Chapter 149: The meeting on the awakened....3
Gasps. Screams. People dove for cover.
The soldiers around Sunshine and others in the room raised their weapons, turning them to Joel.
Hades tried to shield Sunshine behind him, but she pushed him away. She didn’t flinch; she didn’t need to.
When Hades realized that she could handle it, he calmed down and faced Joel as well.
A gun was fired.
Joel stumbled back, his weapon clattered to the ground, and it was kicked away by a soldier that was standing behind him. He was kicked and he fell face first onto a chair.
Then, he was grabbed by two soldiers. There was a hole in his hand where the bullet had passed.
As people calmed down, Major Elio pocketed his gun and acted nonchalant.
Sunshine spread her arms. "This is why we wanted superhumans to keep their awakening a secret. You just proved everything that some of us have been saying." She looked around the room at the people who were just calming down. "He is an ordinary human and yet he dared to draw a weapon in a room where children are. Your wives, husbands, parents.
If I defended myself using my abilities, how many of you would have ended up as collateral damage? It is not superhumans in the base you should worry about, it is things like selfishness, greed, envy and hatred. They will destroy our base if we let them in."
Joel lunged but two soldiers held him back.
"Let me go!" he growled. "You should all stand up and resist this. Can’t you see that superhumans are dangerous? You are all blind."
Sunshine turned to the crowd. "This base exists to ensure all of our survival. Your safety lies in trusting me and each other. This man just tried to kill me, and he has broken that trust. Without me, where will you get your next bubble? Where will you get the cars and other things which I research and produce to keep us all safe. By trying to kill me, this man has endangered all of you, hasn’t he?"
The small reminders she dropped killed the mercy that everyone had for Joel. The residents started recalling that there were things only Sunshine could give them.
Molly and Frank tucked their tails and kept their heads down. They could tell that something was about to happen, and they did not want to be caught up in it.
Words of condemnation rose all around meanwhile, from outside and inside. People cursed Joel,
Sunshine looked at the soldiers. "Throw him off my base. Now."
The silence that followed was heavier than the air.
Was this really happening, the people wondered.
Sunshine faced the people. "Nobody has been chained to the wall of this base, and nobody here is a prisoner. If you cannot accept me or the superhumans on the base, you can leave. Go and sneer at the superhumans, mutated animals and mutant animals outside. In case you awaken while you are out there, I hope you don’t come across people with the kind of primitive thinking some of you have displayed."
Joel was dragged out kicking and screaming. He fought, cursed and pleaded.
A drone camera followed the soldiers, and everyone watched as he was driven out of the wall and left at the base of the mountain.
More silence followed as the drone showed the vehicle passing a group of watcher birds which made no movement at all.
Hades looked at his watch. "If there is anyone else that wants to leave the base, raise your hand. We will register your names and move you to an isolated section as you will no longer be part of us. When the acid rain stops, you will be dropped off at the base of the mountain."
No one moved.
"Does anyone have any more questions or any opinions?" Sunshine asked.
Silence.
Sunshine laughed. "I know everyone is in shock so let’s end this meeting here. Keep my warning in mind. In Fortress Four, superhumans live openly like everyone else. If anyone awakens, register with the information center or medic bay. Superhumans who contribute the most to the safety of the base will be rewarded heavily."
Lisha took over with her signature. "What a night, huh! There is a movie screening in the dining halls of every wall, and it begins in fifteen minutes. Those who are interested in watching vampires and werewolves falling in love, don’t miss it.
For the children, we are showing toy story in the entertainment rooms near your classrooms. As for those who wish to visit the bar, we have restocked wines, and some base made beers.
Goodnight, everyone and may luck shine on us all so that we awaken."
Some people shuddered, others laughed.
Sunshine shook her head.
****
Because they had children, Sunshine and Hades found themselves among other adults that were part of the toy story crowd.
The children were sitting on soft mats on the floor, and the parents were either next to them or in chairs behind them. As they watched the movie, they also ate their dinner.
To this, Sunshine added distracting Hades with conversation on all that had occurred. They were sitting in a corner, so close to each other that air had to bend and squeeze to pass through them.
They were sharing one large pizza and drinking canned soda which she got from the soda factory where they found survivors.
"Do you think that I am cruel for casting Joel Carmichael out like that?" She asked him.
He shook his head immediately. "You did the right thing. Our authority cannot be challenged. This is our base, and they must follow our rules. If they turn on us, we will kick them all out. It is not like we will be given a medal of honor for saving as many humans as we can."
She sighed. One of the mothers smiled and waved at her so she did the same thing.
After that one, more waved.
"They don’t seem to be as afraid of me as I thought they would be." She said with surprise in her voice. "I must have scared more than a few with my cruel act of self-preservation."
He disagreed. "They are not scared. They like you because you have always been kind to them. Without you, this base would not be in this shape."
Hades knew that more than anyone. Without his wife, nobody would be walking around, eating food, watching movies and mumbling about superhumans. Most of these people would be dead, injured or starving.
The lucky ones would be indoors, crossing their fingers as they waited for the apocalypse to end.
Suddenly, Major Elio showed up and leaned down, invading their space.
"Joel is dead. One of the watchers stomped him to death with one leg."
Sunshine looked out at the window, peering at what she could see of the sky. If the watchers had started killing, mutant monsters were about to arrive. It was just a matter of time now.