After Impact: After Impact Trilogy, Book 1 (17 page)

Ilium showed respect before mooching off of their shelter by pausing to say a small prayer. His tongue was dry, so he took a swig of his water bottle. Surveying the room some more, two mattresses and a pile of blankets sat in a corner
. Probably crawling with things I don’t want to think about.
Still, he took a chance, and after knocking the dirt and grime from the mattress, laid across pulling one of the blankets on top of him. He stared up at the ceiling for a long time.

His mind drifted to when he and Avalon hugged. He had not received a hug like that since entering the orphanage. His mom gave hugs like that— hugs that radiated the warmth of the person giving them. In the embrace, his muscles loosened from the rigidity he had developed from being forced to defend himself against the world all of those years, how small and dainty Avalon was in his arms, and a strong desire to protect her from all of the bad the world could offer. It was not something that he was conscious of, it happened naturally and involuntarily. No matter what happened to them, or who she chose to date in the future, he would always be her protector and comforter. He would do his best to ensure no harm came to her in any way.

Then a wave of shame hit him as he recalled how harm was being inflicted upon her right now, at the hands of Viggo. His fists balled up, but he eventually fell asleep.

Sleep did not come easily to Avalon that night. She missed Ilium deeply. The sunshine in her life had left her grasping in the dark. The cadence of his laughter, the way he tousled his hair when in deep thought, and how his face lit up in her presence were memories which she held on to for dear life. Living in the habitat without Ilium was not living, it was surviving.

I miss him so much. At first, it was more of a friendship, but now it has become so much more.

Chances are slim that he is still alive, much less that he will return in one peace. Who knows what dangers lie outside? How will seeing all that destruction affect him?

Avalon could wait no longer for the President to make his decision. Her head turned at the sound of a knock on her door. She slid her legs out of her capsule bed and hopped down to the ground.

Kael. What is he doing here?

“What do you want?” she asked through the door.

“For you to open the door.”

Avalon unlocked the door, allowing Kael to swipe in to her dorm.

Kael stopped and looked at her face which was red and puffy.

“What about Ilium? What is your father thinking?” Avalon asked.

Kael’s face fell. “I don’t understand him myself. He keeps saying that he won’t do it.”

“Well I can’t just sit here and let Ilium die. You must understand that,” Avalon said.

Kael took a long steady breath before saying, “I do.”

Kael eyed Avalon before adding, “Please, whatever you are planning, be safe.”

“Is that concern I detect in your voice?” Avalon asked mockingly.

Kael took a step closer. “Yes. Before you awoke in the habitat, my life was largely mundane and routine. Since you woke up, my life has been nothing but an adventure. I know you think Accipios have it made—and we do as far as creature comforts go, but all of this comes with huge responsibility.”

He took another step until they were mere inches apart. “You see, I was actually relieved when Match Day matched me with you. I didn’t want a predictable life with Elena. I want a crazy one with you,” he said.

Avalon could barely process the words coming out of his mouth. At one time, she would have been delighted to hear those words, but not now. As she opened her mouth to speak, his lips fell on hers and engulfed her in a passionate kiss.

Despite the passion of his kiss, her body did not come alive. Avalon gently withdrew her lips and shook her head.

“I understand,” Kael said. He straightened his shoulders, and returned to the regal air he normally displayed to others.

A look of annoyance and hardness was in his eyes before he swiped his wrist and left the room.

What the heck just happened?
Avalon thought as she hopped back into her capsule.
Kael is a great guy. He helped save me from Viggo. He is trying to get Ilium to return to the habitat. He even proclaimed he likes me more than Elena.

And none of that matters if I can’t get Ilium.
Anger rippled through her body again as she imagined Ilium running out of oxygen. All alone.

I have lost too much to this asteroid. My father. My family. Brody. My normal life. I can’t afford to lose Ilium too.
If I have to stay awake worrying about Ilium, then the President will too.

The President jolted awake as an alarm went off in his chamber at 0400 in the morning.

“What is it?” he yelled, kicking the sheets off of him as his feet hit the cold floor. A chill climbed up his spine.

