Unit Four

Another chance to reach help. Matt looked out from the bunker. The fog had lifted and he could see all the way across the ruins to his destination. Unit Four was down the hill, across the open field. He would get there. He had to. Everything was different now.

Matt held the prize in his hand, gripping it tightly. He would get it to Unit Four and use it to contact the base in Newyork. Finally, after months of exile and hiding out, he would be able to return.

Matt looked around and saw no sign that anyone was about. There was no way to tell for certain if there was anyone lurking in the woods, but he could see the path was relatively safe. He debated for a few seconds as to whether the trip was worth the risk.

He ran. As quickly as he could, he rushed straight toward Unit Four, determination in every step and an iron grip on the prize, the gift Melissa had given him last night.

He heard the first shots. Sure enough, someone had been watching him, waiting for him to make another run. He had told himself he had gone down there too many times, but this was the time. He was going to get himself and his team rescued.

He ran faster. He could see the door of the building. It was closed and locked, but he knew the code. If only he could get there. He refused to let it end like this. Back in Newyork, he was a military leader, a strategist. He had brought a legion out into the frontier to assess the borders. They had been caught off guard in an ambush. The survivors had been hiding in bunkers for days now. They were running low on supplies. The forces of the Michigan Empire had them surrounded. And they were closing in.

Matt put on a last second burst of speed. He was not going to let the Empire stop him. Everyone was counting on him. His legion hiding in the bunkers and the citizens back in Newyork. He rushed as fast as he could.

And then he reached the relative safety of Unit Four. It was a small building, nowhere near large enough to stay in, but it had what he needed. Communications. A computer. He could use it to get help out here.

Matt slammed himself against the wall of Unit Four. He pressed himself up against it as he entered the code to open the door. 5. 1. 1. 7. 2. He heard the familiar click as he entered the numbers in the correct sequence. And then the door was unlocked.

Matt hugged the building as he opened the door and slipped inside. Once in, he locked it again. Matt collapsed onto the floor, catching his breath. He had done it. He had made it inside. He could hear the last few shots bounce off the metal of the door. If nothing else, the building was secure. Anyone would need a lot more than what they had to penetrate the thick walls of the structure. He was inside. He was safe, at least for now.

Matt sat at the computer station. He had done this a half dozen times before, but this was different. This time, he had the prize, the gift Melissa had given him last night. And this time, he knew it was going to work. He was going to get word out and get his team rescued.

Matt heard a few bangs on the door. Just to let him know they were out there. He did not know if it was the trained forces of the Michigan Empire or if it was scavengers who were living in the area. But none of that mattered. He was in. And they were not getting in.

Matt looked down. He was still clutching the gift from Melissa. She had assured him last night it was genuine and could help him. Matt held it up. It was beautiful. Glimmering in the faint light inside the building. He touched it with his right finger. It was cold. It felt hard. It was beautiful.

When Melissa had given it to him, she had told him it was given to her by her grandmother when she was just a little girl. Her grandmother had made her promise to keep it safe, which Melissa had done for years. But now, it was needed. Matt was sure Melissa’s grandmother would understand.

Matt put down the locket. The heart shaped diamond glimmered as the computer screen came to life. Matt left it there as he got the computer going. He knew it would be several minutes for the system to come online. The power was low out here in the frontier. The building was running on a century old battery and wind power.

Matt saw the blue glow. The computer was active. Day after day, he had tried to contact Newyork and help. But he had never been able to get through. The signal was just not strong enough.

All of that was about to change. Matt had gotten salvation. The diamond, the heart shaped diamond in Melissa’s locket, was compatible. Matt could use it as a power source and could increase the range of his signal.

As Matt attached the locket to the power converter, he prayed that this would work. His friends, his legion, were locked in the bunkers. They were running low on food. It was getting colder every night. They could not stay here.

And he could not stay inside Unit Four. He had no food at all. There was only the heat of the computer. He had to reach help this time or he was going to die in this building. He knew that whoever was out there was watching the entrance. He would not be able to get out to go back to the bunker. He had gambled everything on this. It had to work. If not, they were all going to die.

As the diamond began to power the computer, Matt took out what was left of the keyboard. There were only a few working keys, but Matt had spent days rigging the keyboard. It was going to work. He would be able to send the necessary message. If, of course, the heart shaped diamond could give the computer enough power.

Matt heard more banging at the door. He walked over to check and see that it was indeed locked. He was safe. For the moment. But he was not going to get out of here without help.

The screen brightened. It was working. The computer had more power. Matt touched the chain on the locket. It was going to be their salvation. He hoped.

Matt activated the signal. A message. Back to Newyork. He knew the direction was northeast. He directed the signal that way. Hopefully, someone in the six boroughs would get the message. And now, all he could do was wait.

Matt paced around the tiny room for close to an hour. The signal was strong. But was it strong enough? If the Michigan Empire knew what he was doing, they might be able to block it. If they had more forces, they might be able to breach Unit Four. Or worse, if they got reinforcements, they could overrun the bunkers. This had to work. It had to.

The power was dimming. Matt looked at the screen. He could see the message was sending. It was transmitting in the direction of Newyork. He looked at the locket. Was this going to save them all? It had to. He saw last night how much it had meant to Melissa. She had come to him, telling him she was going to help him. She and everyone hiding in the bunkers knew Matt was the closest they had to a computer expert. She asked him what had happened. When he told her, she had offered the heart shaped diamond necklace. If they all died, it was going to be no use to anyone.

And now, the diamond was giving power to the signal. Enhancing it, getting it closer to help. Matt watched, looking at the computer. Waiting for the small light in the corner to turn green and show him that the signal was being received. Matt looked again at the message. With what he had to work with, he had still gotten out a reasonable message, telling the Newyork military what had happened.

The lights dimmed. A lot. Something was happening. This was not the wind dying down or the batteries slowly losing power. This was something different. Matt looked frantically around the room. And then he heard the footsteps on the roof. Someone was up there. A few someones. Whoever they were and whatever they were doing up there, they were cutting the power. The signal was going to die. There was no way to get any more out of the computer. Matt lowered his head. They were going to die.

And then it happened. The light turned green. An image appeared. It was brief and it was flickering, but it was a signal. Matt rushed to the chair and sat at the keyboard. He toughed the heart shaped locket, hoping it would give the computer enough power. Even one more minute was enough.

Matt saw the image clear. It was Kyle. A general in the Newyork army. His image appeared, then vanished and then came back.

Matt spoke the words he had been prepared with for days now. “We’re trapped. In the bunkers outside Trenton.”

Kyle nodded. “The Empire?” It had to be. No one else would have the power and the forces to trap them all.

Matt shook his head. “I don’t know. We can’t see them, but they’re there.” He hoped it was not the Michigan Empire. If they had gotten this far, they were within striking range of Newyork.

Kyle reassured him with the words Matt had been waiting for so long to hear. “Help is on the way.”

As the image disappeared, Matt was able to get out two words. “Thank you.” He smiled at Kyle as the image faded and the screen went blank. Those on the roof had stopped the signal. But it had gone through. They were going to be okay.

Matt took the heart shaped diamond locket from the power converter and held it tightly in his hand. He made a promise to himself. When help arrived, he was going to give it back to Melissa.