18 Floors Above the Apocalypse



Quiet as a mouse, but don't rattle the cage.

Stella returned to the hospital, faking a migraine to score a half-day off. She took the ferry back to Area B and tidied up her apartment, while Jasper headed to the agricultural sector to find his sister.

Rosie was just clocking out when she saw her brother, and her face lit up. "Bro, my transfer came through! I start in Area A next week. We can apply for a shared apartment, and you and Stella won't have to commute anymore."

Jasper pulled his sister aside under the clear blue sky - a stark contrast to the grave news he was about to share. Rosie's smile froze, and she stood there, stunned, like a deer in headlights.

It took her a moment to gather herself. "Brother, we're really leaving?"

"You don't want to go?"

"No, it's not that. I'll go ask for time off right now."

She loved her job and the life she had there, but she couldn't bear the thought of being away from her brother and sister-in-law.

Rosie's good standing and imminent transfer made it easy for her to get the leave approved.

When the siblings returned home, Stella had already packed up everything that shouldn't be there into Arcadia, leaving behind only the items they had bartered from Monkey. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, they carried light luggage.

The walls were thin, and they kept the conversation to a minimum, gripping their belongings as they descended the stairs. Outside, Rosie couldn't help but look up at their third-floor apartment, feeling a heavy weight in her heart.

Everything had happened so suddenly; she barely had time to react. There was so much she was reluctant to leave behind, but Rosie didn't let it show. She was fortunate to have grown up under Stella's wing, and life had been good here, but that paled in comparison to her brother and sister-in- law's safety.

Stella felt a pang of loss too. She had become part of the community, with friends, colleagues, and her 'little brothers' around her. Now, she was about to leave everything behind and return to a nomadic life without direction. It felt disorienting.

It was like living in darkness and suddenly seeing a ray of light, only to have it snatched away just as you reach for it. Losing something after you've had it is far worse than never having it at all.

Jasper took her cold hand in his. "Tomorrow will be a better day," he said, reassuringly.

Stella snapped back to the present and didn't look back again. They had arrived in Area B by assault boat, and now they were leaving the same way. The engine roared as they cut through the waves, and the cold spray of the sea churned around them.

Upon reaching the submarine zone, they saw Cole returning from a mission. Stella greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Cristian."

Cole waved back, "Hey, you three off for a spin?"

"Yeah," she replied, "just needed to get out of the base for a bit, to clear our heads."

Cole offered a friendly reminder, "Just remember to stay within the base perimeter. There are more survivors from other nations out there, and without an escort, you could get robbed."

The nation had made over a hundred contingency plans for disasters, working in silence for ten years to achieve what they had today. But internal fortification wasn't enough; they also needed to defend against foreign threats. Humans were a peculiar species, adept at fighting disasters, yet even better at outwitting their own kind.

Ocean Point Naval Station was thriving, surrounded by envious outsiders.

Stella thanked him for his advice, "We'll just stick close by, not planning to venture too far."

Cole waved goodbye, "I'm on leave for a few days; come over for dinner if you have time."

"Will do, definitely," she promised, wondering if they would ever have that chance.

Once they were aboard the submarine, Jasper released Cooper. If anyone was truly happy to be inside the base, it was Cooper. Usually confined to their home, the dog couldn't bark or move freely, but here, he was unleashed.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" he barked, protesting the restrictions and wagging his tail at his owners.

Stella crouched down to pet him, "Good boy, you'll have more freedom now."

Jasper, always in control of his emotions, expertly navigated the submarine deeper into the ocean. Rosie stood by the periscope, wistfully looking back at the formidable tower platform of the base.

Goodbye, and farewell.

Stella watched Rosie's actions but said nothing. Three hours later, the submarine was nearing the edge of the base's territory. Jasper switched to hover mode.

Stella was in her bunk, eyes closed but restless. Jasper pulled her up, "Something on your mind?"

She remained silent, simply leaning on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Stella, we're husband and wife. Whatever it is, don't keep it bottled up inside."

She looked at him. "Do you think we're dragging you and Rosie down?"

Jasper touched her face gently. "It's hard to let go, but it's nothing compared to your safety."

He always had the same message, "Don't worry unnecessarily. We're a family, a unit. We've benefited from Arcadia, and we must accept the consequences. If this isn't our destination, we'll find a new one, even if we have nowhere to land. To me and Rosie, home is where you and Cooper

are."

Stella didn't speak, just hugged him tighter.

Soon they would leave the base, possibly never to return. Their simultaneous disappearance would soon be a topic within the base community. With enough scrutiny, someone might unravel the truth. They needed to decide whether to leave without a trace or to do something for the base. After all, it was Ocean Point Naval Station.

And within Arcadia lay the 26 containers they had sunk to the ocean floor Those spare parts were useless to Stella but could be the

ultimate weapon for the base to

reclaim land. With them, Ocean Point could succeed in island construction, grow more food and medicine, and vastly improve the survivors' living conditions.

Stella made her choice without hesitation, "Give it back to them."

She had feared Arcadia's exposure and had been thinking long-term, looking for a fail-safe way to return the containers. But now they were leaving, exposure was no longer an issue. However, the sun was still up, and patrol boats were out at sea. Even while doing a good deed anonymously, caution was key.

Jasper had previously scoped out the situation in secret. According to their coordinates, a patrol boat would pass by precisely at 8 p.m.

Well, the plan was simple enough: get those containers floating out there before the patrol boats rocked up, and they'd spot them in no time Timing was everything, though. We couldn't let the tide sweep them out of our turf, or some other lucky survivors from the next town over would hit the jackpot instead of us.

But, man, figuring out how to arrange 26 massive containers at sea was like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing. And once they were back in the drink, it was like we were back to square one.

The whole salvage operation was the headache of the century. If the base had the chops to pull off a deep-sea recovery, they would've done it right after the storm, not months later, leaving it for 2688 to stumble across.

Tossing them back into the briny deep? Might as well have left them there.

But you know what they say, if you're gonna help someone, you go the whole nine yards.NôvelDrama.Org © content.

Stella had a lightbulb moment, "Let's put 'em on the cruise ship."

It's not like any of us could pilot a cruise liner anyway, so leaving them on the Arcadia was basically just for show.

For the three of us and the dog, the yacht's deck space on the Arcadia was more than enough to stretch our legs.