“The systems are crashing, sir!” someone on the night shift said on his wallscreen.

“What systems?”

“Several systems critical to the habitat, sir. They appear to be working, but I am not sure because the lights are blinking on and off on the oxygenator—does that mean it is working or it is not working?”

The President called upon several Accipios for assistance. However, they were unable to resolve the situation. While frustrated, and pacing the floor, he received a videomessage from Avalon Adams.

“Hello, Mr. President,” Avalon said with a smirk.

The President’s eyes were a bit bloodshot. “It is you… isn’t it?”

“It isn’t wholly me. But yes. I am demonstrating that without us, this whole habitat could suffer just like without Ilium, I am suffering. Speaking of, have you had time to make up your mind yet about Ilium?”

“I could get rid of you. With or without the recommendation of the Council.”

“Yes, you could. But you won’t. Because you need us. So enough of this chitchat. Give me what I want.”

With a sigh of frustration, the President agreed to return Ilium to the habitat and reinstate his civil rights in full. Avalon was filled with joy and thanked the President. She messaged Xin to let him know the good news as well.

The President waited till breakfast time the next morning to issue an announcement via the wallscreen.

“Good morning, everyone. I have an announcement to make.”

Everyone turned to face the wallscreen no matter what they were previously engaged in.

“I received ill intelligence the other day on the matter of who was poisoning us. It turned out not to be Ilium after all.”

Gasps erupted throughout the habitat.

“Don’t worry. I have ordered Ilium to return to the habitat, and his rights will be reinstated in full. Meanwhile, I have also fired the one responsible for this false intelligence.”

That last part is not true.

“Carry on, and remember if you see anything out of the ordinary to report it to the security guards.”

Avalon’s ran to the airlock to wait for Ilium’s return
.

That same morning, Ilium woke up in total darkness. His heart beat faster, as humans are not meant to be in darkness. Touching his wrist to activate the flashlight, his eyes slowly adjusted to the slim sliver of light as he took a swig of water from his jug. Rising from the cold hard floor, Ilium’s back ached. The hunger inside of him grew as his stomach begged for mercy.

There has to be water here. Sure, the food has all gone stale, but water…water would last. Surely these people could not have survived so long without it.

Ilium ran his hands along the smooth walls of the compound, desperately searching for anything odd or out of place.

Why would they hide the water? Were they expecting people to raid this place?

Six planks were a slightly different shade than the others. He quickly tore at the planks, and found a large 55 gallon drum full of water.

Yes!
Ilium unscrewed his water canteen lid and began refilling it from the tap on the bottom of the water drum.

I can survive,
he thought for the first time since leaving the habitat as he sipped the water. He tried not to sip it too fast, as that would make him sick and dehydrated again.

Now, all I have to find is some food. Despite the fact I haven’t seen anything, doesn’t mean nothing is out there. Maybe some small plant around here survived.

Just as hope swelled in his heart, his helmet comm crackled.

“Come,” a security guard instructed on his comm unit inside his helmet.

“What?” Ilium said as he glanced down at his oxygen level which was at 30%. He thought maybe he had begun to hallucinate.

“Come back,” the voice said, a little bit cleared than before.
Was this voice playing a trick with him?

“You have been pardoned. Please return immediately,” the voice stated clearly.

Ilium’s heart leapt with joy until his oxygen tank revealed he only had four hours to walk thirty miles.

Ilium’s whole body became stronger, invigorated by the opportunity to reunite with Avalon again. But his oxygen levels were a problem. He simply did not have enough to reach the habitat in time.
Should I go? Or should I stay?
He could technically remain in the habitat if he found adequate food sources. Or, he could use the last of his oxygen and at least make an attempt to reunite with Avalon again.

At the thought of Avalon, Ilium practically leapt up the bunker’s ladder and unlocked the hatch to return to the surface. He took one big breath as he sprinted back towards the mountain which lay in the distance like a red camel’s hump, praying his oxygen would last. However, it was increasingly difficult to see as sandstorms brought bright orange dust which hit his helmet obscuring his vision. His footsteps were erased as soon as he made them. Luckily, his suit’s tracker helped him to navigate his way.

