Forward

“Why always her, Veronica?!” Loki yells.

After burying Esperanza, whose smile never faded, Loki confronts Veronica far from the settlement’s borders. Only Lily is with them, but she cannot stop the two from fighting if they are to engage.

Loki continues. “She may have been strong but I am more than enough to protect you! As our leader you should have known this! She’d be alive if it wasn’t for you!”

“Loki!” Lily yelled.

“It’s fine, Lily.” Veronica raised her hand. “Loki, if you want to kill then so be it. But I’ll answer your question first; the reason I always took her was her decision. As much as she loved you and I, she loved the settlement and its people even more. She believed it best for you to stay and protect them, you’re the strongest after all.”

Loki grits his teeth. “Then… then why did she refuse a relationship? She said you would know.”

“Esperanza believed that one of the most important things in a relationship is being someone that will always be there for their significant other, one that will always return.”

“I could have promised that.” Loki said.

“I know, but she couldn’t. Esperanza didn’t want you to be hurt even more then now if something were to happen to her. I’m sorry.”

Loki sits, his emotions continue to pour as he mutters Esperanza’s name.

“Stay with him, please.” Veronica says to Lily.

“I will.”

“Thank you. Loki, when you’re ready, I have something I need your help with. Come get me then.”

Lily glances at Veronica, she shivers as she catches her eyes. The frightening focus in her eyes is unlike any before, one fueled by rage and heartbreak.

“Seems she has you working the hardest.” Bell offers Issac a drink.

Months have passed since the visit to classroom 102. With the recovery of the blueprints, the geniuses have begun developing even more ideas or improving upon their previous designs. Although not as capable as before the war, they still have plentiful resources that make it possible to improve.

In that time, the construction of the city has begun. Veronica uses whatever energy remains in the robots to begin construction using Issac’s designs and some improvements he gave after adjusting his old designs. Even in the 8 years since, none of the geniuses ever stopped thinking about their main studies. With help from Liang’s drones, the city is well under way.

“Well, a city like this was once a dream. Bringing it to reality is more difficult than one would like. You guys are all hard at work as well.”

Bell and Issac look back into the lab. Not as large as their bunker lab in classroom 102, but still large enough for all of them to have room for their own studies while the center is the fusion reactor project.

“Careful with that you exoskeleton crazed buffoon!” Artem jokes with Elizabeth as she carries a large piece of the reactor with her new exoskeleton.

“Come on, I’m not as unstable as I feel, am I?” Each step she takes is unsteady, the new generation of exoskeleton in its earliest stages of development.

“No, you’re far worse.” Lars scans the exoskeleton with his eyes, the first implants he ever made but were never approved by the world council. Anything not relating to war power never passed. But the eyes have many uses including quick scanning and developing breakdowns of other technology on a screen only he can see. “Yes, see we’ve missed some parts around the knees.”

“Can we hurry please?” Artem said from the top of the reactor. “Any more delay and we’ll have to offer someone’s head.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Akihiko said as he rises next to Artem. “What do you think?” he asks about his hover boots. A single finger from Artem sends him floating backwards. “We’re… still working on the kinks. Can someone stop me please!”

“Have you seen Zara?” Anastasia asked Bell as he pushes Akihiko forward.

“Zara? I believe she’s been speaking with the little girl that works with Veronica a lot, Lily I believe.”

“I see… Bell, are you sure about this?” Akihiko asked.

“About?”

“About giving them an entire fusion reactor. I’ll admit they’re building something nice, but this may be too much for them. Think about it, I haven’t seen a day where that woman isn’t drowning herself in liquor.” Anastasia said.

“I’ll admit her alcohol consumption has worsened these past few months, but we can’t deny her accomplishments. None of us were able to accomplish what she did.”

“But we can now, together. If we don’t know we study and learn. I’m sure you’ve been doing the same since arriving here.”

“I have. But only as a last resource, there is no need to expend any more energy if we have them. I’d like to focus elsewhere; we start here then give more reactors around the world. Wouldn’t that be nice, it’d be a start to bringing energy to places that need it.”

“I still have my reservations. Tell me, why did none of Dante’s work return with the rest of ours?”

Bell hesitates to respond. “I have no answer. Veronica hasn’t asked to develop weapons however; we can’t assume wrongdoing.”

“I can. I’ve studied the mind; I can see the path hers is taking. Bell, heed my word, she will spiral.”

“I will keep your word in mind. If nothing else, know that we can succeed together, we can overcome setbacks. For now, we’ll focus here.”

“Fine.”

“Look, it is the same!” Elena yells.

Elena and Liang remain in the medicine bunker most of their time, their research to help their children superseding any other.

They have studied a sample from Esperanza, hoping to find something similar to the illness overcoming their children. Today, they have a similar reaction. The cells deteriorate, as much as they attempt to grow, they are weak and fizzle away.

Liang takes a look. “Unbelievable… Elena, do you think…”

“It must be. We spent so much time near the reactors, there must have been some radiation or something that we absorbed into our bodies.”

“And it was passed onto them. But none of the others suffer similar illness.”

“It’s possible that it isn’t strong enough to develop into an issue for adults, passed on it is a major issue however. Liang, we only have so much time.”

“I know, I know. We’ll find something, now that we understand what may be the cause we have a path to work towards. How good are you with cell development and science?”

“I have a good understanding but need to do some research. Lily is sure to have something in her databases, her and Zara are working on even greater information distribution system as well. I believe Artem is going to help, said they need a stronger computer as well.”

“For radio towers?”

“No, satellites.”

“Of course, that would revolutionize it once more.”

“Indeed. Well done, let’s go see what they have.”

Six months passes since the visit to classroom 102. Setbacks have delayed the reactor but it is soon to be functional and connected to the city waiting for it. Much of the city is done as well, mega skyscrapers piercing the sky, lights waiting for energy, stores, housing, and much more have been built with the help of those in the settlement, the robots, and Issac’s plans.

“A toast!” Bell raises his glass, all of the geniuses gathered in their lab to celebrate the year of successful work.

New developments, a successful reactor made smaller and with less resources, and soon the first city in the new world.

A long awaited and joyful day, but their celebration is cut short.

Veronica storms inside, past Bell and to Anastasia. Before he can react, Veronica punches him with a pair of electric knuckles taken from the bunker in classroom 102. He slams against the wall before being dragged by Veronica to the front of the room.

“Veronica what are you doing?!” Bell asked.

“Shut up, what you’re about to hear is going to surprise though it shouldn’t. Sit, it will take some time.”

The geniuses do as she says, each grasping at each other in fear.

Bell stands in front of his colleagues, his worries personifying before him, he can only hope the worst will not come.