Chapter 18

Tuesday, March 18th, 2015

Two men and a little lady sat in a large office on the upper most level of the tallest building in the world. One behind the desk, leaning back in a soft suede leather chair. His feet crossed at the ankles atop his large mahogany desk. The whole wall behind him from end to end with matching mahogany book case. Shelf upon shelf contained leather bound books, ceiling to floor and wall to wall. Except one small area just over his right shoulder, there for all to see sat a miniature. A perfectly scaled model of the first ship that would come off the space dock. It would be completed within the week and was scheduled for it's shake down cruise three days after that.

The other male also sat in a leather chair. Holding a cup of coffee in his hands. He sat in a relaxed posture as well but no where near the state the older gentleman held. He'd take a modest drink every few minutes savoring the taste of the Columbian brew. The final member of the trio sat on a corner of the large desk. Clad in a simple blue dress and matching slippers. Her legs were crossed in a dainty manor with her hands folded over the other sitting lightly in her lap. She stared out the large window that encompassed the entirety of the far wall. Allowing her to see nearly all of the city before it.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with them?"

"Not my decision."

"What do you mean?"

"This is not my world, it is not my place to pass judgment."

"So what, no suggestions? No hints?"

"Nope, it is for you to decide."

Derrick pondered this for a long while. His mind formed one solution after another but those were shot down one after another just as quickly as they formed. His main problems were; He couldn't let them go in fear that they'd just regroup and cause more problems to the city or worse to the remaining survivors of Earth. Imprisonment? It would have to be for life with the amount of crimes they were directly or indirectly apart of. But that would mean wasted space, resources and man power. Provided his space bound friend has solved the matter of the first two and if he could get the remaining populous to join with him then the matter of man power could be handled as well. But with the coming of a possible war in space the idea didn't sit well with him. Not to mention the thought of having this group of men so close sent shivers down his spine.

There was no way they could join the city. The hardships they caused to the people here would not be easily forgiven. Not to mention almost all of the women that were rescued were now highly trained killing machines. He had no allusions that if even one of those women were alone in a room with the entirety of the captured men she'd be the only one alive come morning.

"Shit, shit shit. I can't kill them, I can't lock them up. I can't let them go and I most definitely can't let them stay."

"It would seem that you do have a difficult situation on your hands," he chuckled slightly before taking a drink from his cup.

"Ha ... ha ... ha you little smart ass. I just can't see an easy fix here. It's not like I can just drop them off on a deserted island and forget about them."

"Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why not just drop them on a deserted island?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Derrick, this world, not just this city needs a leader. That would mean you literally have control of the world. Find an island somewhere and put your criminals there."

Derrick let this tumble through his mind for a few moments. It was a sound idea. He couldn't just drop them off somewhere without support of some kind. The likely hood they'd survive would be zilch. Other ideas came to mind as well.

Three hours later

"What are you going to do to us?" the question rang from several men as Derrick walked into the gymnasium that had been converted into a temporary holding cell. There were over a hundred such men sitting on the ground with just as many armed and armored soldiers surrounding them. There was even a force shield surrounding them that would shock on contact. Several had learned the hard way that such shocks were not pleasant at all.

Derrick ascended the steps to the stage that sat at one end and made the quick trip to center stage. Once he was sure that all the men had their eyes on him he began. "It would seem that I find myself in a bind as to what to do to you."

This statement caused the group to start mumbling to themselves. After a few moments he continued. "I can't lock you up, nor can I let you stay here. You may not believe it but the planet will soon be attacked and I have to much to worry about to add keeping an eye on you to my plate." Even though the idea that aliens might be attacking the planet soon didn't sit well with them, the idea that they might be release caused an excited murmur to go around.

"I also can't just let you go," he said which caused the men to groan audibly. "And to be honest, even though most of you deserve it. The idea of just killing the lot of you doesn't sit well with me either." Unsurprisingly, several moans escaped the mouths of the men. They never considered that they would just be outright killed. "Since I don't relish the idea, nor will I run from it, I will leave the final decision up to you." this confused the majority. The idea that they would get to decide their own fate had them dumbstruck.

"You have two options, the first is to be taken outside and shot in the head so no pain will be felt." This caused the expected outraged outburst. Everyone was on their feet now, the guards reacting to the sudden movement had their rifles trained on the group even though the force shield could easily hold them. They were shouting loudly at him, that he couldn't do that to them, not to mention the rather colorful words and other expressions thrown in.

"Shut up!!!!!" he bellowed causing instantaneous silence in the room. After clearing his throat he continued. "As I was saying, your other option isn't really all the a bad." At this point a globe appeared in the air behind him. A large one that stood about 12 feet in height. This caused several of the prisoners to scream like little girls, one of which promptly passed out. "Your other option is exile," at this the globe began to rotate and zoom in to an island.