Ilium began to falter. So close, so close. He fell down to the ground with a thud. Turning over on his back so he could see the sky before he died, a shape in the form of a two legged animal move towards him.

Must be a hallucination. I’m told that’s part of the death process.
His breathing slowed and slowed as the shape took on the form of a man. As the man came nearer, he became even more certain that it was indeed a man. The man loomed large over him, dark complexioned, barefoot and with tattered dirty clothes. A large scar ran across his face from his forehead to his chin.

The scar appeared to follow a Lichtenberg pattern, suggesting the man may have been struck by lightning.

Grasping his chest, darkness clouded his vision and the world went silent as Ilium blacked out.

Lights. Lots of brilliant light and a lightweight feeling. Colors are supernaturally bright and brilliant. Effervescent bubbles float around in all shapes and sizes. It is beautiful.

This man—where did he come from? And why is he here? I feel as though I am being carried. I’m gasping, gasping. Struggling to breathe. Ow—it hurts as my lungs fill with oxygen again. I can breathe. He removes his hands from my chest. His eyes are gold—not just amber brown but truly golden in color. I feel stronger than before. Where am I? This looks like the inside of a large cave. How did I get here? I thought before you die, you were supposed to see your loved ones flash before your eyes. This man is not my loved one. I should be seeing my parents. Or Avalon. What is he giving me to drink? No , I don’t want it. His eyes are scaring me, so I drink it. Now I feel sleepy again.

When Ilium opened his eyes again, he was lying flat on his back. Slowly, he stood up. He could breathe fine now and he returned towards the habitat. Finally, he was only a few feet from the habitat. His heart thudded rapidly in his chest as the hatch door slowly opened.

No sooner than he stepped into the airlock, the AI turned on a UV light to conduct an analysis on him.

“Welcome back, Ilium. Proceeding to scan for radiation and other environmental contaminants.” After a few moments of the light dancing across his suit, the AI said, “Scan complete. Please step into the side room for sterilization.”

Ilium stepped into a side room where his suit was sterilized with various chemicals.

“You may remove your outer suit now and re-enter the habitat,” the AI announced.

Avalon waited impatiently for Ilium.
Will he feel the same way for me or will he still have feelings for Raleigh?
But then as soon as he exited the airlock, her fears were relieved as her heart swelled at his sight. Strange electricity came over her whole body as she inhaled his scent in the tender embrace she gave him. They slowly broke away from each other, and his hand was holding hers. She did not move away.

“Thank goodness, you are back! We were worried sick about you!” Avalon said.

Ilium thought more time had passed than did, and when he snuck a peek at his oxygen levels, it read zero.

“Let’s get you settled,” she said, escorting him to his dorm.

Viggo sat in his holding cell. He did not mind his new environment. The cold floor, grey walls, overall silence, and lack of windows matched his heart.

The guard passed Viggo his tray of dinner around 1700 that night. However, Viggo in no mood to eat. He was in the mood for revenge. So his food sat in the corner, untouched.

I am not the bad guy here. I am trying to save humanity. The best of humanity. Purify the race. There is no need to save the inferior! So why not use them? Why would a farmer plant inferior seeds if he could plant seeds guaranteed to yield delicious ripe fruit? The President didn’t have the guts to make the hard choices. The choices necessary for our survival.

At first, I utilized a few computer models which were designed to simulate rat and mice models. But the scale wasn’t sufficient. There weren’t enough data points. I needed realistic data, more data. Data I could only accurately acquire from a human, not a computer model,
Viggo thought.

Around midnight, way past normal visiting hours, a security guard unlocked the door to Viggo’s cell.

“What is going on?” Viggo asked with wide eyes. “I have never heard of anyone being sentenced in the middle of the night.”

“No, you aren’t being sentenced. You have a visitor,” the security guard answered as he led Viggo to a visitation area booth. Clear Plexiglas stood between him and the visitor on the other side.

