Extinction (28 page)

“I just have to say that you are an inspiration, Alex,” Julian said.

One person who hadn’t yet spoken was Ashton; neither had Char. Maybe they weren’t present. Voices buzzed in the background, and I couldn’t really discern what they were saying through the speakers.

“How much longer until you guys get here?” I asked.

“We should be another day,” Makara said. “And don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything.”

I almost felt tears come to my eyes at their level of commitment.

“Thanks. I can’t say that enough.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Michael said. “We’ll do this first thing. Like Makara said, we need something to celebrate. We’ve been working way too hard!”

“We can find some beer in Los Angeles,” Samuel said. “Or maybe Augustus has some wine we can use.”

This was becoming real. It was a bit overwhelming.

“Where are we having it?” Julian asked. “I know by New America, the beach is not so far away.”

“Yuck,” Makara said. “I’ve seen that water, and it looks like a giant Behemoth took a dump in it.”

“This is my homeland you speak of,” Julian said.

“Just telling you how it is,” Makara said.

“And where would
you
suggest, Makara?”

“Easy,” Makara said. “Why not Baja California? It’s beautiful, with that beach and those waves, with water so blue that you wouldn’t even believe it’s real. Besides, it’s warm, and not far from Nova Roma. Augustus might be willing to part with some food and beverages. For the sake of morale.”

Makara was right. The one time we did go there, to refill
Odin,
Baja was
very
beautiful. It was also where I’d kissed Anna for the first time, and told her how I felt.

“That’s perfect,” I said.

“I feel the same way,” Anna said. “I thought we were just going to do it here.”

“Skyhome?” Makara asked. “No way. There’s nothing romantic about that place.”

“I don’t know,” Samuel said. “You’re sort of among the stars, and all that greenery in the Outer Ring? It’s like something out of a dream.”

“I hope you’re kidding.”

“They could get married in front of the viewing deck,” Samuel went on, “and kiss right when the Earth passes!”

“Well,” Makara said, “it’s a good thing
you’re
not planning this wedding, brother.”

“I like Baja,” Michael said. “It should be warm enough if we go far enough south, like Makara said. The beach is a classic choice.”

Everyone murmured, apparently agreeing with Michael’s decision. I didn’t know how he nominated himself for the wedding planner position. It seemed like it should be more of a female role, but I trusted Michael to know what he was doing.

“Gus might be able to help out with flowers and stuff as well,” Makara said.

“Let’s keep it simple,” I said. “Let’s just see what we can throw together in a couple of days and go from there.”

“Alex, my lad,” Michael said. “It takes many weeks to plan a wedding.”

“Really? How long did
yours
take?”

Michael went quiet. “I don’t know. Five minutes, I guess. This is different, though. Everyone’s eye will be on you, and it has to be perfect.”

“Michael,” Anna said, suppressing a laugh, “I’ve never seen this side of you before. I think you’ve missed your calling.”

“We’ll see what we can cook up,” Michael said. “We’ve got the location down, and that’s half the battle.”

The others talked amongst themselves for a while, hammering out details. I heard Julian say something about getting Augustus on the line.

“Look,” I said. “We have to go.”

“Wait, we have questions to ask,” Michael said. “Who’s invited?”

“Anyone who wants to come!” I said. “This is
your
baby, now.”

“We need music,” Michael said. “And food.”

“New America can help with both!” Julian said. “My sister plays the guitar and sings. And she has friends that play guitar as well.”

“I’m glad,” I said. “Let us know what you guys come up with.”

Anna took me by the arm. “Alex, I know this isn’t your thing, but we’re going to need your input. Okay?”

I knew Anna was right. I nodded. “Alright.”

For the next hour or two, we planned. Food. Music. Invitees. We could use the ship’s galleys to cook, as well as make fire pits for roasted pork. If Augustus agreed, we could get some wine, food, and flowers from him. Maybe even a dress for Anna.

The only thing that
wasn’t
mentioned was that this marriage could only last a few days – and from the way they were throwing together this celebration, it was as if they planned on its lasting a lifetime.