"The island you see here is Saint Croix. It's the southern most land mass which is part of the Virgin Islands. If this is your choice, I'll level it and place you there. Understand, you'll have to work. Farm land will be cleared and dorm style buildings will be built. You'll grow your own food. Raise your own animals and take care of yourself. Once there you'll have no more contact with the rest of your world, ever. We'll drop you and forget about you. There will be security though. The island will have it's own stand alone A.I. And it will keep watch over you. It'll watch over you in your day to day lives to ensure that you don't attack one another. Understand, there will be armed androids located on the island. If you are found, and you will, make no mistake about that, you will be killed outright. No trial, no more second chances. You'll also be protected from the world just as we'll be protected from you. Any attempt to leave the island will result in your deaths. There will be a force shield approximately 5 miles from the shore line. Any human that comes into this contact will receive an electric charge of over a million volts. The shield will also protect you from hurricanes and severe storms."

It didn't take much debate for the prisoners to decide. A transport ship was already being built in anticipation of their decision. With their decision made they were told they'd be moving the next day. He left the gymnasium content with the decision made. He didn't have to kill them and they would no longer be a problem for the world he wanted to rebuild.

Wednesday May 20th, 2015

"But why do I have to go?" Jennifer asked indignantly. She'd been called down to a meeting just moments before. The last two months were spent with her squad. Training with the various weapons now available to them preparing for the Valcun threat that loomed over their heads. A war was coming and her and her squad were learning everything they could about fighting and war. She'd never admit it but it had become her main focus in life. Her obsessive behavior had even started to spoil the relationships between her and her team mates.

"I've told you that already Jen. They are going to need protection. Those zombies are out there and will come running once they are outside these walls. Get your head out your ass and go get your stuff." Mike replied. He new this wasn't going to go well but he was surprise at the level of ire she was exhibiting. He watched as she stormed out the room and was thankful that the doors slid closed and didn't have to worry about the slamming of a door. As he was sure it'd be torn off the hinges. Sometimes he wondered if the enhancements shouldn't be removed during peaceful times.

He was brought out of his thoughts as Derrick began speaking. "I think you were right. She's getting out of hand. How do you suppose we keep her in line if she's out in the field?"

"We don't. She has to get away to give herself some time. As long as she's here she'll just keep going until she burns out."

"Do you think that's wise?" A young woman was saying as she held the hand of her husband. Her name was Erica 'Elliot' King. Only her close friends dared to call her Eek. The owner of the hand to which she was holding was her husband Robert 'don't call me Bob' King. He was the one who gave Erica her nickname on their honeymoon. You'll have to ask her where the name came from. "How do you know she won't go off the deep end while we're out there?"

"I doubt that would happen, what I do hope happens is that while she is out there she'll have a chance to get her mind off of work, so to speak. I need the two of you to keep her occupied with every day things. Keep her as far from a militant mind set as you are able."

"Will that work?" Robert asked. He wasn't really concerned about her going off the deep end as his wife so eloquently stated.

"Probably not," Mike answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "With the zombies still out I doubt she'll spend more than 5 minutes from the time you leave without her rifle in her hands. All I want you to do is try to get her to set it down every once in awhile."

"Mike I just had an idea," Derrick said sitting up in his chair. "Why don't we send someone else to handle the 'normal' security. That way she won't have an excuse to remain in that mindset the entire time."

"Who would you send? Sending one of the girls along wouldn't help matters a bit." Mike replied a bit shocked that Derrick would suggest something like that. It would be a good idea if they had someone who could act in that capacity.

"I have just the person in mind. I'll have him meet you guys in the morning at the gate."

This seemed to please everyone so the group dispersed to get ready for their trip. Derrick went to make a call and find where Angel had gotten off to while Mike went to have a little TALK with Jennifer. It didn't take him long to get to her apartment. She was inside checking that her light and heavy armor were stored properly in their cases and that her rifle was cleaned and ready as well. She'd already packed several pairs of uniforms and undergarments and had that bag sitting by the door. "Jen," Mike said watching her stiffen at his voice. "I know you don't want to go, I even understand WHY you don't want to go. But you have to go. You are going down that path I warned you about even if you don't believe it. I'm telling you to relax out there. Not to let your guard down, but to let your hair down."

"Yes sir," she said simply. Before continuing to check her weapon. He sighed aloud a he approached her. When he got within six feet she turned to face him. Their eyes locked then. The challenge in her hazel eyes and the pain in his brown. Once he was close enough he circled his arms around her in a tight embrace. If any other male had done this she would have broken his neck but the care and respect these two people shared allowed the other some liberties that would otherwise not be taken. He still felt her body tense at his touch but it wasn't as bad as it used to be.

"I love you Jen, and I want you to come back to me," he said into her ear in a soft whisper. In his heart she was the daughter he never had. The one he messed up as she grew older turning her into a tomboy because he knew no other way. Finally she returned the hug, giving him a soft squeeze of her own before stepping back. He allowed her to slip from his arms and he quickly turned so that she wouldn't see the tears he knew were threatening to fall from his eyes. "Be at the main gate at 7am sharp." Mike quickly walked out of her room and stopped once he was out of site.