Chapter 741: The new Iron Wood city.
"I think that I know how," Sunshine replied. "I have looked at the names of those who carried out the attacks. All those people were not part of the original fortress. They were from towns that we conquered. So, the watchers saw what we were doing_ the expansion and all.
Then, they made their own plan. They created sleeper cells whom we made part of us. And they waited for the perfect moment to activate them."
"Plan Adeline," Hades said.
Sunshine nodded, "Yeah, Adeline Croode. It was right there, Hades. They gave us a name and somehow we didn’t figure it out." She groaned, because she felt somehow inadequate.
He nodded. "I feel the same way, as does everyone in the core group. The Watchers will be celebrating their win for life."
She sighed. "They got us good."
Hades took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. The fortress was damaged, the people were scared, and the enemy was still out there, but he was always optimistic that as long as he had her, they would rebuild.
"So, how did you fail to mention that this city is something out of a sci-fi movie?" She asked him. "What kind of experiment is Ala running over here? I know Boulder Creek structure when I see it."
Hades coughed, tugging at his collar. "Well...we wanted to surprise you. That is why I kept it all under wraps. But it is kind of obvious from first sight that this city is not like Babel. The streetlamps glow like lava mixed with breathing fireflies. The elevators float. Some of the roads move like escalators, so you don’t have to drive. Just sit and the road transports you. The vending--"
Sunshine cut him off. But before she could talk, loud footsteps marched into the lobby. The couple turned and saw their closest couple friends. Nimo and Leah walked ahead, their faces an identical mask of suspicion.
"Suni!" cried Nimo. "Did you know that the roads in this city move like escalators? The buildings are like glass; the elevators practically float. A mailbox tried to scan my retina and asked for identification!!" She patted the back of the sleepy girl on her shoulders.
Behind her, Dwayne was carrying the other twin. He was wide awake, clutching a glowing cube that Ala had given as a gift on adoption day. He looked like he had aged ten years in a short period of time.
Sunshine raised her hands in a defensive motion. "I have been busy, in case you have all forgotten. If anyone knows about project alien city, it is Ala, Hades and the builders."
The girl in Nimo’s arms fussed.
Leah turned to Nimo. "You need to burp her. How many times do I have to say this?"
Nimo bristled. "She doesn’t need burping; she is just sleepy. How many times must I say this to you? Allow me navigate motherhood at my own pace."
Leah rolled her eyes. "Why do new mothers think they are inventing a new method of motherhood instead of following what we already know?"
Sunshine sighed.
The cube in the little hands of the little boy sprouted holographic wings and tried to fly away. The child burst into tears.
Leah turned around and said to Dwayne. "You need to take that cube away from him. I took away the one Ala was playing with because of this. She nearly fell down the stairs while chasing after that stupid cube."
Again, Sunshine sighed. Leah was like that supermom of their group who just knew everything about parenting and believed they should all follow her advice. But she forgot that children were different.
The vending machine in the corner made a burping sound. Two bowls of soup hovered in the air before being carried off by one worker.
"Soup floats over here!" Nimo squealed.
Sunshine pinched the bridge of her nose.
Dominic crossed his arms on his chest and looked at Hades. "Bro, these residents here tried to kill the rest of us, and they are rewarded with a futuristic city and floating soup? Where is the justice in that?"
"Just wait until the billionaires learn about this." Nimo said.
Hades and Sunshine groaned. That group was single handedly responsible for these people being moved to Iron Wood city. But Nimo was right, once they learned of the changes here, they would demand for residence as well. In fact, Sheldon might suggest that these people be moved to another town while they moved in.
Sunshine shook her head. "We have given the rich and spoiled residents enough leeway. If they want to move here, that is their business. They won’t be allowed to harass the residents living here. That will be a law."
Hades nodded. "Although Sunshine and I are going to have a penthouse over here. It is important for these people to see our faces once in a while and remember that they are still part of us, despite what has happened."
Leah raised her hand. "My daughter’s tech built this city so we deserve a penthouse too."
"As do we." Nimo quickly said. "Ala is my niece and Suni is my sister. Hades is Dwayne’s brother. In short, we are all family here."
Grayson cleared his throat.
Sunshine rolled her eyes. "You are also family and you can move here whenever you want. Although we will have to set rules first. The city will be destroyed quickly if people just move in."
Dominic nodded. "They need classes on how to use this new technology. Moving here can be part of some kind of lottery. That will give off the idea of fairness in residency."
Sunshine sighed. "We should discuss this over dinner while talking about security measures going forward. I plan to remove all manual controls over the gates for now. What do you all think?"
As the group walked away, to find a proper dining area, their voices were raised in argument. Gate security had never been more important, after what had occurred.
"Should we discuss the funeral of the dead first?" Nimo asked.
There was silence for a moment. Just like that, they were all pulled back into the tragedy of the apocalypse.
"I never thought we would lose people so quickly like that inside these walls." Leah muttered.
In a soft voice, Sunshine said, "It just goes to show that nothing is set in an apocalypse. This tragedy was a reminder of what we are up against. The watchers are playing the long game, and we need to prepare for that, instead of just being on the defensive according to what attack they send our way."
Hades put his arm around her shoulder. "I agree. We need to strengthen our defenses, externally and internally."
Leah sighed. "I know I will be guarding against my neighbors from now on. If the watchers have succeeded in one thing today, it is making us distrust each other. It will be easier to fix damaged buildings and plant new grain than it will be for some of us to look at each other in the same way, ever again."
She was not the only one with that opinion. Even Sunshine was not so sure who could be trusted now, outside of the original residents of the mountain base. Leah was right, the watchers had won something today: it was paranoia.