Viggo’s face lit up.

“Thank you for gracing me with your presence!” Viggo said. After a moment he added, “I am so sorry I failed you. However, I did
not
tell the President anything about you.”

“Very good. I knew you wouldn’t. You are very loyal,” the visitor reassured.

“Thank you, your grace. You are most gracious,” Viggo said with relief.

“Don’t speak of it. You have served me well.”

“The world will remember me won’t they? I will be famous, like you said?” Viggo asked.

“Famous,” the figure repeated. “By the way, I brought you some bread. I had to pay the guard extra for this,” the cloaked figure said handing him some bread through a small hole in the glass.

“Thank you,” Viggo said, biting off a piece of bread and quickly chewing it. “You wouldn’t believe the food they serve to prisoners here. Absolutely disgusting. I
almost
feel sorry for the lower classes.”

“Are our final plans in order?” The figure asked.

“Yes. Everything is just as you said. The President does not suspect a thing.”

“Continue to eat. Your reward will be even greater if you pull this off,” the figure said, walking away.

Once Ilium returned to his dorm, Avalon brought him some warm soup. Avalon had never entered his dorm before.

He was allowed to live alone until the full 5000 members awakened as courtesy for being the physician. What Avalon didn’t know was what a penchant he had for ancient books and movies.

Ilium had an excellent drawing ability, and his room was lined with pictures of elves and beings from the Lord of the Rings and intricate maps of make believe worlds. Her fingers ran across the covers of some old books.
He must have smuggled these in undetected somehow.
Ilium, you sly dog.
Avalon opened the dusty books, letting out a plum of dust into the air. She sniffled a few times and ran her hands across the wrinkled yellow pages. Nothing could compare to the unique feel of ancient paper.

His appearance had changed slightly since he returned. His bright eyes still remained, but the rest of his appearance bore little to the boyish mid-westerner Avalon had first met. Where his face was once a tad pudgy, now stood sharp lines.

Ilium chuckled. “Isn’t this interesting. Now
you
are feeding me.”

Avalon smiled. Inside, Ilium was the same as always. “I thought I’d lost you. Forever,” her voice shook as she said the word forever.

Ilium stood up and took her hands into his. He gingerly placed his hands around her slender waist. Then he tilted her chin, which was pointing down, up towards his face. Avalon was once again taken aback by how the boyish Ilium had been replaced with a more chiseled version. Gently, he removed a strand of hair which slipped from her ponytail, and placed it behind her ear. Then he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.

“You don’t ever have to worry about that again.”

Avalon tried to hide her disappointment that the kiss had not landed on her lips and instead began to pepper him with questions. “So tell me, what was it like out there? Is it totally desolate like my father projected? Or is there some tiny piece of green that managed to survive?”

Ilium lowered his eyes. “Everything is destroyed. There is nothing but a sea of red dust. I didn’t see a speck of water anywhere, or any trees. I honestly don’t know if we can terraform.” After he said that, once again, the image of the dark complexioned man came to his mind. Ilium considered whether or not to tell Avalon about his strange encounter with the man on the outside, but instead he chopped it up to a hallucination as a result of a near death experience and decided to keep it to himself.

“I know it looks bad. But my father predicted that the air should at least be breathable by the time the countdown clock finishes. I am sure that given enough time, we can make it work outside,” Avalon said.

Avalon hugged Ilium which he returned. Still, he was slightly unsettled that he hallucinated a strange man instead of life at the orphanage, or Avalon.

“Rest up,” she said, about to swipe her wrist across the door. That’s when Ilium grabbed her wrist softly from behind, and turned her towards him. Avalon’s body buzzed with electricity and warmth as she inhaled Ilium’s scent. Wrapped in his embrace, she listened to his heartbeat like it was the hottest soundtrack of the summer.

“You were what I thought about when I was outside. When I thought I was going to die. Every step I took, I took for you,” Ilium said as he pressed his lips against Avalon’s.

That’s when Avalon’s smartwatch buzzed.

“Who is it?” Ilium asked with irritation.

Avalon paused. “Brody.”