathered here.
“Today, I am honored to stand before you as a soldier for this great nation,” he said, his voice echoing over the speakers set to either side of the crowd. “Many gave their lives so we could be free, and while we have a mountain of work ahead, we have something more important that President Jan Ringgold taught me about.”
He paused, scanning the faces of his friends and family.
“We have hope. Even at the bleakest moments of her presidency, even when others cowered in fear, she carried the torch of hope for us, blazing a pathway for us to follow into a future filled with opportunity,” he said. “To the very end of her life, she carried that hope. I am only here today because she took us this far. Now, it’s up to each and every one of us to take our turn carrying that torch.”
Kate picked up an old bottle of champagne that had previously been set beside the podium. She handed it to Beckham.
“That’s why, on this day, I’m proud to christen the newest ship that we reintroduce back into the Allied States Navy, the USS Jan Ringgold.” He moved from the podium and toward the ship, breaking the champagne battle against its hull.
Applause broke out over the crowd.
Beckham stepped back to admire the ship. It was a patchwork of repairs, and while it likely would never be restored to the same strength and functionality, it was a symbol of their country.
Damaged, but striving to recover, like all the survivors.
Beckham knew that with diligence, hard work, and with the people in this country who had gotten them this far, there was hope that he would never let die so long as he lived. And if they were lucky, they would pass that on for generations to come. Generations who would not only survive in this great country, but thrive.
A new society would be built from the ashes of the inferno that had enveloped the country.
From this Dark Age, the Allied States would emerge again, and Captain Reed Beckham was ready to lead the charge with his wife, family, and friends.
–End of Book 4–
I hope you enjoyed Extinction Cycle Season 2: Dark Ages! Writing the Extinction Cycle has been an honor and a highlight of my career. Sharing the adventures, trials, and tribulations of Team Ghost, Doctor Kate Lovato, and all of the heroes in these stories is something I will never forget. I want to thank each and every one of you loyal readers for following along over the course of this series. If you’d like to continue the story and see a sequel at some point, please leave a short and honest review letting me know. This is the best way for me to gauge whether readers want more books. Thank you so much for reading and thanks to Doctor Anthony J. Melchiorri for helping me bring this story to life!
Sincerely,
Nicholas Sansbury Smith
[email protected]
About the Authors
Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Hell Divers series. His other work includes the Extinction Cycle series, the Trackers series, and the Orbs series. He worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster planning and mitigation before switching careers to focus on his one true passion—writing. When he isn’t writing or daydreaming about the apocalypse, he enjoys running, biking, spending time with his family, and traveling the world. He is an Ironman triathlete and lives in Iowa with his wife, their dogs, and a house full of books.
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Anthony J Melchiorri is a scientist with a PhD in bioengineering. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives in Texas. By day, he develops cellular therapies and 3D-printable artificial organs. By night, he writes apocalyptic, medical, and science-fiction thrillers that blend real-world research with other-worldly possibility, including works like The Tide and Eternal Frontier. When he isn’t in the lab or at the keyboard, he spends his time running, reading, hiking, and traveling in search of new story ideas.
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Extinction Cycle: Dark Age Box Set | Books 1-4 Page 131