When most everything had been settled, Michael spoke.

“Alright. All we have to do is get Augustus on the line and confirm that we can use his resources. We’ll have to get everything to the wedding site. And there are cooks to find, people to raise the pavilion, chairs, tables...”

“It sounds like you’ll be busy,” Anna said.

“All of us will,” Julian said. “There’s so much to do.”

I was grateful to have friends like these, who not only supported my decision, but were going to do everything they possibly could to make it unforgettable. The most important part, though, was that I was going to marry the girl I loved. Even if it wasn’t going to be forever, we were showing the world that it mattered. That
we
mattered, even if our mission demanded that we make the ultimate sacrifice. It would be the last thing people expected, to defy the tragedy of our situation.

The fact that we would all die made the living all the more important. Life was sacred because it was so easily extinguished; it was also sacred because of its uncanny ability to endure, no matter what. We had the power to be happy, even in the midst of pain. We could celebrate, even if there was no real reason.

We celebrated because we were alive, because that was what we did.

T
he arrangements with Augustus were made, and he agreed to provide all the requested items, on one condition: that he, his wife, and his children could be invited to the wedding. I would have wanted him there, anyway; he had proved a friend, even after our original distrust.

However one broke it down, I was glad Augustus was on our side. Maybe he
still
wanted to control everything, but in the end, Augustus was Augustus, and the Wasteland would probably be better off in his hands, anyway.

I was in the process of getting ready. There was less than an hour left, and I was getting nervous. Michael had trimmed my hair aboard the
Perseus;
Anna was getting ready on
Orion.
Thankfully, Michael left some length so that I wouldn’t be totally unrecognizable.

I looked in the mirror in the lavatory one last time. I was shaven, my hair trimmed, and clean. Even a healthy tan remained from my time in Nova Roma. I had to admit, Michael had made me as handsome as I’d probably ever be. There was a maturity to my face that had been lacking three months ago.

“Not bad,” Michael said. “You clean up good.”

“Thanks.”

I sat on my stool, staring at the brown clumps of hair that had fallen on the deck. Michael began to sweep them up, throwing them in a nearby garbage can. Once he was done, he brushed his hands together.

“Let’s get ready,” he said. “Ceremony’s getting close.”

I went to my cabin, dressing myself in the uniform laid out for me. I had protested at first, because I really wasn’t a soldier, and didn’t feel like I’d earned the right to dress like one. Michael told me that I was more soldier than a lot of soldiers he knew, and that put an end to the argument.

In fact, all my groomsmen – Michael, Samuel, and Julian – were wearing the same uniform as I was: we found the military clothing in the dresser aboard
Perseus.
Michael was my best man. I would have been happy with any of them, really, but Michael had done so much to help out that he deserved the spot.

The uniforms were dusty and wrinkled from lack of use, but Augustus put some of his party staff on the job, and had them crisp and clean in a matter of minutes. The uniforms were Air Force blue, both the pants and the three-buttoned jacket, and with a matching dark blue tie. Ashton said the Air Force uniforms were fitting, given how much we had flown around, though he also said real airmen wouldn’t have lost over sixty percent of the United States Space Fleet.

Michael and I got dressed, and I felt nothing but uncomfortable in the uniform. I figured, though, if Anna was wearing a dress, I’d look a little off if I didn’t dress up as well. Apparently, Augustus had given her an amazing white dress, so people probably wouldn’t be looking at me much, anyway.

Finally, Michael handed me some shiny, black shoes. I slipped them on.

“Alright, stand up straight,” Michael said.

I stood off my stool. Michael held out a small mirror, where I looked at my reflection again.

“You’ve come a long way, kid.”

I turned to see Char standing in the cabin’s doorway.

“Everyone’s made it?” I asked.

Char nodded. “Yeah. People are getting seated right now. Me...” He smiled. “I get the honor of escorting the bride.”

“Have you seen her?”

Char chuckled. “That’s bad luck, kid. Did no one tell you that?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Think I may have heard that somewhere. What about Samuel? Julian?”

Samuel and Julian appeared behind Char, dressed and looking snazzy.

