Adam's first waking thought was a sneeze, a lingering reminder of yesterday's cold immersion. He pulled his coat collar tighter, settling onto the shelter stairs, looking down at the waking camp. Behind him, Megan stepped down a few stairs until she matched his level and sat down beside him, a mug of hot liquid in her hand.
Unashamed of the many eyes that occasionally darted their way, Adam leaned closer to her, smelling her hair, which curled with a slight waviness from last night's "extended" shower.
"It smells so good," he said, trying to get close to her neck, yet she cast him a playful gaze.
"The coffee?" she asked.
He backed away slightly, meeting her eyes, and tried to approach her for a kiss, but she simply turned away. Still, he leaned in and smooched her cheek.
"Control yourself, you animal."
"Not gonna."
He still leaned in for another kiss, but she pushed his face aside, looking down, as his actions were literally on display. She put the hot mug in his hand; its heat jolted him, momentarily distracting him from his unholy desires as he struggled to keep it from spilling.
"We'll have plenty of time for ourselves… later!" Her voice strict, she glared at him, but deep down, she was ready to drag him to a cabin for yet another round.
The problem was, both their legs had long since given up, even their voices had become a little hoarse, and their sleep was hardly enough to heal everything they had endured.
Adam sipped his coffee before narrowing his eyes in disgust, goosebumps prickling his skin as he looked at her.
"You know I hate hazelnut flavor," he complained.
"Well, unlike the hygiene products lying all over, all we're left with now is crappy instant coffee," she replied with a long sigh. "A month or two, and even that will expire."
As she touched on the subject, Adam also sighed and sipped his coffee, brooding alongside her.
"It's not going to be easy, babe. We'll sort it out," he said, placing his hand on her back.
"But Adam, this is all too much," she said, a difficult expression rising within her. "The things you told me… those soldiers. It all makes sense, but then again, it doesn't."
"I know." He nodded in understanding. "You've seen Captain Creed."
"I still think I was hallucinating." She looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hey, I still do too. Fuck me!" Adam said, wiping his face with his warm hands. "Kave has a few theories."
"Kave and his theories. The world ended, and they didn't. Fucking hell!" Megan couldn't help but chuckle to herself, covering her mouth as she leaned her head on her arm.
"I need you to come with us," Adam said, trying to make her lean toward him, but she simply shook her head.
"It's too much, Adam," she said, barely audible.
"Why?" he asked.
"I've seen things. Things far harder to believe than a Star Paladin coming to life," she said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Dragons, Giants… my father was at D.C. when the giants froze the White House. Mom tried to get me on the phone. Right as I answered… she…"
Adam nodded, pulling her closer, sitting silently for a while until the coffee went cold. He still drank it for the sweet flavor he hadn't tasted in a while, then put the mug back and got even closer to her.
"I thought all my tears had long since run dry," she said, wiping a few tears with the back of her index finger. "You found me, and here I am crying again."
"You can always cry by my side, babe," he replied, patting her back. She turned to him, looking into his eyes with tear-filled eyes, and kissed him. She was the one unbothered by the prying eyes around them this time.
She retreated, her lips twitching into a smile as she looked at him. She found something to smile about, and he was right beside her.
"This place is better for Tommy. And the Professor… he's like family to me," She said.
"I know, but… this place?" Adam looked around and gave a dry laugh. "I spent a month with the gangs, another in the base, then some time east at the airport. Utter chaos reigned wherever I went, but you know what they all had…"
"…" She looked at him, waiting for him to answer his question.
"Leadership," he said, looking around. "A clear chain of leadership with a clear leader at the top, bossing the others around. Not like whatever this is."
Megan averted her eyes, scoffing, "You sound just like Dad."
"Ugh!" Adam muttered with clear disgust.
She poked him with her elbow, causing him to flinch, but she still smiled.
"I know you all love Professor Hendrick and look up to him, but he isn't keen on leading anyone. He doesn't have the heart for it, since you're all dear to him. He won't just send you to your deaths."
"But you will?" she asked.
"I have Men-at-Arms, and Venuxians even. They piss in the general direction of death just for the fun of it," he said, turning his whole body toward her. "The Professor would rather not take difficult decisions."
"But you can?" Megan raised a brow.
"I'm not sacrificing others for fun. I want to save lives, gather people, and rebuild. In this place, you're barely getting by; you're simply surviving. It's only one disaster away from falling apart. Back in Springhead, we're rebuilding, even starting a base with SolTech. I even built a Blazer welding gun the other day."
Megan listened, a familiar weariness settling in. She knew this conversation, knew how Adam's logic, despite her instincts, often found a way to win her over.
"But that's only borrowed," she said, a heaviness settling in her heart, glancing at the stone bracelet around her right wrist. "This is called the Amulet of True Aim. I was lucky to acquire it. I can't imagine how I'd be alive here without this stone, without the system and all of that. The same goes for your mysterious rune, Adam."
