Shawn POV:
A hologram of Jack appears next on to the Generals and Adawe. He salutes, and everyone breaks their silence in a applaud. I look and see that even Williams was impressed and clapping as well.
"It would seem that our boy Jackie is making quite the name for himself. Could it be that he's more famous than us now?" S3bastian muses.
"I can understand how. We aren't exactly poster boys. Only a select few follow us, and even then, we face so much backlash. But Jack. That's a man who everyone would follow even if we all knew it would lead to our deaths."
"I could do that. Circumstances have it where everyone hates an omnic but sometime in the far future, probably a couple hundred years, I could be the Jack Morrison of that time." S3bastian says looking to the ceiling.
"Doubtful. You will always be S3bastian, no matter what happens."
"You make it sound like a bad thing. It's a blessing to be me."
Adawe begins talking again, "He's on the first flight for your location. However, it will take him approximately three days to get there. California is a huge state. Use this time to scout out the area for any omnic activity besides the omnium. Also reinforce this base more. We cannot lose it. Good luck."
With her final words, their holograms fizz out. The members sitting in the chairs rise and everyone begins filing out of the room. We were the first ones out the room. We had a lot of work to do before we liberated California. We had plans, nothing that any of my superiors needed to know or approve of.
On our way to the motor pool, we see none other than Major Sergeant Williams himself heading towards us. We do the only smart thing to do. We turn right around pretending not to see him.
"HEY!" We pick up the pace, striding away from him but not running. It's easy to lose him in the sea of people. His red face stood out as he desperately tried to find us as we looped back around towards the motor pool.
One would think the hardest part would be sneaking a truck out of the base, but with multiple vehicles coming in and out without someone keeping track yet, we just drove out.
Adawe was right though, California was a huge place. It would be roughly an hour and a half if they went full speed before they would arrive at their destination. That is if the roads aren't blocked and they remain undetected. But between my senses and S3bastian's sensors, they would long detect any omnic presence before they could pick them up.
S3bastian drove, reminding me of the good ole days when he was still a mindless omnic butler just listening to my orders. Of course, he was more cautious in those days. Here, any time he encountered obstruction in the road, he wouldn't slow down and play chicken, only swerving out of the way at the very last possible second.
Even so, we made it to our destination quicker than estimated because he, 'took a shortcut'. To others, it was just an assuming vast plain, that was once lush with swaying green grass. But after two years of war and neglect, nothing but dirt remained. Dirt and this rock.
Checking one final time that there was no one for miles both on the ground and in the sky but us, I kneel down beside the rock. Despite the extremely low chance, should someone decide to try to pick up the rock, they would find that it wouldn't bulge, much like a rock wouldn't. They SHOULD give up and move on. However, if they decided to push in and twist the rock counterclockwise, they would hear a click, and a passage way open leading underground.
Nevertheless, the rock would be the first obstacle said person would encoutner. Walking in, they would find themselves in a room with a metal door and what appeared to be a doorbell. Should they press the doorbell, they would have to identify themselves. Failure to do so would result in fatal consequences. Of course, said person would be warned multiple times before it came to that. Unless said person was an omnic not capable of responding. Then they would have been immediately dispatched.
The door is heavily reinforced, so much so that even a tank wouldn't be able to blast it off its hinges. But, as with all security, it wasn't impossible to get past. Should they somehow find a way, they would find themselves on a lift, that would slowly descend them a five hundred miles underground. Little would this person know, that the entire time, they could be subject to more gunfire, or lethal electric shock on the platform they were standing on. Not even to mention that should everything fail, the entire lift was rigged to blow, collapsing the whole shaft.
Should said person somehow avoid all that and successfully get to the bottom, they would enter a corridor. Walking, they would feel the warmth, and the vague traces of life. The metal doors would easily slide open, and they would be greeted with a rush of music and the smell of brownies as Abigaile greeted them at the door.
"Hey guys. Glad you came by." She says offering me a brownie.
"I see that you only made enough for him and yourself. Didn't think that I would want one?" S3bastian says.
"Oh. Sorry. Wait. You can eat?" She asks in confusion.
"Maybe I wanted one for when I can." He responds, grabbing one off the plate and tucking it into his pocket.
I follow suit, grabbing one and immediately biting into it. I scarf it down, now remembering what real food tasted like after months of MRE's and some nights only eating sleep. Abigaile sees my face and offers me her second one, taking the last one for herself. Deciding to relish this one, I slow down and strike up a conversation.
"So, how's the bachelorette life? I would have gone insane by now living all alone for this long."
"Well, it helps that I was already basically a shut in before. Even more so that you have all my manga and other things downloaded for me to read. I'm a simple girl, so I don't bore easily." She explains.
"Not gonna lie, I'm surprised that you're so fit. I expected you have gained some pounds and if you had I was going to be respectful and not mention it. In front of you." S3bastian admits. I hit his arm, and he doesn't even flinch. However, Abigaile found it funny and laughed.
"Even while providing you guys information, it's pretty easy to either run on the treadmill or lift weights. Sometimes I do it if I feel myself getting bored. Plus, I don't eat much to begin with. I think I've barely gone through a years' worth of food." She tells us.
"Nice. Did you ever feel frightened once you were so far in enemy territory?" I ask curiously.
"Sometimes, but then you realize that there's nothing that you can do about that, and I distract myself. Anyway, you don't have to let me keep you from... you know." She says, her eyes drifting to my stump of an arm before quickly looking away.
"Oh, don't mind this, it's nothing." I tell her to reassure her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." She apologizes.
"Nah, its fine. But yeah, we are here to also build me a new one."
"Ok. If you need me for anything, don't hesitate to call for me." She says with a new joy as she heads to the other room.
We head to my lab, beginning the work of my new arm. No sooner than I began on it, that I realized that I had too many ideas and that I was likely not returning to base any time soon. Scratching out the unrealistic expectations and over the top ideas, we begin constructing the new arm two hours later.
Within five hours, my anticipation can't be quelled, as hold my new metal arm up, looking at it like a kid on Christmas. Since I did the measurements, it perfectly slides on to my arm as I strap it on into place. From within the metal arm, I can feel the electric power, which I quickly adapt to. My arm raises into the air, and I flex my new fingers. Next, sparks dance in between them and travel back down my arm.
"Oh yeah, this is perfect." I tell no one.
"Not better than mine, but you're a close second. Want to arm wrestle?" S3bastian says.