“When will you be here tonight?” she asked as he resumed dressing.

“I have to swing by the divorce lawyer later today to sign more paperwork. Barbara has made a few more demands,” he said, averting his gaze.

“She still doesn’t know about me, does she?”

“And she won’t. Not for a while. But I know all about Bob, don’t I?”

She knew he loved her, but the bitterness in his voice made her wince.

“Not that I care. I haven’t really cared for years. It’s more of an ego thing, I guess. While I was risking my life in an attempt to defeat the Scrags, she was off...” He shrugged. “I guess a teacher is a better mate than a soldier.”

“Unless you’re a soldier.”

Buttoning his jacket, he nodded solemnly. Catching a glimpse of her expression, he took her face between his hands. “Never doubt for a moment that I love you. I don’t think I ever really loved anyone before you.”

Kissing his palm, she sighed. “And I love you. I know you love me. It’s the heat, the smell, you and me being a secret: everything getting to me. I just want to be somewhere with you, safe, sound, away from all of this. And I know it’s not going to happen.”

He kissed her again. It was the sort of kiss that made her want to drag him back into bed. “I love you.”

“I love you,” she whispered back.

“Your brown eyes are what keeps me going each day. That look inside them when you see me makes it all bearable.”

“Don’t make me cry! I’m a hard ass!”

He laughed, straightening. “I’d better go.” Pulling a protein bar from his jacket, he headed toward the door. “Take care out on the wall.”

“Unless the Scrags learn to fly, I’ll be fine.”

Dwayne smiled, then was gone.

The flat seemed painfully empty and small without him. It was one long narrow room with a long counter along one wall that served as her kitchen. Simple storage units were tucked under it, full of her food stores, clothing, and her few personal effects. Her bed was tucked into the opposite corner. The small shower and toilet closet were two feet away from the end of the bed. Despite its small size, she felt very lucky to have a flat all to herself. Most enlisted single people lived in the military facilities, but because of her status as a war hero, she had been allowed to live on her own in one of the residential sections of the city.

The vid screen on the wall over the counter next to the windows chimed twice then flicked on. It was the daily morning update that all the citizens of The Bastion were required to watch. Maria ignored the beautiful woman’s face filling the screen as she shoved the oatmeal into the small oven on the counter.

“Good morning, citizens of The Bastion. Though the Inferi Scourge continues to gather outside the walls of our fine city, the citizens of The Bastion continue to live their lives freely without threat. Several pivotal victories against the Inferi Scourge have...”

Maria turned on the shower to drown out the lies and half-truths delivered by the mouthpiece of the government she no longer trusted. The anchorwoman, Raquel, was even more popular than President Cabot and people trusted her implicitly. Maria didn’t understand the blind devotion.

Stepping into the shower, she braced herself as the freezing drops pelted her skin. The cold water washed away the last vestiges of sleep, awakening both her body and mind.

When she moved out of the shower into the muggy warmth of her flat, the fresh smell of coffee filled her nostrils. Naked, she poured the rich brew into a small cup, spooned in generous heaps of the raw sugar Dwayne had managed to procure, and gulped down the strong mixture. It was almost hot enough to burn her tongue, but the rush of caffeine and sugar really hit the spot. The vid screen had shut off after the morning dose of propaganda. Enjoying the quiet, she leaned her hip against the counter while she stared out the narrow window to the busy streets below.

Pouring herself a second cup, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of remorse as she saw children rushing through the morning crowds to school. Though she had never really thought about being a mother, the loss of her reproductive system due to her battle injuries had sealed that door forever. Dwayne had twins, a boy and a girl, about to celebrate their eighteenth birthday, and an older daughter that he had a difficult relationship with. Aware of her infertility, Dwayne was silent on the issue of them having children. She suspected he was waiting for her to bring up the subject. They could always adopt or apply to have themselves cloned, but Maria was uncertain about bringing children into this dismal world.