“So, we ready?” Michael asked.

Samuel and Julian nodded, but they were watching me.

“You have the ring?” I asked.

Michael nodded. “Yeah. Still in my pocket.”

“Let me see it.”

I didn’t know why, but I wanted to make sure it was
really
there. The ring was also a gift from Augustus, which he got from one of the best jewelers in Nova Roma. Augustus had gone through so much trouble and had given so much that I had no idea how to thank the man.

The ring itself was probably the fanciest and most beautiful piece of jewelry I’d ever seen. It was a product of the Old World. It was hard to imagine anyone having the ability to craft such a magnificent piece, even in the Empire. The band was platinum, twisting and swirling intricately, and the top had a large diamond, which must have cost a fortune. Smaller diamonds were set in the platinum swirls.

“It looks incredible,” Julian said. “So shiny.”

I felt like the wedding expenditures
had
gotten out of proportion, but it had all been others’ idea. Anna and I loved each other, and that was what mattered. If all of our friends wanted to celebrate in style, who were we to stop them?

“Alright,” I said, handing the ring back to Michael. “I’m ready.”

***

I
waited on the constructed wooden stage. Behind me, the waves crashed against the shoreline. We were set up in the exact location where we had rested all those months ago. Down the beach, at water’s edge, a huge cliff rose, against which waves crashed. Two sections of seating faced toward me, a lane of sand running in-between them. Ashton and I were the only ones standing here above. He would be conducting the ceremony, since he was the closest thing we had to a preacher. Which was a scary thought, if you thought about it.

Familiar faces filled the crowd: there were Marcus, Grudge, and several other Raiders and Exiles I recognized. Augustus was sitting up front, as we had promised, along with his wife, the Empress, and his youngest son, who was probably ten years old. The Empress was a beautiful woman, tall, regal, with long, dark hair, and dressed in a flowing, green gown.

The fact that such a diversity of people had gathered was a symbol: we were no longer divided. We were all on the same side, and we were going to celebrate together, fight together, and even die together.

The sky was a perfect blue, like out of a storybook, and puffs of white clouds trailed above. The air was slightly cool, but perfect. I wasn’t too hot in my uniform, which had been my fear.

My heart began to race when, at long last, a stream of people exited a large pavilion set up on the green hill rising above the beach. That line flowed downward, including all my friends. First came Callie, with a basket of flowers, followed by the groomsmen and bridesmaids, set in two lines, after which came a beautiful girl in a white dress that dazzled in the sunlight, still too distant to make out the details. Next to Anna walked a man who must have been Char, also in an airman’s uniform.

The line advanced slowly toward the seating. My eyes kept trying to find Anna, but she was mostly hidden behind the others. Julian was escorting Makara, Samuel was escorting Ruth, while Michael escorted Lauren. Makara, of course, was Anna’s maid-of-honor. Their first encounter, three months ago, had consisted of Anna’s placing a blade at Makara’s throat. It was funny how things had worked out.

Standing in front of everyone, with a basket filled with white and yellow rosebuds, was Callie. When the two guitar players from New America began to play, one strumming and one picking, she walked forward, flowers streaming and falling in the wind. When she reached the end of the lane, she was grabbed by Ada before she could cause any trouble, as six-year-olds were wont to do. Ada pulled Callie close, sitting next to Deborah and some of the other former Community women.

As the music continued, Julian and Makara walked forward, arm-in-arm. Makara wore a light blue dress that shimmered like deep sapphire. Augustus had taken pains to provide all the women in the wedding these beautiful blue dresses, chosen to reflect the color of the Pacific Ocean. Makara was striking in her dress, and until this day, I could have never imagined her wearing one. She looked radiant.

As Makara and Julian fanned out, each taking their place on either side of the stage, Samuel and Ruth walked up next. Samuel looked strong and handsome in his uniform. Ruth, also, was striking in her blue dress, and her wavy blonde hair tumbled downward and her blue eyes shone brightly.

Last of all came Michael, escorting Lauren. They both smiled up at me. As they parted, Michael winked before taking his place beside me.