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“Dad… who are all these people?”
“Some friends I made while I was getting home.”
“Friends?” Captain Recker stepped forward again. “Fans, more like it.” He looked at Dianne. “Your husband’s a hero, ma’am. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he saved the world.”
Rick shrugged and smiled. “It was a team effort.”
“How… why…” Dianne was just as confused and overwhelmed as Mark, and as she tried to wrap her head around the sudden change in scenery, she too had an obvious question. “Why are they all here? And what does he mean, you saved the world?”
Rick pulled Mark and Dianne in close, wrapping his arms around them, not wanting to ever let them out of his sight again. “That… is a very, very long story.”
Chapter 20
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Gunfire echoes down the dark street, following the footsteps of three individuals as they run without looking back. They move in erratic paths, weaving in and out between burned-out cars while trying to stay together.
“This way!” Ted hisses, trying to ensure that his voice is heard only by his two companions. He points to a sign with an arrow leading off to the right, down a wide avenue that was once filled with traffic and lit by overhead streetlights. Jackie and Commander Palmer follow, glancing at the sign as they run by.
Norfolk Visitor’s Entrance – 0.3 Miles
More gunfire cracks through the dark sky, joined by the sound of desperate voices calling out after the astronauts. “They’re heading for the base! Grab ‘em fast!”
In spite of their exhaustion, their weakened bones and the loads each is carrying on their backs, the trio does not falter in their movement. Ted leads the way as they weave down the avenue, his eyes roving between the burned vehicles on the road and the darkened windows and doorways of buildings on either side. Jackie follows him, focusing all of her attention on staying on the move and not falling too far behind. Commander Palmer, in the rear, keeps his head on a swivel as he constantly checks for signs of their pursuers.
The mention of their luck seemed to have turned the tide, as they discovered a few hours into their journey to Norfolk. The destruction of portions of the area near the beach soon waned as they headed inland, and intact homes and businesses grew more common. With this, though, came a rise in signs that there were still people living in the area, subsisting off of whatever they could scrounge or steal.
The group chasing the trio, while not nourished or in shape to the degree that the astronauts are, are nevertheless persistent. The packs on the astronaut’s backs are tantalizing promises of food and other supplies that are so desperately needed. Backed into a corner, the astronauts fought just long enough to get away—killing two attackers and wounding a third. Doing so did not stop the attackers from their pursuit. On the contrary, it only brought more down upon them.
“The gates are ahead!” Ted gasps as he calls out to the pair behind him.
“Any signs of activity?”
“I don’t… wait! They’ve got lights on in there!”
Commander Palmer pauses from his scan of the area behind and looks ahead at the entrance to Norfolk. While most of the visible portion of the base are dark, one of the buildings a short distance from the entrance is, indeed lit. The sight of artificial lighting fills all three of the astronauts with hope and energy and they increase their speed, furthering the gap between them and their pursuers.
“Halt!” The shout comes from ahead, at the entrance to the base as several individuals appear, their figures barely visible behind the bright flashlights that all click on simultaneously. While Ted and Jackie slow down, Commander Palmer charges ahead, slipping his pistol into his pocket and raising his hands.
“We need help!” Commander Palmer cries out. “We’re under attack and need refuge!”
“I said halt!” The voice bellows back. Commander Palmer motions at Ted and Jackie to follow him and he slows to a stop a few dozen feet from the entrance to the base, his arms still raised over his head. “Now turn around! This is a restricted zone!”
“We’re not civilians! I am Commander Palmer; we’re astronauts just returned from the International Space Station in an escape module yesterday. We splashed down off the coast and we’ve come here for assistance!” He knows how ludicrous the claim is even as he says it, but he hopes that the uniforms he, Ted and Jackie are wearing will help offset the apparent insanity.
“You… you’re what?” There is hesitation in the next reply, and with each passing second the trio wonders if their pursuers will finally catch up to them.
“We splashed down in an escape module just off the coast. It’s tied up on the beach a few hours back in that direction.” Commander Palmer turns and points. “We were on the space station when everything went to hell.” He takes a step forward, keeping his hands high. “Please, at least just tell us what’s going on!”
There is a long moment of silence punctuated by the faint noise of radio chatter. The voice on the other side of the gate speaks too quietly for the astronauts to hear. When he finishes, he steps forward and waves to someone closer to the gate. A motor engages and the gate begins to rise, more lights go on and several uniformed MPs on the other side of the gate emerge from the shadows. Their weapons are lowered as they approach the astronauts, and the figure that spoke to Commander Palmer speaks again.
“Base wants to have a word with you, Commander Palmer. You and your associates. Come on in before the locals decide to put a bullet through your back. Quick now.” The trio hurry through the gates, the MPs watching down the darkened road for any potential attackers.
“What on earth’s been going on here?” Commander Palmer looks around at the MPs as he, Jackie and Ted walk along.
“Armageddon, Commander Palmer.” The MP looks him up and down. “Can’t believe you actually got back in one piece. We were tracking your module on a scope yesterday when you hit the atmosphere. We figured it was another satellite, though I’m glad to see we were wrong.”
“We’re glad we made it back too, Lieutenant…?”