"True." He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "You're saying if I died, everything would be lost."
"Yes. Can you imagine those whom you lead suddenly having all the Men-at-Arms and Star Paladins you summon disappear in the middle of a battle?" she said.
"Sadly, I can't imagine," he said, then followed up with a cheeky sneer, "I'd be dead, eh?"
"Fucking…"
"Alright, alright!"
Adam retreated as Megan raised her left arm, ready to ram him with her elbow again. He smiled and waited for her to calm down before placing his hand on her hip and holding her tight.
"I'll keep the lackey act for as long as possible. I won't present myself as the Commander of my summons. I'll just be one of many humans who are in league with this mysterious force," he said, declaring his plan to her.
"Good." She nodded, approving of his plan slightly. "But if and when people discover that they're fictional soldiers from Wartopia?"
"Do you think they'll believe someone has summoned them with the power of runes?" Adam asked with a sly look in his eyes.
"We don't know. I just heard about those aliens who call themselves Alfari; they know more than we do regarding runes. We'd need to know more from them first," she said, trying to complement his plan.
"We can't. The Wartopians hate aliens, as we know, so we'll need someone else to get such information. I heard the aliens hit it off with Professor Hendrick," Adam pointed out.
"You know I would hate lying to him." She averted her eyes, still holding the Professor in high regard.
"We wouldn't. A man with his knowledge is invaluable. We just have to wait until we establish a big enough force for the Professor to see no qualms in joining us," Adam said, looking at Megan's eyes carefully, making sure she was on board with him.
She looked at him, thought things through, looked at her brother, who was sitting back, laughing with one of the Wartopians, yet still closed her eyes.
"I don't know," she said, biting her lip, feeling the gravity of the decision she was about to make, and the team she was about to switch to.
"You're beautiful, you're brilliant, I love you!" Adam said in quick succession, all in a single breath.
Megan looked down, sucking her lips in, trying to resist the smile that still managed to widen across her face.
"Fine, you win."
"I should have started with that, eh?" Adam smugly lowered his head to take a better look at her face.
"Don't start it. I swear!" She snapped, raising an index finger, but still smiled despite his smugness.
Adam sat back, resting on the railing, finally relieved that he got her on board. He looked at her, his eyes filled with love, and he looked at the unholy amount of accessories she was wearing, spotting something through her shirt.
He reached for her hand, dipping his index finger toward her bosom. She reflexively slapped his hand, but he looked her in the eyes without retreating, then picked one of the necklaces out, a ring held at its end, dangling with a beautiful gleam.
"You still have it?" he asked, looking at her beautiful eyes that kept locking on his.
"You thought I'd say no?" she asked.
"You ran off back to Tennessee," he said.
"You proposed, Adam, you thought I was pregnant, so you proposed." She replied with a heavy voice; a subject the two had avoided until now was suddenly on the table.
"All I was guilty of was wanting to have a life with you. Pregnant or not, I just thought you'd be happy," he said, averting his eyes, letting out a long sigh of frustration.
Megan reached for the necklace he was holding, traced it back to her nape, and took it off, holding it for a while in front of her face.
"I've had this one for six months now. I'll miss it," she said, and put it back in Adam's hand.
Adam looked at the ring that lay orphaned in his empty hand, looking at its gleam, and rubbed it gently, imagining the sadness it must have felt after leaving her bosom. Megan saw how he looked at the ring and got closer to him:
"Next time, pick a better time."
Upon hearing that, Adam smiled and looked up. As she stood up after this long conversation they had, he put the ring in his pocket.
"Look." Megan pointed forward. "Your recruits are gathering."
Adam looked where she pointed and saw a group of people coming toward the Wartopians, who had gathered near the entrance area. Those people were the ones Professor Hendrick promised Adam he would extend his invitation to, the ones who had not much to do around the camp and would agree to military drilling.
"That's a lot," he said, counting almost thirty.
"You said you could only take in ten," Megan said, watching for Adam's response.
"Including you and Tommy," Adam replied, biting his lower lip while thinking. "Well, at least we have plenty of options to choose from."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Megan shrugged as the two descended side by side. "I know some of these faces. They're all slackers. They'll only pretend to listen to the offer, then say it's too dangerous or something."
Adam listened to what Megan said and nodded. It would be bad if those people were to speak and ruin the chance for other willing prospects to join him.
Sergeant Elena stood amidst her Men-at-Arms, her hair gathered in a bun, a vicious look on her face, cast at those people who were far below standards, and began giving a speech:
"Alright, worms. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you worthless pieces of shit, you wouldn't ever…"
"Oh, boy!" Adam covered his face. Megan started giggling, and Kave, on the other side, started to look at Elena with more reverence after last night.
Luckily for the operation, Adam would speak to the survivors as a local representative of his group, mitigating some of the damage Elena would inflict.
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