Chapter 265: Life on a base.
The presidents of the base were the very first people to break the rules of curfew. It was midnight when they returned home and their entrance was quite dramatic.
A crack of static which was followed by freezing and then the door fell in.
Sunshine stumbled into the house first, giggling loudly and uncontrollably. Her shoes were missing. Hades rolled in behind her, one leg crossed over the other as if he was doing yoga.
Because they had gone on a date, relatives and Nimo had remained over to keep an eye on their children. The living room had been turned into a camp and most of the campers were awake. Those who had been sleeping were startled awake when the door fell in.
All of them were stunned by the drunk couple that should have been home by 10. p.m.
"I dare you to twirl like a ballerina." Sunshine pointed at his robot leg.
Hades smirked, raised his hands in the air really high. His neck followed, mimicking the position of a prima ballerina on stage and then he twirled.
Sunshine clapped for him and cheered him on.
Hades leaped up and did a full split.
From the sofa, their three sons were aghast.
"Again! I cannot believe this." Ariel muttered.
Ever ready with her camera, Lisha was recording. It just so happened that she had been recording the camping fun.
"The witch froze the door." Earl shouted.
"We all saw it, Earl." Lisha laughed.
Ariel rushed to cover Earl’s mouth, but it was too late. Sunshine had already noticed them. Castiel covered his eyes.
"My icicles." Sunshine squealed, rushing to the children. "Do you want to see a wonderful trick?"
She zapped the tv. It exploded in small frost fragments. "Merry Christmas," she declared.
The boys escaped from her side slowly.
"Not the tv again." Warren groaned.
Hades was still twirling and Sunshine decided to accompany his performance with static and frost. Her hair was flying in the air, and the room was becoming colder.
Sunshine stopped, looked around and whispered, "Do you think I can fart snowflakes?"
Lisha burst into laughter, stomping her feet on the ground. "I can’t wait for tomorrow."
Nimo giggled alongside Lisha. Then, Sunshine zapped all the lights, and the house became so dim that everyone had to blink to see clearly.
Rori snatched her grandsons by the collars of their pajama shirts and shooed them out of the door, telling them to go to her place where they would be spending the night. And the apocalypse too...maybe.
"I am not marrying anyone with superpowers." Ariel declared solemnly.
****
It had been two weeks since the drunk incident. Sunshine was yet to live the embarrassment down. Dozens of times, she had sworn not to drink again.
During the fortnight that passed, the ice storm finally died down. It was still snowing and still very cold, but at least normal life had resumed, especially in Fortress Four. Those that had been cooped up inside their houses started coming out more often.
The fever and flu infections went down. Awakenings however increased on the base. Twenty-one in total including children. Their abilities varied wildly and it pleased Sunshine.
There were those who chose to take the suppressants unable to bear the burden of being a superhuman.
Every day, she waited for Father Nicodemus to change his decision and ask for the suppressant and every day, he did the opposite. He went for his training, counseled other superhumans and kept the church closed.
The intensity of training increased. Sunshine knew they would soon face a threat soon and she wanted everyone ready.
During that time, Lisha made sure the residents never lost their spirits. She kept them entertained throughout the day. Sometimes it was news updates, other times folk tales and laughter and on special evenings. She hosted people to tell their stories, especially superhumans. People loved knowing how they felt when awakening and what challenges they were facing. Lisha’s voice had become a familiar sound of comfort echoing through the speakers of every wall.
The watchers never left and according to Major Elio, they paid a lot of attention whenever Lisha interviewed superhumans. They remained in place observing what was happening within the base.
The Major even told Sunshine that the watchers seemed to like Father Nicodemus
"Why would they like him?" Sunshine had asked.
"The man has wings and can fly. Do you not see the similarities? Maybe they think he is one of them." Major Elio had said in response.
His words had sent Sunshine bubbling over with laughter. She knew the watchers to be smart, so it was impossible for them to consider Father Nicodemus the same as them.
But nonetheless, the report stuck in her mind, gnawing her curiosity.
One night as she and Hades were having an intimate dinner, she mentioned it. She also told him about the rumor she once heard in the past apocalypse; that feeding the watchers with fish cooled their anger and distracted them.
Hades had chuckled and said, "If it is true, we can afford to test that theory, we have got plenty of fish in the space."
And so, they were trying to prove or disprove the rumor this morning. Sunshine had not even spared Hades’ prized Bluefish tuna, that he had preserved for special occasions.
The fish were cooked in different ways. Some were fried, roasted and others baked. Soldiers led by Elio and Morris left out the base in giant buckets.
Everyone that mattered in the running of the base gathered in the command room to observe. For an hour, the watchers barely glanced at the fish.
"What a waste of good fish." Warren said sadly.
Hades was feeling the pinch. His Blue fish tuna had been wasted.
"They are moving." Elio said from where he stood by the window.
On the screen, they saw the giant birds rushed to the buckets and devouring the offerings. All except Pink.
Sunshine laughed. It wasn’t a rumor after all; it was a fact. The question she now had was if feeding the watchers every once in a while, was a good idea. She stretched and left the command center, pondering on the issue.
This morning, she walked instead of driving or using a bicycle. It had been a while since she just roamed around the base and looked around.
Steam was rising from chimneys all over the base. Children were running around playing with toys. Some were riding bikes; their young sweet laughter filled the place.
It made Sunshine glad that they had a safe place to call home.
She soon reached the training arena from where shouts and energy bursts echoed off the reinforced walls. A group of awakened stood in formation, their breaths visible with frosty air.
"You must learn to supplement your abilities with those of others while fighting mutants." Major Elio shouted, pacing between them. He had driven over in one minute instead of taking a twenty-five-minute walk like her.
Sunshine stood and watched from the railing, her arms folded but cautious. After observing for a while, she moved to the shooting training area and nodded when she saw the progress being made.
From there she passed by the gardens. Even in the extreme cold, they glowed with green life. As always, they were a popular destination for dates and picnics, even in the morning.
Next, she passed by the kindergarten to peek on the children. Warmth and laughter filled the small classroom. Professor Cepheus, an old man that once taught history at the university stood at the front, trying hard to make animal shapes with his fingers.
"That is not a rabbit! my mommy knows how to make a real rabbit." Castiel shouted.
"Yes Castiel, your mommy knows everything." The professor replied in a resigned voice.
Sunshine laughed. Her baby loved to brag about her whether it was the truth or lies. And she loved it!