Of course, the government was always pushing for more children despite the shortages. The ratio between men and women continued to be worrisome. Only a third of the population of The Bastion was male. A large number of the deaths when the gate failed had been men.

Maria hated to admit it, but ever since the battle she had given up hoping for something more than her dreary life. Only Dwayne made life bearable and if not for him, she was certain she would have drowned in despair by now.

Sliding her finger over the face of her wristlet, she activated the screen. Every resident of The Bastion wore the device from birth. It expanded as the person grew, keeping a snug fit to the wrist, and couldn’t be removed. Paper-thin, two inches wide, with a silver sheen to the metal, it was not only a communication device and personal computer; it was the government’s direct link to the citizens. The life signs of every citizen were constantly monitored by the Science Warfare Division, and the instant someone died a squad was dispatched to destroy the body immediately. The ISPV was not airborne, but the government didn’t want to risk a possible mutation. The implementation of the wristlets had been controversial in the days before the Inferi Scourge had finally destroyed civilization, but now the civilians of The Bastion were comforted by its presence on their wrist. It provided a connection to relatives and friends living on the far edges of the city, as well as kept them informed of the latest updates on food distribution, weather, and government news.

Like many, Maria simply regarded it as an extension of herself.

The screen lit up and she quickly tapped in her password. Her orders for the day appeared, unchanged from the night before, but she furrowed her brow at a new message from only an hour earlier. Sliding her finger over the message, it unfurled, filling the screen. Reading it over twice, she slowly lifted an eyebrow.

It was two short sentences ordering her to report to the Section Officer’s office to meet with a representative from the Science Warfare Division after her patrol. The message was marked as top priority and top secret. Staring at the words, she couldn’t fathom why she would be summoned by the SWD. Before her release from the hospital, she had been cleared of all contamination by the ISPV.

Still frowning, she quickly dispatched a coded message to Dwayne letting him know she’d be home late. Pulling her heated oatmeal from the small oven, she shoveled the nearly tasteless food into her mouth, suddenly feeling quite nervous about the day.

* * *

Hurrying up the long, winding metal staircase to the elevated monorail station, Dwayne finished eating the last of his protein bar. The flavorless meal left a chalky residue in his mouth and he couldn’t wait to snag a decent cup of coffee at his office. Arriving at the station, Dwayne glanced over his shoulder at the sprawl of the city. Below, the inhabitants of The Bastion rushed about in a frenzy of activity. The morning sky was heavy with the promise of rain. The threat of storms always had the populace scurrying in preparation for the possibility of buildings leaking, power outages and flooding. A government drone wound its way through the streets broadcasting the latest news on the war against the Inferi Scourge on its screens while urging the citizens to remain diligent. Dwayne noticed that a few people stopped to watch the update, but most continued their morning routines without a second glance at the drone.

The station was off limits to civilians and only a few low ranking officers were milling around, sipping lukewarm coffee from a vending machine. The old benches, upholstered in black vinyl, were torn and cracked, revealing the padding. It was just another reminder of the slow decay of the once gleaming city.

A slight tingle alerted him to an incoming message and he quickly checked his wristlet. Entering his password, he watched a series of communiqués download. Stepping away from the other commuters, he read through the messages. Most were from the brass canceling all the meetings previously scheduled for the day. One was from his soon to be ex-wife reminding him to speak to his lawyer once he was off duty. The last was from Maria informing him she would be delayed in the evening.

“What the hell is going on with today?” he muttered.

Dwayne glanced toward the military complex that took up nearly all the southern quarter of the city. The tall steel buildings were as gray and ominous as the approaching storm, but there didn’t appear to be any unusual activity. Yet, the cancellation of all his meetings with the upper brass and even Maria’s mysterious delay didn’t sit well with him. The grind of the daily routine was one of the things Dwayne could depend on, and any changes, usually due to some unexpected occurrence, was a concern.

In this terrible world they lived in, disruptions to the carefully attended balance of the city could cause major problems. The last time all his meetings had been canceled it was due to the food riots.